Sorry to leave you hanging...

When I wrote the last post, Riley had just been to the dentist (whose office is right behind his school - they bring him from his class to his appointment and back again, I don't even have to be there! Unbelievably convenient!). I called them after his appointment, to see how it went, and they told me that they had done his crown ... so I was expecting him to come home with his "silver tooth" in his mouth. (He is very excited about getting a silver tooth, by the way, and I am just letting him be excited, even though I am not.) So that was going to be my news about Riley - and a potentially good photo, too - only when he got home, he only had a filling done. Nothing so dramatic.

So to back up a bit, years of sucking on socks and blue blankies has caught up with us, and Riley's teeth are full of holes. One really big one, on which they are planning (at a future appointment, apparently) to put a stainless steel crown. Can you imagine a crown on a primary tooth? On a 6-year-old? Can you imagine what a crappy mom this makes me feel like? Or how much it is going to cost, even with (thank you God) dental insurance? Just good, good news all around. We had him at a dentist in Washington, about a year ago, but he was so hysterical at the appointments that they could not do any fillings without sedating him, and with no insurance at the time, that was just not going to happen. So here we are.

Anyway, Riley has lost two more teeth (the good way - got wobbly and fell out!) and here is some very blurry evidence:

Also, his hair was getting very shaggy - which bothers some members of the family (not me) a great deal, so when he said his hair was making him feel hot the other day and wanted a haircut, I had the clippers out within seconds. I love the before-and-after haircut shots - always such a striking difference. Riley always looks so much older right after a haircut.

This is from October of '07, all baby teeth and no giant holes! Notice the jaunty scar through his left eyebrow. That is how our coffeetable came to be known as The Evil Coffeetable of Death.

And this is one of my favorite little-Riley pictures, from September of '05:













One more? OK This was earlier in '05, with his new baby brother:







Everybody say: Aaawwwww!

We're famous!

Well, we are in the paper, anyway.

There is a story about my knitting group in the local paper - here. I am not so savvy with the hyperlinks, so I apologize if that doesn't work.

If the link doesn't work, try going to www.delmarvanow.com - we are on the front page today, and after that, maybe search for "pungoteague"? The title of the article is "Needles, Yarn Keep Group Together"

Also, check the Photo Galleries link, below the picture, where it says "The Knitting Circle". There are several more pictures. No pictures of my face, but my hands made the paper!

In other news, yes, we have had snow lately. Three inches or so, and cold enough temperatures that it has stayed around for a few days. And you know how they are around here, the schools were all closed on Monday and Tuesday, and two hours late today, so Mommy has not had time to update the blog just lately! But I do have pictures, and I will get them posted soon. Also coming up next: news about Riley. Stay tuned.

Levi

In his first year:

As I was looking through photos and trying to catch up on the blog a bit I made a horrible discovery: I do not have a single photograph of Levi's 4th birthday, on January 19th! How did that happen? I am not only a bad blogger, I am a bad Mommy!

So to make it up to him (just a bit), here is a little tribute to Levi.

Here's Levi, back in Buckley, WA, eating a little mud:

On his third birthday, at the Tacoma Dome for Monster Jam (January 2008):

During our trip to Williamsburg this summer:

And hanging out on the dock this summer:

Checking out the train display at the Union League on New Year's Day:

How is a Mommy supposed to get any spinning done with this going on?

Today, from the back seat of the car, and apropos of nothing, Levi said "Mommy? If I were a pirate, with a wooden foot, and an eye patch, and I found a diamond - I would give it to you."

There is nothing quite like being loved by a little boy.

I love you, too, Levi!

Caution: Spinning Content

I received a WoolLee Winder for Christmas from my sister, and it is such an amazing product. It really speeds up your spinning - and I suppose it will help with consistancy, too, as I get used to it. It feels different than the flyer and bobbin that came with my wheel, and I have had to goof around alot with the Scotch tension to get everything to flow correctly.

The WoolLee Winder came with 2 bobbins, and I ordered a third so I would be able to do a two-ply without having to use the old flyer & bobbins at all. I will probably order at least one more, so I can do a three-ply or a cabled yarn.

So I spun 2 bobbins full of superwash merino singles, but when I started setting up to ply them onto my third bobbin, I discovered that these new bobbins don't fit on my lazy Kate! They are bigger than the Ashford double-drive bobbins - and hold a lot more fiber - but it's a bit of a problem. So I Googled "homemade lazy kate" and in a few seconds, had several good ideas about how to make a quick, tensioned kate. And a few minutes after that, I had this:

A shoebox, a pair of 14" aluminum knitting needles, and a piece of string, and you have a perfectly usable tensioned lazy kate. I love the internet.

And a little while later, I had this:

I am planning on using this for some more of those kool-aid dyed fingerless gloves - I haven't swatched yet, but I think this will look pretty nice.

And, by the way, what ever happened to that last bit of spinning you showed us several weeks (or was it months?) ago?

I was trying to make a 3-ply sock weight yarn. My 3-ply came out more like worsted- or even heavy worsted-weight. Ah well, I guess I just need more practice, right? It's still a nice yarn, it will be good for something. Maybe some really THICK socks.

We had some cold weather here a while ago...

I am playing catch-up here a little bit. Here are a few photos we took on January 18th - a cold and snowy (sort of) day. We walked over to Nini and Poppy's dock to check out the frozen creek. We kept Beale on a leash for fear that he would go on the ice and fall through. Lucy we left on her own and she skittered around on the ice like a crazed thing. She really loves the cold weather!

And here's a little video sample of the craziness:

As Promised...

The monster truck show.

For those of us who have been to a proper Monster Jam program at a nice-sized venue like the Tacoma Dome, this might have been a bit of a disappointment. The arena (the Wicomico Civic Center) is really small for monster trucks. The races took a fraction of a second as the trucks jumped from one end of the floor to the other, and quickly slammed on their brakes. Add to that a little disorganization on our part - Steve and I completely neglected to bring any cash with us, and the t-shirts were cash-only! AND the tickets we had (contrary to what the website said) did not include the "pit party", so we were not able to get close to the trucks. The boys handled all of that really well, and seemed to enjoy the show - especially....

Transaurus!

More later - ttfn!

Getting familiar with the local hospital

I could have named this post the same as the last one - long time no blog! Sorry about that, I have to get myself on a new routine. I really am trying! We have decided to send Levi to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, full days, which should theoretically free up some of my time, but it is not working yet. I'm not sure I am up to catching you up on everything we have been doing since I last blogged properly, but let me fill you in on this week at least.

Levi went to his preschool for a half-day, both Thursday and Friday (a week and a bit ago) and of course caught a cold, which he brought home to the rest of the family. Monday Riley went to school as usual, and of course Levi was at home. Tuesday and Wednesday were teacher-in-service days, so Riley was off school. Tuesday Levi went into preschool for his first full day, but of course, no free time for me because now Riley is at home! Wednesday, they are both home, and by Wednesday night, everyone is feeling pretty sick, and the boy's eyes have gone all red and yucky and itchy. Boys (and Mom and Dad) have a terrible night sleep, lots of coughing and such. So I woke up Thursday morning knowing that I needed to get them some antibiotic eye drops at least. (Mind you Thursday was SUPPOSED to be my first full-day "off", and I had plans!! I was going to bring my spinning wheel in to the knitting group to do a little show-and-tell ... I had a lunch date...)

Thursday. I called the clinic at 8:00 when they opened, and they took my number and called me back some time later saying that they had no openings for today, but they would call back if they could get me in. I waited for awhile and started to fret - tried calling Steve to see what the hospice nurses would advise, but he is not at his desk. Called our friend Lynn, she suggests trying the clinic in Onley. I called them, and they said I would have better luck at "our" clinic (in Franktown). So I fret awhile more, and finally they call back and say we can come in at 1:00.

12:45 - 2:00 In the Dr.'s office, waiting, filling out forms, seeing the Doctor. I actually can't complain too much about this, I really like the Doctor, he takes the time to listen to the whole story, explains a lot about his thought process, very personable guy. At this time, Riley has one really sticky eye and a bad cold, Levi's eyes are not that bad, but his cough is a lot worse. His temperature is almost 103. Dr. gives him an albuterol treatment (inhaler-thing) so he can listen to his lungs better. When he gets a better listen, he thinks that Levi has pneumonia, and sends us to the hospital for a chest xray to confirm.

2:00 - 3:00 Hospital, waiting, filling out forms, waiting some more, (with 2 sick kids), get the xray, wait some more, take the xrays back to Dr.'s office.

3:00 - 4:00 Back at Dr.'s office. A bit more waiting, and then back in with the Dr. - yes, it is pneumonia. He calls in prescriptions for eye drops for Riley, and oral antibiotics for Levi. By this time, Steve had received my messages, and he met us at the clinic and took the boys home.

4:00 - 5:00 I did some grocery shopping to give the pharmacy some time to get our stuff ready. I went to the pharmacy at 5:00 and they told me to come back in an hour.

5:00 - 6:00 I decided to wait, rather than drive home and come back, so I put the seat back in the car and slept for an hour!

6:00 Prescriptions still not ready - pharmacy is jammed - more waiting around, but thankfully no sick and coughing children with me this time.

7:00 Finally make it home with medicine for my children!

The good news is, antibiotics work. As my Dad always says, if you get a cold, tough luck, you just have to suffer. If you're lucky, you'll get pneumonia - they can cure that. And they can. In the morning, after just one dose apiece, the boys are feeling much better. I kept Riley home one more day - not sure if that was the right decision or not. (I may get a nasty letter from the school - again.) His eye is much better, but he is still coughing a lot. And Levi's fever is gone - he is also still coughing, but is much more himself.

And today - Saturday - we are off to Salisbury to see Bigfoot! As I recall, the boys (or at least Levi) was sick last year when we went to see Monster Jam, too. Maybe January is just like that.

So, next post, hopefully soon, will be pictures of monster trucks. See you then.

Long Time No Blog!

Well, you can guess what we have been up to - Birthday (Riley's), Christmas, Guests, Moving house. Busy. Sorry for the lapse. Also, the internet connection has been shut off at Nini and Poppy's house for a week or so, and we just last night got connected at the new place. So I have a basketful of excuses to choose from!

Today at 2:30, God willing, we will close on the house, and it will really and truly be ours! There is a little bit of last-minute confusion going on, so wish us luck - but the champagne is cooling in the refrigerator this moment, and we will crack it open tonight if it all works out.

The house is mostly put together, at least the downstairs is in a livable condition. Upstairs is still a maze of boxes, but I suppose it will be for some time. Still no blinds on the windows, and Steve is losing his patience for that situation! We (I) will get to it one of these days.

Again, sorry for the long absence - but it is a new year, full of possibilities. More later!

A Big Day

Maybe THE Big Day.

It was June 12th of this year, the day that we finished packing up our house in Buckley, WA. The day that we locked the padlock on our truck-full-of-stuff, closed up the house, and headed for the airport. No, now that I think about it, it was the 11th that we headed for the airport, but it was the 12th that we flew, and it was the 12th that our truck was picked up by the moving company to begin its' trip to Norfolk. I didn't know where we were going to end up at the time, it could have been just about anywhere in Virgina, Maryland, Delaware, or even Pennsylvania. But in the end, we settled right across the street from Steve's parents, with Steve's job just a 15 minute drive away.

And today, exactly 6 months to the day from when our truck left Buckley, it is being delivered to our new home. Not that it is actually our home yet, but we are working on that technicality. But before the truck comes (sometime between 9am and 5pm, they tell me) I am going to unpack the ceremonial First Box.

A couple of months after we moved out of Buckley, but well before the house actually sold, our real estate agent was in our kitchen looking for the spare keys we told here were there. She opened the drawer next to the stove, and there was all of my cooking utensils and some of my favorite knives - we had missed packing the whole drawer contents! She packed up the stuff, and mailed it to me. And I have had it here, in one corner of my in-law's guest room, waiting for this day.

There is a lot of stuff even in a modest three-bedroom house, and I may not unpack the last box for weeks or even months, but today I unpack the first one.

Are you getting sick of this yet?

Well, I'm not.

I went over to check on the progress yesterday - Wilson Custis and crew were working on the driveway and grading in front:

And when Chris (who works for Tidewater) saw that I was alone (no mud-tracking children with me), he asked if I wanted to take a look inside. Uh, yea!

Bamboo flooring in the living/dining/hall:

Carpet in the master bedroom:

And carpet in the boys' room - Riley picked out the color:

Carpet on the stairs:

Oh, I didn't get a picture of the kitchen, but the stove has been installed and the kitchen is looking pretty much ready to move in.

The guys were finishing up the siding:

Here is the parking area on the side - just sand so far, but there will be crush-and-run (?) (gravel):


And if you look closely, you can see that the siding is done on the dormers, too. They just need to clean up all of that trash!

Getting very close to done! We should have the CO by the end of next week!

Thanksgiving, house update

Do I look kind of sweaty and as pink as my shirt? Well, it's always a bit of a rush at the last minute getting Thanksgiving dinner ready, isn't it? We had the Ben Sadtler's and the Sr.'s here for the holiday, so a full house and lots of fun. Sorry I only have pictures of myself - I guess I was too busy in the kitchen to take pictures! Jeanie put me totally in charge of the feast, which was fine by me, actually. I was able to make all of my favorites!

The only hitch in the whole thing was that I had too much to drink the night before, and woke up with a wicked hangover just when I had to get up early and cook Thanksgiving dinner for 11 people! I got up at my regular time - around 7 - and I thought I was going to be ok, but when I opened the fridge to get the kids their "chocky milk" I saw and smelled the food in there and just about threw up right on the spot. I went back to bed for another hour and a half, and finally had to get moving to get the turkey in the oven at a decent time. I was a little shaky at first, but it got better from there and we had a great meal. I did a turkey with our fab cornbread stuffing (yes, I had my recipe book with me!), instant mashed potatoes (I'm not a masochist), a yummy green bean dish with ham and onions and cream and tarragon, cranberry relish with horseradish, and that pink "fruit salad" with cherry pie filling and marshmallows and cool whip - mmmmmmmm. Steph made a casserole with yellow squash (very good). Jeanie contributed dinner rolls and pies (apple, pumpkin, and peach). A fine feast.

Lots of action on the house this week - we have a driveway (almost, they are still working on it today) and some more siding and finishing touches on the porch. Oh, and over the weekend we painted the cinder blocks. They are working on the flooring, too, but I don't have any pictures of that yet:

All for now - busy busy. Aren't we all?

FO

That's "Finished Object" to those non-knitters in the audience.

Forgive the goofy mirror-self-portraits, but I wanted to show it to you "on":

I am very happy with how this turned out. It is superwash wool, so it will be easy to care for, and I plan to wear it a lot. Especially since it is the only wool sweater I can get my hands on right now, and it is ccccccold out there! Here is the creek this morning:

OK, OK, I know, it is below freezing and my child is outside in bare feet. But, in my defense, have you met this kid? I am lucky he was wearing pants!

SNOW!

A dusting, anyway. Gotta go play, update later!

As Promised

A house update.

We have steps, and a roof on the porch:

We have a heat pump:

and back steps:

and a ginourmous mud hole in the front yard:

Even when they get the house done, it is going to have to STOP RAINING for awhile before we can get that truck-full-o-stuff anywhere near it! Well, of course, you can see from the front steps (watch out for that first one - it's a doozie!) that we need to get some fill in here. Lots of fill.

That is all well and good, I can hear you thinking, but haven't you been doing any spinning lately? Why, yes!

This is some Lorna's Shepherd Wool top I got in Williamsburg on a recent trip. The color name is Tuscany.

The color is more accurate in the first photo. My goal is to spin finely enough and evenly enough to make a three-ply, sock weight yarn. I am not sure if the singles are coming out fine enough, but they sure are pretty on the bobbin!

Check y'all back later!