Strands of Thought

Minion

2008-09-26T19:07:00.000-06:00

Our catl Minion hates to have his picture taken.

I am evil

2008-09-13T14:40:00.000-06:00

Just ran into my aunt who reminded me that I have always been bad. According to my mom's family I have never done anything right. My dad is batshit crazy (that's the technical term) and so they only saw me a handful of times before I was out of school. They wonder why I never visit even though we live in the same town.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

Well, goodbye 2007, it was nice knowing you. This past year was definitely a mixed bag for us. We got a new house, but my mom and oldest daughter moved in with me so there is mere chaos than I care to deal with.

My ex violated his parole and lost his job so now I'm not getting child support anymore. It was nice while it lasted.

I got a good raise at work, but my health insurance tripled so I'm now bringing home less than I was before the raise.

But we are all healthy and safe, and that is the most important thing.

A Bad Sign

2007-05-02T09:31:00.000-06:00

Was just browsing Amazon for harlot's new book. And this came up.

Customers viewing this page may be interested in these Sponsored Links (What's this?)
Luce Designer Handbagswww.eBags.com Totes, Hobos, Satchels and More. Free Shipping! Buy Now, Pay Later.
YarnJustClickLocal.com Comparing yarn? Search in your local area.
New: Organize Yourself -www.OrganizeYourselfOnline.com Your personalized program is here - With expert guidance, it's simple!
Advertise on Amazon

Notice - bags, yarn, and organization. The first two I have in overabundance. The third.... is Amazon trying to tell me something?

Misc. Homeschool Stuff

2007-04-18T17:27:00.000-06:00

I've gotten some emails from other parents of PDD-NOS and Autistic kids wondering what we are doing for school since I pulled my daughter out of the government school system. Here is a little quick breakdown of what we're up to.

We homeschool through a wonderful cover group here in Alabama that is very relaxed. Hard to find in our state. Since we can only do this under a "church cover school" it is hard to find one that is inexpensive, doesn't demand I keep detailed records of every minute and complicated lesson plans, and won't make me sign a statement of faith which will reject me because I am a single mother with a job. I love our cover school, and if you want info please email me.

For curriculum, the basis of our day is The Prairie Primer. It takes us about two or three days to cover one day in the Primer, and I leave some of the suggested activities out. Instead of the reports suggested in the Primer, we make lapbook sections. My daughter loves this, as it is very hands-on and visual, and writing a report completely overwhelms her. Instead of writing about things, she draws or pastes in pictures.

For math we use Math-U-See. Math is no longer such a battle since the curriculum is manipulative based. She watches the DVD with me at the start of each week, and we work through one worksheet a day. So far we have done one unit a week. I started her in the Gamma book, even though by grade level she should have been in Delta. This has been good for her, because the work is easy at this point, and we are reinforcing stuff she was weak on to begin with.

Grammar - she actually doesn't mind. We are using Winston Grammar, also a manipulative based program. We work through two or three sentences every day. She can actually differentiate between a noun and a verb now. Progress!!!

Everything else is lapbooks. We are currently doing Pioneers, Horses, and Jesus. We have completed The California Gold Rush. I just downloaded Remarkable Women and hope to start using it soon. Props to Homeschool eStore. Every week they have a different freebie to download, and their prices are great. I could still manage to go broke there though.

Hopefully I will be able to post some pics of completed stuff soon. Until then, please enjoy this pic of the Amazing Grandbaby from Easter....

Beautiful Feet

2007-02-26T06:52:00.000-06:00

Last night we went out to dinner with my daughter, Mr. Wonderful, and the Amazing Grandbaby. We had a surprisingly good time, even though the service was painfully slow. Our server kept a good attitude though, and we made a point to speak to the manager about how much we liked him, and what a good job he did. We also left him a nice tip. He had 4 large parties, including ours, and two of the other parties complained. The kitchen was also screwing up royally. Totally not his fault, but he still got the blame for it. It was also Sunday night, so he had the after church crowd. Christians are the worst customers on earth. I noticed the table next to ours had left a tract that looks like money as a tip. Only a tract that looks like money. And they were very rude and demanding, left their table a mess, and complained loudly about everything. When we walked in with the grandbaby the mom was heard to comment "Oh, GREAT!!! Another screaming brat!!!" Little did she know there was more chance of my 10yr old screaming than the baby. Anyway.....

I let the amazing Grandbaby play with my phone for a bit as we were gathering everything up to leave. She took this wonderful picture. I think she has a future as a photographer.

Hidden Ickey

2007-02-23T11:24:00.000-06:00

Since I disparaged my daughter's housekeeping, thought I'd post a bit my own (or lack thereof).

I took this picture of my floor after my daughter pointed out that we had a hidden mickey in our kitchen. I only mop when company is coming over, or the floor is so sticky that the cats are stuck to it. Gross, I know. When I was a "real mom" I used to scrub my floor weekly on my hands and knees. Now, my days off are devoted entirely to laundry and shopping. Mopping is really low on the priority list for me.

On the plus side, my kids have something fun to do - finding hidden pictures in the crud on the floor.

I'll Never

2007-02-12T11:08:00.000-06:00

I love my oldest child. She is as beautiful as she is smart, is a valued employee at both her jobs, and is a wonderful mother. And she is also a good source of humor.

When she was 14 she made a point of telling me how she would never leave dishes in the sink, would never pile up laundry, etc. She was constantly criticizing my housekeeping, while doing nothing to help out. One day she was on a rant about what a horrible mother I was because, although I worked full time, was in school full time, and was raising a teenager, an autistic first-grader, and a four-year-old at the time, although I only slept two hours on a good night, and although I was in the middle of nasty court battles and press interviews, I was unable to stay caught up on laundry or dishes. Instead of getting mad, I started laughing. The more she went on, the harder I laughed. She finally stormed out in huff and slammed the door to her room. This caused me to laugh even harder. She has never forgiven me for this.

Yesterday I babysat for her since the baby's daddy was too busy hanging out with his buddies, and forgot to come home in time for her to go to work. I had a good laugh when I got there. Witness the evidence.....

I did clean the kitchen while I was there. This is the normal situation at her apartment, and I can understand. I just think it's funny. Here's to her own daughter throwing it her face in about 12 years.

In knitting news, I finally took a picture of my sweater, and a cabled cap I made from Knitty last year that I had totally forgotten about until I was cleaning out my closet. Took the pictures with my phone, as my real camera has died. When I get my tax refund, first item on the list a a new camera. Anyway....

Long Time, No Post

2007-02-08T09:21:00.000-06:00

I wonder sometimes how people blog every day. Seems like I make a semi-annual post, and that's about it.

Well, school's over. I'm done, even though I didn't get to graduate. I was in the hospital the last two weeks of school, so I missed all f my finals and have to re-do a class. The instructor wouldn't let me take an incomplete. So I have to re-do the whole class, including 24 clinicals days that I had finished. No. I'm just done. Also found out that the school lost their accreditation, so it is questionable if I would have been allowed to sit for boards anyway. I am taking this semester off, while shopping around for another school.

My autistic daughter is now being homeschooled. This is actually working out well for us, since she learns best at night. She has really taken off in math and reading. Wish I'd done this sooner. My youngest is still thriving at school, though today she is home with the crud that everyone else has. My eldest is working two jobs, her significant other is a complete ass who won't get off his lazy behind, and the baby is doing great.

Also, I've been officially divorced since December 1st!!!! Though this has had no bearing on my love life (or lack thereof) it's good to know that I'm free from "him" forever.

On the knitting front, I just completed the "Subway Cable" sweater from The Yarn Girls Guide to Beyond the Basics. It is being washed as I type, so I will post pics as soon as it's out. I completely frogged the Celtic Knot sweater, and rescued the yarn for this one. I made the sleeves about an inch longer than called for in the pattern, as I am tall and I like my sleeved to come down to the middle of my hand. I am still working on the blue fuzzy-cuff sweater. It is what I knit during Lost, and since that show just came back from a 13-week hiatus, it has finally seen some light from the bottom of the knitting basket. I need to find a project to work on during Heroes. Maybe a kitted tee with the Superman logo on the front? Or maybe with Wonder Woman's logo? Or perhaps I'll make a pattern with my favorite childhood superhero - Ultraman!!!

Autism Sucks

2006-07-23T01:19:00.000-06:00

My middle child is autistic. I may have mentioned it before (about 100 times.) But tonight it is really getting on my nerves. Really. Alot. It is now 2:17 am. She has been awake for almost 37 hours straight. Most of that time she has been playing DDR. I am having to sit up with her so that she does not destroy my house any further. I also have not slept in over 37 hours. Probably longer as she was napping when I left for work and woke up and today was my day off and she has been up all that time.

I love Darby. She is so precious to me. But the autism I could do without right now. OK, officially she had PDD-NOS. But she is the textbook High-Functioning Autism kid. It's just that her doctor doesn't like the "A" word so she has PDD diagnosis.

Today has been a rough day - insomnia aside. She has been constantly stimming with the DDR. On the same song. All day. We did take a break and go to the mall, where she did OK for a bit. She didn't want to stay long because it was crowded. She got that spacey look about 15 minutes in, and proceeded to walk into traffic TWICE on the way to the car. Being 10, she refuses to hold my hand like her little sister, but heck, she almost got smushed TWICE!

At home she is screaming at her sister for, no joke, "breathing in a funny way," and she is being very mouthy to me as well. She has refused to do any chores at all, and did I mention she's not sleeping.?

School starts in 17 days. I am dreading the school year as she will be in a regular classroom with other "normal" 4th graders. She does not interact socially with other kids, and every night is a battle with homework sometimes lasting 7 to 8 hours.

I also feel like a horrible mother to my 8yr old. She is a perfectly normal, smart, typical kid. But the energy Darby is sapping from me right now means that she is kind of pushed to the side. I hate it. I know it's the autism, I know she can't help it, and I know that in a day or two she will be back to normal. Whatever that is.

I'm sorry for venting all over the place, but it's just been one of those days. Tomorrow will be better - I get to babysit the amazing grand-baby for a couple of hours. All by myself. Maybe we will take a nap.

I made Cables!!

2006-04-04T22:13:00.000-06:00

After making the cable hat, I decided to take on something bigger - a whole sweater. I used to not like cable-knit sweaters. I didn't despise them or anything, I just wasn't into them. Then I decided to try this hat (of which I still have no pictures), and I was hooked.

Now I'm taking on this sweater (yeah, it's a pdf, sorry) with some major cables, and I still love it.

I snapped this pic on my desk at work today with my phone - the first time I've done that too.

In other news - got harlot's new book. She is, as always, brilliant. My family thinks I've lost my mind because I keep laughing out loud while reading it. I can't even take it with me to work or school because it's so funny. Thanks, Stephanie,for another wonderful read.

Boredom and the Internet....

2006-03-20T23:30:00.000-06:00

I really shouldn't get on-line when I'm bored. I apologize in advance...

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Genius Assassin.

Where You Lived: Russia.

How You Died: Decapitation.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic

At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung

You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping

Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Your Japanese Name Is...

Yuriko Shigenoi

What's your Japanese Name?

Today, I Love my job.

2006-03-19T12:13:00.000-06:00

I am busy sitting here doing, well, this. There is absolutely nothing going on, yet I am not allowed to leave. So I am getting paid to sit here and blog. And yes, I did ask if I could do "personal business" while at work since we're slow.

The baby is crawling now - and loves the kittens. We have actually gotten rid of 9 of them, along with both mamma cats. We kept one ( not this one though). The one we kept plays with her, and she couldn't be more thrilled.

Her mom is pulling her hair out - and going to buy a safety gate today to block miss priss out of the kitchen. I'm so enjoying it. I just can't wait until this baby is 12 and my daughter calls sobbing because her daughter hates her.

I'm out for spring break this week - I only have to work. This is nice because the kids are out too, and I'd probably lose my mind if I had to spend 11 straight days with them.

Hat is going OK, still found the black hole at around 6 inches. I've been at 6 inches for days. I know once I escape the black hole it'll all be over soon, but I'm getting startitis REAL bad.

Stalling Out

2006-03-14T20:14:00.000-06:00

I have been so useless this past week. I've gone to work and school, but have done nothing useful around the house, and my studying has dropped to absolute zero. I have spring fever soooooo bad. And I'm not even going to go on vacation or anything - I'll actually be working extra. But I will be off of school, and those blessed three days I don't have to work will be spent sleeping late as I won't have to get the kids up for school either.

If blogger weren't being such a pain - I have some great pics of the baby. She's actually crawling now, and pulling to standing. So cute - and she's teething too. People keep asking me how often she's up at night - and I have no idea. I love being a grandmother.

Had to frog the hat down to the band - another picture I can't upload right now. I had knitted it with the cable facing out instead of in. Bassackwards. I discovered this as I started making the decreases for the crown. I'm knitting with Lion suede on plastic Lion Brand needles. Very squeaky. I can only knit so much before I have to quit because it makes my teeth hurt. Why do I not et some bamboo or balene (my favorite!) needles to knit on to avoid the squeaking? Because I took this up as a stash-buster project and wouldn't buying new needles defeat the purpose of knitting something to use up stuff i already have? No?? Guess in the morning after clinicals I'll stop by the LYS and pick up some squeak-free needles.

Taking One for the Team

2006-03-05T08:31:00.000-06:00

Team DPN has its own medals - I love it!!! I really enjoyed the knitting Olympics. I hope we do it again. I know that even if there's no concerted world effort, that I could do it on my own. But it was so much more fun to think of all the other knitters out there doing the same thing, reading about everybody else having the same knitting trials and tribulations, and being part of something so big. A big thanks to Stephanie for the idea.

My knitting time has actually been crunched a little the past couple of days . I discovered this book by Maggie Sefton. I'm not usually into mysteries, my tastes run more to fantasy and sci-fi. But this book was delightful and prompted a trip to the local bookstore for the next in the series. I know, I know. I should be studying, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, whatever. But sometimes you just need to read a good book.

Finally took the girls to see Narnia yesterday. They totally loved it. I know it's coming out on DVD next month, but it is still in one of the local theaters, and still had a pretty good turn-out in spite of the fact that it's been playing forever. They have both read the books so they knew the story, and they both thought the screen rendition was spot-on, as did I. It was great. The only thing that bugged was that when the kids were standing outside looking at whatever vista, it looked like they were standing on set. You could really tell they weren't "there". All of the creatures were great though, the kids were fantastic little actors, and the script was faithful to the story.

I was going to post a pic of the grandbaby, but a link to my dd's web site will have to do. For some reason blogger is eating my pictures right now.

The medal stand

2006-03-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, I cried as I stood on the medal stand and heard the National Anthem. All the blood, sweat and tears were worth it as I accepted my medal for Team DPN and for my country.

I'd like to dedicate this medal to my teachers, who had such boring classes I could sit in the back and knit, to my children, who didn't bother me too much. In spite of having to work, study, and provide basic care for my children and grandchild. In spite of having my wisdom teeth pulled, my dog eating my yarn, and the kittens in the house turning it all into a hue mess, in spite of needing sleep and food, I managed to make it.

I learned alot about my knitting through all this. I had picked a simple project because of everything I knew was going on in my life, but I think I underestimated myself. As a result of this, I have attempted my very first cable. I have re-organized my knitting stuff to make it more user-friendly, and less "pretty-looking". I have realized that I can do way more than I thought - and that it's good for my kids when I knit, because I'm actually sitting in the room with them instead of running around the house trying to catch up on all the housework I miss when I'm at work and school. Yes, the house is a disaster. But you know what? It's always a disaster. 10 minutes after I clean it's a mess again. Maybe I need to accept this as my BML (base messiness level) and just deal with it.

I have decided that knitting time is valuable time, and that I will try to make time to knit at least a couple of times a day. It doesn't matter if I have a bunch of UFOs. I will knit because I love it, and I will enjoy the process.

Olympic News and Other Stuff

2006-02-24T20:42:00.000-06:00

First, I want to thank everyone for all the kind comments and emails after we lost Ms. Kitti. Ya'll really helped me.

Last week, my girls and I went to the shelter, just to look, and we came home with Jamie. She is the sweetest dog in the whole world, and has done alot to help my girls heal after losing Kitti. She's a 2yr-old border collie mix. She's sort of housebroken - she only goes in her crate or in the litter box. She absolutely will not go outside, but she hasn't messed anywhere else in the house either. While Kitti was my little snuggle-puppy, Jamie loves to run in the yard with the kids. She also loves the kittens we are fostering right now. I often find her carrying one around, or a couple of them curled up with her. Though she will never replace Ms. Kitti, she has already made her own place in our hearts and our family.

In Olympic news, I finished Kate. I had my wisdom teeth pulled Wednesday, so I thought I might have to pull a Michelle Kwan and drop out, but I made it!!! My grandbaby loves her, and I already have requests to knit more for my younger girls. I used left-over yarn from grandbaby's things to make Kate's body. I think I may do the same for my older girls too, using extra yarn from the sweaters I'm making them. This pattern is really quick - a good thing since my knitting time is severely limited this semester - and it turns our really cute. After I took this, I added an i-cord tail. Grandbaby likes to pull on the tail the best. And yes, I made her "sleeping" because I can't figure out how to embroider "awake" eyes to save my life.

It has actually been nice having the past couple of days off to just chill out. I haven't done much except sleep and watch TV. I missed several days of work and school, should have been studying, but having teeth pulled seemed like a good excuse to take a much-needed break.

In memoriam

2006-02-13T11:11:00.000-06:00

One of my neighbors hit my dog this morning. I was running out in the street to get her, and instead of slowing down, or stopping, they just sped up. They didn't even stop after they hit her. Fortunately she died instantly, and didn't suffer.

She was my sweet baby - I rescued her from the pound - she was literally on death row because she was older, and she was "unsociable." The handlers at the pound couldn't handle her without her snapping. The day I came in, she ran up to the cage door as soon as I walked in. She acted like she had known me all of her life. Of course I brought her home - and she was wonderful. She was already housebroken, though if she had to go REALLY bad and nobody was home, she would go in the bathroom. She wasn't a yappy dog, but she would sometimes bark at the cats or noises outside. We would occasionally give her pizza crusts, which she would hide in various places around the house and protect. She never ate them, but she took good care of them.

She was also really good with the baby - she would let the baby pet her, though she did growl a little once or twice. We weren't worried about her biting though - she had no teeth. She used to sleep curled up next to me, and if I was ever sad or lonely she would curl up in my lap. She also liked to lay on my yarn while I was knitting, and was constantly getting tangled up.

I am going to miss her so much - I don't even know what to do. I have lost other pets before, but I guess this is just so sudden, and so senseless. I'm at work, and I went to school this morning, but I'm still in shock. I know she was "just a dog" but she was MY dog, and she still had several good years ahead of her.

I love you, Miss Kitti, and I miss you.

The Olympic Cast-On

2006-02-10T23:25:00.000-06:00

I am now officially cast-on for the Olympics. And I've knitted 7 whole rows on Kate. It's so cool to think that all over the world other knitters were waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting) for the torch to be lit. I don't think I've ever been so excited to see the torch enter the Olympic stadium, or to cast on a project either.

I plan to wake up early tomorrow, since I have to work, and get in an hour or so of knitting before I have to leave. I also plan to knit on my lunch break, and of course when I get home tomorrow night.

I do, unfortunately, have two tests next week, so I'm afraid I must take some time off to study. I guess I could sacrifice a couple of grades for the team - but if I get some good progress made by Monday, perhaps I can put Kate aside for a day or too without being too overcome with guilt.

Well, I'm off to bed - my kiddos crashed sometime during the parade of nations - middle child at about Serbia and youngest at the Koreas. Eldest has cast on for her Debbie Bliss Special Knits sweater. I'm wondering if she shouldn't have joined this team....

Preliminary Training....

2006-02-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

The official name of the pattern I'm using for the Olympics is KATE. Isn't she adorable? I've raided my stash and decided to make a gray kitty with pink and purple pastel stripes. Since this is for the grandbaby, I'm making it to fit the color scheme of her room, and the cat itself will be closer in color to the cats we have. Thought about making the cat black, but I am determined to use up some of my stash on this project, and I own no black yarn at this time. I have the pink and purple left over from various baby things, and the gray left over from the Harry Potter socks I made for the book premiere.

On a slightly more somber note, I can only find 3 size 8 DPNs in my bag. I have nothing going on DPNs right now - the only UFO I have is a sweater for middle child that I'm working on my Denise needles. I use the Balene II DPNs. My daughters don't like them, they use Denise or bamboo needles. And nobody but me uses DPNs anyway. If they don't turn up by Friday I may have to go down to whatever size I have on hand. Not really a problem, since I'm making a toy and not a sweater - nothing worse for a math moron like me than having to recalculate stitches because my gauge is off.

Let the Games Begin

2006-02-06T23:56:00.000-06:00

My daughter has talked me into it - joining the knitting Olympics. Since in doing so, I committed to completing a project in only 16 days, I have decided make a toy for the grandbaby. I'm doing the kitty-cat from knitty, and I'm planning to put jingle bells or something rattley in it.

That said, I am joining team DPN - for those of us knitting with (and poking people with) our DPNs during the event.

With school, and work, and getting divorced, I have very little time, but this may be just the thing I need to get my mind off things.

Let the madness begin......

Who am I?

2006-01-27T19:16:00.000-06:00

You are Scarlett O'Hara. You are beautiful,
stubborn and despise the silly rules of
society. When times get rough, you are strong
enough to survive, although you would rather
save yourself than anyone else.

Which Character from 'Gone With The Wind' are you?
brought to you by

Back to School

2006-01-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

The kids and I are all back in school. My first class was Friday, and my teacher assigned about 100 pages of reading over the weekend. Nothing like reading textbooks to induce long, deep sleep. The kids have no homework.

Wednesday we have orientation to the unit I work on - we're doing clinicals up there this semester. We have to be in uniform, meet at the school, then we're all going over to the hospital together. We have to park several blocks from the main hospital, walk over there, then ride the tram (if it's working) to the hospital where I work. Then I have to go back to my car and drive back to my hospital so I can go to work. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This semester I'll spend quite a bit of time driving the one mile between the parking lots for students and my assigned place. I'd leave my car in the student lot if security would give me a ride back to it at the end of my work shift, but they won't. What a friggin' waste of time.

Finally finished the alien scarf - it's in the dryer right now so I can wear it tomorrow. I decided to quit with 7 aliens. I'm ready to move on to the next project.

Tomorrow is my youngest child's birthday. Big plan - take cupcakes to school, go see her dad at the visitation center (hoping he will remember that it is her birthday), go out to dinner, and eat cake. I'm hoping to take them to see Narnia too, but I don't know if we'll make it. I also have class tomorrow - orientation to college. No laughing please. And yes, I do graduate next semester.

Happy New Year....

2006-01-03T20:03:00.000-06:00

In the year 2006 I resolve to:
Procrastinate more.

Get your resolution here

Very cute automatic resolution generator, though some of the resolutions are a bit PG-13. Use with caution.

Knitting, the Next Generation

2005-12-30T23:54:00.000-06:00

I have already taught my eldest to knit, in fact, she is the one who got me back into it. Now my youngest has decided it is time to pick u[p the needles and try her hand at it. She is making a skinny red scarf, garter stitch, to wear on days when it's "only a little cold."

My digital camera is dying, I really need to get a new one. But you can see her here starting a new row. She knit three whole rows all by herself, and was very proud.

As for myself, I managed to get a couple more rows done on the blue fuzzy sweater. Tomorrow I will be at work, and I'll work on the alien scarf if I get a lunch hour. It's typically a busy day for us, since most people want to have their babies in time to get the tax deduction. With all of our pre-holiday inductions though, I'm not sure how it will be.

Next week we all start back to school - the kids first, then me on Friday. I'm actually kind of nervous about it. This semester we will have 2 clinical days every week, and it's hospital clinicals. One day each week we'll be on the unit I work on. I loved the nursing home, but I don't know if I'll enjoy hospital nursing as much. Maybe it's just that I've been with the hospital for so long - I started there 12 years ago, though I took a 2 year break to have a couple of babies. I go to get my books Thursday. They promise they will be in by that day, though we are not allowed to pick them up any earlier. Don't know why, maybe to keep up from seeing just what we've gotten ourselves into.

Some Progress

2005-12-27T20:27:00.000-06:00

I finished alien #4 on the scarf today. The pattern only calls for 6, but I may go with 7 or 8, just depends on how much yarn I have. I reversed the pattern for every other alien.

Tomorrow I have much waiting to do at two different doctor's appointments, so I should be able to knit at least one more alien. I absolutely love this scarf, though it rolls more than I'd like. I hope once I'm finished that blocking will take care of much of this.

I'm not usually a big fan of illusion knitting - too much time and too cutesey, or too, well, ugly. But this is perfect.

Back to the Grindstone

2005-12-26T19:48:00.000-06:00

I actually enjoyed being back at work today - only two babies were born on Christmas Day, meaning I only had two babies to test. I cleaned my office, did a bunch of paperwork, and generally enjoyed not being at home. The weather has been terrible, and with the sick child now feeling better, the kids are going nuts pinned up in the house. And they are overwhelmed with all the new stuff they got for Christmas. Most of the day they have apparently been fighting over the keyboard and guitar.

Tomorrow I hope to knit some more on the alien scarf. I took my DVD player to work, and so I'm going to spend my lunch hour knitting and watching LoTR. I hope to have the scarf finished before I start back to school on the 6th.

The kids go back on the 4th. I can't wait.

More Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T12:08:00.000-06:00

The kids have had a great day, middle child is feeling better, and I am now on cup of coffee #5.

They have decided to form a band.

Merry Freakin' Christmas

2005-12-25T02:31:00.000-06:00

It is 2:30 am, and Santa has finished wrapping the presents and putting them under the tree. Santa is VERY tired. He also did all the dishes piled up in the kitchen and now he is going to take a shower and go to bed. The sick child is still sick, but, miraculously, is feeling better and is up and bopping around the house. Santa didn't mind, as she had been sleeping for pretty much the past two days. He is just glad she is feeling better.

Right now she is sitting on the couch (which also happens to be my bed) and is complaining about seeing a bug in her room. I would really like to go to sleep. I know I will be awakened with the sun so the kiddos can open their gifts - and I have to make our traditional Christmas breakfast of orange rolls.

Hopefully I'll manage to get a few hours in before the fun begins.

On the Eve of Christmas Eve

2005-12-24T00:37:00.000-06:00

Today was my last day of work before the holidays, and it was actually a pretty good day. I only had 6 babies to test (I was right about there being no pregnant women left within 50 miles), and I'm pretty much caught up on my paperwork, so I got to leave at 3. I picked up my eldest and we went to the local mega-toy-store to exchange a Barbie my in-laws had given my middle child. She HATES Barbies. She's almost 10, and a tom-boy. They should know this, yet year after year they insist on sending her something she'll hate. And so once again I went to the store to exchange it. I got her some Magnetix, which she has been dying for. All the in-laws will know is that she loved the gift they gave her, and she'll think they're wonderful grandparents for knowing JUST what she wanted. And two hours of my life have been wasted standing in line behind a hundred soccer moms fighting over animatronic dogs.

After I got home my mom told me that said middle child was "still asleep". She had gotten up for breakfast then gone back to bed. I check on her, found her feverish and breathing fast. I gave her some ibuprofen and called the pediatrician. He told me to give her an albuterol treatment and if she was still breathing fast after that go straight to the E.R. So guess where we went? After several more hours of my life wasted we were sent home with the "it's probably only a virus" line. Her temp was higher when we left the ER than when we got there, even after a dose of acetaminophen. I am now alternating Tylenol and Motrin every four hours. At least she's breathing a little slower. Since she has chronic asthma, I generally freak out when she has issues with breathing.

Got a few more inches finished on her sweater while we were waiting for the x-rays to come back. Blood work came back OK too. She did get the thrill of going to the drug store in her PJs and slippers, and got to tell everyone she just got out of the hospital. It earned her several free candy canes from the Wal-Green's staff. At least we're not going to be stuck in the hospital for Christmas. Her x-rays were good, and since her blood and urine cultures are going to take time to grow, they went ahead and let us come home and will call us if anything turns up. Until then it's just OTC meds and her nursing-school mom keeping an eye on her. God Help us All.

Work Sucks

2005-12-22T21:07:00.000-06:00

I had 27 babies today. Twenty-seven. My God, there can't be ANY pregnant women left in a 50 mile radius. I have been on my feet for 12 straight hours (I usually only work 8) and I only got to pee once, didn't get lunch, and am SOOO tired.

Just finished cooking supper for my kiddos. I've started using a new cookbook called Saving Dinner that is really great. It has all the shopping lists, menus, etc. All planned out, eight weeks for each season. We are in the middle of the last week of Fall, (had to start somewhere) and so far my kids have loved all the stuff I've made, including the fish I cooked last night. This had NEVER happened before. And the recipes are quick too - so far I haven't spent more than 30 minutes on anything. My youngest child just told me how great it is that I'm cooking again, and my middle child told me she'd rather help me cook than watch Cartoon Network.

In school news, got my grades today - and I made the Dean's list. The one B that I got is for a 1-credit-hour class. So my GPA is 3.9. Maybe I will be a nurse one day.

Knitting is coming along. I've gotten 9 inches on the blue sweater and am now on alien #4 in the scarf. Oldest still hasn't finished seaming the pink sweater. And now I'm seriously thinking about what to make next.

Tomorrow I have to work again, then it's off for Christmas. Yay!!!!

Let the Holidays Begin

2005-12-19T09:33:00.000-06:00

Today is my first day off since school let out. And I have to go back to work on Wednesday (the first day the kids are out of school). So I have a whole two weeks of holiday preparations to cram into two days.

The big plan for today - take eldest to work, babysit grandbaby, go to party at school for younger two children, take grandbaby to eldest's workplace to feed her, pick up youngers at school, pick up eldest at work, come home, help with homework, hopefully cash my child support check (which is now officially a week late), go to the grocery store, come home, do at least 4 loads of laundry, and collapse.

The big plan for tomorrow, more laundry, less running around.

You know, it really sucks when work seems more relaxing than being home.

No more school, no more books.....

2005-12-17T22:54:00.000-06:00

Finals are finally over!!!! I managed to swing 2 A's and 2 B's this semester. I was one of only two people to pass the final in our Body Structure class. (Yes, just another name for Anatomy and Physiology). My brain is totally fried, and now I'm wondering what I'm going to do with all the free time I have until January 6th.

Grandbaby is now 4 whole months old - I can't believe it!! She's gotten so big and is now laughing at everything, eating baby food (which she loves), grabbing stuff, and just generally being too cute.

My younger girls are driving me absolutely nuts. This morning they both were complaining how sick they were - sore throats, stomach aches, nausea, headaches. I just looked at them as I was gathering up my stuff for work and said, "It's Saturday." Moments later they were both dressed and planning an entire day of frolic. Mean mother that I am, I told them that since they were recovered from whatever it was, they could clean their room. I left for work shortly after that. The mystery ailment must have befallen them again though, because when I got home, the room was still a mess. My mom doesn't make them do anything around the house, so whenever she babysits nothing gets done. Heck, I'm lucky if it's not 100 times worse when I get home.

On the knitting front, I did manage to finish the pink sweater for daughter #3, and am now working on a blue one for daughter #2. Oldest daughter is making up the sweater, as she prefers her seaming to mine. Her sister may have outgrown it by the time she's finished, but it's out of my hands (and more importantly, off of my needles.)

I am determined that after this blue sweater I am making something FOR ME. I don't know what yet - it may just be a pair of socks, or a hat. But I have ceased taking requests for things. I've been actively knitting again for over 3 years, and I have yet to make one article I can claim as my own. Yes, I have made scarves, but they have all been claimed by my children and subsequently lost. I am now knitting another alien scarf, not because I love it so much (which I do) but because I was trying to explain illusion knitting to a girl at school, had the SnB book in my bag, and so we made a run to Wal-Mart for yarn. She since dropped out of school, don't know how her scarf turned out, but I left mine in my bookbag to work on between classes. I am now on alien #4 of the 6 called for in the pattern. And I have a feeling that once this one is finished my oldest daughter's boyfriend will be claiming it, as he has eyed it hungrily every time I've had to pull it out to stuff more books in. The original alien scarf was lost on the playground of our elementary school last year.

All Grown Up

2005-10-01T22:11:00.000-06:00

My baby is growing up. She finally decided to get her ears pierced. When my girls are five, I allow them to get their ears pierced if they want. My eldest went the day after her birthday. My middle child, now nine, still won't go through with it. And my youngest, at seven-and-a-half, got it done yesterday.

She was a little freaked out, and was whining about it was going to hurt. Then she realized that the earrings were already in, and started laughing. She feels so grown up now.

I'm doing really well on knitting the sweater - finished one sleeve and started on the other. I had to make a run to Wal-Mart last night at midnight-ish because I couldn't find the fun-fur I was using on the cuffs. Fortunately, they had plenty and I also picked up some other junk I needed, like minutes for my cell phone and a new headset (as the last one fell out of the car at some point and I didn't realize it until two days later.)

Yesterday we made a little trip to the LYS, and saw a pack of really cool looking stitch markers for $35. There were five in a pack. Last night we made some, even better, and I spent about $10 on everything. So if anybody wants some fancy-schmancy stitch marker, gimme a holler (as we say here in the South) and I'll hook you up.

The Next Big Event

2005-09-30T08:36:00.000-06:00

October 18 is the big day, we get the new Series of Unfortunate Events book. We won a free copy of it at the Potter Party's costume contest. Now, of course, my kids expect me to make them Baudelaire outfits for the Snicket Party. Nope. Not going to happen.

They keep tempting me though. My oldest daughter got a bunch of patterns on sale last week and pointed out that if I dressed in a particular Gibson Girl dress I could look like Aunt Josephine. Baby could go as Sunny. My eldest would go as Violet (of course). My youngest wants to go as the Quagmire girl, and my middle one wants to be Uncle Monty.

"Mom, all you'd have to do is dress the baby in one of our old christening gowns. Sunny always wore long dresses in the books. And I could wear a lab coat and take a rubber snake. "

"Mom, I'll help you sew everything. I know the pattern has three million seven pieces, but I'm home all day with the baby. I know I didn't have time to take a shower today and the sewing machine is buried under a mountain of baby laundry, but I could do it if you could help me find the machine and watched the baby for me."

"Mom, I could also use the costume for Halloween, and I could be Violet for Halloween, or maybe Princess Jasmine if you want to make me a Jasmine costume too because I don't like the one they have at the store because it itches and also I don't have dark hair so I would have to wear a wig for that and if I was one of the triplet girls from the book nobody really knows what color her hair is and then I could also wear the dress to church or even for picture day and...." (I must admit that at this point I shook my head and walked away. I'm sure my youngest daughter has already set the world record for the longest run-on sentence spoken without taking a breath, but frankly I'm just too tired to try to find out.)

Today I'm skipping school and taking a trip to the yarn store. I know, bad me, but honestly, I deserve some yarn. I'm making myself a shawl/shrug/thing to throw on around the house and snuggle up in. Yes, I said myself. And I want some yummy yarn to make it with. Estimated date of completion on this item: sometime around the birth of my first great-great grandchild.

Broadband a-go-go......

2005-09-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

My modem has officially died. So I'm sitting here at school trying to catch up on my email and stuff. The provider should be out sometime next week to figure out what's going on, as this is the second modem I've burned through in less than a month.

It's funny, but when my connection is great, I don't seem to spend much time on-line, but when I'm on a lousy connection, like the dial-up I have at home, (best speed to date-30.2) I think of about a million things I need to look up, do, etc. and the slowness frustrates me so much I can never do them.

I have three tests this week, so not alot of knitting going on. Still working on the sleeve for my daughter's sweater, but alas, no pics since I'm here at school.

I'm now in the phase where I'm looking for my next project. I'm going to do a sweater for my middle child, same pattern, then I dunno. I'm thinking about actually doing something for myself (gasp!).

Up all Night

2005-09-12T02:06:00.000-06:00

I'm pulling an all-nighter because I have a test in the morning. Yes, I know, bad study habits, but this is about the only quiet time I get to study. Tonight, however, I'm not alone. Baby is in here with me since we're having a fussy night. Although right now she's zonked in the swing. And I believe if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My eldest child is trying out the knitting machine, making a sweater. We had tons of black cotton yarn, and so she decided to do something with it. Also a good way of putting the machine through it's paces. I can't wait until I get some time to have a go at it. Though it is nice to have something on the needles to do while I'm waiting between classes or at a doctor's office or something. Of course I would NEVER knit at work or in class. Right.

Had my first win on an auction on ebay today. What a thrill. Got some stuff for Baby. This stuff could get really addictive. Also bid on some clothes for the other girls, but those auctions won't end for awhile, and I'm not holding my breath.

Well, I guess it's back to the books - I really am enjoying school, but the studying is going to kill me. When I was younger I never had to study, guess that's why my study habits are so horrible now. Off to put on another pot of coffee....

The Potter Party

2005-09-09T19:51:00.000-06:00

Finally scanned in the pictures we took at the Harry Potter party in July. We had such a blast, and we even won the costume contest. Since we had already pre-ordered book 6, we got to choose another book. We got a free pre-order ticket for the new Series of Unfortunate Events book, due out this month, I think.

Anyway, my middle daughter went as Ginny Weasley. You can't really tell from the picture, but I had used temporary hair color to dye her hair red. It looked really cool. I made an iron-on of the Gryffindor patch and put it on a polo-type shirt. The socks I knitted, you can kind of see the gold and burgundy peeking out just under her skirt. My oldest daughter sewed the skirt, and we both worked on the robe. The wand I made with Sculpey and a paintbrush. When we walked in everyone knew she was Ginny.

My youngest daughter went as Fleur Delacour's little sister, Gabrielle. For some reason this is her favorite character, and she also likes the Beauxbaton costume. I did the same thing for the patch on her shirt that I did for my middle daughter, but we made her more of long cloak than a robe. The material is much lighter, sort of airy. The skirt and socks I bought at a school uniform store. Her hair is naturally blond, so no tricks there. Since getting into the books herself, she no longer wants Slytherin stuff. She used to like Slytherin because their color is green, and it matches her eyes.

My oldest daughter went as Tonks. She used that spray-in stuff to turn her hair pink, and made the T-shirt herself, borrowing the design from a band's cover art. You can't tell in this picture, but she was 8 months pregnant with Baby at the time. She and my youngest had to explain to people who they were. Oh, well, I guess everybody can't be freaks like us.

And of course there's me. I went as Mrs. Weasley, and everybody knew who I was supposed to be, too. I knitted the tam, my daughter made the skirt, and the shirt I bought. It took us a long time to find the right purse, but we finally found one that I think I could load several days work of stuff in, and still have room for more. I also dyed my hair red, but it doesn't show up in the picture.

We had such a great time, and are really looking forward for the movie to come out in December, so we can once again let our freak flags fly.

Spamming the Blogs

2005-09-08T10:43:00.000-06:00

While perusing my little piece of heaven here, I noticed that I had a spam comment. So I turned on word verification. I think this is a pain in the ass, but I had to do it. I mean, not many people visit me here, but when I get a comment, I want a real comment, you know?

Basically I'm just killing time while here at school - brought my knitting but forgot to bring my needle case. I have been using the Denise needles, and they are great. But I need to put the half of the sweater I've already finished on a holder, and I don't have anything with me.

Today we took about a dozen cans of powdered formula to school for the Katrina victims. My kids' school is taking up stuff, so I let everyone at work know. The formula rep brought in tons of formula samples. He's bringing in more tomorrow too. Baby is breastfed, so we also sent along all the bottles and formula we had received for her.

Looks like it's time to go back into class. Then to work, then home. I can;t wait till this week is over.

Anywhere but here.

2005-09-07T20:13:00.000-06:00

Today is one of those days where I don't know where I want to be. When I'm home, I want to go out. When I'm at school, I want to be at home, and when I'm at work, well, I never want to be at work. But I just don't know what I want to do or where I want to go. I just know that it's not here.

Finally got around to taking a picture of the sweater I knitted for the grandbaby. I used Caron Simply Soft, and made it a little big since Baby was born in August and won't be wearing it for a few months. She's already outgrown the gorgeous hat my daughter made for her, though she did have the best hat in the nursery. And we can always make her another hat to match. I got the pattern from the book Style Your Own Kid's Knits. I must admit that when I first looked at this book, I wasn't too impressed. The motifs in the back all looked my then-6yr-old had drawn them. But I received it as a gift for my birthday, and I love it. I'm thinking about modifying the basic pattern for the knitting machine, and making matching sweaters for Baby and my younger daughters.

Baby had her first official doctor visit yesterday - she's up to 8lbs. 5 oz. (a gain of 17oz. from her birth weight) and has grown 1.25 inches. She's awake more during the day, and about three times a week we can get her to sleep for 6 hours at night. Right now her mom's giving her a bath - which she doesn't seem to be enjoying too much.

As for myself, I'm off to bed. I guess I finally figured out where I want to be. Asleep.

And the beat goes on....

2005-09-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

After an almost year-long hiatus, I'm back. Miss me?

Life here is pretty much the same in alot of ways. Still living with my mom, still broke, kids still driving me nuts. But things have changed too.

For one thing, I'm a grandmother now!! Three weeks ago my daughter gave birth to the world's most beautiful baby. And she named her after me. I was in tears. And yes, the bunny and hat were knitted. By my daughter. The blanket was a gift from a friend of mine.

Also, my kids now have visitation with their father. And I get a (very) little child support. So far they'd seen him three times. After seven years of nothing now he expects them to be all happy. They don't even know him. Another rant for another day though.

I'm also back in school - nursing school this time. And I'm actually really enjoying it. Even though I have three tests this week. I made an A on the one I had today. And the one tomorrow I've over-saturated myself studying for. The one Friday is Anatomy. This test is in biochemistry, and since I'm already a biochemist I'm not worried. My only problem is I want to over-answer the questions, like "define ATP". I went into a long explanation about the chemical structure and chemical equations and reactions and stuff. They just wanted "ATP is used by the body for energy". No joke. At least it was only homework. And my teacher counted it right because I did mention energy somewhere in my answer. Next time I'll just try to keep it simple.

As far as the knitting goes, well, slowly would probably be the right word. I'm working on a sweater for my youngest child, almost done actually. We recently acquired a knitting machine, and I'm waiting for fall break so we can crack it out and play with it. SO far I think I'm really going to like it for making blankets (I've made four baby blankets this year) big pieces for sweaters. For fancy stuff it seems like it would be easier to hand-knit, but I really haven't had a chance to do much playing around.

Finally got my autistic child into the sleep lab. They put her on melatonin at night and gave us a light box to sit her under in the morning. It has helped SOOOO much. At least, she's sleeping at night, so now I can sleep some too. She's now getting 7 to 8 hours on a good night, where she was only getting 3 to 4. And she's doing better in school, though we do seem to be having alot of "autistic moments" in the afternoons. I chalk it up to the visitations and the new baby. I gave her a hard rubber teething ring to bite (as that's generally what she likes to do when stressed) and that has also helped.

Hopefully I can update other stuff soon. Good to be back.

C.W. Movers and other stuff...

2004-11-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

No, I didn't drop off of the face of the earth. I'm still here. Almost in one piece. And the past month or so has been insane, even by my standards.

We were officially evicted at the end of September. Sheriff came to the door and everything. The managers had filed the actual eviction over a month before, stating vandalism of the apartment as the reason. Because of the water damage and mold from the leak. I was fighting it, but then my middle child ended up in the hospital from asthma that was exacerbated by the mold. My attorney advised me not to go back. So the night after my child got out of the hospital, my oldest child and I rented a U-Haul and moved everything we could. I got my washer and dryer, most of the other stuff we'd managed to pack, but the mold remediation people the lawyer hired wouldn't let me take my furniture, stuffed animals, alot of stuff. So my lawyer is fighting the eviction and suing on behalf of my daughter - hoping to get her medical costs reimbursed and the cost of my stuff too. He actually told me not to worry as "They'll be buying you a house, sweetie. Don't sweat this. The only question you need to worry about is how many bedrooms you want." I sure wish this guy did Family law.

My eldest and I packed everything we took in Hefty Bags - just like the Crack Whores do!!! We were so proud of ourselves for getting everything out we decided that we'd start our own moving company - C.W. movers. Out motto is "We don' need no stinkin' men."

Now I'm living with my mom - a good thing all around really since I can take care of her and I don't have to worry about paying bills for awhile. The worst thing - I don't have my own room - I'm sharing with my two youngest kids. Bummer. I also have no place to put my clothes. Currently they are piled (though neatly folded) in a box in the corner. And even if I did have a dresser, I wouldn't have any room for it. Oh well, only temporary.

I also got pulled to full time. Yay!!!! So we'll be out of here even sooner than I thought. Maybe not directly into the house the apartment people are going to buy us, but at least I'll have my own room. I'm going to put a little away for furniture every payday as now I have none. And then I'll have all my new stuff delivered directly to my new place. A girl can dream, can't she?

Now I'm off to bed - hopefully I'll update the basket cases soon. Just managed to finally get my computer set up and phone line run into the room. Yep - mom only has one phone jack in the entire house.....

The Lights are On...

2004-09-16T18:39:00.000-06:00

And it's good to be home. It's windy here , and wet. And we were without power for about two hours, but not too bad here. And yep, I did have to stay at work till 3, then drive home in all the crap. Just in time for the lights to go out and freak out my kids. So we haven't had dinner yet, though tonight I'm just doing salads and hot dogs. I just sat on the couch and knitted on the sock of doom for awhile. Tomorrow is payday, and I'm hoping to find some fabric for the Hogwarts robe. My oldest daughter is embroidering a patch for the robe.

Other than that I'm inexplicably tired and the kids are watching Spy Kids. They keep breaking into the programming to say, basically, "it's still raining." Gee. Never would have guessed. Oh, here they go again. Still no word if there's school tomorrow.

My mom's neighbor across the street now has a tree in his living room. Other than that everyone I know is still safe, and I pray it stays that way.

Ivan visits L.A. (cont.)

2004-09-16T07:02:00.000-06:00

Ivan comes to visit.

Looks like it wasn't as bad as they said it would be - thank God!!! But my kids are still home today - we're expecting thunderstorms this afternoon. No major flooding, maybe a tornado, but only a chance of one. Not a big deal. I think my theory about jealous waterman was right.

I conked out while working on my sock last night - I finished to top cuff and contrast colors, started back on the gray. At least it matches the sky today. Anyway, I woke up on the couch about an hour ago tangled in yarn (thank you kittens) and realized I had fallen asleep watching the news a little over an hour after I last logged on and posted. So much for not sleeping.

I did have over 20 patients yesterday - guess I was tired after all. I have been called in this morning, just seeing the patients who are going home tonight or early tomorrow. What really sucks is the other girl who does my job has no kids, and lives closer to the hospital than I do. But she's too scared to drive in the weather if it gets bad. So that leaves me. Mom of three kids. Farther away. It sucks. Of course I could refuse, but then I'd have a crap load of paperwork to explain why these patients didn't get seen, not to mention the trouble from administration I'd get. It's just not worth it. I'll be home before the projected noon-time bad weather (thunderstorms) hit. Goody for me.

Well, as my whole day is shot to hell, guess I'll go ahead and go on into work.

Ivan visits L.A.

2004-09-15T21:16:00.000-06:00

Lower Alabama that is. And we, in North Alabama, a mere 400 miles away, are "bracing for impact" to quote a local news guy. School is out tomorrow. No ballet. Grocery store out of milk and bread and batteries. I don't know if it's really going to be bad, or if the local weather and school system people are jealous of the attention South Alabama is getting and want in on the action.

We are getting some outer cloud bands, and the wind has picked up a little. Some sprinkles. This is just one HUGE storm. I haven't been through a hurricane in almost 20 years. I had really hoped not to go through another one. And we are in the place alot of people are evacuating to.

I have alot of family in Mobile, and I can't get in touch with any of them. I've been trying all day. I take this as a good sign, that they got the heck out of town. They usually ride these things out as my aunt's house is high, has good, sturdy, interior rooms, and she has a generator. But she is quite elderly so I hope they took her and left town. We are supposed to spend Thanksgiving there this year, probably the last I'll have with one of my cousins who has terminal cancer. God, please keep them safe!

I will probably spend all night knitting the other sock, as I'm too worried to sleep. My dad used to procrastinate evacuating our house in Florida (on the water, lots of glass) and once we were even trapped on the Key we lived on. Though we ever only lost a few trees, it was still scary - the wind and then then the calm and then the wind again. Don't get me wrong, I prefer hurricanes to tornadoes (which are common here) because if you're smart you can get out of the way of a hurricane. Tornadoes just happen. But I don't actually LIKE hurricanes.

Another thing - I think I will forbid any of my children from becoming a weather person. Even the local stations have sent people down. I'd so hate to know that my child was in a hurricane ON PURPOSE. A fireman goes into a burning building to save a life, a paramedic into danger for the same reason. Policemen too. Dangerous things done on purpose because they need to be done. I don't view standing outside in a hurricane as one of those things. Also they put rescue workers at risk, because they have to stay around to help if one of these stupid reporters gets hurt. Pet peeve.

Prayers to everyone in the storm's path, especially Johnny, Nancy, Aunt Dotty, John, Sara Ann, George, Leigh, Daniel, Doty, Greg, Anna, Daniel, Patti, Johnny, and Caroline. And yes, John is a popular name in my family. As is Daniel.

Food, glorious food!

2004-09-14T19:51:00.000-06:00

I got to go to the grocery store today and buy real food!!! I bought fruit and veggies and salad stuff and bread and cheese and juice, and even some ice cream (couldn't resist). So even though I am deeply ashamed to be on food stamps, I am very happy to actually have food in the house. Ironically, I get about seven dollars less a month in foodstamps than I pay in taxes (state and federal) so I guess I'm not really not a leach on society, but society is only just breaking even with me. And this is the first time in over a month that I have had supper. Even though my kids have never gone to bed hungry, I have, often. There were days when all I ate was the leftovers from their plates. But hey, we are all still alive and nobody has serious nutrition-related health problems.

Tonight for supper I made lemon chicken with rice and mixed veggies. Leftovers will go to work with me tomorrow and I can have lunch too!!! I made some iced tea and the kiddos had milk. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream. I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top of it - yummy!!

I am busy hunting for a new job, trying to get back into school, and hopefully we can be off food stamps soon. 'Cuz even though I'm elated to have food in the house, I really hate being on them.

Hi ho, hi ho.....

2004-09-13T06:46:00.000-06:00

Yep, off to work today. And the kiddies are all at school so I am enjoying a few minutes of peace and quiet while they are not here. Watching the Today Show, and Matt was grilling Kitty Kelley, now Sharon Bush. It was good to see him going after somebody anti-Bush for a change. Though now he's going after Sharon. Whatever. Still trying to get a yard sign, but our local RNC headquarters keeps running out of them. My daughter called the Kerry campaign, they have plenty. She takes this as a good sign. Though my 6yr old supports Kerry. When asked why she responds "because nobody likes him and I want him to have at least one friend." I told her that it's her right in this country to support whatever candidate she wants, for whatever reason, but in the future perhaps she should consider other issues too. Of course this goes right over her head and she just smiles at me and runs off to play Barbies.

Planning on taking the socks of doom to work with me today in case we have a light patient load (quite likely on a Monday). I HAVE to get these things finished!!! It has taken me longer to knit this one sock that the first pair. After this I want to knit a shawl or something light, and airy. Something with lots of color and texture. Something NOT gray.

Random Thoughts

2004-09-12T12:06:00.000-06:00

Went to church last night, and of course watched the 9/11 tribute on T.V. Weird how quick everything in this country has gotten back to "normal", how we are bickering over the stupid stuff again. The thing that gripes me the most is the news constantly saying how we have reached over 1000 casualties in the War on Terror. Sorry, that number was reached, threefold, on a beautiful September morning three years ago. My little ones are just now old enough to understand a little of what happened, they don't remember it. My oldest remembers, and it will probably be the defining event of her lifetime like the Challenger disaster was for us who were around in the 80's.

Church was OK, but way too loud. I like going Saturday night, not as many people there. But you really notice they have the volume cranked ALL THE WAY UP. I have worried about the volume in Children's Church before too. I will have to speak to somebody. Since truth comes by hearing, we don't need the band to deafen us before the service even begins. Now don't get me wrong, I like a lively praise and worship service, this is nothing new to me or my kids. It's just so incredibly loud at this church. Honestly, it was painfully loud and my ears were still ringing an hour after I got home.

Going to be sewing tonight, just badges on Brownie vests. Hope to get the carpet put back down today too, as the leak is fixed and the water has all been dried up. Tuesday I hope to clean the carpet and maybe even scrub the bathroom floors. Also by then I should be able to go do some grocery shopping as my food stamps have been approved and should be good to go Monday. As ashamed as I feel to be on food stamps, we need to eat.

Cleaning Day

2004-09-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

Worked every day this week, as the other girl who does my job called in sick every day. The bummer is I won't get overtime since I had to leave early every day due to childcare arrangements, appointments, stuff like that. At least the work got done. Having spent the last nine days at the hospital, I am now hoping to "enjoy" a couple of days at home. I told the kids they better not get sick or hurt, as I refuse to go back there until Monday.

Knitting is going nowhere right now. It's not only that I don't have time, but I'm so tired I can't even muster up the energy. I did turn the heel on another sock, but that's as far as I've gotten since last week.

Today I plan to clean all day. My house isn't quite at disaster stage yet, but it's getting close. I'm hoping I can get either the local news or the health department out here next week to look at the leak and the mold, as I got a letter yesterday stating that I am responsible for the repair costs. Good thing my daughter and I have been taking pictures and keeping notes on the whole thing, as I have a feeling I might need these.

A day at the Lake

2004-09-03T22:04:00.000-06:00

Yes, the lake is still in my hall. I called from work today and was told that the plumber was here. He wasn't. Of course they are closed until Tuesday because of Labor Day. At least the lawyer I went to see has sent them a letter stating that I won't be paying rent until it's fixed. He is also going to try to get the rent for the past three months refunded, since I've had this problem this long. Yay! I'd settle for the next three months free, but apparently that's not how it works. I just wish this guy did family law, maybe then I could get child support. Oh, well.

Work wasn't bad today, our census is way down and I had a normal patient load today. We lost the contract for the military insurance, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it, or if everyone in the region has delivered already. We will still get those babies in our NICU, since we are the regional neonatal unit. But if the Tri-Care people get too ticked off, they may just send their NICU babies to Vanderbilt or Children's in Birmingham.

They put pictures of some of our NICU graduates up in the hall leading to the unit today. We were all in the halls looking at them. It's so hard to believe that some of those kids are "our" babies. They look so healthy. Yet they were all so sick, so tiny. Working in NICU makes you believe in miracles. There are pictures of babies on oxygen and with feeding tubes too. The parents were more interested in these. Personally, I like the pictures of the graduates better. If my kid were in there, I'd want something to look at that would give me hope that everything would be OK.

Not much knitting going on. I've been sick the past couple of days so my house is a disaster. I have started reading Lord of the Rings again. My best friend is really into it, and I'm actually enjoying it. Maybe after I finish all this Hogwarts stuff I'll make an eleven cloak. In the movie they kind of look knitted, I'll have to borrow the movies from her and see. Maybe when I get over knitting all this gray.

And a final note.... Even though I'm a Republican, and even though I voted against him twice, my prayers are with the Clintons as Bill goes through surgery.

Playing Pretend

2004-08-31T06:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my middle child made a house out of leggos and then pretended that there were little people living in it. While this may not seem to be a big accomplishment for an 8-yr old, I was moved to tears to see it. She has high-functioning autism, and she has NEVER done this before. She likes to build stuff with her blocks, leggos, and most especially ello, but never before has she made up a story or anything about what she's made. She's never pretended to be a mommy to her dolls, doesn't play Barbies (not that that's a bad thing), doesn't pretend to be characters from TV, movies, or books. Basically no pretend play. So I guess her therapy sessions are working.

Finished the socks. I blocked them last night and will probably post a pic tomorrow (as I'm on my way to work right now.

Socks and other things..

2004-08-29T11:53:00.000-06:00

Our POA scarves

I finished one sock, and have started on the other. I'll put up a picture as soon as they're both done, blocked, etc. But I thought I'd post a picture of the POA scarves my daughter and I knitted. She did the tassels on the end, though the pattern called for fringe. She liked the two-color tassels better, and since she did them, I didn't complain.

Finally, a Day Off.

2004-08-28T09:09:00.000-06:00

Inspection happened, and went pretty good from my POV. The guy came in, along with the apartment manager, and the first thing he said was, "What happened to your carpet?"

At this point I showed him the extent of the leak, along with the pictures we've been taking of it over the past couple of months. Then the manager said "I need someone over here NOW!" The inspector dude left, and that's the last I've seen or heard from anybody regarding anything. Monday I start contacting lawyers.

In knitting news, I'm almost done with my very first sock. Yay! I did OK turning the heel, but there is a small hole on one side. Don't know why, but I'll cheat and fix it when I weave all my ends in. Then I make the mate to this one and start on something else, or really look for the chart to the Celtic knot and finish it.

As for today, I think I may dig out the scrapbook stuff and do a little bit while my kids are otherwise occupied. Or maybe I'll dig out the sewing machine and start on the Jasmine costume my youngest has now decided she wants instead of the Slytherin costume. Oh, well.

Rearrangement

2004-08-24T06:49:00.000-06:00

While cleaning yesterday I decided that I hated the way my living room was, so I totally rearranged it. I got all the furniture and stuff moved fairly quickly, but then realized that the speakers would have to be hooked up again, and so I had to pull up the carpet (around the edges) and untangle all the wires, move the speakers, and then hook them back up, hid the wires again, etc. It took me two hours to get them hooked back up and working properly. Our stereo system is so old I think it was featured on the Flintstones. But, hey, it still works.

All this started when I moved the couch to see what my kids had stuffed under it. There were lots of socks, a bowl, three plates, various flatware, two cups, some leggos, and a chunk of asphalt. After I got all that cleaned up, I realized I liked the couch better in the place I moved it to, and so I re-did the whole room. Now I am totally exhausted and still have tons of cleaning to do before Friday.

Inspection Time (again)

2004-08-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

I was notified this morning that my apartment is being inspected on Friday because my neighbors are complaining of a "funny smell" coming from my apartment. I don;t doubt this, as the lake in my hall continues to spread, the landlord won't fix it, and now we hare having a mold problem too. Everyone in the house is sick. Personally, I can't wait for inspection. The house isn't too messy, and I need this leak problem to be fixed.

Last night at about 1am new neighbors moved in a cross the hall. Now there is an oven in the breezeway in addition to the big pile of old carpet that is out there. I'm just hoping and praying that all that is still there when the inspector comes. Apparently he is from HUD or the health department or something.

Last night my oldest daughter began a video chronicle of the problems we are having. I'm hoping that if the inspection proves fruitless to get a lawyer and get this taken care of. We had to close an entire floor of the hospital when mold was found in one of the bathrooms, and they had to strip out ALL the bathrooms on that floor, the one above,and the one below to take care of it. It was quite a mess. But this mold stuff can be dangerous and I have an asthmatic child. This has been going on since May and it's getting ridiculous.

My socks are going nowhere right now, as I'm busy making sure everything is clean and that the lake in the hall is obvious. I tore up all the carpet in the hall and rolled it back in the bedrooms, put down towels to block the flow, and am taking pictures of it.

Tonight after Brownies I hope to finish painting my room and maybe after that I can finally turn the heel on the sock.

The Red is Dead

2004-08-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

My monitor is dying - at this point I have no red. So everything is grey, yellow, blue, or green. I've only have this monitor for about 4 months, so it's still under waranty. Back to the store it will go next week.

Work wasn't bad today, but I'm coming down with a cold so I feel like crap. I got no knitting done last night, even though I planned to start turnng the heel on sock #1. I took a Nyquil and about 30 minutes later I was zonked out.

Tomorrow my mom is taking my kiddos to church, so they are in the tub right now. Which, of course, means that my bathroom floor is now a lake. That's OK, I needed to mop it anyway. The kittens are freaked out by the water. They keep running into the bathroom, getting wet, and then tearing back under my bed. A few minutes later they will creep out from under the bed, run into the bathroom again, lather, rinse, repeat. They are so cute, I just don't know HOW I'm going to be able to give them up. I told their prospective new parents that they will be ready in two week (as they'll be 8 weeks old then). I just don't know if I'll be ready.

Blah...

2004-08-20T06:58:00.000-06:00

The weather is really gross here today. Rain all day and tomorrow. And I have to work (of course) this weekend. I really don't mind working when it's raining - I have to be inside all day anyhow. But when it rains on the weekend and I'm working it means that my kids are trapped inside all day while I'm gone and they are so hyper when I get home.

Last night my younger kids had their first ever ballet class. They really loved it, but my youngest claimed that she was sore in her arms and legs this morning. My middle child was walking around like a zombie, and fell asleep in the car on the way to school. But they both had a great time. I'm just really glad that they can do this, as my oldest has gotten a job working at the from desk at the dance school, and so their tuition is free.

I took my knitting with me (of course) and got a few comments from people about they didn't have time to knit. But listening to these moms talk, it seems like they have all kinds of time for knitting, if nothing else. I felt so inadequate listening to them chat with each other. Most of the girls are not only in ballet, but also tap and jazz. A few of them are also in gymnastics. They are all playing soccer and softball and take swimming lessons. A few are even in basketball. And several of them are in Girl Scouts. My God!!!! When are the girls allowed to be little girls? When do they ever see their families? My kids have scouts, church, and now ballet. And that is more than enough. And how do these people afford all this? They could each feed a small third-world country with all the fees and stuff they have to pay, not to mention equipment and all the other stuff you have to cough up. And all the time those moms spend waiting at games, lessons, etc. Seems like they could at least pick up a couple of needles and yarn and make something. I usually enjoy waiting for my kids, I knit in the library during scouts, I knit in the car waiting to pick them up from school. I carry my knitting with me wherever I go so that if I steal a few minutes I can knit a few rows.

My oldest takes her first ballet class in 5 years tonight. She used to be really into it, dancing in competitions and ballets at the civic center. She was such a beautiful dancer, and really loved it. But when I became single again she quit. The trauma associated with the split, as well as finances, made it impossible for her to continue. Now she feels ready to go back. We are starting with just a regular ballet class, and when she's limbered back up she'll join the pointe class. It's so good to see her excited about something, to see her doing something. I feel like my daughter's home after a 5-year absence, and the sulky brat that inhabited her room during that time has left. Of course, working at the studio has probably helped too. I'm just glad she's happy, and that she's doing something.

Fun stuff...

2004-08-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

I MUST have this book!

I've got the power!

2004-08-19T12:56:00.000-06:00

Praise God, my church has come through and not only paid my power bill for the past month, but this month too. So I have a whole entire month until I have to pay it again, and then I won't be past due.

Now I only have to worry about my rent - but tomorrow's payday so I hope I have enough to cover it. Being poor sucks.

Socks are coming along nicely, finished off the top edge and now I'm just working on the leg. I may change my opinion once I get to the heel shaping. Like I said earlier, I've never done socks before. I do like using dpn's, but I don't know how my grandmother could stand using aluminum needles. I hate them. I prefer Balene II needles, though bamboo is OK. I even have some plastic needles that are not too bad, but the aluminum ones are just horrible.

My grandmother only used aluminum, I guess because there was no yarn shop around where she lived, and they were readily available at Woolworths or wherever it was she used to shop. And she almost always used Red Heart yarn for sweaters and blankets. She used real wool for socks and cotton for baby things, but afghans were ALWAYS Red Heart acrylic (at least when I was growing up.) I have a lap blanket she crocheted for me when I was 6, and the thing still looks like it did 30 years ago. I swear, when the end comes, all that will be left on earth will be cocroaches and Red Heart yarn.

I guess we are lucky to be living in a time where even at Wal-Mart we can buy soft yarns and comfortable needles (when they have the Balene needles in stock) and Hobby Lobby is close by, where we can get even MORE decent yarn and better needles, but the best thing is the yarn store we have now, where they have wonderful needles and just about any kind of yarn you could want, not to mention very helpful people who actually know how to knit.

It's good be alive!

So far, so good.

2004-08-19T07:34:00.000-06:00

Still have power, but I'm holding my breath that it will still be on when I get home from work. Oh, well, tomorrow is payday, and I can have it turned back on then. OR pay my rent so I don't get evicted. Tough choice.

Yesterday I applied for Foodstamps. What a humiliating experience. I absolutely hate having to ask for help, and apply to be on the public dole, but without my financial aid for school I have to do something or we won't eat.

On the knitting from, I can't find the chart for the pattern on the arm of Celtic Knot sweater, so I decided to go ahead and knit my daughter some kneesocks to go along with her Halloween costume. I'm using a pattern my grandmother used to make socks from, I have it in my scrapbook with pictures of her knitting and crocheting. This is the first time I've used this pattern, or even made socks at all, so I'm a little curious to see how it all turns out.

Off to work now, may be back later today, or not.

If ya' Can't Stand the Heat

2004-08-18T21:10:00.000-06:00

My AC has died. It is officially 95 degrees in here. Well, at least it is no longer leaking, as it had made a puddle that spanned my entire hall and was creeping into the bedrooms, despite sucking water up three or four times a day and pulling up the carpet. My landlord has known about this for months, and has yet to fix it.

The girls have their very first ballet lesson tomorrow, though my power is due to be cut off in the AM, so I probably won't be able to post for a bit. The up side, at least it won't be much hotter in here.

Yes, It's Done!

2004-08-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

The Gryffindor Vest!

I finally finished it tonight, and my daughter had to try it on before I blocked it. The neck still looked a little weird but once it was blocked it looked fine.

The girls are whining right now, and won't go to bed or leave me alone, even though their bed time was over an hour ago. Just what I need after a Looooooooonnnnnggggg day at work. My first day back in 8 days, and I now realized just why I needed time off.

At least I don't have to go back 'till Friday, and then I work the weekend. I actually LIKE working weekends, since I get a decent parking spot then. Other than that, nothing much here.

It's Done (well, almost)

2004-08-17T07:12:00.000-06:00

All I have left to do on the vest is sew up the sides, block it again, and then I'm done!!!! Hooray!!!! I am doing the seams right now, while I read and wait for stuff to load.

Net I'll tackle the last arm on the Celtic knot sweater, then on to new projects. I did have several things in the basket, but I vowed to get them all done and cleared out so that I wouldn't feel so guilty. I'm a great starter, but a terrible finisher. My daughter, on the other hand, will stick with a project from cast on till finish, without picking up, or hardly looking at, anything else. All that's sitting in her knitting basket right now is a beg from Hobby Lobby containing a bunch of Peaches'n Cream yarn she's using to make purses with. She's selling them at school, hoping to buy a car and fix it up.

We found a Maxima yesterday for $100, only problem is it has a cracked head. Normally this would be a huge problem, but her bf will be working an a garage when he gets back from basic training, customizing racing cars. So he has the know-how, and can come up with the equipment. And is it doesn't work out, well then she's only out $100 since her bf is paying for everything else. He's actually really looking forward to it, as this is a big hobby for him. I just hope he has time what with work and school.

Off to work now, for the first time in 8 days. God, I'm dreading this.....

Home Sweet Home

2004-08-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

Well, my daughter is FINALLY home. She spent the night in the hospitality room in Atlanta, and they fed her, and put her on a plane this morning, and now she's here. Yay! She even met another knitter on the plane and they bemoaned to inability to bring their knitting on the plane.

I finished one arm of the vest, doing the k3p1, and went ahead and put the stripes on too. It actually looks pretty good. Now I wish I'd done the neck edge in this pattern, but since it's only for a Halloween Costume I won't bother ripping it all out. I will however do that next time I make one of these vests or sweaters from the same pattern.

Now I'm off to pick up my friend from Nashville, and she's staying the night with me since her mom is going to have surgery today. She'll pick her up in the morning and stay a few days. It'll be good to have some adult conversation for at least a few hours. And then it's back to work tomorrow. I've had 8 straight days off, and I really HATE HATE HATE to go back. Wish I could just quit.

Is it Over Yet?

2004-08-15T22:16:00.000-06:00

Well, my oldest child is still in Gulfport, as her plane has mechanical problems. Hopefully she will be able to get a connecting flight in Atlanta and be home tonight. She was supposed to be here at 7pm. To say that I am worried would be quite the understatement.

My younger kids have fallen asleep on my bed, and I since I have to wake them soon, I have no inclination to move them.

I finished the neck on the vest, just started at the V, knitted on US4 cable needles, and did stockingette stitch for CCs, K3p1 rib for MC below the CC, but it doesn't really show the ribbing. It does keep the neck edge from rolling too bad though. I bound off in K1P1 rib, after doing a knit row in MC. I then sewed the ends overlapping, kind of like a scrub top. My dd likes it, so I guess it'll work.

Now I have to do the armhole edging, but that shouldn't be too big a problem. I was planning on doing them in MC, but not I might try adding stripes to them, but I'll do the entire thing in K2P1 rib I think.

Don't Drink the H2O

2004-08-15T14:02:00.000-06:00

Found out today at church that two of my friends from work are pregnant. One of them with twins. As I've had this past week off, I'm sort of out of the "news" loop. You cold have knocked me over with a feather when I found out. Honestly, I think every fertile woman within a 40-mile radius is pregnant. Or has recently delivered.

So now I have 3 more baby blankets to make. I usually pawn them off on my oldest child, who is a much better (and faster) knitter than I am, but with school and all now she just won't have the time. At least I have seven months until these kids pop. I'm sure I can crank out three blankets in seven months. Add these two to the three friends who delivered last month, and the four the month before that, and I'm really scared to drink the water at work and church.

Some bad news, found out that my financial aid has been suspended. I've got too many credit hours at the school I'm attending, even though most of those were obtained 10+ years ago before I went into nursing. Guess I'll have to look into other schools now. Oh well, something's sure to turn up. I can't have come this far just to hit a wall now.

Guess I'll go take a little nap while the kids are outside playing with the new neighbors. One of my buddies who go married and moved away is coming back into town for a few days and I'm hoping to spend a little time with her this evening.

A New Addiction?

2004-08-15T08:06:00.000-06:00

I think this blogging thing is addictive, as I've posted several times in the past 24hrs, and I spent several hours playing around with it, hence the imood stuff and the blogrolling list.

We're getting ready for church, and the kiddos are eating breakfast. It's another beautiful day here, and so after church we're going to the park to have a picnic. My oldest child will be coming back from Mississippi this evening, and I'm sure she'll be proud of me having set up a blog all by myself.

Kitten Update:
All seven of Jezebel's babies are doing great, and I hope to post pics of them soon. They are 5 weeks old now, and I don't know how on earth I'll be able to part with any of them.

Giving Up...

2004-08-14T23:09:00.000-06:00

On the tie. I'm going to have to buy a tie. I figured that if I were to knit it, It would look weird, and my daughter would have not only the scarf around her neck, and the vest and robe, but also the tie. And she'd pull it off and lose it. So I decided to just try and find some kind of burgundy and gold tie in the local thrift shops or Wal-Mart. Now I'm back to thinking about the neck for the vest. I may say screw it and just make it gray with ribbing. I made the Prisoner of Azkaban Scarf, and since the sweater in that movie doesn't have the house colors at the neck, I may forgo it on the vest.

And why, you may ask, am I making a vest and not a sweater? Because October in Alabama is notoriously warm. Although we have been rather cool this week, highs in the low to mid 70's, this isn't typical weather for us. We usually don't really start to cool down until mid-November. Some years it's freezing on Halloween though, so I bought her shirt, and am making her vest, a size too large so I can fit layers underneath if I have to.

As for the rest of the uniform, I have the robe and skirt patterns, which will take no time. Then, when I am done with her costume, I will begin on the one for my youngest daughter, who wants to be a fairy princess this year. All her costume will entail is letting the hem out of her princess dress from last year, buying a pair of fairy wings, and spray-painting some sparkly stuff on her old dress shoes. So an afternoon, max.

And after all that is done, I'm going to finish the sweater I started last spring. I'm done with most of it, just about 1/3 done with the Celtic knot design I'm working on the left sleeve, then have to block, sew, and wear. I already finished the neck on that one.

Olympic Thoughts

2004-08-14T16:01:00.000-06:00

Been spending the afternoon cleaning, refereeing fights between my kids, and watching the Olympics. I'm not really a sports fan, but I always watch the Olympics. Though I really don't think that some of these events really qualify as sports. Like Synchronized diving. Is this really a sport? Why would you WANT to do synchronized diving? Yet I spent an hour or so watching it while I folded laundry, and apparently there are people in lots of countries who do it. Weird.

Now the news is on and the kiddos are in the tub, so I have a few precious minutes to myself. I just blocked the vest pieces, and still haven't decided what to do about the neck edge. At least I have until it's dry to think about it, during which time I'll be knitting a Gryffindor tie. Basically, I'm just knitting a really thin maroon scarf with diagonal yellow stripes, but when my daughter wears it under her vest you really won't be able to tell it isn't a real tie. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and do in seed stitch to keep it from rolling, though it will be textured more than I'd like, I don't want to have to do it in a tube or sew the sides together. I really wish I could afford to shop at Allivan's and get the real deal. *sigh*

Caught by the Neck

2004-08-14T10:50:00.000-06:00

I'm supposed to be cleaning my house, but decided to knit instead. I'm making a Hogwarts Uniform for one of my kids, and was knitting up my favorite vest pattern. I made the house color stripes above the ribbibg at the bottom, and just finished to the point where the neck edge needs finishing. And I realized that I usually just do a ribbed neck, but this time I want to put the house colors along the neck edge too, and I DON'T want ribbing. So I need a different neck edge. And I can't figure out what to do.

I've been knitting since I was a teenager, though mostly I stuck to baby blankets and scarves. I taught myself to knit, though didn't do it very much. Then my oldest daughter decided she wanted to learn, and she took off with it, and got me hooked. So now I knit whenever I can, and I'm OK at it, though nowhere near as good as my daughter.

Well, younger kids are having a fit.....