14 Days Left

I cannot help myself . . .

15 Days Left

Done

I hate to post anything after that beautiful picture.
I just wanted to say I finihsed the cardigan. I hope to block it this week. I do need to put buttons on it, but I still need to buy those.
Happy knitting girls.

Nineteen Days

Guild Approval: In Defense of Memory Loss

Ok, I'm writing to defend myself from a previous insinuation that I have violated Guild rules and have not sought Guild approval for a certain son's plans to leave the country. In my defense:
a) I do realize that ignorance of the law is no excuse, but my copy of the Guild Rules seems to be missing. Must have been sold for yarn money. A collector's item.
b) Even if I had (known about the law), I would have forgotten
c) Said child leaving the country is, ahem, a BOY. Do they deserve Guild conversation?
d) Said child has been out of my home for nearly 2 years. Out of sight, out of mind. Mostly, just out of mind (mine).
e) We had a long dry spell with not nearly enough Guild meetings. If something happens in my life and someone is not there to hear about it within an hour or two, the happening zooms right out of my brain. I cannot be held accountable for things I can't remember.
f) When discussing the travel to England with the boy, it didn't cross my mind to think of the trip in terms of loss of yarn money. What was I thinking???? One of the purposes of the Guild is to continue to remind each other that it's ALL about the yarn money. Again: What was I thinking? My children should not even attend college. They should go directly to work to assist in compete support of their mom's yarn habit.
g) Yes, da UP is as foreign of a country as England. Guild approval required. Even to return.

I'm sure there are more letters in the alphabet, and they all deserve to be noted. However, it is, a "little" late........let's just say you've all been asleep for quite some time.

So, give me a break and I promise I'll start writing down information to share at Guild meetings in the future. Oh wait, that's a lie. I'll never remember to write things down! However, I'll do my best, but don't be alarmed if this type of thing happens again. After all, I did wheedle my way in.........................

Happy Friday everyone. Happy Memorial Day weekend. I'll offer a full report on the status of the Staples Dairy Queen next week.

Too Busy?

We must all be too busy to post to the blog. It is either that or we are too excited about THE ISLAND and that is all we are thinking about.
It is a crazy busy time of year with graduations and the end of school year hoopla.
Soon enough we will be on the ferry chugging our way across Lake Superior for our glorious time on The Island. I know thoughts of the Island and adventure to get there are all that keeps me going most days.

London???

Did I miss a Guild meeting?
Imagine my surprise last night, when I was chatting with FB mom extraordinaire and she told me her son was studying in London next fall. I said, what will happen to his roommate (son #2 of Guild member ASJ). FB mom said "oh he is going too!" Hold on now, stop the knitting! Did I miss a Guild meeting? Having a college age student study abroad is something that REQUIRES guild approval. Let me site our bylaws: section(s) on children: subsection A: relationships: including bfs, exbfs and bffs. B: college C: travel. Specifically: College: No guild member child may attend a college or participate in any college activities that could in any way diminish the Guild members YARN MONEY.
This is my personal opinion, but I think a child studying in LONDON is a violation (I know GBT in MI might be a violation too--as no state really wants the UP of Michigan). However, sending your child to a country where the money is measured in pounds is a problem.
I move that the Guild meet and determine if said adventure for ASJ son #2 will indeed have an adverse effect on her yarn money.

Whoa, new bathroom!

So the CF people finally returned our counter top, we picked it up first thing this morning. We picked out flooring and got our plumbing supplies for 2 (yeah 2) sinks. The floor went in really easy and quick. The cabinet looks great and the plumbing of 2 sinks is almost done. If I knew how to work the digital camera better I would post a picture, but alas I don't. As of right now, I would say the remodel is 70% done. It will take me several hours to clean our bedroom and the bathroom after all this renovation.

I finished the body of my top down cardigan Thursday night. Little knitting therapy after baseball and soccer. I went to put the sleeves on, but I did not have 12 inch size 8 needle (who knew with all the needles I have). I did find one at Michael's so I am about 1 inch into the sleeve. I knit a little last night while MMT was at the big 8th grade grad at South.

We are now off to the first rounds of grad parties for the class of 2007.

No Bathroom

Hip Hip Hooray! We got the email we had been waiting for! Our counter top had finally arrived and we could pick it up. So off we went tonight to pick up our beautiful counter top with double sinks. We picked it up, and went around to the front to pick up the new flooring. We were so excited that we could not wait until we got home to see our new counter top, so we opened it in the parking lot. Only to discover that we did not have our counter top, but some ho bathroom. It had rose basins and Hollywood rope lights (we all know what people do with Hollywood rope lights--with a brass finish no less). As the magnitude of the situation sank in we went back to the special order door to try to straighten out the mess. Long story short, someone in CF has our beautiful counter top and we have nothing.

Mothers Day

While driving home from the Doll & Pet Parade (MMT and SSK were wonderful!) my daughters and I recounted some of my more stellar moments at a mom. Like the time.....
ZJT let go of my hand and ran out in front of a semi, I dashed after him leaving GBT struggling to hold to a shopping cart full of food at the top of sidewalk. Or the time.....
While we were camping and we heard this baby crying. (screaming in fact). I told our fellow campers that I hoped someone would shut that baby up, only to discover that is was MY baby that I had left alone (thought she was asleep) while I got the older ones ready for bed. She had rolled against the canvas and right out the bottom and was hanging on the propane tanks attached to the front of the camper. Or the time....
I fell from the top of the slide at the park while I was 6 mos pregnant with MMT (she said that explained a lot) or the time I dropped MMT because my friend had a new outfit and I shrieked at how pretty it was (forgot I was holding the baby seat). Or the time....
I took GBT to the doctor because I thought she was soooo sick. Turned out that ZJT gurgling in the baby seat had pneumonia, GBT was fine. How about the time....
GBt was shrieking in her car seat and I told her to "suck it up, all kids have to ride in car seats" only to discover her hand was pinched in the car seat. Or the time my friend sat on MMT, squishing her in the stroller, or the time I tried to close MMT in the stroller (forgot she was there....seems to be a theme with the 3rd one). The list actually goes on and on, but at this point were all crying we were laughing so hard, which is good that they can look past my short comings as a mom and laugh about all the times I nearly (accidentally) killed them.

Happy Mothers Day!

Feels like Summer

Oh, yeah, it feels like summer, and that can mean only one thing: the ISLAND! I'm dreaming of Island time: Knit - Eat - Knit and laugh - Eat and laugh - Knit and laugh - Eat and walk or laugh - Knit and laugh - Eat - Knit and watch movies - Sleep in the best bed ever - never come home. Oooh baby. Life doesn't get much better.

I'm frantically trying to finish my sweater pre-island, because it's getting too stinkin' hot to knit a sweater. I'm gonna have to start on socks, mittens and slippers for these warm days and nights. My sweater is coming along nicely though. I decided not to knit off of alternating skeins, and I really like the way the colors are pooling. It's looking rather funky. But, listen up Guild: remind me to never ever ever knit a sweater on anything smaller than a size 10 needle. I'm getting tendonitis from those tiny things. And it takes forever. I am too adhd to deal with such slow progress. And since my name is "knits (way more than) twice", well, you get the picture.

Bad Blogger!

Not one blog from me last week. Poor CT is carrying the load for all of us. And like she had the time. Read below, see how busy she has been. Makes one want to go lay down a take a nap.


Well I think the little digital has given up. Still no photos. Poor thing. I wonder if smacking it around would do any good?


On the knitting front, I have one cabled sock almost complete! Yeah. But the urge to cast something else on is great. With the dreaded pink cardigan done, I am ready to add something else to the mix! I have ten skeins of Lopi, I was thinking I would knit the hooded vest from Knitting Pure and Simple. Knit it extra big and felt it slightly. Waddathink? I also have the sheep farmer stuff, four green skeins, two burgundy skeins, and one mustard yellow skein. What on earth was I thinking? After looking at it I am thinking Elizabeth Zimmerman rib warmers for gifts. Color work right now is not very appealing. the very thought of it gives me a headache.


Island Mapping . . . we leave early. I will be picking up the first rider at 8:00 a.m. NK, CT and finally AJ (the seat will be on and warm by time I pick you up).

1. On to Spooner/Shell Lake for the Pottery Shed. While our mugs are being fired, we will walk YARN STOP, to the local yarn store (this will count towards the day’s constitutional as will all walking we do this day).


2. Then on to Hayward with a stop at the Dairy Queen.


3. Next a YARN STOP, Pines and Needles yarn store in Cable. (Y-Turn)
   Moving on to Washburn, Holiday Station for gas, then a YARN STOP at Quilting Essentials. (AJ, do you want to stop at DQ again?)


4. On to Bayfield, YARN STOP at the Bayfield Quilt Company, YARN STOP at Inspire, YARN STOP at Brownstone Center. Finally the grocery store in Bayfield so AJ can pick up ice cream.


5. Then . . . :-) Anchor's Aweigh!

Too many miles on this old body

What a weekend, actually I don't feel like I had a weekend.
Friday to Eagle River. (3 hrs)
Saturday Eagle River to Houghton. Houghton to Eau Claire (7 hrs)
Sunday Blaine MN and back. (3 1/2 hrs)
That is too much car time for any one person. (I did zero driving--so feel sorry for the husband)

But they did win the soccer tournament, so we are glad they went. They won the first freezing cold gale force wind game 3 to 1 and scored twice against the wind. They won the 2nd game in a double overtime sudden death shoot out. We were tied 1-1 at the end of the game, 2 five minute OT's and then following the regular shoot out still tied. But we scored in the 2nd sudden death overtime. Yikes what a game!

Hope everyone else had a good weekend. TTFN

Full Circle

Ok so we have come full circle. Last August when we moved GBT (shewhopicksandclicks) to Michigan Tech, I cried as we left town. Today as we drove out of town with GBT in tow, she was the sad one. Sad to be leaving Michigan Tech her new home and all her friends.
The last 24 hours have been sort of whirlwind. We zipped out of here at 5:30 last night and drove to Eagle River. We arrived about 8:30 and I was so hungry I was nauseated. We found an open pizza joint and I managed to scorch the roof of my mouth. (smooth I know). We were up and eating continental breakfast by 6:30 so we could hit the road to Houghton by 7. We arrived in Houghton at 9:55 am (Mi time-so we lost an hour) finished packing GBT and then cleaned her dorm room. I have no idea how these kids fit so much stuff in those tiny little rooms. (and to think there are 2 people in each room!) We had a little lunch (gained back our hour) and headed back to EC, all total today we were in the car 7 hours. Ish. I am not a good car person. She is home now and already talking about going back in August.
I knit some on my cardigan in the car and I have been trying to figure out if I will run out of yarn or not. I may need Guild help with this, but now I am thinking I may have enough. Crazy, I know.
Cinco de Mayo today off to Cancun for dinner!

My Bad

I have thought about the blog 10,000 times in the last week, but I have not been able to find the time to actually blog. Which is odd, because I can't think of anything I have done except work in the last week. Speaking of which, we are one week closer to June (which is ISLAND month) which is a good thing. The natives tend to be restless this time of year.
I finished the black and white mittens and delivered them. I did not finish the baby sweater. I am avoiding. Not real mature, but it is what I am doing. I cast on a top down cardigan and all goes well. I went to YD today and got 220 yds to augment my 1100 yds of yarn I all ready had for the sweater. That should be enough to finish it. Let's hope. I am going to finish the ball I am on, then work on the sleeves then go back to the body, that way if I get into trouble, I can adjust the length of the body. Seems like a good plan......

We are off to collect the eldest daughter from college this weekend. It is exciting that she is done with her freshmen year. Boy does it go fast. She sounds like she is excited to come home for the summer.

Island planning is going well. The activities director needs to submit a trip plan so we can plan our yarn shopping/Dairy Queen stops. All I know at this point is that thoughts of the Island are all that keep me going.