Pictureless Musings

That's right, pictureless.  And I'm okay with that. 

I just looked out my window, and there's an odd kind of precipitation happening.  Like if the temperature were twenty degrees warmer, it'd be a drizzly mist--but since it's cold, it's a drizzly snow.  Tiny specks of white--and the wind is such that the specks are blowing rapidly and nearly horizontally.  Not quite a thousand words, but you get the picture, right?

I'm off today, and it looks like my first errand will be to deliver the sixth-grader's forgotten homework to school.  She has had a long week, and I felt so terrible for her when I found what she had left behind.  Thank goodness for email!  I was able to let the teacher know.

I have received some thank-you notes this week, and they just mean so much.  Putting pen to paper is so worth the effort.  I should put one or two of those in the mail today while I'm at it.

I am knitting a sweater.  For myself (you had to ask?).  It's a Quince and Co. pattern: the Belfast hoodie.
I'm using the Classic Elite Moorland heather yarn I purchased last year (I think--I hope it wasn't longer than that).  So far, so good.  The color is green, which is a definite departure from my usual purple and pink.  Progress is slow, but that's what winter evening knitting is all about, right?

I have also started cutting squares for a quilt.  Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! is hosting a quiltalong for her Sparkle Punch quilt. Mine isn't going to be exactly as hers is.  I also expect progress on this to be slow.  There is no rush here!

I had an email this morning that someone I've never heard of was now following me on Twitter.  Evidently she's a fun girl, and just looking for a good time!  Had to block her--sorry, dear.  I don't post on Twitter.  I just have the account so I can get on Pinterest.

Before Christmas, someone hacked into my Facebook account.  The one I thought was gone.  Evidently "deactivating" is not the same as "deleting."  And if there truly is a "delete" option, Facebook is hiding it.  So I re-deactivated.

Downton Abbey! 

So far, I've read two books this year: The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen, and The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz.  I recommend both.  Last night I started Vaclav and Lena.  It's a slow start.

That is all for now.  Happy Weekending.

Happy New Year

Well, the rest of December got away from me, didn't it?  You know how it gets.  We are well, but not quite well-rested.  There have been many late nights around here in the past week or so.  Tuesday morning's school preparation will probably be rocky.  But until then, I'll show you the holiday that was:

There were paperwhites.

 There were silly, so-excited Christmas Eve pictures in our new Christmas pajamas.

 There were ice cream runs with Grandaddy.

 There were outings...to the newest outpost of Antique Archaelogy.

And there were silly, oh-so-tired New Year's Eve pictures.

And now, we are packing up the decorations and catching up on laundry.  I am off for another week before returning to work, so I intend to fully enjoy my remaining time off.

Happy New Year!

Slowing it down

As a general rule, I don't allow the kids to watch TV during the week.  But this week called for an exception.  The pace has been crazy this week, and the children are tired and super cranky.  Tonight I allowed them to watch a movie. Well, we started one, but the DVD started skipping around and pixellating, so I took it off (insert minor tantrums here) and we found Home Alone 2 on TV. 

 We put up our tree this weekend.  We purchased a smaller tree this year, so the decorating went extra-quick.

 It has been raining all day.  The weather channel mentions a chance of some wet snow later on.  I wouldn't mind that at all.  Tomorrow promises to be another long, action-packed day.

I am looking forward to some serious down time this weekend!  Time to get on ravelry and search for sweater patterns.

December!

Here we are, December.  We're going to be stitching.  And later, we'll be sewing.

 And there has been some hooking, too.  This could go on for years, I think.  As I was describing to Rob how surprised I was to be running out of colors mid-round, he said, "so this is going to be a $200 blanket?"  Uh, I hope not.

 But so far, it looks like a million bucks!  That's a yardstick in the picture below.  While my yarn shortages and selective color re-purchases have forced me to abandon my color pattern, I see no reason why I can't work until the yarn runs out, enjoy the blanket for the season, and then pull it out next fall and add on some fresh yarn.  And to think, I had entertained notions of this thing covering our bed!  Not this year...

What are you working on this Thursday?

Random Thoughts

Thanksgiving was awesome.

 Trying to move through New York City with eight children ranging in age from seven to seventeen has its challenges.  The MTA made a lot of money off of us.  The best part is that we could all laugh about it.  And did we ever laugh!

 It's my day off, and I think I have three days' worth of errands to complete. 

 Of course, "find a skirt for Christmas" really isn't a pressing thing--but why not have a little fun on one's day off?

 I am so excited about baking goodies for the holiday that I already started.  I made some Peppermint Meringues on Saturday night.  They are on the cover of this month's Bon Appetit.

I'm off to start the day of errands!

Some Things on the List Got Done

*AND* I did accomplish most of the items on my practical list, too!

Resting and Restless

This week was one of those where I just had to give up any notion that I could control anything.  I had to take a deep breath and go with whatever happened.  On Monday night, Caitlin didn't feel well enough to go trick-or-treating.  On Thursday, she had blood drawn and a chest x-ray which confirmed pneumonia.

She's doing much better now that she's on antibiotics, and hopefully she'll be all perked up and ready to go to school on Monday.  And hopefully her siblings will remain healthy!

I have spent the morning re-pinning like crazy over at pinterest, and now I'm feeling a dreamy/practical list forming.  Mary Beth did one for this weekend, and I think it's such a great way to see what you'd love to do and what you need to do--and maybe find a way to work in a little of each.

So here's my list for this weekend--and I know that some of my "dreamy" items are completely undoable, but I wish for them anyway!

Dreamy:
plan Xmas gifts to mail
start salt dough ornaments with the kids
try to get some family pictures
check the fabric stash for polar fleece
make pumpkin muffins

Practical:
prepare for Monday's cub scout meeting that we're leading
make reservations for a trip later this month
straighten up the dining room table
clean the bathrooms

There you have it--a little creating, a little cleaning.  And a whole lotta recuperating.  Happy weekend!