Oh, and tonight...

I'm doing my part... my part of something bigger...

I'm sure you all can think of *something* to do for one hour in the dark...

Earth Hour

Will you be in the dark too?

Quirky quirkiness...

So there are some things that I do a certain way. I don't think of it as a problem. It's not. I'm not OCD... or ADD or ED or anything else that ends in D...

Since teaching myself how to knit, I like knitting. Most things are pretty easy. Up to now, I've gotten really good at dishcloths. I can knit them anywhere... doesn't matter. In the car, in a waiting room, anywhere.

Then there's the scarf... I can only knit this at home... I don't know if it's the back and forth between the steps... I don't know... but I can only do this at home... I can however watch tv, talk to the kids and the Hubby, and all is good...

But the Shawl... I have to be in bed. Sitting on the bed with the highlighters, and the various needed items... pencil, cable needle, legend for the chart and the 1st part of the pattern... on chart.

I have never knit from a chart before this project. When I look at that chart, I get a bit intimidated, but it's the same as any other pattern, right? It's just pictures instead of words. Piece of cake.

Then this happens... Hubby comes in, picks up his book and turns on the tv... I start out just listening to whatever he is watching. Then it's a quick glance. Next thing I know I'm counting stitches to find where I am in the row...

If I have my headset on, it's enough background noise that I can knit with out distraction... I don't really hear the words, but I do know I can sing along (or attempt to sing along) without really even noticing. It blocks just enough stuff out that I'm good to go.

Last night, I was just chugging along, knitting away and all was going fine. Then, the worst thing that could happen did. My MP3 player died. The battery was dead. I sat there with the earbuds in, listening to nothing. Trying to stay focused with out the music. It was tough, but I was managing.

Then along came Hubby. He turned on the TV... Final Destination 2. The best one in the series if you ask me.

Let's just say, now I know why they call them lifelines.

On an unrelated note... Do you think drunk texting is as bad or worse than drunk dialing? hehehe... Thanks for the text guys!

My dear, sweet Kim...

Today is Kim's birthday. Well, today would have been Kim's birthday. She would post about her family coming over to celebrate or the huge meal they would have, (she's Italian, so you know there would have been a TON of food.) She would tell us about what the kids are doing and how happy she is.

I didn't see that post today. I miss Kim. I wish I could see her smiling face and hear her laugh.

She is always in my thoughts, and her family is always in my prayers.

I know she wouldn't want us all to be sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves... but it's hard when such a big part of your everyday is missing...

Happy Birthday, Kim... I love you.

Like a blast from the past...

Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home? *

I have one of those visual memories that is a little creepy... I can see a car on a highway, and remember it an hour and a half later when I park next to it at the rest area to go to the bathroom.

Come on, now.
I hear youre feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.

I can remember people I stood behind in line at the grocery store when I see them at the bank later in the day. Kinda weird...

Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts:
Can you show me where it hurts?

I can remember a person's handwriting after only seeing it one time... One time.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I cant explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

I have been Kyle's Assistant Cubmaster for 2 years now. I have been to numerous Regional Scouting Roundtable meetings. I have seen this same guy a bunch of times... It wasn't until I started seeing his name on emails from the District that I started wondering... Then at the last meeting I saw him again... Was that the guy that I spent all of 8th grade writing "Comfortably Numb" on the table in our Science class verse by verse with? Was that the same guy that I had that little crush on?

Nah... couldn't be...

When the meeting was over, I walked over to check for sure if this was the same person... before I could even say anything, he said "Hi, Karen! It sure has been a long time." I was shocked! That was the same guy. It was the same person that for a year I would right notes and song lyrics to. We hung out at school, got into trouble together and did all sorts of juvenile stuff together.

We did the whole, "Since you are involved in Scouts, I guess you've got at least a boy" thing... he has 3 kids too, said he married his high school sweetheart, but I didn't think to ask who that was... I might have known her.

It was nice to see him again, but I have to be perfectly honest... I didn't recognize him at all... There was no memory of what he looked like. How many other people do I know and yet I could be possibly standing right next to them and not even know it.

Maybe I should start wearing a name tag...

Ok.
Just a little pinprick.
Therell be no more --aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?
I do believe its working.
Good.
Thatll keep you going for the show.
Come on its time to go.


*"Comfortably Numb" Lyrics courtesy of Pink Floyd

Like the wind...

Or maybe not so much...

Kay has decided that since they really don't have to "try out" for the track team, she wants to do that. She can run.

So, we scrambled to get her a physical, and she has been going to practices. She had been coming home from practices and wanting to die. She said that she has muscles hurt that she didn't even know she had.

Not to mention that she is NOT a runner... I mean she can run, but I'm not sure she can run to win. She wants to keep at it, and that's fine. I told her that when she starts having meets, I would come to cheer her on.

I have told her she needs to be sure she is eating balanced meals... she won't be able to maintain by living off of easy mac. She will need to eat veggies and proteins... I think that was worse than telling her that there was no Santa. Sheesh.

Anyway... I'll be there supporting her and cheering her on, cause that's what mom's do. I'm just glad I was able to talk her out of lacrosse.

On a knitting note, this past week was a week of firsts. I knit the swatch for the Mystic Light Shawl. We had to use a provisional cast on. She wanted us to use that so that we would be sure to know what we were doing since we'll be using it for the shawl. I guess I did it right, I haven't tried to remove the crochet chain yet. I'm not sure about that whole "grafting" thing... my other first was reading a chart. I was all stressed out, but I did it! I have to tell you though, it sure feels weird reading from right to left. I used a sheet protector and a dry erase marker so that I could mark where I was on the chart so I didn't get lost. I posted the picture on flickr so you can see how I did... I think I did ok... I have to be honest... I was a little worried about the striping, but then I thought about how it's just a small piece with shorter rows (only 17 stitches... ) when it's on a bigger row, I'm sure it will be fine. I'm really loving the yarn, thanks again Michele!

Oh, and on a completely different topic... I belong to this really great online mom's group. We met about 9 years ago... well they all met about 9 years ago, I was late to the party... anyway, we "talk" everyday. These ladies are way more than online friends. I let my oldest spend 2 weeks with Traci as an intern when she wanted to be a journalist. I got married at one of our annual BBQs. My mom couldn't understand the bond we have... she went to my wedding, and she said, "You know, I think I get it now... they are great people." We flew Cherie out for a BBQ at Kim's, and as a group we mourned the loss of Kim. Sharon was gracious enough to open her home for us to attend the funeral. We are that close. I tell these women stuff I don't tell my own mom. I talk to them more than I talk to my own family.

Where am I going with this? We are celebrating as a family! Sharon, the one that let me get married in her front yard has gotten engaged. Tex is a great guy, and he makes her very happy... good thing too, you don't want 20 pissed off mom's after you. ;) If you could, go tell her congrats! Let her know I sent you.

Hope your Monday is the start of great week... Oh, and this whole "Spring forward" thing? sucks. I need a nap.

Where to Buddy?

Intersection of Detention and Annoyance? Got it!

Let's head down Detention Lane for a moment... and we have to take a little side trip to I'm bursting with pride but still pretty ticked off...

My mom called me at work. School called her. My oldest daughter, the honor roll, never gets in trouble child is in trouble.

The school is doing a production of the musical Beauty and the Beast. They were having final rehearsals yesterday during school. My dear daughter asked her Trig teacher if some of the students could go to see the play. He said no. They went anyway. She claims that he never gave them a definitive answer and they couldn't find him to get one so they went. He said that he told them no.

When called, he gushed about what a good student she was, and how she was never in trouble and how well liked by both staff and students and friendly she was. He felt awful about having to give her detention, but he couldn't single her out and not punish her. He had to be fair.

He just so happened to have had Nikki for Algebra last semester. He told my mom that we should know that we are doing a great job with both of them. They are both great kids and he was very lucky to have had them in his class.

So, while I could kill her, because she seems to be getting a case of "Senioritis", and messing up, it's really nice to hear about how good a kid she is...

Now, we'll take a left on to Annoyance Street.

About that play... Nikki wants to go. Her and her friend want to go. They want to go tonight. So, they have made all the plans. All but one. The friend needs a ride. The friend can't go unless I pick her up. Think it's possible for the friend to live on the way to the school? Nope. Think it's possible for the friend to have someone come to pick her up after the play? Nope.

I agreed to do it. But only this one time. I would not be the taxi cab. Gas is way to expensive to be running around picking up AND dropping off. I would agree to do one way, but that's it from now on.

As punishment to her... Kyle and I are going to the play too. Well at least that's the plan for now. He might change his mind. If he does, I'm not sure I will go.

Oh, and on the boys suck front, they still do. But, thanks to Traci's great idea, they don't seem to suck quite as much. Everything looks a little better after a Peanut Butter cup sundae. (I had a sundae with coffee flavor ice cream with caramel sauce. It was AWESOME!)

And on the knitting front... I think I'm having SWWS.... LOL... I cast on for the 2nd Fetching, but couldn't get the join to be right, so I had to rip it out... 4 TIMES. Finally, this morning while waiting for Kay in the Drs office (physical for track) I got it right, did my 4 rounds and got to the cable part but didn't have my extra needle and I'm too nervous to try it without one so I took my pen apart and used the little ink tube thingy (what is that called anyway?). I should probably practice doing it with out a cable needle since we got our swatch today for the Mystic Light Shawl, and it's a cable and lace pattern.

Oh, and I found a really cool pattern that will only use a little bit of yarn so when I'm done, I know what to do with any extra.

I can't wait to get home and get started... though it will just be the swatch, the pattern doesn't start until the 26th? 28th? the Twenty somethingth.

Ok, now that we've reached our destination, the fare will be your sanity...

I don't know anything...

I was never a teenager. I never had a boy break up with me. I never cried myself to sleep over a romance gone wrong.

That's what she thinks. Funny thing about all that though, I can't seem to find the right words to say to let her know that it will be better.

Instead, last night, we sat in the chair in the living room and she cried on me. She told me that a friend of hers offered to go beat him up. I told her that was probably not a good idea. Besides, I get to do that.

Today is another day, and she has to keep going to school and to work, and he'll be in both those places. I told her she can't stop doing what she needs to do or wants to do just because her heart is breaking. He doesn't deserve to see her upset since he broke up in a text message! Jerk.

I did tell her to look on the bright side, now when she goes away to college, she won't have to feel bad about dating the guys there. ;)

**************
Off topic-Traci, wristwarmers are like gloves with out any fingers... I posted the one I have finished on flickr.

This is beginning to look like a knitting blog...

I went out on Saturday morning with Kyle's scout pack to pick up the donations for Scouting for Food (lemme tell you, it was bad! We only had about 15 donations out of about 400 homes... ) and one of the other mom's had on a pair of wristwarmers. They were a synthetic striped pair. She bought them out somewhere, and she really liked them. I will admit they were cute. But, other than the stripes, they were pretty plain.

I came home, and thought, "You know, everyone and their brother has made some, so I might as well too..." I immediately cast on for a pair of Fetching. I was using some Paton's Classic Merino that I received as a gift for Christmas a couple years back. I didn't know what I wanted to make with it, but it's perfect for them!

I knit most of the evening Saturday, and most of the afternoon on Sunday and I have one done... I was a bit stressed about the thumb, but it looks ok. I need to work on how to pick up the stitches with out it leaving a hole.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get the second one done.

In other news, that is not knitting related, boys suck. Especially boys that make my girls cry. Kay sent me a text message saying that she "thinks" her boyfriend broke up with her. Let me explain why she doesn't know for sure...

Saturday they were supposed to go out. He cancelled on her. They didn't speak all weekend. She said they had a long discussion about how he always cancels on her and if he doesn't want to go out, he needs to just say so. He gave her some long speech that ended with him saying he needed time to think by himself.

Ugh... I told her if that was what he was doing, he wasn't worth it. That he isn't worth her tears, and that he was stupid.

I hate when my kids hurt... I'll be thinking about her all day... I might have to call her after school to see how she's doing.

Stupid boys.

Mystic Light Yarn...

Got this from Michele... Isn't it beautiful! I'll be using it for the Mystic Light Shawl KAL... I'm so excited.. it is more beautiful than I was expecting. It has all the colors that you might see as the sun is just getting over the horizon. Gorgeous!



In other knitting news... I've caught up all my dishcloths but hadn't had a chance to post pictures. Here they are... That yellow is the perfect match for my kitchen!

Well off to find something to keep me busy... I'm sure I could do something like dishes... ugh... or cleaning... Double UGH...

Might have to make me a cup of tea and take a nap instead...