Thursday, April 15, 2010

Looking For Some Tax Relief

If you get out today and want some free stuff on tax day, here's what I found in the area:

My own backyard - take in the view of a beautiful tree in full bloom

Starbucks - make a difference; bring in a reusable mug and they'll fill it with free brewed coffee.

Acme Markets - give your grocery budget a boost; purchase a $300 gift card and they will add $30 to it!

Chik-fil-A at Lionville, PA - come in and enjoy a free chicken sandwich



Monday, April 12, 2010

Word of the Day

I've recently decided to try to increase my vocabulary by reading the 'word of the day' on Webster's online dictionary. Today I just learned my new favorite word:

frog-march
\FROG-march\ verb
: to seize from behind roughly and forcefully propel forward

Monday, March 29, 2010

Darn It!

See this size 5 needle tip?
It snapped right in the middle of my dishcloth project and I'm not happy. I'm not blaming KnitPicks for defective workmanship. I set my knitting down for a minute and did not clean up after myself; I think one of my kids sat on it.
Why now?! I'm trying to finish this dishcloth by Wednesday to give as a gift.

Updated post - Solution: I only had about 12 rows left to complete the dishcloth so I used a size 4 on the left and a 5 on the right. At the end of each row, I unscrewed the needle tips and switched their position. Clever. huh?

Friday, March 12, 2010

You Don't Say

Steve on geothermal heating - "Your back-up system is like a toaster on steroids."

Librarian on what I ought to do - "You should write a book on parenting."

T. on sadness - "I took my sadness and flung it to Antarctica and Jack the penguin ate it."

Passerby on T.'s cough - "Your kid has croup." (Thank you very much, Dr. Moron)

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Feed The Birds

We've been having fun with the 55 - 200mm zoom lens I got for Christmas. With several bird feeders hanging off our back deck, we have many opportunities for bird watching. Quick, snap the shutter before they flutter!












House Finch -Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis











Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

UFOs

You know those UFOs floating around out there? Some are still on needles, some may just need buttons and there's always that scarf that needs to be blocked. Recently, I've found my UFOs were haunting me and I've made a concerted effort to finish them. Take a look at some of the items which I can proudly say are now complete.

Amy's Socks













Timothy's Sweater









Anna's Socks







Friday, December 18, 2009

December Happenings

We've been keeping ourselves busy in December. The first Friday of the month we traveled to Philadelphia to see a wonderful presentation of 'Peter Pan' at the Arden Theatre. The girls were a little scared at times, but now seem to have fond memories of the performance. Later this month, T will go to a workshop at the Arden, taught be the young actor who played Peter Pan.

Two weeks after seeing 'Peter Pan' on stage, we were fortunate enough to get tickets to see 'The Nutcracker' at The Acadamy of Music in Philadelphia. Thanks to my parents. The show was wonderful and held the interest of both girls. They are familiar with the story and the music from the ballet.

As Christmas draws near, I busy with shopping, decorating, sending out Christmas cards and planning for an extended family dinner. I'm happy with the progress I've made on the socks I'm knitting as a gift. I won't show them to you yet because it's a secret. Shhh.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Fall Already!

I'm trying to give myself a bit of a kick start here for some more regular posts by writing a brief summary of the past three months:

August 2009 marked the sixth birthday of my oldest daughter and her first day of kindergarten. She did fine; I was in tears.

In September, my younger daughter turned four. Both August and September were filled with parties with friends and families. I attended Knitter's Day Out, taking a course on working on gauge and blocking. I learned a lot and became a believer in doing a gauge swatch. I bought a fun kit for a "Something Sheepy" hat, some sock yarn and a bag of felted balls. I'm hoping that my daughters will enjoy stringing the colorful felted balls to make necklaces. Since KDO, I've finished the sweater and socks in my July 31 post and I'm 90% finished with my "Something Sheepy" hat.

We had a great time in Hillsgrove in early October. My Dad owns a hunting cabin there with a bunch of other guys - nothing fancy. We spent the days walking to the general store, going on short hikes and playing games. It was a wonderful way to welcome fall. Also, in early October, T learned to ride her two-wheeler bike!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Knitting


According to my blog, my last knitting project was a pair of mittens for Sam. I'd like to be able to recall everything I've knit since.
I'm drawing a blank, but I do have a couple projects on needles:
Rainbow socks for Anna in Opal, lollipop and a boatneck sweater my friend's new baby boy in Mission Falls 1824 cotton.

Memory jog. I also knit a nice green scarf for Brad. That just needs blocking; plenty of time to finish that before the snow flies. I could probably completely finish socks, sweater and scarf in a matter of hours. Don't you think?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Golf

In May I went golfing on a real golf course for the first time.  My husband, Brad, has been golfing for over 35 years.  He used to hit golf balls with a few hand-me-down in the fields behind the house where he grew up.  He was on the golf team in high school.  He has three brothers who also golf, so golfing has always been his territory and something he has enjoyed with his siblings.

We had discussed the idea of me trying out the sport in the past and I always scrunched up my nose at the idea.  To be honest with you, I never really thought of it as much of a sport and I've always been turned off by the costs associated with it.  "I'll stick to my knitting", I'd say.  And his reply was "that's probably best since you probably would not take it very seriously and I'd want to help you get better".

In March, we went to Play-A-Round Golf in celebration of Brad's birthday.  We went with a group of people and had a lot of fun.  My sister-in-law had recently purchased clubs and she was starting to join her husband on the course.  When they invited us to play at a real course that day in May; I went thinking it would be fun.  It was.  Here's an outline of my golfing experiences so far, only time will tell where it leads me.

1.  At Play-A-Round Golf the most memorable line of the evening was "Whacky, whacky"!  One of the women there came up with that line when she'd smack a long drive.  

2.  At Arrowhead (April 25) , my first outing, we golfed 9 holes late in the day.  I had some nice straight shots and had way more fun than I thought I would.  Brad shot better than normal because according to him, "he was thinking less about his shots and more about mine".  My sister-in-law was surprised I did not bring my knitting.

3.  At Blackwood (May 15) we golfed 9 holes and I got to experience a fun, memorable hole. It's so hard to describe the challange of this hole and the feeling when you're teeing off this hole. You're on one side of a small ravine and you have to hit over the creek to the green.

4.  While at Bethany Beach (June 16), Brad and I played nine holes late on a windy day.  It was a nice course, bathrooms at the fourth hole and nice greens and carpet-like fairways.  There were also yardage marker stones along the fairway.  He was so close to an eagle on one shot, it was fun to watch.  He also shot back-to-back birdies.  I regained some confidence, hitting better than my game at Blackwood.  

5.  Today I bought my own clubs on e-bay.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Happy 20th Anniversary!

As soon as I opened the mailbox on May 15 and held the package from my brother, the date sounded familiar.  May 15.  May 15.  Then it came to me from the dark corner of my brain.  My brother had remembered the anniversary of our bicycle trip across the USA.

So many years prior I had sent him cards celebrating the event.  This year, he had remembered and sent not only a card, but also a cd with jpegs he had scanned of his slide collection from the trip.  

It has been wonderful looking through those photos and remembering those days we shared.  Thank you, brother.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

All In A Day

Finally, here is another post.
Often after the sun sets,  I reflect on the day and ask myself, "what the heck did I do today?", feeling as if nothing got done.
So here is today.

7:15 woke
7:45  fixed breakfast for the girls
7:50 packed banana bread for coffee hour after church
8:00 showered.  Yep, I actually got a shower today!
8:30 kissed hubby good-bye (he very rarely works weekends, but this was one of those days)
8:45 packed the girls in the car and drove to church
10:10 intergenerational choir practice
11:30 lunch
12:00 cleaned up the kitchen (yep, sometimes I leave all the dirty dishes until later)
12:10 helped child #1 in the bathroom
12:20 resumed kitchen clean-p
12:30 helped child #2 in the bathroom
12:40 went for a walk with the girls who were very eager to push their "babies" in strollers
1:00 asked one of our teenager neighborhood sitters if she'd come by 4-5 pm so I could run
1:15 returned home
1:50 went to YMCA for open swim 
2:15 entered the pool
3:05 left the pool and helped the girls with their showers at the YMCA
3:45 drove home
3:50 got a craft and games out for the sitter
4:00 ran
5:00 returned
5:10 computer time suck while the girls played
5:40 fix dinner
6:00 my parents drop by
6:30 dinner
7:15 help with toothbrushing, baths, PJ's and hair brushing
7:20 watch some TV with the girls
7:30 neighbor stops by to pick up George, the fish we've been pet sitting
8:00 read books with the girls and lights out
8:30 down stairs and more killing time on the computer time
10:24 post this

See, I did something after all!  All in a day.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Mittens for Sam

I finished a quick pair of mittens for Sam.  I'm wondering if he will actually wear them.  What I'm envisioning is a reaction similar to the one from A Christmas Story when the kid got a  pink bunny outfit from his grandmother.

I had fun knitting them for him.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Who Needs A Sled?

Yesterday we had a great time playing on the little hill next to our house.  The snow had a thin layer of ice on it so the kids were able to do some "butt sledding" and belly flopping.

When the girls get older they will realize how small the hill is, and be bored with it.  But now it's the perfect sledding hill

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Playground Mittens

I've knit two pair of Playground Mittens, one for each of the girls. The Noro Kureyon was a gem to knit with and the mittens are beautiful.  The girls are not too much into wearing them, oh well.  Maybe next year.

I finally convinced T. to put on the playground mittens and swish her hands in warm water to shrink them a bit. I've got to get her to do it again because they still are not small enough.  Or since spring is less than 6 weeks away, maybe I will set these mittens aside for next winter. Who knows how much their hands will grow by then!

Pattern:  Crossroad Knits - Playground Mittens
Yarn:  Noro Kureyon
Needles:  US4 dpn


Friday, January 23, 2009

Happy Birthday, Brad!


Last week we celebrated Brad's birthday.  The girls had a great time making and decorating the cake.  Any excuse to bring out the sprinkles and they're in! 

My idea to rent him a clarinet has proven to be a huge hit.  Most every day he gets it out and practices a bit.  Of course he is not pleased with the sound, but I'm impressed and think he sounds great!  I had hoped to have his old clarinet restored, but it was beyond repair.  Rental costs for the student clarinet can be applied to purchase of a new one.  I hope he decides to buy one and continue practicing.


Saturday, January 10, 2009

My 2008 Rockin' ABCs

I thought it would be fun to celecrate events, accomplishments and new products that came into my life for 2008 in the form of an alphabet.  Here goes.

'A' Amy's 50th!
'B' Big Apple Circus
'C' "Colonel Hathi's March (The Elephant Song)" The Jungle Book
'D' Diapers No More!
'E' Emma Haring
'F' Flat Stanley
'H' Harmony Needles
'I'  IPhone
'J' Jingle Bell 5K
'K' Knit 2 sweaters, 2 hats, 4 Christmas tree ornaments, 2 dishcloths, a market bag, a pair of socks, a triangular scarf, a putter cover 
'L' Lemonade Stand
'M' MacBook, Mad Men
'N' Noro
'O' Obama
'P' Pumpkin Plant
'Q' Queen as in "Dancing Queen"
'R' RE instructor
'S' Sibling GAP Bike Ride
'U' bcmes a cmmn acronym 4 me as I m intrdced 2 txt mssgng
'V' Victory Brewery Gift Card
'W' Winter Olympic Scarf Project
'X' Xylophone
'Y' Y's Owls
'Z' Zingo

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Let The Games Begin

My first finished object for 2009 was mailed today to the Special Olympics Winter Games Scarf Project. I had to use the required Red Heart yarn which was oh, not so lovely to work with.  Mine is worked up in a single crochet, lengthwise.  For some reason, crochet seemed a fitting technique (I had not crocheted an item in decades.) It's funny because many of my knitting buds thought the same and crocheted too!

Soon the scarf will be in the hands of a worthy group and my hope is that it will embrace a very Special Olympian.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

100 Things About Me

I finally finished 100 Things About Me.

3.  I have 1 sister and 2 brothers.
4.  The house I grew up in had 12' ceilings, huge pocket doors, a cubby space (our clubhouse) under the front stairs, accessible only through the walk-in closet and a small winding back staircase.
5.  I lived there for 18 plus years. The house next door to us on the north side was about 2' away.  We would crawl out our attic window and  into the neighbors' window to visit.
6.  I remember the milkman delivering milk in glass bottles in the box on the back porch.
7.  I played high school varsity field hockey.
8.  I played high school varsity lacrosse.
9.  I never had a cast on any part of my body.
10.  After high school I starting running to stay in shape.
11. I like to run; it puts me in a meditative state.
12.  I like to run alone.
13.  I like sneakers; I really like sneakers.  It would be so easy for me to go overboard and buy a new pair every month.
14.  My longest run ever was the St. George Marathon in 1991.
15.  My most challanging run ever was the Imogene Pass Run 1992.
16.  I have not been running much lately.
17.  Now I dash - after our two beautiful little ones!
18.  I met my husband in 1977.
19.  We married in 2001.
20.  In March 1987 I had an in-office biopsy to remove a grape-sized tumor from my neck.
21. In March 1987 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease.
22.  In April 1987 I had a staging laperatomy to remove my spleen and move my ovaries, moving the ovaries would keep them from getting "zapped" if I were to get radiation treatments.
23.  In Summer 1987 I had radiaiton treatment.
24.  I've been cancer free for 20 years.
25.  I guess I like a challenge.
26 .  My brother and I rode our bikes across the US in 1989.
27.  I've climbed Mt. Rainer in Washington.
28.  I've hiked The West Highland Way in Scotland.
29.  I like to wash dishes because I find it very calming.
30.  A window over a kitchen sink is a must for me.
31.  I don't like to unload the dishwasher.
32.  I hate to iron.
33.  Green is my favorite color.
34.  I hate teal.
35.  I like math and numbers.
36.  I think palindroms are cool.
37.  The like two kinds of cake:  carrot cake and (now) Jan's cake.
38.  I like pie, almost any kind of pie.
39.  I do not like to talk at movies.
40.  I like to stay through and watch all the credits.
41.  I never was able to get popcorn or other snacks at a movie as a kid.
42.  I like to hike and camp.
43.  My feet hardly ever get cold.
44.  I like to knit.
45.  I blush easily.
46.  I am a Unitarian Universalist.
47.  I have an undergraduate degree in Geography from Northern Arizona University.
48.  I've worked as a cartographer in a County Assessor's Office.
49.  I've worked for the USGS as a cartographer mapping Mars.
50.  I've worked as a programmer.
51.  I've worked in a day care center.
52.  I've worked as a janitor at a ski area.
53.  I've worked for the National Forest Service in cleaning bathrooms in campgrounds.
54.  I've worked for the National Forest Service as a fee collector in campgrounds.
55.  I've worked as a forest fighter in Idaho and Montana.
56.  I've worked at McDonald's - for about 12 hours over a 4 day period.
57.  I've worked as a secretary in Alaska.
58.  I like the toilet paper pulled over the top of the roll.
59.  I like to play with Playmobil.
60.  I like to play board games.
61.  Cribbage is my favorite two-person game.
62.  I like to play cards.
63.  My favorite game these days is Mr. Thurston's Mother's Game, a variation of Oh, Hell.
64.  My favorite solitaire game is Accordian.
65.  I like to work in my garden.
66.  I always notice when someone misuses the words "fewer" and "less"; it makes me cringe.
67.  I like to make snow angels.
68.  I like to listen to the birds sing.
69. I like to type.
70.  Thanks to my sister, I'm a touch typist.  In my high school college-pre students were not required to take a typing class.   My sister was in college at the time and told me to take typing!
71.  I don't have any cavities.
72.  Cheetos Snacks Crunchy are my favorite junk food.
73.  Lucky Charms are my favorite junk cereal.
74.  Ginger Ale is my favorite soda.
75.  Someday I want to knit a blanket like this.
76.  I like to ice skate.
77.  I like to be outdoors.
78.  I'm not much of a reader.
79.  Someday I'd like to own a yurt.
80.  I want an iPhone for Christmas 2008  (got it)!
81.  I like eggplant.
82.  Geometry has always been my favorite subject.
83.  I'm not a good swimmer, I sink.
84.  I recently got a Nikon D50 and want to take a digital photography class.
85.  Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday (harmless hype), fun movie too.
86.  I like to do jigsaw puzzles.
87.  The first car I owned was a Pea Green Ford Maverick with 3 on the column.
88.  Then, Phyllis, the yellow Fiat.
89.  On to, a Subaru DL 4WD wagon.
90.  Then, a Isuzu Trooper for a brief time.
91.  Then to a 1990 Toyota Camry, what a great car!
92.  In 1997 I bought my first brand new car, a Volkswagen Passat Sedan.
93.  I learned how much trouble a brand new car could be.
94.  In 2005, went back to the realiable Toyota.  With our second child on the way we traded in the Passat for a Sienna LE.
95.  I usually buy white cars.  I like white cars.
96.  I like snow.
97.  In November 2008 I started taking Body Pump classes at the YMCA.  The weight-bearing exercise is good for my bones.  I feel stronger.  Also, I'm enjoying the camaraderie; it's a fun group.
98.  Hadn't ran a race since 1999 and I ran a 5K on Dec 17, 2008.  My time was 37:11; my time was not great, but I had a great time.
98.  I like crossword puzzles.
100.  I like to read mysteries. 

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas Wrap Up

Celebrating Christmas this year was especially fun with our three-year-old and five-year-old.  They were so darn excited.  "A" kept talking about how she was going to walk downstairs and see Santa and then run back to her bed.  "T" couldn't wait to spread the magic reindeer-attracting dust (oatmeal and glitter) she made at school.   

Here are some of my memorable moments:
  • On Dec 23, "A" did something that made "T" really mad.  She stomped downstairs, yanked "A's" Christmas list from the mantle and with pen in fist, scratched the items off the list.
  • After "T" hung her stocking, she stood back and recited the words to "The Night Before Christmas".
  • "A's rendition of Deck The Halls cracks me up.  She sings "deck the halls with bells and jolly, fa la la la la".  Then she announces that she does not know any more of the words.