Of Sickness and Homework

We are currently between spew sessions...the wee one has the flu. I walked into work really not wanting to be there today, but c'mon! I didn't want anyone to pay for my wish. Shortly after I settled in at work, I got the call from daycare that Kidlet was a limp, shivery noodle. I picked her up and when we got home, the spewing commenced (all over poor hubby). Then one of the dogs followed suit. Several loads of laundry later, I think we have it all under control.

I should be using this time to work on my schoolwork, where I am woefully behind but procrastination's cool, right? All the hip kids are doing it. I'm just having a very hard time getting into "A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson" (1682). It's choc full of threats of getting "knockt in the head" and icky food (rancid bear meat, boiled maggoty bones. For reals.).

Ok, now to do some knitting. Oh right, I mean toiling through Mary Rowlandson.

Sweet Cuppin' Cakes

Had a good weekend with the tot while hubby had school both days (poor hubs!). Breakfast out, lots of cupcake making for a friend's 30th birthday, tiny and fun party for said birthday, waffles, library trip, bread baking, snuggles, a trip to the evil empire, not doing enough schoolwork...pretty good weekend all in all. Well, except for the fact I didn't do the schoolwork that I needed to do. That's what happens when the Kidlet doesn't take her nap. The horror! I am so afraid of the day that she decides there will be no more napping. Luckily, this has only happened maybe 3 times, ever.

I'm having a hard time getting back into work mode. Maybe it's the cold, grey, snowy day. Maybe it's the desire for strong coffee (that I'm desperately trying to not think about since I only have one dollar in my bag). I'd better shake this malaise and be a productive member of society.

Oh yes, if you missed the boat and "sweet cuppin' cakes" doesn't make you giggle, go here.

February 22nd and 21st

Feeling grumpy as of late. Maybe it's the PMS (ok, it's probably the PMS--I find that has all gotten so much worse since I had the kidlet, but I'm straying...). I've been getting crazily inspired and then...boom...back to reality. I don't have nearly enough time to work on the ideas. I'm back in school and then there's that pesky thing called 'work' (man, that really gets in the way). But happily, I found a small project that cheered me up. I was back on Keri Smith's site, and I was refreshing my head with the Guerilla Art projects. I liked the idea of making a flyer of my day. Well, I don't have time to make an actual flyer at the moment, but here are the past two days. Posting on the internet is close, eh? This tiny project did manage to cheer me up a bit. So might some really strong coffee. Have a swell weekend, folks...and I invite you to document it with a little sketch.

Kidlet-ism

"When I was a little tiny, tiny baby I had a diamond. It had stripes. And I threw it waaaaaay up to the moon."

I'm not dead yet...

and I haven't broken any bones on this skateboard thing. Sure, I've only gained the courage to ride for about 15 minutes when all the neighbors were inside, with their blinds drawn so I couldn't see the snickering. I feel like such a goober on the board, but you know what? It's buckets of fun. Oh yes. I feel very brittle and fragile when I'm gliding along but it still feels good. Lately, I've been thinking about when I was young and would hear adults complaining about pain in (insert body part here). I thought how odd it must be to have a body that hurt, even if you had done nothing to hurt it (falling off a skateboard, crashing a bike). I would have a brief moment of gratefulness that my body was supple and strong, strap on my skates and go. I know falling is going to be inevitable and I'm trying to get over the fear. I've never learned to fall properly and I'll be sure to have some bony body part or hand out trying to break my fall. I'm hoping that my body doesn't complain too much. I'm hoping I'll get to feel a little bit more supple and strong again.

Just call me Skateycakes

German Shepherd Dog (A bit of a cheat)

Couple posts ago, I talked about being inspired by the Wurstminster Dog Show and I thought I'd try my hand at doing a little piece of art for each breed. Well, here's my entry for the GSD (German Shepherd Dog). It's a bit of a cheat, as I painted this about a dozen years ago. But I figured it might kick start my project.

At the time of painting, we had a GSD, Mojo. Damn, I loved that dog. He was an awful puppy, but a model citizen when he grew up. As a pup, he ate through a couch, a couple chairs, many pairs of shoes, hats, books, CDs, and three layers of flooring and subflooring. He was kind, protective, and a big love. We lost him a couple years ago, while I was pregnant with Kidlet. I worried that my hysterical grief would somehow damage the growing baby in belly (yes, I worry a little too much about...well, just about everything). I wish he had gotten to meet Kidlet. He was a very good dog.

I already have a good idea for 'Pomeranian' and for some reason 'Affenpinscher' just keeps resonating in my head. Don't think I ever met an Affenpinscher, even in my months as a dog washer. I'll have to do some research on that one.

I love that crazy kid.

We cut off all her hair last night! Boy, it sure looks better. She can actually see. It's now a very sweet bob.

A recent conversation...
Kidlet: (Heavy sigh, pitiful expression) I'm sad.
Me: Awww, what's up kitten?
Kidlet: I lost my daughter.
Me: What?
Kidlet: I lost my daughter, Laurie. And now I'm sad. She's on the other side of the fence. She has a dog named Rock.

The name Laurie is from listening to Laurie Berkner, all the time. Pretty good kid's music, by the way. But I don't understand the lost daughter. Or that she's on the other side of the fence in the yard next door. No one lives there. Creepy. But Rock is a good dog name.

-ing

Discovering...the poetry of Mary Oliver

Awaiting...web access to my f^%$&^ class! Please. I want to start. So I can finish.

Knitting...happily on my circular sock. Finally.

Needing...a tripod for my camera since I only want to take photos in the dark or with cloudy day light.

Baking...bread this weekend. I heart baking.

Hoping...Boo gets over being sick soon and that I don't follow his descent into the land of coughed-up lungs. ('Coughed-up lungs' reminds me that there used to be a divey Chinese restaurant here called 'The House of Lung Fung'. Unfortunate name, eh?)

Watching...Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser tonight while I knit. Unless I fall asleep while I put Kidlet to bed, a common occurrence.

Wishing...you all have a splendid weekend with lungs intact and warm winds to thaw you or remind you of Spring (that is still so far away).

Daisy Scarf as Interpreted by Me

Well, this doesn't look much like this. I'm finding in my investigations that Rowan is a bit notorious for having ambiguous instructions. I'm not quite sure where I went wrong. It looks kinda cool, but would be pretty useless for me as a scarf as I'd be snagging all the long stringy bits all the time. I've been trying to find some better explanations on how to knit this and have got some input but still can't quite figure it out.

Everything seems to be on hold right now; I can't log into my class on the web and haven't been able to get any help (which will mean I have to traipse around school, trying to find the mystical person who can fix it), every knitting project I attempt has ended in multiple froggings. The knitting thing though has been good even though I have nothing to show for it but squiggly, unraveled yarn. I've always been so focused on the product. I'm finding it interesting that I'm now just accepting the fact that I don't always know what I'm doing and yes, I will probably have to start over for the nth time.

I must tell you, I think I just drank the most disgusting chai ever. It tasted like gritty soap. I didn't finish it but was so desperate for one, I drank more than I should have.

My Google Day

Here's a running list of what I Googled today...

Monterey Bay Aquarium
maybe a trip around Kidlet's birthday? When is your spring break, Boo? I LOVE making plans: checking out hotel pricing and rooms, where might we eat (because I love to eat), what else we might do. And Boo, I promise I won't have a panic attack this year because we can't find something to eat because I will be sure to have many snacks in the car and I will have researched all the restaurants between here and Monterey.

Hotel Reviews Monterey ca

Colton Inn
Looks cheesy but it gets pretty good reviews, is kid-friendly and isn't crazy pricy.

How to stop on a skateboard
Very important.

Arbor skateboard bamboo bug
I really just want to buy it NOW. Patience is not my strong point. Do I upgrade the bearings? A skate tool? What do you do with a skate tool? They have a 'Pig Tool with Bottle Opener'. Hmmm, bottle opener...that does sound useful.

Children's playhouse plans
Ummm, can I move in? That one is so over the top! This is the one I think we may try to build for Kidlet this summer. Just need to add a little grass and a fence to go around it so the dogs can't poop-ify it. This will be good practice for my life list item number one.

Ok, now it's off to catch up with my bloggy friends and check in with my flickr-mates. Oh, and do a ton of work. Right. Working. Working.

Yet another idea

Inspired by this, I think I want to do a small painting/drawing/photo/knitted critter for each AKC breed. Hmmm, I'll get back to you and let you know how it goes.

The Ups and Downs...

Ok, that's a pretty cheesy title, especially since I've got a photo of ric rac here. Regardless, it sums up the weekend. Kidlet got sick on Friday night. Just started coughing about an hour after she went to bed and then it was crying and coughing every two hours after that. Saturday was good though; we did the usual giga-breakfast thing and then I got to meet the lovely and vivacious Vanessa of Nessie Noodle. Hopefully I didn't present myself as too much of a shy dork! Anyway, we knitted, had warm drinks and chatted. Well, ok, Vanessa knitted and I ended up frogging my circular needle socks for about the 5th time. Sixth time's the charm, eh? I can only hope. It was a pleasure to meet you, Vanessa, and anytime you feel like hanging out with a dorky blogging knitter, drop me a line!

We were crazily productive this weekend. Maybe it's the warm, springy feeling in the air (hello, Global Warming) but we did some cleaning. Hubby raked a truckload of leaves while I worked on my craft closet, cookbook pile and the mudroom. I did our taxes. Hello, refund! Hello, more home improvements! Hello, Ani...please stop with the greetings, this is getting silly.

Made some rockin' good food again this weekend: falafel with tahini sauce, ho'made pizzas, pancakes. Tonight, will be carrot soup. The up and down cycle continues. Kidlet is feeling better, yay! But daycare is closed today due to more sickies, but it means I will be leaving work early. I have a ton of work to do, but hey, I will be leaving work early! Woo hoo! It's like cutting class!

Also, I have made my decision. I will be setting aside some cash for a skateycakes fund. Yes, I will the 38-year-old woman with the broken leg. Skateboard, here I come!

Sorry this post is so disjointed, but this morning I'm on busy overload. Hope y'all had a swell weekend!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Knitting Momma! 6 Weird Things About Me.

Hmmm, I have to limit it to 6? I'm pretty weird.

1. I hate hate hate to make phone calls. I like calling the family, I don't mind talking to friends, but if it's anything that remotely smacks of business, I start to freak out. For example, a vendor called and left a message for me regarding computer junk, and I'm dreading having to call back.

2. I really want a skateboard and have wanted one for about 10 years now. Sure I haven't been on one since I had my skinny orange plastic banana board from the '70s (yup, I'm THAT old) but it just looks like so much fun. I just want to cruise, no tricks. I've been drooling over this one.


3. I didn't own a car until the age of 28. Even then, it was a hand-me-down from my parents. It was a '77 Dodge Omni that I remember my parents driving off the lot when it was new. I named ''putt".

3a. I hate driving automatics.

4. I went through a phase where my dream job was to be a bookie working out at the racetrack. I would daydream that I would wear a porkpie hat, a light green polyester suit, drink beers with the other crazy track folks and take calls from my bettors. Now if that ain't weird, well, then I don't know weird.

4a. Other dream job...owning a food cart from which I would serve sno-cones in the summer and convert to crepes in the winter. I still like this idea.

5. I still anthropomorphize stuffed animals. When Kidlet plays with her puppy Henry and tells him he can have ice cream, gives it to him and then swiftly takes it away saying that 'Oh no, no. You can't have that! It's yuk!' I feel Henry's disappointment and give him a hug.

6. I talk to myself. A lot. All the time, really. People who know me either learn to tune me out or repeatedly ask 'am I supposed to be listening to you now?'

Let's see... who shall be next? Madre Apodtiva, perhaps?

The Eowyn Wrap Up

One glove is totally stitched and I only have to weave in the last end. The other just needs the long seam done up. I learned a ton on this project. For instance, if you are knitting something with all kinds of fancy pants detail, don't cover it up by using light purple and a dark browny-purple yarn, a noisy combination. You can hardly see any of the details that I labored over unless you hold it 4 inches away from your face and pull on it a little to see the lacy bits. Oh yes, a gauge swatch. You may say "Oh, it'll be fine. It's a fingerless glove for heaven's sake." but it may be a little snug if you don't do a gauge swatch. I did block it, but I don't think it really made much of a difference. And one day, I hope to get my seaming to look smooth and not like a kindergartener went to town with a knotty shoelace and a plastic safety needle. It's weird, the edging I attached to the cable section looks perfect but my long seam is so lumpy. I even undid it and tried again with the same result.

That being said, this was a hugely fun project to do since I got to do lace and cables. It was also a very quick knit. A real knitter could probably do this in a couple hours (it took me about 4). I took about a dozen photos and this was the only one that just didn't look creepy (Ooo! Look! A disembodied hand with a blurry purple thing attached!).

The Weekend Stream

Not sure what is up with me (hormones, anyone?) but I feel so edgy, on the verge of an anxiety attack. I just want to curl up on the couch with tea, knitting and movies on the tele. Hmmm, that's exactly what I did for at least part of the weekend but I think I need about a week more of that.

I can't rock the stream of consciousness like dear Nina, but here's my weekend in short...

Friday night, excitement building, trip to the airport! Our friend arrives! Pile into the car, shrimp bisque, mixed greens with goat cheese, pine nuts and strawberries, chapatti, wine. Uneasy sleep. The morning...the child won't emerge from her room for 'someone is out there!' Breakfast with my Mama, home for naptime (=mamatime). I am a knitty wizard: finish bunny ears and sew them to the body, fix hubby's sweater, finish one edging for my Eowyn gloves...all while finishing up 8 1/2, one of my new fave movies of all time. Muffaletta feast with friends and no one is injured. More restless sleep. Next morning, child still will not emerge from her room. Going to the museum! Pulled over by cop! Ran red light! Can't find current registration or insurance card! Find insurance card! Despite this, only a warning and no ticket for me!!! Museum fun with lots of kiddy activities. Naptime with some frustrated knitting on the second edging. 4 rows from finishing, had to rip it all out. Too many errands post-nap. Our friend departs. I'm feeling jittery. Started and finished the edging while watching Rivers and Tides, the perfect documentary to soothe my mood. Amazing temporal art created from nature that is often blown away by the wind or whisked away by water.

And there you have it, the weekend stream.

This Morning

We're in our hurry-up mode, scrambling to brush teeth and hair. I'm looking at myself in the bathroom mirror disapprovingly.

Kidlet: You happy, Mama?
Me: Well, not really. This sweater feels like it shrunk and it's all lumpy and...
Kidlet: It's ok, Mama. Don't worry about it. It's all right. (Pats my leg gently and walks out of the bathroom)

Deep breath.

Five Very Random Things

1--Fellini. I'm finally watching 8 1/2 on the 4 day plan (30 to 45 minutes a night). I've only seen two other Fellini films (La Dolce Vita and one of my all-time fave movies, Nights of Cabiria) but I'm always struck by his ability to find beauty in the smallest details. For example, there's a scene (in 8 1/2) where a group of boys escape their Catholic school. They run through the dusty streets to the seashore, where a prostitute plies her trade in some bunkers (left from WWII?). The boys scrape together their lire and give it to her so she will dance a rhumba for them. The woman is amazing...she's big and curvy, slathered with the crazy makeup that seems to be typical in these movies. The boys pile on the sand, gleefully hooting and clapping their hands. There's one shot that sticks in my head where Fellini focuses in tight on her round, undulating hip, the ocean waves in the distance. She's so full of life and beauty. Ugh! I can't explain the feeling that this scene gives me but it makes me feel good to be human.

2--Clothing. Right now, I am wearing and digging a grey cashmere cardigan that I thrifted this week. Lately, I've been augmenting my fairly small wardrobe (well, it's small when compared to the typical American wardrobe) and wheeee! It's fun! I SPLURGED and purchased this Supermaggie hoodie but it was so very worth it. They were very sweet to deal with; they wrapped everything so nicely and handwrote a lovely thank you card with a sketch of a chickadee on it. Now that's what I call service. Sure, I could have spent half the price at ye olde Big Box but I feel ok giving more money to cool kids who are trying to do something creative.

3--Muffaletta Mix. I made a bucketful of mix last night. I hope it's good as I kinda feel like I put in too much of the giardiniera. Well, that can be doctored with more olives. C'mon over y'all, I promise we'll have enough for you!

4--Camera. I wish I could figure it out. I just don't have enough time to work with it and I end up taking really cool photos that look fine on its big, beautiful LED but then I download it and they are all fuzzy. Sigh. That's the trouble with liking to take photos with natural light. Oh, and I definitely realize this photo is waaaaaaay dark. I really need to get a real monitor instead of trying to do this on ol' lappletop's little screen. I'll fix it later today (hopefully).

5--Knitting, knitting. There better be a bunch of it this weekend. I was working on the gloves this week and got to the lacy bit. Small problem: every time I hit row 5, I'm a stitch short. This has happened 3 times now. I drew it all out on paper because I thought, "hmmm, maybe the pattern is wrong?" Nope. It works when I draw little hashmarks on paper. Try, try, try again (and again and again). Bunny is sloooooowly progressing. I think I've figured out an ear pattern that I can live with. But then it will be on to the assembling and embroidering, which is always hard for me on knitted pieces (or any piece of material, for that matter!).

Fellini followed by clothes? Well, I did say this list was going to be random. I apologize for it not being one of my better posts. Perhaps I should have just made it a list of 'one' (Fellini). Anyhoo...

Our friend, Justin, will be in town this weekend. And a fun time will be had by all, I guarantee it. Hope you have a splendid weekend too, where ever you may be.

The Weekend with Pictures

Waiting for the breakfast to arrive. Every weekend, it's the same for Kidlet: one pancake, two slices bacon, a scrambled egg, and a big strawberry.

Do I see a smile on this hunk o' dough?! This is the dough for the calzones that I made Saturday night that rocked the world. The part that didn't rock the world was right before I was about to serve said calzones, Kidlet busted her mouth by falling while a toy from her tool bench was in her mouth. A little blood, a lot of tears, and we're all good again.

This is last night's desert. I made crepes (call me 'crepe maman') with veggies and cheese inside for dinner and then hubby made the most amazing lemon blueberry butter sauce for desert.

Uhhh...no bunny yet. I'm still thinking over the ear issue. But I did get the body done for the first of my Eowyn fingerless gloves. Yes, that's a cable. My very first. Ok, hubby, I know you are already planning more 'laying cable' jokes. But woo hoo! I flew through this thing. Sad thing is that I didn't do a gauge swatch and it seems like it may be a bit snuggly. Oh and the other crummy thing is that I knit this while watching the Saints LOSE. Sniff, sniff...dry those tears.

Well, that's the weekend update. Hope yours was full of good food, good kids and good fun.

Ummm...does anyone know how to make a decent set of bunny ears? Anyone? Anyone?