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Another busy week, but not quite as crazy as last week. I'm struggling to find a little creativity every day, but I think I'm using it up at school. Which is okay.

Working on log cabin squares of Noro because that is all my brain can handle; oddly enough, I even manage to mess those up, but who cares, really? I've decided it'll work out no matter what.

Steve is taking me out of town tomorrow for an early anniversary getaway; it's a surprise destination. All I know is we're headed north for a night and that sounds great to me.

The weather turned chilly last night and it's downright blustery tonight. I stopped at the library on my way home and I swear there were gale force wind speeds coming off of the Bay. I love that my neighborhood library faces the water. I'll take photos the next time I'm there.

Hope your weekend is a good one.

Craft-OV-Rama

I love fall, crafting, and friends. On Sunday, I had all three in one place.
My first Craft-O-Rama.

Ten friends crammed into my cottage on a Sunday afternoon.

Making fleece tied blankets.

New mamas and empty nest mamas.

Some were serious about the craft, and some were only there for the camaraderie.

Focus and concentration in such a small space.

I had craft magazines and books for the ones who didn't want to craft that day. (In the teaching world, this is known as tiering your assignments to the students' readiness levels. See? I never stop.)

And of course there was food. Potluck food, the best kind.

I will definitely do this again.

TGIS (Because I Am Late)

Whew! That week flew by. It was the best of weeks, it was the worst of. .

Okay, enough with the cliches. It was probably just a normal week. Except for the two cortisone shots in my shoulders. And that I had my first working day without my boot on Friday. And especially for the fact that I've been up since 4:45 a.m. doing some last minute homework for today's gifted class. Wouldn't my students love to know what a procrastinator I am?

I haven't done as much knitting as I'd like, but I have been working on the second Fussy Cuts square. Turns out I don't have any more Noro Silk Garden in my stash, and no one in this area carries it anymore. The closest place is Knitting Sisters in Williamsburg, which is about 45 minutes away. I'd love a quick visit, but it's not going to happen anytime soon, since I have these classes on Saturday. Because of that, I tried a different yarn that a local shop recommended as a good substitute, and while I like the colors, it's too splitty and I don't think it looks like Noro Silk. So now I have a log cabin square that I probably won't use in the blanket. I think I want a pure Noro blanket, you know? (Even though the original pattern isn't even pure Noro, since you use Brown Sheep to join the squares, but you know what I mean.) I think I'll work up some of the Kureyon I have and see if that will work.

I'm having a Craft-OV-Rama at my house tomorrow. (The OV stands for Ocean View, which is where I live.) Although I wish I knew lots of local knitters, I don't, so I just invited some friends over for food, conversation, and a craft other than knitting. One of my friends is going to show us how to make a tied fleece blanket. My youngest daughter was given one as a gift when she was in middle school and it's so nice. I'm hoping this is a "gateway craft" and we can do these get togethers on a monthly basis. I'll be sure to take pictures so I can share it with you.

Family Fish Fry

We went to a fish fry with some of my family on Sunday; it was lovely and delicious!

My youngest daughter, my niece, and my sister:

My mom and dad:
For some reason, Stephen didn't want his picture taken!

Although things are calming down a bit, I haven't quite caught my breath. After finding a simple fix for the air conditioner, we had a plumbing calamity. In one of those lucky coincidences, we had $200 budgeted for home expenses still tucked away and the plumber charged $189. I consider that lucky at this stage of life, don't you?

It was great to get back to my students today, even though I have quite a few papers to grade before I catch up. But that's okay; it's only Monday.

Fingers Crossed

I think the craziness may be over (fingers crossed). Melissa is getting better, although I ended up staying home again on Friday so I could take her back to the doctor, this time for stomach cramps. This doctor felt like it was probably some sort of food allergy, or possibly a stomach bug, that coincidentally happened at the same time as the strep, but was unrelated and therefore confusing. And since she broke out in a rash today, we're thinking it's probably allergy.

Last night, Stephanie popped in to spend the night, but she probably regretted it, as she and I were woken up around 2 a.m. to the sound of some sort of rodent(s) gnawing away under our house. Talk about creepy.

Today I spent eight hours in a classroom for the first session of my third gifted class; given the way things have been this week, I actually looked forward to the "break"! It was fun seeing some of the people in my cohort and talking about gifted strategies again.

But my best news is that since Stephen is employed again and needed a car, I was able to buy the one I've been wanting for awhile! Isn't it pretty?

In knitting news, I've started a Noro square for a Fussy Cuts Blanket; the pattern was in the newest book I bought, Craft Activism. I want to go out and buy a bunch of Noro, but I'm making myself knit all the ones I already have first. Only then will I give myself permission to buy more. Talk about motivation! It's a great book and it's inspired me to have a crafting party next weekend for some friends of mine (none of them are knitters, but I feel an urge to start a crafting group with them anyway). Our first group project is going to be one of those tied fleece throws. Should be fun. Hope your weekend is a relaxing one. I'm counting on Sunday for that.

Roller Coaster, (Say What?)

What a wild ride the past twenty-four hours have been.



First, I found out my broken bone is healing nicely and I can return the ridiculously expensive rental scooter. Good news.



Then, we found out that Stephen was offered the job he really wanted, and six months of unemployment is about to end. Fan-TAS-tic news!!



Next, I got a call from my youngest daughter at 11:45 p.m., telling me she had been to the urgent care to find out she had strep throat and was now going to the emergency room for chest pains. Stephen and I ended up staying at the ER from midnight until 6:30 a.m. this morning, with Melissa and her dad, leaving without a clear diagnosis. They ran blood tests to check her pancreas, liver, and gall bladder, and they all came back clear, which was good news, but they decided her esophagus was irritated and having spasms, possibly due to the strep. She has spent the day chugging pepto-bismal, taking pepcid tablets, and drinking/eating a bland diet. And finally, finally, getting some sleep. She's improving somewhat, but needless to say, it's worrying me a bit.


Oh, and the central air conditioner unit just died. You might think it wouldn't matter so much, since it's October, but it was in the eighties today with matching humidity. Everything feels sticky and wet in our house.


So I had to call in sick today, since I had no sleep last night and only 4 or 5 hours this morning meant I couldn't even go in late. Two highs plus two lows equal a worn out me. This 24 hours can end now.

A Saturday in October

A long week which ended with me crabby and out of sorts last night. The weather is beautiful but little worries and irritations are in my way. Missing my daughters. Dealing with the boot on my foot. Allergies or a virus clogging my head. Stuff that needs done around the house. The normal things, you know?

Anyway, it's a gorgeous day here today and I had breakfast with a couple of friends at one of my favorite coffee places, so things are looking up. How could I stay grumpy with this cutie pie around?

Did a little knitting on the Stripe Study shawl; totally addicted to it, although I have a few handwarmer patterns I may start soon. Like this one, this one, and this one, all free Ravelry downloads!

Steve cleaned and stained our deck on Thursday and it looks super.Thinking I need to start on a few of my house chores before I run out of steam. Or lose a couple of hours to the computer.