The Klutz Strikes Again

I am one of the worlds' biggest klutzes. When God passed out the "grace" genes, I was off somewhere knitting. It's been a while since I last did it, but today I broke a toe. I became entangled and then tripped in a coat that my daughter had left lying on the floor of her bedroom. Crunch! There goes another toe. I can't remember if that's the third, or fourth time I've broken that particular one. You see, I've broken every toe I have at least once, some twice, and others three times. Pretty bad, eh? It is. But sounds even worse when you consider that I've also caught on fire...four times? I think it's four times. Once was from a spark from a bonfire, once from my mom's gas range, and twice I've caught my hair on fire from getting too close to lit candles. I've also "gotten into arguments" with a meat slicer twice (the meat slicer won, of course) requiring three stitches in my right hand, and...I once walked into a bike rack while wearing flip flops. That one required twelve stitches to close up the top of my foot. (The tetanus shot hurt worst than the stitches.)

So today has been pretty much spent lying on the couch with my foot elevated. It doesn't hurt when I don't put weight on it...not much, anyways. There are worse things than being stuck on the couch for the day; forced by things beyond your control to take it easy. *sigh. Maybe breaking a toe isn't such a bad thing.

On a final note, "Watch where you're walking!" is a phrase I hear a lot from my husband. I wonder why?

Choir of the Bells

Fast Forward to...December!

Fast forward to December. It's been way too long since my last post but what can I say? Life happens, eh? In the months since my last post, we've had some pretty major family issues, but they're being worked out and things are settling down. But with Christmas literally around the corner; I'll just say that it's going to be different.
October 1 marked a milestone for my parents...their 50th wedding anniversary. What should have been a celebration, if a low-key-per-the-parents'-wishes one, turned into an event. I recall vividly arriving to teach church school at about 6:10 p.m., and making a comment to my cousin (who is also a teacher) about how something wasn't quite right, something was wrong, or something close to that. I found out when I arrived home a little more than an hour later, that my dad had a seizure at 6:15. A couple of days later, while my brother was home visiting, dad had 12 more seizures and had to be taken in the ambulance. Since that day, my dad has been treated at various places. One great comfort that we all have now, is that dad is getting the care he needs in a professional setting that provides for his needs 24 hrs./day, 7 days/week.
In other news, we had a pretty good snow storm over the weekend, then bitter cold windchills (around -39). Today, hubby and I took a short drive down the shore, just 30 miles, on ice-covered roads. It was like a freezing fog, coating everything. Tonight...we're getting Lake Effect snow which is supposed to end up with a total accumulation in the range of 6" - 12" by tomorrow afternoon.
There were two very happy events this week. The first was my youngest daughter's Christmas program at school yesterday, and the other was my oldest daughter's Christmas program at school this evening. I hope this works...I'm going to try to upload part of a video of my daughter singing "Oh Holy Night" (my all-time favorite Christmas song) with a friend of hers. My daughter is singing the melody and her friend has the harmony. Yay Kirstin!

If I don't get a chance to post for another three months, I wish anyone who reads this a Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Felice Navidad, og en Glaedelig Jul og et Godt Nyt Aar!

Cool Days, Warm Knits, and Sleep

Fall is definitely in the air, and Winter is coming soon...maybe a bit too soon but oh well. As the days grow shorter and colder, my fingers begin to itch and twitch to pick up my knitting needles and make something really spectacular. But what to make first, and when? Do I work on Christmas gifts for "others" (non-immediate family members), or do I make something warm for my kids? Of course, the answer is to make something for my kids...for each of the 4 - 7.

Hats, mittens, and scarves are always in great demand here during the Winter, especially for my two youngest daughters. Ben...he doesn't really use knitted mittens or gloves during the winter. He spends a great deal of his time outdoors (or in his ice house) and needs that heavy-duty bulk, durability, and warmth that can only be provided by choppers. Kirstin...she doesn't play in the snow, but she does play in her high school band and pep bands, which means she plays at football and hockey games...need to have warm fingers and hands in order to play the french horn in freezing weather. I made her (disastrously) a pair of convertible mittens last year, but as I just implied, they didn't do the job. Maybe I should make her a decent pair?

My two youngest daughters...they DO spend a lot of time playing in the snow. Mittens and hats get snow-covered; scratch that; snow-encrusted. Going in and out of the house means the snow melts, and the mittens and hats get soaked. I definitely need to make them both a couple pairs of mittens and a couple of hats. What about hubby? He's a second year nursing student, will be living with friends during the school week and coming home on weekends. What happens if he has car trouble somewhere along the road, especially in that 40 mile stretch in which there is no cell phone coverage? He definitely needs to have a warm hat and mittens to keep in the car, just in case.

So...if I make hats, mittens, and scarves for everyone in my immediate family that will be 5 of each. I guess I'd best get knitting, eh? or house cleaning, or doing my school work, or getting the yard and house ready for Winter, or cleaning out the garage, or helping my parents get ready for Winter, or, or, or...sleep. Oh, wait. With Winter coming, make that hybernate.

Early

In memory of the sweetest and most even-tempered member of our family who taught us all how to love unconditionally. We all miss you, Early. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

School is in the Air Syndrome

School is definitely in the air around my house. The kids are starting to get antsy; there seems to be a sense of urgency surrounding their daily activities. I think inside, they are all subconsciously asking themselves, "How many friends can I play with or hang out with today?" "How many sleepovers can I go on or have at my house this week?" "Have I yelled, ran around, swung upside down, climbed on the monkey bars, slid down the slide, and ran around with really large sticks often enough this summer?" "Have I gone fishing, lost enough of dad's tools, used up enough gas in the three-wheeler this summer?" "Have I seen my boyfriend often enough, have I seen my boyfriend often enough, and have I seen my boyfriend often enough this summer?" (Obviously this last part is about Kirstin.)

I know part of the "antsy" with Becca, at least, is due to some new medications she's taking for her asthma. A week ago, she had a severe attack that resulted in a quick trip to the doctor for review. At first they were just going to renew her inhaler, but upon realizing that her asthma was not under control, she was also given a nebulizer and Advair. So...one of the side affects is an increase in level of activity. Imagine that, eh? A 10 year old being active.

David starts back to school next week already. He'll be in his 2nd year of Practical Nursing. He, too, is suffering from School is in the air Syndrome." With David, however, the syndrome manifests itself in slightly more subtle ways. Okay, so maybe they're not so subtle. Witness (if you were here, anyways) the gentle ways in which he interacts with his family. Example: When eating his dinner, "Dang nab it! Where's the pepper?" hmmmmmm All of us realize, of course, that this is a part of School is in the air Syndrome, and react (I should say "don't react") accordingly. David (sadly) will not be home during the school week. Because his school is 75 miles from here, and most of those miles are on a road that does not have cell phone coverage, and because we have really nasty winters, we have decided that David will be staying with a friend of his during the school week and coming home on weekends.

I think it's going to be very strange, once school starts. No husband sleeping after a hard night's work, no kids and their friends running in and out and all around; no phones ringing off their hooks for the kids.

I think that Back-to-School is maybe not something to be looked forward to after all.

A Typical Day?

Typical. It's an interesting word, isn't it? What is typical for one person may or may not be typical for another. A typical day for some people might include having breakfast with the family, getting kids out the door to school, going to work, and then coming home to have dinner, take care of "stuff", going to bed, and then starting the same over the next day. A typical day for others might be...chaos as usual. I know of several families that fall into the first category, but my family definitely falls into the latter. Of course, my extended family is huge, so there are bound to be things happening on a semi-regular basis.

Today, my dad had surgery to remove a growth. The surgery was supposed to last up to 6 hours, which is a very long time to begin with. However, the surgery ended up taking 7 hours. The surgeon was able to remove the entire growth, or so he thinks, but in the process, he ended up also removing part of my dad's stomach, part of his pancreas, his gall bladder and bile duct. The growth was cancerous, or at least the core of it was, so it's good that the surgeon thinks he got it all. We'll have to wait and see. The good thing is that dad's seizures are under control.

Something really good did happen today...Kirstin passed her driver's test! YAY Kirstin!!! So...we now have 3 licensed drivers in the house. As soon as she left to take the car by herself for the first time, I actually felt some new gray hairs growing in. And then I blocked everything out of my mind. I went to my little happy place where nothing bad happens because I simply choose to pretend that the bad things don't exist.

So...for anyone who happens to read this and falls into the second category of "typical"...would you care to join me in my happy place? There's always room for more.

The Perfect Day

http://www.superiortrails.com/duluth-engerpark.html
I'm starting this post with a link to some images of Enger Park in Duluth because that is where we ended up spending our 4th of July. The original plan had been to drop Kirstin and A.J. off at his house, go meet up with David's parents, and then go back and pick up Kirstin so that all of us could go to Canal Park (or by the DECC) for the Larson Family Fun Day. But as the old saying goes, "The best laid plans..." and all that. In this instance, I was absolutely delighted that the original plan did not work out.
By the time we arrived at my in-law's summer residence, my father-in-law decided that it was too late to try to find parking down by the DECC. So, at my mother-in-law's suggestion, we decided we'd drive up to Enger Tower and check it out. All of us were quite certain that we would not find parking, and that the park would be crowded etc. Enger Tower has, after all, probably the finest view of the Twin Ports area. And for watching fire works...it couldn't be better.
As it turned out, we got lucky! Not only did we find parking easily, but we were lucky enough to find a picnic site right next to where we parked. Beyond that, this picnic table was set away from all the others, so we had a nice and private spot. And, we were just down the hill from the best view of the Twin Ports area.
Partly because we found such fine parking spaces, and because of the amount of traffic coming in and out of the park, I decided to call A.J.'s mom to ask if Kirstin could just stay with them for the fireworks, and if we could pick her up afterwards. Kristi said that was fine, and that she didn't think the kids (Kirstin and A.J.) would be too upset about it. (They weren't.)
The weather was perfect; virtually cloudless, not too warm, and with just enough of a breeze to keep most of the bugs away. The little girls found friends to play and hang around with, David and his dad had plenty of time to visit, and I had a great conversation with my mother-in-law. Ben...he kind of did what he wanted to; mainly spent his time with his dad and grandpa.
There must have been 700 people in the park, but it was mostly families and couples...a few singles, but those that I noticed came with cameras or their dogs. And while the bluff overlooking the Twin Ports doesn't appear very large, and also appears to have a sheer and sudden drop-off, there was more than enough room for everyone to comfortably, and not be crowded, watch the fireworks displays. I say "displays" because from where we were, we were able to watch the fireworks in Duluth, in Superior, and even Spooner, WI which is quite a ways away.
After the fireworks (which were truly amazing), my in-laws led us over to West Duluth were we picked up Kirstin. We had to take Skyline Parkway, which is 25 miles long, very scenic, and all...but there's just one problem with that (at least for David, there's a problem). And that is, Skyline Parkway follows the highest bluffs of Duluth, hugging the cliffs on one side, dropping off into virtual nothingness on the other side. And, the "guardrails" are really just large pieces of rock; mainly granite, I think, but I'm not sure. The problem is that David is terrified of heights. He did not have an easy time of it, even though we only had to drive 4 or 5 miles along the Parkway.
We picked up Kirstin and headed home. The kids were all very tired, but not overly stimulated as they would have been had we been down by the DECC. Well, Becca had a bit of a tummy ache, but she was fine. We arrived home at nearly 1:00 a.m., and for days afterward, continued to talk about our remarkable and memorable 4th of July. It really was a perfect day.

Grandma's Hug

My Grandma Woelfel passed away almost two years ago leaving over 200 direct descendents. Grandma and Grandpa had eight daughters (no sons, mind you), 39 grandchildren (I am #18), and I don't know how many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Christmases at Grandma and Grandpa's little house when I was small, were loud, fun, and filled with love. Aunties were just as likely as moms to get after their nieces and nephews to play or for discipline. We were the stereotypical "one big happy family." All of us knew we could count on having Grandma's special home made chocolate cake, and getting Grandma's hugs.

Grandma was very German and she was as wide as she was tall. She was "skooshy." When you hugged Grandma, it was like hugging a great big feather pillow. There was nothing else like it in the world. Grandma's hugs were hands-down the best.

After Grandma passed away, my mom and her sisters did what needed doing...going through Grandma's things, keeping some and giving others away. My mom, among other things, ended up with some of Grandma's clothes. Because I am a plus-sized woman, mom has several times, over the past two years, asked if I would like to have some of them. Every time she asked, I politely declined. That is, until this morning. I decided that I would finally have a look at Grandma's clothes and then nicely tell my mom that I didn't want them. "Granny clothes," you know? And yes, they were "granny clothes" except I realized there was something special there that was not based on style or color. (Not that I am by any means a "fashionista," far from it in fact.)

Included in the selection was a khaki colored knit cardigan. It is nice and heavy, and I told my mom she should keep it; that she could wear it, think of Grandma, and know that she was getting a hug from her. Mom said that she had enough things of Grandma's and that I should take it if I wanted it. I gratefully accepted and draped the sweater over my arm. I could almost feel Grandma's skooshy hug as I ran my hand over the soft knitted fabric. I know that every time I wear it, I will be getting a hug from my Grandma. And that is something that I never thought I would feel again...Grandma's Hug.

Just Do What Needs Doing

On Monday night, I received a phone call from (this gets a little tricky here *smile) the mother-in-law of my son by my husband's first marriage. It probably sounds confusing, I know, but Robert is mine as much as the four children here at home are. There was a family crisis and mother-in-law wanted to let me know that she had urged Robert (my step-son) to call me and my husband, Robert's dad. After I got off the phone with Robert's mother-in-law, I returned a call that Robert had placed while I was out. He kept saying "I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do." We talked about just doing what needs doing. We talked about making good choices, no matter the circumstances of our birth, our upbringing, our education etc. We talked about accepting responsibility for our own actions and dealing with whatever life hands you because you simply have no choice. You do what you have to do. I may not have ever been in the same situation that he's currently in, but heaven knows that we (my family and I) have had a lot of experience with learning how to handle crises and the difficult things that have come our way in addition to the every day things.

I had intended to post about this subject Tuesday morning, but we had a family emergency. My mom, while on the phone with 911, came to get me. (Thankfully, we live next door to each other.) My dad had a seizure and was unconscious. I ran next door with mom, told her to go in the house and get a blanket, and then sent my daughter (who had followed me over there) home to get her dad. My dad was transported via ambulance to Lakeview Memorial Hospital. David drove my mom down, and after going home to call my brothers and my uncle, and to leave my oldest daughter in charge of her siblings, I drove down in our car. Dad briefly regained consciousness on the way to the hospital, but didn't regain full consciousness until early afternoon. In the meantime, he was stabilized and his tongue stitched up where he had bitten it.

Mom, David, and I had a lot of time to talk in the hospital waiting room. It occurred to me that perhaps my action, in telling my mom to go and get a blanket, seemed cold or disrespectful. I do not, after all, recall ever ordering my mom to do anything. It's something that is simply not done in my family. My mom said, however, and I have said many times (especially in recent days and like I posted here originally) that you "do what needs doing." In essence, action is oftentimes better than inaction, and maybe especially in times of crisis. Even if that action is as seemingly mundane as getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, and going out the door to work. And by the way, mom has been absolutely solid. She is, for the most part, a worry wart. But when it comes to the really big things, she is an absolute rock. The one and only time that I flew into hysterics, for example, (the day that my son's diagnosis sunk in) she was...what is that old saying...as cool as a cucumber.

I am happy to say that my dad was able to leave the hospital Wednesday morning and come home. He was a bit wobbly; okay, he was a lot wobbly, and he used a wheelchair when leaving the hospital and without argument (huge concession on his part). But at least he's home. Yay!!!

Life is good...even when it's not!

Christmas On My Mind

Okay, call me goofy, but I have Christmas on my mind. Well, anyone who knits, crochets, or does other types of needlework or craftwork would understand.

This year, in an effort to use what I have and thereby save costs, I am starting my Christmas crafting early, and using (hopefully?) only those yarns that I already have on hand. To that end, I just finished a shawl for my mother-in-law, using yarns from my stash. I do not know for sure that she wears shawls, but I do know that she likes the colors that I used.

The name of the shawl is "Simple Yet Effective Shawl" and it's by Laura Chau. Floating around in my head for my next project, or at least in the queue, is a moose; not a caribou, a moose. My sister-in-law wants a moose. The first thing that popped into my head when she said that was a large, crocheted, and stand-alone version of a carved moose sculpture belonging to my husband. If it works, it will (hopefully?) be spectacular. If not; well, I can always make her some moose mittens, or a version of Calorimetry with moose antlers sticking out the sides. Yea, that could work. (grin)

I think my next project to actually cast on for will be a prayer shawl for my mom. In light of everything that is going on right now, I think that will be a really good idea...especially the prayers.

In memory of the niece I never knew

Time

It looks like Spring is finally here...which is a good thing because Summer is not far off. My needles and hooks continue to be silent, although I do hear their voices calling ever so sweetly every now and then...like when I'm helping dh saw some 2 x 4s or when everyone else is settling down for the night and I still have housework or school work to do. Maybe, if I work on smallish things, I will be able to spend a little time knitting or crocheting. Maybe. Maybe if I keep a ball of yarn and a hook or needles in my purse, I'll be able to spend a little time. Oh wait, I already do that and it's not working. Maybe if I make a schedule, I'll be able to fit in some fiber time. Mmmm...tried that, didn't work. Oh well...I'll do what I can and when I can. Right now, there are other things that take priority like getting the remodel finished, getting the house cleaned up and getting my school work done. My main piority, however, will always be my kids. And because my baby's birthday is just a few days away (she's going to be 10! *sniffle), I am going to make sure I enjoy every moment that I can with all 7 of them. Counting kids: step-son, daughter-in-law, 17 yo son, 16 yo daughter, 13 yo daughter, almost 10 yo daughter. That's 6. Oh yes! and Hubby makes 7! *smile

Knit One Not

It has been a while since I've picked up my needles or a crochet hook, or posted here. Oops. There is simply just too much going on, right now. Of course, there usually IS too much going on at my house. I did manage to get one sock knit for Kirstin. Here's a pic of the WIP: The sock is made in Bernat Satin Sport in the Meadow colorway. I don't know if you can see it, but I added a lacework "K" on the side of the ankle. Now I have to get busy on the second sock. Maybe I'll have it done in time for Christmas? j/k I think I am suffering from "second sock syndrome" and should probably try the magic loop technique and make two at a time instead of just one on dpns.

I also whipped up a couple of cotton baby bibs: one knit, and one crocheted, both with hearts in the middle. I'll post pics as soon as I can. I have in mind an idea for a pattern for a bib that I think will be very cool; more on that at another time.

Now, it's time to consider what to make for Christmas this year. One of my nieces has said she likes mittens. Mittens are great, but...I need them to be extra special and warm. I'm thinking a double-thick pair: outer layer wool, inner layer alpaca. That ought to keep the cold out, eh? I am so not waiting for the last minute like I did last year with the Cinderella sweater. I won't (I hope?) be doing any duplicate stitch, either. What a PITA that was.

That's all for now...my knitting and crocheting (at least for now), is being done strictly in my head. Scarey thought, eh? ;-)

Thank you Jesus, it's Benign!!!

Benign. Just saying the word causes a tingle of thrill to chase up my arms and down my spine. But that's what the test results proved about K's lump...it's Benign. I feel like a thousand pound weight has been lifted off of me; one I didn't even realize was there. YAAAAAAA HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yippee! It's Saturday!

Which means that Friday is over and done with at last. Kirstin had her surgery yesterday and it went well. We will find out the results of the biopsy by Wednesday. She has a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks and that will (hopefully) be the end of that. I thought I was handling things amazingly well. After all, it wasn't happening to me, it was happening to my daughter. I was a little surprised last night, then, when around 7:00 p.m. I became suddenly and amazingly tired and my hands started to shake. I looked at them as if they didn't really belong to me. These shaking things couldn't possibly be my hands, could they? I wasn't feeling any stress, was I? Evidently my body knew something that my mind didn't and decided to take control of itself. It wasn't much fun. I like being in control. *Wondering here if that makes me a control freak. I suspect, however, that "Thou shalt have and maintain control" is written somewhere in the "Mom's Handbook". It's probably written right next to the telephone numbers for Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

Kaerlig

I wish to thank the person who stopped by to leave a comment about my "lovely" nickname. I see my sister-in-law also, at one point, left a comment asking what it means. "Kaerlig" means Loving in Danish although I'm fairly certain that it's similarly spelled in Norwegian and perhaps Swedish.

I spent a school year in Denmark many years ago, and learned some of the language. Letters to good friends were signed "Med kaerlig hilsen" (with loving greetings) or "Kaerlig hilsen fra Danmark" (loving greetings from Denmark). "Mor" means mom. So how do I define myself? I'm a mom, and I love my kidlets. So...the nickname KaerligMor seemed appropriate, as well as unique. Besides all that, Danish is a fun language :-) Jeg snakker lidt dansk, men ikke saa meget end da jeg gik til skole der over. Det har vaeret mere end 20 aar siden da jeg var en student paa University Center af Aalborg. To my danish friends (readers?) Jeg onsker i alle en glaedelig dag!

To be concerned or not to be concerned...that is today's (well, this week's) question.

I'm not going to say exactly what has me concerned or not concerned, but I do have some thoughts to throw out...throw away?...today. First off, I love living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone (which can be a scarey thing, but also a good thing). There are times, however, when it would be nice to live in or near to a larger city...or even a town with a population 10,000+. You see, here's the thing. Our medical coverage here is what it is...and sometimes, it stinks. Not because of the quality of care, or the training and expertise of the phsycians, nurses, and staff who work there, but because we have a clinic...and it's closed on weekends. In case of emergency, call 911 and/or drive 30 miles to the nearest hospital. Also, because we're a small town far from a larger town or city, any tests that are performed here on-site, have to be routed down to a clinic or hospital at a larger town or city, analyzed, and then re-routed back up here. In other words...hurry up and wait. Years ago, when our daughter was 4 years old, we had to wait three days for blood test results to make the loop so that we would know whether or not she had cancer. Gee...I wonder who didn't sleep for three days? Once again, we find ourselves in a similar position. The question is, should we be concerned or not? It's hard to just keep focused on the every day things that need doing. But I have to say, I'm getting much better at it.

The box

There's something mysterious and exciting about a cardboard box, especially if it's a large cardboard box; the kind that things like new water heaters come in. Whatever "it" is, that mysterious something, it's alluring enough to capture the imaginations of not just the very young, but the moderately young as well.

Two days ago we purchased a new water heater that came in a lovely and large cardboard box. Once installed, I moved the box into the family room downstairs and pretty much forgot about it. That is until my 16 yo daughter, Kirstin, discovered it standing there in all it's fantastical glory. She sat on the couch gazing at it with a pleased smile lighting her face. You know the kind of smile...the one that says "Hmmmm. What have we here?" A moment later, the box was lying on the floor on it's side, and Kirstin was happily crawling inside of it. It made me happy to see that my oh-so-grown-up and cool daughter, no matter how she's tried to hide it over the years, still has a large and creative dose of little girl imagination in her; the kind that still believes in myths and magic.

Last night the box became a tent. My youngest daughters installed blankets and a pillow in the box so that my youngest could spend the night in The Becca Cave. This morning, they've cut a couple of vent holes through which I am now seeing a little hand "talking" with thumb and fingers like a sock puppet without the sock. I wonder what they'll do next? I guess I'll have to wait and see. I really can't wait.

It's above 0 today!

Okay, so it might seem silly to get excited about the temp., but it's been sub-zero lately and now that it's (*gasp!) 16 F outside, it feels positively balmy :-)! This morning it was -20 F. Embarrass, MN, started out their day at -39 F. (Those temps do not include windchll.) Needless to say the cold weather puts me in the mood to make warm and fuzzy things. So what am I working on? Nothing, ATM. However, I do believe I'm going to try to finish up David's wooly socks today. Don't you just hate getting that second sock done? I saw a technique on Knitty.com, however, that I really want to try...maybe on the next pair of socks I make. It's double knitting...but it's knitting two socks at the same time. I am very excited about giving it a try. But...there are, as usual, things around the house that need doing first...like laundry, taking care of the kids, and helping dh with him school work.

I will post pics here when I begin my double knitting project. I might just have to try it sooner than later.

Quiet Time

It's 6:30 a.m., David has gone off to school, the kidlets are all still sound asleep, the dog is snoring and I'm having my second cup of coffee. Life is good. I can't believe I haven't posted anything for so long, but that's going to change.

Since last July, I've gone back to school...again. David has also gone back to school. (I'm studying medical billing and coding, he's studying practical nursing.) I've also joined Ravelry and am loving it! It's a place where my creative side gains inspiration and motivation. My knitting, unfortunately, has been mostly in my head lately. I'm very ADD and have a hard time trying to keep up with housework, and 6 people's school work. Oh, I did get a couple of knitting projects done, though. One was a duplicate stitch Cinderella sweater and the other was an earwarmer/keyhole scarf set for the neighbor that I made using Patons Bohemian. Talk about soft and squishy! *sigh It wasn't a terribly fun yarn to use, having practically no give, but it was just so soft! I'm not sure I'd use it again, but who knows?