Giddy Up, Load 'em Up....

It's packing time! Whee!

We are readying ourselves for our trek to Michigan. The kids and I in one car, Jackie and her kids in the other, caravaning for 3 days...the trip is half the fun! I'll be out of pocket for about a month, so no blogging...so I will leave you with the following entertainment, via YouTube. Enjoy!


Paul Potts, on Britain's Got Talent (yowza!):



A Little Bavaria from Blazing Saddles:


One of the funniest comedy moments on TV...the Mary Tyler Moore Show (episode: Chuckles Bites the Dust):


Something just to make you smile:


and finally, the Time Warp. This is a new stand tune for the high school band this year, so we really should learn the dance:



See you soon, we're off to the dunes! Ahhhhh.....

And now he has permission....

Eric got his driving permit today! Joe took time off work to take him to the local DPS...and they waited 2 1/2 HOURS before being able to take the test. (Those of you in the Austin area know that this is not unusual, even for the Hyemeadow location.) But finally he had his turn, and passed the test!

So now we will be logging driving hours all over town and in Michigan.

Great job, Eric, I'm so proud of you!!

The countdown begins.....

One week from today I will be on the road to Michigan. Jackie and I will again this year caravan our Suburbans with all 6 kids and her dog...three days, two hotels, and countless laughs and good times! The drive is such fun for everyone. So it's time to get some ducks in a row around here regarding the kids and I being gone, then Joe joining us for 10 days, etc. It's time for lists! yeah! I like lists. They are orderly. They help prioritize life and duties and chores. They show what is important, and others can get information without me being right there. I'm already packing the car in my brain, which is typical for me. I'm looking forward to the time to just read, lay around and relax. That's a vacation!

I finished the second pair of Monkey socks, using Artyarns Ultramerino4. Great yarn, fantastic stitch definition. Next up is Koigu, but I'm not sure of the pattern yet. I have 3 I am looking at, all Nancy Bush. Two are from Knitting Vintage Socks, one from Knitting on the Road.

Also I have lost, misplaced, or loaned out 3 books I want back to reread. I replaced 2 at Halfprice Books, thankfully, and will get the other somehow. I have #3 in the Debbie Macomber series about the yarn shop, so I want to reread The Shop on Blossom Street and A Good Yarn. (Still looking for A Good Yarn, will try the Halfprice over on Parmer this week). And I had read Promise, Texas but can't find it, so I was able to get a newer version that contains both Promise and another of Debbie's books. Although it's the Summer of Re-reading (so dubbed by moi), my next books will be by Francine Rivers. Check her out on Amazon by clicking on her name. Historical fiction of Bible characters. Cool.

Off today to spend time with my mom and dad, a day late for Father's Day. Joe's Father's Day was nice...lunch at Chuy's, golf on TV, and time for a nice drive around neighborhoods with just the two of us.

Later, dudes!

There's not nearly enough estrogen here...

Grace has been at Camp Allen this week. Total fun: a week of camp, no parents, friends, bunkbeds, horseback riding....what could be better?

I took along a sock to work on as we waited in line for registration. Here's my dollface holding it:


But the house is so different without her here...I miss my girlie girl! We get to pick her up tomorrow morning, and I just can't wait to see her again. I just hope my little 11 year old hasn't grown up and is still my little girl for just a little while longer.

Ciao!

A week of the night owls....

Joe and Alex are both morning people. They rise in the morning happy, energetic and ready to greet the day! Eric, Grace and I on the other hand, grump and growl like bears in the morning. Till noon really.

So with Joe and Alex off to Houston for a mission trip for the week, the three of us are up very late at night and rise around noonish. More ish than noon, really.

I did finish the granny square afghan, and here is my proof!




Specs: Mostly Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, also used a bamboo for a dark purple replacement when the cashmerino ran out, and the sage is from Sublime. 10 rounds, blocked to 9 inches square. 48 squares total. After taking the photos I added one round of granny pattern in white around the outside edge to pull it together.

I had hoped to completely cover the king sized bed, with a drop as well. That just wasn't feasible. But I do like the dimension, 63 x 72, since it's a nice curl-up size and pretty much covers the duvet top up to the pillows on the bed.

To keep the pattern of colors random, I put the numbers 1 thru 5 in one baggie, and the color names in another and drew randomly for the color to use and how many rounds of it. Then after blocking the squares I laid them out to double check for the overall look.

I love it.

So then I needed something new to work on! I took my sock yarn stash to the LYS and wound it all up (and I took the granny, for show and tell and for the oohs and ahhs!):



With all that yumminess staring at me, what could I do? Of course, I cast on for Monkey, using the Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields. Here is sock #1 and the start of #2:


That dark spot isn't on the sock. It's in the photo. Weird. Great pattern, and even though it's an 11 row repeat, it really wasn't hard to memorize. I used size 1 needles, with the called for cast on of 64 st. 6 repeats for the leg, 5 for the foot. And the yarn is a dream to work with.

On the medical front: I finally made my appointment with the gastroenterologist. He wanted to see another ultrasound of my liver to see if the 'nodule', which is probably a hematoma, has grown. And I get to have a lovely colonoscopy later this summer. I had the ultrasound today, so hopefully I will know something more by the end of the week. They are pretty quick about this.

I'm off to scrounge for dinner...we are eating at strange times around here, lately! Hope to get to the pool tomorrow. Splash!