Publishing Drafts

Well, I have been horrible at posting anything this week in a final form. I'm planning on adding pictures to the drafts I have written and posting them over the next couple of days.

Things are going well.

We are staying fairly healthy. Even though I had a dream that there was puking last night...

The kids are doing TBall and Softball this year. It's snowing right now and we skipped the town Jamboree parade and events this morning. In part because - well, it's SNOWING and who really wants to march in a parade in 5 inches of slush and snow, plus my car won't make it up the hill in the snow. That would have meant a 3 mile walk for us this morning - to the start of the parade, the parade route and the walk home. No thanks.



We had report cards and conferences this week too. Both kids are doing very well. The Prince needs to work on his handwriting and The Princess can use some extra practice summarizing stories into her own words. We have been talking about the Challenge classrooms or homeschooling for next year. Many big decisions are coming for April and May.

I finished my first pair of socks. I'm torn between sending them to someone I know will love them (no matter the mistakes) and keeping them for myself.



While I'm deciding, I'm working on The Prince's knit blanket. I started it almost two years ago and never seemed to make any progress on it. It got shoved in a bag and put on the shelf until yesterday. I decided to rip it out and start over with a better plan and when I did that, I realized why it was taking so long. Here is visual proof that I was out of my mind.



It's going much faster this time and hopefully in a few days, he'll no longer be "Made By Mommy"-less. Poor kid doesn't have a quilt made by me either. Joys Sorrows of not being the first born.

The kids have had Hot Cocoa With Marshmallows already and are now outside playing in the snow. They both have proper snow gear now (thanks to a clearance purchase of snowpants for The Prince) and it could be lunch before I see them again. I'm off to take advantage of the quiet!

Red Lantern and Knitting

The Iditarod ended last night with the last musher coming in about 9:35 pm Pacific time. I got a couple screen shots off the Nome camera and it looked like there was a good crowd to welcome her. The musher was Deb Bicknell and she is from Juneau. I have been following her for the entire race and it's so exciting to see her finish! Congrats Deb!

Yesterday, I was suffering from a self-made migraine and it's still lingering this morning. I stayed up too late (1 am) finishing The Friday Night Knitting Club on Sunday night. It was a really good read and I won't spoil it for anyone else by saying more than that. I got the kids off to school, paid bills, did laundry, filled out the Girl Scout volunteer forms while watching Season One episodes of Jericho on CBS.com. I'm heading there again today because I'm thoroughly hooked now. I'm so happy the Nuts Campaign brought it back.

The Princess had softball practice and I actually got out of the truck and helped out this week. I ended up pitching at one of the rotations and when I came home my catching hand was numb. The dad that was helping out by catching figured out that I could actually catch and was throwing them back pretty hard. Of course, I didn't say anything and it's just a little sore this morning.

I've got more laundry and ironing to do today, so that Fishing Guy has clothes for tomorrow and the Prince has his coat back. (There was a run-in with a mud puddle on Saturday and his coat took the brunt of it.) There are dishes calling for me in the kitchen and the whole house needs a good vacuum. I want to make some cards for a US Troop service project and if they are going to make in the mail on time, I have to get them done today.

I just realized that I only have 3 days before the kids are home for 2 weeks - early release and conferences next week and then Spring Break. Fishing Guy is also taking a week's vacation during Spring Break, since we missed his usual February vacation due to the store opening schedule. He has some grand plans for the yard and some little house projects, as long as the weather cooperates. Throw Easter in the mix and the thought of it all is almost enough to send me over the edge - ACCK!

Caturday

As the I Can cats say...

The kids and I had a lazy morning watching How Do I Look? I love the shows that we can all watch together. Unfortunately, Top Chef isn't looking that way this season. There is a bleep in every segment of the show and the kids are figuring out what they are saying anyway. The previews for next week only look worse. Bummer.

I was up way too late ironing last night, but I did get iTunes working again and bought the 3rd season of LOST so I can get caught up and then watch Season 4 that is piling up on the DVR. I know - way too complicated.

We went to the store today for more Grand Opening activities. Ann Rule was there signing books, but since I don't read scary stuff anymore I didn't get any. The racecar driver, Tayler Malsam was also there with his car. I have a picture of the kids by it and also a few pictures of the car that I'll post to Flickr later. We spent about 2 hours walking around the store. I got a few new shirts, a couple of toys for the kids, new wallets for everyone and birdseed. We also all sat in all of the patio sets and took feedback for which one we'll get for the summer.

Fishing Guy and I really think a netted gazebo would be nice and we both want a fire pit. The chairs have to be comfortable and we haven't decided on the necessity of the big sit-down table or not. Both of us are against the umbrella.

Anyway, tomorrow Fishing Guy has to work and the kids are finally healthy enough to go to church. I best get my stuff together for the morning.

TGIF

Busy day!

I was at the school most of the day. The Prince's room in the morning doing my reading gig. That will be changing to Wednesday after Spring Break. I spent the lunch/recess time in the office, knitting on the Second Sock and talking to the secretary. The Princess' teacher needed me to put together book order flyers and make some dictionary booklets for the kids. I went home at 1:30 and the kids walked home.

Fishing Guy had yesterday and today off, so we listened to a lot of Rock Band. I swear it's non-stop when he's home. He even sent me a text while I was at the school telling me he was rocking out and to take my time.

Fishing Guy went "to bed early" while I took the kids to the school movie night. They were showing Bee Movie, which was very cute. When we got home, Fishing Guy was still up playing Rock Band. So, the kids played with him for a bit and then went to bed.

I'm still up checking on Iditarod video and stats. I have to fix iTunes and iron 3 HUGE tablecloths still, so I better get going.

American Idol Followup

Well, David Hernandez didn't make the cut. Big Surprise. NOT!

I forgot to mention last night that I really liked the new set too. The guitar player up in the Crow's Nest and the sliding stage doors are very cool.

I also like that there aren't as many stairs for the Idols to attempt to walk down while singing...

American Idol - Final 12

My new Wednesday Update Topic:

This season I started watching the auditions and with the DVR, I have managed to keep up on the performances and eliminations. I have a few favorites, which I will try to keep to myself for the most part. The following ranking and judging system is a work in progress. First, the outfits. Good Golly there have been a couple of doozies. This is purely for my own entertainment. Second, the hair. Oh my. If I don't know what you are singing because your hair looks like a Flock Of Seagulls, I'm really not to be blamed. Third, the song choice. We all have those songs we love and the ones that remind us of the dork we danced with at the 8th grade dance. Fourth, the performance. Or rather how the singer did with the stage, crowd, dancing, standing in front of the mike, walking down the stairs AND the singing. The last is my overall impression of the whole package. I jotted the notes before the judges said anything and left them alone after they weighed in. I put all of these onto a 1-5 scale, 1 being Horrible and 5 being Excellent.

Now then, this week was Lennon/McCartney songs. Let's get started.

1. Syesha Mercado: Sang "Got to Get You Into My Life"

Outfit: 2 - I hate skinny jeans.
Hair: 2 - all up or all down. See, Flock of Seagulls above.
Song Choice: 3
Performance: 4 - good energy
Overall: Good, although I didn't love it.

2. Chikezie: Sang "She's A Woman"

Outfit: 4 - not too over the top, not to cheesy
Hair: N/A
Song: 4
Performance: 5 (Loved the intro!)
Overall: I really liked it!

3. Ramiele Malubay: Sang "In My Life"

Outfit: 4
Hair: 4
Song: 3
Performance: 4
Overall: Played it safe, Not bad, but not my favorite.

4. Jason Castro: Sang "If I Fell"

Outfit: 3 - cute vest, hate the pants
Hair: 2 - don't like dreads
Song: 5
Performance: 5
Overall: Great choice for him, good guitar, not my personal style though.

5. Carly Smithson: Sang "Come Together"

Outfit: 5 - the blue looked great
Hair: 5
Song: 5 - love this song!
Performance: 5
Overall: Loved it!

6. David Cook: Sang "Eleanor Rigby"

Outfit: Hate the coat, otherwise a 3
Hair: 2
Song: 2 (moved to 4 at the end)
Performance: 3+ Average, but better at the end
Overall: Not my favorite, but then again I'm not a rocker.

7. Brooke White: Sang "Let It Be"

Outfit: 3
Hair: 5 - cute pulled back
Song: 4
Performance: 4 - Love the piano
Overall: liked it, like her style, can do without the oooo's

8. David Hernandez: Sang "I Saw Her Standing There"

Outfit: 4 - a bit cheesy
Hair: 5
Song: 3 - I didn't like the arrangement
Performance: 4 - good energy, too much stage work
Overall: 3 - just OK, not my favorite of his. He's a cutie, but I'm not liking the "no mention" of his striping job. Lying is a HUGE character issue for me.

9. Amanda Overmeyr: Sang "You Can't Do That"

Outfit: 3 - cute pants, what's up with the beads?
Hair: 3 - Better than it has been, reminds me of a skunk
Song: 4
Performance: 4
Overall: Pretty good, not my style, but I liked it.

10. Michael Johns: Sang "Across the Universe"

Outfit: 5
Hair: 4
Song: 4
Performance: 5
Overall: liked this, strong vocals! However, he could sing the phone book and I'd like it.

11. Kristy Lee Cook: Sang "8 Days a Week"

Outfit: 4 - cute, top is OK
Hair: 4 - same as usual, boring
Song: 3 - this got worse for me as it went on
Performance: 3 - Love vs. Hate
Overall: Too fast, like the fiddles, didn't get the beat with the vocals. Credit for being risky!

12. David Archuleta: Sang "We Can Work It Out"

Outfit: 5
Hair: 5
Song: 4
Performance: 4 (did he actually forget the words?) down to a 3
Overall: 3 - No confidence this week, not his best by a long shot.

So my favorite of the night (or afternoon...) was Carly Smithson. She absolutely worked it.

Now I'm off for my date with the DVR to go see who is going home...

My guess is either Kristy Lee Cook or David Hernandez. Hopefully David.

First Ever Finished Sock!

First Ever Finished Sock!, originally uploaded by CraftyMama11.

This all started with Pez asking about my sock.

I dug it out of it's ziplock bag, took a good look and decided that it really wasn't much to rip out and start over if I had to. So, yesterday I looked up a few things on the internet, pulled out a couple of books and got to knitting.

The Princess was home sick, so I wasn't going anywhere all day and the Iditarod was in full drama last night, so I parked myself in front of the computer after dinner. By the time I went to bed (about 10 pm) this is what I had.

My first completed sock.

There are a few things I will change on future pairs, but these actually fit The Prince perfectly in the foot. I've started Sock #2 today and then I have plans to make a pair for The Princess in the pink version of the same yarn.

You can browse the Flickr set for the rest of the story.

I'm also hoping to go see The Yarn Harlot when she comes to Seattle in a month and I'll be able to take my first sock with me!

Maps - 100%

Maps 100, originally uploaded by CraftyMama11.

Since coming home on Wednesday, we have spent a great deal of time practicing with the band. Of course, Fishing Guy (on drums) is the one at it most of the time, but I did work in some solo time on Friday to get this. I was uploading photos and thought I'd better post this one before I forgot.

The Prince was home sick from school with a fever, so we spent the day hanging out doing things that would keep him on the couch.

The rest of the weekend was mostly a wash, but there will be a longer post about that (hopefully) later today.

What it was all about.

The Soup, originally uploaded by CraftyMama11.

Here is a shot of the soup aisle from The Dinner on Tuesday night. This dinner was were all of the VIP's from The Town were invited to meet and mingle with the new store staff. After a very nice catered dinner, they were the first ones to shop, since the store didn't officially open until 7am the next morning. I ran around and snapped pictures before the dinner because it will NEVER look like this again.

Fishing Guy is off today, so we are home hanging out while the kids are at school. We now have a Rockband (big country) and a new PS3. Fun times. I absolutely rock the guitar and can fill in on drums too. hee!

Blog Woes

I wish this set up was different. I really don't have the time (or desire) right now to go searching for a new blog template or host, but I really get irritated having to deal with this one some days.

And this is one of "those" days.

I have been helping Fishing Guy with a few last minute things for the store opening - which is tomorrow! I spent a good portion of the day yesterday out searching for the laminate/magnet cartridges for the Xyron, but only found two. The Dinner last night was rescheduled for later in the month, so that was a nice relief and The Princess got to go to softball practice after all. It rained hard all day, making me want to curl up and finish the book I've been working on for almost 2 weeks. Instead I got to make some more tags with the magnet backing for Fishing Guy. I didn't get to bed until after 11:30 pm.

Today the sun is out off and on, so I'm not dreading spending hours (ha!) getting ready for The Dinner, only to look like a drowned rat after stepping out the door. The kids are going to a friend's for the evening and we get to go have dinner at the new store.

I am also watching and tracking the happenings of the Iditarod - as I do every year. This year there are two women I'm following, one from Juneau, AK and one from Port Gamble, Washington. There are several others I watch too, but these gals are rookies and from actual places I live(d).

While searching for the 3 pairs of baseball pants I know we have somewhere, I found the missing box of books in the garage. I KNEW there was a whole pile of books I hadn't unpacked, but had seen. Anyway, it has been found and unpacked. I also found one of the pairs of pants and they will work for The Princess. Of course, they are white...

And before you think I've been too busy, I've also been catching up on my computer games. I have more than even I think should be allowable on my computer now. If only I had a laptop... I'm also putting off learning how to turn the heel in my first sock because I just know that I'm going to have to rip it and start over. I really should just suck it up and get with it because I want a reason to buy sock yarn to make socks for Christmas gifts this year.