OK, I am saying it out loud, I Sheri am contributing to the delinquency of some Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers in Tucson. It all started innocently enough. I took my finishing basket to knitting to day to get some finishing work done.
So the topic came up of where everything was going. I said the fingerless gloves were for an order and the rest I was going to list on my Art Fire studio. We talked about the hats and scarfs and how I was going to price them, what were they made of, 100% wool of course and how to wash them.
That's when the it would look great on my grandchild conversation came up. I sold 2 hats. And then one of the new knitters asked if she could say that she made the hat? Not being that vain I said they could tell their grand kids that they made the hats for them. I thought whats the harm in a little white lie, if they needed more hats they would come back to me for them.
As we were talking over our days at dinner I told John about this because I thought it was funny. John , however looked at it differently and said that I was contributing to the delinquency of both of the grandmothers, in a joking tone.
So, yes to take credit for someone else's work is wrong, but have we become so entwined in the nuisances of life that a loving Grandmother can't tell a little white lie now and again. After all how can the grand kids say but grandma can do everything and be in awe of her as they should be. This is something that needs to be pondered upon.
In the mean time I hear the washer calling me. When will those clothes just learn to wash and dry themselves and then go to where they belong in the drawers and closets.
Have a good evening and enjoy your families.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Lovin Spoonfuls - Tucson Arizona
Food is one of the wonderful touchy subjects. Everyone has things that they will not touch and things that they love. Some people are vegans other are carnivores, most will go either way. We have a wonderful Vegan Restaurant in Tucson called Lovin Spoonfuls.
The menu has a wide array of options not just salads. They have come up with some amazing vegan versions of the food grandma use to make. They will leave you wondering is this really vegan, yes it is.
One of my favorite Vegan lunches is called a Route 66 a mock bacon cheeseburger, you will never catch me eating a real bacon cheeseburger it just sounds like a greasy heart attack on a bun. I have yet to figure out what makes a Route 66 burger so good but I will never turn one down. The Route 66 paired with a mock milk shake, soy based of course makes a wonderful treat.
Other things I will not eat include shellfish. Shellfish for some reason does not like me, but give me a basket of mock shrimp with cocktail sauce and I am in heaven. Lovin Spoonfuls makes a wonderful version.
I will never turn down a milk and egg free cake either. For me the consummate chocoholic it would be a toss up between the Black Forest Cake and the Chocolate cake. If available I would not pass up a good vegan carrot cake either. Did I mention that they had creme pies too, when available the coconut cream pie is wonderful.
If you happen to be around for breakfast you have to try the french toast or the pancakes, yes you can make both with out milk or eggs.
All these treats and a host of other wonderful food is available at Lovin Spoonfuls at 2990 N. Campbell Avenue in Tucson. This is just south of Fort Lowell on the east side of the street.
I have not been paid to do this review but if you stop by and enjoy some of these treats it will insure that I can get my Route 66 burger and shake when I want them.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
The menu has a wide array of options not just salads. They have come up with some amazing vegan versions of the food grandma use to make. They will leave you wondering is this really vegan, yes it is.
One of my favorite Vegan lunches is called a Route 66 a mock bacon cheeseburger, you will never catch me eating a real bacon cheeseburger it just sounds like a greasy heart attack on a bun. I have yet to figure out what makes a Route 66 burger so good but I will never turn one down. The Route 66 paired with a mock milk shake, soy based of course makes a wonderful treat.
Other things I will not eat include shellfish. Shellfish for some reason does not like me, but give me a basket of mock shrimp with cocktail sauce and I am in heaven. Lovin Spoonfuls makes a wonderful version.
I will never turn down a milk and egg free cake either. For me the consummate chocoholic it would be a toss up between the Black Forest Cake and the Chocolate cake. If available I would not pass up a good vegan carrot cake either. Did I mention that they had creme pies too, when available the coconut cream pie is wonderful.
If you happen to be around for breakfast you have to try the french toast or the pancakes, yes you can make both with out milk or eggs.
All these treats and a host of other wonderful food is available at Lovin Spoonfuls at 2990 N. Campbell Avenue in Tucson. This is just south of Fort Lowell on the east side of the street.
I have not been paid to do this review but if you stop by and enjoy some of these treats it will insure that I can get my Route 66 burger and shake when I want them.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Very Good Day
After getting Eric on the bus for late start Wednesday, I headed over to the Honda Dealership to get an 1-A service and new wipers. I kept my self busy by organizing my coupon folder, throwing away expired coupons and filing the recently cut coupons. Once that was done I moved over to the TV area to work on some knitting. I made good progress I have almost finished the first fingerless glove, since they are black I will have to wait for good light to finish them.
The next choice was shopping at Target or going out to lunch. I choose Target and did some semi-retail therapy. I don't think you can really call it retail therapy if your basket is filled with food, sundries and cleaning supplies. Talking about cleaning supplies I cornered the market on the Mega Shower Foamer Scrubbing Bubbles, they had coupons on the cans, so I got 4 cans and saved 4 dollars. I will finish the bathroom floor later.
I had a great time with my coupons I saved $56.68 in coupons, and received a coupon for 5 dollars of my next visit, the cashier said I was the recession buster queen for the day. I guess she has not seen many people use the coupons to the max. I do have to say that it took almost as long to ring up the coupons as it did the items in my shopping basket. I do have to say that I left some coupons for other shoppers, I did not feel we needed 2 bags of chips and I had a better coupon on the toilet paper. As a bonus Target now gives 5 cents per bag rebate credit. Since some of my shopping bags are almost as old as Teri so I am sure that they have paid for themselves already.
I took 45 minutes to put almost everything away. I don't know how it got to be 3 pm. but I did make a sandwich for lunch and was still munching on lunch as Eric's bus pulled up. I really think it was colder when Eric got off the bus today, then when I put him on the bus, at least they covered him with a blanket to send him home.
I went a little teary eyed today when yet another one of Eric's doctors called to say that he was yet again at the top of their list for their limited supply of H1N1 vaccines. This was the second call this week. I think that there is a huge elephant in the room that everyone acknowledges but refuses to talk about. He did get his shot on Monday and I hope that it kicks in before the flu over takes his school.
I guess it is time to do a little cleaning and straighting before John gets home. I have an easy dinner planned, fish and chips with broccoli. I can open bags and boxes with the best of them.
Have a great evening and enjoy your families.
The next choice was shopping at Target or going out to lunch. I choose Target and did some semi-retail therapy. I don't think you can really call it retail therapy if your basket is filled with food, sundries and cleaning supplies. Talking about cleaning supplies I cornered the market on the Mega Shower Foamer Scrubbing Bubbles, they had coupons on the cans, so I got 4 cans and saved 4 dollars. I will finish the bathroom floor later.
I had a great time with my coupons I saved $56.68 in coupons, and received a coupon for 5 dollars of my next visit, the cashier said I was the recession buster queen for the day. I guess she has not seen many people use the coupons to the max. I do have to say that it took almost as long to ring up the coupons as it did the items in my shopping basket. I do have to say that I left some coupons for other shoppers, I did not feel we needed 2 bags of chips and I had a better coupon on the toilet paper. As a bonus Target now gives 5 cents per bag rebate credit. Since some of my shopping bags are almost as old as Teri so I am sure that they have paid for themselves already.
I took 45 minutes to put almost everything away. I don't know how it got to be 3 pm. but I did make a sandwich for lunch and was still munching on lunch as Eric's bus pulled up. I really think it was colder when Eric got off the bus today, then when I put him on the bus, at least they covered him with a blanket to send him home.
I went a little teary eyed today when yet another one of Eric's doctors called to say that he was yet again at the top of their list for their limited supply of H1N1 vaccines. This was the second call this week. I think that there is a huge elephant in the room that everyone acknowledges but refuses to talk about. He did get his shot on Monday and I hope that it kicks in before the flu over takes his school.
I guess it is time to do a little cleaning and straighting before John gets home. I have an easy dinner planned, fish and chips with broccoli. I can open bags and boxes with the best of them.
Have a great evening and enjoy your families.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Pretty Typical Day
Well after being up with Eric half the night I still managed to have a productive day. Of course nothing but laundry happened till after a nap. It is so wonderful that Eric naps during the day when he is up for half the night. I even got the first load in the dryer before 7 am, and no you can not ask when that load of laundry was started.
After starting and frogging my first pair of fingerless gloves, I found another pattern on Raverly and am halfway through the first glove. Being me I changed the pattern to make it a little fancier.
On a whim I tried the new Mega Shower Foamer Scrubbing Bubbles on Eric's bathroom floor. I have to say that I was impressed, it took off deep down dirt in the grout that a professional cleaner said was never going to come out. He said that we would have to paint the grout with acrylic paint to make the grout look better. I sprayed it on and let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed the dirt down the drain. I only did a small sample area in the middle of the floor, I know you are suppose to do it in a corner to try things out, but I am still foggy brained tired. It worked so well I had to do a larger area so it would not look weird and ran out of steam before I finished the floor. I tried to take a picture but it does not show the dramatic difference it made. I will have to added it to my shopping list and finish the floor. Why do I get these wonderful ideas when I am so tired? I would like to thank the wonderful chemists that made such a great product, S.C. Johnson & Sons should really give them a raise.
I also won a prize package from Nature Valley last week and tried the Granola Nut Clusters in roasted Cashew today, they tasted like a nut bar that I frequently bought in the 70's. It had a very good tasted and texture and the nostalgia value is wonderful. Good job General Mills.
Even though Eric was up half the night and I am beginning to wear down I still have to get the prizes packaged so that they can be mailed, plus I set a goal of a clean counter and table, things seem to pile up so quickly even with a recycle basket and a shredder right by where I open the mail.
Full disclosure statement. I used a manufactures coupon to buy the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer. The Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters came in a prize package that I won through a contest. I have not received any money in exchange for my views in this blog. All views in this blog are my own.
Have a wonderful night and enjoy your families.
After starting and frogging my first pair of fingerless gloves, I found another pattern on Raverly and am halfway through the first glove. Being me I changed the pattern to make it a little fancier.
On a whim I tried the new Mega Shower Foamer Scrubbing Bubbles on Eric's bathroom floor. I have to say that I was impressed, it took off deep down dirt in the grout that a professional cleaner said was never going to come out. He said that we would have to paint the grout with acrylic paint to make the grout look better. I sprayed it on and let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed the dirt down the drain. I only did a small sample area in the middle of the floor, I know you are suppose to do it in a corner to try things out, but I am still foggy brained tired. It worked so well I had to do a larger area so it would not look weird and ran out of steam before I finished the floor. I tried to take a picture but it does not show the dramatic difference it made. I will have to added it to my shopping list and finish the floor. Why do I get these wonderful ideas when I am so tired? I would like to thank the wonderful chemists that made such a great product, S.C. Johnson & Sons should really give them a raise.
I also won a prize package from Nature Valley last week and tried the Granola Nut Clusters in roasted Cashew today, they tasted like a nut bar that I frequently bought in the 70's. It had a very good tasted and texture and the nostalgia value is wonderful. Good job General Mills.
Even though Eric was up half the night and I am beginning to wear down I still have to get the prizes packaged so that they can be mailed, plus I set a goal of a clean counter and table, things seem to pile up so quickly even with a recycle basket and a shredder right by where I open the mail.
Full disclosure statement. I used a manufactures coupon to buy the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer. The Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters came in a prize package that I won through a contest. I have not received any money in exchange for my views in this blog. All views in this blog are my own.
Have a wonderful night and enjoy your families.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Why Picnics Are a Bad Idea
I have come to the conclusion yet again, that picnics are a bad idea with Eric. I am a slow learner on this one and will probably try again next year.
We went to a food festival at a park today for lunch. I thought that we were evenly matched John and I verses Eric, but I was wrong we were out numbered. So out numbered it is not funny.
The wind picked up the moment we sat down to eat and feed Eric. So all his supplies and napkins tried to fly away. Eric was playing with his mickey tubing and managed to untwist it. I did not notice till after I sent 10 cc's of food everywhere, wheelchair, boy, the back side of the bib. This type of mess is hard enough to clean up at home with a lot of extra kitchen towels and sponges, it is not fun to clean up with napkins that try to fly at me once they are coated with food. I think we gave a fine tribute to Soupy Sales with food everywhere. Did I mention the syringe got stuck and the food went flying straight up in the air and down on my pants. Why did Issac Newton have to be right?
We got to listen to the Catalina Foothills High School Steel Drum Band, under the direction of Dr. Tina Walton, while we ate lunch. They are wonderful and have a CD of there music available through the school. I think that might just be a present for someone this year.
Since it has not cooled down enough for the bees to hibernate for the winter they were everywhere. I don't think a lot of people know that you are not suppose to swat at bees anymore because of the risk of Africanized bees swarming in self defense. I am so glad that the bees did not swarm.
After lunch we did one turn around the park and headed home in almost one piece, hot and tired.
All in all a pretty good outing if you don't count the flying food.
Have a great evening and enjoy your families.
We went to a food festival at a park today for lunch. I thought that we were evenly matched John and I verses Eric, but I was wrong we were out numbered. So out numbered it is not funny.
The wind picked up the moment we sat down to eat and feed Eric. So all his supplies and napkins tried to fly away. Eric was playing with his mickey tubing and managed to untwist it. I did not notice till after I sent 10 cc's of food everywhere, wheelchair, boy, the back side of the bib. This type of mess is hard enough to clean up at home with a lot of extra kitchen towels and sponges, it is not fun to clean up with napkins that try to fly at me once they are coated with food. I think we gave a fine tribute to Soupy Sales with food everywhere. Did I mention the syringe got stuck and the food went flying straight up in the air and down on my pants. Why did Issac Newton have to be right?
We got to listen to the Catalina Foothills High School Steel Drum Band, under the direction of Dr. Tina Walton, while we ate lunch. They are wonderful and have a CD of there music available through the school. I think that might just be a present for someone this year.
Since it has not cooled down enough for the bees to hibernate for the winter they were everywhere. I don't think a lot of people know that you are not suppose to swat at bees anymore because of the risk of Africanized bees swarming in self defense. I am so glad that the bees did not swarm.
After lunch we did one turn around the park and headed home in almost one piece, hot and tired.
All in all a pretty good outing if you don't count the flying food.
Have a great evening and enjoy your families.
The Winners of My First Contest
Well folks, the entries were all read by a panel of 3 judges. I managed to pull Teri away from her studies long enough to get a few chuckles, John and I rounded out the panel.
The First Place winner is Turtle with the following:
My tofu mushroom stroganoff is as dense as a black hole.
We did add a second place winner, Beadknitter with the following:
The collection of lint in the bottom of my knitting bag is as dense as a black hole.
Although my science guy said the sentence should have read as dark as a black hole to be correct. Well were knitters not science guys so beadknitter will also get some yarn from my stash.
Please send me your mailing address so I can get these packages of yarn out. Thank you all for entering
The First Place winner is Turtle with the following:
My tofu mushroom stroganoff is as dense as a black hole.
We did add a second place winner, Beadknitter with the following:
The collection of lint in the bottom of my knitting bag is as dense as a black hole.
Although my science guy said the sentence should have read as dark as a black hole to be correct. Well were knitters not science guys so beadknitter will also get some yarn from my stash.
Please send me your mailing address so I can get these packages of yarn out. Thank you all for entering
Friday, October 23, 2009
A Very Funny Day
OK, it was really a very disjointed day, but I like to make the best of things. Eric went to school today, but the bus did not show up at all, so 20 minutes after Eric was suppose to get on the bus I loaded Eric into the mommy taxi and drove him to school. Every one was very happy to see him, apparently the bus driver that skipped our stop told everyone Eric was in the hospital, that was news to Eric and I. Why doesn't anyone give that pertinent information to me? Everyone was happy to see Eric and one of his friends said that Eric made her day better and threw her fist up in the air with a big WOOT that Eric was back.
I still had 6 hours before I needed to be home. I know 6 hours off sounds just a little like heaven. There was not time enough to go home and do any chores before knitting, so I did the next best thing. I did 2 laps around the mall before knitting. By the way I did get my 5000 steps in today. I worked on a shawl for myself in a hand spun orange sherbet wool. This is the 3rd time I have started this shawl to get it just right, I swear that I will get pictures up sometime soon.
At 11 am Natalie, Nancy and I went to BJ's for lunch. It took them 3 tries to get the salad just as I ordered it. What is so hard about making a wedge salad with no dressing or cheese? Just cut the silly lettuce and put it on a plate. They did much better with the potato, I only had to send it back once. I had ordered it with no cheese or sour cream and it came loaded with both. If the food were not so good I certainly would not put up with the service.
Then it was off to the mall to get a new hair dryer at Sephora. They had a sweet one from T3 , the Bespoke model was light weight and fit my hand just right. One more stop and then it was time to go home to meet Eric at the bus.
This is when I heard that the dispatcher said that Eric was in the hospital so that there was no need to pick him up today. I have to admit that I was 2 minutes late to the bus stop, but there was no reason for the driver to be peeved, after all he did not show up at 7:50 this morning. There was the usual hemming and hawing as to why no one show up this morning, I have one simple request of the bus company, do your job with the best interest of my child in mind. I know it sounds very demanding and unreasonable, but give me a break, you are getting paid to do a job.
I did manage to get the laundry done when I got home so I have the evening off.
As usual I have not received any monetary considerations for any product or place of business mentioned in this blog. All opinions are my own.
Have a wonderful evening and enjoy your families
I still had 6 hours before I needed to be home. I know 6 hours off sounds just a little like heaven. There was not time enough to go home and do any chores before knitting, so I did the next best thing. I did 2 laps around the mall before knitting. By the way I did get my 5000 steps in today. I worked on a shawl for myself in a hand spun orange sherbet wool. This is the 3rd time I have started this shawl to get it just right, I swear that I will get pictures up sometime soon.
At 11 am Natalie, Nancy and I went to BJ's for lunch. It took them 3 tries to get the salad just as I ordered it. What is so hard about making a wedge salad with no dressing or cheese? Just cut the silly lettuce and put it on a plate. They did much better with the potato, I only had to send it back once. I had ordered it with no cheese or sour cream and it came loaded with both. If the food were not so good I certainly would not put up with the service.
Then it was off to the mall to get a new hair dryer at Sephora. They had a sweet one from T3 , the Bespoke model was light weight and fit my hand just right. One more stop and then it was time to go home to meet Eric at the bus.
This is when I heard that the dispatcher said that Eric was in the hospital so that there was no need to pick him up today. I have to admit that I was 2 minutes late to the bus stop, but there was no reason for the driver to be peeved, after all he did not show up at 7:50 this morning. There was the usual hemming and hawing as to why no one show up this morning, I have one simple request of the bus company, do your job with the best interest of my child in mind. I know it sounds very demanding and unreasonable, but give me a break, you are getting paid to do a job.
I did manage to get the laundry done when I got home so I have the evening off.
As usual I have not received any monetary considerations for any product or place of business mentioned in this blog. All opinions are my own.
Have a wonderful evening and enjoy your families
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day 9 and Counting
Well Eric still has that darn cold, but he did sleep last night. As a result of Eric sleeping I have had 2 yes count em, 2 nights of sleep and I have energy today. The fussy laundry, dishwasher and roomba are all running.
I have put some yarn away and have decided that it's not quite time to bring in more yarn from the garage. I guess I will have to do a lot more knitting. Some of the drawers are decidedly more empty than full, but not empty enough. I am still waiting for my first sale on Art Fire http://www.tinyurl.com/handmadebysheri . I don't know if my prices are too high or there is just not a market for hand crafted goods.
Today will be spent doing more cleaning and dealing with the odds and ends. If I have some time I will do some finishing work and list more items in my Art Fire Studio.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
I have put some yarn away and have decided that it's not quite time to bring in more yarn from the garage. I guess I will have to do a lot more knitting. Some of the drawers are decidedly more empty than full, but not empty enough. I am still waiting for my first sale on Art Fire http://www.tinyurl.com/handmadebysheri . I don't know if my prices are too high or there is just not a market for hand crafted goods.
Today will be spent doing more cleaning and dealing with the odds and ends. If I have some time I will do some finishing work and list more items in my Art Fire Studio.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
My First Contest
OK so I have decided that I need a little humor in my life. So I am going to let you finish the following sentence for an entry._____________ is as dense as a Black Hole.
1. You must answer the question, as humorously as possible.
2. You must follow my blog.
For extra entries
1 Twitter and let me know that you did.
2. Add a Face book link and let me know that you did.
The prize Consists of 3 skeins of Berroco Suede in color 3754 dye lot 15. The yarn is 100% nylon 1.75 ounces and 120 yards long.
John and I will judge to see which one makes us laugh the hardest. In the event of more than 1 super great answer I will dig into my yarn stash and select a second prize.
The contest ends Saturday nightOctober 24, at midnight PST.
Sick Child Day 7 and Counting
We are at day 7 and counting with Eric home sick with a cold, no it is not H1N1 because you get a fever with that. This is just a runny nose and a cough.
So you might wonder what I do for an entire week at home with a sick child. First and foremost I do an incredible amount of laundry. Last night I was up with Eric most of the night so at midnight I threw in a load of laundry and by 5 am the last load of the night was in the dryer. I am told by the local electric company that this has a positive impact on the environment by doing laundry in off peak hours. I really believe it was a female employee trying to convince her husband that it is really OK to run the washer and dryer in the middle of the night when she was up with sick children. So she started a environmental campaign and probably got a bonus for it too.
There is also taking care of Eric. Which basically means that when ever there is a noise coming from his room day or night I go running. I tend to give him lunch in bed, because I find it to hard to get Eric out of bed and into his wheelchair. I also try to keep him amused with his music, DVDs and TV. I try to change his position every so often because he is in bed for so long.
Yesterday I also re-took all the pictures of the items in my Art Fire Studio and listed a bunch of new items. I will also list more items today.
Then there is the paper work that seems to go by the wayside when I have a chance to get out of the house. I have no idea when I will get to the post office but I will have a bag of mail ready to go. This of course leads to cleaning and a neater house. I try to do odds and ends chores that can be put down at any time to go take care of Eric. There are also regular chores such as running rumba and scooba. And once the counters and tables are cleared I might just try to organize the house a bit. There are dinners to cook although John is absolutely great when it comes to knowing when to bring home take away for dinner. The dishwasher to run and empty.
Some days I get a lot of knitting done, especially when Eric wants me to sit with him for hours at a time. All the knitting leads to a basket full of finishing work that needs to be done. Which will lead to more pictures and listings on Art Fire.
I also sneak away to Twitter and Face book to check to see if the world outside of these 4 walls is really still there. I try to find a few minutes for myself and today I am going to make a pan of brownies, because I really need the chocolate.
I know that I am getting tired of being home because I am planning some retail therapy and a lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. I printed out the lunch coupon and have decided with my new hair style that the first time in years I need a blow dryer for my hair.
So to sum up what it is like to be home with Eric sick for the week it is basically a busy week.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
So you might wonder what I do for an entire week at home with a sick child. First and foremost I do an incredible amount of laundry. Last night I was up with Eric most of the night so at midnight I threw in a load of laundry and by 5 am the last load of the night was in the dryer. I am told by the local electric company that this has a positive impact on the environment by doing laundry in off peak hours. I really believe it was a female employee trying to convince her husband that it is really OK to run the washer and dryer in the middle of the night when she was up with sick children. So she started a environmental campaign and probably got a bonus for it too.
There is also taking care of Eric. Which basically means that when ever there is a noise coming from his room day or night I go running. I tend to give him lunch in bed, because I find it to hard to get Eric out of bed and into his wheelchair. I also try to keep him amused with his music, DVDs and TV. I try to change his position every so often because he is in bed for so long.
Yesterday I also re-took all the pictures of the items in my Art Fire Studio and listed a bunch of new items. I will also list more items today.
Then there is the paper work that seems to go by the wayside when I have a chance to get out of the house. I have no idea when I will get to the post office but I will have a bag of mail ready to go. This of course leads to cleaning and a neater house. I try to do odds and ends chores that can be put down at any time to go take care of Eric. There are also regular chores such as running rumba and scooba. And once the counters and tables are cleared I might just try to organize the house a bit. There are dinners to cook although John is absolutely great when it comes to knowing when to bring home take away for dinner. The dishwasher to run and empty.
Some days I get a lot of knitting done, especially when Eric wants me to sit with him for hours at a time. All the knitting leads to a basket full of finishing work that needs to be done. Which will lead to more pictures and listings on Art Fire.
I also sneak away to Twitter and Face book to check to see if the world outside of these 4 walls is really still there. I try to find a few minutes for myself and today I am going to make a pan of brownies, because I really need the chocolate.
I know that I am getting tired of being home because I am planning some retail therapy and a lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. I printed out the lunch coupon and have decided with my new hair style that the first time in years I need a blow dryer for my hair.
So to sum up what it is like to be home with Eric sick for the week it is basically a busy week.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Tucson Wool Festival
After a long night with Eric and a sleep in till 8:30am., although I don't think you can really call it sleeping in if you are up with a cranky child till 2 am. I made it to the Tucson Wool Festival without John and Eric.
I manage to get a parking space in Kathy's new lot. Since I did not have Eric with me this time I actually got to watch the sheep shearing this year. I found it very interesting, with the wool from each animal going into a separate bag with the name of the animal. They also got there tetanus shots and nails trimmed at the same time. This is all very labor intensive and was a 2 man job. With all the work that goes into the process I personally think that we should probably be spending more for our lovely yarns.
I got to try my hand at carding some alpaca this again is a very labor intensive operation. I can see why the fiber artist had such trim arms. My timing was off for the wet felting demonstrations. It also look very complicated to get a loom ready for weaving. Almost everything under the sun that was wool including felted soap, jewelry, spinning, and supplies. were included.
Unfortunately for the vendors I went to the Wool Festival with less than $100 and did not pull out my credit card. After all I am trying to de-stash and bingeing on yarn would be counter productive. I did however come home with a little over 7 ounces of white baby alpaca yarn grown locally in Southern Arizona. I will add pictures later of this yummy soft yarn. I actually see a shawl in its' future. It will have to have it's own blog entry.
If you did not get a chance to go to the wool festival you can still get some lovely yarn from Kathy at her Etsy shop UniqueDesignsbyKathy. Kathy has a selection of patterns, finished products, and yarn, did I mention that she is a fabulous fiber artist in her own right. Kathy is one amazing woman not only does she raise her wool and mohair herself, but processes it, dyes it, spins it, kints it, crochets it , felts it and weaves it. Did I mention that she is an excellent teacher also.
http://http//www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5349708
Have a great day and enjoy your families.
I manage to get a parking space in Kathy's new lot. Since I did not have Eric with me this time I actually got to watch the sheep shearing this year. I found it very interesting, with the wool from each animal going into a separate bag with the name of the animal. They also got there tetanus shots and nails trimmed at the same time. This is all very labor intensive and was a 2 man job. With all the work that goes into the process I personally think that we should probably be spending more for our lovely yarns.
I got to try my hand at carding some alpaca this again is a very labor intensive operation. I can see why the fiber artist had such trim arms. My timing was off for the wet felting demonstrations. It also look very complicated to get a loom ready for weaving. Almost everything under the sun that was wool including felted soap, jewelry, spinning, and supplies. were included.
Unfortunately for the vendors I went to the Wool Festival with less than $100 and did not pull out my credit card. After all I am trying to de-stash and bingeing on yarn would be counter productive. I did however come home with a little over 7 ounces of white baby alpaca yarn grown locally in Southern Arizona. I will add pictures later of this yummy soft yarn. I actually see a shawl in its' future. It will have to have it's own blog entry.
If you did not get a chance to go to the wool festival you can still get some lovely yarn from Kathy at her Etsy shop UniqueDesignsbyKathy. Kathy has a selection of patterns, finished products, and yarn, did I mention that she is a fabulous fiber artist in her own right. Kathy is one amazing woman not only does she raise her wool and mohair herself, but processes it, dyes it, spins it, kints it, crochets it , felts it and weaves it. Did I mention that she is an excellent teacher also.
http://http//www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5349708
Have a great day and enjoy your families.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A busy yet fun day.
It is never all work and no play for long. Today and tomorrow Eric has Fall Break. I don't know why he has 2 random days off in the middle of October, but that is the way it is.
I took Eric with me to the knitting guild meeting today. I had 4 hats to drop off for the winter charity drive for low income children in Northern Arizona. I also finished 1 more hat at the meeting. Helga said that they still needed more hats and asked if I could make a few more and drop them off next week, so I said OK. The meeting started at 9:30 and we left at 10 am to go home and meet Eric's help for the mid day shift.
It was off to Jacob's Park where they have the Milagros play ground. The Milagros play ground is the only totally wheelchair accessible play structure in Tucson. Funded and built by the local Rotary Club. Those wonderful people just might not know what a wonderful gift that they gave to the community. Eric spent an hour playing with his aid. It was a perfect day for the park, the temperatures were in the low 80's with a slight breeze.
Then it was off to lunch and now it is rest time for Eric. The laundry is going, at least 3 loads today. I just love these totally mellow days, I wish I had more of them. The pace is just a lot slower than usual and it is so nice to have a mellow day. It does not matter that the arthritis is flared up and my body does not want to move or that there is a lot of laundry to do, bills to pay dishes to clean up.. well you get the picture. The work never stops around here.
I hope you are having a mellow day today too. Please enjoy your families.
I took Eric with me to the knitting guild meeting today. I had 4 hats to drop off for the winter charity drive for low income children in Northern Arizona. I also finished 1 more hat at the meeting. Helga said that they still needed more hats and asked if I could make a few more and drop them off next week, so I said OK. The meeting started at 9:30 and we left at 10 am to go home and meet Eric's help for the mid day shift.
It was off to Jacob's Park where they have the Milagros play ground. The Milagros play ground is the only totally wheelchair accessible play structure in Tucson. Funded and built by the local Rotary Club. Those wonderful people just might not know what a wonderful gift that they gave to the community. Eric spent an hour playing with his aid. It was a perfect day for the park, the temperatures were in the low 80's with a slight breeze.
Then it was off to lunch and now it is rest time for Eric. The laundry is going, at least 3 loads today. I just love these totally mellow days, I wish I had more of them. The pace is just a lot slower than usual and it is so nice to have a mellow day. It does not matter that the arthritis is flared up and my body does not want to move or that there is a lot of laundry to do, bills to pay dishes to clean up.. well you get the picture. The work never stops around here.
I hope you are having a mellow day today too. Please enjoy your families.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A very long night
I could tell by the grimace on Eric's face that it would be a long night. Eric rarely signs I love you to me, it is one of the harder signs for him to do. I knew I was in big trouble when he sign I love you, gave me a kiss and choose pedilyte over formula.
There was the usual tummy ache followed by the now unusual bout of seizures. Eric had a little over an hour of on and off partial seizures. There is nothing that makes me feel more useless as a mom than standing by Eric's bed unable to do anything but tell him everything will be all right and holding his hand while he has seizure after seizure. By 2:30 am the seizures had stopped and he fell asleep.
OK, so I got to sleep between 2:30 am and 5:40 am so the day should not be that bad unless I run out of Diet Coke. I got 3 hours of sleep, I should be able to handle a sick child all day, I just need to keep moving and hope that he takes a nap so that I can take a nap too.
On the bright side there is one bowl of chili and some corn bread left over from last nights dinner, so lunch is made. Depending on how tired I am tonight John will either get chicken stir fry or soup, the only thing I know for sure is that it will be chicken.
It's not even 8 am yet, but I really want it to be bed time right now, so I guess its time to stop writing and go find the Diet Coke.
Did I mention that the garage door is being serviced today. The service tech is here right now. New cables plus what ever else is about to break.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
There was the usual tummy ache followed by the now unusual bout of seizures. Eric had a little over an hour of on and off partial seizures. There is nothing that makes me feel more useless as a mom than standing by Eric's bed unable to do anything but tell him everything will be all right and holding his hand while he has seizure after seizure. By 2:30 am the seizures had stopped and he fell asleep.
OK, so I got to sleep between 2:30 am and 5:40 am so the day should not be that bad unless I run out of Diet Coke. I got 3 hours of sleep, I should be able to handle a sick child all day, I just need to keep moving and hope that he takes a nap so that I can take a nap too.
On the bright side there is one bowl of chili and some corn bread left over from last nights dinner, so lunch is made. Depending on how tired I am tonight John will either get chicken stir fry or soup, the only thing I know for sure is that it will be chicken.
It's not even 8 am yet, but I really want it to be bed time right now, so I guess its time to stop writing and go find the Diet Coke.
Did I mention that the garage door is being serviced today. The service tech is here right now. New cables plus what ever else is about to break.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A Failed Shopping Trip
Today's shopping trip failed miserably. All I was looking for were 2 pair of men's cotton PJ's in size large by Dockers. I was told time and again that men's pj's are only stocked for the holidays. I must be missing something here. The stores stock pj's for women and children year round and men just for the holidays.
Can someone in retail explain to me why this seems to be a broad policy across retail. Now at dinner I will have to tell my husband that men's pj's are only a holiday item and unless I can get them on line he will have to wait till at least November for new pj's. This is just so wrong in I don't know how many ways. This was the answer at 5 different department stores.
I had my items that I needed to buy, and could not get them. How are we suppose to spend our hard earned money to buy goods, to get us out of the recession if the goods we want to buy are not there in the first place?
I also could not find Cal-King sheet sets for 22 inch deep pockets in cotton anywhere, not even for full price.
Has this recession made the retailers not want to carry what I need. Retailers, here's a big clue.. If you stock what I need and want, I will shop, otherwise I will keep my wallet closed.
Thank you for listening to me. I hope your shopping goes better for you.
Enjoy your families and have a great day.
Can someone in retail explain to me why this seems to be a broad policy across retail. Now at dinner I will have to tell my husband that men's pj's are only a holiday item and unless I can get them on line he will have to wait till at least November for new pj's. This is just so wrong in I don't know how many ways. This was the answer at 5 different department stores.
I had my items that I needed to buy, and could not get them. How are we suppose to spend our hard earned money to buy goods, to get us out of the recession if the goods we want to buy are not there in the first place?
I also could not find Cal-King sheet sets for 22 inch deep pockets in cotton anywhere, not even for full price.
Has this recession made the retailers not want to carry what I need. Retailers, here's a big clue.. If you stock what I need and want, I will shop, otherwise I will keep my wallet closed.
Thank you for listening to me. I hope your shopping goes better for you.
Enjoy your families and have a great day.
A Quick Soup Recipe
One of our favorite quick soup recipes takes 15 minutes to make and serves 4.
2 cans chicken broth
1 pound frozen stir fry vegetables
12 frozen pot stickers ( we use chicken )
Add the frozen vegetables and chicken broth to a 4 quart pot. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
Microwave the pot stickers.
Place 3 pot stickers per soup bowl cover with the soup.
For Vegan or vegetarian options use vegetable broth and vegetarian pot stickers.
2 cans chicken broth
1 pound frozen stir fry vegetables
12 frozen pot stickers ( we use chicken )
Add the frozen vegetables and chicken broth to a 4 quart pot. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
Microwave the pot stickers.
Place 3 pot stickers per soup bowl cover with the soup.
For Vegan or vegetarian options use vegetable broth and vegetarian pot stickers.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Children, The Good Side
I just got a direct message from Teri, it looks as if she has finally found her niche in this great big world. As a mother who promised her for years that she would find where she belongs, this is music to my ears. This seems more like an opus than any old song, but this makes me very happy.
Eric has also found something that makes him happy. He has started a community service project at school. He is collecting pull tops from cans for the Tucson Ronald McDonald House. I know this might sound like an oxy-moron to most people, a sick kid helping other sick kids, but the joy he receives for helping the other sick kids is beyond belief. Last month between his home collection efforts and his rallying people at school he turned in 2 pounds of tabs.
If you would like to be part of Eric making the world a better place for other sick kids by saving tabs please let me know. Lets all help Eric make the world change for the better.
As for me I am still knitting hats to help kids keep warm this winter. I am ripping through yarn at a good rate of speed and should be able to pull a box or 2 of stash yarn from the garage soon. If you need hats or scarfs for kids please let me know, I will try to help. They will be wool or cotton, because I don't do acrylic or polyester.
I hope you are all having a wonderful day. Enjoy your families.
Eric has also found something that makes him happy. He has started a community service project at school. He is collecting pull tops from cans for the Tucson Ronald McDonald House. I know this might sound like an oxy-moron to most people, a sick kid helping other sick kids, but the joy he receives for helping the other sick kids is beyond belief. Last month between his home collection efforts and his rallying people at school he turned in 2 pounds of tabs.
If you would like to be part of Eric making the world a better place for other sick kids by saving tabs please let me know. Lets all help Eric make the world change for the better.
As for me I am still knitting hats to help kids keep warm this winter. I am ripping through yarn at a good rate of speed and should be able to pull a box or 2 of stash yarn from the garage soon. If you need hats or scarfs for kids please let me know, I will try to help. They will be wool or cotton, because I don't do acrylic or polyester.
I hope you are all having a wonderful day. Enjoy your families.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
2009 Barkin' Ball
The 2009 Barkin' Ball "Fall in Love with Hope"
Will be on Saturday October 24,2009 from 6-9 pm. At St.Philip's Plaza.
The Cost For Tickets : $65 in advance and $70 at the door (50% is Tax deductible) To purchase tickets call Hope Animal Shelter at 792-9200
Food and Drink provided by: Acacia and Petite Pea
Pet Photography
Live and Silent Auction
Live music for your entertainment
I will have 2 purses available at the silent auction. These are both one of a kind purses that I will not make again.
http://hopeanimalshelter.net/news.html So go and have a good time, bid on some great items and help out some of our cute residents in need.
Eric's New Bibs
Every once in a while I need to make new bibs for Eric. I try to find some nice hand towels and add a half of a bandanna to make the tie. I have tried to find nice ones pre-made,but after about 4 years of age I had to start making my own. Friday I made 6 more for him. 2 penguins and 4 octopus's. I would be willing to write up the instructions if anyone is interested in the pattern. The current pattern is the result of trial and error over the years.
Have an wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Recovering
The tummy bug that is going around is a nasty one. We fell like domino's, starting with Eric. I followed a day later and it hit John today. I think the only reason that John got it was because he stayed home to watch Eric yesterday. This is where John would like me to add that no good deed goes unpunished. Sorry John, but with out you we would have been toast yesterday. There was no way on Gd's green earth that I was going to be vertical for any part of the day yesterday, horizontal was hard enough.
I am also wondering how many days my ribs will hurt from all the wild eyrping. Sore ribs make laughing hurt as in don't watch John Stewart or the Corbert Report on Comedy Central. Guys I seriously love your shows but do you have to make me laugh so hard? It also makes movement and house work hard too. It's really bad when you can't bend down far enough to start the roomba vacuum.
I am happy to say that Eric made it to school today and I managed to get 2 loads of laundry done. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the laundry pile grows in portion to how sick I am. The sicker I am the bigger the pile of laundry. I mean, how much laundry can one sick little boy make? Wait don't answer that I really don't want to know.
Food is still an issue, aside from crackers, grits, Popsicles and white bread nothing looks good enough to eat with out my tummy grumbling. I really should being enjoying taking a break from cooking, but some how its not the same as when I am feeling good and take a break from cooking.
On the other hand I am getting a lot of knitting done. I almost have a blue key hole scarf and cap set in blue done. I wonder how fast I can fill up the finishing basket?
I hope that you stay healthy and avoid this bug. Enjoy your families and have a great day.
I am also wondering how many days my ribs will hurt from all the wild eyrping. Sore ribs make laughing hurt as in don't watch John Stewart or the Corbert Report on Comedy Central. Guys I seriously love your shows but do you have to make me laugh so hard? It also makes movement and house work hard too. It's really bad when you can't bend down far enough to start the roomba vacuum.
I am happy to say that Eric made it to school today and I managed to get 2 loads of laundry done. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the laundry pile grows in portion to how sick I am. The sicker I am the bigger the pile of laundry. I mean, how much laundry can one sick little boy make? Wait don't answer that I really don't want to know.
Food is still an issue, aside from crackers, grits, Popsicles and white bread nothing looks good enough to eat with out my tummy grumbling. I really should being enjoying taking a break from cooking, but some how its not the same as when I am feeling good and take a break from cooking.
On the other hand I am getting a lot of knitting done. I almost have a blue key hole scarf and cap set in blue done. I wonder how fast I can fill up the finishing basket?
I hope that you stay healthy and avoid this bug. Enjoy your families and have a great day.
Monday, October 5, 2009
A Long Night
Last night was a long night, I did not settle Eric down till after 1 am. Poor little guy was not feeling well. He had me back up at 5 am. I am seriously wondering whether a half a case of Diet Coke will get me through the day.
On the bright side I knit 3/4 of a charity hat last night while I was up with Eric. I probably would have done more, but color changes when I am half asleep kinda scare me.
I am much to tired to drive today and I am wondering whether it is to selfish to have soda delivered or just to brew a pot or two of tea as the day goes on? If I am too tired to drive am I too tired to deal with boiling water?
My executive decision is not to fold the laundry that I did last night. After all the laundry is clean and we can just grab what we need from the basket right. I wonder if it will fold itself? The answer is no, but when Eric's aide came this morning he folded all of Eric's cloths. Thank you, Joe.
Well It is going to be a long day of sick child care and knitting, I wonder how much I can add to the finishing basket today.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
On the bright side I knit 3/4 of a charity hat last night while I was up with Eric. I probably would have done more, but color changes when I am half asleep kinda scare me.
I am much to tired to drive today and I am wondering whether it is to selfish to have soda delivered or just to brew a pot or two of tea as the day goes on? If I am too tired to drive am I too tired to deal with boiling water?
My executive decision is not to fold the laundry that I did last night. After all the laundry is clean and we can just grab what we need from the basket right. I wonder if it will fold itself? The answer is no, but when Eric's aide came this morning he folded all of Eric's cloths. Thank you, Joe.
Well It is going to be a long day of sick child care and knitting, I wonder how much I can add to the finishing basket today.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.
Friday, October 2, 2009
A Wonderful Day After All
After spending half the night trying to get Eric settled down for the night and not wanting to wake up today, it turned out to be a pretty good day.
After a venti soy chai from Starbucks,I started to wake up. The Friday Fun Knitters group at the mall was just what I need today. I was to tired to work on anything that needed counting so it was a black wash cloth today. The hand knit wash cloths seem to bring nostalgia of a better time for most people. I always hear "my grandma used to make these and use these all the time." So I am happy that I can create good memories for a lot of people.
Karen brought us two treats today, she made the best cookies, but alas I stopped at just one, I had to share with everyone else. Then she yarned* us all, we all got to take home new to us yarn to make charity projects with. I can see lots of children's hats in the next week or so.
Nancy brought in a stack of patterns and I found a few helpful ones including one for baby hats.
If you are ever in Tucson on a Friday morning please feel free to stop by with your knitting or crocheting at the Foothills Mall food court from 10 am till noonish. All we ask is that you have fun and enjoy yourself.
After lunch with my husband and a badly need nap it was off to Eric's doctors appointment. I always get a little nervous about having to get Eric weighed. After a complete work out of getting everything off his chair they said he gained almost 11 pounds in 6 months, a big wow!!! I said that the scale had to be off and maybe Eric's will chair modifications earlier in the week were responsible for part of the jump. So Kayla, Eric's Aide manage to get Eric out of his chair and the wheel chair had lost 3/4 of a pound, which meant that Eric really did gain 11 pounds in 6 months. Now this does not even begin to bring Eric up to the 1st percentile for weight but for us it was huge.
So to celebrate we dropped Eric and Kayla off at home and went off to a quite dinner. I threw in a green tea boba for the celebration.
I am just so amazed at the highs and lows one not so little boy can bring into my life in one 24 hour day. What can I say this is life with Eric.
Now I think it is time to do some more knitting and watch a little television.
* Yarned- the act of giving yarn to a fellow fibre artist, that you hope they can do something useful with because you want the yarn out of your house.
Have a wonderful evening and enjoy your families.
After a venti soy chai from Starbucks,I started to wake up. The Friday Fun Knitters group at the mall was just what I need today. I was to tired to work on anything that needed counting so it was a black wash cloth today. The hand knit wash cloths seem to bring nostalgia of a better time for most people. I always hear "my grandma used to make these and use these all the time." So I am happy that I can create good memories for a lot of people.
Karen brought us two treats today, she made the best cookies, but alas I stopped at just one, I had to share with everyone else. Then she yarned* us all, we all got to take home new to us yarn to make charity projects with. I can see lots of children's hats in the next week or so.
Nancy brought in a stack of patterns and I found a few helpful ones including one for baby hats.
If you are ever in Tucson on a Friday morning please feel free to stop by with your knitting or crocheting at the Foothills Mall food court from 10 am till noonish. All we ask is that you have fun and enjoy yourself.
After lunch with my husband and a badly need nap it was off to Eric's doctors appointment. I always get a little nervous about having to get Eric weighed. After a complete work out of getting everything off his chair they said he gained almost 11 pounds in 6 months, a big wow!!! I said that the scale had to be off and maybe Eric's will chair modifications earlier in the week were responsible for part of the jump. So Kayla, Eric's Aide manage to get Eric out of his chair and the wheel chair had lost 3/4 of a pound, which meant that Eric really did gain 11 pounds in 6 months. Now this does not even begin to bring Eric up to the 1st percentile for weight but for us it was huge.
So to celebrate we dropped Eric and Kayla off at home and went off to a quite dinner. I threw in a green tea boba for the celebration.
I am just so amazed at the highs and lows one not so little boy can bring into my life in one 24 hour day. What can I say this is life with Eric.
Now I think it is time to do some more knitting and watch a little television.
* Yarned- the act of giving yarn to a fellow fibre artist, that you hope they can do something useful with because you want the yarn out of your house.
Have a wonderful evening and enjoy your families.
Looking for Summer
OK, I surrender. What do I have to do to get the glorious days of summer back? No I am not talking about the twice a day run to camp. I am talking about all those glorious days with the temperature above 100 degrees.
I woke up to the weatherman say cool temperatures are back. It's in the low 60's outside and that we may not even hit 90 today, its so sad. It is time to start making all those cold weather foods, turkey with stuffing, soups and stews. Anything that will warm up the house and requires to oven or stove to be on for hours at a time.
I have started layering clothes and trying to match socks and shawls to what ever outfit I am wearing. By the end of October I will be layered to the max. To add insult to injury The snow birds are back running around in shorts and t-shirts.
Bring back
oh bring back
bring back my summer to me.
Have a wonderful day and try to stay warm.
I woke up to the weatherman say cool temperatures are back. It's in the low 60's outside and that we may not even hit 90 today, its so sad. It is time to start making all those cold weather foods, turkey with stuffing, soups and stews. Anything that will warm up the house and requires to oven or stove to be on for hours at a time.
I have started layering clothes and trying to match socks and shawls to what ever outfit I am wearing. By the end of October I will be layered to the max. To add insult to injury The snow birds are back running around in shorts and t-shirts.
Bring back
oh bring back
bring back my summer to me.
Have a wonderful day and try to stay warm.
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