Stash Busting

Sometimes the realization hits in my stash busting journey just how many hats and scarfs for charity I will have to knit before an area becomes yarn depleted. Don't get me wrong I do love knitting and I need to knit to keep my sanity some days. If you have ever watched kids programing for 18 hours a day while taking care of a sick kid you know exactly what I mean.  But I am just 2 scarfs shy of knitting 2 trash bags full of Joann's Sensations Licorice in the past 2 months.

Today's cleaning and organizing yielded yarn for at least 24 more scarfs and some where between 50 and 70 hats. I know I will enjoy knitting each and everyone of them. I know that in this economy every one of them will find a home and be out of my house in a few months.  Then it is off to the next area, and the next. 

I am slowly knitting down my yarn and have even passed some on to new knitters. I can say that I have no more yarn in the storage room or the living room. Yes the living room does look much neater.  I have 2 areas still out of control the craft room and the area in the garage with 6 - 96 quart boxes of yarn. I hope some day to have my entire stash in my closet not overflowing the storage containers. This I hope will also include the fluff. When I stopped buying yarn I replaced it with fluff sprees. After all you get more bang for the buck by spinning then knitting it. Right?

 I know I will never be one of those people who buy one or 2 projects at a time. I know this because I have been know to knit 2 scarfs in a day and start the third. But how exactly do I determine how much yarn is the right amount for me. Don't expect an answer today but sometime in the next year or so. After all I come from a family of pack rats. How do I know this? Well there are still a few boxes, still sealed from a move in 1965 in my moms garage.

I don['t know if I will ever be as organized as John or Teri but I am really trying my best. Well It is time for more kids programming and knitting . Maybe another couple of scarfs will get finished.

Not bad for a Wednesday

After a good nights sleep and 2 day time naps I am almost recovered from Eric's weekend. Lets keep it our little secret and not tell Eric that today I caught up on laundry too. Yes Eric is still home until next Monday, but he had a better day today too.  It seems to go hand in hand when he has a good day, I have a good day. When he has a bad day my seems to go down hill fast.

 Maybe tomorrow I can con him into supervising the clean up of the craft room or catching up on filing. I would like to get the craft room useful after I had to clear craft material from the rest of the house. Then maybe I can get some carding done and catch up on some sewing repairs.

I did manage to find time to knit and spin today, but no projects got finished. The result of a lot of much needed sleeping not a lot of cleaning got done, but that should be remedied tomorrow.  Now its time to go off to dreamland.

Musings

On days like today, life is measured in baby steps. Such as I did not break anyone, nor trample their feelings even though it was so tempting. I just put on my facade smile and worked my way through the mess, one thing at a time.

With the hope of sleep tonight, tomorrow will be a better day. A chance to get things done my way and on my own terms. Best of all I can put today into the history books.

I am headed off to dreamland.

Memorial Day Weekend or Keeping Busy

I would like to start this blog by thanking all the families that have lost loved ones through the history of our country do to war. You and your families have given up so much so that we can enjoy our freedom. With out you this blog and thousands like it would not be possible.

Friday, Eric came with me to knitting and was shocked to find out more people than mommy were addicted to yarn and fiber. I think he thought that we were totally nuts. But he did seem to have a good time when people talked to him. The walk around the mall was not bad either. Then it was on to lunch with Nancy. The best part of the day as far as Eric was concerned was just being out of the house.

Saturday all hell broke loose with Eric getting sick. It was a lot of work but we managed to keep him out of the hospital on a holiday weekend. I really don't think that it would be a holiday or vacation if someone did not get sick around here. He will miss his first week of summer camp, but we have to get him well.

On the knitting front I am almost done knitting the scarfs from the trash bags full of yarn ( yes it was actually 2 kitchen trash bags) that I was given 2 months ago. Less than 5 scarfs to go, about 2 1/2 days of knitting. I think I can really say that I am tired of that shade of blue. On the bright side a lot of little and not so little people will have warm necks this coming winter.

2 skeins of yarn got spun. I find the whole process of the fluff moving through my hands very relaxing. Just throw in a little music and I can go into my own little piece of heaven on earth.  Well its getting late and Eric seems to be settling in for the night.

Eric's Vacation

Today was Eric's first day of vacation. So we went to see the movie Dark Shadows. The acting was very good. I really liked the movie. The sets were awesome. I would not reccomend this movie for younger kids though. I did managed to knit 1 1/2 scarfs during the movie, yes size 17 needles and garter stitch. I am not silly enough to try knitting a pattern in the dark during a movie.

Afterward there was the promised 2 laps around the mall that Eric managed to turn into 3 1/2 laps. He enjoyed his outing very much. My only complaint about the walk was getting stopped by 2 different people who said the "knew" Eric. Why is it that every child/young adult in a wheelchair is the same gerneric person and not the individuals I know them to be? Turns out that they had never even meet Eric before but he looked like a kid in a chair at their schools. Yes dear world there is more than 1 child/young adult in a wheelchair in this world. Sigh, I wish there were not any.

Well Eric is being fussy so I am going to take my knitting to his room until he falls asleep.

A Chapter Ends

Today was the end of Eric's long high school career. It was the very last time that I would have to clean out his cubby or pick up his meds from school. He had his very last school bus rides today too.  He will transition to  a day program when the paper work is settled. Then it will be the mommy taxi to and from his program.

I know that most change is good, but we are now traveling into the land of adulthood with the very same boy we have journey this far with. I have no idea what to expect. What I do know is that the services that were suppose to be in place 2 decades ago have changed. The system that is suppose to help us is getting harder to navigate. The services are getting scarcer as Eric gets older and we need more help. Promises made by last century's politicians do not resonate the same with today's politicians.  I know I must prevail because I am Eric's voice.

 I have yarn to knit and fluff to spin. I will be able to hold my course no matter how rocky things get. John and I will be each others rock. Well it is time to go take care of Eric.

Tuesday

A lot has happened since I last wrote on May 15th. The camera we got when Teri graduated 5th grade died. We helped the encomy in California  by buying a new one when we got in. So the pictures will be up as soon as John loads the software and John or I download the pictures.  We got to see Teri graduate law school. Needless to say we are very proud parents. We had a great weekend just hanging around with Teri.

Today was spent at Eric's graduation at high school. Then working on his paperwork for Eric's new program. When it hit 105 today, which is still very early in the season even by Tucson standards, I hit the house work. Now I do have to be honest here, I would rather hang around with Teri shopping or shooting the breeze than do house work, but it was not an option today. A whole lot of cleaning got done. I even managed a little organization too. I might be in trouble later in the week as the recycle bin is half full and it is only Tuesday.

I did find time to knit and spin so it was not a bad day overall. Eric appears to be sleeping so I think I will call it a night.

Prepration

Today was a day full of preparation. We are going to see Teri graduate law school. Eric is staying home with some wonderful care givers. He is not up to the rigors of travel just now. After 3 months of preparation everything is in place. Fingers crossed.

The only glitch of the day seemed to be my camera dying. I think I got it for Teri's elementary or middle school graduation. I was a good little camera while it lasted. I am sure after all these years the tech is better and the new camera will be just a little smaller.

Well it is time to settle Eric in for the night. My next post will be from my pod. so I will have to keep it short.

WOW

It has been very hectic since I blogged last. I have still been busy cleaning. I would like to say that for a second week in a row the recycle bin was too full for me to roll out to the street. John has gotten in on the cleaning too. Which means that I need to do more cleaning just to keep up with him. No we are not moving, but have been in this house for 18 years and we have just acquired a lot of stuff over the  years.

Along with the cleaning I have been doing a lot of transnational paper work for Eric. I bet we could save a Forrest of trees if we just input all the information everyone required into 1 computer program and had everyone pull the information they needed instead of writing it over and over in different formats for each agency involved.

The guys made my Mother's Day very special. With flowers, A Thomas the Tank DVD with 24 episodes that Eric picked out, a new purse, dim sum for brunch, and Italian for dinner. During dinner I got a very nice call from Teri, who was taking a break from studying for her last final of her Law School career. I also got a pretty red rose for the guys at Buck's where we go to get out cars tanked up. I had a nice chat with my mom. I am so glad that she will be able to make it to Teri's graduation next week. It has been a while since I have last seen her.

Also Eric is on the mend. He was sick enough that I had no time for anything last week.  Ever the optimist I know things will get much better this week.  Well it is time to do a little spinning and relax.

Making a Care Plan

Today in the midst of boiling and thwacking yarn, doing laundry and general cleaning I decided to update Eric's care plan. I think it was a little over due. It was last updated when Teri was a junior in college, um 5 years ago. A lot has changed. its like I have a whole new document.

If you are the primary care giver a care plan is necessary for everyone but you. I know I have this all in my head, but they don't. So take the time to make one. Carry a small note book around with you for about a week noting what you are doing and when.  Include such things as when the person gets up. What will they wear depending on the temperature outside and they days activities. Exercises that need to be done. Personal care and treatments that need to be done. When medicine needs to be given.  When transportation comes and goes. When is bed time. What is the shower/bath routine. What is different on the weekends. Eating schedule and food likes and dislikes.

Be sure to include all the likes and dislikes of the person you can think of. Which TV channels do they like. What shows do they love and hate.  Where do they like to go. What books on tape do they like. Do they like to be read to. What do they like to do, even if it is just sitting with you outside listening to the birds.

I also include mundane things like the next door neighbor, doctors, car mechanic's for the special issues. If you have friends in the care plan be sure to let them know. You can include the local grocery store that delivers. Also have take out menus of places that deliver.

If you are going on a trip be sure to have a page or 2 with your itinerary also.

Once you have the document prepared, give it to one or more of your regular helpers. Ask them to mark it up with a red pen, just in case you happen to forget something or have the wrong information down. Make your corrections and place the sheets in protective  sheet covers. Then let everyone know where it will be kept.

When properly maintained they are wonderful for everyone one around your special person.

My Virtual Monday

Yes I know today is Tuesday, but lets face it I am not at my best when I have been up for most of the night. Sunday night I was up until 3:30 am ish on Monday morning. Yesterday the real Monday was a wash, so I did Mondays chores today on Tuesday.

Eric did go to the doctors today and the verdict is he will be home with me until I leave to go see Teri graduate law school. I can not believe that it has been 3 years already. So this means that I need to be super organized for the next week. I will be the list person, with a list for virtually everything that needs to get done in the next week. To that end I have broken out a new note book. So I am off to start making my lists. Yes I did say lists because there will be many of them with no master list. Where is Teri when I need her awesome organizational skills?

With any luck I will find time for knitting and spinning. By the way does anyone know if you can take a drop spindle in carry on or does it have to be packed?

Just the Ususal Stuff

Cleaning got stalled Sunday afternoon when Eric got sick. I would  like to say that his temperature is down, but we will most likely be going for a doctors visit tomorrow. I don't like his cough.

A lot of work got done on the Jaala Spiro’s Silk Moon Crescent Shawlette knit along. I am over half way through with it. Jaala did a very nice job on the design. I would also like to add that it is a pattern I would recommend knitting when you have been up all night with a sick child. This is also the type of pattern that you could take with you to the hospital or doctors visits. Here is a link to the pattern and it is well worth the price. silk-moon-crescent-shawlette . It has a few things that require a bit of skill but I would put it at an advance beginner or above. Because of the way the pattern is layed out, it would be perfect to use up bits and pieces in your scrap basket or small bits of hand spun yarn. Most of the techniques can be found on You Tube.  Can you tell that I like the pattern?

We it is time to go top off Eric and hope that he sleeps tonight. I don't think I am up to another day of no sleep.

Phase One

Phase one is almost complete. I spent the day cleaning and organizing everything. I started by packing all the fluff in zippered bags. Then dusted the shelf's where the fluff was. Next came the moving of the books and magazines. I was surprised that I had more magazines then books, but John was not.

Next John and I emptied my closet and cleared everything out. John's only comment was that there was a lot of yarn. Since I was getting sore at that point John did the vacuuming. I did manage to find empty space in the yarn storage bins, I used that space for the storage of more yarn. As long as I am redoing the house I am taking the time to go through everything and  de-cluttering at the same time. I did manage to get most of the closet done today but ran out of steam around 4:00 pm.

I did manage to find space for my drop spindles in the closet also. So now there are no knitting needles or spindles out. There are only a few baskets and bags that need new homes. The projects that I am working on tonight will go to the closet for the night and only be taken out when I am working on them.

Tomorrow I will try to finish the closet, living room and den before I move on to the craft room. I will also have to find time to start filling out a heap of paperwork for Eric's new day program.  Well it is getting late and I still have to get Eric ready for bed.

Gremiln Invasion

We have a gremlin in the house that does not like my knitting. Knitting needles have been snapped in half (the Lantern Moon ones). Knitting needles have gone missing ( the pretty peace needles made of maple and the tops painted in Russia) , along with a finished object or two. Projects have randomly been taken off their needles. But the worst damage that this gremlin has done by far is to take a scissors and snip 3 rows in the center of a wool crape shawl that I was in the middle off. I was absolutely devastated and don't know whether to cry, feel angry or sad. I have decided to put it away until after Teri graduates and then work on fixing it with scrumbling. It will not be the pretty elegant shawl that I was going for but will instead become a shawl to be used around the house.

So my plan of action is going to be this. Every work in progress will be hidden unless I am working on it at the moment, in the moment. All my personal lovelies will be moved from public areas of the house. All knitting needles and spindles will be out of sight unless I am using them. I will have to try to make the public rooms of the house look like a hotel lobby, empty and sterile.

This seems to be the personal price that I have to pay to have help with Eric. It makes me so sad that I can not leave projects out or things out with out them being destroyed or stolen. I hope that Karma finds this gremlin very soon.

Terrific Tuesday

I had a rare day off today. Eric was eager to go to school today. So after he boarded his bus, I was off to have fun. There was knitting with Vanessa, she is working on a pretty cowl for herself. I finished another wash cloth and am attempting to duplicate it so I can write the pattern up. The best news is that it only takes 2 ounces of cotton yarn.

I also have to thank the wonderful people at my local Trader Joe's. They just seem to know when I am exhausted and insist on loading the grocery's into the car for me. Yes I did take a little time away from play to restock the house with grocery's. But the way this year has been going, I never know when the next siege will hit.

I spent the the afternoon watching some mommy programs on TV.  I watched 2 episode's of Dr.House, 1 of Modern Family and 1 Undercover Boss. Yes being tired did turn me into a couch potato, but every once in a while it is good to be one.  I did get a bit of spinning done too.

John came home and made a lovely dinner of a salad, Bagels and lox. He wants to make sure that I am 100% before I start cooking again. How lucky am I to have such a great husband.

I do think Eric needs a little help in the choosing gifts for Mothers Day. He thinks that I need a new Thomas the Tank DVD and a new  stuffed Snoopy. He has tried to convince us that he will take care of the Snoopy for me. That I do not doubt. Just maybe he needs to have a heart to heart with Teri to really figure this out.

Over all this has been one of the best days that I have had in a long while and do feel totally recharged.  So I think it is time to call it a night.