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.

Things are Looking UP

Eric is still home. On the bright side I can say that we are both feeling better. We are both getting more sleep. Things are starting to get done in a hap hazard fashion around the house. Basically if I have the energy at the moment and I run across something that needs to be done that matches my energy levels it happens.

On the Eric antic front,  he managed to pull out his Mic-Key Button with the balloon still working and the pump running. The result was one scared, wet and upset Eric. With a load of laundry for me that I had not intended to wash today. I did put in the spare button and order another spare. You will never guess who was trying to pull out the new button tonight. I think he is at the point of his recovery that he has enough energy to get into to trouble but not enough to tackle school yet.  I hope there are no more set backs and I can get him back to school this week.

I have been fiddling around with yarn this week and think I may have a new pattern for the shop. It will be an easy 1 skein wonder. I should get the knitting done tomorrow and the pattern should not be to bad to write up.

Well I think I will call it a night.

The Crud's Go On and On

The crud's are still here in full force. I have hit tired and cranky. The only things I can seem to knit are scarfs and wash cloths. Speaking of the wash cloths I have made them over sized with interesting patterns through out. Right now I think they look pretty good but that could all change when I feel better. Also when you see the wash cloths if you would like me to write up the pattern please let me know.  When I am feeling better I think I will list them. I will post them on my twitter feed and face book page when I do the finishing work if you can't wait.

Eric has learned a new trick. He has figured out how to get the nebulizer mask off and dump all the meds on the floor by leaning forward and shaking his head. I guess I am lucky that it took him so long to figure out but why yesterday of all days. Yes he was very proud of himself for figuring that out.

Well Eric is asleep so I will go and take a nap.

The Crud's

The crud's have found their way to our house yet again. Eric has had 3 miserable days and I hope the secondary passes us by this time. He has shared with me so not much is getting done.

Yesterday was Teri's final day of classes at Law School. I was so busy it does not seem like 3 years have gone by. Now she just has to get through her finals and the Bar. I am just so proud of her and all that she has done.

We I am getting very tired and Eric will not go to sleep if he here me clacking at the key board. So it time to say good night

On a Spring Roll

Things are going quite well right now. The creative juices and cleaning bug have kicked in together. Awesome things are happening and I have been far too busy to blog. Finished this week 4, scarfs, 2 wash cloths and 3 skeins of hand yarn spun. In progress the design of a hand knit hand towel, let me know if this is a pattern anyone would be interested in. More yarn on the wheel and another wash cloth, scarf on the needles and a lot of other projects. Deep cleaning has also resumed.

My plans are to continue at this pace and work until my body requires a nap. I am trying to cut back on the caffeine.  That will last until Eric gets sick again but it is worth a shot for a few days anyway.

Bits-n-Pieces

W onder
E rrands
D rink tea
N ap
E at
S pin
D ream
A nswer
Y arn

Playing Catch Up

Eric has been in school for 2 days so far this week and I am playing catch up. I have been to the grocery store with out the time limit of just grab what I need and find the shortest line. I got to the post office today and all packages have been mailed. I found time to spin. I am also going to be looking for information on how ratios work. I am working my way through a big bag of Joann's Sensations Liquorice yarn that was given to me for charity projects while Eric was sick. I have completed 3 plus one project Gratitude scarf, are as I like to call it tagged and bagged meaning that they are ready to go out the door. 2 are awaiting finishing work and 1 more is on the needles. My plan is to get 50 hats, 50 scarfs and 10 Project Gratitude scarfs finished before October. Which means I only have 106 to go. Now does anyone know of a good project counter?

I got to the gas station today, I have not been in a while. It was over $65.00 to fill the tank. The last time I went it was at least $10.00 less. I also went to get new foam for Eric's bed but found that the store I got it at last time had doubled in price. Which is much more than the rate of inflation. So I guess I will measure it and go shopping on the Internet. If you know of a place where I should look let me know.

Well it is getting late and I am exhausted so good night all.

Got Yarn?

When all else fails knit. Eric landed up with the tummy bug going around town. Yesterday I had put away all the mindless knitting project because silly me I thought with the weather getting warmer we would no have many sic days left. So I dipped in the charity yarn and pulled out some US size 17 needles. I finished 2 kids scarfs and got the 3rd past the halfway point. We are on day 2 of pedilyte but hopefully tomorrow all that will change. On a diffent note, if you see my mom this week be sure to wish her a very happy birthday.

Finding my Mojo

Eric seems to be on a spring up swing. He is finally feeling better. He has been in the sick kid mode so long that I have seemed to have lost my daily rhythm. I know its only a matter of time before I find my well child mojo. Until then I will be floundering for a couple of weeks. After all I have been in crisis mode since at least October and it will take more than 3 days for me to change mode. So please be patient with me if I seem to be absent minded for a few weeks.  I really do feel lost and out of sync.

So tomorrow I plan on organizing my art projects, all of them.  I tend to knit and craft a little differently when Eric is sick. If you want to see a room strewn with yarn and other crafts ,tomorrow would be the perfect day to stop by and help. Some projects will go into bags and some will come out of bags. There will be a whole lot of color going on. I will also have time to do other things too.

So its time to call it a night before I change my mind and Google Caravel Ice Cream Stores. I have not had one in years but tonight for some reason I wanted one. So do you think they make a non dairy version now?

A Real Day Off

So this is what a real day off must be. Today was the second day in a row that Eric made it to school. Around 9:30 I realized that I did not have to do a bunch of chores. That I could deep six the to do list.  That I could do exactly what I wanted to do. So unlike yesterday when I ran as many errands as I could squeeze in to the day just in case, today not so much.

There was some shopping, the leisurely kind. A bowl of soup at Rigo's for lunch and they did not seem to mind that I played a game of Scrabble while I was eating. Then home to do a lot of spinning. I finished the Hardy Lake colorway by Rachael of The Counting Sheep Farm . I even had time to boil it and it is now drying in the garage.

I even figured out why some batts are called Art Batts..No its not yours Kathy or Rachael...The creator of the batt shall remain nameless...There is so much junk in the batt that the only thing it will be suitable for after it is spun is an artsy weaving project. There are a lot of very short trims, the kind that should be thrown to the birds and a lot of nibs. It is not very well carded either. I know I should throw it in a dog pillow but I am halfway done and I am at an irky spot with it. I just need to finish it and get it off the spindle. By the way who says you can never go back to the look of a beginner once you get spinning down has not seen this batt and the wonky yarn on my spindle.

I dug through my stash and picked out the next spinning wheel project and got a good start on it.  But the laundry was calling me, so I did 4 loads of laundry and left 2 for tomorrow. Well I have an early wake up call tomorrow. So Good Night all and enjoy your families.

A Very Good Day

Today was a very good day. With lots of knitting with friends and spinning. With a good dose of John and Eric. The only thing missing from today was Teri who is very busy with school. I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday weekend.

Thank You

I just need to thank everyone for helping Eric collect tabs for the Tucson Ronald McDonald's House. Today I drove Eric to the Ronald McDonald House so that he could drop off his latest collection of tabs. I am so proud of him. He managed to collect over 7 pounds of tabs.

The tabs are recycled to pay for the utility bills and any left over money goes to help the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House. So If you would not mind, Eric would like some help in collecting more tabs. We have a brand new box that needs to be filled.  He really likes helping the kids and their families.

Thank You for helping Eric make a positive impact in this world.

Tired Days and Mondays

After only 4 hours of sleep, yes Eric was up until 2 am this morning and the day started at 6 am. with a migraine, I can say I had a relatively good day. The day consisted of laundry and sporadic house work ( when I had the energy to move and my head was not throbbing). I am getting very good at cleaning while tired.  Eric slept through half of his first day home from school and then wanted constant attention. Just the usual stuff.

I pick out a partial skein of yarn from the scrap yarn basket and decided to make a hot pad. Then a small bag of a lighter shade of green just screamed out to me use me, use me. I don't know if it was do to the headache or being over tired but it morphed into an art work piece. Tomorrow I will weave in the ends and do a light felting. Pictures will follow when it is finished.

John was wonderful and brought home dinner tonight. Well I want to call it a early night. Sorry for the tired ramblings.

Back on Track

Today was the best day we have had in a long while. Everyone was up to doing their own thing. Yeah!!!

Eric and I went to the mall today. His idea of fun was to go to every store in the mall that had stuffed animals and check out each and everyone. He had us convinced this morning that he was going shopping for himself. Forget about my list. So first we looked at Hallmark. Do you really know how many stuffed animals that they have? Then it was off to the Build A Bear Workshop Store. Yes we went through every stuffed animal in there also. I was surprised that they had less stuffed animals than Hallmark store. But in their defense they had a half of a store full of bear clothes. Then it was off to the Disney store. After going through all the animals and toy friends we almost settled on Fozzie Bear. When I asked the all important question "Will you introduce Fozzie to your other friends?" Eric signed no. I asked if this was a ploy to stay out of the house longer and he signed yes.

After a few more stops it was off to Trader Joe's. Everyone was very nice, but I don't think the middle of the day on a Saturday is the time to do the Eric train in a small speciality store. In case you have not seen an Eric train before it goes like this. I push Eric in his chair ahead of me and drag the shopping cart behind me. I do spend a lot of time apologizing and saying excuse me. I find it surprising no one ever gets angry at the inconvenience that I am putting them through. How lucky is that?

I even managed to find time to spin on the wheel and 2 different spindles, then work on 2 different knitting projects. I am finding the purple shawls rows to very long. I can only do 2 rows now per hour show. I started out with 4 stitches and am increasing on both sides of the row. I hope I don't have to get longer knitting needles to finish the project.

Well if we have a good night tonight tomorrow might be even more fun.

Pay Back Time

We all knew it would happen. It was just a matter of time. My body has gone in to rest mode for a few days. Eric has made ot to school 4 days this week and all my body wants to do is nap and relax. I am so tired that The creative forces are not flowing. So in between resting I am working on UFO's. Which is ok. I am working on projects started several years ago. Everything has to get finished or tinked sometime. Well it's time to call it a night.

A Much Needed Day Off

Today I got a real mommy day off. After the guys left for work and school I went back to sleep until noon. After a salad for lunch it was off to CVS for a little retail therapy, well not really but with coupons in hand I did manage to save about $50.00. It was the trip to buy the expensive stuff so the coupons really did help. After a short break more laundry was done and beds were made. Bills were paid and plane tickets bought. I have help lined up for Eric so John and I can go to Teri's law school graduation. I can't believe 3 years have gone by so quickly. I am still amazed that my darling daughter will have her doctorate in a few short months. I really don't know how John and I got so lucky to be blessed with a daughter like Teri. Well Eric needs my attention now. So I guess its time to put the pod away.

The Weekend

Needless to say my weekend did not go as planned. Friday Eric was home sick. I thought he was feeling better Saturday sowe went fo a much needed haircut for Eric and picked up a drive new drive belt for my wheel. We you guessed right, Eric woke up with a fever and a runny nose. I did not make it to the 4th avenue street fair as planned. Instead I did most of tommrows laundry and cleaning. I managed to get a little spinning and knitting done too. I don't think that luck is running on my side so I will tackle paperwork and chores while I am home with Eric tommrow. Well it's not quite 10 and I am hoping for a quiet night because I am exhausted. Good night all.

Still out of Sync

I am feeling better but I am so out of sync its not funny. I am slowly recouping the house. On the knitting front I have finished the never ending socks well ahead of Teri's graduation in May. Yes I know it is the end of March, but at least they were finished before the plane flight. I have also finished the 3 rd shawl of the year. It is a keeper because it fits me to a T. I have been so distracted lately that I have UFO's all over the house. I have gotten in the very bad habit of just picking up something to knit as I walk by it. On the bright side a lot of projects are further along, but I really need to get more projects finished. The only new project that I have started this week is a pair of socks from Belinda Too's first sock book. I have found something harder than a sock gussett, it is a picot edging knit in the round. I also have 4 1/2 inches written on a new blanket pattern. Well it's getting late. So have a great night and enjoy your families.

Eric is Back in School

Eric started back to school yesterday. Insert the happy dance here. So I napped, ate lunch out, worked on the never ending socks ( yes there is an end in sight ), ran errands and made a chicken pot pi for Pi Day. The recipe I used is in a previous blog post. I also tried to make an Irish Soda bread to try something different too. For those of you that have made Irish Soda bread before can you tell me if it is a light biscuit type bread or a very dense bread as mine turned out to be.

Today was guild and lunch out with friends and more knitting. I picked out a light colored shawl as my UFO to work on a guild, yes I know I am working on 2 shawls right now so my goal is to have a total of 2 shawls and 1 pair of socks done by the end of the month. I will keep you posted.

Since I was wearing dressy clothes today, most of my cleaning involved going through piles that were created when Eric was in the hospital. So my cleaning involved 2 hours of putting things away and throwing things out. It was actually more of the later.

Right now I am waiting for the washer to finish so I can put 1 load in the dryer and start 1 more load before I go to sleep tonight. We had a major spill of formula tonight. Formula spills must be washed before they dry or they smell up the house and stain what ever it happened to land on. Just in case you were wondering a complete change out of Eric's bed involves 2 loads of laundry.

I am still out of sync on the whole calendar thing. Yes Eric was home sick for 2 months, so I feel like I should be at the end of January instead of the middle of March. Today I showed up at an event 1 week early. I really must read my email more carefully and AVO ( avoid verbal orders) in regards to events.

I have also enjoyed the freedom of having Eric in school for 2 days in a row. I hope that this trend continues. Well the hour is late. So have a great night.

Less is More

Since Eric's 2 trips to the hospital in February, I have not had any extra house keeping help. I have found the cleaning is therapeutic. On top of all the extra of  what I hope is exercise the surprising thing to me is the house is getting cleaner. The counters are starting to shine. The floors are cleaner. Things are getting less cluttered. I find that about 2 hours of cleaning a day makes me feel better too.

Today while I was cleaning I found almost empty shampoo containers shoved in cabinets. A basket of products with expiration dates back to '08 under empty  or half empty cleaning supplies. I guess the advantage of doing it myself is that I can make the executive decisions to combine containers or throw out empty containers.  For the life of me I can not figure out why someone would just toss empty containers in cabinets and close the door. After all isn't that what the recycling containers are for?

On the laundry front I  started doing laundry at 7 am  and took the last load of the day out of the dryer at 6:30 pm. The good news is that I am almost caught up on laundry. I did save 1 basket of folding for tomorrow in favor of sitting down to knit and watch a little TV. I am now about 1/4 of the way through a wool crape shawl, the skein was 1450 yards long and knit on size US - 4 knitting needles. In my defense I can say it will look simply fabulous when it is done.

I even managed to make dinner tonight. OK I cheated with Bertolli Chicken Minestrone Soup and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. At times I can open packages with the best of them. Well it is getting late and the house now sounds quiet so I think its time to call it a night.

Trying to get on Track

The new dryer finally arrived today. All I can say is thank goodness. Right now I have the 4th load of the day in the dryer and I hope to have a 5th load in there before bed time. With 6 loads done all together, the first one of the day was a line dry load. The answer to the question is no this will not in any way shape or form mean that I am caught up on laundry. The reason being is that I took a 4 day vacation from laundry. The guys were getting tired of lined dried clothes. Even with the use of Downy, the jeans were like wooden boards. The clothes off the line reminded me of my clothes during the 1960's when we put the clothes on the line to dry. Every thing was stiff.

On the knitting front, I made more progress on my socks and purple shawl. No spinning took place today. Although I have bribed someone with hand spun yarn so she needs to come over and pick the fluff she wants me to spin for her.  I will have to spin it up very soon. By the way spinners, hand spun yarn makes a very good bribe for a knitter.

Eric is still home and I am really hoping to get him out the door sometime this week. I am so far behind on every thing. I will play more catch up tomorrow. As for the plans for today, they went out the window at about 2 am, when I finally got to bed this morning. Considering that I was running on 4 hours of sleep I feel that a lot of work got done today. I have yet to figure out why I can accomplish so much on so little sleep.

I think it is time to say good night because I am falling asleep while typing this post.

No More Wishful Thinking

After a long weekend with a few days off coursity of John, I feel recharged. A little shopping, a new haircut, a little fresh air can do a girl wonders. I even thought it might be possible to send Eric to school tomorrow earlier in the day. Tonight is a different story all together. a little fever and sore throat means another day home and another call to the doctor.

Eric's Smart Vest compressor died this morning. Talk about wonderful customer service. I called this morning, yes Sunday morning and a new unit will ship tomorrow. The on call person was nice and polite even when I cut into her weekend with family. I did not write down her name, but to the management she does need to be told what a wonderful job she did. Electromed is a wonderful company to work with.

Well it getting late and I am hoping for some sleep tonight. Please enjoy your families.

Progress and a Lost Scarf

Today was a very productive day. I filled the laundry drying line. No dryer until next Monday.  I did some cleaning, but still did not find the Chevron scarf. The scarf I finished right before I had to give up knitting for a few months last year. Worked on UFOs - 1 scarf finished and out of the house( it was just the right color for a friend that happened to be here), worked on 2 other UFOs, one is black so it can only be worked on in bright light and lined up more UFOs to finish.

My one complaint of the day is bullies. Why on earth do they think they can get their way by pushing people around. Even more annoying is making multiple phone calls on the same subject because I did not agree with them the first time. This should be a duh moment for them, maybe just maybe what they are offering is not right for me. No the third time is not the charm. Implying that because I am not jumping at what you say or your offer does not mean I lack intelligence, it just means that I think you are wrong or are offering the wrong item  for me.  Oh and I do have a second complaint for today. Cellular type phones can not be slammed down on the receiver for that satisfying moment of I won this round. I ended the call. Pushing a silly little button does not have the same feel.

Eric is still holding his own, but when he took a nap, I took full advantage and took one too. John was wonderful in that after a full day at work he brought home dinner. Well it is getting late and I am tired so its time to say good night.

Things are Looking Up

I have kicked the cold and spent the morning doing some much needed house work and laundry. Until I get the new dryer next week I am limited to 2 loads a day. As I have a limited amount of hanging space.

Eric still has no energy but at least he did not nap all day so I have some hope of sleep tonight. He is at the point of recovery that every time I do something for him he makes nice mommy. I always like to get my nice Mommy's.

On the knitting front I blindly dipped my hand into a a pile of UFOs and landed up with a green scarf. I almost finished it tonight. As I was knitting the scarf I thought of all the "extra" knitting needles I will have when I finish all these projects but also all the little knitting and project bags that I will have. Not to mention all the finished projects, some with missing yarn labels so I don't know what the yarn is but I am going to finish them anyway. Some of the fancier pieces with out yarn labels will go in to a gift pile. I also decided since I did not finish all my UFOs in February I will work into to March to finish them.  Also no spinning got done today.

I am 24 rows into a new pattern design. I am writing the pattern as I am knitting it so I hope it does go smoother when it is time to type it up. Considering that I started it on Saturday I think it is going at a good pace.

Well it is getting late and its time to call it a night.

Under the Weather

Eric's cold has morphed and he is home from school for another week. He was kind enough to share his cold with me and maybe John, only time will tell.  So if you are expecting me any where this week all I can say is sorry, but you know where I will be all week. With luck Eric will be out the door on Monday.

On a different note I wish everyone who is celebrating a Happy Purim and for those in the middle of Lent I hope it is easy for you this year.

Friday Already?

My question is how did it get to be Friday already?  Where has the week gone?

But enough about that. The Big news is today Eric left the house for the first time since he got out of the hospital. We went to the laundromat and as hard as I tried, I could not convince Eric that it was as much fun as Disneyland. He did seem to like the sound of the washers but hated the dryers. Then it was off to lunch at Loving Spoonfuls. He seemed to like it best when the music track stopped and there was a weird tonal hum.

I spent some time at the wheel and managed to get about 3/4 of an ounce spun. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to ply the yarn. I also worked on a scrappy hat and got it to the decrease rounds. I did not work on the infamous sock.

Well it was a long day and I am going to try for 2 full nights of sleep in a row. Wish me luck.

Tired and Cranky

Today was not one of the most stellar days in Eric's recovery. He still has day and night confused and I am not quite sure how to reset his internal clock. Most of us rely on sunlight to reset our clocks with a mechanism in the retina. Eric's retinas are far to damaged for this to be an option. I will humbly accept any suggestion that are put forth.

I think we might even be able to get Eric back to school at least part days in the next few weeks. Then I might just spend a day or two doing just what I want. Like knitting, spinning and hanging out with friends.

I can say that I am feeling a little worn out by this all. I feel that I am losing patients with people and expect them not to screw up. Like not having trained people on back up or people telling me it takes 1 1/4 hours to drive across town and expect me to buy that. Yes I know its winter but this is Tucson for goodness sake.

I did manage to work on the infamous sock today and realized that I am one stitch short in the gusset; however I have decided that I can make the sock look symmetrical and with one stitch missing I will just skip one decrease to make it even for the foot. At this point one stitch is not worth taking out 2 days of knitting. I am not looking for perfection, I am just looking to finish the sock. 

The highlight of my day was a short chat with Teri. I am happy to report that things are going well on the Teri front. I am really so very lucky to have a wonderful daughter like Teri in my life.

Well the house seems very quiet so I am hoping that everyone including you know who is asleep, so I can get some sleep. Good night all.

The Infamous Sock

I am currently working on the second sock of the pair of socks I started when Teri and I went to look at law schools. I am half way through the gusset of the second sock. My friend Lisa and John feel that Teri will get her law degree before I finish this pair of socks. Did I mention that it is a 3 year law school program and Teri is due to graduate this spring? I have frogged the second sock 2 or 3 times already and I hope that this time is the charm.

Ever the optimist I feel I will finish it before Teri graduates and have pick out one of Belinda Too's patterns for my second pair of socks.  The pattern is called Summer Sporty Ankle Sock. Here is the Raverly link to this wonderful sock.  If you would like to see more of Belinda's work check out this link Blendy Knits . In Lisa's humble opinion Teri will make partner before I finish the second pair of socks. I feel I will have them done before Teri gets her California Bar results. Only time will tell of course and I do have to finish the first pair of socks before I can start these. I have to use the same knitting needles on both pair of socks.

Well I had a very long night with Eric last night and I am hoping that he will go to sleep so as I really need a good nights sleep. He is still not back up to speed but we will see if we can get in to school any days in March.

Just a Small Rant

Dear Home Health Care Professional,

Welcome to my home, yes I said it MY HOME. I know this is where your agency sent you to work today so you may think of it as a place of business; but it is really my home. I live here and don't get to leave at the end of my shifts.

The following might just make both our days go smoother.

1. At this work site I am the boss and what I say goes. This being said I prefer my home to be a tranquil envoirment. Follow my lead and we will not have problems. I have been doing the sick kid thing for over 2 decades and have a tinsey bit of experience with my son.

2. Don't tell me what to do or what I may or may not do in my own home. I do not need your permission to leave a room or to take a break from my sons care. In fact if you are here you are suppose to be giving me a break so I am not working 24/7.

3. Do not rearrange my furniture. My husband and I have placed it where it is good for us. If you feel the need to rearrange furniture become an interior designer or a furniture mover. Please do not move the chair away from my spinning wheel. You many not understand why it is there but I put it there for a reason. Also the yarn and knitting needles are off limits. I really hate when people sit on my knitting needles and break them.

4. I would like you to follow the rules of the house like everyone else does. Rule number 1: Mom is always right. Rule number 2 : If mom is wrong please see rule number 1. If you can't abide by rule number 1 or 2 at least try to be diplomatic about it.

5. If I give you things to do then ignore you it is because I need some time to unwind. You can always check my current to do list and see if there is anything on there that you can do. If all else fails pay attention to my son or dust. Feel free to vacuum or sweep to your hearts content. If there is laundry you can fold that too.

6. If I am overly cranky ask me what time I got my son to sleep last night or in the wee hours of the morning and what time I had to get up this morning. Just to be on the safe side if I have had 4 hours of sleep or less I really need time to be alone.

7. Yes my house does not look like the rooms in Town and Country. We have some clutter and I really try to keep up with it. If you have a problem with that call my mother I will give you the number. Also remember that the less sleep I have in any given week the messier the house will be. I find it easier to clean house when I am awake and my son is not sick.

8. This is a house and not a barn. We strongly prefer that the doors be kept closed. I prefer to do other things with my time besides chasing small desert dwellers out of the house.

9. All bets are off when my son is sick and I have been awake for more than 48 hours straight.

10. If this is to much to ask of you please let your agency know you cant work with us. We wont be offended.

Saturday Not in the Park

Eric has had constant night terrors since we got home from the hospital. If anyone has suggestions to try I would be willing to listen.

We have tried the following:

Using "Eric's" roomba to vacuum up the monsters and dust bunnies.

Had Scooba wash away the icky.

We have been reassuring him that he is home and everything is OK.

For those of you that have been following the appliance saga. The dryer has been condemned, the inside wiring is burnt to a crisp. Yes the service man thinks that there was a nice little fire in there. We must have a Guardian Angle looking out for us because the damage was limited to the inside motor area of the dryer. We will start a hunt for a new dryer tomorrow.

The washer is working well, I just do to many loads of laundry in it. Hey there are three of us in the house and one of us is Eric, so 20ish loads of laundry a week seems reasonable to me. So I am going to do all the wash and hang laundry at home. I will take John's shirts to the cleaners to get washed and pressed.  That leaves that leaves a dozen or so loads that I will take to the Laundromat to wash or see if the cleaners has a wash and fold service.

Well here is to a good nights sleep for all.

TGIF

It was a busy and wonderful day all at the same time. I got to spend a couple of hours with my knitting friends and even had time to go to lunch. A great big thank you goes out to John for this treat. He took care of Eric for a bit. Liz had made some very adorable hand knit critters, I personally think the bear was the cutest. I felt like a social butterfly at knitting, I got more talking done than knitting. Karen had knit a very large pile of wash cloths and was doing the finishing work. There were sweaters and scarfs in various stages. It is always so fun to hang out with a great group of knitters. I also like to see what every one is doing. Next week I expect to see a lot of the Uncle Harry Scarf Pattern going on. Everyone just had to know what the very complicated pattern I was working on. This is my favorite pattern for Operation Gratitude. So here is the pattern and please consider knitting one or two for Operation Gratitude.

Uncle Harry's Scarf Pattern

This pattern is named after my dear Uncle Harry. When he was in the Tucson VA hospital I would spend hours visiting him. I would usually bring my knitting and no matter what I was working on he would start chanting knit 1 purl 2, over and over to the point I had to rip out what ever I was working on. So I started making scarfs in this pattern. My only request was that he slow down to the speed I was knitting at.  It works with any weight yarn and any size needles. My personal preference is wool or cotton.

Cast on in multiples of 3. A typical scarf in Cascade 220 or Patton's wool is 30 cast on stitches. On US size 8 knitting needles.

the pattern is knit 1 purl 2* repeat this sequence all the way through.  Until you get to the last row and then cast off in the pattern sequence.

For Operation Gratitude they like the scarfs between 5 to 7 inches wide and 45 to 50 inches long. I usually use Patton's or Cascade wool in black, brown, dark or olive green and blue. One skein makes 1 scarf.

I also took advantage of John being home to run a weeks worth of errands this afternoon.  I did manage to get one commissioned scarf off the needles so now I just have to do the finishing work.

I manage to boil one batch of yarn and am just about finished with the spinning on another.

Well it is getting very late so it is time to say goodnight.


Uncle Harry's Scarf Pattern by Sheri Karobonik is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Hump Day Plus One

Eric actually slept last night, and between John and Eric's aide I got to sleep in until 8:00 am this morning. There was a little cleaning that went on this morning. Only scooba was on duty today. Today Eric and I were in the post hospital funk of being very tired. I don't think either of us got out of first gear. I might have made it out of first gear if I had consumed more caffeine, but I quickly vetoed that idea and went for a lower caffeine tea.  down time is sometimes necessary.

I also broke another pedometer today. I finally figured it out when after running around this morning it was only counting at best every 2 or 3rd step.

I did manage to make it to the spinning wheel today. I carded up some wool and mohair before Eric got sick. The fluff was full of VM and I ran it through the carder 3 times.  It has the constancy of Cotton Candy and spins up very nicely, although I am still pulling VM out of the yarn as I spin. I am hoping that the rest of the VM will come out when I boil the yarn.

If you have any suggestions for getting VM out of fluff please let me know. I am always looking for ways to improve the way I do things.

I am almost finished spinning the super wash merino on the spindle. The last little bit will be done tomorrow and that will be a hat or scarf.  I hope to boil some yarn tomorrow as I have a bunch that needs to be done and the clothes line will be empty tomorrow.

John is giving me a break tomorrow so that I can go to knitting. He and Eric will hang out tomorrow. I want to know if the Syfy channel or PBS will prevail. Well its getting late so I am going to call it a night.

Hump Day

Eric is still out of sync and having trouble remembering that he is home from the hospital. Last night he dozed off and would wake up in terror or be in the middle of a night terror when I got to him. I finally had him settled down at 3:30 this morning. I took the cowardly approach to this morning and let John and his aide handle him. I decided to sleep in until 7:30.

Since Eric has day and night confused I am trying to sleep when he does. Which has lead to a pretty strange schedule today. We had naps scattered through out the day.

I did manage to get to the grocery store today. I was trying to be a little on the practicle side by picking up some heat and serve dinners. I am not one to pick up ready made dinners from the freezer section on a regular basis. John and I prefer homemade from scratch or semi home made when ever possible. We had a Bertolli chicken minestrone soup tonight. It was easy to cook and had a pretty good taste and texture, but not quite home made. But just the right amount of soup for 2 people.

I have to admit that with Eric being in the hospital twice this month for a total of 12 days I am pretty much worn out. So far this month he has been in the hospital more than out. I am hoping to change that track. I am finding a very little time to knit and have not done any spinning since we have been home. I am still finding cleaning very therapeutic. Roomba and Scooba have been working out daily. The recycle bin is 1/3 of the way full. I am very behind on laundry, but wont be able to do any until the machines get fixed or if we start to run out of things by going to the laundromat.

I have not had any time to prepare for the Tucson Wool Festival on March 10, so even if I do not have a booth I will stop by to say goodbye to Kathy.

I am deffently tired and need some sleep so I will take the time to say good night all.

We are Home

This is our first full day home from the hospital - Round 2 this month. This time we were in for 8 days. I finished 2 hats and 2 scarfs. I also broke with my trying to finish UFOs by starting another hat and scarf. But in my defense it was stash yarn and I did not go out and buy any new yarn. I also worked on spinning some super wash Merino on my Kundert spindle and some silk on my new Bosworth Koa spindle. Both spinning projects will require more work to get the spinning finished. .

I came home to a washer and dryer in desperate need of service so no laundry will get done until they are repaired or I find someone to watch Eric long enough during the day to go to the laundromat. It has been so long since I have been in one, I don't even know how much a load cost now a days. My guess is that it has gone up quite a bit since the early 1980's.

Yesterday afternoon and today have been devoted to getting the house back in order. With the exception of the laundry visible progress is being made. The only thing I would have wished for today was a longer life on the scooba battery charge. I wanted to finish the whole house in one day, scooba had other ideas.

The house is pretty well stocked with the exception of fresh eggs, bread, Tide Free and Rasian Bran cereal for John. I hope to be able to sneak out when one of our more long term aides are here. But then again there is always delivery.

Eric will be home until he finishes his medicine, which is another 9 days. Please feel free to call and stop by. I will need some adult conversation. I have had too many days of PBS kids and the Disney Channel this month. Did you know that on avargae PBS replays its shows 4 times a day. Disney has a slightly diffrent cycle of once a day with the movies being played a diffrent times over several days. Now if I could only convince Eric to watch some chick lit type stuff it would not be so bad.

My hope is for the hospital nightmares to be over with so that Eric sleeps tonight. I would so love a good nights sleep after such a busy month. I would really like a full nights sleep in a real bed. Not that I did not figure out how to sleep in that darn guest chair at the hospital, but it did a number on my knee.

We May Be on the Right Path

There might be an end insight. We are trying some new meds for Eric. We are still waiting for Eric to hold food down. I am beginning to get tired and flary. Dry mouth and eyes are the rule of the day. I am thinking about redoing my spring sechdule. It will all be dependent on Eric's recovery and my stamina.

I am getting a lot of knitting and spinning done in the down time. I knit when Eric is awake and spin when he sleeps. I would like a more comfortable chair to sleep in.

I personally think the hospital food was designed to increase their patient load in the near future. Where is Mrs. Obama when we need her?

Well Eric is asleep and it is time for some shut eye.

We are Holding

We are back in a holding pattern. Eric is hooked up to an IV. Don't expect to see me for the rest of the week. I have plenty of spinning and knitting with me. The only harrzards I see until we get home is the hospital cafeteria. Moldy bread today and enough greasy food to insure a long term patient load. Lunch was a half pound of carrot and celery sticks,1 tablespoon of peanut butter and crackers. I don't think I have seen hospital food this dismal since 1989, I kid you not.

Well Eric needs my attention. So good night.

Things Are Looking Up.

Well Eric has been sick long enough for me to lose track of the days. Thank goodness for the calendars, clocks with dates and the newspaper so if some one does ask at least I know where to look. That being said Eric gave me the first smile in it seems like weeks but in actuality only since last Thursday. He is not at 100% for Eric; but he is getting better. I am hoping that I will have him well enough to go to school a week from Monday.

On the knitting front I finished another shawl today and it fits me to a T. It is perfect in every way. I have added more UFOs to my knitting bag today. Most of them are scarfs which should go pretty fast. That should help my totals go up faster for the month.  Tomorrow I will take pictures of the finished items for the week. I now have freed up 2 long circular needles. Yes I have finished 3 items but I immediately cast on a hat for John with the small circular needles.

I also spent a few minutes and I do me a few minutes playing with the new carder. I will add some pictures of the batts too. I really need to try to get some rest now before I have a total revolt from my body. So here is hoping Eric goes to sleep early.

It is Already Wednesday

Eric is feeling better. Today we had our first smiles in over a week. I am still spending most of my time in his room. I am getting a lot of knitting done. I should have the second shawl of the week done tommrow. Not to worry though, I have 2 more shawls in a semi finished state. This is just in one bag of ufo's. I have decided that if I can't remember or find the patterns I will tink the project.

I managed to get a 2 mile walk in today. I also plyed 2 skeins of yarn. My carder was busy today too. I carded 3 batts that I will try to spin tommrow. Talking of carding, I found it to be pretty good excersise, after 1 hour of carding I wash drenched and tired. I wonder how many kcal's a hour ot burns. I will also have to figure out how to get it to attach to the table a little better.

It is fast approaching tommrow and I am so hoping that Eric will go to sleep soon. Night All.

First Full Day home from the Hospital

Today was Eric's first full day home from the hospital. We both got some much needed rest. In addition I managed to get a little cleaning and a lot of laundry done. I have gone through most of the mail and newspapers that were waiting for me since Saturday. I am very sure that the recycling bin in the back yard was very happy to be feed quite a bit today.

On the finishing of my UFOs I was very scattered today and worked on 3 different projects. Including a hat for John,  another Uncle Harry Scarf in an olive gray for my on line studio and I am nearing the ending of a very large wool shawl. I am in the lace section so it takes almost an hour to do 2 rows. If I had sat down and worked on just the shawl it might have been finished today.

I hear the spindles and spinning wheel calling my name but I just did not find the time today.

I did make a pot of chili tonight for dinner. I was very happy that I managed to get a home cooked meal made today. Since neither of us was very hungry I strongly suspect that I will have enough for at least one more dinner. There is also almost a full pan of homemade corn bread left over too. Maybe even enough for breakfast.

Well it is getting quite late so I think its time to call it a night.