Food and Moms

Like all good moms, I left Teri with a little home cooking. Tonight after dinner I made Teri a turkey breast with home made stuffing.  This means that she will have 5 home cooked meals for the comming weeks. I also made sure she ate well for the entire weekend.  

Today we made it to the beach which was really fun. We also had a very unsecceusfull shopping trip.  No matter how much we looked we could not add any money to the California economy.  The weekend ended much to soon. As I set off for the drive home Teri will head back to work. TTFN

Teri Time

I had a great day with Teri. I also finished another UFO which makes 2 finished objects in 2 days. 

Monday

Today did not start off great, so I ingnored  my body and went through my to do list.  I think I need to remember  to use the to do list in the future.  All I had to do was 1 item at a time. With this method I got a lot done.  I managed to get through have the list today. I might even try it on good body days. 

On the craft front all I can show you is the spinning that got done today. I just have to spin the white so I can ply the yarn. 

The Designs Are Done

After spending all afternoon knitting. Yes it was well over 100 rows. I finished the second project. I also finished off the rest of the Drop Dead Diva episodes on the DVR for this season.  As of 5 pm today both designs are done. As of 5:30 pm both are photographed. Now all I need to do is type up the patterns. This is not as simple as it sounds if you have had a look at my notes. So I now have until the 19th of June to type them up and set the pictures in place.

Then I have to decide if I am going to the printers or printing them at home. I guess it depends on how many copies I need to print. I think it is time to take a few hours off of knitting and do a little spinning.  

Human Nature an Money

 This is just my random thoughts about people and money.  Sometimes people and money can totally deify logic. Sometimes be transparent can back fire big time.  Let me explain.

I have planned a luncheon. In the past I have taken the cost of the meal, tax and added the 18% tip plus 5 or 10 dollars rounded up to the nearest 5 or 10 dollar mark for the fund raiser portion and people did not blink.  No one complained.  

In a group I belong to money has been an issue all year. Plus the place we are having the luncheon has a nice discount for those over 65, which is most of the membership. If I had paid for all the meals at once, I would have had to pay the under 65 price plus a drink which is higher. So I naively thought that everyone would like to save a little money, since a lot of people I know drink water with meals they would also save the cost of a drink. So I asked for a 5 dollar reservation fee to cover miscellaneous costs of the luncheon with the balance going into the nonprofits bank account, and everyone could choose their own options when they arrived. In this case trying to save people money, a fundraiser and being transparent has turned into a big mess. A lot of hurt feelings and talk about unjust fees. That I am being greedy, please note that the $5.00 will be going into the non-profits bank account. That I don't know the value of money and so on. The funny thing here is that if they take the over 65 price with no drink that would cover most of the $5.00 reservation fee.

My take away on this whole fiasco is too skip the options and being nice. In the future all planned luncheons will be a single price even if it cost people more money. All luncheons will include the cost of the meal, drink, 18% tip and the fund raiser portion rolled into one price. No options on cost. Only main course options from a very limited menu.

Slowly Healing

My hand is slowly healing. The swelling is almost all gone.  Over the last 3 days I have been able to add 120 rows to the new design. I can now knit for about an hour a day. I am not up to my usual speed, but I hope that it will get better. 

Tonight I managed to cook dinner almost solo. John had to open the chicken package.  I managed the green beans and squash on my own.  

It's time to call it a day. 

Hop, Skip and Jump

The tendonitis has moved to my left wrist.  I feel like I am up a creek without a paddle. I will try the Dragon software to dictate the first pattern. I will also adjust the second pattern to larger knitting needles and a less intricate pattern if possible.  

I suspect that 4 hours a day for a week was just a tad too much knitting during a flare up.  I have my hand in a brace and I want an instant cure. I don't really have time for this. 

I think that this will also delay painting the new loom.  Hopefully I can get that done soon.  I am hoping that weaving will lessen the strain on my joints or at least change things up a bit. 

Out and About on Sunday

Today was a very productive day. I got the first pattern finished, now I just need to type it up and photograph it. Out of consideration for my model I will wait until I get the next pattern finished.  I have already started looking at stitch patterns and might have narrowed it down. The sketching will start tomorrow. 

We also got to Phoenix to go shoe shopping.  John got 2 pairs at a great price.  We were ahead even after we filled the van.  The Mills mall seemed empty compared to past trips. Although we could hardly walk without bumping into the kiosks.  I also like the fact that there are 3 lanes most of the way from Tucson. This took about 30 minutes off our drive. It also seemed to me that a lot of people got flat tires at the place where I blew 2 out last time. The shoulder was just littered with parts of shredded tires.  This was the only place that look that way on the whole drive. 

Busy is Good

Today has been a very busy day around here. I did three loads of laundry. Picked up my new loom,but I can't use it yet, we have to put a coat up or three of varnish on it. I got to Costco and they finally have mushrooms back in stock I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but it's a big deal to me. 

Eric borrowed a copy of the movie Frost and he is totally in love with it. It is the third time that he watched it today and he does not want me to turn it off so he can go to sleep. I guess I'm going to have to be the mean mom go turn off the movie so he can watch it again tomorrow. Now you know who has to go buy a copy of it. 

I stopped at row 87 of the new design tonight. I guess I will try to finish it tommrow even if I have to leave the house.  

B & B Salad

This is a favorite summer salad for John and I. 

B & B Salad

4 medium size Golden Beets

1 pound English Flat Green Beans

1 cup yellow tomatoes

3/4 cup of lightly chopped Pecans

Optional

4 ounces of Cheese diced

Vingerette Salad Dressing

Wash the beets and trim the ends.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.  Peel and dice.  Be careful the beets will still be hot.  

Rinse the English Flat Green Beans. Trim the ends.  Slice into thirds. Steam for 7 minutes.  Cool. 

Rinse the tomatoes. Dice the cheese if desired. Chop the pecans. 

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss and serve.  We usually eat this without the dressing.  

If you would like to keep this vegan do not add the cheese.  

Small Feet

The sad part about the kids getting older is that I got shorter.  I have only lost 1/2 of an inch since Teri has been born, but they both take after John. Now it appears that I also have the smallest feet in the house. If you sort the socks mine are the smallest. Oh well life goes on small feet and all. 

Guess Who is Sick Again?

7 loads of laundry later Eric is starting to feel better. No the last 2 loads of laundry are not folded yet, would you expect anything more from me.  On the bright side I also managed to write and knit 16 rows of one of the 2 patterns that need to be ready to go by mid June. 

I am 62 rows in and only 9.5 inches deep. I am still hoping that I can make this a one skein quick project. Only more knitting will tell.  It still might need a second skein.  

I am really hoping that Eric sleeps tonight. It feels like it has been a very long day already.  I also hope that everyone has a good and productive week.  

My First Hand Woven Scarf

This is what I have been busy doing this week. I have been having too much fun to blog or much else. This picture was taken before I washed it. By the way if you are in Tucson and have a chance to take a class with Donna  at Grandma's Spinning Wheel you just have to. I did not get to come home with a loom today. So sad. So I caught up on the house work which I have be ignoring all week. I am sure that John knew if I came home with a rigid heddle loom nothing would have gotten done today.

And that pattern I am designing. I have to tink back 6 rows not because of a design flaw, but because I dropped 1 stitch.

A Lack of Foresight

Last year I showed a tremendous lack of foresight when I made the doctors appointment for today. I had no idea the practice would be installing a new computer system on Mothers Day weekend.  It's like who does that sort of thing?

I should have know we were in trouble when we checked in at the front desk. More than the normal amount of information needed to be verified.  The clerk said there were a few glitches with the new computer system. So I thought a little GIGO went on with the data transfer. 

We were called back fairly quickly. It was about 10 minutes.  So I thought Eric might get to the program in time to swim. Wrong.  We corrected more information on the back computer.   The assistant said the doctor would be right in.  The problem is he forgot to tell the doctor that we were In the room. 

I started knitting. Did a little pt with Eric. Then started a new color in the self striping yarn. After 45 minutes Eric randomly started saying hello to attract attention.  Fifteen minutes later the doctor came in. He said it was the new computer system. There is no way to tell the doctor which patient is in which room. Also his assistant told him we had left 15 minutes before without seeing him, so the assistant checked us out and made next years appointment.  It did not sound right to him.  He was going to see a different patient whom he thought was in our room. 

So long story made short. Eric is doing ok. The doctors office computer needs some work. I got Eric to his program 3 1/2 hours late and he missed swimming. 

I am going to work on a new knitting design and hope that my day goes smoother.  TTFN

A Wonderful Day

My Family gave me a wonderful present for Mothers Day. I got to take a weaving Class with Donna at Grandma's Spinning Wheel here in Tucson. I have wanted to learn how to weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom for the longest time. I think I caught weaving bug when I took an equally awesome class on free form weaving with Kathy Withers when she was still in Tucson. I was just learning to spin my own yarn at the time. My time was very limited. So weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom took a back seat. 

Today's class came with a loan of a loom for 1 week. What you are looking at is the first several inches of the scarf. Hopefully it will not be too long before I can get my own loom. I can see this as a real stash burning craft. Besides that it is fun and relaxing, with a rhythm of its own.

Look what else my wonderful husband got for me, and he said that he was going to the hardware store. Ladies we have to figure out which hardware store carries such beautiful roses.  If we do, I am sure that we could find everything we need there. They are so pretty. I feel totally relaxed and pampered.

The only questions that remains is whether I can get Eric to get a hair cut tomorrow as part of my Mothers Day present. 

This and That

I know it is going to be a bad body day when I find my self doing stretching in the middle of the night. I try to stretch things out so that I can go back to sleep. I also find that the more I hurt on any given day the less creative that I am. I think that maybe creativity and pain share some of the same gray matter. Normally this is not an issue, but I have 2 patterns to design, knit and write the pattern in about 2 months. I will try after dinner and hope that I can get an inch or two knit and written at the same time. Long gone are the days when I sit and knit something up and then try to go back and figure out what I had knit to write the pattern. I have a very big back log of those to write up.

I did get to go to the staff appreciation party for Eric's day program today. I got to cook the hot dogs. The lesson I learned from this is not to barbecue with a hot grill right next to where the young adults are. Next year I will pick a grill away from where everyone is eating and playing. I spent 2 hours trying to keep people away from the hot grill. After everyone had, had their share of hot dogs, I got people to squirt the hot coals with the water guns instead of me. After 45 minutes I could relax and the fire was out.

It might seem funny to most people, but the highlight of my day was when 3 cases of diapers, 7 cases of formula and 2 other boxes of Eric's supplies showed up this afternoon. Just knowing that I won't run out of the basics is so nice. I don't think it much matters when they get moved. As long as we have room to park the chair and stack the supplies all is good until the cleaning bug hits.

I am really excited about tomorrow. I get to take a weaving class with Donna at Grandma's Spinning Wheel here in Tucson. A big thank you goes out to John, Teri and Eric for such a great Mothers Day present. I am going to learn how to warp and weave on a rigid heddle loom. If any one has any thoughts on which brand is better please let me know. Also are plastic or metal gears better? What size is good for a knitter/spinner as an all around loom? It should also fold for easy storage.

Well it is time to go cook dinner.

No Rhythm

Today was one of those days with out rhythm. Nothing was in sync. Although we did manage to get to Eric's therapy appointment on time. After that it was all rocky.

I got the newsletter I was suppose to have mailed out on Monday out today. It took me over 3 hours to figure out the the e-mail addresses I used last time were locked out of the system. Someone had put it in a mode of no data retrieval allowed. So I could not just copy and paste the addresses in the e-mail. Once that was resolved the e-mail went out in under 30 minutes. As a plus, I only had to print 3 copies to mail the old fashion way. Yes I screwed that up too. I picked the wrong printer setting. I am so glad that I have in house tech support. John fixed the whole mess up in less than 5 minutes including printing.

I also have to design 2 unique patterns by mid June with specific yarn requirements. This is something I have never done before. So On the 1st one I have been mulling over the shape since yesterday. Today was spent doodling and making newspaper cut outs of the approximate size and shape. Yes I did try on the newspaper mock ups. Then I wrote the beginnings of what I though would work. 2 inches in it was not looking good. So it got tinked. I got a new sheet of paper and tried again. Yes 2 inches in and it got tinked too. With the help of 4 stitch markers I think I finally have something that will work as summer wear in Tucson.

Something I can't figure out is why when some of Eric's aides do not like a particular body wash they feel the need to pour the contents of the bottle into the trash. There is nothing like finding a half of a bottle of Lush body wash poured into the trash can. I really like the smell of that one too.  That is just so wasteful. If they don't like the one I have out would it not be easier for them and cheaper for us if they just asked for a different bottle? After all we do have a few different body washes under Eric's sink. I am still shaking my head at that one.

Then Eric had an asthma attack followed by a headache tonight. So I was with Eric a little over an hour. 30 minutes to make sure his breathing got better and to do some percussion. My hands were not to fond of the percussion. Just a I began to unwind from the asthma attack Eric's headache kicked in. I took me about 15 minutes to figure out what was wrong. He held my hand tightly until the Tylenol kicked in.

I finished the day by going head to head with a white spider about the size of a quarter. Lets just leave that as Sheri 1 - Spider 0. It is time to throw the last load of laundry for the day in the dryer and see if I can get to bed before tomorrow.

Knee High

The washer got fixed yet again.  This time they sent a supervisor out and did not leave a paper trail.  I find it amazing that he had the parts on his truck to fix the washer including a new motor. Apparently it was the motor that was burning.

I thought I had 12 loads of laundry to play catch-up with but I think I counted wrong. Load number four for the day is in the washing machine and the laundry room is still knee-high. I think it will take me almost a week to catch up being this many loads behind. I don't think I can get Eric to stop making laundry in order for me to play catch-up.

I am hoping that Eric sleeps tonight because he did not go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. But I made my list and work through it is diligently as I could today. Most of the list is done with the exception of odds and ends, and projects that are half done. I think it's time to call it a night. I have a full day planned for tomorrow which surprisingly enough includes more laundry.

A New Summer Drink

My question to you is what do these things have in common? The answer might just surprise you. Combined with ice these items make a wonderful and refreshing summer drink that is very easy to make.

Recipe:

Brew 1 tablespoon of the Teavana Blueberry Bliss and Pineapple Kona Pop* for 5 to 6 minutes in 12 ounces of water heated to 208f.   

      

*If you do not pre- blend the Teavana Blueberry Bliss and Pineapple Kona Pop like I do use 1 1/2 teaspoons of each tea.

In a very large tumbler or small pitcher combine 11 ounces of the freshly brewed tea with 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of the Trader Joe's Cranberry Raspberry Juice. Add 1 cup of ice cubes. Stir well and enjoy. I did not add any sugar to this since the Trader Joe's Cranberry Raspberry juice is already sweetened. 

Living in the desert I have a lot of very large tumblers and this just fills one 24 ounce tumbler to the brim. I am sure that this can be doubled or tripled for parties, although I tend to brew my tea 1 cup at a time. 

Disclaimer: I was Not given samples of the Teavana tea or the Trader Joe's Juice to develop this recipe. I was Not paid by either company for featuring them. I paid for the products with my own money. All opinions expressed here are my own and in no way reflect the policies of either company.

A Day of Rest

Today I took it easy and just kind of went about life at a very,very slow pace today. I did make a quick trip to Target and Trader Joe's but mostly it was just relaxing.

I was too tired to spin today but I did get a lot of knitting done. I finished one scarf that used four skeins of yarn. I then started another hat and I almost finished it tonight. It's within a couple rows of being finished so I'll get that done in the morning.

Eric got to spend the day at Mount Lemon with his friends at a picnic and he came home very very tired from his day program. I hope he has a good and quiet night tonight because I can use another night of sleep.

Tomorrow I plan to do about the same things I did today although I am going to try to get some spinning done too. Of course I've already got four loads of laundry lined up in the laundry room so I'll probably have to get some of that done too tommrow.

Time for a Change

It is time to slow down a little to get my body back in sync. Let my joints have a rest and maybe just hurt a little less. Maybe even get a full nights sleep. 

I will try to relax. On schedule will be knitting and spinning.  A few trips to Bookmans. 

Eric managed to have hiccups for over an hour tonight. That does not go with my new plan of slowing down.  I guess I forgot to run my plans past the boss. 

Monday Where Did You Go?

Monday was a very busy day around here. We had a couple of appointments followed by  errands. This left me pretty tired. So I can't figure out for the life of me why after I picked Eric up from his day program I decided to start cleaning the garage. I was dressed in a skirt and blouse for the earlier appointments, not dressed for cleaning. I also forgot to put an apron on.

Thirty minutes latter John and I had made a very small dent. We had filled 1/2 of empty recycling bin, you know the big on that rolls out to the street. Added more to the garbage can and the charity bin. We were even able to move 5 storage boxes from useless piles to easy access. This might not seem like a big deal, but it gave me a better idea of which yarn was going to be used up next in my yarn stash down challenge.

I am just thinking that it will only take a couple of dozen more hats and scarfs before I can refill the cotton basket with more one of a kind skeins of yarn to make more hats and scarfs. This will intern make more room inside for yarn to come from the garage to used. Looking around the house and garage it seems to me that I am about 50% of the way done in my goal of having yarn in only one area of the house with none in the garage.

The only thing that is really hindering my stash down process is my need to spin more yarn. To that end I will try to list a few skeins of yarn either on my Raverly stash down page or my etsy shop. Either way I will add links to my blog.

El Cisne in Tucson Arizonia

John and I have found a lovely new locally owned Mexican restaurant here in Tucson.  It is called El Cisne. El Cisne is located at 4717 E Sunrise Drive on the North East corner of Sunrise and Swan in the Bel Air Plaza. Telephone number (520) 638-6160. We have eaten there several times.  I have tried something new almost every time we have gone. The prices are mid range. They are open for lunch and dinner. I have not tried their catering yet. This is an upscale casual restaurant with a very pleasant decor.

Tonight we both had the Enchiladas. John had the chicken and I had the beef. The beef enchilada had a nice smoky barbecue flavor, with very tender beef. It was served with rice and beans cooked to perfection along with some very fresh salad. The flavors worked very well together and I thought that I had hit the dinning jackpot of the evening until I tried John's chicken enchilada. Our original plan was to each order a different dish and share. Once I tasted the chicken enchilada, I knew John would not be sharing his. The chicken was tender with the seasoning just perfect. It seemed to melt in my mouth. I have not had an enchilada this good in over 20 years. Don't get me wrong the beef enchilada was fantastic, its just that the Chef managed to make the chicken enchilada even better.

We have also tried the Carne Con Chili/Beef Burrito both Red and Green with and with out beans. All versions were wonderful. The Topopo Salad which is a meal in itself.  In my experience you either get a great Topopo Salad or never order it again. El Cisne makes a wonderful Topopo Salad. The Carne Con Chili De Vaquero Sonora is a go to dish for John. The only desert that we have tried were the Sopaillas which were just perfect. They never seem to have a problem leaving the cheese off a dish or telling us that a dish can not be made dairy free.

Disclaimer: Since John and I don't eat dairy and I don't eat shellfish or pork you will not find those menu items covered here. That does not mean that I don't like them, I just don't eat them and can't review them. Also all the opinions here are my own. I was not asked to write this. We paid for all of our own meals, nothing was comped.

A Two Two Day

This morning I was able to empty 2 more bags of stash yarn. Instead of being in bags the yarn now is in its new storage space. I am really making progress in my stash down. It must also be a day of  twos.  I got 2 hours of house work done. I also finished 2 more charity hats tonight. I got 2 loads of laundry done too. 

All of this happened inspite of the stupid headache that woke me up at 1:30 this morning.  The only thing that did not have to do with 2 today. 

I am hoping for a headache free day tomorrow. I am also planning on another two two day tommrow. 

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I even got out of the house to go to knit with friends. I finished two hats and cast on another one for the to go bag.

Eric made it to his day program. It was Friday so they went swimming and he even fell asleep in the pool. One of the advocates was holding Eric so he was okay in the pool even though he fell asleep. But he was glad to be back with his friends. The first thing Eric did when he got home today was go to his room to take a nap. He wanted company so I sat and did some knitting why he's slept.

I am making a dent in my yarn stash. I think sometime this week I'm going to have to reorganize the yarn in the house. I think I might even be able to take some out of the garage but that might be a push so I can't guarantee that quite yet but I'm getting a lot knitting done. Baskets that were full of yarn three months ago are now half-empty I think that's a good sign. I am averaging finishing two small projects a day. Most of them are hats so they leave the house as the weather gets cold and go to charity. I know it's spring so I know it's a few months till they get to leave the house but maybe I can persuade one of the charities to take the hats earlier if I have a full bag. 

This week we started training three new aids for Eric. So things are going to be kind of crazy around here. We might not have as much freedom as when we have  fully trained aids for Eric. So if I seem a bit distracted don't worry about it everything is going fine here and we're going to call it an early evening tonight. 

Things are looking up

Eric is doing better today. After his bath he went back on formula and he's starting to look a little bit better. I'm on the tired side I fell asleep right after dinner , because it's been a long couple days around here.

I got to go to spinning this afternoon and hang out with some friends. I am working on a blend of gray alpaca and silk. It is really, really fun to spin up.  The roving seems to be spinning itself and just wants to be yarn. Its not completely smooth because there are places where the silk bumps but, I guess with handspun yarn that's okay. I can't wait to ply it with the blue yarn that I've already spun up and I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

We are hoping for a quiet night tonight. I hope Eric sleeps well tonight because I think we could all use some sleep. 

Sick Again

I should have know that after a rough night with Eric, that he would be sick today.  So in between taking care of Eric and the eyrpy laundry I managed to get a lot done.  

I packed up a slew of packages for John to mail. Yeah, more stuff out of the house.  Tagged 11 hats for charity. Knit 2 more hats and started a third one. Almost got the washer fixed, Sears sent the wrong part, oh well next week. I only got through a third of my to do list, with only 4 hours of sleep last night all I can say is oh well there is always tomorrow.  

Passover Round Up

There was a positive side of being totally unprepared for Passover this year. I only had time to buy 3 boxes of Matzo this year do to travel for my moms birthday and other things happening around here. So I only had time to get to one store and all they had was matzo and chicken. They had no other Kosher for Passover mixes.  They also had grape juice, apples, dried fruit and dates the things I needed for charoset and fruit compote.

So my Passover cooking was a big pot of chicken soup, making the fruit compote and charoset. One day of busy cooking for John and I. The charoset lasted until yesterday the very last day of Passover so breakfast was taken care of. We finished the matzo last night. So I don't have to make a trip to the food bank with the left over mixes.

No one missed the Passover coffee cakes for breakfast. No one missed the snack cakes or cookies in the afternoon and evening, we ate fruit instead. We did not eat a lot of junk food and no one missed it, even me. Yes, all holidays have their junk food of cookies, cakes and candy. We ate on the light and healthy side.

The best part of not being prepared for Passover this year was that instead of gaining 5 pounds, I lost a pound. A holiday that lasted a week and I lost a pound. We will have to try this again next year.

Whether you celebrated Passover or Easter I hope that you enjoyed the time with your families.

Family Time

We had a great weekend visiting with Teri. She had some talks for work in Tucson on Thursday and we got to keep her until Sunday afternoon.  We did the usual family thing of eating and shopping.

Today Eric had the day off from program and he did not want to go run errands or shop.  Can you believe  that a 20 something young man would want to spend his day off kicking back and watching tv?  So I spent the day cleaning. Waiting for parts to fix the washing machine and the service man.  Well 2 out of 3 things done is not bad.   

I also got to fill out piles of paper work for Eric. 

I started another hat tonight. The pile of finished hats is growing faster than the baskets of yarn are shrinking. I think it is time to tag the next batch to put away for next winter. 

Tomorrow I will start a sewing project in which I will be making 2 dozen mystery items.  I always seem to do projects in dozens lately.  I hope to have them finished by the end of the week. 

Well it is getting late and Eric has things to do and people to see tomorrow. Have a great day and enjoy your families.  

A Roller Coaster

Today was a roller coaster of a day.  It started off at 4:30 with a headache.  Followed by a call to pick up Eric from his day program at 10:15, before I had recovered from the headache. He was running a fever and is a little bit stuffy.  

The most wonderful part of the day was shopping with Teri at Savers. I also bumped into an old friend and we had time to catch up while Teri was trying on clothes.  Followed by dinner out with John and Teri.  

I even managed to finish 2 hats today. I am thinking about adding the one on the left to my etsy shop.  I will try to post it this weekend. Well it is getting late and we have a busy day planned for tomorrow. 

Recouping

I am still exhausted from the trip to Los Angeles last week.  I went in for my mothers birthday. We had the party at a place called Dukes in Malibu. The view was spectacular so I guess it was wrong of me to expect great service too. They could not grasp the concept of sauce on the side or can we get a basket of bread. So I got my lunch as everyone else was finishing up with nothing to nibble on in the mean time. It is one place that I don't mind being so far away from.  If you like your sauces on the side I would recommend dinning in Tucson. Even the mom and pop places can get that one right.

I also saw a fantastic play at the Mark Tapper Forum. It was called the Tallest Tree in the Forest. There was quite a bit of history in it. I had never thought of the world from a black point of view before. It is very similar to the Jewish experience at the time with the exception that we were mostly white and could blend in better in some areas. Skin color was and still is a very decisive issue for many people. The issue of name calling is still here today. I guess we have not evolved as far as we like to think we have as a country. So anyway if you are in Los Angeles during its run please do try to see it. It would be well worth your time.

I have almost gotten caught up on laundry, paperwork and getting Teri's room ready for her visit. I de-fibered her room and put things away. John dusted and vacuumed twice. I washed all the linens and will make the bed tomorrow.

I think it will take a few more days to get my body back in sync. Big cities are nice for some things, but I love the pace of life in Tucson much better. Tucson does not tie my tummy up in knots. Although with my tummy tied in knots it was very hard to come close to over eating or for that matter eating at all.  So I came home a little lighter. We are not all packed in like sardines. Even out winter traffic is better.

Fruit Compote

It has been a while since I have shared a recipe. I have this cooking on the stove as we speak. This is a holiday favorite of mine. For those of you who indulge in a little too much matzo this time of year this recipe is the perfect cure.

Sheri's Fruit Compote

8 ounces of Dried White Peaches
8 ounces of Dried Apricots
8 ounces of Dried Pitted Prunes
2 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Whole Cloves
Water to cover

In a large pot, place all the dry ingredients. Cover with water. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Cover and simmer on a low heat until the fruit is soft and tender and the water becomes like syrup. The fruit should absorb most of the water. This will take about an hour. Be careful not to burn this. Check the water level every so often. You may add water as needed but don't drown the fruit, you will want this to have a heavy syrup.

What ever you do DO NOT ADD ANY SUGAR. The fruit will be sweet enough.

Cool in the pan and then transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator.

This should make enough to last a small family for all of Passover.

The Flight from He Double Toothpicks

I am on my way to visit my mom to help her celebrate her 75th birthday. It was a toss up wether to fly or drive.  About 10 minutes into the first leg, I was seriously regretting the decision not to drive. I do need to regress here for a minute.

I had the window seat which is usually not a bad seat.  A last minute boarder plopped her self in the middle seat. I am no skinny mini, but at least I fit in the airline seat with a little room to spare.  As the woman sat down not only did she fill her seat, but also half of each seat on either side. I was effectively pushed into the wall of the plane. This is not a comfortable way to spend over an hour of my life.  

If you think this was all, her companion in the seat right in front of me went into a diatribe of how he should high jack the plane before trying to get everyone around him to join in the speculation of where would this plane be lost.  This was followed by more trash talk. Thank goodness no one took his bait.  This leads me to the question of just where is an air Marshall when you need one?  

Then the PDA started. Yes over the airplane seat.  If I was a little bolder my comment would have been to get a room.  I got further smashed into the Planes wall. As I tried to regIn some of my seat space her companion then pushed his seat as far back as it would go. And started glaring at me. I am sure there are closets with more space than I had. Now I know how John feels on some flights. 

Every time I tried to knit or reclaim seat space I got rewarded with a swift jab to the ribs.  After we landed, I told her how rude she was, she became totally offended.  She could see nothing wrong with her behavior. 

Which leads to the question of manners. Do they need to be taught in school as their parents did not bother.  Rudeness does seem to be on the increase.  Can I put a sticker on the person as an award for extreme rudeness.  Maybe a likeness of a black lump of coal. After all we we reward  good behavior with gold stars. 

Then there is the question of what rights I have on an airplane in these post 9/11 days?  Do I have the right to the entire seat that I paid for. Can airlines require wide bodied passengers who easily fill 2 seats by their lonesome make them pay for 2 seats without being sued?  Where is the media on this issue?

Here is hoping that the rest of the trip goes better. 

90%

I am 90% ready to go visit my mom tomorrow.  I just have to find 1 more knitting project and get my glasses adjusted. Maybe even add a knitting and spinning magazine to the mix.  

I have made a stew for John and he packed up the left over spaghetti from this weekend.  I thought I had caught up on all the laundry until I walked into Eric's room tonight. I swear it was emptied this morning and it is half full again.  I asked him to take it easy on laundry while I was gone and he just laughed at me. 

I will be blogging from Los Angeles tomorrow night.  Well it is time to call it a night and to be very thankful that I did not blog about my thoughts from this morning. 

A Very Good Sunday

Today was a very productive day around here. Before lunch I finished 4 loads of laundry, 1 hat, the bills and a news letter. 

Eric and I went grocery shopping after lunch.  He is such a good helper, he carried the basket for me while I pushed his chair. 

After we got home hat number 2 for the day was finished and a 3rd hat was cast on. Since I knit 2 of the same exact hats, I will only show one hat.  The color combination of the day is blue and yellow. 

I am hoping for another great day tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great week.  

Well there was 1 hiccup today. Eric's button popped out at 10 pm requiring a new button and change of clothes and some bedding.  I should have know something was going to happen when the kangaroo bag needed to be changed earlier in the night due to an air leak. 

I am going to try to call it a night again. 

Saturday

Things are going pretty good around here now. Althought we all took naps at some point today.  We are all still recouping from Eric being sick earlier in the week.  I also got the finishing work done on some hats. They are also now tagged for charity. These are the hats I worked on while Eric was sick and I was too tired to knit any lace. I also finished 1 scarf.  I find it amazing on how many small projects that I can get done when I am not knitting a Bad Assed Knitter Pattern, that has already been tinkers twice. This is to read at least 2 months of knitting on the one shawl. 

Busy

I have been very busy over the past few days with Eric being sick. I have put down the lace work until I am less tired. So I have done a bit of charity knitting over the past several days. I completed 6 hats and 1 scarf, with 1 additional hat cast on tonight. I am almost finished with the brim.  

Eric is feeling better and we hope to get him back to day program tomorrow. Then I can do some cleaning and laundry. Not that I have not been doing laundry.  You know it is a never ending chore around here. 

I hope that I can convince my body to sleep more than 4 hours at a te tonight.  Although if I wake up I will start the laundry then do some picking up. 

The Downside

This is the downside of finishing so many UFO's.  I have to file all the circulars.  The 7 vases in my closet are full of my single point needles. 

Can You do too Much Cleaning?

I am at the point of spring cleaning of throwing up my hands and running straight to my spinning wheel. This does not mean that I will stop, it just means that we are almost finished. Or so I think so. With each round of deep cleaning a little more leaves the house. I take time to reorganize things like my fiber stash. I can say that I am making progress there. I no longer have it scattered around the house hiding. It is now in one of 3 places being spun, in a box in the garage and in Teri's closet. Teri's closet has less fiber than last November when we had to stuff things in. I now have about 2 inches of clearance at the top of the clothing rack. No more has been added to the garage and I have space under my desk for my feet.

I am also down on works in works in progress in knitting. I am down to about 8 UFO's from way to many to count. Some are even new projects since the last count. I am enjoying working on things for me. The yarn stash is not down as much as the fiber, because of all the spinning. Less fluff more yarn, who would have thunk.

I have gotten the first box of things for Goodwill boxed and John will drop it off tomorrow. I am hoping to be done with spring cleaning tomorrow. Then maybe I won't dream I am cleaning the house at night.  The worst nightmare ever.

Well dinner is ready so it is time to go. Please enjoy your families.

Catching Up

Spring cleaning is well under way. There might be hope that the house will be ready for Passover.  It is nice sharing the work with John. We work well together.  I also took time to organized fluff. Instead of being scattered around the house it is all in Teri's closet or the garage. My stash is getting realitivty smaller. At least it is not growing.  

I also got caught up on some sleep. Which helps with the arthritis pain.  Last night it got so bad that I got up to clean house on the theory that moving would help loosen things up.  After an hour it was aspirin time.  So I took a 3 hour nap today which helped a lot.  

I also figured out why 2 rows of the shawl is enough for one night. At 398 stitches per row will do that.  It was also easier to work the lace pattern tonight with a stitch marker every 14 stitches.  So as it stands now 4 rows of lace are done and only 16 more rows of lace to go.  I should have it done in a week or so.  Then I will block it.

Tomorrow I conquer the craft room.  Teri's never ending blanket will go on the table that has the beads on it. I will also need to find a pattern for my next sewing project.  So the sewing table will need to be done too. 

I have a busy day tomorrow so I am calling it a night. 

2:30 A.M. Really!!!!!!

Eric was up until 2:30 am this morning. As a result he stayed home today. The combination of things really put a crimp in my day. I only got through a third of my to do list today.  I knew I was to tired to drive today and John was gracious enough to do my post office run.  It was one of those rare days that I was even to tired to do any laundry, which just means I have more to do tomorrow.  

On the bright side today I successfully got through the first of 10 repeats on the lace pattern.  I am so glad that I put the life line in.   Without the life line. I would have been in trouble.  It took me 2 hours to knit 2 rows of the lace pattern. I know it's not much, but here is a picture of the 1st repeat of lace. I know it does not look like lace yet. 

Moving Forward

I think I have fianally gotten out of my rut. It only took core spinning 3 skeins of yarn this afternoon.  The good news is that I have finished using all that yucky roving. The last skein is soaking right now. With the hummidity in the teens even with the core they should be dry sometime tomorrow. The bad news is that I can feel my finger joints throbbing.  

I think that the rest of the week will be more productive. I also have figured out where I can send some roving to, to do some stash busting.  I know someone who is doing some felting and this would be perfect for her. 

I also got the last bit of sewing done. Tomorrow the sewing machine will go in for service. Since it is mid March, I hope it will only take a week because most snowbirds are gone.  

It is time to get things ready for tomorrow. 

It's Only Tuesday

I know that I should not take it personally, but we lost 2 aides for Eric this week. This leaves me feeling what did I do wrong? How can I make the work environment better? Why over the last 20 years have all the aides I have recruited for Eric gone on to other consumers with in months or days of hire? You would think that after a month or 2 or longer of recruiting someone to take care of Eric they would not jump ship so fast. This has left me a little bummed out. Oh well off to recruit more people. UCP of Southern Arizona is always looking for good people. Here is a link to their employment page.

I spent the rest of the day going from one crisis to another. With the exception of the aides, I can go to bed knowing that I have cleaned up all the messes of the day.  I also got a few more projects done and out of the craft room. I think I will cut this blog short tonight as the house is turning off all the lights and 6 am does come awfully early when I stay up this late.

I know that tomorrow will be a better day.

A Slow Day

After yesterday's busy day I needed a rest day. So except for 1 load of laundry and grocery shopping not a thing got done.  

That is what I want the world to see, but you know me to well not to ask about my to do list too. Yes I got everything on my to do list done too. So I guess I have a slightly different version of a slow day. 

One last thing. I have a poll that I would like you to weigh in on. I got a batch of roving for spinning that is so bad that I can not spin it into singles.  It is over dyed and felted in some areas.  I have been using it to practice core spinning. The yarn is coming out so course that all it is good for is weaving.  I was hopeing to core spin the last 3 rovings. John, Teri, Eric and my mom think it should go into dog pillows. Not to waste my time on the yucky stuff. Can I get some spinners to weigh in on this.  I have never had roving this bad before and feel guilty about not spinning it.  I hate to waste the money. 

I look forward to your opinions on this. 

Tucson Festival of Books

I left the guys at home and went to the Tucson Festival of Books.  It was a very nice day with lots of walking and a bag full of freebies. Apples seemed to be the giveaway of the day and I enjoyed 2 while I was walking around.  

I was good and did not buy books. Some looked really good but I have a back log to get through first. I also saw some Native American weaving and figured out how I could I could speed up my weaving.  It was just one of those aha moments. 

As I write this, I am sitting outside Old Main where my dad took classes when he was a student at the UofA. They are in the middle of restoring the building so when they are done it will look a lot like it did when dad was here. 

Well I still have to walk over to the Tyndel garage where the car is parked.  I better get moving before I don't want to move. I still have more laundry waiting for me at home. 

A Great Day

Last night was pretty wonderful, everyone including Eric slept. Which left me with the energy to pick up around the house. I unpacked some of Eric's supplies And made the pile of supplies smaller. The main thing though was finding a place for everything. Every item no matter how small found a home or an exit strategy. 

Eric also went back on formula today. He is doing well enough to be back at his full night time rate tonight. 

I even got 15 more rows of the shawl knit tonight.  This was made possible by the short rows I am doing. Each row is 2 stitches shorter than the last row for another 23 rows.  Then there will be a pattern change. 

Well it is time to write up my to do list for tomorrow.  So have a great day. 

Life as Usual

I came home exhausted from the fundraiser on Wednesday totally exhausted.  John made dinner and I went to bed early. That is when Eric decided that he was not feeling well and kept John up until midnight.

I slept until 4ish in the morning when it was my turn with Eric.  He was sick all day Thursday and today. Including being up all night.  John and I took turns with him so that we could do things. 

I am exhausted, more tired than Wednesday night if that is possible. Please join me in the hope that Eric will sleep tonight.  

The First Change

Today I finished a 3 day sewing marathon that resulted in 35 bibs for the Taglit fundraiser at the Tucson JCC on Wednesday. We will be there from 8 am to 4 pm. The car wash will finish up at 1 pm. 

So this picture below is the 1st change made possible by clearing the clutter of someone Else's dream for me. That space use to hold the terry cloth towels and wash cloths necessary to make 35 bibs. I have to be honest the first 5 were fun to do. I still enjoyed the sewing yesterday, but my hands were absolutely useless for knitting last night. Today I wanted to avoid the project at all costs but forced my self to finish the remaining 15 bibs. I could not knit tonight either. The bottom picture is of 30 of the 35 bibs. I can say with out a doubt that this is not the business I want to be in. Even using production line techniques I maxed out at 15 bibs a day. I could not see myself sewing bibs day in and day out. 

I will continue to make all of Eric's bibs but I usually only have to do a dozen every year or so. Not such a bad task. I can get it done before I am tired of them.

So I was finally able to un-box the carding board I am going to make rolagaes on. I still have space left over. I got the carding board from Sheep Banks.  You can find her on Facebook.  

Well it is time to call it a day. 

Another Big Change

Today I spent the day making bibs. Most were baby or toddler size.  I have started clearing out others peoples dreams of what I should be doing with my life. Even others peoples dreams of the next big money maker. If it really was a big money maker why were they not doing it for themselves? Why did I need to do it? I will be finishing half done projects and clearing them out of the house. I will try to spend 1 day a week doing this.  In this new phase of my life I will only take on  new projects that I want to do. I want to spend time exploring my creative side. I can not accomplish this by doing unpaid work that other people think I should be doing. I will pick my own charity projects.

The upside of all of this is that I will have more space for the things I want. By sewing the bibs today I have cleared 1/2 of a shelf in the craft room.  Less is really more.  I will also have a lot of different things that can be used by the Taglit Day Program for fund raising at the Tucson JCC to benefit Eric and his friends.

So to sum up this change a succinctly as I can here goes. If your name is not Teri, John, Eric, Lisa or Matthew. If you are not the Taglit Day Program at the Tucson JCC. If you are not a charity near and dear to my heart. The answer to most unpaid inquires will be no. I will not buy the supplies. I will not drop everything to get your project done and fall behind on things that really need to get done. After so many decades on this earth I will not be every one's go to  person who always says yes.




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Spinning Again

I finally made it back to my spinning wheel today. I took John's suggestion and used the Luate  wheel because it had the peddle on the right side. I am giving my left foot time to heal.  I will take a picture and add it to the post tomorrow.