I have found a paradox in my quest for a cleaner house. The further along in the process I get, the less I have to do. All the same I want to continue moving more out of the house. Throwing more out or donating to charity, but I am running out of things that need to go. Conversely I find that I need to dust and vacuum more because there is no clutter to hide the dust. John and Teri agree that this is a good thing. Maybe some one can enlighten me of what to expect at this stage of zenning the house.
Doing laundry all day is good, but does not quite fill the need to toss. I also need to learn to carve out time to knit and spin while the guys are home.
Well I have to get ready for next week, not quiet as busy as last week, but I am still double booked on some days.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Hats and More Hats
I seem to be making a lot of hats lately. My goal is to get the scrap basket down to a reasonable size, i.e. almost empty. I have completed 2 hats in 2 days and started a 3rd hat tonight. My friend Lisa has not seen by scrap basket so low ever. I can actually tie down the top of the basket. I now know that the only way more will be added to the basket is when I complete other projects and throw the left over yarn in the basket. That is one benefit of the massive house cleaning that I have been doing this year.
This seems to be good knitting weather too. It was cold and rainy for the last 2 days with highs in the mid to low 50's. I know all of you who read this blog in colder climates will think I am silly to complain about the weather with the current temperatures. The only thing good about the temperature now is that my wool hand knit socks actually feel good. I can also wear my cowls and woolly shawls out in public. My only solace is that spring will be here in about 5 months and I will have my wonderful weather back. Can you tell I am a summer person?
Well there will be another cold and deary day tomorrow so I foresee more knitting and gift making in my future. Although right now it is time to call it a day.
This seems to be good knitting weather too. It was cold and rainy for the last 2 days with highs in the mid to low 50's. I know all of you who read this blog in colder climates will think I am silly to complain about the weather with the current temperatures. The only thing good about the temperature now is that my wool hand knit socks actually feel good. I can also wear my cowls and woolly shawls out in public. My only solace is that spring will be here in about 5 months and I will have my wonderful weather back. Can you tell I am a summer person?
Well there will be another cold and deary day tomorrow so I foresee more knitting and gift making in my future. Although right now it is time to call it a day.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Driving
I am astounded at the amount of driving that I am doing this week. I filled up Tuesday and am already down 1/2 of a tank. It normally takes me a week to go through that much gas. I hope that things slow down soon.
I am also taking credit for the rain tonight. I washed my car on Tuesday. Well I am beyond tired. So good night all.
I am also taking credit for the rain tonight. I washed my car on Tuesday. Well I am beyond tired. So good night all.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Catch Me if You Can
It was another busy day today. It started out by Eric's aide being late. Then Eric hiding my car keys in his wheelchair. I searched high and low for them. I finally took the spare set. By the way I did find them wedged into the side of Eric's chair when we got to his day program. Eric thought that was the funniest thing in the world. Sometimes I really don't get male humor.
I did manage to get to all corners of Tucson today. Yes, there is a story behind that. I went to register Teri's car. So after I dropped Eric off I went to the MVD at Shannon and Ina. They told me I had to go to 29th and South Palo Verde. All they way across town. I had to get the California Smog certification translated into the Arizona Smog Certificate. I kid you not. They do this for an additional fee of course. Then down the street a little further to the Broadmont MVD to get the car registered. December must be a good month to do it because there was not a line.
Then it was off to FedEx at Broadway and something in the Williams Center to get it sent off to Teri. This close to the holidays I just wanted to make sure it would get to her in time. Then lunch at the 5th Street Deli. I really like their new potato latka recipe. As a bonus for my self I picked up dinner to reheat later. Thanks to Asher and his team I did not have to cook tonight. The food was dropped off at home.
Then on to the mall to get some just in time shopping done. Everything was on sale. I also meet some nice knitters who were knitting just outside the food court on Arizona Avenue in the Tucson Mall. I might just have to join them someday.
Off to get Eric and then a quick nap followed by Eric's quarterly review. Yes I brought my knitting out to calm my nerves. After 20 some odd years of doing them, I still hate the process. Well its getting late and believe it or not tomorrow is going to be just as jammed packed as the last 2 days.
I did manage to get to all corners of Tucson today. Yes, there is a story behind that. I went to register Teri's car. So after I dropped Eric off I went to the MVD at Shannon and Ina. They told me I had to go to 29th and South Palo Verde. All they way across town. I had to get the California Smog certification translated into the Arizona Smog Certificate. I kid you not. They do this for an additional fee of course. Then down the street a little further to the Broadmont MVD to get the car registered. December must be a good month to do it because there was not a line.
Then it was off to FedEx at Broadway and something in the Williams Center to get it sent off to Teri. This close to the holidays I just wanted to make sure it would get to her in time. Then lunch at the 5th Street Deli. I really like their new potato latka recipe. As a bonus for my self I picked up dinner to reheat later. Thanks to Asher and his team I did not have to cook tonight. The food was dropped off at home.
Then on to the mall to get some just in time shopping done. Everything was on sale. I also meet some nice knitters who were knitting just outside the food court on Arizona Avenue in the Tucson Mall. I might just have to join them someday.
Off to get Eric and then a quick nap followed by Eric's quarterly review. Yes I brought my knitting out to calm my nerves. After 20 some odd years of doing them, I still hate the process. Well its getting late and believe it or not tomorrow is going to be just as jammed packed as the last 2 days.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Tuesday.
Today was not a typical day for me. I was moving non stop all day long. I drove to 3 of the 4 corners of Tucson.
After dropping Eric off at his day program it was time to do some catch up at home and get some packages ready to be mailed. I ran out of time to get them sent before I had to drive to South Tucson for a luncheon. The food was good. The company even better.
Then off to get the packages mailed. I landed up having to drive to the Foothills Mall to get them mailed at FedEx, with just enough time to go pick up Eric. Then off to do one of Eric's favorite chores. Getting gas for "his" car along with a trip through the car wash.
I was very brave today and did a pretty good job of trimming Eric's hair. He seems to be sick most weekends lately. I think I will finish up the left side with Lisa's help on Friday. Yes this was one of my crazier ideas. With 2/3 of the haircut near perfect, in my humble opinion. On the other hand Eric does not think I should give up knitting and spinning or my day/night job to become a hair stylist.
I only have a few more appointments to book before I can clear off my calendar. I did not finish the hat I am working on either. I only managed to get about 50 grams of wool knitted today. Well it is beyond late so its time to say good night all.
After dropping Eric off at his day program it was time to do some catch up at home and get some packages ready to be mailed. I ran out of time to get them sent before I had to drive to South Tucson for a luncheon. The food was good. The company even better.
Then off to get the packages mailed. I landed up having to drive to the Foothills Mall to get them mailed at FedEx, with just enough time to go pick up Eric. Then off to do one of Eric's favorite chores. Getting gas for "his" car along with a trip through the car wash.
I was very brave today and did a pretty good job of trimming Eric's hair. He seems to be sick most weekends lately. I think I will finish up the left side with Lisa's help on Friday. Yes this was one of my crazier ideas. With 2/3 of the haircut near perfect, in my humble opinion. On the other hand Eric does not think I should give up knitting and spinning or my day/night job to become a hair stylist.
I only have a few more appointments to book before I can clear off my calendar. I did not finish the hat I am working on either. I only managed to get about 50 grams of wool knitted today. Well it is beyond late so its time to say good night all.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Multi-Tasking
I would like to dedicated this blog post to Emma S. from Canada. A fan and a regular reader of
my blog. Is very much interested to know how I manage the household tasks
and the knitting. This is a very good question.
The first thing I would have to say is that I take my knitting absolutely everywhere I go. If I am at the grocery store I have a small project such as a hat or scarf with a very simple pattern. The plus side of this is when the lines get especially long I am usually the first person they take to the new line. I think this is because good customer service mandates that your customers should not be in line long enough to actually be doing a "hobby" and making progress. The only place this has not worked is Walmart.
I also take my knitting to restaurants. We are not the 5 star dining kind of folks. So After I have decided what to order out comes the knitting until the food arrives. The plus side of this that I eat less of the nibbles that are placed on the table. This is a two for. 1 more knitting. 2 less calories are consumed. It also works when everyone is having the desert I so dearly want and choose not to eat most of the time.
When I have to do the carpooling for Eric, I always have my knitting with me. Sometimes they run late in his day program. So I just sit and knit while I wait for Eric. I seem to be one of the only parents that does not get upset with them running long. I also knit while John is driving so I will not be a back seat driver I never knit while I am driving, please don't knit and drive as I feel this is very dangerous. I have also been know to knit while walking in the mall or at street fairs. My hint for knitting at the movies would be very light colored yarns and a very easy pattern.
I also get a lot of knitting done when Eric is sick. With the children's channels they tend to be on a 6 hour or less repeat cycle. I have to say there are only so many times I can watch the same episode of a show in a 24 hour period. I do keep a fully loaded basket of yarn for scarfs or ponchos in Eric's room by the rocking chair. I also doing a lot of knitting during his breathing treatments ( 45 minutes, 2 times a day), I consider this my down time.
With all this being said, in reality I have 5 hours a day to get all my chores done in between driving Eric. So not much knitting gets done during the day. I am not above running the washing machine, dishwasher and dryer at night while I sleep to free up some time during the day. My biggest chore of the week is still laundry with an average of 20+ loads a week. I also love my I-Robot Roomba and Scooba, this allows me to do other chores while the machines are mopping or vacuuming. Multi tasking is the key. This might sound just awful to most people but one of the advantages to have a child with a lot of health issues is that his aides are responsible for keeping his room and bathroom straight and the rest of the areas of the house he uses neat.
The main part of my knitting gets done when I have time to meet up with friends or while watching TV after dinner.
So yes, I do manage to squeeze in a lot of odd moments of knitting. Each row by it self is not much, but a stolen minute here and there really adds up to a lot of rows.
The first thing I would have to say is that I take my knitting absolutely everywhere I go. If I am at the grocery store I have a small project such as a hat or scarf with a very simple pattern. The plus side of this is when the lines get especially long I am usually the first person they take to the new line. I think this is because good customer service mandates that your customers should not be in line long enough to actually be doing a "hobby" and making progress. The only place this has not worked is Walmart.
I also take my knitting to restaurants. We are not the 5 star dining kind of folks. So After I have decided what to order out comes the knitting until the food arrives. The plus side of this that I eat less of the nibbles that are placed on the table. This is a two for. 1 more knitting. 2 less calories are consumed. It also works when everyone is having the desert I so dearly want and choose not to eat most of the time.
When I have to do the carpooling for Eric, I always have my knitting with me. Sometimes they run late in his day program. So I just sit and knit while I wait for Eric. I seem to be one of the only parents that does not get upset with them running long. I also knit while John is driving so I will not be a back seat driver I never knit while I am driving, please don't knit and drive as I feel this is very dangerous. I have also been know to knit while walking in the mall or at street fairs. My hint for knitting at the movies would be very light colored yarns and a very easy pattern.
I also get a lot of knitting done when Eric is sick. With the children's channels they tend to be on a 6 hour or less repeat cycle. I have to say there are only so many times I can watch the same episode of a show in a 24 hour period. I do keep a fully loaded basket of yarn for scarfs or ponchos in Eric's room by the rocking chair. I also doing a lot of knitting during his breathing treatments ( 45 minutes, 2 times a day), I consider this my down time.
With all this being said, in reality I have 5 hours a day to get all my chores done in between driving Eric. So not much knitting gets done during the day. I am not above running the washing machine, dishwasher and dryer at night while I sleep to free up some time during the day. My biggest chore of the week is still laundry with an average of 20+ loads a week. I also love my I-Robot Roomba and Scooba, this allows me to do other chores while the machines are mopping or vacuuming. Multi tasking is the key. This might sound just awful to most people but one of the advantages to have a child with a lot of health issues is that his aides are responsible for keeping his room and bathroom straight and the rest of the areas of the house he uses neat.
The main part of my knitting gets done when I have time to meet up with friends or while watching TV after dinner.
So yes, I do manage to squeeze in a lot of odd moments of knitting. Each row by it self is not much, but a stolen minute here and there really adds up to a lot of rows.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
3RD KAL Clue
For the final KAL clue you will need your dpn's' and darning needle.
Cast on 3
make and I-cord 24 inches long.
Fold the Rectangle in half, leaving the eyelet at the top with out a seam. Sew up the bottom and side of the rectangle. Turn inside out. Weave the I cord through the eyelet and knot the ends of the I-cord together.
Add a bar of your favorite soap and hang in the shower or tub. This design is also ideal for small bits and pieces of soap.
As promised this will knit up fast and you still have time to make a few presents.
Happy knitting.
Cast on 3
make and I-cord 24 inches long.
Fold the Rectangle in half, leaving the eyelet at the top with out a seam. Sew up the bottom and side of the rectangle. Turn inside out. Weave the I cord through the eyelet and knot the ends of the I-cord together.
Add a bar of your favorite soap and hang in the shower or tub. This design is also ideal for small bits and pieces of soap.
As promised this will knit up fast and you still have time to make a few presents.
Happy knitting.
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