Not an Idle Summer Day

It has been a very busy day. It started off shopping at the Friends of the Pima County Library sale. I found a slew of good knitting books in excellent condition for a very reasonable price. Most of these will be raffle prizes at future guild meetings. The hard part for me will be letting most of them leave the house. They are all that good. I also found a lot of books for Eric, so if you like to read aloud to a very willing audience please feel free to give me a call. Then it was off to Starbucks for a much needed caffeine break. I also found a replacement for one of my favorite coffee/tea mugs that found it way to the trash can in pieces. I just wish that people would let me know when they break something.  Darn if we did not go a little out of our way to Savers. I did find a Lego set for $1.00 for my friends son. The funny thing was I promised that we would try to find a set of Lego's if he agreed to go with us. I just love good karma. That was not the best deal of the day. I can't say much more about it, although the person I have this in mind for will just love it.

Then it was lunch with John followed by a short nap. I did manage to get one project off the knitting needles, however so the needles would not feel useless I cast on the next project. I did also find the time to do a little spinning this afternoon.

Since I am handing Eric over early tonight to John, I think I will call it an early night. My to do list is a mile long for tomorrow.

A Quiet Day

Today was a very quiet day around here. Only 2 loads of laundry got done. I was going to take Eric to a movie today but he slept through it.  So I played a few computer games, made a shopping list, got to the grocery store. I also found time to hang around with a friend. A new project hit the needles too. 

I am just waiting for Eric to fall asleep so I can call it a night.  

A Wavy Cable Pattern

As promised I have just listed a new pattern on my Raverly Designer page . It is a Wavy Cable Washcloth. The key learning component of this washcloth is the 9 stitch cable. At first it did seem a bit daunting, but after doing 3 of the cables in the pattern, the fourth one was much easier. This would make a good gift for someone paired with a nice bar of soap for a birthday or the holidays. I will try to list it in my etsy shop soon, but until then this link will work well.

Please feel free to share this pattern link with friends who like to knit wash cloths and other small 1 skein projects. I have a picture of the finished washcloth below. I used Sugar and Creme in a solid color, any worsted weight yarn in cotton will do.

Well it has been a very long day and the house is quiet so it is time to call it a night.





A New Begining

Birthdays always bring out a spark in me. This year is no different.  After some input from some very good knitters, it has been decided that this year I will study, peruse and learn new knitting stitches.  To this end I will try to create at least 12 one skein wonders that will be useful.  Using one or more new to me stitches.  I will share them with my fellow guild members. After that they will go on my Raverly designer page and in my Esty shop. The first one will be released  Thursday afternoon.  I hope you will join me in this journey.  

Off to a Great Week

Well today was a very busy one here. I started the house work at 7:30. Then I went on to do other things that needed to be done around the house today.  I took pictures of Thursdays guild project and for the very first time decided something would really look a whole lot better blocked. I am really pleased how the pattern turned out. I will release the new pattern on Raverly and Etsy after the OPK luncheon on Thursday. I am thinking a price point in the $2.00 price range.

I tried my hand at Moroccan food tonight. The verdict is in, yes we will add it to our rotation. I think it will be a good meal for easy swallow nights. I want to make it again before I share the recipe. Tonight I was just hoping that it would turn out good. I know I had a hit when John went back for seconds. I also have enough coccus left over for breakfast.

John and I actually got to enjoy some TV time together tonight. We caught up on a few shows while I did the set up rows for a couple of extra projects for Thursday just in case I did not reach everyone. I will also do some partials tomorrow night so I can show off the design  in stages. In all probability the extra projects will be available for purchase when the next Taglit fundraiser occurs. By the way Taglit is the name of Eric's day program which he just loves.

Speaking of fundraisers, it has come to my attention that a small non-profit called Halos of Hope has run in to some funding issues. They distribute chemo hats of all kinds around the country.  They make their money through the sale of patterns which of course are copy righted. The problem came about when some unidentified LYS's bought a single copy of a pattern and then photo copied and distributed the pattern for free with yarn purchases. On the surface it may not seem wrong, after all the people did buy yarn from the store. But if a pattern has a copy right that says you may not distribute it with out the express permission of the copy right holder it is wrong in so many ways. This has left Halos of Hope short on funds to send hats out to where they are needed most.  I am including a link to there donation page of Halos of Hope where a $6.00 donation will send out 15 chemo hats to those going through a bad time. Would you be willing to give up just 2 cups of coffee to help 15 people? Just skip going out Saturday night and your dinner money could send out over 60 hats. Any amount will help. If you would like to make some hats that would be wonderful too, just be sure to follow the guide lines posted on the site.

Now it is time to count my blessings before bed and settle Eric down, hopefully before midnight tonight.

Happy Fathers Day and More

I would like to start out by saying Happy Fathers Day to John. The day did not quite go as planned but I hope it was a good day. I also really missed my call to my dad today. It still does not seem right that both our fathers are no longer with us. I hope my dad is having a day that is "a little bit better than perfect".

This was also a birthday weekend around here too. I have a new Fit Bit to try as soon as John sets it up for me. My friend Lisa made a cake for me. Teri Called us. We also did something completely out of charter for us. Last night John and I actually went to dinner and a movie. Yes, we really did stay out past 7:00pm.. It has been more than a decade since we have done that. We really had a great time. We saw "Now You See It", I would like to recommend this movie if you have not seen it. It was good enough to make me put my knitting back into the my knitting bag. The only thing that would have made the experience even better is if the nameless movie theater would have bothered to pick up the trash between showings or the people would have taken their trash out with them. It was kinda of yucky tripping over other peoples trash in a darkened theater. We never have that on the 1st or 2nd showing of the day, our usual time to see a movie.

Today Eric was not feeling well and slept most of the day. I spent a good 3 hours in his room trying to make him comfortable tonight. I think I finally succeeded. I also managed to get another 2 inches done on a charity scarf. Maybe I spoke too soon. I really hope he sleeps tonight.

A Pretty Good Day

I had a pretty good day despite the flare up. There was knitting with friends. Followed by a surprise birthday lunch. Followed by shopping. Eric had a great day at his day program with the exception of not swimming. John picked up dinner so I did not have to cook. Followed by more shopping. Even with the flare up I managed to walk 4 miles today. Now for the aspirin to kick in so I can try to get some sleep.

Red Tape

Well I took a slow body day. About the only thing I can say that I truly accomplished was starting the process for Eric's new wheelchair yet again. I hope the third time is the charm.  Apparently it is not enough to have a valid prescription from the doctor, but you have to be evaluated by a qualified therapist to see if you really need the chair. With all the insurance fraud that has been going on around wheelchairs, the company's have added extra layers, which of course add to the over all price of the chair. It did not seem to matter that Eric got his first chair at age 3 so he could take the bus to preschool. It also does not matter that in my humble opinion that Eric will not be learning to walk anytime soon. Or that he has worn out the chair he got when he was 17 or 18. Did I mention that he grew 5 inches since we got his last chair? With all the phone calls going back and forth it took 2 hours just to get the information I needed to give the doctor so that she could write the request.  That is 2 hours that I am not going to get back. Now to wait for an opening for the evaluation. Then another 2 to 3 months for the new chair.

Did you know it was easier to get Eric a new placard for special parking permit when his was stolen. All we needed was the MVD* Supervisors signature on the form. She said that since it was a replacement and that Eric was still in the chair no doctors letter was needed. We did not even have to go wait in a long line.

I think that the system is totally screwed up when it is easier to deal with the MVD then the insurance company's rules and regulations. I am hoping that we can get measured for the new chair very soon. Well I think that it is time to put this to rest for the night.

*MVD is the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department

How Not to Write a Pattern

I am still working out the best ways for me to put my knitting patterns to paper. I am currently working on a pattern that I started writing a few days ago. So I went through a dictionary of knitting stitch patterns. This is good because I know what direction I want to go. I know I am working on a wash cloth so I know that I need to cast on 40 stitches. This is very good so far. This gives me a boarder of 5 stitches on each side and enough for 2 pattern repeats in the center of the washcloth with the stitch I picked out.

Things are still going great I have knit the first 8 rows for the bottom of the wash cloth. I like to knit the pattern as I am designing it. I need feed back from the yarn and the pattern. So I get the next 16 rows done and it looks wonderful. Now this is where things start getting wonky.

Eric had an asthma attack so I gave him his first dose of medicine and went to grab the note book that I was writing in plus the knitting pattern under way. Yes I moved everything into Eric's room. I figure once he had the meds he would settle down. I started knitting like I had done hundreds of time in his room. Of course I was not writing a knitting pattern but rather doing mindless knitting on ponchos, scarfs or caps. Some where along the way in the next 2 hours of popping up and down from the rocking chair aka the knitting chair and Eric's bed to get him in a better position to breath I screwed up on my row count.

My first reaction was that the knitting dictionary was wrong. I could not possibly make a mistake like that. My row count and the books row count for the second half of the pattern did not match. Just to prove that I was right and the book was wrong. I sent out a call on Facebook and Twitter for a couple of test knitters. This is where I have to give a really huge thank you to Jen. In less than 24 hours she managed to not only knit up the pattern but find all the mistakes. So I started a second one following the corrections so far so good.

So to sum this up don't expect to write of coherent or cohesive pattern while taking care of a sick child. Calm and quite are necessary. As to the question can you see the wonky pattern the answer is no. I am still some what of a perfectionist at heart on somethings. If you want to take the pattern and make it wonky go right ahead. It will be out sometime around the 20th of this month.

Swimming

Yesterday we took Eric swimming in our pool for the first time in about 7 years. It does take 2 people to get Eric in and out of the pool. I knew Eric had got taller lately, well in the last 2 or 3 years, but it did not register how much taller he is than me. I took Eric "walking" around the pool which required Eric to stick his bottom out so that he could rest his head on my shoulder. Eric has a good 5 inches on me now. He is also much heavier than he was way back then. I was so glad that we had 3 adults to handle him in the pool. He rotated from adult to adult the whole time we were in there. The pool water was a little cold for him at 89 degrees so John put the solar cover back on so we can warm it up a bit for next weekend.

Since he is so much bigger than 7 years ago we will need to look into a better ramping system to get him out to the pool. We will need a higher ramp at the back door. We will also need to add one from the patio deck to the pool deck. I am sure that John can figure something out and build it. The second ramp will also have to be off set from the first one so that we can open the pool gate.

It has been so long since we were able to get Eric in the backyard pool. I had forgotten how much fun we all have. I hope we get to swim more this summer.

A Fantastic Day

After a very slow start to my day, yes I am sure it had nothing to do with being up with Eric until 2ish this morning. Or getting 3 out of the 5 loads of laundry for the day done before 2 am.  I did manage to sleep in until 6:30. I did leave the folding until 7:30 this morning, after breakfast.  I did take a nap too. That must have been my catalyst for the day.

After my nap I got the computer desk picked up a little. Straightened the kitchen counter of all the odd junk mail, did the shredding, and took out 3 loads of trash. Carded a 3 ounce combination of 75% wool and 25% silk, this is when I found out that my carder can only do a 2 ounce batt. So 1 ounce for me and 2 ounces for a swap. The strawberry's got planted and the flowers got trimmed and re potted in to a bigger pot. I started looking at stitch patterns and after dinner worked on incorporating it into a wash cloth pattern. I am a third of the way through the pattern and I like it very much. As usual I am knitting it while I am doing the design. It will debut at the May OPK luncheon and after that for non-OPK members it will be available on my Raverly Designer page. All I can say is that I am having fun with this one.

I did manage to get some knitting for the World Wide Knit in Public Day done at dinner. This was my first venture out of the house for today.

After dinner we did a quick stop at the drug store, yes I know a great date right? This is where my ganga* of the day came in. I got 2 bottles of vitamins at buy one get one free and a small spray bottle for the strawberry plant. The original cost would have been about $29.00 for the 3 items. After the deals and gift card we paid a  total of .51 cents for the whole shopping trip. Now that is what I call a great shopping trip.

Well it is summer so if I get to bed soon I will have another fantastic day tomorrow.

*Ganga is Tucson speak for a really great deal.

Summer is Here

It was a very busy and productive day for me. Everyone is doing well, that helped me a great deal. A lot of knitting got done. One small project was finished. As soon as it was off the needles another one was started.  I did manage to walk 4 miles today. It is the first time since I hurt my knee that I have done more than 2.5 miles. I don't think I am up to five miles yet, but in a month or two that is my goal.

At knitting today I was able to pass on 2 bags of raw yarn for other knitters. That is 2 more bags out of the house. Well technically 1, since 1 has been in the car a few months waiting to meet up with Liz.

I did manage to get a lot of errands done today. Yes it was in the 106-107 range while I was running them. The most important thing to remember is that I was having fun and drinking iced tea and lime flavored water* while I was running around. I did manage to cash in a few birthday coupons while I was at it. If you have to ask there is a very nice set of summer ice teas at Tevanna, but I know it is a little pricey and I do have a lot of tea to drink. Then there is always yarn and fluff.

I have just started to do the laundry for the day. The car said it hit a high of 111, yes that is one hundred eleven degrees, as I was driving Eric home. It is finally into the 90's so my plan is to get a load or two done tonight. No, I will not be folding it tonight, that can wait for later.

Tomorrow I planing on writing the mystery pattern for the Knitting Guild Luncheon. Lets see if I can come up with a pattern that will challenge the new knitters along with those that have been knitting since so last century. I also plan on finishing up what I have to bring, i.e. the goodies.

After that is done some more knitting and finishing work, then tag, photograph and bag of at least a dozen objects. I suspect that the guys will want to lay low and not doing anything this weekend, because of the heat. Me on the other hand would love to get out of the house for a bit. I find the heat easier to deal with than the cold.

Now to the recipe you have all been waiting for.

Lime Flavored Water

1 very large glass filled with ice
the juice of 1/2 of a lime with the peels
water

Add ice to the glass. Squeeze the lime juice in along with the peels. Add water. Keep adding ice and water through the day. You should taste the lime flavor most of the day.

A Lazy Summer Day

Today started off very good. I got an hour of chores done before breakfast. Grocery shopping before lunch. Then it was nap time and not a whole lot got done after that. I started the tomatillo stew to late for use to eat it tonight, so we had quesadilla's and watermelon for dinner. At least I am ahead of the game for tomorrow, dinner is already cooked.

Eric had a great day at his summer program. He really enjoyed swimming and painting today. We had a slight leak with the pump tonight, but caught it before I had to do more than one load of laundry. I would also like to thank the great people of Johnson & Johnson, being tired tonight I put darks (red (Stuffed Elmo) and blue (New Pillow)) in with whites (a chuck and diapers) on a cold wash with a Stain Catcher. Everything came out the right color and the Nutren 1.0 did not even interfere with the Stain Catcher. Good job.

Well Eric is asleep and I want to try to catch up with some sleep.

A Lot of Knitting

The only real thing that happened today was knitting. I managed to finish 2 UFO's.  Ok, so that took all of 10 minutes. Sometimes i get so tired of a project that i put it down with only a few rows to go. I also added a lot of rows to 2 other UFO's. I really know I shouldn't have, but I cast on another project. What can I say. The yarn talked to me and said "me next and I want to be a summer bandana". So what's a girl to do but cast on another project.  

I did try shopping, I even had a gift certificate, but the styles were so not me that I gave up looking.  I could not even find a plain t-shirt in cotton. 

Well the house is quite so I am calling it a night before my iPod spell check and I get into it over grammar and spelling tonight. 

Does it have to be Monday?

I am happy to report that Teri is now a member of the working class. She has left her school days behind her. I hope that you will join John and myself in wishing her the best of luck in her new endeavor. From my point of view, the little girl who started in pre-school at age three and has never left the school environment in now working. Please join us in trying to figure out where all those years went. Also the modular blanket that I started for her in her 1L year of law school only has about 60 blocks to go before the boarder goes on. Did I mention that there were 42 rows per block?

On the home front it was one of those in pain most of the day, days. I find myself cranky and blue when I can't get the pain to go away no matter what I do. So it was a put on a smile day and carry on with my day. I did not get through my entire to do list, but a small dent is all I can hope for on days like today.

At a snails pace I did some laundry, errands and knitting. Eric and John also had a good day. Well the hiccups and hot flash are over so it is time to add 1 more load to the washer and go to bed. I am hoping for less pain tomorrow.

A Contrast in Opposites

This weekend was a contrast in opposites. Saturday Eric was a little under the weather and slept most of the day. John had a very restful day too. I spent the day working ( knitting) on Teri's blanket and managed to get 3 modular squares (41 rows per square) done and the 4th one of the day started. I am slowly but surely approaching 200 squares done which should be at about the half way mark if you consider the boarder in the knitting.

Today on the other hand was a very busy one. I spent the morning cleaning house and doing laundry. I stopped doing laundry for the afternoon when it hit 103. The official high at the airport was 107, but it got to a little over 108 at the house today. Instead of running errands this afternoon I tackled my yarn stash in the closet first. What surprised me the most was that I had very little yarn in the closet stash that I did not love. Only 6 or 7 skeins needed to be put in drawers. About 6 skeins I was willing to part with so I will be passing it on to Corina. I do have about 1 1/2 empty drawers but I think I will wait just a bit longer before I move more yarn in.  I then headed to the craft room and went through my knitting bags one by one to clean them out. I pulled a few skeins of what was I thinking and added them to Corina's bag. I also started a bag of smaller balls of yarn that I will use to teach a weaving class to part of Eric;s summer program friends. I found all kinds of knitting needles out of place and put them away too. I know that none of you are surprised that I found a stash of UFOs, some with only a few rows left to knit.

So very early tomorrow I will do my running and get the laundry started. My to do list is already made. When the heat of the day hits I will do more knitting. Hopefully finishing some UFOs in the process. I want to start some new projects, but I really need to get the projects that I have started finished. I think I will put on one more load of laundry tonight and call it a night.

Thursday

Well I just wanted to let everyone know that Eric made it to his day program today. He really seemed happy to see his friends. John and I took turns training his new advocate. With any luck we did a good job.

I on the other hand I am just tired enough to make a knitting mistake that I have not made for at least 8 years. Although unlike 8 years ago I did not have to frog the entire amount I knit. I only had to tink back 3/4 of a row. I know it is still early but I am calling it a night. Hopefully a good nights sleep is all I need to recharge.

Chicken Stew

My body has been playing catch up with sleep and rest most of the week. I am almost back to 80% of feeling my best. This cold has left Eric and I with a cough that will last another week or two. I am feeling well enough to be tired of frozen meals and take in. So with John being my prep chef, yes he got to peel and cut up all the vegetables for tonight's dinner. He did a wonderful job too.

Chicken Stew

2 large Chicken Breasts diced
1 medium onion peeled and diced
3 cups of celery  cleaned and cut into 1/2inch chunks
3 cups of carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1/2 cubes
8 ounces butternut squash cubed. it is OK to buy the pre-cut package
8 ounces mushrooms cleaned and sliced
A large splash of White Zinfield or any open white wine you have
1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 1/4 quart Le Creuset soup pot with a cover

In the pot heat the olive oil up on a medium low temperature. Add the diced chicken breast with a little salt and pepper. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add the Rosemary. Toss well and cook for another 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. The chicken should no longer be pink on the outside. This is the time to switch out the stirring spoon and put the dirty one straight in to the wash.  Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook down. Added the Butternut Squash and Yukon Gold potatoes. Cover with the carrots and celery. Add the White Wine. Cover and bring to a low boil. Turn down the heat and cook for at least 1 hour. 2 to 3 hours would be ideal for the perfect flavor blending.

If you do not use wine in your house you may substitute water. The flavor will be slightly different.
Serves 6 as a main course.

So as you probably guessed this is dinner tonight.

Memorial Day Weekend

We are all in the last stages of the awful of a cold. I might have gotten better quicker if I did not do a 21 hour work day while John was helping Teri move. All the things I had planned to do while John was with Teri went by the wayside. I just started to do some of the work today. Then became so tired I took a 4 hour nap this afternoon. My voice has almost recovered. The arthritis has kick in with gusto. The only question that remains is if Eric and I will be well enough to go to his day program Tuesday for a day of training for this summers advocate.

Now to the important thing about this weekend.

Please take a moment to remember why tomorrow is a holiday. It may be a day of picnic's and the start of summer. But there is more to Monday. Monday is Memorial Day, a day of remembrance. To remember all the service members that have given their all since 1776.  Please take a moment to think about what this means. If there is a Gold Star Family* by you check in on them. Bring some flowers or a light snack over to them. Ask if you can do any thing for them. Their families have given the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we all enjoy.

*Military families are considered "Gold Star" if family members died in service. The terms refer to official military service flags, which use star emblems to represent family members serving during war or hostilities.

And the Cold Marches On

What a week this has been so far. Eric's cold morphed into needing antibiotics. Eric also shared his cold with me, now I can see why he was so miserable. It has officially moved into my sinus and all I can say is ouch. So the house is the official infirmary.

John escaped this madness by going to help Teri move into her new apartment. Yes, John did bump up the schedule and from what I hear there are boxes everywhere in her new apartment. Teri thought that they would unload the truck tomorrow.

Between Eric and the cold I am just napping and working on very easy UFOs. One scarf got finished today and I made a lot of progress on another. Eric's dragon graciously agreed to be the model for the scarf I finished today. The decongestant is starting to work it's magic so it's time for the final spell check and then off to bed.

 



Sick Kido

Eric managed to get the cold that was going around his day program. This one was nasty with a fever that peaked at 102.7, yes it was a very long night. The cough was one of those that racks the whole body. I held him up so that he could bring up the junk so it would not land in his lungs. Keep your fingers crossed on that one. Also lots and lots of sneezing. The weirdest part of all is that it has seemed to trigger a thrush infection even though we used no antibiotics. His fever is still around 100 but he is calm and smiley.

I got to bed at 4 am this morning and got to sleep in until 7:30 am. I was dragging all day. I did manage to get a nap in though. I left John in charge of meal planning today. If it was up to me we would have had nothing but cheese and crackers or maybe some cookies for lunch and dinner. John did much better than that.

I managed to get a little spinning in tonight. I am working on the Lady Edith colorway in 80% merino 20% silk by Cloudlover . Natalie does not have anymore of this in roving, but she does have a few skeins of sock yarn left. There is a new colorway called Golden Roses that looks fantastic. Natalie does a great job of dyeing the roving so that there is no felting. This is one of my favorite shops for colored roving.

Well I am hoping for a very quiet night with Eric so I am going to call it a night.

29 Years and Counting

This is just a quick thank you to my wonderful husband John. Today is our 29th wedding anniversary. John has been everything one could ask for in a husband and father. I hope for many more years ahead.

To quote Robert Browning  from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra""Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,".  Since this is a rather long poem, I did pick my favorite line. Here is the link to  The poem Rabbi Ben Ezra .

My favorite wedding picture.

A Lazy Day

It was another late night with Eric. I am really rooting for allergies, the palo verde are just yellow with pollen. I did manage to get to sleep a little after midnight and sleep in until 7:30 this morning. After multiple late nights I decided it was going to be a lay low day.

Since Eric was busy sneezing and coughing and I just did not want to watch a day of kids programing, Eric came with me to the living room to sit with me while I spun some yarn. After the first 2 trips to run and get supplies, it was just more prudent to bring a pile of bibs, napkins and swabs in with us. The only thing I did not think of was a laundry basket. Isn't it great that hind site is always 20/20?

After finishing spinning and plying some merino, it was time to try my hand at my first art yarn. I took some hand spun wool in blue, pink glass beads and a metallic thread in white. It took about 45 minutes to get the beads on the metallic thread. There were some bumps along the way but I did manage to get the wool plied with the thread and beads. It does look very wonky in my humble opinion. The end of the skein is better looking than the beginning of the skein. That being said the last time I saw this being done is when Kathy Withers taught me to spin a few years ago. Lisa said it was not wonky but artsy. This is my first try and I expect to try it again.

I managed to get a nap after lunch when Eric was sleeping. Not much got done after lunch.

Lisa asked Eric if I was any good at the art yarn and he signed no to her. Lisa then asked if mommy needed more practice and he signed yes. Not bad for a kid who can't see what I am spinning, but instead basing this all on what he heard while I was spinning.  Eric has also decided that I don't sing as well as Carole King when I sing Child of Mine. This is our song.

 

Tomorrow I plan on fixing my apricot shawl. I found 4 different holes in it a dinner that were not there last night. I will just scream if I find scissor cuts in it. I am hoping for plan old snags which are easy to fix.

 

I am hoping that Eric will sleep tonight. So It is time to go do Eric's finial bed time routine.

Life with Eric

It was a very long night with Eric last night. First there was the asthma treatment at 10pm followed by the tummy ache at midnight, that lasted until 2:30 am.  I finally got to sleep a little after 2:30am. Then woke up with the headache from he double toothpicks at 5:30am. For a while the day seemed to go down hill from there. Eric's Kangaroo Joey pump bag broke leaving a mess of formula to clean up and requiring another pump bag be filled and primed.

On the good side I only had 3 loads of laundry today. Followed by 2 hours of house work. John joined in the house work effort today. I really don't know how he does it. He manages to stay in one area until it is completely done. While I am a blur of constant motion. We seem to get the same amount of work done but he is not as tired at the end of 2 hours of cleaning. After lunch I took a stab at the computer desk, it is only 40% complete, but there is a lot less paperwork on the desk. I also got some spinning and knitting done today.

While we were doing laundry and cleaning, Eric slept most of the day. John and I managed to get a short nap. Eric had another sore tummy this evening which has been taken care of, hopefully. It seems to be time to go give Eric another breathing treatment before bed.

Chicken Chili

It has been a while since I posted a recipe. We are trying to cut down on red meat so I have been working on chicken dishes. Here is a new on that has been husband approved.

Chicken Chili

2 large chicken breasts - skinned , boned and rinsed
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound frozen sweet white corn
2-15 ounces cans of diced tomatoes - do not drain this will be the liquid for the chili
1 - 15 ounce can or Red kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1 large sweet onion diced
salt
pepper
1tablespoon of your favorite chili powder. I use The Spice Hunter Salt Free Chili powder Blend

Optional

1 - 15 ounces can of black olives

In a 4 quart cover pot. I use my red soup pot. Add the olive oil and chicken. Salt and pepper as desired, I like to keep it on the light side. Cook the chicken on medium low for 15 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent. while the onions are cooking cut the chicken in to bite size pieces. Put the chicken and the remaining ingredients into the pan. Cook covered on medium low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While that is cooking make your corn bread.

This recipe serves 5 as a main course.

Poor Eric

Poor Eric had a very bad night last night. The high pollen counts have flared his asthma. We were up until 2:30 am today before he could breath well enough to sleep. As soon as Eric was asleep I went to bed for a few hours before it was time to get the day started again.

Eric was doing well enough to go to his day program. So John dropped Eric off at his program then went to work out. I would have love to go back to sleep, but I had an appointment across town. The appointment went well. Since I was so far across town I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up a few things on my way home. After an early lunch, it was time for a nap.

John volunteered to pick up Eric from his day program so I could pick up a few things at the mall. I also decided to walk around a bit to see if that would help me feel better. I did not realize how pale I can look during a flare up. The nice sales woman at the Clarine's counter gave me a quick makeover. It was amazing what a little blush and some lipstick can do. She was also trying to sell me the latest miracle serum at $85.00 a bottle. She said that now that I was in my 40's it was time to step up the amount and type of face creams that I use. I think I will keep to my current routine of sun screen with moisturizer and continue to wear wide brim hats outside. After 2 miles of walking I was beginning to feel better so I headed home.

Eric just seems to know when my flare up is a bad one. That compounded with me not picking him up to day left him sad and anxious. When I walked in the door he had on the saddest face you can imagine. He was afraid that I was upset with him about his asthma flare last night. I told him that I would never be mad at him for keeping me up when he was sick. You should have seen the huge smile that he gave me. Followed by Eric's version of a hug. Then it was time to watch some PBS with Eric.

Well it is time to get the red pot out of the fridge and warm up dinner.

It Was Really Monday

It has been a very busy day around here. A lot of projects are halfway through. The only thing I can really say I finished was the chicken chili stew I made for dinner. I seem to lose focus when I am very busy. I worked on 3 different knitting projects, 1 spinning project, laundry and house cleaning today.

Don't tell anyone but I am saving laundry, paperwork and knitting for tomorrow. I hope to be more focused tomorrow. Wish me luck. Maybe I should make a to do list? I wonder if it will help?

A Great Weekend

It was a good weekend around here. I can truly say it was very relaxing.  I was overwhelmed by flowers from the guys this weekend. John gave me some very pretty roses. Eric made a vase of lovely construction paper flowers in a vase filled with buttons. He also had help at his day program making and painting a clay rose, which was also fired. He also made me a small knitting bag.  I also got a call from Teri.

Lunch was the traditional Mother's Day Dim Sum ( Dim sum (/ˈdɪmˈsʌm/) refers to a style of Cantonese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates.*1 ) If you are in Tucson you must try the Dim Sum at China Phoenix at the corner of Ina and Oracle in the Safeway shopping center. We have been going there since the mid 1990's and the food is still wonderful. They server it on weekends only from 10am to 3 pm. We like to get there on the earlier side.

Dinner was a very light affair of Sushi at Shogun's at the corner of River and Oracle in the Denny's parking lot. Yes it was a weekend full of eating.

I also found some time for knitting and spinning. No projects finished though.

The current load of laundry is almost finished washing. As soon as it goes into the dryer it will be time to start the next load and go to bed. We had a formula spill tonight and it has to be washed before it drys, otherwise it leaves a stain and the laundry room smelling like formula,


*1 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wii Fit can be a funny game at times. It has been 3 months since I lasted played. Well first it called me dad. Second it said I had lost 3 pounds and needed to set a new goal. So I figured 1 pound a month down was not a bad goal. Then it was off for 30 minutes of exercise with warning signs flashing saying that this move or that was an advanced move. I did not break myself and plan on trying again tomorrow.

Then it was off to knitting followed by  lots of errands. It was one of those busy days when I did not get lunch until 4pm. As per John I was my own fault. Don't tell him, but he was 100% right. A glass of tea does not constitute lunch. I also managed to work on a lot of charity projects, getting things ready to leave the house.

I worked on a lot of different knitting and spinning projects today. A little bit of progress on a lot of projects as I see it. As usual not a lot got finished, that usually goes in spurts.

Oh, a quick reminder please leave a can or two of food by your mail box tomorrow for the Mother's Day Food Drive sponsored by the great people at the USPS. Going into summer is the worst time for the food bank. Demand increases do to children not getting their meals at school. We are also a seasonal town with lots of layoffs in the summer months as tourism declines. If you don't live in Tucson and don't mind a little heat ( its a dry heat, we promise not to tell you when the humidity dips below 10%), this is the perfect time of year to come. The rates go down and there are still a lot of things to do in and around Tucson.

Well I have a very busy day tomorrow. So enjoy your day, I know I will.

Letting Go and Moving On

Today was a very productive day. After the guys left, I started cleaning the house. This was serious cleaning. The TV was off. My goal to get as much done as humanly possible. I can say the house is almost back to where it was before I got sick.

As an added bonus for cleaning I took apart the silverware drawer. Put all of Eric's special forks and spoons away in a bag. I guess I have come to the conclusion that no matter what I want. That is for Eric to sit down at the table and eat with us in a conventional way. It is never going to happen again. He is perfectly happy with the tube feedings. His tummy is always full and he has the energy to do other things. We are not sitting at the table 3 or more hours a day feeding him. Which gives him and us time to do other things.

I might have over done a little on the cleaning this morning because I took a 3 1/2 hour nap after lunch. I still have to work on balance in my life. After the nap I did one errand when I should have done 2. I did find time to work on Teri's blanket today. I got 2 squares finished and another one started. Followed by spinning after dinner. All in all I would say that it has been a very good day.

Is the day over yet?

Ayer getting to bed at 4:30 am, I felt it was ok to sleep in until 7:00 am. After a cup of Tevana's Rasberry Riot I could not fall back asleep.  

Then it was off to check out a new aide for Eric at his day program.  By the time I got home I was too tired to eat lunch. So it was a 2 hour nap for me. Then a quick lunch and off to get Eric.  

I spent the afternoon spinning, plying and washing yarn.  I did manage to get dinner on the table, but not up to Cheif Ramsey's standards.  You guessed correctly if you think John found the Food Channel.  I am sure that if Cheif Ramsey were running on my sechdule he might make allowances for canned good and frozen food.  

Well Eric is quite and I  starting to drift off into a hopefully full night of slee. 

New Rules

While I was out tonight the guys tried to change the rules of the house. The original rules were.

Rule #1 Mom is always right.
Rule #2 If mom is wrong see rule #1

We have been living with those rules for a while and they seem to be working out just fine in my humble opinion.  Well not so much with the guys. Here is the change that they wanted.

Rule #1 Mom is always right.
Rule #2 The world revolves around Eric.

Not that we don't spend a lot of time with our lives revolving around Eric already, I was just not ready to give up Rule #2. So I came up with a compromise.

Rule #1 Mom is always right.
Rule #2 If mom is wrong see rule #1.
Rule #3 The world revolves around Eric

Just looking at that I think they need a further revision.

Rule #1 Mom is always right.
Rule #2 If mom is wrong see rule #1
Rule #3 If mom is not around Dad has the right to claim rules # 1 and 2 as his own.
Rule #4 Teri gets as much parental time as she needs. Teri has the right to claim this as needed over Eric's needs from 1 parent at a time in person. Both parents if necessary by telephone.
Rule #5 The world revolves around Eric.

Eric must have gotten wind of the rule changes that I will propose tomorrow, because I had to stop in the middle of writing this to give him a breathing treatment. When I told him of my counter proposal he signed a vigorous no. I will have to see how Teri and John like these changes. I still do try to run the house in a democratic fashion. Eric likes to think that he is the king of our little place in the sun. I think I like the golden rule better. Whom ever has the most gold is the ruler of the kingdom.

Well it is getting to late to think about they whys and wherefores of the new rules tonight.

Getting Nothing Done

I am hoping that this cold I have is the same one that Eric had this last weekend or we are toast later in the week. I woke up this morning with a stuffy head. It progressed to sore joints with wanting to sleep all day. It is still lingering tonight. The worst part is I know it is not over yet. There is a a diffident lack of swelling in my joints.

I have made very little progress in my stash down this week. I have been spinning a lot of yarn on the drop spindles for the last few days. When I fill up the spindle I just put it aside so I can ply the yarn later. This is the great thing about having more than 1 spindle. Well it's time to do more spinning.

Sunday

It was a typical day around here today. I had 3 loads of just Eric's laundry. The usual house work got done. Both spinning and knitting were accomplished. Newly spun yarn was washed and is hanging in the garage to dry.

There were 2 note worthy things that happened today. The first is that I went to a fundraiser to benefit Eric's day program. I have decided that I am not coordinated enough to do Zumba. Zumba is also hard on the knees. The music however was great. I think Eric has some of the songs played today on his pod. I also tried Hip-Hop. I wasp not fond of the music although the moves as shown today some what resembled techno.

I also found a use for Teri's childhood step stool. It makes a perfect foot rest for knitting. This is very appropriate because it makes it easier to work on Teri's blanket.

Well it has been a long and busy day. I am really hoping that Eric sleeps tonight, not only because it is my night, but I really need Eric to sleep at night.

All About Eric

It seems that Eric is good at keeping John up too. So it is just not just me that Eric messes around with. Eric can also have his humorous moments too. Take this morning for example. We were watching CNET's top 5 for Father's Day. When the Belkin key board for the iPad came on. Eric got all excited. I asked if that's what he wanted to get dad for Father's Day, he signed yes. I told him there was only one problem with that. We do not have an iPad. He turn to John and glared at him. Like everyone is suppose to have one. So back to the drawing board on that one.

I later took Eric to Tucson Mall to look for some summer shorts in 16 slim. We hit every store in the mall. Every store had regular and husky in his size. One sales clerk even said kids don't come in that size, so we don't carry shorts in that size. Isn't it ironic that a thin young man can't find shorts in his size because he is not over weight. I guess they forgot to tell Eric. So I guess it's time to go surfing to find a couple of pairs of shorts.

I am hoping for a quiet night. To night is my night to get up with Eric.

Sleep was No Where to be Found.

It was a very long night with Eric. I was up at least every 2 hours with him. More often if the wind picked up enough to rattle the windows and shake the house.

I did change his position every 2 hours. Each time I put his tv on a 2 hour timer. It seemed as soon as the tv turned itself off I was back in his room.

I had to be up at 6 am this morning to figure out what Eric's day would be like. I am happy to say that he went to his day program today, but with the understanding that he would not swim because of the wind. It turned out that it was to windy for anyone else to go swimming too.

I then started with one of many glasses of caffeine for the day. If I was not so tired that amount off caffeine would have resulted in something being very clean. As the day played out I knew I was on caffeine overload. That did not stop my body from taking a 2 1/2 hour nap after I picked up Eric from his program. John is on Eric duty tonight. I wish him lots of sleep.

Well now it is time to call it a night. I have a busy day planned for tomorrow.

Let the Heat In

Ah, spring and summer are my favorite times of the year. My body tends to feel better with the heat. I just love to see all the cactus in bloom. My creativity usually goes up. I can't wait to ply the yarn I am currently spinning, I plan to add beads and a contrasting thread. I can already see how it is going to turn out in my mind.  Eric tends to be healthier. We made it in to the pool for the first time this season. I can say that my knee does not like treading water, but swimming and water aerobics seemed to be OK. I hope the pool is a little warmer next time we go in. It does not hurt as much to be active when I am warm.

Since I cant be totally enthusiastic about every thing about spring and summer here are a few things I hate. Swimsuit shopping. Who is with me here? It is also so nice that I don't like to slow down for anything. This leads to me being over tired and chocking on food. That is a whole lot less fun than it sounds. Dinner tonight was a nightmare. I made a turkey breast and stuffing. I would have been better off with soup. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Well I think I have Eric settled in for the night. So I am calling it a day.

Why

It has been one of those why days. For instance take the app I got for my pod. It is a row counter for my knitting. I just needed some motivation on Teri's blanket. Yes the one I started in her 1L year. I am some where around row 7670, The row counter only goes to 999 rows, why? Didn't they ever knit a queen size blanket on size seven needles? 999 rows just seams so arbitrary to me. Is it just an easier algorithm to write in code?

Yes,  I made a major mistake by volunteering for  401c3. Today it came back to bite me in more ways than one. People are being very petty and have started with the name calling. People are going behind my back on my projects thinking because I don't have an advanced degree or that I have a sick kid that I am automatically incompetent. I just want to scream out that this is not middle school. Not everyone needs a PhD to be competent in what they do. I am also sure that I have had more practice juggling than they have.

I might not have an advanced college degree, but I am one of the best moms around. Being a stay at home mom does not make me stupid. It just means that I made some choices in the last century that I do not regret. I can stretch a buck pretty far. I have raised 2 beautiful children, each perfect in their own way. I have a wonderful marriage to a wonderful man. I am content in my life and have learned that it is not the amount of stuff but the people I allow into my life that matter most to me.

I am an artist at heart. Whether  it is presenting food nicely arranged of the plate, playing with cake and frosting, beads or fiber. That is me. I love to create. I never know where the day will take me. What bumps in the road that I have to iron out. I manage to make it all work. That is what I do. Whether I can tolerate the distraction from this particular charity I really don't know. What I do know is that I have a wonderful life with wonderful people in it. I am personally thinking that most of the people in the 401c3 will not make it into my inner circle.

Thanks for listening tonight. Aren't you glad that I waited several hours to write this? Well the caffeine I had at dinner is starting to wear off. I just might have to rethink this idea of caffeine with dinner.

Back Home

My last blog post got lost somewhere in the digital world. I hit save and publish through the hotel wi-fi connection. So here is a summary plus a quick update.

Teri and I finally found an apartment to move into. It is 20 minutes to her new job. We went a little higher in price than Teri thought she would, but it is a nice and safe building that she will live in for the next few years. At Teri's request I will not give the city she is moving to.

This means we will not have to go through the process next week. Can we hear a nice and loud hip hip hooray from every one. To give you a brief over view of what we went through here are some of the very low lights. Such as the apartments under the flight path with a plane landing every 5 minutes. Then there was the one that used half the kitchen and bathroom space for the Murphy bed with appliances from at least the 1950's, but they might have been Pre Korean war. Even better the basement studio that you had to use a step ladder to get into, I am not sure that is up to any code. Some of the neighborhoods were on the very gritty side to be polite. We did not even get out of the car for some. The really cute one in a slightly less gritty area that we may have taken if the owner had not changed their mind and decided that parking was not included.

This was a very hard process to go through. I am very proud that Teri and I were able to accomplish it in only 4 days.

I meet her new boss and his wife, they seem like very nice people.

I got home just in time to shop and make dinner yesterday. I was to tired to do anything. Yes even too tired to knit.

John was wonderful and let me sleep in today. I did laundry for most of the day. This was mainly sheets, towels and dress clothes. John did a great job with keeping up with the laundry, and all things Eric while I was gone.

Eric seems to be having trouble with mommy permanence. He seemed genuinely surprised that I did not disappear over night. By mid afternoon he was in total con man mode. Coughing every time I said I was go to work on Teri's blanket.

He was an angel at night while I was gone. That seems to have gone by the way side now that I am home. So now it is time to try to settle him down for the night.

Getting Ready

It is almost time for my trip to meet up with Teri for a couple of days. I am looking forward to this trip. I already have my clothes picked out, I would have had them packed but I don't want to have wrinkled clothes. We are leaving the guys at home. This means that I don't have to share Teri with anyone. This is really exciting!!!

So to get ready I am cleaning the house and catching up on laundry. I told John that since it will only be a few days he did not have to worry about the laundry. It should not be more than knee high by Saturday. The fridge and freezer have been stocked. I just have a few more errands to go, a counter to clean off and put my knitting away. I also have to pick a pattern and yarn for the trip. I could not find the hand spun alpaca so I guess I will look for it when I get home. I already have my spinning project ready. I am bring some roving to spin into lace weight yarn. It might take me a few more years of trips before I finish. I only manage to get one small skein per trip and can't really work on it at home, to many distractions.

So since tomorrow will be a busy day its time for me to call it a night.

The Guys Shared and Other Things

I was going to write about how the guys shared their tummy bug with me. That I spent almost the entire day resting and playing with my drop spindles. I have spun up all but 2 samples of the Phat box I got Wednesday. The colors are just so lovely this month. John served up a really nice lunch and dinner. He can slice bagels with the best of them.  I also manage to finish the laundry or so I had thought.

Just as I was going to settle Eric in for the night, I noticed that Elmo was a bit damp. For just the smallest amount of time I thought that Elmo was just a little damp. Then I noticed that there was some white sticky stuff on Elmo. The first thing I did was turn off the pump and call the Calvary, in this case John with Eric's wheel chair. After the second complete change of the bed and Eric( that should read another 3 loads of laundry), it was time to get Eric settled in for the night. It was then I noticed how much my joints swelled over just a little tummy bug. At least I should be over most of it by Wednesday. 

I should soon find out if the surface wash only pillows I bought will stand up to the washer. I will not put it in the dryer. It will get lined dried along with Elmo. Tomorrow will be washing and folding central around here.

Well I am just about ready to call it a night. Now if I could just remember where I left the hand spun alpaca so I can knit my self some more fingerless gloves. If I was hand spun alpaca where would I be hiding?

Catching Up

It has been a day of catch up. Needless to say it is neater around here, but Eric did manage to make 2 loads after I finished the laundry for today. Three loads of recycling went out.

I spent the day doing errands and knitting with friends. The evening was spent spinning on drop spindles. Yes I was to tired to to empty the spindles and ply. Since I am working with samples. I think I will have a lot if spindles filled before I go ply it all.

Today was the first day since my knee started acting up that I got close to 10,000 steps. Eric made it 5 days to program this week. Things are getting better around here.

Well I think I am a bit scattered tonight so I should say goodnight.

A Lesson Learned

I learned a lesson today. It does not matter the price of the roving so much as the quality of the roving or the dyer. Yes the last 4 skeins of yarn were turned into art yarn not out of choice but out of necessity.

The last batch of roving looked very pretty but was felted in spots. This lead to thick and thin yarn, like a brand new spinner. The experts said my spinning would never look like my first wheel spins. Wrong. Kathy said that I would run across roving like this. She was so right. Another thing I found out was spinning semi felted roving hurts my hands with all the tugging necessary to come up with some semblance of yarn. Thus I have spun my first art yarn. All 4 skeins look different. A a valuable lesson learned.

Now it is time to get to bed. Night all.

Another Kick Bad Day

We had the second lay low day in a row. John managed to get the pool cover on. We might even be able to swim this summer.

John and I did some deep cleaning this morning. I worked on the garage for about 15 minutes. Then it was the cabinets over the washer and dryer. We got rid of all the paper phone books. We now have a shelf for pool stuff, sponges, and mop heads. I have a wide selection of mops because some of Eric's aides have a strong preference for particular mop. Roomba and Scooba share a shelf. I was really glad that John was there to help. Having a tall person really helped. I have trouble reaching anything but the bottom shelf unless I am wearing heals or climbing a ladder.

I spent the rest day spinning and doing laundry. I got to spin Shetland wool for the first time today. I really liked the long staple of the fiber. It seemed like about 6 inches long. I learned that I could not let the twist get to close to the wheel or I would have a messy twisty mess on my hands. It was an easy spun, but much too course for anything close to the skin. I am thinking either rug yarn, weaving or felting. So it is going to be a single ply.

Not much knitting got done. But I think I might have lots of time tomorrow. Eric is making that funny face. So I think I will call it an early night so as not to repeat the headache of this morning.

Close to Almost Perfect

Eric was tired from his week at his day program so he slept most of the day. John had a late night so he rested for most of the day. So what else is a girl to do but spin and wash yarn. I have 5 skeins of newly spun this week yarn on the line to dry. I have one skein that I am in the middle of plying on the wheel. I also found time to do a little knitting with ribbon yarn. and go to the grocery store. I managed to save $52.00 with coupons today.

I also found time to do 4 loads of laundry. Don't worry that I will be bored tomorrow. I will have at least 4 loads of sheets and towels plus what ever laundry we make between now and then. The garage is also at the 5 minute time limit for cleaning so I don't get overwhelmed with it all. The very good news about this is that every thing I touched I was able to recycle. Yes I filled 1/2 of the big roll out half full in just 5 minutes. I am just that awesome at times.

Well my ice cream is finished. It is also about time to give Eric his nightly breathing treatment and night time meds. So Please enjoy your weekend as much as I am enjoying mine.

Fun and More

The day was filled with fun, knitting and friends. I think it is the first time in days that I was able to relax. Of course I did add to my UFO pile by starting another cowl. I managed to get the 3rd skein of yarn off my wheel. A lovely merino silk combo.

I tried out my knee on getting Eric into the car this afternoon. My feeling now is that my knee still needs more healing time. This is really hard for me because I am so impatient by nature. So aside from a haircut for Eric and a grocery run, I am planning a lay low weekend.

Well it is almost time. To get Eric ready for bed. So I hope everyone has a great weekend.

I made it through the day

I should learn never tp read my e-mail before breakfast and tea. I got through today and ended up in a good place.

To get there I did 2 hours of house work which help me a lot. John did not mind either.

I finished knitting another cowl , then went after a UFO. I did not finish that, but I did manage to put at least 6 more inches on the scarf.

This thank you goes out to Kathy Withers my spinning teacher. I think I have begun to get the hang of the small bobbin and flyer on my wheel. I managed to get about the same yardage out of 2 ounces that I normally do with 4 ounces on the jumbo flyer.

A thank you also goes out to Lisa for being there for me today. You are the best.

There might be news on the Teri front. I will let everyone know when things have had time to gel a little more.

The house is trying to turn the lights off, well it actually did so I guess this is good night.

A Few Good Days

I spent much of yesterday spinning. Today I got equal amounts of knitting and spinning done. With a little house work thrown in too. I decided it was time to rest when my knee started to twinge.

Well Eric has paged me so I have to go.

Feeling Better

The good news is that I did not tear anything in my knee. The bad news is that there is inflammation in the knee joint it self. This is making me tired. So about all I have the energy to do is knit on most days, which results in a lot of projects being finished.

Well I am done in for today. Night all.

Day 3 and Counting

This is the 3rd day post accident. As usual I feel my knee should be all better, but it is not. I do see the Orthopedic doctor tomorrow. So my life is still in a holding pattern. I still can not drive. I have spent my days knitting and trying not to watch day time TV. Now I remember why I don't have the TV on during the day. I can't believe that people get paid to put most of that on the air. This is the leg brace I am in for the moment, with on of my knitting projects taking a rest on it. Yes it is as cumbersome as it looks. Well I am really tired so this will be my blog post for tonight.