Yes

I realize you can't read this. I don't care~deal with it Laura, it is just for a day (maybe 2).

See ya next year!

Yum Yum Yum

Remember a few weeks ago I told you of English Toffee Anytime giving away some of their toffee? Well, I got mine in the mail just before Christmas and boy was it an early present! My sil was right, that stuff is just down right good, and addicting!! Since then I have eaten nearly the entire milk chocolate box (all one pound of it) myself. Seriously, I had a bite when it first arrived and thought "I better go hide this!" So, if you are ever in the market for some mighty delicious (it's not too hard and it doesn't stick to your teeth) toffee, check 'em out ~ English Toffee Anytime. 

As seen on

this blog, who saw it on a bumper sticker

Who died and made the Catholic Church king? Oh wait...

Love it~I need to make that some sort of sidebar button!!

Keep em Coming

Just a reminder to PLEASE keep my brother in law, Max, in your prayers tomorrow. His open heart surgery will be at 1PM (mountain time, 12 pacific, 2 central, 3 eastern, don't know about hawaii~not that I have any readers in HI). If you don't know his story, you can read it here. 

We love you Max...you will always be our favorite fairy!! And, yes, even I am praying for you. 

Background

So I am super bummed that most of you apparently can't see my entire background ~ one of those differing browser = different image things. I have a mac and I usually can see everyone's backgrounds entirely which makes me forget that just because I can see my own background, you might not be able to. So, because I actually like this background, here is a picture to show you what you can't see (or only partially see).

 Now, the problem with that picture is you can't see it with my header so here is a picture with the header BUT, since it is a picture of my screen, it doesn't show the star twinkling like the above one does.
Thanks to those of you who were (are) praying for my bil. His procedure today went fine. He is still scheduled for open heart surgery on Monday so continued prayers would be much appreciated.

Merry Christmas

From us and ours

to you and yours!

Could it get any tackier than that header? I mean it though, Merry Christmas to you all!!

My sister made it safe and sound (as well as my sil and bil flying in from Chicago to Abq)~thanks all for your prayers. Please try and keep my other brother-in-law in your prayers...he will have a procedure done on Friday then open heart surgery on Monday 1/29. He and Tug are the same age (33); I can't imagine going through what he is or showing the strength Tug's sister is right now. Please keep him and his entire family (Tug's sister Michelle, and 4 kids ages 9-3) in your prayers and that His will is one that lets them all make it through this trying time.  Thanks!!!

UPDATE: So, I have already changed the header but, lest you forgot (or didn't check in in time to see it, tisk, tisk)

If you are so inclined

Could you say a quick prayer that my sister arrives safely tonight. The snow isn't supposed to start again until the middle of the night and she gets in at 9PM but I am worried about ice on the road. 

And, while you are in the praying mood, can you throw one in for my brother in law as well? He is due for a procedure the day after Christmas so I am asking now. His open heart surgery is on the 29th so if you could continue on through then that would be fantastically super duper!

Thanks, and, if I forget to check back in before then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Letting Up

snow progression over a day starting with top left

The snow is finally letting up...well, at least it isn't snowing right now. I think more is supposed to start tomorrow night~just in time for my sister's 9PM flight into town. I hope she makes it ok, the news has been showing stories of stranded travelers at our airport. The news has also been making a hoopla of it all~all weather all the time. The funniest was when an on location gal, talking about the 'fact' that so many people were still out driving in such bad conditions, panned out to the highway (live broadcast) and only one car drove by in about 45 seconds. Dorks. Hope you are staying warm!! Renee, hope you make it tomorrow!!

Got snow?

We do!

And the winners are...

Our snowball fight started promptly at 11 with the arrival of the flag bearing, shield carrying (trash can lid) Col.

He chose his fort, planted his flag then the balls began to fly. The kids were having a blast.

We had a brief interlude with the arrival of the postman bringing even more boxes from my mom. Apparently the Col. and the post man served in the Army together.
While the Col. was busy chatting it up with the mailman, the girls, realizing their chance, stole his flag...
...and Mrs. Col. arrived (she too is awesome).
Once the battle resumed Col., never one to surrender his flag, sent his soldier {j} to retrieve it while the Col. provided cover.
Though I am unsure of the exact scoring measure, Tug (a non-partisan judge) says the boys did in fact win.

Once the fun was done, everyone headed inside for some homemade chicken noodle soup (recipe), rolls (recipe), and hot chocolate (recipe) which all tasted amazingly good. We sat and chatted for quite a while (Mrs. Col. is from Germany and had some fun stories). The snow has started falling again...off for more soup and hot chocolate. 

The camera was on night setting which led to some pretty grainy pictures-AGH.

Coolest of the cool

I have told you before of our awesome landlord, and I am here to tell you again. They are awesome. In case you haven't heard, it has been snowing quite a bit in our parts (and lots of other parts) so Tug and the kids built 2 forts today (walls really) then sent an email to our landlord:

Hello Col. L,

If you aren't working tomorrow can you come over for a snowball fight? We built 2 forts (walls), one for you and one for us. I think we will win. 

Thanks,

{l} & {r}, but {r} is a little sick so maybe {l} & {j}

We received this reply:

Dear {l}, {r}, and {j},

I'm not working tomorrow, and I accept your challenge. If there is one thing I like when it snows, it's a snowball fight. However, I have to warn you, I don't like to lose. My last loss in a snowball fight was in 1951 when I was in 5th grade!

See you tomorrow. What time does the first snowball get thrown?

After the fight is over, maybe we can build a snow man, put a hat on him, and make him look like Frosty!

JL

Is he awesome or what? I didn't take a picture when there was light so here is a high ISO of one of the 'forts'. It really is white snow though, more like this flash enhanced photo (yeah, I know, both pictures suck).I'll let you know how it goes!

My booty

actually, I suppose it will be their booty. 

The Christmas knitting is done. Technically, there is a non-knit gift in there (I made an embroidery set for a niece, but it is handmade) and I didn't do anything for my mom. She said she did not want a hand knit item then got sad when I said I wasn't making her something (though she is getting something hand made, it just isn't by me) so she said she wanted a sweater...maybe next year. Off to box it all up and ship it all out!!

Dear Friends and Family

Please remember, Christmas is a season and not just a day. And, in the spirit of that season, please remember that getting a gift on Christmas day isn't as important as getting a gift sometime within the Christmas season. Oh and please also remember that just because you saw something on this blog and I said it was for someone, that doesn't actually mean it was for them. It might actually be for you. And, that was totally intentional...not because I am running out of time and having to rethink presents...totally intentional! And, I just realized that post title says friends and family ~ if you are a friend, please take me off your 'give a gift to' list, I promise I have already reciprocated the favor. 

Saving Mother Earth

or perhaps just being tacky? That is this years' Christmas card, sent strictly via email (bonus being I sent them to many people I otherwise would not have).

scraps available here

Toffee

Hey, check it. 

My sil (Michelle) says this toffee from English Toffee Anytime is to die for. I am taking her word for it and entering this little giveaway to get some FOR FREE. Go, go get you some. 

Go on now...

Why are you still here? Go here instead!!

Love is

A pair of handwarmers. I love love LOVE these!! I finished them a few weeks ago but they were, um, misplaced by the 6 year old. Today the girls had to clean their room and, go figure, they found them. I immediately took pictures because I am sure they will die a slow death in that pit the girls call a room once more. I can't find the pattern right now but, following proper blog/knit etiquette I will update as soon as I do. pattern here If nothing else, I want to be a proper knitting blogger, or blogging knitter, or whatever, just proper.
Manana es la dia de La Virgin de Guadalupe (mom, did I get all that right?)...what are you doing to celebrate? I am hosting a cookie exchange for our homeschool group~ack the pressure. There are 11 families coming with cookies and 2 more families coming just to hang out (each family will be at LEAST 4 people~one mom and x kids~so that puts us at around 56). I don't know a lot of these families...did I already mention pressure? Oh and, no, we don't have a huge house...I don't have enough room for all these peeps. I am hoping it doesn't rain so the kids can go outside. The 'party' starts at 1:30, rain is forecasted to begin at 2. ACK. I did con my mom into sending me bunuelos (kinda like cinnamon/sugar fried tortillas), biscochos (a Mexican shortbread cookie) and some stuff for Mexican hot chocolate so I can incorporate OLG~gotta represent mi rasa. She had my aunt make a ton then mailed them all the way from the border of Mexico~have I ever told you my mom is AWESOME? Tomorrow night a family that can't come to the exchange is coming over for dinner which is totally cool cuz she is bringing all the food...can you say Settlers!! Wish me luck!

peanut butter hershey's kiss cookies

Dog new tricks

Backstory~when we moved here the girls signed up for gymnastics, so roughly 3 months ago. Though {l} took gymnastics when she was about 3 they are both complete newbies. At gymnastics they do typical newbie things...jump on the trampoline, hang on the bar then drop off, try to learn how to do a cartwheel, you know boring stuff. At home, however, she is trying different things, teaching herself lots of stuff. She loves going from a handstand over into a backbend and, when done landing with her feet on the couch, kicking back over. Today during gymnastics her teacher had the girls try handstands (most couldn't quite get the hand part and instead were doing headstands) but she had {l} do a handstand to a backbend on a higher mat then kick back over. Once we were home I told her to take a cushion off the couch so her feet would be lower to the ground once she landed~she kicked back, no problem. She then decided to try it landing on just the cushion on the ground~again success. Finally I told her to try it just landing on the ground...here is the result; I guess {s} wasn't impressed.  

fyi~{r} can kinda do a handstand but she sticks her butt back too much so not really, but at least it isn't a headstand. sorry for the craptastic grainy video 

Deemed unworthy

I can't believe it, this isn't what I had wanted and the news hit me like a rock. Well, it was somewhat expected~I'd heard rumors but nothing confirmed so today when I heard it with my own ears, straight from the source, I was flabbergasted. We weren't deemed worthy by many and there was talk of picking someone else over us and yet those Fiesta people love us. Once again we are headed to the Fiesta Bowl, this time to take on Texas (this is the 4th time in around 6 years). I was hoping for an easy, non BCS bowl but we got this instead~I guess it will do. Most have picked us to lose (big surprise) but we haven't technically lost a Fiesta Bowl yet (sure there was that lil slip up to Florida 2 yrs ago but, while that was played in Glendale, it wasn't the Fiesta Bowl, it was the Nat'l title game). Go Bucks, saw varsity's horns off!!

Oh, and on a side note

MICHELLE WADE, YOU SUCK

Burning the Midnight Oil

I am up late tonight with {s} again...she has a cold and was up a lot last night too. She isn't very sick but stuffy nose + thumbsucker = no sleep because the thumbsucker has to breathe out of her mouth, therefore not being able to suck her thumb. Good news is I am able to post the pictures of my hybrid...

this is the top of the hood~again, it was knit flat so these cables were on opposite sides then I grafted the top edge together making the cable look like it was somewhat continuous (red writing on picture says 'edge of hood towards face'). 

and here is the side. I hope the scarf is long enough...it comes to about mid thigh on me but my sil is tall so it is likely to hit her boob.

from the back...don't ask about {l}'s modeling~I know not where she gets it. I don't like how pointy the edge is (smooshed it down in the pic), but I knew that would happen because of how I was making it...when I have more time I might have to play with that. 

a view from the front. 

It isn't as floppy as the one my sil showed me which I think is due to the seed stitch edging and doubling the yarn. It also fits closer to the face which I (and Tug) think makes it look a little more Mideastish but whatev.

Hope you like it Michelle~Merry Christmas~I will mail it, eventually. 

Scat

I received this picture via email from my sil Michelle with a hint for me to make her one of those scarf hat thingies (scat perhaps~she hates pics of herself as much as I do so I am respecting her picture boundaries for fear of retaliation). Funny thing is an aunt of mine also told my mom to ask me to make her the same thing. When my mom was explaining it as a bonnet with a scarf I thought she was nuts~then I got the email from Michelle and figured it Divine intervention (or God saying "Here's a pic, you uncreative dummy.") Michelle's friend bought hers at Target and try as I may I couldn't find a pattern (or should I say tried as I mayed to stay in the correct tense) so I had to try and figure out this little doozy on my own. 

First I went to try and find some cute chunky blue or black yarn~no luck. Instead I went with 2 strands of different colors of blue then provisionally cast-on 100 stitches, picked a cable and went to town knitting flat. Once the cable was complete, I grafted the top sides together to make the hood (top picture is the flat piece folded over then ~bottom pic~ kitchener stitching the two pieces to become one which is the top of the hood) 

I then took out the provisional cast-on (the brown yarn),

 picked up those stitches and started knitting down. I continued until I felt the back (part that will lay on the neck) would be long enough, cast off those stitches and continued the scarf with the cable. 

I am almost done, completed pics coming soon!!

So happy together

Since Michelle is sick of visiting Thorpe I will do the meme Barb tagged me for:

Rules: post 6 things that make you really happy. 

Well lots of things make me really happy (like Dr Pepper or making Tug laugh) but I will do the themed knitting edition...

1. It makes me happy that {j} loves to wear hats

2. It made me happy when one day at judo {r}'s friend said 

"I like your hat."

{r} "Thanks, my mom made it"

"NO WAY, she didn't make that."

{r} "Yes she really did."

"Wow that's neat. Did she make this jacket too? ::points to {j} who is wearing a camoflauge hoodie that says GAP across it::

3. It makes me happy that I am making most of our Christmas gifts this year~hopefully it makes the recipients as happy.

4. It makes me happy that my sil (you know the one married to that knitting scrooge) 

made a handknit request....and that I had to make my own pattern for it....and that it seems to be working~kitchener grafting and provisional cast-on to boot

5. Some new knitting needles (addi interchangeable system) are making me really happy~Merry Christmas to me!

6. This mug from Starbucks makes me super duper happy...I LOVE IT!

How cute is that! It is a 4 stitch left leaning cable, with a purl stitch (possibly 2) on each side then 2 knit stitches (left leaning because the stitches that are on top go to the left, if the top stitches went right it would be a right leaning cable; 4 stitch since there are 2 knit stitches going left and 2 knit stitches going right). Awesome. 

~If sharing makes you happy then feel free to be tagged~

Thorpe revisited

The first time I made this hat (thorpe pattern on sidebar here) I didn't do that great of a job. I was afraid of dpn's so I made it using the magic loop method which created two pretty big seams on each side. This time I am a dpn machine which means no more crappy knitting. This hat is my nephew Colin's (mom, one L or two???) Christmas present...I still need to add the tassels on the sides.

Great Minds

think alike

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: No Gaps! Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion Economics Literature History Science Art

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

ht Paula

Wicked Cool

Today some awesometastic friends arrive...I have around 8 hours before they get here~just enough time to get the house cleaned if I start now

HaPpy ThanKSgiVinG!!

Oooh oooh ooh

Continuation of this post

And, since every American would get one million dollars, there would no longer be a need for welfare saving us an additional 500 billion per year (older reports estimated the yearly spending to be 1 trillion split between federal/state/local govts so I am figuring federal to be about 50%). Now, I am sure lots of people would squander their million SO, we can reintroduce welfare programs in say 5 years but paying out substantially less than we have been~making more of the help it should be instead of the handout it currently is. Now, we are actually spending more and more each year on welfare but lets pretend that 500 billion is stagnant~that would be a savings of over 2 trillion dollars in those 5 years which could go to reducing our national deficit...instead of just increasing it with this stupid bailout. 

Seriously Washington, it's not that hard! Heck, make it 2 million for each American, there would still be a savings over the current plan. Also, let the companies that are failing fold. Perhaps that money could then be used to start up new, thriving businesses. Oh and states could even save money by halting unemployment benefits for the next 2 years or so~you could also help struggling businesses that had to lay off workers by giving business a one year unemployment tax wave. We would each have 1 or 2 million dollars, what do we care if we don't immediately have a job? 

I should be president

Just a thought, if the government wants to stimulate our economy with a $700 billion bailout of failing companies (not including the $ they will eventually give to the auto workers union and possibly now to Citibank) why not instead just give $1 million to each American adult. The population is estimated to be 303 million people...obviously those aren't all adults but since I don't know how many of those are adults we will just pretend they all are. That would be $303 million dollars spent (um, our money anyway) and billions saved and I doubt many people are millions of dollars in debt so it would pretty much guarantee a spending increase; therefore us no longer being in a recession. Instead they are giving billions away to companies (unions) that aren't going to change the practices that got them into trouble in the first place and not put any money back into our pockets to truly stimulate the economy by increasing spending. All this is doing is prolonging the inevitable, likely leading to a depression and since they gave all our money to companies there won't be any left to help people when we will need it. 

Sounds like a no brainer to me. And I'm even willing to give that money to people who don't pay a cent in taxes~illegals, however, are another story (sorry Obama's aunt). This would be a plan that truly spreads the wealth!

originally saw something somewhat similar in an email but i cant remember what the email actually said

Lest you think I forgot

O, we don't give a damn for the whole state of michigan

the whole state of michigan 

the whole state of michigan

We don't give a damn for the whole state of michigan

We're from Ohio.

We're from Ohio, O-H

We're from Ohio, I-O

O, we don't give a damn for the whole state of michigan

the whole state of michigan

the whole state of michigan

We don't give a damn for the whole state of michigan

We're from Ohio. 

Today is the big day...hopefully it will be the first time in history that we have beaten them 5 years in a row~get them gold pant boys!!!

On the edge of reason

Teetering, oh so close to going over. Tug has been out of town since Monday (hence him not being there with us and Chendo). He has been in Chicago for a conference~irony is Chendo and Tug's sister Erin live in Chicago...Chendo came to Seattle for a work conference at the same time Tug went to Chicago. When we lived in OR Tug travelled a lot. It was hard at first but became doable~I guess you just learn how to adjust. Since moving to WA he has not been out of town overnight at all, but then came last week. He was gone for a couple of nights, back home but at meetings late every weeknight, had to work Saturday all day then left Mon for the windy city. I am no longer used to it. My nerves are fried. My poor kids have bared the brunt of my wrath....and wrath there has been "WHY are there more shoes in the hallway. I have told you 3 times already today, PUT YOUR SHOES BACK IN YOUR ROOM". It hasn't been pretty and the girls just stare at me, longing for their dad I am sure; "WHY are YOUR shoes in MY bathroom. Didn't you just get in trouble for shoes being in the hallway? AGHHHHHHHHH" (I thought Obama was going to save us from all the bad things like the waters turning back, the earth beginning to heal, and kids learning to clean up after themselves, no?). 

But the world should be righted tonight. No, not thanks to Obama, but because 

my knight in shining armor comes home! 

YEAH DADDY!!

Time with Chendo

As I said before, we spent Tuesday with my bil Chendo in the big city...First we went to lunch at Spaghetti Factory where {j} forgot all about his inside voice. Then we headed over to Pike Place Market and took the touristy pic in front of the original Starbucks (though we didn't get a drink). 

Then we walked back over to the aquarium...

And finally...as we were leaving the aquarium I looked up and saw the 

Every tourist has to go to the space needle right? Problem is we had to get back home to go to gymnastics (normally I would skip but in order to pre-register for next session you have to not have missed 2 classes and we have already missed one) so it was Divine intervention~Chendo got his pic with the needle. 

Thanks Chendo for hanging with us, we had a great time!!

To what do they point?

See it and, if so, what is it? Now you can't blindly guess, you have to actually see it to guess and, if you see it, where is it?

Yo Yo

So, for being incredibly clever and witty, I haven't had much to say. Don't know what to post about really. The kids and I are on our way to Seattle to hang out with my bil Chendo (Christian) who is here on work from Chicago for the day. Neither of us know the city~should be fun!!

*****************

Though he is a big 3 now, he still needs his blankie. This was taken on his birthday during naptime~he conveniently leaves his bed every naptime to sleep in my bed.  

****************

Spoiler alert~family stop reading if one of you doesn't want to see your Christmas present in advance (Max you can keep reading)...I finally finished the Chevron scarf (Last Minute Knitted Gifts). I think this took me just about all year!! Not that it was hard, just very repetitive together with thin yarn and small needles = FOR.EV.ER

You Are Scrabble

You are incredibly clever and witty. You can talk your way out of (and into) situations easily. You are an excellent decision maker. You are good at weighing the options in front of you. You're the type of person who can make something out of nothing. You are very resourceful. You know a lot of things. Most importantly, you know when people are wrong - even when they won't admit it.

What Board Game Are You?

Hey Tug (and the rest of my family), pay special attention to that last line!!

ht:shelly

Don't Piss Us Off

Cuz we won't let you leave with Jesus!! Even if we are 82 years old

story here

JENSEN BEACH, Fla. —  Police in Florida say they arrested a Connecticut man after he tried to steal communion wafers during a church service.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office says 33-year-old John Samuel Ricci of Canton was cornered by fellow churchgoers when he grabbed a handful of wafers from the priest during communion services Saturday.

The Stuart News reports that Ricci was being held down by six or seven offended parishioners when deputies arrived at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach. Police say two parishioners, ages 82 and 61, received minor injuries in the scuffle.

Ricci was charged with two counts of simple battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly. He was being held Tuesday on $2,000 bond at the Martin County Jail.

Saints and a Sinner

Last night we had our All Saints Party (finally). The girls were St. Jane and St. Helen using the same costumes they had on Halloween with Mother Teresa added in—minus the veil that I figured she wouldn't want to wear and I didn't feel like making (I did make her dress)

And here is the group

You might notice a certain little newly three year old missing. Yeah {j} sat this one out. I got him dressed at home and let's just say he didn't really want to be dressed up.

Thanks yet again mom for the awesome costumes! Sorry {j} wasted your money!!