Not on my worst Emeny.

Today is Saturday, not only that but it's the first Saturday of the first week of school and it's also a holiday weekend, which makes it a 3 day weekend. You see Monday is Labor Day, the day we celebrate and honor the working people by not working.

Well mostly, because not everybody gets the day off. But I digress, the point is it's the Saturday after the very chaotic first week of school. Historically I take this Saturday off and sleep until late morning, usually 10am, then I putter around in my PJ's all day and try to do my very best at accomplishing nothing.

Not this time though, today there is lots to do, and I mean lots. So, I woke up at the usual time (Scratchy helped) stumbled in to the kitchen half asleep to start breakfast. Superman works Saturdays so I figured since I was up I'd feed him.

That's why he keeps me around you see, sometimes I feed him, well that and the fact I'm the most affordable baby sitter ever.

After he ate, he got dressed and since I have so much to do today I wasn't really going to need to leave the house. So I told him to take the SUV, cause I have to stay home today. His car is a stick shift, which makes it impossible for me to drive it, therefore removing the temptation to just leave the house and ignore all I have to do today. I've been known to do that, but not often.

Well after he left I went back in to the kitchen to start coffee, because I refuse to be forced to work while under-caffinated, it's inhumane you see. Once in the kitchen I began the holy ritual of coffee makin', when I reached for the canister I noticed it was kinda un-heavy, which was odd because I distinctly remember buying coffee on Thursday. Imagine the horror I felt when I saw this:

Yes people, even though I distinctly remember buying coffee Thursday, I am somehow inexplicably out of said coffee. Now I know it's been a rough week, but there is no way I drank all that coffee in 2 days.

The only explanation is that Superman has been giving the kiddos coffee in the morning and making extra coffee to take to his co-workers, because with the economy the way it is the company is no longer providing coffee (that would also explain the lack of toilet paper and milk around here) and everyone is taking turns bringing in coffee. Yeah that must be it cause I know I just bought coffee dammit!

As I'm thinking this I'm tearing apart the pantry and planning out the speech I will have ready for Superman in the evening, if I haven't gone and jumped off the balcony if I don't find coffee right this second.....

Well the good news is I found the coffee:

As you can see, it ain't really coffee. This jar of coffee flavoring is the coffee that I bought on Thursday. In my attempt at being well prepared, I bought this in case I ever ran out of coffee.

Obviously this is a bittersweet victory given that I am out of coffee and I am prepared, but the irony is I failed to buy real coffee.

Like I said, it's been a rough week.

It's that time of year again.

Yesterday was the first day of school here and it was chaos. Since my kiddos are in elementary they still require lots and lots of guidance and prodding. Jess was okay with it all, given that she is now a first grader, I'm not surprised. She is after all 6 years old people, she is sooo mature (gag) it hurts. She's decided that since she is a first grader, that it is no longer necessary for mummy to have lunch with her during the entire first week. The child has allowed me to come by and wave to her though, so I guess that makes up for the total abandonment issues she's left me with. At least Lily still needs needs me. And, well, lets not mention how close Scratchy and I still are. Speaking of painful milestones, Scratchy will be a one year old soon. All I can say to that is..well..How Dare She?. I mean seriously how dare she grow up, who in Sam hill, give her the authorization to stop being my baby?! Who? I mean what's the rush? Wasn't she born like 2 minutes ago? Pretty soon she will be all, "no mum, I are in first grade now, you not 'post to sit wif me no more", the nerve I tell ya. Makes me want to shut them into a little box and keep them there for ever, in my pocket, and take them out only when it's safe. Do any other mums feel this awful anxiety, this all encompassing fear of their babies not being, well, babies anymore? No, just me then? I mean I know I sound like I'm outta my tree, but I just cant help it. I know I whine about how much work is involved in raising them, and how insane they are driving me and how I'm out of coffee and it's all their fault, but at the end of the day, I really wish for them to stay little. I mean, my 3 girlies are the bestest thing that has ever happened to me. Ever. Well I'm sure meeting Superman helped a little, but in the end it's all them. Sorry I'm getting all whiny and emotional, but I just take it so hard during these big times of growing up. Jess is in first grade, Lily is starting Pre-K, and Scratchy is about to be 1. There is waaaay to much growing up going on around here, waaay. To be absolutely and completely honest, it's taking a huge toll on me. I know that it's all a part of the great big circle of life, but I honestly don't care. I really, really with all the power of my being want them to stay little. I know it's an unfair and selfish request, but again, I don't care. I'm off to see a lawyer to now, I'm suing my daughters for abandonment, wish me luck!

10 days, no post!

Gosh, it's been a while yo! Sorry. Well since we last met, I have been watching the US Olympic Swim Team Show. It's quite good, I have enjoyed the pectoral display more than I care to admit. Moving on, before this turns into something not so family friendly. Around here it is back to school time and as such it is a very busy time. There is lots to prepare; the invitations, the booze, the knitting yet to be chosen, yes lots to do before the party. What? you mean other people don't throw "thank goodness they're out of my house" parties? No? Just me then? Okay, okay, I kid, I kid. We are almost done with the back to school prep, the only thing left its buying the supplies. Why is it that kids need so much stuff now a days, for Kindergarten? I added up what it would cost to buy said supplies and I almost decided to home school (but wont), I mean that's just for 1 kid, I still have one other kid to buy school supplies for. When I went to Kindergarten, I had 2 pencils, 8 crayons, 1 pkt of manila paper, 1 packet of construction paper, scissors ,paste and a pencil box. Lily needs all that and sanitizer(2 bottles), Kleenex(4boxes), glue sticks, Ziploc baggies (1 gallon, one snack size), 2 folders, washable markers, and watercolors. Is it me or does that seem I don't know, wasteful. When Jess went to Kindergarten, I volunteered alot in her classroom and in the school, and I noticed that sometimes, teachers didn't even have room for all this stuff. It made me wonder how much was really needed. It all just seemed so, excessive. I love my daughter's school, don't get me wrong, but sometime it makes me wonder about the kiddos whose parents cant afford to send all this stuff. Those thoughts keep me up at night, because I was once one of those kids. But that is a story for another day. Right now I gotta get back to my party planing. Later y'all!

FOs, WIPs and ZZZZZs and WOW!

I know I've mentioned before that I'm on Ravelry, alot. It has many features that I hardly ever use, actually ones that I used a few times then stopped because I got too involved in the chit-chat that goes on there. Not that they aren't the coolest thing ever, just that they require time, time that I hardly have. So today my sweet chickadees, I'm going to bore y'all with the details of it all. Yay aren't you exited, I know I am! This is the Confection baby shrug for my baby Scratchy (11 months old as of yesterday, kill me). FO, finished object Made out of some Wool-Ease that I acquired before she was born, when I was first learning to knit last summer. It was knit on 5mm (US8) circular needles, and is the first pattern I have ever changed. The original pattern called for ribbing all round the opening and the sleeve edges, I changed that to moss stitch and I think it looks awesome. This is the Cropped Raglan sweater from the LionBrand page. It requires registration with them in order to view the free patterns. WIP, work in Progress Knit top down on 5mm (US8) needles too, the yarn is Cotton-Ease. I've also changed this pattern, it originally called for YO increases. Since I reeeally don't like the way that looks I changed it to M1 increases and I believe that it makes it look tidier. I also hope this helps with the bagginess I've seen on other peoples sweaters. My plan also includes making the sleeves and the bottom of the sweater longer just because the person it's intended for is always cold at work. ZZZZZ hibernating. I love this yarn, it is the one I wanted for me but some 9 yr old decided she liked it too(harrumph!) Looks like fire doesn't it, I looove the way it looks, but I hate the fact that they are going to have to be tube socks, the "little" girl who wants them outgrows everything every 6 months, she currently wears a size 8 womes shoe, so as you can see adding a heel is pointless. That is why these are taking so long, they are booooriiing. The last bit of knitting news is the WOW part of the post. This past April, I wanted to meet other knitters cause had never known any. So I decided that maybe I'd ask in the Bayou City Knitters group on Ravelry, if anyone would be interested in showing me the way of the sock. Some people answered back with links of online knitting help. This was all very helpful, but it did nothing to fulfill my desire to meet other knitters. So I waited (un-patiently) until 4 people replied that they would be interested in meeting up. Someone suggested the cafe area at our local Whole Foods, so that is where we began to meet up. We have been there every Thursday at 8pm since the 3rd week of April. There has only been 1 night since then that we have not been there. Not only has attendance been quite steady, but our group has grown. This has brought me huge amounts of happiness. Every Thursday when I show up I fear that no one will be there, every single time. Not only that, I always do a little dance in my head when I see that people keep showing up, again every single time. It is a very awesome feeling, very. A few in the group had thanked me for starting the group (their words, not mine) and I always feel like blurting out, "oh my are you kidding me, I'm just happy you people showed up and you haven't abandoned me" but I don't, cause I don't want to let them in on how big a nerd I am. I play it cool and say "oh no, thank you for coming!". Well, there was the one time at World Wide Knit out in Public day, that I met a knitter whom I'd never met in person, only in e-mails. I blurted out "I'm Carmen, I'm the one who started the WestSide Knitters group!", when I came home I felt all kinds of stupid. Imagine that, me taking credit for something as huge as the knitting group, asinine, I tell ya. So anyway the reason foe this long ass blubbery about the Knit night is that last night, I seriously felt that we would be banned from the WholeFoods. You see we never asked if we could meet there, mainly because I never imagined we would become such a large(ish) group. Well last night one of the employees brought us all cookies, seriously. It wasn't the first time but it was still awesome ( they'd done it only once before), we were all like WOW this is really nice of them. But later on another a woman came and asked if we were there every week. Well the table almost exploded with explanations. I replied " yeah, we are here every week, but I usually buy dinner here too" My co-conspirator(she suggested WholeFoods) said, "Oh I do my grocery shopping here(true) and when she (pointed at me) asked for a place to meet I suggested here" Everyone else at the table either explained that they purchase things there too, or shifted their purchases around so that the woman could see them. I myself was kinda busy freaking the hell out that we would be asked no to meet there anymore. My mind was all worried that this was the end of Knit Night, I really wanted to cry right there and then(who you callin' insecure). Imagine my shock and relief when this very nice woman said, oh how nice that you all do this. we love having you all here. She went on to explain that she never works nights but that she had to set up a display, so that is why she was there, and that the other employees had told her that we were there every week and that we always have lots of fun and blah, blah, blah, blah. I stopped paying attention after the love part. Then she said she was the Marketing Manager, and that she has left a note saying we are to be provided with cookies and refreshments every week. Oh. My. Yarn. Can y'all believe it? I sure cant, I may have fainted a little when I got home. Not only that, but she asked if we would be interested in teaching there on Saturdays when they have many family events. I don't even have words for how happy that made me. Who knew our little group would become sooo awesome. I sure as hell didn't. I mean I just started knitting last summer, from a book, by myself, with other people looking at me oddly(mostly family). I cant wait for it to be Thursday again!

NO TIME, There's is panikin' to do.

No pixies today kiddos, no time to lead them up on the ole' 'puter. You see there a big ole Category 1 hurricame headed out way. Well right now its only Tropical Storm Edouardo. They had to git fancy pants over at the meteorologist folks place, I henceforth baptize it EDDY.

I reeeeally don't feel the need to panik right now (great, now I've typed that and have doomed us all) but I called Superman at work and told him that if the storm gives any indication that it wants to grow up to become a Hurricane that he must come home from work immediately and help me panik. I mean we are a family of 5 people, I cant do all the panikin' by myself. With that said I'd like to go on now and write a quick note to this storm. Ahemm....

Dear Tropical Storm Edouardo,

I know that you have very big aspirations and that in this world we all aim to be somethin' bigger. As children we are told by our mother( Hi Mother Nature) that we should aim to be successful and generous during our short time here. Now Eddy, I plead with you not to completely disregard your mother's advise, being a mother myself I know that she only meant it in the most positive way. But I'd like to give you a bit of advise myself, seeing as how I'm a mom too, I feel that I have the right credential for it.

Eddy please keep in mind that in your particular case bigger is not better. Sure all the other hurricanes will think you are the epitome of cool, but they are not really looking out for your best interests. You see the only ones who think well of themselves are, well, themselves. Around here we don't think of them so fondly and I really don't think that you want us to curse your name and spit on the ground whenever we speak of you. Trust me it aint purty, so just please stay small and be gentle. I'm sure that is what your mother would say to you, I mean all us moms want our babies to stay small and be gentle. So make your momma happy and stay small okay.

Love,

EliCa.

PS. See you tomorrow at 7am.

PPS. IF you wreck knit night, I will never forgive you.