Finished scarves!

So I finished the pinky scarf for Emily.

And I had another stein of the yarn, so I finished a matchy-matchy one for her BFF.

I did have a slight problem, when Coats & Clark decided to throw a knot in my creative process.

This sucks!

In other news, Anna decided to spend her money on 2 male hamsters and a cage for $35 someone left at the pet store.  Well, miracles never cease and 2 males somehow had 2 babies...more to follow on this breaking story.

Pink Frills

Anyone who knows my knitting habits knows I hate novelty yarn.  I'm using hate here.  About yarn.  Fun fur, ribbon yarn, you name it.  I hate it.  So what in the world possessed me to try Red Heart Boutique Sashay?  Well, the scarves were pretty.  And Emily really wanted it.

So I went to Herrschners on Sunday, because we were out for a drive and Hey!  Herrschners is ALWAYS a good destination.  And it just happened to be--their yarn sale.  Now, I'm not a big "stash building" kind of gal.  I always need to have a general idea what I am doing with the yarn before I just buy it because it's a good deal--because I could have bought a metric F-ton of yarn had I wanted to, even on a limited budget.  But I didn't.

I did buy sock yarn for $2.  Enough to make a whole pair of socks.  I had bought it for my swap-bot partner, but then I read she hates browns and oranges, so it is my fall pair of socks yarn now:

So then there are all these pretty scarves hung up.  In all kinds of pretty colors.  And Halloween colors.  And Christmas colors.  But oh so pretty, frilly, lacy.  And Emily wants a pink one. 

So I get it home.  And I have to watch 3 YouTube videos to figure out how to knit with it.  The best video is this one.  But here is what you are looking at:

When you undo the wrapper, it looks like fat shoe laces:

 BUT when you undo the shoe laces, you find something more sinister.  Something mesh-y:

So you actually only cast on 6 stitches.  By cast on, I mean you put the needle through 6 holes in the top of the mesh.  The rest of the mesh hangs.  Then you knit by put the second from the needle "hole through the yarn and knitting that.  It makes little lacy potato chips:

 But you kind of get used to it after a while, and this is where I'm at so far:

It looks like one skein is enough to make a good sized scarf, especially since I am not even halfway through the skein, and this is how long it is already.  It's a little tedious, I don't think I could do it for a living, but it's a little fun too.  I wish I could figure out a good way to twist the ruffles without twisting the yarn all up, but that's for another day.

On the Soapbox

Stop reading now if you don't want to read a rant.

This blog is directed at another mom in Wisconsin.  Maybe it will get back to her.  Maybe it won't.  I don't really care at this point, because I need to get this out--and maybe she needs a reality check.

Using your blog as a soapbox to rip on a 12 year old girl is wrong.  I don't care if you think she's stupid, ugly, dresses like a slut, whatever.  She's a child.  You are not.  Grow up already.

Giving parenting advice when Child Protective Services has your house programmed into the GPS--also wrong.  People in glass houses and all.

And finally...ripping on your sister's parenting ability when, seriously, if there was a mom-of-the-year she'd put them to shame, is the last straw.  You don't even know your sister.  You certainly don't deign to know her kids.  She has overcome more problems than you will ever have to deal with and is still overcoming them on a daily basis.  Don't you DARE compare your children to her children, who really DO have actual diagnoses.  Don't you DARE try to mislead people into thinking that her children are naughty, because she doesn't know how to parent.  Her son has AUTISM you FUCKING MORON.  And you're going to be a nurse?  I guess at least it's not a social worker.

Your sister has more parenting ability in her little un-manicured finger (she just doesn't have time to go get a mani-pedi every week) than you will ever know in your entire life.  So go stick your head in the sand some more, get another manicure, rip on some more 12 year olds and pretend like you are perfect.  We'll all be here in real life if you make it over.

*stepping down now*

The Last Hurrah

Well, our family said goodbye to the last days of summer in grand style I think!  Here's the run down:

Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh

Camping at High Cliff

 BIRTHDAYS! (Anna is 13 and Emily is 7):

 Pickles!  OK, not as exciting as birthdays, but I am so grateful to my coworker Kelly for giving me cucumbers this year.  15 jars!  I'm so happy!!

I tried Ball's pickle mix.  I actually ran out--so we'll see how they turn out.

Pickle mix looks like this.  Smells very dill-ish.

 Kites over Lake Michigan!  This was great--we are going to go every year I think!

I will learn eventually that I need to bring their swimsuits and/or an extra change of clothes every time we go to Two Rivers.  This time I just said:  "Go!  Get wet."  They obliged.

 Labor Day at the Labor Temple:

WE Energies was giving rides up in their cherry picker.  I can imagine this is better than how they spent last Labor Day.

Way high!

 And then....
Back to School:

Anna in 8th grade

Nicholas in 4th grade

Emily in 2nd grade.

And me?  Well, I missed Emily's meltdown this morning because the students at work are back to school too.  But I am enjoying the kids being at school in the afternoon.  I even have time to update my blog!

Vacation: Day 1 Wisconsin State Fair

I'm on vacation this week.  It's my first vacation since I started working at UW.  I am a spoiled public worker, so I get a week's vacation--without pay.  How lucky I am!  Good thing I'm married to a librarian, and we are independently wealthy...

Anyway, we went to the Wisconsin State Fair.  I love going to the state fair.  I do not love going with my MIL.  She pretty much just wants to go to have a cream puff and go home.  So--we didn't go with her (I'm sure there will be repercussions later...)

So we don't usually ride the rides at the state fair, unless it is the Sky Glider.  And with the 20mph winds, we skipped that this year.  But we did the kids activities in the DNR area (denuded this year--you could see the budget cuts from past years, when they had passports to get stamped and would earn little prizes, like bird whistles.  No passports this year--just a temporary tattoo).

I love food on a stick.  I am a sucker for anything on a stick, and Wisconsin State Fair has an entire section on their website about food on a stick.  Not joking.  It's here.

So we started with Deep Fried Oreos (not on a stick, but still good).

 

Next, we stopped at the sponsor-of-the-day PATRICK CUDAHY.  Doesn't get better than bacon samples--and their bacon samples were cinnamon rolls with bacon bits.  Sounds gross, I know...but it was yummy.

Then Emily got a "Fair Do".  It looks awesome.  We haven't attempted to wash it out yet, but it looked good:

We had our traditional corn on a cob, with Emily and Nick opting for frozen bananas on a stick.

We had cream puffs (Anna opted for the colossal brownie).

We had bacon wrapped tater tots--on a stick.

Then we went to the WE Energies arena to look at the art work, and found Information...on a stick:

Emily and Nicholas had (very messy) chocolate covered bacon...on a stick:

Other notable foods on a stick:  Cream cheese and bacon on a stick (not bad) and Fat Elvis on a stick--peanut butter cup deep fried in banana batter.  It is uber delicious!!

It wasn't all just food on a stick however.  We went to the draft horse judging and had front row seats.  Needless to say, Anna was thrilled.  Our other 2...not so much.

All three of them begged every time we went by the foot massagers, so as our last hurrah--foot massages for everyone!

It was a fun day, but by the end, the kids were getting on my last nerve.  I had a rum and coke, and a beer, and I was in a much better mood for the ride home.  I shoulda started drinking at 9am.  I love my kids--I hate when they whine and complain, especially when taking them to amazing things I never got to do as a kid.  Like EAA last year--we're watching the Harrier take off, it was an amazing, incredible moment in the middle of a thrill-a-minute air show...and my kids were bored, picking grass.  They are just spoiled.  Not bratty spoiled, certainly not rich spoiled, but they see so many fun things, they don't realize how special it is they are seeing them.

Coming soon:  Vacation Day 2: Farmers Market and Timber Rattlers :)

Catching Up

Because I have knit a grand total of one scarf and one pair of socks this year (gulp!) my catching up involves my kids and family activities:

We went to the Domes in Milwaukee.  It was beautiful--but it was also a VERY warm day in February (we didn't have much of a winter) so it lost some of it's "Winter Love".

I had my first finished object--a piano illusion scarf, finished for Anna's school's silent auction (and my friend, Liz bought it)

Anna also had her first school dance--80's night.  She didn't have fun.  :(

We went to Owensboro, KY to check out the area.  Brian applied for a job there (he didn't get it):

At the library--e is for Emily :)

 My beautiful kids at Easter:

I changed my hair!!

We had ants...lots of giant ones:

We bought a camper!  It needs lots of work, but the price was right, and we've got our whole lives.

We had more ants.  Lots of little ones this time.  We decided between the ants and the flooding basement it was time to move.

Emily learned to ride a two-wheeler and got a new bike as a reward. (Holy Cow!!  I'm one proud Mama!!)

Star Wars night at the Timber Rattlers!!!

Strawberry picking at Cuff Farms.  It was our first time there, and we'll be back!

Fourth of July (and lots of beach days!):

We are renting to own our friend's house.  He had to move to NY with his kids following his divorce.  We LOVE our new home, and hope he is happy where he is.  Here is a rose in my new garden:

 We went bowling at Super Bowl for FREE this summer!!  I can't say enough about this program!!

We made it to Bay Beach on the first not-above-85-degrees-Day we could find:

And I got another beautiful rose in my new garden:

So I think that sums up until today.  I'll be sure to take a picture of my new house (everyone has their own bedroom--and we have 2 bathrooms!!)  I had to rip out the baby blanket I was working on (messed up reading the directions--oy.) but my Olympic Sock is coming along nicely :)  More entries to follow!!