Pamela On The Farm

February blues

2012-02-08T14:10:00.003-05:00

Wow! I was just reviewing my annual goals. What have I accomplished? Zip. As they say: if you want to see God laugh, tell him your plans.

In this case, He said "that's nice, but I have other plans for you". So, I've been messing around trying to get my mom to a state of wellness for the last 5 weeks. She's had doctor appointments every week. I don't mind going, it just takes sooooo much out of the day. I believe we will find a leveling off soon, though.

Add to this the end of Baylor's wrestling season - the busiest part of the season - with the OHC's and Sectionals coming up. I'm not missing any of that. I need to watch my boys wrestle, as this will be the last for a while.

Then, I have sisters coming and telling me what I need to give up, what I need to do, etc. etc. Perhaps instead of telling me what I need to do, they should just come in and say 'I'll do it for this amount of time'. That would be much more helpful. My older sister would shit a chicken if she knew how much I was doing that I DIDN"T mention to her.

Finally, my coworker is on vacation. This may sound kind of odd, but that means that I am trying to do her job and mine on a daily basis. It is usually a quiet time of the year, but I have been slammed with stuff to do from her side of the room. Just when I think I am 'caught up' - SLAM! Another big project, or one that is sensitive.

So, what have I accomplished on my list? Well, let's review:

1. Bedroom Closet : Still a mess, probably more so now as I just throw everything in the bottom. I told DH I was going to re-do it in March.

2. Gift Wrap Station: Haven't looked at it since Christmas

3. Laundry Room: Nada

4. Garage: Nada

5. Christmas: About where I was last time I wrote about it.

1. Swap Cleanup: Well, I look at it every day, does that count?

2. Hats & Gloves: Honestly, this is a late-summer project.

3. Living Room cabinet: Yep, nothing going on here either.

1.Shelves for bookcases: I was going to start this in March, so it doesn't count.

2. Mantle: August/ Sept - again doesn't count. Also, I was afraid we were going to loose the house, so what was the use?

3. Doork Locks: I need to get this done. I hate that back door lock not working correctly.

1. Christmas presents: Yeah, right. I haven't finished one from LAST Christmas.

2. Knit a hat a month : Well, technically I got one done, but it brought such bad luck for the team, I sent it far far away.

3. knitting for me: Have yarn grouped together to get started, just have to start.

4. Weigh less: Well, as a stress eater, it has not been good. I was going to do Zumba at work, but just cannot fit it in to my schedule.

As you can see, pretty much I have made zero progress. Perhaps after the season is over it will be easier. I know my sisters want to work on Mom's house, but it won't be every weekend, and if it is, they can just spend a few without me.

Ah, well. Off to dream about knitwear yet to be made.

Wrestling and knitting

2012-01-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

These two things, though they seem different, are actually very connected. When I sit at wrestling meets, I knit. Knitting helps me deal with the stress of watching Baylor wrestle.

So, I completed an infinity scarf for Barbara on December 22, while watching Baylor wrestle at the Catholic Central Irish Holiday tournament. He placed 2nd at that tournament. Amazingly so did Cole Howard.

At the Lima Central Catholic tournament on December 30, he didn't do very well, going 3 and 2. He did get his 100th win in, though. I worked on another infinity scarf, this one for Mom. Didn't finish either.

At the Mechanicsburg/ Greenview/ NE tri meet January 5, he went 1 and 1, beating Greenview, but not the 'Burg. He did elbow Tilley in the nose, though and bloodied his nose pretty good. I worked on the scarf some more. Cole got his 100th win and they are now tied at 101 each.

January 7 was the Clark County Clash. Baylor went 5 and 0 with 4 pins and won the tournament for his weight class. It was GLORIOUS!!! Cole did the same thing and they are still tied. It was great that both of them have placed the same in both tournaments. Hopefully, they will continue. I really believe that now that both have their 100th win, they will do better, because the rest is all icing on the cake. I finished the infinity scarf and started a tea cozy, that I promptly ripped out. Still cannot decide what to make for the Christmas party, but I believe it will be the Dead Fish hat - since it's funny.

Next is the Shawnee Super Tri on January 11. It should be pretty good.

New year/ new opportunities

2012-01-04T12:05:00.002-05:00

So here we are in 2012. Some believe this is the end, that on Dec. 21, our world will end. It may, but I don't think it will be the biblical fire-raining-from-the-sky end. It could be as simple as an uprising of the middle class, which I've been predicting for years.

But in my world, the new year brings new opportunities. I am looking to do some projects around my house and work on some self-improvement. If the world does end, my house is gonna be ready for it.

So here is my list. Not really resolutions, but just things I want to accomplish in 2012.

Cleaning/ organization:

Bedroom Closet organization - I want to put up new shelves on each end for folded clothes, baskets, whatever. Use double hanging on the sides for various shirts, skirts and pants. I only want about 4' of standard hanging for the few dresses I own. This will also help me re-evaluate what we have in our closet and perhaps give me NEW clothes that I haven't seen in years.

Gift wrap station - Yes, its a little excessive, but I have a gift wrap station in the basement. Actually, it has turned into about 4' of gift wrapping area with a lot of other stuff on the table. It needs gone through, stuff needs to be either pitched, sold or donated. I have tons of ribbon and gift wrap and once it's all organized I'll be able to wrap stuff like nobody's business.

Laundry Room - I know, this is on my list every year, but with the washing machine floods of the summer, it is deperately needed. I will wait until Ethan goes back to school, since having this stuff all through the house will make him CRAZY! Currently, I am looking at March to get this done.

Garage Cleaning - I wanted to be able to park in the garage this winter, but it looks like another year of parking outside. Steve said he was going to do this, but if it's not done by April/May - it becomes my job. I really need a roll-off.

Christmas Decorations - Ethan put away the decorations last year and I had a hard time finding everything this year. I plan on taking down the tree and packing up everything January 14 - 15. I've already started on this.

These items are downsizing measures. There are tons of things we no longer need and although a lot of the cleaning and organization above is part of that, this will go towards it as well.

Swap cleanup - I've been doing swaps for years and have them EVERYWHERE. I want to mark special items/ yarn from swaps so I know where it came from and incorporate it into my regular stuff.

Hats and gloves - there is always a need for these items and we have far too many hats and gloves. Steve is obsessed with them and constantly buys them. I am going to donate the ones we don't use to an organization - maybe our church.

Stuff under the living room cabinet - I'm not even sure what is under there or in the drawers, but it needs to be resolved. There is some paper, some swaps, photos, etc. etc.

These items will make our home better and just need done:

Shelves for bookcases - I love my new Ikea bookcases, but I need some additional shelves. I believe 4 15" and 2 30" will be sufficient.

Put up mantle - My sisters bought me a mantle years ago and it is sitting in the basement. I think August or September would be a good time to paint the living room and put up this mantle.

Change door locks - Our door locks are serviceable, but have 'glitches' in them. The one on the front door is bent, the one on the back door is falling apart. My goal is to replace one every other month until I have new door locks all around.

Stuff for the soul. These items are just stuff I do to make myself happy:

Start Christmas presents now so I have a few hand-made items for family members.

Knit a hat a month for the church so they have hats to give out with their coats.

Work on at least 3 knitted items for ME!

Turn 53 with less weight on my body than I have now. This will mean going to Zumba again and watching what I eat.

I think that's about it. Best wishes in your new year. I wish you all health and well-being in the coming months.

Thanksgiving in a week

2011-11-18T11:50:00.002-05:00

Wow! It's hard to believe we are at the back half of November already. Thanksgiving is in a week. Wrestling scrimmages start next weekend, too. It seems like just yesterday it was September and the semester was just starting. We thought there would be so much time to do all the stuff we needed to do - papers to be written, stories read, knitting to be completed - where has the time gone?

So here is a list of things I want to get accomplished before next Wednesday. What are my odds?

1) Rewrite a paper for my British Lit class. Right now, the paper is a high B and I'm hoping to pull it up to an A. I think I can do that pretty easily.

2) Write a proposal for my Canon paper - I believe I am going to petition to add Queen Elizabeth's writings to the class. I think we kinda glossed over that time period and I love her poetry. Her sonnets bring me to tears with the heartbreaking thought of her dual life.

3) Put together my new bookcases and set them up in the corner of the living room. This will help to clean up the stacks of books in the living room.

4) Wash the filing cabinet in the garage and put it in the laundry room. This will take care of the rest of the stacks - all the paperwork that needs to be kept.

5) Finish knitting Baylor's fornicating deer hat and Mom's stuffed turkey. I am loving the turkey. He looks so cute and cuddly. As for Baylor's hat, this is a little more of a stretch.

6) Make up Christmas stockings for our student workers. I need to have this done by Tuesday!

7) Come up with a menu for Thanksgiving and go shopping. I hate shopping. Hope this works out well.

Vote today

2011-11-08T09:19:00.002-05:00

Please vote today! Make your voice heard. No matter what you stance on an issue, please vote.

Our country is being run by the minority. Why is that ? Because people who can make a difference don't vote. Don't think that your voice won't be heard - it will. The last few local elections have been won or lost by very small margins. If the issue didn't go your way and you didn't vote, you could have made a difference.

So get out there and vote people! And if you haven't registered, do it today so you are able to vote in the next election. Go to the county board of election web page to get a registration form, register at the county fair, call a neighbor for information, whatever it takes to get out there and take the country back from the craziness!

From summer to fall

2011-09-27T14:53:00.003-04:00

All in one swoop. Today is only 20 days from my last post - when it was 90 out. Today, it is cloudy, rainy (as it has been for two weeks) and in the 60's. There was no subtle change, just one day our low was our high and at night it crept down to the 40's. Great weather for sleeping, but I could use a little sun to brighten my day. All this grey is so damn depressing.

I believe we could have some sun this weekend, which would be great.

We went to the Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs a few weekends ago. It was a lot of fun. Our friends from Indiana came in and we had a ball. We made body doubles on Friday night. Saturday, we went to the Wool Gathering. Our tiny group (Kelly, Jessi and I) had to leave early because Jessi had to work, but we were done anyway. I got some beautiful (if overly expensive!) yarn to make Baylor's hat in the colors he wants - Cat yellow and black and Allis orange and black. I'm doing the deer side in orange and the pattern side is yellow. It should look pretty cool. Additionally, I found some perfect peacock color (actually it's called Smoky Teal) that matches the sweater almost exactly! I'm totally excited about this baby set for Steph. Anyways - all that yarn is from Fiber Optics. I love their colors - so vibrant and rich. You can see, if you look closely, varigations of anywhere from yellow- orange to deep pumpkin in the orange and the yellow has a lovely halo of orangy-gold that tones down the yellow a bit.

I also bought 3 skeins of Hydrangea from Knitting Notions. I like her colors, too. I should have gotten the Chili Pepper, though. I kept thinking I had some of this color in my stash and sure enough, I now own six skeins of lace weight Hydrangea. YIKES!

I need to add some fringe to the afghan for baby Liam. I could probably do that tomorrow night at SNK. I need to get it to him before he's in school. Finish the hat for Steph, then cast on the hat for Baylor. It's next on my priority list!

I found a few items I want to make for Christmas, but we will see. It's hard to believe we are a third of the way through the semester and we have about 3 months till Christmas.

On that note, British Literature has been a lot of fun. We are working in the Renaissance and it is really interesting. I loved Medieval British Lit. It was a lot of fun. We had a test last week but I haven't received it back yet.

Well, just a few more days this week. Baylor is getting Senior Photos done on Saturday (hopefully) and it should be great. Dan wants to have him with his hunting gear to get some photos.

Labor Day

2011-09-06T09:16:00.003-04:00

So this weekend was Labor Day weekend. What does that mean to me? Well, it means an extra day off for the weekend and usually a mandatory (and not always well received) picnic that 'has to take place because it's the last of summer'. Somehow I managed to avoid this scenario, although I am not sure how.

So here's how our weekend went:

Saturday I walked with the church for the Inner City Ministries - a good cause. I walked because its the right thing to do. I walked and knitted a sock. I walked and sweated like a pig in the 90+ temps. It was hot. Steve was going to meet me at the church - he volunteered for food duty. I was at the park talking when I got a call.

DH: What are you doing?
ME: I'm still at the park. Why?
DH: Come over to the church right now.
ME: OK

So I go to the church and TJ, my dog, runs up to me with his face bleeding. What the heck!?!?! Steve used the flatbed truck to bring the grill to the church and TJ loves to ride on the flatbed, so Steve thought it would be all right. On the way to Urbana, the grill shifted, throwing or pushing TJ off the truck. Luckily, it was just a little road rash and nothing serious. He was just scared. I took him home, got him some chicken nuggets and stayed with him.

Later Steve and Baylor decided to go to Illinois for the weekend. Or rather Steve decided that he and Baylor were going. Some day he will figure out his children are adults and need to be asked what their plans are. Baylor, although he knew it would be fun, had other plans that had to be cancelled. Of course he won't tell his dad that he has plans.

So off they went - TJ and I staying home. TJ with injuries and me with class on Monday. That's OK. I spent the weekend finishing up swaps and studying. I got to watch what I wanted to watch on TV, went to a bonfire at the Newmans and never once did I have to put a toilet seat down. It's the little things that make us happy.

Saturday night it poured rain! Lots of wind, rained over 2 inches, blew the door open, etc. I stayed up until the worst went through and went to bed about 1:30. Since I was feeding the steers, I had to be up by 8.

Sunday it continued to rain. I studied, knitted, and cleaned out the fridge. It was glorious. I finished the Mermaid shawl, started a water bottle cozie. just had a great time knitting and reading and doing what I wanted to do. TJ seemed to feel a lot better. Still not 100%, but just stiff and sore.

Monday I had class at 10:20, then I went to Hobby Lobby and the grocery. By the time I got home, the boys were home. Of course Steve was mad because the tarp had blown off the hay outside and Vern didn't even check it. Not my day to babysit! I had a great, if quiet, weekend, so it's all good.

More fair photos

2011-08-17T10:30:00.013-04:00

Some photos of our time at the 2011 Clark County Fair! It was a lot of fun.

Baylor at barn set up:

Our booth : Our 4H club at the ice cream booth:

Baylor, asleep at the fair: Piggie love:

Baylor and his steer. He won the sign competition!

The annual flood. We had 4 inches of rain in 1 hour. Up to 18 inches of running water by the expo center. Of course, Ethan has to do something goofy, so he rented a scooter for the afternoon. They had a BALL with it!

2 days until fair

2011-07-20T10:22:00.015-04:00

Everyone has been working hard. We've had Skillathon and Miscellaneous judging. Last minute details are being completed, including open class and booth decorating. With that, I bring you the hard working crew who worked outside in 100+ degree weather to bring you the Livestock Unlimited booth. I cannot wait until we assemble all this hard work into a beautiful booth.

Priscilla came on Saturday to help with painting. She, along with many others, worked their magic with the hot knife - cutting out the shapes we needed to make our vision come to life.

Leslie and Tina worked on the cow. It's really cute.

Tina worked on our 'gigantic duck', too. It's HUGE! Almost four feet tall.

Stephanie worked on lots of things - painting, cleaning up, designing. She will be an 'official' 4H'er next year and I'd bet she will be as great at it as her sister.

Our pig, Dusty. He's not 'dusty' here, but he is now.

The rabbit... he's about 2 foot tall.

We worked again on Tuesday night because we ran out of cardstock and such. Good thing we still had plenty of paint and styrofoam for designs. This is going to be so much fun!

Bayley working on painting... I don't know if she liked painting the flowers, but she loved painting my picnic table.

Sarah came out to help as well. Leslie (in the background) was in charge of lettering. She did a great job.

Kelly can't help herself. Out of 4H for four years now, and yet she loves helping design and come up with ideas for the booth.

Taylor and Brooke working on stuff. Brooke was winding down and Taylor enjoyed working with the hot knife.

The flowers turned out really pretty. Love the colors.

And my picnic table is definitely much more colorful. It's nice to see something other than the old dirty wood.

Tonight we go to the fairgrounds to set up the barns. Friday we set up the booth and open class. After Saturday, it's all relaxation and showing. YEAH!

Berry picking, county fair and camps

2011-06-29T09:05:00.002-04:00

The last few days have been overwhelmingly busy. There is so much going on with the fair coming up in 3 short weeks, Steph's baby shower coming up, Baylor away at camp, and berries coming ripe, although I think the berries will be low on my priority list.

I've been out picking berries in the evening for two days and have barely gotten a full gallon. Last year, I could pick a gallon in one spot. It looks like we lost a lot of the canes last winter, but there are lots of new ones coming up for next year. That's fine. I'll pick when I can, but didn't yesterday and won't today. Yesterday I had a training session for 4H and today is knit night!

The county fair is almost upon us. Just three short weeks from Friday, we will be moving in and setting up. It's an exciting time. I love fair week. I need to send in my entry today and get started on finishing things. I have a photo I am taking. There are a few more projects. Here is a list of things I need to do before fair:

Make Baylor's scramble steer sign.

Work on decorations for the booth

Come up with an inexpensive quick adult make n take craft

Get prizes together

Ballots for the lamp contest

Hmmm... that's all I can think of right now.

Finally, it's 4H camp week, well the end of it anyway. Baylor's been gone to camp since Saturday. He'll be home today. Can't wait to see him. I hope he had a great time. It's his first year as a counselor, not a CIT. He was so excited when he was leaving. Packed up some Christmas lights and stuff to decorate the cabin. Was stopping to get more decorations at Crafts 2000 and goodies at Ollie's. He almost quit, but he was really glad I talked him out of it.

Summer is always so busy at our house, but it's fun. This weekend is the 4th and it should be a great time, with the fireworks and such. Cannot wait!

My baby is 18!

2011-06-08T10:10:00.006-04:00

Sunday was Baylor's 18th birthday. It's been a tough way to go, but he made it to adulthood. Sort of. He still has a year of high school and then some college, but as far as the law is concerned, he is an adult. He is intelligent, funny, respectful and hard working. What else could a mother ask for in a son? I love him. He's my baby!

Actually, I am quite happy with this situation. All of my children turned 18 without having children of their own. I believe that is an accomplishment anymore. They are all individuals with various tastes and opinions, no two of which are the same. It's pretty amazing when you talk to these young people who grew up in the same home but are so very different. Baylor obviously enjoys being the life of the party:

In other news, it is hot in Springfield OH. Very hot. We have had 5 90 degree days in the last two weeks. Another 90 degree day today. People who know me know that I have a fascination with sunshine, though. So here's a photo of the sun setting behind our silo.

Wow! Can you say long distance knitting?

2011-03-29T15:05:00.005-04:00

I just read the Yarn Harlot's blog about being 'underyarned' on the trip from Toronto to Washington for Sock Summit. Let me just say 'wow'! That woman knits like the wind! She had a sock to finish and a baby sweater she'd barely started. Now I'm not a fast knitter, but I am a tenacious one. First, not at the place where I am making baby sweaters, and I like it that way. Second, it would take me half the flight to finish the sock.

As I said, not fast, but consistant. So what would I have packed for a cross country trip? Probably what's in my bag now, which is more than I can do in several cross country trips: My mystery shawl that is ALMOST DONE!!! Twelve more rows and it is complete. I am being very careful not to rush and muck it all up now. The white stole I have yet to start for a special gift. The tidepool heather yarn and a sock pattern for grins and giggles (and to get something with some color in my life!) and the Knitting Daily Coney Island purse pattern that I think I may have to dye yarn for. I have TONS of cotton and I could overdye some for some really cool tonals. I just really like this pattern and am itching to start it. These would get me through several cross country trips since it takes me about 40 minutes to do one row of the shawl, at about 270 stitches now.

Yes, you heard me right. I only have one item on the needles right now. After years of polygomous knitting, I am trying monogymy. It's not all it's cracked up to be, although you do see results quicker. I put aside the Socks of Obscure Reference (AKA Caladras) because it is all ivories and browns and I was BORED with the lack of color. I am seriously considering Tadpole for the tidal pool heather. It should be pretty. But tonight, I will go home and dye... some cotton yarn... or rather overdye.

More babies
Just an FYI, after the debacle with Diedre Sue (sorry, girl, you were a great cow and will be missed as Mooetta's second in command), we had good news. Ronnie had her calf last night. First, YEAH! another mom that coughs and has calves. Second, it's a girl! Drag out the pink ribbons, we have a girl, a little heifer. Haven't seen her yet and Baylor said Ronnie was not happy about his 'assistance' but I will take photos tonight. Since this was Ronnie's first, she had the baby in the mud and the poor thing was cold, wet and muddy. Baylor got her inside in a nice clean bed, and cleaned her up.

Now we gotta keep Flapjack and Delmar from teaching her bad habits. They've taken to escaping from the pen and just wandering around the barn lot. Flapjack was out last night and Baylor put a lead on him and put him back in the pen. Apparently he was fussing about going in because Baylor said Roxanne was challenging him when he got to the pen.

Good stuff abounds

2011-03-25T15:16:00.002-04:00

Well, as upsetting as some of the bad stuff of last week was - this week abounds with good and fun stuff.

Ok, so loosing a cow/calf isn't the end of the world, but Kelly's friend Robyn lost her grandmother. She'd had cancer for a while and didn't even look like herself, but it's bad anyway. Then we lost the van as well. The engine mounting brackets rusted through and the engine fell out on the road. Luckily, Steve was driving and wasn't driving fast. He was leaving Fastenal and it fell out.

Well, this week's good news : Ford is buying the van back from us. Now I get to get a new (to me!) vehicle. Granted, it won't be a new car, but I didn't like the van overly much anyway. Now, what do I want?

School Stuff
Sara Gruen who wrote Water for Elephants will be on campus April 7th. Guess what? I am going to the president's house to have dinner with her! How exciting is that? I picked up a copy of the book so I could read at least part of it before our meeting. I thought I would make her a bookmark with elephants on it. Is that cheesy? I think it would be fun and small enough that if she was like 'eh', it wouldn't really matter. I'm sure she gets lots of cool little goodies from fans, but I just thought it would be cool. Maybe do it in double knit so its two sided. We'll see.

Wrestling
Yes I am still talking about wrestling. Winter sports awards were Wednesday. Baylor was honored with Most Improved as well as 20 pins for the year. The math says that of all his varsity wins (89), 56% were by pin. That's really cool!

Knitting
I am almost done with clue #3 on the mystery shawl and finally got yarn (white) and a pattern for the stole. I have got to get on it! But I need a few little things on the side, to keep my interest. I am so tired of neutral colors. I need something BRIGHT and interesting to knit, at least for a while. I think I'll find some cool colors for the elephant brigade. I have plenty of the varigated from the slippers left, that could be cool looking.

What's new!

2011-03-21T13:14:00.006-04:00

Spring is in the air. Today is a balmy 66 degrees, a far cry from the 20 we had three short weeks ago. Classes are nearing the end and pushing their final push. Winter sports are over and awards are this week. It is going to be a great summer.

Sick people in my life

OK, so sick isn't the exact proper way of putting it. More like unhealthy. No, not that either. Steve had surgery on his collar bone and part of it needed to be removed, since it was infected. He has a picc line in and requires IV antibiotics 3 times a day. It's a PITA.

Now Mom isn't doing so well, either. She has some kind of rash all over her arms and legs, she's lost about 20 pounds, and her sugar count is skyrocketing. Her dr. is trying to treat symptoms until she gets the bigger picture.

So they are not 'sick' people, just health challenged. None of this is prohibiting their interaction with the world, they just need a little help.

Good News- Wrestling style

Baylor did really well in wrestling. He finished out the season well and made (wait for it!) First Team All County Wrestling Team!!! YEAH! Baylor, Cameron and Levi all did. Second team included Jessi, Devin, Justin, Marcus and Cole. It's a great thing to be there.

Spring Classic

Baylor didn't show Bar B Que(er) at the classic. The steer was acting crazy and Sam wouldn't let Baylor show, but the calf was there and it was a chance to see everyone. I'm glad I went because Rachel was so sad over her dad's death, this was the first time he wasn't at the show. We talked about how it's usually cold and rainy and how beautiful the day was. She said her dad always commented on how crappy the weather was on Spring Classic. I told her the beautiful day was his gift to her to let her know he was watching. She really liked that. It really could be.

Calves and cows

I shouldn't have been bragging. I told someone we don't often loose cows, and what happens? Diedre ends up strangling on a gate. Baylor finds her. It was bad. She didn't have her calf yet. Moo had a pretty little smoke colored calf Steve named Delmar. Roxanne had a pretty little red bull Baylor calls Flapjack. They are cute as can be. Here is a photo of Delmar:

Knitting and such

I received a beautiful swap package from Anne in Grosse Point MI. It was WAY over the top. Don't you hate it when you KNOW you haven't sent in kind? I feel kind of bad, but will enjoy the Malabrigo yarn she sent. A beautiful deep cherry red. The painted yarn is beautiful as well. Peacock colors - teal, navy, yellow, etc. Beautiful. A book on toe-up sock knitting, a copy of a knitting magazine. Way too much and WAY WAY more than my mere $30 box. And the felted slippers in turquoise blue. They are so comfy.

I am working on a shawl for the Golden Splendor. I am using Creatively Dyed yarn and I am pretty sure I'll get it done, too! Then I will be working on a stole out of KnitPicks yarn, either Tidepool. Tranquility or White. Then, just to get to the $50 and free shipping mark, had to get some of the Chroma in Rollerskate colorway. I know, I didn't need more, but I am working on a particular project and needed certain colors.

School

It's going OK, even with all the distractions. Hopefully we'll be through them soon and I can concentrate on what I need to concentrate on. I did get a check+ on my last paper returned. That's a good thing. I get a re-write on my paper that Dr. Richards has now, so I'm happy to hear that. Otherwise, midterm tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Laura

2011-03-05T22:38:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday to my younger sister Laura who turned 50 today. Hope she had a great day and enjoys many more birthdays.

Marching on into March

2011-03-01T13:26:00.005-05:00

March 1, the first day people consider as spring! And it's a beautiful day... sunny crisp and blue skies here in SW Ohio. According to legend, when March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion. The Farmer's Almanac calls for Unsettled conditions on the 20th - 23rd and rain, snow and squalls at the end of the month. We'll see how it goes, but the Almanac is usually accurate.

Steve had surgery on his collar bone (clavical) and got the staph infection sucked out. Now he's on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. It should be fine, but I had a moment this morning when I was feeling really defeatest. I was crying and knew I had a paper due today that I didn't get done. My prof was great about it and gave me an extension. I need to have the paper done by Friday, but I feel so much better, even though a first draft of a bigger paper is due on Thursday. I can do this! I know I can.

In projects completed, I got Sally the Eco Fairy completed. She looked great heading off to MA. I also completed a great WTS - the fairy rose sock, complete with teeny tiny fairy hiding among the leaves. It turned out better than I hoped. Now to get the mystery shawl completed for the Golden Splendor. I need to contact Tony and be sure he wants Bistro 2 Go to cater the event. I didn't get to the meeting, because I had a 4H meeting. Cannot believe it's starting already. I am so excited.

The surgery nightmare continues

2011-02-17T16:28:00.002-05:00

We went to the hospital last week to have surgery. About 10 minutes before Steve was scheduled to go in for surgery, they notice his white cell count is elevated and his clavicle is tender. He's been telling the doctors about this for three weeks and this is the first time they looked at it as a different problem, not part of the disk problem.

Needless to say, surgery was postponed until we could find out what this is. He had a nuclear bone scan and a CT scan that was inconclusive. In other words, they don't want to say what it MIGHT be for fear of being sued.

Tuesday we went in for a biopsy. We were supposed to go back for results today, but apparently they are not done with the tests yet. I thought it was pushing the envelope when the hospital said 72 hours and the doctor wanted us in there in 48. It's hard to tell how long it will be before we have the results.

In other news, knitting is still progressing fine, with lots of stuff needing to be completed. I have got to get things done this weekend to move on. I need to read for class. This injury cost me two class days and I feel so out of the loop in class. We have moved on to the Taming of the Shrew. Hopefully I can catch up in the next two weeks. That's what I am giving myself - two weeks to catch up.

In wrestling news, well, it wasn't as good as we hoped. Baylor finished 3rd. He was seeded 2nd. Hopefully this weekend will prove to be a bit better, but if he ends up 3rd, he moves on. That would still be good. Tomorrow night, we are at Sidney Lehman for the sectionals.

Knitting and surgery

2011-02-08T17:33:00.003-05:00

Steve herniated two discs in his neck. He messed around and tried to heal them without surgery. Now he has to have surgery. I'm sure right now he was wishing we lived in a Star Trek world where they don't have to actually cut you to heal you. He can barely move. His shoulders and neck are in constant, throbbing pain.

Yesterday we drove to Cincinnati to the Christ Hospital. It was difficult to get down there, since we hit rush hour traffic just as we got to Cincy. Got to the hospital for pre-op testing - blood work, EKG, etc. The doctor didn't like the EKG, so she scheduled a chemical stress test for later in the afternoon.

Went to his doctor's office at the Spinal Institute of Cincinnati. Talked over everything having to do with the surgery. His doctor seems really nice and straight forward.

Next stop, the Brace Place for a neck brace. Of course, they moved so we had to find them. Peek a boo! Where are you?

Back to the hospital for the stress test. They wanted Steve to lay down, but he can't since it hurts to bad. Got that worked out. The nurses and technicians were wonderful. Seth manned the ultrasound machine - he's from Ghanna. Ashley and Laura all worked hard to make this as easy as possible. Really, everyone I met at the hospital was wonderfully helpful - from the nurse who walked us to the registration desk, to the people who I asked questions of. They were great helping us through this part of the surgery. Will let you know how it all goes after the weekend.

Wrestling update

The team wrestled at Washington CH this past weekend. They kicked some serious butt! Baylor went 4 - 1 with all 4 wins being pins. He pinned the kid from CH and was so excited he ran around the mat and into Cameron's arms. I love it when they are excited! It was great. Tomorrow night, they will be wrestling against KR and Urbana. The weekend was made better for Baylor since his beloved Packers won the Superbowl!

Knitting update

Still working on the mystery shawl, the calahdras socks and they winter forest mittens. Added the Sally, the Eco Fairy in the mix, just for fun. She's so cute.

Kyle Maynard and Marie de France

2011-01-27T12:48:00.005-05:00

Well, this week has been interesting. We've had wrestling meets, wrestling superstars, knitting, papers and reading, lots of really cool reading.

Last Saturday was the Wapak tournament. We usually do pretty good at this tournament, but this year, not so much. Our team only had 2 or 3 practices in the two weeks prior to the tournament and just seemed flat. Everyone who placed, was a place or two behind their seed, so it wasn't good. Baylor placed 5th, but he wasn't real happy. Overall the team placed 7th.

There was, however, knitting and reading at the tournament. I knitted my KnitPicks mittens - the February ones - without thought of gauge. I mean, they tell us to use size 1, it should work, right? WRONG! The gauge (after working 2 inches of ribbing and 2 inches of colorwork) is WRONG!!! Major wrong. Like the gauge is 30 stitches to 4 inches and I have 40. I went up a needle size and am STILL not getting gauge. But I am swatching! The swatch is looking good and I hope that once I take it off and block it a bit, it will be OK. I mean, it's about 34 stitches to the inch, so we'll see.

The socks-of-obscure-reference (or the Caladras socks as their official name is) from the Lord of the Rings Sock Club is still being knitted. Obviously, I have no clue how big my foot is, so I started over with the smaller patter. I am almost to the heal (again). Hopefully will have one of them done soon.

And the reading and papers part? Well, we are reading the Lais of Marie de France. Beautiful poetry about knights and ladies and courtly love. I read them at the wrestling meet and wrote my paper on Lanval. The semester is starting out pretty good.

Which brings me back to wrestling. Kyle Maynard was at NE this past Monday. The wrestling team LOVED it. They had some really good conversation with him and Baylor said it was a great time. Kyle is an amazing young man born without arms and legs, yet he has spent his life involved in sports: wrestling, football and now MMA. His life motto is 'No Excuses'.

It's always good when teens find someone who truly inspires them to be better than they are. The team was still riding that high last night when they went to Shawnee and beat both Greenon (66 - 9) and Shawnee (54 - 27). Baylor won both his matches. It was great.

So this weekend we have Ben Logan. Tonight is Knit Night and you know what that means! Chick time!

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-18T12:34:00.003-05:00

I love to blog, I will admit that, but I am a terrible blogger. It sits out in Cyberspace and I forget about it, like anything that isn't right in your face all the time. I like writing, I just seem to forget with all the other writing I do.

So on to resolutions. I am going to try to post on my blog at least once a week. I have stuff in my life, stuff that's not all that important in the big scheme of things, but it's important to me and that's what a blog is all about.

Another resolution - I need a bracelet, a bracelet with beads. Not a Pandora bracelet, necessarily, but something a little more personal. What's the bracelet for? Well, there are a lot of people I know that need a little extra boost, someone thinking about them, someone who needs a little extra prayer. This way, I can remember who needs what and go through them.

One more - limit my knitting swaps. I think last year that's all I did. They are tons of fun, but it's marathon knitting. I want to do more KAL's so I have Christmas presents completed. I have one done (YEAH!) and have to create a mate for it. I haven't started anything new, although I am itching to. I bought the Knit Picks Winter Woodlands mitten set and it sits in the box, waiting patiently for me to work on it. I couldn't resist these gorgeous mittens.

So on to 2011, may it be better for everyone!

Pre - Fair update

2010-08-03T12:47:00.004-04:00

Well, the Clark County Fair has come and gone. It was an exciting time. We had a ball. Here are the highlights:

Our 4H club tie dyed tshirts to have screen printed with our logo. It was fun, but it took us 4 weeks to get it done. The colors were amazing and all the kids had a good time. If we do it again, we will definitely do it differently, with more organization and more people at once.

I took some photos of Ruby for Baylor's 4H project. He didn't show her because she kept acting up, but he did everything else to complete the project. Of course, Tan Man wanted in on the action. I never met a calf that enjoyed having his photo taken as much as that one.

Tomorrow I will post more about the set up and the fair in general.

One more month

2010-06-25T17:54:00.005-04:00

Well, it's about a month to the fair. Skillathon was this past week. Miscellanous judging is coming up after the 4th.

What do I have to do before then? Well, as usual, I bit off a little more than I could chew. I have several fair entries I need to complete. There are a couple of knitted items (a handbag and a miscellanous item. hmmm... maybe the entrelac bag I was going to do last year, maybe something double knitted for the misc.), a cross stitch (I'm really leaning toward a dragon) , a collection (I thought my WTS would be good.), and a couple of photos. I have some great photos taken this year. These are the ones I'm considering:

I thought about this one for scenery. I love the color and textures. It's so cool.

It should be an interesting fair. I need to call Donna this weekend and see if she contacted judges yet. I need to contact the manager at the Hallmark store and get her some passes, since I didn't get them to her last year. I also need to figure out an adult Make N Take.

Next week we will finish dying at the 4H meeting. We've had some beautiful shirts. I have some great photos of those as well. I need to get them off my camera to share. I may take one of those for the 'scenery'.

If you are going out to the Clark County Fair in Springfield OH, stop by and say hi! I will be out there all day every day. It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun. If you don't come out, for whatever reason, say a little prayer for my poor, poor feet. I always end up with sore feet at the end of the fair.

So many events!

2010-06-03T10:52:00.014-04:00

Well, so much has happened since I last wrote. It is now summer, at least in temperature as it's been in the 80's and 90's. Fair is about 6 weeks away and we are in full 'preparing for the fair' mode. It's been a lot of fun, but kind of sad as Baylor is the only one in 4H and FFA.

To get caught up, here's a run down of what I've done since I last wrote:

In April, Kelly and I went to Indianapolis for the Greencastle Fiber Arts Event. We stayed with some friends of Cheryl's and had an absolute ball, marred only by the fact that I had to be back in Springfield for the Master Gardener's Spring Fling on Saturday, but that was fun, too. We ate, drank some really good wine, spent $$$ at the fiber event and Kelly even started a pair of socks AND a shawl. Both are coming along nicely.

April 17th was our Golden Splendor - a wonderful event held at our high school. We had lots of really great items for sale, had record attendance, and made some serious money for the Boosters. We really need it because this is our biggest fundraiser of the year. If your local high school has a dinner auction event, please attend and support the organization. Too many schools are desperate to keep athletics and other after school activities going. I know a lot of people think school should be about education, but these programs provide education as well - education in perserverance, teamwork, socialization, organization, work ethics and leadership - all things we need in our future adults. Just think what our world will be like if we raise a generation of followers and no leaders.

Baylor went to Prom with his girlfriend Ashley. Baylor wore a tux and his wrestling coach allowed him to borrow his Miata. They looked so good all dressed up. Ashley's Mom and I took lots of photos: at her house, at the park at Marriott. I'm sure we were the only ones following our children around.

At the beginning of May, I went to Virginia with my sibs and cousins. Mom and I went from Ohio; Lou, Aunt June, Jo and Dee from Pennsylvania and Laura from South Carolina all met up and had so much fun. There was food and wine. I'm beginning to see a pattern here. It was great and while I didn't have any fiber artists with me, Dee, Laura and Jo worked on scrapbooking while I knitted. We talked and laughed.

So that brings me to the Great Lakes Fiber Arts event we went to last weekend. The Depot Fiber Arts group went along with a few friends from Greencastle. It was a ball. Wooster has a wonderful fiber event that includes sheep shows, vendor shows and classes, as well as 'free' events for anyone interested. It was fun.

And that brings me to photos! Kelly and Robyn went with us. They had a great time, although they were sleep deprived:

Our whole group had a great time, especially at Creatively Dyed Yarn! Diane is a wonderful young woman with a great eye for color.

There were spinners and other artists:

Alpacas:

And fiber, lots and lots of fiber:

I bought enough to make several things: a cardigan from Creatively Dyed's Beaches in Waya a vest in Lamb's Pride in Aubergrine (kind of a wine color), and a summer tank in a silk/merino blend in a dusty aqua. Plus some other fun stuff. It was great.

Let it snow

2010-02-16T10:28:00.008-05:00

Well, we have about 3 feet of snow. There are some places I don't think will thaw until May or June. The parking lots are piled 10 feet high. It's pretty amazing. Baylor hasn't been at school since last Tuesday. Here are some photos to enjoy.

Our picnic tables. You can only see the tops:

Baylor using the snow blower last week:

TJ and Max enjoying a romp in the snow. Max's ears aren't really pointed, I caught him in mid-romp.

This is the drift in front of the barn doors last week. It's a good five feet tall.

Hope you are enjoying your weather. Remember, we will have spring in about 60 days! Keep warm and be safe.

The 2010 challenge

2010-01-20T17:42:00.003-05:00

I joined America's Knitting on Ravelry and decided to do the 2010 challenge. This challenge is to get things OFF the needles. Since I, like Mary, start lots of projects and do not finish, this is a great challenge for me.

So, in addition to the swaps I do, the projects I enjoy for family and friends, etc. I am trying to finish other projects and get my craft room organized. Wittenberg was great in helping to make this a reality. They gave us from Christmas Eve to January 4th off. YEAH! It was wonderfully relaxing, but here it is not even a month later and I could easily take 10 more days off.

What I've done so far: I didn't take photos of my craft/sewing/laundry room because honestly, I was too embarassed. It was a disaster with cobwebs hanging everywhere like I intentionally draped them from the ceiling. You could hardly walk through for the stuff piled everywhere. So, I went to the Evil Empire (also known as Wal-Mart) and picked up 6 totes... the big ones... to sort what I wanted. They are divided as follows: Ribbon, fabric, books, beads, paintables, kids crafts. After I fill a tote, I sort it. For one entire afternoon, I sat on the floor with a needle and beading string and picked up seed beads off the floor. I also found LOTS of change, which is going towards coach's gifts.

Other things I've completed: The January WTS swap! I made a WTS bookmark for my partner. I hope she likes it. It's 100% alpaca in RED so she can find the book. Didn't take photos of that, either (note to self - TAKE PHOTOS!)

Next on the list is the LYS1 traveling scarf that should be completed tonight, followed by the Ohio Traveling Scarf that's been at my home for about 2 months.

Other projects:

Headband Swap
Versatility
Rainbow dog lead
French Press slippers (I actually have two pair ready to felt!)
Calorimetry (would like to make several of these for a student's community service project)

Guess that's about it.

Wrestling is going well. Baylor has lost a few and won a few. He placed third at the London Harry S. Steele Tournament last weekend. Not to bad, in my book. He is now 18 - 4. One more and he ties last year's record.

Ethan is back at school taking Bio, Chem, Africana Studies and Black History. He wasn't too sure about the Africana Studies or Black History but says he has learned a ton already. He sounded really excited.

I, too, am back at school taking America Literary Survey. We have touched on Emerson and Thoreau. I have to go home and READ tonight, plus make some banana muffins for the team for tomorrow.

A New Season

2009-12-14T08:42:00.002-05:00

Well, it's started.... the smell of testosterone and sweat in the air, screams of 'Base up! Base up!' and 'Walk towards the head', the heat of the gym, lots of laughter and tears... what is it? WRESTLING SEASON!!! We officially started wrestling season this past week.

Northeastern's team is tough and has lots of potential. We are a D-3 school and wrestle against a lot of D-1 and D-2 schools and still win. Our first meet was against Lima Catholic Central and West Liberty-Salem. Baylor is wrestling at 135. He beat the LCC kid, a senior. WLS didn't have anyone in his weight class.

At the Duals this weekend, Baylor went 8 - 1, losing only to the opponent from Covington. He placed second in his weight class. The team placed third, right behind Covington and Fairborn. It was a great weekend.

Ethan got home from college on Friday, also. Now we have a house full of young men. It's great to have him home again. He will be home for about a month.

As for Christmas, well I am having a tough time getting out to do any shopping. I need to get done this week so I can finish decorating the house. Not today, though! We have a booster meeting at 7 tonight.

They will know

2009-11-05T13:31:00.003-05:00

You know, as your children grow up there are a lot of things you wonder about. I wondered if they knew I was at events, especially sporting events. I wondered if they cared. I wondered what impact there was on them if I was there or not.

Well, let me tell you. They know. They know if there is 500 people in the stands. They know if they are concentrating on what they are doing. They know. Not only do they know, their friends know.

When Ethan was in 8th grade, I got to a game right before half time, just in time to watch him intercept a pass and run it in for a touchdown. I was walking in and could just tell it was him. I couldn't see his number really well, but a mom knows how their kids move.

I was screaming and cheering, as were some friends. In the next play, some of Ethan's friends told him 'Hey your mom just got here.', to which he replyed 'Yeah, I could hear her too.'.

Flash forward a few years to Kelly's high school band concerts. She looks into the stands to see where we (Grandma Penny and I) are sitting. She looks up, winks and there's a little wave. She is looking to see if we are there.

A little further ahead. Baylor is wrestling at Mechanicsburg. Just as the match ends and he wins, he looks around, just as I am running into the gym to watch. The smile on his face is larger after he sees me.

Last weekend I went to Baldwin Wallace to watch Ethan in his last (for this year) reserve game. It was a 3+ hour drive, but he was playing. It is important. I got there after the game started. Some day, I will be able to judge how long it takes to get up to Wooster/ Cleveland. During the game, I didn't see him look into the stands. Not once. He was busy playing ball.

After the game, he was looking around. You know the look, if you are a parent, kind of looking around knowing someone is there. 'I was looking for your red hat.' he said. Sometime during the game, he saw me in the stands. He didn't think I would be there, but he was watching anyway. It is important. They know when you are there and when you aren't.

If you are a parent, please remember to show up. You don't have to comment on mistakes, or praise successes. They know when you travel for hours to watch them stand on the sidelines. Just be there. They will know.

College and such

2009-09-28T15:35:00.002-04:00

Well, the new school year is in full swing. Kelly isn't going this semester, due to financial problems.
Ethan is at the College of Wooster and Baylor is a sophomore this year.

Kelly is living with her BF. I don't know if that's good or bad, but that's where she is.

Ethan is living on campus and playing football. I try to get to a game a week, but it's a 2 1/2 hour drive up there. It is a beautiful drive and a lovely campus. Their marching band is really good. Ethan is primarily playing Junior Varsity, but has to dress for Varsity as well. He ran in a 'pick 6' on the 20th, so he officially scored a TD in college. Not too shabby. I always like going up to watch the games. It's fun and if I don't have anyone with me, I usually talk to whoever is around. Mom has gone up with me once.

Baylor is liking school about as much as he will ever like school. His interims weren't too bad, with mostly b's and c's and a few a's. I'm happy.

I am taking Ethics of Everyday Life this semester. It's a pretty interesting course, and I think it will be more so now that we are through the 'introductory' stage. Still working on knitting projects and reading books from the library. Busy busy busy.

Week at the fair (part 2)

2009-09-25T14:55:00.005-04:00

Yeah, I know I am a terrible blogger. My neighbor asked if I was ever going to finish this, so here is part 2 of the week:

Sunday July 26 (Junior Fair Board Day)

This is the day of the beef breeding show. Beef showmanship starts the day, followed by the feeder calves, then beef breeding. Baylor took a breeding heifer, Ronnie. She's a beautiful Shorthorn. Anyways, Northeastern cleaned up in showmanship, as they always seem to do. Hallie from our 4H club won Junior Showmanship. The top 5 in Senior Showmanship were all from Northeastern. Baylor and Ethan did not show.

Ronnie was behaving well all day. Baylor even dropped her lead and she continued walking beside him. She placed all right, just seemed real antsy once she got in the show arena. When B tried to take her out of the arena, some thing spooked her. She ran back into the arena. Baylor and Steve waited a while and tried again. This time, whatever spooked her really spooked her. She drug Baylor 30 feet and stomped on him several times before he let go. She continued running until she got to the fence. Steve loaded her in a trailer and took her home. By the time she got home, she was asleep, so whatever it was wasn't bothering her any more.

See how pretty she is? Crazy as a bedbug.

I think the Expo center is haunted. The darker photo before this on my camera shows 4 orbs. I think this is what spooks the calves.

Later our 4H club worked the ice cream tent. Several of our members suggested we sign up for two sessions next year. That sounds like a good idea and a chance for everyone to be involved.

Monday, July 27th

Today is the slow day. Not much going on, except preparing for the rest of the week.

Tuesday July 28

Baylor was officer of the day for FFA. We monitored the salad booth and worked 7 - 9. Savannah, Baylor's GF, showed her goats and did really well. She is goat ambassador this year. She's so cute. Savannah and Baylor are a cute couple. They have the same attitude.

Adult make n take was today. Kelly helped me. We decorated reusable shopping bags. It was a huge hit. We went over time and used all 25 bags.

Wednesday, July 29 (beef day)

Baylor showed in the first class. He placed 2nd with Victor. Go figure. That calf was so crazy. Guess it's B's year for crazy. Ethan got 4th with Deeds.

After the show, it was Margaritaville at the trailer. We got together for food and drinks to say 'Thank goodness that's done'. It was great fun.

Thursday, July 30

Well, no show for use today. I went to the fair about 5 to vote and pick up Steve. This is weird having so much 'stay at home' time.

Friday July 31 (the saddest day)

Animals are rapidly leaving the fairgrounds. Pens are cleaned and everyone is getting ready for the scrambles. Baylor is in the scramble, but didn't get a calf. He was really upset, but I think a lot of that is from being stomped early in the week. Time to start thinking of next year.

Saturday August 1

Official clean up day. Tumbleweeds of trash blow across the midway where yesterday there were food booths and rides. No one is here except those who make the fair work. Projects are picked up and we all start to plan for 2010. We say our goodbyes and tell stories of the week. Since we all see it from different perspectives, we all have different stories. The stories see us through until next year, making us laugh and cry. They are our hope and dream. Our plan and our ideas. Next year, we all say, I will do better.

A week at the fair (part 1)

2009-08-05T14:07:00.008-04:00

We just finished our county fair on July 31. I know there are two types of people... fair people and non-fair people. Our family is definitely fair people. We work all year to do our best at the fair, either by bringing our best cattle, editing the fair book, planning parties at the fair... whatever. It's always a lot of hard work and fun.

So as a recounting, here is what happened at the fair this year:

Wednesday, July 22

Fair set up day! This is the day we go to the fairgrounds and set up the barns so we are able to get our animals in on Friday, quickly and easily. Our 4H club (Livestock Unlimited) had a meeting/pizza party before set up. It's always a good time. Several of our club members participated in the 'Livestock Unlimited Photo Scavenger Hunt'. It's great to see so many involved. Hopefully we will have more in it next year. The winner was one of our Cloverbuds.. Taylor! He was so excited about Clark County Fair survival pack... especially the CAT hat Baylor threw in.

The weather was lousy and cold. It rained...no poured. It was miserable and we were using black mulch. By the time we left, we were all covered in black goo, yet everyone was smiling!

We worked until 9 PM. After a day at work, that was more than enough.

On Thursday, we had time to rest, eat and get ready. This was my last day to work, so I was really excited. The first day to set up is always so exciting. It's hard to sleep.

Friday, July 24th - The day of hope and promise:

Today is the official start of the fair. We start by setting up our 4H booth. Everyone pitches in and has fun. This year's theme is Hometown Pride shared Countywide. We already completed a HUGE map of Clark County, with each township a different color. Part of the scavenger hunt gave points for photos of anything that said a township name. We were hoping to get all the townships. The only one we didn't have was Green township. Not bad!

It took about 5 hours to set up our booth, but I think a lot of it was the details we put together. We had flower pots with each township name in them. Ten in all! It was a lot of work making them. The girls did a great job. (Note to self: Change camera batteries BEFORE the fair!).

Here are some photos of the booth set up:

And the finished booth:

As I said, it's far from professional, but we had a great time putting it together. That's what really counts. I am going to make this frame smaller for next year, though. We had to call John to bring it in a truck! The white piece with the map is 4 feet x 8 feet!

I know you can't see it well, but almost all the townships are marked with photos of something with a township name, either a road sign, side of a fire truck, some patches, etc. The club was very creative.

In the afternoon, I went to the Arts & Crafts building and helped set up there. From 2 until 8, we accepted entries. We had 511 entries in our department alone. Only 19 were absolute no-shows. (yes, I was one of them!). Then we organized from 8 until 11. It is a lot of walking, climbing up and down ladders, etc.

Saturday, July 25th

OK, as busy as we were last night, we were just as busy Saturday morning. Open class judging started at 9. I was working with the Children's judges. It was fun, but we all felt a little rushed.

We were done with judging well before 1 PM. Then we had to try to figure out where to put everything and display it well. As always, it worked out. After standing on the concrete for so many hours, my whole body ached. We didn't have much else going on so I went home to nap thinking I would come back later. I slept for 4 hours, so I decided to stay home and rest to get a good start to the week.

I will post more about our fair week later.

On traveling scarves and the likes

2009-06-19T14:58:00.010-04:00

SPOILER! If you are in a traveling scarf group with knitty78, and don't want to see it, please stop!!!

So, for the uninitiated... what is a traveling scarf?

Well, you get a group of 8 to 10 people together and each of you starts a starter of a pre-determined length. You send it to the next person down the line with your preferences (yarn preferences, pattern preferences, etc) and a journal. The next person adds their little bit to it and sends it off to the next person. Eventually, everyone in the circle knits on your item and you receive it back.

Of course, you are supposed to move these on every two weeks, but that never seems to happen. Something bogs down the process and before long you are behind the power curve. Right now I have two (yes two!) from the Ohio Traveling Scarf group at my home. I am hoping to watch some movies tonight and work on at least one of them. Plus, I am making little goodies to go with them.

Anway, here are some photos of the Eastern Traveling scarves:

This is a closeup of the most recent. It is for Knitterphd. She wants purples. I don't really have a lot of purple. but this was good. I used the King Charles Brocade Stitch. It worked out great.

Here is the whole shebang:

Now for some others! Here is Sophistakintta's. She is 14, so I had to do something fun and funky. Here is a close up:

And this is the whole business. Yes, I went a little overboard and doubled the size of the thing. Who would have guessed?

And finally, I believe this is Smileynetta's scarf. Maybe. I really cannot remember, but that would be right in the que:

I don't have a close up of my work on this one. I am also missing j3ssic4's scarf from the photos. I don't know where they are. WIll have to do some research to find them, because I photograph all the scarves I do.

That being said, I leave you with one final photo. Ethan graduated. He is such a handsome young man. I am a proud momma:

Conversion complete (almost)

2009-05-26T16:08:00.002-04:00

The reason I have not written in forever is because we are doing a computer conversion. Yes, a conversion. For the uninitiated, it is a nightmare of changes brought about by a database creator to keep the purchaser of the database off kilter for an extended length of time, in this case about a year. We are taking two smaller databases and combining them into one big database.

So, my fearless co-worker and I have spent the last 7 months working about 35 hours per week on cleaning up the database: removing duplicate records, fixing self-employed records, and overall cleaning up the database. Now the end of cleaning is near. That's not to say that the database is clean, far from it. We still have thousands of corporate records that have no address, thousands that should probably be removed, hundreds that could have been linked to a corresponding record on the other side. Plus doing our regular jobs for 12 hours a week.

Why didn't this happen? Well, our administrator did not want us working on it all that much. She wanted us to maintain our daily jobs as well as do this. Actually, I believe she sabatoged the whole thing. This database could have been wonderful, but instead it's great.

Anywho, in other news, Ethan had a wonderful Spring sports season. He finished 3rd in the area in the 100 meter dash, his 4 x200 relay finished 2nd in the area, and he finished 5th in the area in batting. Yes, he ran track and played baseball. Not bad. He is going to the College of Wooster and is really excited. He received his training manual for their football team, but is still running track. His 4x100 team is going to Regionals. Plus, he is in training for the Miami Valley All-Stars football team, playing June 12. He is having a wonderful senior year.

Kelly is still looking for a job. I hope she finds one soon. She really needs to get some bills paid.

Baylor is working for Folck Family Farms this summer, picking berries and such. One of his wrestling buddies works there, also. He is hoping to earn enough to modify his truck. He gets his license in about 20 days.

We are working to get things together for the fair, and all other things are good.

More spring stuff

2009-04-06T10:29:00.002-04:00

So, we are now up to 7 calves with 7 to go. The one without a name is now Baby Girl. Then we have Cassie, Chicago and Tan Man. Chicago and Tan Man were born the same day. I went with the fabulous Super doggie dog to the barn. It was the first day he had really been out in a while, but that is another story. I could here one of the cows in the barn making noise and got there just in time to hear the sqwish and there was Chicago.

Steve had me go out to Catawba to pick up Baylor so we could get Momma and baby in the maternity pen. When Baylor checked Diedre, she had hooves sticking out of her. Steve came home because she was having a tough time. Baylor and I got her in the pull shoot. They pulled a while and there was the biggest calf we have ever had on our farm... Tan Man. He's so cute. I really need to post some photos.

As always, there are a few problems. Chicago has an infected navel and Henry isn't feeling to well. He probably picked up some bacteria from a puddle.

As for Super Doggie Dog... well, when Ethan was gone, he injured his front two paws. Not enough to go to the vet, but it was really sensitive and, like Ethan with his sprained ankle, he lay on the couch for almost a week. He started feeling better just about the day we were to pick up Ethan.

Where was Ethan? He went to Spain France and Italy for a 12 day trip with his Spanish class. He had a great time, but lost his camera somewhere. His friends are going to get him copies of their photos.

Ethan started his final sports season at NE. He is running track and playing baseball. The baseball team is 0 - 6, but the track team is doing great. In his first ever track meet, he placed 3rd in the 100 and 200 and 2nd in the long jump. This past weekend was his second meet. He placed first in the 100, 2nd in the 200 (by a tenth of a second), 1st in the 4x100 relay, and 5th in long jump. He wished now he had run track sooner.

Kelly is still doing well in school and Baylor is anxiously awaiting school to be over so he can get his license.

I am involved in a couple of traveling scarf projects and am really enjoying them. It's a fun way to get to know new people. I really need to figure out my camera to post photos...

Spring

2009-03-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

So I checked my blog and saw it's been over a month since I last wrote. OMG! Who would have guessed. So much has happened good and bad.

The burns on my hand and leg have healed nicely. They are still brown and look weird, but should be not quite so icky come summer. That's all I care about.

My class has been delightfully fun and thought provoking. We have finished In Our Time by Hemingway and are headed into Spring Break. Not that I will get to go anywhere. There is still work to do and all spring break does is free up my time to work more.

Kelly is getting her act together (I hope) and starting to get into the college thing. I am beginning to see a definite plus for living on campus as there is more incentive to work as a college student, not as a high school graduate, if you know what I mean.

Ethan has been accepted at Wabash, Wilmington and Capital. He is waiting for Wooster to contact him to see what money they are offering. I think it's wonderful he has to choose. Tomorrow we are going to Casey's for a dinner with the National Football Foundation Springfield Chapter. He is receiving a scholarship from them. Next week he leaves for Spain. What a great way to live.

Baylor finished 6th in sectionals in wrestling. This means he just missed moving on to regionals. About 7 boys did go on, but none are going to state. It's kind of sad, really. I thought a few of them would go on, but not so.

We have at last count 4 calves born. Honey had a heifer calf on February 13 that Steve calls Starshine. Shanik had hers on 22, a bull shorthorn calf name Henry. Roxie had a heifer on the 23. Baylor calls her Ruby because she looks just like Roxie. Patchy Cow had a heifer on the 27, but I haven't heard her name yet.

So things have been very busy on the farm lately. Spring is coming, even though it's 20 degrees today.

New year, new class

2009-01-23T17:17:00.002-05:00

I am in my second class of the school year. It is SOO much fun. It is a reading intensive course called 'The Lost Generation'. I am really loving this class. We are reading Winesburg Ohio right now, and it is really interesting. I am finding I 'know' a lot of the people in the book.

As the oldest person in the class, I have a different perspective on the book than the rest of the students. I find I am really looking within to find the meaning behind the story.

In other news, wrestling is going well. We are not always winning, but we have one senior, three juniors and the rest are freshman and sophomores. Baylor is doing OK, with his record being 13 - 12. He is going to be working with the Pee Wee wrestlers on Sunday. He should really like that. There are a few kids on the Pee Wee team he knows through 4H. They think he is great.

Ethan just got back from Denver. He had a wonderful trip. His photos were fun to look at and the videos were really great. Kelly and I had a good time laughing at the antics of Ethan, Brandon, Josh and Lance.

Kelly is doing all right. I hope her classes are going well, but you never know. She is without a license right now so she is relying on the kindness of her family to get to and from school.

Have a great weekend all.

Five golden rings

2008-12-29T15:56:00.002-05:00

Today is the fifth day of Christmas. Did you get your five golden rings? How was your holiday? Did you have family and friends around? Did you enjoy yourself? Eat to much? Have a great time?

I know our family did. I am being a little more reflective on our lives than usual. We have a young man who is a friend of Kelly's living with us. This is the first holiday he has known in years. He sometimes doesn't know what to think of all our doings. Our family gatherings, our joy of each other, our occasional spats followed by everything being OK. It's kind of weird.

He thought I hated him because Kelly wasn't helping much, but the reality is that it wasn't him, it was Kelly. She made me mad because she wouldn't go by the schedule. The cleaning schedule that so needs to be kept up during the holidays. Everyone has their part and if it isn't done, we all suffer.

Ah, well, everything was great despite the corner mess.

I didn't quite get my knitting completed, but had a few other goodies for my sisters and will send off the completed items as soon as they are completed. Of course, as it always does, now that the holiday is over, the knitting goes much faster. Hopefully I will have all the items completed by the end of the month.

The only bad thing that happened was mine. I was moving a hot crock pot and spilled hot bar b que sauce on my leg. I also tried to catch the crock pot and burned my hand. So as I sit and type, I have a big burn on my right hand and a similar one on my left leg. Luckily Mom had silvadene cream and I have been applying it religiously. It is healing, but still quite tender.

Hope you all had a great holiday.

Love it or leave it?

2008-12-02T16:25:00.002-05:00

Ok, so do you love the Christmas season? or do you have the same old excuses I've heard for years? Too commercial, too much glitz, too everything.

I love the Christmas season. Now my kids don't get tons of stuff. Quite honestly, they don't need it. They get a few gifts from us, and one or two from each of my sisters and their grandmother. Not lots of stuff. I don't give out lots either. I don't see a need for it.

I like Christmas cards, both sending and receiving. I love Christmas carols, almost all of them.

Christmas season to me isn't about the gifts, although I do make a lot of goodies for family members. To me, it's about time spent with people. Going to Cambridge to meet my sister, Lou, for lunch and to wish each other a wonderful holiday. Going to Barb's home for Thanksgiving dinner and dropping all the rolls on the floor. Laughing so hard our tummys hurt. Meeting up with neighbors.

I like to go shopping at this time of year as well. I am the crazy lady wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Smiling and asking other people their opinion. Just enjoying myself and whoever is with me.

So when you are out shopping or whatever this year, I suggest when you wait in line at the register, talk to the people around you. At the post office ask the person behind you if they are having a good day. Then really listen to the answer. Ask questions, tell people to have a happy holiday, enjoy yourself.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T15:07:00.003-05:00

So what are you thankful for this November 26?

I am thankful for so many things:

Spending time with family. How lucky I am that my children and their friends LIKE my husband and I. We don't always get along, but it's wonderful that we all work together for the greater good of family.

The opportunity to be able to make gifts for those I love. OK, everyone knows I love to craft. It's a good excuse to try something new. What am I making now? It's a secret until AFTER the holidays. I would love to make some of those Noro Silk Garden scarves, though. Have you seen the ones the Harlot made? Beautiful.

A job that I like. I don't always like who I am working with, but I do love what I do. I get to touch the future and the past at once. How cool is that!

The ability to learn. I love learning new stuff! And my 'big' research paper is on knitting as relaxation therapy. What a great way to end the semester. Even if I don't get an A, I will be happy because I get to read all kinds of really cool books.

Have a wonderful holiday. Try not to eat too much. Enjoy your time with family. Go shopping on Friday and really freak out people by being HAPPY!!!!!

Is parent a verb?

2008-11-04T16:33:00.002-05:00

Apparently in our home it is. I am glad that teens find our home so welcome.

Ethan has a friend that stays at our house often. His parents are both EMT's and often are gone in the evening. Brandon will stay at our house and help out.

Now, Kelly has a friend who was homeless. Since it was 30 degrees last week, we took him in. I don't know what's going on with his family life, but here he is. He goes to an alternative school and then works in the evenings.

So what's the deal? Is parent a verb? How would you handle it if your child had a friend with no where to go? Would you help them out?

This teen is 18 and an adult by all standards, except that he doesn't have a high school education yet. How can anyone in the US or any first world country, consider it acceptable that young people are not getting the most basic education? Is this the 21st century? Or the 19th? This kid doesn't have a bank account of any kind, doesn't have medical care, doesn't know anything about living on his own, except what he's learned by his limited experiences.

Who will teach these displaced children how to really be productive citizens?

I guess our family has the opportunity to see where it's values truly are.

Friday Fill In

2008-10-31T14:22:00.002-04:00

Borrowed from P3knitter's blog

Friday Fill In's come from other blogs, but are fun to do. Here is this week's fill in

1. My favorite food seasoning is garlic- love it as a seasoning.
2. Wind through the fall leaves is music to my ears.
3. Lucky is having great friends and family to see you through tough times
4. Education is something I take very seriously.
5. Many people find I have a lot of passion for many different things.
6. Cat and dog food was the last thing I bought at the store.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to relaxing and cleaning my knitting corner, tomorrow my plans include going to Urbana for the last football game of the season and Sunday, I want to finish the living room so I can say it's done.

The end of an era

2008-10-27T17:07:00.003-04:00

Once again, it has been two weeks since I blogged. Life has been scattered to say the least. Between my own classes, football games, and college visits, we have been very busy.

My class is going well. So far, my average is a high 'B'. I am hoping my research paper will pull it on up to an A. The topic of my research paper is 'How knitting helps us unplug from the electronic world'.

Ethan and Baylor are done with football for the year. YEAH ! I get a reprieve from filling water tanks for a while. They didn't do well with their overall record, but they had lots of key-player injuries. Hopefully things will be better next year. The reserve team did pretty well, with only two losses. Now we are moving on to wrestling. I will miss the football fridays the next few weeks. Since this was Ethan's last year, it is truly the end of an era.

Ethan has me running on numerous college trips. So far, he has had me at Capital, Kenyon and Oberlin. All were really nice colleges, but Oberlin and Capital by far stand out. He is taking his dad to Wabash this weekend. I am going to watch Kelly march for the last time this season.

So now, I am going to go home and CLEAN!!! TJ has spent way to much time at home by himself lately and has a tendency to tear up stuff while we are gone. This means that I have to clean all this up. My goal is to get the front of the living room done tonight, as well as some dishes (also left stacked in the sink and washed only when we cannot find a spoon), and laundry. Hopefully by the weekend, I will have the house caught up enough you can walk through without tripping. Wish me luck!

Classes and more

2008-10-03T16:35:00.002-04:00

So, it's been about two weeks since I wrote. We survived the hurricane in our inland place. We have had numerous football games, some good some bad.

Ethan did very well at the last game. He had 102 yards rushing and a 48 yard TD. He was so stoked! It was a great win. I hope we do as well tonight, since we have homecoming.

This week was also district soil judging. Ethan went as well as several others from NE. Our team swept the top 10. We had four students go and NE placed first, second, third and ninth. Next step is state soil judging.

Kelly is still loving college. She has been very busy this week, since it is UU homecoming also.

Baylor is worn out from trying to get everything done. It is very cool here and it makes everyone feel tired.

Finally, I am taking a class this semester. It is English 101. I got an A on my first paper! I was really amazed, because I didn't consider it an A paper. She thought it was so good, she wanted to read it aloud.

Well, off to the next step of the race. Three (maybe 4) football games and lots of stuff. Plus my birthday on Sunday!!!

Talk like a Pirate Day

2008-09-19T09:22:00.002-04:00

Avast Mateys! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Aaarrrrgh!

All you football landlubbers out there will know that Friday is football day and a glorious day it is.

The sun is shining, it promises to be a beautiful crisp night and I cannot wait.

We will be making those scurvy Mechanicsburg Indians walk the plank, I hope (fingers and toes crossed!).

The freshman team beat Ben Logan last night in a great game. It was 8 to 8 when I got there at half time. By the time the fourth quarter ended, the score was 28 to 14. Baylor had tons of yardage and scored a TD. YEAH!!!!!!

Hope all you pirates talk to each other today. Have a great weekend.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-15T17:50:00.003-04:00

Well. Springfield Ohio may not be on any coast, but we had a hurricane yesterday. Hurricane force winds in excess of 60 mph hit our area of Ohio, bringing us all to our knees.

Schools were closed. My kids worked on clean up today. I hope they thought to take photos, but I would guess not. We had no power at 6:30 last night and as far as I know we still don't.

Doggie Dog would jump at every crash, bash and roll of hickory nuts on the roof. We were lucky. We had very little damage. Neighbors had trees crash into cars, buildings torn down, lots of damage.

The worst is our truck shed blew apart. It was barely hanging on as it was, so no big surprise. Ethan was lucky and took his truck up to the barn to work with his steer. Before he came home, his basketball hoop, that weighs about 1,000 pounds, blew over right where he parks his truck!

With no power, there was no TV, so we entertained ourselves. Baylor made shadow puppets on the wall until 10. Kelly and I knitted by lantern until 11. Ethan tried to plug in his phone to extend the power, then realized why it wasn't working. Then again, we all did that.

Some really good (or bad as the case may be) photos can be seen at www.springfieldnewssun.com.

In other news, I am taking a class and probably turned in the worst paper I have ever written. I typed it during the storm and after I printed and tried to get home, I found all kinds of mistakes.

Ethan and Baylor are enjoying their football season. Ethan had a game of peaks and valleys on Friday. There was the fumble where he lost the ball, and the interception where he ran it in for a TD. There was a 52 yard punt return and having it called back.

Ethan also had county soil judging Thursday. He said it went Ok. Northeastern blasted past all over FFA's in the area in both rural and urban judging. Oh, and Ethan was the top at either. Not that I am proud or anything. MY KIDS ROCK!!!!!

So, here is a photo, just for fun

Check out the NIKE swoosh Ethan had his barber, Linda, put in his hair. It really isn't this noticable, but kinda cool.

FAlling for Ewe Autumn Yarn Swap Q&A

2008-08-25T16:00:00.002-04:00

Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft? A proud knitter since I was 8. My grandmother's taught me when I was little. They used either acrylic or wool, none of the glorious stuff we use today.
Do you spin? What type of spinning? No, that's why they created mills.
Are there any other crafts you participate in? Sure, cross stitch, sewing, all kinds of crafts. I have a whole room dedicated to crafting. My kids all craft, too.
What are your favorite yarns/fibers? I like just about anything. Am especially fond of local hand dyes and locally spun yarn. It fascinates me to see what others across the country are coming up with. What are your least favorite yarns/fibers?Although they have their place, I do not use a lot of acrylics for anything but charity knitting.
What are your favorite colors? Red, Blue, Purple, Green... Just about anything. I use a lot of 'school colors' since we are a football family. Lots of Cardinal and gold for the high school and now royal and white for my daughter's college. What are your least favorite colors? Oranges, but even then it depends on the shades.
Are there any yarns/brands that you are dying to work with but never have? As I said before, I love yarns that are locally dyed. It's fun to see what people on the coasts are doing differently than the mid-west.
What is/are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet? I like everything and usually have several projects going at a time. It just depends on the day. Guess some would consider this ADD.
What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to work on this autumn? Hmmm.... I have a pair of socks for my daughter that is 2/3 done, several squares for a Warm Up America afghan, an afghan for the HS to auction...huh, guess that's it for now. I need to start working on Christmas gifts.
What is your favorite FO? I just completed a 'Buckeye Bag' based on a pattern by Knit Picks. It was so much fun! It was my first attempt at Entrelac and I really enjoyed it.
What is your oldest UFO? I have an afghan I started 30 years ago in my basement. Perhaps I should just bind it off and use it. It's probably usable as it is.
Are there any techniques that you want to learn? Lace. I love the look and, thanks to my last swapper, have several skeins of beautiful lace weight and patterns to go with them.... hey, maybe I'll start one tonight!
Are you on Rav? What’s your ID? YES! I love Ravelry. I am knitty78
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Most definitely. I wear a 8 1/2
Do you collect anything? Other than great memories? no. I do like stuff, just don't have a specific collection.
Do you have a yarn winder and/or swift? No.
Do you love sweets? What are your favorites? Yes, chocolates, caramels, anything really.
What are your favorite scents? Natural scents, musky scents, good-smelling-man scents.
Where do you keep your needles/hooks? I have a tote I keep them in. My doggie-dog has a penchant for bamboo, so I have to keep them out of his line of site.
Do you have a wishlist (Amazon, Etsy, etc?) Not really, but I do love to read.
Having a birthday this fall? Guess what? October 5th!!!!
Are you allergic to anything??? Work? Dirty dishes? Does that count?
What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready? Mostly country and classic rock. I am not an MP3 baby.
What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children? Dear Husband, 3 teens, Kelly, 19, Ethan, 17 and Baylor 15. One dog, one cat and her 5 kittens. Want one?
Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Nope. I like just about anything.

Football season

2008-08-17T18:35:00.002-04:00

is here! This week is the official start of football, but we had a scrimmage on Friday and organization of the team began weeks ago!

I LOOOVE football. We always have such a great time.

Ethan is healing nicely and may play Friday against our arch-rivals (as well as sister school) Kenton Ridge! I hope he gets to play, but his ankle gets stronger every day.

Baylor is ready to play and is really excited. He said at first he didn't want to play, but the closer we get to the season starting, the more excited he is.

Even Kelly is excited. Her first game is August 30th.

We scrimmaged Shawnee on Friday and won! The boys spent the post game at Frisch's and I went home. Kelly had welcome weekend and needed a ride home. She was overwhelmed by all the 'new stuff'... new people, new faces, no one she knows.

Ah, well, that's part of college. We will go through all this again next year with Ethan.

bad blogger, very bad

2008-08-14T16:40:00.002-04:00

I went to my blog and found I haven't written a thing in TWO WEEKS! OMG! It's not like I have nothing to write about.

So, we still do not have an engine for the Escort. The Direct TV is shut off. DH bought a truck from a friend and his nephew was bringing home a bobcat and rear ended a Caddie (totaled) and we are still short vehicles.

Baylor got a concussion at football practice and had to sit out for almost a week. He is fine now and luckily that was pre-season. He isn't very happy, though, because he is doing a LOT of work around the farm.

Ethan was injured in Saturday's scrimmage. I told him he shouldn't talk about never being injured in a game. He was tackling a student from Graham and several others went on top of him. Sprained his ankle really badly. Today was his first day with a shoe on since. He said he did well and he is going to be NE's featured player in the Football Preview!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Kelly went to Urbana for their Jump Start program. She had a great time. This week is a little tougher. Since she doesn't have a car, someone needs to take her to band practice and pick her up. DH usually takes her and I pick her up. Of course, we take doggie-dog with us. He can hear her coming and waits with his tail wagging. Last night, Kelly went out with some friends from the band to the cinema and then to Frisch's for hot fudge cake. Welcome Weekend starts tomorrow.

I have been trying to help Baylor with cattle care, DH with grandma care and keep working. It's a crazy life. Tomorrow is our second scrimmage against Shawnee. It should be good. We are also having Meet the Team night.

Well, I should do some actual work this evening.

still no photos

2008-08-01T14:41:00.003-04:00

but some really great stories.

As everyone knows, you get a lot of teens together and tell them to behave, they don't. The fair is no exception.

Hmmm.... where to begin.... well, Ethan broke up with his long-time girlfriend Morgan. We will see how this goes, but there was a lot of fighting, animals were threatened and overall mayhem. More on that story later.

Several of the last-year kids were arrested the last night of the fair for various things. Underaged drinking, fighting, etc. Good thing this is their last year. Our fair has a strict policy. Any illegal activities and the following happens: Your animal sells for market price only and is removed from the fairgrounds, you are asked to remove yourself from the fairgrounds, you are ineligible to show an animal at the next fair.

I am not saying my kids are perfect, but they managed to stay out of too much trouble last week. WHEW!

I received my second Summer of Yarn Love goodie box. I really love swaps and will have to find another after this one ends. Anyway, my spoiling swapper sent the following: A small rooster tray perfect for desktop catchall, several beautiful notepads, I am always looking for notepads, a pattern for a lace scarf, June is for Jag from Ravelry, and 3 beautiful skeins of Berroco Seduce. Yes the same yarn the Harlot recently made her tank in. It is in the Chana Dal colorway and is beautiful and soft. I cannot wait to start on it! The scarf pattern will be perfect and it will be a great light weight scarf to wear in the fall or early spring. Of course, gold is always good. I love the color. Kelly, who doesn't even like gold colors, loves it.

When it rains...

2008-07-30T16:56:00.002-04:00

You know how it is. We just came off a week at the fair, with LOTS of interesting things to talk about and all I can obsess on is what went wrong when we got back.

I promise a post about the fair, but first, a few woes of the farm.

On Monday, I noticed my husband's car (an old Escort wagon that Kelly uses often) at his mother's house, yet he was at home. I asked what was going on. He said the Escort blew up. Of course, I didn't believe him entirely. He took it to Scotty's to have it checked out. Yep, blew up. Doesn't work. Something in the bottom of the engine broke. Will look for a replacement engine, but it's really hard to say. What does this mean?

Well, if he cannot find a replacement engine, we will have to buy yet ANOTHER vehicle, since Kelly is commuting to college starting in a mere TWO WEEKS! She goes to Jump Start next week. I hope she likes it.

What else could happen, you ask? How about a refrigerator that doesn't work. Yes, that's right. My tried and true, close to 20 year old fridge gave up. Kelly was running groceries up to her Grandmother's house to keep them cool until we can get another. OMG! She said she found some really disgusting stuff in the back of the fridge. Some things she could not identify.

I thought I got all the 'really icky stuff' cleaned out before fair, but apparently not.

Ah, well. Off to a football meeting! We should have a great year. GO JETS!

Oops, sorry.

My favorite summer memories

2008-07-11T16:45:00.002-04:00

For our Summer of Yarn Love swap contest, we are to blog about our favorite summer memories. Let me say, I love summer. Of course, I also love spring, fall and winter.

Summer holds some wonderful memories. As a teen, I was in 4H and showed lambs. Each year, we would choose two to three lambs each (with three of us, that's a lot of lambs) and raise them to show at the fair.

Once, for showmanship, we were told to move to the next lamb over. This is to see how we react to a new animal. One whose temperment we did not know. There was my sister and I competing and when this happened, there was a young FFA student next to my sister. He took her lamb, who was kind of skittish. Her lamb took off like lightning. At the time, the show arena was open and we chased the lamb all over the fairgrounds.

Of course, now my children show cattle in FFA and 4H. Every year we have a great time. It's like a great big family reunion. You see people that you only see at the fair. We all work hard and play hard.

There is Donna, Carol, Patty and all the people who work in the Arts & Crafts building. They are funny, caring and wonderful people to know. We sit as we man our shift in the department and talk about what all has happened, what is going to happen, what is we've done, what we hope to do.

There are the 4H people. We set our pens up for the calves the Wednesday before the fair starts. We all have fun working together to make the area look great. Kids, parents, everyone. We work the ice cream tent for a fundraiser. We set up our 4H booth for the miscellaneous projects on Friday. Lots of fun and creativity go into that.

The FFA people are the 4H people in high school. Many of the same kids we have in our FFA chapter started in 4H. Some are still in 4H. They are funny interesting and self sufficient.

We walk around all day, every day for 8 days, talking to everyone we see, eating funnel cakes, sweet corn, pork chops, salads, giant baked potatoes with butter, cheese and bacon.

We don't worry about work, that will wait. We enjoy everyone's successes and mourn the sale of the animals, knowing they are going to be on someone's table in the next month.

Then, just when you think it's all over, there is the pig and calf scramble. Twenty boys for the calf scramble, twenty girls for the pig scramble, lots of mud, half as many animals as kids, and half come off the track with animals. Last year, of the 10 boys who got steers, 9 are in our FFA chapter!

So, I guess that county fair is my favorite summer memory.

Duck Tales

2008-07-09T16:08:00.002-04:00

OK, so as you may or may not know, Ethan raises ducks for FFA. They are cute as can be as the photo shows. I like ducks. You don't have to do much, there's not much cost involved and you can carry them, when necessary.

The ducks are a lot larger now than this photo taken a mere two weeks ago. They are all white and weigh between 5 and 8 lbs. each. They do not bite because they are handled daily. But Duck Wrangling is my new past time. Why?

Well, last night there were a series of BAD storms coming through our area. Ethan left for football conditioning at 5, before the storms moved in. I stopped for gas on the way home and noticed the first storm rolling in. Called home to see if Kelly would put the ducks in the garage in the kennel. A dog kennel works really well for overnight protection for ducks (for those considering this). Kelly is totally grossed out about touching the ducks so I told her I would take care of them when I got home.

On the way home, I kept hoping, praying the rain would hold off...just a little while.... but NOOOOO! I got about 2 miles from home when the first drops hit the windshield. By the time I got to the corner of Villa and Derr, I had to wind up my windows. By the time I got to Villa and Rt. 4, it was raining buckets.

So here I am in my work clothes, running down the hill, grabbing a duck and running back up the hill to put them in the garage! In sandals! In the pouring rain! With lightning! Did I tell you about the lightning? It was everywhere. I was just hoping we wouldn't get hit.

By the time I got all three in the garage, I was soaked to the bone. Of course, it being Tuesday, my mom came by to pick me up for bowling. I stood in the rain and told her I would be ready as soon as I changed clothes. She thought it was most amusing.

Oh, and why did I only bring 3 in when there are 6 in the photo. I know, inquiring minds want to know.

About a week ago, it was 10 before Ethan got his ducks in the garage. Kelly told him the ducks were making a lot of noise, but by the time he got to them one was dead and another dying. We think it was a fox or a raccoon. The third went home with another FFA student whose ducks met a similar demise.

Will let you in on my theory. There are 172 students showing ducks at the fair in FFA and 4H this year. I believe the sales committee is trying to eliminate some so there aren't as many.

Swap box photo

2008-07-02T17:12:00.003-04:00

OK, so I finally got a photo I could use.

Anyway, my Summer of Yarn Love secret swapper was SOOO good to me. This is evidenced in the ooohs and aaahs of co-workers, also yarn lovers (one knitter and one crocheter!)

So, here is the photo:

In case you cannot tell what all is there, here is a list:

Two, count them two, wonderful wash rags. I love these. They are great for dishes OR and this is my personal favorite, great as face rags. Bumpy enough to gently exfoliate, soft enough to want to use.

One set of size 6 wooden needles. I love wood and prefer it to metal. Thank you swap friend.

One set of little lamb stitch markers that I am going to have to hide from my daughter, a fellow knitter.

Notecards. I love good notecards and think the written word is sorely going away.

Cologne. Yummy.

Christmas ornaments. How did (s)he know I collect Christmas ornaments?

A candle that made the whole box smell wonderful. I close and open the box just to get the smell over again.

And the piece de resistance: 4 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. Wonderfully soft and I cannot find it locally, so I was hesitant. I am a tactile buyer, but will definitely consider this for my stash! I love to pet it. And the colors are so pretty... two shades of green... now... what to create.... hmmm.....

THANK YOU SWAP PARTNER GIGI!!!!!

Swap box and raspberries

2008-07-01T08:37:00.003-04:00

Woo Hoo! My swap box arrived! It is glorious and actually arrived last week. I am just a terrible blogger.

I will post photos tomorrow, as I don't have my car or camera today.

Things are so busy with our farm right now. Fair is coming up in 18 short days. The black raspberries are in full swing and life is busy.

We have been so busy getting ready for the fair. I am working on some open class projects, Kelly and Baylor are finishing 4H projects, the ducks are getting big, the steers have really long hair! Nothing beats going to the fair.

Black raspberries are really good this year. My FIL planted a few plants about 20 years ago. He died about 10 years ago and no one has really done anything with the orchard and the berries since. The berries grow wild though the orchard and anywhere else they can take root. Baylor and I picked about 10 pounds of berries on Sunday. There are still tons on the vine waiting to ripen.

It's always interesting to pick berries, though. They are in the trees, along the fencerows, everywhere. And the paths to the berries have to be made as you find them. It's a lot of good exercise, bending stretching, climbing. Even though I were jeans and a long sleeve denim shirt, I am covered in scratches and bug bites. But the berries are SOOO good.

We have several loads of hay paid for and that is always good. I have already started shopping for my next box, stopping at several shops in Columbus, looking for just the right things.

Well, more tomorrow.

severe weather

2008-06-16T17:01:00.003-04:00

Everytime we mow hay, it rains. That's just a fact. DH had about 30 acres in our backyard down. It rained.

It dried out nicely yesterday, although not the pretty sage green color most people like for their animals. Just as DH and the boys were finishing up, a big storm blew in. I mean, you could see lightening for miles! The winds were so strong, I couldn't get the doors open to get in!

Ethan got his ducks in a washtub to bring in to the garage. He didn't think they should spend their first night out in a storm. They were snug in the garage last I saw them.

In other news, Baylor is at 4H camp this week. I will miss having my baby home. I know he's having a ball, probably rooming with Austin and Lane. What a group of goofy boys!

TJ went to the vet this morning. He's at a wopping 41 lbs. He got his last set of shots. YEAH!! Now he just needs to be neutered. That will come after the fair. Here's a photo of my baby:
He's a good dog, and smart, too. He was chasing the neighbors chickens and she made him sit and listen and said 'Don't be a dumb dog, be a smart puppy. Don't chase the chickens'. He didn't chase them the rest of the night.

Busy Week

2008-06-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

OK, so we had Kelly's grad party and I would love to post some photos, but the camera is on Ethan's desk with dead batteries.

It seems as though we are running a hundred miles an hour. I was off two days last week, so the stuff is piled (and I do mean PILED) up on my desk. My computer keeps blinking and I don't know what will stay and what won't.

I work as a demographics assistant at the university. This means I enter data on everyone in our database. I average about 100 changes a day, so you can just imagine what happens when you are off for two days. Add to that the fact that our database is merging to the student side and we have tons of reports for verification. YUCK!!! Leads to some pretty busy workdays.

There is a huge storm system coming through and there is a chance for tornadoes. You just never know. I am fascinated by good heavy storms. The power of nature is amazing. If I didn't have children, I would be a storm chaser.

Well, it is another weekend. So glad for it. Baylor is going to 4H camp on Monday so I have to make sure his clothes are cleaned and ready to go. I also have to clean a path to the washer. Remember the boys cleaning the kitchen? All the stuff in the kitchen the boys moved out to clean they put in the hall to the laundry room! It's an obstacle course through there.

Oh, and Ethan and Brandon were going to move the ducks out to the run today. Hard to believe just two short weeks ago they were tiny little ducklings. I already noticed adult feathers on some of them. He's hoping for about a 10 lb. duck this year. Last year, his squeaked into the fair at just 5 lbs. Yes, there is a minimum weight requirement.

Have I mentioned this month

2008-06-05T16:47:00.000-04:00

how great my kids are?

This has been a hectic week. I went to King's Island on Monday with my youngest, Baylor and his friends. We had a lot of fun. Justin cut his hair in a mohawk for the event and I think they rode every coaster down there.

Baylor, Justin, Brenton and Keegan, as well as a very large group of middle schoolers for South Vienna, went as part of their incentive program. If the kids are good all year, they get an incentive trip for each quarter. If they make all 4 field trips, they go to King's Island.

The rest of the week, we have been desperately trying to get ready for Kelly's grad party. I cannot believe it's this weekend. Laura and her family are coming up from South Carolina. Lou and her family are coming in from PA. The first time in 5 years all of us are together at the same time.

Last night, I came home to the boys cleaning the kitchen. And I don't just mean doing the dishes and wiping the counter tops. Ethan and Baylor took everything out of the cupboards, cleaned the cupboards and put everything back. It's amazing. Ethan said he could get the whole house done this way, but I doubt that would happen. There are two many other things that need done when the sun shines and since we got 4 inches of rain yesterday, it was a good thing to fill the day.

Kelly went to Cedar Point with her band today. It's probably the last event she will go to with these kids. She will see them throughout the next 4 years, but probably not go to events. It's 90 degrees and sunny, so I hope she remembers to put on sun screen. She has two skin tones, white and red.

Well, I have the day off tomorrow, so since my fam is in town, I am sure the last thing I want to do is blog. Have a great weekend.

What a weekend

2008-05-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

I am going to try adding photos to this post, so this may have photos (I hope).

The weekend was fabulous. Kelly did graduate. It was glorious. There were 7(!) Valedictorians and Salutatorians. All gave speeches. That's a lot of talking. Kelly's band friends all yelled for her when she went across the stage.

Her dress was beautiful. It was a great idea to cut off a wedding gown. Here is the dress:

Then there were parades. The Catawba Memorial Day parade was Sunday. A beautiful blue sky day. It was perfect. The Springfield parade was Monday morning. The parade was done before the rain.

In other news, Ethan and Brandon, with Baylor's help, built a duck pen. The ducks are in today. They will be too small to put in the pen for about 3 weeks, but hopefully, we will get some meat on these ducks.

Oh, and Ethan and Brandon are growing tobacco for FFA. They came home with 15 plants last night. It should be interesting.

Graduation day

2008-05-23T13:43:00.000-04:00

The day is finally here! Kelly is graduating tonight.

I have been asking her all week if she is sure she is graduating. She kept assuring me she was. Now the day is here. I am SSSSOOOOOOO EXCITED!

Commencement will be in the HPER center on Wittenberg's campus. Since I work in the Alumni office, she came in with me and went to practice this morning. I told her I wanted to take her, Robyn and Karalyn to lunch. They all came back and it was fun.

I introduced them to everyone that is actually here. Being a holiday weekend, there aren't many here.

We went to Mike & Rosy's for lunch. Robyn and Karalyn had never been to M&R. It was delicious as always.

Now they are all at home resting. Kelly has plans to go out for midnight bowling after graduation.

The robes they wear are cardinal (boys) and gold (girls). Kelly asked her principal what she should wear under the robe. He asked her to wear something light colored. Kelly does not do light colors. So she took Robyn and some others with her to the Goodwill store. We were there on Saturday and they had wedding dresses for $20. Well, she came home with one!

It is beautiful with an embroidered bodice. We cut off the bottom to tea length, put the original trim back on the bottom, took out the back zipper and added some lacing tabs. It looks great on her.

We don't have photos of the finished product yet, but it turned out great. Her friends will be so surprised.

Summer of Yarn Love swap

2008-05-21T08:41:00.000-04:00

I need a swap like I need a hole in the head, but have always loved swapping with others.

I joined the Summer of Yarn Love swap! I think it will be exciting. It is such a great way to connect to others across the US! Kelly and I did a lot of swaps while she was in scouts...postcards, christmas ornaments, council patches. It was always fun. Now that she is out of scouts, this is a chance to continue this fun. I did the Wee Tiny Sock swap and it was a lot of fun.

So, here is my Summer of Yarn Love Q&A:

Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
I am a knitter. I do not crochet, although my maternal grandmother spent hours trying to teach me. My paternal grandmother was a knitter as well. I was lucky enough to have a 4th grade teacher who taught a group of us to knit. My grandmother lived 300 miles away and once she found out I could knit, she stoked the fire by teaching a little more and sending me wool, scratchy, itchy wool.

Do you spin? What type of spinning?
I love the thought of spinning, but love creating wearables more. We live about 2 miles from a custom mill that specializes in alpaca and llama yarns. I would like to try dyeing sometime. The thought of creating custom colorways sounds like fun.

What are your favorite yarns/fibers? What are your least favorite yarns/fibers?
I love natural fibers or better man- made fibers. I usually use merino, bamboo and soy fibers. I would love to find some other plant based fibers, such as corn based. Oh, and I have some alpaca yarn that is scrumptious. It is brightly colored, soft as silk and wonderful to work with.
My least favorite is the old time wools that are scratchy and acrylics that are icky.

What are your favorite colors? What are your least favorite colors?
I love just about any color, depending on my mood. It seems I buy a lot of 'hot' colors, but like the cool ones. Anything goes, depending on the project.

Are there any yarns/brands that you are dying to work with but never have?
I would like to try different plant materials, but love to try local fibers. I always try to visit LYS that carry their own brands, just to have something a little different than what I can get at home. Colorways are different around the country, spins are different, and it makes life interesting.

What is/are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
I love to knit socks and other items from sock yarn. I also like to work on other types of projects including sweaters, afghans, etc.

What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to work on this summer?
Currently I am working on a pair of socks for my daughter in a Wild Cherry colorway, an afghan in our high school colors (cardinal/gold/white) for an auction for our annual fundraiser. I am planning on starting my Christmas knitting by knitting each of my sisters and my mother a shawl in various yarns and would like to make a few shells to wear.

What is your favorite FO? (Post a pic if you would like.)
What is my favorite? I really do not have one. The ones I use the most are a pair of broadripple socks, my first pair, and a scarf I made to wear with my black coat. Although the scarf started as a dressy scarf, it is now a barn scarf, with bits of straw and hay embedded in it.

What is your oldest UFO?
OMG... you don't really want to know. If I dug around I could find an afghan I started 20 years ago. We moved several times and I just lost track of all the pieces.

Are there any techniques that you want to learn?
Lace knitting. I joined a Goddess Knits KAL for the summer. I would love to knit a beautiful lace shawl for Kelly, my daughter, and Morgan, Ethan's GF.

Are you on Ravlery? What's your ID?
Well, I am registered, but need to get some items posted. My ID is knitty78.

Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I love knitting socks. It's like magic. You go along in the tube, do some short rows and Viola! a sock is born. I wear an 8 1/2 shoe.

Do you collect anything?
Yarn, beads, crafty stuff. I love shells. I guess you could say I collect Christmas ornaments, but really we just have a lot of them. I am not a collector per se, just love memories associated with objects. Anything that reminds me of a friend is wonderful.

Do you have a yarn winder and/or swift?
I would love to have both, but since I don't, I go to my LYS and have her wind hanks for me.

Do you love sweets? What are your favorites?
Doesn't everyone? I love chocolate and caramel but try not to have too much. I have a tendency to overindulge. I heard once that M&Ms are the preferred candy of crafters.

What are your favorite scents?
I love natural scents: crisp linens, soft flowers, warm musk, that kind of scents.

Where do you keep your needles/hooks?
I keep them in a plastic tote with a lid. This way, I always know where they are and my dog cannot chew on them. He chewed a pair of circular 8's to chips! Was I mad, well a little, but he's a puppy and he has good taste. He loves the better needles and wool. How could I be mad at that?

Do you have a wishlist (Amazon, Etsy, etc?)
Not really

Having a birthday this summer?
No, my birthday is in October, the middle of football season

Are you allergic to anything??? Please let your pal know!
Does stupid people count? Oooh, that sounds so bad. No, I am not allergic to anything.

Well, this was fun and enlightening.

End of school year and what a great kid!

2008-05-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

OK, I will admit it. I was worried that Kelly wasn't going to graduate. But it looks like she will. And even if she doesn't, let me just say she is the best kid in the world.

Tonight is the Band Banquet... her senior band banquet. And what is she doing? She is setting up the commons for this event right now.

Kelly called earlier and asked what she could do to help. I told her the consternation at the fact that no one was setting up. She cleaned the coolers and left to set up!

What a great kid. She just does what needs done.

So much in such a short amount of time

2008-05-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

Well, what can I say, life has been hectic on the farm.

Let's see, Kelly and I went to see the always fun Yarn Harlot in Indy on the 29th. It was so much fun. We left Springfield around noon, visited Ewetopia in Troy. A nice little shop. VERY quiet, though. Then we moved on across 70 to Indianapolis. We stopped at Keepsake Fiber Arts

Keepsake is a cute shop. They have just about everything! A lot of goodies and I just couldn't make a decision. Kelly picked up some Cascade 220 in Green and Silver to make a Slytherian scarf. I hope she sticks with it!

I picked up some Cascade Heathers sock yarn in a deep peacock colorway. Lots of colors. Then there were two skeins of a beautiful german yarn in yellows, greens and browns. I reminds me of hay fields.

Then we were off to see the Harlot. Of course, Kelly in a bookstore is a thing to behold. She wanted to buy everything. We browsed, got our books for signing, then I waited patiently as Kelly browsed some more. I met some really interesting people while we were waiting.

Once the Harlot showed up, it was wonderful. She spoke for 90 minutes or more on such topics as 'Knitting makes you smarter' (Something about Beta, Alpha, Delta and Theta brain waves). 'Knitting makes you patient' (think about how you were before you knit! Now you know you have to be patient to achieve that wonderful product), and that people can be rude to you if you knit, but it's always best to have a snappy comeback.

Well, we got our books signed about 10:30, stopped at McD's for chicken nuggets for Kelly and then back home, arriving about 1 AM as predicted.

It was glorious!

Why are men

2008-04-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

so dense? I mean, what is it that makes them treat their oldest son as though he is not doing all he can? What makes them treat their daughters as though they are just not quite good enough?

For example, my husband is a good man, albeit with old fashioned attitudes. Our daughter is 18 and fully capable of just about anything. She doesn't always know what her father is wanting her to do, though, because since she started developing as a woman, her father is sort of at a loss.

DH is looking for someone to show a heifer at the fair this summer. He has asked both of the boys, ages 17 and 14. Yes, Kelly isn't the best showman, but she has never been told exactly HOW to show, therefore, she is just learning as she goes. I inquired about showing the heifer. "He won't ask me Mom, I don't have a penis". How heartbreaking is that? I mean what is he teaching her about what she can and cannot accomplish in life?

Second example: My 17 year old son plays baseball in the spring, football in the fall. He is also extremely busy with end-of-school-year stuff, since he is on the Honors tract. Last night, he got in about 9 PM and was working on a school project, having been at a baseball game and an FFA officer interview. His father called him and wanted him to go check out some stuff in the barn, since he was working across the county. Kelly was just at the barn not two hours before, but he didn't call her. Ethan was at the barn for about an hour. Of course, the question came up: Why are you still working on homework.

Now granted, it isn't often Ethan has homework, but when he does, it is time consuming stuff. And he doesn't want any help. So he was up until about 1, finishing his project. There were issues with markers, scissors, etc. I helped as much as I could and he was still frustrated this morning. I asked DH about calling Ethan instead of Kelly. 'Kelly wouldn't understand and Ethan wasn't doing anything last night' was the response. OK, Ethan may not have been home, but he was doing stuff, just not what his father considered important. It was important to Ethan.

So anyway: I wish I had some 'learning needles' with me last night. I could probably have taught the whole softball team to knit while we waited for the baseball team to throw away the game, which they did spectacularly. I started a pair of socks (again, third times the charm) and they were fascinated.

I need to make up some learning needles this weekend. Next week, baseball and softball are away. I could have a captive group. (HE HE HE!)

So much to tell

2008-04-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

Back on the farm... life is as crazy and wonderful as always.

A week ago was the school musical, The Music Man. It was a fantastic performance. Kelly has the 'mom attitude' perfect. The leads were wonderful and it was a great show. I loved watching the students do 'the Shipoopy'.

The Band Parent Association (BPA) did concessions. The president of the association and I split the duties with Juniors and Seniors providing for Friday and Freshman and Sophomores for Saturday. It worked out really well. It only took us 4 years to get it right.

This past week was the big push for the Golden Splendor. I was the chair for the first time. It was a success! We had wonderful food, catered by a local restaurant. There were lots of good things to bid on in the silent and live auctions. All my kids were at the event, either working or as a guest. There was soft jazz in the background. It was great.

We worked so hard to get everything together. DH went to pick up tables on Friday. Kelly helped us set up on Friday evening. We were all set up by 10, a new record! Usually it is an all night event.

Saturday I spent the morning trying to decide what to wear. I settled on the black fringed skirt, a white blouse and red cowboy boots. It's a country school, so it works. Even if it didn't this is my style.

Once there, I was sooo nervous, until people started showing up. We had about 180 people show up. It was wonderful. The past chair told me I did a great job, which makes me SOOO happy.

So, what did I end up buying? Well... there was a framed print called American Gothic, but not the classic one. This is the one has a gothic teen. It is so funny and DH thought Kelly should have it.

Then there was the Jets sweatshirt. I found out I was bidding against a friend, so I gave it to her. I have a closet full of Jet gear. She kept offering to pay for it. I told her it's a gift, just take it and love it.

Finally, there is the Cascade ripple throw in ivory. http://www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/C177_DiVeRipplingThrow.pdf

Now I need to decide what two skeins of Cascade 220 to go with it. I thought I would bring it back next year to auction off.

Well, the next events are Prom and FFA Banquet. It will be the 50th anniversary of FFA at Northeastern, so they are having a special celebration.

For now, I am going to lunch.

Balancing Act

2008-04-09T15:05:00.000-04:00

You know those weeks when everything needs to be done at once? This is one of those weeks. I started out fairly certain I could get it all done, but now am not so sure.

Kelly is having dress rehearsals for the Music Man this week. I cannot wait for the weekend. Of course, she needs stuff before Friday. Her hair had to be dyed one color (it is now semi-sweet chocolate brown) and some undergarments that will work for a white blouse. Not a color she usually wears, so not an issue, usually.

We are 10 days from the Golden Splendor. In these last few days, we are soliciting donations. I have been to three places so far and received donations from all of them. Also, am trying to see if anyone else wants a reservation for the dinner. It should be yummy, with roasted pecan chicken, steamed green beans, twice baked potato cassarole, tossed salad and turtle or raspberry cheesecake. I need to call the caterer to see if we can extend the reservation count.

I was going to have dinner with Ruth, a friend I met in a devotional. I had to cancel because of all the other stuff going on. I told her we would try in two weeks.

Of course, the afghan I am knitting is no where near finished. Ah, well, maybe it will be completed next year.

Ethan has baseball this week, a game everyday between now and Saturday. I went to the first actual game last night. Before then, I was only at an inning or two along the way.

Then, on top of everything else, our Band Parent president reminds me we have concessions for the play! I am to call all the freshman and sophomores to ask for baked good donations and a few workers for the concession on Saturday.

Well, only one more week and then I can relax. Only 18 more hours to work this week!

Monday Monday

2008-04-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

What a glorious weekend! After a day at the high school, providing concessions for the 150+ Master Gardeners, I went home to relax and watch Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones. I didn't have the energy to even knit! Everyone was gone, Kelly with her BF, Ethan with his GF.

Baylor went to his friend's house for a birthday party. He said it was great on Sunday when he returned.

Kelly helped her dad in the barn. They are trying to get a new space for the cows that have calves. Somewhere soft and nice. TJ was out in the barn with them all day. Poor little puppy was worn out when he came in. He sat on my feet and slept.

Sunday was another beautiful day. Ethan and his friend Brandon got their pool table for the 'man cave' they are building. It had to be assembled. They got it together by 9 PM. For a couple of teens, they did a really nice job putting it together. While they were waiting for the putty to dry, they went out and flew kites. It's been a long time since Ethan has done that, but he had a great time.

Kelly continued helping her dad and I worked around the house. It doesn't feel like I got anything done. Kel got home at 4, because she wanted to watch Star Wars. We watched Attack of the Clones again. Good thing, since I drowsed through most of it on Saturday. Then Return of the Sith. We are such geeks watching these. The boys were downstairs playing pool and eating all my fudgie goodness cookies.

Tonight... GS meeting, 4H, play practice, lifting, Kaplan ACT practice test class, and Band Parents. hmmm.... and people wonder what I do in my spare time.

Friday... time for the penguin dance

2008-04-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

Today is friday! At last. I don't know what we will be doing this weekend. Here are some of the events for our family:

Kelly is going to the cinema with a friend, followed by the Seams of Pride fashion show at Wittenberg.

Ethan will probably go out with his friends. It has been raining all day, so he probably won't be playing baseball tonight. He has a double header tomorrow. I believe he will also be putting together the pool table that arrived yesterday.

Baylor is going to a friends for his birthday. I am sure they will have a ball.

Me? I will be going to the school and work for the boosters. They are having a Master Gardener event at the school and it's an opportunity to earn some money for the boosters. That's the only thing I have planned, besides maybe going to watch baseball tomorrow.

It's been raining in Springfield all day. Last year, we were short by 17 inches of rain. I believe the elements are making up for it.

Have a great weekend!

Starting out

2008-04-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

This is my first blog. I am sure it will not be my last. I have enjoyed reading blogs from all over the place. It fascinates me that as different as we are, we are also so alike.

Anyway, today I am working on the Golden Splendor, our schools annual dinner/auction. Somehow I ended up being the chair of this wonderful event and I am trying to confirm all the elements.

I am also trying to get some actual work completed. You know how it is... as much as you enjoy (or not!) your job, you also have days you cannot focus.

Anyways, we live on a farm just north of Springfield. We have 15 beef cows, 8 steers that will go to our county fair, and 8 babies! We also have a lot of cats, two in the house, and a dog.

My three teens are as all teens, up and down on any given day. My daughter is a Gothic princess, dressing in black more than any other color. My older son is a prep all-American scholar athlete. My youngest is a typical farm kid. How do you raise three different looking children? Who knows. All I know is that as different as they are, they all want to watch the Star Wars series starting Friday on Spike TV.