Calorimetry

On Friday, I took the kids to the rollerskating rink for an afternoon of skating with their friends. I was able to start and finish this Calorimetry during the 2 hours I sat a visited with the other moms. It turned out a little larger than I needed for my head so Saturday morning I decreased my needle size (to a 6) and cast on less stitches (100 instead of 120) and whipped out another one. It fits much nicer. Then I started a 3rd one.

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd is my new favorite movie. I love the music, the story, the cinematography, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Helena Bonham Carter. If you are interested in seeing it, I plan on going again, so just give me a call.

2 finished things and 1 WIP

Finally a picture of the finished Tree Jumper, sorry it took so long. I am very happy with the results. I am so proud of the use of colors no one else on Ravelry has used two colors on a Tree.

This the Andre scarf. If you are not familiar with the Andre Project here's a link that kind of explains it. D saw this image all over Boston when he was there earlier this year. When he saw the scarf pattern he had to have it. It is taking forever- as you remember I hate making scarves.

I made this little dragon hand puppet from leftovers of Cascade 220. Mostly, leftovers from T's The Nightmare Before Christmas Scarf. The pattern is from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts.

Lia's Leaving

The reality hit me this morning: Lia's moving.

My goal is to keep it in perspective, she isn't terminally ill she is just moving 1604 miles away. I can still talk to her on the phone, e-mail her, read her blog, and visit her. But I'm going to miss her on Saturday mornings at Panera and we won't be teaching Knitting 102 together anymore.

Ouch, my heart is hurting. No, no it will be okay I have other friends to help me through this. I will see her in April in Las Vegas. Deep cleansing breaths. I am definitely going to cry tonight at the Bon Voyage party. I might have to go into therapy over this (as in group knitting therapy at Twist.)

The Day after Christms

I hope that you got everything on your Christmas list! The big Santa gifts this year included a skateboard for T and iPods and iDogs for both the kids. T has been asking for a skateboard for two years and we finally gave in. Luck for him, there is a little skatepark about a mile from my aunt's house and D and my cousin took him over to try it out. He even slept with the skateboard last night.

S's iPod is now permanently attached to her ears. I loaded all their favorite CDs and purchased some new iTunes before I wrapping up the iPods.

Also, just a reminder that today is the last day to e-mail your Lia questions in order to receive an amazing prize so get on it.

Last minute shopping

I went out this morning to get one last present for my mom. I had planned on getting her one of those fancy photo frames, that is really just a glorified screen saver, but I waited too long and I discovered that every place was sold out of the inexpensive (cheap) ones and all that were left were over 100 bucks which was not in the Christmas budget (like I make a Christmas budget, ha ha.)

Anyways the only solution was to get up early and venture to the Disney Store in the mall. My mom is a huge Winnie the Pooh freak (don't ask) so I always know I can find a great gift there. I ended up with a large Pooh stuffed bear that I know she will love. Surprisingly the mall wasn't that busy and I was able to get in and out quickly.

Snow, Snow and more Snow

It snowed for about 7 hours yesterday. I went to my regular Saturday morning hang out at 7am and it wasn't snowing but by the time I left around 10 I could only see a few meters in front of the van because of the blowing snow.

I thought I would go stir crazy in the house all day and the snow just kept falling. Around 8pm I couldn't take it anymore and I ventured out to get a movie and some snacks for D.

Unfortunately I got stuck at the end of the driveway and had to be rocked out. When I got home I was able to get my workout in by shoveling the snow from the front walk and the driveway. I wish I had some snowshoes as the dog is going crazy not being able to go for a walk.

Glovelet's

On our last trip to KC I picked up this Hacho by Mirasol Yarn and a glovelet pattern. I made one and then took a little break and then made the second one but some how I lost the first one before I completed the second one, so I had to make a third one. Anyways I love them and have been wearing them over my mittens (they fit perfectly.) I might need them soon because it's suppose to snow.

Finally the post you have been waiting for

I know some of you were wondering when I was going to make some comment about Lia's impending move. Mostly, I have been pretending that she is just going on a very long vacation but since they are buying a home, I guess I should face the fact that she is really moving.

I really don't know what to say, I love Lia very much and I will miss her terribly but I'm looking forward to seeing her in Vegas in April and the impact she has made on my life will stay with me always.

I have decided to have a little contest to see how much we have learned about Lia while she has lived here in Kansas. Just e-mail your answers to me at knitandfit(at) gmail (dot)com, I will have a fabulous prize for the person who gets the most correct answers. In the event of a tie, I will use a random number generator to pick the winner. The deadline to turn in your answers is midnight on December 26th, 2007. Even if you don't know all the answers please enter because you never know what surprise prizes I will be giving out.

1. How many dogs does Lia have?
2. What are the dogs names?
3. What is Lia's husband's name?
4. Where was she born? (city and state)
5. How many brothers and sisters does she have? (bonus points for their names)
   
6. What city and state is Lia moving to?
7. What is kind of degree does Lia have? (in what subject)
   
8. Does she prefer Coffee or Tea?
9. What is her favorite holiday?
10. Does she have any tattoos or piercings? where?
11. What is her favorite kind of food?
12. When is her birthday?
13. Name something that annoys her?
    
14. If she was a flower what kind of flower would she be?

You must answer the final questions to be eligible to win:
15. Tell me a funny or personal story about an experience you had with Lia.

1st Place

I received my first "First Place" in my age division.

As you can see from the sidebar, I am beginning to line up my race schedule for next year. I'm still a little on the fence about the Redman Half-Ironman. It's the next logical step after an Olympic distance but a 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles on my bike and a half-marathon at the end - what am I thinking.

I'm thinking it will be fun, it's a great goal to keep me motivated all year, if it wasn't hard there would be no reason to do it, to prove I can do it, I could justify a new bike, I just want to. So there you go, now I just have to come up with the $175 registration.

B-day

T's birthday party was a great success. We ended up with 11 kid guests, things were good for the first hour but the instant sugar rush from the cake and pinata candy had them running all over the house by the time their parents came to tame them.

Y Tri

This morning I was up (not so) early for the West YMCA Triathlon. My first tri was at the Central Y at the beginning on this year. It seems so long ago now.

My times today were:
Swim - 500m- 9:05
Bike- 6 miles - 22:23
Run - 2 mile- 18:16

I was so happy with my swim, I was 1 minute and 50 seconds faster than at Central. Overall, I was 56 seconds slower than at Central mostly because my run about 3 mins slower. But I had a fun time. There was a 52 year old women in my heat who had an amazing amount of determination, she was slow but she was steady.

Now on to VEGAS, baby!!

Avoidance

I should be cleaning my house, right now, in preparation for T's party tomorrow but I am avoiding it. I spent the morning shopping for extra party favors, a cake, and extra table linens. We over-invited (we sent out about 30 invites) because, in December, you never know if the weather will keep some people from coming. Which could be the case this time - they are predicting a 50% chance of 4-8 inches of snow today and tomorrow.

Okay I must stop avoiding and get down to scrubbing, mopping, and dusting.

Finals

Tomorrow is my last final for the fall semester. I am so happy to have a nice long break. Above you can see the large pile of index cards that I used for my Anatomy class. There are over 350 cards there. All that studying paid off, I got an A (97%) in the class.

(No) Snow Day

I can't believe it but we had a Snow Day today. The weathermen had been predicting a huge ice storm but it just rained the entire day. I was so surprised when I heard school was canceled on the 10 o'clock news last night.

It was a nice day though. I banned the t.v. and video games and made the kids play all day. We did a few crafts, played Life, cards, Monopoly Junior, trains, built a couple of "club houses" (with blankets over the couches), etc. I really enjoy spending time with my kids and I wish that there were more hours in the day for us to just be together.

Green Print

I'm always looking for simple ways to help the earth (i.e. reusable bags). Green Print is one of those simple things. It lets you print only the things that you need, not those annoying pages that have only one line or printing images you don't need. Check it out.

Sick Day

T was sick yesterday so I spent the day giving breathing treatments, watching cartoon network and knitting. When T is sick he wants me to stay right next to him in bed all day - if I get up to do some laundry he always calls me back. Usually I try to get a least a few things done but yesterday I needed a rest, too so I just sat in bed with him and knitted for the whole day.

D requested the Andre scarf for Christmas. It's a tall order to fill, I purchased 7 skeins of Cascade 220. I don't think it will be done by Christmas but who knows.

Holiday Fun

Bella Dia is posting a unique Advent countdown, with a book and a holiday related activity everyday. These aren't your regular ho-hum holiday crafts - there are pop-up cards, unique garland, and fabulous books like Snowflake Bentley. Add it to your bloglines for inspiration everyday.

Wal-Mart's Reusable Bags

My Wal-Mart finally started selling reusable bags, they are only a buck each.

I was so happy to see them at the checkout but my cashier seemed less than delighted. I asked her if I could use them right now but she informed me she didn't have scissors to cut the tag that was holding the bags closed - of course, I just pulled out my handy leatherman swiss army knife (thanks Lia) and promptly cut the tags. Then the cashier asked me if I wanted her to place the groceries in plastic bags and then put them in the reusable bags. What?!? I convinced her to just put the items on top of the plastic bag spinner thingy and I bagged the groceries myself. I was able to fit my entire weeks worth of groceries in 5 reusable bags and they sat up so nicely in the back of the van. Hooray for reusable bags.

I wasn't completely successful NaBloPoMo, I only posted 22 times. That was a lot better than October when I only posted 13 times. It felt good to share things with my friends in the blog world, more.

It's a party

T is having a skateboard themed party this year. We got the Tony Hawk party package from Celebration Express. I love doing parties this way - everything comes to my door, paper products, balloons, the pinata, goody bags. I just have to get the cake and put the cake topper on it and it's a party.

Our holiday decorations are up, the tree, my growing collection of snowmen, and the kid's favorite, the nutcrackers. I have a large chunk of the Christmas shopping done.

The kids are getting harder and harder to shop for, this year S had a (pink) iPod on her list. I'm a little torn - I don't want to buy toys they won't play with and will be lost in a matter of days but I'm not sure I'm ready to give in to the tween culture of iPods and cell phones just yet. In the end, they will probably each get some sort of MP3 player because their next stop is asking Papa, who doesn't say no.

Studying

The semester is almost over, finals start December 7th. I'm so happy that Spring semester doesn't start till January 22nd. I hope the break will give me time to relax and get some things done (like cleaning the basement and painting the kid's room.) But until the break you will find me in Panera's back room, studying.

I "heart" Tree Jumper

Sleeve #1 is done, seamed and ready. I am hard at work on sleeve #2.

I have decided to "reveal" this amazing sweater at the Twist Fashion Show. Be the first to see the Tree Jumper, in all it's glory, no completed picture will be posted on this blog till after the fashion show. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to see my Tree Jumper, up close and personal.

Thanksgiving and Tree Jumper

Thanksgiving was great but there's weren't very many leftovers. We ended up having 17 people and I missed counted and thought there were only going to be 13 but everyone had more than enough to eat. We had lots and lots of yummy pies.

I have amazing progress on my tree jumper. I am flying through the first sleeve trying to finish before the the Twist Fashion Show on Dec. 6th.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am one stuffed bird tonight.

Shopping tomorrow at 5:00am!!

Pre-Turkey Day

I had lots of cleaning to do today because the family is coming over tomorrow for the feast. But it wasn't all work.

For breakfast we had these yummy snowman shaped Krispy Kreme donuts. The kids go gaga over Krispy Kreme.

We also made a recipe Lia told me about. Bisquick ,on a stick, in the fire(place) with a little butter and honey, oh so yummy. At first we made them too big and ended up with a gooey middle but by the end we had perfected it.
To close out the day we went to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I give it 2 stars out of 4, definitely not what I expected. It was too long and the story was rather dark. It seemed like the whole movie was meant to sale toys (great product placements.)

Oh no, 2 missed days

Turkey trot recap - not much to tell.
The weather was nicer than I expected so I dressed a little too warmly. It was a short little 2 miles along the river.

The big disappointment was the race shirt they are a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, color of orange. Please, please, race directors out there, get a clue, if you want people to wear your shirt and in turn advertise your race make it a good color (you can't go wrong with white or gray.)

Turkey Trot

Come cheer me on, tomorrow at 9:30am as I run the 2 mile Turkey Trot!!

A post for Thursday

Posting everyday is harder than I expected.

Lia and I taught a Knitting 102 class tonight, it's to help new knitters get beyond knit and purl - to patterns, yarn choice, increases and decreases, plus try to answer whatever questions they can come up with. I think it went very well, the class was a fun group of women and I hope this will become a class that is offered in the future.

Lia is encouraging us (her many friends) to start slowly accepting the fact that she will be moving soon. The first step is talking about it on the blogs so here it is.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Scarf

Since it's getting a little chilly around here, the kid's requested scarves. Under usual circumstances I would not knit scarves, they are boring and take a long time and I think of them as beginning knitter projects. But how could I deny my beautiful children their request.

T has been a little obsessed with Tim Burton movies lately. He loves "Corpse Bride" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He picked out Christmas red and green for his scarf and I thought illusion skulls would be a nice touch so I present to you "The Nightmare Before Christmas Scarf."

Happy Birthday, Carrie

I want to say a very happy birthday to a very special friend. We have been friends since high school and we have had our ups and downs but I feel so lucky to have you in my life. I am so proud of the things that you have accomplished. You are an inspiration to me. Love You, Girlfriend.

Jackie's Glovelet

I finished a pair of Glovelets. Unfortunately, I lost the first one which is nothing new to me. I would lose my mind if it wasn't attached to my body.

Anyways, this second one is better than the first one - I was able to put the mock cables on the thumb. What I really love about this pattern is the reverse stockinette on the palm.

Flameless Candle

I got a BOGO coupon for the Glade Flameless Candle, so I decided to try it out. I picked the French Vanilla which smells too flowery for me. I do like the way it flickers and looks like a real candle though. It even comes with batteries which is a plus.

Dang it, I fell asleep before I could post yesterday. Oh well.

The Physical Education Conference was amazing, it reminded me why I want to teach PE. I learned to waltz, some great games with everyday objects, topics to teach in Health, and much more. Of course, I got a lot of free stuff, too. I was so mad at myself because I forgot my camera, so no pictures, sorry.

KAHPERD

Today was my first, ever, Physical Education Conference. It was very physical and a lot of fun. I'm too tired for details tonight, maybe tomorrow.

PhotoShop

D did a little photo shoot with T today to get pictures to PhotoShop. D has spent a large amount of time with the tutorials and practicing PhotoShop and makes some pretty amazing pictures. I'm encouraging him to display his work at a Final Friday.
I will try to remember to post the final outcome of this pictures.

Chants

On our last KC trip, I mentioned I was having a hard time finding good meditation music. Most of what I found was too short ( 5 to 10 minutes.) I wanted something longer (45 minutes to 1 hour) to play as the kids went to sleep, while I knit by the fire, for a whole yoga practice, etc.

Angelique came through in a BIG way. She brought me a bag of CD's to try out and I feel in love with the chants by Jai Uttel. I love the call/response nature of the chants and the overall feeling I get listening to them and responding. They are short (8 to 15 minutes) but I play them on repeat and I'm enjoying them very much.

Brain Age

I'm training my brain in a few minutes a day.

The kid's got a Nintendo DS from my mom but they prefer their old Gameboys because they love the old school Mario Brothers (we don't have it for the DS.)

I have been playing BrainAge. By stimulating my Prefrontal Cortex I will increase my practical knowledge, and I need it, the game says my brain is 80 years old.

Tree Jumper Update

My Tree Jumper is at a stand still; I found a mistake about 2 inches back from where I am at. I am only 2 inches from the end of the body. I can't decide if I should rip back or continue on. I have been working on the Lizard Ridge while I try to decide.

NaBloPoMo

I like the idea of this. But can I do it??

This is a small percentage of the candy we received on Halloween. Again, this year we are calling on the Great Pumpkin - half of the kid's candy is exchanged for a small toy.

Another Friday and another morning of studying at Panera.

Happy Halloween

Well I have nothing new to report on Knitting or Fitness.

I'm still working on the Tree Jumper (actually I haven't touched it since I got back from KC.)

I'm stilling training with the Master Swimmers. I think the coach wants me to be in their next meet but I just don't think I'm ready. I haven't been running (the shame) but I'm going to get back on the treadmill soon.

Kansas City Shopping

I picked up a few little goodies on the Kansas City trip.

The Holiday Gifts issue of Interweave, unfortunately Shelly only got 5 copies and I wasn't fast enough to get one. I thought the Garter Mug Cozies would make quick X-mas gifts.

I purchased a pattern for Eric's Glovelets. I know I have a few patterns for glovelets but I loved the sample in the store.

Two balls of Hacho by Mirasol Yarns. These are beautiful hand dyed wool from Peru. I'm going to make the Glovelets from this.

One ball of hand dyed sock yarn called Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Yummy

Last but not least, I picked up a ball of Dream in Color in Blue Lagoon. 250 yards of superwash wool for only 16 bucks. I should have gotten more.

Me and My Stitches

It was our 2nd annual trip to the Sewing and Quilting Expo in KC this weekend. I'm giving you the quick highlights

• We almost saw an accident before we left Wichita
  
• Angelique's apartment is amazing.
  
• The yarn shop in Abliene has lots of great antique shops nearby.
• I highly recommend Stix restaurant at Legends. Hibachi and Sushi
• I was so happy to see my friend, Carrie. Have a mentioned how proud I am of everything she has achieved, lately?
  
• The Kansas City Sewing and Quilting Expo was not held at the Overland Park Convention Center this year.
• It's hard to get your Rock Star strut on, when you're annoyed because they moved the Expo and didn't inform you.
• Ingredient is still the best place to eat in Lawrence.
  
• I got a lot of work done on my Tree Jumper (about 7 inches.)
• Timbuk2 is official HOT because Lanora has a bag, now.
  

My original plan was to study while traveling but that's no fun so I will be up late studying. This week will be crazy with an Anatomy test on Monday, Wednesday, AND Friday.

Happy Birthday, Lia

I know it's a little late in the day for this but go over and say "Happy, happy Birthday" to my dear friend, Lia.

She has inspired me to do more than I ever imagined. She has taught me what true adventure is. She has made me a better person just by knowing her. Thanks for everything.

Fall into Autumn Swap

AHHH! What is this scary delight?

It's a fabulous gift from my swap partner!!

WOW! Seriously folks, my swap partner ROCKS! Everything is amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

1. A Panera Gift card
2. 3 bags ( One is from Trader Joe's, so cool)
3. a lavender satchel
4. CHOCOLATE (2 bars and this cute little tin with chocolate wedges)
5. 2 bars of soap
6. A ball of pink Rowan handknit cotton
7. my favorite suckers (caramel apple)
8. A cool silver key chain
9. A skull stamp (which S already took)
10. Fancy French hand lotion
And a beautiful, soft, flower face cloth. I think I'm forgetting something.

Anyways go over and check out her blog.

I'm mailing out my Fall into Autumn Swap today. I forgot how much I liked doing swaps, it's so fun to wait for the mail everyday and choosing things that you think your swap pal will love.

I'm speeding along on the Tree Jacket. I really like the way this yarn is draping and it's very light weight.

Pumpkin Patch

I want to post some pictures from the pumpkin patch but Blogger won't let me. The picture's weren't that impressive anyways.

We went to Cox Farm's Pumpkin Patch this year and I do not recommend it. It wasn't a real pumpkin patch, just a bunch of pumpkins set in a small area with scarecrows and old farm equipment. I, personally, like to cut my pumpkins from the vine. I really like Pumpkin Junction but it wasn't open this year.

I started on the Tree Jumper, the pattern is great, super simple. Pictures to come when Blogger is feeling better.

Sally

I haven't posted a picture of Sally lately, so here you go. She is a great dog, really smart and athletic. I haven't been running with her because I haven't had the time to properly train her to heel. She is great at sit, stay, leave it and we are working on getting her to balance a bone on her nose. I was never a "dog person" but gosh I love Sally.

In other news, I have completed my "Fall into Autumn" Swap package and hope to send it off this weekend.

Dentist Update

The dentist appointment went well, the right bottom teeth are all done and look beautiful. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have neglected my teeth for too long, now I have lots and lots of work to be done.

While I was waiting at the dentist office I was able to finish the Kansas Retro Rib socks.

Dentist

WOW 6 days without a blog post, many times I have thought about posting something but, alas, nothing.

I have over scheduled myself once again. I tried really hard at the beginning of the school year to limit my commitments because I know that I have a tendency to get in over my head. But that didn't last long and now I have overwhelmed myself with Girl Scout commitments (instead of my usual PTO commitments.)

At least, I will get a little rest today since I'm getting a crown put on and a tooth extracted. I plan on staying in bed till tomorrow.

KIP gone Wild

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Knitting

I have so many projects on the needles right now. It's feast or famine for me. Here's what I'm working on:

"Fall into Autumn" Dishcloth: I can't say much about this because I won't be sending it to my secret pal for another week. I found some great goodies to include in my package at Bungalow 26.

Kansas Retro Rib Socks: I fell in love with the J. Knits sock yarn in color Kansas as soon as I saw it at Twist. It has beautiful yellows, reds, and blues. I chose the Retro Rib pattern from Favorite Socks by Interweave. I have completed one sock and have it proudly displayed at Twist.

Twisted Wave Sox: These are a sample for the shop. They are knit in Classic Elite Alpaca Sox which is unbelievably soft. The pattern is also from Favorite Socks.

Lizard Ridge Afghan: There's not much pressure from this one because I only have to complete 2 blocks a month.

Tree Jacket: We are having a KAL for this pattern. I picked out my yarn but because I have already spent all my hobby money for this month, I must find another way to finance this adventure.

Swim with the Sharks

I decided to join the Wichita Area Master Swimmers at WSU. My Swimming 107 teacher is one of the coaches and encouraged me to try it out. I swam 1.5 miles in a little over an hour - the fastest and most I have ever swum.

Swimming is my off season focus because I just need more practice and to clean up my stroke. This was an intense practice for me, my coach was great; she helping me focus on what I need to do to be better. I think my swimming times are going to dramatically improve over the winter.

Fall Weekend

Lia had her photos on display at Final Friday. They were all amazing!! I had a hard time but I picked one that I had to have. I really enjoy Final Fridays at Twist, all my friends are there and there's great food. We stayed out extra late last Final Friday - my friends for school dropped by and we all have some tea at The Vagabond.

Saturday morning I was up early for Race for the Cure. We did the non-timed 5K. We got lots of fun, fabulous SWAG (stuff we all get).

The fall weather is so beautiful. We have been spending tons of time outside. Big D did a great job of landscaping our front garden, ever since we moved in I have wanted shrubs out front and I finally have them.

The kids and I have been practicing our volleyball and football skills, everyday.

Have you ever heard of Socci?

I traveled to Emporia State University to attend a workshop on Socci and GeoMat. Unfortunately, I missed the GeoMat workshop because as I was leaving for lunch I ran into a curb and blew out my tire (don't tell my husband, he already thinks I'm a bad driver.)

After I called AAA and they put the spare on, then I drove to Wal-Mart to get a new tire. I spent an hour and half at the Starbucks across the street. Thank goodness I had my Twist project bag with my Kansas sock to knit.

I did learn a lot at the Socci workshop. The presenter talked about how, in American, when you give people a ball they use their hands but in European countries they use their feet. It's just a cultural difference.

Pre-felted Pumpkin

We already have our Halloween decorations up. The kids started asking in August if we could put them out and I finally gave in 2 weekends ago. I love, love, love, Halloween! It's our families favorite holiday.

This is a pre-felted 12:01 pumpkin. Someone in our sock class brought one into Twist and I had to make it. Shelly has so many, many colors of Cascade 220, I had 3 oranges and 5 greens to choose from. It's wonderful having a LYS.

Smile box

Family Fun magazine had a great article about saving and organizing your favorite family recipes. I have compiled a large number of great recipes over the years, which I have loosely organized in 3-ring binders. The article suggested using Smile Box to save and print recipes. I really like the layouts they offer. You do have to download the program and the music and animation are annoying but you can turn them off. Here's an example:

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Kansas Retro Rib

I'm calling this sock "Kansas Retro Rib." The yarn is by J. Knits and the pattern is Retro Rib from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave.

Shame on me for neglecting my faithful blog readers. My excuse is 3 BIG anatomy tests over 4 days. I'm rather proud of myself, all A's.

Saturday, we had our 2nd installment of the sock class. I was amazed by the progress people had made. One lady had both of her socks completed (pictured) and another 3 or 4 completed one sock. I had so much fun teaching this class. I was glad to have Lia there, I think we make a good team.

A quick post

A quick post this morning, I'm at Panera studying for my Anatomy tests (one on Friday, one on Monday). Panera is a great place to study- coffee, bagels ( I recommend the Mochachip Swirl with hazelnut cream cheese), and free wi-fi. Also I have none of the distractions that I have at home, such as laundry, dishes, etc.
Just so you have a picture to look at, here are some of T's drawings. At night after bedtime the kid's are allowed to lay in bed and read or draw. T mostly draws.

Fall Into Autumn Week 1 Topic Post

Now that in some geographic locations the weather is starting to turn cooler, do you change the type of yarn(s) you knit/crochet with?

I enjoy knitting with wool year around but I find myself knitting more in the cooler weather, in general. In the summer I like to use cottons.

Sock Class and Another Bag

Lia and I taught a beginner sock class at Twist on Saturday morning; I thought it went very well. Our students were great, all were very fast learners and patience with us as this was our first time teaching this class. Thanks so much to Shelly for letting us have the class.

Of course, I couldn't leave Twist without buying something. I have had my eye on this Lexie Barnes bag since the shop opened. Unfortunately for me, someone bought the original one. When I saw that another one had arrived, I had to buy it. I have been carrying my pink and brown Timbuk2 bag since last Christmas which is an incredibly long time for me to have one bag so it was time for a change.

"Fall Into Autumn" Dishcloth Swap

I haven't done a swap in quite some time and I miss getting surprises in the mail so I decided the dishcloth swap was for me.

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I have been knitting for about 6 years. I do not crochet.

2. Have you made dischlothes before? Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both?
I have made many dishclothes, I use them myself and give them as gifts.

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before ?
I use lots of peaches and cream. I would love to try Handknit Cotton by Rowan.


4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles?
I prefer circular needles and I really like addis and hiya hiya needles

5. What are your favorite colors? Any colors you don't like much?
I love bright colors, fushia, lime green, turquoise.

6. What do you like best about Autumn?
Going to the Pumpkin Patch with the kids

7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of em? or No Thanks!
Pumpkin and Apple

8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school , or the one who overslept on the 1st day?
I was always nervous on the first day. I liked to dress up "fancy'" on the first day of school and I picked out the perfect outfits for everyday of the first week.

9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap)
I love, love, love Halloween!!


10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose?
Red Licorice, chocolate (dark), caramel apple suckers

11. Do you have any pets? Kids? Husbands who seem like kids? ;)
I have a Lab dog, 2 kids (9 yr old girl, 6 yr old boy) and a husband

12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why?
Noro Kuryeon, I'm bright and cheery, a little crazy and unpredictable

13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths?
I use them for dishclothes but I would like to have one for a facecloth

14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? (Feel free to share another fall memory if you do not celebrate either of these holidays)
Halloween, of course. We decorate our whole house complete with 3 large blowups in our front yard.

15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about?
No allergies.

Lizard Ridge

I was able to get almost three blocks from two balls of Kureyon. It's going to tough making this afghan over a year, I want to knit it all right now. But I'm going to do it over time with the group.

School and Such

We are back into the full swing of school and work.

My classes are going well. I have Anatomy, Swimming, First Aid, Team Sports, Movement, and Intro to P.E. The big challenge is Anatomy- lots of memorization.

T loves 1st grade. Lucky for us, he has my good friend as a teacher. He's really coming out of this shell.

Third grade is a lot more work than we thought it would be. S had homework on the 1st day of school and every though it's a holiday weekend she has homework this weekend. I, personally, think it's too much but I'm going to see how it goes.

D's work is the same as always.

Jackson County Tri

Usually, the day I get back from a race, I write a race review but I'm feeling a little disappointed with my performance (especially the bike) so I think I will skip the online version. I did finish the race though, in 3 hours and 1 minute. I was 205 out of 209 on the long course, now you see why I'm disappointed.


Instead, today, you get a picture of Sally and I from the Wichita Eagle. Sally escaped from the backyard on Tuesday and I found her at the Wichita Animal Shelter on Wednesday. A photographer from the Eagle happened to be there taking pictures for a story about the shelter and Humane Society. When I got home on Sunday my friend called to say we were in the paper.

A Couple of New Things

Have you tried these new Salad Spritzers by Wish-Bone? They are great! A couple of sprays and your salad is covered. Yummy.

Big D introduced me to Phonezoo. I'm picking out special ring tones for everyone in my phonebook. If you have a request for your phone number, leave me a comment.

Lizard Ridge

Twist is having a year old Lizard Ridge Afghan Club to make knitting the Lizard Ridge more affordable. If you complete 2 blocks a month you will be finished in a year at a cost of less than $20 a month.

The pattern calls for one ball on Noro Kureyon pulled from the outside and the inside to create the stripes but, being the rebel I am, I have decided to use 2 different colors of Kureyon (and sometimes Silk Garden) on each block.

Adventure in Bicycling

I decided to do my bike workout this morning since I only have one later class today. Plus, I got bike shoes and clipless pedals last week and I need to try them out before next weeks big race.

I noticed my back tire was a little low but I figured I could ride the mile to the gas station and pump it up. I didn't realize that road bike tires have a different valve and when I got to the gas station I accidentally let all the air out of the tire trying to figure out how to get more air in.

I decided to walk the mile back to my house barefoot instead of clopping home in my bike shoes.

The funny thing was I was just at the bike shop, this week, looking at bike repair kits with CO2 which would have allowed me to fix the problem. But I thought "I won't ever need that."

Life is still good.

Back to School

Yesterday was the kid's first day back at school. They came home excited and tired. S had homework on the first day and T said he liked his class better than last year.

Today was my first day back at school. I'm official a full-time student hoping to finish my P.E. teaching degree in 3 years. It's a great feeling to be working towards something you love. My schedule allows me time in the afternoon to work out and volunteer at the kid's school. Life is good.

Row Counter

Thursday nights are now knitting nights. Twist open late and has a Stitch n Bitch from 6 to 8pm. The best thing about hanging out and knitting in a yarn shop is the ability to buy the things you suddenly realize you need. Nancy's Knit Knacks Row Counter Plus had been on my list of must haves and now it is mine. I decided on the Plus instead of the regular because Plus keeps track of 3 separate counts. I use one for the rows and one for the pattern repeats.

Mancala

My family is currently obsessed with Mancala. I learned to play this summer working at latchkey. The best part is every in our family can play, the rules are simple enough for T but D and I have had lots of fun challenging each other.

I have been neglecting my blog because of the "back to school crazies." With only 9 days till the kids and I must return I am feeling a little sad. I really enjoy having the kids at home all summer, swimming, make crafts, playing games, just being together on these long hot days is a joy to me.

Keeper of the Plains at Night

Last night, the kids had their friends over for a sleepover. At 9pm we ventured down to the Keeper of the Plains to see the lighting of the "Ring of Fire." Unfortunately, the fire wasn't working but I got a couple of shots of the Wichita skyline and the Keeper at night.