Knock, Knock...

Who's there?
Bob.
Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Bob.
Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Ty! And we're going knock your house down!



Michael is in bright yellow shorts and Ty was in a grey shirt and green pants. I don’t know any of the others.
We arrived right as the cheering started and literally, we were there in the nick of time! Dory loved it even though she tripped getting out there and again when going back to the bus. FIL was supposed to go with or keep Jack at the house, but his car broke this morning so after having talked to Dory about it for two days, I loaded them both up and just did it. It would have been much better the two of us, but well… eh. Still worth it.
Nope, I didn’t meet him. But, we were there to see the house come down - you know, in the name of homeschooling! ;)

Budding Artist

Charlotte Purl Spotlight

Is on me this week! EEK! What pictures! But... I guess I did pose for them. ;)

In my absence

I found a new band love. On NPR on the way home 2 nights ago I heard these guys. Bought the album last night.


White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

I had a good amount of time to listen since I was on my way home from Mom's house. Tricia, Mom and I had gotten together for the day to sit around the table, eat and just be us. It was wonderful. We got a little bit of work done, like Tricia trimmed Mom's hair and Tricia got a small back rub... but overall, it was boring hours of around the table bliss. I put my first heel in a sock... badly. I forgot to take a picture, and have already ripped it out for a do over. I am considering it the practice heel. (short row for those of you who are wondering)

Anyway, about twilight Tricia headed out and I had Mom show me her garden. We watched for mosquitoes, and never saw any, but she was right... apparently I was found 5 times. *sigh* I'm still feeling the visit. In looking around though, it struck me how much the land had changed from what I remember as a child. The pasture where we raised a few cows is now an overgrown forest. The barn where we kept chickens is being torn apart by vines and encroaching trees. The front end is already gone. The church pew on the front porch is gone as is the old apple tree. In it's place in the back yard several full grown trees have made an appearance. It struck me that telling John and the kids stories of my childhood are just as much a far away place as his stories. They say you can't go home again. I guess it's really true, in the sense that the land I knew so very well is completely changed in my absence.

My new friend, Amber (who I met via an Etsy purchase from her husband), and I were talking a few weeks ago about her homeschooling her 5 boys and about how she takes them to the park to explore... not for the nature center or playground, but to have a sense of place, a knowledge of a place, to know the land and how it changes with the seasons. I realized that I had that growing up in York, almost by accident. I knew all of the back yard. The grape vines and the scuppernongs, the blackberry bush where the rabbits family lived. It's all gone. You could see the pond, but now the view is completely blocked. Somewhere in there Happy 2 is buried along with Dutchess. Happy 3 is under the pecan tree by the house. The cats always ran off to die a dignified death on their own. Time changes, moves on. You really can't go back. Kids grow up. They wean. First from the breast, and then from your home.

I'll stop boring you now with my looking behind me. It's time to look forward again.

Today

a bank would not allow me to make a simple deposit.
Dory scribbled a mural on the living room wall.
Jack said 'knock-knock' while taking Daddy to work since we were telling unfunny knock knock jokes.
I got yarny love from the Karma Yarn Swap on Ravelry, a mailbox full, that made it all better.


Yesterday, Ba gave me a camera. Her old one since she upgraded, but a camera none-the-less!!!!!!!

First socks!

I am eating my words. I cast on for my first socks 2 days ago. So far so good!
2 on 1 circ going toe up, against the written pattern... Froot Loop in the Knitty.com Spring '08 edition.

Yarn: Fiesta Yarns Baby Boom in 12101 Abalone
Needles: 1.5US 47" Knit Picks Nickel CIrcular

Very Sad ~ Dory is Pulling Again

Dory is back to pulling hair again. Her part is getting thiner and it has become obvious that she is also lying about it. She still likes to fiddle with hairs when she is sucking her thumb and often finds the ones that I shed and picks them up. I don't really have an issue with that since they are not being ripped in a clump out of her head.
This afternoon she walked up to me and asked me a question. (This just happened and I have no memory of what it was.) I took the clump of hair from her and asked her where she got it. She responded from the floor.... but they were perfectly lined up and root ends were showing all over on one side. She had lied, big time. I could look at her and guess where from but asked her anyway. I was right about the location. We called Daddy and gave him the sad news. We talked about how she could just now wear a pony tail and pig tails and about how we would have to cut it all off again if she didn't stop pulling from her head. I pulled up pictures on the computer to remind her of when she had no hair because she had a shaved head.
I thought we were done with this, thought it was behind us. I thought we had managed to contain it to the toddler years. I was wrong, lying to myself. I knew we were not going to be that lucky. What to do about it? I don't know. I will go back to my research and see if I can find more suggestions. I wish she wouldn't have to deal with this. I do not know that guilt will work to stop it, I fear it might just make it worse... but I don't know. I want to do what is right for her... but feel so helpless as to where to go and what to do. I know in many ways, and very likely, it is related to (and basically a form of) OCD, which certainly runs in my family undiagnosed. We all have our own forms of it.
I could just cry.

Leaving Daddy at work

Jack has had a recent fascination with keys. Standing at the door pointing up at the hook until you hand them over, carrying them around for an hour at a time before he brings them back, attempting to open doors by banging the key against the knob since he can't get it to go in..... and not handing them over when we get in the car.

On Wednesday, just that occurred. Since I was in a good mood, instead of ripping them from his tiny clutches, I asked him nicely for them.

Mommy: Jack, can Mommy have the keys?
Jack: *clutching them to his chest and turning away* No.
Mommy: Jack, Mommy needs the keys so we can go get Daddy... Do you want to go get Daddy?
Jack: Dad?
Mommy: Yes, let's go get Daddy...
Jack: No.
Mommy: Jack I need them for the car to make it go.
Jack: *still clutching to chest* Go?
Mommy: Yes, go get Daddy.
Jack: No.
Mommy: Keys will make the car go vroom vroom!
Jack: Vroom! Vroom! *looks at keys thoughtfully*
Mommy: Mommy has to put the keys right here *points at ignition* to make the car go vroom, vroom.
Jack: *hand out to give over keys* vrooommmm
Mommy: Thank you, Jack. Let's go get Daddy.
Jack: vroommmmmmmm *as the car starts up*

So, Daddy loses out to the car. Poor Daddy. But it was a really, really cute conversation with Jack.

Basil comes to live with us. AKA Malabrigo MYB Swap Goodies

Thank you RipRap, Molly, for my amazing MalabrigoYB swap package!!! I am so amazingly spoiled, and love every last bit of it!!!

Grandma's House

And Now For Something Completely Different

Long Drives

We went to Ohio last weekend to see my Grandmothers. Drove one way 10 hours to get there, and the return trip was shorter at about 9 hours. I am shocked at how well it all went considering it was such a short trip going up on Friday and back on Monday. I have lot of things to say about it, but will have to post more tonight. (Goodness, I hope.)