Rain, rain DON'T go away!

It rained today for about 30 minutes and it was wonderful! I have missed it so much! Our poor plants are so thirsty and our front lawn has really suffered. It was wonderfully cool this evening and we all went out to work on our playground which is coming along very nicely...pictures up soon! The kids are so enjoying that, it has morphed into a ship with swing sets coming out of it. My uncle is here working on our remodeling projects as well as the playground-today he made an anchor, put on the helm and a telescope up in the crows nest. It's basically everything you would ever want to use your imagination in play, which is perfect!

My socks are coming along nicely although I had to frog them a couple of days ago because I wasn't pleased with the way I continued the pattern after the heel flap. I am happier with them now but it seems to be so slow as I work toward the point where I left off last time :) I ordered 4 different colors of this self-striping yarn from Ram Wools about a month ago and I got 2 of them, but they told me that the other 2 would be back ordered and ready to ship in 2 weeks. Well, I haven't gotten them yet and I am nearing the end of these socks. As soon as we get our A/C again I will be working on my afghan, but not till then! So, I will have to place another order I suppose :) Alas, what torture! I have already chosen the yarn that I will be using for Mallory's legwarmers. She showed me some baby blue, thigh high legwarmers out of a ballet catalog that she wants so I will be working on those. Fortunately for me, she has thin legs, lol.

I haven't done ANY spinning since we started all our projects in the house and am so looking forward to that. I helped my mom buy 3 pounds of fiber for her birthday and it arrived today. I am so jealous! It positively screams "spin me!!!". So, as soon as my uncle leaves for home on Saturday evening, we will be finishing things up and then trying to get back to "normal" life :). I am not sure I remember what that is actually!

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry --
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll --
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul.

-Emily Dickinson-

I have started a new blog! Unschooling, homeschooling resources

I have started a new blog called Resources for Natural Learning
I am going to list helpful and educational resources to help children learn through playing. I hope to give book and movie reviews, game suggestions, fun and educational website suggestions as well. I have already put several posts on there so you might want to go check it out!

Updates on knitting and life in general

Well, I have done it. I finally finished Levi's knee socks! And they fit him perfectly! I am so very pleased with how they turned out, even though I had to take them out a couple of times. I really don't like doing that because it feels like you've really knitted 1 1/2 pairs of socks instead of just 1, lol. Anyway, I am tucking these away for Christmas and have started in on another pair. This time they are for Kelsey and the colors are so much more fun to work with. The name of the yarn is "Crayola" and it describes it wonderfully. I also decided that I was tired of plain stockinette stitch for so long and am using a pattern that I got out of our new book, Favorite Socks by Interweave. It's called Diagonal Cross Rib. I love how it looks a little like cables without having to actually cable. So I have about 5 1/2" done so far and it seems to be going so much faster...I know it's just psychological, knowing that they aren't knee socks makes all the difference in the world! :)




Speaking of cables, I have yet to do any! I am going to embark on the cabling journey very soon though. I have bought my yarn for the Rogue Hoodie and can't wait to make that.

I haven't been working on my afghan at all since our air conditioning is out and its been record-breakingly hot the past few weeks. Today it was 101 at 11:00!

We got a new digital camera and I am so thrilled with it! The coolest thing it does is take panoramic pictures. You take three pictures then it "stitches" them together to make one long pic. It takes a little practice, but I am getting pretty good at it now and it looks like a pretty seamless photo! I will have to take one and put it up here soon...as soon as I perfect my technique :)

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. My mom has been so faithful that you can probably just head over there and see all the latest, but I haven't had the heart to get online much since it's been so very hot outside and inside. My laptop just generates more heat, so I tend to avoid it, lol. I will be better about posting now. I promise! *fingers crossed*

I will close with a poem that really meant a lot to me-

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

-Emily Dickinson-

Random thoughts about knitting, golf, and puppyhood

I know I have been horrible about blogging lately...please pretend you haven't noticed! We are in full swing finish up and put-the-house-back-together mode. We spent all day yesterday painting and moving furniture. I believe that I will be painting our guest bathroom today, as well as the trim and door. Sounds like fun, huh? :) When my Uncle and Danny (my adopted uncle) were here, they built a loft for my bed in our bedroom. I have finally been able to move into that bed and I love it! There is plenty of room for a set of shelves at the head of the bed that hold everything I need as well as a few books that I probably don't need...too many late nights!

I have started re-reading Sense and Sensibility and am in love with it all over again. I have searched and searched for something with the same irresistable charm as the Austen books, but thus far have been unsuccessful. Her writing always makes me want to go back in time :)

For those of you who watched golf this past weekend, I am so thrilled with Tiger's victory! I know I haven't really mentioned it here, but I am a big golf fan and always watch when my favorites are playing. My favorites are Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Retief Goosen, and Vijay Singh...among others :) This is Tiger's first victory since becoming a father and he has had a dry run since the Wachovia Championship in May so it was wonderful to see him win again.


Now, to the knitting realm. I have put down my stole almost completely as I feel selfish when I work on it, lol. I have focused on the pair of knee socks for Levi and the afghan. I have devoted all of my tv time to the afghan since it is pretty mindless garter stitch, and then everything else I have given over to the socks. I have determined that I don't like the even stripes of this yarn. It's so predictable that I am getting frustrated. Plus the fact that the colors are so drab and boring, but Levi loves them so that's all that matters I suppose!



You may not be able to see in this picture, but I am using some of the new beaded stitch markers that I made the other day. I also have a new creation...a beaded row marker. I love it! I got frustrated with trying to remember what row I was on for my decreases and wanted something pretty to help with that. I saw an idea for something along these lines on someone's blog, so I just modified it to look the way I wanted it to. I know these pics are horrible quality, but I cant ever get my camera to take a good photo of anything that could remotely resemble jewelry. Argh!









I went to take a picture of my socks and Bailey immediately jumped up onto the couch and posed for the camera. I had to take her picture then! Here she is looking gorgeous. I have determined that as soon as all our company leaves and life settles down somewhat, she and I are doing some serious obedience training. She's so sweet and I am perfectly fine with her little 'tudes, but I realized that it's not so overlook-able to other people and some of her little quirks can get annoying when you can't tell her to stop. For example: she thinks that if she barks at something that she wants, you will give it to her...now don't ask me HOW she got that idea, but there it is. Another thing...she is crazy with excitement when she first sees someone until they properly greet her. Now, by properly, I mean that you have to giver her your whole attention for a few minutes and say hi. Now see, to me this is adorable because I would probably do all that anyway, LOL. So, the day has come where puppy and her mommy, have to grow up and face facts. *sigh*