Eat a live frog the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. (Unknown)

Just to give you an idea of what my day's been like....

Remember the sock I was working on yesterday? In knitting terms, it's now a frog*.

(*Because a frog says "rip it, rip it." Yeah, I'm not laughing right now either.)

Silence is the loudest thing I've ever heard. (Peter O'Gorman)

Millie isn't very happy, and it isn't just because of her ponytail. (Although she is definitely peeved at me, and won't come anywhere near me right now.) The kids left this morning on a trip with their father, and the house is extremely quiet. Jorge keeps walking around, looking for The Boy. And Millie isn't even harassing him the way she usually does.

I knew it would be lonely without my kids, but I had made all sorts of plans so that I wouldn't get depressed. Unfortunately, I've done something horrible to my back, and even sitting in front of my computer is bringing tears to my eyes. I went to the doctor this afternoon and he took x-rays, and I'm supposed to go back tomorrow to see what they show.

The worst part...I forgot to stop at the store on my way home, so there is no chocolate in the house. None. Not even chocolate chips.

On the bright side, I did manage to get some knitting done. And in the spirit of tantalizing my oldest, here's a picture of my Koigu Swirled Socks...

Are you taking pictures of my socks? (Pamela Stephenson)

I am so excited! I finally finished my JJayWalker socks. So naturally I'm already wearing them today. And I'll have to wash them tomorrow, so I can wear them to work on Monday!

I'm actually surprised at how comfortable they are! So soft, and cuddly. And I love the way they fit.

And yes, I know I sound like I'm bragging. But that's just because you're jealous that I didn't make this pair for you!

Nature has a great simplicity and therefore a great beauty. (Richard Feynman)

Beautiful
Thursday Challenge

Okay, it's been done to death. But who doesn't think of roses in bloom when they hear the word beautiful?

It appears to me that they don't knit socks without holes in them these days. (Franz Schubert)

My JJayWalker socks are coming out so cool. This is the first pair I've knit for myself, and probably the best pattern I've done to date.

(I call them my JJayWalker socks because I work on them while spending time with JJ in the afternoons.) I will admit that knitting for myself is taking a lot longer than socks for Cari or Becky. It's just one more reason I need to go on a diet!

It is hard to be brave, when you're only a Very Small Animal. (Piglet)

I had plans for this evening. Becky went to a friend's birthday sleep-over, and PJ was spending the evening with one of his friends, so I was going to be able to relax and do something nice for me. That is, until Millie found something to play with in the pantry.

I thought it was a lizard at first. Millie is worse than any cat, chasing the little lizards around and then bringing it to me as a gift when she finally catches one. Yeck!

But as I was calling Millie out of the pantry, a furry little creature ran across my foot. It's a mouse! It's a rat! No, it's the kids' gerbil. He must have gotten out of the cage again.

I don't like the gerbil. (I like mice and rats even less, so I was seriously hoping that it really was the gerbil.) I managed to get him trapped in the corner by the refrigerator, and then tried to figure out how to get it into a box so that I wouldn't have to touch it. I ended up just sitting there, guarding that corner and waiting for my son to get home. [Please ignore the dirty floor. I hadn't realized how dirty it was until I sat staring at it for a couple of hours. The worse part was that I couldn't go get the mop to clean it up!]

I did have a horrible scare. I decided to get some of my sock done while I was sitting there staring at the corner. I finished the first cuff, and tried it on to make sure that I had the size right. I put my foot up to take a look at the knitting, and rested it on the refrigerator door. I forgot that the fridge is on casters, and scoots back real easy. My foot went up, and the fridge went back. I thought for sure I squished the gerbil! I didn't dare take a look. What would I do if the darn thing was squished dead? Or if it were just hurt? It took me about five minutes to work up enough courage to peek around the side of the fridge. Boy did I jump when I saw the gerbil peeking back at me! But at least it wasn't hurt or dead.

After 2 1/2 hours, my son finally got home and he managed to catch the gerbil within 15 minutes.

The gerbil is in his new home now, and hopefully he won't be able to escape again. I'm off to mop the kitchen floor...

Obsessions and fixations are not really my field. All I know, when the mind really grabs hold of something, look out. ( M. Sage & S. Adelman)

I finished Cari's socks. This pair was knit toe up, using Hellchick's Toe-Up Socks pattern and the rest of the Magic Strip Denim yarn. Of course I did some adjusting: I used Judy's Magic Cast-On (which I love!) and a ribbing pattern from Charlene Schurch's "More Sensational Knitted Socks" (seed-stitch ribbing). I think they turned out pretty good. I'm not so crazy about the short row heel (it looks funny to me) but I'm hoping that they look better actually on Cari.

I went looking for the socks I made Becky to get a comparison, but I couldn't find them in her draw. It turns out she was wearing them!


That made me so happy!

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is.

(Ellen DeGeneres)

I’ve posted this picture (along with the explanation) on our family blog, so I apologize for the repetition. But I just thought it was so cool. And also a little disconcerting. My grandmother, at 88, is still so much more adventurous than I am.

When the kids shouted out at us, laughing and teasing about doing a noodle, I was embarrassed. I really didn’t know what they were talking about, and I didn’t know what to do with the attention. Should I ignore them? Or make a comment back? Or just try to be politely vague and move along quickly?

Gramma, however, spoke up right away and said she wanted one. It threw everyone off stride! Mom and I just stopped, and watched the scene unfold (not really sure what we “should” be doing). The kids stopped still, not sure what to do now that their jokingly offered invitation had been accepted. But then Gramma asked for the noodle again, and all of a sudden she was part of their group. The kids wanted to carry her off with them for the day. She was the Grandmother they wanted to have. She was proof that their fun would never have to end.

Later, Gramma told me that she had to take the challenge. She didn’t want the kids thinking that they could just place her in a box labeled “old” and then laugh. She wanted the last laugh.

I want to be more like my Grandmother. I want to accept the adventures as they show up, and not just when I’ve had time to analyze and schedule them properly. I want to have fun, and be open to whatever comes along. And most of all, I want to stay out of boxes.

I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty...But I am too busy thinking about myself. (Edith Sitwell)

Okay. I'm totally obsessed. And totally talented. I've finished my second pair of socks, and these are even better than the first. What's more, I did them by combining three different sets of directions (using the parts that made the most sense to me -- I really need to read up more on knitting terms so that I can follow a regular pattern).

My next pair is already on the needles. This time I'm going toe-up (the other two pairs were knit from the cuff down to the toes). I'm not sure I'm really ready to change directions (remember, I'm the one who knit the first pair inside out!), but I'm going to give it a try.

[Note: I used Lion Brand Magic Stripe yarn in Denim. The ribbing is Stansfield 30 from "More Sensational Socks." The directions were a combination of sock patterns that I googled online. I wish I could give better credit, but I'm not sure where I found it all.]

The reason I'll probably be looking for a new job on Monday:

To be fair, I had nothing at all to do with styling the boss' hair. I only took a picture of it.

And printed it out.

And hung it on the wall of the reception area.

Oh yeah. And posted it on my blog for everyone to see...

We interrupt this program for an important message ...

From time to time, you might notice that entries "magically" appear. There will have been no entries for a week or so, then suddenly I've got several entries from that missing time. There is a reason for this.

I have a habit of writing my entries whenever I have a chance. It might be during lunch at work, or while I'm waiting at the train station for my son, or wherever I happen to be. If I don't have internet access, I just save the entry until I have time to post it. I try to remember to post it right away, but sometimes I forget.

When I finally do remember, sometimes I decide that too much time has gone by and I just delete it. But sometimes I want to put it up anyway. So I do.

I try not to feel too much guilt over this. My whole purpose of blogging is for the fun of it. So I do it the way that makes sense to me, so that I have fun with it. I keep saying that I'm going to post on a more regular schedule, and someday maybe I will.

In the meantime, it is what it is. And I hope you can get some enjoyment out of it, too.

A witty saying proves nothing. (Voltaire)

I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to write about, but I can't remember any of it now. Oh well, at least I have an excuse to post a picture of my baby!

The trouble with normal is it always gets worse. (Bruce Cockburn)

Last week it was the freezer. This time it's the refrigerator.

The washer is started to grumble a bit, too. How come none of the appliances are happy working?

(This post sounds a lot cheerier than what I really am. But there is no sense in posting my first draft of this, since nobody wants to read "damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!")

My work is a game... (M. C. Escher)

Pink
Lensday

It was Pajama Jam at work today. Which explains the following conversation in Walmart last night:

"Becky, should I get this pair of pajamas for work or is this pair better?"
"Why don't you just wear the pajamas you have at home?"
"Because everyone's already seen them."

I really do believe I can accomplish a great deal with a big grin. I know some people find that disconcerting, but that doesn't matter.

(Beverly Sills)

I finished my very-first-all-by-myself socks! I'm so proud.

I'm already working on the next pair...

[Note: These were done with Canon variated worsted weight yarn, using The Super Simple Knitwit Sock Pattern and a k3p1 ribbing.]

Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster. ( Quentin Crisp)

Somebody (I won't mention my daughter's name, since it was an accident) left the freezer door open Sunday evening. It wasn't discovered until yesterday afternoon, after all all the food had already thawed. And of course the freezer was packed -- I had about 77 pounds of meat/meals, not to mention the frozen fruits and vegetables.

So I've been on a marathon baking craze all night, trying to save as much of it as I could. I also gave away a bunch of meat (steaks and stuff that I couldn't cook to refreeze). I'm so tired!

I'm trying to look on the bright side. At least dinners will be easy for the next month, with all the pre-browned hamburger and the casseroles did. And the freezer is thawed, which is something that's been on my "To Do" list.

[sigh]

If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm. (Bruce Barton)

I can't resist showing off Becky's hat. Although I really didn't have anything to do with it -- she knitted this herself!

I feel like a tiny bird with a big song! (Jerry Van Amerongen)

In honor of my grandmother, here is a picture of a cardinal for Photo Hunter's "Bird" meme. (Cardinals are my grandmother's favorite bird. At least, I hope so since we keep buying her cardinal stuff!)

It's nice having Gramma down visiting. I'm looking forward to getting to spend some time with her.

Now if only I could get my daughter down here!

The time to relax is -- when you don't have time for it. (Sidney J. Harris)

Here's a one week follow-up on my knitting project. I'm very proud of myself. I actually managed to turn the heel, which I thought was going to be a problem. It turned out to be a lot easier than it sounded.

Now if I could only figure out how in the world I'm managing to knit the thing inside out...

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. (Maya Angelou)

Becky and I accompanied my mom and aunt to Butterfly World. We had a wonderful time, and I took lots of pictures. The Gardens were just as incredible as I remember from years ago, when my children were still young enough to be fascinated by the beautiful creatures.