The Knitting Blues

I've been knitting a pair of sock for at least two months. I want them finished last month! It's a pattern I've done before, so I should be familiar with it. The first sock went well. No problems, minor ripping back. The second sock....well, it's not playing nice. I have started knitting it three separate times. I am sick of this sock. I've made mistakes I've never made before and I'm tired of it. I just want it finished. To make matters worse, I had a knitting accident that set me back. I always knit on the love seat. Sometimes I leave my knitting on the love seat and a needle will fall between the cushions. No biggie - I just reach down and get it out. Well, this time when the needle fell between the cushions, it didn't fall, it stood - straight up! The next morning I went to sit on the love seat. Thank goodness I sit like my Mom. I tucked my left leg under me and then plopped down on the couch. I thought I had been shot! I jumped up off the couch and grabbed at my leg to pull out this:

This is one of my favorite Knit Picks needles. I even straightened it out a little bit before I took this picture. I know there are a lot of thoughts out there ... I could have sat directly on it and had to pull it out of my butt.... I know. You're all thinking it. It was one of the first things I thought!
On a happier note, we have fall in all of it's colorful glory.
I took these pictures out front today. I'm sure my neighbors are wondering when this Floridian is going to get used to fall and quit taking pictures year after year.

The answer is probably never!

Twenty-Five

Twenty-five years ago today I married my best buddy. Boy, I sure am glad I did.

Chocolate Cake Hangover

This is a picture of Mom's birthday cake. Oh man! Too much! It was G-R-E-A-T! It was a Devil's Food cake with Rocky Road icing. R is the queen of Rocky Road icing. I think we could have just left the cake alone and eaten the icing. It's more like fudge anyway. Mom took a piece home with her and had it for breakfast with her coffee! Needless to say, she is flying like a kite!

My terrific Ravelry buddy sent me the best Halloween surprise package! The little flag above is adorable and perfect for this week. She also sent a pumpkin scented candle, which smells great. Some ghost shaped Peeps and some Red Bird candy canes which just melt in your mouth! And the wonderful surprise of YARN! She dyes it herself and that makes it that much more special.

Here's a little peek of it with the flag.

Here's a different peek. It is perfectly fall-like! I am anxious to make a pair of socks out of it. I've already gotten it wound into a ball. Now just to narrow down the pattern selection......
Karen - this is your leaf picture. I think that a memo went out to every tree in the county and told them to put on their annual show! It is officially fall everywhere!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Have you noticed that it's birthday month?

L, Daddy, R and Mom way back when the kids were in elementary school.

Today is Mom's birthday. She managed to have Kelly while she was still 19 and then the next day celebrated turning 20. I imagine she was a little too sore and preoccupied to really 'celebrate', but you get the idea.

I've had a hard time getting a good picture of Mom to put on here. She does not like to have her picture taken. Kind of hard to avoid when your husband's a photographer in his spare time!

This year is a little different, as you can imagine, but this birthday is going to be a good day for Mom. The birthday shopping is finished - and I can't share it with you because she might read this before we give her her gifts! (I can tell you that one of the gifts has been off the needles for a while.....hmm, wonder what it is???) We hit the Hallmark store and looked at every single card they had. We are fixing dinner for her and making sure she does as little as possible. Per her request, I've promised not to sing to her as Marilyn Monroe. Gee, she sure is demanding! Maybe as Eartha Kitt! :) R will make her special 'Granny Chocolate Cake' tomorrow and we'll be ready to celebrate!

By the way, I did sing as Marilyn Monroe to my sister today. And darn it! She was at home. No fun to embarrass someone when they are alone!

Happy Birthday Kelly

Today is my sister's birthday. See how well we have always gotten along?

Mom told me that when I was born, Kelly jumped up on the bed to tell her hi. Mom showed her me. Kel went, "Oh Yeah."

She and I couldn't be any more different if we tried. She is a super early chipper morning person. I am not. She is skinny. I am not. She loves to exercise. I do not. She loves to clean. I do not. She loves, loves, loves to iron. I think she has a mental illness or an addiction to starch. She goes to bed shortly after dark. I am getting my second wind somewhere around 10:00 PM. She sews quite a few of her clothes and does a beautiful job. I can sew elastic into flannel pajama pants. I think I did a pretty good job on a button hole once....

When our grandfather passed away, Mom took this picture that was on his refrigerator. She said he would look at it, shake his head and say, "That girl." What else can you say about a grin like that? That it looks like it hurts? Well, it kind of does look like it hurts, doesn't it? But that's her - putting her all into it.

Here we are at my Father-in-law's viewing. We hadn't seen each other in about three years. (I'm trying my best to do the 'Kelly grin', but it just isn't working for me.)

Everytime one of us has a birthday, she calls and does her best Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President." Ever seen a mortified teenage boy? Come around in August when L has his birthday and that phone rings! I guess I should go practice my Marilyn Monroe so I can call her today. Hope she's in the middle of Wal-Mart when her cell phone rings.......

Turkey Time Prep

Knitting for babies is great. The amount of yarn needed is minimal and the patterns are adorable. Now that there is a baby in Mom's neighborhood, I have a greater reason to knit baby stuff than ever before.

This is a turkey bib for Raj. I hope that you can see the turkey design. I never can get the picture of designs like this just right. The pattern is from http://downcloverlaine.blogspot.com/2009/10/gobble.html She designs the cutest bibs and washcloths! Go look up her designs.

Turnip Time

The kids are major Halloween freaks. Having read some history on Halloween and learning that the early jack-o-lanterns were actually carved out of turnips, the kids have been after me for years to carve their own. Year after year I have forgotten. Today they decided to go to the grocery store with me. They remembered to get turnips. Using a knife and a wood carving kit, they carved to their hearts content while RL and I fixed dinner. By the way, there is WAY less mess with turnips than pumpkins!

Here are the finished products. L's is on the left and R's is on the right. R pointed out that it's a little funny that her turnip has one front tooth and L's has two. Long story short - L lost a front tooth in a hammock incident when he was about five or six, so it is a little ironic that his has two!

Once it got dark enough, they took their turnips out for a photo shoot. I love the way you can see the face shining on the steps.

This is my favorite of the two turnips together. Might have to do this every Halloween!