Thanks for the Time

If only I were able to be thankful for all the free time on my hands.  But alas, I have none.  With Christmas coming up, there will be even less free time.

As far as the knitting world goes, here is what is in my queue:

• the final sleeve for Chiquita's Baby February Jacket that I reknit
• button shopping for both the Baby Februarys so the kid can wear them before they outgrow them
  
• crochet Chicklet's blanket that I frogged
• knit two more baby blankets for the 2010 babies in the family
  
• Chiquita has requested a pair of blue socks and has already picked out the yarn and pattern that she would like
• finish the BFF's fair isle mitts hopefully by Christmas
• finish the other fair isle mitts I made a pair, but they didn't match, so now I will have two pairs
• finish the Rainy Day gloves so Senora Fuerte can make her pair we went in together to pay for the yarn

Those are just the immediate knits that are always on my mind.  Some of them with due date, quite literally.   I have two other WIPs that don't even make it into my thought process.

Thank You Dishcloths

Since it is Thanksgiving Weekend, the appropriate FO to blog about would be the Thank You dishcloths.  Being that I am so thankful and everything.   I made four sets of dishcloths for the lovely ladies girls that threw me my baby shower back in July.  I corrected my use of the word ladies because the other day, while writing an email, I called to a group of women in my age group "ladies".  Yeah, that's a great way to feel old fast.  I had a blast working with these bright colors.  The are the Sugar'n Cream cottons in the Hot colors.  Hot Pink, Hot Blue, etc.  I also crocheted these.

I have been working on expanding my fiber world and am teaching myself to crochet.  It started with a blanket for Chicklet, that has since been frogged.  Little squares are a lot easier to practice with.  Since making these 10 cloths for the baby shower girls, I have made some for Chiquita's teachers that we left in LA and two more that are just sitting at home unused.  I haven't decided if I should keep them for myself or keep them as stock for the next time I need to give someone something.  They are great gifts.  I quick and easy and cheap gift that stills shows off my fabulous, talented self.  Oh, that sounded conceited.

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful.  It was just the our family, plus one and a half.  DH's brother and his dog have been staying the weekend with us.  He brought his PS3 and Rock Band gear.  We have been jamming to the sweet songs of the Beatles.  Chiquita is quite the singer and it's great reading practice for her since she doesn't know all the lyrics.

DH order a smoked turkey and he was in charge of  cooking that.  I did all the rest of the traditional yummy stuff and Chiquita made cookies.  Star shaped sugar cookies with sprinkles.  They are all gone now.  We were thankful for our full tummies and the dishwasher to do all the dishes in.  I really am thankful for where I now live.  There is a washer and dryer, my allergies love the wood floors throughout, the kids love the private backyard and hiking trails.  Not being stacked up on top of each other is also great.

A Few Things that I am Thankful For :

• My Family
• DH's great job that pays for everything
• Living in lots of space, even if it takes me half an hour to sweep it.  I like sweeping better than vacuuming anyways
• Hugs and cuddles from my girls
• In house appliances, I just can't get over this
• Getting more sleep

I think I am about to be kicked off the computer.  Time for breakfast and then some Rock Band.  I'm thinking Santa may be bringing this down our chimney this year.  Did I tell you we have a chimney, too?

Stockings to Iraq

Just an early morning shout out to my BFF's daughter.  Katelynn's dad is in Iraq, yellow ribbon to the left, and she put to together a special surprise for him and all of his unit.  She had her fourth grade class help her stuff stockings for all 50 members of her dad's unit.  They are filled with shampoo, toothbrush and paste, snacks and candies, and other assortments that they were able to have donated by friends, family and local businesses. 

You can read all about it here in the local paper.

We are so proud of her and her dad.

Monkey Socks V

What do you call a group of Monkeys?

My MIL calls everyone monkeys.  So, it seems appropriate that if I am going to make matching socks for her and the girls, that they be Monkey Socks.  This is part of why the Froot Loops took me so long to make.  I had to make socks for us girls to wear together at the hospital.  We didn't do that.  Sad thing it that I still have not sewn in the ends to my pair.  I will, when my feet get cold enough.  My MIL is calling me a monkey right now.

These socks are placed in order of made first to last.  Did you notice that the main color got lighter and lighter?   Thank goodness I didn't make one pair of normal length socks from this.  The two wouldn't match.  I think that it is so odd that the yarn did this.  And it's nice yarn, Lisa Souza Sock.  I've always heard good things about her yarn, so she must of been monkeying around when she dyed it.  Oh, I crack myself up.

Chicklet's pair makes four, but it's my fifth pair of monkeys.  The title is not a typo.  They are still a little too big of our 3.5 month old.  If you can believe she is already that old.  And such a cutie.  Chiquita has fun wearing her matching socks. 

These are the "No Purls" Monkeys.  Basically the regular pattern, but you knit wherever it says to purl, with the exception of the rib cuff.  They actually are quite fun and I can see why it became such a popular pattern.  The baby pair is very modified to get four repeats in a round.  I was surprised the other day when a knitter identified them correctly.  I don't think they look anything like monkeys.  I also don't think people look like monkeys, but what do I know.

Okay, MIL doesn't call people monkeys because they look or act like monkeys.  I think it is because back in her single, modeling days... my girls have good genes...  she had pet monkeys.  Spider monkeys!  I have no idea where she got them.  Probably Mexico.  That's where we got our turtle.  Maybe monkeys come from there, too?  I guessing later I'm going to get the whole story on this.

It's Official...

We now live in San Diego.  Well, just north of San Diego.  I feel like I have moved out of the city and into the 'burbs.  In the South Bay (LA - there is a San Diego South Bay, too), you don't see a lot of open land.  There is just about everything within walking distance of everywhere.  We are talking at least two donut shops within half a mile of each other because there is a big enough population to support them both.  And the grocery store, round trip plus shopping, 1700 steps on the pedometer.  It was really congested and it's not quite the same here.

Today I went to Target.  The GPS took me to the nearest intersection and then stopped.  It told me I had reached my destination.  Then, where the heck is Target?  I'm driving around like a completely lost person and have a cop driving next to me.  Crap, am I speeding?  No, I was just driving past where you turn into the Target parking lot.  You see with all of this open land, there are a lot of trees.  Trees on hills to be exact.  And I figure, to keep the city looking pretty, they put all the shopping centers behind the trees on the hills.  As a result I drove past the Target.  On the bright side, while I was turning around I found the Post Office.

I make my way to Target, which is in the very back of the shopping center and pick up a couple of items.  Now I have to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Punch it into the GPS and, oh look, the Post Office is right next to the exit by the Target.  If only I had driven another 30 feet I wouldn't of needed to turn around.  I would of known that if I could of seen the Target through the trees.

Fifteen minutes later, I find the Bed, Bath and Beyond, which is actually only five minutes from the Target.   The GPS took me to an intersection that I swear had nothing but a sign that said, The Forums.  Of course, it told me to turn right instead of left and I had to make another U-turn.  On the bright side, I did find a nice looking church.  Couldn't see where the Forums where from the intersection, but heck, I haven't driven in this direction yet.  Found the B,B and B.  Did my shopping.

Now I need gas.  Go figure.  Turns out if you want to go to a gas station, you need to know the freaking DaVinci Code.  I could see the Shell station, but circled it twice before finding the correct road that would take me down the right hill to get to it.  I needed gas when I was down here last week.  I'm telling you... DA VINCI CODE.  I'd walk, but nothing is within walking distance. 

I'm certain that a couple of trips around town and I'll know where everything is.  But it sure is confusing when you are in a new place.  I got lost in Redondo all the time when we moved there, too.  For example, those that live there will understand this better, I lived at Artesia and Aviation.  I used to drive down south on Aviation to PCH in order to get to the Target at Sepulveda and Manhattan Beach Blvd.  I knew Aviation would get me to PCH and that Target was on the same street.  Two months later when I took a wrong turn, I discovered that Manhattan Beach Blvd was just north of my house and I was driving four miles for a one mile trip.   I'm really not the best when it comes to driving around.

At least I know how to get to and from the new school :)