What Makes Me Happy

About a year ago I made a cute little sweater

for a teeny tiny new nephew.  

It was a size 6-9 month sweater, but unlike my children, he's actually a little peanut.  However since it's been a cool spring and my nephew is almost a year old, I got to see this.

He's cute coming and going!!!

I am SO happy that he got to wear it.  His mom said he got to wear it a few times before it got too warm.  A benefit to a long and cold spring!!  It had a matching hat which will probably fit him in December.  Unlike my children, he has a small head.

Saturday Sky

It's official.  The last of the field trips are over!   And so are the concerts!!  #1 Son's Spring Concert was last Tues and they did fantastic!  It explains all the superiors and grand champion trophies they won.  While Baby Girl likes to pose for the camera, #1 Son is a bit harder to pin down.  This is the only still I got of him all night!

 

I was hoping to get a family shot, but after the concert they had to start packing up the bigger musical instruments.  He did stop by to say hi but just as quickly he was gone.  I'm attaching a video of him playing a song on steel drums, it's not my favorite of all the ones he played but its the one where I got the best video of him.  Feel free to watch a min or so of the kid in action.
http://youtu.be/_Hc211kWqXY


The field trip on Friday to Epcot was also lots of fun.

Why yes that IS a wheelchair that Baby Girl is sitting in!  She twisted her ankle pretty badly on Wednesday and there was NO way she'd be able to walk the entire day.  I felt so bad for her, but we still had a good time.  She could still pop up and down for rides, even climbing into a boat, but there were times I could tell she was in pain. 

The girls in our group all played drums in music so they had a blast here.

Baby Girl decided that her souvenier would be from Japan in the form of a pearl. 

It was a decent sized pearl and she'll eventually have it set in a ring or necklace.

The girl is all abt the bling!

AND of course they had to ride the newly renovated Test Track.  Not once,

but twice!!

The weather was ok until abt 2pm and then it got HOT!  There's not a lot of shade when you are in certain parts of the park (like when you're walking the countries for those of you who are familiar with Epcot) and that's where we were during the hottest part of the day.  But we made it thru and stayed long enough to watch the fireworks. 

So there you have it.  All that's left are the promotion ceremonies for both kids and a band banquet.  And a PTO sponsored Mother/Son bowling event.  And a DARE graduation event.  And a tour of the middle school.  All in the 12 school days that are left.

This is why I'm taking it easy today at Happy Acres.  Very little has been done.  The only reason I left the house was because we had no food.  I did remember to take my sky.

while I was outside burning my feet on the sidewalk I heard a noisy plane and saw this.

I thought it was a really pretty plane.  Don't see many like that! 

Hope you all had a pleasant Saturday!  Next time I post I hope to have a sock to share......

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY:

Outside my window:  I had to wear a jacket to school today.  I am COMPLETELY blown away by our weather.  Ocala was in the 40s this am.  I woke up to 56 degrees.  However the forecast is showing a high of 90 for Friday.  Just in time for Epcot.

I am thinking: how weird our weather has been.  It's practically the middle of May and we are still getting cool mornings.

I am thankful: for my dayplanner.  It keeps me on track (for the most part).  It's a little bigger than a paperback book and it fits in my purse.  I used to use a Jan-Dec planner but switched over to a July-June one.  Works better for me since my plans usually follow the school calendar.

In the kitchen:  it's going to be basics this week.  I'm roasting a chicken for tonight (I'm making it early in the day so we can throw it on plates for the 45 min we will have for dinner) and I want to make those chicken tacos that I saw on Rachel Ray's magazine cover.  I've got one more day to plan and the boys will be on their own for Friday.  I'll probably get some frozen pizzas for them to pop in the oven.  When I'm not home, not a whole lot gets made.

I am wearing: Purple t-shirt and shorts.  I no longer am wearing the jacket.

I am creating:  I cast on for another pair of socks.  These are a worsted weight blue and will go in the charity bin when I'm done.  Since it only took me a couple of hours to do a 6 inch cuff, I'm making them to fit a man's foot.  I was originally going to start a tank top for Baby Girl, but I can't find my size 5 attachments from my Denise needles.  I'll do a more thorough search this wknd.

I am going:  to have a hard time when Baby Girl gets promoted to middle school.  I know, I know I keep saying this but it's something that keeps weighing on my mind.  While I'm THRILLED the school year is almost over (something like 3 weeks left, #1 Son has it by days left!), I'm sad to leave the school.  Yesterday was our last PTO meeting and we elected new officers.  As the new officers were starting to make plans for next year it made me sad to think I wont be a part of it.  Later my voice cracked when I was talking to the administration abt end of year promotion.  It's pathetic.  The crazy thing is this has little to do with my youngest moving on as it has to do with ME not wanting to leave. 

I am wondering: how much xanax will be needed that last day of school......

I am reading:   I actually read a book a couple of days ago and I was so excited to be able to post abt it here!!! 

The book is called Extra Yarn and it's a very sweet book abt a little girl who finds a box filled with yarn.  She starts out by knitting herself a sweater and one for her dog, but she has extra yarn.  She keeps knitting for her school mates, her neighbors and all the woodland animals, but she still has extra yarn.  There is a bit of drama at the end, but it ends up happy.  Yes it's a kid's picture book, but I'm going to look for this at the bookstore.  It's a great story abt community, a never ending stash and the occasional yarn bombing! 

Since we are also having the book fair at school this week, I've been able to see a lot of new children's books come out.  Another book that I read was Unspoken: A Story of the Underground Railroad.  It's another picture storybook abt a little girl whose family is a stop along the underground railroad.   She finds a runaway slave and brings him some food.  At one point the authorities come to her family's farm looking for any runaway slaves and she's very scared.  It's all from her point of view.  What I loved abt this book?  There were no words used in the making of this book (hence the title Unspoken).  The emotional story was depicted thru illustrations.  Amazing.  The author said he specifically made it that way to emote conversational thoughts.  It's another book I would love to have.

I am hoping: the weather forecast for Friday is wrong.  I dont want to walk thru Epcot when it's 90 degrees outside.

I am hearing:  birds tweeting outside my window.  I have them open and they are very loud!  My bathroom fan.  The IO shuffling his feet while he sits at the computer.

I am looking forward to:  Epcot.  Yes, I'm a mixed bag of emotions.  I complain abt the heat, I'm a mess abt leaving, and yet I look forward to the trip. 

Around the house:  It's a mess.  I need to clean.  I have no baseboards.

A favorite quote for today:

I got this from Facebook and I truly believe this.  The same goes for learning.  It may be a lot harder to do as we age, but it's not impossible. 

One of my favorite things:  my double pointed needles.  Mine are nothing fancy, just metal ones from either JoAnn's or KnitPicks.  They allow me to make socks which makes me happy.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Music concert for #1 Son tonight,  book fair tomorrow and Thursday (we break everything down then), Epcot on Friday. 

A peek into my day:  as I sit on my bed writing this post, I see unopened mail (they are bills so why bother?  I'll pay them eventually),  two Sunday's worth of newspaper, and clothes that need to be folded and put away or hung up.  Oh and a sleeping orange kitty.

Here's to a safe and interesting week!  Here's your link if you want to play.

Regia Recycled

When I first started knitting socks, I had a few issues to overcome.  Like the thinness of the yarn.  Or the tiny, toothpick-like needles.  My first pair of socks were made using a size 3 needle and dk weight yarn for a baby.  Manageable yarn in a sock size that wasnt overwhelming.   I was hooked!!!  However I needed to figure out what size needle went with what weight yarn.  It was a hit or miss for the first couple of pairs, but I did eventually figure it out.

One of those experimental socks were these.

They were made with a sport weight Regia wool on size 3 needles.   They were warm and fit really well on my feet.  At least at first.  And then they would grow.   And grow some more!!!  They got floppy.  Socks should never be floppy.  Floppy socks are NOT fun to wear so they hardly ever got worn.

Tiime went by, my skills got better and I realized that with the sport weight yarn I should have used size 2 needles instead.  After awhile they started to bug me.  I knit them wrong.  I could hear them mocking me everytime I opened my sock drawer. I tried thinking of who might be able to wear them, but I wasnt happy enough with them to gift them out.  I had two choices, rip them out or throw them out.

I went to the frog pond.

Do you know how hard it is to unravel something that's been washed a few times, each time blooming a bit more?!?!  It was a challenge to say the least, but I was stubborn determined to get it right.  Since they were knit with a shorter cuff and bigger needles, I had to suppliment them  with additional yarn, making them look a bit like a patchwork quilt, but I think they came out pretty good!

I call them my Regia Recycled socks.  I tried them on again and they fit well.  Even after a few minutes!!  They have gone back into the sock drawer waiting for it to get cool enough to wear them.

Which was NOT today.  It was 92 earlier today.  Tuesday it was in the 70s and today we were in the 90s!  Whatever happened to the 80s?  Oh wait, we had that back in January! 

Such strange weather.  We had cloudy skies

which produced abt 10 min of rain.  Thankfully it was followed by a *cool front* that dropped the temp down to 78 (see, still no 80s).  Usually when it's that hot and we get rain, it just makes it steamy and still hot.  What a difference a cool front makes huh?  Actually if you think abt it, the temp dropped 14 degrees which means if it was originally 70, it would have been 56 after the rain.  Cool fronts are relative when you begin with really hot temps.  I have a feeling those socks won't be leaving the drawer anytime soon, but at least they wont be mocking me.

They'll be saying thank you.

The Postponed Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY: 

Outside my window:  another gorgeous day!  We've had some unseasonably cooler weather where I havent' had to use the a/c so much.  In fact it's inspired me to plant a few things!  Baby Girl wanted to get her teachers a cactus for flower day (this is Teacher Appreciation Week and the PTO has a list of suggestions for each day.   Baby Girl likes to do them all) and they had a few plants on clearance so I bought some.

I didnt go crazy, but it was nice to plant a few flowers in containers in the front yard. 

I was actually chilly while doing it too!  Granted it was 9pm and I was only wearing a light t-shirt and shorts but for this time of year I should be sweating buckets!  We are forecasted to have a high of 90 on Friday so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.....

I just realized that the weather is our version of an indian summer,  gorgeous weather before it all goes horribly bad. 

I am thinking:  that quite a few 4th and 5th graders got an education during our trip to Sea World this wknd!   A lot of the dolphins and beluga whales were in heat and did what comes naturally.  In fact one of the beluga whales would swim past the observation glass and show us all what he had!  Gotta love mating season!

I am thankful:  that I survived this past weekend!  It was causing me the most stress of all the events in May.  Three field trips in two days is a lot!  Everybody had fun

my girls!

and there are no injuries to report so it was a win/win!

In the kitchen:  I have a recipe for the crock pot that I've been trying to make for the past couple of days.  It's chicken breasts, pineapple juice, soy sauce and brown sugar.  That's it!  It sounds so yummy and I've got everything all set to go.  I'm hoping to make it for tonight. 

I am wearing:  t-shirt and shorts but I'm gonna have to change soon.  Today the PTO is sponsoring a lunch for the teachers and I'll be scooping out lasagna from Olive Garden.  While I dont plan on wearing anything *good*,   I'd like it to be stain and hole free.

I am creating:  amazingly enough I am working on my second sock!  I started it over the wknd (because the only part of my body that wasnt sore were my hands) and I just finished the gusset.  I have abt 5" of foot to knit now.  And I know I'm gonna run out of yarn before I hit that 5" mark. 

I am going: to be at the school a LOT this week!  We had another field trip to the middle school yesterday,  there are two PTO sponsored food events, a music concert and Book Fair. 

I am wondering:  when I will learn to say no.

I am reading:  does Facebook count?  I brought a magazine with me to read once the kids settled in for the night, but that never happened.  Ever hopeful that I am, I did just check out some library books.  We'll see how many fines I can incur with this group of books.  I swear sometimes it would just be cheaper to buy them....

I am hoping:  that I keep it together during the last couple of days of school.  You will hear me speak more of this as we go along.  Between the 8th grade promotion and the 5th grade promotion (THIS is the one I expect to kill me), I'm going to be a mess.

I am looking forward to:  Saturday.  Nothing is planned and I'm keeping it that way!  Hmmmmm, guess I can say no!

I am hearing:  Hemi purring (he's sleeping in a pile of clean laundry, who wouldnt purr?),

the tv in the living room.

Around the house: it's been a cleanup job since Monday.  Laundry and dishes have been the main focus.  Who cares if there is a layer of dust when you have no clean underwear??

I am pondering: the idea of disposable cookwear. 

A favorite quote for today:

uh oh, the Twinkies didn't make it!

One of my favorite things:  eSembler.  It's a website that keeps me up to date with what work the kids have coming up, what work is due and what's missing.  In some ways it keeps #1 Son passing.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  reread the post for I am going.

A peek into my day:    yep I'm all abt school events here at Happy Acres so that will be the majority of posts.  Hopefully I wont bore you too much.  Maybe I'll have some sock progress reports to share soon.  If you want to play or read other daybooks, go here.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...  what started out as a sunny day ended up with major thunder storms, a very close lightning strike at the high school and a tornado warning.  Who knew??

I am thinking... how different I am from my son.  This is the second time we had an event at the high school to discuss AP courses, clubs and sports.  My husband was excited abt their soccer team, I was excited abt yearbook.  I was REALLY getting into the AP courses, would LOVE to take them again.  My son?  To him it's just more school.   He loves music and art, but your typical social studies and math he doesnt get excited abt.  He's really good at them, too.  The only thing that sort of got him excited was marching band.  At least there's that.......

I am thankful...that music makes him happy. 

In the kitchen...not a whole lot.  I really need to go grocery shopping.  I bought the newest Rachel Ray magazine because the tacos on the cover looked REALLY yummy and there is a recipe for homemade mac & cheese I want to try.    Meanwhile we drove thru McDonald's for McWraps for dinner.  (which btw are really yummy!)

I am wearing...a big baggy t-shirt that I'll sleep in.

I am creating...again, not a whole lot.  I did finish one sock

but I have yet to cast on for its mate.  I've brought it with me everywhere I go in hopes to do it, but it never seems to happen.  Not sure it's gonna happen at all this week.

I am going... on an overnight field trip with Baby Girl this weekend at Sea World.  She is packed and ready to go.  I still need to check the air mattress for any leaks and decide which suitcase to bring.

I am wondering...how long I will be able to keep up this pace with the kids.  With #1 Son starting high school and all the activities that come with it, I'm not sure how I'll fare.   This is the downside of having kids in your mid thirties.  My siblings (who are much older than me) think I'm nuts to do as much as I do, but I enjoy it and the kids dont mind me being there.   As long as those two things exist, I will keep it up.

I am reading....  Rachel Ray magazines, last Sunday's newspaper, fan fiction.

I am hoping... we have good weather this wknd.  Right now it's supposed to be a high of 79 (woohoo!) but a 50% chance of rain (yuck).  I'm hoping for cloudy weather w/o the rain.

I am looking forward to...Sea World.   It's a special overnight trip where we get to see the park at night after the crowds have gone.   There are no shows or rides, but they have activities for the kids.  Plus you get to sleep with the animals.  Last year we slept with a polar bear and (mating) beluga whales.  This year we sleep with the sharks.

I am hearing.... the hum of the a/c in the living room.  And me typing on my keyboard.  It's late and the house is very quiet.

Around the house...  We had a tree on our property get trimmed by our neighbors.  It's a 20 y/o oak that was causing too much shade on their side of the fence.  We can't afford to have it trimmed right now so they ended up having the parts of the tree on their property cut back.  The tree ppl did a good job so it's not a complete hack job, but now it's a bit weird looking.  We will eventually get our side done this summer, meanwhile it's a bit off balance.  Oh and the IO asked for all the wood.  We can use it for our fireplace this winter, but my backyard is FULL of tree branches!!

I am pondering...how long those branches will stay there....

A favorite quote for today...

Something I truly want to give to my kids.

One of my favorite things...Starbucks Coffee Icecream.  I love mixing it with BlueBell vanilla icecream and adding dark chocolate M&Ms.  yum........

A few plans for the rest of the week:  we visited the high school today, the wknd is SeaWorld for us, Universal and University of Florida for #1 Son.  The IO gets to shuttle everybody back and forth from place to place. 

A peek into my day...

We met up with some family visiting from out of town and went to Splitsville in Downtown Disney.  Fun place, but we won't be going back.  VERY expensive for a family of four to bowl.  $20 per person for 1.5 hours of bowling.  We had 8 ppl on one lane.  We played one game.  Plus lanes were VERY close together and not the same length as a regular bowling alley.  We did SO bad!  ~BUT~ we had a great time and I can now say I've been there. 

wish they lived closer

Another SWDB for the books.  Wanna play?  Go here

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it is GORGEOUS outside!!!  We;ve had some cooler and cloudy days this past weekend, and while the sun is out in all its glory today, there is also a cool breeze which means the shade is comfortable.  The humidity must be low because while the thermometer is registering 80, I have my windows open with the breeze blowing thru.  I wish it was like this all summer. 

I am thinking... the IO's sister and family are out visiting Mickey this week and I'm thinking how it is the PERFECT week for them to be here. 

I am thankful... for the beautiful breeze while it's here because it wont last long.....

In the kitchen...not alot.  I finished up the frozen peanut butter cookies I bought from #1 Son's band fundraiser and let me tell you I will NEVER buy them again.  I've never had a greasy peanut butter cookie before.  Buttery, yes.  Fatty, yes.  Greasy, no.  Until these guys.  They literally sit in a puddle of grease when they come out of the oven.   Yuck.  I need to find a good peanut butter cookie recipe.  Anybody got ones to share?

I am wearing... blue t-shirt and tan shorts

I am creating...socks.

I'm just finishing the gusset on sock #1.  More on them later

I am going...slightly crazy with all going on.  Lots of stuff with kids, school, the IO (this could fill a book in itself!), the house, etc.  I'm trying to keep it all going at one time.  Not sure how well I'm doing, but nobody's dead or in jail so for that I'm thankful!

 

I am wondering...if I will survive the last few weeks of school.......ok I'll survive it, but how WELL will I survive it is the question.

I am reading...a cookbook by Debbie Macomber called Cedar Cove Cookbook.  I'm mostly flipping thru the pages to see what recipes beg to be made, but the stories before the recipes are interesting.  I know they'd make more sense if I'd read the books in the series, but for now, the blurbs will have to do.  Anybody make anything from the book? 

I am hoping... for similar weather in a week and a half.  We have field trips scheduled for SeaWorld and Universal and I'm hoping it WONT be hotter than the sun. 

I am looking forward to...the next month.  While the prep work for the upcoming events of field trips and concerts and promotion events tend to stress me out a bit, I really do love it!  If I didnt I wouldnt do it.  My kids wont be this age for very long so I want to enjoy what I can while I can do it.  I may not have much financially but I can make a memory for my family.

I am hearing......birds tweeting (and I dont mean with their twitter accounts!), Lucy bathing herself, and my phone occasionally buzzing.  Also the IO is messing around with the printer.  A neighbor is going nuts with a hammer.

Around the house...I've been going thru the photos of this past school year to pass on to Baby Girl's teacher.  She takes all the pics parents and aids have taken over the year and then has the kids put together a scrap book of sorts.  She then lamenates the entire thing so they have a memory of their last year in elementary school.  It's very sweet and a great keepsake.

I am pondering...the dangers of the IO with a chain saw......trust me, you don't want to know.  *I* don't want to know.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things.....

no matter HOW much they make me nuts!

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Breakfast for the volunteers at school, meeting up with my sister in law for dinner and bowling, and I think there is something on Saturday, just cant remember what.....

A peek into my day...
paperwork and adding projects to Ravelry while I continue with normal stuff like laundry, dishes, dinner.


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