The Knitting Chair

In the past 3 houses we have lived in, I've had a workroom. Each one has been a great place for me to be creative. Eric has always been SO VERY gracious to me in this respect. One of the first things he would look at when purchasing a new home after the basic bedroom needs were met was a workroom for me. Am I lucky or what? In our present house over the garage is my workroom. It's a room that's a little out of the way and right outside the door is a work desk that has built-in filing cabinets, a bookcase, and a place for the family computer. This is where I keep a lot of my books and files of projects and ideas I have. Up to this point I have always been in the business of making things to sell. Scripture totes, personalized baby things, and custom purses to name a few. Until now. For the past few months I haven't really spent time in my room because I stopped those business ventures for now and the room wasn't inviting. I would walk in there and the way it was set up was so utilitarian that without 50 of something to make I felt weird. Eric told me I should make my workroom into a retreat. Clean out, redecorate, and make it a real place to relax as well as a place to create. Boy, he was right and I was off and running! I cleaned everything out and reorganized. This alone took a couple of weeks. (surprising how much stuff I have) Then I saved up my hinge money and bought this...

The knitting chair. I love it! This is the first step in many. I'm still saving for other things I want to add, but this is the first installment and I am thrilled with it. Needless to say I spend MORE and MORE time in my room now. It's a great place to knit, read and just think.

Ollie

Today we had to put Ollie down. It was one of the hardest things we've had to do. We had that dog before we had the kids. 12 years is a long time. We will miss him. He was so great with our boys as well as the neighborhood kids. He even helped some of those neighborhood kids overcome their fear of dogs. Gentle and protective and true to his breed, the backyard sure is empty without him.

Just in time for Valentine's Day...

I have been working on Eric's socks for quite some time now. A little too long if you ask me. I made these socks using a different technique than I normally do and I guess I was a little intimidated. The second sock only took me about 10 days, which all things considered, is good for me. I really like the way they turned out. Especially the stripes on each sock matching perfectly down to the last row! I know, I know, I'm sick in the head. But like I tell my boys, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing WELL!". If I'm going to knit 15,000 stitches per sock, I'm doing it right. Eric loves them and plans on wearing them on Sunday to church. They fit him just perfect. I cast on his zippered sweater this afternoon and I'm presently working on the cabled hem. Wish me luck!

One of the great things about living in Texas....

I came across this article from Forbes Magazine indicating that Collin County rates second in the nation in getting the most bang for the buck as far as spending per student in relation to graduation rates and SAT test scores go. I am very pleased with the schools here. Out of the 5 elementary schools they opened in our district last year, ours was the only one that scored an exemplary rating. This is rare for the first year of operation. When we moved here we definitely looked at the school factor but it didn't drive us to our present locale. I guess this was just an added perk! http://www.friscoisd.org/documents/schools-taxes-education-biz-be.pdf

Dinner Conversations

The set-up. It's last Wednesday night. Wednesday night is leftover night and whatever is in the fridge is fair game to whomever calls it first.

Mom: Heber, what do you want for dinner? Potato Soup, Beef Stew, Cheese Crisp, or Mac & Cheese.

Heber: None of those.

Mom: Well, what do you want?

Heber: Do we still have spinach?

Mom: Spinach?

Heber: Yeah. I want that Spinach Salad we had the other night with the pieces of bacon and parmesan cheese.

Mom: Salad?

Heber: Yeah.

Mom: You want Spinach Salad.

Heber: Yeah.

Mom: Okay. What dressing would you like with that? Ranch or Italian.

Heber: None. I just want the Spinach all by itself. No dressing.

Mom: Are you sure?

Heber: Yep.

Mom: Okay.

Clearly shocked, (but with a BIG smile on my face) I quietly make the salad for my son who has always had difficulty enjoying his vegetables. He ate it and he enjoyed it. The whole time I'm wondering....."Who are you and what have you done with my child!"

Computerjacked!

So! I had lots of great ideas about how I was going to get my blogging posted in a timely manner. I was going to tell you all about Christmas and about my youngest brother Jorisen coming to visit without missing a beat. Well...this is what ended up happening.

Everyday all day without missing a beat. Christmas vacation was a great big computerfest for the boys. If I managed to get on the computer, they would hover until I got off. Now that I have my computer back and I can blog, here's the reader's digest.

Christmas was fantastic. I was done early with no presents to wrap on Christmas Eve so I was really able to enjoy it this year. The boys loved what they received. Mainly a new MP3 player for Noah and a new bike for Heber. I got the Kitchenaid mixer I've wanted for a while now. Eric got some UnderArmor thermals for those chilly days of riding and he was so long overdue for some new cologne that something had to be done. It was a quiet, low-key day. Those can be the best. Boxing day brought another Christmas present for me. My brother came to visit. It has been about three years since I've seen him. He and his girlfriend had never been to Texas before so we just had to show them the sights. We had such a good time. On a knitting note, I am almost finished with Eric's first sock. He is enjoying this more than I thought he would. He has a lot better taste that you would think and enjoys trying on the socks in progress for that perfect fit. He likes the way the socks feel and can really tell the difference between handmade and store-bought. He's thinking of becoming a "sock snob". I also found a perfect sweater pattern for him with a yarn that goes wonderfully with his complexion. I can't wait to get started on it.

WOW!!!

Do any of you watch DIY Network? If so, you know that they were airing a show called "Burt Builds a Bandit". On the show, Burt Reynolds rebuilds the car from "Smokey and the Bandit" with a little help from his friends. After the "Bandit" was finished, one lucky person won the car and $20,000. Well, my first cousin Spencer won the car and the cash!!!! Needless to say I was just about speechless! We are so happy for him. Maybe the next time he's making a bootlegging run to Texarkana he'll drop by for a visit! Congratulations Spence! Here's a link to his winning entry! http://www.heavy.com/video/31907