There are girls in my house.

Last week a friend of mine came to stay. Him and his wife (my friend too) are having some trouble and we are trying to be supportive. So he came to stay with us so he could be closer to his family while they work through their stuff. Last night 2 of his kids slept over. Two girls. There were girls in my house. Here are a few things that I noticed about girls.

1. They are quiet in the morning.

2. They smell nice.

3. They brush their teeth without being asked.

4. They comb their hair (a lot) without being asked.

5. They (these two) like to read quietly on the couch.

6. When they leave for school they look nice (and...see #2 above) even though their mom wasn't here to do that final check.

7. They smile and say thank you when you get them breakfast. Imagine that.

I like girls. I like these girls. I should get me some.

This photo was taken last summer when we spent our vacation with them in Nelson, BC. Good times.

Have you ever had a friend

1. Who calls to say she's coming over and you don't clean up? Not one bit?
2. Who makes you feel good just being around her?
3. Who is smart and funny and beautiful?
4. Who you admire not because of what she does but of who she is?
5. Who would wear your old sweats that you normally sleep in or paint in or garden in, and doesn't complain because it means she can sleep over even if she didn't bring a toothbrush?
6. Whose husband you love? Just like that? Even if he's done bad things? But because she loves him, you do too?
7. Whose kids you adore?
8. Who you pray will have something good happen to her very soon because she really deserves it? And nothing good has happened to her for a while?
9. Who you want to give everything to just so she'll be ok?
10. Who looks really together on the outside but who you know is falling apart on the inside and that's ok because she can fall apart at your house?

Have you ever had a friend like that? I have.

Ten years ago today...

...I became a mother for the first time. I still can make myself cry just conjuring up the memory of looking into those eyes for the first time. He just looked and looked at me, blinking frequently, just not sure what to think of all this. Or maybe he knew exactly what to think. Maybe he was thinking, "Oh, there you are. It's about time you looked at me. I've been wondering when this day would come." At any rate, the last ten years have been pretty crazy. And he's just so big now! Really, he's tall. Really tall. Taller than all the other kids his age. And smart. Really smart. And athletic. He got a basket in a game on Friday that blew me away. Where did he learn to do that? And he played in goal on Saturday for his soccer team and made a save that was amazing. And he's reading "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", and "Spiderwick" and I've read those books and we're having real conversations about the characters and the plot and foreshadowing. He's an amazing kid. And I'm his mom. And I have been for ten years. Ten. Years. Today.

New Year's Eve

This is a post in response to the wonderful rant on Yarn Harlot today. I have to tell the story and although no one ever reads my underground blog, I will write it here.

On New Year's Eve we had some lovely friends over to ring in the new year in the style we have grown accustomed. Read: say Happy New Year at midnight and head straight to bed. We do, afterall, have children who wake up at 7am no matter what time we put them to bed.

After a fun meal (in which I attempted a Rachael Ray dish of Roasted Beet Risotto), and during a rousing game of Cranium Family Version (in which we were going head to head against the other family, although we swapped a few kids to make it more friendly), my younger son calmly, and with a sheepish smile on his face, enters the living room and says quietly to me, "Mom, it's an emergency." With his calm demeanor and sheepishness, I reply, equally calmly, while at the same time trying to listen to the trivia question in the game, "What's an emergency, son?" He says, calmly, "You need to come to the kitchen." "Why?", I reply. "Because the napkin is on fire and I can't blow it out!" "What's on fire!!!???!!!!" I leap into action, dodging children and tables of food as I dash into the kitchen to see one of the lovely, paper Christmas napkins being consumed by flames as it attempts to convince some of its nearby friends to join it. I swiftly grab it by the unconsumed edge and drop it into a sink full of dirty dishes and (luckily) dirty water. The fire is out in a split second and by this time, the living room has emptied as everyone followed me out of the room to see what I was running to. I think I yelled something about "FIRE" as I darted from the room but things are a bit fuzzy as it all happened so fast. I am sure the wine didn't help. (it was a lovely Australian Peter Lehman Shiraz if anyone is wondering).

What happened? While we were all busy in the living room I had left a candle unattended burning in the kitchen. Baby boy thought it would be a great idea to see what the napkin would do if he lit it on fire and blew it out. Only it wouldn't blow out.

The irony of this story is two-fold:
1. My son was so calm and although he started the fire, he did exactly as he was taught in all the fire safety lessons. He stayed calm. He asked an adult for help. The only thing he didn't do was stop, drop and roll. The little monster. Other guests at the party tell me he had quite a grin on his face as this all played out!

2. And this is the doozie. My dad, much to the chagrin of my brothers who thought it a most disgusting gift, had given all of us FIRE EXTINGUISHERS (one for the kitchen and one for the car) for Christmas. I was the only one who thought it was great because I didn't have one already and always felt a little guilty about that. When I told my dad about our little fire, he said, "I hope you didn't waste your fire extinguisher on that!"

So now today, after reading the Yarn Harlot's post about acrylic and it's flammable qualities, I have decided that That Boy will only get wool sweaters. Sigh. Good thing I am knitting a WOOL blanket for the new baby joining our family any day. Of course it won't be done in time but what can I say. It is inspired by the felted patchwork blanket in the Toving magazine TEMA 11. Right now it is just a bunch of boring stocking stitch squares but I am really looking forward to the needle felting part later. And since I took that finishing class, I am actually looking forward to sewing the blocks together so I can practice some of my new techniques. Pictures:
I hope everyone reading this never has need to test the anti-flammable qualities of wool. BTW, A Cranium trivia questions we had during our game: What is the difference between Flammable and Inflammable? Answer: There is no difference. They both mean the same thing. Boy, do they.

I've been published

I got published in the Vancouver Sun today. Since I wrote it, I think it's ok for me to copy and paste it here. I was a little embarassed when I saw they actually published it and blushed a little to think of everyone reading it and thinking whatever they think about me or my ideas. It's a funny thing to have something you wrote published, even if it is just a little letter. So here it is:

Inspirational New Year's resolutions
We asked readers to tell us about their resolutions, and you offered a few surprises. Here are our top three letters:
Vancouver SunPublished: Thursday, January 03, 2008
Do my part to help the environment
Last December I decided I didn't want to make another New Year's resolution that I wouldn't keep. I was trying to come up with a resolution that mattered and that I was motivated to keep for more than just esthetic reasons.
I don't smoke, rarely drink and couldn't identify any other really bad habits I needed to break (although I'm sure my husband could come up with a long list, if pressed).

Just after Christmas last year I was having coffee with a friend at Starbucks and I saw one of the baristas taking out the garbage. Judging from the size-to-weight ratio of the bag of trash, it appeared to be a huge sack full of empty, used paper cups. I looked at the paper cup in my hand and saw that I did have a terrible habit!
In spite of the half dozen commuter coffee cups sitting in my cupboard at home, I continuously bought coffee in a paper cup. There and then I made it my New Year's resolution to stop using paper cups. I always carry a big purse around so why not throw a reusable coffee cup in it for just such occasions? I also took a china mug to keep at work for my morning trips to the local coffee shop in my building.
I think 2008 will be the "litterless lunch" resolution. My goal will be to take a washable napkin and reusable containers with me rather than the endless paper napkins, plastic wrap and single-serving-size snacks. Even though they are quick and easy for packing my family's lunches with little clean up at the end of the day, I am going to try to make a difference by resolving to use a bit more effort. I think it is convenience that is filling the landfills and a little extra effort will reduce my contribution to the heap.

Not much use...

There isn't much use to having a blog if A. No one reads it and B. You never post. So I have to change those two things. I have to start posting more regularly and I have to let people know I have a blog. I have been a closet blogger I guess. I don't want anyone to know for fear they will think I'm weird. But I guess I am a bit weird so that's ok.

What have I been doing? Well, I bought that lovely Cat Bordhi book New Pathways for Sock Knitters and I LOVE it! I knit up the two sample socks right away and had a blast. Then I measured my son's foot to start working out the master sock pattern but never got beyond that. I need some yarn that will inspire me. Here are my sample socks.

Don't you just love the way the gusset appears. I especially love the one on the right called Coriolas or something like that (too lazy to go look in the book right now). If you love sock knitting and you feel like giving your brain a little boost, this is a lot of fun.

What else is new in this busy life? 10 things:

1. My basement flooded and is in the process of being repaired by the restoration company. What a mess.

2. My son sang in the Christmas Choir at church. Very cute.

3. I am having my family over for Christmas Eve in spite of the fact that I feel totally burned out and unable to entertain in the mess (see #1 above). Good times.

4. I haven't run in 2 weeks (but who's counting, right).

5. I haven't done any Christmas baking yet.

6. I joined Ravelry but haven't had time to properly explore it.

7. My dog has a big lump on its tail that is worrying me but I don't want to go the vet in case he tells me something really bad.

8. I only have 7 things to share.

9. Number nine is the same as number eight (above).

10. Tonight is the big "Christmas Concert" at my kids elementary school. Pictures to follow.

And that is my entangled life.

I'm the enabler...

Today I realize that I am upset at my children for having active, engaging lives. And I, I admit, am their enabler. I signed them up for soccer, encourage them to make friends, be kind to others, have fun at school and all other such childhood sports. And now, the very people I have encouraged them to become are seriously getting in the way of me doing the things I like to do. This weekend is the BC Creative Expo in Abbotsford and the Circle Craft Fair. They should call it the Unfair! It's unfair to have both events within driving distance on the same weekend. Not only do I have to choose one or the other. I may possibly have to choose neither. I have 2 soccer games and 2 birthday parties this weekend, all at various ends of the Fraser Valley. It is not possible to expect the husband/partner/co-enabler to handle this all so I can go look at pretty yarn that I promised not to buy until after Christmas. It is especially not fair to ask him to do this after I did it to him last weekend when I left the house at 5:05 am and returned well after midnight so I could participate in the H2H (which was totally fun!) and end the evening dining with great friends (which was also totally fun, although a little too much wine flowed my way). Of course they did join me for the dining part of the day. So now I am in a serious dilemma. I want so badly to go to one or both of the events, but because I insist on my children having lives and enjoying themselves rather than sitting at home in front of the PS2, I am likely going to be missing out on both of them. I guess the up side is that if I stay at home I a) will be able to resist buying more yarn, b) can have a glass of wine or two without figuring out who is driving me home and how I am getting my car back, and c) can work on the Kauni! which I finally have OTN.

Since I haven't finished anything lately except a dazzling "idiot's dishcloth" and don't feel like taking a picture of it, since it is sitting in a heap beside the sink right now and probably should go in the laundry today, here's an old picture of a project I just love and want to share! It is Fibre Trends Felted Clogs personalized with needle felted sheep...so cute...they adorn my dad's feet. He says they are great at keeping the hardwood floors polished. I like to use Cascade 220 for these because it doesn't pill. I've probably made 12 or more pairs of these out of various yarns and hands down, the 220 wears the best.

Go get entangled!