GRRRR

I just spent an obscene amount of time on a post, only to have it lost because Blogger was "experiencing difficulties" and I'm an idiot and didn't save it.

Short version:
Orangina-Doing two sides at once. Like the pattern, like the yarn. Wish I could knit faster. Worried about this one being too small.


















Somewhat Cowl-So far, so good. Using Jo Sharp DK Wool-may end up being too itchy which would be a huge bummer. Only about 3 inches in so far. Color is really a grape-purple. I love it, but it looks more blue in the photo.

















Triathlon of Terror training is going ok. Ran 1.5 miles and walked the rest my first time out. Ran 2.25 miles last time I worked out and had to walk the rest because my knee was killing me. I could have gone further, but didn't want to risk an injury. Will start swimming and biking on Monday. Only 3 weeks to go! I'm sloooooow, but I'll be able to finish which is the important thing to me.

Saw these shoes at Target the other day:




3.5-4 inch heels, red patent leather with peep toes. I love them. Slightly Frederick's of Hollywood, but I'm hoping I can pull them off without looking like I should be in a nice homemade-type movie *wink wink*










Going camping solo with the kiddos this weekend (Flyguy has to work). Should be lots of fun! Off to pick up Mini Me at a party, then off to a neighbor's for Friday Night Cocktails. Have a safe Memorial Day!


********HEY! LOOKIE! MY LOST POST IS BELOW!!!!!*************************

Procrastination

I'm going solo tomorrow.

Flyguy has to work all weekend, so I traded cars with him and I'm hooking up the trailer and going camping with the kids. Not completely alone, my brother will be there with his boat and his ginormous dogs. My parents will be there with their RV. But I'm doing the trailer thing alone.

Now, I'm a pretty independent type of girl. Flyguy works out of town, sometimes out of the country, 3-5 days per week. I love my alone time. I like knowing that I can handle anything that comes along. Because, you know, nothing goes wrong until he leaves town. Right after we moved far, far away from home and bought our first place, we replaced all the carpets. He leaves me, newly pregnant, with brand spanking new carpets and no furniture for three days. The first night he was gone the pipes burst in the condo next door and flooded our home. It was December. There was a lot of snow outside. It was cold and not very fun, although extremely funny later.

Another time, right after he left town for 9 days straight, my three year old got the flu, then my newborn, and finally, horribly, I got it. This was not just the flu. It was the dizzy, barf everytime you moved more than a pinky, can't keep anything down including water type of flu. It went on for three days before I could eat crackers-just crackers-without gagging. Imagine caring for two kids who are also barfing during all of this.

Anyway, I like the fact that I can change a tire, check the oil, and clear out clogged pipes. I mow the lawn when he's gone, fix broken bikes, etc. That's why it came as a huge surprise to me when Mini Me was shocked and extremely concerned about my ability to handle this camping thing. She started drilling me about everything-from what I was going to pack to where I'd park the trailer to load it up at the house. "Well, maybe you should put it in the driveway, Mom. That way you aren't in the MIDDLE of the ROAD". (Our driveway is just long enough for our cars).

So I wonder: When did I become the poster girl for ineptitude? When exactly was my Capable Mom card turned in for the Helpless Female card? It wasn't until I was well into teenage angst that I figured out my mom was maybe not the authority on *all* subjects. Does it start at the age of 6, now? This questioning of Mom's abilities? How do I make it stop?? I'm supposed to be all-knowing for at least a few more years. I'm sure of it.

For my kids this weekend may be all about the smores, the water, the dirt, and the joy of sleeping under the stars. For me it's about proving to my kids (without screaming like some crazy woman that "I'M CAPABLE, DAMNIT!!") that Mom isn't a total schmuck. I hope that they look back at times like this and have some sense of pride in their old mom-that I didn't *have* to have Dad along. That I am a strong, smart person who can do what I put my mind to. It sure is nice to have the companion/help/trailer-parker extraordinaire, but not necessary. And my daughter needs to see that she never, ever has to wait for a man to come along in order to experience life.

So, away we go this weekend. Wish us luck (and sunshine).

In knitting, I am plugging away on Orangina:





I love this pattern, and the yarn is great. After frogging a too-large version, however, I am concerned that this may be too small. I'm doing the front and back at the same time, which was sooo slooooow at first but seems to be going faster now.








I also started the Somewhat Cowl for the same knitalong (Sexy Knitter's Club):



So far, so good. I'm only about 3 inches into it, but it's going pretty well. I'm using Jo Sharp DK wool (I may be sorry) in a very purple color that isn't showing up well in the photo. Hopefully it isn't too scratchy-the yarn seems pretty stiff while I'm knitting. I'll be wearing a tank of some sort under the sweater, and I'm hoping it will be ok.









Training for the Triathlon of Terror is going slow. I started off running three miles in 43 minutes-oh so pathetic. I actually only ran 1.5 miles and walked the rest. Last time I ran (before the lasagna feast last night, which I'm sure was *not* part of any training regimen) I ran 2.25 miles and walked the rest. My legs feel good and I probably could have done the whole thing, but my knee was hurting so bad I had to stop. I start swimming on Monday, and I'm biking Monday, also.

Last but not least, I found the BEST shoes at Target last week. I have no clue whatsoever what I will wear them with. I'm still trying to decide if they are couture-chic or Frederick's of Hollywood-cheap. Either way, they have made their way into my closet and may only be pulled out for Halloween. I love them all the same :)




Red patent leather...mmmm.
You can't see the heel height well, but they are in the neighborhood of 4 inches. Maybe 3.5. Love them!

All Kinds of Crazy

So, Wednesday evening I'm enjoying a nice glass or 4 of wine with neighbors. Next thing I know I'm signing up for a sprint triathlon. This would be 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. My good friends Robin and Becky (who will pay dearly for this) just finished their first "tri" (see how I'm down with the lingo already?) on Mother's Day. This upcoming race, aka "The Most Humiliating Day of My Life", is on Father's Day. That's four weeks. From now. To make matters worse the husbands are also going to participate. So, that would be not 3 but FIVE people who will kick my ass and make me look bad. Five people who will be waiting at the finish line for me, all recovered from their own adventure in pain, probably sitting in lawn chairs with beer (and hopefully maybe a defibulator).

The Beaujolais made me do it.

So, today I spent my day finding very cute workout clothes, and several lovely websites devoted to teaching me all about the art of the "tri". I am working up to working out. I'm thinking of starting my own triathlon-read a book, knit a sock, then kick back with wine and a good movie. I like to swim, I love to ride my mountain bike, but I hate to run. Hate it. HATE. And I maybe might be a little afraid of cardiac arrest as I'm so hopelessly out of shape. But, my goal is to finish, that's it. It may be after darkness settles and even the sweepers have given up on me, but I'll finish. And I'll post pictures-oh the horror.

In knitting news, I finished my very first pair of socks!!

Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple: Easy Children's Light Weight Socks

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Child's Play Colorway

Needles: Bamboo dpn's in size 1

I loved this pattern-it was really, really easy. A great way to start off sock making! Mini Me loves the socks, and she is already begging for more. Luckily, this pair only took one of the two skeins I bought, so I have plenty to make another pair.

I am struggling to get through Orangina. I am doing the front and back together on circs, so it seems slower than it actually is.

My LYS had a huge sale the day before Mother's Day, so a friend and I went down and I ended up buying yarn for the Somewhat Cowl and a cute sweater from my Debbie Bliss book for Little Guy. I also have yarn for two Yarn Girls Sweaters, four pairs of socks, and probably six (or eighteen) other projects. Must. Stop. Buying. Yarn. We'll be living in a cardboard box soon, but damn will we have nice sweaters. Or nice balls of yarn to sleep on. Whatever.

Neighbors and a New Sweater

When we lived in another state, another time zone, we thought we had chosen the perfect neighborhood. It was our first home purchase, first time living so far from our families, our first opportunity to reach out and make life-long friends. We envisioned backyard BBQ's, sharing keys, etc. Well, it didn't happen. We knew the names of exactly three neighbors after 5 years. This was in an otherwise wonderful condo community with these great townhouses and wide open spaces. The level of "stay to yourself" was so strong that our fourth summer there I was outside with my daughter and a neighbor across the parking area asked if we were new there.

When we finally moved to our current location our goal was to find the perfect neighborhood again. Now we had two kids and a cat, and dreams of backyard BBQ's still clinging on after 5 long years. We wanted a place where our kids had playmates, where we could feel safe, where the schools were top notch. And....pssssst....we found it. With the weather getting warmer and households coming out of winter hibernation I am grateful, once again, for the amazing good fortune we've had.

This neighborhood is a complete throwback to the fifties (I think. Having nothing other than reruns of The Wonder Years to go on I'm going out on a limb, here.) Within an hour of our moving van arriving in the drive, we had THREE neighbors show up with freshly baked cookies, welcome to the neighborhood cards, and "if you ever need a thing, you call" kinds of sentiments. The first woman to show up at my brand new, bright white front door said to me "this is very much the 'borrow a cup of sugar' neighborhood." and man, was she right.

These people are my best friends. We watch each other's kids, we water each other's lawn, we organize meals for families with new babies (or the occasional family death) and we borrow/loan everything from tools to that cup of sugar.

We have monthly Ladies Luncheons, an annual BBQ, an annual camping trip, and during the summer months we have a series of parties (see cinco de mayo pics below). If I'm late getting to the school bus to get my daughter, I know without a doubt that someone will look after her until I come running up 5 minutes late.

Most of the families here have young kids and growing families. We know we'll all need room to grow, but we all say that we plan to stay here for good. We may move to the bigger houses in the 'hood as needed, but we'll never leave our little circle.

You know, in three years I've never had a backyard BBQ. We rarely use our backyard. We are always out front, beer or margarita in hand, chatting with neighbors while the kids play together. Eventually, someone drags their BBQ out front to the driveway, we all throw in whatever food we have in our fridge, and we have an impromptu BBQ.

I have found it...the perfect neighborhood. And I'm not telling a soul where it is.

CINCO DE MAYO
Usually, my next door neighbors have a big C de M bash. The hubby is in a fantastic band, so they play, we have huge amounts of the most amazing Mexican food, and we drink Corona and margaritas. This year, mamacita had a new baby so the party was cancelled. This didn't stop all of us. We still showed up in their driveway with lawnchairs and potlucked it so they didn't have to do a thing. No band, but a great evening all the same. FlyGuy was on a trip, so he missed this year's festivities.



Kiddos in a truck, Bec with a beer

Hubbies on Parade, Our superior cook

SWEATER
Mamacita mentioned above just had her third baby. I wanted to do something special, so I knitted up this little sweater:

Pattern: Silver Creek Classics, Pattern C-451
Materials: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino dk, color 18008 (light blue)
Size 6 Circ, Size 6 dpn, Size 4 straights
Peter Rabbit buttons
Changes: None

Really fast knit, fun pattern. Hope the baby likes it!



In other news,

Orangina is slow going. I hope to post a picture in the next few days.

I've started socks for my daughter. I figure if they are small I won't be so sad when I screw up and have to frog them. Haven't had much luck with socks so far.

I'm off to get ready for a wine deal. My shoes are nothing short of spectacular. I will have to post a pic of them, also :)