Happy Yarn Thing Swap!!!!!!!

My package from my swap partner came today. She read my questionaire, looked at my ravelry profile ( I didn't have a blog when this swap started)

Coggietm totally rocks as a swap partner. My goodies include: Lovely Hand dyed Alpaca with a Twist Fino Lace yarn (dyed in my favorite colors by Coggie herself) with beads and a pattern for the snowdrop shawl. An “I knit” mirrored compact, coffee, a yummy desert mix, a sock blocker key chain and some hilarious postcards. She wisely chose to not send chocolates, being that it is still almost 100 degrees outside they would have melted all over the place.

this was a wonderful surprise to come home to . Thank you Coggietm

Almost forgot. She also sent me a Ravelry button personalized with my favorite ravatar

Saturday Swim

I spent a good part of Friday and Saturday selling Gatorade, Sodas, snacks healthy and not so healthy, to Coaches, swimmers, divers and spectators. Our HS hosted the mother of all swim meets this weekend. It was fun. I didn't get to see much swimming, but I enjoyed with the other parents from the "swim and dive boosters", and meet some of the other coaches from around AZ and the country.

There were over 800 swimmers and 97 divers from 30 schools. One school came from Mercer Island, Washington.

I did get to see my son swim in his one event the 100m breast stoke. Here is is taking off in his heat. He is the one in the middle with the longer jammers, the suit that looks like bicycling pants. He did pretty well knocked a second off his best time.

No knitting was done of course. I had a hat on needles waiting in my backpack for a quiet moment. But quiet moment never lasted long enough to take it out.

Tomorrow Peach jam.

Carry on.....

Today is the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 plane hijackings, which ended by jets crashing into the World trade Center , Pentagon building and a field in Pennsylvania and the deaths of many people. I play over in my head the happenings of that morning, what I was doing where we were going, and feeling like I just wanted to gather my kids around me and hold them tight.

What learned from this event and has been reaffirmed to me on various occasions is that life does go on, and it is up to me to carry on.

Other things I learned:
*Hug my family members everyday, tell them I love them. Following those words up with actions that also show that I care about them
*Honor those I have known and loved, who have passed away, through my actions in how I treat others, volunteer for activities I know that they would have supported
*Have fun! Find joy and beauty in every day and little things.
*Sometimes it is better to play with your kids than it is to have a perfectly clean house.
*Turn the television off.

Today while I go about my activities I will think about those events that happened seven years ago. I will pray for the families of those who lost loved ones that day, and I will carry on.

Monday thoughts

On Ravelry one of my most favorite forums is the She-Knits Podcast Group. For each day there generally is a thread titled "Small Talk". On this thread people post about what they are doing that day, knitting, jobs. We share good news and bad, We offer support and cheer each other on. Its my virtual knitting circle. I have even met other knitters from this group in real life. It's a pretty neat group of knitters/crocheters/ tatters

Most days Sharon (aka She-Knits) starts the thread with a thought, quote or question. For Monday Sept 8th these are the questions she posted

Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you
done it?
Or you can take the lightweight question,
If you could keep your
own brain but experience what it is like to be someone else for a day who would
it be?

It was easy to answer the first question. The second on was a little more difficult. I tend to empathize with other, my friends and family , a little to easily. When they are having problems and trials , my heart aches for them. I know I don't have the strength to be any of them for a day. The quick answer to this question is my 4yo dd. She is full of joy, wonderment and unconditional love. She is a fun kid, and makes me laugh all day. I would like to be her and see how she does it. I need a little more joy , wonderment and ability to love uncondtionally. This question is one I need to think about a little more today

I had hopes of posting projects today but got a little behind in my schedule. Maybe later.

Gellin' Monday Blues

Today is Labor Day. Devoted to honoring the working people who fought for fair labor practices in this country. My 17 yo son an I have spent the monring assembling the "thing" he is going to use to ask a young lady to homecoming.



The idea is to put everything in a fishbowl and pour in blue colored gelatin. There is a note in the silver tin with a poem in it asking her to the dance. He wrote another poem that tells her to dig to the bottom of the deep blue see to find the treasure, I think we are going to wrap that poem around the large red gem looking peice of glass seen in the picture.

This is the third time I have tried to get this set up to work. So far everything is staying on the bottom...now I am just waiting to see if the gelatin will set up. If it doesn't work this time......He's gotta do something else.