Starry and not warry afternoons

Star Wars continues to be a big theme in the kids' play and imagination.

What I love about this lego ship Gem made is that is modeled after a large lego Star Wars ship called Slave I that is no longer made and now costs about $150. The kids have been longing for this ship and I am pleased for them that this desire morphed into the practical creation of one of their own. (Gem really wants the Millennium Falcon which is still made by Lego and costs $500---I wonder if that'll be his next creation?)


Below is a creation of Sag's. I can't believe how "old" his hand looks in the second shot. Not the hand of a "my baby"!


I recently moved the chalkboard to a more visible and usable space. The kids didn't notice it really until a few minutes ago when I had Gem use it as a background for the photo of his Slave One.

That quickly led to their using it to create their own Star Wars themed backgrounds.




Finally, here's a scene from The Return of the Jedi, courtesy of Sag.


I do think that cutting down significantly on screen time has added some lovely and warm dimension to their play and time. After the requisite and unpleasant detox period, of course.

Julie's muffins

An unexpected series of events led to my walking through the automatic doors of our still-fairly-local super Whole Paycheck this morning. Cap doesn't get paid till tomorrow, but I was in need of certain necessary items of the feminine persuasion.

One good thing about this store is that it tends to inspire me to think outside whatever usual box I'm in (I tend to be a creature of habit). So as I walked in, I dug a little deeper into my mind, past the traction of the last few days.

Soup. Of course. It's fall, but my kitchen habits have remained in summer and I had completely forgotten about soup. Turnips, carrots, and a bunch of fresh spinach (its color a robust green) went into my cart (they were joined in the pot later by Mr. Garlic, Ms. Ginger, a combo of veggie and chicken broth and some leftover tomato sauce).

A Red Kuri squash based on the positive raves garnered it by my sister earlier this week. Some sweet potatoes imagined as oven-baked fries. And grapes. Has anyone else noticed how much cheaper organic grapes are this year?

Then I remembered Julie's muffins. Pineapple coconut. A can of crushed pineapple was added to the cart.

These muffins are great. Mine came out bordering on savory (I was eyeballing the honey and probably got in 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup and I eyeballed the vegan butter and probably put in nearly 1/2 cup...and I just noticed I was supposed to melt the butter...oops), but they are so buttery tasting and the pineapple and coconut make them moist and dense---I love them!

Try 'em, I think you'll love 'em too.

Quick note

...for the faithful readers of which I know there are some. I think about you during the days that I don't post.

A bit of a rough landing from PMS yesterday. I felt good and thought I was fine and then some turbulence at the end of the day.

A culprit this time was having expectations, not communicating them (you know those silent expectations that plant themselves with stealth and then bloom, sometimes monstrously in moments?...in a way they feel incommunicable...but that's not helpful for the innocent bystanders...and is ultimately, a cop out), and then getting pissed/seething internally/letting my venom seep out passive aggressively (because direct conflict, seeming like a meanie is not in my m.o.)

Between that, staying up late watching an episode of Bones on Hulu (I kept thinking of Audrey who loves the show :-) and flowing pretty heavily, I am worn out this morning.

Cap proposed I stay home Sunday from our pumpkin patch outing so I can get a few things done in the house in peace. I may take him up on that.

Pathetic

I interrupt this self-imposed break to announce that if you're ever in need of a gift idea for moi, you can get me a gift certificate to here.

I'm sorry. I am PMSing and sitting here drooling over these colorways, dreaming of knitting them into socks, and feeling completely sorry for myself that I can't type in my credit card number right now for some retail therapy.

Bit o'break

All of a sudden I am utterly disgusted with the state of my apartment.

More (blogging) soon, I hope (this process could take awhile).

I started The Days of Abandonment last night and like it so far.

Scary fun addendum

I was in such a rush out the door to VT when I posted the video Sag and Gem made Friday morning, my apologies to those who were confused about what exactly it was.

There is a "ghost" flying about the semi-dark room. It is pretty much "blurry black" as my MIL reported if you don't know what it is you're looking at!

Scary fun

OMFG

I frighten even myself with my utter lack of money sense. And I don't frighten that easily. Maybe that's my problem.

I've been meaning, for a few days, to check the balance in our checking account. There was a shocking receipt at Whole Paycheck earlier this week, I unexpectedly bought the kids sneakers at a going-out-of-business sale (but the sneakers were still more than I thought they'd be---it's been awhile since I bought them sneakers), then, yesterday, I ended up buying a lot of Star Wars toys (pre-emptive birthday and X-mas shopping---if you don't buy these things when you see them at the store, sometimes you never see them again).

But, I never did check the balance.

This morning, I got an e-mail saying a large withdrawal had been made. This is invariably the rent check, but it reminded me to take a gander before heading out for the weekend. Frack me, there was about $60 in the account.

I moved some Benjamins over from the savings account to checking, but clearly, not paying attention daily, like my dad is trying his best to teach me to do, is taking its toll.

No yarn buying at a charming Vermont yarn shop for me this weekend...

The "unoriginal hat"

I finished the hat last night. I decided to cut my losses and knit only as much of the pattern as I had yarn for. Gem was very eager to have it done and on his head. The pattern, once I got used to it, was pretty simple, I am sure I'll be knitting this hat again, in its complete form, at some point.

In the mean time, I present to you, a happy, sleepy Gem with his new hat resting atop his head.


While snapping the hat shots, Sag brought out his latest self-designed Star Wars fighter ship. The kids have been working on many of these lately.

I had some insomnia early this morning. I hear the breathing of the kids shifting from sleeping to waking. Off to do some qi gong before getting ready to head up to VT.

Have a great weekend everyone!

70º mid-Autumn

A warm day in October.

Things here are still quite green. We're heading up to Bennington, VT tomorrow to see Anna and the kids. New England fall foliage, corn mazes, pumpkins and apples, beckon. As do the godkids whom we haven't seen since May.

Photos from our time outside today.

Fire

Last night we had dinner at Max and Yifat's. The food was delicious (a big, organic farm fresh salad, Max's garlic "sauce" --- fresh minced garlic, lemon juice and vegetable oil ---, chicken wings seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and olive oil, and Yifat's ratatouille with mint), but the fire out back afterwards was the huge cherry on top of the meal.

They have one of those metal, round fire things and Max made a fire for s'mores. Long after every single marshmallow was toasted, and the kids had retreated to the geodesic play structure, I stood by the fire, absolutely mesmerized. Most everything was enveloped in darkness except for the occasional staccato of the children's laughter (a sound that has a power to banish all darkness).

Roger and Yifat and were talking politics (their unique perpsectives include being a professor of history with a specialization in political movements/activism and a career in a NGO (non-governmental organization) specializing in international women's rights movements/activism). Max, Silke and I occasionally spoke to each other about the fire and fire-related memories, but mostly we were each enjoying the fire in our own solitudes.

The moon, a half-moon perhaps on the side of just waxing to gibbous, alternated between crisp and fuzzy as the clouds moved in the sky. The periodic columns of smoke which rose from the fire went straight up, not enough of a deterrent to the (had to be) last of the mosquitos floating around feeding langorously on, who else, me and Gem.

But, the fire, the fire. The embers which looked like coral or some sort of primitive shell from within the sea, the snaps and sparks, the alive orange flame licking at the air and the wood. I could not move my eyes away. Nourisher of life, agent of transformation. Fire.

(Eternal) questions

Sag: Who got to name everything? (This is a question he has asked repeatedly for years.)

Gem: And how did they tell the world?

...murmured and wondered this morning as we snuggled in blankets on the couch

My first hat

Last night I cast on my first hat, The Unoriginal Hat, which I am knitting for Gem. He has been waiting for this promise to come to fruition for months. And, (insert your favorite curse word or phrase of exclamation here), he needed something good to happen for him yesterday in a serious way.

Armed with the pattern and its accompanying chart and my "All About" knitting book, I began not only my first hat, but my first project requiring the knitting of cables (like those you see on Aran/traditional Irish sweaters).

I made some errors getting started, which is how I learn, I'm a great reviser, and by the time my new bedtime (10pm) rolled around, I was itching to knit some more because I was finally on a bit of a roll.




It was a quiet evening. I turned off the tv and computer and after dinner (sugar snap peas and hummus from Trader Joe's and tortilla chips and our favorite salsa as an appie, fresh corn from Silke, and meatloaf sandwiches) the kids and I played games. Checkers for Sag, chess for Gem and Blokus for both.

I actually didn't remember till I woke up this morning that the second debate was on last night. Oh well.

Fall knitting

There is something about knitting and this season. The shadows are visible, sharp and black as can be at just past noon, stepping out into the morning air feels like walking into a deep freeze, and the urge is to grab for something woolen to warm the body and soul.

These are the pics of Danielle's birthday scarf, knit up in simple garter stitch with three colors of Classic Elite Duchesse yarn, a cushy blend of merino, viscose, cashmere, nylon and angora.

Park

After we dropped Cap off at work, we stopped at the park for some walking (forward, backward and a run for Sag) and play.

The meatloaf and qi gong are done, we're heading out to swimming. The clothes are not quite finished...

Agenda

• make a turkey meatloaf...if the ground turkey has not gone bad

• finish taking care of the summer to winter changeover of the boys' clothes including what to keep, what to consign, what to donate, what to hand down, what to chuck

• take the kids to swimming class this afternoon

• do qi gong and actually do all the exercises including the last 2 which I rarely, rarely do

• lights out by 10pm

I know it doesn't sound like much, but you'd be surprised...a short list of 5 goals feels possibly impossible...but possibly possible, too.

Day in NYC

We missed our performance due to heinous traffic at the tunnel. (All is not lost, we should be able to get comped into another performance of something sometime this season.)

So instead:

• Cap and Gem went to the comic book store where Cap spotted Peter Dinklage (Cap's a fan so this was cool).

• Sag, Baba and I took a walk to Central Park and clambered upon some big rocks.

• We all met up at the big Toys R Us in Times Square.

• We dined on Carnegie Deli, Gem on some chirimenjako.

It was a great day in my native city.

Quiet City

I purchased these from an artist in Maine.

Six things on a saturday

1. We're on the road often. Or so it seems. Lately, every time we pull into a rest area I am secretly pleased as punch that I have two boys and a male partner because I get to go to the bathroom all by myself.

2. My iPod mix for my plane flights provides the background music these days (go here to see who's in the mix). I can't remember the last time I listened to so much music. Thumping out of the computer speakers, turning the detritus of our days into a stage amongst which to whirl and smile and rock out.

3. Watching the Red Sox in the post season---always exciting, unnerving and fills us with hope.

4. The knitting needles are working away. The yarn coming together in patterned harmony is so soothing and satisfying.

5. Gobs and gobs of Chinese tea: cold prevention and digestion formulas. With dollops of honey.

6. Turning to poetry. Shyly, yet with determination. This and this entered our home and our lives yesterday.

New Mexico

New Mexico has long, long been a dream destination for me (as in to live, not to visit). Karina, the Gluten-Free Goddess just posted her New Mexico-inspired recipes (all recipes are GF, but not necessarily CF). I added the post to my shared items.

She's a transplant from MA and will likely be moving onto Venice Beach, SoCal, soon. But something in the way she was drawn to NM and the way she describes and shows it through her words and photography grabs at that particular heartstring of mine every time.

VP debate

What the heck is the distinction between "gay marriage" and what Biden was saying he and Obama support? Barbra, is this the same distinction that Jerry Brown made in the wording out in CA to turn the tide of support? I was confused. And dismayed.

Sag kept asking me how to spell words as he worked on something at the computer and Gem kept popping up at my elbow to show me delight after delight as he made symmetrical paper cut-outs using folded up patterned origami paper. It was bustling around here between 9 and 10pm.

I've been gearing up to volunteer for the Obama campaign, and perhaps this is a knee jerk reaction, but I was really turned off by the big "god bless you" at the end. Why, people, why? It's called separation of church and state and I would appreciate having any mention of god being kept out of my face when you are doing something as an elected officer of the state.

Getting off my little soapbox now.

Recipes

When I saw Julia while out west she asked me to keep posting recipes on the blog :-)

These days it's easier (and therefore it's more likely that this I will do) to post others' recipes that come across my virtual desk. You can find these in the green "shared items" box in the left bar of my blog.

I just added some pineapple-coconut muffins which came from my Julie.

Happy eatin'

Have some choc and call me in the morning

For jet lag, or other times when comfort is needed :-)

We're having a second-day-back-honeymoon's-over kind of day. Poor Gem. He missed me most of all, I think. At least that's what his tantrum would have me think. Anger, frustration, craving absolute power in response to absolute powerlessness...he's feeling better now.

October

The month of pumpkins, oranges and reds, and as is true this morning, a fall cold in the air.

Knitters blog about Socktoberfest.

Columbus Day weekend, the first three day weekend in the school year, always a stand out for that reason. This year, a trip to Vermont planned to go see Elsa and Tobias, Anna and Nick. For though the school "year" has diminished in its meaning for us, they go to school.

The kids' imaginations are spinning with costume designs. For Sag the question is Luke or Anakin, for Gem, the palette is still full of possibilities and remains somewhat open ended. Both are eager to get their pumpkins and get carving.

The arts season has started. We have two shows this month. Knucklehead Zoo and Savion Glover.

Still haven't decided on the other things knitters are abuzz about: Rhinebeck. On the one hand, I'm there. But, on the other, that is our one remaining free weekend. On the third hand, it's a once a year festival and I would really love to envelop myself in homemade fibers made locally by small businesses/independent artisans.

Cap and I are looking forward to a weekend getaway at the end of October. We'll be using our timeshare gift, the gift of babysitting, and hitting the road for Atlantic City. We probably won't be spending much time in AC itself. I'd like to do some driving-exploring.

Today, a day of resuming the groove here at home. Yesterday was great, actually, I hit the ground running and we had a very nice co-op meal. I forgot to mention that the salad also included toasted pecans and pear. It was delish. I ran out of time to make the apple clafoutis, but made do with soy ice cream and preserved cherries we had on hand.

But, yeah, today will be slower. My sleep is definitely off and I'll probably be loopy by this afternoon. The kids and I have no plans. We will just go where the day leads us.

Mac tip

Cap got a new computer through work. A sweet new Mac laptop. The first one he got from them was not new and had "issues" from the get go. They finally gave him this new one when he dropped the old one and the screen looked, literally, as if it was torn in half.

The tech who worked with him setting up the new one yesterday warned against buying a new Mac right now. He said to wait till late November, that new models were coming out soon.

It feels like it's going to take me that long to get our bedroom cleared out and organized. Right now, not only could a computer not fit on my desk (its intended home), but you couldn't fit a chair in front of the desk, or, even get to the desk for the moat of crap that surrounds it.

Harmonic convergence.

Motivational timeline.

Oakland: the pictures

Here are the pics.

Time zones

Yesterday's post was actually written and posted on Monday...in California. So I am back.

I got in last night around 9:30pm and was home by 10:4oish. The flight was uneventful. The movies were free so I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Speed Racer. I liked Speed Racer quite a bit. I had wanted to see it on the big screen and still wish I had. The effects were amazing.

I finished Julie's scarf and started Danielle's. I was sated by a brioche and half a feta, scallion, pine nut bread from La Farine. My seatmates were a twelve-ish girl and her mom or step mom. Very mellow and roomy. Except for the part when the mom was looking for a barf bag because the last time they flew she needed to hurl only to find her seat pocket was bag-less. (She didn't throw up this trip :-)

I'm a bit foggy this morn...oh, it's afternoon now isn't it. Slowly getting ready to host dinner tonight. Which means a lot of picking up, cleaning the bathroom, and cooking. On the menu: bean bake with pinto beans, brown rice, a big salad with mixed baby greens, cuke, cherry toms, hard boiled egg, and scallion, and apple clafoutis for dessert.

I'm hoping to get the photos from my trip online tomorrow. It's good to be home!

Change of plans

Today had been earmarked for a San Francisco jaunt. Burritos and a yarn store via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).

But, after two very full days which included three visits to two yarn shops (I returned to Article Pract for a big score after thinking on it overnight), I decided to slow it down. I realized that, for me, there is such a thing as too much yarn.

So, we had tea with Rachael near her work, then drove out to Alameda (where we had taken a lovely walk Saturday at sunset) and had sushi with a water view that hit the spot (avocado roll and spicy scallop roll for me, sansai soba for B). I had a late urge for sushi on Sunday night. That itch got scratched nicely. Afterwards we meandered over to the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland for some window shopping.

I am officially on the look out for a new bag. My trusty decade-plus old brown Coach bag is coated on the inside with my lovely little German chocolate treat that Silke brought back for me from her trip this summer. Two small bars melted while I watched the Yankees-Red Sox game the day after I received the chocolates. I thought they'd make a good game snack, but forgot about them.

Now there's a layer of dried chocolate caked on to the inside of the bag. The main issue for me is that it was milk chocolate and I don't want to worry about Gem's allergy as I handle the contents of my bag multiple times every day and my fingers coming in contact with him.

So, I looked for a bag. And at the bookstore I looked for Louise Glück and The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante. We stopped into a bead store. Then we scored at Bittersweet, a chocolatier/café. We had some sea salt truffles and I had a white chocolate dream (a hot white chocolate). Yum.

B dropped me off at Mary's. Barbra and Audrey attended a Rosh Hashanah service tonight where their good friend, Beth, was singing. I opted to spend time with Mary. We hung out at her house for awhile where I admired their new kitchen, the wonderful shade of pink of their dining room walls, and their gorgeous cat, Ralph.

Got to spend a bit of time with Nate and Saskia when they came home before Mare and I headed out to Picante for a very satisfying Mexican dinner. I had a carne asada (skirt steak) burrito, "super" with the works, and we split a tasty guacamole side with homemade tortilla chips.

I rolled into her car to go to Black Oak Books where I picked up a collection of stories by Andre Dubus, gently used, for $7. We ended our evening with foamy hot drinks. A decaf latte for me.

Can you guess what I am about to say? When I get home, I'm doing Dragon's Way again! It is so fun to eat and eat while on vacation, but my bod's ready for a tune-up.

I've had a great few days. I am filled to the brim right now. The renewed good-byes are hard, but I can't wait to get back and grab those boys into my arms and bask in the circle of light that is Cap's love.

Tomorrow morning will be mellow. Packing and hanging out before heading to the airport just before noon. I should be landing at JFK around 10pm EST and home before midnight.

Redwoods

I notice the sound first. The presence of redwoods muffles and mutes sound. Frequency drops... or something. There is a qualitative difference I am convinced is quantifiable, as well. The world hushes and the redwoods begin to murmur in your ear, their vibrations touch your soul.

On Sunday, I took a walk in the woods with Barbra, Audrey, the dogs, and, Erika, Malachi, and Jerry (who drove down from Sac to see me). It was hot and dry, the trail a hilly loop. But, there was meaning to it.

The redwoods were a natural reward, the Latin American ice creams that cooled and delighted us afterwards, a human reward.

Jet lag

I was dreaming expectantly of twelve hour solo sleepfests, but that hasn't happened yet. Yesterday my eyes popped open at 5am, this morning at 7am.

Last night we had take out from B&A's fave Chinese restaurant. They are a short drive to Oakland's Chinatown where the restaurant is. Mmmm. Veggie dumplings (the best ever, truly), delectable wonton soup (the broth was brown rather than clear---the east/west coast differences in Chinese food are there and fun to unearth), shrimp fried rice (the fried rice white and not browned with soy sauce, just the way I like it---with lots of egg and scallions instead of onion :-), pea sprouts with garlic sauce (so good), and red eggplant. Yum, yum, yum.

I rarely eat shrimp because Cap is deathly allergic to it. The three times I've already had shrimp on this trip have been wonderful: shrimp kabob at Heidi's, Julia's shrimp salad sandwich yesterday, and the shrimp in the fried rice. I do forget how tasty well prepared shrimp is...

I'm about to have some tea, I brought my Chinese teas (cold prevention and digestion), but the tea bags themselves are unlabeled so I never know which one I'm getting. Good thing they're both good for me :-)

I've got some laundry going down in the basement, morning qi gong is under my belt, and I'm hoping to catch the kids and Cap at Karen and Brent's though I am sure morning adventures are well under way there.

Erika (another dear friend who lives in Sacramento which is about a 90 minute drive from Oakland) should be here in a couple of hours. Other plans for today include a walk amongst the red woods, a visit to another yarn shop, and dinner at B&A's new favorite Ethiopian place.

How lucky am I?

Hello

As it turns out, Barbra and Audrey have a laptop on and available 24/7. Unfortunately, I didn't bring the cord that connects my camera to the computer so I can't upload any pics during my visit.

They loved the throw. I was so moved and happy to be present for their reception. It kicked ass.

I almost missed my flight. That was dramatic. In my mind. I managed to keep my stress reined in though not my pessimism. Cap did a great job of keeping calm and getting me the frack there in time. Arriving in Oakland at 1pm meant driving through Manhattan at 8am because I decided against driving through at 7am (which would have been wiser in retrospect) which would have meant leaving the house at 6am which seemed inhumane to Cap and the kids.

Anyway, the story which really could have gone awry didn't and I made the flight. The flight went fast---knitting does that, I discovered. So do my new headphones and an iPod loaded with Matt Pond PA, Girlyman, Indigo Girls, Steve Earle, and Tomoyo Harada. So do episodes of King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, The Colbert Report and Ellen :-)

Last night B and I hung out with Rach and Heidi at Heidi's house. Just the four of us with some Turkish take-out, Heidi's dog and two hypoallergenic cats, and the debate which we turned off after an hour or so.

This morning I woke at 5am, talked to my boys around 6:45, then did some qi gong and took a hot shower washing all the "plane trip" off me. Julia is coming down from Sacramento. She'll be here soon. She and barb and I are going to a yarn store and then out to lunch.

More soon.

Cavendish

Here is the secret project finally revealed. It is a throw I knit for Barbra and Audrey. Part thank you (they flew me out to Oakland for the visit) and part "state-sanctioned" wedding present (they got legally hitched on the occasion of their tenth wedding anniversary this summer :-)

The pattern is called "Cavendish" and was knit with one of my favorite brands of yarn to work with, Noro. I used 10 skeins of Noro Silk Garden (a blend of mohair and silk---this throw has magnificent drape and warmth).

I was as ecstatic as I look in these photos upon completion of the throw. I couldn't get over how stunning it looked off the needles, with the ends woven in, worn, thrown, folded up... It is a beauty.




I think it will bring Barbra and Audrey much coziness in the years to come. They deserve it for all the light and warmth they bring to others, including, lucky me.

By the time you're reading this, this gift will have changed hands, the secret revealed in real life.

Break

I probably won't post tomorrow. I'll be busy packing and running errands, getting myself ready for my trip and the kids ready for their long weekend in Massachusetts. They will be visiting their Mummu (Cap's mom) on the Cape, celebrating Theo's first birthday in Plympton, and hanging with Olivia and Will.

We're leaving the house by 7am on Friday which should be interesting since we've been waking up between 8 and 9am as of late.

I have one post scheduled to upload on Friday night, but other than that, I've got nothing while I'm away. I'll be back late Tuesday night. On Wednesday I'll be catching up with my boys and shopping and cooking for co-op dinner at our house that night.

So I may not post till Thursday.

In the meantime, I will leave you with some tv tidbits (Project Runway spoiler alert!):

• Heroes rocked in its return! I loved that we got two episodes back-to-back and thought they hit the ground running. I was quite excited.

• How come Kenley didn't get the boot tonight? I thought she was serious toast. I was shocked.

• I can't help it, I am into True Blood. I am, oh-crap-I'm-really-gonna-say-it, a sucker for vampire stories. It's no Buffy (there will never be anything to rival Buffy) and it's no Six Feet Under, but I like it so far.

• Was Mad Men not on this week?

• Amazing Race starts Sunday!!!

Ciao peoples. xo

Off the needles

I'm done! Well, I'm done with the knitting. Of my secret project. I will weave in the ends later today.

Gem said, "what's next?" He's been waiting on a hat for a while. He's going to have to wait just a wee bit longer. I need simpler projects to take with me on the plane. Scarves. One for Julie, one for Danielle. The yarn is picked out (I took D to one of the shops in town so she could pick her yarn which was a lot of fun), I just need to think on patterns and select the needles.

That will be it for birthday scarves.

I am so excited about going to the yarn stores in Oakland and SF. I flipped through my two sock books last night. There are some patterns I want to try. Though my first pair will be a straightforward pair. But, it looks like I'll need in the range of 500 yds. of yarn, regardless, which is what I needed to know.

Hum, hum :-)

I'm also thinking about going to the NYS Sheep and Fiber Fest in October, also known as "Rhinebeck" in the knitting community. What a treat it would be to go and buy yarn for myself. I can barely contain myself. It's all I'll be thinking about once this fab trip to Cali is history.

Have to get dressed to get me and Gem to Vinny's for some body work!

Free bird

Tuesday and Thursday mornings I now have time to myself. I'm still in the giddy running errands kids-free stage of things. Eventually, I may calm down enough to turn my attention to the Y membership I pay for but never use.

Today, it was dreaming of going out to breakfast, but foregoing that because it just felt too luxe. Instead, I got vicarious thrills by present shopping for Theo who is about to turn 1 and his sister, Lilja, because I found something for her I simply could not say "no" to.

Sorry, Jay.

I don't think she knew what to do with me yesterday when I told her, essentially, tough sh*t, I'm getting the boy a birthday present. We got a note from Mommy and Mama stating their desire for no presents except maybe something for a time capsule they're putting together for him.

Sorry Jay and Amy, but I got stuff for both of them.

I ran errands (including some presents for my own kids who I am beginning to miss---they're getting pre-Äiti's trip souvenirs instead of post...), put gas in the car, then stopped in to a new store I've been eying for a few months.

My lunch came from there. A chicken tikka masala pie. Yum.

Some tidbits:

• Gem cut my finger nails the other day. He's been really into doing his own and is branching out :-)

• In the car the other day:
"It's okay, because I'm going to born a baby when I get married." (Sag)
"I think I'm going to adopt." (Gem)
(Lukas and Owen will be welcoming a baby brother this winter. There is some baby-wishing happening 'round here these days...)

• Our sleep schedules are hella late the past few weeks. The kids are falling asleep around 10pm and waking between 8-9am.

• The kids and I are cutting down our tv time. Watching tv takes up too much time! My personal goal/challenge is to watch only an hour a night. We'll see how that goes with the new season underway...we shall see...

• I leave for Oakland early Friday. I am quite excited. I'm going to at least two yarn shops that look like they will blow my mind and kick my ass (in a good way). The smart thing to do would be to look for some patterns (socks, hats, mittens, etc.) and see how much yarn I'd need for certain projects. I'm not that smart though, so we'll see what happens.

Equinox of fall

The half-and-half spice cake. (Nothing says "autumn's here!" like the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg in the kitchen.)





We had our greeting-the-new-season walk around B pond with Lukas, Anna, Silke and Roger, last night. Sag, Lukas and Anna ran ahead when we were about halfway around. Gem, who has been a touch on the needing-to-be-close side of things lately, hung back with the grown ups.

We saw lots of deer and Canadian geese. And a lot of humans walking and running. Always interesting to see what we see and note the changes that the seasons bring.

A thought on my knitting

In 2009 I am planning on knitting almost exclusively for myself. I want to try knitting different things and do more exploratory knitting...trying different yarns, techniques, and patterns.

This will help me destash (use up yarn I already have) and add a new and welcome dimension to this past time---creativity.

I am nearing the end of my first year of active knitting. It all began with a scarf for Cap. After I finish the last of my gift knitting in the next few weeks, I will be bidding adieu to the Year of the Birthday Scarf :-)