Happy Halloween 2009 So Fine

I just completed a day of sewing for Halloween. A stroll down memory lane. I have always loved this holiday. Costumes and candy? Who doesn't love those two things?

My little room mate, Heike, also loves this holiday. She came home with some new boots last month and I said they reminded me of Peter Pan. Next thing you know, we went from concept to design and today, finished product.

I love to make the people happy! So, her friend Elliot needed a costume and I said I could whip up a little Fred Flintstone, to go. He has to supply his own club and stop shaving for a few days.

I miss the "trick or treaters" and the parties for Kids and their Parents. Back in the old neighborhood the Moms stayed at our house and drank wine, while the Dads escorted the kids on their appointed rounds. We always started out with a bowl of hearty Chili with toppings for sugar fortification. Good times. The cul de sac was a perfect place to gather and enjoy the kids.

This year, I will have a glass of wine with friends and reminisce about the days of costume making. I am glad to have a big kid in the house that still wants to watch me work a little magic with some felt and a sewing machine. May your tricks bring laughs and your treats be bold!

Cloudy with a chance of...

Monday night I drove home from Craft night and encountered rain. Real rain that required windshield wipers and curled your hair. Yesterday it was 80, the day before at 5:30 the outside temperature read 85 in my car. Today we may have some normal 70's with overcast skies. Cloudy with a chance of endless possibilities???

Friday night I sat outside past midnight enjoying the night skies full of stars. Cassiopeia was over my right shoulder and it was so clear and orderly. For a moment it felt like all was right with the universe. It turns out that as far as the universe goes, all is right. My little universe is spinning out of control. By the first of the year, things will be very different. The strength I need to face an unknown future will be tested further. It might be overwhelming if I did not have the stars in the night sky to compare the challenge to.

Knitting helps me to put order into a disorderly life. Can I fit in another client to care for? Not if their schedule and mine are incompatible. Can I improve my History grades and write papers according to the teachers technical criteria? Can I prepare for Wednesday by Sunday (so far, so good) so that I can continue to teach Bible Study and have the joy of Knitwits?

All of these questions are put in their place as I chose a pattern to knit that is challenging. I know I am up to the challenge. I can figure it out and be successful. I can end up with something beautiful from my needles. It is tangible in my hands and it represents what I can do. I am learning to do so many things, that having a fall back skill that is gratifying and already imprinted on the brain, is a comfort. Right now my life is cloudy with a chance of ...

The possibilities are endless.

Smell the Eucalyptus

Last night I fell asleep inhaling the cool, refreshing smell of freshly washed eucalyptus trees. We finally got Fall temperatures and had a gentle, yet real rainfall. The world is clean and fresh. All the months of HOT dust has been washed away. I head off to take the math midterm rejuvenated, with a scarve project in hand...

Midterm Madness

Well it is that time of year. Midway through the semester and a midterm quiz online this weekend followed by a math midterm Tuesday and the History Midterm Thursday. The papers, the reading, the computations and the studying! Oh my.

It has not stopped me from knitting. I finished two scarves and a hat for the etsy store. I need to get the camera and upload the new stock. It takes me a while to get the store loaded and I will let you know when the new stuff is in. I knit the most beautiful feeling Keyhole Bowtie scarf out of Debbie Bliss silk alpaca. It feels like pure, soft heaven. I have finished the knit, felt and construction of a new bag, but I still need to sew the lining and add the straps.

No rest for the wicked...

KnitWits with Saucy Fingers

KnitWits Wednesday. I just love the ladies. We will have a brand new knitter tonight and she will walk in with a ball of yarn and walk out with some saucy fingers and a new skill. Tonight we will be at our home away from home, Brett's Bar-B-Que. Whenever we cannot use the room at the Village Church, this is where we land. Brett welcomes us himself and sets up a space for us to overtake the restaurant and enjoy ourselves. There are public wash basins to keep the sauce off of our yarn. Rolls of paper towel adorn the tables and the bread pudding helps you knit better. Really, it is the whiskey sauce. Warm, buttery, whiskeyie...

Homework Blues

Wow- homework. I have added school and part time work to my life. Housekeeping and cooking. Laundry and car maintenance. Childcare and pet care. Paperwork and calender planning. Bible Study and KnitWits. Running an etsy shop and a blog. Knitting and swimming. Those things have remained.

I took away Book Club and the Knitter's Guild. Ummmm. Not enough. Math is coming back to me and I have an A going in that class. The teacher is good and I am trying to stay on top of it. Algebra builds skill upon skill. Every week there is a quiz and every 4 weeks a test. So far, so good.

History is another story. Papers, reading, essays, papers, reading, journal entries, classroom lectures, u-tube lectures, additional film and videos to view, A book report (thesis style), quizzes and tests. Half of the original enrollment has dropped. I take notes during films, but when she is up front in her Professor Lecture mode, I knit. I have almost finished a sweater, I did finish a hat. I am starting a new hat on Tuesday. It calms the anxiety I feel about this class and the incredible workload. I wrote a good paper (1800+ words), but due to poor time management, I am turning it in late due to my poor typing skills.

I have been done in by technology. The kids today have been keyboarding since birth! I graduated HS in 1972. People that took typing planned to be secretaries. I did not have the skill set. In college I took typing and achieved the mandatory 50 words per minute required to pass. I fell down a snowy slope, broke a finger and the teacher passed me with a "B" so I would not have to repeat the class. I used to think he did me a great favor.

Today Heike typed my paper for me. She has promised to help me out this semester. I will have to think of an appropriate way to thank her. Maybe I will knit her a sweater in class???

I Was Pissed Off Before You Came Along!

I have a friend that helps me mull things over. We hash out the difficult things and then we share a laugh and move on. That's what friends do. I have some really good friends and I would not have the same quality of life with out them. They make you feel better. Processing the paths we travel together, friends can help you take the fork in the road in stride. Even when the road gets bumpy and rutted, a good friend will guide you safely around the deepest traps.

We had a particularly fruitful bitch session the other day. Sometimes, we remember to turn it all into prayer requests. This weekend we found ourselves full of questions with no answers, and as we took our leave I found myself apologizing for contributing to her bad mood. As she headed for her car, she called out to me "Don't worry about it, I was pissed off before you came along!"

I laughed so hard. How many times have we tipped over that edge, because we came into it pissed off already. I have been thinking a lot about the power we have to be happy and what a loss it is to ourselves to give away our JOY. I am going to start to treat my joy with the respect that is due. I am not coming to the party pissed off anymore. I feel better already...