Purlewe Knits

Vacation is over, it was fun, time to move on. Maybe more on that later.
I’ve spent most of the morning cleaning and I sure hope by the time Hubby gets home today you can still tell that I cleaned.
What’s the organization about? Everything pretty much. It recently occurred to me that I’m a bit helter-skelter with a lot of things. If I really want to I can sit down and focus and get things done, but rarely do thing naturally happen that way. I like to get things done though, so I’m hoping that a bit of organization with help me get more things done.

First up is cleaning. I like a clean house, so I need to endure the cleaning part to get to the clean part. I’m hoping to work out some sort of schedule that will let me maintain a cleaner home and still do most of the activities the girls and I have gotten used to doing.

Second is schooling. I feel it is time to start being a bit more structured. I’m not talking about much here. I’m going to pick some activities, a theme and that will be our focus for the week.

Third is my yarn/fiber addiction and possibly branching out into sewing as well. I want to do more of it and I need to do more of it. If I focus on a project I know I can move forward. Hopefully a schedule will help me finish as many projects as I start.

Forth is food. With all the training and being so busy in August we really slacked off preparing good foods for the family. I shall start doing this again. First though, we must shop.

So right now I’m going to focus on knitting. I am very impressed with the Yarn Harlot’s self imposed sock club. I think I shall try it. Starting tomorrow. For the rest of the year. Can I make 4 pairs of socks in 4 months? I think so. If the pattern is simple enough that I don’t get too distracted and can work on it anywhere. The good thing about starting with September is that I get a trial run. I get 4 months to see if it will work for me too, or if I’ll be a giant failure. I’d rather fail 4 times than 12. If it goes well, then I’ll commit for a year. I also have PLENTY of yarn for 4 pairs of socks. I probably have the 16 pairs for the next 16 months, possibly even 28 pairs covered. Geez, maybe with this I can also do and stick to a yarn diet …

I’m going to put down my computer now … and go knit. Not on socks, but on the shirt I really want to wear in 3 weeks … we’ll see.

I self diagnosed my ankle issue and I was WRONG! Yay! It is “only” plantar fasciitis. Pretty painful, but the doctor I saw today said that he is confident it can be completely treated. Yay! So on for running and on for biking!

I spent money on myself tonight. It felt kinda good. It gave me warm fuzzies. I spent an hour in a store picking out what I wanted (without the influence of toddlers, an impatient -only when shopping Hubby-  or a looming time limit) and gosh darn it, it felt good! I got a new bag and a new wallet. The bag is amazing! So functional! I’m confident (I think) I got the right one. The wallet, so amazing and so functional! I got the right one!

I enjoyed going to the potty on my own tonight. I went out and had some mommy time. Shopping (obviously). I didn’t really enjoy myself until I needed a restroom. Then it hit me. I was alone! I only had to potty myself! (and then I didn’t want to go home!)

I sometimes feel sorry for things like trees. In particular there is one in my neighborhood that recently got butchered. I’m going to try and get a picture of it to post and discuss. Poor tree!

I’ve come to admire one of my “neighborhood” contemporaries quite a bit. Using one of the loosest possible definitions of neighborhood here. I grew up with this “kid” and he was always the “little” W. (I once threw him in my parent’s pond.) I have great respect for his parents and siblings, so it should really be no surprise that I have respect for him, but it was a bit of an eye opener today. Little Josh has grown up, he has a mind and conscience of his own, and I have come to respect what he has to say. Thank you W family for your contributions and thank you Josh for the wisdom you share.

Now a few other thoughts and a bit of advice …
Yarn is useful. Hubby is lucky that I covet something that is useful. Shoes, handbags, hair/makeup styles, fashion, salt and pepper shakers … none as useful as yarn! How am I out of the knitter’s closet? Well, really, it is more literal than you would think. I’m trying to find new space in my house and it is possible that my stash might need to find a new location. It literally is out of the closet, because it has out grown it.

Attention retailers! In this shitty economy you should really do something about the gawd awful lighting in your fitting rooms. Want to sell more clothes? Make people look good in them! Soften the lighting (or in my case make it completely dark), add some distracting fake plants, place the mirrors so that we can’t see our arse’s. (these ideas are my own all rights reserved … cause they are damn good ideas!)

Finally, leave with a happy thought. Today was a way crazy up and down day. I had a few epiphanies and one of those (thanks a bit to that contemporary) is that our attitude greatly affects our perception. Use that to your advantage. Before you go to bed or as you are wrapping up your day find something good in it. Make it your “thought of the day” (yes we have been watching Sesame Street). Remember something that made you smile and leave with a happy thought.

I’ve got pretty toes tonight. The girls were BEARS today. I took off when Hubby got home and went and got some pretty toes. I had a guy do my pedi tonight and I thought it was a bit odd. Like, really, the only man who should be rubbing my feet is Hubby. BUT the pedi guy did give me an awesome flowers on my big toes. Hubby could not have done that.
So there’s this opinion article going around. I read it a while ago and mostly agree. I feel though that it can be an excuse. It does take an an incredible amount of time to do things. (It took me 2 hours. Yes, HOURS to drive 10.8 miles and purchase 6 items with 2 toddlers in tow.) You must still find and make the time to do the things you enjoy though. You MUST in order to swim and not sink (in all that is baby/toddler land). This is something I’m struggling with a bit now. I need something to pull on and move forward with. Something hard and tangible. I’ll let you know when I find it.

So today was crazy. So crazy that I have to document it. You can’t make this shit up folks.

The day started ok, I got up and ran, increased my pace. All was good. Made a double batch of waffles for the kiddos and quick breakfasts for the weekend (cause we’ll probably spend most of it on our bikes). I decided to try a new farmers market today, most are on Saturday or Sunday (we’ll be biking), and that is really when things started going wrong.

Pulled into the FM area and there is an ambulance there working on someone, great, these things always upset me a bit. I sat in the car while the firetruck pulled in and decided it wasn’t too crazy, we might as well see what veggies we could find. Got the girls out and loaded in the wagon, minus shoes. We weren’t going to be there long and there is no way I can control two toddlers and a bunch of veggies anyway. In the wagon they would stay. Walk up … no stroller/wagon access. K, no shoes, little harder. I decided to just take a peak and see if it was worthwhile to get shoes and go farther. Not really. Back home we go.

Now with 2 hours to kill before the pool opens (or so I think) I made the mistake of telling the girls we were headed to the pool so every fives minutes I hear, “water?” Me, “no, not yet, the pool isn’t open.” We messed around, sunscreened (two wiggling, excited toddlers is no small feat), and packed up our bag with pool essentials. 45 minutes to go. I call Hubby cause I’m bored and “water?” has escalated to every 2 minutes. “Bike to the pool,” he says. We rode last night, I ran this morning, and we are planning on 40 + mile ride tomorrow. I just want to drive to the pool. 22 minutes to go and we leave the house, I can no longer take the “water?” refrain, which is getting louder now. At least if we are in the car they think we are moving forward. Arrive at the pool in 6 minutes … uh-oh more time to kill and curiously the parking lot is empty. (I’ve been told the line starts and hour before they open.) Humm … drive up around the corner (just to do SOMETHING), back in 7 minutes, 8 minutes to go. Where IS everyone?? Call Hubby. Pool doesn’t open for an HOUR and 8 minutes. DAMN! Now the toddlers are at a pace of about .5 seconds with “water?” it is getting louder, more high pitched, whinier, and more frantic (can you imagine all of that). Drive home. I guess we’ll bike to the pool after all. At this point it is the only way I can think to kill the time and give myself some space.

At home I change shorts and grab a water bottle. Move all the required “stuff” to the bike trailer. Out in the garage, ready to go, that’s odd … my shorts have holes in them, uncomfortable holes (why I still have these is another mystery). Change shorts (again). Back to garage, grab bike trailer and start to hook it up. Flat tire. Completely flat tire. No way this thing is holding air. Shit. (the whole time two toddlers are following me around, “water? pool? bike ride?” because I of course explained it to them on the way home from the pool)

Have to get tire fixed for bike ride tomorrow and of course we have no tubes for the bike TRAILER. Move stuff back to car (along with bike trailer wheel), pack up toddlers (who are not completely confused and a bit past irritated with me), and head to bike store. 15 minutes until pool REALLY opens. Drop tire off (”no, I can’t wait 5 minutes for you to fix it now, my toddlers are irate” I don’t think the nice young service man got IT) and back across town. Of course, traffic SUCKS. At this point though the girls have given up a bit on “water?” and it is back to about every 3 minutes.

Arrive at pool 12 minutes after it opened and guess what … it was full! How in the hell does a pool fill up in 12 minutes? The city planners so screwed themselves on this one. Should have made that pool bigger boys, bigger pools mean more revenue!

Off to second choice pool, one toddler falls into an exhausted sleep while the other keeps up the “water?” refrain.

I was fairly certain the second choice pool would be full, but it wasn’t we had a nice time with out too much mishap. A bumped head and scraped knee, but those are normal and expected these days.

The girls are napping now.

We have 15 minutes to get them up, Hubby to get home, and me to shower for our night out. Any guesses on how this will go? Maybe we should order in.

Several of my friends are coming out, so to speak, on their religious and political views. I like this idea and may have to follow suit. You know, just lay it all out so there is no question about my direction.

I do think of posts and stories to tell, but the problem is getting to the computer to tell them. I need some sort of electric device that can read my mind, transpose, and upload my thoughts. Coherent would be best. (thanx!) Until that happens here are some random bits.

I took the girls to the botanic garden last week. I may have the cutest kids ever (although getting them to hold still for a picture is nearly impossible). At one point little B stopped on the side of the road and waved to the whole long tram of people going by. They was a collective “ahhhh, aren’t they cute.” K just smiled and waved. (almost as good as smiling and nodding)

I wish bed time wasn’t such a battle every night.

I’m obviously not ready for the miscarriage post yet.

My damn chickens are still not laying eggs.

Our household needs a book solution.

I’m signing out because I want to knit. What I’m going to knit on tonight is Vesper in Hempathy.