More Later

I know that doesn't make sense grammatically, but what I mean is, I am finally getting around to blogging about Friday and Saturday, and I will write more, later. That will give me time to do today's non-existent block. Plus, you never know what a day will hold.

Friday was my BIRTHDAY!! Yippee for me!! I got up and listed 2 new yarns and 2 new sets of needles in my my7kids etsy shop, and a little pouch/clubbing bag in my HeartFeltFun shop. The bag sold in literally like 5 minutes. I have more materials so I have made another one to sell too.

Des and Tony and the kids came down about noon. My BIL also came down with my niece, so she could play with the kids. I cleaned out the Aerostar and got the junk in it down to about 8 boxes to put in the shed. The guys got the Aerostar running, so as soon as I put 4 wheels back under it, I can sell it. Tony and I made a trip to the dump, which was very satisfying.

Then I made myself a Cherry Chip birthday cake. Because I make delicious cakes from scratch (especially dark chocolate) I almost NEVER use a mix and also almost NEVER get Cherry Chip cake, which is just about my favorite. I used 2 mixes because I am feeding a crowd, ya know. Made 3 layers, with strawberries and real whipped cream between them. We didn't even cut the cake until about 9 Friday night, and by Saturday morning, this is what was left of it. Sad huh.

After the cake, I knitted some on my felted slipper. This is totally an experiment, but if it works, I will make the pattern available here for a little while, and then put it up as a .pdf in my etsy shop. I handspun this yarn into 2 little 60-gram balls. One has just a few more yards than the other. Since I wanted to felt the slipper, I needed to use a huge needle size, and the biggest needles I have (other than the funky DPNs I make out of tree branches, which I have up for sale) are straight needles. So I figured out how to knit the slipper flat, toe up so I could stop when I ran out of yarn, and seam it down the top of the foot. Here is what it looked like when I got done knitting it. Goofy because it is so loose and WAY out past the end of my foot at this point.

We made Peccadillo for dinner, with vegetarian black beans and brown rice. Peccadillo is a Spanish (not Mexican) kind of sweet and sour jumble of a dish, that is not spicy. Delicious. And, my recipe of it makes a 2nd freezable meal for most families, or feeds the crowd at my house. My sister came down for dinner, so there were 15 of us in house.

Also Des and I worked on our quilt blocks for the day. Mine is ugly, but it is mine. LoL. Meanwhile what were the guys doing? Well ya know, Tony has been helping my dh lay new flooring in the back porch, so we can turn it into an actual room. And there is a lot of STUFF back there, with no place to put it so we can lay flooring. And, dh has some odd bits of lumber and 2x4s lying around. So Tony decided to build us a storage shed. The men worked on it until after 11 PM. Tony hadn't been to bed for the day (he works 3rd shift) so by then he was tired and beat. So I had our 2 girls sleep on the couch and gave their room to Des and Tony and the babies.

My Josiah threw up all over his blankets, and Jeremiah had an accident too. So yesterday morning I got up, made French Toast and eggs and bacon for 12, and did 2 loads of laundry by noon. I threw my slipper in with the sheets in hot water to start it to felt. This is what I got after one wash. It shrunk a little more after being in the dryer. I think one more wash and dry might do it.

Richard was off for the day, as was Tony, and my BIL came down again. So we left them to do their "guy" thing out in the driveway and we watched both Bridget Jones movies. Des wasn't feeling too well, and she needed to do some grocery shopping. So we left all the kids here, except Hannah, who might need to be nursed. Went to the store and of course had to hit the quilt shop right up the street!

Diantha and Artemas and I had to serve in the nurseries at church for the 7PM service, so we went, leaving Des to lie on the couch in misery. When I got home, I made a HUGE baking pan full of nacho meat and bean dip for everybody for supper, and chocolate chip cookies. And, made my quilt block for the day. I think I have enough Chicken blocks for now. I am in a Black and White challenge, so I guess I will use the next month's worth of blocks for that.

The guys have the shed, which is an 8x8x8 cube, up, with the siding on, and a stretched tarp for a roof for now. Now we get to begin hauling boxes out of the porch to store in it. Do I get to put a star on the front of my house? and first, can I take a day off?

A Turn in the Weather

ok, so we're back. We got back late Wed. evening, and haven't had a spare minute to write until now! I didn't even get caught up on my emails until this morning.

Had to be up Thurs. at the crack of dawn to help the girls with their 4-H baking units. Diantha's age group had to make biscuits, Veronica's had to make muffins. Other ages had to make yeast bread, cupcakes, and cookies. The meeting was in the next town over at 8:30 AM. Diantha won 1st place with her made-from-scratch biscuits, using butter instead of shortening. Veronica won 1st place with her Oatmeal White Chocolate muffins, also made from scratch. In the Spring, they go on to a competition in the county. If they win there, they go on to the state.

Came home, unloaded the bike, and my mom, dad, BIL, and niece Dana came over. Dad and I took off to take lunch to eldest DS and get the title transferred on the bike. It is old, and smaller than our 450, but not by much. The top of the tank needs painting. But it started on the first kick (real bikers kick, LoL) and sounded mighty fine to my bike-deprived ears. Shoulda gone for a ride in the balmy 50 degree weather!

In the afternoon, I took the 4 youngest kids plus my niece to the Children's Museum in Oak Ridge. Met my oldest dd and her two kids there, plus a friend of ours and her two kids the same age as my daughter's. Twelve of us in all. What a good time. It was Josiah's 8th birthday, so he was thrilled to get to go have so much fun for his birthday.

Took Dana home and took in food for everyone at sis's house... stayed around to visit a little while, but I was exhausted. So far this week I have averaged 5 hours sleep a night, plus the round-trip to Ohio.

Today dawned too dang cold to ride. Call me a piker, but I like to see at least a "4" in the 10s column of that weather number before I ride, no matter HOW well those fringed chaps block the cold.

I caught up emails, ran to the PO, went to bake Josiah's cake to have everyone over this evening and didn't have a speck of flour. He wanted a "Hot Wheels" party, and I was going to make him a big, 3-dimensional racecar with dark-chocolate wheels for a cake. Off to buy some flour. The store had a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, complete with a road and billboards on it, on the day-old rack. I really don't like store-bought cake, but when 16 people are going to dig into this thing, they aren't going to let it get a minute older! Divine Providence, that's what it was. Though my BIL did comment on my not serving a scratchmade cake ("What is the world coming to?!")

We baked a bunch of pizzas; Josiah got some nice presents. A Car Holder that hangs on the back of the bedroom door, some new Hot Wheels, a Hot Wheels "laptop" to do some of his school on, some new jeans. A Disc Shooter, to ensure that the floors of my house continually have little foam discs on them until Christmas.

My dh is feeling lousy, but I gave him a hard time about it today. When I am sick, do I get to just go lie down and die like I feel like doing? Especially when I am going to have a houseful of company? So he sat on the couch with the kids and made them get rid of all the laundry in the living room. That is some help at least.

Tomorrow I will put up some new yarns, I hope bright and early. Tonight I am going to go lay on the bed, knit, and read to hubby. Goodnight!

My Life is Weird - and - a Giveaway!

My life is so weird. There is no other word for it when you find yourself standing in the Produce dept. at Kroger licking your hair. Wait a minute, maybe I should back up just a little...

Yesterday I sold 4 of the 4 new skeins of yarn I just listed, and the Twilight yarn from my Autumn series. Two of the skeins sold before they were even all the way dry! I am really thankful for the traffic and the sales. Now I have to get my butt in gear and put more yarn up, but I didn't get any done yesterday. --sigh--

It was Shopping Day. For over 20 years, my dh has gotten paid every two weeks. So the night before, I make a tentative menu for 2 weeks. Then I loosely inventory the cupboards, fridge and freezer to see how much of what we want to eat that we own already. As I go, I make a grocery list from the menu, of ingredients I am lacking. Add staples like cereal, flour, baking powder (how often do you run out of baking powder? At my house it is about every 6 weeks! I bake a LOT!), and I have a working plan.

My BIL had one of my kids overnight, and my sister wanted to trade him for my 2nd dd Diantha, so today Diantha could help her pack some more (they are moving the end of the month). With the oldest-left-at-home at work, and the next one involved in the trade, and Diantha going... I had to bring the 3 youngest with me too. So off we go to Walmart, 6 of us in a pack. We got stuff for Josiah's birthday and stuff for Secret Pals and stuff, and more stuff. About the time we had to wait 8 extra minutes for BBQ chicken pieces, the kids' patience wore out, and so did mine.

Then it was on to Party City to get plates, napkins, etc. for the birthday party next Friday. Then on to the pet store, where Artemas' aquarium water checked out and we bought some fish to restock it. Despite the fact I have had aquariums for 30 years, the cheeky clerk (that I have kids older than), wanted to tell me I couldn't put that fish in there, couldn't put this fish in there... they were too big. I said, they are 2" long. She says, well they can grow to 6". I told her I intended to overcrowd them and stunt their growth, and if they have the nerve to grow that big I will take them to her competitor and get credit for them to resell. LoL.

My BIL and niece met me there and gave me #2 son and took Diantha. Out 3.5 hours so far and still have to get food.

On to Kroger. Now this is not just ANY Kroger. It is the newly-opened, largest-Kroger-ever in Farragut, TN. It is a wonder. It has a jeweler's store in it! A bedding department! Furniture! Toys! A Bistro, with actual chefs, so you can buy a Gourmet dinner and take it home and plate it, so your dh thinks you can actually cook! An Imported Cheese dept! And SAMPLES everywhere!!! You could EAT from this place. Grocery shopping with 5 kids in tow is not my idea of a good time. I can't tell you the number of times I have ended up with a Mystery Item at the checkout. So I am already tired, and not having fun, no matter how wondrous the store is.

First stop, after everyone used the bathroom, is the Produce dept, where my oldest son happens to work. They had samples of sweet cheese, pineapple, and apple slices with caramel dip. The dip was runny. The baby decided her apple-with-dip was too messy, and handed it, dripping, to Mommy. My first reaction was to stick it quickly in my mouth before I would get to wear it.

Too late. I look down and there is a long glop of caramel sauce down the front of my (formerly clean) t shirt. Then I look and AARRRRGGGGHHHH! there is caramel sauce in my long, newly washed HAIR!!! My first thought was, stick it in my mouth to get that GUNK our of my hair immediately!! Then I realized that here I was, standing in the produce dept. of probably the most upscale grocery in the world, licking my hair like someone with Tourette's. My life is so weird.

My oldest son came up about then and ducked in the back room. He came out with a tub of alcohol wipes so I could wipe my shirt, my hair, my fingers, the baby, etc. He isn't usually a hero, but I am sure he was thinking his crazy, caramel-stained mother was about to wander around the store and meet up with his co-workers and tell Every One of them that My Son is Allen Who Works In Produce. So he rescued me. There hs is at work. He is SINGLE girls!

You don't even want to know about having to sit in the furniture dept, with a blanket over me, nursing the baby who didn't get a decent nap all day and couldn't wait another minute. No, that is probably another Weirdness best left untold.

When I got home, I decided that there wasn't ONE peaceful place in my house to rest my eyes so we were gonna CLEAN. So from 8 PM til Midnight we cleaned house and actually made a dent. DH got home to all the kids still up, all the lights still on, and only half a mess. I hope your day was better.


My eldest Darling Daughter Desiree (a great mommy and an artist in her own right) is hostessing a Giveaway on her blog 3 AM Feedings. She is giving away a Little Hippy Bag, a darling free-pieced quilted bag suitable for knitting. Go see!