Winter gets its last kick

Seems that winter is rather reluctant to leave Manitoba. Yesterday we had snow flurries several times throughout the day. It never really accumulated into much but still it was snow.

The sicky, icky, bug has been making it's way through daycare here. Dayne has been down for a couple of days, just general not feeling well, tired and very icky diapers! He also has had no appetite at all which isn't like him at all. And this morning it hit poor Kenzie. Her mom brought her to daycare and didn't get out the door before Kenzie was throwing up. So she packed her up and away they went back home. Hopefully everyone will be back to normal after the weekend.

I finally finished my entrelac socks and am quite happy with them. I have another idea running around in my head for the next pair, but they will have to wait at least for a little bit.

Entrelac Socks

Spring?

I think someone forgot to tell the weather man that it is suppose to be spring here. As I sit here today and look out my window I see snowflakes falling off and on. They are saying we could get snow flurries until Saturday evening. Oh well, not much we can do about it I suppose.

Our basement is still a project under construction. Gary has been busy finishing up income taxes for people who didn't get their information to him earlier so he hasn't been able to do that much down here. He has to sand the walls and then I think we will be ready to paint. This weekend I am hoping. I would love to get it painted and then can air it out before Ryan gets home so the smell of the paint doesn't bother him. I think that this weekend we will probably get the rest of the carpet up and the floor scraped. All ready for May 16th! *S*

Been knitting away on a couple of projects, but it seems they are going slow as I haven't been spending too much time a day working on them.

Yesterday Dayne's mom came and picked him up early as he just wasn't feeling himself at all. He is back today and so far seems to be doing okay. He does have more energy today that is for sure.

Today Crystal is officially done school for the summer. She wrote her last exam yesterday. I think she is looking forward to the break from the books for a bit. She will continue to work at the sub shop for the summer. She has book the week off when we are going out to see Ryan.

One side openned up

This is the table with one side openned up. When it is open like this it works just great for the 3 of us. The other side opens up the same and will be plenty big enough for all the daycare kids

The chairs

This is the where the 4 chairs are stored when not in use.

All folded up

Yesterday we went shopping for new paint for the basement. While we waited for the paint to be mixed we went wandering around. I know, dangerous thing to do! *S* We came across this table, it is the table that I have been looking for forever. I have a very tiny kitchen and a big table always just takes up way too much room, but I need a big one so the daycare kids have room to eat. This is a picture of the table all folded up, which makes it very small.

Cosmos Cotton anklets

I made these from a new cotton yarn that I bought from Beehive in Calgary.
Cosmos Cotton Anklets

Nice Visit

Sunday morning I slept in a little bit, just can't do those late nights anymore! As if midnight is really all that late. Did a few things around the house and then had to go and get groceries as I didn't get there on Saturday. While I was putting groceries away, Dad phoned to see what we were doing, and since we had no plans he said he was thinking about driving down. So he came down and we had a nice visit. He seemed better to me than he did on Wednesday, so that was nice. Not long before he got here my aunt, his sister, phoned me just to talk. I told her about Ryan coming home and we will surprise dad with his visit. We talked about Dad's birthday too, and have now decided that I will have a small party at his house for him. Usually when I have them it is my aunts, uncles and cousins and families, but I am not doing that this time. It just gets TOO big so it will just be aunts and uncles this time. I haven't gotten ahold of my brother and sister in law yet but will hopefully today. This way Ryan can have a visit with everyone and if we can have it on Saturday then we might just stay overnight and he can have more of a visit with his Poppa on Sunday.

Today Gary is off to Winnipeg for his last doctor's appointment in there. After he had his by-pass surgery he agreed to take part in a study drug program. It entailed going into the city a few times a year for a check up and blood work etc. While it doesn't sound like much, it seems that the appointment always seem to come on a day that it would be better if they didn't. This morning he went into work earlier so he could do up his inventory counts, get any paperwork out that they guys might need etc. When he got in there was a note from his boss saying that he wouldn't be in because he had a funeral, and the salesmen wouldn't be in because they were in the city for meetings. Then the phone rang and it was the other inside sales guy phoning in sick! Gary told him what the situation was and all he had to say was, oh well I am sick so won't be in. This guy takes MANY sick days and they are thinking that this one just might be the end of his job. You can't run a business, a small business, with such an unreliable employee.

Busy Weekend

Friday night Gary and Crystal went to the hockey game, so I had a quiet evening at home. I watched a little tv and knit.

Saturday morning we ran errands and then started looking for new carpet for the basement. I hate that job, drive here and look, drive there and look, here and there, all over the place. We finally settled on a place that had carpet that we both liked. We are getting them to install it for us, so it won't be in till May 16th. They could of come earlier but with Ryan home we need that room down there somewhat together for him so just figured we would just do it once he left and then we can just empty the room out. I am so excited to get the new carpet in though. We have never really done a whole lot to our basement since we moved here other than painting the walls. It has that indoor/outdoor carpet now and it has definetly seen better days! We are getting a light colored berber(spelling) that has flecks of other colors through it so should be fairly easy to match to other things. I will take some before and after pictures. In the evening we had our bowling windup, which was a supper, awards and then the rest of the evening people could play pool, shuffleboard, darts or take part in the karoke. We had a delicious turkey supper and then people just hung around taking part in whatever activities they wanted. We live fairly close to the hall where it was held so we just walked there and then walked home. I was glad that I had worn my Martha poncho as it was rather chilly when we walked home.

Today we will just do up a few things around the house that didn't get done yesterday and then I think we will spend time outside enjoying the nice weather. It is suppose to get up to somewhere between 22C - 25C, so will be very nice! Think I will take something out that we can barbeque for supper.

I finished up these Fortissma Socks that I started in Calgary 

Picture of Martha's Poncho

Martha's crocheted poncho 

Martha's Poncho

After spending awhile in the frog pond with this poncho I have it finished and it is blocking as I type this. This is a pattern that really made me realize you must read the pattern, not read and think you know what you are doing. I am pretty happy with the finished product. I will post a picture after it is blocked. I am not trying to finish off the fortissma socks that I started in Calgary.

Yesterday Dad stopped by after his doctor's appointment. He really does seem to be getting down with all of this. I think that he is going to find these next 2 rounds of chemo hard and long. His hands and feet are really bothering him and then to top it off he is having a disc problem with his back and it is causing a lot of pain in his hip and leg. I am sure that being in constant is very wearing on him and he is just so ready for things to get back to normal. It is hard watching him like this. He has always looked and seemed younger than his years, but with the pain he is in and all he has gone through he really seems to be showing his age. I really do hope that once he has this behind him and he can get out on the golf course, out with his buddies etc that he bounces back to more like his old self.

Rippit Rippit

Yesterday I spend a fair bit of time in the frog pond. I ripped back my Martha Poncho. It was all just silly mistakes but I think I have it on track now. I am really wanting to cast on Susanne's poncho pattern and and and....... oh the list just never ends!

Since Sunday we have been having some rain and showers. It really hasn't amounted to much as far as accumpulations but it is helping to clean things up and green things up as well. I love the smell after a nice rain. We are still fairly overcast today, but they are saying that it is suppose to clear up. I hope so as the energy levels in my house are a bit high today and these guys really need to burn off some energy.

Yesterday I started taking my hemp hearts. I read the package and one thing other than the omega's that I noticed was they are high in iron, so that is another added bonus for me. I am hoping that they don't bother my system and that I am able to take them as they really do sound like they are good for you.

Yesterday also got Ryan's ticket all arranged so he can come home. It is going to be so good to have him home for the week. I know it has been difficult on him being so far away when Dad has been sick. The two of them have a pretty special bond. I sure hope that we can keep it a surprise that he is coming home.

Dad will be down today for his doctor's appointment. I imagine he will stop around the house when he is finished. He has done so well with all of this and just sort of taken it as it comes, but I am starting to think that it is starting to wear on him. His hands and feet have really started bothering him and that constant pain does tend to get you down. And now his back is bothering him so that is not helping at all I am sure. He really hasn't complained much at all through all of this, but that is changing so you just have to know that he has had enough.

These are the Jawoll socks. 

Spring is here?

Spring just might be here, but I don't want to say it too loud because it hasn't been unheard of us to have snow at this time of year. Before we know it, it will be time to take the trailer to the campground and I am so looking forward to getting out there, relaxing and visiting with the campground friends.

Saturday morning we got up, got ready and headed out to do some errands. First stop was the doctor's office for my B12 shot and I showed him the information on hemp hearts. He read it over and said that there was no reason that Gary couldn't take it, and then laughed and said, now if Gary comes in all high and happy I will know what is up. I wanted to check out a few places to see if I could get George's lotion here instead of in Alberta. By the time our errands and groceries were done, we had our hemp hearts, and found that Safeway carries Pea Butter, George's and the brown rice that Susanne told me about, so I am happy! *S*

Saturday afternoon I switched out my winter clothes for my summer clothes, deep cleaned our bedroom and then tidied the other rooms. Gary did the front and back yard and got all the daycare toys back out for me. The yard looks so much better now and the kids will be happy to have their toys back out.

On the knitting front, I did finish up my Cotton JaWoll socks and I will post a picture of them later today. They are a dark hunter green with a black fleck in them and I was quite happy with them. That is one more of the items that I cast on in Calgary off the needles. I did work a wee bit on my Martha poncho once I finished the socks up. I have so many projects I want to cast on, but have to get all these ones that I must get off the needles.

Slow but sure wins the race

Slowly but surely I am getting there. Since the cupboard that I store my yarn in is downstairs right outside of the playroom I got my new yarn all put away this morning. It was fun getting it all out again and trying to remember just what project I was planning on making with each yarn. I am really looking forward to working with the ribbon yarn, but really do have to get some things off my needles first. I am working on another pair of socks that I cast on at the gtg and down to the foot on the first sock of the pair. But it is appearing that spring has arrived here, it is 20C here today so the outdoors is calling loud and clear! Once we start camping there will be knitting time in the evenings for awhile anyways. 

This is just a test. I downloaded picasa and am playing with it to see if I can figure it out! 

One down, six to go!

The girls at the reunion/gtg are a very bad influence on me. I have always had one, maybe 2 projects cast on at a time, never have second sock syndrom as I always to the second sock immediately after binding off the first sock. But I spend a few days with these ladies and came home with seven, yes SEVEN projects on different needles! The poor single socks are in their little project bags screaming out to be finished, but a person only has so much time. I did manage to finish up one project that I cast on. These socks are done from opal that is called Rodeo that I got from Sarah. I love the yarn and loved the way it worked up. The yarn really surprised everyone, no one could guess exactly what was coming next. I usually don't mind if my socks don't match perfectly, but with these ones I just felt they had to match. So I worked one down to the toe decreases, where I noticed that that left me right where I cast the first sock on. So I cut the yarn, cast on the second sock, finished it right to the end of the toe, then found the right color pattern, joined and finished the toe of the first sock. Here they are



Last night I talked with Ryan for a long time, he was very chatty which was nice. He is really getting tired from all the hours he has been working. There is a glimmer at the end of the tunnel though as they have a new assistant manager coming the end of the month. Since moving to B.C., he has been finding things pretty tight financially, what with rent and utilities, his car payment and car insurance, groceries, and all the other things that one has to buy. He told me last night that his plans are to move into his girlfriends apartment. She has a roommate that sort of out of the blue gave her notice and said she was leaving and she can't afford the rent herself so this should help them both out a bit. We are really looking forward to meeting her and her son this summer and getting to know these people who seem to have become so important in Ryan's life.

Crystal is keeping busy with her school work and her job. Yesterday and today she wrote a final in one of her courses. She still has a group project to finish in this course. By the end of April she will be done for the summer, and she is looking forward that.

Lacy Poncho

And this is the lacy poncho that I made from a pattern in InKnitter. I was so upset with myself that I forgot to take it to Calgary with me.

How far is it to Calgary?

These are two pairs of socks that I finished up during my little holiday.
These ones are called Old Shale and I had one completed and was into the foot on the second on. They are kind of fun cause the have a little turn down cuff


And these are a boring pair of man's socks. Now if anyone asks me how far it is to Calgary I can reply, "one sock". I had one of these done, and I cast on the second just outside of Brandon and kitchenered the toe just before we got to Calgary.

Catching up

It is time to catch up on here, to get some pictures posted of things that I have been doing.
This is a little teacup and saucer that I crocheted


On my trip to Calgary I used my pink felted bag, but I just wasn't happy with the fabric that it was. It was just too soft and flimsy, so one of the first things I did when I got home was refelt it. This is before I refelted it


And even though this doesn't look all that different I am so much happier with it now. You can tell that I do still need to brush it though.



This is a shawl that I crocheted for our gift exchange. Sandra was the one who picked my parcel, so this now belongs to her.

Getting back into routine

Getting back into routine after being away for a week is so hard to do! This morning I said to Gary, you mean I have to cook today? The time away was wonderful, but it is nice to be back home again too. When we got to Regina Saturday night we got the last room in the city. There was a trade show or home show starting there so they city was pretty much booked up. We got a lovely king sized executive suite for regular room price so that was a nice way to finish up a holiday.

I had a wonderful time with friends, many laughs and so many good memories. Also made some new friends which is always good. Spent many hours just relaxing, feet up and knitting and of course talking, talking, talking. Ate so many wonderful meals through the week, but came home to find I had only gained 1 pound so that wasn't bad at all! Also managed to help out the economy of Calgary but doing some yarn shopping. Now I have new yarn that is waiting to be cast on, but the old stuff is yelling loudly that it should get to go first.

I have some pictures to post but will do that later today or tomorrow.