No rest for the weary

I have thought about getting back to this page almost everyday. I really need to keep up with posting as I am missing out on documenting certain things in the kids lives.  

The most recent has been the cheer competition from this past weekend. My stepdaughter cheers on the Junior squad (it generally goes by age). Due to a rough season and lots of injuries, she was called up to the Senior team this past Wednesday. She was given two days to learn as much as she could about the older girls' routine before she had to perform it. She was nervous and scared that she would not have the strength and stamina to perform a second routine so closely to performing the first one. About 20 minutes prior to their performance time, she was given the information that another girl was injured on the team and that she was going to have to fill in. I'm sure she was sick with anticipation and nervousness. (We didn't know any of this information since she was with her team in the warm-up area. We actually didn't know this information until half-way through their routine when she was basing a stunt!). I will never forget her searching for us in the stands seconds before her team was to take the mat, she looked right at us and I gave her a double thumbs up. I'm hoping this let her know that we had full confidence in her abilities. Once they took the mat, about 5 counts into the song/routine, their music cut out. They had to keep going, using counts. The entire gymnasium was counting for them and, I'm not going to lie, it brought a tear to my eye. It wasn't just "our" parents that were counting...it was everyone, even the competition! I wish I could say the routine was flawless, rarely can I say that, but it was jaw dropping. They went on to take first place in their bracket and won grand champions of their level. The class the showed by smiling even when they weren't sure they would be able to complete their task and the courage to push through was not something I would have expected from a group of teenagers. 

We have something with car-selfies...I'm not sure how to explain it. We usually take a photo in the car before going anywhere (and sometimes if we forget to snap one before pulling out of the driveway, one of the girls will take one while I am driving and pretending to look at the camera). The one in the picture below is my 12 year old. She is dancing this year...ballet, jazz, and modern/lyrical. This is her first year dancing, and she earned a solo in her jazz dance. She had to prepare a short routine and perform it in front of her class against anyone else who thought they might want to perform a solo. She won and we were FLOORED (since one of the girls she was up against has been dancing since she could walk). This talented dancer has also been playing the cello for almost 3 years now and just moved up to a full size cello...those things are huge!

 

One more (well two but they go hand in hand) thing that has kept me super busy lately has been work. I was nominated to be the captain of our Relay for Life team at work. So I have been racking my brain to come up with fundraisers, conducting fundraisers, attending meetings, etc. for our team. Our most recent fundraiser was a Sip & Paint. Anyone ever do one of those? They are sooo fun! There is a teacher of the class and everyone paints the same general picture, but in the end everyone's picture is different....Oh, and you do all of this while sipping wine or beer. What could be better than that?!?!? Right along side the Relay for Life group, I accepted a new position at work! They still have not filled my old position so I am helping them out until they can get a new employee in and trained. So, when I am in the office, I am swamped and when I am not in the office I am out visiting accounts and trying to create some more sales! Some days I don't know which way is up! I have to keep telling myself "This won't last forever" and hoping that is true. One more major trip to take for my old job and then I will be only in Pennsylvania for work. The last trip was Florida (I think it was like 20-30 degrees while we were there) and the next and last trip will be Las Vegas. I'm hoping to get some pictures of some knitting with some clouds in the background...that would be great.

 

Hopefully I will be back on Wednesday to show off the book I am currently reading and my latest knitting project.

Documenting camp

Oh how we would love to have our own camp! It wouldn't be too far away from home, but not too close either. Just far enough to get away from home for the weekend for a change of scenery. My father-in-law rents a camp almost every year. The kids look forward to it all year long.  Even though the camp we rent  is only about 5 miles out of town or 20 minutes away from home, it does not have cable, or wi-fi, or even cell service (I know, we are cruel). However, it doesn't seem to bother the kids that they are out of touch with the rest of the world for a few days. We usually have a grand time playing card games (this year the game of choice was Go Fish) and other games. We picked up Pictionary and grabbed some easel pads and markers and laughed until our stomachs ached.

4 years ago, on the first Friday of hunting camp, I showed up with a surprise, our dog Cookie. She loves camp. I think she enjoys the freedom of running around and all the different smells in the woods. Our cookie girl is very hard to photograph because she is always on the move. This year, we were lucky to capture a few photos of her! I'm not sure how the girls pulled off getting these pictures....if I had to guess, I would bet they bribed her with a stick.

This year was the first year in a while that we did not have snow during hunting camp. The girls and I took advantage of the bare ground and landscape and took some creative pictures. Avry was disappointed by the lack of snow, she must associate camp with snow. I hate it when things are different than what I remember or expect them to be. We are hoping to make it out to camp for one more night before we have to give the keys back, so there is still hope for snow!

No deer yet for our freezer, the boys have the rest of this week to get us one. Fingers Crossed!

A little of this, a little of that

Last week I finished a couple baby knits for a friend. Her sister-in-law is expecting her first child, a little girl!  So, my friend chose some really, really bright colors. I love the way the two colors look together and that they are really different from the soft pinks, yellows, greens, blues you find in the stores. You can't tell from the picture, but the striped thing on the right is a zip up the back hooded sweater (my go-to pattern for babies). Yes, the pink in the picture is pretty true to the actual color.

I cast on a sock for a Christmas present, but have not yet decided if I will keep it for myself or gift it. The maybe Christmas present is gray tweed from Knitpicks that I picked up during one of their recent sales. I was working on turning the heel of this sock while reading the chapter in The Thirteenth Tale that was titled Turning the Heel. It just so happened that she was also knitting a gray sock. That chapter alone made me love the book.

My Grandma (my kids call her Grandma yarn) owns a small needlework/yarn shop. She asked me to stop over on Small Business Saturday to maybe help her put up some Christmas decorations. I really think that was a ploy to get me in there to see some of the wonderful new yarns she recently received. I immediately was drawn to Frolicking Feet sock yarn in the Southwestern Pleasure colorway. So, I had to cast on for yet another pair of socks. I think this is my way of ignoring everything I was planning to knit for Christmas. Just started All the Light We Cannot See. I haven't read many reviews on this, but have seen many of the Yarnalongers reading it. See those colors? The teal is my favorite!!!

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was filled with family, lots and lots of family. The picture below is not the entire family, just whoever was hanging out in the kitchen at the time of the picture. **of course the little guy was drinking rootbeer out of glass bottles so that they could have a mustache too!** (Left to right: Dad, older sister, me, younger sister, mom, nephew, brother-in-law)

Christmas knitting in full swing

Linking up with Ginny and all of the other crafty, yarn folks.

I posted a picture of the above photo on my Facebook saying it was a super secret project (which it kind of is) and my sister commented with "The Grinch is knitting a Christmas themed item?!?! I traditionally am not a huge fan of Christmas. I do not like how commercialized it has become and all anyone cares about is the amount spent. I am trying, trying, trying really hard to get into the Christmas spirit. I thought I would start out by making kind of matching dog sweaters for the two pups. I MIGHT take it one step further and take a family photo with the dogs in their sweaters.

My step-daughter asked me to make her a pair of Boot Socks. I chose this pattern for her.  They will be a Christmas gift and she does not know they are for her. She thinks I made them for a co-worker. Of course, those are not her skinny, long legs....sadly those are mine, scars and all.

I am reading The Thirteenth Tale and recently finished After You.

Hopefully more pictures next week and more blog posts, more often!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I recently had to travel to Atlanta for work. This was the first time I had ever been to Atlanta. There really isn't much to do while there. We attended a convention during the day and by the time it closed for the day, everything else was closed too. I live in a very quite town in the middle of nowhere, so it was pretty interesting to watch the big buildings of downtown Atlanta just spring up, it seems, out of nowhere.

I arrived home to more snow. It seems that the train schedule gets busier as spring/summer arrive. I got stuck on a side road the other day as this train traveled towards me. I knew that I was perfectly safe on the road beside the railroad tracks, but as the engine and cars zoomed past my vehicle (just a few feet away) it was a bit nerve wracking. I travel this road quite a few times a month since my step-kids' mom lives just a block or two past where the photo was taken, and this is the first time I have been stuck! Hopefully this won't become normal!

Grace recently purchased a pair of knitting needles and some yarn. She is in the process of making an infinity scarf for herself. She is doing a great job! I have cast on numerous projects for her over the past 3 or 4 years but I don't ever recall her finishing anything. Maybe this time will be different since she used her own money. She has also been picking up my camera and snapping a few pictures when I don't have it in my possession. My little monkey see, monkey do.

I started the book Dark Places this week. It is true to it's title...I had nightmares one evening because of it, but I think this book is one that I will always wonder what happens if I don't finish it. I plan on reading it on and off during the daylight hours so I am not reading it right before bed. The purple hood is the beginning of yet another zip-up-the-back baby sweater. This one was requested by my sister in size 2!!!! (that is the biggest I have knit yet). She also wants a cable pattern down the front, so I am on the hunt for a 24 stitch cable pattern! Joining with Ginny again this week for her Yarn Along!

Cabin Fever has taken control!

I'm definitely getting more comfortable with my camera. I enjoy taking pictures of things I wouldn't normally take pictures of (the window at a local gas station/restaurant). I like how it turned out, though it is not a picture I will treasure forever. Those silly girls up there...the pictures taken on that evening are pictures I will treasure forever. Where do they even come up with this stuff? Maybe it's the really bad cabin fever we all have that we are making up silly activities to pass the time. 

I traveled to Atlanta, GA recently for a work trip. I was excited to hit the "warm" weather. I think it was warmer at home (in Pennsylvania) than it was in Georgia! A day or two before my trip, I cast on Citron using Cascade Forest Hills.  When I saw this yarn I'm pretty sure I yelled "What beautiful color!!" I though this pattern would be an easy travel pattern, and it is, but I only worked 4 rows while traveling. I'm about 3/4 of the way through Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. This was also purchased with my trip in mind hoping it would be a quick read and one I didn't have to think too hard to read. Joining Ginny again for the yarn along this week!

Not really anything new, really

The blanket from last week (Tree of life baby afghan) has finished blocking and is placed in a basket so that it will be ready to be packed up as soon as it is time for the shower. I started and *almost* finished the yellowish - tanish sweater (2nd in from the left). It has a super cool cable detail down the front. 

I made homemade granola bars this week for the family. I have made them once before and I just had a craving for them this week. The last time I made them, I just drizzled chocolate on the top; this time I covered the top with chocolate. If I wouldn't have been home on Sunday, the family would have scarfed them all down. Today is Thursday and there are none left....I actually don't think there were any left yesterday! For the most part, I followed THIS recipe.

Last Saturday was another day spent at a cheer competition.  Every single one of our teams brought home the 1st place trophy! I was such a proud cheer mom! They did sooooo great! Our organization also won best choreography and A's team won Grand Champion for the entire competition!  We had a blizzard/snow squall move through our area right as the competition was over and thankfully everyone made it home safely!  Right now we are dealing with frigid temperatures and school closings! The kids are definitely enjoying random days off school.