Mariannes Motifs

Is this the left or right mitten?

Mitten "A" has been completed and I have just cast on for mitten "B.". I am pretty sure I am using the same set of double pointed knitting needles my Mom used for her famous cross country skiing mittens.

The crafty-ness gene is strong on both sides and both genders of the family. Photography, needlepoint, beading, knitting, woodworking, tinsmithing, rug hooking, cooking, sewing... Wow, its pretty amazing when you think about it.

I think crafts and hobbies are really important. The great feeling you get when you make something where there was nothing before! It's stress reducing, fun, and keeps your brain engaged.

And I know that there are studies that show that knitting can reduce stress and reduce your blood pressure - which will make for cheaper life insurance quotes.

Bluejay feather

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Treasure Hunting

I've got this retirement plan - travel to the world's beaches with a metal detector and see what I can find.  Ever since I was watching Pawn Stars where the guy brought in a gold bar from a shipwreck, I've had this small dream.

I found a treasure hunting forum, treasurenet.com, and was really amazed at the stuff people find - everything from civil war buttons, bullets and buckles, to old coins.   I realize that I would be far more likely to find a bunch of aluminum bottle caps than gold bars, but it still seems like a nice mellow hobby, especially if you had a little bit of land out in the country.

 

Watchcap

Here's a watchcap I knitted in superbulky yarn. It came out a bit small but fits Ben. I want to make up a bunch of hats and let everyone pick one they like.
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First Day of School

Most of my pictures came out blurry - too early for this photographer!  But the kids are on the bus and safely on their way to second grade and kindergarten.

Here's one silly picture.

New Dress A Day

Day 242. 123 days and $122 left to go. | New Dress A Day

I found a really cool blog - this woman is buying one thrift store dress for each day of the year and spending only $365 on clothes for the year and coming up with a new design made from her finds for each day of the year.

Some of the designs are wonderful. Some inspired. Some a bit odd, but the concept of this is just wonderful. Especially since she was inspired by becoming unemployed. What a wonderful way to spend your time being creative and making something out of nothing.

Socks are Finished!

Yay! Just grafted the second sock. All done. They fit nicely with my black ASICS Tigers I wear to work so I will be sporting these puppies on Monday.
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Long Update

In case I didn't have enough going on in this screwy body of mine, now I have a backache.  I pretty much spent the whole day today asleep on the couch.  Thankfully the kids are ready for school so there's not much I need to do tomorrow.  I am going to lay out their clothes for the week and I have to go grocery shopping.  Wow this blog is so interesting!

Actually, life has been interesting this week.  We had two visits from family and friends and two nights of tasty Korean food.  Wednesday evening we met up with old friends of hubby's mom and took them out for dinner at a really nice Korean restaurant we just lucked out on finding.  Then on Thursday hubby's mom's cousin from Hawaii and his family were in town.  Their son is graduating from training at Fort Benning so they came to the mainland to attend the graduation.  It was so wonderful to meet 4 cousins we have never met before.  (Well Jin had met Kim a long time ago when he was a kid)  The two sons are in their early 20s and very handsome young guys.  The younger one lives in California.  My two kids were absolutely mesmerized by the gorgeous tattoos he had on his arm - two dragons!

Uncle Kim, as we call him, took us out to a major Korean feast.  We went to Seo Ra Beol and it was so yummy.  They have the BBQ where they cook the food at the table, but they actually brought out real charcoal for the grills.  Wow.  I've seen where they have gas grills but never real charcoal. 

So we've had a lot of great cultural experiences for the kids this week.  AND both went to their school open houses, met their teachers, and are excited about school.

Ben's class looks really nice.  They have a class pet - a bunny. I talked to his teacher and I also met the special ed teacher and he's all set to go to special ed class for part of the day.  Ben is VERY nervous about going back to school. Poor kid - he worries.  I think that it's going to be helpful that he is already set up with his special ed class, so he gets a break in the school day. 

Oh - we also got Ben's CRCT (standardized testing) results back from last year.  He did above average in the language arts and reading part, and exceptional in the math sections.  Of course we know that he is a very smart kid, but it was nice to get another verification.  It may seem weird that a smart kid is in special ed, but he is one of the youngest in the class, and we're guessing that he has sensory issues.  Not sure if he has ADD - right now its just an unspecified behavioral issue.  That's ok with me as long as he is getting the help and patience he needs at school.  

Adam's kindergarted teacher is the same teacher Ben had for kindy.  That's cool - she's super nice.  (I think all their kindergarten teachers are super nice)  Their classroom is brand new - they just put a new wing on the school over the summer.  Very nice.  Oh that reminds me... I need to sign Adam up for his lunch account.  TIES STRING AROUND FINGER.

I also need to remember to try to find a reasonable jewlery store to replace the small diamond that fell out of my anniversarry band.  Perhaps wholesale diamonds?

Russia in color, a century ago - The Big Picture - Boston.com

via www.boston.com

Really amazing color photographs from Russia, circa 1910.

Scroll down for one that is a group of Jewish boys and Rabbi or teacher studying.

Musing on Summer Vacation

The kids are starting back up to school next Monday.  These last few weeks have been filled with school supply shopping, buying clothes and sneakers, dentist appointments, filling out paperwork, and buying backpacks.

I hope my kids had a nice summer vacation.  They went to the summer camp program at the day care.  It entailed lots and lots of field trips, air hockey, movies, and water park fun.

We were planning a summer beach vacation, but it didn't quite pan out.  We were going to do a rental in Destin or somewhere on the beach, but the oil spill made us leery of our usual beach spots on the gulf.  Then my husband wanted to save money and do a "staycation."  We compromised with a short three day trip to Pine Mountain, Georgia, to a resort called Calloway Gardens. 

For next summer, I definitely want to do a real week long beach rental.  This time I want to check out Outer Banks vacation rentals.  I've heard so many great things about the natural beauty of the beaches and the laid back vibe in the area.  The Outer Banks is a series of barrier islands in North Carolina, - Bodie Island, Roanoke Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island.  

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Courtesy Wikipedia

I was reading that there were a lot of shipwrecks on the coast near there.  You know what crazy thing I want to do?  Rent or buy a metal detector and walk the beach looking for buried treasure!

I was checking out the Carolina Designs Real Estate web site, which has a lot of rental listings.  Oh my gosh - they have some of the most beautiful, big fancy houses for rent.  I could get the whole family together for a beach getaway and have everyone have a place to stay.  If you split the rental price among two families its very reasonable, too.