Christmas in July by the book

Our public library has a summer reading program of course, but in addition to encouraging the kids to read more through the summer they also encourage the adults with recording booklets and prizes.  With this motivation and to further encourage my pair, I signed up for

Scanning the new book shelves near the end of June, I noticed several novels and mysteries with Christmas, holiday, or New Years in the title and thought, "hummmm, how about reading Christmas in July?"  Part of my method was to trick my mind into thinking the coming heat wouldn't be as noticed.  My first titles were New Year's Quilt and

As we get ready for holiday, I've picked up several titles to take for reading at the lake.
The Christmas Bargain, The Christmas Clock, and A Christmas Journey.

Well this too got lost into the wonders of summer activities.  I loved reading Christmas stories through July, and I think it partially kept my mind cooler in the heat of the summer.

Sucked into facebook...

and I lost so many hours looking up family, finding friends, and making comments to all of thee above.  Wow, Facebook is a TOTAL time suck.  So here's a very brief update of the news and happenings.

April -
Spring break brought a visit of my parents.  We had fair weather but a wonderful time, including a drive around town with Grammy, a four generation photo op, and opening day for the TinCaps.




I'm not a baseball fan, but I love going to minor league games.  The ball parks are smaller, the fans are great, and the players really are there for the love of the game.  Despite the rain that started during the 5th inning, we were prepared with rain gear & umbrellas, the TinCaps won and we enjoyed the post-game fireworks.  The fireworks were amazing, partially because they were shot off from the outfield.  I've never been so close to the action before.

April also brought rain, showers, more rain, and lots of tornado warnings.  Drove home one night from Wabash with Grammy in a torrential storm, which left me soaked after dropping her at home.  The next morning I saw damage to a billboard and silos at one farm on Rt. 13 which lead me to wonder if I should have even been on the road the night before.  Since I didn't hear an sirens, it wasn't that bad, but....

The kids started spring soccer on their own teams, but they were each on the red team.  Several weeks games were on adjacent fields which meant Mom & Dad got to hang in between fields and watch both.  The both learned many new skills and had lots of fun.

May:
Should have brought the end of school, but with so many snow days (ice days, fog days... you get the idea), we had to make up 9 days of school.  For my pair this wasn't a big deal since they always went to school into June, but there were many families who had vacation plans or college visit plans which were either changed or more missed school days for the kids.

We also so more rain and further delays for planting the fields around town.

June:
Finally the end of school for the kids.  The start of summer brought soccer camp, tennis camp, and basketball camp for the kids.  Using high school talent, lots of kids here in town had fun learning fundamentals and gave parents a couple of hours a day with them running off all that energy.

MM spent a week at Bear Lake Camp, her first year at sleep away camp.  After a big hug at the end of the week, I was greeted with "I can't wait to come back next summer!!"  LB gets to enjoy his week later in July.




Knitting continues as does unpacking, cleaning, and baking.  With summer months bring families for reunions, weddings, and holidays so things at the inn are picking up.  Soon we also head out for our holiday with Robert's family and I can't wait for some one to cook and clean for me.

Happy Birthday

to the biggest change in history....

Irish Eyes are Smiling

Cancer sucks

I know I've been AWOL, but there is just too much happening here and the biggest bitch I can't post about at this time.  I'm still alive, not in jail, and I'm not sick either.  I am still reading all those blogs that keep me laughing so I don't run screaming from my world.

On that note, Carol posted about a raffle that XRX is holding to raise money for one of their own.  Yes the afghan is gorgeous but supporting someone facing treatments far from home is more important for each of us to do. Even though funds are tight for many of us, think about what it would be like for you to face these issues and need help of those you love and those you don't even know.  Now go order your raffle ticket.

Hearts for all

Putting up....

With one child away MLK weekend, I had time to put my first round of bbq sauce.  This is the first time I water bath canned a batch.  One stock pot of sauce resulted in 11 pints ready for the lower pantry shelves.

Next up - jam or marmalade!!!  I have the ingredients for both and just need an afternoon to put it all together and that may come yet this week.

With help from a class at the library, I've started my first sock, twice.... This is just the class sock but some how in less than three inches I managed to add two stitches so a happy ripping we did go.  Start no. 2 and so far all goes well.  I succeeded in creating the heel flap but I was not understanding from the pattern directions or the videos online how to created the heel turn so back to class.  Today with help, I got it!!!!
Now I'll finish the class sock and try the kitchner stitch to close the toe.  If it too causes problems, Wednesday a group of knitters gathers at Zook's and I will join them.


My first up for a pair of socks will come from a skein of Black Bunny Fibers, South Street.  I picked up this skein last year when Carol was doing a book signing at Loop.  Now in Indiana, South Street is a fun remembrance of my time working on Lombard, one block north of South Street.  This will be a simple sock so the colors show to maximum beauty.


As we are all settled in here, Ms. Tina has begun updating her followers on the trauma of relocating and her new location.  She can't have her entourage neglected.  Her major complaint with the move is that her humans get to move about the full house, but she is only given reign over the family bedrooms and sitting room.

Christmas week recap

Our first Christmas in our new house was a family affair.   But how to spend 12 days with the kids and DH in our new town...?  A break in his schedule brought DH home the weekend before Christmas and kept him here until the 10th.  Wow, he has been around for a long time.

We put up the Christmas tree.  Talk about massive levels of frustration when strand after strand didn't glow.   Thanks to those  strands of lights that just wouldn't light full or at all, one tree was only happening. With the help of LB & MM, the tree was up and decorated.  We turned on the new base for tree rotation, and after a couple of hours rotation the lights started going out.  Since the base for my tree broke, we had to get a new and one that rotates would be a bonus.  With added patience of DH (no I'm not inventing this), we found that the lights turned out for half the rotation.  The base is going back to Brylan after Christmas is put away.  The replacement better work or I will totally loose it.

For the first time most of the Christmas village came out of the boxes.  These two sets are in the main living room and dining room.  With 4 different firehouses, we put one in each guest room to serve as a holiday night-light.  I also put other pieces in the breakfast nook, front entry, and guest sitting room.  

I'm already planning some changes to my displays for next year.  Part of the changes I'm sure will involve more "staged" settings, and other trees in the house.  Heck we have more then enough ornaments to decorate trees through out the house.

Thanks to the Eagles Theater & Honeywell Center, we had four days on movies to enjoy.  The kids we really up for seeing The Polar Express and Home Alone.  I wanted to see the original Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Carol (Alistair Sims as Scrooge) on the big screen.  With free popcorn at each showing, we had lots of fun with movies & popcorn all week.  

Along with the movies, DH and the kids spent time at the Y playing basketball, tennis, and hitting the pool during my therapy sessions.  We were so thankful for this high activity time to pull off some of the excess energy that only consecutive days home bring on. 

New Year's Eve brought a return guest from the Thanksgiving holiday.  With an early New Year's celebration with his parents done about 10:30, he enjoyed ringing in the New Year with DH, LB, & MM.  I didn't make it this year.  I was so wiped that by 11:15 I was in bed and snoozed through the end of the year.   

2011 continues our year of firsts here in North Manchester, what a lot to look forward to.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

I gave myself this...

It's a set of Thangles and the fabric for the first block in the Buck A Block club from my LQS!  I joined this project since I have the time.  With all our changes and my 45 second commute, I think starting a quilt top is possible.  Those who know me may wonder at the purple.  The color theme is purple, green and off white, which will be perfect for one of our rooms.  So my first bed size quilt goes for a guest room instead of ours or for family but that's what timing does sometimes.

I don't do the whole New Year's Resolution thing.  After reading this post and with all the changes in our life, I decided it's time to look at where I am and define a purpose to what I'm doing. Part of defining my purpose is to focus on things, people, and what I do.  Our move has blatantly shown that we have too many things and keeping up with all of it takes too much time which directly impacts other things we want to do.  So beyond my new quilt project, my first project of purpose is a strategic purge of things for myself and the family.

Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores will be seeing frequent trips from me.  Of course I'm certain there will be many rounds of "but I really need/love this & that," so I'll keep you updated on where we end up.