Knit Much Going On

A Requested Update

2008-12-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Life goes on here. The economy has thrown the family for a loop but we're still here...so far! I'm in the process of buying my house from The Company. I'm still working as a learning specialist and loving it. Kids are fun. I can't imagine working with adults only all day long. I've dropped 70 lbs since June and have donated so many old clothes that I'm sure they think someone died! I'll look for a recent photo to post. But I feel better. My feet and knees were hurting but don't now.I think I have a bit of neuropathy in the feet but not too bad. I still have a long way to go but am enjoying the process.

Whoa

2008-05-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

I finally remembered how to get on this thing! I know I'll have to think of something to say. Hmmmm...I'll get back to you on that.

One Month Later...

2007-06-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are pictures. We start with my folks and family on Mother's Day this year. My dad joined us for a nice brunch at Northridge along with my sister Marilyn and her daughter and grandkids. Amy was in Idaho. :(
I did go and spend a week with her.
Next we have the wedding of my cousin Mona and her partner of 20 years, Frode. They came to the US (update: Mona, Frode, their girls and Mona's parents live in Trondheim, Norway) to get married in San Francisco and honeymoon in Hawaii.

They are joined by their daughters Maria, 16 and Julia, 13.
The pastor's wife surprised us with a beautiful cake for a little reception upstairs from the chapel. There were also "waffle kakes" with jam, a traditional treat with "kaffe".
To Dad's left is his neice, Ellie. She is his late sister Agnes' daughter. I think she looks just like Agnes but so far I'm alone in that opinion.

My cousin Brian and his wife, Laura, drove over from Sausalito to join us. They're expecting another boy in October. Hooray! Neil and Heidi were there and the blonde with her back to the camera is my newest sister-in-law, Julie and Bernice is to her left.

The exterior of the Nowegian Seaman's Church, 2454 Hyde Street.

The visiting family wanted the photo beneath the American flag but it was around the corner and too small a space for a picture so they settled for the Norwegian flag. Just a pure coincidence that Alcatraz is behind the happy couple!

This is a view from the balcony of the condo where we settled for another little champagne celebration.

Later that evening we gathered for a dinner at the Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf.

The cutting of the cake and then feeding each other a piece was a new one for the couple and they were a bit unsure why we had them do it!

Whew! I am unskilled at blogging! This has taken me over an hour so I hope these will hold you a while.

Ugh

2007-05-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I've been sick with a cold/sinus infection for over a month. I got it a week after I got home from Kentucky. Kaiser is playing hard to get with me. This is our last full week of school and I can't be there! This may be my last week in a classroom as a full-out teacher. Boo-hoo! I've been going to work and was feeling better but I went to Washington, D.C. last weekend for Matt and Julie's housewarming and since I got off the plane home, I've had a splitting sinus headache. Poor me, huh? Wah-wah-wah. Okay, enough of that.
Kentucky was great, I saw a number of people from Kansas but didn't get a chance to visit much with them.
Amy is in Ohio now for her little brother's high school graduation. Time flies. She's doing very well in school even scoring a 93+ on a math test! She didn't get any math skills from me, let me assure you, the high school tutoring paid off.
I'm heading back to bed...I'll put up photos of something soon. I'm sure you just can't wait.

Louisville, KY

2007-04-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello from Kentucky! I'm here for the Council for Exceptional Children Convention. It starts tomorrow and it should be good. I feel kind of bad because I had to take this T-F off this week and Open House is Thursday night. I owe my partners BIG time. Thanks, Ladies!
Amy started her new semester yesterday and it sounds like so far she's happy with it. She told me about some new gadget that is a small wireless unit that each student buys and the teacher can quiz them (among other things) and they can each answer immediately. It sounds like a cross between Jeopardy! and Love Connection. She's back in her same room in her same apartment. Ah, the good old days! I'm very proud of her.

Spring Break

2007-03-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Due to complaints that I haven't updated this lately, now I am! School is out for a couple of weeks and I'm going to work on cleaning my house. It is, as FlyLady would say, in a state of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Usually the living room is decent but not even the foyer is in order. Sigh. Lots to do. Well, that's an update! Just knit much going on!

Great Week!

2007-01-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

It's only Thursday but so far I've had a pretty great week. I've had a nasty head-cold-thingy since last weekend but it is nearly gone. I've gotten quite a bit taught this week and there is only one work day left in it! Hooray! No big plans this weekend. I hope to have dinner with an old friend on Saturday night. If I can get rid of this head crap I'll go and see my mom. Dad gets back from New Zealand tomorrow and maybe I'll see him, too! At some point I'll also write report cards and prepare for the conferences! I'm sure that there will knit be much going on!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

(I'm actually posting this on 1/21/07 because Blogger wouldn't let me post it when I wrote it!)
Happy 2007! I had a safe and quiet night here at home with Amy (and Tinkerbell!) and the neighbors didn't make a peep! For my 44th birthday we went to my sister Marilyn's house where her daughter Leigh Ann taught Amy how to make our family's traditional birthday dinner-Cornish pasties. Amy also made the other part of our family tradition, German chocolate cake with coconut/pecan frosting! Delicious and great company. Mom joined us as well as Zack and Sami.

School is going well. We have conferences coming up soon and we're busy writing report cards.

Finger Knitting!

2006-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while but I'm still kicking. I taught all my students (36) how to finger knit this week and they LOVE it! We're studying early California and the wagon trains that brought the pioneers west. I bought them each a ball of Lily "Sugar and Cream" and taught them how to find the center of the ball, tie a slip knot and got them knitting on 4 fingers (some on 3 fingers making i-cord). They wouldn't put it down! Since it was Thursday of our last week before "Winter Break" that was fine--it's mathmatical and scientific! I've offered to teach how to 'needle knit' after we return in January. After school, of course! I'll have to bring photos. I hope to get some knitting done this break.

Amy comes home this next week after her finals. I'm excited to have her home for a while. No big plans for the holidays, just spending it with family. Peace to all!

Gobble! Gobble!

2006-11-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Amy and I spent the evening at Neil's house with his family, Matt and Julie, Dad and Bernice, my cousins Brian and Laura and their son, Ryder. Good food and good times and good pictures to follow! I'm very thankful for all our health and happiness and I hope the same for you!

Indianapolis, Indiana

2006-11-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week I've had here in Indianapolis at the dyslexia conference. My brain is bursting! It has been exhausting and exciting and it will take a while to process it all. I know it will take a while to pack it all! I'm heading home tomorrow. I've had a good time and met some very nice people. Whew! I'll have to add more later when I can think in complete sentences again!

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

2006-10-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

Fourth grade doesn't throw a party, hooray! It was a great day. AND I taught the Pre-K music! I hope I haven't scarred them for life. It was only for 2o minutes and I played the piano with my right hand and sang a bit but it was fun. The kids were great and the time flew. Tonight I had quite a few trick-or-treaters for this neighborhood. I gave away Tootsie Pops and met some of my newer neighbors. I'm finishing my report cards and preparing for parent-teacher conferences. We gained an hour this last weekend but I'm waking up at the old time and getting sleepy at the old time. I guess I'm becoming an "old timer!" I hope that soon I'll be knitting again.

It's That Flu Shot Time of Year

2006-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back (have been for a while) from New York and finally have a couple of photos to share. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. Ames and I had a wonderful time.The weather was beautiful. The reception was at an old bank that is now Cipriani 42nd Street. Fantastic.I got to spend a nice bit of time with Erik and Solvar, my cousins from Norway. This photo of them was taken at the rehearsal dinner. Erik speaks English very well and Solvar and I communicated amazingly well using her limited English, some signs and the few words I know in Norwegian. They tried to talk me into spending a year teaching English in Trondheim. I have to admit I'm very tempted! I also got to see my cousin Sherise, who lives in Florida, and her brother Brian and wife Laura from SF and my aunt Shirley from Connecticut.We stayed at the Waldorf=Astoria (thanks, Dad!), I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (twice!) and after Amy arrived we did a bit of window-shopping. No yarn stores but I did make a waterbottle holder and started a pair of socks. No pix of those, though. Hey! Get a flu shot!

Is It Still September?

2006-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been back teaching now for at least 3 months. I'm having fun but time is not flying. The weather is getting a bit cooler and my allergies have subsided a bit. I'm getting ready to head to New York where I hope it will be even cooler.

Know of any great "don't miss" yarn shops in NYC? I still haven't finished my Knitty bag but I don't have much left. I just need to DO it! Hopefully I'll get some done over the next couple of weeks. I also need to get a pair of socks on needles. Gotta have something to carry around!

This Valley Sucks

2006-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

I love nature. Honestly, I do. However, there are a few weeks out of the year when my allergies are so bad that I don't even want to go outside. This is one of them. I am a red-eyed snarffelling mess. I'm not very happy about it and neither are my students. I'm a bit nasty this week. It was very windy today and hopefully it will calm down. Until that happens, this valley sucks.

I have to get knitting because I need a new purse.

I Live!

2006-09-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

But I am pretty tired. Work is great. Rolling along. Back-to-School Night went fine. Mondays and Tuesdays are my favorites. Actually, I've only been working Tuesday-Fridays because we've had 2 Mondays off and this last week I went to Idaho.

The trip to Idaho was great. Amy's party was fun and I had a wonderful time. I went to a couple of classes with her and realized how old I am. She's doing very well and I'm extremely proud of her. I hope to post a picture or two from the trip.

I also go to knit a bit!! I'm on the 4th panel of the Knitty purse I'm making but it started to slant in the wrong spot so I'm basically tinking all the knitting I did on my trip. Too much chatting and not paying attention. That'll teach me to take a pattern for granted!

They Call It "Humpday" for a Reason...

2006-09-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

I don't think it is because we're over the hump, I think it refers to the hump in my back. I'm tired but happy. Yesterday was my first day as "learning concierge" and I loved it. I love classroom teaching but this is a great change even if only for Monday and Tuesday.

This is a big week for birthdays in my family. Matt's is tomorrow, Heather's is the day after that and Amy's is 9/11. I'm planning a visit to her soon. Maybe that will be my chance to knit since I can't really take my work with me! I want to finish the silk sari purse. When I titled this "Knit Much Going On" I didn't think it would really end my knitting career. Had I known the effect of a name I'd have named it "Freakishly Successful" so all my dreams could come true! (Vote Pedro)

Well, I'll finish correcting papers and head to the snooze basket. Wink-wink, Clover!

A Day of Rest

2006-09-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

What a great week! But I did enjoy sleeping in today. I'm feeling my age this week but have also dropped about 5 lbs. from being back at work. Some "Mama-drama" from a parent but nothing out of the ordinary. We have Monday off then Pam will teach Tuesday and I'll be back at it Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

I had a l----0----n----g lunch with Karen today at Fresh Choice. It was great to chat with her. I also took my pictures in to be developed and hope to load a few on here.

We celebrated Amy's 21st with a "little" cake at home. Not really enough room for 21 candles so I just used 2 and 1.

I'm going to go back and add more pictures to the appropriate entries.

I hope to get some work done around the house this weekend and go visit Mom. And then...maybe I'll knit on Monday! Woohoo!

I Love Teaching

2006-08-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

That's all there is to it. I just love it. I've said it and in a couple of months when I have apparently forgotten it, I'll just reread this entry and remember that I love it. Busy, frantic, disjointed but I'm sure next week will be smoother when we get our schedule under control and we'll fall into a more natural rhythm.

I left school early (shortly after the kids) to take my baby to the airport. She took off but had to circle SLC for 45 minutes because Air Force One decided to land there and so no one else could! They had to land elsewhere to refuel and by the time they got back to SLC she had missed her next flight. She's found a room and they have her scheduled for a flight tomorrow. Needless to say, she ain't happy but she's fine.

I was going to go knitting with Karen tonight but because I left school early I returned to finish my work. Someday soon I hope to knit again! :::sigh!:::

Hooray!

2006-08-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic day! Great kids! Busy, busy, busy! I'm exhausted but a good exhausted. I don't have that much to say because I'm heading for bed.

3...2...1...

2006-08-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day! We met our new student today and the rest come tomorrow. He's cute...so far. No, I'm sure he'll be just fine. I was home around 8:00. That's the earliest I think I've every been out of the classroom the night before school starts. I should have been sharing a contract all along! :)

The shower was great and the birthday party was fun. It's always great to see my "extended" family!

I still haven't picked up any needles since Wednesday. I'm going through withdrawals! I may go knit with the Crazy Basket Lady on Wednesday evening after I take Ames to the airport (if I'm still awake!)

Party People

2006-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

We just got home from a great party for Matt and Julie held in Lincoln. Our hostess is also a fantastic knitter and has recreated a beautiful cabled $1200 cashmere designer purse for a smidgen of the price. I took photos but I'm too tired to try and get them off my camera tonight. We have another party tomorrow. A charming little boy in the family is turning 2! He is actually Amy's cousin's son. I don't know off hand what you call it--first cousin once removed or second cousin. Whatever, he's precious.

Back in the Saddle Again...

2006-08-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm getting back into it now. I started a bulletin board today and that kicked my brain into gear. The a/c is fixed and that makes hauling it up and down the ladder less miserable. And...

My kiddo is home! I picked her up at the airport this evening. She is getting her hair done in the morning then a friend from school has invited her out. Then I'm sure she'll be THRILLED to come and help me in the classroom! Or not, but she'll help. She's a good kid.

No knitting today :(

Zzzzzzzzzz...

2006-08-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Another great exhausting day. Two meetings of smiling and nodding. Active listening is tiring!
I went to a knitting session with Karen tonight and that was very pleasant. I bought some Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL, 50% Baby Alpaca-50% Merino Wool in Aged Wine to make these mitts from-- where else? Knitty! There was a woman at the knit shop who had made a pair and they're darling so I thought I'd give them a try. I knit a bit more on the purse from the silk sari so I'm closer to finishing that. Right now I'm exhausted and heading off to the snooze basket. No meetings tomorrow but still a lot of work.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

2006-08-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

I had a great day today. Really. If I described it in too much detail it would sound rotten but it was really good. I went to our all-school meeting. I was 45 minutes early but there's a first time for everything. The meeting was fine, as meetings go. The trustees prepared a BBQ for us afterward and that was very nice and unexpected. I met up with many old friends and met some new ones. Pam, Helen, Anita and I met and got quite a bit of planning done. The a/c is broken in our room but I did report it and hopefully they'll have it working by the first day of school. It was 93 degrees today but should only be 92 tomorrow! :)

I didn't get any socks started but I hope to because I have another meeting in the morning and I did all the busywork I had to do in the meeting today! My "crazy basket lady" friend, Karen, feels that the Trekking is the way to go. I second the motion and it's a done deal! I have a few of color choices but they're all multi-colored. I can't commit to one color so "multi" covers it for me. If I could resolve all commitment issues this easily!

My baby comes home the day after tomorrow! She'll be home for a week inbetween "block" of her classes. I wish I wasn't going to be so busy but that's life and she understands...I hope...:)

Whew!

2006-08-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like being physically fit--and I'm nothing like it! I'm out of shape! I'm really going to have to work out to teach this year! I'm sure some will just drop when I get back to the routine--at least what I've put on since I left. There are many field trips this year that I will have to WALK on! Some where I will have to sit on the GROUND! And then get back UP!!!!
I used to look like this:

and now I look like this!
Ugh! Granted, 23 years passed between the two photos but still! Goodness gracious, Gertrude! I've got my work cut out for me.

I dragged myself into a local teacher supply store to get a plan book. I'm just not mentally into it again yet. But I had a great meeting with my new partner (and her darling baby!) and so at least I have an idea about the curriculum. Tonight I went with friends to a farewell party for a dear woman who has been at the school for 34 years and was my principal when I left. I will miss her but she has (finally!) gotten a grandchild deserves to go and play a bit.

I'm going to do a bit of laundry and knit a bit. I found a couple books about knitting socks on circular needles so I'm going to send those off to Linz. If you're reading this, Linz, update your blog! In your spare time, of course! :) I'm debating starting a pair of socks tonight to work on at the meetings I have this week but I'm not too sure how well it would go over. But, better to be prepared than sorry, right? That's enough to convince me, I'm so glad we could discuss that.

Well, I have stitches to cast on (I just do the same pattern everytime for my gi-normous feet) but first a yarn to choose. Ah, what to choose? Opal? Lorna's Laces? Trek XXL? I have too much stash to choose from. Such a delightful dilemma!

Here I Go...

2006-08-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

In an effort to retain my sanity while embarking on a new phase of my career I am going to use this blog to keep my thoughts straight and not lose "my life" to "my job."I'm in my early 40's and have a daughter in her early 20's. I've just completed a M.S. Ed Autism/Asperger's and am starting back to teaching in a couple weeks after a 3 year absence. I'll resume teaching but will also work as a learning resource. I'm very excited about it but I don't want it to consume my every waking moment. Therefore, I will try to limit entries to this blog related to my j-o-b.

I mentioned my daughter, who is the light of my life. No pressure, Kiddo! She is studying to become an elementary teacher and she will be fantastic. I don't know if she'll pursue special education but she certainly has the disposition for it. She loves kids and is very patient with them.

I have a precious pup, Tinkerbell, who just turned 9 years old. She's a rescue and is either Shih Tzu or Lhasa Apso or both. Her tongue is too long for her snout and always hangs out(unless she's made to go out in the snow!) VERY cute and she works it. I need to replace all the carpet in the house.

I have an eclectic taste in music. I listen to music from the early 1900's to contemporary. I adore XM radio.

I love to knit but don't get to do it as much as I used to. I usually knit socks but am right now working on a purse. I picked up the fiber while visiting the "Lambtown" festival in Dixon, CA with my fellow knitting friend, Karen. Sorry, no pix and it's unlikely I'll be going back anytime soon. Not that great. I like knitting with the silk but it doesn't have any "give." It should turn out pretty sturdy.