A Birthday in the Family

  

    Today is a very special day. 23 years ago tonight, my last child was born. How well I remember that day. It was Halloween, 1989. That morning, I was bored, and feeling like a whale, so I decided to go for a walk. Just up the way, there was a street that was a very steep hill that went up and round behind the house where we were living.


     I made my way up that hill, stood for a while, then made my way down. I like to think that walking up and down that hill is what brought on my labor. Later that afternoon, I started cramping, and called Hubs, who was working at the garage up in Hyde Park. He jumped in the car, a little white VW Rabbit, and raced home. I believe he made it in under 30 minutes. It had started raining, and the roads were pretty wet. That drive normally took about 45 minutes!


     He scooped me up, and off we set down the Taconic Parkway, which was retaining the water due to the high curbs. You see, the hospital was down in Cold Spring, and that was quite a ride too.  I knew it would take a while to get there, that's why I didn't wait to call Hubs. Besides the fact that this was my third child, so hopefully labor wouldn't be too long.


    I don't remember how long my labor was, exactly, but I do remember having to give birth in the labor room, because someone had just delivered in the delivery room, and there wasn't time to clean it for me. That was disappointing, because they had a birthing chair in there, that I had been eager to try.


    By a quirk of fate, the new daddy of the couple who had the baby just before us was am old friend of Hubs'! And since they were also from Hyde Park, our kids went to school together, and are still friends!


   There is something I feel might be confusing, so let me clear it up. At the time, we were living in Sylvan Lake, with Hubs' parents, so we could save money for a house. Hubs was working in Hyde Park, and the hospital was in Cold Spring. We lived in Sylvan Lake for a little less than a year. We moved into our current house the 4th of July weekend of 1990.


    I have no baby pictures of Jesse Michael in my laptop, but he was born with little tufts of hair on his shoulders, and the tops of his ears. Fitting for a Halloween baby, don'tcha think? I remember the nurses trying to get me to name him Boris. No way. He was also the only boy born that day in that hospital.


   My youngest son has grown up to be a very good person. I am prouder of him than I can put into words. As I was thinking about what I wanted to say here, I wondered why this particular birthday was special. I think it's because it's the first birthday that he's out in the world, living away from us.


    For those few of you who will see and talk to my son today (you know who you are...), please remember: what is said in the blog, stays in the blog.


    Apologies for the long length of today's post. I guess I had a lot to say. I'm sure you can forgive proud Mama Scheff.  P.S. He's the kid on the left in the photo at the top of the post, with sister Sara and brother James.

My Frankenstorm Report

    Well, it seems that the worst of this hurricane has passed us. We were actually very very lucky. We only lost power very briefly, and just the once. Although Hubs tells me that his alarm clock was flashing again at 4 a.m., so that means it must have gone out again.


    It seems we have no horrendous damage. The creek in the back yard, that flooded so high with Irene, is hardly running hard. No flooding at all. It could be because we didn't have so much rain with this storm, as we did with Irene. This storm was mostly very high winds. I have seen photos of the riverfront in Poughkeepsie, where there was some flooding.


    None of our trees, or the trees in the wooded lot next door, are damaged. I consider that a blessing. I had left my deflated (and water puddled) pool mattress float in the yard; it didn't even blow away! However, Hubs had a hunting blind set up between the wooded lot and the pool fence, and it's nowhere to be found.  He set it up to air it out before he used it, and didn't take it down. It was staked to the ground with six stakes, he thought it would be safe enough. It seems he was wrong.


    Now I'm wondering if the supermarket is open, we need a couple of things. Maybe I'll go take a ride and see what damage there is around town. I am totally amazed that we still have power! We are usually the first ones to lose it.


    From the Weather Channel maps, it looks like the worst of it is over for us, the storm is south of us, and has moved further inland. I hope all my friends and blog readers in its path stay safe.


   

Before We Lose Power....

    I want to get this posted, before we lose power. It's very windy, but the official "Wind Advisory" doesn't start until 9 a.m., 15 minutes from now. It's not even raining, but I heard on the radio that the Hudson River will reach flood stage by 9 a.m. Then it will go even higher, like 8 feet higher. Let me repeat, it's not even raining yet!


    We live close to the river, but that's not the body of water I worry about. We have the Crum Elbow Creek in the back yard, and every spring it floods. In last years hurricane, I posted photos of how much it flooded. If this storm is worse, I'm wondering how bad it will be!


   I'm hoping that everyone I care about stays safe and warm, and that we ride out this nasty Sandy successfully. If you don't hear from me for a few days, it'll be because we have no power. Rest assured I will take notes when I get ideas for posts!

Battening Down the Hatches

   So here we are, once again waiting for a big, bad hurricane to hit. This one seems like it's going to be quite a bit worse than the one last year. So we have stocked up on water, and Hubs finally found someone who still had some candles. We already have a wind-up radio, now all we need to do is find our favorite backgammon set.


    We used to play backgammon every night, when we were working together. Usually at lunch, from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. Hopefully all this storm nonsense will blow over quickly, and the power won't be out for too long.

  
    That reminds me, I need to go dig out the propane powered coffee maker that we bought after the last big power outage. Remember the time when the whole North East and part of Canada was out? I had seen the coffee maker with the camping stuff in Dick's, and said to Hubs, "Seriously? A coffee maker?" Then after we lost power, I would have killed for one. Shortly after that, we bought one. This will be the first time we'll use it.


    I can live without many things, for a time, like a hot shower, and television, but I can't live without my chocolate coffee!

I'm Idle, Craft Wise

   I haven't worked on anything, since I finished my black felted crocheted/knit bucket bag. Even Hubs, just this evening, mentioned that I've not been knitting lately. Perhaps I'm just knitted out, for now.


   This working part time thing is cool, it's a weekends only job, so far; at the Hudson Valley Market Place, on the Salt Point Turnpike. I'm actually working for The Awesome Store! I figured "Why not?" since I am so taken with many of their products!


   It's really hard, after being idle for so long, but so far, so good. It's challenging to have to talk to strangers, but I'm learning. Being on my feet is tough, even for the short four hours that I'm there each day. But today my legs hurt less than last Saturday night, and I'm sure that tomorrow will be better too. Slowly but surely, I will get back into shape.


    And with Hubs on the day shift now, I get to see him every night! That is the best thing of all! It's even not as bad as I thought, having to cook dinner every night.

Note to Self...

    It seems that people are taking this hurricane seriously. Even though it remains up in the air which way it will end up going, it's better to be prepared. Either way, we are probably gonna get blasted. It just remains to be seen how hard we get hit.


    So my note to self reads: Do Not Try to Go Grocery Shopping When a Hurricane is Forecast in the Near Future.....


   The fracking supermarket was packed. There were people everywhere. I have never seen the store so crowded before! And the lines? They were long and s l o w  m o v i n g.... I thought I was never gonna get outta there!


    But I made it home, and now I have to start dinner. You all stay safe!

Sara Found Some Old Photos!

    I know I promised you guys a good photo of my dad, well I didn't have one. But it looks like my daughter Sara did! She posted a bunch of photos on facebook last night, so I put some in my computer's photo files.


   Here is an early one, my parent's wedding photo! January 22, 1955!

And another wedding photo, this one is Sara and grandpa at the wedding of my friends, Beth and Tim. September, 1978:

At least that's what I think. If I'm wrong, I'll let you know! This next one is my favorite of Sara, she was so freaking cute!

 

 

The only other photo of her I liked this much, she was running down the hall in a dorm at Potsdam State, with a beer in her hand!

The Unthinkable Happens

    My mom just called me, sort of in a panic. Remember, she is moving in 6 days to a smaller apartment? Well, she told me she just called the management office, and asked if she could get into the new apartment, to take measurements and stuff.


   The lady in the office told her that her apartment won't be ready until the end of November! They are gutting the whole place, putting in new insulation, and all that. So it's taking longer than they thought it would.


    Well, the move is already all planned! The movers are coming on Wednesday! The cable and phone are being activated in the new apartment as of Wednesday! Now she has to cancel all this. It was bad enough the first time, taking over an hour each to accomplish the transfer of services. She is dreading having to do it all again, to cancel the whole thing!


   Her question was, and a valid one at that, is why didn't they notify her that her apartment wouldn't be ready on time? What would have happened if she hadn't called?


    The good news is that now she has more time to get all her things sorted and packed up. The element of panic, and rushing to get it all done, has been pushed off!


   And here is a photo of Mom, taken Sunday, at her birthday party!

Another No Crafting Day

    I know it's late, for me at least. I thought I'd better write my post for the day. I didn't get to photograph anything today, the weather didn't cooperate. And I spent most of the day today at my mom's apartment, helping her pack her things for the move to a smaller place.


   On the good side, she found another of my class pictures from grade school! This one is from 4th grade. I will add the class photos to the list of things I will photograph at some point in the near future. I'd like to see how well they come out.


    Talking to mom today, she told me that the table from yesterday's post was one of the first pieces of furniture she and dad got when they got married. That makes it even more special. I asked her, and my memory was correct, it was originally blonde wood. Very 1950's.


    I know she needs my help; it's very hard for her to sort, and organize, these days. She gets overwhelmed easily. We have all been chipping in to help, and her friends have been especially helpful.


    I am still not working on anything, craft wise. I forgot to ask Sara about the colors for her friend's pot holders. I haven't even started decorating my felted purse, and I used it today when I went to mom's.


    Oh well, there's always tomorrow for crafting!

Still Recuperating, and Other News

    Today, I'm still recuperating, sort of. I feel much better than I thought I would. Spending that much time on my feet was... difficult. It got to the point where I had to just keep walking, or I would have fallen right over.


    After I got home, I took some Advil, and put my feet up for a while. I was actually getting cramps in my leg muscles, and couldn't really get comfortable. But I slept well, and got up to find that I wasn't in too much discomfort. I'm still taking it kind of easy today, but I am doing laundry. Up and down the stairs is fun.


    Last week, I went to my mom's to help her pack up some stuff for the move to the new, smaller apartment. I ended up bringing more stuff home than I packed! She gave me a box of kitchen stuff that she doesn't need, and a coffee table.


    Not just any coffee table. This table was a very large part of my childhood. I have memories of turning it upside down, and playing in it. Looking at it now, I couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 years old! Maybe 4 at the outside. Mom has kept it all these years. She, of course, has painted it. It now has two children in olden days clothes on it, all done up in folk art painting.

   Unfortunately, it also has a pretty good crack in the top. I have asked Hubs if he can perhaps repair it with clamps and some glue.


    Here is a shot of the right side of the top, you can really see the crack.

   And the left side, with the matching daisies.

    Perhaps tomorrow morning, when the light is better, I can carefully turn the table over, and  show you my favorite play area.


    I am currently not working on anything, craft wise. Although.... a certain pregnant lady greatly admired the pot holders I made for Sara.... Maybe I can make her a pair. I'll call Sara later, and ask her about color combinations.


    And P.S. - Today is my mom's 80th birthday! She is from a tiny little town in upstate New York, which doesn't actually exist any more. It became overtaken by another town, as it grew. I think my mom is the only person I've ever known who actually attended a one room school house. It boggles the mind, doesn't it?
  

I Was Totally Wiped Out Yesterday

   Yesterday, I started a new job. It's part time, and so far, weekends only. But after not working for darn near 3 1/2 years, my little four hour shift wiped me out. I am going back today, we'll see how it goes.


    In general, it isn't a hard job, but I find it difficult to engage total strangers in a conversation about the company products and story. Hopefully I will get the hang of it.


   Wish me luck.....
   

Stitch n Bitch / An Eventful Afternoon

    Stitch n Bitch was this morning, and those who were present had fun. I was nervous, and finally got to announce to my crafty friends that I GOT A JOB!! Right now, it's part time, at the Awesome Store, (where else?) at their booth at the Hudson Valley Market, out on the Salt Point Tpk.

   
     At this time, it'll only be at that site, because they are only open Saturday and Sunday. I'll be doing 4 hours each day. This means I will have to be late for my mom's not-surprise-any-more birthday party. It seems brother and his wife didn't get the surprise part. Oh, well.


    So after Stitch n Bitch this morning, I had time to go home and really get nervous before I reported to the Awesome Country store in the Galleria at 2 p.m. I was going there to fill out forms, get my official apron, and have a sort of orientation. It went well, I think.


    Yesterday, when I stopped in the Hyde Park store, I made sure I told the owner that I had been very inactive for more than 3 years, and would need time to get back into the swing, physically. She was OK with that. I hope things work out, it seems like it will be a fun place to work.


    On another topic, My felted bag came out perfectly!! My knitting friends even told me I should write out the pattern, and have it posted for sale on etsy or Ravelry. It turned out to be a near perfect bucket bag! It is plain black, so I want to decorate it. I want to embroider on it, and get some metal feet for it.


    I will keep you updated!

My Plans for the Day!

     I got to sleep in, until almost 8! Right now, the coffee's a'brewin, and I get to relax for a while. Then later, I gots things to do.


     First up, is to throw that bag in the washing machine to felt. I add tennis balls to the wash to help. It usually works pretty well. Also on the agenda for today: Driving to the Post Office to get the mail; shopping for my mom's 80th birthday gift; stopping by the Awesome Store to see if they are still interested in my services; and lastly, going to the local jeweler to see about new batteries for two of mom's watches. She asked me to do it. she didn't know where to go.


    Those are the "out and about" things, then I get to come home and wash dishes and stuff like that. I also get to check on my bag, and either put it through another wash cycle, or throw it in the dryer; also with the tennis balls.


    Whew. That's kind of a big day for me, I usually try to never make plans, because something always happens to muck them up. I can see that once in a while it is necessary, though. Then this coming Sunday, we are all gathering at daughter Sara's house for a little surprise birthday party for my mom. Her birthday is actually on Monday, so hopefully she will be surprised.


    Ten years ago, for her 70th, Sara organized a huge party, out at a restaurant, and the whole family came, even my dad's relatives from upstate. This year, none of us have that kind of cash available. But mom will enjoy herself all the same.

Crafting Update

    I just finished the crocheted/knitted bag-to-be-felted! Now to just throw it in the washing machine. To review, I crocheted a circle for the bottom, then picked up the stitches round the edge and knit in the round.


    When I determined it to be big enough, I then had to decide how to work the handle. I knew I wanted one handle, not two. Then I had to do some math. I counted the stitches around, knowing, because of the crocheted bottom, it would be divisible by 12. Here we go: I had 132 stitches, which makes 12 groups of 11. Too small. How about 6 groups of 22? That worked for me, so the next round, I cast off 44, knit 22, cast off 44, and knit 22.


    Then I put the first set of stitches on a holder, to be worked later, and began with the second set. I knew I wanted to evenly decrease the number of stitches, so I started by K3, then K2tog, then Knit across to the last 5, K2tog, K3. I did this every right side row, until I was satisfied with the number of stitches left. It seemed right at 12 stitches.


    Here are photos of the pre-felted bag, with the cable remote for size reference.

 

 

 

Hopefully I will remember to get post felting photos too!

 

An Unexpected Surprise

    This morning, after sitting with Cherub, I went home and made some coffee, for I was due at my mom's by 10 a.m. Unfortunately, I was late. The reason I was going down there? Well, mom is moving from one apartment building to another one in her complex.


    This will be good for her. She is turning 80 years old in six days. She is having trouble with stairs; her current apartment has seven steps up to her place. The new one is a basement apartment, down only three or four steps. The best news? She'll be on the same floor as the laundry. She's downsizing from a two bedroom to a one bedroom. Even though this move is very stressful for her, it will be worth it in the long run.


    She called me last week, all freaking out. She needs help, organizing and packing up her stuff. I told her I would come and spend the whole weekend before the moving day, to help her finish up. Then she called again, a few days ago, all stressed out again. Since I am no longer babysitting in the middle of the day any more, I have the time to come and spend the day and help.


   So we arranged for me to come today. I finally got there by 10:30, I think. One of the things I had to do was cut the lock off of her storage area, she had locked the key inside it. I brought Hubs's big bolt cutters, and it worked! I didn't think I would be strong enough to actually cut the lock, but I did it!


    Once inside, we brought out some boxes to take to the local thrift store. I found two of my class pictures, from the sixties! I found my 5th and 6th grade pictures, of the whole class! Holy shit, I remember all these people, even though I haven't lived in Putnam Valley since 1969!


    Now that I'm home, I am going to look over the pictures a little closer, and remember those classmates. Ahhh, the good old days....

The First Adventure

    I loved my 1970 Pontiac Le Mans. It was maroon, with a black vinyl top. I had gotten it at the end of my first marriage, I needed transportation to get to work. I think I paid $300 for it. It was a really good car, it had the body style of a Chevelle. Sharp! I named him Sting.


    I don't remember how I discovered it, but somehow, I found that once the engine was started, I could pull the keys out of the ignition, and it would keep running. So I got into the habit of starting the car, pulling the key out and putting it in my purse or pocket. At some point, I also discovered that I didn't necessarily need the key to start the car! I could get in, and turn the ignition, and it would start. After experimenting, I found that it seemed to be time related. I found that if it was less than eight hours since I last used the car, I wouldn't need to use the key to start it up again. If more than eight hours, use they key, then take it out. I know, very strange.


    This was the car that I had when I met my Hubs. It was about four years after my divorce that I met him. While we were still dating, the car developed a really bad banging noise in the engine. I took it in to the garage where Hubs was working, and he took a look at it. It turns out that the fly wheel had broken! Since the car was so old, even at that time, it took a long time to find a junk car that they could get the fly wheel from. Eventually they found one, and it was able to be fixed.


    But I didn't have it very long after that, for my birthday that year is when Hubs got me a different car. I don't remember what it was, a Mercury something, and it got crashed shortly after we got married, less than a year later. He took the engine from that car and out it in the Lincoln.


    And that is the last car story I have. So far. I am currently driving the Jeep Wrangler that my beloved Hubs got me for Christmas about eight years ago.


    As far as crafting goes, I am still sporatically working on the handle of the bag to be felted. I have also started knitting a simple baby washcloth from the cotton left over from the border of the cotton lace blanket.

Further Adventures of the Mechanics Wife

    It's a few years after yesterday's story, and I had a different car. This one as a Nissan Stanza, and Hubs had taught me to drive a stick in this car. He was a really good teacher.


    One day, I drove a co-worker home from work; we worked at Jamesway Dept Store. As I sat there, watching to make sure she got inside her apartment OK, I heard, and felt, a minor clunk. With the clunk, the tone of the running engine changed. It had been running at a higher pitched hummm, and it changed to a lower pitched hummm.


     But the car seemed to run OK, and when I got home, I mentioned it to Hubs. Of course, he blew me off. But I persisted. Then one day at work, he got some metal shards embedded in his face. I don't remember what happened, something shattered, I think. His boss, Paul, called me to tell me that Hubs was hurt, and I came right away to take him to the hospital. On the way, he could finally hear that my engine didn't sound right, since his eyes were closed.


   Later that day, as we drove to the pharmacy to get his prescription filled, he told me to go in and get the medicine, he was going to take a look at the engine.


    When I came out, he was sitting in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He had a very grim look on his face, and was staring straight ahead as I got in the car. I asked him if we were going home now, and he said no, we are going to the garage. I tried very hard not to be sarcastic, and asked him if he found anything. Without looking at me, he remarked that the noise I had heard was an engine mount breaking, and that the engine was falling out of the car. The difference in the sound was caused by the strain put on the engine as it hung there.


   I was silent as we drove to the garage, but inside I was saying "Nah nah, nah nah nah nah!" And once again, the wife knew something was very wrong, and the Hubs wouldn't listen. These car adventures are actually the second and third ones. When we met, I had a 1970 Pontiac Le Mans. Tomorrow I'll tell you that story!


    P.S. there was no permanent damage to Hubs' face, they got the bigger pieces out, and told him the smaller ones would work themselves to the surface and come out on their own. The worst one was a piece of rust that stuck into his eye. That's why his eyes were closed on the ride to the hospital.
  

Adventures of the Mechanic's Wife

    Maybe someday, my Hubs will pay attention, and take it seriously, when I tell him that there's something wrong with my car. Case in point:


    I had a Linclon that he had bought for me, it was silver. It had a vinyl roof, that had tears in it; it looked like Freddy Cruger had tried to get me, and I'd gotten away just in time. One day, I was out by Sylvan Lake, where his mom and stepdad still lived. I got in the car, and shortly after starting out, the car started shuddering hideously. The vibration was horrible. I drove as far as my mom's house, where I stopped to use the phone and call my Hubs.


    This was in the long ago times, before we had cell phones. Hubs was a mechanic back then. He told me that it was probably an air bubble in one of the tires, that can cause a vibration. I insisted it was more than that, this shuddering was really bad. He told me to drive it to the garage, in Hyde Park, and he would take a look.


    My mom lived on Wappingers, and it was at least 20 miles to the garage. I got back in the car, and drove off. By the time I got to the garage, my ass was n.u.m.b. It also took much longer than the usual 40 or so minutes, since I discovered that the faster I went, the worse the shuddering got.


    I finally pulled into the garage parking lot, and went inside. Hubs took my keys, and took the car for a test drive. He wasn't gone more than 30 seconds. He came back with a very grim look on his face. Apparently, he thought I was exaggerating the vibrations.


    He pulled the car directly into the garage, and right onto a lift. As he found out when he actually looked at it, the drive shaft was broken. Let me repeat that: THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS BROKEN.  You would think that might teach him to listen to me, but no. For tomorrow's installment, I have another car related story!

Stitch n Bitch Report

   This morning, we had our weekly get-together, but with a change of venue. We met this week at the Eveready Diner, to celebrate Jan's birthday. We had a lovely breakfast indeed.


    This week, there were five of us. Jan was working on her knitted beaded shawl, which is gorgeous now that it's large enough to see the pattern developing; Kim was working a second sock, Bonny happily crocheted away on an amigurumi (sp?) Christmas elf-looking thing. He was cute!


    Cheryl brought a project to work on, but had lost her place, and left her pattern home, so she just got to eat and chat. Me? I have been working on one side of the handle of the big purse, that's to be felted. This is, for sure, the boring part. But I shall persevere!


      

Keep him on his toes

    Lately, it's been difficult to find TV programs on that I want to watch. You wouldn't think it would be so hard, what with the hundreds of channels available these days.  I've discovered the channel ID, Investigation Discovery. It's been there a long time, but I hadn't watched it.


    I've been filling my evenings with programs about spouses killing each other, and the like. My beloved Hubs wanders through, stopping to smoke a cigar, and watches with me for a little while. The other evening, he commented about my programming choices. He asks me if I've got any plans, if I'm gathering ideas.


    A few nights later, he sees I'm still watching these programs, and he comments that he's starting to get nervous. So I decide to have some fun. Last night, I went into the bedroom, where he was watching his show, and as I walked to his side of the bed, I counted the steps as I took them, softly, to myself.  His eyes got big, and he asked me what I was doing. I just laughed and said "Nothing..."


   Now, he's really getting nervous! I reminded him last night of the old proverb, happy wife, happy life. I just love pulling his chain. I must clear up a few things, I wouldn't want to give you the wrong impression! I am very happy with my Hubs. He's been even nicer to me since the last kid moved out.


    The main reason I'm watching ID, and all these true life murder stories, is that even with all the channels, it feels like I've seen it all. There's nothing on that catches my attention any more. Even all the bad science fiction, vampire, and zombie movies? I've seen them!


    The other night, Hubs poked his head out of the bedroom and announced "There's a zombie movie on! In this one, it's tree sap!" I don't think he was surprised when I announced that I had seen it already.


    So these real life murder mysteries are just something I haven't seen yet. The first ones I watched were all husbands killing their wives. None of them got away with it, which made me feel better. I made sure I let my Hubs know about it, just in case he had any thoughts...


    One last explanation. My Hubs and I do spend evening time together, but he isn't comfortable in the living room. Maybe after we get new furniture? But he is much more comfortable in the bedroom, so he goes in there after a while so he can relax. We don't, in general, enjoy the same kinds of shows anyway.

A Busy Morning!

    This morning, my alarm went off before the ass-crack of dawn. 5:45 seems awfully early to me. But it's only two days a week, and I can handle it. I started the coffee pot for Hubs, whose alarm goes off at 6. This way I can have the coffee I.V. ready for him when he staggers out of the bedroom. He needs to get up on time, since I have to leave at 6:10.


    This morning was different than usual, since after dropping my charge and her mom off at their car, I had to head directly to the Medical Group building. I had a CAT Scan scheduled for 9 a.m. I wasn't sure if that was the test in the extremely tight, long tubs thing, so I took my meds with me, and downed a xanax about an hour before my appointment. I find that I'm getting a bit claustrophobic as I get older. The Xanax helps tremendously.


    So that procedure went well, it wasn't the tight space one. Whew. On my way home, I stopped at the Awesome Store, I needed to get some extra stuff to throw into the soups when I make them. They have cut up, dried veggies in conveniently sized packages. I usually get the potato chunks, to add to the barley soup.


    Anyway, I get there, and the young man who I saw at their Hudson Valley Market booth remembered me, and greeted me warmly. I went in, and the whole place is a mess. It turns out that they are gearing up to make their booth at the HVM much bigger, and they are going to be rearranging the Hyde Park store. The nice young man got my potatoes for me, and as I was checking out, the owner asked me if I was still looking for work.


    Of course I said yes! She told me they would be looking for people to help out at the HVM, and even in the Hyde Park store! As we talked she explained that they hadn't forgotten me, that her daughter kept reminding her about me! I was thrilled.


    She explained that they didn't want to hire me for the mall store, because it's so far; they prefer to hire people who live near each store, as they are more dependable, in bad weather and such circumstances. So she told me to come in next week, and ask about how things were going. I am totally psyched!


   I was home just after 10, made my coffee, and now I'm drinking it and watching TV. I can't wait to see what happens this afternoon!!

Fall Cooking Time

   This week, the weather has finally cooled off. Now, I love Summer, but Fall is the best season for cooking my favorite things. You just can't get away with making soups, chili and Stroke when the mercury is over 75 degrees.


   Once the temperatures drop, it's the prefect time for my favorite cool weather dinners. In the past week, I've made soup twice, and tonight I'm making a big pot of my favorite Chili. I use the recipe my mom originally got from a woman's magazine in the '60's, but I have changed it and made it my own. This is the recipe I gave to my daughter, and she has already tweaked it to suit her tastes. So it gets better and better!


    The soups I make are mixes, or kits, from The Awesome Store. Our favorites are the barley, to which I like to add beef, and the rice, to which I usually add chicken. We have used the noodle soup too, but like the others better. And of course, you can use any meat in the soup, or none at all, for the Vegans out there!


    I have tried their potato soups, but I am too darn impatient waiting for the milk to slowly heat up, and I've burned them every time. So I've given up on making those particular soups. I believe I made the cream of broccoli soup for my youngest, since he loooooves broccoli. It was delicious, and of course, he had me add lots more broccoli to it. He loved it.


    Then there's Stroke. If you haven't read about this recipe, I wrote about it in an early blog post. There is a story connected to this particular soup. My late mother-in-law used to make it, and it was my Hubs' favorite as he was growing up.


    Today, as I said, I am making my chili. I plan to have it ready for Hubs when he gets home from work. Even if he doesn't want to eat right away, it won't matter. The longer it cooks, the better it gets! I think I may even make some biscuits to go with it! YUM!

More Adventures in Babysitting

    Let's start with a knitting project update. I found the WIP, crocheted/knitted purse to be felted. I took it with me babysitting today, but did not get to work on it at all. My youngest charge actually fell asleep in my arms, and I walked in to put her into bed. As I laid her down, her eyes opened, and less than a minute after I exited the room, she followed me out. She didn't succumb again.


    I thought, just for a short while, that she was gonna pass out in that last half hour before her dad came, but NO. She lounged, but her eyes never closed. I was watching like a hawk. Although, today I did teach her a new word! And that word is "awesome". Her mom heard it before she left for work, and her dad heard it too, before I left for the day. It felt really good.


    I also tried to get her to say her name, her dad tells me he asks her what her name is and she tells him. So today, I asked her what her name is, and she said "Lia". She leaves off the first syllable. So I asked her if she can say "mama", which she did, then I tried again with her name, Malia. Again all I got was "Lia". It's a start.


    This afternoon, while I was in the rest room, I heard strange noises from the living room. It sounded like she was rubbing a toy on the wall. I thought it was no biggie. But when I re-entered the living room, I find her with a pen in her hand, scribbling madly on the wall! She was really pissed when I took it away from her, and told her "No!".


    Now I have a couple of days of relaxation, I will not be needed again until Thursday. That should give me some much needed time to return some water bottles. They are really piling up. I have found that early morning is best for that task. I just hope the new Stop n Shop, that they are building across the street from the current one, has more bottle return machines...


   

Crafting Update and a Gallivant

    The baby blanket is finally done, and is right now in the washing machine. So I have nothing currently on hook or needles. I never got very far with Wingspan, or the Baby Surprise Jacket either. I frogged them both.


    Right now, I am just sitting here, enjoying my new recliner. Well, new to me, anyway. It sure beats the hell out of the folding lawn chair thing I had been using! It's not over stuffed, there is plenty of room for moving my arms as I knit or crochet, which I was concerned about.


     So now I get to think about what I want to make next. I've actually been thinking about making another crocheted and felted purse. I think I have enough wool in my stash. Actually, I remember that I started one, I crocheted a big circle, then picked up the stitches with a circular needle and knitted in the round. I should go find that one, and work on it some more...


    Earlier, I gallivanted out to the Hudson Valley Marketplace, on the Salt Point Tpk. I know the Awesome Store has a booth there, and with their store being closed on Sunday, that was my only choice. I needed more soup mixes. I used the last one in my pantry yesterday.  So now I'm restocked, and very happy.


     

Simply Saturday

    That's right, it's simply Saturday. A good day of the week to stay in your jammies, and just lounge. Also a good day to crochet. I've gotten a lot done on the newest baby blanket today! I just started the last V stitch lace section, which means there are 8 more rows to go, then at long last it'll be done!


    Another good thing about today? I got to hang with my beloved Hubs. He was going to go out and hunt this afternoon, but decided a nap was in order instead. And tomorrow morning, at long last, I will be getting my new chair! A nearly brand new recliner. I can't wait to see it. The fold up chair, that I usually only use for parades, isn't very comfortable for nightly use.


    And if, in the long run, the new chair doesn't fit in with the new furniture, it can go in my craft room. That way I can be sure I'll be comfortable while I'm crafting away.


    I will be sure and post a report on the new chair tomorrow. Maybe even take some photos!


   

T G I F

    At long last, it's Friday! Being as I have never, ever, worked anywhere that had a five day, forty hour work week, this feeling is rather new to me. I'm enjoying it!


    Miss Malia cooperated today, and napped for an hour and a half, allowing me to get lots more crocheting done on the baby blanket. She was even in a relatively good mood too, it seems her snuffles have passed. I wish mine would!


    Today as I drove to Miss Malia's house, my very favorite Nah-Nah song was playing on the radio! That is "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin" by Journey. A Nah-Nah song is one in which there is a chorus of Nah-Nah's.  Another example is "Angel is the Centerfold" by J. Geils Band. I love Nah-Nah songs. Unfortunately, those two are just about the only ones I can ever think of.

Necessary Adjustments

     It's been a long day, and I'm tired, but I thought I'd better get today's post out of the way.  It has been four days since Hubs started working days. He is temporarily working Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, for training. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that I'm adjusting kind of quickly.


     I get up in the morning, and if I don't have to sit for the Cherub, I can have my coffee and watch my morning programs. At 11:15, I leave to go sit for Miss Malia. I am usually home by 3:40 or so. That is a good time to do last night's supper dishes, I'm finding. I get them done, and then I can go watch TV, and wait for Hubs to get home.


     Right now, I'm having conflicting feelings, because he's home in the evenings. For all these years, he's been gone in the evenings half of the week, and that was my alone time. I got used to being alone during the day, since he was sleeping, and therefore not around that much. But now my alone time is only during the day, and he's here  every  evening. This is the hard part for me. I am used to watching whatever I want on TV, and eating dinner when I want, and even whatever I want to eat.


     Now I'm having to make dinner every night. So far, it's not been too bad, I'll  just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out. Like right now, he's in the bedroom watching Thursday Night Football. So I can still watch what I want to.


      I have always told him that I sleep better when he's here. Now I will get to sleep well every night!

Feeling Like Crap, and Blanket Progress

   Yesterday, I felt like such crap when I got home from babysitting that I crawled into my bed shortly after. Unfortunately, I was still there when Hubs arrived home from work. Not finding me in the living room, in my customary position in the chair, he panicked a little and came running into the bedroom looking for me.


   He was so sweet, and concerned for me. Today I feel a bit better but Miss Malia is definitely not feeling well. Poor baby was miserable today. Her mom left these nose drops, but I was totally unsuccessful in my attempts to put them in her nose. I think I now have an idea what it feels like to wrestle an alligator.


    But I did get some work done on the new baby blanket today. Malia was fascinated with watching me crochet, and playing with the yarn as it came out of the skein. I stopped when I got the exact middle of the blanket. Here is how it looks:

    Unfortunately, it's wrong way around. The beginning is on the right, and the center is on the left. But I'm very happy with my progress. I just wish I could shake this icky ucky sick feeling.

Settling In

   This being only the second day that Hubs is actually working during the day, we haven't truly settled in to the new routine yet. Especially since both mornings, I had to get up before he did. My early morning charge, the Cherub, needed me yesterday and today this week.

   
    So the rest of this week will be interesting, in the mornings. Hubs' alarm will be going off at 6:05. I get to stay in bed, if I can manage to get back to sleep. Somehow, I doubt I will be able to accompish that. But I will do my best.


    I made us a nice dinner last night, our favorite meat on a stick, and garlic mashed potatoes. Yum. I'm finding it convenient that Hubs is gone during the day, now I can wash dishes and vaccuum all I want to (not that I want to...). It's difficult to do those things while someone is sleeping, and you can't make any noise.


    Progress on the next baby blanket is coming along. I just started on the second skein this morning. The shower for this mom is in less than two weeks now. I'd better get a move on. It shouldn't take that long at all, and I will do my best to get it done and laundered before the shower day.

In Which Everything Changes, Kind of

    I was just sitting here, in Hubs' recliner, when I had a thought. You see, things are about to change in our lives. And this is a pretty major change, at that. Right up until I had my thought, I was OK with this change.


    I am still OK with it, but then I got to thinking. Let me explain: You see, Hubs is taking a new assignment within his company. He is going to be working on the day shift. Still twelve hours, but during the day. And it just occurred to me that this could change the whole dynamic of our relationship.


    When we met, I was working a twelve hour night shift. He was a mechanic, so he worked a normal day time job. After we got married, it took me three years to get him to give up his job, that he was not happy with, and come work where I was, in manufacturing. He took to it quickly, and within a year he was in the maintenance department.


   So, we have never really spent every night together. In fact, when we were on opposite night shifts, we never spent the night together at all. When he was working, on my days off, I would go in with him to bed in the morning, and nap for a few hours.  


    Well, that's not totally true, either. We did work the same night shift for over a year, and for that time we did spend our nights and working days together. 


    Anyway, back to my thought. Does this mean we will suddenly be conventional? After 24 years of being unconventional, I'm not sure how I'm going to like being conventional. Cooking dinner every night? Will I start doing the dishes every evening after dinner? I shudder at the thought. I think I'm too old to start being conventional at this point in my life. But one thing I am sure of,  it will certainly be an adventure!