And Then I Stepped in Gum . . .

Miscellanea

#1. Not the Brightest Idea in the World

I was going to take the kids out to dinner to celebrate the first day of school, but changed my mind and decided to roast marshmallows over our fire pit and make s'mores with them instead. Because it's just a brilliant idea to load tired, overstimulated children up with marshmallows and chocolate right before bed. And because starting a fire in the rain to fulfill said promise is a joy as well. Perhaps I should rethink these things a bit. Still, the kids (including neighbor Mikayla) enjoyed it, even if the weird, square, gourmet marshmallows we bought wouldn't catch fire properly. (I like mine carbonized, thank you very much.)

#2. First Day of School

I hate to duplicate every other mom-blogger in the blogosphere, but yay for the first day of school. Sure, it inspires tantrums and angst in the children, which use up pretty much all of my patience, but oh, the quiet when everyone -- including Dave -- is away at school. Not that I got as much work done as I should have. But it was relaxing -- and almost made up for the fits about hair, lost jackets, which shoes to wear, and whether or not the jeans with the embroidery on them match the green shirt Katie wanted to wear.

So, for posterity, here are pictures of Katie (3rd grade) and Ian (preschool/day care) on the first day of school, 2006:






#3. What Have I Been Doing With My Time?

This summer, I decided I don't have enough unfinished craft projects/kits lying around the house. I needed more. MORE! And kits are for sissies! I need to create something with just a couple of sticks and some yarn! I've taken a stab at knitting before, and I even made a really adorable (if I may say so myself) baby sweater for a friend of mine, but I think I may be hooked. I blame Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, whom I saw at the Book Expo America, and who writes hysterical books and blog posts about knitting.

Anyway, I decided to try out some socks. I bought a book, and sat down to teach myself to knit with 4-5 needles at a time. (By the way, this is craziness. I've finally figured out the how of doing it, but I'll be darned if I know who came up with this technique in the first place!)

Now, where should you start when embarking on a new crafty venture? By buying the most expensive material you can find, of course. I bought a skein of beautiful yarn that cost $21.00. (Yes, I know -- one can buy many socks for that price. Trust me, Dave's on your side on this one.) However, since I didn't want to screw up my first socks and waste the yarn, I had to make a practice pair first. And I'm happy to announce that I've finished the first sock of the practice pair (made with a skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn that I found lying around the house -- apparently, I've had this notion for some time now). I can't tell you how much delight it brings me -- it's such a cute sock! And I'm more than halfway finished with the second one, and if it weren't for the time I had to spend, you know, earning a living, I'd be done with the pair. Anyway, a few people of been clamoring -- that's right, clamoring -- for a pic, so I have put a couple below. Isn't it cute! Cute enough to wear even with my Birks, I think, no matter what they say about socks and sandals!

posted by Jennifer Morgan, at 11:28 PM