Inching Along

I'm about an inch into sock #1, which means halfway through the toe shaping. I'm starting to get the hang of these increases.

Most of my knitting was on the way up to Baltimore for the Auto Show. Last night I realized I should have taken a picture of the sock with one of the cars in the background! Erik had a blast looking at all the sportier models and took 30 pictures of the Lamborghini - you couldn't sit in that car, of course! I sat in a few more practical models and we all loved the Mini-Coopers. Kurt fit nicely into the convertible Mini. If you are thinking of buying a car and want to sit in lots of different ones to narrow down you choice, the Auto Show is a great place to do that. We, on the other hand, are not, but Erik is into cars now and Hyundai, Toyota, and Scion were giving out really nice tote bags! I noted that Nissan and Dodge were missing, and the only manufacturer with a "van" on display was Kia! What's with that?!

The Kitty Story (long!) - Part 1

I never told the whole story about how we came to have a kitty. You see, we've always been a dog family, although DS and I love all animals, DH always said the only good use for a cat was AP Biology lab! Well, back one Saturday evening in June DH and I were out on our boat, DS having elected to stay home, and we were going to hang out with our friends on their boat. Before they could go out, however, they needed their new registration numbers put on the boat. I was doing that from the water, in our boat, when the Mrs. B heard a cat meowing. Lo and behold there was a tiny kitten in one of the side storage compartments in their boat! Mrs. B scooped her up and headed back to her house, then over to Petco to get kitten milk replacer. Meanwhile, we went out into the river and started fishing, as did Mr. B and his 5 yr old son E. A short time later Mr. B called us, frantic, "You have to come over here quick! Another kitten! " Of course we had just hit a hot fishing spot, but we reeled in our lines and headed down the river to where they were anchored. By the time we got there there was a third kitten! E and I scooped them up into a canvas tote bag and E hopped into our boat so DH could take us back to the dock and my truck. We took the kitties back to the B's house and waited for Mrs. B to return. In all, there were 3 kittens - a tabby female that Mrs. B called Chloe, an orange tabby male we called Rascal, and a solid black female who seemed pretty weak. Rascal had a little congestion and Chloe had gunky eyes. Chloe and Rascal did eat some of the canned kitty food, though, and we guessed they were about 3 or 4 weeks old.
So what to do with them? Mr. B is allergic to cats, so we brought them home to DS, who had excitedly waited up for us. He named the black kitty Bella, but he immediately fell in love with Chloe, and vice versa:
We kept them in a box and DS kept the box in his room. The next day, before we could even ask, DH told DS he could keep them, but he had to take care of them and we had to keep the family of 3 together! 3 cats? DS and I looked at each other in amazement!Chloe and Rascal ate with gusto, but Bella only licked at the food and would take a little formula with an eye dropper! We got a little litter box and carrier and more milk replacer for Bella and canned food for the other two. And a few toys, of course!I couldn't get an appt at our vet until Tuesday after work, but on Monday afternoon Bella started fading fast, so I called the Emergency vet office, not far from our home. While I was describing the situation DS screamed from up in his room, Bella was taking her last gasp, right there in his arms. We rushed all three to the Vet ER, where Bella was pronounced dead and Rascal had started fading too. DS was in tears, pleading to save the other two. The vet examined Rascal and indeed he was in bad shape, low body temp and probably pneumonia. They gave him antibiotics and put him in an incubator, then turned to Chloe. Amazingly, other than a little infection in her eyes, she was in good shape, just very tiny and underweight. We left Rascal and a hefty deposit and headed home with Chloe and an antibiotic. DH was not happy about the cost of the efforts to save this "free" kitten, so I had to go back to the vet ER to pick him up. I was fighting back tears and DS called me on my cell phone, pleading to leave him there. Everyone in the waiting room could hear his voice on my phone, even though it wasn't on speakerphone. The vet tech put Rascal in a box with a towel over two surgical gloves filled with hot water and gave me a dose of antibiotic to give him later.

The next morning he was meowing loudly, which I thought was a good sign, but a few hours later he was back to the labored breathing and only lasted until lunch time. I called DH, who was teaching at the summer camp where DS was that week, so he broke the news to DS. DS took it pretty well, as I think he really didn't expect Rascal to make it.

So, we were left with the originally found boat kitty, Chloe. She was only about a half pound, very teeny for her age. We kept Chloe in DS's room, and brought the dog's extra-large crate up there for her to live in when we weren't home. In it fit her litterbox, her bed, her food dishes, and a small scratching post. That was perfect for the next couple of weeks, while we kitten-proofed his room. DS is very overprotective of Chloe - can you blame him?

I'm sad we didn't get a good picture of Bella, or or all three together. I've got lots of pictures of Chloe, some blurry since she is always in motion! In the coming days I will post more pictures and continue the kitty story!

Counting Blessings

I'm going to try to get through the next 24 hours without complaining or whining about anything. I need to count my blessings, hug my loved ones, and be thankful. DH and I have good, secure jobs, good health, a roof over our heads. DS is a great kid, and we enjoy doing things together as a family.

Why am I saying this? I have a friend whose husband is fighting for his life in ICU, a co-worker who lost her significant other very suddenly and unexpectedly last month, another co-worker who lost her home and pets in a fire a week ago, and at least two friends with husbands out of work.

Now, please excuse me while I go give hugs.

3 oclock wake up call!

"MOM!" (pounding on bedroom door) - NOT something you want to hear at 3am! I leapt out of bed and opened the door to DS standing there nearly in tears, holding his hand. He had fallen in soccer (indoor) practice last night, but shook it off and kept going. Once home he took his shower and went to bed. At 3am he had rolled over onto his hand (I think) and the pain woke him - and then me - up. I got him downstairs to the sofa, gave him a bag of ice and some acetominophen, put on the TV, tucked him in with a blanket, and promised him we'd head to the ER to have it looked at as soon as I was coherent. I grabbed a few more minutes of sleep and then we left. Luckily the busy late night crowd had cleared out so we were seen fairly quickly. Xrays and exam by the dr revealed possible scaphoid fracture, so DS is in a split and will be seen the orthopedic surgeon early next week. Luckily it's his left hand! He was only 20 minutes late for school, and Aced a pre-algebra test in second period! I think both of us will be turning in early tonight!

All I can say is, like father, like son, as last year this time DH had his left arm in a cast for a similar injury!

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday to my "baby" brother, Mike! I baked you a cake!

I'm the Mamma Bear

A friend sent this to me yesterday, and I can SO relate some days! (original source unknown)

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning...

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table. He
looks into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my
porridge?' he squeaks.
Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He
looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my
porridge?!?' he roars.
Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, 'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you idiots? It was Mummy Bear who got up first. It was Mummy Bear who woke everyone in the house. It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee. It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away. It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen. It was Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch The newspaper and croissants. It was Mummy Bear who set the damn table.
'It was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray, gave them their food, and refilled their water. 'And now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully,
because I'm only going to say this once....

'I HAVEN'T MADE THE DAMN PORRIDGE YET!!!'

Long "thyme", no post!

Has it really been almost a month? I should say "thyme" flies when you are having fun! OK, maybe not all fun, but "thyme" has flown!

September is my favorite month of the year, but it is also usually our busiest. Besides all the back to school stuff, getting into our new schedule, we have DH's birthday, our county fair, and my birthday! And to make life a little more complicated, I fell on my bad knee and spent a good part of the Saturday Tropical Storm Hanna hit our area (also DH's birthday) at the ER getting it xRayed. Thankfully there was no visible damage, but darn it still hurts! I'm giving it one more week and then if it's not better I'm going to visit my orthopedic again!

We had our county fair a couple weekends ago, and with our heavy involvement in 4H we end up being at the fairgrounds through most of it. This year we bought a hog at the 4H livestock auction - no, not to hang out in the yard with the chickens, but to be dinner and breakfast for the coming year! We anxiously await the call from the butcher shop saying out bacon and chops and ham steaks are ready to pick up! I hope no one is offended, but we always take a picture of what we buy from the 4Hers so we remember where our food comes from and all the work that went into providing us our food! When DH asked what I wanted for my birthday, I said a day to sew! And that's what I got! Granted, I was sewing a lab coat for DH, but it was the process that was important. And I used my Babylock Ellure machine that I bought last year and just have not tried to sew with it much. Now "Ellie" and I are good friends! I'm pleased with the lab coat and DH said a couple of his students want one too! Next lab coat I make for him I will alter the shoulder width as this one drooped off the shoulder too much. And yes, it is very red, but red and black are the school's colors. My day of sewing included a quick trip to JoAnn's, and the TV tuned to football, baseball, and NASCAR racing all day long. DH put a roast on the grill for dinner too!
I also made a fleece blanket from some stash fleece, pjs for DS from stash, and culled out some scraps and UFOs. I'm trying to get into the sewing room, if just for a few minutes, every day. I'm working my way through a pile of stash, layer by layer!

This month was also the end of the baseball season for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. They missed first place by one game - pretty impressive for their first year! Now I will turn my baseball attention to the majors and the playoffs. Not sure who I'll be rooting for yet!

A Boy and his Toys

DS wants to earn some $, I want the grass to be cut, and DH hates cutting grass. Obvious solution? DS cuts grass! However, our Kubota tractor is a little too much for DS to handle, according to DH. So, when a friend mentioned he had a little John Deere garden tractor he'd like to sell, DH hopped on (well, not literally!). They brought it home last weekend and DS learned how to drive and mow!I think I'd better put little fences around all my flower gardens!

Why is this a significant event to me? It reminds me of all the little die cast John Deere tractor toys that are in a bin in his closet, of buying a new tractor toy every year at the county fair at the tractor store's display, of hiding a tractor toy I bought here in my suitcase when I took a business trip to Omaha just in case I didn't get to buy him a gift while in meetings all day. It reminds me that my little boy is growing up. Picture below is many summers ago, at a local farmer's barn.
They grow up so fast!

Tagged!

Mermaids posted the following questions and her answers a couple of days ago, and tagged me to do the same, so here goes!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago? I was working in the same agency, but in the area that develops and writes policy. DS was only 18 months old, so he was still in his crib so on a Saturday afternoon such as now he would be taking a nap and I would be sewing. I had not yet "found" sewing lists and made so many cyberfriends, but that was about to change in July of 1998! We lived in this same house but it didn't have nearly as much "stuff" in it, and we had a big veggie garden but no chickens. We still have one of the cars that we had then, a 1994 Honda delSol. Oh, and I was 40 pounds lighter with just a fewer gray hairs!

2. What are 5 things on my to do list for today?
1. take DS and dog to 4H dog obedience class
2. synchronize my ipod
3. fold the clean towels and do at least 2 loads of laundry
4. find the charger cord for my phone
5. Unpack the scrapbooking stuff from the crop I went to last night!

3. Snacks I enjoy: fresh berries, sugar cookies, sour cream and onion potato chips

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: buy and move to a farm (but still in this area), take the summer off to travel with my family - oh, DS just pointed out I wouldn't have to have a job anymore!, probably donate a bunch to charity but I'm not sure which ones, pay for veterinary care for the pets of senior citizens.

5. Places I have lived: Maryland and Japan

6. Jobs I have had: Kennel assistant at a vet office, Burger King (5 whole days!), office supplies sales, lab tech, various levels of management at a private microbiology lab, government microbiologist, policy analyst, IT supervisor.

7. Now I'm tagging:
Denise www.needle-dee.blogspot.com
Kurt www.theallknower.blogspot.com
Felicia

I've been replaced!

And I'm perfectly fine with that! Her name is Sue 2, and she is 4 inches wide, 3 inches tall, a half inch thick, and talks with a British accent! Here she is! DH has trouble with directions, and he will ask for directions - by calling me on his cell phone! I bought him a GPS for Christmas but he insisted he wouldn't use it and returned it. Two weekends ago he was lost and called me several times, but I didn't know where he was trying to go so I gave him the wrong directions! The next day The BestBuy ad had this cute little unit on sale so I bought it. Five minutes out of the box, DH took it and has been using it since! He's the one who named it Sue 2! No more stress of him getting lost, wasting time and gas. He and DS are off for the summer now and they go lots of places so Sue 2 will give me peace of mind.

It was a dark and stormy night...

I just love the Snoopy cartoon where he is sitting on top of his Sopwith Camel, typing the above to start a story! We've had some dark and stormy nights (and afternoons) around here lately! Luckily no damage other than some small branches and twigs off the trees, and our power has only blinked a couple of times, only enough to knock off my clock radio! That seems to be the only indicator that there has been a power burp. So, I count ourselves as very lucky! Many of my friends and co-workers lost power for hours or days, and the pictures of trees on houses and cars aren't happy ones! Wednesday's commute home for some was hairy with so many traffic lights out (I was asleep on my bus commute home so I can't comment on mine!).

Now it's hot and steamy. Welcome summer! The day lilies and purple coneflowers are about to burst into bloom. I love the butterflies they attract!

Storms also mean no computer or sewing, as I keep them off and the sewing machines just stay unplugged unless I am sewing.

I have been reading some. When we re-arranged our bedroom 2 weeks ago I saw the stack of Janet Evanovich paperbacks I picked up at a thrift shop last summer, but never got around to reading them. I haven't read her books before, but my sister-in-law said they are good! I started with "Full House" and it was funny and a quick read, good for the bus (translation - I can read several pages, even chapters, before I fall asleep!).

Tomorrow is DS's last day of elementary school. He is growing up too fast! I took him shopping for summer clothes yesterday afternoon. He has definite likes and dislikes so I can no longer just pick out some clothes and he wears them. We had luck at Target and Kohl's. Boy's shirts that I consider "appropriate" to wear and he likes are hard to find. He isn't into sports, and I don't like the mean sayings about sisters and homework and not listening, etc, or some of the shirts with skulls on them. We did find a cute T shirt with a couple ears of corn with faces, watching popcorn pop in a microwave, and the shirt says "Horror Movie"!

Oops, better get off the computer and get some stuff done around here before it gets too hot! More later about our new feathered friends!

Spur of the Moment Family Fun x3

I am a confirmed "planner". In the various assessments I've taken in leadership courses, I'm WAY on the side of planning. However, I managed to marry someone who is the exact opposite, who approaches many things with a "make it up as you go" attitude. How we have managed to stay married for almost 25 years (Aug 21!) just goes to show you that opposites attract! I guess we compliment each other, and over the years I have (mostly) learned not to get too upset when my "plans" get changed, or to go into a weekend without having every minute planned! So, Friday when we dropped the car off for some work and saw coupons for FREE admission to the Carson And Barnes circus down at the fairgrounds, I said, sure!

So, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and go to the fairgrounds about 30 min before the show. There we realized that the coupons had very teeny tiny print above "FREE" that said "buy one get one" LOL! Oh well, we were there and what else did we have to do on a nice May Friday evening? It ended up being an entertaining evening even though it cost a couple of bucks. You are much closer than being at one of the big venues for Ringling Brothers, and the acts were good.

Saturday a dear childhood friend, with whom I've stayed friends with and our kids are friends, called to invite us to a Sunday cookout. My Sunday plans were to sew and watch both Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600, but I don't get to see this friend often enough and it was her birthday! So, cookout it was! the kids had lots of fun, and we even got DH up to try out the bowling on their Wii!

Today we have tickets for the baseball game, which I thought was at 6:30! I'd have the whole day to catch up on some laundry and maybe a little sewing. Guess again! The game is at 2! Remind me to take the sunscreen!

Oh well, there's always next weekend for sewing, right? I mean, that fabric isn't going anywhere!

A Night to Remember!

Friday night the stadium that here was just a concrete bowl of mud was the jewel of Southern Maryland! Regency Furniture Stadium opened and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were welcomed into their new home. It was a party that lasted from 4:30 pm until well after 11 pm! over 7000 people packed a stadium that only has 4100 seats - no wonder there was a traffic and parking issue! You couldn't walk 20 feet without running into someone you knew. As is typical in minor league ballparks, it is a great family place, with a nice playground and soon-to-come bumper boats! the game was pretty good too - amazing pitching on both teams, lots of good defensive plays, and two home runs by the Blue Crabs. They won, 3 to 2, and then the fireworks began!
I will post some of our pictures later, but meanwhile, there are some on the Blue Crabs home page.

The Homestretch

TaDa! DS is sleeping in his new bedroom! He dragged his mattress into the hall so I could put it on the floor for him. The border still needs to go up and a few things left from its previous inhabitants (DH and I) moved out. We built the IKEA desk and the dresser just needs a couple more drawers built. DS is pretty handy at following the directions to build stuff like that -10 years of building Legos pays off!

Of course the dog made herself right at home immediately!

Optimistic Primer

When am I going to accept the reality that I'm not as young as I used to be and that my age, weight, and general not-in-great-shape-ness can get in the way of what my mind wants to do?!

I didn't get to the priming stage until nearly noon, then had to take a break at 1 to run a few errands. DH and DS were with me and we ended up going grocery shopping. OK, a good thing, especially the steamed shrimp DH got for dinner! After the shrimp feast I went back to the roller and brush and finished priming. It looks good, and I used almost the whole gallon of primer (I was getting nervous!). Hopefully the yellow will cover nicely now. I'd like to try that tomorrow evening, if this old body can climb a ladder!

Here is before primer:

And this is primed:
Still not feeling 100% in the head cold department. Coughing comes and goes. I think the paint fumes aggravate my throat a bit too. Lots of fluids and Mucinex and rest when I can!

Sixteen years in one spot!

We moved into this house the first weekend in September, 16 years ago. My brother and DH set up our waterbed while I was running back to the condo we were moving out of for last minute things and clean up. The bed wasn't exactly where I had wanted it, and I always meant to move it. Well, now it is gone! Wow - I realized I probably really never saw the floor underneath!
So, the entertainment center is gone, the bed is gone, the bookshelves are empty (pretty much) and I've bought the paint. Just a little bit more to clear out and then the painting can begin! Wish this was a 4 day weekend instead of 3, but alas, I guess the painting will have to wait until next Saturday!
I bought the paint for the sewing room too - a pinkish lilac, called Playful Petal. Can't wait!

Home Again, but no new bedrooms yet!

The guys (DH and DS) came home on Friday! Where were they, you ask? They visited family in Connecticut and took a 2 day side trip into NYC. For obvious security/safety reasons I did not mention in my blog that I was home alone for 9 days (well, me and the dog!). The house was SO quiet! I worked a couple extra hours , ate carry out and frozen dinners and I watched TV, especially the Washington Nationals games (GO NATS!) and a few new-to-me things on the BBC America cable channel. Those Brits have a different standards for TV, that's for sure! The guys had lots of fun, visited the Maine coast one day, Mystic Seaport and Aquarium, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art. They also stopped in Colchester Mill Fabrics, which I'll post about later!

I was bummed that I didn't have this whole bedroom project done before they went, or I would have been sewing the whole time! Oh well, I did make progress while they were gone, but DH still came home to sleeping in the current bedroom. We've changed our project plan just slightly (good thing I have project management training - we've changed the schedule, not the requirements, scope, or WBS!). So, right now I'm pulling up the carpet in Bedroom #1, revealing a beautiful, unfinished oak hardwood floor! They will be finished when this whole switch project is done! After the carpet that doesn't have boxes sitting on it is up, we'll move the dressers and go get our new bed! I'm hoping by Tuesday night!

Here's the floor. I think a light sanding will get that honeycomb shadow from the pad up.
This is the north wall, where the bed will eventually go. Remember, this is a work in progress! Right now it looks pretty scary! I had to pile my clean clothes on top of the dresser because of all the boxes stacked in front of the drawers!This is the northeast corner, well, at least behind all the boxes and bins of sewing and scrapbooking and miscellaneous stuff is a wall!
This is the west wall, to the right is the master bathroom. That's where I started pulling up the carpet. I'm going to keep those curtains, and I'm thinking that we'll end up painting the walls sage green.

We'll see how far we get today! I'll report tonight!

Dear Blog,

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry that I have ignored you the past 3 weeks. I have popped in from time to time to check on you, to use the links to my favorite blogs, but I’ve not added an entry for too long. Please forgive me, and allow me to catch up.

Since I last blogged:

I’ve not sewn a stitch – the sewing stuff is still packed, I even packed what I originally kept out in case I needed a “sewing fix.” The bedroom switch project has definitely stalled, although most of the scrapbooking supplies are packed and the guinea pig’s cage was moved. In the near future DH and DS are going to go on an adventure for a couple of days, so the dog and I are planning on getting done as much as possible by ourselves as we can. More later…

I have been knitting! The too-long Jaywalker sock has been shortened and its toe finished.

Opal Brasil sock #2 has a heel now, and I’m on the dreaded “pick up stitches” for the gusset – my least favorite part of the sock. I was browsing sock yarns on ebay the other night and came across two Lorna’s Laces Shepherd colorways that reminded me of two friends, so I decided to get an early start on Christmas gifts (yes, for 2007!). Why the sudden surge in sock knitting? Well, besides it filling my need for creativity, my bus ride to and from work has gotten a bit longer. One of three bridges to cross the Anacostia River into DC has been closed for a 2 month reconstruction project, which has increased traffic and also caused the commuter bus service to make some changes to the routes and schedules. I think I’m the only rider who has welcomed the longer ride – I generally don’t have to be home in a hurry during the summer and I get to knit longer! Or nap longer! The yarn is here, but my needles are not, so I will knit along on the Opal sock until then. Maybe the Opals will be my county fair entry this year.

DS and Princess were in their second dog show, and took second place in both fitting and showing and pre-novice obedience! Their points total made them Jr Reserve Champions! I was so proud, not only of the ribbons but that DS was less nervous and as a handler did a better job working with the dog. It’s not easy for a 10 yr old boy to stand perfectly still for the 3 minute Long Down!

DS is at camp up in the mountains until tomorrow afternoon! DH and I have eaten out almost every night, going to the restaurants that DS doesn’t like! Sunday night was Mexican, Tuesday I took off and we had lunch at a Korean restaurant in Virginia, Wednesday it was an Indian restaurant. It’s very quiet in the house! I havent' heard "MOM!" in 6 days!

It hasn’t rained! There have been a few spotty showers, but it rains too hard, too fast, and the water runs right off! Everything is dying in the garden – watering is not something we are inclined to do. The pond is a mere muddy spot. The upside is, there are no pesky mosquitoes so being outside in the evening is lovely, and, we've not had to cut the grass in several weeks!

Our mailbox got knocked down at 1am last Sunday morning! Along with the newspaper tubes, a phone pole guy wire, and a small cedar tree! The driver who plowed it all down got out of his car, locked it, and ran off! We called the police, who responded very quickly, searched the area, and towed it away!

We built a ramp for my MIL’s motorized scooter to get in and out of the house. Sixteen feet long, and it took about 4 hours.

The next Harry Potter book comes out tonight, but I’m sure I’ll be in dreamville at 12:01am, not at Borders! Yes, I confess, I've not read the HP books. I'd rather read a sewing book or a good police drama.

Blog, I promise I will try to be more faithful and attentive. Especially when I can sew again!

Present Progress Presently

Saturday was cut cut cut. Sunday was sew sew sew. Today was snip snip snip. Tonight/tomorrow will be wash/dry, wash/dry, wash/dry. Figured it out yet? Shhh - pictures will post Wednesday!

The baby shower rag quilt is on hold for now.

E's 4th grade awards ceremony and picnic was today. He ended up with straight A's in the major subjects all 4 quarters! Wow! A few days ago we came across my old elementary report cards and I wasn't even close! The really cool thing about today's festivities (definitely NOT the weather) was that DH surprised us both by showing up shortly before it began! He had wanted to come, but today was his last day for teachers where he works. After about 30 min of a meeting, he told his boss/principal he was going to leave for the day!

More tomorow..right now I have to make a few thank you cards while I wait for wash cycle #1 to complete!

Mother's Day Ramblings, or, Call Me Poke-Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms, Grandmoms, Great-Grandmoms, Aunts, and Godmothers! I hope each and every one of you had a lovely day with your loved ones!

Not many Moms spent the day as I did - at a Pokemon Pre-release tournament! We are a Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) family, in case I hadn't mentioned that yet. E was interested in Pokemon TCG and about a year ago we took him to a real tournament. There we met a group of folks who have a Pokemon TCG league. After sitting and watching and trying to occupy ourselves a couple of times, DH started playing and then the two of them talked me into playing. I don't go as much as they do, as I enjoy having the house to myself for a couple of hours, but the special tournaments for the release of new cards I like. Today was my all-time best day, my record was 3 wins, 2 losses, and I came in 4th out of 20 in the "over 15" age group! I even had to go up against DH in one round (OK, who did the pairings?!) and beat him! If you have kids who are interested in Pokemon cards, I recommend you learn how to play! There's even a tutorial on the Pokemon website, http://op.pokemon-tcg.com/content/ .

Before we left for the tournament I wandered around the yard and snapped a few pics of springtime! We have pink lady slippers in our woods:

The impatiens baskets that followed me home from the garden center a couple of weekends ago are thriving under the trees out front. You might be able to make out the T-Rex in the crook of the tree branch, just above the left basket. He's supposed to be scaring away the squirrels, but I think I've seen a few talking to him!