hello ugly

This has been one of the funnest things to knit ever. So good. SO UGLY! Yes, I know that it says oh oh oh instead of Ho Ho HO. It wasn't intentional, but man it works.

the thing is..

  This AM I crawled out of bed and turned the dog out. Trust me, its not wise to ignore the bathroom calls of 100 lb dogs. I waited on the porch and debated weather crawling back into bed was really worth all the trouble.
  Staying up won out and so I decided to sneak together our traditional cinnamon roll Saturday recipe. Pretty soon I heard footstep thumping from upstairs. Great, I thought to myself. Another day has already started. I toyed with my 'go back to bed response' but when I saw the professors satisfied face I knew it was no accident he had gotten up.
  He is a guy that likes his alone time with special people, even if that means waking up at 5:30 AM just to talk. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smile and he explained that we should spend some time together. How could I say no?

freelance knitter

  So as I've mentioned before, one of Greg's co-workers commissioned me to knit an ugly Christmas sweater for him. Its morphed into an ugly Christmas vest. First reason, I hate knitting arms. WAY too boring to do on an adult sweater. The other reason is that as I knit in the hideous eyelash tinsel yarn all I could picture was a pine green turtleneck underneath. Yeah baby, V neck vests and turtlenecks. The Sweater is nearly done...yes Aunt Liz there will be a pic for sure (most likely several) The whole thing got me thinking.
  I would like to picture myself as a successful freelance writer. (Don't read my blog and say those words together though.) Every time I put the idea to my lips it gets stuck. I just don't have the experience or the publishing to back the statement up. Ah, but then there's knitting. Knitting is something I do to TV. Its fun, easy, and I do it successfully. So there you have it in a nutshell....I'm a freelance knitter.

clam diggin'

 Now clam digging isn't one of those all popular sports. Its a rare breed that can stand out in the sideways rain, sometimes in the pitch black of the early morning, and shove their hand into a clam hole to capture the illusive shellfish. I am willing to ride my bike in the pouring down rain or go for a jog... but digging around in the sand for a creature I cant eat. Leave that to the pros. The tree savages have been begging to go again. The last time I braved it, we were all soaked and Mr. Steel was only 1 1/2. Soaked babies are NOT my idea of fun. Well back to the point. When Greg suggested we do it again, I relied on my past experience and told him this activity was going to be his special daddy 'thing' while I huddled under a warm blanket and knitted 'the ugly Christmas sweater.' Here is the picture of their first excursion. We ALL had a good time. *wink*

  Jogging is something I really have grown to like. Yesterday my weekly jogging buddy and I took on 4 miles much faster than usual. My overweight dog (Nukka) started well but began to slow after 2 1/2 miles. She reminds me of a train approaching a hill when she gets tired. Chug...chug...chug...chug. I have complained about her laziness before, but in fact now I kind of like that I am more fit than my dog.
 The professor decided yesterday that he loved his teacher. Its made getting him out the door much easier. His handwriting, reading and confidence have improved by leaps and bounds. He even read to the class yesterday. His teacher took a video so I could see. It was very mommy heartwarming.
 One of my mom friends from last year came over and had pizza with us last night.Her daughter and My Girl are classmates. Her three kids ran around with mine and we sat and talked. It is good to have friends up here. Its taken me a while to open up to it and be willing to take the risk, but its been worth it.
  I suppose you can say I am finding my niche in this little hole of a town and even (gasp) growing attached to my routine. My sister calls at least one a week, I go on walks at least 3-4 times a week and I volunteer two days a week. Greg and I have been catching dates more than once a week and we both have started being regulars at a coffee shop.
  The hours of writing I planned on having are....hmmm....still flying around there somewhere. I just have to slow down and catch them I guess.
 I'm sorry that my writing has been so little of late. I guess those things I am enjoying most come out SO boring on print that I can barley stand to write them.

here we are

  This is the year of school and doing things a little differently. In case you missed my posts, the kids are in the local public school. So far the experience has gone very well. Granted the mornings are the toughest since no one likes to get up, eat breakfast, and then jump in the car. I imagined all the free time I would have as I lazily gathered my writing class assignments and diligently worked through them and turned them in on time. Ha.
  I am a volunteer at the school. It has proved quite enjoyable. I'm surprised at how few parent volunteers there are. I try to do it twice a week and then have lunch with them every so often. Today I  am helping in the Professors class. He struggles the most with being around crowds of people. Its never been his bag, so we are doing this together.  Mr. Steel hasn't gotten in to big enough trouble to have the principal call me so phew to that! I know its coming, but having kids around him that struggle to stay still even more than he does has improved how he handles himself. Go figure.
  My girl continues to get through classes and navigate social situations to a T. Her scholarly level is still hampered by her Dyslexia which frustrates her, but her reading continues to get better.
  Let me just say thanks for hanging in here with me. With all the things going on in life I find less time for the computer than ever. Hope you and yours are well. Catch you later!