chrisknits
It's the big Day!
Friday, 20 November 2009
One more grocery stop and all the food will be purchased. Then I will need to pack it in coolers or bags. I got smart and put the 5 loves of bread in the long plastic snap lid box. Less squishize that way. 5 loaves? Yep! For Baked French Toast and Sandwiches. Knowing some kids can eat 3 pieces of FT and 2 sandwiches, I would prefer to be over stocked than under. Now to get oil changed in car, drop off stuff at Goodwill, pick up some food stuffs from church, run to the grocery, come home and pack, obsess about what I might be forgetting, pick up Elder from bball practice, pack my knitting (I have no idea what to take), and head for church. Then drive 2 hours to our destination.
Oh, and somewhere in the middle of it all, feed the family. Guess I could do a roast if I brown it now and put it in the crock pot for the rest of the day. I have Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes in the fridge, and could do some green beans. Or not. Just don't want to feed them fast food again today. Yesterday was full of running, but I was able to make Lasagna. I had so much, I made up a baking dish to take with us for Saturday night. We plan to have Calzones, but some lasagna wouldn't likely be turn downed. Got broccoli in Elder by shredding it in my dicer and adding it to the meat sauce. It was so small she couldn't pick it out like she did the peppers.
Here are some FOs. The sweater and hat have been shown before, but this is the final choice for the Dec baby. The striped hat was more in keeping with the sweater. Just wish I would have had even just a tiny bit of navy left to use in the hat. But the navy, it is all gone.
And here are the latest clogs. These are for the Golf Coach. I have now learned that when using 3 different colors for a small pair of clogs, you cannot do the extra rows and have enough of the top color. You will run out as you get to the cuff on the 2nd clog. And then when you rip out the first cuff and then try to use the last sole color, you run out of that color when trying to finish the 2nd sole of the 2nd clog. So then you pull out the leftover top color and use one strand of each to start the clog for a few rows, and then switch to the solid contrast color to finish. Only, you still don't have enough, so you have to add in the top color for the last row of the 2nd sole on the 2nd clog. See below by mousing over.
Now, to remind myself of this fact when I do the next pair. I think I will weigh the clog at each stage to give myself an idea of how many ounces of yarn it takes for each section. Weigh my needle before hand to take it out of the equation.
OK, tummy is rumbling for breakfast. If this is the last post you receive from me, know that I was driven crazy by 14 hungry, angry, teens who ate everything in sight! You will likely find me at the local asylum. I'll be the one with the flour in my hair, spots of pizza sauce all over my clothing, sitting in the corner mumbling, "It just needed 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. So what went wrong!!!????"
T minus 44 hours
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
That's my countdown to leaving for the Retreat. Before then I have groceries to get, meat to brown, measurements to make, and packing to do. I should go buy a sleeping bag to use, seems we have to take our own sheets and stuff. I really wasn't thinking this whole thing through. This could have been a me and Hubster weekend with both of the girls away. But since he plans to finish the painting and stuff in the house, I am better off being gone. Poor pup, he will be lonely with all 3 of his girls gone.
Today was a lovely day full of friends. We knit at Enjoy It! this morning and then after lunch cut out to go visit a friend for her birthday. She was surprised! Her husband set this up since she has had a rough year. It was good to catch up with her. She has been MIA from our Tues/Wed due to work schedules and now she is taking some classes. She plans to come back when class is over.
So I hung out there until time to pick up Elder from basketball practice. Then it was run home, put a frozen pizza in, and then eat and run. Got to first choir practice early, so I sat and sang through the songs. Got to 2nd choir practice late, but in time to run through most of the Messiah songs we are doing with a CD. We seriously need to work on this!! Then scooted out of there to run home to get the girls into bed. Hubster was busy tonight, so he wasn't home to make sure they did all those things they need to do. I hate leaving them alone like this, but they are responsible enough. At 15, Elder is more than capable. But it's hard to let them grow up sometimes.
So, did I get anything accomplished today? Sure did! One clog finished and the second just shy. Only, now I have to rip back the cuff of the 1st one to steal some yarn for the foot of the other. You can barely see the small amount of yarn that remains on top of the clogs. I have determined that you cannot do the entire upper clog through to the cuff with one skein. Even when you are doing the smallest size. I will rip back and finish both cuffs with the 2nd sole color, the dark teal peeking out from under the one on the left. I am hoping to have these knit and felted by tomorrow night, just in case the Golf Coach shows up at the basketball game. She takes photos of sporting events, she's the Athletics secretary too. But considering how tired I am right now, I tutor tomorrow morning, have laundry to get to, grocery shopping after lunch, I don't see them getting done in time to felt and dry.Now, time to get that first cuff ripped back and finish what I can tonight.
Chilling
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Not only in the kicking back area, but the temps have dropped and it's a mite cool here. They say the weather is going to be nice this weekend. The temps will only reach mid 50's, but I can live with that as long as it's sunny. Since we are going to have 10-14 kids to coral at a retreat, it will be nice to have good weather. In case we need to run them out of the lodge for our sanity!
Of course, I am stressing about the food, since I am the cook. My planned menu is: Snacks for Friday late arrival. Saturday: Breakfast is Baked French Toast, sausage, fruit. Lunch will be sandwiches, veggies, chips. Dinner is likely going to be the Calzones, mac 'n' cheese, corn and fruit salad/veggies. Sunday breakfast was going to be cinnamon rolls, but now I am thinking I will do Breakfast Skillets. One with the eggs and cheese, and one without. Only, wonder if I could bake them? Of course I can, I roast potatoes in all kinds of seasonings and add bacon and cheese. Just need to make sure the eggs cook through. Likely the same time to bake as a breakfast casserole. Anything that I can prepare the night before and leave in the fridge works for me. I do my best work at night!
Elder and I made the Calzones tonight. The recipe has you separate the crescent rolls into 4 portions. It was too fiddly, trying to get your stuffings within the limited amount of space. So we decided to do the half piece size for the retreat. 2 of the smaller ones were filling for us. Now I am sure that won't be enough for any growing boys, but they will have to fill up on corn, fruit salad, and mac 'n' cheese. How do you estimate how much fruit to buy for kids? I am thinking apples, tart and sweet, and bananas for breakfast, then taking the left overs and cutting them up, and adding grapes and mandarin oranges, for dinner. Does this sound like stuff your kids would eat?
OK, no knitting got done today, but I can predict tomorrow will be full of it. It's our every week Wednesday morning gathering, plus an extra get together in the early afternoon. I just won't be able to stay very late as Elder needs to be picked up from basketball practice. And then the real running begins. Two choir practices in one evening. Before that, dinner to make, girls to get homework done, etc...Elder can't wait for this week to end, and the retreat to get here. I am just in dread that the week will end and the retreat will be here! I don't know which is worse, the running around preparing for it, or the actual thing. At least I will have kitchen help, just hope I have all the utensils and items I need. That's my biggest fear, not having something I need. It's ridiculous the way I am writing out my list, down to the smallest ingredient!
Well, now to bed. I can't function well if I don't get my shuteye in. Hope your week is going well. Hope you have time to stop and appreciate your blessings. I need to remind myself of those joys more than I dwell on the worry and fears.