Thirty-Nine Rows Left

This past week I have been knitting a vest for myself.  I love short-row shaping and I thought it would be fun to put down my charts and calculator to follow someone else’s pattern.

The pattern came from the September 2010 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine and the garment is called Fitted Garter Vest.

The vest is knit side to side with short-row shaping suitable for curves.  I always like the look of basic stitches.  The garter stitch is usually the first stitch a knitter learns, but it has its place and charm.  Using it in a sideways vest adds subtle stretch where needed, but it gives the illusion of darts.

I had some yarn at home that was leftover from some shawl knitting I donated to Gr8′s church.   I thought I’d give the pattern a test run.  I don’t wear a lot of this color, but it’s called Aruba Sea by Red Heart and I loved the name!

Frankly, I wear dark colors for work.  It’s in my job description.  I’ve already mentioned the ‘drab, dark, plain’ clause before.  So I may have to knit another in something properly sullen.  (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the vest or the yarn in the design.  I’m just poking fun at myself and my wardrobe.) But for now, I’m feeling tropical as I wind down to the last 39 rows.

I haven’t selected the buttons yet so I’ll have to find something suitably attention-getting since I’m already going there with the color.

Or I could ask Goodnight to make me some from Duct Tape . . . .  We have some in that color family. 

 

 

 

Goodnight’s Craft Project for this Week

I wish Goodnight loved to knit as much as I do, but I can’t force what isn’t there.  So . . . we didn’t get to go to the yarn store for her leisure activity for this week.  That’s okay.  We had to go to the home repair store for her craft supplies.

That kid loves duct tape!

She decided it would be fun to make a duct tape shopping bag for me.  She took one of our reusable totes and covered it with tape.  It takes less tape that way.  If she started from scratch, she would have had to make it double so the inside wouldn’t be sticky.  Works for me.  We have reusable shopping bags and we use them.  The tape will just make it more sturdy and . . .  fetching, I guess. 

Just what I need is more attention at the grocery store, right?  After 26 weeks of alphabet themed dinners and everyone from the store manager to the Deli Dude asking what was for dinner, I was looking forward to being low-key when I walk in.

But, I love the bag she decorated for me nonetheless.

Gr8 is coming for the weekend.  We all have a birthday party to attend for a young man’s 2nd birthday.

That little man loves Sponge Bob, so Goodnight found some Sponge Bob fabric and sewed him a pillowcase for his bed.  She did the entire thing by hand and without any assistance from me.  (My machine is in the shop getting a new gear and little kid’s birthdays don’t wait for stuff like that!) Nice hem on the open end to boot!

I haven’t taken a photo of it yet, but the fabric looks like this:

He’ll love it.  He says “Bob Bob!”  But yeah for Goodnight.  When she finished ironing it this morning, she put it on her own pillow to show me that it was perfect.  It certainly was !

So I think I will show her the piece of fabric I have with ruby slippers on it and see if she wants to make another pillow case for herself.  It will remind her that

“There’s no place like home!”

 

 

 

Field Trip Friday – Eagles, Water, Trees, and Family

Last week’s Field Trip Friday took us about 18 eagles away from home.  We took a long drive to a national forest in northeastern Wisconsin.  Gr8 and my brother were with us, or rather, we were with them . . .

Rather than count miles, I counted eagles.  That makes the trip much more interesting and relaxing.

One over head, two catching a breeze, three diving into a cornfield, etc.  Oops!  Do you see the sheep?  How many are there? OMG there’s a goat climbing on top of that sign.  It’s a real goat! 

I was driving so I couldn’t shoot pix.

That’s how the drive went.  Finally we arrived here: dense, fragrant, beautiful!

 

My brother had business nearby and we kept him company for the journey.   Why not, eh?  The forest is beautiful, with little towns tucked in under the trees.   Not kidding really.  In the town we were closest to, we could drive down a tree-laden street and it would just end because of forest.  The forest is thick there!  I giggled down every street.

It rained part of the time we were there so of course GN and I spent much of our time at the forest water hole:

That worked out well anyway because my brother needed the car during the day for his business.   Let it rain!  We all brought books to read by the pool.  I had knitting along too.  GN brought cards and we all played King’s Corner and became one with our swimsuits. 

Here’s where Gr8, GN and I played cards:

Later in the evening, the rain let up and we went out to eat and then to a street dance in town.

 

Goodnight hugged a bear.

 

We found the city park and walked lazily by the river that flows through the forest.

 

It was a lovely and relaxing getaway.  Fun to do it with family.  I’m a Smalltownville girl and smalltownville in the forest is very enticing! 

On our way back home, we came near the little hamlet where my mother was born.  She actually doesn’t remember it because after she was born, her family moved to another location.  But we zipped off the road to see if the barn was still standing.  The house where Gr8 was born has been gone for a long time, but the barn was still there.  It’s had a face lift in parts, but on the right side – it shows its age.

 

I’m glad we drove by the barn for Gr8 to see again.  Who knows . . . eh?  She nearly didn’t make it the day she was born.  The cord was wrapped around her neck and someone had to run for the doctor.  Those were the days of house calls by wagon or on foot.  We’re all glad the doctor made it!

This week Field Trip Friday will find us closer to home at a family water park.  We stopped at oour local grocery store last night and Checkout Angel was working.  Goodnight told her what we were doing and CA invited herself along.  Why not?  She’s a peach and I have room in my car.

 

So, the old Gram, the college aged checkout girl and the granddaughter will catch some little waves and rays here tomorrow:

 

In the meantime, however, I have to check off another chore on my summer Grammy-Do list or I don’t get to play . . . .  Could someone burst that reality bubble please?  

Okay, wash the windows it is . . . .

Technology Tuesday – GN’s Assignment

I absolutely love seeing the world through Goodnight’s eyes and the best way to do that is to give her the opportunity.  I am almost always surprised, but I come away feeling younger too.

Case in point:

Our Grammy Summer School continues this week after her V-ball camp last week. (and field trip that took us further away from home)

Tuesday is our technology day and I am giving Goodnight some computer assignments that will help her take full advantage of software and use it creatively in combination with other softwares.  I hope she has fun in the process, though.

Now I am not a guru by any means, but I can do a few things that she can’t so I want her to see potential, that’s all, I guess.

So for this week, Goodnight’s assignment was to create a PowerPoint presentation for me.  It was to have four slides and it was supposed to resemble a four-frame cartoon.  She was also to use the Paint program somehow, save the file and then use it in the ppt. show.  I even got up early in the morning to do my Grammy teacher prep and I prepared an example for her, but told her she had a lot of latitude with the assignment.

Much giggling ensued as I showed her my four slide show and she must have already had her cogs churning.

She took over the computer and I left her to her own devices.

She laughed, giggled, snorted, and had a great time doing her deed and I must say that I enjoyed her from afar just for the sound effects!

She asked me for our recent the county fair photo file and kept working.

In less than a half hour, she was finished and ready to show me.  I loved it!  And understood completely where all the giggling came from.  It was cute.

She inserted thought bubbles and everything!

Frame 1:

Frame 2:

Frame 3:

Frame 4:

 

I thought it was hilarious – my fire-breathing, corn dog burning Goodnight!  I probably shouldn’t have turned the Mt. Rushmore faces into a milk commercial as my example . . . milk mustaches for all – even the Gram and a much younger Goodnight standing in front of them in the pouring rain.  Oh well, no one will see my cartoon.

Repurposing (or second-purposing) a Mini-tramp

Years ago, I bought a rebounder for Goodnight to use when she needed to get rid of some energy.  I can’t count how many times I stood by her side, holding her hands as she bounced up and down on that thing!  It was especially great for rainy days or cold winter days.

Image source:  http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/images/Platinum_Edition_Rebounder_Top_View_lg.jpg

It’s been in the closet for a while.  I have a stationary bike that she prefers now.

I recently pulled the rebounder out of the closet and was going to donate it to a second-hand store, but when I unscrewed the five legs and set the rebounder against the wall, a thought occurred to me.

I remembered the pitch-back we used as kids and thought the rebounder could serve a second term in our home.

Image source: http://westsidecubs.net/images/pitch_back_net.jpg

We set it up indoors and gave it a try.  It was great for laughs because the rebounder is much stiffer than the pitch-back net so it took more effort to get it back to Goodnight’s glove.  However, given the right angle, it worked for Goodnight to be able to have a catch with herself.

Note: Remove the breakables from the area before throwing.  Heaven only know where the ball will go!  And add some sort of soft covering to the threaded holes where the legs were removed so you don’t scratch furniture or walls.

The re-purposed rebounder will work outdoors, too, but I’m all for collecting ideas to keep Goodnight active when the weather isn’t suitable for being outside.

p.s.  I play catch with Goodnight.  I have an old beat up three-fingered glove from when I played softball as a kid, but I can’t always play with Goodnight.  You know . . . ‘scrub the floor once in a while whether it needs it or not kind’ of thing.

Crafting our Rings and Blings

At the end of my previous post, I mentioned that Goodnight and I have been making rings during our craft time.  It’s a blast despite the glitter that still lingers on the carpet even after several times over with the vacuum cleaner.

Goodnight decide she wanted a dice-ring.  I had a few different sizes, but rather than a couple small dice, she opted for a large one.  She also came up with the idea of filling the clear plastic die with glitter.

The die didn’t have a hole in it, but Gram has a Black and Decker, so I let Goodnight make the hole.  Safety glasses for both of us and Gram at her side, Goodnight worked her way up from the pilot hole to the quarter-inch bit which made a hole big enough for her to pour the glitter.

She’s growing up, that kid.  I can’t remember ever asking my dad if I could use his drill . . .

I opted for a smiley face ring because on any given day at work, it could be the only smiley face I see.

The above two rings were from several weeks ago.  Goodnight liked making the rings, so for our next craft time, we made a couple more, but this time they were both the same.

Goodnight giggled when I suggested making mirror rings – handy for a quick look, I suppose.  Frankly, I’m not that vain, but it’s been great for conversation starters!

I tried to snap a pic with goodnight’s eye in the mirror, but it didn’t work out.  You can see the bridge of her nose and the hint of eyes on either side.  Oh well . . .  I told her NOT to use it for cheating on a test. (Truth is, she will not likely wear it to school at all.  She’s kind of a tomboy.  Maybe a dance, though.)

So it’s craft time today.  I haven’t decided what we’ll do, but I’ll take my cues from her.  Maybe I should buy her a miter-box? 

It’s a beautiful summer day. The humidity came down overnight and the rain has moved out of the area.  I think I’ll open the garage door, set up a folding table, and have craft time out there. 

 

Grandparents as Caregivers

I’ve added a new link to my sidebar.  It’s called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren USA.  You can check it out for yourself if you’re interested.

I mostly try to keep my focus on what needs to be done.  But when I get tired, I start to wondering . . .

While I was looking it over, I came across the following information:

2.5 million

The number of grandparents responsible for most of the basic needs (i.e., food, shelter, clothing) of one or more of the grandchildren who lived with them in 2007. These grandparents represented about 40 percent of all grandparents whose grandchildren lived with them. Of these caregivers, 1.6 million were grandmothers, and 932,000 were grandfathers.

1.8 million

The number of grandparent-caregivers who were married in 2007.

That means that lots of folks in the US have stepped up to the plate to take on the responsibility of raising relative children that are not their own.  A huge thanks to all of you!

If you take the two numbers above and subtract the latter from the former, that means .7 million grandparents raising grandchildren are unmarried which could (though not necessarily) mean less financial resources to do the job.  I thought about that a LOT when I had to replace my furnace last fall!  Whew!  A huge thanks to all of you.

Of the 2.5 millions grandparents raising grandchildren, 1.5 of them are still in the work force.  That could be because they are younger and not eligible for retirement, or because they are working longer to support their grandchild(ren).  A huge thanks to all of you!

Of the 2.5 million, 930,000 have been caring for their grandchildren for five years or more.  A huge thanks to all of you.

There are stats for grandparents raising their grandchildren below poverty level, nearly half a million; and stats for grandparents with disabilities raising their grandchildren, nearly three-quarters of a million.  The ACS report I read did not show stats for grandparents raising grandchildren with disabilities, but that’s a reality as well.   A huge thanks to all of you!

The statistics were based on the 2007 American Community Survey.   I didn’t find anything more recent – time being the biggest factor.  (I have to get to craft time with Goodnight.)  I suspect the 2010 census will provide us with an update.

That all adds up to a lot of tired grandparents who are cleaning up glitter on their carpets, cheering for their grandchildren at sporting events, taking care of medical needs, making blanket tents where they read to their grandchildren during thunderstorms , and ignoring the generation gap in order to do the right thing.

It’s odd, perhaps, but after I read the report, I didn’t feel so tired anymore.  A huge thanks to all of you!

Now Goodnight and I are off to craft time.  We’ve been making rings lately, but I’m going to show our pix in a separate post.

Dinner by Alphabet – Z

I could have made things much easier for ‘Z‘ night had I decided to do so.  I gave a moment’s consideration to fasting and serving up a three course feast of zero, zip and zilch, but that would have actually been contrary to the original goal of my New Year’s resolution.  So Goodnight and I put our heads together for our last night of Dinner by Alphabet.

That girl is so GREAT at being a kid.  Do you know that she named two dessert possibilities in heartbeat?  Yup!  Hostess makes Zingers and Little Debbie makes Zebra Cakes.  She has got to spend more time in the produce aisle with me!

What we decided to do was actually challenge ourselves to include one particular ‘z‘ food in each course we prepared: the zucchini.  Hey, why not?  They are plentiful at the farmer’s markets tis time of year, so it gave us another chance to buy local.

To tell you the truth, there is a kid’s song that was the inspiration for our ‘Z’ night.  Goodnight has grown out of the need to sing it regularly, but once in a while we find a combination of words that fits the song perfectly, so we end up singing it together.  Such was the case as ‘Z’ night approached.

The song goes like this:

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.

After singing it normally the first time, it is sung five more times, each time replacing the words ‘eat’, ‘apples’, and ‘bananas’, with the long vowel sounds of A, E, I, O, and U consecutively.

Thus:

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays.
I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays.

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and ba-nee-nees.
I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and ba-nee-nees.

And so forth.

So what was the word combo that fit the song?  Ziti and Zucchini!  We’re still singing it!!!  It’s not that easy to switch out the vowel sounds, but it’s great for laughs (and soup)!

It was pretty hot here yesterday so when I turned on the oven for Goodnight’s baking project, I wanted to go back to the zero, zip, zilch menu.  To add to the heat, I had a pot simmering for a while . . . .

Dinner by Alphabet - Z

 

Appetizer Course

Zucchini Nut Balls with Sweet/Sour Dipping Sauce – I found this recipe in my Tofu cookbook.  It was fun to make and I got to use some of the coriander seeds I harvested and dried from my garden last summer.

Main Course

Zucchini and Ziti Soup – This recipe came from my Encyclopedia of Soup.  I know making soup isn’t rocket science, but it’s really worth it to follow a recipe from time to time.

Zweiback Toast with a Zucchini/Zinfandel Cheese spread.  Quite delicious with a hint of cayenne.  This was my own derivation of Rosalynn Carter’s Plains Cheese Mold.  I’m not sure where it was originally published, but our local newspaper had permission to print it years ago and I clipped it out and saved it.

Dessert Course

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies – This recipe came from Barbara Kingsolver’s book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  If you own that book, you know we were right on track with the growing cycle for buying local.  Goodnight baked them . . . perfectly!

Beverage

Zinger tea – there are several flavors: orange, lemon, wild berry, etc.

Dinner was Zesty and maybe a little Zany!

Well . . . we did it!  From anchovies to zucchini, we had twenty-six Monday night dinners with a theme that featured each letter of the alphabet.  Lots more possibilities than what we could use in a meal.  But it was just a meal, one night a week, nothing more. 

It was my New Year’s Resolution to think outside the box and have fun in the process.  It was also my goal to get Goodnight some comfort in the kitchen.

I make New Year’s resolutions.  I keep the ones I make.  I try to make myself a better person somehow through them.  Part of the person I am is ‘Gram’ and as much as I would like to spoil her rotten and then let her mother deal with the aftermath, it has fallen in my lap to play a more responsible role.  I wanted to let Goodnight spread her wings in the kitchen.  At the same time, though, we were working together toward a common goal.  Who knows?  She may remember this down the road and take her own granddaughter on a similar adventure.

Her Heart Squeaked and My Heart Leaked . . . .

Goodnight and I made it through our Balloon Day time together!

It’s not my goal to make this post particularly sad.  I just want to express what an appreciation I have for how much the heart can endure and how brave people truly are when they have to go on after a loss – not just us, but anyone.

Goodnight and I handle our grief in different ways.  For now, hers just squeaks out of her like a balloon that’s been pinched to slowly let the air escape.  It’s painful for me to listen to, but I hold her close and with each breath she takes, I can tell when she can rest.

I, on the other hand, am a silent ‘leaker’.  It’s not a flood of tears anymore.   It’s sort of a single file parade of them on a rare occasion.

As we were walking into the store to buy our balloons, Goodnight asked me if we could change the tradition, ” . . . except for next year, Gram.”  She decided that she wanted to send one balloon for every year that her mother has been gone rather than one for every year of her age – with the exception of next year because it will be her first year as a teenager.

I don’t care what we do.  It gets her talking and that’s the most important thing.

We bought seven balloons.  Goodnight choose six different colors and left the last one for me to choose.  We’ve come to learn what colors show up the longest when we are watching them float away.  It depends on the weather and the color of the sky and how many clouds there are – in case you need to know . . .  

The person who prepared the balloons attached matching ribbons and curls the short end of the ribbon.  Goodnight and I just stood there in silence because they don’t need to be brought down by the reason for our purchase.

After we paid for the balloons, we headed directly to the cemetary to let them go. (There’s that red shirt again.  She really does own other clothes.)

 

The rest looks rather like the graphic I had up in the previous post.

                                                 away.

                                       and                                                           

                               up

              floated

They

 

It was a beautiful day.  The sky was a rich blue and there where only whispers of clouds here and there.  It was probably the longest we were ever able to watch the balloons.

A tree blocked our view after a while, so we climbed into the car and watched a while longer.

 

Gram: Let me know when you are ready to leave, Honey.

GN: Never, Gram.

Gram:  I know, dear.

The balloons headed west toward a small cloud that looked like a seahorse.  Then in a blink of an eye, the balloons were gone and then the seahorse dissolved away, too.

By the way, that’s not when the leaky and squeaky hearts happen.  That happens the days leading up to balloon day.

I let Goodnight decide where she wanted to eat and she picked her usual buffet.  I had a turkey dinner – my silent Thanksgiving, I suppose.  We toasted her mother with our water glasses and then we toasted ourselves.    

On the way, she asked if we could listen to her radio station.  That was the perfect time to tell her that it was her mother’s favorite station, too.

All is well.

And tonight is ‘Z’ night . . . . .                                                      

A Brief Interlude for Balloon Day

     

Image source: http://www.tower.herts.sch.uk/images/moving_balloons.gif

 

“Feeling foolish, Andrea removed the pink balloon from the bunch and brought it to her mouth. She whispered, This is for all the years you should have had.” With a kiss, she released the balloon, watching it float straight up.

The green balloon came next. “This is for all the things you’ve missed. Your prom, graduation, getting married, and having b-babies.” Her voice broke on the last word. With another brief kiss, Andrea let the balloon float upwards.

The next balloon was an entirely too-happy shade of yellow. “This is for the happiness that should have been yours these past few years.” She kissed it and let go of the string, watching it bob along drunkenly as it slowly climbed upwards.

The blue balloon beckoned to her. Andrea held it close to her mouth, preparing to whisper her last message, wondering what she should say. The words came as if on autopilot. “This is goodbye.” When she released the white ribbon, the balloon shot up so fast it passed right by the yellow balloon, then the green, and soon caught up with the pink balloon.

Andrea watched the balloons until they got so far away that she couldn’t see them in the twilight.  Finally, she went inside as tears broke free from her eyes and streamed down her face.”

Excerpt from:  Balloons to Heaven by Kit Tinstall, www.storiesbyemail.com, 2003.