Oscar Night

Congratulations to the winners of the 83rd Academy Awards.  I love movies!  So, my thanks goes out to all the folks who keep me entertained and provide interesting and wonderful escapes from my daily routine. I learn a lot, laugh a lot, have opportunities to cry, be amazed, or just forget about laundry for a while.  I also have opportunities to take my granddaughter to movies and listen for her child-like laughter that isn’t suppressed by peer pressure.  I cherish those moments.

Goodnight and I always celebrate in our own way.  Several Oscars are handed out for “Best” somethings and if you look closely, there are a couple of Oscar the Grouches to be handed out, too.  The big chocolate Oscar in the middle goes to Gr8.   It always does.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know your ‘must-see’ favs.

Purple Week – Day 1

Winter is starting to feel a little long, so I decided to entertain myself with ‘Purple Week’.  I should really wait, I suppose, what with Lent fast approaching, but I’m going ahead, anyway.

I decided to nurture my ‘inner purple’ and wear a wee bit of that lovely color to work every day this week . . . . instead of the colossal fashion mistake I made a while back.  I will be open to various shades and hues, too.  I know they are not all officially purple and have wonderfully descriptive names,  but I’m flexible when it comes to colors.  Apparently too flexible in the above-mentioned instance, but, I’ve learned my lesson. 

Today, a simple selection:  a very dark, dark purple sweater with the brooch I found at a thrift shop recently.  Black turtle neck, black dress slacks, and one of my new pairs of purple socks.  That’s it!  Well, the PPPurse will be accompanying me all week, with the compact mirror tucked inside, of course, but tasteful on the whole.

 

I haven’t even broken into the purple yarn yet.  Goodnight had a science test to study for and I helped her review.  I also was busy tending a soup pot in the kitchen.

Today, a homemade carrot soup for lunch.  It doesn’t match my socks, but I sat, “Wear purple, but eat a rainbow!”   

More Purple . . .

I needed new socks anyway, so why not notice the package of three pairs of purple socks that were on clearance?  I consider it economical.  They are conservative, like me. 

I’m certain this will all work its way out of my system.  I’m not worried at all . . . . even though I picked up enough purple yarn to knit myself a serious shawl.  I haven’t decided what it will look like yet.  I savor the planning phase, so I may be holed up in my room for a while later this afternoon – dreaming, sketching, knitting purple swatches.  The yarn color is called “Iris.”  It’s BRIGHT!

Caught Resting!

Goodnight and I got out early this morning.  We’re morning people, so when we feel like getting out, we go!  I don’t have the newspaper delivered because I want the excuse to get out.

On our way to get the Sunday paper, we caught the deer in the woods again, but this time they were still resting.  GN and I were both mesmerized.  We drove by slowly, three times.  The photo below doesn’t show all of them  There were dozens of them in the woods across the street from our house.  Most of them weren’t close enough together to get in a photo.  GN took the pic.

So . . . . you know what Gram needs to for applying her purple lipstick, don’t you?  A purple compact mirror, of course!  I found it yesterday and bought it.

I woke up about 4:00 this morning, hopped out of bed and started taking a purple inventory.  I may just do a week of purple at work!  I think I can.  I think I might!  But . . . . I assure you, that monochrome get-up that started this whole phase will NOT happen again.  Wasn’t that a Simon and Garfunkel tune?

Mama don’t take my Monochrome, mama don’t take my Monochrome
Mama don’t take my Monochrome away
Mama don’t take my Monochrome and leave your boy so far from home
Mama don’t take my Monochrome away
Mama don’t take my Monochrome, whew whew, mama don’t take my Monochrome away.

I know . . . it’s not Monochrome, but my boys would have sung it that way for me – if they hadn’t cancelled the concert I was supposed to attend.  We hear what we want to hear, right?

I should knit myself a purple shawl . . . . . and play some S & G all day . . . loud! . . . . while singing along. . . . .   If I get too loud, just bang on the wall, OK?  I’m not saying I’ll stop, but if you bang on the wall, it will add to the fun! 

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?  Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  Remember me to one who lives there . . . . la la la, la la la la la. ”  

PPPromise not to laugh . . .

It’s snowing here again today.  No wonder I’m in a purple phase.  Too much white outside my window!

I might have forgotten to mention another little purchase . . . . don’t look at the purse in the photo below.

Just look at that brand new, perfectly pointed plum lip color.  Yup!  That’s mine.  It’s going to go nicely with the purple knit pantsuit I found in my closet.  I forgot about that sweater/pants outfit in there.  It feels more like a sweat suit when I wear it.  It’s old, so this may not be a phase I’m in.  Perhaps it’s proportional to the amount of total snow accumulation . . . . or (heaven help me) a permanent state.~

Permanent, I think.  As I took another look at the lip color before uploading my post, I had a flashback to another time I bought that color.  I had sewn a purple lace evening dress for a cruise.  Oh no . . . I’ve had purple longer than I want to admit. 

 Excuse me while I go hunt for the cruise photos. 

“Hang Time” – Super Scarf #26

It’s time for another Indianapolis Super Bowl Super Scarf.  For this one, I decided to pay tribute to an important feature of a punted football: its hang time.  This Super Scarf an appliquéd, knitted piece.

Hang time is important to the kicking team.  Prior to the kick, every player on the kicking team must line up behind the ball.  When the ball is kicked, their goal is to run downfield and tackle the player on the receiving team who catches the ball.  They want to tackle the player before he can run any distance with the ball.  A good hang time allows the kicking team to get further downfield than they would with a less than favorable hang time.

The term “hang time” came into the NFL lexicon during the tenure of punter Ray Guy, first round draft pick in 1973 for the Oakland/LA Raiders. For information on his amazing statistics and contributions to the game, head to the Ray Guy official Site.  It’s an interesting read.

Hang time is measured in seconds from the time it leaves the punter’s foot,

to the time it is touched by the hand of someone on the receiving team.

I knit the Super Scarf using the garter stitch.  I like it because it makes the scarf itself reversible.  I like the background look it provides for the appliquéd pieces.  The two footballs, the hand, and the foot are all knit using the garter stitch as well.  It’s easy enough to do, but there was a fair amount of hand work to this one after the pieces were all knit.

I love the construction process, so finishing, weaving in ends, appliqué work, etc., are all calming for me.

When I appliquéd the hand onto the scarf, I left the fingers loose to give a little 3D effect.  The laces on the kicker’s shoe are free-falling for the same reason.  Everything else is stitched.

I hope you can tell from the photo below, that those loose fingers are trying to reeeeeeaaaaaach  to catch the ball. 

 

I just checked the Super Scarf Project’s website and they have posted a total of 3000 scarves of their goal of 8000.  We’re getting there.  Hey, Host Committee!  Number I just put 3001 in the mail for you.

Happy knitting!

The Adjective Parade

It’s ” I Love to Read Month” and Goodnight’s school does some interesting things related to reading and encouraging the children to read.  Tomorrow is the Adjective Parade.  All the children are to pick an adjective, dress in a way that would illustrate the word, and then at some point they gather in the gym to check out the other adjectives.

Goodnight’s Language teacher asked her what adjective she was thinking about choosing. 

GN:  How about invisible?  Then I don’t have to show up . . .

I probably shouldn’t have laughed, but I don’t think her response was entirely based on insubordination.  I think her first reaction was to use her large vocabulary and not pick something that other children would think of.  And it just follows that MS. INVISIBLE wouldn’t show up.  That would be preferable than showing up in an invisible costume.  I think she was creative and frankly, I’m satisfied that she knew ‘invisible’ is an adjective.

She will be attending, however and not as MS. INVISIBLE.  She will be MS. ELATED.  That was her second choice.  She’s going to find as many smiley face articles of clothing and accessories as she can . . . .

Purple Pix

Not to  beat the topic to a purple pulp, but I did wear a teeny bit of  my recent color phase to the all-college get-together today.  Someone requested pix. 

Tasteful scarf with the gray suit.  Okay, you caught me.  There’s a purple mock turtleneck under the suit jacket.

Modest purple ear-blings.

The PPP (Purple Purse Purchase), of course.  Okay, you caught me again.  The gray suit jacket has an elbow length sleeve and the mock turtleneck has a three-quarter length sleeve . . .   Too cold here not to have on a second layer.

It’s SOP around here when we gather in the theater for a meeting, to hand out folders with the agenda, forms,  and other pertinent information tucked inside.  Wanna guess what color the folders were?

I dunno, maybe the purple folder put the ensemble a little over the top . . . .

Here’s the best part, though.  I have a very uncommon first name and yet there is another college employee with the same first name as mine.  I ran into her at lunch and she was wearing . . . . . PURPLE. 

That’s the truth!

 

The big PPP!

Shoot me, laugh lout loud, or hop along to a different blog, but I did it!

I made the Purple Purse Purchase!

It may have had more to do with the amount of total snow accumulation we’ve had here, or it could have been the influence of a couple of blog buddies (three of you to be exact), but I stopped at a store on my way home from work, went it to look for a purple purse, found two, bought one.  Done deal!

We have an all-college employee in-service tomorrow.  Does purple go with purple?

I admit, it’s a lighter shade than the gawdawfulgetup I had on last week, but it’s still the right color as far as I’m concerned. 

I’m going to go with the ‘less is more’ approach and wear a gray suit, with a lovely purple floral scarf and my new PPP. 

Oh yes, and maybe . . . . .  just the bracelets, too. 

It’s a phase, I hope. 

Must scoot.  I’m knitting up a little something for my Oscar Party on Sunday.  No purple involved!

Goodnight = Good Friend

The phone rang last night at 7:00.  I knew it wasn’t for me.   Goodnight’s friends know they may call after before 5:00 or after 7:00 if they want to chat.

It was ‘Birdie.’  Goodnight perked right up when she heard her friend’s voice on the phone.  Birdie is a special needs child with a learning delay.  Birdie and Goodnight used to go to the same elementary school, but are at different middle schools.  Birdie called to chat.

I don’t listen in on everything, but Goodnight was sitting in the dining room and I was working a crossword puzzle in the living room, not terribly far away.  (It’s a wee little townhome.)  I wasn’t paying much attention, but I heard Goodnight say, “I’m sorry to hear that.  It happened to me last year.  Do you want some advice?”

Birdie wanted the advice, I’m guessing, because Goodnight continued. 

“It’s not nice for them to bully you because you are different.  Bullies usually bully because they are treated that way somewhere else.  They can’t take it out on the person who bullies them, so they take it out on someone they think they can push around.  Don’t let them push you around.  They are not your friends, so don’t give them another care.  I got bullied because my mom is dead.  They even spread the rumor that my mom killed herself because I was such an ugly baby.  Gram taught me how to take care of it and now things are better.  We can’t be ashamed of who we are and we can’t let them take our dignity.  Now how is school? What sports do yo have at your school?  I’m gonna be in a play.”

Pretty soon, Goodnight scooted off the dining room chair and kissed me on the cheek as she took the phone to her bedroom.  I knew that they were going to take some time to catch up.

I just took the time to be proud of my granddaughter.  I was genuinely touched by her immediate compassion and her easy comfort to her friend.

Goodnight is a normal teen, but tucked into that maturing package of eye-rolling and homework-balking, and “Gram, you want me to get the car?” and “When can I start to swear?”, is such a wonderfully kind human being.  It appears effortless to her.  I love that in her.

When she has her normal teen days, I try to remember the ways she’s impressed me, but instead of keeping them to myself, I remind her of them, too.  It works better than screaming.