• I love, love, love Old Navy’s Dreamer jeans. I forgot how wonderful it is to wear jeans that don’t gap in the back. In fact, I want to buy more and just toss out all my other pants.
• I won – Thank you Cursingmama! – a copy of The Mayo Clinic Diet book & journal over at her review blog. I also started it even though it cautions to wait until a good time. The week before Easter is decidedly NOT a good time. As I have mentioned every single year on this blog, my favorite candy in all the world is only available at Easter. The first two weeks (the Lose It! portion) you are suppose to give up sugar. Hahahahaha. Yo, that shit is hard. I’ve done… ok. Not perfect but not nearly as bad as I would have been if I wasn’t doing this. Also? I have to decided to eat as much candy as I want on Easter. For one day. I will be in a sugar coma. Then? I might extend the first 2 weeks for one more. We shall see.
• As anyone who follows me on twitter already knows, I had my annual review yesterday at work and it has been decided I’m full of the awesome. As for a raise, extremely minimal merit raises are being offered up. I for one am glad to have a job. Not that we couldn’t use the money but I’d rather have no one lose their job.
• Found out a friend from high school is in the hospital with an infection around his heart… from twitter. Twitter FTW! (As for the other business on twitter. Suck it, don’t suck it, I’m out of caring. Although, thanks for the entertainment.) As for my friend, I’m seriously worried. He is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and we just reconnected. Get well Alan!

Child update for the related people and grandparents out there reading – non-related and non-grandparents, do not feel the need to read my annoying gushing. (I must gush when I can because usually I’m just complaining about them):

• Alex played for the Varsity baseball team during a scrimmage the other day. He was not nervous. I was a wreck. He held his own though. It’s his first year catching and he’s doing great but has some stuff to work on. What? I don’t know – see: not informed about sports. Still, the coaches seem to like him and he’s getting the hang of it.
• Tyler made the JV golf team. He’s very excited and we are very proud. Now we need to invest in a membership for him at the local golf course.
• The last parent-teacher conference ever for Dylan was the only one where the teacher had nothing negative to say. Only lovely words were spoken. And his grades are higher than they’ve ever been. Also, it has been agreed by all that Jr. High should be good for him. Apparently letting him almost flunk out last term worked. He’s getting all his homework done at school now. Now if he would just let me cut his hair.
• Zach. What to say about him. He’s a bit sassy. A bit whiny. All brilliant and still adorable. Baseball starts next week.
• The 3 youngest have all signed up for the mini-triathlon again.
• Clearly none of these children are related to me.

Actually, I promised myself I would try to get back to this. It’s like I have no record of my life anymore. I kind of miss it. I don’t miss the pressure I sometimes put on myself about what I write though. But who cares what I write? Anyone?

It’s warming up again which is nice since baseball is revving up. Three scrimmages this week for the oldest alone. Add that to Passover, Easter and school vacation and you’ve got a busy week. I think I may have finally found a way to keep it all organized though. I’ve tried a calendar at home and one in my purse, my phone (which was great unless I wanted to look at more than one day at a time) and excel spreadsheets. Now I’m using Google calendars. I can share with the extended family, have each kid their own calendar/color, and print it out however is most useful at the time. I also gave the kids and husband access to add their own stuff and to see what’s going on. The husband is using it. The kids not so much. Yet. Regardless, it’s easier for me and that’s what counts.

In other matters, work is good. In fact, this is the longest I have ever been at one job and not actively looked for another. I’m still not bored. Well, sometimes but not chronically. I’m busy and challenged and I enjoy most of the people I work with. And those I don’t? We all need someone to complain about sometimes. No?

Speaking of work and baseball, must finish up so I can get out of here and to the scrimmage before it’s over. I hope you have nice weather coming like we do. If so, enjoy! If not, hope it gets everywhere soon.

I would like to give a shout out to Mother Nature. Beautiful weather you’ve supplied. I know your switching things up and going back to snow on Monday but I’m enjoying your sneak peek at Spring. Really lovely. I’ve even taken to eating my lunches outside.

Things at work are finally starting to slow down. My to-do pile has become manageable. This makes me happy because I’m up for a little break from the crazy. Spring is always a good time to have a repreive at work since my home life picks up to an unbearable pace. No, we’re not there yet but in about 2 weeks it will be. Right now it’s just busy.

This week is the week of meetings. Parent-teacher and JV sports have taken up most nights this week. The kids have less school (1/2 days) and we have to spend more time away from them. Nice planning school.

Let’s see, what else has been happening? I’m knitting my first pair of socks. Luckily the pattern fits my feet as written but I have no idea how I would modify for larger or smaller feet. If any of you know how one would do that with Knitty’s Skew pattern, please! let me know.

Overall, I think everything is going well. A sure sign of impending disaster. Although, I like to think I deserve the smooth road for a little bit after the seriously crappy last couple of years. We shall see…

Vegas in 52 days!!!

As of today, the OFA has just barely 1300 scarves. They need 3000 for the Red Scarf Project, to send in care packages to college students formerly in foster care, who are going it on their own.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of these kids. This isn’t just some nutty knitters feeling good idea. The students truly appreciate what you are doing, knitting something by hand for them. Not only is it likely to be the only handknit they receive, it will likely be the only care package.

Here’s the plan:

1. Cast on for a red scarf and work on it as much as you can this week, and if you’re in the US, especially over Thanksgiving. Pick a simple pattern and you’ll maybe finish it by Sunday. Or next.
2. Be thankful for whoever supported you with a care package when you were a student. Think what it would have been like without them. And if there wasn’t anyone? Then you really know how it matters.
3. Tell another knitter about it . There’s info on the Red Scarf blog. And patterns.
4. STEAL THE POSTER above and put it on your blog. Really! If you click on it, it’ll go to my Flickr page, just steal it from there.
5. Call your local yarn store and tell them about this. If they need a poster to print out, there’s one of this one, print sized, linked to the Red Scarf blog. Offer to print it out for them & hang it in the store. Maybe they want to offer a discount on any red yarn for one day to perk things up?
6. Knit! I’m determined to finish the one I’m on now, and crank one more by the December 15th deadline. It is do-able. Join me?

My last pep talk on the subject is here, it has additional suggestions for helping out.