BzzLaraBzz

Spring? Please?

2009-03-24T12:18:00.005-06:00

I know this winter has seemed interminable to many people, and I am one of them! Spring Break was last week and the kids and I had plenty of fun with the beautiful weather. It was perfect! Of course, this week is rainy and now today it feels cold. Not that it actually is cold, it's just nowhere near as nice as it has been. (The picture above was taken last year by one of my daughters. Love the heart in the flower. :) )

I have been sick off and on for about a month (just different viruses, respiratory crud, etc.) and now my marathon training feels like I'm starting over. I'm getting out there, though. I have to get those miles in.

My sister-in-law was laid off. She hasn't had much luck in finding another job so far, so at the end of the month, that means I'm out of a job taking care of baby J. She just rolled over for the first time yesterday! Growing so fast, just like they always do. Depending on what my sister-in-law ends up doing, I may look for a part time job. :p Ugh. Maybe I can just do some odd jobs.

Baby J, swinging at the park last week. See the two mopey girls sitting in the swings in the background, facing this way? Those are my two oldest, thrilled to be at the playground. They're just too cool, I guess. My other two were running around and climbing everything. After they were played out, we walked around and looked at the little zoo. I had promised them ice cream when we were done, but the ice cream guys at the park had disappeared by then. So, I promised cones from Dairy Queen on the drive home. Well, Krispy Kreme was on the way, too . . . We ended up with donuts and ice cream, a rare treat. One of the kids exclaimed, "Donuts and ice cream? This is the best day EVER!"

Here's your reminder to give the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society if you can. I'm almost halfway to my goal, and I could really use your help! Every little bit helps, just like stacking those miles up. The first step is the most important, just getting out there, giving what you can. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

Let me know if you have any ideas to help raise more funds. :) I'll take all the help I can get.

Gimme 5!

2009-03-04T11:14:00.003-06:00

As you probably know, I'm running a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It's my first one, and I could use some help! So I am asking you to Gimme 5!

1. Gimme 5 minutes of your time - go to my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter, and read about what I'm doing.

2. Gimme 5 bucks - just donate online: five dollars for a great cause - and if you want to donate more, fantastic!

3. Gimme 5 friends - send this to five friends and help spread the word!

4. 5 is the number of years that some blood cancer patients have to stay in remission in order to be considered cured.

5. Every 5 minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer - money for research is desperately needed - so PLEASE donate now.

Thanks so much for your help! I couldn't do this without you!

Lara
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

p.s. The picture above is my dad, my grandma (who died of Leukemia shortly after this picture was taken), my mom, my brother, and me (the baby.)

2009-03-03T10:42:00.003-06:00

E's birthday cake. Isn't it cute? Her birthday was January 6, but when I was looking for pictures to put in this post, I couldn't resist. I made it using a funny cake pan. That's a luncheon plate it's sitting on, so that's a lot of cupcake! It takes 1 1/2 cake mixes. We made mini cupcakes with the other 1/2 a mix.

Here are a couple other things I made in January. Bella's Mittens and Rose's Wristwarmers. They were both fun and fast. I made them for a friend and I'm happy to report that she loves them! I'm going to make another pair of the Bella's Mittens for use at our house. I expect all of us girls will use them at times.

I'm still running and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last week was tough with a lot of sickness going around our house. It's hard to run when you get queasy, so I took it easy and got back out there yesterday, feeling good. Everyone is finally at school and work today for the first time in a week, so that's nice!

I'm thinking about having a giveaway here on my blog for people who donate and mention in the note section that they would like to be entered. What do you think? What would you like to win?

Great story at the Toy Society blog!

2009-02-26T11:45:00.003-06:00

The Toy Society is a blog where people make toys and drop them in public places around the world to be found. The post on there today really touched my heart. It amazes me how often these toys seem to find just the right caretaker, but this one is extra special.

http://thetoysociety.blogspot.com/2009/02/found-drop-120.html
It begins . . .
"I am currently living at Ronald McDonald House Westmead whilst my 2 year old son has Chemotherapy to treat his Luekeamia. We live in Bellingen NSW and found out about Alex's cancer 3 days before Christmas. Since then there hasnt been alot to smile about."

Please click over and read the whole story if you want to feel uplifted today.

It really helped me. It's been a tough week with people in my house (including me) feeling yucky, and my marathon training has been really hard to get in, and hearing a story about a little boy who is one of the people I'm trying to help with my fundraising really made my day. If you can spare anything at all, please consider donating to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so we can help more children like this sweet boy. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

Fun at Wal Mart

2009-02-12T13:09:00.003-06:00

So, I don't like going to Wal Mart. Hate it, in fact. Avoid it if at all possible. Yet, somehow the last two weeks, I've ended up going there about 10:30 at night on a Friday for things I had to have before I got up the next morning at 5:30. (Have I mentioned that training for a marathon makes you get up much earlier than you would ever consider doing otherwise? Well, it's done that for me anyway.)

So I'm standing in line to check out, because there's always a line at least three people deep, of course. (One reason to avoid Wal Mart.) Now, who can resist peeking at the items your fellow nighttime shopper is purchasing? I'm boring. The first time, I had a ream of paper and a giant box of envelopes (to print fund raising letters for said marathon.) The second time, I had a clock radio (helpful for getting up at 5:30 when your old one has become possessed and won't turn off) and a couple running shirts that were on clearance. What did my fellow shoppers have? The first time, it was condoms, personal hygiene wipes, and ice cream. Sounds like she's having a fun Friday night, right? The second time, it was a pregnancy test. I'm pretty sure it was a different woman, probably not having as much fun.

If I went back there tomorrow night, do you think the person behind me would be buying diapers?

Helloooooo! (hellooo, helloo)

2009-02-09T15:35:00.000-06:00

Hi, out there in blogland! I've been a bit absent, huh?

I haven't been knitting all that much (which is odd.) I have been stitching some (which is a little odd, too.) But mostly, I've been running, watching my niece, and going to bed earlier than I used to.

Speaking of running, I'm going to be running a marathon and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The following is my fundraising plea. :)

Dear family and friends,

I have lost my marbles, and I’m going to run 26.2 miles around San Diego to find them! May 31st, 2009 my sister Keri and I, along with other Team in Training members, will be running the Rock n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, California. This will be my first marathon, a huge undertaking, and I need your support to accomplish my goals.

I’m not going to make you run with me, but you can still help. Team in Training (TNT) supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in finding a cure for blood cancers. I have a goal of raising $4,100 for LLS. I am running in honor of a 10-year-old boy named Michael. He’s battling Hodgkins Lymphoma, and I would love nothing more than for him to have many more years of picking on his younger sister, just as I have with Keri.

My father lost both of his parents to Leukemia. I never met my Grandpa Engle, and I don’t remember my Grandma Engle. She died when I was only 4 months old. Dad ran marathons in his youth; Keri and I want to make him proud and memorialize his parents.

I know times are tough, but families dealing with blood cancers have to be tough. 75% of all funds raised goes directly to research and patient services. Please make checks payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and e-mail me at bzzlarabzz@gmail.com for information on where to send it, or contribute online at my TNT site http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter by March 1st. I can accept donations later than that date, but the earlier the better so I can better reach my goal! Remember your donation is 100% tax deductible, so please give generously to LLS, so we can all make it to the finish line.

Thank you for your support,

Lara

p.s. Please pass this along to anyone who you know that might want to help find a cure! Thanks, again.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T13:49:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know I've been a neglectful blogger. I can't promise that it's going to get any better. I just don't have a lot of patience for this dinosaur of a computer, and buying a new computer isn't very high on the list of priorities. I'm thinking about getting one of those tiny laptops, though. Maybe in the next few months.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the Christmas knitting from this year. We had a merry Christmas. Busy, as always. With a big family, that's what we expect and enjoy.

I made hats for my two nephews and my niece. As you can see the nephews (who are at the running around stage of life) wouldn't sit still for pictures, so my brother (the nephews' dad) modeled the fish hat I made for T1 (who is 3 years old) and the couch modeled the Ganomy Hat I made for T2 (who is 1 1/2.) They also shared the news that they are having a baby girl in May, so there will be a T3! :) Everyone is excited. They just bought a house and are in the process of moving in. Fun!

J was kind enough to model her hat for me. Isn't she compliant? Hee. She's such a good baby. She's even being kind enough to bop around in her bouncy seat while I write this blog post. She spends her weekdays with me, so we get to have lots of fun. She's not mobile yet, being only 2 months old, but she's strong! She's going to be a go-getter. She's already growing so fast.

My oldest daughter, E, turned 14 yesterday. It's impossible! She's a good kid, though. I have hope she will grow up to be a good, strong woman. It's hard to believe she's so close to grown. We're having four of her friends over Saturday evening for pizza, popcorn and movies, so wish me strength! Heh. I said no to the sleepover. I don't know if I'm a strong enough woman for that! lol. I remember my sleepovers at that age with that many girls and it was always a drama-fest. Fewer, no problem, but not that many at once.

Catch you next time! Don't make too many New Year's resolutions, unless they mean you have more joy in your life as a result.

What laundry?

2008-11-20T10:39:00.002-06:00

Today, on the latest edition of "Avoiding the Laundry," I bring you socks. Lovely, handknit socks. Random socks which I'm pretty sure have not been posted before despite the fact that they have been living in my sock drawer for, lo, so many months, and are now getting the chance to reside on my feet. Which, sadly, means more laundry.

Peak Experience socks. These were in the Twist sock-of-the-month (SOTM) club, oh, sometime.

Rather than give you all the details on all these socks, I'm going to link each to my Ravelry project page for each. If you want details and you're not on Ravelry, well, you should be.

Elegant Cable socks From theknitter.com SOTM club a billion (or about 2) years ago.

Sake socks. Jackie's design for Twist SOTM.

Road to Hana socks. From theknitter.com SOTM a while back.

Now, I'm not going to tell you how long those pictures were sitting in my camera before I managed to put them on the computer. I am going to tell you that I hid the camera from my husband, because, despite the fact that the camera was bought for the express purpose of ME having it, and not HIM, there were approximately 1 billion pictures of model cars, 10 of the kids and 5 of the knitting in the batch I downloaded from the memory card. He will have to go back to using his own cruddy camera which he made cruddy all on his own and get no more painty fingerprints on mine.

OK, back to the laundry . . . At least there are cheerful socks in there.

Babies!

2008-11-19T10:27:00.002-06:00

I've made a couple baby gifts lately, for a couple babies.

This last weekend I went to a baby shower for an old friend. Turns out they had that shower just in time! She was being induced last night because of high blood pressure. I haven't heard anything yet, but fingers crossed that everything is going well!

I gave her these for her baby boy.

This hat (Reversible Stripes and Dots from Itty Bitty Hats.)

And this blanket, with sailboats on one side, and smooth superman-colored satin on the other.

The other baby shower was one I hosted for my sister-in-law back in September. Here's the package I put together for her.

I think I've posted most of those things in the past. It's the crocheted star baby blanket, a pewter frame that matches the nursery (baby bugs), some knitted socks, a Mason-Dixon baby kimono, baby bell bottoms, and a lovebug bee.

Here are the bell bottoms alone. They were a last-minute addition.

And the lovebug.

And the sweetest lovebug of all, my niece. She's dressed as a ladybug for Halloween. She's snuggling with her grandpa (my dad.) They look pretty content, huh?

2008-11-18T10:50:00.003-06:00

Saw this on Mental Floss.

Good Actresses in Bad Horror Movies

Score: 40% (4 out of 10)

Think you can do better?

Saw these on my feet.

I love knee socks. Unreasonably. Love.
Pattern is "Evening Stockings for a Young Lady" in Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. I used Knit Picks Essential sock yarn. Pattern called for 3 skeins, but I used one for each sock with less than a meter left over, even with the extra inch I added to the leg. So I have one skein left to play with sometime.

I know there are more knee socks in my future.

INTP

2008-11-06T09:40:00.003-06:00

That's my Myers-Briggs profile. Now, I've known this for about 15 years, so why bring it up now? I saw this "Colors of Fitness" inventory on Lolly's blog. Interesting. You know I can't resist an online quiz. My result was Blue Efficient. And while I see bits of myself in there, I decided to look up what my known Myers-Briggs profile pulled up. Saffron Efficient! That's more like it. This in particular sounds like me: "Independent, and often perfectionists, Saffrons are drawn to activities that require a high level of performance. Boredom can be a concern for Saffrons, and they find satisfaction in physical pursuits that push them to higher fitness levels."

Sounds like me in my knitting, in my workouts, in school, in work, in life.

It's so nice to be understood. :p

While I was puttering around, I read a bit about traits of INTPs. It all seemed very familiar. What surprised me was that, depending in which site I trust, only 1-3% of people are INTPs. I am a rare gem. ;) Makes me wonder which of the people around me would pull up a similar result.

Speaking of my fitness goals, my daughter M (11) asked if we could run the 10K next May, since we didn't make it last May. I told her we'll aim for it. My left shin is giving me serious trouble right now, so I'm not running on it. I don't want to end up with a really big problem. I never thought I would say I miss running, but I really, really do. More pilates for me. (I like pilates, but it's not the same as going out and pounding out a good run.) Pilates and other low-impact exercise. I know that's where I started out, but now I'm used to higher intensity and I don't want to backslide. I just have to keep reminding myself that its better to take a break and stay healthy than to keep going and have a serious injury.

But I really want to run.

Vote!

2008-11-04T10:23:00.002-06:00

I have this sticker on my shirt. Now go get one of your own! Vote!

I'm an aunt again!

2008-10-22T10:04:00.002-05:00

My new baby niece was born this morning at 4:40. She was 8 lb 7 oz. My sister-in-law was induced yesterday morning (past her due date), but that baby was still taking her time! SIL pushed for 2 hours. What a trooper. I'm going to go see her in a bit. My first niece and the first child for this brother and his wife, after 4 years of anticipation. They're over the moon.

I've been stitching lately. I did three little Twisted Threads gingham monthly pieces over the weekend. I'm in sleeve hell (which doesn't usually bother me) on the sweater I'm knitting and some small stitching pieces were the cure. Now I'm back to sleeves with only an inch of reverse stockinette left before I join to the already-knitted body and knit up from there.

In the absence of pictures, here's another blog quiz. lol.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

4 Abstract, -4 Islamic, -5 Ukiyo-e, 3 Cubist, -1 Impressionist and -22 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred art form tend to be visionaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendency to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

(Now what does it mean that I had to correct some spelling in there before I could post this? :p)

Another lame blog quiz . . .

2008-10-16T10:53:00.003-05:00

Maybe I like these so much because I'm such a nerd. ;) And I think if there were questions about knitting rather than sci-fi, my geek number would be higher.

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Pure Nerd

91 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 22% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

Congratulations!

Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Jane Austen, anyone?

2008-09-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Another silly blog quiz, found on my friend Christina's blog. If you've read a lot of Austen (or even just watched all those movies on Masterpiece Theatre) it's a fun little quiz.

Still running, still loving it. It's been hot here again (mid to high 80s) so not quite as fun as running on a cool morning, but it's still nice to get out and run, especially when the hubby comes with me.

I'm still knitting that never-ending shawl. It has become my nemesis. I ran out of yarn halfway through the first attempt at the border. After letting it sit in timeout for a while, I unraveled that border and chose one half the width. That should have worked, right? Ha! I got three quarters through that one before I ran out. I unraveled that one yesterday and decided to just do a row of yarnovers, a knit row, and a picot bind-off. The yarnovers will separate the bind-off like a border and also make certain it is loose enough to allow for proper lace blocking. I'm not declaring victory yet, but it's going well so far.

I want that shawl done, and those needles free for my green sweater! I've decided on Tussie Mussie from the Fall '07 Knitty. My yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK.

Oh, if you're a Twist Yarn Shop customer, check out the black Oblique cardigan on display there. (I just realized that's from the same issue of Knitty as Tussie Mussie and Mr. Greenjeans, which I knitted last fall and wore all winter. Love Knitty!) I knitted Oblique with the KAL there, and they're picking it back up. Check it out fast because once it gets cold, I'm stealing my sweater back. I haven't worn it yet.

Sad sock

2008-09-17T11:13:00.002-05:00

I've been going through my pictures and my Ravelry projects trying to get things caught up. There are several projects lacking pictures and several pictures without project listings and lots and lots of pictures and projects that need to be added.

This is a sock that didn't make the cut. See, it even has sad cell phone pictures? I didn't even bother finding the camera for this when I decided to frog the sock a few weeks ago.

I love this pattern (from the Fall '08 Interweave Knits.) I love this yarn (Fibranatura Yummy.) I even like the way they look together. But two things doomed this sock to the frog pond: a gauge issue, and a knitter issue. I was knitting this sock on size 0 needles, which gave me a good gauge for fitting the sock, but it was really too tight for the yarn. It was making my hands hurt, which is bad. Also, this pattern has two different charts for the two different feet. In the magazine, they give you the instructions for the right sock first, but the chart for the left sock is on the left (thus first, in my mind.) You got it. I knitted the wrong chart, and it really messes everything up. So, away the sock went. I will knit these socks (left one first) and I will use this yarn, but not together.

Still running. I'm doing more pilates between running days in hopes that my lower legs will be happier that way. Don't worry, I'm taking care of myself. My whole body is responding well to the running, and I know I could run faster, but my lower legs are not happy when I do, so I slow down. Don't make fun of me if you see me out jogging along with my short legs. lol. I used Google maps to track the route the hubby and I took this morning, and it says we went 1.8 miles. My pedometer said 1.77 miles and I wasn't sure whether I could believe it, but it seems like it was pretty accurate (assuming Google maps can be trusted.) We ran for 3 minutes at a time today (walked 90 seconds between) and it felt good.

Friday is "Walk to School" day here, and I think we'll walk the younger kids to school and then run a convoluted route home. We'll have to go the opposite direction and then come back or do some wacky loops to fit the whole run in between the school and home.

Mmmmm, cake.

2008-09-12T14:35:00.002-05:00

This is the cake I made for my daughter M's birthday at the beginning of April. Hmmm. Seems I may be a little behind on the blogging. Isn't it cute? It was yummy, too. We made a banana cake with chocolate frosting. The face is vanilla frosting mixed with a little peanut butter. The recipe was on familyfun.com.

So, about food . . . My sister's boyfriend (a fitness fanatic) is always saying that exercising will make you less hungry. Now, I will agree that it makes me crave healthier things, but less hungry? No way! The days I run I feel like I am starving all day. Starving! I could eat a whole cow. OK, maybe not a whole cow, but definitely a big steak. I usually make do with a hard-boiled egg, because I figure that means I need some protein.

Hubby made dinner (4 courses) all on the grill on Wednesday. It took a crazy long time. We decided that we don't expect to use those particular recipes again, but he's planning to do the grill again tomorrow. (I hope it's not raining at dinner time.) He got these recipes out of Men's Health magazine. There was a salad with grilled shrimp (yummy,) quesadillas (fine, but easier in the oven,) grilled corn on the cob (good) with a chipotle sauce (not so good,) and vanilla ice cream with a caramelized rum sauce (which didn't turn out right.) In any case, food I didn't have to cook is always better than the alternative.

Today was the third run of week 2. The hubby came with me again. It was pouring down rain (but no lightning) so we got good and soaked. I love the rain. It got me thinking about winter, though. I will run in the cold this year. Last year the cold (along with all the stress that was my life last year) got the best of me. If I can run in the rain, I can run in the cold. But what about when it's slippery? I suppose I will just deal with that when it happens. Maybe that membership to the Y would be the way to go. I am determined to keep going this time.

My calves will thank me for two days of rest, I'm sure. Week 3 running happens MWF next week. I think the hubby will keep running with me. We had a chat about the sudden interest in a healthier lifestyle and he admitted that he knows he's quickly approaching his mid-30s, which he says is not as young as he once was. Hee. He may be getting cuter in his "old" age. Ha.

Success!

2008-09-10T18:56:00.004-05:00

The hubby came running with me today. He wasn't working today, so he was glad to come along. We got back home well before he leaves for work normally anyway, so we'll see if he tags along again. I think he enjoyed it. He's been surprising lately: reading Men's Health magazine, volunteering to cook dinner on the nights he's home at dinnertime. It's fantastic. A helpful man who is finally getting interested in taking good care of himself. He's never been a plump fellow, and still isn't, but his suit didn't fit for my grandma's funeral and I don't think he liked that. Plus, I think he sees how much better my mood is when I've been taking care of myself. I'm not sure what it is, but I like it.

Because we've been pictureless lately, here are some belated pictures of our silly underwater bathroom. We have three bathrooms in the new house, one more than the old house. This is the basement bathroom, which is across the hall from my two oldest girls' bedrooms. Seems like a great place for a fun theme to me. (Sorry for the sideways pics. Didn't have time to fix them today.)

The kids and I all smeared the white walls with whatever paint we had on hand and thought would make a nice water color.

Then, a couple weeks later, we all grabbed our smaller brushes and painted whatever "under the sea" things we liked. The whole family jumped in, all four kids and the hubby and I.

The woodwork and floor required a real cleanup, but it was worth it. Fun! We don't have pictures of it here, but I painted some really tall (and some not so tall) sea plants to fill in some of the space between other things.

In any case, it's a cheerful place to be (and pee.) Ha. :p

Still running, still knitting.

2008-09-08T18:25:00.002-05:00

Still running. :) I'm doing couch-to-5K (again.) I made it to week 3 the last time. I'm on week 2 now. I'm definitely enjoying it more this time. I haven't managed to drag the hubby out with me yet. I didn't even get out on Friday, afflicted with 2 sick children. (They're fine now. Minor stomach bug.) Thanks, Stefaneener for the tip about the *ahem* intimate lives of couples who exercise together. That should hold some sway with the hormonally ravaged man. Oh, yeah only him. No one else. ;) I know he can't resist touching my back when I tell him to after I work out, even though he should know by now that I just want to gross him out with the sweat. (Sorry, was that TMI?) Anyway, he's either really dumb or unable to resist. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and go with the one that makes me sound more desirable.

Knitting! Yes, I have been. I don't think I mentioned that I designed a sock for the Twist On Your Toes sock of the month club in July. They're the Bamboo Lace socks. I have to say I rather like them. :) Weird to be called a designer, though.

I was plagued by some kind of yarn-munching monster for a while there. (No, not moths! Knock on cedar.) I was only knitting two projects and I ran out of yarn on both. Annoying! One was a towel I was knitting on the fly (no pattern.) Totally my fault that I ran out. I knew I was going to, but I erroneously thought that yellow dishcloth cotton would not be difficult to procure. It took me weeks to find some! When I finally found some, I bought three more balls even though I thought I would only need two. Turns out I just needed slightly less than one. Oh well. The towel is now gracing my bathroom. :) The other project was a shawl. I should have had plenty of yarn, but halfway through the border, I ran out. It's particularly annoying because I don't need all that much more, but it only comes in a monstrous 1375 yd skein. Of course I bought the one I used out-of-town a couple years ago. Ugh. It's in timeout until I decide to suck it up and buy another skein. What will I do with all the leftover Skacel Merino Lace, color 91? :p

OK, enough whining. I have been having fun, too. I'm knitting socks for me, my 11 yo daughter, and a Jeanie shawl for fun. Up next are socks for the other three kids. We'll see how long I can hold off the green sweater yarn that's calling to me from across the room. "Knit me! Knit me!" Silly yarn. It doesn't have to act so desperate.

Enough rambling for now! It's cooling down here in Kansas. Crisp leaves, sweater weather, and lit fireplaces are around the corner.

Am I a runner?

2008-09-04T12:47:00.003-05:00

First off, thanks to everyone for the condolences on my grandma's death. She was a great lady. The services were so nice, and the priest knew her very well. He gave a great eulogy during the homily. Afterward, Saturday, many of us went back to my parents' house and stayed until bedtime. It was great to catch up with family we don't have unstructured time with very often. Turns out my cousin's husband is some kind of board game aficionado. He was like the cruise director for anyone he could rope into playing. I discovered that if you sat at the table, even just to see what was going on, you were in the game. No backing out! You were learning the rules to obscure board games no matter how little brain power you had at that moment. We asked if he's busy Fridays (when we have family dinner) because it was a lot of unexpected fun.

Now about running . . . I've been doing it. Yesterday I had the first run of my life that I can genuinely say I enjoyed while I was running. In my very short, very sporadic running life, I have only ever enjoyed it when it was done. You know, like, "Hey! I did it! I did something very unpleasant that is good for me!" But yesterday I caught myself smiling instead of grimacing. I found a comfortable pace. I looked at the clouds that were spitting rain on me and saw how pretty they were. I was even friendly to the barking dogs running along the other side of fences.

I'm not even too sore today. I can feel that I did it in that good "my muscles worked" way, not in that "I don't think I can stand" way. I'm dragging my husband out with me in the morning. I convinced him that it will be like a date. Heh heh heh.

Does this mean I'm a runner? Only time will tell, but I just may be after all.

My grandma died yesterday afternoon.

2008-08-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

She'd had a stroke 2 years ago and had various health problems since then, but she was doing OK, despite her inability to speak. She was in assisted living and I saw her at least once a week, unless she was in the hospital. Monday night, she started breathing shallowly. They took her to the hospital and did some tests that indicated she had a blockage in her aorta. No way to operate, and even if they could, it would be prolonging the inevitable. She slept all day yesterday and died peacefully with her four children surrounding her.

I'm really sad, even though I know she's with my grandpa now. She'd missed him terribly since his death 10 years ago.

If you're the praying sort, please say one for the soul of my grandma (and godmother.) She was a lovely woman and I loved her.

2008-08-18T19:12:00.002-05:00

What Disney Princess are you?

Belle
You see past the bad things in people. You also don't settle for someone who is below your standards. You care about your education and you love your family. It takes a lot to win your heart, but once someone does they can count on you to be loyal.

How do you compare?
Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

I'm not so into Disney, but I thought this was a fun quiz. Besides, I knew the result before I ever took the test. Belle really is the least princessy of the princesses. Not such a silly girl.

I've been helping my mom clean out my grandma's house a lot lately. It's a lot of work, but I have come home with some treasures. We have also found a lot of trash. Literally trash. I mean, empty plastic bags, old pill bottles, random stacks of crumpled tissue paper. The house looked like it was in good shape (it's a beautiful old house), but you look a little deeper and it needed a lot of organization. It's SOOoo much emptier than it was, but there's still a long way to go. I don't know what the plan is for getting rid of the last things no one wants. The house needs to be sold to someone who will love it and take care of it. It's a historic home that has been completely restored. It's been 2 years since grandma had her stroke and moved to assisted living. The house needs a family again. It will be sad to see it go, but it will be good to have someone in there taking care of it the way it should be.

These crack me up.

2008-08-12T16:57:00.001-05:00

McCain and Obama paper dolls. I got the heads-up on these from my regular Dover books e-mail. What fun we could have with these! Heeeee.

Barack Obama Paper Doll Website
http://www.obamapaperdoll.com

John McCain Paper Doll Website
http://www.mccainpaperdoll.com

Mosaic Meme

2008-08-12T14:31:00.002-05:00

The kids go back to school Thursday. Everyone is excited. M (11) is trying to go down there every day anyway just to open her locker and walk back home. Nutty kid. The schools are at the end of our street. It will be nice to be so close. Registering them last week was the nicest school registration experience I've ever had. Everyone was so nice and helpful. They seemed genuinely happy to be there. The school facilities are great, too. It's wonderful to have school be such a positive place!

I don't know that I'll be blogging more once they're back to school, but I will finally have the time to go to the grocery store by myself and work out without having people interrupt me 18 times in an hour. In the meantime, here's a fun meme to tide you over.

Here's the meme:
Type your answer to each of the questions below into a Flickr search. Choose your favorite image from the first page, then copy and paste each of the URLs into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

The questions:
1. What is your first name? (Lara)
2. What is your favorite food? (lasagne)
3. What high school did you attend? (Kapaun Mt. Carmel, had to drop the Mt. Carmel to get results)
4. What is your favorite color? (blue)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (no big ones, but I went with Milo Ventimiglia)
6. Favorite drink? (Diet Coke, yes I know it's evil)
7. Dream vacation? (New Zealand)
8. Favorite dessert? (chocolate cake)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (artist, still figuring out what that means)
10. What do you love most in life? (my family)
11. One word to describe you. (creative)
12. Your Flickr name. (bzzlarabzz, had to go with bzz)

Look, stitching!

2008-07-07T17:59:00.002-05:00

My friend Christina sent me the chart and threadpack for this piece as a housewarming gift right after our move. She said this little piece would be something I could finish fast and give me a sense of accomplishment amidst the chaos of moving. Smart woman! It was really fun to stitch and turned out very cute. I always love stitching with Crescent Colours floss. It is so smooth and shiny and the colors are beautiful.

Speaking of moving, here are a couple of pictures of the new pad. I probably could have gotten a picture of the whole front in one if I had crossed the street, but I didn't. My side of the garage is nearly empty. I should be able to park in there in two weeks after we take the rest of the empty boxes to the recycling truck. (It only comes around once every two weeks, and we were out of town this weekend when it came.)

This is my first porch that is big enough to hold a chair, much less two and a little table. :) I've enjoyed sitting out there in the evenings with my knitting and a citronella candle.

You can see with the landscaping, I keep having surprises popping up. I have never been a gardener, but I keep looking things up to see what I can do not to kill them. My dad says I should go to the local nursery and get a book about plants to help me identify things. I sometimes have problems telling if something is supposed to be there or not. My policy so far is to leave it if I'm unsure and pull it later if I don't like it or it's getting invasive.

We love it here. I made a list this morning of all the house projects there are to be done. It's not too long, really. I didn't get any of those things done today, but I did get the van cleaned out after our weekend trek to Branson. That's a pretty big accomplishment, really. ;)