mystery solved

My mystery socks by Kirsten at Through the Loops are finally done!
Between sick kids,
an unfounded fear of clue 4
and a weekend away,
the progess on these had slowed a little bit.
However, with a little encouragement,
I realized clue 4 wasn't hard at all.
I just needed to take some time and re-read the pattern.
Not all things come to those who are in a hurry after all!
Then I was off to the races and finished them up in a jiffy.


I used Mirasol Shirpa,
100% Hand Dyed Merino Wool.
~
I love this yarn!
I have used it previously
I will use it again.
I would quickly recommend it.
~


Hopefully I can get a better picture of these!
Since they aren't for me, my feet don't happily slide inside.
Guess I will just have to wait for Christmas morning.
When I hope that one little girls toes really warm up to them!

disappointed

Half the family has gone to the city two hours away for a concert

Two of us stayed home. We had all planned to go.

However our oldest has been sick the last few days

Two days of sore, achy, chills, headache...just like her mom had on the weekend.

Today we thought she was better, we were packed and gone

Although not far!

We had made it to the drive thru window at Timmy's

(that would be Tim Horton's for those of you who don't know)

When we heard someone getting sick in the back

Ugh! Smile at the lady in the window and hope she didn't hear it too!

Really, not the best place to get sick!

So we headed home

Two of us got out and three continued on their way

I really don't like having half the family gone

I really like to travel together

But they will be home late tonight

I wasn't suppose to be home, so I don't have anything pressing for today.

I am thinking that I am going to grab a coffee,

a good book,

a homemade quilt

and snuggle up and waste a few hours

See you later responsibility.....

where have the children gone?

Really! I thought we were doing school!
Yet not one of my children,

Were at their desks!

Instead, they were digging delightfully for candy in the halloween bucket!

So good for their concentration and emotional stability! Not!

But I won't tell them how many times Mom and Dad have snuck a treat or two or three!

halloween, our day

Here's our day from end to middle

Bugsy became a blushing bride...

Papaya went back in time and became Mary (not Laura) Inglis. If you knew her, you would understand why the difference is important to her!

Boo-boo was going to be a dog and decided at the last minute to be a princess...worked for me!

Earlier in the day we carved pumpkins

It was a family affair, even our dog joined in! Well, at least Bugsy tried to make him.

We were suppose to have a bonfire with friends tonight, but as this mommy was sick yesterday, we decided to just come home and curl up for a movie.

winter? really!

a beret for papaya

I came across these lovely patterns by Sirdar. A booklet of 11 designs for women and girls. Which in my case fits me perfectly. I had been wanting to knit a beret for Papaya. She has a cute fuschia wool coat that is will look positively great with.

Since I am almost done, I wanted to try it on for size. Partly because the last few nights have been busy doing bookwork.

She is loving the result! How do you like all my unfinished ends?

She just lost another tooth today and as cute as that smile may be, I am a little worried that it will need straightening at some point. The new teeth just aren't fitting into the holes the old teeth left.

Oh well! Worries for another day. Right now I have one happy little girl who will also find a loonie under her pillow in the morning.

how do you like it

I really cannot decide and wonder if you can. Laundry?

.

Do you do it all in one day or a little each day?

.

I have done both.

.

Being a good dutch girl I use to call Monday my wash day and didn't stop washing till it was done.

.

Enter kids and scheduling time wasn't quite so neat and tidy. Actually neither were their clothes.

.

(Disclaimer...Mom you should stop reading here!)

.

Yet, life kept evolving as more kids came, responsibilites and activities changed. Now it sometimes happens, really it is rare though, that the same load of laundry gets washed, then rinsed and maybe even rinsed again! It gets forgotten in the washer for a couple of days, then sits in the dryer for a couple of days. Eventually it gets folded when the next load needs to be dried.
.

I can't find my fairy...so I guess this will have to do! What about you?

on the needle

Well really, I haven't touched my knitting since last week Saturday! This is my mystery sock from Kirsten. The last clue, clue 4 came out on Thursday and I would like to spend some today on finishing up.

This is "Smart" yarn. I have cast on a stockinette stitch beret for Papaya. Since two of three children are gone on play dates today, I think it might be time to grab a tea, find a comfy spot and click a couple of hours away.

However, I stayed up way too late last night. Eight ladies got together and watched a movie, we laughed so hard I cried! Way fun! Definately need to do it again soon. So if I drift off this afternoon I won't be surprised either!

sailing the high seas

We have been taking a look at the world.

Studying climates, weather, water cycle, food chains, and habitats of animals and the ocean. Today we went on an ocean adventure and sailed on the high seas. Bugsy (my gluten goblin) made a sailboat so she could test and observe the force of moving air.
Can you guess what they have planned for the afternoon? Boat races. She wants to help her sisters make them. Anyone have more yogurt containers?

the gluten goblin

Well! Let's say the start of my week was a hard one. My oldest daughter was struggling with school and her swinging emotions.

Sometimes her reactions affect the rest of us. Sometimes it is positively exhausting to watch and help her through. Sometimes I want to throw in the towel and walk away for a while. And then sometimes I cry, let it all out and manage to gain a new perspective.

She is also our daughter that has food allergies. Not sensitivies, but allergies. Her allergy to dairy is almost right off the chart on every dairy product. If she has some dairy, we see physical symptoms fairly quickly.

Apparently the gluten allergy is a little harder to detect unless you know what you are looking for. Two years ago she was diagnosed with these allergies and we have been pretty good about avoiding dairy, but not so much with the gluten.

What we found today, on a trip to the naturopath, is that gluten given to a child who is allergic impedes brain function. Other tests today show that her adrenel gland is depleted which leads to excess tiredness.

We were here two years ago and a big part of me didn't want to go back today. My husband was absolutely convinced we needed to take her as we were beginning to wonder if she had ADD. The regiment prescribed by the naturopath takes her off gluten and dairy, and focuses on DHA from fish oils for mental health/power and L-Glutamine for her flora health.

Sometimes I find it so hard. It is easy for hubby to support me taking her in but now I need to be responsible and follow through on the day to day cooking for an allergy. If you haven't been there, it might be hard to understand. It's hard for a child, much less an adult, to say no to things they like to eat, especially when everyone else around them is eating it.

I don't find avoiding dairy that hard. I had to do it as a teen and adult. Avoiding gluten is another thing. It is in so much of what we eat...bread, cereals, granola bars, pasta, crackers etc. Lots of the non-gluten choices are blah! Guess I might really need to start experimenting and getting creative.

It's not that I don't want to do it for her. It's just that I get tired thinking about it. Hopefully soon it will become part of our routine and will just become part of life.