Almost done! I felted the bag yesterday. The picture on top is of how it looks this morning, and the picture below is how it looked while drying! Next is handles! I think I am also going to put a pocket in it, which mean I need to crochet the pocket and then felt it too! I have coupons for both Michaels and Joannes today, and plan a trip in to see what I can find!

So far, it has been a great weekend. It was a little cold, but sunny on Saturday morning, with clouds in the afternoon. We had a BBQ Saturday, and the kids went swimming, so it wasn't too cold for them at least. (Rule number one at my house - no drowning - I don't want to have to go in and get you! This rule is very important when the water is still cold!) We had fun at the BBQ. Over the years, everyone has kind of drifted away. At one time, all three families worked at the same place. Now one has moved to Paradise and one works for AAA, so we don't see them as much. It was a fun time.

Ralph got a canoe carrier for his truck last week, so I think he and AJ are going to go canoeing today. We borrowed the canoe from my sister to see if we like it. If we (read that Ralph and AJ) enjoy going out, I see a canoe in our future. I'm not holding my breath, but we will see. Neither Ralph nor AJ we real excited to go out yesterday, and Ralph mentioned that the three day weekend might not be the best time to go up to the lake, so we will see if they actually ever get it in the water. (Getting into it while staying dry is entirely different!).

I also started AJ's "J" Pillow yesterday. I didn't get very far with it, but it is started!

I 'm almost done! (At least with the crochet part!) I am making the "Well Traveled Bag" found at: http://wildyarn.blogspot.com/2005/10/well-traveled-bag.html. This is a first for me - felting! I have shrunk things on accident in the washer / dryer, but never on purpose. I have two more rounds of the blue to do, and then it is ready to felt. I also need to find something to block it on so it actually looks like it is supposed to when it is done! (I also need to figure out what to use as handles/straps, but one problem at a time!) It went together a lot faster than I thought it would. I finished my shawl last week (do I have pictures - no! I was so excited I took it to work to show off, and there it stayed. Next week, maybe!) I started this bag on Sunday night, and if I could have stayed awake a few more minutes last night, it would be done.

This last week was crazy. Probably why the bag went so fast is because I was out every night, and usually waiting for AJ at some function. (Bowling Monday for Order of the Arrow, Scouts Tuesday, orthodontist appointment on Tuesday, Spring Concert for school Wednesday, Baseball Awards night on Thursday). Since it is usually at least 30 miles round trip from anywhere, if AJ has to be somewhere early (like the concert) I just stay when I drop him off, rather than drive home and back a few minutes later. I got a lot done just waiting this week. I had quite a few people stop by and talk about my project at the bowling alley. While waiting at the concert, a couple of people stopped by, and one was wishing she had brought her project too, since we had an hour to kill!

Today is another busy day, but a fun one. We have a BBQ planned for this afternoon / evening, and I need to get potatoes cooking for potato salad, get the shopping done, and the cleaning done. If I have time, the back yard could use a little sprucing up too. I was hoping to have a pool party, but since we have been running a high of 65-70 this week, I don't know if anyone is going to want to swim, except the kids. They don't care about the water temp!

Things have heated up around here! We got up to 97 degrees on Wednesday, and I think yesterday was even hotter. We are supposed to cool down for the weekend, but I think Spring is over and Summer is here! Pool Time! Alli spent a couple of hours in the pool on Mother's Day, and slept quite well that night!

Speaking of Mother's Day, the Kids (with help from Ralph) got me a yarn winder! I spent part of Sunday going through my yarn organizing it, and winding up most of the partial skeins that I have. I got AJ in on it too, because it was fun to wind the yarn up. Not bad! They (and Ralph) did good! I was talking to my sister later that day, and told her about it, and we decided we really are getting old when a yarn winder is the perfect Mother's Day gift. (Of course, she is older than me!)

AJ is counting the days now until school is out. Both kids get out on June 9th. Not much longer! AJ has a full schedule for most of the summer.

I am officially finished with baseball this year. Note that I said I was finished, not that baseball was finished? AJ is done. He had his last game last week, and Alli played her last game yesterday, except....Jamboree. Jamboree is next weekend, and I am planning on being out of town, I think I am officially done! I haven't decided if I want to do it again next year or not. I don't know what benefits Alli got out of it. The benefits would not be from playing baseball, but would be from having to do something different. I enjoyed working with the kids (and the adults are great!), so we may do it again. Maybe if we keep working with her, she will learn to throw (on command)! I won't go so far as to say that she had fun, but she didn't complain too much.

Spring is here, finally! The temperatures are staying in the mid 80's, it is sunny, and the pollen is awful! Ralph planted my garden yesterday for me. (I helped while Alli was napping!) This year I only planted green beans, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers for our veggies. I did plant some flowers, but I don't know how they will come up. Someone has problems reading the package. I have an entire packet of seeds for each type in one 4 inch spot. When they come up, they will be so thick I won't be able to selectively pull any out!

Here is the progress so far on my Seraphina Shawl. Since the weather has changed, I don't feel a big push to get it finished, as the temperatures are running in the mid-80's, and will only go up from there. As soon as I go to work though, I remember why I am working on it. The hotter it is outside, the cooler it is in my work area. We are located next to some critical computer equipment, so they keep the temperature low around us. Luckily, everyone in my group would rather be cool than hot, so we don't complain until our teeth start chattering. It is hard in the summer to come and go....65 degrees inside, and 115 degrees outside, and that is before we go get in the car! To keep me motivated to finish it, I have started marking where I start so I can see my progress. As it gets bigger, it takes longer to make a row, and one row isn't as noticeable, so I feel like I am not getting anywhere. There is hope though. I just need to keep plugging along and not get sidetracked!

In my previous post, I talked about Alli's birthday. Today, while I was trying to get a few things finished up (like wash my car!) she helped herself to the extra cupcakes. She thought pretty highly of herself for finding them hidden in the microwave! I am still cleaning up cupcake crumbs (all over the new couch, of course!) She got a complete change of clothes, and will obviously need a bath tonight!

We had Alli's birthday party at school yesterday. There are a total on 10 kids in her class right now, so I made up some ""goody bags" for them, made cupcakes with extra frosting, and got a bunch of balloons to go out too. It went pretty well. I had a new dress for Alli, pink stripes on top and a pink skirt. She evidently has decided that she doesn't like frosting now, as she took the frosting off of the cupcake with her right hand and ate the cupcake with her left. She then proceeded to twirl her bangs with her right hand, which did still have frosting in it. No need to put mousse in her hair! She then had a cup of root beer, which she spilled down her front. Within a half hour, she went from clean to a mess! Needless to say, no pictures this time of her birthday!

I finished the pillow top for my new couch (done in a basket weave pattern), and the color is wrong for the new couch. It works great with the couch in the "den", so I guess that is where is will go if and when I get it put together as an actual pillow I was 3/4ths done when the furniture arrived, and I found out it wasn't going to work out, but I went ahead and finished it (good for me! I usually have a hard time finishing anything, especially if it isn't turning out like I want it to!)

Since I finished (sort of) that project, I am back to work on my Seraphina Shawl. I got a couple of rows on last night. I probably won't work on it much today. AJ has a game this afternoon, so I will leave work a little early and go to it, and then I have a meeting with the Pastor of the church I have been going to. Dinner may not happen until 8:30 tonight! And, I still have to bake cupcakes for Alli's classroom for her birthday tomorrow. I got the stuff for the goodie bags yesterday, so I just need to put them together and make the cupcakes. I am also going to get a balloon bouquet and take out to school. I can share the balloons with the other kids, too!

Challenger Little League

Saturday was Alli's first Challenger's Little League game that I got to see. She had most of her games rained out, and her first game that she played was when I was in Texas. Needless to say, Ralph forgot the camera for that game! She looks so cute in her uniform! She also looks older! Her birthday is Friday (day after tomorrow!) and she will be 9. This year, we will be having her birthday party at the school, and I still haven't gotten started on it. I know what I am doing today and tomorrow!

Alli didn't mind sitting on the bench, and she didn't mind hitting, but she didn't particularly like playing outfield or running the bases. (Like I am surprised! Those are the activities that require an effort!) She and Dad played third base.

The League is pretty special, and the coaches are great! I don't think Alli is that thrilled with it, but it is good to get her out and about in different activities, so we will problably continue with this actvity.

Swimming

Now I know Spring / Summer is here. Alli was very restless last Saturday (read that as cranky) and to cheer her up, we went outside in to beautiful weather. She immediately went to the pool gate, as if she wanted to go swimming. I think to myself - why not, the water is still so cold she will just get her feet wet, and then lie by the pool for a while, and if it makes happy, why not? The water didn't seem to be as cold to her as it was to me. Since I didn't expect he to actually get in the water, I didn't change her into her swimmies. She plunged in fully clothed, diaper and all. That will teach me! She didn't do a lot of swimming, just enough to get soaked.

Sunday though, was a different matter. I actually put her in her swim suit, and she and AJ swan for a half hour. Then AJ got cold and got out. Alli stayed in for another 20 minutes or so. Anytime I start think she doesn't listen to me, she surprises me. When I had had enough sun (and figured she had too) I told her it was time to get out of the pool. The little imp immediately swan to the far end of the pool and treaded water for awhile. It took me three time telling her to get out of the water before she reluctantly swam to the shallow end. Trust me, I was not going in to get her!

Furniture Pictures

I have pictures!
This is Alli - testing the couch!



This is the rug - the colors don't show as well as I like!