december thirty-one

This morning I took the boys' to their check up with their doctor. I had a freak out when I couldn't find their medical record books. They each have one, that is given to you at the hospital when you give birth. They're usually kept in the same place, and there when I need them for their check ups with their doc. Yeah, it wasn't there this morning. It was used twice in the last 2 weeks. Two weeks ago I took Mackie to the CLSC to get him weighed, I was curious on his progress since he hadn't gotten weighed since his 4 month check up, and also last week I brought his medical record book with me to the clinic where I took Mack when he went when I had his nasty cough checked out. I took a look, but couldn't find it and we were running a few minutes late already. (Still trying to figure out how to leave the house with 2 kids).

We finally got to the appointment and Sean went first since Mack was fast asleep in his bucket. No shots for Sean this time. He was super happy about that. He got weighed, and we checked his height. He grew from 83 cm (32.6 inches) at 18 months to 90 cm (35.4 inches) at 2 Years old. This keeps Sean in the 75th percentile for height (I have tall kids!) Sean grew from 11.1 kg (24 lbs and 6.4 oz) at 18 months to 12.2 kg (26 lbs) at 20.5 months (when we went in for a follow up for something else) to 13.2 kg (29 lbs) at 2 Years old. He's in the 50th-75th percentile for weight. He's doing great and on track!

Mack was next. Mack was weighed and height & head checked for size. Mack grew from 64 cm (25.2 inches) at 4 months old to 68 cm (26.7 inches) at 6 and a half months old. This also keeps Mack in the 75th percentile for height. For weight, Mack only gained 1 oz from his weigh-in 2 weeks ago when I took him to the CLSC to get weighed. So, still keeping him at 1.5 lbs gained in the last 2 months. This is not good. He now weighs 15 lbs 8 oz (15 and a half pounds). This puts him back on the 10th percentile, which is not good. He was born in the 10th percentile (meaning 90 percent of babies are larger than him at birth) and then gained and grew into the 25th percentile, and now is back in the 10th. He's skinny and tall.

We discussed the food issue. She said to keep at it. We have been. We are going to. She says some babies are just slower at learning how to eat. It happens. It's probably the texture he's not liking.... or maybe even the taste, but she says it's normal for him to have no interest in food. That's ok, I'm going to just keep at it, and hopefully he'll get the hang of it!

Mack also got 1 shot at this checkup. We tried by distracting him. He was sitting up on the doctor's "table" (what do you call it that you lie on and they put that paper down to cover it - table? chair? bed?). Ok, apparently it's table. I just googled it. One of these things. Exam table. (though it's more like a bed, no?) LOL. So Mack was sitting on one of those, and was playing with the paper that is on it - crinkling it all up. I held him, and Dr. F gave him his shot in his outer thigh. He didn't even feel it, nor realize it was done. Phew!

When I got back to the waiting room, where my mom was with Sean, she was like "he didn't cry? I was waiting for him to cry". Nope. Not this time around. I think it's more out of sight, out of mind.

After the appointment we did 2 errands and then headed for lunch. We went to my fave pizza joint in the city, Tasty Food. It's the one thing I miss about living in the city. I used to order from there at least 3 times per week. Especially when I did the GI Diet, as Tasty Food has whole wheat pizza & pasta as well. I am a big fan of their Pizzaghetti (half a pizza and a half portion of spaghetti). At one point the tv screen on the wall stopped working and my mom told Sean that she would call over the lady (meaning the waitress) to ask her if she could fix it, and Sean started calling out "Lady, Lady, Lady"... it was too cute.

Sean's doctor had asked me this morning if Sean was learning 2 new words a week. 2 new words a week, I said? He's learning at least 2 new words a day!

This afternoon my mom and I killed some time walking around Walmart. I ended up getting this hat that Sean is modelling above and a bathing suit to match. (As well as another bathing suit). The bathing suit that I have been wearing to Sean & Mack's swim classes needed to go into the garbage. It was stretched out from 2 pregnancies, majorly, and I'm quite to sure how I was still wearing it. I picked up a few other things including some jars of baby food in new flavors for Mackie (apples, peaches, carrots and chicken & veggies).

This evening we had Jamie's best friend & his girlfriend over for New Years Eve.

The boys were really well behaved, though Sean didn't want to sit through dinner (fondu). I don't blame him, fondu takes forever.


As you can see (above & below) Mack wore his Judy's Grandmother's Baby Sweater. It was the real first time wearing it. He has worn it once before, but he was swimming in it! But today he wore it all day.

Isn't he adorable in it, isn't he?

Today in the mail I received some yarn that Jamie ordered for me for Chanukah/Christmas. I tried ordering this colorway of Malabrigo Worsted when getting my order for the shop, but I couldn't get any. This color is called Sunset (#96). I am not sure what about it, but the color speaks to me. I'm oddly attracted to it! I'm not sure what I am going to make with it yet, but some of it is perhaps going to become Mabel's Scarf. Thanks Jamie! I love it!

My Finished Objects of 2008 Include:

6 sock patterns, 2 neckwarms patterns, 4 hat patterns, 1 headband pattern, 3 baby sweater patterns, 1 ipod cozy pattern, 1 mitten pattern, 1 mini sock pattern & 1 rose pattern. (If you click on the above image it'll open larger, if you want to see details of the photo). I'm VERY happy with my 2008 progress, and hope to accomplish more than 20 FO's in 2009? Think I can do it? I think I can! Of these 20 Fo's - 5 (yes, FIVE) were my own new original designs. How cool is that? I'm impressed with myself.

This evening we played MY NHL monopoly. As you can see, we put our beloved Habs as Boardwalk, and we couldn't decide if we should leave Toronto out - or put it as the cheapest square on the board. But we put it as the cheapest square on the board, since it's like "leaving a penny tip is more of an insult than leaving no tip at all"... I feel bad if you're a Leafs fan. GO HABS GO! Off to go continue our game of monopoly with Jamie's friend and his girlfriend (whom Sean seems to be in love with!)

So before I go, my blog is close to getting 6500 comments. Since I'm all for having contests, I'm in the middle of putting together a prize for the 6500th commenter. Stay Tuned. I will post a picture as soon as I've put it together, and yes, it'll include yarn - hopefully the commenter will be a knitter or crocheter! Happy Commenting in the New Year!

Happy New Year to all, and to all a good night. Here's to a fabulous 2009!

ps - I'm looking for a copy of Debbie Bliss Stella/Pure Cotton. Does anyone have it for sale/trade (anyone destashing?)? Let me know if so, I'll start by asking! (Ravelry Link, Non-Rav Link)

december thirty :: 28 weeks old

Mack is 28 weeks old today.

He is such a happy baby these days, I hope it stays this way.

While photographing the rest of my stash today (yep, that's what I did all morning while my cleaning lady cleaned the house, she wasn't coming this Thursday because its New Years Day, so she arranged to come this morning instead), Mackie hung out next to me in the bedroom. Wow, that photographing of stash was quite the job, and I'm certain, there is probably a few more skeins here and there that haven't yet been photographed either. I just need to figure out which ones, and get on it! Wow, it's a huge job. I've apparently aquired quite the stash since I started knitting in late 2005 religiously.

Today's stash enhancement is the last installment of the 2008 Woolgirl Club (December was an additional option, which I took, but not everyone in the club choice to have December). It's Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Whispering Pine. While I like this one, I haven't been fond of every club kit that I've received this year. I have decided - (gah) - that I'm not renewing for the 2009 WoolGirl, nor the 2009 Rockin' Sock Club, nor Scout's Swag (I am not happy with what I've received so far, only 2 of the 4 or so that I've received I like), and nor am I renewing my Vesper Yarn Sock Club. The only sock club that I'm planning to do - is my own. (I suppose I have an advantage though, since I know what yarn is coming!)

I got an awesome camera strap in the mail today. It's a "Knitter's" Camera Strap. The material it's made out of it all knitting related. When I bumped into the girl who makes them at Rhinebeck I suggested that she make me one. I ordered one a few weeks back. It arrived in the mail today, and immediately went onto my camera.

Tonight we had our last West Island Knits/Crochet of 2008. We headed over to Chenoy's - as I was craving Matzah Ball Soup, and boy was that delicious. It was quiet, but nice. I worked like mad on The Moss Block Cardigan, which is coming along nicely, though, with my busy day tomorrow & New Years Eve, I don't think I will have enough time to finish it before the new year, but that's totally okay. I do see an end in sight, that's for sure.

december twenty-nine

This morning I had some errands to run, and one of them was to go to Zellers to do a return and pick up a few things that I needed. Of course, I didn't end up getting any of the items I needed, as they didn't have the shampoo I was looking for, but I ended up getting Jamie that hair gel we couldn't find anywhere by dippity-do for .01 cent. Yep, that was the deal of the day. It scanned into the computer at 1 cent. I'm not complaining. I think it was supposed to be part of one of those "teen" packs that have shampoo, tooth brush, hand cream, shaving cream and hair gel. Sometimes it comes with gum, or Fisherman's Friend. What I'm assuming happened was someone took apart the kit and put the items back on the shelf. Usually when you buy kits like that, there are black lines in permanent marker throughout the barcode, as it's supposed to be part of a kit, and not sold seperately. Anyhow, I figured that I'd try my luck, to see if they'd let me purchase the hair gel seperately, after all, I did find it on the shelves of the store, and low and behold, it scanned in. For one cent. Since I was going to Zellers, I called Jenn to see if she was home as I had Jakob's Chanukah/Christmas present to drop off and it turns out that she was stuck at home because of something happening to her car, so I asked her if she needed anything at Zellers, and picked her up and took her there.

After lunch I headed to playgroup. It was small today with moms or babies being sick or in Florida, so it was just 4 of us mommies with 4 babies. That's okay, it was nice just us. It was more chill and relaxed. Actually, there was 4 mommies, 4 babies and 1 3&half year old. (Since her older daughter didn't have daycare as it was closed for the holidays).

This evening we had my dad's work Christmas party (at an alright Chinese Food Restaurant, where it's held every year). I only went because a) my husband works there b) my sister works there c) my brother works there d) my mom was going e) I felt like going (I dont work there anymore, though I did for the longest time). Every year my dad does a raffle, (computer) suppliers donate prizes and whatever is raised, my dad matches and donates it to the Montreal Children's Hospital. Anyhow, this year, Jamie & I won a digital picture frame (it's pretty cool) and a video card. I also had won a 50$ gift certificate to the store, but why do I need a gift certificate to a store that my father owns and my husband is a franchisee of? So we put that gift certificate back into the draw for someone else to win. We don't really have use for a video card either, so Jamie's going to put it into stock at his store (my hubby is also a franchisee in my father's company, as well as works for my dad in the head office) and bring home something else for us a little more useful. I'm not even sure what that would be...

Mack has started babbling, and for the first time today we heard an actual....

you guessed it....

"dada".......

So that's 2 for 2. Jamie's had both kids say DADA first.

We sat down just before to watch Big Bang Theory, as we were told it was a new episode tonight, but no. It's a repeat. So I'm going to go leave you with this cute thing (I don't even know what to call it) and crash. I'm beat.

--------------------------------------

POSITION: Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma

JOB DESCRIPTION :Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :Get this: You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays an d no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

FOOTNOTE “THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

december twenty-eight :: 2 Years Old

Sean turned 2 years old today.

After 32 and a half hours of labor, he was born on December 28th, 2006 at 4:44 am.

The past two years have been fun and challenging. He keeps me on my toes. He's full of energy and just keeps going. He's beautiful inside & out. I'm amazed with what he learns each day, and how much smarter he sounds after learning new words. Every day he surprises us with a new word. His fave word right now is "raining". He'd rather eat melon & fruit than chocolate birthday cake, though he did give the cake a taste. He's all tools, cars, trains, sports (big time!) and Elmo. He's got a wicked hockey swing (future Habs player?) and his first word was Hockey. He calls me "MA" (which is what I call my mother) and I'm trying to get you back to calling me "Mom or Mommy or even Mama"). I love him more than anything in this world (as much as I love my husband, and his brother too though!) and wouldn't trade him for another kid (even when he's being rotten and destructing the house or sitting on his brother or drawing on the walls with crayon, nor when he locked his newborn brother in my car with the keys on the front seat - I didn't tell you about that one, did I? Nope. I laugh about it now, but it wans't funny at the time). Despite his "terrible two's" (it does start before the age of two by the way), I want to bottle up this age and keep it forever. I really don't want him growing up anymore. I love the he talks, I love that he understands and answers me back. I love that he's oppinionated.

Wow, two years old. How time flies. I cannot believe that he's 2. I seriously feel like (and I've said this before) that I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital yesterday.

This evening we went to my parents house for dinner. Mackie seemed interested in my knitting. I guess I can no longer knit with him on my lap. Those days are over.

We had a chocolate cake & sung Sean happy birthday!
2 candles for the 2 year old plus 1 for good luck.

Sean tried the chocolate cake, though, didn't eat much of it. He prefered the melon. Polished it off and asked for seconds and thirds and maybe even fourths. The kid loves his fruits & veggies.

Wow. I still cannot believe that I have a two year old. TWO! Deux. 2. Zwei. Twee. Två. Dos. Dois. Due. Doi. Dva. Dwa. Stayim. Tsvey.

Next I know it, he'll be asking for the car keys to go on a date. Oy, I'm not ready.

Specs:
Pattern: 86-10 Headband in Alaska (Rav Link, Non Rav Link).
For: Lana, my cleaning lady.
Yarn: 34 grams of Cascade 220 Superwash #871 (White)
Needle: 5.0mm / US 8 9" Novelty Bamboo Straights (they say I HEART KNITTING on them!)
Size: N/A
Timeline: Sunday, December 28th, 2008 (A couple of hours)
Modifications: Followed pattern as published.
Opinion: Love it! Definitely want to make one for myself.

Tonight was the last night of Chanukah.
I hope all that celebrated had a great 8 days of Chanukah!

Off to go finish watching a CSI: Miami marathon. (That's how desperate I am for something on TV - I cannot stand Horatio - but I really have nothing else to watch and CSI: Miami is on for like 8 hours straight on A&E!)

Just a reminder that my boxing week sale goes on until the end of the year, and as well, that's the final day to sign up for the Sock Club options for 2009. Don't miss out!

december twenty-seven

We didn't really leave the house today. (Well, I did, but only for about 45 minutes to run to the grocery store to pick up some needed items for dinner). (And Sean was dropped off from sleeping at my parents house last night). But other than that - it was a pretty chill day with an almost 2 year old (tomorrow!) who didn't want to nap. (GRR!)

I got Sean to color a gift bag for his cousin Jakob's Chanukah/Christmas present.
Sean did a fabulous job coloring it.

Should I be worried that my son is lining things up perfectly??

As I said before, I got to leave the house for about 45 minutes to get some groceries.
Here's what the kids were up to while I was out.
(Jamie got a hold of my camera, so he took pictures, which is very very very very rare!):

When I got back to the house after getting groceries (and enjoying some peace & quiet walking up the aisles at the grocery store), my driveway was a sheet of ice, and since it's slightly uphill, it was super hard to get back into the driveway to get into the garage. That was fun. Note to self, buy salt for the driveway.


So we made Chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight. I used the Schnitzel recipe (for breading the chicken) from the Second Helpings Please cookbook, and used Mozzarella cheese on top of tomato sauce spiced up to our liking. I'm a huge melted cheese fan, and I've been craving melted cheese lately. Mmmm! I'll melt cheese on anything that possibly can have melted cheese on. It's a weakness of mine.

Dinner was FABULOUS! Add in a bit of salad, and some other side dishes and some wine, and voila, a fabulous dinner for 3.

Mackie had some peas. Though, he's still not really interested in eating. Every bite that goes into his mouth, the tongue (as above) comes out. Food ends up more on him then in him. I'm super frustrated. I'm trying to have him eat while we're eating (I was feeding him before or after we ate, so that I could concentrate on just feeding him), but now we're having him eat with us, so maybe he'll see us eating. I don't understand why he's completely not interested in eating?

I spoke with my grandmother today (my dad's mom) and she agreed to make Mackie a crochet afghan for his crib. She made the mini one that he's using now, but he'll outgrow it soon. I need a larger one for him. Sean has 2 large sized ones, but he won't give up either one. Their his. They are both made of probably Red Heart, which is fine, because it's super washable and perfect for baby use. I think I wash their blankets at least 2-3 times a week (Sean ends up waking up with his diaper leaked through his pj's about 2-3 times per week - not fun). Anyhow, I ended up acquiring a while ago some HUGE balls of Phentex. Perfect for a blankie for Mackie. It'll be nice for Mackie to have one from his great-grandmother too.

This evening we chilled on the couch. The boys hung out together too.

It was nice until Sean tried to sit on Mack. Yep. You read right. Sean doesn't realize that Mack's so tiny and can't defend himself. One day, Mack will be able to fight back, but for now.... I definitely have to keep my eye open when they're together in the same room, as it's not the first time that Sean has tried (not intentionally) to sit on Mackie. Poor guy!

Well, I still have 2 kids under 2. Until tomorrow. Going to go sit on the couch again and figure out what headband to knit for my cleaning lady. Her Christmas that she celebrates is in January, and she had once asked me if I could knit a headband, and so I will. I need to find one that covers her ears. She requested white. I can handle that. I actually have some leftover Cascade 220 Superwash in white, leftover from my nephew's skull cap that I knit back in October/November.

december twenty-six :: 104 weeks old

Sean is 104 weeks old today.
Sunday he turns 2.
Am I ready?
No.

I read Wondertime Magazine, a mom magazine, and in it, I discovered this website, Toto Knits. I love the pattern for the Lion Sweater in the Safari collection, if it were available, I'd totally knit one for the boys.

In the magazine I saw Warm & Fuzzy Felted Soaps, which is a great DIY project. I hope to make some, what a neat idea. I did see these before, the girl who did my mom's felted Bosco, also sells them in her Etsy shop. She sells them 3 for 20$ US. Need a great gift idea for someone's birthday or for Christmas next year? It's on page 58 of the December 2008/January 2009 issue.

Ok, so apparently Wondertime has the Felted Soap "recipe" on their site, so I suppose I can share it here:

MATERIALS:

- 2 or 3 colors of merino wool roving in 10- to 12-inch lengths ($3 for a 12-inch package, acmoore.com)

- Bar of soap–glycerin or olive oil works well (Kiss My Face soap, $4, drugstore.com); for smaller hands (or multiple gifts), use small bars
- Adult nylon or thin cotton sock
- Big bowl of warm water
- Towel

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel a 1/2-inch strip from the roving lengthwise and thin it by pulling gently on the edges so it spreads out, like a spider web. Wrap the strip around the soap.

2. Continue thinning and wrapping strips around the soap, changing direction (lengthwise, diagonally) to randomize the fibers (they bind together better that way). Wrap until soap is fully covered with no bare spots—a few layers should do it. Depending on the size of your soap, this should take 6 to 12 strips of wool.

3. Put your hand in the sock, grab the soap, and pull the sock up over the soap. (Then take out your hand—you can play sock puppet later.)

4. Dunk the sock-wrapped soap in warm water. Plunge and squeeze until wool is completely wet. Gently rub all around soap for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. When you start to see wool fibers migrate through the sock, remove the soap from the sock (or it will start to stick). Keep rubbing the soap until the wool has shrunk and molded around the soap, about another 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Rinse soap under hot tap water, then roll in a towel to wick away excess suds and water. Let dry.

What a great idea! I definitely want to try to make some.

Today I didn't leave the house. I made HUGE progress on the Moss Block Cardigan. I have the front & back done and I've cast on the first sleeve. Making progress!! I'm so sure I can have it done before 2008 is over!

Tonight Jamie & I ordered in Chinese Food and had a Big Bang Theory Marathon. We're almost up to date. Great show! I also did some blog reading catch up. I haven't left the house since Wednesday when I got home from picking up Sean from daycare, and I think I'll have to go out for a bit tomorrow, or I may get stir crazy! I usually don't like being cooped up.

Tonight Sean is sleeping at my parents house - they picked him up some point late afternoon after his nap. He was totally excited to go, and I hope he has fun with Bubbie & Papa (what he calls my parents, Bubbie is Yiddish for grandmother, and Papa, is father in French. I guess it's easier to say than Zayda -which is Yiddish for grandfather and maybe he learned Grandpapa in daycare? We are really not sure where he picked that up from).

The laundry never ends in this house. Over the last 2 days, I've been doing a lot of it, which includes:

1 Mack Bib Load
1 Sean Plastic Bib Load
3 Robyn & Jamie cClothing loads
1 Towel Load
1 Face Cloth (both mine and the baby wash cloth) Load
2 Kid Clothing Loads.

9 Loads of laundry. When does it end?

For those of you who are interested - there is a HUGE boxing day sale going on in my shop. (Actually more like boxing week sale!) EVERYTHING* is on sale. ENJOY!

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*Excludes Sock Club kits.

december twenty-five

So last night, trying to figure out how to make a Christmas tree and put presents on it (since we're not in Toronto (Mississauga) this year for Christmas with Jamie's dad & step-mom and the rest of his step-family, I had to be creative. We have this Ikea Easel in our playroom, so I pulled out the markers and started drawing. Not the most beautiful thing in the world, but definitely better than nothing. And I piled the presents for my three guys under the tree and went to bed. This morning after we got up, I entertained the boys as long as I could in the bedroom. Sean had his milk, Mack had his "baby juice" (formula), and we watched morning cartoons (like we do on most mornings) and eventually after everyone was fully awake, we headed to the playroom, where Sean discovered there was presents.

Sean had a field day opening gifts.

Mackie wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but he got some great loot from Santa (aka his mom and dad). I didn't go overboard as we already have so many toys in the house, but I felt it was unfair for Mack to just get hand-me-down toys from Sean. He deserves some things of his own, right? (Yes, that's a Monopoly in Jamie's hands. I got him MY NHL Monopoly - which we'll probably play on New Years Eve). Basically you chose 22 of the 30 NHL teams for the board, (we already decided that the Habs will be the last spot on the board (Boardwalk). What is really cool though, is that the team labels are removable and reusable so, if you choose, you can play a different game each time! (Though, the Habs will remain Boardwalk.... of course!) Monopoly is kinda a game we collect. We have serveral versions of the game in our possession. -My NHL Monopoly -Cat in the Hat-opoly -Here and Now World Monopoly (MONTREAL IS BOARDWALK - how could I not get it?) -Habs 100th Anniversary Monopoly (we got it when we went to the game 2-3 weeks ago, it's only available to buy at the Bell Center in the Habs store)(No link available) -Star Wars Monopoly -The .com Monopoly -Wizard of Oz Monopoly -Disney Monopoly -LNH (League Nationale Hockey (french) Monopoly (though the game is bilingual (Montreal Canadiens are Parkway Place and Toronto Maple Leafs is Boardwalk - which will NOT happen in MY NHL Monopoly once we open it. Toronto may not even make the board, and if it does, it's going in the cheapest spot. Rivals!) We don't even have an "original" monopoly. Must get one. So, yesterday I mentioned I got my package from the Single Sock Swap I hosted on Ravelry, from my pal, Bertha. I love love love love everything. Here's my loot: The sock she knit for me, is the Heart Ribbon Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark. Gorgeous! The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan (Etsy Link) in Beach Glass. LOVE IT!

She also sent me a skein of Mama Blue Troika Sock in Siren. Wow, thank you Bertha! 

 

I also received in the mail yesterday, 2 pouches from Lillian's Etsy shop. I must not have read what size they were, as they arrived a lot smaller than I thought they'd be - but that's okay. I'll find use for them (knitting notions!/lip gloss and stuff like that for my purse). I totally thought they'd be big enough for a sock knitting project. Whoops. My bad. Regardless, they're gorgeous and I admire Lillian's sewing skills. Tonight I sat on the couch, got way advanced on my Moss Block Cardigan that I'm knitting for Mackie, and am loving how it's coming out. I should definitely be finished this project before 2008 is over. (That's the goal). I still have time! Working a lot on it! I finished one of he front cardigan panels and I'm half way through the 2nd front panel. After that, it's just the sleeves and some picking up of stitches and creating the button band! I can do it! I see the end in sight! While working on the Cardigan, we watched Burn After Reading. Interesting. It's with George Clooney,Frances McDormand,John Malkovich, and Brad Pitt. I don't even know where to begin. If you haven't seen it, you should - for the contraption that George's character is building in his basement. Interesting. I was speechless.

I leave you tonight with this cute picture of Mack. I'm not sure how he finds this comfortable. KIDS! MERRY CHRISTMAS!