I needed to hang out with some other 8-9-10 yos this week-end to really see how far behind E is. Ok, I am more lax than I thought…and Waldorf pedagogy only goes so far to explain why we are so far behind. A new crack-down is happening—thank goodness R is here—otherwise, E honestly would have to go to school…although I am not ruling out Montessori at this point—and Montessori is in her future. As soon as I can find a good one that I can afford—that isn’t too far away. Yes, yes, I know—criteria. At least E has been put on notice and at least things here will be changing. For that, I am very glad.
And again---grr that I cannot get to the books I need…that too is becoming less of an issue as I spent a good bit of time re-arranging the basement last night. I have a small little office area set up already … I have access to my yarns, to my fabrics, and now to my clays. I can reach my paints, as well as my ATC papers and some other things drawing related. I need to do three things…clear off the downstairs table (it has machines and boxes on it) and find all the pieces to my sewing machine (can’t find the cords at the moment)—and find a way to plug everything in down there when I need it plugged in. Otherwise, we have to bring things upstairs to use them, the sewing machines, the serger…which is not as bad as it seems there either.
September is National Sewing Month. It seems very apropos to break E’s sewing machine out and get her going on that. Knock on wood. It’s not as if we don’t have patterns and fabric for her to play with downstairs. And—I know where they are too.
Goals this week:
Write and submit two to four articles every single day. (Thank you, Michele—more on this later).
Finish bikini bottom and start bikini top. I have fifty rows of garter stitch left on the bottoms before I can bind off and seam everything. I am actually very excited about this. Not to mention, as I was reading over the bra pattern yesterday afternoon, I discovered a Yoga version of the top written at the bottom. I am not sure which I plan to do now…I think I shall stick with the basic pattern first. If I like it, I will make the Yoga top version.
Set E up her own blog—which will be available only by subscription. I want some caring adults (Kerry) to be able to read her blog and offer criticism and pointers, suggestions. Not to mention, I want to get some discipline instilled in her, not merely as a writer, but as a student.
I must check to see if I have the right yarn for the Hawkins House project. I have a few more ideas, both knitted and otherwise, that I need to run down.
Decide if I am going to frog the baby blanket I have had OTNs for months and months now (for the twins) or finish it. I am leaning towards frogging it even though we have friends in need of a baby shower gift coming up in September…but really it wouldn’t take all that long to finish the blanket anyway.
Cast on my friend’s birthday present. I can’t find the original pattern I used to make my own shawl/wrap/scarf thingy (great name, huh?) –but I can wing it…and it might not be such a bad idea to wing the pattern anyway…even though it is nothing like the original pattern. I do so prefer to be safe.
Find rabbits a home. This is so mandatory at this point it is not even funny. We switched from the knock me on my butt/knock me out allergy pills to a once a day type—but the new stuff doesn’t really work all that well. Even though I am setting up the basement as a work space, with the rabbit’s downstairs the workspace isn’t applicable until I can get the air quality settled and ---mold? Or whatever free. Good news is we are finally coming back down to the bottom of the hay bin…so this time I won’t buy hay until I clean that sucker out really well. But R keeps reminding me, the allergy was there even before I had the huge reactions to it. So, even as I say we can clean things up on one hand, the other issue is still likely there.
R set up the desktop pc last night. Today I have to find out what it needs to get it to run and to see if it will run E’s new program. Plus, I have to remind R we are going to Micro Center tonight so we can get hardware to update his computer.
Set up E’s excel sheet (thank you, Chott family)…her chart on her bedroom door is obviously not clear enough or detailed enough, so R and I are borrowing another family’s idea; we are setting up a fairly detailed excel sheet of chores and schoolwork assignments for E.
Having said all of this, let me also say things are moving along nicely on my t shirt sweater. Even though I am working on size 7US needles and was expecting the progress to be very slow (compared to the tanks I’ve been making on 10 ½ US or 15 US needles), I am actually very impressed with the way things are moving along.
I have been holding back on casting on my seamless yoke sweater, only because I have so many other projects OTNs…but it shouldn’t be too much longer now before I cast on for that.
BTW, the zombie doll came back this week-end. Pictures will be put up on ravelry soon. Now the poor little thing has arms, thank goodness.
Remind me—I actually need to block and seam N’s birthday sweater. We had to go to hobby lobby this week-end to grab the yarn for the rest of his birthday ‘stuff’—his matching scarf and mittens to go with his hat. I have the pattern saved in my ravelry queue for the mittens. The scarf…it may look simply, but I am actually going to improvise this one, as I have not seen one like the one I am planning.
My only other thing today is to clear off my work space and the dining room table…I could use a bookcase close to my desk, but that’s not going to happen—no space. I’ll have to see what else I can do.
And now…on with the show.
