September

Did I really not post anything in August? So many good intentions... the computer (I used to call our 'good' computer) upstairs has gotten REALLY slow and hard to use. I'm sure we'll be replacing it soon. Our now 'good' computer is the one in our kitchen that Ali & Alex gave us - and we haven't bothered to install anything on it (like MS Office). It's really nice to have the extra computer so the girls can play games while Jeff is working on his schoolwork.

I wish I had pictures to share this time (from the first day of school & from the other summer events I promised pictures like gymnastics and zoo and museum). I'll settle for a post with no pictures otherwise it won't get done at all.

I finished my first adult size sweater (knit). It took 1 year (I did put it down when Spring came and I realized nobody would want to wear a sweater in the summer anyway). I finally finished it and was able to give it to my Aunt Toni. She looked really nice in it -- I had a lot of fun making it and I'm glad to give her something back. She has given me a LOT of knitting supplies which sparked me to want to learn to knit. I forgot to take pictures before I gave it away, but even if I do say so myself, it turned out like the picture on the site I got the pattern from (see picture below). I made the sweater in white with antiqued brass buttons - I skipped the scarf mainly because it never gets cold enough in Orange County for a scarf.

It's been a fun habit and has given me something to do to wind down at the end of the day while Jeff's watching football or the girls are watching their tv shows. Kara has even learned to knit a little and has been working on a scarf. She picked it up a lot easier than she picked up crocheting when I tried to teach her that craft last year. Brooke understands crocheting a lot better. I couldn't believe how easily Kara picked up knitting. To me, balancing two needles and the thread and not dropping stitches is a lot harder than crocheting with one needle and one loop at a time. I learned to crochet when I was 5 from a combination of both of my grandmothers. I assumed kids could learn to crochet easier. Leave it to my 30-year-old daughter stuck in a kid body to like knitting better.