winds of change

Every year around the time the weather changes, I seem to get a little something I wish I didn't, a cold. The thing is the cold is not bad enough to warrant me taking anything for it, but bad enough that I can't do all of my regular exercise type things, like running, biking, and playing sports.

One thing it does afford me is more knit time.

Though I finished these a while ago. It just took me a while to photograph and upload them. I should get better at photographing my fo's because I just got a remote for my camera which makes taking the pictures sooooooooo much easier.

Also, I am starting to get a little worried regarding Sockapalooza4. I haven't received my socks yet and am getting bummed. I did get an email from my sockpal around the time the socks were supposed to go out saying that they were almost done and would be a little late. That was over two months ago. What do you think I should do? Wait a little longer? Request a sock savior? Forget about the whole thing?

I got the green light

You would think that the kids being in school means that I would get so much done. How wrong was I. I feel that I get so much less done now. I mean everyday I have a list of things to do and I swear I only get half of them done. I know my time management skills are lacking, but man.

Anyway, I went to the doctor last Friday and the good news is that my ankles are "aligned very nice and symmetrically" the bad news is that I have a slight strain and may have some scar tissue built up between my bones from a bad sprain I had fifteen years ago. The doctor said that I can resume regular activity as long as I wear a brace and/or tape the ankle for the next three to four weeks and if it doesn't get better by then, then we will have to look into other methods. So far, so good. I have not gone on any runs yet, but I did play soccer last week and I was good afterwards.

I have also been working on theses.

They are Pomatomus' worked from the toe up and are going to be for my sister.

Also here is another fo that I finally took pictures of. For more details click on any of the pics.

They are a modified version of Elegant Ribbed Stockings by Ann Bud.

Size does matter

Needle size that is. See the two socks.

The only difference between the two are one needle size. The one on the left is knit with US size 2's and 3's are on the right.

Both of the socks have advantages of their own. For instance the right sock is definitely has more stretch to it, while the left has more definition in the cabling.

At the rate that I am going, I will barely have these socks done in time to send them out to my Sockapalooza pal. Though on the upside, I have been chugging right through the pattern repeats, so maybe it won't take so long afterall.

As for softball, I will start off by saying poor Hubby. On Wednesday and Thursday of last week he played a total of seven games. That's right seven. His knees have not been the same since. We had two games of our tournament on Saturday that he could barely move for. On Sunday I had to draw the line and tell him that I wasn't going to let him play. Reluctantly he sat out and kept the book for our team.

On the upside, Hubby's team finished third in their tournament. That is the highest that team has ranked in this tournament in many many years.

Our co-ed tournament, we're out. Though we gave it a good fight. Our last two games we played short, one player for the first game and two for the second. Both games we were always within two runs, unfortunately two runs behind at the end.

And we won our first game of our Sunday league.

Not too shabby.

From me to you

This past weekend same as the last...busy, busy, busy.

B is on Spring Break for the next two weeks. A couple of days before vacation started he had asked if I could take him to Disneyland while he was on vacation. After looking at the black out dates for our passes, I decided why not and that was where we were yesterday.

I have a couple of friends who have said that they would never take their kids anywhere by themselves. There are few things that I am not willing to do with my kids by myself. Hubby works a lot and if I had to wait for him, then the kids would miss many opportunities.

Now if it were the kids first time at Disneyland I wouldn't do it without Hubby. Not that I am not able or willing to, but I think that certain firsts should be done as a family. That's just me though.

Here is a picture of the boys mopping up the pirate ship at the park.

Why is it they will mop up a ship but I can barely get them to clean up after themselves at home?

I do have some advice for people who do go out with their kids. If you have a digital camera or a camera phone take a picture of your kids in the clothes they are wearing when you get to your destination. This way if your kids get lost, you have the most recent picture of your kids available.

The next piece of advice is to write your cell phone number on your kids in ink. This may sound silly, but if your child were to get lost they may not be able to remember your number. If it is written on them, all they have to do is show someone and hopefully they will call.

The reason I mention this is because while we were at Disneyland yesterday I saw two different children in different areas of the park who were lost. Both of the children who were lost were reunited with their parents, but the look on the children's and the parent's faces.

While we were walking back to the parking structure a family happened to separate K from me and B. Mind you I had K in my sight the entire time. When he first realized that he was not walking with B or myself he started looking around and was a little panicked. The next thing he did was pull up the sleeve on his shirt and was getting ready to show someone the phone number I had written on his arm. That is when he noticed B and I looking at him.

I finished the first sock and I have started on the second. Do you see the cuts on the ankle? Last week we went on a family jog/bike ride (Hubby and I jogged, B rode his bike, & K was in the jogging stroller). After we were done my ankle was a little sore and bothering me. So when I was getting ready to play soccer on Friday, I asked Hubby to tape the ankle because it was a little swollen and I didn't want it to get worse. Somehow the tape rubbed my skin raw. WTHeck?

My ankle is still a little swollen, though not as tender as it was. As a result, I don't think I will be able to finish Runagogo on my feet. The last 15 will have to be on the bike. I am a little disappointed, but I will finish.

Also, I am making the Runners Companion a free pattern. You can click on the link in the sidebar.

Exhausted Me

First, let me thank you for all of your comments regarding the socks. I have decided that I will not be frogging them. So hopefully within the next few weeks I will have a finished pair of socks for myself.

It has been a fun, but exhausting weekend.

A few months back one of Hubby's friends called and asked if I would sub for their Friday night indoor soccer team. Having absolutely no experience or background playing soccer, I agreed. So I have been "subbing" for this team every Friday since December (I use the term subbing loosely as Hubby's friend added me to their roster). I enjoy playing, but I honestly don't really know what I am doing while I am there, though I did manage to score two goals on Friday (woohoo for me).

So anyway I played soccer on Friday night. Saturday Hubby and I had a double header softball game. Sunday we had another softball game. So, when it came time this morning for my jog, I had nothing left in me. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow morning. I only have twenty miles left, I will get it done!

I have been working on something to help me get my jogs in.

Do ya like? I have made five of them for myself and one for Hubby.

Getting over the hump

See that expression on her face. That is how everyone in this household has felt at one time or another over the last few months, especially me. Though today K is home sick from pre-school.

What I wouldn't give to have all of my family healthy right now.

I started off the year with Strep and never fully recovered. After I was done with the first round of meds, I was still having some upper respiratory problems, which made running non-existent for the last two weeks. In fact I just finished my second round of antibiotics along with some other meds.

During B's four day weekend off from school a few weeks back (and during his birthday weekend, mind you) he got conjunctivitis, which is also known as pink eye. Two days later K had it.

After B was over the pink eye, he started having a sore throat along with coughing and was out of school for three days. K pretty much had the same and was out of school as well.

Hubby started to complain last week that his throat was bothering him when he came home from work. I looked at his throat and sent him straight to the doctors. Now I am not a doctor or anything, but one thing I do know is Strep having had it more times that I would care to remember.

Hubby is better, B is better, I am better, but now K is under the weather again. Ugh!

And come to think of it, we even had to take Pebelles (our dog) to the vet last week. So every single member of this family has had something wrong with them in the last six weeks.

The only place to go is up from here. Right?!?

Right!

BTW I was finally able to add some miles for Runagogo. I was sucking wind the entire time and my legs, well can we say jello anyone? I may have to spend some time on the bike, if I can't make up the last two weeks, but that will be my last resort.

Ahhhhhhhhhh

I am one of those people who believes in reinforcement, weather it is positive or negative. I also believe in a reward type of system. This was my reward.


I reached my running goal for the month of January. WoooHoooo!!!! As my reward I went and got a pedicure. Ahhhhhhh. After all of the pounding and work that my feet have been doing to reach my goal, this was the least I could do for them.

I know I had mentioned how I do my own nails before because of my fear of nail problems, but I really wanted to just be able to sit and relax. Also, I figured if the feet are running at least 33.5 miles each month a pedi is well deserved.

I am almost finished with the sweater for the KAL. In fact I should be able to post some pics next time.

I'm back on track, sort of

I am definitely feeling better. I have a few more days of meds and hopefully this will be it for me getting sick for the year. I know it's only January, but a girl can hope, can't she?

I went for a run/walk with hubby earlier today and I felt really good. Not much in terms of coughing, though I am feeling a bit on the tired side. I think it may be a lack of caffeine in my system though.

I have been working on my sweater for the Red Sweater KAL.

This pic was taken a few days ago. I am actually about ten inches farther down, but am too lazy/tired to take new progress pics. I am trying to figure out what exactly I am going to do with the neck. I want a scoop type of neck and think that I may do some short rows to get the bottom nice and big without it being too bulky around the neck. Just a thought though, I'll probably change my mind a thousand times before I actually start to work on the neck.

In other knitting, I have been working on a pair of socks for B. The last pair of socks that I made for the kids were these back in August.

The socks no longer fit either of their intended recipients. K is already wearing the red socks that were made for B. I hate the thought that the boys get such limited use out of the socks that I make them. I was wondering what others do/have done about this. I am thinking that I am just going to make some tube socks for them, but I don't know if that is actually going to be comfortable for them. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

I will do it!

Call me crazy, but look what I just signed myself up for.

You can read about it here at Whitney's. If you are so inclined to join, go over runagogo and register. You don't have to run all of the miles, it's any movement/activity that gets us out and moving.