Job Offer

Today I received a job offer from the company in Livermore. It is owned by two brothers. I liked them. They seemed like nice people. The offer is very good. The only thing that worries me is that I will be the only office person. During the interview, one of the owners' wife expressed concern about my having little ones and taking days off (I know. Her questions are illegal). However, when speaking to one of the brothers, he said that my hours could be flexible, as long as I get my work done. I am really liking them even more. I told them that I had more potential job offers and wanted to think it over during the weekend and will give him my answer on Tuesday. Livermore is about an hour or so from Rio Vista so that is something to consider.

I interviewed with the CPA firm. The owner is very nice. I liked him. He is geeky, like me and I totally understood him in the quirky way he explained things because I am like that too. However, the pay is less than I want but the potential for learning and moving on to another CPA firm as a CPA candidate is very good. In addition, I asked if I could help out during the tax crunch and he said that once I master my job, I could. I like taxes, at least the ones I have done so far (mine and Rob's). The owner said that he will make a decision around mid-week, next week. The CPA firm is about a half hour away from home.

I guess I have a lot of thinking to do this weekend.

As for my second sock (yes. I am still working on it), I arrived at both interviews about a half hour early and sat in my vehicle knitting before the interviews. I am on the foot.

It Has Been A While

Boy, it sure has been a while since I have been here. To catch you up on things, I have changed employers. I started at my new job on 08/13. Do I like it? Well, it is a mess....the books, the procedures, just messy. It is a challenge and a huge undertaking, and I would enjoy taking it on. However, I feel that I am going to get jerked around on the pay. She hired me at $3/hr less than I asked for and she said that I will get what I asked for "when I prove myself" Okay. So, she could stretch this out for a long time. Not good. I tried to get a date out of her, like 90 days and she would not agree. What does that tell me? It tells me that she is going to lead me on as long as she can. So what am I doing? I have an interview with a CPA firm next Thursday. Although I a have a degree in accounting and had the original goal of becoming a CPA, I am not a CPA nor a CPA candidate (yet?). They are looking for a Bookkeeper. I am going to call her back and see if the position is to do their books or the books of their clients. I wonder if there is potential to do client's taxes and become a CPA candidate. I will ask.

I spoke to a potential employer in Livermore yesterday who, if I am hired, he supposedly will pay me more than I am asking. He will call me on Friday, to set up an interview for next week. At least, in the meantime, I am making more than I made at my previous employer, just not what I set out to make when I left them.

We are in our new home and it is just so hard to unpack. The boys need so much attention. That is okay. I have set my mind to not stressing over it. I figured I would get things done little by little and spend my time enjoying the time I have with the boys before they grow up and don't want to play with me anymore. Last weekend we did not do anything reall exciting. The boys and I walked to the nearby drugstore and purchased a kite. Hunter had so much fun flying the kite, he kept screaming. He was so excited. Hayden watched.

As for my sock progress. I haven't really had time to knit. I knit a few rows Saturday night. You know, I started these socks in May and am still on the second sock? Everything came at me so fast...buying a home, moving, etc. I have been so busy.

Unpacking

I have been unpacking when I can but between working and the boys, I can do very little at a time. I have to get things organized because I don't like the boxes around. It does not seem very childproof to have boxes of stuff around.

You know what was really nice? Last evening, I put Hayden in his stroller and wandered down to Main Street and into a Mexican restaurant. I ordered food and played with Hayden while we were waiting. On my way back, I picked up a menu at the Chinese restaurant. How cool is that!? I have never lived in a place where I can just walk a few blocks to a downtown area with shops and restaurants. I was so happy.

I was able to knit a few rows of my second sock today. I am slowly but surely going to finish.

This Weekend

I am so glad it is Friday. I hate that I was not able to take any time off of work to help my husband move stuff. He has been slowly but surely packing and moving our stuff all week. There is no way my boss would let me have any time off so I did not bother to ask. Anyway, it looks like we will be all moved out by the end of Saturday. I can't wait to get out of our cruddy neighborhood!!

Last weekend we met a new neighbor directly behind our house and the one to the left of the house. Both are grandparents who have a granchild, who visits often, around Hunter's age!! The other day Rob met another neighbor behind us and they have a child a year older than Hunter. The boys are going to be so happy! They will have a little network of friends around us. I was worried that there wouldn't be any kids nearby for the boys to play with and now, to my surprise, there are more than I could have even hoped for!!

Everyone we have met are friendly. It is so cool. Going into Rio Vista is like going into a different dimension or (maybe back in time). Last weekend, when we went out to eat, other men knodded and said 'hello' to my husband as we walked past, not being used to it, he missed seeing a few and knodding back. People drive much kinder too. It is just amazing. Maybe this is the way towns are in other parts of the state or country, but in the San Francisco, Bay Areaish parts of California, people are just plain rude and have the 'move out of my way, me first, attitude' (which I hate and stresses me out because I try to be polite, wait my turn, etc.). Isn't that odd, because Bay Area is concentrated with liberals (aren't they supposed to be sympathtic, etc?). I just don't get it when anyone acts that way. It is so mean. The Post Office in the city where I work, Pittsburg, is only a few blocks away. Driving there and walking to/from my car, is like going through one of those obstacle courses you see on TV, not only are you doing the course, but you have also got to dodge the things people are throwing at you. It is crazy.

I haven't really made much progress with my second sock. Maybe I will get lucky and the boys will fall asleep early tonight so I can stay up late and knit.

Lining Shelves

My Mom watched the boys on Saturday and Sunday while I scrubbed down the house (not that it was dirty, just because that's what I need to do), sprayed antibacterial stuff around and lined the shelves and drawers. I never want to move again. Anyone who has lined shelves knows how much it STINKS!! The self adhiring stuff wrinkles and sticks to itself. Then you have to pull it apart and straighten it while another side/end folds and sticks to itself. Ugh!! It was comical. I just can't believe how long it took me to line the shelves and drawers of the house! It took WAY longer than I expected. I also loaded and unloaded my SUV and hung some clothes. I just worked away for hours, without taking much by way of breaks. It is very rare that I have time to do stuff without the boys and needed to make EVERY minute count. I was actually sore on Monday for I am not used to doing so much physical work (I need to get back to exercising). My husband has pretty much taken the whole week off to move. He is finishing the dog run today and has moved almost everything from the garage to the new home.

As for my job. I am now looking for another. I need something more challenging and more lucritive. I am not using my degree at this job and need to get back on the career path.

I am still on the heel of my second sock. I have been so busy lately.

Keys

Today we get the keys to our home!! I am so excited!! I wanted to go with my husband to get the keys but I did not even bother to ask my boss. Today he took me in his office and spoke to me about my 'situation'. Our childcare lady took a week off in May, July 4-6th, and yesterday and today off. In addition, the other week Hayden was running a high fever. My husband and I split the days home with the kids. Anyway, my boss has a problem with it. I understand that an employee should have good attendance. I told my boss that my husband takes just as many days off as I do and that it is not easy for us. He went on to state that at least my husband's job has that flexibility. I told him that it is just that his boss has little ones and that he understands and is 'totally cool with it'. My boss said that it makes it difficult to run a business. What a joke. My husband makes almost twice as much as I do and has the responsibilities to match. Here, my workload is small. He knows that. This is why my predasessor quit. She had kids too. What a jerk!!! It is so frustrating!!

I am now on the heel of my second sock!! Maybe the boys will go to bed early and I can stay up and knit. Yeah right!!

What? You Completed A Sock Saturday?

Yes. It is true. I have completed a sock!! We watched a movies on Friday night and Saturday night. When Hayden fell asleep, I stayed up a bit and knit. I have completed one sock and cast on the other (I will post pics later). It took me about a month to complete one sock. Let's see how I do with the other. I spent about a half hour of my lunch break working on the second sock.

My Mom babysat the boys while I packed this weekend. I packed up the family room and most of the spare bedroom. In addition, I went through the boys' toys, threw some away, gave some away and cleaned, packed and organized the rest.

We are waiting for the bank to finish their stuff and for the other realtor to take care of some paperwork. It is not looking like we will get the keys by midweek, maybe at the end of the week. I hope at least by Friday because I want to scrub down the house (it is not dirty but, I need to clean the surfaces with antibacterial stuff because that's how I am) then move stuff in this weekend.

So Busy

I haven't been here for a while. We switched payroll companies and in addition to my regular work, I had to do some coding, testing, and today I will do some reconciling so I have been pretty busy here, at work. Plus, I am doing some catch up work because I had 2 days off last week. Furthermore, I had to get quotes for homeowners insurance and choose one before our signing yesterday. Yes. We signed the paperwork yesterday. I am so excited. Provided the seller has their paperwork in order, we were told that we could take posession early next week!! Yay!! I can't wait! My husband can't either.

You know, everything happened so fast. Around May, our landlord put a 'for sale' sign on the home we rent. It was just last month that we started seriously looking for a house to purchase, and now, we have found one and signed the final loan paperwork.

My sock progress has been suffering. I still have not completed one sock and it is a sock I started just before the Summer of Socks. I want to participate more. I also would like to be able to read more of the blogs. It is just so cool to see other's projects, ideas, yarn, etc.

Here is my latest pic of my sock:

Yarn

I had a good weekend. I woke up early on Saturday and hand painted some yarn. The boys woke up and played so I was actually able to finish what I was doing. I only did about 6 skeins. I will post some pics of them after they dry completely.

You know, after I dye some wool, it takes a lot of willpower to keep from abandoning my current project and using the newly dyed yarn to start another pair of socks. However, I am the type to stick to a project until it is complete for if I don't, I am afraid that I will have many, many UFO's sitting around just waiting for completion.

Saturday afternoon my mom and I went and had some pictures of the boys taken. Boy, Hunter loves to get his picture taken. He likes to pose too. It is so cute.

Friday night Rob and I watched one of the Lord of the Rings movies and I worked on my socks while Hayden slept on my lap. I must have held my arms in an awkward way because they started to get sore and have been that way since. I had better be careful.

Here are a couple pictures of some self striping yarn I dyed up a couple of weeks ago and posted on my Etsy store today.

Venting!!

Today has not been a good day for me. My boss is really getting on my nerves (at least, more than usual). Our daycare lady has taken a few vacations in the past year and she is also taking the 4th-6th off. Therefore, my husband and I decided to split the days. I put in a request to take the 5th off. My boss would not sign the request and put a note on it stating that he would talk to me later. I asked him earlier if we get the 5th off and he said 'no'. Therefore, he is probably going to do what he has done in the past and try to force me to find care for the kids for the day elsewhere. He has even gone so far as to tell me that our daycare lady was 'not reliable' (she has only been sick once and everyone deserves vacation). I don't understand the big deal, my workload is so easy that it is not like I am going to fall behind. Someone else here calls him 'Hitler'.

I know I have complained about him before and I feel I must do it again in order to feel better (Sorry). His memory loss drives me nuts too. He will have me do something one way and then months later he will get onto me for doing it that way (when he told me to in the first place) and tell me to do it another (he totally did that to me yesterday. I just let it go because if I say anything, he tries to find something to get onto me about)!! He makes me crazy! The gal who trained me was not here very long and did not like him and she let me know. I guess I have a higher tolerance because I lasted longer than she did. However, when he threatened to fire me when I decided to take a longer maternity leave, I was hoping he really would. Months after I came back, he told me that he found out that by law, he could have fired me. I knew that!!!

I did not get to knit because I had to go get groceries to make my lunches (I forgot to get wheat pitas). Later, I had to stop by the bank which would not accept the check I was depositing so I had to go inside. By the time I got back to work to eat my lunch, my break was over. Oh, well. It sure would have been nice to knit.

If I could only pick up the sticks and knit obsessively for at least a half hour, I would feel so much better, but I can't.

Acceptance!!!

Our offer was accepted!! No counter offer, just accepted!!! We were hoping so because we were stretching it with our offer and just can't pay a penny more. We are going to be struggling as it is with the house payment on top of the daycare costs, and my stupid large credit card bills. My husband is at this moment, meeting with our Real Estate Agent to look the house over again. He is going to look under the house, etc., just to be sure. Yes. The Agent is going to hire someone to do that but he wants to look himself too. We are so excited. A house on a large lot, across the street from the park. It is much more than I expected for what we could afford!! I prayed that the seller saw the recent news reporting about real estate because it is reported that existing home prices fell for the 10th month in a row and there is an 8 month suplus on new homes. I prayed we would get the house and we did!!! Thank you, Lord!!

When we move in to our newly purchased home, I am looking forward to taking the boys to the park across the street and knitting while they play. Furthermore, there is a state park with a beach like 5 minutes away!! I am looking forward to taking them there so they can play there too while I knit!!

I have planned to do some knitting at lunch. Finally!! I have been dying to knit!! I haven't knit since last Friday's jury duty. It is just so hard to do it at home unless the boys are fully entertained because it is such a solitary thing. Knitting does not really allow me to involve them.

I have to take a new picture of my sock progress. I will post it when I do.

Any Sock Knitters Using Addi Turbos?

I am knitting my first pair of socks using Addi Turbos (I have used dpn's before). So far, I have not found a knitting blogger who uses them. I am hoping to find one or more during the Summer of Socks 2007 If there are any sock knitters who use the Addi Turbo circulars for their sock knitting reading this post, please leave a comment so I could find your web site. I would love to see your work. Thanks.

I was poking around at the SOS 2007 flickr site and am amazed at how many people have already knit a pair of socks. Wow. Fast knitters. The socks are wonderful!!

Jury Duty

I sure am glad I reread my paperwork regarding jury duty. It was in at the Pittsburg courthouse rather than the Martinez one. Wouldn't you know, I was juror #1, the first name to be called and never eliminated. Many people obviously lied and tried to make excuses so they could be dismissed, not me. I am so honest and take jury duty seriously. In fact, I decided that before we went into deliberations, that I wanted to be the Foreman and was. We voted to convict the defendant of DUI and related charges. There was one who almost dissented but she had her facts wrong and everyone had to explain things to her. I didn't get her. Didn't she pay attention? She was an older woman who felt sorry for the defendant and either twisted the facts or ignored the true facts to try to look at the defendant in a different light than the one the facts conveyed. We all felt sorry for the defendant but it was our duty to follow the law. I was impressed by my fellow jurors. I half expected to deal with dopes who just couldn't follow the laws. Much to my surprise, with the exception of the one woman, they were all intelligent, reasonable people who picked up on the same minor facts and paid attention to every detail that I had. Please don't get me wrong, I don't think I am smarter or better than anyone. I just think I am anal and a geek. It was a pleasure to be on a jury with those people. As we were leaving the building, I heard the Bailiff tell a fellow juror that we did the right thing and that the defendant had 'priors'. Maybe by way of court orders, she will get some help and it will work.

The first morning of jury duty was spent waiting to see if there would be a trial. I used that time to knit!! I used every break except for lunch, to knit. Oh, and it felt good. However, I haven't had time since.

Saturday, we looked at houses again. We found one we liked more than any we had seen so far. Our realtor submitted our bid today and we should know by Wednesday at 10 am if we get the house. It has huge bay windows that face the community swimming pool and park. Although, it only has 2 bedrooms, it has a large front yard, a large side yard, and a large patio. How perfect is that for a couple with two little kids. I can just walk across the street to the park so the boys can play on the slides!! There is plenty of room to add on. The front of the house faces one street and the garages face the street behind the house. Yes, that is right, garages!! It has two. My husband is dying to get this house. The kitchen and bathrooms need to be remodeled, but the house is newly painted inside and has new carpets. We love it!!

Jury Duty

I have possible jury duty tomorrow at the county courthouse. I have to call this evening to see what time if any, I have to be there. It seems like every other year I have jury duty at the county courthouse. At least, I know what to expect. I do know that I have to get there early so I can get a parking space. The city it is in, Martinez, has many little 'antique' stores. They are fun to wander through. I am actually kind of looking forward to it. I know that most of the time I am there, it is just a waiting thing. Therefore, I will get to spend some 'quality' time with my knitting (something I do not get much of).

I fixed my error on the sock at lunch yesterday without too much trouble. I have been avoiding it because I hate to rip/unknit my work. However, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was able to do a bit of knitting while I waited for and went through the carwash.

I have to tell you a story about the carwash. The guy in the car in front of me asked me to input his carwash code for him because he has trouble with his eyesight. The whole time I wondered why this guy was driving and if he could even see well enough to be on the road? Is he endangering lives by driving with such an impairment?

I became disoriented at the gas station in Pittsburgh, CA, where I work. It was a Chevron and you know how their mascots are cars? Well, the ads were in Spanish. They were not in spanish and english, they were just in spanish. Right after, I got on the freeway and a bus passed me. The McDonalds ad on the side was not in english at all, it was completely in spanish. I was tripping out. I guess it is a sign of the times (At least, where we are moving, things are still in english). There was a job I thought of applying for, however, it requires that the person in the position be bi-lingual. Why? To communicate to the illegal aliens that they employ? I think that it is discrimination to be in the United States and have to speak spanish in order to apply for an Office Manager/Accouting job. Sorry, I took 4 years of French in school.

House

I could have sworn I posted yesterday and it is not here. Maybe I thought about posting but did not? I don't remember.

We saw the newer home again. This time we decided to make an offer. The real estate agent came by last night and we signed the bid paperwork. Afterwards, my husband called the loan guy with the figure and our payment is going to be a little more than my husband expected. Money is really going to be tight if we get the house. I know, it is worth it. Plus, we should have faith. If we were meant to have the house, we will get it. My husband and I were thinking that maybe I should go back to a higher paying job. I am really not ready to be salaried and work long hours again. In addition to a higher paying job, or instead of, we were thinking that I should find a job closer to the future home to avoid the $4 a day bridge toll. This makes it stressful for me. The boys love Linda (their childcare lady) and their little friends. I really like her too and think it would be extremely difficult to find someone comparable. I guess I shouldn't stress on this stuff too much yet. I should wait and see what happens.

Here is a picture of the house. The picture is from Realtor.com:




Here is my little Hayden:


'If you're happy and you know it...'

Houses

My first choice for a home was disappointing inside. It had ugly pinkish paint throughout. The kitchen cabinets needed to be cleaned. The third bedroom was an office for it has no closet and the carpets were destroyed (they were filthy and smelled of dirty, stinky, dog!). I think the bank is asking too much for this home. If we made an offer, it would be way lower than the asking. We would have to clean, paint and recarpet it before we moved in. However, the home was only 10 years old.

The second home was built in the 60's and had the kitchen to match. However, it had a fireplace and the other did not. This one could be moved into. It had an added on room which, was bare and per the neighbor, floods during the rain. My husband said that he can fix that. I liked the floor plan on this home. With eventual remodeling of the bathroom fixtures and the kitchen, it could really be cool. The back yard is a good size and it has a good amount of space on the side for a dog run. I really like the back yard. The bank is on crack. They are asking more than the newer home. Probably because of the square footage but the extra room is not functional without work because of the flooding. No wonder the neighbor told my husband that the home has been on the market for over a year. If we bid this one, we are going at least 50k less than the asking price.

My husband is going to call the realtor today and ask that we see the second home again. This time we will ask my Mom and Stepfather to go with us for extra eyes to see what we may miss.

I worked on the sock yesterday and made an error. I am going to have to unknit a whole row and am dreading it.

Have a great weekend!

Here is some pretty yarn, I posted at my Etsy store:

Too Hot

Ugh!! It is just too hot out. I am dreading going outside. Yesterday, the thermometer on my vehicle said 102 degrees. I don't think it was really that hot out but that is what it said. Hayden had a tough time. He does not like the heat. The house we rent only has a swamp cooler and Hayden was only happy when he was held in front of it. Poor little guy. Rob got some fans going to direct the air from the cooler to other parts of the house.

Speaking of houses. We are going to look at our first choice for a home purchase tonight. If we are not happy, we will look at our second. The first choice definately has central heating and air cond. It is 10 years old and a bank repo. The outside looks a little overgrown and the back yard has never been landscaped. I hope the inside is in descent condition because I really, really want this house. It is just around the corner from a park and in a housing tract I really like. I should take pictures so my Mom could see it. I have to try to remember that.

I am ready to start on the gusset of my sock.

Here is a pic of some stitch markers I made the other night.


I posted it on my Etsy Shop today.

Sock Progress

I have been pretty busy. However, I was able to get some knitting done on Thursday and Friday at lunch. I am attempting to knit them on size 5, 12" circular Addi Turbo's. I never saw anyone using these until I went to a LYS in Castro Valley. The salesgal showed me her project. She was using them. She also printed out a pattern someone there wrote. Hence, this is my first pair with these needles and the pattern she gave me. I haven't seen many people using them. Hopefully, during the Summer of Socks, I will find someone who uses them.

We spent Saturday driving around Rio Vista, looking at houses. What a nice town! So many homes had chairs and such on the front porches and in garages with people sitting outside visiting, working and such. A couple of people waived at us. How friendly. So not like the areas closer to the Bay Area (San Francisco). This is exactly the type of place I want to live. Friendly, small, little crime. How nice!!!

I spent most of Sunday dyeing up yarn.

The owners are out and there is just a few of of here. I am going to work on my sock after I finish this post. This is what I have done so far. I know, it is a slow process for me with the small amount of spare time I have. Here is what I have so far:


I know it pools alot but that is part of the faded bluejean look.

Busy Day

It has been a busy day here at work. My boss is getting ready for his leave for surgery and we are switching payroll companies. Hence, we had a meeting with a payroll company salesperson. I did not get to knit or do any knitting related activities on my lunchbreak because the meeting lasted through our lunchtime. Oh, well. That's okay.

The dh might take the boys over to the airport in the Rio Vista area one day this weekend. Oh yeah, I am going to use the time to dye up some yarn!!!

I dyed this up recently.

Time to Buy a House

Our landlord had informed us about a month ago that he is putting all of his homes up for sale and moving. He gave some of his other tenants a 60 day notice. We have been worrying about getting ours. However, the landlord feels that since the house we live on is on the same lot as his two shops and he is selling them as one package, they buyer will purchase the property for the shops and allow us to continue to rent. That is just not good enough. We took it as a sign that we need to move out and buy our own house. Therefore, tomorrow we have an appointment with the agent we have been speaking to. We have been preapproved and soon we will be prequalified (or is it vice-versa). Anyway, after this step, we will go back to the real estate agent (who sent us to the 'loan agent').

We are moving out of Antioch. We just can't take it anymore. The illegal alien gang members playing loud music (and leave it on even when they go in their house for a while) and threatening my husband when he asks them to turn it down, the cars screeching down the street, etc. What a shame. The city went downhill fast.

Our lanlord told us how when he was cleaning one of his homes a few properties away, the neighbors from various houses played loud music. My husband told him, "welcome to our world", the illegals play their music loudly all day and night without regard for their neighbors. We call and call the police and they just get ticketed and blame us for their tickets (not the fact that they are breaking the law by playing their music so loudly, among other things they are doing). Our landlord told us that Antioch was where he had previously planned to spend the rest of his life. His plans have changed. You see, our lanlord is a barbor. He has many customers/friends. He has been telling us some of the stories about his customers getting robbed/mugged/attacked in areas that you wouldn't even think it would happen (like non-ghettoish areas). We are moving about 1/2 hour away from here, where it is pretty quiet and we shouldn't have to worry about getting mugged outside the grocery store or attacked by illegal alien gang members because we asked them to turn down their music at 10:00 at night!!!!!!!!!!

I am really excited though about getting a home. We were preapproved and started to look years ago, before the economy went south. However, it just did not feel right and I changed my mind (too bad because homes were about 2/3 of what they are now and we could have refinanced when the interest rates dipped). Oh well, everything happens for a reason.

Friday Again!!!

I am so glad it was a short work week. After the holiday, camping trip weekend, I just don't want to be at work.

All of the owners are going to be out in a couple of weeks. This means that my workload will get even smaller. Hence, I will have extra time to hopefully, KNIT!!!! YAY!! I am so excited!!!

I posted some yarn at my Etsy store today. Here is a pic of a skein.



Don't you HEART yarn!?!?

Items

I added some hand dyed sock yarn and stitch markers to the Etsy store I set up. I would like to dye a lot more, but I have been so busy lately. You know, I was thinking today that I must thrive on being extremely busy. It is strange. For instance, after completing jr. college, I moved onto night school while working full-time. I was promoted to Business Manager at the company I worked for and completed the last year of my BS degree while working a minimum of 45 hours a week. Often times I worked 10-12 hour days and even one day on the weekend!! I remember spending my spare time doing homework and meeting with study group partners to work on group projects. However, I maintained an above 3.0 GPA. It was crazy!! I was once transferred to a job site where I drove for 1 hr and 45 minutes each way (this was after I received my BS) for 9 months. There were quite a few nights where I would get home around 11 pm (Yes. The job was salaried. Darn, huh?).

Quickbooks stinks! I am saying this because they won't support our software (2004 version) after June 1. This means that we cannot do payroll through them or run credit cards as before unless we upgrade and their software is expensive. My boss, in his annoying ways, loves to wait until the very last minute to do anything. It makes me crazy. So, with that in mind, today, I am waiting for a return call from him so I can continue with payroll. This is the last payroll run without the upgrade. However, because the check dates are June 1st, our tax tables are screwed up and I don't want to manually figure the taxes on everyone's checks. I called my boss this morning leaving a voicemail of his options and he still hasn't called back. We only have 3 more hours in this workday and I need an answer. I wish he would just upgrade as I have asked him to.

At least at lunch today, I was able to knit a few rounds on my sock. Aaaaahhhhh!! Stress relief!!!

Some yarn for your viewing pleasure.



I call this 'Shades of Scarlet'. You can find it at my Etsy store.

Camping (Picture Heavy Post)

We left Friday morning and came home Monday. Destination = Stanislaus National Park. We had fun.
Our camp site was a sandy spot surrounded by rock.


Hayden liked the tent. The first time I put him in it with the sleeping bags, he laughed, screamed, and crawled around. He was so excited.
He also liked to sit in his chair, attached to the truck's tailgate for short periods of time. This is also where he ate.



Hunter had fun too.
He really liked roasting marshmallows and playing around the water.











I was able to make some progress on the first sock. Rob did all of the cooking and dishwashing. That was a treat!! He cooked wonderful meals for us. The area was so beautiful. In order to get to the spot Rob chose, we had to use the 4WD and go down a really bumpy path. It was such a road that, even though it too has 4WD, there's no way we would take the Expedition through a place like that. It was a pretty crazy drive. It was fun!

Hayden did not like to crawl on the sand and I don't blame him. I won't go camping again until Hayden walks. It was a little tough having to hold and entertain him most of the time

Joined The Summer of Socks '07

Today, I joined the Summer of Socks '07 knit along. I have yet to figure out how to save their button to my server and post it on my blog for others to use. I wll figure it out when I get the time. When I joined, I marked that I would make a donation. I plan to donate some hand dyed yarn.

I was out sick the past couple of days. I brought the boys to daycare and slept a few extra hours Monday and Tuesday. I am not the type to nap during the day really, because I always have so much going on but I felt so crummy. I don't know what has gotten me, but I have been so exhausted and just not feeling right. I am a bit lightheaded and dizzy-like. You know when you are sick and you are here but not here, kind of in a surreal world? That's how I feel. My head aches. Ugh! I hope I don't mess things up too much here, at work.

Here is a picture of the yarn I dyed for my next pair of socks.



It is in various shades of blue. I like how it has a kind of faded blue jean look. The yarn is 100%superwash yard, DK. I plan to try my circular Addi Turbos again. I am determined to make them work because it is faster to use the circular than to use dpn's.

Hayden's birthday was nice. We had fun. He crawls all over now. Here is a pic of the little birthday boy.

Busy

I have been really busy lately. I haven't posted for a week. Our daycare lady has been on vacation for two weeks. I stayed home with the boys on Monday and Tuesday and have been busy at work, because of the days off (you know, I really could do this job in only 3 days a week, but like I said before, my boss wants me here full-time).

I have decided to frog the sock I have been working on. I haven't touched it because I was debating on whether or not to scrap the project. I haven't started any other knitting project because I will only work on one at a time. I fear that if I start other projects, I will have many unfinished objects sitting around the house. So, it is one at a time for me. Anyway, back to the sock, the ankle looks funny because I knit the sock too loosely. When using the circulars for socks, I knit too loosely, when using the double-pointed needles, I knit too tightly. I have to do something in the middle. My next project is going to be a pair of socks to be a gift, dk weight, with yarn dyed by moi! I dyed it up last night, hung it to dry, and will take pics of it this weekend so I can post a picture.

This weekend is Hayden's first birthday party!! He turns 1 on 05/22. We are having a party at my Aunt's home. I can't wait. I would like to take the boys in to get their pictures taken before we go to the party. I guess I had better get a move on and call to make an appointment.

BBQ Day!

I did not knit today at lunch. We socialized and ate teriyaki chicken, salad, and bread. Thanks to Gary. The owners have been away since Thursday. Yesterday, Gary mentioned BBQing today but I wansn't sure he was serious. He was and it tasted soooo good. That was really nice of him to cook for us. He is such an organized person and I really appreciate that when I get his paperwork. He was the same way with his cooking. He even had a timer to aid him.

I am not sure what we are doing for Mother's Day. I will have to get with my husband and find out.


"I finished playing the piano, come pick me up"



"I was grouchy and sick but now I am better"

No Knitting Today

I did not get to knit today, on my lunchbreak. I had to run to the store again (boy, this is getting to be an every other day thing). I was hoping to spend a couple of hours or so kitting because the owners are out today, taking some course somewhere. However, one's son is here and I am not sure how he will be with my knitting. It is the son who surfs the net most of the day (more than anyone else and gets paid more than anyone else to do so). I guess I will do what everyone else does when they finish their work, surf the net and try to look busy.

The boys are feeling better. Hunter is a little less grumpy. I am soooo glad for that!!!

Little Hayden will pull himself up and when he does not want to stand anymore he complains because he just hasn't figured out how to sit down gently.


"I am stuck standing here!"

Sock Progress

I have been making progress on the socks little by little. I am still on the foot of the first sock. I am a little worried because according to my Yarn Yardage Table Knit-Kard, the yarn I am using is about a DK to worsted weight yarn. Also per the Knit-Kard, I need about 275 yards for a pair of socks using DK yarn or about 240 yards for worsted for a medium pair of women's sock. I am using Schaefer Yarn's Lola and it only has about 280 yards and that is cutting it a little close. In my use of Addi Turbo 12" circulars, I have been knitting a bit loose (when I knit with double-pointed needles, I knit really tightly). It looks like my yarn leans towards the worsted as the manufacturer states and I will be okay. However, I don't want to try to knit a pair of socks and end up short on the last part of the LAST SOCK! I guess I should check my gauge and do some math just to be sure. Ugh! Maybe I just should have checked my gauge in the beginning but I was knitting socks and figured I could escape knitting a gauge swatch.



The boys have been sick lately. I believe this is why Hunter has been so defiant lately. You know when you are out shopping, you see a child totally acting up and you say to yourself, "I am glad I don't have a child who acts like that." Well, poor Hunter is THAT child when he is sick. Luckily, Linda is on vacation and they have been at their Grandma's all week. Grandpa also took today off to be with them I bet they are having fun.

A Break

Hunter has been fully testing me lately. He will do something like kick me. When I tell him not to, he does it again. He has been this way for about 3 days. It has been really tough to deal with. Hunter isn't usually like this. Rob said that he only acts whiny, needy, and/or defiant when I am around.

Sunday Rob took the boys to visit his Father in the hospital. The drive was about two hours each way so they were gone for about 5-6 hours. It was a much needed break for me. I finished the laundry and some other chores. I even made a casserole for Monday and another for Tuesday. I love dinners where all I have to do is pop it in the oven or even the crockpot.

I was able to knit for about an hour on Sunday while the boys were gone. I finished the heel and am now on the foot of my sock. I am hoping to work on it at lunch. However, it is the boss' son's birthday today and the boss wants to 'do something' for lunch. Hmmm. I don't recall us 'doing something' for other's birthday's here.

I noticed that I have been whiny in my posts lately. I have to knock it off. Who wants to read negative stuff?

I am thinking about joining the Summer of Socks 2007. I like to knit socks because they are quick (kind of) and they look cool with handdyed yarns. During the three month span of the Summer of Socks 2007, at the rate I get to knit, I may only make 2-4 pair, but hey, it will be fun. I am looking forward to seeing what other people are knitting. Someday I would like to knit the German Stocking by Cookie A. It looks very intimidating but isn't it cool!! Someday.

Garbage Day!

Today is what Gary, a coworker calls 'garbage day'. Today is the day we empty our garbages at work. It is the day before what he calls 'happy Friday'. I love happy Friday, don't you!?

I haven't made much progress on the socks I am knitting. Yesterday, I was able to knit for about 20 mins on my lunch break. However, Monday and Tuesday I ran to the store on my lunch and did not have any time to knit (don't you hate it when you are unorganized and have to return to the store to get things you failed to put on your original list?).

Things were pretty tough last night. Hunter isn't feeling well and he has been VERY, VERY NEEDY. He just wanted me to hold him. He woke up from a nap while I was doing the dinner dishes. I needed to finish. I can't stand dinner dishes in the sink all night. I don't want to attract mice or flies. He cried and that made Hayden cry. My husband was outside. I just scooped both boys up and held them. Hunter did not want me to do anything all night but hold him. Hayden wanted me to hold him too. This happens to me a lot but is really excessive when Hunter is sick. I get pinned to the couch by the boys.

Hunter is in daycare today. I wish that today was Saturday so I could take care of Hunter.

It is so very tough to work full-time, do chores, and take care of two little ones. I stress out on finishing my chores and find that I don't have time for other things like organizing the house. Oh there is so much to do. Often times, I wish I was a housewife. Then, maybe I could get things done. A nice thought but we can't afford it.

Hayden's Weekend

Hayden and I had a pretty good weekend. It was peaceful and for the most part, Hayden had me all to himself. My Mom joined us for shopping on Saturday. We went to Babies R Us and got Hayden a clever dish with a suction cup on the bottom and some other things. We went to Barnes N Noble and got him some books. Afterwards, I pretty much spent the day knitting while Hayden nursed and slept on my lap. I knew he had been coming down with a cold, so I don't think he was feeling well. That night I put him to bed and knit some more. I don't think I have ever been able to knit so much. I knit about 6" of the leg of a sock.

Remind me NEVER to go the the grocery store on the 1st of the month on my lunchbreak again!! There are much more people than I had ever seen there (in case you are wondering, it is the day when the goverment assistance recipients get their electronic food stamps or whatever they get). I went yesterday and while I was there, I even thought to myself that I was glad it was not the 1st. What did I do?! I completely forgot the date.

I saw this lady in an isle. Her daughter's shoe fell off and the lady was mean to her (she was about 8 years old). Just my luck, the lady got behind me at the register. Her daughter wanted something and the lady was really harsh, telling the girl that she could not have it. The girl reached for it anyway. I did not see what happended after that but I heard the girl scream and the mother yelled at her some more. The girl just kept crying and crying. It was a terribly sad cry. I thought of Hunter and how I couldn't let him cry like that. It hurt me. I couldn't help it, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not fight back the tears. The cashier, although helping the lady in front of me was aware of the situation (I think everyone within an earshot was). I could see that she too was not happy. I was embarassed for the cashier knew my tears were about to spill over at any time and she kept looking at me and the mother. Another cashier, who knows me, said 'hi'. I responded and looked away, knowing that he must have seen my swollen eyes. My vision became blurry from the tears, then it happened, they flowed down my cheeks.

I am the type of person who sometimes has a problem with my mouth. I just don't know when to keep my trap shut. I felt that as a mother, I had to say something to the lady. Granted, she would probably get angry at me and it wouldn't deter her behavior in the future, I was compelled to say something. Maybe, just maybe, it would plant a seed or even at least, embarass the lady to stop what she was doing and help her crying child. A debate went on in my head as I heard the girl cry without any end and I tried to hold back the rest of the tears. Finally, I just did it. I said to the lady, "I know it is none of my business, I have kids too. I saw you in the back of the store and you were mean to her, being mean to them does not help." She said something like, "Mind your own business. I will be nice to her when she can act right." I did not want her to think that I didn't know what I was talking about so I said, "I am educated, you know." I turned away and that was the end of it. The next time I looked back, she was holding her child.

I know the "I am educated, you know" comment was stupid, but it just came out. I read up on disciplining a toddler. When we were having trouble with my husbands kids during their pre-teens and their teens, I researched discipline from watching the Nanny and Dr. Phil to reading articles on the internet from Dr. Phil's website, psychology web sites, and even Christian web sites. None of them used such cruelty as a method of discipline.

As I left the store, I debated on waiting for the lady to come out, getting her license plate and calling CPS. However, she did not hit the child (as far as I knew. However, she did do something to make the child scream). I wondered if the child was a foster child because I couldn't see how a mother could do that. Then I came out of my little world and remembered how I have read and heard of stories where children were abused and even killed. It is just awful.

I called my husband as I drove back to work, told him what happened and sobbed. I fels so bad for that girl.

Just You and Me Baby!

Rob is planning this whole shooting thing in Collinsville. His boss, co-workers, and buddies, go shooting occasionally. Some bring their kids. They shoot clay pigeons and they shoot at targets (I wonder if he is going to bring the Bin Laden targets I got him for Christmas). It is this whole big deal with him. It is like, he and his boss host it and they even invite some of the employees their company contracts with so it is like a 'PR' thing, as my husband calls it. Hunter is going to go with him and Rob is excited about that. Hunter is a Mama's boy and they need the bonding time.

Hunter has been to the gun club and stuff with Rob. I trust him because he was raised to completely respect guns. He took safety courses and his father taught him well. He comes from a line of hunters and both sides of his family hunt. Anyway, he and Hunter are going to camp there for the night on Saturday. I am excited about this because I don't get much one-on-one time with my little Hayden. When I try to read books with Hayden, Hunter has to get in the middle and tries to get attention too. I understand, he is just a little boy. However, Hunter got to spend the first two years of his life alone with me. Hayden needs a little 'alone with Mommy time'.

I plan on taking Hayden to Babies R Us to get him his own dinnerware and flatware, reading books and just playing with him. He is my little sweety. I am feeling extra bad because my husband, being very observant, told me that when Hunter succeeds in distracting me, Hayden gets a little look on his face and looks down at his little hands. My poor baby. So, from now on. I am going encourage Rob to do more stuff alone with Hunter.

I have started a new project. I am using Shaefer Yarn called Lola. It is 100% wool and superwash. I am knitting a pair of socks on 12" Addi Turbos. One of the salesladies at a LYS suggested I try it. I am excited and hope that this speeds up my time in sock knitting. I noticed that with the knitting blogs I visit, I haven't found one where the knitter uses these. They usually use the double pointed needles and some use long circulars. There has to be a reason why not many use the 12" circs. Maybe as I knit, I will find out. Then again, maybe my knitting time will speed up and I will come to love this method.


"Mommy and I are going to spend quality time together this weekend!"

How About a Little PMS With Your Commute?

I can totally tell that I am PMSing. Things that usually wouldn't bother me, do bother me. Yesterday, I yelled at some guy. I was in the outside turning lane and he was in the inside one. I stopped at the red to turn right (he did not) and proceeded to turn. As he turned, he moved left, into my lane, causing me to hit my brakes and move into the left most lane to avoid a collision. I got next to him and yelled at him. I think he was an illegal alien. I have noticed that in recent years, our city has been flooded with illegals. Many of them drive and drive dangerously. I really don't think they know and or understand the laws and traffic signs (or maybe they just don't care. They are here ILLEGALLY). I have had so many near misses and most of the time they appear to be illegal aliens. I am so totally sick of it. You know they don't have insurance. Most of the time I am driving with my boys in the car.

This morning, as I merged onto the freeway, those ahead of me merged. Yet a guy tried to go around me, on the shoulder in an attempt to get as far ahead as he could (some creepy people often do that on this entry ramp on Hwy 4). I blocked him. He tried it three times. Later, I saw him on the freeway. He had some kids. I thought to myself, "Great, he is multiplying. His kids are going to learn to drive just like him."

I finally have a picture of my completed and blocked gift for my cousin, Bobby. They are wristbands or are they called sweatbands? Are the bands that go on your head called sweatbands, making the ones that go on your wrists 'wristbands'? I don't know? He likes to go running, so I thought that these would be cool to use to wipe his sweat. =) The way I took the picture makes them look funny. They look better in 'person'.




When I decided to do the project, I searched and searched for the right main color yarn. I used Cascade Fixation. It is made with elastic and is perfect for the bands. The yarn takes some time to get used to but it is kinda neat to work with. When I errored, I was able to stretch the stitch and easily see where to insert my needle in order to 'unknit' the stitch. The white yarn is Lily Sugar N' Cream. I did not use a pattern for it is so easy. However, I did use part of this skull chart for the design.

The New Phone Book Arrived!

I want to make a shawl or something of the sort. Hence, with some of my rebate check (from Circuit City, of which, I had to call them for several times last month because they screwed up my rebate somehow) I had decided to purchase some lace. They didn't have the colors I wanted so I ordered some bare lace weight yarn , the book Victorian Lace Today and two jars Jaquard dye from KnitPicks. It arrived today at work. I wanted to run around the office with the box saying, "My lace wool arrived! My lace wool arrived!" You know, like Steve what's his name did in The Jerk.

I wish that I had not ordered the dye because I have done some research since I ordered it. After my research, I would much prefer to use food dye. I found this wonderful article at knitty.com (Note: the article also has cool links). I am going to use liquid food dye and/or Kool Aid. I have some liquid food dye at home. In addition, and most importantly, the food dye and Kool Aid are not dangerous to my boys. Furthermore, Hunter can 'help' me dye the yarn.

I do like the look of the bare yarn. So, maybe I will hold off on dyeing.

I blocked the project I made for my cousin last night. I put the project on a towel and pushed pins through to the carpet in the closet (so the boys can't get in there). Hunter did help me a bit. He is my helpy little helper and I adore the help. I will post pics of the project later.

Today is Administrative Professionals Day (Happy Admin. Prof. Day, Mom, if you are reading this). Of course, my boss, in his usual unorganized fashion, forgot. However, a package arrived here for me Monday. I did not open it until I got home because I thought it was my KnitPicks order. It was a Vermont Teddy Bear holding a lifesaver with the words, "You're a Lifesaver" on it. There was a Thank You note and it was from Gary, a Salesman here. It was really thoughtful and sweet. I brought the bear to work today and he is sitting on my desk. How cool!

I finally stood up to my boss today. His first impulse in situations is to blame me for things that are beyond my control, things that he did, and things that others did. We were talking about something and as usual, he told me I did something wrong and I had to prove to him that I did not (his memory did him a disservice again). I told him that I wish that he would investigate the situation BEFORE accusing me as he ALWAYS accuses me first and I went on to tell him that it makes me depressed. He came in my office later and tried to defend himself. I told him that it is a regular occurance. He apologized.

Michaels accusations are a joke around here. I often come to work and state to the Salesmen, "I wonder what I will be accused of today?" or "Since Michael is not in today, I won't get accused of doing something he did" and everyone laughs because they know how Michael is (and that I get a lot of it).

Sunday, we played outside. I even got to knit a bit (see the green chair behind Hunter and the little table, that is where I enjoyed the weather, the boys, and my knitting):



"I am practicing"

I had Hunter hit the ball off the T and over a wood pile. When he succeeded, I would have him move the T a bit farther away from the wood. He is in training, you know. =)



"I am having fun out here too. I can't wait to walk"

Hairy Ankles

This morning, while I was changing in the closet as not to wake the boys (yes. I know. We will pay later for letting the boys sleep with us now. But they are such cuddly bears and we love to cuddle with them) I realized that I was out of jeans. I think I had some in the washer or the dryer but did not want to go out there and get them. Hence, I decided to wear a dress. I thought about my legs and how I have not had the time to shave them lately but figured nobody could see my legs because my dress is long. Besides, I sit behind a desk all day inside my own office. So, a few minutes ago while in the kitchen, I looked down at my ankles. They are hairy and dry. I hope nobody sees them today, at work.


A good shave followed by the body butter I made would do the trick!

Another Monday

It is another Monday. I had a good weekend. I went to a family reunion for my father's side of the family. It was my Italian side of the family. They are such nice people. Although, I am a geek and find socializing awkward, I had fun talking to people (with the little talking I did). It was so nice to see them.

I spent Sunday finishing up my chores, playing with the boys and holding Hayden as he tried to sleep (he likes to be held while he falls asleep. I guess if someone would hold me, I would have them do it too!). I was even able to knit a few rows.

I finished my latest project today at lunch. I will block it and post pics soon.

Pictures from the weekend before last at Hunter's birthday party.

Here is Hayden and his cousin.

"We are standing! Soon we will walk around and get into everything!"

The birthday boy.

Frog My Project

On my lunchbreak yesterday, I had to frog my project and start again. This is so because I dropped a stitch and it ran. Since, I was only on the 9th row or so on a 40 stitch project, I figured I would start again. Besides, it has some intarsia and I made an error a few rows back when joining the other color. Hence, with my 'Stitch 'N Bitch' book in hand, I started again and joined the new color properly (Love the book, Aunt Marlyne. Thanks).

Linda took today off and my husband is home with the boys. Because I did not have to get the boys ready and take them to Linda's, I got to sleep in for an extra hour! Yippee!

I fell behind on my chores. Hence, Wednesday evening I didn't get to spend much time with the boys at all. When we got home I started dinner, picked up around the house and folded a couple of loads of clothes. After dinner I did the dishes, swept and cleaned up Hayden's dinner mess, finished folding and putting away the clothes and got the boys in the tub. While they were in the tub, scrubbed them and had Rob watch them as I vacuumed the house. By the time we got the boys out and dressed them, it was time for bed.

Last night was better. Rob made dinner and Hunter helped. I thanked Rob and told him that he enabled me to spend some more time with Hayden. Hence, while Rob cooked, I played with Hayden. Hayden ate some 'real' (meaning not baby food type) peas and rice. He really liked the peas. That is good. I also gave him a sweet potatoe/applesauce blend of babyfood. He made faces but ate it. He just isn't into fruits yet. But Rob got sneaky by buying some blended baby foods like the sweet potatoe/applesauce. Smart man.

After dinner, it was the usual dish washing, cleaning up Hayden's mess, then off to baths. This time Hayden did not sit in his seat. He got to sit in the tub 'like a big boy'. He was so happy with his new freedom. He kept scooting over to Hunter to partake in what Hunter was doing. Hunter kept saying, "Mommy, move him over." Poor Hunter, he had better get used to it because once Hayden can walk/crawl, he is going to be into everything Hunter is trying to do. Poor Hayden, Hunter is sometimes going to get irritated with his little brother getting into everything he is doing. Hayden just wants to do it too. I try to get Hunter to share and let his brother join in.


"We are in our play tent"

People are Slobs

I am the type of person who, when browsing through sections of a store hangs up outfits I find on the floor. I do not go through a messy store and pick everything up. I hate messy stores and won't shop at them if I could help it. I won't walk down the isles and pick things up in the sections, but if I am browsing through a section and come across an outfit that has been knocked off a rack, I will pick it up. I do the same kind of stuff in grocery store, etc.

If I knock something over, I of course, pick it up. You think to yourself, who wouldn't. Yet you see some stores in shambles around the holidays and during sales. I just can't imagine being such a slob. Shame on those people. But they exist.

Every Wednesday, Mervyn's has a huge sale. Hayden could use some clothing so I stopped in after work. I saw an older woman and her older son looking for clothes for his infant/toddler daughter. I had gotten vibes from them that they were strange, maybe jerks. As I passed by the rack they were formerly looking at, I noticed a cute dress on the floor. I hung it back up. Later, I went to the register and they were having their purchase rung up. The guy brushed against the gift card display and knocked one down. He looked right at it on the floor, did nothing and went about his business. I waited for him to pick it up. He did not. I just couldn't help myself. I said, "Oh, here. I will pick that up." Note: I get this from my husband and that is EXACTLY what he would've said (He is funny). They looked at me and then went back to what they were doing. He knew what I did. I just wanted to embarass him a litte. However, it was probably all in vain for he was probably such a jerk it didn't phase him. It's okay. I got a kick from it.

Hayden is so hard to buy clothes for. He is in some sort of 'in between' size. Either stores don't really stock much of the clothing or there are a lot of boys his size and the stores don't have much of anything left. He wears a size 18 month. I can squeeze him in some large styles of 12 mo, but mostly, he is 18 mo. There's a ton of little girl clothing but not much for boys, especially in his size. I wandered around for a long time and had to get a Saleslady to help me. She pointed out a couple of racks with a few pants. I got him three pairs of pants, a few shirts, and a pair of Thomas The Train jammies. What I really wanted were some 'cutsie' outfits with legs. All of the 'cutsie baby-type' outfits had short legs or were on sizes 9 mo or smaller. I wanted some things in short sleeve with long legs because of the weather. Lately, sometimes, it isn't really long sleeve weather and it isn't really shorts weather. Oh well. The pants and shirts will do but they are more like 'little boy clothing'. I like to put Hayden in 'cutsie baby' types of outfits while I still can. Oh well, when I get my other rebate check, I will look around again.

Hunter's 3rd Birthday

Had a wonderful weekend. The family got together on Saturday for Hunter's birthday. He had so much fun. There's always good food and good fun when that side of the family gets together. He had gotten adorable clothes, books, and toys. He even got a savings bond.

Last night was his official birthday. When I picked him up from Linda's, she said that he had not napped. I told her that that happens to me sometimes and he gets 'psychotic' in the evening. I was worried about him because we were going out. He did fine. In fact, he was even better behaved than if he had napped. I guess he was just so happy. We took him to Round Table. Hunter and Rob played video games. Hayden did well too. Later, we headed out for ice cream. However, I received a call from my Mom and they were at our house with an ice cream cake. Fortunately, we hadn't gotten ice cream yet and we were only a few blocks from the house. We met them. We sang, Hunter blew out the candles and opened his gifts from Mommy and Daddy.

Some of Hunter's gifts included a mitt with a baseball, a T-Ball stand that can be converted to throw balls. I bet you can't guess what sport we are going to teach him soon. I recall my Father playing catch with my brother and teaching him to bat. I wanted to participate and he taught me too. I can't wait to do the same with Hunter. I want to get him into the T-Ball league (if there is one. I have to research). Hunter is very athletic. He does handstands against the wall and the bed and he does summersaults. I think he will do well in baseball.

My latest project is a gift for my cousin. His birthday is soon. Today is slow for me at work and the bosses are out. I have a few things I can do, but I will save it for tomorrow. Maybe I can work on knitting the gift for 1/2 hr before leaving.

My Poor Baby

Easter mornng, Hayden's eyes were producing a lot of mucus and just kept on producing all day. I know he wasn't feeling well and had a cold but we were worried that he had something more. When we got home on Easter, we called Kaiser and made an appointment for Monday. My Mom stayed home with the boys while I worked. I took an extended lunch break and we went to the appointment. As it turns out, in addition to his cold, Hayden has 'pink eye'. The Dr. said that he could return to childcare on Wednesday, but he was feeling so awful and it was so sad. He just wanted to be held constantly so we just did not have the heart to return him to daycare. Therefore, my Mom stayed home Monday through Wednesday, I stayed home Thursday, and my husband is home with them today.

The Dr. gave us eyedrops for Hayden. The first couple of times Rob and I put them in, Hunter just could not bear Hayden's crying and struggling. He would turn away. You see, we would have to hold down Hayden's little arms and pry open his eyes while the little guy cried and cried. It was tough. Rob would leave for work late in the mornings so we could give him the medicine together. By Wednesday, Hunter was fine with it and even helped me by holding down Hayden's arms so I could give him the drops. Hunter tries to be so helpful. He really cares about his little brother. I remember the first time Hunter saw me take Hayden's temp. rectally, he said, "No, Mommy. That hurts!".

Hayden is doing much better. His little eyes cleared up within a couple of days of the appointment. Nobody else has caught it. So things are looking well. He still has a bit of a cough and is still very 'needy'. It is okay. He doesn't fell well. My poor little baby. It is so sad when one of my babies is sick. I just wish that I could be there for them more often. Rob and I wish that I could stay home with the boys until they are a little older, but we can't afford it. On the other hand, I really like that Hunter is in daycare. He has so much energy and has so much fun with his friends. It gets hard for him when we stay at home. He needs to play with little friends.

I was able to wash my car Thursday, when I stayed home with the boys. I also was able to vacuum and do a few loads of laundry. I didn't get to vacuum my car or finish the windows but that is okay. Hayden needed me.

Colds

I am home again today. I feel cruddy. My head is still plugged. I HAVE to go back to work tomorrow. I know that Michael (my boss/President) is not liking the fact that I am out sick. But you see, he is going to catch it as he always does. The last time he was sick he spent something like three days in bed. I don't wish being ill on anyone but, when someone gets irked that you are out sick and they catch it and they go through what you went through, it makes them understand. I caught this bug or whatever you may call if from Rick (another owner of the company). In fact, a good portion of the illnesses that the boys and I catch comes from Michael and Rick. For me, I am not just out of work because I am sick, I will be out when one or both of the boys is sick and the three of us don't get sick at the very same time. Usually, one gets it a few days after the first, etc.

Hunter has been riding his bike today. I wish I could get him to dress like this EVERY time he rides his bike. I guess it is a little overboard but one can only wish.

"I am very safety minded today"

Sick

We went to visit my paternal Grandmother on Saturday. On the way, we stopped at a yarn store. I wanted to use up the rest of my gift certificate. The owner was nice and so was one of her workers. But then, there it was, the mean hag who follows us around whenever we go to that place. She stays nearby, ready to pounce on Hunter. He even got blamed this time for unraveling a ball of yarn. He may have been touching it but it was unraveled before, that is what attracted him to the ball. I really wanted to say something to her like 'you really don't like kids, do you' or 'are you going to follow us around every time we come here'. I almost said to Hunter, 'I need to spend this gift certificate so I don't have to come here anymore because of that mean lady' but I bit my tongue. Oh, I was tempted. I did, however, tell Hunter that he needed to not touch anything because that lady will say something to him. I of course, said it so she can hear me.

Little Hayden had a bit of a runny nose on Saturday. In the afternoon and evening he threw up. Poor little guy. He was sick. He was fussy Sunday and screamed a lot (his way of saying 'I really need something'). I stayed home with them yesterday because Hayden was still fussy. That afternoon, my nasal area plugged, my throat became sore, the roof of my mouth and my teeth hurt, and I had the worst headache. I am so glad that Rob made dinner for us (BBQ ribs).

I couldn't sleep last night. My whole head hurt so much. I took cold medicine (Dr. approved), used saline solution in my nose, and had the humidifier going full blast. Nothing worked. So around 11 pm, I decided to take some pain medicine so I could sleep. It worked. I called in today because I am back where I was last night, with the same symptoms. I am in constant pain. I am debating on whether to take the boys to Linda's or not. I think I should so I could get some rest.


"I getting ready for the Easter egg hunt"


"I, messy face, want my picture taken too!"

Last Weekend

Last weekend we went to Collinsville, which is across the Delta from where we live. Out there grows wild asparagus. We must have gotten 5 lbs!! It was kind of an adventure. We took my husband's truck (named the 'Coyote truck') and used the 4WD. The boys had fun. It was a nice family day.

Needless to say, we have been eating asparagus almost every day of the week since. This is fine because my dh and I love asparagus. I like it cooked until it is soft but I overcooked it a couple of times. Hayden doesn't mind. He likes to eat the mushy tops. I like that he likes it. I just can't get Hunter to eat veggies. He eats some fruit but he is such a picky little guy.

I have been dieting and had been doing a pretty good job. I almost made it to three weeks without a slip. However, I am PMSing and my bloated self is wanting to munch out on goodies.

Neither of us cooked last night. Rob was supposed to make dinner but he ended up handling some calls in order to help out his father. Hence, he went and got some authentic Mexican tacos (I guess my diet wouldn't have survived that anyway). Tonight, my dh is BBQing tri-tip and making a boxed pasta along with, you guessed it, asparagus.

Because I did not have to cook and wash a bunch of dishes last night, I used the time to fold clothes, vacuum, sweep and mop the floors. I have to be really diligent with vacuuming because I vacuumed one day and the very next day I saw Hayden put something in his mouth. It was a fuzzy (you know, the kind from fabric). I have to vacuum a lot anyway because, Hunter gets messy, but now it is more frequent. I don't mind, I like that Hayden can sit on the floor and explore the toys. I have to sweep most of the kitchen every evening because Hayden is learning to eat and he makes a mess. That's okay. If I walk barefoot, I like the floors perfectly clean. I have been spraying Fantastic anti-bacterial on the floor before I mop and it really makes a difference in lifting dirt.

I am thinking of taking the boys to see my paternal Grandmother on Saturday and Rob wants to go back to Collinsville for more asparagus on Sunday. I have the feeling that we may have to give some asparagus away because I don't want any to go bad before it's eaten!!!

Flu

Hunter has been running a fever for the past two days. Poor little guy. He is doing allright. It isn't a bad one. Usually, when he has the flu, he sleeps all day. This time, his sleep patterns are pretty normal. He has been playing also but not to the extent that he usually does. I stayed home for half the day yesterday. Then Rob came home from work early and took over while I went to work. Today, I stayed home with them. I think that Hunter is doing better. He still won't really eat, but unless he has a high fever tomorrow, I am going to bring them to Linda's.

Hayden's first haircut was Saturday. Hunter also had a trim.


"Baby brother's hair was cut, I want mine too!"

Hayden's First Haircut

Daddy, what is Gary doing to my head?

Rebate Check is Here and Gone!

I received a rebate check for the computer we purchased in January. Our last computer just stopped communicating with the monitor, keyboard, etc. one day and we just could not do anything to get it to work. We keep our checkbook in Microsoft Money and lost a lot of information. Yes, I did backups on my file but Rob had not done any. Anyway, we needed a new one so that we could use the wireless DSL which cost the same as the dialup we were using.

The day we decided to look for a new one my Mom came over and gave me some money. It was like she caught a vibe as to what happened to our computer and what we were about to do.

The computer we chose had two rebates, one from the manufacturer and one from the store. I received the check from the manufacturer yesterday and have already spent it this morning. Yes, that was quick. I had previously been to Allaboardtoys.com and planned what I will purchase when I received the first check. I went on-line this morning and placed my order. I bought some Thomas the Train valances and drapes for the playroom. The house we rent is so dreary because the landlord likes to use 'wood' paneling rather than painted walls. I figured these would brighten the room up a bit. I also purchased Hayden the Thomas and Friends Board Book and the Surprise, Thomas! Board Book. I bought Hunter a Thomas outfit. I love that store. It has the largest selection of Thomas items I have ever seen. I can shop by character too. I love that store (do you see how much I love that store)!! They have pretty good prices. Their clearance prices are very good.

Linda, the daycare lady, is out today so Rob 'took the day off' to be home with the boys. When he takes a day off, it is not really off because he handles most of his work on the phone whether he is at work or not. I am going to go home for lunch today and eat with the boys.