3 down 2 up

3 up 2 down
As we head into the last day of eventing.
It was a talented deep field of competitors.
One teammate starting the week on injured reserve but coming off the bench to finish strong.
But as the period wore down tonight three players were looking ragged and sickly.
Let us raise our heads and cheer the noble team from Marchville on in the quest to bring home the “Final Week of School-First Week of New Job for Mister-First Week adjusting to New Daycare Place-While fighting Off Nasty Summer Cold” CUP

We may not look pretty at the finish line, but by golly, we will have made it and not lost or accidentally over medicated anyone in the process.

Look out July

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Making it up as we go along

As parents we inevitably have to make rules up to keep the household running smoothly. Nobody told us this, I don’t recall reading this in any parenting books that I read voraciously when the first two kids were young and then proceeded to throw out because I realized that I just needed to go with my gut, follow my heart, and pick and choose great skills I observed other parents practicing.
Some rules are made up out of necessity to rear well-behaved children, some to make good habits, others to keep the peace, and yet others to preserve sanity.

Here’s a sampling of The Marchville Rules:

#1 Be Kindness! (most important)

#24 Only socks can be thrown inside the house

#27 No you cannot hoard candy in your bed!

#56 Bus your own dishes, you do not live in a restaurant.

#67 If you come home in a really grumpy mood, you must spend 10 minutes on the punching bag. (instead of taking your bad day out on the rest of us! It also helps some of the Monkeys to be better able to pinpoint what went wrong in their day)

#71 You must eat the number of vegetables that match your age (example= If you are 7 years old: you gotta eat at least a combo of 7 veggies on the table that night – broccoli & cauliflower. I don’t try to be a really mean Mom and cook up brussel sprouts and squash on the same night, I try to make sure there’s at least something each Monkey will like.)

#89  You must use SOAP with the water when washing your hands or showering (this needed to be enacted due to a Monkey who shall remain anonymous but his initials are M.B.)

#111 dirty silverware must be deposited on the right side of the sink. (This is a fairly new rule, since we moved into the new house, the left side has a garbage disposal. I cannot count how many times utensils have been mangled and Mr. Monkey & I do not like sticking our hands down there.)

#120 If you leave the garage door open you owe Mama $5. (another new house rule – it’s a heated garage, albeit only to 40 degrees, but I’m not heating the neighborhood! I’ve made some money on this one, you’d think they’d learn.)

Gosh there are so many more, but I tried to pick the ones unique to Marchville. Do any of you need to pat down your 7yo son before they leave the house in the morning to search for contraband? That is quickly becoming another rule.

Are you willing to share and unique to your family rules?

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Back to our regularly scheduled blogging

I’ve finally been able to hold onto a few cowls that I’ve knitted over the past few months. usually I’ve knitted them, received compliments on them and then given them away to the flatterers.

This first one was a really quick knit I read about here the pattern is Schmatta and it’s so warm & toasty. I finished it off with some white mis-matched vintage buttons from my button bowl given to me by a dear friend (thanks Tracy!).

This is me goofing around trying to get a shot of me in the cowl but not very successfully!

I really need to wait til there is another photographer in the house besides the dog & lizard.

Next up: The Crofter’s Cowl, my first journey into lace – oooo, ahhhh. I know! wow, and my first chart – golly so much all at once, but it was for beginners and I highly recommend this pattern by Gudrun Johnston, easy peasy.

I’m just a bit disappointed that the color way of this Kitchensink Dyeworks yarn didn’t really show through, it’s brighter in person. I guess I’l have to promise more photos.

I did a bit of Valentine’s knitting for the Monkey’s too. They each received a heart knitted from a pattern as unique as themselves.

Crafter Monkey received the red heart the pattern from HERE. Quick and easy, I knitted two and stuffed it with extra yarn from the skein.

Wee Monkey received the purple heart the pattern from HERE. Another easy pattern, I made two and stuffed it.

Monkey Boy was thrilled with the multicolored green heart – (he should be, it was a much fussier pattern than I expected) but then he is worth it! You can find the pattern HERE.

As I created each of theses hearts the days and hours before St. Valentines Day it truly made me reflect on the individuality of each of my Monkeys and how each pattern and the yarn I chose really embodied their personalities so much.

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Bits & Pieces

What do you do with all those little bits of yarn that you snip off after weaving in your ends?

We have been saving our yarn bits & pieces for the birds. I remember reading over the summer from either a wonderful blogger or a magazine article (so sorry I can’t cite it) about how the family would save up theirs and then come spring time stuff them in an inexpensive suet feeder hang them in a tree for the birds to pluck out to line their nests with. One of the Monkey’s suggested we weave some of the longer strands through pine cones to be hung up on the trees too (great idea if you don’t have a suet feeder).

Our neighborhood birds will have a great selection of colors and fibers to choose from this spring. I can’t wait to spy the nests.

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Monkey Boy’s Sweater

Just because there has been lack of blogging in the past two months does not mean there has been lack of knitting. We have been pining away for snow in Western New York, yeah, I know, for most of you that read this not from around here you think Buffalo = Snow. But we have had maybe two sledding days all season. Extremely insufficient and not a good snow shoeing day yet either.

This has been good news for the Mama who has been a bit behind on the Monkey sweater front. Cold nights and hot tea have been conducive for cuddling with Monkeys, wool, good books & movies.

Monkey Boy was a bit reluctant to try on his sweater in progress, due to knitting needles still attached and then because I reached for the only other thing I could think of to help hold the pieces in place = clothes pins! Hey, they worked!

His sweater pattern is based on this one but it is heavily modified. I started it in the round from the bottom up because I hate to seam! I’m using wool yarns I’ve picked up from some local fiber festivals over the past two years that are from regional farms that were giving me very close gauges AND of course were to Monkey Boy’s tastes. Green and stripes rank extremely high on his list of requirements.

Modeling for Mama to take measurements and pictures: Not so much!

No Monkeys were harmed in this photo shoot (they rewarded with chocolate!)

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Last Fencing Tournament of 2011

Earlier this month our local fencing club EnGarde Batavia hosted an Inter Club Tournament for kids (Y14) and adults. It was a very small pool of kids – 4, but just as fun and competitive.

The same as with any tourney, there’s always plenty of down time between bouts too.

Time to hydrate, relax, and meet new fencers from far off places like the big city of Rochester!

But everyone wore their game faces when it came time to hit the strip…

But I know what you are really waiting for…. the SOCKS!!! So here they are.. but just a few pics…

And how could I forget the die-hard fans….

Monkey Boy was sooooo happy I brought him a Beast Quest book from work. I don't think he looked up until he finished it.

He was patient enough to wait for the rest of the matches to finish before completing the book though. He can really read when he puts his mind into it! This tournament was a bit different for me though because I did not take the day off for it, so I could only jet out from work on my lunch break to see a couple of bouts and then had to head back. But the club has installed a new scoring system that can upload the results online, so I got to see how Crafter Monkey was doing maybe not in real-time but just as helpful although I did keep hitting the refresh button A.lot. But you can just check out the results here & now on the club front page.

When I asked the CM what kind of fencing stuff for Christmas she wanted she answered, “I just want to fence more, so I can get better!”  So simple, so focused.

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