Whirlwind

I'm trying to get a thousand and one things done, and am suffering with guilt for not posting. So here goes, fast to the point (well, as much as I can ever be with my waffling problem), and as much as I can type in 3 minutes.

• Have been busy with getting kids ready for school. I will have 3 kids in elementary school as of the 5th of Sept. K, 3rd and 5th.
• Did I mention that I am also the new PTO co-president, so have been running around trying to get everything ready for the open-house (31st), booklets printed, magnets made, directory info gathered, and forms designed and handed out. Not the mention, the meetings.
• I am also on the Cub Scout Committee, and have been busy planning the kickoff for this school year. Again, meetings.
• Caleb started his second year of Tackle Football last week, and I have been running him to practices. Getting gear fitted and mouthpieces molded.
• "E" decided to hit the terrible two's a few months early and has been tearing the place apart and destroying all in sight. e.g. managing to open sippy cup with chocolate milk in and pouring all over expensive sage green italian leather sofa (do not ask why with four children we would possess such a thing - I can only say in defense, that I believe that the smell of play-doh must be toxic and has permanently damaged our brains)
• Squeezing in four kids worth of doctors appointments and shots before school starts
• Shopping for school - finding the perfect backpack - not to big, not to small, sturdy enough
• Same as above, but for shoes for kids
  
• Declan's 8th birthday - involved an unplanned trip to Mall of America. No shopping took place (except for a cute Hanna Anderson dress for Maddie, but that doesn't count). We rode more rides than my stomach or back could handle. Admired the sharks in the aquarium and petted some sting-rays.
• My parents are coming to visit from England on Friday. This means that I turn into a crazy person. Cleaning out every cupboard I own and dashing things off to Goodwill, washing down closet, reorganizing items (my mother critics everything in a way that causes me to act like a bratty teenager, so I try to counter that by having everything look lovely - it never works. But I try.
• Friends birthday lunches .
• Swatching. I have dug out some Dale Sisik yarn I had in the stash and have been busy swatching with it trying to figure out what I want to make out of it.
  
• Last week I also received my new book "Aran Sweater Design" by Janet Szabo and Twists and Turns Newsletter that she publishes. Love it. The book is fantastic, I highly recommend it if you are an aran knitter. Check out her site - BigSkyKnitting.com
  
• While at Stitches I discovered that what I really loved was more textured knitting, mainly with cables. The first item I ever knit was an aran as a child. My grandmother thought they were the perfect item to learn how to knit with.
• I have discovered in all this cleaning out that we have over 10 knitted arans in our house. Some by me, but quite a few from my mother for Caleb when he as a baby. They are still in perfect shape and have been used by each of the kids. Ethan is set for this winter with over 5 sweaters and cardi's ranging from traditional cream to blue and green.

That's it for now. Gotta run. Happy Blogiversary to Marji!