Welcome Home Lou

Louie is our little escape artist..he's gotten pretty good at jetting out the door when all the other animals rotate in & out, so I have been letting him slowly adjust to the luxury of becoming an indoor/outdoor cat. Yesterday he ran out the front door when Maddie's bus came. I didnt see him after that escape. After a late afternoon of calling Lou & calling Lou & calling Lou, I find out my neighbor took him to the area shelter. By the time I talked to her, the shelter was closed. Lou spent the night in jail..poor guy. At least he has something to bond with Moo over now. We've only had him a few months & already I felt like I was missing a pet we've always had. So glad he's home.

Watching..

The Fox & The Child is a beautiful story we could watch over & over again.

Projects..

Improvised a leg warmer pattern for Ms. Maddie.
M's Legwarmer by me
Size 6 circular needles
Cast on 36 divide into magic loop
knit 5" in rib K2P2 stitch
knit one row in knit stitch (make a stockinette st)
K1 & M1 on both ends of next row.
Knit 3 more inches
K1 & M1 on both ends of next row.
continue knitting until you are ready for your next 5" rib cuff
cast off loosely & make another:)

My new big project has started slowly & I'm trying to really enjoy making this one. It's a free pattern found here: http://www.shapingdesign.com/Portals/0/involving/shalom_cardigan.pdf. Meghan's blog http://involvingthesenses.blogspot.com/
The internet is a pretty amazing resource for finding free patterns & discovering there are lots of young knitters out there:) I'm loving the texture & color on this & can't wait to see how it all comes together. I'm not reading the pattern too far ahead since I think new projects that are "big" can be a bit intimidating. Hoping to finish before Christmas.

Lemonheads

I found an old tape recently..The Lemonheads "it's a shame about ray"...wow that one brought back a lot of memories. I couldnt stop listening, remembering all the lyrics & shouting them out around the house. How many times had I listened to that tape?? The lovely, Evan Dando..then & now. "I'm too much with myself..I wanna be someone else!"

Noticing..

saw the leaves blowing
scattering by us on their way
noticed the leaves seemed to dance ahead
floating in my hair
where will they land
where will they stay
saw the leaves dancing
skipping to a tune
overhead i see them leaving oh so soon.
my mind danced with possibilities
from their playfulness
noticing the leaves today
noticing the trees saying goodbye

Banana Bread

I remember those days when it was just Jack & I home a lot, when venturing to the mailbox was quite a thrill. A bigger thrill if a magazine awaited:0 Parenting magazines seem to find their way to your box like a missing child when you become a new mother, so I read a lot of them. How to get your child to sleep through the night, how to calculate how tall your child will be, all the stages they fly through that you hope they are mastering on time. I forget most of details of those articles & now realize just being more aware..more in the moment is the best way to learn about your child. But there is one article that I have kept over the last eight years..it's a recipe of chocolate chip banana bread. One of my favorites & one I have made a lot! Yesterday, I spied two mature bananas..the ones, John use to leave notes on that read "when i grow up, I want to be banana bread!" & thought they looked ready. The best part about BB is when it bakes, it makes your whole house smell like a bakery filled with yummy desserts. Jack & Maddie came in the door..grinning & saying "did you make banana bread?? YAY!!" Here's the well loved recipe that originated as "Mandy's Banana Bread" by Julie Green mother of Amanda, 4 & Jacob, 3 in Sarasota, Fl published in Parenting's May 2003:
3 overripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 egg
1/2 stick butter
4 tbs m&ms of chocolate chips
Bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes.

Monday Music..of sorts