Go Wolf Pack~ HUH!

As is normal for our family, the past week has been pleasantly (for the most part) eventful, with our usual round of activities, commitments, & a bit of adventure.

~ Knitting wise, the past month has been productive: I finished all three projects that were pending- the baby sweater, Sam’s clogs, & my cotton socks- & sent them on to be enjoyed. Of course, this meant I needed something new to work on, & naturally, I can’t just work on one thing at a time (I might get bored or something), so I again have three projects on the needle! First project is another pair of clogs- these for Chris- out of the Paton Classic Wool/SMS Soy Wool I bought a couple of weeks ago; I test felted a swatch & it shrank up so tight, I went up 2 needle sizes so they don’t end up too small (Totally random aside- Dahlia has fallen in love with this test swatch; she carries it around in her mouth, plays with it like a catnip mouse, & sleeps with it on the end of our bed) The second item is a tote bag for the Garden Club gift exchange next month- it is 75% completed & will be felted. The third project is a cabled scarf, made of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk- it is reportedly for Chris, but I think it may end up with someone else. I was also gifted with a new, large knitting bag on Wed evening at the LYS- I mentioned I was looking at a particular one at Michael’s & one of the ladies said I could have the one she bought. I offered to pay her for it, but she declined, saying she just wanted it out of the house (she thinks it smells funny- well, heck, I can stuff it with all the dried lavender I harvested this year!)
~ We had lovely, cool weather over the weekend. I worked at my office for 4 hours on Sat (re: yesterday’s post), while the boys raked & mowed the front yard, then we all took naps- each of us has been sick over the past couple of weeks, so resting was needed! We stayed home, watched movies, & ate junk food that evening- I know, terrible for the diet, but good for the morale. After church on Sunday, Chris crawled into bed with a migraine, so Sam & I vacated the premises & headed to the cornfield maze in Livermore. We had a good time, even though we both thought the maze was too easy- I think we are just accustomed to wandering it in the dark with flashlights; in the daytime, you can see between the rows & use the sun as a reference. We wandered around the pumpkin patch, barn & petting zoo areas, and then sat down for some hot dogs & roasted corn-on-the-cob dipped in butter & garlic!
~Report cards came out on Monday. While Sam’s grades weren’t too bad for a kid with ADD & dyslexia (1 A, 1 B, 3 C & 1 D), he knows he could have done better. The D was in World History, which he likes- he is just very disorganized & missed out on points for not having his stuff all together, in order, & turned in on time.
~ Tuesday night, we had an informational/organizational meeting for the new quilting group at church. There were only four of us at the initial meeting, but several others had already expressed interest & couldn’t come that evening. We talked about the leaders’ vision for the ministry- to provide lap quilts for the elderly & baby quilts for the crisis pregnancy center, & to create a large quilt to raffle off each year, providing money for ladies to attend the annual Women’s Retreat. As we will only be meeting once a month & sharing the work of building quilts, I think it will work into my schedule without too much pressure.
~ Today was my turn to provide breakfast for the staff (we only have 17 people in our office), so last night after choir practice, I put together a couple pans of Egg & Potato Bake, one with sausage & the other without. I baked them before going to bed (oh, my, the house smelled good) & reheated this morning, then popped in a couple rolls of biscuits to go along. I bought enough stuff to make another pan for us tomorrow, since I doubt there will be any left over.
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk or cream
1 pkg of Frozen Hash Browns
8 oz shredded cheese
10-12 links of skinless pork sausage, cooked & chopped
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp parsley (I use fresh flat leaf)
½ tsp salt
Lightly grease a 9x12 baking pan; layer potatoes, cheese, sausage pieces & seasoning in pan, then lightly toss to mix; whisk together eggs & milk in a large bowl, then pour over mixture in baking pan- gently stir & lift to allow eggs to cover & combine with other ingredients; bake in a 375° oven for 40 minutes; allow to set for 15-20 minutes before serving, to complete cooking
~ Tonight is West High Homecoming- the parade is starting in about an hour & literally goes past my office door. Sam is in 3 floats/groups again this year: Anime Club, Christian Club & the Sophomore float; the parade route is only 3 blocks long, so he goes past my office (so I can take pictures) hops off & runs back to the next group. Afterwards, he’s going to help me clean out the fridge in the break room, and then we are going home early. We’ll come back downtown when Chris gets home to have supper & head over to the game. I’m ashamed to admit it, but we have lived here for nearly 12 years & have had 2 children in the high school, yet have never attended a football game. The last game I went to was when I was a junior in high school- 26 years ago! I think it will be a lot of fun, though I’m fairly certain Sam will ditch us early on to hang out with his friends. That’s okay- Chris & I can snuggle to keep warm, drink hot chocolate from the thermos, & have a great time without Sam.