Monday, October 30, 2006

The Thrill of Victory...

Homecoming was such fun! Sam walked in the parade with both the Anime Club & Christian Club (I only got pictures of him with the first) & the Sophomore float won 2nd place (Juniors took 1st & Seniors got skunked!) It took longer to clean out the fridge than I thought, so we got home with just enough time to change clothes, grab our stadium gear, & pick up Sam’s best friend, Gino before heading to the game. We found seats next to our pastor & his wife (their daughter is on the dance team & was performing at halftime) & the boys went to get us all hot dogs & drinks, before wandering off to find their friends.
I can’t say the game was very interesting- West whomped McNair 61-0! It was rather embarrassing & I felt so bad for those kids; their own cheerleaders left at halftime & it got to the point that we were rooting for them to get at least one touchdown. But, in all, it was a successful evening- we got to see our team win, Chris & Pastor got to talk football, the ladies visited & admired the halftime show, the boys made the rounds & were “seen” (I have to say- those two are awfully cute for geeky sophomores) & we only spent $35.00 for the whole evening! We will definitely do it again- possibly this Friday, since it’s another home game- against a top ranked team, so it should be more exciting.
I really wanted to go back up to Apple Hill on Saturday, since the weather has been so nice- the leaves have finally changed & I wanted to wander around the pumpkin patches; besides, Wonder Wife has an awesome Apple Crisp recipe I want to try, & I need more apples & pears. Unfortunately, Chris had already committed himself & Sam to help on a house repair project being done by the Men’s Ministry department, so we decided to postpone it for a couple of weeks. Being footloose & free for the day, I headed off to a new-to-me yarn shop in Elk Grove, about an hour north of here, to look for some yarn to make Chris a scarf, since the other one is just coming out too fine & delicate-looking for a manly man like him. My requirements were simple: soft, non-itchy, chunky, cheap & butch. I found a great alpaca/angora blend, in a light grey color, that will work really well (& it was only $5.25 a skein- score!) & picked up some more Fixation, variegated in orange to peach, which will become socks for a friend.
Since I was almost to Sacramento, I decided to go over to Ikea to wander around. I truly love that store! I enjoy just walking around, looking at the room displays & checking out all the gadgets. I usually end up walking out with odds & ends, like candles, kitchen utensils, hand towels & some of the unique food (Chris’ heritage is Swedish & I like to surprise him with traditional treats.) This time, I saw some dining room chairs I really liked- straight backed unfinished pine, almost Shaker style- that were only $20 each. I bought 4 chairs & four red-striped cushions- I’m so excited, because my current chairs (of which I only have 3 left) are on their last legs, so to speak. We’ve been talking about replacing them for several years, but always talk ourselves of it- there is always somewhere more important to spend the money. I can hardly wait until Chris finishes putting them together & staining them; it will give the dining area a real lift before the holidays.
Sunday was a stay home day; after church, we considered going to the nursery or doing some shopping for a winter coat for Sam, but neither option really appealed. So we started the quarterly turnout of the house- Fall Cleaning- since we’ll be shutting up the house to run the heater before long. The kitchen & bathrooms got scrubbed down, the patio furniture washed & treated with Armorall, throw rugs & pet bedding washed, and everything dusted & vacuumed. The boys always sigh when I say it’s time to clean, but they enjoy everything being fresh & organized as much as I do; besides, when the Queen decrees, they know it’s fruitless to argue! Next weekend, we’ll finish up with the windows, curtains, people beds & bedding, laundry room, & sort thru the closets, to see what clothes can be passed on & what is needed for the winter. Only then can I feel justified in going clothes shopping for everyone: besides a coat, Sam needs jeans & shoes; Chris needs heavy t-shirts, water-proof boots for work & some dress shirts; I am in rather desperate need of slacks, long sleeve blouses, & a bra. *Sigh* this will be an expensive month- I’ll have to hit the savings account pretty hard, especially since our vacation is coming up. Oh, well, that’s why we work- to provide the needs & some of the wants of our family. I’m just thankful that God provided the overtime Chris did this summer, knowing that it would be needed later- He is always looking out for our welfare!

4 comments:

Charity said...

Sounds like a busy weekend! Nice yarn score. We love Ikea, too. Since dh does all the cooking, he's most excited by the kitchen stuff. Once, when I was pregnant with my son, I was standing in the aisle with my oldest daughter, largely pregnant. She (about 4yo) asked where her dad was, and I said, "He's in heaven!" This nice man near me stopped, looked at me, and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry." :0)

Stefaneener said...

That sounds like a good reason to clean. I know I think better in an organized house.

I've been to that yarn store -- in fact, I still have 2 balls of mohair to knit into a scarf for Thing 1. Have I knit it? Noooo. I bet your purchases will get knit up first! Sounds like a great day.

Kristy said...

Meg! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. This evening was completely hectic and overwhelming. I can't wait until I have some free moments to spare so I can come do a little more browsing on your blog. I am all but giddy to know of another knitter practically in my back yard! And I am going to have to learn about this yarn store that is such a short drive up 99!

Tulabell said...

Same for us, withoug God providing overtime for my husband, I don't know where we'd be.

What church do you go to and how long have you been going? I was raised LDS and baptized as such, and this year I started attending a Christian church and find that I am often confused about what I should do. I wonder if what I was raised as isn't just engrained in my head or if I truly believe in it from my heart but it feels as if my confusion is taking away from wanting to be a part of the Christian Church all together. Any ideas? I really need to pray about it, I know.