This coming week

I won't be around much; I tentatively still have jury duty Tuesday, then have Sheep and Wool classes scheduled all of Wednesday and Thursday! Whoo, hoo!

So what's going on? The little kids are still nuts. However, Gilad is the one giving us fits. He cut his own hair at school this week (not too noticeably, fortunately), but more of a problem is that the teacher called a second time to report that he has been getting so physical with the other kids he's hurting others and is becoming the real class troublemaker. How did my little boy get to this point? They've recommended an OT eval for one thing, which I'm trying to set up, but irritatingly it looks like because he's in the Spring before he's eligible to enter kindergarden, the public schools in our county don't want to deal with him. He's too old to enter "Child Find" and too young for kindergarden so he's in that black hole even for evaluation, and definitely for all services other than speech, which is the only itinerant service they'll provide for non-public school students here. Still, I've started the paperwork process and trail.

Why haven't I been posting much spinning and knitting? Because I was spinning the killer yarn of lacy overabundance. Nine ounces wound up spinning up to 2000 yards of 2 ply lace yarn! Modeled here by Kayla so you can get an idea of just how much of this stuff there is:

I also finished an April hat for the Larkin project for homeless teens

But my real excitement has been my research on German torah wimpeln from baby bris swaddling clothes. I did my talk and now I'm hoping to submit an article for publication! Now I just have to get my act together and get my submission in.

bad blogger, bad!

So I am around, it's just that every time I try to sit and write what's going on, either a little kid comes up to me with a crisis (like Dora the Explorer is over), or there's a computer slow-down, or I really am supposed to be doing something else like de-disgustingifying the kids' bathroom or...well, you all get the idea.

I did have a great trip to Israel once we were finally able to leave the snow-deluged US East Coast. I didn't even have a camera along, but other family members' photo albums are here and here, plus there's an article about my uncle's project, the object of the whole trip, here. Every time Adele sees the photos of the playground, she complains that she's not there and wants to be there right now. I only wish I could take her!

We continue to have stupid issues with MCPS, but at least the current one is really stupid and not high on my "pick your battles" list. They sent home a copied letter announcing that the kids' Alt-MSA portfolios would be available for parents' review on a single day (and they got the date wrong in the letter); I'm sure 90% of the parents never saw the letter as they didn't even manage to get it into the students' communications folder, it was just loose in Feivel's backpack. Once I sorted out the actual time and date, Adele wound up sick at that time so I couldn't go and when I called to make alternate arrangements I was told that's not possible. So a great waste of time was had by all, and separate continues to not be equal. Way to go MCPS. Oh, and it looks like after spending $1.7 million for 2 years worth of use, MCPS is abandoning its online IEP system in favor of the *FREE* one provided by the state that every other jurisdiction in the state has chosen to use the whole time. Good thing they didn't try to spend that $1.7 million on actually educating the special ed students or anything wasteful like that.

We had Purim, hosted by the perfect pink perky pretty poodle puppy

but it was the day my grandmother's z"tl burial was held, as she passed away last week at the age of 90, so the girls and I went to the burial in NJ while Jeffrey held down the Purim fort here.

And I have been trying to do a little knitting in the meantime, while waiting for yarn to come in for Feivel's sweater he's demanding:

headband in Kollage Luscious

fingerless mitts in yarn contact-dyed in cutch, plus a sheep

cashmere scarf in historic Estonian pattern stitch

School's UP and LIVE

School starts today for everyone except Feivel, who starts on Monday. Of course Gilad only goes today from 9-12, and even more ridiculously Addie only goes from 10:30 to 12, but officially it's the first day of school.

Sunday, Sunday

Well we've passed the 4th of July

and we're on to KAYLA's 14th BIRTHDAY!

Hippo Birdy Two Ewes as we say around here today.

Meanwhile I'm knitting mittens (I'm about 1/2 done with the first, though this pic was about 25 rows ago)

and finally dyeing about a half lb of yarn and a half lb of Dorset wool in my long-fermented lichen dye. Right now it's kind of brown-pink; I'm hoping to get it brighter; I may dump in some more vinegar on the theory that it can't hurt and might help.

much covering of single feet

Well, I mean everyone here has two feet per person, it's just that people seem to be mis-matching their foot wear.

Addie was playing in her room (naked, of course) when she came out wearing one slipper and announcing, "Bunnies! Like Baby Dolly!" She had torn apart the contents of her sock drawer and found some slippers similar to the bunny slippers her baby dolly wears, and had put one on (very impressive that she got it on all by herself; it was a sock-type slipper with a cuff).

Meanwhile, I knit a sock (Lisa's Sock is the pattern, based on the socks worn by Lisa, the main character, in Jan Brett's book The Hat) for a knit-along, meaning more or less for the socks to be mine since I didn't know of anyone else around who wanted a pair. However Kayla noticed them and claimed them so I knit the first one to fit her:

however, she'll have to wait a while because I need the needles to knit a pair of mittens for the Harry Potter House Cup game over on Rav again.

It's berries, berries everywhere

We went back to Larriland Farm today and picked blueberries and raspberries, this time with the whole family.

birthday goodness

Jeffrey's birthday was this last Shabbos; Addie's arrives in a couple of weeks. So Shabbos we sponsored the kiddush at shul with ice cream cake for all, and today we had a mini-party at my parents' house, where Jeffrey received his gift and card from them and Addie received her dream gift:

It's my dream too because finally after 6 kids we have a trike with a parent's handle. I can't tell you what a difference that makes as opposed to bending down to push, especially when you're dealing with a tiny 2 year old!

Now Feivel's off to his play practice; the 6th grade play is this Tuesday night. He's all in his costume as an ant for "Aesop's Hop;" black shirt, black pants, work boots (the better to march and stomp in) and black pipe cleaner antennae.

And I braved the wilds of the mall to take Tirtze to get some lingerie she needed and Kayla a sweater to go with her 8th grade graduation dress.

Memorial Day Weekend

Here it is Monday already. Shabbos passed fine without Jeffrey and the boys (though we missed them) who were camping with the Boy Scouts. The girls, the little ones and I had our meals, made it to shul for a little while, and even managed to attempt a walk in the park (which we don't normally try since it's outside the eruv). Addie walked happily about 1/2 mile from the house and then sat down and wouldn't budge another step. Gilad found a caterpillar on the path, put it on his arm, took it with him for quite a while, then shared it with Addie who wanted a turn. Then they put it back on the path to continue on its way, but they hoped to come back and pick it back up on our return. Unfortunately by the time we got back to it, it had been squished by a bicycle. For the record, Gilad had named it "Naruto."

Sunday, my mother, Tirtze, and I took Gilad and Addie to the zoo. We saw a lot of the animals, but Gilad's favorite part of the whole zoo trip was the mist machines they have up along the main path.

Jeffrey and the boys came home in the middle of the night last night. Kayla's out camping with the Girl Scouts now, and Tirtze's at her grandparents.

I've gotten very little knitting done, but I have finished the front and back of my "Boggart in the Window" sweater (so-named because I joked about Harry Potter book boggarts appearing to me in the form of a cable needle, and the sweater pattern is called "Windowpane."

Pesach is done

We got through the last lovely days of Pesach, and the chag was a delight.  Seriously.  This is despite the facts that:

Jeffrey came down with a nasty cold on Wednesday and was miserable, particularly since he'd injured his shoulder a few months ago and couldn't get himself comfortable between his pain and his cough;

I had a sinus headache all of Wednesday (allergies I guess);

Tirtze realized Wednesday morning that she had pink eye;

Gilad broke his left little toe on Wednesday running through the house and stubbing his toes on a chair leg; 

and Addie was still getting over the cough and congestion from her virus lingering from last week.

And, of course, Feivel was Feivel.

But the chag is over and now even more grocery shopping must ensue today between work and Shabbos.

They're back from VA

Jeffrey had taken the 5 older kids down to his parents overnight Sunday-Monday during chol hamoed.  They came back last night around dinner time, and they had a great time.  Here are some photos of the boys and Jeffrey at the Mariners' Museum and the USS Wisconsin; photos of the girls to come soon when we download them from Kayla's camera.

What happens when I work at home

No, don't worry, I'm not billing for the time spent on this, but the whole East Coast is basically half shut down due to the snow.  Whenever it snows, I'm compelled to bake.

I did run in to the office to pick up some materials for a conference beginning tomorrow, and to do a few other things, and I did some work for that project and another one from home.  The kids have mostly mooched around the house and complained that the snow is too powdery to play in (except, oddly enough, Tirtze, who spent an hour this morning and now a couple of hours this afternoon outside with Adina, Golda, and Adina's next-door neighbors).

Gilad thinks outside the tracks

While Zombie Addie and her monster Pibbie come to get you (Addie's the one on the right if you weren't sure):

And eventually vampire Kayla gets her:

(but Kayla made me delete the photo).

Meanwhile, in somewhat saner lands, Feivel and Jeffrey survived the Boy Scout ski trip today and had a good time.  Sachy had basketball practice, Kayla had Girl Scout Thinking Day, and Tirtze supposedly did all her homework.  Added bonus:  Kayla brought home vegetable California rolls and Sachy ate a ton of them.

Oh, and we started our Purim baking a little.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

So we had a relaxed yet busy day.  Several of the kids had homework to catch up on.  Feivel rode his bike and his skateboard, and complained a lot that he was bored.  I took Addie on a couple of nice long walks (and being me I periodically spotted bits of lichen to throw in the stroller bag for dyeing fiber at a later date) through the neighborhood and through Rock Creek Park.  Gilad just played.  Everyone went out to the swings a couple of times.  Kayla got to go downtown with Oma to the National Gallery of Art to see the special exhibit on Pompeii, which delighted both of them.  Tirtze may or may not have done her homework but went out to spend the day with a friend and the friend's mom while they ran errands.  Feivel was supposed to have gone to swimming and to a BSA meeting, but being Feivel he refused to go to either of them.  Oh well.  You only get so many 60 degree sunny Sundays in February!

What We've Been Up To:

Working hard

Being cute

Just thinking.

Actually we had a fine Shabbos, then Saturday night Feivel went to the high school play (no one else here wanted to go but he had a great time and felt very grown up seeing "I Remember Mama").  Today, Kayla spent most of the day working with her friend Naomi on their project to recreate the clothing of the Kohen Gadol (chief priest of the Holy Temple) with all his special garments; Tirtze is with her friend Sarah for the afternoon; and Feivel and Jeffrey are now at a Boy Scout meeting.  Then everyone gets back home, we'll light the first Chanukah candles, and then I head out to a knitting get-together while the rest of the family goes to the synagogue's Chanukah party and dinner.

Oh, and I'm knitting an unusually constructed baby sweater for our next-door neighbor's new baby boy; in essence it's two octagons folded, joined, seamed, and finished into a baby sweater.  Here's one half already folded and the other ready to be folded and seamed (pattern is XRX's 4 Tam Pram Set):

Why You Don't Want to Be Here Right Now

Because my kids are discussing sticking hot dogs up each others' noses.

Kayla has eaten at least 4 of them and may right now be sneaking an extra bite.  Gilad only ate one though, because not only did he go to a birthday party after lunch, but when he came home we had a birthday party for Tirtze who is now 15 YEARS OLD, complete with a Snickers ice cream cake.  So now, he's not but so hungry.  Adele did eat a half a hotdog (we didn't feed her any cake).

And I'm trying to finish spinning some Romeldale/silk roving:

Tuesday Thingers: Most Popular?

What's the most popular book in your library? Have you read it? What did you think? How many users have it?

Well, no surprise; the most popular books I have are the whole Harry Potter series (while I'm not amazed that the first book of the series is the most popular at all, it seems a bit odd to me that book 6 of the 7 book series is second most popular). Next after that is The Hobbit (hooray, much love) and then Pride and Prejudice (much love from dd Kayla, who adores it).

On the subject of P&P, I have to relate that the film was on TV the other night and Kayla was watching it with Feivel. At one point I heard him exclaim as a particular character returned to the screen, "Hey, I thought she was dead!" To which Kayla exasperatedly replied, "She had a broken heart, Feivel. She went away. She wasn't dead!"

Inevitable

It's inevitable that:
...the one night your well-potty-trained 3 year old wakes you up at 4 am to announce, "I'm wet" is the night he chose to sneak into your bed.
...when you send him to finish up he will not raise the toilet seat.
...once you get him settled back down, the baby will wake up crying at 5 am.
...having sort of settled down for a little while, once she wakes up at 6 am, the baby is fussy and then throws up all over herself, Jeffrey and the sofa.
...having dropped the baby off at daycare, figuring she just was spitting up because of post-nasal drip, and having arrived all the way at the office, I get a call from Jeffrey that the baby's still throwing up and needs to come home, so I need to turn around and go home.

And did I mention how much Feivel is looking forward to his tetanus booster shot scheduled at this afternoon's check up? Just imagine it.

A few more days' report

icelandic beret
Originally uploaded by LeesyLou

Well I've still been spinning my Moorit Icelandic rovings, and I've cast on Donna Druchunas' North Star Tam (from Arctic Lace) with the first ball. The second ball is spun true woolen and is much softer and fluffier, which will make it suitable for a scarf, mittens, or even a cowl. It's noticeably fluffier on the bobbin.
Feivel and Kayla are still sick, and Tirtze and I aren't feeling to great either. I've got a fever, but things are really nuts at work this week, so off I go. I wish we could convince Tirtze to show a little more dedication to getting done what she needs to do, but then she's a teenager.
Jeffrey took Gilad to a Barry Louis Polisar concert on Sunday, which they (particularly Giggle) enjoyed immensely. Jeffrey got Gilad a copy of Polisar's book, Don't Do That!: A Child's Guide to Bad Manners, Ridiculous Rules, and Inadequate Etiquette, autographed to Gilad; and they bought a copy for Auntie Julie and family and had that autographed too!

eta: I finished the top of the beret this evening, but then put the project aside to work on one of my outstanding (in the sense of being late to be finished) projects

Help! It's everywhere!

Firestar and angelina, that is.  It's all over my skirt.  I'm spinning this:

A Starlight Starbright batt from Butterfly Girl Designs; superwash merino, bamboo, firestar, and angelina.

Meanwhile, Kayla is sick again, Addie is still teething, and Feivel is giving Gilad a bath...try not to think about it.

End of the weekend

We had beautiful weather here so Jeffrey, Sachy, and Gilad got the whole front yard raked.  Oma took the girls shopping, and also lent the kids the new copy of Kung-Fu Panda she just bought on DVD for all the grandkids to share at Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, Addie spent the day being cranky thanks to teething, Kayla was kind of sick-ish until tonight, when she's more sick-ish, and Feivel spent most of the day being contrary and bored at the same time (multi-tasking!).

Me?  Well....

Unfortunately, this evening Mom and I tried heading out to the theater and the play we saw was so bad we left at the intermission.  We would have left at the end of the first scene if we could have done so gracefully.  Oh well, at least I wasn't out too late, but I wish I could wipe my brain clean from the miserable almost-an-hour we did sit through.