Time to start the Christmas knitting

I'm looking through my stash, planning Christmas knits for my kids. I always think I'm going to do this in May, but of course once the fresh spring breezes blow, I don't feel like holding wool and needles. And it goes without saying that the heat and humidity of summer are incompatible with knitting, not counting the fact that I had a broken hand all summer. It's healing, but it's still sore if I grip a pencil too tightly, or do anything repetitive. Because I'm a dreamer, I envision each of my children unwrapping a lovingly handknit sweater at Christmas, awestruck by the beauty of the garment that I, their mother, intuitively felt would be a cherished possession and just what the recipient wanted!

Last year, Justin got a sweater which was technically finished in January. That's all I was able to do. I started in October near Halloween. I ripped that sweater back to the beginning three times because I wasn't satisfied. I re-did each sleeve twice. It's a beautiful sweater now, but it's "scratchy" so he doesn't like to wear it. So, I'm going to add a soft alpaca neckband lining in black, and he'll have the plushest sweater around. I have one more skein of the yarn, and I may add pockets or keep it to make it longer as he grows, since there is a generous fit in the shoulders and arms.

I haven't finished the socks I started because my hand broke, and the teeny needles are still to hard for me to hold. I could have used them many times this summer, though, because it is so freezing cold in my office.

I'm going to start something in a green pullover for Willem with some cotton yarn I ordered from a discount website last year. He's grown so much, I may be making just a sleeveless pullover or singlet for summer. This football practice has given him gargantuan shoulders and muscley arms, a very handsome V-shape. I haven't made him a garment since first grade! It was a patchwork pullover vest with v-neck made with left-over yarns. He used to love it, and wore it all the time. I guess he grew so fast over the years, and I've had such limited knitting time I feared to start anything lest he outgrow it before it was done. His doctor says his growth is slowing down, and that he'll probably reach his full height next year, so I may be safe now. His tastes are very homey - he likes to wear the sweater vest my Baba made for my father many years ago. But will he like it so much if he gets any negative comments from classmates?

Milana can still wear the cotton hooded pullover I made for her in Kindergarten! It was a generous, slouchy fit and the yarn has held up great. She found it in the sale bin at Never Enough Knitting and I had exactly enough to finish this sweater. I think I had a yard of yarn left over. I still picture her walking to school in first grade wearing this sweater, her pink corduroy skirt, her black ankle boots with heels and telling me, out of the blue, "This is a casual look!" She's very moody about her clothes, loving something one day and hating it next week. I'm leery of making something without her knowledge, but on the other hand sometimes just the surprise of it all makes her like it.

Home improvements are going to resume soon. I believe I've finally found a roofer who can fix the leaking around my dormers. I'm refinishing my bathroom cabinet - still! I'm going to stain it ebony, and I found some nice tile at Home Depot which is a mixture of tumbled marble and glass! Very pretty. The next need will be new floor tile in the upstairs bathroom. Previous leakage from the toilet tank loosened the peel-and-stick tile, and I have enough left from other projects to do this tiny floor. Justin wants to help so he can learn how. Then, down the road, I think wall tile would look well in that bathroom to give it an elegant feel. But that is not a need, and right now it's all about need. The roof is a need, some pillars and piers in the basement to correct the sagging floors are needs. The bathroom vanity downstairs is a need.

We plastered the two walls in my former bedroom which is now my father's bedroom. We didn't use any plaster washers because I couldn't find them! Just as well, because I know there are pipes in those walls, and I didn't want to nick a water pipe and get a slow drip that I wouldn't know about until real damage had been done. Justin and Willem helped tremendously, and were proud of themselves for learning this new skill. We didn't have time before Dad moved in to sand smooth and paint, but his furniture is covering most of it. Milana was begging and then threatening me so she could learn how to plaster, too, but I couldn't let her. I just feel that the more she knows how to do, the greater the chances that she will end up with a husband who will do nothing. It is a fear born of my own experience, but I want to make sure that doesn't happen for her. I told the boys that if they ever find out that their sister is plastering walls, cutting grass and sanding furniture, they must go to her house and beat up her husband. They said they would. I know I'm crazy, but what can you do?

Long Time No Blog

It's been a summer of transition. As most of you know, my father has suffered a fairly severe stroke. He is physically fine, but lost enough memory and vision to make independent living unlikely for the foreseeable future. After much agonizing decision-making, we have finally determined that the best thing to do right now is move him in with our family in Wheaton. He and we are committed to his further recovery with the goal of independent living in mind, while being realistic about what could happen. I am interviewing people for the job of being his companion for part of the day, making meals, taking meds, getting him to appointments, getting him out into the new (for him) community. We know this won't be easy for him. He is mourning the sale of his home of 32 years. He is keeping alive the dream of being able to travel in the future. My sister has done a heroic job of caring for him this summer, and I am grateful to her for that.

We've taken our house off the market, naturally. I enrolled my kids in school today, and I remembered how many times I waited until August to enroll them because I thought that surely this was the year we would move. Life's ways seem to keep us in Wheaton, which has been a good town for us. We have excellent friends here, a great church, good schools and parks. I suppose that if I ever decided that we would never move from here, some great job would turn up somewhere else.

I have a high school freshman this year! In fact, all three are in different schools this year. Justin starts middle school, and he is so full of his own maturity and pre-teenagerness that it's a pleasure to see him enjoying being himself. He is looking forward to the challenge, and he feels confident he's up to it. Not much has come of the garage band composed of friends who don't play instruments, but it started him on learning to play the guitar. He recently remembered that I said he could have a green mohawk. While he doesn't want the mohawk anymore, he does want the green. We'll try colored hairspray, I think, because I'm not sure how permanent Kool Aid is.

Milana was really looking forward to us moving to WI so she could go to school with Sophie, but she is equally thrilled to stay here so she can still see her beloved 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Darin. She has also pointed out, several times, that this is the house she was born in, and the only place she has ever lived, and no one else will appreciate that. She enjoyed a two-week LaLa-palooza with cousins in Shorewood, visiting Betty Brinn's Children's Museum and the Art Museum. This past week, she wanted to become a redhead, so we got some light red henna. She was disappointed by the subtlety of the color, so we went back for some bright red henna. Again, a subtle rosiness to her natural color. When it wears off, she wants to try blonde highlights!

Willem is becoming more and more like his Uncle Mikey everyday. The walk, the laconic speaking style, the slow thoughtfulness, the friends needing much social work, the good looks. Four years of high school, then college is my plan. I think his plan extends only as far as the next game cube fix.

JJ was the thoughtful host this summer, greeting realtors at the door, following them throughout the house and yard, ever interested in whatever anyone was doing or saying. He had a little cold earlier, and spent a sneezy two weeks. I had never had a cat with a cold before. He didn't whine and complain, just sneezed and went on his normal way. A little barfing last week, but I think that was the heat.

I am nearly fully recovered from the injuries from my fall. My leg is back to normal, my neck and back are good, my hand is nearly healed, my lip has a large lumpy scar tissue inside which isn't visible outside, and is slightly numb at that spot. I'm good for another 10 years.

Memory Eternal, Uncle Mero and Aunt JoAnne

School's Out!

Wow! Willem has graduated from middle school, Justin has graduated from elementary school (with a great report card, by the way), and Milana has graduated from 2nd grade (also a great report card)! Where has the time gone?

There was a low-key ceremony at the middle school for the graduates, and of course they started off recognizing the high achievers. George's mom leaned over to me and said "that wouldn't be us". George sat in the crowd with his usual alien-from-another-world look on his face. Willem was dignified and elegant in black pants and shirt, and he wore his yellow Show Choir tie. By the way, he made first call backs for high school Show Choir, but was not selected to join. Only three kids from Edison were picked. He's not sorry, though, because there are other things he wants to try.

Justin has been placed in advanced math for 6th grade, and he's very proud. Now that he's 11, he's trying on a bad boy persona, with the band and the long hair. He thinks he has to misbehave more now, even though he doesn't really want to. Deep down he really likes rules, and he enjoys following them and competing for achievement.

We have re-painted the boy's room a soft white with a bluish tinge. The formerly banana yellow walls with scuff marks, poster holes and crayon marks are history, as is the dark blue ceiling which is now white. I can recommend Ace Hardware's High Hiding White completely! Everything took two coats, and primer didn't help. The trim is a soft butter cream yellow, one of my favorite colors. This chore will always be one of my happiest memories. We spent most of the day Saturday painting, the kids helping out industriously, but we only finished half the room because of the two-coat issue. The room was literally divided down the middle with the before and after halves competing. We had dinner, watched a short movie, fell into bed. On Sunday, I said we would finish up after church, but Justin and Milana had already put on their painting clothes and were raring to go. I said I really wanted to go to church. They proposed letting me go by myself while they painted. I didn't believe them, but ok. I was gone an hour and a half, I came home and they were done with the first coat, and were starting the second coat! I have never been so touched! Milana was covered in paint, there was more paint on the floor than before we started in spite of drop cloths, but I absolutely did not care. The rare pleasure of actually having real help on a very hard job was worth it all.

I've had five inquiries on my house, all from Craig's list. There's a creepy underworld of rehabbers out there, isn't there? One who contacted me wanted to know if he got an appraisal for $50,000 over what I'm asking, would I give him the cash back at closing? What???? And pay my realtor a commission on that $50,000? He wanted to know if the basement ceiling is high enough to put an apartment down there, and does the City inspect? I quickly imagined the hate mail my former neighbors would send me because I sold my house to a guy who turned it into an illegal 3-flat, and now 8 cars are parked in the driveway.

Our friends the Hoogendyk's have moved to Vancouver. We were very sad to see them go. I haven't re-rented the apartment. The whole neighborhood seems so quiet without them. Our neighbors the Conroys especially miss them, because Tommy and Jude had become best friends.

We're going to have one more garage sale Saturday, and then everything goes to charity. There won't be anymore time for garage sales. Next week, the boys go to Deanery Camp. Justin has been complaining for 3 years that Willem gets to go and he doesn't, and now he's old enough and he says he's scared to go because the big boys throw the younger boys into the lake. And why do they have to go all the way to Wisconsin? I told him he's going to have a great time.

Long time, no post. We are moving our lives along swiftly! I've had a realtor over, I am working on some finishing things for the house, the kids are busy with end of year stuff. Here's what's going on:

House: Putting it on the market this month. I had a guy who specializes in fixer-uppers over to evaluate the market for the house. I'm meeting him tonight to hear what he has to say. I'm considering also going with a Mexican realtor, since at least half the people viewing my neighbor's house were Mexican, and a Mexican family bought Marie Anne's house on the corner. I am clearing clutter, cleaning and finishing up plaster repair and painting, and bathroom. I am debating carpeting the hardwood floors since I can't picture refinishing them while we are still living there. Not decided yet. My marvelous kids cleaned the garage one day after school!!! We had a garage sale two weekends ago, and made a measly $30, but everyone else had a garage sale that day too, so we may try again. We are now decluttering the basement, and sorting through books.

Willem: Finished with the show choir season. Working on bringing his grades up. Auditioning for South Show Choir Tuesday! He's anxious - he really wants to get in! We have the DVD for family and friends who want to see his Chicagoland Showcase performance where they placed as 1st runner up. Sort of like Miss America, if the winner can't fulfill its duties, yadda yadda. He's started learning wood carving, but seems to have given up. He's made some cute fish out of polymer clay, and we learned how to bake them.

Justin: In a production of Wizard of Oz at Wheaton Warrenville South. He is a Flying Monkey. The Monkeys have the best costumes, but are on the stage for the briefest time - around 30 seconds or so. He will be in two performances, which are all sold out. I will order the DVD for family and friends who want to see it. He has lost his sleeves in one of the boys bathrooms, and I hope they either find them, or give me more fake fur to make another pair. Justin is also in a band, "School Inappropriate" and is growing his hair out. If only they could play their instruments! He's working on his sumi-e painting.

Milana: Growing tall, smart, sassy and moody. She is mourning these last few weeks the anticipated separation from her beloved teacher, Ms. Darin. She's done with Brownies for the year, and has tons of badges for me to sew on her vest. She is also mourning the soon to depart Esme, who is moving to Vancouver with her parents and brother on May 31. She's working on singing, singing, singing!

Cat: A royal pain during the night. Needs to go outside around 3 am or so, as he doesn't like the litter box. ALWAYS ASKS ME! Can't get back to sleep afterward. Am VERY TIRED. Perhaps he would like a little house outside? Perhaps he needs to be made aware that he is Justin's cat? Has made a tender friendship with the female Siamese who lives behind us. She has beautiful violet eyes! He stares at her house until she comes out.

Fish: One left. I accidentally unplugged the heater on the tank, and the two shy, big fish died! We are down to one fish, Cutie Pie (or is it Sweetie Pie? Consult Milana.) Moved him to a smaller venue with bubbler and heater while awaiting the arrival of motivation to clean out the big tank. He has grown quite a bit, since Milana is overfeeding him and he can't waste a bite.

Work: Finishing HUD application - submitting Friday. Then, will begin and finish CDBG application and submit by 31st. All of this to continue funding my job. This is very stressful, since I haven't done these two applications before and if I mess up, no more money! My neck hurts, I'm tired, I'm overeating. Whine! On the plus side, my current class series is going well.

Crafts: Finished Charlotte's adorable top. Now, it is too cold for her to wear it. Finished an ultra-soft chenille ascot, finishing Esme's Harry Potter Scarf. Started a pair of socks in Italian sock yarn for me to wear to work. Why yes, it IS more expensive and time consuming to knit your socks rather than buy them, but it's the skill and experience I'm after. I'm doing them from the toe up in Turkish figure eight cast on. So far, so good.

Garden: Turned some soil, it's rained for a week since. Isaiah has been good enough to pull the garlic mustard, and he was trying to cut the grass in the rain yesterday. I told him the grass was too wet. We transplanted one of the thousands of maple seedlings from an inconvenient place to the front yard, to cast more shade, and one into that hole we have in the driveway where another tree used to be to cast shade down the driveway. So far, they are doing well. I have two huge pink flowers on my tree peony! I have thousands of buds on my rose bushes! I have a volunteer pine tree! Willem and Justin want to plant stuff and make the garden look good.

Love to everyone!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Artists in the House

Willem's show choir, Electric Youth, won 1st runner up at the Chicagoland Showcase last Friday! I was so proud of him. He is really charismatic on stage, and his features don't wash out in the bright lights. I think he was born to perform! Not a shy bone in his body, and he's a good dancer, too. (He's in the back towards the right with a white rectangle in front of part of his face). ***I just posted a better image to Flickr! I can't believe I did it myself!***

Since we don't have cable anymore, and can't get network tv either, my kids have devoted so much more time to their own creativity. Willem has a long list of things he wants to do, he and Justin are both writing fiction stories which are really interesting, Milana draws and draws and paints and paints. We're going to do some needle felting on a denim jacket with her designs. Both the boys have learned to knit. Justin draws awesome cars and Egyptian gods. Willem is a poet. Milana loves to sing and she makes up her own songs under the themes of Dandelion Songs, But It Might Not Happen songs, long story-telling songs. She has a very peppy cheerful song that goes "Drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs are bad!"

A World Gone Mad

I don't know about you, but this has been such a week already! Like I've said, I don't like to dwell on work outside the office, but such remarkable things have happened I just have to say something.

I work for a non-profit developer of housing for low-moderate income people. The City of Chicago gives us vacant lots that it owns to use for our development. We have developed plans for construction for 2006, and funding applications are submitted and a New Homes for Chicago grant application is underway. Then, just like that, Alderman Ed Smith yanks away the city lots and gives them to a for-profit developer! Now, we have no lots to build on!

Then, a guy who just closed on a house we built last year had everything stolen out of it, including the furnace and hot water heater. Our condos across the street were cleaned out, too. The man hadn't even moved in yet.

And then, a guy scheduled to close on a condo Friday doesn't show up. His attorney is there, his realtor is there, the money has been wired from the bank, and he never shows. We still don't know what happened.

I'm getting a dryer delivered today. What are my chances?

Willem is back from DC, of course, and he had a good time. He had spent all his money by Saturday morning buying two more disposable cameras and a game cube game for himself. He goes all that way, and ends up in EB Games. I really don't know other people who are as consistent as he is.

Justin said this morning that he missed Willem "really, really bad" all weekend, and now that he's back he wishes he would go away again because he can't stop telling ghost stories from the ghost walk they took. He swears he saw a ghost, and Justin has slept badly for two nights.

Willem the Conquerer

Well, well, well! There IS a payoff for raising children! Willem, my dreamy, vague, handsome, non-linear thinking, artistic, soulful, non-listening son knocked me down with the news that he had the second highest ISAT score in social studies from among his teacher's classes! And I thought he was one of the kids they would bribe to be away from school that day! And he mentioned it in such an off-hand way. I startled him with my teary look, I think.

He's off to Washington D.C. this weekend. I'm still afraid he'll misplace all his clothes and money, though. Good thing he's big - the chaperones can see him if he wanders off.