Socks for Soldiers

On the Socks for Soldiers mailing list the "Sarge" posts when she gets incoming mail. Today she got my box I sent last week and posted the following:

Sandra W KS I received your 2 priority boxes full of supplies, 1 pair of DSS socks, and 2 gorgeous caps. Great job. Bless you and another 3 soldiers smile.

I was thrilled with her post as she is very picky and the quality of the knitting must be high for her to praise it. I have started knitting on another pair. This is a dark green that I bought from Sarge. I am doing two socks at a time with Magic Loop but on two different needles. I work on each sock taking turns on each one. I started on the these a week ago and am past the four inch ribbing on both.

40th Anniversary

We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary Sunday, October 26th. We were in Topeka as we had attended the World Of Outlaws the night before. Dennis made me a wonderful scrapbook that he had scanned in many many pictures from the early years. He took it Kinko's and had it put in a binder. It was so neat to look at all the memories. The years have gone so fast! We went to the Casino north of Topeka - went in with 40 dollars and came out with 43 dollars so felt like big winners. :)
That afternoon we went to Jimmy's house and took the girls to my church to pick out pumpkins. The girls thought it was such fun to run around the pumpkins. I was so mad later - I thought I was taking pictures of them but I had the camera set on movies instead and didn't get any pictures. Jimmy and Maranda fixed us a lovely dinner- steak, veggies and salad. They gave us a beautiful stained glass picture to hand in the window over the stairs. I have wanted one for that window since we moved in. Jimmy took a picture of us with the wine bottle that Laura gave us that had a special label that says "40th Anniversary October 26, 2008" and Stacy gave us wine glasses that said "Happy 40th Anniversary" It was a great day.

World of Outlaws

Saturday, the 25th we went to Topeka to the World Of Outlaws race. It was great. Went to the pits first and got a picture of Donnie Schatz. He was the only driver that came out by his car while people were walking around the pits and he won the A feature. It was cold but we had blankets and hats along with our coats so we were not uncomfortable. The stands were so dirty though, I plan to write a letter to Heartland Park telling them they need to clean more often. We stayed in the same Holiday Inn Express we stayed in last year but had a much bigger room. It was very nice. We weren't in it much, but if we had been we would have liked it. Their breakfast is very good too - not as good as the one in Denver but very good.

Socks for Soldiers

I finally finished the pair of socks and two beanies for Socks for Soldiers. I put a box in the lounge at work with a list of things that could be contributed as a care package for the soldiers. I got tons of stuff, and ended up having to send two boxes to "Sarge" who is the head of the Socks for Soldiers Internet group. I forgot to take a picture of all the items but got a picture of most of the stuff. In the box that I forgot to take a picture was a leisure beanie. I mailed the two boxes Friday, the 24th.

Texas Weekend

Went to Texas this weekend. Got to see granddaughter Jessica in a swim meet. Haven't been to one since high school so hardly knew what to expect. There were not enough seats for everyone so was glad we got there early to get seats and didn't get up again. We took turns leaving so someone was there to save our seats. Jessica did great and it was very fun to watch her swim - she is so good! She lost her googles in the first heat and they held up a heat so she could dive in, swim to where they were and dive down and get them off the bottom of the pool. We were so nervous for her that she wouldn't be able to get them but she did fine.
After the meet we went to a great new place to eat in Mansfield - I hope we go back there again. A family run place with wonderful food.
On Sunday Jessica had confirmation and then friends came to the house to celebrate afterwards. It was a Jessica weekend! We missed James' soccer game on Saturday and hated that but can't be in two places at once and we have seen him play soccer before.
Got home Sunday evening - very tired but had a great time.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Been a busy week. I went to my first retirement meeting on Tuesday. Probably the fastest two hour meeting I have ever been too. I had no idea there were so many things to think about and consider and the wrong decision can really screw up your income. I am glad I can go to more before I retire which will be in two or three years.
Very busy with work so have brought home work to do last night and tonight. Also visited with the girls tonight for a little while. They had their 18 month developmental assessment today and were worn out. They were made to wait over an hour before they got in to the appointment. Isabel's happiest moment tonight was when she saw she was being taken to bed. She grinned and grinned.
Still knitting on the beanie - seems like it takes forever but of course I didn't get to work on it much last night or tonight. I will take it to Texas with me tomorrow and knit on the way. I hope to get the socks and two beanies mailed Monday.

Sunday

I am about half way through on a beanie for a soldier and want to learn the Continental way of knitting. Everyone says it is much faster and in a knitting mailing list I found this link that is supposed be a good learning tool.

I am not sure if this link will be in my blog so I can access it or not but thought it was worth a try.

Had a quiet day - church and sewing and knitting. Watched a movie called Invincible - football movie that was very predictable but good anyway as it was a true story that I remembered happening.

Took Pizza up to Jimmy's and saw the girls for a little bit. Warm day - in the 80's and gas is now down to 2.59.

Craft Fair and Pumpkin Patch

I just learned something new. If you are typing a post and you accidentally hit the esc key, you don't go anywhere but your post sure does. I was all done with a wonderful review of my day and poof - it was gone.
I went to the post office first this morning and mailed two packages for Laura - one to Megan and one to Laura. Then went to a Crafts for Kyle fundraiser for a young man here in town. Then to Heritage Hut and bought a knitting needle followed by a bagel at Panera where I ate outside and then knitted.
After that went to a Pumpkin Patch north of ElDorado with Jimmy's family. It was great - I am already looking forward to going next year when the girls are old enough to do more. It was like an amusement park with so many things to do. The ticket lady stamped a pumpkin on Audrey's hand and she was fascinated by it. We carried the girls instead of trying to use the stroller so we were tired when we left. I was lucky and carried Lily :)
Dennis took his boss fishing today at Milford and called at 8:30 to tell me the tire on the boat trailer had shredded north of town. Hope the spare will get him home.
Our weather is wonderful - 81 degrees today. Our gas prices are also wonderful. Gas was 2.71 this morning and then dropped to 2.61 this afternoon.

Thursday

Went to lunch with Goldie today at the Eaton Hotel. It was so cool - it is a very nice place- very fancy but the prices weren't that bad. Service a little slow but most of the people there were older and didn't appear to be in a hurry.

Tonight I went to a family visitation for Marie Baker - old family friend. Was nice to see her kids and I have great sympathy for them. It is hard losing your parents.

I finished my second pair of socks for soldiers yesterday. Now am trying to get a beanie done. Went to Heritage Hut last night to get a couple of new short circular needles. I have a lot of problems getting gauge - I knit too tight.

Tonight is the season premier of Life on Mars. I give it two thumbs down. It is just dumb.

Home again

Back home from Colorado. I highly recommend the Staybridge Suites as a great place to stay if they are all like the one in Littleton. Clean, nice kitchen and great free breakfast.
Stopped in Gove on the way home and helped the economy there a little. The yarn shop was wonderful - had yarn I had never seen before. If I hadn't already bought too much yarn last week I would have bought more. Easy to find since it appears there is only one street in town. The area reminded us a little of Iowa so maybe that is why my great-grandfather decided to settle there for awhile.
I finished the pair of socks and started a beanie. Also worked on the sweater quite awhile.
The most interesting part of the drive was the huge wind turbines along the highway - they lasted for about 12 miles and some were very near the road. I hope my pictures came out. They were between Salina and Wilson Lake on I-70.
We listened to the newest John Grisham book - 12 hour book and 17 hour drive and we have over an hour left on the book. Figure that math out. He really adds a lot of "words" to make the book longer. Very unnecessary words in my opinion. Will finish it on the next trip. We didn't start it soon enough on the trip I guess.
Maybe tomorrow I will figure out how to add some pictures of the trip

Colorado Visit

We will be headed home today from Denver aka Littleton aka Lone Tree Colorado. We went riding around yesterday morning and saw the area when there wasn't much traffic. There is every store known to mankind in this area - I have never seen so many large and small stores in one small area. Few were open but we drove around the parking lots. The sun broke through and I got some great pictures of the mountains and then laughed as I thought of all the pictures of mountains and trees I have tossed when I had to go through relatives items after they passed. At least with these the kids will just hit the delete key on the computer. Ate at Panera Bread with my aunt and uncle and cousin and two of her kids. Then went to my aunt's house and watched the race and knitted and visited. I think it was the first time they had ever seen a race and they had a fit when the "big one" happened. Later went to my cousin's house which is two blocks away for supper. Rained, thundered, and even hailed small stones during the late afternoon.
I fixed my aunt's computer so she can now watch videos on my son's blog. She didn't have the add in and didn't know how to get it. She was so happy to watch the videos of his triplets.
Today we head home with a stop over in Gove Kansas. This is where my great grandfather homesteaded in around 1880 and where the billboards on the way here said was a grand yarn shop.
This was good to get away for a few days and see area we haven't seen in many years. Also nice to see where my aunt and uncle are living - it is a great area but I am very glad they have both decided not to drive anymore. This traffic is as bad as Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
Sandra

Projects

On my knitting needles right now are a pair of socks for soldiers - both are at the toes. Also a sweater that is half done but going slow. I hope to start a beanie for the socks for soldiers group this weekend when the socks are done. Need to convince my husband to drive more on the way home or learn to knit while I drive. At home have a wonderful cross stitch started. I hope it is done for the state fair next year. I won a blue ribbon last year and this year for my cross stitch so need three more so each grandchild gets to have one.

First Posting

This is my second attempt at a blog and will probably go the same way as my diaries did - I will post great the first week, a few times the second and then maybe again in a year or so. Of course by then I won't remember the password or sign on. I should have waited until I was home so I could get help from my son but I am bored where I am so decided to try it. Right now I am sitting in a dark hotel room. Husband still asleep but I am an early riser. We are in Colorado visiting my aunt and uncle that moved here from California. The hotel is wonderful and is only two minutes from my aunt's house. There are tons of shops and cafes around here and we plan to drive around and see the area this morning. One place I want to see, but not participate in, is an indoor parachute place. I guess it cost around 80 dollars to do it so I think that is too much money. Of course I wouldn't be afraid to do it - not me - just spend my money wisely.
The mountains are so pretty, but the weather is not very cooperative for us to see them well.