11 July 2009

I left you a little over a week ago promising an unveiling. I have opened Bomb knitwear on Etsy where I will be selling mohawk caps and other oddities that come to mind. The reason that I decided to do this is that I improvised a design that allows me to complete a hat in a few hours. While not selling well right now, I suspect to have good interest as the weather gets colder and my prices come down a bit!! ;) The hats are loads of fun to make, and wear.

We had a fantastic Fourth of July. I crocheted a few hats for us to wear and made one of those cool flag cakes that are the traditional cake of the day. Sadly threw away over a quarter of it! Oh well. The event was not all that it promised to be, but Battersea Park is lovely, and we had a relaxing and fun family day and managed to meet a few new people in the process. I also got a good amount of reading done on Divas Las Vegas , which is actually classified as "chick lit" and was the worst book that I couldn't put down! It was so ridiculous!

This month has also graced my computer with a brand new screensaver! My American son with a great big tooth missing!! WooooHooo Mike!!!!









The UK was graced with the worst heat wave in since 2003. I would only assume that this was due to my incomplete ability to cope with temperatures outside of my comfort zone of 68 to 74 degrees. With no air conditioning I pressed into the lounge floor (thank god for wood flooring) and let the only cool surface in the house keep me from dying of heat stroke. Two days later I was laying out in the garden, sipping a smoothie and reading. The heat no longer phasing me. After 20 years of central heating and air, I had no idea the body could acclimate so quickly to temperature deviations, an ignorance that I believe is shared by a mere 10 percent of the world (Americans).

This weather was a great time to break out the sprinkler that we found on Sale at Argos. If you aren't from the UK, or you have not lived here, I will explain quickly what Argos is. Argos is a store that you walk into and it has counters loaded with giant catalogs. You write down the catalog number and then punch it in at a kiosk that prints out a ticket. You then wait while the employees fish your items out of the warehouse. It is really weird, but it allows you to get some items at pretty good discounts. However, it doesn't work for everything, because as a consumer, I think most people like to actually touch the products before they buy them . Often times you can't get a really good idea of the quality or size of an item (particularly when you know inches and everything is in centimeters!!!!). However, for things such as a "Batman Duvet", clearly the quality and size are not too relevant. You just make it work because it's Batman. :)



We have had the work done in the kitchen this week. There were spaces to hold wine bottles in the fitted kitchen, and we had these removed to make more space for a new refrigerator. We were hoping to have the refrigerator installed before our company came to visit, but the refrigerator will not be delivered until July 26th. We have ordered the Hotpoint Quadrio, a sexy beast of a fridge that I can't help but salivate at every time I see it. Not only is it amazingly cool looking, it boasts an average 9.1 customer rating over 80 ratings!




Michael got the uniform for SFK Karate. He looks fantastic and he is progressing well with his karate technique. Yesterday was Michael's last class before his summer in America, and he will return to lessons at the end of August.



Last but not least, we have been working on the Garden again. There were just a few finishing touches to complete, and we are very happy with the looks of it. I had planted some sweetpea and a rogue brussel sprout had been growning in one of the patio beds, we finally bit the bullet and pulled them up to put them in the garden bed. I was also aware that half of the bed was useless due to an antfestation. After a quick run to the garden center and half a bottle of ant killer we have it down to about 100 of the little buggers.



Where the tree used to be we have made a bed of grasses and portulaca, as well as a palm tree that will eventually grow to 9 feet.



We added a clay improving soil to our garden beds and now the vegetables are really taking off.

And finally, the finished product!

Today was rainy and gray, but we went to the Library and picked out a few books to keep us busy for our rainy weekend. Mike is reading chapter books now and has read an entire Captain Underpants this afternoon before moving on to illustrate and write his own Batman comic.

Next week we will have loads of news, as my mother and Stepdad are coming to visit and Michael is flying back to the States with them for his summer holiday. We are going to Wales for a few days, a dog show, and who knows what else we may do and see!

Til next time!

26 June 2009

Weekly Highlight: HAPPY FATHERS DAY !!!!!

This week's blog is dedicated to the man who makes such a wonderful father to Michael and husband to me. As a stepfather for the very first time he has thrown himself into the role and makes our son feel special and loved. It isn't easy getting a ready made family, yet Neil does so with grace. I can not say how important this is to us, but he should be very proud of the fantastic job he has done.



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On Thursday evening I took my first outing from the guys. I drove to the train station and took a train to Hayward's Heath, where a fellow knitter picked me up and we drove to a local pub to have a knit night and swap. I had nothing to swap, but I did receive a few fantastic items and I am looking forward to creating some crocheted jewelry with the things I received. The four other women that attended were very friendly and fun, and I worked on the beginnings of a capelet that I had found on Ravelry.com to make for myself. I didn't get home until 11pm and I was surprised out how delighted I felt to walk through the door having done something of my own and have my wonderful family to come home to.

The capelet is exactly what I wanted. I am so happy with it, and will soon be starting one for my mother. They stitch up very quickly, so I hope to have it done for her when she arrives for her visit on 14 July.

Michael attended his second session of karate at the Milton Mount location. This time he was given his white belt, which proved to be a tad distracting and he spent a good amount of time playing with the belt. Still, he did very well. We also brought along Mike's classmate, Harry. We walk with Harry to school in the mornings and Harry's mom and dad bring Mike and Harry home in the afternoons because we live a few doors from each other and they are in the same class. Lucky us! Harry enjoyed karate as well. On Wednesday Michael attended Karate at the Three Bridges location.

Thursday evening we Michael attended another karate class and was awarded his first stripe! He was so proud of his accomplishment, and we are as well.

Tonight we went to the Milton Mount class and to our utter amazement.....



Michael got his SECOND stripe!!!!! Congratulations Michael!!!!

Last Friday evening we baked and decorated a cake for the fun fair at the school. It was home made vanilla cake with chocolate icing and green piping with sugar flowers and coloured balls. Mike did all of the finish work himself, and we dropped it off in the morning on Saturday before we headed over to the K2 for swimming and gymming. (I do the gym while Neil and Mike swim). Afterwards we hustled home, wolfed down some sandwiches made on the new sandwich presser, and headed off to the fun fair. We played raffles, coconut throwing, and Mike did the blow up obsticle course. He played on the fire truck and talked to the West Sussex police. We bought some games from the toy table..Rummikub, Switch 16, and Top Trumps Incredibles, as well as a dictionary and nursery rhyme book. A steal for 3 pounds total!!!

When we got home I made a whipped icing and improvised a "healthy" cake. I reduced the sugar, used only egg whites and no yokes (do you know that each egg yoke contains 5 grams of fat!!!), and substituted a low fat butter substitute for the good stuff. This became our Happy Father's Day cake and it was mightily tasty.

I weeded the garden and added some blood and bone because it seems like the garden is stunted. It is not growing as fast or as lushly as I expect, and next weekend we will be adding some additional nutrient to the soil and see if we can pick things back up. We havent lost any plants, they just don't look that happy. We will soon be revamping the stump garden as well, to include some pebble for a grasses bed.

On Sunday morning we drove down to Brighton to see the Wiggle show. The show was loads of fun and I made sure to keep busy with my projects for Worldwide knit in public weekend. I am a bit embarrased to admit that I cried at the end of the show. My baby is grown up now. :(

Afterwards we met Rod to go for a Father's Day meal. We were very excited about trying a steakhouse called Taurus. I had done a lot of research on places to eat in Brighton, so I was especially invested in this turning out well. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the address, it was no longer there. Rod then decided we go to Woody's Diner in Hove, so we drove down there, hunger pangs gnawing away at us, only to find that it had a long line, was incredibly stuffy hot, and that they would only sit us in a section for children because Michael was along. Well, call me what you will, snob...entitled..whathaveyou...I don't sit in children's sections because most people never teach their children how to behave in a restaurant. My child can behave, and I have no qualms at sitting near adults with him because him is very rarely disruptive. In fact, I imagine I am more annoying to sit near than my son is. Also, I am especially sensitive to seeing parents who are completely inept at handling their children, and I imagine there would be loads of them at the childrens section in a diner. This decision was made easier by an inept waiter who could not even offer a guestimate of the waiting time for a table.

We left Woody's to get back in the car and go to the Marina, where we decided on Frank and Benny's which is always a crowd pleaser.

We had a lovely Father's day meal, and followed it up with a walk along the marina wall, to watch the boats and the fishermen.

I have been driving quite a bit more lately, and I am feeling very comfortable with the side of the road I am driving on, and the way the car handles. I get nervous about traveling the routes I am unfamiliar with, and I suppose I am lucky that I have spent most of my life in two areas that I am familiar enough with to know like the back of my hand for a 20 mile radius, and 50 mile radius (NJ and VA respectively). Luckily, I have Sally to guide me where ever I go, and Sally really knows her stuff! Sally Garmin is our Sat Nav, and we love her.

We had the unfortunate to have the washer/dryer conk out on us. It had water pouring out of the top and onto the floor, followed by a very disconcerting new noise in the spin cycle. After much research we bought a new Hotpoint Washer/dryer. With rave reviews in the 8.2 range, a woolmark and dryer sensor cycle, a one hour wash/dry cycle and loads more, we are very happy with the new addition to the family.

We have had an estimate done for the kitchen to fix damage due to the fire over the winter, and to prepare for a larger space for the new refrigerator. This work is estimated to be done in the second week of July, and we will post pictures of the completed project then.

I had an appointment with a specialist regarding my back and after reviewing my MRI results from two years ago he said that surgery was not an option for me because I have multiple disk damage. Though, if one were causing me significant pain that they could pinpoint to the specific disk, then I could have surgery on that disk, but there was no guarantee of it being successful. From this point on, the first step is to get another current MRI in 4-6 weeks and to begin a pain management program.

We have been pushing Michael to eating his 5 a day fruits and vegetables and he has been really good at reaching that goal every day, even if it means a bunch of grapes before bedtime. Eating healthy has become a forefront issue here, and we have been working on portion control and fat, sugar, and calorie intake, as well as daily exercise. Whilst the past few months have been decadantly rich in cakes, pies, and various other indulgent cuisine, the honeymoon is over and it is time to make the permanant lifestyle changes that we had looked forward to when we first began planning to live together. I think we are all pleased with our more active, less online, style of living.

We have had a few meetings at the school. The first one seemed mainly to be for us to be chastened for our discipline techniques, which we followed up with a letter to the school, and the letter was followed up with another, much more amicable and informative meeting. Michael seems happier with school for the moment, and we are working on getting the documents filled out that are necessary to do volunteer work in the school, which we both feel is important for Michael to feel fully integrated in the school. This will not be complete until September though, but that is really not so much an issue as school will be over for Michael in less than 3 weeks.

We also have some super secret fun things happening, which I will post about next week (it doesn't involve pets, babies, or moving), so tune in next time!

Laura Necklace 001

Laura Necklace 001, originally uploaded by Neil_and_laura.

Last night I designed this necklace for one of my favorite beads "goldfish".

14 June 2009

Every day after school Michael does 3 laps around the park across the street from our house. This exercise in strengthening his legs and building his riding confidence is all for the purpose of beginning family bike rides. In the photo above, I have joined Michael on his laps for the first bike ride that involved another person since he started his "lessons". This was earlier in the week, perhaps on Tuesday.

Thursday evening we did our usual game night and played 3 rounds of:
...with Mike winning, and 3 rounds of:


...with Neil winning.


Friday evening was extra special with Michael taking a trial Karate class at the Milton Mount Community Center. We were both very impressed and slightly amused at the level of attention and concentration he displayed. He was very keen to learn the karate techniques and to do them correctly, and he was not shy to announce that he didn't understand something and ask for clarification. He really did fantastically, and considering his level of enjoyment we will probably continue the course for him.

Our big day finally arrived on Saturday. We loaded up our three bikes and helmets and drove down to Hove. We all mounted up and rode our bikes down the seaside into Brighton to visit the Sea Life Center. We were so proud of Michael's riding! We like to call Mike the "middle man". When we are on the tube, or riding bikes...pretty much anywhere there could be danger, Neil goes first, Mike goes second, and I go third. We came upon this arrangement after a bit of a scare in London where Mike hopped off the tube for no apparant reason and barely made it back on before the door closed! Anyway, back the the subject...

We went to Sea Life center and we had loads of fun checking out the fish. They had a contest to find the giant lego man in one of the tanks, which as you can imagine, completely delighted Mike. He found the Lego man, and he got a rubber Orca for his troubles. We listened to a presentation about the fish and Mike told the presentors two facts that he had remembered from the talk and got a little candy for his troubles.

Afterwards we had lunch at the "American Diner", and I must say they did a pretty good job of with look, feel, and cuisine, then we peddled back up to Hove, loaded up the bikes and picked up Rod for an overnight. Amazingly, Michael biked nearly 3 miles!!!!












Today we spent the day at Brighton again. We started off on the beach. We laid out on a blanket and Michael went down to the sea, where he managed to get knocked over by a rogue wave, which he thought was great fun! We decided soon after that perhaps going to the childrens park, where they have a nice wading pool, would be a little more exciting for him.





We started out on the walk up the seafront to the children's park and were startled to find that a protest for climate change was being held right behind where we had set up our beach blanket. This is a case where "a picture speaks a thousand words", which I suppose is precisely why they chose this presentation. Unfortunately for me, I had to use the loo, and there was a line of naked and partially naked women surrounding me in the queue. Sadly for Mike and Neil, these women werent willing to respect the "men" and "ladies" signs, so they were also using the mens room. While Michael may be scarred for life, he got a very deep chuckle out of a woman who had body painted faces on her breasts. He has decided that she is a villian in Batman and her name is "Three Face".

Things got back to normal after that, and we got back to kiddie land and into the wading pool where Mike played with his Orca and the other children, then finished up with a mint ice cream while we walked back to the car. All in all a WONDERFUL weekend!

Until next time...

Bowl Cover with Handmade Beads (2)

Bowl Cover with Handmade Beads (2), originally uploaded by Neil_and_laura.

I made this bowl cover today. I love it!