I'll be there all Week, er, Month

Well, well, December is right around the corner.  Actually, I've never really seen the corner, but I'm sure I've bumped into it before.

Anyway, are you under booked for the month of December?  Well, I can hook you UP!!

Here we have the Home Grange calendar for December-I lifted this from the Home Grange blog, but I think it's cool since I actually wrote it.

December FUN at Home Grange!!

Hey Friends!

There are a lot of fun things coming up at your local Grange Hall!!

This Friday, December 3rd is the annual

Swiss Steak Dinner and Bazaar!!

December 3rd

4:30-7

Dinner includes savory Swiss Steak, REAL mashed potatoes, squash, coleslaw, rolls and dessert!!!

There will also be a Craft Bazaar with plenty of baked goods, ceramics, baby quilts and maybe even a hat or two made by Holly of Knit it Up, YO!

Wait!  It's also time for December's Craft Day!!!

Join us Saturday, December 4th for another great day of Crafts, fun, plus, friends and food!!

Home Grange Craft Day!

Saturday, December 4th

Noon-4pm

We will be meeting in the lower hall this month.  Bring your craft and have some fun!  Or, try a new craft.
People bring knitting, spinning, scrap booking, crochet, jewelry making, genealogy, quilting, and sometimes even home work!!  Bring your favorite craft and join us!

December 11th 4 pm-Holiday Decorating followed by
Regular Business Meeting at 7

Don't miss out on the fun of decorating the hall.  I promise, I'll clean the bathrooms, you can decorate the tree.

Learn about all the fun activities the Grange has planned for the upcoming year, and see what community service activities we are planning too!!

December 18th

Home Grange Holiday Program

December 18th

7pm

Join us for our annual Holiday Program!  Bring your favorite reading, poem, original holiday story, skits, or songs.  You ARE part of the program.

We will also be handing out awards that members received from State Grange contests.

Wooo!  Go Grangers!

Bring a $3-$5 woman's or man's gift for our random gift exchange.

Santa will also be there to hand out gifts to children-You bring the Gift, Santa will dole it out!

We hope you can make it to many of our great events!

Please note: Holly d'Awesome will be at all above mentioned events-weather dependent.

Sooo, what do you think?  Fun, old fashioned holiday goodness.  Plus Santa!  What other friend can promise you Santa?

Euro-Trip, not the movie

The Ogre was in Europe for 2 weeks.  No, he didn't take me, it was for work.



This is Pig 1 demonstrating what a gargoyle looks like to the brother Pigs.

When you have an Ogre for a dad, it's all Pitchforks and Torches, of course you know about gargoyles.

The Ogre did not forget about his duties while in Europe.  He noted that the zombies were rampant in France, and even managed to take one out with the souvenir he got for Pig 3.

Not the beret, the Eiffel tower.  

Pig 1 was brought a Harry Potter-esque scarf from Germany.

Pig 2's gifts were from Italy.  He got a sweet hat, and Pokemon cards-in Italian.



Don't worry the Ogre didn't forget me!



A scarf from Paris, and a shawl from Milan!  Now that is paying attention!

Pig 2, the new Awesome

Pig 2had his tonsils out this am. He did an amazing job. Ok, he took drugs and got his tonsils lazered out, but that's hard work too.

After the surgery, his Dr talked to me about how the surgery went. She said he only had a tiny crack to breathe through, and those tonsils needed to come out. She also said that due to having adequate oxygen now, he will probably grow 5-6 inches in the next 6 months. She also noted that he is a beast, and should play football in the NFL. I thought that was a pretty awesome thing to say.

The first thing Pig2 said when we got to recovery was "I can breathe so much better!" He went through recovery AWESOME, drank a lot of fluids, and he got the Star Pt of the Recovery Room Award. Ok, there were a lot of crying kids, so, it was sort of a gimme. Anyway, we are home. He's been eating, talking, and trying to beat the crap out of his brothers. I'm thinking he's feeling pretty good so far.

Thanks to everyone who helped (Mom), and everyone who sent good thoughts our way. Love you!! Holly, Cy, and the other Pigs

Here is Indy, the puppy of tonsillectomy.

Here we have peanut butter.  It heals all.  Especially if eaten straight from the jar.

This one is of Cy meditating to ease the pain after surgery.



This was all him. I was totally in shock, but, he's a rockin' transcendental dude.

Leave the house, I will, er, improve it

The Ogre is in Europe.  I know, right?  He's like on a different continent.  So, what have I done while he was gone?

I tore out a closet.  Really, I took the pole, shelf and random wood bits out.

I even got a Pig in on this action.  Sadly, and really there was much lamenting, the closet was in dire need of repainting after the abuse it got from me and my assistant.

I don't know about you, but when I am in the middle of a home renovation, I like to halt everything and invite everyone I know over.



Ah yes, it was the Zombie Prom Date Knitters invasion!   Hurray!!  It's been so long since I've seen my girls!!



Sandy and the Other Laura were over also, but I believe they were out paroling the perimeter when the camera was out.  It's weird, but we've had a real influx of werewolves lately.  I mean really, you get rid of all the zombies, and the damn werewolves show up.

Here's the repainted closet.  Isn't it beautiful and tidy?

Wow, with all the awesome I've done, I really think the Ogre is going to be surprised when he gets home.



Surprised that one little woman and three Pigs can make such a big mess.

Pig 1...He's a real boy!

 

 

 

 

Here's my Pig 1.



He and his fellow buddies moved up from Cub Scouts into the ranks of Boy Scouts.

No, not the kid looking straight and serious.  That's Alex.  My Pig is the one checking out all the pretties on his uniform.

 

 

 



 

Here we see Pig 1 surrounded by Boy Scouts.  He is having his Cub neckerchief removed.  It's a point of pride for a boy when he no longer has to wear his random neck decor around.



 

 

 

 

 

Dad, Alice, Mel and Jeanne were all tricked into coming along.

Pig 1 had a huge group of support up front when he received his arrow of light.

A big special thanks to Bill and Todd for leading, helping, nurturing and enduring the Cubs and helping them to be Boy Scouts.

 

 

 

That'll do Pig, that'll do

The Pigs had 3 great school conferences.  I won't gloat, but your German Sheppard is not smarter than my future honor roll students.

To celebrate our accomplishments, we decided to treat ourselves.  The Pigs chose drumstick frozen ice creams, and I decided a bottle of Chenin Blanc.  As for the gentleman who gave us a harsh stare while in line at the local grocery store, please note that you had ice cream too.

 

Knitting.

My current knitting has been less than stellar.   Actually, it's been less than sweater.  I was working on a the Little Linear baby sweater.  It's knit in one piece, blah, blah, worsted weight "it will only take two minutes" sweater.  Honestly, it is all that, but in my hands, it swiftly turned into two balls of yarn, a lump of off needle stitches and a bunch of failed hopes.

Ah, how do I feel about that?  As it turns out, not so bad, but it's a long story.

You see, when I make a baby sweater, I have a go to pattern.  The basic pullover from Top Down for Toddlers

It's a top down, raglan sweater.  I've made it so many times it's like an old friend.  BUT, yes, there always is a but, and it's usually BIG.  My copy is in storage!  Wait, I meant "MY FREAKING COPY IS IN STORAGE!!"

Look!  Look at the beauty I have made in the past!!

Check it, yo.  It's like a thing of supreme awesome.

Here is what happened with my Little Linear...

Complete Torture Destruction Nightmare.  No, really, it's true yo.  It's such a mess, it's stuck on my chair.  My chair has been violated.

Yes, that's the crap by my chair.  I've been a bit busy.  Or lazy. Or sad.  It's hard to say.

Now, to why I'm happy about this mess.  We're moving back into our house!!!  Oh sweet, sweet knitting books!  Come home to Momma!!  Well, moving back in, unless of course you totally want to buy my house between now and January 11th.  Yeah, I didn't think so.

We're repainting the Pigs' rooms, and unbunking the beds.  We're home, and so are my knitting books.

Sometimes I look like this.  Mostly when I'm doing my super awesome embodiment of Grace, Grange duties.  Look how funky fresh I look in that dress, yo!

 



I may even be all respectful at some times-but it doesn't last...

Because really, you've got to defend what you believe in.

"NO WHITE SHOES AFTER LABOR DAY!!!"

 

On football day, I have been known to be optimistic, and a wee bit on the "awh, hell no ref! That is bullshit!" side.

 

 

Now sometimes, I just need to beat the shit out of stuff.  Most of the batting cages are closed, so now, I've got to do the best I can.  NO closets are safe!!  You will bow down to my organization!!

 

 

Glad to be back!!  Here's to many more adventures!!

To wake, or to contact?

The Ogre has been worrying about my ability to wake up in the morning.  It has been my goal, since having the Pigs, to sleep in until 8 am.  Due to this grand desire, I tend to sleep pretty aggressively.  Yes, aggressively.

The room must be dark.  Dark like a night in the woods.  It must be silent.  Ok, all noises made by humans, dogs, cats, will be ignored.  Zombies, werewolves, clicking, water running or bunnies being eaten by coyotes will be responded to.  Often with a shovel.

The Ogre has been traveling for work.  Here is a partial list of things that stress him out:

• House will burn down


• Furnace will stop working


• Furnace will stop working and house will burn down


• Holly will ignore the alarm, everyone will be late for work/school

Sure, a normal person gets an alarm.  I killed my last two alarms.  Oddly enough, I beat the crap out of them when they made loud noises before 8 am.

Because of the previously mentioned travel, and the list of fears, the search for an alarm clock, no a sturdy alarm clock, was on.

I considered the Moonbeam Clock from L.L.Bean.



It's sleek design, and L.L. Bean's liberal return policy  made it seem like an excellent choice.  Sadly, while reading the reviews, the moonbeam clock was noted as having "a freakishly loud tick for an electric clock."

Ok, I can't possibly have a clock that sounds like the dislocated arm of a hunchbacking zombie.  I'd be all full alert and never get any sleep.

Soo, to ease the Ogre's mind, I decided "Yes!  I will get an alarm clock!  The perfect alarm clock that can charge my ipod, and wake me up!  That way the Ogre won't have to worry."

Here is my perfect alarm clock...

This is the ihome blah, blah, alarm clock ipod charger, with awesome music wake up.

Actually, it's so cool it has 2 alarm time presents!

Ok, notice that large blue display area?  That is actually NOT a time telling device, but an alien landing strip guidance light.  Yes, from space, intelligent life forms can see this light, home in on it's amazing ipod charging frequency and, and, keep me the hell from getting a good night sleep.

So, if you work for SETI, I suggest investing in one of these clocks.  If you'd like to save electricity and not turn on your lights while getting dressed, again, this clock is for you.

If, IF, you want to sleep in a dark, peaceful room, DON'T BUY THIS CLOCK.*

*Please note:  This is meant as a humorous post.  The ihome alarm clock is actually AWESOME.  It does have a dimmer function.  It has three brightness settings:  Alien landing signal, Read a book by, Hey! Look a clock!, and NO LIGHT.

Go, buy the clock.  It charges, it plays and makes sweet, sweet love to your ipod every night.

Wait! I'm still here!

Hi All,

As normal, I've been off having adventures.  Sadly though, a lot of my recent adventures have been tied up with great loads of SUCK.

No, I don't want to talk about it.  I want to be sad, drink white wine, and give lot's of hugs.

So...

Love to all, remember your family.  Make time for the things you love to do.  I said things you love to do not THINGS.  Have that adventure, take that chance, be good to others, and enjoy the ride.

Loads of crazy love,

Holly B. aka knitwithsnot