Grading, Grading, Grading!!!

It's been a while, and I apologize. I've been under a pile of papers. Grades are due tomorrow, and every year I vow to keep up with the enormous amount of paperwork that I amass, and every year I am racing to the finish line. No one goes into teaching because they love grading, but some have a really good system of keeping up with it. I am not one of those people. (If you are, and have any helpful time management tricks for me, please let me know. I really could use all the help I could get.) So I finally finished most everything that I needed to do this afternoon. I still need to put comments on the report cards. My students seem to fall into 3 categories. The first is the brilliant ones. They probably could do everything with just the book. I am there for entertainment purposes. Every year I have about 10 - 15 of these. These are the kids who challenge my mind. Then I have the majority, who are doing fine. If they study they get A's, if they don't they get B's and C's. I was one of these kids - and finally is the bottom of the barrel group. They either don't get it, or don't care. They keep me challenged as a teacher and I enjoy these kids a lot. I love helping them, and seeing their grades rise. Over the years I have realized that there are some who I'm not going to reach, and though that is tough, I don't take it personally any more.
Needless to say there isn't much to report on the knitting front. I have decided to buy many more Christmas gifts then I originally thought. I was getting frustrated not having the time to knit for myself. So I finished a few gifts, and all of the rest of my family will get lovely things from the store. I think all will be happy. (This whole statement is purposely vague, because I believe I have a friendly lurker who should not have any information!)
If any one knows Mike Lowell, tell him he should come back to Boston!

P2K

Halloween is an EVIL holiday!

Remember this?

Well I turned it into this:









Yep, it is the ultra soft, cashmere/silk blend and I love it. I still have about a half a ball left and I want to make it into a headband, I think.
So, yes, I do believe that Halloween is EVIL. Not because of all of the ghosts and goblins, but because of all of the candy that is hanging around. For some reason we had very few trick or treaters this year (last year 4 bags wasn't enough - this year, we didn't finish the first bag!!) So needless to say we have an absolute ton of candy hanging around here, and people at work have felt the same way, and brought their candy into work. It is pure EVIL. I have been riding a sugar roller coaster for about a week now, and I should know better because of my risk for diabetes. Oh well, I'll be better tomorrow. Right?

P2K

Christmas Gift #2

I finished the scarf for my mother. I'm very excited about it. The beads make it look very complicated and fancy, and really it was very easy to do. I also used 2 different yarns together - a metalic and a mohair. I am pleased with the way that it turned out, and I think that my mother will like it too. It is different, and a little funky, and Mom is into that. I deserve no praise for completing a Christmas gift this early. My family does our Christmas exchange at Thanksgiving (When you are Jewish, Santa can come at any time) so I'm right on time. I'm hoping to complete a few more hats and scarves for Christmas. I've never made gifts for people, but I'm thinking that it is a good idea. In my family it is overwhelming how much we all get, and this way my presents will be meaningful, and I think people will appreciate them. In a way I feel like I'm saving money, because I already had the yarn - but I'm not! I am having a nice time doing small achievable projects, too!
Life around here is getting back to normal after winning the World Series. I am excited for that (I had to go to a therapist after the last World Series win so that I could learn how to go to bed at a decent hour - I had totally lost that skill!!) I have been very busy with school. I can't believe that the first term is almost over - the year is FLYING by. I am sure I will get into the swing of things in April, when they are almost finished. Isn't that always the way!
P2K

The Red Sox win

Whoooo Hooooo the Red Sox win! (I'll write more, and post current projects once I have caught up on some sleep!) Lots of love to all of you out there in Red Sox Nation!

P2K

R-H-I-N-E-B-E-C-K

I just looked at my comments, and V was asking if I had something to say about the Sox and Rhinebeck. Yes I do: I'M SO TIRED!!!!! (But in a really good way.)
So about the Sox, We're off to the World Series. I'm going to bed early tonight and tomorrow so that I can "save myself" for the late nights that are coming. I'm totally psyched, and went into work today wearing my Red Sox hat and Red Sox wind breaker, while carrying my Red Sox mug and my keys on my Red Sox key chain. (On opening day the schools around here had "wear your Red Sox stuff" day - and my husband begged me not to wear my RS underwear because he knew that I would be tempted to show it off - he was SOOOOO right. People commented on the enormous amount of paraphernalia I had on, and I told them all about my husband's underwear ban. I married a VERY smart man!)
Now on to Rhinebeck. OH MY GOD! It was so incredibly, totally and insanely phenomenal! I had been hearing that it was totally fabulous and let me tell you it is all true. I went with Yarn Safaris - Fantastic Fieldtrips for Fiber Fanatics. In August my friend from my knitting group and I, signed up for Peta's (the owner of Yarn Safaris) day trip to Rhinebeck. She ended up getting 100 people, (2 coach bus loads) to sign up. I was so incredibly pumped up for this! I told everyone, and got a lot of grief from most people. My co-workers kept telling me that there were going to be a bunch of blue hairs on the bus, and that I was crashing some senior citizens outing. I just looked at them and said, "I can't even respond, you are SOOO off base!" (We can talk to each other like this, because we're teachers and have been working together for almost a decade).
When I called my husband to see how he was doing with the girls I could hear the tentativeness in his voice when he asked, "Is it as good as you thought it would be?" (I know that he was thinking that I was going to be greatly disappointed because I had built it up so much in my mind.) So, when I responded, "It is, it really is!" He was very pleased.
I had been to state fairs before, but this one is so classy. There are stalls and stalls of fine yarn vendors. There was also a lot of spinning fiber, which I am going to put off for now. (I have a hard enough time going from yarn to product, I can imagine having to go from roving to yarn to garment, or even before that.)
I ran into some people that I knew from Boston, and met some other really fantastic people on our bus (I would say the average age was 35, thank you very much!) My friend that I went with was a fantastic travel buddy. We would separate for an hour or so, get together and eat, check in or have coffee and then go our own ways again.
I totally fell in love with Brooks Farm Yarns from Lancaster Texas. I also got some yarn from Oak Grove Yarns and Blue Ridge Yarns. This was just an amazing day, and I am actually pleased that I showed some restraint. It was an expensive day. Definitely not a day for saving money, but so totally worth it.
So now, I am extremely exhausted, VERY happy, and very pleased to go into work today and before even saying hello to my beloved co-worker (and she really is) I just looked at her and said, "You were SOOOO wrong!"

P2K

Look what I started!

Last night I stayed up very late to watch the Red Sox get beaten by the Indians - not fun! I think by the time I went to bed it was 2:30 in the morning. My husband was smarter than me and went to bed around 11:00. When he went to bed he knew that I had only 2 more buttons to sew on the baby sweater that has been giving me fits. However, it had to be done last night because we had plans to go to visit the happy family today.
So I finished my task in about 15 minutes, and then started on this awesome scarf. I'm having such a good time with it. It is pretty easy, and looks so fancy! Anyway, my comment to my husband this morning was, "Honey, let me show you what I started!" and his response was, "Aren't you supposed to say, 'let me show you what I finished'? I think this statement says a lot about you!" He's totally right.
Here are the pictures of the baby sweater. The parents loved it, which is the important thing - but next time I am definitely going solid!
P2K

Tea 1 Knit 2 Swap

Boy am I a lucky girl! I just opened the best package! My swap partner Shawnee just gave me the best gift. First you see the necessary accessories for a tea party - modeled by my 5 year old.

Then she gave me a great assortment of teas, a tea tin, biscotti, chocolates, honey sticks and terrific yarn.

and finally my favorite stuff, a tea cozy and tea strainer.

I can't thank Shawnee enough! This weekend, while my husband has the girls, I am going to have a little tea party and enjoy my new tea, and fabulous treats! I am sooooo excited! THANK YOU!

P2K