Florida

Just a big quick hug for everyone out there in internet land. I'm in Florida, it is beautiful, and we found out today that there are no 2 bedroom homes available, so they are giving us a 3 bedroom. Happy Birthday! My boys reunion in the airport was as adorable as could be imagined, with the Monkey yelling "Daddy!" and running down the hall to him. I'm even getting some knitting in :)
More when things are a little more stable, even with a finished object or two.

Hurray!

Just got a call from Marc and on-base short term housing does have room! Funny how these things change in just a day. Packing up all my stuff today, finishing Christmas preparations. Last night I gave up on sewing a paintbrush roll (same as a knitting needle roll, just for paint brushes) when I couldn't find any cute red fabric so I just bought one and feel so much better for it. Actually read the instructions for Knucks and am putting them together correctly this time. Fell asleep with them in my hands while reading EZ's Knitting Workshop and had knitting dreams. Awesome.

Motivate me!

I have so much to do right now that I am overwhelmed to the point of complete inactivity. Every new thing I remember I need to do makes me want to do everything less. When the Monkey decides he wants lunch I'll probably lapse into a coma.
Thursday at 0700 we fly to Utah.
Friday the movers come and pick up all our crap stuff. This in a way terrifies me, because they are supposed to inventory everything which means opening all my terribly packed boxes. They will see that I've packed my dishes with tshirts, that my Kitchenaid is wrapped in a feather duvet, and the last several boxes I packed are helpfully labeled as "Stuff" and "Things."
Saturday we fly to Florida (!) to finally see that guy I think I married or something. It has been a long time.
Who knows what happens after that. According to my planning-ahead-kind-of-a-guy, he informs me last night that there is no room in apartment-style billeting (short term housing). There is also no on-base housing available. Freaking awesome. At least our car will be there by then, as it was my job to have it shipped.
Perhaps some accountability will get some things done here though. Today I need to:
-get suitcases, which can not happen before mom gets home (no car) done!
-Michaels for candy bags (also must wait) done!
-divide up candy amongst recipients (five kinds! yum!) done!
-glue tops on Ukrainian eggs and divide them up done!
-pack in a preliminary fashion, or at least clean room done!
-vacuum
-bake bread done!
-get fabric and sew SIL a paint brush roll on my mom's crappy sewing machine (also needs a car) done without the work-I bought one!
-mail hats for Soaring Eagle Project
-order cat drinking fountain for my sister

Stupid Cheetos...

You know, Christmas is getting close. I'm running out of time to screw around and knit non-gift stuff. I've even hung up my sock for the time being (after doing a really cool short row heal thanks to the fabulous advice from Misocrafty and the Knitting Fiend). So when I screw something up and waste a day, I am rather frustrated. I started a quick hat for my Monkey today. I want to give him something that isn't silly and last minute; we probably will still be in temp housing on base on Christmas, and that doesn't really lead to a festive atmosphere. I think. This is all new to me, I'm literally making up what it is going to be like in my head.
Anyway, started a cute easy hat for him while riding to the Train museum today, while watching him play in the Thomas exhibit, while riding the Santa Express train. And I was just not happy with my stripes. All wrong, somehow. Damnit. After ripping multiple times, but not as far back as really needed it, I cast off the cursed three inches and called it a headband. Enjoy it, Mom, but please don't wear it tomorrow, I don't really want to look at it right now.
Also, the bag of chips I confiscated from the monkey are kind of stale. Or perhaps that is how baked Cheetos are supposed to taste.
Why don't I ever knit something chunky?
I did figure out a jogless stripe though, desperately thinking back to reading instructions in Knitty maybe a year ago.

Shedir, again!

At Thanksgiving my brother was in town, and was blown away by the complete awesomeness of my Shedir hat. Plucking it from my head, he instructed me to "make mine about an inch longer, and a color that looks good with desert cammo"(he is in the army, and will probably be wearing desert cammo soon.) Done! Same pattern modifications as last time, with the exception of knitting 9 or 10 rows of plane ribbing before getting to the good part.

Hot dog Christmas time rocks. Big time motivation to get lots and lots of smaller projects done, ignoring large projects that you worked on all summer but still haven't finished. Ahem. Not that I don't have two of those.
Tomorrow starts candy week for me as well. If I do one different type of candy each day before I hop on a plane and begin several days of wandering the country I will have plenty of delicious snacks (and cavities) to put in everyone's basket.

Shedir, take 2

Saturday night I started another Shedir, with the goal of finishing it by tomorrow. Inexplicably, it is taking all my discipline to stick to knitting this hat for my brother, and not, say, turn the heel on my brainless sock-in-progress. Socks for me, because I'm selfish. When I knit this pattern for myself I couldn't put it down. I seem to be feeling a wee bit grinchy today. Not grumpy, grinchy. I finished and mailed off a custom order for a half dozen Ukrainian eggs yesterday; I should concentrate on the warm glow of accomplishment finishing something for someone else brings. On the other hand, a half-finished shedir does make a lovely tree topper.