Bum Wrap (Curly Purply)

Dawn had her 4th pregnancy last year and produced adorable twin sons! I sent her a bit of William's left-over premie clothing and now I get to knit a few soakers for them. She has made one for each of the 3 she's got in diapers out of this pattern. I used up some leftover purple Wool of the Andes. I hope they fit! I used some bits of leftover yarn to put a Q and H on them (for Quentin and Hyrum)

More monster socks

This pair used up not two, but three bits of leftover sock yarn! Certainly not beautiful, but wonderfully frugal!

Alzheimer's Public Policy Forum 2008

I received a scholarship to attend the Public Policy Forum in Washington D.C. this year. The catch was that I had to share a room with the director of our local Alz. Assoc. The scholarship was apparently limited, I never received specifics. Everything came through the director. Next year I would wish for firm information in hand.
The best part of the week was the event Monday from 9 to noon. It was a Town Hall meeting in which the Alz. Assoc. listened to people with dementia. The moderator asked that caregivers not speak. Unfortunately some of them didn't follow the rules :( It was nice to hear others who are walking this path with me share their experiences, their opinions and their hopes. Next year I hope we have a break out session during the public policy forum just for people with dementia. Once the town hall was over, it was challenging to identify the people who had spoken. I was fortunate in that I was able to finally meet some people I have become friends with through the internet dementia support system. I met James Smith, Jay Smith, Bill Bridgewater, Sue Pinder, Kris Bakowski and joined the Chuckettes and spent every second I could with my dear friend Chuck Jackson and his daughter, Rachel.
The last day on the hill was grueling. Walking, talking, sticking with talking points, supporting information with facts and figures. I think there is a learning curve with this event and next year I would be very careful to make certain a family member could travel with me. Even having one of my son's would have been a help. They know me and know my routine. having to ask for what I needed during the week was challenging. I need lots of quiet [alone time], I need to exercise daily, I need to have great internet access so I can update family and other PWD's about the event. The Hotel this year was phenomenal, but the internet access was pathetic.

Sarah's STASH!

After months of offering, I finally took Sarah up on the chance to "shop" her stash. This woman's stash has an ENTIRE room to itself! You know she's a quilter right off the bat because everything is organized by color and it's georgous. Sarah's secret? She buys clothes from thrift stores and recycles them into bags, quilts, clothes *anything*! She's amazing! The local paper has picked up her story and plans to do a feature on her. She's been featured on crafster for her recycled bag out of bags. We sorted through every teal fabric she had and settled on one. Now I have to get busy and find time to sew the addition to my bag before I take off for D.C. tomorrow morning.
Sarah has special clothes hanging in the closet, they're all linen. She also has 3 dresses, hand smocked by her mother, from her own childhood. She is one incredible woman!
What I won't show you is the cabinet full of recycled yarn. She's neatly wound them into cakes, kept the original tag and placed them all in large ziptop plastic bags. She even offered to let me "shop" that stash. I remained strong as I now have a "real" stash of my own (according to Sarah).

another kitty pi

A few months ago I was on a big stash busting adventure and would CO for another quickie one-two skein project each Sunday. This is a hodge-podge of wool that should have, by all rights, been a pair of Fuzzy Feet, but we didn't need any at the time (William has since trashed not one but TWO pairs.) So I threw together this kitty pi bed. I hate to report that they are not using it as much as the other one. This one is a glorified cat litter box mat at the present :(

Tabi Socks for William

First attempt, knit on size 1's using JaWool for his size 9 foot. Next time I'd tweek how I did the toes, but other than that it seems to be a hit. He's already ordered another pair, knit in heavier yarn for a pair of slippers.

Cinco de Mayo at Molly's la Casita 2008

The photos are numerous, but oddly enough I don't think I'm in any of them.

On the Road Again (for Kendo)

William had another team practice for the South East Kendo Federation national team. We drove to Crossville and stayed with Margo, Peggy and Mattie. Gracious and accomodating, we always crash there on these easternly trips. Then it was onto North Carolina for the practice and I met up with Ellen from the soft coated Wheaten Terrier yahoo group. The weather was stunningly beautiful and the dogs were great. We met her 3 and got some sun. After a great dinner (no photos) we crashed at a basic hotel and checked email then left the next day for an extra practice in Knoxville with Hyun-sensei. William worked hard all weekend. We're very proud of him! On Sunday he was so tired after Geiko with Hyun-sensei that he thought he was going to pass out and/or be ill. He drank some, breathed, focused and went back for more!