Clever, clever people :-)

This is so clever I had to share.  I picked it up from Lexi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d9NF2edxy-M

Totally ignoring my own absence around here, apparently when life gets busy the blog gets left behind, LOL!

Penultimate Day

So it's the second last (penultimate) day of 2011.  Seems like there's still a fair whack of clearing the decks to go LOL!

I've copied the list to here and have made notes to inspire me to get myself moving today and tomorrow!

So this year's House Clear the Decks is as follows:
Kitchen windowsill   Still dusty/leafy.
Kitchen bench (where all the papers from kinder/school land) Still a pile a foot deep.
Hand washing (mostly hand knits) Round one done, up to round two.
Under the bed (mine-where the yarn hides out) Had the yarn out, does that count?
Clothes washing away every day (slim chance but hey lets add it anyway!) There's only yesterday's load out at the moment, lets not talk about last week, slips syly away.
File the filing (currently in a box or two or three in the corner of my bedroom) Still there
Bed side table (including: read the books and return them to their owners) Still there

The Crafting Clear the Decks list is:
Scarf for Teacher #1  Done and delivered
Scarf for Teacher #2 Done and delivered
Cowl In Progress - was at 5 repeats on 8/12 is now at 11 repeats complete out of 18, nice progress there.
Shawl for me Done - just needs blocking - a job for today
Binding onto quilt for Libby's baby Done and delivered


Results:
The Crafting list got a lot of attention this month, perhaps that's why the House list suffered :-)
Today:
Looks like the kitchen is getting a once over, my shawl is getting blocked and the hand washing is getting done, perhaps I might make it back to under the bed and give it a vacuum or a sweep as well (or maybe the child who loves using the vacuum can have a go!).  Will also work some more on the cowl while supervising/watching the boys play.  
Ongoing
The filing and bedside table look like they make the long term list!  


Summary

A pretty successful Clearing the Decks, especially if I manage the kitchen, blocking and washing today.  I'll pop back in later for an update.

So how did your Clearing the Decks go this December?


We've had a wonderful Christmas, very low key, no events at our house, we've seen both sides of the family and even extended cousins but no major stresses and the usual Christmas baggage just didn't appear so it's been a nice change.  The kids received a few well chosen gifts and have spent the last few days working out how games are played (lots of board/people based games), where to put the pieces in the 200 piece puzzle of Where's Wally?, how the popcorn maker works and today will be how the Animal Kingdom Mini Cake maker works.


Best Wishes to you all for a Happy and Healthy 2012.

Slowing down

It seems funny to be two days before Christmas and writing about slowing down but, yes, we are, and I am, slowing down.  Yesterday the two big boys finished at school and on Tuesda the littlest one finished up.  So as of this morning, we are slowing down.  All of the child related Christmas events have ended: Kinder break up for the child's group and for the whole Kinder, Childcare break up, Class Christmas parties, School Carols and Sports night, Orientations for next year, tennis and swimming lessons are done for the year as well.  My Committee related events have finished up: AGM, Handover, End of Year Christmas Party, tieing (why is that not a real word? To tie doesn't have a "y" why would tieing be spelt tying?)  up loose ends on the positions I've held this year.  Now I just have to put things into the right piles and pass them onto the next people holding the positions. Everything is starting to slow down.  We've had Christmas with my family earlier in the month and we are doing Christmas lunch with Jules' family and then lunch with his cousins on Boxing Day and that's it.  Nothing here, just us and possibly my sister and BIL and niece at some point, all nice and easy.  Ahhhhhhhh.  Nice!

The clearing the decks has been happening in fits and starts, it's amazing how much less time I've had this month compared to last month.  Here I was thinking I'd have time to clean and in the end everything is in pretty much the same state as at the beginning of the month.  Oh except we've been out to various functions and knitting has been happening for gifts so other stuff has been happening, just not clearing!  But between Christmas and New Years we have no plans so that's when it will be happening, I hope!

Onto the knitting.

I'm working on a cowl in Black Wollmeise for a friend.  It's coming along nicely, almost halfway there.  I was knitting on it yesterday at a friend's house while watching the boys play in the pool and it's such a simple pattern it just keeps going around and around, relaxing really.

I've made two scarves for the Teachers of the big boys.  I dove into the stash and came up with two skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure silk, one in a beautiful off white and the other a pink I'm having trouble describing, so you'll just have to look at the pictures.  I think it has been described as Strawberry, but there's less red than I'd expect for Strawberry.  I winged the pattern, wanted something patterny on the ends and plain through the middle, so played until something looked good :-)

Have cast on for a pair of socks, the yarn was at the ready, the pattern is Cookie A's Sake which is very pretty, have worked out whether I need to make adjustments because the pattern is only for one size.  Once I've done that I'll be casting on :-)

Clear the Decks

Must be December, oh yes, we're on to day 2 already!  Definitely time for another round of Clearing the Decks in December.  I like the feel of facing a new year with a clean house.  It makes a big difference to my attitude to the year.  I certainly wasn't in the mood to do it last year, the end of which was completely stressful.  But this year I'm all good for Christmas (haven't bought the pressies yet, but I'm ok with that), and I'm looking forward to the festive celebrations followed by our annual trek to the beach in January for a round of camping with the kids.

So this year's House Clear the Decks is as follows:
Kitchen windowsill
Kitchen bench (where all the papers from kinder/school land)
Hand washing (mostly hand knits)
Under the bed (mine-where the yarn hides out)
Clothes washing away every day (slim chance but hey lets add it anyway!)
File the filing (currently in a box or two or three in the corner of my bedroom)
Bed side table (including: read the books and return them to their owners)

The Crafting Clear the Decks list is:
Scarf for Teacher #1
Scarf for Teacher #2
Cowl
Shawl for me
Binding onto quilt for Libby's baby

I think that's enough for now.

So what will you be clearing up this December???

To market, to market

I'm off to the Ivanhoe Maker's Market this weekend.  Saturday that is.  The market recently relocated to the Livingstone Community Centre in Ivanhoe and it's a wonderful new location. There are lots of lovely stall holders with food, flowers, jewellery, bags, knitted goods, paper products and more.  Come for a visit, have a mosey around and remember Christmas is just around the corner and you may just find that unique gift you need to make it extra special this year!

On a finishing run

It's been a busy weekend over here.
Two knitted projects got all finished up - one a long term, large project which I will be sending off to it's new home on Monday.

And the other a short term small project, a pair of socks for my Father-in-Law.

One quilt was sewn together apart from the binding. A trip to Sp*tlight or my favourite, GJ's, is required to find something appropriate, probably a navy or a forest green.  That is a job for Monday as well.

And four Quilt-as-you-go blocks were made and all packaged up to be sent out tomorrow to Jan Mac who makes them into quilts and donates them to various charities.  This has been on my list of things to do since January so it's nice to cross that one off.

Now it's time to pack up all the boxes and crates and hide away all my fabric again.

All in all a great weekend!

It's his Birthday

So he got to sleep in.  Got juice and toast in bed after opening his presents.  Got to have a mostly lazy day including arvo tea at his Mum and Dads.  It's not everyday your hubby turns 40!  Happy Birthday Babe.  His party is next weekend and he's really looking forward to it which is great.  I got him a voucher from Red Balloon to go for a drive in a Lamborghini, many thanks to D who helped keep that one hush hush by doing the purchasing for me.

I have been knitting stuff for me, having a stall at a local market, doing work for Kinder including interviewing prospective teachers for next year, knitting a commission which should be finished in the next 24-48 hours, cleaning odd bits of the house, starting eleventy billion knitting projects, recovering from 4 Boot Camp classes :-)

So, Boot Camp.  It's great, it works you hard, I've been feeling it as a general used all over tiredness and stiffness for the day of and 2 days after.  Nothing odd, just what I'd expect.  The less floppy flab is definitely a bonus 2 weeks in.  I do have to admit to internally groaning on Wednesday morning at the thought of Boot Camp on Thursday but I've paid for the term so I'm not wasting money by not going.  Tomorrow will be class #5.  So far none of the classes have been similar let alone the same so there is no boredom.  The fact that the instructor can't count and says we'll just do this 2-3 times if we have time and then we work hard and then she sneaks a 4th round in just means she's doing her job and we are suckers for believing her in the face of multiple events of  miscounting :-)

So the knitting is continuing, the Kinder year is coming to an end as will my term as Treasurer (trying not to do this again next year), Jules has turned 40 and tomorrow I submit myself to the self imposed torture that is boot Camp yet again.  All is good!