A Day in the Life of.....

Walk - Tomorrow - Rain or Shine

Tomorrow is the big day.  My Salmon sneakers and I are ready 0r as ready as someone who doesn't really walk alot (except at fiber events) can be.  About the fact that I keep mentioning my Salmon sneakers - well everyone that I know - from my mom to one of my work friends have commented on the fact that I have salmon colored sneakers.  Some want to know why I didn't get a regular colored pair (my wife) to loving the color (co-worker).  There have been discussions on what color they really are - people think pink, but they really are called salmon (I wouldn't have bought pink sneakers on a bet).

The really big deal is that I haven't owned a pair of sneakers (real ones) since the 80's.  Not that I haven't tried, but they just haven't worked for me.  Years ago I wore high top pony sneakers - they were light weight and comfortable.  Well I finally found ones that are also light weight and super comfortable.  Meet my GoLite Salmon Lime Lite Sneaker.  Wish us luck!!!

 

School Stuff

Well grades are in and this old lady didn't do half bad.  2 A's - one in Clinical Lab and the other in Psychology.  Now on to the fall - which if it doesn't kill me will make me a stronger person....haha ya right.  Oh in case you all didn't know, I went back to school last fall - yup - Kelsie and I started college around the same time.  She of course is away doing college stuff and I am here slaving away at my job and doing college stuff.  I am studying to be a Medical Assistant.  You know, the person that weighs you, takes your temp and vital signs and has you pee in a cup.  Yup that is what I am studying to do.  Will I do that when I am done - not likely but it was something I was interested in and got my brain juices going again and maybe this time I will finish and get my degree - in something - and have that all mighty paper.  If I play my cards right I will graduate with my associates in 2013.  We shall see.  3.91 gpa - not too shabby for someone out of school over 30 years.   Mary and Cheryl did great as well.  We are all a pretty smart bunch of peoples.

Baby Hat with Pompom

Baby Hat with Pompom
Originally uploaded by ADITLO

One of the women who works near me is expecting her third child the end of this month. Now by the time you have 2 and are on your third, most everything is a hand me down. So since I had some baby color yarn, it is a little girl, and I wanted to practice making this hat and the pom pom - I cast it on on Monday and after a couple of false starts, finished it up last night. It calls for you to put the ear flaps first but I found it easier to do them after. I also like my decreases better then my increases so it worked out well. Hope she likes it.

Guard send off

3974
Originally uploaded by ADITLO

Today is a difficult day for my nephew. Last weekend Mary and I were priviledged to be able to take my sister and nephew into the TD Bank Garden where there was a send off for the largest group of Massachusett's National Guardsmen to ever be activiated at one time. 650 men and women have left or are leaving shortly. They are going to two of the most dangerous places in the world right now. The 101st artillery is going to be stationed in Afghanstan for the next year and the 1068 transportation is going to Iraqi. For a lot of these folks this is their second tour and for some their third. These are not men and women who chose to serve their country on a full time basis - these are the weekend warriors - the ones that go 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks during the summer, the ones that help at the 4th of July concert of the Pops, the ones that the state calls when there are floods and they need help sandbagging, moving people out, etc. These are the men and women who are our civilian soldiers.

Of course you are probably wondering what this has to do with us. Well my 45 year old brother in law, my nephew's dad is wheels up as of this morning. First stop Oklahoma, next stop Kuwait, third Iraqi. My brother in law Allen is a milk man. He drives a truck or works in the warehouse of a small independent milk company in Wilmington. This is his second tour - the first was right after the war was started and stopped (2003) when David was 5 - almost 7 years ago. Now he is leaving a young tween who better understands what is going on. He is also leaving a new son who will also be 5 this spring, the same age as David when he went the 1st time.

The Guardsmen did a great job at the send off but I know that the men and women would have much preferred more time with their families instead of listening to politicians talk, their families would have preferred that they didn't have to go at all and most of all everyone would preferred if this was over and done with.

Please keep the brave men and women of the 1068th transportation in your thoughts and prayers as they start this next year of their lives and realize that it is not only the people that chose the military as a career that are making sacrifices but it could be your mailman, your hairdresser, or even the Milk Man!!!!

Good luck Allen, keep your head down!

Riverstone

3923
Originally uploaded by ADITLO

This is the sweater that I knit for Olivia, Mary's grand niece - Melanie's daughter. I wanted something different and this was just that. The arms and top of the sweater are knit long ways and then you pick up stitches along the bottom of it and knit the body. I am a slow knitter but this didn't take me too long to do it. It is knit in Cascade 220 superwash in a demin color with Cascade 220 superwash in an off white as accent. The shoulders each have 3 little white rose buttons to keep it closed. The accent is not part of the pattern, I put a crocheted shell edging on the bottom to dress it up a little and make sure that no one would think she was a little boy. Hope it fits and she likes it. I am not even sure that she has seen it yet but if I don't blog now, I won't remember. And if you haven't checked out patternfish, this is a good opportunity to do just that. You won't find any free patterns but you will find some cool ones. Enjoy.

http://www.patternfish.com/patterns/2961

Baby 1 and Baby 3

Here are 2 of the new babies all ready for a rocking Christmas. I believe that this one (the brown and white)    is available and the black and white one is spoken for but there are plenty more where he/she came from. If anyone is interested they will be ready to go the 1st of February.

OH NO......

3590
Originally uploaded by ADITLO

Don't look now but there is knitting going on. Actually I have been doing quite a bit of knitting. I just keep forgetting to take pictures of it. This is a project that I finished this summer - stole back from Mel and Olivia and just realized I hadn't posted it. Very cute hat, made for a two year old - so doesn't fit just yet but fun to do, fun to pratice a little bit of color work and extremely easy. Could be for a girl or boy, just remove the flower on top.

What you get to see when you work in the woods....

 

It was interesting to see these on Friday on the way home and have one for dinner yesterday.

What we did on our summer vacation....

Well it was an interesting summer at the Blouin/Houlihan/Carmo residence.  I took the summer off and only worked one job, Cheryl took two college classes and did well on both, David had 2 really cool adventures with Boy Scouts, my mom made the decision to retire this fall (for sure this time), Jared made some hard decisions regarding school/GED/training program and is back at school this fall, Mary continued her job search and worked through some health issues (nothing serious), and Kelsie looked at some colleges, loved some, hated others and narrowed down her school choices to 8 colleges/universities. 

 

We also adopted not one but two bunnies that will be making appearances here at the blog for your viewing pleasure.  Y’all have met one already, Bela LaBunny, and the newest member is Gizmo, little bunny with big ears.  We built them a cage, and they are getting comfy on our sun porch.  As you all know, we have 4 cats as well and everyone of them is afraid of the buns.  It is too funny to see the big cats back up away from the 3 pound buns. 

 

Extended family has had an interesting summer as well.  Mary’s nephew/godson left for the Marines in August, 2 of Mary’s nieces got engaged, and Mary’s dad has been up to visit camp not once but twice already and is coming up for a third visit this weekend.  My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are adjusting to being empty nesters, my brother-in-law Alan is getting ready to go back to Iraq in January.

 

I think this is enough today.  More later.

On the Survey Wagon

Lifted from knitagator:

1. What time did you get up this morning?  5:49 a.m..
2. How do you like your steak?  Medium-rare 
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?   "The DaVinci Code"
4. What is your favorite TV show?  "CSI"
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  Some where it is warm but not hot, cool but not cold.
6. What did you have for breakfast?  Choc Chip muffin
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Chinese
8. What foods do you dislike?  Don't like super hot (spicy) food
9. Favorite Place to Eat?  I don't have one favorite!
10. Favorite dressing?  Thousand Island
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?  Hyndi Santa Fe
12. What are your favorite clothes?  Jeans,  and tees
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?  Ireland, Most of the US
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?  Depends on the day 
15. Where would you want to retire?  retire? what is that.
16. Favorite time of day?  whenever I am not at work
17. Where were you born?  Chelsea, Massachusetts
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?  football
19. Bird watcher?  yes
20. Are you a morning person or a night person?  middle of the day 
21. Do you have any pets?  yup - 4 cats
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?  I am getting a bunny
23. What is your favorite childhood memory?  Going out to lunch for my birthdays with my Grandmother
24. Always wear your seat belt?  Yes, always now!
25. Been in a car accident?  Yes, two times.  Both times I was hit by another car. 
26. Any pet peeves?  People who sing in the cube at work
    Favorite pizza toppings?  mushroom
27. Favorite Flower?  Lilies of the valley, violets 
28. Favorite ice cream?  Mocha chip 
29. Favorite fast food restaurant? Dunkin Donuts
30. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?  Once. 
31. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  what credit card?  None here
32. Do anything spontaneous lately?  Decided to get a bunny 
33. Broccoli?  Yes!
    What was your favorite vacation? Florida.
34. Last person you went out to dinner with?  Mary.
35. What are you listening to right now?  Machines, people typing, talking, coughing.
36. What is your favorite color?  purple. 
37. How many tattoos do you have?  one.
38. Coffee Drinker?  Yes, cream 2 sugars, hot or cold.