Happy thanksgiving to one and all!

What I'm serving today:
Roast turkey with gravy
stuffing
home made cranberry relish
cream of corn from Honeybaked Hams (yummy)
my homebaked ham
carrots and brussell sprouts with almonds in garlic sauce
home made mashed potatoes with garlic
pumpkin bars with sour cream frosting from fresh pumpkin
chinese green salad with sesame dressing
sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows

whew! That's a lot of food!

Finished

Here is the finished Live Oak Shawlette:

A Star!

My daughter Emily is getting an award today for scoring really high in her STAR tests. Although my kids are homeschooled, we are still a part of the public school system. Under Horizon Charter School, we are provided books, curriculum and budget to take elective classes. We report to a teacher every 21 days, who then checks and makes sure we are following "the rules" of the public school system. We've been with Horizon for years now and we like the system.

I also know that homeschooling works for us as evidenced by the high STAR test scores my kids have. These tests are given by the state every year in April. My Matthew also excelled in all 4 test subjects he's taken (Math, Language Arts, Science and History). While home schooling is not for everybody, it works for us. And what about "socialization" as I'm often asked. My kids don't lack in socialization and activities. Our church activities keep them busy every week, non-stop, that Matthew had to give up one or two activities due to lack of time.

So far, this is what I've knitted of the Live Oak Shawlette. I like the pattern. It's very easy to follow and not boring.

This is one of the window displays at the H&M store at the Roseville Galleria. Pardon the blurriness of the picture. I did not have my camera, just my iPod.

We also went to Krispy Cream and got a dozen donuts. Emily picked this one as her favorite.

I wake up at 3 am in the morning and this is what I pick up:

When I was at Tuesday morning, I found some sock weight yarns, Araucania, wool/silk/nylon blend, on sale for $5.99 and 6.99 per skein. Not sure about the price difference but I bought 3 skeins, about 430 yds per skein. Not bad. I have a lot of ongoing projects but this one helps me with the insomnia problem.

The project is the Live Oak Shawlette from Knitscene Fall 2011.

When the anxiety kicks in, I turn to this project to get my mind off of thinking too much. Yesterday afternoon, I felt the anxious thoughts coming on. I decided to dance to the Wii. After 2 songs, it worked. I felt much better. Not only that, I was able to take a refreshing nap. It helped with the shortness of breath. I probably got about 5-6 hours of sleep last night, including the 3 am waking. I was able to get back to sleep, thank God! I have to cope with this perimenopause thing one day at a time.

I have been trying not to write this because it depresses me. I hate being sick and this chronic cough is getting the better of me. There is this one gadget that saved my sanity. It's called a Peak Flow Meter. First of all, my Xray came out fine and so did my Spirometry (breathing test). So, what could be wrong with me? Asthma?

I have been to my doctor 3 times this month and twice last month. No one even suggested a Peak Flow Meter. Finally, with the last visit, he explained to me how it works. My meter reading was very good. I wasn't experiencing an asthma attack at all.

So, I've been using this meter everyday now, for over a week, and I only had to use my albuterol once (before my exercise session with the treadmill).

I am, however, also perimenopausal. And if I was to believe everything I read on the internet, declining hormones can completely get you all wacked out. Big time.

Here are some of my symptoms:
1. anxiety (tightness in the chest, shortness of breath)
2. insomnia ( I wake up at 3 am in the morning, regularly)
3. Acid reflux (gerd)

All of the above happens around dinner time and before I go to bed. I am even afraid to go to bed nowadays, anticipating the oncoming attacks.

What relaxes me? KNITTING and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. AND, my faith in God , that He will deliver me from all of these. I am totally in His hands. If only I will remember to not worry.

Living with Asthma

I think I have asthma. Further tests are being done. I passed the first breathing test and my Xray is okay but I have chest tightness and cough. It is scary especially at night. It's hard to sleep and breathe. And sometimes, I think all of it is just in my head. I get panicky when I think I can't breathe and so, I can't breathe. A vicious cycle.

Knitting relaxes me and alleviates the panicky feeling I get. I knew it was good for something--lol!

This is the cloth I wove yesterday. Yarn used is Peaches and Creme cotton yarn.

Weaving on a Hazel Rose Loom. I bought this loom from their website, set it aside for a few years, and have now just picked it up. Quick gratification since you finish really fast.

Latest spinning news: 4 ounces of Merino Silk variegated roving (Before)

Handspun singles on the wheel (after)

The grimace on Emily's face was not really a grimace. Her mouth was just too full of deep fried Oreo goodness. Waiting for her was a slab of tater twists, all bought at the Santa Cruz boardwalk--lol! We had a wonderful mini vacation at Santa Cruz. I swear, all we did was eat.

We checked in at the Best Western Suites near the Boardwalk. I honestly don't remember ever using Best Western. It's a little more expensive than Motel 6 but not as pricey as Holiday Inn. So, I signed up for a 2-queen bed room for 4 people. As we checked-in, they upgraded us for free to a two-suite room with a king-sized bed, a queen bed, a sitting room, mini kitchen, and huge bathroom. Whoa!!

Here is Emily taking over the master suite. Have I mentioned that there were 2 huge TVs as well?

Here are hubby, Emily and Matthew at the beach. The water was still cold.

Emily and Matthew (and me taking the picture) waiting for Dad. He rides with them. I have vertigo and therefore, cannot ride.

Picture taken in front of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. We had a mini vacation to Santa Cruz, and on the way back home, we stopped by WMH. I've been there in the early 80's and found this place really weird. It still is, 29 years later. The kids were fascinated by all the weirdness and the way Sarah Winchester had the house built. I'm going to include the link to the
house and you can read more and see some pictures. During the tour, we were not allowed to take ANY pictures, specially inside the house. They want you to go there and see for yourself. Outside, on the grounds, you can take limited shots but by then, I was too tired to even care. The tour of the house inside and outside took 2 and a half hours.

This is a finished shawl, designed by Stephen West, called
Daybreak. It was an easy shawl to knit. I used a cotton/wool blend yarn called Cestari. I'm not sure if they still make/sell this yarn though.

This last shawl is called the Ginger Leaves Shawl. I've seen a similar design from Evelyn Clark's Triangular shawl book where it teaches you how to design your own shawl. I enjoyed knitting this one as well.

I thought I'd share one of my own designs.

My cousins from Canada are here for a visit. We took them to the Jelly Belly factory. Inspite of the long line and 30 minute wait, I think they enjoyed it. The free candy also helped. We also bought some of our own favorites at $9.00 per pound of Jelly Bellys. They had some odd flavors which fortunately we did NOT try: Barf, Pencil Shavings, Booger, Toothpaste, Skunk Spray, Rotten Eggs, Canned Dog Food, Moldy Cheese, Centipede and Baby Wipes.

The yellow blob of lace knitting is now finished and here is the shawl. Sunflower fields shawl, with Emily modelling.

A new shawl in the making: Sunflower Field Shawl by Natalie Servant.

here's my version, so far:

I am using a hank of Knitpicks Merino Lace yarn which I hand dyed myself. I used a mixture of Yellow Sun and Astec Gold acid dyes. I think it turned out pretty yellow-lol!

This is the crocheted sock yarn blanket I am working on and it is growing slowly. It's getting heavier as well since each square is done with single crochet. Very dense even though I'm using a size G hook.

The Spitzbergen shawl as part of a Knit Along. It is finally finished, only one year late after the KAL ended. I used my own handpainted lace yarn. I should have used a single color lace yarn but I couldn't resist the Merino softness of this one. The picture is upside down since I couldn't figure out how to flip it over. Oh well.

Spinning Cashmere! This is a really old supported spindle that I bought years ago. It's a super spinner. You spin on that little dent in the center of the block. I've finished and washed the yarn and will soon post a picture.

Alien flower from space. I was so impressed with this flower from the San Francisco Zoo. Lots of different varieties there.


Some proof that I've been knitting. One of those long fingerless mitts that can cover the whole hands but when folded down, becomes fingerless. I have no idea what it's called.

Things I notice about myself lately:

1. I am very impatient.

2. I don't really care if the Sacramento Kings stayed or not.

3. I'm sad that Arnold and Maria are splitting up after 25 years of marriage.

4. I love my kids no matter what. I don't like what my oldest is doing with her life but she's still my oldest and I can only pray for her.

5. I like exercising, working in the garden, and re-decorating and doing the laundry.

6. I cannot just sit and watch TV. I have to do something with my hands.

7. I prefer listening to podcasts and audiobooks.

8. I love knitting and crocheting equally.

9. I have way too much yarn.

10. I love, LOVE, my iPod.

Emily: Any new Willow?

me: No.

Emily: Darn!