After some much needed sleep, I am starting to feel better.  A trip to the doctor's confirmed my suspicions - a sinus infection.  Thank goodness for the z-pack!

Besides sleeping, I have been knitting...

I swear that the ladies at my local yarn store must laugh when they see me coming.  They are thinking something like, "Oh, here's that lady who only buys the cashmerino aran one ball at a time."  Followed by, "At least her kids aren't with her."   I have now made five separate trips and have purchased six balls of yarn!  It hasn't been time efficient at all, but it is so satisfying to walk in and browse.  It is also helpful that the store is only a few blocks away.

Fatty's hat is complete and I have one project on the needles with three more small ones to come.  This small project knitting is so portable - I have been doing it in the carpool line, on airplanes and while watching TV.  It's easy to pick up and knit a row or two and then put down until I have a few stolen minutes.  Speaking of which, it's time to pick up Jane from school.

New York was great! So fun - everything I had anticipated and more.  I didn't take my camera along so I don't have any photos to share (Dumb of me, I know!).  I did make many little purchases and most of them are craft-related.  Here is smattering of fabrics I picked up at Purl Patchwork...

What a store!  It's itty-bitty, but because of the limited space, they only have the best.  Really, everything they have is sooooo nice.  It was hard choosing - I had to restrain myself.  There was so much more I wanted!  I am happy with my choices, though.  Looks like there will be some more of those patchwork belts in my near future.

My blog posting may be spotty this week - please bear with me.  I made some other purchases that I would like to share, but I came home to a full in-box, so to speak.  Mail, email, voice mail, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, costumes are all waiting to be tackled.  And then there's that sleep thing - I need to devote some extra hours to that, too.  I'll be back soon - hopefully tomorrow, but Wednesday at the latest.

A little peek at one of my favorite corners decorated for Halloween...

The jack-o-lantern is from my childhood and actually has a small bulb inside so it can light up the night.  I love having this - wish I could find someone to make them for J and K.

I'm off in the morning for a girls' trip to NYC.  Can't wait!  The thought of sleeping in, shopping (thank you, Susan, for the fabric store info) and good meals with good friends has me giddy.  First, though, I have laundry to put away, dinner to make, kids to bathe and, because I am a procrastinator, bills to pay and a suitcase to pack.

Have a great weekend!

One costume has been cut out (!) and apparently we are off to see the wizard this year.

J is going to be Dorothy and K is going to be Glinda, the Good Witch.  They really want me to be the Wicked Witch of the West.  I'm not dressing up this year, but if I were going to I'd choose the Wicked Witch of the East.  She had much better shoes!

I was able to check one thing off my list today:  Halloween decorations.

Mind you, I only got the outside completed.  And that spider web stuff, what a pain!  Thanks to Mailorder, I did manage to get started on the inside.

A couple of trips to the basement for a few more small things and then we'll be finished.

On to the next thing - costumes.  This one I am dreading.

We're back!  We had a great trip to Chicago this weekend.  I can never manage to do everything that I would like to when I am there and this trip was no exception.  Friday we went to American Girl and then spent some time with my sister-in-law Georgia and my nephew Ian.  Saturday, we took the girls to the Shedd Aquarium.  I hadn't been there since high school and it has changed a lot.  There is a great oceanarium with dolphins, beluga whales and penguins in addition to the wonderful assortment of fresh and salt water fish that I remember.  The Wild Reef exhibit is very cool, too.  Here we saw sharks and sting rays and many different types of coral.

The trip was really all about the dolls, though.  They went everywhere with us.  American Girl Place is quite amazing - lots of age appropriate fun!  I took plenty of photos - here are a few...

Jane's Elizabeth and Kate's Bitty Twin "Lucy" had their hair styled in the salon.  There were multiple styles to choose from and both dolls left with matching ribbons tied in their hair.  The mini salon chairs and purple capes were cute - the attention to detail is just amazing.

After choosing a new outfit for the dolls, we lunched at the cafe.  It is really cute - wide black and white horizontal stripes line the room with lots of hot pink daisy and button accents.  Very Dorothy Draper, I'd say.  The dolls each had their own little chair and miniature tea cup.  The food was good, but the dessert was great.  Look at how cute it is!  Chocolate mousse with cookie crumbs in a small green flower pot with a sugar cookie and petit four on the side.  Yummy!

Here is my favorite picture....the four little ladies toting their purchases on the way back to the car.  They had a lot of fun, but, man oh man, they were exhausted!

I am wiped out, too.  I have a lot to do before I turn around and leave town again on Friday and I am trying to figure out how I will squeeze it all in.  Laundry, groceries, Halloween decorations, costumes and more painting.  And sleep.  Definitely sleep.

The girls and I are leaving today for Chicago (my home town!) with my friend Lynette and her two daughters.  We'll be seeing my brother, sister-in-law and nephew and doing the aquarium, etc. with the girls.  I can't wait!  I am especially anxious to see little Ian - he's turning one next week and I have a car full of goodies.

While packing, I found the old ski hat I knit for Fatty.

Yep, black with blue and purple!  And look at what I knitted into the facing...

That's young love for you!

I'm bringing along some more knitting - this time for a Christmas present.  And because I cannot sit still, I have packed up my embroidery supplies, hoping to organize them while Lynette drives.

The anticipation of this trip has been unparalleled.  Can you guess our destination?

That's right: American Girl Place.  I have told the girls that they can each buy one outfit for their doll.  But I am likely to cave - I almost always do.  I am hoping I don't - keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have a great weekend - I will be back on Sunday or Monday!

It's finished - the little project I started awhile ago.

I was inspired to start this project when I read this post of Amanda's.  When I met Fatty (13 years ago!) I knit him a ski hat.  It was black with a green and red blue and purple fair isle pattern, knit in the round (it was so long ago, I can barely remember!).  We were living in Telluride.  Fatty had a real job as general contractor and I was a ski bum who waited tables and worked in the sports store.  Oh, I had just graduated from college and I was poor - so poor that I think he probably even bought the yarn for me!  He's that kind of guy.  When I read about Amanda knitter her hubby a hat every year, I thought that it was about time for a new hand knit for my man.  I referred to the Knitty pattern that Amanda used for the raglan decreases and I used the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran that it called for - it is so soft! And it was easy - done on straight needles and sewn up with a mattress stitch.

As I was nearing the end of my decreases, I started laughing out loud.  Fatty asked what was so funny.  I said, "I don't know why I am knitting you a ski hat - you wear a helmet!"  So now I guess it's an après ski hat.  Either way, he'll be looking good!