Freedom

My summer is officially ending. I finished at the hospital last Friday, and I'm back at the school this week trying to get everything as ready as possible - because vacation starts on Saturday! The tricky bit is that we get back on the following Saturday and football starts Monday [insert big crazy grin of trepidation here]. So it's been a few days of cleaning and sorting and organizing, as always. I need to take my camera with me so I can show you my new toy. Really have to get into the paperwork today, boo.

But there's other stuff going on around here as well. Like a trip to the zoo!
We took a different approach this year, and road the tram up to the Primate/Fish house first thing (because we never manage to make it up there) and the kids loved it! Mason and Aubrey are very big fans of the monkeys. We saw this adorable (but supposedly fierce) cat and I wanted to take him home.
He was most agitated and vigilant. And this was why.
His new neighbor. Poor little kitty - didn't seem to be a big fan of a bigger kitty moving in next door. The big kitty was unfazed by it all.

I think Mason could have watched the monkeys all day, the gorilla too.
Even though the gorilla wasn't as exciting, no swinging on ropes or anything fun like that.
Elliott is very good at impersonating the gorilla. I should have gotten a video. After the gorillas, it was down the hill, and a ride on the Australian train. I was really good this year, and took very few pictures of the animals. But then, I didn't get very many with people in them either, and neither did mom. Odd. After the roos and koalas, it was over to the dinos.
Not the best photo ever, but it's got all three of the kids, which isn't the easiest thing to do. Paul and Peg took pictures too, so I'm hoping they got some good ones. Then we headed over to see the giraffes.
Aubrey is definitely an animal lover. Which means that I can use her as my excuse to go to the zoo for years to come!

We went and saw the wolves, but the beavers didn't swim for us.
Should we worry that both boys felt the need to put their fingers up the nose?

We saw the bears and the seals/sea lions next.
A view from the upper deck at the seals, as I attempted to keep the boys from falling through the railing into the pool. It was time for lunch, and then we went to the Rainforest (again something we normally don't make it too because everyone has had enough).
The orangutan's are my favorite, and the baby was so cute, trying to get attention from this big guy.

A great day - even if it was crazy hot.

I've been trying to finish up as many of my knitting and spinning projects as I can before we leave. Monday night, I hit a speed bump.
And there was carnage. This is what happens when a knitter can't find the things she needs. This is me searching for blocking pins (which ended up being in a bag upstairs, where they totally do not belong). And after I had made a trip to the store to get new darning needles because mine had gone missing (and are still missing!) but before I couldn't find my blocking boards (which ended up being in the front hall closet?!). All around, not a good night.

And though I don' t have pictures yet, I've finished up the Tudor Grace scarf out of my handspun, and the spinning project I did for the month - "Life, Love, Laughter" - all 8 oz of it. Will hopefully be able to finish the Shaelyn shawl tonight or tomorrow so that it can be blocked before vacation.

Then comes the tricky bit - deciding what knitting projects to take with me!

Happy Fourth

Happy Fourth of July to all who celebrate it! Enjoy the fireworks and be safe.

Can't believe it's July already. Things continue to be busy around here. Sunday was Elliott's birthday bash. Before dinner was served, the rain and thunder began, so we ended up moving inside.
As you can see - everyone had a good time. Lots of iron man and Bumblebee themed gifts.
Anyone else having a flash forward to Halloween? I have a feeling that Paul and Peg will regret putting the gun on his wishlist.

Just saying. And sometimes, kids toys can baffle adults. No one could get the Transformer to fully transform, for fear of breaking it.
Tuesday we had a cookout for friends and family. And celebrated Sarah's birthday (which is the same as Elliott's).
The boys are very good helpers when it comes to candles. Then on Wednesday night, we went to the Indians game.
The boys in front of Bob Feller.
The view from our seats.
Aubrey was the only one of the kids not freaked out by our meeting with Slider.
We were all decked out in our Tribe gear. And it helped - Tribe beat the Blue Jays 3-2.
Not that the kids let us watch much of it, but they had a good time and that's the important part.
And we've made a start on turning Sarah into an Indians fan - as she claims there's no chance that she'll become a Steelers fan (silly Cowgirls fan).

I finished a spinning project this week.
My "Verdigris" fiber, made into a lace-weight single (first ever single that stayed a single) and I love it. I should probably admit that I have about another ounce to spin up, but this 870 yds filled the bobbin, so it got taken off and finished. I'll finish the spinning a little later, maybe after I finish my new spinning project:
That is 8 oz of Crown Mountain Fibers BFL in "Life, Love, Laughter". So pretty.
I had thought to spin it up a bit thicker, but it had other ideas. The prep is a pencil roving so it's hard to get it to be real thick anyway. But this is my spin for the Tour de Fleece (yep we knitters/spinners celebrate a lot of sporting events don't we?)

I started some new knitting projects this week too. First, a lacy scarf with my handspun "Picnic Basket":
Nice and simple, so it should go fast. Which means that it will take forever. Just because I said that.

And then Friday night, I cast on for a Shaelyn shawl with my very favoritest yarn, Smooshy.
In "Midnight Derby", the same color I used for the pirate hat and mitten set I made for C4 awhile ago. Also, a nice simple but pretty pattern, that should work up pretty quickly. Seriously, I'm jinxing myself.

Yesterday, I went on a little trek with Meagan and Marcus to the West Side Market.
Total tourist picture, but it was only my second ever trip there, and the first was a field trip senior year in high school. It was loads of fun. This was my favorite booth:
Can you blame me? Granted I didn't look at each of the booths, but still, this one would still rank right up there. We had quite a spread for lunch when we got back to the house:
Very Frenchy-french in my opinion. We just needed to be sitting in a park with the Eiffel Tower in view for it to be complete. It was amazingly delicious, and we can't wait to do it again. Check out my Buckeye cupcake:
So sinfully good. Yeah - that's a PB cup in the bottom of the cupcake. Yum.

Alright, need to get some knitting done before we make the bison steak I bought yesterday, and then head out for the fireworks with Meagan. Happy Independence Day!