New Granddaugther

Well, time was not favorable for me to actually make it to my daughter's for the birth of her new daughter, but all is well and Autumn made her appearance on Oct 27th at 1:09 pm. She is 7 lbs 5 ozs and beautiful. Hoping to make it up there this next weekend to see the baby in person.
I am 3 sets of pattern into sock 2 of my Fawkes socks and started the toe up Nagini socks.
Home study for bg's adoption went well and we only have the physicals to go. The case worker was very encouraging.
On a sadder note, I think the time for putting our Old Lady Cat down is rapidly approaching. Her cancer is getting worse and she is losing more weight. She spends her time curled up on a towel in front of the heater. It will be very hard for me as OLC was born on my lap and is the last of her line stretching back to great-grandmother that we have had in our family. Her mother also died of cancer and was also born on my lap. OLC is 15 now as was her mom when she died. We have the new kitten to console us, but as all animal lovers know, it is not quite the same.

Lions and Tigers and Bears..Oh My!

well...not really those things...but sometimes feels like I am being chased this week.
Took a trip to visit son and daughter last weekend with our other son while he is home on leave. Walked around Mosquito Lake for a while and enjoyed the warm fall day and peaceful atmosphere. Then it was back home to hectic cleaning and getting paperwork ready for BG's adoption home study, packing an emergency bag in case daughter goes into labor before her due date, reminding people that they owe letters of recommendation for the adoption, and generally frying my brain trying to remember all the things we need to do.
Finished the first Fawkes sock and it looks great (if I say so myself). Cast on the 2nd and have the ribbing just about done. Will work more on it tonight at my knitting group.
Added another inch to each of the BBS I am making for Socks for Soldiers. Almost have the gusset stitches reduced.
Speaking of SFS...our Sarge Kim Opperman has been nominated for Microsoft's Above and Beyond Awards for grassroots efforts in support of our troops. Of the 400+ nominated, she made it to the final 15 ... 3 nominees in each of 5 categories. There are some outstanding people out there and it is gratifying to read their efforts. If you would like to vote: http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/federal/AboveandBeyondAwards.mspx
You can vote up to 5 times for each category.

Fawkes Socks

I am loving these socks! Turned the heel, finished the gusset decreases and am moving down the foot now. They are such a vibrant red and the pattern looks very nice. I am SOOOOOOOO going to hate to cover these with shoes!
Took my wonderful German yarn to the knitting group tonight and everyone loved fondling the soft wool. Two newbies at group tonight and everyone was knitting away at great projects. Its great to get away to knit and chat and laugh.

Fall is here...

...apparently, anyway. Rainy cool day with leaves falling rapidly from the trees. The big tree across the street is still very green and full...whereas the one in my front yard is nearly bare already.
Ds and his gf are here for a visit while he is on leave from the Army. They brought me the most scrumptious yarn! Rohrspatz & Wollmeise ( http://www.rohrspatzundwollmeise.de/ ) in 2 fantastic colors... Pfauenauge which is dyed in greens, blues and purple, and Indisch Rot which is in vibrant reds. I had started my Fawkes socks in Lorna's Laces, but ripped and restarted in the Indisch Rot. Both yarns are of the same weight and texture, but the LL has a bit duller reds and some purples. Have worked the first sock thru the leg and am now starting the heel flap. This pattern is fairly easy, doesn't get boring, works up fast...so hoping I don't get bogged down with SSS.

Time.....

seems to be moving way too fast. Getting ready for son's 3 week visit (Army leave), birth of the new baby (12th grandchild..due Nov 3rd), Begger's Night costume, a week long conference in Nov, the court date for babygirl's adoption, hubby's 2 week training (absence from home), and by then it will be time for the family ThanksBirthHanuMas celebration in mid-December. Still getting the house ready for the home study we need to do to adopt babygirl...wondering if they will call ahead and will I actually be home when they do?
The plans I had about making more of the gifts this year are probably not going to happen...unless I can table everything and just knit for the next 8 weeks...sigh.
SOTN (still on the needles): BBS for Socks for Soldiers, The Heraldic Lion center panel for an afghan.
The stash grows in anticipation of wonderful things to knit. Patterns are added to the file. AH!!!..to have a full time cleaning lady so I could sit and do the 'womanly arts'.....

Dark Mark Illusion Scarves

YEAH!!!.. Finished the scarves last night at the Girl's night out. Met with a couple of my Wednesday night knitters and also met a few new ladies. One was a true HP fan and gave a rousing approval of the scarves. (see "Update" post for link to pattern).
Babygirl spent the night at her aunt's so dh and I had the house to ourselves....mmmm. But Fate stepped in in the form of a clogged drain in the bathroom, and in the process of getting out the plunger, I tipped the shelves that are behind the toilet and got whacked in the head with a bottle of massage oil. The resulting pain and lump meant that..instead of romance..I got a backrub while I held a bag of ice on my head and cried. Such is Fate. (for more info on Fate..see Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books)
Speaking of Discworld... (giggle) If you haven't read any of these wonderfully funny books, may I suggest that you check your local library for anything by Terry Pratchett. The first of the series is entitled "The Colour of Magic" and there are 30 books in the series (thus far). My son introduced me to the books by telling me about "Thud!" which turned out to be book #30. Being somewhat compulsive, I looked for all the books at the library and started with book 1. I then found them on audio at Audible.com and now own all 30 books plus a couple of extras such as "Going Postal". Pratchett writes fantasy/comedy and as you are laughing over one of his statements, you realize..Hey, that's actually quite profound! (for a rundown on all the gods mentioned..google Discworld and check out Wikipedia)

Ravelry

Got my invite last night and went immediately to check it out. WOW! Now I see what all the hype is about! Entered some basics and then went exploring. I found several sock projects to add to my queue of future projects, hooked up with the friends list, and even entered all my straight needle sizes on the handy chart area. (circs and dps will have to wait..need to sort and size...blush). Its going to take me several visits to explore farther.
This week's kniiting progress:
I have 10 rows to go to finish the pair of Dark Mark scarves!!!
I started a witch's hat for babygirl to wear out on Begger's night.
I dug out a crochet afghan project and added several rows.
Other news:
Babygirl's adoption process is finally moving again so I have been spending extra time getting the house ready for the homestudy. Court date is set for the 29th of Nov.
Daugter number 3 is getting ready to deliver, so I have to pack for a trip up to watch her son while she is in the hospital and recouping. Will have to plan several projects to take along.
Other than that...my life is dull...giggle.