Dear Manny

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I just knew it was going to be a bad day.  I awoke with a start, with about 143 000 000 million things in my head, on the verge of a panic attack.  I had a lot to do that day.  I was supposed to get the kids to a Church to participate in a Thinking Day / Founders Day service.  I was also supposed to be in attendance on behalf of Guiding.  well... Fail there.  Big time.  I didn't go.  I didn't even get out of bed.  I allowed myself the luxury of saying NO, then went back to sleep, panic attack averted.

The day didn't get any better.  I got up, cleaned the kitchen, prepped a bunch of food for lunches for the week as Arthur is in Ontario all week.  Cleaned up the kitchen again because my juicer decided to explode everywhere.  Fun.

I missed a phone call from my Cousin on my cell at this time.  She left one of those lovely vague messages... the "call me back when you get this" kind...  we don't talk much.  I don't think I've ever gotten a phone call from her, actually.  I didn't call her back.

Amanda and I were going to make some soup for lunches for the week.  We started prepping that, but it is hard to make a potato based soup with no potatos.  So, I actually put on some real clothes... in preparation to go out to buy some when the phone rang again.  It was the TD Bank Fraud people...  turns out some asshat skimmed my bank card and stole my PIN and then stole almost $600 from me.  GRRR.  Solved that little problem... and headed out for my potatoes.

I did some other shopping while I was out.  Random stuff.

Got home with a little pre-cooked chicken and bread for dinner and we ate and finished the soup.  (it's good.)

I finally got the kids into bed and got to take a shower.  It was nice.  In the new bathroom.  The one in the basement.  the one that the guys who come over all the time can use during football watching.  I missed a call on my cell so I called back when I came down after tucking in the kids one last time.

It was Dave.  He said he had some bad news.  I called back but he didn't answer.  I sent him a text to say "call me back when you can, I'm available now."

I got this bad feeling when he called.  My first thought was "I wonder if something happened to Rhonda's Dad."  I know he had been sick.  Then I thought, no, maybe Pete's Dad?  still didn't make any sense.  Then, panic sort of set in.

I checked Facebook.  What an amazing and weird thing, huh?  I checked on you.  First place I went to.  Under the people search on the iOS, you can see when people last logged in.  It said 16 hours ago.  Well, it was 9:30 PM.  that means you were last on Facebook at something silly like 5 AM.  But then I thought, no, the call couldn't be about you. You were "just" on Facebook.

Well... I guess you know the rest.  That call was about you.

I first met you back in September of 1995 in the Challenge Corps Office.  Part of the Chris, Mike, Pete, Dave, Len, Diana, Kevin crew.  We hung out at school together ALL THE TIME.  I always thought it was funny how much money we paid to come and play cards at the UM.  Weird huh.

You were always part of the crew we hung out with.  Dave's Basement.  The Office.  Assiniboine Park to play football.  Chris's house.

We were always going to movies, the bar, socials.  Lots of fun.  Dancing.

In December of 1997, we were dancing at the first "Everything But Commerce" (EBC) Christmas Social at the Fort Garry.  Wake Me Up Before you Go Go was playing  We were all dancing.  It was a great time.  I had bought a dress and some really, REALLY stupid shoes.  We were all being dumb.  You threw an ice cube at me.  I slipped on it.  I tore something really bad in my ankle.  sigh.  Stupid me.  I'm still afraid of dropped drinks and ice cubes on dance floors to this day.  ha!

Another memory I have of you from long ago is the time we were having one of our Annual Christmas potluck dinners at Pete (and Lisa)'s apartment.  You brought a super yummy rice dish your Mom had made.  it was awesome.

You've always just sort of been around.  A wonderful, comfortable presence.

When Art and I bought our first house together, we were broken into a few months later. Right after that, he had to go away on a business trip.  You knew I was kind of freaked out about staying there alone, so you called that first night, just to make sure I was OK.  Because you were that kind of a guy.

The next summer we had to put a new roof on.  You spent hours at our house helping us out.  Moving insulation around...  In fact, you decided that you should sink some real blood, sweat and tears into our home.  Remember how long we sat in the ER at St. Boniface so they could stitch your hand back up??  That was crazy.  Thank you for that.  For all your help then.

In 2005 my daughter, Danica, was born.  She came along in June.  We had her baptized in November.  I remember that you came to her baptism.  Thank you.  You gave us a beautiful embroidered wall hanging with her name and birthday on it.  Your mother had made it.

For her first birthday you gave her this cool dance mat.  It's a Dora one, and it's a little like Dance Dance Revolution for babies.  She'd jump on it and it would sing songs and tell her where to jump next.

For her second birthday, you gave her a blue Cinderella arm chair.  The kind made out of foam, with a fuzzy cover.  She still has that chair.  She's eight, and she will still sit in it some times.  One of my favourite photos of her is when she fell asleep in that chair in her bedroom one afternoon.  it's very sweet.

I'm going to miss you coming over all the time.  I'm going to miss you saying "you look tense" and rubbing my shoulders.  I'm going to miss you showing up with an appetizer and asking me to heat it up.

I'm going to miss you easy laughs, your hugs, your smiles, your oddly calm excitement for life, if that even makes sense.  You were always willing to ask "are you alright" and actually listen to the answer.

Jets games, Minneapolis trips, playing Soccer, Melons hockey....

Tubing won't be the same, ever.  Never ever.

I'm so glad you got to meet my children and they got to meet and know you.  My heart breaks because I'll never meet yours.

I didn't tell them about you right away.  I couldn't.  But at 6:00 AM on Monday morning, Danty called me back.  I told her then.  Danica over heard me.

I told them about you on Monday evening.  That they have another Guardian Angel to watch over them from Heaven.  Danica said to me "I already know Mom.  I heard you on the phone this morning.  So, today, during prayers, I said a prayer for him."  She wants to make sure you say hi to our cats, Ty and Random.  I know you will.

This world is a little darker now.  A little colder.  There is one less life here.  One less smile.  One less friendly face.  You will be missed terribly Manny.

Thank you for being my friend.  For being a friend to everyone you met.  Watch over us please.  We'll all need it over the next while.

We'll meet again one day my friend.  Until that day...

We love you Manny.

DIY - Well... Sort of yourself...

I'm on a huge natural kick lately.  I've been taking the "throwback Thursday" concept wayyyyyy too far and going back a couple of hundred years, it feels like.  :-P

Back to a time when you knit your own wear, sewed your own stuff, made your own soap and the like.

I've been soap making for a year now, almost.  That may make it sound like I know what I'm doing, but really, I've made soap all of twice.  :-P  Four different recipes, but only twice.

I'm about to make another batch though, and branch out into Shampoo bars.  I'm totally enamoured with Marie at Humblebee and Me.  She's Canadian (well.. ok, she lives in Canada, and I'm pretty sure she's Canadian... the import bit is that she lives in Canada for me...  not because I have anything against Americans... it's just that it costs a bazillion times more to ship stuff from the US to Canada.. apparently crossing that invisible line that divides us is worth extra $$... and it's hard to find cost effective things in Canada some times!).  I found a great place for getting supplies online because of her posts, and I love her recipes.

I'm going to make my own shampoo bars because I've gone through the cycle of only baking soda to "wash" my hair, and while it's been great, my head is WAY less itchy and stuff... I still use hair styling products to tame my wild tresses (the curse of curly hair...).  I'm getting there.  That's my point of cutting out chemicals.  I know I'm not ready to give them all up.  I'm cutting out as many as I can though so I don't have to worry as much about the ones we still use.  I still get my hair dyed, because I want to.  I still use hair styling products, because I haven't ventured that far into DIY yet... one day maybe.  But not yet.  With all the cancer and the Alzheimer's and the everything else we hear about... I just decided I'm going to eliminate what I can, one day at a time.

Plus, this making it yourself stuff is just plain FUN.

So... this weekend is probably Shampoo bars and more soap, DIY Deodorant, and some make up essentials that I found on Humblebee and Me that I want to try.

Hopefully I will get around to writing a bit more too.  but.. alas.. time is something we can't make more of...  I wish though.  I really do.

Doodle is 8

wow.  8.  How the time flies....

Baby girl.  You aren't such a baby any more.  You've been 7 going on 14 for quiet some time now... but still.

About your year, and your day...http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/new-crowd-plan-for-taylor-swift-get-together-212106071.html
We are going to see Taylor Swift for our Birthdays!  and by the sounds of it, we may even actually get there.  What else is going on in the world?

Super hero movies are the main stay right now.  We've seen Avengers and Iron Man...  We've watched Thor.  We're waiting on Avengers 2 and Thor 2...  Not sure if you will see that or not.http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/sci_tech/you-can-still-send-a-telegram-in-2013-but-itll-cost-you-from-19--up-212013561.html
Technology is moving at the speed of light.  I've collected some Birthday Wishes for you through email and lots of people are wishing you a Happy Birthday on Facebook.  You have an iPod that you got for Christmas.  You use it every day to play games and make short videos.  You love YouTube.  and Music Videos.  I hope that you know what a telegram is.  Heck, maybe we'll send one.  And we'll write a letter.  To... someone.  you should know how.  I will teach you.

The Top 10 Songs on the Radio (In Winnipeg) for your birthday weekend:
10. Florida Georgia Line - Cruise (remix)
9. will.i.am #ThatPOWER
8. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
7. Rhianna - Stay 
6. Selena Gomez - Come & get It
5. Demi Lovato - Heartattack
4. Icona Pop - I Love It
3. P!nk - Just Give Me A Reason
2. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us
1. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors

You've had a fabulous year in Grade 2.  You are an avid reader.  You like chapter books, like Thea Stilton and Captain Underpants.  You still play with your little brother a lot.  You two are best friends.  You have other firends... Natalie and Julie, Ava, Elise and Monique.  You have many friends in school and out.  You are growing up so fast!  We got a pup just recently (our little Cattie-Brie!) and you are great with her.  You take your brother to play at the park up the street.

You love Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel.  You love to watch River Monsters with me.  You love the Hamster Dance, and your many stuffies and your Furby.  You love Taylor Swift, and loads of other music.  You are so creative and love to build and make things.  You like to help in the garden.  You love to swim.  You are a fish.  :-P  

On your birthday:

Max Temp: 28 °C 

Min Temp: 15 °C It's going to be hot, like you like it!  

One of your biggest accomplishments was running in the Super Run at the Manitoba Marathon with your Dad.  You never cease to amaze me little girl.  And you never will.

Knitting Away the Time

Huh.  Looks like I'm failing at updating the old blog huh???

I've been doing a zillion things this year.  One thing I've been enjoying is my knitting.  I'm developing a collection.  I'm making many a knitted thing for Christmas this year.  Mittens, Socks, other things...

Knitting has also inspired me to sew again.  Weird.  but I'm sewing for my knitting, if that makes sense.

I want to do a tutorial afterwards, but basically I was looking for a knitting needle holder and I found a great one to make!  Well, I found several, and combined what I considered to be the best of the best together to make one.

Here is my first attempt:

After that turned out, I promptly made two more for my fellow lunch time knitters.

They have spaces for straight needles, circulars, pens, scissors and crochet hooks.  Also, a velcro pocket to hold all the notions you need... measuring tape, stitch markers, stitch holders.  the essentials.  :-p  And it's all portable.  No more not having your needles with you or not having the supplies to move forward on a project at lunch.  Or worse, finding that you lost a needle on the bus!

Next I'm going to try my hand at yarn cake holders...  stay tuned!  I'm making a few more for some of my knitting buddies, so hopefully I'll stop being lazy and get a tutorial of the needle rolls up.

Sittin and Knittin

Back in September I went to Ram Wools Co-op with a friend and took a "Get Back to Knitting" course.  This class re-introduced me to knitting, a skill a learned from my Aunty Barb back in the day.  She taught me the basics of knitting, gave me some needles, and found me a slipper patter, which I still have.  I made so many slippers that I could knit a pair in under 4 hours and I had the pattern memorized.

This time around I learned to knit on double pointed needles, and I've taken to making things in the round!  I've made thrummed mittens for myself and my daughter.  (My son's didn't turn out so well, so I remade them into regular mittens, well, mitten.  I haven't finished the second yet.)

Boo's Thrummed Mittens

A new person also started at work in January and she is a knitter as well.  So, the three of us, J, E and myself, decided to do a Knit-A-Long.  We picked a sweater, which we have dubbed the "team sweater", picked our colours and we're all knitting this sweater.  So far I've got the neck of mine done.  heh.  We bring our knitting every monday to knit at lunch.

I have managed to complete an entire sweater though!  I did it in a weekend, while watching hockey games.

Brown Bear's Beary Cute Sweater

I've also made several more things.  I made a couple of scarves for myself and for gifts.  I made my new neice a pair of baby booties.  I've made Nibblet (Boo's bear) part of a sweater but I had to frog it...  (look at my using the lingo of the knitter!) because it wasn't knitting right on my round needle.  I have to do it on my double pointeds...  I couldn't get the sleeves right.  It's a quick knit though.  Maybe I'll start tonight.

I've also made thrummed mitts for myself, they are soooooo warm!!!  I love them!

This is something I'm going to continue doing because I'm really enjoying myself!  Are you a knitter?  Are you on Ravelry?  If so, find me!  I'm erallie.  I look forward to knitting with you.