One Last Thing!

Ry's socks!

3x1 rib

size one needles

my own pattern

Cascade sock yarn

unsure of what kind

can't find the ballband

and I should be finishing packing

now that i've blogged this

i'm all up-to-date

see you in a week or so!

An Extreme Day!

On Tuesday we traveled to Geneva, NY to view the tear down of a house for the upcoming season of Extreme Makeover-Home Edition.

It all started the night before. The boys created signs to have autographed and to use to catch the eye of the camera people.

But when we arrived, no one was holding any signs and of course the boys were too cool to be the only ones using them so they quickly went away.

So here's the house...a 150 year old dilapidated farmhouse. I know...reuse, recycle etc...Not sure what the condition of the inside was like...I guess we will have to wait for the show to air.

So the reason this family was picked was this: the father was an inspiring boxer and broke his back on a construction job. So...no more boxing in his career. But instead of giving it up, he opened a boxing center for troubled youth, adopted one of those young kids, coached a few Olympic hopefuls...while using all his money that he earned at his day job...a counselor at a local high school. From the gossip I've heard about this family (my mother lives in the same town) it seems as if this is a really deserving family...can think (which at times in this show I'm not quite sure about that area) and will be able to maintain this home. Don't think we haven't talked about the flip side of being on a show like this. My husband is and evil auditor! It's a constant discussion around here!

Anyway ...all the "stars" of the show were there:

Ty

Michael

Ed and the woman whose name I can't pronounce.

and John. He's the guy with the bowtie. The builder hails from my small village and his daughter is in fourth grade with Ry. Many of the sponsors and tradespeople live in my area so we have many connections. Also, I have many friends that signed up to be volunteers. Although, I read in the paper last night that the house is 3-5 hours behind because people are blowing off their time slots because they don't want to drive the 40 miles to get to the site. Ahhh, I guess they want volunteering to be easy and convenient for them.

It was interesting to see what exactly went into filming the episode. Matt is an inspiring film director and walks around with his video camera up to his eye all day long. It was important for me to take him to see this and show him that one shot is not all it takes to record a three minute slot of the show.

He, of course brought his video camera along and shot Ty as Ty was knocking down the house.

Geneva loves having all this activity in their town. It is a pretty desolate upstate town that if the summer tourists never came or the college wasn't there, it would not be a good place to live( sorry mom). This has been good for their economy and feeling proud of the place where they live. No matter if you like the show or have intense dislike (which I understand) it has had positive effects on the community.

Plus...it was a great day trip for the boys!

It Was a Blast!

What a fun day we had today, but I'm way too tired to write about it all tonight! I took 259 pictures in all and have to weed through them to get the best shots to show you!

The boys were star struck, as this show has been a favorite in our house since Ry showed his love for construction. We saw the best part today...other than the MOVE THAT BUS finale!

No matter if you love or hate this show it was interesting to watch the process of making what ends up being less than a five minute part on the program.

I'm off to bed...something that the builders won't see much of in the coming week.

We are off

on an "extreme" adventure today. Can't wait to share. Hopefully, I will have some good pictures of today's events..see you tonight!

All About the Boys

and definitely not Mom! It's funny to vacation with two tweens and to see what they are interested in. Let me take you on a short tour of what they thought was cool!

Polar Bears at the Central Park Zoo were a big hit. It was a warm day so the one polar bear was kind enough to perform for us. We didn't stay long because the Tylenol was wearing off on my sick kiddo and of course I was out!

Dinosaurs,

snakes and lizards, and the new evolution exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The evolution exhibit made our nine year old giggle for the rest of the day!

better than ever!

I have more building pictures, but I think two are quite enough for you all.

The Blue Man Group was a huge hit! If you haven't seen it take your family. Especially if you have boys! It's loud, colorful and interactive! Loved it!

This was the closest I got to shopping. Although, I was able to run into Athropologie to take a look around.

And if you ever need to know where the worst tasting hamburgers are in NYC just give me a jingle. This trip was NOT all about the eating experience!
Now off to do the laundry and start packing for our end of the summer retreat to the Adirondacks.

Doesn't school start soon?

Children and Blogging and it's August ...oh my!

Anyone that stops in to visit at our house can tell that it's August. You can tell by my children walking in circles because they have done everything that they wanted to this summer ( and me yelling that they have three more weeks to go so they better find something to do) and are anxiously awaiting their favorite vacation of the year...our annual pilgrimage to the Adirondacks. The weather hasn't been cooperating either. I feel for the people that don't get rain as often as they should and I would gladly bottle up the rain that has filled my pond and made my stream run in August (unheard of!), but enough is enough! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed hoping that our mountain vacation will contain great weather.

To keep the boys' minds off waiting, we've decided to take a quick trip to New York City this coming weekend. We have gone many times before and we all love it! So my question to all of you is...What's your favorite thing to do with kids in NYC?

"Boys where would you like to go?"

"The ESPN Zone!"

Shoot me now please!

Birdhouses and More!

Finally, we found a use for the birdhouses that the boys have made in cub scouts. They have been moved a dozen times in our basement over the past few years. Recently I saw a picture of various birdhouses along a fence and got an a-ah moment. Put the boys to work, Dad dug the holes and presto new decorations for the garden that I'm working on.

The boys had a good time at camp. My youngest thought it was the best thing since sliced bread...but of course he would, he's my no-rules man. Constantly pushing the limits to see what he can get away with. My oldest is the opposite. He is the play by the rules guy and when others don't, it disturbs him. Camp for him was difficult when the rules were not being followed. Not sure if he will go again. Overall, it was a great experience for both boys and I'm glad that we gave them the push they needed to try it.

Knitting is happening around here and hopefully, I will have socks to show you in a day or two. Which leads me to the blue sky picture. I need to catch it while I can, because I'm not going to see it again until Sunday afternoon. More rain is on it's way, which means more indoor activities, which means my socks get completed.

Buddy sends you all a big smoochy kiss and hopes you have a great day!

Blue sky and Buddy picture courtesy of Matt.

The Paper Pusher is Back

Shasta daisy from my garden

The Mad Mad Housewife has affectionately labeled me as a paper pusher... well when the shoe fits you might as wear it.

I discovered Suann over at Jane's site and quickly went to visit her at etsy. Suann is creating beautiful letterpress paper.

I ordered this:

and these.

Both came quickly and wrapped beautifully. She even added in some extra notecards and pencils. She also has a wonderful blog called Simplesong. Add her to your shopping list and blog roll. I think you will be glad you did!

So there's your fix for today. Thank goodness I'm pushing paper and not the wacky tobaccy that Mary Louise Parker is pushing in Weeds. I finally finished season one and can't wrap my mind around everything that happens. Maybe, because I can actually picture the whole plot happening in our town. And that's, about all I will say on that subject!

Happy Monday all!

Let's Get Twisting!

Bonnie by Fiona Ellis

pattern can be found at twist collective

It's been talked about for a while out in knitting blogland and it's here. Check it out. There are some great patterns designed by some great people over there!

Happy Friday!