I decided I needed to add some hats to my collection of scarves. I think I’m getting pretty good at them (especially since I’m winging it - I never learned how to follow a pattern!) and they’re so much quicker than scarves.

I took photos of a couple of them so you all could see samples of what I’ve been doing. (Okay, so do you know how hard it is to take a picture of yourself? Really hard!)

I love this burnt orange yarn. It’s similar to a set I made for my MIL for Christmas last year. The yarn is a super soft suede. It’s Lion Brand but unfortunately it’s being discontinued so I’ve been buying it in every color everywhere I can find it. I made the same set in black suede too.

This is Lion Brand Homespun in two different purples. I didn’t have very good lighting - trust me, it’s purple! I kinda wanna keep this one!

Seriously - I stink at taking my own photo! Do you see the “I feel ridiculous” look on my face? Oh yeah. And it might have been a little better if I’d thought to put on some make-up first. Oops!

Anyway, I have some lap blankets in the works too, and I think I’m going to try a shawl next. I’d really like to learn how to read a pattern so I can make socks and stuff. Of course, I’ve been saying that for years, I’m just too lazy to do it!

Josh and I both loved this costume but hardly anyone “got” it. What can I say, we like the obscure Star Wars references! (Note the one black glove for after Luke had his hand cut off!)

My favorite part of Halloween wasn’t the candy.* It was getting proof that my boy still likes to hold my hand.**

We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather for trick or treating. I’ve never seen such a warm Halloween! We had a perfect beautiful spooky moon too.

Poor George. Whenever I need a giggle he gets to wear a hat.

Hope you all have a great Halloween! I’ll try to be back tomorrow with a picture of Josh’s Jedi costume.

By the time he had his temp taken by the nurse it was up to 102.5. That with a bunch of other symptoms meant the dreaded flu. They won’t test for H1N1 because he is otherwise healthy. Apparently the state is afraid they are going to run out of testing supplies so they only test those with health problems or who are bad enough to be hospitalized. The assumption though, is that it is H1N1 because that is what is going around, mostly among kids. Whatever, either way the symptoms are basically the same, and it’s no fun.

We did get some Tamiflu for him so hopefully he won’t have a bad case, but we’re stuck at home until his fever is gone for at least 24 hours. I have no idea when that will be and it’s really screwed up my weekend! I’m supposed to be in charge of a haunted house tomorrow, but I really shouldn’t go now in case I’m contagious. (If I’m going to come down with it too I would be contagious before I have symptoms.)

We were also supposed to go to my new baby nephew’s baptism on Sunday and obviously we won’t be going to that either. ~sigh~ Darn it, I really wanted to get my hands on that baby!

At this point I’m just hoping Josh is better in time for Halloween. We’ve worked way too hard planning his costume! (Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi, all in black with a hooded cape, one black glove, and a GREEN lightsaber. Blue will just not do.)

The final icing on this no good very bad day was finding out my laptop bit the dust. It wouldn’t boot up this morning and my go-to computer guy just couldn’t make it better. The system board is deader than dead. (The laptop killer strikes again!) I either need to replace it or get a new computer. About the same amount of money either way.

I think I’d better get crocheting. I’m gonna hafta sell a lot of scarves to pay for a new computer.

I spend my evenings crocheting like mad. I’m obsessed with the softest yarns, the prettiest colors, and of course the cheapest prices I can find. I’m hoping to sell a few scarves and maybe a blanket to make some Christmas cash, but I won’t be too disappointed if I get to keep some of it for myself! (Not the cash - the scarves!)

Yes, they are are soft as they look.

• Josh is on his second day home sick from school. Mostly cause of the pinkeye, but the coughing up a lung doesn’t help either. Neither does the massive amounts of snot.
• He’s missing picture day at school. He still get his picture taken later, but he won’t be in his class picture. Bummer.
• The eyedrops, oh, the @*$&% eyedrops. Every 2 hours.
• I’ve been to Target twice in three days and last night I realized we need more kid cold medicine.
• I can’t go back there again with a sick kid, I just can’t. Yesterday’s trip cost me a $35 Lego set while we waited for his eyedrop prescription to be ready. I just can’t say no to him when he’s this miserable.
• He’s not sick enough to just lie in bed and read a book though. He wants to do crafts! He must paint or die! And puzzles! All. Over. The. Place!
• I’m out of my coffee. The horror! I need my coffee. Especially today.
• How bad would it be to take my pestilential kid to the coffee shop?
• I have a headache.
• I’m desperately trying not to get sick too. I think I need a haz-mat suit. Clean up on aisle eye 7 2.
• I can’t tell if the headache is from lack of coffee or imminent illness.
• I have company coming tomorrow. I should probably warn them about the pinkeye, huh?
• Why isn’t it Friday yet? I need it to be Friday.

It’s been that kind of week. And it’s snot over yet.

When I was growing up my family had a mini apple orchard in our backyard. I was spoiled with homemade apple crisp and applesauce throughout every fall. I’m not so lucky to have apple trees in my own yard now, or even enough sunlight to support them if I tried, but we do have lots of orchards in our area.

We went apple picking this morning, and it was a perfect day for it, cool, but sunny. When we got there, we decided to go check out one of the fields a little further away, assuming the close by trees would be fairly well picked over. It was a great decision! I’ve never in my life seen such huge gorgeous apples, nor trees so full of them.

Seriously, every single branch looked just like this one.

The woman working there said it was a bumper crop. Not only did the apples love the rainy weather we had in July, but the owners had brought in extra bees to help pollinate and boy did they ever pollinate! (Did you know there’s been a bee shortage in New England for the last few years?)

Btw, they taste as good as they look too. Those apples were truly glorious.

The scent of fresh cinnamon applesauce is permeating everything in my house right now. I bet if you scratch your screen you can sniff it. I’m definitely making apple crisp later this week. Who’s coming over with the vanilla ice cream?

I’ve tried other soaps and just none of them even vaguely pull me light Guiding Light always has. It’s an addiction.

I started watching it close to 30 years ago. Thirty. 3. 0.

My mother watched it back then and I would sneak a peek, and eventually got hooked. Luckily I would get home from school just before it started at 3pm everyday so I rarely missed it during it 80’s heyday.

Reva and Josh, Philip and Beth, Tony and Annabelle, Maureen and Ed. Lujack, swoon. Fletcher Reade. Oh my. The bad guys Roger and Alan.

I stopped watching in the mid-late 90s. I just didn’t have time, and there was no such thing as a DVR. But I just couldn’t stay away and started again when I had Josh, and began working from home, and well, got a TIVO. Yup, now you all think soap watching, bon bon eating, stay at home mom. I’m okay with that.

But it’s over. Guiding Light ends today, after 72 years on the air. That just kinda bums me out.

Do I find another soap? Or give up on them forever?

Fess up, you watch one too, right? Was it Guiding Light, or is it one of the many other soaps that sucks you in?

I think all I really need to tell you is that even 8 years later every time a plane flies over my house on the way to or from the airport, just for a split second I wonder if it will blow up. I stop and watch as an apparition of a fireball appears in the sky. And as quick as it came the thought goes away and all is normal again.

I just can’t forget.