My Little Tribe

Changing the scope of this blog

I'm going to overhaul this blog and change a lot of things..
mostly the scope of what I blog about here, but also the look and feel. I've let my typepad blog sit completely idle (while still paying for it!) for far too long, as I more "seriously" blogged about the things I'm passionate about over at MLT. Unfortunately letting all the webby capital I had going here (rankings and so on) go down the toilet.

Time to resurrect this puppy and put it to use!

MOVING

I'm moved in, but still tweaking. Please update your feeds and bookmarks to http://www.mylittletribe.com

Announcement: Preparing for a move

No, not our family,.. my blog.
I finally was able to install WordPress on my hosted domain (I was up until 4AM, but hey.. its working) I have tons of work left to do though, and I'm not particularly happy with typepad at the moment.  Importing all of my posts over the last few years was an easy task (after I played with some scripting, and got the import to work.. that only took 2 hours to figure out.) But there is no method by which to import the massive amount of images I have stored in my typepad file folders (not just photo albums, but images used in posts over.the.last.two.years)
Typepad tells you to "back up" your images by right clicking each image individually, and saving to file since they do not allow ftp access. Can you say time sucking tedium? Really, I've been at it for a few hours now and I'm not even halfway through.
Currently they do show up on the new blog, but they are all linked to the typepad file system. Each file must be moved. Each link must be edited to the new path. More time sucking tedium.

Anyway, I will be closing my typepad account probably sometime in October, but will start blogging immediately at My Little Tribe via my existing hosted domain, so please update your bookmarks and feed links. If you've been visiting me via the redirect from mylittletribe.com nothing will change except that you will no longer be redirected to my typepad blog.
Pardon the dust over there since I only installed a temporary theme. Once I get my images and file structures worked out over the next few days, I can get busy with customizing the look and feel, which was my major gripe with typepad to begin with (little customization and coding allowed unless you upgraded to the pro version) My cost for my domain hosting is half the price of typepad but with email, a whole lot more space, and freedom to be more creative. All these months I've been paying for both, time to get rid of the more expensive choice with less features and freedoms!
So with that said. If anyone who currently blogs on typepad, has ever entertained the idea of moving, start backing up your images now.. Typepad doesn't make it easy for you to move.

True ramblings

I wanted to be sure I got a post in today since I sit here waiting for Time Warner to come and switch us from DSL to cable (and cable telephone and tv.. yay!) I busted my butt this summer. I made a deal with myself.. pay off huuuge credit card debt, reward self with cable tv, and not a moment before that bill was paid off. Bill paid off.. cable guy arrives somewhere between noon and five.
But last time Time Warner hooked us up in Homer, we had connectivity issues for a few days. So, post today, just in case I'm not around for a few days.
Now on to the rambling..

• Flower Basket shawl, DONE. I tried to block last night but I ran out of pins (and again, my pin cushion is MIA) Going to iron the heck out of it today, OR locate pin cushion. Cassidy has asked for it for her birthday (she'll turn 8 this coming Saturday), which touches me in that mama sort of soft spot. I had planned to gift it to my mom for Christmas, but I can always make another one for mom. How can I not give it to her now?
• Wing Of The Moth Shawl, started (several repeats into the fir cone section)
• Lots of yogurt has been consumed. Seriously. I made a batch a day for a few days. Obviously, my little tribe loves them some mama made yogurt!
• I canned. For.the.first.time.ever. Cassidy and I stopped by a farm stand over the weekend for some green tomato (I had a craving) and lots of blueberries.  I was lucky enough to get a ton of canning jars, and a canning pot on my local freecycle list last week (I kid you not, I have more quart sized mason jars than I will ever use.. though some are pegged to go to Mia)  So Cassidy and I made blueberry jam! The fruits of our labor, yielded 6 jars of jam.. in other words, enough for my kids to use in their home-made yogurt for a few weeks. Next up.. apple butter. Possibly some fruit salsas.
• Secret Pal 8, for me, is complete. My pal's package was sent out on Saturday and she received it yesterday. Since shes blogged it, I can lift my veil of secrecy. The hand spun corrie from last week, was for her (Emily@ SayWhat?)  I'm delighted with this round of Secret Pal. I had a great spoiler and a fabulous spoilee, not to mention Heatherly, our great "organizer" who kept us on the ball with friendly emails and advice.
• Jill update.. Every time I talked to she, mom or Tracy I'd get news that they found a new fracture. All in all, both hips fractured, both shoulders fractured (one in two spots), forearm, thigh, ribs and lower lumbar (L1). They were to transfer her to a local rehab facility, however I got a call from Jill last week letting me know they sent her home (!!) It was going to take another week at least for them to straighten out the insurance mess (long story, but it involves very limited coverage). So home she was sent. For now she is staying at Tracy's, and the kids are staying with my mom. What makes this very difficult is that she still does require lots of care, but everyone has to work. They have worked out a bit of a system but there are a few mornings a week where Jill has to be left alone (my grandmother cares for her kids), but her being alone for any amount of time, scares me.  They say, they expect Jill to be walking by Christmas, but she may always require a cane or crutch. Of course in my mind, I think she would have a much better prognosis if she were getting that rehab care.  Let me elaborate: The car insurance coverage for the accident is very limited. Her family insurance, through Virgil's employer was cancelled at midnight the night he died (with no warning to Jill, only a COBRA notice a month later with a hefty price tag she wasn't able to afford) So after the accident she was forced to apply for medical assistance. Unfortunately they will not pay for rehab. She was to return to work the day after the accident happened, and she would have been able to get her employer's health plan for she and the kids. Since she will not be returning to work in the foreseeable future, if ever.. that plan is shot.

In a nutshell, our country's health care system, including insurance companies, are fucked up. Call it socialism if you want, but everyone deserves quality care.

Pictures later, tomorrow, or whenever I'm able to get online again.

Another zoo trip

This past Sunday, we met up with Joe, Janet and Greta at the zoo for a few hours of animal watching, and a picnic afterwards. I took a bunch of pictures, but they all need resizing (I'll get to that tomorrow) For tonight I'll offer up my two favorites..

On the left, Richard and Joe with all of the kids. On the right, Connor at the penguin habitat. They have several areas to watch the penguins below the water and here he is at one of them. Click on it to see his expression better. I love this picture.
We had a fabulous day and a wonderful picnic.. can't wait to do it again!

Update

Jill remains in the hospital. The doctor determined that surgery isn't necessary but she will be on strict bedrest for the immediate future, with physical therapy to start before the end of the week.
Mom and Trace had to go to the garage where the truck is to retrieve some things and Mom says its a miracle that Olyvia wasn't seriously hurt. She described her car seat as a mangled mess. And Ethan is doing well, but a bit freaked out. Mom took him to the hospital last night to see Jill since the last time Ethan saw her in the ER, she was covered in blood and not doing well. Considering the trauma he just went through with his dad, it was seriously affecting him.
Thank you for all of the good thoughts. I appreciate it. My family appreciates it.

I wanted to add as well, that the first report from Trace, was that Jill was wearing her seat belt. Turns out she wasn't. She normally does, but she had taken it off to turn around and help Olyvia. I was talking to Connor's speech therapist yesterday afternoon about the entire situation and she brought up.. how many times have all of us done the same thing as moms? Child drops a toy, a cuppie, a binky. We all do it.. we take off our safety belt and turn around to tend to our children. But this is what can happen. Also worth noting.. the airbags in the truck did not deploy. It makes me wonder if they had, perhaps they might have kept Jill from flying out the window of the truck?

In any case, we're lucky we still have her. We're lucky we still have all of them.

I promise to get back to my regular sort of blogging shortly.

Never ending..

UPDATED:

Amidst my battle with a migraine today/tonight.. the phone rang. Again, not the good kind of phone call.
Jill, Danny, and the kids were returning from a weekend on Long Island and had a serious accident (flipped Danny's truck actually) Dan had called my brother's cell phone and before it cut out, all he could say was that a) there was an accident b) he and the kids were ok c) Jill was indeed injured (he did not elaborate) and d) they were on I-380.
We didn't know where on 380, what hospital they might be going to, etcetera. I finally called the trauma center closest to home and were told thats where they were taken.
By 11PM we finally got the scoop. Danny injured his neck, Ethan - black eye, Olyvia, cut up from broken glass, and Jill staying at the hospital with two broken shoulders, in a great deal of pain, no plan yet, had just gone for yet another cat scan.
*sigh*

Update: As of this morning (Monday), Jill has two fractured hips, and two fractured shoulders. We'll  find out more this morning once she sees the doctor what they'll be doing.

Danny is quite upset, and is saying he dozed off at the wheel. Jill insists he didn't since she was talking to him right before it happened. She was actually thrown from the truck (she had her seatbelt on, but had turned in the seat to deal with Olyvia.) and had it rolled one more time, the truck would have been on top of her!

Its only been two months since Virg's accident. You'd think the powers that be, if they indeed exist would give this woman a break, dontcha think?
I resisted jumping in the van and heading down for the time being. Mom and Trace seem to have things under control as far as caring for the kids. Jill may need my help more when she comes home.

Good thoughts please? They certainly can't hurt. I'm just thankful they are alive, and we're not planning another funeral, or four.

For what its worth.. headache gone. It had to be the andrenaline that cured it. Several mega doses of Advil didn't touch it.

Immeasurable Kindness

Not long after we returned home, from attending Virgil's funeral.. I received a lovely email from Kerstin, asking if she could send me a Brother Blanket to deliver to Jill. This kindness, blew me away.
The package from Kerstin arrived today, and I will proudly be delivering it to Jill next week when we drive down home to help her move. I'm sure she will find the ideal spot in her new home for this incredible gift.
Thank you Kerstin, and every fabulous and thoughtful knitter who participated in not only Jill's blanket, but who also participated in the original Brother Blankets.
I would love to carry on the spirit of this project, you know "pay it forward", and am currently mulling over some ideas on how to approach it. If anyone has any ideas, or would like to participate in such a project, please drop me an email (see upper left hand corner of this page)

Additionally, we finally got around to unpacking some of the office boxes a few weeks ago. In one of them, Richard found the original disc containing all of the photos from Jill and Virgil's wedding. I added about 20 more to the photo album.

Late night knitting = another pair done!

They're done! I can't find the sock blockers that I made a while back though. If I can find 2 more wire hangers in the house (unlikely), I might make another pair. Otherwise these will arrive in Krissy's mailbox unblocked.
This is a funky pattern. I love the leaves, and I love the knit purl cast on, however those first two rows sucked, and in my opinion, totally unnecessary. I'm also not fond of the heel (flat stockinette) or the closing of the toe. But I decided to follow the pattern exactly.. and more important, Kris seems to like them! These were finished at about 1:30 AM.
(Dark crappy picture alert) Why so late? Well, I was at the urgent care center with Cassidy until nearly 9PM. There she received 5 stitches in her knee, and now will be wearing this leg imobulizer for the next few days (to prevent the stitches from popping by bending her knee)
So the whole night was set back a little. Shes being a trooper now, but you would have never known it yesterday.
Apparently she and Daddy were horsing around while they were at the market. You know, bumping into each other and such. Daddy stopped and Cassidy kept going..right into a metal shelf in the store. Ouch!
While we sat in the backed up waiting room, I started a new pair of socks. Basic 2x1 rib, top down socks with ONLine Supersocke 100 (fun color #764) You would think I'd have gotten more done, but I kept trying to start toe up socks and kept disliking them, ripping, and restarting. Finally I just cast on for a top down.
The yarn? Umm, firstly, its a lot like Opal, and after knitting with Socks That Rock, knitting this stuff can be compared to knitting with scratchy jute twine. Also the colors.. I purchased this skein because the sample sock at the store was knit in the same colorway. THIS sock is not even coming close to resembling the sample sock. I'll keep knitting to see if my favor changes, but for now, the jury is still out and leaning towards conviction.
Now with that said.. I'm going to need to do some shopping around for sock yarn. I've been knitting lots of socks this past year, and not replenishing my stash. At this point, the choices are few. Any suggestions? Any new hand dye sock yarns out there that are not prone to pooling? (A girl can dream, right?)

How DO they do it?

Today our tribe grew by three (at least for the day, and possibly a few hours every day sometime in the future) as I help out a neighbor in need of some emergency childcare. Three more little boys.. 6, 2 and 6 months. I'm only taking the time to post this right now since the infant is blissfully snoozing in the pack and play, the toddlers are amused by Connor's ball popper, and the older boys are mesmerized (for the time being) by a Tonka game on the kid's computer (Cassidy is notably absent since she received a real treat today.. going in to Daddy's office for the day!)
The, how do I put it, sheer chaotic motion.. of an additional three children, only drives home my complete admiration for incredible (and patient) mommies like Fee and Cass (we may passionately disagree on politics..but when it comes to momming, they are tops!)
Last night I finished all chart repeats on the second Embossed Leaves sock. I had planned on finishing up the toe today during Connor's naptime, but with our little visitors here.. its impossible. Tonight I'll be able to finish it up.
Then a quick wash and block, wrapped, packaged, and on its way to... somewhere in Delaware!