Toadle Chaos

So, I'm in charge of getting mums (the plants, not the mothers) for the bima (think altar) for Simchas Torah (note that Wikipedia says there is a modest consumption of alcohol on this holiday. Whoot!). The Husband and I went to the nursery today to pick up 40 or so plants. As we were going back to the nursery after delivery number three (why did I think we could take 20 plants at a time in the PT Cruiser?) he hit a pothole and then yelped. It seems we had a little hitch hiker. A toad had jumped out of the mums and hidden in the back until we hit the pothole. Toad jumped into Husband's lap and out the window. We checked on the way back (trips number four and five, thank you very much) and he wasn't flat on the road. We hope he hopped into a nearby stream. Maybe he hopped into a passing vehicle?
On the knitting front, I have been scheduled for at least three days a week from now until the December break. I am ordering the Harmony needles!!! Whee!!

With Alcohol, If You Please.

So, The Husband and I were out to dinner and, as usual, I was knitting while he finished up. The waitress came by and asked if we would like dessert. I ordered a Chocolate Amaretto Dream and the sweet young thing asked, "Would you like them to make that without alcohol? They can do that, you know." Which begs the question: Do I look like a recovering alcoholic? Or someone's sweet old grandma (knitting, see)? Just to set things straight, I had the booze. All the booze!

What?

The Husband just got off the phone with the insurance company. Seems that they over paid the hospital where he had his surgery last summer. So to make things right they are denying our dental coverage until the amount the hospital owes them until they balance. Let's get this straight: They paid the hospital too much. The hospital should return the extra monies to the insurance company. To make this happen they won't repay us the monies we spend on health care until we spend the amount the hospital owes the insurance company. Huh??

On another note: Amy is sending out her new book for checking. Yippee!! To get into grammer police mode I've noticed the following:
1. Two grammatical errors in the local paper. "A lot of students don't really know what we are based on." On the front page, yet!(and, yes, I know that's a fragment not a sentence. Emphasis, people!)
2. A grammatical error in a canned lesson at school ("You did that good!" Arghhhh!!!! Why can't Johnny read?)
3. The Husband told me this morning that "There's two bottles (of maple syrup) on the floor."

I have once again lost my voice and drugs are on the way. Hope they help. Oops! I'd better get back to my bread baking.....It's Alive!!!!

All the News That Fits

Sorry to have been gone so long. It's the High Holiday season and that means cooking. And cooking. And Cooking!! The last two Sundays I went to a friend's house to work on cookies for the Break the Fast dinner (right after 26 hours of fasting on Yom Kippur). Last Sunday, we baked for more than five hours. At the end we were so giddy, I threw a pan of prepared cookie dough at her (I swear, it was an accident) and she laughed so hard she had to leave the room. Yesterday we baked for four hours and filled her freezer. During this week, I am a second grade teacher who comes home at night and bakes another batch or two of cookies. On Friday, I will be baking challah. Lots of challah. Thank goodness Sandra (the cookie wearing friend above) talked my out of baking challah napkin rings for the tables. I will only have to bake 14 loaves.

I am going to Rhinebeck. I was kind of looking forward to taking a trip with The Husband but he has been offered an extension on his contract and will be staying in the South for an extra month. Yay! for the exchequer. Boo! for the lonely wife. Anyhow, I've got my room reserved and have already made plans to stop and visit The Brother and his family on the way. See you there (if I don't get lost.......)

On the knitting front" The Husband made another order to Daedelus and found this knitting book:

The book is Perfectly Brilliant Knits and are they ever! There is a pattern for a sweater with knitted in DNA strands. COOL! The sizing is even realistic with most sweaters running up to an extra large. The blue sweater is a shell pattern with a cardigan that sort of matches (without being all matchy matchy if you're careful about your yarns). It's knit from Knitpicks Shine, a cotton yarn. Speaking of Knitpicks....Have you seen the beautiful new wooden needles for the Options set? We wants it!! (sorry about that, I read the Harlot just before I posted and the note kind of got to me).

On the sock needles, I'm still working on the socotta yarn. Did I ever get that picture on? If not, here they are at the beginning:

I am actually on the foot by now, I just haven't got any pictures. The second graders I have this week are really impressed that anyone could make socks! Gotta get to the kitchen and make something for dinner and about 3 million more cookies. Don't worry if I don't post soon, I'm just buried in dough (the cookie kind, darn it!)

Opinions Sought

I need your opinions, or maybe just an intervention. With The Husband in the south and Younger Son back at school, I find I have a lot of time to clean things out. You would not believe(well, really you would) the number of projects I have bagged up ready to start and unfinished projects. Here's the question: If I'm really dilligent and work only on the stuff I already have (can I make an exception right here for Julie's knit-along?) should I go to Rhinebeck? I'd kind of like to go and meet some of you in person, but funds are a little tight (of course, The Husband would like to see the Airfield in Rhinebeck and he could give me this trip for Hanukkah) and I'd have to miss one or two days of work. So, how many are planning to go and would you like to meet?