My Holiday Wish from you...

Hi Everyone...
To me life is always interesting in the interconnectedness of things. It amazes me when somehow things just seem to converge and really join to show you something striking. Most of you know that I have volunteered for the American Red Cross and I am happy to say I have taken steps to join the here again in the DC area, and as of last week am an official volunteer again!**

And so I'm asking all my friends and family to do something for me for this Holiday Season. I don't care if you send me a card or buy me a gift. Instead I hope you'll do me a favor. Please take a few minutes and become prepared. If anything the recent tragic story of James Kim and his family has highlighted this for me.

1. Please take a minute to check the batteries in your smoke detector, your flashlight, and your radio if you have one.

2. Check the tire pressure in your spare tire of your car. (and your car tires too if you haven't done that recently!!)

3. Create a disaster kit for your home, and a small version for your car.
When going on long road trips, take your kit with you!
Have 3 days of food and water on hand for each person in your household. Keep some extra warm clothes in your car!

It's a little dorky, and kinda a pain to assemble... but please take the time to do so.
If you need some help getting started, here is a nice little list.Kit Suggestions

So please - I know you're all busy with the upcoming holidays - but take a few minutes for yourself too. 'Cause you know I love you.

**[As back story, if you didn't know, I first volunteered for the Red Cross in Auburn during Hurricane Katrina, and then I spent a lot of my time in Korea volunteering as well. I know the Red Cross isn't a perfect organization - but it is amazing to me how many lives they touch -> from blood services, to disasters, to house fires, to helping Sr. Citizens get groceries and go to the doctor, to helping American Soldiers... if you are looking for an organization to donate to, check out your local Red Cross Chapter and help your neighbors!]

Call me if you need a bus moved

(an alternate title I was thinking of was "I'm the new Puff Jessi")

Anyway so the trip to Rebecca's is a fond memory, except my face apparently didn't like being in her house. I'm not sure if it is the cats, or detergent or what - but when I woke up Sunday my eye was very very puffy. I took some benedryl and thought that would be that...
but it wasn't...

then yesterday evening I developed a rash on my face. So I thought maybe some more benedryl would knock that out. Unfortunately I was wrong. I thought for sure I would be back to normal this morning but the rash actually spread to the other side of my face. So I am puffy and itchy!!
I went to the doctor and got some steroid tablets and she assured me by tomorrow the swelling will have gone down and maybe the rash too. Ugh.

But now I'll have super human strength, right? So for the next 10 days feel free to ask me to come lift heavy things for you. (just kidding!!)

cheers...

When punched in appropriate blocks, honor.

Hello, I went to Philly this weekend with my dear hubby to visit my friend Rebecca and her husband Jason and their two sweet kitties Mia and Molly.

The title of this entry comes from the back of my transit ticket for when we went into the city. I don't know why this amuses me so, but it does.

Anyway we saw the sites:

Liberty Bell


Independence Hall




We saw some carriages waiting for patrons

And we ate Lunch in Chinatown.



All in all a great weekend save all kinda of miserable traffic both to and from there. :)

Thanksgiving!

I totally forgot to bring my camera... but don't worry, Harland's mom always makes sure someone is taking pictures.

Here is a picture of the people who sat at the kids table. I think the youngest is Teresa (23) and the oldest might be me (29). Anyway you look at it - it's a pretty old average for a kids table.

In the back row (left to right) is Eric, Hubby, Eric, Kyle, Jed(?) in the front (left to right) Teresa, Me, Serena, Eugenia, and CoGene.

So that is that. They're all good people.

Well gotta run to eat dinner.

I have been knitting, I swear

Okay so I have not posted in forever, but it isn't because I haven't been knitting.
Here are some of my recently finished objects!! They are all Holiday presents and it is taking me all my energy not to tell you who each one belongs to, but I am trying to actually keep a surprise or two this season.

Here is a hat, It is really navy blue but you know how it is when there is a flash.
It kinda looks like the ribbing is messed up at the top, but that was just me not lying it flat before shooting the photo.

Here is a picture of a scarf. I folded it, in case you are wondering. It's knit in bias, so it looks pretty cool and diagionally when unfolded.

Here are my pride and joy - mittens. They took a long time and the thumbs were intimidating but I finally finished them yesterday. The top one is folded back (it is not really pointy). They do not entirely match up (stupid self striping yarn not being the same length each time) but they are pretty close. I can hardly wait for Christmas to be over to make myself a pair.


And I finished a quilt wall hanging that I started in Auburn when I took quilting lessons.

Honey, did this shrink?

So one little fact you may or may not already know about Harland and I - is that Harland does most of the laundry. I don't know where my hatred of doing laundry began, but it is pretty present in my heart. So Harland throws the laundry in the washer and the dryer and then I come out of the woodwork to fold. Every once and a while I wish I was the one who did the laundry.

This is one of those cases.

So I have completed ONE pair of hand knit socks. I have one sock for Susan that is lonely for a partner, I have another sock that was started and abandoned because I messed it up and do not have the heart to unravel it. So I have, or um, had one pair of orange socks.

Then I hear these words "Honey, did this shrink?" as my delightful husband was holding up an bright orange piece of wool...


Yes, Harland that shrunk. He is now the wiser that I did not knit socks out of cotton as he for whatever reason thought (even though he does indeed remember me hand washing my socks in the sink a few weeks ago). So rest in peace my dear socks.

Also, I made homemade pretzels from Rebecca's recipe that her parents used to make them for use from. YUM!!


Also - we have two great new plants. The little one's name is Silverstar and the other one's name is Salazaar. When I have time and energy I'll explain why - but it is almost bed time.

Two things...

number 1 - go out and vote tomorrow, do it!!

number 2 - Sometimes I like public transit for what you overhear, today there were kids on my commute home (why anyone would want to take kids traveling around DC at RUSH HOUR is beyond me) but when we got to Ballston station the one girl said to her Mom "Boston, you mean we're all the way in Massachusetts?"

too cute.

Much better when I was on a bus in Camp Casey when a soldier said "Yeah I like to lick my wife's eyeball (yes, he said eyeball) when I'm (beep)ing her, although you can't do it too many times or they'll try and divorce you." (I would hope so!!)

Yeah, kids are a lot cuter than drunk infantry GIs. Most of the time.