A Caroling We Go

Our Cub Scout pack went caroling at our hospital's extended care facility. I don't think the kids were prepared for what they were going to see. I know my kids weren't. I haven't been in a place like that for a long time, so I didn't even think about talking to them first. My kids were scared. They didn't expect to see older, incapacitated people. Some of them were completely unresponsive as we went through. My kids hid behind me and were to afraid to look at anyone. Then, a lady in a wheelchair discovered us and followed us around, trying to hold the kids' hands. They dealt with it well and were polite about it. We had a talk afterward about why the patients were there and how boring and lonely it would be to be in the hospital all the time. I told them that their being there was exciting for them. The kids seemed to be okay with everything after that.

We had our pack meeting after that and everyone got pinewood derby cars. Woohoo! G2 wants to make his into the cheesemobile (sshh-it's a secret!).

Hot off the needles...

This second sock is the fastest I've knitted--7 days. That's really fast for me. I've realized that knitting goes much quicker if I set small goals within a project for myself.For example, if I try to get ten rows of a sock done a day, like I did this one. That's good. I end up knitting more than that sometimes, depending on how much free time I have.

This pair is going to another teacher at school. It's the least I can do for all the advice she's given me and the shoulder to lean on.

We're expecting bad weather this weekend. After our two snow days and one two-hour delay last week, I'm glad this is happening on the weekend. We're losing too much time at school. Everything will be crazy enough next week anyway with it being the week before break.

The kids and I tried our hands at baking cookies last weekend. G2 picked out cupcakes from a box and G1 and I actually tried to bake from scratch. We made Chocolate Crinkle cookies from Family Fun magazine. They look great--just like the picture. The taste, however, is not quite sweet enough for me. They need a little more sugar.

This weekend we're making brownies for the Cub Scout Pack Meeting Monday and I want to try some pumpkin muffins with a streusel topping. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Happy Birthday, Katie!

It's hard to believe, but my little sister is 16 years old today. It just seems like yesterday that I babysat for her while her mom and dad went out for a well-deserved dinner and she cried shortly after they left the house until they walked back in the door. At the time I thought that was one of the longest evenings of mylife. Looking back, it was hardly anything. Here she is at about 10 months old with a proud dad looking on. She has always liked to have her picture taken.

When she was little, she loved to watch Barney and sing. One of her favorite songs was "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Her version of it was "Fruit fruit fruit for the home team." We would ask her how tall she was and she'd answer "free foot free." One of her favorite movies was "Fumberia" (Thumbelina for those that don't speak Katie-ese!). She's always been a good aunt, even though she's only six years older than G1. She would lay on the floor with him and read to him. This was in 1998, when Katie was seven and G1 was 8 months old.
She's had some big life changes in the past couple of years, but I know she's strong and she can survive it all with her head held high. She's become a beautiful young woman. And I'm starting to cry. Love you lots, Kaitlyn Anna! I just wished we lived closer so I could see you more often.
I also realized I don't have this year's school picture.....

Just for Lyndsey!!

Lyndsey S. says I need to update my blog more often. Here it is... a couple of Thanksgiving pix I haven't posted yet. G1 & G2 and my nephew R. My boys really enjoyed chasing a newly-walking 18-month-old around. He loves to open and close doors. We played in the sheds in Sears for about an hour. He really liked closing himself in and then finding us on the outside.

This is my brother Big R and his son Little R. It was good to see my family on Thanksgiving, especially since I won't see them again until next summer.

My dad really kicked my butt walking! He walks for about an hour and a half everyday. I thought I was in pretty good shape. I walked for an hour with him--about 4 miles and was worn out. The weather was nice the first two days we were there in South Carolina--nearly 70 degrees. After that, it was cold and windy. Just like here.

G2 received his Bobcat badge at the Cub Scout Pack Meeting in November. He learned everything pretty quickly. The picture turned out very blurry for some reason. He loves Scouts.
Here is my sister Katie for those of you in 3rd period who couldn't believe I had a 15-year-old sister.

The New Addition to our Family

This is my test to upload a video. We got Little Bill, the hamster, about a month ago.

Back Home

We got back from South Carolina yesterday afternoon. Traffic was not bad at all. A lot of people were travelling, but the cars moved steadily. There was no stop and go. The great thing about the trip is that I only drove 2 of the 8 hours on the way down and not at all on the way back. I got a lot of knitting done. These first two pix are of my Jaywalkers. The second sock always seems to go faster than the first for me and these socks knit up very fast. I'm going to give them to another teacher at school. Her dad passed away a couple of weeks ago and she's been feeling pretty low.

The third pic is my Jaywalker/Chevron scarf. The yarn is Deluxe Chunky LP from Universal Yarn Inc. I love the color combination, but the yarn itself irritates me. I started the scarf and after the first two stripes, the yarn just quit. Literally. It was like it was torn apart. I put the two stripes aside and started the scarf again. After three stripes, the yarn had a huge knot in it. I haven't had any problems since, but those two were enough. Anyway, the pattern is from the Jaywalker sock pattern. Instead of knitting even every other as in the sock, I purl. Easy peasy!

Still working on the Tweedy Vest...almost to the neckline!!

We had a great visit down South. Thanksgiving was good and I got to see my family. My nephew R is getting really big. He's walking now and is into everything. He loves to give high-fives and play with the light switches. He can go to Lowe's and stare at the ceiling fans with lights for an hour.

Dad gave me a huge stack of books to read. I don't know when I'll ever find the time.

It was great to see everyone, especially since I probably won't see them again until summer.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone has a great holiday. We're heading out this morning to my parents' house in South Carolina. It's about an eight-hour drive, so I hope to show some FOs upon my return. I only have about 15 row left on my second Jaywalker sock and I've started a Jaywalker (chevron) scarf, too. Maybe I'll finally get my tweedy vest finished!

I'm thankful to have a warm house to come home to everyday, two kids who make me laugh with their crazy dancing, a job that's pretty secure, and a husband who is always on top of things. Lots of people in town are losing their jobs shortly after Christmas because one of our main employers has decided to move out of state. Things are not good here for many people right now. One man who's losing his job has a six-year-old little girl who has been diagnosed with a tumor on her brain stem. My prayers go out to them. Please send your good thoughts along, too...

Go Bucks!

We had a big Ohio State vs. Michigan party yesterday. One of our friends always gets a big screen tv to watch the game. It's a whole weekend of festivities because today we all get back together to watch the NASCAR race. Dumb me, I always forget to bring the camera. I'm still not the greatest at blogging. Even though I'm not crazy about watching sports on tv, I was very pleased to get a lot done on my 2nd Jaywalker sock. I finished the cuff, turned the heel, and started the gusset. Only 55 more rows to go until I start the toe. The 2nd sock always seems to go faster anyway. I don't know why that is.


In other news, I saw this on Dana Huff's blog and had to try it out. It's a check your blog's reading level website. I always feel like I have nothing to say on my blog. I'm not a big talker in real life and it carries over to this blog. I'm also hesitant to say much about school here just in case a parent/my principal or superintendent should happen to see it. So I was really surprised to find...















We're celebrating Christmas next weekend with my family in South Carolina. I haven't seen them since September. We'll be having Thanksgiving/Christmas. So I'm skipping the NASCAR party and I'm off for a day of shopping....

I don't mind, even though I have a ton of papers to grade. I hope to get caught up over Thanksgiving break. However, I kind of would rather not have a holiday right now. Both of my classes are in the middle of books that they almost all like--To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Outsiders." Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites and I knew my General English kids would love "The Outsiders." One boy, who REALLY doesn't like English, came into class Friday and said, "I love this book." That made me very happy.

I'm really glad I made the switch from 11th grade British Lit last year to 10th grade American Lit this year. Although I have the OGT, our standardized graduation test, to worry about, everything else is great!

The end of getting ANYTHING done...

I have finally caught the Ravelry bug. I got all my projects put on, have joined groups, made friends, and NOW have become part of the obsession called the Ravelry Games forum. I played games before I went to bed last night and I played this morning before work and I'm still playing!! AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH. I have kids who need attention. I have lots and lots of papers to grade. I have a house to clean up. Help! I already need a 12-step program for this.

Happy Halloween

It's finally here. My favorite holiday. I love Halloween and I love autumn. I love watching the leaves fall from the trees (not raking them up, though). I love hearing the leaves crunch under my feet. I love listening to cold rain hit the roof while I'm warm and cozy in the house. I love having cool air but warm sunshine. I love the colors of orange, brown, gold, and rust. I love playing outside and coming in to have warm apple cider. I love caramel apples. I love pumpkins. I love passing treats out to kids.

Craft Pirate had a Halloween meme on her blog and I'm borrowing it from her.

1. Do you believe in ghosts? I'd like to say yes, but I just don't.

2. Have you ever seen a ghost? No. I've experienced deja vu, but I've never experienced any paranormal activity.

3. Have you ever experienced something that is best described by the word "paranormal"? see #2

4. Do you watch any ghost or haunting themed shows? I am a sucker for anything "haunted," "scariest," "ghost," etc. My DVR is set to record every episode of Ghost Hunters. I have always been interested in ghost stories. I've watched all the Scariest Places on Earth, Celebrity Fear (or whatever that show was where the participants wore cameras pointed up to their faces). I don't even know the names of all the shows.

5. If so, do you sometimes sleep with the lights on or wake up your partner because the show scared you a whole lot and you can't sleep and don't want to be awake alone? I haven't ever been THAT scared. However, after reading some scary books or watching some scary movies, I won't go outside with the dog at night or go into the basement.

6. Have you ever been to a supposedly haunted place? If so, did you experience anything spooky? I've been to houses that have been rumored to be haunted. Famous places I've been are Athens, Ohio, where I went to college at Ohio University. See the link for more about that. My husband and I went to San Francisco for our honeymoon and I insisted we see the Winchester Mystery House. I've also been to the Mansfield Reformatory (see Summer 2007 posts). I experienced nothing. Maybe if I went at night, though, it would be different.

7. How much do you love Halloween? see the top of the post!!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Return to Knitting Group

I'm back with my knitting group finally. I haven't seen Hilde or Becky since we went to The Yarn Loft in Somerset back in July. It's been over 3 months. That seems like forever! Here they are knitting their dog sweaters. Too bad Molly couldn't make it tonight. We had a lot of catching up to do.

I was able to get quite a bit done on my Jaywalker sock. I'm ready to start the heel flap. I know, I know. I started it like a week ago. I can only dream of knitting socks like Wendy. That'll never happen!

These other two pictures are the two G's at Cub Scouts last night. We had our Halloween costume party pack meeting. There were some really cute costumes. One boy made his own Frankenstein costume. My boys are Emile from Ratatouille and a crazy Buckeye Fan. Can't wait for Beggar's Night tomorrow!!

Back in the swing

I've started knitting again. I'm working on a pair of Jaywalker socks. I couldn't decide which picture looked better-with or without the flash-so I used both. I love this pattern and started a pair of socks about a year ago, but after I turned the heel and tried them on, they were way too small. I couldn't even get them over my heel. I am definitely not a swatcher. I took it apart and didn't try again. Until now. I sorta remember how many I had cast on last time and I added a few more stitches. I keep trying it on after every couple of rows. So far so good.
















On Monday night we had a cookout at MVSR in place of our regular Cub Scout meeting. The kids got to roast their own hot dogs and marshmallows. We had a potluck dinner. In the first picture below, G2 is roasting his hot dog. In the second, G1 is the one in the middle playing games. The third picture is all three of us on the hayride.

A New Scout

This is G2 on his first night of Cub Scouts. We've been waiting for this for a long time after watching G1 and all of his Scout activities. G2 was so excited about this. At the meeting the boys got to decorate Halloween treat bags and play a cool game of unwinding themselves from each other. G2 had lots of fun and gave it a big thumbs up! Plus, he looks really cute in his uniform.

I'm Back

I've been gone a while. I've had some computer difficulties. My old computer, which was working fine, crashed. We had a big storm coming in July, so I decided to unplug the computer. Looking back, that was probably not the best idea. Well, the storm never really came. I tried to turn the computer back on and it wouldn't turn back on. After about a week, I took it to Best Buy to get it fixed. After they had it for two weeks, they let me know that they could fix it for about $400. I decided to go ahead and get a new one. I had them keep the old one to try to get the info off the hard drive. Info like my kids' pictures for the past 3 years and all my music. After another week, they told me they couldn't do it there. They could send it away to have it done where it would cost around $1500. $1500 that I didn't have, especially after just having bought a new tower. So after all that... I'm back.

I finally got my Ravelry invitation today. I never thought it would come. Last time I checked there were about 3000 people ahead of me. My heart jumped a little when I saw the email invite! I'm so excited to get started on it.

I don't have any new knitting pix to show. I'm still working on the Tweedy Vest I had started in my last post. I did knit a pair and a half of socks in the meantime, though.

I do want to post about something we did last summer. We went to the Mansfield Reformatory. And I'd like to say that it was awesome. The movie "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed there. We took the Hollywood Tour, which showed a lot of the rooms where the movie was made. Take a look at these pix:





This is G1 and G2 in front.

In the movie, this is where Brooks and Red carved their names (this is a reproduction. the real one was stolen.)

The hole in the wall where the warden kept his safe. The safe was taken out after the movie was completed.

This is the warden's office where Andy locks himself in and plays music over the intercom system and the guards have to smash the window to unlock the door.








This tour was great. The tour guide, I think his name was Greg, was excellent and knew so many facts about the prison itself and the movie. It was very interesting and he does a terrific job.

This prison was also on an episode of Ghost Hunters on the Sci Fi channel. We got to see some of the places they went, too. I didn't the prison was spooky at all, but we were there in the daytime. I definitely wouldn't want to spend the night, which you can for about $50.

Other than that, I've spend the summer preparing for school, which obviously has already started now. I switched from 11th grade British Lit to 10th grade American Lit. I've been rereading stories and coming up with plans.

Fun trip yesterday

Yesterday my knitting group (all 4 of us!) took a trip to The Olde Yarn Loft in Somerset. Wouldn't you know I didn't think to bring a camera. We first went to The Clay Haus, which a restaurant that was built in the early 1800s. We had a good lunch and then went on the The Olde Yarn Loft (I don't think it's online). Kim Christman, the owner, sat with us while we knit. She did a variety of things--she knit for a while (she's just starting to do lacework), she worked on a scarf on a loom, she did some spinning, AND she showed us the triangle looms her husband makes on which she weaves shawls. She is quite the jack of all trades! Needless to say we were there a while. I was able to get a couple of pattern repeats done on the Tweedy Vest. I'm almost to the armholes.

We had a great time and we all came away with great purchases.

In the 3rd picture is the yarn I plan on using to make the Tomato sweater. It's Berroco Ultra Alpaca. In the pic on the bottom in the middle is my very first skein of Cherry Tree Hill. I was so excited to see it. I got the Wild Cherry colorway. And on the right are 3 balls of Universal Yarn Deluxe Chunky Long Print in a color called Sea and Sand, which I will probably make My So-Called scarf with.

We stopped on the way home at Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. I treated myself to a one-dip banana split. It was yummy. I hardly ever eat ice cream.

We had a great time!

I also finished reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd this week. I liked it pretty well.

It's been a while

I realized yesterday that it's been a while since I posted on this blog. I'd better get in gear! Some knitting has been happening. Right now I'm working on a pair of socks using this pattern. It's super easy to remember. I have this thing for cables right now. I was going to knit a cabled pullover vest for one of the men in my family, but after asking around, I found out no one would ever wear except when I was around. At least they didn't let me go ahead and knit it out of politeness, I guess. So I'm going to make myself a pink one.

We went to South Carolina to visit my family. I visited The Peace of Yarn in Matthews, NC. I picked up some Rowan Big Wool to make my vest, four skeins of Fortissima Socka, and one skein of Austermann Step with jojoba oil. I've been wanting to try Austermann Step for about a year. From what I've seen, I like how the stripes come out wide. If anyone knows of any other sock yarn that comes out in wide stripes, please let me know.

While visiting my family whom I hadn't seen since Thanksgiving, I realized how bad my dad's eyesight is getting. He was diagnosed with macular degeneration a few years ago and his sight has become bad lately. He is now completely blind in one eye and can only see 25% of what healthy eye sees in the other. He has stopped driving. I had to help him down steps and read a wall menu at a fast food restaurant for him. I can't put into words how I feel about this. Simply, it makes me cry.

The kids, Katie (my sister), and I went to Carowinds and had an awesome time. It wasn't crowded at all. The lines weren't long. The weather was great. We rode a lot of water rides and after riding the Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator, we were completely drenched. We saw the parade with all the Nick characters, too. It was fun.

We're off to Buckeye Lake tomorrow for their fireworks show. Have a good 4th, everyone.

Cub Scout Day Camp Day 1

We had a good first day. The theme is Gizmos and Gadgets and the weather was fantastic. 78 degrees with a breeze. We didn't even sweat--much. Our first activity was building a rocket. We used a film canister, put water and half of an Alka-Seltzer tablet in, put the lid on quickly, turned it over, and it shot up in the air. Pretty cool. This is a pic of the kids working on their rockets.
















We also had a "Flag Respect" given by a Korean War Vet that was interesting. I learned quite a few rules about handling and hanging the flag that I hadn't heard before. I also learned that when the flag is properly folded--ending up with a triangle--that each fold symbolizes something different. He named several things. I tried to look it up but couldn't find it. Graham and I decided to take a few pictures of the flag as we were looking up at it. This is one of our better ones.




More scout camp posts tomorrow.

Balloons and Knitting

Knitting has been slow lately. I did a 10x10 square for my knitting group's throw we're making from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Perpetual Calendar. We started with January 1, which I think without looking it up, is basket rib. I'm using acrylic yarn that I've lost the band for. It should be easy to wash.

I also finished the reversible scarf from Cables Untangled. I gave that to Graham's kindergarten teacher. Miss Cores, as an end of the year gift. We were really sad that she would no longer be his teacher. She was awesome.

An annual local event that we always look forward to is the Hot Air Balloon Festival. The balloons land pretty close to my in-laws and we sit in their backyard and watch. Sometimes the balloons fly really low. Low enough so that you can yell up the the people in them. We can hear them coming when they light the fires to heat the air. Here are some of the pix we took yesterday.

They also do a "night glow," which means they illuminate the balloons after it gets dark. They are really pretty. You can also go up close during this time and talk to the balloonists(?).

No knitting posts lately

because I have been so busy grading papers and I just finished a really good book. I stopped working on the Reversible Scarf from Cables Untangled that I posted about way back on April 8. I picked that back up last weekend and am now about 1/3 of the way done. I'm such a slow knitter. My knitting group and I have started making blocks using the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Perpetual Calendar. We're taking turns picking which pattern to knit and all knitting the same pattern at the same time. We started with Jan. 1. Now that the school year is coming to a close, I have lots of knitting projects in mind. I just wish I could knit faster...

I wore my Mary Jane Crocs today for the first time. I've had them for a while, but the weather has been so hot I've just worn sandals. The Crocs are SO comfortable. It's like walking on marshmallows. They aren't exactly the most attractive, but they're kinda cute. They feel great on the feet, though.

Bonus Question for week of May 21

The answer to last week's question is ENVELOPE.

This week's question is...

Rick is asked to carry a barrel of water across the desert for his Cub Scout troop. The barrel is 2 feet high, 1.5 feet in diameter, and it weighs 100 pounds. What can he add to it to make it lighter?

Answers must be emailed to me at kim.beaumont@omeresa.net by the end of the school day Friday, May 25.

Bonus Question for the week of May 14

I'm a day behind in getting this post out. That's the story of my life, though. Behind on everything.

The answer to last week's question about the bleachers was 11 rows of 29 or more unlikely 29 rows of 11.

This week's question is not so mathy. Here it is:

I start with the letter E. I end with the letter E. I usually contain one letter, but I am not the letter E. What am I?

Answers should be emailed to me by the end of school on Friday, May 18, at kim.beaumont@omeresa.net. Good luck.

Knitting Meme

Lifted from Michelle.

Mark with bold the things you have knit at least once, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching **not as often as I should**
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Something else from the library...

The public library also has flash drives for sale for under $10. That's a steal. The most inexpensive flash drives at Wal-Mart are, I believe, about twice that.

Bonus Question for week of May 7

The answer to last week's question is

26 x 1.04 = 26 + 1.04 = 27

Here's this week's question:

When the bleachers at a high school basketball game were filled to capacity, they held 319 people. Assuming that each row contained the same number of people, how many rows were there?

Email your answer to me at kim.beaumont@omeresa.net by the end of the school day Friday, May 11. Good luck.

Invaluable tool

I cannot say enough about our public library. My family spends A LOT of time there and we love to read. For instance, between my kids and me, we have 22 books checked out right now. I used to buy books from Amazon because I could never find the specific book I wanted to read. Now, I just get online and reserve the book I'm looking for through the public library's website. All you need to do is go to www.coshoctonlibrary.org and search for your book in the catalog. When you find it (at another library), click on "reserve this copy." You'll have to enter your library card number and a pin number. That's it. The library will call you when the book comes in. It's an awesome service. I'm sure it's been around for a while, but I just figured it out about a year ago and thought I'd share it with you. You can also renew your books online, too. This website gives a calendar of events at the library.

Give it try. READ A BOOK!

Books I've Read 2007 (started May 6)

I saw this idea of posting a list of books I've read on another blog. I thought it was a great way to keep track. I used to keep a journal to keep track of books/stories I've read. Maybe I'll make a list of that another time. Here's a list of what I can think of off the top of my head so far this year. I know I've read more than three books. I just can't think of what they are. That's exactly the reason why I need to keep a list.

1) The Day the Earth Caved In: An American Mining Tragedy-Joan Quigley
2) Nineteen Minutes-Jodi Picoult
3) The Secret Life of Bees-Sue Monk Kidd
4) Mayflower-Nathaniel Philbrick
5) My Sister's Keeper-Jodi Picoult
6) The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People: An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America-N. Brent Kennedy
7) Second Glance-Jodi Picoult
8) The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America-Bill Bryson
9) The Pact-Jodi Picoult
10) I Feel Bad about my Neck-Nora Ephron
11) Vanishing Acts-Jodi Picoult
12) Cell-Stephen King
13) Different Seasons-Stephen King (this is a reread)
14) To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee (for school)
15) The Outsiders-SE Hinton (for school)
16) Paula Deen-Paula Deen with S. Suib Cohen

Bonus question for this week

The solution to last week's question is 1000.

This week's question is...

There are infinitely many pair of numbers whose sum equals their product. But there is only one solution to the pair of equations below, assuming that A, B, C, D, and E each stand for a single, distinct digit

AB x C.DE = AB + C.DE

Can you find the solution? Email me your answer at kim.beaumont@omeresa.net.

Bonus Question for the week of April 23

Congrats to the TWO students who answered last week's question about the earthquake. The answer to the question was the square root of 10 (or about 3.1). This week's question is a little easier, I hope. It is...

Suppose the numerical pyramid below kept on going. What would be the sum of the numbers in the 10th row?

1

3 5

7 9 11

13 15 17 19

Email your answer to this question to kim.beaumont@omeresa.net by Friday, April 27 at 2:00. Good luck!
(I can't get the pyramid to come out looking like a pyramid when I publish the post. Use your imagination.)

New Bonus Question

Good job to the TWO students who answered last week's question about the chimney. The answer was 30 bricks.

Here is this week's question:

If two earthquakes are a point apart on the Richter scale, then the one with the higher reading is ten times as powerful as the other. Suppose that two earthquakes differ by half a point. How much more powerful is the one with the higher reading?

The answer to this question is due by the end of the school day Friday, April 20 and must be emailed to me. Note the new email address kim.beaumont@omeresa.net. Good luck!

Bonus question

I hope everyone had a nice break. It sure was cold and yucky outside. These last few weeks of school will go fast. Most of you seem to be doing well on the research paper. How do you feel you're doing with it?

There was only one entry for last week's questions about the chimney; however, no one got the answer correct. Therefore, I'm leaving the question up for this week. Click here for the question. Entries MUST be emailed to me by the end of the school day Friday, April 13. When I receive your entry, I will reply to let you know I did receive it. Good luck. And to the student who sent in the incorrect answer last week, you can try again.

Happy Easter!

Our Easter started early. G2 was up at 3:30 wanting to check if the Easter Bunny had been here yet. I had to convince him to go back to bed. He did..somewhat. He was up again at 5:00. Needless to say that at 1:30, he's now taking a nap. This has been a lazy day for everyone. Everyone except me. I feel like I've gotten a LOT accomplished today.

I'm now blocking my first garment. My first garment!! It feels awesome to say that. Invested is just about finished. I've never really blocked anything before. I never saw the need. For this vest, I measured every piece and pinned it. I'm hoping they will all fit together okay.

I've also taken the time to finish the fringe on my Lady Eleanor. This project has taken a little over nine months and I'm glad to say--LE FIN!! I honestly am tired of looking at this thing. Anyway, I used Noro Kuryeon 170. I do like how it turned out.

And last but not least is the beginning of His/Hers Reversible Scarf from Scarf Style. I'm using doubled Knitpicks Swish in Red Pepper for this project. The pattern is very easy to remember.

Easter Eve

The boys and I just finished coloring eggs at 9:40. Talk about cutting it close. It's bedtime for all of us now. First, though, I wanted to post my progress on Invested. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to knit an actual piece of clothing, but I haven't tried to put the pieces together yet. I still have to finish knitting the right front and the neck, but that shouldn't take too long.

The color didn't come out right in the picture. It looks gray, but it's a light blue. I'm using the yarn Lion Brand Wool-Ease like the pattern calls for. It's been pretty quick to knit because the yarn's so bulky.

I've also still got the reversible scarf from Cables Untangled going and I started my first pair of toe-up socks after seeing the episode of Knitty Gritty. I could never figure out how to cast on. The figure eight wasn't too bad after trying it about seven times.

Good night.

Bonus Question for week of April 2

Hi, all. Last week's question was a little tricky, but a few of you got it. The trick was to change the two s's (?) of passer. Anyway, here's this week's question:

I have a drawing of the side of a chimney. No bricks were cut to form the chimney; the half-bricks are the ends of bricks that extend along one of the other sides. How many bricks were needed to build the entire chimney?

The diagram of the chimney will be posted above my computer in my room.

Good luck! This question is due by the end of the school day Thursday, April 5, (no school Friday!) and MUST BE EMAILED TO ME!! co_252@omalp1.omeresa.net

It's been a while

I just realized I haven't posted on my blog for a long time. I'm long overdue.

We've just started the last nine weeks of school. Boy, this year has flown by. I used to do journal questions for bonus points each week. We're going to try something different now. I'm going to give you a brainteaser each week. I think Jamie M. will love this. It's right up his alley. In order to get credit, you must email me the correct answer by the end of the week. This question will expire at the end of the school day Friday, March 30. The question is...

In this word ladder, your task is to convert the word PASSER into the word SPARSE by switching two adjacent letters at a time in five moves. Type each interim step on one of the blank lines.
PASSER
____________
____________
____________
____________
SPARSE

You may not use either PASSER or SPARSE on any of the lines. Good luck.

Email your answer to me co_252@omalp1.omeresa.net.

I just got the call

School is cancelled again tomorrow (2/14). Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Yet another snow day...

Well, let's face it. We're going to be making up days. I hope everyone is enjoying our days off.

I've gotten some papers graded and done some knitting (of course).

I finished my first fair isle project--a beanie for my sister.

I really enjoy doing fair isle. I love to see the pattern grow out of ordinary yarn.

I have started a new pair of mittens--Corazon from Knitty.

What's on your I-Pod?

A new meme going around is to list all the songs on your I-Pod that start with "I."
Here's mine:

I'd Still Say Yes-Klymaxx
I'll Always Love You-Taylor Dayne
I'll Be Home for Christmas-Harry Connick, Jr.
I'll Fly Away-Allison Krauss & Gillian Welch
I'll Still Be Loving You-Restless Heart
I'm Gonna Get Through This-Daniel Bedingfield
I'm Head Over Heels in Love-Earl Scruggs
I've Done Everything for You-Rick Springfield
I Alone-Live
I Am Changing-Jennifer Holliday
I Can't Stand the Rain-Missy Elliot
I Can't Wait-Nu Shooz
I Can Dance-Leo Sayer
I Don't Hurt Anymore-Dinah Washington
I Don't Want Your Love-Duran Duran
I Drove All Night-Cyndi Lauper
I Feel for You-Chaka Khan
I Feel Lucky-Mary Chapin Carpenter
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues-Elton John
I Know What Boy Like-The Waitresses
I Like to Move It-Sacha Baron Cohen (Madagascar)
I Love Your Smile-Shanice
I Melt With You-Modern English
I Only Want to be with You-Dusty Springfield
I Remember You-Skid Row
I Saw Her Standing There-The Beatles
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For-U2
I Walk the Line-Johnny Cash
I Wanna Be Sedated-The Ramones
I Want It Now-Veruca Salt (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)
I Want to Hold Your Hand-The Beatles
I Want to Rock and Roll All Night-KISS
I Want You to Want Me-Cheap Trick
I Would Die 4 U-Prince
Ice Cream Man-Van Halen
If I'd Been the One-.38 Special
If It isn't Love-New Edition
If You Could Only See-Tonic
If Your Heart Isn't in It-Atlantic Starr
Imagine-John Lennon
In a Sentimental Mood-John Coltrane
In the Jailhouse Now-Suzy Bogguss & Chet Atkins
Insentsatez-Stan Getz
Inside Out-Eve 6
Into the Groove-Madonna
Into the Mystic-Van Morrison
Is There Something I Should Know-Duran Duran
Isn't It Time-The Babys
It's a Long Way to the Top-AC/DC
It's Gonna Take a Miracle-Deniece Williams
It's Like That-Run-DMC
It's No Good-Depeche Mode
It's Tricky-Run-DMC
It Ain't Me, Babe-Johnny Cash & June Carter
It Don't Mean a Thing-Duke Ellington
It Feels So Good-Sonique
It's So Easy-Guns'n'Roses

What's on yours?

Extra Credit

As many of you have found out, I am officially out of pencils in the classroom cup. So, for extra credit, you can bring in 4 10-packs of pencils for 10 points. This will be due Wednesday, February 28. Write your name on each package to be sure you are credited for them. Please take advantage of this, even if your grade is usually good no matter what. Don't wait until the end of the nine weeks to worry your grade. This will be the only extra credit offered this grading period besides your restroom passes.

I've moved

In order to take advantage of what the new Blogger has to offer, I had to move the blog. So, I guess I'll be periodically messing with the template. I have learned to simplify things some like my URL.