Everybody Needs a Little Brainless Knitting...

That's why I love Mondays with the kids -- because I can kick back and knit something brainless. There is, after all, no way I'm going to be able to accomplish something that requires thought while I'm listening to the latest American Idol argument.

Often, I work on dishcloths. But lately I've discovered that one session with the girls is pretty much exactly the time/concentration I need to finish a baby bootie. Last week, I did one. This week, I did the other. Perfect.

I really, really, really wanted to take some Easter candy this week to share with the girls -- but then I thought again. Sugar and Miss A just don't mix. So I left the candy at home -- and then I went to the store and hid the candy jar. When Miss S arrived (with her mom, who decided to hang with us this week), she told me that she, too, had thought about bringing Easter candy to share -- and she'd changed her mind, too. As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about -- Miss A didn't show. Miss S was bummed. She said she wished she'd known -- because we would have had tons of candy to munch on. I did, however, let her pull out the candy jar (the hidden location of which she's known for a long time -- but she's sweet enough not to give it away).

Miss H returned this week, too, after a three-week absence. As it turns out, poor Miss H has been through a ton -- including being framed by a couple of friends and getting suspended for something she didn't do. Boy, am I glad I'm not 14 anymore. Miss H brought her fabulous black bag, but she couldn't actually work on it because she sprained her wrist. Instead, she hung out and discussed the sexual orientation and various couplings of her various friends at school -- a conversation that I think may have been a little bit too much for Miss S. Heck, it even made my head spin. It made me feel like I attended middle school in the dark ages, back when we had boyfriends, but we never actually spoke to them.

We did, however, have a blast this week. In fact, I couldn't believe it when it was 6 and we all had to leave. I could have quite happily stuck around and chatted some more.

After a fabulous dinner of Easter leftovers last night, Paul and I ended up once again at Lowe's, picking out mulch. Ah, the joys of homeownership. Just a mere two years ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between mulch and nuggets -- but I can now. I can also tell you that Paul is seriously dissatisfied with the nuggets he bought this year, but the little nuggets that we got last year are no longer available.

Mostly, I just like saying "mulch."

Needless to say, I didn't get to do a ton of knitting last night -- though I did manage to finish off my latest Adamas repeat, move the lifeline and the markers, and start the next repeat. Four rows total, but all the beginning-of-repeat stuff takes extra time (which I'd love to skip, but I know now how critical lifelines are...). I've got to kick it into high gear on that thing before I start having more and more nightmares about it...