Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl...

Check it out...I'm actually knitting something that looks like something! My mother has been teaching me to knit over the past few days, and I am enjoying it a lot. My Grammy Dunphy taught me to knit when I was probably 7 or 8, and I've tried it a couple of times over the years, but have never quite had the confidence to really try a pattern. I'm working on a scarf right now, and I suspect I'll be making scarves for some time, until I get a little better at correcting my mistakes. Luckily I am able to hand the needles over to Mum when I have a slip-up, so she can show me how to correct it. I currently have no idea what I will do when she and my father head back to Maine next Wednesday, and I have to figure these things out for myself! Maybe I will have to mail it to her, or perhaps I will throw some sort of hissy fit, which I'm sure won't help at all. By the way, get a load of my new flannel nightgown, covered in cherries. I don't remember the last time I owned a flannel nightgown...I feel very Laura Ingalls Wilder when I have it on, I must admit.

My dear mother, correcting one of my crazy knitting blunders

In other news, I have discovered the joys of downloading music from the Internet, and making my own cd's. I forgot my laptop had a burner, and it had just never crossed my mind to download music in the first place. It is very addictive, I must say. I've looked up about a bazillion songs over the past 48 hours, and I made the boys a cd this evening. I feel like such a technology whiz. That is, until I look at this picture:

Here is a photo of Camden and my father (and Steve's feet), listening to my dad's iPod. I wouldn't know how to turn an iPod on if someone handed me one, along with explicitly written instructions. Each of my parents have one, and on top of that, my father has been downloading music and burning his own cd's for years. Something tells me I need to get with the program.

I have to admit, I actually went Christmas shopping today. I took Mum and Dad with me, and we waited until after 11:00 a.m., which turned out to be a wise choice, because most of the crazy, stampede-inducing sales ended at 11:00, so it was really like any old shopping day. The trip was very productive, and I am happy to say that my shopping is just about complete. My motto this year has been "keep it simple", and I'm happy to say that I have.