Up over the hill comes not one, not two, but three emergency vehicles, lights flashing, sirens wailing, horns blaring, and I thought perhaps Armageddon was starting.

Then came a school bus.

And another fire truck.

And dozens of cars flashing lights and honking horns.

Apparently, one of the high school sports team just won a major event tonight.  I’ve heard these escorts from afar (well, I live like two streets over from the school, so maybe not so far) but never actually seen one in progress.  It was overwhelming.

And so now I’m really wide awake.  Adrenalin sucks.  (And I didn’t see any deer, which is good, because I felt like a deer in headlights myself.)  Guess I’ll go find something good on TV and knit for a while…

Not the ugliest wallpaper, but it's time for a change.

I put this wallpaper up myself, about ten years ago.  And now it’s falling down.  I know it was put up properly – well, aside from the falling down bit…at least the walls were prepped correctly before it went up – so I know it won’t be hard to get it off.  So, in a fit of nervous energy I started ripping off the printed top layer.

Why yes, that was fun!

This corner (plus a bit – the bathroom is too tiny to stand in and take pictures) took all of 5 minutes, including the part where I went and got a trash bag after realizing the bathroom trash can was way too tiny.

Bare walls. Much better!

And then about 15 minutes later this corner looked like this.  (Really, spray the adhesive backing with warm water, wait a minute or two, pick up a corner and it comes off in big strips.  Easy-peasy.)  There are some rough patches on the walls, and I had forgotten about those…taking off the wallpaper that was in here a decade ago was *not* such an easy task, and the walls have some battle scars.  (Believe me, it was worth removing that wallpaper.  It was beyond ugly.  Four shades of tan clouds dotted with black seagulls.  I think I took pictures, but it was actually on film (what’s that?) and I’d have to go dig them out of a box somewhere.)

I’m contemplating adding some texture to the paint to hide the imperfections.

(Oh, and Denis, if you’re reading this, I promise the bathroom will still be in working order when you get home!  You had to know if you left the country for a whole week and left me in charge of girls and dogs I’d do something crazy like this, right?)

Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

All that and a bag of chips...er, maple cotton candy, that is.

Let’s see…clockwise-ish from top left:

* Patterns from various vendors.
* A “headache pillow” made from lavender & flax seed from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* Blue/green fiber is 4 oz. of Polworth from Fuzzy Bunny.
* Two skeins of Panda Sock in “Black Cherry” from Spinning Bunny.
* Cinnamon leaf handmade soap from Maggie’s Farm.
* Orange/purple-ish fiber peeking out from the back is 4 oz. of Falkland in “Autumn Sunset” from Spinning Bunny.
* Cute little floral bag is also from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* White fiber with streaks of brown/orange/pink is 8 oz. of Blue Face Leicester/silk blend from High Bid Farm.
* Adorable little white ceramic sheep is from…I can’t remember!
* Pink/brown fiber is 4 oz. of BFL/silk blend in “Chocolate Boxes” from Fiber Fancy.
* Brown curly sheep is from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* Blue-green lace yarn is alpaca/silk laceweight (plus coordinating beads) from Ellen’s 1/2-pint Farm (a kit to make the Starry Starry Night shawl shown in front pattern.)
* Two natural lip balms, Ginger Peach and Berry Plum from Fuzzy Bunny.
* And last, but not least, Chai soap also from Fuzzy Bunny.

So many new goodies!  I can’t wait to finish a few things on the needles & wheel so I can start playing with it all!

I was surprised to discover that Carolyn learned a bit about what happened 10 years ago today in school this past week.  I’ve never brought it up with her, with either girl, because although I know it can’t last forever, I want to protect them from all the evils in the world for as long as I can.  I’m glad I didn’t have to start the discussion though, and even more glad that she didn’t feel the need to continue it just now.

So, we watched football.  We watched the patriotic commercials.  Anna was excited to see the flag at the beginnings of the games.  Mostly, today, I just remembered.

But we did have fun at the Museum!  (And who really wants to clean, anyway?!?)

It’s 2011.

Time sure does fly when you’re busy with life, doesn’t it?  I never really meant to abandon posting, but I fell behind, and then fell further behind, and all of sudden it had been months and months since my last post and I had no idea how to catch it all up, when I don’t even have time to keep up with current events.

So I’ve decided that I will begin once again, here and now, and if I have time someday to go back and piece together the highlights (Anna’s 2nd birthday, and Carolyn’s 6th,  the first days of first grade, our summer vacation, a new toddler bed…) from pictures and the few things I’ve jotted down from those times, I will.  If only because someday I’ll look back and wonder why on earth I didn’t think those things were worth remembering – they certainly are!  I’m a little sad that I’ve already lost so many little moments: hilarious things Anna has said as she’s mastering language, quirky ideas that Carolyn has about life, the moments that get lost in the days that fly by too quickly.

It’s a new year, a big year, one that will take Anna to preschool and will see (I predict, based on two very slightly wiggly bottom front teeth) Carolyn’s first lost tooth.  So here’s my clean slate and my fresh start so that those moments, big and small, will not be lost to time.

Happy 2011!

Big, fat flakes...and a fully blossoming crab apple tree...

The sky is falling!

Snowflakes for breakfast!

So, I am not, after all, a lazy gardener for not cleaning out my beds and putting in annuals yet. I’m just psychic!