Life's a Stitch

And more recently life’s a creative adventure with some travel thrown in.

"Successfully" graduating two kids into their 20’s, I’m still locked into high school hell with #3. I spoke too soon in my last post regarding a high level of trust for New Year’s Eve. Poor Mari, given permission to be left in charge to chaperone a handful of 17 year olds, realizes it only takes one party goer to spoil it for the rest. After a comment on that teen timebomb, Facebook, the handful turned into 35. That would be 34 semi well behaved teens, at least well behaved enough not to inflict damage on themselves or their immediate surroundings, and one out of control young woman who left her stomach contents, which included an entire bottle of red wine, on my carpet. As Mari warned her, it’s just as red coming up as it was going down. And, guess what?  It doesn’t come out no matter how much enzyme cleaner you use.

As a firm believer in natural and logical consequences for guiding childhood behaviour, the 17 yr old will be handing over his paycheques until all damages are fixed, including the crystal vase, which, while falling off the shelf, took out the Ott Light floor lamp, the two, smashed and broken on the living room floor. I also believe in teachable moments and Mr.B has learned a new concept – collateral damage. When someone bangs into the bathroom sink, and breaks a faucet pipe, the water damage to the closet below is also your responsibility.

Img_1949Obliviously away from home on New Year’s Eve, with Blogless Marsha and Dave, we decided that rather then concentrate on our customary discussion of resolutions, we would list things in our lives that help us feel good. You KNOW that yarn was on that list. Marsha and I took it seriously and started our New Year at 8:00 a.m. at Bellingham’s Apple Yarns’s 30% off everything sale. Following through with my personal promise to increase my stash only with sale items, here’s my haul minus the swift that I was not quick enough to add to my basket, they sold out too swiftly so to speak. But Dream in Color, Koigu, silk blend (!) Manos, Colinette Jitterbug, and Sublime will all help make my knitting life happy.

Note to Knitters: smart Andrea, owner of Apple Yarns, has scheduled two sales per year – New Year’s Day and the 4th of July – 30% off everything form 8:00a.m-noon. She even serves Starbucks coffee to eager early birds. I know it’s difficult for Canadian knitters to manage the border on holiday weekends, but be assured, her inventory of yarn may just be too irresistible to wait for the sales. If you get the opportunity to visit tell her I say Hi.

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18 responses to “Shaking my head”

  1. Hanne Avatar

    I think you are entitled to buy twice that much yarn to cope with the shock you must have felt when you returned home after New Year.
    Reading your experiences with a teenager son I’m thinking that I should be grateful because my toddlers are capable only for a small scale destruction. Thinking how I’ll have two teenager sons in the house at same time makes me shudder.

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  2. Jane Avatar

    I think you need to change the color of your carpet to a darker one! GROSS! PS … I have had more compliments on the scarf you made me since I have been wearing it everyday now since Christmas. THANK YOU!

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  3. Dorothy Avatar

    So sorry about the teenage party fiasco – just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water! Thanks for the heads up on the 4th of July sale. I’ve determined to knit from my stash as much as possible this year, but if I’m very good for half the year that would be a good reward. I thought I’d have to wait a whole ‘nother year for their sale.

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  4. Rebekah Avatar

    So sorry about the couch! Yuck.
    But a yarn sale is always good to drown one’s sorrows, even if you didn’t procure a swift.

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  5. Maureen Avatar

    I was a little concerned when I read on your previous post that you were south of the border when Kris mentioned she was attending a New Years Eve gathering at your home.
    “No worries”, she said. “Mari will be there and Bry has permission.” I picked her and two friends up later that night and heard about the unfortunate state of a certain ‘Duchess of York’. As Kris said when she got into the car “Mari is SO ticked!”
    So sorry to hear about all of the mishaps.

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  6. Angie Avatar

    Like your son, I can’t imagine how it got so out of hand.
    We have enjoyed the Bellingham fire works on the 4th of July in the past with friends from the pipe band. Coincidentally she is also one of my knitting buddies. Perhaps I will bump into you there. I promise not to openly pilfer sale items from your basket.

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  7. eyeleen Avatar

    High school hell…now that I think about, what I thought of as fun was most likely hell for my parents… I hope this year is a better one.

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  8. Jane Avatar

    Ooh, nice yarn. Too bad your kid had to learn the hard way, and at your expense, no less.

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  9. Rosie Avatar
    Rosie

    I have two boys that are best friends so you can just imagine how big a party can get. Last year, we once had about 100 outside on Halloween playing capture the flag and soccer in the front yard. Capture the flag consisted of about a quarter mile range all over the neighborhood. It went from 20 to 100 really fast.(Mostly all boys.) (Everyone, I guess, text-messaged the others.) However, we were home and the gathering was outside. It ended at around 9:15 pm when a fed up neighbor complained about kids running through his yard.
    It sounds to me that the person that upchucked on the rug can pay for some damage to the rug too. Don’t you think the culprits that knocked over the lamps can help chip in?
    We have had a parade of kids in and out while my two are on school break. One kid brought over his new electronic …set of 4 bongos and played it along with the other kids that played rock star hero. Of course, we have two guitars for that set that the kids payed for themselves. I finally sent the kid home with the bongo set after a few hours of noisy drums and told the other 3 to stop. Why can’t these kids play at their own houses sometimes?
    On New Year’s Eve four sets of parents left after an early dinner to keep an eye or two on our adult/teenager kids. It was a wise decision.
    Of course, the rock band is home too so it is only a temporary silence until the next practice and/or party/gathering. I am ready for a nice quiet beach in Florida.
    Rosie

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  10. Beth Avatar

    Yikes! The horrors of social networking sites. I say it again, Yikes! 🙂

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  11. Sandy Avatar

    Oh, Li! I feel for you! I DO! (Have I told you about Derek’s 21st birthday in August? Where he went out the NIGHT before, thereby turning 21 at midnight and in one hour drank so much that he arrived home, fell in the shower leaving huge bumps on all sides of his head, threw up on his bedroom floor and then spent the night sleeping on the bathroom floor while I did not sleep a wink with the worry?
    AND THEN? Remember not a THING the next morning?
    How are we going to survive it all? HOW???
    hugs to you!

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  12. Beth Avatar

    Thanks for your comments! Yes, I agree about the marzipan! Are you on Ravelry? Would love to see your projects there. I am BethSweet on R. I recall having children still at home; it was bliss when the last was in college and DH and I were finally “alone again!” Sounds like you two have been taking care to keep close throughout your 25 years – Congratulations! Thanks again for visiting! 🙂

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  13. Dee Griffiths Avatar
    Dee Griffiths

    Whoops! I recall a certain incident in the summer when my teenage twin boys invited the entire Italian Drama Exchange and their English hosts to a “gathering” and my husband and I returned to a three legged armchair, some unidentifiable stains at the back of the toilet and a note from the drama teacher about being got out of bed to come round to my house at 3 am to rescue a drunken Italian teenager! This New Year was quiet for me. I recommend moving the furniture to hide the stain! Still love em though. Happy New Year.

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  14. Daisy Avatar
    Daisy

    Woah! I feel for you! But you got a great haul from Apple Yarns with which to console yourself. Now I know why the store is called Three Bags Full – I went back today to get some Hemp for Knitting and fell into the 40% and 60% off bins. We may need another suitcase to get home!

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  15. Dawn Alisa Sadler Avatar
    Dawn Alisa Sadler

    May I please have a copy of your Herringbone Rib Scarf? Thanks, very cute.

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  16. Melody Avatar

    Holy freakin’ cow!!! Man, I’m just impressed that he is only giving up his paychecks and not his life…of course, if it had been me, there wouldn’t have been any punishment, because I would be stroking out in the middle of the living room! What a good mom you are.
    Hope your Christmas was better than your new years…lol.

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  17. cheryl Avatar

    Just popping in to say “hi”!
    Wow, I should be surprised to read about your son but, sadly, a few of my friends are going through the same issues. I have two years left before my oldest turns 13. My friends say their best years are from 8 to 11 – that’s when kids still listen to mom and dad. Hang in there, you have only a few teen years left.
    If buying yarn makes you feel better (I know it does for me), then buy as much as you need.

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  18. Meredith B. Avatar
    Meredith B.

    Hello, my name is Meredith and I sympathize with your teen-age son’s “adventures”. Mine drove the stickshift station wagon off the (snowy) road last Tuesday.
    “Mom? Can you come get me…??”
    He ended up perfectly parallel to the road, facing the wrong direction, eight feet over and four feet down in the storm culvert. Missed the telephone pole by a good 6 inches as well as sliding between the reflector posts at the edge of the road. Turns out it was the retired Fire Chief’s house (happens all the time…that’s why we put up reflector posts…going to be a good one b/c he came to the house top tell us he was in our ditch… usually they drive off and we have to get the license plate number and call the police…the towing company knows us…no problem, he can fix the lawn in the spring… be careful, it’s quicksand, someone drowned…) So I gave him 3 lectures:
    Driving Too Fast For Conditions,
    Downshifting,
    Never Leaving the House Without a Coat in Winter
    Drove him home, threw his hat/gloves/coat and an extra car key at him, drove him to school, told him to walk home (or get a ride from a friend), see if the car was in the driveway across from the ditch, drive it home if was there, or get himself home and know we had to have it towed b/c it did not drive… Well, the tow company was there when I got back and all turned out well. Car in driveway, son suitably chastened…
    Forty-eight hours later…
    “Mom? Can you come get me…??”
    This time it was only over the curb, two feet onto the parkway, missed the mailbox by two feet, home-owner said “It’s OK as long as you missed the mailbox…the grass will recover…you can fix it in the spring if neccessary…” She gave him some salt to put under the tires, he pushed while Mom cautiously reversed the car (no need to gouge the lawn any more…). I gave him another lecture about Driving Too Fast For conditions and Downshifting and he drove off to school, wearing his coat!
    Upshot? Driving lesson on downshifting, with Dad, in the Caremark parking lot over the weekend.
    Moral? Consequences and Collateral Damage are good lessons to learn, as is ‘fessing up. (No police were called b/c he did not drive away…)
    Thing to be Thankful for? He is unhurt and safe, car is fine and he didn’t get swallowed by the quicksand (now frozen, but he is forewarned for spring)!
    Your scarf is lovely. I don’t know when I’ll get around to making it, since I seem to just be collecting patterns right now, but would you please send me a copy of the pattern? It will be on my ever-expanding list. I hope this story makes you smile and is a little “payment” for the pattern. Please feel free to edit if you want to post it. Thanking you in advance. Meredith

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