I finally remembered to take a pic of the sock

Yes just one sock so far...but I have some time left!

Broadripple from knitty.com in Skacel Trampoline Stretch. I really love this color, even with the pinks!

and I don't think we'll see an end to this game for another few days. Realistically, Richard shouldnt be at work (he is still that sick) but without sick days and all...he needs to go.

And this unrelenting snow has been a huge challenge with us all sick. We've been shoveling and shoveling (and shoveling some more) which probably hasnt helped this flu either. I finally broke down today and had someone come plow it.

So again...nothing good to report. We're all still miserably sick.

and feeling quite defeated at that.

This is one hell of a flu because its really kicking our butts.

Thats all I wanted to say

this is not a cold...this is the flu.

Here I thought Richard was being a big baby over the illness sweeping through the family. Turns out he wasn't. I started to feel like complete *crap* by late yesterday afternoon. Tracy ran to Eckerd for some more meds for me and they helped, but the pseudoephedrine in it kept me up half the night. By 4AM I was sooo cold. Like shivering shaking, cant get warm kind of cold. That went on for about an hour, then the fever started.

Oh_my_gawd....its awful. I've never felt anything like this before.

Cassidy has a fever again too..and Connor now has green stuff coming out of his nose. At least Alex and Dylan seem to be ok right now.

is sick. It finally caught up to both Richard and I, though I have to say, he has had it much worse. Chills, body aches, fever, yada yada. *Gasp* he even came home from work early on Thursday and took Friday off (so you know its a nasty one!)

Everyone is coming today (extended family) and I DID warn them about the germs, but they all insist on coming anyway.

As for knitting...I changed my mind about my sockapalooza socks. The broadripple pattern in the pink sockittome was just not exciting. I had a mock cable sock halfway done in Skacel Trampoline Stretch for myself (shades of pink, blue, green yellow) but I wasnt in love with the pattern. So I pulled it out, re wound the ball and casted on another pair of broadripple in the Trampoline for my sock pal. I'll use up that pink sockittome on socks for Cassidy.

I really love the broadripple pattern! They knit up incredibly quick...especially on a 12" addi turbo and are not nearly as difficult as a beginner might imagine them to be. Next blog entry, I'll include a pic

and do you have small children that like to mess with your computer?

If so...read on!

So I'm sitting here with Connor in my lap, holding him as he drifts off to sleep. While doing that I'm surfing the web. I find myself at amazon checking out some knitting books. Specifically Elsbeth Lavold's Viking patterns book, and end up looking through the used selection, just to see the variety of prices and conditions. Connor jumps up and starts to cry, so I turn my attention to him. As I get up to find his paci, I come back to see that Dylan was playing with the mouse. Well..what the hell is this new thing at amazon called ONE CLICK ORDERING? I came back to a screen that said thank you for your purchase!

Now the problem is...Tracy ordered some books from Amazon when she was up here two weeks ago, so it apparently saved her mailing address and credit card info to the "one click ordering" crap. Ok..so I go into the help section to find out how to cancel the order. Amazon "help" informs me that they can't cancel the order, I need to contact the third party. So I do. Immediately getting an auto reply since my subject line said "order cancellation". This auto reply tells me that because they literally print purchase orders AS they come in and ship right away, that the order cannot be cancelled. It leaves no other way to reach them..thats it..basically you bought it...if you don't want it, once it arrives, send it back for a full refund.

Well WTF?

So I go back to amazon and search for a phone number to contact them. No luck. So I google "amazon phone customer support" and come across an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the lack of customer support, moreso the lack of PHONE support. BUT..the article has the phone number.

I ended up on the phone with a really lovely guy who was very helpful. Unfortunately..like the help file says, they cannot cancel the order. He was sympathetic to the situation though after I explained this would be charged to my sister's card. That was my main issue! So he offered to credit my sister's card the cost of the book with shipping so she'll "break even".

Geez!

So..if you shop at amazon and have small kids...make sure you turn off that one click ordering thing. Can you just imagine if I hadn't come right back to the computer? Dylan could have just kept on clicking and ordering!

In the end..I'm the new owner of Viking Patterns for Knitting: Inspiration and Projects for Today's Knitter. I was going to borrow this from Mike (who incidentally does not knit but buys ANYTHING viking related...hi Mike!) Guess I don't need to now!

Today there is a prospective buyer coming to look at the house we're renting (its on the market) So I need to get me and the kids out of the house for an hour this morning.

Now I almost never go out alone with all four children. However this morning we will be going to the bank (oh joy..our new credit union does not have a drive through...this should be interesting!) And then I think we'll head to KMart or Big Lots to get some recycling bins and new trash can.

Last night after Richard came home, I went to the Cortland Free Library to get a card and check it out. Can you say stone age? Its a lovely old building...beautiful actually. But there is nothing "new" in that library. Good thing that the books on my list to get are old out of print books (and they actually had ONE of them!) But as for anything printed after 1980....*sigh*  Its astonishing that the library is the way it is considering the high property taxes in Cortland.

In any case, they do have an inter library loan system. I filled out the form and the librarian informed me it could be a "long time" before I even hear back if the other libraries have it, much less, get it in (Barbara G. Walker's Charted Knit Designs. There is an amazing chart for a cabled spider in there that is destined to be  "spider man" sweaters for Alex and Dylan!)

So other than our adventure this morning, I have lots of housework planned. Tracy is coming up tomorrow to stay for the weekend. Mom, Gram, Jay, Aunt Marlene & Uncle John, Aunt Marty & Uncle Bob are all coming up on Saturday. Then on Sunday Joe, Janet and Greta are coming down to visit from Syracuse (we haven't seen them since they came out to Madison last summer).

Richard now has the body aches and fever...and I'm starting to feel the cold in the back of my throat. I imagine I'll have a fever by tonight. I did a preemptive strike with dayquil to make it through the day...so we'll see

I'll give you a hint. It starts with S (and no it isnt that one)

/weather rant over

More to come later when I have more time