Marvie's Crochet Corner

Fiber content!

So I actually have a bit of fiber news, just a teensy bit. I FINALLY cast off the shrug I've been making for the 7 yo girl who lives here. I started the damned thing pretty much right after I got here, what two and a half months ago? I still have to go back and crochet the circular ruffle bit, but that won't take any time at all. I've done the knitting part, sewed up the sleeves, and I went ahead and ran it through the wash so I can make sure it didn't shrink or anything before I finish it. I'll probably work on it today after I have the girl try it on.

In all this time I have been in the states I have actually completed only TWO projects... ok one and a half since the shrug isn't officially complete. First the socks, and soon this. I am just so ashamed of myself lol. That's not even one project per month! It is so unlike me. When I get home I willl have much to make up for ;)

I have started another pair of socks (with the sock yarn sent by a dear sweet friend who knew my feet would be freezing this winter!) these are going to be all for me! I figure between now and the time I actually leave the states I can have those finished. I'll have a very long train ride coming up before too much longer, so if by chance I finish these before then I have another ball I can make more with *g* just in time too because hubby tells me it's gotten quite cool in Germany. (I actually typed Virginia there... can't tell where I'd rather be huh?)

Ya'll are so right though, I *am* relieved to be going home. I felt so much better after I broke the news to my friend. I understand that she feels she really needs me right now, but to be honest, I don't think I am strong enough to handle my own stresses right now with her's thrown on top of it. If I wasn't dealing with *so* much at this point in time, maybe I could be there to help her through her problems... but I can't do it right now. I told her she can call me every damn night if she needs to talk, that though I will be far away in distance, I am just a phone call away. A free one at that.

I am worried though, with me waiting so long to come to this decision, I have managed to do one of the very things I was trying to avoid. B is going to miss a chunk of school now. Possibly two chunks, the first being right now and then again when we actually do PCS. If I hadn't already promised him he could go back to school, I'd just say to heck with it and homeschool him till we move and then put him in a school once we're in Virginia. I haven't asked him yet, but I'm pretty sure he'd refuse the chance to homeschool again if given a choice. He really did miss school, the social aspect of it. Even though he saw all the same kids daily after school and on weekends/holidays. I do plan to do some review type stuff over the next ____ (insert length of time it takes to get home here) so that hopefully he won't be totally behind and out of the loop once he gets there.

I have a crapload of stuff to mail home before we leave too. I sent all the space bags home to hubby a while back, because he was going to send some of the boy's school clothes. I gave him a list... about ten shirts, a few hooded sweatshirts, any underwear and socks left there, some more sleep stuff and winter gear (coat, hat, gloves and a lighter jacket) and some jeans I had that were too big for him but would fit the other boy perfectly. I figured he could stick the stuff in those bags and suck the air out and it wouldn't be too big of a box. He sent NINETY FIVE POUNDS (95 pounds) worth of the boy's clothes. Every shirt in his closet just about, all his jeans, the other jeans, two winter coats and the Gods only know what else. Two huge Dell computer boxes of clothing. I already have 6 pr of jeans, three or four hoodies and several shirts. Plus all the clothes I'd packed him originally. All the crap we've bought for school already too. And that's just his stuff. I have a lot of shit too. I haven't acquired all that much in the way of clothing since we've been here, but I have bought a few things, and I left a bunch of jeans and stuff in Virginia. Way more than I can fit in the suitcases, esp without space bags!

So, I have to sort and pack some boxes with the crap we have here, plus I'll have to mail things from Virginia. I am trying to wait for those two boxes to arrive so I can sort through them and then turn around and send them back. Cuz, well, the boy will need all the crap in them once we get home. Oh, and of course I forgot to mention that hubby mailed them regular mail (space available) so for all I know the damned things are still sitting at the airfield in Germany. Regular mail can take 6-8 weeks to arrive to us from the states, and I have no reason to think it would be much or any sooner to get here from there. He mailed them about a week ago. I don't want to leave here and hope my friend has time to mail them back as soon as they get here. As it is, even if they were to get here in a reasonable amount of time, if I turn around and ship them back immediately, it could still take two months before they get home.

Hubby says we can just buy the kid some clothes to get him by while we wait. Sure, I guess so.... but I can't afford that with the price of new clothes over there and the thrift shop is hit or miss when it comes to his size. So I'd have to shop before leaving the states. If he'd just done what I asked, there would have been plenty of clothes still in the boy's closet when we get home. I didn't want all that much sent here because there isn't all that much space for his stuff in the room he's sharing with the other boy. I did have a good reason for giving him a list. So, now I'm screwed. I either have to wait for those damned boxes, or I have to go out and spend money we can't afford on clothes he doesn't even need. The child has more clothes than me for goodness sake (and I have a damned lot of clothes!) Being smaller than all his friends means that he gets a lot of outgrown clothes. Remember five huge black garbage bags arriving just before we left over there? Yeah, all that is on it's way here, as well as whatever stuff someone else dropped off a few weeks ago. He SO doesn't need new clothes.

*sigh*

Well, I guess I should get off here and see what I can accomplish today. Thanks ya'll for your comments and support, it really means a lot to me to know I have so many people out there sending out good vibes and thinking good thoughts for us =) Ya'll rock!

posted by Marvie at 8:01 AM