Waiting for more flooding

Well, we don't have to worry about our home flooding (though we did get some water around our family room fireplace where the rain blew in due to the high winds during Hurricane Frances) because we live up on a hill. However, our neighborhood is surrounded by rivers and creeks and when the water gets too high, we can't get in or out of it. Needless to say, after I pick up the kids from school, we're heading to grab some extra grub just in case there are problems. And after Ivan passes by, we may have to contend with Jeanne. When will it end? At least I have plenty of knitting I can do if we lose power or are stranded :)

I'm counting my blessings today since I got word from my Mom that they're dear employee, J, passed away in his sleep last night. J was only in his mid-40's and was a really hard worker. My parents have run their own air conditioning/heating business since Dad retired from the Navy over 20 years ago so its just them and the one or two employees that they have on staff. What's even sadder is that J's dad was the one who found him :( AND J's dad lost his wife less than two years ago. I've said it before and I say it again, tell your family and friends that you love them. You never know when its your last day.

On the knitting front, I finally got to do some knitting last night after a three day break. Rogue's hood is it final stages. I started the decreases to the hood last night (see the pictures below). Several people in the Rogue-A-Long had problems with the way that the hood shaped near the top so I'm anxious to see how my Rogue looks. Worse case, I can block any weirdness out of the hood. I found a cute organizer at Tuesday Morning for my knitting (see the pic) that is perfect for keeping up with all of my random gadgets and knitting goodies. Its not very pretty though so I'm still looking for a chest that matches the leather/wicker furniture of the family room. Easier said than done.

I began planning for holiday gifts. Now I need to go through and start to use up the stash. I'm working on designing a couple of patterns for felted bags that I'm conceptualizing. Have any of you ever tested their pattern with other knitters prior to publishing it? If I like the patterns, I may do just that. Stay tuned for more info.

On the health front, I'm trying to get motivated to behave myself. I bought a scale. Now to the average person this is no big deal but for me, its a HUGE deal. We haven't owned a scale in almost 7 years. After I struggled to lose the baby fat from DSS#2, I ditched the scale (yes, I was in denial). I've refused to own one ever since. The scale that I bought calculates Body Mass Index (BMI) and compares your current weight to your goal weight. Hopefully, I'll use it more since it has these added features. Or, I may chuck it out of the bathroom window. We'll see what it says when I get on it for the first time.

A small confession - I bought some yarn for my secret pal while out of town. I don't count that against my yarn diet because I don't get to keep it. You don't have to count calories if you don't eat the dessert, right? Anyhoo, with that being said, I'm on day 12 of my yarn diet. Hard to do for three reasons: I received the new Patternworks catalog yesterday (pages and pages of beautiful yarns) AND a KR member just introduced some loverly new yarns this week AND Jo Ann's has a 50% coupon and I could get a ball winder for around $25. I want, I want, I want! :( Be safe all who are in Ivan's path...