Raise your hand if you want to know why the heck I’ve been so busy and not posting to my blog.  I’m assuming everyone is raising their hand, so I will tell you:

As I said some time ago, this September (as in, a few weeks from now) the doodlebugs will be going to preschool and my babysitting hours will be decreasing.  (I can’t believe they are four and are going to preschool already.  It seems like just yesterday that they were 3 months old and I started taking care of them.  They are big kids now and we have great conversations and it’s so fun to see them learning and growing up.)  And looking ahead, in one year, my babysitting will likely be non-existent when the doodlebugs go to kindergarten.  The question became, “What will I do with my a-little-extra time now, and then in a year, my lots-of-extra time?”  Well, at the end of March, I signed up for an online course to learn how to proofread court transcripts.  Then I took the course, and then I finished the course, and then I looked for court reporters that needed proofreaders, and then I found some, and now I’m busy.  REALLY busy.  Nights and weekends and days off busy.

As you know, I love to read, so proofreading is a good fit for me.  The transcripts I get are pretty interesting, sometimes sad (wrongful death), sometimes nauseating (worker’s comp or lawsuits due to awful injuries), sometimes funny (lawyer/lawyer banter and witness/lawyer banter).  But proofreading is different from reading-reading in that I have to look at each and every word to see if it is spelled correctly, as well as determine if certain words are wrong or left out.  Because transcripts are spoken word documentation, I cannot correct grammar or run-on sentences, so that can be a little challenging too.

The problem then became that I was so incredibly busy on nights and weekends and days off, I didn’t have time to knit, or do more knitting design, or blog.  Or see Paul every now and then.  Something had to give, especially if I want to be able to expand this job when babysitting ends.  So, I’ve decided to give up my shop-watching hours at The Spinning Room starting in September.  (I bet you thought I was going to say I’m giving up the blog!)  I will still be teaching classes and individual lessons, so I don’t really feel like I’m “leaving” the shop, I just won’t be there quite as much.  These are all very exciting changes, but they are also stressful, anxiety-provoking, big changes, so bear with me if the blog is not as riveting as it usually is.

All right. So that’s that.  Want to know what else is going on around here?

There was a PAW Patrol birthday party:

(Have I said I can’t believe they are FOUR and going to PRESCHOOL in a few weeks?????)

Don’t know Paw Patrol? How about the catchy theme song?  Come on, sing it with me:  PAW Patrol, PAW Patrol, We’ll be there on the double.  PAW Patrol, PAW Patrol, whenever you’re in trouble.  No job’s too big, no pup’s too small!  PAW Patrol, we’re on a roll!

And some dinosaur growing:

I felted the slippers I knit:

Yes, that one on the right looks bigger, but it’s not.  It’s the way I have it stuffed to dry.

I finished my Melodia shawl:

We’ve been watching this:

Do you know what it is?  I feel like it’s terribly obvious, but maybe not.  I think I know every episode.  Paul is annoyed impressed that I tell him everything that is going to happen.

We had ice cream:

And we did this:

Go ahead and ask me how I’m going to re-fill the hummingbird feeder.

Oh, and our cars broke.  We are sharing the truck (read: Paul is driving me everywhere in the truck).