Coughs, knitting, and apple pie

I am in the midst of snot and coughs all around me.  My man, my kids... all oozing goo out of their noses, sneezing and coughing, sheets of Puffs with Vicks all about the place.  I've got a bit of a runny nose myself but not as bad... or maybe I'm just fooling myself.  I refuse to accept the cold coming into my body, and maybe that's what's keeping me strong.

Kingsley has been coughing for two days and it's not pretty.  We tried everything from honey, lemon, lemon-honey, lemongrass, ginger, coconut oil, fish oil & honey, honey & garlic, Delsym cough syrup, Halls lozenges...  Ibuprophen.  The cough prevails.  It's 1am and I got all dressed up to take him to the ER but my spirit told me to call the Nurse's hotline and seek their advice.  Long story short, his breathing is fine, no stridor, no croup... just a nasty cough, and no need to visit the ER tonight.  Could probably just wait till the daytime.  Not even a fever, thank goodness.  Tomorrow I must get a thermometer and maybe some elderberry syrup for him to take.


I'm on a new knitting project - 4 days in.  Just when I thought I had graduated from scarves, I found a bit  more challenging one - a Whimsy scarf with a bit of lace and a little cable.  Here is the link if anyone is interested.  It's turning out pretty cool!  I'll post pictures soon.  I can't wait to finish it and block it (something I've never done before) to see what the finished product looks like.

I got tired of crocheting 4 berets in a row and although crocheting is usually prettier and faster, I started getting conscious of all the twisting my wrist was doing.  At least I can switch hands when I knit.  I taught myself how to knit with both hands dominant - continental and English style - with hopes of being able to avoid purling but really I just need to get that dislike of purling out of my head because it's really not that bad.


The collective subconscious of this household is pro-apple.  In one day, three different occupants of this house bought apples - lots of them.  And since they aren't being eaten quickly enough, I decided to make apple pie.  Found the recipe online (of course) and gave it a go.  It took about 4 hours to make from beginning to finished product... with dinner, diaper changes, and coughing kids in between, but it turned out pretty good.  I tried not to knead the dough too much, as I wanted it flaky but really, I don't think I put enough water.  All in all, the filling was delicious, and the crust could use some work.  Next time I'll use the food processor to mix it up first.

Wow, what a long day!  I'm ready to hit the sack.  Goodnight!