Can't All be Perfect

Today begins summer vacation.  One week for Jim and I, and two months for the boys.  It doesn't sound fair, does it?

No matter.  Last weekend Jim and I enjoyed a wonderful time together in Waterloo to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary.  We ate too much, laughed a lot, and enjoyed one perfect day on Sunday.  I figure a perfect day only comes along a few times in anyone's lifetime, so it should be treasured and savoured.  it was perfect because there was never an off moment between the two of us and everything we did was enjoyable.  We went to the Wings of Paradise butterfly conservatory and to the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.  We finished up the day with a fabulous dinner at Margarita's. The food was very fresh, creative and perfectly prepared.  Yum!

Today we tidied the house, got some groceries, I cooked for the dog and we visited my mother-in-law.  Being away, I don't have a chance to look after my loved ones very well.  So the house keeps getting messier, and the dog hasn't been eating very well lately, and my mother-in-law is looking frail after a minor fall.  There's not a lot I can do and I don't feel guilty about it (much).

The shawl is finished and is currently blocking on my bed.  Its huge! I have a queen size bed and the shawl doesn't quite fit, I had to pin it over the edge.

Pinning it out almost drove me to tears.  First I started pinning it to the floor of my knitting room.  But there wasn't enough space and the thing was almost drying out already, plus I hadn't sewn in my ends!  So, I unpinned it and I dutifully sewed in the ends (but didn't cut them). Then I wet it down again and just squeezed out the water so I could start pinning it out all over again. 


This was just before we were going to visit my mother-in-law, and I didn't want to be late but I also wanted the shawl to come out right.  So I was bent over the bed, pinning and re-pinning till I was slick with sweat and my legs were beginning to tremble.  I was getting so frustrated with it!

I asked Jim to look at it and help me but he didn't know what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to take a match to the whole thing and just destroy it.  It didn't look right.  Jim wanted to know what "right" looked like and I said even and perfect like the ones I've seen on the net.  He just gave me a look.  The look that says "Woman, you know perfect is overrated."  I guess he's right because it does look pretty darned good, even if it is uneven.

I don't think anyone will even notice once it's being worn.  Oh yeah, and to add insult to injury, I blocked it knit-side down.  We can't all be perfect...