I can’t believe that I mailed the devil hat on Monday and it got there by this afternoon, but lo and behold! It did! Here’s a pic of the little devil wearing it. Looks like it’s a little too big, but his mom says he really likes it – and that it’s very appropriate. This boy is a big switch from his three older sisters. Apparently his current thing is playing in the toilet. The kid’s a menace.
Hm, maybe I should make one of these up for Vaeldriil’s sprout…
If you haven’t already heard about Donors Choose then let me fill you in.
We all know that public school budgets are a joke. Donors Choose is a site where teachers can submit directly to a central organization for things which they need which aren’t covered under their budget. These can be things that you wouldn’t think they’d have to do without (pencil sharpeners), or things which can help inspire their classroom (bubbles – I gave to this one today), or relatively inexpensive things that can help expand the students’ horizons (optical mice).
You can choose to give as little as ten dollars toward the overall cost of a project, and the contribution is tax-deductible. If the project you put your money towards isn’t completely funded within four months, you’re given the option of putting your money toward another project and helping someone else. The nice things about this is that you know *exactly* where your money is going. I know I find it gratifying to think of, for example, a child being rewarded for good classroom behavior with a book I helped buy.
Donors Choose is a reputable organization that acts as a clearinghouse for those teachers with the greatest need. They have branches in several states, and are growing. If your state isn’t listed, I hope you’ll consider browsing NC, my home state, to see what’s needed. We’re one of those states that consistently ranks low in education. (Thank God for South Carolina, or we’d be scraping the bottom.)
Even if you choose not to give, I hope you’ll still go browse, as it’s quite enlightening just to see what teachers need and are having to do without. It can open your eyes to the need for greater funding for schools.
Thanks for listening.
I know I just can’t shut up about this sweater, but I finally got a picture of the little boy wearing it. Also a report that he wore it to church on Sunday to many oohs and aahs.
For my nephew, just in time for Halloween.
http://www.tvini.org/images/devilhat.jpg
The pattern is free from http://www.kittyville.com/knit.html
Believe me, he’s already got the ‘little devil’ attitude thing going, the hat is just the topper.
If you play DR and were wondering what the GMs were doing during the crash, check out SGM Riel’s LJ.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/mama_kate/
You’re an agitator! Your kids have grown up on the
front lines of rallies and pickets, and chances
are that you boycott at least one company for
its bad business practices. Your kids are
learning what matters to you and how they can
change what matters to them.
What kind of a freaky mother are you?
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Very true! Fight the power!
When I visited with Ceosanna and Tessima in Maryland in August, Tessima very kindly bought a ball of yarn and told me to make something for my daughter with it. And so I have! She wouldn’t stop jamming pizza into her maw long enough to pose with it, but she does like it.
Knitters, it’s pretty simple. On #11’s, I cast on 48, purled, knit, purled, decreased to 24, purled, decreased to 12, knit in stockinette for a long time, then at the other end increased to 24, purled, increased to 48, purled, and bound off.
My daughter knows who got the yarn, and, in her own way, is grateful. Thank you, Tessima!
Cribbed from reexy and bubba. I don’t know why, but I feel vaguely offended at the results.
Category III – The Regular
Jo(e)
You are the quintessential standard conjured by the
word ‘Friend’.
What Type of Social Entity are You?
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I posted a while back about knitting this sweater, which is the cotton roll pattern from Minnowknits. I wanted to give an update.
I gave the sweater to my daughter’s kindergarten teacher yesterday, although she wasn’t able to open the package until later. She was thrilled! I had no idea, but apparently her little boy has hydroencephaly, and really can’t wear sweaters because the neckholes are always too small. But the cotton roll has two buttons along the shoulder, which opens up the entire left side of the top so his head was able to fit through with no problem. She said that he saw her coming with this sweater, and you could just see his face fall, like, “Mom, don’t try to put that on me.” But he was very happy that it fit. She said he’s wearing it today.
The Lego buttons that my daughter picked out were a big hit with the dad, who liked them to the point that my daughter’s teacher joked that she was going to get more and sew them on all her husband’s clothes.
I am thrilled that this gift was well-received, and very gratified that it has extra importance to them. She’s done so much for my ‘special’ kid that I’m glad I was able to do something for hers.
I’ve been doing DR weddings since 1997, and I still see new stuff on every sheet. It’s amazing.
Sometimes, though, I do need to keep myself amused. I’m working on a sheet now. The items are lovely, but almost all of them go way, way over the 80-character limit on the TAP.
And so, I amuse myself in the comments on the sheet:
**A haiku!
Eighty characters
It may not seem like many
But trust me, it is.
Let’s hope they have a sense of humor.
