If at first...

Yea, so the steeked vest is too small. It's what you get when you think-"gauge? What gauge?" I sort of knew it would be so. There is a lovely smaller person at school that it will be going to as long as the crochet edging holds. I'm hoping the blocking sort of settles it all.

Let me just say I would like to marry the shawl collar. I've cast on another one in Cascade eco-wool. It's marled and I know the cables won't pop but maybe I just like to know as many flaws ahead of time as I can. How else can I explain it? Also I'm happy to be working from the stash.

As the leader of the holiday program, this year's show was no disappointment.

Act I Choir- Sing to yourself the last line of "Have yourself a Merry LIttle Christmas." Here I'll help ...and have yourself a merry little Christmas now.....", Now at the end add a fifth grade boy barfing down the back of a 5th grade girl, respectfully trying to hold it in his hands. He later told me he waited until the song was over because he didn't want to stop singing.

Add the Bob Newhart microphone moments by me announcing there would be a slight delay (followed by the custodian on clean up crew who deserved a standing ovation as far as I was concerned. Also worthy of recognition was the art teacher who wisely suggested to me that we clean it up BEFORE Pre-K comes out.) This was followed by an announcement asking for the 5th grade boy's mother please report to his classroom. Poor 5th grade boy no one was there.

Act II Pre-K- I don't teach these darlings. Their Pre-K teacher prepares them for the show but at one moment there was a 4 year old with his shirt up, going to town on his newly discovered belly button and balancing between the space between two unconnected risers. Disaster was averted as he was engaged by the motions of their second song.

Act III Kindergarten singing and clapping to a little ditty called "Angel Band." One over-enthusiastic clapper bonked another in the nose. The way he was holding it I thought he was bleeding. This K'er is notorious for demanding attention at socially inappropriate times, so when he was shouting "MRS. SOPHANNE! MRS. SOPHANNE!" all of the aides thought he was just doing a little acting out. Kids continue to sing, I continue to accompany on the piano and finally my favorite aide comes to the rescue. Little K'er suffered no blood loss and all was well.

The rest of the program was uneventful other than the fact that I clearly can not read music when I'm not distracted by a million different things. Give me a classroom full of kids, behavior, memorized piano accompaniments, watching the clock, listening to hear if they are singing rather than yelling and I'm full speed ahead. Give me the chance to just accompany and I have the concentration level of a belly-contemplating pre-K-er.

I'm guessing the audience is hoping that Santa brings me piano lessons for Christmas. And Miss Deb, the recipient of the shawl collared- steeked vest is hoping that a measuring tape NEVER crosses my path!