Hockey Nets - check. (get it? check)

As you can see - the two missing puzzle pieces have been found. (Check older blog). They were next to a box of 'non-given' presents that were at the foot of my bed. I buy toys or books when I find them for a pretty good price and then save them for Christmas or birthdays. I just hadn't taken them back out in the garage since my wrapping days of Christmas were over and so the little kids must have taken the pieces from the puzzle room into my bedroom and when I went to vacuum - there they were. Did I say the word vacuum? Yep! I have a new vacuum. The DeWitt home has had miserable luck with vacuum cleaners. We had a Hoover - broke, and a Bissell - smelled like it was going broke and so we are now trying a Eureka. We'll see how long it lasts in our home.

Tuesday was Shannon's birthday and she got to go out to Panda Express - her favorite! and then we all went to the movie ' Tangled' - Disney's latest. It was pretty cute. In the parking lot, on a curb next to my car, there it was.........

So I'm not sure I've posted about this yet, but my son Jason is going gung-ho into street hockey. He has some orange/yellow team vests, several hockey sticks (I think he told me 16), pads for the goalie guy and everything you can think of that you might need. (He will be using paintball masks for the goalie). Anyway, he needed hockey nets. He looked into buying them but we, yes I was included in the decision, decided to make them. A few PVC pipes, netting - how hard can it be? Jason did an exceptional job in making the frame: adding galvanized pipes in the lower part of the frame for stability, carefully gluing each piece and then wrapping them in foam insulation. I guess that's because the player might run into them alot. Here they are in the workshop. It is sitting on a door so the PVC glue didn't drip on the floor. Thank you Jason, for thinking of Dad's shop floors.

Now it was my turn. I knew sewing through 4 layers of thick canvas, netting material and also a velcro strip was going to be a challenge on my old Singer. Thus, (looking back again in our Christmas blog) Doug bought me a new sewing machine. A Viking. 1/2 horse power compared to my 1/4 Singer. It zipped right though everything. I LOVED IT!!!! The construction took some time because I didn't have a pattern and after each sewing, I would have to fit it back on the frame to see where to cut and add and sew the next part. After a few days it was FIN-ISHED!

We are now ready for the first game. Who knows, Jason might have a game planned behind our back, but for right now the game is set for January 17th. Monday Night Indoor Hockey. Picture this.... ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE? Tape the football game and come and watch or even participate. I'll probably be photographer/historian of this prodigious event.

pro·di·gious/prəˈdijəs/Adjective
1. Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
2. Unnatural or abnormal

I wonder what someone wants for his birthday in July?