So hey, remember me? I knit sometimes.

I had a brilliant blog post all written out in my head last night, you think I can even remember a word of it now? Hell, I don't even remember what it was about. This is my first completed project of this year. Twinkletoes from knitty. Miss Beans asked me for some ballet shoes last weekend and being totally broke but having a ton of the yarn you see there (from my failed Crumpets, if you're my one long time reader) I whipped up those little babies on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon while hanging around in the ninth bolgie of the eighth circle of Hell (also known as Chuck E. Cheese's). They turned out cute but a little small so I'll have to make another pair. She loves them though, she's barely taken them off to let me wash them and has even slept in them twice. In other knitting news: I received a large portion of Andean Treasure for my birthday which will become a Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I'm still working on that damn Wavy for Hercules because I hate it and don't want to do it anymore. Why do scarves have to be so l o n g ? I'm working on a little baby set for the soon-to-be-baby-girl of RTK and Darth's barber who is a very cool guy. If you're in San Diego and need a barber, I can't recommend Lefty's enough. As far as news about my life... Well, it's never pretty, is it? My son got glasses so that's both kids are in glasses now. Neither RTK nor I wear glasses so we're a little baffled as to how that worked out. Our rent is going up so along with the price of gas and groceries we could really use a raise we're not going to get. You'll probably see me on the news when my moneymaking scheme goes horribly, terribly wrong. That's about it for the moment. Except, I've been collecting yarn for the Alpaca Lounge Pants and I think I've almost got enough. If I start them soon they should be ready for Autumn.

And suddenly I try to save the day (again).

This weekend we went and signed up Darth for flag football. When we arrived they told us that the team was full but that there were almost enough kids for a second team. Eight people had signed up to assist the coach of said team but no one had signed up to be Head Coach, which they must have to have a team. Somehow I volunteered. I think this was probably stupid. I'm really not sure why I do these things. Why do I always want to save the day? Why do I stay up all night making crazy birthday cakes or injure my hand trying to make the best cupcakes ever? Why do I have to make homemade gifts? Why do I wait until the last minute to do everything? Why the HELL did I just sign up to coach football for 5 year olds? Deep breath, it's only practices 5 days a week for two weeks and 3 days a week after that with games on Saturdays. It only requires that I get re-certified in first aid and CPR and that I complete at least 6 hours of training clinics. I only have to teach 5-7 year olds in untold numbers how to play a sport I have never actually played (with rules anyway). I only have to deal with 8 dads who didn't step up to coach and will now resent that I did. You know, no big deal. I'm insane. So I'm going to knit Enrelac's sock this week. I will have it completed by next week. I will. It has been decided. This is for three reasons. #1 She loved the first one, hooray! So I'm excited and want to get her the second one. #2 Football season is going to be starting and when it does my knitting will go on hiatus for awhile. #3 I still have knit my FIL a sweater before his birthday in August. To reiterate: I'm insane. It should be fun to watch me self destruct though, right?

Get a job, Mom.

I've finished the back of Veste Everest and it's perfect. Seriously, it looks like someone else entirely knit the thing. That ought to skyrocket my pride up into the overconfident stratosphere leading to all manner of trouble with the front, don't you think? Well, I can't be too proud with Darth around to knock me back to reality. Today he asked (for the zillionth time) when we'd be going to Disneyland. It finally broke down and gave him a more straight answer than the one I had been using ("When Lola Beans gets bigger, so you can both ride the rides.") and said, "Disneyland costs a lot of money and we don't have a lot of money." Then he told me to get a job. Fantastic. You know me, I told that kindergartener in no uncertain terms what exactly my job entails and how if I wasn't here to do my job that he'd be really sad, unclothed, lonely, etc. You know, really put him in his place. He started crying. Fantastic. By the time we got to school he was over it, though through the course of the conversation he got more upset before he got better. I suppose I didn't have to tell him that he had 12 more years of school to look forward to before college and that he has to go to college to make lots of money so he can take his kids to Disneyland but somehow, it just came out. I never know the right thing to say so I think I'm just trudging through life trying to say the MOST wrong thing. On to the knitting: I'm planning projects. My new nephew to be is getting the Auspicious Coincidences Baby Sweater from Compassionate Knitting (If you take a look at the inside pages, it's the top left on the very first page of pics). I have a bunch of cotton oddballs that are perfect for this thing so I'm forgoing the Ninja Suit idea for the time being in favor of the idea that will only cost me $4.50 (a few extra whole balls to use for the trim). I have succumbed to the awesomeness that is Eunny Jang. I will be knitting up her Endpaper Mitts for my mom sooner or later, I just ordered the yarn. If I don't completely suck at those I'm going to make a go at the Anemoi Mittens even though I have absolutely no need for mittens basically ever. I can't help it, they're just so freaking awesome! If I go really insane I'll also make ones that have earth, water, and fire motifs. I don't anticipate anyone needing to worry about that happening. I don't think I'll even make it to buying the pattern letalone knitting it up or designing my own. I have an Aran sweater to design and knit this year.

Yes, we have no bananas.

The conversation I just witnessed, to preface, Lola wanted a banana for breakfast and was told they were all gone. Darth: I'm gonna tell you a joke Lola, okay? Lola: Okay. Darth: Knock-knock. Lola: Who's there? Darth: Banana. Lola: No Darth, bananas all gone! Darth: No, you say, "Banana who?" Lola: Okay. Darth: Knock-knock. Lola: Who's there? Darth: Banana. Lola: Banana who? Darth: Knock-knock. Lola: Who's there? Darth: Banana. Lola: No! Bananas all gone! I can't wait until they learn "Who's on First". So anyway, things are chugging along here. I finished the dishcloths, the scarf, and my mom's necklace badge holder thingy. All that's left is the last half of SIL's second glove and a cup warmer for her boyfriend. I am so close. I wonder what disaster lurks just ahead to confound and destroy me. A plague of moths, perhaps? Our state breaking off the continent and drifting away into the Pacific? The zombie uprising I've been dreading for so long? I can't say what it will be but I know it's coming. It lurks outside my view in wait of the time when I cast off that last project to smite me. I know it. Ahem. In other news: I bought Mason-Dixon Knitting and returned it. I love it, I can't recommend it enough. I just needed that $30 more. I'll buy it when I have a 40% off coupon for Michael's. I don't know why but for the last couple years I've been compelled to make rugs. I haven't given in just yet but Mason-Dixon makes me really want to give in. Really. I'm rushing through the last of the holiday knitting so I can attempt my first crochet project. A little purse in One Skein. The rectangle one for those who have the book. I don't know why I'm so in love with it but I actually bought a hook. I promise I won't go over to the dark side, you all know how much I hate to crochet. Lastly, I realize that there are only 14 dishcloths on the tree. That's because I already gave my mom hers.

Shine on, Cheapass Christmas, shine on.

Craftster is like a sick obsession. Wallowing through all the crap people make out of other crap to find those rare few awesome ideas can lead to hours upon hours of feeling alternately elated, exasperated, inadaquate, and nauseous. Often at the same time. I spent an evening staring at craftster a couple weeks ago and was left with two revelations: #1 I needed a Dremel, #2 most of the people on cratster need to lay off the crack. In fact, so deep was this need for a Dremel that the next morning when I woke up the first thing I said to Red Todd Kidd was, "I need a Dremel." Now you may not know this (Sarcasm! sarcasm!) but RTK puts up with a lot. A LOT. I start all kinds of crazy projects and most never make it out of the planning stages letalone get finished. So of course he just laughed and we went on about our day. I never did shut up about the Dremel. I talked about it non-stop for two days. Finally RTK gave in and bought it for me as an early Christmas present. He's the best, ain't he? I have so many projects lined up for that thing that I'm busting at the seams trying to contain myself until I've finished all my Christmas projects. Now, aside from the desperate need for power tools I did spy something that turned out to be important. Some girl or other had made a tote bag out of a velvet painting. Not two days later as Darth and I are walking home from school there was a 2 1/2' x 5' velvet painting with a hole in the corner in someone's yard that had a sign stating: "Free". As you can see, Darth and I ripped that sucker right off its frame and took it home. For those who don't know about this yet, my cousins and I do a gift exchange where you may only spend $10 and you must make your gift yourself. Behold the velvet purse (lined with a bedsheet) I made from the neighbors' discarded painting. Isn't it horrifying? I purchased a zipper, metal loops and ribbon. Thus far I have invested all of $4. PLease note the snakeprint on the ribbon. I assure you this was only because this was the only ribbon Wal-Mart had in the correct width. I'm thinking I may make a matching coin purse. Does cheapass Christmas get any better than this? I think not. I've nearly finished a glove for the SIL, I'll show it to you once it's done. 11.5 discloths done, 4.5 to go. I volunteered a scarf for FIL but luckily I actually have one that's nearly done I can give him and no it's not the Harry Potter one. A cup warmer for SIL's boyfriend is in the works. A beaded badge holder necklace thing for mom too. I'm headed to the crazy house people! At least this year it seems like I may actually get everything done. Shouldn't there be some kind of prize for this? Wait, I think creating that purse made me inelligible for any kind of kudos. Oh well.

Class photos and global warming.

(Click the pics for larger views if you feel like it) Looking out the window at the gloomy, brisk November day I can't help but think, IT'S 86 FUCKING DEGREES OUTSIDE, WTF!? Seriously, I'd really rather be at the beach today, it's blindingly hot and by noon it should be at least three degrees hotter. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit 90. In November. If there's anyone left who doesn't believe in global warming I'd like to invite them to sit in the cool coastal breeze here. Nearly 90 in November. Bah! I've completed another dishcloth and am onto the sixth, progress! I need to also do a pair of gloves for my SIL but since I can't find a decent pattern I might just make her a teacup cozy. Though, I can't seem to find a pattern for that either. I put it to the knitties to find me a teacup cozy pattern and they have, hooray! Also my MIL informed me that that would be a good gift for my FIL too. I have the perfect handspun for the two of them, keohinani sent me her very first handspun and there should be enough for two tea cup cozies, plus then they'll be extra special. I love it when things go my way! Darth's very first school pictures came in today. They're hilarious. In his individual portrait it looks as though the photographer said, "Smile or I'll kill your your family." In the class photo he's been put dead center, as though he wouldn't stand out enough otherwise. His two best buds are the kid grimacing and looking down in the front row and the kid behind him in the red shirt. I was going to post my first class photo but sadly, I can't seem to find it. I know it still exists but whether it's in my storage or in the disaster of a cabinet that Mom keeps her photos in, I don't know.

Update to the update

I just picked up the boy from school and the teacher gave him a paper crown. He's insisting on being called "Birthday Boy". When we got home I asked him to close the gate and he said, "Sure Super Mom!" So I said, "Thanks, Super Boy!" To which he replied, "No, Birthday Boy." "Oh, sorry Super Birthday Boy." "Sheesh, was that so hard, Mom?" Oh, Bezzie, the Kindergarten cut-off date in his district is Dec 1, he made it by a month.

Updatish

Today is Darth's fifth birthday. At this time five years ago I was happily sleeping in a hospital bed, epidural taking care of my woes. He was born in the afternoon, about 3:45. It was a nice day. He's at kindergarten rightnow, which is weird for me. He's never been someplace else on his birthday before. I should be posting adorable Halloween pictures but the camera got left in the car last night and thus, no pictures yet. The kids were adorable, though. They all said, "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you", though at a few houses, Miss Beans just said, "Pleeeeeeeeeease!" Mis Beans and Tank (my nephew) really cleaned up. We had to empty their bags a few times because even though they weren't full, they were too heavy for two year olds to carry and the bigger kids (my brother, Darth, and Red Todd Kidd) weren't ready to quit yet. They all had a good time and that's the important thing. So, NaNoWriMo. I had this crazy dream last night that was like a movie. I was thinking about writing it but now I'm thinking not. I can't do NaNoWriMo yet. When Lola is in school and I have some free time durrign the day then maybe but right now, I can barely blog. Though, I'd like to point out I've blogged three days in a row for once! Don't count on this to continue, now that I've spoken of it I've jinxed it for sure. I have things to show you and I'm so bummed that the camera isn't here! I've got a couple finished Christmas presents and adorable kids in costumes! This is torture! In the mean time enjoy this picture of... um... What do I have a picture of? Okay I scanned a pic of Darth from the day he was born. Red Todd Kidd is holding him. The green jacket he's wearing was lost somewhere along the way, which makes me sad.

Crap I forgot!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! In honor of this special day let me leave you with these delightful photos of the costume Kaylee made for Lola Beans to wear to the Gold Coast Pirate festival this weekend. Lola and Darth will be going as Elizabeth Swan and Captain Jack Sparrow. There's a hat too but I couldn't get a picture. Hopefully I'll have more luck on Sunday. Okay blogger is throwing a fit. Picture 1, Picture 2.

In my absence

Okay, so I haven't been blogging, I suck. I've been trying to finish up some UFOs before my new needles from Knit Picks come and I'm forced to start a new project with them. Aside from that, here's what I've been up to:

It begins.

Summer break. Today is the first day of it here. It's 9:30am and already the kids are devouring all snack foods in sight and generally driving each other, and me, crazy. Fabulous. I haven't been knitting at all. Instead I've been trying to keep up with the SP7 Questionnaire game and also working on one of my other incredibly nerdy persuits, an RPG. We've also been struggling to decide whether or not to move to San Jose, thanks to an offer given to Red Todd Kidd by his company. It's a lot more money but it's far away and something we had never even considered until this offer came up. Our goal has been Oregon, our purgatory has been San Diego, and this is way random. I don't think we'd consider it at all if it wasn't for the fact that we do know a few people there. My Uncle Elvis and Aunt Ivanna live there (in fact one of the apartment bulidings I found had a really familliar address, I realized it was their old place!) and I discovered Cpurl lives there too. Eh, I don't know. I'm completely on the fence about it. Not to mention it would totally give me away to my CASP! Nothing else is really happening here. Lola Beans has taken to eating frozen chicken nuggets but that's it. No other interesting stuff. As soon as that sewing pattern gets here, though, there will be plenty of ranting on the blog, of this I am certain.

Cupcakes, cute kids, and crap.

Okay, I never did get around to knitting on Tuesday. Lola Beans kept waking up and by the time I finally got a minute to myself I just ended up sitting on the couch watching VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest Child Stars (number one was Gary Coleman if you're curious). How sad is that? Since I have no cool projects going the pictures in today's post are going to be of Lola Bean's Birthday cake, which was cupcakes, and the kids eating them. No pictures of Miss Beans eating them since she slept through the whole party. Poor kid. Anyway, the cupcake tree there is how I managed to maim myself. All those little pictures of the Little Einsteins were made by me. Cut out with those fancy scrapbooking scissors. When I finished making them I noticed that my thumb was numb and tingly. Two weeks later it's better but still a bit tingly. I can't believe I pinched a nerve that bad on something so silly and didn't even notice until it was too late. I couldn't even knit for several days because I couldn't feel anything with my right thumb and it was just too weird. I'm used to it now but I really hope it goes away. The numbness not the thumb, that I'd like to keep. I'm kind of in a knitting funk right now. I don't have any deadlines left so I'm not pressed to work on anything. I don't really have any projects ready to start either. I'm just kind of "meh" about the whole thing right now. That's probably best since I have a major sewing project coming up. Yes, sewing, the bane of my existance. I'm going to make a few diapers and some adaquate training pants for Miss Beans since I'm sick of buying diapers and the Pull-Ups are the worst invention ever. I can't even begin to tell you about what a nightmare those things are for a parent of a stubborn child. All I'm going to say is that cloth training pants are uncomfprtable when wet and the kid will start going to the can instead of in their pants right quick if you switch to undies and make them help you clean up their messes. Maybe you think that's harsh and traumatic but I'm betting you don't know what it's like to have to do diapers for an infant, deal with a potty resistant three year old, AND clean up after an inconitnent cat day in and day out. There's literally only so much crap I can deal with without going barking mad and my limit is somewhere less than two small children and a cat. So anyway, I'm going to be doing some sewing and hopefully I won't sew my shirt to my project like that one time, completely forget seam allowances like last time, or give up in misery like all those other times. I should either take a class, buy a book, or just give up on sewing altogether, shouldn't I? Oh well, we all know I'm a crafting masochist so that's not going to happen. Makes more interesting blog reading for the lot of you I guess, silver lining and all that. *The boys in the pic are my son, Darth, and my nephew, Tank. Acoording to my sister the frosting made Tanks poop blue. Aren't you glad to know that?

Making peace

Crumpets is slow going as you can see. I'll be giving pattern notes for this thing when I finish it since it was very poorly written. On the bright side you can see my very first pair of Addi Turbos in that picture and I am LOVING them. They make me dread the rows of cabling because I don't want to touch the cable needle when I could be touching those slick shiny new Addis. The cable needle you see in the pic isn't the one I'm using, the one I like up and dissapeared, likely forever lost in the chair I do my knitting in. I've been using a cable hook actually and I don't love it to say the least. I wish I could do the cab;es without a cable needle but this is definately not a project where that is possible. I can also tell you that there's no danger of me becoming a cotton junkie anytime soon. My poor fingers are suffering from the stuff. But the beads. I love the beads. Beaded knitting my just be my new thing. It's so much fun! I can't wait for the bead rows. I love how they look! Well, I'd love them more if they were the clear purple beads I wanted instead of the dark metallic beads I'm using. Let me tell you it was not fun to dig through the bag of multicolor beads looking for the purplest ones but I think it was worth the effort for them to match a bit better. You can see that some of the beads are still blue or green but they've got purple over at least half of them because they tricked me into thinking they were purple long enough to get into the project. Which reminds me... A few pattern notes for those who wish to make Crumpets: 1) Prestring the beads before you cast on. 2) An example of the Picot Cast On can be found here: Knitty pattern for Miss Dashwood. 3) You will need WAY more beads than the pattern calls for. I'm not sure just how many but I wish I had stung on at least an additional 25%. 4) Slip all stitches knitwise unless other wise instructed. This may be intuitive to you but it sure as heck wasn't to me. I always slip my stitches purlwise so they don't twist. In this pattern you want that twist. 5) Just because you swatched doesn't mean you'll get the right size. Just remember that the pattern stitch for the top is a multiple of six so after you've seen how crazily huge it is, rip out and guess at how many stitches you'll actually need using a multiple of six. Sorry, I haven't come up with a better way just yet. Once I've finished I'll be sure to share the actual pattern gague for the top section. I'm sure there will be more and I'll put all of this in my pattern review when I finish the thing. Oh! I almost forgot, I'm actually reading a book! I know this may not seem like a monumentous event to most people but when you have two small children, it's very difficult to read anything that is longer than you can read in the can. I'm reading a book by the Dalai Lama because that guy fascinates me and also because I'm an angry, angry person and hopefully this will help. Okay, I have to go, I can hear Darth talking about jumping off his bunk bed, he's four, that won't go well.

Overalls of Shame update

I've almost finished the bib of the Overalls, I'm on the buttonhole row. I had to take a little break to knit my anemic baby girl some hand warmers. Yeah she really is anemic. We went to the doctor yesterday for her 18 month visit and she got stuck seven (one finger prick for biliruben test, six shots) times. Hard for any mom to watch but even better was that we did The Boy's 4 year old check up at the same time and he got stuck five times (one biliruben test, for shots). Yesterday was not a fun day. At least now we know why she's always got freezing hands. She's on an iron supplement and a multivitamin, no big deal. I think the main reason she was iron deficiant was because she was refusing to eat while she was sick for like a month. Anyway, back to the Overalls. All that's left is the back straps and the finishing. I've decided that instead of doing a single crochet edging around all the edges (I'm still not getting the crochet thing despite my SP's Crochet for Dummies book, perhaps someone should write: Crochet for Inept and Blithering Idiots who Don't Know When to Get Someone Else to Do it) I'm going to do I-cord binding with Fun Fur. Oh the humanity! For your viewing pleasure I've included a rejected proof from our family photo shoot. This pose was rejected on the basis that I look like I'm going, "S'up?"

At long last...

Yes, that's right, finally the pictures of the Princess Leia costume I've toiled so endlessly upon. As you can see I never did put a hood on it and I gave up on the belt (actually I never gave it a realtry, too hard) using silver ribbon in its stead. I think the general idea is still conveyed. As always, you can click on the pictures for a larger version. Darth's fourth birthday party was a success. He got SO much stuff! Lots of puzzles which was very neat. He had a blast though he only stayed in his costume for a half hour. In fact everyone ditched their costumes by 2:00. My sister's Yoda costume for her son turned out great. It was a big hit, too. It was all just sickeningly cute. Please note his authentic, light-up, Yoda lightsaber. It's tiny! Darth got his very own Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader color change lightsaber for his birthday and today he was playing with it, hitting the button to change the color and saying, "Good. Bad. Good. Bad. Good. Bad..." Happy Halloween and may the force be with you!

Wanna see what I look like?

Since it's Monday and both kids have come down with a cold, I'm going to take it easy on all of us and have this entry be mostly pictures. We (Red Todd Kidd, Me, the kids, My sister, her husband, their son, and my little brother) went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend and got our pumpkins. The kids had a GREAT time, especially Darth. Best of all no one barfed on any of the rides. I still have quite a bit of knitting to do for Darth's birthday. I broke down and started another Bubby so that the kids wouldn't fight over the first one I made. I have one more leg to go and then it's sweater. I have some more knit picks sock yarn leftovers (that's what the first one was made out of Sock Landscapes in Yukon) in the Sock Garden Zinnia. Should be pretty cute. I have to say the Bubby pattern is much better the second time around. I've used it as more of a guideline than a pattern and it's working beautifully. In fact I may have to give Darth the second one since it is a birthday present and all. He should get the good one right? Besides Lola is totally in love with the one in the blue sweater, I don't think she'll go for a swap. Plus Darth's current favorite color is red so his should get the red/orange/yellow sweater. (That's not my husband -----> that's my brother-in-law with my nephew that's 3 days older than Lola) Which brings me to the other knitting I have to churn out right quick. Darth's slipper boots. We went to our LYS on Saturday and he picked out a hank of Eco Wool in red. Lucky us all cascade was on sale for 20% off! I wish I could have bought a bunch of stuff but I had to spend $$ for Darth's birthday so just his wool and some to finnish RedTodd Kidd's Satchel. That's right, I aim to finish that thing next week after the birthday party is past and things calm down.

Possibly the saddest Bubby ever.

I hate this pattern. It's confusing in places. It hurts my hands to knit with fat yarn on skinny needles. Thus my Bubby is possibly the saddest looking Bubby anyone has made. His head is pointy, his arms are crooked (and sideways), his legs are different lengths, his feet are weird, his eyes are misshapen because I suck at embroidering faces on things, he's just a sad, sad little bear. I knit him a sweater to hide his crooked sideways arms. So sad. Doesn't he look depressed? To top it all off Lola Beans loves the sad little thing. It's not for her, it's Darth's birthday present, she can't have it! I have enough yarn to make one for her. And a little verigated red/yellow/orange sweater. Crap. Add another thing to the list.

Satchel Can't Corner

Yep that's my yesterday. To lazy to put my taquitos on a plate, barely started Satchel for DH, and putting up with Darth leaving his light saber wherever. In the pic to the left there I had just cast on at about 2pm, by the end of naptime I had finished the whole bottom and picked up stitches to start knitting the bag in the round. Of course everytime I counted the stitches I came up with a different number and never was that number the 128 it was supposed to have been. With great frustration I finally managed to count 125 twice in a row so I picked up 3 more stitches near to where I thought I may have missed them and kept going. It gonna be felted so who cares, right? Right? What I discovered when I finally managed to get all my stitches and take off in the round is that knitting a rectangle in the round is (not only some kind of oxymoron but also) a little bit annoying. By a little bit annoying I mean, the stupid thing was driving me nuts! I couldn't get around the corners! My needles kept getting all stuck and not wanting to budge. By the end of the night I had gotten far enough that I have slack in the corners and can maneuver about. I just want to warn my fellow knitty knitters that the corners are annoying. ANNOYING I SAY! So here's a pic if the inside (click to make it bigger). You can barely see the seam from where the stitches are picked up. I think that means I did it right since on the outside there's no seam showing. That's what really matters right? I've never picked up stitches from a cast on edge before so I wasn't really sure how to go about it. God forbid I look it up, I just stumbled on through the pattern. Here's a pic of the dreaded corner. I guess it turned out well despite my trouble. I just keep saying to myself, Don't worry, It's going to be felted.

Darth

For months, and I mean months, my son has been requesting a Darth Vader costume. Persistantly. I've been telling him we'd get him one for Halloween. I've been telling him that Kaylee would make him one. I've been telling him anything I could to make the begging stop. Don't get me wrong, I didn't lie, we were going to make him the grandest Darth Vader costume to ever grace a three-year old's slender form. All our best intentions were befouled today by Costco. There it was, in all it's glory, the store-bought cheap nylon pajama type costume of Darth Vader. It was in a neato cool box with a cape, and a belt, and a light saber, and a helmet. It was value priced at $25. I didn't stand a chance. So my son is running around the house yelling, "I'm going to take over the world!" in a Darth Vader costume in the middle of August. It makes a mother proud.