Not now, I'm counting!!!

The Grand Finale---Rhinebeck

2010-11-07T13:01:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I’m probably the last knitter to post on Rhinebeck. That’s just how I roll. Sorry. I guess I’m trying to keep the high as long as I can, and what a high it was. Again, we had to wake up at the crack of dawn~~~yuck~~~to get our place in line. Because, you never know, things could be sold out before we had a chance to see them.

As you can see we picked up some stragglers along the way. These are our friends who we’ve been to the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling with. It was great to see these girls again. Hopefully, we’ll all see each other next year again.

Anyways, we finally got into the festival and got out our credit cards. I have never seen so much fiber in my life. It was a feast for the eyes.

And not only pretty yarns but also the little creatures who provide us with such lovely yarn. I could have stayed with these guys all day long.

They even had some puppies. I couldn’t take a picture of them because they were so rambunctious they didn’t sit still enough for a photo session.

Luckily, I got pulled away from them and discovered there was much more to see. Like food, and lots of it.

One of the famous things they serve is fried artichokes. I didn’t feel like waiting in the extremely long line them. But I hear they were great. It was such a nice cool Autumn day we had some hot apple cider and apple crisp. Which was also delicious.

Waiting in line for my food I saw this content little guy. It was such a beautiful sight I had to take a picture of him all snug in his wrap.

We also saw some knitting celebrities.

This is Casey who founded Ravelry. Yeah Casey. Where would we all be without Ravelry?

Then there was Anne Hanson.

And Ysolda.

A lot of knitting paraphernalia found it’s way home with us.

That night we all went out to dinner and back to the lobby of the hotel to reminisce on our wonderful day. We found another person we met at the Spring Fling, Sharon. Who kindly gave us some peanut butter cups she made herself!

Which, by the way, they were also delicious. Then it came time to say goodbye to all our friends. That is always the worse part. The next morning we got up—at the crack of dawn again—Thanks Dany. We all had flights we had to take back to our cities. It was very hard to say goodbye to Maria and Dany who I had just spent the perfect week with. I dropped them off at their gates (and grumbled about how early they got me up). To top off my week I upgraded to first class on my flight home. It was perfect.

Salem, Ma

2010-10-31T20:38:00.001-05:00

I thought it appropriate to post about Salem on Halloween. The whole month of October they celebrate with the Festival of the Dead. Around every corner you can find a physic, medium, fortune teller, palm reader. The stores all sell books on spells or potions. It was a lot of fun to see all the things they had.

One of the first places we saw was the Witch House.

This is the house that the judge during the witch trials lived.

They had those statues that were people. The first time I saw somebody dressed as a statue it was is Salzburg. It was the middle of winter and I was standing right by it. Then I saw steam coming out of his nose. FREAKED ME OUT!

These statues had lots of people around so it was easier to tell.

We stopped at Ben and Jerry’s and had some Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream. We should have shared with this guy.

He looks a little hungry.

Then we made our way to the Witch memorial. It’s a stone mall with stone’s protruding for seats. They have the names of all the witch’s that were put to death and the way they were killed.

It’s hard to believe that this really happened in our Country. But it did and I hope we all learned our lesson from it. I hope everyone has a happy Halloween and watch out for the Ghouls.

The Perfect Day

2010-10-28T03:38:00.001-05:00

Dear God,

Thank you for allowing us to have this perfect day. You have made 3 knitters very happy and we will be forever grateful.

Signed,

You know how the unplanned days sometimes turn out to be the best. Like the days you get to stay in your PJ’s all day. Well, this was the mother load of days for us. About a week before our trip we read that Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed was coming out with his own yarn line, and that said yarn line would only be sold in 9 different stores around the country. Well, wouldn’t you happen to know that one of the stores was in New Hampshire. And the New Hampshire store was also in the same town that they produced the yarn.

We had nothing to do on one of the days so I asked the girls if they wanted to go check it out. The first hint that it was going to be a great day was there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Then on the way to Harrisville we passed this little sign on a country road that said The Fiber Studio next right. Well we couldn’t pass that up! It was just the dang cutest shop that had tons of beads and spinning wheels. Then in the little room off the big room there had to have been a dozen women in there just chatting away. I loved it.

Back on the road we sort of got off the beaten track and found ourselves right in front of this.

I wish I could accurately tell you how serene this was. If I could bottle the feeling we all got at this moment I’d be a millionaire. As we were trying to find our way back to the main road we stumbled upon this little cemetery. I don’t know about you but I really love old cemeteries and this one was probably one of the best I’ve ever seen.

It was so exciting seeing all this on the back roads. I didn’t even want to find Harrisville. We kept going and to our surprise Harrisville was just as cute. It’s definitely a one horse town. In fact there really is no town at all. There’s a general store which I’ll cover in a minute and a post office. That’s it.

This is the door going into the yarn store there, and here’s their sales bin.

It could not have gotten any better. EXCEPT---as I was making my purchases the woman asked me if I was part of the tour group. I asked what tour group. She explained that the mill where they make the yarn gives tours and some of the people in the store were on one. I asked if we could look at it and she said it’s by reservation only. She asked if we could come back and when I told her I was here with some friends from Germany she said “let me make a call”. She got us our own private tour. I took pictures of every step of the process but it’s a long one so I’ll just show you my favorites.

This is how it starts out. Ugly, yes? This machine feeds it into the carders (and there are many). Then it washes it and cards it again.

This is the fiber being laid out for the spinning, and here is it being spun and plied.

And yes, it is two different colors. Then we happened to pass this and I couldn’t help taking a picture of it.

We had just died and gone to heaven. But there was still some more insane cuteness coming. We were very hungry by this time so we asked were we might get a bite to eat. It turns out the General Store also serves food.

Boy was it delicious.

Now just wait until you see this. It’s the produce dept.

OMG I could so live here. We all agreed that this was the best day of our whole trip.

Boston

2010-10-25T22:28:00.001-05:00

I have been to Boston several times so I knew to paaark the caaaar as soon as we got there and hoof it. Tom and I had a horrible time trying to drive around Boston and we learned our lesson. But that’s a story for another day.

Boston is about 1 1/2 hours from the house in New Hampshire so we started early (well at least for me). The first thing we saw walking out of the parking garage was the Old State House.

This is the oldest surviving public building in Boston, , and the seat of the first elected legislature in the New World. If you don’t believe me I copied it from Wikipedia. I just told Dany and Maria it was famous. Aren’t I a good tour guide? I also told them I could make stuff up and they’d never know the difference. I was kind and just told them it’s famous.

This is also were the Boston Massacre was. That part I did know. Really.

Then we walked down the street a little bit and came to Faneuil Hall. While there we happened to bump into a tour guide telling people about it. So I didn’t have to make anything up. Every president has been there and a lot of candidates announce they will run for office from there. I made no such announcement.

Then we went to Quincy market and did what we do best. SHOPPED. No yarn stores but there was a Christmas store there that Dany had to buy an ice cream ornament so Jimi Hendrix wouldn’t get hungry. Then off we went to my favorite part of Boston---The North End. It’s an Italian neighborhood that you really feel like you’re in Italy when walking through it. And there’s also this place ---

you have not lived until you have had a cannoli from Mike’s pastry. It was really busy too, so I guess the word is out. If you’re planning a trip to Boston don’t forget to go there.

Continuing on The Freedom Trail we next hit The Old North Church.

This is famous for the lantern that they hung during Paul Revere’s ride to warn people. “One if by land, Two if by Sea”. They hung the lantern to warn patriots that the British were coming.

This is the actual window that they recently found during a renovation. I’m not making that up. Outside the church there is a garden with a dog tag for every soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We spent a moment there and I grumbled a lot.

We then walked across the big bridge and saw “Old Ironside”

This is the oldest commissioned Naval ship. It’s made of wood but they nicknamed it Old Ironside because it took a beating without falling apart. She was commissioned during John Adams presidency.

By this time we were worn out. I think the shopping did us in. So we took a cab back to the parking garage. We were just standing outside the garage “exercising” before we went back to the car. We had our bags on the ground and all the sudden someone came running out of the parking garage carrying a bunch of stuff. Then he ran into some guy on the phone walking up. He stole something from the guy and then someone came out of the garage building asking about him. Apparently he stole a bunch a $400 cashmere sweaters from a Joseph A Banks inside. We had our hearts a pumping. And very thankful that Jimi Hendrix got his Ice Cream Cone.

Going to Woodstock

2010-10-22T02:29:00.001-05:00

When we were planning this trip I suggested we go to Woodstock VT. One of their friends got excited because she thought there was only one Woodstock were the music festival was held in the 60’s. She asked Dany to bring her back a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt. For those of us who live in the states we know that there is a Woodstock in every state.

Our best bet was here.

It’s the oldest General store in Vermont. It had lots of great little trinkets in it but no Jimi Hendrix t-shirt. There was no way we’d find one here.

So we took to the back roads trying to trying to find Yasgur’s farm.

This wasn’t it but I’m sure it’s a lot prettier then Yasgur’s farm was during the festival. On the way back we found a Christmas store that looked like it had some nice stuff in it. Dany found a Christopher Radko Nutcracker ornament that she had to justify buying (because it was really cute).

This isn’t the exact same ornament but I searched and searched (for at least 5 min) for the same one and couldn’t find it. Anyways, we named the nutcracker Jimi Hendrix. So if you know a TSA agent who tells a story of a crazy woman from Germany not letting him open her package because it’s Jimi Hendrix—well you know where it came from.

We also stopped in Quechee VT to one of my favorite places-Simon Pearce. It’s a place where they blow glass and make pottery. They have the most beautiful things but they do tend to be pricey. So whenever I go I just get one thing.

Just do it!

2010-10-20T11:47:00.001-05:00

Let me just start this post out by saying, if you ever get the chance to vacation with girlfriends and you’re worried about missing your family, by all means DO IT! Especially if the above said friends share your interests, like for instance say KNITTING.

We had planned this trip for a year and let me tell you it did not disappoint. I’m just regaining my strength to tell you all about it. Over the next several days I will be posting our pictures, because I know I’ll loose your attention if I post them all at once.

Our first day consisted of traveling to New York City to meet up. They came all the way from Germany and I from Chicago. I was so nervous we wouldn’t find each other but things went without a hitch. Even the rental car agency was nice enough to give us a bigger car when all our luggage wouldn’t fit in the trunk. (side note to you, when traveling with woman always order a bigger car then you think so you can fit everyone’s luggage)

By the time we checked into our hotel, Claudia and Dany had been up for 27 hrs and were pooped. But luckily our hotel was right on Times Square so we popped over there for a little stroll.

These pictures were taken at 11:00pm. We couldn’t believe how crowded it was. You could barely walk without running into people.

We stopped in the Hershey’s store so we could buy our first of many souvenirs. Then we proceeded to the hotel to crash.

The next morning we were supposed to meet our friend Karen, who lives in the city for a tour. Unfortunately Karen was sick, but it worked out well because we had a long drive to New Hampshire and we barely made it without falling asleep at the wheel.

I’ll will continue to show you our trip in the next couple of days so stay tuned.

Rome part 2

2010-02-18T12:56:00.001-06:00

***WARNING*** This post contains pictures of dead popes so if you’re queasy about those things you might not want to read. I just find it interesting now but I used to not like things like that.

On the second day we were there we went to the Vatican. It was on a Sunday so we thought we’d go and try to see the pope. The Vatican itself is much smaller then I thought it would be. It’s really just St Peter’s square and St Peter’s church. There’s a bunch of building around it. But that’s all that’s there. The Sistine chapel and the Vatican museums are not even at the Vatican. They are a couple blocks away. Inside St Peter’s there are tons of statue’s, each one meaning something but it would have taken too long to research everything. The most famous one is Michelangelo's Pieta. It depicts the Mother Mary holding Jesus after his crucifixion.

But there are many others. Here’s some that I have no clue who they are.

Oh, here’s a real weird one. Notice, his left side is missing. I didn’t even see that until we got home and I was looking at my pictures. I wonder if it’s like that for a reason? It just kind of blends in with the wall.

I thought he was kind of a cool looking Pope. Then also inside St Peters are dead popes inside glass. I don’t think I’d like to be encased like that and opened up to the scrutiny of millions of viewers. And don’t think we didn’t scrutinize them. Can you guess which one we said was definitely Italian?

Yep, it’s the second one. Look at that nose! Poor guy. No wonder he became celibate. Oh, I’m definitely going to hell for that.

Speaking of going to hell. Tom is catholic so I made him do the holy water to see if he’d get burned. Yeah, he came out just fine. But , I think he was sweating it a little.

As you can see, no burn marks.

Downstairs at St Peter’s is all the other tombs of the popes but you’re not allowed to take pictures down there. And they’re not encased in glass. When we got out of the downstairs area it was time to view the live pope.

Nope, not him. He’s one of the swiss guards. But I’m sure he doesn’t really run after criminals in that get up. He just stands there still as a tree. But here is the real live pope!

It started to rain as soon as he came out. I’m not implying anything but it did clear up as soon as he was done? He gave a blessing in 6 or 7 different languages. The English part was really short. But I felt we needed a blessing after all my criticizing.

When in Rome?

2010-02-15T12:04:00.001-06:00

The last and very best part of the trip was Rome. I adored it. I’ve always loved Boston for their history. It’s amazing how patriotic I become when I visit Boston. Well, talk about history. This place dates back before Christ! It was so fun to think I was walking right were someone during Christ’s time walked. And talk about opulence!! Everything was marble and gold. Our first stop was to the colosseum. It was built during Emperor Vespasian’s time around 80 ad and has survived since then. Of course, it doesn’t look like it did then.

Right outside the colosseum is the Arch of Constantine. It was built for Emperor Constantine I’s to celebrate his victory over Maxentius. You used to be able to drive under it but pollution took it’s toll and now it’s gated.

And right by that is the Temple of Venus. Venus is a goddess of Love, Beauty, and fertility.

And right by there is Arch of Titus which our tour guide said no jew will ever walk under. It was built to celebrate the Roman victory over the Jews. I’m pretty sure that a jewish person has probably walked under it at some point. It’s been there a long time.

We drove by the Fountain of Titan. Which was created by the Bernini in the 1600’s.

And speaking of fountains, that night Tom and I took a walk to see the Trevi fountain. This has been in several movies and it’s said that if you throw a coin in the fountain it’s a guarantee that you will return to Rome. If you throw in two coins you’ll find love. And if you throw in three coins you’ll either get married or divorced. I didn’t throw in any because they grab about 3,000 euros a day out of it.

Well, I’ll continue my Roman holiday tomorrow. It’s getting longer then I thought.

Courmayeur

2010-02-13T12:20:00.001-06:00

Our base for the first part of our trip was Courmayeur, Italy. It’s a small town right on the borders of France and Switzerland. This is where the skiing took place. I just have to show you this picture of the mountains that Tom took because I think it’s so beautiful. It makes me almost wish that I could ski.

But unfortunately when I look at it I think BROKEN LEG.

On the first day, to get our sea legs, we just walked around the town and had to see what they had to offer. It’s full of cute little shops, very expensive. But the thing I love about europe is the little shops for meat, cheese, and pasta. I so wish we had that in the states.

I also love the little cafe’s where you can get this! No Starbucks here.

After we got they lay of the land we decided to venture off to France. We took the bus from downtown, through Mt Blanc, in a very long tunnel. When we came out of the tunnel we were in Chamonix, France. It’s another cute little ski town, again very expensive. I am totally addicted to Diet Pepsi, which you can’t even find there. So I had to switch to Coke light. The Coke lights cost more then the wine!! It cost 7 euro’s for a coke light, which is like $10 american. Believe me, I made sure I drank every last sip. But with my Coke light I got this little baby.

Isn’t that the most glorious croissant you’ve ever seen! OK. I’m done showing you the food pictures. You know where my mind is at. Here’s the town of Chamonix.

While we were in Italy we also did a side trip to a vineyard and had a wine tasting. At first Tom and I didn’t want to go because we’re not big drinkers. But everyone else was going so we decided to tag along. For a girl who doesn’t drink much, I had my share and probably everyone else’s. I kept bellying up to the bar to get refills. I could barely remember my name when I was done. I should know better. Here is what Tom lovingly called the Grappa bong. Grappa is the residue at the bottom of the barrel and boy howdy is it strong.

Tomorrow I will show you some pictures of our trip to ROME! That was by far my favorite.

The cast of Characters

2010-02-12T13:14:00.002-06:00

When I first met and fell in love with Tom, I realized we had some strong differences. One of the big ones is that Tom has a built in alarm and when it goes off he’s off and running. I can barely get “Good Morning” out of my mouth before he’s out the door. He’s a very active person and I, well I like to putz. I’d stay in my PJ’s all day if I could. One of his loves is skiing, and he’s very good at it. Well, you couldn’t get me in a pair of ski’s if you tried. That created a situation for vacations. At first we’d go to the mountains and he’d go off skiing and I’d do a little shopping and knit while he was gone. It got very lonely for both of us. Then someone suggested we join a ski club. Boy, I’d love to give that person a big hug. It turned out to be the best thing for both of us. Now he has people to ski with and I have people to shop and explore with. I was a little concerned at first because I’m a very shy person and I didn’t know these people. But over the years I have found some wonderful friends, “Hi Barb”. Now at first I thought these people might be a little strange, well, they were. But in a good way. Here our just some of a few people who were on our trip that helped make it so enjoyable.

This is Chris, Dawn, and Sandy. These girls don’t ski either so we did a lot of sight seeing.

This is Bonnie and Rick. They met at the ski club and decided to get married on one of the trips. Very Romantic, no?

Speaking of romantic, this is also a Rick and Bonnie. They got engaged on this trip.

This is Dale and his mother Harriet. I absolutely fell in love with her this trip. Not in a gay way. She is just the sweetest thing. Always upbeat and positive. She’s having knee replacement surgery this week so please think good thoughts for her.

Here’s the whole group of us. There was 41 of us all together.

And finally, here’s Dave. Who could not love a mug like that. He had me in stitches the whole time. It’s a good thing I had my bladder fixed or I would have had wet pants the whole time.

Tomorrow I will post pictures of our trip. I just wanted to let you get to know these wonderful people first. After you get to know them you’ll love them too. Even Dave.

Tibbs rescues my mom

2009-10-04T13:16:00.001-05:00

We have certainly been busy around here. This is my favorite season and I want to make the most of it. We have few traditions in our family but one that is my favorite is apple picking. When my kids were little I always took them apple picking and then came right home and baked some apple goodness. This is Vince’s first year of apple picking so it was really special.

Look at all these apples on just one branch!

He liked picking the apples and putting them in the basket. But his favorite part was eating the apples off the tree.

That is always the start of my fall season. Another part I really like is fall decorating. I just love the colors of the season. This year Tom’s mom gave us a buffet that has been in the family for years so I went about decorating it.

I found these cute boxes at Joann’s.

This is another thing we got from his mom. It’s an old butter cooler.

I finished a vest that I made for Tom. It’s the Classic Camel Vest and I made it with Brooks Farm yarn. It was really easy to knit but I wish I had made it a little longer.

Then finally, let me tell you a little story about my mom. As many of you know, we took in my mom after my dad died. She had polio when she was little and in her golden years it has made her so she can’t walk anymore. She was first and foremost a nurse. Her whole life revolved around nursing. Nothing gave her more pleasure then helping people who were sick. Well, our kitten Tibbs just got declawed and fixed. The Dr told me to try to keep Tibbs from jumping and running. That’s a little hard around here with two dogs chasing her through the house. I decided, since my mom is immobile to give her the job of trying to keep Tibbs still. Well, that just unlocked her inner nurse. She has Tibbs on her lap all day. If she has to go to the bathroom she calls me into the room to hold Tibbs while she’s away. Now she has brought Tibbs food into the living room by her chair so as Tibbs lays there she can offer her food. She lets Tibbs sleep with her so if she needs water in the middle of the night she can get it for her. I think I might be at the end of my rope now. Just the other day she asked me if we can start putting Tibb’s water in a glass because she likes to drink out of a glass more then a bowl!

Not much accomplished

2009-09-10T13:44:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe I didn’t post at all in August. I guess I must not have knit anything but it sure seems like I did. We did have a busy month with a certain little boy turning 1.

Meg had a big party for him. This was her first party she hosted and she said afterward “Maybe I should have a smaller one next year” She’s a fast learner that girl. I made cupcakes for the party and they turned out so cute.

And I did finish some socks I was working on. They are from The Loopy Ewe's sock club. The yarn is wonderful it’s Sanguine Gryphon bugga in the colorway “Rusty Willow Sawfly” and the pattern is from Wendy Johnson and it’s called “Phoebus Apollo”

I love this yarn!

Now I’m going to start decorating for fall. Oh, how I love fall.

Busy summer

2009-07-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

I haven’t updated for quite awhile. Let see, first off, I did have 3 weeks vacation and most of the time it was spent making this.

It’s the Girasole by jared flood. It was a lot of fun to make but when you get to the outer rows, 1 row took almost 1 hour to do. I’m glad it’s done.

We did have some fun when I was on vacation too. Tom and my friend Jackie from work went kayaking down the Chicago River one day. They had lots of fun. I decided to go shopping while they were kayaking. I was too afraid of tipping the darn thing over and getting stuck in it.

My niece Julie was in town from Arizona and she came by to see Meg and Vince. She’s just too darn cute. I love you Julie!

I also went to the Midwest Fiber Festival. I caught up with some friends from the Spring Fling. It was great to see these girls again.

And finally, my little Tibbs, was lost for a few days. She somehow got out and I was a nervous wreck. My neighbor had her and she’s back causing lots of havoc around her.

Ok. This picture is deceiving. She really is causing havoc when she’s awake.

The life of a stay at home mom.

2009-06-28T17:20:00.001-05:00

This is technically only my second day off of work. I took 3 weeks vacation all in a row. It’s so freeing, I can’t explain. I’m not getting enough sleep only because I tell myself “Hey, if I need to I can take a nap”. So I’m busy knitting and cooking and baking. I’m the most domestic person you’ve ever laid your eyes on right now. Of course it is just day 2! Talk to me on day 20. It will have probably all changed by then. So here goes. At Christmas I saw these wreaths and really liked the idea. So at the after Christmas sale I went and bought a bunch of packages of ornaments. I got the cheapest ones, not because I’m cheap but my daughter really likes this color. The problem is they’re so cheap, they’re plastic. And they come apart when you touch them. UGH. If I have to I’ll use my trusty glue gun. But so far they’re staying together when I’m not fooling around with them.

Next, I finished my Heart to Heart scarf. I’m so happy with it. It’s the first time I’ve beaded. I’m glad it didn’t have too many beads. They’re so tiny I was always dropping them when I was on the train. Then I had to hunt for these tiny little beads. Not a pretty sight. But here it is.

Here’s a close up, because I know you want to see more.

Well, I must go now and do more womanly things. TaTa.

We have a new kitty!

2009-06-11T00:40:00.001-05:00

I finally did it and got another kitty. I’ve wanted one for a long time and when son #2 returned to Camp Pendleton leaving his wife her with us, I thought it would be a good idea to get her something to cuddle why he’s gone. She’s got a really bad cold right now and is quarantined in DIL’s room. But the little contact she’s had with the dogs has been all positive. They don’t seem to bother her at all. The other kitty isn’t too happy, but she’ll get over it.

Here she is, her name is Tibbs.

She’s almost 3 months old and we got her from the local shelter. She’s also very curious and really wants to explore.

I also finished my Clapotis. I know, I’m probably the only knitter in the world that hadn’t made it. Well, now I can say I have. I had my DIL model it for me.

It was a very simple pattern and I love the looks of it.

I made it with Brook’s Farm Duet and love this yarn. It’s very soft. I have to make a mental note to buy some more.

Happy Spring

2009-06-03T21:46:00.001-05:00

I have been so busy with no time for blogging. I’m trying to figure it into my schedule. I sure wish I was one of those people that could blog everyday.

First let me start with a gift I got in the mail today. One of the forums I’m on in Ravelry held a Summer Swap. The girl who got me saw that I really want to learn to knit lace without pulling my hair out. She sent me this lovely package complete with pattern, yarn, and needles to complete a lace scarf.

I can’t wait to get started. But I also joined a lace club this year to really get me going. It’s the Wool Girl lace club and this is my second package I’ve gotten from them and let me tell you I LOVE IT!

Here’s a close up of the scarf, which is so pretty.

The first package I got from them I wasn’t crazy about. But this totally makes up for it.

I also had to get a new computer because mine finally bit the dust. I did loose a lot of pictures but the really important ones I had saved on my back up hard drive. Thank God.

I did finish one pair of socks I can show you. It’s from the Loopy Ewe sock club. I know, I’m a sucker for those clubs. But it’s so fun to get packages that are a total surprise.

They’re called Kinvara, the pattern is by Monica Jines. The yarn is Dye Dreams Luster Sox in the Shades of Ireland colorway. This yarn is soo soft. I can’t wait to wear them.

And now to show you my little guy, who is now crawling. It won’t be long and he’ll be driving me crazy trying to keep up with him. But I plan on loving every minute of it.

Knitting love

2009-04-28T10:46:00.001-05:00

I have returned from a long weekend of knitting love. I was one of the ones lucky enough to be chosen to go to St Louis for the Loopy Ewe’s Spring Fling. What a wonderful time we had. The weather was great, not a sprinkle the whole time. And of course the company was the best in the world. I’m usually a pretty introverted person, but I got to tell you, I was talking up a storm the whole time. My poor vocal cords need a rest now. One of the knitting blogs I read, her niece was doing a flat Stanley. So I took it with me. I’m sure the kids won’t know who these super stars of knitting are but I’m betting the Aunt will.

Her is Wendy Johnson from Wendy knits.

And this is Cookie A

And then there was Anne Hanson from knitspot.

And I can’t forget Sheri from The Loopy Ewe. Who is a rock star for putting this all together.

I think everyone had a wonderful time and I’m hoping I can go again next year.

A little redo action

2009-04-02T11:10:00.002-05:00

This post is mainly for Chris at CK interiors. I have tried MANY times just to email her to let her know the things that we've done that she suggested but for some reason I can’t get through to her email address. But it’s fun to show you guys what we’ve done so far too. I was stuck in a rut with decorating. I couldn’t decide on where to go or where to start. So, I consulted with Chris, who’s blog I just love (she has several). I loved her style and luckily for me she does internet consulting. I’m sure I’ll use her again for other areas of the house. So here’s what she sent me.

She gave me a list of things that she thought would look nice and where to get them. She provided me with paint colors. Some of the stuff I got a little different but here’s what we’ve done so far.

We painted the living room.

We painted the dining room.

We got a new light fixture for the dining room.

And we’ve gotten bamboo blinds for both rooms. Which by the way I love them. I could have gotten the ones for privacy but they were a lot more and these look so nice and they shade out the sun.

As I do more I’ll be posting so I can show Chris. But so far I really like what we’ve done.

Another day of laughter

2009-03-25T13:50:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I have my mother living with us. It can be very challenging at times. But most of the time we get the giggles at things she says or does. It’s got to be very hard on her to grow old and be dependent on other people. She was always a very independent person. She does a great Emily Litella impression.

At Christmastime we had her church’s choir here to sing to her. She can’t walk anymore and stays in her recliner all day. So they came to her. When they told her how lovely her house was and how nicely decorated for the holidays, she said thank you. Then she offered them cookies that I have been baking for weeks and they marveled at how she could do all that to HER house and find time to bake. She blushes and says thank you. Never once mentioning that it’s not her house and she didn’t do any of it. But I think she was trying to tell herself she did it. Then the other day came this revelation. We were sitting at the dining room table eating dinner and she looks up and says to me. Why do you have a picture of a black man in jail? I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. She pointed to this.

Oh yes, I forgot about the picture of a black man in jail. How silly of me.

Spring Fluffing

2009-03-18T13:17:00.001-05:00

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a Spring Fluffing party and I am so looking forward to Spring I thought I’d play along. I’m not at good as those girls but I have been doing a little fluffing of my own.

I have a new Spring Wreath that I love.

Of course there’s some nests.

And then my old favorites.

Mad Color Weave Socks

2009-03-05T11:12:00.001-06:00

Good morning. I’ve been really taking it easy for the last week. My mother went out of town to visit her sisters. So Tom and I had the house to ourselves. We painted the living room and dining room, which turned out to be a huge project. But everything is done and my mom is home. I have been working on these socks and I just love them.

It’s a really fun pattern for me and it’s free on Ravelry.

Tom and I also took a quick trip to Springfield just to get away for a night. We had a really good time. Here he is with young Abe at the Lincoln museum.

And of course we had to get a family photo.

We had never been down there since it opened and I’ve got to tell you. It was really interesting. I found a lot of things that I didn’t know about him.

Also, I am so bad. When my father-in-law died I was very busy and I got 3 wonderful swap packages from people. In my haste I forgot to post the swap package! It was from Angela and she spun some yarn for me that is to die for. This is all the stuff she had in the package. As you can see it’s awesome.

Here’s a close up of that scarf. It’s so intricate and beautiful.

And just take a look at this homespun yarn dyed just for me!

I wish I had the time to spin! I can’t wait to find the perfect pattern for it. Thanks Angela.

Are you game?

2009-02-25T11:35:00.000-06:00

ARE YOU GAME?

The first three people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!Who's in?

I’m getting ready for Christmas.

2009-02-20T14:12:00.001-06:00

I know it’s only February but you can never get too early of a start. Last year in November I started my Christmas knitting. Suffice it to say not many people got a homemade knitted item. So this year, I started early. I plan on giving everyone on my husbands side of the family a home knit item.

I made this Rivolo for one of my nieces. I hope it’s a style a 20 something would like.

I made these socks for a sister-in-law. Good thing they don’t read my blog. I don’t even think they know what a blog is. Well the 20 something nieces probably know but wouldn’t be caught dead on their aunts.

I also received another wonderful swap package. This is from Susan who I met last year at the Spring Fling. Honest to God, this package took over an hour for me to unwrap everything. Everything is soooo nice.

Here’s a close up of the stitch markers. I just love them.

And here’s my favorite. They’re little labs. You know how I love my labs.

Now, I must go because someone is waiting for me in bed.

No no, not her…….him.

I’m in a rut!

2009-02-05T14:10:00.001-06:00

This winter has put me in a rut. I just can’t seem to get my mind together. I normally love winter but I have to say I’m ready for spring. Uncle, uncle, uncle. There I’ve said it. I have been busy since I last talked to you. I’ve been knitting several secret projects, all of which I have forgotten to take pictures of. But I did get out some projects I’m working on for me. First here’s the Anemoi mitten I’ve been working on. The first time I saw this pattern I was in love!

Then I’m making Denmark socks from the Knitting on the Road book. I’m using Rio de la Plata yarn and I love the contrast in it.

I also got a swap package from Barb on Ravelry. She sent me the nicest box of surprises. Thank you Barb.

My friend Barb,not the Barb who sent me the package, just started a blog. She is an amazing woman. She’s really into health food, unlike myself. But the amazing part is she likes me anyways. She even makes her own deodorant and toothpaste! We travel a lot together because we’re both in a ski club ,(Neither of us ski either), and she always has her little homemade remedy kit with her. I LOVE IT. Anyway her blog is call The Big Red Barn because they bought a barn that they’re rehabbing. Check it out.

I’ve been very blessed

2009-01-14T23:45:00.001-06:00

My father-in-law died today. He had been going down hill for awhile and this weekend when we were away, we got a phone call that he had been admitted into the ICU. On Saturday when I called they said he was getting better so we stayed on our get away. But Sunday night as soon as we were almost home we got a call that he had taken a turn for the worse. We went immediately to the hospital and we could tell right away it wasn't going to be long. We had him brought back home so he could go surrounded by his loved ones. Even his faithful dog was by his bedside. He went very peacefully and all but one out of the six children were there with him.
The reason I am so blessed is because I have such wonderful in-laws. This is my second marriage and I'm still very close to my first in-laws. My father-in-law who just passed loved the fact that my husband was marrying a woman with teenagers. You see my husband was a pretty rebellious teen, and he really wanted him to know what it was like to be a father of young rebels. He was always there for us when we needed him. Two years ago he and my mother-in-law took us all to Italy. That was his last trip. It is something I'll never forget.
So here's a few pictures of him. This is for you Jim. I love you and will miss you immensely.

This is him as a young boy. He was the youngest of 6 children.

Here he is on his wedding day. My mother-in-law and he were high school sweethearts.

Here he is with his 6 children. My husband is the oldest boy.

And at our wedding.

And here he is on our Italy trip. This is one of my favorite pictures of him.

God speed to you on your new journey.

I've been busy

2009-01-04T01:32:00.001-06:00

Boy have I been busy. But don't worry, I plan to blog more this year. Hahaha. Yes, it's one of my New Years Resolutions. Along with losing a bunch of weight, that's gonna happen. Then there's giving up smoking. I might as well wish BIG. So to catch you up on what you've missed. We had the baby baptized the weekend before Christmas. Here he is with one of his Great Grandma's.

Then we had Tom's family Christmas. This is his sister, Liz. Let me tell you, if anyone is perfect, she's it. When I was learning to knit, she was learning to knit with me. My first project was a stockinet scarf. Hers was a cabled fisherman's sweater for her boyfriend. She's a gourmet cook, her house is immaculate, everything she does is beautiful. I'd love to hate her, but she's too darn nice!

I didn't take any pictures on Christmas morning when I hosted, I was too busy cooking. But the day after Christmas, we took our son, Casey, and his wife on a ski weekend. Tiegan and I shopped while the guys went skiing. Tom and I are going on another weekend getaway next weekend too. Whoo Hoo.

Now, my New Year's Resolution is blog at least once a week. I wish I could do it everyday, but honestly, I don't have that much to talk about.

It's that time of year

2008-12-12T10:42:00.002-06:00

Man,oh,man am I busy! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I got to see my twins! They are soo cute. Here's Kaye giving us her best Reindeer impression.

At least that's what I think she was doing. Then here's all the girls of the household. My poor brother is the only male.

I've been doing some Christmas decorating.

And finally, I finished this baby sweater for my boss. I really like the way it turned out.

give away

2008-12-03T20:50:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if it's good to announce that someone is having a give away because if two people go over there from here and sign up then my chances are slimmer. But this girl is so talented that if you haven't been to her site you should really go over there.
This is what she's giving away.

Ok. I posted it. You can find her here.

Catherine Holman

Now don't rush off and go over there and try to beat me out of it. OK, go ahead.

It's 12:30am and I'm still not ready

2008-11-25T23:55:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't blogged in like forever. I've been so busy. Tomorrow we're leaving for my brothers were I can relax! I'm handing off my mother to him and hiding in their basement for the next couple of days. YES. I'm still not ready to go. I'm on my gazillionth load of laundry. I'm too scared to go up to the attic at this time of night to get my suitcase. So everything is stacked on a chair until tomorrow morning.

I made this cute little advent calender for the twins. The hard part was finding things small enough for the drawers.

And I woke my husband up so I could take a picture of him in his hat I made for him.

This is why I married him. He just wiped the sleep out of his eyes and put on a smile. Isn't he wonderful?

A special thanks has to go to Pat from Pat's Knitting and Quilting for the emergency help on the pattern that I accidently left on the train.

Then finally here's the mittens that I made for myself. Ohhh, they are so warm. That really helps in Chicago winters.

Well, the dryer just buzzed so I can finally go to bed. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. When I come back I'm starting to decorate for Christmas!

When two become one

2008-11-06T23:24:00.002-06:00

This

Plus this

Equals this

Yep, my baby boy got married today! He is in the Marine Corp and he suddenly decided he couldn't live without his girlfriend anymore. So he came home, went to the courthouse, and did it. It was lovely. She's staying here until after Christmas, because they won't allow her in the barracks. He's going back to get them some housing. It seems like just yesterday he wanted to marry me. But hopefully soon I'll get another one of these.

I love Fall!

2008-10-28T11:14:00.005-05:00

I have been doing lots during the fall months. I just love the fall! So I've been away from my blog. During the summer it's too hot for me so I usually stay in the house. Now, I'm out and about.

Yesterday, I had to go for an endoscopy. I had one two years ago along with a colonoscopy. Not fun. My colon however was just fine, thank you. But my stomach has polyps. So I had to have the test again and I have more polyps. I'm imagining my stomach looks like a cave inside with stalagtites and stalagmites.

Then I've been working on a super secret knitting project that I can't share yet. But I did knit up this little ditty for Vince.

We also went apple picking with my nieces. But, alas, the apples had already been all picked. But we did get to go in the barn and buy some apples and other misc. things. Then the litte one, Frankie, and I came home and whipped up to hot cinnamon apple crisp.

I got the recipe from the blog "My Romantic Home"

Nothing going on.

2008-10-11T23:01:00.004-05:00

I haven't updated my blog for a couple of weeks. Not because I was sick or anything, just I haven't done anything to blog about. I've been getting up, cleaning the house, going to work, and then coming home to sleep. Today I did finally have a day off and I got to babysit for Vince. Ohhh, he's so cute. And he smells really good too.

I sure wish I could bottle up that baby smell. Then I got a package from a Autumn Swap partner, Antoneta, from Norway. I was so excited that it came all the way from Norway. She did an excellent job at picking things out for me.

Look at this bag. She made that!
Then I did finally finish my mom's scarf that I've been promising her. It's the Feather and Fan scarf from Wendy Knits

And her she is modeling it.

Hopefully, I'll have some more things to report soon. I was going to order a life but with the economy like it is, I don't think I can afford it anymore???

A life in progress

2008-09-24T11:23:00.002-05:00

I don't know which way I want to turn next. I love reading the decorating blogs and look at the lovely things people do in their houses. It just seems to come so easy for some. I'm not included in that. I'm trying to figure out how to do these things seamlessly. It's not coming naturally to me. But I do love the blog world for ideas. I took a fall decorating seminar at The Little Traveler on Monday. It was wonderful and they even had a little fall fashion show. Too bad they don't offer things in my big size. But I did come out with some great ideas for decorating, and I'm proud to show you what I've done.

Then I just loved these boxes that these Halloween things came in. So I decided to group them together on my counter in the kitchen. I bought this Halloween wine too. A wine snob, I am not. I bought it for the cute bottle.

And finally, I did finish some knitting! I had to take a little break there for awhile. But I'm back at it. I made these socks for a guy at work. He says he loves them. It always makes me happy when I can do things for other people.

Time Off

2008-09-14T13:09:00.005-05:00

I've been off of work for a week. I barely got anything done except going and playing with my new Grandson. He's so cute! I did do a little fall decorating.

I also got my closet cleaned. I won't bother showing you pictures of that. But it looks good. For now. But most of my time was spent with little Vince.

quetsch@sbcglobal.net , on Flickr">

Who could resist that? I'm back at work now and hopefully back to knitting.

FOX Attacks Obama Like Kerry

2008-09-05T12:35:00.001-05:00

This makes me sick!

He's here

2008-08-27T22:19:00.003-05:00

May I present to you, my Grandson, Vincent Austin Marra! He was born Monday, August 25th at 7:17pm. He weighed 8lbs 4oz, and is 20.5 inches long. I am so happy I'm beaming. Really, I wish you could see my face. Already they are home from the hospital. I went this afternoon to pick them up. Mother and baby doing well. Grandma on the other hand is a bit of a mess. But I was that way before so I can't blame them. We had 8 people in the waiting room when she was delivering. I snuck by her doorway which was a little bit open and heard him take his first breath. When we finally got to go in and see him he was bright eyed and looking around wondering where the hell he was. He even moved his eyes in the direction of the person talking. He's a genius I just know it. My son-in-law is an artist and drew this on Meg's board in the hospital while we were waiting for his debut.

Here's mama and baby bonding. Isn't it a beautiful thing?

And so he's not left out here's my son-in-law giving him his first bottle. Meg can't breastfeed because of her medicine she takes from the liver transplant.
And here's just one last picture of him because I can't get enough. Sorry.You'll be seeing him alot around here.

Still Waiting

2008-08-19T12:24:00.004-05:00

I keep putting off a new post thinking that I'll be able to show you my new grandbaby any day. Well, it still hasn't happened. But I did take my daughter to the Dr yesterday and if she doesn't go into labor by next Monday then they are going to induce. So it will be soon!

I've been staying busy knitting. The Summer of Socks is almost over and this will probably be my last pair for the summer. I'm making them for a guy at work who has said he wants a pair. I hope he likes them.
One of the perks of having my mom live with me is I got a cleaning lady! It's so wonderful. I usually divide my cleaning into sections. I do certain rooms on different days of the week. On the week that she comes I don't have to do anything. It's great. I have free time that I didn't before. And Suzanne, in case you're wondering she lives in Elburn and comes highly recommended by me.

I've also been busy with two of my nieces. I had them all day a couple of days ago and we made cookies. Thanks to Tanya's recipe for Peanut Butter surprise cookies. They turned out great. I have never tried anything from her site I didn't like. As we were smooshing the cookies down we were singing the Cookie Mash instead of the Monster Mash. They had lots of fun.

And finally, we got our first tomato. I'm not a good gardener. I hate the heat. But sometimes I go out and weed and try to keep things alive. It is fun to see things growing. And here is my Karen keeping me company as I wait for the little one to arrive.

What a beautiful Buzz!

2008-08-08T11:04:00.002-05:00

Have I ever told you I love the Stones. I really, really love the Stones. It might be because they are older then me and still going strong. That they are even still alive after the abuses they have put their bodies through. I don't know, but whatever it is it makes me really love them. Especially Mick! Tom and I go to all their concerts, he thinks it's to have a nice date night with his loving wife. I think it's so I can plan how to sneek backstage and wow Mick with my womanly ways. Sorry Tom. It's just a dream really because I am now a middle age, overweight, almost Grandma. EEE GADS. Really the only thing I could wow him with now is I could make him my killer lasagna or knit him a pair of socks. I don't think that's what he wants. Luckily it is what Tom wants. Anyway, my son, just bought me this video that just came out. Oh, how I love to dream.It really is very good and has great duets with Christine Aguilara, Jack White, and Buddy Guy.
Now on to what I've been doing besides dreaming of me and Mick. I have been working on these socks. I got the kit from The Loopy Ewe in my sock club. This is a killer pattern. It's taken me almost 2 wks of knitting, and I'm not even half way done with the second one.

The pattern repeats every 24 rows so you can't memorize it.I also took out my sewing machine and dusted it off. I made my mom some curtains for her bathroom. Now remember I haven't sewn for years.I really want to start quilting. There is a nice quilt store just a couple blocks from me and I'm trying to hold back. Do you think Mick would like them????

Playing Hookey

2008-07-25T12:53:00.005-05:00

I took the day off of work today so I could get ready for my daughter's baby shower. We have people coming in from out of town, including my favorite twin girls! So today I went shopping. If you've never been to Geneva, Illinois you are missing lots. Especially if you're a shopper! It's a quaint little town with tons of great shops. I don't think you could do it all in a day. Maybe a weekend. So today I'm taking you to some of my favorite shops. Before we go we have to get cash, lots of cash.

The first stop is The Little Traveler. It's been around since I was a kid and I'm not going to tell you how long ago that was! It's grown since then but it keeps getting better and better.My husband says my eyes light up when I walk in here. You'll see why. Oh, aren't these pretty?I must stay out of this department.Ahh, yes, this is where I need to be today.They have the cutest baby clothes. And I'm all about that today. Oh, man I can't wait. Here's something that would great in my dining room. Just in case you wondered why I took a picture of it. Ooops, $2800, can't afford it this trip.

I don't need to go in this room. But I did anyway and bought some copper ornaments because the colors I'm using this Christmas are copper and sage.Darn I wish she was having a girl. I could do girly things so well.I'll have to stick in this corner from now on.

Next stop the Paper Merchant so I can get wrapping paper and ribbon.They have the cutest cards here.

Ok That's done. Now I need to go home and wrap everything. I'll take you to more Geneva stores later. It's a lot of fun. Even Ellen DeGeneras had a segment on how fun it is.

Before I forget, here's my latest socks. They are the Nutkin pattern in Wollmeise yarn in the colorway of Spice Market. I really like how they turned out.

2008-07-22T00:20:00.003-05:00

This last week was the 1 yr anniversary of my father's death. I'm choosing to write about him because he led a very interesting life. In my later years I came to be very proud of him, in my teens I rebelled at his old fashioned ways. But when all was said and done, he was always there for me. And no one can take that away from him. My fathers family came from Sweden, his Grandfather was the kings horseman. When my father was 4 yrs old he was visiting his Grandfather and whenever the king would pass by all the children were supposed to run in their houses to not disturb him. Well, my father was a bit of a rebel (like his daughter) and he stood by the side of the road when the kings coaches came by. He waved at the king and said "Hi King", not really knowing that the king was someone special, the king stopped his caravan and sat and talked to my father. I'm sure he got in trouble for it later but it led to lots of family stories for the rest of his life. My father also quit school at 17 because he didn't understand English very well so he kept being held back in school. He had his father sign him into the Navy. Three weeks after being stationed at Pearl Harbor it was bombed. He was in the head when it happened. He said he knew right away so he went to wake up the other guys on the ship. Since he was a newby they thought he was imagining it. They quickly believed him. The ship he was on he had just traded with another friend to be on. His friend wanted to stay on the Indiana so my father went to the USS Reid. The Indiana was sunk that morning. His friend didn't make it. A lot of people didn't make it. Even when my father was dying he always said he thought he was so blessed because he should of died that day. He went on to fight in the war. A couple of weeks after he was stationed at a base the USS Reid was hit and sunk. Two times he escaped death during that war.Then he met and fell in love with my mother. They were married for 56 yrs. He went back to school and became a math teacher and she a nurse. They raised 3 children and helped me raise my 3 children after their father left.

And he had a knack for running into celebrities. I'm telling you wherever he went someone famous would be there as if they were just waiting to meet him. Here he is when my husband and I took him and my mother to Washington DC when they opened the WWII memorial. We were at the Navy Museum and in walks Tony Curtis.

This would happen all the time with him. He was a private pilot and one time he was out in California, I'm not sure if I'm getting the story completely accurate, but somehow he ended up giving Buddy Hackett a ride to Chicago.

He was obsessed with having everything taken care of for my mother and us before he died. He'd call my husband over and have him fix things he couldn't do anymore. About a week before he died he woke up, which he seldom did at the end. He asked for my brother. My brother lives in Cincinnati, about a 6 hr drive from here. We called my brother to come home thinking he was going to give us words of wisdom to live with for the rest of our lives. My brother drove here and sat beside my dad and asked him what he wanted. He said "Tell Jody the extra batteries to the camera are in the camera bag". We all just cried with laughter.

We didn't agree on politics or religion, in fact, far from it. But we did agree that love is what really matters. I miss him so much.

I was going to post a picture of my most recent socks but I accidently erased it. So you'll have to take my word for it that they turned out beautiful.

Busy week

2008-07-12T09:59:00.004-05:00

Oh, what a busy week I've had. I went with my daughter to her Dr appt and got to see my Grandson on ultrasound! It's so fun to see the little guy. I wish I could see him in person. But only 6 more weeks! I'm getting terrified that we won't be able to get her to the hospital on time. Because of her liver transplant we have to take her to downtown Chicago, which is about 1 hr away in no traffic. And since this is technically her second delivery (She had a stillborn baby last year) it will go a lot faster. I'm going to make a list of all the hospitals on the way and give one to my son-in-law too. I'm throwing her a baby shower in 2 wks and preparations are going well. Thank God I decided to have it at a local Country Club so there's no cleaning or cooking! That was a good decision on my part. And it's not that much more expensive.

I'm in a group on Ravelry (Reclaiming the House) that gets you inspired to be more organized. I joined the decluttering challenge and I've been busy going through all my drawers and cabinets to get rid of things I don't need. With my mom moving in and bringing her treasures my house has become very unorganized. But I'm zipping right along with the best of them.

Can you stand it? Of course the other 10 million gadgets that I never use went into an empty picnic basket for safe keeping. You never know when I'll need them.

I got 2 boxes of goodies from swaps I joined. The first one is from Deborah in the BBQ swap.

The next is from Nancy and it's for the Summer Swap.Finally, I survived the Taste of Chicago. I purposely work evenings so I don't have to deal with the millions of commuters everyday to downtown Chicago. It is usually of very relaxing time riding the train back and forth to the city. Of course, there's always Sox and Cubs commuters to deal with once in awhile (cubs fans are the worse). But every year for a week and 1/2 there is the Taste of Chicago. It's a total nightmare for commuters. It's 90% drunk college students trying to show everyone how cool they are (eyeballs rolling). The worst night of all is July 3rd when they do the big firework show. They have armed security on the train throwing people off left and right. This year someone on the train before mine apparently died of alcohol poisoning! This is what it looked like trying to get on the train at 11:30 at night.

But I survived it thanks to my knitting friend Mary who finally found me and we just sat there and knit while everyone else was throwing punches.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)

2008-07-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

This just makes me happy!

A Friendly day at the Dentist!!

2008-07-03T12:44:00.003-05:00

I went to the dentist office this morning. Nobody is more afraid of the dentist then I am. I had scaling done the last time I was there and they told me if I didn't start using my water pick I'd be in serious trouble. I have never been one to floss or water pick. It just takes too much time! I'm a busy woman. But the thought of gum surgery had me scared. So I have been water picking at least twice a week. I try for more but I'm still not real good. I went for my check up this morning and after her probing in my mouth with sharp instruments of destruction and saying into the computer "Bleeding, Bleeding, Bleeding" ( I thought I was going to have a heart attack) she announced that my gums are doing excellent!! I couldn't believe it. I guess it does pay to listen to them. Who knew.

Here's my first socks for the SOS2008. It took a little less then 2 wks to complete. I should have 5 or 6 done by the end.

And here's a wine bottle cozy I made for a swap partner. That's all the knitting I've done. I've been too busy water picking!

Rain, Rain, and more Rain.

2008-06-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

It's been very wet here. We have had a bad storm a day for a week. Yesterday was the first nice day. I think all week will be nice. I'm very upset because I was waiting and waiting for my peonies to bloom and then they bloomed during the storms. This is what I found.

They are always so beautiful and I love to put them in vases. But now I have withered peonies! Oh well, there's always next year. Here's another thing I find when I go out. Karen is obsessed with the big evergreen tree in my back yard. She knows there's bunny's in there. So everyday she pulls me over so she can stick her head under the tree.

I don't know how many are left because our cat, Princess, has been gifting them to us on our back stoop. UGH, the joys of animals.

Finally, I completed the socks I was making for my son Kyle. He's the middle child and is always complaining that we forget about him. The truth is, the other two cause me so much worry, I know I don't have to worry about him.

Mom is getting settled in and so far so good. Until next time.

Pat

2008-06-05T11:50:00.000-05:00

My baby is home with me once more. Only for 2 weeks but I'm going to enjoy him while I have him. Here he is with his girlfriend, Tiegan, at my daughters wedding.

He's in the Marines and even though he's only stationed for right now in San Diego I worry about him all the time. It's funny that way. A mothers love never stops no matter how old they get. Speaking of that my daughter, Megan, is expecting a baby boy in August. She's had a very hard life. She was born with a condition called Biliary Atresia. Basically she had no ducts in her liver. She was givin a 5% chance to live to see her first birthday. Back then they didn't have liver transplants and they knew she wouldn't survive without one. She made it 26 yrs without one and last year, Casey, came home from the Marines to give her part of his. She is now healthy and pregnant! Baby is doing fine. One of my other things I like to do is card making. So my friends and I got together and we made her invitations to a shower I am giving her next month.Didn't they turn out cute? I can't wait to be a Grandma! Oh and speaking of Grandma's, my mom is finally moving in this weekend. Here is her bathroom that we just finished. I say "we" loosely because my husband did all the work. I just supervised.I'll show you her room after we get things in there. We had to make sure everything was handicapped accessible. She's using a walker pretty much right now but I don't know how long that will last.

And finally on to knitting news. I finished my scarf for my son, Kyle's, friend. He used to be a district manager at Sephora and when the vendors would give him things he'd give them to me. I have so much make up and beauty products now. It's a girls dream come true. So I like to make him things when I can.

2008-05-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

This is a continuation from my last post. Let's hope everything works this time. I finished my Loopy Ewe May sock kit. This was my first toe up sock so I'm very proud of it. Thank you Wendy for showing me how to do it!

I promised I'd talk about Disney World also. We had a wonderful time. It was too short. We only had 4 days and 9 people. But we did go to all the parks. Unfortunatly I accidently erased all my pictures the day before we left. And I had some really cute ones of the twins too.

My mother was in all her glory. It's very hard for her to get around anymore but we had 6 adults helping her. She only went to two parks for 1/2 day each. But she was thrilled because she had all her children there and all grandchildren except for 1. My youngest who's in the Marines couldn't make it. We all stayed in a 4 bedroom condo and everyone got along really well! I'm surprised we didn't kill each other. Here's my mom on the way to the airport to go home.

It was good to see a smile on her face. It's been very hard on her since my dad died. And in closing this is what we did after we got home.Aren't they just precious. It was sooo nice to see the twins again. They are coming to visit in July and I can't wait.

Lot's of stuff

2008-05-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

First off, I've been tagged by Karen, a fellow knitter I met at the Spring Fling. So here goes. Sorry,Karen,I'm not very good on the computer.

1.What was I doing 10 years ago? I was a newlywed with 3 teenage children. Poor Tom didn't know what he was in for!So, I'm sure I was refereeing some fight.

2.What are 5 things on my to-do list today- not in any particular order? work, figure out how to post on this new blog layout, laundry, copy recipe of Beef Brisket for my son-in-law, clean kitty box

3.Snacks I enjoy. I enjoy all food!

4.Places I've lived- Illinois (how boring)

5.Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Buy a big house in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and have lots and lots of animals. The house would also have the best craft room you could imagine.

6 Peeps I want to know more about: I love hearing about everyone. Unfortunately I don't know how to forward this on.

Update:darn it all. I can't figure out anything on this new format. I'll have more when I figure it out.
2nd Update: I just found out it's not me. The sight has been having problems. THANK GOD.

A trip back to a better time

2008-05-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling nostalgic this week. First Janice (Jarlady on Ravelry) was on a forum talking about her son working at a camp in Colorado. I asked where it was, and sure enough, it was the same place we vacationed when I was young. My moms siblings would all congragate there and we would all have the best time. The place is Snow Mountain Ranch and if you're looking for a nice vacation spot for your family, this place is the best. Well, it used to be, I haven't been there in many years. Here's my mom and dad at the camp. I'm sure the picture was taken with my Brownie camera.

And this has always been one of my favorite pictures of my dad. This was taken there too.Then my mom is moving in with us June 1st and we're starting to bring her stuff over here. She found this book I had when I was young. It was my favorite book, I was sooo happy to see it again.While we're being nostalgic I also found this picture of my sister, brother, and I. I'm the baby of the family.

I'm going to be a Grandmother in August. Gee, how things change. I can only hope that my kids look back on their childhood and remember the good old days. It was hard for me because there father left when they were very young. I was a single mom for many years. But I'm sure if they search hard enough they'll have a glimpse of what I'm feeling today. Now, here's my mom when we were at Disney World just last month. She was so happy because we were all there except, Casey, my youngest who's in the Marines. My brother and his two little ones and my sister, and me and my family.

I'm not the only one around here that's nostalgic today. I cleaned under my dressers this morning and found bones from yesteryear. The dogs are in heaven.

Now, on to knitting. This is the pair of socks I made for my Spring Fling swap partner, Timmie.

They are the Conwy socks by Nancy Bush. They are made with Claudia Hand Painted in Pistachio. (I love the word Pistachio)

And her is my Swirls socks by Monica Jines that I got in my first Loopy Sock club kit. I really like the way they turned out.

In closing, I hope you can all look back at a much simpler time and say Ahhh, those were the Good Ole Days.

Aging gracefully

2008-05-02T01:29:00.001-05:00

I think I see me in this???

I know I'm loved.

2008-05-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

Today, I've been busy cleaning up after my worldly travels. Some of you don't know I actually have 2 dogs. My Elsa is a chocolate lab but she doesn't feel the need to be by me every second of the day. Karen on the other hand is such a lover and thinks I need constant attention from her. I've never had a dog like her. I love both my dogs, but Karen, she is special. She refuses to get into our bed when only Tom is in there. He has tried many times but she just won't do it. As soon as I get in bed, Karen barks at Tom to move out of the way so she can jump in and borrough by my side. If I'm sitting on the sofa she must sit right next to me. If there's not room she will bark at the person sitting next to me until they move. Well, today, I realized there is another time that she will leave my side. When this comes out.

Sorry, it's sideways. But I can't figure out how to turn it around. You get the picture. As soon as I drag this out she's hiding in the bedroom. So today I did a test. I would turn it on and she'd run away. 3 seconds after I'd turn it off she'd peek around the corner.

I did this like 10 times. I'm sure she thinks I'm nuts. But guess what, SHE STILL LOVES ME! Aren't animals wonderful? The cat on the other hand could care less.

I'm home

2008-04-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

I'm home again from all my travels. What a great time I've had. But now I need to concentrate on my neglected house. I first went to Disney World with my family. I'll post about that later. Th e most exciting trip was to St Louis. I went down for a knitter's retreat to see The Loopy Ewe. Sheri, who runs the place, always seemed like she could be too good to be true. Well, she is. She put together this fabulous weekend for around 60-70 knitters. When we got there we were greeted by Sheri and Wendy. How exciting to meet Wendy also. She's the one who got me started in this mess. I came across her blog one day and never left. They were both so nice. I've always said "I've never met a knitter I don't like" and I can say I wasn't proven wrong.

Here is Wendy just sitting around like a regular person. Amazing.

This is Janice. She's Sheri's friend and helper. We have our Diet Pepsi addiction in common. Oh, and she also has Sumo, a yellow lab.

Here are the girls sitting around pretending to knit. I don't think any of us actually knit that much. And finally the star of the show, Sheri and Loopy.

Going again

2008-04-07T11:43:00.000-05:00

I know I complain a lot that my life is boring. But lately, I've been going on many adventures. I'm getting ready now to go to Disney World. I haven't been there in years. It will be so much fun because we're going with almost my whole family. That includes my 2 5yr old neices. I think we are going to be pointing the camera's at their little faces so much they'll be glad to leave. Disney is so much more fun with little ones. Then the weekend after I get back I'm going to St Louis for The Loopy Ewe-Spring Fling. That's another thing I can't wait for. Right now my life is not boring.

I went shopping the other day with my son's girlfriend, Tiegan. She is becoming so much a part of our family. I really think of her as a daughter. Geeze, I wish she was my daughter. We had fun shopping (something my real daughter would never do with me). We picked out these for over my breakfast nook. I was originally thinking of rooster pictures but I really like these.

It's framed crosses. Here's a close up.

I think crosses are so pretty. Especially the real ornamental kind. Whoever came up with that is a genius. I'm going for kind of the Tuscany cottage look and I think this said it all.

I also finished the second sweater for the twins. I know they won't need them in Florida but maybe they can at least get one good use out of them before it gets too warm. I made them big so they can use them next winter also.

This one is for Jaye, she's a little smaller then Kaye. Well, I'm off to my mother's. See you soon.

I'm finally back

2008-03-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

My trip to Banff went off without a hitch. It was so nice to get away for awhile but it's taking me a long time to recover. There's always so much housework and other things that you need to catch up on when you come back. But I think I'm caught up. Now next month we're going to Disney World and I'll have to do it all over. Such a rough life I live.

We mainly went to Banff so my husband could ski but I did get him off the slopes for a couple of days. One of the days we went on a Gondola up to the top of a mountain to look at the scenery.

It was so beautiful. It really does take your breath away. This is the Banff Springs hotel from the Gondola. It was built in the late 1800's and the only way you could get to it was by train. Royalty and movie stars would summer there. The architecture is astounding.

While we were downtown I bought some Qiviuk. It's the soft underlining of a Musk Oxen. It's the softest yarn I ever felt. Very expensive. I bought one in black and one in burgundy. I also got some raw fiber for when I'm good at spinning. But that will have to wait awhile. I need the cheap stuff now.

Then one day we rented a car and drove a scenic hwy to Jasper. Here's my husband and his friend Steve goofing off at Lake Louise. Of couse it was frozen solid.

In Jasper I found this building. It's a city building but it's would be my dream house. I think it's so beautiful.

And finally on the days he was skiing I made this. It's for one of the twins who just turned 5. The second one is on the needles.

Where does time go?

2008-03-04T11:39:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it's almost Easter. I felt a little funny taking out my Easter decorations when it's so cold and grey. I will be gone next week on vacation. Hooray! We are going to Banff so my husband can ski and I can sit around the fire and knit. Of course, there will be shopping and going to the spa also. We always go with a group of people so I'll have plenty of company while the husband is off skiing. I can't wait to have no laundry, no dishes, no messy house. Just me and hubby in a hotel room. AHHHH.

I finished one sock that I got in a kit. I'm not happy with the yarn. But they will do on cold snowy days when I need my feet real warm.

That's little sheep on top. I thought they were cute. Well, see you soon. I'm off to pack.

I need to keep my mouth shut!

2008-02-21T17:50:00.000-06:00

Today, I took my car into the dealers to get an oil change. I hate doing it because the dealer is about 45 minutes away. But I bundled up and brought it in. I really like the dealer and the Service Dept. They have always been very good and my car is under warrenty so everything that breaks I make sure I fix. I was sitting in the waiting room knitting away while I was waiting. When they came and got me, I got in my car and noticed my parking permit (which costs $80 every 3 months) was missing. I asked where it was and they said nothing was there. I never remove that darn thing because I've gotten towed before when I forgot to put it back up. I had everyone looking around for that stupid pass. Now, you know, I didn't believe them. But after about 1/2 hr I left. To get a new pass I have to turn in the old pass and I was mentally practicing what I was going to say to the Police Dept who issues the pass. After I got home my sister-in-law calls me and asks if she can borrow my pass again tomorrow. I forgot that I told her to just come get it out of my car! I hope I didn't get the guy who worked on my car in trouble. Oh well, they probably knew I was a little off.

So here is my knitting for the week. I made this hat for Tom for our ski trip. It matches his new ski coat I got him for Christmas.

Now some sad news. We lost one of our kitties this week. She succombed to Kidney Disease. It was a total shock because she always stayed in the basement away from the dogs. I didn't see her that often and by the time I realized she was sick, it was too late. So now I'm down to 2 dogs and 1 cat. I think it's time for a new kitten. Now, I have to talk Tom into it. Here are my furry friends that I have now. This is Princess and no she's not pregnant!

This is Karen. And this is Elsa.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T13:04:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day. This, a friend of mine from work made. She's a very talented crafter and she embroidered this on her new sewing machine. I think it's just lovely.

Oh, look here. Someone has already gotten her Valentine's Day gift from me.

She's in heaven right now. All I hear if chomp, chomp, chomp.

These are my completed socks for SAM5. I'm hoping to make another pair this month but right now I'm making a ski hat for my husband. We're going to Banff skiing next month.

Now, as promised, I'm giving away some HOT HOT HOT Wollmeise. There were only 3 people who commented so you all get one!!! Email me your address and I can have them in the mail tomorrow. Thank you for reading.

Stay tuned for an important message

2008-02-06T11:13:00.001-06:00

I finally finished these socks and I'm very happy with them. They have already found a home. I'm on my next pair now. I tried the Secret of the Stole but I'm just resigning myself that I'm no good at lace. I think it's my eyesight, but I'm not sure. I just kept dropping stitches and it was a mess. So I'm back to socks. That's my favorite anyways. Maybe someday I'll try to tackle lace again.

The weather here has been very sucky. We got a foot of snow on Friday and they were calling for another foot last night. I was so relieved when I woke up this morning and no snow. But alas, it's just coming late. This is what it looked like last weekend.

Now on to more important stuff. I, like many of you out there have fallen under the spell of Wollmeise. In my quest to get some, I got a little excited and accidently ordered 2 of the same kind. Now, I'm a share the wealth kind of girl, so I decided I would randomly choose a person who posts a comment on this. I just started my blog in August and don't have many readers so your chances are good. I will pick someone on Feb 14th, otherwise known as Valentines day. Good luck.

One New Years Resolution done

2008-01-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

I did it! I finally made a New Years Resolution I kept! Today I had my first spinning lesson. The place I took it at is way out in the country and she has her own sheep out back. Todays lesson I learned how to card the wool and use a drop spindle. It's not coming very easy to me yet but she says I'm doing fine.This is how the wool starts. Then using these you card it. (Just like brushing)And then it looks like this.After you get a lot of that done you get your spindle and twist. Here's my spindle. I think it's beautiful. Here's my yarn but don't laugh. I have to keep practicing.I also bought a book because I was scared I was going to forget what I had learned. That happens a lot nowadays.

Next I would like to thank Shirley in Vancouver for my swap gift. This was my first swap and I'm already addicted to them. It was great fun. I love love love my socks. You did it perfect. She also put in some tea, lotion (which I really love the smell of), some point protectors, and some cards from Vancouver. Thank you so much. And last but not least here's my son-in-law in his new scarf. He says he loves it.

One done

2008-01-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

I haven't been posting lately because it just seemed like I was getting nowhere on any projects. Yesterday I finally finished my son-in-laws scarf.Notice the small tassles. I came dangerously close to running out of yarn. I hate when that happens! So today and tomorrow I am going to finish my socks I've been working on for my Sock a Month club. And then I have to start the Secret of the Stole II. Everyone else is done with clue 1 and I haven't even started. On a positive note, I have been telling you guys about my old house and how much work it is. There are advantages to having an old house. Here you see a yucky old radiator.It's not much to look at. But on really cold days like we've been having it turns into one of my greatest pleasures.Yes, my very own towel warmer! There's nothing so nice and comfy when you step out of a hot shower to wrap yourself in a toasty warm towel. AHHHHH.Last but certainly not least here's my Karen looking at me saying "Why are you running around like a mad woman" Oh to have her life!

What was I thinking!

2008-01-10T10:55:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I'm the only one out there that does this. I have a tendency of overdoing things. Then it takes me forever to organize my life. I have now joined about a dozen KAL's and or Swaps. I have no idea how I'm going to keep up with all of this. I'm new to the blog world so I got a little excited when I saw how many crazy knitters there are out there. No one in my world understands my knitting needs. Everyone in blogland does! Then I learned about Ravelry. OH BOY. Now I can't keep off of it. There's millions of us! So on Ravelry comes the swaps and KAL's. I can't say no. Now I'm up to my neck in knitting and I'm so happy. But nothing else is getting done around my house. Today's project is clearing out all the magazines I collected over the holidays. YIKES. It's like I think I'm somehow going to magically find the time to read all this stuff and then I'll make everything. Now look at one months worth of magazines.Can you believe I thought I could handle all this and the stress of the holiday? Oh, and here's just one magazine. Notice all the sticky notes. I thought I could just whip up all these recipes in my spare time. HA. And this is just one. Well, needless to say I failed. I did make a few and found some good recipes. Now I have to decide if I need to throw this away or keep. Geez. Being an adult is hard work! I should listen to my husband when he says "Simplify". But now I'm off to check Ravelry and see if there's any new patterns I must do.

Doing my civic duty

2008-01-07T13:54:00.000-06:00

Today I had jury duty. Immediately when you hear that you say "yuck", but don't. It was absolutely wonderful. Yes, I did have to wake up early. I usually sleep in late. But when I get there they had coffee and donuts waiting for everyone. Then I had 3 1/2 hrs of uninterrupted knitting. No laundry, no dogs to take out, no dishes. They called my name and told me I could go home after I pick up my lunch in the cafeteria. WOO HOO. I'm done. Since I had to go in I don't have to go to work. I am one of the lucky ones who gets paid from work, and I get to keep my $10 the court pays me. I win all around. They can call me up for jury duty any time. I have had a busy week, my daughter turned 27. I can't believe it. So we took everyone out for Mexican and then came back here for birthday cake. It was a lot of fun. I'm back at work after having the holidays off. Now that you can say "yuck" to. And we're still busy trying to get my mom's room ready. Here's what's new in my knitting world.This is where I am on my son-in-laws scarf. Today it's 60 degrees here. I don't think he'd need it today. I started these Uptown Boot Socks from Favorite knits. I started in the SAM5 this month so I figured I better get started. Since a lot of people have already finished theirs. And finally this is the rear end of my car.Any guesses as to what it stands for?

Wearing no makeup

2007-12-30T13:14:00.000-06:00

This is my New Years Resolution. It started when I received several of those Christmas letters that people send saying how wonderful their last year was. I'm no dummy. I could come up with several things to make my life seem idyllic, but it's not. Then I realized I post pictures that makes it look like I have my life together. I don't. I do try, but sometimes it gets messy. So, my resolution is to not post things that are perfect. Rather post what my life is really like. My house is a work in progress. We bought this 1927 Bungalow 10 yrs ago. We have made several improvements, but lots more are needed. Here's a tour of the less desirable areas.

This is my front porch. We took out the old carpet and took the paint off the walls 2 years ago. We haven't been out there since. And here's my blinds on the front porch. Feel free to enlarge picture so you can get the full effect of the dirt and grime on them. I could wash these things once a month and they'd still look like this. So, since we're not using the room, I've just let them continue their collection.

This is the spare room that we are working on. This will be my mothers room, hopefully soon. You can see my husband working. I'm taking the picture and blogging. Hah, who's got the better job?

Here's my bathroom. The wallpaper was falling down after being up only 2 yrs. I took it down thinking I would just paint. My husband, who is a perfectionist, said to wait until we can do it right. That was at least 5 yrs ago. I should have just put some paint up.

Here's the ceiling on my bathroom. Lovely, isn't it?

Oh, and here's one thing that I complain about all the time. See that dog hair? I didn't have to look far for that sample. It's all over my house. But, to be honest, I wouldn't want to live without it. It means I have happy healthy animals around me. I don't think I could ever be without them.

Finally, here's my progress on my son-in-law's scarf.

I hope you all have a very Happy New Year. Know that life is not perfect, you are normal. It's the journey that matters.

2007-12-27T11:45:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know, I did. I finished my sisters Flared lace smoke ring. Here it is after it was finished.And here it is after she opened it and tried it on.It went together very fast after I figured out to put markers at all repeats. But before that I was having a tough time. Now for some fun stuff. I got several knitting books that I asked for.

And here's one that I didn't ask for, but I absolutely love. My youngest son is in the Marines and my son-in-law found this on Ebay and thought I would like it. I love it!
If I were to make this for Casey, he would kill me. Isn't it funny how times change? This is my next project for my son-in-law.

And to end, since I have no Grandchildren, this is a picture of my grandpuppies at my house on Christmas. Aren't they cute?

December 21st, 2007

2007-12-21T12:21:00.000-06:00

OK, I have been looking everyday at the blogs I read and I've noticed something. Nobody blogs regularly in December. Could it be we're all too busy? Everyday I'm disappointed by the lack of blogging. But then I realized, I haven't been blogging either! I guess I'm too busy too. I'm fervently working on a lace neck warmer for my sister.I did not send out Christmas cards, I barely decorated, but I did however bake! Oh well. Today is my last day at work until the New Year. Next week my LYS has their annual sale as well as the local stamping store. So I'll be busy waiting in line!

I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year. So we can buy lots of yarn!

December 10, 2007

2007-12-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

I'm done with Christmas shopping and have almost everything wrapped. I still need to do some baking, but I've got pretty much everything in order. Usually, I decorate, A LOT, but with the construction going on in my house it's useless. I have to dust everyday and I'm not going to put all those little knick knacks out so I can dust them. So I'm just going with a tree and that's it. It really makes the holiday much more enjoyable.

I finished my first swap knitting. Now I've joined another swap! It's fun to make something for someone else. Here's the socks, finished.And look how much yarn I have left. I use Dream In Color Smooshy, and I've got to say they give you a lot of yarn.Here's my next project. Let me just say first, it's not for me. It's for my nephew who's 11 yrs old. He's going to Colorado skiing for Christmas and wanted a funny hat. So I'm making him the mohawk hat. I just started last night and I'm almost done. It uses Lamb's Pride bulky and knits up really fast.

Rain and Snow

2007-12-03T10:16:00.000-06:00

I had to work this past weekend and the weather was terrible. I usually take the train into Chicago but on weekends the train schedule is very limited. So I drive on weekends. On Saturday, what is usually a 1 hr drive turned into a 2 1/2 hr drive. Then when the weather is bad I'm very busy at work. So I got no knitting at all done this weekend. I did finish one of the bed socks I'm making for my swap.

Who needs Christmas lights?

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas! I thought this was too funny. I sure hope their house is bigger then the car

We Invaded and Left

2007-11-26T09:27:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful. But my poor brother and sister-in-law had us invade their house and leave. They are so wonderful. Packing the car was a small feat. We had four adults in my Saab 95, which is a small sedan and all our luggage and a HUGE wheelchair. But we packed it all in and off to Cincinnati we went. It was very relaxing for us, and although we were very welcome there, I think they were glad when we left. In knitting news I brought my knitting and tore it apart several times, so I didn't make any progress. But I'm back on track now.

TA DA. Here's my precious nieces. They are the love of my life (besides my own kids). I present to you Miss Jacqueline Rose and Miss Katherine Sarah. Otherwise known as Jaye and Kaye.

They took to sharing their bathroom very well. But poor Jaye got the flu. They had their flu shot the day we got there and she had a bad reaction to it. Either that or it was all the candy Uncle Tom brought with him. Her she is laying down not feeling well.Then after dinner I caught my brother hiding from all of us in his office.But we all survived and are closer for it. In April we all plan on going to Disney World. Two of my kids, my sister, my mother and I are meeting my brothers family for a week of watching these two little girls be the Princesses that they are. I can't wait!

I'm leaving again

2007-11-20T12:21:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems like I just got home and I'm off and running again. This time I'm going to Ohio to my brothers for Thanksgiving. He has 4 yr old twin girls and we never miss a chance to go see them. He was 50 yrs old when he had them and they're his 1st children. I'm still hoping for more, but I doubt it. It's fun having little ones again. So we're packing up the car and taking my mom and my aunt with us. (That should be fun). This is the first Thanksgiving without my dad and I hope I'm not crying the whole time. I think he'll be there with us.

So on to knitting. I finished my Chevron scarf and I still like it.

I started my first knitters swap and I'm making these for my secret pal.

But, I'm sure going to miss this mug. She just got over us leaving last time.

I'm back!!

2007-11-14T10:29:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful time in Cancun. We did get Montazuma's Revenge, my poor husband had it coming home. But the weather was lovely and the wedding was perfect. They had the reception on the beach. Here's the view from our room. But then they weren't going to let me back into the USA because I had accidently thrown away my re-entry form. OOPS. Well, I had to run around and cry hysterically, before they finally had enough of me and let me get on without it.

Then we got home to this

This is my mother's room in progress. As you can see we are loosing lots of space so she can have a handicapped bathroom. I hope her stuff fits. We're shooting to get her in by Christmas but I'm not sure we'll make it. AHH, life goes on. Meanwhile back to knitting I did make some progress on my Chevron scarf and I do still like it. Here's the picture.

This is my son, Casey's, girlfriend modeling. I figured nothing would look bad on her. Casey, by the way, is leaving for San Diego on Friday to go back to the Marines. He's been home for 3 months because he gave my daughter, Megan, 60% of his liver. Now he has to go back and I don't want to see him go. I'll be blubbering then too. Good thing Mexico didn't keep me.

November 5, 2007

2007-11-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

I haven't been blogging because I think blogs are boring without pictures. So, here are my pictures from last years ski trip to Austria. I know you're asking yourself, what does this have to do with knitting. Well, I'll tell you, my husband is the skier and I sit around and knit. I don't have a camera right now so I can't take any new pictures. I checked the USPS website and it's due to be delivered 11/8. But guess what. We leave for Cancun early in the morning on 11/8. So it looks like I'll be pictureless in Cancun. I'll have to buy one of those disposables. My knitting has been really sucky lately. Everything I make either doesn't fit, I don't like it, or something else. I have finally started my Chevron scarf and so far, knock on wood, I love it. I doubt I'll be doing much knitting in Cancun because we only are there for 4 days. But when I get back I'll be HOPEFULLY able to post some pictures.

October 23, 2007

2007-10-23T10:42:00.000-05:00

We've had a busy week. My daughter got married! Yeah! She had a beautiful wedding and I'd like to show everyone, but my camera broke! I'm so upset. So the day after the wedding I ordered another camera and it's on back order. It said for 2-3 wks and I leave for Cancun in 2 1/2 wks. I can only hope it's here by then. I also just got my invitation to Ravelry. I would like to get the organized, but alas, I have no camera. It's like electricity, you take it for granted until you're without it. My sister sent me this one and only picture I have of her in her wedding dress.

October 14,2007

2007-10-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

"mine"
"his"

I've been very busy today. We are going through my mothers house because she will be moving in with us and little by little getting things out of there. She had a perfect bookcase for my yarn and I cleaned it out and put it in my craft room. Then I put all my yarn in it. It almost didn't fit. But that won't stop me from buying more. So here's my picture of the bookcase. My craft room is only about 6'x6'. It's a small old coal room in my house. Now the other picture is my husbands craft room! Look who rates around here. Also, my baby, Karen, has been chasing a fly around the house for the last 2 days and she's doing ballerina move, jumping in the air, and so far she hasn't gotten it.

October 8, 2007

2007-10-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

I finished my socks! Thank God. I was afraid I wouldn't get them done until after the wedding. But we had a real slow weekend at work so I snuck a stitch in here and there. I usually work evenings from 3:30-11:30 but I have a class to go to for work this week and it's from 8-5. I'm not a day person! It's pure torture for me to get up and go to work in the morning. I really like putzing around in the AM.

October 5,2007

2007-10-05T12:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to the dentist and they have a new procedure that they take your blood pressure. Well, guess what, I have high blood pressure! They made me go right to the Dr's and after 1/2 hr of crying they put me on medicine. Then I have to go back in 3 wks to check it again. They have to check my cholesterol at the same time. That will be a treat. Anyway, I stayed home from work because I was frantic and I finished my sock for my sons friend, Charles. I really like it. I took a picture of it against my table and it looked really bad. So, I grabbed my sons dirty shirt from the floor and took it against a white background, Much better.

October 1, 2007

2007-10-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

Well, the great fall weekend is over. Yesterday was apple picking day and it was great. We took our 2 nieces and always have fun when they're with us. We usually go with a lot of people but this year there was only 11 people. But we still had a great time. I can't wait until next year already.

September 29,2007

2007-09-29T18:26:00.000-05:00

What a fun day I had. This whole weekend is full of fun things. I love the fall!!! Today my friend, Alicia, and I took a road trip to Madison, Wisconsin to the farmers market. It's about a 2 hr drive but well worth it. It is so much fun, and the weather was just perfect. It's the best farmers market around here. The best I've ever been to is Pike's Place in Seattle. But since I can't afford to fly half way around the country, this is the next best thing.

I also gave up on the mittens. The next one look a lot different then the first. Go figure, same pattern. And I'm on a deadline to get some socks finished for a gift. My daughter is getting married on the 19th of October and one of my sons friends will be there and I want to give him a pair of homemade socks.

September 23, 2007

2007-09-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished at least one of my mittens. I had the flu Fri night and laid around and knit all day Saturday. I also had to take it apart after my last post. It was too tight. So I used bigger needles and finished it. I really like knitting with two hands. After you get used to it, it goes really fast.

September 19,2007

2007-09-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

It has been so hot here, it's awful. We had a little taste of Autumn and poof it was gone. I hope that doesn't mean we'll go right into winter. I hate that! I haven't made much progress on my mittens. They seem too tight. I usually knit very loose, but I'm getting used to the two handed knitting, so I might be knitting tighter because of that. If it's too tight I'll have to take it out and start again. BUMMER.

September 13, 2007

2007-09-13T14:57:00.000-05:00

I have had the last 2 days off of work and haven't done a lick of knitting. I got a new book and I have been devouring it. It's the new Pattie Boyd autobiography and I've always had a little bit of groupie in me. So it's my kind of book. Also, it's my youngest childs 21st birthday. He can't drink because he gave part of his liver to his sister not even 1 month ago. Poor thing. So what does he do with his birthday balloons?

September 11,2007

2007-09-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it's Sept and it's going into fall! And I love it!! I hate the summer (too hot to knit anything but socks). And fall is my favorite season. I've had a rough year so far. My daughter had a stillborn baby in April, my father died in July, and my son gave my daughter part of his liver in Aug. But now things are looking up and we are starting a fresh new season. I went in Aug to Stitches and took a Fair Isle knitting class (given by Candice Eisner-Strick). So in order to not forget what I have learned I am starting my mittens. They are taking a long time because I have to keep ripping out. I'll be posting my progress.

This is my son who is recouping from surgery on my couch! He says his bed is too uncomfortable. By the way you might have seen him on Fox News. They did a story on my son and daughter because he's in the Marines and came home to save his sister! What a hero!!

2007-09-04T11:53:00.000-05:00

This is a baby blanket I've been working on for a shower I'm going to on Sunday. I don't know how to crochet so I just knitted an edge which I'm not too happy with but it will do.

September 4, 1007

2007-09-04T11:39:00.000-05:00

2007-08-30T10:51:00.000-05:00

August 30th, 2007

2007-08-30T10:14:00.000-05:00

OK still trying to start my blog. This has not been easy. I'm not very computer savvy. Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm a 47 yr old mother of 3 children, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. I live with my husband and animals just outside Chicago. And I love to knit!!! So I decided to start blogging about my knitting and everything else in my life. The pictures are of a hat I just did for a baby shower.