Copycat

Remember in an earlier post I wrote that our eldest daughter requested a look-a-like shawl for her honeymoon? Well thanks to Chan I now have the required amount of yarn in the perfect color.

Her bridal shower is July 30th and I plan to have this finished by then.

This pattern had a chevron design but I opted to forego the main body pattern in lieu of a larger shawl with a full ruffle. The larger shawl ruffle will result in a zillion or so stitches (by my estimate ;). Another reason to skip the chevron pattern. I want to do the ruffle in k1p1 instead of st st which would cause it to curl.

And if anyone knows me they know how much I dislike k1p1. I'll keep you posted on the progress. So far so good. I hear the heat and humidity are returning so the air conditioner will be cranked so I can knit away.

Celebration

Our weekend plans were disrupted but we still celebrated Vetgirl's birthday on Sunday.
She requested cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. So Betty and I baked yellow butter cupcakes. Homemade peanut buttercream frosting topped the cupcakes with a Nutter Butter cookie as a final touch.









The pictures switched on blogger so this post is a bit backwards. The festivities began with a family picnic and my much requested Italian Pasta salad. This is a mainstay at our picnics.








These two felines sat perched by the antique table. Their food dish is on the table due to a certain...ahem...140lb dog who thinks their dinner is his snack.
We watched this pair as they stared at the table as if they were debating who was going jump first. Ms. Aurora (the white cat) is t-r-o-u-b-l-e and as soon as Phoebe decided she wanted to jump on the table Ms Aurora jumped in front of her knocking her to the floor. Of course if you know anything about a cat you know what they do when that happens, shake it off and walk away as if she intended to get knocked down. Silly cats.

What's your most requested dish for a picnic or dinner?

Oh Happy Day....

See this couple? It's the hubby and me. This pic was taken a lo-o-ong time ago at a family event. On this day, 27 yrs ago at 4 pm, we were married. I can't believe it's been that long. Like most married couples, we've had our ups and our downs. My sister sent a text this morning with happy wishes, informing that she thought we were carrying the vows '...in sickness'....for poorer' just a wee bit too far. Leave it to my sis to make me chuckle :).

But wait....there's more....




See the kid on the right? That's our eldest daughter and this pic was taken a long time ago too. On this very day 25 yrs ago at 5:52 am, our eldest daughter was born.
She is as fluent in sarcasm as her dear mother and father ;) and she makes me laugh on a daily basis.






This pic is of her and her pal, Robbie. Horse shows were her life for quite a few years. A lot of hard work but many wonderful memories.











Like most sisters, she and her sister can 'scrap' with the best of 'em. The difference is, 20 minutes later they're laughing over something silly and making plans to 'hang-out'.
I'm not certain if she's hugging her little sister here or trying to squeeze her to death.

Happy Birthday kiddo! We Love You in spite of you taking OUR anniversary date for YOUR birthday ;)!

Happy Dad's Day

This is my dad and me on my Christening Day. I was a mere 6 months old and as you can tell my dad was young, a mere 19 yrs old. I hear times were tough but I never knew that as a kid. My dad was the one who taught us how to play tag, hide 'n seek and baseball, ride a bike, chase lightin' bugs, shoot a gun and churn good ole' fashion ice cream. I have wonderful memories of the good ole' days.
Love ya, Dad.










So many male role models are a factor in a child's life and my father-in-law was one of them. He's gone now, passing quietly and unexpectedly after surgery a few years ago. When I met my husband this little guy on the right was 2 yrs old and my father-in-law stepped up to the plate and took the role of grandfather and he did an awesome job. He had a twinkle in his eye and a quiet sense of humor. He was a good Christian man and we miss him dearly.

The guy on the left is the DH. He took on the daunting task of raising our 4 kids. Living in the Appalachians means jobs are scarce and it's a tough life. Great place to raise kids but good jobs are hard to find. This guy sometimes worked 16-18 hour days, 7 days a week to sustain us to give the kids opportunities they may otherwise not have had. Times were tough but we did it.

He taught them to fish, took them to car races, attended as many events as he could; band performances, horse shows, dance recitals and he was a boy scout leader which entailed camping trips in all kinds of weather. I appreciate everything he has done for this family.

Happy Father's Day to all those who stepped up to the plate to do their best to be good role models for their children.

The Queen of Hearts

In spite of everything you have not seen on this blog I have actually been busy.
Another baby set. This time the timeline was a few months so I took my time and enjoyed the knit.
I'm calling this set, The Queen of Hearts.









It's made from Berrocco Comfort Worsted. This is my baby go-to yarn. It does have a tendency to split if one is not careful but I like the finished product, it's soft and comfy.











A Tomato (or is it an Apple) hat for another little gift. This is Caron Simply Soft. The pattern is quick and made in a few hours. Perfect gift for a quick deadline.










Last but not least our eldest daughter will be getting married. She saw this shawl and decided she wanted one for her honeymoon. Say what??? When I suggested a shawl a few months ago to go with her gown she scoffed it. She saw this and made an immediate request. Again, say what??? Chan was quick to point out that mom can't possibly be as trendy as the Duchess.
So Chan and I are going to begin a rather loose based KAL to knit this shawl. The pattern we want won't be out until the last week of June. I have a deadline which is the DD's bridal shower the end of July. Here's hoping for cool weather and fast knitting ;).

More Squeals

Recently I've become interested in baking cakes/cupcakes and dabbling in a little decorating. Nothing fancy just playing with frosting. Made a mistake by putting sprinkles on it and they ran to the sides. Won't do that one again.
I used the Betty Crocker butter recipe mix. It's my new go-to-quick mix if I don't have time to make it from scratch. The frosting is a very tasty buttercream. Yum!






Another day for Chem DD to stalk the UPS driver. He arrived late and dropped of this very large package while she was at work. She has been saving for a while now and finally broke the piggy bank to get something special.










A guitar. This kid and her oldest brother love music and have a talent to pick up most instruments and begin playing. She had years of lessons with her flute so I'm certain that helped to enhance her instrument ability.

Music fills our home :).

Squeals of Delight

The girls placed an order for clothing. They stalked the tracking order page for days and when it said it would be delivered by the end of the day I thought they were going to go look for the UPS driver.
They had a deal that both must be present to open it. There were screeches and much excitement (you would've thought it was Christmas) when the UPS driver dropped off the package.





These two crack me up.













Mr. Bettis truly believes he's the size and weight of Miss Gypsy. Excuse me? The big oaf weighs in at 140 which is a far cry from 8 lbs. Regardless he climbs on the couch and proceeds to make every attempt to sit on a human's lap. Only his head and one paw fit. Silly dog.








I am a firm believe that a dog has an agenda in their every action. As in, Miss Gypsy's cuteness gets a t-r-e-a-t every time. Yes we must spell it.

Mr. Bettis has an uncanny knack 'kicking' one out of their seat so he can have it. He also paces the floor and whines every single morning until someone, anyone drags his huge bed to the living room.
Mr. Bettis has the personality of a 6 yr old little boy with ADHD if that gives you any clue to his personality. He knows all of two tricks now: SIT and give me a kiss. The girls taught him the last trick. Not too certain how many people are going to ask for a big ole tongue kiss from this oaf but he finally knows another trick.

p.s. By the way, I do not count chewing the cat's food dish to smithereens a trick.