Ships ahoy

An entire day spent with family catching up on events. Tears and laughter ensued and a cherished heart to heart talk with our niece. Family dynamics are complicated no matter whose family (p.s. there is no perfect family). The women in my family are strong individuals (of that everyone can agree...lol). I am so proud of the young women in our little family group. They are strong, sometimes outspoken, (wonder where they got that gene? ;) ), independent and smart. 

In the end (as quoted by niece) no matter what, we are family..

We enjoyed pictures of my sister and her husband's 30th wedding anniversary cruise and there's a pledge for the entire family to embark on a cruise together (perhaps we should rewind those 25 yr old Disney vacation videos first...lol). A Disney cruise was the decided choice. I didn't know there are areas where children are not permitted so adults can enjoy it without children. I love kids but I must admit time away is good too (we did our stint ;) ) Sign me up!

Life....spending cherished time with family

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

An emergency phone call required us to drop and run leaving Mr. Bettis on his own which would normally lead to disaster. 

However, Miss Sissy would be proud to know he behaved this time. I'm sure the next time will be different but I'll take the occasional good behavior for now.  Don't be deceived into thinking he destroyed something of his, this is not his toy. It belongs to Miss Molly *sigh* He never destroys stuff that belongs to him or his owner, it's always mine or the girls'.

                       This is how he relaxes, on my couch as if it was purchased solely for him. I cannot stress enough the size of his feet when he comes inside after a romp in the muddy yard. In spite of it all, Mr. Bettis is a constant source of 'entertainment' if one chooses to call it as such.

Life...our pets remind us ever so gently with a touch of a paw, that Life goes on

On task

Gee I wish I could stay on task for just one knitted project...lol. The little Peter Rabbit buttons are no longer available and I have 2 remaining. A little blue sweater was made for our first born grandson's baptism by request of his mom and I used 2 of them on his sweater and now the last 2 are begging to be used. Digging in stash I found this yarn and I'm thinking a classic cable sweater (as the first one) is in order.

I've been contemplating Life a lot since bowing out of social media for Lent. The time is approaching to consider whether or not to return. I'm making a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
Some of the friends
Jokes
Puns
Sarcasm
Politics

Cons
Some of the friends ;)
DRAMA. And that is the biggest reason to not return. Amazes me to see adults resort to teenage behavior (blocking, cryptic messages, ignore, like/dislike etc). SMH...I literally laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks the last time I found out thru the grapevine that I was blocked. Immaturity at it's finest and if I wanted to deal with immature behavior I'd sign up as a volunteer at the local middle school....no thanks :D

I do enjoy pinterest and of course ravelry as well as many other knitting sites...you know? Those where one can add scrumptious yarn to carts. I've also enjoyed blogging again and of course opening my email account to a new email from friends brings a smile. A lot of projects around here have been taken to task since I've been off the social drama site and that alone is a reason to stay away.

There are many things happening here in the mountains. Some I can share and some must remain quiet (not my news to share). In the meantime, I knit....

Life...realizing that reading what one had for dinner every night is not newsworthy ;)

Yesterday....

Yesterday I mentioned a celebration but refrained from saying who was celebrating what until now...it was the hubby's birthday. He shares his birthday with our brother-in-law and it's been a 2 for 1 birthday deal for 30+ yrs. His favorite cake is German Chocolate with lots of frosting. 

He is a man who has the faith of a mustard seed.
One who is and has been a hard working guy who literally broke his back to provide for our family.
A laid back redneck kinda guy who says very little, has a great sense of humor and who stands up for what he believes is right and fair. Most know not to back him into a corner and to those who haven't learned that little fact? woe be to them....lol
One of his infamous quotes "Have no expectations and you won't be disappointed"

Yesterday was a mixed bag of Life stuff that I choose to not make public so it was important to see to it that he had a good day.
Birthdays are meant to be celebrated by the young and the old (did I say old? lol). Recent events have  reminded hubby and me that Life is much too short and so for that, we celebrate every day as a gift.
 He deserved a great birthday celebration, a few family members and many friends managed to make it a memorable one and for that he is truly blessed. Happy Birthday!

Life....realizing one can do nothing about yesterday let alone today, so celebrate!

The Finer Things

 I have had my eye and needles on this sweater for quite sometime. Dug around in the stash and came up with a perfect 'jean' color combination. Size 3 needles and sock fingering weight should keep my fingers busy for quite a while as if I don't have enough to knit according to Miss OChemDaughter who has made every attempt to organize my Christmas gift knitting. HA!

ssshhhhh....Today is a special day and a nice glass of chocolate wine would be nice to celebrate. I've never had chocolate wine but it certainly sounds good along with some large sweet strawberries :D.

Life....it's about the finer things like fine wine, chocolate and wool

It's the simple things

Finally finished this little sweater set. Made from Berroco Weekend DK, a nice cotton blend. I fell in love with the name of the yarn color, Clothesline (yeah, doesn't take much for me...lol). The yarn is a bit splitty but love how it knit and it's easy care. Now comes the hard part, buttons. Thought I had 3 red buttons (that's what I get for not checking in the first place) sadly I have 2 and I made 3 buttonholes so it could button over the chest of baby. I have a huge plastic container full of buttons with very few red ones.

Now you may think it's easy to find nice red buttons but we live in a rural area with a very tiny fabric store and walmart. Could not find red buttons that are suitable. Looks like a trip out of town is on the schedule ;)

                       I had enough yarn left to make a matching hat. I'm lovin' the colors of this set.

As a friend said, looks like March's idea of going out like a lamb means white, fluffy, soft snow. It's not much but it's slick on the mountains(according to the hubby).

Life....it's about the simple things, like red buttons and the color name of a yarn ;)

Bad (w)rap

One of the many things I enjoy knitting is a shawl. Oh yes, I've heard the mumblings of 'oh that's something  grannies wear' or some such fiddle faddle. I love knitting/crocheting lace (ok, what don't I like to knit? lol) Truth be known the knitting craze has taken shawls to another level. 

They're used as a stylish and colorful accessory.

....and as wedding accessories (I dyed yarn for someone who is knitting shawls for her daughter's entire wedding party as well as herself and the MIL-to-be) I knitted a shawl for my daughter's wedding and one for her honeymoon at the beach and a few friends knitted shawls for her college age sister and me. Lovely handknits to be worn and cherished.

 They're also worn as a nice stylish neck/shoulder wrap accessory.

I'll admit watching a thin yarn turn into a lacy heirloom makes me swoon and think back to the day of ancestors knitting with handspun yarn and needles. I happen to like the past better than the future (the future worries me) and to knit as our ancestors did takes me back in time a bit. Did they hum tunes while knitting? Did they pray? I'm sure they worried of the future just as we do. (yes, I love history and watch every historical fact/fiction program/show/movie that I can.)

The 'shawl' has received a bad (w)rap for too long and it's time to step out of the box and give it a stylish second chance.
The shawl: A garment used for the young and the old for warmth, style and sheer beauty and so I shall dig in my stash and cast on for another lightweight beauty.

Life...it's too short to live inside a cramped box

Monday, monday

It's a Monday, full of sunshine and the calm before the storm as we're expecting another snowstorm tomorrow with single digit wind chills. I love winter but I must admit after Saturday's warm-up it's time for winter to go into hibernation. At the same time there is no place in my life for whining or meltdowns so I will put on the wool sweater/socks and grab a cup of tea and enjoy the beauty of the flakes.

Also in the grab bag will be this project. I'm smitten with mittens this year and fair isle is my absolute favorite knitting technique.

 A not-so-quick trip to Nordic yarn resulted in stash enhancement for more mittens. Love love love this yarn base. More mittens just begging to be cast on.

Life.....it's too short to not knit what one enjoys :D

All Aboard

The train came clickety clack down the track all too soon and she was on her way. 

It was a fun and exciting visit full of laughter and love with plenty of pictures for memories.

She made it very clear to her local friends they would not see or hear from here on this trip. It was a family trip for the nephew she had not met yet and all the grandparents. Her friends completely understood. Their only request was lots and lots of pictures and she definitely fulfilled that request.

We miss her already but there are a few more trips on the year's calendar so we're gearing up for the next round (which will include a mini family reunion :D)

Life....I'm grabbing every moment.

This is Love

The secret trip was a huge success. The girls wanted a family photo shoot and so there was an impromtu photo session. Both girls have great cameras for cherished pictures. 

Love at first sight.......

                                                    Auntie and her youngest nephew.

                                              The new parents and their precious little one.

                                                              Mom having some fun.

A someday wish is to have a complete photo shoot with all of the family but as most of you know it is complicated and difficult to manage a large family for one big photo session so in the meantime? This grandmother will grab what is given and enjoy every single cherished moment.
Life.....this is what it's all about :D

Our Beloved Pumpkin

Our beloved Pumpkin crossed the Rainbow Bridge today at approximately 1:02 pm. She was 1 month shy of turning 19 yrs old. Her brother Samson proceeded her crossing  in 1997 and she is survived by her mother, our dear Calico who is 20 yrs old . All of our cats are indoor cats and quite pampered. 

 Unlike her mother and brother, Pumpkin was not as social and balked at an early age to being held and petted (known to nip a hand after a few pet strokes). She learned from her mother to earn her keep and was an excellent mouser. She never accepted Mr. Bettis's arrival which led to quite a few cat/dog skirmishes (*sigh*). Admittedly Mr. Bettis was a bit overzealous in trying to win her over.

We will miss her winding around our legs and her very loud meow. We love you "Pummy" and we'll never forget you. Run Free Pummy, Run Free!

Another surprise visit

Chem-girl always manages to find some time no matter how short her trip to visit with her grandparents and her great-grandmother. 

We surprised my grandmother with her great-granddaughters and her youngest great-great grandson. She was thrilled. 

She fills her closet door and bulletin board with pictures of the family and I was fortunate enough to provide her with new pictures of all 3 great-grandsons. She promptly grabbed the tape and put them on her closet door so she could see them. 

It's bittersweet sometimes to watch as she struggles with the names of those who no longer visit. I gently remind her of their names as she stares at old pictures and tries to remember. We do our best to gloss over those moments and focus on the good and fun times. My grandmother is very witty and her sarcasm/humor is amazing. She tells it like it is and thru the years we have learned to not be offended and and have a good chuckle instead.
Once again, Life....this is what it's all about :D

Tell me a secret ;)

Last Christmas the youngest daughter swore us to a secret. For the past year I have been working on keeping mum about a lot of stuff. There's so much I no longer tell or share. I have learned to like it that way, so keeping this secret was easy peasy :D

She planned a trip back home to see her soon-to-be new nephew. Today was the day. We planned the pick up at the local train station (a 15 hour trip for her) to surprise her sister and brother-in-law. Her sister and I travel together for all errands and to keep her home this morning was not an easy task but we did it. Add in a few times of the hubby almost 'slipping the tongue' and it's been memorable....lol. 

We were not to tell anyone in the event there was the possiblity of a slip up on social media. Just another reason to be thankful I'm not on social media right now. Lessened the possibility. 

 She hid in the living room and I called her sister upstairs under a false pretense and boy was she surprised. Brought me to tears to see her so happy.

 Auntie meeting her nephew for the very first time. It will be a whirlwind trip but we will enjoy every single moment.

Life....it just doesn't get any better than this :D

I hear that train a comin'

Sometimes there's a song that you just can't get out of your head and sometimes there's a song that reminds you of loved ones having fun by singing it over and over and sometimes there's a song that the lyrics mean more than just words. Today, this is that song....

Early bird...

The early bird gets the worm so the saying goes and so for reasons I won't mention I've been up since 4 am. So a pair of mittens and booties were given the final touches and finished :D. I've made these mittens before and forgot just how much I enjoyed the pattern. They will be shipped to the recepient this week

 Another pair of those great booties I mentioned in previous posts. Made from a lycra stretch yarn that I dyed eons ago made these perfect for baby's growing feet. A request for a pair in purple will be next on the needles.

Snow is still on the ground and we saw our first Robins yesterday. Not too certain this was the Robin's snow (as it's called in this neck of the woods) but they're certainly a sign of spring right around the corner. Hubby and I have a lot going on for the upcoming year. Traveling with friends, well deserved vacations this spring/ summer and major house renovation. I'm exhausted just thinking about it...lol.
I'm hoping to do some scrapping and more knitting this week. I'm way behind on the Christmas gift knitting (daughter put me on a schedule....eyeroll here).

Monster March

Top o' the morning, March has roared into this area like a monster and today is indicative of that roar. Six plus inches of snow and it's still snowing. I love winter :D

One of the monster hats that found it's way into my crochet basket. I'm not a fan of the monster theme but the kids and moms seem to like them....so be it :D

 The youngest grandbaby's parents decided to cut the disposable diaper bill by switching to cloth diapers. I did that stint with the my eldest son (way back when) and when this grandbaby visits this set of grandparents there will be a box of disposable diapers....lol. That said, I'm disappointed in the new 'pre-fold' diapers. Many moons ago they were thick in the middle for extra absorbency. Not so anymore which means 'soaker pads' must be sewn. Rubber pants (remember those?) are obsolete so that means diaper covers with PUL fabric must also be sewn. So I dusted off the sewing machine, dug around in my scrap fabric and whipped up 14 soaker pads and 9 diaper covers (picture only shows 5 of them as the rest were in use). I'll admit they're an easy sew but unless one sews this cloth diapering would be quite pricey.

In the meantime there's a dishcloth, another set of booties and a sweater for self on the needles. Cleaning was on the agenda for the day but when there's a snowstorm it becomes a knit day :D.

Meet the youngest

A rambling catch-up if you will. Life has been busy. Add 2 new grandbabies (one a preemie) and it's been a whirlwind. 

This pair of feet belongs to the youngest grandbaby. He was born 5 weeks premature. He's a laid back kinda guy (much like his parents) and a very sweet little thing (yeah, I know, I'm a grandmother so of course I think they're all perfect). It's kind of cool being grandparents, you get to make things, enjoy them and at the end of the day you know they're loved and cared for and you don't have to worry about their day-to-day care. 

 My knitting needles have been crazy busy. A snowman hat was whipped up on the day of the unexpected delivery. Just in the nick of time for him to wear home after his stay in NICU.

 A Dr. Seuss hat was next on the needles and is one of the new mom and dad's favorites. We went to church today and he wore this little hat. Made me smile to see our church "family" who was so actively involved with all four of our children finally get to meet and greet the youngest member of our family. They ooooed and awwwwed and enjoyed every moment with him.

 Booties....lots and lots of booties. I found this pattern on Ravelry. Couldn't resist and snagged the pattern. They are without a doubt the best booties ever. They actually stay on baby's feet in spite of wiggling and kicking. I've made quite a few for both new babies. Definitely my new go-to pattern. I considered selling them but the designer locks a seller into purchasing a 'cottage' license.

 Other news: It's March (I'm not a fan) and Mr. Bettis has found the mud *sigh*. Due to a busy life, knitting needles clicking non-stop and too many drama llamas, I've bowed out of social media for now. Not too certain I'll return but for a brief visit now and again. Besides, I have certainly finished many tasks that have been sitting the background wings and that alone is a good reason to bow out :D