Empty Nest...Part I

It's that time of the year. This is Part I of a two part post.
In July we found these babies in the bush by our swimming pool.











Within 2 days they were ready to fly from the nest. I almost accidently brushed this one from the branch. Had no idea he was sitting within a foot of my face when I walked past.











Mom and dad were nearby chirping and encouraging them to fly. Chem girl and I laid on the bed inside and watched from the window. Two of them flew within an hour but the last one took a long time taking flight.
It was quite fascinating to watch the process of birth, nurturing and success of this little family as mom and dad Cardinal emptied their nest.
Now for Part II of the Empty Nest.

Whole Lot of Shaking Goin' On

The East Coast earthquake was a hot topic. We felt the shakes, cookie jars, pictures and walls were rattling. A bit unnerving but we're fine. Mr. Bettis and Gypsy ignored the whole event while Molly and Calico (the old one) pinned their ears and went into hiding.
However the earthquake wasn't the only thing hot around here. Within minutes of the quake a local gas station erupted into flames.


Our local fire departments (volunteer as well) were on the scene. These men and women are heroes in my book. DH was a junior firemen in his younger days and went on to be a volunteer fireman for many years until his spine injury interferred.






This picture was taken when the first responders were on the scene. Only took a few more minutes and the main road was shut down.

Thankfully no one was injured but the station has been declared 'totaled'.

That's all the news in this neck of the woods for now and quite frankly we don't need anymore. But wait! Hurricane Irene is fast approaching the area of Chem DD's college and we're now re-evaluating move in day which is scheduled for Sunday. In the meantime I'm knitting like mad ;)

Candles

We culminated the weekend with Chem-girl's birthday.
Once again cupcakes were on the menu and they were decorated with tie-dye colored icing. I have no idea where your's truly was but asleep at the camera this weekend missing pictures of food goodies.
I would share the Happy Birthday sing-a-long but with the exception of the DH there's not one good voice among the bunch.





She blew the candles with one blow and I hope she gets her wish.
Notice who wasn't about to miss the celebration (eyeroll)....Mr. B.

There's a post in writing written solely for him and I know his attorney is busy celebrating her birthday today but he's barking loud and clear for representation. He's also sending very loud birthday wishes ;).

Here Comes the Bride....not yet

July 30, 2011-The bridal shower commenced. It was planned for the outdoors at my parent's beautiful landscaped yard but due to the oppressive heat and humidity we moved it indoors to the rec room.










Vet Girl had a blast. Games were planned by the Maid Of Honor and of course the TP wedding dress game was the finale.
Here she is (l to r) with her junior bridesmaid, Chem Girl (her sister) and a very dear friend Bio Girl.









It's very important to photograph the backs of the designer dresses :).












This pic clearly shows her excitement through the party.
The bridesmaids kicked in gear serving lemonade/ice tea, keeping food plentiful and presenting the gifts.
She received many useful gifts and appreciated all of them. Pics to come later.










Chem girl turned the bows into the traditional rehearsal bouquet.

Everyone had a good time. There was plenty of good food (although your's truly forgot to get pictures) so you'll have to take my word for it.

It's only a month till the Big Day and we're gearing up for the Celebration.

Mish mash

Chem girl decided she wanted to be a designer seamstress for a day. A trip to the local fabric store and she came home with fabric ready to cut and design. She doesn't like patterns and prefers to 'wing it' (like her mama ;).

She saw a shirt similar to this in a magazine for $50 and there's no way she was paying that price.

The back had a very wide elastic band on the purchased top. However our local fabric store doesn't carry anything wider than 2" elastic. In spite of that she made it work.

She saw this piece in the remnant stack and fell in love with it. Her finish work is quite impressive. It's a flimsy knit and those of you who sew know exactly what I'm talking about. Very fine sewing machine needle and a fabric that slips all over the place. She did a great job. Think it's time to have her sew for me ;).

*sigh*....while we were gone Mr. Bettis apparently needed to create his own entertainment so he dug out the placemats. They're housed on our baker's rack in the kitchen.

This is the third (or is it the fourth?) time he's dug these out. Guess I need to find another place for the mats. See the flip flops in the left hand corner? I'm shocked he didn't chew those all over the floor. Guess if we were gone just a wee bit longer they would have become this week's trash.
Tomorrow is our eldest daughter's (Vet girl)bridal shower and we're wrapping up the final touches. Sunday is the youngest daughter's (Chem girl) birthday celebration. Pictures and details to come later. It's a busy weekend.

What's on your weekend agenda?

Persevere

Persevere and get it done. George Allen, Sr.

It's finished! It's done! I stuck with it and I can't believe it's finished. Still needs a good blocking but I can't wait for my daughter to open it this Saturday at the shower.








Bridal shower favors in color. Twenty-five little candle cakes have been completed and boxed in little favor boxes. If you're on Ravelry check out the Tea Cake Light pattern. They are crocheted and only take 15 minutes from start to finish. I posted pattern changes on my Ravelry project page so check it out.

The shower and wedding are/have consumed a lot of my time here of late and I'm behind on a few birthdays. I'll catch up eventually ;)

Hot Popcorn

This was sent to my email inbox from several friends and I thought I would share. Says it all, don't ya think?

The Shawl that never ends...

Do you remember the Song That Never Ends?

Well I can't get it out of my head while knitting the 1400+ ruffle stitches in k1,p1 ribbing on this shawl. Only I'm singing the Shawl that never ends. The rows are tedious and I'm on a deadline, July 30th it must be finished, blocked and wrapped for the bridal shower.

In the meantime it's HOT as in 112F at 10 am this morning in the sun HOT :((. Patience is waning in the heat and humidity while trying to knit on the shawl that never ends.

Where's fall and winter when you need 'em?

Climb Every Mountain

Bear with me as I catch up on last weekend's activity. Our eldest son and his wife called and were heading on a trip.










MC, our granddaughter couldn't wait to get in the water. She splished and splashed having a grand time just as her father did when he was a child.











I won't bore you with too many pics (because I take wa-a-ay too many) but this huge rock formation was nestled in the evergreens. We enjoy nature and can't get enough of it. I often wonder what the Native Americans thought when they first encountered the mountains in all their glory. I could sit for hours in solitude pondering that thought while waiting and watching for wildlife.

My new favorite pic of DH. He's working hard to lose some weight. A bit difficult when one can't exercise due to medical issues but I'll give him a big round of applause for trying.

We were planning a camping trip for a weekend but after today we're going to scrap it and opt for another day out when God paints the landscape for fall.

Who am I?

This is not the original post but when I hopped over to Chan's post today and it got me to thinking about who I am.
I am a wife and mother. Nothing grated on my nerves anymore than for someone to ask, "what do you do?" and when told I'm a housewife the next response was usually a deliberate nod and a quiet, "oh. So you don't work out of the home?"
I have learned over the years to politely smile through clenched teeth and say, "no, I don't have time."It was tempting to laugh and say, 'oh no, I'm too busy watching soaps and eating bon-bons.' My day began at 5:30 am and ended at 11 pm as long as I wasn't nursing a sick kid.
I have admiration and respect for those who juggle a career and mom duties. I worked 5 days a week outside the home while raising 2 little boys as a single mom. When I remarried I still worked 5 days a week outside the home while sharing the raising of 2 little boys as well as housework, laundry and cooking.
Over time we discovered I was working to pay childcare and the DH was working 12-16 hour days. So I quit and became a full-time wife and mother. Please bear with me as I enlighten you of these full-time duties.
Laundry-washed then hung out on the clothesline vs the dryer (saves money)
Cooking- baking and cooking ALL 3 meals and snacks vs eating out (saves money)
Housework- means I don't hire out for help (saves money)
Sewing clothing vs buying (once again saving money) as well as last minute school/church pageant costumes
Planting and tending a garden then spending 6 weeks canning and freezing-saves money
Nurse- for skinned up knees, viruses and hospital/dr care
Referee- for sibling battles
Teacher-reading, counting and when they were old enough, homework (whether helping or nagging to get it done)
Supervisor-because our dear children couldn't grasp doing their chores without a supervisor in charge.
Chauffeur-running kids to ball practice, dance, piano/musical instrument lessons, 4-H, church, Bible school etc.
Banker-pay the bills

I know a few can relate to this so I will mention the PTA and extra curricular activity leaders who felt because I was a stay-at-home mom and housewife I had 'extra' time to make phone calls, bake goodies, run meetings etc. As the kids grew I opened a cottage industry making and selling teddy bears across the country.
Who am I now that the kids are grown? I'm still a housewife but now I can claim I am also a knitter and a spinner and I love my job(s).

Froggin'

Raised on a farm meant climbing trees and froggin' were a few of my summer pastimes. Barefeet and wading in the 'crick' lookin' for slimey green frogs was fun. All grown up means I don't go froggin' anymore. However that doesn't stop me from jumping the frog pond but it has a different meaning these days as in rip-it rip-it the knitting.
This luscious skein of neutral Malabrigo yarn was an almost finished scarf request. It hit the frog pond yesterday. The requestee had a change of mind so the yarn will now become something else for someone else or it just might become MINE! :D











I can't find the yarn label to this self-striping yarn. It was on the needles to become a pair of socks. I have issues with a single ply yarn used for socks. It doesn't have the strength (in my wee opinion) to wear well. I'm going to set it aside until I come up with another project idea.







A quick stop yesterday to our very tiny Jo-Ann Fabric store resulted in this lovely white sport yarn jumping in my shopping basket. It is so soft and I'm making a wee white sweater. Not for anyone in particular but just because I like the yarn. Isn't it fun to grab a yarn and make something just because? My favorite kind of knitting.

When all else fails...

Ever feel like you were part of a train wreck and you missed seeing the train coming because you were too busy looking on the other side of the tracks? Well apparently that's what I was doing instead of paying attention to my 'gut' instinct. Someday I'll learn.
Anyway on to more uplifting things in Life. Hubby tried to uplift my spirits so he purchased these two magazines for me. There are some fine hat patterns as well as a handsome man's cardigan pattern in knitsimple. Sometimes he can be a true Knight (I'll overlook him forgetting our anniversary last month)


Crocheting is not my forte but occasionally I enjoy being a hooker ;). I designed this hat upon request from Chem Girl DD. It's a hit!










In spite of recent events I take comfort in friends and our pets. Do we have too many pets? Probably in some peoples' eyes but I gotta tell ya, they make me laugh and they make me feel loved. Here's Mr. B on the loveseat and ya know what? I don't care. He's a mischievous rascal from time to time but I'll admit that his love never ends. So what if he's on the loveseat. The cover gets washed every couple of days and he's our dog and it's our furniture...hrmph!





Of course I will not overlook the spoiled one, Miss Gypsy. She is a Yorkie/maltese and may I just say, she has that Yorkie terrier personality down to a science. She's not as fond of the camera as Mr. Bettis who is not at all camera shy. It took a few tries to get this pic but she indulged her dear owner.
Think I'll go thru the stash and look for some yarn for DH a sweater. ssshhhh.....don't tell him ;)
Our weekend is rather quiet. What's on your weekend agenda?

Carry-on

We celebrated the nation's birthday with a picnic and fireworks. God Bless America!

I baked homemade strawberry cupcakes topped with a delicious strawberry buttercream frosting. The frosting recipe was my own experiment and it's received rave reviews from the daughters who were hovering over the icing bowl.
The major summer holiday of the U.S.A. is over and now we carry on for the next two months until our mountains are full of rich fall color and the temperatures are cooler. I could've sworn I heard katy-dids this morning...but ssshhhh....don't tell anyone, it's a sign that Fall is around the corner.

Getting ready for the cool days and nights that will soon be upon us, I'm stash busting an afghan. I have quite a few skeins of leftover wool from years past and it's time to use it. This is a simple double crochet ripple.

Occasionally I enjoy a crochet project that's mindless and yet creative and this one fills the bill.

I'm still knitting on the copycat shawl but those rows are getting might long.

What if anything do you cast on for Fall?

I am the Nation

On July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was signed by 56 delegates. The famous preamble, includes the ideas and ideals that were principles of the Declaration. It is also an assertion of what is known as the "right of revolution": that is, people have certain rights, and when a government violates these rights, the people have the right to "alter or abolish" that government. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America, and to the republic for which I stand, One Nation Under God, indivisble, with Liberty and Justice for All.
We said that pledge every single day in our schools. On this day I want to say God Bless the USA. May we as American citizens never forget the words of Thomas Jefferson: "A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have...."

Please take a moment and enjoy this video: I am the Nation

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 ;).