MIA...but I'm back!

Big apologies to all bloggers. I've missed blog reading and posting for way too long.

But I'm back :D

We left in Feb for the birth of our third grandchild and it's a girl! ABG is a healthy bundle and her big sister loves her so (sometimes just a little too much....lol)

I spent 2 weeks enjoying every moment with the new arrival and of course the oldest grand who is a whopping 2 1/2 yrs old. I'll save details of our fun for another post.

My next stop was to the youngest son and daughter-in-law's home to visit the 2 month grandson. CD is a delight and smiled and cooed while I was there. Funny how it's a big deal no matter how many times you see a baby smile and coo for the first time.

Valentine's Day arrived while I was away but it wasn't overlooked. My eldest son had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered and a new curling iron (since mine broke within the first 24 hours of the visit) from the oldest granddaughter (with help from mom and dad).

Apparently it was quite a chore trying to keep me from ordering/purchasing one while I was there.

My youngest son took me to a quaint little yarn shop in his area and I had over an hour to admire, squeeze and smell wool :D. A relaxing bit of time. We had a great time cooking and I tasted fried pickles for the very first time. YUM!!

Chem-girl made a quick trip to visit and the eldest son and daughter-in-law took us to a lovely family owned Italian restaurant for dinner.

The next day the DH arrived to gather me and my stuff for the trip home. We dropped Chem girl off at the dorm on our way. I enjoyed the trip but was glad to come home.

Mr. Bettis certainly did not change while I was gone. I 'lost' a pillow, placemats, a magazine, one rug and who knows what else. I think his owner stashed the rest hoping I wouldn't remember what I had in the first place.

I've been knitting like a firestorm and I'll do my best to post pics soon. Hope all is well with everyone and I'll eventually catch up between pinning on pinterest, my new addiction ;)

Over the Moon

Life has been a bit over the moon here of late. A lot to absorb and ponder........
2011 is coming in with a bang and the days seem to meld together. I'm on a holiday jet lag and hope this doesn't continue through out the year.










I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day but did take the time to make another batch of gobs with pink frosting. Yummy with a nice cold glass of milk or a cup of hot tea.










There has been a celebration. My grandmother turned 91 yrs old over the weekend. Three of our 4 children, spouses and our granddaughter arrived for the event. The 4th is in exam week at college but did make a birthday call in between hitting the books.
She had a wonderful time and enjoyed the visit with everyone. My grandmother is a strong woman with a wonderful sense of humor. She's a no nonsense person and tells 'it like it is' (mmm....kind of like 'yours' truly...lol)
She made us laugh more than once on this special day and I'm so glad she had a great celebration.
Happy Birthday Mom-mom.

What makes a dad......

What makes a dad ……
Any man can be a father but it takes a real man to be a dad.
I have been blessed with a father and a husband who are dads. They’re the first to admit they were not perfect, but then who is? The flip side is they stuck it out in spite of the trials and tribulations along the way.
This blogger's list on what makes a man a real dad:

One who works hard to provide medical and everyday expenses .
Patching his own shoes and wearing clothes for years in order to see to it there were little extras in life.
Trips to the local fair and bringing home bags of penny candy.
Sugar bread (when mom clearly stated no sugar bread during dinner).
Sled rides even though it was after dear old dad spent hours shoveling the stuff
That special Christmas gift that you just knew would not be under the tree (because it was too expensive) yet it mysteriously appeared and dad was beaming with pride.

Making fudge and potato candy (while mom was shopping and clearly stated, Don’t make a mess while I’m gone)

Scooping new fallen snow to make ice cream in the middle of winter

Dragging out the wooden ice cream bucket on a hot summer Sunday to make homemade ice cream

Never scolding when a child "helped" weed the garden and was pulling carrots instead of the weeds.

Attending "funeral processions" of childhood pets and informing the buddies who were helping to put on a new roof to remove their hats during the "funeral."

Trying in desperation to find a new kitten for a little girl who couldn't stop mourning.
Deer hunting and knowing oh-so-well the young girl in tow would chatter too much and upon seeing the graceful creature squealed, “Oh look, look! A deer, a deer!.”

Attending dance recitals, school concerts, ball games, art exhibits, Science Fairs and bursting with pride through it all.
Getting up at 4 am to work a 12 hour day in order to make it in time for the football game to get a glimpse of the son/daughter’s band performance

Horse shows (and I won't even begin to list the work involved with those)
Boy Scouts and many memorable camping trips (including the one in an ice storm when mom clearly stated NO camping and dad responded with “we’re making men of them." At the age of 10 yrs? -_-)

Taking scrap lumber and building an A-Frame fort with the boys
Teaching driving skills and handing over the keys to the car with confidence (can’t say as much about mom's confidence)
Never saying a word when a certain teen driver (ahem) accidently drove right through the brand new garage door
Teaching sons and daughters how to change the oil and a tire.
Tolerating way too many vehicles parked in the driveway (because a certain son found a “good” deal)
Encouraging the sons to get a trade along with their degree because one never knows when they may need a trade in life (to pay for those “good” deals)

Emphasizing the need for a good education (because he didn’t want his kids to work as hard as he has in life)
Attending each and every graduation with pride.

Life goes on and these men in my life continue to be good role models. Each and every event and each moment spent with these men was a time to learn and a time to cherish. Whether or not others appreciate the sacrifices remains to be seen. I for one, am very blessed to have these men in my life. :-)
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Silver & Gold

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary.

Many years ago I was a single mom raising 2 little boys aged 2 and 7 yrs old. I refused to date at the time. I was working and keeping those boys in line (lol). My cousin and her husband decided I needed a date so they fixed a blind date. I refused. Determined, they set up another date for us to meet at a car race. The day of the date, I cancelled again. Another month passed and by this time my aunt was in on the conspiracy. So I agreed. They took us to a local pizza shop and then to the movies. He was smitten (so he says) and I was cautious.
Time moved on and we continued to date. Life was busy and we found time to "tie the knot."

The DH took on the responsibility of two little boys who were abandoned by their "real" father and he jumped right into parenthood. He hung in there with football practice, swim meets, camping, fishing, church activities. He understood little boys and their antics. Rocks thrown to see who could throw the farthest only to accidently break a car window. Tools that the boys were not to touch mysteriously disappeared, only to be found in the yard when the snow melted. Toasters, drills etc were torn apart to "see how they worked" (the eldest son was responsible for that little antic). Sometimes the DH just shook his head, smiled and said, "boys will be boys."

Twenty-three years ago on this very day (our anniversary) our first daughter was born. Life had it's ups and downs (as every married couple). He worked a day job and took on side jobs in the evenings to make ends meet. Our last baby was born 17 yrs ago.
We endured financial hardship and a boat load of medical issues; Asthma, mono, flu, ear infections, sports injuries, surgeries etc. Juggling school activities, finances, work, kid issues etc were a challenge but we muddled through it.
Times were tough and we would overcome one obstacle only to face more.

We have been very blessed.

Although none of the children read this blog, I hope they know how very proud we are of them and their accomplishments. Each one of them has been blessed with a gift/talent and they are loved unconditionally. This also applies to the "new" family members.

As I reflect over the past 25 years I wonder how time flew by so quickly. We've learned a few things in the past 25 yrs.
Life is too short and the clock is ticking. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Laughter really is the best medicine.

To the hubby,
Happy Anniversary! God willing, I will be wishing you the same for the next 25 years:).

p.s. I've had an announcement that has been kept underwraps. Our eldest son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child. Little Madeleine will be making her appearance into the world sometime in August. And so begins the next chapter.

Oh Happy Day

It sprinkled here yesterday but by afternoon it was gorgeous. Blue sky and the big yellow ball in the sky. We were perplexed at first as we weren't sure if the sky was falling but we finally discovered it was the sun! LOL
Our eldest daughter was born on our wedding anniversary 23 yrs ago and we celebrated her birthday a bit early by combining it with Father's Day. Barbequed chicken and homemade mac/cheese was the menu choice by the daughter. Fruit, corn, green beans, shrimp and of course, cake completed the picnic.


My dad on the left and the DH on the right. My dad recieved Father's Day wishes from myself and my two sisters. So 3 out of 4 is good.
The DH also received phone calls from 3 of our 4 kids. The eldest son and both daughters called to wish him a happy Father's Day. It made his day. YAY!!!!






We purchased paint for the bathroom a month ago. The DH decided to paint it yesterday. Don't even ask why. This man has an uncanny knack for picking holidays to tackle major jobs. Like the one year when he decided to strip our wooden kitchen cabinets 5 days prior to the Thanksgiving feast which was to be hosted in our home!
Or the year I was traveling with my teddy bear business and he decided to paint the entire inside of the house one weekend. With 2 dogs, 3 kids and laundry. Blew his wee mind. Welcome to my world:).
He grumbled about the paint color and I must admit it looked a bit like puke green. But after it was on the walls and dried it seem to improve. I rather like it now.
It was a good day!

p.s. The youngest DD called and chattered like a magpie. That kid will be talking for weeks when she returns:).

The Game

This is the Big Red Machine coming through their helmet on game day.







The Red School's Marching Band during performance. There is a sea of blue on the opposing side and the Red sea is on the home side. (we're the red in case you haven't figured that out).










The Piccolo Pirate is the one with the long pony tail. These are not happy faces as we were losing the game.
It was cold. It was wet. And we lost.
But all is not so bad as we head off to playoffs this Saturday. We're a 9-1 team so they have done well this year.
The kids have fun so that is what really counts anyway. We're the school who has fun even when we lose.

There was one small problem. The opposing team's band never shows for this game. They have a boombox they play during their teams' achievements. It sounds like a tin-can but to each his own. There was an announcement that the Red school would play the national anthem and then their alma mater as we are the home team this year. The Blue school stood respectively during the national anthem then turned on their boombox to drown out the alma mater. There's a big to-do going on right now with the alumni of the Red school and the local newspaper editorial is bombarded with letters. Good, I say. The Blue school owes the Red school alumni an apology for their disrespectful, rude and bad behaviour. But I doubt that happens. Thank goodness the Red school has respect and regard for the opposing teams.




Mr. Milo came to visit and he is getting big. Here he is on "time-out." His "parents" had to discipline him several times on Saturday and he was put on "time-out" for 11 minutes.

Do you think his "parents" know he's a d-o-g?


There will be a contest posted this week so get ready. I'll give you a hint........it has something to with Thanksgiving.

Sassy Socks and Gloves

As you can see, I have been a little busy. This year is a homemade Christmas and I have actually accomplished finished knitted projects.

A pair of socks for one of the daughters. Not sure which one, but one of them. I'm trying to decide if the striping is funky but to tell you the truth I'm one of those people who likes to beat her own knitting drum. So it doesn't matter if they match or not. After all, if I wanted matching socks, I'd buy them at a store. At least that's my theory.




Vet girl asked for a pair of gloves because she must walk dogs at the hospital. Gets a bit nippy with snow and below freezing temps around here. She sheepishly (no pun intended) informed me that she lost one of the wool gloves that I knitted for her last Christmas.
So, when a kid of mine loses a good wool hand knitted glove and yet still asks for hand knitted gloves, said kid gets wool/acrylic gloves. Somehow I have reasoned if these gloves get "misplaced' (sounds so much better than the word lost) that it wouldn't be as devastating to the knitter aka me, who has knitted them.

This is a wool fair isle hat I knitted for the second son in line. He asked for this hat 2 yrs ago. I found it in a long forgotten knitting bag. I love to do fair isle. This pattern is from the Hats On book. I added the earflaps. It is a nice soft Cascade wool. This is not a kid who loses good wool hand knitted garments so he gets his hat made from good wool yarn.

I still need to knit a few more socks, gloves, headbands and 3 sweaters before Christmas for the eldest son and youngest daughter. Someone (and she knows who she is)informed me it's only 89 days until Christmas. HELP! Where are those knitting fairies when I need them?





P.S. Homemade Christmas gifts does not mean this knitter will be making a Pittsburg Steelers black and yellow sweater for Mr. Bettis. His owner had the nerve to make such a request. So what? So he can chew it to pieces? Not-on-this-knitter's-life! he'll get chew biscuits instead and that hinges on whether or not he chews up anything else of mine in the next 89 days.