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.

Dear Summer

Dear Summer,

While I have anticipated your arrival I never once anticipated the stifling heat. The temps were 94 F in the shade!

We have installed the air conditioners which is a job much like setting up the Christmas Tree...ahem! Take note: high temperatures have a tendency to shorten temper fuses ;)

Even Mr. Bettis is a bit disillusioned with the heat and spends very little time outside. Mind you, I'm certain the neighborhood is quite content upon not hearing his constant barking at anything that moves.

Speaking of, you have failed to provide a breeze. Albeit a warm breeze, but none-the-less a breeze would be appreciated.

A breeze would also help with the knitting and there are only 207 days left until St. Nick arrives.
Please take note and at least blow a little wind so a leaf moves then perhaps I can knit one full row.

The pool is filled, pump up and running and all is well and good with one exception; if you insist on HOT temperatures it would be nice if you could warm up the pool...lickety split otherwise turn down the thermostat.

Thank you,

Heatstroke in Appalachia

It's Spring....again

Mr. Bettis barks and barks. All. Day. Long. And this is what has captured his undivided attention as well as the birds, squirrels, leaves...come to think of it, anything that moves.
This rabbit is BIG! Kind of reminds me of Harvey only he's not white.
Gonna be a lo-o-o-ong summer as usual.








It's been rare seeing the sun and today is one of those rare days. I'm a fan of Dandelions. Yup! Good ole dandelions. Nothing like a child showing up at the door hands behind their back clutching a fistfull of yellow dandelions. Brings a smile to my face just thinking of those days. We would choose a special Ball brand jar, fill it with water and put them on the dinner table for everyone to enjoy.
Love the smell of these little yellow flowers and dandelion makes great tea.




Chem girl called and she snagged two more trees. I'm telling ya, we're gonna be hidden in a forest by the time she graduates.
She asked about Chester and I must admit I was a bit concerned. Chester is small and the winter was harsh.
*sigh* So I grabbed the camera and cautiously approached dear little Chester.







Took a deep breath and looked into his tall house.
And there he was dressed in beautiful green finery.












I removed his house to get a better picture. Seems Mr. (or is it Mrs?) has a sprout. It's hard to see but on the left right beside Chester there's a skinny little sprout.
Chester has survived!!

Now to find room for the rest of the forest she's dragging home.

Summer Breeze

There's been a summer breeze here along with humidity :( but that has not stopped me from finding my needles again. Cast on for this little dress and finished it in the nick of time.










I fell in love with the fabric and matched the center of the flower with a lovely raspberry cotton fingering yarn. Love the finished product (and so did my DIL). I'll be casting on for another one soon.

I've launched my site again with hand knit and hand crochet original designs. I'm enjoying this little endeavor so please go check it out.

On a somber note: Fortunately my friends and family are safe from the recent tornado outbreak.
My prayers are with those who lost loved ones and those who are suffering in the recent tornado disasters.

Arbor-y

The college DD sent an email of a few things she needs. The second semester of her sophmore year is closing fast. Soon she'll be heading home for another summer of work and a little relaxation.

Please take note of #3. Just what is that child talking about???? LOL

1. Boxes 1. Trash bags 3. Empty quilt bags (if mom hasn’t used them all for yarn) 4. A couple envelopes 5. Stamp 6. Insurance card 7. Cleaner (to get dirt out of carpet) 8. Lotion (clear cylindrical bottle w/ green pump lid on floor under window-ish) 9. Necklace chain (my current one is ~56cm)

#7 is the result of a new plant. Seems the college put on another spring event day where the students could get free plants. Remember Chester from last year? Anyway, she has dubbed the new tree, Arby. However she called to tell me this: Seems Arby is on 'time-out' and will be sent home promptly. He was sunning on the windowsill and when a whoosh of wind came, he 'jumped' off the sill and landed on the carpet spilling his muddy contents on the white (yes, white) carpet. I have no clue where we're going to plant Arby. We're going to be well hidden in a forest of trees by the time she graduates.....

Lucky Ducky

Prayers have been answered on this sunny Sunday morning. The story of an area dog (nicknamed Ducky) whose mouth was duct taped shut and thrown from a truck into a creek has been found. He wandered onto a porch miles from where he was dumped. A lot of mountains and woods for him to run and wander. He's at the vet office now and is very worn out. Poor guy, he's been wandering and running for a week but he's been found and now it's time to go after the abusers.........

MIssed April 1st

I missed April Fool's Day and it's a good thing. I like to have a good laugh but not at the expense of a practical joke. I like humor but not practical jokes. Mother Nature played a practical joke all day yesterday. We had sun, rain, sleet and snow all in one day. Hope She had fun and got it out of her system. While I'm a winter gal it's time for flip-flops and t-shirts. Of course I hope it doesn't come with the heat and humidity. At least until I get this wool blanket finished. I'm making progress though. I cast on for a very special sweater. Can't mention it here but I know it will be appreciated and worn with love. Yes, another pic of the Earth and Sky set. It was packaged, sent and well received. There's been a bit of drama in our neck of the woods. Someone put duct tape around a dog's snout and threw him out of their truck into the creek. The men who did this were seen by a few fishermen. "Ducky" (as he is now dubbed) survived and is on the run. After a few days of organizing, safe traps are set and spotters are on the look out in an attempt to capture the poor thing. There a lot of woods and mountains for this little guy to hide. He has been spotted and we're praying he's caught soon and receives food and medical care. As for the perpetrators they also need to be caught and prosecuted and they will! Small town talk has a way of giving necessary information.

Sometimes....

Purchased the yarn on March 19th and cast on within the hour of the purchase.
March 25th: Not only is the crib size blanket finished but I made a hat and booties to match from the leftover yarn.
Gotta say sometimes I even amaze myself.....LOL Just goes to prove I really can finish something.


Yarn: Berroco Comfort
Amount: 4 skeins of brown and 3 of the blue
I must admit the yarn is occasionally a little splitty but the end result is worth it. Perfect for babywear.
It's accented it with some free-hand embroidery.
I'm calling this the Earth and Sky Blanket Set.

It's packaged and ready to ship tomorrow. Hope my friend is happy with it :D.

Absent once again

I've been absent once again but that's not to say I haven't been busy unlike Mr. Bettis who is snoozing away.

Knitting from stash is my goal this year so a Rambling Rows afghan was cast on. Not a pretty thing but it will be a warm afghan for next winter. I've already hit the stash for another one as soon as this one is finished.

Another mini Annis was cast on in the Patons FX sock yarn and finished in 2 days. I can't rave enough about this pattern.

A baby blanket has been cast on. It's a gift and there's a deadline as in 2 weeks and it must hit the mailbox. So far, so good and I think it will be in the PO hands shortly.
What's on your needles?

Hey everyone! I am Kathy’s youngest DD, Savannah. As you may know, I am a college student. As springtime rolls in, we here at UMD really kick into charity functions. This year, I am again participating in TerpThon (March 12) and Relay for Life (April 2).

Terp Thon is an organization focused on raising money for the Children’s National Medical Center in DC. It is an event at which we pledge to remain on our feet for 12 hours, like nurses do every day at the hospitals. All donations go directly to the kids and doctors. Last year was UMD’s first Dance Marathon. We raised $56,000, making us the most successful first year dance marathon ever! Our goal this year is $100,000, and we are sooo close!! Check out www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/terpthon to learn more about the event or http://www.terpthon.org/ to see some touching videos of the miracle kids we are trying to help. I am mostly interested in spreading awareness about this organization. But I would also love for my school to reach it's goal and really help these kids out. If you are interested in donating, my fundraising page is http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/participant/smason1 . I know that times are tough, but even $1 donations can add up and go a long way in saving kids’ lives. I would be so happy if you could just help me spread the word about this amazing organization! As always, we are doing this all “For The Kids!”

Relay for Life is an overnight event dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. Unfortunately, we live in a world where nearly every one of us knows of someone who has had cancer. In my opinion, this is simply unacceptable. Our goal with Relay for Life is to create a world where cancer can’t claim another year of anyone’s life. To learn more about the event, check out http://www.relayumd.org/ . Again, I am happiest just spreading the word. But if you interested in donating, my fundraising page is http://main.acsevents.org/goto/smason1 . Let’s create a world with more birthdays.

We absolutely have the power to change the world. All we need is for individuals to come together for a good cause. Simply put, that is the goal of these two events. TerpThon and Relay for Life are just two of the numerous amazing causes out there right now. We have the power to save and change so many lives. I understand that not everyone can donate. But everyone can spread the word. Think about it. What if every person who reads this blog told three friends about these causes. Then those three told three others and so on. This is the concept of paying it forward. Imagine how the state of the world could improve if this caught on. I am just one individual trying to make this world a better place. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Because in simply reading this post, you have already helped tremendously.

Thanks!

Peace. Love. Happiness.

Rumpus

The scrapbooking is no longer a scrappy mess. It is now organized in the old tv cupboard. I love it.










Life has become a bit more hectic due to the medical saga so of course that means we are on the move.

When we came home we found the standing lamp on it's side. mmmm....me thinks the white creature in the picture was guilty for this stunt. Must've been quite a race and romp session while I was gone.






Obviously Mr. Bettis was in on the romp and race session and became just a bit over-excited. My GOOD ink pen as in the best ink pen one could ever own became his object of entertainment. *sigh* another one of MY things destroyed by Mr. B.

We had plans for the weekend but they were unexpectedly dashed. What's on your agenda?

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.

Here We GOOOOO....

Here we Goooooo!!!!!!

Both teams are good teams but this household is black and gold all the way.













Looking quite regal in his Steeler gear. There are no kerchiefs for the girls because Mr. Bettis thinks kerchiefs are perfect for dragging the girls down the hall (eyeroll here).










The Super Bowl menu: Crock pot chili, crescent weiners, pizza appetizers, buffalo chicken dip, chips, salsa, garlic deer bologna, cheese and of course baked gobs (or better known as whoopie pies) Steeler style.
Here we goooooo!!!!

Ice man

Mr. Bettis and his owner slipped on the ice. Not together but with a similar outcome.
He injured his leg and was taken pulling and tugging to the vet on Saturday. Have I ever mentioned how horrible he is at the vet? Well if not take my word, he's AWFUL!
The car ride is a nightmare let alone his antics in the waiting room until....he sees our favorite vet. Dr. B is a Steelers fan so I think he has an admiration of Mr. Bettis beyond the average vet.
He tore a ligament and is on meds and bedrest. Yeah. Right. Try the bedrest thing with Mr. B (eyeroll here). Even Dr. B chuckled over keeping him calm because he made it clear Mr. B is an overactive dog (as if we didn't know that).

Mr. B's owner didn't fare any better and after much ta-do we headed to the dr's office an hour and half away. After cutting a shine at the dr's office, DH was transported by ambulance to the hospital. I can say 'cutting a shine' because my jangled nerves are calm now.
He's on a boatload of meds, a monitor and resting somewhat comfortably.

We didn't get home until midnight (after my parents made the trip to get us) and I'm exhausted.
I must leave with a bit of humor. We have two sons (both married) and two daughters. After the DH was pumped with pain meds, muscle relaxants and who knows what else he became a bit lethargic and proceeded to mumble something about our THREE daughters. Say what???? LOL Caused the nurse and I to have a good laugh.