Game on

A lot and I do mean a lot going on here and we decided to have some fun to ease the stress. Game on.

Homemade chex mix and iced tea was the snack choice.

 Disney Monopoly was the game choice (chosen by the eldest daughter who is a Disney fan)

 I have never won a game of Monopoly in my life but this one was different. These are the properties I purchased by chance.

 I haven't laughed this much in quite a while. While I was demanding my $950 rent for Fox & the Hound with a castle, our son-in-law faithfully requested his $4 and $6 rent for his lonely little properties. At one point the girls teamed up and against the whole gang. It finally came down to me (who they dubbed Mrs. Potter) and them. It wasn't long before the hubby and son-in-law were bankrupt.

At one point the girls were hoping to be in 'jail' so they could avoid paying the rent. Chem-girl found herself in 'jail' a total of 22 times thru out the game and Vet-girl was refusing the free get out of jail cards but it caught up with them in the end. 

I tried to 'visit' them in jail but they turned their backs on my visit and said they refused to speak to me...LOL. 

A game night we won't forget for a long time and a great way to put our troubles aside and have some fun.

School Days, School Days....

Remember the song "School Days, School Days, Dear old Golden Rule Days..."? Well the time is upon the kids in our area. We no longer have kids in school and I must admit for the first time that I don't miss it. While I enjoyed all the events of our children I certainly do not miss gathering school supplies, packing lunches, PTA meetings etc. I'll keep my thoughts and rants concerning the downgrade of the education system to myself but know that I pray for the kids of our country.

Now onto Mr. Bettis who is most concerned about the children waiting at the bus stop on our lane. *sigh* his barking begins at promptly 6:58 am with the high school arrival of the first bus stop. Then again at 7:14 am for the middle school student and once again for the elementary bus stop at 8:13 am. Makes for a very lo-o-o-ong and LOUD morning here.

 I will enjoy my morning sipping a cup of coffee and knitting some dishcloths. This is an older finished set but I realized over the weekend that I am in need of new cloths so I'll be casting on. I refuse to use sponges. They are not the best to wipe off countertops and IMO they are very germy. At least I can toss dishcloths in some hot water and detergent with a sprinkling of white vinegar for sanitary reasons and in no time flat they're ready for another day of work.

Only Time Will Tell

Almost two years ago this happy couple tied the knot. I call it the day 'my daughter took my breath away'. Still brings tears to my eyes when I look back on the pictures.

 This beautiful couple have already overcome a few major obstacles in life (economy) and are struggling with medical issues but they have some good news to share. She made some yummy cake pops for dessert and invited the great-grandparents for a surprise.

At first they had no idea but were pleasantly surprised and happy they were included in the unveiling.

As they bit into the cake pop, the color of the cake revealed the surprise :).

I have been blessed to attend her appts with her as there are more appts than normal due to medical 'issues'.  Her hubby's job doesn't allow much time off and just like my husband, he takes supporting his loved ones seriously (what's that saying about a daughter marrying someone like her dad? ;) ) So I know the news but have been sworn to secrecy....ssshhhhh.....  I have seen this little one jump, flip, open and close it's mouth, wave arms, kick and we have counted the fingers and toes. sshhhh....Not sure how much longer I can keep my trap shut....LOL. So stay tuned and be on the look-out for clues in the next few months :D

As my needles click

Life has a way of interrupting peace and harmony. The rhythmic sound and feel of needles clicking are calming to me. 

First up is a Christmas shawl/scarf for my upcoming holiday events. Our calendar is filling up quickly already and my intention is to have a beauty to wear to these events. Have I mentioned I love Christmas?

 Fall is right around the corner although in this neck of the woods I do believe it is upon us. There have been  been a few trees turning color and it's very early in the season. Hubby and I will be cutting and hauling firewood soon.
Love these gloves. I certainly couldn't wear a sweater in so many colors but gloves? It's fine and dandy to wear mismatched fun colored gloves. Using left over sock yarn and I enjoy every stitch.

 I cannot rave enough about this simple sweater. Stash yarn and an easy relaxing knit pattern and in no time a warm functional sweater to wear. As soon as this one is off the needles another one will be on. I've made this sweater for Chem-girl a few years ago. This one is mine.

Summer has been a bust, mostly rain and cool temps. They're calling for a snowy and cold winter here (remains to be seen) and I plan to be warm and ready. Knitting for decades I think I've finally found my solace in knitting and I must add knitting for myself and my home has become priority. It brings peace to my little world (not to mention color ;) ).

Life's adventures

Chem-girl graduated from college and has moved back home for a short stint before embarking on her next 'adventure' of Life. Unfortunately all of her belongings are all over my house. I feel like I'm living an episode of Hoarders . 

She turned her back just as I took the pic ;) 

 In order to not go completely insane over the whole thing I'm doing my best to stay busy. We did some scrapbooking and I finally finished the eldest son's album. Whew! Only have 3 more kids, 3 grandkids and family history album to go...Lol...but I'm determined. This is a wee book journal that I made.

 Of course my life would not be complete without a little knitting thrown in here and there. Wish there was more knitting but Life is getting in the way of the needles :/. Only a knitter would understand that I MUST knit everyday. It's more than a hobby to me, it's my Life :D

                       A little boy's hat complete with car buttons. Beep, beep... ready, set, go

Summer 2013 has been a complete bust. It has rained most of the season resulting in water in the basement, soppy yards and mud....lots and lots of muddy footprints from Mr. Bettis.

Hot, hot, hot....

The thermometer reading at 10:06 am. Yes this is in the sun and I must admit it's only 90F in the shade. Summer 2013 has been a bust in this neck of the woods. We had rain every single day for 3 weeks and now heat and humidity that is exhausting.

Even Mr. Bettis is sleeping through it. Thank heavens, considering his recent destruction but I'll save that for another post, it's too hot to think.
Stay cool :)

Good Intentions

I had good intentions to post this on Independence Day but between going to a family picnic and  family visiting for the past 4 days, the post didn't make the blog. So here it is in all it's glory: Happy Independence Day. It's important to celebrate this day every day as our freedom and liberty should never be taken for granted.
So read the Declaration and cherish every word, it's OUR freedom paper.

A dear friend wrote a beautiful tribute to this important day and I couldn't begin to compare. Enjoy the read.

Kitteh and woolies

It's flea treatment time. As I approached each and every pet with the flea treatment tube you would've thought I was giving them poison. Mr. Bettis ran and jumped on the bed hiding his face under the pillow :/ The little dogs hid under the bed and of course the cat took to higher quarters. She knows I cannot reach her but it's ok, I can hold out much longer than she can....or so I think.

The intention this year is to knit from stash and make a dent in the craft room. As I was digging around I found this yarn purchased eons ago. It's wool and a bit harsh but would make a very warm sweater when the wind is howling, snow is blowing and the heat bill must be lowered. So I cast on for the Garter Cardi. I've made this one before for Chemgirl and loved how it turned out. Think this will be a fave of mine to wear on cold days.

Summer...well it is officially summer but you would never know that in this neck of the woods. It's wet. It's VERY wet. We have rain every single day and that yellow ball in the sky is MIA. I just checked the weather and they're calling for average temps and rain, every single day for the next 29 days. Wonder if it's a safety net for the weatherman so if it rains, he's off the hook ;).

Knitting along

 The knitting on the Digger sweater is moving along. Since intarsia is not my favorite knitting technique it's been quite a learning experience but so far I'm pleased with the result. It still isn't my favorite technique but sometimes you gotta knit with the punches.

A few years back (when I clearly wasn't thinking) I purchased some Peace Fleece yarn. I have no idea what was going thru my wee brain when I snatched this stuff. It's scratchy, it's harsh and it's yellow. I cannot wear yellow. My olive tinted skin is not favored by wearing yellow clothing. There isn't even enough there for a sweater. Again, What was I thinking?

 Then the yellow lightbulb flickered :). I can dye it and knit it into a warm outer vest. Yes! That's it! So I dug around in my dyes and found a nice green and over-dyed a swatched. I like it. Problem solved. So the yarn is soaking in a nice bath and the dye is prepared. Let the fun begin.

p.s. Someone has a birthday today so hop on over and send some happy birthday thoughts her way ;)

Long time, no post

Procrastination is my name ;). I've had every intention of writing posts and that's what got me into trouble...intention. Anyway, just to catch up here we're doing some renovation and cleaning out so I've been busy. Add in grandbaby sitting 2 days a week and it becomes even busier. I'm off for the summer and have hope (probably too high) that I'll actually get caught up on chores and knitting (that will never happen because I have a case of startitis).

 Our grandson is 18 months old and loves big construction equipment and cars. I found this sweater pattern on Ravelry and decided to bite the needle and cast on. I'm not a fan of intarsia but decided I was going to master it one way or another.

 It took knitting the entire back to figure out a few tips. The words are in fair isle (my preferred colorwork knitting) and it's unnecessary to do all that little colorwork by intarsia. There is a wonderful stitch called duplicate stitch that fills the bill or should I say stitch.

 By the end of the one front I eliminated the construction 'operator'. The child isn't going to know if there's a person on it or not.

By the end of the second front (and intarsia work) I figured out to do the main colors only, add the duplicate stitch as I see fit and be done with it. It's not perfect and I am still working in all those ends on the back but he's going to love it and that's all that matters :D.

I've been contemplating making a pair of those socks that have zippers. Think the youngest daughter would love a pair of those. Happy Knitting!

Spring?

Let's celebrate spring by building a snowman! We woke up to a blanket of snow. The roads are a nightmare and the hubby is off work. We'll be spending the day keeping the home fires burning (literally).

A good day to knit :).

Snow horizon

The furnace needs to be replaced but that won't be happening for a while yet :(. In the meantime we're heating the house with one space heater and the living room fireplace. Under normal spring weather that would be sufficient but we're in a winter storm warning and expecting 6-12 inches of snow. (I need to find that groundhog)

 So we purchased a chain saw (yeah, I know...what were we thinking?) If anyone has read this blog for any length of time they would remember the saw 'incident'. But we need heat so drastic measures are needed.

Every morning it's a race to the coffee pot and shower while waiting for the fire to take off in the fireplace. The outside temperature has been below freezing every morning and the inside temperature hovers around 42F.....brrrr. 

As a knitter one would (mistakenly) believe that I have plenty of warm wool sweaters. That would be a wrong train of thought. I give away most of my knitted items with the exception of my socks. Lesson learned. It's time to knit a sweater or two for me. 

BTW: wonder where that sock yarn blanket UFO is hiding? 

Stay warm and Happy Knitting!

Hot and Cold

Is the glass half full or half empty? I'm trying to find the glass half full but must admit I'm having a bit of trouble here. As a matter of fact it's half empty and frozen.

 It's 25F with a real feel temperature of 20F outside. It's 11:30 pm and the furnace fan broke. Yep! NO heat!

I'm going to do my best to think of a nice warm fire while I'm bundled in flannels, heavy robe, wool socks, a hat and heavy blankets.

Chemgirl is trying to convince me (unsuccessfully) that this is an adventure (eyeroll here). I'm not finding this amusing or entertaining at the moment....I'm cold! Where's that darn groundhog? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind (frozen as it may be at the moment).
The glass could be half full if it was filled with a nice wine but I don't even have that available at the moment. hmmm....However, the wooden kitchen chairs and table would make a nice warm fire right now ;)

Somebunny fun

Some bunny fun kidnapped my needles. I had every intention to only make one but you know how bunnies multiply ;) Before I knew it, they were everywhere. The pattern is Happy pets . The knitting is easy. A bit fiddly to put together but worth the result. They will be sent to their new owners in time to see the Easter Bunny.

 Our 1 yr old grandson was baptized last Sunday and our daughter-in-law gave me the honor of making his outfit. The one piece knicker outfit and newsboy cap were sew from a poly blend fabric. The handknit sweater was from an old go-to pattern of mine. Yarn was Berroco Comfort dk. It is a bit splitty but it's perfect for kids. Washable, durable and oh-so-soft.

I'm not a fan of spring but I must say, it's been a long winter here. We haven't had the Robin's snow yet so spring is not here (in spite of today being the first day of spring according to the calendar). I look forward to capris and flip-flops. What does everyone else look forward to in the spring?

I must knit on.....

B-E-TT-I-ssssssssss

He's in trouble with a capital T....again.

I left the house to do the marketing. You know, as in buying DOG food  and DOG treats and this is the thanks I get when I come home. Gone 2 1/2 hours and he destroyed an entire bag of polyester stuffing. 

 Did he think his bed needed more stuffing?

 He ran down the hall and jumped on the human bed and proceeded to carry on.

Shaking his head in disbelief while I'm still yelling about the stuffing. This folks is why that hideous 5 ft chicken is not within his reach. Of course that may be a blessing in disguise if he shredded it ;)

Foggy thinking

Someone gave this 'piece' to my husband. I know why, his wife wanted it out of his house. Anyway, the husband arrived home toting this thing thru the door like a schoolboy with flowers behind his back. It stands at 5 ft. Repeat: Five Feet Tall! a Foghorn Leghorn chicken in my living room....yeah..(eyeroll)
He claims the grandkids will love it.  When they come next year? They live away. In the meantime what in the world am I to do with a five foot tall stuffed chicken?
Of course Mr. Bettis isn't too fond of it so perhaps I could let it stand while I'm gone and it would keep him in check. Then again, it wouldn't take Mr. Bettis long before I would come home to find stuffed chicken stuffing all over my floor. *sigh*

Sweet and spicy

It was cold and windy with snow over the weekend so I set about to entertain myself. I enjoy making Christmas so I dabbled in making some scrapbook albums and this is what I came up with. Made from mini paper bags and some sweet Christmas paper I had laying around. Measures 3 1/2" x 3 1/4" and it's ready for some sweet wallet pictures.

Onto spice: Love my coffee but occasionally it's nice to have a cup of afternoon tea. My favorite is Sweet and Spicy tea by Good Earth. It was available at our local market for years. Unfortunately they no longer carry that blend. They carry every other blend but not that one.
I miss that cup of tea. It was a relaxing blend with a hint of sweet and a dab of spice. Perfect in every way.

Our President's day celebration was kept to a minimum. The hubby was off so we cleaned closets and the kitchen cupboards in the morning. We took the rest of the day off and did absolutely nothing. Enjoying every moment of it.

Wool You be My Valentine

I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day. I really don't have a good reason it's just not a big deal and ranks at the bottom of my holiday list. That said I thought this valentine was cute. 

Yarn and needles? Will you be my Valentine :)

What is your special holiday?

America

                                             

On The Move

We've been on the move. Time to move Chemgirl out of her apartment. As you can see we were running out of room for her stuff. In a week she'll be returning to her university for another year of study. Where has time gone? Seems only yesterday she was graduating from high school.

A pair of socks on Ravelry captured the attention of my needles. Opposite yarn colorways create mis-matched socks but of the same colors. So I grabbed the dye pots and did a little painting. I really like how these are making up. Unfortunately I didn't split the skeins so I'll have a pair of each but I can match or mis-match them so all is good.

I'm calling these Fireside socks because the colors scream sitting warm by the fire.
The pattern is Socks on a Plane found in Ravelry and it's not only easy but also FREE! The original pattern is toe up but I'm a top down kinda knitting gal so I'm heavily modifying.

Another project hopped on the needles. A new cardigan for myself. I'm hoping to get this done in  time to wear in the fall. Little Miss Princess spotted wool on the table and promptly inspected. Nosey cat. Although we're already seeing leaves turn in this area and they're predicting a   harsh winter so this will get plenty of wear this year. If I ever get it finished that is ;). There's a lot more on the needles and I'll be posting as I take the time to photograph. In the meantime Knit On!