useful hands and heart

Be our guest.....

2012-01-14T12:53:00.001-08:00

"Put our service to the test. Wrap your napkin round your neck Cheri, and we will do the rest."
Any guesses as to which movie we just went to see with most of the grandmunchkins? Yep, one of my all time favorite Disney movies, Beauty and the Beast. But with 3D. And it was wonderful! I'm not putting pictures on facebook much anymore so bear with my bragging here on my blog instead. I'll still be including my creative pursuits but this blog has morphed a bit. Can you see the excitement? And this is before popcorn and pop has set in!

Loved that our 10 year old granddaughter still is excited about Disney movies. I hope she's like that for a long time to come. What am I saying? I still get excited about most Disney movies!

My Mom and the princesses. Even my Mom loved the movie and the 3D and the giggly princesses.

Ok, so they don't look so excited. But they were! Giggled and ate popcorn and covered their ears at the scary parts and crawled on laps.

Glasses on...let's see the show! And the short feature before of Tangled Everafter was a Hoot!

They loved it and I loved being able to share it with them!

One last quick one. The blocks are played with everyday and the creativity with a simple set of blocks amazes me. Future engineer perhaps?

I feel very honored....

2012-01-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

that Rae Lynne, of Drip Drip Drop, would select me to honor with this award! Thank you so much. Check out Rae Lynne's blog for inspiring knitting and sewing and two very adorable children. I've been on the receiving end of a swap package from Rae Lynne and I use, almost daily, the needle case and notions case she made for me. My granddaughter uses the blanket she sent me to nap with. Rae Lynne is a wonderful mom as well as an inspirational part of the itty bitty group on ravelry.

The purpose of this award is to share 5 enjoyable blogs with under 200 followers with the blogging world.

So here are my nominations: (I would definitely have picked Rae Lynne's as one, as well as several that she already listed.)

Our niece's blog: http://marileemarks.blogspot.com/

Mari has a passion. A passion for her family, for orphans, for missions, for her home. She shares that passion willingly and in a way that any great author captivates. She is inspiring.

My daughter's blog: http://chrissmarie5.blogspot.com/

What can I say? She's my daughter. I love her family content, I love her knitting and what ever else she accomplishes. I encourage her to keep her blog and I love reading anytime she posts which is not enough but given her life with 3 children and a full time job and her church work, I'll take it when it comes. And there is a new little one one the way in their family which is definitely blog notable!

I've been reading Elizabeth's blog I think since I found the blog world. Her blog is always upbeat, full of love for God first and her family second. But her joy comes from both and it radiates from her blog. She does some wonderful reading critiques, recipe sharing, as well as creating cards and knitting and sewing. Her blog: http://texasjoy.blogspot.com/

Do you sense a theme with the first three?

Blue Garter is a local lady. While we probably wouldn't be found in the same social circles, or even knitting circles, her knitting is inspiring. Especially now that she has a little one to knit for. She also has a flair for writing and photography. A teacher before she became a Mom so that explains alot. Her blog: http://www.bluegarter.org/

Along the lines of the yarn harlot, Toni makes knitting and sewing fun and funny. Her goals are amazing (no knitting for fun here) and she attains them! Seriously, she loves to knit and sew but her witty sarcasasm at a broken machine, hurt back, yarn stash that attacks, and sewing projects with trouble written all over them gives me pause at times. http://yarnontheside.blogspot.com/

If you read blogs and haven't met these, give them a read. I think you'll be hooked or needled (pun intended). And definitely check out Rae Lynne's blog: http://www.rlchase.blogspot.com/

You will be inspired by her knitting and her family. (there is that theme again)

In keeping with the family theme, let me give you a glimpse of the end of my day today:

My husband just worked a 10 hour day at a job he mostly dislikes. It's the end of his work week. He doesn't like to read. And yet, here he is. I've already read them 7 stories and yet they clamor for more and he obliges. Any wonder why I love this guy? And why they are excited when he gets home?

Thank you again Rae Lynne! I'm sure we'll be "talking" soon in the chatty itty bitty group.

Now I'm off to knit something since the scrapbooking isn't staring at me and making me feel guilty. I'd like to cast on something for a baby but I'll resist and work on some WIPs. Maybe I'll have some wonderful knitting to show like those that inspire me.

Please excuse the spacing. I have edited this post numerous times to remove the extra spacing to no avail.

Out....

2012-01-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Out of pages, out of page protectors, out of some categories of stickers and papers, and, most importantly, out of pictures! Caught up again! Two weeks of the dining room looking like this:

Yielded this:

See how clean that table is? No scrapbooking to do, no sewing projects in the works. Take a good look. It won't last. But for now I'm enjoying the look.

And yielded this:

This is only a part of the scrapbooks I've completed. There are 4 other shelves like this.

I read an article on ways to gain more knitting time. One suggestion was rid yourself of other hobbies. I must admit this is one hobby I would let go of. But this is probably the most important hobby I have to my grandmunchkins. So it stays. If I could keep caught up it wouldn't be such a burden. But I don't enjoy it as much so it tends to get pushed back until I'm six months behind and then it's either get caught up or quit. Sigh....

For now, I'm off to enjoy my knitting because I'm OUT of pictures!

Drumroll....totals

2012-01-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

It's a sense of accomplishment to look back over the year and see I really did accomplish something tangible. Not that that is a neccesity to a life well lived. People not things. But, to a list maker, a list of tangibles does give a feeling of days well spent, even if the house shows a bit of wear and tear, and, um, dust.
So I sort of counted up sewing projects: dresses, bags (lots of bags), shirts, pjs, doll beds, and I'm sure there was more but I couldn't find them. Grand total: 25 Again, I know there were more but I'd rather scrapbook or knit than track them all down.

Knitting projects: 25, which included toys, sweaters, skirts, hats, washcloths

And scrapbooking and photography but I measure those by what month I am up to (or behind to, depending how I choose to look at it), not by how many pages I've done. Let's just go with I am up to the end of August in 5 albums and there are 2 more albums waiting to be downloaded online and ordered.

before 2011 flies away....

2011-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

....a few scenes of Christmas at our house....

the traditional guarding of the presents by our youngest daughter. Her gifts are front and center and all future gifts will be arranged behind them according to importance. And she will decide that. She is consistent along with slightly annoying. But we love her, foibles and all.

The littlest grandmunchkin. For now.

Last year they arrived before the table was set and promptly joined in helping Graypa set the table. It was so much more fun that way that we waited this year until they arrived to set the table.

The Nativity set is enjoyed by yet another grandmunchkin. My favorite thing to come out at Christmas just because I enjoy watching the little, and not so little, play with it.

More table setting help.

I had help in the kitchen too. And I'm going to keep doing it this way. More of a family activity to put Christmas dinner on the table and less of a one woman show.

Dinner is served along with good conversation and laughs. Holidays still hurt but I am thankful for these.

I could not do what I do without these two. Especially my husband. He often times moves faster than I can think but he moves to a faster beat and my brain can't keep up.

Such a cute little frosting face. I had a project after dinner while we were waiting for cousins to arrive of creating a Nativity scene from gumdrops, graham crackers, frosting and more. Little one decided she'd rather eat than create.

The traditional reading of the Nativity story in some form.

Bring on the traditional banana splits! It's been a big winner for several years.

The traditional squirting of the whipped cream into open mouths.

Favorite gifts.

Christmas was over and we were asked to take a little grandmunchkin for a few days. I had a need to go to the ocean so with little one in tow, we headed to the beach for the day.

First stop: McDonald's for breakfast. Don't worry, lunch was at Mo's for seafood!

Despite wind, rain, hail, cold temperatures, we walked on the beach...Twice! There were jelly fish!

There was a bit of sun. Still very cold though.

I go to the sea to breathe, visit the local yarn store, buy yarn, visit the candy store, buy taffy, watch taffy being made, eat fish and chips, visit the cheese factory, look for whales, see a lighthouse, And take in breathtaking scenery.

Building castles of hopes and dreams for 2012. Happy New Year~

keeping the tradtions

2011-12-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

Really??? Christmas is only 3 days away? Yep, I was afraid, very afraid! The knitting is barely started, the sewing is just finished, and the shopping? Well, best not go into that. But I pushed my fright (wink) aside, literally, and got out the makings for sugar cookies. I wanted the grandmunchkins to have some memories of fun things with Nonny. Not a stressed out Nonny, worried about not getting the gifts done, although underneath my smiling exterior, that was reality. I love making gifts for the little ones and I am disappointed those gifts won't be under the tree. Really disappointed. But they don't know that and I don't want them to remember me sitting on the couch furiously knitting while they "go play". So get ready.....

We made cookies! They rolled and cut and decorated.

Well, most of them did. Rolled and cut and decorated. One was more interested in stacking.

And decorating...must decorate. I think, from the grin, he thought this the fun part.

To frost or not to frost, that is the question. Ok, frost.

And taste, definitely, taste.

And the masterpieces are finished!

The traditional sewing is finished! Last year I started making flannel shirts for the boys. This has to be some of the nicest shirting flannel I've found. So soft! And an absolute nightmare to rip out. Ask me how I know?

And the PJs!! They are done too! Except for one nightgown for a naughty girl. She had the audacity to grow!

the lighting of the Advent Candles

2011-12-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

It is a tradition in our church that a young little man, or lady, light the Advent candles each Sunday of Advent. This year, there were 3, all the same age, that have not lit the candles yet, and, are the youngest available in the church with the ability to walk down the aisle, light the candle (s), and not set the church on fire. And the 3, just happened to be my grandchildren. So, being the Nonny that I am, I remembered my camera and below are the rights of being a grandparent...bragging..... Mr. W was the first Sunday of Advent.

And so proud to be the candlelighter. He overshot the candle a bit and headed for the Communion Table but Pastor jumped up and put him back on track.

Great Grammie is our starter for the candlelighters. She lights the candle and sends the little one on their way down the aisle. She is also pretty thrilled with the candle lighter is one of her little ones. The little ones are equally willing to work just so for Great Grammie.

Mr. B lit the candles the second week of Advent.

However, he was over come with a last minute stage fright and grabbed Grammie's hand and pulled her right along with him. There were more than a few wet eyes the day Mr. B and Grammie lit the candles together.

This Sunday, Miss R, lit the candles. Indulge me in a bit more bragging. The dress she wore I made, 14 years ago, for my youngest daughter. It was her first Christmas with her family and she got to light the candles. The dress went in the cedar chest and has come out now for two granddaughters. Miss R was thrilled to wear it and I was thrilled to see it again.

The candles were a bit stubborn for Miss R and she had help from one of the worship team. But what a joy to see these find their place in the church and to work with those older than themselves. And what a joy to see the older reach out to help and interact with the younger.

Thank you for allowing my indulgences. May your Advent be a blessed one. I'm headed for a marathon sewing session as I get the traditional Christmas PJs done. I will be reflecting, per Pastor's message this morning, on why we give gifts. The first, and most perfect Christmas gift was given long ago when God gave His only Son to redeem sinful man.

Re visiting the Thanksgiving celebration

2011-12-08T14:31:00.001-08:00

It's become a tradition the last couple of years to decorate gingerbread houses after Thanksgiving dinner. This year, since dinner and the Civil War were on the same day, we decorated at half time. The game was basically over at half time and the kids', big and little, enthusiasm for football had reached it's peak and was headed down the slippery slope on the other side. Bring on the gingerbread houses! Lots of supervisors as the workers get anxious to get going.

Intense workers. Crafting the perfect house is labor intensive.

Great family activity.

But the lure of the sugar was too much to resist.

For even the older "kids".

Some stayed on task until every piece of candy was placed just so.

There are definitely those in our family that are very enthralled by crafts.

Then there are those that crafts hold the attention for only so long. Or could it be that the sugar high has taken over? Whatever the cause, silly entered in.

And despite the sugar, creativity continues on.

Drumroll....we have the tour of Gingerbread creations....

Each as unique as their owners.

I've been crafting a bit as well. A few more FOs:

placemats and napkins for my swap package

a test knit: Tanvi, 6 month size, also for my swap package (project #23)

the mouse from the Christmas set in Itty Bitty Toys, also for my swap package (project #25)

the little elf from the Spud says blog, also for my swap package (project #24)

details for the knit projects on my ravelry page

So much to be thankful for....

2011-12-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

That I couldn't fit it all in one post! So, another one coming in a day or two. This face is just one of the 6 or 7 I get to be thankful to see each day. And they equally have a lot, a whole lot, of personality (personality is another word for mischieviousness, ahem). This look is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thanksgiving was a bit different for us this year. On the actual day, work schedules interrupted our regularly scheduled sit down dinner. So we celebrated as a family on Saturday. The same day as the Civil War. Ask the guys to sit down for a Thanksgiving meal while the Ducks quack/spank/rout the Beavers? Um, no way that would happen. So we opted for a leftover snack type meal. Turkey sandwiches, hot or cold, chips, veggies and dip, fruit, etc. It was a great way to be together as a family. The younger crowd ate, watched the game, and along about half time, it was time to introduce something else. But that will be in another post.

In anticipation of a sit down dinner, I thought it would be fun to have the kids make a table runner for the table. The table setting that was not to be but the table runner was fun anyway. They painted their hands, made handprints on the "runner" and then added sparkle and legs and other parts to make turkey hand prints. Notice the eager faces? After all, it's paint! And one little girl has been begging to paint for some time.

Another eager crafter, ready to go. She has her paper, which is actually a school paper she swiped from one of the school kids, and her crayon. Little does she know....

This photo answered the question: "How did you get paint in your hair of all things?"

Such a trooper with Nonny's hair brained ideas!

Even our sweet young at heart enjoyed herself and it was great to see these two as a team!

Hmmm, tongue out? Must require lots of attention!

And TA DA>>>>>

Then Auntie S was on a roll, a craft roll.....similar to the Pied Piper, they all followed her lead. The turkey at the top of the post was the result of them getting their craft on.

We were ready, bring on the game. Well, it was a game for a quarter or so but, leaving nothing to chance, the fans stayed in place to make sure of a Duck win.

Even the itty bitty fans.

My poor husband. The single solitary Beaver fan. He has always cheered for the Ducks AND Beavers over anyone, until it comes to the Civil War. Then he's all Beaver fan. Except for the last two years but there were extenuating circumstances. So, in recognition of his stalwartness as a fan, I knit him a consolation prize. Something to cry on, hold in his misery. He said it's tough being a Beaver fan. It is. Meet knitting project for 2011, #22. He is now residing on my husband's dresser waiting for the next Beaver football game.

More details on my ravelry page.

just a quick one....

2011-11-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hello? Are you out there? Just checking since I haven't heard from you for awhile. That's me, bad blogger. But I've been knitting, knitting, sewing, knitting. Just finished a test knit for the fabulous Australian designer, tikki. LOVE her designs and being a test knitter was a privlege. She has no problems getting people to test knit her designs and I was very lucky to be chosen this time. There are usually no openings.

I give you...Elizabeth by Georgie Hallam. I aggresively blocked it which is a kind way of saying, I overblocked the length. I will re block soon and take more pictures. The weather has not been cooperative for outdoor photo shoots. I knit this in Sirdar Baby Bamboo and I will definitely use it again. Yes, there is a lot of it in my stash but that's not the reason I'd use it again. I enjoyed knitting with it, liked how the lace and cables popped, and how easy it was to block.

The sweater is a bit long, maybe a tad big around, but this is her Easter sweater so in 6 months and with re blocking I think the fit will be fine. I have 4 more of these to do. The Moms like to get the Easter dresses for their daughters, as they should, so I'm doing sweaters this year. Whether or not they wear them for Easter is their decision.

As usual, more details and photos on my ravelry project page. And this is my 20th knit this year!

And, no post is complete without cute kid pictures.

Beaverton has a bounce house of sorts. Didn't know that. But it was worth a two hour visit on a rainy Friday afternoon.

The littlest one did not like the inflatables but she like the cars! Beep beep...

The slides were the most popular by far.

My husband took 3 of our grandmunchkins fishing on a Saturday morning. It was cold but they all caught at least one trout.

And Pepper Jack (as my husband calls her) is just, well, cute.

Have a great day. It's definitely a Winnie the Pooh day today so tea and knitting.

No tricks, just Treats!

2011-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's a treat to be able to share the following...First up...another knit finished! I'm going to beat last year's number for sure. This is project #20. Doesn't matter that it only took about 3 hours...it's still a knit project and a fun one. More details on ravelry but more pictures below because it was part of the treats we had come to our door.
Another treat was to introduce, proliferate, convert, etc, my granddaughter to a gathering of knitters. We ladies went to listen and meet the Yarn Harlot! We laughed until we cried and our cheeks hurt. The lady has a way with words. And yarn!

Miss R got her Mommy's book signed. 9pm, no nap, running on adrenalin, and she was so polite and well behaved. Very proud of this little girl!

My Mom went. And my sister, who refused to be photographed. Both enjoyed it as well even though one has not knit for awhile and one has not knit at all. Wonder if my Mom would take it back up if we introduced her to merino wool? She knit with scratchy acrylic.

And here we all are! With the Yarn Harlot! It was a treat of a night!

To be followed several nights later with the real treats of the season....Trick or treaters in the form of grandmunchkins!

Mr. Banana

Super girl!

Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty

Woody

Buzz

Getting ready to trick or treat at the mall

And Soup met us at the mall (See the hat? It completes the costume)

And she treated us later at the door with her adorable little grin and her Mommy and Daddy.

Aren't they the best treats ever? All of them!

More treats at our door!

Well, there was one trick. The weatherman said there may be showers around but you'd have to look hard to find them. Um, we didn't!!! And it wasn't a shower! It was a downpour! Still, it was a treat to see the adorable kids in their element. Candy and kids go hand in hand

You know it's fall when...

2011-10-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

The grapes are ready for picking and juicing. That's what my husband is doing today. He actually likes picking the grapes and making the juice while he's watching football. A win win for him and a huge win for me! Because I am.... finishing up a Halloween costume. Her Daddy calls her "soup", as in chunky soup so he asked for a soup can for her Halloween costume. It took me some time to wrap my brain around it. How could I make it work. The one's that have been done that are on the internet gave a stepping off point but didn't look the way I wanted. So here we have, (insert drumroll here), a soup in a soup can! She's thrilled with her costume. Everytime she sees it she is so overjoyed she cries. After the time and the work, that's how I am choosing to interpret it. Still have to knit the pumpkin hat but it went home with her today to get her used to it.

Here is is minus the enthusiastic trick or treater. I used a wreath form for the top of the can. Then, basically, made a wind sock. I ironed on the letters.

I don't know if there is such a thing as spicy pumpkin soup but it is Halloween and she is a bit of a spicy little one. Just try and take something she thinks is hers!

The nutrition label on the back. My machine, despite being 17 years old, was a top of the line model when I bought it and it came with the capacity to "write".

I eased the torment over the costume by letting her help me pick tomatoes. The last of the garden. It had to be the shortest summer ever but the tomatoes are lasting awhile.

This week my swap package arrived from Canada! In this box of all things. It was perfect, a Nike box! I knew it was going to be good. And it was!

Leanne, from Canada and one of the mainstays of the Itty Bitty Group was my swap partner. She included some great things for the grandmunchkins. Little did she know that she got perfect gel bracelets for the 4 youngest. I'm saving them for their trick or treating. There is a princess one, a fairy one, Spiderman, and Cars. Perfect!

The goody part of the package. I have been hearing about Smarties in the group for awhile and I finally got to try them. They aren't available in the US. I was nice. I shared with the kids, all of them. They truly are yummy!

Here is the entire swap package when I opened the box. The bag is now holding my "to do" supplies for Christmas. I shudder when I see it because it is about full! And I just ordered some yarn for a couple more gifts!

The swap was titled: E is for Elephant and here are the elephant goodies. The puppet is a huge hit! As are the other little ones. I gave one of the elephants to Shega and one is now on my key chain.

And finally! The best part! My little knit elephante! So cute and her knitting is so wonderful. This little gal is by my chair in the living room. Although she did take a nap with one of my granddaughters when she first arrived. Her name, I am told, is Penelope Candace. Penny Candy for short. Now that's cute!

I love what I've created recently!

2011-10-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

This sweater has to be one of my favorite things I have ever knit. Labor intensive but oh, so much fun to knit! A few details are below on knit project 18 but....

First up....finished this little guy one evening. In time to mail out. Yep, he went in a box with some other goodies to my swap partner somewhere close. He was part of my "E is for elephant" swap package in the Itty Bitty group. We were to choose one elephant knit pattern and make that for our swap partner, add some goodies, and ship it out. I did add some elephant goodness but forgot to take a picture of it! As well, all the swappers sent me special goodies for our leader's package and then I shipped it off to her in Three boxes!!! There is a whole lot of love in that group!

I knit this guy using the elephante pattern but I modified him a bit by felting the pieces just a bit before sewing. I added fabric to his ears and leaves to his back. More details on ravelry. Knit project number 19!

But the project I am probably most proud of this year to date is the Princess sweater. It is actually the Lavanda pattern by Elena Nodel. This Canadian designer creates some of the best patterns for kids. They are seamless, usually top down, but fun to knit, and so attractive. I used handpainted superwash Cascade 220 in princess pink to create this sweater for one of my princesses. I found the Beauty and the Beast buttons on etsy and they finished the theme. I did make a couple of modifications to the pattern and the details are on my ravelry project page.

Hood up from the back. I continued the hood in the ribbing from the bodice. The pattern called for stockinette but I got up a bit and just didn't like it so I modified it. I do like the continuity of the rib pattern.

Beauty and the Beast buttons. Little Miss picked which buttons she wanted used and the order.

So how much fun can you have in the fall?

2011-10-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently quite a bit if the pictures of the pumpkin patch outing are any judge. We've gone to the pumpkin patch as a family the last couple of years. Breakfast casserole, load up the cars, do the corn maze, pick the pumpkins, explore whatever else is available there, lunch, and head home. One of my favorite times of year. One of my favorite family events. Really, they were having fun. Perhaps tired of the photo session, perhaps a little hungry, but really, having fun!

Ahhh, that face describes the event a little better. Or does it?

Notice the 15 year old in the back. Chalk this one up because we actually had all 9 grandmunchkins there! That was really the icing on the cake. And this isn't your typical 15 year old with the little ones. He is really good with them and seems to enjoy being around them!

Sigh....there are no words. Unlike my grandmunchkins, my munchkins definitely are tired of my camera. This is there idea of giving me a good picture...sigh again.....perhaps blackmail in later years?

News flash...seriously, a man asking for directions! We were hopelessly lost in the corn maze and made it out to where we started but we were trying to find the middle. We never did find it but it wasn't because someone didn't ask for directions!

And after all the fun, I finished my 17th knit for 2011! And knits 18, 19, and 20 are on the needles! This was a test knit for the barbarian horde, an Australian designer. I can see myself making more of these...Valentine's Day? In reds or pinks. More details and a link to the pattern on my ravelry page.

I haven't been slacking...

2011-09-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

except on writing blog posts! Between teaching school 4 days a week and grandmunchkins here 12 hours a day four days a week, I'm thrilled with what has been accomplished outside of that. Especially in the sleep department! But there's been some knitting and a lot of sewing. First up, a test knit for Andiomenia. This is the Belle skirt, size 10. It was published in the August Classic Elite free patterns. It is knit out of Cascade Sierra. More details on my ravelry page. Unfortunately, the granddaughter I intended it for...grew! So it is languishing in the closet until one of the other granddaughters grows a bit. I think it will be awhile.

I bought a bag pattern from another blog. It's the Go Anywhere Bag. I saw the bag on a blog I read and loved it. I still love the pattern and can see myself using it repeatedly. I've already made 9 of them! The pattern was $8 so I've go my money's worth. I'm in the middle of another swap with the Itty bitty group on ravelry, E is for Elephants. Hence the jungle fabric. It was the only elephant fabric I could find to make a bag. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I bought enough to make 3 bags. I didn't know that at the time but just bought a couple of yards without a clear direction as to what kind of a bag I was going to make my swap partner until I saw this pattern. But the one in the photo above I'm saving for me, after I enter it in the fair next year.

I've had this beach fabric in my stash for a long time waiting for the right project. I found it. This was my second "beach bag" since my daughter absconded with the first. It's a good thing since the lining of that bag was from the sheets I had made for her changing table and then repurposed since the fabric was like new.

Another jungle bag, but for my swap partner. There is a third, just like this one but it's a surprise as to whom it's going to.

I found lining fabric that coordinated with the outside fabric. Again, bought both without a clear direction as to their use in my swap package until I found this pattern!

I've been collection dolphin and whale fabric in half yard increments because my younger daughter loves both and has them all over her room. So I dug them out and she now has a new knitting bag as well!

Instead of using piping on the pockets, I used a rope type trim. I used it on the first beach bag as well but couldn't find anymore.

And then, there are the fall bags. One for me that has several knitting projects already stuffing it full, and two for the upcoming knitting retreat as a raffle prize and a gift for the teacher.

And last, I made two books, soft books. One to send with the swap package, one to go in the Christmas bag. They also coordinate with the bag. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

I should have more projects done this week. There are several on the needles so maybe I won't be slacking in the blog posts~

Celebrating What's Good in America

2011-09-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the tragedy of lives lost at the hands of terrorists. Nor the bravery of those that responded without thought for themselves because that's what they do. Nor the strong leadership that stepped up and led our country and gave voice of strength to the American people. Nor the military that are still fighting the war on terror. Or watching those buildings, that were a symbol of strength, fall. Especially not forget watching so many turn to the only one that could protect our nation, that blessed it in the first place: God. Watching as prayer became not just alright, but a good thing. I won't forget. I won't forget what is good about this country, which made it a target to begin with and on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, we chose to focus on who made our country blessed and great in the beginning, with our church family. We gathered to pray, to fellowship, to enjoy our family and friends and thank God above for them and for this great country we are blessed to live in. And pray that we will turn back to the God that made us great. "If my people will humble themselves and pray, I will heal their land".

Warning! Picture intensive!

2011-08-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

We went camping!

We're back! From a week camping with the family and it was one of the best camping trips ever since our kids were little. We camped at Ft Stevens, an old Fort, built for the Civil War and retired after WWII. This is one of the batteries, perfect for climbing, exploring, playing hide and seek, and reading it's history. It actually was fired on by a Japanese sub in WWII and returned the fire.

There was squirrel feeding... There were 3 generations...although the youngest generation shook her head, "no" whenever the first generation held out his arms to hold her.

Food aplenty and lots of family meal times....

There were marshmellows, smores, and dirty children that got showers every night which prompted the quote: "Is this water sanitary? It looks questionable to me!"

There were WWII displays at the Fort. This jeep had been completely rebuilt by this man and he was kind enough to let the little ones sit in it and honk the horn. He had an authentic WWII uniform on.

There were bubbles....

There was the all time best camp food ever...according to my daughter...peanuts in the shell.

Games on the picnic table....

There were opportunities to explore an old ship wreck, the Peter Iredale, dubbed the "pirate ship" by the grandmunchkins.

There were opportunities to cook dinner, or part of it, over the fire. A friend calls this "snake on a stick" and we've adopted it. Biscuits roasted over the fire and then coated with butter and cinnamon and sugar.

Fireside times....

There was another fort to explore, Ft. Clatsop. There were period clothes to try on.....

Even one year olds found the fort fun to explore.

There was the Astoria Column to climb....

And, oh my, there were bike trails galore to explore! Or just ride around the loop over and over.

There was the beach! But it didn't last long because as is typical of Oregon, if the valley is warm and hot, the beach is cold and windy.

And a vacation for my husband is not complete if there isn't fishing involved! He went out and brought back a salmon for dinner! It was wonderful!

And we started out our camping adventure with....WORK! The garden is producing and there were fresh green beans for dinner. After being snapped by these 3 energetic campers.

What didn't get done? Knitting! Crocheting! A little reading but that was it!

Delightful Dolly swap!

2011-08-13T21:33:00.001-07:00

Swap time again in the Itty Bitty group! This one was called Delightful Dolly. You had a choice to sew a doll or knit the one from Itty Bitty toys or knit one of your choice. You were to provide clothes for dolly and whatever else deemed neccessary to make dolly a joy to a child.
I received my package today! This is indeed the dolly from Itty Bitty toys and she brought along Chloe from Spud and Chloe on the Farm. I have a start now on the farm set! The dolly and Chloe were knit by my swap partner, Pat, and the blanket was knit by her friend Janie, also in the Itty Bitty group. The dolls are truly a work of art. The stitching is so perfect and they are soft and cuddly. The sweater, booties, hat, and panties she knit for the doll are beautiful! This is the whole swap package. Oh my goodness. Can you spell spoiled? There is a nightie for the doll, Spud and Chloe yarn to knit the pigs from the farm set, Jordan almonds (which I will share with my Mom since she loves them), stickers, a fairyland activity set, and colored pencil set for the grandmunchkins, a rubber ducky and baby bottles for the doll, a tablet in the shape of a dress, flower buttons, a Raggedy Ann and Andy pattern (that I almost bought last week!), and stitch markers shaped like the nesting dolls. Did I forget anything? I wouldn't be surprised if I did since there was so much!

Here is another glimpse of the blanket. It is so soft and squishy. The little girls are going to have so much fun with these things.

I sent my package out today. I tried knitting the doll and suffice to say, she didn't get finished. I would show you more of the package but I'll wait until my swap partner receives it. Here are a few glimpses of the actual doll. I ended up making three of them since I had the fabric. And then...I threw the pattern away. Horrible pattern. Hard to sew up. Spent more time ripping than I did sewing just to get the seams right. Perhaps I'm a perfectionist but sewing a doll shouldn't be that hard. She did turn out cute though and I am pleased with her. I included her bed and my daughter made her blanket. There were other things in the package so I'll post more later.

Just a close up of her face.

I have another knitting project finished but the pattern is being published and until it is, I can't show it. Hopefully next week. I loved it.

In the Good old summertime....

2011-08-03T14:09:00.001-07:00

It seems like everyone and everything are busy! Little girls and ladybugs. Some little girls recover from surgery.

While other little girls take in the fair...pigs, and sheep, and chickens, and bunnies, and cows...oh my!

And elephants too?

And what's a fair without cotton candy?

The bees and butterflys are busy, busy, busy....

Which means there are flowers to pick,

and fresh vegetables to harvest,

and taste for the first time, or the umpteenth time,

and there is more on the way.

Gotta go, summer is calling!

So what do YOU do when you go camping?

2011-07-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Our church family has been camping together for one week in the summer for 33 years. The very first campout was organized by mother in law and I was pregnant with our daughter. She organized it for many many years after. I don't think we've missed but one, maybe two, in 33 years. The campouts started at Cape Lookout and gradually moved to Ft. Stevens State Park. It is the site of a Civil War fort that actually saw action with the Japanese in WWII. The fort, or parts of it still stand and there are tours available or self guided tours. Ft. Stevens, other than the history, has something for everyone! Allow me to provide a tour as I take you through the photos from our trip. Unfortunately only half of our family could make it this time. But we enjoyed those that did come. The beach. For me, enough said. On the beach of Ft Stevens state park is what's left of the Peter Iredale that ran aground years ago and has been slowing giving up it's hull to the sand and sea. But for now, it's a landmark. Our grandson dubbed it the "pirate" ship so that's what we call it now.

To get anywhere at Ft Stevens there are paved, and not paved trails. A bike is definitely a plus but walking, lots of walking, is possible to get to the beach, the fort, the battery, the lake, and etc.

Daddy and daughter came down for the little one's first camping trip. She was not thrilled with the beach, or rather the sand.

Sorry little one, it will come, your love for the beach and sand...fingers crossed...since most of the family Loves the beach!

If you're camping, hot dogs and s'mores are a must. And for this age group, clean up!

Exploring the pirate ship.

Must.have.kites. at the beach. Daddy turned out to be a great kite flyer. Two of the boys got new kites for their recent birthday, a helicopter and Buzz Lightyear.

Once Daddy got them up, they were passed around and everyone, including yours truly, took a hand at flying them.

Ahhh, sand and kids...a match made in Heaven!

Ft. Stevens state park also boasts a lake, Coffenbury Lake. It has swimming, fishing, rowing, hiking, a sand hill to climb, and as our grandson found out, a place to create an engineering marvel. With Mom's help.

There's also a playground to explore, or take pictures of kids exploring.

And what better way to end the day than with bubbles around the campfire...or bubbles filling Mommy's chair! With great enthusiasm. Or is it from s'more overload that the enthusiasm is so high?

Is it Here?? Finally?

2011-06-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

Well, it was just a tad cool to be really sprinkler weather but they thought if they dressed appropriately for summer weather, summer weather would appear. It didn't. But then it's not the Fourth yet. That's the official start of summer in the northwest, no matter what the calender says. Despite lower temps than the weathermen predicted, the sprinkler was great amusement. And great fun for someone who likes to take pictures. Talk about photo ops...kids and water..what could be better!

This captures it all. And is one of my favorites!

Someone was less than pleased at being left out of all the fun. This is her version of her hands on her hips. In disgust.

The temps and weather did cooperate for the first hot dog roast in the backyard.

And what hot dog roast is complete without smores for dessert? This girl is going to get every last morsel.

And the first corn on the cob. That tasted even better than the smores...in my opinion.

I did a little stash busting for summer skirts for the girls. The pattern is a free one on the web. It's called the Marketplace Skirt. Super fun to sew, great stash buster, and cute too. Our niece posted it on facebook with the link. The pattern is a tutorial as well as a pattern. Great photos and instructions and I'm using it to teach my granddaughter to sew a bit more this summer.

Once again, thanks to my sister, and her decorating scheme gone awry, I was the recipient of some really cute fabric, perfect for summer skirts! There was enough of the main print to make 3 skirts with enough left over for some tops I think. The 3rd skirt is my granddaughter's summer sewing project. I'll post some photos when she's done. It's cut out but she had to do a bit of math to revise the pattern for a 10 year old size. There were instructions in the pattern.

I purchased t shirts for all of the kids when we were back in DC so there was no need to sew 4th of July shirts this year. Good thing since I have some test knitting in the works. But I had some red, white, and blue in my stash, enough to make two skirts. The weather is supposed to be nice on the 4th so the girl's can wear these over shorts or leggings if they want. Even if they don't wear them, I had fun sewing them! And they were great stash busters. If I can't bust my yarn stash, I can bust my fabric stash. And keep the stash down.

Fourth of July skirt number 2 for the 4 year old.

And one more summer skirt. I think I'm done sewing for a week or so. Then there is a jacket to make for the fair, and a birthday!

A little sewing and a lot of ranting

2011-06-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing since I was young, say about 12 or 13. So that's around 30 years. Of late, I haven't enjoyed it as much, it seems to take a lot longer to finish something, and I'm doing more ripping. This last sewing session I figured it all out. It's not me. It's the patterns! When I started sewing, finishing the inside meant almost as much as the outside. And this was before sergers did a large portion of it for you. The patterns included instructions, and even tutorials, on how to finish the garment. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. It's more of a "git 'er done" kind of pattern. The end result is home made versus hand made. So, because of earlier training, and personal preference, I spend much of my sewing time reading the pattern and re-writing it to include nice finish details. In defense of the patterns somewhat, I have always hated hand sewing so I've always re-written patterns to avoid hand sewing if at all possible. But not to the extent I'm having to change them up now. This skirt/blouse/slip was made from an older pattern that I bought when my daughter was young. It was a joy to sew. I did change a little bit for personal preference, not because I needed to add to the pattern. The denim from which the skirt is sewn has butterflies embossed on it which is perfect for the 10 year old for which it was made. She has butterfli in her name and she Is a butterfly! Happy Birthday to my sweet 10 year old granddaughter. The slip and blouse fabric came from my sister. I love it when she isn't pleased with her decorating schemes and destashes the fabric.

So, this is the pattern that caused the rant above. The yoke was just sewn on, not lined. I lined it. The bolero in the picture below was also not lined and the pattern called for the edges to be finished with bias tape. I lined it and made it reversible. After "fixing" the pattern, I am very happy with the results. I had to find the fabric on ebay. I originally purchased this fabric at JoAnn's but they no longer carry it. It was perfect for my granddaughter's first birthday and I'm thankful I could find it again.

The bolero was stash fabric but worked perfectly with the dress.

And, the last sewing project for the session was doll beds. Also from my sister's decorating scheme gone awry, in her opinion. I'm not sure if I'm going to add the one doll bed to my toy collection for the grandmunchkins to play with here or give it as a birthday present. The other doll bed is destined for a swap partner in the Delightful Dolly swap in the Itty Bitty Group. The pattern is old. How old? I used this pattern to make a doll bed for my daughter and it is now being used by her daughter to give you an idea. It's supposed to have cardboard in it to make it stand up a bit. I used interfacing but wanted it washable, so no cardboard.

I'm half way through the year and 15 knitting projects completed. Sewing projects: 17, but some of those were more than one thing in a project, ie, in the knitting bags for WWKIP, there were 15 bags but I counted it as one project.

Two down....

2011-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Two birthdays and two wips. But before I get to that, here's a shot of our local WWKIP event. Yep, we converted one to the dark side. And I think we got her, hook, line, and sinker. She knit all day Saturday, even in church, ahem, and she's still knitting! She's not usually one to "sit still" so I am pleasantly surprised. Hopefully it gives her something to be quiet with when she has to. Two down, six to go...birthdays that is. We are in the midst of grandmunchkin birthday season. Or rather just beginning it. 8 birthdays in 8 weeks. Try keeping up with that if you like to make your gifts, which I do.

There are ways of buying some time. For example, have the birthday girl, who turned 10 today, frost her own cupcakes...it's a win win, they have fun doing it, and I can take pictures while they are occupied. All kidding aside, they love doing it and why not let them have some fun in the preparations.

This is the first birthday of the season. She turned one! Already! We were honored to host her first birthday party. Her Mommy and Daddy did all the work of party preparations and used our home. It was supposed to be an outdoor bbq but, as is typical of Oregon, it rained. So we spread out indoors.

After her party, her parents dedicated her to the Lord at their church. For me this was an answer to prayer. To see her parents dedicated to bringing her up to know Jesus and outwardly showing it and put themselves in a role of accountability for that.

Birthday 1 of 8

Birthday 2 of 8

And then, drumroll, there are 2 WIPs down, I think 2 to go! Sure there are a lot more projects with yarn and patterns partnered up, but none actually on the needles so they don't count as WIPs. These have been on the needles for a bit, the above for 4 months, the below for over a year. Whew! They are done and to the little ones for which they were intended. Both are on my ravelry page. The above is the Hoot Cardigan, project #15 for 2011. Below is Dainty Dancer, project #14 for 2011.

In "the zone"

2011-06-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

"The zone" is what my husband calls the sewing room. Especially when I get in there and don't come out...for anything. I quickly enter and plan to exit a whole lot faster than I do.
WWKIP is coming up and once again I volunteered to make gift bags. 15 of them. That would have been a quick trip to "the zone". But, face it, they're boring to sew and it left me wanting more. That required creativity. I had two dresses cut out from a pattern in "Sewing with Whimsey". I thought I'd finish them. Quickly. I needed one more and my sister had supplied some material I didn't have room for in my stash drawers. So now we have dress number 3. And after cutting out dress number 3, I didn't like the white on dress number 2. So I recut the skirt time and bodice. Onto the sewing.

I didn't come out of "the zone" for 2 more days. But I'm over the wanting to sew creatively...for a bit. My granddaughters have summer dresses. Well, two of them do. The third one is way too big for the youngest so she'll get it next summer. In the meantime I'll enter it in the fair.

While I love the dresses in the book, the patterns are sadly lacking in finishing instructions. The cuteness is all on the outside and one is left to their own devices to make the inside look finished. Therefore, I'd say the patterns would frustrate a beginning seamstress.

Some more FO's

2011-06-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

Despite the rain and cool temperatures we've been having, the garden is an FO! Well, mostly. Still have the pumpkins and purple potatoes to plant and the herb garden but the green beans, beets, kolorabi, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, and onions are in! Did I forget anything?

I had help...for a bit... and then.... .....you get the picture. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles...definitely more fun!

I was hoping to have two sweaters out of the WIP pile and in the FO pile but not just yet. Maybe by Friday? However! I did get my swap package in the mail last week and my swap partner received it over the weekend. Yet another swap in the Itty Bitty Group. This one was on cupcakes with the requirements being the cupcake hat and the cupcake pincushion. They are swappers extrodinaire. We have such fun as virtual friends. We've been swapping for over a year now with new people joining in that just adds to the fun and friendships. And now RAK has been added in and that really adds to the closeness of the group.

My swap partner had her daughter model the hat. She is 6 months old and the hat is soooo much cuter on a sweet little face. Both were fun and easy to knit. Details on my ravelry page.

I added a crocheted hot pad. Fun to crochet, well written pattern. But, alas, not sure how much more crocheting I can do, especially with cotton. It made my hands and wrists hurt and I ended up taking Alieve to finish. I do love to crochet though so I'll probably tough through some more crochet projects but few and far between. Knitting does not affect my hands or wrists since I taught myself continental knitting.

Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Gearing up for the lazy days of summer...

2011-05-23T13:21:00.001-07:00

by racing through the spring! My goodness it's been busy with the programs that run throughout the fall and winter finish up and the garden starts up. Here's a smattering of what life has held in store over the last weeks.....Awana ended for our church and there were the awards on the last night. I am blessed to help my daughter with the Cubbies. They sang for the church before getting their awards. Wish I had sound and video so you could get the full effect. Let's just say cute doesn't begin to describe it.

Our granddaughter finished up her book the night of the awards! She did it! Applause!

There was a ladies tea at our church. And I was blessed, again, to take these very fine ladies. Not to mention beautiful, well mannered, fun, and a few more adjectives.

Very fine ladies indeed. And they enjoyed playing the part once we arrived at the tea in borrowed boas and hats.

Spring means garden. I love when the rain stops long enough for us to start getting our hands dirty. I stopped canning several years ago except for grape juice and applesauce so the garden is all about feasting on fresh vegetables throughout the summer and early fall. My husband does most of the getting ready and I do most of the weeding and we share, with our grandmunchkins, the harvesting. We're trying some new things this year to make vegetables fun...stay tuned!

The gang is planting the cucumber seeds in our very mini greenhouse.

And the last night of Awana was a roller skating party! Another fun time that we enjoyed as helpers with Awana. This is just one picture of many of little ones determined to master the wheels on their feet. This little one in particular gave up the help before the night's end and stated she was going to go around the big rink "by myself". She did. But was even more impressive was the older kids in the Awana group that would stop in and ask how she was doing and if she needed help instead of just whizzing on by.

We didn't just plant our own garden this year. My husband's mom loves having a garden but it's a big job to get it all planted so we brought a planting crew this year. I think she enjoyed the planting crew more than she enjoyed the fact that her garden got planted!

And the crew got to put into action the verse they learned in Sunday School: "...Do good and be ready to share...." They shared their time, their smiles, and their respect.

It's out of place but a last night of Awana shot with our grandmunchkins. We are their grandparents but we also are very blessed by the Awana program and help out on Wednesday nights. Our own children were blessed by Awana and we're thrilled to see our grandmunchkins being blessed as well.

And I managed a bit, just a bit, of knitting. And some sewing too but I'll put that in the next post.

A headband from Never Not Knitting. But I didn't have time to knit the flowers or bees or birds so I sewed on some pretty trims I had. A two hour project and a great use of a little yarn.

And a hat that I was asked to make, um, about 4 months ago. This was for a foster daughter of a family that attends our Awana program. She has very little hair and wears lots of hats. She asked me to make her one for her wardrobe. She loved it so much she wore it to bed the night I gave it to her and said "it made her feel God's love in her head". Wow, there is no better thanks than that!

Another knitting project for the tally!

2011-05-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Another test knit for Elena! I've started volunteering to test knit all her patterns since I love every one of them. This is the Tropical Fish skirt, project 2011-8. It's knit from Tahki Cotton Classic mostly from the stash. Since Miss R wanted pink and "puple" I had to head to the Knitting Bee for a pink and a purple to fill in. That was before April 24th when the Cold Sheeping began. More about that later. I knit a size 2-4T and the fit is perfect. Full details on my ravelry page.

This was really my first project with the Tahki Cotton Classic but I will definitely use it again. It knit well, although a bit splitty at times. I've seem much worse. It washed well, but I laid it flat to dry so the lace would open up. All in all, I'm thrilled with how it came out. I'm not usually a fan of knit skirts but this changed my mind. I think the combination of the cotton yarn and the pattern it what changed my mind.

The girly princess was really happy with it. I have one more detail to add but the cut off date for the test knit was May 10th so I wanted to get it entered.

Now about that Cold Sheeping...I joined a group on ravelry to hold me accountable to use it up or do without. I have too much yarn so I put myself on a diet, ok a real diet, but also a yarn diet. Until OFFF and then until the shop hop in 2012. Hold me to it!

sit back, get some coffee, Easter Weekend photos~

2011-04-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

They say a photo is worth 1000 words. Well then, this post must be a novel, or several novels. Think the Lord of the Rings series. The weekend started with the annual Guild Shop Hop. This was my fourth year and my daughter's second. I didn't take too many pictures. I was too busy shopping and making decisions. Suffice to say it was as enjoyable as always. But this was it for me. The yarn diet has begun. No new yarn until next year's shop hop. There are too many beautiful yarns in my stash begging for their turn on the needles and out of the totes/bags/boxes.

This was the first stop on the tour (after Starbucks) and it is the yarn store I usually frequent so it was like coming home but with a big discount!

Since it was Easter weekend, there were eggs to be colored for the Easter egg hunt. Ok, so I love to color eggs and use the grandmunchkins as an excuse.

There is a difference in the egg coloring of 3-4 year olds and 9-10 year olds. It's 55 minutes!

And then Easter Sunday was upon us. The verse Pastor started his message with rang in my head for the remainder of the day: There is now therefore No Condemnation! I am no longer condemned by my sin. Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. Such good news and the day would have been sufficient with that good news. My life would have been sufficient with that news. But I am thankful God has more in store for me.

Like beautiful grandmunchkins dressed up for Easter Sunday! Little Miss R does not care for Easter bonnets so she opted for a tiara she got from her recent trip to Disneyland.

Check out Mr. W. He had me laughing all day and again as I went back through the Easter pictures. He was in rare form. Actually, not so rare for him. He reminds me of another with his personality. And that can bring the tears. I miss him so much and I wish I had enjoyed that personality of his even more than I did.

The princess and her court jesters?

Another sweet princess ready for the Easter egg hunt at church.

My husband greets and hands out bulletins every Sunday morning. He involves the grandmunchkins as part of his greeting committee. They've learned to shake hands, say "good morning" and, when it's someone special, give hugs.

Our youngest grandmunchkin in her first Easter finery. She was a little tired and later started running a fever so she was more sober than usual.

And, of course, Easter means pictures for the scrapbooks. Little Miss R was about fed up with pictures as well as being tired and hungry. Note to self...pictures only before church, not after!

The family pictures......

Like I said: Note to self..pictures before church!

After church we went to my parents for Easter dinner. In their mid 70's and they still had 30 people for Easter dinner!

After filling their tummies with good food, it was time to hunt eggs, real and those filled with chocolate.

However! This egg hunt may be one for the books! My husband grabbed the eggs from the fridge to hunt. ALL the eggs. Can you see the drip coming from the bag? Some of those eggs were white...for a reason...they weren't hard boiled. The Easter bunnies that hid the eggs did question why some of the eggs were white but hid them anyway. Oooops! Ah well, we all laughed and this egg hunt will stand out from the others.

Even the big kids found amusement in the toys found hidden in the eggs. One of the memories I came away with after Easter, especially after Easter dinner at my parents, was how much the family loves the children. There were 9 little ones under the age of 10 and there were pats on the head, hugs, help with hunting and hiding eggs, serving them dinner, laughter, toys for them to play with.

If you stayed with this post to the very end, go have some chocolate, you've earned it!

the not so "lame" Easter basket

2011-04-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

My son proclaimed that wicker Easter baskets are "lame". He asked me to make an Easter basket like he had as a boy, only bigger, purple, and the bunny rather than the duck for his daughter's first Easter. 30 years of added sewing experience, a better sewing machine, a bit bigger budget, and better fabric yielded this not so "lame" Easter basket. I agonized over the fabric, for an hour! Not because I couldn't decide, but because the selection of purple fabric was so limited! 10 bolts of purple. I almost gave up and went to a quilt shop but I was worried about not finishing it in time.

It's all in the details.

Other than needing some orthodontic work, the bunny is pretty cute.

The pattern was written many years ago and by someone who believes in hand sewing. I do not like hand sewing and try to avoid it if possible. So I altered the way some things were done. I also enlarged the pattern width and length, interfaced all the pieces, and doubled the batting. I am very pleased with how it turned out. It took about 5 hours but with the improvements I made to the pattern, I could do another in less time. And there will be another, and another, and another. But for next Easter. No time for this Easter. I left the pattern out and will make a few a month I think.

We just got back from a wonderful week in Washington DC. We didn't get to see everything on our list but what we did see wet our appetite to go back and see some more. I'm wading through the almost 700 pictures and hopefully will have a blog post soon that gives a taste of what we saw.

Until then....Happy Easter!

A shout out for swaps!

2011-04-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

Swaps with the Itty Bitty Group on ravelry are THE.BEST! It's a great group of women outside of the swaps. Genuinely caring about others in the group, open arms to new people, prayers for those in the group hurting, lots of virtual hugs, and wonderful knitters/crocheters. But add the swap dimension and you add fun to the group as well as lots of chatter. I went to church and came home to find 86 posts in the new swap thread! Our latest swap just finishing up was an Easter swap. My swap partner packed a box with my grandmunchkins in mind so there was candy and bubbles and a toy and bunny ears to name a few things. The package had to include one hand made element but not neccesarily knitting since it was a fast swap. My partner included a hand made hand towel. But it is so cute I think I'm going to use it for a table runner on Easter. She had stitched the facial elements. Beautifully done!

Hard to beat this little bunny for cuteness.

Here is the whole package. A kit to make a bunny or chick also had to be included and there was Spud and Chloe to make the hen and chicks in the new Spud and Chloe farm book. I love Spud and Chloe yarn and the book is adorable. Hmmmm, might squeeze that in knitting bag for something fun to knit on the plane.

My package went out yesterday. Included was this bunny hat from Itty Bitty Hats for my swap partner's new granddaughter. That would be knit number 7. Doesn't sound like much for 4 months but there are 4 projects on the needles that will bump up the number. As well there was a lot of sewing and scrapbooking the first of the year so there was little knitting time. More details on the hat on my ravelry page.

Whew....I haven't lost my touch

2011-03-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

In sewing that is. The last sewing session was more about correcting "oops" than it was creative. And I just wasn't really happy with the Minnie top. The straw that broke the camel's back was when my daughter commented it was a bit big in the neckline and could I add a piece to keep it on her shoulders. I.hate.repairs. I would much, much rather make from scratch than try and repair or creatively alter something I've already done. A bit more fabric (at 50% off) and wa la...a new top. One I am much happier with. One the little girl is much happier with. One the Mommy is happier with. Whew!

And I finished another knitting project for 2011, #6. A quick one for the Easter swap in the Itty Bitty group. We are required to put in a bunny of some sort, a chick of some sort, and some chocolate. Only one thing has to be handcrafted since our timeline was short. I finished some sewing and one knitting project for my package. There is another on the needles I hope to show on Finished Friday since the package is supposed to be in the mail on Friday.

I'm not the only creative one! Look at what this guy does with Lincoln logs!

Sewwwwww Finished!

2011-03-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

I really like to sew. It's a source of relief, comfort, a place to be alone with my thoughts. I had a pile of sewing to finish. I'd finished up all the scrapbooking! So now, to finish up the sewing projects and escape the sewing/scrapbook room for a bit. Plus I am seriously behind on my knitting. It turned into a comedy of errors. It was an emotional weekend with the nightmare of the past year front and center and then my angelic??? daughter decided this weekend to try my patience. So the sewing was not a place of relief, more like torture and with a "git 'er done" frame of mind. I am grateful I have more than a few years of sewing under my too tight belt or my projects would have been in the garbage. I could turn mistakes into design features. Guess where my grandmunchkins are going??? If they're going to meet one of my favorite characters, they must be dressed appropriately. Plus it gave me an excuse to play with Disney fabric. I have a love/hate relationship with boys shirts. They tax every ounce of knowledge I have, they are fiddley, they can't be just sewn up, and mistakes are obvious. At the same time I am very proud of every shirt I sew (that looks good) because they tax every ounce of knowledge I have and they are fiddley and they require concentration.

This was my last sewing project for the session and one I had high hopes for. I loved the material and the trims I found and I thought the pattern would work for what I had in mind. Not sew. And it turned out I was sewing this while tired, emotional, and right after a, um, session with my stubborn daughter. See the second band after the trim? That wasn't supposed to be there. I cut it too short. See the pleats in the sleeves? My addition as well. The sleeves looked like wings and were exposing to say the least. One of the reasons I am grateful to have some sewing knowledge or this would have been in the garbage and totally re-made...maybe.

And then there was this guy. Enjoy the following story. I could not get him to pose with his shirt. He was more concerned with unzipping his pants!

Oh, were you taking pictures?

Ok, you have my attention. For now. But make it quick!

The swaps in the Itty Bitty group are nothing short of addicting. I can't seem to pass one up. This one is "B" and "C" for bunnies and chicks for....wait for it....Easter! It's a quick one with only 3 weeks to get the package in the mail since some packages go clear around the world to Australia and Ireland. So we were to include a kit for a bunny or chick related something from one of the Itty Bitty books, some chocolate, and something hand made. This time it could be sewn, knit, crocheted, whatever. Most are sewing or knitting or both. I am one of those doing both.

This was my "practice" bag. For me. I didn't like the way the Easter fabric took over so I adjusted my swap partner's bag. This was going to be mine but a certain little girl wants it so we'll see.....

This is my swap partner's bag. I found, after stalking her on ravelry, she likes green so green it is. I hope the whole swap package will fit in this bag.

This bag is for her "kit".

I also found, after stalking, that she's looking for a dpn case. I hope this fits the bill. I made 3 of them from a pattern I found on etsy, one for her, one for my daughter, and one for me. I made a few changes but if I were to do it again I'd make a lot more than a few changes. For now, it works, and I have the finished case for measurements if I want to do another.

And Sew! I am sew finished! With scrapbooking and sewing. Onto to the knitting pile!

Putting life on hold....

2011-03-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, as much as possible. But with adorable and active little ones around, there is only so much you can put on hold. She's on the move....which means keeping carpets vacumed, doors closed, floors mopped, coffee tables cleaned off.

We couldn't let Dr. Seuss' birthday pass without some fun. So there were Cat in the Hat hats to create.

And a birthday cake to blow out the candles.

But when I wasn't busy with grandmunchkins I was addressing the New Year's resolution 2011- catch up the grandmunchkin's scrapbooks. New Year's resolution 2011-done! I didn't exercise, except for a few walks, didn't eat, much, didn't do anything the last couple of weekends, except...scrapbook! 2010 is all in the books! There are a few more pictures coming today for January and February 2011 which should take an evening to scrapbook and then I am caught up. It just wasn't getting it down to do a few pages a day. With adorable grandmunchkins changing rapidly I was taking pictures faster than I was scrapbooking them and getting further behind. Now, the next resolution...stay caught up and enjoy scrapbooking again!

There was another swap in the Itty Bitty group in the midst of all that scrapbooking.
The theme was, "Let's start at the very beginning" or, in other words, "A" is for apple. It was an apple swap.

Three more knits for my 2011 tally. These were the requirements for the swap package. The rest was left up to our discretion, choice, and creativity.

This is the hat I received in my swap package. It is adorable on the youngest grandmunchkin.

And talk about creativity! This is the swap package I received from my swap partner...all the way from Ireland!

Here's to hoping the blog stays caught up with the scrapbooking. There are some sewing and knitting projects in the works!

FO Friday

2011-03-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Only I'm not the one with the FO. It's our daughter in law! She finished her schooling! She graduated! With Academic achievement! With the extra of being a school ambassador! We were blessed to attend her graduation Friday night. Along with 4 of our grandchildren, her Mom, and her Grandmother. We are so proud of her. She worked hard and she now has a career she enjoys and already has a job in the field for which she trained so hard. She works long hours and it tires her out but at least she enjoys going to work. The first of her support team.

The second. And likely the one most supportive and proud of her Mom. She diligently watched the entire graduation and cheered the loudest.

The third member of the support team.

And the fourth. Who shortly before this picture of quiet and serene, was bouncing around and giggling like a bowl of jello!

And, Mom is tired, but happy. It was a great night.

Wip Wednesday, or is it FO Friday?

2011-02-16T13:24:00.001-08:00

Most of the projects that were in progress last Wednesday are still.in.progress. And I didn't get to do an FO Friday because nothing was FO. So, I'm posting a few things I finished up today, on Wednesday. And hopefully, fingers crossed, there will be more FOs on Friday.

I've been in a scrapbooking marathon, mostly on the weekends, sun up to sun down and beyond. I want to be caught up. It was the one New Year's resolution I intend to keep. I am up through August, so still 5 months behind but up through August is huge in this family. All of the grandmunchkins, but one, have birthdays June, July, and August. 8 of them. So being caught up through August means I'm through birthday season. (As an aside, two more months of pictures just arrived on my doorstep-I see another marathon weekend in my future.) Another reason to be caught up is the big trip we have planned in a few months (as Bobbie correctly guessed-Washington DC!!!) and there will be pictures. These are a few of my favorite page layouts, just a few, because there were so many I liked that I picked just two and then one more jumped out at me.

I liked the layout below so much I copied it in every book. I usually get ideas from my own head but once in awhile I use a book for inspiration. I very rarely copy the book idea in all the details but just use it as a jumping off spot. Such was the case in the layout below.

After, whew, all the scrapbooking, I felt the urge to sew. A little urge. Placemats fit the bill and they will be off in the mail this Friday, fingers crossed again, in the two swaps I am in. Hmmm, I always put that my "stuff" is from a pet free, smoke free home. Wonder if I should put that there are loving little fingers that touch, handle, snuggle, or lay on it?

The above is for the "Let's start at the beginning" swap in the Itty Bitty group. The.best.swap.group ever! I've made lots of friends in this group. It would be so fun to meet up in person but considering where we all live, that won't be happening. So I'll enjoy them, the conversations, the companionship, virtually.

These are for a Mickey Mouse swap in the Disknitty group on ravelry. Me, Disney, yeah how could I pass it up?

Hope to be back on Friday with more Fo's. Considering I have a nasty head cold that's kept me in and down, I should have some knitting done!

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T18:37:00.001-08:00

My sweet daughter never lets a holiday go by that she doesn't get excited about. Valentine's on Valentine's Day, Easter eggs at Easter, birthday candles on birthdays, whatever the holiday, there's something fun to do. I'm so glad to have her around to remind me to remember how much fun simple things can be. Like addressing cute Valentine's Day cards. The boys had Toy Story Valentines. They really got into who they were going to send them to.

And of course, for Princesses, what else but Princess Valentines?

Then it was time to bake Valentine's cupcakes. Miss R wanted strawberry cupcakes. I presume because they are pink but I couldn't find them so we went with cherry chip. Still pink.

And everyone got to frost the finished product....

and of course, like the knife....

This little Valentine's vest belonged to her Mommy. It was made my her Mommy's Grammie, this little one's great Grammie. It's been in the cedar chest waiting for another little Valentine to wear it.

WIP Wednesday, 2/9/2011

2011-02-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

It is one of Those days. The day where doom and gloom settles in for an extended visit, the day when the grandmunchkins sense that and decide this is the day to try and see if the lines drawn are still there or if Nonny will let them move a bit, the day you can't seem to focus, on anything. Though they are getting further apart, they're still there. Today was one. I wanted chocolate. In the worst way. I haven't had chocolate in over two weeks. Or sugar for that matter. But today I wanted chocolate. Maybe even needed it. I had this: in the cupboard. I whipped together before I could listen to common sense. And how ironic that I took the picture of the box right in front of my food scale. They are now a WIP. The grandmunchins after school will hopefully turn them into an FO.

I've been knitting on this test knit for weeks. I am not enjoying it. It needs too much attention for where I am able to focus right now. It seems every row is a different cable pattern and I can't take the knitting with me. I will finish it because I said I would test knit it and it would be cute for my granddaughter. As well I have a sweater chock full of cables I want to make so this is a good lesson in cables and charts.

On the other hand, I am really enjoying this little baby sweater. But it wasn't finished in time for the baby shower. It will be finished in time for the baby however!

I'm enjoying this as well but I'm only showing the yarn. It's the Apple swap in the Itty Bitty group. This is for the required elements of the swap. The other goodies for the package are on my desk and waiting for the knitted items to be finished up.

This is what is occupying most of my spare (what's that???) time and thoughts. Scrapbooking. Stacks of pictures. I was 7 months behind. By the end of the weekend it should be down to 5 months. I caught the baby's album up from birth to August. Now for the other 6. It was a New Year's resolution to get caught up. An actual resolution I can keep.

This will likely be on my WIP for another coupld of months. My goal is to be caught up by April 1st and it's very doable. I only order prints for one month at a time so the stacks of pictures to be scrapbooked don't overwhelm me and make me want to say, "forget it". I am going digital on two of the albums for 2011 so I can maybe? stay caught up!

I am blessed....

2011-02-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

To have been married to this guy for 34+ years. I can't imagine going through life without him. We celebrated his birthday Sunday during the Super Bowl. Sort of became a tradition but we don't need the Super Bowl to get together. It's just another excuse to pull in the family. My house was full of noise and mess and clutter and...smiles. It was a good day.

WIP Wednesday, take 2

2011-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Pictures are better than words, sometimes. Today, the words are few so here are some pictures of what's on the needles, or soon to be:
I really don't have startitis. I really have finishupitis. But! There is a baby shower this weekend for a very special baby. It's my niece's first and it's a boy and she's doing the nursery in woodland animals...so....there's a new sweater for the little guy about to be cast on. On ravelry this sweater was knit in 2 days so I'm hoping 3 and a half days will yield a sweater, and hat. Fingers crossed. Or rather not crossed so they can knit. Look for pictures of a finished sweater on FO Friday.

This test knit is due, um, last week. Ooops. But it is going faster that I thought once I learned to read cable charts. Sort of. I love the yarn (Sublime) and the pattern is interesting and entertaining but it definitely is a project that requires a whole couch to spread out the instructions and not a carry about project. I was able to watch tv, sort of, while knitting last night. I hope to finish this this weekend after the baby gift.

No scrapbooking in progress. I've got pictures and supplies on order but they won't be here until next week. I'm still 6 months behind. In 7 albums. Wish I wouldn't have typed that. It looks worse in print and in stacks of pictures!

And, of course, these are always a WIP. Feeding and loving and teaching almost everyday.

I almost forgot to mention, there's a WIP vegetable soup simmering right now on a very brrrr day.

I almost forgot! I have another WIP I've been working on. We're going to take a trip this spring! Somewhere I've wanted to go since I was very young. So the plans, agendas, what to see on what day is an ongoing WIP. I'll give you a hint...I had to contact our Senator to get passes into some of the places.

FO Friday

2011-01-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

I know it's Thursday but I finished the Tulip outfit yesterday, got pictures today, and gave it to baby and Mom today. And there is no way I'll finish another knit by tomorrow for Finished Friday. My first two knits for 2011. I hope the trend continues! This is the Tulip cardigan in Dream in Color yarn and there was enough leftover to make the Marley Hat from the Itty Bitty Hats book. I really love Dream in Color yarn, the vibrant color, the washability, the feel, the squishy softness of it. I guess I don't do well at hiding the fact it's one of my favorite yarns. I was in the Knitting Bee a couple of weeks ago and the helpful staff told me that the Dream in Color yarn for the previous month was 30% off and, "I know how much you love Dream in Color." And, yes, I did buy some!

It doesn't hurt that the baby is adorable as well. And that's a fact. Not prejudice. Well, maybe a bit. But she is still adorable.

WIP Wednesday

2011-01-26T16:06:00.001-08:00

I saw a few others, specifically those in the Itty Bitty group, keep track of what they're working on so as to avoid startitis. And hopefully projects don't sit in the UFO pile. And it feeds the list maker in me. So here goes. On the needles:

1. Duck soup sweater, it's almost to the point of having the increases done for the yoke and put the sleeves on holders. I'm not sure it's going to fit my grandson now so I need to finish it up and see. If not, there are boys in the wings waiting.
2. Marley hat to match the Tulip sweater. Should finish tonight.
3. Traveling Woman shawl, barely started, but started
4. Test Knit. Must.finish.this.week. It's over due.
5. Dainty Dancer sweater, just the skirt of the sweater to finish, if I can figure out where I left off in the lace pattern
6. Crocheted lace sweater, hmmmm, this has been in the UFO for, um, years. I'd like it for Easter this year? Hopefully.
7. Apple swap cloth, hat, toy. Wait that's three. But they are itty bitty.
8. Whiligig shrug. Seriously languishing and I think it will still fit if I add a few more increases.

That's not as bad as I thought....for knitting. Except for the baby shower next weekend that I need to start and finish a sweater for. I won't mention the scrapbooking that's 6 months behind. Off to tackle this list. In between feeding, teaching, and changing grandmunchkins, and doing laundry, and fixing meals, and, and, and....should I throw in the towel now? I'd have to knit one first!

I am making progress...right?

2011-01-17T15:02:00.001-08:00

Three things to do this year: catch up scrapbooking in 7 albums (I am 6 months behind) and knit the stash down (I have a bunch of yarn), and read a bit more, and all the while cold sheep as much as possible and cold paper. Cold paper is like cold sheeping but for scrapbooking and reading. I have a lot of scrapbook paper and stickers. A.Lot. And then my daughter sprung digital scrapbooking on me. She suggested it might be faster and more cost effective. After I use up the supply I have. That would be in 3 or 4 years....maybe. And books? I have a few of those too and I'd be better off using the library. I originally bought all those books because I wasn't reading fast enough to get them back to the library in the alloted time. So with those goals in mind I have completed this:My first knitting project for 2011. It's the tulip sweater for our 6 month old granddaughter. A h at to match is on the needles.

And this was what I completed in a weekend in scrapbooking. As in two days! I'm amazed. But there's much more to be done. This the youngest granddaughter's first album so there were a lot of birth-day pictures. But her album is now caught up to her cousins. And I'm waiting on more pages and pictures to progress further. Guess that means knitting and reading time.

And I've read two books already this year. I'm making progress!

I love swaps!

2011-01-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Well, ok, I love swaps in the Itty Bitty group on ravelry which is the only group I've swapped with thus far. The swaps in this group have a theme and an unknown swap partner until the package comes and then all is revealed. There is room for interpretation for most of the package with one constant. The last swap had to have a knit snowman hat from Itty Bitty Hats or the Santa from Itty Bitty Toys. I asked to have the snowman hat for Miss S since I did not have the time to get hers done last winter. It arrived today and snow is predicted for this week-Perfect timing! My swap parter knit this from Caron that was an acrylic/wool blend. It is incredibly soft and washable! It fits perfectly!

This was what was in my package! As I said, other than the one constant, the rest of the package is left open to the swap partner's choice. There is a questionaire in the group to fill out so your partner can match the package to the swap partner. I had put that I would like to try some malabrigo yarn and there was some beautiful purplish/blue Malabrigo worsted. A scarf or hat perhaps given it is winter and this yarn is sooooo soft!

Most of the packages include some chocolate. We are women after all :-)

I also resolved to read more this year and the package had a book I'm anxious to try.

The package had this cute Santa bag. One of my resolutions this year was to knit for one grandchild per month something for Christmas 2011. I think the Christmas/grandmunchkin project of the month is going in this bag as a reminder to keep knitting! I hope the project of the month reminds me to pray specifically for that grandmunchkin throughout the month as well.

The hat is beautifully knit, very soft, and washable!

That was a fun swap and I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Drum roll and the totals for 2010!

2011-01-04T10:45:00.001-08:00

One of the threads in the Itty Bitty group on ravelry is totaling up their projects (knitting) for 2010 and, given that I don't feel like I accomplish much most days, I thought I'd take a look between my projects page on ravelry and my blog to figure out how much knitting I'd accomplished. It didn't help much. I totaled up 23 projects. But the size of the projects made up a bit for the number. There were 4 stick horses, 1 toy Santa w/his bag, a pair of socks (my first), a baby sweater and hat, 3 hoodys, a huge, intricate lace shawl that took 4 months alone, a shrug for a nine year old, a lace sweater, 3 necklaces, a quiviut lace scarf, 2 hats, 3 washcloths, and 3 swaps that included a knit tea set, a turtle hat, and another hat w/matching socks.

I know I did a LOT of sewing in 2010 so I perused through my blog and found a more impressive total for sewing. Indulge my sense of needing to feel I accomplished something while I total that up:
Quilts: 6, 1 Christmas for the table, 3 twin for birthdays, 2 baby
Aprons-9
hats-11, 7 Chef hats to go w/aprons, 4 girl's beach hats
Boy's shirts: 8, 3 for Christmas, 3 for the 4th, 2 for birthdays
Project bags: 18, 10 for WWKIP, 2 for girls for WWKIP, 6 for swaps
Teddy bears for swaps: 2
Girl's dresses: 5, 3 Daisy Kingdom dresses for birthdays, 2 for baby shower
Girl's tops: 3 for the 4th and their might have been for the summer but I don't remember
Towel cover ups: 7, 3 superhero capes, 4 mermaids
pillowcases: 2 for swap
nightgowns: 5
PJ's, boys: 6
Jumpers: 3
Bibs: 12, at least
Total for sewing that I can account for: 97

These totals would explain why my stash of yarn is taking over my closet and spilling out into the bedroom and why there is almost no fabric stash. This also explains why my 2011 resolution is Cold Sheeping and not Cold Fabric. This also explains why my husband groans if I mention going to a yarn shop but not the fabric store. More knitting in 2011 I think!

And I have models for the last sewing projects in 2010:

I'm already cooking on 2011 which looks to be more knitting and less sewing and lots of scrapbooking! Stay tuned.

Before we close the book on 2010....

2011-01-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

There are more than a few things we did over the holiday season..... Zoo lights! I love the lights at Christmas time and we took several walks through our neighborhood, in the cold, to see the lights. It was certainly more fun when the grandmunchkins went with us and they in turn wanted to take their Mommy. But Zoo lights is a concentrated light fest. My husband prefers the animals so it's a win for both of us.

Every year we give our grandmunchkins a book for Christmas. This year, through a group on ravelry, "The Mitten" was mentioned by more than one. The drawings were amazing. And it just so happened that a craft magazine I subscribe to had a pattern to re creat some of the characters from the story and the mitten. So, several of the grandmunchkins got "The Mitten" for Christmas and I coerced my husband into making the characters from wood. My sister did the initial coat of paint and I added the details.

My handy husband and supervisor.

The animals painted and ready for play.

The Mitten for the animals to crawl into.

And it was a success. Our 4 year old granddaughter recreating the story for her cousin. Her cousin has a set waiting for her when she's a bit older and she'll get the book as well.

In lieu of fattening, full of gluten cookies, we did craft projects. My daughter is gluten free and none of us need the sugar/fat/calories cookies provide. So! We decorated gingerbread houses

and ourselves....

The frosting stayed on his head throughout the decorating. I'm still not sure how it got there first thing?

Decorating Team I was more intent on decorating the inside of their tummies than their house. Notice both mouths are full and the house is empty? This picture makes me chuckle every time I look at it.

Team Two! And they managed to get their house decorated...and the table...and themselves...

Team III also with a decorated house and less decorations on themselves and the table. And then we have Miss S with her candies all in a row and everything just so!

And then with the sugar and the fun, it got a little silly.....

We also made ornaments. We read about these on Count It All Joy's blog and gave it a try. Note to self if we do this again, Do not use glitter. It's too hard to add the snowman details.

First paint the hand, generously....

Then have the small hand grasp the ball.... Let dry and turn the fingerprints into snowmen.

Christmas is a lot of fun but it just adds to the true meaning of Christmas. The Fisher Price Nativity scene is my favorite Christmas decoration. It is a favorite of the grandmunchkins as well and is well played with throughout the season. Miss R probably played with it the most. And this was a special moment watching her put all the figures at the stable. When asked what they were all doing at the stable she replied, "They're worshipping Baby Jesus." That made Christmas for me and still brings tears to my eyes. However! This same little girl, when asked why Jesus came said "to die for sins" and when asked who sinned, she replied, "everybody else". Ok, so there's still room to learn but there's more truth in her statement than not. How many times do I think "everybody else" is wrong and not me?

And Finally! A picture of all 9 grandmunchkins together! My birthday present! We were going to go to Storybook lane for my birthday this year but it was closed. We found out later it's open on odd years. So, per my daughter in law's suggestion we all trooped over to see Santa. This gentlemen has a sleigh and a decorated yard and sits outside for several nights before Christmas for children to come visit. He only takes donations for the Lymphoma/Leukemia Association. He was friendly and seemed to geniunely enjoy the kids. We decided this has to be a yearly event. Sadly, several nights later some young person came by and stole his donation stocking. He was undetered however and was out the next night. So were lots of people generously giving. 2010 was a bit easier than 2009 but there was still loss and heartache. But in the midst there was a sweet little addition. While we'll never get over the losses, we do move forward as a family and it's the family that's kept us going. Especially the innocent little ones. Happy New Year!

Christmas came and went....

2010-12-26T21:52:00.001-08:00

And it's wake left a myriad of emotions: joy, fun, love, peace, thankfulness, heartache, hurt, and sadness. And now, I am tired and looking for a week of relative quiet. I said in my Christmas letter this year that people told me I would get my joy back. In some ways, 9 of them actually, I never lost my joy. How can you not have some joy here on earth when surrounded by faces such as these? My husband and I both mentioned this year how thankful we were to have children in our lives. Innocent children. Oh to be a kid again! And this was taken Before dessert!! I mentioned in previous posts that I was making aprons for the grandmunchkins. Never did I expect them to like them as much as they did. I expected them to use them but not to put them on after opening them and wear them the rest of the night! The chef's hats too!

We had one more grandmunchkin this year. A sweet 6 month old that napped infrequently because she didn't want to miss anything. And, although tired, she kept her sweet demeanor throughout the entire day with only a small nap to sustain her. Her Daddy is so proud of her and she has filled his heart and helped ease his pain a little. He's hurting, maybe more than the rest of us, and I'm grateful God gave him such a blessing to focus on.

As usual, I was not prepared, ready, or entering the day with a completed list. But after watching the grandmuchkins eager to help and enjoying it so much, from now on, I'm not going to be ready. I'm going to have things that need to be done that little hands can help with and enjoy working alongside of them. That's what I did today and it was one of the best Christmas dinners ever because we'd had fun together getting ready. No, the meat wasn't ready on time, the ice had partially melted in the glasses waiting, the potatoes were a bit too cooked, but we'd had fun anyway!

My husband is a take charge, get in and help kind of guy and he was working right along with the grandmunchkins and involving them in whatever he did. That's typical for him, be it getting ready for Christmas dinner, or raking leaves, or getting the boat ready for a fishing trip.

It's been a tradition for some years to read a book before opening gifts. The book centers around the Nativity but is a fictional account. Per a suggestion from a dear friend on ravelry, we read, "The Donkey's Dream" this year. The pictures were wonderful and the story so sweet. Perfect. Or so we thought. But it wasn't enough. They wanted a second story! So we read, "The Christmas Star". I love this time of the evening and I always look forward to picking out a book.

Yes! He is paying attention! I know he is because in interjected comments thoughout the story!

Another tradition is banana splits for dessert. Our son in law suggested it several years ago and it's become a family favorite. No pies, cakes, cookies...Banana splits! And my husband, with help, is the banana split server. He takes orders and serves them up, just right.

I did a lot of sewing this year and didn't get all the knitting done that I wanted to do. Actually, I didn't get any knitting done. I showed the aprons, pjs, shirts, and jumpers in previous posts so here are those on the actual models. They're cuter that way.

Yep, it's going to fit!

It's beginning to look like....

2010-12-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas! The tree is trimmed.... the pajamas are done....

the boy's aprons and hats are done....

the girl's nightgowns are done....

the tree looks festive....

the Christmas cards are stuffed and ready to mail...

and now...the hard part...shopping!

Phase one is now complete

2010-12-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Phase One of the Christmas sewing is now waiting to be wrapped or it is part of the Christmas decorations. I'm not sure there will be a phase two after yesterday's escapades with the sewing machine. In all fairness, it wasn't the sewing machine's fault. It was mine but I was so frustrated I threatened the sewing machine w/Craig's list.

First up: a new Christmas quilt! The squares arrived in my swap package all pre cut. I just had to sew them together and add the borders. I added a few of my own touches: gold ribbon in the borders and Christmas buttons in the corners and on the non patterned squares. It's perfect for a table topper over the Christmas tablecloth.These jumpers about did me in. I'm still shaking my head on that one. I consider myself an intermediate, at least, seamstress. I've made men's shirts with all the fussing of collars, button bands, cuffs, and more. They've been well worn and look nice. SO why would an "easy" jumper give me fits? I don't know. Shaking my head again. In the end they turned out cute but getting to that end was something of a climb.
All are from corderoy. I've got to find some turtlenecks to go with them. There is no way I'm going to make "easy" shirts.

All the girls, and I think boys, are getting aprons this year with appropriate head wear. They all love to spend time in the kitchen so why not have a fun hat and apron to go with it? There might be a few cookbooks under the tree this year as well.

Stay tuned to see if Phase two gets started, and more importantly, finished. For right now, I'm taking a break. The sewing machine and I need some time apart.

I got another swap package in the mail this last week. Mine should go out tomorrow for the latest swaps. This is from the Christmas swap. My swap partner lives in Washington so it got here fairly fast. What a package! Becky really spoiled me. The squares and border fabric for the Christmas quilt above was part of the package. There was homemade rocky road bars, Spud and Chloe yarn for jelly bean socks for grandmunchkins, Christmas Morning tea, a Debbie MaComber Christmas book, scone mix, project bags, Christmas stitch markers, a pattern for a little girl's top, a notepad, pencils, and goodies, including Chex mix. I was overwhelmed! The fabric has already been made into the quilt, the goodies are gone, the book read and then shared with my daughter, the projects bags have projects, and the tea has been my evening respite.

And so it begins.....

2010-12-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

The mad mad sewing/knitting/crafting marathon. Every year I do this. And every year I say I'm won't next year. I'll get an early start. I.won't.be.overwhelmed.again. And the next year the same boat docks and I get on. I'm on the voyage now and the waves are getting higher and closer together. I'll sink again this year. And yet, I enjoy the sewing, the knitting, and the finished project. Here is my sewing room at the moment: On the chair-12 bibs waiting for ribbing around the neck.
On the table, cut out, ready to sew-3 jumpers, 4 aprons
On the sewing table, cut out, ready to sew-3 flannel shirts
On the drawer cabinet: 8 pieces of flannel to cut out for PJs
Wish there was a stash of Valium along with the fabric.

I have a very small fabric stash. Except for right before Christmas. My yarn stash is bad enough and to have a fabric stash too would sink the boat before it even docked.

First project done! 3 flannel shirts for the 3 youngest grandsons. My Mother in law used to make all the guys a flannel shirt every year. She was fast, she was accurate, she was loved. I cannot enter into the same circle but I can stand on the outside edge. Shirts with collars, buttons, cuffs, are.a.lot.of.work. But there is quite a sense of accomplishment when they are done. And flannel feels so nice to work with.

Second project: Two knitting bags for the last swaps of the year in the Itty Bitty group. Love this group and the swaps. I almost said no but I would have missed out on all the fun. One swap requires no knitting, just knitterly and Christmas type goodies. The other required a bit of knitting. I'm finishing that up and will have pictures on the next post...I hope.

It only took me 5 months....

2010-11-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

To get the sweater and hat done for the littlest grandmunchkin. Or rather, she's now 5 months old and she finally has her first hand knit hat and sweater from Nonny. It's a good thing she's so petite because the 3 month size still fits her. I used fingering yarn I received in a swap and the Maile pattern from ravelry. The pattern was a bit tricky at the sleeves but if you follow her instructions, it works out. I would pick up or add stitches at the underarms if I did it again just to make it easier on my needles and hands. But overall I was pleased with the pattern and the outcome.

"See, there are buttons"

Our high temp for today is 23 degrees. Perfect for a new sweater and hat.

I am an adorable baby. Nonny says so.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for a new sweater and hat!

puttin' on the ritz and glitz

2010-11-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

via knitting and crocheting! I finished my second Moonrise necklace and it's hard to decide which I like more. The pattern is from Sivia Harding. The beads from Earthfaire and called Crystal Bouquet. This one definitely went faster that the first.

Miss S and I crocheted some necklaces with wire and beads. Wow, if you're in a hurry for a gift that's inexpensive, this is it! Once the beads were strung on the wire, two hours tops to make the necklace. This in mine, three rows of crocheted wire with the beads already on the wire and moved into position as the stitches were formed. The only stitches used were slip stitch, chain, and single crochet.

Miss S crochet necklace:

Three strands of pre strung beads on wire were crocheted using a chain or single crochet with the beads moved into position as the stitches were formed.

Fun, fast projects with great results. But, enough procrastinating, time to get going on Christmas knitting!

It's Quiviut...

2010-11-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

So it gets its' own post! My daughter and son in law went to Alaska for their 10th anniversary. I asked her to bring me back a ball of quiviut. I wanted to knit with some. Just try it. And at the cost of a ball of quiviut, "try" is the operative word. She brought me back a ball of cranberry 100% quiviut. And a pattern. But I liked the pattern from 101 One Skein Luxury Yarns better. I loved "trying" it and the "try" yielded a scarf that feels wonderful, was fun to knit, and is pretty to wear. Just in time for almost freezing temps.

(the color isn't very true on this one and I may have blocked it a bit too aggressively)

Tis the season....

2010-11-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

for apples and pumpkins and kids and smiles. Let's start with the apples. I love reading blogs. Mostly knitting blogs and ravelry but once in awhile there are others. Susan B Anderson of Itty Bitty fame posted a link on her blog for oven made applesauce. It was a hit, both to make and eat!

Moving on to pumpkins! I haven't carved pumpkins in, um, years! But this year there were pumpkins in the garden that begged to be carved. Miss S just saw Ironman 2 and guess what she wanted her pumpkin to look like? I got a huge smile when it was done, whew! But before I got the smile for a carving job, I got this:

Not too sure about the "pumpkin guts".

But the end result were smiles indicating the pumpkin cleaning was a memory. Um, just to clarify, I did most of the cleaning! And I actually thought it was fun!

Pumpkins on the front porch, carved pumpkins, mean trick or treaters come calling! Spiderman and Superman took time from fighting crime to garner cookies and treats. P'incess Jasmine took time for her royal subjects to bestow a p'incess wave and bow.
There was trick or treating at the local mall and the 7 youngest got together to trick or treat. I love that the cousins are close, both in distance and relationship and love that the Moms foster it!

We have an Avatar, a storm trooper, Spiderman, Superman, Strawberry Shortcake, P'incess Jasmine, and a love bug. Pretty cute if I do say so myself.

And Halloween just kept going! Our church youth put on a harvest party for the kids. They had a cake walk, sack races, and a maze. The maze took up the whole basement and was complete with fog and lights. It took them hours to make and was worth it in the kids' eyes. Our grandson barely came up for a cake walk and sack race and then he was back in the maze!

I managed a few crafty endeavors for Halloween. Of course, there were the cookies for the trick or treaters but there were also pumpkin bracelets for the girls. Another idea gleaned from a blog!

If I did them again, I would use the lighter weight ribbon rather than the grograin. But grograin was what I had on hand.

And the Teddy Bear Picnic swap is finished! The last of the three packages went out last week. It was a fun swap and my swap partner really outdid herself! The grandmunchkins play almost daily with the food and dishes she sent. I sent out the tea set, or most of it, from Itty Bitty Nursery to my swap partner. It was fiddly to knit and crochet and sew up and if I did it again I would use a stiffer cotton yarn. I used a soft yarn and the pieces didn't hold their shape.

And a Hat! The boys need them. The second one is almost done. Hats are great for instant gratification when you don't feel like you're getting anything done. I used Cascade 220 superwash from stash and Dream in Color from stash.

ahhhhhhh........

2010-10-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

My life is crazy, busy, full and, while I wouldn't have it any other way, I will take an opportunity now and again to step back and be me, myself, and I. Not Mom, Nonny, Deb, etc. This past weekend was just such a time. The annual Knitting Guild Fall retreat. The fall retreat starts Friday and ends Sunday. There are 9 hours of knitting classes in that time and the rest of the time is mine, all mine. Well, the whole weekend is mine considering that I really enjoy the classes as well. It is held at the Lady of Peace retreat center not too far from home. The rooms are private, the wonderful meals are prepared by the Sisters, and there is no tv or internet or phone, unless you bring your cell phone. It is wonderful.

Friday's class was a class in knitting a beaded necklace taught by Sivia Harding. I felt privleged to be sitting under the teaching of a knitting wonder like Sivia. She was a wonderful teacher, quiet, concise, clear, and willing to go the extra lengths to make sure you were confident in what you were doing and you were happy with what you were creating. If you weren't, she wanted to help you find out why. She was available for questions throughout the weekend even outside of class times.

Saturday was lace knitting using her Norweigian Woods shawl pattern. I restarted this several times and am now ripping out my second attempt. I wasn't happy with the yarn I chose. It had nothing to do with her pattern!

The classroom, big, airy, comfortable. The room also was the dining and social room. The first step of the neckace, stringing the beads.

My favorite part of the Friday class was that my daughter joined me for the class! First she attends the shop hop with me and then a class. I'm loving it. I see a future for her in knitting classes and retreats with me. A much later future considering her 3 little ones that need her more than knitting classes or me and we're not hurrying the process! This class was during their nap time so she won and they didn't lose.

Between class times there was a wonderful walking trail behind the retreat center that begged for a good stretch of the legs. And the rain was gone just long enough to get a good walk in.

And here it is! My finished necklace. Started Friday in class and finished Saturday evening and worn to church on Sunday! I will be doing another, and another, and maybe another. I purchased a kit to make this one since I did not have the confidence to pick out beads myself. Having done one and seen many others, also created from kits, I think I could purchase the beads and thread myself. The kit was purchased from Earthfaire, Raspberry Fields Forever, and knit on size 0 needles.

Happy Fall y'all!

2010-10-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

We're in the midst of my favorite season: Fall or Autumn, if you prefer. I love the crisp air, the bounty of vegetables and fruits available, the colors of the leaves, even the rain. And the desire to knit with wool! And sew quilts! And I love going to a pumpkin patch. We didn't do it when our kids were little and there is a huge tinge of regret that we didn't give them that experience. While I think we were ok parents and set a good example for our children to follow in raising their children, there are some things I'm glad they decided to do for themselves. Pumpkin patches being one of them. This is our youngest grandmunchkin and she came prepared to stand out at her first venture to the pumpkin patch. She stands out in our family, just like all the other munchkins but this day, in that outfit, she brought a lot of smiles her way.

I love getting my family together for whatever I can think of. But I make it easy on myself. We invited everyone over before heading off to the patch by having breakfast casseroles and muffins. Um, pumpkin muffins! Of course. It was also to celebrate our daughter in law's birthday. She doesn't get to pick what we do for her birthday since it's right in the pumpkin patch season but it was her idea to try different pumpkin patches each year till we found a favorite. We're going to have to let her pick what to do on her birthday someday but she seems content to do this thus far.

We started out with family pictures. This wasn't as hard as I was dreading it to be. It was the first since we lost our son. Up until we actually sat down for the picture I was dreading it. Didn't want to do it. There's a hole that can't be filled. And in some ways looking at this group is hard because I'm searching for a missing face. But I love every face in these pictures and I am so blessed to have each one of them in my life. I'll look at the picture that way. Looking for what I've got rather than what I've lost.

All the grandmunchkins but one! Are we blessed or what? Look at those faces with their smiles. Makes me cry just lookin' at 'em!

Enough of the pictures and the sitting...lets run! This is how we saw the corn maze, at a run! But it was oh so fun (pass the vicodin please).

And then it was time for the real reason we came to the pumpkin patch....Pumpkins! Under those cute little pumpkins is a wheelbarrow of pumpkins!

We finished off the day in the back of truck. Tailgating lunch. It is football season after all!

Time flies...

2010-10-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

When you're watching babies sleep...... Or reading lots of stories....

Or the myriad of other things that seem to fill up my days. But we stepped back a bit this last weekend when the guys went on their annual fishing weekend. The weather was great...for us...not for them. It rained, it poured, it blew, and we stayed inside and relaxed, mostly. My daughters and I used to to this every year while the guys were gone. Watch movies, knit, do nothing. It's a bit harder when there are 3 three year olds that are part of the weekend. They need to get out and we need them to. So we braved the elements donned in rain coats (no umbrellas, this is Oregon after all) and headed for the park to ride bikes and feed the ducks and take in the fall colors.

Gorgeous color. The saying goes: Fall is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. It fits.

The ducks were plentiful but not very hungry.

The bike ride did the trick and got three little ones ready to relax for the weekend and....

watch a movie and have ice cream.

On Sunday morning we got up and decided to do something the kids wanted to do. Ride the train. We drove 5 miles to park at a MAX station to pay to ride the train back the same five miles to go to a Starbucks just a mile from home and pay to have coffee and hot chocolate. As the saying goes: ticket for the train, $2.05, hot chocolate/coffee, $10, memories, priceless.

Lots to do and see on a train and we got memories of faces with this kind of look.

What's not to love about these kind of faces that make the $2 cup of hot chocolate worth it? I know the coffee was worth it.

It was a weekend like we always used to have...girl time and relaxing.

But in knitting news...there isn't much. I got my last package from my swap partner in the Teddy Bear Picnic swap. Here is a picture of most of the elements I received in the swap:

Pretty amazing isn't it? We had to include some required elements: teddy bear, tea set, blanket on which to have the picnic, and food. One of the elements had to be knit from the Itty Bitty books or the Spud and Chloe blog, etc and one the elements, the first one was to be sent as a kit. The rest of the swap was up to you and could be sewn, purchased, whatever. My swap partner outdid herself as you can see from what I received. What isn't in the picture is the yarn she sent just for me that I have to find a special pattern for, the tea set kit that I've got out and ready to start, the cookies that were so good we ate them right up, and the game for the grandmunchkins. It's a farm memory game and was a huge success. I even had fun playing. We played it on our girl's weekend.
When my partner sent the kit for the tea set she sent needles, stitch markers she'd made (they're already in use), and this collection of bags. I've already got my circular needles in the case, my project for the retreat in the project bag, and my knitting gadgets in the little bag. I absolutely love this set and when my swap partner said the fabric reminded her of Dr.Seuss, I loved it even more.

Finally, we did cast on something new for girl's weekend. I've had this yarn for 3 years. It's a Rare Gems from Blue Moon that I bought at the first OFFF I went to. It says Fall and feels wonderful as well as being beautiful. I finally found the perfect pattern for it...stay tuned.

Fall Eye Candy

2010-09-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, I love fall. The crispness in the air, the rain, the colors, the festivities. Except this week we're going to be in the high 70's and 80's and showers. Weird weather all year and the garden is just now producing well so if summer weather lingers to get more produce from our patch of dirt, I'll take it. But I'm also looking for fall where it can be found. My son brought me a bouguet of flowers this morning. It made my day...maybe my whole week! And what gorgous color. Reminds me of fall.

I finished the last of the three sweaters from the knitting machine. It took me longer to put the pieces together than it did to knit all three of them on the machine. But I do like the way they turned out. This one says fall, and maybe spring too.

Just some fall eye candy:

If it's the 3rd weekend in September then...

2010-09-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

It's time for OFFF! But before I get to that...drumroll please...I finished two sweaters! Ok, so I cheated a bit and knit the majority of them on the knitting machine. But before I get razzed about using the machine to knit, let me preface it by saying I really don't like using the knitting machine. I.Really.Don't.Like.It. But fall weather came unusually early and several of the grandmunchkins had outgrown last year's sweaters. So urgency made me get out the dratted machine. And use up stash. Here's the second sweater. Knit from Debra Norville yarn from JoAnn's. Knit on the machine in one day. Hand knit the neck edge and hem edge. Here is sweater number one. The model makes the sweater cute. Knit in two days because I was relearning how to use the machine. The cuffs, neck edge, and hem are hand knit.

Easy to knit, sort of, not too time consuming. So a great playground sweater.

Ok, Now on to OFFF, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. A three day event at the Canby fairgrounds. This is my third year going and I still enjoy it. Everywhere you look is fiber in some form, be it on the animal, the fiber from the animal waiting to be carded, spun, dyed, or the roving ready to be spun, or my personal favorite...Yarn! My first stop is always the Blue Moon booth for Rare Gems. I didn't get any last year but I did this year. Ahem, yellow and green for, ahem, a certain Duck fan in our house. I looked for some green and black so I could maintain platypus standing but couldn't find any. I did find some peppermint candy (that's what I'm calling it) for a Christmas shawl.

It was a beautiful day and much of the festival is outdoors so sunny weather made it that much better.

See what I mean? Yarn and Roving and whatever else a knitter/spinner/weaver might need. This is another favorite booth, Abstract Fiber. Both Blue Moon and Abstract Fiber are local and when I go to this festival I try to support local businesses.

Animals that have wonderful fur or wool that make wonderful yarn are everywhere and are part of the fun of the festival. The attendees are encouraged to pet and touch, even the youngest ones. Miss R was admiring the angora bunny from the restriction of the cage wires and the owner kindly brought him out for closer inspection. Miss R was also without anyone but Auntie S to compete for attention today and throughly enjoyed her moment in the spotlight.

Alpacas. More shy and skittish than a 3 year old!

Hi there Mr. Bunny!

We ended the festival this year as last year, by picking out finger puppets to purchase. Can you believe a lady knits these and sells them for only $1.50?

Finishing up...

2010-09-07T13:38:00.001-07:00

Just finished Labor Day weekend which signals the finish to summer and the start of fall. Even though fall doesn't actually start until later in the month. Usually we just stay close to home and relax on Labor Day weekend. Maybe a BBQ. But this year we really finished off the summer. We hit the State Fair on Sunday after church. We toured the midway but only as a means to an end. The end being the animals, the gardening exhibits, the textile exhibits, lunch, just exhibits in general and time together. For the most part we weren't disappointed. I was craving a little more in the way of textile exhibits but what I saw was beautifully done and exhibited and the ribbon winners looked to be worthy of the ribbons. I craved a corn dog. I wasn't disappointed. And then, there was the deep fried Twinkie we were told we HAD to try. Ok, I tried it. One bite. Two bites. Miss S tried it. One bite. Two bites. And then garbage time. My apologies to my son but he did not get his taste buds from me!

In the textile building a quilting quild was building quilts for Habitat for Humanity and Soldiers of Valor. They had pre cut lots of fabric squares and triangles. People were urged to come in and look at the blocks they were going to build and put the fabric for a block together. They could even watch their block being stitched. Miss S had a wonderful time with it.

And she enjoyed watching her block being stitched. The ladies were wonderful to her.
And the next day was the last baseball game for the Beavers. The Park where they have played for years is being renovated to a soccer only stadium. I could get on my rant box here but suffice to say I am not happy. I can't imagine summer without at least one baseball game and the 7th inning stretch and stitch and pitch and overpriced hot dogs. I really enjoy a baseball game and I am so sorry to see it go. We're talking about heading to Seattle next year for the Mariners Stitch and Pitch to get our baseball fix.

It was a packed stadium for the last game. Maybe if we'd packed it out a bit more often they could have stayed.

One of our goals for this weekend was to spoil Miss S with attention. She hasn't got enough lately. She had our undivided attention first at the fair and then, not only our attention, but her grandparents as well, at the game. She really loves her grandparents. Her grandpa to tease more than love actually.

The final score of the final game. Brings a tear to my eye. I'll miss this.

And I finished up a few projects as well. I'm in yet another swap in the Itty Bitty group in ravelry. This one is a "Teddy Bear Picnic" and is a 3 month swap with a package going out every month. There is a list of "elements" that are required for the swap but how they are created or if they are bought is up to the swapper. One element must be knit from one of the Itty Bitty books but, again, which one, is up to the swapper. My first package was a kit to knit the food (one of the required elements was a kit and another requirement was food for the picnic). The second I sent out last week and was the bear requirement. I sent two bears because my partner has two little girls. I was rather pleased with how the bears turned out.

I also made two little aprons for the little girls so they could "prepare" the picnic. We can include anything extra that we want as long as we included the requirements. The aprons were fun, used up stash, and were good practice for Christmas sewing I'm working on. I now know the apron pattern is going to work perfectly for what I want for Christmas gifts.

I also finished up the last stick horse. The four younger grandmunchkins all now have a stick horse. I have one more to make but not for a year or so when itty bitty 2 month old is a bit older.

And while most things are finished up for fall, the garden is starting to really produce. Our first rainbow carrots graced our dinner last week. The different colors do have different flavors. The orange and red are a bit sweeter whereas the yellow and white are a bit more bitter.

Our one granddaughter is a huge carrot fan and as fast as I peeled them, she ate them!

Looking back on the summer

2010-08-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

I am having hard time believing the summer is about gone. Looking back, it was a full summer. There are mostly good memories but there were some very hard places to travel through as well. We are still trying to traverse through events and holidays and vacations without a vital part of our heartbeat.

We didn't get to Wallowa Lake as planned this year and at the last minute cancelled our reservations there and opted for the beach. There was still fishing in Newport Bay. My husband and I each have tourist attractions we seek out on every trip. For him it's a place and something to fish for. For me, it's yarn and quilt stores. I didn't get to any of my attractions this summer but he got his! He took out the older grandmunchkins and Miss S and caught crab and herring. Herring to be used as salmon bait! It was still fishing!

What summer vacation, or camping trip for that matter, doesn't include a camp fire and sticky marshmellows?

Our family camp this summer was at the beach and the weather was perfect for waves and sand castles and sunburns!

Lots of smiles were found throughout the week. There were trees to climb which is a smile worthy adventure in a kid's life.

Family camping included grandparents, 4 of them, great grandparents, 5 of them, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. My grandmunchkins are so blessed to have such richness in the form of family near enough to vacation with them. It made the tiredness of the week worth it when I saw pictures like this. Every night my Mom, their great grandmother, helped with shower and bed time. At their most tired part of the day, their great grandmother enjoyed them. That says volumes about family.

I love the ocean, the sand, the waves, the smell, the sight, the noise. And I'm glad my grandmunchkins are coming to appreciate it as well. We visited the nearby tide pools and there was such a myriad of creatures for them to touch and see and it was a wonderful evening enjoying God's creation.

This picture brings tears to my eyes. When my own children were this age and younger we did exactly what my husband is doing. We sat beside the road way and watched them ride up and back and kept a watch out for cars and skinned knees. I would go back to that place in time in a heartbeat but since I can't I'm enjoying watching my grandmunchkins do what my children did.

And summer means flowers and gardens and BBQ's. We had them all. The garden was late this year but it's starting to produce. We had our first BCTs tonight (bacon, cucumber, and tomato sandwiches).

One of my favorite parts of summer are the free concerts in the park. Every Thursday night with a picnic lunch, we spread out blankets and chairs and enjoy a variety of music. The last concert is always my favorite: the Oregon Symphonic Band.

And the tailgate of summer means putting up the harvest. We've put up a bit of applesauce already with more apples laying in wait to be cooked and smushed. The grandmunchkins have really been enjoying the garden this year. I'm enjoying it this year, even the weeding in the early morning hours. Good by summer....you will be missed but thank you for the memories.

It started out small

2010-08-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

It started out with just this: and this:

Just two hats for two little girls when we go to the beach next. But the first was too small for the 3 year old for which it was intended so it went to the 2 month old. That meant the 3 year old didn't have a beach hat. And then the nine year old saw them and wanted one. So a few more hats came into being. Six more for a total of 8. And a lot more of the small stash piles are no longer. The fabric drawers are actually almost empty! We won't go into the yarn piles. They are still like tribbles. Half of the 8. There are now hats for 3 granddaughters and a daughter. And I finally got the size right for a beach hat for the 3 year old. I used a Butterick hat pattern for all the hats. It was intended for infants and toddlers so it took some modifications to make it for a 9 and 23 year old. I modified it for the little hats as well. It didn't call for a lining and, though the hat would be light weight, no lining meant it would look unfinished as well. So I made two of the hat crowns and put one inside the other with the seam sides on the inside so it looks finished. I sewed the brim on per the pattern instructions so there is one seam showing.

The 3 year old has her beach hat!

And butterflies are pretty popular with the girls in my family so they all got a butterfly hat.

And this was just to bust the stash and it goes with a summer top I made her a few weeks back.

I'm beginning to really hate nap time

2010-08-16T14:17:00.001-07:00

Not only are the kids not sleeping, which is forcing me to sit in here on the computer updating my blog when I should be sewing, or knitting, but now blogger won't let me upload more photos. Guess I'll give up while I can.
We went camping last week with our church family. We had a wonderful time, especially the little ones. Guess you could figure that out by this picture. This was pretty much the standard expression for the week. We kept them hopping, or rather, they kept up hopping. It took me two days to recover my sanity, err, my rest. We hiked with Great Gram. It was hiking at a 3 and 76 year old speed. Kind of like the tortise and the hare. Gram could meander, read the boards, stroll, like the tortise. The 3 and 4 year olds went up and back, round in circles, covering the same distance as Gram in the same time but covering that same distance at least 2 times, and usually 3 or 4 times.

She did get them to notice a youth on age plant.

We celebrated a little one turning 4 while we were there. She shared her cupcakes, well, all but one of them. She picked out the one she wanted and twisted the plate so no one would pick that one.

Lots of bike riding!

Fish riding too....sort of. It was the only way I could get a picture before the hike.

There was plenty of road for chalk art.

We had crafts for them to do when the bike wheels needed cooling down.

Lots of bike riding. I think I already said that but it bears repeating if nothing more than for the cute picture.

Of course there was a hot dog roast. And smores too but blogger was being a pain so I didn't get to upload those pictures.

Ahhhh, they are all asleep and my afternoon can be as peaceful as this scene. I would have liked to have brought this home with me and put it in my backyard.

Giddy up and swappin'

2010-08-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

I saw the pattern for a stick horse (hobby horse) in the Interweave Knits Gifts book and thought it would be great for the little grandmunchkins to have one. I thought it would spark creativity and active play. I'm not sure they achieved either of those things for the grandmunchkins but they did both for me. That is if you think knitting is active play. I happen to think that it's a great active play for a 50 something grandmother. I finished three of them and the fourth is currently in progress. They are basically a huge sock that gets felted down to size. I knit one of them in an evening and a day. The ears are a bit big and the first two look a bit more like donkeys than horses so I sized down the ears a bit on the princess pony. The full details are on my ravelry page. I gave the kiddos their horses while we were camping so there was too much going on for them to take much interest in them. We'll see as time progresses if I got more enjoyment out of knitting them than the kids did in playing with them.

I joined yet another swap in the Itty Bitty group on ravelry. This is such a great group to swap with and they've become virtual friends through the swaps. This swap is a three month swap Teddy Bear Picnic swap. The first package was to be a kit for some part of the picnic. The elements can be sewn, knit, or bought and has to include a bear, a tea set, a blanket, and food. At least one element has to be knit or be a kit for a pattern from the Itty Bitty books. I sent mine out and I was so excited about sending it out before the deadline (I'm always late) that I forgot to get a picture! My kit included a tote bag, stitch markers, bamboo needles, yarn, and note pad to make the finger food in Itty Bitty toys. I also included a teddy bear quilt that matched the tote bag to sit on while stitching. The bag and quilt were from leftover fabric from other projects so it was a good use of fabric.

My swap package arrived while we were camping and is the kit to make the tea set using Tahki cotton classic. I spied this pattern a while back and almost bought it so I was pretty excited my swap partner included it. The bag and stitch markers she made and I'm pretty excited about both.

I can't wait to see what the next package holds. This was such a fun one to receive!

We faired rather well at the fair!

2010-07-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

The county fair was this week and the ladies of the family entered something. AND we all, everyone of us, got at least one blue ribbon! No one got left out. Miss S got a blue ribbon for her crocheted shawl.

My oldest daughter got a blue ribbon for her tulip sweater. It is only her second knitting project!

Little 9 year old S got a blue ribbon on her first sewing project ever! It's the little puppy in the case behind her. She sewed the body on the sewing machine and hand sewed the details.

I got blue ribbons for my little girl's dress and my Evenstar shawl.

I entered photography this year just to see how I would do. I didn't expect to win anything but I wanted to compare my photos to the winners to see the differences. Imagine my surprise when I won a second place for a color portrait of a child and honorable mention for a black and white portrait of a child! That was a welcome surprise!

And what fair would be complete without treats from the midway?

Summer lovin'

2010-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

There is a new baby in our family that's get lots of lovin'. And lots of events to see her and love her up. I got my first smile and coo this last weekend and I loved it.

A Lot of lovin' going on this summer. We're lovin' the activities, the weather, the activities, the busyness, the activities, and, did I mention, the activities? No lazy days of summer for us and we haven't even had our first camping trip yet! There are concerts in the park every Thursday and with all the grandparents there, there's a lot of lovin' for little ones. We take dinner and sit and enjoy the family and, sometimes, the music. Sometimes the music isn't that great but the family is worth staying for.

There are new puppies to be loved. It's my niece and nephew's puppy but they were so kind as to share it with a bunch of 3 year olds that loved it up. Maybe a bit too much lovin'?

There was a birthday party for two guys (my brothers) that turned 50. Dubbed "Twiddle Dee" and "Twiddle Dum" by their loving? family. Twiddle Dum is a grandpa now and did some lovin' with his first grandson.

Twiddle Dee isn't a grandpa yet but it's just a matter of time.

There was a wedding. And the best part of the wedding for 3 year olds? Lovin' to blow bubbles at the end of it!

The grandmunchkins are lovin' summer school. There are crafts, and reading, and Bible stories, and learning.

Ahh, reading in the backyard...love it!

And we love Fridays when the schedule gets mixed up. Last Friday it was portrait time in the park for 3 three year olds with the reward of playing after. This is one of my favorites of the three of them.

We're only half way through the summer and lovin' it! Well, most of it. I'd like to say we're lovin' eating from the garden but thus far it's been zucchini and beets. It's about a month to six weeks behind. We hoping to get tomatoes before there's a freeze!

Shower sewing, yep, MORE sewing

2010-07-18T20:40:00.001-07:00

I've been knitting...really! But nothing finished. And there was a baby shower coming up for our newest granddaughter which meant crank up the sewing machine. It's faster and I do enjoy making things for little ones. Sew!
I made a little sun dress. The pattern is from Sewing With Whimsey. Love this book! And here is the other dress, also from Sewing with Whimsey. She has a second book coming out this summer and I plan on ordering it.

We are ready to PARTY!! I've got the dress, I've got the shades, I got the water bottle...let's go!

The dress is a Daisy Kingdom dress pattern and fabric that I made for her birthday. Fits perfectly!

So onto the party.....

Mommy and Daughter. All of my granddaughters take after their Mommies, even the newest one. The female genes must be pretty strong!

The guest of honor was well loved. Her cousin is already showing signs of being a wonderful Mommy.

The pretty Mommy enjoying her cake and letting us enjoy the little one.

It's tough being a grandmother. I had to fill in holding the baby and feeding her while the others played games and oohed and aaahed over the gifts.

These two little ladies really got into the games. The game was to guess the baby food flavor and they tried with gusto. Don't they look like miniature ladies at a shower?

What's better than turning 8 and 3?

2010-07-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Being the grandparents of kiddos turning 8 and 3 and getting to go to their respective birthday parties! Actually, just being a grandparent period! As I've mentioned, we're in birthday season around here, 8 grandmunchkins with birthdays in 8 eight weeks. Sounds like the making of a TV show: 8 in 8! Four of the little gems have the same birthday. Ok, so my daughter cheated and had triplets but still, trying to make it work since there is a 5 year age gap. I think the Moms did an amazing job making the birthdays age appropriate and yet fun for a wider age range.
Mr. Now 8! He got to go play laser tag for his birthday with "the guys" (and Mom and sister too). Couldn't hardly get him to eat pizza or blow out his candles. Now that's excitment! This guy knows how to grin too!

Kids + Water = FUN and great photo ops for this Nonny that loves taking pictures! The 3 year old birthday party was at the city park that just so happens to have a water fountain for the kids to play it. It has a great set up with places for the parents to sit, the water isn't too cold, and it has chlorine in it to keep it clean. It was an 85 degree day when we went so the kiddos had a great time in the water. They didn't want to take time out for cake or presents either!

Even 9 year olds had fun in the fountain!

And so did 30 something adults. Lest you think he was having fun for himself....uh no. He was going after little kids with a ball full of water. We called him the fountain terrorist. And the kiddos Loved it! So did he and so did me. I don't get pictures of him very often so it was a great photo op session for me. His little one should have fun with her Daddy when she's a bit older.

Even Bigger kids had fun in the fountain. Most of the adults couldn't resist the pull of the water and the kids.

I handed over my camera at one point and dried off and sat and smelled and cuddled and walked and throughly enjoyed the littlest grandmunchkin. It says a LOT about how much I enjoyed this if I was willing to hand over my camera.

But before I did, there were lots of opportunities for photos. Love seeing Miss S have fun. We (as in her siblings and myself) had to drag her into the water kicking and screaming but once we
did she had fun.

We are 3! (sniff, sniff)

Cake and presents-done-hit the fountain again!

Don't ya just wish ya were 3 or 8 again?