Well what do you know? Something got done!

All hands on deck!  The leaves are down!  Bring out the rakes, bring out the wheelbarrow, the coats, the hats, the boots!  Graypa is home and those leaves are going to get raked up and picked up!

                                                        Enough rakes for almost all!

 And when the work is done, there's a wonderful leaf pile calling their names.  Leaves to throw.....

                                        leaves to lay in..............

                                         leaves for a photo op.

             The work is done and the reward is getting to skip naps and watch Disney's Tarzan.  A movie, no matter how good, is just better with kids laughter.  Make that a kids' movie.

 Even the littlest pumpkin had to work.  His work is called "tummy time" and he's not always smiling!

 And can you believe it...there are some knitting and crocheting projects in the FO pile!

 My youngest daughter and I took a class at our LYS in crocheting necklaces.  A two hour class and we had new necklaces for church the next day.  They are made of beads (size 6/0) and rayon thread normally used in counted cross stitch or embroidery.  But the instructor also had samples of other yarns that might be in our stash and useable for necklaces.  Making more?  Why yes I am!  The next will take longer because I'll actually have to string the beads.  The instructor did that for us for class.

 And a sweater is off the needles and on a little girl.  This was a test knit for Dakine Knits called "something whimsical".  It was fun to knit and fairly fast.  I added a bit in the back to made sure it closed up.  Details on my ravelry page.  I used "Rapunzel" buttons and "sparkle" yarn per request of the princess.  She was pretty excited to see her "Tangled" sweater.

A couple more projects on the needles that should find their way on to this blog soon since my Christmas shopping is DONE...don't shoot me.  Simple this year.  Shopping done via a phone call and a few emails and some online time.

A celebration and blessings in abundance

 Me!  It was all about Me!  And my Mommy and my sister got some attention too.  But really, it was all about ME!

 Our church had a baby shower for Mr. C.  He is 9 weeks old now and such a wonderful baby.  Schedules really do work!  I speak from experience, with my own children and with grandchildren.  This little guy ate before the shower and then was content to be held and smooched and cuddled. 

 He was the center of attention, after all it was his baby shower.  But big sis wasn't hurting for attention either.  There were so many grandmothers in attendance, as well as Mom, that she wasn't left out.  See the sparkle in those brown eyes?  Just enough to hint that she can be a little mischievious.  Just a little.  She wasn't quite over the top in excitment and enthusiasm but close.  Mommy could barely keep up with her.

 Personally, I loved the color decor in the decorations.  What sweet ladies we have in our church.

 I think for this gift Mommy appreciated the help she had.  She would have fit in the bag herself!

 Just before the shower, I was sewing the buttons on.  15 minutes before the shower to be precise.  It was still damp from being washed and blocked (in the dryer).  I loved the pattern (a combination of Wonder Years and the Bellyphant sweaters), loved the yarn (Berocco Vintage), and loved how it turned out.  The elephant pattern was just enough colorwork to be interesting but not enough that I didn't ever want to do it again.   I have enough yarn left to try my hand at a colorwork hat to match the sweater with the elephants around.  Or just two elephants?  We'll see.  There was so much more I wanted to do but there is thing I seem to be lacking...time.  Now that my daughter is back to work, I am back to caring for them and teaching school and reading a lot.  I love that I get to do it and hobbies do suffer.  But I'm learning people, not things.  Someday I'll be missing all the busyness.

 There was an abundance of blessings, not just in material gifts, but in those there.  This little guy and gal, along with their two brothers, had 4 grandmothers at the shower.  They are loved by 4 grandmothers that love and pray for them and their parents.  Pretty blessed little ones.

 My Mom above and my husband's Mom below.

 I LOVE being a grandmother. 

 Five, count them, 4 grandmothers.  Two of them Great Grandmothers. 

 And let's not forget an Auntie too.  I don't know how I would care for them as I do if I didn't have her willing help.

 As I was looking through the pictures, I realized, I didn't take any of Mommy and Mr. C.  She let others cuddle him for this night.  But she made up for it the next day.

It wasn't ALL work, there was lots of play

First up, I finished something and now I can reveal it.  The last swap was Hedgehogs and Hippos and we were to include either the flip toy-from squirrel to hedgehog, or the hippo.  I made my first toy that did a magic presto chango.  This little squirrel flips in to become......

 A hedgehog.  I want to make another.  I'm not sure if I'll make an animal or the Cinderella for a birthday.

 I also whipped up two dishcloths.  Now these are fun and the hedgehog cloth was designed by Ber in our group for us to use.  She made 3 and I only had time to do one.  I've got the other two saved though and will do them soon.  They were just plain fun to knit and she did a great job designing the pattern. Details for all on ravelry.

 We are into late spring which means the winding down of the school year extracurricular activities.  The one we are heavily involved in is Awana.  For a couple of years now the end of the year activity is a skate party.  It is really popular with the kids and because we go on a Wednesday night, the rink pretty much belongs to our Awana kids.  Graypa and I helped the kids stay up for a bit and then they pretty much rolled on their own with a bit of help from Graypa.  I don't think they needed Graypa's help but they liked having him around to play and he came home saying, "Now that was fun." 

 The kids were given end of the year gift bags which included a stuffed animal.  I'm not sure if the animals were taken out in the rink for fun or for extra cushioning ;).

 Spring also means it's time to plant the garden, ours and my mother in law's.  My husband rounds up the grandmunchkins for a work crew and we head over after he's rototilled and plant.  A couple of hours of work? (more like play) and she has her garden in.  I could not begin to teach from a book what they learn with the hands on experience of planting a garden.  Plus they have fun and get to be kids. 

 The littlest of the work crew had a rough start but she rallied and was soon planting along with everyone else, or rather, digging and getting dirty.

 Miss S is an expert bean stringer and she was put in charge of training the younger crew.

 Sorry, couldn't resist posting this picture.  We found this on a consignment sale and it had to be on this boy.  It was designed for him. 

 They worked diligently.  For the first hour.

 And then the boss (Great Gram), not the crew chief (my husband) decided they needed a break.  Complete with a snack.

 I think my favorite memory of this day was watching the kids be kids.  They dug in the dirt.  They found tadpoles in the pond.  They released ladybugs and let them crawl all over.  And then they had lunch at McDonalds.  For a kid, that's a perfect day.

 And the next day was my perfect day.  I played all day.  It was the annual Guild shop hop.  Board a bus at 9am and get escorted to 5 different yarn shops.  This was the end of the day and we were enjoying a glass of lemonade before it was time to board the bus for home.  And we're still smiling. 

 It was Miss S's first shop hop and we'll take her again.  She won the gift certificate for the first shop and bought yarn and needles. She was a trouper the whole day.

 Mrs. C is still smiling too.  7 months pregnant and shopping.  Although at this point we were hungry.  Shopping is hard work!  We are not shoppers, any of us, but that goes out the window when it's the Shop Hop and we are shopping for YARN!!

 And here's the loot:  Madelintosh, Blissful Knits, Berrocco, Cascade. and others.  We had fun together.  Now it's time to put the Cold Sheeping into play and knit up what I have.

Which might take awhile considering the dining/school room is now scrapbook central and there are 6 months worth of pictures to put into albums and an order from Creative Memories has been unpacked and is ready to go.

Peter Cottontail came...and went!

Warning!  Picture intensive! 

Everyone went different directions for Easter so we grabbed a weekday, grabbed the family, and grabbed what part of the holiday we could as a family.  Enter 10 dozen eggs, 1 Large fruit salad, 4 family size pizzas, and 8 children, 6 adults, and you have an Easter egg coloring party!

Table decorations courtesy of two little girls excited to see dandelions and daisies make their appearance.

Gather round!

Intense color scrutinization...is it done?

Well, if the eggs were less than colorful, the hands made up for it!

The Saturday before Easter is the community Easter egg (really candy, not eggs) hunt at the fairgrounds.  I was, ahem, invited (actually offered to come along as a photographer) to enjoy some of the grandmunchkins enjoying the sunshine, the candy, the pony rides, the bounce houses, and the petting zoo.

I think she thought "If I don't look, he won't be there".  She didn't cry but she didn't look either.

Hunting candy.  And Mom and Dad helped.

Onto to meet and feed the critters. 

And then it was the older kids candy dash.  And considering the crowds and over anxious parents, I didn't get many shots of candy hunters.

And their were pony rides.  The faces say, "we can't wait!"

Sunday morning brought the new Easter finery and happy smiles.

And just in time for Easter, at 1:30 am Easter morning to be precise, I finished the Easter shrug!  I have a new favorite yarn:  Madelintosh!  Used to make this whirligig shrug.  A new favorite pattern too.  Simple enough to give a quick knit but enough details to hold interest. (details on my ravelry page)

So!  The chocolate and the morning fun is kicking in.  Photo op is Over!

The face says it all.  Easter is fun!  But lest you think pictures with the Easter bunny and egg hunts and Easter baskets and new dresses is what Easter is about.  Just ask these.  They'll tell you Easter means Jesus died, was buried, and rose again to cleanse us from sin and open up the way to spend eternity with God.  The bunny, the eggs, and the candy are just fun additions.