Obsessed with Life

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

2011-05-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

What better reason for some good Mexican food and drink?

Tomatillas, onions, and cilantro. Wish I had red onions but had to make do with Vidalia.

Finely chopped jalapeno ready for the bowl.

Why yes, it's Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Should be excellent with the steak fajita salad and top shelf margaritas that are on the menu for tonight.

Cinco de Mayo is not much of a Mexican holiday but Mexican-Americans have made it a holiday. It is a day to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican descent.

(Some of) The Cactus of Arizona

2011-04-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

On our recent travels in Arizona, I was surprised at the many different kinds of cactus that grow there. I tried to photograph as many varieties as I could. I won't even pretend to know their names. I wished I had been there when they were blooming. If you want to see me up close and personal with a cactus, scroll through to the end of the post. (As always, click on a picture for a clearer view.)

I was attacked by this cactus. I didn't even touch it. I guess I brushed by just close enough that it "jumped" out to attack me.

Those little quills are sharp, sharp, sharp and are not at all easy to get out. Even through my pant leg they were stuck into my skin. And of course when I grabbed one with my hand, then it was stuck in my hand.

Incredible saguaro cacti.

Take Us Out to the Ball Game

2011-04-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Vacation in Arizona. Cubs Spring Training, March 10. YAY!

Big surprise during one of the middle innings. That's the Cleveland Indians in the outfield. Don't be afraid to click on the picture to see a larger version.

CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!!
Game winning single in the bottom of the ninth...

Just What a Good Day Should Be

2011-04-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days that just feels good. It was a day filled with good friends, compassionate sharing, and fun times.

The day started with an invigorating two mile walk with Wayne. This was followed by two hours of knitting and conversation with two dear friends.

Next, I delivered these...

58 hats to the local NICU and mother-baby unit. They are easy knitting that makes a big difference to tiny humans.

After that I met up with Wayne for an unusual tour of Annapolis. It was AWESOME! I'm sure there will be more Segway excursions in my future. After just a few minutes I totally had control of my Segway and was surprised at just how much fun it was.

Island Time

2011-04-14T16:56:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Wayne and I had a weekend away on an island. A quiet, rainy, companionable weekend. I have missed the ocean during this past long cold winter.

We took some time to see the island wildlife.

Yes, we were at Chincoteague Island Virginia and those are the ponies made famous by the children's story, Misty of Chincoteague. (click on the pictures if you want a bigger look)

There was also knitting. The impetus for the trip was to attend a sock knitting workshop. I enjoyed the weekend of classes taught by my friend Wendy. I chatted with the other participants, some of whom came from as far away as London (yes, UK), Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. I completed every class project. And I knit on another pair of socks. The new Sock Madness 5 pattern was released a few hours after I got there so knitting on them began in earnest that night. I had the pair almost half done by the time I got home on Sunday. I finished them Wednesday morning before my team was full so I will be knitting in the next round too. I really like the pattern but sadly, they do not fit me over the instep so they will be frogged and I will use the yarn for another pair. I may even try to make a pair of these that WILL fit me.

Shockingly bright orange they are indeed!

My Special Valentine

2011-02-10T09:35:00.001-08:00

As Valentine's Day approaches I finally put to paper the scrapbook layout that has been in my mind for at least the last four years. Doesn't take me long to make a page, does it? Actually, this page took very little "making time" and most of that was spent looking for a font and deciding on the placement for the four small photos.

My valentines for this year are made and in the mail too. Bring on the holiday. I just need to finish deciding about what special foods to serve my Valentine.

She Really Has Hair

2011-02-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

When the children were young, one of our favorite places to visit in St Louis was "The Magic House." Lots of fun things to do and a special favorite was the ball of static electricity. So funny to make your hair stand on end.

Chris discovered that we could create a similar effect here - and the Ladybug, who looks pretty hairless most of the time, does indeed have hair. It's longer than I thought, too. Click on the pictures so you can see the full effect.

Too Many Photos

2011-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

I just spent most of the morning looking for a picture I didn't find. I found lots of other photos though, and sorted some of them. I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos. And those were only the pre-digital photos. What will I do with them all and what will happen to them? Some will be scrapbooked someday, I hope. That is why I was looking for the particular photo in the first place. I had a whole page made in my mind and wanted to actually put it on paper. Without the picture, I just lost interest. Photos and memorabilia are so disorganized in my studio. I really can't get my brain around somehow making it accessible and usable. That's a project for another day... for several other days actually.

I decided today would also be a good day to upload pictures from my camera, organize them on the hard drive a bit, and share a couple here and on a knitting site.

Sunday we celebrated the Ladybug's birthday with a party for her (local) family and friends. It was low-key and fun; just right for a one-year-old.

She had yet another cake to explore... and is probably wondering why this keeps happening to her...

And a big pile of gifts...

I'll end with a photo I love because of the joy on her face...

Mirrors are so fun...

Three Birthday Girls

2011-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

December and January bring birthdays for our three granddaughters. What a happy time!

The Peanut turned 4 and celebrated with a Minnie Mouse party.

The ladybug celebrated her first birthday with lots of cake.

The princess will turn 7 this week and we had an early birthday celebration in December.

Intentions

2011-01-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

Did you notice there is no mention on my blog of resolutions, New Year's or otherwise? I've never been much for resolutions. As a child they didn't make much sense to me. This year I've been thinking a lot about what I intend to do. Semantics, maybe, but it works better for me. So, here's a few...

I intend to...
* post here at least monthly or at least 12 times in 2011.
* use my right brain more and get some of the scrapbook layouts and ideas that in my brain onto paper.
* work at organizing my digital photos and other digital files. If I can get to it, scan some of my older photos.
* manage my food consumption for better control of weight and diabetes.
* continue to build my personal cookbook.
* spend more time with the people I love, savoring all of the small, special moments in life.
* enjoy regular knitting and crafting dates with my friends.
* knit, knit, knit

We'll see how it goes...

Good-bye 2010

2010-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Ah, the end of another year. Usually it's just another day to me. But today, I've been thinking about all the ways that I'm closing out 2010.

1. The kitchen floor and my bedroom floor are clean. The rest of the house, meh, not so much.
2. Clean sheets on the bed for our first sleep of 2011. It will be 2011 before we go to bed.
3. Wonderful dinner and conversation with friends.
4. Dirty clothes are almost all washed - they should be all done before we leave tonight.
5. All my hand-knit socks are washed and ready for 2011. There are a few I am going to try to repair because I cannot yet bring myself to part with them. After all that work, shouldn't they last forever?
6. Yarn has arrived for a special project for my MIL and another for my son.
7. Santa's workshop is closed for now.
a. There was knitting - sweater for Bubba for which I don't have a picture; socks for Wayne which aren't quite done yet, and, for the Ladybug...

b. there was sewing - and knitting for the Princess and the Peanut...

And thus ends 2010....

Fall and Santa's Workshop

2010-11-24T15:59:00.001-08:00

The other day Chris raked up a lot of the leaves around our house. Turned out to be a perfect photo opportunity... We had to be diligent to keep her from "eating" them.

The neighborhood children had their first opportunity to play and jump in the leaves and their enjoyment was delightful.

Santa's famous workshop at the North Pole has a new satellite workshop in Maryland. Work has commenced and moving full speed ahead. I had to sharpen a few of my skills and practice a few new ones so that I could complete the items for this year's holiday. Very pleased with how it's going so far. No pictures yet since some recipients will be checking in here from time to time. Check back for an update after the big gift opening day!

Prematurity Awareness Day

2010-11-17T19:03:00.001-08:00

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day. Medical research and health care today has advanced to the point where babies born younger and younger are surviving and are healthy. But still preemies are born and the United States has a very high rate of prematurity for such a developed country. We need to do more to prevent prematurity.

Why, you ask, is this my post today when I have not posted anything for a couple months. Because today I celebrate the life of my granddaughter, McKenzie born 13 weeks premature and weighing just 1 pound and 12 ounces. It amazes me just how tiny she was and how strong was her will to survive.

This is the first picture of her with her mother - yes, that's Susan's hand touching her arm. She was 13 3/4 inches long and just a few hours old. Can you imagine an arm the size of your finger? The second picture gives me a better perspective of just how tiny she was and she was just 12 days old then.

In two weeks, McKenzie will celebrate her fourth birthday. YEAH! Healthy and perfectly normal in every way. Totally awesome!
You can tell she lives in Texas 'cause she's got the big Texas bow...LOL!

If you want to read the whole story in Susan's words, you can find it here .

I Love to Travel

2010-09-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

so when I spotted this clever map, I decided to see how many states I have yet to visit.

visited 40 states (80%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

and of course, some of of these I want to visit again... and again... and again... and again...

As for the rest of the world...

visited 12 states (5.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World

there's a lot of the world yet to explore!

2010-06-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

It has come to my attention that my grandson does not appear on my blog. I will remedy that right now.

INTRODUCING...

Michael Joseph Hammert, Jr
born July 24, 2009

today at Grandma and Grandpa's house

and on Wednesday playing with Kayla

He's fun to have around and loves go outside on a walk with Grandpa.

Out for a Walk

2010-05-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

A little late with the updating; nothing much new about that. Last Wednesday K was 4 months old. The time has surely flown by. It was a lovely day here so we took a walk to the mail drop to mail a Mother's Day card to Aunt Susan. First time sitting up in an umbrolla.

One of my favorite photos...

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

2010-02-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

The blizzard of 2010 has come and gone. It left a lot behind for us to remember it by though.

Winter Wonderland...

Lots of work...

The dark strip in front of the house is Chris' car.

We are shoveled out in front of our house. Major roads have at least one lane open. Secondary roads still need to be plowed. The Federal Government, schools, and many places of business are closed. We have ice dams and water dripping into the house.

Judging from the old pictures I have, I may have been in a snowstorm of this magnitude as a child. In those days, we definitely had accumulations of this much (25-30 inches) or greater before melting. The biggest snowstorm I remember is when we lived in Chicago in January 1979. That was less than 20 inches of snow. Wayne was in Texas for work and I was home with a three-month-old and and seven-year-old. That's the winter Chris learned to shovel snow!

I'm Crafty

2010-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

At least I am if I can get this link to work...

Not that anyone really reads my blog, especially since it has been months since I have posted here. But I wanted to share this in case anyone wanders by. Thanks to my friend, Colleen, for alerting me to it. And now I must get to doing some crafty work - a few cards to make and a baby sweater to knit are on the agenda for today.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-10-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I helped M make a Halloween costume for her baby's "first" Halloween...

I'm sure the kindergartners loved it!

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Seasonal Color

2009-10-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today W and I decided to take a short ride to enjoy the color and get out in the fresh air.

For all the time we've lived here, we have never been to Patapsco Valley State Park so that was our destination. Today was the day for quiet walks, river rapids, awesome colors, to marvel in the wonders of nature and the God who created it.

...the river and its rapids - we hiked down to the rapids...

...awesome color...

How I Spent

2009-09-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last Weekend...

Looking at this view...
While eating Grotto pizza...
"living" in this lovely hotel...

And sampling wine at this winery...

A quiet weekend in Rehoboth Delaware. Good food. Warm sunny day reading on the beach. Local wine. A good way to spend a couple days together.

Creideamh

2009-08-14T15:36:00.001-07:00

Lots has been happening around here which I may or may not blog about at some other time. In the meantime, I am thrilled with the new shawl I just finished. I think it's much better than it looks here. Lovely, soft, drapey, sandy colored yarn - a real pleasure to knit with and to wear. The yarn is from the indie dyer, Miss Babs and the pattern is Creideamh by Renee Leverington. They are from the WoolGirl Embrace the Lace club.

Two Little Girls

2009-07-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

There's new fun at my house now! The Princess is here to visit for three weeks. It is wonderful to have her here and especially with the Peanut here too. They have been inseparable.

No matter which one wants to do something, the other one wants to do it too. And they are so cute playing together.

They days are going to fly by, I'm sure!

I'm Baaaack

2009-06-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have been so negligent with the posting - as you know if you have checked here in the last three months. So much for my resolve to post more frequently in 2009. Life has been hectic here. I think it is knitting that has helped me keep my sanity.

This year I almost didn't sign up for Sock Madness. I didn't think I would have the opportunity to knit in the competition. I did sign up and surprised myself with how well I did. Truth be told, though, I stayed in as long as I did because I was not placed (randomly) in one of the fastest groups. The patterns this year were excellent and a lot of fun to knit. The family kept urging me on, checking on my progress, and cheering me to finish the socks before the round ended. Amazingly, I made it through to the sixth round where I was eliminated only an hour after the first finisher (only one of us could advance in this round). Socks knit in the competition rounds have to be knit to pattern specs. There was something new, different, or unusual for me to learn and do in every round, in addition to knitting quickly enough to advance to the next round.

So here are my first six pairs...

Round 1 (blue) - Tropical Mer-tini
Round 2 (grey & red) - Tokena
Round 3 (small green) - Talia's Wings
Round 4 (black & multi) - Lucky Diamonds
Round 5 (red, white, blue) - Dimpled Diamonds
Round 6 (brown & orange) - Fire on the Mountain

For the seventh and final round, I was out of the competition so I modified the socks to better fit me. I changed the short row heel as written in the pattern to a gusset and flap. This pattern was so fun to knit and the socks are quite different from any other socks I've made to date. I love them!

Knitting Completed

2009-03-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

A pair of warm and cozy socks for Wayne. The color gradates from brown to grey.

My lovely Syncopated Lace shawl. The color gradates from orange to pink and purple.

The BEAST

2009-03-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this TV show on A&E? It stars Patrick Swayze and airs on Thursdays at 10 PM Eastern Time.

Our godson Ben will appear in the episode on March 5. His acting career is taking off. He's been in several commercials, this TV show, and has filmed a movie with Rob Schneider that is scheduled to be released in the fall.

A few summers ago he and his brother were in a community production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." We were thrilled to be in the audience.

That's Ben on the left.

The View

2009-03-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

from my windows this morning...

The biggest snowfall this winter! It's not really that much snow - maybe three or four inches and the roads are much more treacherous than I would have thought with that amount. Schools are canceled. Seems like wet, heavy snow. The wind is supposed to pick up when it quits snowing (it's just about done now) and some blowing and drifting is predicted. We canceled office hours for this morning; don't know about this afternoon yet.

Works in Progress

2009-02-21T13:09:00.001-08:00

Today you get to see what's on my needles - and one that's just off my needles and is blocking.

This is Synocapted Lace - a shawl from the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club. The "sin" is Pride and I'm sure I will be proud to wear it. It shades gorgeously from orange/pink to pink/purple. It's pinned out here blocking and in a couple days (maybe) I'll have a photo wearing it.

Next up, from the Ram's Club Sock Club is Goodyear Treads.

These are for Wayne and shade from brown to grey. I have a bit more of the leg, then the cuff ribbing and they will be done. I started them while in Puerto Rico.

Lastly, a bright pair for myself. I'm knitting along with several friends on Ravelry. These are called Firestarters.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

My sweetie and I are planning a quiet dinner at home tonight. He's cooking salmon on the grill and I'm fixing the rest of the meal. A nice bottle of wine is chilling in the refrigerator. I even made dessert; something I rarely do. Or maybe I should say I tried to make dessert. He loves lemon and wanted to make something other than Lemon Meringue Pie. When I saw a unique recipe for Lemon Cake I hoped he would like it.

I guess when the recipe said to spray the pan with the cooking spray that has flour in it, there was a reason they specified that kind.

The crumbs are delicious!

I hope you are enjoying your Valentine's Day.

Family Time in Uvalde

2009-02-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

W & I have returned from visiting S and family. The biggest surprise was how much the Peanut is talking now. Four and five word sentences are not uncommon - when we last saw her three months ago she only said a few words and most were hard for us to understand. Now we can have conversations with her and we loved it. It is fascinating to watch her mind work and hear the words come out.

She was intrigued with Grandpa's beard... (she called him Granpapa a lot)

She helped Uncle C build with Legos (C's favorite toy!)

When she saw me rolling out the noodle dough, she rushed to find her rolling pin in her toy kitchen so she could help...

She thinks she's ready to go to the rodeo after UC found her boots and hat in the closet.

Well, maybe not quite ready. She got in some "rodeo practice" before we left for San Antonio.

She wasn't ready to ride the pony at first, but it didn't take her long to enjoy it once the pony started moving.

We finished up the rodeo day with the best treat ever!

Beaches, Beaches, Beaches

2009-02-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

W & I have returned from our yearly winter trip to Puerto Rico. Have no doubt, it was wonderful time.

We spent the first two days in Rincon, on the beach, sunning, reading, and taking it easy.

This lighthouse in Rincon is situated in a very nice waterfront park. We strolled around, took pictures, and read our books. There were less than 5 people in the park while we were there so it felt as if we were in our own back yard - I wish!

The remainder of our time in Puerto Rico was spent with the Princess. She just turned 5 so we celebrated her birthday by taking her shopping for a new outfit and then to see the movie, Hotel for Dogs. She had a great time!

Grandpa most enjoyed the beach time with her - and we spent quite a few hours there as we were staying just steps away from the beach.

We had a couple free hours before we needed to be at the airport so we headed to yet another beach and one of our favorites - the quiet, deserted beach at Pinones where the only sound was the waves.

All too quickly it was time to return home. Our souvenirs are our wonderful memories and the anticipation of time together again.

Inauguration Day

2009-01-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exciting day for Americans! The election and inauguration of a new president always brings with it hope and promise for the future. This year was no exception. We are looking forward to what lies ahead for our country and its people.

C and M decided that they wanted to go into the city to be part of the inauguration festivities. W took them to the Metro and, after arriving at their Metro destination, walked until they reached a place where they were allowed in to join the crowd. They ended up near the Washington Monument and were able to hear all of the inauguration proceedings even though they weren't able to see a jumbotron or see anything else except the crowd. C took a picture of just part of the crowd - the flags are around the Washington Monument so the capitol is off in the distance to the right more than a mile away.

After the swearing-in ceremony, they walked around the mall and eventually found themselves in the area where the parade participants were lining up and were able to see some of the parade entries.

An interesting day - one that will remain in their memories and will be shared with future generations.

2009

2009-01-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May you be happy and prosper.

60 Years

2008-12-17T04:26:00.000-08:00

Late in November W and I traveled to Illinois to celebrate with his parents their 60th Wedding Anniversary. They were thrilled to have reached this milestone and thrilled to have us there with them.

Also for 60 years I have enjoyed S'mores. Late in the afternoon before leaving on the drive home, my BIL built a fire in his patio firepit and we indulged. A wonderful treat before the long drive. Yuummmy!

Moving Day

2008-11-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

What a perspective...

I am so little and my truck is so big.

The truck was quickly unloaded and many of the boxes were stacked in the back yard.

W packed them into S's very generous storage areas. It was amazing to see how everything fit so well. I didn't get to my camera soon enough to show how many there were as this is just part of the boxes for storage. And what a pleasure to be working outside in November with the temperature hovering around 80 degrees. I loved it!

After a hard day of moving in, it's always good to chill out with a triple popscicle and a bath in the new bathtub.

Moving On

2008-11-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

My how the time has flown. Since the last post I've been back to Texas. W and I drove S's SUV to Texas for them. Their dog was our traveling companion. About 1800 gorgeous miles of the USA. The fall leaves were at their peak in Tennessee. Since we "gained" two hours in one day (change to Standard Time and then change in time zones) we had enough time for a side trip. Can you guess where???

through the French Quarter in New Orleans. Neither of us had been there previously.

We were the first car stopped at an intersection and before us passed a wedding procession.

Complete with a Dixieland band and all the guests waving white hankies. A fun, quick look at New Orleans.

Then on to Texas.

October Summer

2008-10-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last week was summer all over again... temps in the upper 80s and low 90s... warm sun on my face, sweat running down my back... yup, I wasn't in Maryland. S and the Peanut and I traveled to South Texas to find a house for them to live in. In the location where they will be there wasn't much available. Luckily we found a rental that will be suitable for them. The rest of the time we spent exploring San Antonio and visiting with one of S's friends.

First stop... the Alamo for pictures. I guess to prove we are really here...

Of course we had to do the walk along the San Antonio River. San Antonio is one of my absolutely favorite US cities and I have lost count of the number of times I have been there. It is always a pleasure and this time was no exception. We strolled around the city and took a river "cruise."

Peaceful and restful...

The Peanut made a new friend on the trip - the daughter of S's friend... she was a preemie also; born nearly as early as the Peanut. Look how healthy they are!

If you want to help insure that all babies born too early have the same opportunity at health as they have and to reduce the incidence of prematurity, please go to the March of Dimes website, sign the petition, and support March of Dimes research.

There is a relatively new sculpture in downtown San Antonio - the Torch of Friendship Sculpture. Fifty tons of red steel rising above the river and gifted by the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs of San Antonio.

Potpourri

2008-09-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Peanut's second NICU reunion. S asked me to go with her this year. How awesome to see these little ones doing so well. Medical advances have been amazing in saving babies' lives. M was reading one of my college textbooks (copyright 1957) and learned that babies born at the age the Peanut was had a 5% chance of survival. S has a book now that says the survival rate is about 80%. What an improvement in 50 years. And not just saving lives but so many of these babies now do not have long-term health consequences from their prematurity. Here is the Peanut and one of her NICU-mates at the reunion.

I have been following a couple food blogs and picked up some good recipes along the way. This has become one of our favorites - Creamy Chicken Enchiladas. So easy and so yummy! I served it to company the other night complete with from-scratch Margharitas and fiery Fire and Ice Salsa.

Two more pairs of socks have joined my "collection..."

Twinkle Toes by Cookie A in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock (heavyweight) Muddy Bottom Breakdown colorway. They're perfect with my handpainted Swedish clogs!

Special sock pattern for Summer of Socks 2008 by Wendy Johnson in Shibui Knits yarn.

I have several sock patterns calling my name and a Clapotis and the Mystery Shawl #4 on the needles. I think I'll knit this afternoon...

Today Is...

2008-09-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

...the day that many of us have spent time thinking about where we were and what we were doing seven years ago. Some of us don't want to dwell on it; others ponder it at length. I'm one who doesn't think about it too much. Not because I don't want to remember or don't care about what happened. It's because thinking about it does neither me nor anyone else any good. I can't change things and I can't prevent it from happening again. I remember with honor those who lost their lives this day, those who worked tirelessly in the search and recovery, those who suffered deep grief and those who helped them through it, those who are working in the hopes that this will never happen again. I also don't think about it much because doing so leads me to the possibility that something like this may happen again, and, because I can't stop it and I can't prevent it, not much good can come from deep thinking about it.

If you're interested, seven years ago W and I were wrapping up a mini-trip to Atlanta for his USAR retirement. The last days of his military service. With a flight scheduled for mid-afternoon, we decided to visit the Martin Luther King National Historic Site. We arrived at the site and the building was nearly abandoned. Wondering why, we were looking around the room when an employee yelled "they've hit the Pentagon." Still having no idea what was going on, we raced to the employees. They were watching television on their "movie room big screen" and we sat down to watch with them. Shock, disbelief, fear took hold of us that day. The irony of being in the presence of someone who championed peace and justice while this act of terrorism was going on was not lost on us. With all flights canceled, we found a hotel and hibernated there for three days until we were permitted by the rental car agency to drive the car back to Maryland without a one-way penalty. Airline flights resumed sometime after that. We had talked to all three children every day. S was teaching at a school a mile or so from BWI airport and M was attending a college about 10 miles away. C, of course, was far away in San Juan.

End of August

2008-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have our niece Sara, her husband, and her son visit us this past weekend. They were in town for a wedding and we babysat for Aaron. He's a darling! We're glad we had this chance to spend a bit of time with all of them.

He's such a sweet cuddle guy!

I have a few knitting projects finished as well...

This sweater for Aaron.

A sweater for the Peanut...

A pair of summer socks... I was only able to make two pair during the entire Summer of Socks 08.

My gorgeous Wollmeise scarf...

My lace AeRang shawl... which is really a lovely dark navy and not this blue color...

Cousins

2008-08-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

We have returned from our recent trip to Illinois to see W's family. The great grandparents were thrilled to see both the Peanut and her second cousin, our niece's son. Here with the Peanut is her cousin. Although he's 11 months younger than her, he's not too much smaller.

That makes this little guy my great nephew. I have a hard time accepting that I am a great aunt. Great aunts are old people. I am not old enough to be a great aunt.

They seemed to really enjoy spending time together.
And what is that secret you're telling him, Peanut?

You can read more details of the trip at http://mypreemiepeanutmckenzie.blogspot.com/

Fourth of July (mostly)

2008-07-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

One of the rare - and soon to be rarer - times when my children and grandchildren are all in the same photo. C brought the Princess up for an extended visit so we took advantage of the one-day opportunity to spend time together. The little girls had a lot of fun playing together and I particularly enjoyed watching my grown children together.

A spent two weeks in Maryland and Virginia with her family. It was fun to have her here over the Fourth of July holiday and share that tradition with her since that is not a holiday where she lives. We roasted hot dogs and hamburgers, introduced her to sweet corn, slurped watermelon from the rind, and churned home-made ice cream.

Oh, yeah, both the Princess and the Peanut had their first S'more... Grandpa roasted the marshmallows ... and look.... one is very neat with it, the other not so much...

The Princess also learned about sparklers on this trip and she made her own "light" shine...

And saw fireworks for the first time...

As for the knitting... the Princess got a new sweater but I haven't uploaded the photo yet. She also got her very own felted wand and crown (and glitter shoes)

(kudos to "I Heart Felt" by Kathleen Taylor for the pattern)

And I got my very own pair of Gluttony Socks. This was the first shipment from the Seven Deadly S(p)ins Club and a very fun pair of socks...

Today We Went to Paradise

2008-06-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Pennsylvania that is. Today W and I took a road trip. One of those lazy travel days with a couple objectives but not much planning. Sort of just go where the road leads you. In Philadelphia, we were hoping to find the jewelry store from which he purchased a bracelet for me last June. The bracelet is too small and he was told they could make it larger. We couldn't find the store so I am going to try to contact the designer. We drove around Philadelphia a bit and then headed out to Valley Forge. Now that is one cool little national park. We spread a blanket under the trees and read and enjoyed nature. We saw several deer that were within 50 yards of people. They acted almost like they were domesticated. W had been there last year and wanted to go back to enjoy the serenity of the area and take a picture of a memorial. And of course I forgot the camera! No problem, just a reason to take another road trip one day. On the way home we drove through Paradise PA. I say the whole day was pretty "paradisy".

Christmas (Cactus) in June

2008-06-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

My gorgeous Christmas Cactus - in June. Obviously, this cactus does not have an internal calendar! I got this plant from a friend several years ago. She wanted to get rid of it because it never bloomed and I wanted it because I couldn't bear to let her throw away a perfectly good plant. Then, waa-laa... it bloomed for me... not once, not twice, but now three times. A maverick plant I guess. I don't care when it blooms, I love it every time. It speaks to me of hope and of promise and isn't that what Christmas is all about anyhow?

Speaking of hope and promise, I am hoping and I promise to try to actually get some papercrafting and scrapbooking done very soon. In that vein, I am cleaning up the studio and sorting out... ribbons and beads this week...

There's a bit of hope and promise in some recent knitting too. M's friend had a darling baby girl a couple weeks ago and M asked me to make a baby blanket for her. I decided on the Bliss Blanket using a yarn from Universal in wild pinks and purples since the mother is crazy about pink. This was also my first attempt at entrelac but it won't be my last.

I couldn't resist a couple other little things for darling Emma too - a Vine Hat and a pair of modified Saarje booties made with Colinette Jitterbug yarn. I'm sorry about the bad lighting - it's really hard to take a good picture in the house at 3 pm when it is dark as night outside because of a really big storm (not to worry, this was a couple weeks ago).

Alaska

2008-06-02T07:11:00.001-07:00

The Alaska trip was amazing! The weather was awful but the rest of the trip was wonderful.

We arrived in Seattle a few days before sailing for Alaska. One day was spent in the Southern Cascades in the area around Mt. St. Helen. It was not a clear day and we were never sure we actually saw Mt. St. Helen. We went as close to the volcano as we were allowed. Partway up the mountain the road was still closed due to the snow. We hiked a bit on the trail farthest up that was open. While the mountain in this photo may not be the volcano, it is an example of what the area looked like. The weather was too overcast for us to see Mt. Ranier before we left for Alaska.

Of course no visit to Seattle would be complete without strolling through Pike Market. Rows of gorgeous flowers first caught our eyes, then produce, pasta, fish, and lots of artisan booths and all sorts of shops.

My cousin M and her SO joined us on the cruise and what fun we had. R proposed to her on the first formal night and without hesitation she agreed to marry him. We are so happy for both of them! After beer and champagne, we tried to figure out if they could get married on the cruise, but in the end, the wedding will be in Phoenix next year.

One of the highlights of the cruise was sailing to the Hubbard Glacier. We got within a half mile of the glacier and just stared in awe at the massive wall of snow and ice. We saw calving several times, which is when part of the glacier breaks off.

The cruise included port stops in Ketchican and Juneau, Alaska and Victoria, British Columbia. While it felt like winter to me for most of the cruise, spring had definitely sprung in Victoria. (sorry, I couldn't get the picture rotated the right way.)

We took this cruise as part of a group of knitters. M and I attended classes on knitting and spent lots of time knitting and talking with other knitters. R and W seemed to have no trouble filling their time when we were knitting. We played cards and dominos and drank coffee with Bailey's. And in each port, we shopped at yarn stores. The SEX was pretty good... er, that's Stash Enhancement Xperience. I concentrated on purchasing yarn from local, independent hand-dyers. The four skeins to the left in the photo were in the goodie bag and everything else except the two skeins to the bottom of the photo are from local hand-dyers in Alaska.

Perhaps one day we'll return to Alaska, our 49th state.

Time to Play

2008-05-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

CATCH UP! What a busy month it has been since before going to St. Louis. So....

Spring Fling at The Loopy Ewe... way cool.... thanks to Jess for enabling, er... offering me this opportunity. I hadn't seen Jess in a year and a half so lots of catching up to do, knitting, laughing... just having a good time. Meeting new people, learning new skills, yarn shopping at Loopy Central, wonderful sock knitting classes, it's all good! For a better report, look here. You can click on the photo for a larger photo and see me in the middle of the back row, right next to the Loopy genius herself! One of the rare times I managed to get myself in the back row of a group photo.

Maryland Sheep and Wool followed quickly on the heels of TSF. I managed to squeeze in a few hours browsing there with friends. This is the yarn from both the Fling and S&W.

Maryland Sheep and Wool... From the top: three skeins from Ellen's Half Pint, two of which are merino/tencel. The blue is silk from Spirit Trail (love, love, love their yarn) and the other pink is unidentified wool. I wish I'd written down what it was and where I got it. All I know is the yardage and that it is wool.

The Spring Fling... From the bottom: aqua Woolmeise was in the goody bag, then Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, blue is Chameleon Colorworks, the Handmaiden is luscious, there's also some from Handmaiden in the Mahogany colorway (its' hard to see), and the eggplant is Alpaca with a Twist.

Being a bag lady, I also bought a bag but did not photo it. You can see it above my head in this picture, except mine is hot pink, not hot lime.

Vacation

2008-05-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

I tried to update this a few days ago and just didn't get it down. Now W and I leave tomorrow on a trip so don't expect an update here for at least two weeks. You can always check in on McKenzie's blog and see what's happening there, though. Bon Voyage!

New Bag for the Bag Lady

2008-04-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, I have knitted and felted another bag. The yarn for this one was gifted to me in The Loopy Ewe Spring Fling swap and the bag is done to take with me to Fling later this week. I am so happy with it - perfect color for me and the yarn worked the pattern wonderfully. I had just enough left to make the cell phone case.

I'm takin' my bag and hoppin' on a jet plane with W to visit his parents and knit with my friend Jess.

More Socks

2008-04-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

Sock Madness Round 3 is over. The first twelve finishers in each division advance to round four. I was finisher number 13 in my division. I'm no longer in the competition but I will continue to get the patterns and I hope to make them all! These are the socks for round 3...

Lace weight yarn doubled - I used Tess' Superwash Laceweight in a fushia and dark chocolate (I don't know what she really calls the colors) Interesting pattern of slipped stitches that you can't see very well in this photo. Although I could get them on, they are really too small for me so I need to find someone who would like them.

In preparation for the felted slipper contest on the cruise, I made these...

They are sort of like big felted socks. I had a love/hate affair with the yarn - Taos from Crystal Palace. There's two different colorways here and they are knit using the Scandinavian twining method. The yarn was too fuzzy for this to work well even though I used the yarn called for in the pattern. I had constant twisting and much of the time the spun yarn reverted to a roving state. Ugg... And then I ran out of yarn so I finished the toes with some Patons wool. I think I will like wearing them around the house though.

Sock Madness 2 - Round 2

2008-04-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Completed! And still in the competition. The sock for this round is a gansey pattern (I really

need to research what that means) with garter stitch sole, toe, and short row heel. I used BMFA Socks that Rock in the Love-in-Idleness colorway and they are lovely. The only improvement, I think, would be to use a solid or semi-solid colorway in a yarn with good stitch definition so the design would show to the optimum. Otherwise, glad these are done and they feel good on the feet. On to round 3; I hope by the end of the week.

There are two or three spots left to fill in round 2 first. Yertle likes them too!

Wayne's Work

2008-04-04T14:16:00.001-07:00

Wondering what W has been up to? He managed to find his workbench this winter and is making one of his fabulous barns for three adorable brothers. It's not hard to imagine them - especially the youngest two - having a lot of fun with this.

Done! Finished!

2008-03-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sock Madness 2 (round 1) is history! I finished my socks in about 20 hours of knitting time and am definitely moving on to round 2. Round 2 won't start for several days so I can work on some other stuff in the meantime.

What is Sock Madness you ask? A sock knitting competition/tournament loosely based on basketball's March Madness. A new sock pattern is released to all competitors simultaneously. We knit the sock. The first to finish move on to the next round. There are 4 divisions and for the first round, the first 40 finishers in each division advance. I am finisher #5 in my division. I expect it will be several days, maybe a week or more, before the next round begins. For round 1 the pattern is called Zombie and I knit it in Colinette Jitterbug in one of their green colorways. It is a rather charming sock and it was fun to knit. I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough yarn but I finished with just a few yards left.

Spring Socks

2008-03-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finished another pair of socks and have worn them all day. The yarn is my first attempt at handpainting and I love it! The socks are OK too... the colors just say spring to me, so here they are...

Is It Spring Yet?

2008-03-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung.... this photo proves it... I found these just a few houses down the street. Never mind it is freezing cold today with a nasty wind. Surely spring cannot be far behind...

Is this another sign of spring? I heard a lot of loud rustling noises and caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to see what was going on, I was shocked to see this!

What could have possibly drawn them to the barren, ugly foodless soil between the houses? Did someone forget to tell me there is a movie remake on my front lawn?

One more sign of spring today. This sock is knitted with the very first yarn I hand dyed... thank you Erin It has been so fun to knit this slightly lacey sock with my very "own" handpainted yarn. Details to follow when the pair is finished. I'm about 2/3 done with sock #2.

Birthday Girls

2008-03-06T16:58:00.001-08:00

27 years old and 15 months old.... Sunday was a wonderful day with both of them here so we could celebrate with them. M had some friends drop by and it was great to see them. Reminiscing and playing with the little ones...

The peanut now weighs 15 pounds, 10 ounces. How many of us can say we weigh our age?!!!! She's walking all over the place as long as she has something to hold on to... a push toy, someone's fingers, the edge of the couch or the table... won't be long until she takes off totally on her own.

Socks

2008-02-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

My love affair with knitting socks continues. These are the latest - both made with Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The first is a pattern called 9-5 in the Tanzanite colorway. The second is Lenore in the Lenore colorway from the sock club last year. This sock yarn is heavier than some - even the lightweight - and cushy. I never thought hand-knit socks would feel so great or that I would love them so much. I've learned so many skills by knitting socks and gained a lot of confidence in my knitting.

Home again

2008-02-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaaaack! And so is my computer. I really didn't think I'd miss the computer so much. It's become a resource for me that is hard to live without. Not just e-mail and web sites but looking for information, answering questions, finding recipes, finding knitting patterns and yarn, all kinds of stuff. It truly has changed the way I look at and find the world.

Puerto Rico was wonderful - except for the mosquitos of course. W and I went to CopaMarina in Guanica for one night. Oh, so lovely to lay around with this as the view. Warm Caribbean water, quiet beach and poolside, delicious food, warm & sunny weather... simply a lovely 24 hour escape.

On our way back to C's house we picked up the Princess from preschool. She was as excited to see us as we were to see her. Fun days together. There is a park next to her house. She thinks it is her own personal back yard. She had Grandpa had lots of good times there.

The Princess loves dress up and pretending. She comes up with some pretty crazy outfits! Fancy glasses, butterfly wings, ballerina skirt, Dorothy's (Wizard of Oz) red high heels, and of course jewelry and a wand. We really enjoy spending time with C & the Princess and wish we could see them more. C is an awesome dad... I'm so proud of him!

Meeting the Challenge

2008-01-23T08:09:00.001-08:00

M just returned from a few days in San Juan with C & the Princess. When I'm there the Princess wants to slide down the slide but is not able to make it to the top by herself. Look what a big girl she is now! I love the "lighting" on this picture. Somehow the clouds and the color of the sky just seem to fit the challenge and determination of climbing to the top of the big slide. I think the stuffed moose was just the help she needed. A stuffed moose for someone living in the tropics - what's up with that!

My motherboard has had enough... so before it completely dies it's going to the shop and I'm getting a new "mother". Or whatever... I'm getting everything I need to keep this computer going and tons of additional memory too. I'll post here again when it's all back safe and sound with me.

Yesterday

2008-01-18T15:54:00.001-08:00

This is what yesterday looked like

Today nearly all the big fat flakes have melted.

And this is what I did

The big feet are mine - the little pair is for the peanut. This yarn is from WoolGirl's Charlie Brown Valentine SockKit. The lovely yarn is from White Oak Studio and of course I can't find the band right now for the color name. This is definitely the best fitting pair I've made yet. I'm ready to cast on a pair for M using this pattern.

We're In!

2008-01-11T16:50:00.001-08:00

My friend Jess (showmeyourknits.typepad.com) and I decided last month that we wanted to go to the spring knitting retreat at www.theloopyewe.com Since we live half a country apart from each other and since we've been to several scrapbook retreats together and since we are both avid knitters, we thought this retreat was made for us. We hurried to register - and it turned out we were registering for the opportunity to be in the lottery of those who wanted to go to the retreat. Bummer - we didn't get selected. We whined, we complained, and we said maybe next time. And then yesterday Jess got the call - well, the e-mail. There was a cancellation. She was next on the list and there would be room for her roommate too - ME! Whoo hoo! Jess and I are going! The retreat people think I'm her Mom but that's OK. It'll still be fun!

Is This January?

2008-01-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Once again the mid-Atlantic has enjoyed several days of spring... um summer... weather in January. We're just coming off 60 and 70 degree days and yesterday morning when I walked at 8 AM it was already in the 60s. Of course, it fell after that and today's high will probably be around 50. I'm no weatherman, er weatherperson, so who knows. At least we don't have snow and ice. I'm happy with that...

The UHU people were so kind as to send me product to test/review. My apologies for the delay in reporting my results. I received a big, fat UHU glue stick. One of those that goes on purple and dries clear. Love that! I can tell where the glue is and then all the evidence is gone. I used it primarily for cards. It glides on easily and with a little pressure, sticks well. Here's the card I made for Wayne's birthday... well, dang... I can't get it in here...
GOT IT NOW! Lots of pieces glued and they stick. What more can you ask from a glue stick! Thanks, UHU.

Please take a look at the UHU blog... http://www.mariafilosa.com/ I see they have some new (new to me at least) products, a couple of which I'd like to try. Envelope sealer glue... I could have used that with all the cards last month. And twist and glue deserves a try too I think.

A New Year and New Start

2008-01-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

So can we just pretend this is a new blog? The previous TWO entries never existed... This must be another of those obsessions I dove headfirst into and it lasted all of what - a week? So I will try to be a better blogger in 2008...

To get started here's a shot of the miracle babe - taken by her aunt and her mom entered it in the Regis & Kelly Live Beautiful Baby contest.

Happy New Year!

Phone Decisions

2007-08-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

Why are there so many cell phone choices? And what is a good choice to make? The time has arrived when I can upgrade my phone for free. Chris wanted to help me make a selection so we went to the Verizon store today. We had already researched online but, as always, when I get to the store the decision is never the same as it was online. And never easy. After almost an hour of looking at phones and trying them out, I selected a cute little LG number with it's own QWERTY keyboard. Of course I can't remember the model number. Chris was pushing me to get the "copper" model. It looked orange to me and since I don't "do" orange, I settled for the silver one. Very classy. It has lots of features I'm sure I'll never use but the calendar is not one of them. It's filling up fast! Oh and it includes a 2 mp camera that I'm sure will come in handy...

What Have I Done?

2007-08-14T19:48:00.002-07:00

Oh my... what have I done?? I never wanted to start a blog. Today I became obsessed with it. So here I am... And I can't think of a thing to write about. I expect I'll write about my family, my knitting, my art, my thoughts, my travels, my books, and anything else taking up space in my life.

Chris and Arabella are visiting so my days are filled with three-year-old fun. The time is going by waaaaay too fast. The knitting sits, the art is unfinished, we traveled to O'Fallon, and we just enjoy our time together.

I will need to figure out this whole blog thing as I go along but in the meantime, here I am!