In Celebration of Warmer Things to Come...

Where Has the Time Gone??

Oh, that's right. We had a time change didn't we? That must be what's screwed up my sense of where I am in the day, or the week for that matter. Not to mention the last two months have been spent lost in the vast reaches of Facebook. I've come to realize it is an evil bloodsucking demon that must perish - hold that thought I need to check my home page - what was I saying?




This was the brightest point in my whole week. I've watched it hundreds of times and chuckled every time! You can't say my little guy isn't a ham after seeing this... He takes after his daddy!

I've been knitting, baking, cleaning, groaning at the weather and bouncing off the walls with my little man. We can't wait for the weather to change over and stay that way. With March coming in like a roaring lion, I'm hoping for a sleeping lamb come the 31st!

On the knitting front, I've finished the lovely lacy April May wristwarmers. They are gorgeous and comfortable and surprisingly warm! I used a local alpaca yarn I purchased at the Rochester Fair several years ago from CynJim Alpacas. It's springy and smooshy and well suited to this pattern. Plus I have enough left over to make a second pair to gift someone with! I've started the Sylvia Eyelet Cowl I downloaded off Ravelry. I'm using Louisa Harding Grace Hand dyed in a stunningly rich olive green. It's 50% silk and 50% merino and it feels just heavenly. I can't wait to finish it and wear it around my neck to show it off! I still have the Trellis Diamond lace socks on the needles and the never ending hubby sweater. (Ugh!) I've also taken out my crochet market bag that I'm thinking about finally finishing up. It would be a great bag to take to the library for some books or to the market (as intended) for some veggies and fruit!


My knitting group has been going well. I have two friends who join me every other Tues eve for knitting lessons and comraderie and one who joined simply for the comraderie! I'm hoping for more in a couple weeks after previous committments have been met. We have a great time! I bake a treat and make some tea, this week it was Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Ghirardelli cocoa and semi-sweet bits...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so rich and tasty! Any way, we have fun and yak about everything under the sun!


I've also been zipping through books. I've raced through Nora Robert's Sign of Seven Trilogy. Must say I've been a little disappointed in her work lately, she seemed to be repeating styles and themes, so I am happy to report this trilogy was AWESOME!!! It was fresh and enjoyable, well researched and smoothly executed. The characters were fun and extremely personable. It certainly feels like Ms. Robert's is back on track again! Quite frankly, she amazes me! Over all, her books and series have been wonderful and I'm proud to say I've ready nearly everything she's ever written. I hope she has more stories to tell!

I must plug two blog's I've recently discovered and thoroughly enjoy. The first, Attic24, is a visual feast and a treat to read. She's wonderfully talented with the hook and camera and I truly love visiting her blog. Whenever I'm feeling a little frayed around the edges, her colorful images and lovely creations always make me smile! (Check out today's entry, Hooky Business, it's a wonderful example of her talent). The second, Kar's Downhome Bliss, is also a journey for the senses. She loves yarn-y goodness, as well, and with every entry tells a heartwarming story that reveals her love of family, good food and living a good life centered around family. Both these ladies are inspiring to me with their individual talents and examples of what Mom's can be. We don't have to be stereotyped or plugged into neat little roles. We can be creative, fun, independent and family oriented all at the same time. Thanks, ladies, for the inspiration and I hope you both continue to regale us with the tales of your lives!

Ok, now that I've caught up, somewhat, I must sign off. I have a knitting project and the DVR waiting for me plus a little time before the wild man wakes up!

Be well and happy knitting!

In Memorium...

The last week has have been rough for our family. I know you've all read about my FIL's battle with diabetes and how his health had been rapidly deteriorating. He passed away on Saturday, a decision of his own choosing. It was probably the last thing he had any control over. After suffering through many indignities associated with his different diseases, he decided to not continue his dialysis. He was no longer able to sit still through a session, was in pain all the time and felt that no one was listening to him or paying attention to his needs. He needed new, expensive medications, new glasses, new hearing aids and a lot of other things. He felt he was no longer able to maintain a status quo and that he was not going to ever feel good again. Quite frankly, he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. He had lived with dialysis for over 6 years, battled with heart disease for even longer and felt he didn't have any fight left.

Once the decision was made, and they made sure it was truly what he wanted, the powers that be moved him to the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough on Wednesday. (An absolutely wonderful facility). He had his last meal that night, lobsters drenched in butter and lemons, and he had his last conversations with family. Everyone got a chance to say goodbye because we knew he would slip into stage 2 sooner rather than later. Thursday he slept off and on and was very sluggish. He didn't stay awake longer than 5 or 10 minutes at the most and was no longer capable of eating or drinking. He slipped into stage 2 that night. Friday he continued to sleep, fitfully. He was restless but the nurses assured us he was in no pain. I noticed when I left Friday night that his breathing was very labored and figured he would pass late that night or the next morning. He passed away at 10:25am Saturday morning, February 28th, 2009, with his family by his side.

Though he was a difficult man even when healthy and was nearly impossible when sick, we still loved him very much. He had many faults, which he admitted to, but at his request (that we remember the good times) this is what I choose to remember of him... He loved his family, he loved to fish and play cribbage and cards, he had an incredible work ethic, he was loyal, passionate and very, very intelligent. He loved his computers and over the last 10 years became quite good at them, making them a hobby he could fiddle with even when he became housebound. He was a very talented handyman and could fix nearly anything that broke down or build anything he set his mind to. Nothing he ever had a hand in making will ever fall apart! One of his favorite sayings was, "Why use a nail when you can use a screw?" I swear, our first house will rot away before it ever falls down! He always encouraged us and made sure his family would fight for what they believed in. One could disagree with him on something, but one must always be respectful about it. He was fond of telling my husband, "When I'm right, I'm right and when I'm wrong, I'm still right...because I am your father." He was, without a doubt, a force of nature.

I didn't like him a lot of the time, found him to be a pain in the butt most of the time, but I always loved him because he was my father-in-law. I know this isn't a glowing eulogy but it's not meant to be. What is important is he was loved. Rest in peace, Dad.