Food as art

This post is for you, Lynn!

I saw the colors blended in my pan as I was stir-frying tonight, and thought "Well, isn't that pretty?!" and ran for my camera.

I wish I had caught it while the red onions were still colorful, but along with them, there was orange pepper, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. The meat was strips of turkey breast. Sooo good.

And to cleanse the palate, a small dish of homemade Lemon Ice.

Jake did most of the prep work. He cut and juiced the lemons, measured out the other ingredients and mixed them together. It was certainly delicious and he's already said we need to make it more often. This was our first time. I ended up mashing my strawberry in while I ate it, and decided next time we make it, we'll add some chopped strawberries to it before the final freezing.

Go Spartans!

So, any N. Carolina fans who are in town for the big NCAA Championship game tonight woke up to this:

Hope they're enjoying the Michigan weather! At least it was decent on Saturday and most of yesterday.

Jake wanted green pancakes in honor of the game tonight, so I went one better and made 2 of these (only one survived the flip though)

So.....

Saturday was quite the day of surprises, for many people.

First of all, let me tell you....The very best way to throw a surprise party is 6 months after the birthday! 

Yep, on Saturday, my family and friends got me, and they got me good. Now, generally I pride myself on being a rather observant person.... one who can pick up on things and put them together when they are going on behind the scenes. But not this time. No sirree.  I think part of it was that I was so preoccupied for 2 months trying to bite my tongue (which is missing big chunks at this point) and not let it slip that Kim and Drew are expecting (until they decided it was time for the announcement). Or maybe I'm just getting old. Who knows. But SURPRISED I was. Totally, 100% clueless, and it was great!

But, let's back-track to earlier in the day. Kim and Drew came over to make the announcement to Kaitlyn and Jake, who were kept in the dark up until this point.  Kim had made up Easter baskets for them, giving them to them early (supposedly) because Kaitlyn is leaving for FL at the end of the week. In the eggs was not candy, but puzzle pieces. Kim had gotten some of those blank puzzles from Michael's, and I helped her write a poem that would reveal at the end that they were going to become an aunt and uncle. They worked together and put the puzzles together, and read what was written on them.  Their reaction? I think they were in shock. Neither one of them said a word. They didn't even look at Kim and Drew. They both kind of had a glazed look on their face and stared off into space or down at the floor. I don't understand it, but eventually I coaxed them into saying something and giving hugs! Weird...

Then a little while later, the phone rang, and then Jake asked if he could spend the night at his friends' house to watch the NCAA game (he's a huge Spartans fan) and that Kim and Drew were going to drop him off, because they were leaving to go to the mall before we met up again at Mike's brother's house to have a card party. LIES! All of it, LIES! Kim and Drew were really going to pick up the party sub, the cake, the chicken, etc. Jake went with them so he would be there with the video camera ready when I came around the corner and was surprised. (I even put the video camera case into the car myself, but it had been loaded with something heavy so I wouldn't know the camera wasn't in there) 

We pulled up to Chris and Deb's house, and yes, there were a few more cars than I was expecting to be there, but it didn't send up any red flags at all. Mike said something like "It looks like everyone is out in the yard, so lets just go that way first.... I'll follow you" So I went through the garage into the back yard, and there were a LOT of people standing there, and then they said Surprise! and it took me a minute to figure out what the heck was going on, because there was Jake (NOT at Trevor's house spending the night) with the video camera, and there were some of my knitting buddies (who would NOT be at a Bloom family card game) and you know my 50 year old brain had to pause for a moment and "get it". 

So, Mike and Kim had been planning and making this happen and I had no idea. And then we got sick and THANK GOODNESS we got better in time to be able to enjoy it without having to cancel or infect everyone. 

Here's just about everyone that came to my party...

BUT WAIT! There's MORE!

Kim had been telling me (probably more lies) that she and Drew were going to make the baby announcement at our Easter gathering.  But I told her there were going to be people at the card party who would be out of town next weekend, so she should do it early. (I had NO IDEA how many people would be there on Saturday that would not be there next weekend! LOL) Her idea was to get everyone together for a group photo, have them say "cheese" for the first picture, then have them say "Kim and Drew are having a baby" for the second one, and whoever was taking the pictures would get all the reactions to the announcement. Unfortunately, because it was such a big crowd, (and because most of them are loud-mouthed Blooms, and I say that with deep affection, y'all) and because Debbie who was taking the pictures was kind of far away to get us all in, not everyone heard what she said so Mike yelled it out again, and still...blank stares.... smiling for the camera.... and FINALLY people started getting it and there were hugs and tears and cheers and it was really great. Deb continued to take pictures (until my camera card filled up.... I should have emptied some pictures off there before I went... darn it) but my friend Tam also had the video camera going and got all the celebration afterwards. It was great.

Here's one of the best pictures ....The look on my SIL Debbie's face is priceless. I don't remember...it's all a blur, but she must've screamed something out because everyone is looking at her! LOL

Phew, I am so glad to be able to speak freely now without having to try to keep this secret any longer. My firstborn is going to be a mommy. And what a great mommy she is going to be. Yay! 

They plan on finding out (if baby cooperates) if it's a girl or a boy next month at the ultrasound. Then I can knit specifically for gender instead of the generic knitting I am doing right now. 

Soup Party

Saturday evening was fun! We went to a Soup Party, which is an annual event, but this is only the second time we've gone. I don't know why we've passed so many times before, cuz it sure was great!

The premise: Everyone brings a Crockpot full of soup. Unusual recipes are encouraged, so that there aren't 6 pots of Chicken Noodle, ya know?

Someone brings a few loaves of crusty bread to go with, but there are surprisingly few other things to eat such as appetizers, desserts, etc. Believe me...... you don't need them. I think I tried small amounts of about 6 soups and felt full the entire evening.

The photo shows only about 1/2 of the Crockpots. There was another table set up on the other side. This is the only picture I got though. I meant to take more pix, but I started sailing with the Cap'n.... (Morgan, that is) and well, I guess I forgot. Me and the Cap'n had a good time though.

Some of the soups that were made are listed here (and again, I meant to actually write them down, but...well...the Cap'n stopped me)

Dill Pickle
Lasagna
Taco Twist
Reuben
Buffalo Chickenjavascript:void(0)
Onion
Creamy Tomato
Loaded Baked Potato
Mexican Wedding Soup
Stuffed Green Pepper

to name a few. Everything thing was really good! To add to the festivities, there is a raffle drawing. I didn't remember this from the one other time we went, but that was a long time ago. Anyway, the host/hostess (My BIL's brother and his wife) provide prizes for the drawing. There is a Crockpot (of course), ladle, and other assorted kitchen goodies. The money collected from the raffle is split and becomes 2 of the prizes as well. We won a cash prize of $63. WOO HOO!

Happy New Year!

The holidays left very little time, energy, or desire to blog. But here I finally am!

Christmas was wonderful. We had Christmas Eve here at our house, with Kim and Drew, my parents, and my brother Andy and his family. Mike made homemade kielbasa, and golabki (pronounced gawumpki....which is Polish stuffed cabbage). We also put a ham in the oven, and had some yummy side dishes. SIL Karen brought an awesome salad that I will definitely make again. It was unique and wonderful!  Here is the link: Spinach Salad.  She used fresh bean sprouts instead of canned (a very wise choice in my opinion!) and added Toastettes croutons as well. Yum.

Kim and Drew spent the night as they always do, and we all woke up in the same house to share the festivities on Christmas Morning. Lots of great gifts were passed around and then opened and enjoyed.  We had a rather lazy day, just the way we like it. 

New Year's Eve plans were changed at the last minute. The party we were to go to was cancelled so we ended up picking up some take-out and staying home. No problem. Another quiet, lazy day. Same with New Year's Day. More time for vegging.

This morning I awoke to a strange sound coming from downstairs. Even as I came down, I couldn't figure out what I was hearing. Turns out Mike had started stripping the wallpaper and had the steamer going to get the paper and glue off once the top layer of paper came off.

We have been talking about redoing the kitchen for many months now, and if you don't take that first step, it will never happen.

We've had the same theme in the kitchen since we gutted and remodeled the kitchen not too long after moving in over 15 years ago! It's hunter green checkerboard, and apples. I loved it at the time we did it. I've had a LOT of matching accessories added to the room over the years, but after a while you just get to the point where it starts to drive you crazy. Apples, apples, EVERYWHERE!

When I got my Fiesta dishes, I started thinking more seriously about changing things up. So now it looks like we have made the decision to do it. I can't wait. The few walls that we've gotten the wallpaper off today already look better (though we will have lots of repair work to do before we can actually put some fresh paint up). And unfortunately, it's not just 4 walls of one room that need to be done. The apple/checkerboard theme goes towards the back entrance area, and also down the hallway to the stairs. I think it's actually on 15 surfaces. A big job, for sure. But it will be worth it in the end. I am SO ready for this!

My plan is to paint all the walls one color of Fiesta (pretty sure I've decided on turquoise) and then the window and door moldings will be a combination of the other Fiesta colors that I have in my dishes. It's going to be quirky and whimsical, and I'm going to love it! I plan on using Porcelaine 150 paints (mixing to make Fiesta-like colors when they are not available) and painting all of the 40+ ceramic cabinet and drawer knobs I have now. I have looked and looked and have not found anything I like to replace them without spending about $500. I have used the paint before and it is very durable after being baked in a regular oven...no kiln needed! 

I have no idea how long this project is going to take, but I'm glad it's finally underway and I really am looking forward to my fresh, new kitchen! Long overdue. 

 The big issue we have to decide on is whether to tear up the ceramic tile countertop and backsplash now, or have that be a separate project later on. The tile is almond, with an almond/green checkerboard backsplash. It REALLY needs to go (I'm thinking about a soapstone or concrete countertop). Now, or later, that is the question.......

Off to put the last of the Christmas decor away. Hopefully weeks won't go by again before I blog the next time, huh?

(Holy cow, I just went back and looked at the post when I got my Fiesta dishes and started talking about taking down the wallpaper and painting the kitchen. That was over EIGHT MONTHS AGO! It took us a while to get to this point, huh? Sheesh!)

Busy Busy BUSY!

Holy cow, December is just flying by!

I think everyone is scrambling to get ready for Christmas this year. With Thanksgiving being late this year, December was right around the corner, and now it's half over already. Sheesh!

No knitting pictures to show, no knitting content to report. I'm too busy doing other things. Decorating, getting packages ready for the mail, baking, etc.

I've taken some time out to have some fun along the way though!

Kim and I had a little 2-day mother/daughter outing 2 weekends ago. We went shopping in Frankenmuth all day on Sunday (and a little more Monday morning) and then headed over to Birch Run outlet mall to shop the rest of the day. We had a fun time, and it was nice to get a little more shopping done while spending time with Kim. Included in the fun was a HUGE chicken dinner at Zehnder's in Frankenmuth. Zehnder's is an institution, THE place to eat when in Frankenmuth, but we had never been there before. Our waitress was a real sweetie and we really enjoyed her after a long day of hitting the sidewalks. The other place you MUST go to is Bronner's.  A true Christmas wonderland! We spent over an hour there Sunday night but they closed down the store when we had only seen about 3/4 of the store, and so we had to go back in the morning to actually make our selections and purchases. 

Here are Kim and I outside the Frankenmuth Woolen Mill store. Kim froze her butt on the metal sheep toy. It was about 15 degrees that day. 

This past Saturday was Mike's company Christmas party. They provided everyone a room (or a taxi ride home instead) at the hotel complex where the party was held. It was nice to be able to enjoy the evening and then just go upstairs and sleep it off.  A good time was had by all (That tends to happen when the alcohol is flowing freely!)

It's crunch time now, so I must fire up my KitchenAid mixer and get back to work!

We're having Christmas eve here with my mom and dad, Kim and Drew, and my brother's family. My brother loves cheesecake, so the past several years his gift has been a couple different flavors of cheesecakes. After baking, I freeze them, then cut each one into 4 pieces, wrap in foil and pop them back in the freezer. That way he can just pull out 1/4 of a cheesecake now and then and have a little treat. So I have 2 cheesecakes to make for him, and one for us to have Christmas eve. I also want to get some cookies made. I will try out something I bought myself at the outlet mall, which my friend Tam told me about. There was a 3-6 week wait to get one online so I was happy to find it in the store. 

It's the New Metro beater blade for my mixer. It's got silicone edges that scrape the sides for you and it even gets down to the very bottom of the bowl where sometimes things don't quite get mixed in. 

Ok, time to get into the kitchen and get crackin'!  

(I just heard on the radio we are going to get some snow this evening. Yay! Yesterday morning it was pouring rain, and I really am not happy when it pours in December, washes away the snow and makes everything muddy brown again. It was 50+ degrees when Mike left for work yesterday morning, but down into the low 20s by afternoon. Brrr......)

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things this year, and counting my blessings on all of my fingers and toes.

Our family is blessed with health, employment, (two biggies in my book) many friends, and a wonderful family to gather with and share a feast. We will count these blessings and many more, and pray for those less fortunate. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Rhinebeck Recap

I've already posted about my birthday, but there was so much more to the weekend. Linda, Tamara and I left early Thursday morning, drove up to Pt. Huron and across the bridge into Canada. The drive was just beautiful. It was a crisp, clear fall day. The further east we got, the more the landscape changed. Soon we were in the rolling hills, and they were covered in autumn's splendor of colors.

It was a very long drive, but I knit for several hours of it, thinking I might be able to actually finish my Rhinebeck sweater, but it wasn't to be. The chatter and laughter made the time fly by and before we knew it we were checking in to our hotel.

Frankie had arrived just before us. Frankie was a friend of ours, and was a member of our knitting group before she moved to NY a while back. She and Linda knew each other before they joined our knitting group. It was great to see her again! 

We all had some dinner and caught up a bit with Frankie, then got some sleep.

On Friday we enjoyed the fall colors some more, and the big event of the day was visiting the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park.  Click the link for lots of info, and photos of the interior. 

I loved hearing the guide tell the all about the Vanderbilt family, and the history of the magnificent home that we were touring. (Magnificent, but the smallest of their many homes). We were not allowed to take photos inside, but I got some great shots (with my new camera) of the grounds, and the mansion from outside. Here is just one of them:

After the tour, we went into Red Hook to find some lunch. We ended up at Bread Alone Bakery. Yum. After that we visited a winery, and then the indulgence of the day, we found Taste Budds, which is all about chocolate. Here's what I ended up with. I told myself all along that I was not holding back this weekend. Whether it was food, or drink, or fiber...I was going for it!

Isn't it pretty? It was sooo good. It's called Life By Chocolate (better than Death By Chocolate, right?)  Chocolate graham crust, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate glaze. Here's a peek at the inside. Mmmmm... And yes, I ate the whole thing. 

When we were done poking around in Red Hook, we headed back to our hotel for a bit, then went back out, tried to find a Geocache but Tam's phone wasn't able to pinpoint close enough. In trying to find it, we did enjoy driving through a neighborhood with some beautiful old homes. The architecture in the area just oozes history. The girls decided to get a light dinner from Panera Bread, but I still was filled up with the above chocolately goodness. We went back to the hotel and knit in the lobby, watching TV, while they ate. Eventually I walked across the parking lot and grabbed some Taco Bell when I got hungry. There were several other knitters in the lobby. It was nice to just relax before the craziness was to begin. 

I've already posted about most of my day on Saturday.  Sunday was more of the same.... walking and browsing and fondling and desiring and deciding and buying and eating and spending time with friends and enjoying the animals, etc.  I think a future post will highlight all of the purchases. 

We were back on the road early Monday morning. We left the hotel at 7am, when it was 28 degrees and there was a thick layer of frost on everything. It was actually several hours later before we saw the last of the frost. It took a long time for the sun to warm things up enough to melt it off. Enjoyed the scenery all the way home, but it was very anti-climactic.... The excitement was gone, we were exhausted, the landscape became more and more flat as we left the mountains and rolling hills behind. Before we knew it we were sitting in a long line of cars to cross the bridge back into Michigan from Sarnia, Ontario. 

I arrived back on my doorstep at 7pm, and fell into bed shortly afterwards. After a wonderful whirlwind birthday weekend, it was great to be back in my own bed. 

What a day!

Oh my goodness, how much fun did I have on my 50th birthday today! 

It started early, and my first gift was on my bed when I got out of the shower, from Tam. It was a skein of pretty green Socks that Rock yarn, and the book It's Not Easy Being Green. Cool gifts, thanks Tam!

Rhinebeck was fabulous.... SO much to see, and about a gazillion people all sharing the same fun. I loved watching all the beautiful handknits walking by. That was really fun. 

I  got to meet Jane today. We've known each other only online for several years now, and finally meeting her in person and spending time with her was wonderful. It was not awkward in the least, and we really had fun. We spent some time going through a few vendor barns and then split up again, making plans to meet for dinner later. 

Tam and I continued on and bought some goodies. There was some fiber (chocolate-colored alpaca roving, beautiful autumn colored roving, black alpaca yarn and some beautiful autumn colored yarn... I wanted my fiber purchases to remind me of the beautiful landscape of the changing colors on the mountains near Rhinebeck, hence the 2 purchases of autumn colors!) and I bought a number of other fun items. The PERFECT button for my sweater (no, it did NOT get finished, but I'm still plugging away) I really could have used that sweater today. It was a bit chilly, especially when the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up a bit. I got a few Christmas gifts for Diane (neener neener, Diane!). I bought a beautiful handmade lucet.   

There were a few other purchases, and I may get a few more things tomorrow. But I enjoyed the experience so much. Seeing all the animals, all the various vendors, and like I said before, just the wide variety of handknits on everyone from infants and toddlers, as well as women and men of all ages.  

We watched the Frisbee-catching dogs, we watched the sheep-herding dogs. We wanted to hug all the alpacas, and laughed at the long bottom teeth on the llamas (I had never noticed that trait before). 

Mid-afternoon I looked at Tam and said "stick a fork in me, I am DONE!" I was so exhausted. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my back hurt. So we joined the other hundreds of people who seemed to have had the same thought at the same moment, and slowly made our way back to the hotel. 

I iced my back, then got in the bath to soak for a while, and rejuvenated myself. We rested a bit, and then Jane and her cousin came and met us and we went out to dinner. We ended up at Ship To Shore and had a really good dinner, but mostly a really great conversation. 

Oh, and there was the matter of the BEAUTIFUL green scarf knit for me by the lovely Jane. It's Kid Silk Haze. So soft, so light, yet warm. I just love it. Thanks again Jane!

The plan originally was to go to the Ravelry party in Red Hook after dinner, but we talked for hours and ended up missing it. Oh well, I was very happy to have spent the time with Jane to get to know her a little better. Jane's cousin Gail was great to be with too. Such a nice time.

Tomorrow morning we'll get up a little slower and arrive at Rhinebeck a little later. We'll revisit some of the places we took notes to go back and look again, or decide on (or against) some things we couldn't decide on today. I don't know if it will be more or less crowded (or the same) but I'm hoping maybe a little less crowded. There were a heck of a lot of people there today. I mean... seriously, a boat load of people. 

But...what fun it was~

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who made this day very special for me!

Pictures tomorrow or when I get home.

Will spring come to stay?

This morning there is a sparkling layer of frost over everything outside, but it will melt fast as the sun comes up higher, and we are supposed to get to a high of around 60 today after temps in the 20s this morning! Brrrrr!

Sunday morning I woke up to snow flurries swirling around outside. I was hoping it wasn't going to amount to anything, since I was off to Lansing for the book launch of More Big Girl Knits at Threadbear. I headed out before 11am so I could be there by 1pm. As I drove north, I saw some cars coming my way that had a couple inches of snow on them! Yikes! But the sun came out, the snow stopped, and it turned out to be a pretty day. Cold, but pretty. (Later that day my friend Maria sent me an IM saying she was sweltering in 100 degree heat out in California! Crazy weather!)


The book launch party was fun. Amy and Jillian are just fun to be around. There was a very boisterous group of ladies who had gathered to try on the sweater samples from the book. Everyone was oooh-ing and ahhhh-ing as the sweaters were modeled. "Oh, that looks GREAT on you!" was heard over and over and over. It was nice to have the sweaters there to try on, see how they look on you, before deciding to go ahead and knit one of them. Things got really loud and there were screams of laugher more than once during the afternoon. Maybe everyone was on a sugar high from the beautiful cupcakes and cakes that we were all enjoying.



I have been wanting to knit myself a sweater for several years, but nothing really caught my eye as "the one" that I wanted to knit. Well, I found "the one" on Sunday. It is the Hot Cocoa Jacket designed by Jordana Paige. (Scroll down to April 4 to see the blog entry about the sweater).


I tried it on, and it was quite flattering. Someone commented that it was a "butt buster" sweater, and it actually gives me a nice waistline. It is the textured diagonal lines, and the nice shaping that does it. It didn't hurt that the sweater was knit in Rowan Cashsoft DK and just felt divine to the touch. I considered alternate yarns, did lots of searching around on Ravelry for reviews of substitutions, etc. I found good and bad reviews of all the yarns I considered, and in the end, decided to go ahead with the Cashsoft. Several reviews complained about pilling, but I have a nice sweater shaver if I need it, and will be very careful when washing the sweater. I am a warm person to begin with, and absolutely cannot wear a sweater indoors. This will be something that will be worn more as a jacket on a cool day, and hopefully will wear well. The color I ordered is called Lichen.


I am going to cast on as soon as I get the yarn. I want to make sure it is done by October for my trip to Rhinebeck for my birthday. I will have other projects on the needles during this time, but I want to allow enough time to see that it gets done by fall. Some people don't knit in the summer, some cut way back. However, I think I knit just as much in the summer as any other time of the year. I just don't want to have a wool afghan in my lap when it's 90 degrees! I can certainly handle some sweater pieces though.

Right now I have a pair of socks on the needles (almost done!) and I started a lacy scarf from the Piecework magazine my mom gave me last week. It's called the Stork's Nest scarf. I'll share the socks when they are off the needles, and here is a sneak peek of the scarf:



In other areas of my life.... springtime means my chaufeurring is stepped up a notch. Kaitlyn has track practice or a track meet every day after school. Jake has baseball practice a couple times a week, and the games will start soon. Mike has been working later with his new job, so is not able to help out much in this area, and there are times when I am trying to juggle overlapping schedules and trying to be in 2 places at once. It can be rather frustrating at times, but I'm glad they are both doing something to keep active. I am going to have to miss Kaitlyn's meet today since it is about an hour away and Jake has practice. My mom and dad are going to go to her meet (they live closer) and maybe Mike will be able to catch the end of it and bring her home.

Last night the Red Wings played their 3rd game against Nashville in their first playoff series. The Tigers were also playing last night. We started out watching the hockey game, which was going very well. We flipped to the baseball game to see we were losing 5-0. Ugh....not another game where we get blown out...the season is not going well, after all the hype before it started.

Well, I don't know what happened, but we were flipping back and forth between games, and it was at almost the exact moment that the Tigers started turning it around and getting some runs that Nashville scored twice within mere seconds against the Wings to take the lead. The Wings ended up losing a game that looked like they might win, and the Tigers came back from being down 5 runs in the game (twice!) to win 11-9! I hated to see the Wings take a loss, but boy-oh-boy, did our boys of summer need that win to give them (and their fans) a boost! The Tiger bats were hot last night....after quite a few games were they were ice cold. I surely hope this is the beginning a new trend, and that this season just got off to a slow start. Hopefully it is going to be as great as anticipated. Please?

And boy, do we love playoff hockey! Never a dull moment!

GO TIGERS! GO WINGS!

Time to catch up a bit

A few weeks ago, my daughter Kim invited some of her friends, aunts and coworkers, and I invited a few friends, to share in an evening of meal prep at Dinner Kitchen. None of us had done this before though many of us had wanted to try it. We selected the meals we wanted to make ahead of time, so that when we got there, our ingredients were prepped and waiting for us to assemble the dishes. Some ingredients were premeasured, and others we had the choice of how much or little to add of something (mostly spices and herbs, but a few other things too) depending on our own tastes and those of our family.

Here are some pictures from that night. I accidentally left my camera at home, so called my friend Tamara to bring hers. These are all shots she took while we were there. I haven't gotten the pix that Kim took yet, so I don't have one of Tamara in this bunch. Drat!

Easter was a lot of fun. We celebrated with Mike's side of the family on Saturday. The kids had a blast. We also celebrated our nephew Alexander's 5th birthday that day too. On Easter Sunday my brother and his family came over for dinner, and some Wii competition. Mike made a prime rib in the roaster that was TO DIE FOR! YUMMY! Andy and Karen brought a ham that was also very juicy and tasty. We had roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, homemade bread, mashed potatoes, fresh pineapple and canteloupe, etc. etc. I made Cream Puff Cake for dessert and that was a huge hit. I don't know how anyone had room for it after that huge dinner! It sure was delish.

On Tuesday Kaitlyn left for Florida with a friend and her family. She is having a great time. Today they are going parasailing. Sounds like a blast!

Since Kaitlyn got to do this, I figured it was only fair that Jake got some fun too, so we got a room at Sterling Inn for a few days. There is a waterpark at this hotel, and he was excited to get to do this. My nephew came and swam with Jake one of the days for a few hours. It was great to see the big grins on their faces every time I looked at them. Personally, I was happy to get home to my own bed and routine. I was thinking I would get a lot of knitting done while there, but that didn't happen. I did finally finish the book I was reading that was 2 weeks overdue at the library. Now to pay the fines. OOPS! (REALLY good book, BTW. Incredible true story)

I did manange to knit a few rows on my socks. I'm hoping to finish them this weekend and get on to a new pair. I've chosen the yarn (a beautiful mix of spring colors, hand-dyed by my friend Lynn. If you haven't checked out her site, go do so! She's got beautiful yarns for sale, as well as nice pattern designs! Sometimes she has polymer clay buttons for sale. Lynn and her husband are also talented musicians. You might want to pick up a CD or 2 while you're there!
Now that I know what yarn I'll use for my next socks, I just need to pick out a pattern that will compliment the yarn.



Today is the baby shower that I knit the green cardi, hat, booties and socks for. I also knit the burp cloth from the Mason Dixon book, in a blue/yellow/white cotton I found for the UM family this baby is being born into (GO BLUE). I can't wait to have pix of the bebe in the items I knit, though it will be a while. They will fit in the fall (I HOPE).



I also found out today that another nephew and his wife are expecting their second child. YAY! More baby knitting in my future!

Mom's 80th Birthday Bash / Kaitlyn too!

I'm finally getting around to writing about the wonderful fun-filled family weekend we had mid-February. For months my sister and brothers and dad planned a surprise for Mom's 80th birthday. Surprising her is not easy, believe me. If she gets the slightest little inkling that something is up, she's got it all figured out in a heartbeat. It can be quite annoying when you're trying so hard to put together a surprise! We didn't know if or how we would pull it off, especially since she said to Diane when she was here for Christmas, "You know, I'm expecting a surprise party for my birthday". C'mon....who says that? Mom, that's who. LOL

Things had already been in the works LONG before she said that. Luckily the out-of-town siblings were all able to make it here for the big day, and this time Diane's daughter Melissa was also able to come. Yay!

Diane and Melissa came in early on Friday morning. I picked them up from the airport. We had tossed around the idea of heading to Lansing that day, since our brothers weren't arriving until later in the afternoon. Snow had been predicted, but that didn't happen. So we decided to go for it. I have been wanting to see Rae's new store, and I hoped to meet up with Lynn there that day, but Lynn was not feeling 100% and I thought it better to not bother her, and let her rest. We decided to head to Threadbear first, since Melissa had not been there. Unfortunately Matt and Rob were not coming in til later in the day, so we missed them, (and the dogs). From there we went to Rae's. She wasn't there either, but I did get to finally meet and talk to Sharon who was working instead. I've been reading Sharon's blog for a couple of years now and I don't think our paths had ever crossed before that day.

The only thing I bought at Rae's were some new magnets for the back of my car. Along with my "YARNBOX" license plate, and my yarn/needles magnet, my new "k2tog" and "ssk" magnets look right at home. I'm sure the non-knitters who drive behind me are often scratching their heads wondering what it all means, but I figure those who need to know, do!

When we were done at Rae's, we decided we'd better get on the road since we had another 2 hours until we got to Andy's house. Andy was picking up Dave and Brian from the airport, then we were all meeting to surprise Mom. The plan was for Andy and his family to go out to dinner with Mom and Dad, but we were all going to be at the restaurant waiting for them. We got to the restaurant where Andy had made reservations, only to find it under construction! We promptly called Andy to tell him, and made alternate plans. Luckily the restaurant we chose was able to quickly set up a table for 14 for us and we all chatted for a while, waiting for the birthday girl to arrive.

I think that was the real surprise...that we were all there, on Friday. I think Mom was expecting something to maybe happen on Sunday, and so she was a little flabbergasted to see us all sitting there at the restaurant.

We ordered WAY too much food, but had a good time catching up. Then we went back to Andy and Karen's house, played Wii for a while, then split up for some sleep before the big day. We had planned a party for Mom on Saturday (which we had to tell her about, so we could get ready for it in the morning!) We had about 30 friends/family members gather for lots of good food, laughter and fun.

Once all the guests left, the kids were hanging out in the family room in the back of the house. Mom, Dad, me and my siblings were in the living room in the front. We caught up on some family history, and then started pulling things from our own memories, and really had a very special time reliving some things from the past. Good times!

Dave and Brian were leaving early the next day, but Diane and Melissa stayed until Tuesday. So we had a few days of hanging out before they had to leave. On Tuesday we left the house in time to hit a few yarn stores on our way to the airport. We went to the new City Knits in Mt. Clemens, Knotted Needle on Mack in Grosse Pointe Woods, and The Wool and the Floss in Grosse Pointe. Diane, Mom and I had tried to go to all 3 of these the day after Christmas when Diane was here but they were all closed. We were happy to check them out this time. I had been to Wool and the Floss before but the others were new to me.

So that was our fun weekend. It was really great to have the whole family together again. Mom loved her alpaca "Odessa" hat that I knit her. I had Kaitlyn and Jacob write letters to her as their gift. She really doesn't need any more "stuff" and I knew that would be special. They wrote about why they thought she was a special grandma, and some special memories they shared with her. She really enjoyed reading those. Mom got lots of gift cards from her friends and family, so I'm sure she'll have fun spending all of those!

Mom and Dad left for a trip to Florida just a couple of days after the party. They stayed most of the time with Mom's cousin, but made a trip down to Boca Raton to see Dave and his family, and on the way home will stop at Brian and Lori's house in Savannah. Actually they should be there right now, and leaving for home tomorrow I think. It was kind of funny, Brian and Dave flying up here for a few days for the party, only to find out that they'd be seeing Mom and Dad in their own houses in just a week or so.

Kaitlyn's Birthday

Kaitlyn's birthday is the same day as Mom's. She got a few gifts at Mom's party. Mom gave her a photo album that had pictures of the 2 of them taken on (or near) their shared birthday each year. Melissa had helped with this project, using her creative/crafty scrapbooking skills to embellish the pages. It was a very special gift. On Monday, we went to BD's Mongolian BBQ for dinner, where the waitress made her quite a "lovely" hat for her to wear during dinner.

Kaitlyn's camera bit the dust at Christmas and so we bought her a new one then as an early birthday present. She can't be without her camera! She definitely has her Grandpa's photographer genes, that's for sure. She takes some really great photos! Here are some pix that I took on her birthday:

Happy New Year

The end of 2007 has been quite wonderful. I wanted so badly to write about my excitment before Christmas, knowing my sister Diane would be coming to spend the holiday with us, and that our parents didn't know about the surprise! But knowing Mom reads my blog, I had to keep things in check until the big reveal. We had such a wonderful time while she was here, and I miss her so much already!

Tonight we will have the last Christmas celebration (with hubby's side of the family) coupled with the New Year's Eve festivities. Mike's brother is up from FL for a week, so it will be nice to see him again.

We are having a Italian-themed dinner tonight...Stuffed Shells, Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, Garlic Bread, etc. Lots of other appetizers, food, snacks and desserts will be loading the tables. There will be about 50 of us there, so it will be a great time as always.

We're expecting some snow this evening and overnight, so it's a good thing we've already planned on spending the night at BIL/SIL's house. Everyone will gather again in the morning for brunch and stick around to watch football and play poker, as has become tradition over the years.

I want to wish everyone a safe and joyous end to 2007, and here's to a wonderful, prosperous, healthy, fiber-filled new year!

(photos of holiday knitting will be posted very soon, now that all have been received...and photos of the knitting/spinning goodies I got for Christmas....there were LOTS and it was FUN!)

Oh the excitement is in the air!

Yesterday Kim turned 25 (HOW did THAT happen?) and tonight we celebrated her birthday. She chose Ruby Tuesday as the place to go for dinner. I haven't been there in about 15 years. I just got the soup and salad bar, but I was stuffed when I was done. That was THE BEST salad I've had in a very long time, maybe EVER. I love salad. Love love love it. I just hate making it! I wish I could have someone prepare me a salad just like that every single day of my life. That would be so awesome!

Afterwards we came back here for cake and ice cream (which I did not eat, I was too full of salad!) and presents. Then Kim, Jake and I played a game of Phase 10 dice while Drew fell asleep on the couch, and Mike was not long behind him. Kaitlyn went out with friends tonight.

I can feel the buzz building....Christmas is just around the corner, and I am getting excited. I can't wait to see how the kids enjoy their day. I think it's going to be a great Christmas.

The past few months have been much more comfortable and secure, with Mike's new job. I am so thankful for that feeling of peace, instead of the dread in the pit of my stomach.

I got a lot done today, and just have a few more things to take care of before the "big day". I will be so glad when Christmas is here, and we are enjoying the fun of the day. Then I can look back and say it was all worth it. But at this point, I am just plain exhausted. Which is why I'm heading to bed right now.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

ps...Christmas knitting is pretty much finished. In order to not make myself crazy with stress, I told Kaitlyn that her mittens would be late. Hopefully I will get them done before school starts again on Jan. 3. If not, shortly thereafter. I hope everyone loves their handknits that did get done!

Easy-Peasy Crowd Pleaser

I made these snowflakes today to take to a function at Jake's school. The moms all went totally nuts over them. I have to admit I walked past the cookie table several times to listen to their comments before I finally confessed to making them and told them how. (They really DO taste like Girl Scout "Thin Mint" cookies!)

Easy!

1 box Snowflake shaped Ritz Crackers
1 bag white chocolate Wilton Candy melts (14 oz or so)
Wilton peppermint oil to taste
Wilton edible glitter

Melt chocolate according to pkg. directions. Add peppermint oil to taste.
A little goes a long way!
Pour some into a small squatty container so that
the crackers can be dipped at least halfway.
Let drip a little and scrape back of coated cracker on the edge of the container.
Carefully place on waxed paper.
Do about 10 and then sprinkle with edible glitter.
If you sprinkle the glitter on while the chocolate is still really warm,
it will basically soak in. So let them cool a bit.
You want the glitter to stay on top so it's pretty!

Refill small container as needed, reheating chocolate if necessary.
1 bag of Candy Melts should do a whole box of crackers.

Let harden and arrange on holiday tray.

Stand back and collect the accolades!