Another message from McKenna

Hi everyone, it's me again. I asked Grandma to put up another post on her blog to remind everyone that we could still use a some help if you are able.... Please help us help the little babies! The March of Dimes March for Babies walk is coming up in 2 weeks. Grandma is very sad that she is not going to be able to walk for the babies, because of that dumb sciatica stuff... it makes her leg hurt a LOT when she is on her feet for very long at all. It would make her feel a little better though, if she could get a few more donations for the M.O.D.

To remind you, my mommy, Kim, has done the March of Dimes walk the last few years. She had no way of knowing then that I, her very own baby, would be one of the babies born prematurely... one of the babies that she was walking for and didn't even realize it.

As you can imagine, the March of Dimes has now become even more important to Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, and our whole entire family and circle of friends. My mommy has gathered a big team of family and friends to raise money and walk in the March for Babies. I will be in my stroller, which will be all decorated with balloons and signs. It's going to be a fun weekend (we will walk two different events in one weekend in 2 different locations) It's a lot of walking, but it will be great! Don'tcha think?

anyway.... since we all went through the experience of me being born before I was done cookin' in the oven, we definitely want to help prevent other families from going through the turmoil and emotional struggle that premature birth can cause, as well as the added financial burden, possible birth defects, etc. (Grandma put those words in... my vocabulary is not quite THAT good yet!)

Some of those babies in the NICU with me were not doing as well as I was. I wish every one of them could be as strong and healthy as I am now. I wish all of us could have stayed in our mommy's wombs a little longer so we could grow inside and not in the NICU. It was not a fun place to be for any of us, but those wonderful angels (nurses and doctors) helped me get bigger and stronger so I could go home to be with my mommy and daddy.

We have already had a team fundraiser, and everyone on the team has been working very hard on their own to raise as much money as possible for the preemies. Our team has raised well over $4,000.00 so far and I am not shy about asking for more! We only have 2 weeks left to get more donations and we are hoping to make that number grow even bigger! (for the babies! for the babies!)

I know you can't come walk with us, but please consider a donation for our team, for a very worthy cause, in honor and celebration of ME! Just click on the banner below. Easy-peasy!

Every donation, big or small, is appreciated SO much and I will be so happy that you helped us help the babies!
Thanks a bunch!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO,
McKenna
(my grandma, the Bloomin' Knitiot, thanks you too!) Mwah!

PS... just a little reminder....

this is me on the day I was born. I only weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz.

and me now, at 8 months, about 12 pounds, and doing great!

Sizzlin' Sunday

A quick update, and I'll try to post pix very soon.

McKenna is now 2 weeks old and doing great. I am going to go see her in just a little while. I have not seen her since Monday, which breaks my heart, but it was all I could do to pull things together for the baby shower (yesterday). Thanks to many good friends and wonderful family members, it was a beautiful day for Kim and Drew. So much love was in that room, and we had McKenna's photos on a digital frame slide show, so she was with us in spirit.

Kim is doing great. Her blood pressure seems to be under control and the symptoms of preeclampsia are all but gone. She is exhausted, understandably, from all the trips to the hospital, catching up on her class for her Masters, phone calls, paperwork, and just getting things ready for McKenna to come home. Now with all that extra LOOT from the shower, she'll spend a lot of time getting everything set up in the nursery for her. How fun!

Happy Sunday! I'm hitting the pool when I get home! It's a hot one!

Sock Summit

Like hundreds (thousands?) of others, I was poised at the ready yesterday, waiting for the moment when class registration for Sock Summit '09 was to open. Like almost everyone else, I experienced the problems that occurred as we all clicked at once. It was a time-consuming, often frustrating process, but in the end, I got into a few classes I wanted, as did Diane, and Jane. Unfortunately Maria didn't, but I am hoping that as the double-bookings are sorted out, her class will open up and she can get in. Fingers crossed for you, Maria!

The IT people were warned that a capable server was necessary to handle the influx of crazy-ass knitters, but they, once again, failed to realize our numbers. Server crashed. Server did NOT serve its purpose. Many people are left very upset in the wake of what happened. Thankfully I am not one of them. I feel for the people who had classes snatched out of their shopping carts and were not able to get them back. But I hope after the initial disappointment fades, they will still go to Portland and enjoy the camaraderie of all of us who will be there, as well as the many wonderful things that Portland has to offer. 

I am arriving a few days early, and not taking a full class schedule, because I want plenty of time to experience some of the sights and sounds and tastes and experiences of Portland. I am looking forward to spending time with people who mean so much to me, (Diane, Becky, Jane, Maria, Lynn) and meeting many others who may become future friends. 

I'm very excited and looking forward to August. But in the mean time, I have a lot of summer activities to enjoy before that happens. The first of which is Kaitlyn's graduation on Sunday.

Congratulations, Kaitlyn!

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!

Crazy weather

We're supposed to hit a record high today. The record is 56, they are saying 58-60. There is still snow out there that needs to go somewhere, but unfortunately the ground is still frozen solid. To top it off, thunderstorms tomorrow.

If we didn't live on this particular dirt road, I would not have a problem with the washing away of the 8 weeks of snow that has accumulated with no real melting. ( We didn't get our typical January thaw.... the snow just kept coming and the temps would hardly budge out of the single digits and teens.) But when things get warm really fast like this (and add some rain on top of it) our road can not handle it and turns to a muddy mess. Every year I pray it is not the year we have to resort to parking at the corner and putting on our boots to walk home. We've come close a few years, but this might be the one. Hoo boy... fun times.

On the knitting front, I am almost done with one of the pieces for my new pattern. The pattern will have several different options to choose from, and I am hoping to have samples to show all, or at least most, of the options in photos on the pattern. I'm getting good feedback about the design, and will announce it here when it's ready.

I spent about 7 hours Saturday in the company of my knitting buddies at Kim's house. We had ourselves a little mid-winter knitting retreat. Lots of chatter, food, and knitting. Unfortunately I was the first one who had to leave.... I really didn't want to leave but I had to tear myself away to go to a fundraiser that night. We had a really great time. Kim lives in a rural area where wildlife abound and at one point during the afternoon, 4 deer came and stood right outside her dining area window to feed a bit, and then stared as us while we stared at them. It was so cool!

Gratitudes

• A day that started out gray and drizzling, turned into a sunny, warm day with a beautiful full moon at night.
• I am sooo close to being done with my Hot Cocoa Jacket. I'll be so glad to weave in the ends and finally wear it! Just in time, because the weekend looks to be freezing!
• Kaitlyn's teachers had nothing but good things to say about her at conferences last night. She must really shine when she's at school. I am proud of her hard work and am amazed by the effect she has had on her teachers. 
• Getting together with my knitting buds last night was a blast. There were only 4 of us in attendance last night, which is unusual, but we had enough fun to make up for those who were not there. A lot of laughter (and good-hearted teasing) and more laughter...it's a wonder we didn't get kicked out. Good times, for sure.

I am keeping my nephew Jared, and his lovely Annalise, in my thoughts and prayers today. They were evacuated from their home in Santa Barbara due to the fires. I pray they will be safe, and their home and belongings will be untouched by the flames. 

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.

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm off to buy "some" wool! It's a beautiful fall day in New York....we're gonna have some big fun!

Yay!

Fabulous Fall Foliage

What a beautiful weekend! It's been quite chilly, especially in the mornings when the temps have been down in the 30s and we've seen quite a bit of frost already. But this weekend was in the mid to upper 70s and sunny.

Saturday we had a bash here to celebrate Kim's college graduation. She now has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration. Her major was Management. She did most of her classes while working full time, so it took her a few extra years, but the hard work paid off and I can now say I am the proud mother of a college graduate.

Before the main group of guests arrived, we had a little tiny celebration for my birthday, since I won't be here on "the day". Mike wanted to give me my gift early, so I could familiarize myself with it, and take it with me when I leave on Thursday to go to RHINEBECK! OMG can it really be less than 3 days til I leave???

I got this for my birthday. I took the above photo (and those below) with it yesterday afternoon. I have a lot to learn about how it works. Right now I'm shooting mostly on automatic. Whew, those 12.2 megapixels blow me away! 

Do you know about Geocaching? I had heard about it several years ago and thought it would be so much fun, a nice family activity, and a way to get some fresh air and exercise as well as seeing some sites we might never have seen otherwise. The whole "digital treasure hunt" idea just sounded exciting! We didn't have a GPS at the time, and just recently got one. We created our account, found some nearby caches on the website, and off we went! We have found 7 of the 8 caches that we searched for over the past 2 weekends (that 8th one we've looked for 3 times and still haven't found it. It is very nearby our home so we will keep trying!) What a blast. We took advantage of the above-average temperatures yesterday and went to a nearby Metropark for a hike and to scope out a few more "treasures". Some of them are "micro" size and often difficult to find (size, terrain, and difficulty of each cache are listed on the website) Here are a few pix of Jake with a micro (in his left hand in the first picture--click for a bigger look-see) and 2 bigger caches, which are usually filled with toys or other small items for you to trade with, as well as a log book that you sign with your Geocaching name and the date. Micros are usually tiny little tubes with a piece of paper rolled up in them. You have to bring your own pen for those, and no treasures are inside to trade.

These are the 3 caches we found yesterday. Once you get to the coordinates, you never know where it might be... even up in a tree! 

If you have a handheld GPS, or have the capability on your cell phone, check out this fun activity! I just wish we had started this at the beginning of the summer instead of now, when winter will soon cut off the fun. We could have hunted outside of our local area as we traveled during our vacations.

One of the caches we found yesterday had a Geocoin in it. Geocoins and Travel Bugs have registration numbers are trackable on the website. Whoever places them in the cache wants someone to take them out and move them to another cache. Sometimes they are supposed to move to a certain destination. The one we found came from WA and wanted to move as far east as possible before heading back to the west coast. I plan on taking it with me and dropping it in a cache somewhere in Ontario or NY on my way to Rhinebeck.

Speaking of Rhinebeck....my plans have changed a bit. My dear, generous friend Christine, who was going to pick me up from the airport and whisk me a way to WEBS on Thursday (and take me to NYC on Friday, and accompany me to Rhinebeck, and provide me with bed and breakfast while there) is suddenly having medical issues and will not be able to do any of these things for or with me this weekend. I am sad, and worried, and hoping she will have a full recovery without too much more pain and suffering. FEEL BETTER CHRISTINE!

SO.... I have canceled my flights, and will now be going by car with my friends Tamara and Linda (members of my knitting group for several years). Tam has so generously let me squeeze into her room since there was not a bed to be found in the Rhinebeck area at this short notice. THANKS TAM.  I have to admit I would prefer to not be in a car for all of those hours there and back, but at this point am very happy to have that option.

So there will not be a trip to WEBS or a trip to NYC this weekend, but....we will stop at Niagara Falls on our way east, and Friday will be spent moseying around, taking pictures of what I hope will be some beautiful fall colors, and some scenery I haven't seen since my last time in NY which was oh....about 30 years ago! Tam loves photography, and has a camera that is very similar to mine, so I'm hoping she can give me some pointers as we are out and about taking pictures that day. 

The trip is changed, but except for my constant concern for Christine, will be just as much fun, I'm sure. The time in the car will give me an opportunity to finish my sweater if I haven't done so by then. I'm on my way up the sleeves right now. I may be seaming and blocking in the hotel room Thursday night or Friday, but here's hoping my Hot Cocoa Jacket will make its debut on Saturday (MY BIRTHDAY!) at Rhinebeck. 

Hope to see you there!

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:

Rhinebeck on my birthday!

I've been wanting to go to Rhinebeck (the New York Sheep and Wool Festival for anyone who doesn't know) for several years. I never could quite justify it. I was thinking I would try to go this year, and then when I went to the website and saw that Rhinebeck opens on my birthday, I knew that I had to make it happen. Especially since this is a momunmental birthday....I'm hitting the big 5-0,(EEK!) and what better place to do it than in the midst of fiber and friends. Yay!

So I've started looking at flights, and have lots of time to stash away some $$$ for fiber stash! (and travel, etc.) I have a very generous friend in CT who is going to get me from the airport, put a roof over my head, and accompany me to Rhinebeck. I have "known" Christine for 10 years, but it has been an online friendship, and I am so happy to be able to finally meet her in person. I am really hoping my other friend, Jane, who I've also known for several years, online, will travel to Rhinebeck this year too, because we have been very anxious to meet each other as well!

I also hope there will be others that I will be able to put a face to a name, etc. I'm quite excited.

I have started a Rhinebeck fund, and so far, in less than 3 weeks, I have been able to add $195....all of it is winnings from family poker games! I'm on a winning streak it seems, so I'm putting it away for the trip. I'm hoping to continue to add to the fund, while I'm sure it won't be at this rate. It's a nice start! I think I'll put a running total over on my sidebar. :-)

I taught another sock class this morning. All went well. It's a really fun group of ladies, and that always helps.

I'm still working on the socks I started when Diane was here. I'm done with the heels, and heading on up the legs, using the Beaded Rib stitch. I'm anxious to get them done and on my feet! I love 'em!

Still waiting for my Knitpicks order to show up with my new goodies.

Fun Birthday/Weekend

My birthday itself was rather a busy, errand-running day, but I did get to have some fun in the evening. I met up with my knitting buddies at Borders, and Tam brought some homemade cannolis that were to die for. Thanks Tam....they were sure delish!

I bought myself a birthday present while I was there: More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlotte Schurch.

My weekend started bright dark and early Saturday morning. I left the house about 7:15 for my 2 hour drive to Lansing. I was spending the day at Threadbear for their 3rd Annual Fall Festival. The shop was hopping the entire day....it's so fun to be in the midst of all that excitement! I brought socks to knit, and also brought my portable wheel. I was able to get both knitting and spinning done while I was there for over 8 hours. I also sold some goodies. I did a little better than last year, selling some bookmarks, orifice hooks, patterns, stitch markers, pens, etc. But no matter what, it's always great to be there.

One of the other vendors there was selling some gorgeous yarns and rovings she had dyed. I ended up getting a bag of superwash merino roving that I am going to try to spin for a pair of socks. It's from To Knit Perchance To Dream and it's appropriately called Last Leaves of Fall. Pretty, no?



I finally got a chance to meet Kristi....what a sweetie she is! And Kellie was working that day...I had originally met her in line at a Yarn Harlot book signing. It was nice chatting with her again too!

My friend Kim was there for a while, hanging out with me and one of the other vendors, Rebecca, who she's known and been friends with for a lot longer than me. Kind of fun that we were in the same place at the same time again this year. I originally met Rebecca at a similar event at Heritage Spinning and Weaving a few years back, and we both also did the Threadbear event last year.

After a fun day hanging out surrounded by tons of fibers, I drove home (in the dark, having missed out on a perfectly lovely, above average temperature, sunny fall day....but it was worth it). I was pretty exhausted when I got home just before 9pm, and was dozing at times while I did some laundry. I would have loved to just drop into my bed, but I had to get Kaitlyn and her friend from work at 11:30. They are ticket-takers at the haunted house/haunted hayride at one of the many orchards in town. What a fun job, huh? Not fun for those of us who have to pick them up at that late hour though. Oh well, it's just for this month, and she's loving it.

Sunday was my birthday celebration with my mom and dad, and Kim and Drew. Mike made dinner for all of us. Oh my, was it good. We had Beef Burgundy with homemade noodles, a loaf of bread fresh from the breadmaker, roast butternut squash, veggies and dip and mom's banana cake for dessert. Mike did all the shopping and cooking (except for the squash, which I made,and the cake, which mom made), did all the dishes during prep and after dinner, etc. It was just so nice to sit back and relax. Thanks Mike!

I got some great gifts for my birthday. Earlier in the week, my friend Jane sent me a package of goodies. I could feel there was fibery goodness in the package and I couldn't wait a few more days til my birthday to open it, so I tore in and found these goodies. A green Chibi, cute bumblebee tape measure, some great sock yarn from Lotus, and these two beautiful Zitron rovings. I can't wait to spin those rainbows! Thanks Jane!



Then on my birthday I got a Knitpicks gift certificate for my mom and dad. My plan is to put it towards a set of Options needles. I've wanted them for a long time, but was in no big hurry because I have 2 sets of Denise needles (one of which I am planning on selling, so if anyone is interested, send me an email soon, before I put them up on ebay). Thanks Mom and Dad!

Kim and Drew gave me a gift card to renew my XM subscription, which was just about to expire. And the cutest cell phone holder EVER. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I tried really hard to buy myself a pair of lime green Crocs (or knockoffs) all summer but every time I found them in lime, they didn't have my size. Maybe next year. Thanks Kim and Drew!



Diane sent my gifts home with my mom and dad when they were visiting her recently. She sent a great skein of Rio de la Plata sock yarn in a bright yellowy-green. It's got a funny story behind it. Several months ago, Rob from Threadbear had called me (knowing my fondness for all things green, and sock yarn, esp. RDLP sock yarn) telling me about this skein, and wanting to know if he should save it for me. At the time, funds were very tight, and I couldn't justify buying another skein of sock yarn. I was IM-ing with Diane, and told her about the phone call from Rob. She immediately emailed him and told him she would buy it for me for my birthday. I had completely forgotten all about the phone call until I saw the note on the yarn. Isn't she sweet? Diane also sent me a great green vase from a store called Blooms. She's always finding me something that's got "Bloom" on it, and I love that. The bag was tied with ribbon that said Blooms, and there was also a pen with their Blooms logo. So cute! Thanks Diane!





My friend Maria in California sent me a Starbucks gift card. I look forward to sipping a nice hot cup of Chai Latte while thinking of her. Thanks Maria!

Here is a picture of the felted pumpkin basket I gave to my friend/neighbor Donna on her birthday Friday. I kind of screwed up the increases but I think it still turned out ok. She loved it! I'm not sure if it was the pumpkin, or all the chocolate I packed into it. =)



All in all, it was a great few days!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's my last birthday that starts with a "4". EEK! I'm so old I was born in black & white!

I wish I could just hang out today, to sit 'n spin, or sit 'n knit. Unfortunately I have a lot on my plate over the next few days and need to get busy. I did get to spin 3 times in the past week though, which feels good after several months of the wheel(s) collecting dust.

Today I need to do some banking, run to the Secretary of State to get tabs for the plates on Mike's car (which is in the shop getting a new ball joint in preparation for being sold....we're wishing we had done this before the tabs needed to be bought, but oh well...I digress....)

I also have some more to do to get ready for Saturday at Threadbear's Fall Festival. I'll be bringing a bunch of my beaded stuff to (hopefully) sell. Even if it's not a huge money-maker, it's always a lot of fun to be there.

However, this visit to Threadbear will be somewhat somber. Connor passed away this week. Connor was one of canine members of the Threadbear family. She and Tate could always be found wandering around the shop, or settled in for a nap on the ottoman or elsewhere. She will be missed by many, but especially by Rob and Matt. If you will be stopping by Threadbear, be sure to give the guys some lovin', and give Tate an extra petting too. He's got to be missing his buddy as well. Sniff.

After creating more goodies for Saturday, I will be at Jake's school this afternoon for my weekly library duty. From there we'll finish up any errands I didn't complete earlier in the day, and we'll meet Mike at New Moon restaurant for my birthday dinner. We have somewhat of a tradition in our family of going out for Chinese for our birthdays. Usually we end up at Leong's in Chesterfield, but that is in the opposite direction from where I need to go after dinner....it's Thursday, so it's knit night with my buddies. I definitely don't want to miss THAT on my birthday!

Speaking of my knitting buddies...we have another sweet baby girl born to our group this week. Just about a month later than Deb's baby girl was born. I can't wait to sniff me some more baby head. Congratulations, Miri and Michael, on the birth of your beautiful baby girl! (who was born in color, I might add)

Stitch 'n Pitch Today!

I've got my shirt, I've had my ticket for months...and this day seemed so far away, but it's finally here! I'm so excited to finally be participating in the Stitch 'n Pitch fun that has been sweeping across the baseball world for the past couple seasons. The Detroit Tigers have been in a bit of a slump lately, but have come back and we're riding a 4-game winning streak that I hope improves to 5-games today!

It rained all night but it looks like the system has moved out and we should be completely dry by game time. I'm hoping to take lots of pictures, and see lots of my knitting buddies from across Michigan. I know folks are coming from as far as Lansing, so I look forward to seeing lots of my buds and knitting acquaintances all in one spot. Oh, what fun we're going to have!

GO TIGERS!

Off to pack my knitting for the game!

Misc.

Time to catch up with a little bit of this and that. Some knitting content, and just some other "stuff".

Last week I was pretty sick. Monday started out fine, but by the time I left a physical therapy appointment around noon, I could feel that little scratchy feeling in my throat that I always get right before I get sick. By mid-afternoon I was feeling pretty bad. Tuesday I spent all day on the couch. I was able to knit, but that's about all I did. This scarf is what came of that day on the couch. I just love the pattern. I used Karaoke...just about 2 skeins.



Wednesday I couldn't even get out of bed. I laid there, unable to do anything but doze and watch a little tv. I finally dragged my butt out of bed at 5 pm because Mike had come home from work and cooked some dinner and it really smelled good. I took a shower, ate, went to the couch for the rest of the evening.

Thursday I was able to come out of the bedroom, but once again, only made it to the couch for the day. I intended to go to the clinic for some meds, but couldn't even find the energy to get dressed and drive there, so I just laid on the couch in my jammies. No energy for knitting. UGH

Friday I felt slightly better (I was supposed to work, but when I called Tina on Thursday, the first thing she said when she heard my voice was STAY HOME!). I did a quick grocery run, and quickly realized that was overdoing it and had a bit of a relapse. I started feeling better on Sunday. Every day this week I felt a little better. I'm feeling fine now, though I am still coughing a bit and probably will for a while. I sure hope I don't catch THAT bug again anytime soon!

----

This past Thursday I went to (hopefully) my last physical therapy session for my knee. I've been dealing with pain, loss of mobility and strength and a few other symptoms, since February. At the end of June I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own and saw a doctor, who prescribed physical therapy. I was a little skeptical about the PT at first, but I have to say I have come a long way in the 9 weeks of therapy. My strength and mobility have come back. Unfortunately I still have some pain, and it's time to accept the fact that I may need surgery to correct what my therapists think is a small tear in the meniscus. I am going to see how I do in the next few weeks with no more therapy, and see if I can live with things the way they are, or bite the bullet and get an MRI, and see the orthopedist for a diagnosis and course of action. For now I am just glad to not have to schedule my days around 3 sessions every week. And I am so glad to be able to walk without limping, go up and down the stairs normally again, etc. Thanks to all the folks at Health Quest who helped me get my knee back in shape. It's not 100%, but they have done all they can for me for now. I will continue to do some exercises at home to keep up the strength and see how it goes.

----

Thursday was also the ribbon cutting ceremony/grand opening celebration at Labor of Love. This picture is of Tina and mostly Chamber of Commerce members that came to the opening to show support for the new business venture in town.Several members of my knitting group later joined in on the fun. We had some refreshments and chatted for a while. Debbie was there and I'm not sure when she'll be joining us again because she is due to have her baby this week! I'm so excited!



Friday morning Mike and Jake left to go camping. Kaitlyn and I stayed home. I worked on Friday and was supposed to work again today but Tina told me she didn't think she'd need me after all. So I spent most of the day knitting. I really need to finish up the Garden Gate scarf that I am making for SWTC out of Bamboo and Karaoke. It's been in the works for quite a while, and I really want to finish it up and get it to them. I've had to put it aside for several other projects (mainly baby items, but also the B4 bag I made for the shop) and it's time to get it done and in the mail!!

----


This weekend is the Peach Festival in our little town. I try to stay away from the madness that takes over the downtown area, but decided I needed to go to the used book sale this afternoon. I scored these 2 knitting books for a mere 50 cents each! I love Nancie Wiseman's designs, and I couldn't pass up the Jo Sharp book for that price. I'm not sure I'll do anything out of that book, so it may be offered up as part of a contest prize at some point.

This week I really REALLY want to start a pair of socks from Cat Bordhi's new book. I think the Coriolis socks are going to be the first ones I do. I just have to decide what yarn I want to use. I seriously want to knit every pair of socks in that book. It is so incredible. I find it so interesting the way her brain works.

I have more than a dozen sets of letter markers made up, and hopefully will have them on my website within the next few days. Maybe even tomorrow I"ll be able to post them. Let me know if you need some! I've already sold a couple sets.

----

I can't believe that school starts the day after tomorrow. Is summer really over? WAH! I don't want it to be over! On the other hand, I am kind of looking forward to some quiet time at home on the days when I won't be working or teaching. I have a few new designs floating around in my head that I need to start playing around with. I need add to and update my website. I have work to do, and I hope to find some time to do some pleasure knitting too. The holidays are coming, and I want to knit some gifts, but I really want to find/make time to knit something for ME for a change!

Support your LYS

My friend Kim of Knitting Matters is having a promotion to support the Local Yarn Store. You can get one of her patterns free (FREE IS GOOD!) Go to her blog or website to get the details. Click on either of the links above.

Just for fun, she's made a list of all the yarn stores she has visited so far. I decided to do the same, and I think I've come up with them all, but I may have missed a couple. Here's my list (so far!)

Basketful of Yarn (Clarkston, MI)
Brown Sheep Factory Outlet (Mitchell, NE)
Busy Hands Yarn and Gifts (Ann Arbor, MI)
Crafty Lady Trio (Macomb, MI)
Elaine's Yarns (Davison, MI)
Ewe 'n Hook (Romeo, MI) Closed 2006
Ewe-nique Knits (Royal Oak, MI)
Heritage Spinning and Weaving (Lake Orion, MI)
Indigo Rose (Sterling Heights, MI)
Inish Knits (Cedar, MI)
Knit Knit Knit (W. Bloomfield, MI)
Knitter's Kove (Commerce Twp, MI)
Knitter's Mercantile (Columbus, OH)
Knitting Up A Storm (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
Labor of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts (Romeo, MI) <---COME SEE US!
Little Red Schoolhouse (Lansing, MI)
Nautical Yarn (Ludington, MI)
Personal Threads (Omaha, NE)
Rae's Yarn Boutique (Lansing, MI)
Skeins on Main (Rochester, MI)
String of Purls (Omaha, NE)
Susan's Yarn Garden (Sioux City, IA)
Sweet Celeste's (Mt. Clemens, MI)
Threadbear (Lansing, MI)
The Wool and the Floss (Grosse Pointe, MI)
Yarn Knit (Sioux Falls, SD)
Yarn Quest (Traverse City, MI)

I'm waiting for my copy of Cat Bordhi's new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters to arrive any day now from Threadbear. There is quite a buzz about this book, and seems like there is going to be a demand for the "letter markers" that everyone is talking about. I read somewhere that there is a prediction that before too long, letter markers will be used for most stitch marker uses. Who knows?

Anyway, today I made up a couple sets in a few different styles. I have ordered some more of the beads in both colors (they are porcelain). So if you want some, they will soon be available here and on my website. You can preorder by emailing me and I'll send them out to you as soon as I get them made up. You can make color/style requests and I will do my best to accomodate your wishes. I have a LOT of beads, believe me!

The style below will be $7.00 for A-D and $11.00 for A-F. This price will include first class postage.

This style will be $6.00 for A-D and $10.00 for A-F. Also includes postage.

Weekend with my Knittin' Buddies

I haven't gotten around to writing about our camping vacation last week yet, but this weekend I am at Bonnymill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Chesaning with 4 members of my knitting group. Here is where I laid my head for 2 nights...what a cute, comfortable room.




Sharon A. and I drove together, and stopped at a great yarn store in Davison on the way. When we got to Bonnymmill, Pat had already arrived, but Sharon and I both needed a little snooze (I had been up since 3 am....don't ask...) Dozed for a bit then met with Sharon A., Pat, and Sharon H. (who arrived while we slept) for dinner in the Bonnymill dining room. Then we knit for a while, and after Sharon A. went up to bed, the rest of us headed down to the Malt Shop for some ice cream. (Seen on the left in the photo below. On the right is the Showboat Restaurant where we went for lunch on Saturday after Tam arrived)



We took over the corner of the very large wrap-around porch for most of 2 days. We had a nice breeze, but unfortunately we were very close to the road and it was quite loud at times. As you can see in the background, the scenery was not the best either, but we didn't really care about that. We had knitting to do and fun times to share!




Many stitches were knit, many laughs were had, a few cocktails were consumed.




Yesterday afternoon there was a wedding on site and we saw the bride and her bridesmaids come out the front door and head down the porch to the back, where there is a gazebo and to where her guests (and groom) were waiting for her. The weather was perfect for a wedding. I didn't take photos to respect their privacy.

We ordered pizza for dinner and it was wonderful. After several more hours of knitting on the porch, we called it a day and headed up to our rooms.

After breakfast this morning, we checked out but stayed on the porch for a while yet, knitting and enjoying the beautiful weather.

We are thinking about the next time we do this...maybe in the winter...maybe somewhere we can sit around a fireplace and knit....what a fun time we had!