Randomness on Mother's Day

    Today is Mother's Day, and yesterday was my beloved Hubs' 50th birthday. Some years they both fall on the same day. And yes, I caught myself a younger man. After nearly 26 years, it makes no difference anyway.


   Our son, and my youngest child, Jesse, is away in the U.K. for a karate tournament. He should be back tomorrow evening, according to his fiancé. I know it's silly, but I was worried. This was a huge tournament, and even though he is an experienced martial artist, and holder of a 4th degree black belt, I still worry about him.


    Even though he was busy with his tournament, he managed to send his dad birthday wishes, and Mother's Day wishes to me. I can't wait to see the videos that were taken of his fights. He won 1st place in his division in sparring, but didn't win Grand Champion. I hear he lost the last fight for that honor. So he came close.


   I was looking through my photos today, and found a couple of funny ones. Sara had tried on a couple of my wigs and took photos of herself.

    I should get her to try all the others on too. There is also a very funny one of Jesse in one of my wigs, dressed in his paintball gear. Well I can't find that one. I thought it was in my files on my laptop.


    I had a ball babysitting for Owen this week. He's getting so big. He likes to stand up on your legs and all you have to do is hang on to him for balance. He's not good at balance yet. He can't even sit up by himself, but he loves to sit, and stand too.


    But you really have to be careful. The other day, after his daddy left for work, I Owen was sitting on my leg, and I looked away for a second. The little turd spit up all over his bib, and it puddled on my pants leg. Nice. No sound at all, just a wet feeling on my leg. I looked back and there it was!

    I seem to have lost any interest in crafting right now. I have made more than a few cat toys for the craft fair/flea market. I just realized that's next Saturday! AARRGGHH. Oh wait, I'm ready! No need to worry. Anyway, the cat toys are fun, and I hope I sell bunches of them. All other crafting is in a time out. That happens sometimes, you just don't feel like doing it for a while. Sort of like blogging.........


   

In Which I Get Accepted

   My daughter and her husband have three cats. Two adopted rescues and one they rescued themselves. That is a story in itself. He showed up at their house and wouldn't leave. They never let him in, but he hung around was very sweet and loving to everyone who was out in the yard. Eventually because Winter was coming, they got him checked out by a Vet and adopted him.


   Fast forward to my babysitting. The Dude, mentioned above, has always been sweet and very friendly. Nermal, the female, is friendly after a while. But Lemmy is very shy. He hides when anyone comes in the door, and doesn't come out until they are gone.


    Recently, I was astonished to find Nermal interested in my knitting. I was sitting on the couch, and she came over and laid down with her front paws on my left leg. She played with the yarn while I knit. Nermal has been on me before, usually she uses me as a bridge to get from one place to another. But later that day, she actually came up and laid down on my lap! I was so excited, I took a photo with my phone and sent it to Sara. I was really thrilled.


    But there was more to come! She got up, and turned to face me. She put her front paws on my chest, and I petted her with both hands, from the head down. Then she leaned forward, close to me, and licked my nose! Apparently that's what she does. Sara warned me that she might give me a little love bite, but she didn't that time.


    Lemmy finally felt comfortable enough with me in the house to make an appearance after the second week. He had been hanging out on the basement steps. I would open the door and talk to him, just to get him used to me. When he finally came out, I would just pet him once as I walked by, not pushing my luck. Now he will come into the living room and sleep on the recliner with The Dude. I get to pet him a little and he doesn't run away.


   I feel that I have been accepted into the family clowder. I had to look that word up. It's what a group of cats are called.

Time for crochet while babysitting

    I had that for the past two days. I was babysitting for my newest grandson, and while he napped I had time to crochet. I got some more done on the first legwarmer. I think it's about 2/3 done now.


    Babysitting is quite an adventure in itself. First, I really hate having to get up at 5:30 am. I figured that I already get up that early two days a week, what's two more? It wouldn't have been so bad, except after the first day of sitting, I had an awful night of sleep. It was one of those god-awful nights where you wake up every 20 - 30 minutes? I think the best sleep I got all night was the 5 minutes after the alarm went off. I only know I fell back asleep because I was dreaming.


    Really, a newborn doesn't require that much work. But I was exhausted none-the-less. He really is a good natured baby, and doesn't really cry unless there's something wrong. The hardest thing is keeping him occupied for 5 minutes while his bottle heats up. But yesterday, he made my day...


    Sara went upstairs to get dressed. When she came back down, she brought Owen, who was still half asleep. She put him in his downstairs sleeping place. I left him alone in case he went back to sleep. After a few minutes, I looked in, and he was awake, so I leaned over and told him that Nana was here to stay with him today. He looked right at me and smiled!


    I was so very tired yesterday, and that's not a good thing. When I am that tired, I get extremely weepy. The littlest things make me tear up. It happened twice yesterday while I was at Sara's. And then again after Hubs got home from work and I was telling him about it. He just chuckles at me.

My first day with Owen

    Last Friday, my daughter Sara went back to work, after having her adorable little son Owen. She was understandably distraught. I got to be Owen's first all day babysitter. I'll be taking Thursdays and Fridays, while his other grandma is taking Mondays and Tuesdays. His daddy is off on Wednesdays.


    He was asleep when I got there. I really hoped he'd stay asleep until after mommy left, I thought it might make it a bit easier for her. He decided to wake up just before she left. So mommy got to supervise my warming his bottle, and we were settled into having it when she left.


    The little guy was pretty good. He complained most of the morning, I think he missed his mommy. At one point he looked right at me, and started to cry. I didn't take it personally. We had some good talks, and after his noon time bottle, he passed right out. He was still asleep when his daddy got home 3 1/2 hours later!


   I kept busy watching a show on Hulu that Sara thought I might like. It's called The Misfits. I watched all of season 1, and a couple shows from season 2.  Just before daddy was due home, I turned the show off, and put the baby tunes on.


    My biggest question is this: I didn't do much all day, why was I so exhausted?  Perhaps it was because I didn't get to have my usual morning coffee. I did bring some of the chocolate chai tea I had found, but only had one cup. I can't wait to see how it goes this week.  

Where did the time go?

    I just realized that a whole week has gone by since my last post. I really don't know where the time has gone. I guess I've been busy.


    I have crocheted on my leg warmer some. I babysat for the new grandbaby Owen twice. Monday for a little while, then Friday all day. That was the day daughter Sara returned to work. It was difficult for her, as it was for all of us who had to do it.


    I've also been reading. I found a new series of books, I'm currently reading the third one. They are about a girl who discovers she is an Elf changeling, and has no memory of her former life as an Elf. They were written by an author named Liz Schulte. I'm enjoying them so far. Check them out if you can. I guess I just haven't had anything Earth-shattering to share with you all.


     

It started with a text message...

    This has been one helluva roller coaster ride. Like it says in the title, it started with a text message, at 8 am on Monday, November 25th. My pregnant daughter texts me that she thinks her water has broken, and she's going to the hospital to get it checked out. She was right. There's no fooling around with this woman.


    She stayed in the hospital, and waited for labor to start. If it didn't start by 2 pm, the medical staff was going to induce it. The labor started on its own. I got my call to come to the hospital just after 1 pm. Her hubs had to run home and do a few things, and she didn't want to be alone.


    By the time he got back, she had been moved from the triage area into a room. She ended up giving birth in that room. The midwife was really great. And at 7:05 pm little Owen Francis Gilroy emerged from his mommy. I was there, and got to see the whole thing. It was so awesome, we were all crying.

 

 

 

     They came home yesterday, late in the day. Even though he was four weeks early, we are glad he came. He was 18 inches long and weighed in at 6 lbs. I can't even imagine how much he would have weighed if he hadn't come early.  One more thing to be thankful for.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

It's been a long day and I'm rambling

    When I woke up at 5:00 this morning, I started the coffee maker for Hubs, then went back in to go back to sleep. It didn't work out. I couldn't sleep. I lay there quietly until after Hubs left for work. I've discovered it's better to leave him alone in the mornings.


   Shortly after he left, I got up and drank the last cup of coffee that was left in the coffee maker. I sat here in my chair and vegged for a while. I was supposed to go to Sara's by 10, so I had time. I briefly considered going back in to lay down, but dismissed it. I figured I'd oversleep. I showered and headed to Sara's right on time.


    When I'm tired I get weepy. I cry at television commercials. I warned Sara that I was weepy before I went over there. There is just some stuff going on that I can't talk about. The stories aren't mine to tell. Friends got married, and most of it has to do with them. They have the cutest story I've ever heard. But I can't tell you guys about it. It's not my story. You can't make that shit up.


    So I sit here and think, and weep. I am currently weeping about a very good episode of Doctor Who. I wept last night, at the end of the 50th anniversary special, when Tom Baker appeared as a guest. So I guess it started then.


    Last night was one of those awful nights that take forever to be over with. Waking up every hour, and having trouble getting back to sleep. The whole night sucked, pretty much. No wonder I was already tired when I woke up at 5. Now I'll just wait until it's bedtime. It must be 11 pm somewhere.....

Stitch n Bitch report and more

    This week's Stitch n Bitch went off without a hitch! Everyone showed up, and we had a nice breakfast and got some crafting done. I'm still working on the Elizabeth Zimmermann garter stitch baby blanket, and it's almost half done. It's so cold in my house, it's hard to knit. My hands are so cold. At least my feet stay warm, in my nice wool felted slippers made for me by my best knitting friend, Kim! It pains me to say this, but I'm rearing holes in them already! And this is my second pair!


    Now for the other news. Here is the most recent baby bump photo of my lovely daughter Sara!

    I can't wait for this baby to get here! It's getting closer every day! It certainly looks like he's gonna be a big boy. Already nearly 5 lbs with a month to go.

The Baby Shower

    It's all over now, and I'd say it was a success. There were mounds and mounds of gifts, and Sara got to open them all. There was a time concern, but we pulled it off.

   

 

 

    The food was really good, and it seems like everyone had a good time. We played some games, and prizes were handed out. Special kudos go out to Sara's mother-in-law Sue and sister-in-law Kelly, they were on decorations, and did a great job!


    Here are some photos of the attendees!

 

     And lastly, here are a few shots of Sara opening gifts... The last one is her showing everyone the blanket I made for her.

     Over the years, she has watched me make quite a few of these for friends and family, and it's finally her turn to get one. I think she was looking forward to getting it. It's a favorite of mine to make, and even Hubs loves it.

Another childhood memory / knitting update

    This one goes back a ways. The remembering happened when daughter Sara was here the other day, and I got a cup out of the cupboard for her to have some coffee. Like a flash, I remembered.


    I was little, maybe 7 or 8 years old, and I had stayed home from school because I was sick.  Mom brought me a cup of apple juice in bed. I drank it, and as I did, I tasted dish soap. To this day, I can't drink apple juice because of that.


    My mom was a great housewife, but as for rinsing the dishes, not so much. To this day, when I take a glass out of her cupboard, I still sniff the inside of it. I started doing that after the apple juice incident. The other day, I asked Sara if she sniffed the glasses at grandma's too. She said that yes she did. We both grew up with that woman, and she marked us both in many ways.


    It makes me wonder if she thought I was insane, or if she knows why I sniff. I don't remember whether I ever mentioned to her why I always sniff her glassware.


    As for the knitting report, I am pleased to announce that I have turned the second corner, and have begun the 4th eighth of the blanket. After I get further along, I will take more photos.

No more secret

    I caved and showed Sara the super secret knitted project. I feel good that she likes it. Since it's secret no more, I can show you photos! Here's what the whole thing looks like so far:

    I'm well into the 3rd eighth. Here is the one corner I have so far:

    And a closer shot of the top where I'm currently working:

    Each row gets one stitch shorter, then I come to the corner, and then each row gets one stitch longer till this half is done. The finished blanket will be plenty big, and that made Sara happy.

A picture is worth a thousand words

    The other day my daughter had another sonogram. Due to her "advanced age" they want to do all the tests to make sure the baby is healthy and growing properly. So far, all is well.


    This time, they got proof that the baby is indeed a boy.

    And he has the cutest little penis that I've ever seen. I believe his other grandmother will agree with me that we were hoping for a girl. She currently has two grandsons, while I have one grandchild of each sex.


    Either way, this baby will never suffer from lack of love from a grandmother! I can't wait to meet him. And I'm really looking forward to getting to know him.

A Story in Pictures

    Yesterday was my birthday. I had a really nice, quiet day with my beloved Hubs. Lots of friends on facebook wished me a happy birthday. My very good friend Kim H. and her Cherub actually made me a birthday cake! Here are some photos I took, just a little while ago:

    This cake is really good! We were too stuffed after dinner last night to sample it. Then I spent most of the day today with my daughter, who is now visibly pregnant! We went to Babies R Us so she could work on her registry.


    Then we went out to lunch, where I unexpectedly ran into a former friend! We exchanged greetings and it was all friendly. I wonder if we can be friends again. I've kind of missed her. We'll just have to wait and see what develops.


    I had some thoughts about getting older. After all, I'm nearly pushing 60 now, and it really sucks. But no matter how old I get, my handsome Hubs will always be my young stud.


    Excuse me, I have to go finish my cake....

Daughter Time!

    Today I must confess that I didn't knit. Again. But I spent part of my day with my beloved pregnant daughter! We wouldn't want her to see her Super Secret Project now, would we? It's so nice to get to spend some time with her. Now that she's showing!!

 

 I went with her when she went grocery shopping. Then I got to watch as she put it all away. She got all "housewifey and shit" on me again. I just love it! It makes me happy to see her so content. I can't wait to meet this baby!

 

 

Here is the newest photo of her and her husband, Mike. This was just taken a few days ago! It's now my new favorite photo of them together!

 

 

 

I won't say much else, cause she reads this, but I couldn't be prouder of her or happier for her.  She is doing all the right things, making all the right decisions, at the right times. I wasn't as smart when I was young. Maybe I paved the way by showing her what not to do?

 

 

I do have plans to spend part of tomorrow with my friend Bonny, and we are going to be crafting. She will crochet and I will knit. I promise!

 

A little crafting and some drama

    Today I spent most of the day with my daughter Sara. She wanted to go shopping for a new dress to wear to a christening tomorrow. She didn't find a dress, but she did get some more maternity wear. She was thrilled. She already has a couple of dresses that she can still wear, so she wasn't worried about it.


    After I got home I was so tired, I took a nap. Well, I tried to take a nap. I don't think I fell asleep. After an hour I got up and finished the dishes I had started this morning. I also did more laundry.


    While resting after coming up the stairs from the basement I knit a couple of rows on the super secret project. Then later as I was cooking our pork chops on the grill, I worked on a cat toy that I've made for all the kitties we know. I'm pretty proud of it, actually. I call it the Lazy Person's Cat Toy. Here is a photo of it:

    It's made of two plastic rings crocheted together all around, then I do a really long chain stitch with a finger loop on the end. The original one I made for my cat Ozzy was probably twenty feet long. I call it the Lazy Person's Cat Toy because you don't have to keep getting up and getting it. You throw the ring, which has tassels on it too, while holding the other end. Then you just pull it slowly or quickly, and the cat goes nuts chasing and pouncing on it.


    I make it with plastic rings because I was afraid metal rings would break the kitties teeth. I think the most important thing is the cotton yarn. It's very strong and lasts a long time. I use Sugar and Cream, but any good cotton will do.


    As I said, I made the original for Ozzy, then my son Jesse wanted one for his two kitties, so I made one. Then Sara wanted one for her three kitties. I made this new one for my son James's two kittens. If you're counting, that makes seven grand kitties that I have. Each toy I make, I test on Ozzy. If he plays with it, I can tell people it's officially Ozzy tested and approved. I also made one for Jason's three kitties. That one was special, the only one I made that wasn't for family.


    Searching for the rings today, I had some drama. It seems that Joann Fabrics and Crafts isn't selling my rings any more. I usually use these dark plastic rings, two per toy, that are about 2" across, and flattened. They used to be in the section of the store where you get things for making your own purses. They had all kinds of rings, and handles and stuff. I had to buy a different plastic ring this time. I did still use two of them, but they aren't flattened so the toy is a bit thicker. It still seems to work.

The Blanket Conundrum

     The other day, I was searching through a closet looking for a shawl I had made. It was in there, but I also found a bag of my favorite baby blanket yarn. And inside the bag? A nearly complete Pastel Rainbow Baby Blanket.


     I've been making this blanket for years. So many years that I don't need the pattern for reference any more. I've changed it a little bit over the years, usually in the last round. Originally, the last round had the holes that are in the rest of the rounds.

    So the one I found, almost complete, was one I remember starting. I wondered where it was! It was different that all the others. I did the color sequence in reverse. Usually it starts with white, and ends with green. I made this one starting with the green and ending with white.

 

    Yesterday, I finished it. There were only three rounds left to go. Well, four including the one that was partway done. It took me all day, as my shoulder would start hurting from the crochet position. But I eventually got it done. Today I took some photos of the both of them, so you can see the difference.

    I will present them both to Sara and let her choose which one she prefers. I'd like to know what you all think.  Here are the photos of close ups of each of them.

 

 

    It's funny, I looked at the blankets in person, but it wasn't until I saw the photos that I decided I like the original one better.  Looking forward to some input!

Doin' the Happy Dance

    Weeks and weeks ago, my eldest child and only daughter Sara sent me picture message. It was pretty early in the morning, and I was still in bed. The photo was of a pregnancy test stick, showing a positive result. The text read "Holy crap!"


    She and her husband Mike have been very happily married for almost three years now. They have an awesome house, with a gorgeous front porch, complete with the proverbial white picket fence around the little front yard. This is my favorite photo of them together:

   And now they are finally going to have a baby. I do have two grandchildren already, from my elder son, but there is just something special about your only daughter having a baby. She and I have such a connection. She has been through a lot with me. My first disastrous marriage, and the years of her living with my parents. She was so happy when I finally found my soul mate and current Hubs.


    As you can imagine, I was itching to start crocheting and knitting baby things. I am very proud of the fact that I held out for eight hours until I started the first crocheted blanket. Here is a photo of what it looks like. This one's not a secret.

    The colors don't show up on this photo, but it's a pastel rainbow 12 pointed star. All her friends have gotten them, and that was the one that she requested. Well, all  except for the one friend that, for some reason, I decided to do hers round with no points. I must have had a flash of the future, because that baby got a round bassinet!


    To end today's tirade, just know that I have been working on baby things, but they are secret projects, as I'm saving them for the baby shower. And she reads this blog. I don't want to give anything away! Excuse me while I do the Happy Dance again!!

Now for something completely different

   That was one of my favorite quotes from Monty Python. So this post will be about something different. Let's talk about crocheting first. I have finished the 2nd cat bed, after adding another row to the walls. My Hubs thought it was too short. I added the row, and he was right. Again.

    I am currently working on the 3rd and last of the cat beds. It will be just like the 2nd one, but a different color, and bigger. See, the last one I intend for the smallest of Sara's cats, Nermal. The biggest bed, the felted one, I see The Dude claiming. So that makes the newest one for Lemmy. He's bigger than Nermal, and smaller than The Dude. But really, they can sleep in whichever one they want to.


    Yesterday, I didn't post because I was not feeling very well at all. I just couldn't put any words together that I thought you might want to read. I spent most of the day on bed, with a worried Hubs hovering over me. I feel much better today, thankfully.


    This morning, I went to Stich n Bitch, then I went to the karate school to keep my good friend company while her Cherub tests for her 2nd degree black belt. During the actual testing a few months ago, she couldn't participate due to a broken bone in her wrist, and she was wearing a cast. She did take the written test which she passed. This weekend has been set aside for her to complete the physical portion of the test, along with the 3rd degree candidates. So in actuality, it's probably more intense than the original testing. I'm sure she will do very well.


    So I went to keep my friend company for a while, then went and ran some errands, then went back to keeping company again. Now I'm home, because I have my own chores to take care of. But if I have time later, I will go back again. Poor Kim is all alone, sitting on those hard bleachers, by herself.


    I do have something else to talk about, but I'm going to hold off for now. It's very exciting, and I'm thrilled to death about it. You will just have to wait!


   

an ungrateful cat I have

    And talk like Yoda, I do. That's right, Ozzy won't go near his custom made felted cat bed. So I'm going to take it to daughter Sara's and let one of her cats claim it as their own. In the meantime, I'm crocheting two more, so no kitteh will feel left out. The new ones aren't to be felted, I'm making them out of Lion Brand's Homespun, which I know her cats like to sleep on. She has an afghan I made for her from that yarn, and they love it.


    This morning, I was actually busy. I did some laundry, and went to the store. That was necessary, since we were nearly out of half and half, which is an intolerable state to be in. After I got home and unpacked and put away, I went over to visit my good bud Bonny. We hung out for a while, then decided to go to Michaels. I bought some more Homespun for the aforementioned cat beds.


     After that, we decided to look around in our local consignment shop. They have some awesome stuff in there! But the cast iron cauldron I had my eye on was gone. I guess it was a good thing, because I can't afford it anyway.  I'd better get back to it, or the cat beds will never get done!

Sunday hanging

    Yesterday, I didn't post, I had nothing to say. Sorry about that. I'm all recuperated from my brief intense illness, and back to normal.


    Today, I drove to my daughter Sara's house, and got to hang for a while with her friends Aaron and Christine E., and their new baby girl Nora. She is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time! I got to hold her, and even made her smile and laugh. She made my day.


  After they began their trek back to Long Island, I hung with Sara and her hubs for a while, then I accompanied Sara while she went grocery shopping. That was fun. I enjoy spending time with my daughter.


    I'm home now, and very tired. I was up at the ass-crack of dawn this morning, but my poor Hubs was up even earlier than that. I will probably go to bed early tonight, as I have to get up early in the morning. I'll be honest, I could go to sleep right now, but if I do, I won't sleep tonight. So I'm gonna try and stay awake as long as I can.