Happy New Year!!!

Just popping in to wish everyone a Happy New Year! We had a wonderful lovely, quiet Christmas while I recuperated from the cold that we think was actually the flu. More on that later.  I hope you are all well.  I'm off to check on you and see how your Holidays are going. 

I hope 2013 brings you peace, love, and happiness!

The Stockings Are Hung

By the chimney with care...

Presents are under the tree...

Decorations of red...and green...troughout the house...

And it does look a bit like Christmas....

Wishing you and your's a joyous one from me and mine.

I'll be back after Christmas!

Doing

Doing now:

* Watching as little news as possible because it makes my heart ache
* Enjoying the presence of my family
* Trying to finish that last hand made gift
* Blocking....lots of blocking
* Fighting the annual Christmas cold that my mother just had to share
* Still trying to figure out what to get two wonderful boys for Christmas...some gifts bought but can't find "the" gift
* Trying to deal with holiday stress in a productive way...suggestions?
* Feeling thankful for how truly blessed I am

Here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season. I'll be poking my head in periodically, but I will be spending most of my time now, in these moments, holding onto what keeps me whole.  I hope you have that with you as well. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers for a Joyous Season and you have everything you need and hold dear.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Welcome Home!!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Behind

The elving is continuing.  Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.  Just a few more things. Car Guy and I put a huge dent in the Christmas shopping this past weekend.  We've only got a few more things to take care of....our boys being part of the list.  They were so much easier when they were younger. My youngest claims he wants a "Mama Made" sweater.  That melts my heart, but it won't be happening this year.  Maybe if I start in January, he'll get one for next Christmas? Hmmm....It shouldn't take long...he's only 6'2".

I received the BEST news yesterday.  The owner of the company I work for decided to give us a little Christmas break.  We will have the 24th, 25th and 26th off for the Christmas holiday.  Well, I've held on to a couple of vacation days in case I had to go pick up Number One Son from college.  Since his girlfriend is bringing him home, I still have those days.....sooo....I get the whole week off for Christmas!!  That hasn't happened since I was 15. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. Car Guy has that week off too and The Boys will be home. It makes this mama very happy.

Well, I'm off to get more work done.  I hope you are all ready for your holidays and are able to enjoy them and aren't behind like some people...ahem.

By the way, the table top from Friday's Moment is actually the counter top from Turntable.  Jon and Renee, the owners, made it and it's so cool.  It's like a giant word search of names, places, etc. that are relevant to our area and some other stuff thrown in for fun.  That picture is actually of the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but it was so big, that I couldn't fit the whole word in the picture.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

 

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Elves At Work

Hello everyone! I don't know about the rest of you, but we are busy around here with the Christmas deadline looming...Yikes!  Still so much to do and not enough time...are you feeling that way as well?

I think this one might be one of my favorite projects so far. Do you recognize him?

The picture is a little dark, so I hope you can tell what it is.  This Minion from Despicable Me is for my three year old nephew.  He loves "Pesdicable Me" as he calls it and his mama said this was perfect.  Number Two Son wants me to make a bigger one so that he can sport it around town...Funny boy that he is, he would wear it proudly.

Over the last few years, we have been trying to give more thoughtful gifts that are either handmade by us (ahem, me) or handmade gifts by someone else or gifts that inspire the receiver to create.  This isn't a problem with the adults, but sometimes it can get a little tricky with the younger set.  It's not that they don't appreciate it, but sometimes it's just not that easy to find something in their wheelhouse.  Thankfully, my teenage niece is a hippie chick like me, so she's easy.  This year, while the gift isn't hand made, it has been altered/improved by hand...

Aren't they awesome!  I mean seriously, who wouldn't want a pair?  I actually have a pair gifted to me (love them Dawn!!!) and my niece saw them and fell in love.  It made perfect sense to get her a pair as well.

I'm currently working on the Mimosa Slouchy Beanie.  This is actually something that a friend asked me to make for her daughter and normally I wouldn't take on a custom order this close to Christmas, but this young lady is very close to my heart and calls me her "other mom."  How could I say no? It's actually working up pretty quickly....

She picked out the yarn, which is a washable wool blend. It looks like I'm such a fancy knitter with the lace and cable, but the pattern is really easy to memorize and as long as I pay attention to my stitch markers, I can cruise right along.

Tonight is Wednesday Night so that means much needed time with my girls.  Normally we meet at Panera's, but we are trying a new spot tonight.  Some friends have opened up a coffee house/hang-out in town called Turntable and we thought we'd go hang out on the sofas there. Come on...coffees, beer and wine with great music...how perfect is that? And tonight is half price wine night!

Jon and Renee, the proprietors, are the cutest couple and I love the idea behind what they are trying to do...local beers, wine and musicians, all in downtown Jamestown.  A fun time should be had by all...I'll let you know.

Look!

What came in the mail today. I've only flipped through it quickly (I do have a job after all) but I can tell you, it's divine! Hope you have one to enjoy!!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

 

So, if the fries are made with organic potatoes does that negate the frying or is that like having a double cheeseburger, large fries and a diet Coke?  Just curious.

 Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

MAJOR Frustration...Also Known as XBox Live Customer Support SUCKS!!!

I am going to warn you now, I am getting ready to go on a MAJOR rant and it may not be pretty, so I appreciate your patience.

Number Two Son has an XBox Live account.  This account allows him to play games online with his friends. We pay an annual fee for this service and while it's not crazy expensive, it ain't cheap either.  Because he is a minor, I am the "co-signor" on this account.  Whenever there are changes to Term and Services, I have to agree to them. I log into this account about once in a blue moon, so it's not surprising that I forgot my pass word.  No biggie, or so I thought.  WRONG.  The email address associated with that account is an email account I know longer have because we changed  ISP. So if I try to reset the password they send the request to the old email address.  Being the logical person that I am, I decided that I would call tech support to rectify the situation.  BIG MISTAKE.  I explained the situation to tech support and they sent me an email to reset the password and it says it will send the email to reset my password to....the old account.  I have had this conversation with tech support no less than 5, that's right I said FIVE, times. and they still don't get it.  I have spent well over four hours of my time on the phone repeating myself to no avail.  I have a folder full of emails, each of them totally useless.  I have three trouble tickets, none of which have been resolved, but two have been closed out.  I have been sent emails that I was told to reply to and have gotten the response back that this is a "non monitored alias" and that no one will respond....Really?  That was probably the most honest answer I've had through this process that has lasted over a month and a half.

Tonight, as I sit here waiting for a return call, yet again, I have reached the point that the people at XBox Live are going to detest my name. It's the principle of the matter now.  It might of been just $60.00, but the frustration that has ensued has far surpassed that....

Oh yeah, now the brilliant people sent me a customer service survey...."How'd we do?" Do you really want to know?  Yeah, I didn't think so, but I'll spend a little more time on it just so so they really know how I feel.

Update: The call was returned and their "computer system" hung up on me before I spoke to a person.  Then I received another call and as I explained the situation again (without yelling or cursing, I might add) the customer support representative hung up on me.  I went to bed.  The saga will continue tonight. I know you get more bees with honey, but I'm feeling full of vinegar right now.

Plugging Back In

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving!  I have so much catching up to do.  I unplugged Wednesday evening and pretty much stayed that way until this morning.  I decided that I wanted to be totally in the moment with family and it was so worth it...even if I did forget my camera....duh!

We were able to spend a lot of time together getting to know this young lady...Number One Son's girl.  It is so obvious to me that he adores her. She is very sweet and patient and as much as I love my son, I know these are qualities she needs to possess.  We are a loud, trying group and we like to pick.  She didn't back down and has a wonderful sense of humor (another must with this crew.) She'll be back again at Christmas and we are looking forward to it.

The other frequent guest at our house was Number Two Son's girl.  She's new...as in they made everything "official" this past week. They are "in a relationship" on Facebook, so it must be real...right? Seriously, she also seems to be a sweet girl with TONS of personality. We are still getting to know her, but she can hold her own as well.

Should I even talk about the food?  It ranged from smoke salmon to country style steak and ham, green beans to broccoli salad, pumpkin and pecan pie to chocolate cake....all of it was delicious and I enjoyed EVERY bite...and then some.

And this year, something new happened.  My mother-in-law came to my mother's house for dinner....this is the first time that I have had a Thanksgiving meal with both of them at the same table in the 20 years I've been married to this man of mine.  I can see that a relationship is finally building between them, dare I say slowly but surely? I hope this is a preview of things to come.  One can hope.

I'm off to catch up on some reading...seeing how everyone enjoyed their holiday.  Thanks so much for your kind words last week and letting me vent.  Sometimes all I have to do is get it off my chest and I feel better.  Have a great Monday!!

Testing

I thought we had past this, but I am being tested.  My boundaries, his maturity, my patience...just how far can the envelope be pushed?  How far, before this mama blows a gasket?  How loud will it get when she lowers the boom...or will she be really calm?  Calm is prevailing, but not without a lot of counting to ten.  Patience is quickly dwindling and just when I think it might snap, I get a "Thanks Mom.  Love you." He knows what buttons to push. And then I remember how quiet it's been.  I remember how much I've missed him.  I remember that while I still see him as my child, he is trying his best to grow up.  Some of the ties loosen a bit, but not all of them....some lines just can't be crossed...yet.  In time, but now just isn't that time.

With that being said, I am so glad to have my family and guest home.  We, as parents, are learning a new dynamic as they mature and we are learning a new place of letting go.  Not always easy, but the rewards are amazing. It's nice to know that there are times when I'm still needed even though my rules seem ridiculous, because they know so much more than I do...right? But we are all learning, so that is a step in the right direction.  This growing up isn't easy.

Since this the season of gratitude, I have so much to be thankful for...healthy, some what well adjusted children :), a loving husband, a roof over my head and food in my stomach.  And really, that's saying a lot. I have so much more than so many others. I have friends and family who love me and I have you.  So this Thanksgiving I recognize that I am truly blessed and hope you are as well.  Thank you for all your kindness, friendship and support.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday Morning

A good start to the day...

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Thursday....

I can't believe it's already Thursday.  This week has flown by.  I am starting to feel much more like my old self.  THANK YOU so much for all your well wishes.  You are such a sweet group!!  I'm sure the kindness you all sent my way has definitely improved my health!

This year, SAFF was so wonderful.  Tons of laughter and friendship.  I always look forward to this trip and I'm glad to say it doesn't let me down. I mean seriously, how can you go wrong with Cosmos, Mudslides, yarn and wonderful friends?

Last year, my focus was on all the yarn....so much yarn!! Malabrigo, Miss Babs...these favorites were there this year and of course were purchased.

This is the Malabrigo.  If you have never splurged on this stuff....do so.  It is heaven. So wonderful to work with and the colors are AMAZING! I haven't decided what this will be when it grows up, but I know that it will be gorgeous.

This is Miss Babs Yowza...phenomenal Merino.  I do have plans for this. I want to make the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and selfishly, I am making it for me...but not until after the holidays. I guess you could say it's my gift to me.

This year, while the yarn was gorgeous, I kept gravitating to the fiber...tons and tons of glorious fiber of all types and colors.  I thought I went on overload last year...Ha!  A whole new door opened for me and I dove in.

I bought a pound of undyed wool to spin and practice dyeing techniques with it.  I've decided that I will dye it after I spin it as I don't know enough to dye the fiber before hand.  I did buy some already dyed wool.  There was so much of it and if I were a rich woman, I would have brought home a lot more. Here's what I did buy..

I almost don't want to spin this because it is so glorious as it is.  Rachel, one of the girls in the group came back to the house with this and I knew I had to have it.  Pictures do not do it justice.  I managed to get the last one.  See, it was meant to be...even if I just stare at it for a while.

These two are from the same vendor.  He had the most vibrant colors.  I will admit that I can't wait to spin this up because of the variegations it will create.

I'm still learning about plying, so I'm not sure what I will do there, but oh the possibilities!

I might have to see if Rachel and Fru want to come visit for a bit of spinning time to help a girl learn. Rachel was able to finally teach me how to use a spindle successfully.  She makes it look so easy!

So there you have it.  My SAFF purchases. I was very pleased with them....Oh wait!  Forgot something :)

Sock Monkey tape measure! Cause everybody needs a little something silly to make them smile.

Hope you enjoyed your glimpse into my trip to the mountains.  This is just a tiny bit of it and while it's wonderful, it doesn't compare to the ladies I spent the weekend with....the ones I've known for a while and the new ones added to the fold.  They make the whole trip worth while.

On The Mend...

For the most part. I can honestly say that I hope nobody gets this bug I had.  It's miserable. It affects EVERYTHING...your stomach, your head, your sinuses.  Ugh.  A co-worker said that she didn't think I've been this sick in the seven years I've been here.  I think she's right.

I went back to work yesterday. And came home exhausted.  I mean seriously tired, as in crashing hard tired.  My mother in law showed up with chicken soup and cornbread...God love her!  We ate, I sat down on the sofa and promptly fell asleep.  Woke up a bit later and went to bed.  The worst part is that I woke up this morning tired. I wish I still bounced back like I did when I was younger.

Obviously, not a lot was happening while I felt like I was close to death was sick. Here's a picture of the start of a hat for Car Guy.

Just a simple ribbed hat in some scrummy Berroco Loft. Please ignore the glasses that made it into the picture (I don't know who's those belong to...ahem) and notice the gratuitous chocolate shot.  That is the chocolate that Car Guy brought back from Ecuador - delicious stuff.  I think it's deserving of a hat, don't you? Confession time - I've finished the hat and just haven't gotten around to taking a picture.  I mean that requires getting the camera and then forcing Car Guy to model for me. And in all honesty, I just don't have the energy right now.  How pathetic is that?

You know what else is pathetic?  I still haven't showed you SAFF pictures.  I'm feeling very lazy right now. Hopefully I'll get over it soon.  Like tomorrow.  I have to get up at the crack of dawn and get Car Guy to the airport by 6:00 AM for his flight to Bogota, Columbia. Hmmm....maybe a nap is in my future.  You thing anyone would notice?

This Moment...ack..

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Yeah, about that...I've spent this week at home with the flu...I think. I haven't left the house since Tuesday when I voted. I won't go into the details other than it hasn't been fun. I am starting to feel like I might be rejoining the human race...as soon as I can ditch this fever...soon please.

So here is some yarn I spun and plied before I got sick. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Hope You Did Too!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Just a little silliness for a Friday...drive Monkey!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Quick note:  Monkey was made by my very talented friend Dawn and Monkey went to SAFF with us. He was a great navigator.

The Grind

So, have you ever noticed how difficult it is to get back to the old "grind" after time away?  Yeah, that's where I am at the moment.  Trying to get back into the rhythm of everyday when I want to go back to where I was over the weekend.  Was the weekend perfect?  No, of course not.  Was it one of the best weekends I've had in a while? Absolutely.

 

But let's face it.  When you can sit on that porch up there and see this view...

  

Life is pretty good.  Add to that, the amazing company and fiber and life is good.

I have to give major kudos to Annie...Girl, you ROCK!  Your planning found us the best house and the food was phenomenal.  I think I gained every bit of weight that I've lost back....it was so worth it!

And the ladies I got to spend the weekend with are so amazing....we even added a new knitter to the ranks!  Chelsey bought her first yarn and on Saturday night, with a big vodka tonic at her side and more teachers than she knew what to do with, she cast on her first scarf!

And thanks to Rachel , I can sort of spin with a spindle...yeah, I'm still working on that, but I'm much better than I was. And now I have PLENTY of wool to practice with....

Here's just a little sample.  It's got sparkles in it...I know, I'm such a girl sometimes. Once I get the pictures downloaded, I'll share all the gorgeousness.  Let me just say that my little plastic card had some serious smoke coming off of it.

On a more serious note, we are all fine here.  We have some extra company since Karen and Deb can't get  home to New York, but I'm so thankful they are here. Sandy is still sending some serious winds and a bit of rain our way, but we are safe and sound.  We are so much better off than so many of our neighbors to the north and on the coast.  My thoughts and prayers are with them all. 

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

SAFF...Day One

So day one, and we arrived safely. The house that Annie found us is unreal. It's sad that we have to stay in such squaller...ahem. And food...holy cow? I'm posting pictures, but this is being done from my phone, so I can't guarantee the order. I think they are pretty self explanatory.