Homeward Bound

A picture of my beautiful sister back in her modeling days.

My sister is heading back to LA today. The two weeks sped past as they have a tendency to do when time is limited.  We didn't get to see as much of each other as we'd have liked to because she had a purpose in this visit and for the most part, I think that purpose was accomplish.  It's always interesting to watch the family dynamic adjust to having one of it's members back in the fold....some good, some not so good, but all worth having her here.

Part of the purpose of her visit was to help my Sainted Mother clean out the forty-three years of accumulation in the storage section of the basement. I helped out some, when I could, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  We had great giggles over old love letters from boyfriends past and nostalgic smiles over pictures and letters between sisters that were becoming friends.

There were a few "scores" from this process.  I received this great canister set and matching cake plate that was a wedding gift to my parents from a great aunt.  The copper lids still shine beautifully.  They are currently in the pantry.  But they will find a way out.  Until then, I smile every time I see them in there.

Jazz Hands!!

I made a little more progress than my sister did on our knit along. I finished the Mericash Wrist Warmers and have now moved on the the Neck Warmer. My sister has started the Neck Warmer after much frustration with DPNs.  I'm afraid I wasn't much help. And yes, that is a link to my sister's project page in Ravelry because, you guessed it....I haven't set one up yet.  Go figure.

I'm sorry I've been so absent here and in visiting other blogs but I felt it was very important to be present where I was.  As I said, two weeks just fly by. As we get older and our lives pull us in different directions, that time together is so incredibly precious.  Our siblings move away and our children grow up and leave.  It doesn't matter how many times we say "see you soon" - because I refuse to say good-bye - our hearts break a bit as we get stronger.  *Sigh*

I'm off to play catch up.  I hope everyone is doing well...Oh and Tracey - She's in.  Start looking for that house....or maybe a small compound to accommodate all the crazy ladies ;)

Stash Diving

Things have been their normal busy around here. We did house cleaning (ugh!) over the weekend. I have to have everything clean so that I don't have to worry about the "big" cleaning while my sister is here...she gets in tonight - YEA! She'll be staying at my Sainted Mother's house, I just don't want to have to deal with that stuff while she's home. I want my spare time to be spent visiting.

Speaking of my Sainted Mother :)  Her birthday was in March. I always try to make her something and she had dropped hints about wanting a lacy scarf...and since I finally finished it...that's what she gets.  I just finished blocking it and yes, it's a little late, but not as late as some of her other gifts have been.

Here is the artful display....ahem

Here it is before I removed the blocking wires - Just a little sample.  I crocheted it and it's actually a wide scarf (almost rectangular shawl) done with a mohair body and a silk trim.  You know what the greatest thing about this is?  The yarn was in my stash. Score!  I know I already spent the money to buy the yarn, but it's been there long enough that it feels almost like a freebie.  Am I the only one that thinks like that?

And while I was stash diving, I found this great cotton yarn - Patagonia from Araucania. I got it one year at SAFF when we did a yarn swap.  It has been sitting in the cabinet for a couple of years now, waiting patiently. And I decided that I need a new hat and mitts.

Nothing too fancy.  The hat is a feather and fan pattern and the mitts are just standard stuff.  The yarn is really quite pretty with blues, greens and yellows.  I think they'll be great next fall...and soo soft.

While my sister is home, we may or may not (depending on time), have a little KAL.  The Mericash Neck and Wrist Warmers. I think I may have just the right yarn...in my stash....yes, again! It's the little things in life that excite me.

I really have been trying to refrain from yarn shopping.  I have enough fiber in my house that I should be spinning more and buying less. Not to mention that I promised to take my sister to my two favorite yarn stores while she's here....yup, walking straight into temptation. But I will be strong...and live vicariously through my sister. Because it's almost as much fun watching someone else buy yarn as it is to buy it yourself....right?  Do I sound convincing?

Happy Valentine's Day...and Yarn Stuff

First of all - Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I hope your hearts are full of love and joy today! And every day, for that matter.


As promised...here are the pictures of the other items on my needles.  This is the Summer Flies shawl.  I'm actually almost done with it.  I'm on the last section of ruffle.  I tried taking several pictures of it, but because the yarn is dark, it's not really photographing well.  Maybe after it's blocked, it will show up better. The yarn is a mixture of blue, green and a brownish copper.

I wish my photography skills were a little better because this does not show off the gorgeous stitches. Ugh.  This is a bit disappointing.  Anyway, I'll probably finish it this weekend.  I have it on temporary hold so that I can do some knitting for a friend.

Fellow Biscuit Nicole has a friend with a grandmother that just found out she's has leukemia.  She has to start chemo immediately and was told she'd lose her hair rapidly, so we are quickly making happy, colorful hats to keep her head warm.  This is some stash yarn I had leftover from Christmas elving.  It's from Hobby Lobby and is a soft chenille.  I thought it's be nice and soft on her head.  I know from my sainted mother's experiences with chemo that your head can actually hurt terribly when your hair starts falling out, so the softer, the better.

I've been doing a little shopping and purchased this book.  I have to say that I think I actually love every single pattern in it.  Seriously, every last one.  Here are a few...

This one...oh my goodness.  This makes me want to spin a lot of gorgeous wool because I think it would be so beautiful in some natural handspun...I have to have goals, right?

So, I've found that traditional winter hats (called toboggans here in the South) don't look so great on me, but for this hat, I'd give it another shot. Aren't those leaves amazing?

And I think I might be in love with this one.  That motif in the center is just wow. 

These are just three of the patterns. Click the link and you can see the others on Ravelry. There are 25 in all and there seriously isn't a bad one in the bunch.

Of course, you were all right.  The picture yesterday is of hand carders. I bought some wool at SAFF this past October and hadn't done anything with it because it seriously needed some carding. Also, I'm going to my first shearing this weekend, so I think they will come in handy.  I'm looking for some wool for that first sweater up there...now if I could just get better at plying.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's!

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

This looks like a pretty little dish and bowl.  Very pretty, but nothing over the top.  Just a dish and bowl to put some food on it. Most of us have several of these and we use them everyday.  Sometimes we notice them more than others....like when the plate or bowl are not big enough to hold what we want, or maybe they are too big.  But most of the time we just use them, wash them and put them away. No big deal. This one is very special. This one was given to me by my Sainted Mother.  That in itself makes it special because she was thinking of me. 

But that's not the only reason why it's special....She made this for me in her pottery class. She even put the pretty green leaves, the center design and orange trim on it so that it would match my everyday dishes. She was thinking of me when she was doing something she always wanted to learn how to do.

Now I know you're thinking "Well gee, Melissa.  That's very nice and not the least bit mundane."  And you'd be right.  But you see, what I'm celebrating - the magic, if you will - is what so many of us have and take for granted, so that they seem mundane - Our Moms.  Ask anyone who doesn't have one, or who has lost one, and they will tell you how special these women are.  But we get so bogged down in life and take for granted all the things, little and big, that they do for us that we sometimes don't even notice.  And then we get something like this plate and bowl and we are reminded how special they are. Sure, there are days where they drive us nuts , but guess what - that's their job. They are supposed to be annoying, nosy and embarrassing. So today, just for a moment, stop and think about what your life would be like without them. Think about what they give us and where would we be without them. And know that all of it comes from a very special place - their heart.  Think about your own children and what you go through for them, what you put up with, what you give up, how you feel about them, how you'd take on the world for them and know that you have someone that feels that way about you...It's special and just a little overwhelming, isn't it?

Have you called your mom today?  Or better yet, hugged her and told her you love her? Give it a shot, it will make her day.

See....

Photo Credit: The kind soul at the restaurant that took the picture
 that I then pilfered from Mom's Facebook

See that group of ladies?  They've been friends for over 20 years. I went to school with the children of a couple of them. I dated the son of another one. They are my Sainted Mother's friends.  They have been there with her through everything.  Her divorce.  Her Cancer.  My wedding. Becoming a Grandmother.  All of it.

See that lady in the pink shirt? The one on the left, front row...That's my Sainted Mother.  It's her birthday today.  I'm not going to tell you how old she is.  For two reasons....1. It's rude and 2. She might hurt me :) She's been there with me through everything.  My birth, my life, my wedding, becoming a mom. All of it. She's shown me the kind of person I want to be when I grow up.  The quiet strength.  The generous heart.  I owe so much of who I am (only the good stuff, mind you) to her. She is truly an AMAZING lady.  So....

Happy Birthday Mom.  I love you!

I don't feel. Thanks Mom!

When I was little and wasn't feeling well, I'd say to my sainted Mother "I don't feel, Mommy."  I guess I didn't know that I was supposed to tell her that I didn't feel good.  But Mom always knew if I said I didn't feel, that I was getting sick. It's funny how these odd little things carry through life.  I am now 42 years old.  I am the mother of two and wife of one, but here's how the phone conversation went Saturday:

Mom: "Hey Honey, how do you feel?"
Me: "I don't"
Mom: "Do you need anything?"

See?!  Sainted Mother.  I am old enough to take care of myself and I have a husband that can help.  I have two strapping teenage boys that can help too.  But one phone call from my mom when I'm feeling poorly and I revert back to that little girl with the pouty lip sticking out, telling her Mommy she doesn't feel and she's asking me if I need anything.  Here's how the conversation went Sunday evening:

Mom: "Hey Honey, how do you feel?"
Me: "I feel"
Mom: "Well that's better.  Do you need anything?"

Again, she picked up on the dynamic of the conversation and that I feel.  I might feel like crap, but I feel, which means that I will eventually be back amongst the living. And I am.  Sort of.  I'm going to work and taking care of my sick son and hopefully working towards being a "Sainted Mom."

Here we are.  She's the beautiful woman on the right.  She's amazing, so I have a lot to live up to. She's gone through hell (three time cancer survivor) and NEVER cried in front of me or my sister about it.  She thought it was very important that we never think she was defeated by anything.  She told us "I have cancer, it DOESN'T have me."  Then she promptly kicked cancer's butt.  She's my biggest fan.  I know this because she's told and she's always there cheering me on.  I am lucky to say that my Mom is my best friend and mean it.  Thanks Mom!

Now I'm off to make ginger tea for my sick one.  He doesn't feel.  Poor thing.