WEEK 31 Was A Doozy!

 

Happy Day to all of you.  This past week whizzed by me!  There was something going on each day that pulled me away from blessed knitting time.  Let's take a look.

Monday - Hubby, Josh and myself had a wonderful lunch out with friends.  These lunches take a few hours since we need to catch up with all that is going on in all of our lives.  Afterwards, hubby and I went to WalMart and Petco to pick up a few needed items.  Enrique was glad for the Petco visit as he got a new bed and toy.  Yes, he is very spoiled!

Tuesday - This was my busiest day at home for the week!  The chimes on our mantel clock were changed from Christmas mode to pop music mode.  Called my car mechanic for information and also called the Vet to make Enrique an appointment.  Rearranged all the Christmas goodies still sitting out so they didn't take up so much space as well as taking the last Christmas item down and put it away.  Vacuum sealed some items for the freezer, cleaned weekly supply of veggies, made a menu board to stick on the fridge and sewed labels and medals on the 4 prayer shawls I had and then bagged them up to take to Mass on Saturday.  Most of this was completed by noon.  Hubby has a class every other Tuesday morning and it is a grand time for me to really get things done.

Wednesday - Took Josh for his radiation treatment.  This is always a nice little mom and son time.  After I got home, hubby and I went to Winco (a grocery store) and Costco to pick up our new glasses.

This is the first time I have ever done wire rimmed glasses.  My hopes were they would be lighter than plastic ones.  So far I like them.  Hmmm.....Maybe I should have put a touch of makeup on before this picture was taken LOL.  But since the pandemic, I seldom wear makeup and I even quit dying my hair!  My husband is amazed that at 70 my hair has still not turned gray.  It is still only about 30% gray!  

Thursday - I am quite proud of myself.  My car dealership told me I needed a new wiper blade for the drivers side, a new engine air filter and gas direct fuel service all to the tune of over $300.  Hubby changed the wiper blade that we had already purchased for $8, I changed the air filter which was $10 and according to our family mechanic there is no need for the fuel service until your car reaches between 30K - 50K miles.  My car only has 19K on it!  That service is over $250!  I am so glad I made some phone calls and was able to do most of this at home!  But wait!  There is more to this day!

When I got up there was a message on my phone from TX DIL.  I called and found out Samantha (another grand kid for us) had been in a car accident the day before and they were needing rides to the tow company and the rental car place.  Seems Sam totaled her car, poor thing.  It was not her fault either.  The other driver got the ticket.  So I ran them all over town getting their errands done.  

I was still able to make my weekly menus and grocery list.  Plus, I finally pulled my sourdough starter and discard out of the fridge and made 2 batches of sourdough crackers.  My discard had quite a bit of hooch on it so drained most of that off and gave it just a little feeding then stuck it back in the fridge.  My starter is on my counter being fed to reactivate it as it had been in the fridge for several months.  As of today, it is very happy.

This was also Enrique's vet visit day.  He is fine and his weight is getting back to where it should be.  He was a bit chunky.

Friday - This was supposed to be grocery shopping day.  Well, we got to the store and my phone rang.  It was TX DIL crying on the phone.  She was at the hospital ER with Sam who was showing signs of a concussion and had some bad bruising.  Her other daughter, Jaxon, had just left the cardiologist and the news was not good from there.  Hubby and I left the store and went to the Hospital to be with her until she was calm enough to drive.  Seems Jaxon had two arteries that are not functioning properly.  This child is only 18 years old.  She is scheduled for surgery on Valentines day. Hopefully everything can be done through her arteries so they do not need to open her chest up.  Hubby and I did go to the grocery store and afterwards stayed with TX DIL until her husband got home and was able to keep her calm.  Sam was released from the ER and did not have any internal injuries from the car accident.  But they did find nodules in her lungs and a cyst on her thyroid.  She has an appointment with her Dr this week.  KIDS!!!

Saturday - Early morning food pick up for our church's food bank.  Then we lounged around until time to go to Mass.  I put corn beef and cabbage in the crockpot so we could have a nice home cooked meal after Mass.  It was sooooo yummy.  It is one of hubby's favorite meals.  We had picked up the corn beef after St Patrick's day last year.  They are real cheap at that time and since they are vacuum sealed they freeze quite well too.  The rest of the evening was spent knitting and watching the new Mission Impossible movie.

Here is where I am with my sock.

Hopefully I will get to the heel today and on to the foot.  I will not continue the pattern once I get to the foot as I do not like 'fluffy' socks in my shoes.

I saw this the other day.  Since I love gnomes, I may need to try and make these.

Cutest cupcakes ever!

Today, hubby and I have zero plans.  I am hoping to sit back, relax, knit and watch nothing of importance on the boob tube.  I will make meals for us but Hamburgers don't require much work.

I will leave you with this funny I sent to my TX DIL

Until Next Time.....................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 30 WITH FO'S

 

A very good day to one and all!  I am so excited.  We are expecting rain any minute and it is supposed to continue for many hours.  I love the rain.  It so seldom rains here in my neck of the woods.  It is cold and dreary out too.  A good day to curl up with some crafting or possibly a good book and a beverage of choice and let the weather enfold you in it's embrace.  I also have another reason I am looking forward to some rain.

I got a new gnome rain gauge.  I had one over a year ago but someone thought it would be fun to tear it off the wall in my backyard.  It wasn't hard to figure out who did it since we only have one neighbor. (we are a corner house)  Hubby went over there and confronted the house parents there about it too.  (It was a home for girls whose parents were not fit to be parents)  Then poof!  The girls moved out and they moved in boys with the same issues.  The boys have been a dream to have as neighbors. They are very polite and always talk to us when we see them.   We do have a soccer ball in our backyard a few times a week, but that is a good sign that the boys are having fun.  Anyway..........This time I attached the gnome to the front porch of our home.  We have security cameras out there so if it goes missing we will have video of it this time.  Do you see how grey the skies are?  Just waiting for the rain to come down.

But, before I head off to weather comfort land, let me regale you with my past week of crafting and life.

Monday - MLK day here in the US.  It was also laundry day.  While waiting on the laundry to do it's thing, I attacked my craftroom and got it all put back together.  It had been the dumping grounds during the holidays.  It is all nice and tidy again and a place I find comfort.  I finished the purple prayer shawl I was working on. 

Tuesday - Went with Josie to take her cat, Loki, to the vet.  She thinks he might have a UTI.  This is the first time he had been out of the house since they got him 2 years ago.  He is normally not a very friendly kitty.  Seldom lets anyone other than Josh pet him.  But, boy did he change his tune when we got him to the vet.

He couldn't get enough lovin'.  Josie said he was like this once they got home too.  Unfortunately, they were not able to get a sample from him so she had to drop him off on Friday and leave him so they could get a UA sample from him to test for the UTI.  Hubby and I had a great dinner that evening with a few of my cousins.  We sent to Famous Dave's BBQ.  The food was good and the fellowship was awesome.  We laughed so hard.  It was great.  We are doing it again in a couple of weeks when another cousin is coming to town.

Wednesday - I have the honor of taking Josh to his chemo/radiation treatments each Wednesday.  It is nice to have the time in the car to just talk about 'stuff'.  It is a 30-45 minute drive to the facility.  His treatment takes15 minutes and then another 30 minute drive home.  Hubby and I had our annual eye exams this day too.  We both needed new glasses, so off to Costco we went to get those ordered.  I was able to finish Kaleb's Gnome today too.

I decided I did not care for the patchwork pockets on this so took them off and just sewed his arms into the area where they were supposed to go. Kaleb asked for purple and purple he got!

Thursday - Liam and Kaleb have a sister, Kadence.  She did not want a gnome but said 'Make me something".  So after finding out her favorite animal and color I made her this:

 A sweet little bunny she can carry around with her.  It was super easy to make and I had it finished in about 2 hours.  I started another To The Point prayer shawl in this same pink color.

Friday - Hubby ended up taking Josh to his treatment today.  Normally we don't have him on Friday but his wife needed to be at work early that day.  It was no problem for us retired folk.  I took my car into the dealership to finish up getting the paint protected.  This is still from the accident.  I had to wait for the paint to set for 30 days before I could have this done.  After hubby dropped Josh off at home he came out to pick me up from the dealership.  We decided to have lunch while we were out.  The dealership is in the town to the east of us.  It is a very 'country and western' type town.  If you had any doubt about that statement you would have not doubt left if you went to the Tumbleweed Bar And Grill for lunch.  It was like stepping back in time.  Other than the TV's surrounding the bar, this place could have been a setting for many of John Wayne's westerns!   After lunch, hubby and I grabbed a few groceries and by that time my car was ready to be picked up.  Luckily, there were leftovers from Thursday night for dinner.

Saturday - We had our normal food pick up and delivery to our food bank early this morning.  If finished the shawl I had started Thursday night.

Two shawls completed this week.  I now have 4 shawls that need the tags and medals sewn on them.  Maybe I will do that today while watching NFL play offs.  We went to Mass and afterwards went to our favorite Mexican placed for a little dinner.  I had their tortillas soup and it was so good.  Really warmed me up too.  When we got home I decided it had been a while since I had a sock on the needles.  So I started the Scatterby Socks.

I have had this yarn in my stash for years.  It is Naked Sock yarn in the colorway Bright Spot.  I think it will work well with this pattern.  The pattern is written toe up, but I really dislike doing toe up socks so I just reverse the pattern chart and do them cuff down.  I have just a few more rows of the cuff to do and then will start the pattern.

That brings me to today.  I have a large gnome waiting to be made for Kaleb, Liam and Kadence's mom.  She is a huge gnome person and has them for every season.  I want to make one for her that can sit out year round.  It will take me a bit of time, since it is going to be about 16-20 inches tall.  I also have a loaf of bread in the bread machine.  There is a load of laundry waiting to be done too.  Hubby is teaching class at church today so I have several hours to get things done before he comes home for lunch.

In the 30 minutes it took me to write this, the rain has finally started.  So, I am off to do a little knitting, laundry and reading.

Until Next Time.......................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 29 OF MY 13TH YEAR

 

Oh my goodness.  I hope all of you are safe, warm and dry.  After seeing the winter storm that was moving across the US, I was concerned for many of you living in the areas being hit by it.  We got a bit of rain here in the valley but our mountains got a lot of snow.  And while our temperatures are unusually low for us, they are nothing like y'all in the midwest region.  We watched the Kansas City football game last night and remembered while we no longer live in Kansas!  BRRRRRRRR!!!!! 

While watching the game last night I worked on one of my current projects.

I started another To The Point shawl on Thursday night and this is were I am as of this morning.  I little past half way.  It should be completed yet this weekend.

There is a finish from this past week.

This is Little Liam's gnome.  He asked me to make him one in blue.  I really liked the way the beard/nose was made in this pattern and may do more this way.  It is done all in one piece.  Less sewing is always good for me.

Once Liam's gnome was done, I picked up the yarn for Kaleb's gnome.

Kaleb requested a purple gnome.  I am a bit stalled on this one because of the pockets.  They do not make me happy.  I am thinking of taking them off and foregoing them.  Until I make a final decision as to what I will do, it is in time out.  Hence the reason the shawl was started.

And that, my friends is all for my crafting this past week.

Hubby and I did get all the Christmas taken down and put away this past week.  I sure do wish someone would come and eat all the Christmas goodies I still have sitting on my table.  I am about ready to throw them all away so I won't be tempted anymore.  Or, package them up and divide them between my sons' homes.  I won't give any to my daughter and her husband as they are both diabetic and shouldn't have them either!

I went with Josh for his radiation appointment on Wednesday.  It takes longer to get to the facility than it does for his treatment!  He is tolerating his chemo and radiation quite well.  Week one is completed.  Five more weeks to go in this cycle.

Today I am going to do NOTHING all day but work on my crocheting and knitting.  This coming week is packed with appointments and meet ups.  There are even enough leftovers from last nights football gathering for our dinner tonight!  Oh Happy Day!

I will leave you with this funny I found this past week.

Until Next Time.............Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 28

 

Sunday again!  Wow, this past week flew by.  Probably because I had a stupid old fashion cold for the first half of the week.  It knocked me on my bum!  I am all better now and ready to get things rolling in the crafting department of my life.

I did manage to work on little Liam's gnome.

This is Gneil from the Gnimblewoods collection of Imagine Landscapes patterns.  The body is in the decreasing rounds.  I do mine a bit different than the pattern calls for.  The pattern has you complete the body, stuff it, close it up and then do the beard and other parts you may want and then sew them on.  I make all the parts, sew them on and then finish up the body and stuff and close.  Since this is going to a little boy, I want to be sure all parts are securely fastened.  I just pulled the yarn for the beard out of my leftover yarns and will be making it today.  When this gnome is finished I have a request from the older brother for one done in purples.  BE STILL MY HEART!!!!  PURPLE!!!!!!  Not sure which gnome I will make for big brother yet.  Will cross that bridge when this one is finished.

I mailed off the hats and mitts to my niece and her daughter and received this in my messages.

They love them!  They were so excited to receive the mitts. The hats were just an extra bonus they were not expecting.  High praise from both of them who are artists!  My niece has her own online shop of her artwork and goes to art showings weekly for local artists.  Her daughter is an animation artist and does some awesome work in that field too.

I bought myself a present this past week.

An around the neck light.  When working on dark colored items in the evening, I have a hard time seeing the stitches.  I have a lovely Daylight lamp that is right behind my crafting area but it gets quite warm in the summertime.  I am hoping this will solve all my issues.  It should also help me when doing intricate cross stitch.  Isn't the color just wonderful?  I love purple!

Hubby and I got a chance to meet up with our Godson this week.

We had not seen him in over 3 years.  My husband took care of him and Josie for 2 years when they were babies.  Josie considers him her brother and he protects her like one too.  She arranged for this meeting to take place.  It was so wonderful to see him again and get hugs from him.  He now stands about 6'4" tall.  What a shock that was.  Last time I saw him he was just a tad shorter than me!

This week also saw me taking care of Enriques' needs.  He got a pedicure and also his rabies vaccine and heartworm test (it was negative).  Poor guy, he hates riding in the car.  So I managed to do all of it in one day.

Here he is this morning.  Cuddled up next to my legs to keep warm.  I guess that means he forgives me.

On to Josh news.  He got fitted for his radiation mask this week.  He starts chemo and radiation on Monday.  The chemo is oral which he was told is much easier on the stomach and body.  He and Stacie both tested positive for Covid on Thursday.  He has bounced back rapidly from it and never had any fever with it.  Stacie is still under the weather with it.  I need to check on her today to see if her fever broke.  In the meantime, Josie has moved in with us until it is safe for her to return home.  Once her mom's fever has broken for 24 hours, Josie can move back home.

It has been strange but wonderful to have a young person living here again.  She checks in with us whenever she goes somewhere.  Plus keeps us updated on when she is on the move.  Her parents have raised her well.

I should be taking down our Christmas today, but I don't want to.  I have enjoyed the tree and all the fairy lights I have around the house.  I might just keep the fairy lights up when I put my everyday decor back.  It would give a lovely glow to our home.

That is my week all wrapped up with a gorgeous ribbon on it.

Until Next Time...................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!