Where did the time go?

It's been over a month since I posted anything! Can you believe it?? To my one reader that's left, I'm still alive! :-)

I've been knitting. I've even taken some blog pictures. But then I don't get them loaded and too much time goes by, and before you know it, it's been over a month!

Here's a brief rundown of the last month:

*The QP turned 8!

* I had a throat infection, and then had an allergic reaction to the anitbiotic. The rash still is not gone.

*The QP started playing TeeBall. Her 1st practice was last week. She likes it, and says her coach is awesome. I volunteered to be a Team Parent. The TeeBall glove the QP got is "signed" by Derek Jeter. She thinks he's going to come see one of her TeeBall games. :-)

* Right now, I'm busy knitting things for the auction at the QP's school the first weekend in May.

Tomorrow, me, my Mom & two of the women from my church knitting group (the Nutty Knitters) are having a field trip. We're going to this store. If you're ever within a two hour drive of this store, you have to go! It's incredible!

A few weeks ago, my Mom decided to knit a hoodie for the baby of one of her co-workers. She found a pattern she liked, which called for Lion Brand MicroSpun yarn (the yarn she wanted to use for the hoodie).

This was her first sweater. It was also her first time knitting in the round with two circular needles. She did that rather than knit the sleeves flat & then seam them.

She finished it and last night, we went to one of our local yarn shops (which does not have a website) to get the buttons. Aren't they cute? And the blue is almost the exact same shade of blue as the yarn.

She gave the hoodie to her co-worker today. I can't wait to see how it looks on the baby!

That's all for now. I need my rest for the big field trip in about 12 hours. :-)

MAKE it a great day!

An eventful weekend.

This is Smokey the Cat (that's his full name). I call him "cute cat" when he's doing things like this (he likes to be called cute cat). I haven't figured out how to take pictures of him in the house without making his eyes glow-y. Anyway, this "pose" was too cute! He had one paw up to his face & the other curled up. He often lays on his back like this, once the QP's in bed. He's 8 years old.


Here's my Socktoberfest sock. The broken finger really cut down on my knitting (and blogging!) time. I decided that I really didn't like how the stripes were looking so....

I frogged the sock. I did re-start it, I just haven't taken any pictures yet. I like the new pattern I'm doing much better!

In finger news, I saw my family doctor for a follow-up visit. She referred me to an orthopedic doctor. I saw him this past Thursday. He said that I no longer have to wear the splint, but still have to keep the finger taped. It's taped to my ring finger. He said these things usually take 6-8 weeks to heal. I can start moving it, but can't do anything major with it (like lifting weights). Thursday I knit my sock for several hours (with the splint on, I could knit one, maybe two rows and then my hand hurt too much). Friday, my finger was pretty sore. I can feel it when I've been knitting too much/too long. The finger's still swollen, but doesn't hurt as much as it did at first.

Yesterday the QP, my Mom & I went to one of the local alpaca farms. They were having an open house. The weather was perfect. Here's what we saw:

This baby was chewing/licking the opening to the feed bag.

Another baby.

The QP had to feed an alpaca, first thing. She said it tickled her hand.

The alpacas tend to move in a herd. It is an amazing thing to watch. The farm has over 60 alpacas.

Here they are, moving in the other direction. See the many shades/colors? They are beautiful!

I liked this one, with it's white forehead. It is owned by a boy who's in the 4-H club. He boards the alpaca at this farm.

The QP got to hug many alpacas!

After we were there a while, she got the chance to walk one around. Her name is Samantha.

Here's the QP, hugging Samantha.

And there were free kittens. No. We did NOT bring one home! Smokey would NOT like another cat in his house, sharing his people!

The open house was today, too. I'm glad we went yesterday, because it rained and was cold today!

Oh! The farm also has a store that's open year-round!! They sell sweaters, hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, shawls, stuffed toys , yarn and wool to spin!!!! The prices are reasonable. I WILL be returning to purchase some yarn!

MAKE it a great day!

2nd grade!

This is a picture of the QP on her 1st day of school. She was so happy to start second grade - she got the teacher she wanted and she was excited to see her friends again. I think she also likes the routine of school. There are 14 children in her class, and 13 in the other second grade class. I love the small class sizes.

This past Wednesday, the QP went to the salon & got her hair done. It was in serious need of trimming (she spent the summer in chlorine!).

She decided to try a relaxer. Here is the end result. She loves her new "do". She couldn't stop touching her hair, for hours after it was done.

I think it makes her look older. *sigh* Where does the time go??

Well, this is a busy weekend for us. And a busy week, coming up. Sunday school is starting at church. There's a beginning of the year PTF meeting at the QP's school. Brownies have started up. There are Fall fundraisers for both school and Brownies (I feel like every time I see someone I know, I'm trying to sell them something!). This weekend is my Mom's family's family reunion. Ahh, the drama of Fall!

Enjoy the weekend & remember to MAKE it a great day!

Some updates in blogland.

Well. Now I know that I'm not the only one who likes reading the KnitPicks catalog. I mean, if enough people do something, then it's considered normal, right???

I'm still only looking at that needle set and that bag set. Someday. Someday I'll own them. *sigh*

Let me tell you about some things that are going on in blogland. First, Norma has posted information about the Red Scarf Project 2007. If you're not familiar with the project, read about it here. Last year (well, it was actually the beginning of this year) Norma (on short notice) was responsible for getting people to send in quite a few scarves (read through her archives to find out the details). She was also mentioned in some knitting publications (again, look through the archives because my detail memory is shot). So get out any left over red yarn you have around your house and knit some scarves!

What? That's not incentive enough for you? Well, how's this? Scout is going to be giving away some of her awesome hand-painted yarn to someone who makes at least one scarf for the Red Scarf Project (I think you have to post a picture of it on your blog - check out her blog for the details)! If you've never seen her yarn, take a look through her archives (and visit her shop!) - you'll be drooling! She also made a cool button that you can add to your blog. Click here for details.

Karen, from my Stitch. And. Bitch. group (haha! I said the words!) started a blog. Please pay her a visit to welcome her to blogland - you know how we all like to encourage others to join in our little obsessions (like blogging, knitting, dyeing, etc,).

I leave you with a picture of the QP. We went here on Monday (we have season passes), so that she could play in Duke's Lagoon for a few hours. I thought that most of the tourists would be gone by now, but NO! I guess their kids' schools don't start any time soon. It wasn't too bad, though. By 5 PM, about two thirds of the people had left the Duke's Lagoon, so it wasn't quite so crowded (and loud). **ok - I'm leaving you with two of the same picture, because I cannot figure out how to delete one of them!

Thank you to everyone who's entered my contest! There are so many great names that I'm not sure how I'm going to choose the winners. If you haven't entered, you still have time. :-)

That's all I have for today. MAKE it a great day!!

K is for...

Kyra!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Kyra. I LOVE that toothless smile!

Kyra was born Friday, March 12, 1999 - at 9:29 AM. She weighed 8lb, 8oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. Once she was born, a nurse asked her dad & I if she had a name (at the time, we were looking at Kyra - she was screaming). We both said, "Yes", and went back to looking at our daughter. A few minutes later, the nurse asked, "What's this baby's name?" - we both answered, "Kyra". She didn't have a middle name until later that weekend.

When Kyra was a baby & we were out places (like restaurants), people would often stop to talk to her and remark on how she had bright eyes and was so happy. I attribute the bright eyes and healthy-look to breastfeeding. :-)

The pictures above were taken June 11,1999. Kyra was one day shy of 3 months old.

The picture above, and the one below show some of her "church" outfits. The child never wore the same outfit to church two weeks in a row (one of the local dress factories used to have an outlet store here, so I could get dresses for Kyra for $5.00 or less). She was about a year old in these pictures.

Here she is, sitting on my Grandma's favorite chair. Kyra always put things in here mouth (honestly, it still hasn't stopped!).


Kyra & her Daddy. We were hanging out in the park that day.

Here's Kyra at her 4 - year birthday party. She had a Mermaid themed party at a local children's museum.

Somewhere around this time, she became the Queen Princess Kyra (my daughter didn't want to settle for being one or the other - she wanted to be both!).

Here we are in 2004, in New York city. I forget where this picture of me & Kyra was taken.

Kyra & her Daddy on the Staten Island Ferry (it's free, and you get a nice, cool breeze!). Kyra was watching for whales and seals and dolphins.



The diva!

These pictures were also taken in NYC - but later that same year. We were visiting Kyra's Grandma, Aunts, Uncle and cousins. This is Kyra's Aunt Didi's church. We had to take pictures, because this was the first that the whole family had been to church together in years.

This picture was taken in May. This is my child, acting silly.

This is her "cute" pose.

And here we have Kyra in her pool.

Kyra is outgoing, kind, caring, very sweet (she shocked a server in a Manhattan restaurant once when she asked if she could give her (the server) a hug). She's very compassionate (the downside to this is that she often cries when others are hurt). She still amazes me, every day. You expect to be amazed by the baby things, like walking, talking, etc. But I am still amazed by her - she is so smart, so kind, so wonderful, so beautiful. Kyra's also very observant. She grasps things sometimes, that I wouldn't expect a 7-year old to grasp.

Before I had Kyra I thought that parents determined how the child turns out. And to some extent, they do. Certainly you teach your child, do your best to help them to be a good person, try to keep them safe. I think that most parents do the best they can - or at least try to. Now I believe that parents are here to help our children to become the person they are supposed to be. We're just here to guide them. Often, I think I learn more from her than she does from me. Having her has helped me to be a better person - that's something that I didn't realize would/could happen when you have a child.

Before I had Kyra, I thought that love songs were written with adult love in mind. Once I had her, I thought that surely they were written about the love I felt for that baby. I loved her when I first found out I was pregnant but somehow I fell deeper in love with her once I "met" her. And I don't think I'm explaining this right - maybe it's something that just can't be explained.

When I first saw her, I thought she was the most beautiful baby. I still think she's the most beautiful - not baby anymore - just, the most beautiful!

Thanks for "listening" to my raving! MAKE it a great day!

I'm still here.

I'm still here. My life has been incredibly boring lately. I haven't been knitting (for several weeks, now). I haven't even checked my e-mail and/or knitting blogs every day. In fact, days go by where I don't even turn my computer on.

I guess I'm waiting for my Grandma's memorial service (which will be July 15th - yes, a month & a half after she died). The QP's been having a rough time with my Grandmother's death. It's hard to explain death to a 7 year old. All she knows is that she misses her Nan. For any person, it's hard dealing with your own grief. It's even harder seeing your child sad/upset/crying. I think that having the memorial service such a long time after her death just prolongs everything. The service (to me) is some type of closure. Having this drag out for a month & a half means a month & a half with no closure.

Anyway. Thank you, everyone, for your warm wishes, condolences, etc. Your comments/thoughts/prayers mean alot to me. Normally I e-mail those who leave comments to my blog, but, well, I just haven't felt like e-mailing. Just like I haven't felt like knitting. Or blogging. Or doing much of anything.

But, I wanted to thank everyone - and to let you know I'm still around (even though I haven't been knitting or even taking pictures).

In Memory...

This is my (maternal) Grandmother. She was born May 1, 1920. She died around 9:30 PM June 5, 2006. She was 86 years old. She's survived by:

2 siblings (she was one of 6 children)

3 children (she had a total of 5 children)

6 grandchildren

11 great-grandchildren (out of 12 great-grandchildren)

This picture was taken at Christmas time. It is me, the QP, my Mom, my cousin (her mom & mine were sisters - her mom passed away in 1988), and my cousin's daughter. And, of course, my Grandma. Four generations.


Here is my Grandma with the QP and my cousin's 4 children.

The QP & I lived with my Grandma for about 2 years after the death of my Grandfather. She & the QP were very close.

For the past two years, she's been living in a nursing home. She didn't like it there. When her last bit of freedom (being able to leave the home & walk to her daughter's house, less than a block away from the home) was taken away from her, she refused to eat. Then she wouldn't get out of bed. Within a couple of weeks, she died. Her youngest daughter was her power of attorney while her son was on vacation (he & his wife left for Colorado around Memorial Day - knowing my Grandmother was not doing well). She had one of the nursing home nurses call my Mom (her sister) to tell her that their mother had died. Before my Grandmother's son left on vacation, he and his sister planned on having a memorial service for my Grandmother in July (when he's back from his vacation). The service is scheduled for July 15th. They didn't include my Mom in the planning at all.

My Grandmother would be apalled (is that how you spell that word??) at how some of her children are acting.

Needless to say, it's a rough time.

An Update

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes/prayers/good thoughts. The weekend was pretty busy. I don't even remember if I got online at all.

Anyway. My Mom got out of the hospital yesterday afternoon. The blockage had moved & the doctor started her on real food. She didn't throw it up, so they released her. Still no word on what caused the blockage and/or how it can be prevented in the future (she's had these "episodes" almost every month, for the past 2 years - although, usually they clear up within a day or two).

Last night, we went to the Olive Garden for the Queen Princess' birthday. That's one of her favorite places to eat. She was excited to have the servers sing to her. I have pictures of her (making silly faces) before we ate, one of her as she was being sung to( with her cake from the Olive Garden) and one picture of her holding the cake I baked for her.

Last night I made & decorated cupcakes for the QP to take into school today. There are three kids in her class with birthdays either the 11th or 12th of March. Friday, the class celebrated the birthday of the boy (who's b-day is March 11th) and today they'll celebrate the QP's and the other girl (who's b-day is March 12th). It's funny that we (the Mom's & babies) were all in the same hospital, 7 years ago, within rooms of each other & now, 7 years later, the kids all attend the same school. The hospital opened up a Women's & Babies hospital the end of the year that I had the QP. When the QP was born, Maternity was still at the main hospital. That section is now regular hospital rooms - in fact, the room my Mom was just in is 2 rooms down from the one I was in when I had QP.

No knitting updates. I didn't do much knitting this weekend - except a few inches of a Prayer Shawl while I was waiting with Mom Friday as she was being admitted to the hospital.

Now, I'm going outside (it's in the mid 70's here today :-) !) to knit some endless, never-increasing stockinette stitch (the felted needle case).

MAKE it a great day!