Happy Father's Day!

Me and Dad and oldest brother Steven


My Dad has been gone 6 years now. The time has gone so quickly and I am sometimes saddened by the things he missed. The additions to his already large brood of grandchildren and subsequently the newer additions of great grandchildren. The blossoming of my sons into fine men. The wonderful women they have chosen to be partnered with and most recently married to. He would refer to them both as "cute little numbers". My Dad passed before we bought our home. I believe he would have loved the fact we have a three story barn, 1.5 acres of land and animals. We did not have pets growing up, there were many of us,lol. He would think it was wonderful I climb the ladders and paint the house and tile the bathroom we ripped out. He would have enjoyed the deck we built and loved that I cut the boards at 45 degree angles and predrilled the holes for the screws in each one.
Mark,Steven, Me, Donna and DA being held by Dad (first 5 of 11)

He would have beamed with pride when DS1 got first his Bachelor's and then his Masters degrees and clapped the loudest as his now wife followed with hers.

Mom,DS1 Ben and Dad (ben's Jr High Grad, 12years old)

He would think it an honor DS2 picked as an emblem on his High school ring the firefighter insignia for his Pa. He would be there next January when DS2 walks the stage and receives his bachelor degree.

Dad and DS2 Shamus 2 years old

And he would have come for every Christmas Open House and event we have held.
I comfort myself knowing he likely attended all those events, watching from above, taking time out from his pool game to say ,"That's my family"...

I have many fathers in my life, husband, ex husband, father in law, brothers, nephews, brothers in law and I wish them all a beautiful day. Happy Father's Day.

Hi Mom..

It Is Mania and Mini

So, the vicious cycle of destashing and then ordering yarn has happened...but in my defense the yarn acquired is for long standing projects so no guilt. Still have less yarn in the house than a month ago. The February Lady is moving along, every so often I make a mistake and have to remove a row or two but it is an easy knit.
I will wind my yarn for the Camp Loopy Project 1 assignment tomorrow and bring the yarn to work in hopes of starting it after midnight.

I will post pictures in the next post.
So since I have been gone I thought I would post some pictures of house things that have happened.
We found an area of softness in the main bathroom floor last April and had to investigate,April 2010. We ended up gutting the entire bathroom right down to the 111 year old framing, replacing plumbing, wall studs and putting in a new bathroom. The cast iro n tub was removed and replaced with a walk in shower. i agreed to this, suggested it, with the caveat that we have a master bathroom downstairs.The master bedroom has a nursery sized walk in closet on the other side of the bathroom/laundry room and we will break through the wall and have a large master bathlaundry room in time. I am hoping we start this fall as it has been 14 months since I have had a tub and I am a soaker...
We went through three layers of flooring and many wall and found this wallpaper which would appear to be one of the originals in the room. It was quite Victorian and I was almost sad to rip the walls down and end it's existence in the house.



We put up beadboard on the walls and vinyl/laminate "wood" floor.

The new fixtures are a color called cashmere and the walls are green. The tiles are multicolor beiges/greys with green accents. It was a project doing the tiling as the grout dried quickly and it took a long time for us to remove as much as we humanly could. I am pleased with the results but the glass shower doors are impossible to clean. I cannot get through the soap residue on them. I have tried EVERYTHING so if you have a suggestion I would love to hear. :)

This bathroom is in the center of the house and has no windows so hung pictures I took while in Ireland.
DS2 took over the huge room that was DS1 when he moved. DS1 wanted a blue room which he got and DS2 never asks for anything so when he went away for a weekend I commandeered his room and gave him a wall of argyle. he loves plaids and argyles...I still have to finish painting the trim in the room which is soon to happen. Much painting to finish now that the gala has happened.






This is the gingerbread going up on the porch. it is tedious work and I am hoping it is done this year so another project can be marked done.Not sure why the font has changed, lol. (Imay have fixed it)Still have dentil to paint and hang, lots actually.
The porch ceiling(the font has changed back)is blue. As is and was the norm.DDIL told us actually that it is to trick the bees into thinking it is the sky and they will not gather.
Hmm, the gingerbread picture has disappeared...


Just realized I have not gone into Artemus' issues, I shall next ppost as the kitties have an appointment this week and maybe there will be updates.
But I love these pictures of the pups.
New coats for all this winter, Nickolas will need another, larger this winter but the other two are set.


This is actually the property belonging with the mansion where DS1 had some wedding pictures done. Dh and I took the dogs out last fall to romp and here they are being "good boys" waiting for a treat. They will sit on command but I taught them,"what do good dogs do?" and then they sit. It is funny to see people's reactions.
It is late, I am tired, long busy day tomorrow, Silly font has gone awry again. Gym, food shopping, haircut(now that 24inches are gone I have to have upkeep, lordy) Wind yarn and work. I am hoping DH will get out in yard and cut some tall grass to cut down on the ticks...
Our beloved yellow Beetle died, it needs a new engine and since it is a turbo it is not cost effective. She still sits in the driveway but doesn't run. So we purchased another little bit of a car. It is a 2008 Mini Cooper S, so silly, smaller inside than the Beetle, but still fun. And it matched my new Dr. Martens so we had to buy it.






So til next time, thanks for stopping by. I welcome comments so I know I am not talking to myself :)
Hy Mom...

Getting Back on Track

So there was little to no knitting info on the last post so here we go. I have realized I have TOO MUCH yarn, I am slowly and gently destashing and deciding what I can actually knit and what will always be in the wings. Reality sets in when you spread it out and calculate time to knit, etc. SO..I am hopefully going to gain some space i n closets during the rest of this year. I will post links here from here out when I have added to destash list.

I am working on an Aestlight Shawlette for DDIL, I was knitting bags for her attendants and just ran out of time to complete the 6 I had hoped for. So I will finish a small yellow and a large green and present to DDIL to do what she likes with and with the rest of yarn have almost completed the Aestlight. Interesting knit, I will likely make another. I am at the edging which is somewhat tedious, 28 repeats of a 16 row pattern. Both of the young women my sons have coupled with are scarf wearers and they do it well. The yarns I chose are cotton/bamboo blends so great for summer and the colors are the colors of the wedding. I will add pictures this afternoon.

I have also started another February Lady, which I have retitled February 21 Lady as it is for my DM and that is her birthday. She is not a wearer of wool and cotton is not always easy care so I found Berroco Remix. It is an amazing delightful yarn and I am trying hard to fight the urge to add to stash and acquire all the colors. Lovely to knit with, a wonderful hand and an interesting texture. DM recently said she no longer shows her arms but doesn't like long sleeves so the 3/4 will be great!!. I have just completed the oh so uninspiring garter yoke, lol and am looking forward to the lace. So these will be he first two CO of the summer.


The Loopy Ewe has started Camp Loopy and it is such a neat concept I will be joining in and finishing three things during the summer time. The first assignment is a two color something to keep us warm at the camp fire. I have decided to do Sedna but in three colors.


I have chosen these, the blue is Louet and the other two Lorna, they are sport weight.



If you order the yarn from Sheri there is a 20% discount and if the project is completed with a picture posted within the allotted time there is a reward. It is all quite fun...I will post a picture of the yarns when they arrive.

I am still hopeful of completing old UFOs this year also as I have many wonderful projects lined. So for now I will get these three things done, hopefully by July 4 and then move on to the next three. I am figuring one old and two new each time over a two month period should put me in great shape.

Speaking of shape I have lost 51 pounds and have been a regular at the gym. I should be there now but am typing, lol. I have downloaded music to my Iphone and nearly kill myself as I get carried away and start dancing on the elliptical machine. I have another 30 to go and some more toning up but I am hopeful. November is my 10th wedding anniversary and we are going to Washington DC for a short trip. We both adore DC and it will be fun. We have not travelled since acquiring the house and dogs so it has been a while.

DOGS!! After a long time Oliver and Nickolas were caught relaxing together. Oliver has developed a true Alpha attitude and Nickolas is frequently leary of him. But Nick was napping, having a puppy dream and squealing a bit, so Oliver, ever the protector, came over and made sure he was fine then hopped up beside Nick and there they napped. It was great!! Oliver is now 3 1/2 (YIKES) and Nickolas is 20 months.

Oliver and Nickolas
Sir Phineas is happy for the warm weather but does not like the heat. He always digs several little resting areas under the deck where he loves to sit and keep an eye on the yard. Luckily the deck is hug and on the high end of the land so he has a perfect view. Unfortunately he gets more ticks this way, but we check them all several times a day so we find them.
Phineas is now just three years old. It is funny as we got each of the pups when they were 10-12 weeks old. I would love more but it is not feasible as they require attention and it is difficult to walk them all at once. Kitty update in next post.

Work also continues on the house. I had been on hold for a bit because time was given to other wonderful things but this summer, painting will be completed and the barn painting will be started, the dentil will continue to be hung and the ginger bread has been ordered, in small amounts due to costs. The destash monies will likely go to home projects and stash enhancement. Last year we replaced the entire upstairs bath room and the master b ath downstairs will start slowly hopefully in the fall...not a time critical thing so less stressful, I am hoping for a 6 month window for that. I will add pictures this afternoon/evening of the progress.
All the animals are sleeping so I will finish this up and knit for an hour. then food shopping, gym,some postal errands, an hour of closet cleaning and then it will be evening and time for more knitting. I may sneak in an hour of painting in DS2s room as hat was started last July and has been on hold. We have been here three years and have done so much so it should be winding down. DH and I have to replace he stairs leading to the basement in the next few weeks and will start replacing the fence surrounding the yard.

Thought I would include some pictures of the Blob that became my wedding jacket. It was lovely to knit with the silk lace fiber from Hedgehog Yarn. There are several hundred beads knitted in so I would sparkle. I must have received 20 compliments on the jacket, the dress at the wedding. I will wear the jacket again, but not sure about the dress as it is definitely wedding attire.






Had to add one kitty picture. Annabel is on the left and Artemus is on the right, they have recently turned 2 and are so sweet. unfortunately Artemus is sick and we so not know how long we will have him. More in next post.

Thanks for stopping by and tell your children you love them.

Hi MOM!!!

June of 2011

WOW, I have so often thought of my little blog but have not stopped in. Life has been busy. My DS1 was married two weeks ago to his soulmate. She has been part of the family for over 6 years and now she is my daughter-in-law. I could not have selected a sweeter, kinder, more genuine person to join my son as he continues on in life. The planning and tasks leading p to the wedding were fun and many and joyful. The day itself, coming in a two week rain continuum was bright and sunny from the morning until they departed the reception. DS2 was a groomsmen and looked as handsome as his older brother. DS2 has met a wonderful young lady who wove right into the cloth of the family. Everyone seemed to have fun and it was evident how much the new couple was loved and how thrilled everyone was to share in their celebration. I will make this come back post brief, as work awaits in two hours,but will share a few pictures. And yes those are sneakers you see, even I wore them after pictures...

This was the rehearsel and we were all tearing up, the love is so evident. The bride to be wore the shrug I had knit for wedding, but it just didn't work in the long run. I had a 9 foot silk chiffon wrap made for her and I beaded the ends but it unfortunately did not make it to the wedding with the bride. She was stunningly beautiful and my DS just beamed with pride as she approached.
That is DH, DS2,DS1-the Groom and my DSs DF , yes even the Dads wore sneakers. My ex and I and my DH get along wonderfully so it was great to have everyone be part of everything.
The Groom and his Groomsmen
SO incredibly handsome and grown up....
Me and DS1 I lost 50 pounds and cut 23 inches of hair off, lol. My DS lost 100 pounds the past year. He was never really heavy but now he is trim and athletic. So proud of him. I made the dress and knitted the jacket. DDIL and I made clay flowers for the centerpieces and I made a lot of things for the Bridal shower. I will post pictures in future posts. Those were my dress shoes quite silly ones and then I changed into sneakers.
The newly marrieds. She looks beautiful and he is quite dashing in his Calvin Klein tux and Converse sneakers. He wore socks I knit. They are ARRRRGH Gyles..he loves argyles and wrestling and the skull reminded me of one his favorite wrestlers. They are a stretchy cotton. Such fun to make I made his Christening gown, Communion suit, Halloween costumes and countless clothing through out his life and no way was this day going by without something made by me for him.


The love just oozes out of him....sigh
I had an antique silver spoon bracelet made for the Bride, it was engraved with their monogram and wedding date.
DS2 and his lovely GF danced the night away.
I did not wear the sequined ones but I did wear the other two :)
My dress and jacket waiting for me.

Off they go..the Bride wore green and yellow striped toe socks with her sneakers under her designer dress...fun!!!

I will be back soon. I am hoping weekly. So much to share. Thanks for looking.

Hi MOM!!