Completed Project

This is the finished product of the Sweetheart Hot Pad that I was working on the a couple of weeks ago. I think it turned out quite cute and my daughters had some fun using it.

Now I'm on to another project - a lapghan that has a foot pocket and some hand pockets to keep you warm while watching tv or reading. I'll try to post some photos of that soon.

I'm also working on finishing a star baby blanket for a friend. I hope to have it completed this weekend and can take some photos of it as well.

So, what projects are YOU working on?

Ready for A New Week

Well, I'll be happy to start a new week. This past one was long and exhausting even though it was mostly spent sitting around waiting. It's good to be home. It was good to sleep in my own bed again.

I'll miss some of that good home cooking we had in South Georgia! Those women can COOK and if you went hungry it was your own fault! Fried chicken, creamed corn, potato salad, fried chicken, creamed corn, potato salad, fried chicken, baked ham, chicken and rice, butter beans, cornbread, cake, cake, cake, cake, and did I mention fried chicken and cake? I know there was more - like boiled cabbage and some other items I'm not recalling at the moment. Just take my word that it was some good eats!

I did pick up a couple of tips and I'm waiting to receive a new cake recipe that was a huge hit with the family.

So, we're home and ready for a new week of school, cleaning, meetings, cake deco classes, CIT training, choir solo and ensemble performances for judges and more.

Crocheted Heart Hotpad

I thought I'd take a minute and update the progress on the crochet along I've been working on. We are about finished and it's looking good.


Here are the photos so far taken at the intervals the way we are working it. When the project is completed it will be a heart shaped hotpad.


I'm debating about making the completed set which includes a dishcloth and potholder. Maybe I will do those soon. I think it will make a nice gift set. It was a really quick project so would make it really simple to make up a few to give.


The original pattern was shown in pink and white but my kitchen is complemented with red so I chose red and white for this project.


I try to always give credit for the projects I work when someone else created the pattern. However, I can not find where I got this pattern or a name for the person who created it. Should it be yours, please let me know!

Poem

My sister-in-law wrote this. She wrote the original version a few years ago when a friend died. She revised it last night for her uncle. I got her permission to post it here.

My feelings
Yesterday at 11:47pm

I cry because you cry
And like you, I want to ask why.
He seemed too young to die.

Your heartache is my heartache
And like you, my heart is ready to break
Why was he the one God had to take?

I grieve because you grieve
And like you, in Christ I must believe.
Our pain only He can relieve.

I grin because you grin.
And like you I miss my friend.
But I know we’ll see him again.

Suzanne Hawkins
February 2009

For Uncle James

Co worker to some
Good friend to others
Great man to all
Hero to me.

Sad News

Tonight we received the sad news that Terry's uncle James passed away. Here is what Terry posted as a note on his Facebook page:

Lost a Hero.

Today at 11:09pm

One of my heroes, favorite uncle, and the one who got me hooked on cars, died tonight. He had been a diabetic since the age of 9 and has had several close calls in the last 7 years with diabetes caused conditions. We almost lost him about 6 years ago due to heart problems. He has fought, battled, and denied diabetes the privilege of taking him for 51 years. He has fought and was still standing. That makes his death all the more shocking; almost like a cruel joke.

He was driving home for work when his truck broke down very near home. He was walking on the side of the road when a car hit and killed him. The warrior was taken with a cheap shot.

My mom (his oldest and remaining sibling) is having a hard time. Please pray for our family and especially for my mom. She has to face this with no living relatives from her side of the family.

He is Heaven tonight with Granny and Papa (my grandparents) and Aunt Joyce (my aunt and mom' sister).

Thanks for reading.

Memory...

So, this was on our local freecycle loop this morning:
Offer: 2 Training Potties
Both in good condition - and one has a battery-operated motion-sensor - cute. 
It just reminded me of when I was working to potty train our oldest daughter. We tried sitting her on the potty for extended periods of time with books and things to entertain her. One day, after trying for maybe 15 minutes she looked at me with a very serious face.
"Mommy, it needs batteries."
I know I didn't hear her correctly so I ask "What did you say?"
"It doesn't work. It needs new batteries."

That was when I knew we were living in a world of battery operated stuff, much more so than when I was growing up.

I had to explain to her that SHE had to do the work, not the potty.

Zig Zag Filet

What a name! But that is what the pattern for the blanket is called. It's a baby blanket I made by request for someone. It's a simple pattern really. However, if you don't count stitches carefully it can really be frustrating when you crochet 10 rows and realize there is a mistake that can't be corrected except by taking out all those rows. I could have made 2 of these in the time it took me to make the one if only I'd carefully counted each and every stitch.

The photo is sideways - the fringe went all the way around except for the top of the blanket. It had a very small border that you really can't see in the photo. It turned out pretty and I'll probably make another one like it eventually.

I think you can see the filet pattern a little better in this close up (not really close but closer) shot on the left. And in the photo to the right you might be able to see the top border a little better. Anyway, I just wanted to share another accomplishment!

For now, I'm on to brighter and more colorful projects. Just wait until I post a photo of the larger blanket I'm working on for my 12yo daughter.

By the way, if anyone can help me figure out how to edit this so the text wraps in line with the photos, I'd appreciate some feedback!

Eleven

Where does the time go? Do you remember what you were doing 11 years ago today? I can give you a run down of how I spent my day.

• 6:30am - wake up with a slightly uncomfortable feeling. Try to go back to sleep.
• 6:45am - still can't get back to sleep really. Reposition and lay there a little longer.
• 7:00am - Well, might as well get up.
• 7:30am - sitting on the sofa trying to decide if the little twinges are the REAL thing.
• 8:00am - Mom is up and in the kitchen making a pot of coffee and talking to me. I decided to fold the load of laundry that was in the dryer.
• 8:15am - Mom wants to know what time we will try to head to go shopping since that was the plan for the day. I need to walk and she wants to shop - a perfect combination. Oh, she's waiting for my answer and I can NOT get a word out of my mouth. I'm hunched over trying to breathe through the pain.
• NOW mom realizes I didn't answer and asks if I'm having contractions. All I can do is shake my head yes at the moment. Then I can talk again. They are still pretty spread apart so I'm not in any hurry. I spent each labor before this in a hospital bed and I'm determined to wait this one out a little longer.
• 9:00am - Feeling better I head to the laptop to check email and post a few messages to friends that it appears today is the day.
• 9:30am - The phone rings and my 8year old answers it. She brings it to me and says "Moma, they need to talk to you" just as a big contraction hits. I basically growl out the words "I can't talk right now, I'm having a contraction!" just as my mom reaches the phone. Surprise! Telemarketer hung up. LOL! Hey, they can't SEE me when they call. Maybe I'll have to remember to use that trick again. Mom decided to jump in the shower.
  
• 10:00am - Contractions are starting to hit with more regularity so I go wake Terry up and tell him that if he really wants to eat that left over steak with some eggs before we go to the hospital he better get crackin'. He looks at me a little bleary eyed and realizes what I mean. I'm not sure I've ever seen him get out of bed so quickly. He jumps in the shower and starts getting ready just in case the next contractions come faster.
• 10:30am - Terry is reheating that fajita steak he brought home from eating out last night. Normally that stuff smells wonderful but today it just makes me want to puke. I'm hungry but I'm not. UGH! And the pains aren't getting closer but they are getting a little more difficult to breathe through.
• 11:00am - I thought it might ease the pain a little if I could sit in the garden tub in some really warm bath water. I ran the tub pretty full and climb in only to climb right back out. WHO USED ALL THE HOT WATER??? Oh yeah, it's Feb and cold outside. Hot water heater is in the garage and 2 people have just recently finished showering. Hmmm...
• 11:30am Dressed and ready to head out. Kiss my girls and mom goodbye. My sister-in-law will make sure they get to the hospital when there won't be such a long wait to see their baby sister. We've done the wait all day in the waiting room thing a few times now. Someone ALWAYS ends up sick so the less time there, the better.
• 12:00 Noon - Can you drive any faster and hit a few less bumps please???? Where did all these red lights come from? I think I need an epidural NOW!
• 12:30pm - checked in through the ER and asking for an epidural NOW. Gotta get upstairs first. In a hospital gown and in a bed. Can I PLEASE have that epidural NOW? Nope. Gotta wait for the nurse to draw blood.
  
• 1:15 - nurse draws blood. MASH is on the tv and Hawkeye is delivering a baby on a bus. The irony is hilarious to me. Okay - blood is drawn. Where is that epidural??? Not yet! Gotta wait on blood test results now. UGH! Why didn't I already know that I should have given myself a couple of extra hours for this? I mean, this IS baby #4!! I'm should know this stuff. Instead, I lay there waiting for test results.
• 1:45pm - nurse is back to check on contractions. Yep, they still hurt!
• 2:15pm - FINALLY! We have blood test results (still don't know what they were testing for or what the results were) so now we are waiting for the Anesthesiologist to come poke me.
• 2:35pm - Anesthesiologist is on the way since she finished up another case.
• 2:40pm - FINALLY. Let's sit up and hunch over so she can get that needle in my epidural space. OOPS! What was that? HA! Water broke. Poor nurse. I think she got her feet soaked since she was standing in front of me helping me hold the proper position for the epidural. The midwife comes in and the Anesthesiologist asked if she wanted her to stop so I could be checked. No - finish with the epidural and then we'll check.
  
• 2:50pm - INSTANT relief. Into the bathroom while they change the bed. Back into the bed so the midwife can check me. Yep... just as she thought. I was at 9cm and if she had let the anesthesiologist stop for a check they wouldn't have completed inserting the epidural. Feeling very little as far as the contractions go now the midwife says I can push anytime.
  

DUH! Why would anyone want to wait about meeting their new baby? Let's get this child here! So I began pushing. WHY didn't anyone tell me the epidural wasn't fully effective yet? It was ONLY relieving contraction pain but I wasn't aware of that until it was too late.


Our two oldest daughters wanted to watch this baby be born so they were in the room. The rule was there had to be an adult present for each one. My sis-in-law, thinking the youngest of the two would chicken out chose to be her adult. She said at one point Savannah turned a bit green so was asked if she was ready to leave. Nope! Said sis-in-law says she knows way more than she ever wanted about birthing babies. LOL! She also told her mom that I had the nerve at one point to scream that it hurt. You think?


So, there is my new little one. She's our 4th precious little girl. She weighed in at 9lbs 3oz and you could barely see her fuzzy hair. WOW! How did the two of us who have really dark hair have such a blond little girl?


Uh oh... they are saying something about her blood sugar is coming up 5. That can't be right - she'd not be alive if it was only 5. Let's check again. Hmm... they repeated this about 4 times and then decide to bring in another machine. Yep - she's good. That first machine needs to be serviced. However, since she tested so low they decide she must have her foot pricked every hour all night long. UGH! My poor baby has bruised heels!! The pediatrician came by the next morning and immediately put a stop to the glucose checks. He even recommended that since the PKU is not accurate until after a particular time frame that we opt out of having that test done at the hospital so she isn't poked again.


That's the basic detailed story.

Coldest Day This Year

Today was our annual Home Education Day at the state capitol. For some reason it seems it's always planned for the absolute coldest and windiest day of the year. 2 years ago we walked 10 blocks in blowing snow. Today it was only 4 blocks but it was 14 degrees with a windchill of 1 degree and we are under a wind advisory all day. It was one of those arctic winds that cuts right through you. I managed okay except for the good steep hill I had to walk up to get to the capitol. It may have induced an asthma attack, and I do NOT have asthma! WHEW! I did cough most of the next 3 hours. I guess it took that long for my lungs to thaw. I think my fingers are still working on thawing. I've corrected a ton of typing mistakes and my fingers are still cold.

His Master's Voice, our home school choir and jazz band were performing with several other bands and choirs. They all sounded really good. Of course our group sounded GREAT! If someone shares some good photos with me I'll see about adding one or two here. However, this mom was so busy making sure I had all the kids I was hauling with me and the equipment (music stands and a drum) that needed to get there that I never thought to grab a camera when I left this morning. BAD MOMMY! I did try to video tape their performance 2 years ago but the sound isn't good where they perform in the atrium since it's open 4 stories above. I guess I had that on my mind and that is why I didn't think grabbing a still camera this time.

So this is short and sweet and I'm still thawing but we have awesome kids!

What's for Dinner???

So, I got home from a full day of African Drum and Dance at Spivey Hall with my 11yo, lunch with said child and a couple of other home school moms and their sons, a stop in Best Buy to check a price, a stop in Target for a bicycle basket (again for said child), and a stop to pick up some Mary Kay followed by a stop at the alterations shop to drop off a pair of my husbands dress pants that needed a new zipper pull and a suit coat that had a collar trying to detach itself.


Of course on the way home from all this I've been thinking about the question at the top of this blog... "What's for Dinner?" Well, I could stop by my sister-in-laws for the chicken tenders we purchased on Sunday night that are in her freezer. Hmmmm...


I had made a decision about dinner, talked to my 19yo and knew I would need to make a quick run to the store. I decided to check email quickly before making that trip and here is the email I found with the subject line "CONFESSION" from my sister-in-law...

I do not see myself as OLD by any stretch of the imagination (and my imagination is very vivid). In my eyes, I still see myself as just out of high school. However the course of events over the last couple of hours has made me pause and refocus.

While sitting at my desk today, chowing down on my lunch, I was hit with this thought. "On no. I never took the chicken in Sunday night." As quick as I could, I grabbed my keys, went out to my car and on the 3rd row seat are 2 packs of chicken tenders. Where they have sat for 42 hours. I simply reached in, grabbed the grocery bag, walked over do the dumpster and simply tossed in the chicken.

Not sure what dinner plans there are, but we will not be having chicken tenders.

I realize of course, with this confession, my family will begin looking for a "home" for me. Most likely an assisted living home or maybe a room with padded walls.

Is it time to start the search for a good assisted living facility for my favorite sister-in-law?

By the way... we're having pizza for dinner.

Crocheting - Dishtowel, Baby Blanket and Towel Topper

So, today I was working on several things and realized the girls had uploaded photos. Here is the completed dish towel. It's called Fan-ciful Dish Towel and you can check out the directions if you are interested in making one for yourself. Thank you Sarah for sharing your pattern! I really like how it turned out and maybe make another soon. I especially like how absorbent it is made with the cotton crochet thread and that it is also thick enough to use under a hot dish on the counter or table.

I'm within 5 rows of completing the baby blanket I'm working on. The pattern is called "Zig Zag Filet" and I think it is pretty. I found the pattern in a baby afghan book. Once the stitching is complete all I will need to do is cut and add the fringe all the way around it. Not sure how long it will take me to do that since I don't care a lot for making fringe but it will really add to this blanket so I don't mind too much. Here is a photo of it in the beginning, BEFORE I found the mistake on the beginning of row 2 when I had to take out 8 or 10 rows to correct it. LOL!

While making the dish towel I found a cool pattern for a dish towel topper that isn't sewn to the dishtowel. I like those but it really is a tad difficult for me to sew evenly through the fold or cut edge of the towel. HA! So, here is the result of my following those directions. If you like it and would like to make your own, you can click the link above and find it. I worked it up in about 90 minutes total and that was taking some time to figure out one part I had a bit of difficulty with. I emailed for clarification and she answered but I figured it out for myself before I checked for her answer. It really wasn't difficult, just the way I was misreading that had me confused.

Now I'm also working on our February crochet along project. I just posted day 1 instructions today. If you are interested in joining us you can check out the group and let me know how you found out about us. We have fun while working on projects and you always have a couple of days to complete about 10 minutes of work. Here is my result of the first set of instructions.