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Showing posts from 2008

My 100th Post - December 31, 2008

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It's New Year's Eve, and we're having a snow squall right now. It's snow showers with a lot of heavy winds. We had a wonderful family get-together on Saturday at the home of my nephew and his wife. They were gracious hosts and everything was wonderful! Lots of good food and good company. We missed the company of my sister and her children, who are all in Colorado. Hopefully, one day they will be able to move back to the east coast to be near the rest of us! It was a short week at work - just 2 days and we are off for the remaining three days of this week. I won't know how to get through a full week once I go back. It's a nice quiet day today, so I think I'll sift through some of my crochet patterns and look for a new project! So much yarn and so many projects! I love to crochet!

Christmas Day - 2008

First - remember the reason for the season! The day started out with an early morning trip to the cemetery to leave markers on the graves of my parents and uncle. After visiting there for a while, DH and I took a trip to Wawa, where we stopped for coffee. I decided to pick up some bacon, as I knew I had some at home but wasn't sure if it was enough for breakfast. When I got home, I decided that the bacon I had on hand was plenty, so I threw it in a pan - and burned it! Good thing I bought more! We opened our gifts. I did surprise my husband this year. He usually finds out one way or another what he is getting for Christmas. This year, he was with me when I purchased a gift certificate for the dive shop. Then he mentioned a Black and Decker level that he wanted to get. So I ordered it online, last minute, and hoped it would arrive on time. It did - in a box clearly marked "Black and Decker Level" - thanks, Ace Hardware! So no surprise there. However - he did no

Christmas Eve - Santa's Visit

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I ran around early this morning, picking up some last minute bargains. I think I have everything I need! There is still more wrapping to do before the night is over! DH Wayne made his "Santa" appearance at my friend's house, for her granddaughters. He won another one over. Last year, Gabrielle screamed when Santa came in and wouldn't go near him. This year, Santa got a hug, AND she sat on his lap and posed for photos. Wayne has been looking forward to being Santa and was hoping that his knee replacement wouldn't keep him from his Christmas Eve visit. He was fine. As you can see, the youngest isn't past her screaming-meemie stage yet! LOL! Next year will be better! "Santa", me and our son Tom in the photo... Time to get back to work with last-minute wrapping!

Bone-Chilling Sunday

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We started out this morning with freezing rain and it's cold and raw outside. Brrrr! The min-pins don't stay out long at all! When they come back in, they burrow their way under the afghans to warm up! LOL! I finally have a nice place to show off my Nativity set. It's set up in my new bay window. I love the way the set looks there. Every once in a while, I do have to straighten the camel up, because the cat still finds a way to climb onto the window sill. She doesn't stay long, just long enough to knock over the camel. To think I nearly sold this set to someone about 14 years ago for $100 when I was still on unemployment and money was running out. But the man who was going to buy it for his wife decided he wanted Elton John tickets instead. Thank goodness! In the next week or so I was offered a full time position and I got to keep my set! It's one of the few things I have made that I have kept for myself. I wouldn't part with it now for $500 - it m

Christmas Party at the Dive Shop

DH and I just got back from a Christmas party at the dive shop. The shop owner put out tables full of appetizers like cheese and crackers, and there were sandwiches, pizza, stromboli, and so many desserts! I made a pot of pulled pork barbecue at Wayne's request and took that along with some rolls. I do have to say that the barbecue was the first to run out. Not that I didn't make enough - well, maybe I didn't. LOL! I used a pork loin that must have been a good 15 inches long. We had to cut it into sections in order to make it fit in the crockpot. I then made homemade barbecue sauce - my mother-in-law's recipe with a little honey and mustard added to it. It was great, if I do say so myself. The dive shop was decorated for Christmas, top to bottom. They have a great looking tree, with lots of diving and oceanic ornaments. I took a glittery purple angel fish along and gave it to the shop owner - she added it to the tree. They had a great slide show set up, wit

Another Sick Day From Work

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I hope this isn't a sign of things to come this winter. Again, I have serious head congestion and can't sleep at night. I went to the doctor today, who diagnosed a case of sinusitis. The left side of my face is actually puffy looking, from the congestion. Ugh! Back on medication. I finally got my computer back on Sunday, and I can post a photo of the mittens I made. I added them to the hat and scarf set I sent to my holiday exchange partner. The snow is coming down outside, but I don't think we'll get any accumulation other than a covering on the grass and trees. It sure looks pretty! I hope we have snow for Christmas, which is not that far away! I want to make another trip to the stores to see if I can pick up some other small items to add to the Christmas bags I'm making for my brothers and sisters. Candles or lotions - small odds and ends. Maybe Kohls will be open late. Tonight is Tom's last class before the semester break. I hope he is careful w

Saturday December 13

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This is a grand morning! It's lovely outside, with bright sunshine after several days of teeming rain. There was a huge moon in the sky last night. It was at perigee, with its closest approach to the earth in 20+ years. I drove out early this morning to the grocery store to pick up a few odds and ends and there was a huge gray cloudbank in the sky ahead of me. If I hadn't known where I was, I would have sworn there was a mountain range in the distance! I received my Crochetville Holiday exchange package from my swap partner and she truly outdid herself. I received a lovely afghan in red, white and blue, some scarves, a very pretty feminine wrap, lots of yarn and other goodies. I prepared Vicki's package for mailing and took it to the post office this morning, to go via priority mail. I hope she doesn't have to wait too long for it. I hope she likes the things I made for her, and other little goodies I added to the box. Wayne is in so much pain. I'd like to

When It Rains, It Pours

First, the important news. DH's surgery went well. His recovery so far is a little rough. They are having trouble controlling his blood pressure, and when they try to get him up out of bed, his blood pressure drops drastically. I'm hoping that will resolve itself today, and that tomorrow will be a better day. Our heater quit working. It's quite cold today, and I have to take off from work to wait for a repairman to come out. I hope it's not going to be too expensive, as we just bought a car on Saturday. Who knew? Finally traded in the gas-guzzling Jeep Liberty (as much as I liked it, other than fuel efficiency) and purchased a Nissan Rogue. It's a four-cylinder engine and all the car I need. It's surprisingly peppy for a 4-cylinder, I must say. Glad it has cruise control, as on the test drive I was up to 70 mph in no time at all! I will miss my Jeep - it was fun to drive and the 4-wheel drive was a blessing in bad weather. But 28 mpg will payoff in

Wayne's Surgery Tomorrow

Wayne is a little nervous this evening. His total knee replacement will be done tomorrow. I feel for him, as I was very nervous this last time. But I am positive that all will go well. I made a nice dinner for him this evening, since he won't be able to eat anything after midnight tonight, and his surgery won't be until 11:00 am or later tomorrow. We had leftover turkey and duck, with fresh homemade mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, gravy and brussels sprouts in tomato cheese sauce. The brussels sprouts are Wayne's favorite Thanksgiving dish. You simply take frozen brussels sprouts, cook them until they are tender, then transfer them to a microwave safe dish. Add a can of tomato soup and some grated cheddar cheese to make the sauce, and microwave them until the sauce is heated through. They are delicious! My friend's daughter was married last night. We didn't make it in time for the service itself, but we went to the reception. It was beautiful, with

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

It's been a nice day! I woke this morning and the house was filled with the aroma of turkey cooking in the crockpot. I put a turkey breast in last night before I went to sleep. It was cooking all night. Since our plans were to have dinner at my sister's house, I thought it would be nice to have some turkey on hand here for "leftovers" and sandwiches and even some soup. Just like in "The Christmas Story" - when the narrator talks about the turkey hash, turkey a la king and gallons of turkey soup! We had a nice visit with DS Dan and his girlfriend. I can see that she is good to him, and good for him! Before they arrived, I put two ducks in the oven to roast. DH Wayne just loves duck for Thanksgiving. They weren't quite finished by the time Dan and Nicole left, so we packed up the roaster and took them with us to my sister's, where the ducks finished cooking in her oven. My sister had a wonderful dinner for us, with mashed potatoes (or masha-t

Sunday Evening - Thanksgiving Next Week

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Thanksgiving is next week! I can't believe it! It will soon be Christmas. Where has the year gone? This will be the first holiday without my Dad or my Mom. Mom passed away 16 years ago, and Dad in January this year. It's going to be a bittersweet holiday. For the first time, my brothers and sisters and I are on our own. They say you aren't really an adult until your parents are gone. But I truly believe that Mom and Dad are once again together. This week was fairly busy at work. It was the last of my physical therapy sessions. I'm supposed to hear from the therapist in 2 weeks to see whether or not I still have issues to resolve. The back of my knee had been giving me problems and I'll be back to wearing my casual dress shoes instead of sneakers to work. We'll see. Wayne goes into the hospital on Monday 12/1 for his surgery - knee replacement. I keep telling him he'll be so glad he did it, once it's over. I finished up a handful of face or

It's Been a Busy Week

Last Saturday, I went to my friend's house. She said her daughter-in-law wanted to learn to crochet. So I took a hook and a book with some basic crochet instructions with me, and spent about 3 hours there teaching crochet. I had some reservations, as the DIL had plans to make mittens and hats! I told her it would take more than one lesson to be able to produce mittens! Anyway, she did settle on a scarf for a project, and with her K hook and blue yarn, she was off to a good start by the time I left. While there, I started 3 (yes, 3!) double-strand afghans for my friend's daughters to work on. I taught them crochet about 6-7 years ago. Neither of the girls can start an afghan off, but once I work the first row in half-double crochet for them, they are good to go. I have to admit - I was a taken aback when they handed me blue and orange yarn to make a "Mets" blanket - while I sat there wearing my Phillies world champs colors! But I was a good friend and started

MHO and Some New Crochet Projects in Mind!

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First - My Humble Opinion A sad thought crossed my mind this morning, as I was listening to the news regarding the financial losses in the automobile industry. The automobile and its manufacturing process, introduced to the world by Americans, is now teetering on the brink of extinction while the rest of the world is excelling. What is wrong with this picture? It seems that Americans are willing to settle for "good enough" and "status quo". Instead of producing cars in the same way for the last 30 years, why hasn't the auto industry been looking for ways to make more efficient cars? I can understand the production methods for the first 70 years. Cars were designed to be faster, more powerful and more attractive. No one had been concerned about economy, emissions or conservation. But certainly since the 70's, lots of folks were aware of the need for more efficient and cleaner vehicles. Instead the US has sat on it fat haunches and watched as Japan and

Congratulations to the President-Elect!

Congratulations to Barack Obama on his historic win this evening! He was my candidate of choice, and I'm watching Sen. McCain's gracious concession speech. I give him points for that. Here's to hoping that all Americans will work, live and succeed together. And that our soldiers in foreign lands will be able to come home soon. God bless America!

Comparing Face Ornaments

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Well, I've taken photos of the face ornaments again. The elf has had his eyes moved closer together. I think I like the look better. The snowman has bigger eyes. A little too big, compared to the "too small" before. I think I'm going to order the 9mm size, in between, to see how they work out. So my vote is elf eyes closer, and snowman eyes in a size in between the smaller and larger sizes. I hope to have quite a few of these made up for Christmas gift giving this year.

PHILLIES - WORLD SERIES CHAMPS!

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Oh, how I wish my Dad were here to see this! He was such a devoted fan - or should I say "Phan". He followed them through high and low and I'm sure he's been whispering in the manager's ear! Game 5 was certain a strange one, with a 46-hour rain delay. I can't express how happy I am that they were able to win this one at home. Kudos to Jamie Moyer for helping to lift the team to a world championship at the age of 46. Very happy for Pat Burrell, who has had his ups and downs and deserves to feel like a champ! A few firecrackers going off here in the neighborhood - the dogs are going crazy! I couldn't help but cheer myself to see the team members rushing onto the field and jumping into a huge pile of jubilant players. I think Lidge and Ruiz were on the bottom of the pile - I hope they're okay! I'm getting a kick out of the kids they are interviewing - they are so ecstatic! Gotta get a championship shirt! I was hoping to be able to make a tr

At Home in "The Infirmary"

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DH Wayne is sick today. Same bug that's made the rounds through the household. He was supposed to work today, but woke up feeling so awful that he said he felt like he'd been run over by a truck. I know how he feels - in fact, I think I used the same phrase myself. This is a wicked malady and I can't wait to see the back of it! I'm feeling much better myself, even though the fatigue and the cough are hanging on still. I managed to accomplish a few things today. I've made a trip to the grocery store, done a load of dishes, two loads of laundry and made a huge pot of chicken pot pie. This is the soup-type pot pie, similar to that made by the Amish in Lancaster County. It turned out great! I don't know about you, but when I'm under the weather, nothing is as good as homemade chicken soup of any kind! Chicken noodle, chicken rice, chicken pot pie - Yumm! There is plenty of research to show that chicken soup does have some medicinal qualities . How d

Update on Round Ripple

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I've been home from work for the last 3 days - nasty germ bug going around! I'm wondering if it's the flu. It's aggravated my asthma. Medication is helping, so I hope that I can return to work tomorrow. When I'm not sleeping, I'm working on the round ripple I started last week. I love the way it's turning out. I've added several more rounds to it, and want to keep going a bit more until it will fit across the back of a couch. In the photo, it's folded in half and you can see our beagle and a min pin in the photo as well. They love blankets. And yes, I will wash it before gifting the afghan! LOL! It's been chilly out in the mornings, and it won't be long until we have a good frost, I guess. They are calling for rain this Saturday, which may interfere with the third game of the World Series (Yay Phillies!!). I wanted to see the game on Wednesday, but kept falling asleep. I did wake in time to see the last out and the win for Philad

New Round Ripple Started

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I got started on a new round ripple afghan. I'm thinking of making it large enough to present to my friend's daughter for a wedding gift. I personally like the color combination. I hope she does. It's made with Bernat Super Value in Natural, Caron One Pounder in Jonquil, and TLC Essentials in Taupe. I may make another just like it for myself once I finish this one. This afternoon my brother Mike stopped by. He wanted me to go with him to a couple of open houses in the area. He's been renting an apartment for ages, and has decided to take the plunge and purchase a home. He's looking at condos, as he works a 12 hour shift for the county and hasn't got a lot of spare time to mow the lawn, etc. It was a nice afternoon out and I got to spend some time with my baby brother! It's been a while since he stopped by, as he's been working a lot of overtime at his job. I was finally able to send the baby sweater home with him. He had wanted it to give to

Me and My Big Mouth!

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I was just bragging last week about not having a cold for about 5 years now. Unfortunately, I have the same bug my DS Tom was suffering from last week. I tried to be careful, washing my hands as much as possible, but I caught it anyway. I'm still congested and have a headache this morning. Missed two days from work with it. We are definitely having fall weather! It's chilly out this morning. The min pins don't stay out too long! It's only 4 am and I've been up for a little while now. I just saw Wayne off - he's heading upstate to his sister's place to do some hunting. I don't know how he does it. He sits for hours in the cold and dark. I was never a winter-time sports fan. My idea of a cold-weather sport is the 3 yard dash to the closet for another comforter for the bed! You can keep your ice-skating and skiing. Brrrrrr! I finished up the Pink Ribbon afghan I was working on. I washed and dried it and will take it to work on Monday for stor

The Environment

I am fascinated with trains in general, freight trains in particular. My son rides the local passenger line back and forth to school every day. I know that freight trains are the bane of drivers everywhere, especially when you are stuck sitting at a railroad crossing when you wish you were home already. But I savored the time it took this afternoon for a HUGE freight train to cross in front of us, as I was headed home with my son. It's been a long time since I've seen such a long train - easily 160 railroad cars. I was wondering how much more economical, if at all, it is to transport goods via the railways instead of the highways. I'm sure there are varying opinions, but it seems to me that there must be benefits such as less congestion on the highways and savings in fuel and emissions. According to this article trains carrying double-stacked containers would result in impressive savings in fuel and reduction in carbon emissions. At this point, I am worried about w

Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!

The house was permeated with the aroma of bacon this morning. Yum! I took out the last of the Amish farm market bacon and threw it in the pan for breakfast. It was delicious. At the first hint of bacon, my DS Tom rolled out of bed and wandered in to the kitchen. Better than an alarm clock! Wayne called me last night - his class is going well. The siding guy was here yesterday and he's back today. I'm happy to say that the front of the house is sided (still need the front door framed out) and he's working on the carport area, and putting in a window. I am so pleased with his work so far. Although it's taken quite a while to finish up, I can't fault him for that. We were aware when we hired him that he would be working in his spare time. It's okay. It was a very slow start, but it is so worth it. I told him yesterday that I would recommend him to others. The house looks great! My DS Dan stopped by today. He seems so much happier now! He put in a ma

Early Saturday Morning

It's an early post today - I just got back from dropping Wayne off at the dive shop this morning. The crew is on their way to Dutch Springs again this morning, where Wayne should be finishing up his assistant instructor course. The dive shop is anxious for him to become certified as an AI so that he can help teach diving to a "seal" class - a group of 8-10 year olds kids who want to scuba dive. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I am so proud of my husband! At 53, he has found a hobby that brings him as much joy in his life as crochet does to mine! He is fascinated by the underwater world and truly enjoys working with students to show them what the scuba experience is like. If you check out the MASC website , that is my DH looking at you in the section labeled Scuba Classes! Isn't he handsome? LOL! But at last, DH can relate to my everlasting fascination with yarns of different textures and colors, and the desire to take that yarn and

Ornament Photos

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I finally have photos of the ornaments I sent to my swap partner Cyndi. I love making these little bears. They are lightweight and perfect for hanging on the tree. They are from a pattern leaflet called "The Faces of Christmas". In addition to the teddy bear ornaments, you can make an angel, Santa, Mrs. Claus, an elf, Rudolph, and more. I hope to be able to make enough of these ornaments to give to family members for Christmas. I'd especially like to have some for Dan and Nicole, since this will be their first Christmas together. I've been thinking about how it will be with a new baby in the family. I can't believe how excited I am that we will have a grandchild. I can't picture my oldest as a dad. I don't think he's even held a baby since his younger brother was born. And to think he'll be changing diapers, too! Will wonders never cease? LOL! Speaking of the expected baby - it's time to think about baby-proofing the house. I have

A Nice Sunday Afternoon at Babies R Us

It's Sunday and I can't believe that it's already time to go back to work. I have physical therapy 3 times this week again. I'm trying to get around without my cane as much as possible this weekend, in order to try to strengthen my right leg. This was a very busy day for us. Wayne and I took a trip to Lowe's early this morning and bought some mums. They had a cartful of them for 69 cents a piece, so I got 10 of them and Wayne planted them for me on the side of the house where the siding is finished. The siding guy was here again today and started on the front. Yay! He really is doing a great job on the siding - it's just taking so long as he's working on the house in his off hours. I can't wait until it's finished. Wayne also got some lawn work done at my dad's house, and put up a new ceiling fan. He planted my mums while I met DS Dan and Nicole at Babies R Us so that they can register there. I had hoped Nicole's mother would be a

Husband's in a Quandary This Evening

Poor Wayne. He is taking a course to become an assistant instructor for the dive shop. He is working on a presentation this evening, and is stumped on one of the segments of his lesson plan form. I wish I could help him, but I'm totally lost by this stuff. He's put a call out for help to his instructor, but hasn't heard anything back yet. It's not helping matters that the three mutts are vying for his attention and won't leave him alone. On a lighter note, the Phillies have won game one of the best of five series against the Brewers. They are playing game two this evening, and the Phils are ahead 5-2 at the seventh inning. I hope they win. It's Thursday and I've got most of my first week back at work under my belt. It hasn't been too bad. I've gotten back into the normal "rut" and I've taken back some of my tasks that were reassigned during my absence. The HR person who took over from Brandi said she is happy to see me back.

Computer Malfunction and Back To Work Monday

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Two bad news items! My computer bit the dust on Friday. I'm back on line after purchasing a replacement. I'm ticked that all the programs I bought and paid for on the old 'puter couldn't be moved over to the new one. I took the old laptop to the Geek Squad. They moved my files, so I was able to save a boatload of patterns that I paid for and downloaded. They saved my photos too. I'm glad about that. But why couldn't they move Microsoft Office over, when I paid for that, too? Well, I'm not paying for it again. I downloaded Open Office for free from the internet. It opens Office documents, spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations. Check here if you're interested in downloading: http://www.openoffice.org/ I'm back to work tomorrow - wish me luck. I haven't been in touch with them very much, except to keep them apprised of my expected return to work date. I guess it wasn't very nice, but I specifically asked my boss not to call me

Surprise Trip to Amish Country

We took a surprise overnight trip to the Lancaster area. DH and I started out Monday morning for a day trip to the Rockvale Outlet stores in Lancaster. I went in search of new dinnerware. I had a Corelle pattern in mind, and there is an outlet store there. I had hoped to get a good deal. I did pick out a nice pattern called Cherry Blossom, but it wasn't a deal. It was pretty much the same price in the outlet store as you can find it online at Amazon. We went to a few other stores in the center - one of those was the Carter baby outlet. I picked up a handful of items for our yet-to-be-born grandson. I couldn't resist it. We visited the Vanity Fair store and a couple of other little stores. Let me tell you, I was quite achy after all that shopping. My knee was swollen and my back hurt! Wayne suggested that we find a place to stay and go home the following day. It sounded like a good idea to me. We stopped in a meat market on Tuesday morning and I bought homemade ve

Update on Funky Round Ripple

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Updated photo: As you can see, that little blanket is lying much flatter since it's been washed. The problem is definitely in the combination of yarns I'm using. I think I'll finish this off and give it to my friend to give to her granddaughter as a doll blanket. I don't know why I didn't pick up on the differences earlier. But the blanket tends to pull in wherever the yellow and multicolored yarns are coming in. They are thinner yarns and therefore the stitches must be smaller. I might be able to use these yarns, with a larger hook for the colored yarns than the size G hook I'm using for the white. It's a nice day out. My little min-pin buddy is curled up alongside me right now. What a good friend he is!

Wedding Anniversary

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Today is the 28th anniversary for DH and me. I got a surprise text message from him this morning saying "Happy Anniversary". For my husband to go to the trouble of texting (he's somewhat technologically challenged), it's as good as if he'd spent hours in the store picking out a Hallmark card! It's a beautiful sunny day out, but very warm. DS Tom and I had Chinese food for lunch. No special plans for the day, except some laundry and other household chores. Fun, fun, fun! I've taken a second crack at a round ripple afghan for the NICU unit. I was so upset with the first attempt that I tossed the 12 completed rows in the garbage! I know it's wasteful, but I was really upset with it. I've made a number of these round ripples as you can see in my album slideshows, but for some reason this one is giving me a handful of problems! It doesn't seem to want to lie flat at all. Attached is a photo of the current attempt. Again, the same problem

Musings on a Rainy Friday

This is the kind of weather I like - it's a nice steady light rain out right now. My windows are open (at least on the side of the house where the rain won't come in!) and it's such a lovely cool breeze blowing through. This is perfect. I enjoy days like this, as well as those lovely summer days when it's not too hot, the sun is bright, the sky is blue and scattered with clouds. Fall days, with the rich colors of the changing leaves, are also quite enjoyable. My son brought home some ultrasound photos of his baby. I'm amazed at the clarity of the pictures they take now. You can almost see his little face as if it were an actual photograph. I remember looking at ultrasounds of my son and not knowing which direction to hold it in ("This is a baby? Are we looking at it right?") LOL! I can't help but think that my son and his girlfriend will have a difficult road ahead of them - child-rearing isn't easy. But I'm looking forward to a new

Sunday Evening and a New Round Ripple Project

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Yaaaaaayy! We have some siding on our house. The guy didn't make it here yesterday, with the heavy rain and wind we had. But he did get here today and has some of the siding on the back of the house. It looks very good. The house had pale yellow aluminum siding before. We are having a light green vinyl siding put on this time. We've owned the house for 27 years. It was time for a change! It was hard to pick a new color. We just kind of took a look up and down our street. Most homes are gray or white, so we decided to go with either pale blue or green. There were more blue homes than green, so we chose green. I guess that's a silly way to choose siding! But it looks good. Wayne didn't have a very productive day yesterday in Dutch Springs - they were all rained out around 3:00 pm. He was working with a couple of novice divers today. One of them was the daughter of an experienced diver, and Wayne said it was obvious that the girl really didn't want to b

Finished Baby Sweater

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Today was a rainy and windy day! Hurricane Hanna's kiss for the Delaware Valley. The rain started about 1:00 and steadily increased throughout the afternoon, along with the winds. It seems to have stopped now. I do hope that the rain will bring back the grass and the trees - everything's been looking a little brown. The baby sweater is finished. It turned out really well. I think my brother will be pleased with it, as he would like to give it to a co-worker later this month. Anyway, here is a photo of the baby sweater: I'm happy with the way it turned out and it was a fairly easy pattern to work. I might make another to put away for the Grange Fair next year.

Good News

We had a scare - DH went for his annual physical recently, and they ordered a stress test. The results of that stress test said that his heart was not functioning at full strength. We were very worried due to the fact that his family has a history of heart disease. The doctor ordered an echocardiogram and called yesterday with the results. Upon reviewing both test results, they feel that the original stress test was inaccurate. His heart is indeed functioning as it should. Thank God! The guy we hired to put siding on the house was finally here to work on it today. He made good progress in the back of the house. He promises to return on Saturday, rain or shine. It will probably be rain, as the weatherman says that Hurricane Hannah will be working its way up the east coast this weekend. If that's the case, the siding guy will be working in the carport where it's dry. It may put a damper on Wayne's scuba diving this weekend. They are calling for thunderstorms in th

Happy Holiday - Labor Day 2008

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I can't believe the summer has reached its end. The kids are going back to school, the weather will be turning cool and crisp and the leaves will be falling soon. Early autumn is one of my favorite seasons (spring is my very favorite season). I love the rich reds, greens, golds and browns in the trees and the cool mornings and evenings. Now that my knee has been replaced I hope to be able to get out and take advantage of the nicer weather to get some walking in. It will take some time yet, as I'm not able to stay on my feet for too long, and need more therapy to strengthen the muscles supporting the knee. I'm visiting with my sister at her home in South Jersey and it was a looooooong ride down! I did bring my project with me to work on. My youngest brother was good enough to drive. We always have a good time when we get together. My brother is very clever and funny and a lot of laughs! We took a short ride to Cape May Wicker today and I picked up a few holiday ite

Saturday and a New Crochet Project

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It still fairly early on Saturday morning, and I've been awake for hours. The dogs woke me early looking for breakfast. Greedy boys! Anyway, once their bowls were filled (not too much - they're all on diets!), they were content again. I could hear the rain coming down very early this morning. It sounds like it was a pretty good steady rain. We really needed it. The leaves have been turning on some of the trees in the area due to the lack of rain. Not pretty colors, just brown. Lawns are turning brown, too. I hope this rain will help. I started a baby's sweater yesterday. Dan brought me some of my pattern books from my stash and I found an old favorite with patterns for baby sweaters from worsted weight yarn. Worsted weight will always be my favorite yarn to work with. I've been using either Red Heart or Caron One Pound skeins. I've discovered that the Red Heart washes, dries and softens beautifully. Kathryn in California received the hats and blanket

Hexagon Afghan Pattern, on a Tuesday Afternoon

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This morning was a physical therapy appointment. Unfortunately, the sore back is keeping me from doing all of the exercises required to strengthen my knee. I have had a prescription filled for muscle relaxers and I hope that clears up the back problem. Tom started back to school yesterday. I'm concerned about how he's going to be getting back and forth to the train station for school, as I'm still not driving. Brandi's afghan is finished. It turned out nicely, I think. I tried an idea for a different border on it, and I really like the way it looks. I hope she likes it. Now I have time to start a new project. Not sure what I'll make yet - lots of possibilities. Below are the directions for making the basic hexagon afghan. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. Hexagon Afghan I used a J hook and worsted weight yarn. Chain 6, join with slip stitch to make a circle Round 1 – chain 5 (this will be first dc and chain 2 space), dc in ring, dc again i

A Quiet Saturday Afternoon

It's a beautiful day outside. I wish I could get out to take advantage of it. As it is, I'm cursing my lower back again. I'm doing okay so far with my knee replacement, progressing as expected. My back went out on me the other day and I'm finding myself in spasms occasionally. Oh, getting older is a pain! LOL! The dogs especially love jumping up on my lap, which doesn't help the situation, especially when the overweight beagle makes his landing. He pounces directly on my midsection, causing me to bend in half like a foldaway cot. Ouch! I just received my latest issue of Crochet World magazine, and I'm anxious to check out what is new. I've abandoned my plans to complete a gingerbread house at this time, which I had selected as the Crochetville Greek Games project. I was seriously sidetracked when I found out I will be a grandmother and I've been making afghans and looking at baby patterns. I need to pack a box of preemie hats and afghans and

Thursday Evening News

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My son and his girlfriend had their baby's ultrasound appointment today. It is a boy! The blue and white afghan I made was the right choice. I asked if they are discussing names yet, and Dan said they are, but didn't fill me in on any of their ideas. I remember how excited I was when we were expecting Dan. I leafed through baby name books, trying out all sorts of first and middle name combinations. I almost named him Chad. I am very happy for Dan and Nicole, and excited to have a new little one in the family. We can't wait! I got a call from someone at work today. She was calling to let me know that she is resigning, and her last day will be in two weeks. I'm saddened to hear that she is leaving. She has been kind and supportive to me since she started working for the company, and I felt as though she understood some of what I went through while working for the previous boss - a waking nightmare. I feel like I'm going to be back on a shaky foundation ag

2008 Grange Fair Results

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My son brought home my projects from the grange fair. I'm happy to say I won two blue ribbons this year, out of the three projects entered. The ribbon winners were both projects of my own design, too! The child's poncho and the blue keyhole scarf - photos included here. I was pleased that, even though the afghan didn't win a ribbon, there was a very nice comment on the back of the entry card attached to it, saying that the afghan was well made and uniform, with nice even stitches. I am very proud of the afghan, currently listed on Etsy.

Monday, August 11

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Today, Wayne and Tom dropped off my grange fair entries for me. I had an afghan, a scarf and a child's poncho and hat set. I also had several baby afghans in the storage container with these, along with some preemie hats. I think I'll contact someone on Crochetville who donates these items to a neonatal unit and send what I have to her to donate on my behalf. I'm about two-thirds of the way through the girl's afghan I'd started for my son and his girlfriend. They should be finding out next week through an ultrasound whether they are expecting a boy or girl. My sister sent me some home-grown tomatoes. Yum! I miss my garden this year. We usually have a few tomato plants and some peppers and things in a small plot at the top of the hill behind the house, but didn't get one together this year. Maybe next year.