Yarnjeannie's Crochet Cache

Did you ever just "hit the wall" on a crochet project? You're cruising along just fine, and all of a sudden it takes everything you have to make yourself pick up your project and work on it. The sweater and hat were fine to work on. But I'm about ready to tell the kids the sweater and hat are all they are going to get, and these pants will be relegated to the UFO (unfinished objects) pile. I don't know - I'm just...in a rut? Tired of single crochet? Need to take a break and work on something else? All of the above? The problem is that if I don't finish them in a timely fashion, they will be out of fashion, or won't fit Justin anymore. I think it's time to take a look through my pattern stash and see if there isn't something small to work on to break the monotony. Maybe a few days break is what I need. Speaking of Justin, I guess he's going to be with his other grandmother tonight. The kids are going out, and they invited my yo...

I've decided to give up chocolate candy for Lent. Lately, I've been craving chocolate candy, and making lots of trips to the vending machine for chocolate. So giving that up seemed like a good move. I've been put to the test already! On my morning stop at the Wawa on Ash Wednesday, the Zitners Butter Krak eggs were on prominent display all over the store! I mean all over! They were at the registers, they were at the coffee machines - everywhere I turned I saw Butter Krak eggs - my favorite of all time! I did pass them up...this time. LOL! I didn't leave much of a post about my grandson's visit to work on Wednesday. I was so tired on Wednesday when I got home that I dozed off on the couch before 7:00 PM! I woke up around midnight and then slept fitfully the rest of the night. I did not want to come to work today, but made myself get ready anyway. I could have just put my head down on the desk and dozed off. My "playdate" with my grandson went wel...

DS Dan and Nicole brought Justin to work today! He slept through the whole visit. Everyone ooooohed and aaaaaahed over him, and wanted to hold him. He is such an angel. His visit made the day go quickly. Hmmmmm - I wonder if I can have them bring Justin by every day...

Another bad night with acid reflux last night. What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember to take my medication as directed, on schedule? I know that the problems I'm having are my fault, because I neglect my medications so much. I'm starting out this morning taking my prescriptions and hope to be able to stay on schedule the rest of the day. One day at a time... It is SO COLD! I cannot take this cold weather anymore! It's bone-chilling cold - my windows in the car are frozen shut and I can't get a Dunkin Donuts coffee without opening the car door. BRRRRRR! Hurry up, springtime! I stopped in at Giant last night to pick up some things for the collection bin in the cafeteria here at work. There is an employee who drives through Philadelphia and hands out blankets and food items to the homeless people he comes across. I picked up several of the items on the list he provided and will try to get a few more next time I'm shopping. I've started clippin...

It's been a nice lazy day today. Other than a load of dishes and some laundry, I haven't done much today. I've been reading "Marley and Me", an e-book I downloaded to my Amazon Kindle. Did I tell you how much I love that reading device? It holds hundreds of books, and since I purchased it a few months ago, I've done more reading than I have in the last 4 years! I used to read voraciously, but got out of the habit a long time ago. Anyway, getting back to Marley and Me, I have been laughing out loud at some parts of the book! It reminds me of the yellow lab my husband and I purchased shortly after we were married and moved into our current home. The dog was a lovable lunkhead, and I miss him a lot. I'm getting into the sad part of the book at the ending, which makes me miss Bucky even more. We went a long time before getting another dog - about 15 years. Now we have 3...life is interesting! I finished up and washed the baby bib I made for Justin. ...

I was talking to DS's girlfriend Nicole on the phone last night and she was holding the baby while speaking to me. I could hear the baby gurgling and making other little baby noises! How magical, to be able to watch the little sweetheart developing new skills day by day! I cooked up some chicken soup, and made both rice and noodles to go with it. I offered some to Nicole, who has been under the weather. She said she is feeling a lot better, but would welcome some soup anyway. I'm babysitting tonight. The kids are going out for dinner and then to spend some time with friends. So I get to spend time with my favorite little baby! Got a new photo too! DS Dan is holding Justin on a rocking horse. Also have some photos from the Florida Keys diving excursion.

The trip home was uneventful - it was a nice flight. Or two nice flights. We had a short trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Charlotte, NC. Then after a short layover, we traveled from Charlotte to Philly in about an hour. It made the trip a bit longer, but also a bit more comfortable. It was back to work yesterday. I had a lot on my desk to catch up with. One thing at a time... I've updated my ravelry page (icrochet247) with some recent projects, like the mittens I worked up without a pattern. I'm still proud of myself that I was able to do that. I actually got both mittens to look the same! Will wonders never cease? I've got two wips to work on. The sweetheart ripple afghan is in standby mode for now, and I'm concentrating on the baby outfit. I must finish it before Justin outgrows it! He's already almost 11 pounds of joy, at just one month of age. I love him so much! New photo!

I've added a photo of the baby outfit I've been working on. I hope to have it finished soon. Here is Sunday's entry for our trip to the Keys: Sunday – The Trip Is Almost Over Early this morning, we went out to K-Mart to pick up an extra bag. DH packed up some of his stuff and sent it down UPS, but didn't want to send it back the same way since he wasn't familiar with the UPS store locations down here. So I bought an expandable duffel bag with wheels. We'll check that bag, and lighten up the load in the carry-ons. On the way to K-Mart, we stopped to shop at Shell World. What a cool store. They have some of everything there. I found the alligator I wanted to take home for Justin. It's the cutest stuffed toy. What I REALLY wanted to get (but couldn't afford) was a 5-foot tall stuffed giraffe toy! It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! But that would have taken some finagling on the plane. I picked up a few shells for souvenirs for...

Here is Saturday's entry into the Florida Keys Log: Saturday – Pool Time! I was exhausted after our outing to Key West and dinner last night. I woke several times this morning but didn't have the energy to drag myself out of bed, so I stayed in bed until a little after 9. Wayne asked me to pick up some items from the store for the group lunch this afternoon – charcoal and matches for the cookout. When we got back from the Winn-Dixie with those items, I delivered them to the cooks. Then SIL Gladys made a big pot of macaroni salad for the group meal. We also picked up a few other items that we took with us. After preparing the macaroni salad, and once the divers returned around 12:00, Wayne and I took a little time to go to the pool. It was heaven, as the water was warm, and so was the sun, with the air temperature at around 82 degrees. I got a little color today. I don't want to go back as pale as I came down. After our midday meal, Gladys and I spent time relaxi...

Update on my nephew's condition. Thanks to all who have been saying prayers for his health. He is out of the hospital and has been diagnosed with Bronchiolitis Obliterans with Organizing Pneumonia, or BOOP. He is slowly responding to steroids, but he has been very weak and gets winded easily. His mother withdrew him from college. I hope his condition improves greatly over the next few months. He's been so active in sports that his current limitations are difficult for him to accept. Here is Friday's entry for our Keys trip. After a difficult night, we made the decision this morning to start out very early for Key West. It was about 8 AM when we started on our journey. It was so easy to find – no way could you get lost. There is only one road – US 1 south. We passed through all the different Keys and made up our minds to stop on the way back at Anne's Beach for photo ops. Key West was nice – better than I thought it would be. I've been hearing from other ...

I've been away from internet service while on vacation, so I'll make my entries one at a time, over the next few days. The Florida Keys were great! Here is day one's entry: We have arrived in Florida, not without a few kinks along the way. Traffic was very heavy on I95 to the airport, and the plane was late taking off in high winds in Philadelphia, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared. Once we were aloft, the ride was quite smooth. We landed 30 minutes late in Fort Lauderdale but found sunshine and warm weather to lighten our mood. We waited for another person from the diving group to join us. He had arrived on another flight. When we were all together, we headed to ground transportation and made arrangements for our 2 rental minivans – we were 9 passengers in all, with a lot of dive gear and suitcases. We arrived in the Alamo terminal to pick up...1 car! That was all there was available. We waited a long time for more cars to arrive in the terminal. Finally, ...

We'll be heading to the Florida Keys on Thursday - can't wait! I will miss my little Justin though! I've asked to have photos e-mailed or sent via phone to me! Sure hope the weather is nice and warm for us! Looking forward to dinner at Sundowners again.

TV is the pits right now. I'm watching Bridezillas - who in their right minds want to marry these women? Dear Lord! They throw hissy fits over the stupidest things. One doesn't get a tea with her McDonalds meal and carries on for an hour until her fiance goes out to fetch the tea. Another screams into a phone that her coffee isn't decaf - suck it up, witch! Anyone want to guess which column these marriages will fall into - those that are successful or those that are doomed to fail? There is a huge moon in the sky this evening. I can see it through the front window. I'm waiting for DH to get home from the dive shop. Dinner is ready now - he'll have to reheat. 3 more work days until we leave for the Florida Keys! Yippee! I can't wait for the warm sunshine. At least, I hope there is warm sunshine. They had a cold spell down there a couple of weeks ago. I would be happy to spend my time between crocheting and lounging at the pool. Here's to hopi...

Isn't this the sweetest photo? My grandson - the first smile I've seen! What a precious gem he is! It was too funny - his mom and I were discussing the fact that he was falling asleep at 5:30 pm and that he would fool his mom and be wide awake at 1:00 am. Just as his mom said those words, up popped this little smile! It's as if he heard and understood every word and was pleased to hear we'd figured out his plan. Well, I did frog the Sweetheart Ripple afghan, and took it all the way back to row 4. I picked up with row 5, and this time was careful to adjust the fptr-sc stitches slanting to the left. I made sure to leave the same number of stitches on each side of the center of the heart, and this time they are nice and uniform. I am very pleased with the way it's turning out now. A lot of people told me that they didn't see anything wrong with the way it looked before. The problem was that I saw it. I frogged a lot of rows, but am glad I did. I hope I ...

My nephew is off the respirator, and has been moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. He is still very weak and gets tired and winded very easily. From what I've read he's still a very sick young man, and will have a long recuperative period ahead of him. Thanks to those who prayed for his return to good health - please send another prayer or two when you can.

My sister's teenage son is in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease. It was a sudden onset, as far as we know. He just returned from a snowboarding trip, during which he mentioned to his mom that he was coughing up blood! He did not want to tell her, for fear that he would not be able to go on the trip. He is now in the ICU on a respirator. They are trying to wean him from the machine. Dear Lord, please send your healing grace to Peter. Make his lungs whole again and send him the strength he needs to recuperate through your love, Amen.