Fun

It's just been fun the past couple of weeks! Getting all the holiday decorations up and all the other stuff that goes along with! I think having most all the gift shopping part done well before Thanksgiving had a little to do with it...much less stress with that part of the equation all done!

Went to two holiday parties with dirty Santa gift exchanges this month. Those are always so much fun! Sometimes you come home with gifts that aren't really your cup of tea but it's still fun. This year I loved both my dirty Santa gifts!!

The first one I snagged at Gourmet Yarn Co. Knit-In. Sock yarn!! Yoo hoo! A girl can't have enough sock yarn!

Pretty shades of purple in Jojoland Melody! Photo turned out really dark and doesn't do it justice....it's yummy!

The second haul was from the Holiday party at the OKC Metro Knitting Guild this afternoon. I snagged a copy of Sally Melville's Book 1: The Knit Stitch.

I have been wanting to get that one. Even though I consider myself to be a fairly experienced knitter....and this is a beginner kind of book.... there are a few patterns in it that I really would like to do. I've also learned that sometimes going back to the beginning and looking at something from another person's point of view, I often learn better ways to do things! So I am supremely happy with my new acquisitions!

We also had fun with Savy & Dax this weekend. Due to being out of town and being sick we haven't had them for an overnight in a while and I was really missing those little stinkers! I started a little tradition with Savy when she was around 2 making tree ornaments for family members as gifts from her. We worked on those this weekend, and of course, now everyone will start getting one from Dax too!

We also did a gingerbread house! Savy worked hard getting it all decorated....and Dax worked hard at picking the candies off and eating them...lol!

At 2, Dax quickly lost interest in the ornaments and gingerbread house and spent a big part of the afternoon playing with an old pair of reading glasses he found in a drawer!

Kids are so funny that way! I love telling the story about my older daughter's first Christmas. First baby, first grandbaby in many, many years and that baby girl had one huge pile of toys, let me tell you! Well.....you probably know what is coming next....the thing she dragged around and played with the entire day was a bag of uncooked macaroni! Go figure!

I have managed to get the wip pile a lot smaller! I've got it to the point that I'm almost ready to cast on something new!!! I have recently finished the Lady Eleanor shawl out of the Paton's Soy Wool.

Dh's hat and scarf out of Elsebeth Lavold Baby Alpaca.

The Forest Canopy Shawl out of Lana Grossa Chiara. I love how this yarn worked up on this project. I cast it on out of 3 other yarns and didn't like it before I tried this one!

Also got the Central Park Hoodie out of Jo Sharp....love, love this sweater!!

And last but not least finally got another pair of socks almost done. I didn't realize I had been neglecting sock duty until it started getting cold and I don't have enough socks! These are the Slippery Sock out of Naked Sheep. Have about 3 inches done on the second one.

After feeling like I knit like a fool with nothing to show for it I finally got some stuff finished!!! Yay!!

One and a half cats and Bragging Rights

For years we had 3 dogs and one cat. As most of you know, we lost our little Gidget this summer and still miss her so very much! Doing the math you would think we were down to 2 dogs and one cat....right?

Ummmm...apparently not! Over the past few months both DH and I, either suffering from insomnia or, in his case, getting up in the middle of the night for work....have "surprised" a sneaky nocturnal visitor making himself at home at Akira's food bowl!

I have to say....he/she is a pretty thing...big beautiful grey tabby.....quite well-fed it appears!!! I don't know if the bulk of his/her meals are from us or not, but it hasn't missed many meals if any.

We got a big laugh out of it once the shock of knowing that "visitors" were accessing the doggie door in the middle of the night.......and that Akira was throwing parties when we weren't looking!

Up until a couple of nights ago.....as far as we knew anyway.....the food bowl was the only interesting spot our visitor frequented....however, Ron got up early for work day before yesterday and went into one of the guest bedrooms to get something....flipped on the light....and guess who was curled up sleeping away on the guest bed!!!???

So...at this point it looks like we are the "proud owners" of half a cat! It still scoots away and out the doggie door as soon as we see it...... Haven't been able to pet it yet, but obviously it feels at home here so who knows! Haven't been able to get any pics of it so far but if I can catch any, I'll post them.

Now on to the Bragging Rights! I, as a parent, have always been, and still am....proud of my children. From the silly, sweet things they did as little girls up to now and the wonderful, smart, caring women they have grown up to be. In the kid department I have been abundantly blessed, no doubt about it!

A little about the older of the two: She works in the corporate offices of Micheal's in Irving, Tx. She is a senior buyer/designer for the table top framing department. She has only been with Michael's for a little over a year and has already been promoted and received a company award that some employees have never received....and the ones who have gotten it normally have been there for 5 years or more! I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments! Now for the really cool part......she has designed the entire Christmas framing lines of products! (Other lines as well!) It blows me away to know that literally thousands of people across the nation have something in their home that my girl designed/created!!!

Of course, Mom had to have some of them...lol! I couldn't afford to get one of everything she did, but I did get a few!

She did all the snow-globe frames and all of the frames in the store that are a Christmas design.
The snow globes are all music boxes as well....how cool is that?

I haven't gone through and found the pics to put in them yet, but here are the mini-frames and tree. She designed the tree they are displayed on too!
Pretty much anything that sits on a surface and holds pics....like these cute little placecard/picture holders and traditional frames, she designed!
So, if you get a chance to check out the framing department at Michael's you'll be looking at the work of my kid!!! One proud Mama....you betcha!

Outside

Ok, as promised....a few pics of outside. Of course, DH thinks it is too bare! After all, there are EMPTY spots in the yard...lol!

He usually gets at least one new "toy" to add to the collection every year.

The new one this year is the teeter-totter.

It's funny...all our kids tease us and make fun of us (in a nice way, of course), but I know beyond the shadow of a doubt.....if we missed a year they would all be sooo disappointed...lol! My daughter in Texas says the highlight of their trip every year is driving up in front of the house after dark!

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. The decorating, of course, then Friday we headed down to Mel & B's for the rest of the weekend. We had the best meal.....oh, my goodness! They always do a non-traditional type of meal and this time it was Mediterranean! Mousaka, dolmas, marinated pear salad.....yummmmm! The kiddies had a blast playing outside and the grown ups all ate too much...lol.


We went down in the motor home so we could take the dogs so we hung out with everyone during the day then spent the nights in our little home away from home.

Worked out pretty good!

We headed home Sunday morning and battled those 40 mph winds all the way back. It was a little like a roller coaster ride with those winds buffeting that rv around!

Now back home and getting ready for the rest of the holiday season.

Being a blended family there have been years that we have had someone here for Christmas every weekend in December! This year not so. Only one of the families that live out of Oklahoma are going to be able to make it this year. All the shopping is done, just need to get some of it in the mail and starting the baking/cooking!