Thanksgiving/Christmas

The kids were able to come down for Thanksgiving so we combined it with a Christmas celebration. We will go to dd's house on Christmas Eve and have dinner with her family, but for all intensive purposes, we are done with Christmas for this year. Jack and I were both sick up to the time of the holiday, which made it hard to get things done. Somehow I got all the decorating and cooking done in time.

I bought the boys matching outfits and they wore them for their picture with Santa. Jackson wasn't too thrilled with Santa this year but they got him to quit crying so they could take the picture.

He and Thomas had such a good time together. Thomas was patient and kind with Jackson and Jackson hero worshipped Thomas, following him everywhere and emulating anything Thomas didn.

We got a kick out of Jackson. His parents have a Wii and Jackson would play Wii with Thomas though he had no idea he wasn't really playing. He would swing the controller like he was playing baseball or tennis then point at the tv. He was a hoot. We bought him an Elmo live for Christmas and it is an adorable toy. He sings and dances and tells stories. He has a little plastic stool that he squats on and sits to tell stories. Well, Jackson came over, pushed Elmo over, took the stool and sat on it. Now this thing is plastic and not made for a toddler's butt, but Jackson didn't care! lol

The kids loved their gifts and the adults had fun exchanging their silly children's gifts. The little ones then took all the kids gifts the adults exchanged to the Salvation Army and gave them away.

I developed either food poisoning or the flu on Friday and was sick through the rest of the holiday. I didn't get to enjoy Saturday with them at all as I had to stay home all day. Jay and Alicia went home on Sunday and all is now quiet again at our house. I am cleaning up Thanksgiving leftovers, sent all the junk food with Jack to work and am putting things back to normal except for the decorations. We will leave them up until Christmas then take them down and pack them away again.

I am making another apple hat for my dil's niece in a bigger size, then 3 more hats for the little girl with cancer. These are the patterns I chose and will start on them when I finish with the apple hat. I also have a felted newsboy bag I have to make for my niece to hold her school books and am waiting for that yarn before I can begin it.

Hope everyone who peeks in is doing well. TTFN! Donna

Halloween has come and gone...

The kids both had a fun time trick or treating this year. Jay said Jackson helped hand out candy, but wanted to eat it more than anything! lol Here he is in his little doggy costume. I was flabbergasted at how he had grown! He looks like a 3 year old instead of less than 18 months. His dad says he is the youngest in his group at day care, but is bigger than all of them. He is going to be his daddy for sure.

I forgot my camera and didn't get a picture of Thomas in his Futurama costume. The brain slug was hard to keep on as it was top heavy, but with a little wrangling we got it to stay. I don't think I said that after the Wall Street Journal article he was invited onto Good Morning America and here is the link to his national debut on television. He is now a star at school!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6113801

I am still trudging along with the candy cane hats. I just can't seem to get into a knitting mode. I have a friend who wants me to teach a knitting class to little kids and moms at St Judes. She is trying to arrange something. That should be interesting considering I knit left handed. Not continental, left handed.

Voting is done and we have a soon to be new president. If the white supremicists don't get him in the first year. They seem to be trying, that is for sure the scum. They have killed for a lot less. I am not impressed with him and could care less about his color. I think he will raise taxes for the very people he promises tax breaks to so he can fund his inflated welfare and social programs. Someone has to pay for it and the middle class always take the brunt of anything the government wants to do.

I seem to be destined to screw up the plumbing in this place. In the last year I broke off both spouts on both tubs and day before yesterday the shower head came off in my hand. Nice thing is I have a nice handheld now that I have always been wanting and all new fixtures on the tub since the plumber came in and replaced them all. They are original fixtures so thirty + years old so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that stuff has happened, but why can't it happen to Jack???

I have been doing some spring cleaning before the kids get here at Thanksgiving and boy it poops me out. I push myself too much, but stuff has to get done and I am the only one to do it the way I want it. I have made a lot of progress over the last couple days.

Guess I will sign off and get some breakfast fixed for Jack.

Our grandson has made the Wall Street Journal! They did an article on kids in politics and Thomas was one of the kids. Part of his "election" speech for a Student Council position he ran for and won is in the article along with info on him and his picture. Check it out:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122472869877161477.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_page_one

I am currently working on candy cane hats for the family Christmas picture, red with white for my dd's family and white with red for my son's. I will do something different then for Jack and I. If they don't want them, we will donate them to charity afterwards.

I have lots of yarn and knitting I can do, but am having some pain in the joint and muscle of my elbow so it makes it painful to knit sometimes. Nothing is on a time frame though so I don't feel pressed except to get the hats done and they go pretty fast.

Jackson, Alicia and Jay will be down here for Thanksgiving and we are celebrating Christmas at the same time. We decided to do something fun and charitable this year. We are buying gifts for the adults, but they are to be toys or games that fit the personality of the person. We are then going to donate them all to Toys for Tots. I bought my son a stuffed Spongebob Squarepants in a Karate Gi because he does jujitsu, my daughter-in-law an Alchemy game because she is a pharmacist, a Rubik's Cube for my son-in-law because he is a puzzle that takes time to figure out and my dd I bought the card game Mad Gab because she is a talker. It was fun thinking of what to buy. My dil was the hardest and I overspent on our $10 budget for each, but I couldn't find anything.

Next time, I hope to have more knitting pics to post. Until then, have a great one!

A brain Slug????????

Kelly emailed me and ask if I would make a brain slug for Thomas to wear for Halloween. He is going to be some character from the Futurama cartoon and needed me to knit him a brain slug. I guess this is what a brain slug looks like!

















Thomas won his seat on the Student Council
by unanimous school vote. Someone at Wall Street
Journal saw his UTube and wants to interview him
for the newspaper. My 8 year old grandson the famous politician!

Well tonight starts the baseball playoffs. Cubs and Dodgers start at 5:00 I guess. Sure hope the ole Cubbies are on top of their game. Maybe they can go all the way this year. I get so emotional about the game, which is kind of stupid.

Guess I better get back to knitting and doing chores. They just don't seem to want to do themselves.

Back to Normal

I know it has been a long time since I updated my blog, but I have been recovering from my second surgery then have been trying to get everything back to normal. I still have some ongoing issues that will likely last forever, but after two surgeries in one year, I feel pretty darn good basically. I celebrated my 55th birthday yesterday with Kelly, Tom and Thomas and we missed having Jay, Alicia, and Jackson there, but the kids live 600 miles apart so we aren't going to be able to have most things together. We are looking forward to a Thanksgiving/Christmas time together this year.

I just started back to knitting and have completed a couple things since then.

I made three hats for a little girl with cancer that my dd knows.

I got this notion to have a candy cane themed Christmas so am making candy cane striped hats for the whole family. These don't have their candy cane buttons on the front yet. One of the kid's families will have red with white stripes and the other white with red stripes.

Here is a new picture of Jackson. He celebrated his first birthday in June and is now walking up a storm. Jay called last night to wish me a happy birthday and told me "Alicia had to work all weekend so I have been babysitting Piglet." I guess he runs them ragged now.

Our Thomas, who is in third grade and is now a big 8 years old, is now class president and has a seat on the student council. He is running for the Sergeant at Arms position and below is the link to his campaign speech. He wrote every word himself! He is such a great and funny kid.

http://twurl.nl/ieu7is

Jack is always the same, my very best friend and a great husband. He is doing well, no more heart problems, recently had an ekg and an electrocardiogram to make sure and all is well.

Since we didn't get our Vegas trip this year because of my surgeries, we were supposed to go to Houston the Friday-Monday, Sept 12-15 to see the Cubs play the Houston Astros. Yep, you guessed it, that was the weekend of the hurricane. Luckily, we were able to get enough info on Thursday to not make the trip. It was disappointing as we had no vacation this year, but we had paid for the pet hotel so we loaded up Fortune and took him then since the car was packed to go to Houston, just headed to St Louis for a few days. Hung out at a very nice hotel, visited the casinos and no we didn't win any money, and went shopping at one of their nice malls. Got a bargain at Macy's found a $120 handbag, and you know me and handbags, marked down to $50. I loved it so went to pay for it and they were having a weekend sale and I ended up getting if for less than $30!!!! Woohoo! Can't beat that.

I promise to try better to get in here and keep my blog updated. I know a couple of you keep an eye on it.

Barely Less Than a Week

My surgery is scheduled for Monday the 21st and I have been rushing around getting cleaning, grocery shopping and other chores done before I go in. My husband's sister is coming for the week I am in the hospital as well as my son coming down for a couple days. All in all, I am fairly ready to get this over with no matter the outcome.

We went up north to visit our son, dil and grandson the first of April and brought back some adorable pictures of Jackson. He now has 6 teeth and is almost walking as you can see from the pictures. His granddad brought him back the Japanese headband from Wrigley field when he and our son went to a game. They have a new right fielder who is Japanese.






















































Here is the horseshoe lace sweater that I did for my sister's birthday and she loved it.



















I then decided to start something for myself. I have the back finished which is all in the dot stitch and here is what I have finished so far of the front. It will be a tunic length with side slits.















We won't be going to Vegas this year because of my surgery, but we are planning on a trip to see the Cubs in Houston in September so I look forward to that.

Until next time friends....

Surgery finally Scheduled!

I have a good report back on my tests and they have now scheduled my re-connection surgery for April 21. At least it won't blow my whole summer and I will be well and strong for our baseball trip to see the Cubs play in Houston in Sept. I have to say I am anxious just to get it all over with. I feel well and want to get my whole life back.

I have been knitting a lot. I finished all the baby projects for the shower.

I am now working on a horseshoe lace sweater for my friend Becky for her birthday. I have a good part of the back done already.

We are looking forward to going up and see our son, dil and grandson the first weekend in April before I have my surgery. Jack and Jay will be heading off to see a CUBS game on Saturday and I will be attending the baby shower in the afternoon though I am planning on begging off early and going and seeing my best friend and taking her birthday present to her a bit early. We then only have Sunday together and back on the road for home. Short trip, but at least we get to see the kids and our grandson.

I guess it is back to knitting for me and finishing up the new Stuart Woods book, Beverly Hills Dead. Almost finished with it.

What a month!

We have been having a run of bad luck lately. We had the cat issue, then our whole upstairs was blacked out and it included the furnace so it was freezing in the house until the electrician got to the house the following day. So much for emergency service. On this last Sunday, I was running errands, turned into the Walmart drive and I heard a popping like I ran over a paper bag or something then the car started vroom, putt, putt, putt, sort of like the sound of a blown head gasket. It wasn't blowing smoke out the back, nor dumping oil and I could restart it over and over so I didn't think it was anything engine trouble wise. (It ended up being a spark plug came out of its hole and when it did, it tore up the threads) Unless you have the whole thing taken out and the holes redrilled, which costs between 2-3 thousand $$$$, the only thing they can do is basically stick some kind of coil in it and it doesn't hold indefinitely. The mechanic says he did one that lasted 12,000 miles and another guy that works there has one that has lasted 2 years. That cost us nearly $700. On top of that, this weekend is the weekend I have to purge than next Monday I have my tests so all in all it has been a stressful few weeks.

Knitting keeps me focused and calm so here goes with my current projects that are finished. The red sweater is a present for my sister for her birthday.

The little green and white sweater and hat and the yellow carseat blanket, goes with the little apple hat for the baby shower for my dil's sister. I am in the beginnings of making little khaki bell bottoms to go with the sweater and hat.

I am now facing surgery in a couple months and am anxious to just get it over with. We have had to postpone our trip to Indiana so I am going to have to mail out the gifts to my best friend and for the baby shower and then mail my sister's presents too. Hopefully, we will be able to go and visit the baby in July. I am hoping this test shows all things look good to go ahead with the surgery again.

Everyone have a great February!

Knitting Til the Sun Goes Down

I have been knitting a lot these days again. Trying to get things done before I go back into the hospital. I have the yellow sweater done for my girlfriend's May birthday and have all but one short sleeve done on my sister's sweater for her April birthday. I also whipped this little newborn hat up over the weekend. My daughter-in-law Alicia's sister is expecting a baby in May and my dil is having her shower the Saturday we are up there visiting. She invited me so I feel obligated to go and am working on some projects for gifts, this being one of them. I have a felted bag I have to do for my friend's other daughter and take it with me in April as she lives in Indiana.

I am going to make a little striped hat and matching sweater for the baby in a 9 months since he or she is due in May. She only wants bright colors so I am making a crimson and white striped sweater and hat combo. After that, I will have everything caught up so may start on the grandson's Christmas sweaters.



We were expecting Jack's sister and brother-in-law this weekend, but she called and it may be postponed. They live in Lubbock, TX and are driving to North Caroline to pick up their son, who is in the army and coming home from Afghanistan. He was supposed to be home this weekend, but they haven't heard from him so they doubt he will be back in the states by then. We spent all day yesterday shampooing carpets so they were nice and fresh and we had just finished putting the furniture back when she called!



Our weather here has been pleasant for the most part. It did get cold for about a week, but it warmed up nicely today. We even got a bit of sleet on Friday, but that didn't last long. Too bad the morons that live here can't seem to understand the concept of slowing down on wet and slick roads because there were accidents everywhere and it wasn't even that bad out.



Hope everyone out there in cyber land has a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Donna

A Truly Sad Day

We had to put our beautiful cat Butterscotch to sleep yesterday. He had total kidney failure and there was nothing we could do to save him. It broke my heart to have to do this, but he had lost a lot of weight and quit eating and drinking as of Thursday. He was such a sweet little guy, but totally my cat so it is especially hard on me.


As far as my surgery goes, they are looking at the middle of April to go back in and reattach everything. I will be glad when it is all over and I can have a normal life back. I am hoping my recovery is fairly quick so I can get out and walk again. I am feeling pretty good now, my incision is completely healed and no ostomy problems, but I do have a lot of problems with my back now. I have to sleep on my back totally and that is tough for me so I don't usually sleep very well. I end up taking a sleep aid after about 5 days of little sleep to catch up.

My knitting is going well. I have finished two handbags and a sweater. The two bags are for a friend's daughter and sister and the sweater is a birthday present for my longest and best friend of 41 years, Vicki.

Other than that, it is quiet at our house. Here is a new picture of my little dumpling! He was 7 months old January 10.