Phew!

These three are on their way back to Chicago as of this afternoon.

And these two are recovering from all this week's loving.
A cap
A cowl
Fingerless gloves
In between giving hugs, reading stories, and cooking, I finished up a few quick projects. It's been a very busy and happy week~~~BUT no baby! Maybe he's aiming to be number 1 of 2012?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Still Waiting~~~~~but BUSY!

The past few days have been busy ones, filled with last minute shopping, several projects, baking, an extra long choir practice~all the good things that lead up to Christmas.
Yesterday, I attempted to make something from all these pieces!

Can you even believe this little guy was lurking in all that "mess"?

Way last spring I promised to make this for my young friend's American Girl doll and finally finished it in time for her birthday last week.

This cute pattern is available on Ravelry and knits up pretty fast. It takes a bit of patience to put the pieces together, but I think my little herd was worth the effort!

And then there was the washcloth with the Christmas yarn from Hobby Lobby that I started a while back. (That is really soft cotton yarn, by the way!)

Meanwhile, we are still waiting for a certain plane from Chicago and a certain baby who seems determined to arrive on schedule along with the New Year. We have some serious wrapping to do before then as well as a bit of decorating. Look at these cute ornaments and jewelry we found at the UW hospital this week, all profits to benefit cancer research. "Jewels of Hope" has an online shop at Etsy, too!

Oops! Gotta run and check on my cranberry bread; I think I hear the timer dinging.

PS: If you care to tune in, you can hear our choir on Christmas Eve at 6:30, 8:00, or 9:30 PM (PST). (All services are streamed live.) Merry Christmas!

Waiting.........

Last year at this time I was waiting to have gall bladder surgery just a few days before Christmas; this year we all are waiting for much more pleasant events. Just a week ago, we learned that "Chicago" is coming! And arriving on Christmas Eve!



Here's what Daniel's doing to pass the time:




And I've been finishing up some projects. This jumper was supposed to be for Sophia's birthday last August but life intervened. Now I just need to find a little shirt and some tights to go with it.

Depending on when Baby arrives, these will either be a Christmas gift or a welcome gift.

Meanwhile, we're all still waiting.......

WHEN???

This December we two grandmas are reliving history through our Catherine. It seems like yesterday but wasn't, and we didn't know each other then. One December long ago, I was expecting Catherine, and another December a bit longer ago, MaryAnn was awaiting Catherine's husband, Brent. And now Catherine and Brent are waiting. Baby S. is due to arrive with the New Year, but will he keep us waiting that long. We don't know. But we all are waiting none too patiently...... Catherine arrived on December 28 and Brent held out until January 10. When, Baby, when?

Brent requested a "coming-home" hat, and as you can see there was enough yarn left to make some matching socks.

Last summer I used a pattern from Churchmouse Yarn and Tea to make this blanket.


My blogging friend Linda made this wonderful diaper bag. I suggested some colors, and she found perfect fabric. (How did she know that Catherine spent weeks in Africa with her former job ? You will see lots of other beautiful bags as well as pictures of her pretty California garden at her blog.)


And I made this hat "just in case!"

We are ready and waiting and praying for a safe arrival. Whenever, Baby, whenever you are ready. Godspeed!

Women's Christmas Dessert

This past Tuesday was the night my friend Debbie and I decorated a table for the annual Women's Christmas Dessert. (This event takes place on two evenings and one afternoon with many different decorators partcipating each time.) This was our table, number 25, so you know there was lots of looking to do!

I loved the simplicity of this centerpiece.

The pale green lace overlay on this table was stunning!

Who'd have thought of chosing a black tablecloth?

Doesn't this table look wintery?

For some reason the red and white striped placemats don't show up well on my photo but what a fun use of candy canes!

Here's one with a beautiful poinsettia as the focal point.

What a fun way to cover those wooden letters!

It's always fun at this event to see the creativity that surrounds the season, but we also enjoyed a special presentation of Christmas carols by Ross Hauck and Alicia Lewis as well as "The Birth" as presented by Tap Root Theater. Mostly, though , it was just a gathering of women, celebrating the beginning of the Christmas season together early in December in preparation for the Nativity.

If you care to tune in on Sunday at either 9 or 11 in the morning (PST) you can join our choir as we worship through music. Till then may you be enveloped in the love and anticipation that surround these days of December.

Where Has All the Stitching Gone?

Spurred on by Debra, I've been thinking of my stitching life over the past year and realized that since we began remodeling our kitchen last spring, I've not once picked up an embroidery project! And there are quite a few unfinished projects waiting patiently for me to get going, so with that in mind, and a gentle push from Debra, I signed up for TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday), hoping to learn some new stitches and hoping to finish some long neglected ones. Lots of WIPS are waiting for me:
The Christmas Sampler
The Christmas Quilt
CQ Purse Front
CQ Purse Back

And that's just a few WIPs that come to mind. Lately I've been doing lots of knitting, and yes, there are some unfinished projects of that ilk also. But I have finished a number of things including this shawlette for my sister.

So, in 2012 I am going to finish as many of these projects as possible, but first I have to think up a TAST project, something for all those new stitches. Any ideas? And just in case you wondered, the kitchen is finished....except for a new light fixture.

But then there're all those Christmas projects......... waiting patiently!

Out and About~

While my sister and Ted were still here, the sun came out, so we hopped in the car and went to Discovery Park. Lots of trails wind through the park, and we took the one that goes down to the beach and light house. Since we were there last, the light house has been painted and looks great! I think there are also plans to refurbish the inside as well. As you can see, the mountain (that's what the natives call Mount Rainier) is out. It's not really that close though; Dick was using the zoom lense on his camera.

After all of our company left, we took a long postponed walk with our friends Denny and Dianne in the Nisqually National Wildlife Preserve . We'd been there a number of years ago with them, but in the past couple of years the area has been upgraded with wooden boardwalks and a visitor center has been added. Can you see what's in this tree? The sign says that eighteen eagles live in the preserve.

One whole field was full of Canadian geese. And what a racket they were making! Every so often a group would take off and move to another spot, squawking as they flew.

I don't know what this snowy egret was looking for....lunch perhaps?

We could see the Tacoma Narrows bridge!

This Great Blue heron entertained us as it waded around in the shallows. As we left the boardwalk the tide was going out, and it was very interesting to watch. It was also very cold and damp which reminded me that December is coming and that I had some Christmasy yarn to use.


Two more dishcloths for the holidays....and lots more projects underway. Stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When my Christmas cactus starts looking like this, we know that the holidays are quickly approaching. This is the first time though, since we received it as a gift from Montsic and Janet a few years ago, that both colors have bloomed at once like they did then! Maybe that means it's going to be an extra special Christmas? Don't know about you, but I've got lots to do before then!

If you're looking for something different and very tasty to serve on Thanksgiving, here's just the thing: Apple-Cranberry Cake on Jules Speaks Gluten Free . Don't be afraid of the gluten free part; you can substitue wheat flour. In fact, I forgot to add the melted butter, and it still got a "thumbs up" from Dick....and me. It's DELICIOUS! (And easy!) We've taken to eating it at breakfast.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Birthday Bash!

If you thought I seemed a bit distracted recently, you were right. The kids and I were very busy working out the details of a surprise birthday party for Dick. His extra special birthday very conveniently fell on the weekend this year which helped us get lots of the family together, all unbeknownst to him. It was SO fun. On Friday night the festivities began at an Italian restaurant near DD#2's house. Doesn't he look surprised?

His brother and my sister and their spouses came from San Francisco and MN. Isn't it great they were able to join us?

Then on Saturday night our supposed "pizza party" turned into a special dinner with a few of our long time friends as well as the family. And who showed up then? DD#1 from Chicago which was a surprise to all of us except her siblings. We are SO fortunate to have such a wonderful family.
Here's a rare photo of our whole family together. DS left last Monday for Asia!

Meanwhile, I was busily trying to sneak in a few minutes with my knitting needles before our Sunday afternoon event, but more about that the next time.

What a great weekend it was! And best of all, Dick is back to the good part of the year when we are both the same age.....