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Friday, July 26, 2013

On the Needles and.........Waiting!

It seems that waiting for a baby to arrive causes a severe case of startitis!  Not only did I cast on this cute sweater (Tea Leaves pattern on Ravelry) as well as another baby item,




but I also started these mitts. The pattern is called Point Reyes Mitts and can be found in the Classic Elite Yarns newsletter,  #160.


Instead, I should have been finishing this little guy's baseball sweater which is half put together. "Oma, what were you thinking?"



These flowers kept us waiting and seemed to be buds forever, but this week they showed themselves.  Fuchsias remind me of tiny ballet dancers!



Finally after receiving the wrong book first, the mail brought the book with the sock pictured in Kathy B's post. It has a bunch of fun looking sock patterns including the one with pockets. And yes, the pattern for the teddy is included! Maybe I need to start that??? No, really, I do need to finish that sweater for Max.  (BTW, baby isn't really due till mid-August.  Just think how many things could be cast on before then!)

Friday, July 19, 2013

Off the Needles ~ and So On!

Baby S has been threatening to make an early appearance which has spurred this Oma on to finishing some projects.


While I really like this little sweater, the pattern itself leaves lots to be desired.  It is full of inconsistencies which made the knitting process difficult.


These fuzzy little booties are ready and waiting, too.


Chart B is complete on the Guernsey Triangle shawl, bu I think there's an error on the middle of the right side that needs to be corrected.  Right now it's in time out!


This long-time project is coming along, too.  That bear which is all french knots is taking forever!


The calla lily surprised us with a second bloom, and the other bulb is working on a blossom also!

The second sleeve on the baseball sweater from last week's post is done, and I'm working on the collar.  Can you tell I've been in the car a lot this past week?  Stay tuned!

Monday, July 15, 2013

The San Diego Zoo and Then Some

Gosh, it's been almost a month since we got home from San Diego, and I'm still posting pictures from our trip. This is the last of it, I promise! After we left the house in San Marcos, we spent 2 days in San Diego so that we'd be closer to the things we wanted to do.  We spent a fun day at the zoo and quickly remembered why we always liked to go there so often when we lived in that city.  (It's way more expensive now though but still well worth it!)



One of the first things you see upon entering is the flamingo exhibit.  This time, however, the birds were nesting!  Don't you wonder how they build those nests?  When the mamas stood up, you could see their eggs, and occasionally there was a brave chick out for a walk between its mama's long legs.  I had no idea the babies would be grey.



After meeting up with our kids, who got there much earlier than we did, we headed to the panda exhibit. Did you know that bamboo was so delicious?  Having only seen pandas in pictures, I really didn't even mind standing in line to see the this bear and her two children!



While waiting, we were entertained by this red panda  who was just waking up from a nap.  (The sign said it's not really a panda, however.)



We had a fun lunch before exploring the rest of the zoo.  Then we saw.......



the walk-though bird cage, 



lots of interesting plants,




enjoyed the Children's petting zoo,



and found the brand-new Koala exhibit.  Isn't he cute?




Our last day in San Diego, we visited Old Town with Jill and Michael's friends, the Kaspers, who now live in Fresno.  Those huge plants in front of the old buildings are Century Plants (agave).





After looking around some more, we enjoyed a Mexican meal topped off with churros for the kids.  They then headed back to the beach in La Jolla where David got to see the friendly squirrels again,


 and Oma and Opa went back to the hotel to relax.  Now everyone is back at home with only the memories of ten very fun  days together.



Friday, July 12, 2013

Finis!!!

Spurred on by DD#2's early contractions, I've really focused  this week on the baby projects! The blanket is finished and ready to deliver.  The frilly jacket needs a bit more seaming and its buttons. (Photo next week hopefully)


The pattern is from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas and is just a giant version  of the washcloth!  (with different yarn, of course)


This is the start of sleeve #2 on a sweater for big brother.  It calls for Poppas instead of buttons. Has anyone used them?


Working in the yard has been high on our list, too, as the weeds took great advantage of our being gone for 10 days in June.  Watching everything bloom though is a fine reward for our efforts.  Much to our delight, the two calla lily bulbs planted earlier decided to sprout and this one has two flowers.


Our recent delightfully clear weather has also encouraged a few road trips.  We were exploring the Key Peninsula when we came across these two young deer.  I was glad they weren't in our yard as they were happily munching on anything and  everything in sight.


Our sunny days have made the solar-powered garden twinkle lights very happy.  They put on a show for a little while each night as soon as it begins to get dark.  Now, back to work with the promise of the zoo photos soon.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Fun at "Our" California House

We had lots of fun at our house during  the rest of the week. David and Daniel were intrigued by the lizards in the backyard of "our" house. Can you see it? The weather was perfect, sunny and warm.


Other wildlife kept us entertained.  The Backyard Bunny made daily appearances.


This crazy fellow had a huge repertoire and sang nonstop all day long ~~~all night, too! (Our bird book says that mocking birds do that in the spring.  Didn't he know it was summer?)


Dick accidentally caught this guy contemplating his dinner choice.


The yard was nice and roomy, just right for a game of Frisbee.


It was fun to play inside, too.


Even the stairs provided some fun.


We entertained our Colorado friends, the Liggetts, who were in California babysitting for their grand kids. They brought them down from Hermosa Beach to spend the day. We saw them again on the way to the LA airport to return something that had been forgotte.


When things got too wild and crazy, the kids went off to the beach or park and Oma and Opa went exploring. One of our favorite sandwich places had just reopened after a remodel but the torpedo sandwiches were as good as we remembered.



We found only one of the very first placed we rented.  The little duplex was the same except for the front yard which had been converted into a parking place. (We parked in the back alley.)


We also drove by our first house, the one we watched being built, and the one where we brought home all three of our babies.



A few blocks away was daughter Jill's first school, the one she attended until third grade when we moved to Washington state.



At the very of the week we moved into a motel in San Diego so we could more easily explore some of the sights there. More on that later, it's almost time for the fireworks.  Hope you had a wonderful Fourth!  (We enjoyed a backyard picnic with our younger daughter's family and our son.)  Back soon with the last of our photos~~~~