Flashback Friday: Granny

I have been thinking a lot about my Granny lately. She passed away just over 5 years ago and I miss her. She loved all of her grandchildren very much and sometimes, she was my best friend. It is hard to remember a time when Granny and Poppa weren't a part of our lives. I grew up hearing stories about how they baby sat each of us kids when we were babies... how when Granny was bathing my older brother... his hair fell out and how when I was just a baby, she let me crawl around on the floor naked... which allowed me to poop on the floor. That was the funniest story.

Most of all, what I remember is how even as she continued to grow older and more frail, she never stopped playing with us. Granny and Poppa were blessed with another grandson when I was almost 15 years old... my little brother, Jacob. So, while Poppa mostly sat in his spot on the couch and grumped around... Granny was up, playing with the kids... and their rowdy dog!

I remember her chasing us around her house with the monster face on. I can hear the shriek in my voice as a screamed down the hallway trying to escape the Granny-Monster. I remember making mud pies out back. Granny and Poppa had a covered patio in their back yard that had flower beds around it. We would sit on the patio and play in the mud in the flower beds. My Granny... was the best Granny.

While reviewing photos last week for my flashback friday post, I found a photo of my Granny from Christmas 2000... I have a lot of photos from that year but this one reminded me of the fun, energetic Granny... the one who promised to teach me how to drive... the one who fed me a light breakfast on Sunday mornings before she made pancakes around noon just for us... the one who always had ice cream in the freezer... the Granny-Monster.

This is Granny on the razor scooter my little brother, James, got for Christmas that year. I also have photos of Jacob (that's him behind Granny) on it who was almost two at the time and my favorite photo of Jacob and I on it together. Maybe I will share those pictures next week.

WIP Wednesday: Update

Last week I shared with you my "start but don't finish a project" condition. I wanted to update you on how that is working out for me. This last week (while looking at several projects that I could make) I forced myself to work on one project. I completed the pink and red baby blanket that was shown in the top left corner of last weeks photo. I decided not do add a red border... but I think that it is beautiful without it!
NOTE: I used this pattern here for the blanket.

Now I am focusing on the blue and yellow striped corner to corner baby blanket that was also seen in last weeks photo. I have started my decreases and am happy that I am more than half way done, I should have it finished by next Wednesday!

Once I have these two blankets done, I will be putting the blankets aside for a short while. I need to finish my Christmas gifts for my family back home in Washington. I have all of my gifts done except for the ones for my little brother. I have to make him a rabbit and a hat. Those should take 1-2 weeks max and then its back to blankets. I plan to finish the random squares blanket first, then the one I didn't take a picture of because it is a Christmas gift and then the purple round ripple.

As a reminder, here are the photos of the finished blanket and my WIP photo from last week!

Help Me Decide...

I am finally finished with this baby blanket. I have hidden all the loose ends and I believe I am finished. I just can't decide....

I have enough red yarn to do a single crochet edging on the blanket... I think.

So... what do you think, should I add the edging?

Flashback Friday: My Two Favorite Dogs

Today I want to share about two wonderful, loyal dogs that were important in my life.

The first one is Winnie. I remember back in 1989/1990 when Dad brought her home from the pound. She was this cute little puppy (I have a puppy photo somewhere but we bought a house 8 months ago and I don't know where everything is!). Winnie was with us for about 12 years. She suffered from epilepsy (seizures)... there were many days where dad found her seizing in the back yard. It was hard, after my parents divorced and Dad got sick, we couldn't afford her medication. I remember data telling me that he was afraid he would have to put her down at some point. That day finally came when I was in my senior year of high school. I was devastated. Winnie loved people and was very loyal.

Winnie 2000

Then there was Sampson. Sampson was a golden retriever. My uncle used to breed them and he sent Sampson to my Granny and Poppa back in 1995/1996 (I think) for Christmas. I remember picking Sampson up at the Portland, OR airport. Sampson was from Florida... and like I said, it was Christmas. I remember seeing the cute fluffy ball of a puppy walk around in the frozen grass. Sampson grew into a BIG loyal and hyper dog. Sampson seemed to age quickly, right along with Granny and Poppa. He developed Glaucoma as well as other dog things. 

Sampson 2000

WIP Wednesday: Blankets

I made two jokes last night... one being that I would die under a pile of unfinished blankets and one being that my husband would soon have to medicate me for my condition. I recently discovered (meaning I have known for a while) that I have a hard time starting and finishing a project. I don't actually have a condition but sometimes I feel so scattered. I know I do this to myself... I am always looking at new crochet patterns and am constantly thinking about what I could do with this yarn or that yarn. This is how I got here. My WIP Wednesday photo shows 6 blankets in progress... one was not shown because I was afraid the person it was for would see it.

I plan to finish the pink and red one and the blue and yellow one before the others, then the blue and red one... we will see!

Monday Monday

I had a great weekend. The marriage conference was great, I very much enjoyed spending time with our friends. I found a greater appreciation for my husband who has taken wonderful care of me since I developed this tendinitis in my foot.

While we were at the conference we learned that Clay and Renee Crosse are ambassadors for Holt International. Holt International is a Christian organization that provides temporary foster care for children over seas while they wait to be either adopted or returned to their birth family. Jeff and I both felt called to sponsor a child. This means that we will provide $30.00 a month for this child to have food, clothes and necessites provided. This will last until he is placed with a family... usually 6-12 months.

Our child's name is Gyeong-heum and he will be 1 year old on Feb 27, 2010. We will never meet this child but I pray for him daily... sometimes several times daily.

After the marriage conference Jeff took me to Savers. I got some yarn and started a baby blanket... I am very happy with how it is working up. You can click on the photo to see it in a lager form.

Thrifty Finds

Today, Jeff and I went to a marriage enrichment event at a local church. The guest speaker was Christian music artist, Clay Crosse and his wife Renee. They have been putting on these events across the country and I very much enjoyed it.

Afterward, we went to Savers. I have to admit... the first time I ever went to Savers it was to look at some furniture. A friend at work had told me about these amazing deals she saw there the week before. I had no idea that it was a second hand store... until I got there. The furniture wasn't attractive in anyway and some of it was in very poor condition. I was put off and planned to never enter that place again...

And then I learned about the great deals you can find at thrift stores on yarn and craft stuff. So I asked Jeff if we could stop by. I think I scored big time with 3 skiens of Red Heart Baby yarn and three skeins of some random worsted weight acrylic... my favorite purchase was my head! I saw it and told Jeff to grab it... I can use it to photograph my hats (way better looking than me!). I got all this for $11.00!!