30 days of thankful continues

12. 13. and 14.

so thankful for these 2 awesome ladies-my sisters in law Karen and Mary.  They are the best, always willing to share their knowledge, and lend a helping hand.  I consider their friendship one of my biggest blessing.

of course, I can't forget the rest of the in-laws Polly and Roy and Ron (Marc too).  Always kind and generous, really can't say enough about how good they've been to me.  Also, what a great example they have set for me.

and perhaps a bit more selfish, a new sweater. the photo is from an odd angle, but I wanted to post it ASAP, so there you go.  I love everything about it. I'm glad that I have a hobby that provides me with a challenge, makes me feel productive, and at the same time can bring me a sense of peace.  I'm also thankful that if I fall behind on my postings there's no judgement!  Happy Friday.

Days 2-4. family

 thankful for. . .
 these guys

us

knitting and the family  i have because of it

a few quiet moments before.

this happens...sigh.....they really DO grow up!

before holiday madness descends.

i was glad to have a few stress-free days to just focus on the moment.  on friday, sara and i had dinner plans. i had quite a bit of time on my hands before dinner, so i checked out a boutique near my office- en paris-a very cute place, and bought a file tote, which also makes a great knitting tote! i'm sure it'll appear in future blog posts. then i headed to starbucks for a coffee and knitting time. i was at the communal table until a spot in a comfy chair was available. loved the view, knitting on my cardigan (which is now finished!), watching the cars and people go by. the dinner and company were very good.

on saturday, brunch was on the menu-it's bowling night for steve and andrew, so a hearty mid-day meal beckoned. andrew wanted to make eggs benedict-with homemade hollandaise sauce (of course)-i was in charge of the potatoes and i made orange cranberry scones.  it was wonderful.

AND we had a couple extra guests-pj was spending a few days with christopher so they joined us, and we had a good time catching up with the college boys.

since dinner was just mom and i-i re-heated leftover pork loin chops, made some asparagus, and mushroom risotto-i think i could live on risotto-such a versatile dish.

on sunday, we had baked penne and i wanted a special dessert to celebrate pj being home-he loves coconut, so we had toasted poundcake (i love homemade poundcake), coconut ice cream and pineapple salsa. not only was it delicious, but watching pj's face light up and his high praise on a delicious meal made the calories so worthwhile. we had a lot of laughs-especially talking with "siri" on my i-phone.
the weekend wrapped up with a lovely call-if not spotty- from mary recapping a surprise b.day party, what's on and off our knitting needles and our upcoming family get togethers. now i think i'm ready for the holidays (at least thanksgiving) cooking timelines and menus planned, grocery lists made. hopefully there will be many blog posts to capture the moments.

margaritas and noses.

after a few margaritas, karen and i were noticing that paula, pj, jillian and steve all have the same nose. hard to miss when they were sitting next to each other and across from the two of us. karen has the best picture that shows the profiles, and i took this one on my phone as an afterthought. note to self and mary-need to include sara and mary in this discussion/observation. am pretty sure andrew has the "bowen" nose, so we need to figure out katie and sara. of course, the next round of margaritas could lead into a whole other discussion-depending on where you're sitting

catching up

had a wonderful meal at goldfish, with Dustin, Kecia and Charles. steve joined us as well, and helped with the photos. was nice catching up with kecia as we haven't seen each other since september. she'll be having surgery in august, so plans were made to help out during her recovery. will give us a chance to do more catching up on sisterly stuff-i'm sure there will be some knitting, quilting and cooking in there, as we are so much alike when it comes to domestic stuff. we also saw usher-yes the singer-he was at the table next to ours. charles shook his hand on his way out, but it was his night off so no photo op, but cool anyway- great food and wine and time together-these are times to be cherished.

Happy Birthday Sara

wishing you all the best on your birthday. i have enjoyed watching you grow- from the rosy cheeked toddler, uttering "lillia need help?"- your way of trying to understand why i needed help after my car accident- to singing loud and proud to the spice girls, and now your curiosity with all things culinary. you've been such a good sport about the knitting obsession that permeates around you. your hard work, diligence, and your kind heart will take you far. i look forward to watching your future unfold as you continue on your journey...

much love to you on this special day
aunt lydia

cupcakes, champagne and Sherlock Holmes

just a few of the things that made this past weekend truly memorable. we had a great gathering to celebrate my big day- a bit early- sooo how do you describe such an event where there are no lines between family and friends, and it is just a large melting pot of people you have come to cherish over the years. the addition of my sister and the nieces there to help celebrate was literally icing on the cake! fun gifts and a big thank you to all who helped with the food and making people feel very welcomed: mom, kathy, angie, mary, sara, and karen.

we also enjoyed a family evening out at the theatre in the square to see sherlock holmes: the final adventure, which was an excellent play-i'll leave you with a few photos.

dads

this may be a tough post to do, but here goes ----was thinking about my dad the other day and had a good cry. he's been gone for 8 years, and i do miss him. i know i'm not alone when i say that there are many occasions in life when we wished we'd said certain things. . . or spent more time together doing . . . or whatever----that's where i'm at right now. i'm just hoping that maybe there's a portal in heaven, and he can see this post, and he will know how much i love and miss him. there are many things i admire about my dad, but never told him, and even in a very strange sort of way i want to wish him a

"happy father's day"


there really wasn't much my dad couldn't do, in my eyes at least- he wasn't highly educated, but had a "smarts" about him that comes from life experiences:


he drove stock/race cars-was a life guard-could fish, hunt, camp,and boat-was a bartender, met howard cosell, jerry lee lewis, roy orbison, and probably many others during his bar days in atlanta. he could build, repair and remodel anything, when home depot opening he was a happy camper indeed. golfed, loved sports. landscapedlike a pro. and gardened like a farmer. pinstripe a car with precision, was a shade tree mechanic--loved cars-drove a motorcycle-with all three of the kids on it!, he was in cuba, on a boat in the water, during the missle crisis-- really wish i had learned more about this. loved God and country and his family in his own way really loved his children. so with all that . . . . happy father's day, daddy
On a happy note . . .
i have a wonderful father in law, so to roy i'll say a very special happy father's day to you, i'm sure mary will have a wonderful post wishing you a happy father's day as well

dillard 2008

mary did such a great job posting about dillard house, that i'm just going to do a few photos of other stuff we did.


wooly friends-sheep, alpacas and goats- yes it's like yarn in the buff







cows along the trail
beautiful morning for a ride on horseback










me on tonto, and pj on maverick











end of the long and dusty trail that took us across the river and back, through beautiful meadows- total fun!









tallulah gorge on tuesday, very beautiful, we walked about 1.5 of the 2 miles (i think) - we didn't do the whole loop, but it was a gorgeous day to be outdoors, mastered most of the 1000+ steps, and walked across the suspension bridge- and my knees felt it when we were done. ate at reba's grill and buffet in hollywood definitely a "locals" place, pretty good basic food-then headed home- unpacked and got ready for the work week.



zombie socks (pattern by Sheryl Ball) and my own rocker pose for the camera- sock #1 done!









thanks for a great holiday weekend- polly, roy, mary, sara, karen, ron, paula, jillian, and my boys- everyone got to do pretty much what they wanted, but we still did stuff together

ps- look forward to more antiquing with mary and polly next time

happy 13!

wow, 'roo, hard to believe you're 13- where has the time gone, i remember the tea parties with eeyore and pooh, when you would put on my shoes and walk around, i'm glad i took all those pictures so i can look back on them some day- you are a great "little" guy, mom loves you bunches!

we enjoyed a great day (in between all the others!) andrew wanted hot dogs and red velvet cupcakes, so a bit of a compromise and i added burgers on the grill and chips-very simple and very good! happy birthday my little yahooligan!

down to the wire...

feeling the time crunch now, but here's what HAS to be done by 9:00 pm on Saturday:

SS lesson- nearly done, a few more images and commentary (will probably take to the soccer tournament on saturday)
Dinner with Mary- see not all work!
3 more exercise days
1 evening meeting
2 soccer practices
1 full day of soccer
complete sotsii repair
cook 2 more meals for the week
1 orthodontist appt
1 trip to the post office
1 trip to the grocery store
house cleaning-it's an easy week
folding and prepping 200+ newsletters for bulk mailing (by Thursday)
i think that's it, at least i hope that's it!!! Then i'll have to dive into preparations for mom's party, and 3 birthdays- yikes.

now some comments to comments left on a previous posts:

Polly- yes that is a can of spam-- long story, but considering that the UK was under rations until 1954- nearly mom's entire formative years- should be no surprise-
PJ- learning to drive, am i ready? one the one hand i'm thrilled for him, i remember what it was like and getting that license was a major milestone- on the other hand i'm terrified- i see how folks drive- very scary.
Mary- oh i said at least one expletive when it did it, and then i yelled at mom, had to apologize, as i wasn't yelling AT her, but rather yelling in general! then i was angry at myself for being so stupid, then i thought about how i was going to fix it, by sunday after it had dried, i put the live stitches on a dpn and 2 stch holders, and since then have figured out how i can fix it, may not be to it's original state, but hopefully you won't be able to tell, so by the time i did the post i had calmed down alot!

a very happy day

Happy birthday to you, PJ, you've come a long way from your beginnings as a 3.15 # preemie! here are some party highlights- the evening was complete with pizza, friends, cupcakes and gifts!

thanks to brenden, ryan, johnnie, mike, christopher, mom, dad, andrew and nana for making the day very special . .







a new tradition, bought this small plate for the birthday boy/girl to have their treat on . .

make mine a double . .

a double whoo hooo, double arm pump, yea baby, whatever. i've got two things i'm very proud of- somewhat disjointed, but that seems to be the norm these days . . .

the photo shows things i'm very proud of right now. . . yes that's the william morris quilt top- finished!!!!


and ahead of schedule, i'll be getting the batting, and the back piece this weekend, and hopefully there will be only one seam to make the back big enough to accommodate the quilt top, plans are to do the hand quilting at Dillard--this will give me something to work on while hanging with the family . .

the other thing is the print in the background- you can't read the writing, but it says" so much to be proud of . . so much to look forward to". mary gave this to me when i graduated with my teaching degree, and until now it never really had it's own special spot. now it's on my desk where i can see it everyday. it reminds me of how proud i am for earning both of my college degrees, and how supportive my family was during that time.

there is also one of my favorite photos of the boys i took on the campus of ksu about 6 years ago. so i guess that makes 3 or 4 things?! and if you didn't figure it out the clock features a william morris design that is also in the quilt.

catching up . .

had an absolutely fabulous time with my sister last week. the weekend was filled with "who knew", "ya'll are definitely related", and "this must be your sister". the location was superb for a chance to get to know each other --no distractions-just time together. charles was a gem by keeping the conversation going and being so supportive of our time together that's charles bennett of bennett landscaping (it told him i'd give his company a bit of advertising-he does beautiful work). i got to meet several friends and other local folks, and we're planning another visit as soon as "summer begins"!

we found that we had so much in common, i won't bore you with them here, but it would make for fun conversation over a glass of wine♥ the boys enjoyed hanging with john, and we got to spend some time with jessica between her job and other commitments. you can tell from the photos at the end that it really was a perfect weekend. charles has promised to set aside a patch of the mountain for "the sheffields"--- enjoy the pix view from the front porch, us and the kids,
kecia and i--
charles and kecia

plane knitting . . .

elvis and me, yes that's the name of a book-oh well!, plus tunes (michael buble crooning in my ear- sweet) and a great book (i only had a few pages to go, so i took a short break during the flight to finish)- my traveling companions (of course, steve was with me, and the seats on the plane were tiny, i don't think we've sat this close in a loooong time!)

the goal for the las vegas was to knit 1 sock with the elvis yarn, and if i wanted to get real ambitions, i'd wanted to start the second- of course, the 2nd sock hasn't materialized yet, but i did finish one- love the color way. is it just me, or is there a slight difference between how the yarn looks in the skein, and how it looks knitted up?

the pattern is from interweaves winter 2005, mona schmidt embossed leaves socks-love this pattern, and the fit is perfect.







during the conference i finished the leg on the 2nd nymph sock, and am nearly done with the gusset-this will be done by the weekend for sure. i'm really loving the flexibility of socks, they can go anywhere, AND no matter what pattern you use, the shaping and process are the same.

while we were in vegas i visited Gail Knits- here we are-






i was surprised to see the wools and other heavier yarns thought there would be more light weight stuff. i bought some pale green sock yarn, and some yarn for my "travel blanket". this place was definitely warm and fuzzy--tons of local ladies hanging out and having a great time- they even chatted with steve and i- fun!

it's always good to have goals, and the short term knitting ones have been met! yea, now i've set a few long term . . . sometimes planning is just as much fun, as the completed product, but the coupe de gras is when you can put that BIG check mark next to it! . . . so by May 1st i hope to . . .

♥ complete the mates for nymph, elvis, spicy, and isabelle's pink sock
♥ complete the sotsii; i'm about 43% done now
♥ complete blanket for newest baby at the office (this blanket is already late he was born 3/12)
♥ complete the Moss sweater- i'm ready to move onto another winter sweater this fall
if i get this stuff done, something out of Fitted Knits.

then i'll have nothing on my needles (gasp! i know) -

i believe these goals are reachable because i'll have 4 days in miami, and i plan to sequester myself when i'm not in class. also, when i'm at kecia's i'm sure i'll have some knitting time while i visit. so keep your fingers crossed for me.

spring/summer knitting plans:
sleeve-less shell (i've already done one in lavender-and it's a pretty easy knit)

1 or 2 lace stoles (secret sister gift definitely needs to be started)
socks, and socks! i've got to replace nearly every pair of winter shoes and a couple pieces in my wardrobe, so my wardrobe will be centered around the socks-

sounds like a good plan to me! Oh yea, here's my february quilt square, getting better, but still have a loooong way to go before i consider myself "good" at this- but am enjoying the colors and the fact that i'm challenging myself . .












also haven't done a gratitude in a while --
GRATITUDES
being able to take time off when sick without "worrying" (wednesday)
the chance to see new places (like vegas)
knowing my kids can do okay and can be trusted when i'm on the other side of the country
having a chance to "catch up" with my sister (in april)-i like the sound of that-hey i've got a sister!!!!

TTFN

in a new york minute

well maybe not a minute, more like a few-
in a word the trip was FAB-U-LOUS!
the slogan for the trip was . . if you forget something-just get it while you're there- it's not like your going to a foreign country- well okay you sorta are. . . but anyway . . . truly it was a lot like another county, we saw people from around the world-NYC "natives" and visitors! amazing. Photos to follow, too many to try to post now-

weather-cold, blue sky, gray sky, damp, light rain, cold, windy, warm-but not at the same time! the cold and rain didn't stop us from being out for 12-13 hours each day!

favorite shops-Himalayan Crafts (Jillian) and Knitty City (Lydia)- missed the Yarn Company on Broadway, and just stepped into String on Lexington/Park Ave-must visit them both next time

food-cannoli (yum), bagel, omelets, doughnut (Jillian), coffee, tea, hot chocolate, dried fruit & apple (grand central market-way cool place a "mini" Harry's, Joe Allen's (awesome), pretzel from a street vendor, and pizza, of course!

sights-people, fur coats, dogs, taxis, bright lights, Trump Towers, marquees, trees, snow, park benches, doormen, runners, joggers, strollers, shops galore some very posh, Whistler, Degas, Picasso, Cassatt, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pollock, Kandinsky, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Turner, Rodin, WM Chase, Madam X, Greek-Roman art, artifacts, sculptures, jewelry, Cyrian artifacts, armour, medieval stained glass, chevy's suspended in the air, life-like wolves, "paintings" made with gun powder, Cezanne, art, art, and more art!

favorite spots- Central Park! The Met, Barnes and Noble on Broadway both of them, Starbucks.

our route-started out on W 47th street headed east to 5th Avenue-north to 86th St (Park Avenue was somewhere in there!) across Central Park to W79th and Amsterdam to Broadway to W46th Street, back again on Sunday all the way through Central Park- past the Imagine mosaic, and through Strawberry fields, Monday-subway from 42nd Street to Grand Central Station to E86th via Lexington Avenue- Tuesday to School of Visual Arts on E 23rd St. then the airport.

museums- The Frick, The Guggenheim, The Met, The Cooper-Hewitt, MOMA

missed most-coffee first thing in the morning, the family

what to do next-The Cloisters, The Met, the financial district, Brooklyn, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, the Zoo, more picnics in the park and less time in restaurants! maybe a show?

lessons learned- come back when it's warmer! buy food at the deli's or places like Grand Central Market, use the subway more, spend more time sitting in the park watching people

we really did a lot of stuff and my boss, who's from Brooklyn, said we really made the most of our time and did the trip right-even if we missed a lot of "hot spots". Jillian was a great traveling companion, never complained, and I felt that this was "our" trip, we discussed what we wanted to do and when-we even enjoyed the quiet moments-her with her book, and me with my knitting and my book-I think these times were a refreshing break so we wouldn't get too tired of each other-- within 24 hours of arriving we were talking about when we could come back (next year Spring Break?!)- a big thanks to Jillian for going with me and thanks to Karen and Steve for financing our adventure!

de'ja vu?

well not really, we did re-celebrate katie's birthday for her anyway . . . original plans were to have dinner and a drink- but life/school got in the way, so we met for coffee this morning- katie got up early and i went into work late-lucky for us school and work are very close by

here's katie with the birthday plate i plan to use at other birthday celebrations, complete with a candle and cupcake, say cheeese! doesn't she look fabulous at 7:30 am!















we only had about an hour and a half, but managed to talk about lots of stuff:
college guys-jobs-travels (where we've been, where we're going, where we'd love to go)-Mr. Legs va va voom!!!-photography (katie showed me how to do close-ups so the writing isn't blurred thank you!)- where Sara should go for college-apartments-atlanta traffic-parking on campus-priviledges of being "older"-voting-and tons more- a great way to start the day!










love the cup with Katie's name on it- very artsy!



thank you katie for spending some time with me

TTFN
Gratitudes:
rain
the opportunity to have a say in my government
chicks who are fun to be with

Happy Birthday to You, Karen

Yep, another birthday in the family-sister in law #2 (only because of birth order :-) ). So in keeping with tradition, a few things to thank Karen for-
♥(she and Ron) helping us move, lugging boxes, unpacking, moving stuff to the basement, getting us settled in- a lot of muscle was involved
♥being the Sheffield representative when my dad passed away-many many thanks
♥being there when I had my car accident, the meals, visits, and in general getting us through the whole thing.
Karen has shared her love of wine, food, books, gardening, classic movies and many other things with me. She's back into knitting, and is doing socks- way cool! She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and has been known to play a couple innings of baseball when the kids were little (at Callaway Gardens). Being there to cheer for the boys at their baseball games. Sharing her daughters with me, NYC here we come! She has helped me understand the importance of family, and that turning 40-not so bad! Karen is very easy going, loves to laugh, not afraid to cry, shares in the joys, and is that strong shoulder to lean on, loves life and lives it to its fullest. I am fortunate to her in my life. She's very supportive, compassionate, genuine, hard working, fun-loving, smart, witty, creative and just a great person.



I hate to use the same words over and over, but I am very lucky to have the women in my life that I do, as we grow older, we have grown more together, and I think we learn more about each other as time goes by- I've come to realize their importance, and I need to take the time to let them know it.



so it's Karen's special day, so raise your cup o'joe, beer mug, or wine glass, whichever you have in your hand, and let's celebrate Karen on her special day!

21 candles. . .

Today is the 21st birthday, of another special woman in my life, Katie. Hard to believe she is 21, I've been part of her life for 18 years, and she is a real gem. Some of the things I admire most about Katie is that she is very giving, compassionate, smart, witty, creative, artistic, and beautiful, inside and out. I count her among the women who most influence my life. She studies hard, and gives it her best. I've watched her grown and change over the years, becoming her own person. I'm very proud of the woman she has become. I can't wait to see what she does with her life, and hope I can continue to play an active role.


This one's for you Katie, hugs and kisses from me, may you continue to be richly blessed, and may others be blessed by knowing you. Wishing you the very, very best on this special day!