Washcloth Production Time

I swore I wasn't going to start any new knitting projects. I was going to get through the 2 (two) blankets that I already have on needles and make myself wait to start anything new. That is so not happening since I'm getting tired of the blankets even though I did do 4 rows of the blanket that is destined to be for Anna and Lily.. before I decided I needed a new chart to do my check offs on and rather than finding the book that I made the copy I was working off of i made myself type out the directions and made myself a table with all the rows that I had already done checked off already while the girls took a small nap this afternoon and I caught up on some tv shows that I like and haven't watched in a week or so.

Back to the new project though... I'm making a couple of new washcloths for the girls that have a Butterfly design on them. I'm already just about half way through the first one. Thankfully they go quickly once you get going. Maybe I'll do some Ducky ones too since they are in the same book as the Butterfly ones. I might have enough yarn already for these projects though one of my knitting friends sent me an email that the yarn I use for them is on sale this week. I'm trying to resist the urge. Sometimes resistance is futile though..

I now Mispronounce you...

For quite some time now the girls have been mispronouncing many many words and I thought I'd take a moment to review a few of the new ones..

Mommy I want to go on that branch... Anna at the Zoo wanting to cross a Bridge..

Mommy I need to listen to the mucus... Anna wanting some music

I want to show this to my peach ture... Lily wanting to show many things to her teacher

and back when they started talking... Momma.. s*it... Momma Sit.. that one was hard to figure out till they started patting my chair since I was busy trying to figure out who taught them to swear.

I actually enjoy trying to figure out what they are telling me though sometimes I need a context clue to help me get it.

A look back

A New Year is here.... finally...

I can probably sum up my feelings for 2011 in just 2 words... It Sucked..
I spent the majority of it in tears and doing things that I never dreamed I'd have the strength to do. Things that I will be doing for the rest of my life.

I said Goodbye to Nana for the last time in January.. and hoped and prayed that I wouldn't have to do that again any time soon.. someone else had other plans for me. Three months later I said Goodbye to the love of my life... a couple decades earlier than I ever thought I would.. thankfully I didn't need to do any more till November when my MIL died also.

2011 wasn't all bad.. I learned that I could lean on my friends no matter what and that they will be there for me... I gained some new friends (mostly widows).. and once I regained my balance.. the knowledge that I am a very strong and resilient person (though I still cry alot)..

I am glad that 2011 is over... I'm not exactly looking forward to 2012 (or any year without Lee in it) but I'll make the best of the situation that I am in and keep going.

Musings of Late

It's just about Christmas Eve as I type... and I swear that I'm heading to bed really soon.. but I just wanted to take a moment to blog since I doubt that I'll be around for the next couple of days online...

I've been missing our special someone lately quite a bit... and I'm doing ok but I have to admit that this year Christmas is not as much fun as the past couple of years.. Lee's not here to share it and see the reactions that the girls are having this year.. They are so into Christmas this year.. they are loving the Portable North Pole Santa videos that I made for them.. I think they replayed them at least 2x each just tonight.. I so wish that Lee were here to help me with all the sneaking around and some assembly required items that have found their way under our tree this year. It's going to be a great Christmas no matter what.. and there will probably be a few tears shed at some point.. and I really hope that my family understands that the tears that come are to be expected because of this year's circumstances..

I doubt that I've been forgotten this year but the doubt is still there that I will be forgotten this year... Lee was always great about making sure that there were a couple of things for me under our tree. This year there were no secret packages from Amazon arriving or warnings to not look at my Amazon gift list so I'd by mistake see what I was getting before Christmas arrived.

Time for me to climb into bed and hope that the next few days go well for us...

Beginning to feel like Christmas

It's feeling like Christmas here lately.. the tree is up and decorated by my very in demand decorators. They did a fabulous job though most of the decorations are at their height rather than mine and in between.. I moved a few around after we were done (don't tell them).. Holiday cards are flooding our mailbox almost everyday now. I've been hanging them up as they come on our living room wall so we can see and enjoy them everyday.

Snow has not arrived yet but I'm not looking forward to that yet... it would be nice to have some though for Christmas Day..

Work at the toystore is getting busier again... I love this time of year at the shop.. I love helping people figure out what to get the kids in their lives. I also like seeing the kids that come in and picking out all the new things that they would like to have Santa get them.

I discovered Pandora.com on the computer (via work so that we could play Christmas music).. so I've been enjoying Christmas music here at home (when Anna doesn't shut it off). I like that you can skip songs that you don't want to hear and rate songs (like and don't like) and get lots of options.. I've even put on some kid music stations for the girls.

Christmas is Coming

and I have one child just about Potty Trained... and one that is trying to make an effort to be potty trained. So I am grateful for that... I also have finished my sock that I was working on.. so now I'm trying to turn my efforts to the blankets that I started some time ago and have been ignoring lately.

Our tree is up and has lights but no decorations yet... I'll get to it soon. Hopefully within the next week.

In Memory of Shirley

My MIL , Lee's mom passed away on Wednesday early in the morning.. It was totally expected but I was hoping to get to the end of this year without another loss especially after losing Lee.


My memories of her are mostly good.. I knew her for just over 18 years and met her for the first time after Lee and I had been dating for just over 2 years at her 50th Wedding Anniversary. Before that we had chatted on the phone every so often when I was at Lee's and he happened to be calling his parents. Four years later she and Lee's Dad (Walter) came out for our wedding and Lee had me call their room the next morning.. Shirley happened to answer the phone and I said "Good Morning Mrs Ringen. It's Mrs Ringen calling" (Lee's idea). Three months later we went out to California for a visit (ok our Honeymoon) and she asked if I liked to eat Cantaloupe. I do like it... but not everyday.. which is what Shirley did.. each morning there was a slice of cantaloupe waiting for me at the breakfast table.. after a few days I asked why she kept serving it as part of Breakfast. She replied that she thought I liked it.. which I did.. but not in the amount that I was eating. Years later I still eat Cantaloupe but I have a private giggle when I do.


In 2005 she became a widow when after 60 years of marriage, Walter died. Lee and I went out for the Memorial and Funeral and stayed at the Assisted Living Complex. I wound up going up to her room each morning before the nurses could get to her room and help her finish dressing.. It wasn't much but it helped her and I think that she liked that I was able to help her in that way.


When she moved to Southern California we went and visited her again (we stayed with her son Alan and his wife Debbie). We had a nice visit and went back again to see her and brought the girls with us in 2010. This would be the last time that Lee and his Mom would see each other and the only time that the girls would get to meet their Grandma Ringen.


Now that she is gone, the girls have only one Grandparent left (my own Dad died in 2001).. I'll be heading out to California sometime soon to say my final goodbyes to a woman who was a fabulous mother, loved her children immensely and let them be their own people. Lee (according to what he had told me) didn't get a degree from college..He went to the school of hard knocks for a majority of his life and Shirley had always told him that if we ever found a window or bumper sticker that said "School of Hard Knocks" she'd be proud to display it on her car to go with Alan's MIT sticker anytime... That's a really great and special mom.. I will miss her very much...