Merry Christmas from Michigan

This is the pier at Grand Haven, which is near where we live. Family has begun arriving, work has stopped, food has been prepared, and the snow is still coming down!! We are settled in for a few days of Christmastime, remembering the reason we celebrate.
"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you, You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:9-14

May you all have a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
As always, thanks for stopping by.
Suzanne

Merry December!

Well, I sure hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did!! Spent Turkey day with my family at my mom's. We had a wonderful time. Then on Saturday, my DH's family came up to our house. Fun was had by all. We ate way too much, but it all was so good. Monday was quite the emotional day, as our son began his deployment. We sent three crying kids to school and then had to take him. The Lord did bless us with an absolutely beautiful drive, as it had snowed the night before and every limb on every tree was covered. The roads really weren't bad, and we had sweet conversation all the way there. God is Good! Please just keep Alex in your prayers. Thank you!!
I have been knitting a lot, but because everything I am knitting is for Christmas, there really aren't alot of pictures. I will however, be posting tons of them afterwards!!
I hope you like the new Christmas background. The first one I did seemed so easy. This one was a pain in the butt!! Please reward my frustrating efforts with tons of great comments! :) I am only half kidding of course. :)
I did receive the most awesome swap package from Jane. She send some wonderful oatmeal, chocolate monster cookies. A beautiful dishcloth, and cute fish tawashi. She also sent me two boxes of fudge, a cute little chocolate cookbook, and two skeins of cotton for more dishcloths. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but it was a wonderful surprise. OOps, I just realized that I don't have the pics for that yet. I will have hubby send them asap. Sorry. But it was a lovely package. You'll see!
Better go, just wanted to touch base. I have lots of knitting to do. Is anyone done yet??? Kudos to you if you are. Why don't I start this in January?? A question for the ages I suppose.
Thanks for stopping by.
Suzanne

Still Here!!

I everybody, Yes, it is true... I am still here. I haven't blogged in, wow, a week and a half, simply because I have been busy, and I have a ton of pics to share, but my husband has been so busy that he can't email me them!! Don't ask!! :) We so need to get our set up changed, so I can do the pics myself. I have been knitting some, lots of dishcloths it would seem, as I have had two bridal showers, and lots of Christmas knitting. Needless to say, those pics will have to wait. This post will be short, but I did want you to know I'm still here. I have been lurking on your blogs, and seems like some of you are as busy as I am!! :) Nice to know, except that I miss this and all my bloggy friends. I hope to have some pics and at least one more post before Thanksgiving. I also just sent out my goodies for this months Dishcloth swap, so when she receives all that, I will post pics. Thanks for being so loyal, and I;ll hopefully be back soon!
Thanks as always for stopping by!!
Suzanne

Happy Birthday USMC

Being a Proud USMC Family, we pray for those who choose to make a great sacrifice daily, by serving our country. We pray for those in all branches of service around the world. Thank you for serving and for keeping the liberties that my family enjoys safe, may God watch over you and protect you. Thank you, and Happy Birthday!!

Little Trip

Okay, I'm back!! I really don't like this not posting as often, but with working, My knitting projects are taking longer, and I'm a little tired. Oh well, enough grousing, I'm glad you decided to stop by and visit, so I apologize for grumbling right out of the bat. A few weekends ago, My DH and our good friends Tom and Kim went on a little trip. We went to Allen, Michigan.
It is suppose to be the "antique mecca" of Michigan. Well, we left early Friday morning, and found quite a few antique malls, but no real mecca!! We were kind of disappointed, but we did have a very, very fun day, very relaxing, and we did find a few treasures. We had a late lunch (something that is hard to do with 4 kids(they have 4 too) b/c they are always "starving" at 12:00!!! :) I just realized I didn't take a picture of some of my treasures, but I will. Then, after lunch, @ 2:30p.m. we ventured into another small town called Jonesville. Well, Jonesville has this store called Knit & Knacks. Need I say more!! We told the guys to take a nap and Kim and I walked into this store. We knew we were in big trouble the moment we opened the door. THis was a huge store, and she had yarn EVERYWHERE!!! :) Not messy, she had yarn in baskets, that were gorgeous, and I think every shade of Cascade 200 you can imagine. I don't think I'd ever seen half of these shades. It took us an hour(not kidding) just to "look around" then, we had to go back through, and decide what we were gonna buy. Oh man. I think Kim and I decided that a trip every Fall without the hubbies would be on the docket now!! THe lady there was very helpful, but left us alone to drool. I bought some Online sock yarn ( yeah I know, but I couldn't resist). I also bought some Cascade Cloud 9 in a beautiful red, for some fetchings (by Knitty) that I have long been drooling over. (I drool alot, don't I?) :) I also bought a skeing of Berroco Comfort. In a lovely Olive green color. I didn't buy too much, or anything too out there, I am always afraid I won't know what to do with it. If you are ever in Jonesville, Knit & Knacks is the place to go!! I had every intention of taking pictures, really I did, but the yarn!! The yarn!!


This is the beautiful Bed & Breakfast we stayed in that night!! We were in a room called the Shakespear Room, with a mini library.
I thought that was very fitting. It was a beautiful home, and the breakfast was very yummy!!
I have more to share, but alas, I need to get ready, so I can go teach my bible study this morning!! I will share more soon. BTW, Please pray for my brother and his family, he is in Suriname with 3 of their children on a mission trip (arrived late last night) and my SIL in home with the other 7. I don't know who needs more prayer :) so please remember all of them!! As usual, I love it when you stop by, please leave me a comment, I love that too!! Have a great week!
Suzanne

Bits and Pieces

Hi there all!! I really dislike coming up with titles :( But, I finally have somethings to share. Like my goodies from my swap partner Jill in Santa Rosa, California. Look at all these goodies. I was just blown away.
A beautiful dishrag done in a colorway that I do not recognize. Do any of you know what it might be? A great fingertip towel, beautiful sock yarn,
not to mention another skein of cotton for....you quessed it, a dishrag!! Chocolates! Wow. Even a cute Fall spatula. Never seen on like it! It has little leaves in it, if you can't see it. Its so fun to receive these little goodies once a month. I sent mine out to my partner Karen, the very same day (go figure). It is going all the way to England this time. I tried to mail it out as early as I could, so hopefully it gets there before the end of the month. I made the cutest little amigurumi pumpkin.
It was so fast and easy. I think I shall make more of these. Probably could do it in red, add a leaf of some sort, and viola... an apple!! Nice way to use up odds and ends. Our weather here has been unreal. It was in the 80's most of last week. Now, however, it is in the mid to upper 50's. A little more normal. I love the hot, but you are almost ready for the coolness. Our colors are turning very nicely. Seems like lots of reds this year, which is my personal favorite. My husband and I are going antiquing this weekend with some friends, and I am taking the camera. So hopefully next week I'll have some pics of that. Of course, my friend is a knitter, so I will have specs for some projects, just in case ;) we see a yarn store here or there. :) I have been busy with work. I do love it, but for one who hasn't worked since before kids, really, it takes some adjusting. Plus I'm tired :) My Precept Bible study is going well. I know I haven't talked much about that, part of the busyness I guess. We are doing Covenant. It is just so cool to take this one very important concept, and see how even the simplest of details are of so much importance and meaning and how it all relates from Genesis to Revelation. Very cool stuff!!
Guess that's really everything, except to continue to thank all of you who leave such nice comments on my blog. It is such an encouragement to me!! That's all for now. THanks for stopping by and please come back! Hope you are having a beautiful Fall!!
Suzanne

Catching UP!

Sorry I've been gone a while. Looks like with my new job, I might only have time for once a week. However, there was a few day delay in getting my DH to email me the pictures. I wanted to show you my new cowl. It is the Stacked Eyelet Cowl, I found the pattern on Ravelry. It was a nice easy pattern.
I wouldn't mind making this again maybe even in a little stiffer yarn. I do however, like the way this turned out. I like the way it drapes. I plan on wearing it a lot with a top, not necessarily to keep warm. Speaking of warm, it was NOT warm here this morning. I don't know what the "official" temperature was, but when I got up this morning, there was white stuff on the ground, no, not snow, but a heavy frost. I will need to go check the tomatos, they may be done. Thanks for all your nice comments for my birthday, and I hope you do go or did go see the movie "Fireproof"! It really was awesome!
These photos are of the swap package I sent to my partner in September. Sorry for the one where everything is already wrapped, I forgot to take a picture, and I really wanted to get it out, so I didn't unwrap everything.
I put things in there like crochet grips, row counter, a sample of "Soak", some "Handemade" labels and a few other things. I think she enjoyed everything. I am anxious for Octobers, the person I got is from England, that will be fun! I am trying to get my thoughts, as well as my list made for things I need or want to make (knit) for Christmas! I have some ideas, but I need to write them down, or I tend to go on to the next "great thing" I am really in no hurry for Christmas to get here. I guess that's all the catching up I have, I don't want to ramble...some might be saying......to late :). Thanks for visiting, and Happy Fall!
Suzanne

MUST GO SEE!!

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Our church rented out an entire movie theater last night. You seriously must go see this fabulous movie!! You will laugh(lots), You will cry (lots) and something that usually doesn't happen when you see a movie, you will walk away..........uplifted!! Kirk Cameron, in my opinion, gives the performance of his life. This is opening weekend, and I would encourage you to go see this movie. Trust me, there is plenty of suspense, and you will not be sorry that you did. Take someone you love, or someone who is struggling!
The message is very clear! Kudos once again to the makers of this movie, and the rest of us will pray with you, that God would lead you to make another movie!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Sorry, a shameless plug. Must go to work, though! :) I hope you have a great day too, birthday or not!
Suzanne

Comings and Goings

Hi all, this is a picture of all the cool stuff sent to me by Bobbi, for our monthly dishcloth swap over at yahoo. The theme was "emergency kit" so you'd have all the essentials, for keeping something in your car, so you can always be knitting. I thought this little kit was just too fun. It has everything in it, from circular needles, to a crochet hook, to stitch markers and a row counter. I thought the dishrags were very pretty. One (the coffee cup) is knitted, and the other one is done in crochet. Bobbi, like me does both. I thought the color was beautiful, kind of a salmon color. Very nice. Thanks Bobbi for spoiling me once again.
Then here is the items I sent to Karen in New York, for the Dish Rag Tag (see sidebar) that I was involved with this month. Everything stopped when I got that box, as you might have read in my last post. Hope she liked everything, I do believe that she has sent the box on to the next person already. That was really fun too!

I just sent out Bobbi's stuff today, so I can't show you the pictures of those items, but I will in a couple of days, to make sure she gets it before I post it. I can't wait to put my emergency kit in the car. Just need to pick out a pattern, and stick it in there, and then I will always have at least a dishrag going. :) Fun, fun!

Also, just joined Facebook. Long story on why, but I;m there. It seems a lot harder to me than blogging, and I am not going to give up blogging, but maybe its a little bit more "instant" than blogging. If your on Facebook, look me up. I guess that's really it for now. I have to go shopping, our daughter - in-law to be's birthday is tomorrow. 19. Wow, remember when? My birthday is Friday, but lets just say I won;t be 19!! :)

Guess that's it, I thought I had more pictures, but can't seem to find them. I will check, and you might be hearing from me later in the week. For now, I'm glad you stopped by, Thanks for visiting. Hope you have a great week!

Suzanne

FO's

Finally, I have finished a few items, and I have been waiting for this! I am a part of this years Dish Rag Tag. Emily over at Yarn Miracle is orchestrating this, and she is doing a fantastic job. I wouldn't even know where to begin. I got my package today, from Karen in Illinois, and I have to get the cloth done tonight, and then mail it out first thing tomorrow. Had the mail come a little earlier today, I could have gotten it out today. I am on the Cotton Queens team. We will win, cuz we are Queens and we rule. Sorry, really bad pun there!! Couldn't help myself. Karen really out did herself, as you can see, especially since the box isn't that big. Thanks Karen!! Next up are my socks. I started these way back the beginning of February, when our middle son ended up in the hospital. I got the first one done pretty quickly, but have been so slow with the second one. Finally, they are done!! They look like one is bigger than the other, but they aren't, they fit like a glove!! Very nice!! They are the thickest ones I've done. I have already cast on for another pair. I am doing Jaywalkers from Grumperina. You can find the pattern and more of her great designs on Ravelry. I am getting ready to send out my monthly dishcloth swap stuff, but I can't post pictures until she has it. I think I'm sending it to Bobbi in New Jersey. So fun!!

Our oldest and only daughter passed her driving test tonight. She is finally a legal driver. It will be very helpful, especially for herself, as she will have lots of extra commitments this year. I want to take a moment, and thank all of you who left such positive, and encouraging comments on my blog recently. I know that I will probably never meet many of you, maybe none of you, but it is so cool to sit back and watch the Lord bring people into your life through many different avenues. Thanks again!!

On that note, some serious news to tell. I waited a little while to tell this, b/c we needed to make sure that all our family knew before I posted this. As many of you know, our oldest son is a Marine. He has been called up, and will be leaving soon to fulfill his duty to our country. This is a tuffy people. On one hand, I am so filled with pride that I feel like I might just bust, but at the same time he is my baby. And this is hard on a mothers heart. I KNOW that beyond a shadow of a doubt, that wherever he goes, he is in the Lord's will and that the Lord will protect him!! I would ask that you remember him in your prayers, and not just him, but every son and daughter that is serving our country, whether they are here or abroad. Needless to say, the wedding is still on, but will be pushed out to a later date. Anna is going to make a great helpmate for him, she is already being so positive, and has such a great attitude about the whole thing. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God has been faithful and He can and will continue to be faithful!! Thanks for stopping by.

Suzanne

What a Week!

Hi all, Where did the week go? The kids started back to school. My son, the freshman, is the only one who didn't want to even talk about school until the day it started, so when I offered several times, to go walk around the school and find his classes, he did not want to. Okay. So, when he got home the first day of school, he said, "I didn't find one class on time." "I thought I was never going to find the gym." Which my daughter, the senior, replied,"We have two!" My son just shook his head and said, "Don't tell me that, I found the one I needed!!" The next day, I asked him how it went, and in his proudest manner said, "I was only late to two classes today!!" We're getting there!!!!!!!! :) My daughter, again the senior, is determined to enjoy everyday of this year, and so she should. She's a fairly good student, if its a music class, and her schedule is fairly easy this year. That's as it should be!!! She'll have a ball!!
Our youngest started junior high (lots of milestones this year). He is also playing football. The games start this Wednesday. I do not mind football, until the weather starts to get "Yucky." I think he plays tightend, and maybe kicker. They are still trying out for that one. He is our little social butterfly! Its gonna be a fun 6 years with him!!!!!!
I started my new job on Thursday. I got a job (part time) at our local library. The gals I have met so far are very nice and eventhough its different than I thought, I really think I will enjoy it. I just love being around books. Trouble is, I see all this stuff that looks good, that I haven't read yet, and my list is already growing!! Yikes!!
I also started my bible study last week. It really was an introduction class, so the first lesson is this week. I have a great group of ladies, who are hungry to study God's word. We are doing "Covenant". It is the Precept Study, by Kay Arthur, that I mentioned in a much older post. They are pretty in depth, and more time consuming than most studies. I also start teaching piano lessons today. I only have 4 students today, and then 3 on Thursday, when I get home from the Library. Not too bad!
I did have a special priviledge on Sunday, I was asked by a gentleman back in August to sing at a veterans home here in Grand Rapids. I was so honored to so. I sang "God Bless America" and "Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone." Just when you think your going to go do something and bless them, they end up blessing you!!!!!!!! I wore my MOM Marine Shirt, and several of them gave me a "Sempre Fi." I wish I had the time to hear their stories. I'm sure they are amazing.
Yes, there has been knitting. Seems like I have pumped out a lot of dishcloths, so fast, that I haven't even had time to get pictures, before they are out the door. Two of them are on their way to Guatemala today with my girlfriend. She is flying back there to see her ailing father, so I made a couple for her mom. I hope to finish up my socks, I am anxious to start a new pair. I also am almost done with a cowl. Pictures soon!! Thanks for your visit, and I hope I didn't ramble too much!! Have a great week!!
Suzanne

My First Blog Award!!

I just got my first blog award from friend Rebecca Jo over at http://rebecca-belle.blogspot.com/. I was so surprised and grateful, lets see if I can do this right.

There are rules, and here they are:

1. Put the award on your blog. (Hopefully its there)

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you (that's below) and say something nice about them. ( So not hard to do!)

3. Name at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links for the recipients.

5. Leave a comment to let the recipients know they have received the award.



I know, doesn't sound hard, its all that computer stuff (linking) that I have trouble with. Well lets see how this goes.

Rebecca Jo's blog is so wonderful! She is very funny and almost on a daily basis challenges me with even the simplest things. She is a knitter, heavily involved in her church youth group, (which I envy, I don't have much patience with other peoples kids) :) She loves the Lord, and you can tell that just by reading her blog. I love to visit her, and she is so kind and gracious when she leaves comments on my blog. Please go visit her. You won't be sorry, but you might be challenged!! Thanks again Rebecca Jo!!!



Here are the 5 blogger friends that I would like to give this award to:



1. http://knittinggiraffe.blogspot.com/ (Leah) She is just plain cute. She is a wonderful knitter, and again, is very gracious when she comments. She is encouraging and thoughtful. Her blog is a very soothing place to visit. And, in case you couldn't tell, she loves giraffes!!



2. http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/ (Penny) Penny is actually a seamstress!! Her blog is filled with great projects that inspire me, and I don't sew, so well (sorry bad humor :) Her blog is simply beautiful!! She also often has great recipes to pass along, and she has marvelous tutorials on different techniques. She too is very encouraging, a trait all these particular blogger friends have, by the way!!



3. http://homespunliving.blogspot.com/ (Deb) Her blog makes you want to get a cup of tea, and just curl up a stay. She is a knitter, mom and always puts out great recipes, and shares photos, and so many other ideas, you'll always find something new. Her use of vintage items is what drew me to her. Again, her blog is just beautiful!!



4. http://woolwindings.blogspot.com/ (Wool Winder) Loves the Lord, is a fabulous knitter, and puts out some great pictures. Also an encourager!! She also has been married as long as I have. Now that would be an award! :) She also shares so much of herself, and her blog is a joy to go to often!! Which, I do!!!!!



5. Last, but certainly not least is friend Tea at http://foothillsofthegreatsmokymountains.blogspot.com/ . The fact that she is from Tennessee (where my Dad hails from), is what led me to her. Then to find out she likes tomatas (not a spelling error, she'll get it!! ) and sweet tea, boy oh boy, and she knits beautiful things, and now she is sewing like a mad woman. How could you not love her!! She is very funny and her blog is a wonderful place to go. Wish I could really be there, I love Tennessee!!



To all these blogger friends, some are newer than others, but they are wonderful and I look forward to blogging with them for a long time to come!! Thanks again, Rebecca Jo, and I hope all my friends enjoy their much deserved blogging award. Thanks to you for stopping by!!

Suzanne

Lots of News!!!

Where do I start? Well first, our sweet daughter in law (to be) passed her state boards for cosmotology today!! Actually she took the practical test last week and passed with flying colors, then today she took the written. She stopped over here just before and was quite nervous, but we knew she could do it. She's so smart, marrying our son and passing her test!! :)

Secondly, I GOT A JOB!! Well only a part time job, but I haven't worked in a couple years, so this will be a change for me. And the household!! I will be working at our local library, as a library processor. Fancy title for ...I'll put the books away!! There's a little more to it than that, I start next Thursday. I am looking forward to that! I also start my Precept Bible Study on Wednesday. We are studying covenant, so it ought to be a wonderful study. I need to spend this holiday weekend getting everything and everybody organized. Jobs for all!! They're thrilled!! ;)

I can't believe I waited so long to post this, but this is what Angela, my August swap partner sent to me. A great One Skein Book, a beautiful dishcloth, she made it especially to go with my Fiesta dishes, which are lots of different colors. I think I have around 12 - 14 colors. Fun!! She also sent me some tea, and some candies made out in Oregon, where she is from. She also included a beautiful skein of yellow chenille yarn and a pretty yellow felted flower, that I might just have to make a purse to attach to. She sent me a cool vintage pastry cutter, the theme was thrift shop, but I think that might mean different things in different parts of the country. I think of thrift shops as Good Will, etc. But she and I communicated, and as it worked out this month, I got to send to her as well as receive from her, so we both love vintage, and went with that!! Sorry for the long, poorly grammatical sentence :)

I am trying to wrap up several outstanding projects. Mostly dishcloths. So I will post them when they are done. I found a cool new pattern, that I am working on right now, so again, I'll tell you all about it when they are done. That's it for now, thanks again to all of you who stop by a leave such nice comments. And if you just stop by, please leave a comment!! Thanks,

Suzanne

Look What I Did With My Weekend

For years, I have had this vision for our side yard. It is quite large, and boring. There was nothing there. We drive by it all the time, and with our daughter graduating in June and an impending Open House, Now was the time to plant perennials, and get this done. The only thing missing is a rusty gate, (which I have and which DH says will be in by the weekend!!) which will go behind the hydrenega. I will post a picture when that is in!!

My mom and dad came up Friday afternoon, we already had the bricks in place, and a small amount of dirt in the center garden. We put 55 (40lb each) bags of top soil into this garden. Plus 5 (40lb) bags of mushroom compost. Some went into the small side garden, but not many. That's alot of dirt!! My mom is a pro at this flower planting stuff, I should take pictures of her garden, it could go in any garden magazine. She is very good at it, and can work circles around me! Her and I went to the greenhouse on Friday, and bought the perfect amount of stuff. I have a beautiful hydrenga, old fashioned roses, zebra grass, and maiden grass. I also have daisies, and cone flowers. I planted some mums in the front, as the rest of it will be coming to an end soon. The side garden has black-eyed susan's in there too. Then along the house we planted lilies. My husband is gaga over his lilies. They do look nice, and bloom pretty much all summer here in Michigan. We kidded him all weekend about him and his lilies. (I'm surprised he didn't want to name our daughter...Lily :)

I have to laugh at the picture of my dad. I took two, don't know where the other one is, but he really isn't mean, he sort of looks it in the picture, but I just took a bad shot. Love you dad!!! I really couldn't have done this without Mom's help, again, she is amazing. Did you know that plants need a trench around them?? I didn't. I guess it helps to get water directly to the roots, so they take. Guess that's all for now. Yes, I did work on this project, but I decided the pictures of me were sinfully horrible, so I stayed behind the camera. Better for you all!!!! Hope you have a great start to your week, and that you had a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Suzanne

Some Promised FO's

Okay, a couple of posts ago, I promised some pics of the Bark Sedge Stitch Dishcloth. I won't show the one I did for my swap partner, b/c she won't have gotten the package yet. However, I do have another one to show you. BTW, who names this stuff? What is a Bark Sedge? All I know, is that this crochets up into the nicest, thickest fabric I have seen in a dishcloth. And its pretty too. I also made some baby washcloths, for a friend who is having her baby on Friday. It isn't exactly this stitch, but its very similar, and out of Cottontots yarn it makes a nice yummy and soft baby cloth. I am also doing her a quick couple pairs of booties. Found some really cute crochet ones on Ravelry, so I'll post pics when they are done. (Sorry for the blurry picture). Tonight, my DH and I are working outside on a garden in our side yard. There is nothing out there, and we drive by it constantly, and I am sick of seeing no color. We will be having our daughters open house (from high school) in June, so I need to get everything set and planted (perennials) now. My mom and dad are coming up on Friday and Saturday, to help us do some planting. My mom is bringing us a bunch of her lilies. I promise :) to take pictures and to post them next week. Oh speaking of mom and dad, today is their anniversary!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM and DAD!!! They are celebrating 48 years!!! WOW! What an example!!!

I really am almost done with my Ripple Ribbed socks, but they need to sit until I get these baby items done and a couple of dishrags for some brides' showers that I missed while we were gone. I suppose with all the showers coming up in the next year, I should just constantly have one on the needles! Or hook as I seem to be doing a lot of crochet lately.

Oh yes, another FO is my Quickie Cowl, done with the lucious yarn I won from Peaknits. This Plucky Knitter yarn is just wonderful to work with. Maybe I'll have to order some :) Don't tell DH!!! :)

Guess that's it. Hope your having a great week. Thanks for stopping by!

Suzanne

Home again, Home again...

I'm back......... Wow, how come it seems like you go away on vacation, but you need to come home and "rest up" from it. We had a wonderful time at SIL house in northern Illinois. We had absolutely perfect weather, and everyone had a safe time. With all the tubing, wakeboarding, kneebording, and jet skiing, that is no small thing!! Plus the number of people doing it. We took Anna's family with us for several days. They are amazing friends, even before the engagement, and they are fabulous house guests. We had a ball. Even managed to go out to eat for an "adult" dinner one night, as we celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. I also talked with a dear childhood friend the other night. We send Christmas cards every year, but its not the same as talking and hearing her voice, of course she sounded like her mom. She was a wonderful friend, and our families did a lot together, so often, she seemed more like a sister (of which I had none, neither did she). I have many fond childhood memories of our times together. One of the most memorable, and there is a picture to prove it, Friend Vicki lost her tooth, I had a loose one, and Vicki's mom LOVED to pull teeth. Need I say more. The picture is of both of us smiling, with big gobbes of cotton stuffed in our teeth. I love you, Maddy!!! :) LOL. If I ever find that picture, it surely will end up here!!
Anyway, nice to catch up with you Vicki!!!
Onto Knitting News. Notice, I have no pictures. Well that is mostly b/c I forgot to take my camera. Argh! I told my family that none of my blogger friends will even believe I really go on vacation, cuz I never post any pics. We really do go :) I did knit, and will take pics soon. I crocheted several little washcloths, for a friend that is having her baby this friday. Reminds, me, that I missed a wedding shower while I was gone, so need to knit up some dishrags for her. Whew. I am almost done with my Pebble Rib socks, I should have pics soon. It really is a great pattern. I will post all the specifics, when I do the pics.
One last thing, thank you so much to my blogger friend over at Sew Take a Hike (see my sidebar). She had a lovely post the other day, and mentioned a few blogs that she had visited, and why she liked them. She listed mine!! I was so excited!! Thanks!! I had to laugh though, she said she found my blog "peaceful". I think that is wonderful, and I am very glad it makes her feel that way, eventhough sometimes, my life feels anything but peaceful, I am glad that she visits and feels that way. I hope your visit was as pleasant! Thanks for stopping by!
Suzanne

Oops, forgot a title!

Hi everyone, sorry I've been gone, but yes wedding planning is already happening around here. I went with Anna and her mom and dad yesterday to pick out the location for the reception!! I think we found a beautiful place. We were very impressed!! I really appreciated them asking me to go, cuz after all, I am only the mother of the groom! However, we are good friends with Anna's folks, so I'm sure they will be gracious and include us a lot! This is sooo fun!!

On the knitting front, this is all I got!! This is my neck cowl with the yarn I won from blogger friend Peaknits. I am a little further than the picture shows, and its almost done. I also am working on a beautiful dish cloth for my August Swap partner, Its crocheted, but I love the stitch. Easy, but a nice thick fabric. It is called the Bark Sedge Stitch. Really weird name, but nice :) I'll show pics after I send it off. Went home for a couple days to see my mom and dad. They don't live far, but my mom has the most beautiful flower gardens, enough to rival any garden magazine, and she just added a big terraced thing in her front yard. My nephew, Lincoln, and his family did most of the work, and I think it really was even Lincoln's brainstorm. He's only 17, but wow, he did a great job. However, do you think I took any pics............sorry ;)

I am leaving Saturday for Chicago with our family and Anna's family for a week of fun and sun, so I probably won't be around for a while, but I promise to have lots of pics to make up for this one. Hope you have a great middle of August............argh school and fall are right around the corner.............weren't we just waiting for summer to get here??????????

Suzanne

They're Engaged!!!!

Look at these two!! Don't they make a beautiful couple? My son proposed to his girlfriend last night, and she said, "Yes!" There was a squeal or two in there as well. Her name is Anna, and we couldn't be happier to be adding her to our family. We already love her and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for their lives together. He took her to Lake Michigan, they had a little picnic, and their mutual friend Hannah had I Love You done in paper bags with candles in them. Then Alex walked her, with her eyes closed to another location over a small hill, turned her around, and was down on one knee, when he told her to open her eyes, then asked her to marry him. Which, was followed by a squealing, "Of course, yes!!" No, we weren't there, but my son has it all on video. Taken by friend, Hannah. It will be fun to start the planning, doesn't seem that long ago, but my husband and I will celebrate 25 yrs next year. Wow. How time flies. They are bouncing around town today, telling everyone, and have made lots of phone calls to out of town relatives. We are all very excited. Congratulations Alex and Anna! We love you both!!

What a way to end July!!

Wow, today was my lucky mail day!! I received both my July Dishcloth Swap Package from Alix, and my Plucky Knitter yarn that I won from my blogger friend Peaknit. I truely got spoiled by Alix, who sent all sorts of things to pamper myself (the theme was birthday). I got body cream and lotion, and a candle all in cherry blossom scent. I got a box of English Tea and a lavender eye mask, that I'd like to use now, but alas, it might make my typing even worse than it already is. :) The dishcloth is truely a work of art. It is purple, and kind of a double star pattern. Looks difficult to me, and she did a great job on it!! She also sent a new skein of Sugar N" Cream yarn for me. Thanks again Alix. Totally worth the wait.

Like I said, I also received my skein of Plucky Knitter yarn. It is the most glorious colors, and everyone that knows me will think she made it just for me. It is several shades of purple (are you sensing a theme?) and several lucious shades of olive. Perhaps a little brown, where the olive turns. Like I said, made for me!!! It is a bulky weight, and with 100 yds. I think I shall knit a cowl. Oh darn, the weekend is here,(close enough), and I have been finishing up projects, and oh darn, I need to cast on another one. What shall I do?!? Thank you to Alix and Peaknit for all my wonderful goodies! Happy Weekend!

Suzanne

Garden Spy Cam and FO's

I had to laugh, the other day, my DH (who works from home, and his office is in the basement) emails me (which he never does) with an email title that said, "Look what your garden spy cam caught" I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, until I opened the attachment and here is what I saw!! Eating my lettuce. Look how fat he is!! We put a fence around the garden, in hopes that it will help, we'll see. I also suspect that he has been eating my zucchini blossoms, which is why I have blossoms, and NO zucchini. I love zucchini!! I have been waiting all year. I think me and Mr. Bunny need to have a chat. Wonder if he likes Ceyene pepper??? HeeHee!!

On the knitting front, I have been trying to finish a few things. I promise the knitting bag is almost finished. But I had to stick this in. Actually, this is crocheted, not knitted, but who cares! I have been wanting to do this bag for some time, thought I was doing it wrong, turns out there is an eratta page, and I was doing it right, it was their mistake. Who knew! Then, I wanted to line mine, but in the pattern they never tell you where to line (yes there is an important place) probably b/c they don't line theirs. So, I didn't line mine. I think I have a few people in mind to do one of these for Christmas. It really was easy and fast, once you got going. Thanks for stopping by.

Suzanne

Parties and Contests!

Hi folks,
Whew, is it Monday afternoon already? What a weekend. My SIL came on Friday, and we went to dinner with some friends we hadn't seen in a few weeks. Then on Saturday, we celebrated my nephews first birthday! I can not believe he is one already. He is the sweetest baby (besides mine :) in the world! He is so cute, and was so good natured for all the excitement at his party. We had a fun time hanging out at Ron and Melia's all day. It helped, that it was probably the most perfect of summer days. A light breeze, perfect temp, and family. Can't get much better. And today is my SIL birthday too, I won't tell you how many of those we have celebrated, as she sometimes reads my blog, and would have my head. Just let me say, that she is beautiful inside and out, no matter how many birthdays she has!!
Yesterday, was just a beautiful day of fellowship at church. We had an unusual service, a commissioning service. We have a family in our church who are leaving today for the mission field, so we as their sending church, had a special service for them. We sang songs that are very meaningful to them, prayed for them, gave them scripture passages to encourage them. Then we had an outside baptismal service. Several families, and lots of young people, and a very special new christian friend, Sandy, who is just a breath of fresh air, all got baptized, then we fellowshiped together over a big potluck. Again, it was a perfect summer afternoon. Later in the evening, my DH, SIL and friend Kim all drove to Grand Haven , MI and had dinner, walked to pier, and then of course had to top the evening off with ice cream. Just fills in the cracks!! Trust me, I have quite a few!!LOL
The knitting front was non existant, but I am almost done with my Pam Allen knitting bag. Just finishing hand sewing the lining. Oh How could I forget, I WON a blog contest. My friend at http://peaknit.blogspot.comfor her blogaversary, and I won a beautiful skein of yarn from another blog friend,http://thepluckyknitter.com You can see my skein of yarn on peaknits blog, I think I will probably take her suggestion and make that cowl. Something I have been wanting to do anyway. Hers is beautiful. I am so excited! I'll do a show and tell when she sends it to me. Guess that's it for today. Hope you had a great weekend too!
Suzanne