What a weekend

This past weekend was so jam packed, it will be good to get to work just to slow down a tad.

We had a funeral to attend on Saturday morning. After a long illness, my sister-in-law's sister passed away a week ago. She had been in the hospital for two months but has suffered with Crohn's and diabetes for years. She was 50.

After we got home, Dave and I went to a local grower's green house to get our garden plants. We got 36 regular tomato plants (beefsteak and another kind), 18 roma and 18 grape tomato plants. We also purchased 18 eggplant and 18 cabbage, 36 regular sweet peppers, 18 Hungarian yellow and 18 Jalapeno peppers. After Dave had finished preparing the beds on Sunday (alternating between the two rotatillers), we planted. Besides the seadlings we had purchased, we also planted a bed of zucchini and yellow squash and another entire bed (although a smaller one) of green string beans. Seriously.

On Sunday, Lindsey and I joined my sister, Peg and her daughter, Amy, and grand-daughter, Allyson and we went to the Great Lakes Fiber Fest in Wooster, Ohio. It was FABULOUS. Of course, Lindsey and Allyson only went because they didn't want to get stuck having to do work around the house.

Anyway, I showed tremendous amounts of restraint and limited my purchases to one skein of Briar Rose's Grandma's Blessing yarn (1200 yards), two skeins of Trekking sock yarn, and a couple of patterns XOXO (hat and scarf) and Boxleaf Wrap and another scarf pattern from Briar Rose.

My sister spins, so except for one skein of sock yarn, she only bought fiber (some alpaca and alpaca blends and, her absolute favorite, buffalo).

After we got home, Lindsey was horribly disappointed to find out that Dave had not yet started planting. Remember, the whole goal of going to the Fiber Fest was to get out of the garden planting. However, since he had spent so much time getting it all ready, we easily planted everything within about 90 minutes. It was incredible. And, you know what, it doesn't matter if we spend an entire day or 90 minutes, my back and legs are killing me today.

On Monday, Sarah and Kyle came over, along with Lindsey's friend, Andrew. I made macaroni salad, potato salad, cole slaw (I guess I was having a salad kind of day) and stuffed hamburgers (cook and crumble bacon, saute onions and mushrooms in bacon fat, drain well; I then flatten half of the package of ground meat into a large rectangle, spread the bacon mixture on top of the meat, add slices of American cheese, top with another layer of ground meat and cut into about 4" squares, grill and serve . . . . yummy).

Later, Zachariah and I "balled" some of the yarn, including the Grandma's blessing (1200 yards is a lot of yarn). He also was going through my stash and found some Lorna's Laces in Black Watch and asked if I would make him mittens and a hat. We then wound that yarn too, along with another skein of KnitPicks bare wool.

I am exhausted.

I had an X-ray done today. They found you in my heart.
The doctor said that if they took you out I would die,

because I could not live without you as an on-line friend!
Feel free to send this heart along to all of your on-line friends

that you could not live without!

I want to share a heart that was sent my way by Jane! As Jane mentioned, we met awhile ago, way back when One Skein Wonders first came out and we joined a swap. Over that time, we have gotten to know each other through our blogs, an online book club (Whoduknit) and through sharing our family and friends.

Isn't it amazing how small the internet has made the world?

While my middlest child was working on a project for school, I was going through some old papers of my parents. I "inherited" quite a bit of the paperwork. My Mom had named me as her executrix and even though she has been gone for over ten years, I still have much of her stuff around.

I have a copy of my Mom's parents wedding certificate. They both came to Cleveland from Ireland. When they left their family homes, they knew that there was little chance that they would ever see their homes and parents again. My Gram knew that she would see her sisters (there were 11 all told). A couple had left before she did and the reason that she decided to go to Cleveland was because her sisters were here.

While my Gramps never made it home, my Gram returned to Ireland in 1964, shortly before she retired. One of her sisters still lived in the family home and many cousins and other relatives still lived in the village of her birth.

But can you imagine, packing it all up, knowing that chances were slim that you would ever see the ones you love? I don't think I could.

One of the things I found this evening was a copy of her baptismal certificate. I cannot tell you how many times I have handled this piece of paper. I always laugh because she wrote a shopping list on the back of it. For the first time, however, I noticed that she had changed the year of her birth on it. She was born in 1927 but the year on this certificate was 1924.

I then looked at when it was issued and realized that it was the year that her Dad made her drop out of school and get a job to help support the family. She was 15. She loved that school. She had just finished tenth grade and absolutely thought it was the best thing that ever happened to her. The funny thing is that both of my daughters have attended the same school. Sarah graduated in 2004 and Lindsey is, strangely enough 15 and just now finishing tenth grade.

Again, I just cannot imagine telling Lindsey that she has to drop out of school so that she can work to help the family. Although I have to do have to admit that there are times when I get totally ticked at her and hold the privilege of going to an all girls Catholic High School over her head. It is always because she isn't doing her best or at least trying to do her best. We discuss the entire this is a privilege not an entitlement. Sigh.

I think my Mom would be even more fascinated with the internet and all the technology available today. She was one of the smartest women I know. Even before she died, she had her internet friends for her knitting and quilting and rug hooking. She was fascinated with the knowledge that was readily available to her, even at 2:00 a.m.!! I always loved starting my day with an email from Mom (and often knew, after looking at the time it was sent, that an early morning phone call was out of the question).

So take a moment and thank your internet friends for their time and kindness and friendship. We do only pass through this world but once!

Have a wonderful day!

More Zachariah and Thunder

Simple Woman - May 18, 2009

Kindness is the golden chain

by which society is bound together.
Goethe

FOR TODAY - Monday, May 18, 2009

Outside my Window... it is cold (we broke the record) but the skies are blue and it will be warm when I leave work
I am thinking... it is good to be back at work
I am thankful for... that I have a job
From the kitchen... nothing much for me (Yogurt, tea, Cream of Wheat)
I am creating... the stupid shawl
I am going... to a meeting tonight at Lindsey's school. It should be interesting.
I am wearing... navy blue slacks, white t-shirt and red sweater
I am reading... The First Family
I am hoping... to go for a walk after I get home from my meeting
I am hearing... people arriving for work
Around the house... nothing much is happening
One of my favorite things... sleeping in . . . oh, yeah, I went to work today so THAT didn't happen.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... meeting tonight, meeting Wednesday evening, followed by knitting, meeting Thursday morning, Zachariah's concert Thursday afternoon
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you . . . see the previous posts . . . lots of pics there!

Zachariah and Thunder

The best of both worlds.

My future son-in-law bought my daughter a puppy for her birthday. Thunder, which is too huge a name for such a little scrapper, is a chocolate lab (I know, he will get bigger), seven weeks old and great fun.

Zachariah's big disappointment was when we put the pup back in its kennel so it could catch some zzzzzz's.

Okay, here is the best part. The dog doesn't live with us. So, I told Sarah and Kyle that this is totally cool. They can bring the dog every Sunday or whenever else they come over. Zachariah can get the experience of having a puppy and we don't have to deal with it!

Phat Fiber Box

I scored a phatfiber sampler box this morning. Woo hoo!!! For those of you who don't know about phatfiber, you should go here. The theme for May is "Showers and Flowers". Each box contains a minimum of 20 samples from over 65 different artisans! A sampler box chock full of indie dyed yarn, roving, batts, stitch markers, patterns, coupon codes and much more!


The Phat Fiber Sampler box is a way for independent fiber, yarn and related needlecraft companies and artisans to promote their products through a tactile goodie box that goes on sale once monthly. PhatFiber's contributors get exposure while those of us lucky to score a box get to handle and experiment with products before making larger purchases. If you want to contribute to the boxes, you should go to the PhatFiber website and contact Jessie.

And, the only reason that I was able to score a box today was because I am not fully functional yet and my range of motion currently is limited to my keyboard. Even knitting hurts and the pain meds make me soooooo sleepy.

Amy's Shower

Last Saturday, we had my niece's shower. Amy is getting married for the first time on June 27. We had great fun planning the shower and, while some people didn't bother to RSVP and I was a little disappointed in those who hadn't bothered to show up or call, I decided it was their loss. We had a great time. AND lots of food. We had made chicken salad on croissants and fruit salad. My sisters and I all made pastries and rather than having a cake, we put plates of pastries out on each table.

Here are some of the pics that I took at the shower. Hopefully, the text will go along with the pics but Blogger sometimes does its own thing.

Mary and Cheyenne were concerned that the only presents Amy was getting were things for the kitchen . . . we laughed and said that someday they will understand the great toys that adults get. Amy was so happy. She loves cooking and baking. My younger sisters got her a Kitchen-Aid mixer (we all have one) and she was just dumb-founded.

Colleen is Peg's oldest child and Amy's sister.

Heather (Colleen's daughter), Allyson (Amy's daughter), Amy and Mary (Jacquie's daughter)

Lindsey, Sarah, Ron's Aunt Lil and his Mom.

The woman all the way on the right is my youngest sister, Jeanne.

Amy and her daughter, Allyson.

Heather, Allyson and Amy.

Jeanne, Jacquie and Lindsey.

Friday Fill In - May 8, 2009

"My mother is a poem

I'll never be able to write,

though everything I write is

a poem to my mother."
—Sharon Doubiago

1. Apples are to oranges as cheese is to crackers.

2. I am going to knit a sock next week . . . and that's all I have to say about that.

3. I think I hear the end of the week creeping up on me.

4. Display the flag.

5. Do what you want to do, but be honest about it.

6. He was walking along without a care in the world and behind him was a Radio Flyer wagon; in fthe wagon was a bucket filled with mud.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my sister and niece's arrival, making kolacky and Danish pastry, tomorrow my plans include my niece's shower and spending time with my sisters and Sunday, I want to recover!

And here is yet another contest

Georgi is having a 200th post contest. The Knit Kit is the first prize. So go on over. Tell her I sent you and maybe we will both win. You can click here too, but if that doesn't work, copy this link:

http://toknitandwrite.blogspot.com/2009/04/contest.html

Friday Fill In - May 1, 2009

Happy May, Happy May, Happy May!!!!

1. The first rule of working in an office and getting along is not stinking it up with obnoxious foods or perfumes or smoke.

2. I love fried clams.

3. When I think of carnivals I think of unsafe rides.

4. Tulips are my favorite spring flower.

5. Things on my desk include pics of the family, adding machine, lamp, tape measure, hand lotion.

6. Crying makes me wanna cry.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time with Zachariah, tomorrow my plans include not much, but does include 4:30 Youth Liturgy Mass and Sunday, I want to sleep in!