Our ornaments

More ornaments from the exchange. This one is another one of Audrey's made from whatever she could find in my stash. I kept this one, for two reasons. I love the fact that she just used whatever. We also made the clay buttons years ago when she was home sick. She is definitely her Mother's child. For some reason she collected pop tabs. Ho has two meanings, obviously Christmas, but also the girls have taken to greeting me or each other with "What up, ho?" It has to do with spending a lot of time with military people.
Audrey's mouse, too cute!
My mitten made from a recycled sweater. Knotty bits, I have another one of these! 

And a good time was had by all

This year we hosted the 2nd annual ornament exchange. The particulars were:
Each person brings 1-3 ornaments
Each ornament must be handmade and one you would be pleased to receive
Each ornament is unwrapped and ready to hang
Each person goes home with as many ornaments as he/she brought

As everyone arrives, they hang their ornaments on the tree and take time to covet the ones they want. We wait for everyone to arrive. Each person receives a number for each ornament they brought. I think our numbers went up to 100! But, I think there were only about 80 ornaments. We had everything under the sun, crocheted snowflakes, wired robots made from junky stuff, felted, beaded balls, felt cardinals, pipecleaner christmas trees, button wreaths, and more! You saw ours. Needless to say, number 1 has a tough job to choose from all the ornaments! Not everyone can fit in the sun room where the tree is so they mingle in the kitchen or living room. I had a guest book out so people could sign it along with a favorite Christmas memory or ornament or whatever. I also had sketch paper, markers, and crayons out for people to draw self portraits. It was great to see them and the interesting ways they portrayed themselves. We did this a couple years ago at Family Christmas celebrations. I have a lot of self portraits to hang, now. I had just enough food. The first Friday night in December is perfect. The other events have not really started yet. It was wonderful! I plan on hosting again next year. Oh, our favorite ornament that we received was huge, tacky, hilarious, and extremely creative. It consisted of glittery leaves arching in a rainbow in the colors of a rainbow, stabilized by white fringe yarn (lots of it!) with a framed photograph of our male friends, underneath saying "Have a Gay Christmas".

Our ornaments

These are our ornaments for our annual ornament exchange.
This is one of three penguins My Handsome Prince made for the ornament exchange. They went quick!

This is one of Audrey's made from a recycled jar lid, paper, and whatever bits she could find.
This is one of mine. I felted acorns. I got the idea from littlebirds. I think they are adorable.

Out to Breakfast

It seems we can't stop eating. After a week or so of no appetite, the handsome one has got it back. We went to lunch yesterday and out this morning to this local joint. We used to be able to eat (2 of us) for under $5. It's gone up in price but it's still the local hangout. The town guys get their coffee everymorning. Today there were some hunters still in their garb and local families whose tradition it is to eat there every Saturday morning.














Halloween weekend found us taking pictures of each other trying to lift one eyebrow. Today was the open mouth shot.















I would say he is feeling better. What a goof!













Oh, and I just finished her. She is spoken for but I will be making others. Her name is Morgan. She is from this book.

Thinking Small

After making those adorable baby booties, I was still in that baby size frame of mind. So...for this years ornament exchange, I present Winged Angel Booties, made from recycled wool, vintage rick rack, card stock, and of course with Christmas crafting, you have to have glitter! I love the fact that the feet look somewhat large. I clipped this idea out of Country Living magazine and saved it for a long time. I finally got around to making one. I'll be making a few more. 

Images I wish I had captured today

The sight of my youngest daughter, sound asleep, with her two cousins all in one bed

Me, with my hairdressers two week old baby, asleep on my chest, while I lay back in the chair getting my hair shampooed. You never lose that wonderful feeling of a precious infant asleep on top of you.

The septic tank guy, after having pumped out our system, telling my husband the bill is $200 and a cold beer. How can you deny a man a cold one after he has shovelled out your you know what?

Miss me?

That was the email I received yesterday morning, while in the basement, doing laundrey, checking blogs, and general puttering. Would you like to guess who that was from? My Handsome Prince, upstairs in the lounge. I was gone maybe an hour.

Images from our week at home:

Nightime shuffling from bed, to recliner, to sofa, trying to find that position
Mornings, Audrey quietly getting ready for school
coffee together every morning
Afternoon Delight, consisting of a movie and and a long nap
Jello
Visitors
Good food that only I ate
rain, rain, and more rain with wind
Evening movie
Crying over an email
Trying to watch "Jackass" and turning it off within the first 5 minutes because it made him laugh
A slow walk down the road
Emma's room, The Lounge, being a nest and haven for all of us
Us, one holding the other in time of need

And...
Walker, Texas Ranger

Baby loveliness or Lovely babyness

This is one bit of handiwork I managed to get done this week. Despite my big plans, I needed almost as much rest as My Handsome Prince. The shoes are courtesy of a tutorial by Stardustshoes, the lavender hat from "One Skein", and the popcorn hat, me. These are for two of my cycle students who were expecting girls this month. I've heard of one healthy, happy delivery and hope to hear of the other soon.

Christus Consolator

"Come unto Me
All Ye That Are Weary and Heavy Laden
And I Will Give You Rest"

When I was younger, my parents were involved in the Eucumenical Institute, now known as Institute of Cultural Affairs. We would be hauled off to Fifth City in Chicago at some awful hour for a weekend of (at that time) torture. We would complain, moan, and complain some more, yet it provided a foundation for my life and some of my beliefs now. We used to sing that verse to the tune of "Bye Bye Love". In our many trips to Johns Hopkins so far, I have only been to visit Him in person once(this year), for this photo. Yet I know He is there, so I hum "Bye Bye Love" singing to myself "Come to Me, all who are weary and a heavy laden, and I will give you rest, and I will give you rest." My FIL claims to be an atheist. His older son has been a patient, on and off, of JHH for over 30 years. The last one was a close call and afterwards, he bought a replica of the statue for his home. It's not spoken of but is prominently displayed. Comfort comes in many ways.

The surgery went as expected. The nodule was metastatic, from his bone tumor of almost 15 years ago. No other treatment is expected. Hopefully, this was it. As a friend wrote me, a slight detour, not the path.

Relief flooded me after the surgeon spoke to us. My Father and Father in Law (named Big Dad by Audrey - the youngest grandchild) stayed with me that afternoon. I had trouble maintaining my calm (okay, I tried not to cry) as I called each of my children to tell them the good news. My Dad left and Big Dad stayed, he was taking me home. Finally we were able to see My Handsome Prince in ICU.

When we walked in, the nurse kept the small talk up, commenting on how well he was doing, wanting to know what I was making (I had knitting in my hand), yada, yada. Poor baby, grimaced and groaned with every breath he took, yet managed to sweep his hand towards me and tell the nurse "She is beautiful". I did not want to cry. He kept talking about it hurt to lift, as he lifted his head. I kept telling him, don't do it. Finally, he said "No, it hurts to live." I've never been a queasy person, but at this point, I was sweating, cold and naseaous and had to sit down. I didn't want them to mop me off the floor. This was my husband, in a state like I had never seen before. If I felt like this, I can't even imagine the helplessness my Father in Law felt that evening. Finally, a good dosage was set on the morphine pump that he could administer every 5 minutes. He snoozed, woke, assured us he was fine, snoozed, wanted to watch Walker, Texas Ranger (a private joke - check out the Chuck Norris page), and wanted us to leave. We made him anxious and he could rest if we left. We did and it was probably the hardest thing either one of us had done in a while.

Friday, 6:30 AM, phone rings. Shit! Panic. It was My Handsome Prince, saying he has his own private room, he was out of ICU. Amazing guy, thinking of me.

Todays visit was very subdued. He slept. I knit. My Mom read. My Dad came and a friend from church came. Later, after I arrived home, Big Dad called, MHP had been up walking and was sitting up in a chair. He is battling the naseau from anesthesia, but the morphine has been cut off, and he is doing well. His color is good, his breathing is good, he's doing what he's supposed to do. He is such an excellent patient.

This husband of mine is the bravest soul, the most thoughtful man, and the most amazing man. He has had many battles and has come through with faith. I am a lucky woman.

Emma is coming home tonight. All three of us will visit tomorrow. I will show them the statue. I hope it will bring them comfort. I will call my sister and get all the words to the song and teach it to my children. And we will sing.


Post note: Saturday, we brought him home. It's tough, but he's here and we can take care of him. Through his fog of pain and meds, he hears the girls laughing and I think that brings him comfort.

 

Welcome to the Lounge

This is Emma's room. It has been renamed "The Lounge" for a short period of time. My Handsome Prince goes in for surgery today to remove a nodule from his lung. He will be home for a month recuperating. We moved a tv, complete with dvd player, recliner with afghan, and another chair for visitors. Actually, it is quite comfortable. The three of us, or should I say five because the dog and cat like it too, have spent a few evenings in here practicing, watching movies and tv. Sorry Emma, you'll get it back in time for Christmas break, if not Thanksgiving. I'll report in within the next day or two with results from surgery. I know there are lurkers out there who read. My love and thanks to all who are praying and thinking of us. 

Thrifting with Audrey

Audrey decided that she wanted to go thrift shopping on Saturday. Her purpose: A pair of jeans. Audrey definitely has her own sense of style and while still in the mainstream fashion, wants her own edge to it. We started at a local place that I had totally forgotten about where I bought this treasure. Someone's knitting book with a copyright of 1950, notes and notecards included for...$.50! Even if I don't use it, it's a treasure. I also picked up a Lands End cotton sweater and a pair of capri/gauchos or whatever you call them. Next stop a high end consignment shop where I bought a formal gown, cheap! Audrey remarked she liked how I'm the one buying stuff and she was the one who wanted to go shopping. Nothing gets by her. Although we did not buy any thrift stuff for her, she did manage to find some shoes for $1 and other items, not so cheap. Another time. We finished the day with an early dinner of burgers and fries and a movie at home.

More camping fun

Black and tan makings, mmmmm
creek rising two feet during the night
punkin chunkin (check out this web site for real punkin chunkin- one of these days we'll go)
candy stealer! 

Scary things

a creepy, crawly hand that might jump out of the candy bowl as you reach for your treat
Gangstas, complete with violin case for the machine gun and body in a bag.
Scary lady handing out candy. 

Plenty of firewood
for cooking over the open fire
and warmth for the cold evenings 

Men in pajama pants doing dishes (sung to the tune of Bananas in Pajamas......)
guitar lessons benefits

Camping Fun!

When Emma was a little girl, the town did not allow trick or treating. They offered a very lame Halloween party for kids in the neighborhood. At that time, it was an older neighborhood, very much small town, not many children. I guess that is why. So we took her to one Grandparent or the other's house for trick or treating the first couple years. Somehow, when she was maybe 2 or 3, we went camping with a group for Halloween. That was it for us! Every year afterwards we have camped for Halloween. Emma has even said that she will continue this camping tradition until the day she dies. I would say that more than half of that time, the weather has sucked. Why do we do it? What is the appeal of camping in torrential rains, windstorms, freezing temperatures, and a lovely Sunday to pack up?

When we arrive, campers are busy setting up sites, decorating, getting costumes together, reserving sites for next year, cooking, eating, and visiting. The kids are fired up! They are running all over the place, sometimes playing football in the rain. You can literally feel the electricity in the place! There is always a Friday night family/halloween movie. Saturdays events leave us exhausted by 8pm with ceramics, pumpkin carving, bake sale, bingo, costume parade and judging, trick or treating, Haunted House (which is no longer and now a haunted hayride), campsite decorating and judging, and and adult dance with costume judging.

We camp with another family and typically dress as a group. This year we did not. In years past we have been an Elvis Convention, Superheroes and Villians, and Fairies, which included the fitness fairy, snack fairy, goth fairy and more. We won the year we were all Elvis. This year My Handsome Prince and I did not dress up, much to the disappointment of our friend. We had spent the day at the hospital and the time leading up to the weekend in a different mindset. It was just not a priority. That's for another entry. Our girls were Gangsters, or as they like to say "Gangstas!"

As a side note:
I hate haunted houses. One year I went through the haunted house while we were camping and when that guy came at me with the chainsaw running, I almost knocked a kid down trying to run away! I rarely go through. I have passed that nervousness down to Audrey. One year she was working up the nerve to go through, MHP was overseas (he normally is the designated adult), and Audrey wanted me to take her through the haunted house. No complaints, I was going to swallow my fear and take my daughter into the haunted house. We waited in line, hearing screams and chainsaws, and got to the front, and Audrey panicked. She did not want to go. So we got out of line and took a walk. She was sobbing! She had worked her nerve up as much as possible and still could not do it, she disappointed herself. My heart broke to see her in this state. But then she looked at me and said she was sorry that I did not get to go into the haunted house and felt bad because she knew I wanted to go through. HA! I was relieved! She has since been in the haunted house and has decided, just like her Mom, it is not for her. But, she has conquered that fear and feels that she does not need to do it again. Good for her. We can both handle a haunted hayride, nobody ever gets too close.

What I've been doing

Marble magnets. I knew I saved those altoid tins for a reason!













Taking photos of this beauty with my new camera.












Drinking beer with Tas. It was her birthday.
















Listening to him moan (It's a song - get your mind out of the gutter).


















Making scary meal for the Youth groups Fear Factor night.
This is entrails with sides of organs (spaghetti with some visual but unedible aids).










Finger breadsticks













Roadkill meatloaf (was wolfed down by the youth!). Note the maggots.











Dirt cake, complete with graves and worms

Mamachelly's creative endeavors

A lovely scarf inspired by Denyse Schmidts Quilts book (which she does not even own).










The most perfect profile.














Those are my lips on his cheek.

It's that time again

It's time for the Annual Crazy Quilted Ornament exchange. The rules are very particular and your ornament can be sent back to you if it does not meet the expectations. This is my fourth year being involved. Although, I don't have much of a choice as my neighbor, friend, and creative genious is the host. If she walked my ornament back over to me, I'd be mortified!


The golden glove was a purchased ornament I received one year and was the inspiration for the red velvet crazy quilted glove. I made two of those last year and have two more started. I loved them!

This is this years ornament in process. Not quite sure if it is going to work. This is the inspiration. The problem is I can not leave the edges raw. I'm making this out of cottons instead of fancies. I may change my mind. I usually make 2 to exchange and always start one or two more with the intention of keeping one myself. Unfortunately, rarely do I ever finish my own. The angel in the first photo with the crocheted wings and gold beaded halo was an exception. Wish me luck!