Breaking the Ice

Today is the day that I make myself update my blog. I've had this idea in my head that this blog entry should be very profound and heartfelt and I think I've almost scared myself away from updating!

Thing is, Brooklyn has totally changed our lives and thoughts. Describing the impact that this little eight pound being has had to where others can understand is quite an undertaking! Prior to her birth I would hear from other grandma acquaintances about how fabulous and different "grandma love" is and I am here to tell you that it's the honest truth. The best word I've found is to say that it's a peaceful love. When I hold this precious girl nothing else in the world matters. The world slows down and my entire focus is on this cuddly, sweet smelling, softly cooing baby. It is blessedly peaceful. Thank you Lord for the perfection of newborn babies.

Another big difference in grandma love and mama love is another view of peaceful love. A mama holds her newborn baby and has some worries about whether or not she'll be a good mama, can they afford the care of the baby, do we have enough diapers, etc. A grandma only has to hold that baby and love her. Truly there are few things that touch that peace. Thank you Lord for allowing me the experience of being a grandma.

I haven't decided yet whether or not I'll be posting pictures of Brooklyn on a routine basis. It's not from lack of photos I assure you! The day she was born we didn't get to see her until about 7:00 that night and by the time we left at 9:30 I had taken 183 pictures. :) But I have always hesitated to put people photos on my blog because of my fear of the internet. I'm certain I'll be talking about her from here on out, but not sure about the photos.

And now that I've broken the ice with this blog post I'm certain that it will be easy to update again. I do have some photos and other things to talk about, though really not very much. My life pretty much is centered on a sweet baby right now. :)

Brooklyn Nicole

8 lbs 5 oz

21 inches

perfect in every way!

No Baby Yet!

No Baby Yet....three little words that say so much. And those three words are the words that must be said FIRST every time I answer the phone or make a call to a friend or relative. :) This little girl is already making such an impact on so many lives.

But soon. Very soon and I'll be a grandma. We've got the cameras and video camera batteries on the charger and are good to go. I feel like I must bring more than one camera JUST IN CASE the battery goes dead or something on my primary camera. I can't imagine being at the birth of my first grandchild sans camera. Just not going to happen!

My weekend was filled with fun - and Brooklyn was constantly on my mind! Friday night I went scrapbooking with friends and as usual had a ball. Didn't get much done, but did meet a couple of new ladies that seemed very nice.

Saturday morning I had to work, but only until 10:30. I left work at full speed and met some girlfriends for shopping, lunch and a movie. Lunch was an ever popular soup and salad event at Olive Garden. During lunch we had one of those moments in time that really should be in a movie somewhere. Olive Garden gives a small taste of wine, I'm sure hoping you'll love it and order more. It just so happened that one of the gals at lunch was going through a rough patch in her life and another friend very calmly and without any words or fanfare passed her wineglass over and poured it into the first glass. We each followed suit and it just honestly was so poignant and really such a "ya ya" moment. The silence was what got me I think. Had words been spoken it would've broken the beautiful spell of the moment. God is truly merciful to honor such friendships amongst women.

We tried to dash across the street to see the movie in the mall, but the incredible amount of traffic made a dash impossible. ;) We saw the movie Evening, which was really, really good and we agreed that not a one of our husbands would've enjoyed it. It was the type of movie to see with girlfriends and a fist full of tissues.

We wandered out through the mall a while, of course stopping at Starbucks for a frap. Pottery Barn had a plethora of items to drool over, Stride Rite and their Robeez shoes (I can thank Becky for introducing me to those!) and the baby department of a couple of department stores. And that's what I mean about Brooklyn being with us - I honestly think my friends are almost as excited as I am about this baby.

Finished: Brooklyn's Socks

Pattern: Lacy Rib Baby Socks
Yarn: Schoeller & Stahl Zimba Top
Colorway: 0020, White
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo dpn's, Size 2


After I knit the first sock I realized that I had done the toe decreases and kitchener stitch vertically instead of horizontally - DOH! I knit the second and tried to tell myself that the first one was ok. But this IS for my grandbaby, so I cast on sock #3. When I finished it I brought all 3 socks out to show Keith and I sang the ever popular ditty "One of these things is not like the other"....and of course he picked the "bad" sock out right off the bat. I'm very pleased to have done the third sock and to have a good pair for Brooklyn. And on the advice of friends I'm not going to toss sock #1 - I'll keep it in case Loni's dryer decides to eat one of the other socks. ;)

Knit Clinic Yarns - Fading Sunflower

I've been curious about DK weight socks for a while and tonight wound the yarn to start a new pair.

I'll admit upfront that I'm biased about this yarn as it was hand dyed by a friend. But when something is this nice it's easy to sing her praises! So soft and such pretty color.



It's been a while since I've gotten out my swift and ball winder and I'd forgotten how entranced I get over the whole process. And how much I love to look at the lovely yarn cakes!

Head on over to her Etsy shop and see if she has anything left - Knit Clinic Yarns. And stay tuned to see how my socks progress!

Thinking of You Card

This card is one of those that is way out of my comfort zone with the colors. I tend to use neutral colors - almost exclusively in my knitting - and they are really comfortable to me in card making. But it was kind of fun to do something out of the ordinary.

Stamps - Stampin Up; Prima Flowers (of course!); Pallette Noir (my new favorite ink pad)

Lunch and Melody's Sofa

I just finished eating lunch. Now that in itself is no big thang - I do it everyday. What is a big deal is the whole story behind it - in my opinion anyway.

You see, I brought leftover hot dish to work today. I heated it up and ate at my desk, of course dropping noodles down my shirt. Not a problem as I am single handedly keeping Tide in business now that they've come out with the fab Tide Pens. But I digress...

What came to mind while I was eating lunch is that Keith and I are definitely entering a new phase in our lives. Being an Empty Nester means lots and lots of leftovers. I now look at this as a very good thing. After eating dinner last night I took the massive bowl of leftover hot dish and divided it up into many little plastic dishes. Several went into the freezer and a couple in the fridge. That made it so easy this morning to reach in, grab leftovers and off to work I go.

It's a funny feeling not having to have enough food for the kids. And our consumption of certain things has dramatically dropped - like Pepsi. We used to go through it like water, but a 12 pack will now last a couple of weeks for Keith and I. To be fair, we drank more Pepsi in the past as well and now pretty much have water with most meals. But teenage kids drink a LOT of soda if it's in the house.

I think once I make the mind switch I'm going to enjoy the new way of cooking. Meals for two also allows us to have some things that used to be too expensive for a family meal. And I do hope they come home and eat with us often. I miss the full table.

Now I leave you with this link - Melody's Sofa - and scroll down to her podcast. She has been one of the movers and shakers in the scrapbook world for many years and has gone through trials in her personal life the last three years. She also is entering a new phase in her life and the podcast is an interview. I have had her blog in my "Grace" folder in my bloglines as she always gives me food for thought and this podcast is no exception. It's fifty minutes long and I'm only halfway through, but I do recommend it.

Joe's Manicure

Saturday was time to trim Joe's nails again, an activity that never fails to excite him (not!). I find it easiest to take him outside to do this as the sunlight shining on his nail makes it easier to see the vein and avoid that unpleasant bleeding. We were not out there very long at all and I kid you not I had at least ten mosquito bites on my calves and ankles!

Yes, West Nile definitely went through my mind, but not in a panic sort of way. More of a "I need to start being more careful about this sort of thing" sort of way.

And oh my word did they ever itch! Luckily we were just talking about this very thing at work the other day and I was ready. When you have itchy mosquito bites, coat them with nail polish! I am hear to tell you it really works!!! Stopped the itch in its tracks. I personally opted for clear, but I can see how using different colors might be kind of fun.

Beate's Thanks Card

I made this card for Beate's challenge, but then in my usual procrastination fashion didn't get a picture of it posted until too late. ;)

The sentiment stamp is Papertrey Ink, the ribbon is Stampin' Up, Prima flower and of course I'm in a Stickles place, so they are present as well.

Kwik-E-Mart Sighting!

I'll admit it - we love watching The Simpsons. I know full well that they aren't exactly politically correct...and that still doesn't stop me. I guess this is my dirty little secret.

So imagine the glee when we found out that the Dallas area has one of only twelve 7-11 stores in the nation that has remodeled into a Kwik-E-Mart!

We dashed over at lunch today, along with about 4,000 other people (only a slight exaggeration - the store was really crowded!).

We were slightly dismayed to see that they were out of Krusty-O's cereal.

But delighted to see the display of Buzz Cola - available in single cans or six-pack.

And no trip to Kwik-E-Mart is complete without a donut with pink frosting and sprinkles.

Of course we all got a Squishee to drink on the way back to work. I splurged and got the special PINK "collector" cup with Marge on the side.

The store was crowded enough that they had Security men stationed inside.

One of the employees had a name tag with Apu stitched on it.

All in all we had a silly fun time at lunch. And we're looking forward to the movie coming out.

Flooded Fourth and Baby Socks

Dare I say that July 4th was rather a "washout" for us??? LOL - sometimes I'm just too funny for my own good. First year I can EVER remember not going to a fireworks display. And one of very few years we were not at the lake. Sadness.

But even though we didn't do some of the normal things, we still had a nice time. Lynne' came over and the three of us went out to eat barbecue for lunch. After we ate we went to test drive a car for her and of course I always love new cars and the wonderful aroma. Nothing purchased yet as this was only the first step in looking.

Our next stop was Lewisville Lake to check on the flooding there. Pretty unreal, especially when compared to the several years of drought we had prior to this. The picture shows a road we ordinarily travel by the lake and if you look close you'll see three ducks swimming in front of the Road Closed sign. To the right of that sign is the every day No Parking sign, which appeals to the irony in me. All the picnic and swimming areas are closed, as well as the boat ramps.

As we were leaving the lake area we looked over at the golf course and saw a strange prehistoric type turtle wandering about. I grabbed my camera and hot footed it over to the turtle to take pictures. After looking at the pictures we're now convinced that he's some kind of evil snapping turtle and I'm lucky that I still have my legs, albeit a bit covered in mud from my cross country trek to take the pictures. ;)

All this rain did mean that I had a few extra moments to knit. In all honesty these socks took me way longer than they should have simply because we had a lot going on. They are the Lacy Rib Baby Socks and of course they are made for my precious Brooklyn. I really think that knitting socks for babies will be my current favorite thing to knit as they go so much faster. These socks were knit on size 2 needles using Schoeller & Stahl Zimba Top yarn in white. And I will also confess that I'm not happy with the toe on the first sock, so I have now cast on sock number 3 and will toss sock number 1 when number 3 is finished! Someday I need to learn how to fix things rather than start over. ;)

I've Seen Brooklyn!

Yesterday morning was one of the single most amazing events I have ever experienced in my life. Loni invited me to go to her 36 week doctor appointment with them as a 4-D Ultrasound was scheduled. Seeing Brooklyn on the screen moving around, hearing her heartbeat, seeing those beautiful chubby little cheeks, watching her breathe - it literally took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. There are times that we take all the modern medical technology for granted and truly it is a miracle. I called Keith afterwards and was describing Brooklyn's cheeks and his comment was that the fact that I'm able to describe to him what she looks like before she's born is unbelievable.

Right now she weighs 7 lbs 10 oz and they will induce labor on July 18 if she doesn't come earlier. Have I mentioned just how excited I am to hold this little princess? And now I'm also looking forward to kissing on those little cheeks of hers. She really is beautiful. :)

Baby Card

One of the many cards I've recently made. This one is for my cousin, who just found out she's pregnant! There are some people in your life that you just know will be a great mom and this cousin is one of those. She's already a wonderful aunt to twin boys, so she's had quite a bit of practice recently!

Our extended family went through a period of time with no little ones and now this year we'll have 5! The twins recently turned one and are walking now, so they will be a lot of fun. Another boy was born in January and the next boy is due I think in September. And of course Brooklyn will be here any day, so she will be the Princess amongst the boys. I figure they will either mow her over or she'll learn to use her feminine persuasiveness at a very young age in order to claim her space.

Christmas should be fun in our family this year. :)

The Countdown Is On!

The grandbaby is officially due in July and since my calendar says that month is indeed here, we are excited!!! Excited more so since Loni is having contractions. They are not steady yet, so I do realize it can be a while. And I haven't talked to her yet this morning, so for all I know right now things might be hopping in their household!

It's amazing how much a person can love somebody they haven't even met yet. Thinking about her honestly gives me such a warm and peaceful feeling. I can't wait to look into her eyes and feel her in my arms. :) I spoke to my cousin this week and I always love hearing her talk about her grandbaby. She absolutely loves her little girl and hearing the toddler girl voice in the background talking to her MeMe just warms my soul. I can't wait!!!

Our weekend went really well - this was the first time in quite a while that we didn't have something "very important" to do or somewhere to be. Lots of relaxing at home together. We did go on Saturday to see Live Free or Die Hard and enjoyed that. I did, however, come out of the theater with a headache as they had the volume quite high. Wonder if it's always been that way or am I getting old??? Hmmm.... Last night we watched Failure To Launch at home (a gal at work had loaned me the movie) and that was cute. It did get us to talking about the whole Empty Nest thing and how so many people keep mentioning to me how either they themselves or people they know have problems when it's just the two of them again. How blessed Keith and I are to be having so much fun together.

Which brings me to the Honor Your Husband 30 Day Challenge. Being sure to keep Keith first in my life has brought some amazing results. My first thought to not put a lot of my feelings on my blog seems to be correct as I seem to be having a problem lately with some people twisting many of my words around to their benefit. Therefore I will just say that this challenge has been a tremendous blessing to my family and I encourage everybody to do this.

These are the cupcakes I took to work last week - Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing. They were so good and the fun part about this recipe was that one of the guys I work with brought the recipe and asked me if I would make them some time! The recipe looked good enough that I told him I'd move them to the top of the rotation, which made him grin. Always good to keep your workmates happy! :)

Friday night I went scrapbooking with some friends (nothing like bouncing around on different subjects!!!) and had the best time! I laughed so much and so hard that my cheeks hurt by the time I came home. Project pictures to follow. :) And we met some new ladies that were at the table next to us and they were a ton of fun as well. Good times....