My New Grandpuppy!

Yesterday afternoon Keith, Joe and I headed over to James and Loni's house to meet Xena, the 7 week old lab that has now stolen my heart. You forget just how funny puppies can be until you get around them again! Notice the pink bandana around her neck - that's her first gift from grandma! Keith and I stopped at Hobby Lobby to pick it out before heading out to meet her. Joe turned out to be rather a grumpy thing and wasn't nearly as impressed with this little imp as we were hoping he would be, but they'll work it out over time. One of the surprising parts of the evening though is that their cat, Cheeto, was right out there in the thick of things! He did start out sitting under a chair to keep an eye on the "godzilla dog" (Joe), then came out and sat closer.

After playing with the dogs a bit we went to see a movie and out to eat, then back to playing with dogs again. Poor James had two of his wisdom teeth pulled late Thursday afternoon and is still pretty sore, but he did manage to grin and laugh at the silly puppy.

Doggie Day Camp

OK, one of the logistic hurdles to conquer for this trip is finding a place for Joe. That might not seem to be a challenge for some, but we do baby this dog and the only time he's ever spent time away from us was when he stayed with his grandma and grandpa (!). And I realize that by this entry you can tell we're getting older and the dog is our baby!!! Anyway, he now as a reservation at a local PetsHotel in a room just like the one pictured here - a "suite" to be exact. He'll have a bed and a tv in his room (stop laughing!) and will get two 15 minutes walks per day (just like home!). They have a long list of "ala carte" services and we will be adding the "treat time" - lactose-free, fat-free soft serve ice cream served with doggie biscuits - LOL! Before everyone thinks I've completely gone over the edge, the main reason we decided on the "suite" is that Joe has epilepsy and the suite is more soundproof, thus giving him less stimili with not being able to hear the other dogs bark so much. I'm sure there will be pictures after all is said and done and the odds are that there might even be some scrapbooking on this subject. :)

Celebrating Friendship

Yesterday while getting ready to travel and trying to get my thoughts straight I had a some friend blessings. I had a couple of friends call and just let me talk, which is what I needed to do most. It felt so good to share stories of Grandma and they were kind enough to listen, not interrupt and just murmur responses. What a blessing and gift it is to be able to do that! I will always treasure these friends. And then in the afternoon I got a call from another friend, who then came and picked me up, we went to Sonic for drinks (though she did tease me on my choice!) and then off to a hobby shop for a brief oasis. Again, kindness and laughter like this was what I needed and a gift to celebrate in this friend.

Now I'm off to try and get some of this house picked up since the housecleaning fairies didn't come in during the night again. I'm finding you just really cannot depend on those little fairies... :)

~ Elizabeth

My Grandma

My grandmother passed away peacefully yesterday - she was 86. I've had so many emotions running through my mind today as I think of her and figure out the logistics of getting my family to her funeral.

This picture was taken three years ago in the hospital, when we were all called to come and see her one last time as the doctors told us she wouldn't make it the two weeks to Thanksgiving. Funny how God's plans outweigh the doctor's predictions.

Grandma was a very Godly woman and loved to tell you about it. That's what I will miss most - sharing our faith together on the phone. No matter what she was facing with her health, she had a note of joy in her voice. She was truly grateful for each and every day that was given to her.

So when we all get together the day before her funeral and talk about her, there will be mixed emotions. Weeping as we all miss her inspiration and presence in our lives. Laughter as we remember her giggle and happiness. Stumbling as we feel the pain of loss. Dancing as we envision her dancing with our Saviour. And above all the warmth of family togetherness and knowing that she is still there among us in our memories.

~ Elizabeth

Sizzle, Gauge and Baby Bibs

Here it sits looking oh so pretty, but in reality it's all a sham. This is one of the swatches for the Sizzle top made with Shine yarn from Knitpicks. Unfortunately I just cannot get gauge and am frustrated beyond belief and am ready to kick the whole project to the curb. I did consult my knitterly friends and they have suggested I try again on needles made from a different material, so before admitting defeat I will do that.

Which has all lead me to think - why am I so worried about doing more difficult projects with my hobbies? Since when did it become a race to do fancier and more difficult, whether in knitting, scrapbooking, quilting, etc.? We must strive to be published, to do the latest and greatest and somewhere along the line the love and warm feelings go by the wayside. Knitting to me brings about peace and contentment in listening to the rhythmic click of the needles. I'd be willing to bet that blood pressure drops when knitting - it's that good. So why add stress to my hobbies?

I received my Mason*Dixon Knitting book and have thumbed through it and really think these ladies are my new heroes as they seem to have the knitting for pleasure down pat. And now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go work on a baby bib from the book - 64 rows of garter stitch knitting pleasure - and let my worries over gauge melt away.

* Edited to add - as luck would have it my phone just rang and one of my friends offered me the use of some of her knitting needles to see if I can get gauge. That way I don't have to run out and buy needles unless I know it works. I love my friends! :)

~ Elizabeth

Happy August!

I made this card last night with some of my new dry embossing templates and new inks. While not 100% happy with it, I'm still excited with the idea and will play some more. Mostly it was just so nice to sit and play with scissors and glue again!

Dinner last night was one of those best laid plans type of things. I was going to do a chicken in the rotisserie (set it and forget it!) and serve salad and corn on the cob with it - one of our favorite meals. But when I got the chicken out of the package I noticed it looked a little flat, like somebody had run over it almost. When I felt it I could feel broken bones all through it, so we decided it wasn't worth taking the chance with those tiny bones and we threw it out. Instead we made a quick hot dish and served with corn on the cob. We are really wanting to work on cooking at home instead of eating out - unless it's a fun event like eating with friends. Eliminating the almost daily fast food run is really what I suppose we're aiming for. So even though our original plan fell through, we thankfully had a backup plan.

Later in the evening I was all set to do some treadmill walking when I couldn't find shoe #2. I looked everywhere, then stomped around and sulked a bit. Keith came in and graciously looked as well, but to no avail. He is just so sweet though and next thing I knew he was bringing Joe's leash into the room and getting the dog all excited about a walk. He knew that I wouldn't walk in the heat late at night by myself, so by just doing it he got me motivated to go with them. I am not able to walk really fast and usually just walk in my Crocs, so lack of shoe #2 wasn't a problem for this walk. And we had such a nice time walking together. Late evenings just seem so peaceful. While out we noticed that the house directly across the street from us now has a "sale pending" sign added to the top of their sale sign. Now I'm anticipating new neighbors, which hasn't happened near us in many years. Fingers crossed!

~ Elizabeth