Thanks to the two people who responded to my blog yesterday. I wasn't trying to be judgemental or offending, I was just curious about why some people celebrate Christmas. I love that I live in this country and have freedom to ask questions like this. I appreciate all the men and women who are fighting for our freedom now or who have served in the past. No matter how you feel about the war we are in now, we do need to remember those risking their lives daily and send good thoughts their way. If you haven't figured out by now, yes I am a religious person. I pray for our service men and women serving all over the world. It is at this time of year that they are on my mind the most. Thanksgiving and Christmas are times for families and friends to gather together and in some homes, there is a person missing due to this war or the fact that they have enlisted to serve in another part of the world. No one in my immediate family is serving in the military right now, but my dad did serve in the Korean War. I just wanted to take this time to remember these wonderful people. I guess for me, Christmas is a time to celebrate the wonder of Jesus' birth, but also a time for me to reflect on all the wonderful blessings and gifts I have received by those who have served or are serving in the military.

I was just wondering.....


I know this is a knitting blog but I have been pondering something and I need to get it off my chest. I know there are people out in the world that celebrate Christmas but don't believe in God or Jesus Christ. My question is this: If you don't believe that Jesus was born, and he was the Son of God, why would you celebrate Christmas? Is it just for the gift giving/getting thing? Why not celebrate Hanukkah? For Hanukkah you get to open presents for eight nights in a row. I know that I live in a free country and people are free to celebrate whatever they want, in the way that they want. I just don't get the whole concept of celebrating a Christian holiday if you don't believe in Jesus Christ. I may have offended some readers, (I actually don't even know if I have that many) and I don't mean to offend anyone. I am just curious about this. I am truly not trying to sound judgemental, it is just something that I needed to write about. Any comments would be welcome. THANKS!


I'm off to try and finish those darn socks!! Happy knitting!

I'm back!!
We stayed an extra day at my brother-in-law's, so we didn't get home until yesterday. I wanted to post a picture of my finished socks, but they aren't done yet. My camera is still acting up, so picture posting will be on hold. My arthritis acted up over the weekend which meant that I needed to take frequent breaks in the knitting. We did have a good time and ate lots of good food.

The kids were very tired on Saturday night and I was thinking that we may have stayed too long, but we made them wind down with a movie and then an early bedtime. Sunday morning everyone seemed to be in better spirits. The kids didn't want to leave, but they didn't give us any trouble. We had an agreement that if we stayed the extra day that when it came time to leave we wouldn't have any arguments. Mel did fine with us too. Berkley just loved having him there. Mel wasn't too sure about playing with such a big dog and growled quite a bit at first. By the time we left they were wagging their tails at each other and taking turns sniffing. I was glad to be home. I like sleeping in my own bed.

I was able to get some Christmas shopping done today. I hope I can get that new Nintendo Wii that Grant wants!! When I was at Tar*et today they had the notorious Playstation 3, but not the Wii. When I went back a few hours later, all the PS3s were gone. I have tried to explain to Grant that I may not be successful in getting the Wii before Christmas and he just says, "But that's all I want". I'll do my best, but I refuse to buy from anyone on Ebay. It pisses me off that people buy these things and they sell them for profit and the kids who really want one, may not get one!! The kid has been talking about this thing since the spring!! Send me good thoughts okay, that maybe I'll be lucky enough to get one for him.

Packers are beating the Seahawks on Monday night football, but it's not over yet. I have to go and finish watching. Happy knitting!!

PUMPKIN PIE!!!

Well, it is that time of year! Turkey and pumpkin pie!! I made my pumpkin pie tonight and still need to make a pecan pie. We are going to Middleton, Wi for Thanksgiving. Tom's brother and his family live there. My kids are looking forward to seeing their cousin. We always have a good time. I only have to bring two pies and an egg bake for breakfast on Thursday morning. My sister-in-law loves to cook. It is her hobby!! She lives for holidays that require cooking lots of food. (I prefer the hobby of knitting and eating all that good food.) Our dog, Mel, has yeast infections in both his ears which requires daily cleaning and two different medications administered in the ears. He will be going with us. I can't expect our neighbor to have to deal with that. She will come and check on Kipper and the cats every day. I feel bad that Kipper is staying here, but he hates going in the car and my in-laws have a big yellow lab. I think adding one dog and three kids into his household will be enough of an adjustment for him.

I have one sock 3/4 done and have started another. I want to make sure I don't run out of yarn. I am looking forward to a lot of knitting time during the 2 1/2 hour car ride and while we are visiting. The adults watch lots of football and I get a bit tired of it, so I look forward to some knitting time by myself in the guest room. I hope all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving have a wonderful day and safe travels. I'll post again when we get back on Saturday. I can't believe then the rush for Christmas will begin!! Happy Knitting!!

Well our plans have changed for the weekend. Miss Maggie decided she isn't ready for deer hunting. She is said she doesn't want to kill any animals and she is nervouse about being in the woods with all the people with guns. I was being very supportive in her quest to go hunting, but I have to admit that I am happy she won't be out there. I think she needed to come to that conclusion on her own. She may change her mind tomorrow, so for now we are staying home but we may have to go up to NR tomorrow.

In knitting news: I started a pair of socks and that is about it. I'll post pictures on Monday. Have a good weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

I read Scout's blog yesterday and decided to respond to the questions she posted.

1. How and when did you learn how to knit/crochet? My friend Kim taught me about 12 1/2 years ago. I started with dishcloths.
Who taught you? Maggie's Godmother, Kim
2. How has this craft impacted your life? (besides financially!) It really helps me relax! I have met some wonderful people through my hobby of knitting.
3. Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit-world and why you are thankful to have met them. Feel free to get all mushy. It is hard to pick just one person, so I am going to list two people, Dixie and Cindi, from Yellow Dog Knitting!! They are so wonderful and they have helped me become a better knitter. They are very encouraging when I think I want to take on a hard project. They are not only wonderful knitters, but I consider them my friends. I love to go down to the shop and just hang out and knit. No high pressure to buy anything, but I usually do. Everyone who works at the Dog really takes time to help the customers and their enthusiasm for the art of knitting gets passed along. I am so glad this shop opened three years ago. It really got my knitting to the forefront of my life.

I am feeling better about Maggie going hunting this weekend. I know she will be fine. I am looking forward to spending time with my mom. She wants me to take her to some craft fairs. Patrick isn't looking forward to that, but I know if I bribe him with candy or a small toy he will be much easier to deal with. I finished two dishcloths for mom, so I will be taking them to her this weekend. I am going to start on another pair of socks. Still no batteries in the camera, but hopefully I can remember to get some and post some pictures when I get home on Sunday!! Kristi of Red Dog Knits is having her babies tomorrow. Send her some good thoughts. Have a good weekend!! Happy Knitting!!

Okay, I forgot to take pictures of the scarves before I took them to The Yellow Dog today. Well, actually, I forgot to get batteries for my camera and then take pictures. Three scarves done for the record. I made a dishcloth for my mom last night and started another. I can't believe that I learned how to knit by making these. The sugar and cream yarn isn't the nicest stuff to work with! I have become a yarn snob! Sorry!! I really like the good stuff though.

I am starting some socks with some LUSH yarn. It is so soft!! Maybe I will remember to get batteries tonight after church council and take some pictures tomorrow.

Okay, anyone out there have suggestions for making teen boys happy with food choices after school???!!! I have bought Hungry Man dinners, Mac'nCheese, Soup, Cereal, Lunchmeat, bread, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, PBJ, Rice Cakes, Cheeze-It mix, Carnation Instant Breakfast, fruit, Microwave Popcorn!!! He stills says we have "nothing in the house!" AGHHHHH!!!! I bet if I had a bunch of candy and chips he would be happy!! I only get soda once in a while and the candy and chips are a rare treat too. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I need to run now and look over stuff for council tonight. I am doing the devotions/book study leader!! This is not my strong point. I can talk about knitting forever, but this stuff is really scary for me!! Wish me luck!! Happy knitting!!

GO PACK GO!!!

I love that the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings yesterday in Minneapolis!! YEAH!! The Packers have not had the best football seasons the past few years to say the least, but whenever they beat the Vikings, it is a good day for me!!


I finished another scarf for our cancer project and started yet another. My camera batteries are dead, so I will post pictures tomorrow.

Confession time: This weekend my daughter is going deer hunting for the first time and I am a wreck!! I know she is well prepared having taken hunter's safety and shooting her gun, etc. but I am still nervous about having her out in the woods with a gun. She will be hunting with my brothers and nephews and one niece, and I trust them all, but she's my girl, and it scares me. Just one more chapter in our lives that I have to let go and trust she will be fine. I never knew how difficult it would be to let my kids grow up!!
Have a good day, and Happy Knitting!!

This is my little cutie, Mel, modeling a scarf I made for our cancer patient project. I'm not sure if he is happy about wearing it or not!! I have to figure out what is happening with my camera. It seems like most pictures I take lately have that funky stuff on the bottom of them. Again, another technical thing I really know nothing about. I guess I'll have to read the instruction book that came with the camera and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. My husband and I are going to the movie, Flags of Our Fathers, this afternoon. A fitting movie for Veteran's Day! The boys will be going to, The Santa Clause 3, while we are at our movie. Hope you all have a good weekend!! Happy knitting!

We are having our first snow storm of the season. The roads are terrible!! It took me about an hour to take my kids to school this morning!! I can't believe what morons some people are when driving on a snowy day!! The visibility was terrible and there were people who only cleaned off a small portion of their windshield to drive this morning! Do they not think that maybe they may want to see out the other windows? I am not going anywhere until 1:30 this afternoon. Grant has a Veteran's Day program at his middle school and the band is playing. They also made quilt squares in 7th grade last year and now the quilts will be displayed. His square was in honor of my dad who served in the Korean war.

I started a scarf so hopefully I can finish that today and post a picture tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good day!! Be careful if you are driving in snow!!

No Pictures!

I have been a bad blogger!! I just haven't gotten pictures onto my blog but I plan to do it this weekend. I started a scarf and have been working on that. Nothing else is too exciting to write about. Hubby and I got into a bit of a squabble last night over voting!! He really insulted me when he told me I wasn't an informed voter!! I voted a different way than him on a capital punishment referendum! I won't tell you how either of us voted, but we did not vote the same way. I am entitled to my own opinions! This is the first time since I have known him that we have argued over voting. I told him that I don't have to agree with his views all the time and I will remember not to share how I vote with him in the future! Enough about this!!

I am going to go down to the Yellow Dog to knit with my best friend, Chris tomorrow!! I can't wait!! She just had carpal tunnel surgery two weeks ago, but is doing really well. It will be fun to spend some time with her. I will try to get some pictures on here very soon. Happy knitting!

Election Day!!!


We have a marriage amendment to vote on today and it is confusing the h#*l out of me!! I'm not sure if I voted the right way or not!!! Why can't they just word the stupid things in ways that everyone can understand!!! I don't want to get a law degree just so I can vote how I really feel about issues!!! This is the first time since I have been 18 that I have been so confused when I went to vote!!!! I guess my hubby voted one way and I voted the other, so I guess we just canceled out each other on this amendment!!

Knitting news: I still haven't taken a picture of Miss Maggie's mittens. Our LYS shot a commercial today and my wonderful friend who owns the store asked me to come down to be part of it!! Isn't that fun?! I had to be shopping!!! That was a stretch for me, but someone had to do it!! LOL (For those of you reading this who really don't know me very well, I tend to be a bit of a shop-a-holic when it comes to yarn, books, needles, bags, ect.)

I will be starting some scarves tonight for cancer patients at our two hospitals. Last year a group of women started this great program and I made a few scarves. This year we hope to get even more scarves and even for some men. It makes me feel good when I can do something for others. I figure that I get to use my knitting hobby for the good of others and that is just fun for me.

Well, I'm going to start a scarf and watch the election results!! Happy knitting!!

Answers for Secret Mitten Swap

The Questionnaire:
Are you allergic to any fibers? no

What are your favorite colors?red and blue

Are you a new mitt knitter? no How long have you been knitting mittens? 2 years

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? multi-colored

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? wool

Where do you usually knit mittens? wherever I can

How do you usually carry/store small projects? purse or small tote

What are your favorite mitten patterns? don't have a favorite

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? magic loop or 2 circs.

What new techniques would you like to try? fair isle

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? addi turbos

What are some of your favorite yarns? socks that rock, koigu, rowan

What yarn do you totally covet? cashmere

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? a cashmere bathrobe!

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? addi turbo circs

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? cashmere

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? i love the original gummy bears by Haribo

What’s your favorite animal? dogs/cats, i have two of each

Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? warm

If you were a color what color would you be? red (i'm a bit impulsive)


What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? the sun shining through fluffy clouds


Do you have a wishlist? no

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? i just want to have fun with this, no stress for anyone.

I was at scrapbooking retreat this weekend. It was a lot of fun and I got 33 pages done. I will post pictures tomorrow. I need to go to bed. I only got three hours of sleep today!!! Too much fun!! (I was sober the whole weekend in case you were wondering).

Sock Wars

My assassin isn't participating in sock wars, so I contacted her assassin. That assassin stopped knitting because her assassin sent her socks but she hasn't received them yet. I emailed my new assassin and told her that she needs to send the partially knitted socks on to her assassin. Does this make sense to anyone???!!! I just want some socks out of the deal!! I don't care if I die!! I want my socks!! Boy, I sound greedy!!

Confession time: I don't want my kids to grow up!! Here is the reason: It is scary!! I let Miss Maggie go trick or treating last night with a friend. It wasn't in my neighborhood, but one that I know a lot of people who live there. It was just scary letting her go out at night without me. I had talked to her about staying with the group, what roads she couldn't go beyond, etc., but I was terrified. SHE DID AWESOME!! She told me that the group crossed one of the streets that she was told not to, and she told them all "My mom said I can't cross Rudolph Road." She didn't cave into peer pressure and she was with some high school kids (brother and cousins to her friend). I was very proud of her. She went to one of my friend's houses to warm up and wait for the group. I was so glad when she called me to come pick her up. I hadn't seen her since 7:20 a.m. when I dropped her off at school. This whole letting go and letting them grow up sucks!! I know I need to let her go and trust her to make decisions, but at the same time I want to keep her with me forever!!

This is a knitting blog, right?!! Sorry!! I did finish Maggie's mittens in time for her to wear them last night and she loved them. I'll post a picture tomorrow!! I'm getting a new knitting bag that I'll show too!! Happy knitting!!