HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Tom and I were married 15 years ago today. Tonight we are going out for dinner with some friends for sushi!! The Packers play at 7:15, so it will be a quick dinner then over to their house for the game. I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve, fun and safe, and a great 2007. Happy Knitting!!

PUPPY LOVE!!!





Here is a picture of our new puppy, Todd Leo Quigley. We had so much fun meeting him today. His mom and dad are very nice dogs. We were able to play with him and one brother and two of his sisters. Three other puppies were able to go to their new homes already. We can pick Todd up next Saturday. I can't wait. No knitting pictures to share, sorry.

I don't have any pictures to post today, but I just needed to express how much I enjoy reading other people's blogs and making friends through my hobby of knitting. It is fun to know that other women and men out there are fanatics about knitting too. This fall has been an interesting one to say the least, but I am grateful that I have my friends, in person and in blogland. Someday I would just love to be able to meet the wonderful knitters that I have been "meeting" through this blog and others.

We are going to visit our new puppy on Saturday, then we can pick him up on Jan. 6th. I can't wait!! He is very cute. I will post pictures on either Saturday night or Sunday.

Tomorrow our pastor, Mary, is having her annual after Christmas Knitting Fest. I am looking forward to spending time with my fellow knitting friends and eating some of her yummy food. Happy Knitting all!!

Christmas Goodies
I must have been a good girl this year! Look what I got: A swift and ball winder!! Yeah!
I also got some Malabrigo Chunky to make felted slippers and a book, Folk Socks by Nancy Bush. I'm still very sad about my Mel, but I know we did the right thing. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy picked out and hopefully we will be able to pick him up this weekend. It will be fun having a puppy around.
The picture of me on Christmas morning isn't very pretty, but I am in my new bathrobe! It looks like a weigh a ton! I haven't lost any more weight this fall, but I haven't gained any back either. Hopefully my back will get better soon and then I can start working out again. I have to say that we had a very nice Christmas. I think the kids were happy with their gifts, even though we weren't able to get the Nintendo Wii. I will keep looking though. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Happy Knitting!!

Merry Christmas one and all!

I want to thank all of the wonderful knitters who have sent kind words during this difficult time. I just picked up Mel's ashes from the vet today. They were in a very nice oak box with a gold engraved name plate that also had his birth date and death date on it. I cried lots of tears again this afternoon, but I know we did the right thing for him. I sure do miss him and his goofy ways.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and enjoy time with family and friends. I think I may be getting a swift and ball winder, and if that is the case, on Christmas morning I will probably be winding some yarn while the kids play with their new toys!!

Thanks again for the comforting words. Happy knitting to all, and to all a good night!!

GOOD BYE MY FRIEND.....We had to put Mel to sleep today. We found out he had Lymphoma and that there wasn't anything we could do. He also had a clotting disorder that we didn't know about, and he was bleeding into his lungs. My words cannot express how sad we all are. We had him almost five years, not long enough. He was a very funny and naughty dog, but we loved him so very much. If you are an animal lover, you will understand that he was one of the family. He survived eating chocolate many times, got into rat poison in April and survived, and was kicked in the head by a deer in May and survived. I guess he had tempted the fates one too many times. We have wonderful memories of him and know that yes, life goes on. My bed will feel a bit more empty tonight. I still have Kipper and the cats, but Mel liked to cuddle and sleep under the covers when it was cold. I will miss this dog so much.

These are the kids Christmas stockings. I didn't know how to knit when we had Grant, so his was purchased at Dayton's (which is now Macy's). I did knit Maggie and Patrick's stockings though. I knit one for my husband, but didn't take a picture of his. Someday I will knit one for myself.


This is our cat, Richie, sleeping under the tree! We just love this guy!! He is naughty with the bows on presents, so none of them have bows or ribbons this year. The other picture was taken when he was sleeping on the cat condo we have for Gracie and him. We think taking pictures of a sleeping cat is fun. Cats sleep in such cute positions!!

I still need to get our Christmas cards started and mailed!! I probably won't post again until after Christmas. I have cookies to bake and a house to clean before Tom's family arrives on Sunday evening. We are off to my parent's house on Christmas day. Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, if you celebrate these. Otherwise, Happy knitting!!

The tree has lights and ornaments, finally!! We put the stockings up and a few other decorations. It's beginning to look like Christmas! I have most of my shopping done and wrapped. I will work on the cards this week, and then next week will be for all the wonderful baking.

On the knitting front: I am working on my scarf, and hope to have it done for a picture tomorrow. My youngest, Patrick, is making a scarf too, so I will add that picture tomorrow also. I have my wish list on file down at The Yellow Dog, so hopefully hubby will go get some of the items next week. He took Miss Maggie out to the mall today and I guess they shopped for me there. All the presents under the tree are driving Patrick nuts!! Poor kid, he'll just have to wait. I will have some good photos tomorrow. Meanwhile, Happy knitting!

Santa Bears that I started collecting in 1986.

Finished projects!
I made this purse in October, but just put the lining in it and added the button. I used Rowan Tapestry to make it. I was going to keep it, but I may end up giving it away. I need to make a bag for my Mitten Kit Swap, so maybe this will be the one I send.



Finished socks!! They are just a basic toe up pattern that I got from Cindi at The Yellow Dog.
I used Twizzle by Mountain Colors. They are very warm, just right for the colder temps. we have been getting.

I'm still in a bit of a funk, but I started a scarf for myself today. The tree is up and hopefully we will put the lights on it tonight and decorate it. Tomorrow I will be going to church to look over some things Pastor Mary brought back from Jamaica for our prayer box stations. Miss Maggie was home from school today with an upset stomach. She slept until 11:00 this morning! I believe she is feeling better now. I think when I am done posting this I will go down and get my New England Village set and put it up in kitchen. I haven't put it out for years, since Mr. Patrick was such a stinker!! I think he is old enough now to leave it alone.

I am still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing and getting my pictures and script to go where I want. I will just have to keep playing around. Have a good day all!! Happy knitting!

Grief

The scrapbooking and rubber stamp community lost a wonderful woman on Monday. I had the pleasure of knowing this woman for about 10 years. Kelly and I weren't best friends or anything, but more like two people with a common bond of our love of scrapbooking. She worked at the bank where I do a lot of my banking so I knew her in that capacity too. She lost her battle with cancer after almost 4 years. She leaves behind a husband, two sons, and a daughter. The kids are in their early 20's. Much too young to be without a mother. My friend Chris and I went to the visitation last night. I am feeling very blue today. My family wants to go and get the Christmas tree and decorate for Christmas today. I just want to crawl back into bed and snuggle with the dogs and cats. We have Tom's Christmas party tonight. I guess life goes on, but my world is feeling a bit empty now. No knitting news, maybe tomorrow, or whenever I can get my groove back.