Just a quick post to say that I am home and doing well after my surgery. The worst thing is the nausea and headache that I have been experiencing, so I am just trying to sleep a lot. Thanks Cindy B., for the prayer shawl! Also thanks to Dixie, Cindi, Jane, Sonja, and Erin from YDK for the beautiful flowers. I received other beautiful flowers too, but my mind is a bit mixed up now. Thanks again for all the well wishes. Happy knitting!!

Knitt Mitt Kit Swap!!

I received by package from my swap partner today!! I will take a picture and try and post that tomorrow. Vicki made me a beautiful felted bag and included some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in the Winterberry color way. Also included was a pattern by Cherry Tree Hill named Supersock Mittens, Brittany #2 double point needles, three packs of Orbit gum, and a package of Haribo Gummy Bears. Thank you so much Vicki!! I can work on these mittens while I recover from my surgery. Again, I'll try to get a picture up asap. Happy knitting!!

Before Christmas I had posted that we were searching for a Nintendo Wii for Grant. Well, yesterday was our lucky day!! Tom got up at 4:30 a.m. and went to Target and stood in line for the "magic ticket"!! I went out there at 6:00 to bring him coffee and a paper. I was willing to trade places with him, but he declined the offer. As a seasoned Green Bay Packer fan, he had all the necessary clothing to keep him warm. He brought home the ticket at 7:15. I went back when the store opened at 8:00 to get the Wii. Grant was so thrilled!! I hope I don't have to buy another game system, ever!! This was too stressful!! We felt like the people from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!! We scored a golden ticket! The boys spent most of the day playing the games that Grant got for Christmas.

I am having surgery next Monday, so today I am going to my pre-op visit with the doctor. I am anxious to have the whole thing done. I know a lot of woman who have had hysterectomies and feel so much better afterwards. I just get a bit nervous about being put under. I will have a whole month to recover and knit which sounds wonderful. I have many friends who have offered help with driving my kids to activities and I am so blessed. My neighbors will come over and let Kipper and Todd out while I am in the hospital. I hope to be home by Tuesday.

I am still waiting for my Mitt Kit Swap package to arrive. The one I sent to Canada made it and from the email I got, she liked everything!! Yeah! I need to go get Grant from school. Happy knitting!!

Am I adorable or what? My mom is letting me post on her blog tonight. I love being in my new home!! Here are pictures of my new furry family! First is Kipper, who is being very good to me. He shows me what to do when we are outside. I love playing in the snow and following him around the yard.
Next is my new sister, Gracie. I love chasing her around the kitchen and family room. She is really fast, and she jumps up onto this neat climbing thing and gets away from me!! I know she loves me though!
This is my other furry brother, Richie. He is starting to play with me. I love to growl and bark at him. He just lays on the floor and bats at me with his paws. I know that we are gonna be wonderful friends. My mom said to tell all of you knitting friends that she has been so busy playing and cuddling with me that she hasn't had much time to knit. I think I saw her working on some Packer socks though. Do you think she will knit me a sweater? It is getting really cold outside here in Wisconsin.
Thanks for letting me into your blogland. Mom says she just loves to read about all of you wonderful knitters and your lives. Someday maybe we can meet!! I need to get to sleep now because I have some cats to chase and I need lots of energy for that. P.S. Mom said to tell you all Happy Knitting!! Love, Todd

Still no pictures!

There have been a lot of pictures taken of Todd, I just don't have any on a CD to load onto the computer. Hopefully by this weekend I can post some. He is a great puppy and we are having a lot of fun with him.

He's here!!!!

We picked up our puppy on Saturday!! Todd is so cute and soft!! I haven't knit a thing since the puppy arrived, but have had lots of fun cuddling and playing with him. He slept in his kennel on my bed the past two nights and has slept all night. His potty training is going well too, we just have to watch him and look for the signals. This morning he went to the door and cried to go out!! I am so proud of him. For those of you who are reading this and not much of a dog lover, I know I sound a bit wacky, but I can't help it!! I adore this little bundle of energy!!

My camera has major problems, i.e. hard drive or some such thing, so I will try to get some knitting pictures on here as well as a few of the puppy, as soon as I figure something out with a camera. I did start a pair of mittens for one of Maggie's friends, and also a pair of socks for me. Happy knitting!!

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.

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!!