Monday, September 29, 2008

Cornelius the Bear

Remember the pile of oatmeal colored squares in this photo in my last post?
Meet Cornelius, my first knitted bear
(He is named after my Grandfather Keefe)

He's only about 7 inches tall from head to toe

But he is a handsome fellow

He has thread and button joints, and is far from perfect.

But i like him just the way he is, and i am happy with the way he turned out for my first bear!
Onward and upward!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Pumpkinheads and Posies

Here are my latest projects...This one is made especially for Halloween and the Fall...

A little Pumpkinhead Hat!
And i finally finished the turquoise sweater. Both the hat and sweater are the same patterns i used here modeled by Lola, but i changed them up a bit. I put the edging on this sweater by learning how to "pick up" stitches... The posies on the collar are crocheted, and then sewn on as embellishments.


I also learned how to make french knots, tho you can barely see them in the center of the flower as i used pale yellow for the center.

Next projects? Knitted teddy bears. I have two different projects going here and will hopefully have something to show for all those stitches soon! I am loving this new skill i am learning!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Amma

Happy Birthday Amma
I Love You

Indoor Harvest

Even tho some of my Tropical Bonsai never leave the windowsill , they still know when the seasons change....

Here is my little Fukien Tea tree... Can you see the little red fruit on the branch?


The little white buds you can see below the fruit will open in a few days to reveal tiny white flowers....

Friday, September 26, 2008

Brand New Shirt

Here's Lola wearing her new appliqued shirt made for her for her birthday by her Aunt Kate. (i love this shirt and would like one just like it...hint...hint...) Kate has been making these beautiful shirts and Onsies for her shop, The Paper Sparrow
Lola was enjoying her breakfast of fresh fruit and some buttered whole grain bread when...

...oh oh,,, did i get butter on my new shirt???...

Check out the new website for Katie's shop, The Paper Sparrow here

Dog Days

Having a puppy here again gets me up and out of bed pretty early in the mornings... And now that the weather has turned cooler, especially in the early morning hours, i grab my hoodie and go out with the dogs to supervise. Little Pollyanna is still so small, just three pounds, and we have plenty of hawk attacks happen around here this time of year. And tho i would rather stay in bed under the warm covers until i absolutely have to get up, i have been enjoying being outdoors more than usual. I love this time of year, and going out with the new pup every 20 minutes or so sure helps me see the changes occurring out in nature.

Polly stalking and attacking a morning glory

Gipetto grazing

Zinnia watching over the house and the new pup

My old boy Gipetto feeling frisky and playing with Zin for a brief minute

Zinnia and Polly play constantly. They are good friends now, and Zin is only a little jealous when i pick Polly up. Polly hides in the morning glory vines and jumps out at the dogs when they walk by. It will be nice when she gets a little older(and has a few more inoculations) and we can expand our horizons to the streets around here.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Memory of the Tree


I found a lovely fallen leaf and decided to sketch and paint it. While drawing in the veining of the leaf i realized that this leaf (maybe all leaves) had a pattern very much like the tree it came from in it's design. This reminded me of the continuation of life, and how everything is made of energy, and even when the body of that thing is no longer here, the energy, or pattern remains. And that energy is Love....

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Big Birthday Celebration!

Over the weekend our grandchildren celebrated a special occasion! Seth turned 8, while Lola turned 1 year old, all on the same day! Their parents had a big birthday party at their home and we were all invited. A great time was had by us all! This time i remembered my camera, and I took over 150 pictures. After deleting the ones that weren't so good, i still have 138 left! I will spare you at least 130 of them....but here are a few of my favorites.


The birthday cakes

The sharing



The cuteness!

The Bouncey Bounce was full of bouncers all day long. I even got in there for a quick bounce or two... (not my cup of tea tho...)


Lots of bouncing action!

The boys collected bugs and put them in the critter cage

The presents were opened, and were all wonderful

but there was one present that stood out above all else....Lola's present from her cousin Ryan...

her first car
after carefully reading the instructions

She was ready to go!
Ryan made sure she got around alright in her new wheels.

A kiss for the car

What a great day!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Finished projects

More knitting, crocheting and Onesies...

The Onesies are hand stencilled first and then hand painted with my original designs...

More needlework too...



Two more knitted hats for children...The multi colored one for babies and the red hat for a bigger child.

The wool scarf was crocheted with some yarn i bought from The Paper Sparrow. Beautiful muted color.... Next project? More sweater practice, some seasonal hats for children, and some hand knit teddy bears!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Early Evening on the Couch...

No matter how the dynamics of the family change, one thing remains sacred here.... Snuggle time... It starts right after supper, after i finish the dishes...The dogs start to sit around and stare at me with that "let's go!" look. Gipetto will actually walk into the living room, and turn around to give me that "come hither" look...It is time to go and sit on the couch together and snuggle while i crochet or knit my next project. This has been a night time ritual ever since the three boys came to live with us, some 15 years ago, and has continued to the present. Little Polly doesn't really understand the whole concept, but already as i sit down and we work out which of the adult dogs gets to sit closest to me (we try to take turns) she is already starting to climb up my leg to get up on the couch with the rest of the family... I wonder if the dogs know i love this ritual as much as they do?

Friday, September 19, 2008

Happy Birthday X Two!


It is so hard to believe that just one year ago today - this morning, we were all sitting anxiously in the waiting room of a local maternity ward, waiting for the arrival of our newest family member Lola. I spent the time talking to various members of our wonderful family(who are always there when you need them!), wearing out my prayer beads, and crocheting nervously... I remember being amazed at the quiet strength of her Daddy Jeramie, and the awesome focus and determination of my daughter Carly, to get this baby born. Still to this day i am so proud of how strong she was, how hard and long she labored without complaint, to give birth to our new baby...

And how amazing is it that Lola was born on the very same day as her big brother Seth! Everything about this day is special...

What a difference a year makes....

Happy Birthday to two of the people i love the most in the whole wide world!
(Birthday party pictures to follow!)