November 16: A Very Important Day!

In honor of my son, who has a b-day today, here's a cute video of his fave character:

(That's also my favorite religious Christmas carol - when sung correctly. ;-)
 

So this b-day sneaked up on me.  Not really, but I just haven't been as diligent in my parental duties lately.  Now that dd's gone there's no one spurring me on with excitement about things.  I'm not the greatest self starter. 

I just dropped the birthday boy off at school.  When the stores open, I'll go get him some balloons and I'll make him a mayonnaise cake.  That's his favorite.  I sent one up with him to Debbie's last weekend but something tells me he won't mind another one.  Oh--I need candles for the cake too. 

 

This Saturday is Jeremiah's wedding.  I've got to knit a few black and white dishcloths.  (Those are the colors they're doing their house.)  I'm finishing up some mitties for dd right now.  I'm leaving the tips of the thumbs off for texting.  They match the green cabled hat I made her.  She'd been wanting me to make her some mittens.   I hope she likes them.  I may make B1 a hat and mittens set too.  Not sure.  I still have to make the little people in the family on Curt's side some monsters.  I've been putting that off.  It's sort of scary making things for people; I put a lot into planning and executing and what if they don't like it.  I can totally see Dave sayin something snarky.  Oh well.  
 



Quilting/Scrapping w/Shana et al



Last Friday I went to an all night quilting & scrapping party with Shana and her hubby Dave's side of the family.  It was nice being around all those women.  I stayed up and finally left for home at 4:15am.  I was going to come back in later in the morning but got snowed in.  I stayed holed up for 36 hrs.  It was kinda cozy but my sleep schedule was off.  I shoveled my way out at 4:30pm.  It was so good to finally get out of the house Sunday night.   



As I was walking out to my car @ 4am



 

A week ago I went to buy a lamp for the computer desk and found this one on clearance for $4.98!  It was too small for the desk area, but it's perfect on the mantel. 

Isn't it cute?  It's cozy to look at when I'm on the chair knitting.  I'd been wanting a larger lamp in that design for a long time, but not in the budget.  So here's the perfect answer: a small one for $5.  I'm glad Curt put in that outlet in the mantle. 

It's hard to believe that it's been twelve years with this guy o'mine.  He's such a joy.  It's funny because he looks just like Curt as a boy, but he and I have so much in common personality/quirk-wise.  I remember when he was around 4 or 5 the planet Mars came the closest it'll ever come to Earth.  He and I sat on top of a hill and looked at it.  We talked about everything that evening: the stars, planets, the universe, God-as in, "Is there one?".  It's one of the best memories I have.  :-)  We used to go for hikes in the woods at French Regional Park and pretend that the Orcs were coming to get us.  It was something I looked forward to, I hope he did too.  There are things that I really resented when I was a kid that are some of the things I treaure the memory of most now.  Having to walk everywhere 'cause my mom didn't have a car for example, but it was so fun being on the bus going downtown.  Standing on the corner waiting for it.  Seeing so many different people.  Gagging on the exhaust of all the cars going by... ha ha  Or having to go school clothes shopping with the other two kids.  But we had so much fun hiding in the racks of clothes together or from eachother.   My point is that even when ds complains about having to go hiking for example, I hope that he looks back on it with fondness.  Hoping he feels that way about yarn shops might be pushing it though...lol.

Parenting is a huge thing.  Maybe that's one of the reasons we've decided to experience time in short 'day' segments.  Or minutes and seconds.  Life in general is huge.  Specially because we don't even get to remember what our goals were in coming here.  It's a wonder any of us are (considered) legally sane. 

There's some crazy stuff going on out there and in here.  And if ya don't get it just right it seems there will always be someone around to 1) notice and 2)condemn you for it.  lol  I suppose a big part of growing is figuring out how to put those two facts in perspective and move on in spite of them.  I remember reading the quote about being independent of the good opinion of others.  I think it was Wayne Dyer who wrote/said it.  I thought it was awkwardly worded and didn't want to bother with it at first.  Which I now find amusing since it nails on the head the biggest problem I've had in my life.  So concerned with everyone else.  Their feelings, wants, needs.  Mostly their opinions of me.  Yikes.  I love the 20/40/60 rule: At twenty you're so concerned with what others think of you.  At forty you decide not to care what others think of you.  And at sixty you realize no one was thinking about you in the first place.  They were all busy with their own selves.  Of course that's not to say there isn't snarkiness. 

I was listening to Enya the other day.  My favorite songs by her are nos. 4 & 7 on The Memory of Trees. 

That's #4, here's #7, "Hope Has a Place":

Happy listening - have a beautiful life.