Could you repeat that?

One of my favorite things about the kids' current visit has been watching the two-year old take hold of her words. She is learning how to talk, and some of her "sentences" were unintelligible (to Pop Pop and me, anyway) at the beginning of their visit. As we have spent time with her, it has become easier to hear what she is saying. It is so cute how every name currently has repeating syllables...she is DeeDee, her sister is LaLa (remember when Peanut called herself Lala?), one dog is ShoSho and the other is TooToo! I have become GiGi (with a "hard" G-sound), and there is also the ever-popular PopPop, not to mention the cats ZoZo and CoCo. Of course there are also MaMa and DaDa, but they are not super exciting when you are staying with PopPop and GiGi...and the cats!

In the photo below she has just said, "GiGi take cheese me!" Ironically, we had just come from a photo session which should yield new photos of the whole family for my blog page. During the session, this child who loves to "Cheese!" refused to smile or even look at the camera for much of the hour...lol! I told Mama and Dada not to worry, because at this age the photos are more about personality than perfection, and everyone relaxed a little. I am sure that we got some great shots! Where she really wanted to shine was not in a grassy field or under a beautiful willow tree...she wanted to say "Cheese!" while sliding down the arm of the sofa! Silly Sweet Pea!

All in all, this visit has been more about getting in all the snuggles and playtime we can with these little ones. When they leave here, it will likely be several months before we will see them again. This makes GiGi sad, so we won't dwell on it. Instead, let's take a look at some of the fun we have had with them this week!

Feeding duckies and fishies!

Picnic at Great Grammy and Great Grandpa's house!

Taco Bell after photo session!

So. Much. Fun! The only thing that could come close to rivaling that fun is that Woolapalooza is TODAY!!! If you're planning to be in Wooster for the Great Lakes Fiber Show today, look for me! If you see me at Woolapalooza, ask me for a card, and you may be the winner of a secret prize!

Even if I do not see you, I hope that you are having a great day! Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

A Curly Outlook

Last Saturday, while you were reading my blog, I had nearly arrived at my darling granddaughters' house! Sweetie and I were beyond excited to see them again, especially since they will soon move to a state far, far away. The drive time for our Saturday trip was approximately 8.5 hours, and when we got there, we were greeted by only the dogs...the house was empty, in preparation for their upcoming move, and the poor dogs had only the floor (and their bed) to sleep on!

All the furniture and household goods had been packed and shipped, and our future visits will likely be by plane. But I was not going to worry about that just yet, because they all came home before long, and we ran and played and had Wendy's for dinner before everyone went to their sleeping bag for the night.

On Sunday, they loaded up the van with most of the remaining "stuff," as well as two girls (with all of their paraphernalia) and two grandparents for the drive back to Ohio.

The drive went well, and the parents (and dogs) followed on Monday evening. Since then, we have been climbing

running

playing and laughing

playing with yarn

building

swimming

and having a great time!

Knitting time has been limited, so there is not much to show you this week, besides  these socks I started on the drive to and from Virginia...

The socks are still coming right along, and I plan to start a couple hats for the girls soon, because their new home will be in a place that can get pretty cold. The new place will also be a 20-hour drive, which means that our visits will be fewer and far-betweener...(sad face here) But I am thankful that we live in such a time as this, with video chats and airplanes, and we will see them much more than past military families would have been able to. On top of that, cold climates mean I will knit new hats, sweaters, mittens and socks for them, and they will be wrapped in my love from head to toe on those very cold days!

For the rest of today, I am going to run and play and laugh with two amazing girls (and their amazing parents), and I will forget about that move. I will carpe diem, and relish the sound of their giggles as their curls bounce along and my heart swells with the love I have for them.

I hope that you have some sunshine in your life, and in your day today! I should be back again next week, with more photos and funtimes. Maybe there will even be some more knitting? Until then, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Knitting in My Sleep

I knit. I knit a LOT. Some might even suggest that I knit in my sleep. I don't know about that, but I do know that I have fallen asleep while I am knitting, and I have done this on a regular basis. In fact, I am currently having trouble staying awake all day long...and if napping were a marathon event, I would win! I figured that the sleepiness might have something to do with one of my new prescriptions, so I asked my doc about it at the last checkup. "I dunno if it's normal," I said, "but I can sleep 12 hours at night, then take an afternoon nap for 3-4 hours, and sleep another 10-12 again the next night."

Hmmm... Perhaps it has happened, and I have finally turned into a cat?

Doc looked a little concerned, and replied that my current medications should not be having that effect. In fact, as the depression is controlled, the opposite should be true. I should have renewed energy! Hmmm... We decided to check my thyroid, and guess what? It is a slacker! I have hypothyroidism, which means that my thyroid needs a swift kick in the pants (or a new prescription) to encourage production of thyroxine (the thyroid hormone). Since the thyroid lives near my throat, I opted to not have it kicked, and I have started a new medication.

Fun fact about the new medication: It doesn't play nice with my multivitamin and calcium supplements, so I have to take those at night now, while I take the thyroid pill in the morning. You know what that means? Yes, I have arrived. On Wednesday I bought my first AM/PM pill minder. o_0 Time marches on, and I am not getting any younger...it was inevitable, I suppose.

::So, Pretty...can you really knit in your sleep???::

Well, not yet...but if this medication doesn't kick in soon, I may have to knit in my sleep OR start my Christmas knitting today! This past week, I have not knit much, but I have napped well. I think I am trying to store up sleep so I can be awake for the visit of some very cute granddaughters. They will be coming on Monday, and I have the house pretty much ready...we are so excited to see these faces in person again!

They will visit until early June, and then they move too far away for weekend trips. I will have to start a savings plan for airline tickets! Please forgive me if I end up taking a short blog break. I am sure to be back with plenty of photos before too long. For now, I think I am going to take a nap.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Pair-ing Down the Stash

One of my favorite knitting acronyms is SABLE, otherwise known as Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy...or more yarn in my stash than I would reasonably be able to knit before I die. Since none of us can know the hour or the day of our death, I suppose I may have reached SABLE...I especially think this might be true when I take a walk down to the basement, where the majority of my yarn lives! (Don't worry, it is in plastic bins and bags, well protected from moisture, cats and husbands who may wish to de-clutter.) If I live to 100, and I can still knit, I may not have acquired SABLE...yet. Still, there is a LOT of yarn down there, and I've been working to use up some of it, two-by-two. For instance, there was a recent finish of a pair of rabbits that just flew off my needles!

There are also fingerless mitts, pair 1

pair 2

and pair 3.

Two by two, I am pair-ing down the stash! It might be a good idea to clean and de-clutter the basement while I'm at it, but the truth is that I probably will not...lol! After all, if my stash-busting is to be successful, I will surely need to sacrifice other things (like cleaning and organizing) to meet my goals...right?!? Right!!!

Another thing that I tend to stash is regret. I know that I am forgiven by the sacrifice that Christ made, and that I will be white as snow when this life is over. I am so grateful for that! But I still beat myself up sometimes for the mistakes I have made. I look back and wonder how such a good, good Father could forgive my really big sins...but He has. Because He sent Jesus, who took on all our sins and spilled his own blood to pay our debt, we are free forever to live life to the fullest!

Life is so much better when we let go of our regrets, de-stashing the guilt and sadness we feel, and live a life filled with love and kindness. After all, Jesus did not die for just Pretty, he died for all of humanity! If you are stashing regrets, I hope you will take a moment to really consider that. Jesus was God's only Son, and he died so that you and I could be free of blame and regret.

If I were a betting woman, I would wager that we all live with some regrets. The sad truth is that each one we hold onto represents a step backwards. Whether you believe that Jesus was the son of God or not, I hope you can see that stashing the guilt of past sins keeps you from moving forward. The next time you are held back by feelings of guilt over something that happened before today, please take just a moment to clench your fists as tight as you can, and then slowly relax and open your hands. As you release the tension from your fingers and hands, mentally let go of whatever is holding you back with regret, and take a step toward forgiving yourself for being human. Wiggle those free fingers, forgive yourself and thank God for His abundant mercy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (YOUR stash) in Good Health!