Woolapalooza or Bust!

Every year, on Memorial Day weekend, I have a standing date at the Wayne County Fairgrounds. X marks the spot on this map, and that's where I plan to be today. 

Woolapalooza or BUST!

We couldn't go last year, and my knittahs and I were sad. Truthfully, we were worried that we would not make it this year...and the weather is not really promising today. It's been pouring since yesterday, blowing and cold and miserable, but we are not deterred. Yarn, here we come!

So, this is a short post, and shortly I will be at the Fairgrounds with all the yarn and many of my friends! If you are a knitter in NE Ohio, maybe I'll see you there. Wear your wool, it promises to be cold and rainy, but I am so looking forward to this day of shopping and fun!

Even if you won't be at Woolapalooza, I hope you have something fun to look forward to today!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Smoke Alarm Works (apparently)

Thursday was fun this week. I made toast. It was 6am, and I saw a tiny tendril of smoke ascending from the toaster, which was (apparently) set too high. So, I did the normal things...cancel toast, open window, turn on fan...and then it happened. 

Cue the alarm sounds, flashing lights, and gentle voice stating, "Fire. Fire. Evacuate the building. Fire. Fire. Evacuate the building." It was a woman's voice, and I am sure she did not see the flashing lights or hear the horns while she was recording. Think Alexa with even less personality. Aside from the actual words, there was no urgency in her voice, just calmly letting me know that my house is burning down around me. 

Add to this that I could not find the ladder to silence the system, which is hard-wired to both power and the other two smoke alarms in the house, on the 9-foot ceilings (10-foot was a mistake in my last post, but they are very high!), and my nerves were fried for most of the day. My heart is strong, but my nerves (apparently) are not! 

I really needed my Thursday Knit Night this week. As a bonus, this is the first time we have met in person since last summer! I was able to get photos of my recently finished cotton cardigan (Dewdrops Cardigan, by Drops, in I Love This Cotton). 

It was so good to sit and laugh and play with yarn, outdoors with my friends until just after dark!

On Friday morning, after a good night's sleep, I did not make toast. "Wasn't that something yesterday?," I said to the cat. But, judging by this look, she (apparently) did not agree.

Oh, well, What does she know anyway...wait. Is that yarn coming directly out of her butt??? Lol! She's not impressed by that observation either. Then stop sitting on my yarn, Cat. Stop sitting on my yarn.

How are your nerves, friends? Still holding up as the masks start to come down? I hope so, and I am looking forward to seeing people's whole faces at Woolapalooza next Saturday! If you'll be there, look for me and my yarn posse! Until then, keep calm and carry yarn!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Seven Happy Pictures

Today's post is all about the happy! I have been struggling with the happy in this transition to the new place, so I am reminding myself of some happy moments, and keeping them close at hand. 

I mean, you've seen the pictures of the condo, and it is fantastic! But it has taken me nearly a month to start to figure out new routines that don't leave me constantly feeling like I have hours and hours of cleaning to do every weekend. In the other house, this was easy...it was dark, everything was in some kind of shadow and we had an acceptable (perhaps?) level of "base dirt" that was just there. I didn't notice it. 

Here, everything is white. If it isn't white, it is some version of white: white with gray speckles, gray-white; light grey or tan; a pattern with a lot of white in it...even some of the things I've brought with me or purchased new are white. That means that NO dirt goes unnoticed! And my OCD feels/sees a crumb or speck and HAS TO CLEAN IT RIGHT NOW! That leaves me often overwhelmed and feeling inadequate. 

However, there is much happy here, and I have seven pictures to prove it:

Check out that sunshine, streaming through the windows, filling this place with happy light! And look at that old cat, trying to figure out how to catch the reflection of Pop Pop's iPad on the 10-ft-high ceiling! lol!

I am finally at a place where I can start some new, yarny projects, even if there is a bit of dust over there in the corner! While I am at the craft store, I am always finding new pieces for the décor, and this also makes me happy! (Bonus, I was using a gift card I received as a housewarming gift, so everything in these two bags was free!)

I have been using my crafty mugs, which are so much easier to get to in these new, spacious cupboards! I no longer have to empty a whole shelf of stacked mugs to reach one I'd like to use. I may have to move a mug, from time to time, but EVERYTHING in my kitchen is WAY more accessible! This is a supremely happy occasion nearly every morning!

Have I mentioned the windows here? And all the light? Yeah, I thought I did...and even though a large-for-a-bathroom window may leave me feeling exposed if I let the light shine in, I know how to take care of even that. These window clings let me enjoy all the color of a lovely sunrise without risking too much exposure of myself to me neighbors! So happy!

Sleeping, or recharging? Either way, as a Gramma, this makes me happy! I have a bed for my grandson to nap in on his visits! I can actually have my grandchildren in this house without tripping over them, and I am not sure I have words to adequately express the joy that realization brings!

I mean, just look at this! Four (mostly) happy faces, all sitting together, with adults gathered all around, too! And, just in case you're wondering if it is easier to photograph 3 kids than 4, with all of them smiling and looking at the camera with their eyes open...

...the answer is a solid NO...hahahahaha! But even that makes my happy-Gramma-heart just leap with joy! Oh, man! What fun we have had already here, even though my anxiety has given me a run for the money in this move.

Bottom line: it's been a good month, and I am looking forward to many more months and years of "happily ever after" here. I hope that you are also finding joy in your life, and I encourage you to remind yourself of at least one happy thing every day!

Today, I am happy that you have popped in, and I am also happy that I am starting on a new, secret, yarny endeavor! So, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

I'm Late, I'm Late, I'm Late!

It's been a very busy day, our first visit from the girls! There have been games, electronics, cookie and bread baking, and fort building...but not much sitting for Gramma. Lol!

Fun day, and I'll sleep good tonight!

I hope your weekend has been good so far, and Happy Mother's Day to all my Mom-type friends!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Transitions Are Hard!

Look at me, living in a new and beautiful home...everything is falling together, but I still feel so unsettled. I mean, we all know that Pretty is a creature of habit, and I've talked here before about how it takes me a minute to make changes. The older I get, the longer it seems to take. So, while this is a good move for Pretty and Sweetie, it has been a hard transition. 

Where are the spoons?

With all the silverware...which drawer did I put that in?

 

Where did you put the (name any item in my house that is not in plain view...and some that ARE in plain view)?

I have no idea...I think I've put it away, but I'm not sure where...?

Where does this go?

Your guess is as good as mine...

This last question has perplexed me most, because I have reached the point of NEEDING to hang my pictures on the walls. I need to do that so it feels like home to me...I know it's an OCD thing, and it doesn't really need to be done, but I need to do it. I spend countless moments staring at photos, stacked against the wall, trying to decide...

That's my bridal bouquet in front of my grandmother's picture, but I still haven't hung our wedding photo, and that's held a prominent place in all of our homes so far. I need to put it up...but where?

As I contemplate how to keep my past in front of me, I am reminded that sometimes I need to put it behind me...so I can live in this moment. Thank you to my daughter and her boys for bringing me back into the present with a visit yesterday.

They are watching Cocomelon as the big guy "tickle tickles" his little brother...so cute!

And Pop Pop decides that our new stairs are a great place to drop paper "whirley-bird" airplanes for catching or aiming into a basket at the bottom. He's not wrong, but they needed to look up a video to refresh Pop Pop's memory on the making...

Looks like they've found a good one...

...aaand, yes! They are having snacks and fun while they figure it out! 

We did have a great visit yesterday, and I am pretty sure the boys slept well last night...we did our best to wear them out anyway (and we wore ourselves out in the process...lol)!

So, despite my stress-face and tough-with-transition disposition, I am blessed beyond what I deserve, for sure! Don't let me tell you otherwise.

I am thankful for my new, beautiful home. I am thankful for a big, open space to enjoy my family when they visit (for the first time in 26 years). I am thankful the cats and I seem to be adjusting, and I am thankful for a Sweetie to share it with...so I will do my best to process and mitigate the silly stress of transitions that are a part of who I am. 

How do you handle change and stress? A bit of exercise? A tall glass of (insert adult beverage of choice here)? Perhaps a cookie? Prayer? Please send suggestions...

All that to say that I am doing well, and I am so glad that you have popped into the blog today. As things open up, if you are local, I hope you will stop by our new place for a visit, too! Now, it's time for me to hang some more pictures and do a little Saturday knitting. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!