Saturday, in the Park...?

...I think it was the Fourth of July. Well, God bless America...with memories of today that song can be true! It will be a busy holiday for us, with the big party at Jess's new house, so I thought I'd knock out a quick post before the fun starts. Wait, to be clear, the fun has already started...

The girls have come for a visit, and we've had fruit by the foot contests with cousins (and Aunt Jess), 

crafts,

and dinners out...

All after an epic road trip to Nashville to pick them up. So fun!

Today we party, and the rest of the week we make sure they see all the loved ones they can fit into an 8-day visit (plus two days of driving)...

...and I will sleep sometime after the 12th! Until then, we will party on, Garth...

with hamburger cookies!

No knitting today, but I am almost to the lace on my cardigan,

and I finished the second pair of fingerless mitts on the drive, so yay!

I hope your day is good, and that any fireworks you see will blow your mind (and not take off your fingers). Happy birthday, America!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Ready or Not...

Christmas 2025 is in the books, and 2026 looms large ahead! I am thankful this year, 5 days after back surgery, that I was able to do some fun things this week! From a nice Christmas visit

to having Christmas dinner with our daughter and her family (and the boys' gingerbread houses),

to casting on a pair of new Christmas socks (Must Stash Yarn in the colorway "Bumbles Bounce"),

to fun cards and greetings from friends!

New gadgets made this possible, and helped me to manage my pain along the way...

TENS unit. I've read the how and why it works, but I've had too many narcotics to explain it to you. Also, it's purple, and I'm sure that helps. 

My back brace is nothing compared to Joan Cusak's neck brace in 16 Candles! Whew!

...I have even managed a few chores along the way, including getting the lights off the tree, 

and I've finished the first Bumbles sock!

So all in all, 2025 has been a good year, despite some hard losses. We've lost friends who were way too young, family members we thought we had more time with and friends who have been like family for decades...we will mourn for them all and pray for those left with holes in their hearts. Please Lord, help them find their meaning and worth in You and in Your Son, whose birth we celebrate every Christmas. 

I've often heard that Jesus is the Reason for the Season, and I'm thankful to Pastor Paul of White Flag Church (from St Louis, we livestreamed their Christmas Eve service on Wednesday) for reminding me that I am the reason for the season, and YOU are the reason for the season. Jesus came for sinners, you and me included, so that we could be connected with God in Heaven forever. Yes, so much to be thankful for! 

Am I ready for 2026? Am I ever ready for a new year? I guess it doesn't matter, because ready or not, here it comes! Let's see what it brings together.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

PS-If you want more details, I had an L3/L4 Laminectomy, with the removal of a synovial cyst on my spinal cord.  The benign cyst was putting pressure on nerves leading to left hip and leg pain, and the recovery has included some pretty intense nerve pain in those areas. But this is just a blip in my lifetime,  and I should be "right as rain" in a few weeks. Prayers and good thoughts gladly accepted, thanks! 

Oh, What a Week!

What a week this has been! This week included Thanksgiving (there was a very brief post on Thursday), and then a sleepover with the boys last night, so I am just a smidge worn out this afternoon! But it was so good...from the dinner table

to the tree decorating and football

(Yes, I had to fix it...which I'm not proud of.)

to the failed and successful photo attempts...

Our holiday was made complete by the people we shared it with. We have a great family bunch, to be sure, though there is not a photo of the whole bunch...but I did get a shot of the beautiful snow that fell! 

I was not expecting more than a dusting, but we got enough for the boys to make snow angels 

and snowballs yesterday, 

and even their first (Pop Pop powered) sledding of the season! (FYI, Pop Pop is also a little tired today...) So much joy is often followed by so much Ibuprofen...

All in all, it was a lovely week, and now I knit...because knitted pigs do not knit their own sweaters! 

Awww, the little house pig was sooo excited! But the boys have gone and hidden my pig once again. At least I know she's warm, wherever she is! I hope you're keeping warm as well, in body and spirit this holiday season! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Happy Thanksgiving, 2025 Edition

My wish for you today, as we "officially" welcome the Christmas season (after dinner, of course) is that you would feel loved (because you are,  even if you don't know it)...that you would have much to be thankful for (even if you don't see all of it right now)...and that you would help someone else find those small joys as well (even though you may not have a lot of practice doing that).

You are here for a reason (even if it's only to be my friend), and I am so very thankful for that. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Halfway There, and more...

Ooohhhhh, we're halfway there... (IYKYK)

Halfway, plus one block, not yet attached...

Afghans are long term projects, and I'm making good progress, but this one has been a bit of a slog. Metaphor for life? Maybe...after all, I'm a little past halfway there in this life, too...but it's all good. I've got purpose. 😁

Some blocks are difficult, requiring apologies and multiple repeats of rows...and some blocks are easy, just hit auto pilot and go! The super-fun blocks are the best ones though, and I'm happy to report that we are on one of those now. 

You can never know how long the fun will last, though, so I'm hanging on to enjoy the ride. When we got the next hard time, holding onto the joyful memories will get me through. 

Whichever block of life you're in, I hope you've got some joy in the reserves tank to get you through. May you all keep your peace and love and joy close at hand, friends! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Jello gummies for the
5-year-old's party!

Hello Dolly[wood] and Gatlinburg!

For our summer, Gatlinburg vacation this past week, Aaron and Jess picked another great B&B, this time in the mountains, with views for days!

Tennessee was hot and humid, but the A/C worked well, and the view was great from inside, too!

We spent the werk playing hard with some of our favorite people, 

Photos from Ripley's Aquarium

including a short hike to Cataract Falls with all the littles, 

where we saw a waterfall, 

but no bears...

One of two "happy trees" along the way!

A visit from Julie (and her husband, not pictured) who live two hours from Gatlinburg...

and Hilbilly Golf were fun,

and there was  an interesting three-man "scramble..."

but no bears...

This was also our first trip to Dollywood, 

which was hot and sweaty 

and overall wonderful!

We enjoyed lots of rides, 

and shows (the Gazillion Bubble Show was air conditioned amd magical!), 

but when a boy is sooo sleepy, an ambush nap just might take over...

We rounded out our day with shopping, 

and some pretty fun food, 

but no Dolly sightings...however, our little guy did finally see a bear!...

and his mommy posed with a pretty fairy!

Jess: Sorry, Fairy. Weve just got boys...
Fairy: YOU can pose with me! 

The vibe of the park was clean and fun, and everything was family friendly, we had a great day. 

The rest of our vacation boasted lots of pool time in the Great Smoky Mountains,  

where the kids made quite a splash as much as they could, 

a mountain roller coaster 

(I didn't get to ride this one, but I heard that it was lovely...not too fast, no big dips), 

Even our littlest guy rode this one!

and a lot of time to just goof off together, especially on our trips down Boogertown Road!

On our way out, we even saw an actual bear, and did not get eaten...yay!

Thanks for a great time together, everyone! We'll be talking and laughing about all the fun for years!

By the time you read this, our road trip home will be over (or nearly over) and I'll be gearing up for mountains of laundry, lol! Then back to work on Monday, and back to reality...but I'm even looking forward to that!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Was there knitting? You know there was!

My first Matryoshkats!

Quite well received, thank you very much!