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! 

Backseats, Baptisms and Birthdays!

To stay with the "B" theme of my title, I will start by saying it's been a busy, Busy, BUSY week!!! All good things, and I am now on Spring Break (yay!), but I could also use some rest!

Last Saturday, while the blog was going live, I was just arriving in Louisville, KY for a kind of girls' weekend with some online friends. These are very special friends indeed, and it was the first time many of us had met in person! Members of our little, online Bible study group live in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Great Britain and South Africa! 

Not everyone made it (we were missing 2 of our lovely friends), 

This is the "Backseat" portion of the blog!

and not everyone was able to spend the whole weekend (we arrived from Thursday through Saturday), but once we got there, we hugged and laughed and ate and took photos and spent our time together with smiles, tears, LOTS of talking and all the good things about great relationships between women!

There were even gifts, including some "peeps" I made for my peeps 

and this beaded beauty from South Africa (now residing in my office, thank you, Rita!).

We had come together in this place for a very special occasion. One of our friends had made the decision to be baptized, and she wanted to do that at the church that brought us all together online, Southeast Christian Church. (Thank you to the online team that made our Bible study group possible, and then facilitated the baptism and our time together at church on Sunday morning!) 

We enjoyed a time to meet the senior pastor of Southeast, 

and a sweet time of worship in the sanctuary we see each Sunday online;

some of our group was interviewed, 

and then we baptized Kathleen into Christ! Happy spiritual birthday, Kathleen!

After that, we celebrated with more hugs, laughter and photos, 

I love this church, coming or going!
Thank you Southeast and SE Online!

and a final meal before we all got on the road back to our homes (OR the rest of our US tour, right Rita?). As for me, high on the fumes of a great weekend, I returned to work in a bit of a fog. But I kept on going to make it to this weekend's birthday party! Somebody is 3 this year...

That's right! It's Casey, and we had a lovely party with him and the family last night, 

presents and cake, and all that jazz,

including the new puppy! 

Wait, I didn't tell you about the puppy at the boys' house? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's another...

Yes, she's adorable. Super cute, and we all love her! Again, it was the start of another busy weekend, I'm already a little tired (I stayed up late to watch the Good Friday Service recorded from Southeast)...but it's almost Resurrection Sunday! So, the eggs and bunnies have been delivered...

and the baking has begun!

Bread will be baked before breakfast, and we will all gather to celebrate some more tomorrow! I know that Easter isn't everyone's tradition, but it is mine, so Happy Easter, Peeps! 

He is risen! He is risen, indeed! 

Whatever your tradition around this time of year, regardless of whether you knit or knot, I wish you the best, and I hope you'll leave me a little comment about what's keeping you busy this Spring (or Autumn, if you're on the other side of the earth!).

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Even Pop Pop had some fun on my road trip, where he met his favorite vegetable, a giant jelly bean!

December 7th? Already?

What can I say about December 7th? I could say that we are 1 full week into the month that brings us Christmas and New Year's Eve, with all the yummy treats these winter holidays bring with them!

I could say that today marks the wrapping of my 3rd batch of Christmas caramels (so far) this season!

I could even say that today is the day for a favorite craft show that I went to with Jess!

Or, I could say that today is the day before one of my most favorite-est holiday events of the year...the Annual Knitter's Christmas Party!

We have sooo much fun every year! 

Now, having dropped that info, I'm going to sign off. I am, after all, this year's hostess...and the PARTY IS TOMORROW! So much to do before I go to bed tonight!

If you're coming, I can't wait to see you! If not, I'll be giving a full report next week, so stay tuned! 

Wherever you are in your holiday planning and prep, and whatever holiday you may celebrate this month, I'm wishing you a very happy December!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Full Hands, Full Heart

I have said that my hands are often full of knitting, and if youve been around the blog for any time at all, you know it's true! In fact, I've always had my hands full of something...and it's usually knitting...

Sometimes baking...

Sometimes blogging,  and sometimes something else. I simply love creating something from nothing...it is so satisfying!

My daughter has inherited this trait, and she makes things when she can... but usually her hands are full of BOYS!

Yes, three boys are a handful! She and her hubby are doing a great job, but they rarely sit still long enough to enjoy it quietly. They enjoy it at full speed and volume!

I have heard that there are quiet moments after bedtime, but if I recall the days of young motherhood at all, I'll bet those quiet moments in the evenings are replaced by soft snoring as mom and dad fall asleep on the couch! 

Still, she bakes and crafts (a bit) and generally has a good time watching their personalities come to the surface...and so do I.

Even though the girls recently relocated farther away, I'm glad to report that they are also crafty! 

I look forward to visiting them someday "on the Prairie," but until then, I'll just keep knitting. Filling my hands with holiday fun!

So, in short (too late, I know), my hands and my heart are full. I hope yours are as well! Leave me a comment to let me know what you've been working on!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Is It Really Over?

It's the last day of the year, and I'm not sure how to feel. The excitement of Christmas is almost over (we have one final celebration this afternoon), and the tree is put away, so things are right where they should be on the holiday timeline... but I'm feeling a little "blah."

Last weekend brought the excitement of Santa and presents, 

Holiday food and family, 

and we'll have some of that today, too. But the weather warmed up a bit, the sky is crying, and it just feels a little weird to have rain in place of snow for December 31st in Ohio. 

There's still plenty of Christmas decor in the house, which I'll probably tuck away tomorrow, 

and it'll be nice to have the house back to normal...but I think these guys are hoping we'll get at least a bit more snow this winter. To be honest, I'm hoping that too.

When I wake up tomorrow, what will be different? What will 2023 bring? What do I want it to bring? 

I'm still figuring that out, and if you're doing the same, maybe we can figure it out together. My main goals for the next 24 hours are to find some joy, eat something yummy and maybe cast on a selfish knitting project. 

I think I can, 

I think I can, 

I think I can... 

Now, because I probably won't be up until midnight, I'll end the blog here with a Happy New Year to all, and a Knit in Good Health!