~I have Title Block~

Hi Everyone! Spring is Springing here in good 'ole MA! How do I know this? Wellllllllllllllllllll, let me tell you..... I can't breathe, everything is blurry because my eyes are all red and ITCHY, I sound like someone clipped a clothespin to my nose and I have those LOVELY black allergy circles under my eyes - have I painted you a pretty picture? hmmmmmmmmm? lol Well, I REFUSE to complain (too much) about this, because it is WAY better than the Snow word! Things are poking up out of the ground and there are buds on the trees - I'm thrilled to say the least! Spring does have it's draw backs, such as May flies - nasty, annoying, teeny tiny little black bugs that swarm around your head, fly into your mouth when you talk and bite around your hairline etc. - I have a serious dislike of them - Beau is none to thrilled either - and then there are the mutant mosquitos that we grow here in our brook - you can RIDE these beasts.... and ticks! have I mentioned the TICKS? eeeeeeeeeeeeew. But I really am happy it is Spring ;) lol I haven't knit a thing since coming back from NJ on Saturday - we've had games and practices and fundraisers and then there is the grocery shopping and cleaning and cooking and laundry, lets not forget the laundry.... so since today is WEDNESDAY, which is my day off, I am going to pop a movie into the DVD (after turning on the washing and drying machines) and knit a bit - wooooooooo hoooooooo! I have a couple of hours before the next Varsity Softball Game - we are 8 and 1 and Lyss made the SWCL-East top 10 hitters! YAY for her! Hopefully that will help in the scholarship department also :) We have another game tomorrow, Prom Friday and tons of games this weekend along with DH's Birthday. Busy week and weekend BUT ITS SPRING so that's ok! :) Lolly had an interesting post yesterday regarding "knitting philosophies"( thanks Lolly!), which prompted me to think about my evolving "crafting philosophies" - first off, I didn't know that I had any, but I guess I do and they change with time. When I was younger, I had time and patience for the BIG projects, Kint and Crocheted afghans and jackets, sewing my own clothes, repairing clothes, intricate beading projects and very detailed cross stitch projects. I find that now, even though I still love a challenge and learning new things, I opt for small scale challenges, such as learning cables and how to incorporate them into patterns I have, learning a new cast on for socks etc. Life has become so busy and hectic that I enjoy projects that I can take with me to a game, a school band concert, etc. Instant gratification projects would be a good way of putting it I guess. I love knitting socks - not just because they are quick, but because I can incorporate new techniques and stitch patterns into them, and because they are fun to knit, the yarns are gorgeous, they are portable and people like hand knit socks. I knit, dolls for the girls, baby items, mittens, fingerless mitts etc. So my "philosophy" has changed over the years and no doubt it will change again - I wonder what my next phase will be like:) What's yours? I also borrowed this idea from Lolly - It was fun looking through all of the music - some of it dates me and THEN SOME, but I have a wide range of musical interests. Go on over, try it and have some fun! http://www.hotfreelayouts.com/music.php I'm off to knit and movie watch! Have a Great day!

~Family, A Look Back in Time, Minimal Amounts of Crafting and WINE~

WE'RE BACK from a great visit to my sister's house! We had a wonderful time this week.... but before I begin, let me introduce you to her...... This is Patti......the best sister, best friend anyone could ask for! Patti has just now created a blog of her very own - -if you have a free minute, maybe you could pop over to say hi and welcome her to the wonderful world of bloggers! Next, I would like to introduce you to my "furry nephew" Fenway an incredibly loveable Bernese Mountain Dog with a HUGE personality!. On Thursday, Patti, my two incredibly handsome nephews, the two girlsand I went to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. What a trip! We spent the majority of our time at Ellis Island. Walking through there, it sometimes seems as though you can hear the echo of the people that passed through - I found myself contemplating the enormity of what my grandparents, and all the others, must have felt coming here. My grandmother was a mere 17 years old and alone coming from Italy - I can't imagine the courage it took to undertake such a long voyage and come to a land where you didn't speak the language and make a life for yourself. I find that the respect I have always had for them grew in leaps and bounds! Seeing the rooms they walked through,the luggage the different travelers carried, the belongings that they brought with them, the medical procedures they endured - was, to say the least, overwhelming at times. A trip worth taking, and taking more than once. We took the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty (the statue itself was closed to visitors), but what an impressive site she is and how powerful a vision she must have been to those weary, frightened and excited people coming to their new country! . We took a picture of THE bridge as the kids refer to it and of the city. We had intended to come home on Friday, but decided to hang out another day - time seems to go by so quickly when we are together and the kids are all so busy with their activities that it gets harder the older they all get. We hung out, drank a good amount of wine (shhhhhhhh), laughed, watched movies and did a minimal amount of crafting. I finished another pair of baby socks in white - just like the blue ones I showed you last week and worked a wee bit on the Honeycomb blanket. We made an attempt to check out a new yarn store, but found it to be closed due to the holidays. It poured all the way home, which mirrored our mood at leaving them behind. Em and Lyss played a game of softball in the rain and then reality kicked in - - - - Off to the grocery store I went and the laundry and unpacking began. I DID come home to something to be excited about - dh has been refinishing our kitchen cabinets and made great strides while we were gone. I will show you those pictures next time - I'm off to check the laundry and visit with my little Beau!

~See you in a Few~

I hope all of you had a Happy Easter. We had a nice day, quiet, but dinner was good and everyone seemed to enjoy the day! My youngest two and I are leaving in a little while to go and visit my "sister" for a few days. We are hoping to take our kids to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I'll try to take lots of pictures. Here's wishing you a happy, healthy and enjoyable week - with hopefully lots and lots of Spring weather :)

~Happy Easter~

To All of You!

~Eggs, Eggs and Eggs~

Welcome to my world........ sometimes referred to as "Cathy-Land"...... this is a land where, Easter is NOT in 3 days, giving the Queen of Cathy-Land ~ me ;) ~ some much needed extra time to do the simple things in life, such as shop, bake, clean the house, cook, put together Easter Baskets, color eggs, BUY white eggs if I can even find them now, make birthday cake... etc., etc., etc. Alas, the evil minions that invade Cathy-Land have come again and RUINED it, leaving nothing but panic and chaos in their wake - THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME! aaaaaaaaaack! But in the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara, "I won't think about that right now"..... Before I get onto my knitting news (yes I AM back in Cathy-Land for a brief time) - I would like to THANK all of you that commented on my last post - not only were the comments very sweet, kind, supportive and very much appreciated - but there were 12 comments (I know this doesn't sound like much to those of you that always get a TON of comments, but to me it was AWESOME, and yes I will count Mia's twice :))! Thank you SO MUCH! On to knitting news, since I put my tail bone out last Friday, I tried to take it a little bit easy this past weekend, so on Sunday while sitting with the sick, depressed child (who is much better now, thank you all) who couldn't go to her softball pizza, team bonding, party, I made these little lovelies. Basic baby socks ~ easy as pie ~ instant gratification ~ LOVE IT. I have been using thisvery heavy marble egg (is this a project spectrum color?) to tighten up and even out my Kitchener stitches on the toes and finally broke down and purchased thislovely - - now the rationality behind all of this is that it is Easter, and everyone needs a new egg at Easter time.... no? ;) It's gorgeous, beautifully made and arrived here in no time Priority Mail! YAY We bought Prom shoes this weekend (haven't taken a picture yet), but they are lovely little slides with silver on the straps to match the straps on the dress - Payless - so they didn't cost a fortune! wooooooooo hoooooooo. I got this lovely as a gift :) There are some cute things in here that I have no doubt my daughters will want and hopefully make themselves, or at least maybe Nicole will make them herself. I took Dad to the hospital yesterday for his Cataract surgery and made this while I waited - all went well, I believe, he has some follow up visits. It is the PSA that has us worried and he has to wait until the end of MAY to see that doctor! That infuriates me, but that is another rant :) He is in good spirits as usual and hopeful about his eye. It has been a hot debate between doctors as to whether or not he has macular degeneration under the cataract that they just removed or not, so we will find out soon enough. Keeping my fingers crossed for him :) Well, I'm off to bring the Art Teacher to work and then pick Dad up from doctors appointment and then back to work. I suppose I should THINK ABOUT going to the grocery store and BJ's since the minions keep telling me that I AM OUT OF TIME! ;) I'll leave you with a Beau picture..... that is his towel that he carries around with him everywhere and he has brought one of his stuffed toys to sleep on and cuddle with! He truly is too funny! Have a great day!