Booties!

I love to knit, and I do big projects, but once in a while I like instant gratification.  So I dug through my stash, including all the bits of Mom's yarn that I had put away after she died.  I found a pattern I had used before that goes quickly and went to town.

Fun and portable.  Now the only project I have going is a shawl I started in Mazatlan.  I suppose I should finish that, but I like to have a small project going that I can stick in my purse, like socks.  Better go start digging!  (I bought some more storage for my yarn, and when I started sorting-well let's just say I'd better not buy any for a while!)

More From Mother Nature

I pulled up Facebook tonight and everyone I know had pictures of tonight's sunset.  I think it's the prettiest I've ever seen:

What a show!

Easier to Follow Me

You can follow me here:

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Now the Pink Ones

The pink flowering crabapple tree is doing very nicely.

I've been taking snapshots since this tree was tiny and had its first bloom.

Next: the lilacs!

The yard is filled with fragrance!

Hoping to do some sewing tomorrow.  I haven't been down to the sewing room for a long time.  Stan is going to be gone for the next few days so maybe I can squeeze in some sewing time.  Gracie is waiting for me to make Rosetta, her Build-a-Bear, some clothes.  She needs a nightgown and a cowgirl costume.

The dogs will probably want to sleep with me, at least Merlin.  Chloe doesn't sleep peacefully-she keeps jumping off and then can't get back up-very annoying.  Merlin crawls into a padded box in the closet and doesn't move all night.  Stan is going to Reno for the national bowling tournament.  It's mostly a guy-type trip. I could have gone but the casinos fill the rooms with so much fragrance I am miserable.  Besides, then I'd have to find a sitter for the dogs.  I'll just stay here and enjoy my empty house!

It Was a Nice Mother's Day

A very nice day.  Went to church, stopped at my favorite coffee shop, then headed home to change and gather up stuff for dinner.  Off to Steve's house for a backyard beer can chicken barbecue.  We sat in the shade on the deck visiting and watching the kids play.  A very mellow day, I felt spoiled and appreciated.  I took my camera but I never took it out of my purse.

Stan did give me some very pretty roses on Saturday.

They're opening nicely. 

Jim and Millie gave me these lilies.  Just have to figure out where to plant them.  I have a ton of lilies in the backyard, so maybe I should find a home for them in the front.

The flowering trees are a little early this year.  Our jelly crabapple tree is going nuts!  We're going to have to share the apples this year!

Looks like snow!

Sweaters and Sweet Hot Jelly

Finished a couple of sweaters.  Well, to be correct the one sweater was finished about a year ago, but the instructions called for ties at the neck instead of buttons and buttonholes and I didn't like the idea so it sat in my "finished box" until I figured out what to do.

First the baby sweater-it turned out just great!  I do need to give the hem a little more attention, it's still rolling.

The buttons are older than the yarn.  I got them at K Mart probably in the 70s, before bar codes.  They cost 42 cents according to the pink K Mart price tag.  Oops, really telling my age!

This sweater is about a 3-4 years size.  I started it when I had my knee surgery and worked on it in fits and starts. 

What I finally did was crochet little chain button loops.  I think the owls add a really cute touch, don't you?

 And the jelly-Stan and I became hooked on a pepper jelly that Costco sold.  We ran out last week and when I went to find more I was informed that they no longer carried it.  Horrors!  So we did what any enterprising do-it-yourselfer would, we made our own.  Well, Stan did, I left the house until the pepper fumes dissipated.  Not allergic to peppers but the airborne fumes can choke up my asthma.

And here you have it-isn't it pretty?  And the beauty part is we can control the ingredients, down to using the bag of discounted "slightly old" bell peppers from the store.  And the hot peppers are from our garden.

The best way to serve it.  Put a smear of cream cheese on a cracker and top with a small spoonful of the jelly.  Or a large spoonful if you like.  I ate 8 of these before the jelly was cold!

We just love to do things for ourselves, the crackers are even homemade safe-for-me!

Happy Birthday, Grace Catherine!

Grace was such a tiny baby when she was born, she needed help breathing from the beginning.  It was really scary for a long time-we had lots of scares and said lots of prayers.

She went directly into the NICU from the delivery room.  What a tiny thing she was!

And here she is at nine.  So glad we have this girl!

We had a great party at a local restaurant today with tons of gifts and all the trimmings.  She's into horses and dolphins and got a couple of those today, along with the requisite Barbies.  Hard to believe she is almost done with the third grade.