nie-nie dialogues

My sister forwarded me a blog address. A blog she's been reading. The blog of someone who is a member of a family who is somehow known to someone in her (my sister's) husband's family (did you get that?). I've read it a little bit, but it is hurting my heart. It's the blog of a mom. Last summer she and her husband were in a very serious airplane accident. She and her husband were covered in burns (she more than he) and in a coma for a month and a half. They had to leave their home in Arizona to return to Utah (from where the author originally came). Their children were divided among two aunts while their parents "slept" (as they call it).

I've been having some trouble getting a prescription filled. I think I need to wait to finish reading it until I can get that done. My emotions ... *sigh*

Anyway, it's an otherwise happy blog. She has such an amazing attitude. And her kids are adorable.

***

When I was 13, I watched the neighbor's house burn down. I saw my dad go into the house, the children's bedroom, through a window (keeping his feet outside so he did not lose his way). While thick, black smoke poured out past him, he went in and out of three different windows in the same room until he found a limp little girl. A 6-year-old. A girl I babysat. A girl to whom I had taught the alphabet in sign language. A girl I loved. She looked dead to me.

Just as Dad emerged carrying little Lauren, the firefighters arrived. They resuscitated her. They said if Dad hadn't found her when he did, she would have died.

But it was too late for her younger brother. Elliot. Only 10 days past his fourth birthday.

We went to his funeral. From time to time my friend and I (we had baby-sat together) would walk to the hospital, a few miles from my house, to visit Lauren. She had been badly burned. From time to time we would walk to Elliot's grave.

I guess seeing Nie-nie's jobst gloves in a picture triggered all of that.

Like I said, it's a lovely blog. But I think I need to wait until I can get my medication before reading further.

guilt

While Doug was out of town early this month I started what was supposed to be a quick and easy project. My second daughter, Mikay, has some white gloves with a shiny, fuzzy cuff. Tessa coveted the gloves very much and Mikay would never indulge her youngest sister and let her wear them to school (she likely wanted to show off for her 'boyfriend' Tyler).


So one day Tess and I went to Walmart (not my favorite store, but *sigh* I do buy a few things there from time to time) where we couldn't find any white fuzzy gloves but we did find white stretch gloves and some fake white fur. To make her gloves a little extra special, we also bought some gold edging to go along the tops (but it doesn't show in the picture).

I started the project expecting to finish quickly. But. The thread got a knot in it so, of course, I got mad, put it down and left it. Until today when the guilt of not finishing anything got the best of me. So I finished the gloves. And now I have a very happy little girl who can look super-fancy for Tyler and, a new favorite boy, Mario.

I need to work on getting stuff finished.

I've had a lot of projects in the works lately. Probably too many, because I haven't finished anything. I would like to be able to post some FOs here, sigh.

I can't even think of a funny story to share. I've been a bad blogger!

Sarah is Awesome

My little sister, Sarah, brought this to Girls' Lunch yesterday, for me!
She said it's the first time she's ever tied ribbon around ketchup.
She's awesome, isn't she?

Nanna's Handwork

I have a few items given to me from my mother that were embroidered by my great-grandmother, after whom I was named. Mom says that Nanna had a neighbor who crocheted and together they would make beautiful items, some for the neighbor and some for Nanna. Nanna would embroider/cross-stitch and her neighbor would add crochet edges.

This table runner I've had since I was a teenager. It was always at home on my dresser until recently when I decided I wanted to have it more on display.

I moved it to the old radio in the living room that belonged to my grandparents. My mom remembers listening to radio programs on it as a child. On it, my children listen to Radio Disney.

Handkerchiefs that were very nice to have during my "cry through church each Sunday" phase.

A tablecloth Nanna likely used for weekly card games with her friends.

Though I'm sure I met Nanna on several occasions, I only remember one. She was seated on a chair by my grandma's front door. Nanna wanted me to give her a hug, but I was a little scared. I didn't understand who she was. I hugged her, but even still, I feel badly for having those nervous feelings. She died when I was only six-years-old. I'm told all of us little kids sang at her funeral but the only things I remember about it were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the car on the way to the cemetery and the snow that was on the ground, taking cautious steps so as not to slip and fall or be disrespectful and step on a headstone.

I wish I could know her now, as an adult.

ketchup

We're getting low on ketchup (can be considered a crime in my parents household). I've been working on getting corn syrup out of our diet. Does anyone know of a brand which does not have that stuff in it? I found a BBQ sauce, finally, without high fructose corn syrup, or even any corn syrup (I think it's Bulls Eye, but I'm not sure) and would like to also have a ketchup. Hm. and a mayo wouldn't be bad either.

beautiful utah

the other day I was driving home through Morgan County, Ut. The mountains. I love them. I took my camera and started snapping pictures without looking (I figured we'd be better off if I didn't drive off the road). Most of them didn't turn out well (I refer you to the previous sentence) but a few were ok. Thought I'd share...

if you are on facebook, you may recognize this from the flair I made then spammed to everyone

I liked the light at the end of the tunnel, or so it seems. Who would have thought that light would be Ogden?

no comments about this one - just thought it was pretty.

more nokies

I've been making smaller (probably receiving blanket size) rag blankets for the NICU. Tessa was sick with the Group B Strep virus when she was born and stayed a little while in the hospital. Upon her release we were given a tote bag with words on the front that read, "NICU graduate." In the bag were a few baby items that are still special to me. A handmade bib and a flannel blanket were among the bag's contents. I'm hopeful that these blankets I'm making will find themselves in graduate bags. I have flannel with sports equipment, duckies and grasshoppers too.

in addition

To go with the baby boy bunting I posted about a week or so ago, I've made a little hat using Toni's basic hat pattern (I added some ribbon around the brim that is white with little blue footprints). Also I crocheted a blanket from the Easy Ripple Afghan pattern, using the same variegated yarn on both ends and for a HDC edging (an? I guess that depends on whether you read it "H-D-C" or "half double crochet").

Jaida's hat and a matching scarf

Birdie was invited to a birthday party this evening. When she came home a few days ago with the invitation I had in my hand a chevron blankie I had just started. Crocheting the chevron stitch is a newly acquired skill for me. I felt proud. I had thought that the stitch pattern would make a cute scarf, so I asked Bird if I could crochet a scarf for Jaida's birthday present.

I used yarn out of my stash and the Easy Ripple Afghan pattern because, of all of the chevron stitch patterns I saw, it had the easiest (for me, anyway) instructions for creating the chevron. I soon had a scarf that received rave reviews from 3 of my 4 girls (Tessa was neither here nor there on the issue).

Then I decided it needed a hat, so I went looking for a crochet hat pattern that was uncomplicated enough for my poor little brain to decipher. My quest was unsuccessful so I just made one up as I went along. Its popularity among my little crowd led me to sit down, write out how I made it, and promise to make more in the near future. I'll put the directions here too, in case anyone else is interested.

Jaida's Hat

fits girls from about 8 to 12 yrs old (for a larger size, CH 4 at the beginning and one DC in round 1)

Using a J hook and two different colored yarns (one variegated):
Start with color A (white, in this case)

CH 3, join, CH 2 (to form the loop)
1. DC 12 stitches around loop, CH 1, join, CH 2
2. DC next ST, 2 DC each remaining stitch, CH1, join, CH2
3. DC each ST around, CH 1, join, CH 2
4. repeat round 2
5 - 9. repeat round 3
10. change to color B (variegated), repeat round 3
11. change to color A, repeat round 3
12 - 14. color B, repeat round 3
15. color A, repeat round 3
16. color B, repeat round 3
17 - 18. color A, HDC around all ST, CH 1, join, CH 1

19. color A, HDC around all ST, join, tie off

weave in ends.

abbreviations: CH = chain; DC = double crochet; ST = stitch; HDC = half double crochet (not to be confused with a single crochet but that fact alone is enough to confuse me.)

the pepster

I don't have any real reason for posting this picture other than I just thought it was cute. If you remember the puppy victrola post, you might notice the notch missing from his right ear there (well, you could possibly notice it even if you don't remember that post, but you just might not know the story behind said notch).

Tami posted a picture of their new dog. Oh my. She's a cutie. The thing is, Pepper is cute but can be the biggest turkey and a huge pain in the, well, everywhere. I've heard Boston's are good family dogs. Unfortunately I didn't know this until it was too late. But we do like our Peppie. Usually.

nokie

For Christmas my friend, Michelle, made me my very own nokie (her family's word for special blanket). These rag blankets became popular not long after Tessa was born and I remember feeling bummed because I thought they were so cute and wouldn't ever get one for a baby of mine. But I needn't feel sad any long because now I have my own. It is so very warm and snugly. I sleep with it every night.

Oh and my favorite part is that she was able to make it almost completely with flannel she already had! There are pieces from jammies she made the girls and me last year plus parts of other blankies nokies.

items 1 & 2

I joined the blog 25 things for charity sometime in 2007. Typically, I fall behind in keeping track of the items I make and donate. Perhaps I'll do better with that this year. Here are a couple of bereavement gowns to start off the new year.


I normally donate to the hospital where Tessa was a patient in the NICU for the first week of her life. I donate in memory of my niece and somehow in my mind I think of it as some kind of cosmic play date between two cousins, Tessa and Lucy, who would have been similarly aged if Lucy had lived. I miss that little baby girl. I miss her for me. I miss her for her Nanny and PopPop. I miss her for my daughters. And mostly, I miss her for her parents. I wish my sister and her husband still had their little daughter with them.


The buttons on this little boy outfit were too cute to pass up. I found them at Joann's fabric store a while back and they seemed to fit perfectly here. While I sewed them on, I thought of another little angel - the son of my sister's best friend. Today would have been his birthday.

Both were crocheted from the pattern Toni's burial gown. It is by far my favorite pattern for preemies. It works up so quickly and, I think, is a very sweet gown that can be used for a boy (without the shell skirt), or a girl. Because of the stitching, it does need to be lined, but that only takes a few minutes. I like choosing a nice color to go with the gown. Soon I want to make white gowns with different flannel linings; pink, blue, yellow, green.

There was no pattern for the bonnet in the first and second pictures and I doubt I could recreate it exactly. I did like how it turned out though. The blanket is a simple shell stitch like the Christmas doll blanket I made. If I can find the rest of the blue/green/white yarn, I plan to make a blanket for the second gown as well. Or maybe I'll just make a solid blue.

we don't need no stinkin' resolutions

simple resolutions:
1. eat less food
2. drink more water

and since I'm thinking about food...

we had a fabulous NYE dinner.
My sister is an amazing cook, and she cooked
we had ribs and turkey
twice baked new potatoes


a shrimp plate (not my thing, but Doug, my mom & brother in law liked it)
cheese bowl (similar to cheese ball, but made at the last minute)
the best veggie salad I've ever had


dessert for the kids, rice krispies made with cocoa and regular (I did peel the kisses!)


for the rest o' us, a pie made with brownie mix and cream cheese. Mmmm


Then for New Year's breakfast, we had an egg, bacon & hash brown casserole


and I made our traditional NYD breakfast food, aebleskivers




Which brings me back to the need for my first resolution.

some of the gifts I made

This year I crocheted 4 doll blankies and 3 doll dresses (but promised one for Tessa in the near-ish future). One of the blankets was on its merry way before I thought to take a picture. That one is another granny square blanket. My favorite was the shell stitch blanket (dark purple in the back). I made that one last and was sure I wouldn't be able to figure it out - but I did!

For Birdie & Mikay (my oldest two) I made bracelet/necklace/earring sets.

And because she likes ponchos, I made this for Tess.

Suzy received one of the doll dress/blanket sets, a penguin and a charm bracelet. I made some slippers for my husband and earrings (that I didn't photograph) for sisters and friends.

and here is my wreath, enjoying the Utah snow:

Hope your Christmas (if you celebrated) was merry and bright.
Now on to New Years' and that pesky "get in shape" resolution. I don't know about you, but I'm about sugared out anyway.

Duck the Halls

A Christmas Carol sung by Tessa

Duck the halls with holly jolly
la la la la la la la la la
Only with a pair of jammies
la la la la la la la la la

She tells me it's a song about everyone wearing only jammies all of the time, oh and always having a duck with you.

So from my little spot on the web, I wish you all a happy Christmas filled with nice things like ducks and jammies. I, personally, am most excited about the jammie part.

charm bracelet how-to

This is mostly for the super nice woman working at the craft store this morning. I am going to attempt to explain how I made the charm bracelet. Please keep in mind that I don't generally write patterns or instructions because I have difficulty translating the workings of my brain into English. Today I enlisted the help of Tessa's chalkboard. High tech, huh?

1. take a jump ring (or something similar)
and feed some super thin hair elastic-type
stretchy cording through (don't cut it), like this:


2. string beads and charms, like this:


3. feed elastic through jump ring in the
same direction as before, like this:


4. string a second round of beads and charms, like this:


repeat - mine has 5 strands total, so does the lia sophia one.

To finish (5th round):

cut elastic enough for half a round plus knotting
on the beginning end. string beads and
charms on each half, tie so
knot is under a bead (I liked using
one of the wider tubes to hide the ends).

Now, I hope that makes at least a little sense. Happy beading!

eat cake

In great FAM-forum tradition, I give you: Cakeballs...

Sounds weird, tastes evil. They are so good. And so easy. All you do is take your stale, left-over cake, mix in a few globs of frosting, form into balls and roll in melted chocolate chips. And eat. A million.

More cake: Mikay recently had a birthday. She wanted a flower cake (in December, she's so cute!). My mom suggested using fruit roll-ups for the flowers when I was lamenting about how I somehow got passed over by the amazing cake decorating skills gene that she and most of my sisters (and even sisters-in-law) possess.

Because it seems you can't buy fruit roll-ups without those weird tongue tattoos anymore, each got wiped down with a damp dish cloth before being cut with a cookie cutter and place on the green frosted, round cakes. Mikay liked it. I liked it. And actually the fruit roll-ups tasted yummy with the cake.

(I made Betty Crocker's recipe for a yellow cake and frosted it with butter cream.)

bracelet

I love my lia sophia charm bracelet (on the right) so I decided to try my hand at making one (or two or three) for Christmas presents. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (left & below).


I found most of the beads and charms at a local craft store and a few I already had (probably came from Hobby Lobby).

treat bags for classmates

It's the last week of school before Christmas break (or winter recess, as it is now known). The girls have been working on these little treat bags that will be filled with trick-or-treat sized candy bars and mini candy canes for the other children in their classes. I have 4 students and that equals a lot of tiny lunch sack style bags. This idea came thanks to Mrs. (Miss?) Moss' second grade class' bulletin board santas.