Why, Yes, I Am A Happy Mom

Good evening, peeps and peepettes!!  Busy, busy, busy here at the rancho.  I had a four day weekend, but was on the go most of the time.  LOL  I've been spending as much time as possible with Baby Boy. Friday was a book store, a leather store (for supplies), a yarn store (LOL), and then TACOS!! Saturday was home chores and a movie. Sunday, errands and  Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings.  Monday, an antique store, a yarn store (LOL) and lunch.  This is a great BBQ place with inside and outside seating. We were the only group on the patio since it was chilly, but it was comfortable enough with a sweatshirt. Here is a picture of Baby Boy.  Isn't he sweet?  LOL

Hubby and Baby boy...

My hamburger...Yummy...

What I wanted...Diet Pepsi...

What I got....WATER!!  LOL

This is a great bottle.  It is stainless steel, double walled, no sweating, and keeps cold stuff cold for over 12 hours.  I keep it with ice water all the time to encourage me to drink more water.

Baby Boy will be here until Sunday, so we're making plans!  We will do at least one more trip to the coast and try to stop at a few more thrift stores.  He always finds great stuff!

And for all the yarn fans out there, here is my latest crochet project.  This is for my stepson who loves red. I couldn't find a really bold variegated, but thought this one looked nice with the black and red.

So off to finish my evening.  I am working three days this week, then another four day weekend.  I kind of like this schedule.  LOL  Take care and be kind to one another.

I Want to Live That Way...

Good morning and Happy Friday!!

Lots happening here at the rancho.  I picked up Baby Boy from the Bay Area on Tuesday.  It is so wonderful to have him home.  I love him so much.  He is kind, thoughtful, and willing to give me a hug for no reason.  LOL

On our drive home, we had plenty of time to chat.  One of the odd things he always says to me is "thank you for being so kind to me".  I thought that with him being an English major, he should be able to come up with a better word than "kind".  I asked if he was being flippant.  He said no, that he feels that kindness is the most unselfish act of love.  It comes with no strings attached, no sense that it must be returned.  I had never thought of it that way. When I commented that it followed "treat others as you would want to be treated", he said no, you should treat others better than you expect to be treated.  I want to live that way...

And what have we been doing?  First, stopped at a great yarn shop in Albany, Ca.  Avenue Yarns, yummy yarn and great customer service.  We were greeted as we came in the door and several times reminded that we need to touch everything!  LOL  One of the employees was a young man.  He was so incredibly sweet and helpful.  Answered every question and just chatted.  I love that!!  It was great to see him knitting.  My son is always working on creative projects, whether it be painting or music. I think he should start knitting or crocheting, it would keep his hands busy.  He is willing to think about it, but really wants to do ceramics.  Either way, I'm good.  If I don't get a new scarf, maybe he could make me a yarn bowl.

This is just one wall...

Little jewels just waiting to come home with me.  I showed restraint.  I only picked up enough yarn to make three scarves.  LOL  And a yarn bag.  More LOL  It's too early to take good pictures, so I'll post them next time.

Here is my latest project.  I finished this a few days ago.  I did a giant granny square (because that's all I know how to do, LOL) and finished with a shell edge.  I really like how it turned out.

                         

This is done with Charisma yarn, Eggplant.  I kept up with the sales at Christmas, so I managed to get all of the yarn at least 50% off.  And used some extra coupons for another $10 off.  A win!

And my latest start?  It would be the possum/merino wool scarf for my husband.  This is a knitted, ribbed scarf, so it's going pretty fast.  It is amazing yarn, so soft and wonderful to work with.  I'm using size 6 needles, so it will be a very light, but warm, scarf.

So, I'm off work for four days and I've got stuff planned.   We are heading to a book store and lunch today, maybe a long walk this weekend, and lots and lots of together time.  Baby Boy doesn't leave until January 17th, so we should be able to do at least half of what I have planned.

A little update on my dad...he has started another decline.  He hasn't spoken or made eye contact in over two weeks.  I thought that it was hard when he only said okay, yes, no, or just nodded.  This is so much worse.  I go into his room and find him just staring at ceiling, no recognition or awareness. It is so sad to see him this way.  I talked to my social worker yesterday (really just cried most of the time) and told her how life is not fair.  She agreed, but had no real answer of why it wasn't fair.  She asked if I still wanted him at home.  She wasn't pushing for one way or another, just asking. My answer?  Absolutely, I do not want him to die with strangers.  No matter how hard this is for me and my family, it would be worse to think that he may have a moment of clarity at the end and wouldn't know where he was.  I will not do that to him.  So, we continue on our journey...no better, a little worse.

I hope that each of you have a wonderful weekend and spend time doing what you love.  Be kind to one another.

Baby Boy is Safe and Sound in California

Good morning from the rancho!!

Lots of happy here today.  Baby boy made it into Oakland!!  His flight was delayed in Chicago, so made it to California later than expected.  Honestly, if the delay was due to weather and safety, I'm good.  Then he told me that he was taking BART to get into the city.  Hmmm, after he told me that the New York subway was safer than BART, I started to worry all over again.  LOL

Today is the first day without frost in about a week.  It's still under 40 degrees, but at least I don't have to bundle up to take out the trash.  LOL  I will need to start pruning my rose bushes soon.  I usually have them all done by mid-January, so I'm still on schedule.

I spent yesterday running errands and then did a bit of de-cluttering.  Honestly, living with a hoarder is difficult.  Most times I try to put on blinders, but once in a while I just can't stand it.  I have to be careful though.  If I don't cover the stuff up in the garbage bin, he will dig it back out.  Really.  His dad was a hoarder and when he passed away, half of his stuff came to our house.  Add the fact that my husband is starting to have some memory issues...the next few years can only get worse.  I try to be subtle.  I don't say much about the outside, but when his stuff starts to creep up to the front of the property, I put my foot down.

Time to get out of my jammies and start my day.  My order from Amazon came in on Thursday, so I'll make a quick run into the post office.  I'm pretty excited...it's the t-pins and foam squares that I ordered to block my scarf.  Yay!!  I've decided that I have three projects on my bucket list:  knit a pair of socks, crochet a fancy shawl, and crochet a pair of slippers.  If I can get these done, I'll need a blocking system.  I thought about using cardboard and a towel, but I found some foam block on Amazon that were very reasonable. They're really for a play floor for kids, but have a lot of reviews from people that use them for blocking. Much cheaper than the "real" ones.  LOL

Off and moving.  Have a great day and be kind to one another.

Count Down to Happy...And Just What Have I Been Doing?

Good evening, peeps and peepettes!!

Can you hear it?  Far, far away?  In Iowa?  It's the plane taking off to bring my baby boy home!! Yay, more yay, more yay, and as much yay as you can handle!!  (Can you tell I'm a wee bit excited?  LOL) He really doesn't leave until Friday, but I'm starting the celebration now.  I pick him up from the Bay Area next Tuesday, but just to know that he's in California.  Big Mom Sigh....

So, I know that all of you are just on the edge of your seat, waiting to hear what I've been up to this last week.

Christmas day was very quiet.  Dinner for four, soup for Dad. I got up early to start the prime rib. Last Thanksgiving, I had a little accident with the lid to my roaster and broke the handle.  Very sad.  I ask hubby if he could find me a new handle.  Hmmm, no.  But, he could make me one!  Okay.

Here is a picture of the finished product.  Oak with tung oil.  Isn't it pretty?

And since baby boy is on his way, here it the scarf that I've been working on for many months.  I'm sure you will remember when I pulled out quite a bit of knitting since it was curling so badly:

And now:

It's still curling, but I think if I block it, it should be good.  It's a wool blend, so he'll be able to use it in Iowa. LOL  A lot.

And for my piece de resistiance....here is the latest update on my second giant granny square afghan. I love the purples and greens.  It is much more vibrant than the picture shows.

Continuing with Christmas news...My baby sister decided that I needed a new tv.  Honestly, tv is tv. I enjoy documentaries and crime shows, but I'm not really picky about the picture.  I bought my tv in 1995.  It is about 30 inches, in a wood cabinet.  I like it.  But baby sister is all about technology. Came in with a flat screen 50 inch tv.  Really?  The only thing I can think it will be good for is to watch YouTube videos of crocheting.  LOL  She has now spent two days, loading all the programs that SHE thinks I just NEED to have. I put my foot down on syncing my phone with the tv.  I love baby sister, so I just sit quietly on the couch, head down, working on my knitting.  There was only one glitch...as baby sister is opening the various boxes and bags, I glance over and see that she is using my embroidery scissors to do all this opening and cutting.  After I regained my senses, and grabbed the scissors as if my life depended upon it, she looked at me.  In a completely innocent voice, she comments that they are the sharpest scissors that she has ever used.   What a surprise...

The next day, she sends me this picture on Facebook:

I told her that I thought it was an excellent idea...LOL

Okay, I'm off like a herd of turtles.  I think I left a load of laundry in the dryer...yesterday.  LOL Have a great night, be kind to one another.

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve from the rancho!

I hope that each of you spend the holiday with those you love and are blessed and happy in the new year.  

Perform random acts of kindness.  Smile more, frown less. Slow down the journey, enjoy the scenery. Pick the wildflowers.  Hug your friends whenever you get the chance, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.  Eat that extra piece of fudge really slow....savor life!

Be kind to one another.

Happy Dancing in the Rain!

Good morning, peeps and peepettes.

We've got rain!  The weatherman says only half of an inch, but I don't care.  Rain is life for our area, I will be glad to take it.

It was a long, long week.  I had a great Sunday, found some amazing yarn in a yarn shop at the coast. My husband saw a beautiful scarf and hinted that I should make it for him.  It is a simple knit/purl, so I can do it!  It is a mix of merino wool and brushtail possum.  Yes, possum.  I did some research.  In New Zealand these animals are not native and considered a pest.  They cull thousands a year.  I'm sure that some people will be offended, but I feel that it is like cows....you raise them to use them. Can't get around it.  All you can do is give them the best life you can and be as humane as possible. Here is a picture of the yarn. It is so soft...

The rest of the week went like this...

Drove to work on Monday, behind an accident on a bridge.  Black ice.  It's California, we don't know how to drive.

Drove to work on Tuesday, accident at the end of my road.   More ice, car drove through stop sign, hit rail, all bad.  I stopped to offer help, no injuries.  

Drove to work on Wednesday, accident on highway, wrong way drunk driver.  So incredibly sad, the fatality was the person that got hit, not the drunk driver.  It had been several hours earlier, so took the detour.

Drove to work on Thursday, no accident, but did see a huge wooden wire reel on the road, missed it. Coming home, my truck started making crunchy noises in the front tire.  Got hubby to look at it.  We were both up until 10 pm changing the bearings and rotor.  I was only his gopher, but felt bad about leaving him outside to do it alone.  Since he is such a hoarder, we couldn't fit my truck in the barn. Worked outside in 35 degree weather.  By the time I got in the house and showered, I had to put two down comforters on the bed to try and get warm.

Drove to work on Friday, no problems.  Wheel worked fine.  Work was good until the sewer system plugged and the prison dumped 85,000 gallons of raw sewage in a creek.  All water was shut down with rumors that we would have no water for three days.  It took me and my staff two hours to plan meals for three days, for 2,200 people, with no water.  We did it!  Of course after we got everything planned and the canned food into the kitchen, they got the plug cleared.  LOL  I'll just think of this as an emergency exercise.  But I was so tired!  Came home, had dinner, and fell asleep in the chair at 7 pm. Of course, I did get up and go to bed at 11 pm, but still slept until 7 am.  Feeling pretty good this morning!  I should, I got at least 11 good hours of sleep.  LOL

The only thing I got done for Christmas this week was to make six batches of fudge.  Lots of different kinds:  Coconut, Heath Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, Candy Cane Peppermint, Peanut Butter.

This is a picture of the coconut.  I brown the coconut and then add it to the fudge.  A little extra on top.  Tasty!

And here is a group picture.  LOL

                                                 

I've used the same recipe for over 20 years.  Always creamy, not grainy.  And no marshmallow fluff. I hate to use that stuff, so messy.  Here's the recipe I use:

My Fudge

Mixture One:

½ cup butter

1 cup nuts

3 cups of chips

1 tsp vanilla

Measure all items and cube butter into small cubes.  Allow to soften.  Set aside.

Mixture Two:

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup heavy liquid whipping cream

10-12 large marshmallows

Stir and cook Mixture Two over medium heat until bubbly, about 7 ½ minutes.  I use a wire whip.

When Mixture Two bubbles for about 30 seconds, remove from heat and add Mixture One, stirring until chips and butter melts completely.  Pour into buttered pan and cool.  I use a 9x13. 

This recipe works well with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, mint chips, etc.  I have also added Heath Chips, Peppermint Chips, etc, as part of the original 3 cups.  Be careful to not add too many chips, it will cause the fudge to “seize” and separate.  I've added coconut, crushed candy canes as an extra, not part of the original three cups.  I'm thinking of trying a pumpkin recipe, but haven't got around to it yet.  I hate walnuts and never add them, but some people do, so I leave them in the recipe.

When a friend gave me the recipe, it was called See's Fudge.  I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so I just call it My Fudge.  LOL

Okay, off to start my day.  I really, really need to get some shopping done.  And I definitely need to get out of my jammies, it's a little chilly this morning.   LOL  Have a wonderful week, be kind to one another.

                                

This One's For You....Jocelyn...

Good morning to all my peeps and peepettes out in blogland!

Here's a little background on my title....Jocelyn over at Canadian Needle Nana was reminiscing about Christmas and  trees and ornaments.  I mentioned that my family had an aluminum tree with a color wheel. She hadn't seen a color wheel before...so let's begin our trip down memory lane!

A color wheel.  They can still be purchased...but beware, anything that begins with the word "vintage" usually comes with a high price tag.  LOL

This is exactly how our tree looked.

And if it was set up correctly, this was the final result...

For those with a yearning for the vintage, for the low, low price of $300, this could still be yours! LOL LOL  LOL

My parents had one of the latest Polaroid cameras, the type that the picture popped out of the camera. You would shake the picture and it would develop in your hand.  Unfortunately, the pictures don't last forever. Baby Sis has taken quite a few of them and had them put on photo paper.

Here is one of my favorites.  Me, Baby Sis, and Baby Brother in front of our Christmas tree.  The color has faded, but you can still see the sparkle of the tree.

I look at this picture and realize how little we have changed.  My brother still has the crooked smile, Baby Sis still squints her eyes when she laughs, and my chubby cheeks are still chubby when I smile. LOL

So I leave you with memories of times past, love of family, and the excitement of children at Christmas.  I hope that everyone has an amazing weekend.  Be kind to one another.