Happy Birthday!

Isn't it funny how we celebrate a baby's birthday every few moments? I do understand this now, though. I could have stared at this little guy for hours and celebrated each moment. He is absolutely adorable . . . but so dang sleepy. My brother and sister-in-law are actually having to wake him to feed him at night. What I think, though, is that he just loves the blanket his Aunt Mindy made for him so much that he pretends to be asleep so no one takes it from him.

Look what happens when he doesn't have his blanket. Bad idea!

(Though his cry is pretty cute, too! He makes a precious, little squeak.)

He does consider waking up if he gets to go for a motorcycle ride, though.

Pardon his blurry hands, he's revving.

Oh, and he has pretty eyes, too. We almost forget he has them.

I certainly don't know whether I'm ready to go through "the joy" of childbirth. Yaouch! I deeply admire my sister-in-law for what she went through to bring this precious, perfect little guy into this world. But, she's pretty incredible anyway. She was welcoming a non-stop brigade of visitors into her hospital room within hours of his birth, and from what I understand, the door at their house is still swinging.

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It's in My Blood

I just got home from Dallas, and I'm trying to settle down. I'll tell you more about my nephew in the next hundred of my posts, but in this one, I'm going to talk about me. Selfish, I know, but I'm about to burst. I'm trying to settle down because even if I wouldn't have seen a single family member or friend these past three days, the trip would have been just as refreshing.

I love Texas. It's just something that has been in my blood since I grew up. While difficult to explain, I'm not alone in this - it's an epidemic there. Texans are as proud of being Texan as they are of being American. I didn't realize how much I missed being there, especially Dallas, until I got there. Here are a few of the things that I miss the most.

I miss big trucks. This Ford pickup is even named after King Ranch, a ranch that covers 825,000 acres of South Texas land (larger than Rhode Island) and is one of the largest ranches in the world.

I miss true, classic country music - Hank Williams, Jr., Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Alison Kraus, Martina McBride, and of course, Johnny Cash. The radio station 99.5, The Wolf, was my favorite station when I lived in Dallas, and listening to it this week, I remembered why. It's Texas Country.

I also miss dirt, Sonic, and the abundance of personal space.

I miss my Jeep, which I sold when we came to Philadelphia.

There's just something about these things that make me feel like I'm home, a feeling I cling to because feeling "home" is such a distant memory since I have moved every two years since 1996. Being in Texas for me is like getting a bear hug from your grandfather - something you'll never forget and something you'll never stop wishing for.

He's Here!

He was so ready to come into the world that she only pushed for 15 minutes. Doesn't she look beautiful? She's an amazing woman! My brother couldn't have done any better. ...and look at that kiddo. Goodness, I don't even know what else to say. God is amazing, isn't He?

New Projects, New Techniques

Eunny Jang Endpaper Mitts

My first fair isle project. Thanks, Lisa, for telling me I could do it. I'm so proud! Aren't the colors great?! It's becoming my favorite project, so it's only fitting that I should photograph it on top of another of my most timeless favorites.

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Hemlock Ring Blanket

My first lace project. It feels good to have momentum in my knitting again. If I ever needed a distraction, now is the time.

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Today was Tomorrow Yesterday

My husband and I are in the midst of the fury of change that we've been anticipating for over six months. It feels surreal to be in the middle of what we were planning for. I liked the phrase I read recently - Today was tomorrow yesterday. That sums up this surreal feeling perfectly.

Two weeks ago, we found our new apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey.

My husband will commute across the Hudson River to mid-town Manhattan each day. Hoboken is laid out in one-square mile, which is exactly the size of the town where I grew up in the Texas Panhandle. There's only a minor difference. Booker, Texas has a population of 1,200. Hoboken's population in 40,000. It's unbelievable how my perspective has changed since my days in Booker.
To me now, Hoboken is a small, quiet town - a retreat from the unbearable (for me, at least) hubbub in New York. So, while I'm not up for living in the insanity of Manhattan, living in city where the population density is only 40,000 per square mile seems quite comfortable for me.

Yesterday, under a blanket of pouring rain, my husband graduated from Wharton with his MBA. I am quite proud of him, even if I am a little disillusioned by Wharton's remarkable resemblance to a never-ending two-year fraternity party. Both sets of our parents came to celebrate the ocassion. They were very sweet to congratulate and give me gifts, too. It does feel like I just finished a marathon and have now entered the sprint for the finish line and the ability to take a deep breath.

What's next? My brother's baby is due any minute!
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Making Things Disappear - Thank God for CraigsList

Moving is such fun, isn't it? I'm going through boxes of things I tried to make disappear in the basement when we originally moved into our apartment in 2006. Much to my dismay, it is all still there, and there is even more upstairs that I want to disappear now. Where is my magic wand?! CraigsList is the closest thing I can find.

Here are but a few of my posts, and I'm trying to get together more like items for pictures and posts today. I'm trying to get as much sold this week as possible. My parents and my inlaws are coming Saturday afternoon for my husband's graduation. I'd like for our apartment not to look like a hurricane just blasted through it, like it does now. Last night, a man came over and bought things off my walls. I then filled a box and made him take it - for $5. Hey, everything is for sale and cheap...except Haydn. Sorry, Lisa!

Several days later...

It is all gone! Man, CraigsList is amazing!

Maryland Sheep & Wool

http://www.fliptrack.com/watch/EbODjOSCcf

I am having a hard time keeping the music consistenly playing in the correct order. "Catch You" should come on first, and then the slides and songs are in the proper sequence. If "Catch You" isn't the first song you hear, then just enjoy the pictures.

















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Looking for Motivation

I finished the baby blanket for my nephew, which was actually quite paralyzing to me, since I wasn't working on any other projects when I finished. The blanket has been my go-to project for the last 7 months, and I reached for it any time I was feeling aimless in my knitting. I have purchased the yarn for several new projects thanks to a super sweet surprise gift card to Rosie's from my mother-in-law. She immediately won the role as my new BFF. So any of you desiring that spot in my life, you now know what it requires. So, with my yarn purchase, I easily have two go-to projects that will take as long as the baby blanket, if not longer. So, while I have been working on only a few projects, I have actually been reading more about knitting lately than actually picking up the needles myself. I've been looking to these sites for motivation, and it's working.

I'm fascinated with several talented knitters including Susan B. Anderson, who is the author of Itty Bitty Nursery and Itty Bitty Hats. She has an Itty Bitty Hats Knitalong that includes topics far beyond baby hats. She writes some of the cutest patterns I've seen - how cute is this?

Another fun website is Purl Soho, which is a tiny knit shop in Manhattan that I visited a few weeks ago while looking for an apartment in Brooklyn. It should come as no surprise that I was particularly enthralled by their Granny Square Project, which shows countless crocheted granny squares in various types of yarn, colors, and sizes. While my crochet is coming along, I haven't actually completed my project, nor have I taken on a project with anything but single crochet in the pattern.

Another of my favorite knitters is Brooklyn Tweed (Jared), who is as talented at photographing his projects as knitting them. I'm not his only fan, by far. There is a link to his website from almost all of my favorite knitters' website. He's a pretty busy guy, pursuing an arts degree, from what I can gather from his blogs. So in spite of living in the same city as him, I'll likely still have to visit his website to check out what he's up to. Not to mention Brooklyn's population is 2.5 million. Plus, he spins his own yarn, so it's unlikely I'll even see him in a yarn shop.

A site as sewing and fashion-centric as the above are knitting-centric is the artfully named Angry Chicken. She has a few tasty recipes worked in, too.

Not a knitting website, but almost as good, Mostly Dogs is a photography-only site that isn't updated nearly as often as I would like. Her pictures are absolutely beautiful.  You can see all of them if you click Browse on her home page.

Anyway, I'll post some of my knitting projects soon, but in the meantime, check out some of these great sites!

Paws a Moment for a Cause

My friend Sherry is highlighting a cause on her website that I can't help but share with you. If you know me at all, you know that I would adopt absolutely every stray animal, amphibian, and plant that needs a loving home. I was well on my way toward completing this goal when I got married and was forced to limit my collection of strays. Chris sternly informs me (often!) that we are at our weight limit in pets (and a little beyond the limit in plants). He said if I want another pet, a trade off is required. While I have the kitties on a serious diet (right, as if I am not their complete servant - "Why, is that a hungry look? Yes, of course I will feed you.), they haven't quite lost enough weight for me to get a Yorkie. I did get a fish, though!

Back to the topic at hand. It is quite easy for me to recognize the innate desire, which at times feels more like a physical need actually, to help these little critters, and this story hit home. My knitting friend Sherry has a friend who is telling her remarkable rescue/adoption story. Vinnie, her newly adopted puppy-dog, had a near fatal reaction to his post-adoption vaccinations. His condition deteriorated quickly, but here's where it gets amazing. The rescue/adoption center - 4 Paws Sake - that she adopted him from stepped in and took charge of his care and covered the medical expenses (which amounted - after considerable discounts from the vets - to over $1,000). His story is pretty amazing. You should read it.

If you can relate to this story as I can, you might paws a moment for this cause. Many of us knitters are joining together to help pay these medical bills back to 4 Paws Sake so they can continue this amazing work, which I only wish I could do on my own. A couple of very popular knitting stores have donated items for a raffle - $5 per ticket - to benefit 4 Paws Sake. Check out the prizes at the bottom of this page!

I don't know about you, but if I ever have the weight limit in my household down enough for me to adopt again, I'm definitely going to consider 4 Paws Sake.

Here's how to get a raffle ticket, if you're interested:
(1) Go to http://www.4pawssake.org/Paws/donate.html.
(2) Click "Make a Donation".
(3) Enter $5.00 as your donation amount (or more, as you desire).
(4) PayPal will walk you through the rest of the transaction.
(5) Forward your PayPal confirmation to FriendsofVinnie@gmail.com to be entered in the raffle.
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A Little Progress Report

Well, I've just been chugging along on my projects. Here is my crochet progress, which I am so pleased about. Tomorrow night, Courtney will help me complete my bag with the pink handles. I've decided to line it so it is reversable as well. No pictures of the fabric yet though, so stay tuned.

Lisa J. has joined the rank of Patient Angel along side Courtney, as she patiently walked me through almost every one of the stitches on my needle...after she pulled out the countless wrong ones that were there before. Thank you Sweet Lisa. You're my hero!

And, for the biggest news, I have four inches to go on my nephew's blanket. I can hardly believe it. So, it will have taken me almost as long as my sister-in-law's pregnancy to knit it. So, in a weird way, it has grown with him.
So, nothing enormous to report, just steady progress. But, as sweet Marissa reminds me, "Slow and steady wins the race." I have such great friends. It's the greatest feeling in the world. ...well, perhaps second only to completing a baby blanket.