non-Knitti-me

2008 Retrospective

I realize that we're already two weeks into the new year; but the theme of my life seems to be "a day late and a dollar short," so it fits.

2008 was an interesting year for me. It was a year of personal accomplishments - more so than in any other year - within the last five at least. However, judging from my blog, not much went on at all, I hope to remedy that in 2009 and chronicle my life and crafty goings on more consistently.

Notable happenings in 2008:

Loosing Never felt so Good!

I lost 40 pounds!  This was major! After struggling with weight for so many years, it was amazing to find the right combination of attitude, excersise and diet that worked. I still have another 30-40 pounds to go - so 2009 will be another milestone year in the weight-loss department.


 
A Vacation Built for Two

Graeme & I went on on a cruise - our first real vacation, complete with umbrella drinks, without kids since before they were born. We're planning another little get away this February too. Still up in the air as to whether we can trust the kids to say home (ages 17 & 18) or to farm them out to friends.

   

The Olympic Throw

During the two weeks of Olympic games, I knitted a throw. As they were lowering the Olympic flag in the closing ceremonies, I was attaching the last of the fring - whew! Gold Medal for me!

 

Walk for the Cure

In May I participated in my first Run/Walk-a-thon. The Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure. I hope to do more this year - do I see a half-marathon in my future? Who knows.

Nicaragua!

In June my daughter Sarah and I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua. It was an amazing experience and I zip lined through the rain forest - pretty awesome. You can read about the trip here and see a slide show of photos.

A New Pastor

After 3 years without a senior pastor, Pastor Steve and his wonderful wife Robin came to our church. It has been an wonderful year of vision and growth. He's tattooed and rides a Harley too!

The Hair

I cut my hair! At first I was thinking, "what have I done?" But I'm now glad I made the decision. Next up - highlights!

 

FaceBook!

It has been a blast reconnecting with old friends and family from every chapter of my life.

De-clutter of 2008

While Graeme and Gabriel were in Australia last September, I went through every closet, nook and cranny in my house and purged. They knew me by name at Goodwill. I dropped a small fortune on various sized plastic containers. But now everything has a place and everything is in its place. I was thrilled that when the power went out a week or so after the purge, I was able to locate a working flashlight in seconds! I do feel smug. 2009 - the garage!

~~~

Overall, 2008 was great year for personal accomplishments.

Happy New Year Everybody!

Random Wednesday

1. Thanksgiving was spent at my sister's house. We had a fun time with all the family.

 

Graeme and I having a bit too much fun...

2. I actually participated in Noro-vember put on my the Minx. Here's my paltry offering.

   

A rolled brim hat, which is going to be frogged, and a cute ribbed number my daughter is wearing. Both knit from Noro Kureyon - forgot colorway - as if anyone cares.

3. Oh, and I cut my hair.

   

 4. Tomorrow morning I will be embarking on my annual pilgimage to Vegas! So looking forward to this - I really need some down time, a bed to myself and room service. I'll be hanging with my sister and cousins from far and wide (about 15 of us).

5. Our house is worth less (a lot less) than what we own on it...

6. My son had an accident. He's OK, the car is not. It still runs but we're only driving it within a 5 miles radius of our house.

7. Feeling a bit of the Bah Humbug this year.

8. On a positive note, the Holiday Craft Show I did last week went really well! Best year in three years in fact! Now I have a few dollars to spend in Vegas - or on Christmas gifts for the family - nah, in Vegas.

Feeling pretty good for 44

Yes, today is my birthday. I just got back from a fabulous lunch with my coworkers...I think it's time to go home and tap a birthday nap.

knitti-me then:

knitti-me now:

Yes, I think I agree...

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a night owl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

 

 

Quiz pinched from the Bossy Dog herself.

 

A lot has been going on these days. I'm in a crafting craze as I get ready for my once-a-year craft show tomorrow night. Working full time and then making jewelry til 2:00 AM makes for a very tired Marie. Anyway, hope it's lucrative this year.

 

We had a family photo shoot over the weekend with my extremely talented newphew Zach.

 

 

 

You can see the full photo shoot here. (Note: none of the photos have been edited - so please excuse the power lines in the above shot.)

A Jumble

Here it is the day before Thanksgiving. I'm holding down the fort for my unit at work - everybody else is, I'm suspecting, at home cleaning and/or cooking. The phone is quiet, no client meetings, filing is done, projects are at a standstill- so what's a girl to do? Blog!

Found this meme on Inky's site.

Things I've Done (In Bold)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
4. Visited Hawaii! Lived and was married in Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch 
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill--Excuse me, Mental Health Day!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors 
35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught myself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling--snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud 
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the LIncoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - Does Layoff count?
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox - When I was 20!
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

~~~

 

Here is a picture of my precious Grandma (1900-1990) preparing one of her amazing holiday dinners. This photo was taken in the 1940's.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

Helen Marie Parent 1922-2008

My Aunt Helen passed away this week.

This photo, taken in the early 1950's shows my grandmother and her (surviving) children standing in birth order. My mom is the second from the right and Aunt Helen is next to her. My mom's oldest sister, Agnes, died in the 1930's of TB. Agnes had a son around my mom's age and he was raised as a brother; however, he is not in this photo.

With the passing of Aunt Helen, my mom is now the only surviving sibling.

This photo taken in 1943 or 1944 of the three sisters (L-R): Helen Hamilton, Geneva Yeats, Sarah McCalip.

Aunt Helen lived life to the fullest and had a bit of a reputation as being the wild child of the family. In later years she developed Alzheimers and spent the last year or so in a care home. I am happy to say that my mother was able to visit her (in Texas) about a week before she passed and Aunt Helen was in a more lucid state, saying "that's my baby sister!"

Aunt Helen was married three times and had two children, Karen and Larry. Cousin Larry died suddenly last August at the age of 62. Aunt Helen attended the service, but was not aware, due to the Alzheimers, whose funeral it was for; so I guess it was a blessing.

Aunt Helen's third husband of 25 years, Wilbert (Bill) Parent, lovingly cared for her until the end.

(As an aside, Bill's son, Steven had the dubious distinction of being one of the victims of the Manson family murders at the home of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, August 9, 1969.)

Although I did not know Aunt Helen well, I always felt a certain connection knowing I was named after her.

Rest in peace dear Helen Marie.

A Couple More FOs

Yes, I have been busy.

In early 2005 I knit a Ribby Cardi and got as far as knitting, blocking and seaming the back, fronts, and sleeves - nearly finished right? We'll at that time, I tried it on and it was too small - curses! So I threw the Ribby Cardi carcass into the recesses of my craft closet.

Recently I have been on The Great Declutter quest and in the process tackled my craft closet where I found the Ribby Cardi sitting forlornly. Well, I quickly knit the collar and zipper facings and then had the zipper installed. 'Tis finished, and it now fits, but doesn't look too good - meh! Too short in the torso and arms - not sure if I want to do any creative blocking...

 

I also finished a Decidedly Different Scarf. This is the Curlicue Ruffle Scarf from Stitch Diva Studios. Don't let the cast on of 60 stitches and knit 11 rows lull you into thinking this is a quick knit. On the contrary, after so many knitting in the fronts and backs, this little number ends up with over 1200 stitches on the last row! This is the second one I've knit and I forgot after the first one, that I would have like it to be longer. Needless to say, I did not cast on the additional stitches and I, once again, have a cool scarf that is just a tad too short for my liking.

 

Here's a pic of my kids at the homecoming dance a couple of weeks ago. They're growing up!

What?! Another FO?

My goodness, what is happening to me? I've all of a sudden found my knitting/crocheting mojo!

 

Pattern: Crochet Vest - Cecilia Chemise by Stitch Diva

Yarn: Knitpicks CotLin Yarn in the Linen Colorway.

I don't think I've ever finished a crocheted garment before; I've limited my crochet exclusively to accessories, but when I saw this vest, I thought, "wow, I've got to make that!" It was a pretty easy, straightforward pattern. The flower motif was a bit laborious, but so worth the work.

I used vintage buttons, which were actually used on long johns back in the day. My Grandmother had several hundred of these buttons rattling around in her button box. She used to do laudry and mending for the Amy Aircorps in the '30s and '40s. However, I'm not sure if I should keep them or use a more colorful, store bought, button. What do you think?

 

This photo shows the color more accurately.

But alas, I can't wear it. I lost more weight since I started the project five months ago. I crocheted the XL, but, according to the specs, I am now a medium. I suppose it is a good problem to have, but a little disappointing.

So I will wrap this up and gift it to a dear friend who just lost her husband.

Give that Girl a Gold Medal!

With the advent of Ravelry (of which I am NOT a part) and my total "lame-assedness" of not making the knit blog rounds, I had no idea if the Knitting Olympics were on this year. However, I did my own, personal knitting Olympics.

You may (or not) remember The Nuptial Throw I knit during the 2006 Winter Olympics; you can read about it here, here and here. Well, I decided to take up the challenge once again and knit another Olympic Throw!

My husband (and son) would be traveling down to Australia to visit his family and celebrate his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. So I decided, what the heck, I'll knit them a throw as a anniversary present (I also just happen to have a kit, complete with yarn, in my stash) - of course I had a mere two and a half weeks until take off.

So I furiously knit through the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat (and can I say, what's with all that beach vollyball during prime time?!)

I am happy to report that as they were lowering the Olympic flag during the closing ceremonies, I was attaching the last of the fring.

(Queue Olympic Theme Song) I give you....THE OLYMPIC THROW!

Knit in the fabulous Schaefer Yarns Kit #214, Combination Designer Throw, in the Indira Gandhi colorway.

I've been blogging elsewhere...

Other exciting news in my life is that I'm headed off to Nicaragua in June!

I will be going on a mission trip with my daughter and mother for 15 days. Some of you may remember I went in 2004 and it was a life-changing experience. We'll be working with staff from the mission organization Food for the Hungry-Nicaragua.

I've set up an on-line journal where we are posting about our preparations, giving background information on Nicaragua and will chronicle our adventures once we hit the road.

The Nica Report!

Hope you can click on over and visit me there.