Next Up – Christmas! November 28, 2009

Thanksgiving is over, I’m making stock as I write this – soup for dinner tonight – it’s a very blustery day here! There is a lot going on this week for us – for one – I have to prepare for a bus trip to Paris Island, SC with my sister. As I mentioned in my previous post – my older nephew is graduating from Boot Camp, and we’re going down for the ceremony and to bring him home. {{So happy}} We leave on Tuesday morning, and we will return home on Sunday.

This trip is going to take a lot of planning though. We’re talking about 24+ hr bus rides here. We not only do not  have the budget for, we don’t have the stomachs for eating over-priced greasy food offered at the bus stations where we are to meet our connecting busses along the way. Especially my sister, who has had her gallbladder removed.Those of you who have had this procedure done will understand , I am sure. So, I will be packing food for us to bring for the ride there, and we’ll stop at a market to re-stock for the ride home.

Aside from that – I’m looking for travel friendly crochet projects to bring along to work on. I started a pillow that is going to have a snowflake attached to the front – the pillow itself is definitely going to be a bus-ride worthy project. Small, no complex pattern repeats, nor complex stitches to worry about keeping concise – it’s straight sc all the way.

Of course, we also have to pack our clothes – the blue outfits we have to wear for the graduation ceremony itself will be in our carry on – No way are we chancing having it lost along the way. Anything else, while it would be inconvenient, we could improvise if there is a need.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a trip of any kind. The first trip with just my sister. It’s going to be wonderful!

 

Ice Princess Necklace – Finished November 25, 2009

I really must confess, I am liking these posts that end with “Finished”, I’m liking it a lot 🙂 The Ice Princess Necklace is complete. It didn’t take long either! Once again, I am sorry about the crappy picture. The necklace wouldn’t even fit around the lamp shade – and it’s too small for me or my DD to model…it’s for my sister for Christmas – and it fits her. I know, because she tried it on for the button placement for the closure. Now, I have to make one for DD – but she wants a skull or something like that, not a snowflake.

I’m really amazed, and grateful beyond words to all the people who share their designing talents so freely with us. To be able to make such nice things for my family and friends as gifts for what ever occasion it may be for – or for no occasion at all is a gift given to me by strangers who have no idea what it means to me. To know, I can give something that someone will be able to love and would actually want to use is a such a beautiful thing, I can’t properly express it.

To those of you who I am speaking to and of – I can only say Thank You. 

 Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be able to give so freely and happily to those I love, and even to those I may never meet (through charities) items that will bring  a smile, some joy, or some comfort and warmth this holiday season and beyond. I truly hope you shall receive the same abundance in blessings as you have shared.

~Hat for Shane~ November 22, 2009

This is my nephew, modeling yet another of my holiday gifts. This hat is for my oldest son. He had one similar some years ago, without the band at the bottom, and it had been worked up in a double stitch – so I doubt it was quite as warm as this one is. It was also his very favorite hat. This is his first holiday season home in three years, and I want it to be memorable. I’m thinking that this will be very special to him because not only is it very similar to the one he had when he was younger – it’s actually made with the remainder of the yarn I made the first one with. Hmmm, I guess there was enough of it to make another hat after all.

Either way, it’s one less ball of yarn in the stash – two actually, I had just enough of that black left for the band at the bottom. Plus it’s another gift to wrap and hold under the tree. I’m one happy Momma right now.