Happy Easter............

 

Happy Easter from my bunnies to yours!

An action packed day and a cardigan finish.....

Little Buddy and I had an action packed day today.  We started off at his gardening club.  He attends on Saturdays in the Fall and Spring, it is to help with socializing and gives him something very fun to do.  After that we went directly to an open house at one of our local fire departments.  It was so much fun.  He had to walk a long way to get to the firehouse and it is super warm out so that was the only draw back of our adventure.  While we were there he got in an ambulance, looked at different types of firetrucks and rescue vehicles, and saw this wonderful remote control ambulance.  He could not figure out how it moved!

We also got to see the Bay Flight ambulance/helicopter.  It is teeny tiny my friends.  You can barely move in it.  Little B was about as tall as the compartment they treat the patients in.   

Right after we looked inside it they had a call to go rescue someone.  It was exciting to see it take off and get to work.  

There were wonderful volunteers that helped the little ones do all kinds of things including spray water with the fire hose.  

One of the firefighters that works in the woods and on the lakes and rivers brought his boat and a friend to pet.  I am not sure this little alligator was all too pleased with the attention.  The young man holding her kept saying never pet an alligator in the wild.  No worries there, even though they live behind my house in a little creek area.   I stay away from all alligators!  

After this excursion we went to my dear friends open house at her business.  It was technically her grand opening although her store has been up and running for several months.  We talked to a good friend of hers who works with elevators.  He was amazed at Little B's elevator knowledge.  He showed Little Buddy all sorts of photos of hydraulics engines, cables and such.  Little Buddy was in heaven.  Little B even identified an elevator by the control panel even though there was no name anywhere in the photo.  Let me just say Mr Mike was completely amazed.  He offered Little Buddy a job as a sales rep.  Now my very busy little elevator man is taking a rest so I can write this post.

I have another finish my friends.  My second Slouchy Crochet Cardigan is officially done.  I finished it this morning and I am so excited with it.  I started this back in December and then had to stop working on it to make all those baby blankets.  It would have been done earlier this week except I had to completely redo the second sleeve.  You see I knew I was off count yet continued to keep crocheting, not listening to the voice in my head that told me to stop.  I mean who listens to that voice when they can keep crocheting in denial somehow hoping it would all work out.  I ended up with three extra stitches per row, times 40 rows which makes about 120 extra stitches.  Believe me when I say a sleeve can not handle 120 extra stitches.  I ripped it all out and started again.  And wouldn't you know when you count correctly the sleeves actually match!

Made with Jeans by Lion Brand Yarn in the color Vintage.  It was the only color that my local Joann's had seven skeins of.  You know me I am a gray fanatic so now I have a lighter gray and a darker gray in this same sweater pattern.  

I used almost all the yarn in my seven skeins, minus what you see below.  The little ball is the difference 120 stitches makes in a sleeve.  It was what was left over when I made the sleeve correctly.  I used a size J hook to make this sweater and that is that!  I love it, it fits, it is big and snugly as it is 100% acrylic, not something I usually use but it worked for this.  And now that it is 86 degrees out today I will put it away for cooler weather sometime in the very late Fall.

I wanted you to see the boys all freshly bathed with their haircuts.  This photo was taken after I got them home last Saturday.  They are looking much more curly and out of control now.  They smelled so wonderful and were clean for about one night, by the next day they were back to normal.  Ah well, I enjoyed their soft, fluffy bodies for a short time anyway.

Hope you all had a wonderful week.  Stay well my friends.

My thoughts today............

This is what I came home from work to on Wednesday evening.  Poor Little Buddy was not feeling well at school and got picked up early by his babysitter.  I was about an hour away so I could not get to him fast enough.  He started off the day with a slightly runny nose and ended up like this, simply pathetic.  Here is where I am going to get pathetic myself.  When my older two were little I didn't work, or I saw private patients when they fit into my schedule.  I was always there for them when they were ill, for field trips, volunteering at school and such.  I am not with this little one and I have some mother's guilt about it.  He is well cared for by people who love him when I am away, still I feel bad that I actually have to work and that it is a priority.  I do not get sick days or holidays as I am a contract employee.  So any time off I do not get paid for.  He still gets loads of attention and love from me but it isn't the same as it was with my older two.  I usually am okay with it but when he is sick I just feel awful I can't be with him all the time.  His sickness is still going on although he is loads better.  Just coughing a lot.  We have spent all day Friday and today together so that helps.

We got all of his homework done yesterday afternoon and this morning.  He is all caught up with his assignments from missing two and a half days of school.  I also had his IEP at school yesterday.  All of you teachers out there know how emotional they can be.  I am blessed he is in a superb school with so many dedicated people working to help him to be the best he can be.  Still it is hard to hear how much he still needs to do to get caught up to his peers.  He does not test well on standardized testing and that is always frustrating for me as he is much smarter than those tests indicate.  His brain works very differently than a typical child.  He is a work in progress my boy.  I have to remind myself that he was born dead, actually dead and 13 weeks early.  He had two grade IV bleeds in that wee little brain of his causing so much damage, along with massive seizures, well when I think about it like that he is doing just fine.  You know I think he is a miracle, I am just a bit emotional about the whole week and I have a bad headache so that always makes me a bit more sensitive about everything.

  

Bear and Hank were very concerned about their brother when he was not feeling well.  While he was sleeping on the sofa they kept coming to check on him.  They do love this little boy.  They are off to the groomer this afternoon.  I am not even sure they can see anymore with their faces so full of fur.  I wanted to show you a before photo because by 7 pm tonight they are going to look completely different.

Now that I am finished with all those baby blankets I have returned to my Slouchy Stripe Cardigan, without the stripe of course.  I stopped working on this to get those three blankets done.  I have one arm and the collar to go and this project will also be finished.  Hooray!

I saw another flower on my beautiful hibiscus plant this morning.  This plant might flower twice a year with only one or two blooms, so I have to take as many photos as I can to savor their beauty. 

Okay, I am off my friends.  I am wishing you good health, peace and love.  Have a good weekend.

A late March finish and the freckles are back.....................

It was my goal to get this baby blanket done a long time ago.  But when things were not working my way, I thought at least I could get it done by the end of March.  Well my friends I squeaked it in.  I spent hours working on it yesterday at appointments for my oldest.  I waited out in the waiting room and crocheted away with my audio book on.  Then today as soon as I was done running errands and Little B was out with his Dad I sat my behind down and got to work again listening to my book.  And yes, it is warm enough for shorts here.  

Bear wanted to help. 

Hank did, too!

Actually they helped a little too much!

Then I convinced this little one to go into the pool so I could sit near him and finish the last two rows.  It worked.  And I got to see his beautiful face popping in and out of the water and hear all his silly talking.  Look my friends, his freckles are back!  Between those freckles and eye lashes he has it made.  I swear I could eat him up!  I actually try but then he informs me he is not food!

So here it is finished but not blocked.  Hooray I am done!  Again I used Berroco Modern cotton to make this blanket.  Three skeins of #1623 Tilverton and two of #1629 Brickley.  Approximately 1,000 yards of yarn was used and a size I hook.   Again it is your basic 14 stitch ripple found anywhere you look on the internet.  I started baby blanket #1 on January 11, so lets just say I am thrilled to be able to concentrate on something else.  But they are easy and don't require a lot of brain power to make so that has been a bonus these past busy months.

Here they are all together before I start to pack them up and ship them out.  I am so happy to be done.

And just for fun these beauties are blooming in my front yard.  They are probably in most front yards in Florida because they are very durable little flowers.  Thanks for coming to visit wee little Irises.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Before and after, life as I see it today..........

Before: The boys got a bath today right out on my lanai.  Mr. 25 always helps with this.  It is not easy to corral these boys and get them clean.  We end up soaked in the process.  I never, ever get sick of seeing them wet.  They are so skinny and look completely different with their fur all wet and dripping. 

After:  We are not at full dry mode yet, there is still some fluff to fluff but you get the idea.  

I had to add this one.  They looked up at an airplane as I was trying to get their picture.  These boys are the best.  I adore them or can't you tell?

Before:  Yarn just waiting to become a baby blanket.

After: Yarn still waiting to become a completed baby blanket.  I still have at least half the lavender and a full skein of gray to go but I will get there.  Work, a continuing education class and cleaning have kicked my butt these past few weeks.  This blanket needs time and frankly I have run out of it.  Still that baby is not due until June, I just need to get it off my list of things to finish if you know what I mean.

The sorting of my newish bathroom led to sorting of my office which in turn led to sorting of my work closet.  This is no easy feat my friends, I have to take almost everything out to get it back in again.  I have no before picture but this is the after.  I can actually see what I have and now can use it!  Little Buddy helped me by playing with everything I had out and creating an even bigger mess.  Still lots was thrown out, lots donated and lots recycled, a win-win I'd say.

Another after with no before.  Well how exciting is a hibiscus before it blooms anyway?  This baby was gorgeous, she was only here a day but I just loved her vibrant display. 

Okay I am off to get some work done on that blanket.  Two have been finished with about a 1/5 left of my last one to go.  Wish me luck.  Have a great week my friends and thank you for your comments on my updated bathroom.  I am so happy every time I walk in and see how nice it looks. 

Bathroom before and after.......

I have wanted to redo our master bathroom for a long time.  The cream cabinets (with no drawers) were worn, the tile was very, very dated and well it was in need of a serious update.  I have no one to blame but myself for this bathroom, I turned it into this 19 years ago when I moved in this house.  This lovely green tile also surrounded my fireplace and at one point was on my kitchen counters.  It is funny because I am not really a green person, but this must have been the, "in" color all those years ago.

In October we went to Lowe's and found the sinks, cabinets and faucets.  But the contractor we were talking to was not working out so we went with someone new.  I found the sinks on sale at Home Depot and ordered them for a third of the price.  The faucets were bought at the store and the quartz counter tops were paid for in October.  We had picked out our new tiles for the front entry and the fireplace at the same time.  

At the end of December I went with our renovation guy, Reid, to Home Depot to pick out our cabinets.  They arrived a month later and were installed by the end of January.  Here comes the glitch, after they were in we were without sinks and counter tops until today.  The quartz counter tops we ordered and paid for were no longer available, of course we did not know this until two weeks after they came out to measure for them.  So off I went back to the store and found these which are a shade darker.  Then we had to wait for these to come in and be cut into shape, really it took forever!  Once they were in we had to schedule Reid to come back and frame out the mirrors and install the sinks and faucets.  As of today it is officially cleaned up and done.

What do you think?  I love it, I really do.  It is fresh and updated without having to change out tile, the tub, shower and the floor, which would have been crazy expensive.  Eventually we need to downsize so I am trying to get ready a little at a time.  Hooray, I can wash my hands and brush my teeth in my bathroom again!

And just for fun, even though a little boy I know did not like Dinosaur World he has been playing with his dinosaurs.  It must not have been that bad.  

Happy Weekend.

Happy St. Patrick's Day............

I thought we could all use a bit of fun after yet another stressful week in this country and around the world.   For those of you in New Zealand and in all other areas where hate is so apparent, even right here in the good ole United States, I am thinking of you.  May this little leprechaun and his furry friends make you smile. 

 Wishing you all a wonderful day.