Monday, November 24, 2014

Home Again.......................

I am home again after a very wonderful weekend in Columbus, Ohio.  I want to thank Columbus for snow on the ground when I arrived and bitterly cold temps, also for the icy rain that fell from the skies and covered my car with a good layer of thick ice that I had to chip off.  I also am thankful it all melted and I did not fall on my tush, although I almost went down a few times.  By Sunday the grey skies looked like snow but the temperature was warm, almost 50! I experienced such a variety of northern weather so thank you.


I got to spend a lot of time with this gorgeous guy.  A few dinners, grabbing lunch for him and driving him home, and just watching him swim was such a treat.  When my boys were growing up both of them swam and that involved countless hours of traveling, practices and meets.   My teenager gave up swimming his freshman year of high school, but Mr. 21 has been swimming year round since he was 11.  That was, and is a lot of work for him, and for us.  And the thing I miss is just watching him swim.  I am a nervous wreck at these meets, really I almost make myself ill, but I miss just seeing him glide through the water even when he is just warming up for an event or cooling down.  


He spends no less then five hours a day at this pool, six days a week training, and training, and that does not include weights and dryland training.  I am in awe of his perseverance.  Swimming has not been easy for him with a nasty abusive coach when he was a teenager,  training hard for years to only drop a fraction of a second or not drop time at all.  It is really amazing to me that this young man of mine is still in the pool.  But he is, no matter the setbacks he gets back in and swims.  I could learn a lot from him.  


Not the best picture of him as he had just taken a deep breath and was blowing it out trying to pump oxygen into his lungs before he got on the blocks.  I think all of your well wishes helped.  He did really well for this time in the season.  The meet was with four teams, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Kenyon State.  He fianled in all his events, getting two fifths, a tie for sixth and a ninth.  So that is great, but it is really how he did within his own team that counts.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that he makes it onto the traveling team, which would be very exciting for him.  All these kids train hard, not just my son, but I don't know their stories, I just know his.  And I know he deserves to succeed, to finally feel he is where he needs to be and that all his years of hard work are finally paying off.  He is growing into a really nice young man.  Every time I get to see him I see that he is changing, maybe I can even say the word maturing, it is slow but it is steady.  And the best part of all is that I think after he gets this college business out of his system he is going to be a good man, and really that is all I can ask.  Oh and I got to meet his new, "girlfriend."  She is just lovely, and they make a darling couple.  See maturing...............I like it.


 Oh yes there was yarn shopping.  I actually went to the store directly from the airport, I wasn't sure how much time I would have over the weekend.  This is what being on a yarn diet does to you, it makes you weak in the knees when you smell yarn fumes drifting from the store.  And since I have recently been making gifts with my stash of Malabrigo Rios, I had to buy some more.  The yarn above is for gifts, so do they really count towards my stash if I am using them right away? 


This one is for me.   Cascade Eco Duo which I have used over, and over again as it is so soft and wonderful.  The Yarn Shop is packed full of gorgeous yarn, and frankly since my yarn store closed this past summer I have not been in a store like this.  I was saving my yarn purchases for this weekend and I had so much fun.  You could get lost with all the loveliness surrounding you in this store, but I had a plan because I had specific gifts in mind.  More about that all later.  Yes I am still on the gift making kick, I feel like I am on a spinning gift making wheel and I can't get off!  After you see my latest projects you might just jump on with me.

I only had my iPad with me on this trip and frankly can't stand to read blogs on it.  I know many of you use it but I really think it is so slow.  So I crocheted and binge watched Scandal on Netflix starting with the very first episode. I have never seen this show before, well it is surprising all they pack into an episode.  I crocheted at the pool, and while watching a little Ohio State football in the coziness of my hotel room.  I crocheted on the plane while listening to an audiobook, as you can see I got a lot done.  When I get some buttons you will see my finished projects.


And during the meet the girlfriend dinner, my son informed me he lost the Ohio State scarf I made for him last Christmas.  Why does this not surprise me?  I said he was maturing slowly, not mature yet.  So I hopped in my car and went back to the store (it is only five miles away which is pretty convenient and dangerous) for more team colored yarn.  Look at this fun Cascade Superwash...... yes he will get another scarf for Christmas, how can I resist?

I am painfully behind on blog reading, I hope you will excuse me.  This crammed in, shortened work week is not going to help.  If you have something you need me to know shoot me a comment or an email, I hope to catch up with you all soon.

How was your weekend?  Did you get a lot done?

34 comments:

Lillie and Moss said...

Hello Meredith, long time no see! I've been away from visiting blogs as well. Life just takes over you know. I really loved reading your blog today. Catching up on you and family encounters. Mr. 21 is certainly maturing into a young man as we all knew he would, look who his mom is!!! Great job on all his hard work...I know you must be so proud!
Take care.
xx Shari

kristieinbc said...

That's awesome that your son did so well at the swim meet this past weekend! It's also awesome that you got in two trips to the yarn store. :-)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

My oldest was a swimmer for awhile and it is hard work, so congrats to your son! Sounds like you enjoyed the trip and some down time is always good. Sara is knitting a scarf for Tiger for Christmas and I love that she is doing that. He picked out camo colors..he is only 3!! All that yarn is gorgeous! Have a good week even as busy as it will be. I had a day with Tiger on Sat so I'd say I had a great weekend.
hugs,
Linda

Anonymous said...

You have raised a mentally-tough young man. Wishing him a good swim season!!!

The Ohio State yarn looks great!

linda said...

I'm so lad that you had such a great weekend Meredith and pleased that your son did so well, he is one handsome guy thats for sure :) I love your yarn purchases and no it's not stash yarn if you have bought it for something specific so you did right to make the most of that yarn store. I was thoroughly spoilt this weekend by my family a family meal in a beautiful restaurant the waiters and all the diners sang Happy Birthday to me while carrying in a cake lit with candles, I felt so embarrassed haha and then a spa treat and afternoon tea from my lovely daughter on Sunday. Have a great week. :) xx

Maureen said...

Glad you had a great time with your son. Good for him keeping up with all that training!

Love the yarn you bought. So great you could buy yarn in his school colours!

My Garden Diaries said...

I am so glad that you were able to spend this time with your son and meet his new girlfriend! I can not even imagine seeing my beans at this age...sorta seems surreal when I try to picture it! Your son is such a hard worker...to put in all of that time at the pool says something about his work ethic. You should be so proud! Happy week to you snowing here now as I type...glad you were able to escape from the crazy northern weather!!! Nicole xoxo

Ingrid K. said...

Hi Meredith!

Good to have you back! :) Glad you had a good trip and that your son did so well! I'm sure you must be proud of him!!!

Very happy for you that you managed to visit the yarn shop and find such beautiful yarn! (I love Malabrigo!!)

Can't wait to find out what you have been making meanwhile!

Have a nice week!
Ingrid xx
http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

kathy b said...

Mere

Glad you and your son had a wonderful time. LOVE your yarn finds and unequivocally NO
it does not count as a stash if you are knitting it up for gifts right away!

No rush with my blog ! It will be there

Jo said...

Great post! I love your news it is all so exciting. You can't get behind on posts you banana, you just read blogs when you want to!! Love from over here Jo x

Jill at emeraldcottage said...

Hey lovely friend, looks like you had a fab time - crocheting and watching tv in a hotel room, sounds like heaven :)
Can't believe how much time your eldest spends in the pool, I'm guessing that's on top of studying ? Wow, that takes commitment, looks and seems like you have raised a very fine young man, good job Mum (and Dad I suppose).
Green with envy at the new yarn, if it's for gifts then it absolutely does not count as adding to the stash. In fact it's negative yarn calories. I'd say yarn bought on holidays doesn't count anyway. You have to support local businesses when you're away, right ?
Jillxo

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi Meredith! Sounds like you had a great weekend with time with your son, lots of crochet time, watching the tv you want, the YARN store, fun fun fun! I hope you have a fabulous and delish Thanksgiving dinner. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Gracie Saylor said...

Did I ever tell you that my dear friends in San Jose have two daughters who trained in synchronized swimming? The dedication to training that you described for your son is very similar to my friends' routine. The girls, both sweet gentle women won gold in the Olympics and have careers in the sport of swimming. It will be interesting to see what direction your son will take as he matures!

Your confessions about your yarny weekend had me laughing out loud, Mere! It will be fun to see what you make :)

I finished and mailed off my latest bunny, Hope, and posted some photos of her before she hopped away. The yarn I used is discontinued, but it made the best bunny fur of any I have used so far.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! xx

CJ said...

Lovely yarn, it's impossible not to buy it when it's cold isn't it. Well done to your son, his dedication is quite phenomenal, all of this perseverance will stand him in good stead in life I think. Wishing you a good week. CJ xx

Betsy said...

Hi Meredith! I thought of you and your son's swim meet on and off over the weekend and said several prayers that all would go well for him and you would have a lovely mother/son time. It sounds as though you did and I'm SO happy for you. Yes, the maturing process can be S-L-O-W but it sounds like he is well on his way. And with such a supportive family I'm sure all will be well.

Of course yarn diets aren't considered when gifts are being made. I haven't let myself step inside Paradise Fibers for a few months because I'm afraid of those nasty fumes. The budget doen't like yarny fumes!

I'm glad you're home and having fun with gifts. I'm looking forward to seeing all the goodies you made this past weekend.
Blessings my friend,
Betsy

Chris said...

What a great weekend. I am glad you didn't fall and injure your crafty hands! Your son is doing well and that sure makes a mom proud and happy! He sure has a great work ethic. I luve Malabrigo yarn and the Colours are fantastic! Looking forward to seeing all your projects!!

Amy at love made my home said...

Your son is obviously growing to be a wonderful young man, in his own right, and thanks to his great parents too! I hope that he keeps doing so very well in all that he does. Your yarn purchases definitely don't count, they won't be with you for long enough in any case as they are for gifts, as Jill said I think that takes off, it doesn't add!! Glad that you had a great time! xx

HollyM said...

Do I remember you saying somewhere that you missed the season changes? My memory is poor but if so, one would say, be careful what you wish for, lol! You certainly got your fill.
It is quite something watching your kids mature (some more slowly like my 30 year old daughter who is back in school); your son is well on his way.
Of course it's ok to buy yarn for gifts! I really enjoy knitting too but find it so disappointing that I can't wear wool. I can wear wool socks and mitts but that's it.
My I Pad is faster than my very old computer so I do all my blog reading on it. Plus I like to stretch out with it.

millefeuilles said...

Dear Meredith,

Your son IS amazing! Such strength of character is truly praiseworthy. And those abusive coaches? Oh my! You must have been through hell witnessing that when he was younger.

So, possibly, when it comes to yarn buying you don't have the quite the same strength of character as you son! Which makes me feel tons better as I've been so good at stash busting recently (I can barely see the difference in shelf space) that I really want to cave in and purchase some more!

What it is about yarn? I think it spells out Possibility!

Scandal is certainly intense viewing!

Stephanie

Ljubinka said...

Good family - happiness <3!!
Beautiful yarn!!
Happy week.:*

Gillian said...

Well done to your son. It's lovely when sons get a girlfriend! Mine is away over to England to see his (from Northern Ireland). A long distance relationship. I love your yarn purchases. If you know exactly what the yarn is for and use it straight away it doesn't count as stash.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Glad to hear you had a great trip, got to enjoy some winter weather, and did some yarn shopping. Sounds like it was a very productive time, too. We have a girl at school who is German, in 11th grade with Zack .. she's on the swim team and swims before school, after school, and in the evening. She is the only one that placed first in all her events a couple of weeks ago at a swim meet in Qatar. I do hope your son makes the travel team. Best wishes, Tammy

Helen said...

Sounds like a lovely time away, well done to your son! He sounds very dedicated and certainly deserves for all that hard work to pay off. Glad you like the new girlfriend and that yarn shopping was involved :D x

Christina said...

I knitted wee cardigans with the Malabrigo yarn in the middle. I just love love love those colours. I am glad you had a lovely weekend with your young man. I can only begin to imagine how nerve wrecking it must be to sit pool side and watch your son compete! My children have no competitiveness in them, a fact that I sometimes regret. My oldest was offered a place in the swim team when he was younger but couldn't be bothered. Have a lovely week. x

Joyful said...

Congratulations to your son! He can teach us all about dedication to one's craft or passion. I'm glad too you had such a great time and got to experience some wintery weather which you probably don't get where you live ;-)

elns said...

Who lady, you were so busy. I love hearing about your Mom adventures. You remind me to take a step back and enjoy their growing pains.

Tweeny times are um interesting.

I love that your son is still losing his handknits, I can relate to that as well. I can also relate to you knitting him another one. (though my Kid is cut off until next year, hehe)

I love that cascade at the bottom for him. dreamy! I hope it's as soft as it looks!

Anonymous said...

What a handsome fella! Of course we won't tell him I said that... :D I am in awe of his discipline though. I am probably one of the most undisciplined people on the planet... lol! Ahhh, I see more yarn... yeah!!! :D Can't pass up yarn opportunities! Did I tell you I'm trying, and trying is the operative word here, to teach myself to tat in order to make small bits of lace for my dolls and handmade books. I'm such an uncoordinated klutz... I just can't seem to get one part down in my head... but I'm determined. Then you can expect presents of little bits of lace to add to projects.
We are due for our first winter storm tomorrow (Wednesday) figures on my birthday! I'm pretty sure I came into this world with a storm so why should it be any different each year? LOL!
Hugs my sweet blogging sister and Happy Thanksgiving!
Beth

Carla from The River said...

Hello,
I am so glad your son did so well.
I am also happy you got to meet his girlfriend.
Will he be home for Christmas?

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. I will be taking a break for the next few days from the blog. Celebrating with family and decorating for Christmas.

xx oo
Carla

Taci simmons said...

Só Nice my dear friend that you got to spend the weekend with your son. How special and fun there must been for you and for him. I hope he can accomplish everything he wants thisNd next year.
Love the yarn and cannot wait to see what you are planning to make with it. :)

Wainwright and Wright.Co said...

I know exactly where you are coming from when you talk about your son and his perseverance - well done to him. It is lovely to see your children mature - for some it just happens a bit later than others, but no matter. And as you say, just becoming a nice young man is a great achievement. A lovely post Meredith

Judy S. said...

Glad you had a good weekend, Mere. Swimming is such a great sport because it's a lifelong one, and you can see how much your son has benefited just by the photos. Sounds like a nice young man, too! Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

Suzan said...

Funny!! We're were in columbus also!! My husband is from WestLake, outside of Cleveland. We drove down on Thanksgiving to spend Turkey Day with Danny's sister and that night drove back up to Cleveland. Last 25 miles, were in a blizzard. I was afraid!
Then, drove back down to Columbus on Friday until Sunday. Danny has season tickets JUST for the Michigan game, every other year. Family buys his other tickets!!
You have a nice looking boy!!! Hope he'll be coming home for Christmas!!!

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

Did I know your son is at Ohio State or had I just forgotten? My husband's family, including cousins, all went to OSU (except my husband). How wonderful that you were able to be there for a meet.

Sue Pinner said...

Hi Meredith..doing some catching up in the middle of the night can't sleep.
Nothing like it is there than helping your son and watching him succeed in sports..I travelled many a mile with my son when he was racing (downhill racer) takes your breath away sometimes.
Loving the random dyed yarns and the scarves you have made....Christmas presents no doubt?
A blanket to finish for me and its huge sons gf. So lots to do this week
Thanks for the welcome back hugs x