This and that ... Beautiful February!

Hi there friends

This has been a very busy month.

I thought I would have a bit more time to relax but time went so fast and before I noticed February is almost gone. This year is absolutely full of important dates for us. My husband is turning the big 50, it is our 25th anniversary and our daughter is graduating from HS. 

Lots of things to celebrate ... lots of blessings to count, but I do find myself busier than ever and between doing all this and working full time not much time is left (other than for sleeping ... which I really wish I didn't need so much, ha ha).

Since I "saw" you last I have done a few things ...

I got my nails done for my birthday....( I don't usually do it very often and I just love it)

Made a few hats for my "Hats for Brazil Project"



Watch my daughter and my husband have so much fun at the Father/Daughter dance for her Senior Year.

 

Got lots of gifts for my birthday from my family and friends ... Oh boy I'm so spoiled. I have lots of thoughtful people in my life and they know me quiet well ... I'm so grateful and thankful for each one of them... 

I also made a "birthday" cowl for for myself. Every year I get a special yarn to make something for myself and this year I decided to do the Herringbone cowl (again from Pearl Soho website). I really like their website and their style. 

Last week I got my knitpicks order and started more washcloths for my daughter ... I really love this yarn (Dishie) for washcloths ...

 

 

I went to lunch for mine and Gracie's birthday with our friend Teresa last week and we had lots of fun as we always do ... I do love those ladies ... We really missed Betsy  who couldn't be here this year but she was with us in our hearts and she sent me such an adorable card and yarn (from her trip to Japan) ... such adorable, thoughtful friends.

My humble project to take "hats to Brazil" is not that small anymore ... I guess when they say "if you build ... they will come" it is reall true. I have gotten so many more hats from all over the country and just got a shipment all the way from England. I could not photograph all of them yet. but

I'm so excited and cannot tell you how grateful ...

I will be having a post a little laterdedicated to put all of your hats and mention all of you who are donating...

My daughter and I are now in the process of making the tags and I'll post all of your beautiful hats here soon. Thank you again for being so generous.

Sent from Mindy 

From Betsy

We had a great time together and had a beautiful table set to have dinner with our kids on Valentines ...



 and I  made cute little Hearts ...

I guess February was a busy month and I really enjoyed all the love and attention I got.

Today is a beautiful day here .... I got up and went to zumba (I started exercising - zumba and yoga) and the day is so beautiful I just wanted to stay outside but it is a little chili  for me. The flowers are starting to come up and the trees are blooming. I don't think I have ever seen Spring start this early in my 25 years living in Oregon. Just gorgeous. I'm not complaining!!!

I drove back home after my class and sat down for a little while to work on my next gift for myself, after all it is still my birthday month isn't ??? ( I'll post more details about this project later)



I fell in love with this shawl and it is turning out just as beautiful as I thought



Now I'm going to get ready to go watch the Oregon Symphony play  the 5th Symphony by Beethoven with my husband (again another birthday gift) ...Birthdays are the best ... I guess when I said I was spoiled, I meant really, really spoiled... I'm so very excited !!!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by to see me again ... you make my day !!! 

  

Happy February

Hi There Sweet Friends

 

It is already February, one of my favorite months of the year.

Yes, we have many reasons to celebrate February, but for me it is a bit extra special as I will be celebrating my birthday this month and I just love to be alive, to have all that I have and to be blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

 

Talking about blessings I continue to receive so many responses from all of you about my project - Hats for Brazil. I am overwhelmed with joy.

 

I want to let all of you know that I will be going to Brazil this summer, in the beginning of JULY, so we have plenty of time. If I receive the hats by the beginning of June it will be wonderful!!!

 

I have been trying to make at least one little hat every week. I showed you my first one last week and this week I'm testing Teresa's cutest pattern. I'm not done yet as I have had lots of appointments after work this week and Sunday we had the Superbowl game and I didn't have any time to knit or crochet. Sadly the Seahawks lost, but we did have a good family time.

 

My husband loves to have chicken wings every year for the superbowl and we had a couple of our neighbors over to watch the game. He always makes the wings on his Traeger (a smoker), but this year the Traeger was not working and he was sad he was not going to make wings ... I told him I had the perfect solution ... I had seen that my friend Teresa Kasner made wings last week. She wrote their recipe on her blog and we promptly decided to try it.

 

Let me tell you .... It was DELICIOUS

If you want a great recipe and your guests to be impressed you should go check her blog and try it ... it was a hit !!! Thanks Teresa for sharing your recipe.

 

If you noticed on the last crockpot I tried the same recipe on chicken breast (as I don't eat wings) and it turned out wonderful.

 



I got home today to find my first delivery of little, sweet baby hats ... Yay ...

 

My dear friend Pammy Sue  from Scotty's Place sent me this cutest sets, the hats and the matching mittens. How generous of you my dear Pammy Sue. You are so generous and your great heart amazes and inspire me ... Thank you again.

We are going to start working on the tags and I will show you as soon as they are done.

 

 

 

Such cute colors and I love your pattern and your cute card  ... You are so thoughtful !

 



Thanks you again from the bottom of my heart and I promise your heart will sing when you see the pictures of the babies that got each and every one of your hats.

 

 

 

As for what I have on my needles right now ... I have been working on a cowl which I finished but it is now being blocked so I have not yet photographed it ... pictures are coming soon this next weekend.

 



I'm also working on a graduation blanket for my daughter and have been making washcloths galore ... also for her. You know ... it's all about her this year. I want to make her feel special and want her to know how much we love her even in the smallest details. So, because I know she likes these washcloths I'm making 12 of them for her to take when she leaves for college (she has not yet decided where she is going ... it will happen soon and I will start helping her with the arrangements and preparing myself )

 

She chose the colors and I started working. I made a few different patterns.

I made crochet ones ... 

 

 

Knitted ones ...

 



And one with the traditional grandma pattern 

 

 

But of all the ones I made she loves these ones the most and that is the one I will make 12 of them for her.

 I found this pattern at Pearl Soho website.  I had to change the pattern to make it a bit smaller as their pattern turned out a bit big for her.

 



I even made one with this beautiful yarn my dear friend Teresa gave to me this Christmas. This is KnitPicks dishie and I have already order lots (shhhh) of it to make more washcloths ... I love  working with it ... it makes your washcloth look luxurious and it is sooooo soft.

I'm sending this one to my sister in Brazil. It was her birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday querida Heli ).

I am sure having fun working on this project

 



 

 

I think they are so simple but look so elegant and I love that I can start and finish one in one or two evenings.

 



 

Thank you again for being here and for all your wonderful comments. I hope you are all having as much fun as I am and that your February is full of sweet surprises and most specially filled with LOVE.