Two and Counting.....

Time marches on! Last evening we decided that we needed a cheer-me-upper, so we hopped in the car and went up the road to one of Granny's favourite places - she can shop before and after dinner! I'm not going to tell you if she bought anything or not - you can try and guess. But I will tell you that supper was good - we all had something different - and we all had some of our favourite things. For instance, I had a grilled pork chop with corn and macaroni & cheese - doesn't that sound like me???

Today we made our weekly visit to the Post Office and mailed off my last parcel for little Munchkin back in Canada. I think Mama is really going to miss those packages! The Post Office has gotten more busy with each passing week and today was very busy - with only two staffers on - loooong lineup!

Munchkin fell asleep yesterday while dreaming of running away to join the circus and become a contortionist. It appears that he is well qualified for the job if he can fall asleep in this position. But....I must admit that I have my doubts about him joining the circus if the bear is going to leave footprints on his little bottom!

The plan for this evening is to meet Uncle Andrew (Scott and Ian's Daddy) for dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse. Poppa and I ate there shortly after we arrived and it was awesomely good! Tomorrow night we are taking Granny and Gramps to the Olive Garden for a slightly early celebration of Granny's birthday. And that will bring our 2009 sojourn in Florida to a close as we will head for Memphis on Thursday. I'll keep you posted!

Three Days & Counting....

Oh dear! Only three days left to bask here in the Florida sunshine and we will be on our way north. We have decided to take a brief side-trip to Memphis, TN and check out Graceland - the home of the King of Rock and Roll - namely Mr. Elvis Presley! I will believe it is true when we actually arrive there - and promise to post pictures - just so I can re-check later and confirm to myself that I have actually been there. One more of my dreams come true!

Not a lot is happening here since we are in "wind down" mode. Yesterday we went back to the I-92 Flea Market. None of us bought much. Poppa and I are quite close to our spending limit, so we were very cautious. Granny found a few things she liked, but we didn't lose her even once.

Our Canadian Male Munchkin Model has taken a serious step in his image-making. He decided to see how he would look with a full-blown afro, to check out the possibilities of a new look. The results were extreme on the cute side - and he couldn't really decide whether it would help to promote his modelling career or not. After some deliberation he opted to get his old look back (of course, I think maybe sleeping on it had some material effect too). He then donned a cotton one-piece sleeper with various breeds of primary coloured doggies. These are a nice, light-weight alternative to the fleece styles required for the cold Canadian winters, since he is anticipating the imminent arrival of spring. As you can see, he still hasn't entirely given up the idea of being a horseback rider - but has found a larger breed of horsie ideally suited for little fellows like him.

The boys are out golfing and Granny has offered to make me a ham sandwich for lunch - off to eat it - more later.

Granny Socks

As promised here is a photo of Granny modelling her new sock. The first one got finished today during the View and you can see the second one there beside the first one - it just isn't finished enough for her to model for us just yet. She seemed to be pleased with the first one....so I guess I should use that skein of yarn to create a matching one!

Yesterday we went to the Florida Mall where we lost Granny for a few hours. Eventually we found her again though....I'm sure those huge bags didn't have much in them. Today the boys went golfing and ..... yes ..... I took Granny to another shopping centre. I didn't lose her this time and her bags were much smaller....*note to self: keep an eye on Granny*. I didn't buy too much at either shopping location - Taffy did get something though. Can you notice anything new in this photo??

Munchkin has been his usual adorable self. He is once again going over all his options regarding his future. He is still liking his modelling role and decided to give us a clue as to his latest consideration by showing off this very manly one-piece outfit. As you can see, he even has suitable tools to enhance the effectiveness of his carpenter skills. It appears that he is enjoying the total tool environment and he hasn't discarded carpentry as a possible choice. He has also mastered a new skill! Mama caught him three times today inserting his soother in the appropriate spot - all by himself! Apparently she saw him do it last night, but thought it may have been just luck....however....since then three times...it is probably on purpose!

Celebration

For anyone wondering - here is a photo of our temporary home in Florida. You can see some of my favourite people standing out front near my favourite vehicle - that would be the little one on the left! We were just on our way out for a day trip.

Yesterday we left bright and early to visit Celebration. Celebration is a place envisioned by Walt Disney as an ideal spot for families to live. It is quaint and old-fashioned - full of two storied, verandahed houses - and also some astonishing, huge, sprawling mansions. I'm not sure who dwells in these big spreads but they were impressive. We parked in the town square area and browsed through some unique and very expensive shops. Then we stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants and sat outside to eat - oh yes - the luxuries of being in a warm climate.

Remember the outfit you saw on Munchkin underneath his Snoopy jacket?? Here is the story. He was considering another career. After watching the news one evening he thought he might brighten up the military. After some consideration and further consultation with Mama he decided maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but he loved the outfit and kept it. He brings a flash of cuteness to the camouflage pants and matching tee. Little does he know that he will have lots of challenges ahead and will face lots of dangers - like falling down, cutting teeth, getting shots, and climbing on monkey bars - he'll be a real little trooper - and it won't be that long either!

March 18

On Sunday, as some of you are no doubt aware, NASA sent up the Space Shuttle to rendevous with the Space Station for expansion of the solar array. As soon CNN announced take off we all went out to the front of the villa - and - yes - we could see the shuttle on it's way into space. Awesome! This is a shot, but it was even better in real life!

Monday we had an easy day. The boys went golfing so Granny & I went to the grocery store. I guess we were longer than we anticipated because when we got home the boys were just getting out of the pool. That didn't seem fair so Granny & I went for a dip as well. I must say the water was lovely!

Granny, Gramps, Poppa & I all went to the English Pub for fish and chips on St. Patrick's Day. Poppa had green beer, but unfortunately I left the camera here at the villa and couldn't get a picture. The fish and chips were really good and we enjoyed ourselves. We had spent the day shopping - well Granny shopped, the boys read, and I strolled around and only bought a couple of things - nothing for Christopher, but maybe a couple of small things for Munchkin - Hee.

Speaking of Munchkin, Mama and I got our MSN Messenger working and discovered that we can not only see each other but we can also talk. Now that was too fun. We got to see Munchkin too. Mama was telling me that yesterday she and Munchie went to the grocery store and it was quite bright outside - a lovely sunny day with mild temperatures. I hope it stays mild until we get back in about three weeks!

She sent this picture of Munchkin this morning and I stared in awe at how grown up he looks. Thank goodness I saw him on the webcam this morning and I could tell he was still five months old. If someone else had shown me this picture, Iwould have thought he was much more than that.

Haven't got much knitting done the last couple of days - we've been too busy roaming around showing Granny and Gramps the territory so they could re-familiarize themselves in time to show Aunt Trish around when she gets here with Uncle Andrew, Scott and Ian. So, I'm still working on the socks with the cuff, and it appears that Auntie Colleen has once again claimed first dibs on them. She really seems to like the socks - I'm so glad! I did get a couple of colours that Granny liked also, so as soon as I finish these I will start on a pair for her. It is ridiculously fun making socks - especially when someone wants them!

Today Gramps & Poppa went golfing earlier than usual, so Granny & I went over to Wal-Mart. It's fun having two vehicles here, so we can get around when the men go golfing! Of course neither of us bought very much stuff today since we'd just been shopping yesterday.....but I think it might be a good idea if we stayed home tomorrow! Oh no - we are going to the dollar store to get a few envelopes - I remember now! We might have parcels to mail on Tuesday next week!

At the end of the day Taffy was ready for bed and laid down to wait for us. Squeegie couldn't figure out why she was tired and kept trying to talk her into watching TV.

Granny Is Here!

Granny and Gramps arrived today about 6:45. We went out to Bob Evans for supper which as usual, was quite tasty. I think they are both a little road-weary, but aside from that, they arrived safe and sound. It didn't take long for Granny to break out her laptop and get to work. Gramps and Poppa poured a drink and sat down for a chat.

Munchkin went for an excursion to the shopping mall and in an effort to show off his unique physique and his modelling acumen he donned one of Mama's favourite outfits. Those of you who know Mama, will be aware of her Snoopy fetish...and I suspect that is the reason for the purchase of this particular outfit. Here he shows off his brown pants complete with a Snoopy logo, paired with a corresponding long-sleeved tee featuring Snoopy and Woodstock. Once he decided that this outfit was sufficiently charming he added the fleece jacket with - yes - Snoopy on the front. (This picture is from another day he wore the jacket - you can see he has another outfit underneath - more on that later) Note that the colours are designed to blend perfectly with the pants and tee.

And...remember the weird sock I was working on? Well here is Granny modelling it for me so I could get a picture to show one completed. When I see it on her foot I kinda like it. What do you think?? Anybody out there interested??? They will be up for grabs when I get the second one done!

Socks, Socks, Socks

As a follow-up to the Munchkin's pursuit of a lucrative career, he has decided to try his skills horseback riding. He can't decide whether he would like to be a cowboy or ride in professional stunt riding or even maybe try dressage. At this point he still requires some assistance from Dada - he had no idea riding a horse would require so much skill, but he enjoyed every second of it and is seriously considering looking into it further.

Taffy is feeling a special affinity with her Auntie Colleen lately - in large part I suspect because said Auntie was instrumental in Taffy acquiring some bling. Therefore, Taffy requested that she display the latest in the finished sock collection. Hoping Auntie Colleen likes them....and if she isn't quite sure maybe Uncle Shaun would like them...it'll be interesting to see who ends up trying them on and modelling them for us.

Here is the latest project - which is very trial and error since I didn't bring any patterns with me. If they turn out nicely I will put them up for bids. If I'm not satisfied with them, then I will keep them for Nanna. They are looking decidedly odd at the moment (in my humble opinion), and if I were starting over I would change the cuff to some extent (in fact I still may take them out and start over - haven't decided for sure). I'll see how they look as they progress.

Granny and Gramps are on their way! I had an e-mail from Granny last evening and they were in Virginia. So, they still had about two more days of travelling, and we will look forward to seeing them some time tomorrow.

It was very hot today! Which is exactly why we came to Florida. But - it was soooo hot that we barely sat out by the pool at all. We did (of course) go for a swim and the water was wonderfully refreshing. It was also sooooo hot that Squeegie and Taffy stayed inside watching the Disney channel. Now Squeegie and Poppa have gone golfing again. They went later today, so dinner will definitely be a late affair. Oh and did I mention that we bought cookies one day??

Socks & Models

We got that picture of the finished socks from Mama - and she did put them on to model them for the photo. She sent three different angles. Two of them were lovely shots of her feet inside the socks, demonstrating her balletic turn-out, one with socks up, one with socks turned down into cuffs. The third picture - well it was my favourite even though we only get to see one foot and one sock - nevertheless, it is still my favourite and here it is.

It has been another hot day here in Florida. Poppa slept in quite late this morning - I guess his internal clock is not on Daylight Savings Time yet, since he is accustomed to the time change taking place in April. So anyway, after breakfast we went for a little drive to an appliance store where he bought a new dial for the clothes dryer since it broke yesterday and he had to improvise to finish drying the clothes. We stopped in at the grocery store and picked up a few things there, came home, had lunch, goofed around (oh yes, here I am goofing around), and now Poppa has gone golfing with Squeegie. Taffy and I are watching Dr. Phil with the shades closed to keep the hot sun out of the living room (poor us - Hee!).

Munchkin is modelling an outfit that I sent him from Florida in preparation for the milder weather that is on its way to Canada so that it will be nice and warm for us when we get back there in about another month. He appears to be quite tickled with the mild weather outfit and was wondering if it would be appropriate for PJ's on nights when his house is too hot for winter jammies. As you can see the logo describes him to a tee. As you can also see, he is getting quite tall and will be needing larger sizes by the time we go back to Canada!

Mouse

After all the activity the other day, Munchkin was quite tired and flaked out while modelling some smart blue sleepers. I think he looks irresistable in this outfit. He fell asleep while demonstrating the roominess of the rear, which enabled him to sleep in his favourite position with little butt raised. Adorable! I'm not going to say anything about the alleged thumb-in-mouth position.

It got hot in Florida today. The bears watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, while Poppa & I prepared ourselves for the day, then we went out for breakfast, took a long drive, stopped at another Wal-Mart over in Poinciana, bought a couple of things, stopped at Squeegie's favourite spot - Chic-Fil-A - for an early supper, came home, Poppa went to the driving range, then we all sat down, took a deep breath, and watched some TV. It is almost time for bed.

I am still working on the newest socks - Auntie Colleen again called dibs! I am so happy that she likes her first pair enough to request a second pair. I didn't take any pictures today, since time ran out for photography. The first one is finished and in about another 1/2 inch I will be starting the heel of the second one. Mama did receive her parcel yesterday and has promised to model the socks and get a picture for us of the finished product *hint, hint*. I watched on the webcam as she tried them on, and she seemed quite pleased with them (and the scrunchies I included).

Modelling and Careers

Big news! Our Canadian Male Munchkin Model is taking another step in the advancement of his career. Here he is all set to audition for a diaper commercial for one of the leading diaper companies. The problem seems to be that in his effort to taste those little pinkies, the diaper isn't very well displayed. And, he just couldn't concentrate on posing when those irresistable little pinkies were waving around in such close proximity.

Here is the little Boo Berry sweater. The shoulder where I left an opening for some buttons to make it easier to pull over little ones' heads still needs to be finished off - I just have it pinned there for this photo. I keep forgetting to bring in a crochet hook from the car to finish off the edge - but I will remember one of these times. I had some yarn left over - so I made up a little toque to match. I still have some yarn left and may go and get some double-pointed needles and make some little mittens as well. I'll think about it. Any comments or suggestions?

I should mention that just in case the diaper audition doesn't go well, our little Munchkin has also decided to work on his education on-line. Here he is surfing the internet looking for the courses he might be interested in. Last I checked his courses of choice included: Eating Solid Foods 101; Developing Good Teeth; Learning the Ups and Downs of Body Mobility; Sitting Independently; and Manipulating Parents 201. Apparently he has already passed Manipulating Parents 101 and is ready for level 2 in that course.

I have started another pair of socks even though I didn't get any takers when I asked in the last blog. I decided to post a picture and see if that stirred any interest. They are mostly shades of gray from light to very dark. Just for interest there are bits of navy, dark teal, and brown thrown in for a very interesting and attractive colourway. The yarn is 100% wool and is Confetti 100 like the yarn in the socks that Auntie Colleen got. She did receive them and gave a positive review. The parcels I sent last week seem to be taking longer than usual, so Mama hasn't received hers yet. It seems there has been a large influx of vacationers into Florida this week. Lineups at the Post Office (and the checkouts at the stores) are longer, so I am assuming that with the increased volume things are taking longer to be processed and forwarded to Canada.

I've been having a bit of a problem with Taffy lately. She keeps reading my e-mail. She really likes using the computer and is quite self-educated in many regards. But, I think my e-mail should be private! Anyway, one of her well-intentioned aunts *waves to Auntie Colleen* suggested that Taffy needed some bling, and I have heard little else since then. After Taffy asking for about the ten thousandth time, we went to Wal-Mart yesterday to see what we could find. Here is a shot of the results of our expedition. She is smiling a lot today - and she is wanting me to post this to see what afore-mentioned aunt thinks.

In the meantime, between working on his education and furthering his modelling/acting career, our little Canadian Male Munchkin Model is seriously considering auditioning for a spot with the Chippendales. Quite the little tease isn't he? Mama snuck in on the practice session and got this shot for us.

Dada, Mama & Munchkin

Another cool, rainy, windy day in Florida. It is lovely when the sun is out, but quite a cool wind (yes wind, not breeze!), so we went driving and shopping and didn't buy much. Taffy has been insisting that I show all of you this picture of the schmancy panties she got at the Build-A-Bear store at the Florida mall........she finds them very comfortable due to the special tail slot.

Munchkin and his parents went to visit Gramma this weekend to help little cousin Reese celebrate his first birthday. Gramma was kind enough to send me some wonderful pictures. For those of you who have been asking whether Munchkin looks like Mama or Dada - you can now decide for yourself...and let me know what you think. At this point, unless he changes dramatically, I can tell you that his eyes are quite blue like Poppa and/or his Grampa who is looking down at him from heaven.

I have almost finished that Boo Berry sweater, but didn't get a picture today since we were out roaming around. I'll try to do that tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'll do when it is finished..... but I still have several colours of sock yarn..... do I have any takers this time????