It's about Time!

Yep - it's about time I posted again - don't ya think? Life seems to have settled into a routine and there hasn't been much inspiration for blog content.

Munchkin went with Mama and Dadad to visit Grandma Linda last weekend. It appears that they had a great time. Grandma Linda lives right on the shore of Lake Ontario and has a beach in her back yard. Munchkin got together with little cousin Reese and went exploring in the sand. I think he liked it!

Mama thought maybe he got just a tad spoiled while he was there, since he was kinda cranky and cross Sunday night and most of the day on Monday. Happily she reported that last night was a good night and today he seemed to be his normal happy little self again.


Poppa has Great-Grandma Grace's eavestroughs all fixed up now. He put new fascia on the front of the house since the ice and snow had messed up the fasciae that were there. Then he went around to the back of the house and fixed up the eavestrough there, using some of the undamaged pieces from the front. It is looking quite spiffy and much better than it did when we arrived home from Florida!

I finished a new pair of socks for Kev-Inn and then realized that I didn't take a picture of them before I gave them to him. I'll try and see if I can get him to snap a photo or at least wear them to work, so I can get a picture. I used Bernat Sox yarn in shades of brown, beige and green. It didn't look terribly attractive in the skein, but I really liked it when it was knitted up.

Then, being somewhat tired of the sock factory, I decided it was time to work on something different. I opened the door to the yarn closet and found a baby afghan I had started over a year ago, and had never finished. So, I decided it was time to finish it. I considered taking it apart and doing something different, but Poppa said he thought it was really nice, so I decided to continue. Feel free to communicate your opinion to me.

And - as a closing inspiration for you - here is an amazing daffodil that grew from an unknown source in Auntie Colleen's beautiful garden! She is guessing that the squirrels or the birds knew just where to drop this one, in a special place where it would be appreciated and well-cared for. Isn't it beautiful?

Sock Factory

I sent the socks for Mama to her place with Poppa last time he went. I haven't received a picture from her, so I'll post the one I took of the first sock finished. She seemed quite pleased to get them, and made a special phone call just to let me know. I have started a new pair of socks for Kev-Inn. One is finished and the second is started and I haven't taken any pictures yet. It is starting to feel like a sock factory here. Poppa went driving around car lots the other day and I got a good start on a pair of travelling socks while he scanned vehicles. "Travelling" socks are those that I work on while in the car. I have created several pairs that way - they take longer since I only work on them when we are in the car, but it keeps me busy.

I haven't heard how her weekend with Taylor went - we just haven't managed to catch up with each other. But - I do know that Dadad found a baseball cap in Munchkin's size and they tried it on to see how it worked. What do you think? I think it makes him look like such a boy!

I am still getting some amazing pictures from Auntie Colleen - providing us with an up-close-and -personal view of her beautiful yard. I have been to visit this yard in the summer and it is truly beautiful. Uncle Shaun has a way with flower beds and gardens and manages to make it all look so natural, while maintaining it like a professional. Here is one more example of the spring things making their appearance - just for the camera I think!

Amendment

I need to make a correction to my last blog. It turns out that little cousin Reese didn't come to visit Mama, Dada and little Munchkin after all. He didn't want to sit for hours at a Blue Jays game and opted to stay with his grandmother instead. And, cousin Taylor's Mom thought it was too close to the end of the school year for her to take a week off - so she is going to re-schedule a visit for later. Taylor did stay overnight on Saturday though - so Munchkin, Mama and Taylor had a little chance to visit.

Prior to this visit both Dada and Munchkin wanted to be looking their very best, so they headed into the grooming area and checked out how they looked. They were both quite pleased with their appearance as you can see in this quick shot that Mama got of them!

The Eye of the Beholder

Last weekend Mama, Dada and Munchkin put on their jackets and went for an adventure to a local park. Of course Munchkin wore a little hoodie so that he would be "stylin" when the other little folks saw him. They tried out the swing and some other fun stuff, and then Munchkin discovered grass! You can't see in this picture, but you can tell by the little dimple visible on his cheek that he is smiling. They all had a good time and plan to visit the park again soon. This weekend Aunt Melissa, Uncle Russ, Cousin Taylor and litle Cousin Reese are coming for a visit and Taylor is going to stay for a week to play with Munchkin and have some fun with Mama. Poppa went down for a visit yesterday, but I forgot to send the camera with him, so I didn't get any new pics. The report says that Munchkin came dashing toward the door in his walker with his arms up for Poppa to pick him up. I heard that they went for a walk to the coffee shop and then to the grocery store - which didn't leave much time for playing since Poppa was supposed to be home by 4 to pick me up from work. So - here is a pic from the last time Munchkin was here instead...you can see how much fun they are having!

I am working everyday this week since Kev-Inn is on vacation and I am pretending to be him and doing my best to keep his paperwork reasonably caught up.

Here is another photo from Auntie Colleen's yard. Believe it or not - this red trillium actually grows right there in her very own yard! Red trilliums are rare and so beautiful! I think I have only ever seen one red one. They are delicate and fleeting and I'm so pleased that this one was captured for our enjoyment!

Oh yes - one more thing. Last weekend before Munchkin arrived at our house, we went and picked up a new car seat for him, since he was quickly growing too big for his infant car seat. We didn't get a picture of him in it, but I'm sure we will at a later date. But, Poppa did catch this shot of the big box it came in. These two little intrepid adventurers went exploring and were just scrambling out when Poppa came in with the camera - and they immediately went into cute teddy bear mode, looking all innocent and distracted, and sat quietly to get their picture taken!

New or not?

Seriously - there hasn't been much going on around here! Well, we have made a visit to Munchkin's house - and he did come here for a visit with us on Saturday. It was a double treat for me since I got to have a visit with my darling daughter Mama too. As usual Poppa seemed to be the main event - he and Munchkin had a great time together.

Then of course, there was Mother's Day. Poppa & I went out for breakfast. When we got home there was a message on the phone from Mama wishing me a Happy Mother's Day - and she called again later. Kev-Inn called with the same message. And, then the "wow" factor, Muffy called me long distance. We had a lovely chat - spring is just arriving where she lives up north of here.

Our little Canadian Male Munchkin Model has been taking a break from his modelling career to just spend some time practicing new skills. One of the new ways to have fun is to climb up the rungs on his crib so he can stand up like a big boy. The problem seems to be (according to Mama) that he then can't decide how to get back down - and therefore gets quite frustrated when he is tired and wants to actually sleep in the crib. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon! And, there is also the new method of reaching his destination. He is now getting up on all fours and crawling. He is still somewhat hesitant and when he gets serious uses the old method of pulling himself along with arms only. He is also enjoying the introduction of "real" food (if you can call that stuff they sell in little jars real - Hee!). He had lunch while he was visiting and Mama served green beans, sweet potatoes and apples for dessert. I'm not sure, but I think the apples were his favourite part! It is amazing me to see how fast he is changing from a cuddly infant to a little person.

And about the knitting - I finished the new socks for Granny. They are quite plain, but the colour is lovely and I will be sending them off to her shortly. I have started another pair for Mama. The colours are so pretty and I put some cables on them, just for a change of pace.

There are lots of pretty flowers out at Auntie Colleen's place and with her photography skills I am getting some beautiful shots (and I should mention that Uncle Shaun often helps with the photography as well). I had a miserable time trying to decide which one to post - but decided on this one this time and maybe she'll give me permission to post another one next time?

Spring Has Sprung!

We saw robins the other day, spring has sprung! If I wasn't sure before today, I am now. There are buds on the trees and shrubs, the lillies are about 7 inches tall...so tall in fact, that we decided we had to get the stain on the deck or they would be in our way. So we went stain shopping this morning after breakfast and after an elongated selection ritual, finally picked a colour and returned home. Squeegie & Taffy got the little chair out so they could sit and watch. It took about three hours to do this one section. So - Poppa has decided to rent a sprayer to do the rest. But, there is no hurry for the rest, since this is the only side with lilies growing at a mad spring-like rate.

And, as many of you are no doubt aware, in spring the minds of males and Munchkins often turn to baseball. After listening carefully to the sports report recently, Munchkin decided that a marvelous choice for his career - one with a very lucrative salary - would be that of a baseball pitcher! He hunted through his closet until he found just the right outfit, then hunted through his toy box until he found his baseball and then asked Mama to take his picture so he could send it to the Toronto Blue Jays in the hopes of getting a spot on the team! If cuteness helps, then he should have a position by tomorrow. His cold is much better. Mama hooked up the vaporizer in his room and it seems to have helped. As you can see, that somewhat descriptive nickname has been abandoned - hopefully for a long, long time!

Great Grandma Robert's birthday party was a success. She managed to extinguish the small flame on her cake and then we all proceeded to dig in. It was great visiting with the family. We even got to meet two little ones that we hadn't met before. There was Sam, he is almost one year old and belongs to Scott and Heather. He came to the party with his Grandma Linda and seemed to enjoy himself until the very end.....they had the nerve to strap him into his stroller and then proceed to stand around and chat for evah! Luckily his Aunt MaryAnne found a small plastic baggie with Cheerios in it, and gave him a few to take his mind off his terrible plight. Speaking of MaryAnne - we also got to meet the newest member of the clan, her little three-month-old daughter, Rachel. This little one was soooo tiny. At three months, she weighs two pounds more than our Munchie did when he was born..........she seemed like a feather after hugging our little guy! But she's a cutie.

Finally, in confirmation of the fact that spring is here.......Poppa barbequed pork chops for us to have for dinner - much to Squeegie's delight! I roasted sweet potato, potatoes, carrots and onions in the oven and the meal was quite enjoyable.

Colds & Careers

A couple of weeks ago Mama had a bad cold. She was feeling droopy and sniffly. Today she tells me that Munchkin is feeling drippy and sniffly. She gave him a temporary nickname - and I'm not sure she intended it to be made public - and I forgot to ask - but suffice it to say that for the next few days our little Munchie will be better known as Little Sir Snotsalot. I am envisioning him modelling a small knight's suit of armour and sitting astride his noble steed. Apparently he lost the armour, but he did find the noble steed and took advantage of an unusually warm day last weekend to go for a gallop under Dada's supervision.

I finished that green baby blanket and passed it along to my friend to cover a special baby on a cool evening. She was quite pleased with it and oohed and awwed..... which is why I love to knit. Since then I have finished Granny's second pair of socks and started another pair. I will get pictures and post them shortly.

Great Gramma Robert is at her home and feeling quite well again. She went to Newmarket this week and checked out all right. Tomorrow is her birthday and we will be going to a small celebration...pics later.

Poppa helped Kev-Inn move today and he is already fast asleep in front of the TV. He got up this morning when I did and missed a couple of hours of sleep, then worked hard all day...... wore himself right out.

Squeegie and Taffy are snuggled up with him, so I am the only one awake. Elton John and Diana Krall are on the television. The bears stayed home today and I can't figure out why they are so tired, but who knows what antics they were up to when we weren't around.

Now - back to the sock knitting!