Flying By....

Are you like me? The year comes in all clean and bright, so I barely remember to write it down right, and before I know it a month has flown by? The middle of this week January will be half over!!!!! That's 1/24th of 2014. It appears time, in keeping with its typical behavior, is going to continue to fly by.

Speaking of new years, I made ONE resolution this year (my norm is 12 - one for each month). Get healthy. That was it, and so far I'm doing pretty well. Taking vitamins (I hate taking pills), getting enough sleep, swimming for exercise, drinking green smoothies. So far so good. January / flu season is not the time to slack off.  Here's hoping and praying in November I can say the same, and there'll be less grammy flab on my arms to prove it.

Before I know it I'll be turning on the TV, to see if the overweight woodchuck sees his shadow. (Surely everyone watches this ritual?) I'm off tomorrow to house / pet / grandkid sit for several days, home for ONE day, then off to Idaho to find out what color yarn to buy, to knit up hats and such for this newest, answer-to-long-prayers, grandbaby.

Have you ever seen such a beautiful bump? When she told us, actually their 7 year old told us he was 'going to be a big brother', I was a blubbering mess. As this tummy grows I'm struck by God's goodness. We know He's able, but when we SEE that He's willing, well - it takes my breath away. She's 2100 miles northwest of us, so every once in awhile she sends us tummy photos, and sometimes we Facetime so I can see it for myself. I can't wait to be there with her! Every single one of our already-here seven grandchildren are precious to us; we just prayed for this one longer. I'm happy to say grand baby #8 is halfway baked :-)

Since I'll be gone most of the rest of the month, I've been trying to get some things done....

This bedroom lamp was saved from the dumpster; I loved the decorative work on it; alas, it was too stained and nasty to salvage the original finish. Which is likely why it was in the dumpster....

But don't you love to give something a new life? Bring it back to something of beauty, and usefulness? Me too. It had way too much potential to not grab it. Sometimes leftover roast and fabric at the bottom of the bin and appliances at the Goodwill and people are like that. Just needing someone to see them with new eyes.

I painted it red, salvaging the gold trim, added some tassles from the old curtains bin, and recovered the shade. Red spray paint can fix almost anything I think. I ended up having to sew the shade, a bigger challenge than I planned, and it's not perfect, but I like the overall effect. And the price. It's a much nicer corner now. Who needs perfect anyway?

I got brave and drove to downtown Ft. Worth yesterday, found the sweetest little yarn shop. One of these will be knitted into a headband for my daughter-in-law's sister. I need the experience and she'll love it. There is something so lovely about a skein of yarn, just waiting to go on needles. And believe it or not, airlines will let you fly with 12" metal knitting needles. But not a 2" swiss army knife. So I knit while I fly.

I am really, really in a knitting mood lately. Must be the unusually cold temperatures we're having here. The bin is overflowing with projects I don't have enough time for right now.

I attempted my first pair of cabled fingerless mitts - (free pattern on Ravelry) knitted with the wrong size yarn so they'd fit a Sasquatch, but by golly I'm going to finish them anyway. Then reknit them in the right size yarn - a good lesson in yarn sizes and pattern reading. There's a big difference between 3 and 4 yarn. Literally.

My pool bag doesn't fit in the locker, so I picked up this fun canvas fabric last week at Hobby Lobby. I have plans to sew it up while I house / pet / grandkid sit. We'll see how that works out.

A new year often finds me surrounded by notebooks and calendars and planners. Bless my sweet hubby's heart for being so patient with semi-messy me. Can you see I have a deep, abiding love for all things red? Especially in the middle of dreary, grey winter. 

Sweet hubby asked me a few days ago when I was planning to take these down. Not yet.  The grandkids and I are still enjoying them.

Did you know fake candles can melt? The kind with batteries rather than wicks? Me either.  Google tells me a bag of ice cubes, then a scraper, then vinegar and water. We'll see.

I'm the mood to cook too - lucky Hubby! Olive Garden's Sausage Rustica is a family favorite. 

My mother-in-law's canisters, given as a shower gift - over 65 years ago. Too dear to hide behind a pantry door - I love, love, love them. I'm scooping flour and sugar out of them with a vengeance lately.

And this color is calling my name. Maybe it's a longing for spring to arrive? I'm thinking perhaps a purchase of fabric to recover pillows. This color hit the scene several years ago, showing up on all sorts of furniture, and everything else. I have a tendency to be a bit behind and just when everyone else is tiring of it, I jump onboard.

And THIS starts today! A Christmas gift from my oldest daughter, 'Hibernate' has such a nice sound to it, doesnt it? It promises to be filled with great cooking, knitting, and prompts to enjoy what is generally the end of winter for those of us who wimped out and moved south. (I believe you can still join in!)

Did you join me on reading 52 in 52? I'm currently on #3. BTW, someone recommended anything written by Charles Martin. They were right. I'm taking swimming lessons, and Aleve for the soreness that follows. I'm catching up on paperwork, cleaning out files and filling the shredder, just like Heloise advises this time of year.

That's life in a nutshell for us right now. Which reminds me. Sweet hubby also got rid of the squirrels living in our attic - hurray! Boy did Einstein (the squirrel) twitch his busy tail at us when we ran him off, banging pot lids with gusto, then sealed the hole!

Back in a couple of weeks likely. Me, hopefully NOT the squirrels. I should have boy or girl news, with more tummy photos, knit mitts that fit a human, some sewing to show/share and a few more books under my belt.