Family

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took of my sister, my niece, and my brother in law lifting my nephew at my Mom's wedding in October. I just love that you can't see anyone's face, but that there is a lot happening in the photo. The only thing that would make this shot better would be if you could see that my sister is pregnant. Michael is due in February!

That's all I've got for tonight, folks. Tonight was the Aaron Neville featuring Charles Neville concert. I met Charles' wife and kids. They were all very nice people. Bill Engvall tomorrow. Should I just bring my "sign" when I pick him up from the hotel tomorrow?

Couch. Throw. Done. Finally.

Tonight while listening to Christmas music, (uh... we start early. There's a lot of GOOD Christmas music to hear!) I finished weaving in the ends for my sister and brother-in-law's couch throw!

Technically, I've been working on it since last December. Actually, it's more like February or April because I frogged the first attempt. And I took at least three months off from it entirely. But it's done now. And I'm so happy!

It's very warm and snugly, even for Lion Brand Homespun acrylic. I hope that it sees many good years of use in the family. I hope that it gets stained and dirty from being dragged around the house by the kids! I hope it ends up on the floor wrapped around the family while they watch a movie. I hope that it gets pulled out of shape in an effort to get the most blanket.

All those things happened to the ripple blanket that my mother made. And I love that blanket and it was trapezoidal to start with (I thought we had just warped it with too much tough love!) and I would still be glad and proud to toss it on our couch!

New Yarn Bag

Yesterday I went to my neice's 9th birthday party. I can't believe how fast she's growing up. I remember when she was toddling around the house like her 21 month old brother is! (Who is also too cute, by the way!)

My mother had found a retro bag that she thinks her mother gave her. She doesn't recognise most of the yarn in it, except for the skein that she used to make a baby blanket for me (which she ended up finishing for my little sister, two years later). It's one of those fabric bags with wood dowels to give it some shape and brig, gaudy flowers on the side. I can't wait until I can wash it and photograph it and start carrying my projects in it! My mother was saying that I didn't have to carry it around, but at least I could use it at home. I laughed. I think it's perfectly tacky and can't wait to use it! :)

Photos tomorrow, hopefully. I think I caught a bug from one of the kids and then I had a very bad backache tonight, so I didn't get any crafting done and didn't get to wash the bag. But hopefully I won't be waiting in the polls line forever tomorrow and will have some time to hand wash and dry it!

NaBloPoMo

Okay, I'm not so good at the updating. So, I'm joining NaBloPoMo in hopes that it'll be the kickstart I need to keep posting. I'm at work right now, so I don't have photos to upload, but I've been working a lot on my checkered blanket for my sister and brother-in-law.

My sister is five years older than me and really took care of my growing up while my mom had to work. She made me and my little sister dinner and had to make sure we did homework and chores. Every Christmas eve we would get to open one present under the tree. I would select Sarah's gift. I always lamented that I didn't have money to get her a gift when she could give me one.

Last year she and her husband moved into a house that they built. She couldn't afford to give out presents for the family, but for the first time, I could. So I wanted to crochet her and her husband a warm blanket to snuggly up under while they watch TV with the kids. Well, it's almost a year later and I'm still working on the blanket! It's 3/4 of the way done and I just keep working on it. It has to be ready for Christmas this year!