What's new

I have been a little busy. Not a lot, just a little. I have decorated some for Christmas; for some reason that's more important to me this year than it has been. Maybe it's to do with Jordan being older...or maybe it's just a way to get into the spirit. There are quite a few people around me whose lives are in flux; they could use some holiday cheer.

I have also started a new project. A baby blanket. All of the bloggers out there who are creating such lovely knitted projects have inspired me. I thought it might be nice if I knitted a blanket for Peanut. It's slooooow going; I've never used circular needles before. Actually, if I'm honest, I've never knitted anything more complicated than a scarf. Still, I figured that this was really no more difficult than a scarf; it was simply on a slightly larger scale. I have faith; I can do this! My husband made the comment that at the rate I'm knitting, we better hope the baby doesn't come early. Ha, ha.

I am not following any particular pattern. I cast on what I think are probably enough stitches (I'm using a chunky yarn; I figured it'd be more forgiving) and didn't worry about a border. I am knitting it in a basket weave pattern to add a little something. Plus, I find it more exciting to watch a pattern take shape as I knit since this is going to take so long. I'm hoping by the time I'm done that I am fairly proficient with the circular needles and a little more confident in my abilities. Don't worry; I'll take pictures!

I also went through a box of papers and such that my m

om sent to us. It's old report cards, paperwork from preschool (apparently I had trouble with pasting; who knew?), and old letters we sent home from camp. There were baby shoes, wooden puzzles I can remember playing with, and teeth of mine and my sisters that had been well preserved. I now know when I lost some of my baby teeth. I got the biggest kick out of going through that box. There are some items I intend to scan and perhaps post, like the brochure where my sister is in a Delta Airlines advertisement (about 25 years ago).

In all of these papers are some poems that my uncle wrote. He was a wonderful man; my father's fraternal twin. He was the kind of person you come across occasionally, the type that makes you feel special just by being around him. He always had time for people and kind words for those he encountered. He had his flaws and such,

don't we all, but was still one of the most unique, giving and loving people I have ever known. It's been 17 years since he died, and he is still greatly missed. To find poems that he had written (he wrote them for nearly every occasion; it was often what he gave in lieu of gifts) meant a great deal to me. I know that they were touching to everyone else as well as I got great responses from the copies I emailed. Here is one I found that he wrote for me when I was Christened.