You Gotta Play. . .

Mom said "$6 down the drain." She's right, but still it gave us a couple of days of wild dreaming. (We were going to be generous and do good in the world.)

Jeeze, How Does Anyone Have Time to Blog???

It is January again. Another fresh new start. I love them.  Here are some sweet little things that are currently surrounding me.

Debbie gave me the Ling Chang desk calendar years ago and I've continued to get the refills every year since. I have old folders back to 2002. Plus, I have a group of sister-like people I give this to every year. I especially like this January's pansies.

Before Christmas, I went to a pop-up art show where some of my Fiber Guild friends had work. I bought for myself, this lovely little accordion book, handmade by Kris Westerson. It is all handmade paper, including the cover which I'll show you in a minute. The quote says "Change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality. -- Socrates" -- and she drew the zentangles.

Here is the front of the book. I love handmade art books. I love the lovely pages, and the clever designs. There are so many bindings. If I had it all to do over again. . . but at this point, I'm just going to enjoy the ones others make.

Sandy Witman sent me this sweet set of envelopes, made by a friend out of calendar pages, pages from found children's books and other random sources. I want to learn how!!

This is one of my favorite sweet little vignettes of the holiday season -- At Mom's --this lovely camellia from her neighbor's bush that reminds me of Daddy -- and then Mom reminded me that Marie Mauney gave her this pretty vase. What a sweet and simple way to keep loved ones close during the holidays.

and speaking of camellias -- here is my own Lady Clare -- a variety that Daddy did have in our yard in Raleigh, holding it's own in my border here in Charleston.

I was blind but now I see. . . .

Wednesday evening June 17

Cynthia Hurd, age 54, a library manager whose life was dedicated to books, children, and church.

Susie Jackson, age 87, a mother figure to generations in her family.

Ethel Lance, age 70, a church custodian who found strength in a gospel song to overcome life's challenges.

DePayne Middleton Doctor, age 49, a minister whose angelic voice could heal troubled hearts.

Clementa Pinckney, age 41, a pastor and state senator who lent his booming voice to the voiceless.

Tywanza Sanders, age 26, a barber, poet, and aspiring entrepreneur ready to take the world by storm.

Daniel L. Simmons Sr., age 74, a minister who served as a model of endurance and service to God.

Sharonda Singleton, age 45, a pastor and a high school track coach who became her runners' biggest cheerleader, on & off the track.

Myra Thompson, age 59, a builder of faith who worked to restore her beloved church's properties to their full glory. 

Sunday morning, June 21

Four days after their minister and eight other members were shot to death at a Wednesday night Bible study, the historic Emanuel AME Church held Sunday services with a full church and overflow crowds standing in the street outside to witness this congregation's grace and strength.

Sunday evening, June 21 on the Ravanel Bridge

 A "Bridge to Peace" Unity Chain on the Ravelnel Bridge Sunday night.

Thursday, June 24, 2015

 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Affordable Care Act - again

Friday, June 26 at the funeral service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney

Friday, June 26

And just before Obama arrived to speak at the funeral service, the Supreme Court once again made history and decided in favor of gay marriage.

Friday, July 7, The Confederate Flag is removed from the state house grounds in Columbia, SC.

And that is where we stand today. What a summer!

Same Tree, New Colors

Here is the same Bradford Pear tree in the last post -- that one was fall, this one is spring.

"and the seasons they go round n round. ."

Once again, playing catch-up.

oh my, Fried Green Tomatoes is a neglected idea. It was September, then Fall, then Christmas took forever, now it is deep into a too long winter. Is it wrong to be impatient with coming spring on Feb. 21? So be it.

Here's a bit of a photo album update:

Fall at Waterway South

As an early 60th birthday celebration, we went to see James Taylor with friends Molly & Russ Keeney from Black Mountain.-- 60th birthday? Wait, how? Surely not yet. Wow, that went fast.

Mom spent time with us at Christmas. On our annual Christmas Day walk on the beach, she found an intact sand dollar.

Very special this Christmas -- Joyce Cooper, who lives down the hall from mom at Glenaire, gave us this beautiful afghan she knitted in the 1970s. She said she did 12 or 15 of them (can you imagine?!) and everyone in her family who wants one has one. She knows I'm a knitter and thought I would appreciate it -- and she is absolutely correct in that. I love the way it looks on the red couch.

Which brings me to my knitting. Just before Valentine's Day I finally finished and mailed this sweater vest to Jeffrey. It is made with a very warm (I hope) Scottish shetland wool.Over T'giving I sent it via Mom partially completed to Winston-Salem for him to try on and needed to tink down to the beginning of the armholes and deepen and broaded the "V". I like the side ribbing in this pattern.

 

So now we are just trying to finish up Winter. It has been unreasonably, I mean unseasonably, cold for the SC Lowcountry -- temps in the teens for days at a time. I am working for H&R Block through April 15 and Duncan keeps getting more deeply involved with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We have stayed pretty close to home.

These 2 beach pics were taken in lieu of attending services on Sunday Feb. 8. It was warm and nice on the beach. We walked far, took deep gulps of sweet sea air and napped in the sun. Altogether it felt we had been to church.

Wedding Wrap as Baby Blanket

Jena posted this picture on Facebook today. Raelyn Ross is almost a week old. Is she cute, or what?!

The 2014 Wedding Wraps

About a year ago, when I first learned that Carina, -- who I helped RAISE --, had set a wedding date, I decided I just had to knit shawls for her, her sisters, her mother, and I graciously included his mother so she wouldn't feel like an outsider among this united Bitticks-Alston sisterhood. I was not thinking of these to be worn IN the wedding, but just to have for whatever they doing around that time. The wedding will be in NC in October and the wedding colors are navy and cream. Most of these pics are "in progress" but here's what I came up with. . .

This one is for Alyce, mother of the bride, good friend for nearly 30 years. It is always good to have friends who are professional counselors. Saves you lots of grief -- and $$ over the years. I owe Alyce big-time.

This one is for the groom's mother. Same yarn as Alyce's but a different pattern. This one came out to be rather small -- a shawlette for just around the shoulders. Pictures I've seen made me think this would do for Josh's mom. . .

This one is for the middle sister. She is tiny and this is big chunky yarn. To be honest, I did this one last, and I'm ashamed to say, I was getting weary. I found the chunky yarn on the shelf, and dug around for a pattern. This one knitted up in about 2 days. Voila!

This one is for the youngest sister. By the time the wedding takes place, she will have a baby and I figured she could wrap herself and the little one in this together. I ended up adding fringe made of yarn and ribbon. I don't know if these outter edges will ever hold that scallop shape and not roll and that is one of my favorite parts of this one.

And this one for the bride. The commercial name for this pattern is "Lagoon Pond" which doesn't sound very pretty to me, so I've been calling it "Marital Bliss". I did not add fringe and there is no glitter or sparkle -- an exercise in restraint.

It was fun to do -- gave me lots of time to enjoy memories of good times together when the girls were little. Lots of babysitting, lots of birthday parties, lots of snow days, nice holiday memories . . .  And though none of these shawls is without mistakes, making them has made me a more confident knitter.

Jena's baby came yesterday. All is well.