Calling all quilters!

Patterns by Sandra is hosting a mystery quilt.  New sections of the pattern will be added monthly (mid-month), but the previous month will be taken down.  The first part of the pattern was in my email today, so be sure to check each month!  You can sign up for Sandra's free newsletter and be reminded so you don't miss anything for this great quilt.  Check it out!

While you are at Sandra's site, be sure to look over all the great bag patterns.  I'm fond of making bags, so I enjoy it all :)

Where has the time gone?

Alot has happened in the last year and a half.. My darling grandson Jaiden passed away at the age of 13 months (September 07), my father passed away (April 09) and my daughter was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (June 09). She had surgery two days ago to remove the thyroid, and they found the cancer had spread to her trachea, so they removed part of that, also. My daughter is all of 33. She is too young to have to think about cancer. Hell, for that matter, I'm too young to think about one of my children having cancer.

On a positive note, the memorial we attended for my father wasn't until June 09, but it was in St. Louis MO and was given my his siblings. I haven't seen them for over 30 years. It was a mixed bag of emotions. They had a great itinerary set up for our visit (all four of my siblings were there with me). My aunt, who happens to be quite renowned in the world of genealogy, created a lovely book about the history of our family through my father's generation. We studied it and had a "Jeopardy" style game to see what we learned. My team won :)

They also took us on a fabulous trip to Marion IL to see where our father grew up. We did a nice walking tour of their neighborhood while my uncle narrated about the different places they played and the people they knew. We also went to a museum, which was opened especially for us on a Sunday, and got to see the actual tables and chairs from Snedden's Soda shop, where our father had his first job. The curator even let us go into the roped area and sit at one of the tables to have our picture taken! I felt like such a celebrity :)

The museum was the former home of the jailhouse. It was built in 1901, and was used as a jail until 1975. The front of the building is where the sheriff and his family lived, while the back was the actual jail. The cells were quite small, yet housed four prisoners each. The walls were covered in graffiti from the very prisoners who were incarcerated there. Most of them were only in their late teens, early twenties.  To say the least, it was strange but exciting to "feel" the presence of those from the past.

I am now excited to announce I will be a grandmother once again...#9!  We know it's another boy (my poor Emily is so outnumbered).  I can't wait to see him....late January, early February.  I've chosen January 31 as his birthdate because my daughter-in-law had both of her other children on the last day of their birth months.  Sounds like a trend to me :)

MyBlogSpark...it's sizzlin'

So, during my random travels among the web's blogs, I stumbled upon MyBlogSpark.  Being the inquisitive type, I clicked to find out just what is is.  Quoted from their website:

"MyBlogSpark™ is a fun and exciting group of bloggers that have access to review new products and services and participate in exciting giveaways, surveys and events. The network provides “Sparks” of information directly to its members from some of the best known consumer brands in the country. "

I'm excited to say that I joined and will now be able to bring fun contests, with prizes, to my blog readers.  The first will be courtesy of Progresso® High Fiber Soups.  I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of my sample and prize pack so I may write a review of the product.  Be sure to check back for details of the giveaway.  It's starting to cool down in many areas, and soup is a great way to keep warm!

A community for everything!

I've known about Ravelry for some time now.  I even joined because I knit and crochet (I'm carla109).  But I had no idea there was a community for people who like to cook!  The Mixing Bowl is free to join, and it's full of recipes from folks just like you and me.  Bon apetit!

Ooooh! If you could see inside my package!

My cocoa swap package has arrived! And what a fun package it is. I'm sorry I don't have a camera, but let me put my descriptive skills to the test :) First of all, my buddy has not arrived, yet. My partner, Debbie W told me it is coming in a second box, along with some potato chips! She was so thoughtful in putting this package together. Let's begin!

First, because I cannot have sugar, Debbie sent a wonderful canister of sugar free Manehim Steamroller Cinamon Hot Cocoa! My grandson and I have already tried it......and it's so smooth and delicious. If you have never had, do try it. The cinamon gives just a touch of added kick. I would never have thought to mix the two.

Now, I asked Debbie not to go to any trouble trying to find sugar free cocoa, because I have family here that would enjoy whatever she sent. Let me tell you....my daughter is in heaven! Debbie included a canister of Giradelli Double Chocolate hot cocoa and four packets of Land O'Lakes in various flavors. They are mint, caramel, butterscotch and raspberry! I'm drooling just thinking about those lucious flavors!

To feed my knitting soul and my desire to learn to knit socks, I was happy to find not one, but three balls of sock yarn and a set of Knit Picks Harmony wooden DPNs! The sock yarn is a ball of Opal, but the label is in German, so I'll have to describe it to you. I imagine it will stripe as I knit in the lovely colors of aqua, gold, pale red, soft green, black and white. The other two balls are Fortissima Colori Socka Color. They are the prettiest shades of greens and blues, with a touch of white. I found a page that shows my color...it's 9047 Monterrey from the Mexiko Safari Colors.

Debbie also included items from her state of Montana. There is a scrumptious looking jar of Wild Huckleberry preserves and the most fragrant bar of goat's milk soap.

I also received a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle that is a beautiful picture of a sunny beach, complete with white sand, bluegreen water and palm trees. Nice warm thoughts for a chilly winter's day!

I can't thank Debbie enough for making this such a memorable swap for me. I have only ever participated in one other swap, and this will certainly spur me on to do more!

2008!

It's hard to believe that not only are we in a new year, but we have almost completed the first decade of this century! I was always amazed that my grandmother had been born just before the turn of the last century. Now I have grandchildren who will be able to amaze their grandchildren with turn-of-the-century stories. I love the circle of life :)

Sign-ups for the hot cocoa swap are now closed. I hope you all got in! This is going to be a fun exchange.

I'm involved in a character building exercise (CBE) on the Knit and Chat froum on Delphi. The omniscient Stashie has decreed there will be no yarn buing, no pattern buying or printing, no needle buying and no other knitting related buying until February 14th. All projects will be made from exisiting materials, but only after completing at least one of our PIGS (projects in grocery sacks)! Well, this will only hurt a little bit, right? :)