Knitted Sweater

I made this sweater for Cortland. All that's left is to put on the buttons and fix the 3 ft long arms... oops!

1st Haircut

Hoarders

I feel lately that I'm being buried in stuff. We're trying to get closets cleaned out and a huge to-do list completed so we can sell our house and - ARGHHHHH! - I just want to go back to bed.

Now granted, I've been watching Hoarders on TV and that's totally not helping. I know for some it would get them motivated to clean clean clean. For me, the slippery slope of messy to complete disaster house is almost an enviable possibility. But, in the time it took for me to write that I knew it would not be a possibility. I would go c.r.a.z.y in a pigsty. But just think about it - stuff everywhere and no urge to clean it up? Heaven!

More Grandma Candy

Update From Alan

The city we're in isn't a "tourist" city, so there's not a whole lot of people that speak english. By not a whole lot I mean the entire city. I really thought that the entire world was learning english and at least the young ppl all spoke if fluently everywhere. Italy thinks Alan should stuff is english. I guess italian's been working well for a few thousand years, why change now? Jeremy and I just got back from a nice restaurant and only 1 waiter spoke a very small smidge of english. It was a mess, but we did manage to order food (thank god for pointing... that's pretty universal). I'm stuffed. I don't know if people really order both a primi piatti and secondi piatti. I thought they did. My stomach thinks otherwise.

Our hotel is miniature. My room (bed + bath) is about the size of our bedroom. The elevator fits 2 people. Ever see a 2 person elevator? Me neither. They exist though. It's cut though. Jason (guy from NYC that we're here with) says that italians don't do a lot of business travel so they don't need a big "home away from home" when it comes to their hotels; hence why they're hotels tend to be so small.

Daily Updates From Alan

Alan is in Italy this week for work. Without his permission I'm posting his daily updates. He's a funny man, my sweet husband!

An italian's day:

wake up, have some coffee

go to work and work for a bit

go have some more coffee

work for a bit more

go to lunch and have some coffee

work for a bit

coffee

go home

wine

There's a coffee shop everywhere. There's one downstairs.

Coffee can be either an expresso shot, which is *tiny*, think a thimble full of coffee something, or a cappuccino, which I've come to prefer. Cappuccino = 1 euro or about a buck fiddy.

Jeremy just said that if we don't leave here addicted to coffee, we will never be addicted to coffee. I concur.

Shhhhhhhh...

shhhhhh, I think knitted bowls are stupid looking. Don't tell anyone or they may take away my knitting needles.....

35 in a 50 every single day

Anyone who's talked to me while I'm driving down Germantown Pkwy knows how annoyed I get at all of those jackassed Memphis drivers who go 35 in a 50. It's like that every. single. time. I drive down that street. I'm not kidding! It drives me nuts! Tonight I decided yelling GO! MF'ers! doesn't work no matter how loud I yell it.

So, if you can't beat crazy, then join in the party. I'm going to roll the windows down and wave my hand out the drivers side window princess style while, every 50 feet or so, chuck handfuls of cheap candy out the passenger side window. If they want to drive like their in a freaking parade, then, by God, I am, too.

Busy week

Our moving checklist is getting smaller and smaller. We took off the HUGE storm windows for the family room and kitchen today and washed them. What a pain in the butt! Thank god for Neighbors-on-Call to help get the glass back in place! Hey Tanya, you should start a business and call it that!

I painted our bedroom yesterday.

I painted the fireplace last week.

Cleaned out our closet and donated a bunch of clothes and shoes.

Things left on the Skye To-Do List:

• Screens to replace on some of the windows
• Remove the two front picture window glass, wash, and replace.
  
• Stuff to put on the wood floors make them shine
• Paint the upstairs hall
• Clean out the rest of the closets
• Paint the kitchen
  

Alan has his own list, but he can keep up with his stuff all by himself. He's good that way.

By the way, does everyone know we're moving back to Dallas? Kind of pertinent info for this post to make sense. heh.

Random Fact

I keep a 28oz (1lb) jar of maraschino cherries in the fridge to snack on. I especially love to drink the juice. I have to replace the jar surprisingly often.

Cortland Playing

For Tanya who has been too sick to come by and snuggle C.

WE HAD A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD LILLIAN JOSEPHINE PICKERING!!!!!!!!!!

Carroll is Having Her Baby RIGHT NOW!

One of my best friends went in for an emergency c-section at 10:30 this morning! We will find out if we have a Lilly Josephine or a Leo James within the next hour.

She started bleeding yesterday from the full placenta previa and in the hospital her blood pressure shot up and she had the beginining of preeclampcia. She started full labor in the middle of the night. Baby is coming 6 weeks early so everyone please keep her and baby in your prayers.

Anything's Possible

As girls sometimes do when the boys are out of the room; my Grandma, mom and I were discussing women stuff when during the conversation my Grandma blurts out that she calls her girlie-bits Possible.

I waved my hands around wildly and stopped the whole conversation to get an explanation.

She said years ago she was a home health aid. Part of her job was to sponge bathe the older patients. One older woman instructed my Grandma to start at her feet and wash as far up as possible. Then to start at her head and wash as far down as possible. She said she herself would then wash Possible.
*snort*

Christmas at the Gunns

He looks more like a little boy than a baby.


Put me down! I wanna play!





After Christmas nap




The ladies in my life


It gets COLD up here! Even Alan is wearing a coat.

Christmas Knitting

I'm typing out the blanket pattern at the bottom, but
DO NOT START THE ENTRELAC PATTERN UNTIL I CAN TRY IT AND MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISTYPE IT! Something doesn't look right and I can't figure out what until I've had a chance to actually stitch the thing.

I'm excited to be able to post the pictures of the blankets I've been working on for the past few months.

This is the one I made my mom for Christmas. It's made out of Noro Silk Garden and the squares are 16 x 16 stitches wide on a US9 needle. It's lined on the back with satin.



This is the one I made Kiwi for her baby shower. It's more a Mommy Blanket than a Baby Blanket!
It's made out of I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby and the squares are 20 x 20 stitches wide on a US6 needle.


I made this cable scarf for my Mother-in-Law


ENTRELAC PATTERN FOR BLANKET

Pass 1, Starting Triangles

Cast on 24 stitches - any way you like. We’re going to do a swatch comprised of three blocks - each of which is 8 stitches wide. To begin:

Row 1: Purl 2, turn
Row 2: Knit 2, turn
Row 3: P3, turn
Row 4: K3, turn

Continue, adding a stitch with each row until you have P8 and K8. Then start the next triangle with Row 1 - 4. Do this 3 times.

The triangles are going to look very funny on the cable. Don't worry about it. They will straighten up on the next pass.

Pass 2 - Side Triangles and blocks
This pass will have a triangle on each end with two blocks in the middle.

Pass 2 - 1st Triangle
Attach your second color.
Row 1: K2, turn
Row 2: P2, turn
Row 3: K in the front and back of first stitch (Kfb), SSK, turn
Row 4: P3, turn
Row 5: Kfb, K1, SSK, turn
Row 6: P4, turn
Row 7: Kfb, K2, SSK, turn
Row 8: P5, turn
Row 9: Kfb, K3, SSK, turn
Row 10: P6, turn
Row 11: Kfb, K4, SSK, turn
Row 12: P7, turn
Row 13: Kfb, K5, SSK, turn
Do not turn and purl back!

Pass 2 - 1st Square
Now it's time to make our 1st square. Pick up 8 stitches on your LEFT needle from here:
PHOTO COMING SOON!!!

Row 1: *(K7, SSK) *repeat 7 more times

Pass 2 - Second Square
Pick up 8 stitches and knit just like the 1st square.

Pass 2 - 2nd Triangle
Pick up 8 stitches on LEFT needle.
Row 1: P2tog, P7
Row 2: K8
Row 3: P2tog, P6
Row 4: K7
Row 5: P2tog, P5
Row 6: K6
Row 7: P2tog, P4
Row 8: K5
Row 9: P2tog, P3
Row 10: K4
Row 11: P2tog, P2
Row 12: K3
Row 13:P2tog, P1
Row 14: K2
Row 15: P2tog
Row 16: K1
You will end with 1 little stitch on the RIGHT needle.

Pass 3 - Blocks Only

Pass 3 - 1st Square
Pick up 7 stitches on LEFT needle.
Row 1: P6, P2tog
Row 2: K8
Row 3: P7, P2tog
Row 4: K8
Rows 5 - ??? repeat rows 3 - 4 until all of the stitches from the square in pass 2 are eaten up.

Pass 3 - 2nd and 3rd Square
Pick up 8 stitches on LEFT needle
Repeat rows 3 - 4 of pattern for Pass 3 - 1st Square above.

Pass 4 - Side Triangles and Blocks
Repeat instructions for Pass 2.

Last Pass - Just Triangles

Pass 4 - 1st Triangle
You should have one little stitch on the RIGHT needle after finishing Pass 4.
Pick up 7 stitches on LEFT needle.

Row 1: K7
Row 2: P2tog, K5, P2tog
Row 3:K6
Row 4:P2tog, K4, P2tog
Row 5:K6
Row 6:P2tog, K3, P2tog
Row 7:K5
Row 8:P2tog, K2, P2tog
Row 9:K4
Row 10:P2tog, K1, P2tog
Row 11: K3
Row 12: P2tog, P2tog
Row 13: K2
Row 14: P3tog

Pass 4 - 2nd and 3rd Triangles
Repeat instructions for Pass 4 - 1st Triangle

Christensen Christmas

Merry Christmas on the run!



Is this one mine?


More toys?


Grandma would show C how things worked while Daddy would unbox the next toy.


Grandma Marla and Kayla.


Daddy takes a second to smile at me, then back to work putting in more batteries.


Grandpa talking. For some reason in all of his pictures he's talking.


That toy said, "Hi, I'm Chuck the Dumptruck" before I put tape over the speaker. Now it says, "Miff, Miff, muff, fumphh, humfphhhh, mumphhhhmumphhh."


Uncle Rodney helping C with his new remote control car


Preston, Kayla, Elvis and Grace

Dear Santa, please bring me Xanax

This time of year is wonderful and hard at the same time. It's like clockwork, December roles around and I feel like I need an extra boost of drugs just to get through.

Cortland has entered the I Want To Do It MYSELF stage. Heaven help anyone who takes the remote or a cord or the phone or the million other dangerous or breakable items from that little angel. He turns into a siren. WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

I have found that filling up the bath and laying in it with my head under water helps. It's not Xanax, but you do what you can with what you have.

Cortland pictures and videos

Baby Bears Chair


But I don't wanna be a lion!


Bathtime with Kayla


Alan and Grace


Bri giving C his bedtime snack


Elvis under the tree

Return of the Yodeling Pickle

Dustin and Kristin got this for Cortland for his birthday. As God is my witness, if/when they have kids this pickle will be shipped right back to them. It's as bad as the crazy doll my aunt and uncle got me when I was little that laughed and cried and drove my parents absolutely bonkers.

I would "lose" the batteries, but then it's just my son playing with a rather questionably shaped green, uhhhh, you know... uhhh.....

But as with all toys, the more annoying to the parents, the more the kid loooooves it and carries around everywhere. So for that, thank you Dustin and K. He loves his pickle.

PS - Tanya please don't kill me for posting you yodeling. heh. You do a very good job of it.