It was time to take the photo of sponges out of the blog header. The urge to spring clean has passed.

I wish other feelings would pass.

I live across from a high school athletic field. The school itself is a block over and a bit east of me, but within view. It is the school my sons attended. Monday night, four students from there were going to Pizza Hut at 8:30. The street they were on is a divided highway. They were in a turn around (we call them Michigan lefts) waiting for traffic to clear so they could pull out and head over to the restaurant. Minding their own business. Following traffic laws. Buckled into their seats.

A 47 year old woman didn't play by the same rules. She was driving drunk. Her blood alcohol was 3 times the legal limit. Her license had been suspended three times. She was driving a full sized van when she swerved out of her lane and hit the kids broadside in their Chevy Cobalt (small car). She had been driving between 60 and 70 mph (according to witnesses) in a 35 mph zone. The impact pushed the car into a utility pole. Three of the kids died either on the scene or shortly after. The driver died Tuesday morning at 5:00 am.

I have lived through my own grief and witnessed tragedy around me often enough to not ask why anymore. There is no good answer. I believe, I have to believe, that everything will make sense when I cross over from this life into the next. But while here on earth, the grief and tears continue. We didn't attend the candlelight vigil at the athletic field last night, but we watched from our living room. We say we can't imagine what the parents of those four young people are going through, but we can. Just a bit. And we don't want to.

It is human nature to get caught up in our daily lives and take good health, friendship, safety, and the well-being of our kids for granted. I wouldn't want every walk out the door to become a dramatic farewell lest it be the last good-bye, but a tragedy like this does make us think. It scares us. The people I love know that I love them. I think. I hope.

To my friends and acquaintances in blog-land: I am enjoying all aspects of blogging. Writing mine and reading yours. This is now part of my morning routine. Throughout the day I see things that make me think of various bloggers, some of which I have never corresponded with, but their style has left an impression. We all touch many lives, probably more than we'd even guess.

Health and Happiness wishes to all of you.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

In yesterday's post I mentioned that I have quite a few little decorative ceramic boxes. They are all hinged and some have a little surprise inside. First we have the holidays represented. The little bear goes inside Santa in his sleigh. The others do not contain any treasures. Second from the right is the classic (old style) Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

This gingerbread house came with a mouse with a tray of food and a very full tummy. Inside the lid is some very wise advice.

The apple holds the green worm, the purse holds a brush, comb and mirror, and the pea pod holds two smiling little peas.

Fresh breakfast foods from the farm anyone? Here is a pig with bacon, a chicken and rooster with a carton of eggs, and a cow and calf with a container of milk.

Thank goodness for modern appliances! The sewing machine comes with scissors and thread. The refrigerator has a bottle of milk. The dryer has one white sock and a pair of briefs (even little dryers lose socks!). The iron has a can of starch and the toaster has a slice of toast.

Last, but not least, we have snacks for the kids, food for the grown-ups and cigars for those who indulge. The animal crackers have an elephant cookie, Cracker Jacks has a whistle, Life Savers has a cherry candy, and the Popsicles has an orange popsicle. Four cigars go inside the cigar box. Hershey's has a candy bar. Swanson's TV dinner has fried chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. Wonder bread has half a sandwich inside.

Now that you've seen my collection of little boxes, be on the look out for "Little People", especially if you partake of a bit of brew while celebrating St Paddy's day.

Blue Monday, Metamorphasis Monday

Today is Blue Monday, hosted by Sally at Smiling Sally. Click on the blue jay to visit her blog and see where to look for other Blue Monday posts.

Do you like cute little boxes? I do. I like them even better if they hold a tinier surprise inside. I have a collection of little ceramic boxes. None of them are entirely blue, but these have some blue in them.

The cake has a blue candle, the angel bear has blue wings, the dog has a blue dish, the hot chocolate is in a blue cup and the kiss candy has the brand "Hershey's" in blue.

The angel bear has holds a smaller bear, and the hot cocoa has a spoon and lump of sugar inside. Here they are on the saucer.

Tomorrow I will have pictures of my other miniatures.

Today is also Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Click on the butterfly to visit her blog and join in the fun!

My met began with a clearance sale. Two 50 gr skeins of yarn for $3. I had just bought a book of shawl patterns and thought I remembered how much I needed. I did run short and had to purchase some skeins at full price, but the majority of the shawl was done with the clearance purchase.

The yarn is Patons Brilliant. It has a bit of metallic gold in it, but not so much that it too dressy for my lifestyle, nor hard to care for.

Click on the photos to enlarge if you wish. The shawl was done in two pieces and joined (grafted) in the middle. I started out using bamboo knitting needles which I liked a lot. Santa, in the form of my dear hubby, brought me a set of Harmony knitting needles from KnitPicks. Oh my....I am in love with them! They feel so good in my hands and are so pretty to look at.

Here is the finished shawl. After watching me take the first photo, Bill offered to take one of me wearing the shawl. I asked him to concentrate on the shawl. He sure did...he cut my head right off!

We have a wedding to attend Memorial Day weekend. I think this will be perfect for a room possibly too cooled by air conditioning.

I should have done this years ago.....

I should have done many things years ago.

I should have initiated an exercise program that would have strengthened my back so that something strenuous like sneezing or picking lint off the floor wouldn't occasionally cause muscle spasms.

I should have gone back to Weight Watchers when I had gained 10 pounds instead of being embarrassed and convinced I could do it on my own this time. You don't need to know how many years ago or pounds ago that was.

I should have scrapbooked my sons' lives as they were growing up. But scrapbooking wasn't the big hobby that it is today, and no one considered there would be whole stores dedicated to scrapbooking. If you told someone 25 years ago that there would be a scrapbooking store next to a nail salon (not a beauty parlor!) in a strip mall with either a nation wide coffee shop or an adult novelty store with full window displays, let's just say they would have laughed in your face. But I digress. Often.

My little boys are 6 feet tall and decades old. The one thing I did right with most of the pictures over the years was to write the date and event on the back of them. The older stinker got a scrapbook last fall that covered birth through graduation with a few pages of his days in the Marines at the end. I sorted the younger stinker's photos at the same time, but needed a break before starting again. Younger stinker bought a house and I did a small scrapbook that chronicled a surprise party we had for him along with the before and after pictures of his house. There are lots of photos of father and son working together on his house that make my heart swell and my eyes leak.

A week ago I decided to plunge into the birth through graduation scrapbook for stinker #2. My pages look nothing like the wonderful pages displayed in scrapbook stores or on the blogs of dedicated scrappers. I have too many photos over too many years for that kind of detail. The boys don't know that someone else would have done it differently. They just know their mom loves them.

Who wouldn't love this face? These pictures were taken when stinker #2 was three years old.

He still likes to sleep on the couch, but don't tell him I told you.

At the rate I am going, I should have this project done by Easter if I stop reading blogs, cooking or cleaning. I've given up the last two this week, but it hasn't really helped much.

The Knitting Circle

I don't usually post book reviews, but I have to comment on The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood.

First of all, how do you choose a book if it hasn't been recommended and isn't on your tried and true list of authors? I admit that the cover of the book sometimes grabs my attention, but the blurb or excerpt on the back or inside dust cover is what seals the deal for me.

This is what is on the back cover "After the loss of her only child, Mary Baxter finds herself unable to read or write, the activities that used to be her primary source of comfort. She reluctantly joins a knitting circle as a way to fill her lonely days - not knowing it will change her life. As they teach Mary new knitting techniques, the women in the circle also reveal their own secrets of loss, love and hope. With time, Mary is finally able to tell her own story of grief, and in so doing finds the spark of life again."

I probably would not have chosen this book based on that description. It could be a depressing story and I don't want depressing right now. My sister-in-law read this book and handed it me, telling me it a good read. She is right.

You don't need to be a knitter to understand the knitting references, and you don't need to worry that the book deals with agonizing details of death. You will feel Mary's grief, probably because the author experienced the loss of a child herself and Mary's words are her own.

The book is about moving through a hard place with the help of friends. It reminds us that we don't know what has happened or is currently happening in someone's life. We have all had pain. We can all have joy again. We can all be a friend. We can all have hope.

This clip is Ann Hood talking about both the book and her own experience with grief.
http://www.annhood.us/books/knitting

16 Days Until Spring!!!

While I am not thrilled with losing an hour of sleep this weekend when we change our clocks for daylight savings time, I am very happy that there are only 16 days left until Spring begins! Do you know what this means? The end of Michigan snorkeling season!

My local sister-in-law (as opposed to my two long distance ones) just told me about a knit shop that has open knitting on Sunday afternoons. I hope to check it out this weekend if my day remains open. My goal is to look classically serene while I knit, just like Mona here. Think she ever drops a stitch?










I've had an unusually hectic week so far and the rulers of the internet haven't been friendly. I've had trouble replying to some blogs because of slow loading pages and network time outs. Could the internet have spring fever too?





Bartender, a round of sunshine and happiness for everyone, on me.

A Blue Met Monday

Today I am participating for the first time in Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps On The Porch. Click on the butterfly to check out her blog and find other participants.

This post also qualifies as Blue Monday post. Blue Monday is hosted by Smiling Sally. Click on the bluejay to visit her blog and find more Blue Monday posts.


I had a painting hanging in my upstairs bathroom until early December when I decided it looked better in the family room. For the month of the December, a Christmas greeting hung on the nail where the painting had been.

I have so many snowmen in my collection, I now wait until January to display them. A small wall quilt was the next item to hang on the bathroom's nail.

Snow is done as far as I am concerned (here that Mother Nature?) so I packed the quilt away with the snowmen figures.

I stared at that bare nail for a week. (Met Monday posters, imagine a photo of a white wall with a nail in it to serve as the before picture )

This was not good.

I don't know what should or will take permanent residence in that spot, but until then, SOMETHING had to hang from that nail. One of my internet buddies had shared a project and a link to instructions. Here is the link to The Tom Girls who are having a lot of creative fun with canvas.

Here is my project. It was easy and inexpensive. I bought three 5x7 canvases on sale at a craft store. I painted them white with acrylic paint. Originally I was going to use the tropical fish photos shown here , but I decided those colors were too vivid for the look I wanted. I chose three abstracts instead and printed them on glossy paper.

Using a foam brush, I painted a coat of Mod Podge on the dry canvases, and a coat on the back of the photos. Position the photos on the canvas and press to assure good contact. I did this one at a time as the photos want to curl a bit when you apply the Mod Podge.

I finished the sides of the canvas with ribbon held in place with photo tape from my scrapbooking supplies. The wider ribbon is doubled over a D-ring. I stitched the ribbon under the ring before stapling the canvases to the ribbon.

Ta-da! Done! Easy and inexpensive!



When I find or paint the perfect piece of art for this space, this wall hanging will move into a spare bedroom. That lonely bathroom nail has a purpose in life again, and I am happy.