Meme's Bragging Rights

Hudson ... yes, the hair has reddish highlights, and his eyes are blue.  Three months and about three weeks.  He was the recipient of the Nebraska sweater that I knit last fall, which is now outgrown by a long shot.  He is such a big boy!

AND, I have one more baby boy from last winter, but unfortunately I have not gotten to meet Jack yet.  Sigh ...

Arts Festival!

Yesterday was a fun day spent at the Main Street Arts Festival in downtown Fort Worth. Because of parking concerns, my guest, Marian, and I went there on the Trinity Railway Express. We landed just east of Main Street, and took off to lunch at Grace, owned /operated by family. And had wine, assorted hor d'oerves, and bumped up against other family that turned up for the same thing. We then walked the mile or so up then down Main Street looking at the beautiful art of all types. My house has 6 pieces that I have purchased in previous years. Fun fun event.

Jack

At last, I have a photo of Jack in his first few days.  He is a dandy!  He is Boy #2 in this time of many babies coming into our lives.  Four more to come in the fall.  Isn't he a sweetheart?

He is so fresh in this photo that his eyes are barely open .  .  . and no, I did not make the sweater. 

Two down, four to go. 

Great-grandmother!

My eldest granddaughter has had two miscarriages, and wants a baby very much.  Her doctor found a problem that he has been treating, and she is pregnant again -- with twins!  The sonogram shows two placentas, so they are not identical.

Her younger sister is also preggers, both sisters due in early October.  Younger sister is also expecting maternal twins!  What are the statistical odds of that? 

I will need to do a lot of knitting!  I am still awaiting pix of another January great-grandchild.  So we are really busy with babies.  That is six babies in ten months (counting the December grandson). 

My son is in a state of shock - he will have two sets of twin grandchildren at almost the same time.  

Meantime, I am finishing up my zebra socks.  The needles are size 0, which is a challenge to my eyes whenever I am on a black stripe!  But I love the black/white.

I am also about to put the Husker's beloved Mustang on the market.  He was very good about taking care of his favorite car ever, so it is in very good condition.  Someone will buy a jewel of a GTO convertible.  I hate to part with it, but I don't need two cars in the garage for just me. 

Grammies and Birthdays

The Boys were nominated for Grammies in TWO categories (Best Country Duo/Group and Best Country Song).  They did not win, but we were all very excited.  You can bet we all  watched on February 10th!  Meanwhile, Wife #2 (and lead grandma) hosted a Grammies and Birthdays after-party yesterday, the 17th.  There are birthdays among us in February for the two brothers as well as granddog, Sydney.  Any excuse for a party!

The real star was Hudson, of course.  As #2 put it, he demonstrated his 7-week-old tricks.  He also warmed a lot of laps.   This is his very cute birth announcement (photo at about 2 weeks).  Here's looking at ya!  MY photo taken right off the refrigerator door.  Yes, it is b-and-w.








Meanwhile, I am getting my knitting mojo back and have completed the first of my watermelon socks, courtesy of Abi Grasso's skilled hand painted yarn. 

Changes

I have spent the  month of January not knitting.  Such an amazing change.  It is sorta a reflection of how my life is changing without Husker beside me.  Since his passing in October, Husker's grandson was born, the TV does not run from mid-afternoon until midnight, I am reading more, and my workouts have picked up steam.

The biggest change is that one evening last week I called the cable company and did away with the landline, and cut back on the cable channels.  I had wanted to do away with the landline for years, but Husker resisted.  He was also the one who watched all the sports channels.  The next morning, as I was digging into my granola, I heard a foreign beep.  Just as a mother recognizes her own child's cry, and you instantly know that a text message has arrived, I realized that the deed had really been done.  I checked the landline, and sure enough -- it was dead.  There was a knock at the door, and there stood the technician to change out the cable box.   So now I am not paying for channels that no one watches, and I have become cell-phone-only.  I feel like I lost weight. 

The other big change is that I have become more regular with my workouts, and  I really  have lost weight -- 12 pounds since Thanksgiving.   I am back in yoga and back in the swimming pool.  While Husker was ill, I cut back on my exercise routine except for taking short neighborhood walks. 

However, the knitting is beckoning.  I got out the swift and yarn winder a few days ago and wound 10 hanks of sock yarn.  I have started another pair in a dark brown, but ran into a problem.  I struggle with dark yarn because I cannot see it well enough, and the yarn that I purchased via the internet is just too dark.  I pulled it out because I could not see the pattern well enough to stay on pattern.  I re-started and will make a plain stockinette pair.  It feels refreshing to have something on the needles again. 

Things to do when you finally get an unscheduled day

While I rarely seem to have a day without something that must be done right then or which has an appointment to be there or there, today is different.  My only definitive plan for today was canceled due to illness -- not me, her.

So ... I have time to update my blog, drool over new patterns, etc.  I looked through my stash of patterns and saw something that I have wanted to make for a very long time, but kept getting sidetracked.  So today, I am going to go to MadTosh retail and get some Earl Grey bulky to make the Bandana Cowl to go with my Earl Grey socks.  I have been so busy with work, etc., since Christmas that I have finished my last FO and have not started another.  Gotta fix that shortcoming! 

I shall also go to the gym - yes I will - no skipping out!

Having trouble with that New Year's resolution?  Who isn't!  I did find a dandy little app to help me, and since Thanksgiving, I have lost 8 pounds.  It is a very motivating little tool that tracks calories in and calories out (aka exercise).  It is called My Fitness Pal.

I have also noticed (Yeah!!!) that it is time to pull out the smaller swimsuit to do my laps.  Ten more pounds to go.