Flyday Friday

Good morning. This week has flown by so fast. Before you know it Christmas will be here, huh? To tell you the truth I am so ready for cool weather.

This heat has worn us down. Me anyways. I hate when I get home and it's too hot to even stand outside. I love being outside. But when you're doing nothing but standing and you're pouring sweat, forget it. I'm off into the house. I get more crocheting done but once in a while I like to be outside.

I had promised Kylie some wrist warmers and then that little project kind of fell to the wayside because of others, until she said to me one day on Skype, 'how's my wrist warmers coming along granny?' So I had to whip them out, and whip them out I did. I was mad with myself because they only took me one evening and I could have had them done right after I told her I would make her some. So I sent them to her, along with a couple little somethings for Bella because I can't send one something and not the other. I didn't tell her they were coming.

I had colored the outside of the box with hearts, peace signs, balloons, a KilRoy (do you remember, or know what that is?), flowers, a kitty face and a very poor imitation of Leo on the box end with 'Where's Leo?' written on one of the sides. I bet the people at the post office that saw the box laughed. I had a wonderful time coloring it up for my grand babies. :o) And Kylie had the best time looking at it. She didn't know what the peace signs were. And she giggled when she saw the 'Where's Leo?' then looked all over the box before she found him. She asked me why there was only one kitty. This granny is not an artist....that's why. LOL. Hey, I got my giggles and smiles so it was all worth it. She loved the wrist warmers too. She wants me to make her some more out of the school colors so that she'll be able to wear them to school (they have uniforms and can only wear approved attire/colors). So she was supposed to ask yesterday at orientation if she would be allowed to wear certain colored wrist warmers. I haven't heard back yet.

I really love Skype, especially since it's free. It warms my heart to see Bella and she says 'hi granny'. Before our Skype life she had no clue that I existed. Sad huh? And Kylie...what a character that child is. My daughter tries to shield her from so much so that she'll have a normal childhood. But there's only so much you can shield them from.

Case in point - My daughter and her girls had been out somewhere and came home. One of the neighbors was out in her driveway looking not so happy. So she(my daughter) asked what was wrong. Well it seems that a boy down the street (who just happened to be out in his yard at the time) took the neighbor's child's bike right out of their open garage. Another neighbor saw it happen. To make a long story short, now Kylie is worried (nervous was her terminology) about her stuff that she cherishes being taken from her. She went through this long, detailed explanation of what she did to hide her most cherished possessions (including the afghan I made for her)so that he wouldn't find them and take them. I felt so bad for her and tried to explain that it was doubtful that this person was going to come take her possessions and that her daddy had put up her and Bella's bikes so that no one would take them. But my heart still went out to her. 6 years old and having to worry about someone coming to take her stuff. A 6 year old shouldn't have to worry about things like that.

I hate what this world is coming to and frankly I don't see it getting any better. I didn't have to grow up like this and I wish kids growing up now didn't have to either. Of course this is a 'head in the clouds' attitude, kinda sorta, but I can't help how I feel either. We're supposed to want better for our kids, grandkids, great grandkids, etc. And I do, but I don't see it happening, at the moment anyways. Sigh....I'd love to scoop her up and tell her that she won't have to worry about anything like that but sadly I can't.

Well time to get to it. I think it's going to be a busy day and a busy weekend. Pray for cool!!! LOL. I like heat but it's been way too hot for way too long this summer. I hope where ever you are that you stay cool and have a wonderful day and weekend!!
TTFN
Kat xoxox

PS/Vicki's HD hotpad turned out fairly decent. The pics don't do the color justice. It's so hard to get true color pics. The coasters I made for a lady who offered to do our 'glamour shots' for free. Mine was crochet themed. I was behind Bella's 12 point star blankie that I'm working on and I look naked behind it (though I have on a shirt and shorts). I can't wait to see how they turn out!!

Life

Gee, I don't know where to begin this post. I've been away, so to speak. My father of 53 years passed two weeks ago tomorrow. When I say 'my father of 53 years' I mean that he was my father for 53 years. I know everyone goes through this, and I am not an exception, but I'm having a really hard time dealing with this. For many reasons.

He was 81....would have been 82 on Dec. 7th - Pearl Harbor Day. He's been sick recently, had pneumonia a couple of times this year, and he's had a pacemaker for years. But my dad didn't die of sickness. He died because he forgot. He was changing out three electrical receptacles for insurance purposes to bring them up to code (GFI), had turned the electric off to change them out, had turned the electric back on to test them to make sure they worked and forgot to turn the electric back off to push them back into their holes and put the plates back on to cover them up. He somehow grounded out and shorted his pacemaker out. My son found him.

Three very important men in my life have left me in the last two years. Jeff first, my best friend, Leo's human daddy. His 2 year anniversary is Sept. 6th. PeeWee, Leo's biological daddy, left me this last February. And now dad. I know I'm being selfish, and that I should be thankful for having them for as long as I've had them. Somehow all of that is escaping me.

Dad didn't want any services, no obituary. All he wanted was to be cremated. As a matter of fact he told me in the last two years, several times, that no one would know that he was dead and gone until long after it happened. That included all of his children. I gave him hell several times about that. And I thought I was selfish! I told him that wasn't fair to the rest of us who loved him.

As it turned out we all were notified that he was gone. Thankfully. I'm not sure that I could forgive him that, if we weren't notified. But we did respect his wishes on the other stuff. That's what he wanted, that's the way it went down. I guess he didn't realize that maybe some of us needed that kind of grieving. That we may have needed to get together to tell some of the stories of our youth and share some love and part of his life, now gone. He just wanted it to be another day in life. That day in life left a void in my heart. A void that wasn't there for 53.5 years of my life.

I've always heard that death is for the living. Maybe he never heard that before. I would have thought so because he was with us through the death of our mother from cancer, at the tender ages we were. My youngest sister was 7, I was 14, with 3 others in between. He somehow managed to forget my birthday that year because her funeral was on my birthday. I didn't have a 15th birthday. I forgave him a long time ago for that, and he never knew for a lot of years until one of my sisters told him, and even then he didn't believe it until he asked me about it. Like I said, I forgave him for it a long time ago, but it's had it's repurcussions on me my whole life. My own private hell, if you will.

I just wonder what he thought we were going to do...go about our daily lives as if nothing had happened? I have been really lost since this happened. Two of my sisters said that there's really no reason to come, that I might as well stay here. Which they're kind of right, because there's nothing I can do there. But by the same token I was so upset that I couldn't work here. Work sent me home. So there I was at home, me and Mr. Lick Lick (thankfully I have him), I couldn't crochet or do anything. It took me 3 days to finally be able to sit and crochet. But all I could do was sit there and think, about my whole life and him and how there was now this hole again in my heart.

And wouldn't you know it......all of a sudden there were questions I wanted to ask him. Why in the hell couldn't I have thought of them before? These were questions that no one but him could answer. These were questions that I now could not get answers to.

I did somehow have the foresight to send him a little letter back in May that basically told him how much I loved him, and I thanked him for several things in my life. He had just gotten out of the hospital with pneumonia and I wanted to say those things to him before it was too late. I never had a chance to say anything to my mother. I was blindsided by her death, as all of my siblings were, she passed away while in surgery. So I was very glad that I did that. It doesn't lessen my pain but I am very thankful I did that. And my stepmother said he cherished that letter for the little time he had it. I asked for that letter back, mostly because he held it.

My dad lead a simple life and was happy with it. I guess that's all anyone can ask for isn't it? That he was happy with his life as it was.

I was driving home from work one day last week and I saw a vehicle with someone's initials in loving memory and a date on their back shield. And so I thought I might get one like that for my dad. But then I realized that I couldn't do that.......could you just see 'PMS in loving memory 8/3/10'??? (Seriously - those are his initials)

:o) I love you Dad, I miss you terribly.

TTFN
Kat xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Birthday Project of the Harley kind

Happy Monday! I had a few minutes and was just itching to post! It's good to see you. :o)

I knew one of my friends' birthday was coming up, just couldn't remember exactly when in August. So I slowly started on her present and it was going really slow because of all the projects I have been working on. So she calls me Friday and says hey...my birthday is next weekend, can you believe it? Bingo - bongo.....crud...I better get my butt in gear now! So all weekend in between cleaning and laundry and Mr. Lick Lick, I worked on it. I have it all done except putting it together with the outside edges and I will work on that the next two nights at home. But I wanted to give you a sneak peek. I am so happy with this, I hope she is too. She is a 'Harley' collector. Anything that is Harley. Her whole house is nothing but Harley. So I thougth this would fit right in.

I made a chart, and the plan looked feasible but in my crocheting I messed up. I was one post short when I finished the first side, the black side. And I only had the one ball of black and didn't feel like going back to the store for another ball. So I had to refigure and fudge it. Although the end product looks a lot like the chart, it is not. The only thing that is relatively (and not even because I had two go rounds')the same is the bar. The top and bottom are reconfigured. I worried myself for the better part of Saturday trying to figure in my head while crocheting the orange side, how to reconfigure my screw up. I just couldn't get my head wrapped around how to fix it and ended up with a headache. That one missed post really gave me fits in my mind. (Is it an irritant to an OCD thing?)So when it came time I just sat there and did it in my head and counted my x's and put markers where everything would end up so that I didn't screw up again and have to tear out parts. Above is the end result. I am very happy with it.

I guess I can't get in trouble with Harley for it because it's not exactly the Harley bar and shield, so it's not a copyright infringement, but it's close enough for me and my friend - I hope. I think she'll like it.

I also took a break to clear the cobwebs out and made the little smiley man. Isn't he cute? I'd like to make more of his kind. It didn't take me that long and took my mind off of my dilemma for a bit. And he put a smile on my face. I think these would be great to make a bunch and take them to the children's hospital.

So you know I had to include a pic of my little man. He's my life, what can I say?

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and hope the week ahead is just as good if not better! My, how the weeks are flying.......
TTFN
Kat xoxox

Wrist Warmers

Happy Friday Eve!! This week has surprisingly gone pretty quick. Especially given the fact that I have not felt good at all. My back is a little better but I find that I am still in pain this morning. I went back to the doc yesterday and go again in the morning. I think this coming weekend will consist of staying at the hacienda and chillin. I am having company next weekend so I'll need to tidy up what I haven't been able to do. Let's hope that my back will let me and not rebel and act up on me.

Anyways....here are the wrist warmers I have made so far. The blue ones were the first pair. These are made of Red Heart and with a G hook.

The fall looking ones - orange, chocolate and green were made with Caron yarn and an H hook. The picture doesn't do them justice. The orange is simply beautiful. I fell in love with the color. It has a yellow cast to it making the color seem flourescent in a way. And the chocolate and green with it is so much fall, isn't it?

The little purply and pink is a mock up for a child. I had my grand babies in mind. But I think it needs to be bigger. I did this with an F hook. I either need to go back to the G hook or increase the stitching a little more. I had cut the original pattern in half to make this. I guess I need to make the other one and send it to my daughter for Kylie and Bella to try on. Bella is 2, Kylie is 6. And the best thing is to have her measure each of their hands huh? lol. Right....I knew that the whole time.

I started last night on a striped pair of the purply, pink and a dark purple. I'm doing 3 rows to a color for the 33 rows. I'm 3/4 done with the first one and I love it! I probably could have finished it last night but Mr. Lick Lick had other ideas in mind. I think this full moon has him messed up. He has been on my butt to NOT crochet. He puts his face in between my hands and my face and does not give up until I pay him some attention. I was lucky to get done what I did last night.

He is still not liking the chair. I think for the time being, until I get a bigger chair so that we both can fit into, that I am going to let him get his way and I will put the loveseat back. At least if he's laying next to me I can get something done. And that's really all he wants. He's all about the touching. Misty and Pee were the same way. They always had to be touching you, even if it was one little piece of their tail or other part of their body - when they are laying down they need to be touching you. I think he's feeling pretty neglected since I brought the chair home. Soooo....that means I need to move all my stuff around again. Geeeeezzz. What we do for our fur babies huh???

Yesterday I found myself depressed about Pee. I miss him so much. I think about him a lot. He was the first of my JRT's. I have this video of the first day he came home. He was this fat little fur ball full of life and demanding even at that small age. sigh........

I hope your corner of the world is full of life today.
TTFN
Kat xoxo

Monday Pain

Morning.....it's not a good one for me. I am in so much pain I can't stand it! I called the chiropractor earlier and managed to get a 10:15 appt for this morning. THANKFULLY. I think if I had to endure a whole day of this pain I would shoot myself.

It's my lower back on the right side radiating to my hip and around the front. Yesterday I thought it was getting better. I was able to get up and down out of my chair a lot better. I took it easy all day, just doing laundry and general cleaning up, nothing major or heavy. I managed to hook a set of tri-color wrist warmers in orange, chocolate and forest green.

Last night I tossed and turned and each time I did I woke up with the pain in my back. Right now the pain is excruciating getting up out of my chair here at work and I am bent over trying to walk. I can't put the doc off anymore. I want so bad to take a pain pill but I wouldn't be able to finish out the work day if I did.

Sooooo........here's to the doc making me feel better. I hope your day is no where near what mine is!!!
TTFN
Kat xoxo

PS/check this motorcycle out....it's made totally of gourds! Pretty cool huh? Imagine how long it took to make that?

Sleepies

Mr. Lick Lick just can't stand for me to sleep. He had me up at 6 and I went back to bed. I normally can't do that but my back has been killing me and I took a pain med last night. So I was able to lay back down for an hour this morning. Now the little booger is laying on the foot stool sleeping! Tis ok. I'm getting ready to get in the shower to get ready and leave.

I have been outside already and it's soooo humid and hot out there. The weather man said that today was going to be hot with a heat index of 108 to 113. I believe it. I need to remember to take my sun block. It's mighty hot on a bike, the heat of the road, the bike motor and the sun above. My nose always ends up fried when I forget. That hurts.

Have a wonderful day!
TTFN
Kat xoxo

PS/Isn't that a beautiful hydrangea?

Hot Weekend

After a hot week it's going to be a killer hot weekend! Like you didn't know that right? This Georgia summer has been one of the hottest.

I just wanted to tell you to have a wonderful weekend, hopefully it'll be a cool one where you are.

I have two obligations tomorrow and Sunday is free. I will most likely be sucking up a/c, or as much as I can get away with. :o) That means Mr. Lick Lick and I will be hookin away....well....I will be anyways. Leo will be snoozin or watching me or watching out the window.

I hope your weekend is a fun filled happy one!
TTFN
Kat xoxo

PS/This is one pic from our photo shoot last weekend. I love sepia pics. We had new pics taken to put in the boxes that we send over to the troops. They came out awesome!!