Happy Birthday Miss J

My oldest has a birthday today!! Where did the time go and WHY is she already acting like a teenager?? Did I seriously miss some days, months, years, of my life somewhere along the way?

One thing I remember about the morning I went into labor with her was that I was totally craving biscuits and gravy, and when I called the hospital they said "don't eat!". Talk about being BUMMED OUT!! Okay, she was totally worth it (even though she didn't come OUT until the next day via c-section), but isn't it funny how that sticks with me? I've never forgotten that! It just isn't the same when you only get popcicles, broth, or ice chips! Yes, We had a tough time getting her to come out, and that stubborn streak is still very evident these days but she's still a blessing we're always thankful for. (Remind me of that tomorrow and the next day and the next day...and the next day...)

**This picture was taken last summer (do I look like a Mom who will never let go?). This summer she's still beautiful of course, but like that Cruise commercial on TV, the "elusive smile" of a child her age is about as rare as finding a needle in a haystack, hence, not very many suitable pics to share. I don't care, I still wuv her. She's always going to be my baby.

Oh, and She's quite thrilled that her birthday is on a MONDAY - AND she has to go to school. Poor Poor Baby! We shall have to get her some ice cream.

Happy Happy Birthday Sissy!

Knitting?? What knitting???

Less than 24 hours...

that the girls have been away from me & The Big Guy. I keep expecting them to come in and bug me. It's so darn "quiet" that I'm going nuts. On those days when they're fighting like crazy, have a tangy tongue when they answer me back, or can't keep their hands to themselves, I just want to be left alone.

Then I drop them off with their Grandparents for a week. And the quiet is almost too much. I miss my crazy kids like crazy.

Last summer I was without them for two whole months but I was so preoccupied with my Mom's health that time just flew by. It's different being "home" without them. Since moving here when they were small, we never had family around to dump them on, so we're one "tight knit family unit" by circumstance. It's just weird to be on our own. Two parents who don't have anybody to boss around. Just weird. Well, there are the cats...if we could find them.

Of course when the girls get back I'll be wishing I could drop them off for another week (or two).

I love the drive to Gm & Gp's house. I stopped by The Yarn Patch of course and found out I missed their big sale on Saturday! :( So I had to buy a couple of things to cheer me up. The good news is they're getting ready for lots of new yarns soon...

It's funny, the news says that people are slowing down with gas prices so high, but I saw license plates from over half the states of this great land on I-40. Trust me, with that traffic - not too many people are "staying home". That's the most out-of-towners I've ever counted. (Just a thing I do to make time pass by). I got really home sick seeing a trucker from Selma, CA, which is one of my old town's neighbors. boohoohoo. CA people I see on the road must think Tennesseans are totally batty because I get so excited to see a CA plate that I wave everytime. (They don't always see me do it! I'm not that weird!)

On a happier note, Miss Dawn's Birthday is tomorrow and she got my little package in time so I'm jazzed about that. As rotten as I feel these days, I never thought I'd make it on time! That was truly a miracle! Wishing you a Super Awesome Birthday Dawn!!!

Here's a little something I knit for her and I hope it doesn't fall apart:

I thought it came out pretty and I even worked my first provisional cast on. I AM the fearless knitter this year.

I used: Dale of Norway "Stork" which is a fine mercerized cotton. It's really soft, a little thicker than I had wanted, but it's perfect for a washcloth. The pattern is from Fiber Trends Bathing Beauties. I love these patterns, they're very delicate and feminine.

I'm off to enjoy a piece of Chocolate Silk Pie in honor of Dawn's birthday. I just love celebrations!!

Cool ZooMobile

I had to pick up a couple of books from the library yesterday (YES! I actually got out of the house! It's an absolute miracle!) and I was excited that the Zoomobile would be there so the girls could enjoy it.

Well...lets just say that my expectation of their excitement was premature. They're growing up faster than I care for. They love animals, they just weren't as enthused as I thought they'd be.

And...there were mostly smaller kids there, BUT it's not like mine are 16 yet! geez!! We ended up staying (my choice) and I think they enjoyed it after all. Especially after my oldest found out that when she's 13 she can volunteer at the zoo. Right now she can attend zoo camp, but later is when she'll really get to be more hands on with helping out. She's totally jazzed, only a little more than a year to go. Of course, will her desire still be there in one year?? I sure hope so. We have so many books on mammels, sea life, reptiles, birds, etc. that she's amassed over the years you'd think we had our own library. She's a huge animal lover.

The Zoo goes around to different library branches and brings small animals to show. This snake was the second one, the first was a huge lizard thingy that lives in the rainforest. I can't remember where this snake came from, I'm not a huge fan of them so it blew right by me...oh, I do remember that it's some kind of rat snake, maybe from Africa.


This was the best though, this is a little fox from the Sahara Desert and it was just the cutest little thing! All the kids got to pet his back. I just wanted to take him home, until I saw his claws and teeth. We'll let Mr. Foxy stay in his own den.
His ears keep him cool in the desert. Aren't they cute?

I was a happy camper and learned a little knowledge that I didn't know before. It makes me wish I could volunteer at the zoo. But I can't even get thru one episiode of Meerkat Manor (it just breaks my heart) and my kids can watch with no problem. She's probably the better choice and she's been an Animal Planet watcher since she was a toddler. Keeping my fingers crossed that she'll still want to do this in the near future. xx