Miss VanDroo

Progress

So pleased...I have made eight hexagons for my crocheted blanket - my first ever project using my newly acquired skill.  Yet while I am pleased, progress has stalled.  It seems that one of the yarns suggested by one of the yarn store ladies is throwing my gauge off.  Phooey.  No biggie....I'll use the yarn for something else, and go back for more of the right type.  So what to do with the few *too small* hexes???  Well, I guess that will have to work itself out.

And the tiny quilt is coming along nicely!  See it up there??

Dassa has made progress also.  In the Karate department, she has just acquired her purple belt.  It was well deserved, as she worked hard for it.  (It does help to live with a Sister who is also a Sensei.)

'Til Next Time...

Snip, Snip, Snip

That is the sound my tiny scissors have been making as I tack teeny tiny fabric squares to teeny tiny pieces of paper.  They look like this:

It was a *How To* that sparked all this cutting, snipping and tacking.  I've been at it for a couple weeks now...

I've been arranging the squares in different patterns, trying to see what looks best.  In the end, I do believe a random layout is my preference.  Hopefully, in a couple weeks more, I will have a quilt for the Hittys...
Thank you, Sonata, for the inspiration!!

'Til Next Time...

Growing Girls...

Spring is whizzing by here...it's just incredible how busy this family of five has been.  We did take a break in April, to travel to NYC together.  All of us!  It was grand to be together in one place for four days.  We did tons of walking.  Tons!!  And saw the sights:

It wasn't all fun and games though.  This is what things look like after walking too many miles in NYC with improper footgear:

The girls are growing so, so much.  It is like time-lapse photography.  I swear they grow right before my eyes.  Tater, we believe, is turning into a young Jodie Foster:

And that sweet Dassa!  She turned eight!  Eight!  Just a couple weeks ago.  How time flies:

Pitter is blossoming as well.  If she would let me take a picture of her, I would show you how lovely she is.  Agility is still her *thing* - and she remains obsessed with dogs.  It's been two years, so I'm thinking Pitter has found her passion, yes?  Here she is with Zekie:

Alas, I have yet to get a clear picture of the two of them in class.  Perhaps when we move things outdoors...
In other news, Tater ran track this spring, shaving minutes off her time for the two-mile race:

Tater's *thing* continues to be karate.  She and Dassa both got to participate in the Demo Team for their Dojo this spring.  Dassa was a (nervous) last minute add on, and she rallied, with a smile on her face.  Here is a video of Tater the Ninja.  (Dassa is the sweetpea in the background with the orange belt.)

Good: A handyman brother-in-law who is working at our house right now!
Not-So-Good: A big 'ol laundry pile...and very little motivation to conquer it.  Sigh...
Silliness: The pictures I find on my camera after Pit~Pat has borrowed it:

'Til Next Time...

All Is Well...

...and Spring has sprung!

Good: Zeke and Jax finally have a fence!
Not-So-Good: $65 to fill the gas tank last week!
Super-Duper-Good: I learned to crochet!

Hello There!!!

It's been a while...
We've been busy wrapping up February and diving into March!  A few highlights:

Above, a fifteenth birthday for Tates!  Fifteen!
Below, an Orange belt for Dassa.  So special to have her sister as one of the testing Senseis.  I just adore the expression on Dassa's face - she is so very proud of her accomplishment.  ♥

A visit to see GG - with Pawbee and Boppa.  GG will be 104 in June.  Whoa...

A scarf has been frogged.  I washed the yarn and wound it back into some beautiful skeins of loveliness that will be knit into a *better* scarf someday soon:

Still making weekly treks to agility training with Pitter.  She and Zeke love it so:

We have done quite a bit of babysitting...it's great fun for Dassa (and often Pit-Pat as well), and I usually get in quite a bit of knitting.  One babysitting day, we caught a glimpse of a friend through the trees:

So onward we skip through March!  The snow is melting, the birds are singing...I can't wait for the unfolding of our first Spring in this new house.

Good: Birds singing!
Not So Good: A niggling kidney stone...
Super-Duper-Amazingly Good: Dassa has been in Richmond with her Pawbee for a week, and she'll be home in about an hour's time.  I can't wait to hug my sweet baby girl!

On Valentine's Day...

...I turned the camera over to the girls.  Dan and I teamed up to make a pizza dinner:

Dassa was in charge of table decorations:

The verdict?  Mama Lombardo's Pizza is the "Best Pizza Ever" - endorsed by not one, but all three girls.  It was a St. Valentine's Day miracle!

Good: So cold, but lots of Sunshine today.
Really Super Good: Dassa is home with me this afternoon.
Good to Know: Chocolate Milkshakes help 7 year-olds recover from blood tests pretty well.  Kisses help, too.  ☺

Week's End

This weekend was...
A Pancake Breakfast at Dassa's School:

 

Lots and Lots of knitting this:

Snow (ice) play for Dassa at a friend's house:

Coffee in my new favorite cups:

Love letters from my babies:

An ipod loving pixie:

Hot water bottles...and looking forward to Valentine's Day:

On The Bright Side...

...we won't have to clean gutters on the back of the house come Spring!

Week's End

Color!  We are color-deprived.  All is gray and white here.  Except I must say the sky is a beautiful blue today and there is lots of dripping and melting.  YAY!!! 
There's some color on the kitchen windowsill:

In the cabinets:

On my needles:

Meanwhile, it seems Dassa is looking forward to March:

Not So Good: A Washing Machine that drains onto the basement floor.
Good: A very handy husband!

More Of The Same

I had to laugh when I went back and read my blog...January is All Snow, All The Time...
And Ice.  Let's keep the theme going then, yes?  (snore...)
Here's this morning's view:

Seriously, things aren't dull around here.  The view of yesterday's icicles looks a bit different today:

That's an upstairs window, btw.

We have ice dams...but then again, everyone around these parts does.  It's perfectly normal to drive down the road and see house after house with humans on the roof shoveling snow.  Not that I've driven much lately.  Today was the first day since Monday that I drove anywhere.  Had to free my car from its ice coccoon first.  And to get out of the driveway?  Well, first I back up to the end, then I get out of the car and look down the street.  When there are absolutely no cars coming, I leap back into the car and back up with my fingers crossed and my heart in my chest.

The ceiling in the mudroom is dripping...same for the downstairs bathroom.  This is all new for us, since our previous house was insulated and ventilated properly.  Ice dams...big fun.

Good: Lots of finished knitting.  This one still needs to be blocked to make the edging all pretty and flat:

This one is around my neck right now - not keen on the color, but it is soooo soft and warm:

Not So Good: Sick Dassa
Really Not So Good: More Sleet/Snow/Ice on its way