Love Letters...

Received this morning:

Dear Noni,

I miss you terribly these days. I melt down into tears when Mommy tells me it's "only" two and a half weeks until I see you. That's too "y-ong." Are we going to Chuck E. Cheese's when you come see us? I really want to go there with you and Pop Pop.

Yesterday Mommy asked me to tell her what I love about you. I told her, "Because I 'y-ove' her so, so, so, so, so, so much!" That answer didn't seem to satisfy because she kept asking. And I kept giving her the same answer. Oh, but once I did say that I y-oved that you and Pop Pop almost always have a prize for me when you see me!

I asked Mommy to give me a picture of you and me, and this is what she found. Do you y-ove it? I y-ove it! I'm holding on to it for the next two and a half weeks until we can get a new one made together. =)

XOXO,
Alex

My Precious, Precious Alex,

Sometimes Noni has melt downs missing you, too.  It breaks my heart to be so far from you... and in the times, once in October and again in December, that you in your most earnest and sincere way ask me why God would want us to be so far apart... it breaks even more.  I cannot believe He does.  But, I answer you that many times we cannot understand God's plan for our lives. 

You are so very serious and smart and kind.  You are a great protector and a lover of family.  You shine the light of God's love everywhere you go... in every life you touch... especially in mine.

I do so love that sincere heart of yours... you are your mother's child... and she her mother's.  Blood of my blood, heart of my heart, soul of my soul.  I do not know why we have to be so far apart... but, I do know that no matter where you are or what you are doing, my love never wavers or diminishes... it only grows.  And, when your mother asks you why you love me so much... and you answer that you "just y-ove her"... that is it.  We do just love each other.  Unconditionally.  Unchangeably. Forever and ever.  Period.  We are very, very blessed by that... no matter how many miles separate us.

I love you to the moon and back... bigger than the sky, my sweet Alex... Share that same love with your precious brother, Roo for me... until I can swoop you both into my arms in ONLY two and a half weeks...

Bigger than the sky... Noni
PS I think this is going to be more fun than Chuck E Cheese.  ;)

Happy Accident and Happy Moments

The last knitting project of 2013 was a Happy Accident (Details are here).  I'm tickled pink over how my Roo Vest turned out. 

When my daughter and grandsons are in town for their annual December visit, I will not lie… I go through withdrawals from my LYS. However, we make NUMEROUS trips to Hobby Lobby for Christmas projects, etc. In my desperation, I fondled this yarn and LOVED the way it felt. I surmised it might enlarge the Baby Sophisticate enough to make Roo a larger version than his first.
Almost as soon as I started it, I recognized it was going to be MUCH larger than Roo could wear… and I had a secret hope it might be large enough for me. ;)

After they headed home, I picked it back up… did a little math and decided it would work perfectly… and, I decided to make it with cap-like sleeves, more like a vest (which I love to wear… way more than sweaters).  It was indeed a Happy Accident!

Just a few Christmas memories...

If one is good, two must be even better!! 

I'll hold these precious moments in my heart until I can hold these sweet angels in my arms again...

I miss them...

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
1 Peter 5:7

blessings ~ tanna

Beach Time with The Little Men

Oh, the week was so SHORT!  I loved every. single. minute. of time with The Little Men & Co..  We enjoyed the Y-azy Y-iver (Lazy River) lots and lots and lots of times!!  Alex, who no longer wants to be referred to as Little Man because he is "big", jumped in and raced Roo and I around... passing us every time.

There were also lots of sand castles built... and torn down.  Roo enjoyed eating the sand off his squid's legs in spite of his Momma's and my admonishments NOT to eat it. 

There were miles of beach walks and shell seeking.

And, oh, the miles of "HAAS-soc BAWL" (soccer ball to the rest of you) with Little Roo.  That little-two-year-old-running-machine chased his ball TIRELESSLY up and down, back and forth, all around the beach... he took turns wearing the rest of us down.  His Noni LOVED her time trying to keep up!!  Zachary told me I finally had my Runner.  ;)  I believe I do. 

There were sugars and shells, waves and wonder, magic and merriment... all passing much too quickly... Now, to get settled back into life without the Little Men & Co....

{{sigh}}

"It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes life worth living."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes


I hope everyone has had a wonderful week... I'll be catching up as soon as I can.

blessings ~ tanna

Class or Cop Out: Analysis of The Unloved

Ugh.  I'd still been forcing myself along on The Unloved.  Why is it The Unloved?  I've tried really hard to figure that one out (so as to avoid this situation in the future!).  I'm all for learning from your mistakes so you don't have to keep repeating them.

The yarn?  Nope, it is a beautiful silk.  Slips through my fingers like butter.  Now, the color... not the one I really wanted.  But, let's face it, pale yellow does NOT look all that great on fair folk.

The lace (even on the purl side)?  Nope, I love knitting lace.  Keeps my focus WAY better than simple knits, which I continually have to "fix" because I've strayed off path.

So, what gives?  I've had advice from putting it aside to just plain frogging (for you non-knitters, that's just unraveling the whole thing).  But, I HATE starting things and not finishing them.  And, really, it's looking pretty good.  Still, it is like W.O.R.K. for me to get anything done on this one.

Enter:  Entrelac Class at our LYS. 

Perfect excuse for putting The Unloved aside for awhile.  After all, the class started on Friday; I had to START mine then, too.  Right?  It is a class, not a cop out.  Right?

Well,  you might fall for that if you didn't know:

1)  I've done entrelac before.
2)  I'm not using the class pattern.
3)  How STUCK I've been on The Unloved.

All I'll say is that the frustrations and disappointments of my busy past two weeks began to f.a.l.l. a.w.a.y. Friday afternoon as the little squares of Noro emerged from my knitting needles.  Each stitch soothed my soul and the world righted itself in the simple repetitive motion.

I think I understand why I have had issues with The Unloved.   You see the pattern for the entrelac?  It is a shawl.  Next, you'll see the beautiful silk is trying to become a bolero. 

Apparently, it is not just the knitting process that I love; it is the object I am creating.  The deal seems to be:  I JUST LIKE DOING SHAWLS.  I have hardly ever worn a sweater I've made.  I just don't.  But, my shawls... they are part of my everyday life.  They wrap me in beautiful color and texture and make me smile...

And, they soothe that part of my heart that misses... The Little Man.

He turns four today.  It hardly seems anytime since I drove 16 hours... just to welcome him into our lives... and hold him in my arms.  Oh, I love this child.   Happy Birthday, Little Man.  Your Noni loves you and your Little Brother to the moon and back... bigger than the sky and all the stars...

"Between grief and nothing I will take grief."  William Faulkner, 1949

Hoping you solve a little mystery in your own life today... blessings ~ tanna

Little Folk Love...

There is no greater joy than seeing happiness on the face of your loved ones... (check out those two little teeth!)

And, it is the simplest of things that can bring that happiness...

Through the eyes of a child... all is new again...

Velvet, our little assassin cat who is getting on in age, enjoyed the attention of a babe, too... well... maybe not so much... but she was a super good sport letting Little Lady get in her loves...

Stolen from Amanda

The other side of the joy in seeing the happiness on their faces is the sorrow of missing out on special times... Our Little Roo had his big 2nd birthday  and here... far, far away...

Stolen from Amanda

And, our precious Little Man had his end of year programs... This one from the Cubbies class of Awana... far, far away...  Noni misses you so much.

Children... and Grandchildren... bring your greatest joys and your greatest sorrows... In some ways, life would definitely be easier without them; but, I would have never reached the zeniths... nor the nadirs... Thank you, God, for the blessings You have given.

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." 
~ Leo Buscaglia

blessings ~ tanna

A Week of Fun!!

Last week, the Little Men & Co. were in town for a couple of days!  We so enjoyed their visit!

This crew enjoyed lots of fun at the Discovery Place Science Center.  The room with the Kinetic experiments is at the top of the list for the Little Men.  They LOVED rolling the golf balls down all the different ramps. 

My Little Big Man loved this room the very first time he visited it when he was about his brother's age.  It has not lost a bit of fascination for him!

Then, I was fortunate enough to get to take Little Lady on her first modeling job for Annie's. Pretty fun to watch four adults and a professional photographer wrangle the styling for their photo shoot.   

Later in the week, we made our first visit to Rose Path Weaving (Noni's home away from home).  Can't you just tell she loved the Madelinetosh of my friend, Laura's beautiful sweater?  She did manage to spit up a little of her prunes from lunch on it.  I think she may have been trying to claim it for herself!  

My brother, Jeff and his wife, Brenda pulled into town for the weekend.  The WHOLE week was just chocked full of sweet visits.  You just have to love that!  Whew! Now, to catch up!!  ;)

blessings ~ tanna

Snow Mail and Dreambird

My Big Little Man wanted to share some of his snow adventures this past week in an e-mail:

Dear Noni,

I love you so much. Here's a picture of me playing in the snow. And one of Roo, too, who was having fun on the porch swing while I made snowballs.

XOXO,
Alex



I have a feeling it won't be too long before he is able to send e-mails all on his own the way he handles his Dad's and Pop Pop's iPads!  Love. love. love these e-mails (and that he shares his Momma's photography skills with his Noni).  Just makes my day!


Then, there was this sweet, sweet Little Angel and her Daddy that popped up on my phone while I was on the way to BSF last night!!  Talk about making a Noni smile!  Thank you, Candice!  She is growing so very fast.



And, slowly the Dreambird is growing.  I've been frustrated by days with no knitting at all.  But, I am loving the way it is turning out.  After the third feather, you really don't even have to look back at the pattern... very intuitive flow. 

Thank you to the Little Mommas who make my days... ;)

blessings ~ tanna

The Vote is In...

The vote is in!!   Thank you so much to all who contributed to this process!!  We voted:

Keep it green:       11

Like green, but defer to BLM's love of dark b-yue (myself in this category):        8

B-yue:        8 (including one VERY important vote of Big Little Man)

The B-yue wins it 16 - 11

Thanks again for making this a fun project!!

blessings and thanks ~ tanna

Monster Mail

Dear Noni,

I asked Mommy to take my picture with my monster creation. When she showed it to me, I asked her to send it to you. I love you and miss you! All my love and hugs.

To the moon and back – bigger than the sky!
Alex



I was so excited to receive this sweet e-mail from my Big Little Man.  He LOVES monsters.  And, I was very, very happy he wanted to share his beautiful little monster creation with his Noni... from miles and miles away.  Melts my heart.

Then, for just a moment, I was a bit wistful about the dark b-yue (that's blue), not light b-yue Monster Hat that had been lost before he even got his mouth sewn on at Christmas.  Oh, the struggles to create a hat that passed Big Little Man's approval!  He is very sure of the things he yikes (likes) and he doesn't yike.  Nothing wishy-washy about this Little Man.  Nothing. 

To tell the truth, the Monster Hat really didn't pass the test either.  He did not like the green trim; it's all about the b-yue.  And, while his mom and I did like the green, Roo was much more willing to sport it around than Little Man.  I'm just sayin'. 

Still, since we had worked so hard... his Momma diligently stitched the eyes and tooth and horns on as quickly as I could get them off the needles... it was a sad day when the Monster couldn't be found.  We had all given up on it as lost.



Same day as the Monster Mail:  Pop Pop comes in the house with a "guess what I found when I took the hay bales out of the back of my truck" shout and a wet, muddy, hay-smelling, hay-covered Monster Hat!



I'll have to admit, in that moment, I was glad Little Man had chosen an acrylic yarn!  LOL!  Now, the Monster Hat is clean and dry and will finally get his mouth this weekend then find its way to my monster lover (or his little brother). 

Maybe things aren't always as lost as we think... who knows when they might pop up again!

blessings ~ tanna

These are a few of my favorite things....

Emails and snail mails, and texts and phone calls... these are a few of my favorite things...

This Little Angel is growing like a weed and oh, so, precious!!  I LOVE the text photos that come my way.  Her sweet little Momma is dear to my heart for sharing her this way.

Then, there is Roo.  He has fast moved himself to the top of Noni's knitting list because he loves to wear... and apparently model... his Noni's Knits.  If you want to see him VOGUE for his Momma, who sent me these wonderful photos, check them out on Our Little Adventures of Happiness.  

Oh, and my Alex... He says he isn't Little Man anymore.  He IS the big brother, you know.  He answered his Momma's phone today and wanted to know why he couldn't see me (he's used to FaceTime!).  So big.  So sweet!!

And, oh, how I love snail mail, too!!!  So nice to get "Happy Mail" in the mailbox!!  Audra is doing a wonderful job parenting by teaching her children to write Thank You notes.  Sweet.  Sweet.  Sweet!   Which reminds me, I am WAY behind on writing Thank Yous myself!!  YIKES!! 

Hope a few of your Favorite Things are finding their way into your day...
blessings ~ tanna

A Holly Jolly Christmas...

It was a busy, jam-packed, fun-filled Christmas once we got past the stomach bug!  Our traditional Porch Picture was changed up a bit due to cold raindrops which turned to giant, gorgeous snowflakes on Christmas Day!  Oh, what fun we had!

Candy Making was fast and furious so we could all pile in the bed of Pop Pop's pickup for a ride through Santa Land...

But, here's how candy making is best enjoyed!!  Our official Tasters.  ;)

This crew has probably crossed two state lines by now on their journey home... I send them God's speed and safety... My best gift was time with all my loves.  I deeply appreciate the time carved into all our family's schedules for us.  There is truly nothing like spending time with those you love.

Hoping each of you enjoyed the Holy sweetness of this special time of year...

Blessings ~ tanna

The Lost Week...

It almost feels like we lost a week of our lives... we had the stomach bug... bad.  Really bad.

Alex was the first one down...

The our Little Roo... who had the worst case of all!  His Mom and I were at the emergency room with him after he threw up 17 times in four and a half hours... all the last being just pitiful little dry heaves.  Broke my heart.  Broke. my. heart.  It was a full week before he totally stopped.  His Mom and I had our share and his Daddy just got over  his.   Bad stuff!

Recently, I had told my son that the hardest part of being a parent (and grandparent) is to see your children/grandchildren suffer in any way... and to not be able to take that suffering from them... That never goes away...  Even as they are grown and have their very own...

Sometimes all we can do is encourage them that they can make it... that they can do whatever they need to do...

Hold their hands when they reach for us...

Love them without cease...

And pray that God keep them ever in His hands...

An unexpected joy has been realizing that not only was I happy with my decision to pea gravel my shady little backyard for my own enjoyment, but it has turned into a wonderful playground as well!! 

Is this not the most precious pose... he was wanting his Mom to take a picture of him sporting Pop Pop's cap... Folded little hands... cutting his eyes ever so slightly to be sure she was getting the shot... Pure preciousness (pardon my Noni glee).

Yep, in spite of the plague, we have had a wonderful, if rough, two weeks!

Looking forward to seeing our girl grands this weekend!!  There will be candy-making at Noni's!!  I can hardly wait!!! 

blessings ~ tanna
ps a special thanks to Little Momma for getting the shots of the boys with my camera while I enjoyed playing... =D