Weekend Report

On Saturday, it was our extended family’s annual summer gathering . . .

* We were so lucky to have nice weather – not too hot and no rain (even though the sun played peek-a-boo all day long).

* We enjoyed the most delicious food (including the delightful fruit salad you see above, which was made by one of my daughters).

* We talked a lot and laughed ’til we cried. (This is quite a witty bunch that includes several “should-have-been” comedians!)

* We celebrated a birthday (for Sir Beads)! He got all the candles out with one breath, so hopefully his wish will come true!

* We sorely missed the ones who could not make it that day. (As the kids grow into adults – jobs and marriages take them to other corners of the world and it gets harder and harder to have the entire clan in one place on the same day.)

* We cherished the chance to smooch and play with the newest member of our family, who is now 15 months old and absolutely thriving after a very rocky start in this life. (Did I mention he is the smartest most handsome baby – ever!?!) Lol

* We all agreed it was the best party! (Of course, we say that every year. 😉 )

The long ride home seemed very short. After such a wonderful day, there was lots to remember and chat about . . .

We’re already looking forward to next time.

Hope you have a chance to spend a fun summer day with people you love! 😀

Hugs,

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Timeless Treasures

It seems to me that when it comes to handmade items, there are 2 kinds of people:

1. Those who make things

2. Those who do not.

Within the “those who do not” category – there are also 2 kinds of people:

1. Those who do not make things but are enchanted with all things handmade.

2. Those who do not make things and find nothing special about handmade things.

I’m not judging anyone – everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. I’d just like to offer mine. 😉

Alrighty, Crystal. Go right ahead!

What brings this up all of a sudden? Spill it!

Well, I’ve been doing some sorting/organizing and I came across a little bag of “test” pieces made by my mother-in law. She’s been gone for 15 years now and I’ve had them that long – just can’t part with them. You see, I’m one of those people who is touched by handmade things. (You probably knew that.)

There’s a bit of her spirit in these . . .

click photo to enlarge

It was probably an ordinary day when she worked on these sample pieces. (Maybe it was snowing; maybe she had a cake in the oven!) They were created in preparation of assorted projects she was about to begin. While doing a swatch – she’d be testing the yarn, or the size of the stitches, or even the colors. As I hold them now, I wonder… Did she and I talk on the phone on a day she worked on one of these? Could be.

Whenever I’m at a garage sale or flea market, I always feel a twinge of sadness when I see people’s handwork for sale by their heirs – for pennies! Those heirs are surely in the group who don’t see anything special about handmade things.

My mother-in-law was an avid knitter. She made countless sweaters for her family – from the time they were in the cradle until they were fully grown.

Here are the beginnings of a baby sweater. She made dozens of them.

Then there were the afghans she made for all of us. They were virtual hugs that warmed our hearts as well as our shoulders.

This next photo shows her favorite afghan pattern – an Aran knit with cables. So labor-intensive! It has long strips and miles of stitches to sew together afterward. She made many of these, too.

Not only an expert knitter, Sir Beads’ Mom could crochet, sew, embroider, and do tatting, as well. No matter how experienced she became, she was a firm believer in doing a practice piece before beginning a new project. I’m still a novice compared to her and yet I seldom have the patience to do a test swatch. I usually jump right into a pattern and then spend more time unwinding and re-doing than it would have taken to make that practice piece in the first place!

I recognize this motif as a test for an afghan she eventually made for my younger daughter – her youngest grandchild.

I should probably turn these pieces into pillows or something more permanent. She lives in them still – her laugh, her love, her talent.

I have them carefully tucked away with things I treasure. Just looking at them every now and then brings back so many memories.

With my own handcrafts, I’ve always thought that the act of making them was truly enough . . . I didn’t have to wonder what would become of them when I am gone. I thought the important thing was the experience of creating something.

But, as I look at Mom’s little yarn “doodles” here in front of me, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided that handmade items have even more value than just giving a sense of fulfillment to the artist . . .

To those who notice and cherish the message – they’re a connection to the past, to the soul of a person. It’s a joy, it’s intriguing, it can even be a comfort that in the middle of all the drama and change in life – some things live on.

I’d like to think the essence of a person remains in something she (or he) made with her own hands. If so, there are “heirlooms” all around us! 😀

Hugs,

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Must Be Cracking Up

Crystal likes to use magnets on the refrigerator. They hold her shopping list, stray coupons, family photos, business cards, recipes, etc.

Several of the magnets are not holding anything, however. She uses those in a random rotation to signal that the dishes in the dishwasher are clean. Really! 😉

When she turns on the dishwasher – she sticks a magnet on the closed door. After she puts away the clean dishes – she removes the magnet and places it back on the refrigerator. This is not a foolproof system. Sometimes she forgets to put one on… or even worse – take one off. Then, it’s anybody’s guess if the dishes are clean or dirty.

Two years ago, she found this cute little fella on display at a kitchen store.
“How kitchen-y and cute!” she thought. She had to have him.

Mr. Egg has had a home on her fridge ever since. He’s often chosen as the “dishwasher-on” sentry.

Now, seriously, wouldn’t you think that in two years of using him that she would have noticed he’s not just a magnet?

One day, as she was returning him to the fridge, she saw something on the bottom. “Huh? What’s this?” she wondered.

Well, it turned out to be . . . A tape measure!

And how does the tape measure rewind? You push his nose.

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The absent-minded professor has nothing on Crystal.
Poor girl! Sometimes it seems as if she’s one sandwich short of a picnic. 😉

Hugs,

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An Irish Lass

By the time I knew her, she was no longer a young woman but she had the skin of a porcelain doll.

Her eyes were the most expressive I’ve ever seen. She could actually smile with those eyes!

Her name was Elizabeth and I was her granddaughter.

She taught me to sew, and to know my way around the kitchen. She told mesmerizing stories and loved to entertain my siblings and me with silly songs she made up on the spot.

Whenever I reach for lipstick – I think of her and grin. You see, she had a very specific method of putting it on, which was endearing and comical – all at the same time. She would painstakingly apply a bright rose shade to her lips, taking great care to have it perfectly even. Then, just at the moment I’d be sighing in admiration of her talent, she’d grab a Kleenex and blot her lips, not just a little, but so briskly that when she was finished – you could hardly tell she was wearing lipstick at all!

I was lucky enough to have her in my life until I was in my twenties. She’s been gone for decades now, but it doesn’t seem that long. To this day, I miss her – but the memories are sweet and vivid still . . .

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

You might also enjoy my previous St. Patrick’s Day posts:

Her Irish Eyes Were Smiling (with Irish Bread Recipe)

‘Tis a Great Day

Hugs,

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Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

You know the rest . . .

(and it’s all small stuff!)

I had detailed plans for this weekend, which went out the window in a flash – well, two flashes.

Saturday, I wanted to get some good photos of things I’ve been working on lately. I’ve been anxious to show them to you but there was a last minute change of plan – the dishwasher, without warning, sprang a leak! Bottom line? Photography time turned into mop-up time, sponge-off the kitchen cabinet time, not to mention dry the basement wall underneath the kitchen cabinet time. Whew!

But, no problem, I could always take photos on Sunday afternoon!

Ummm, not so fast there, Crystal! Out of the blue on Sunday, my computer began to act weird. My photos were all mixed up. File names were swapped around without any clue as to why. I’d click on one photo and another would open. Huh?

Soooo, for the next couple of hours I was in the midst of trying to figure it out. In the end, the files were back to normal . . . but the sun was gone. No pictures on Sunday, either.

Honestly, Kids, I might have been tempted to let this “lost weekend” get to me – but then I came across the following picture and quote.

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Notice the white arrow in the center of the photo –

it points to a tiny dot that we call “earth”.

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If our world and everything in it is resting on a “mote of dust”,   then surely weekend nuisances are (and should be!) totally invisible.  😀

Hugs,

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