Yay... it's snowing.

We are getting a lot of snow today. My dearest BFF from up north was flying through DC yesterday and got stuck due to mechanical difficulties. So, she came out here to stay with us for the night. She woke up to this:

a bunch of snow, a rental car, and a long drive to the airport.  (As of this moment, she is on the plane headed home.)

We have about 8 inches on the ground.

Mr is out snowblowing. I'm practicing being a shut-in. I've got my TV, my iPad, my crochet project, and my cup of chai. I think I've got the shut-in thing almost prefect, but I may need a little more practice to be sure... 

Zeb likes to be out, but this was a bit deep even for him.

Mini spent the day like this:

She definitely has the shut-in thing perfected. 

I love my Chime Ladies!

We had our second rehearsal today.
I gave them a pretty tough "reach" piece to try. They did very well. I think the only issue was the counting as there was a lot of syncopation. Next week, I am going to go over the counts for the measures that are troublesome and have them write the counts in. I'm sure that will solve a lot of it. We went over the easier pieces and they did a super job! They even got a lot of the dynamics down pat!

I ordered some music to check out with this group in mind. One of the pieces is Frozen -- although, based on the weather we've been having, I may want to wait on that until next winter...

My ladies are super.
I'm so glad they asked me to help them with their choir.

Ice, Ice...

This weather is getting really old really fast.
I'm tired of worrying about getting from point a to point b before everything turns into a skating rink. I'm tired of feeding the wood stove and I'm tired of listening to it, too.

The back deck is a mess... that's not water, my friends. That is serious ice.

The daffodils and the front porch are encased in ice.

I am ready for some 75 and sunny... Heck, I'll take 50 and rainy.

Calm Down!

Oh please... if I get that by voice or in print from either one of my offspring ever again, I'm going to reach through the electronic device and throttle them.

When our children are on the road - whether driving themselves or being driven by someone else -- by either an "old" person or a contemporary - we worry. We don't fret, but we are concerned. We are worried about the other crazies who are going too fast for the conditions, we are worried that the driver may be getting tired, we are worried that it's dark and hard to see -- and the list goes on. We don't fret, but we do watch the clock and wait for the text that says they are where they are going.

Unfortunately, sometimes our offspring don't realize that we aren't fretting. We are just wondering how things are going. They find it irritating and tell me to "Calm Down". And this is when I wish a child just like them on them. (My sincere apologies to their future spouses.)  And I secretly hope that someday - maybe, just maybe - they'll call me and tell me they get it.

Until then, I'll work on finding a way to reach through those electronic devices and throttle them.

FYI: I was always calling my parents and telling them I got where I was going - on someone's house phone because that's all we had. To this day, I make sure my parents know where I am -- because I know they don't fret, but they do worry. (I can honestly say that FB has been a godsend. I post my location and road conditions if they are bad, and they know where we are and when we should walk in the door.)  

Mittens and Stuff

I love to crochet.  These are a few of blankets I've made for some special recipients.  The top is a very special brown blanket that took forever. I made it out of Simply Soft by Caron. The yarn is lovely, but it was a pain to work with. This was a gift for a special couple to celebrate their wedding.

The middle is actually a denim blue color - I made it for my #1. He requested a blue blanket for Christmas. It did not photograph well at midnight when I took the picture. I was so excited that I'd finished it, that I just snapped the picture and posted it to FB. :)

This blanket was made for my husband's nephew's baby in Canada. It is soft and snuggly and the recipient and her family love it. 

Mittens are my favorite thing to make. They are useful, warm, they work up rather quickly, and are really nice looking - if I do say so myself.

The chunky yarn works up great. The recipients always seem happy with these.
  

I love the mohair. They are so soft and warm. I kept this pair for myself. I usually end up giving all my mittens away as gifts. I'd love to sell my mittens, but I am sure no one would want to pay for the time it takes to make these.

I also enjoy crocheting for the younger set. These sweaters are simply adorable! I really enjoy the challenge of making them and watching them turn out. :)

The red, yellow, and white sweater was made for a VMI Alumni baby. It works for boys or girls.

This was for a Citadel Alumni baby.  It is just as cute, but since it is Citadel...

I like to make scarves that are delicate but warm. These are both mohair. The recipients were most pleased. :)

I'm currently working on a taupey/beigey/mushroomy colored shawl for the Prayer Shawl Group at the church.  I like to watch the project grow.  I just have to remember to take a picture when I finish it...

Sock Singing

Mini is a great cat, but she has some quirks. She sock sings. She sings the songs of her people after retrieving socks from the sock drawers or the laundry. It depends on the day what sock she chooses. Her favorite person on the planet is Mr. He is her food source. He spoils her rotten. He lets her do things that I will not.

This morning - at 5:15am - you know, when it's still dark out and I am still asleep... Mini decided that Mr's departure was simply more than she could bear. She went and found a sock in the laundry basket. She dragged said sock into the kitchen, deposited it on the rug and began her song of woe. It was long and loud and oh so woeful... I had no idea she had such a set of lungs. (Maybe I should sign her up for American Idol or The Voice.)
Normally, her singing happens right after one of us goes to bed and lasts about 10 or 15 seconds.  And it's cute.
Well, this morning her sock singing lasted a good 10 minutes. It was not cute.
She is currently wandering around getting into things - which is very unlike her. Normally, at this time of day, she is toes up on our bed - resting in preparation of Mr's return from work when getting into things time normally starts. I hope she settles down soon, or I'm going to have to send her outside to play in the snow.

So much fun!

Yesterday I took on a chime choir that had been dormant for a few years. I can honestly say that it was probably one of the best first rehearsals I have ever had. They can all read music, they play well, they smile when they ring (yes, the music was really easy and I know that will change), and they laugh a lot.
We read and rang through 3 pieces. They did great! We worked on dynamics and notes and making music. It was simply awesome!
I think I'll have to find some more challenging music for them.
I can't wait until next week.