The Chicks celebrate 10 years together and Leo turned 4!

I can't believe it! The Chicks are 10 years old! We've been knitting and laughing together since August 2005 and tonight wasn't any different. We had a great time. Unfortunately, Kathleen and Barbara couldn't join us. But they were with us in spirit.

 We started the afternoon with a visit from Cathleen Crowley who is a reporter from the Times Union Newspaper of Albany, New York. That's her getting a close up photo of Liz knitting on her sock. She doesn't know when it will be in print but we're going to be in the newspaper to commemorate our anniversary. At the end of June we were on the local NBC affiliate TV news report.

 When we gathered tonight for our dinner there was more laughter to go around than food! 

 Although, there was quite a bit of food to go around too.

 Salads, shrimp, dips, roasted potatoes and sausages, for the main course and the Fasullo girls brought homemade chocolate mousse which accompanied Carole's carrot cake. Everything was delicious!

 And Carole brought a handmade project bag for each of us as a party favor. She's a quilter too and couldn't resist this fabric when she saw it on a quilting fabric hunt.

 My thank you gift to the Chicks this year was this handy little book of sticky notes, something you always need when checking out your patterns. It can hardly express my gratitude to the ladies for the time and effort for the work they do all year long to keep Chicks with Sticks going strong. Thank you Kathleen Corrigan, Liz Hotaling, Barbara Kavanagh, Elaine Rivard, Cinzia Cera, Sofia and Elena Fasullo, Maureen Cagino, Beth Mashmann, Carole Ju, and Dorah Rosenzweig for all that you do! You make the magic happen!

Last week Ron and I went to spend some time with the grands in Pennsylvania. While we were there Leo turned four years old. As his gift we went to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. Our experience began with a ride on the carousel. It was a hit!

 Poppop and Leo filmed a TV show...

 and Moose made feathers fly.

 The lazy river was a very popular stop along the way.

 And the trip ended with a duet with the crazy court jester.

After spending seven days with those boys I need a nap. See you next week.

Just in time for Christmas!

Ian Thomas Kaulfuss, baby brother of Ellie, son of former Chick, Allison, and grandson of former Chick Joyce, made his debut yesterday, all 7 pounds and 9 ounces of him! What a beautiful baby!

We Chicks wish the whole family all the best and we can't wait to see Ian in person.

Welcome to the world, Ian and God bless you.

Happy Birthday Mom!

November 17th is my mother's birthday. I don't think she would mind my telling you how old she is but let's just say she looks terrific for someone in her 80's! She was a precious and precocious three year old in this photo. And those cheeks! What a cutie pie! I wonder if my grandmother knitted that hat and sweater for her...

Mom studied fashion design at MacDowell in Manhattan and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and worked a few years before she got married. She specialized in wedding gowns at Fara's House of Design in White Plains, NY. She designed her own wedding and bridesmaids gowns.
When she retired from full time work to raise a family she used her wonderful talents to make school clothes for my sister and me. We always had such a beautiful wardrobe because she would improvise on patterns to make them her own. And Halloween had to be her favorite holiday of the year. She would start planning our costumes months in advance and make unique costumes like the handpainted butterfly wings that spanned about four feet across or the Cleopatra dress with a fully sequinned collar and "golden" headress. Every year my sister and I would look forward to seeing what character we would get to portray.

I am thankful to have a mom with so many talents and blessed that she taught some to me.
Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!!!

Belated Happy Birthday!

I feel so guilty that I didn't get to this sooner, but I had six overnight guests on the weekend of my DH's birthday and we went to a wedding that weekend too. So I decided to wait to post his birthday greetings exactly one month later.

Ron moved from Brooklyn to Pawling, NY when he was three. This photo was taken on his old homestead in Pawling when he was in elementary school.

About 40 years ago he was working his first job out of college at NY Telephone during the "Disco" era. Can you tell by the hairstyle? He was sooooo cute!

Ron is an avid golfer and one of his favorite places to play is in Lake Placid, NY at his annual college buddies get-together. Last weekend they had beautiful weather and you can see a little bit of color starting in the trees.
Sorry to be so late Sweetie, but I love you and hope you had a very happy birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIGHT EYES!

Fifty five years ago I became a big sister (or "volunteer parent" as my mother used to call me) to my baby sister, Jamie-Robin. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. She had such stunning deep blue eyes that they were almost violet. She turned heads wherever we went. My very first memory is of the ride home from the hospital, my new baby sister nestled warmly into my mother's arms. She was wearing a robin's egg blue layette set that my mother knitted specifically for this occasion. Her soft cheeks were so warm and rosy. All I could say was "Oh Mommy, she's soooo beautiful!" Mom now admits that's about the same time she had her postpartum cry. I was thrilled to have a baby sister and proud to say the least.

We had our usual cat fights but remained always best friends. Since we moved from Connecticut where she lives, I don't get to see her daily, like when we lived five miles away, but we're still close.


Last September Jamie was diagnosed with uterine cancer, for which she had surgery and is now expected to be fine. I pray for her every night and wish all the best for my "Bright Eyes".


I love you Jamie and God bless you! Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

On January 30, 1925 one of the best men I know was born. My Daddy, William Grandison, was the last of nine children. He had a typical childhood of someone who lived through the Depression and served his country bravely and heroically in the Battle of the Bulge by driving extra personnel to secure the Bridge at Remagen.

My Daddy taught me honesty, integrity, good morals, how to honor a commitment, and how to wire a lightswitch. I had no brothers so I was always his assistant when there were odd jobs to be done around the house. I felt like his little princess, even when swinging a hammer! This photo of Daddy, my daughter and me was taken in the mid 90's.

And here he is meeting his great-grandson for the first time.

Daddy is a man of few words, but I know he loves me and I love him and respect him more than he will ever know.
I LOVE YOU DADDY, AND HAPPY 84TH BIRTHDAY!

P.S. Happy Birthday Karin!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!

Twenty-eight years ago I looked like this about two months before I delivered my precious angel Amanda. She was born four weeks before her due date and spent nine days in NICU but recovered with flying colors in a short time.


On Mother's Day, May 10, 1981 she was baptized wearing the beautiful gown her Nanny Boo made for her. What an angel! And those cheeks!!! So kissable!


Here is my angel all grown up with a family of her own now. I can't believe she's 28 years old! I hope you don't mind that I told everybody, Sweetie.


God has answered all my prayers by giving me a lovely young woman of whom I can be proud. You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside and I'm sending you all my love, hugs and kisses with prayers for a wonderful lifetime ahead for you. I love you Manda Panda, my pride and joy! God bless you! And happy birthday!