This was the first time since well before Christmas that the Chicks met to knit together. I really missed my friends. Barbara started a denim colored hat with a ribbed pattern using a nice warm Lopi yarn.

And I finished a cowl from a free pattern I found online. It's called the Structured Alpaca Cowl. I used Cascade Eco Alpaca and it is as soft as a cloud.

Carole finished a beautiful shawl called Stellaria. She used Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II Sock Yarn in the colorway Audrey Hepburn. It is magnificent!

She said it took over 250 T-pins to block out the points on the edging. But it was well worth the work to get such beautiful results. This was a gift to herself for any holiday parties she was planning on attending.

Then she put the finishing touches on her Honeycomb Cowl for donation.

The other Chicks were all working on hats this week. Notice the different stages of completion.

Christmas this year was very sad since it was the first year my parents could not be with us. My father is in a hospice in Branford, Connecticut and my mother was in a hospice in Danbury, Connecticut. But I had my boys to cheer me up.

Santa brought them each a toy when we took them to lunch.

Leo thought his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy was a cell phone camera.

Then on January 2 I received a phone call from the nurse where my mother was staying to tell me she had passed away. I already knew because in the early morning hours of January 1 she had visited me in a dream. The last four months of her life were a nightmare of fear and anxiety for her as she drifted deeper and deeper into a state of dementia. But in my dream she came to me looking young and happy and her only words were, "I am peaceful." I was so blessed to have received her message before she began her transition to another life.

My mother, Bruna Grandison, was a creative lady, having studied fashion design in college. She took great delight in making all our clothes when my sister and I were growing up.

Mom's specialty was designing wedding gowns and when she no longer worked outside the home, she designed for friends and family. Here is her own gown which was exquisite.

My sister and I looked forward to Halloween every year because Mom would go all out making our costumes. We never knew one year to the next what we would be but it was always spectacular! I didn't know Cleopatra and Martha Washington were sisters! LOL!

Long before Joan Rivers coined the phrase "Fashion Police" my mother was on duty helping ladies put their wardrobes together and accessorizing them. And she herself was always impeccably dressed, with every hair in place. So now that she is at peace and in heaven I know she is keeping the angels gloriously robed.

I love you Mom! I am so happy you finally found the peace you so desperately sought in life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I prepared the Spinach-Parmesan Balls on Saturday and put them in the freezer so all I have to do is bake them at the last minute. Last night I made my grandmother's recipe for Escarole Soup. I made the cranberry and orange relish too so all I have to do today is prepare the turkey and stuffing and pop those in the oven, add the potato wedges partway through the roasting and to top it all off my son made his delicious Apple Orchard Cheesecake. No, we're not having pumpkin pie. Believe me, this cheesecake beats it by a mile!

Here's a wish to everyone for a happy, healthy, prosperous Thanksgiving! May God bless your family with a peaceful holiday.

Christmas Treats and Visits

We had a houseful of guests for the holidays. After Christmas Eve services Great Grandpa, Poppop Billy was up from Connecticut and Moose was all prepared to take his order for homemade brownies.

Uncle Drew and Moose checked out the recipe and gathered the ingredients.
I loved the expressions on Uncle Drew's and Mommy's faces as Moose cracked the eggs for the brownie recipe.
He did a pretty good job since there were no shells in the batter.
The brownies were so good we didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them before they disappeared. But we made sure to save some for Santa.

The next morning we woke up to all these gifts so I guess Santa liked the brownies.

Moose loved his Viewmaster and gave everyone a chance to see the pictures in it.

Great Grandma, Nanny Boo, and Great Grandpa, Poppop Billy had as much fun opening gifts as did Moose.

Amanda received lots of knitting gifts this year.

And Moose really is a Moose in his new hat!

We stopped long enough to get a quick family photo of Phil and Amanda with Moose but as you can see, Moose was in a hurry to get back to the gifts.

Great Aunt Jamie, Uncle Drew, and Poppop received some yummy presents this year.

Nanny Boo and Aunt Jamie finally got to open their Ishbel shawls I made and they loved them.

Then came Moose's favorite gift.......

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! He carried that toy around for two whole days.
Sunday night Moose's best friend, Henry, came to visit and play. We all sat in the tent to hear stories just like at camp.

But all too soon it was time for Henry to go home. Moose was so happy to see him that he didn't want to let him go home.

It was a great visit with lots of family and friends and we look forward to the new year.

Happy New Year!

A Belated Happy Mother's Day!

I was making the rounds this weekend to visit and take my mom out to lunch on Saturday and then drive to visit my daughter, son-in-law and Moose on Saturday night and Sunday. DD wrote a special Mother's Day song for her children's choir to perform this morning. It was a four hankie tear jerker! I thought I could get through the whole song without crying, but no such luck. It was beautiful and her choir sang it beautifully, enunciating every word so clearly that you could understand the whole song. Thank you Amanda and Joyful Voices of the Springfield Baptist Church for helping to make my Mother's Day very memorable.

We arrived on Saturday evening in time to watch Moose and his friend Timmy while their parents practiced their music for their contemporary worship band. Poppop was recruited to help rock the seesaw, which was a big hit with the boys.

Moose really enjoyed the rocking!
He even stood still long enough for me to snap a picture of his new haircut.

After about an hour in the playground Poppop and I were pooped! We decided storytime was a good idea. Apparently, the boys did too.

Today, Sunday, we all went to the Horticultural Center in Philadelphia to enjoy a Mother's Day picnic. The weather was very pleasant and Moose really enjoyed his hummus and crackers as a side dish to his yogurt.

The adults enjoyed their Italian Hoagies too, that's a sub sandwich for us northerners.
After lunch the boys went for a walk, led by the Moose. Three generations of explorers. Cute!
Here's a stick that would make a good golf club! Poppop is so proud!

We had such a wonderful celebration today.
I hope all you Moms out there had a great day too.

HAPPY 60TH ANNIVERSARY!

On Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949 Bruna Dragani and William Grandison were married at the Summerfield Methodist Church in Port Chester, New York. Bruna is a fashion designer, specializing in wedding gowns, so she designed her own gown for the occasion.

Bruna and Bill are my parents and we helped them celebrate 60 years by taking them out to a delicious brunch today in a little restaurant called Serevan in Millerton, New York. Here they are in the garden at the restaurant. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

My sister joined us (on the far left) and the chef offered to take our photo. It took him five tries to get everyone in the picture.

He better not quit his day job!

Christmas 2008

Christmas was even more fun this year now that Moose is 21 months old. The only gift I knitted this year was a hoodie for Moose.

It fit him perfectly as you can see and he wore it everyday. I'd say he liked it!

Moose and Uncle Drew enjoyed a couple of DVDs that Santa delivered. I think they both know the whole dialogue from "Finding Nemo".

One of Moose's favorite toys was a tunnel to go with his pup tent. I tried crawling into the tunnel with him and made it just fine. Getting out, on the other hand, was a different story!

Now that 2009 is here, the whole family sends wishes to you all for good health and happiness!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am thankful for Mother Earth,

for my freedom,

for my family,
and friends,

for babies, especially my Moose!

and food to nourish,

And last but certainly not least! MY CHICKS!!!

I wish you a loving and wonderful Thanksgiving and pray the warmth of the season lasts all year through! Bless you all!