My Christmas is coming early....

Let me introduce you to Denali D'Artagnan Croslin....

DOB:  9/7/12

Brown Eyes, Black Nose

He is a Cream - Small Standard - Poodle.

We'll be picking him up this Saturday....

Can't wait for some poodle cuddling.......  I need it.

Goodbye Maxie! We Love You...

Maximilian Arthur Croslin  December 15, 1998 - November 3, 2012

Kristina Lettered again and Beginning the move...

Kristina received another letter for her academics last night.  She is doing so good and we're so proud of her.  Afterwards we went with her boyfriends family to Red Robin to celebrate.  Two of my good friends, Yael and Jacque, were able to come cheer Kristina on.

So with the start of David's new job out in sunny southern California, also begins our move across town into our new home.  I'm staying here in Colorado with the kids at least until Kristina graduates and we get her situated in college.

I found a very nice home within walking distance of a Elementary school,  Middle school and then Kristina's High School.  Nice back yard!  Something the kids have never really had and we're ALL excited about.  5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, very small 2 car garage.  The house is split into 3 floors with the master and 2 other bedrooms up and the last 2 in the basement.  Kristina and Olivia were all over those two basement bedrooms.   The boys will still be sharing at least until Kristina goes to college.

So the big push to get us out of this house is the weekend of the 29th.  By Sunday evening I hope to have the majority of our stuff moved.  The piano and pool table will be arriving on the following Monday. 

I hope with the move to be able to devote more time to the blog, but I'll need time to get us somewhat unpacked and situated in our new place.  Until then........ Happy Days!

And life goes on...

So after the fire we moved back into the house with little or no smoke smell that we could detect.  We were so lucky.  Now all these weeks later the aftermath of the fire can still be seen in the leveled homesites.  Basements are holes in the ground where once stood homes.  The odd swingset without a home, chimney without a house around it.  Its all very surreal.  From our back deck we can't see the personal devastation but we can see the natural aftermath by just looking at the foothills.  Believe it or not there are patches of green up there.  How those areas escaped being burned is quite puzzling.  Who can explain that, no one, I think.

Yesterday I walked out of a cafe from meeting a friend for a coffee and was surprised to look up and see smoke everywhere.  Apparently I've been so shut off from the rest of the world that I didn't realize there were other fires raging around us and the smoke from those has arrived in our area.  There is a haze that is hanging over Pike Peak and the surrounding area.  I hope the fires don't last long. 

School started yesterday for some of the kids.  Today, everyone was back in school.  Do I miss the kids?  Yes, but they definitely needed to return to school if for nothing else to see more of their friends and to expand their little minds a bit more than we could do here at  home.

As you can see, I've been knitting feverishly over the last few weeks and have finished many new projects.  Some of these are items that I'll be passing down to my group in the hopes that they will enjoy them in years to come.  So exactly what am I talking about?  Well I'm making shawls for the all the kids.  Yes, even the boys.  I figure they can give them to their wives some day.  I hope that one day the kids will use these shawls to warm themselves and remember that their mom made each one of them a special shawl with the idea of always being able to get a hug from Mom, even when I'm no longer here.  Now if I can just make shawls that they will like.  In the mean time here are the ones I've completed.

Crown Prince Square Shawl

Heliotaxis Pi Shawl

Orenberg Warm Shawl

Hanami Shawl

Lazy Kate Shawl

Lilac Leaf Shawl

2:00 update

Hi Folks!  I've pulled these pictures as far back as I can so that you can see, this half, of the size, of this fire.  This of course doesn't show the true scale in relation to the position of the house.  Unfortunately there is only one ridge between the fire and Colorado Springs.  There is now another fire located west of Elbert, Co. headed south west.  I'll be posting more pictures as the day goes on.  So check back for updates....

UPDATE ...

Please note the location of the mine.  This fire has moved quite a bit north through the night.

Waldo Canyon Fire

I can thank Olivia for these wonderful pictures that she took from the deck of our house, yesterday.  We're packed and ready to role if the need arises.   The fire has grown to cover 2500 acres at this point and is being watched so that it won't jump Hwy. 24 to the west.  The Walgreens down the hill is literally across the street from the mandatory evacuation site.  Our hearts go out to all these families who are having to evacuate in these hot temps (97* and up) and are having to go to shelters.  Hopefully this will be over soon...     

Quick update...

Busy, busy!

Kristina had her knee surgery on June 1st, without surprises, and is recouping nicely.  PT is way ahead of schedule for her and she is walking without the use of the crutch most of the time.  Her flexibility is awesome for just being 3 weeks post surgery.  Her next visit with Dr. is in about 3 weeks.  We're anxious to hear what he has to say.

Olivia doesn't require further intervention for her hand and Jolie has sidestepped the need for her heart procedure at this time.  We've had great news on the medical front for this group.

Bonnie, Dylan, Elizabeth and Carolyn are in town and we're having fun visiting with them.  The girls are growing by leaps and bounds and are just lovely.  Took Bonnie to one of my favorite knitting stores yesterday to get her some circular needles and she had a good time doing a bit of shopping.  Tablerock Llamas is a cool store!

David had a 10 day trip to China, came home, and left for Atlanta this a.m.  Fortunately for us this trip is just an overnighter.  His visit to Beijing went well and he hopes to be traveling there again in the near future for some opportunities.  He was pleasantly surprised at Beijing's clean air, as he was prepared for the heaviness that we had experienced back in 2004.  No asthma issues at all.  This time he stayed in the academic district of the city and unfortunately for him in a hotel where no one spoke English.  His contacts, Helen and Kevin, arrived and were able to interpret for him.

Knitting a little bit.  Did finish the Hanami Shawl and I did go ahead and let Kristina know that it will be hers in the future.  I think she liked it. 

Of Teeth and other bones...

Wow!!!  Folks.  Just wow.  We've had a week of weeks around here. 

Tuesday Hunter had 5 teeth pulled.  He was such a trooper and did a great job.  So now my baby is missing all his upper front teeth and one lower molar, which was abscessed!  He's doing just great and absolutely loves the way he talks now.  You know, with a bit of a lisp....  haha!  Gnarly I know.

We've got at least one kiddo going to the dentist every week for the next 5 weeks.  So every week we'll have someone getting fillings done or a tooth pulled.  Hope the toothfairy is staying close by... 

Kristina is now our star in the house with an up coming surgery!  She has definitely torn her ACL and possibly her Meniscus.  She will be going in for her surgery on or about June 1st and then we start the re-hab.  Oh what fun she has in store....

Olivia is still recovering from her fall at school and is now complaining of discomfort.  We still have another week before heading back to the Dr. to get her re-X-rayed to see if she is healing or not.

School is almost out for the summer now.  May 25th is the last day for this group.  I'm looking forward to no early mornings and just lazing around while the kids play.  I do want to take them this summer to the lake again and also do the "Music in the Park" evenings, this year.  Our water fountain "Uncle Willy" down at Acacia Park, I think this year will be a hit.  Also want to take the kids hiking, unfortunately without Kristina, and Clay has promised to teach the kids to swim.

Obviously knitting is still my main hobby and yes, I've got pictures to post.  I hope you enjoy them... 

 

The Hanami Shawl is still a work in progress but this is 50% done.

These are also the beginning of Apirka Socks

This is the beginning of the Estonian Crown Prince Square Shawl.

So my spinning is still going well.  I'm doing what appears to be lace weight yarn at the moment.  But we'll see what it truly is when I ply it.  I used a dime as a gauge.

Mini Up's and many downs

This last Tuesday I had some friends over for a afternoon of relaxing.  LeAnne came and finished her "Persian Tiles" lap throw.  Isn't it just beautiful!? 

I get a phone call from the school on Wednesday  and its Olivia telling me that she fell, hurt her hand and the nurse wanted her to call me.  So I asked her if she wanted to come home?  No, she wanted to stay at school.  Is your hand swelling up?  A little.  So with just a couple of hours of school left I let her stay with the proviso that if she started hurting more that she would call home and I'd go get her.  So eventually she arrived home and sure enough there was swelling to the point I thought she had broken her hand.  So when David arrived home off they went to the ER as the Doctors office was completely booked for the next two days.  After a few hours at the ER they finally 

arrive home with her hand all wrapped up, UP to her elbow.  They don't know IF she has broken her hand as the bone in question is tiny and they can't tell until they re- X-ray the area in two weeks and see IF there is calcification on said bone.  If there is, then there was a break.  If there isn't then there is no break but just a bad bruise.  In the meantime she has a lovely case of bruising that ascends up to her wrist and possibly will move further up her arm before this is all over.  Now our prayer is that she won't need surgery to repair the bone, IF it is broken.  We'll find out in 2 weeks.....

Prom and more and then some...

My goodness! Aren't they cute...

All dressed and ready for prom. This was the first time I got to help Kristina get ready for a dance. All the other times she was at someone else's house for the prep work. :( But not this year! I got to participate! Yea! :)

They had a good time and she was home by 4 a.m. (yawn)

Finally done. The "Lunch Lady's Hair Net" is officially re-named its real name of "Heliotaxis Pi Shawl".

Just cuteness....

Canning again! This time we did Orange Marmalade, which is in the back row and then we did applesauce. It appears that we have success again. I don't know about density as yet, but will keep you posted.

So, Jolie asked to learn to spin. Here she is working on her own yarn. She seems to have taken to it quite easy and is doing a good job for a beginner!

Here is my first good roving being spun on the wheel. So far so good. The container holding the roving was a gift from a great friend of mine, Jacque. Isn't that a great idea she had!?

Cherry Blossom Shawl in the works. I'm about 30% done. Yes! It does have some sparkle farkles on it.

A pair of socks just started. This particular pair I had to rip out and start over. Right now I have one ankle re-started. Will be getting the other sock started after the friend I'm making these for tries on the one.

Sense of Humor ........ Required!

Our Cisco has been on a bit of a tear as of late. Getting into this. Getting into that. Fortunately for me, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, he has stayed put when caught in the act of doing something he not supposed to. This lapse of fear has allowed me to get pictures of our little brat at work!

Enjoy!

Yes, the boy actually climbed on the table and then tore a hole in the trash bag. Here he has his entire snout and part of his head in the bag. Munchin away!

The boy can't seem to get enough of my roving that I spin with. This was the first time today he got into my roving. The other two times he dragged it outside on the deck and then tore it up in the family room and entry way. I finally learned and put it up on the piano.


Now on with other news...

Let's start with my canning adventure. The Blackberry Jam is tasty and all the seals sealed. But the jam is runny. So with that I asked a couple of ladies and low and behold the recipe doesn't call for pectin, but did say that the Jam would jelly prior to canning. So with my limited knowledge of canning terms and experience I didn't understand that I was to cook the jam down into a jellied form. Lesson learned and instead of a true jam we have a blackberry syrup that we're using as jam. Still tastes good!

I had the most exciting thing happen to me the other day. My girlfriend, Vicky, offered me her spinning wheel! I just about fell over. I was in such a state of shock that I had to ask if she really meant it. Well she did. What a kind gesture this was. Vicky has MS and is confined to a wheelchair now. She told me that she just wanted to make sure that it went to a "good home". So the wheel is about 6 years old now, but was only used for about a year. It looks brand new and has all the bells and whistles. Its so nice to be spinning on a wheel again. This is a Lendrum Wheel.

I've been practicing. The white is what I've spun today. I know it doesn't look like much, but I've been getting used to using a double treadle. Its a coordination thing...

Kidnapped and forced to enjoy Yarn!

9 a.m. yesterday morning started with Parker and I getting into a car with Yael and her son, Eitan, having no idea where we were headed and wondering if I should have brought a camera. Well I should have brought that camera. We ended up having a wonderful day with friends and enjoying not being in Colorado Springs!

Yael, with David's permission, kidnapped us and we drove to Ft. Collins, Co. Our first stop was "The Loopy Ewe". This place is huge and the yarn they carry is all upscale and pricey. But if you ever need Malabrigo, Madeline Tosh, Fiberphile, Spud and Chloe, etc. They have a tremendous selection. This was a fun store to look through. My only complaint would be that it is set up kind of like a warehouse, except for their 2 activity areas, which are warm and inviting.

Next we were off for lunch at the Swetsville Zoo park. Someone has spent a lot of time welding all of the artwork and naming the pieces. The boys had fun walking through examining the pieces and then skipping rocks in the stream that backs up to the park. Yael packed a delightful lunch of salad with baked chicken strips, fruit and water for all of us. Ever on top of the situation she had it all covered. None of us left hungry!

Next we were off to "LambSpun". What a delight! The ambiance is wonderful! This shop is attached to, "Back Porch Restaurant". Yael encouraged me to get a coffee, which they are apparently known for, but I passed this time in favor of purchasing a little bit of roving for spinning. I could have stayed at this shop for hours.

Next stop, Dairy Queen, for a much needed sweet to end the perfect play day. Everyone got something to please the palate and then we were off for home.

Thank you Yael for a wonderful day away...

First time Canning!

Started the adventure yesterday! 15 pints of Blackberry's and sugar, canner and all types of utensils needed for canning. It was spread out ALL over the place.
Went about as smoothly as a first time canning could possibly go I believe. Think I walked about a mile in the kitchen, chasing this and that, utensils that I left over here and there. Wasn't able to keep my "stuff" together in one spot. Did discover that this kitchen IS NOT set up for this type of cooking. So I'm going to re-evalute how I should do this in the future to optimize the space and time.

In the end I have 7 pints of Blackberry jam. Now I'm waiting to see if the seals are good or if we get to start eating blackberry jam by the pint just about as quickly as we can before it all goes bad. Will keep you posted.

p.s. All of the lids sealed! Yipee for me!


p.s.s. I've already picked out multiple other canning recipes. Time to try something else...

Canning, Karen and Yes! more knitting...

Life goes on.

Kristina has her new vehicle to roam around in. She's gone shopping for her prom dress and found a lovely one with the shoes and clutch bag. I'll post a picture when prom arrives...
A few more flowers (Viola's) found their way into a couple of pots on the deck along with a nice Basil plant for the herb collection I've started.
David had a birthday! Instead of his usual chicken fried steak with biscuits and gravy request he surprised me with wanting Chicken Piccata, Linguine, tossed salad and the coup de gras - Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie without the Bourbon if you please! Mom, please note the cast iron pan the chicken is in. Look familiar?

The weather is definitely changing for the better. For the last couple of nights we've stayed out on the deck, quite comfortably I might add, with a nice fire in the fire pit to keep us company and ward off any slight chill. Looking for satellites, making smores/roasting marshmellows and enjoying playing 20 questions with the kids. We've had quite a few interesting moments with this game. This picture is of the area stripped for the dust storm we're expecting today. I'm hoping that its over rather quickly so that we can get it all set back up for another night on the deck.
My friend, Karen, who moved from here in '07 and last visited in the fall of '08 finally made it in for a visit this week. She has so many folks to visit with and see that we were flattered that she wanted to stay with us for a night. So we prepped and lucky for us David's birthday fell this last week so we delayed the celebration until Sunday and Karen was able to celebrate with us. We sure have missed having her here to see and visit with more often. But she is moving from N. Carolina to Texas this fall so maybe we'll get to see her more often.

Canning!? Yep! I'm getting into canning and the first thing I'm starting with is Blackberries. Going to hopefully make jam and freeze some. Sunflower Market, our poor man's Whole Foods, is having a sale to beat all sales. Bell Peppers (all colors are 10 for $10), cucumbers are 10 for

$10, Eggplant are 10 for $10, Pint size containers of Blackberry's are 10 for $10. The list goes on and on! All of the produce is just beautiful. This is not like Walmart, Safeway, etc. that puts their stuff on sale just before going bad. Sunflower is now our "Go To" place for all our produce wants and needs. This is a flat of 12 pints for $12. They also have beautiful herb plants.

Knitting. Yes, knitting. I finally finished one of my shawls. Now, taking into account my lack of ability where taking pictures are concerned..... please know that this shawl in person is quite lovely. It measures almost 40" square. Nice size for a cuddle.