Christmas Shopping

Monday we went to the Outlet Mall at Birch Run. Hubby, who hates to shop did very well and only asked "Are we done yet?" a few times. We aren't done yet but put a substantial notch in the job. We buy for 4 daughters 3 sons, 2 daughter-in-laws, 3 son -in-laws. 7 grandchildren, Mom and 1 brother and his wife. I have 10 of them finished. I bought Christmas cards too but I haven't started to send them out. I started my pillowcases last night. (I give everyone their Christmas gifts in a pillow case.) I still have to do "Spike's Christmas stocking.

Getting Ready for the Babies

I have been doing a lot of knitting for "Spike" and Molly.(formerly Heshimu) We still don't know "Spike's" gender so I am forced to use yellow and green. Even in New York, when I was too tired to pack any more I would sit and knit. I knitted in the car on the way to and from Brooklyn. These are some of the things I have finished.

A Big Job

I just got back from Brooklyn. My daughter, Gretel, is moving to a much nicer apartment and since she is 6 months pregnant I went to help her pack. Both she and her husband work long hours so they really have very little time, so I really felt useful. Living in New York City is quite a different experience. Every morning around 10 I went down the 4 flights of stairs and to the corner Dunkin Donut for a cup of coffee. (then back up those 4 flights of stairs.) At lunch time I went down the 4 flights of stairs and two blocks away to get a Diet coke and then back up the 4 flights of stairs. By the last day I remembered to take a bag of trash down the stairs with me. (The stairs made a big impression on me.) Friday night I met Gretel at her work place (on 5th Avenue) and we walked around the little street fair booths and had dinner and then looked at Macy and other windows. The Rockefeller tree still had scaffolding around it. The subways really is easy to use but when we came home, The Tummy drove. It took us 2 hours on the train to get to the car rental for the 600mile trip home.

Quilts for the Babies

I am getting ready for two new grandchildren. Mary's baby is due December 16th and Gretel's is due February 27th. I have been knitting and sewing up a storm. I finished the quilts for each of the babies. Spike's (Mary's baby)has a jungle nursery theme and therefore the jungle theme quilt. The design came from a book called "Rock-a-Bye Quilts and originally had cows jumping over the moon. Mary chose the brighter colors and I found wall stickers from the Dollar Tree that I copied for the animals. I made the polka dot quilt for Heshimu (Gretel's baby.) It's design directly from "Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting" May/June 2011.

Greenfield Village

Last night Hubby and I volunteered at Greenfield Village. We were passing out programs for the event. It was very cold but there were over 7000 guests. Most of them were in wonderful costumes. We say whole families of skunks,prisoners in stripes, penguins and angels. We also saw lots of Harry Potter characters.

Getting to Know Fellow Bloggers

After blogging for several years, you get to know certain bloggers even though you have never really met them. Estorbo has become a favorite and it is not because I have a black cat who is definitely high maintenance and a nuisance. Probably because the "wooman" who writes the blog can really describe her feelings well and the photography is fantastic. When I heard Estorbo was ill, it really hurt like he was an old friend. When Kitalog's dog Sophie died it was the same way. I never had a poodle but still again I could feel her love for this dog and her photography is magnificent. I hope Estorbo does all right I would really miss him.

A Weekend in New York City

We spent the weekend with Super G and the Tummy in New York City. We like to stay in Fairfield New Jersey and take the bus into the Port Authority. It is cheaper and much less of a challenge than driving in NYC. One this weekend we did a lot of walking. We went to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We walked around Battery Park and the pier, where we had a wonderful dinner outside (the weather was fantastic). The next day we went to the Cloisters in North Manhattan, It was far better than I ever imagined. Our last day we walked across the Brooklyn bridge and around Brooklyn Heights and had a Vietnamese Sandwich for lunch. It is hard to beat the city for attractions and food.