Jackson Pollock Cover Story

While we were enjoying a three hour songfest upstairs, our two resident artists were downstairs - transforming the playroom & bathroom with enough colour and pizzaz to rival Jackson Pollock.

They were convinced we would LOVE their efforts.
And we did.
We really did.  :)

How I spent August

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The Princess and the Pea(nut Butter).

The basement Rec room is nearing completion.
Many have asked (and in truth, we have often revisited the conundrum ourselves)
"why exactly would a pair of empty nesters in a cavernous space think to add more square footage of surface to dust and vacuum?"
Indeed, this is a fair question.
There is a well-considered, long-winded answer and then ---
there is the more obvious and simple one rendered by photo:

 A sleepover exclusive to the junior grand-daughters.

A boom box still under grandmarmie's control :)
 

 A growing stock of Value Village dress-up clothes.

 The pseudo glass slippers.

And there you have it.
Our unapologetic 'do it again in a heartbeat' reason for the thing.
Frivolous
... and SO much fun!

Peeps of the Heart

The call this morning went out sudden and urgent ....
Cousinfest today ALL day - issued by grandparental decree - to commence as fast as your mums and daddy's can get you here.
      *******
It was sheer Delight.
Behold,
a Smilebox Slideshow to commemorate and demonstrate -
put to the strains of Here's to Song from CCS' first album:  The Music Within.
The Chorus:
Here's to Song, here's to Time.
Here's to both with friends of mine.
Here's to friends who raise their voices high.... 
Kings have riches widely lain
Lords have land - but then again, 
We have friends and song no wealth can buy.

By the way, the kids sport an eclectic array of clothing, requiring some clarification:  
A teensy inconsequential spill on the front of Rachie's shirt caused a break-neck charge to my cupboard of 'spare' clothing --- which is code for 'dress-up' --- which is a highly revered past-time here.  LOL.

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Drum Roll Please....

These pic's are posted to honour niece Nicole's request to see my knitting progress....

So here it is sweetie.  My first ever toe-up sock--- 4mm circular turbo needles attached (because I haven't gone shrieking yet to either of my nutty knitting savvy sisters to help me bind off!)  

Nikki paid me a high compliment when she asked if I would help her out of her knitting glitch when she arrives for cousin Britt's wedding next month.  

She's got a real sense of humour, that girl.  :)

I am honoured.  

Totally incapable of course, but honoured none-the-less.

Advice for the recalcitrant:

You are never too old to learn a new trick.

I am living proof  --  leg cramps notwithstanding. 

She Eats Crow

I interrupt the regularly scheduled posting of our family breakaway to Washington DC for this important announcement. Are ya ready for this one?

It's a CONFESSION....and I am posting this primarily for the benefit of my niece Nicole Pts in Naples, my two sisters and my mom, whom have all played a direct role in this latest development....

Remember the knitting frenzy of November and the chiding you had to endure from me over the myriad side trips to Knitting Nancy's? (Okay, okay - not exactly myriad trips then).

Remember me yawning copiously on the beach pretending to be completely disinterested?

I came home, happily went about the recap of the memories for my blog using the theme of knitting (like a shameless fraud! :) and then - quite strangely, without explanation and before I even knew what was happening - went to visit sister Pauline with a reckless request to help me start a pair of slippers for my grandchildren.

Without skipping a beat, my sweet sister waltzed off to get a spare ball of wool, some needles and a do-able pattern.

What a generous act of faith and commitment on her part to tutor this skeptical proselyte!

I can only imagine how I looked making stabs at it with those things on my lap - I certainly felt like a quadriplegic.

As per typical, undoing many (okay, okay, MYRIAD then) ridiculous mistakes was part of the learning curve for me.

But here's the weird part: I actually enjoyed the process, humbling as it was. It took me far longer than average to get the job done but now, I can truly knit, purl, cast-on and bind-off with confidence! Not only that, but I felted these today and they actually shrunk to exactly the size I need for grand-daughter Juliana.

Please note the felted ankle flowers which mark the leg-warmer/slipper as right and left. (Puff and swell goes the chest)

Delight has trumped Disregard - and I have my beloved, eminently patient sister Pauline to thank for it. Here's to many more hours between us with conversation and the clicking of needles!

Next time we meet Nikki - I'll have my Fabric Art bag from Spun on the beach too!

Lessons learned?

You are never too old to learn something new.

Never scoff at the opportunity to learn a new trick - you may end up eating crow.

Like me. :)

The Big Surprise (partially) Unveiled

This is it. Part of Grandpa's current back-yard make-over.

There's a story behind it of course.

A lengthy one that I'm formulating for a future post. :)