Finished Baby Socks

These little socks got finished July 4th. I finished them and then started a little hat. I will probably be working on it most of tonight and tomorrow as we drive to the Denver/Boulder area. If I don't get finished I'll just mail it but I plan on using every opportunity and the 7-8 hours driving, actually DH driving....lol.



I'll see you all when we get back next week.

Hugs,

Already July

I just can't believe how fast the summer is going. I'm taking care of a few pets and homes while my daughter and some friends are out of town for the weekend, then we are leaving on Wednesday for a visit with my older sister in Colorado. I love going up there and can't wait for my turn....lol. It's so nice having family right next door to keep an eye on everything. Poor little Toby won't go this trip so my DD will be over here for him.


It has been raining a little bit but mostly just a quick mountain shower in the afternoon. Just enough to make it muggy at 85 - 90 degrees. The plants are doing great though so I can't complain. I'd taken a few shots of the yard a couple of weeks ago and now everything is blooming or at least starting to bloom and getting tall. I did cut some more lavendar from my friends house, too.


I love the view from my office window. I took a picture this morning and everything is almost double in size. The hollyhocks are just about ready to bloom, too. And that Topsy Turvey tomatoe thing isn't the most attractive but we've got tomatoes. There's actually more in the garden boxes than on the hanging plants. But I'll get to watch them ripen from my desk....lol.



Then I took a couple of pictures of some good deals I got this past weekend and last week. My friend Karen and her dil brought a wicker loveseat over for me so I moved the bench to the backyard patio.



Karen also had gotten these needlepoint pieces at an estate sale and gave them to me since she figures I'll frame them or use for pillow tops. The rose one needs to be finished.


I also found a really neat lamp (not old; hobby lobby I think) but it's great for my knitting in the evenings. I paid only $5 for it. I got new glasses over a month ago and I'm still struggling a bit with my progressive bifocals (no lines) but I do love them, just harder to get used to for me. But I definitely needed a light closer to my knitting.

Then I got some old wooden spools, threads and a great Shaker box. I just love it. Nothing fancy but all of it was only $2. I also got some old clothes pins in their box. They were only $3. I think the lady wanted more because of the box....lol.


I also have been knitting a pair of baby socks. Little Maxx, my great nephew, will be 4 months in a couple of weeks and the socks are a bit big but by Winter I'm sure he'll be able to wear them and maybe I'll get a little hat done for him in the same yarn. But I wanted to take the socks up to Denver with me so needed to work on them before I finish my Monkey sock which I hope to get finished soon.

I also finished a few dishcloths to take for my sister.



Anyway, I just wanted to stop by, say "hello" and share a few pictures.

Have a great weekend!

What A Nice Surprise and A Little Knitting Thrown In!

I've been down with my back (you saw the bricks, right?) all week and have only been walking around the yard some and out to the street to get the mail.
Yesterday I was met with an awesome surprise. A beautiful "Thank You" card, candle with an adorable holder and a beautiful little frame, all from Spencer! It was such a nice surprise and a very welcomed one. I was just starting to feel sorry for myself, of course, and I get such a nice gift!





Now it's time for me to say "thank you" to Spencer at Bellamere Cottage. You're a wonderful new blog friend and I'm so happy that we've met. Thank you, Spencer.

On the knitting front: I've been working on dishcloths but I've also got the first "Monkey" finished and have the second one on the needles. I love the Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome yarn I found at the Loopy Ewe. The color (Martha's Vineyard) is awesome but so hard to capture in a photo. Here's the first sock on my foot....lol...

From this:

To this:

This sock pattern by Cookie A. has been so much fun and such a delight to knit. I know it won't be the last pair from this pattern.

Hugs,

Around the Yard

We've been working around the yard trying to get our garden plants and flowers whipped into shape. We hauled blocks last week from a friends house and will probably use them for a walkway along the garden boxes. Not sure yet but that's a tentative plan.

Here's part of the blocks. We have a few over in the garden area already.



My flowers are actually doing fair and the wind is still taking it's toll on the hanging planters. They just dry out so quickly when it's windy. The temps are still in the 70's but the weatherman says not for long. I wish we'd have a really mild summer, it'd be so nice.

The cotton from the big old cottonwood down the street is starting to fly which is something I absolutely hate. It gets into everything, especially the cooler pads, my laundry on the clothesline and just makes my flowers look dingy. I'm hoping it will all blow away soon.

Here's a few shots around the yard!

Front Patio off of porch:



Toby with my "deadhead" pile and the sticks that have been blowing off the tree above the patio. Wish he could help me pick up around here....lol....



Driveway/Carport side:

The Pink Geranium was from Aaron & Christina, the couple that lost the little Pit Bull puppy. They brought the plant and a beautiful card over, thanking me for trying to save their puppy. What a great plant and it looks right at home in my newly painted wicker chair.




Backyard corner and my old window I finally hung over the shed window:




My little dwarf spirea:

Have a great day!

Failed Rescue and Updated

I know I wrote about the death of our nephew a few weeks ago. Well, yesterday exactly 6 weeks (and at almost the exact time) after he'd drowned I was involved in a "rescue" that failed.
We have a very large irrigation ditch across the street from us and our friends that live across the highway from us have the same ditch running along their property. The street runs along the ditch right by their home.
Karen & I heard a puppy yelping and thought it had been hit by a car. Running to it's aid, I noticed it/her in the ditch. She had gotten right up to the culvert that ran under the highway and was struggling with all her might to swim against the current. Karen ran to get a fishing net and our husbands ran to my cries for help.
As I write this I am so saddened that I could not save her. When I screamed for help and the owner, a young man in his 20's, came running and jumped in his pickup to go to the other side of the highway. She went under, the current carried her through the culvert to the other side. Then my hubby & I ran across the highway to help revive her. We gave her doggie cpr but she died.

Please, please, please watch your children and pets around irrigation ditches. This poor 9 week old pit bull puppy never had a chance. The man's children had thrown her in the ditch playing and never thought she would drown but they were just "little" children. What if......they'd fallen in, or threw a smaller child in, or......the list could go on.

As I watched this poor creature go under the water all I could see was our Skyler's face and knowing what a struggle it had been for him, a strong young man that lost his battle to survive.

I'm sad, I cry and I thank my loving God for every living thing and hope if this ever happens again that I will be able to "save" one of His creatures. And I do thank Him for giving me the insight to not jump in because I would not be writing this post today.
All life is precious......................

Marilyn


**********added in p.m. *********

Marilyn at Our Victorian Cottage has bestowed me with an awesome award. Thank you so much, Marilyn.....there are so many of us now!


I appreciate it so much and will "wear" it proudly. Sometime in the future I'll complete the instructions associated with this award but am going to just "shine" right now. Thanks, darling!

A Lazy Afternoon

I'm having one of those "lazy" afternoons where I just don't seem to be getting anything done so I decided to post on my blog.

I ran a few errands this morning and got my Cottage Charm Giveaway package on it's way to Bellamere Cottage. I hope it arrives safely.

I actually got to go to a few yard sales on Saturday and boy did I get a great deal at an old dairy farm estate sale. I found a really old Underwood typewriter for my library table in the front living room. I've wanted an old typewriter for so long and my DD has one but she would never part with it, that little stinker. She loves antiques and old junk as much as her Momma does.
But this typewriter I found was marked $5 and the man actually "offered" it to me for $4. I couldn't believe it. My dream purchase....lol.
If anyone can tell me about how old they think it is, I'd really appreciate it.



Then when we got home and piddled around in the yard, I decided to take a picture of my little rock fountain I got the weekend before. It's not very big but it just sounds so soothing. My other fountain pump had broke so we decided on a new one for the porch. I think I'll be modifying it some but not right now.



Well, the front porch and my knitting is calling to me. I have dinner in the crockpot and about an hour before DH will be home so, bye bye!

Have a Great Day!

The Winner Is......

......Spencer from Bellamere Cottage!


This is already packaged up and ready to be shipped Monday morning! I hope you will enjoy it!





Thanks to Kim at Twice Remembered Cottage for hosting such a great event.

Hugs,

Half way there.....to the Cottage Charm Giveaway, that is!

Only 2 weeks left and we'll be drawing our winners. This has been loads of fun, again, as usual. I want to thank our hostess, Kim at Twice Remembered Cottage for such a fun, yearly event.

On the home front, not much going on except the usual early Summer hustle and bustle of planting and enjoying the yard. I got my pots planted last weekend and have been babying the yard to get 'er green!
I will take pictures after today, though. We're going to get our garden ready, I think, this afternoon. It's staying in the 40's at night and not dipping down in the low 30's anymore so hopefully the freeze is over.

I visited my little granddaughters yesterday and spent the afternoon with them. I took lots of fun things in a goody bag over to them so we played for a couple of hours before nap time. They just make my heart smile!
What silly girls.... Avery has her hat on backwards and Emma is wearing her visor like a headband....making Grandma laugh!
Sorry for the quality of the picture, it's from my phone.


Thanks again, to everyone that's signing up for the giveaway. I love getting such nice comments.

Hugs,

Cottage Charm Giveaway

Finally, I'm listing my giveaway items. I participated in Kim's (One Woman's Cottage Life) very first "Cottage Charm Giveaway" but was unable to last year. So, I'm really excited about participating this year.

So here goes:


I'm giving away a beautiful "Victoria" book entitled "The House In Bloom", a nice gardening journal, a lilac tin with a candle inside, a tin of Twinings English Breakfast Tea and a cute "Cottage" package of Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix.
Finally, something knitted by ME......a dishcloth is 100% recycled Eco Cotton.

I'm offering all of this to one participant. Please leave a comment by midnight (MST) May 29th, 2009. I will be drawing a name Saturday morning, May 30th and will notify the winner of the giveaway.

So here's how to enter.......

Please leave a comment in the comment section with your email address IF you do not have a google/blogspot account.


Feel free to email me privately with any questions at victoriancottage at gmail dot com

You may link to my giveaway on your blog as long as you let me know that you've done so.

Thanks so much! I hope whoever wins will enjoy these items!

Summer Around the Corner

I'm excited to think about Summer being right around the corner. There's a few things about Spring that I don't like and the wind is one of them AND it's still blowing everyday. Boy, I thought I left that wind behind in Kansas 34 years ago today!!!!! Yes, I've lived in this area now for 34 years. I have to say I still love it here and have no regrets ever moving but I do miss the corn and wheat fields of SW Kansas. But the smell, not so much! (feedyards)

I've been knitting and learning a new toe-up sock technique. Well, new to me! I've been using double pointed needles for the past 2 years and when I tried knitting two socks at a time, I fell in love with the circulars. So now I'm doing 2 toe-up at once on 2 circular needles....what a mouthful. Thanks to the Internet, there is a plethora of information out there and I've printed everything I can. Actually had to reload ink today because I've been printing so much....lol.
I'm making these socks in a Ravelry Mystery sock pattern, hopefully. And if I can't follow the pattern, then I'll just make them plain which is great practice for me.


This yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Stripe yarn in Red Rover. Thanks, Gigi, you inspired me to knit some red socks, too.

I've also been knitting dish cloths. I keep one going almost all the time. They'll all be gifts eventually.



Well, off to fix dinner. Have a great evening, all!