Whoever You Are

Whoever you are, 
 I hope you don't have to travel far… 

It’s interesting how kids simply say what they feel or tell it like they see it. Sometimes they speak about things you don’t want to know and sometimes it’s just to figure out a situation. That’s what happened the other day.

It was spring break and a trip was planned to Utah, hopefully to meet the newest grandson. The littles were on spring break too so we decided to take the boys if they wanted to come. The minute we asked, the youngest started packing!

We had an additional passenger as well. One of the men working for my husband has a daughter in Colorado who is very sick and in intensive care. He’s out there and since it’s on the way to Utah, he asked if his friend could hitch a ride with us. We had room so it was no problem at all.

It was dawn, the truck was loaded and we headed off. First stop was to get the boys. We went in, they inspected our guest, and I told them Miss Dorothy was coming with us. All seemed fine, and we bundled into the truck again and set off on the journey.

Ready to go!

We rode along for miles, gazing at the mostly non-existent scenery when Caleb asked, “Mamye where did you find Dorothy? Where’d you get her?” We all laughed and I told him we were taking her to meet her friend. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity and he went back to his games.

It was McDonald’s for lunch, because it was quick, there was a place to park the truck with the trailer attached and there was a playground to let two little boys blow off some steam. After their romp we stuffed ourselves back into the truck for many more hours of travel.

Not long after, Caleb looked over at Dorothy and said, “Who invited you?” Again we laughed, because he wasn’t being rude. He was only trying to figure out who this lady was that he’d never seen or heard of before, in the truck beside him.

More than halfway to our destination and weary from the ride, we stopped for the night at a local hotel. The hours passed too quickly and we happened off again. We were meeting Dorothy’s friend then continuing on to Utah. About an hour later we arrived at the designated meeting place. Suitcases were switched and Dorothy went with her friend. Caleb leaned over to me and said, “Aw, she’s gone. I liked her!”

Out the windshield...to Utah

It was interesting how he’d gone the full circle. After he figured out, from as much information as he had, that Dorothy was okay, he liked her and was sad when she was no longer with us on the trip. His honesty and acceptance was refreshing. She’ll remember the trip and that little boy, whoever you are.

Boys acting silly.

As I ride down that long lonely highway without you,
I can't keep myself from wondering about you...

Finally! Baby George made his appearance. And if I may say so myself, he’s perfect! He has dark, silky hair, and he’s a sturdy baby at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches long! I’m sure there will be more about him along the way!

Complete awe.

Fresh from the oven!

Three generations.

Feed me Seymour!

Here’s his blanket, ready for him to come home to. I think I may have enough yarn to add a teddy bear!

George's rainbow.

And for baby George, whoever you are, and wherever you go, I wish great things. I love you sweet baby boy!

My baby boy's sweet baby boy.

And I know heaven is in your smile.
Whoever, whoever you are…

I Can See Clearly Now

…the rain is gone, 

I can see all obstacles in my way. 

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, 

It’s gonna be a bright, bright Sun-Shiny day. 

My friend Lynn posted a note on Facebook the other day that really hit home. It went something like this.

She was in a hardware store waiting on her husband in the gardening department. An older man and his grown daughter walked by. They laughed and pointed as they walked by. Their childish display astonished her. As she waited, more customers passed by, acting in the same manner. Feeling self conscious, she checked to make sure all was okay and decided to move on and find her husband. As she walked away she saw more people snickering and pointing as they sauntered by where she had just been.

When she turned to look, sitting right behind where she had been standing, was a young man, fully reclined, sound asleep! With his mouth wide open, drooling, he was slouched down in a hammock type lawn chair. He looked like a commercial for the furniture, showing how comfortable the chairs were! She began to laugh at him, but mostly at herself because she thought it had been her people were staring and laughing at. She said she was reminded of an important life lesson; never take anything personally. She said she laughed at herself for thinking she was important enough to have been laughed at to begin with! She said, “It ISN'T always about me!!!”

I have to admit, I would have thought the exact same thing she was thinking. I’d have wondered if my hair looked funny or my zipper was down. I would have naturally assumed it was something I had done. I would have thought it was all about me!

I always thought that ‘all about me’ meant you considered yourself to be something special, something better than the average bear. After reading her note I realized it works the opposite way, just as well. People are self centered. Most people think ‘it’s all about ME’, when in reality nothing others do is because of you. People say and do things that are a projection of their own reality. You are just a character in their personal soap opera!

I tend to take things personally. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Apparently I give permission freely because I let people make me feel inferior quite often. I need to remember that when I take things personally, I’m not focusing on what someone said or did but more on how I feel. I replay the situation until I agree with whatever negativity they’ve chosen to bestow. Instead, I should focus on that person.

Perhaps this person is negative to everyone. (yes) Perhaps it’s supposed to be funny or it's a bad day. (365) Perhaps they have much insecurity. (myriad) Perhaps it’s just poor communication and emotional management skills. (tirade) Perhaps I should find compassion. (patience)

I need to remind myself that I don’t need anyone’s approval. If I get a compliment I need to remember that it’s the other person’s viewpoint. The same goes for an insult. It’s how the other person sees it and that may or may not be accurate. Compliments don’t make me a better person and insults don’t make me worse. When someone compliments, it makes them better because they're taking the time to be supportive and encouraging. If someone isn't happy with you it doesn't mean you've done something wrong. In most cases it means that person isn't happy and they want you to feel as bad as they feel.

Life can be far more pleasant by not taking things personally. I have to remember that sometimes it is all about me. Most of the time though? It ISN'T about me at all!

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. 

All of the bad feelings have disappeared. 

Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for. 

It’s gonna be a bright , bright, 

Sun-Shiny day. 

I still don’t like blocking. But I did it! I blocked the shawl for my sister and now just have to send it on its merry way!

Close up of edge

Probably medium sized

I restarted the rainbow scarf too. It's almost finished.

Where's the pot of gold? :)

I also started another plain old cowl. This is a shiny yarn and will be okay being just plain. The groundhog said six more weeks of winter but I have a feeling it’s going to be warmer than scarf weather soon. That’s a shame as I really like wearing them now. It’s surprising how just that little bit around your neck can keep you warm!

Cast on 150, join and knit, knit, knit

 And to be in the spirit of February, here’s a few hearts from a great pattern over at Cornflower Blue Studio.

Cute little guys!

Our Creative Spaces is back up. Head over there if you want to see some really cool things!

In the meantime just remember, you’re okay just how you are. And I’m okay too! Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Look all around, there’s nothin' but blue skies. 

Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies... 

It’s gonna be a bright, bright, 

Sun-Shiny day.

Shopping...

Well you know that it's going to be alright.        

I think it's gonna be alright.        

Everything will always be alright.            

When we go shopping....       

I used to be a champion shopper. I liked them all, from the department to the discount stores. My car seemed to automatically swerve towards a WalMart if there was one on the way to my destination. I knew the layout of the mall and every store within. I don’t know when it changed but something happened and shopping didn’t seem as much fun anymore. It could be the lengthy lines of people waiting to get out of the store. Often it takes longer to get out of the store than to do the whole shopping tour. Or maybe it’s the apathy of the store personnel. Then again, it could just be the rudeness of people in general. Whatever the reason, I just don’t like to go much anymore.

This year most of my Christmas shopping was done online. It was so much easier to sit in the chair, click a few times then have whatever delivered to my door, or at least to my husband’s office than to go out hunting and fighting the crowds. It worked really well until I messed up and accidentally had things delivered to an old address on one account. The stuff went to another town. Luckily, the people living in the house knew my name and delivered everything to my daughter!

Maybe not having a willing shopping partner has taken some of the joy out of my quest. There were times, years ago, that my friend Debbie and I could stay in a small town WalMart for two or three hours, just looking at ‘stuff’! But there’s nobody to shop with nowadays. My husband would rather go to the dentist than take a trip to a mall! Now make it Academy or Tractor Supply and he’s a world class shopper! Sometimes my daughter will go with me. Otherwise, I’m on my own. I really don’t mind shopping by myself, most of the time. I can take my time, look at what I want, for as long as I want, try on, dawdle, and generally, just do my thing! But it’s fun, with the right companion, to shop away!

After all the Christmas visitors left, we (my husband and son and I) decided to take an impromptu shopping trip. My oldest son is a great shopping buddy. He could win a prize in the shopping Olympics! So we got a hotel room, piled in the car and took off to San Antonio for a shopping day. We were up relatively early the next morning and headed to an outdoor mall called The Shops at La Cantera. It’s semi upscale, with Neiman Marcus (a good store for me to walk right through) to Macy’s. In fact, we even saw a Payless Shoes there so there’s something for everyone. There happened to be a Bass Pro Shop down the way and an Omnimax theater, so Alan just dropped us off and our fun began. We were looking for bargains and we found a few!

The Shops at La Cantera

Perhaps my favorite treasure was a faux fur coat in a leopard print. Why? Because I could I guess! It was 85% off the regular price. As my sister always says, I couldn’t afford not to! Bryce thinks it’s hideous. And it could be, but I’ll wear it anyway. It’s just for fun. And when I’m in the nursing home I’ll make sure to wear it whenever he comes for a visit!

Fake leopard and I love it!

Quite the haul!

We found a lot of things and had a good lunch. That was our recharge and we went until we couldn’t go anymore. There were so many stores and not enough time! Seriously, even if we had taken another day and night, we still would not have seen everything. Finally, with both of us near exhaustion, and Alan Bass Pro’d and Imaxed out, we headed home. One stop at Rudy’s Barbeque and four and a half hours later, we were snuggled deep in our beds with visions of bargains floating in our heads! It was a good trip.

So shutup 

And never stop. 

Let's shop 

Until we drop...

After that little jaunt my shopping interest is renewed! Of course, I’ll have to wait until I’m in another town because Odessa is severely lacking. One thing I did (sadly) miss out on is the “Happy New Year and Sale” at The Tinsmith's Wife in Comfort, Texas. All their yarn is discounted 25% throughout the rest of 2011 (Wednesday, 12/28, through Saturday, 12/31). That place is one of my all time favorite yarn shops. Their selection is unbelievable. But I really don’t need any yarn anyway. (What? Who said that?) So it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t have a project in mind and I would have bought yarn so it saved me some money! (Insert a small sob here.)

Speaking of projects, I had a Christmas knitting success! Ty’s friend Jenni, came home with him for the holidays. He had requested a rainbow scarf for her so I knitted one. It was fun and turned out pretty nice. I decided to add buttons on the end so that she could button and loop it, making an infinity or eternity scarf, or leave it unbuttoned and wear as a regular scarf. That’s about the only Christmas knitting I did this year and I’m sure glad I did! She liked it.

Wrapped three times

Up close of buttons. Crocheted loops to fasten

Worn like a regular scarf

Buttoned and looped twice

It's never enough 

Until you've got all the stuff.

When the going gets rough 

Just shop with somebody tough...

I Love A Rainy Night

I love to hear the thunder, watch the lightning when it lights up the sky.
You know it makes me feel good!

It’s been a nice week with a welcome rain. It’s been cool for April, with highs in the 60s, another chance to wear a sweater.


I love the rain. It doesn’t rain much here so when it does, it’s a big deal. The news is telling people how to prevent flooding. The police are telling people not to drive if it looks like the water is too deep; Turn Around…Don’t Drown. Umbrellas are being used for the first time in months. And where I am the frogs are singing!

The frogs hang out at the pond and when it rains the songs begin. The sounds are interesting. There are loud sounds, like pigs grunting and low sounds like someone rubbing their hand across an inflated balloon. There are sounds like snoring and sounds that are a chirping, whirring, constant sound. It’s a frog choir! There’s nothing that sounds like it.

Another great thing about the rain is the rainbows. Oftentimes there are double and even triple rainbows. Sometimes you can see both ends and sometimes they just float off into the sky. You have to be quick out here to get a picture because you can look one minute and then when you look again, the rainbow is gone.

Rainbows always look so close, like you could drive or walk to it. And the end of the rainbow, where the pot of gold is supposed to be, sometimes seems to be right in the back yard! According to physics, there really is no end to a rainbow. Rainbows are actually full circles. The ground gets in the way and we can’t see the complete circle. There is probably no pot of gold, either. An Irish fable says a leprechaun granted a wish to a couple who was very poor. They wished for riches of silver and gold. This made the leprechaun angry because he thought they were selfish. So he told them he put all the riches in a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Supposedly the couple is still looking for the end of the rainbow to this day. Another legend says that angels put the gold at the end of the rainbow. Only a nude man could obtain the prize. Hmmm…. But since we all know a man would never ask directions there’s no hope for that! And what does nude have to do with it?

The Discovery Channel says two people can never see the same rainbow. Because the eyes of two people can’t occupy the same place in space at the same time, each person will see a different rainbow. This is because the raindrops are constantly in motion so its appearance is always changing. Every time you see a rainbow, it is unique. So how did they figure that one out?

After the rain there is such a peaceful feeling. It doesn’t matter if it was a quick shower or a big storm. There was one and a half inches in the rain gauge. Almost instantly everything is so green! The grass and trees, well what we call trees, all look pretty. More wild flowers will bloom overnight. Everyone will sneeze with allergies again!


This week the rain influenced my moods. For my knit a year, the night before it rained, when it was a bit cloudy, the sunset with the clouds made the sky kind of purple. It was such a peaceful feeling and I picked purple wool. The next day it started to rain. I chose a blue and green yarn for the rain. It rained all day and was a good day, driving in the rain and then hearing it through the night. The morning brought a day of training then the drive back, again in the rain. It was another good day with good company and we saw a rainbow. I didn’t get to take a picture but I did pick a rainbow ribbon yarn for the day. After a rainy night the grass and trees seemed especially green. It was a new day, a day of spring with new beginnings, and new growth. This was a day filled with hope and the bright green yarn I picked was for the hopeful way I was feeling. Then there was the pot of gold. I was thankful today, for the things I have and am able to do. I don’t need to wish for a pot of gold to have these riches. I added the gold yarn for that pot of gold and to remind myself of all the riches I already have. The forecast doesn’t call for rain tomorrow. But the traces of the rain remain. And the sun is always a reminder that after the rain is a rainbow and the promise of something new.


Showers washed all my cares away.
I wake up to a sunny day
Puts a smile on my face every time.