The "In Between" Days

Hello Everyone!

Here we are in what I like to call the "In Between" days.  These are the days between the hustle and bustle of preparing and celebrating Christmas and the hope and promise of a brand new year.  I find myself becoming a lot more introspective during these days as I grow older. 

It's quieter in the stores this week.  Oh my goodness is it quieter!  I went to Walmart yesterday to buy Dennis' some socks and mouthwash and a few other staples and I got the first parking spot next to the store.  At 10:00 in the morning!  There were about 20 people inside the store!  I loved it!  The older I get the less I like crowds and find myself feeling a bit claustrophobic.

It's been a quiet week here.  Lots more snow with even more forecast tonight and Saturday.  Brad requested a pair of socks so of course I wound some into a ball using my swift from Paradise Fibers that Dennis got me for Mother's Day last year.  I love this swift.  It collapses in about 10 seconds to put into a nice bag that it came in.

Pretty yarn!  This is Knit Picks, Tiger Eye Hand painted fingering weight sock yarn.

This is my progress as of about an hour ago.  One sock done and the other about 3/4 done.  The color in the above picture is what it looks like.  I don't know why the bottom one is so washed out.

We've had lots and lots of snow over the past few weeks.

See how nice and clean the driveway looks here on the far right in the picture below?  Please ignore the trash cans...it was garbage pickup day when I took this photo on Tuesday.  Well, that night, just as Dennis was climbing into bed about 9:30 the snow plows came through and put a 3 1/2 foot berm of snow and ice across the driveway.  We've  learned from past experience not to let it sit overnight because it freezes rock solid and you can't get out of the driveway or break the ice up.  So, we got dressed and outside we went to break through the  ice tower.  After we did ours, we also cleaned two single ladies driveways and two men that we know get off work around midnight and wouldn't be able to park their cars when they got home.  So, five 3 foot berms, double driveways worth of ice and snow later, we headed inside around 11:15 and went to bed.  Dennis wouldn't let me do much, but I shoveled just a little and cheered him on! :-)  And this my friends, is why I detest snow.  It's pretty to look at and play in, but NOT fun to shovel at bedtime just so you can get to work the next day.  Our entire neighborhood would rather they just didn't plow our streets because we're one of the last neighborhoods to be plowed since we're fairly level with no hills.  The snow is packed down very well by traffic by the time the plows come through, then they just leave a nasty layer of ice behind.  Okay.  Enough complaining.

Looky, looky, looky what Mandy got for me!!!!!  A skein of Muffin's yarn!  Muffin is an award winning sheep from last years Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and that is her picture on the card.  She bought the last skein they had available of the award winning yarn for me.  I'm trying to decide what to make with it.  There are 73 grams in the skein.  I also have two little 25 gram skeins of a lighter weight leichester wool that was sent to me last year by Helen in the UK.  I would love to make a pair of mittens for myself, but I'm not sure there is enough yarn.  Any ideas?

Gracie (One Saylor's Log), sent me this sweet knitted cloth and two wonderful bars of soap.  One is lavender and one is oatmeal.  How sweet and they smell yummy. :-)

This is how we spent much of Christmas Eve, Christmas and the days since then.  Dennis has rigged up several DVD players, a VHS player and our bedroom television to transfer our family movies from VHS to DVD.  It's taking forever because they have to tape in "real time".  I can't watch them right now because I start crying from missing my babies.  I catch a peek though once in a while.  Last night I walked in just as 5 year old Alex was saying, "I love you Mommy!" and I lost it.  Tears ran forth.  Why can't they stay small and at home?

After we, (and by we I mean Dennis), gets them all transferred to DVD, we're hoping he can duplicate them much quicker.  We want to give each of the kids a set and various friends who are on church videos.

Here is a photo I found of our beautiful city of Spokane at Christmas.  This is a photo of Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane.  It really is a beautiful place to live.

I have succumbed to the Gilmore Girls frenzy.  Debra (As I See It Now), sent me the first season which I am almost halfway through watching.  I have fallen in love with Stars Hollow, the fictional town it is set in.  Everyone knows everyone and watches over each other.  I grew up in a very small town in Iowa with just 2000 residents.  We all knew each other and if you misbehaved, your Mother knew before you got home!  So, with Dennis' permission, I just went to Amazon and purchased seasons 1-7 for my birthday present.  That will take me awhile to watch won't it?

Otherwise, I'm just staying inside and warm, knitting socks and mittens and watching podcasts.  I'm so enjoying them.  I just found a sweet lady who I think lives in Ohio.   It's called "Naturally Kim's Knitting" and I've been watching past episodes and catching up.  She is such a sweet, sweet soul and loves her family and her grandkids.  The episodes are usually around half an hour so don't take a huge time commitment.  If you like podcasts, I highly recommend hers.

And now I need to do some vacuuming.  Chloe is shedding something terrible right now.  It must be that she's growing a heavier coat for the cold weather.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and a safe and warm New Year.

My favorite verse was the verse on my devotion this morning so I thought I would share it with you.

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Blessings,

Betsy