hello...it's me...

i felt the urge about a year ago as i was perusing the latest edition of knitty.com.  i came across this amazing sock pattern that was designed by a young man from utah.  his patterns are beautiful but it was his blog that hooked me.  it was so teenager, simple and pure.  all i could think of was how much i missed writing and how i should start up again.

but i didn't.

so here i am, recovering from having a hip replaced.  i can't drive for another 2-4 weeks so i find myself sitting around a bunch, watching west wing and downton abbey and knitting.  lots and lots of knitting.

and i think, maybe now is the time.  i hope i can keep up.

it was 20 years ago today...

it is cinco de mayo today. the neighborhood mexican restaurants are doing a brisk business and the bored local police are waiting in the wings.

and though i am mexican, this day has a different meaning for me, it is the big guys birthday. and today he is turning 20. a young man no longer in his teens. one who is striving to discover who he is and where he fits into this mosaic of life.

the evening was pretty low key. he wanted pizza for supper and had decided on a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and raspberry sorbet for desert. not to bad.

and i would like to think his present from me wasn't to bad either. i realized last week i was very close to finally finishing his sporty socks and was excited at the thought he could have them by the weekend. then realized they could be a birthday gift. and so, after months of being on the needle, they are done. and he likes them and thinks they are comfortable! whew!

and though the small bundle that came into the world 20 years ago has grown to big to hold in my arms, he still has the ability to awe me. it has been and continues to be an amazing journey, one which i am honored to be a part of.

happy bobmas!

thank you ravelry for two years of inspiration, information, inclusion and fun. don't know what i would do without you.

happy bobmas everyone! maybe next year we will actually get yarn as presents!

quickly go the years...

earlier this month my sweet friend celebrated her 17th birthday. the only present she requested was going to see wicked with her best friend and me. though she had seen it on broadway a few years ago when she went to visit the cousins, she wanted me to see it and she wanted to see it with me. and though i hemmed and hawed about the price of the tickets, it was well worth it. she is 17. these moments are slipping through my fingers like sand. and i can't afford to miss them.

take a chance...

cheryl over at a simple yarn is having a great contest.

write a caption for the pictures on her blog and you can win some beautiful kilcarra yarn and a felted coaster. this was the yarn used to make her wonderful tudora pattern. and though i have yet to blog about it, i can tell you this yarn is stunning, absolutely stunning and the pattern is a delight to knit.

so scoot on over and check it out. good luck!

look out...old macky is back

so, i am not a costume gal. at all. so when hints were dropped during a directors meeting that costumes needed to be worn on halloween, i nearly choked on my dentures and i don't even have dentures.

then i remembered a costume i made for the big guy when he was in 1st or 2nd grade. and everything went swimmingly from there.

happy halloween, all saint's day and dia de las muertas. may all the spirits you meet be peaceful.

wheeeeeee!

i am not a gamer person so this was listed on my birthday list as a whim. truly. but it was taken seriously by everyone else, especially the big guy and my sweet friend. and so here it is, for all to enjoy. i have to say, it is a lot of fun to play with. for all of us. wheeeee!

though i know this is a game and is not to be mistaken for the real thing, there is a reason i should not be involved in team sports. seriously.

thank you all

we were supposed to go to some dear friends house for thanksgiving supper with 40+ of their closest friends and a tour of their vineyard. but last night i discovered nothing i ate stayed with me and i couldn't seem to get warm. and though this morning i was up and ready to go, i really didn't feel much better, so my sweet friend and i slept the afternoon away.

coming from a family of non-meat eaters, we had pasta with homemade marinara sauce and steamed cauliflower for supper along with peppermint ice cream and low fat pumpkin custard for desert. my cute husband and i then watched casino royale, with the guitar strumming son and room cleaning daughter wandering in and out.

it was a wonderful day. though the boys were a bit bored, we all cracked jokes, watched tv, took care of each other, ribbed and teased each other and generally had fun.

it is a lot to be thankful for and i am very grateful. so thank you for stopping by to visit. may you be well.

another sunday

there are many things going on in the world, some heart breakingly sad, others tremendously heart warming. either of these can stop us in our tracks, inspire us to reassess and to continue moving on as best we can.

as women/mothers we take our take our strength and talent for granted. yet there is rarely a knitting site or blog that i am not inspired by in some way.

and so on this sunday that is set aside to honor mothers, my best wishes to all mothers everywhere, as we bring our creative best to our children, families and friends.

and the seasons, they go round and round...

it doesn't seem quite so long ago, but it has been 18 years since the big guy came into our lives. the very long labor should have clued me into his temperament, it takes him forever to make a decision. he has to look at all the options before he comes to a conclusion. kind of reminds me of someone i know.

but he is a really good person...he is kind and considerate and giving; he honors his commitments and treats people respectfully; he is well liked.

today he has crossed the precipice from being a teenage boy to being a young man. soon he will be on to other adventures that won't always include his father or i. all i can do is hope he is safe and well during these journeys. and be here when he needs me to be.

happy birthday, big guy. thanks for the best adventure ever.

a new year

the holidays have gone by in a swoosh. after one serving of the christmas dinner i had spent all day preparing, i was completely full. it never ceases to amaze me that so much time and effort is spent on something that goes by so quickly.

and now it is the new year. if all goes as planned, the big guy will graduate from high school and be off to college this year. my sweet friend will make it through her first year of high school and my cute husband and i will just keep working to keep it all rolling. but who knows what surprises the new year will bring. hopefully we will be able to roll with them.

but today is just the first day. so, for this moment, may the new year bring us all peace, good health and happiness. happy new year to all.

a milestone

my cute husband's 50th birthday was this weekend. saturday night was supper with family and friends at one of his favorite chinese restaurants in san francisco. sunday, his actual birthday, was cake and ice cream at the house with some close friends. he had a wonderful weekend! it was a delight to see him have such fun.

now it's time to go back to holiday knitting!