Life As We Know It, Is About To Change

   Today or tomorrow, Amy, Daniel and Michaela are leaving sunny California to come up here. Life as we know it will be changing, since they are moving in with us. All their animals, and the biggest change, Michaela. It's been a long time since we have had a baby in the house.
   Amy told me today that Michaela started crawling, even if it is backwards. We're in trouble now. I must admit, that it will be nice spoiling a baby and then giving her back to her parents when she's fussy or stinky. It would be really nice if we were able to see the other 4 grand kids more often, so we could spoil them, too.
   Weather wise, our desert rat daughter is going to freeze, even if it's not really all that cold up here right now. Amy can freeze when it's 100 outside, so it will be a big weather adjustment for her. It's also suppose to be raining when they are due to arrive. Moving in the rain is just so much fun.
   I really suppose since it will take them 2 or 3 days to get here, I really should get busy and finish emptying the room for them. I work better under pressure, so I've got plenty of time. besides that, they are family and they get us as we are.
   Jake and Chip are also going to have a big adjustment to make, what with 4 cats, 2 dogs and a baby. We'll really have to watch the dogs. Jake is a about 7 or 8 years old now and sometimes acts like a grumpy old man. We didn't have any kids around when Tim and I got Jake 5 years ago.
   Chip was terrorized by daycare kids for the first 6 months of his life and now at the ripe old age of 2, he still isn't over kid noise. He has made some progress in the 1 1/2 we've had him. At least he doesn't want to attack the TV whenever he hears kids on it.
   Tim and I have turned into set in our ways middle aged people. We need a change since we've turned into dull, boring people. Yup, life is going to be different around here. I hope all 5 of us and all 8 animals survive with our sanity intact.

Finishing Projects

   I have been busy finishing projects lately. Here are pictures to prove it. This is the Christening set for my sister-in-law, Myrna's nephew.

Christening Bonnet



Christening Booties

Christening Afghan

Close up of stitch and border

   This is the bear I crocheted for our grandson Nathan's 1st birthday. I almost didn't finish it in time. Next bear I make, I'm going to have to change the overall pattern some. As usual, I can't get faces on straight. I even pin everything in place and things are even, but when I'm finished sewing things in place, they aren't. Oh, well. It gives things character and makes them unique. I'm the only one that is bothered by it. Now, I only have bears for 3 more grandkids to make.

Nathan's bear undressed

The soles on Nathan's bear

A well dressed bear

The back of the well dressed bear

   The last project is our granddaughter, Ashlynn's, purse. Ashlynn will be 6 in June, so for once I am ahead of schedule. I thought Ashlynn needed something homemade, too, because this is her first birthday with the family, and she's lacking in the homemade by Oma department.
   I modified the pattern to make it more little girly. I hope Nathan doesn't eat the ladybug button. Ashlynn's favorite color is pink, so of course, it had to have a great big pink flower on it.



Ashlynn's purse closed



Ashlynn's purse with the flap open

Poor Rototiller

   We were planting the root vegetables in the garden today when a terrible thing happened. Our trusty Troy Built Econo Horse engine blew up. Tim says there is no hope for it. We've had the trusty tiller since 1988 or '89, and it has served us well.
   Just to make things more fun, our little tiny tiller won't start, either. It's enough to shake your arms off when it does work. Now, Tim is out there digging the huge garden by hand. I really hope he doesn't kill himself doing it. He was preparing the potato area, and it was going to be a pretty big area. We planted onions red, yellow, white and bunching onions, garlic, shallots and 2 different verities of carrots. I was staggering their planting.
   Tim does admit he's too old to be working as hard as he is with the garden. And, just for more fun since he ran over some hidden barbed wire with the riding mower, he was thinking about cutting our massive area of wild grass with an old push mower. The barbed wire popped the only good tie on the mower and the side of the tire blew out. It did something to the blade, too, but I don't remember exactly what.
   Of course, we are suppose to have rain move in tonight and it's suppose to poor Sunday and Monday. Tim got his motorcycle out of his moms garage, where it winters, in the hopes of riding it next week. We have only 20% chance of rain after Monday, so maybe he'll be able to ride. He's going through riding withdrawals.
   While we were out and about yesterday, we had to stop at garage/yard sales, because it's required by law that we stop. For $5.00, I bought a brand new paraffin wax therapy thing I had been looking for in stores and could never find when I had money to buy one. $5.00 was a steal. We also bought an oak DVD/CD holder for $3.00, so we did well. I'm going to turn it into an all DVD holder. We should have a garage/yard sale sometime, but it just sounds like too much work.
   Me, I'd better get cracking and finish Nathan's teddy bear. Also, since it's finally warming up, I need to make some summer clothes.
    I also have a book to review that needs to be read. Soon, I had better find someplace to put the things we moved out of the spare room. I suppose they really don't need to be just plopped in the middle of the dinning room floor. There is also the usual baking and clothes washing to get done as well. The work around here just never ends.

Mica Peak Still Has Snow

   We didn't plant the garden this weekend because of rain. The weather forecasters also say there is still snow on Mica Peak, even though we can't see Mica Peak from our house, so we just have to take there word for it. Seems funny that Mica Peak is the planting guide.
   The sun is shining today and it's a really pretty day. Our berries are really taking off. No visiting sheep anymore. Chris the llama still walks around up and down the fence.
   Our seeds are growing that we planted in the house. One of these days, when we have a little extra money, we are going to make row covers and a greenhouse.
   I took yesterday off since it was Mother's Day and that means today I'm ding the usual cooking baking and bread making and clothes washing. Guess I had better get to it and stop being lazy. I also have to find places to stash stuff that we moved out of the extra bedroom.
  

This Is The Weekend

   This is Mother's Day weekend, and do you know what that means? It's time to plant the garden. Of course, it's suppose to rain. Temperatures are getting warmer during the day and above freezing at night, so the planting just might get done soon.
   We had planned on making the garden about twice the size it was last year, but now we are going to make it much larger since we will have more mouths to feed.
   Our daughter Amy, future son-in-law Daniel and baby granddaughter Michaela are moving up here and staying with us for a while. I'm sure, even though warmer temperatures will be here soon, Amy will freeze. I need to shovel out the future guest room now junk room so they can have a room to sleep in and hide out in. I knew I had to get that room done sometime, now, I just have a reason to get it done and stop putting it off.
   Last weekend I put out one hummingbird feeder and a tiny hummingbird is coming by. The hummingbirds seem to be much smaller this year, and I thought they were smaller last year.
   I still haven't seen any fawns yet. It could be too early yet. We'll have a nice garden for them to munch on when they are older if the 6 1/2' tall deer fence doesn't stop them.
   Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I hope you have a good day.

I Did It!

   Since this is May 1, I am assuming the Ultimate Blog Challenge is finished. Now you all know what I have known for years. I have no life.
   It's such a nice sunny day (for a change) today, I am going to putter around outside planting some things, like the sticks from the Arbor Day Society. Surprise, surprise, I noticed some are actually getting leaves on them. I didn't really think they would. I'm also going to plant tomato seeds in the house, since it's still too nippy outside for them.
   Our grandson, Nathan, turns 1 later this month, and I was rooting through my large yarn stash trying to figure out what to make him. I've decided I'm going to crochet him a dachshund. I came across a cute patter not too long ago and thought someone needed one. I'm going to make it varying shades of tan with some darker brown. I'll take a picture of it when it's finished.
   I found some cute lady bug buttons yesterday. I thought they'd be cute on a white sweater for our granddaughter, Michaela. They were cheaper than buying yarn, and since I already have some nice, soft white yarn. a white sweater it is.
   Also, I am going to make a cute little flower purse for our granddaughter, Ashlynn, who will be 6 in June. I'm going to use one of those cute lady bug buttons to button the purse shut with. I'll take pictures of everything.
   One thing I really need to do is clean the oven. I hate cleaning the oven, but since something boiled over in it, our super sensitive smoke alarms keep going off when I turn the oven on. Just so you know how sensitive our smoke alarms are, the smell of garlic bread cooking sets it off. Last night, they went off when Tim was talking to his mother. Last week, they went off when Tim was talking to his dad, and I'm sure, I'll never hear the end of that one.
   Sometimes, the smoke alarms just go off. Only one, and in different rooms. It doesn't matter if they have new batteries in them or not. And it's just a quick, short beeep. It really upsets the dogs. I'm not really worried about it, since I'm used to it by now. 3 years of them doing that will do that to you. I figure there is no need to panic unless all of them go off at once and stay on.
   Guess I'd better get a move on. After I'm done playing in the dirt, there are clothes to be washed and cookies to be made, and projects to get done.