2026 Projects at the Ready, Hitler, New Years.

 

2025 is coming to an end, so I was organizing some of my project bags for the afghans I'll work on in 2026.  As some of you know, we leave Ohio for the winter, so I need my yarn goods organized to go take with me.  If you've visited my blog before you know I always name the afghans.  My daughter suggested Red Stone for this one.  Rarely are the squares I work with the same size, as they were made by so many different people, some are knitted, some are crocheted.  I don't remember what color yarn I tossed in this project bag to size and join these squares, so it will be a bit of a surprise when I open the bag.  Normally I take a picture with the yarn I plan to work with.

This one I've named Popuri.  I've included blue, yellow, green, and dark red/marron in this project bag, but once I start working on it we'll see how much of what I use..  

Most of these squares are knitted corner to corner/mitered...so for lack of a better name, I'm currently calling it Mitered.  But, if you have a suggestion with the colors in it, please sing out..........in tune of course!  I've added burgundy and gray yarn to this project bag.

I'm totally without an idea for a name for this one, so please give me some ideas.  From the time I had put this project bag together til the other day when I was double checking everything, the mint green yarn was no longer in the bag.  Perhaps I nabbed it for a previous project?  I can't say I remember.  Edited to add Ellie Foster suggested Misty Blue for this one....I need to see how it evolves.  But, if anyone else has an idea, please sing out.

Calling this Peppermint/Spearmint?  This project is a bit unusual, in that the squares are all the same size, probably made from the same person except the for right 2nd row on the top.  Again, I didn't photograph this with the yarn to work with, so will see what I end up with.

Lots of sizes in this primarily purple group of squares.  Purple Rain?  Purple People Eater?  What are your thoughts.  Edited to add Ellie Foster suggested Grape Juice for this and I think that works well, unless someone else has a thought.

I only have this labeled currently as Everything.........surely one of you has a much better idea for a name?  Edited to add Ellie Foster suggested Country Kitchen for this and I LOVE this idea.  Thanks Ellie!

#8 is a project bag with blue and green squares.  I must have lost the picture I took when I designed it, so this will be a true surprise to me.  Darling Daughter suggested Sea Glass perhaps for the name.  I had written Marine on the bag.  Will see what it looks like when I start working on it.

Because we still have to laugh in these crazy times, a few meme's I thought you might enjoy.

I'm 94% through this book, "Hitler's First Hundred Days" by Peter Fritzsche.  It's taken me a while, not an easy read.......and not a light read.  With Darling Daughter being home and Holiday Celebrations this has been peacemeal.  As I often say, the people we need to read this book, to see what's happening in our country right now; won't be the people to read it.  <sigh>

Let's hope 2026 is a good year, a better year.  I know it's been a tough year for most of us.  If you're traveling for the holiday, please be safe.

Christmas in Pictures, Colorful Veggies, and The Free Store

 

When Darling Daughter was home over Thanksgiving, we made a run to the Free Store.  Believe we had 13 afghans, a spread, duvet, drapes, and personal care items.  Normally I've made Homeless Families Foundation as our primary charity to support; but a friend was telling me about the Free Store, they serve a very underserved population of folks in need in a different area of the city.  They were appreciative of the donation.  I encourage you all to see if your local has a Free Store.  You've seen the pictures of the afghans throughout the year.  I generally make deliveries in the fall or early winter when things like that are in need.

The veggies I took to the family Thanksgiving gathering.  Always think they're so colorful before you cook them.  They loose some of their brightness after cooking.  Brussel Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and a tart apple make a really cook mix.

Gearing up for Christmas, no doubt many of you are as well.  Many of our ornaments have been purchased during our travels, so it's always fun to remember our trips as I unwrap and place them on the tree.

A Christmas long ago, when both hubby and I had full heads of dark hair, and our Darling Daughter still believed.

Still pictures from the way back machine.

We're getting older

Mother and daughter sweaters on Christmas morning.

Christmas quilt I made for Mom, many many years ago.  She's been gone a long time, I now put the quilt on the sofa back during the holidays.  She loved Poinsettias.  

The photo's aren't in date order, obviously.

And in the truly way way back machine.  Check out the old tv in the background.  I'm not sure how old I was here, but maybe 3.

Merry Christmas to you all.  And if you're traveling for the holiday, safe travels.

A New Project, Reading About the Past to Understand the Present!

 

Started this corner to corner project a few days ago, and I currently have 83 stitches on the needles and it measures 26 inches across.  LOVE the colors.  Have had this yarn probably 2 years?  My favorite local yarn shop was going out of business, so I purchased a fair amount of yarn with guesses about how much I needed and or what I would make with it.  It's called Marble.  I bought 3 large balls of this and 2 that seems similar to me, but darker in colors.  My initial thought is to start and end with this and use the darker blend for sections 2 and 4 and this lighter for section 3...so every other section.  But, I'm not sure if there's enough yarn to make an afghan, given the yardage on each ball.  Sooooooo, I'm knitting this to see how much I get from 1 ball, and may continue with that plan and or once I see how far this goes....it might become a trainangle shawl.  The colors and textures would well for a shawl, as well as an afghan.  Only time will tell.

Snow number 2!  This is about 4.5 inches, and as luck would have it this hit the day we left town for a couple of weeks in Hilton Head, just after the Thanksgiving weekend!!  I'm a happy camper to have missed it, since I'm not a fan of snow or cold or winter for that matter.  My neighbor across the street took the picture and said......you got out at a good time.  She knows me.

A fascinating read.  I had no idea we, the USA smuggled books into The Soviet Bloc during the Cold War to help mold descent among the peoples of the U.S.S.R.  The brave people involved were incredible.  10 million books were smuggled in.  To read about this when here in our country currently the far right is banning books every single day is extrodinary.  Please put this on your to read list.

A backward island,, a dysfunctional family, an alcholhic actress and hiden treasure linking the present with the past.  LOVED this book, very entertaining.  Oh and let;s not forget a love story!

Wow......a long book.  The audio of World Enemy No 1 is 17 hours.  A very interesting look at WWII and how Nazi Germany, and The Russian Bolshevik's manipulated their own people, as well as the rest of the world about who was the aggresor, who was the victim in WWII, who suffered more and who gave more.  Very insightful.  Quite a lot of history to absorb.  After reading this, I did some googling to understand better what I read/listened to.  Highly recommend this book.  trumpie dump is trying very hard to use the same playbook about manipulated public opinion.

84 Years ago yesterday.  A day to pause and remember!

Still standing with Ukraine.

Blogging about my French Adventure HERE!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

 

I've never made this cute relish plate that looks like a turkey, but saved the picture from a few years back.  Someone was pretty creative.

This was many many years ago.  This was Mom I'm thinking maybe 40ish years ago.  

This is about the same time frame, as the family was small enough we were all able to sit together around Mom's beautiful table.  Those days of using the family china etc and all sitting together are long gone.  I think there were 8-10 of us back in the day.

One year when people were sick and we didn't get together.  It was just hubby, Darling Daughter and me at our place.  We used the antique family dishes.  This might have been during Covid?  I didn't date it, so am not 100% certain.

Fun outdoor decorations I spotted on a walk through the neighborhood a few years back.

Darling Daughter, Myself, and Hubby, the same year as the table picture above.

Our Thanksgiving this year will be at my youngest nephews house.  He has a nice large house with plenty of moving around room for 21 of us.  At least I think that's the latest head count.  We'll take a Pumpkin and Cherry pie with whip cream, 2 veggie casseroles (cranberries, Brussel Sprouts, and Butternut squash), and Bakes Brie in a pastry sheet with fig jam and crackers.

If you're traveling for the holiday, safe travels.  AND Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

The First Snow, In the Kitchen, The Hawk on the Deck, Resist

 

Not a fan of winter, waking up to this on November 10th did not make me a happy camper.  AND you can see we hadn't put away the remnants of summer with outdoor umbrella still there.  Plus, as you can see the trees still haven't dropped their leaves.  This is really really early to have snow.  MELT and chant with me 130 until Spring!!

Not too long ago hubby got a good picture of this big hawk resting on one of the chairs on the deck.  See the sun and plants vs the above white ick!  I love seeing hawks in the neighborhood to try and keep some of the over abundance of chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits in check.  Though I think we need more hawks, cause each year it seems we have bigger problems with the other critters eating and digging in the yard.

This is not something I stitched, but spotted on the internet and really liked it, so thought I would share it.

A very simple and tasty way to make a yummy sauce for your pasta.  Cut up onions and tomatoes (I cut mine tomatoes in half, as I use those sweet Compari tomatoes), a whole container of Boursin cheese.  I had some nice large basil leaves to add flavor.  Cook in the oven on 350 for about half an hour, then stir together.  I took out the leaves at that point and crushed them to mix in well and serve over your paste or blend your cooked pasta right in the dish.  Excellent!

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray is a book many women can probably relate to.  At work or at home feeling that what they do goes un-appreciated.  A funny twist as she becomes in fact invisible and her son and husband fail to notice she's not really there.  Though her best friend does.  Then it gets really entertaining as she's able to spy on folks being invisible.  When to be naked and when to dress....now there's an interesting question.  A light hearted and entertaining book, but......it does touch on a real problem.

Love story, beach, money, and a mystery all rolled into an entertaining book.  Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores.

Mailman by Stephen Starring Grant.  A nonfiction story about a man who loses his job, can't find another one and settles to be a mailman in rural Appalachia Virginia.  He needed insurance so he took the job.  It turned his life around in such a positive way.  A real eye opener for me.  The hard work that goes unseen.  Entertaining, and educational.

E. Jean Carroll's book about trumpie and a detailed review of the courtoom with all it's drama.  She is very entertaining in the book, even though this is a serious topic.  It's her personality.  Of course we all know she won, we know he's guilty and sadly has still not paid her.  Between this book and Nobody's Girl (previous post), women trying to take down important and wealthy men is not a new problem.

I recommend all 4 of these books.  Let me know what you think.

I've started blogging about my France Adventure, click HERE.

Good Bye Summer, boooo Fall Has Arrived.

 

I'm happy to see so many Democrats won in yesterday's election, and hope things will continue that way as we move towards the midterms.

I haven't worked much on this variegated afghan, as summer really isn't the time to have something this heavy on your lap; but now that the weather has turned; time to pull it out and get busy again.

This past summer I planted Milkweed for the first time, and this was the first of 2 caterpillars I saw.  The season was almost over before I spotted any, and as you can see the plant was on it's way out.  After he ate a good bit, I moved him to a 2nd plant that was looking a bit better, I thought.  Then several days later as the cat was getting bigger, it moved it'self to a smaller plant and ate almost all of it...hopefully next year will be a bit better.  It was exciting to see the caterpillars.  Monarchs and all butterflies need folks to plant accordingly.

I finished this book a few days ago and am sorry I took the time to read it.  I stopped reading it multiple times and switched to other books that became available on my Libby.  I should have returned it unread.  Really HATED it.  I'm surprised it's rated pretty well.  I thought it was boring and slow moving initially, the story disjointed, and the ending DEPRESSING.  If it's on your to read list, do yourself a favor and delete it.

This book, How Fascism Works is a must read for everyone.  I wish I thought some of trumpie's supporters would read it, but I'm not hopeful.  

A very talked about book.  A bit hard to read.  We all know how horrific Epstein and Maxwell were, but to hear the details of what this poor child went through, as did others........heartbreaking.  I hope it's read by many and that increases the pressure on the pedophile protectors to release the files.

I've not kept up with documenting my exercise, as the summer's heat kept me from doing much walking beyond yard work and mowing.  However, hubby and I spent 16 days getting to and touring France and got lots of walking in.  Over our 16 days we walked 237,453 steps for an average of 14,841 per day with our highest day of 19,879.  Our total mileage was 96.53 for an average 6.03 miles per day.  The balls of my feet actually got sore, felt almost bruised.  I think it was all the cobblestone, and uneven terrain.  I'll be blogging about the trip with lots of pictures once I get them all edited.  

Been ages since I've blogged, must get back into and look forward to visiting all your blogs to catch up.