Well, I suppose its over for another year, right? We put the kids on a plane yesterday, headed for Anchorage. They enjoyed being home in Texas, didn't get to see everyone they wanted to, but had fun with everyone they visited. It was interesting (and frustrating, at times) to see how they divided their time with various family members as we all celebrated the holidays... but its all part of being married and learning to merge the families. When it all shakes out, you just enjoy and appreciate the times you get to spend together...
The kids flight from Dallas to Chicago was delayed on departure, then delayed again on arrival by gate congestion, so they missed their flight to Anchorage. They expected to have problems since they only had a 40 minute layover to change planes, so they spent the night in Chicago and flew out to Seattle and then Anchorage today. When I last spoke to Kevin this afternoon, they were on the way to pick up their dog at the boarder's house. He said they had some fresh snow in Anchorage and it was cold. (we had cold weather and snow here in Texas while they were home!)
Our holiday was good. We were able to get together with some of Joe's siblings and have a meal and a good visit. We spent Christmas day with my sister and her husband, cooking steaks and playing games. Everyone got gifts that they wanted. The kids loved their scarves and gift cards. Joe got music CDs and gift cards, I got clothes and a Ipod Shuffle (the itty bitty one). Joe also gave me a half-day of spa treatments at a local place - an hour of massage, a pedicure, and a facial... whee!!! So I'll be scheduling that for sometime next week! Isn't he a sweetheart?
I frogged the blue seed-stitch knitting... sorry there isn't a picture at the moment but I'll make that up to you later... I swatched two or three other things with that yarn and ripped those out too. I am now knitting a Mistake Rib scarf from that yarn - cast on 25 stitches, and K1, P1 every row - each row will start and end with a knit stitch. Its working up fast and looks good. My friend Robin sent me a pattern for the Directional Scarf, which I think I'll work up in some pretty variegated Noro wool yarn. (thanks Robin!) This blue scarf will probably be mailed to Alaska to the kids. Kevin said he thinks he'll have to share his black scarf with Tara - so if I send her a thicker ribbed scarf maybe he can keep the one I made for him.
My 48th birthday was Friday the 28th. It was a day like all the others - which isn't bad - we went out for coffee in the morning, ate supper out with the kids, I think I had a nap, I got several cards in the mail and a new pair of pjs. On my birthday its just natural to reminisce about my childhood birthdays, and of course I missed my mom. My sister called to tell me she had found a little notebook with my mom's things, in which she had written what we received for our birthdays and Christmases each year. So when my sister called, she asked if I remembered what I got for my birthday 40 years ago (when I turned 8 years old) ... of course I had no idea, but that was the year I got a white willow basket for my bicycle. Sweet, huh. I do remember my 9th birthday - I got to have a party. All my friends gave me money - $1 apiece. I told everyone I wanted money because I wanted to buy a parakeet, and my dad had promised to buy the cage if I got enough birthday money to buy the bird. I still remember how excited I was when we went to Woolworth's and got the bird and the cage. We all loved the parakeet. I named him Pretty Boy and we taught him to talk, and we let him out of the cage during the day. He loved to sit on the curtain rod in the kitchen window while my mom was cooking and doing dishes. He would also sit on the faucet and try to drink water out of the tap. He was a good little buddy - he lived about 10 years. That really has to be my best birthday memory!
If I don't post tomorrow... I wish you all a Happy and safe New Year!