Sunday, March 25, 2007

A Day with Gabriel
Yesterday we had a special day with Gabriel while his parents were shopping. First we took a walk around the yard looking for bugs, flowers, birds, and signs of spring. Gabe likes to stand on top of things; in the first picture he is on top of an old tree stump in the back yard.













In the second picture we went to a park on Lansing Avenue to look at ducks so he enjoyed being on top of the rock with his grandfather. This park also has an old locomotive on display. The ducks were unfriendly and the nearby lake was somewhat dangerous, so then we went to Sharp Park, near our house, where there is a very cute playground for children. Gabe really enjoyed himself there! He didn't want to leave.

There is nothing better for me than spending a day looking at the world through the eyes of my grandchild.












Thursday, March 22, 2007

Spring is barbecue time. Mr. T's special barbecue stove has been hibernating in the garage all winter, waiting for warmer days. Recently we dragged it out of its winter sleep and pulled it around to the patio. Then it had to wait a few more days until suitable weather appeared. There was light dusting of snow and an almost invisible coating of ice as recently as yesterday. This morning started out with a very strong thunderstorm. Mr. T. optimistically planned his barbecue, shopping for the buns and defrosting the hamburgers, happily preparing for the season's first cookout. Sure enough, the sun appeared in the middle of the afternoon, temperatures rose, and suddenly spring was here in all its glory. I think Mr. T. enjoyed his barbecued hamburger dinner very much and has many plans for more outdoor cooking for the next several months.

Here is a small lace shawl that I just finished. Lace knitting is very interesting because it requires precision and total concentration while knitting. No glances at a TV screen attention straying while working on this! Without fully focusing on the work, you risk ripping out the whole thing! Believe me, this has happened to me more than once!

I' ve already begun my next lace project; plus I started a cardigan for myself. The craftiness continues!

Sunday, March 18, 2007


Is It Spring Yet?
A little snow can still be seen here and there on the ground in spite of milder weather. Sunshine is stronger and days are getting longer. It is a pleasure to take my daily walk. Every spring I look forward to early flowers appearing, especially the crocus. In the picture you can see some little purple flowers that I picked yesterday from the garden next to my house. Our third grandchild, expected in May, is going to be a surprise; we don't know if he or she will be a boy or girl. (I'm thinking a boy.) So I'm making one of my favorite baby patterns, a back zip sweater, in both blue and pink versions. Here you can see the blue version; the pink is also finished and waiting for the Big News!

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Gabe and Scarlett
Here are a couple pictures of Gabriel and Scarlett taken last week when we were all in Orlando. We had so much fun! We rented a big house so that we could all stay together. We could cook or we could go out to eat; every day we decided what we wanted to do. One day was spent at Seaworld and another at Animal Kingdom. Those two parks were chosen because Gabe and Scarlett are both very interested in animals. Between the two parks, many many animals were seen. Some favorites were the Shamu Show at Seaworld (Shamu is a killer whale who performs with his trainers); the Safari Ride at Animal Kingdom (We could take a fairly authentic jungle ride viewing animals on all sides); the Lion King Show, and the Petting Zoo (both at Animal Kingdom).
Gabe will be 3 years old in May, and is a happy and enthusiastic little boy. He speaks both English and Spanish, sometimes talking in mixed sentences. Like most little boys, he loves cars, trucks, airplanes, and "moto". I'm very impressed that he can eat almost everything with great enjoyment, but he eats in moderation. As you may know, he is my favorite "cookie helper"!



Scarlett will soon be 2 years old, and is a happy and sweet little girl. She is learning both English and Korean. Scarlett loves books, working on her vocabulary and ABC's, and is quite verbal for her age. She loves to be held and cuddled, and I love to hold her.



I am a very lucky grandmother. And a very wonderful event will occur in May when a third grandchild joins our family, Tom and Kelly's baby!

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Florida!

We just spent a week in Orlando and had a wonderful time. Our children and grandchildren joined us, so it was great to spend a few days all together. Sunday afternoon there was a baby shower for Kelly that the ladies attended. Tom and Steve got in some early morning golf. One day the whole group went to Sea World and another day we went to Animal Kingdom. The temperature was perfect; it was great to be out of the snow and cold for just a few days. More pictures can be seen here.
Tony and I drove round trip, returning home last evening, 1200 miles in two days. It's not a bad drive and we take turns, changing drivers every 100 miles so we don't get too tired. The only tricky part of the drive was last evening as we returned to Michigan; parts of the highway had white out conditions with blowing snow, at times making it difficult to see the road. More about our trip in the days to come!