Do You Wanna Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I have to admit that one of the advantages of getting married was having a more unique name! There are 3,292 people with my maiden name!

Quotation Meme

I was tagged by my friend Susan for this quotation meme. I LOVE quotations. It's something I inherited from my Grandma Hopkins. If you go here you can choose 5 quotes, randomly selected (I had to go through a lot and also change the resources at the bottom of the page that were used to search from before finding some good ones!) I am going to tag my friend Amy because this seems right up her alley! List 5 quotes and you should comment on at least one of them. So, in nor specific order, here are my five:


1. Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.
Theodore Roosevelt, president of US (1858 - 1919)

When I read this quote, pictures of Grandma Hopkins came to mind. She was definitely a "can-do" woman and her big saying the last couple decades of her life was A.D.A. which stood for "Attitude Determines Action."

2. One may have good eyes and yet see nothing. Italian Proverb

This quote reminded me of photography. My adventures in learning photography have taught me to see many things that others, including myself at times, have passed by. I hope to pass on to my children, the ability to SEE.


3. A word out of season may mar a whole lifetime. Greek Proverb

Unfortunately, I don't believe this quote needs any explanation! Most of us have experienced this pain in person or have inflicted it on others.

4. My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind. Albert Einstein, US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955

It is a fallacy that Einstein was an atheist. He did believe in God, though I am not sure that he had any type of intimate relationship with Him. This quote, again reminds me of my own experiences in photography, through which I have learned so much of God and myself.

5. And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin, US (French-born) author & diarist (1903 - 1977)

This woman is not someone whose life I admire, but occasionally I stumble across quotes from her that I can relate to. I have been very shy and self conscious all my life. But at some point in time I realized that I would need to step forward and take action or I would never have any kind of normal life or experiences and I would miss out on a lot of joy and blessings that God wanted to give to me...thus, I relate to this quote.

Saturday we just had to get out of the house. After all our medical adventures, we just needed to do something normal together as a family and we all love the beach, so we headed to the Sonoma Coast and spent the afternoon at Goat Rock Beach at the Whale Point end. 

My hubby took this picture of me knitting on the beach. I had fun looking for agates and shells and other pretty rocks, having a picnic with hubby and the kids, playing with the kids and then kicking back with my knitting. Later I moved and sat where I could look at the ocean and watched the surf come pounding in. It was really nice...well worth the six hours drive (round trip). 

This is what I am working on. It's Maggie's Bag from Fiber Trends. It will be felted. I am using some Patons Classic Merino (green) and some Patons SWS (Soy, Wool, Stripes) which is a new yarn and I saw on another blog that it felts. Instead of making the bag multi-striped like in the pattern photo, I am doing it green with a section of the SWS in the center. It is really soft and nice feeling. The color changes are a little too predictable, not quite as nice as the Noro yarns, but not bad. I like Fiber Trends patterns and have made several, including the felted clogs pattern which I love...the warmest slippers ever! I like to support Fiber Trends since they started out in my adopted home town, Bellingham, WA. I love felting because there is that suspense and excitement to see how it will turn out when you get it out of the wash. This bag will be for a Christmas present. I also have some dark olive eyelash that I wanted to put in at the top around the edge, but I have never used this in felting...I'm wondering if someone could tell me how that works. I see lots of bags done with it, but don't know if there are any special directions. I know that it will not felt, so I am assuming that the wool that I run it with will felt and that will "lock" it in and it will be kind of loopy along the edge...is that right? 

Here you can see where I started using the SWS, the "back side" or the reverse stockinette side is actually the front side of the bag. Last night and today I knit a bit on it and have about 5 inches of the SWS knit (one skein) and will now revert back to the green to finish. I am anxious to get it done and felted to see what it looks like. 

I have always liked heart things and look for them in nature. I found this rock on the beach and thought it looked nice against the knitting. 

When we left the sky and lighting was getting very moody. Even though it wasn't a blue sky and sunshine day, it was great to get away. In my family, a bad day at the beach is better than a good day in the city! :o) 

Stress Relief

Okay, with all that has been going on with my hubby's health and all the other stresses...well, I need a little stress relief, so I am doing a meme that is totally stupid and silly but made me laugh! :o)

My 10 Names Meme

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: ( pet and current street name) Abbie Mills

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side, your favorite candy) Holly Caramel (um, this doesn't sound like the kind of movie star I'd want to be!)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of last name, first three letters of your middle name) L. Ann (okay...so I have never been the fly girl type...)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Purple Cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Ann Everett

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
Linthhoeve (sounds more like a Celtic lisp! LOL)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The”, your favorite color, favorite drink) The Purple Water (ooh how exciting!)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of both your grandfathers) Alden Albin

9. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite shoes) Opium Birkenstock (sounds better than I'm allergic barefoot!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother/father’s middle name ) Elona Eugene

Sounds like I better stick with the name my folks gave me! :o)

Actual knitting content on my knitting blog! What do you know! LOL This is something I have made for a gift. I have several items which I have been working on and blocking which are gifts so I haven't been able to post much. I am also in a sock exchange with Feet To Prayers on the Christian Artisans list where you knit one sock and send it on to your pal and she completes the pair. We also pray for each other and send along other autumn goodies as well. Anyway, I wanted to post this picture of a lovely and easy drop stitch scarf I made from some kid mohair. As you scroll down you will see pictures from my son's 5th birthday today. We celebrated all day long! :o) 

Whether you are two or ninety-two, it's a tradition in our family to get a birthday call in the morning from Grandma and Grandpa, who also serenade you with Happy Birthday. Here D is saying, "And Grandma..." He is wearing his new shirt which I made him from fabric with Cars movie motifs. This was the beginning of a very fun day! 

For D's birthday we have started a tradition of going to a pumpkin patch each year. This year we went to Clarksburg, which is about 20 miles southwest of where we live, to a place called Kirtlan's Silver Bend. We went with my two friends from church/scrapbooking who also homeschool and all their kids. It was a lot of fun. There was a real train to ride on and D covered his ears when the loud whistle blew! We had a lot of fun playing on the straw bales and eating a nummy lunch together. My kids loved playing with the big kids and especially being outside all day! I tried to get a picture of the three of them together...my eternal quest...but it just is not going to happen I guess. Here they are anyway, left to right, A, D, and J. 

A, D, J...About as good as it gets... 

My Big Five Year Old!  

After I had taken several pictures, D did this and said, "I think I'm done with pictures now Mommy!" LOL 

D..."I'm king of the straw bales!" He was on top of a tall stack and had fun climbing up just like the big kids! 

The girls had fun on the straw bales too...J, as usual, is carrying a stick. She is always happy when she has little thingsi n her hands! 

A in yellow, J in lavender. 

We had a nice picnic and of course everything was Cars themed. I made leaf shaped sugar cookies (because it's fall, y'all!) and we sang Happy Birthday to him before we ate our cookies. He got quite the serenade. 

A being coy after stealing a cookie from our friends. 

Tonight we had some chocolate cake with Lightening McQueen and Mater from the Cars movie, as well as a #5 candle. You can see that DD, J, really enjoyed it! 

These pictures are from the weekend when Uncle L and Aunt K came to see us and bring this wonderful present for our big boy! He learned how to ride with training wheels at Grandma and Grandpa's this summer and now is very excited to have one of his own. :o) 

My big boy on his bike. We may have to lower the seat a little so he can get more leverage, but I'm glad he got this size because he can grow with it. 

"Mommy! It even has a horn and I honk it when the cars are coming!" 

We had a nice visit with Uncle L and Aunt K...this is what Uncle L does now that he is retired! LOL 

Five years ago today, I came to the end of a long 46 our labor, which ended with a Csection! I feel there were many things about my labor that could have been written up in a "what not to do" book for OB procedures! It was very difficult, but all that pain and struggle was worth it! Our little man came to join us and it seems like we blinked and now he is turning five! :o) He is the child we prayed for, strived for, worked for, the child I was told I wold never have. He is the first of three miracles! Happy Birthday Little Man! :o) Mommy and Daddy love you whole bunches! 

I love the look on hubby's face in this picture. You can tell he is a new Dad...look how he is holding him. By the time the girls came along he could sling one over each shoulder and carry them! LOL But his first weeks with the little man, he was pretty tentative. He's the best Dad ever and he really did get the hang of everything! The little man is only about 20 minutes old here. I was drugged and in and out of consciousness so I never really got to truly hold him until 6AM the next morning. :o( I'm glad hubby was there though so the little guy wasn't all alone his first couple hours on earth. 

This is my hubby's favorite picture. My guy was about one week old here. All the drugs from the Csection and pain meds were finally out of my body and I could start enjoying my little man. Can't believe it is five years!