Time has gotten away from me.

I haven't been keeping up my blog, but then no one has complained so I'm sure very few people actually want to read about my musings. I really should change the name of my blog as I've begun to quilt again.

I took several quilting classes about 7 years ago and finally finished the 6 block quilt that I'd learned to make. I presented it to my daughter-in-law for Christmas, 2012. I also made a Bernstein Bear quilt for my granddaughter and my grandson has taken it from his sister as he loves the Bernstein Bears but didn't want me to make him a quilt. Now he's happy to use his sister's quilt and is excited about the I Spy quilt that I'm slowly putting together for him.

This is the Hanami Stole or shawl that I'd started in July, 2012 but only did 6 rows and added the 48 beads. It sat and sat for months. I finally pulled it out again after Christmas and was determined to finish it before Spring time in Japan.

It is for my daughter-in-law's mum, who lives in Japan and she'd requested a rectangular shawl from me. The story behind this shawl interested me as Japan is a very beautiful country and Cherry Blossom season is celebrated by people having picnics outdoors and around shrines or wherever there are a lot of Cherry Blossom trees. Seeing for myself how beautiful these trees are in Springtime in Japan made me want to make this shawl for my daughter-in-law's mum.

It is asymmetrical in design and I didn't do the ruffle but added 6 rows of garter stitch and also added 48 more beads. I don't like working with lace weight yarn, but I managed to finish this in a month and don't have the same fear of dropping stitches and working with lace weight yarn.

I was ready to sell all my lace weight yarn and after making this beautiful shawl I've changed my mind.

Currently, I have many UFO's. I sorted through them today and got the patterns next to the yarn which is in plastic bags. I'm seriously working on the Eco Vest out of Cascade Eco wool and am enjoying the process. I may only do 4 inches of the broken rib for the front depending how it fits me. The arm holes are a bit big, but that's fine. I don't like tight vests.

I'm working on another rectangular shawl for my daughter-in-law's mum for next Christmas, plus a winter hat for my granddaughter for next winter, another vest, a cowl for myself out of some beautiful pink Madeline tosh yarn. A new yarn shop opened near my home called Valley Yarns and as the owner has had an online shop for a few years, it is now nice to have a quick drive to look at yarn. My stash is still too much for me but I do have 3 big containers filled with yarn that I'm willing to sell.

My dear friend has bought yarn from me and she tends to check to see what I have before she enters a yarn shop. Helps me out and also I was overjoyed to see some yarn that I'd forgotten I had made into a nice long vest by her. She is returning to knitting as I did so she's working on easy patterns. I've tried to convince her to try a top down sweater and I think she may be willing to try Mr. Greenjeans.

I have so many projects that I want to make. I have socks on needles which really should be finished. They just keep sitting in the bag as I work on other projects.

Now that I've gotten serious about quilting, it means I have more magazines and a few books and fabric of course filling up my craft room. I told my husband today that I'd like to move to a smaller place in 5 years but then I'd lose my craft room and he'd lose his train room so for now we'll muddle around in this big house. Our hobbies need space and while I'm trying to sell or knit up my stash, I know that I won't get it all knitted up or sold in 5 years.

Our two Golden Retrievers take up a lot of my time and energy and they follow me everywhere. They whimper at me to go out and then back inside the house. But when I'm in my craft room sewing or cutting fabric, they just either play with a toy or chew a bone or sleep. I tend to do all my knitting in the family room so I can watch TV or at least have it on if I'm working on something that is repetitive.

I'll try to write more here and I need to figure out how to change the name of this blog of mine.

Fibre's West is going to be in Cloverdale this year and I can easily walk to it. I'm excited about going this year because it is so close. Our knitting guild does wind yarn for people, so I'll volunteer to do that and get to be around gorgeous yarn and possibly find a class that I want to take.

Autumn has arrived in British Columbia, Canada

My granddaughter is all decked out in warm clothing for Autumn. I'd knitted the sweater to fit her when she was about 18 months old, however she is now 14 months old, and I think the sleeves need to be made longer. Length of the sweater is fine, but I may have to fix the sleeves so she can wear it a bit longer.

We've had more time with both of our grandchildren lately and watching our granddaughter learn to talk, walk, and of course try to grab the dogs' tails is just the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Maggie is 7 months old now, and she's injured her left hind knee. The Vet told us she needed surgery, but we checked out information online, and we kept her as quiet as we could for 5 days and then slowly allowed her to be free in the house and to go on walks with a leash on. She has no pain now and wants to run, plus she is walking without any limp. It is time to reconsider finding a new Vet.

I seem to be in the start project mode again. Have several on needles that I just had to start but finishing at this point, isn't happening as quickly as I'd hope. I did injure my right shoulder when Maggie pulled me down several weeks ago and now my rotator cuff is inflamed. Still have pain with it but I do try to get some knitting done as I have Christmas gifts to make.

Decided to make a dress for my granddaughter and while it is slow going, I'm making myself do several long rows each day. Did make three pairs of clogs and now just need a day to felt them. Working on a cowl for my daughter for Christmas, and I was going along happily and then checked and I had one twist in it. I thought about making it a moebius but later decided to frog it and start over. Now there is no twist, and it is the seed stitch so it is pretty mindless knitting for me.

I keep wanting more yarn. I did use up Cascade 220 from my stash to make the clogs and used up leftovers and felt good about it. Yet, when I saw that Mission Falls Wool was on sale at Elann online, I just caved and bought some to make a sweater for my grandson or maybe my granddaughter. Bought some cocoa colour and also some teal and pink.

I keep looking at new yarns and wanting to try them, but I now have to consider that my stash is huge and working from it is important. I will find yarns that I think I need, and then I consider the cost and the fact that I have enough yarn to make at least 10 sweaters and that gets me centred again.

Yarn Harvest was a lot of fun again this year. Three other guild members rode in the car with me and thankfully at least one of them had a better sense of direction than I did. My GPS is a portable one and not totally up to date. However, it was a great day and I got to know two members a lot better.

My granddaughter is fearless around the dogs. While we do have to keep an eye on them and her, the dogs are very gentle with her, while she isn't always that gentle with them. My grandson can't tell them apart anymore as Maggie is getting so big, and he prefers Millie to Maggie because Millie isn't always trying to jump up on the couch to be next to him.

You'd think that as a grandmother I'd be wanting to knit lots of items for my grandchildren. I asked my grandson if he wanted me to make him some felted slippers. He politely declined. He prefers me to buy him toys and Pokemon cards that he's totally into right now. And to me, grandmothers do what their grandchildren ask if at all possible. He turned 5 years old yesterday and we do enjoy playing games on my I-phone when he is visiting. We also play lego, read stories and I try to get him to show me how well he reads and to put puzzles together as we used to do. He is more interested in lego and stories and of course TV and games on my I-phone.

I plan to make him a vest as his mum wants one but it will have to wait until I've finished some of my unfinished projects. Plan is to finish a sweater, the dress for my granddaughter, the cowl, felt the clogs and make several pairs of fingerless gloves out of leftover yarn before Christmas. Now to get them either finished or started is the order of business.

The Dog Days of Summer

I've been very lax in writing here for several months now. We got another Golden Retriever at the end of May and Maggie is now best friends with our 3 year old Golden, Millie. Maggie is 4 months old as of this writing and she is so different than Millie. Where Millie is submissive towards other dogs unless she knows them, Maggie just approaches any dog and wants to know them. She's played with other puppies at a dog park and could care less where I am during her play time.

But at 4 months old she can sit and stay for 45 seconds, lie down and stay for the same amount of time and also can roll over on command and shake both paws. She has learned what 'leave it' means and also 'drop it'. She is now in puppy training at Pet Smart, but she's the most advanced dog there. I have to keep her entertained with sitting and lying down and giving her treats while the trainer is talking and talking about stuff that I already know. But it is good for Maggie to learn to deal with distractions like all the other young puppies that she wants to play with and she's not allowed to do so during class.

My life has gotten very busy with dogs it seems. Millie still goes to day care 2-3 days a week, and Maggie and I walk or go to a safe dog park, but it's getting to the point where I'd just rather have both dogs with me and all the walking I do is great exercise for me.

My knitting just isn't happening. I'm working on one project which is a secret gift for someone in the Fraser Valley Knitting Guild and I must finish it by the end of September. I did sort through my huge stash or 'epic' stash as one of my knitting buddies called it, and she is taking some yarn from me for 50% off of what I paid for it. It still doesn't leave a big dent in my craft room but it is a beginning. Plus, I organized again and got inspired to make some more sweaters. I have enough yarn to make a huge blanket that would probably cover our house, but of course I'm not doing that.

My granddaughter is one now and she is walking so the dogs have to be outside when she comes to visit or they'll knock her over. My grandson does walk with me and the dogs and he loves Millie and she is easier for him to handle.

When your life begins to revolve around dogs, it is time to refocus and get yarn out and spend time making a sweater for someone for Fall. I did make the Contented Cardigan for myself and I'm very pleased with it. Madeline tosh yarn is just delightful to knit with and I do have more to make a couple more sweaters. I've made a few Christmas gifts, but just can't seem to get in the knitting mood lately.

I've been here before so I know this will pass, but for now I'll keep working on selling some stash and knitting up larger amounts in sweaters.



Yarn Harvest is coming up and a knitting buddy suggested that I literally go through my stash and I won't be tempted to spend more money on yarn. I will do that, but if I find some Madeline tosh in a different colour or some Sweet Georgia worsted in enough quantities to make a sweater, I'll just have to purchase it.

Maggie did see my yarn on the floor last night as I was sorting some good yarn and she quickly took a ball and left the room. I thought she was just coming to check where I was, but no. She was stealing some St. Denis yarn that I'd bought awhile ago to make mittens. It was stuck on the staircase, around the dog bowls, out the patio door and up some steps to the upper level and filled with grass and of course in a tangled mess. I couldn't find the tag so I wasn't sure which yarn it was, but this morning she presented the tag to my daughter who had spent the night. I spent over 2 hours detangling it but Maggie didn't get yelled at. I just laughed at my very silly puppy.

The King's Speech and Knitting in the Dark

As those who live in British Columbia, Canada know, it rains a lot here. My husband and I have been wanting to see The King's Speech on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, but only if it was a rainy day. It seems that we'd have rain forecast for a weekend and then it would be sunny or only cloudy. So of course we wanted to be outside either walking Millie or just being outside.

As it rained this morning, a Saturday, cleared up a bit and then when I was out walking Millie, it started to drizzle, we decided that today was the day to see the film.

My favourite yarn shop,88 Stitches had their annual customer appreciation day today, and of course I didn't need more yarn, but I did want to see if there was some Sweet Fiber Yarns that I could purchase in a light grey for a dear friend in California, or find some teal coloured fingering weight yarn for another shawl. Now my stash is huge, and if you find me or know me on Ravelry as CynthiaW, you will know what I mean.

I couldn't find the right grey for my friend as she wanted 2 skeins of it, and it is a new colour for Spring. However, I did find some teal that had some black in it in Sweet Sock yarn, and I just had to purchase it. I also picked up another skein of Sweet Sock yarn in pinks and purples. When I returned home, I realized that I already had one skein of the teal/black in Sweet Sock yarn and one in pink /purple. The pink/purple that I already had is much lighter than the one I did buy, so that worked out perfectly. As I like shorter shawls, I will finish a pair of socks that have been sitting on the needles for so long that I swear the needles are attached to the yarn. And the Sweet Sock yarn would be beautiful for a pair of socks for someone for Christmas.

Not wanting to spill my drink or get buttery popcorn on my new yarn, I left it in the car. Thankfully my husband's car is one that is very difficult to break into. And I did check to make sure all the doors were really locked. I'm sure there must be some yarn thieves out there, but I can't picture any of the knitters that I know who would do that.

The theatre was dark and we sat at the very top. We had about 20 minutes before the film began, so I pulled out a scarf in the round that I'm making for my daughter in the green colours that she looks so amazing in. As it is knit one round and purl one round at this point, I figured that I could manage it in the dark. I did all right and don't think I dropped any stitches but I still haven't checked to be sure.

However, once the film began, I stopped knitting at times so that I wouldn't miss anything. Then I'd pick it up and was able to knit by feel. I've only been seriously knitting for about 8 years now so I was feeling very proud of myself.

The film was wonderful and the only thing or rather actor who disappointed me was the actor who played Winston Churchill. I'm very, very distantly related to that Churchill family and the actor didn't look like how I'd like to look when I'm even older than I am right now. I'm older than dirt as it is, but I certainly don't look like this actor. Of course it was all in fun for me. Whether my family is really related to the Winston Churchill family was proven by me when I was into genealogy. However one of my cousins has also done genealogy and he thinks that we're related to another Churchill family. Doesn't really matter of course and I don't drink or smoke cigars, so maybe my cousin is right.

I have noticed that knitting in the dark isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Also, I do find even with mindless knitting, I miss a lot of information on the television when I'm knitting. Most television can be skimmed, but occasionally I really want to see and listen to become more informed and with some of my favourite crime shows, I can't remember what happened in the end of a repeated show because I was busy doing lace work, intarsia, or fair isle and not totally paying attention.

I'm sure that I will continue to knit in the theatre. But some films are to be savored and enjoyed and The King's Speech was one that I know I will want to see again. I may have missed some important things that I'll be able to see when it comes out on DVD.

I'm working on a teddy bear hat for my granddaughter to fit her at Christmas. I'm making the teddy bears a bit bigger than what the pattern says, but then I'm using sport weight yarn rather than the worsted that the pattern calls for. I'm also working on a sweater for my granddaughter which I hope will fit her in the Fall. At this point, it seems big enough to be worn as a dress for this 7 month old darling little girl.




My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in Japan right now. My dear daughter-in-law and my two precious grandchildren are in Okayama right now. I did get an email from my daughter-in-law and although I knew they were south of Toyko, I still wanted to make sure they were fine and that her family was fine. One of her relatives did lose their home, but they are safe. I've had several old friends, current friends and relatives contact me about my daughter-in-law's family. Most of them didn't know that my daughter-in-law and my two grandchildren were in Japan.

A man years ago worked through his studdering, and Japan will rebuild itself as it did after WW11. With a bit of help from the world, it will return to being the safe and beautiful country that it is.

Grief is exhausting

My dear mother-in-law died on January 18th. Then I got a letter from a friend from my childhood telling me that her mom had died on January 7th. I just sat on the stairs and had a good cry. Three deaths of significant women in my life all within one month was just too much for me to bear. However, I have good friends who are very supportive, and also children who not only are grieving for their grandmother, but are also understanding of my grief. My husband of course is grieving the loss of his mom, so I'm trying to do whatever I can to support him.

Her belongings were moved from her apartment in independent living to our home last Saturday and now we're in the process of bagging up things that can be donated and separating things that I think my sister-in-law would want.

I never realized just how exhausting grieving could be. I know all the stages of it, have grieved before, but this is the hardest grief that I've ever experienced in my life. I sleep in, take naps, and just doing simple daily activities is becoming a chore.

I did finish the sweater that I'd been working on for my 4 year old grandson and even got him to wear it. He said it was a little bit itchy around the neck. It is a tad long for him, but as our Winter seems to be heading to Spring faster than was expected, it will fit him next Winter.

Since I can't seem to focus long enough to work on a shawl that I'd planned to finish in the next month or so, I'm working on the scarf in memory of Gayle, another mindless scarf, and now the Eternity Scarf. I'm using Madelinetosh DK in the colour logwood for the Eternity Scarf, and working with this yarn is delightful.

I'm now taking Millie to doggy day care at Bark 'N Lounge three times a week, so she can play with her buddies, get exercise, and I can rest or try to do things around the house without having to plan for her daily walks. Today we did go to a dog park and she had fun running and playing with a beagle and also was more tolerant to a beautiful German Shepherd who seems to have taken a shine to Millie. He definitely became alpha dog around her and seemed to want to protect her from other dogs that ran up to her. It was quite cute to see as previously she's been quite timid around Roco, but today she walked with him as his owner and I walked around the dog park to get our exercise and let them enjoy a day without rain. They both did get a bit muddy, but it is easy to wipe it off of Millie when we get home and then brush it later.

I sold some yarn the other day and need to sort my huge stash and decide what I want to part with. It is just a matter of getting motivated to sit and label yarn and then find the best evening to take it to the knitting guild to sell it to members. I could sell more on Ravelry, but again it seems like a lot of work for me to do right now.

This too shall pass. I just want it to pass quicker than it is doing. Time heals. All the usual sayings are so true, but living in grief isn't easy. I did get to play with my grandchildren the other day and for awhile, I was happy. Then I realized that my 5 month old granddaughter will never know her great-grandmother. My mother-in-law was a beautiful lady. She was proper, she was kind, and she listened to me when I talked to her about everything. She never judged anyone, and was always willing to spend time with others. She is greatly missed.

A Sad Ending to 2010

As I sit here on New Year's Eve, my heart isn't into a new year. As I try to live one day at a time, there is no need for me to make resolutions or make amends as a year ends. I try to live my life in such a way that I make amends to those that I've hurt in any way as soon as I'm aware that I may have hurt someone. With resolutions, if I make them, I usually don't follow through past the first few weeks in January.

Just over a week ago, I received a phone call from a friend telling me that a dear friend of mine had liver Cancer that had spread to her lungs. Gayle, my friend had only found out this possible diagnosis a few weeks before I got this phone call. They were unable to do a biopsy due to all the fluid that was already on her abdomen. As my mother-in-law was in hospital for heart failure and kidney failure, I had to go to the hospital anyway on Tuesday, December 21, and since I'd found out from Gayle's husband that she was to have a biopsy that day, I went searching for my dear friend. I'd worked at that hospital as a registered nurse for several years, so it was easy for me to find her. She was surprised to see me, but I could see how ill she really was.

We hugged and I gave her a special plaque that we'd been sharing with each other over the years. It was her turn to have it, and I told her that I expected her to give it back to me in April. She said she would. We both knew that she wouldn't be on earth to do that, but it was our way of showing hope. As the elevator was taking us down and I had to stop on the 2nd floor to visit my Mum, I hugged her again and she said, 'I love you'. I said, 'I love you.' As the elevator doors closed, I started to cry.

However, I had to be strong for my mother-in-law, so I wiped my tears and went to visit Mum. I did tell her about Gayle, but as my mother-in-law is 92 and is of sound mind, but now has a body that is dying on her, I can no longer use my mother-in-law as a Mum and dump all my worries and concerns onto her.

I've had a rough couple of weeks. I did see Gayle again when she was admitted to hospital in a private room, but she was basically unconscious due to all the pain medications that they were giving her. I read to her, talked to her, and she held my hand tightly. She'd opened her eyes once and she looked scared, unsure of where she was, so I told her to go back to sleep. Then I said 'Good bye'.

She died on December 28th at around 3am in the morning, and I'd seen her for the last time on Boxing Day, December 26th. I'd spent time talking to her husband and of course I've been praying for him, their two adult sons and her own Mum who is 97. Gayle has left a big hole in a lot of people's lives.

Her funeral is January 4th at the Anglican Church in Langley, BC, that she'd take her mum to each Sunday. I've had some peaceful days, but mostly I feel numb. I've had some weepy days and I'd even asked God to give me a spiritual awakening and then I said don't bother. I've had more than my share of them. Later that day, while putting groceries in the trunk of my car, I found a loonie. I immediately picked it up and thanked Gayle for it. When my mom died, I found pennies for months. When my dad died, I found dimes for months. Gayle left me a loonie which has a lot of significance to me.

And while at a meeting today, a friend called me to look at what was found where I'd been sitting. Where my chair had been was a penny. I believe that they are pennies from heaven and while I'd love more loonies, I know that finding pennies, dimes, or loonies are all from those 3 people that I've loved and lost.

I've had other losses in my life of course. But losing Gayle who was my friend, my counsellor in life, a spinner and knitter, and someone who had a sense of humour that could get me out of a bad mood in a second, is a loss that will stay with me for a long time. One thing that she'd always say to me whether I was sharing something upsetting or something joyful was 'This Too Shall Pass'. And when I didn't know what to do next, she'd say, 'Do the next right thing'.

These two phrases will always stay with me. Today I went to my local yarn store to look around as I don't really need more yarn, but I told the owner about my loss and I was just looking for something to comfort me. She handed me some beautiful Alpaca that she'd just got in, and the softness of it just melted my heart. I purchased 3 skeins of a beautiful royal blue. Then I saw the new Rios by Malabrigo and saw 3 skeins of a mixed purple colour. I knew I had to purchase these also to make a triangle scarf just for myself. The pattern that I use is very simple and it is mindless once I've done the bottom and a couple of the triangles. It is a perfect project for me to be working on right now, so I can just knit and also remember all the beautiful times together Gayle and I had. I can also allow myself to grieve.

I wanted to buy some green yarn as Gayle had the most amazing green eyes and when she wore green, she was just stunning. But I realized that I could no longer make anything for her to wear. However, I can make something to charish out of both of these yarns for myself in memory of Gayle.

While I won't be making any particular resolutions for 2011, I will continue to keep my inventory of my yarn, books, magazines, and needles up to date. And I will label yarn in my huge stash to sell at a guild meeting or just give some of it away to those who have less than me but do want to knit.

Mum isn't doing well, and we will be in the process of moving her from independent living to assisted living once she is medical stable for such a move. This is a difficult time for my husband and for Mum. It is also a difficult time for my three grown children and my daughter-in-law as it is unlikely that Mum will live to 2012. However, she has surprised all of us in the past. So for now, I'm just being there for her, helping her with nursing care and communicating with the doctor to do the best for Mum. And she told me not to grieve long for her. I can grieve a little bit for her. I love my mother-in-law very much. She has been a Mum to me ever since my own mother died in 2002. And I'm so grateful to have had such wonderful women in my life to support me on my journey.

My many projects in knitting are mostly just sitting there. In January, I will decide what I really want to make and what can be ripped out. I realize that I don't have time to spend making many projects and I don't do just one project at a time, but I will finish a sweater for my grandson, a sweater for my granddaughter, and possibly a vest for my grandson and a winter hat for my granddaughter.

Right now, I'm lucky if I can knit for a few minutes without feeling overwelmed with sadness and loss. But as Gayle would say to me, 'This too shall pass.'

A Beginning Designer

I finally decided to learn how to write out a pattern from my own design. Although I've changed many patterns ,or even used the basics of two patterns and added my own parts, and have even taken a stitch from a stitch dictionary and used it to create something, writing up my own pattern was more work than I expected it to be. I had two dear friends who test knitted my first attempts at writing out a pattern, and their insight into not only what to put into the pattern, but how to change it were amazing.

I learned how to make a pdf and even add pictures and resize them. I'm not a computer geek even though I'd love to be one, but learning the few things that I did were a source of great joy for me.

The above picture is one of the cowls that I made out of Handmaiden Cashmere 4 ply. My test knitters made the same pattern out of Malabrigo Silky Merino and I also made one out of the same yarn plus one out of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. The Alpaca Silk one did stretch a lot due to the alpaca in it, but it is a perfect size for my daughter-in-law and it is brown, which she loves.

I'm now working on a pair of fingerless gloves with the same lace pattern so I can offer both the cowl and fingerless gloves together. I've put them for sale on Ravelry,however I am quite willing to send this pattern to anyone who wishes to have it. If you are on Ravelry, just send me a message with your email and I will gladly send the cowl pattern. My Ravelry name is CynthiaW.

My life has been very busy with not only designing, but trying to finish up some of the knitting projects that I hope to have finished by Christmas. Between trying to knit, spend 5-6 hours with my grandson just playing at least every other week or so, and make sure my 92 year old mother-in-law is doing well and spending time with her, and even getting the laundry and housework done, plus of course taking my wonderful dog, Millie, out each day for a good run, I tend to focus on mindless knitting in the evenings. That will have to change if I expect to finish the things that I want to finish before Christmas.

My life as the President of the Fraser Valley Knitting Guild has become a bit more demanding than I expected. I now limit the amount of time that I tend to guild business so that I can better inform the person who takes over for me in two years of what she/he has in store for them. We are a new guild, being only 2 1/2 years old, and for the first time we have a strong executive. We are now focusing on the programs and less on business and more on the teaching aspect of what a guild does. It isn't a knit and chat by any means, but we're trying to make it fun and also to encourage members to teach others of all the knitting techniques that some of our more advanced knitters know how to do without having a book open in front of them. I tend to be a knitter who has to have a book or notes available to me when I'm tackling something that is either different, or something that I've done before but need a quick reminder.
My day so far has been filled with attending a meeting, tromping through the power easement with Millie so she could run and have fun chasing a ball and of course getting muddy and wet in the process. Then it was onto some guild business and writing emails and of course updating my blog.

I'm totally into NCIS right now. I found seasons 1 & 2 hidden in our cabinet of DVD's and videos that one of my adult children had bought me at least two years ago. So, I'm totally into Gibbs and the gang. While I remember bits and pieces of each episode, I usually am knitting and not totally paying attention to any TV that I watch. Now I'm paying attention and enjoying the special features that these DVD's have.

I am a very addictive type of person and once I get into something, whether it be NCIS, yarn, books or even music, I tend to over do it until I can again find my balance. I'm slowly getting some balance with NCIS but I do want Season 5 & 6 and may have to wait until Christmas for them.

This journey of life has many bumps in the road and there are may times when I just want to give up and curl in a ball, knit and enjoy my grandchildren or adult children and of course spend time with Millie, and not interact with anyone outside of my small circle of family. However, I am a people person and I do enjoy learning and listening to what others have to say. I will forever be a student, and right now I feel that I'm a student in life. I'm learning when to let things go, and when to become passionate about something and just do it. Finding the balance is important for me.