Logan, Mittens, and Houses

My daughter and son in law Jon just got an update on the cutie from Guatemala! This picture was taken at Logan's 4 month check-up. He weighed in at 14 lbs 8oz. I guess they don't need to worry about him not getting enough to eat! Looks like he's lost most of his hair but he still has those adorable lips and big brown eyes. I can't wait to get my hands on this little guy. Stacey, Jon, and Mia will be leaving for Guatemala on Christmas day for a week with the little bugger. They are so excited. I think they will have a difficult time leaving him behind when they come home, but hopefully they will get him in February or March and then he's theirs forever! Fortunately, the elections were successful in Guatemala a couple weeks ago and the new president is pro-adoption.

I have been knitting! I am working on a pair of mittens for Mariah for Christmas. Mariah is my son Tyler's girlfriend and she LOVES the color pink. So I bought some pretty pink Galway and am knitting her a pair of Maggie's Rags cable heart mittens. They are turning out so cute. The pattern is fun, but not that well written. Mariah wears a black jacket so I think that pink mittens will look nice with it. If I was really ambitious I'd knit her a matching scarf. It will depend on time, working full time really cuts into the knitting time. My goal this year was to have all my Christmas shopping done by Dec. 15th so I could relax the week before Christmas. I am shopping today with my Mom but she wants to go to Kmart and that is one of my least favorite stores. I am going to look at sheets, big deal...

We are having Open Houses on both the houses, one every other weekend. It is a real pain in the behind to have to make sure that your house is spotless every second of the day. It's not me that's the problem...I blame any messiness on Walker or Summer the greyhound. She sheds, not a lot, but enough. Walker has a tendency to leave dirty clothes wherever. He even had a little pile next to his dresser that I found after the Open House last weekend! Oh well, we do live here and people can't expect it to look like a model home. I am still so undecided as to which house I want to sell. I have set my mind to the fact that whatever house sells, that's the way it's meant to be. I will be happy in either.

Tomorrow night is our monthly knitting group, we meet the third Thursday of every month. We are a fun crowd (Deb S. you should join us!) I was thinking that next month it would be fun to have a stash exchange for Christmas, or maybe a gift exchange. We usually have a little Christmas party with cookies and cider. Most years Janet makes us make an ornament...one year we made little needles out of toothpicks and knit a tiny little square and glued this to a tiny little ball of yarn. It was cute! We used left over sock yarn, the needles were round toothpicks with a seed bead glued to the end. It gave me a new appreciation about knitting on "small" needles! This knitting group is a fun group, if you live in the Minneapolis area and would like to join us please email me for directions.

We had our family room (picture above, white lines by sofa are sunshine!) and the bedroom next to it recarpeted last week, just in time for the Open House. I have to tell ya...I am impressed with Lowe's. They were very nice to work with, quick, friendly, and best of all...they did a great job. Every time I've tried to get something done by Home Depot it takes HOURS of waiting and filling out papers and they never have enough people to help. Not so with Lowe's. We were helped quickly, she was knowledgeable, and we bought our carpet, set up the install date and left the store all within 20 minutes! That makes me happy! And the family room looks great! Now all I need to do is go to the fabric store for fabric, and make those valances for the windows. I've been going to do that for the last 3 years! Now I'll get it done and the house will sell and I won't even be able to enjoy that room. The things we do for love...