Bubbly Weekend

We went away for the weekend to visit my daughter, Anne,  and our two grandsons, Jack and Hayden who live in San Diego.  On saturday we all drove up to Lawrence Welk Resort to visit with SIL, Melody and family who were staying there for the weekend.   Melody has a timeshare there that was originally owned by my mother and father in-law and it's a great place for both of our families to meet at.    Not only is the 2 bedroom condo a delight, but there is a fantastic pool with slide area for the kids to frolic in.   Going to a Lawrence Welk Villa now somehow makes up for those countless hours my husband and I had to spend as kids when there was only one TV in the whole house, watching the Lawrence Welk Show with our parents and having to listen to his "Champagne Music".   Remember that borefest? 

 Anne was especially happy to hold baby Dylan who is only 6 weeks old when we arrived there.  Dylan Brian Bingham is the son of my niece, Amy and her husband, Ron.   He is Melody's only grandson, which makes him extra special.   He is a beautiful baby boy with a full head of hair as you can see from the picture. He actually slept 99% of saturDAY, which probably meant he didn't sleep as much as his parents would like saturNIGHT.   Seeing Baby Dylan really brings home the fact that my daughter, Helen, will be delivering a baby in about 2 weeks.   I'm scrambling to get as many loose ends in my life tied up before I leave for San Francisco next weekend to be there for her delivery.

I was happy to see that the baby blanket I had knit for Dylan was in use and I was able to take a picture of it.  I like to photograph finished items or else I forget about them.   I was in such a rush to finish the blanket in time that I had neglected to take a picture of it.   The blanket was in use when we arrived and already had some breast milk spilled on it.     

I knit this with Berocco Cotton 100.   It's my favorite yarn for baby blankets because it is so soft and can be machine washed and dried repeatedly.    Too bad it's no longer made, but I have quite a stash of it.   Mission Falls 1846 cotton yarn is a perfect substitute for anyone interested.  This is my standard baby blanket.   I  try to customize them with the baby's name whenever I can.  It's a subtle touch to make it more personal.     Isn't it the best, when a knitted gift is appreciated and used?   

Benjamin's Back!

Yes!   Benjamin Sofa is back.  He's been repaired and looks as good as new.  I am so happy to have something other than two chairs to sit in.  And only one of those chairs was really comfortable.  Of course, the driver that picked Benjamin up for repairs last week made sure he didn't come back to deliver the repaired Benjamin.  He DID mention that he never wanted to come back here.  The poor crew that came this time said their truck was even bigger than his.   They ended up parking down at the end of my 1/4 mile driveway and walking Benjamin uphill on a dolly!  I would love to hear the conversation they have with the driver who made sure he didn't come back.  There are only two delivery crews so they are sure to see each other.

 Wouldn't you know it, but my wonderful sister-in-law, Melody, came last weekend right after Benjamin Sofa left so she never got to meet him.   It had been over a year since she'd been here and she came the one weekend in my married  life that I had no sofa in my living room.    Melody is not only my sister-in-law but she is my best friend.   I've known Melody since she was 8 years old.   Ours is a unique and very special friendship.   I'm sharing a picture of Benjamin sofa enjoying his proper place in our cabin/home with you.  He was so surprised to have two new end tables and a new coffee table surrounding him.  What's this?   Well, the tables were an Anniversary present brought by Melody.  Aren't they perfect for Benjamin?  Isn't she something?!   

Thanks, Mel!

Anniversary

Yesterday, June 2nd, was my/our 41st  Anniversary.  This is a picture of us cutting the wedding cake made by my mother in-law.  I apologize for it's poor quality, but it's actually a polaroid (remember those?) picture taken by a family friend. All my wedding photos were polaroids.  We had a very simple, low cost wedding.  I wore my best friend in high school's prom dress that I paid $25. for. She was my matron of honor, having preceded me as a bride due to the Vietnam War.  I borrowed my wedding veil.  I was only 19.  So was my husband, who had to take two finals at Riverside City College before we were married that day.  We were married in St. Christopher Catholic church in then Sunnymead, CA.   We had to get special permission to be married on a Friday evening because my husband wasn't/isn't Roman Catholic. We were married by an alcoholic priest who wouldn't allow the playing of "Here Comes The Bride" because he said it wasn't "fit" church music.   I was walked down the isle by a friend of my parents because my parents were stationed in Okinawa at the time and couldn't afford to attend my wedding.   It's hard to believe now that there once was a time when the average American couldn't just book an International flight to anywhere.  We couldn't even talk on the phone back then to Okinawa.  Well, maybe some people could, but it was cost prohibitive for my family at the time.  Still, it was a happy day for me even though I would never put up with the conditions laid out by that priest now.   But that was then.....

I can't believe how life goes by so fast.   Life is sneaky.   It just keeps happening whether you like it or not.   I wish you could stop it every now and then, especially in the good parts.   I wish, I wish!