Be prepared

My heart goes out to all who were affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami, especially those in Japan. There have been so many lives lost and the devastation continues to mount. I have a friend whose son lives in Tokyo with his wife and baby, and what a relief it was when she let us all know that they were okay! I watched her son grow from a stroller on up to the man he is today, and I began thinking about my own children and grandchildren. They say we will have "the BIG ONE"; it's not a matter of "If", but rather, "when". I thought how we all need to have a plan in place, and not take it for granted that somehow, we would be taken care of and get to each of our family members when disaster strikes. Scooter and I are going to put together a survival kit as was suggested last night on our nightly news. I will also provide the location where we will go to, i.e. a shelter, to my kids and grandchildren, and get the same information from them. No matter where you live, a natural disaster can happen at anytime and it makes a big difference if you are prepared. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has a very good website worth checking out to help you plan and prepare, and what to do in the aftermath of a disaster. Meantime, I hope everyone who is able to, can help contribute what they can to the people in Japan. Every little bit helps!

I have been very busy sewing as much as I can, so I can do a fitting of the civil war era dress, on my granddaughter. It has come together nicely so far, and I can hardly wait to show you pics of it finished! I hope to have it completed by this coming weekend. I forgot how much fun it is to sew something of such grandeur!! My sewing mojo is back and I can now see myself doing a lot more of it, with summer approaching. I used to sew my entire families wardrobes, including shirts for the ex husband. Scooter asked me to sew him some, and of course, I said "sure, no problem..I'd love to!!"

My knitting and crocheting have not been ignored. I've been on a roll with it too, and have loved every minute of it. A few months ago, my good friend, Lew, had begun two stranded colorwork beanies, and just wasn't loving it. He was about 2 inches into the one above. He brought them to knit night a few weeks ago and asked if anyone wanted them. Not many in our group do stranded knitting (with two colors at the same time), so I said I would love to have them. The fact that I wanted to get his needles back to him, spurred me on to finish them. Last week, I took one of the hats to knit night to work on it, and when Lew saw it, he loved it and said he would wear it, so I offered it back to him after I complete it. I'm very happy to report I have finished it and will be returning it back to Lew. For those that don't know Lew, he is a very accomplished lace knitter, and is well respected in the knitting community far and wide. I feel so honored that Lew is wanting to wear the hat!! I'm hoping he will let me get a photo of him with it on.

The other project I chose to do is crocheted. I spotted this design, Glacial Waters Eternity Scarf, in a magazine during a trip to JoAnn's a few weeks ago when it first appeared on the shelves. I had been looking for spring like accessories to knit or crochet, and this one stood out. I love it! It is so pretty, lightweight, and can be worn many different ways. I do plan to make more of these as friends who have seen it, now want one. It is perfect for covering the shoulders during those cool summer evenings. I don't particularly care for the yarn it is made in, but I do like the drapiness of bamboo. I also like the idea that the designer, Doris Chan, gives the multiple count, as a lot of crochet designers don't provide it. It helps to know it, in case you want to shorten or lengthen your scarf. This was a very fun and quick project, and gave me something to work on in the evenings while watching tv with my husband. The color is actually a much brighter aqua color, so this picture is a little dull (never claimed photography to be my forte). Hopefully, when we get better lighting, I can take better pics.

I woke this morning with all the symptoms of a cold (possible allergies?)....stuffy head and nose, so thinking I probably need to just kick back and rest today. Wonder if I have any chicken soup on hand? Off to go have a look. Take care and I'll be back very soon!!!