Shelly

Here is Shelly the turtle. The pattern is actually called "Sheldon The Turtle" and can be found for free at the Knitty website.

I am getting ready for a trip to Kansas next weekend. I am so excited to go and hang out with my Kansas friends!!! I'm expecting a bit of an emotional weekend because I'll get to see the little boy I had in foster care for 2 1/2 years and meet the woman who is adopting him. I am so happy they found each other and I can't wait to finally meet her. We're planning a party to celebrate!!

Funny Lookin' Kid

I am knitting some odd things for my nieces for Christmas. Since I don't imagine anyone in their house is checking my blog, I can safely post pictures here and they'll never see them. I just finished a funny little doll with skinny legs and arms.

I'm calling her Risa, which means laughter in Spanish. The pattern is from Knitted Babes: Five Dolls and Their Wardrobes to Knit and Stitch by Clare Garland.

And check out this knitted donut!

We always used to go to Braschler's Bakery on Saturday mornings. The kids usually wanted donuts with sprinkles so that's what they're getting. I probably need to make a chocolate one too. The donut pattern is free at : http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1111

Gratefulness

For each new morning with its light,
for rest and shelter of the night,
for health and food,
for love and friends,
for everything thy goodness sends,
YEAH, God!

That is the grace we always say when my nieces are here. We experienced all of those things this Thanksgiving weekend. Our final tradition each year is to take a group photo. Each year the photo includes a different collection of people, and this is the group in 2007.

Bizarre Thanksgiving Traditions

Many people eat cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law prefers the canned variety, which we refer to as "canberry sauce." It's pretty cool when it retains the shape of a can:

My Aunt Gladys likes to eat the turkey liver and my mom loves the turkey neck. I usually prefer to turn the other way, but fiurst I had to take a picture:

Secret Mittens

Okay, so I am part of a mitten exchange on Ravelry.com. I was going to keep the details of the project a secret, but someone is very curious so I'll at least show a picture of the yarn I expect to use. Keep in mind that since I haven't actually started knitting the mittens yet, my yarn choice could change. Here is Bunny Paint:

Operation Happy Note

Okay, so even if you don't support the war in Iraq, you might consider this opportunity. Operation Happy Note is "a volunteer effort to send musical instruments to our deployed service men and women throughout the world." If you have an unused instrument that you would like to donate, go to: http://www.operationhappynote.com. I don't agree with the war, but this opportunity intrigued me. I wish I had an instrument to donate.

Fleas, Frogs and Thanksgiving

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! There are 10 of us here celebrating this weekend. One tradition we have is to go to the local Flea Market and search out bargains. Some treasures people found this year included: a computer keyboard, some plastic figures from Bambi, some maroon dress shoes, some tie-downs for a boat, an Easy Bake Oven, some little Teletubbies, a pair of scissors, a bike and bike helmet. Here are some of my relatives with their purchases:


Cheyanne with her little owl, skunk, rabbit and deer.


Uncle Bob and Suzanne with movies, a magnifying glass, a hat, a pie pan and other bargains.

Carmina with her nearly-new bike and helmet.

We also figured out what the mystery sound was around here. Some thought it was a raccoon, while others suggested a bird of some sort. Turns out it was a gray tree frog:

To the Prairie, the Forest and the Bluffs

Wow! Since I last blogged I have made plans to drive to Kansas at the end of the month to see my wonderfully awesome friends, the little boy I used to have in foster care and to meet the woman who is adopting him. AMAZING!!

I have also agreed to take care of my godson in Minnesota for a week while his mom and sister go on a trip. He will be 10 months old by then so we'll surely have a blast!

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and lots of family is coming to celebrate here at the cottage. I'll be sure to post some Thanksgiving pics at the end of the weekend.