I received an e-mail from Karen with the complaint that I have not updated my blog in a few days, so, I'm baaaaack!!
I started on my sockapalooza socks and I'm here to tell you that knitting with fingering yarn and size 2 needles isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The yarn is nice, too, in that it self-stripes. I wish I could post a pix, but as stated before, that will have to wait till next weekend. Maybe I will have at least one sock, maybe both, finished by then. The most exciting news though is that when I got home today a package was waiting for me. It was the yarn that I purchased on-line from Knitpicks.com. I ordered Wool of the Andes, color Fern. It's relatively soft and a lovely shade of green; same yarn in Hyacinth - a rich shade of purple; 100% merino wool - Morning Glory - shades of blue, purple, with some yellow and green too - really soft!; 100% merino wool, Sock Landscape - Yukon - shades of blue and gray - mmm, I think I like this one the best as I am an avid jeans fan! Now I just need a place to put all of this yarn. Maybe I should as our tenent to leave so I can build shelves in his little apt....nah, he's too good a tenent and LOVES the dogs. Speaking of my dogs....has anyone seen them? They put in a short appearance in our house so they can run thru, go out the back door and then come back and run into Steve's (his apt has a door into our house). "Uncle Steve" adores the dogs and spoils them. When we leave to go out, they don't even wait for us to get all the way out of the door - they are lined up, all 3 of them, waiting to get into Steve's. Hmmm, maybe when I get the grooming and vet bills I should send them on to Steve? Just kidding...he is such a great guy, and is always eager to doggie-sit whenever we go away. It's like having built in grandparents for your kids.

Run, don't walk to see the new Will Smith movie...Hitch! It was absolutely adorable, and so funny. I laughed so hard I thought my sides would split, and cried a few times as well - I am a big mush at the movies.

I received a lovely e-mail from my cousin Don's wife, Marcia. They live in Tennassee, we live in S. Florida. They were invited to but cannot attend Mom's 80th BD party next weekend. They are building a house in Central FL, have to fly down a few times during construction, their daughter is getting married in May, etc. When we were invited I didn't hesitate to respond yes. We do keep in touch a little, but I felt it was important to attend because 1. I like them 2. Our family is dwindling and I feel strongly that we should be there for one another, not just at funerals (as we were when Don's mom, my aunt Rose, passed away last September) but on happy occasions. So Gerry, Mom and I made plans to drive to the wedding, which is being held in Georgia. In Marcia's letter she lamented about the fact that she will have NO one from her family at the wedding...her mom is ill, she is an only child, father deceased, cousins in Colorado who she has not seen for 20 yrs. Don's brother, my cousin Bob, can't attend for religious observance reasons, our other cousins are not going, so WE are it! How sad! Her letter made me feel so very happy that we were going, because I know it's important to share your happy times with family. I also found out, through e-mailing re: the wedding, that Marcia is an obsessed knitter, too, with a major yarn stash. She was so interested in sockapalooza. I will have to get her into blogging as well.

I am getting excited. In just one week my daughter Alison and hubby Michael, my brother Jon and niece Gianna, my daugher Becca and hubby Phil, and my older brother Randy are all coming here for Mom's party. The house will be full and busy, but I am just so thrilled at all of them coming, and I especially am excited to see my girls. I love being with them so much, probably because they are really wonderful girls....I am not going to go off on a tangent about how they are wonderful....you just have to take my word for it for now.

Eyes closing...have to get up early and take my maltese Tiemann for a grooming....8 AM appointment, so I had better call it a night. OK - it's a NIGHT!!