Sunshine Through Lace

I'm just popping in for a quick 

Good Morning 

to all of you before I get on with my Friday.

I wasn't planning to do a blog post today but then I woke up to a morning full of

Beautiful

Abundant

Golden

Joyous

Sunshine.

finally.

Yesterday was cold, grey, wet, windy and even snowy.

Not the kind of snow that made a pretty blanket on the ground.

Just the kind that drizzled through the air all day and melted as soon as it landed.

But it went on all day long with not a single ray of sunshine in sight, not once.

It was however, a cozy day around here, for me.

I had my dear friend Amy for an afternoon of tea and knitting.

She comes at least once a week

{and twice if we can squeeze it in}

and spends whole lovely afternoons with me.

In the colder months we stay tucked in my warm kitchen with the kettle going,

a pot of tea always under a cozy,

my dogs napping contentedly in their bed together

and my little fireplace glowing.

Mack & Phoebe

Then as Winter finally gives up the ghost and Spring is reborn,

with my beloved Summer fresh on its heels,

we settle ourselves on my porch

{me on my swing, Amy on my vintage wicker settee}

and drink our tea and knit and crochet the afternoons away in the glorious fresh air.

On those days there's a smaller dog bed that is dragged out to the porch so the doggies 

can nap and "visit" with passersby.

I live on Main Street in a small town.

We have lots and lots of people strolling by all day long to have wonderful chats with.

When the weather is warm enough we're also joined by my song birds in their cages.

{Noah the Cockatiel and Spencer the White Dove}

 I carry them out and set them on the porch and they sing for the pure
JOY
 of it all afternoon...

and doze in the sunshine that trickles through the leaves on the big ancient maple tree shading the whole of my front lawn.

On this morning drenched in beautiful 

Sunshine 

there are so many things I am so thankful for...

Small, constant, homely, warm, every day, cozy things...

My simple yet "perfect for ME in every way" home

My Husband... Can't even say it all here.

My beautiful, wonderful children and grandchildren... God is so GOOD.

My entire whole family {you know who you are}

My dogs, birds, kitty cat and squirrels and bunnies I feed in the yard.

Mercedes

My knitting group who keeps me steady through life all through each season, rain or shine, in and out of my house every Monday night week after week, year after year.

A special friend who comes to my home to share a cup of tea and play with yarn and make the gloomy days seem cozy and the sunny days even shinier. 

The many friends, so close to my heart. I am blessed with an abundance of friends.

A very, very dear friend God brought to me right here through this blog

{you know who YOU are... we are spiritual sisters... talking, texting, praying, sharing all of life}

And finally...

I really, really am 

So thankful

for days of 

Sunshine through Lace

When I open my front door and see this sight

my heart knows Spring is just as anxious

to enjoy my front porch swing as I am.

Wishing you days filled with 

Happiness

Love

& 

Abundant Sunshine of the Heart

Danette

"Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance."

Isaiah 55:2

Knit Night & A Dog Bite

On Monday night I had just sat down to a lovely cup of hot cinnamon tea with my Knit Night Girls gathered round my dining room table. Carey baked us these divine white rose cupcakes. Aren't they gorgeous?! Well, I had just swallowed the last bite when all kinds of commotion broke loose in the kitchen where my Mom and Scott were finishing up supper.

As Scott was getting up from the table a chicken bone slid right off his plate and faster than greased lightening, Phoebe, one of my weenie dogs snapped it right up! Not being fed table food, she was sure this was manna from Heaven! It was a leg bone. And it was in her throat in an instant. Well, I'm not about to let a dog choke to death. They are my babies. So, I went after it.

And that's where we entered the "dog bite" portion of the night.

Now let me just say this right from the start.

I have 3 dogs.

Not a single one of them would ever bite anyone.

Especially not their beloved Mommy.

Especially not THIS dog.

She is THE MOST gentle dog I have ever had.

She is all HEART

She has no idea she even bit me.

She was gulping and chewing at the same time and before I could get my finger back out, she bit down. No growling or fighting me in that way. She just wanted that chicken bone.

When I pulled my finger out it had 5 punture wounds.

Carey is a nurse practitioner. She helped me clean it and dress it. It didn't need stitches but it is quite swollen, sore and a bit bruised.

I was not able to knit or crochet with the Girls at all since it was my right index finger but we still had a good time once we got through our mini medical emergency.

Oh!

The chicken Bone?

I got it out~

NO DOG IS GOING TO CHOKE TO DEATH ON MY WATCH IF I CAN HELP IT

 

As far as knitting news goes, I have decided to make a full blown shawl out of the beautiful Deja Vu yarn. I AM going to do a neckwarmer sized one eventually as well, but I want this one to be a shawl for Me really bad!

Thanks for all of your input on the matter.

And I am so sorry I did not respond to each individual comment as I usually do. My darn index finger has been too sore to type!

But I did make the jaunt out to the yarn shop for a couple more skeins so this swelling better go down soon so I can pick my hook back up and get busy.

I can't wait to wrap it around my shoulders :)

Sweet Little Things

Sorry I disappeared for a few days. I have been sick in bed with the flu. Still too sick to sit here for too long but wanted to post a picture of my recent small project I was working on. I purchased a new book last week at my local yarn shop called VINTAGE KNITS for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger and just before going to a baby shower on Saturday I spotted the simple pattern for baby hanger covers. I quick made one for a gift {the one with a frog on it} then made some more later on. I happened to have some nice wooden hangers on hand that I had ordered to use as gifts or to sell with knitted items.

There are also a couple of pictures of my granddaughter Gabby enjoying some goodies at the baby shower and then giving treats to my cousin Kathy's dogs at her house after the shower.

Looks more like a dog and pony show!

My Favorite Tea Cup

I love beautiful, delicate china tea cups. Especially if they have little pink roses dancing around the rim. I also have an absolute passion for the "Old Country Roses" pattern by Royal Albert, which I have a story to tell about in a future post. But for now I want to introduce you to my absolute FAVORITE tea cup of all time ~ my 3 1/2 pound chihuahua Jose'. Otherwise known throughout the household as Little Man {although I like to tell him he is BIG so as to build his self esteem!}. Afterall he has two miniature dachshund "sisters" he has to try to keep up with. Although as far as he's concerned they're just a couple of weenies!

He might be a little guy but he has a whole lot of personality and he loves his mommy more than anything or anyone in the whole world, which is what makes our furry babies such a comfort in life. He is the old fashioned apple head chihuahua and when we got him nearly 10 years ago at 8 weeks old and 1.2 pounds my young nephew, Brendan, 6 years old at the time, took one look at that round forehead and said to his mommmy,  "He must be really, really smart because he has a really big brain."  Children are so observant aren't they?

When he developed a heart condition about a year ago and I tried to explain it to my 4 year old granddaughter, Gabby, as a "bad heart" , being attached to the doggies around here, her little bottom lip came out and her eyes teared up and she said, "But...his heart is in the right place Grammy!" Well yes it is sweetheart. Can't argue with that!