I Heart Thorpe!

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Thorpe – what’s not to love? I love this pattern and I love this yarn. This is my second Thorpe – this one is for Justin for his birthday. He picked out the yarn at Joann’s (on sale 2/$5.00 – nice!). The yarn is Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky and the color is Seven Seas. Gorgeous. The pattern doesn’t call for a ball on the top but we all decided we like the ball. I added a ball to mine also. Danielle is getting a Thorpe for her birthday too – hers is nearly done.

This is a little of what we did on Justin’s birthday party weekend. We all went shopping and ended up in the baby clothes department at Meijer. Fun fun. Here’s Keith and Corey looking for baby clothes for Zachary.

And here are Corey and Danielle picking out some outfits.

Thanksgiving fun

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I’m way behind in posting so it’s time to play catch-up.  This is what we did on Thanksgiving after a big, wonderful dinner.  We all made little gingerbread houses.  It was so much fun.  These kids are all so creative.

I should have used the digital camera instead of my iPhone because the lighting wasn’t so great and a flash would have really helped – but here’s a shot of all five of our gingerbread houses……

…..and here’s Keith with his…..

…..and Justin…..

….and Corey and Danielle, who chose to put their little picture that was at their table-setting instead of their sweet faces…..

…..and this reject is the one Mark and I made.  We made a very pretty one last year so gosh only knows what happened here.

Imagine……

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Imagine………..you grow up with dreams of having a family someday………..

Imagine………..you find the person of your dreams………..

Imagine………..you fall deeply in love with that person………

Imagine………..you want to be married, have children and live that “happily ever after” life………

STOP!!!! There’s just that one catch – you’re a guy and you’re in love with a guy………or you’re a girl and you’re in love with a girl……….

As the mom of Keith, a loving, caring, kind, giving young man……..I don’t get it.  I’ve never “gotten it”, even before it was MY son.  I can’t cry because I have to be strong for my son.  It’s an ever-present reinforcing of “Keith, some day” or “Keith, your day will come” or our new favorite “2009!”.  Keith and I often share good news from 2009 – there is a lot – more states are allowing or considering gay marriage.  More people are accepting of gay marriage.  A majority of people – and I mean a HUGE majority of people – maybe 99% – have been kind and accepting and “so what” of Keith being gay.  I was surprised at how many family members have a problem with it, having known this child of mine for twenty-two years before they even knew he was gay.  Him being gay changes nothing about him.  The only difference between he and straight people is private – what happens in their bedroom – big damn deal.  The comments could be taken as hurtful but I choose to believe that everybody has their own opinion and that mine is right – my child is equal to anybody else’s child.

P.S. to Justin – I love you and someday you will technically be our son-in-law but we will always call you son.

Please read the following:

http://keithmcd.com/2009/07/11/wedding-bells-or-not

Keith…..the world traveler

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keith-china-birds-nestKeith left for China on Christmas morning.  He is with Justin enjoying everything they can in 2 1/2 weeks.  They have visited Justin’s family and friends and seen many beautiful sites, as many as they could cram into that time period.  The above picture is Keith at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, which was built for the Olympics (as any fan of the 2008 Olympics would already know).  If you weren’t a fan, check it out here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium.

Keith:  Dad and I are glad you enjoyed yourself and even happier that you’re ready to come home.  We have all missed you.  Molly has probably missed you and Justin most of all, though.  I’ve made her a new reversible flannel blanket for her basket.  As soon as I can get the pics off my camera, I’ll post a picture of her so you can see how she made herself at home again at our house.

Christmas Socks 2008 (Pairs #24-28)

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christmas-socks-2008-boxes

Hmmmmmmmmm – wonder what could be in those little boxes?  I guess the title of the post gives it away.  I made the little mittens gracing each box using the same wool as the socks – so now each recipient will have matching socks and mittens (yes, I know that’s corny since they can’t actually wear the mittens – so sorry).  When I went to get the camera to take a picture, Carrie decided to try to steal the mittens off of the boxes, and somehow this beautiful picture was the first picture I took – I think it’s a keeper with her looking so innocent – so I took no more (although I was tempted because one of the boxes on the top level is crooked but who can resist a beautiful Carrie pic).

These are socks I worked on all year – between other projects – for Christmas gifts for my family.  I took the picture outside in the snow – today it is 4 degrees with a wind chill of -27.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to stray far – I just stepped out the door and took them on the back deck.

christmas-socks-2008

In the order they appear, here’s who they’re for and what they’re made with:

**Mark – Regia Strato Color 5748
Keith – Regia Crazy Color 114
Justin – Regia Strato Color 5747
Corey – Regia Schatten Color 5163
Danielle – Regia Jacquard Color 5243**

Do you sense a pattern with the socks I make?  I love Regia!!  Not all socks I make are Regia, but a majority are.