From My Heart...

Good Morning Everyone!

We are in the thick of the holiday season, it's EXHAUSTING! It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, allowing commercialism to take complete control. I've been watching my favorite Christmas shows, A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as a reminder of what's truly important. I have found myself focusing on the little things that remind me of what brought me joy as a kid. It was nothing from a store, it was time spent with my Mom and Mimi. I'd be lying if I said the presents didn't matter, I was so excited to see what Santa had brought. But I have absolutely no recollection of what was in those neatly wrapped packages. What I do remember is spending time with my Mom playing duets with her in church and the hours we spent practicing for the Christmas eve service. I would give just about anything to do that again, despite my absolute stage fright, I did it for her.

My Mimi was the queen of homemade, a trait she obtained from surviving the Depression and learning how to make due. She easily made 100 lbs of fudge every year, donating most of it to the church, but saving enough to fill her beautiful collection of pink depression glass candy dishes, and my stomach. I now understand why she made me do more watching and less participating in the fudge making process, there's science involved. It was a very expensive mistake to stir that fudge before the thermometer said it was time. Patience eluded me as a child and I remember her watching me out of the corner of her eye to make sure I didn't touch that wooden spoon. I did become quite the expert on measuring out the ingredients, a very useful skill to this day.

Well, those last two paragraphs took the better part of two hours to compose. My big girl panties not only are on inside out, they are backwards, but I'm here! Most of you know I find the holidays challenging to get through, but having all of you helps tremendously, THANK YOU!! I can't wait to show you MY NEW CHRISTMAS SWEATER, IT'S FINISHED!!! I did it in 10 days, my pointer finger is an absolute mess, but it's a battle wound I'm proud of. I'm still working on my Halibut sweater, now the big decision of what to cast on next is front and center. I have so many options it completely overwhelms me. I love sitting in front of my stash cupboard with a stack of patterns trying to determine, "Who's Next?" The greatest gift my Mimi gave me (aside from her love) was knitting, it has brought me years of joy and eventually a beautiful shop to share with all of you. My mother on the other hand, taught me how to fly by the seat of my pants and walk to my own beat. The best gifts of all are the ones you hold in your heart....

We will be meeting tomorrow evening, Wednesday 6-7:30, for Stitch and Bitch, I hope you can join in the fun. It looks like the sun is shining, the sky is blue, no reason not to make it a great day! See you soon!

Katy