I'm Back, and................

                 I did a little knitting and crocheting before Christmas.                   

 This little knitted baby blanket was made in honor of our new little granddaughter who was born in July.  I am going to donate it to our local Department of Child Services.  My mother was a social worker there for many years.  There were lots of times that she had to go in the middle of the night either to someone's home or to the jail to pick up children whose parents had abused or neglected them.  Many times the only things they would have would be the clothes on their backs.  

 I do not consider myself as a knitter.  I know how to do the knit and purl stitches, but that's about it.  For this blanket I knitted two stitches then purled two.  I did that for two rows and then I reversed and purled two then knitted two.  It made sort of a checkerboard textured pattern.  I had a lot of fun with this.  I showed my two oldest granddaughters how to do the knit stitch.  Both of them picked it up very quickly!

 In honor of our newest little grandson, who was born in November, I crocheted this green and yellow striped blanket that I will also donate to DCS.  I am not a crocheter any more than I am a knitter.  I looked in a book and figured out how to do a couple of stitches, which I actually already knew how to do, but I didn't know what they were called.  My aunt taught me the basics many, many years ago.  I had no clue how I was supposed to start using a new color, so I had all these loose loops of yarn all along one side.  When I got to the end, I just crocheted a border all the way around, taking in those loops so that they can't be seen.  This was really fun, too.  

                          Now, I just need to learn more stitches and how to read patterns.

 I'm going to show you a few of my mother's favorite Christmas things.  A few years ago, she gave me this collection of miniature Santa mugs.  They are each slightly different.  There are 9 of them.  I think there were 12 originally, but some have been lost or broken, I suppose.

Mother had a collection of Santas.  My sister and my daughters each picked out some they liked best for their children, and in my sister's case, her grandchildren.  This is the one that I set aside for myself.  It is made from plastic, and one boot won't stay on.  It was probably the most inexpensive of them all, but it is my favorite.  I remember playing with it as a child.

 This little angel choir actually belonged to my grandmother, who gave it to my mother years ago.  Mother passed it on to me.  I remember lining them up and rearranging them for hours on end when I was a child.  I was showing them to my daughter when.................

 I dropped this one.  I nearly cried, but it is only a "thing" not a memory which I will keep in my heart forever.  Besides, it can be glued back together.

And, last..........My mother wanted to be in the Red Hat Club so badly, but there never was a group around here that she could join.  When she was in the nursing home in Knoxville a few years ago, there was a group.  My daughters bought her this red hat.  She never got to attend a meeting because she became too ill, and then she moved to the nursing home here.  I kept this hat hanging on her wall in her room, though, and she loved it.  So, to honor her, I incorporated it into this wreath that hangs in our foyer.  I love it.

This past year has really taught me about the Circle of Life.  My husband and I both lost our Mothers, but memories of them and all they taught us will never go away.  We both had strong, hard working Mothers who taught us the importance of family first! We will carry their legacy throughout our generation, our children's generation, and it is already being passed down to the next generation.  I have no doubt that our grandchildren will continue to remember and pass along the stories of their Great Grandmothers and their mothers before them.........................

I pray that you each have a Happy, Healthy, and Safe NewYear!!!!!!