52 Weeks of Happy 6/52

Week 6 of Happy!!!
This last week I had a very happy time going to have a pedicure with my granddaughter Peanut.  We sat in the spa chairs and they massaged our feet & calves.  They also put my feet in paraffin wax to soften my feet. I am a barefoot kind of gal.  It was a wonderful way to spend an hour. Afterwards my feet felt like new.
Look here.....


Peanut got pink with zebra stripes where as I got a neon aqua.




I don't know why I waited 57 years before getting my first pedi.  I have had about 4 of them now.  It does make a difference where you go.  The last place made my toes hurt.  I think their tools were not clean and gave me an infection.  But this last place was very clean but expensive.  BUT no infection or hurting toes.

I love my AQUA toes!!!!!

A post from the Past: May 27, 2008 - My History

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009

May 27, 2008  First Blog post on Live Journal

mmm...my first post. I am still figuring out how this works. I am familiar with posting blogs on MySpace. But I am having problems figuring out how to insert photos. I tried for an hour and no luck. It shouldn't be this hard. I love to see lots of photos on a blog.
I will try again right now.................



This is my daughter Sierra. I lost her a year ago. She was my only daughter and I do miss her so so much. She was 23 when she died by a gunshot to her beautiful head. It's so sad. Her little daughter Peanut is living with me now. We are taking each day one at a time. Life is certainly changing for us. Here we are...



We were dressed for Halloween. On this night 10/31/06 my daughter was taking the photo. Then my daughter Sierra, Peanut and I walked around my neighborhood to trick or treat. 
Sierra and I had several good times like that before she died Jan. 2007. 
I miss her so. I do not understand why she was the one person out of hundreds or thousands who would die by a gunshot. We are not gun people. I never had handguns in the house ever, never in all my life. She only had that gun in her house for 3 weeks before a fight broke out between her and her boyfriend. No one is sure what happened. The police think the boyfriend is responsible. The coroner put gun shot wound to the head.  But it is the boyfriends word of what happened on that day. Peanut saw and heard the fight. She was watching from her room when the gun went off. I think her dad was blocking her view of the gun so she only knows what he told her happened. She was only 5 years old. What a horrible tragedy to have in a young girls life.



This beautiful granddaughter is living with me now. I am in a guardianship case trying to get full custody. For more than a year I have been in and out of court. I finally got Temporary custody on 10/30/2007. What a long wait.
It is not an easy road. Peanut is in therapy now. We are both grieving so much. But we are having good times. We took a trip to Idaho 2 weeks ago. My son Dustin, her uncle, got married. He lives in Idaho. Peanut and I have a goal to move to Idaho before the end of this year.

My new love is WOOL and KNITTING!!!!! more on that in the next blog.

Today and everyday, I thank God for carrying me this far in my grief journey. He has taken my burden. On days that I have a very heavy heart is usually when I have not looked at the LORD to give him praise for blessing me with my children, Peanut, a home, food, clothing, love and good friends. I have a lot to be thankful for.


Seven years ago my handsome, wonderful, hardworking husband died of cancer. I miss him so much. He never knew his grandchildren. He was my high school sweetheart. We were married 28 years. I was 45 and he was 47 when he died. I believe he is in heaven holding our daughter in his arms. God bless my family in Heaven.

So there is my first POST on Live Journal.
Yeah.....I'm glad to be here!!!!!!

A post from the Past: May 28, 2008 - Fairy Wings

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009

May 28, 2008  Fairy Wings



My sister and I worked on our costumes together at my house. It was so much fun. 




We did this for Halloween 2006. That was a special Halloween. My granddaughter came over in the evening....



This turned out to be the last time my daughter Sierra and I could take Peanut trick or treating, because Sierra died 3 months later.

So regarding the fairy costume, I bought the wings at Walmart of all places. First I tried to put holes in the wings with a flame but that was too harsh so I got some incense that was a stick. I lit it and then it had a burning coal at the end. A cigarette could do the same but I don't smoke. 
So I burnt holes here and there. The burning melts the edges so they don't unravel. And it looks cool. Then I got out my watercolor paints and I painted the wings with violets and blues and reds. The wings were a light green color.
After they dried, I put some fabric paint from a squeeze tube with glitter around each hole that I had made. Then when that was dry I sprayed glitter on all of the wings.

The costume is a skirt made with soft fabric of purple and greens. I had a long ribbon waist band and sewed petal shapes to the ribbon, then tied the ribbon around my waist. Under the skirt I had on the tights and some exersice shorts. For the top I wore an embroidered tank top that had little roses on it and a sheer long sleeve shirt and then over that I wore a purple vest that laced up on each side, front and back. 

I made my wreath for my head with wire and hot glued ivy and flowers, then added a dragonfly, bird, and lots of ribbons down the back.

So that was my winning costume at work. I won a gift card to Home Depot for $50. I liked that.

Then I kept on the costume and wore it to trick or treat around my neighborhood with my granddaughter, as me and my daughter Sierra took her around. We had a nice visit as we walked that night.

A post from the Past: June 5, 2008 - My son Weds

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009.

June 5, 2008   My son gets married.

For my user name on my first blog I picked idaho_bound because my goal is to move to Idaho before the year is over. My son, his wife and some of my family live there. I am in So. Calif. where a lot of family live too.

I just need a big change in my life after loosing my daughter last year and my husband several years ago. I have my granddaughter living with me and I think it would be good for her to live in a small town.
We will have to adjust to colder weather. I think we will be ok. I get tired of the summers here that are over 100 degrees.

Here she is at the mall in Idaho with her cousin.
My grandkids Peanut and Bryan.

 

And here I am with my kids in Idaho. The son on the left just got married and we are getting ready to go to the church.


Here is Bryan and Peanut, Bryan is dressed for the wedding but Peanut is not. She got ready at the church since her dress is white. In the background you can see my son Dustin the groom and my other grandson Trevor.



Here is the little guy, Trevor. 16 months old.

A post from the Past: August 24, 2008

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009.

August 24, 2008

I've been Working on my knitting a lot lately.  Here are some pictures.......

These are some markers I made for my knitting.
Every metal part is Sterling Silver, the wire going thru the beads are headpins with that silver cluster soldered on (by the manufacture) all sterling silver.  The beads are all glass except for the skull which is bone.

Then I have been busy knitting on several projects at the same time.
Here is ONE finished sock. I am casting on the second sock today.

I'm getting better at the gusset where you pick up the new stitches from where you slipped the stitches for the heel. I also am not getting the ladders.  I used Regia Design Line sock wool.  I knit in size 0 metal DPN's because this pattern called for 72 sts. to be cast on. I began with 2.25 dpn's and the cuff was looking huge. So I ripped out and went to size 0.   They are so thin my hands would hurt after a while Sooooooooo I would take a break and work on a NEW SCARF with my new NORO Silk Garden wool.  I love the colors.

Noro Silk Garden Sock-40% Lamb's Wool, 25% Silk, 25% Nylon, & 10% Kid Mohair
This scarf is my own pattern. I wanted to learn how to make cables and I wanted to make something
that would show (socks are basically hidden by your shoe and pants, so I chose to make a scarf.
I am just knitting stocking stitch on the edges, then garter stitch, a cable every few rows, more garter stitch, then stocking stitch edge.  The stocking stitches are rolling in. I don't mind but it is making the scarf narrow. So I want to know about Blocking. 
If I block this scarf flat, will the edges cease to curl?  

I am using my signature knitting needles in size 3.50mm or US size 4.  This yarn is more like a DK weight.

I am also still working on my sweater by Jarod Flood.  I am using Queensland Kathmandu DK. It's a tweed in  the color Chocolate.   I love this yarn.  I am enjoying knitting this so much.  The yarn is  85% Merino Wool, 10% Silk,  &  5%  Cashmere. 

Here is my sweater today.  I am working on the body.

So other than this, I also spent the day at the beach yesterday with my granddaughter and friends. It was so 
beautiful and we swam in the ocean.  The waves were so big.  I got bowled over once.  I had sand in every nook and cranny.  But it was a wonderful day.  Not too hot. Only in the 70's at the beach while back home in the valley, San Bernardino valley it was hitting 100 degrees.

Huntington Beach 

A post from the Past: December 24, 2008

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 2008 to 2009. 

December 24, 2008

We are having a very good time up here in Idaho. It doesn't even feel as cold as I though it would. To me it doesn't feel any colder than when it gets cold at my house. Maybe it is the length of the winters here that starts to get to people.

For now I am loving this weather and snow. Everything is all white, and clean looking. Peanut is having so much fun. She totally gets tired out after playing in the snow for a while. The first day she went out about 3 times. Then she came in and took a nap.

Here we are outside having fun.











We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
May the love of Jesus bring you the greatest joy, the sweetest peace, and the highest hope! 

A post from the Past: February 14, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 


February 14, 2009



I haven't written in a while.  Today was Valentines Day so Peanut and I headed up to "The Ranch".  At least it use to be my chicken ranch.  Now my son and his wife are buying it and building a house on it. The chickens are gone and the chicken buildings are taken down.  My kids have put up corals, and a small chicken coop for their pretty barred Rock hens and some brown hens.

They had 2 horses but as of today they have one.  She is a sweet horse that Anne (my daughter in law) is training for riding.  Anne has a gift with horses.

It snowed at The Ranch yesterday and last week up to 2 feet. Can you believe it? Snow in So. California?  But they are nestled in the foothills there and it gets cold.  So today was sunny and the snow had melted. There was mud everywhere.  Peanut was having so much fun playing but she was a mud ball.  My 2 grandsons aka her cousins were there.

There is a new addition to the family.  Yesterday Roland and Anne brought home 2 Barbado sheep.  She called them Hair Sheep.  They do not have the kind of hair that you would shear.  They have hair like a goat. But they are sheep.  I heard Virgil Baa.  Yes, they are boys and their names are Virgil and Wyatt.  They are only 2 weeks old right now.  Since they are boys they will get horns that curl around.  They will get big like a regular sheep.
They are being bottle fed so that they will be super tame. Virgil and Wyatt (Earp) will be pets. They won't be for meat.  So that is why the will be hand fed and cuddled.
Here are the pictures of these cute little boys with their new parents, (my kids) Anne & Roland:

A post from the Past: March 29, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order. 

March 29, 2009

On March 26th, 2009 Peanut wanted a haircut. My sister Susan was over and she is great at haircutting. She use to work in a salon and still keeps her license current. So I asked her if she was up to cutting the Peanuts hair and she said "Sure!"


Peanuts hair was getting long. The problem with little girls hair is that it tangles so easy. They run, play, do flips, rub food in the hair, etc. It's a big job keeping long hair on a little one neat and pretty. So the solution is the haircut. Boys have it made. So for Peanut, this length of hair is so nice. She can do it herself with a little help. She just loves it. We swim everyday in the summer and the short hair doesn't get in her eyes like the long hair. 
Peanut has super thick hair.  More than 3 kids put together.  Really.
Here are more photos. Yeah! 






 Now the choice of No Bangs or Bangs. I voted for Bangs, that way we don't have to use clips or headbands. Here she is with no bangs. 


So Susan begins cutting the bangs.



And here is her finished haircut WITH Bangs. 




She looks Beautiful. And I think she looks a lot like her mommy when Sierra was a little girl. Peanut loves her bangs. 



And here she was today with a pair of socks I just finished for her.  She loves her new socks too.
She asked for pink socks with beads. 


These are a pattern I made up.  They are knit with Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks That Rock, Light weight fingering.
The colorway is  Heart Throb.

Blog from the past: April 25, 2009

I am transferring my blog post from Live Journal over here to Blogger. I will start with the newest first so that the last post I post will be the oldest one from LJ.  That way you can scroll down and read it in order.

April 25, 2009


Today Peanut and I were driving home from town.  While sitting at a stop light a lady in an electric wheel chair crossed the road.  Peanut asked me how she did that. I told her how it had a big battery like my car.  She was still curious. She asked why the lady needed the chair. I told her that maybe her legs don't work.  She asked why.  I was driving and I didn't know why so I said, maybe when God was making her he took her out of the oven before her legs were finished.  
And then Peanut corrected me. She said that God doesn't put us in the oven,  But that God knits us. 

I have read her the verse in the Bible where it says that God knit us in our mothers womb before we were born. 

Psalm 139:13 (New International Version)

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

So after she corrected me saying that God knit us.  I said, maybe God dropped a stitch and the lady's legs were not so good.  She liked that answer. She knows from experience when I have been knitting and she bumps me, then a stitch falls off and I say "don't move, I dropped a stitch".  She knows it can be a problem.

She can say things sometimes that just make me so proud of her.


Oh, and here is her new haircut, again.  I love you Sweetie!!!

Boy Was I WRONG

I was so wrong about May being the month to blog. That is what I said in my last post. 

Problem is, I only made one post in May & June. Yes this is still June. But it's almost July.  

So summer is upon us here at Casa de Carol.  We seem to be pretty busy around here.  We are swimming and going places. I am knitting a lot too.  

So onward with the photos!!!

This is what I am working on right now.  It is a sock in the pattern "Sign of Four" by one of my favorite designers Knitspot aka Anne Hansen.

Yes I see the fly on the sock. I didn't see it till I uploaded the photos to my computer. Ewwww.

The garden was planted and we are already eating veggies from it. 

And we are eating blueberries here in So. Calif. I think this is a special blueberry bush.

Swimming with friends.

A celebration of my aunt and uncle for their 60th wedding anniversary.

Can you believe it? Sixty years.  They are the best couple. They love God and keep him in their relationship.

The Celebration was at Laguna Niguel Regional Park. It was a beautiful day.

Well I have a lot of knitting to show you. I will do that in a separate blog post.

Have a nice day and keep cool.