Laundry

I spent part of the weekend helping Catie do laundry. I could spend another weekend getting it caught up. She HATES doing laundry! I suppose part of that hatred is my fault. I used to fuss about laundry. When the kids were big enough to put their dirty clothes in a hamper, the rule was: not in a hamper, not getting washed! Don't tell me three days later that you need a certain shirt tomorrow. Wash day is Saturday! As they got older, clothes had to be in my sewing room, sorted, by 5pm Friday or they wouldn't get washed. I do laundry once a week. Period. The kids all wash clothes on an as needed basis. Drives me nuts!
Laundry is a part of my family history. When my grandfather died, three months before Ma was born, my grandmother had no real marketable skills. Add to that, she "weren't from around here". She was an Irish immigrant. To support her family during the depression, she "took in laundry". She had an old wringer washer and a clothes line. She would wash and hang out clothes, iron and fold them. If itwas cold or raining, the clothes were hung on the porch. When she got her first "automatic" washer and dryer, I'll bet she felt like she had died and gone to heaven!
Ma was funny about laundry, too. NOBODY touched her washer or dryer! Laundry was done on Saturday (as it was in my house....laundry day is hereditary!). Wash, dry, fold, iron. As we grew up, Kathy and I were allowed to help with the laundry, especially the fold and put away part! When she was 75 years old, with her left wrist in an external fixator, she was washing,starching, and ironing Bud and Russ' shirts. No matter how much I fussed (Let them do their own wash!), she continued doing their laundry. To this day, she just celebrated her 85th birthday, she's still washing, starching, ironing Bud's and Pop's shirts. I think she enjoys it.
I used to hate laundry. When we first got married, we had to take everything to the laundrymat.It was a chore! When we bought our house, I got a washer and dryer. Pure joy! Saturday was laundry day, as I explained above. I'm only washing for Dave and me now, with the occasional load of Chris' stuff. Chris is welcome to do his own laundry, provided that the washer and dryer are empty when I need them. Ironing is not something I do regularly. I believe that God gave us permanent press fabrics for a reason! I don't mind doing laundry anymore. It's a satisfying feeling to see the piles of dirty clothes become neatly folded stacks of clean clothes or a row of neatly hung shirts. Laundry day can be a day well spent.

Vacation!!

Fro the first part of my vacation, I did laundry. Lots of laundry. Mostly tiny pink things. Catie has received a ton of baby clothes from friends and, of course, we have gone shopping! All of baby Abbey's clothes have been washed, folded/hung, and sorted into sizes. The 0-3 and 3-6 month sizes are in Abbey's room. The rest will be stored until she grows into them. I've finished making 2 sheets for Abbey's bed. Next week, I'll make 2 more, the curtains, and the bedskirt. When Catie gets the fabric, I'll make curtains to cover her closet door (the sliding door never stayed on the track, so they took the door down. Dave helped to put the furniture for Abbey's room together. It's going to be a really neat room. Who would ever have thought of painting a baby's room hot pink and black with white trim?

We went to see Elliott, Sam and Bryce. Bryce is already 2 weeks old! He's such a cutie! He has long legs and even longer toes! Just like Elliott, he has "fingers for toes". He has a little blond fuzz all over his head. It's almost long enough to be a baby mullet! He got a little fussy, so Sam took him and fed him. Elliott brought him back to visit us after he finished eating. He was kind enough to spit up on my shirt. I guess I have been accepted by Bryce! Elliott is a good daddy. He gets up with Sam during the night and does diaper duty. He handles Bryce confidently and seems to know what he's doing. It's hard to imagine my baby having his own baby.

A new blessing

Bryce Landon Curry was born at 10:29 am yesterday morning. He weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 20 inches long. From the pictures I've seen, he's a beautiful little boy. Mom and dad are doing well. They will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.
Elliott called me at about 10:30 Saturday night to tell me that Sam's water broke (while they were at work!) and they were on their way to the hospital. I was at work, 5 hours away. We kept in touch with text messages. At 3:30, Elliott let me know that Sam had been given an epidural. He wanted to know "how much longer it will take?". With a great deal of authority, I said "he'll be here at 10:25". How was I to know I would be so close. I guess you just have to know these things when you're the Queen! Actually, a 12 hour labor is not bad for a first baby.
Babies are such miracles. It's hard to imagine how two little cells can come together, then divide until a whole new person is formed. They are blank slates. They can become anything they want. I pray for love and wisdom for little Bryce's parents. They have been blessed beyond measure.

I'm knitting for two

No, I'm not pregnant. If I were, I'd advise everyone to look into the sky because you'd see a star shining in the east! I'm knitting for two grand babies. A boy, Bryce, due in a couple of weeks. A girl, Abbey, due in February. Knitting for babies is so much fun! I can work up a cute little sweater in no time, rather than spending days knitting on the back of an adult sweater. Plus, baby things are soooo much cuter!

For Bryce, Ive made a couple of sweaters, including a teeny tiny little blue sweater, sox, and hat that he'll grow out of in about a week! I've made a couple of blankets, some washcloths (not my favorite thing to knit!), more sox, and a couple of hats. I've been sewing, too. A cute little Halloween sleep sac and quilt, a bunch of receiving blankets, and some burp cloths.

I'm just getting started on baby Abbey's things. Receiving blankets, dresses, sweaters, sox, hats, and a whole nursery set with sheets, a bed skirt, curtains, and a quilt. Abbey's room will be hot pink and black. Very cutting edge!

Knitting and sewing for the babies has become my second occupation and I couldn't be happier! I have way more ideas than I have time or money, but if I write things down, I'll get lots done! I have a couple of weeks of vacation coming up. I should be able to put a big dent in my "baby stash"!

Grief and kitties

Smokey died peacefully in her sleep this week. She was a Maine Coon mix rescue that we got when Catie was nine. That would make her about 17 years old at the time of her death. That's a long life for a cat that started out in an abusive home. Catie sent her to live with me a few years ago. She was afraid of coming home in the evening and finding Smokes dead. Better that I should find her! She always had a kind of cross eyed look and the tip on her tongue would stick out of her mouth. The kids called that her "crack baby face". She was allergic to flea saliva. It made her fur fall out. As she got older, she had difficulty grooming her long blue-gray coat. If I attempted to comb her, she would bite! It was the only time she ever displayed negative behavior. Elliott shaved her matted fur a few months ago. She looked funny until her coat came back in. It was as beautiful as ever. Good by Smokey, we'll miss you.
Along with this sadness, I am going to have to take MawMaw and Skuttles to the vet to be put down. Skuttles was born with "flipper feet", her little back legs were splayed out flat under her hips. I was overjoyed when she got strength enough to stand up on them. Sadly, as she has gotten older, her hips have become more unstable and she has not been eating. She spends most of her time sleeping. When she walks, she is in agony. I can't let her suffer any longer.
MawMaw is about 15 years old. Another elderly cat at the end of her life. She was content living in the basement until a couple of weeks ago. I think she wanted to spend some time with us so she could say good by. She has always been a sweet tempered cat, and a good momma. She loves nothing more than a cuddle and a scratch between her ears. Her kidneys are failing. She passes what looks like Coke, in very small amounts. She sleeps a lot now, too. Again, I can't let her suffer.
It's hard to say good by to faithful friends. I will miss all of these girls. As my cats age and I no longer breed kittens, I will be doing this more often. Fortunately, we can be kind to our elderly pets. We have the option of "putting them down" when their days become nothing but misery. I will not euthanize any of my cats to "get rid of them". I will do it because I love them enough to say good by in order to ease their suffering.
I love you, girls.