Ringing It In

Cheers to a happy new year 2015
Raising my new fav vintage glass that I thrifted on Tuesday just in time to make a toast.

The old year ended on a perfect note with the birth of my 4th grandson. He is already outgrowing his 3 month clothes having arrived at a whopping 10 pound 10.3 ounces!
Introducing Peter!

 I am glad I didn't knit anything tiny for him and I wish I had made his Fox Quilt a tad bigger. He is perfect in every way possible. He has two big brothers waiting for him to come home. 
Wishing you all a New Year of Peace, Joy and Sharing.
Anne

My Whole30 Continues

My Whole90 a 63 year old Gramma on the Mend.

Over the course of the last 4 months I have completed a Whole30 and continued it into a Whole90.  Ninty days of eating as explained in the best selling book It Starts With Food. 
In August (the 4th month) I reintroduced dairy and have not had any problem with it.  My segue into adding grains (brown rice and then wheat) was not as successful resulting in a feeling of having a stone in my stomach.  My free fall into a sugar/chocolate experiment resulted in full on misery. One escapade with the vile sugar left me with a migraine headache and becoming one with the bathroom as I swore never again.  I have been taking it slow and steady.  Panic hit when I wanted to try and eat some sugar.  I decided I had to try it and I learned an important lesson. This Whole30 experience and the reintroduction of food groups clearly shows me what my body needs to feel good.  Real healthy proteins, Whole 30 vegetables, healthy fats and oils, water. 

September 2nd I started a new Whole30.  I have come along way and feel much better. My blood pressure is lower. My arthritis and joint pain is no longer keeping me from being active. I have a long way to go. I learned I wasn't ready to stop Whole30 eating.  The reintroduction of foods had hit me on the head with how badly I need to keep doing this. I read the The Conservative Reintroduction by Melissa Hartwig and found some sound advise. Go slow do what works for me.
These little guys need their Gramma. 

The park in Florida in summer is one hot place, but this Gramma pushed her grandkids on the swings, took them home made their dinner, played, gave baths, and got them to bed.  
~ Anne~

My Whole30 ~ Day 30

Day 30

When I embarked on my Whole30 I knew I could do it.  Now I am so glad that I did it.
I am going to continue and make it a Whole60.
I have lost 15 pounds and gained confidence, more mobility and the energy needed to take care of those two little munchkins on the weekends.  Family life changes from time to time and my precious little grands need a gramma that can keep up with them while Mama goes to work for them.  So thanks to Whole30 I have been physically and mentally able to take on this new challenge while still working as a nurse during the week.

Angie has been keeping up with them too.
~Anne

Dropped

Dropped a stitch...

this is what happens when you knit in the middle of the night.

pulled it all the way back up to the top.

Back in business!
and
Thanksgiving was...

My Cape Cod Sunrise

Apple Pie

Happy Gramma with her babies

The table not covered with knitting and vintage Etsy finds

Adorable Brennan

Mya saying no more pictures Gramma

 wonderful. Full of blessings. 

Running Free

My best girl and I went to the park.

It was so fun.
I got shingles again over Mother's Day and really missed being able to spend time with my little granddaughter.  Today we made up for lost time.  Lots of fun together at the park and even had a picnic supper there with Papa. 

I am wearing my Team Boom Shirt for Tripp Halstead. Tripp He is a little boy that I and hundreds of thousands of others have been praying for. I feel like he is one of my own kids now. Prayer is so important to me. It is what got me through my own child's transplant surgery.  

Knitting and Cats

Mary was happy to see me arrive home from Boston.

She waddled over and sat on my knitting bag as soon as I unpacked.

Then of course she gave my Misti Alpaca and Tahki Cotton Classic Lite a good sniff. I love when yarn comes in the mail. Thank you Webs for the wonderful sale. Webs 

It is good to be home, but I shall miss these two little boys every day.

Gramma Anne

What I did in Boston

I touched a snake.

I never did that before. They really scare me. They also fascinate me.  Crazy.

My little grandson was playing and the neighbor children found baby garter snakes. He was so excited. The bigger kids showed them to him and asked if he wanted to touch them. He said No, but Gramma Anne does... 

So I had to do it. One quick touch and then he did this.

He was awesome. 

Boston Babies

I love Boston.

I love white steeples. 

I love my babies.

I love my big boys

and shopping

Did I mention I love New England?
Anne

Puerperium

Knitting for Samuel has been getting me through some pretty rough days this past week.

My favorite newborn sweater pattern has to be Puerperium It is so darn cute with it's little row of buttons down the side.  

And then there is the absolute sweetness of my son with his little boy Samuel.

I made the top sweater with worsted on size 6 needles. 

This little sweater is in DK on size 7 needles. They turned out about the same size.

Sam was over 8 pounds at birth and growing fast.

Samuel

One more week and I will be holding this little Sam. Gramma is flying to Boston.

Two Little Boys

Happy to announce that Leo and Samuel have come face to face!
Samuel was in the NICU in the hospital and Leo couldn't visit him there.  It was decided to wait for the homecoming four days later.

I am chomping at the bit plane tickets in hand to get to Boston and see these little boys for myself.  There are pictures and then there is the real sniffing, kissing, and embrace as Leo attests to here. 
This photo just melts my mother's heart.  

Gramma Anne

While I wait I am knitting and these little booties are finished.

They are called Stay-on Booties... We shall see about that. I never met a pair of booties that stayed on. Stay-on Booties

Precious and New

Arrived!
Samuel!
our precious new baby grandson.

God bless you little boy.  You are exactly right and perfect!
Gramma

Easter

We had a wonderful afternoon at daughter's house.
The kids were so happy and Easter was a beautiful day.

My daughter is a wonderful cook!!!

We had fun in all the ways of Candy and Bunnies and Baskets and Eggs
and we toasted the happy couple on their engagement. Gramma had some champagne and had to lie down on the couch.  It was perfect.
Gramma/Anne

Patiently Waiting in Spring

We are expecting a new baby in our family in just a very short time. 

Willow Tree Antiques on Etsy

Our little hatch-ling will not be a bobble headed chick 
we are expecting something a little bigger.

This little kitten is not exactly what we are expecting either but very cute and you can find her here: Mamadupuis
Nope not a duck not even this adorable baby duck from efinegifts duck

Even the little duck and the kitty and the chick are not expecting a Hippo in a Bath like 
Wonderdiva's Hippo

Nope not a chick, a kitty, a duck, not a hippo...
We are expecting a baby like this little one right here.

We are patiently waiting for a little brother or sister to appear and be the best buddy of this little boy right here. 
\Praying and waiting. 

Aaron’s blessing in the Old Testament, Numbers 6:22-27:   

May God bless you and watch over you.
May God shine His face toward you and show you favor.
May God look on your with favor and grant you shalom peace.

Anne