Rhinebeck 2009

I travelled to Rhinebeck with Jen for the very first time this weekend. We had a fabulous trip. The festival is very large but very well run. People are friendly and polite and the vendors all offered beautiful yarns and fibers. Rug hooking is also gaining in popularity. The weather was cold and rainy, but it did not dampen our enjoyment. Here are photos of my new stash. All my choices were handspun wools and one alpaca/bombyx silk blend. The kangaroo was a surprise too.

20 Years Old

Rachel is now 20 years old. On Oct 1, 1989, after 32 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing she arrived at 8:27PM. She was asleep and purring. The years have been filled with love, like, fun, happiness and awe. Rachel has amazed us and continues to do so every day. Here are a few photos through the years. Deb, her sister is 15 years older. The girls are close and I am so thankful for that. One with Grandpa Morris in NJ, with Kishka, our black standard poodle, who was a puppy in this photo taken in California and of course one with RP taken Oct 1.

Children are the best.

Summer comes to an end

Summer is coming to an end. I am ready. The past few months have been lazy and relaxed. Rachel was busy with school, coming home most weekends to unwind, play with the pups and of course, putter. Adam visited also and then the two of them headed to NC for a much needed break.

I happily spent time with all the new babies in my life, while watching their new moms figure it all out. They are all doing a fantastic job raising wonderful children. I adore them all and am so thrilled to be part of it.

I look forward each week to meeting with my knitting friends. We are an eclectic group who have interesting conversations and laugh... sometimes, well most of the time, uncontrollably! We could write a book.

I'm finishing knitting projects, have a few more promised baby items to knit and am tackling Alice Starmore's "St. Brigid." Also, getting the bug to knit a complicated Fair Isle...but have not decided which one.

During the upcoming months, I plan to take a few more online courses and decide whether or not I will pursue a medical coding certification.

We are also starting to think about our future. What to do with the current house, where to go, are alpacas in my future? Much to think about, much uncertainty and many what ifs?

Pups are fine. Do you think they would like alpacas?

Here are a few miscellaneous photos from the past couple months. Looking forward to Autumn.

As the weeks go by

Is summer over yet? I am ready for cooler temperatures. The weeks go by, but feel very unsettled. And at times I've been kind of cranky and not in the mood for much.
My laptop recently went kaput. We bought a new Toshiba. After a few days, it was obvious the gizmo was not configured properly, so we returned it. I am getting used to my new Sony. One of these days I would love a MAC, but its not currently in the budget. In addition to that expense, Rachel and I also needed new cell phones.

The weather has been hot and stormy. My container plants have been happy and I do miss my big garden. Tomatoes and cukes are starting to come in. My basil, parsley and oregano are plentiful.

My weekly knitting groups keep me sane. I am finishing the baby items I've been working on. All of the babies are doing fine. I especially enjoy being the traveling granny. It really is such a treat.

Going to the gym has become part of my daily routine. This surprisingly has been easy for me. But, I need to get back on the wagon with my eating habits. I think my food issues are part of why I become cranky and unsettled. Funny thing how I know this, but lose the motivation to keep myself accountable and behaving responsibly.

I plan to start a Medical Terminology online course in a few weeks. That will keep me busy and feeling productive. I'm continuing to monitor the medical coding and billing field to see how health care reforms will affect my future career plans.

Rachel has been coming home on the weekends. We putter, sometimes cook and today was especially fun...she started knitting again. I hope Rachel continues. She is a very good knitter.

The pups are fine. Feisty as ever. I bought them a wading pool and they are not too sure about it. I have three eccentric, comical, goofy critters.

I am bored with summer and ready for the comfortable fall weather and winter knitting. Here are a few pics of what we have been up to.

Another week goes by

The past week has been a blur. We celebrated Marvin's 63rd birthday with our traditional choo choo train cake. However, this year he requested chocolate cake with red icing...usually its white icing. Fortunately we did not have a train wreck! Very tasty cake which I have eaten way too much of this week.

Rachel and I spent time doing what we do best... PUTTERING. It seems to be genetic. Rachel's haunts are Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. Deb loves the outlets and my spots are Borders, B&N and the yarn shop. And of course we always end our day with a meal at Pumpernicks, our local deli. We also squeezed in a pedicure.

Then, my week kind of fell apart and I developed a never ending sinus headache. After a visit to the doctor, I am now on antibiotic for sinusitis...bleeeeechh. My back ache is almost gone. Not much gym activity either :(

My coding studies are going well. I have three more lessons and then I take the final. Next will probably be medical terminology.

Not much knitting action. Hopefully I'll get my mojo back and finish up some projects before the fall yarns appear.

July 4, 2009 weekend

The children and pets ruled the roost for a few days this weekend. Deb and Bill, their dog Ladybug and Rachel spent most of the weekend at home. We relaxed, laughed a great deal, ate lasagna and talked about future dreams and desires. A great weekend.

Life is Good

My dad is now 79 years young! We spent a fun day with my family celebrating, reminiscing, laughing, being silly and goofy.

The past few weeks have been busy for me. My medical coding class is very interesting. There is so much to learn. I can see where it is a very critical cog in the health care wheel. I am looking forward to the next few weeks to see if coding is a good match for me to pursue.

Rachel, I am proud to say, has maintained her 4.0 at Drexel and just started her summer quarter. Deb, Bill and Ladybug will be here for part of July 4 weekend. It will be fun to catch up with them.

My sweet, knitting friend, April, gave birth to her preemie twins last week. I was able to spend a scrumptious morning at the NICU cuddling with the babies. Robert is now home and Caitlyn will follow as soon as her weight increases.

My knitting has been a bit scattered. I am working on various baby items using stash yarns since they require small quantities. I certainly have plenty of little ones to knit for.

Pups are fine and the Marvelous One continues to keep busy.

Life is good.

A New Start

My mind is in good shape! My medical coding class started today. Its going to be demanding and fun. Medical mumbo jumbo has always fascinated me. This should keep me hopping and also teach me a great deal about what goes on behind the scenes between the medical profession and insurance companies. Navigating through this mysterious labyrinth will become very useful as the country's health care system changes and we get older and head toward Medicareville

I renewed my commitment to the Weight Watchers Online Program. My exercise routine is well established, but the past few months I have been less conscientious about my eating. I refuse to let all my hard work unravel like a slippery skein of rayon yarn.

Knitting as always...mostly for the little ones that have arrived and will be here soon.

Back to the books ...53 and a student again :)

Taking a Leap

Guess what I did this morning? I enrolled in a 6 week online course through our community college so I could get an overview of medical coding. If I like it, the goal is to become certified through formal course work here: http://www.aapc.com/

I need to do something, but want control over what, where and when. This has been on my mind for a while, so I finally decided to jump. My sister does medical transcription and is also interested in coding, but says its a huge responsibility...especially if errors are made. Also, with health care heading for major changes, now may be a good time to get my feet wet. This may also open up other areas of interest. Classes start June 17. There are two lessons a week. So, I shall see how well my brain functions! Its administrative work and may be tedious, but its something that I could potentially do at home, on my terms. I have a general knowledge of medical terminology and with our professional life being so wrapped up in the pharmaceutical world, this could become an interesting extension of that.

I've been idle since Oct 21, 2008. The time off was for a good reason - surgery, recovery etc., but, enough. I don't want my brain to shrivel up and would feel much better about being able to contribute to my family again.

The past few months I've been focusing on learning to live a healthier lifestyle. While I am not always perfect, I have come a long way. My life is rich. I have a wonderful family, beautiful friendships, knitting buddies and adorable pups.

Plodding along

The past couple weeks have just gone by without much hoopla. I've been enjoying time with my friends at my various knitting groups and slowly working on my projects. I have a sock in the works, finished a scarf for Rachel and went through my projects, frogging a few UFO'S that I completely lost interest in.

I also love to spend tie with Caroline and Celia. The baby will be 7 months old.





Rachel and I planted annuals in all the front beds and I planted herbs and tomatoes in containers on the deck. Now that I have time I miss my big backyard garden, but the pups would get into too much mischief so containers will do.

I'm stalled with my weight loss because I am weary from focusing so much on it. I am continuing to go to the gym regularly and do enjoy that.

Think I will get on with my day. I also have no idea how to post photos so they mesh with my writing, but I guess you can figure it out!

Mother's Day 2009

I had a simply wonderful Mother's Day. It started off with a quiet morning cup of coffee among sleepy pups, a trip to the gym and a quick stop at Yarnings for some sock dpns. I came home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers and lunch at Pumpernicks
I had a double deli weekend, ate lots of yummy food and didn't feel one bit of guilt. After lunch, we came home and played with the fur babies outside in the glorious sunshine.