Winchester Va

So we have taken a small break here in Winchester Va! What a delightful town! It dates back to the 1700's. It's like a mini Charleston! I stopped into a wonderful little yarn shop today- Never Enough Yarn and met the owner who was just wonderful! I love knitters. I have armed myself with some beautiful Bamboo white yarn and bamboo needles to sew Zimmerman's surprise baby jacket. This of course is jumping the gun as we aren't married yet, I am waiting 6 months after that to even get pregnant and of course who knows if it will happen or what I will have! I'm a visionary what can I say? I figure this one will more than likely go to my little sis who IS getting ready to get pregnant! I'm tired of just making scarves and hope this isn't too ambitious? Well that's me anyway! Please visit this shops website and if you have the chance to visit Winchester I highly encourage you to do so!

www.neverenoughyarn.biz

Until next time...

Chatty Cathy

Off the Grid!

Well, not really off the grid. I've been travelling by RV through Va, Pa and NY for the last 2 1/2 weeks and still have almost 2 more to go. 30' and inside that 30' RV contains: 1 patient Fiance from heaven, 3 teens that can't agree on much, a cat that pukes often and is only tolerating us because we feed him, a chihuahua that is content constantly ( mostly because he sleeps in the sun and occasionally gets a drink or pees on trees-his favorite past times) and then little ole me-Mom, maker of rules and keeper of peace! I have to say given the small space, mini kitchen and bath and a general lack of excitement...they have done exceedingly well! We did have a lovely day yesterday. It was about 93 and we went to the lake to swim (avoiding the horseflies fairly successively) and then headed back for a hot shower at the camp shower. My first shower in 2 weeks with any type of normal water pressure...it was heavenly! I've showered daily, but the RV shower just doesn't have much pressure, so it leaves you feeling as though there is soap in your hair sometimes. Then we had a great dinner-if I do say so myself! I've mastered cooking for a family of 5 on a RV stove top! Not so bad if you can adapt, which I seem quite able to do! Then we cleaned up and all went back to the lakefront to lay on a blanket watching the stars and looking for meteors and satellites. It was so pretty out! Then we headed back and were thrilled to see the black bears in the dumpsters. This time it was the mid sized bear and the big one. The big one is estimated to be about 160 lbs. We sat with our astronomy binoculars and watched them eat and climb in and out of the dumpsters- big fun for campground! We were able to be about 20 foot away in the jeep with parking lights and they never moved. Kids don't get to see that in SC, so they were thrilled. I keep reminding myself that even though they might fight and complain they are bored sometimes, these girls will remember this month long trip for the rest of their lives. The little things like dodging the horseflies in the lake, seeing bears up close and sitting and roasting marshmallows at night will be things they talk about to their kids and I am the lucky one who has a chance to share the memory with them! I think often lately how very lucky I am. To have family that I love and loves me, to have beautiful, loving daughters and to have found a man that loves me for who I am right where I am and my daughters as his own! We all get on each other's nerves from time to time, but there is a greater thread holding us together. We love  one another when all is said and done. I'm so excited to get to the house in Summerville and start our new life as a married couple and family, but I am cherishing these moments as a lasting memory I'll call upon when my kids have grown and gone. I'd love to have you share some of your favorite family memories!

Until next time Dear Reader,
I bid you happy memories and much love in your life!

Chatty Cathy

moving and rebirth....

So as many know I am moving. 15 days to be exact. In that time I have to pack out the apartment, go to storage and clean out and purge what is no longer useful or wanted, pick up hand me down furniture from generous relatives, drive to SC for a walk through of new home, get my oldest packed up for college, graduation, graduation party, 11 year olds birthday party (same day as graduation!), father's day celebration and my sister's birthday...plus load up the truck, drive to SC, go to closing and move into the house that night. Drive back from SC to pick up 4 kids and then drive to PA to see David's family and register the RV! Oh and did I mention getting married somewhere in there when we can find time? A wedding.... think not.Whew! Okay so how am I still merrily singing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band and smiling? How have I gone through 16 do it yourself moves, surgeries, 4 births in 5 years and still come out looking at the positive? One reason. I praise God I can count on this being temporary discomfort. These life issues are little compared to the really hard things in life like cancer, death of a family member or friend or any other truly devastating thing. My discomfort at the present is because I have a beautiful (diagnosed autistic) daughter that will be graduating with honors and beat the diagnosis of "never going to regular Ed and getting a normal diploma"! I have a beautiful home being built in Summerville, SC and it's going to be wonderful! I have the most amazing man in the world that loves me right where I am, for who I am no matter what (Thank you God for him). I also have a father who is alive and well to celebrate Father's Day with. I have 4 beautiful daughters the youngest being 11 and turning 12 on June 17th (Graduation Day!). I can thank God for good health and the ability to see the bigger picture in life. I am also blessed to share my life with a man that can do the same. How could I complain (trust me I do find a way, I'm sad to say!). I just finished reading The Hiding Place and once again it gave me perspective on life. Instead of looking for what's not good (which let's face it is so easy in our world), let us look at how those can be blessings? Today, while I sweat in the sun at storage I will be thankful I can afford storage to store and protect those items that wouldn't fit in the apartment. I will be thankful that although incredibly small, my apartment has given us shelter and has running water and AC and heat. I will think about how blessed I am to have so much and each time I want to complain I will try to replace that thought with something positive. I really believe that if we can change our way of thinking life can be such a wonderful adventure. I hope Dear Reader you will take away a renewed thought about your life. I'd love to hear from you some way you feel blessed in life. Until next time think:

The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love,
Chatty