Squeals & Skills (& squirrels)

Been busy with my new hobby....

I'm loving the time I have to do something I've shied away from for years.  It's been fun learning a new skill, and putting it to good use!  Below are a set of leg-warmers for Keetley, and a sweater that is giving me a headache.  LOL!  I am loving the work, but it's tedious, and when I make a mistake, I feel like I've wasted an entire day undoing and redoing.  Yet I still keep working on it.  (not loving the variegated yarn as much as I thought I did, but I'll figure out something to make with it.  It's yummy stuff for a beginner like me...I had some delicious yarn in my hands, and then saw the price of over $30....I gently put it back on the shelf of the little shop I was in.  hehehe!)

I'm very grateful for the help I have received from my mom's sister and my dad's sister, and also dear friends here in my area!!!  What a wealth of knowledge I'm surrounded by!  In the picture below, the bonnet is on bottom (I took it apart, as it was too big, but will re-attach as the hood to this hoodie in due time) and the sweater on top....the bottom of the sweater is done (the detail work) and I need to figure out how to decrease or do sleeves or something....It should be a quick finish!  

I've also been busy playing with this little darling!  She's still army crawling, but is faster than a three-legged cat.  She's learning to pull herself up to this toy and the bar stools, and recently likes sitting on her knees.  She's so clever, and has her brothers wrapped around her fingers!  Truth be told, her daddy and I are also smitten.   ♥

Boys are busy with their usual antics.....being boys!  I've managed to keep them off the roof this spring, but not out of the field, which has many adventures awaiting them each day!  The other afternoon, I was tidying up my counter so I could start in on some strawberry jam, when Taylor came and insisted I look out the front door.  Reluctant to be distracted (I'm SO EASILY distracted!!!), I followed, thinking they had a cute little song they'd rehearsed for me, and upon opening the door, I found THIS:  (warning, graphic dead animal below)...

It's a miracle that it's still in one piece!!!  Hahahaha!  Poor little thing, probably wasn't watching where he was going and tripped some electrical wire somewhere....and happened into the hands of little pranksters in the making.

As much as I wanted to laugh and pretend I was scared, I decided these little sweethearts of mine needed a stern talking to.  So with three fingers, I told them, "One, if I wasn't your mother, you'd have the police called on you!   Do not EVER put a dead animal on someone's porch!  Ever!  Two, I will need to take all four of you (the neighbor girl was over) to the doctor's to get rabies shots.  You can pay for the gas to get us there.  and Three, get in this house to practice your piano!!"  Then I turned around and upon shutting the door, giggled, shaking my head with a great big smile on my face.

I quickly prayed that nobody actually touched this critter with their bare hands....last thing we need is hantavirus or the likes.   I got my kids hands washed with hotter than hot water and soap, then donned some gloves and a garbage bag to give the poor thing a proper burial.

Later that evening, I took care of business and made a flat of lovely strawberries into a flat of delicious jam (with a few containers of whole fruit for snacking).

All in a day's work as a stay-at-home mom.  Today was one of those days where "I LOVE my job!"