Some happiness, some sadness...some pictures:

We lost my husband's dear mother two weeks ago on a Thursday. She was 68 years old, healthy, vibrant, and she just didn't wake up that morning. Nobody knows what happened. I cannot even really begin to touch on my own sadness, let alone that of my husband, his father, and his sister. Mary Jo had three grandchildren aged four years, seven months, and four weeks. What kind of shit is that? We all just feel robbed. I have never seen so many broken hearts in one place, and I have to say that it was the saddest day of my life so far. I loved that woman. She was mother and friend. This photo was taken at Rhinebeck on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. It was the last time I saw her. I almost didn't go, because money is tight right now, but I'm so glad I did. My own mother gave me a small check to help with the hotel expenses, and insisted that I carry on with our plans. Rayona got to visit with all four of her grandparents one last time. I will never forget that day.

My father (in background) bought her a hat with sheep on it.

We also had halloween:

In all that has happened, the things that have kept me putting one foot in front of the other have been my daughter, and my knitting. I have many, many recent projects both finished, and on the needles. Mostly I have felt at a loss for time to post, but here are some Saartje's Booties that she wears almost every day -what a great pattern:

I also did finish that Baby Surprise Jacket -quite a while ago, in fact. You can see Flickr for that. I made some cute red booties out of a felted sweater with my own embrodery -also on Flickr. I have also decided to become one of those crazy sock ladies this winter, so I'm working on some now. I have some of those Morehouse Merino alligator scarves in the works, and a baby blanket for my new nephew almost finished. If it wasn't for all of this I don't know what I'd do. I've developed an interest in sewing as well. I bought a copy of Bend the Rules Sewing after admiring all the photos from the Flickr group. I need these things in my life. They make me happy. They help me cope.

On another note: had a funny realization today when I passed in front of a mirror with Ray and realized that we were wearing sweaters I had featured in a post from my old blog almost a year ago when I was 19 weeks pregnant. I love the comparison:

Then:

And now:

So it has been a good year. It feels good to blog again after a long break. Even though I said I was only doing this for myself, I find myself hoping that I have some kind of readership. If you're out there, let me know.