Little pot that could....

Little pot that could.... poach an egg that is!  This was one of the fabulous finds from way back in the corner of Granny's kitchen cabinet.  Pretty sure this little pot which barely fits on the small stovetop burner is made of aluminum.  The bits are easily bent out of shape and just as easily bent back.

Take off the lid and insert to add a bit of water in the bottom pan.

Dribble a wee bit of oil into the egg insert and once it warms up, drop in your egg.

It is hard to resist taking a peek, but as you can see here, it starts by steaming the edges of whites and works it's way to the center.

Depending on how well you want your egg cooked, the center can be a warm creamy mess that is readily sopped up with toast or cook it hard.  Probably not the contraption a huge family would get along well with.  That makes it perfect for me in the mornings.  Bill is usually up early and I sleep in a little, so I can enjoy starting my day with a little egg on my face;)

Catching up

Granny & me 20 years ago.

Yes, it has been a long time since I posted on the blog about what is going on in my life.  As with all things on our journey through the world there have been some good things, but they have for a while been out weighed by the bad, depressing, soul sucking things that seem to come in and grab you by the heart and squeeze until you think you can bear no more.  I feel I need to get all the bad things out of the way in this post so that I can move on with all the good.  Trust me there is some good in there.  There always is even if sometimes it has to smack you in the head to get through a little.

My last post was about made the day before I left Florida to come home in November.  A day before I had received a call from Mom that my Granny had taken a turn for the worse.  I packed everything, cleaned the condo and drove home on Wednesday.  Thursday, my sweet Granny passed away.  We were expecting this day since Granny collapsed on Easter, but no matter how much time you have to prepare yourself, you never are quite prepared for the death of a loved one.  Even still a month and a half later I am finding it hard to  write this.

At the memorial service, I stood up and spoke.  There are somethings in life you will regret not doing later and I knew this would be one of those things.  It was hard.  It was not fun.  I don't really remember all of what I said, so I want to do it again right here where I can say exactly what I want with out the feeling that everyone is staring at me......

My Granny was born and raised in England on July 9th, 1921.  She lived with her parents, brother and sister during WWII in Wiggan, England.  It was during the war that she worked as a police woman and met my Grandfather who probably through sheer persistence won her heart and brought her home to Nicholasville, KY.  It was here that my Granny had two children and after my Grandfather passed away she was able to put both of her children through college.

I have to say that my Granny was the Grandmother everyone dreamed of having.  She loved her family and friends.  She loved you with out reserve.  And, she loved to tell stories.  Stories of her life.  I spent most of my childhood, youth and  adulthood listening to her stories of the war and being a police woman.  I know we all have our favorites.  One of mine was how during WWII a Granny would go with her friends to the dance halls and dance for hours on end.  Before marrying Granny's last name was Hill and the service men would serenade her with the song 'Blueberry Hill' (although we are more famialar with the Fats Domino version, at the time it was made popular by Glenn Miller & his Orchestra).  You don't have to imagine how much fun she had doing the Jitterbug to some jive swing, if you knew my Granny, you probably heard a WWII story or two or three or four or five or six.......

We all spent time with Granny, but I probably spent more than most listening to her stories of life in decades gone past.  And she also told me so much more than just her stories.  We talked about many things and she told me a few things I think she would want me to share with you.  Dad, Granny was so very proud of your achievements in the Senate.  Aunt Mimi, she was proud that on your own, you raised two successful children who have gone on to bright and wonderful things.  Cousin Nikki, Granny was so proud to know you were raising two of her beautiful Great Grand boys so far away in California.  Cousin Ryan, Granny delighted in your becoming a lawyer for the Army.  Brother Beau, Granny was not just proud of your military career, but also your beautiful family.  And last but not least Mom, Granny said that although you had your differences she knew that Dad would not have gone as far in his career with out you pushing to grander things.

-End-

That was more along the lines of what I was trying to say.  I just never realized how hard it would be to share that with family and friends.  I still miss my Granny every day.  She was always there for me in good and hard times.  She loved her family with out bounds and everything she did was for her family.  I don't think I ever realized that until she was gone.  But, everything she did, she did for all of us.  I am so very thankful to have had such a strong woman to look up to and who loved me so very much.

July 9, 1921 - Nov. 10, 2011

Granny & her oldest & best friend Gene Rice on Granny's 80th birthday.

Christmas

Granny, Mom & Me

Trip to Bermuda

Christmas or Easter late 90's.

Granny, Grandfather & Aunt Mimi

One of our trips about town.

One of Granny's boyfriends in WWII drew her portrait.

Found this lovely dress in Granny's closet, but none of us remember her ever wearing it.   Bet she turned a few heads when she did wear it.

So that is part of my bad news.  I know it is a natural part of life to grow old and die.  But, I secretly wish my Granny could have lived forever and I had never known a day with out her.  

If you have gotten this far, you deserve to hear the rest.  Do you remember last year when Bill had surgery to remove a tumor in his head?  We knew the Surgeon had not been able to get all of the tumor and we were hoping that it could be monitored by bi-annual scans and simply stay the same size and not grow.  Well.....  We were not that lucky.  It, Bob, I'm calling it Bob, has had a little growth spurt.  Surgery is scheduled with a new Surgeon (referred by the last one) soon.  Will keep you updated.

And now, that I have all that off my chest, we can return to the irregularly scheduled posting program.  And I promise there is good stuff coming.  Very good stuff and great news:)

Beeswax Candles

In today's mail were most wonderful candles from Mother Seraphima and the Sisters of the Holy Nativity Convent.  Upon opening the box the most delicious aroma of honey and beeswax surrounded me and made me feel loved.  The candles are hand dipped by the Sisters and if you are interested in partaking in this heavenly smell, please visit their website:  Holy Nativity Convent. They are so lovely;)

This bundle is destined for my sweet Granny who is not doing so well at the moment.  If you have a few moments in your day, can you think of her with kindness and love today.  Thank you so very much.

Photo Phone

Whew, I'll have to say it has been pretty darn crazy the past few months. Bill has had two surgeries. The first in August to clear his nasal passage and the second in September to remove a pituitary turmor via his nasal passage. Bill is as good as new now, but we might have to go through the surgery again or localized radiation as the Dr. saw a few bits of tumor they missed following his MRI.

Sorry to say, I kind of just dropped blogging for a little while as it was hard to find the time to gather my thoughts. For quite some time now, I have promised myself to clean out the old photos on my phone. I thought my first post back might just have to be a collection of photos from my cell phone!  They are not the best quality pictures, but it sure i fun knowing I can snap a shot here and there;)

Applebutter

Monster Skein of Yarn at Knit Night

Granny

Eyeball Illusion with sushi plates

2009 Drive to the Kentucky Wool Fest

Little Kitty helping hold the totes stationary as I pack for a show.

Little Kitty hanging out w/ a new friend at the Vet's office.

Bill playing his new guitar before the second surgery.

Happy Birthday Granny!

Today was my little Granny's 89th birthday! Mom & Dad are out of town, but we still managed a little celebration;) We had a delicious lunch at Cracker Barrel which ended in a happy birthday song and cake.

Granny really, REALLY likes her cake!

Next to Granny is one of her oldest friends Jean who read Granny's cards to her.

Happy Birthday Granny!!!

What have I been up to..

With the holiday season fast approaching, things are hectic around here as always.  Thankfully, today was Granny's last Doctor's appointment until the new year.  Lately we have been very fortunate that the Dr's Offices seem to have a pretty darn good flow and the wait time has been minimal.  Today was a 2 hour wait.....  Not at all fun.....

I did get all of my Christmas shopping done today with Granny in tow.  And picked up the over priced, ill-fitted dress I will be wearing in my cousins wedding on the 27th (yes, she picked 2 days after x-mas and it's across country, so I'll not even go there..grrr).  Dropped off two packages at the post office.  Took Granny for lunch and to the book store.

Went to pick up Ace from the Vet's home (my bro & sis in law).  He was snip-snipped today (neutered) and also had his front claws laser-ed out.  I know, it sounds cruel, but you haven't had the joy of an air-born kitten take a flying leap latching on with very sharp claws to the center of your back either.  Nor have you had the joy of seeing the scratch marks upon, my legs, arms, hands, chest and luckily not face.  Really it's not that he is mean or wild.  In fact, he is very sweet and affectionate, unless he is in play mode.  And lets face it, that is all the time.  When we are sitting in the basement, the ground floor sounds like the Kentucky Derby is being run or a herd of elephants is running through.  He has become rather fond of climbing the curtains and pushing as many buttons as he can.

Bill and I went for sushi.  This of course reminds me that we have left overs in the fridge!  .....yum.....late night snack..........  Then we went and picked out a guitar chair for his x-mas pressie and an inexpensive (costs less than the damn dress) elliptical machine for my x-mas pressie.  It took stopping at 3 different places to find one that was reasonably priced.

Below is the swatch I knit up for a pair of gloves I have been commissioned to knit in handspun superwash merino, silk, firestar and glitz.  Have to say the colors and blend is to die for.  Was done last night.  Really, there is only so much I can do in one day....lol

Above, is another project I have been working on. This was commissioned to be spun and made into a hat and matching accessory. I am almost done with the hat which, will then be embellished. I will make sure to post a pic after it is done;)

Now, I'm tired and ready to dig into a fresh pint of lager before I nod off to the land of the zzzz's.  Oh, and if you are wondering, Bill has been told not to wake me in the morning upon penalty of death!

............................

Tomorrow, Granny needs to go to the grocery and restock her daily pill organizer for this coming week.  I need to get her an extra pill organizer that Dad can swap out for the one I fill up tomorrow because I will be in San Diego for my cousins wedding that day.   I'm going to try(key word) and run the sweeper and do a bit of dusting at Granny's.  AFter that....  I am going home and going back to bed for the rest of the week end......................  

News

My Granny is in the hospital. We thought she might be going home yesterday, but looks more like today or tomorrow. I have the most wonderful Granny. She is the kind of Granny that everyone wants and I thank my lucky stars everyday that she is mine. She truly is the light of my life. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks,
Steph