Marie Grace Designs

More on not knitting...

So what would happen if I neglected this knitting blog for half the summer and always had an excuse as to why i've been so neglectful whether it be the weather or the flower bed or the kids and all their plans or whatever.

What would happen if when I did stop by to make a blog post on this knitting blog said post contained everything but knitting because the knitting I am actually working on can't be shown just yet.

I could always post pictures of the kids and all the things they've been doing this summer from 4H to swimming in the creek to hiking to catching salamanders and butterflies.

I could post more pictures of the goats (there are 4 now) and the geese (who were attacked by a neighbor's dog) and the chickens (turns out there's 2 roosters and 3 hens).

What I really want to do is post pictures of our new puppy but I'm afraid that once I start I won't stop and the only thing worse than a knitter who can't stop posting pictures of cats is a knitter who won't shut up about a puppy.

I'd tell you all about how much I love German Shepherds and how we had one for years but lost him to cancer not quite 2 years ago. I was blogging then but was so upset about his sudden loss that I never even mentioned it.

Anyway, I could go on and on about how having a new puppy in the house has turned it all upside-down. Tater has to keep her toys off the floor so he doesn't chew them which really is just a bonus if you ask me. We have to keep track of our shoes and keep an eye on the throw rugs and make sure the dish towel isn't left on the edge of the counter where it can be reached.

I could tell you how thrilled I am to have a dog that can walk at the park with me. I spent countless hours walking the trails at the lake with the last Shepherd and really the only thing better than walking the trails at the lake is walking with a dog. He's my excuse to get out of the house late in the evening all by myself with only him for company. Don't get me wrong, family outings to the lake are fabulous but even I need a bit of a break now and then. The subtle rhythm that sets in when you walk with a happy dog is extremely relaxing, almost like a meditation, not to mention a great way to get some exercise.

Maybe I could admit that I'm looking forward to starting our Puppy Kindergarten classes next week which is ridiculous (not really). I mean... I homeschool my kids but I'm going to pay somebody to teach me how to properly raise my dog. Go figure. And really, I'm convinced that he's the smartest 4 month old puppy ever so we'll just go to that class and show 'em all how its done.

So anyway I'll try not to overload on the puppy stuff but with the absence of show-able knitting at the moment I figure puppy pics are better than a lot of other things. So here ya go... the first published pics of Tucker...

Weekend at the lake...

So we took the 2 younger boys and Tater to the local state park over the weekend for some fishing and salamander hunting.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that our property actually borders the state park so we sort of feel like its "our" park. We spend as much time there as possible and really its my very favorite place to be.

Something about being outside in the fresh air and sunshine just does us all so much good. My kids are like everybody else's... they fight and bicker and drive me nuts some days but I always look forward to a great day if I know we'll be out and about especially at the lake. They have plenty of space and plenty of time to work off some energy.

The same kids that tattle on each other and argue over who gets the last cupcake are suddenly a little team... totally focused on whatever is happening at the moment.

These 2 boys are especially fun to watch when they are together. They are both very science-minded and detail driven and though they tend to get annoyed with Tater and her girly-whining they are also more than happy to share something they like with her. I hope when Tater is older she realizes just how good she has it with these older brothers watching out for her.

We had a great time catching salamanders and listening to the park naturalist tell us all about them. Turns out that of the 23 species of salamander in Pennsylvania 10 of them live here in the park. We caught samples of 7 of those.

Did you even notice that no matter where you go there's always one kid you just want to push in the lake can't stand? That one kid who seems to be there with no adult supervision. That one kid that shoves in line or pushes past your kid and spills their drink and just keeps going. Well, that kid was there and thought he had a great idea when he handed Mac Daddy one of those little plastic view-a-critter containers that had a little baby toad it. He passes the plastic viewer to Mac Daddy and says "Hey! When you shake him up he looks like he's in an earthquake!". Ugh.

Speaking of these boys... they grow up so fast. They both had birthdays in July. The older, who is technically my step-son turned 12. The younger just turned 10 on Sunday.

And if you think I'm kidding about how much I love this park and this lake think on this...

I was on this very lake in a flat-bottom fishing boat when my water broke with that 10 year old. He wasn't due for 3 more weeks but apparently the fishing was too good to wait on.

Ya know, Mac Daddy and I have done a great job with this little mixed up family of ours and I'm happy to be where I am. Moving back here has been a blessing, though painful at times when I remember being here with J. The memory of him paddling that damn boat back to the dock with both of us convinced that I was about to give birth on the lake... you just can't make this stuff up. And though I've come to terms with J not being here anymore, the days that are the hardest are his son's birthdays.

I guess I always figured we'd go back to the lake together and tell our boy about that day and how funny it was but instead its bitter-sweet for me to remember and its Mac Daddy that listens to me tell the story again... him listening to me tell about the father of the boy he's raising as his own.

And wouldn't you know that this year, on that day, our son caught his first Large Mouth bass. Life is weird.

Behind the curtain...

As I realize that summer is already half way over I also realize that I've been away from blogging much longer than I had intended.

It seems the draw of the sun and the smell of the kids slathered in sunblock and the promise of dirt and aching muscles is just too much to ignore.

Having this life, this life that is so thick I can walk into it and feel the day, well, maybe I'm a bit too in love with it all because I just can't seem to sit still long enough to shuffle through the stack of papers on my desk.

My life is not perfect. I am not perfect. My kids are not perfect. But I am old enough and wise enough to see a bigger picture (finally).

You can say I've lost my mind or that the thin air on the mountain is having a weird effect on me but let me tell you... this life we have here is big enough for me and I will revel in it every moment that I can.

I'll be back soon with pictures to share and stories to tell. I have some deadlines coming up which means I'll have to take some time to sit whether I want to or not. Some of the things I'm working on need to be kept under wraps until publication releases, others just need to be edited. Not to mention that schooling will begin again in just a few weeks.

Flutter by...

So I've been neglectful of the blog once again but I'll tell ya I have sunburn, poison Ivy, a bee sting, and freshly turned flower beds.

I have well feed baby goats that aren't so little and I have Goosers that no longer warble but rather honk a weird honk like a 14 year old boy in the throws of puberty with a crackle in his honk voice.

I have an elder son with his first part time summer job and an elder daughter returning today from her first week at summer camp.

I have a new puppy which I've neglected to mention because his arrival meant the departure of our Terrier. Dear Darwin moved in with a single lady who lets him sleep in her bed and spoils him rotten which is what he wanted all along. Farm life was not for Darwin, and he quite clearly told us so yet still I felt guilty when it was time for him to go.

What I don't have is enough time. Enough time to knit and plant one more Spiderwort, and take one more walk with the puppy, and help the boys glue one more piece on their models. There's just so much to do while the sun is shining and the bees are buzzing.

I did manage a little something but I need to get it edited and formatted and posted here. Its a plain little summer top for little girls but being that I can never leave well enough alone I embroidered the one I made and you could, too.

So here's to summer and grills and burgers and puppies and butterflies.

Hope you are all well and enjoying the summer.