Today would have been my father’s 58th birthday. Instead, he is gone and I am still desperately trying to piece back together my absolutely shattered heart. It seems fitting that I share my inadequate eulogy for my father here today. I’m going to be spending the day with my husband, celebrating my father with a read more
Happy Day!
Mom with Derek and I in our backyard in June, 2011. Today is my mothers’s birthday. I’m sure if you asked how old she is, she’d tell you she’s “old enough to know better.” I cannot tell you all how wonderful my mother is. She’s my support, my good friend, one of my biggest cheerleaders read more
Remains of the Day
Seen in the parking garage when leaving Sock Summit late yesterday evening: That blob on parking guy’s knee there? Let’s take a closer look: Yup. Parking lot yarn detritus. The knitters were here.
Trenta
My birthday this year is bittersweet. I’m excited to be turning 30, excited for the start of a new decade of my life and excited because I just plain love birthdays. But it’s a hard day in that it’s the first birthday my dad isn’t here to sing happy birthday to me. When I turned read more
Of Gnomes and Doctors
I do not profess to be either good or speedy at cross-stitch. I generally leave the cross-stitch pieces to my mother (who is very good, and far speedier than I am) but not too long ago I came across some great, simple pieces on etsy that have called out to me. One of these is read more
I’m writing a second blog these days, one that is more personal. As a part of my coping and healing process, I’ve started writing letters to my father. I kept writing them in my head, but wanted to record them in a less sieve-like way for days when my memories have faded. Obviously, I’m not going to forget the important things, but there are so many tiny little things that I don’t want to lose.
Smurf-ish
Recently I had a request to knit a tiny Papa Smurf, after one of my older sister’s friends saw my tiny gnome army. Since I knew I had both blue and red remnants at home, I agreed and set about the task. Using the teeny tiny mochimochiland santa pattern, I improvised the color placement (making read more
Some Pig
One of my Christmas gifts was a copy of Knitting Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec. The book is full of wonderful gems like a knitted tv and couch, pencil and tiny “human beans” among other things. My personal favorite is the Pig With a Wig. The pig itself is knit with about 1/3 of a skein read more
Sadness
Dad, October 2009 with two dumb goats and a bull. Two weeks ago, in the wee hours of the morning, my father unexpectedly passed away. He was 57, and it would be an understatement to say that my family is devastated by the loss. After a whirlwind trip to Maine, I’m back to the chaos read more
2010 in Review: Daily Life
What a year. I keep saying that 2010 has been terrible (and it has) but as I looked back through my photos for the year I realized it was also full of a large number of great things. Recapped here for you, 2010 at Casa de Baya. January: I knit a kidney for my mother, read more
Happy Merry
It’s been a long two months, but right now we’re relaxing and gearing up for a low-key holiday celebration with my in-laws. We’ll be eating lasagna and spending time together, in a modified version of our normal crazy huge Christmas celebration. There will be gifts, delicious food, and–most importantly–a house full of love. May you read more
Joy from Extremely Unexpected Sources
It’s been a rough ride around here lately. In addition to a host of other things, my beloved husband threw his back out very badly; he has been laid up for 2.5 weeks and on bedrest for 12 days. I’m not looking to throw myself a pity party, but yesterday all of the frustrations of read more