So much busyness has transpired in the past month and all has been wonderful. My middle, Erica, and family arrived for a nice month long stay. I had been looking so forward to this visit for months and cleared out the house to put up numerous beds to accommodate everyone. 10 additional bodies in the house made for much busyness, but it made my heart so happy. I loved having a purpose and reason to cook and care for others! We took endless walks, exploring and enjoying the beauty of spring with all abloom. On the last week we headed off to the beach for a glorious week of seaside beauty. It was perfect the entire time with warm sunny days. I don’t believe anything is more lovely than the seaside!

When the time came for them to say goodby and return home, I was delighted to have this little sweetie stay on for an extended visit! My heart was indeed full!!

With the loves gone, except one, life settled back into routine. Daily walks, knitting, reading, and of course, the beginning of summer classes for my Phd studies.

I have been doing quite a bit of knitting of late and finished up numerous projects. I had enjoyed the sampler blanket I made for the upcoming new baby that I indulged in a wrap that was knit of a variety of sampler stitches. For the wrap I used all my own botanically dyed wools. I love the end results, it is so soft and cuddly, long enough to wrap numerous times around the neck or shoulders.

I also finished the little hooded sweater I had been working on for Mimi. It is just adorable and matches perfect with the little thrifted dress I found!

I finished up another pair of socks out of some leftover yarn. I always have a pair of socks on the needles as it is mindless knitting that is easy to pick up and go as needed.

Little Ava and I have been busy having our own adventures. One of the things the grands have always looked forward to with grandma is yard sales and thrifting. We have had the grandest time visiting various charity shops and the yard sales on the week-end. She has loaded up on toys, even finding an American Girl doll for a few dollars!! Oh what fun we are having! It is so lovely to have a little one around the house again!

We took a lovely trip south to Eugene and spent the most wonderful few days with my brother and sister. My brother continues to hold his own and has even improved as he continue to battle the end stages of amyloidosis. Time with his is precious and we enjoyed memories of our lives and delved into the deeper meaning of life. Anytime with my sister Sue is always fun and this time was no exception. We had a marvelous time! I treasure this time with my siblings.

The gardens are growing fabulously! My cottage garden improves each year. It is really quite remarkable as the majority of my plants are discounted from the big box stores. I watch the clearance section as it is an inexpensive way to get a large variety of plants for little investment. This peony was one such clearance plant last year and is absolutely gorgeous this year. Peonies are one of my favorite flowers!

I do splurge on the absolute must haves! I have added so many new plants already this year I can’t begin to count them. Slowly bit by bit the gardens are taking on a new life. The challenge of the back yard still remains, due to all the shade, but it is evolving into a lovely green paradise.

Currently we are busy redoing our deck as it had rotted beyond repair. I love playing in the dirt and soil and watching new shoots push up through the ground and the flowers put forth their blooms! There is really nothing quite like a garden as a balm for the soul against the chaos of the world.

Comes the day when the newest member of the family arrived. Precious Grayson made his debut loudly and safely. We couldn’t be happier to welcome this new sweet baby boy! I will be traveling down Sunday to welcome him and see the rest of the gang!

Oh my as I look back over this blog, I realize I started it back at the beginning of May! How time flies and gets away from me so easily. So very much has transpired in the month or so since I started typing, but all wonderful magical moments that will be tucked away to be retrieved and relived as life continues to march on.

Celebrating life and love,

Patricia