'Coasting' along

I only have 18 days left to get all my Christmas knitting done! AHHHH! I did my best to stay up late last night and get the nerd coaster project finished. I got the last one started and almost halfway complete before my eyes and brain retaliated and forced me to bed.

Here's what we have so far:

The rebel ones have been blocked and even though they are all very different sizes - I am telling myself that it is okay and I can make a new batch of four after Christmas if required. They blocked out close to the same so they'll just have to do - this pattern was not my favorite.

The empire symbol looked very very intimidating, but has been way fun to knit. Probably because I'm using the same yarn for both colors and am not having the same issues with sizing because of that fact. Plus, it's interesting and that makes it fun.

Pretty close to finished!

I forgot to take a photo of the finished socks, but they are complete. I just need to package them up and send them west!

It's finally getting cold here so I've been feeling an urgency about knitting - I know why people who have long winters enjoy knitting so much now!

I'll keep ya'll posted on all the holiday projects!

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Today is a special day, not just because of Pearl Harbor although in my heart it secretly pleases me that the rest of the country mourns with me - that sounds way more horrible than I mean it - I promise but because fifteen years ago today was the most tragic day of my life. The day my mother was hit by a car and killed while out walking. Losing someone close to you is always hard, but it is so much harder when it is sudden and without warning. I also lost my father in 2006, but he was sick and I knew he was dying, so I do not say one with worse without knowing. She was a wonderful, caring, outgoing person and a fabulous mom. She cooked, baked, sewed, quilted, crocheted, knit, hung wallpaper, painted, stenciled, laid tile, hung trim, worked hard - gardened, could handle a chainsaw, pull brush, change a tire, drive standard, make ceramics, and was never afraid to try something new.
My childhood was innocent and sheltered as it should be. I remember with fondness all the fun things we did as a family and the wonderful opportunities my parents went out of their way to provide us. She was the driving force behind those opportunities and I cannot express how much I cherish the short amount of time I had with her. She taught me so many things, but the biggest lesson she instilled - before I was even a teenager - was that I could do anything - It might be hard, but hard work pays off.
I remember being told to look up words in the dictionary that my sister, father, and mother used if I didn't know what they meant. And we did look them up, together. She taught us knowing where to find an answer was more important than knowing the answer. A very important life skill that has brought me where I am today.
Everyday I carry her memory, but today, I share that carried memory, just for a moment, with you.