Homeward Bound: On a wing and a prayer

Some of the most sacred travel insurance ever...

The Faith of Innocents

Monday night prayers

Via iTouch

On the road again, again

Arizona, Thursday, Feb.20, 2014

I am in the midst of a 2 brother, 3 families, 4 airline, 5 airport, 5 states, 6 day, 6 nieces and nephews journey.

Wish me luck ... And patience!

Via iTouch

Auntie Nettie Reads A Lot 2013 - 4th Quarter

Winter 2014 Snow Days = More reading? Maybe.

I don't think it needs to be said AGAIN that the last quarter of 2013 was a bit busy. There just weren't enough hours in the day to work 12-14 hours a day, commute, craft, or read a good book.

Though, apparently, I did try,  occasionally. But not enough.

The usual caveat applies: If you are just finding the blog, please note that this list was maintained mainly so that I could remember what I've read this year. The record does not fully represent me or all of my interests, so don't judge my reading habits. My interests change quite frequently. Also, as a general rule, I don't do book recommendations or link to major retailers or publishers. Except for the ARCs listed below [thanks major publishers!], most of these books came from MY library or a public library. 

Go forth, use your library card and READ! 


October - December

[Surely I have read more than this?]

Jane by April Lindner
Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White (reread)
Dark Witch (Book 1 of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
The Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee
A Cookbook Conspiracy (A Bibliophile Mystery) by Kate Carlisle
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth

some e-books I don't recall

Auntie Nettie's Attic Merchandise 2014

I probably will get another blanket done on my upcoming vacation (lots of time on planes and in cars), but given the fact that I can't seem to keep up with the blog, I thought I'd better post these now.

ANA 2014-1: Shades of Grey Chain Moebius

One (1) skein Red Heart Dash Graphite, acrylic

ANA 2014-2: Host of Hearts for Valentine's Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day

Left-over stash of miscellaneous yarns, mostly acrylic
(no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2014-3: Baby Pink Chevron Crib Cover

Three (3) skeins of Bernat Softee Baby (30301)

(as of 2/2014, not available, was a commission)

LATER UPDATES c. Sept. 2015:

ANA 2014-4: Denim blue blanket, bubble pattern

One (1) skein of Lion Brand Yarn, acrylic

(shown here on vacation, backseat passenger work-in-progress)

ANA 2014-5: Variegated Pink Bubble gum blankie

Three (3) skeins of loops & Threads, Snuggly Wuggly mini dots, acrylic

(no photo, as of 9/15 no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2014-6: Large Turquoise and chocolate blanket

Four (4) skeins of Red Heart Soft waterscapes, acrylic

(No photo, as of 7/14 no longer available)

ANA 2014-7: Large Pastel Open Shell afghan

One skein Loops & Threats Snuggly Wuggly, Big Baby yarn, acrylic

ANA 2014-8/9: Random long orange scarves

(no photos, mystery yarn from antiques store purchase late 2014)

Note to crafters; If you don't up date your project book/blogs in 2 years, 

you forget WHEN you made things. 

This one might have been from 2014 too. But I can't reconcile my notes.

ANA 201?-TBD: Light Blue bubble pattern blanket

One (1) Skein Lion Brand yarn, acrylic

Auntie Nettie's Attic 2013 - November/December

I am just a teeny tiny bit behind on documenting some of my projects. Vacation and life and professional changes got in the way. 

How is it February? How come I haven't been crafting? Oh yeah. Life.

So we get back on track, here are the remaining items that were created as part of Auntie Nettie's Attic for 2013.

ANA 2013-30: Little Bitty Blue-Flecked Blankie

Four (4) skeins of Plymouth Yarn, Dreambaby DK, acrylic and nylon
(as of 5/15, no longer available, gifted)

ANA 2013-31: Square Fuchsia Bubblegum Pink Bubble Blanket

One (1) pound ball Lion Brand, acrylic
(As of 3/15, no longer available)

ANA 2013-32: Light Pink Chevron Afghan

One (1) 14-oz. Jamie Baby Yarn, acrylic

(as of 12/2013 no longer available, gifted)

Retroblogging: Random AuntieCrafts

The weather is finally making New England look like a scene out of Currier and Ives.

Which reminds me, when I was out in Logan, Utah in December hanging with the Great-Aunties, Aunt Shirley dragged out an album with some of her choice correspondence. Upon flipping through the book, what did I spy, but a letter from a youthful me. The letter was dated in the 1970s, but both Mom and I agree. Based on the handwriting and the subject matter, it must have been the early 1980s. No matter. Just look at that. Isn't this cute?

To be truthful, I'm about 150% sure this is not an original work. I think it was a black & white drawing that I enhanced before I sent it off in the mail.

Remember when we would just draw and be free and not constricted by self doubt? When we could be content to just color and draw, and sketch and paint, and trace and scribble -- just for fun?

Remember when we'd BEG to go out and play in the snow? When we'd BEG to go out and make snowballs, snow forts, snow angels, and snowmen - excuse me snow PEOPLE? When we'd have to be coaxed inside when our faces where bright red, our noses streaming (let's be honest here), when we couldn't feel our fingers or toes - and we'd have cocoa to warm up?

I think that song from Frozen needs a new set of lyrics.

 Do you want to drink a snowman?

These cuties were created by Kelli for Christmas 2013 - out of old baby food jars. 

I wonder if it's too late to order about 15 for pickup this Thursday?

Kelli?

Winter Woes: Tales of Treacherous Travels via Trains

Well, this certainly has been a wild winter and a bunch of wild transportation.

Polar Vortex anyone? 

Sometimes a photographic mistake is a surrealistic truth.

 There's been too many nights of travel that looks like this:

Not to mention, platforms that look like this:

Views from the platforms look like this:

It really starts to get to you.

You start to think about alternate transportation options.

Forget the train. One day - maybe this could be my ride.

Innocuous debris in the subway begins to remind you of

Frosty the Snowman.

Frosty RIP 2013-2013

If he had a REALLY bad night.

You rejoice in empty train cars, even if they are wrapped in the yucky competitor's cola*,

 and even if it is for some Sportsball Cup Event Thingy (TM).

You trudge to the train, only to be lulled out of the trudge 

by the dulcet sounds of a classical guitar wafting up an almost empty corridor.

Thank you traveling troubadour.

The guitar music totally was a graceful note that I try to remember, and NOT the night I spent three hours on the floor of Grand Central with thousands of people because Metro-North lost power to their control room - grinding the train wheels of transportation to a complete standstill.

This was my limited view. I did not venture forth from my spot by the Eastern staircase at the foot of the Apple Store very often. It was a mob scene.

I looked at this ... a lot for three hours.

Did I say three hours? Did both my phone and my iTouch almost die because all I did was send out updates and try to figure out if I was staying in the City overnight, even though I didn't have an overnight bag? Yes.

Some notes from my phones from that evening:

* Missing Grand Central's grand waiting rooms and bench seats in scenarios like this. And walls of power outlets to recharge devices.

* I bet the iFruit store, FrozenDrinkHut & FrostedSITCtreat places at Grand Central rake in the $$$ tonight with stranded crowds. [Ed. Note: Apple Store, Shake Shake, Magnolia Bakery]

* Today's #momentsofgrace: being acutely grateful to be stuck in Grand Central & not on a train in ParkAve tunnel or cold rails.

* LOOK Mr Announcer Dude. "Temporarily" is the wrong word if it has been more than an hr. "temporarily suspended" is code, right? [Ed. Note: they said "temporarily" for over 2 hours. SERIOUSLY!]

* And the NYC media has arrived. I see shoulder cams. Time for 10 & 11pm news clips. (Like that is going to help us one damn bit). [Ed. Note: It didn't.]

* People at my old job used to mock the fact that I kept a "go bag" under my desk with change of clothes, etc. Regretting I don't have 1 now. [Ed. Note: I prepped and packed one the next weekend. It still has yet to get to the new job. A fact that was regrettable given the weather the first 2 weeks of the new job.]

* Trying to remain positive. Standing &\or sitting on cold marble in the Terminal is better than being stuck on a cold dark train.

* Just declined giving a quote to traditional print media re: situation. Because, you know, "privacy" & all that. I do appreciate the "irony." [Ed. Note: Also invited to do a phone interview with television. Didn't get message. Declined follow-up later. Because, you know, "privacy" and all that.]

* Karma is a wonderful thing. I charged an old lady's phone when stuck in Salt Lake. A nice businessman is charging my phone in Grand Central.

* Phone battery dead. Nice business man had to go. News later. Signing off to save.

* I also think I will be "experiencing considerable residual delays" for my inbound NYC commute tomorrow.

* On the 11:13 local on track 27, packed to bursting, when conductor tells the entire train to move to track 28.

* The kicker of tonight's commute from heck? If I had just worked until 10:30 on my 6th to last day, like usual, I would have missed the mess.

* I beg to differ. We were NOT "bemused." Not 1 tiny bit. MT @nytimes Metro-North Grinds to a Halt W/ Computer Trouble http://nyti.ms/1c8ZFSZ


I am ever so grateful to be heading in the opposite direction now, where I can stay with friends, or stay in guest quarters.

If we all survive the winter and don't get stuck somewhere en route to somewhere ... it will be a miracle.



*I will drink it, if it's free.

Happy Eighth Birthday Ms. Amber!

Happy Birthday....

Amber?!

Ammmmmmberrrr.

Amber?

Amberkins?!

Can you look up from your book for a minute?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(Yes, you may jump up and down now and celebrate!)

I think this is "jazz hands."

 And we lost her again ...

So I'll just continue.

 I should be so proud that she falls down into the words of a book no matter where we are.

Like here, in the book aisle of Walmart while we wait for her Mom to run an errand.

 (Actually, I'm proud of all three of them in this case. 

Just told them it was like the library and we were just browsing.)

Speaking of the library. Amber's a niece after my own heart. 

She was so proud that she has her own library card and can pick out her own stack of library books. 

Since she can only take out a limited amount at a time, this takes a bit of deliberation.

I'm so glad that she's growing and learning and exploring all that Idaho has to offer. 

It's so wonderful to see some of my childhood outings replicated (slightly differently) in her new home. 

From UCONN's dairy bar and now at the University of Washington where you can see the cheese making on some days, and the ice cream on others.  

 You can sample the ice cream year round. And it is good.

 Let's see if I can get her to stop this time ... 

Hey Amber!

 Yes?                                                   Smile!

  Well, stop a minute and pose.

So - yeah. That's a face.

With this one, you have to grab the opportunities you can while she is standing still OR not reading. 

It's either one or other. Full forward momentum or total immersion in the world of the word.

So you take the shot. 

Even if that means it's the moment when you are the bottom of the pile of giggling nieces and nephews 

and they are holding you captive. 

(Which they do. They have my heart.) 

You get strange perspectives. 

Of pretty "puppy" feet. Oh my, she's going to be a tall one.

My Amber.

I'm so amazed at how fast the time has gone. 

You were just a bitty thing and now you are turning eight. 

With all that that means. 

Third grade. The school bus. Library cards. Church milestones. 

Just this afternoon, while we were on Skype,

 I could see the shadow of the lovely handful of a teenager you will be - and the wonderful adult. 

Don't grow up too fast. Be a little girl a bit longer.

Cuddle up with me.

Hold my hand while we are on walks.

Look forward to my visits. 

Treasure these times with your sister

 and your little pirate brother.

Trust me. From one older sister to another. The time passes too quickly.

Until I can see you later this week, HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!.

All my love,
Auntie Nettie