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A Photography Session With the Pups

Posted on December 14, 2008 by auburnchick

Soccer Chick and Mr. AuburnChick left for her practice shortly after church.  She was going two hours away to get prepared for a tournament that her travel team will be participating in after Christmas (think Disney at New Year’s…fun stuff, I tell you).

As soon as they hit the road, Rooster and I decided to have a little fun.

First, he dressed up Aubie and Pele in his favorite football jerseys…

Aubie is hoping that Auburn will do better next year. Pele is wearing a Tampa Bay jersey.  Cadillac Williams, the team’s quarterback, attended Auburn a few years ago…hence the connection.

Once we got started taking pictures, we had a hard time stopping…

For that picture, I focused the camera while Rooster gently placed the hat and ran.  Poor Pele…so mistreated, eh?

The last thing we decided to do was try to get a Christmas picture.  I’ve seen photos that other people have taken of their pups…sitting obediently in front of a tree or fireplace…

Easier said than done.

First of all, Molly was scared of the tree.  I could get her to sit, but if I tried to slide her toward the tree, she got up and ran from me.  And so it went with the other dogs.

In desperation, I pulled out the treat jar.  Contrary to settling them down, it only excited them further.  They would sit only as long as they were chomping on a treat, then they were back up on their paws begging for more.

I gave Rooster the jar and he sat on the floor feeding them the goodies.  I can’t show you that picture, though, since it’s got Rooster’s entire body in it.  It’s too cute though.  Here is a picture of the dogs looking at him with the treats…almost perfect, but not quite…

Rooster then moved right behind me, issuing the order to “STAY, STAY, STAY.”

Click…

They’re all in the picture, and you can even see the tree.

Mission accomplished.

Filed under: Pets | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

It’s Snowing!

Posted on December 13, 2008 by auburnchick

On my blog, that is.

heeheehee

I was playing around with WordPress and noticed an option to let it snow on my blog until January something-or-another. I checked the box and Voila!

So no, your eyes aren’t fooling you!

Filed under: This-n-That | 1 Comment »

A Beanie for Guy Friend

Posted on December 13, 2008 by auburnchick

Well, I got down to work and finished the beanie in only a couple of days.  Rooster was kind enough to model:

This one is similar to the one I made for Rooster.  In fact, I used the leftover Lion Brand Wool Ease.  The colors are Forest Green Heather and Paprika.

The pattern came from this pamphlet:

The pattern name is actually “Nothing But Ribbing Beanie.”

I sure hope he likes it!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Christmas Memory #13

Posted on December 13, 2008 by auburnchick

Well, I’ve shared a lot of memories from my own childhood, so I thought I better start sharing some from when my own children were younger!  Sure wouldn’t want to leave them out!

I remember Soccer Chick’s first Christmas.  This is the child who hardly ever slept.  She woke up early nearly every morning.  In fact, we taught her how to turn on the TV and VCR so she could watch a video in the morning and let us sleep just a teensy bit longer.

Of course, that Christmas morning, she didn’t wake up early.  We sure did, though, in anticipation of the big moment when she would walk out and see what Santa had brought her.

Mr. AuburnChick and I took turns showering.  Soccer Chick slept on and on.  We tiptoed into her room several times to check on her.  Snoozing away.

Finally, tired of waiting, we snuck into her room and made a little bit of noise…just enough to gently draw her out of her sleep.  The last thing we wanted was a grumpy girl (wish I could remember how I did that way back when…could sure use ideas nowadays).

I’ll never forget how her eyes opened wide in amazement at the presents under the tree.  Oh, there wasn’t much because money was even more scarce then than today.  Somehow young children do not seem to care.

It’s one thing to experience the innocence of Christmas for yourself, but it’s quite another to watch it through your child’s eyes.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

2 Years Ago Today…

Posted on December 12, 2008 by auburnchick

December 12, 2006…

Soccer Chick’s high school team played another school, and she tore her ACL.  She was a freshman…one of only two that made Varsity that year.

Here’s what her knee looked like after she underwent surgery two months later:

Sorry…kind of gross…hope nobody fainted just now.

Anyhow, as you know, she made a full recovery.  The next fall, guess who was playing on December 12th?  Yep.  Soccer Chick’s team and the same team as the year before…on the same field.  Talk about nervous…

Me, not Soccer Chick.

She made it through the game and the season, much stronger than before her injury.

Well, here we are two years later…December 12th…and guess which teams played?

Yep.  Soccer Chick’s team against the same team as the previous two years…on the same field.

Now, I have to admit that I’ve known about this since the first schedule came out back in September.  I wasn’t about to say a word to Chicky though.

All day, my innards have had that queasy feel to them when you’re dreading something.  Soccer Chick didn’t make me feel any better when she came up to me before the game and asked me if I knew what today was.

Somehow I believed that not speaking it aloud would not draw attention to it.  She knew though.  She’d remembered it yesterday.

Because I photograph the games, I could justify the means by which I kept a close eye on her.  Thank goodness my camera has 18x zoom.  Soocer Chick will probably dominate tonight’s photos.  Sorry people…it’s all about the Chick this time…photographer’s perogative.

The girls scored fairly quickly, and near the end of the game, we had five goals to the other team’s one.  Soccer Chick was subbed out.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I truly am not superstitious.  I know that God has a plan, and her injury was part of that plan.  I can’t even begin to list the blessings that we received because of that fateful day two years ago.

However, December 12th will always be one of those dates that you don’t celebrate but always take note of.

Congratulations, Chicky, on another year.  May you never take your talents for granted and always use them to honor the Lord who so generously bestowed them upon you.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Christmas Memory #12

Posted on December 12, 2008 by auburnchick

One year, when my sister and I were quite young, we decided to put on a Christmas show for our parents.  We practiced forever, it seemed.  Every day…down in the basement…

We got the words to the carols in our coloring book.  Over and over, whose part was what.  We wanted to make sure we had thought of everything.

The big night came.  I want to think that maybe we wore our Christmas-y nightgowns…something festive for the occasion, you know.

One song was “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  My sister is three years younger than me, so it was hard for her to memorize the words.  Thus, I had to do all of the stanzas, while she sang “Five Golden Rings.”

The finale was “Deck the Halls.”  Again, she couldn’t remember the words, so she sang the “Fa la la la la, la la la la” parts.  I think we were cute.  It was fun.

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Surprises!

Posted on December 12, 2008 by auburnchick

This has been a week of surprises.

A couple of days ago, I was excited to be told that I had been given this award:

The cool part is that TWO people gave me this award!  Thanks, Rebecca Jo and KnitPurlGirl!!

The verbiage that accompanies this award:

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So, now it’s my turn to bestow the award on others…

  1. Melly – This gal knits up some beautiful pieces.  Her doilies are amazing!  She’s a generous knitter, always working on something for others.
  2. Mrs. Pivec – This is a homeschooling mom whom I’m growing quite fond of.  She lives her life simply and practically.  She’s a gifted writer, and I’m always excited when she posts.
  3. Heather – A mom who treasures her children…they are beautiful, by the way.  She knits up some beautiful items too!
  4. Lise – I love Lise!  She dotes on her family…grown children and all!  Her stories are quite funny, and she knows her knitting, let me tell you!
  5. Meghan – Meghan is very creative and daring.  She’s a spinner who’s got a wealth of knowledge about her craft.  She’s also the mom of an adorable son.  I enjoy hearing about their adventures.
  6. Nancy – Nancy is a retired teacher.  She is also a fellow Oddball Baby Blanket knitter.  I love her blog.  It’s very serene, and her writing is very good.

Alas…I don’t read a ton of blogs, so I can’t fulfill the eight shout-outs.  For that, I apologize.

So, internet surprises are always AWESOME, as are irl (in real life) surprises!

Yesterday, while I was at Soccer Chick’s game (they won, by the way, and she scored a goal), Rooster called me to tell me that my friend, Bea, was dropping off a gift at the house.  Look at what I found when I got home:

Underneath the wrapping, I found this:

I don’t know if you can see it, but there’s chocolate in the basket!  Yum!

My friend Bea is the gal who I made the comfort throw for.  She just found out that the chemo did its thing, and she’s cancer free!  Praise the Lord!

My friends always touch me with their generosity and thoughtfulness.

Filed under: This-n-That | Leave a comment »

Christmas Memory #11

Posted on December 11, 2008 by auburnchick

Last night, as I was headed to bed, I began turning off lights.  The last thing to be turned off was the Christmas tree.  I stood and admired it a bit.  I do so love my “old” Christmas tree.  Remember that I hauled it out of the attic after throwing out the newer, larger, pre-lit tree.  I had my doubts whether the old one would work out as well with my high ceilings.  But, as I gazed at it last night, the entire room dark save for the lights, I was struck by its beauty.

The scene was very serene, and it reminded me, for some strange reason, of the Advent calendar that my mom had when I was a youngster.

I’m not sure what the calendar was made of…probably heavy paper.  We’re talking the 70’s here.  Things were not uber-fancy.  The calendar had an old-fashioned feel to it though – even though the times (at the time) was modern, so to speak.  Something kind of like this…

I loved opening those little windows each day.  Some of the numbers were hard to find, but the pictures behind the flaps were worth the hunt.

Those windows contributed to my growing anticipation of Christmas Day.

It reminds me of the anticipation that the Jews must have felt after being promised, for generations, a Savior.

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A Prayer for Knitting Guy

Posted on December 11, 2008 by auburnchick

Do you remember me talking about Knitting Guy, a fellow knitter whose mom was suffering from cancer?  A group of Knittinghelp.com members (along with a Ravelry group) got together and made her a box of goodies.  We also made squares for a comfort blanket.  You can see the items in this post and this one.

This past summer, Ms. Jean had surgery to remove her voice box…an ordeal that was very difficult for her.  She received a clean bill of health without having to endure chemotherapy.  However, her cancer came back with a vengeance.  She passed away late last night.

She was a sweet lady.  I had the privilege of corresponding with her when I mailed her package.  It was clear that she loved the Lord.

Please pray for Mason…that he will find a replacement driver to cover his load (he’s a trucker), and that God will give him peace as he tends to the many duties associated with losing a loved one.  And please pray for comfort and that Mason would feel God’s presence in the midst of this tragedy.

Filed under: Knitting | Leave a comment »

Christmas Memory #10

Posted on December 10, 2008 by auburnchick

When my sister and I were growing up, we eagerly awaited the Big Day.  The night before Christmas was the longest night of any other during the year.  Without fail, I could never fall asleep!

My sister used to crawl into my bed, and we would giggle, sleep for about 30 minutes, and giggle some more, glancing at the clock every so often.  Morning never seemed to come fast enough!

Usually, by about 3am, we were done trying.  We would sneak downstairs, trying not to make any noise.  Now that I’m a mom, I have a sneaking suspicion that my mom heard us but ignored the stealthy approach to the tree.

Grabbing our loaded stockings, we would sneak back up the stairs.  Santa packed our stockings well, let me tell you.  There was a lot of candy and other odds and ends.  Those stockings served Mom well.  We were quiet for at least another hour.  At that point, we would creep back downstairs and make just enough noise to gently ease the parents out of their slumber.

We considered it a crime if daylight was showing before we opened the last present.

To this day, I cannot sleep on Christmas Eve.  I remember being so excited as a newlywed…eager to find out what the in-laws were giving me.  In some ways, growing older has not dimmed the thrill and wonder of Christmas.

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