Missing my Grandmother terribly today....

WOW, it is super wet here in SoCal. My parents made it down for their quick stop on their way to San Diego. This crazy weather caused their visit to be a bit shorter than I had hoped. People here just don't know how to drive in the rain like they do on the East Coast.

Lunch was yummy and the cupcakes still need some improvements, Mom liked them. I am not ready to share them yet because they just aren't blog worthy to me. Oh well.

So, in all the goodies that my parents brought down were these two little rubbermaid containers of some crafting items that belonged to my Grandmother. As my Mom showed me what kind of goodies where in there we came across these two crochet butterflies that my Grandmother must have crocheted over 14 years ago. So beautiful and precise.

My Grandmother passed away 10 years ago next month. I loved her so much. She was a second Mom to me. My Mom is the youngest of 4, and I was the first Grandchild. I am not trying to be high and might here or boastful in the least, but I was the favorite Grandchild. Nothing against all my wonderful cousins and siblings, it is just for years we lived with my Grandparents and then once we moved from TN to WA, I would spend whole summers with them, as did my brothers but at the time I was already 12 and they were just 4 and 2. My Grandmother and Grandfather were both amazingly talented. My Grandmother could play the piano, and my Grandfather could play the guitar and banjo beautifully, they even recorded a song together. Eventually my Grandfather became a beautiful woodworker, building furniture and making items for my Grandmother to display her crocheting on. I don't think I have any memories of my Grandmother where she wasn't crocheting something, or her crochet work was right there in her lap or next to where she was sitting or her bag yarn and rainbow colorful hooks right there begging to be dug through, always fun to play with.

I think my Grandmother is the one who brought crafting to my life at a very young age. Not that my Mom didn't, she did. Her talents at making ANYTHING look gorgeous, well, I am still trying to achieve. She can do it all, the best of both of her parents. I just really remember visiting my Grandparents house and going to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and picking up little craft kits for me to entertain myself with. That I did, and still do. I miss my Grandmother so much at times. Seeing these little butterflies just brings tears to my eyes. I can see her crocheting them so clearly, she had beautiful hands and her nails were always long and painted a modest shade of pink. Over the years she made me many afghans, baby doll blankets, baby dolls that were blankets, GORGEOUS barbie doll clothes that my Mom has safely stored for me, when the girls get older I will let them play with them. She made me one of these butterflies in pink to match my room when I was young, framed and matted. I still have it in a box. She made me Christmas decorations and in the pictures below are wooden round disks (cut by my Grandfather) marked to hold coasters that I am guessing she was planning on crocheting for someone, I remember these in her house and I know that my Mom has several sets. I know that she made many many beautiful things through out her lifetime, I really wish I could have had the chance to have her teach me half of what she knew.

I love and miss you so much.

such delicate work...

I only wish I had three for my three little girlies...

the wooden coaster discs cut out by my Grandfather for my Grandmothers coasters

and the size 8 Boye hook