Mami Dearest

New Beginnings

2021-01-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

Even though I have loved blogging on this space, I feel it's time for a fresh start. New writings, new thoughts over here https://isaidaveale.blogspot.com/

See you there!

Little Moments in a Life - 7

2020-04-07T22:30:00.000-04:00

Morning coffee, Titus and sunshine

Enjoying Bella Grace magazine Issue 1

Didn’t feel good all day. Laid around most of the day.

Laying in bed at the end of the day and hear Titus dreaming and barking in his sleep. I wonder what he's dreaming about.

Little Moments in a Life - 6

2020-04-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

Thankful for a job that I can work from home

Elijah joining me in the craft room to do school work while I work. This is corona life

Grocery store trip, they are limiting the amount of people in the stores. Signs on the floor for social distancing to stay 6 feet apart

Sitting on the porch with Fonzy and Titus while a spring rain rolls in

Late night FaceTime with Ezekiel and Sydney while Fonzy and I lay in bed.

Little Moments in a Life - 5

2020-04-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

80 degrees

Cleaning flower beds of weeds. India Arie playing in my ear. Dancing and weed pulling

Finding 2 dead bumblebees, holding them in my hand and stroking their soft furry bodies

Earth worms wiggling back in the ground

Little Moments in a Life - 4

2020-04-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

Happy it's the weekend even though the days are running into each other. Sometimes it's hard to keep the days straight.

Watering the ferns and plants on the front porch in the quiet of the morning. Birds chirping happily

Sunshine warming me

Roses are starting to bloom

Steaks and peaches on the grill

Little Moments in a Life - 3

2020-04-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

Preparing the coffee to brew and hear the sound of a train horn from the tracks down the street. The sound brings me back to my childhood home that had tracks right across the street. I loved hearing the trains at night. The rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling on the tracks. Hearing trains always brings me back to my childhood home.

“Look Fonzy I sewed my first bodice!”
Fonzy: “What is that! We are in the apocalypse and you are sewing a Halloween dress!”

Thankful I have my own craft space to leave messy if need be.

Pizza and wine for dinner

Little Moments in a Life - 2

2020-04-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

Warm sunshine me as I water my plants. Noticing the new leaves on the trees in the backyard that seem to have sprouted overnight

Binging Ozark with Fonzy on the couch

Seeing a bright red cardinal in the backyard

Titus birthday today! He’s 7. My puppy love!

Life Today - Remember

2020-04-02T11:44:00.000-04:00

Borrowed this post from a friend’s timeline.

Just so I NEVER forget.....

April 2,2020

*LasVegas (all casinos)is Still closed

* Gas price a mile from home was $1.48+/-

* School cancelled, with the unknown of returning to finish this school year(no graduation, no prom, no senior skip day)

* Many parents are learning to juggle working from home with homeschooling

* Self-distancing measures on the rise

* Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other

* Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors

* Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed

* Parks, trails, entire cities locked up

* Entire sports seasons cancelled at various school and professional levels (NBA, UFC, NHRA, MLB, Hockey all of it)

* Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled

* Weddings, funerals family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled, postponed or limited to 10 people

*No masses, churches are closed, and preachers jailed for allowing large gatherings

* Shouldn't socialize with anyone outside of your home

* Children's outdoor play parks are closed

* We are to distance from each other

* Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers

* Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill

* No visitors allowed in hospitals or nursing homes to visit sick or dying loved ones

* Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer

*Shelves are bare, but getting better

* Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE

* Government closes the border to all non-essential travel

* Fines are established for breaking the rules

* Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients

* Press conferences daily from the President and governor. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths

* Government incentives to stay home

* Barely anyone on the roads

* People wearing masks and gloves outside

* Essential service workers are terrified to go to work, while medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I write this status?

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

We have so much!

Be thankful. Be grateful.

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

We are all one! ❤️

Coronavirus - April 1

2020-04-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

We are in the third week of work from home due to the Coronovirus and in just a matter of weeks the world is totally different from what we are use to. Most days I feel like we are OK. We are homebodies, so staying home isn't really that much different for us, but there are some days I watch too much news and my mind runs wild with all the possibilities of terrible things that could happen. It's scary sometimes. When I feel stressed I've been turning to one of my many hobbies, knitting, baking, sewing, letter writing. Anything to take my mind off the madness. I've also started writing notes in my phone of little moments in my day to day to remember this time. How our days are spent, my thoughts, anything I want to remember. I plan on sharing them here on the blog. Today is the first day of little moments in a life.

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The first sip of my morning coffee as I putter across the creaky wood floor to the dining table and computer, my new “office” in these Coronavirus times.

Neighbor coming down the street chasing after her dog. As she gets closer she yells, “ I don’t have the virus” I feel like I’m in a movie

On the couch cuddled close with Fonzy. I’m under a blanket, he lays his head on my shoulder while scrolling through his phone and I’m finally warm after being cold all day

Electric blue nail polish

Turning on the sewing machine after several long months and sewing my first bodice for a dress. I couldn’t stop smiling at my accomplishment.

Spring Is In The Air!

2020-03-09T14:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday peeps! Spring is in the air and I’m so excited for warmer weather and longer days! The earth is waking from its long winter slumber and I feel the same!

My knitting mojo is back and I even took on my first test knit! So excited! Leslie at A Friend to Knit With is one of my favorite bloggers (her knitting and weekly cookie baking for her kids got me back in the day) and Instagram friend designed a sweater aptly named One Lovely Sweater! I started it this past weekend and have enjoyed it so much. I feel I will whip right through it!

Here’s to new knits, blooming flowers, warmer days and renewed spirit!

One Year Dye Free - Woohoo!

2020-01-26T09:59:00.000-05:00

One year dye free!! What can I say about this journey. First off, it flew by! And I thought I would be so much further along! When I decided to stop dyeing my hair, I wasn't sure if I was going to stick with it. I just knew I was tired of dyeing my hair every two weeks. The first few months are the hardest. I'd get strange looks, people telling me I would look old, was letting myself go. So many negative comments and naysayers. There were times I'd think about hitting the dye bottle again, but I resisted and so glad I did!

I really feel this journey is so much more than hair. I think about my Mom, who died at the age of 31 from cancer, my son who died at 19. They weren't given the gift of long life. Long enough to see the sparkle of grey in their hair. I have been granted this time on earth and I'm no longer going to hide that I am getting older. Guess what? We are all getting older! Every single day! And it's beautiful and a gift many were not granted! This journey has been about accepting myself, just as I am, not conforming to what others or society deems as beautiful. I've noticed so many women embracing their grey. We are not letting ourselves go, we are beautiful, unique, strong and starting a revolution!

The pictures below are my journey so far. They are mostly in order, and I'm so glad I took pictures to document this year. What a year it's been! I feel magical with my white hair! I can't wait to see how it grows and transforms in this new year!

You're Gonna Miss This

2019-11-21T14:01:00.000-05:00

Fonzy had to work late last night, so Elijah and I decided to go out for dinner, nothing fancy just a burger, chili cheese dog and fries. While we sat at our booth eating, a little boy about 3 sitting behind Elijah kept jumping up and looking over into our booth. Elijah pretty much ignored him, but I couldn't help but smile every time he popped his little head up to see what we were doing. His mom told him several times to sit down and stop looking over the bench, but being the curious 3yr old he was, he kept right at it. If he wasn't peeking over the booth, he was wrestling with his slightly older brother while his Mom and what I assumed to be his Grandfather looked on. I could tell the Mom was getting frustrated, so she asked the boys if they wanted ice cream, to which they gleefully yelled yes! So off the 3yr old and his Mom went to the counter to order ice cream. Once ordered they returned back to the booth, but before the Mom could get him seated, the little boy took off running! Mom yelled for him to come back and took off after him, but he was a shifty little bugger and off he ran BEHIND the counter! Elijah and I both sat watching the fiasco, along with everyone else in the restaurant. Elijah just shook his head, because he knew if that had been him as a little boy he probably would have gotten whooped! The Mom snatched up the little boy and tossed him in the booth. You could tell she had just about had it. I chuckled to myself and told her, one of these days, you are going to miss this time and wish you could have it back. It doesn't seem like it now, but take my word for it, you will. She looked at me as if I had 2 heads and said she had heard it before, but right now she couldn't see it. I pointed to Elijah and told her, this is my baby and I smiled as we gathered our things to go. As I walked to the door, she smiled at me and said thank you so much for understanding and sat next to her two little boys happily eating their ice cream.

Samuel

2019-11-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

The other night sitting at Frankie’s Fun Park waiting for Fonzy, the boys and Sydney playing laser tag, my mind wanders to Samuel. Years ago he worked here, walking these very floors among the flashing lights and sounds of the video games. As I sit, I see the ghost of my lanky Samuel, khaki clad with a blue shirt on, smiling. Eerie music of an attraction plays behind me, tears fill my eyes, it all feels surreal. He was once here and in this moment I feel his presence.

Home

2019-11-13T11:01:00.003-05:00

Sitting at my desk in the office, occasionally glancing out the windows the rain fell steadily as the temperatures dropped. Christmas music played softly in my earbuds and I longed for pjs and home.

As my work day came to end I hurriedly packed up and headed out. I picked up Elijah from school, stopped at the grocery store to grab a few things for dinner and home we went. There is nothing better on a cold, rainy day then coming home. Home to bright red leaves blanketing the lawn, an excited dog greeting you at the door and the promise of an evening cuddled by the fire.

Weekends

2019-10-14T14:44:00.002-04:00

I know they say you shouldn't live for the weekends, but I often find myself doing just that. I wish the week away just to get to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Just typing that out makes me cringe! I need to check myself and quit wishing my weeks away. There's nothing I can't do during the week that I do on the weekend, well except sleeping in. Anything else, I can do during the week when I get off work. So no more! I'm going to make a conscience effort to not wish my weeks away. On that note, this past weekend was a good one. Not that we did anything spectacular. Fonzy and I stayed in pjs all day Saturday, but I didn't mind because I had these cute spooky pjs to lounge around in. I worked on my Flax sweater throughout the day, watched college football with Fonzy, napped and cooked. That was our Saturday.

Sunday was rainy and a perfect Fall day. Peep the leaves starting to change! I knit some more on my Flax sweater, along with cleaning, laundry and basically getting ready for the week. Oh, I also cut the fabric for my Emery dress. Yes, I'm still chugging along on that. I figured if I do a little everyday I might have a dress by this weekend. Fingers crossed! Fonzy did yard work most of the day and that was that! Another weekend gone!

Home

2019-10-10T11:57:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was one of those days where everyone at the office seemed to be in a mood! The day dragged on and on and I couldn't wait to leave the stress and foul moods! When it was time for me to go, I ran up out of there!

When I got home, I started dinner then headed out to the porch to enjoy the beautiful Fall day, knitting and a glass of wine in hand. It was in the 60's and Titus and I enjoyed the setting sun and cool weather. We watched neighbors come home from their day of work, check mail and let their dogs out. Titus whined when he saw the neighbors dogs across the street because he wanted to go play! Birds flew in formation in the blue sky, cackling as they went along. I took a deep breathe in, out, and purged the negativity from the office. Knit a few rows, took a few sips and welcomed home Fonzy and Elijah as they pulled into the drive to end their day. I gathered up my stuff and we all headed into the warm house to the smells of dinner.

Silver Journey - 8 Months

2019-09-30T13:34:00.002-04:00

Every Grey Hair Tells a Story

Today marks 8 months and 2 days since my last dye. This has been such amazing journey. A journey of self-discovery and love. Most of my life I’ve struggled with low self-esteem. As a teen and into late 20’s I suffered with severe acne. So much so that I would hide at home and hate going out. I always felt I wasn’t enough. Wasn’t pretty enough, wasn’t the right size, didn’t fit societies beauty standards. Into my 40’s I finally started to feel comfortable in my own skin. To slowly start loving myself flaws and all. A few days after turning 48, I decided to stop dyeing my hair. Standing in the mirror, getting ready to dye, I decided to embrace this beautiful grey/white hair God gave me. Eff society’s beauty standards! I am enough and beautiful just as I am!

8 months and counting!

Weekends

2019-09-09T14:29:00.001-04:00

Weekends just fly by, don't they! On Friday I have these aspirations of all I'm going to do on the weekend and next thing I know it's Monday and I didn't get half or none at all of the things I had planned!

This past weekend I mostly hung out on the couch and knit my Sunday Cardigan while watching football and Netflix with Fonzy. Pumpkin bread was made and we went out to dinner Sunday night. I had planned on getting some sewing patterns at least traced, but that didn't happen! It's back on my list for this weekend. I have a couple cute dresses and skirts I want to sew for Fall. Fall officially begins September 23, so I have exactly 2 weeks to get on the ball! Someone mentioned on Instagram or a blog that they sew for 30 minutes each day. I need to try that. At least I'd get a little something done each day compared to trying to do marathon sewing on the weekend. No better time to start then today!

Have a great week peeps!

Yellow Boneyard Shawl

2019-09-04T12:48:00.001-04:00

I love looking back on a project after it's all done. So many little snippets of life within those pictures. Back porch hangs with Titus, road trips, lunch knitting by the lake, and knitting beside my Dad's pool for our little summer vacay are a few of my memories. I was so glad to finally finish this shawl! This yellow yarn has been through some things! It was originally knit as a sweater. I knit the whole sweater and when it came time to seam it (I hate seaming) I decided I didn't like the sweater anymore, so I ripped it all out! We are Knitters and Wool and the Gang have some cute sweater designs but I hate that most of them are knit flat and need to be seamed. I do have the Cable Bomber from Wool and the Gang to knit so will suffer through seaming at least one more time.

My yellow shawl was suppose to be part of whole me made outfit. I planned on sewing the Emery Dress in the lemon fabric above to go with my shawl, but that has yet to happen! I've been procrastinating on making the dress. I've never sewn a zipper or lined anything and both those skills are needed in the dress. I know I'll never learn if I don't do it, I just need to get past my intimidation and do it! But now that Fall is almost here, I don't want to make the lemon dress. It screams Summer to me and I'm not in a summer vibe anymore. Give me all the cozy knits, boots, and Fall clothes! I do have some fun Fall/Halloween fabric to make another Emery dress though. I really need to push past my fear and just try it already! How hard can it be? I'll keep you posted on that!

Seasonal Rhythms

2019-09-02T13:29:00.006-04:00

The Sunday Cardigan - my new project

Looking back through the memories of my Instagram account I've noticed I'm a creature of habit. I've had memories from years past pop up of baking something and realize I baked the same thing on the exact date. The same with my knitting. The past 3 years at this time of year I'm knitting with burnt orange yarn. Seasonal Rhythms. I feel it strongly this time of year and my soul seems to crave burnt orange yarn. Last year at this time I was knitting this Silver Monk Sweater. I finished all the knitting, but never seamed it up. I hate seaming! I couldn't start a new Fall sweater without finishing this one, so for two nights I seamed and my Silver Monk sweater is done!

I've realized with this project I'm not a fan of cotton yarn and won't use it again. And while I love the design of the sweater with the V in the back, it's too low, so the sweater will probably get worn around the house. My new project, with burnt orange of course, is the Sunday Cardigan knit with wool. I'm so excited for this sweater and know it will be worn!

Here's to Fall and my seasonal rhythms!

Football Life - Hook 'Em Horns!

2019-08-31T13:31:00.000-04:00

Before I met Fonzy I was a casual football watcher. I'd watch a game here or there mainly the Buffalo Bills because I'm from that area. Then into my life came Fonzy! Born and bred in Texas football is in his DNA!

When Ezekiel was just 3 years old Fonzy took him to a Carolina Panthers game and he's been their biggest fan every since! Both boys played flag football when they were little and Elijah continues to play high school football today. Football season has become one my happiest times of year. I'm sure it has something to do with it being Fall, but I love Friday night football. Being in the stands with Fonzy on perfect Fall days, pouring rain or freezing temps while we watch Elijah play is something I look froward to all week.

Saturdays are spent cheering on the Texas Longhorns and watching all the college football games. I'm sure I drive Fonzy crazy with all the questions I ask even though I've watched for years now. We've binged QB1, watch Hard Knocks, Last Chance U and any other series related to football. Football has been woven into the very fabric of our lives. And speaking of fabric...isn't this fabric the cutest! Since Fonzy is the biggest Texas Longhorn fan, I'm now a huge fan too! I'm not sure where I'll get to wear a Texas Longhorns dress, but that's besides the point! I couldn't resist making the dress.

Hook 'Em Horns!

Dress - made by me!
Pattern - Popover dress by Gerties Sews Jiffy Dresses

Summer with Grandma

2019-07-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” – Alex Haley

Being a full-time Grandma is a magical, life changing experience! And keeping it real, very tiring! I forgot what it's like to have little kids in the house, but I'm so happy to have them here and all the wonderful memories we are going to make this summer! I have a tiny bucket list of things I'd like to do and taking a ton of pictures, so I can send them home with a photo book of all our adventures! I've missed the magic of childhood and going to cherish this time we have.

Bucket List

~splash pad - Done!

~ spend the day at a lake

~ board games on the porch

~ baking cookies and cupcakes

~ sidewalk art

~ s'mores and fire pit

~ hiking

~ creek splashing

~ beach trip and visit to Great Grandparents in Florida

~ letter writing back home

~ jump rope

~ catching fireflies

~ reading Sarafina and the Black Cloak

~ sewing lessons

~ maybe knitting lessons

~ fishing

~ roller skating

I have so many more ideas, but I'll stop for now.

Let the magic begin!

Popover Dress

2019-06-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a bit! I kind of miss posting on my blog regularly like I use to. I think it's time to start back up and why not start with my Popover Dress!

First let me say I LOVE this dress. And so proud to say I made it! One of the main reasons I wanted to learn to sew was to make vintage inspired dresses. I love the dresses from the 50's and 60's and watch old classic movies sometimes just for the clothes. Since I'm still a beginner sewist, I look for easy patterns, with a few new skills I can learn. The Popover Dress from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses was perfect! It's fairly easy for beginners and I learned something new, creating and applying bias facing. I've read reviews saying the dress takes about 2 hours to complete. That wasn't so in my case. It took a bit longer, but I'm thinking a second go round might be quicker and there will definitely be a second dress. Also, Gertie has a tutorial for making the dress! What more could you ask for!

So my sewing journey continues. I have several projects I want to make, but I've been hesitate to get started. The patterns have skills I haven't tried yet, and fear of failing stops me from attempting them. I know that's crazy, because I'll never learn the skills if I don't attempt them! Hey, I'm a work in progress! I'm going to give myself a pep talk and just do it! Until then, I'll admire my Popover dress. Isn't it cute!

Porch Sunsets

2019-06-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

In the evening as the sun is setting I find myself being drawn to the back porch. A slight breeze blows the overgrown grass in the meadow, birds chatter, and sunlight dapples through the trees. It's such a serene place to shed the worries of the day and just be.

Rainbow Sprinkles Sweater

2019-03-13T09:08:00.001-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting my Rainbow Sprinkles Flax Sweater! I LOVE this sweater and have worn it several times already! This is my second time knitting this pattern and probably won't be the last. It's a simple top down raglan sweater that you can customize anyway you want. I seem to be stuck on rainbows since my first Flax here had a rainbow too.

I love looking back on my progress pictures. It takes me back to all the little moments of knitting, little slices of life.

Pattern: Flax by Tin Can Knits
Yarn: Caron Cakes