Thanks for the Congratulations to Katie! She will love reading the comments when she returns to Planet Earth after having so much fun with her friends.
I have always been reluctant to have more than one guest at a time stay over with the kids (as in - I have never allowed it!) because of the typical fears. Noise. Staying up late. Noise. Eating us out of house and home. Noise. Making messes. Noise. You know how it is.
Thank goodness I can honestly say that this group of girls really amazed me with their polite and respectful behavior. I will enjoy having them visit again any time! This morning when everyone got up I made sure they sat together on the porch with the babies before they started going home. I know that every one of them has their photos plastered all over "MySpace" so I wasn't overly concerned with permission from parents to post their photos. One of these girls didn't stay the night but came over early this morning!
Daily Square Report:
Yay! We got 31 squares today! Wait, am I adding correctly?.... 12 + 29... NO! OH MY GOODNESS.... we got 41 squares today! From just four people! Hip Hip Hooray! Anybody who thinks I'm working hard on this project just needs to look around. I have been so amazed and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and effort for this project by SO MANY PEOPLE! That brings our count to somewhere around 146! Very close to that. Actually a few more because I've just been tossing my own squares into the gigantic sack o' squares. Have you ever seen those enormous 20 gallon ZipLock Bags? Emeline could stand up in one of these and I could zip it shut! Not demonstrating this for obvious reasons. But you know what I'm saying - they're huge. I've filled half of one of those big ZipLocks. Whew. We're getting squares now y'all. We're getting squares!! Today's squares were received from the following:
Holly - Papillion, NE
Elizabeth - Sacramento, CA
Barbara - Miami, FL
Ann - Madison, CT (2nd package!)
Sometimes I know when I've gotten a second package from a certain individual, but now that I'm starting to get a lot of packages I might lose track! Please forgive me if I don't realize that you've sent packages before!
A few people have emailed with cries of desperation when they realized they might not have been measuring correctly as they made their squares! At first I thought, Oh no! But then I realized, Gosh, quite a few people have done this! They measured their squares on the diagonal at 8". Umm... that will give us about a 6" square y'all. But, as I have said many times before on this here blog..... DO NOT DESPAIR!!! I assured the people who emailed about their measuring woes and confessions that we WILL use every square! And you know what? We could make some really adorable child or crib size afghans with those 6" squares, don't you think?
Today when I opened today's package from Ann Nyberg, Knitting Newscaster Extraordinare, I let out a big "Awwwww!" and had an instant brain storm when I saw her lovely 12" square with a heart design knit into it. Look at what a sweet child size afghan it will make with some of the 6" squares I have received around it.
Can you see Ann's heart? Oh, red is so difficult to photograph. How about in black and white?
I'm loving each and every square that comes in! Keep 'em coming! I'll be starting to seam the first full size afghan soon! Maybe your square will be in it!!
Our Grandy (Jeff's Dad) is about the same. They have scheduled hip surgery for Friday at noon. One problem has been keeping his blood oxygenated well enough... I think because of taking him off the blood thinners? He has so many medical and health complications that surgery is very risky. Please continue to think of him and send all the prayers and healing vibes you can. :)
With end-of-year kid craziness and afghan craziness and writing up the Group Hug crochet pattern I have let my bloglines get a little behind over the past few days. I'm REALLY trying hard to answer every email and comment and question about the afghan project as they come in so please bear with me if you're looking for a response. If you have a question about something else maybe you can disguise it as an afghan question and get a quicker response. hehe
Everybody take care and OHHHHHHHHH I wanted to say that if you have any questions or comments about the Group Hug crochet square pattern please let me know! I'm going to try to get the pdf made but with LOST on tonight and all.... mmm... I'm not sure when I'll get to it! Probably by the end of the week. :)
Have a nice Wednesday!
Oh those beautiful squares! I love the one with a heart in the middle - what a fantastic idea.
Just lovely.
How refreshing to have a group of teens/preteens that are polite and quiet and didn't drive you nuts - it can be hard when they get in a group. How fun for the little ones too.
I am counting down the hours until Lost!!! Might not get to post until tomorrow morning (WLC) because of Lost....but hey - it's worth it.
Posted by: Miss Scarlett | May 23, 2007 at 03:32 PM
So glad Katie has a great bunch of friends, and glad for you that they are well manners and behaved hehehe
41 MOre squaressss woooooooo hooooooooo!!!! This is gonna ROCK THE BOAT LAURA!!!!
Posted by: Kelly | May 23, 2007 at 06:23 PM
I have 7 squares packaged up to head your way. Two are orphan sized but it sounds like with the assorted sized you are getting these will not be orphaned for long. I was not able to get pictures made before packaging but want to get them headed your way.
Posted by: Sharon | May 23, 2007 at 06:35 PM
What a great picture of all of the girls!
Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who made a square with 8" on the diagonal. I made my first one that way then realized my mistake and made the others with the 8" (or a little under/over). Now that I know you've got some other wee ones, I'll send my wee one too. ;)
Posted by: Maureen | May 24, 2007 at 01:13 AM
I would be spending each and every minute I could spare, and quite a few I couldn't spare, sorting, arranging, petting, and just in general playing with all those squares. I'd probably get nothing else done. How wonderful all these blankets are going to be!
Posted by: Tracy | May 24, 2007 at 06:57 AM
Look at those cute grrls!! The squares are fabulous. You are really going to be busy sewing those puppies up!
Posted by: margene | May 24, 2007 at 07:06 AM
Again, thank you for all the hard work you're doing with the collecting and sorting. Those afghans are going to be such a blessing. Knowing the squares came from "just about everywhere" makes them even more special.
The baby afghans are a great idea, too!
All I know how to crochet are potholders...sorry I can't help out. I'm very "craft-challenged".
Great pics of your daughter and her buddies. What fun!
www.freckledmom.blogspot.com
Posted by: joni | May 24, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Grande is on blood thinker to avoid blood clots. The blood thinner has nothing to do with the lack of O2 in his system. That has to do with his right lung is stronger than his left. Due to his heart condition he has poor circulation so parts of his body have lack of O2.
Posted by: annie | May 24, 2007 at 04:14 PM