Just wanted to update on the snowstorm tonight just in case our power goes out & I can't post tomorrow. The storm has already dumped close to a foot in my yard and it's coming down fast & furious at 11:30 p.m. It's supposed to go all night and til around noontime tomorrow. I've been watching the weather channel and it's crazy how much snow is coming out of the storm for such a widespread area. The wind is getting pretty strong up here and when I put on the spotlight the trees are bowing down with the weight of the snow. They are saying at higher elevations there will be the most amounts so I expect when I wake up in the morning I will be in for a shock. I notice that the Weather Channel focuses mostly on the metropolitan areas in their coverage. Those of us in tiny rural towns are getting huge amounts of snow. I see there are already some deaths related to the storm and I hope there will be no more. Jean, my husband works weekends so he will be at work tomorrow whether he wants to or not. He owns the local hardware store and also fixes power equipment so he was swamped by folks desperate to get their snowblowers fixed in time. Snow shovels were selling off the shelves...LOL. My son works the overnight shift at our local police department and when I talked to him a little while ago he said there are cars off the road everywhere. People just weren't expecting snow in October so they don't have their snowtires on yet. Everyone in the path of this NorEaster, please be careful! Celeste

So your daughters are withholding access to your grandchildren because your wife doesn't want to babysit them? Sounds like something is missing in this story. My kids' grandparents don't have the means to indulge their grandchildren materially, and they are elderly and inactive, but grandparents provide intangible benefits so much more important than entertainment. Growing up, I had one set of grandparents with a pool, they were active and had an energetic household. The other set were loving and gentle and milder in temperament. One grandma played tennis, the other liked to snuggle and sit and talk. I loved them both, and cannot imagine begrudging one set for not being like the other. The momma bear in me wonders if your wife isn't perhaps a source of worry to your daughters, making them concerned for their children's well-being in your home. An untrustworthy or unkind grandparent would be the only reason I can imagine that parents of young children would keep grandparents at arm's length. A pastor or family counselor can give you much better insight and strategies to foster a closer family dynamic.

Yes, crocheting is probably easier to learn and you don't have to worry about dropping stitches. But I beg you, please don't waste your money on either of those "kits". The one that has 8 "bon bons" gives you about 66 yards per bon bon. And you'll get even less per bon bon for the kit with 24 bon bons. Less than 22 yards, a mere third of the 8 bon bon kit. They would be lucky to crochet a 3" x 3" swatch with one of those. I crocheted this swatch with 66 yards of worsted weight, which is just a teensy bit finer than the DK provided in the kit and an "H" hook. It's about 5" x 7". I crocheted this piece with 66 yards of worsted weight and a "J" hook, like one provided in the kit. It's about 4" x 8". Neither of those pieces is enough to make anything. And I looked at the ebooks they provide in the kit. The only patterns you will get are for children. You would be much better off picking up a 4 ounce (or even larger) skein of worsted weight or DK yarn (maybe a variegated) and a couple of hooks (I'd suggest G & H) and a book that will actually teach them to crochet. You can purchase an inexpensive book that will give them the basics of crocheting. Don't bother with a book of patterns just yet. There are so many free patterns online. Have them learn to chain, single crochet double crochet, and half-double crochet. Let them start off making a chain as wide as they would like a scarf and just go to town, back and forth with either the single, double, or half-double stitch. One hefty skein will be more than enough to make a scarf. Seriously, look at the size of a bon bon. That's not a tightly wound ball of yarn. It's a puff of yarn. That hand could probably compress it to less than half its size. I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but even at half the price, it's a waste of money. And I DO hope the girls learn to crochet or knit and LOVE whichever you choose.

So, they will be seeing the wall behind her, I presume? Can you show that? The key thing here, is that your daughter in involved in this. How does she learn? Does she work better if she has choices and then choose? Or does she want to create this herself.? I think the pillow would be great to use, but no one is going to see it in its current location.