doing things by hand

If there is one thing that I have learned since I have taken on the hugely rewarding task of caring for an older person -- it is the art doing things by hand.

And yes, I am convinced, it is an art.

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~~This lovely, tenacious woman (that I gleen all sorts of information from) is celebrating her birthday today. 

Ninety two years of being on this earth -- and she has finessed the art of doing things by hand.

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Because she does not have a dishwasher I must wash/dry & put away her dishes by hand. 
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But you know what? there is something almost soothing about that whole thing....it reminds me of my sisters & me standing at a sink full of dishes, giggling about some of the most dorky things ever as we rushed to get them all done.

And so now -- much to our kids' chagrin -- they are learning to do the dishes by hand (even tho our dishwasher is less than 10 inches away, ready to be loaded).  They are now standing next to a sink full of sudsy water, learning to do things by hand, wondering if their parents have completely lost it & loving every moment of it.
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So what better birthday gift than to crochet Ruth some dishcloths?

I added crochet edging to hand towels that I bought from the store; used Lily Sugar 'n Cream ;  my g or h crochet hook;

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...and got all of the stitch patterns from my new, favorite book:

So Ruth will be getting some new crocheted dishcloths & towels.

And I have learned of how to do things by hand:

Skills I Have Learned So Far

1.  How to stand still with hands in sudsy water and just enjoying the quietness of scrubbing some glassware & silverware.

2.  How to fold a fitted bed sheet. Perfectly. (Can you all do this? Sheesh, this skill seemed to escape me entirely! But now?! Thanks to Ruth --I show off how I can do this -- and yes, it is always met with complete eye-rolling.)

3.  How to make the fiercest bowl of home-made frosting.  (And I'm not talking about powdered sugar with a little milk added in.  Ruth gave me her grandmother's recipe from the old country that is made on the stove with flour, milk, butter, shortening and sugar...more than yummy!  Bye, bye store bought frosting in a plastic tub!) 

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Thank you, thank you Ruth!  And happy birthday, sweet lady.