GrandmaTutu's Knitting Bag

Detour . . .

2010-11-30T11:34:00.000-06:00

Well, as much as I've enjoyed posting blogs here, progress calls. And change is good, right?

My new web site is here. You'll find my new blog site there too.

Hope you'll continue to follow me there.

xoxo

Abandonment . . .

2010-11-27T10:25:00.000-06:00

I can't stand the thought of someone coming to my blog and not seeing a new post. I've been so lax lately--well, maybe lax isn't the right word--maybe distracted is more like it. I have felt like I've abandoned my blog, though. Too many pots on the stove to stir lately, and my blogging has suffered. Yet, if you've ever journaled or blogged yourself, you know how therapeutic it can be. I need to blog, and so, will blog. Starting later today (I have to go spin now, but I won't forget you--promise) I promise to blog SOMETHING everyday!! And I'm resolute in that. Not sure if I'll blog here or on my web site or how that will work, but everyday I'll blog. YAY!!! Can't wait to visit with you all ever day!!! Later.

xoxo

A good cause . . .

2010-10-14T09:51:00.002-05:00

I was just about ready to put my laptop aside and get on with my day . . . I have a million things to do. But sometimes that's easier said than done. I had to check out just one more link. I'm glad I did because I think this is a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e and for such a great cause. And what bravery . . . I could NEVER do this--so I especially admire these lovely ladies. Check out the Knotty Knitters 2011 Calendar, and be generous. I can't think of a nicer way to spend $20.

xoxo

Every day is a new beginning . . .

2010-10-12T08:10:00.001-05:00

Don't you love that about life? Everyday we have the opportunity to start fresh. Whether you're on a diet, gardening, reading a book, or have lost your way . . . tomorrow means you can start fresh again. The garden sitting half finished is only waiting for you; the book you put down meaning to finish "tomorrow" is still open as though no time had passed at all, and your body will benefit from a good diet today as much as it would have yesterday if you'd only stayed on that diet. All things are new again.

I've started keeping lists of things I need to do. My schedule has become so crazy that even as little as I cook, sometimes the dishes get piled up; I vacuumed yesterday and thought I'd broken my Oreck because it was making crazy sounds (a quick look and pulling out big paper and tape pieces solved that); and poor Mac is looking pretty shaggy right about now (he needs his winter 'do and I just haven't had time to indulge him).

But I have been working on a new project close to my heart. I've loved all things handmade since forever. I've never not loved handmade things. So the sensible thing to do, of course, is to get more love in my life by also making things for others. So . . . I'm starting my own business--something I've wanted to do for many years. I've been working like crazy to put together my web site, my merchandise, my business cards, my style. And it's coming together.

My first project unveiling will be project bags. I love using them and want to give others the opportunity to own what I believe is just the best project bag out there. And they're beautiful. Lots of linens, cute cottons, some pockets, some embroidery . . . just a little bit of everything. But they're all beautiful. I've already sold several to friends who are using them as gift bags (why didn't I think of that?).

So please bookmark my site at http://www.grandmatutudesigns.com/ and visit back very soon. We're almost ready to unveil some beautiful things.
xoxo

Soap . . .

2010-10-05T10:29:00.004-05:00

Some people are lucky enough to become grandparents at a fairly young age--say 40 or 45, even 50. I, however, was forced by inconsiderate children (they'll love reading that, I'm sure!!) to wait and wait and wait . . . I thought I'd never make it to grandparenthood. My daughter was nearly 30 when she had that sweet little girl to your right!

So, when I tell you that I used to make soaps in my hippie days . . . oh so many years ago when I was oh so young . . . it won't surprise any of you, my fair readers, that it was something like 40 years ago that I made soaps. Suffice it to say that a lot has changed in 40 years.

So, in all fairness, alas, I must call myself a soap making newbie again. How lucky am I? To have had the experience of making soaps with lard and lye so many years ago, and then to be reincarnated to now and making soaps with avocado oils, Shea butters, etc. is pretty cool, I must say. What a difference!!

But I wish my generation had been a lot more green conscious when we were "growing up." All this saving the environment, minimizing your carbon footprint, and tree hugging stuff is new to us oldies in the past ten years or so. I, for one, am doing my best, but sometimes I slip up. My slip ups are due to various things, but it's usually for one of two reasons: laziness (sorry, sometimes I just get tired) or ignorance (some of this stuff I just can't imagine).

So imagine my horror when I determined that one of the products I've used in my recent soap making is a gross offender, environmentally. Palm oil is a key ingredient in many of the soap recipes available these days. Come to find out, it's a major, major source of deforestation and destruction of rain forests and thus contributes significantly to carbon dioxide emissions. Eek!!! I didn't learn this until I'd run out of the little bit of palm oil I'd purchased and began looking on the Internet at sources to replace it and for alternative products that can be successfully used in its place.

Now I understand that you can't believe everything you read--and everything on the Internet is not necessarily authoritative. However, until I can do my own research on the subject, palm oil is O.U.T!!! None of my soaps will contain palm oil in the future. Certainly, I will honor the oil I've used and will use the products I've made with it--but I'll also honor the future by boycotting the use of it until further notice. If and when I determine that palm oil is an acceptable ingredient environmentally, I'll begin to use it again. But until then, it's curtains for palm oil!!

I'm going to be selling my soaps at the upcoming Share the Harvest Holiday Gift Market on October 16th at Jacob's Reward Farm. My soaps are luxurious--sudsy and full of good oils, like avocado and jojoba, and I think you'll love them. Hope you'll come and see all the pretty things we're getting ready for you!!

xoxo

Two weeks away . . .

2010-10-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

Today has been a fairly focused day as I get myself ready to gear down for the Share the Harvest Fall Gift Market. There was a meeting of the vendors last week, and I'm really pretty excited to see what everyone is going to be selling. For example, MargaretandPurl.Etsy craft baby items; Southern Fried Lace does monogramming; Tasty Eats At Home is a chef specializing in gluten free foods; Monica's Jewelry does the most beautiful bracelets you've ever seen; shefeltz does fabulous flower-laden wool handbags crafted from recycled sweaters; and myself--GrandmaTutu--I craft beautiful project bags and simple, elegant soaps. Here's what I've been working on, and will be working on for the next few days:

Here's a picture of my project bag I use for knitted sock projects. I love the silver bead closure.

Here are some of the colors you'll see on GrandmaTutu's table at the craft market.

I use a loofah on my heels--with the right kind of soap and a loofah, your feet will purr (hint, hint).

I'm not sure I knew what linen was when I was a kid; since finding linen, I'm amazed at the different prints available, rather than what I was used to for so many years--wheat, white, pink . . . now there are lovely, exciting prints.

Stay tuned for more progress reports.

And mark your calendar: Saturday, October 16th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- Jacob's Reward Farm, Parker, Texas. Be there or be square!! You'll so wish you had if you miss it!!

xoxo

The Little Red Plane . . .

2010-09-28T13:03:00.001-05:00

Some things are just too good not to share -- right away! Like this -- so cute:

More blessings . . .

2010-09-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

Life has truly taught me to never expect smooth roads and always expect the unexpected. Sometimes it's hard, though, to acknowledge and accept, and to remember, that God has a plan for us. Yesterday was an awakening for me.

My sweet son-in-law hurried late yesterday afternoon from Fort Worth to go with me to retrieve my treasure--the weaving loom, so generously gifted by C.C. Young Retirement Home. I had reserved a Uhaul with a drop ramp to make it easier to use a dolly to load and unload the loom. At the last minute, I asked Steven if he thought it might be better to go look at the loom and develop a plan first--then we could go back Thursday or Saturday and pick it up. He agreed, but was concerned about the length of time--I assured him that the building and the loom were safe until spring, when the building was to be demolished. This is what Susan, at C.C.Young, and Hinke, with Dallas Weaving Guild, had both told me. So I felt comfortable with this plan. And Steven had never seen the loom--I wanted him to be comfortable with the "job."

You can imagine my surprise when Security opened the door for me at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon to find the room empty--literally empty. Every ounce of yarn, every piece of equipment, every pin and measuring tape, every scissor, and my precious loom were gone.

I was heartsick, disappointed, sad . . . devastated. Everything was gone. I had built up such anticipation and excitement for my new venture. I really was devastated. I came home and closed my drapes, turned off the telephone, and went to bed. I was just disgusted and disappointed that someone could come in and crumble my plans up so menacingly.

Enter insomnia.

I'm probably not very different from others--when I awaken in the middle of the night in the dark and quiet, I think about stuff--I pray, I plan, I dream. Last night was no exception. And in the midst of my nighttime lamentations, a soft, knowing hand reached out and gently shook me. But it was enough to get my attention. In my disappointment, I'd forgotten the most important lesson of all--that God has a plan for me. Sometimes it's the same as mine; but more often than not it isn't. The secret is keeping my eye on the prize. Earthly things can tempt us so. We can forget so easily that this time here is only transitory. And forget that putting too much stock in the doings of this world isn't always the good or smart thing to do.

So . . . weaving isn't in God's plan for me today. Maybe another day--but not today. And maybe not tomorrow, or any other day for that matter. But God has a plan for me and I'm joyful and thankful for it. God knows something I don't--and his plan is better. So, again, I'm blessed. I'm happy, even have a feeling of excitement, knowing that God's plan is playing itself out through me. So blessed!!!

Today I'm working on my "stuff" for the fantastic craft fair that will take place at Jacob's Reward Farm:

Please, please come and support all these fantastic artists. I make great project bags, plain but fantastic soap, and other fun stuff. And this group is totally, totally talented--we're talking non-amateurish totally professional stuff my friend! Take an hour or so out of your Saturday that day to check it out. There will be lots of food, entertainment, demonstrations . . . just a really cool day. AND, maybe the best part, is that you can get a bunch of your Christmas shopping done. Whew . . . wouldn't that be cool???? Have a huge dent done by Halloween?? Love it!!!

Keep the faith, sisters. Sometimes it isn't easy to see the blessings, but I promise they're there. God really does have a plan.

xoxo

Many blessings . . .

2010-09-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

Everyday I thank God for blessing me so abundantly. And everyday I'm amazed (but never surprised) that God blesses me so abundantly. Today was very rainy in Dallas--but our plants, lawns, and trees needed the water soooo much! The skies were gray and overcast--a good thing because I couldn't find my sunglasses! And the cool, clear air was clearly enjoyed by everyone--I didn't encounter one person on the roads today who was speeding and trying to run me off the road (hahaha). Overall, I felt pretty blessed today!

I also was blessed by unknown people. I attended the regular Wednesday Texas Twisters spinning get-together last week. While I was there, somebody (was it Marlene? or Kate? or maybe Peggy? or Lori)--my recollection isn't clear who--let us all know that a Dallas nursing home was clearing out their loom room and was looking for homes for their looms.

Well, I'm a total fiber geek . . . and hand woven things are just about my favorite things (my favorite decorative piece at Christmastime is a table scarf that I put on the entryway table each year--and always hate putting away after Christmas). So I made the right calls and found the loom room at the nursing home and WOW. It was love at first sight. Hard to believe that had these looms not been claimed by new homes they would have been plowed under when the building is demolished next year.

There were eight looms in the beginning--there were three left when I went this morning to look at them. I met a darling Lisa, who claimed one; a Parker lady will be claiming the second; and I was BLESSED to be the recipient of the third. Of course, at such an auspicious event, cameras are a must---right??? And I managed to remember to take mine with me. Only problem is that I was so excited today that I didn't take a picture.

However . . . here's a picture I found that looks very similar to mine, except the ratchet wheel on mine is much, much larger:

The wood is darker on mine. But it's large like this one--the biggest one they had remaining. I wanted the bigger, and most sturdy of the bunch, because I'd like to be able to make rugs. And not only can I use yarns to weave rugs, scarves, blankets, etc., but I can also use strips of fabric (this is what my mother made rugs with when I was a child) to make sweet, woven rag rugs. Cute, gorgeous, divine!! Can't wait!!!

Here are a few of the things I came home with:

Gobs of beautiful yarns,

Lots of shuttles and spools,

and several excellent books.

And a cute, cute, cute little bench.

I'll try to get to the nursing home tomorrow with a truck to pick up my sweet loom. Truth is, I probably shouldn't be calling it "my" wheel until I get it home and tucked into its special place I've picked out for it . . . but I'm so tickled, I can't resist. And whether my sweet loom makes it to my house or not, C.C. Young Retirement Center still must be applauded for their impressive act of generosity!

And again . . . I've been blessed so abundantly!!

xoxo

Friday, Friday . . .

2010-09-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be . . .

Monday, Monday? How about Friday, Friday. Today was a "get stuff done," "let's get going," loving fun with my friends, furry dogs, tying up loose ends, good coffee, kinda day . . . and . . .

are you ready? . . .

FIBER!!!!!!!!!

I was at Jacob's Reward Farm when the shareholders' fiber was delivered by FedEx (poor guy--he had to work a little today). I wasn't sure if Cindy would open the box and let me love on it a little, but I think she was as excited to see it and touch it as I was!

And it was oh so touchable and oh so lovable!!

If you're a shareholder, you're going to love, love, love your share this year!!! So . . . since you need a little something to dream about, let me tide you over until Cindy has a chance to blog better pix:

Fiber,

fiber,

fiber, and

fiber!

xoxo (I can hardly wait!!!!)

My room français . . .

2010-09-23T02:26:00.007-05:00

Those folks who easily and beautifully decorate are so lucky . . . so talented. My sister, Sue, is one of those people. She has that magic touch, eyes that really see, and impeccable taste. She decorates with her talents.

I decorate very differently. Unlike my sister, and others who can look at a room and know where it should go, I am decorationally challenged. You've been in homes decorated by people like me . . . boring, no great color combinations, furniture so badly put together that it can't even be call eclectic--it just looks bad.

Several years ago, however, I stumbled upon the most perfect, effortless, flawless method of decorating. It's called "Theme" decorating. You get an idea in your head of something you like, go to all the different stores and web sites you can think of that might have things that are in line with your idea, and shop like a madwoman (or man).

Case in point is my guest room. For years it was like a barren desert--forsaken, drab, dull--just a no-man's land. That might be a good thing if you don't want guests to outstay their welcome. Enter Theme Decorating.

I took French in high school and, although I wasn't any good at it, I really liked it. When my daughters were younger, I ordered an adorable Madeleine doll from etoys.com, at which my daughters immediately turned up their noses--too juvenile, not cool enough, not a Cabbage Patch Doll. My daughter, Riann, has been to France several times, so I've received several gifts from her from her travels.

Enter my room français--my French room:

One of my favorite pieces is a Limoges Perrier-Jouet Champagne coaster (I think there's another name for this little item, but can't recall what it is--can you tell me?). It's just so French and so cute . . . really fits the "decor."

Then there's my Madeleine tea set . . . just the perfect size for my sweet little Madeleine doll.

This is a little blue glass Eiffel Tower. Impressive? No. Cute? Yes. And, again, it fits the "decor."

And here's a doll my daughter, Riann, had in her bedroom when she was quite a bit younger. I think she decided to leave it because I had a "French" room by the time she left home.

And here's a cute little souvenir from Paris. Cute, huh? Very touristy. Behind the souvinour piece is and old, hand carved Père Noël that took up residence in my French room.

And of course, no French room would be worth its salt without a little art work.

And a Madeleine Limoges.

And of course, color is everything. My French country means reds and yellows. I found a Pottery

Barn pattern several years ago--I bought several duvets so I'd have plenty of fabric for

a balloon shade, a bed duvet, pillows, etc., etc.

And cutsie things around . . .

and

And a memory shadow box that my sweet older daughter, Erin, left at home for the French room. I added silk flowers to make it look more French. Cute, huh?

Hope you enjoyed a tour of my French room. Perfectly decorated? Probably not. But I sure like it! Come visit sometime and you can try out the bed--it's good too.

Au revoir.

xoxo

Oh em gee . . .

2010-09-16T08:20:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. Shame on me for slipping so far into the abyss . . . I'll make up for it--promise.

So . . . today I updated this blog a tad and added a couple of little doo-dads on the side bar. One of them is a quiz sponsored by This Garden is Illegal that tells you what kind of flower you are. I love this garden blog and recommend that you follow it. It always has something that's fun, interesting, and educational.

So, it appears, according to the "flower quiz," that I'm a Nigella. "What's that?" you ask. Beats me. I've never heard of a Nigella until today, but that's not saying much, really. I'm pretty garden challenged, so I'm not surprised. However, the site did have this to say about me: "Many people think you are just a little bit odd, but you consider yourself just a little eccentric. You find new experiences exciting and fulfilling."

That pretty much says it about me . . . a little bit odd, a little eccentric, finds new experiences fulfilling. In a nutshell, memorable?

You might want to try it. Have fun. I hope you're a pretty flower, like a rose or a hydrangea or a lilac--something pretty that smells good.

xoxo

Travels . . .

2010-08-24T21:31:00.005-05:00

It's amazing how much time I ~~waste~~ spend on the Internet. I wonder if any other generation has had so much opportunity to learn, travel, read, covet, shop, date . . . should I go on?

Today I traveled to Ethiopia with my friend, Heather. She recently returned from Ethiopia, where she took beautiful pictures of the people and the places she enjoyed. I loved this picture--so adorable.

I rattled around in the Farmgirl world. I love what they're doing . . . but I'm still on the fence. I want, want, want to get involved. But will I have time for anything else? Just this part of it, alone, will keep me busy too many hours of the day.

I journeyed over to Christ Church Plano to look at the Roof Dog Run page. If you live in or around the Dallas area and have never run (or walked) in the Roof Dog Run, you really should give it a try. They have a lot of fun, and your entry is going to a great cause--The Casa Hogares orphanage at Arequipa, Peru--one of two orphanages supported by Christ Church. The run is being held on September 9th this year--but it's not too late to enter. Below is a video from last year's run. Hope to see you there this year.

I then traveled to The Dizzy Sheep. I take a gander at their daily special every day. Never know when they'll have something I just HAVE to have.

Nope, didn't find anything today that I had to have. Maybe another day.

I went to Etsy to look around. Love, love, love that place. I can always find something I love. And today was no exception. I found two fantastic things that I think will end up in my house. The first are felted spotted slippers that are just to die for!!

Aren't these just darling? They're sold by Onstail from Lithuania. Check out her store--really darling stuff!

And my second must have are these cute, cute dresses:

. . . and just about everything else that NewvExtrave has in her Etsy shop. Totally the kind of dresses I like to wear!!

So . . . while I'm traveling on the Internet, my sweet husband is traveling home. I suspect he'll be here tomorrow (earlier than I anticipated). I can hardly wait. I'm making his favorite dinner tomorrow night and I plan to scratch his back and put him to bed in his own bed!!! He'll think he's died and gone to heaven. xoxo

But for now, good night from me. I still have a craft room to finish picking up and laundry to fold before I can go to bed. Later . . .

Camping 101 . . .

2010-08-23T19:46:00.002-05:00

Since my friends, Cindy and Maryann, are making it so easy, I'm totally tempted to join the Farmgirl Sisterhood. They've stated a new chapter, The Little Red Barn Farmgirls' Chapter. It looks like so much fun, and they're doing a lot of the things I do everyday anyway--sewing, knitting, crocheting, spinning, embroidery, canning, cooking, etc., etc., etc.

And the badges . . . OMG . . . this just carries me back to my Girl Scout days--remember this?

The Farmgirl Sisterhood badges are a little different, but oh so adorable! I want, I want, I want . . .

And to think that I can do other stuff that I love to do is really exciting. For instance, I think badges like "Going Green," Entrepreneurial Spirit," and "Shutterbug" would be fantastic to earn. So I'm sort of thinking this is a "have to do."

I could make these for the "cooking" badge, don't you think?

or this

Yum.

Let me know if you find other camp girl type stuff you'd like to share.

Camera blues . . .

2010-08-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

I'd love to win this camera tote:

If you'd like to enter to win it, go to the Thompson Family-Life web site and enter for yourself. Who knows, maybe one of us will get lucky! I hope so--I'm crossing my fingers and toes!!

Never alone . . .

2010-08-20T20:48:00.008-05:00

It seems that more and more I'm alone. I don't dislike it. But sometimes I'm bored. Today, though, I've been inspired. I'm not sure I'll ever feel alone again.

My favorite things . . .

2010-08-19T04:20:00.000-05:00

Some blogs have regular "favorite things," but I've not been very consistent doing that--it seems sort of copy-cat to me, and I want to be original. So . . . I only post favorite things once in awhile.

I came across this link to a beautiful online Christmas magazine--Holiday With Matthew Mead.

I can hardly wait for my issue to come! I particularly like this magazine because many of their advertisers are Etsy merchants, and I totally support Etsy! Many of my friends use Etsy, and I'll be opening my Etsy store soon--how could I resist?

Another of my favorites is The Vintage Pearl. I coveted these for a long time, then got a necklace for Christmas from my daughter--mine has the birthstones, and I love it!!

Every time I spin fiber I'm reminded how much I love my Majacraft spinning wheel. I have the Little Gem, and it is that--a little gem!

I might have a new favorite Blog. Lolly Knitting Around is packed with great photographs, fun experiences, and just very stalkable stuff . . . her photographs are fantastic, illustrated by this a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e photo on her blog yesterday:

My friend, Kay, is so super talented. Don't you love this scarf she did?:

You also should visit her Etsy Store. I have some of her fiber on my wheel this very minute and it's fantastic! The colorway, Tuscany, is completely gorgeous! And her fibers are like butter to spin!!!

I can't wait to read this book. It's sitting on my table right now--ready to be cracked open.

I love historical novels, and this one should prove to be as good as Gregory's other books. I'll let you know when I finish it if it's as good as I'm suspecting it will be!

What are you reading?

Blueberry jam . . .

2010-08-12T10:17:00.001-05:00

It seems like a million years since I last made jams or jellies, or did any kind of canning for that matter. It used to be a fairly regular thing . . . peaches, pears, apricots, cherries, tomatoes--you name it, I canned it. But I always loved making jams especially.

When I went to the The Little Red Barn last month, Jennifer and Claire brought a plate with watermelon and fresh, beautiful blueberries. I later read Jennifer's blog and found out where she got her blueberries--she later helped me order some from Blueberry Hill Farms and I picked them up one day last week. Rowan was with me when I picked them up and held them in her lap while we drove home. Although I warned her about eating unwashed berries, her little lips were blue with them by the time we got home. I had to agree that they were fantastic--so fresh, crisp, and organic to boot!

After eating blueberry pancakes for nearly a week, munching on handfuls of them for snacks, and offering them up to visitors every chance I got, yesterday was the day that the abundance had to be made up into blueberry jam. Rowan was here to help--she did a good job of mooshing up the berries with the potato masher and put the labels on beautifully! What a great helper she is!!

The finished product is fantastic! I'm so glad I preserved some of this flavor to remember in December or January when the winter snow makes fresh blueberries only a distant memory.

The fish . . .

2010-08-10T09:11:00.006-05:00

I've been writing posts and not posting them for several days. I'll have to go back and fix that. However . . . it's pretty hard to post a picture that hasn't been taken, and all my posts refer to pictures. Unfortunately, my camera battery is a goner, and I can't find my charger. I know it's around, just how to find it is the mystery. Sort of like looking for my glasses and realizing they're on top of my head serving as a headband. But in the meantime, I'll use my Blackberry camera which, truthfully, isn't all that bad.

Where do you usually find your glasses when they've been lost?

So . . . for today, take a look at this girl, my sweet Rowan, lounging in the pool. What a happy, sweet girl she is!

What are your grandkids doing this summer that's fun for them, and you?

Love a girl today . . .

2010-08-05T07:09:00.001-05:00

Many of you are familiar with Ruth, the beautiful Great Pyrenees girl adopted by my friend, Cindy, at Jacob's Reward Farm, as a guard dog for her south pasture. Since May, she's been firmly ensconced in Cindy's house and is still in need of a forever home. And while she probably will never "guard" again, she is still one of the most lovable, sweet, beautiful dogs I've ever seen. If you, or perhaps a retired parent or grandparent, would like a fantastic companion, please consider Ruth. I'm convinced there's a family out there who needs her as much as she needs them. Ruth is doing well now, but just needs a home--take a look at Cindy's blog for more information about Ruth: I'll Love You Forever

Strike a pose . . .

2010-07-30T13:31:00.014-05:00

My daughter has a gorgeous camera . . . expensive, sophisticated . . . but she says my Easy Share Kodak has many of the advanced features her camera has. Only problem is I haven't learned how to use them. Riann has been taking some classes and is willing to share her knowledge with me--my plan is to take her up on her offer. And I just learned that my friend, Cindy, at Jacob's Reward Farm, is having a photography workshop on September 25th--given by Ellie Ivanova. I know Ellie has a web site, but I can't find her card to list it for you. But here's a link to a few of her photos--she does gorgeous, over the top beautiful work! Ellie's photos. I'll definitely be attending that workshop!

In the meantime, here are a couple of the photos I took this morning.

I can't remember when we planted this apple tree . . but it was at least ten years ago. This is the first time we've gotten anything close to real, edible fruit. In fact, there are two apples I spotted on the tree! I'm embarrassed to say that I just noticed them this morning when I took Mac out. But you can be sure I'll be watching more closely now to make sure they're "safe."

I think it was even longer ago that we planted these day lilies. In fact, I remember that Riann was a brownie at the time because I was her troop leader and one of the mothers gave me the bulbs. So it was probably 25 years ago (or more) that these bulbs were planted . . . and they're still flowering. Amazing!

Does anybody know what these are? They're in our butterfly garden on the north side of our house. I came home one Saturday and Big Daddy had planted this beautiful garden. I've enjoyed it so much. I thought it was cool that there was still dew on this flower when I took the picture this morning. Very peaceful.

These beauties are in the back yard--around the pool. Again, I don't know what they're called, but aren't they pretty?

And the day just wouldn't have been complete if I hadn't included a look-see at the pictures I took at my niece's house last weekend. Stacy, and her husband Dell, have two of the cutest kiddos I've ever seen. Elizabeth is five months old and the happiest, sweetest girl ever. What a little lover.

And JD could.not.be.cuter!!! What a sweet, precious boy--and he is all boy! Look at that beautiful head of hair. Did I say he couldn't be cuter? Adorable!!

Cute kids, beautiful flowers, marvelous fruit . . . but don't you agree I need photo lessons? This coming from a photographer's daughter?

Speaking of fiber . . .

2010-07-29T14:21:00.001-05:00

I vacuumed yesterday . . . at least I tried to vacuum. For some reason, my Oreck just wasn't picking up the way it should and there was a strange sound. So I unplugged it and turned it over.

Wowsers!!

We've had this Oreck for about a year now (it's our second), and I'm sure I haven't turned it over--ever. And boy was I missing a lot.

You're looking at the roller brush, completely enclosed in fiber. There was barely a bristle that was showing through all the fibery goodness. Did I say it was enclosed in fiber??? Guess I'll be changing my habits and removing fiber pieces from the floor before vacuuming from now on!! Yikes.

Fiber phenomonon . . .

2010-07-29T14:08:00.004-05:00

My introduction to fiber began when I was maybe four or five years old. My mother gave me a piece of cotton, a needle, embroidery thread, scissors, and a hoop. The cotton was printed with a house, gobs of flowers, and the saying "a man's house is his castle." I finished it. It was quite cute, actually, although certainly not professionally done. The wrong side looked like a whirling dervish had done a number on it (what a mess!).

I began sewing clothes when I was about 11. My mother had bought a new sewing machine and I was intrigued with it. I made an a-line skirt as my first number--cotton, sky blue. It turned out OK, and led to a lifetime of sewing--made baby clothes, blankets, coats, prom dresses, even made a wedding dress once (wow, what a job!). I was lucky I had a high school that had the full range of sewing classes and a sewing teacher who was brutal--Mrs. Krosky--who never allowed a mis-stitch to leave her classroom. In other words, if it wasn't right, you redid it. Can't tell you the number of "redo's" I did in my four years of high school. When I was in the throes of making prom dresses, however, I said a prayer for her and thanked God she had taught me so well--no patterns for this girl, fit to the girl, and nearly couture (I still have one of the dresses to prove it).

So when my kiddos were born, I began to do needlepoint, inspired by my sweet Aunt Barbara. She made beautiful piano bench covers hand painted to match her draperies, backgammon boards, and needlepoint tennis shoes custom created for the wearer. What an inspiration she was!

And through it all, I knit. I loved knitting. Well, really, let's be honest here: I really loved the fiber, and loved the fabric it created after it was knit. I learned to love the knitting part. And, of course, in the past six months or so, I've learned another step in the creation process: spinning.

Cindy, of the ever famous Jacob's Reward Farm in Parker, TX, has been my enabler (bless her!). I bought a share of her CSA and then found out it came in the form of roving (unspun fiber), so I had to learn to spin. I also found out about Spinderella's Fiber Mill from Cindy (they process Cindy's fiber for her before she metes it out to her shareholders).

I emailed Lynn awhile back and asked her if two pounds of her thrums would spin up to enough fiber for a sweater. She assured me it would.

I got the package and it seemed a little on the small side, but I'd never seen a box of two pounds of fiber before, so I wasn't too worried . . .

When I opened the box, the fiber literally popped out of the box--like a big ol' jack-in-the-box, except the good kind.

So I began to spin, spin, spin . . .

And ply, ply, ply . . .

Coming up with this fabulous fiber . . .

All ready to knit!

I've still not completed quite enough for the sweater I'll make for Phil (Big Daddy), but it's well on its way. Really do love this fiber. Of course, I'm told that it's mostly alpaca, which is my favorite fiber on earth to date, so how could I not love it!!

Spin on!!

The will of God . . .

2010-07-27T08:33:00.000-05:00

My friend, Gracia, sent this to me yesterday. I reread it this morning and loved it so much. It was really meant to be a chain letter, which I responded to, but it holds its own on its own, don't you think.

'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

Red socks . . .

2010-07-26T16:04:00.005-05:00

When I was at Apple Leef Farm awhile back, I bought some undyed sock yarn intending to throw it in the dye pot when I dyed my Red Scarf Project. Keep in mind that I've had my undyed scarf yarn and the dye for quite a long time . . . well, since Susie Gibbs announced the project back in May.

I tightly twisted the two hanks of undyed Panda Bamboo/Wool/Nylon. I soaked them for an hour or so before putting them in the dye pot. Wow . . . the red is there, but so are about a gazillion other shades from the lightest toe-shoe pink to the brightest watermelon. In fact, my granddaughter was eating watermelon as I was photographing the yarn, so I put her bowl of fruit next to the yarn so you could see just how similar they are. Beautiful . . .

I can absolutely say that this is exactly the color I wanted . . . I just wonder if I could ever replicate it. Do you think?

I can hardly wait to start in on my variegated red/pink/coral socks. Yum . . . they look good enough to eat!!

xoxo

Project red dye . . .

2010-07-26T16:04:00.003-05:00

My friend, Susie Gibbs, at Juniper Moon Farm, recently blogged about a subject close to her heart, Orphan Foundation of America’s Red Scarf Project. She also offered a great deal if you wanted to purchase red yarn from her . . . but I had other ideas.

Since I'm a relatively new spinner (just several months old), I have recently been pretty obsessed with spinning. It's as though I just can't quite get enough of it. I L.O.V.E. spinning. I had spun some beautiful merino wool/mohair blend I purchased from Apple Leef Farm; I also had a big spool of mohair and another big spool of merino wool. So I four-plied two plies of the merino wool/mohair blend that I handspun, and one ply each from the spool of mohair and the spool of merino wool.

You would expect red dye to "take" equally on all different plies . . . right? I mean, come on . . . we're talking about mohair and merino wool, right? Wrong. The red absorbed differently on the strands. When I removed it from the dye pot and was hanging to dry (which I failed to get a picture of since it was pitch dark by then) I was pretty sure it was a goner . . . a lost cause . . . a failed attempt . . . the end.

Never wanting to admit failure, I put it on the spool winder and wound balls (three to be exact, 270 yards total). I scrounged for my size 11 needles, rifled through patterns on Ravelry, and began knitting. I tried to find a pattern that would maybe not hide the imperfections in the dye job, but minimize them. I had noticed this pattern earlier, and finally decided on My So Called Scarf (disclaimer clause: this is a copyrighted pattern which is available free on Ravelry; however, you can't use the pattern for profit).

Wow!!! I'm so glad I didn't scrap this yarn. I took a picture of the wound yarn and the beginning of the scarf. I hope it shows the variations in the coloring well enough for you to see how beautiful this thing is turning out.

The picture looks a little dark, but in fact, the red is dark . . . very dark. But I also think you can see what looks like faded spots in the spools and in the scarf on the needles. And that's exactly what it looks like: faded red. It's absolutely beautiful.

I'll be taking this for show and tell Wednesday at my Texas Twisters weekly spin-in, so I hope you'll be there to see it! It's great.

And read my next post for another crazy outcome with this dye . . .

Great fun!!

BTW, Susie also is offering a very generous giveaway if you want to participate in this project! And you have until December 15th. I might have to make several scarves so I get into the drawing several times. Her yarns are TO DIE FOR!!!

Sharing . . .

2010-07-24T13:45:00.000-05:00

Sometimes things are just too good not to share: Cutie Petutie

What are you reading?

2010-07-23T23:21:00.000-05:00

My daughter belongs to a book club. I often keep up with my reading by "tagging" along with her group and reading their monthly selection. Their July book was good--thought provoking with an interesting plot and several excellent characters. As with many modern authors, I noticed a couple of inconsistencies (where are the editors?), but very minor. I recommend The Help as an easy, fun read.

Today . . .

2010-07-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

It was a perfect day . . . hot, yes, but perfect otherwise. The clouds covered the sun a little, fooling the mind (well, my mind, anyway) and making me think it might be cooling off a little. Alas, the imagination!!

Knit with my lovely Tuesday friends sans Debra, who had a death in the family . . . sad news. Her mother is hurting over the loss, so keep Debra's family in your prayers.

I began knitting my cute Terrific Tote today. I love felted bags because their texture is so solid. I'm making mine from Riverstone bulky I purchased on sale. I had plenty, and it's a yummy strawberry color. Should be very pretty.

My friend, Cindy, at Jacob's Reward Farm was so gracious today and let me bring my sweet Rowan for a visit with some of the animals. Judah is a little intimidating, although he's totally doing his job by guarding his flock, so we weren't able to get to the bigger sheep flock. But the south side of the farm has beautiful alpaca, lovely Jacob sheep, and some of the cutest hens you ever saw. Rowan got to pick her own fresh egg out of the several that were waiting for Cindy. She talked about it non-stop all the way home.

Cindy also has had Farm Bags made up! Awesome color and fantastic size. As a self-proclaimed bag connoisseur, I can attest that this bag rocks. Cindy also added a PayPal button to her blog so it's easy to maneuver around and purchase her bags. Love (1,000,000)--so go get you some!!

Home at last . . .

2010-07-15T14:42:00.002-05:00

It's fantastic to be home. Maggie, our kitty, was happy to see us; Mac was beside himself happy to see us; the yard guy mowed today; looks like Steve cleaned the carpet (what a guy!!), and the pool looks perfect. Awwww . . . all is well.

xoxo

LaQuinta here I come . . .

2010-07-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

We left Savannah (well, Georgetown, really, since that's where our apartment is) at around 9 a.m. We drove to the Savannah/Hilton Head airport and left Phil's truck there since he'll be flying back to Savannah and will need to have his car there to get home.

We had breakfast at Pooler, GA, near the airport, and filled up the car. We managed to get on the road by about 9:30. We drove through Macon, on to Atlanta, Talladega, through Birmingham, on through Tuscaloosa, and arrived in Pearl, Miss. (just east of Jackson) around 8 p.m.

We stopped for lunch/very early dinner at a little town in Alabama--Bessemer. You must remember that our track record with Cracker Barrel is horrible . . . so stopping there was a real stretch. You see, it seems that every time we enter the doors of a Cracker Barrel, the cook goes on strike, they run out of food, all the staff has gone on break , etc. . . . you get the picture, huh? Well, today it turned out fine . . . thank goodness. Food was good, service was good, bathrooms were clean . . . wow! What a treat!!

So we drove about 625 miles today--enough. We're at The LaQuinta at Pearl, Mississippi (just east of Jackson). We've had very good luck with LaQuinta, so it seems to have become our inn of choice. It helps being a frequent user, also.

So . . . tomorrow we begin again bright and early. We have about 400+ miles to go, so we should be there before dark. I'm excited to get home . . . to my own bed, my sweet Mac, and my adorable kitty, Maggie. Hope they remember us!

xoxo

My favorite things . . .

2010-07-13T20:59:00.000-05:00

I love Quince & Co. One of the girls from the group I spin with, Texas Twisters, told us about this web site . . . their system is so beautiful and simple.

Going home . . .

2010-07-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

I'm glad to say that tomorrow I'll leave Savannah to begin my trek home. We'll drive through Macon, Atlanta, then through Birmingham and Tuscaloosa (Alabama), then on to Meridian and Jackson (Mississippi), Monroe and Shreveport (Louisiana), then on through to Dallas. Not sure where we'll spend the night, but it's for sure a two-day drive.

Savannah's been a lot of fun and I loved being here with Big Daddy. Snuggling up on a queen-sized bed when we've only owned king-sized beds for years was interesting, but we managed to manage. Not having a washer and dryer at my fingertips was a challenge for me, but I survived that too. Lots of things have been different while I've been here, but I'm glad I came!!

Ta ta, Savannah!!

xoxo

My favorite things . . .

2010-07-12T15:29:00.001-05:00

Today I miss Pinkberry.

Hello ocean . . .

2010-07-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

Phil and I went to the ocean yesterday. Not just any ocean . . . the Atlantic Ocean. The first day I was here in Savannah, Phil took me to see the beach, but I didn't spend any time there and didn't swim in it.

Yesterday, however, I swam in the Atlantic. Very different than the Pacific. It has a different feel to the sand, a different pull to the tide, and it's saltier than the Pacific. Phil and I agreed, though, that that's where the differences ended. Every person we saw looked like they could have been on a California beach, every child digging and building sand castles looked familiar, and every volleyball game looked the same. It was great fun. I found a sand dollar in the sand at the bottom of the ocean with my big toe . . . I put it back in since they are living creatures. It was fun to see one right out of the water, though.

We stopped at The Crab Shack for a late lunch/early dinner. While I'm not a great sea food lover, they had barbecued ribs that were out of this world, and Phil said the crab and shrimp was fantastic. And it was a lot of fun. We sat on the deck overlooking the water (I say water because there are so many rivers, creeks, inter coastal waterways . . . they all sort of blend together for me).

We also were able to slip in a trip to Fort Pulaski. This was where rifled cannons were first used . . . and I found out that the first baseball game in the United States was played at Ft. Pulaski.

It was a memorable day!

xoxo

Ambrosia for breakfast . . .

2010-07-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

We had breakfast at, of all places, Golden Corral. Go figure, folks!!! My husband has been telling me how great their food is. Well, let's be honest here . . . I've been to Golden Corral before, and their food isn't "great." Okay, yes. Not great.

Well, I stand corrected in this case. The Golden Corral on Abercorn Street in Savannah is fantastic!! I'm not sure what kind of ambrosia they're using, but everything I put into my mouth tasted like nectar . . . so tasty and well cooked. I might have to go back and try out a lunch and/or a dinner. I hope it wasn't a fluke and that all their meals are as good.

Pleasantly surprised!!

The past . . .

2010-07-09T14:05:00.001-05:00

I've been turning old slides into electronic photographs while I've been here in Savannah. It's sort of a double-edged sword, really. It's so much fun to see these old pictures, but it makes me sort of melancholy going back in my mind to such an innocent time. I'm glad I'm doing it, though . . .

My older sister and me, sitting on the piano bench. Wish you could see the floral drapes in the background. Of course, these pix are completely unretouched--I'll be photoshopping next, so the quality should end up a little better. Cute picture, though, huh?

This is my older sister, Sue, me, and my brother, John (the oldest). This picture was taken in about 1955 at Priest Lake, Idaho, where we had a lake place and spent our summers. Cute picture . . . again.

This one is of me . . . I have no idea where I was or what I was doing. Was I a tomboy, or what?

After I'm done with all these slides, I'm going to start in on my own family's negatives. I'm so glad I found this little scanner at Walmart--and find it when I did. I haven't seen it again and can't find it online either.

xoxo

What are you reading?

2010-07-09T13:25:00.001-05:00

Can't believe I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo. I downloaded the audio book and have been listening to it . . . and it's fantastic: Successful young man on the road to success . . . falsely accused of a crime . . . sent to the dungeons . . . escapes . . . rewards for the good, punishments for the bad. It's just been a great book. If you haven't read it, you really should tackle it--you absolutely, positively will.not.be.sorry!!!

The Savannah saga continues . . .

2010-07-09T13:15:00.009-05:00

I just feel so super lucky to be able to go to places away from home . . . see other cultures, see where history happened, see different art works. Savannah has turned out to be a good experience. And we were able to go to Charleston, SC on Monday, the 5th. It's just a two-hour drive from Savannah. Wow . . . that city has really gone the distance to keep the historical integrity intact. The churches, cemeteries, old houses--just really a lovely place.

A house on Battery Street--Charleston Bay waterfront.

Lovely courtyard of house on Bay Street

Charleston Bay / Cooper River

Another sweet courtyard in Charleston

And of course, no trip to Charleston would be complete without a look at Ft. Sumter . . . this is where the first gunfire of the Civil War occurred. Because the island was the subject of artillery for about four years there's little to nothing left of the original fort.

So today I'm at my local McDonald's--I always get a friendly greeting from the people who work here. Very sweet people! And the Internet service is great--so far.

I'm going to The Gypsy Quilter today to check out their new Gypsy Sit Upon. These are supposed to be good for bad backs--hope it works!! I'll check it out and let you all know.

I've been pretty busy--fiber busy, that is! I continue to work on the Speckled Shrug--will it ever end???

I thought I was really making progress on the 44 inches long instruction . . . eek . . . alas, I had only done 28 inches. So I have a ways to go. Sure glad I bought three balls--I just tied on the third ball last night! I'm using Marble Chunky in a colored called Majesty--purples and navy blues. Very pretty I think.

And I've been having a blast with my Spinderellas fiber. It spins up like a dream--is so soft and yummy!!! I'm so totally glad I got this. It's going to make a beautiful jumper (vest) for GrandpaTutu!! I was originally going to make something for myself, but he totally loves the color, and I know he'll love the fiber (gobs of alpaca in it!!).

Divine or what?

I also was able to get some gorgeous Colonial from my friend Cindy at Jacob's Reward Farm--and although there were two separate colors (dark eggplant and dark teal), I plied them together, and came out with a totally gorgeous Sock/DK yarn.

I decided the Baktus Scarf was perfect for this weight, and I wasn't wrong at all!! I ended up with 438 yards, so I have plenty. It's going to be gorgeous I think. (if you aren't a Ravelry member and want this pattern, let me know--I'll post it for you.

I've also got all my Cherry Tree Hill roving spun up . . . the color was Tawny Fawn, and so, so beautiful. Not sure yet what I'll make with this . . . I'm not inspired to make anything yet, but I'm sure I will be. I'll let you know.

So . . . blessings on you all today. Keep cool, and see you soon!

xoxo

The sheep need shade sale . . .

2010-07-04T16:51:00.001-05:00

The sheep at Juniper Moon Farm are really suffering in the heat! So . . . Susie has marked down all her sock yarn 25% and is having a The Sheep Need Shade Sale! I happen to have several hanks of this gorgeous yarn and can totally recommend it!! And with 25% off, I recommend you go for it big!!! Have fun. You'll be loving on Ernie (like me) by supporting the farm!! xoxo

Savannah knits . . .

2010-07-04T16:36:00.003-05:00

Friday, July 2, 2010 . . .

Today was an almost perfect day. I got online at McDonald's! I had a great latte! I drove across a bridge over “Moon River.” And I found the sweetest little yarn store ever: Unwind Yarn & Gifts, 7710 Waters Avenue, Savannah (couldn't find their web site--loser is my middle name--LOL). Although each and every event was pleasurable, I must admit that I felt right at home at the yarn store!!! Are you surprised???

I loved this little yarn store—well, it’s not really all that little. To compare (for my Dallas buds), it’s sort of a combination of The Shabby Sheep and The Woolie Ewe—not too big and not too small, not too packed, but not at all sparse either—and all the lovely, darling, beautiful things you expect to see at either place. They have a really great selection of yarns—I was very impressed. Had to hold myself back—hard to do, but I had to keep from buying a bunch more yarn.

The owner, Leigh, was there when I arrived, and was so warm and welcoming. She told me a little about the history of the shop and about some of the groups that meet there. Monday is the night they stay open late for community knits—so I expect to be there Monday to meet some new friends. Don’t these couches look totally yummy comfy??? Can hardly wait!!

And although the store is closed on Tuesday, there is a spinning group that uses the store on that day. I can only imagine how much fun they must have locked up in a "candy" store like that!!! Not sure how to get invited to that group, but you can be sure I’ll be keeping my ears open!!

Leigh shared with me a little doo-dad she’d just gotten in from her trip to market—cutesy scissors!! To die for, huh? Yet, those are scissors!!

So how could I leave without something? So I bought the pattern for a darling pair of fingerless gloves that were on the counter—so totally cute! I thought they’d be darling made up in the red I’m dying for the Red Scarf Project—so my package will have the gloves and the scarf—so sweet! I'm going to make my first pair in some brown/tawny handspun (Cherry Hill). Should be pretty--and such a cute pattern! You can buy this pattern from Leigh at Unwind Yarn & Gifts (email: to.unwind@yahoo.com) for only $4!! It's called Picolina, and has a picot edge on the wrist, along the tops of the fingers, and the thumb--there's a heart on the top of the hand. Just super cute. I'll post a picture when they're finished. Can't wait to see them in red!! Too cute!

So, if you're in Savannah, go see Leigh, and happy knitting! I'll be knitting and spinning away while I'm here!!

xoxo

By popular demand and the great journey . . .

2010-06-30T14:17:00.005-05:00

My public has spoken, and I have answered. Some of you have asked about my sweet addition to the family. She’s still a bit shy and hides quite a lot. But one of the few opportunities I had I snapped this photo of our new addition to the family, Maggie. Now I probably would have chosen a different name for this girl for a couple of reasons, but mostly because it’s the name of one of my human friends, who doesn’t remind me of a cat at all. But when I went to the animal shelter and saw this sweet girl, I (1) just had to take her home with me and (2) her name was already Maggie and (3) she’d been through enough change, so I wasn’t going to change her name too! So, here she is:

And she's a cutie petutie!!

So . . . I'm sitting in a McDonald's right now because our apartment in Savannah doesn't have internet (or cable TV). Big Daddy has decided to get on a cultural kick and bag TV (he's reading instead) and the internet (he's going to museums instead). Go figure!! So, while I'm in Savannah, you'll be hearing from me from the local McDonald's or Kroger's (where there's a Starbucks).

We stopped in Vicksburg and there was a lovely Jewish cemetery--took this beautiful picture of a statue/headstone marking the grave of Carolyn and Samuel Schwartz, dod 1907 and 1923, respectively. Really a lovely place.

The trip went great except for a batch of huge, huge rain, thunder and lightening somewhere between Macon and Savannah. Not sure where I was, and seeing anything 20 feet ahead of you was pretty near impossible. Extremely hard rain--as hard as anything I've seen in Texas.

When we got to Savannah, we had to swing by the airport and pick up Phil's truck. He parked there and flew to Dallas to drive back to Savannah with me. It was a little scary for me because I was totally unfamiliar with everything and had no idea where I was going. I was afraid I would get separated.

But I got there--all in one piece. Phil had told me there was a pond by the apartment, but here's a picture of it. It's bigger than I thought it would be--more like a lake.

I had to go exploring a little this morning, and took this great picture of downtown Savannah--it's the gold dome that sits atop City Hall. It was a cursory tour today, but I'll get braver tomorrow and park the car and venture out some.

So life, traffic, stores, etc. are pretty much like they are in Texas--a bit fewer people for sure, though. I'll post tomorrow. I want to get downtown with my big camera (not the Blackberry, where these pix came from), and get some artsy stuff. It's really a beautiful place. Can't wait!!

xoxo

A-traveling we will go . . .

2010-06-28T21:25:00.001-05:00

Big Daddy and I are in Vicksburg tonight . . . we saw the Vicksburg battlefield briefly. I'll have some good pix of the battlefield tomorrow. But in the meantime, here's a little bit of what we saw. There's also a Jewish cemetery that abuts the battlefield (I think--I really need to do some more research on it). But I got some gorgeous pix of some of the tombstones, which I'll post tomorrow. These pix were taken with my cell phone, so the quality isn't the best, but I think they turned out pretty well.

Got lots of knitting done on my shrug--using the Marble Chunky. I think it's turning out really pretty! Can't wait to get to Savannah so I can do some spinning. But here's a look at the shrug so far:

How I saved the earth today . . .

2010-06-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

I passed up the bottled water (again) and filled my water bottle from the tap. Truthfully, I think it's supposed to be more pure than bottled water--at least more regulated--and Dallas water, freakishly, tastes good! Go figure.

Happy birthday . . .

2010-06-27T12:53:00.000-05:00

I've been entertained, intrigued, and inspired by the NieNie Dialogues. Today is Stephanie Neilson's birthday. If you haven't wished her happy birthday yet, please do it. She's in the hospital again, but will love that she got lots of birthday wishes--I'm sure of it!!

xoxo

Summer days . . .

2010-06-27T08:45:00.001-05:00

Last week I did errands and took my darling granddaughter with me. We had the car cleaned from top to bottom, went to buy licenses for the cars at the county offices, went to the feed store for cat food, and finally picked up groceries. Rowan insisted she had to have a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, so she picked out the cheese: Colby. We rushed home and were so hot we had to take a quick dip to reduce the heat before lunch. So we finally got cooled down and came in to eat our lunch. Rowan thoroughly enjoyed her grilled cheese, eaten while wearing her swim garb and totally rad, green shades. Ahhhh . . . summer.

TGIF . . .

2010-06-25T20:44:00.002-05:00

It was great today having Big Daddy home from Georgia. We'll drive back together in a few days and the girls will take turns staying at the house. But it was nice having my best buddy to do stuff with. He had an early appointment with the doctor, but when he came home we went grocery shopping, went to the bookstore, had lunch together, went to the vet's office to pickup flea and heart worm med refills for the Mac Man, went to Shabby Sheep for more of that which shall not be named (yarn--oops, there I go saying it), and driving by Rowan's new school to scope out the joint.

I'm sure we all have memories of our childhoods . . . well, not all fond memories . . . but there are things we remember fondly--right? One of Phil's favorite memories is going to his Aunt Nira and Uncle Gene's farm. He talks about the horses, the meals Aunt Nira cooked, and just reminisce about stuff that happened during that time in his life. One of his fondest memories is of Aunt Nira and Uncle Gene's dog, Shep. In fact, one of his favorite sayings to our dog, Mac, is that "Shep wouldn't have left a scrap of that in his bowl," or "if Shep were about, nobody would have gotten away with that," etc. So, you can imagine his surprise, and a sort of happiness, when we were shopping for dog food today and he found . . . unbelievably . . . the Shep brand of dog products. I couldn't resist a picture for posterity . . .

Don't you just love it!!

How I saved the earth today . . .

2010-06-25T20:19:00.001-05:00

1. Had DH checkout the sprinkler timer to see what I was doing wrong . . . he fixed it!! Should be using less water now, but still protect the foundation! Yay!!
2. Used shopping totes when grocery shopping today!

Something I think you'd like . . .

2010-06-24T08:19:00.002-05:00

Make a tote.

How I saved the earth today . . .

2010-06-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

I hadn't read my friend, Lisa's, blog lately, so decided to catch up. Seems she's started a new blog entitled "How I Saved the Earth Today." The premise is that if every one does only one thing a day to recycle, use local resources, save water, etc., we can, together, make a big dent in the environmental mess we've made here. So . . . today I begin to post at least one thing a day I've done to save the earth. Here goes:

This morning I turned off the automatic sprinkler that was watering an area that didn't need watering. I love my sprinkler system because I can't leave a sprinkler running by accident and water the gutter, which used to be a common occurrence in my pre-sprinkler days. But sometimes the sun doesn't roast each spot around the house equally. So today I turned off the sprinkler. I'm not feeling all that self-righteous (yet), but I'm going to work on it.

So, what are you doing to save the earth?

Fiber play

2010-06-23T21:57:00.005-05:00

This week has been a good fiber week . . .

I took a big load of stuff to Goodwill from the big garage cleanup, but when I got there, nobody was there to take the stuff. So I texted Cindy and asked if she wanted company. I was so glad I went a-calling, too, because she had picked up a huge bunch of fiber and I was able to get some gorgeous pink roving for spinning up for Rowan--in her favorite color!!

I knit on Tuesday with my sweets friends from TI . . . and with sweet Debra. I love that group. I'm feeling the love Shannon, Gracia, and Debra. I worked on the socks I'm making for Riann . . . the ones I don't think she'll like:

It's not that I don't think she'll like the socks and even the colors. I just don't think she'll like them for her. She wanted plain green socks . . . and these are not plain green and look a little juvenile. I hope she likes them, but if she doesn't, that's ok, cause I do!! =)

I went spinning with Debra and her Tuesday night spinning group--they are the sweetest, sweetest girls. I had the best time!! Honestly, I was sort of tired by the time I left, though, so I didn't spin the whole time--worked on my socks a dab too. Love those girls, though. Worked on some of the Colonial Teal I got from Cindy on Monday . . . really pretty stuff!!

Today I went spinning in the Colony with the Texas Twisters--darling, darling group of girls. Every single girl there is super, super talented and each has a sweetness that really touches me!!! I'm really lucky that I've met everyone of them. There was birthday cake for me today and a big, big pile of birthday cards!!! So sweet!! xoxo

AND, of course, Miss Kay had more fantabulous roving. When I looked at her fibers in her Etsy store, I thought I'd love Strawberry Gelato, and it is beautiful in real life . . . but I loved the Tuscany more!!! I totally love the colors.

Kay has a second braid that I'll go get from her before I leave for Georgia. The colors are so lovely . . . greens, yellows, lavenders, pinks . . . just really all Tuscany. :o)

And here's the hat I've made from my handspun . . . my first handspun I might add! It's a Jacob alpaca blend and was lovely to work with.

And I found the perfect embellishment . . . a felted rose. I bought the pattern tonight from Joanne (who I spin with on Wednesdays). She designs beautiful patterns, so I bought three of them and am excited to get started with them! But this rose will be a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e on this hat--don't you think? Rose. Darling, huh?

Also got this Baby sweater and this Tote! Can't wait to make them up!!

And Miss Rowan had her first day at St. Christopher's Montessori School Monday. By Tuesday she had her new BFF.

Too cute, huh?

Happy fiber journeys to you!! xoxo

In the eyes of the beholder . . .

2010-06-16T08:31:00.002-05:00

It's a beautiful day!! The sun is shining. Mac and Maggie have just eaten and are lazing, enjoying the comfort of a full tummy and a cool house. I'm enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Aw . . . blessings. Spun last night with my sweet friend, Debra, and her Tuesday night group. It was fantastic--really nice girls! And I'm spinning today with Texas Twisters . . . another sweet group of ladies! Can't wait to spin some more . . . am I hooked? Think so?

2010-06-12T06:19:00.000-05:00

I think this is my next must-have book. I stumbled across it while searching for hand spinning on the web, and it looks like the kind of book I love to browse through, ponder over, and read snippets of here and there, all eventually joining together to create a book thoroughly enjoyed and completely read. Check it out! Let me know what you think. Do you have this book? And do you love it?

What are you reading?

2010-06-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

I'm cleaning out my books and came across several old books that I don't remember reading. When I was at Monticello earlier this year, there was a volunteer tour guide who did such a fantastic job of bringing the conditions and lives of the former slaves to life that when I saw Up From Slavery in my old book collection, I decided I needed to read it. I'm only a few pages into it, but so far I'm not disappointed. Let me know what you think of it, and I'll post my impressions as well.

Promises . . .

2010-06-10T18:13:00.002-05:00

Ok. So today I start blogging again. Tomorrow is the last day of my work assignment that was supposed to be 2-3 weeks, and has ended up being 6-7 weeks.--I'm leaving before the project is done, but I'm just done, as in so ready to leave!!

So look for blogging everyday. It's a commitment I've made to myself, and I'm gonna do it!!!

Can hardly wait to spin, spin, spin!!!

This is some of Kay Slaughter's roving from http://www.cordovastudios.etsy.com/. Fantastic stuff!!! I think I need more, though, since I've spun and plied this. Love, love, love looking at it and fondling it!!! Thought I had a photo of the complete stuff, but alas, I don't. I'll get one taken and posted soon!

Huh???

2009-11-13T11:47:00.001-06:00

I couldn't believe it had been so long since I posted. Lots and lots has happened since then . . .

GrandpaTutu is a year older, Riann is a year older, I had an upper respiratory infection and was sooooo sick, I was let go at TI again, and I went to Virginia to visit the folks, sheepies, and goaties at Juniper Moon Fiber Farm.

1. I was sick for GrandpaTutu's birthday--just coming down with the URI. :O(

2. I was gone for Riann's birthday--in Virginia. :O(

3. Was afraid I was going to miss the trip to Virginia because I was sooooooo sick. :O(

4. TI let me go by telephone--while I was home sick. Nice (not). :O(

5. I went to Virginia to JMFF and had SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!! It was perfect!! Erin went with and she came back a knitter (she how could resist no more!!) It made me soooo happy. :O)

6. Also got to spend half a day in Washinton, D.C., and that was excellent! :O)

So, I'm reading Twelfth Night today because I have a big assignment due by midnight tonight. But I'll catch up and post pictures soon.

GrandmaTutu
xoxo

I wish . . .

2009-10-07T13:27:00.001-05:00

It's days like today I wish I were at home. Stephanie Nielson is on Oprah today, and I'd love to hear her story from her lips. I read her blog (see NieNie in my favorites), but I'd love to hear her voice. She inspires me. Her story is compelling I think. Maybe I'll be able to see a re-run.

What I did for summer vacation . . .

2009-10-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Thought maybe you'd like to read my first journal entry for my British Lit class, entitled "Journal 1: My Class Expectations and Goals:
"One of my treasured memories is of me curled up in a chair at my grandmother’s house reading a book. My own home seemed always to be too active, too noisy, and too stressful. I learned that I could transport to another world with words printed on paper and bound into covers that came alive in my hands; it was like holding the rudder of a boat sailing me away to a place I’d rather be. That same feeling of escape always felt more real when I was at my grandmother’s house where things were quiet, warm, and pleasant—the way I often imagined them to be in the books I read.

My husband thinks I should be working toward a degree. In a way I am, though I’ve gone about it in a roundabout way. Over the past 30 to 40 years, I’ve almost completed a two-year degree. With only five classes remaining toward that degree, it isn’t much of a stretch to imagine myself filling my elective slate with literature classes, since reading is what I love best. Over the years, British literature has been right up there at the pinnacle of my top-ten list of favorites. Hopefully, my expectations for this class aren’t too high. I do, however, expect it to be a fascinating ride that will carry me to new and exciting places.

There have been times during my life when I have considered myself somewhat of an intellectual, and I could imagine myself reading and discussing great literature. I have at other times, however, felt that my reading list was sorely lacking in some of the most important world literature. I own a beautiful copy of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It sits on my shelf often looked at because it is so beautiful, but never read because it is so intimidating. My hope is that I will complete this volume during this class and not only love it, but be inspired by it.

British literature will be my main focus for the next 12 weeks. My goal is to spend most of my free time devoted to the study of it. I hope to be inspired by others and to, in turn, inspire someone."

You can grade it if you want . . .

British Lit . . .

2009-10-05T10:07:00.001-05:00

I'm taking another class--British Literature. Yikes! I thought I was taking romatic British Lit. Seems now I'm way in it (you know, the creek without the paddle) because it's ancient British Lit--Beowulf, Canterbury Tale, etc., etc., etc. I love the legend of King Arthur; just not sure I'm ready to study it intimately. Aw well . . . I'll keep with it and finish it. Next time I register for a class, though, I'll read the instructions first. Hahaha

Ramble Bawb

2009-10-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

Well, the crazy aunties at MVFF are at it again. Follow our antics at Ramble's Blogspot. How crazier can we get. Can't wait til he comes to Dallas. I've got big plans for him . . .

What's in a name???

2009-10-05T10:03:00.003-05:00

I hate naming my blog. Won't somebody tell me what I should name it? I've gone from A to Z, but I still can't come up with anything. What thinks ye?

An important thing . . .

2009-09-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

If you haven't voted for MVFF yet, please hurry. Tonight at midnight is the deadline for endorsing MVFF in the AMEX $100,000 grant. I can't think of another organization more deserving. So, please, please, please---do it now!!! Here are detailed instructions:
http://www.fiberfarm.com/2009/09/amex-shine-a-light-update

A-MIGHTY-BIG-GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-09-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

How I wish I had some land!! I would so love to be a shepherd. Alas, though, my motley neighbors just wouldn't understand. For the right person, though, Susie's generous gift is a total treat! Go Susie!!! http://www.fiberfarm.com/2009/09/a-mighty-big-giveaway

Sharing . . . a few of my favorite thinsg

2009-08-29T10:08:00.000-05:00

Since I haven't blogged for awhile, I thought it might be fun to share some of the stuff I've been looking at . . . wasting time? . . . exploring . . . doing when I might have been blogging. So here goes. How I spend my time:

I love reading this "magazine." There's just so much there to look at! It's just fun. http://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/

These guys have some great pictures. I think I want to go to sheering school at Cornell. http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/sheep/

This is pretty funny . . . http://probablybadnews.com/

And I think this is just about as cool as it gets . . . talk about being organized!! http://www.librarything.com/

I found this site yesterday. Yikes!!! Too many things to do, and not enough time to do them. I love, love, love looking at all these beautiful things!!! http://brooklyntweed.blogspot.com/2006/05/enes-scarf.html

One of my favorite stores is Shabby Sheep. They now carry this yarn . . . I love it too, and I love this site. http://www.spudandchloe.com/

I love this idea . . . knitting from fiber that is instrumental in peacekeeping. Makes you feel like you're really part of the process, and not part of the problem. http://www.peacefleece.com/adult3.htm

This is pretty cool. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-email/trends-extreme-knitting-073567

These pillows are so beautiful, aren't they??? Yikes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/55397648@N00/3864382060/

Yikes . .

2009-08-14T22:46:00.001-05:00

I've been so dang busy for the past couple of weeks. But I found this and HAD to share . . . sooooo cute!!
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/squirrel-portrait-banff.html

I love this too . . .

2009-07-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

I saw this video several days ago, but it was a shortened version. Here's the full length version of one of the sweetest wedding marches I've every seen . . . maybe THE sweetest . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=player_embedded

What makes me happy . . .

2009-07-26T09:53:00.001-05:00

I'm so happy that Stephanie Nielson won the Madsen cargo bike. If you haven't followed her story, go to the link above. She's a real inspiration to me, in many, many ways. Love her!!!

Aunt Margaret . . .

2009-06-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

My favorite aunt was my mother's sister, Margaret. There are mixed reports, but from some sources I'm told that her real name was Margaret Gertrude, but I'm not sure what it really was. I probably should settle those rumors by checking with County records and confirming it one way or the other. There were similar conflicting rumors about her mother's name . . . was it Bertha Ellen or Ellen Bertha? Someone, I'm sure, knows the truth. Probably my cousin, Tim's wife, Anne. Bottom line is it really doesn't matter to me--she'll always be my sweet Aunt Margaret. And I miss her.

Oh, oh, oh . . .

2009-06-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

I had such fun at Jacob's Reward Fiber Farm yesterday. What a great experience. It's hard to say just what I enjoyed the most because it was a multi-sensory experience. There's so much to talk about . . . the coffee was excellent (Cindy, you're my kind of girl); Cindy was so welcoming and warm and approachable--I think she's my new best friend; the Little Red Barn was cool and smelled so good; Smokey was soooooo sweet--she purred and cooed at me several times; Peggy, Linda, and Holly were fantastic (how blessed am I to have the opportunity to meet such fantastic, creative people???!!!); the spinning went ok--I certainly need to practice, but I think this is something I could get used to); the fiber was FABULOUS--yikes, the barny smell on some of the fleece was so out of this world perfect!!); the sheep were adorable; the new alpacas are so beautiful--they fleece is so different than I thought it would be like--I loved it--I think Micah is my favorite :o); and I think Zacchaeus is my favorite--and I love the name of the breed: BABYDOLL!!--how adorable is that???

Ok. So I can't go on forever talking about this and that--all over the map. I think I'll go on to the party, but I also think I need to blog later in depth about all the stuff I love about JRFF--stay tuned for that.

But the party for my birthday/father's day was so much fun!! Erin was there--she got ready for her date after dinner and Ryan, her date, picked her up here--he's such a nice guy. We've known Ryan for many years (he's Steve's best friend), and we've always liked him. Anyway, Erin was there, Steve and Riann and Rowan were there, and Phil and me. Phil barbecued chicken--he did a great job on it--it looked and tasted like it had been roasted, not grilled--and it was fabulous. We had watermelon, macaroni salad, potato salad, cherry pie, New York cheese cake. And we swam a LOT. Rowan loves the water--we all do, but she really likes it. I like that she shows her enthusiasm for things. Riann shows her enthusiasm, but I think Rowan gets that more from Steve. When he enjoys something, he enjoys it with gusto. Riann is a little more subdues. Anyway, Rowan really shows her enjoyment. She also finished her acrylic painting she's been working. It's drying now, so when it's dry I'll frame it and give it to Riann and Steve. They'll like that. I think the next painting we do I'll pick one group of colors and let her go with that group only. This one is a mix of ALL colors and it's great, but think I'll try just groups next time.

Ok. Gotta go. I know this is so rambling. I'll post more maybe later and tomorrow for sure. Got things to do, though--like SPINNING my green/blue fiber!!! Yay!!

Knitting . . .

2009-06-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

I used to love to watch Knitty Gritty on the DIY channel. But, alas, they're gone. So . . . guess what I found????? Knitting Daily appears to be a television show, but I've found all their programs on You Tube. YAY!!!!! I've only watched a couple of them, but I'm going to love, love, love this!!! I needed inspiration, and now I've found it. Go to YouTube and search for "Knitting Daily." You'll love it!!!

Gracie

2009-06-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

What a crazy girl she is. She runs up and jumps into my lap, laying her chin on my chest, and looks at me adoringly. She continues with that posture forever . . . just keeps staring adoringly. Really strange. Every once in awhile she'll dart toward my mouth or my nose with her nose/mouth--and she has little pointy hairs around her mouth, which stickers/tickles me. She's a crazy girl.

She loves being in the pool. She'll go the side and act like she's going to jump in. She can hardly wait for me to put her in my lap. She'll sit in my lap floating around the pool for hours if I let her. She's just as happy as a clam. But I'll push her off once in awhile to let her get wet . . . she swims away, turns, and circles around to swim back to me--only to get back into my lap to float around some more. Again, though, she'll lay her head on my chest and look up at me adoringly. Sheesh . . . very strange.

But we had a real victory today! I've been trying to walk her for weeks and weeks. But it was more like her being dragged around the neighborhood on a leash. She just refused to budge. I was afraid I was going to skin the bottoms of her feet (or her bottom) or choke her to death. Everybody has told me to just keep walking her and she'll figure out she's going to have to walk to get me to quit dragging her. Well, tonight she walked--she really walked!!!!! I jiggled her leash a couple of times to keep her moving along, but I didn't have to drag her AT ALL! Isn't that unbelievable??? Yesterday I dragged her like a bedraggled stuffed animal, and today she walked just like a real dog being walked--she pranced just like the pretty girl she is.

I'm really happy for her. I think she'll enjoy her walks with Mac (he's crazy about his walks and is like a machine . . . his little legs just keep on truckin'). Big daddy will be glad they're out walking more too--makes for fewer piles of poop he has to clean up in the back yard. Yay!!!!

So everybody's happy!!!

Hunger . . .

2009-06-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'm back at work and am so convinced that I need to lose weight!!! It was easy at home to just eat anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. But it's time to pay attention to what I'm eating, plan what I'm going to eat each day, and get this extra weight OFF OFF OFF!!!!

I also know that starving myself is a total no-no. But if I forget my lunch in the a.m. or don't have time to make it, I hate eating at the cafeteria as their salads aren't the best and I just love mayo on my sandwiches to much. So . . . like I said above, I need to starting planning. Think I'll spend some time this weekend planning our meals for next week. Phil would love to have his lunch packed also. So, that's in the works.

Really thankful to be back at work. I like it here!!!

So far so good . . .

2009-06-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

I had one more day of freedom than I expected. Seems they had to do another background check and it took a day longer than they originally expected. But . . . I started Tuesday instead of Monday, and I'm so happy to be back!!! Don't get me wrong. I loved being home for those four'ish months . . . but I think I'm a worker and just feel so much more focused when I'm working. Really glad TI called me back, too, because I like the work, I like the people, I just like it!!! It's close to home, little to no stress. It's just a good place for me.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you -- to whomever is listening -- thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Last day of freedom

2009-05-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

I got my wish. I wanted TI to call me back to work, and they did. I really have loved these past few months, total freedom, quilting, knitting, and reading at will, and my Fridays with Rowan. I'll miss those a lot. But if you have to work, which I feel I do, there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be than back at TI.

I'm almost finished with the helmet liner I've been making. Hope it's an ok fit for the person who gets it. I think I might be a little loopy, but I've prayed almost constantly while knitting it. It just might be inspired. I hope it keeps my "person" safe.

Ok. My last day of freedom--time for our nap (Rowan and me), then to the pool after our nap. I'm so glad it's a beautiful day!!!

New pictures

2009-05-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Got a new battery for my camera (yay!). I'm not usually very successful at getting pictures of Mac and Gracie, but managed to get a good one of Mac first . . .

then a second picture, one of Gracie . . .

and they both turned out pretty good. Cute, aren't they???

Turning over a new leaf . . .

2009-05-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

I love reading blogs of others. So today I turn over a new leaf. I'll blog everyday from now on--even if it's just a line or two.

So . . . yesterday I became a shareholder of Jacob's Reward Fiber Farm. It's a local CSA located in Parker, TX. Cindy, the shepherd, is very sweet--that's one of the reasons I bought the share--I just love her so much, and I love what she's doing.

Cindy put on the perfect meetup yesterday at her place. There were maybe 25 or so fiber people there--knitting, spinning, dyeing--I felt so totally at home . . . these were really my people! Loved it!!

Here's a link to Cindy's blog--with pictures!! http://www.jacobsreward.blogspot.com/ Here are a couple of pictures I took:

Happy Birthday . . .

2009-05-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

Erin's birthday is today. We had lunch and had some lively, good conversation. I love being with her. She makes me feel really comfortable. I'm so proud of her and love her so much. She's a beautiful person. I feel really lucky to call her my daughter. God really blessed me when he sent her to us. I love you, Erin. Happy Birthday!

Today . . . a new start

2009-04-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

Yikes, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. Oops.

Ok . . . I think the shawl I'm blocking for Gracia is dry. Some her binding off came out when I washed it, so I'm going to re-bind off and weave in the ends. Then it's done. It must have acrylic in the yarn, though, because the portion that I finished sprung back to a lot narrower. It still looks really good--you can so see the pattern, and it's so pretty. I think she'll love it.

I finished my Esther Bible study and really miss it. I think I'll do an online Beth Moore study--they inspire me so much!!

Went to dr. this morning to check cholestoral and blood pressure. Both are improved from last time. I'll go in again in July to recheck them.

I think I might go ahead and buy a share of Jacob's Reward. It's right up the road and I think I'd enjoy participating personally in the "making of the fiber." I love MVFF, but I don't feel very engaged, although the lambcam has been a lot of fun, and the comradarie of the thread has been fun too. We'll see . . .

Ok. Got to get going now. I'm committed to making a nice dinner, doing at least one load of laundry today, and cleaning the carpet in the den.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!

Taking a break . . .

2009-03-21T14:05:00.000-05:00

Yikes. Now I know why I've put off cleaning the garage for so long. OMG. It's absolutely a huge job. Poor Phil just wants to take it all to Goodwill . . . and I want to have a yard sale and spend the money on Martha's Vineyard (our next vacation). I think he might almost be ready to pay me off (put mad $$ in my savings account just for me) . . . tehehe. Either way, it still has to be gone through and sorted, stuff thrown away, treasures put away properly. So . . . I just keep trudging along.

I wanted to go to Jacob's Reward work day today but just couldn't get it together. I'm beginning to want to spin--well, knit with my own homespun. We'll see. I'll call Ms. Cindy next week and see what she says.

Ok . . . back to the garage. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Socks suck . . .

2009-03-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

For some reason socks and I are not getting along. I've made socks before--in fact, I knit our Christmas stockings oh so many years ago . . . mine is pink, Phil's is blue (I actually made them to wear, but they were so perfect for mantle socks that I changed my mind). But lately . . . well, I have three "pair" working and just can't seem to GET THERE . . . to a pair!

1. Supersocke in a pink and brown colorway . . . the needle was too big so I frogged this one . . .

2. Kroy Socks in a blue and green colorway . . . the first sock I made got chewed up by Gracie, the second sock I made is WAY too big, and the third one I made (which I just started frogging) . . . well . . . I cast on 52 stitches instead of 64 (WHY?????? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!!) . . .

3. And MVFF sports weight . . . well, it's definitely a dark (spruce green), winter sock and, well, I just wanted to do socks that could be worn in the near future.

So, there you have it. Three "pair" and nary a sock to be worn. Go figure.

Update . . .

2009-03-19T15:11:00.000-05:00

I've been soooo remiss. How long has it been since I've updated this . . . crazy.

First, I finally made lasagna today. I've been tasting it for about a month now, and ordered it at a restaurant one night (Siciliano's), but it just wasn't the same as mine. So . . . it's in the frig now ruminating. I'll pop it in the oven around 5:30'ish and we'll have dinner around 6:30'ish. I can hardly wait.

I also have bread rising. If you haven't seen the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book that's the subject of a very, very long thread in the MVFF Groupies Group (Ravelry), you should get a copy. I bought mine at Barnes & Noble, but I saw it for a lot less here: http://product.half.ebay.com/Artisan-Bread-in-Five-Minutes-a-Day_W0QQprZ59796807QQtgZinfo Really, really easy bread and so yum.

I went to Bible study yesterday. I think I'm going to really enjoy this group. It's at church (http://christchurchplano.org/) and there are 12-15 women. The group meets at 9:30 a.m. every other Wednesday. The study is Max Lucado's video study on James 3:16. I liked the format of the study, so I think I'll enjoy it.

I'm also doing Esther with my Monday night group at my friend's house, Denise. We've done Daniel, the Patriarchs, and now Esther together. I love Beth Moore--but I do have to say I like Max Lucado too . . . so we'll see. They both have a lot to offer, and I probably shouldn't compare them.

Got Gracey's shots almost 2 weeks ago. I want to get her spade, so think I'll make an appointment for next week. She got a shot to keep from getting kennel croop, and I don't want to take her until two week shave gone by. I really would feel bad if she got sick before the shot kicked in. She's on her heartworm medicine too, which is a good thing. She's such a sweet thing. She puts her head on my arm or let or chest and looks at me and almost swoons. It's so funny. Coco was loving, but this girl is over the top. So sweet!

I've been spending a lot of Fridays with Rowan, but she's in Galvastan with her mom and dad for spring break, so I'll have to live without her tomorrow.

We made bread last week, and she was so proud of herself.

Knitting . . . well, I've sort of fallen off the wagon. I have so many projects going it's embarrassing. I have three different yarns going to socks--and I actually have three socks finished. Only thing, I still don't have a pair. I need to focus, focus, focus. I also bought yarn for a sweater for Phil at Woolie Ewe (it was on sale so I couldn't resist) . . . only problem is, they had it in a second color I loved, so I went back and bought more of it--so I have about 35 skeins of this stuff now. I sure hope he loves it!! I also haven't worked on my seascape shawl for nearly two weeks. Yikes. I gotta get focused!!!

Crazy week . . .

2009-02-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

This week has been awesome and crazy . . . I did a lot of stuff I wanted to do, and some stuff I really didn't want to do. But in the end it was all good.

I've been avoiding Heather because I want to spend hours and hours with her catching up, and I've been so dang busy I haven't had the time. Today I call Heather so we can have lunch one day next week. She's my idol, and I want to catch up and see where she is in her life. She's an awesome person--finishing her degree so she can open up a school and orphanage! Wow . . . fantastic goals!!

This week I embroidered towels and pillowcases for Rowan for her birthday. I did white on white pillowcases, and purple on lavendar towels. The towels are in the machine being embroidered as we speak, but here's a picture of the pillowcase--can you see the "R." It turned out really pretty (thankfully--I'm such a novice).

I knit on Monday with Susanne. Her weekly group met to knit cup sleeves at Startucks to sell, and the proceeds to go the SPCA of Texas (I love the SPCA).

So if you can't knit but want to do something for the SPCA, you can give a donation too!!! https://secure2.convio.net/tspca/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=1044&JServSessionIdr006=w04yfgyqt3.app25a

I went to Bible study Monday night. I decided I was going to do the book of Esther with my old group from Christ Church. So I got my workbook and went. It was so great to be with them. There were several new people, but many of the old ones--Denise, Sandy, Kim . . . I love them to death!!!

Knit with my sweet friends at TI on Tuesday . . . we also had taco salads together from Wendy's. It was great fun. I love those girls!!!

Wednesday I spent the day getting caught up . . . since I joined the Bible study in week 4, I have three weeks of Bible study to catch up with. I don't think it will be a problem. I did the introduction and two weeks. Today (Friday), I plan to get caught up totally. So when I attend again next week, I'll be caught up. I also went to church Wednesday night--to St. Barnabas. We were members there 20 years ago but left to join a larger church (Epiphany), then later went on to join an even larger church (Christ Church). St. Barnabas is really, really small--I'd forgotten how small. They also now have a large Hispanic population, so the service was down half in English, half in Spanish. And they had no music except for taped accompanyment. Very different from what I've become used to. I have to say, however, that the clergy were excellent--really spirit filled and so committed to what they were teaching. All-in-all an excellent service. I'm glad I went.

Thursday I went with Riann to have Rowan's two-year old pictures done. Here's a short preview of some of the picture. Soooooo cute . . . http://amycolumbusphotography.com/blog/

And last, but not least . . . today is Rowan's birthday. Here she is after having been to Albertson's to pick up her birthday cupcakes to share with her classmates . . . and getting a hug and a kiss -- AND A DOLLAR -- from the lady at Albertson's bakery (they're so sweet!!!). Enjoy . . .

Well . . . I intended to insert a video here, but for some reason blogger.com doesn't like my video . . . sorry.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Coraline

2009-02-24T14:58:00.000-06:00

We didn't see Coraline on Saturday night (we ran out of time and couldn't get to the IMAX in time), so we saw Slumdog Millionaire at our local AMC theatre instead. I was disappointed not to see Coraline, but Slumdog Millionaire was fabulous. I wasn't a bit surprised it won the academy award for best picture the very next day. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time, and the music, while really quite plain, fit the film perfectly. All-in-all a good adventure. http://www.fandango.com/slumdogmillionaire_115687/movieoverview

Banana girl . . .

2009-02-24T14:56:00.000-06:00

Well, who would have thunk it. Gracie is a banana girl. She just HAD to have a bite of my banana and, believe it or not, she loved it. And she didn't stop with one bite, she wanted more and more. Hmmm . . . guess it'll make her poop good--it just better not be on my carpet. :O)

MVFF

2009-02-21T10:21:00.001-06:00

Just bought the yummiest yellow yarn ever . . . from MVFF. Susan lowered her price per skein, and it was like Christmas morning! I'm happy, happy . . .

Coraline . . .

2009-02-18T20:50:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to see this movie and am committed to seeing it this weekend. Maybe I can get Riann to go with me . . . she'd love this movie--although Phil might enjoy it--not sure about that though. I just watched a YouTube "article" on the clothing that Coraline wears. It's amazing. It's incredible to me that there are people out there with such talent. Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT5MFdAB7fI&eurl=http://gettingpurlywithit.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/youve-gotta-see-this/&feature=player_embedded

French toast . . .

2009-02-18T08:27:00.000-06:00

I've been hankering for French toast lately . . . so I told my husband this morning that tomorrow morning is French toast for breakfast day. I've been thinking about different ways to make French toast. I could buy or bake cinnamon bread; I could put cinnamon in the eggs--maybe a little vanilla too. I think I'll get a cookbook out today and plan divine French toast for tomorrow for breakfast. Yum, yum, yum . . . I'll let you know how it turns out.

will power

2009-02-17T09:49:00.000-06:00

I almost bought yarn again today . . . but I had restraint. I'm already committed to four skeins of MVFF lace yarn for my new stole project (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seascape-stole) which I think will be gorgeous. So I'm good for now . . . plenty to keep me busy!!!

Painting . . .

2009-02-14T20:42:00.000-06:00

I went to Erin's today to help her paint . . . well, really, her dad went to help her paint, but I went to sort of feign painting and watch. I'm not very good at painting. Mostly, it makes me tired and there doesn't ever seem to be an end to it . . . there's always a drop to wipe up, a nail hole that failed to get filled, or a spot that didn't get quite enough paint. Yuck. I hate painting!!! But I love Erin, so I actually trimmed around the ceiling and baseboards and I painted two walls in her dining room. =)

Finally . . .

2009-02-13T17:46:00.000-06:00

Well, it's not quite done (I still have to do the binding), but here's the quilt I planned to make over two years ago . . . for "baby" Rowan. I love how the purples turned out--so did everybody at the quilt store. So as soon as I get the binding done, it'll be Rowan's second birthday and I can pass it on to her. It'll be so cool. She's going to love it!!!

Gracie loving . . .

2009-02-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

I came across this picture on my daughter, Riann's, Flickr page. It was taken several weeks ago, before I got my hair cut, but Gracie's just as crazy--she gets behind me on the chair and rests her head in the nape of my neck or on top of my head. Just a really sweet girl.

Motherly love . . .

2009-02-12T13:47:00.000-06:00

This is so sweet. I remember my cousin, Dan's, pig--Sophie. He loved that girl so much, and she was smart--and surprisingly clean. Guess this "mom" loves her piglet too. Nature is so cool! :O

http://www.sonnyradio.com/motheroftheyear.htm

Ok. It's settled.

2009-02-11T22:09:00.000-06:00

If Big Daddy doesn't bring home the USB cord for the camera tomorrow, I'm going SHOPPING.

Daily devotional

2009-02-11T14:27:00.001-06:00

I get a daily devotional via email everyday. Each day it becomes more and more applicable to my day. I loved today's devotional:

What Has God Done For Me Lately?
Tracie Miles
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

Is the glass half full or half empty? Is it partly sunny or partly cloudy? Perspective makes all the difference. Even for strong Christians who are grounded in their faith, discouragement can easily sneak its way into hearts and minds as life deals us chaos. As we struggle with the challenges and difficulties of everyday life, or things that happened to us that were unfair or unwarranted, it is easy to get pulled into a habitual mindset of negativity. Just like that old song from the '80s says, we may find ourselves asking God, "What have you done for me lately?"

Our answer to that question will depend entirely upon our perspective. God does more for us each and every day than we deserve, but it's so easy to lose sight of the good, because we are caught up in the reality of the bad. How do we combat this perfectly human attitude? Resolve to have an attitude like Christ. Take inventory of our every blessing. Life. Your every breath. Your every heart beat. A spouse or loved one. Children. Clothes that need to be washed because God gave you clothes to wear, and a way to wash those clothes. Good health to help those whose health is failing. Trusted and educated doctors to treat you when you are facing health challenges. A house that needs cleaning. A car to drive. The ability to purchase gas for the car. A job to go to. The ability to be a stay at home mom or wife. Healthy kids who can play music or sports. Friends. Family. Freedom. Jesus. Eternal life. What is on your inventory list today? If you were honest with yourself, would you say you have been looking for the positive aspects of the situations in your life? Are you considering how God could be using those things to draw you closer to Him? Or have you been primarily focused on the negative?

During times of negativity, we actually become our own enemy. We wage a battle in our mind because we look at our situation from our own perspective, instead of what God may be doing through our situation. So in order to change our minds, we have to choose to change the way we think -- our perspective. Attitude is a choice. Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." What do you usually see?

To quote an old cliché, today is the first day of the rest of your life, and it is never too late to become an optimist! I have heard it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a new habit. The more you practice challenging your thought patterns, the more automatic it will become. Changes may not take place immediately, but over time, the challenge gets easier, and optimism becomes the norm instead of the exception.

Are you willing to take the challenge to become an optimist today? The rewards of looking for God's goodness in every situation will be a healthier and happier heart.

Dear Lord, help me with my human tendency to be critical or look for the negative in situations. Forgive me for a lack of gratitude for all You have given me. Thank You for Your patience with me as I strive to be a Godly example. Guide my heart to recognize You at work, instead of seeing things from an earthly perspective. Lead me into a closer relationship with You by helping me remember to count my blessings every day. Amen.

The calm "after" the storm . . .

2009-02-11T11:55:00.000-06:00

You've heard the old adage: "the calm before the storm." Today is the calm "after" the storm. We had such storms, thunder, lightning, wind, and destruction last night. Thankfully, our neighborhood was spared; but not all were so lucky. I watched on the news this morning many people unburying themselves from the destruction. And today . . . well, it's beautiful . . . as though God gave us a great bath. The sky is beautiful, many trees and bushes are budding, and I can see the grass in my backyard greening up. The weatherman said it would be windy today, but all I see is a mild breeze. It's good to be alive.

I went to court this morning for the property hearing for the burglary of our house . . . well, not really the burglary, but the three measly pieces that were recovered from the 100+ pieces stolen. The only thing I can say is that my paltry cache is great considering I could have gotten nothing back. Thanks to the alertness of Det. Williams at the Garland PD, I feel really blessed. Sad that none of the heirlooms were recovered. But what was recovered will just have to be the beginnings of new heirlooms. :O) I just wish now that Allstate would get with it and cover the rest of the losses . . . should be several thousand dollars I would think. I hope.

I had a full day yesterday . . . worked at the bookstore at Christ Church at 7:30 a.m. -- it was opened so the guys from the men's On Point Bible Study could do Valentine's Day shopping. We did a great business and the guys were really grateful their gift purchasing dilemmas were satisfied.

Came home and made beds and emptied the dish washer before going to TI for knitting with mien buds (by buddies). Gracia's scarf/stole is looking really pretty (oops . . . I just remembered I offered to mail her dishcloths for her--sorry Gracia); Shannon's hats are ADORABLE for her two nieces (one already here, the other still in China but destined for her new family here in the U.S.); and Susanne socks are so great (thank you, Susanne for the sweet Valentine--you're the best!); and Sally, who couldn't knit because of a meeting she had to attend--but so sweet of her to at least swing by and say hi!

I finished the section I needed to complete for the Baby Surprise Jacket KAL and did a couple of rows on my Lace Ribbon KAL. I'm glad I was able to get more of the SWS--and the different dye lot makes no difference at all because of the variations in the coloring (YEAH!). I'm almost finished with the dog bed I'm making from a $1.00 closeout kit from Tuesday Morning. It's made out of chunky velour "yarn" and is two blues. Rowan was cute when she was examining the blues . . . the light blue was "for Gracie" (the puppy), and the dark blue was "for Rowan." I might have to get more of the dark blue and make something for Rowan.

I started cleaning out my closet yesterday. What can I say . . . it's a BIG job and will probably take the better part of the week. I have WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES--and most of them don't even fit me anymore. Please!!!!!!!! This cleaning out is long overdue!!! Wish me luck!

Felted Bag Exchange . . .

2009-02-05T22:25:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a felted bag exchange on Ravelry beginning March 1st. Wish we could start right away. I'm excited to be creative and excited to see what I get from my person. Some of the bags I've looked at really hard are the 98-48 Felted Bag With Flap http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/98-48-felted-bag-with-flap; the Lucy Bag http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lucy-bag; the Oregon Tote http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oregon-tote; and the Damask http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/damask. Favorite bag I think is the Damask. So much so that I think I'm going to try it in brown, although the heather grey shown in the picture is really pretty! Love them all . . . :O)

Today . . .

2009-02-05T21:43:00.000-06:00

I went to Steffanie's farewell dinner tonight. I'll miss her alot. She opened the bookstore and I've been working every Sunday morning opening the store at 8:30 a.m. since. I'd pretty much made up my mind around the 1st of December that it was time for me to take a hiatus . . . I needed some space for awhile. I didn't know when I'd decided to do that that Steff would be leaving the bookstore. So I hope Cindi, the new manager doesn't think she's the reason I left the store. However, I haven't really left--I'm working Tuesday morning after the men's Bible study so the guys can shop after Bible study. I think Cindi was glad I volunteered. She's a sweet hearted person who I think will do a great job.

I most knitted today. I'm still struggling with the baby surprise sweater. The KAL starts tomorrow, so I think that'll help ALOT!!!

Gracie is the best dog ever. She's so sweet and loves us so much. She's doing really well about pottying outside. I'm really glad we have her!!

Ok, I'm outa here. I'm tired am it's time for bed!!!

Hmmmm . . .

2009-02-04T07:38:00.000-06:00

I love some of Gwyneth Paltrow's literary picks (or rather, the picks of her friends) http://goop.com/newsletter/18 . . .

Anna Karenina . . . I read this so many years ago . . . maybe 30. It has been my favorite, or maybe second favorite, book of all time. It is an unbelievably beautiful tragedy, love story, emotional journey. Really a fabulous book. Leo Tolstoy was, clearly, a gifted writer. I wonder at how fragile his mind must have been to have been able to release the powerful thoughts and words it did. Wow.

Love In The Time of Cholera . . . I read this book about 10 years ago. It knocked my socks off. If you haven't read this one you really need to treat yourself. Very, very powerful. I couldn't put it down.

Pride and Punishment; Jane Eyre . . . both of the same genre but so totally different. Both are excellent and if you haven't read them you should!!

Crime and Punishment . . . I'm struck that the reviewer here "first" read it back in high school. My experience was the same . . . and I have read it several times since. My take on the book, though, is that the story and feelings I got from the story changed each time I read it . . . more or less mirroring my stage in life. Wow, how profound is a book that it changes with the reader? This is my FAVORITE book of all time. It's an easy read and so, so powerful!!

So, there, Gwyneth Paltrow. These are Mary's recommendations.

Rosemary

2009-02-03T17:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of Rosemary, the dog we rescued from the Carrollton shelter yesterday. Elizabeth, Riann's friend, adopted her. I went and did the paperwork and officially "adopted" her, but she's Elizabeth's dog. She picked her up from the vet today, where Rosemary was spayed and had her teeth cleaned, compliments of her new mommy, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a treasure to adopt this older dog who would, had she not been adopted, be getting ready to be euthenized at this very moment--in 20 minutes or so, she would have been gone--forever.

She's a sweet girl who KNEW she was headed for a better life--I could see it in her eyes. She was SOOOOOOO happy--I promise I could see it in her eyes.

Welcome home, Rosemary!!!!!

Organizing

2009-02-01T16:00:00.001-06:00

I spent several hours today trying to get my knitting/sewing/office organized and useable. Yikes. What a mess!!!

My circular needles were so out of control it was ridiculous. I've tried several methods, but I finally pulled out a "Blessing Ring" I'd purchased awhile back for organizing cards (birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.). In case you're interested, here's a link to show you what a Blessing Ring is: http://www.heartsdesireonline.com/blessingrings.html I purchased it at the Bookstore/Gift Shop at my church (http://christchurchplano.org/). I marked 1 quart Ziploc freezer bags with the size and length of the needles, then hole-pinched the bags in the top left corner, and hung the bags in order on the Blessing Ring. I'll probably get a different ring, but for now they're organized, out of bags and boxes where I couldn't find a thing. They're organized and easily accessible. I might also the the same ring to organize my double-pointed needles. I have them in a long wooden box now and they're neat and all in one place. But finding a set isn't all that easy. I think I can do better. I joined the "organization" group of Ravelry and have started reading those ideas. The best one, I think, was for a worm organizer from Bass Pro Shop. Sounds like it's the best way to organize these. But I'm happy with what I've done so far. Next job is to get my stash organized.