Giver or Taker?

New Post on Time To Bloom!

Scratch and Sniff!

Yummy, yummy banana bread! If only you could smell it!! It smells soo good. I guess I felt like baking today, and the fact that I had some bananas that needed to be used! and boy is it good! :) Come on over and have some!

I also finished reorganizing my books today, I have a box full of books to get rid of, most are going to our church library. Oh, and the reason for the reorganization is this bookshelf we bought from some friends that are in the process of moving. It is nice and sturdy and fits a lot more that I thought it would! I now have about half the number of boxes of books that I had before and most of those are full of children's books - my weakness! :) The problem with finding great booksales, is that I tend to buy books there! :) Oh, boy... I can't wait for the next one!

More Knitting

Just an update on a couple of my recent knitting projects!

My first sock is almost finished! Hurray for Silver's Sock Class and Knittinghelp.com! They were both most helpful! Silver helped me the most, but it was great to watch the video on the heel at knittinghelp.com, I felt like I knew where I was going before I got there! :) Now I am at the toe, which won't be hard because I already know how to do the grafting stitch. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures:

Right after I turned the heel: Doesn't it look cool? :)

What it basically looks like now, I'm just a little farther along.

Concern was expressed that Mark wasn't eligible for the neckwarmer! :) Well, I won't leave him out in the "cold!" This is what I made for him this week:
I have made hats, but not with a decrease at the top, usually just a straight seam and tucked in at the edges. As usual, I didn't have a pattern, just winged it. It's pretty basic, with a knit2, purl2 ribbing for the "brim." But the best part is that he likes it and says it is very warm! :)

And the winner is....

Ok, first let me preface by saying thanks for all the comments! I really wish that I could send each one of you one! I love to give my knitting to my friends and family! Who knows, maybe someday you will get a surprise package in the mail! :)

With that said, I had Mom and Angie draw a number based on the number of comments. (minus Mark's) so the winner is.....






(some space here to add to the suspense!)





(more suspenseful space!)




(am I mean or what??)


:)




KRISTI!!

Congratulations! :)

I will be contacting you later today via email.

Order

I found this post today at Home Living on Order in the House. I thought it was very timely. One of my goals for my home is to make it a retreat, a place that is peaceful and relaxing to all who enter. One of the most effective ways of having a peaceful home, to me is to have a home that is orderly. I don't always meet this qualification, but it is something that I want to strive for. Our homes, especially those with children, tend to disorder constantly. It is a big job to keep things in an orderly way... a place for everything. This, to me, goes along with the Company Girls (see button at right.) Here is a great quote from Order in the House:

Homemaking is not just keeping house. It is paying attention to the over-all effect that each corner, each space, each nook and cranny has on you, the homemaker, and those who enter into it. A husband or father may not be able to tell his wife exactly why he likes it there so much, and may not even notice some of the details, but the combined effort will create a whole. This whole will be what everyone feels when they enter the room.

On another note, I have posted some devotional-type material on my other blog. I have geared Time to Bloom for younger ladies (teens/early college age), but I think that hopefully, each of us can benefit from some of the thoughts. Many of the things that I post are things that God has been helping me with or situations that I have been dealing with in my life. I'm no theological guru, but if something has helped me, maybe it will help someone else as well. I just wanted you all to know that you are welcome over there, and welcome to share your thoughts on what I post. :)

Now I'm off to bring a sense of order to this house! Shovel, anyone?? :)

Weekend snapshots

I've had a picture-busy weekend. I just wanted to share some of my favorite snapshots that I took. Be forewarned: Many pictures to follow!

Saturday, they poured another part of the driveway for our church. We have been in a building program for the past few years (they put down the carpet in the sanctuary two days before our wedding!) We are getting things finished bit by bit as money comes in.

Part of the "crew"

I know this is out of focus, but Dad is hard at work! :) and look at the reflection in the window, I thought it was a cool picture.

The "supervisors" :) It was quite cold out that day!!! Note: Angie is sporting her new "mouth hardware!"

Several of us ladies in the church put together a meal for the hard (and cold) workers. Here are some of the cookies I made! So easy!! Here are the instructions for them.

On to Sunday morning...

Wouldn't you love to be this relaxed? It is kindof a joke now, if Faithie sits with me in church she usually falls asleep. I'm either very boring, or very relaxing! :)

Gracey had her hair in beautiful curls! I love this picture!!!

From the back, she looked just like Shirley Temple! So cute!

Sunday evening, Regina had the girls in their matching outfits that I made. Gracey was off and doing, but I did manage to get a few pictures of Faithie in her jumper.

So that's my weekend in pictures! :) I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to everyone who has responded to post 100, so far! Y'all all join in, two days to go! :)

Post #100!!!

Can you believe that this is my 100th post? It hasn't been quite a year since I started blogging and I have really enjoyed it! -more than I thought I would. It has been a great way of reconnecting with "old" friends and making many new friends along the way! Thanks to each of you for stopping by!

So in honor of my 100th post... and the snow flurries we saw yesterday (yep, way down south in Texas!) ...and to fulfill my promise of a give-away...and to bring some of you "lurkers" out of hiding... Here it is!!

What is it, they ask? Why, a neckwarmer! Modeled below by yours truly! :)

It really is quite cozy and warm... hmmm... I think I need one for myself! I really like being able to button it. Scarves can be such a hassle, always coming unwound. This fits snugly around your neck and keeps you warm. Oh, and did I mention, it is SOOO soft!!!

I love the button!

Ok, so obviously there is only one neckwarmer... Now you want to know how this works! That's where you come in! Just leave a comment on this post between now and Wednesday night Jan 23, midnight my time (Central - see cherry clock at right.) I will announce the winner on Thursday, selected by using a random number generator or some other random way of choosing. Hopefully, I can mail it out to the winner on Friday!

Oh, Rules... must have rules, because it is no longer a sane world!

• Please only leave one comment. (I'll have to disqualify duplicate comments.)
  
• no spammers, not that I've had a lot of trouble with that... but I like to be on the safe side.
  
• Also, this is only for readers in the United States.
  

I'm looking forward to hearing from you... especially all you lurkers out there! :)

Day Off...

Ok, you're asking... How is it you get a day off? Well, was it truly a day off? I cooked, I cleaned, I picked up around the house... but I didn't babysit, which was fine after my busy weekend! :) I also decided to wait on laundry, we have enough "necessities" to last a little longer! :) So what do I have to post? So glad you asked!

This:

For the recipe, see this previous post.
and this:Yes, I finally started my sock! I have never knitted with yarn so tiny! I feel like I am knitting with kite string! and I'm not sure how it will turn out, but at least I will have made a sock! The other big obstacle I have overcome is the double-pointed needles (dpns). I'm not sure why, but they have scared me. I now feel like a truly fearless knitter! :) I came, I saw, and I made a sock! We'll see how fearless I feel when I get to the heel! hehehe

What a great day!!! I was so glad to be able to stay home! (I love staying home!) And it has been one of those wintery days that makes you want to curl up on the couch under your favorite blanket (see my fleece cherry one?) and knit! :)


And for supper tonight... SO Easy!!
Sloppy Joes:
Brown 1lb Ground Beef, drain, stir in a couple of tablespoons of flour, and one can of Campbells French Onion soup. Heat thoroughly and serve over bread!

"Nipping"

Allow me to tell a little story....

There was once a little girl that came over sometimes to visit her "adopted aunt." While she and her mommy were there, Auntie would show her progress on some Christmas presents that she was making. A conversation at their home recently went something like this:

Mommy, I'm nipping!

You're what, Gracey?

I'm nipping! I need more toothpicks!

Nipping?

Yeah, nipping!

Mom thinks about this for a little bit...

Do you mean knitting?

Yeah, I'm nipping!

Her mommy was astounded and excited to tell Auntie the little story! Meanwhile, her Daddy helped her finish her purse and attach the straps. The following are pictures of Gracey's nipping project!

A detail of the seam work.

Here she is showing off her project!

Company Girl!

This is a neat blog that I found while "blog hopping." :) She has some neat tips to help make your home a Sanctuary. There is also a daily small thing to help you along. Come be a Company Girl with me! :)

Check out Home Sanctuary for details!

Happy Birthday...

to my wonderful husband!!!!

I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful year!

This is a day late, but I've had company all weekend! :)

Shadow hopping

...is so much fun! First you Get ready, set, go and then you jump as far as you can. You can also make funny shapes with your shadow. It helps to shadow hop later after your afternoon nap... you get bigger shadows that way, and they are a lot more fun!

I babysat the girls yesterday, and we had fun, as you can see! :) The poncho Gracey is wearing was mine when I was little. I let her borrow it for today. Isn't it great to enjoy simple things from a child's perspective? It's the simple things that make life more enjoyable and they are a lot easier and healthier than the things some people seek for enjoyment. Shadow hopping leaves you with no hangovers; just some fresh air, exercise and smiles! Oh, and don't forget the fun pictures to remember it by! :)

In Other News...

I guess it's been busy the past week. I've been adjusting to a new schedule at work and getting reacquainted with the probate department. I still only work a couple of days a week, but I am enjoying what I am doing a lot more. (The work story is a long story, and a direct answer to prayer.) Anyway, I've also been rearranging our family room. It's actually livable now, not just a catch-all room. It's not all like I want it yet, but with time it will look even better. (and some bargains - I know what I want, just haven't found it yet.) :) and I also need to get this house clean for all the company this weekend! :) Fun, fun! Mark's siblings are going to be here... Lauren with my sister, Angie and Ryan, Mary (Ryan's wife) and Dustin with us! We are looking forward to their visit!

Anyway, has anyone read Hidden in a Whisper by Tracie Peterson? I finished it last night and wasn't really impressed. Too many psychopaths, it didn't seem really feasible to me. I like the Harvey House setting, but the the story line was a little bizzare. I just wondered if anyone else had another opinion. I tend to read calmer books anyway, so it really wasn't my style, although I do enjoy a good mystery now and then - more of a cozy mystery. See my post on books.

Tammy at Tammy's Times, posted a great recipe for Everyday Cassoulet. I tried it out for the first time at our church's potluck on Sunday. (Probably not the greatest way to try a new recipe.) but I guess it was a hit, judging by the amount that was left when we got it home - barely anything! :)

Sneak Peeks!

Ok, so it's been a little while... :) I promise I haven't forgotten about the Bloggy Giveaway! I am currently working on a project that I plan to give away to one of you lucky readers of my blog! :) Here is a sneak peak of it:

It is... Very SOFT!! No, I'm not telling yet... just keep on checking back! :) Hmm... I might have to make me one! The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun - I used this brand to make scarves (Lauren's) last Christmas and I found this skein on clearance.

I've also got this other project going... I am hoping to finish it soon. This is also a Lion Brand yarn, Suede. It is also super soft! It is interesting to knit with- it kind of sticks together, but it is one piece, not three or four spun together. It is going to be a purse, possibly for sale at Etsy.com, it is laying on the lining. I'm not sure how I am going to do the handles yet, but I have an idea.


A cool site I found, www.ravelry.com. After waiting a couple of weeks, I got my login. Very cool and well designed, a great way for a knitter to keep track of her projects, yarns, to-do patterns, knitting books, knitting friends, etc... It's fun to input things and check out other people's projects.

Happy New Year!

I hope each of you has made a good start to the new year! It is hard to believe that it is 2008 already! It's also hard for me to believe that Christmas is over for another year! So sad! I'm still listening to Christmas music, and our tree won't come down until Saturday. :) I'm never ready for Christmas time to be over!

Anyway, another year has come. Any New Year's resolutions, anyone? I want to read the New Testament in 90 days, knit a pair of socks, and of course grow in the Lord and be a better wife. I am also planning some fun things soon! Keep watching for a bloggy giveaway to help chase away the winter/post-Christmas blues. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks! :)

Until then, for those of you who are interested... here are a few pictures of our holidays.

First Christmas Day with my family:

Christmas 2007

And our Christmas with Mark's family and also New Years:

Christmas visit with Mark's Family

Knitting Year in Review

Just a few of my projects from the last year.

When I look at what I have done in the past year, I'm shocked! For perspective, a year ago my knitted Christmas gifts were scarves. I have been basically self taught with Knittinghelp.com. I couldn't have done it without those videos!! :) I don't do patterns very well. I usually find a pattern I like, then adapt it to suit my skills and/or what I want my finished product to look like. Anyway, I've had fun, and I am looking forward to trying some new things in 2008. I hope my knitting posts are encouraging to those of you that are learning knitting or anything new - just keep trying and don't be afraid to try something new - you can always "frog" it (rip-it, rip-it!) :)

Secrets Revealed!

Well, for all of you waiting in suspense for the identity of my top secret Christmas projects, here they are!! :)

Purses for all my sisters!!! :)

Here they are opening them: We had Christmas with my family Christmas Day...

and then last Friday, we went up to visit Mark's family for an extended weekend and had Christmas with them. I think they liked them! I made them with Caron Felt-it yarn, 100% wool, then felted them. They are also lined like my purse, but with different, fun fabrics. For more pictures and pictures of the purses before I felted them, click here.

ETA: For more homemade Christmas gift ideas, see Tip Junkie's Talk to Me Tuesday! If you're visiting from Tip Junkie, feel free to have a look around. You might want to check out my crafts or other Christmas ideas.