Sunday Blessing

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.

America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

America the Beautiful
by Katherine Lee Bates

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday and a good start to another week!

Blessings!


Picture taken July 2006 at a local fireworks display.

A Little Leftover

One of my favorite yarns to work with recently has been Sugar 'n Cream Cotton yarn. It's 100% cotton, takes wear and tear and washes well. So I've been using it for socks and of course dishcloths, of which I have made to many to count! The problem with all this cotton is that nothing uses exactly the whole skein. I have little bits and pieces leftover, rolled into neat little balls (or not!) and stored in my closet. I have inherited the propensity for saving things and I can't throw good yarn away! So last night I found a great use for all those bits. (Not too little, if it's less than three feet, I thow it away!) :)

The pattern is called Tribble. I love the way it turned out!

Here it is before I sewed it together. It is a little smaller than the pattern recommended, but it is big enough for me. The pattern recommend 10 inches long, mine is only about six. I wanted to just use what I had left and see how it would work.


The Tribble hard at work! I love it!

The pattern was soo quick to knit up, and it is great to do dishes with. It would also be great to use as a shower scrubby. Here it is on Ravelry.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!

Blessings,

Well Begun...

...is half done! (Alternate title: What I've been working on today.) :)

Just another phase in the family room project. You might remember the fabric from this post. I am working on curtains aka valances. Both windows are six feet wide.

This length is 12 feet long - to give a little fullness in the curtains. ETA: I am thinking about putting another black band at the top. I am going to line the back with a white fabric (to keep it from being too dark.)


I hope everyone is having a good week!

Monday Meanderings

Happy Monday, everyone! :) I am trying to start my Monday off on the right foot. I have a list (almost) a mile long that I would like to get done today.

I don't always write to-do lists, but I do find that when I do, I tend to get more done, or at least feel a greater sense of accomplishment. (And the pretty paper helps too!) :)

Mom and I got some great deals at Hobby Lobby on Friday. Here is one:I've had my eyes on this duck for months! You can't help but smile when you see her! Maybe I should name her! Any suggestions? :)

Here is part of my little mint patch. A sprig of this is wonderful in a glass of iced tea! The perfect way to cool off on a summer day! Come on over and share some with me!

I've already crossed a few things off of my to-do list as you can see. One was to sweep the front porch. The entrance to a home is important and the first thing a person sees when visiting. I love looking at the entrances to other homes and comparing how welcoming they are. It doesn't take a lot of effort to make a welcoming entrance. (Another blogger, Lady Lydia, has some tips for improving your entrance. While you are there, do a little looking around. Her articles are great inspiration for Keepers at Home, I especially liked the most recent one. If only I had read it when we were first married, but it still applies.)

Another thing on my to-do list was to write another Time to Bloom post. Ripples and Wildflowers is now up for your reading pleasure, and for food for thought. :) I would love to hear more of your thoughts on the topic.

Well, that's all of my meanderings for now... I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Blessings!

Sunday Blessing

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

What A Friend We Have in Jesus
by Joseph M. Scriven

I hope everyone has a wonderful week full of God's abundant blessings!

~Picture taken at Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, May 2006.

Skydiving!!

Summer days are here! I hope everyone is staying cool. It hasn't been totally unbearable yet, but we are having highs of 90. Today was Mark's work picnic. It would have been a little nicer in October like it was a couple of years ago, but there was a nice breeze most of the time. We had a lot of fun. You can't beat free snowcones! (I had two!) They also had some really good Texas barbeque - YUM! They had lots of fun stuff for the kids: big inflated play slides etc., a petting zoo, and build-a-bear (not the ones in the mall, but cute ones with company t-shirts.) Throughout the day, they gave away prizes. Mark's name was called and he got a air compressor along with a work logo t-shirt for me. (He got one free when we arrived.)

One of the really neat events was the skydivers. One of the guys that did it works for the company. I had never seen skydiving before. It was really cool watching them glide in and they all landed safely! Whew! :)

Here they are shortly after they jumped. When they first jumped, they were so high and close together, it looked like there was only one of them.
Two out of the three riding the wind!

In for a safe landing!

I know these aren't the best of pictures, but they are pretty good considering I took them with my phone! :) Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Saturday, and a blessed Sunday tomorrow.

Blessings!

A Little Knitting...

As requested, here is some of my recent knitting. First of all this purse which I woke up from it's summer nap! I guess wool isn't so bad if you keep the air conditioner going! :)

As I said before, the wool is from Homestead. This is a community near Waco, they have an annual Craft and Children's Fair. They are bringing back many old crafts such as quilting, weaving, knitting, pottery, woodworking, soapmaking, spinning.... The list goes on. They are so fun to visit and their work ethic, morals and discipline are very refreshing! I enjoy the visits with them so much, they are very conservative and not materialistic. Anyway, if you are down near Waco sometime, I encourage you to stop by. They have a little village open all year. And the food is WONDERFUL! :)

I bought this yarn last year to make a purse for myself! :) It is from their own sheep and they have died and spun it. (It was so natural, that I spent quite a bit of time picking out the little bits of grass. Kindof surprising because all their goods are such high quality. Guess it's really hard to clean.) After picking the wool and winding it into balls, I got started on my purse! :) The coloring isn't even throughout, but I think it makes the purse even more beautiful. The slight difference in tint adds to the texture:

Also to mark the corners of purses and the rounds, I made these stitch markers several months ago. You can order cute ones online, but they are not hard to make. They would look even better, if I had the right pliers. (Here is a link to a tutorial for making them.) It is so much more fun to have pretty markers than to just use the plastic rings at Hobby Lobby.

(This one is actually a little different than the other three, with the two beads at the bottom instead of one. It usually marks the beginning of a round, but I didn't place it at the right spot... oh, well!) :)

One moment please:


If you are my sister-in-law, and your name is Lauren.... go NO further.





Everyone else, please proceed... I don't think she visit's my blog often, but just to be on the safe side! :)

These are for Lauren and are my current pair of socks.

I call them Blueberry Limeaide. Appropriate name, don't you think? and so summer sounding. Too bad they are for Christmas! :) Well, maybe summery socks will keep her feet warmer in the winter! They are made with Sugar 'n Cream yarn - 100% cotton. It is thicker than regular sock yarn. However, it is also much cheaper and more readily available. (I don't know why Hobby Lobby doesn't sell sock yarn.) Anyway... this also goes much faster and they have all sorts of colors and contrasting colors to match. I have been having fun knitting with it.

Well, that is my most recent knitting. I hope I have inspired you! :)

Blessings!

Girly Antics!

It has been a while since I posted anything about the girls. They are growing fast and getting smarter every day! :) They are so enjoyable to be around... they are being raised well! So here are a few of their recent antics! (Warning - LOTS of pictures to come!) :)

First, Gracey!

Several weeks ago, she sat by me in church (well, she actually sits with us quite often, but on with the story...) Sometimes she decides that she wants to write, and I let her use some of my paper and pens (I keep several colors in my Bible case.) She likes to use the different colors. This time, she wrote almost the entire sermon, asking me questions about what I was doing and imitating me. She filled and entire sheet, I think just the front, but with tiny scribbles. Angie covertly took pictures and they were a little fuzzy - we didn't want to use the flash in the middle of preaching, and with a three year old, you can't really recreate the moment! :)

About three weeks ago, she sat with us both services (by us, I mean Mark, Angie and I - when Mark isn't in the sound booth) That morning our paster (her Grandpa) was preaching about worship and was talking about people falling on their face in worship in the Old Testament. Gracey looked up at me and said softly, "That would hurt." So matter of factly, I got tickled! Then that evening our pastor asked if anyone else wanted to testify, and Gracey piped up, rather loudly, "Not me!" Several people heard her that time... she is such a case!

Now on to Faithie...
She isn't talking a whole lot yet - in English anyway! But she definitely gets her point across and she is very intelligent and coordinated and strong willed! Regina has her hands full with those two! Anyway, I kept just Faithie a couple of weeks ago so Regina could run some errands (Regina's mom had Gracey for a couple of days.) I had a lot of fun, and so did she! Here she is modeling my shoes:



She still has lots of crazy expressions!
She is also just learning to color. Angie had given me these markers for the girls to use. (Can you believe they are still working this long - she got them at least ten years ago!) Anyway, they are just right for Faithie's little hands to grab onto. I worked with her the day of above pictures, and taught her how to use them - open them, put the lids back on, and don't put them in the mouth please, write on the paper! I babysat both girls for a little while on Monday and they both enjoyed a little craft time.

Here is Faithie putting the lid back, very good coordination for a little girl - almost 18 months.


Well, I've gotta run! I hope you enjoyed these little stories and that everyone is having a wonderful week!

Blessings!

Red as a Cherry!

I am in the process of decorating our family room. (That is what all of this fabric is for.) Someone had given us this lamp a while ago. It is older and the gold was scuffed. So why not paint it to match the room it is going to be in? :)

Before:


After:



I do wish the paint was a little glossier. Maybe it needed another coat? I don't know, but I thought it turned out rather well and the color is just great! :) I have another lamp to redo, but I don't have the shade I want yet. Anyway, I will be posting progress on the family room as I get to various projects.

Sunday Blessing

Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!

Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.

Refrain
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

Have a Happy Father's Day and a blessed Sunday!

Blessings!


ETA: Picture taken at Mrs. Lee's Gardens in February.

Happy Father's Day!

To both of our dads! We love you!





The amazing thing is that our dad's grew up 30 miles apart and are so much alike in some ways! We are so blessed by their leadership and wonderful Christian example!

Here is my dad (left) with his brother Bill:


and Mark's dad (left) with his sister Teresa and brother John:


They didn't know then what the future would hold and what wonderful children they would have! :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

WWKIP Day

I'll bet not many of you know what that acronym means! :) Today is World Wide Knit in Public Day!! Here's a little bit of history:

World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company. Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors could spend all their lives never knowing that the other knits. This a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you. Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air.

So all you knitters out there, UNITE! :) I'll probably be taking my sock to Home Depot if we get there today. :) There aren't any big gatherings here locally, oh well...

As for my current knitting. I have started a purse using my yarn from Homestead, but it seems so hot to be knitting with wool right now. That purse has been snoozing. So... I've been working on Christmas presents! I have been having great fun mixing colors for fun socks. I have exceeded my New Years resolution of making socks and am now on the second sock of my Fourth pair! :) They are great fun! Maybe I will share some here, if the intended parties agree not to look! :) If you are on Ravelry feel free to look at my projects page. All my socks are there.

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Blessings!

What is black and white and red???

Just a hint of a project that I have begun to start. :) So far I have materials and ideas! Hopefully soon it will start coming together. Our family room has been a work in progress for a while. I have been slowly collecting furniture and decorations. (Here are some pictures that show the room... the ugly curtains are gone! and I have more decor on the walls.) Anyway, I am ready to make it more hospitable! :)

Thank you all for your condolences. I don't think any of us realized how hard it would be to lose Scamp. He has been such a part of our family for so long. We are doing better each day. A cute story: when Gracie's Mommy told her about Scamp dying, Gracie asked if he was in heaven. Regina was trying to think of how to explain and Gracie put up her hand and said "Wait... chariots of fire and horses. Scamp is in Heaven!" Out of the mouths of babes! Sometimes I think kids are smarter about things like that than we adults are! I believe that the Lord knows what we need even in Heaven, and like Rusty said in her comment, good dogs go to heaven! :)

Today, Angie and I are going over to help Regina around the house. Please pray for her as she is having some difficulty with the pregnancy. We are hoping to make her day easier and help her as she gets things ready for the baby.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Blessings!

Goodbye

1994-2008

We had to have our dear doggy put to sleep yesterday. It is so hard to describe the pain that all of us feel right now. He was fourteen years old and the sweetest little boy you can imagine. He wasn't hyper like some small dogs, but very laid back and very loving. He loved "treats," didn't like baths but loved the cuddling that came after them.

Part of the pain comes from the fact that he was my grandfather's dog (my Dad's father). My grandfather owned both of Scamp's parents and we got Scamp from him when Scamp was seven months old. Not only have we lost a part of our family, but losing Scamp is like loosing Grandpa all over again.

This post is the hardest that I have ever written. Some of my readers remember Scamp and what a sweet boy he is. This is the best way, I think, to let you know about our loss. When we took him in to the emergency care center yesterday, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and his lungs had fluid in them. He was having a hard time breathing, but he enjoyed his last car ride, he loved to "Go." It was good to know that his problem wasn't for lack of care, just that he was so old. I think he lived so long because he was so loved. He was healthy and perky, very active for the most part, until the last. He is now buried under a pine tree in Dad and Mom's back yard, next to the former owners' beloved kitty.

Thank you all for understanding. Sorry to start your week on a sad note here, but I felt I needed to share. Please pray for our family as we process and try to get on with life. The picture above was taken a couple of months ago when he stayed with Mark and I while Mom, Dad and Angie were out of town. He is keeping his eye on me while I was sitting at the computer. He lived with my parents and Angie, and Angie and I shared the care. She did most of the caring for him since Mark and I were married. This is really hard on her because he was her constant companion. The important thing was that he knew he was loved and cared for and someone was with him almost every moment when he was really sick. He didn't suffer long, for which we were thankful and the Lord chose to take him on a day when the family could all be together.

To make an apron...

I have a confession... I have become hooked on aprons! (It's almost as bad as my sock addiction!) I have several hanging in my broom closet, some new and some vintage. I will probably share them in a future show and tell, but for now let me share this one:

I made it from the cutest little dish towel! It actually came in a package with a matching potholder. I like terry towels personally for the kitchen, but I have a hard time passing up cherries. I decided to make an apron out of it and have really enjoyed it.

Regina's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I decided to make her one. I have found really cute towels at Tuesday Morning. They have a great selection of these towels. I got this set of three:

I like the floral one. When you are looking for towels to make this apron with, look for ones with patterns that can go either direction and aren't decorated only on one end, or else the pattern will end up looking sideways!

The supplies you will need for your apron are as follows:

• 1 (non-directional) linen type dishtowel, prewashed and ironed
  
• 1 package of matching large 7/8" double fold bias tape
• thread to match the bias tape or use a contrasting thread
• sewing machine :)

I first made pleats evenly spaced on either side of the apron.
(My apron has one pleat on each side, I like the two per side much better.)

Here is a video showing how I made them:

Cut tape to the desired length (I used about 80 inches.) and attach, be sure it is centered! (Here is the method I used to attach it. You might want to look around while you are there, Amy has some really cute sewing ideas as well as a apron group.)
I attached it just a little below the top, so that it would be completely on top of the towel without empty tape at the top.

Sew first on the inside of the tape at the crease:

**at this point I am switching to my apron, I finished the brown one really late and forgot to take pictures***
then fold the tape over and sew again from the front starting at the end of the tie. When you reach the apron, the machine will catch the wider strip at the back. Take extra care at the pleats to be sure that the back is folded over enough and catching.


Like I said: Watch the Pleat! I missed a little here:


Tip: Tuck the ends in before you sew and sew down then across.


Here is the finished brown apron modeled by the recipient, Regina:

And yes that is a little pooch in front!! I have another little (adopted) niece or nephew coming in November! (She is actually exaggerating for the picture, she never gets very large even with almost a ten pounder last time - Faithie.)

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my little tutorial! I had a lot of fun making this and I am looking forward to making more. I would love to see your version, if you make one!

Blessings!

ETA: Thanks for stopping by, a big welcome to those of you from Tip Junkie! To see another apron I made recently click here. Feel free to look around! :)