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! :)