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?? :)