Comfort Pack

So, this is the gift that I made for my husband this year. It is a crocheted comfort pack.

I filled it with flax seed, sewed a bag to put the seeds in, and the crocheted the washable, 100% cotton cover to go over it. I crocheted little buttons, so that the cover can be washed. I thought it turned out very nicely.

Here is the website with the directions. It was super easy - I think I might even make more.

Happy "30 Gnome" Birthday!!

So, Are you like me? And find it hard to throw away a PERFECTLY good toilet paper roll?

No?

I'm Crazy??

I think I have spent too many years working with children... knowing that there are so many uses for a sturdy tp roll~~~

 Well, my second daughter turned 30 last month - and she loves Gnomes... so, her sister and I decided to "Bomb" her house with 30 gnomes.

 Here are just a 

few of the places we placed them.

  She loved it!!!  Happy Thirtieth Birthday!!

 

This blog was my inspiration!!  She is ALWAYS an inspiration!!! Thank you Sarah!

Doxie Love

Just popping in to share some Doxie Love.....

Jonathan Edwards

So, do you all know about ChristianAudio.com?  It is the best site ever.  I am on their email list, and once a month get notification of the audio book that is free for that month.  There have been some pretty good ones: Cross and the Switchblade (David Wilkerson), Forgotten God (Francis Chan), A Passion For God (A.W. Tozer), Choose Joy (Kay Warren).  Just to name a few.
Well, THIS month... yes, this month....the month of my birth.... the best month ever....they have a GREAT book for free... and you have just 1 week left to download it.

This is a book about Jonathan Edwards, one of the great evangelists during the Great Awakening. It is wonderful glimpse into American History from a Christian perspective. I highly recommend it!
 

I give it 


Even if you don't think you would listen to it in the next few weeks.... download it, and save it on your computer, and have it waiting for that next trip you take in the car, or on an airplane.

There are no gimmicks or  hidden charges....I have been downloading free audio books for over a year, and LOVE it.

Let me know what you think......

The Mindy Project!!

This is the cute little hat I made for a cute little birthday girl....... 

my "great" neice!

Isn't she a cutie?

Mindy turned 3!

Seriously??? Again??? Still????

Ok - I think that I am seriously ADD.  I start to crochet something... and then something shiny happens and some blog does a crochet-challenge, or a Crochet-along.... and I put my project down and go buy more yarn... (I think I have a "condition")

Well, I am working on cleaning and organizing my office/craft room.  It is not an easy job... I have limited space... and for some reason my husband wants to use some of the space for his stuff, too!! the nerve!!!

I decided I need to start keeping all my yarn and projects in one place so that I know what I have ... This is what happened....

Doesn't it appear that some "yarn villain" has come into my house and done something nefarious??

But,NO... it was just me....

I am actually kind of embarrassed at all my projects... some I love and some I really don;t want to finish  I did finish that hat on the left for my little niece.  That was the 3rd try at trying to get it the right size  I want to finish the other 2 - because I am so close to finishing....
Do you see my cute little Santa hat?  I worked on that in February - still waiting for the little white pom pom on the top.  Then all the bags of half finished projects..... Some for little Indiana, one for Benjamin, and a couple for some of my "special" daughters. And there is AT LEAST one doxie in there. 
After the first of the year, I want to start working on all of my unfinished projects... is that possible??? (not sure)
disclaimer: not all unfinished projects are pictured.... YIKES!!!

"I HAD A DREAM!!!!"

When  I was a little girl, I remember being on the playground at school.... surrounded by all my friends.... jump rope going on around me.... hopscotch (my favorite!) being played... 4 square and tether ball not too far away..... but me..... wishing I had a TV on my wrist.  I KNOW!!!!  I was an addict even as a child!!!  I have always kept that wish/dream to myself.  I thought the closest I would ever get to that dream is my iphone in my pocket (which I must say... is pretty close!)

But, no........ Samsung has made a young Tassie's dream come true:

 check out the article here

I don't know if I will every get one...but when I heard it on the news, it sparked a VERY vivid memory with me... so, I just thought I would share!

Word For Wednesday!

I really do love this.  

The world (i.e. TV, movies, commercials, friends) tell us to "follow our heart".

And in our own thinking - it seems like the right thing to do....

but, we need to remember Jeremiah 17:9.

Two On Tuesday

 October is coming!!!!

hint... hint......

I am not a big fan of dapple dachshunds... but this is a precious picture!!!

My Succulent Garden

Back in December of last year, my sweet son-in-law planted a succulent garden for me.  I love it!  I had previously had a collection of annuals that needed LOTS of water and constant attention.  It went through good and bad times in appearance.  So, this was perfect.  I took this picture shortly after it was planted - I was so excited, and really wanted to blog about it - but alas... 

I did not...

But - here is the garden.... 

 December 2012

July 2013

7 months later.....

Oh my goodness!!  By the end of July it had grown so much......

August 2013

Now, here was just last week..... had it actually grown even MORE?? in 1 month's time???  

I love my son-in-law!!!

Doxie Quilt

This is THE CUTEST quilt. My mother is into making quilts.... I think she should make this one for ME!!

A Word For Wednesday

Prov 4:23

Two On Tuesday!

Purses for my Nieces!!

Here was my BIG summer project!!! 

They made up really quickly.  It was the lining and the flower, and just "assembling" everything that took the time.  The blog that I found the pattern on, ((link at the end)said that she lined the purses and the handles, so that the would hold up better.  And since these are going to 2 young little girls (Hi Sierra & Hannah!) I wanted them to last!!

Here are the purses in production:

No pics of the purses while I was crocheting them... I was having so much fun - didn't even cross my mind to take a pic!!

Then, I made the flowers.  Sorry I don't have the link for the patterns. I thought those would be easy to find... there are patterns for flowers ALL over the internet....

But, when you need one.... not there....

I hunted and hunted....and finally found some, I think they turned out VERY nicely!

 

Here they are waiting for their "insides" 

I thought it would be hard to find fabric that matched, but it wasn't.

I used yarn that I already had, then after they were all finished, I looked for the lining....

In hind sight, I guess that wasn't the "correct' thing to do...

but, it worked out!!

 Then sewing in the lining....

The final touches: the snaps and the labels....

love the labels.....

Tah Dah!!

 PURSES!!

I learned a lot from making these... they weren't hard.. they were time consuming... but, knowing that my sweet nieces would LOVE them... make it a labor of love!!!

Here is the promised link to the pattern

Ok..... REALLY??

Ok, so when I saw this I pinned it!!!

I had to!!!!

I pinned it at the beginning of summer, and I have been thinking about it ALL summer!!

It has been haunting me!!

I read a blog one time that said she made a list of all of her unfinished projects and posted it on her blog, to help her be more accountable.

I thought about that.... but, the post might be too long for ANYONE to read....

Just suffice to say.... I have my fair share of unfinished projects.... and it just makes me sick to read my Crochet Board 

and see all the new & cute & fun & useful projects I could be making!!!

I really HAVE been making things this summer... yes, I have started FAR more than I have completed.

But, I do have to say that I have not POSTED everything that I have completed!!

So, here is my goal.... to post when I complete... how often? not sure....

Well, I just finished a big project that I started this summer - and it was hard to complete - that is why it took me all summer... but, I just put the final touches on it today - 

I will be posting those pics tomorrow....

Not crochet related:

I worked on this tonight:

 You print out the leaves, and then cut them out. 

It was easy, and I have more to cut out....

My inspiration was from Under the Table and Dreaming

I am hoping tho make this a garland like the one in the pic - but, I knew that if I did not hang them up on my wall tonight - I wouldn't hang them up - and then they would get lost in the shuffle...