Saturday, December 20, 2008

Another picture


Here is another shot of the outdoors with the flash blocked.

Christmas decorations




I forgot to post pictures of our decorations. I went overboard outside but it looks nice. No one else on our block put up any lights this year. It is depressing. At least I still have some and my husband is actually proud for the first time (he didn't help at all though). The new tree turned out nice. Since it is in the corner due to remodeling the living space and its not done I had to leave half of my ornaments off. Next year I will have to figure out a different configuration. Maybe we can get a bigger place by then-who am I kidding?? Just baking and wrapping to do now so I am on the final stretch. I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

December 7th

Wow, Thanksgiving came and went. I cooked twice. Then nothing for days. Now we are in the fast track to Christmas. Been decorating like crazy. I have the outside done and the village, tomorrow the tree. Then wrapping, sewing, knitting, mailing stuff and then it will all be over until next year again. I hope to post some pictures this week if all goes well. My sons truck blew up yesterday and my other son is laid off so this year we are hurting like the rest of you. What a way to end the year. Bummer. Lets see what the new President will come up with next year. Hope you aren't all going crazy yet.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Long time since last post. I spent all day today cleaning and grocery shopping. At least my clean kitchen is still clean and so is part of my house. My craft room is still not tackled, nor is the master bedroom but that gives me something to do this winter and into spring--oH joy!! I am looming gifts and getting ready to do a mass sewing. I have so much to do before Christmas. How do we always get ourselves so over whelmed this time of the year?? I bring it on myself so I must love it or something. My boys will be here for Turkey dinner. I have a 22 pounder this year-HUGE. They said they want to take lots of leftovers home. I still have a bunch to clean up around here. Tomorrow will be a crazy day as will the next few. We don't stress much. I just cook way to much.
This year is just flying by. To many funerals. The last two months have been horrible for me. Now I need to pour myself back into things. I felt so disconnected but am coming around again. No pictures today but I will take some of my Christmas items and post them soon.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Clean Kitchen





Here is my clean kitchen. Thank you flylady.com. Look quick, it may not last long. ;)

Living room



Here is part of the remodel of the living room. We still have to sand and glaze the floor and finish painting. We stalled out a bit. Hopefully it will get done before the Holiday rush. Candy, I miss you, look down from Heaven and give me a push (you were supposed to help me install those levelor vertical blinds and finish painting-remember?). See where we stopped painting in the corner?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Button hat




Here is the hat I test knitted for Isela, it is very cute. Especially on my friend lol



Well, I promised I wouldn't keep away so long but now another month came and went. The Holidays are quickly approaching. I stopped on the cleaning crusade but need to get back to it. My best friend died two weeks ago and another friend is in the hospital. I don't want to go to the second floor ICU anymore. Enough. There, I said it so now it is so. Do you like my power???
I have been cleaning a little bit but I need to start concentrating on Christmas gifts. My craft/sewing room looks like a tornado hit it. Ouch. I have good intentions but that doesn't poof it all in its appropriate spot now does it? Where is Samantha from Bewitched when you need her?
I have been looming some, here are some pictures:

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Busy August 2008






I've been really busy this summer and seem to be getting no where fast. I have been remodeling my house and trying to organize. Life keeps getting in the way. I want no more surprises this summer. Funerals of friends seemed to be never ending, each week something horrible happened. Then household things like washer flooding laundry room, electrical problems and other everyday stuff filled my life. I have been trying to keep my sanity by loom knitting and sewing (teaching to sew class in the picture) but not getting much completed there either. I did make a pinwheel blanket for a friends new baby, 24 snowballs for VBS and a hacky sack,then the LAL pinwheel dishcloth at Dalooms (pink picture above). Now I am almost halfway with my first sweater on the KISS loom (half of back done in picture with loom and pick). I am behind in that class but I will continue to plod along. I have so many squares to catch up on in the afghan class but I had no intended recipient for this one so it will take a back seat. Now I need to fire up and start on my Christmas gifts. I have some yarn already to make my husband socks (wool) and my DIL a nice top and purse. I need to concentrate on those quickly so I won't be rushed at the holidays. We are painting and re-doing the living room this week and next.See the mess before starting. The table and computer area are my Husbands messes. I'll post new pictures when it gets done. My new wall unit and dining table will be here in a week so we have to get this done this weekend. I hate starting but will love the end results. Then I can get back to finish up the organizing in my craft room. I still need to remove two pieces of furniture and put up the peg board system. That should help a bunch. Then I will sort out the closets hopefully for the last time. I'm working on the flylady principle of 15 minutes and bless others and it can get done. I actually cleaned out 9 Kitchen cabinets this week so it does work. Just one at a time and it will finish before you know it. A friend is leaving her husband so I'm going to give her my extra furniture. That will help me clean up the clutter and bless her in setting up household from scratch with her and her daughter. They were in a mess and deserve nicer things. Many at the church are volunteering to help her. Till next time...keep looming :-)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Hacky sacks




I made one of these Hacky sacks when another loomer wanted to see it from the snowballs I already made. I still need to try it on my KISS loom. I used the small flower loom. I cast on using Brenda's gather cast on technique(http://www.box.net/shared/qftmvmeww0). Then I knit with worsted weight yarn (two strands as one) for 14 rounds. I used the knit stitch not the e-wrap to make a nice tight stitch. Then I threaded it for the gather cast off and removed it from the loom. Then fill a large new helium style balloon about half full of rice. Tie a knot and put this balloon into another balloon. Then pull the yarn tight and knot it inside by weaving the tail into the ball and out one other stitch. Don't fill it to full or it won't be flexible. They only take 20 minutes each. I used Red Heart Strata. It ended up being 2.5 inches across and high. I have unusally large flowers (aren't they pretty).

Pinwheel Blanket



We worked on this blanket several times over the last year and I finally made one and finished it. It is for a friends new baby. The pattern is from Denise Layman and wasn't as hard as I thought it might have been. I used bright colors since we didn't know if it would be a boy or girl. Plus she likes brights. I bought the yarn Baby bee at Hobby Lobby and used it two strands as one since it is a finer yarn.

snowballs



I had a neat idea this year and decided to do a VBS with Christmas in July as the theme. We called it 'giving not getting'. The children participated in making gifts for this coming Christmas and we will continue to work on them through the fall. I made some fun loom knit snowballs and we played games with them. We made fake 'snow' out of a science kit I found at creative toys and US playthings store in Plano. We also sang traditional songs that the children had never heard.They did so well learning them. These are songs we all grew up with but are no longer allowed in the schools. Hark the Herald Angels sing, Mary did you know.., Joy to the World, Angels we have heard on High, and other songs. We had a great time. Here is a picture of the snowballs before they were taken home.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Good intentions

With all this mess to cope with in my craft room I do all my looming in the Living room. I have 4 or 5 projects going and want to start three more. Please send help. I need the flylady to get calm out of this chaos. And you haven't even seen my husbands mess in the other rooms yet or whats behind the closet door #1, #2, and #3. At least it is beautiful, clean and calm outside. Just to unbearably hot to stay out there long. My sink is polished and shiny though and the laundry is done. Life is to short to get your shorts in a twist over this. I know where most stuff is, just can't reach most of it. This is my full time job. And people say--do you work??? It got this way because I worked. Now to control the beast. One step at a time, one space at a time. I have 9 sewing machines in this house and 5 must go soon. Two will go up to the church and one to my daughter in law and I hope to sell the other 2.The other 4 are different. One is cast iron, one is embroidery, one is a serger and one is my husbands embroidery and sewing combo machine. Maybe someday I will only have one or two of these, just not right at the moment. If I had a storage shed or basement this would not be a problem at all. I know people with much more space have storage trouble. I don't even have a garage so everything is in the house and full up. We do need more space, or get rid of more 'things'. I have trouble parting with some stuff. I still have a few toys from my sons, I even found that I have toddler stuff yet. The big roller coaster of KNEX and electonic battleship should go. It is hard for me to let go. These were so cool. My oldest took most of the LEGO's and gave some to an autistic clinic. I hated that. My dad got that stuff before he died back in the 80's up til 1990. They don't make them anymore. They cost so much back then. We had them all. Big sets, and little ones too. I love Lego's, and they remind me of my dad who died in 1990. I need to let go of that stuff. Put it to use instead of collecting dust. As my neighbors two year old says 'OH MAN!'
There is actually a rug under all that stuff? Some of the floor is now being exposed-gasp--would you believe under that lamp is another cubicle of yarn? It hasn't been seen in over 6 months now. Wonder what yarn it is? I get to be the church storage center and 4 bags are fleece for blankets, a brand new sewing machine under there somewhere for a door prize in August, and a brand new printer of my sons. Also, baby present for a friend, other sons mending and two boxes of books. What a mess. But at least I know what it all is right? I may get new pictures up on the wall when the buffet from the dining room leaves this space (it is hiding there on the right, up against the wall just taking up space too).


Here are the cages of yarn, all full. Still more in the closet. It is multiplying like the tribbles Scottie, save the ship Captain Kirk!
Oh well, I tried. The room was sort of clean for a whole day. I still have two large pieces of furniture to remove and a pegboard to put up. Maybe sometime in my lifetime it will get organized. Maybe not.

yarn cages


Maybe I can tame the stash a bit with this wall of cages. No escaping now you yarn! :-)
Stacked and ready to put up yarn wall of shame. My stash is bigger than even I knew, and look at all those books!!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

chaos

I haven't had time to enter pictures or posts on here lately. I have been reorganizing my whole house. It was a total mess. I will post pictures when I return from vacation and you will see what I mean. It is 3/4 done but we are leaving to go to my mother in law's house for a few weeks. No computer free time for me. When I return I'll show my shameful before, during and after photos. That is if my hubbie doesn't go and mess it right up first thing. We need a bigger space for all our hobbies. Then again, I just visited a friend in her late 70's and the more space; the more junk you accumulate. It scared me to think that could be me too. I'm definitely on the way. Makes me want to get rid of more stuff. I can't part with it yet. Maybe when I die you can all be on my inheritance list to get "stuff". I'll have to post it in a will or something--"stash goes to deserving looming friends" or something like that with a list of my yahoo groups. Sounds like fun. When you see my stash you will understand. I have been going overboard in no small sense either. Think BIG!!!
Gotta go pack for the trip and close my groups till I'm back.
See you all in June.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

this weeks post

I feel like this week was the same as the last post. I mowed grass for two days, got stung by a wasp 4 times and now I am helping a friend out with her dads funeral. It also stormed again tonight. Didn't this week happen just like that last week? Any more illness or death needs to stay at Satan's door not mine-Be gone Devil! There I spoke it.
I started on Square two of our afghan loom class finally. I hope to get the basket weave scarf moving along and done soon. Then I want to make the pinwheel blanket. I am behind but oh well. I won't let that stop me. I just need to find that pattern...hmm, is it under pile A, or was that B or C? It may even be in the living room. I'll find it soon, then the hunt for the perfect yarn out of my stash. That could take a whole day in itself. The looming will probably be the easy part. When I clear off a space I will sew linings for the two bags I made. I need to hurry that up so I can use my bag. My other one is just a bit to small for me. I have trouble carrying my checkbook and my inhaler and my epiPen with my other junk in such a small bag. I think this one will suit me much better. I have to finish it since my husband wants to take a trip at the end of May. I will be without a computer for two whole weeks-boohoo. Now I really want that laptop. This second hand computer already has problems too. I'll see what Santa can do for Christmas. :-)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

long time no see

I haven't posted on here in a while now. I have been busy knitting, and painting a bedroom. I stalled on the bedroom since I can't move the desk without help. Then the carpet gets out the door. The paint is dry and I have one more blind to put up. Then the rearranging begins. I'll post a picture real soon. I finished felting my striped bag finally. I still have to make the lining. I also made a small child's bag. A little girl wanted to learn how but she gave up after a few rows. I finished it. Now it also needs lining. I will probably do both of those tomorrow. Last week was a bust. Only the painting got done. I had to help with a funeral and Wednesday was just a weird day. This week is going better but I'm not finishing anything yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Today we had storms and a Tornado went about 4 or 5 miles west of us. We were sitting here waiting for it at dinner time. Luckily it went North and when it hit the lake it weakened. This is Tornado season here and we get many. I live in Tornado alley.

Monday, March 24, 2008

After Easter

Well, Easter is come and gone for another year. It won't be this early again for over 200 years. My trees have lost all their blooms and are all green now. My flowers are looking great. Even my Hosta's are up and green. I planted strawberries in the pots where I had one plant already. Maybe I'll get more than one here and there. It would be nice to grow something edible other than spring onions that seem to grow on there own here. I have chives growing all through my grass. It will really stink when I mow it this year. I need to mow soon. Some already have.

I am working on a prayer shawl and an afghan square a month LAL(loom a long) right now. I hope to have the shawl done real soon for a friend who is sick and possibly has cancer on her ovaries. She finds out much more tomorrow at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.

I'm also reading along with Oprah's book club on "A NEW EARTH" by Eckhart Tolle. Tonight though the broadcast locked up my computer at 9:07. I missed the last 20 minutes. I tried to log back in and it made my computer act really strange so I'll just wait until tomorrow and watch the last part then. The first night did this also, but the last two weeks worked fine. I don't know what happened today. Maybe to much internet traffic again. We are on chapter 4 already.

Well, that is all I have for now, I'll try to keep this blog as current as I can, I forget about it sometimes.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Spring





The snow has melted and evidence of Spring is finally here. Spring has Sprung!!

rainbow



Well, It has been a week since the big snow. I did get a few pictures of the rainbow on Sunday. It made a double rainbow as it started to drizzle. Here they are:

Thursday, March 6, 2008

snowstorm march 6,2008 1:30


This video has no sound since it is taken off of my digital camera. I don't own a video camera. Another thing to ask for in the future :-)

second snow storm-March 6,2008








Wow, all that first snow melted and yesterday was beautiful and 60 degrees. The Bradford Pear trees were buzzing with bees. At least I did my part to save the honey bees. They were pollinating the trees like mad. But, at noon today a snow storm, whiteout hit us again. It came early surprising everyone. We got about 7 inches in 3 hours and I have never seen such large snowflakes in my life. And I lived in the North for a long time. I finally went out and shoveled so my husband could get in the drive. All the neighbors got stuck. Then the neighbor kids and some young neighbor guys and I went out making snowmen and having snowball fights. It was fun. I let the inner child out. Now I'm ready to get cozy, drink hot chocolate and knit. Yeah!! A reason to just mush. Here are some more snow pictures. I'm sure all of you get so much you never want to see snow again, but here we NEVER get any. This is a once in a while event.

Monday, March 3, 2008

SNOW 2008





WOW, what a snow!!! It started to snow about 6:30 and it hasen't stopped yet. It was only supposed to snow maybe and inch and then melt. We already have 4 inches or more. It is sitting right over us. Down just a bit south it only did snow 1-2 inches and east and west didn't get much. We actually had white out conditions for a short time. It is beautiful outside---If it was CHRISTMAS!!!! But this is March---It was 71 degrees for the last 3 days, we even BBQ'd a steak last night on that grill!!. They say a few more hours of this stuff. We may be the only place with this much, they said on the news one or two spots will see up to 10 inches. Us and Durant Oklahoma. We may be the only ones snowed in by morning. Thats OK, I wasn't going out anyway. I voted early.There are already cars off the roads and in the ditches here. They always do that. We only get snow every year or two and then only once or twice. No one here knows how to drive or slow down on this. It was great snowman snow. Real wet and stuck together great. I'm past 50 but had to be the one making the snowman. I stayed out over an hour and a half and my SWS socks never even got wet. They kept my feet so warm. I'm still wearing them and drinking hot chocolate. Yummy.Here are some pictures:

Friday, February 15, 2008

Vest/Bag

Went shopping for more yarn today. But this time with a project in mind. I want to make the convertible vest/bag in wool. I'm allergic to wool so why I want to make this I do not know. It just looks like so much fun. A vest that zips into a purse, what a cool idea. It is a pattern in 'Knit Tricks' that Isela recommended to us. It uses all rectangles so they will also work on a loom not just needles. I bought brown and SWS brown to make one and Denim blue and blue marl for another. See, I bought enough for 2 - so I better get going.
More pictures soon, new computer doesn't have USB port yet.

Friday, February 8, 2008

back

Wow, I haven't been able to access this since my computer blew up. Now I'm back up and running. Just hope I haven't lost all my bookmarks and embroidery files from the fall and Christmas on the old one. Need to find a copy of windows XP to get back into the crashed computer. Then I can maybe get back some files. I backed up a bunch of embroidery files up till the fall but I was very busy this year and downloaded more than ever during the holidays. I knew better. I'll need to set up a better system, like every sunday or something to do backups. This was not fun.

Friday, February 1, 2008

KISS looms



I am working on the KISS loom baby items class. It is a real learning experience. I like it though. I finished the blanket so now I am needle knitting the same pattern to see how long it takes compared to the loom. It ended up needing a size 17 knitting needle to get the same gauge as this blanket. I thought it was a smaller guage. I cast on the same number of stitches (60) and I will do the same number of rows (90). I did use a different color yarn but it is the same weight yarn. I'll see what they look like in comparison. Then I will move on to the sweater and hat and booties.

I am also working on a knit purse. It was a kit on clearance at Joann's but I changed it up a bit. I did it in the round so I won't have to seam it and I made two pockets so far. Next I am figuring out how I will do the handles. I don't want to do I-cord this time. It is wool and I will felt it as soon as I get the handles done. I like the colors and the way the stripes showed up. After it is felted I will make the lining like my last purse with pockets to organize everything inside. These liners are really easy to sew up. The purse I am using now was knit with fabric strips. It is a bit to small and somewhat colorful and doesn't always match me.

Today I need to clean up my crafting space and work on some embroidery for my sister. Tomorrow is her birthday and I am so behind on getting her a gift. I always have trouble with hers. I never get a card or anything out on time. I don't know why. Groundhogs day is not easy to forget. I just never get her stuff out in time. Maybe its because she is the same way with me. I don't know why we do this to each other. Oh well.