Time for crochet

For a little while, I put away my needle and thimble and pull out my crochet hooks. I just finished crocheting some small rugs and a few dish cloths. I plan to work on some potholders a little later. I just love the look and feel of crocheted yarn!

goodbye 2007!

Here it is, almost another year has gone by.. and so quickly! So much has happened in this year. So many wonderful memories made. One child has graduated and has started his life, and now another child will soon be going down the same path. My little family will be getting smaller it seems. I felt so blessed that all my children, my husband and I were all together for Christmas dinner. I know too soon , one day, not everyone will be able to join us. How I hope I am wrong, but it seems that not all of the world stops for the holidays. Christmas day is still a day of work for many. The Christmas tree has been taken down and the ornaments and holiday decorations have been packed away. I am ready to greet the new year, with new ideas, new projects, new goals, ... new hope. Not the usual I want to loose weight, I want to make more money, but for me, I want to be less judgemental, less vocal on my point of view,and more kinder, more gentler, more of a help to anyone in need. I plan to enjoy each day as if it were my last and to count my blessings, no matter how large or small. This is my new year's resolution.

So much to do!

The morning started out early for me as usual, 5:30 a.m. I took a quick walk down to the gate of our property after my children boarded the school bus. The coyotes were yelling to one another. Sophie, my best walking partner, perked her ears up, sniffing the air as she listened. I would have walked a little farther, if it weren't for the cold wind pushing me back home to the warmth of our fire. Sophie, could walk all day in this weather. Our tree is up, the presents are bought and I have the Christmas day menu all planned out. Tomorrow, my children will be home for the holidays until Jan 7 and my husband is also off from work until Christmas is over! This for me is a treat to have everyone home. I know all too soon my nest will be empty as our children are graduating and moving on with their lives. Every day they are home is a blessing for me. So I may not post here until the holidays are over, as with only one computer, every one else may have it tied up. I have been busily crocheting dish cloths to someday sell and I am still working on an embroidered table cloth. I just received some beautiful vintage handkerchiefs from a friend who knows how much I love to collect these small treasures. I need to get these and other textiles organized and put away in my storage closet. I have a box of photos that I still have not scrap booked yet. There is just so much to do and even though I stay home, I don't have enough time to get it all done. Cooking, cleaning, and running back and forth for my family takes a great deal of my day away. If I am to get anything done, I think I am going to have to have a day for each separate thing and at least some of the things I need to do will be done.So for now to all who are reading this, have yourselves a very Merry Christmas!

Do you remember these?

Going through the Christmas things the other day, I came upon these vintage santa mugs I had wrapped into paper and put away in a box. The large ones are from elementary school Christmas parties long ago, and the small ones I rescued from a yard sale. I remember the candy M&M's had been placed in the ones I got at the parties. These all have the word "Japan" on the bottom, and I think they originated in the 50's, however, I was a child in the 60's. I have not been to a child's school Christmas party in years and I'm not even sure if such treasures are handed out like this anymore. In fact, in the limited selection of stores in my area, I have not seen any replicas of these. For now, these whimsical little fellows will keep me company in my kitchen, but I feel compelled to find another space for them after Christmas instead of stuffing them back into a box.

One of the things I love to design and embroider the most are linens for the bed and bath. Here is a pillow case I have finished. I have so many more ideas, but "sew" little time!

The day turned out sunny and only a little chilly. As I walked the grounds around our home, the Yupon Holly just looked so pretty in the sun, dressed for the season. I just had to take a picture. Usually by this time, the birds have already eaten all of the berries. I hope they enjoy the feed I left for them in their feeder and leave this bush alone for the season.

This morning started out extremely cold with heavy frost on the ground. I went out to let the ducks and chickens out of their house.... how excited they always are to get their little feet wet and dirty. The sunrise was beautiful this morning. No matter how many times I see the sun rise or set, every day is always different. Maybe a little darker or lighter, or maybe a different color altogether. As I walk past the hen house and gaze over the bare fields, I am so thankful to be able to see this scene each day of my life. Well, my plate is full and I need to get my hands busy. I have a large tablecloth that a customer wants embroidery on, and I have other items to embroider and crochet if I am ever going to have anything to offer on Etsy someday. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me about the embroidery. It is so wonderful to know we all share a common thread. I will have more pictures as I progress.

I'd rather be stitching

12-12-07
Walking out past the corrals this morning, I instantly felt the dread coming on as I looked over the long neglected grounds. So many weeds in such a short time! Some of these weeds are as thick as small trees and almost over my head in ground that seems as hard as cement if it has not been worked with. However, I can picture it as a rich, fertile garden, where I will soon plant my pumpkins this spring. I can also picture the work I have to do today to get this idea going. We got a good steady rain yesterday and the ground is soft and workable. I need to take advantage of this today to pull these weeds out before they get cemented back in a few days. The weather today is damp and freezing. I would much rather be by the fire, stitching my latest project instead of out in the mud playing tug of war with weeds. However, my dog, Sophie is looking at me, wagging her tail and ready to go keep me company. How she can spend the whole day jumping and rolling out in the wet muck still amazes me. I always feel good to get this kind of work behind me, knowing my thimble and needle are waiting for my return. I have found so many wonderful links to so many creative people. I will work at getting these added on another day, for now, I need to get to work.