Crochet Quiz from Sarah Sweethearts

Through Debi at Dly's Hooks and Yarns, I found Sarah Sweethearts. I love discovering new blogs :-) Sarah's hosting an InLinkz quiz with the following questions. Hop on over and join; it's fun!

Are you a multi crafter?

Yes. I crochet,

 I scrapbook and make cards,

and I cross stitch.

Do you like to knit or crochet more?

Crochet. I haven't learned to knit yet.

What is your favorite brand of yarn?

 Red Heart Super Saver. I love all the colors and the price.

Striped, variegated or solid?

Solid and variegated. I'm not sure what striped is.

How long have you been crocheting/knitting?

A little over 3 years.

Your preferred hook size?

Lately, the H hook is my go-to size.

Acrylic, wool, cotton or blends?

Acrylic and cotton.

Do you like a regular handle or a thicker handle...such as a wood covered, clay covered, etc.

I like a regular handle for larger hooks 

and a thicker handle for tiny hooks used when I crochet with thread.

Do you donate or gift most of your items? 

I donate most of what I crochet. 

What sort of charities do you donate to?

Mostly baby-related.

I donate to the Guardian Grandmas

and I've started some hats for CLICK for Babies.

It's also been on my heart to make some items for Forever Warm and Calvin's Hats. These 

organizations provide items for stillborn infants.

What is your main reason for being a yarn/textile enthusiast?

I love being able to make something with my hands, and the act of crocheting

is very therapeutic for me.

 What hook size do you not have in your collection?

I think I have all of the regular size hooks. 

But I think I'm missing some of the thread size hooks.

How did you learn?

I took a class at my church.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Tickled Thursday

I really admire people who exercise on a regular basis. I admire them, but I don't want to be them.

Source: http://myhoneysplace.com/my-favorite-quotes-17/1235877_431379030305345_1687932443_n/

Source: http://myhoneysplace.com/my-favorite-quotes-4/376063_471445489592580_964647810_n/

Source: http://www.someecards.com/usercards/unsubmitted/MjAxMi1iZDc4NGViNDg0MmQ0ZTQ3

Source: http://myhoneysplace.com/my-favorite-quotes-13/1150966_526644947408368_1110463482_n/

Had to really laugh when I saw this one. I actually own one of these! 

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

No WIPs Just Words

With our convention last week and playing catch up this week, I haven't hardly picked up a crochet hook. And my cross stitching is starting to gather dust. I need to start scheduling craft time into my day.

I'm relearning how to type with one hand. Funny how once you learn to type, you forget how to hunt and peck. At least I have. Why am I typing with one hand? Because my Bean has entered The Super Cling Stage. As long as I'm holding her, she's happy. This is new to me. Hope was not a cuddly baby; she didn't like to be held for long periods of time. And when she was 7 weeks old, I was back to work full time. I don't mind holding her all the time, but eventually I have to do those necessary things like cook, clean and go to the bathroom. Then I incur the wrath of Pterodactyl Baby.

Speaking of stages, we had a milestone this week: sleeping through the night! Woo hoo! (trumpets blowing, cymbals clashing, confetti flying) Monday night, Alex slept all night. Only one wake-up Tuesday night, then all night sleep last night. Ah, sleep. How I've missed you :-)

Over at Daisy Cottage Designs today,  you can print out a cute sign that says Home is Where the Yarn Is. I printed one and taped it to my yarn cabinet. 

Our peaches are ripe. I found a peach jam recipe that I'd like to try. I've only made freezer jam before so this will be an interesting experiment.

I'm making Mini Chicken Pot Pies for dinner tonight. The only things I do different are I cook the chicken all the way through before adding it to the mix but I throw the peas in frozen.

That's it for today. Nothing exciting. 

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Source: http://www.bloglovin.com/viewer?blog=5060373&post=1335589311

Two Tuesday

Source: hooksandyarns.blogspot.com

Two Things I'm Grateful For:

1. Our Church. When we first started attending, I was a little apprehensive. It's very small (we have about 30 members at the most). But I've learned small can be a good thing. You get to really know everyone in the church, and, over the last seven months, they've become more like family. They love our girls as much as we do (and enjoy spoiling them!), and they help us out in so many ways. We're very blessed to have them in our lives.

2. Premier Designs. When I tell people what I do for a living, I get a lot of different responses, not all of them positive. But that's OK. I know people have had bad experiences with sales and home shows. I try to show them that what I do isn't about the jewelry; it's about the blessings Premier has given us these last 8 years: being able to be a stay at home mom, being able to homeschool, having a better relationship with my husband, and having a relationship with God, just to name a few. That's why I love going to our big conventions every year; I get to really see the heart of Premier.

Update: Holley Gerth wrote a beautiful post about meeting some of our jewelers. You can find it here.

Two Patterns I Think Are Neat:

1.Bikini Swimsuit Bag

I usually only link free patterns on Tuesdays, but I think this is so cute. It's worth breaking my rules. It only costs $2.50, and the entire amount goes to an animal shelter (another reason I'm linking it). 

2. Seaside Wrap

This one is a free pattern. It's beautiful and would be great for the beach.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Monday Musings

Ah, back to normal life. I love going to National Rally, but it's exhausting.Very long days and not much sleep at night. But we enjoyed visiting with all the suppliers and missionaries.

It was an average size crowd with around 7000 attendees.

It was great to see our friends from Florida.

We had Holley Gerth as one of our guest speakers. It was nice to meet her; I bought several of her books as gifts and she signed them.

And I always love the patriotic tribute on Saturday. 

The best part is hearing from the company that they love us and God loves us. Our conventions are never about sales and numbers; they're always a way to inspire us and remind us what's important in life.

Hope and Alex stayed with friends from church. Hope went bowling and swimming, had a sleepover with a friend, and ate at her favorite restaurants. Alex came home with new clothes and a couple new toys. 

That's about it. I'm cleaning the house and putting away all the stuff that managed to get spread all over during the last week. 

Thanks for all the nice comments about The Wool Eater. My neighbor loved it. 

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

 

Finally Finished a UFO

It's finally done! Woo hoo! First UFO off my list completed!

I know! I'll finish another one!

Well, not today.

We're off to our annual jewelry convention today, so I won't be here for a few days.

It's definitely weird this year. No long planning for our cross country trip, no packing, no major budgeting. Just get up and drive to Fort Worth each day. Home every night in our own beds.

It's nice, but it kinda takes the excitement out of it.

Oh, well. It'll still be fun :-)

Thanks for reading.

See you next week.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Monday Musings

What a place for a nest! These wasps have been building their nest on the thermometer needle for about two months now. I keep saying I need to spray them, but I'm fascinated by their tenacity. The thermometer has a plastic covering on it, but it fell right after we moved in and a small piece broke off. That's how the wasps got behind the plastic.

A large branch on one of our peach trees broke off, so we picked the peaches off it. I'm not sure if they'll ripen the rest of the way, but we can hope. Both trees are loaded with peaches. The dogs jump up and snatch them off the lower branches.

Most of Alex's pajamas have the built in mitts on the sleeves so she doesn't scratch herself. Every morning, I find she's worked her thumbs out of them. She loves her thumbs; she's trying to be a thumb sucker already. Hope liked the pacifier, but Alex doesn't.

Have a marvelous Monday!

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Currently

I saw this on Pinterest (my not so secret addiction) and thought it was neat. It's listed as a journal prompt, but I think it can be used anytime as an exercise to stop, be still, and pay attention to the small details that make up our lives.

CURRENTLY

It's Sunday, July 6, 2014, at 10:10 a.m.

LISTENING
To the air conditioner, the cat scratching in the litter box, and Tim talking to Alex in the bedroom. Birds singing outside and a fly buzzing around my head.

EATING
Nothing right now, but I just finished a bowl of cereal about 10 minutes ago.

DRINKING
Nothing right now. I had my two cups of coffee at 6 and 8.

WEARING
Blue jeans, a sleeveless tank with layers of lace (brown, cream and rose colored), a brown sweater/shrug,  and brown loafers. Also, a silver bracelet, a long pearl necklace tripled, pearl and silver chandelier earring, my watch and wedding ring.

FEELING
Content, peaceful, and relaxed. Except for mild irritation whenever the fly comes too close.

WEATHER
Warm and sunny. 86 degrees, blue skies, no clouds.

WANTING
To finish this post before we go to church.

NEEDING
Nothing right now :-)

THINKING
About what else I'd like to do today: crochet and cross stitch, go to JC Penney to buy some clothes for Alex and Hope.

I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my morning :-)
Thanks for reading.
Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Source: http://aplaceforart.tumblr.com/post/20738929141/proverb-3

Challenge #18: Crochet on TV and in Movies

This week's challenge for the 52 Week Crochet Challenge hosted by Red Berry Crochet is to name movies or TV shows that show someone crocheting or show a crocheted item.

After racking my brain, I could only think of one time I've seen crochet in a movie or on TV. I've seen several afghans and crocheted clothing items on That 70's Show.

But, of course, I knew that couldn't be it, so I went to good old Google. Then I spent the next 10 minutes saying, "Oh, yeah! I forgot about that!" or "Really? I've seen that a thousand times. How'd I miss that?" 

So, here are a couple of crochet things I've seen on TV and in movies and apparently forgotten:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- Molly Weasley's sweater sleeves

The Smurfs- granny square afghan on the couch

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- the grandmother is crocheting

Roseanne- afghan on the couch and some sweaters

I also found a good forum discussion on Crochetville; this lists dozens of references to crochet in movies and on TV. 

And here's a section of posts from CrocheTime titled As Seen On TV.

And another good list from Crochet Concupiscence.

Crochet is everywhere :-)

What's your favorite crocheted item you've seen on TV or in a movie?

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Source: http://www.theboldabode.com/free-updates

Happy Independence Day!

Today, millions of Americans will have a barbecue

and set off some fireworks

in celebration of freedom.
Let's remember those who thought freedom was worth fighting for

 and those who still do.

 Happy Independence Day!

Thanks for reading.
Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Tickled Thursday

Some funnies in honor of my furbabies:

Source: http://www.neeny.com/funny-picture/20933-Minions-of-darkness.html

Source: http://www.lovethispic.com/image/33825/fell-in

Thanks for reading.
Blessings :-)

WIP Wednesday

Woo hoo! Empty boxes! That's a wonderful sight.

This week's work in progress is all about cleaning and unpacking and organizing. I can't believe we've lived here seven months and we still have so much stuff in boxes. Why do we have so much junk?

In between going through household items, I've been doing some online organizing, too. I've been cleaning out my Blogs I Follow list, unsubscribing to those who no longer blog. And I've been organizing my Pinterest boards a bit better so I can find things I pin more easily. 

Of course, there has to be crafty time, too. 

A baby blanket for my Half Knits crochet group, pattern found here. This started life as a Granny Stripe but I didn't like the way the colors were lining up. I frogged it and restarted it with only one color (the multi) and the aforementioned pattern.

My July Smalls SAL project; I'm determined to actually finish one! The chart for this can be found here. This is only four days worth of work so I may finish this on time.

And, as always, there's the Bean to take care of, homeschooling to do, summer fun activities (that old saying about all work and no play comes to mind) and I do like to spend some time with my wonderful hubby. 

Can anyone say Time Management? 

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration

Two Tuesday

Source: hooksandyarns.blogspot.com

Two Things I'm Grateful For:

1. Quiet Time. Whether it's first thing in the morning or not, I appreciate a time to just breathe. I can craft or read devotions or just sit and do nothing. 

2. A Camera With a Battery Pack. With Alex, we're back to buying loads of batteries. I knew I should have bought stock in Energizer 12 years ago :-) The one thing I don't have to worry about constantly replacing the batteries in is the camera. But I do have to remember to charge it.

Two Patterns I Think Are Neat:

1. Crochet Coasters

These are gorgeous! I don't know if it's the thread used or the stitches, but I love them. I have to get better at reading charts before I attempt them.

2. Paperclip Flower Bookmark

This is just cute. I need a little dish with a dozen of these in it on my desk.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings :-)

Today's Inspiration