virginia blue

::deck the halls::

2010-11-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

The daughter and I spent Saturday afternoon decking the halls for Christmas.

Normally, this is not something we do until a day or two after Thanksgiving,

but the daughter works retail and will be up to her eyeballs in holiday madness from now until the new year...

and she would kill me{figuratively, of course} if I decorated without her.

We've always been fairly traditional when it comes to our Christmas decor ::

lots of red and green, and always white lights.

Always white lights.

But not this year.

This year I had a completely different vision in my head, and it only took a little bit of persuading to get the daughter to see things my way, too.

{and we both agreed that the male opinions would not factor in, since the male beings don't help with the decorating}

We are both officially in love, and our previous prejudices against colored lights have disappeared.

Not only that, but we are giddy over the white tree.

We love tradition, but sometimes it's oh-so-much-fun to be a rebel!

::xo::

::a bit of vintage pretty::

2010-11-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

Every once in a great while I manage to hit the local thrift store at just the right time. Around here, vintage fabrics in great condition at ultra cheap prices are not easy to find...

so you can imagine just how tickled I was on Monday afternoon when I found all of this for just under $6!

That little half-apron is quite possibly one of the prettiest little aprons I've ever run across in my thrifting adventures, and I scored her for a mere $0.50 {I'm pretty sure I did a little happy dance right there in the store}.

All the lovely sheets/pillowcases have me envisioning multitudes of projects :: patchwork pillows, scrappy embroidery, granny chic wall-hangings and more.

Not a good time to be without a sewing machine, which {sadly} I currently am. Hopefully I can remedy that sometime in the near future without spending a pretty penny. My sewing skills are, after all, utterly and completely basic. It would only make sense that a sewing machine for me should be the same :)

Anyhoo...

The color palette of my thrifty finds must have been in the back of my mind last night as I worked on these::

I'm officially in love with this super easy and ultra granny chic pattern for Christmas trees. I definitely see garlands/buntings in their future, and will undoubtedly be making many, many more.

Hugs to all!

::xo::

::weekend embroidery play::

2010-11-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

First, I doodled a little doodle on some graph paper...

then I transferred the doodle onto my fabric in a most primitive way, as I am not in possession of an iron-on transfer pen {yet}. How? By going over the back of the doodle image portion of the graph paper with an artist's pencil, covering as thoroughly as possible, then placing the paper right side up onto the fabric and lightly tracing over the doodle with a regular pencil. Voila! Image transferred to fabric :)

Definitely not the most ideal way to do it, but it works in a pinch.

If you look closely, you can see where I've pulled out the stitching on the words. The thread I was using was too thick for my liking, so I'll be re-doing that.

When it's all stitched up properly, I'll be putting it into a smaller hoop where the design will meet the edges and hopefully look something like a christmas ball ornament.

We shall see.

Happy Monday to all... hope you have a wonderful beginning to a brand new week!

::xo::

::feeling stitchy::

2010-11-13T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Just popping in quickly this morning before heading out to do the dreaded grocery shopping {definitely at the bottom of my list of things I want to do!}. Thought I'd share a quick peek at what I worked on last night while avoiding making my grocery list ::

For some reason, I had the wild urge to do some embroidery and I had two little "practice" ornaments I crocheted awhile ago that I decided to incorporate into the piece. I forgot how relaxing embroidery can be!

Thursday I whipped up another snowguy, at the request of my 16 year old son...

...almost as soon as I had finished my first one the other day {see previous post}, he told me I must make another one for him to give to his best friend's mom {isn't he sweet??}. I love that my kiddos are such fans of my handiwork :)

Hope it is a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable weekend for all...
I'm off for now. The grocery store is calling my name and I can no longer ignore it.

::xo::

::it's beginning to look a lot like christmas::

2010-11-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

November is just moving right along, isn't it? I'm finding that my list of "want-to-do's" these days is getting longer and longer; and the more I add to it, the further blog posting gets pushed down on that list. So we'll play the catch-up game now and I'll share a bit about the things that have been keeping me occupied for the last week or so...

1. More reading time. Living in my almost constant crochet-obsessed haze, it's easy to forget how much I love to read. Balance is the name of the game, even when it comes to hobbies... so I'm making an effort to swap hooks for books for at least a little while each day. Currently reading Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and thoroughly enjoying it.

2. Further feeding my classic Brit-Lit addiction with the help of our Public Library's dvd section. Thankfully, our library stocks plenty of BBC productions of classic literature movie adaptations, filling in many of the gaps in my own dvd collection {one day, I will own them all}. In the spirit of having-my-cake-and-eating-it-too, I've been popping them into the dvd player to watch while working on some crochet projects. In the past few weeks I've watched :: Little Dorrit, The Way We Live Now, Cranford, Return to Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Have seen them all before at one time or another, but I could watch them over and over again. I definitely have a love affair with Masterpiece Theater and the BBC.

3. Trying to teach myself how to knit, and failing miserably. Hats off to all the knitters out there!

4. Teaching myself Tunisian Crochet. Much, much easier to me than knitting.

5. Pouring over some lovely holiday edition magazines. My most recent purchase was the Better Homes and Gardens Food Gifts publication. Gorgeous pics, fabulous recipes, and oodles of creative ideas for packaging::

6. Working on a little bit of Christmas decor for the house ::

{little wreaths to hang on the tree or attach to cards and packages}

{a holiday-worthy granny square for the end table...the daughter said it was time to put the fall leaves away and start decking the halls}

{a festive granny mandala to spruce up the other end table. a huge thanks to Alice for the wonderful pattern, which can be found here.}

{my very first amigurumi project! gobs of fun to work on, and oh-so-cute. you can find the pattern here}

Lots of other things on the "to-do" list, not the least of which is catching up on some blog reading :)

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

::xo::

::welcome, november!::

2010-11-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

"The thinnest yellow light of November 
is more warming and exhilarating than any wine they tell of.   
 The mite which November contributes 
becomes equal in value to the bounty of July."

::Henry David Thoreau::

I've decided that if November were a book,

it would most decidedly be a Dickens novel.

Happy Monday,

Happy November!

::xo::

::oh, so cozy!::

2010-10-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Made a pair of these cozy wristwarmers this afternoon after fooling around trying to come up with a pattern...

I'm thinking they'd be a great shop item, if I ever get a shop off the ground :)

happy tuesday!

::xo::

::hooked::

2010-10-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

From thesaurus.com ::

Main Entry :   hooked
Part of Speech :   adjective
Definition :   addicted
Synonyms :   absorbed, captivated, dependent, devoted, enamored, obsessed, prone,
                    strung out, under the influence

I'd say I could stop anytime I want... but honestly? I don't believe I'm quite there yet. Here's a look at my hooking adventures since the last post ::

{cleaning up the messy yarn, forming neat little balls of color. i cannot relax when the yarn is in disarray!}

{working on a granny stripe afghan using the granny stripe block pattern found in this book}

{making and packaging lip balm holders w/ key rings; many requests for these from the daughter's friends and co-workers}

{whipping up this divine hat using this pattern, which i stumbled across via this post from this delightful blogger}

I also somehow managed to incur a deep muscle pull in my chest between Thursday and Friday which made me feel like I was either having a heart attack or a pulmonary embolism. I still have no idea what happened. Friday and Saturday the pain was severe enough to wake me up from deep sleep at night, and I'll be honest and tell you that crocheting did not help matters at all. But that didn't stop me from giving my dear hubby the "as if" look when he suggested that it might be a good idea to step away from the yarn and hook for a few days.

As.If. 

Spoken like a person who has never been strung out on yarn.

::xo::

*the pain is steadily becoming less bothersome... but I'd still love to know what caused it.

::sneak peek : popcorn & snowflakes earwarmer::

2010-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

A delightfully cozy way to keep one's ears warm, I think!

The daughter is busy at work today, so the modeling photos will have to wait...

{have also made 3 cozy hats in the past 3 days. aahh, the life of a crochet addict!...}

::xo::

**sometimes the light just does not cooperate with the iphone camera and I do not love the results..

have I mentioned how badly I need a new digital?? just sayin.**

::fall favorites : pumpkin bread::

2010-10-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I made one of my family's favorite Fall treats : homemade pumpkin bread. There's nothing quite like the smell of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg wafting from the oven on a crisp autumn day! And the taste?? Heavenly. Moist, spicy, sweet... the perfect compliment to a mug filled with something warm and soothing.

I don't recall exactly where I ran across this recipe, as it was quite a few years ago... but it is definitely the favorite pumpkin bread recipe in my family. It is so good, in fact, that my 9 year old niece {whose birthday is in March}requests a batch for her birthday each year in place of regular cake...

to begin::

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

lightly grease and flour 2 {9x5} loaf pans.

what you'll need::

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. each : cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can {reg. size, NOT large} pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups granulated sugar

the steps::

in medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside.

in large bowl, combine eggs, oil, pumpkin, vanilla and sugar until well blended.

gradually add dry mixture to pumpkin mixture, blending well without over-mixing.

divide batter evenly into {2} loaf pans;  bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

*as oven temps tend to vary, I suggest checking your loaves with a toothpick at 50 minutes; if the bread still isn't quite done, check again every 3-4 minutes to prevent over-baking.*

**if you're using coated or dark loaf pans, decrease oven temp to 325 degrees and bake for 55-60 minutes.**

Sit back, enjoy, and be prepared for frequent requests for this heavenly fall favorite!

::xo::

::gearing up for winter::

2010-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

The nights are getting quite chilly, and colder days are just around the corner! Last week I spent a great deal of time with hook and yarn in hand, preparing for old man winter ::

The daughter requested a headwrap/earwarmer after spotting some woolly ones at Charlotte Russe.

After much searching, I found this pattern online and got to work...

quick, easy, and so cute!

Then she decided she wanted another one, but she wanted it to have a braided look.

Rather than spend a bunch of time searching for another pattern, I decided to try and come up with something on my own ::

I fought with it quite a few times as I tried to make it all come together, and honestly didn't enjoy making it nearly as much as the other headwrap... she, however, absolutely loves it!

Managed to whip up a few scarves during the evening hours, too ::

a fun, ruffly one...

and a vintage looking stripey one!

Soooo...

Bring on the cold, the wind, the frost and the snow. {not right now, please...but, you know, eventually}.

We'll be wrapping ourselves up in so much cuteness, we won't even mind!

::xo::

::gifts from grandma::

2010-10-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Last month before I left Virginia to come home, my dad pulled me aside and handed me a well-worn cardboard box to carry along with me. Tattered, torn and not much bigger than a shoe box, it had been sitting in his storage shed along with scores of other forgotten items since my grandmother passed away 3 years ago. The furniture,jewelry, fine china, silver and crystal pieces having long since been divided and distributed, this box was part of the superfluous "junk". The "who will ever want any of this?" stuff.

Lucky for me, my dad is sentimental. He understands that many times the value of something has little to do with its aesthetic beauty or monetary value, and everything to do with the story it holds. I inherited that part of my personality from him. So, when he ran across the beaten up box with the metallic gold top, he instinctively knew that to me the contents would be viewed as treasure... not trash.

Caught up in the midst of tearful goodbyes and lots of hugging, the mystery box was placed unopened into my brother's truck alongside my suitcase and other incidentals... ready to make the journey home with me. Eleven hours later, unloaded from the vehicle after its journey, it was placed in a corner of the living room still unopened.

And there it sat. Patiently. For a week? Maybe two. When life gets crazy, it's too easy to forget the little things.

Finally, in the midst of cleaning on a Saturday morning, I remembered my little unopened box and decided to sit down and take a peek...

Little squeals of delight escaped as I took stock of all the lovely vintage treasures.

Knitting needles.  Buttons.  Crochet hooks.  The tiniest, oldest measuring tape I'd ever seen!

And the little vintage packages?  Too delightful for words.

But truly, the box contained so much more...

There, smack-dab in the middle of all the goodies, lay a reminder that I didn't just inherit my grandmother's petite figure, tiny bones, and much too hairy arms {which I shave, so as not to look like a gorilla. thanks, grandma!}. I also inherited inner qualities... traits that make me who I am.

My grandma didn't teach me to crochet. Or knit. As a matter of fact, I couldn't remember a single time when I'd ever seen her do either. But she did sew beautifully. And she did teach me how to cross-stitch because I was always in awe of the beautiful pieces she had hanging all over her house. She spent so many hours over the years using her hands to create beautiful things...

and now, I have a passion for doing the same.

Who knows? Maybe one day I'll even be brave enough to pick up those knitting needles and have a go at trying something new...

In the meantime, they serve as a beautiful reminder of tangible and intangible gifts given to me by grandma.

::xo::

::crocheting for the future::

2010-10-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

This little lady is the finished result from yesterday's sneak peek. At the beginning of this project, I had every intention of making another full sized afghan... but then the yarn supply ran low. And the money supply ran even lower.

So rather than abandoning her, even temporarily, into the unfinished pile... I made peace with the fact that she would be most fit for a snuggly, cuddly, warm, wiggly baby. Even though ::

I have no pregnant friends. No pregnant relatives.

I'm most certainly past the point of my child-bearing days, and clearly nowhere close to grandmotherly ways.

{thank you, dearest daughter!}

Still. One of these days a baby will come along. And when she does, I'll have a blanket waiting for her.

::xo::

::monday miscellany::

2010-10-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

First, a heartfelt thank you to everyone for all the beautiful comments I've received about the blanket... I've been overwhelmed by the responses and the compliments, especially coming from such an overwhelmingly talented and creative pool of bloggers. You all provide me with a constant flowing fountain of inspiration on a daily basis!
I am still {very sadly} without a digital camera since the demise of my kodak at the end of July. Finances are extremely tight these days, so for the time being I can only dream of a replacement and continue to content myself with making the most of my iPhone camera. Here are a few of my favorite recent pics::

One of my new favorite places to find loads of crochet inspiration is iCrochet. Stop in and prepare to be amazed.
Sneak peek at the latest crochet work-in-progress ::

Hoping that your Monday is a happy one wherever you are!

::xo::

::presenting...::

2010-10-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

...the blanket ::

Nearly 70 hours of work over the course of the past 3 weeks, but I am officially in love! I am also feeling quite the sense of accomplishment at having seen this project through to the finish line since my darling daughter told me when I began that she thought I only had the "crochet" attention span of a pillow cover.
{guess who won't be getting this blanket??}

I'm looking forward to many chilly afternoons and evenings curled up under this beauty watching tv or reading and drinking mint cocoa... or maybe some spiced cider. The husband and the kids are locked in an ongoing battle over who can claim the blanket as his/her own, but I sigh and rest easy knowing that this baby has already claimed her owner...

what a happy life we'll have together ♥

::a brief {?} history of august and september::

2010-09-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hello again, friends! How is the world treating you these days? I can hardly believe that we're so quickly approaching that time of year when everything begins winding down to a close... time seems to pass at the speed of lightning sometimes, with days and months running together, and me standing in a cloud of dust wondering how in the world to catch up to its pace.

October is just around the corner, which to me always feels a little bit like the unofficial start to the holiday season. I don't go quite so crazy as to put up a tree and start hanging mistletoe in the house, but I have been known to crank up a Christmas song or two before Halloween.

But, i digress...

What I meant to say was that since October is just around the corner and we haven't spent much time together lately, I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a little history of August and September... that way you'll be all caught up to speed with what's been going on during my recent blogging lull.

I promise I'll try to keep it as brief as possible, and YES... I'll be doing it through bullet points :)

Back to school for my 2 high-schoolers, complete with all the fun that comes along with preparing to go back.
Received call from father-in-law informing us he'd been diagnosed with multiple myeloma {cancer of the plasma cells}. Not a good day.
Surprise visit from my sister Becca that lives in Virginia, followed by a wonderful week of long-overdue sister time!
Spontaneous road trip to Virginia to retrieve Becca's kids so she could extend her visit with us... we sisters are horrible at the whole goodbye thing. Left at 10pm on a Thursday night, drove for 5 hours til we hit horrendous fog in West Virginia that was virtually impossible to see through, hit up a hotel at 3am to sleep for 3 1/2 hours, then back on the road for the remaining 5.
Brief visit with my dad {who lives 2 minutes from my sister} while in Virginia to pick up kids, during which time he informed us he'd been to the doctor and was having some prostate issues. Biopsy scheduled for the following week. let the waiting begin.
Back in the car heading for Indiana less than 48 hours after arriving in Virginia, with sister, niece and nephew in tow.

More much needed visiting time with sister including lots of family fun time with her kids.
News from my dad that his prostate biopsy came back positive for cancer. Additional tests scheduled; more waiting.
Very sad goodbye after spending almost 3 full weeks with my sister and 2 with her kids. Seriously hate goodbyes.
Father-in-law informed us that further testing revealed a premature and inaccurate diagnosis: at this time he does not actually have multiple myeloma {halleluia!}, but a condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance {MGUS}. Basically a fancy way of referring to someone who is in the pre-stages of multiple myeloma. No treatment required at this time, but careful monitoring due to the high percentage rate of patients who eventually develop MM.
Another spontaneous road trip back to Virginia, as my dad was not emotionally or mentally handling his news very well. My 3 brothers, 2 sisters and I all rallied from our various spots across the U.S. to spend 5 days visiting with dad, doing our very best to show our support and trying to boost his emotional state.

LOTS of late night talking, laughing, crying and reminiscing with the siblings during our time in Va...it was the first time we'd all been together since 3 years ago when our grandmother died. Interestingly enough, this trip fell during the exact same week as the previous trip.
Another round of very tearful goodbyes as we all returned to our individual corners of the world.
Emergency oral surgery for the daughter 4 days after returning from Va. Spent a week making soft, mushy food and playing nurse.
News from dad that his most recent tests revealed metastatic cancer. One spot in his abdomen and one on his spine. Hormone therapy to begin, with radiation therapy a distinct possibility in the coming months.
Lots of time spent digesting and processing the reality of my dad's illness. Many calls & texts between siblings as we each work through the coping process.
Started working on a granny square afghan, as crocheting is good therapy and mediation time for me, and it was beginning to feel as if I hadn't picked up a hook in forever...

{at this point I had completed 6 of 13 rows... I'm now working on my 9th row}

Read The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees. Fun, entertaining read...especially if you're a fan of Little Women.
Daughter in a car accident with her best friend and her BF's mom. They were slammed into from behind @ 40mph while sitting at a stoplight. Lots of painful & stiff necks, backs and shoulders, but no major injuries. {the impact was strong enough, however, to knock my daughter's glasses completely off her face!}
Read Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. A beautiful, beautiful book.
Started spending time with my doodle/art journal again. Creative therapy is definitely good for my soul...

News from sister # 2 {in California} that a recent ultrasound revealed 3 tumors in the uterus; biopsy scheduled to determine if they're just fibroids or something else. Hysterectomy inevitable.
Autumn finally arrived and we are thoroughly enjoying the cooler, less humid days and the chilly nights.

And now? Well, right now I'm just looking forward to October and taking life one day at a time. It's been 2 months full of laughter and tears, heartaches and joys, yin and yang. The soundtrack in my head has been playing the same song on repeat for weeks... Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz. If you've never heard it before, search it on youtube and have a listen.

Hugs to all!

::xo:: ~deb

::today i love : pinterest::

2010-09-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

happy saturday!

i woke up to the sound of quietly rumbling thunder and a cool rain this morning,

grabbed a cup of something warm,

sat down to spend some leisurely time with my computer,

and almost immediately became lost in one of my new favorite sites...

pinterest.com

so many gorgeous, inspirational photos and ideas in one place!

if you haven't heard of it or checked it out yet,

put it on your to-do list as soon as possible.

in order to become a member you'll have to submit a request for an invitation,

but the process only takes a few days at most...

and it's totally worth it.

what's the sight all about?

click here to get the basic info.

a few of my recent favorite "pins"::

{source}

now i must be off to do something productive...

::xo:: ~ deb

::somewhere over the rainbow...::

2010-09-10T06:13:00.000-07:00


...skies are blue; and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true...

oh, how i've missed you my dear friends!

the latter half of my summer turned out to be quite the topsy-turvy affair

and it feels like it's taking me forever to plant my feet on solid ground again.

this morning while taking the dog out

we were greeted with the spectacular sight above,

giving me a beautifully gentle reminder that life can still provide us with amazing moments...

even in the midst of our cloudiest skies.

eventually,

i'll be ready to talk about the dark clouds that have rolled in and hovered for the past several weeks.

in the meantime,

i wanted to say hello and let you know that even though i've been terribly quiet lately

i'm still keeping tabs on your posts, projects, and the goings-on in your world...

you inspire me in countless ways every day,

providing me with little rainbows in the midst of all the gray.

hugs and happy thoughts to you all!

::xo::

::more captured moments::

2010-08-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

hello friends!

i'm kicking off this week with more memories from our visit with family.

{we are all missing each other terribly now that they've gone}

early morning on the patio with emmie,

fresh out of slumber with an oversized t-shirt and a snuggly warm blanket.

most of our days were scorching hot,

until mother nature took pity on us and provided a little reprieve in the form of

lower temps, much lower humidity, and a lovely cool breeze...

to celebrate,

we took a little afternoon jaunt to a local gift shop to drool over some gorgeous polish pottery

{so amazingly beautiful...i wanted it all!}

followed by a stop at starbucks for some frozen drinks::

so much like my own daughter, this one...

she's 9 going on 20!

andrew was quite the good sport about having such a girly afternoon...

he definitely enjoyed the starbucks treat infinitely better than the polish pottery.

family time gathered outside completed our day,

as taking advantage of the gorgeous weather was a must!

{sheridan and em...best buddies}

{a very rare pic of my youngest, taken on the sly so he wouldn't know. unfortunately, i wasn't

lucky enough to sneak one of his brother...}

obviously, his sister isn't the least bit camera shy...

one rousing family football game later,

and we were all ready to get snuggled in with popcorn and blankets for

a LOST marathon...

all in all,

a perfect day!

::xo::

::captured::

2010-08-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

my beautiful sister and her adorable kids left us on thursday to head back to virginia...

so many tears,

so many bear hugs

and little kisses

as we all said goodbye!

as always, though, good times were had and lots of memories made while we were all together....

two peas in a pod, if ever there were!

miss sheridan and little miss emilyne posing for the camera at the park.

emilyne {emmie}on the swing.

two of my closest BFFs...

my sister becca, and my daughter sheridan.

emmie and andrew {her brother}taking advantage of the shade and the cold creek...

... so nice to get a little relief from the awful heat!!

such a handsome little guy...

and beautiful little girl!

{side note:: i'm really missing my digital camera right now as i look at the graininess of all these

photos from my iphone!!}

and, of course, a pretty pose from my little girl.

{my boys were at school, so they missed our day at the park}

more captured moments from our visit to come...

for now,

i hope that all you lovely friends are enjoying a beautiful weekend!

::xo::

::just a little hello::

2010-08-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

hello, my lovely friends!

can you believe how quickly the summer is winding down?

I apologize for being missing in action lately... the past two weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for me, filled with impromptu visits from out-of-town family, a spontaneous whirlwind road trip to Virginia and back {in less than 48 hours}, and bad health news from my father-in-law one week...only to be followed by bad health news from my dad the very next week. This week has also been back-to-school week for my boys {a sophomore and a junior}, so we're getting readjusted to being back into the swing of things.

I still have family in town for a few more days {at least}, so my computer time will continue to be quite limited for the time being. I promise I'll be back into the blogging groove as soon as I can...

In the meantime, I hope you're all healthy and happy :)
Can't wait to have some quality time catching up on everything I've missed!

::xo::

::flickr friday - feeling blue::

2010-08-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

oh, my!

is it really friday again, already??

it's been an odd, emotionally charged week in my world, and i've been feeling quite blue for many reasons...

all of which have contributed to my little week-long break from blogging society and cyberspace in general.

so this week's flickr mosaic is inspired by the color blue ::

1. Crochet lace scarf, 2. Hot Pad - Front, 3. Yellow green blue hexagons, 4. sampler from a vintage pattern, 5. sac mariage dentelle crochet fini, 6. denim sunny block, 7. Appliques made with crochet, 8. blue flip hat new baby, 9. Flowery Scarf

{the photo for #8 sadly refuses to show itself, but if you click on the link you'll be able to take a peek}

as always, i'm completely amazed and inspired by the amount of loveliness that finds its way into our
group each day...

hope you all enjoy a restful and joyful weekend!

::xo::
deb

::flickr friday - fabulous flowers::

2010-07-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

i unashamedly admit that i have a bit of a flickr addiction.

last week, i decided to take my obsession to the next level and start

my own group::

it's been such a delight to watch the group grow a little bit more each day,

filling up with oodles of eye candy and lovely inspiration.

{truly...so many talented artists out there!}

so...

today i'm instituting a new weekly feature here at virginia blue ::

flickr friday

all the featured photos will be taken right from the pool of the new group,

with a different theme each week.

this week's theme is

::fabulous flowers ::

flower power bag by eclectic gypsyland

ranunculous jovis by irregular expressions

crochet ring by tintocktap

puff stitch flowers by easymakesmehappy

gola rosas by artes da jackie2010

pansy close-up by gigi-pianist

crochet flowers by ruthiejoy

crochet baby beanie by BluejeansNeedlework

pin cushion by brittanyjjackson

three cheers for flowers that don't wilt in the heat!

hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

::xo:: ~deb

{to see more fabulous crocheted motifs and embellishments, go here}

::saturday morning serenity::

2010-07-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

"slow buds the pink dawn

like a rose

from out night's gray and cloudy sheath;

softly and still it grows and grows,

petal by petal,

leaf by leaf."

~susan coolidge

i awakened quite early this morning,

gratefully receiving the gifts of stillness, peace, blissful quietude

and a gentle breeze...

this is how every morning

should be.

sending out hugs and good wishes to all for a

beautiful weekend.

::xo:: ~deb

::sunny days sunflower motif::

2010-07-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

first, i must say a very big thank you to everyone for all of the

lovely comments

on my previous post!

between the enthusiasm for my little sunflowers

and the extremely kind words of encouragement regarding my "blues",

you've all left me feeling very sunny inside.

indeed,

i believe i have the best blog followers/friends

in all of cyberspace :)

sadly,

i realized one day too late

that it is much more difficult to attempt writing out patterns after the fact.

and in my frustration at attempting to do so,

i gave up and chalked it up to another lesson learned.

{the hard way. as i'm known for learning too many of my lessons!}

but don't despair just yet,

for i plan on re-working both motifs at some point,

possibly tweaking a thing or two,

and writing it down as i go...

as i did yesterday when i came up with the newest member of my sunflower collection::

click here

and you will find the pattern to create some 'sunny days sunflowers' of your own.

it's my little thank you

for all the sunshine you bring me each day!

::xo:: ~deb

::inspired::

2010-07-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

yesterday was quite the

"woe-is-me"

kind of day.

it started off rather poorly

and went steadily downhill from there.

circumstances.

hormones.

anxiety.

stress.

after spending the entire day churning around together

they managed to produce quite a hearty meltdown,

which was finished off with

the ugly cry.

you know...

the kind that wears you out to the point where

you exhaust yourself and then

sleep like a baby.

which is exactly what i did.

and today i woke up feeling much better...

{a good cry is definitely cathartic!}

...and thinking about sunflowers.

because sunflowers always have the good sense to point themselves

toward the sun,

where all the light and hope is...

and then i felt inspired.

to be more positive.

to have a little more faith.

to stand in the midst of the rain knowing

full well that the sun always comes out again eventually.

and since crocheting is my own personal zen,

i channeled that inspiration from brain to fingers

and created a couple of sweet motifs to honor the sunflowers...

no book.

no pattern.

just me, my brain, my determination,

and a good dose of trial and error.

suddenly everything seems sunny again.

::xo:: ~deb

::playing with yarn and toying with ideas::

2010-07-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

happy monday!

i do hope that everyone enjoyed a restful, pleasant weekend.

my own weekend was filled with an upset stomach

and the threat of a migraine,

but i managed to distract myself from my discomfort with

a bit of yarn play here and there...

whipped up a couple of these lip balm keychains

for the daughter and myself,

as we are both hopeless lip balm addicts.

they worked up quite quickly and were delightfully easy to make.

after finishing those new goodies i decided to create a little discreet "unmentionable" carrier

to keep in my purse...

...and once it was completed, i realized that the same concept would work equally well

for pens, markers, sunglasses, etc.

i spent a little bit of time on friday night working on my current

afghan work-in-progress...

...until i decided it was much too hot to have so much yarn settled in my lap for too long!

have given a great deal of thought lately to the possibility

of setting up shop sometime in the near future,

as we find ourselves in desperate need of additional income while being

seriously limited by our vehicle situation at the present time.

{which prevents me from being able to work outside of the home right now}

i realize that people venture into this type of thing all the time,

but it's difficult not to feel intimidated by the wealth of

extremely talented artisans out there in the handmade world.

for now,

ideas continue to churn around in my brain

and prayers continue to be uttered that we'll be able to figure out a way

to make things work.

hugs and happy thoughts to all...

::xo:: ~deb

::where troubles melt like lemon drops::

2010-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

have recently been much inspired by

these two magazines ::

it's true.

i'm quite the sucker for decorating and do-it-yourself periodicals,

and the pages here have provided me with countless

swoon-worthy pictures and dreams of a colorful life.

how lovely would it be to while away the days

dreaming, reading, crocheting, or just lazing

in one of these

amazing outdoor retreats??...

if i could, i would crawl right into the pages of such enchantment!

and color?

everywhere.

a veritable feast for the eyes...

indeed.

much swooning and drooling,

coveting and dreaming

have these pages inspired.

and i have fallen very much in love with this print ::

a sentiment which pretty much sums up how i feel when getting lost in such a sea of inspiration.

where do you find your inspiration?

::raising the 'cute' factor::

2010-07-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

yes, indeed...

i am taking over the house and making it

so cute!

{well, as cute as it can be considering all of the cosmetic surgery it needs at this time}

have made 4 more fabric covered memo boards

at the request of the daughter.

i'm fairly certain that these will disappear into the nether-regions of her room,

so i am now on the lookout for more vintage fabric to make some additional boards for me.

still amazed at how quickly they are put together.

crocheted a new addition to the dishcloth/potholder collection yesterday.

love the vintage look of this one and can't wait to make more.

decided the other day that my collection of random motifs, squares,

and other various "practice" pieces

were much too delightful to sit hidden away in the bottom of a bag.

a length of twine and some adorable miniature clothespins

brought them out of obscurity and into the spotlight...

...a much simpler and interchangeable variation on a garland,

which definitely works for me since i'm all about simple and am sometimes quite fickle.

after hanging said "garland",

i decided to take some of my pretty little dishcloths out of the kitchen drawer

and give them a much more visible home as well...

please, please, please excuse the dirt that has settled on the outside of my kitchen window.

we've finally been blessed with some rain the last couple of days

and, as you can plainly see,

i've yet to take the time to clean up the residual effect.

i am, after all,

quite humanly flawed and much too busy raising the cute factor at home.

::xo:: ~deb

::don't touch that oven!::

2010-07-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

i don't know about you, but my cooking and eating habits tend to drastically change

during the long, hot days of summer.

heavy food?

no, thank you.

hot oven?

not if i can help it.

the last thing we need is more heat.

fortunately, my family is pretty easy to please.

unfortunately,

with 3 teenagers {2 of them boys} in the house i find it nearly impossible to keep them full.

someone is always hungry,

the refrigerator door swings open and shut almost constantly from mid-day

through the middle of the night,

and i certainly don't care to be at anyone's disposal 24 hours a day

to fulfill the requirements it takes to appease the raging hunger.

one of my gang's favorite hunger-busting solutions is...

...the big sandwich.

i've been making these for over a year now,

and i must say they're one of the biggest snack/meal-time lifesavers ever.

just take a large loaf of italian or french bread

{or an italian herb focaccia like the one i used above},

add all of your family's favorite sandwich ingredients,

wrap it up it plastic wrap

and store it in the fridge.

our personal favorite includes ::

sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

deli ham

deli salami

pepperoni

smoked provolone cheese

banana peppers

and green-leaf lettuce

mind you...

more often than not i have to make 2 or 3 of these at a time

in order to make them last longer than 24 hours.

but even that much of a break from hunger complaints makes it

totally worth

taking the time to whip up a few after a grocery trip.

all the family has to do is visit the refrigerator

and slice off a portion when bellies start to rumble.

oh!

and don't forget to keep plenty of lemonade on hand for

quenching thirst...

even the powder mix version becomes something

extra special

when sliced fresh fruit is added!

now give yourself a break from the hot oven

and savor the joys of something

cool, fresh, tasty

and so easy.

i promise you'll thank me.

::xo:: ~deb

::drab-to-fab projects::

2010-07-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

happy thursday!

as promised yesterday,

today's post is a little peek at a couple of completed projects

using fabric from my {small}vintage stash.

last week i happened to glance at the top of my microwave and notice two square pieces of corkboard

that have probably been sitting there since the beginning of time.

{not really that long. but almost.}

yes.

sitting there,

quite clean but not serving any purpose at all,

as they were leftovers from a project that i completed probably 5 years ago.

all of a sudden i decided to give them their day in the sun ::

a quick snip of some fabric,

staples all around {on the backside, of course},

a length of twine knotted at the ends and strung across the back

and...

huzzah!

{almost}instant memo boards

with much more personality than plain old cork.

and seriously?

this took me all of about 10 minutes...

and i know for a fact that you can get packages of the square corkboards quite cheaply

at almost any store that carries office and/or craft supplies.

{my daughter thinks i need to cover the entire kitchen wall with these

to disguise the fact that we really need to paint. sigh.}

anyway...

completing these must have put me in a revamp state of mind,

because yesterday morning as i was sitting on my patio enjoying some quiet time before

the sun came out in full force,

i looked over at this little patio table ::

and thought to myself

"oh my. we can do much better than this!"

a little more snipping of fabric,

several layers of Mod Podge,

and a few coats of sealant spray later...

...and i couldn't be more giddy with the results!

it is looking much more at home and comfortable among the blossoms and blooms

now that it has a personality worthy of its company :)

so there you have it.

from drab to fab in a few easy steps.

what are some of your favorite re-vamps??

::xo:: ~deb

::summer days, busy hands::

2010-07-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

am i the only one who feels like the summer is just flying by?

time moves so quickly...

the boys will be back in school in just a little over 5 weeks,

and it seems like they just barely finished this past year!

i do love the relaxed, slow-paced atmosphere of summer...

but i am not a big fan of the excessive heat and humidity here in the midwest.

i prefer to spend my days outside enjoying fresh air and lazing on the patio

but the temps have been so high for the past few weeks that

the joys of being outside feel a bit more like torture.

still, i love my garden,

which is coming along quite nicely these days.

{with the help of lots of watering. we haven't had any rain for quite awhile}

so i spend as much time as i can on the patio in the mornings and evenings

when the sun isn't blazing directly on me...

and

of course,

i take advantage of the much cooler inside temps

and free time during the day

to crochet something pretty.

at the moment i'm working on a big color-block blanket...

...although i've not been crocheting quite as much lately

due to the fact that i find it difficult to get my nose out of a book sometimes.

{truly, i love to read!}

tomorrow

i'll share a couple of fun little projects i've completed in the past several days

using some fabric from my lovely little vintage stash :)

hope you're staying cool,

dear friends...

::xo:: ~deb

::more camera play and a thank you::

2010-07-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

have spent much time in the art of distraction this week,

in light of the emotionally charged events that have taken place.

garden work...

playing around with the hipstamatic app...

and then some reading and hooking while enjoying the gorgeous weather that we had...

my heart has been broken for the families of our friends that were lost,

yet full of gratitude for the simple things we so often take for granted.

thank you a million times over for the sweet words of sympathy you've given me.

i'm touched beyond belief at the kindness and caring from friends made in

this, our little bloggy existence.

♥♥

am hoping for a beautiful weekend for all...

::xo:: ~deb

::no words::

2010-06-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

i know that yesterday i promised you a fun-filled week

that would be all about me...

for now, though, i'm putting this on hold.

last night our church congregation {or ward, if you're familiar with LDS vernacular}

suffered a sad and terrible loss when two of our members lost their lives

in a tragic boating accident.

a beautiful 51 year old woman

and one of her 8 year old grandsons gone...

in the blink of an eye.

today, knowing that there is a family in our midst enduring such unspeakable loss,

i have no words.

and until i do, i hope and pray that we all take the time to remember how fragile life is...

and how every moment spent with the people that you love is a gift to be cherished.

::xo:: ~deb

{full article can be read here: Lake Monroe Boating Crash}

::nana's potholders::

2010-06-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

a couple of fun & frilly new potholders made last week...

someday, when i'm able to do a much needed makeover on my kitchen,

i'd love to decorate a whole wall with these in lots of beautiful colors!

click here to take you to the page from Crochet Today magazine

where you can download the patterns for free.

{4 patterns in all}

stay tuned, as the remainder of this week will be

all about me.

because i was thinking that it's time to start sharing more than just

crochet projects and pretty pictures,

since we're all getting a bit more comfortable with each other.

and on that note,

henceforth from here and forever after...

you can call me deb.

{because that's actually my name}

happy monday to all..

::xo:: ~ deb

::friday quote - #4::

2010-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

there came a time when the risk to remain

tight in the bud

was more painful than the risk it took

to blossom...

::anais nin::

hope you get to enjoy a lovely summer weekend!

::xo::

::craving...::

2010-06-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

...this right now::

want your own??

easy-peasy!

grab some thin-sliced boneless chicken breasts {or chicken tenders},

season them up with salt, pepper, and some mesquite seasoning,

and saute in a pan of extra-virgin olive oil.

after the chicken starts to get beautifully caramelized on each side,

shred it up right there in the pan {keeping the heat at a med-low to prevent burning}.

once your chicken is all shredded,

squeeze the juice of one fresh lime over the top.

{or two if you like more lime flavor!}

now grab the honey from your cabinet and squeeze enough over the chicken

to give it a delightful counter-balance to the lime and mesquite.

continue to saute for 2-3 minutes to give all the flavors a chance to blend.

you can use any combination of salad greens you like.

my favorite?

a lovely spring mix.

place a generous portion on a plate or in a bowl,

then top with some of the best shredded chicken you'll ever taste.

{seriously.}

add a handful of dried cranberries

and a sprinkling of some honey-roasted slivered almonds...

{heavenly.}

top with your favorite salad dressing

{for this particular salad, my pick is sun-dried tomato vinaigrette}

and dive in...

be sure to make plenty...

if your family is anything like mine, they'll want seconds {and thirds!}

::xo::

::the gloomies::

2010-06-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

i am

in. a. funk.

this week is turning out to be a bit of a trial for several reasons,

and i am quite tempted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head until next week...

{but i won't. being in bed that long would drive me insane.}

but.

in the event that i'm absent from blogland for the next few days due to extreme

moodiness,

i would like to leave you with a little bit of pretty

to enjoy::

{yet another pillow... finished last night}

{another dishcloth for the collection}

{new place to keep my hooks. so much more fun than keeping them hidden away in a zippered pouch!}

{and... just a little reminder to myself that things could always be worse.}

::xo::

::library loot::

2010-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

finally finished memoirs of a geisha last night...

it was an entertaining read for the most part,

though i must admit that there were times when i found myself a tiny bit bored

and wondering how much longer it would be til i reached the end.

i did love the historical setting and atmosphere of the book,

but often wondered how accurate the portrayal of a geisha's life it actually was.

basically, i'd give it 3 out of 5 stars for being an pretty enjoyable book

without being anything spectacular.

so today started with the panicky feeling that i had nothing to read,

which led me to make my way to the public library as speedily as possible

in order to remedy the situation.

first stop::

the crochet section to see what goodies were available there.

happily, i found 2 books that i've had my eye on for some time,

ever debating with myself the pros and cons of purchasing...

this way, i have 3 weeks to play around with the patterns inside

without having to commit by spending my money...

definitely works for me!

after browsing through the crochet/craft section,

it was onward to fiction...

the loot?

dead men don't crochet by betty hechtman

{still haven't made my mind up whether or not i actually want to read this one}

the elegance of the hedgehog by muriel barbery

{apparently, there is a psychiatrist out there somewhere who actually prescribes this book in place of prozac!}

the likeness by tana french

the poe shadow by matthew pearl

{i would rather have had the dante club by the same author, but it was checked out}

now i just need to decide which one to start reading!

what's your vote?

::xo::

::oh, my aching hands...::

2010-06-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

...and back,

and legs

and arms.

yesterday i had the bright idea to tackle prettying up the front of the house all by myself

{because i'm an impatient person. and the only 2 people in the family who would help me

with that kind of task are still on a 50 mile hike.}

an hour and a half spent holding the electric hedge trimmer

has made my hands feel as if they suddenly belong to a 90 year old woman...

which means the joy of crocheting has been temporarily put on hold

until the thought of maneuvering mr. hook around

doesn't make me want to cry.

and then there were the 6 heavy bags of mulch.

and the 3 equally heavy bags of topsoil.

the lifting,

raking,

pulling,

spreading,

and bending...

and the 95 degree weather.

every muscle i have is screaming at me right now.

and in about 9 hours,

the two hikers will arrive home with their screaming muscles as well.

no pics of my efforts yesterday to share with you yet,

as there is still some work to be done.

instead i'll share my latest kitchen pretty...

made, of course, before my hands began to feel like jello.

many happy thoughts and well wishes for your weekend...

hoping it's a lovely father's day for all the special dads in your life!

::xo::

::camera play::

2010-06-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

have spent most of the morning engaged in some delightful

camera play...

hoping, wishing, dreaming and waiting

for the day when i can afford to buy

a fabulously high-tech digital slr with super-duper extra zoomy lens.

but until that day arrives, i resolve to thoroughly enjoy

the tools i have at my disposal

right now...

iLove my iPhone for many reasons,

not the least of which are all of the wonderful camera apps that are available.

this morning i stumbled upon the hipstamatic app,

squealed in delight for a few minutes,

and then added it to my treasure of other applications.

{$1.99, my dear friends! plus other hipstamatic paks available as add-ons for .99 a piece...

GASP! so much cheaper than purchasing new cameras.}

here's a little peek at the fun i had with the hipsta::

so many lenses, filters, films and flashes to play with..

i've no doubt i'll be using this quite often!

and then, of course, there is my trusty old-faithful kodak easy share...

...which i use nearly every day.

this morning we played together with the lovely blue pitcher full of flowers::

and now it is surely time for me to find something a little more productive to do.

playtime is over...

at least until the laundry is folded,

the kitchen is swept and mopped,

the carpets are vacuumed,

the dishes are washed,

and the dog pays a visit outside.

{sigh}

playing is ever so much more fun.

::xo::

::daisy wheel and primrose patterns::

2010-06-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

still no luck finding a link to either of these patterns online,

so i put them into google docs myself :)

{disclaimer: these are NOT my original patterns. i found the above freebie hanging near the yarn at Michael's}

click here for patterns.

{please let me know if the link doesn't work, so i can fix it!}

happy hooking!

::xo::

::10 for tuesday - classic reads::

2010-06-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

happy tuesday, friends!

this week's 10 is all about books.

{because reading makes me so very happy}

specifically,

a little list of some of my favorite classics::

:: the tenant of wildfell hall by anne bronte

:: to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

:: the age of innocence by edith wharton {my all time favorite book ever.}

::sense and sensibility by jane austen {my fave jane austen book}

:: pride and prejudice by jane austen

:: north and south by elizabeth gaskell

:: jane eyre by charlotte bronte

:: the count of monte cristo by alexandre dumas

:: a tree grows in brooklyn by betty smith

:: the woman in white by wilkie collins

what are some of your favorite classic reads?

i'm off now to help the husband guy and #1 son get ready to leave for a 50 mile hike...

they should have plenty of stories to tell when they return on saturday!

::xo::

::disconnected by mother nature::

2010-06-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

lots of storm activity going on in these parts last night..

we lost power at around 8:25 p.m.,

just 35 minutes before the next food network star was scheduled to come on.

{the daughter, #2 son and i love this show}

no computer? no television?

no problem.

still... not quite enough light to crochet,

so what to do?

hmmm...

i know!

i'll just play with some of my stash, instead.

because rolling the fibers up into neat, pleasing to look at balls can

practically be done with my eyes closed...

of course,

there are still so many skeins in my stash that missed out on this fun...

but storms are forecasted for the next few days,

so they may just get the attention they need.

and now, before i leave you to go off doing very monday-ish things,

i'll show you what mr. hook and ms. yarn were busy doing

before the lights went out:

...a couple of sweet little dishcloths to eventually put in a package and send to a new home.

{my younger brother is a fan}

the pattern for these is by Lily Sugar 'n Cream,

and was obtained from Michael's on one of their freebie handouts near the yarn.

attempted to locate the pattern link online so that i could share with you,

dear friends,

but have not had any luck.

maybe i'll copy and post it later today,

if the monday-ness doesn't get the best of me.

::xo::

::p is for post, pretty, package and pillowcase::

2010-06-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

remember the other day when i mentioned that i had some lovely vintage fabric i ordered from etsy

on the way?

it arrived today!

it's so much more fun to visit the post office when a pretty little package is waiting to be picked up.

{definitely a nice change of pace from the usual assortment of bills and junk mail.}

here's a little looky at the vintage loveliness that was wrapped up so charmingly:

aren't they positively beautiful???

am now looking quite forward to utilizing them in some lovely new projects.

if you read my post yesterday,

then you know i scored some very nice vintage fabric while i was out thrifting.

today i decided to take one of the pillowcases and tear it into many, many strips.

i've been quite smitten with some darling little fabric crochet projects i've run across recently,

so i thought i'd give it a little go myself...

fun, yes??

tearing the pillowcase into fabric strips and then attaching all of those strips together and forming them into a pseudo yarn ball was the lengthiest part of this little venture...

the actual bowl took less than an hour to make.

now hopefully my dear daughter will quit leaving her bobby pins all over the counter in the bathroom.

they certainly look prettier all nestled into my "pillowcase bowl",

don't you think?

i'm off to make dinner now.

::xo::

::nightmares of a 16 year old boy::

2010-06-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

contrary to what this post title suggests, there won't actually be any specific mention of bad dreams.

in fact, this post isn't really about dreams at all.

unless you want me to tell you about the incredibly strange dream i had the other night

in which i was spending a christmas holiday at my dad and his wife's house,

a dwelling that in no way resembled

the house they actually live in.

and for some very odd reason i was in a bathtub.

with clint eastwood.

who was in said bathtub fully clothed in a suit.

as if clint eastwood would ever take a bath in his suit.

or with me.

at my dad's fake house.

why are dreams so weird??

anyhoodles,

i digress.

this post is really about how i spent a busy day running around with my 16 year old son

who i managed to embarrass in almost every place we went.

i'm just nice like that.

we started the day off at the doctor's office so that he could get the physical he needs

in order to participate in a 50 mile hike next week with a group of men and young men from church.

i really don't like doctor's offices.

and before you jump the gun and think i'm squeamish or something, i'll just go ahead and tell you

that isn't the case.

i worked in a hospital for almost 5 years and absolutely loved it {most of the time}.

no...

i dislike going to the doctor's office because i always manage to leave with more germs than i went in with

and wind up sick within a week.

{i blame it on 2 winters in a row of having mono. my immune system has never been the same.}

so,

i try very hard not to touch stuff.

like the pens they provide.

or the pretty magazines stacked up on a table beside the chairs that sick people have been in.

normally i take a book with me to keep myself occupied during the waiting phase,

but today i opted to take along a hook and some yarn so that i could work on some granny squares

while doing my very best to avoid touching anything.

apparently

it's not very cool to crochet in public.

and it's really not cool to be the 16 year old kid who is with his now uncool mom

that is very uncool-ly crocheting in public.

so, of course,

i did what any other mother like me would do --

i pulled out out mr. hook and ms. yarn again...

at the license branch while he took his written test for his license,

and then again at fantastic sam's while he was getting his head buzzed...

because that's the kind of mom i am.

i threatened to pull it all out while we were eating lunch, too,

but decided that i should take it easy on him for a little while.

cuz' i'm nice like that.

and i wanted him to think he could finally begin to recoup

some of the cool factor he'd lost throughout the day while running errands with his very uncool mom

who couldn't seem to stop herself from very uncool-ly crocheting in public.

because if he believed he was becoming cool again,

then it would be that much more fun when i made him go into the thrift store with me to

scavenge through other people's old linens looking for vintage sheets and such.

and i know that thrift stores and other people's old stuff kind of gives him the creeps.

and that's just the kind of mom i am.

{a little peek at the results of my public crocheting and the vintage sheets i scored}

but when it comes right down to it,

i know that this boy's cool factor has nothing to do with being seen all over town with his

slightly-crazy-can't help herself from whipping out the yarn in public-mom,

and everything to do with the fact that he held the door open for a young mom and her 3 small children at the license branch, and then again at the thrift store for a few little old ladies as they were leaving.

and tonight?..

he's heading out with his dad and some other young men from church to do some construction/renovation work at the home of a woman he doesn't know,

for absolutely no compensation.

because that's the kind of kid he is.

and i don't think it gets much cooler than that.

::xo::

::10 for tuesday - fabulous flickr::

2010-06-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

some days, i think i could spend all day getting lost

in the thrill of browsing through all the loveliness on flickr!

{and i must confess that on occasion i have indeed probably spent entirely too much time

doing just that.}

to kick off my new 10 for tuesday feature here on the blog,

here's a link list of some of my absolutefavoriteyoumustgochecktheseoutnow photostreams:

{in no particular order}

sarah london textiles

three red apples

trisha brink design

raining sheep

elizabeth cat

rose hip

danielle thompson

dottie angel

cassia

gabrielle kai

now grab a cup of something delish

and prepare to get lost in all the prettiness...

::xo::

::everything's green in the summertime::

2010-06-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

and who wouldn't rather use a 100% cotton pretty green bath pouf

than those little nylon numbers from the store that like to fall apart after

a little too much scrubbin?

am thinking that a smaller version would be perfect for the kitchen, too!

{and just imagine all the lovely colors that could be used...}

just wanted to share the latest creation with you :)

my yarn stash is running a little low these days,

so i'm trying to work on some smaller projects.

{even though what i really want to do is buy lots of new yarn!}

have some lovely vintage fabrics on the way from etsy

and i'm oh-so-excited to use them for some pretty little ideas i have

running around in my brain...

will definitely share with you when the visions become reality.

::xo::

::42 awesome things::

2010-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

504 months.

15,330 days.

367,920 hours.

22,075,200 minutes.

1,324,512,000 seconds.

what do they all have in common?

each is the equivalent of 42 years.

which also just happens to be what yours truly is the equivalent of today.

i could look at those numbers and really lament the fact that they make me feel old,

{and later i just might}

but i think i'll celebrate instead by sharing my list of

42 awesome things...

42 :: fresh-cut flowers
41 :: the smell of rain
40 :: pedicures
39 :: afternoon storms

38 :: dvd marathons

37 :: antique stores

36 :: beach vacations

35 :: dolce & gabbana light blue

34 :: red high heels

33 :: freshly laundered sheets

32 :: jane austen

31 :: blueberry cheesecake muffins

30 :: chocolate covered pretzels

29 :: yarn shoppes

28 :: black & white photos

27 :: pbs masterpiece theater classics

26 :: victoria's secret PINK yoga pants

25 :: pencil skirts

24 :: classical music

23 :: strawberry lemonade

22 :: farmers markets

21 :: family nights

20 :: sharpie pens

19 :: libraries

18 :: cupcakes

17 :: pale, shimmery lipgloss

16 :: fruit smoothies

15 :: sisters

14 :: open windows

13 :: fresh pineapple

12 :: handwritten notes or letters

11 :: instant cameras

10 :: onion strings

9 :: bookstores

8 :: freshly baked bread

7 :: hugs

6 :: kisses

5 :: holding hands

4 :: snuggling

3 :: this dog...

2 :: these kids...

1 :: this man...

::xo::

::my first love, and a little review::

2010-06-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

you should know, dear readers,
that while it is blatantly obvious on this little blog of mine
how very much i love hooks and yarn
and creating pretty things...

my first love came to me many, many years ago
when i discovered the joy of getting lost in the pages of a book.

so i thought it was about time that i started sharing that love with you, my friends...
and to kick things off,
here are a few brief thoughts on my latest read:

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
For me, reading this book was very much like my experience watching LOST over the past several years. I was engrossed, entertained, intrigued and gnawing at my fingers as I waited to find out what would happen next...

and by the end of the book I found myself asking the questions "What exactly happened?"; "What did all of it mean?"; "Am I stupid, or is everyone else who read this book just as confused as I am over what the ending means?"

Still, the book was very well written. Not as good {in my opinion} as The Shadow of the Wind, which I read last year, but still quite an entertaining gothic puzzle.

View all my reviews>>

{as you can see, i like to keep my reviews kind of short, sweet, and to the point}

up next? Memoirs of a Geisha, which i started last night.

how about you...

do you love to read?
what's on your summer reading list?

::xo::

::happy memorial day::

2010-05-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

it's been a wonderfully relaxing holiday weekend around here...

finished another project on friday night while hanging out with the husband

who had managed once again to find one of the all-time worst movies ever

to watch on tv...

{i can almost hear the gasps of shock from you at discovering it was another pillow!}

saturday did find me making a necessary trip to my least favorite place on earth,

but i managed to get out and about early enough that the usual horror of experiencing

walmart on a holiday weekend was narrowly avoided...

which left me the remainder of the day to read, relax, and even fit in a lovely little nap.

the 3 teens gathered together in the family room on saturday afternoon

to watch an all-time family favorite movie {the sandlot},

which is enough to make any mother's heart fill with joy...

oh, how i love that they actually like each other and enjoy hanging out together!

{of course, given the fact that 2 of them are boys, documenting such times

with photos is virtually impossible}

sunday morning was spent together as a family at church,

as is our usual habit,

followed by a relaxing afternoon in which i managed to squeeze in another delightful nap

and a bit of reading time.

by the time early evening rolled around i was more than ready

to pick up yarn and hook and joyfully begin a new project...

after drooling over a lovely crocheted bag made by lucy from Attic24,

i decided to follow her lead and make one myself.

{her wonderful tutorial can be found here}

am hoping that i can finish this lovely up today,

as it promises to be another relaxing day with no official plans...

and i must confess to you, dear friends, that those are my favorite

kinds of weekends,

particularly when a bonus moday holiday is thrown in!

hoping your weekend has been just as delightful!

::xo::

::technical difficulties::

2010-05-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

i've really grown to dislike the Disqus comment server that has been in use on this blog

for the past month and a half...

so today i attempted to eliminate the code without totally screwing up my blog.

which,

i think i almost succeeded in doing...

except for losing all of the comments i've received while using Disqus :(

{this makes me very sad}

hopefully at the end of this post there will be the usual place via blogger

to click on and leave a happy comment.

if not, it may take me a little while to figure out exactly what i've done wrong

so i'll just thank you now for your patience!

many hugs...

hope your weekend is FAB!

::xo::

::pillow talk::

2010-05-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

it could be due to the fact that i seem to be extraordinarily tired this week

{oh, the havoc that hormones like to cause!}

or maybe just because i love a project that comes together quickly...

but whatever the reason

{and it could certainly be both},

my hooky-filled creative time seems to keep producing pillows!

the week began with making these lovely sunburst-circles...

joined together in white to become sunburst granny squares...

which then became my new favorite pillow....

{back side}

everyone should have a lovely little place to rest a weary head,

even if only for an occasional catnap...

::xo::

::someday...::

2010-05-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

...i want a cabinet full of yarn just like this:

{source}

pure heaven!

::xo::

::hook therapy::

2010-05-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

it seems as though the entire month of may has been cool, gray, cloudy and/or rainy in these parts

and i've come to believe that such weather turns me a bit anti-social...

so in lieu of being a happy blogger for the past several weeks

i've opted to be a happy hooker instead.

{insert grin and chuckle and two thumbs up for such delightful wit on a monday morning!}

dvd and hook therapy have been the business of the month in an effort to combat the effects

of the ongoing dreariness outside.

many hours spent with hook, yarn and busy hands

while hanging out at seattle grace hospital with mcdreamy and mcsteamy

{grey's anatomy for those in the unknown}

or on my favorite tropical island attempting to unpuzzle the puzzle

that is lost.

of course, i justify all this time spent on my sofa enthralled in my major escapist retreat

by sharing evidence of all the happy hooking that has taken place

and patting myself ever so slightly on the back for the manner in which my crocheting skills

have advanced...

{afghan in progress for the daughter}

{african flower hexagons joined together and placed beautifully on an end table under a lamp}

{new yarn from a trip to michael's....heavenly colors and so soft!}

{rippled pillow cover work in progress...}

{finished pillow - front}

{finished pillow - back... used an old sweater, added some bright trim and pretty buttons}

{another pillow cover work in progress...}

{...and the finished result}

{see how lovely they look together?}

am hoping that everyone had a lovely weekend and that your

monday will not be too very monday-ish.

the cool rainy weather has turned sunny, hot and humid almost overnight...

bringing with it the most heavenly smell of honeysuckle outside my front door in the morning.

i am officially addicted to this hooking habit of mine,

but i shall try to make more time for blogging, too!

::xo::

::instead of blogging...::

2010-05-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

...i've been doing this:

a doodle in the notebook for the daughter, who is again battling a nasty round of kidney stones. white christmas is her all-time favorite movie, and the scene with this song is the reason why.

picked up lots of new yarn at michael's last week, along with a free pattern for these fabulous granny chic dishcloths... am completely in love with this last color combination!

have started an informal daily journal of sorts which, i'm ashamed to say, is not the art journal for the online class i'm enrolled in. i've yet to actually begin that journal due to some totally irrational fear that i cannot name. but i will.

one day.

i promise.

this is the third batch of cupcakes i've baked in the last week and a half.

am fairly certain that the family is now addicted.

mother's day present for my mom. totally imperfect, but she's my mom...so hopefully she'll like it anyway.

in other news...

3 days left until my baby turns 15.

13 days until his brother turns 16.

and 30 very very short days til yours truly hits 42.

feeling very bittersweet and blue.

::xo::

::life is short - eat more cupcakes♥::

2010-04-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

spice cupcakes with vanilla frosting...

my little TGIF present for the family.

::xo::

::friday quote - #3::

2010-04-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

{quote and artwork by moi}

am hoping that everyone has a beautiful weekend.

heavy rain and wind are in our forecast,

so i'm thinking that it will be the perfect weekend to craft and create.

looking forward to getting back into a blogging groove next week!

::xo::

::the busy-ness of life::

2010-04-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

just leaving a little mark in the blog world since i haven't done so since last week.

the busy-ness of life has kept me running to and fro for several days..

buying groceries,

renewing vehicle registrations,

meeting with mr. insurance man,

picking up {minor} accident reports,

ironing,

cleaning,

meeting with home teachers {from church},

baking cupcakes,

paying bills,

folding clothes,

and passing out hugs and kisses to the family

{in between allergy attacks}.

i know.

it's not really any more full of busy-ness than your week

{or anyone else's on the planet},

but for some reason the computer took a back seat to everything else for a few days

and to be quite honest

i must admit i enjoy the break occasionally.

so, please forgive my lack of comments and love...

i'll be working on reading through all the lovely posts i've missed

and catching up on some much needed creative inspiration!

i leave you with hugs and a peek at a couple of doodles from the sketchbook,

happily doodled during american idol last night...

::xo::

::friday quote - #2::

2010-04-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

::Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity that you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach – how you look at things . . . Whatsoever you do, if you do it joyfully, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing is not purely economical, then it is creative::

~Osho

my weekend list of to-do's:

-complete my introduction pages in art journal before class begins on monday

-spend some quality time with the husband guy {maybe we'll get a movie on demand tonight...we still haven't watched The Blind Side}

-read {currently re-reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskill}

-crochet

-watch last night's episode of The Office with miss shenanigans {aka: my oldest child, my only daughter, my favorite BFF}

-laundry

-church on sunday morning, snuggly afternoon nap on sunday afternoon

what are your plans this weekend?

::xo::

::next stop - world domination::

2010-04-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

last night i spent several hours at my makeshift art station {also known as: the kitchen table}

painting this:

and this morning when i awoke,

it was raining.

obviously, i came to the completely logical and rational conclusion that, surely,

i am in possession of super-powers i had been previously unaware of.

you can imagine my excitement, of course.

but now i find myself in the precarious position of having to decide exactly how i should make use of this new-found information...

the age-old question of black vs. white;

sinister vs. benign;

good vs. evil.

normally, i wouldn't even have to think twice about such a question,

but this week has been one of those weeks.

and i've encountered enough {if you'll please pardon my indelicacy}stupidity

that it has caused me to be a bit less amicable than my usual charming self.

so while i ponder on this inner battle of exactly how to use my powers,

i hope that you all will have a lovely day

and rest assured that you are truly bright spots in the middle of

the crazy that surrounds me this week.

and until i'm able to decide whether to use the force for good or evil,

i think maybe i'll try painting a version of the above picture in which

the raindrops are twenty-dollar bills instead...

just to see what happens.

::xo::

::love from the 'blogging and beautiful'::

2010-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

i'm feeling all warm and fuzzy today thanks to the lovely alexis at depressions and confessions, who has seen fit to pass along this beautiful blogger award to my humble little space on the great big web.

alexis and i became acquainted through blogging not too long ago, and due to her honesty, wit and courage

she very quickly became one of my favorite daily reads.

needless to say, i'm thoroughly flattered that she thinks so highly of my blog and my crafting skills

and am tickled pink to accept this honor.

and now i'm to share 7 things about myself that you probably don't know...

1. i won a writing/public speaking contest in the 6th grade. i spoke for 15 minutes about the trials of having a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth, and the proper etiquette for telling someone they had a piece of spinach stuck in their teeth. the speech was such a hit that several local clubs {Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary..}invited me to speak in front of them. who knew spinach could be such an engaging topic?

2. i almost joined the army reserves when i was 18. i lived in hawaii at the time {with my brother, who was in the marines}, and thought it might be something i wanted to do. i took all the tests {ASVAB, DELAB, etc}after speaking several times with the recruiter, and scored high enough that i was offered the opportunity to go into Intelligence as a russian linguist. after learning that i could actually do it if i wanted to, i decided i didn't want to.

go figure.

3. i have an insanely strange attraction to bald men. as far as i'm concerned, the less head hair on a man, the better.

4. i'm definitely the kind of girl who chooses simple over lavish. i would unfailingly choose elopement over a big wedding any day {if i weren't already married, of course}

5. less than a week after i gave birth to my youngest, i went on a hike with my dad, husband, and middle child. the middle child took it easy in the backpack on my hubby's back, and i carried the newborn in my arms for the entire 4 mile hike.

i really don't know what the hell i was thinking.

6. i come from a fairly large family: two parents, three brothers, and two sisters.

i'm the only one who hasn't been divorced.

7. whoever said man can't live by bread alone never met me.

if you tossed me a drink every once in awhile, i'm almost positive i could.

that's how much i love bread.

and now i pass this lovely award along to the following beautiful bloggers:

chablis at a charmed life. she's an uber talented lady with a beautiful family, and i've adored her in blogland for ages.

b at sweetlimes.com. besides the fact that i love her madly, she's also unbelievable with a sewing machine.

terresa at the chocolate chip waffle. terresa has a way with words and writing that can only be described as beautiful. and her gorgeous red hair is to die for!

marta at martawrites.com. all i can say is that marta's creativity and talent make me swoon on a daily basis.

and now you should be off to visit the lovely winners, fall in love with their blogs, and enjoy a fabulous day!

::xo::

::grow love::

2010-04-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

i'm not exactly sure why,

but i felt inspired to step way outside the bounds of my comfort zone today

and try my hand at something new.

well, technically i suppose i've done it before...

but surely not since the days of kindergarten,

and most definitely not with grown-up paints, paint brushes, and a little piece of canvas.

imperfect it most certainly is,

but stretching myself past my normal limits felt pretty darn good.

::xo::

::finding my voice: a re-post::

2010-04-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

i used to have another blog. some of you know that, some of you don't.
for more than a year i posted on that blog, sharing everything from silly nonsense to heartfelt posts - and then, for personal reasons, i deleted that blog at the end of last year, wondering if the desire to blog would ever be rekindled again.

obviously, because here i am, it was.

but starting over almost always comes at a cost. my many followers were sacrificed, my groove was completely interrupted, and my blogging voice became somewhat indiscernible to me - but the decision to forge ahead in spite of these things was already made.

i did do one smart thing before i hit the delete button on that previous blog, though. i saved my previous posts to my computer for sentimental reasons, and after spending some time reading through them last night i'm grateful that i felt inspired to do so at the time. it's amazing what we can learn about ourselves just from revisiting old writing - be it through journals, blogs, scrapbooks, or more...

so today i've decided to share an old post from the old blog with you, if for no other reason than the fact that it helped to remind me that i do have a voice and that sharing doesn't have to be as difficult as i sometimes think it is.

**************************note: this post was originally published on 1/9/09***************************

Dear 26-year old self,

Your first baby boy is about 8 months old now, isn't he? If I recall correctly, he's an absolute joy. What a good, low-maintenance baby he's been...which is lucky for you, since he was only three and a half months old when you got hit with that little surprise news about the other bun in the oven, huh? Sorry to hear that you were feeling so ill the past few months. You did, however, choose to be a mother... and it kind of comes with the whole pregnancy territory, right? Just be thankful that you didn't have to spend those months of feeling ill for 24 hours a day dealing with a colicky baby as well.

Speaking of the little man, I think I should probably give you a little heads up...he's going to start walking in about 2 weeks, so you better get everything in the house on lock-down before then. I realize this is extremely early for a baby to walk, but he obviously got wind of the fact that his older sister started walking at 8 months and does not want to be outdone by a girl. You should also know that he's going to figure out how to climb out of the crib...it doesn't matter how low you put the mattress. Don't worry, though...when you hear the big thump the first time he hurls himself over the side, he doesn't hurt himself...he just walks down the hall and surprises you.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this letter is to ease your mind a bit...because I know all mothers worry about the challenges we'll face with our kids as they grow up, especially during the teenage years. I just wanted to reassure you that this little fellow is going to be just fine. Actually, he's going to be a great kid...and you and BigDaddy will be extremely proud of him.

He's fourteen and a half now. His voice is getting so deep that sometimes you hardly recognize it when you hear him talking in another room. He does all of his own laundry, including the folding and ironing...and he's quite meticulous about it (I'm fairly certain that he's inherited some of your OCD tendencies). He can cook, too...pancakes and eggs are his favorite things to make. But let me warn you .... he never stops eating. You should probably start saving extra money now for the grocery bills when he hits puberty.

His self-sufficiency is pretty amazing for his age, but what really makes this little man special is his huge heart. He's a lot like your younger brother...he doesn't want people to know how big his heart is, so he often hides it behind a lot of agitating and silliness...which sometimes drives his siblings crazy. Be prepared for that. There will be days when you feel like you're living with the 14 year old version of your little brother all over again, but just breathe through it...because then he'll walk into the room and do something amazing; like sit down beside you on the sofa and place one of his iPod earphones into your ear while he keeps the other one in his ear so you can both listen to a favorite Foo Fighters or Coldplay song together; or he'll go into the kitchen and make a pan of brownies because he heard you say you were craving something sweet.

Yesterday, I heard his younger brother complain that he didn't want to take a shower because the lightbulb over the bathtub had burned out and it drove him crazy...and I saw him go into the bathroom 5 minutes later and replace the lightbulb for him. This morning, when they were getting ready to leave for school, BigDaddy asked both boys if they had lunch money...when his younger brother said he only had a dollar, your little man pulled two dollars out of his own wallet and handed it to his brother without even thinking about it...then he kissed you goodbye and told you to have a good day.

So, whatever your worries are for that 8 month old little man with the big head, big ears, and the huge smile...lay them aside. For now, soak up every precious moment you have with him. Hug, cuddle, laugh, play, oh!....and super-glue all of the child proof medicine caps closed, because in about 6 months he's going to figure out how to get them all off.

********************************************************************************************

next month this handsome guy will turn 16. he'll get his license, he'll be able to date {not that he will}, and he'll be old enough to get a job without a work permit. sometimes i can scarcely believe how quickly the time has passed since his toddling days of pulling apart every toy he owned just to see how all the parts worked together.

in the time that has passed since writing that blog post, he has continued to grow in responsibility and maturity. i sit back in awe and humble gratitude at being blessed with the earthly care of such a choice spirit as his, and pray on a daily basis that my own failings and short-comings don't screw him up {at least not permanently}.

and, of course, i anxiously await the day when making loud random noises just for the sheer fun of it won't bring nearly so much enjoyment to him...

{photo credit: Richardson Studio}

::xo::

::classic avoidance::

2010-04-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

it occurs to me that this blog is beginning to look {and sound} a bit like pages ripped out of a crochet journal, which really was not my intent. it's true that i happen to be completely enamored with yarn, hooks, patterns, and the thoroughly sedating affect that sitting down to crochet has on me at the moment...

but

i want this blog to be more.

more about me.

more about my family.

more about my thoughts and feelings.

more about my life.

the conundrum here is that i'm a fairly private person and, if i'm being completely honest with myself {and you, of course...because it isn't nice to lie, and it's an easy way to lose friends}, i must admit that i don't really enjoy talking about my feelings the majority of the time. i don't even particularly care to get in touch with my feelings. like, ever.

i would, however, like to get over this hurdle in my life.

unfortunately, today probably won't be the day... so how about if i share some lovely pictures of the motifs i've been working on instead?

and just so you don't think i'm completely one-dimensional, i'll let you peek at my doodle practice as of late.

i'm utterly hopeless when it comes to being artistic in that way, but i'm attempting to improve my skill in preparation for the beginning of the online art-journal class {which, due to total intimidation, i have successfully avoided getting started on as well. my avoidance skills are nearly legendary.}

i do love graph paper♥♥♥... so that's one more thing you can say you know about me. { i feel so much better for sharing}

::xo::

::blame it on friday night TV::

2010-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

thursday night before i went to bed i began working on a pretty little dishcloth to add to the collection i made quite a few years ago while sitting in a hospital room with my husband every day {for 5 days} following an emergency appendectomy {his, not mine}that took him nearly 3 days to wake up from.

i made a lot of dishcloths that week.

but,

i've also done a lot of dishes since then and of course they're starting to show their age and wear

from repeated trips through the agitator.

so i thought maybe it was time to make some new lovelies to add to the kitchen drawer.

last night i picked up my partially woven pretty little dishcloth and proceeded to complete the task at hand while the husband guy watched tv.

about midway through the first bad movie i made my last stitch, fastened off my yarn, wove in the ends and thought "oh my....what a lovely dishcloth! she'll look so pretty sitting in my drawer amongst the collection of kitchen towels that desperately need to be replaced."

and then i folded it in half, and everything after that point is pretty much a blur.

before i even knew what was happening

i was whip-stitching sides together,

crocheting a flower embellishment,

sewing on a button

and adding a strap...

...the first bad movie had ended and we were now more than halfway

into the second bad movie.

which was even worse than the first.

because it was The Cable Guy.

i still need new dishcloths,

but thanks to the sad cable offerings of friday night we now have an adorable little purse to show

for our time and effort.

we may even offer our new lovely up as a giveaway treat next week

if our beautiful blog friends would be interested...

happy saturday!

::xo::

::friday quote - vol. 1::

2010-04-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

::A human being is a single being. Unique and unrepeatable::

~Eileen Caddy

my current list of to-do's for the next few days include:

-abolishing the pesky gray hairs threaded throughout my brunette locks

-laundry, laundry, and more laundry

-relaxing with the husband guy, as the teens will probably be involved in the pursuit of their own activities

-crochet time♥

-church on sunday followed by a lovely afternoon nap

-conquering blog envy and remembering that i'm an individual with my own unique talents and abilities

hoping that all will enjoy a lovely weekend.

::xo::

::yarn lust::

2010-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

i believe yarn is my new crush...

{source}

we are definitely smitten!

::weekend projects::

2010-04-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

in between sniffles and sneezes this weekend,

and more than a bit strung out on advil and every cold medicine i could get my hands on

i did manage to work in some lovely crochet time

in an attempt to divert my weary, stuffed up head from my ailments.

these lovelies were my first attempt at any type of granny square

and i must say i was tickled at how they turned out.

will most likely use the pattern to make many future squares out of much softer yarn,

and join them together into a smashing blanket.

this pretty little hotpad/potholder is my new favorite.

found the inspiration to tackle the project after seeing this post on one of my favorite blogs.

will most definitely be making more of these!

::xo::

::the giddy student::

2010-04-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

as promised in my last post, am sharing a little information regarding my upcoming online class...

elsie and rachel are two lovely young ladies who inspire me on a daily basis,

and i couldn't be more thrilled to participate in this wonderful class being offered.

am looking quite forward to gathering up new supplies,

sifting through existing supplies,

and getting the creative juices flowing as i prepare for class to begin.

pictures and posts aplenty will grace my humble little blog

chronicling my experiences throughout the 6 week course,

which gives me cause to squeal in delight more than just a tiny bit.

and now, dear readers, lest you think ill of me for keeping so much giddy delight all to myself -

you need only to click right here

to find out how you could participate in the class as well.

imagine the fun we could have sharing ideas and strokes of creative genius along the way..

am hoping that much happiness was to be had all around

during the past Easter weekend.

the weather was lovely here,

though my enjoyment of it was seriously hampered

by days of sniffling and sneezing

and a very stuffy and sore nose.

we are feeling much better today.

::xo::

::life{and blog} interrupted::

2010-04-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

hello my lovely friends!

have finally returned from my trip back east and am hard at work getting back into

the routine of daily life with my dear family {oh, how i missed them!}.

the grocery shopping is done,

the laundry is {mostly} caught up,

the tunes were cranked up high whilst the cleaning commenced,

and all is beginning to feel right with the world again.

'twas not the easiest or most pleasant of trips, though it did included a few redeeming moments

that provided relief in the midst of struggle...

for these we are ever so grateful.

creativity took a back-seat to the tasks at hand during my little jaunt,

but i did embark on said trip with a lovely little gift for one of my sisters

which was received with smiles, ooo's and ahh's:

{how fun it is to crochet a little one-of-a-kind creation

and have someone wear it proudly!}

am looking forward to picking up hook and yarn once again

to see what lovelies i can create next.

am also giddy with anticipation over a 6 week online course that i registered for this morning...

it has nothing to do with the art of crochet,

but promises to be a delightful inspiration in helping to get the creative fires burning.

{will be posting more on that in the very near future}

hoping that everyone is enjoying beautiful spring weather

and many joyful moments...

we are pleased to be home.

::xo::

::hooked::

2010-03-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

have been crocheting like a crazed woman for days,

with hook and yarn coming together oh so cooperatively to create lovely little

flourishes of fun.

the creative side of my brain is surprising even myself these days

with bursts of inspiration

at the oddest moments.

am looking forward to sharing pictures of some of the newest creations,

yet for now i must be content to leave you with just a snippet of a glimpse...

for i am busily and oh so happily preparing myself to leave

my little nest of a home in a few days

in order to spend some time with my two favorite sisters in the world.

am too excited for words.

::xo::

::chasing dreams::

2010-03-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

am feeling a bit down as of late.

reality is somewhat bleak, so have taken to creating little diversions for myself

in the form of projects and books.

alas, the basket of yarn is not as full to the brim with beautiful, radiant colors as i would like,

but the beginnings of a scarf and baby blanket have kept my mind busy with

pretty thoughts and my hands busy with repetition.

{"oh my! you say. a baby blanket? you can't be thinking of having a baby at your age..."

to which i reply "most certainly not! but somebody someday will. and when they do, there will

be a lovely little package of warmth to wrap them up in."}

whilst awaiting the first blooms of springtime outside,

have determined to whip up a little garden of my own.

little pretties just aching for the opportunity to adorn a lovely skirt, headband, sweater or card...

patiently sitting amidst the unbloomed yarn until they have their time in the spotlight.

am quite nearly becoming one with the scissors as we peruse the pretty pages of

colorful magazines, clipping and snipping to our hearts content.

will be using our wares to adorn the pages of an inspiration binder soon.

{am afraid that the scissors may become jealous of the glue}.

one thing, dear reader, that you must know about me is that i love books and words

to the depths of my very being.

bleakness never seems quite so bleak when lost in the beauty of language or story.

am loving this book and the way it has opened my eyes to

the art of writing.

have even placed a little bit of love {complete with a blooming flourish}between

the pages to hold my place.

am dreaming of easier days and many more things to create and accomplish,

not the least of which is finishing the renovation of this blog.

::xo::