~Four Fat Quarters~

What can you do with four coordinating fat quarters?



A lot!

Here's what I made:

~A tea cozy~



~A tiny zipper pouch~



~Another zipper pouch~



~Lining for a small purse~



~A wristlet~



~Another wristlet~



~Another little zipper pouch~
This is going in my purse to hold travel size dental floss, and some mints. I used all four fabrics for this pouch. The back is made with the pink polka-dots, and the lining is made from the blue patterned fabric.



~A coaster~
I pieced this out of 1 1/2" squares. A fun little project! The backing is the larger flowered print. I hand quilted it, then bound it with bias tape. The binding is a little wonky! LOL This is going to have a home in my sewing room, when I bring my tea in I'll have a place to put it!



~What's left?~
Tiny little scraps! This is all that I have left! I'd say I made good use of the fat quarters! *Smiles*

~Christmas Shopping!~

In 2004 I went Christmas shopping all.year.long. I created a spreadsheet in Excel, and kept track of not only how much I was spending, but how much I was saving. Almost every single gift was bought on clearance. For example, the wallet we gave my dad cost $8.04 and if I had bought it full price, I would have paid $26.81. The best deal I got was a blouse and vest for one of my sisters. I spent $3.80; full price would have been $60.07! Oh, and one thing funny with my family, is that we like to exclaim (as the family member is opening our gift): "guess what? I got that for under $4!!! It would have cost over $60 new!" (leaving the original price tags on and taking the clearance stickers off is impressive as well! LOL) Shopping totals for 2004, for 18 persons: $99.69. If I would have paid the original prices on all these items we would have spent $381.59!

As I have mentioned before, I have a large family. Kevin and I like to get a gift for each family member, which translates into a lot of gifts! So saving money is a good thing. Interestingly, 2004 is the only year I've done my Christmas shopping in the above-mentioned manner. I don't know why. I guess I don't really like shopping that much!

So now Christmas isn't too far off, and I felt the need to get started! I actually have a few things set away that I bought last year after Christmas, and a few projects started, but not quite enough! I sat down and wrote out a list of who we would be buying for, and came up with ideas for each person. I've already purchased a few gifts since I wrote out my list. It really helps the budget to spread out the gift-buying! Plus, it is ideal to not have to "wonder as I wander" through the store, looking for a gift, any gift, on Christmas Eve! Oh, any ideas for an 18-year old brother? Brother, feel free to comment as well. ;-)

Do you have your Christmas shopping underway as well? Need some ideas? I just found this site, which has some ideas for each person on your list!

~Fall at My House~

Last year I didn't get to decorate for fall, because the living room and dining room were a work in progress!

I pulled out my fall decorations this year though! I think I'll look for a few more items on clearance this year, since I got rid of a few dilapidated decorations.

My front door decoration:


Fall garland, with white lights:


My coffee table (see the doilies? I got them for 5 cents each at a yard sale. They may be out of style, but they're perfect for fall!) with a basket of crocheted pumpkins:


One of my bear friends. If you look closely, you'll see that the bear, candle topper, and even the picture on the candle all match. I saw these at a store called Country Clutter, and I literally had dreams about getting one, I wanted it so badly! Kevin bought her for me!


Another little friend. He doesn't look too scary does he? I originally had him on my front porch, but the wind would blow him over. This corner in the dining room is perfect for him!

~Fall Sale~

I have a number of fall items in my Etsy shop. I am now offering 10% off each item that has "Fall" in the title. Please enter "BLOG1" in the checkout, and I will send you a revised invoice. Please note, shipping remains the same. Happy shopping!

~Slavery~

I have mentioned that I'm attending a ladies Bible study at my church. We're going through the book of Philippians, and so far it has been so good!

The first verse says:

Paul and Timotheous, the servants of Jesus Christ...

In our study, it was mentioned that the word "servants" is actually "slave" in the original Greek. The idea of being a "slave" doesn't sound appealing, does it? It didn't to me anyhow! Why would God want us to be a slave? Didn't He free us?

To further my study, I pulled a book off our shelf which is written by Oliver B. Greene. It has been very insightful! I want to share what I've learned so far:

When one becomes a believer, though he may be a slave from the earthly standpoint, he is spiritually a freeman through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; he is set free from the bondage of Satan. It is equally true that though the believer may be materially free, in bondage to no man on earth, in a spiritual sense he is a bondslave of Jesus Christ, as are all believers. We owe everything to Christ--body, soul, spirit, and service.

--From The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians
Oliver B. Greene

And what does it benefit us to be slaves?

A master is wholly responsible for his slaves--for their food, clothing, housing, every single need they have.
He is responsible for their duties. A slave doesn't choose what to do each day. Similarly, we should look to our Master for directions each day.
The master must provide the supplies needed by the slave to complete the task he has given him.

Quoting again from the same book:

Believers - released from the bondage of sin - are in spiritual bondage to a Master who supplies our every need, lays out for us all of our duties of stewardship, and puts at our disposal everything we need to discharge the duties He has laid out for us. He furnishes grace sufficient for every moment of every day, and for every duty we have as His servants.

In this light, slavery to our Lord becomes desirable!

~Finally gaining ground~

My Monkey sock has been giving me fits ever since I started the heel. I was meeting the gauge set by the pattern, but the heel just seemed so huge to me! But I plugged on, knitted the gusset and started on the foot. Then I found a dropped stitch up by the heel (how on earth? YUCK) and ripped back to here (red line):



I was able to pick up my stitches and continue on. I did a different heel, and it turned out shorter and more to my liking. Now I'm finally using new yarn from the skein again! Current progress:



And a little visitor from the other day:

~Links~

Wow...just "wow". I can't believe how high this auction is. I'm sure the charity that it is going to is doing back flips just watching this auction!

I've really been enjoying Recipezaar for cooking inspiration and new recipes. It is easy to navigate and search through their many recipes.

I believe I've posted the link before, but Mrs. Pear's Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns are delicious. I speak from previous experience, because the ones that filled the house with their wonderful aroma this morning walked out the door with my husband. (I made them for him to take to work and share--I didn't think it would be very nice for him to take it with part of it gone! But oh, it was so hard to smell them and not get to eat them!!!)

I came across this link a while back and bookmarked it: 21 Ways to Improve Your Photography. I can't vouch for the rest of the site, but this article has some great points in it. OH HOW I miss the focus feature on my camera! LOL

Five All-Star Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes. MMmmmmmm...they all look so good!

A blog I've been enjoying is Sallie's Stack. Sallie of A Gracious Home is posting all her interesting links on one site. It provides for some great reading.

Have a great day!

~Betsy-Tacy Book Review~

I recently finished reading all the Betsy-Tacy books. The books were fun to read, and a peek into the past.

If I had a daughter, I would let her read these books, but we would discuss a few things afterwards. For instance, the girls start going out with boys at the young age of 14. There is party after party, with school work often suffering. One Christmas, Betsy gets a Ouija Board, from her Baptist parents, no less. Now, the first time I read the book, I had no clue what a "oo-ja" board was, and gave it little thought. LOL So anyhow, there are a few things like that, that would be discussed.

Oftentimes, when I go into antique stores, I am able to figure out what different objects are, because I have read older literature. This book depicts the early 1900's way of life for readers, and is a fun way to learn about the past.

~Pumpkins, right side up!~

In my shop:


The pumpkins landed the right way this time! =)

~Rainy Day~

Yesterday was a very cozy, rainy day. It rained most of the day. If I don't have to be out in the rain, I just love rainy days!

In the morning I went to a ladies Bible study that our church is having. We're going through the book of Philippians, and it has been a great time of learning and growing in God's Word. I'm glad that I can participate in it.

When I got home, I had leftovers for lunch and then snuggled up on the couch to crochet.



Little did I know that I would be crocheting the same row three times over! I got to the end and realized:



I was out of yarn! Ack! So I pulled it back half way, and crocheted tighter. Still not enough, but I had gained a little bit. So I pulled it all the way out, and crocheted both rows very tightly. I ended up with about a yard of yarn leftover. Phew!

I had put stew in the crock pot for dinner, but it didn't cook in time for dinner. Ah, what to do? I stuck it in the pressure cooker for about five minutes, and then it was done! It turned out really good; next time I'll have to start it earlier in the day!

In the evening, Kevin and I played games, and I crocheted some more on my afghan. Now that the weather is colder, it is nice to have an afghan to work on! I am hoping, hoping, hoping that I don't have to buy more yarn, but I may have to. We'll see!

Today's weather is sunnier...but still cool. I hope whatever the weather, that you have a great day!

~Winter Warmer: Butternut Squash Soup~

I love soup. There are very few soups I've come across that I did not like! I also love winter squash, so what could be better than soup made from winter squash?

For Sunday's dinner, I wanted to do something with a butternut squash I had, and thought of making soup. Many soup recipes for winter squash also call for cream, which I didn't have on hand. I looked through some recipes on RecipeZaar and came across Spiced Squash and Apple Soup. Oh my goodness! It is so delicious! The apple gives it a slight sweetness, and the spices make it taste and smell wonderful!

It is so good, I had it for breakfast this morning! *Grin*

Note: the recipe calls for 2 butternut squashes, to equal five cups. My one butternut squash was six cups, and I used it all.

~My Purse~

I needed to clean out my purse, so I thought I'd create an easy meme...just empty your purse and take a picture...post the picture on your blog.

Here's my purse. I really like it. I got it a few months back.


And inside my lovely purse:


If you play along, leave me a comment so I can see! (Make sure to turn over receipts and things with information on them before you take the picture! *Smiles*)

~Laundry~

Acme Delux Iron

For some reason, I seem to "forget" that I have laundry to do. I guess having the laundry facilities in the basement is conducive to my memory loss. Hmmm...

Today has been spent catching up on laundry. I also decided that with the cold snap we've had it was a good time to haul up all my seasonal clothes and switch out my closet. Do you store your clothes by season? Or do you keep everything out all year? If I had the space, I would leave my seasonal clothes out (in another closet, or separated from the current season's clothing). But I do not have space, so I store the opposite season's clothing in the basement.

I have way, way more winter clothes than I do summer clothes. Now I know why there were so many extra hangers in my sewing room this summer. LOL

So besides the normal laundry and resulting ironing, I've been ironing winter clothes. Ahhhh....I'm tired!

~Etsy~

Kathy sent me an e-mail and asked if I would do a post on Etsy. So I said, sure, why don't you send me some questions you'd like answered!

Kathy's questions are in italics.

How much work is it to maintain?
It really doesn't take that much time to maintain it. Once you get your shop set up, you basically just list new items, which doesn't take too much time. It gets faster after you've listed a few things.


It is easier than doing e-bay?
I think so. There are five easy steps to listing an item, and you are walked right through them.

Is it cheaper than doing ebay?
Yes, it is much cheaper than e-bay. Etsy charges 20 cents per listing no matter what the item costs, and you get five free pictures with that listing. E-bay, on the other hand, charges 40 cents per listing (if it is under $9.99), the first picture is free, and then 15 cents for each additional picture. The final value fees are less as well. Etsy charges 3.5% of the item's cost.

What kind of traffic does Esty get? As far as numbers and types of visitors.
That, I'm not really sure of. Etsy is hugely popular among crafty people. I have heard that it is mostly crafters buying from crafters, but I don't think that is entirely true. There are different ways you can promote your own shop (give-aways on your own blog, give-aways on other people's blogs, list your promotion on the Etsy forum, send an item to someone to review on their blog, etc.)

How long have you been doing it?
I joined Etsy in August of 2006, and didn't make any purchases until February of this year. My first items listed were in April, first items sold were in July.

Has it been worth it?
Yes, it has! I enjoy making the items for my shop. I have made profits on everything I've sold.

Some other high points of Etsy:
***Each listing is in your shop for four months or until it sells.
***I feel as though Etsy is a more relaxing way to sell your items. E-bayers can be obnoxious. I haven't run across that, or heard of, obnoxious Etsy buyers. (I'm sure they are out there though!)
***It is easy to give it a try! You can list a few things to see how you like it. If you don't like it, and your items don't sell, you've only lost a few cents trying.
***It is fun to buy from Etsy sellers. They really go the extra mile when packaging your sale.

I'm a newbie when it comes to selling on Etsy, but I've had a very pleasant experience thus far! If you have any more questions for me, I'd be happy to give a shot at answering them!

~And the winner is...~

~For the pumpkin bib~
Please send me an e-mail with your mailing address!

~African Violets~

Still blooming away! I love these little flowers!

~How I spent my afternoon~

Seventeen packages; all but two were e-bay sales. Whew! Glad that's over with!

The post office had a little hand cart that I used, so I did it all in one trip. That was nice. The man who waited on me was polite. Sometimes bank tellers, store clerks, and postal workers can get irritated if one person has a boatload of business to take care of. Thankfully, I got someone who was nice!

~Mid-West Sizzle~

The Mid-West set records this weekend. It was hot, humid, and quite miserable on Sunday! It didn't feel like October, if felt like July. Quite unbelievable, considering that last year we had snow on the ground!

To take advantage of the heat, we sped off to the Lake last night after dinner. The water was actually warmer than it was the last time we went, though still cold (!), and we had quite an enjoyable swim with the sky tinged in pink. It was a fun experience to be in the Lake at sunset.

The restrooms/changing facilities were already closed for the season, so we had a trip home in wet clothes. But, it was so worth it!

It was definitely the last hurrah of the season; tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 50's!

~Fabric Heaven~

Last week I needed some material for a project I was working on, and I decided to look for a better fabric store. Surely something better than Jo-Ann's was in my area? I looked in my phone book, and found a store that wasn't too far away.

The store building is nothing to be in awe over. In fact, I've passed this store many times and not even realized it was a fabric store! However, as soon as I walked into the store, I knew I had found a much better place to shop for fabric!!!

All the popular fabrics that I see paraded all over sewing blogs were in this store! All the popular designers (Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, to name just two) have their fabric in this store! I browsed with delight!

Now, I'm not totally "against" Jo-Ann's. They are usually reasonably priced, and they offer half off on their patterns, with specials on their patterns regularly. However, I have spent hours in that store trying to find coordinating fabrics! When I made this bag, I spent close to three hours in the store, just trying to come up with two coordinating fabrics. Even to find a solid fabric to go with a print is nearly impossible! At one point I stopped looking for two fabrics, and instead looked through the pattern book in order to find a pattern that only took one fabric. My mom told me she had a similar experience as well.

Not so at this new store! I bought fabric for my project, and two fat quarters:


I can't believe it, but I'm in love with a store! LOL

~Bib~

Tell me, what do you notice about this bib?



If you have a baby under the age of one, just write a comment and I'll draw a name and send you the bib, free of charge!

I still think this bib is cute, but goodness, I didn't realize the pumpkins were upside down until I was taking pictures. The one place a pumpkin would have been right side up, was in the neck hole. I'll have to make another one for my Etsy shop, but until then, I thought someone could enjoy it and also give me some feedback on the neckties, how it soaks up drool, etc.

~Monkey Business~

Ah, today I really have been monkeying around. I've done quite a bit, actually, but in between times I've been goofing off, and watching my e-bay auctions. It is exciting when it gets down to the last few minutes! Oh, and I figured out what to do with the bidder who no longer wanted to bid: sellers can cancel bids! I'm glad I figured that out before the auction was over!

I'm going off to the library to get some books, and then when I return I'm going to work in earnest!

Have a happy Saturday!

To answer several questions about my socks:

Yes, you see four needles. I use a fifth to knit with. It is a little tricky when you first start out, but after awhile it isn't too hard!

The yarn I'm using is made by Lang Yarns, and is Jawoll Superwash. It is made in Italy for a company in Switzerland. There's barely any English on the label! It is 75% new wool, 18% nylon, and 7% acrylic. I purchased it when my LYS was closing their doors. Oh, and it is lovely to work with, but it slips off the needles too easily, even my wooden needles. So I have to really pay attention, and have a crochet hook handy for when it comes off.

~Autumn Etsy Collection~

I was a busy gal sewing today, and now there are a few new things listed in my shop:

Wristlet:


Zipper Pouch:


Little Zipper Pouch:


Pumpkin Bib:


Jelly Bean Bib:


And this has been listed, but I didn't mention it previously:

~Pets Galore!~

My youngest sister is nine years old, and she has quite a fondness for animals. Apparently, she wants everyone to share her love of animals!

In a recent e-mail, my mom told me:

When B. (my littlest sister) prays now, her prayers always include petitions for animals. She prays, "Help me to get a rabbit, C. to get a goat, T. to get a Jersey cow, Dad to get a Llama, N. to get a turtle, and Mom to get a meat cow. At the end of her prayer N. always informs her that he does not want a turtle, and that if he wanted one he would have picked up the turtle that was walking across the road in town one day. N. was driving down town and there was a turtle (probably about 9 inches long from front to back) slowly crossing the street. He stopped to let him go across. I asked him if he wanted to pick it up, and he said no. Then, the truck behind us stopped and picked him up. Anyway, N. reminds B. that he could have had a turtle if he really wanted one. Still, she prays that he will get a turtle. Sometimes she asks God to give someone a poodle. I think she figures if she asks for enough animals, the Lord will give us something. We will see...... It really is good that God doesn't answer every prayer we pray with a "yes". Can you imagine how our place would look??? God is good!

I just laughed so much when I read this e-mail! My family does live out in the country, but they do not have the room for farm animals! LOL

~Monkeying around~

Last night with the beginning of Socktoberfest, I cast on for a pair of Monkey socks. I've seen these socks all over blogland, and I even bought this yarn with the intention of making this pattern with it. So far, so good. I detest swatching, so usually my "swatch" is casting on and seeing how things go. It looks like it is making gauge just fine. No frogging...at least yet!

This yarn is intriguing to me. It is brown, but it has silvery undertones. I can't wait to see them finished!

My goal for the month of October is to make two pairs of socks! We shall see!

~e-bay stuff~

I hope my parents don't mind me sharing this story, but I find it too funny to keep to myself! *Smiles*

My dad has been an e-bayer practically since e-bay opened their online doors. And so, when he saw a copper tea kettle listed, he wanted to get it for my mom. My mom, however, did not want it. She told him so, several times. But he "won" it for her anyhow. ;-)

One of my sisters went to use it shortly after we got it. She put it on the stove, and left it to boil away, till the water boiled out and the kettle was over-heated. I came through the kitchen and right as I did, the spout fell off the kettle!

Oh, we all laughed and laughed. My sister who had stuck it on the stove was apologetic, but my mom just thought it was funny. Hmmm...

~*~*~*~*~
Ok, a little vent! If you were bidding on a foreign auction, wouldn't you check to see if they ship internationally before you place your bid? Wouldn't you know, someone from Brazil has bid on a 10-lb. book! I checked online, and it will cost roughly $50-60 to mail! I'm not very happy with this bidder; I think he should have asked beforehand. At least it is a book that has a number of watchers, hopefully he will be outbid, or be willing to pay that much for the shipping!

~*~*~*~*~
Do you buy things on e-bay? What's the best item you've bought on e-bay? My best deal was my hand-knotted canopy. I got it for less than half then it would cost new!

~e-bay~

The last week or so I have been checking e-bay on a minute-by-minute basis. Why? Because I've spent hours listing books on e-bay! If anyone is interested in Greek manuals, let me know, and I'll e-mail you my user name so you can look at them. There are also a few Christian titles I've listed as well.

We condensed our bookshelves so that we could take one of the bookshelves out of the office. It covered up the vent and it was always hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Now it's cold in the summer. ;-)

After spending a combined six hours listing books this weekend, it is very gratifying to see people bidding on my books! In the past, I had entertained visions of selling books on e-bay as a home business, but this venture has quickly squelched that idea. I am so finicky about my descriptions (if there is one page turned down, I'm apt to mention it in the description), so it takes me a long time to write up each listing. But in the end, I feel like it is worth the time taken, because it ensures a positive feedback!

Well, off to check on e-bay! LOL

Image from e-bay.com

~Dishcloth~

Last Sunday, Deb posted about dishcloth she knitted which was also an entry for a little contest. The contest runs through today, and I just barely finished in time!

Anne, who designed the dishcloth and is running the contest, wanted the particulars, so here they are:
Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn
Size 8 straight needles (aluminum)
Method of knitting: English style
Finished size of dishcloth: 9 1/4" wide by 10 1/2" long
Name I chose for this pattern: Sailboats

It was a quick, fun knit. It has been a long time since I knitted a dishcloth, and I'm looking forward to using this one!

(Sorry for the wonky picture. The dishcloth is actually straight on the sides. It's late and I'm too tired to keep taking pictures!! LOL)

~A Beautiful Fall Day~

Today was just lovely. We spent the morning hanging about the house, not really getting anything done, just enjoying the morning puttering about doing things.

This afternoon we went to a farm that has a barn turned into a store. They have lots of apples, decorations, homemade jams and applesauce, and a few animals to pet and feed. We got old-fashioned donuts. Yummy. Afterwards we went for a drive in the country. The leaves are just turning now, so we had an enjoyable drive. It is nice sometimes to just drive and not have a destination.

Later this afternoon I went for a walk.
***Birds chirping
***lawn mowers running here and there
***crickets chirping (there seems to be an overabundance of crickets this year!)
***weather that was just right!

Mmm! Loved the walk!

Now I need to focus on laundry and tomorrow's dinner! Have a great day!

Picture above taken last fall.

~Company Tonight!~

One thing that Kevin and I enjoy is having company over. I used to be quite flustered over having people over, but I have learned to relax and not worry so much about how things turn out.

Tonight's dinner went really well. We had:
Dripped Beef
Mashed Potatoes with gravy
Green beans with almonds*
Ambrosia
Butter rolls with jam
Swedish Apple Pie with a scoop of ice cream

We had a wonderful time of fellowship!

*Here's the "recipe" for Green Beans with Almonds. I make them quite often when we have company.

Green beans (two cans)
butter (about 2 tablespoons, adjust as necessary)
slivered almonds (about 2 or 3 tablespoons)
lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) (you can leave this out, but it does lend a tangy taste to the green beans)

Heat the green beans in a pan. In a separate sauce pan, melt butter and slightly brown slivered almonds. Stir and watch carefully, because the butter will burn easily. Stir in lemon juice and drain green beans, mix butter mixture into green beans.

These are so good! I never measure, so these are just estimates. It doesn't have to be exact!

~Motivation to Clean~

Playing maid on Wednesday was a change of pace, but I don't do that every time I need to clean my house. However, I have done it a few times. The money for coffee was a new twist this time around. LOL Here are some other things I have done to motivate myself:

***As I am finished cleaning each room, I light a candle behind me. Then as I come back through that room to put something away, I see the candle flickering, reminding me that this room is already cleaned! I usually start with the easiest rooms first, that way I can get a few candles going right away!

***I write a backwards list. Every time I'm finished with a task, I write it on my list. At the end, I have a whole long list of things I've accomplished!

***I write a list of everything that needs to be done, including things that don't normally make it to a regular list (i.e. make bed, water plants, or whatever). That way there are lots of things to cross off my list, in a short amount of time!

I don't do this now, but when I was little, my mom would send me to my room to clean it and I would:

***Play like I was a shopkeeper.

***Pretend my sisters and I were orphans. LOL

***Play like I was a housecleaning elf. I had to work fast and secretly! (As if it was a secret I had been sent to my room to clean it!)

So you see, I've always had an active imagination when it comes to getting tasks done. It can be soooo easy to get bored and tired of doing repetitive tasks, so taking your mind off the boringness of the job often gets me out of that rut!

Happy housecleaning!

~Maid for a Day~

#1 Maid

Yesterday I decided that what I really wanted was for a maid to come clean my house. So I left a list of everything I wanted her to do on the counter, along with a $5 bill and a note that it was for coffee after she was finished, and I walked out of the house....

...and came around by the front door and let myself in and started working.

It may seem silly, but it got the work done! Maids, after all, do not stop every fifteen minutes to check their e-mail (and then end up getting hung up on the computer for the next hour!). Maids do not stop to read stray books and magazines. No, maids get to work and work.

My house is clean as a whistle, and after the maid I was finished working, I took my "pay" and went and got coffee!

Obviously I work for cheap. Anyone want a maid for the day? I only charge $5! ;-)

~How Clean is Your House?~

I just read through the book How Clean is Your House by Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie. I had never heard of this duo until Mrs. U mentioned them on her blog.

After reading this book, I realize that I'm not the snappiest homemaker around (certainly not the worst! there's nothing like comparing yourself with the worst to make yourself feel better! LOL). There's room for improvement, that's all.

Yesterday I washed the quilt on our bed. It took forever to dry! At least we have a washer and dryer that will accommodate the spread. It looks and smells so fresh now! Next on my war against dust is my hand-knotted canopy. I didn't buy it from Country Curtains, but they sell the same exact canopies (I got mine for a fraction of the price on e-bay). So anyhow, I called Country Curtains, and they told me to just throw it in the dryer on no heat. The lady who took my call told me that she puts a dryer sheet in with hers.

Last week I cleaned my living room and dining room thoroughly (well, I'm saving the windows LOL). This week is the kitchen. I started last night. Today I worked my way around the top cabinets, pulling everything out and wiping down the shelves. It is amazing how dusty things can get inside a cabinet! I also did a bit of throwing away, and pulling things to donate at a thrift store. I shuffled things around, and now my top cabinets are all spic and span!

Tomorrow I'm going to try to wrap up the cabinets and odds and ends about the kitchen. Hopefully I can get it all finished!

Image source

~No Longer Puzzled~

Tonight we finished the puzzle. It took a bit of working on, those trees weren't easy, and the puzzle pieces weren't easy to work with either. They would go practically anywhere you put them!

~Betsy-Tacy~

Have you ever read the Betsy-Tacy books? I read them when I was younger. I love to reread children's books that I enjoyed as a child! I have gotten all but the second through fourth books from my library. I'm waiting on them, and then I'm going to have a fun time reading! I read the first book last night. Such fun!

Here are the books in order:
* Betsy-Tacy (1940)
* Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941)
* Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942)
* Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown (1943)
* Heaven to Betsy (1945)
* Betsy in Spite of Herself (1946)
* Betsy Was a Junior (1947)
* Betsy and Joe (1948)
* Betsy and the Great World (1952)
* Betsy's Wedding (1955)

Wikipedia says:

The Betsy-Tacy series is a collection of books written by Maud Hart Lovelace. The books are written at progressively more difficult reading levels as the characters age. They follow the adventures of Betsy Ray and her friends and family from the time that Betsy turns five until she is in her early twenties. They take place in the very late 19th and early 20th centuries — the time period from about 1897 to 1917.

Reading these books is a fun way to learn about life during this time period!

There is a Betsy-Tacy Society. It's interesting to click around the sight. There is some adorable stationery for sale:


...and they have purchased Betsy's and Tacy's houses and are restoring them.

Now, nobody shoot me, ok, but I have never cared for the artwork of Lois Lenski. Since the first few books feature her artwork, I'm not too crazy about the illustrations. But it has grown on me a little! Isn't that funny?

The Betsy-Tacy books are worth reading! Unfortunately, some of them are currently out of print, so if you want to read the whole set, you'll have to obtain them from your library.

Happy reading!

~Lake Michigan~

Today was a gorgeous day, just right for a last visit to the lake before the weather gets too cool. Last time we were at the lake, I wanted to go swimming so badly, but we weren't prepared. I waded anyhow. LOL

This time, we were prepared! The water was cold, but we got used to it after the initial shock! It was so fun to bob up and down with the waves. There weren't many people at the lake, it was so nice and peaceful. I don't enjoy crowds! We swam for about an hour or so, and then we headed back home.

We got a cup of coffee on the way home from McCafe. Pretty good coffee!

Now I need to go and prepare dinner for tomorrow, and get some ironing done. Have a blessed Sunday!

~Puzzled~

Tonight Kevin and I have spent a quiet evening at home. I made Easy Swedish Apple Pie for dessert, with some apples that I got at a produce stand. It is SO good!

After dinner we played Backgammon and then Kevin got out a puzzle. I didn't realize we even had an unopened puzzle in the house. It had a coupon in it that expired in September of 2000, so we've had it around since we were newlyweds! We're done with it for today, we'll work on it more tomorrow!

~Why those tiny needles?~

I picked up my lace knitting again (after a hiatus of a year and a half!) and I've been making grand progress.

I changed the needle type and size, and things went so much better than the first time around. I started completely over, and I have about 22 inches of lace now!

My WIP:


And the previous attempt (shown below the piece I'm working on):


Oh, and the answer to the question? In part it is a mystery to me. I just love to make lace, be it with a tatting needle, crochet hook, or knitting needles. It takes more time, and the end result is small, but I enjoy the process, and I love the finished product!

Any ideas for what I should do with the lace once I finish it? I'm thinking of edging an apron. I don't want to make yards and yards, just enough for a smallish project!

~Flowers in my house~

After many months, my African Violet finally has some flowers!


Mums in my husband's grandpa's shoe shine box.

~Mail Box Blues?~

Do you get anything but junk mail and bills when your mail is delivered? It can be discouraging to throw out every piece of mail (or worse yet, get unexpected bills!). In this modern day of e-mails, text-messaging, and instant messaging, I think we often forget the power of the written word. As in, hand written word.

When was the last time you sent a letter or card to someone? There are times when I'm terrible about writing, and then there are times I'm a little better. It doesn't have to be an epistle! A little note of encouragement can mean the world to someone!

Challenge: pull out your stationery and write a little letter to someone you care about! I just did - my hand is a slightly sore from all that writing, but I know that my letter will brighten someone's day!

Image from usps.com

~Tuesday~

What an original title, eh? *Smiles*

Today is supposed to be nice and warm, in comparison to the last few days of fall-like weather we've had. I looked at the forecast, and it looks as though we'll have warmer weather for the rest of the week. That's nice! I wasn't ready to get my fall/winter clothes out yet anyhow!

My mother-in-law sent me a pressure canner! I'm SO excited! I can't wait to use it! And speaking of canning, our gas bill was $10 more than last month. I guess boiling ketchup down for six hours does have a price tag attached to it. LOL I have been cooking and baking a whole lot more since I haven't been working, so I'm sure that has something to do with it too! I'm sure I've saved more than $10 by cooking more at home!

What's to do today?
***Housework
***Make applesauce
***Run a few errands

I'm sure more will come up! But those are the big things for today. What's on your "to do" list today?

~Just Say "No!"~

Last Sunday dinner (the lunch meal) was a disaster! I tried a new recipe out (sooooo glad it wasn't for company! LOL), and the recipe was a complete flop! The vegetables were practically raw, while the biscuits were burnt on the top and soggy on the bottom. It was just GROSS!

So I said, "That's it! I'm not cooking on Sunday any more!"

No, we're not starving on Sunday! and no, we're not going to start going out to eat either! I'm planning on cooking dinner on Saturday so that the food prep is easy!

Saturday rolled around and I made ambrosia (half the recipe), butter rolls, and a corned beef roast and potatoes in the crock pot overnight. In the morning I just stuck the roast and potatoes in the refrigerator. My husband was excited about the good dinner we were going to have and I was excited that I wasn't going to have to cook it after church! It worked out very well for me!

~Writing Contest~

Scribbit has a monthly writing contest, and one of the nice things is that you can submit older posts if you wish. The topic this month is "Learning" and my entry is ~Ask for Directions~.

~Camera Frustrations~

My camera hasn't been focusing correctly for the past few months, which has resulted in way fewer pictures, because I get so frustrated trying to get a focused picture! Tonight I did a little digging around online, and wound up calling the Canon technical support line.

Basically, I found out that, though my pictures weren't blurry at Christmas time, dropping the camera then jarred something loose in the lens, and as I continued taking pictures, the lens continued further and further off course.

I can pay $107 for Canon to fix the camera, or I can buy a refurbished model (same as mine) for $85. Neither option sounds attractive to me. I looked online, and I can buy the same model I have for $90. So why pay more than the camera is worth to fix it, and why pay just $5 less for a used model?

I'm going to look into a local camera shop fixing the problem. Then I'll work from there. So if you've wondered why there are fewer pictures around my blog in the last few months...now you know. *Smiles*

~My name~

To make your own, click here.

~Drain Issues~

When I felted my purse, I unwittingly clogged the drain that the laundry tub empties into. Actually, the lint from the purse just closed the clog, I'm sure. (I have never felted anything before, and I didn't know that you're supposed to put your items in a pillowcase so that the lint doesn't clog the drain! Lesson learned!)

We called a rental place and got a snake to clean out the drain. It worked! We were thankful, because while the snake cost $11 to rent, calling a plumber would have cost over $100! Eeks.

It is nice to do laundry without the basement flooding!

~Bloggy Giveaway Winner~

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for my second blogiversary! *Smiles*

The winner is: Deb from Mountain Musings!

Deb, please e-mail me your address and I'll get the package out next week!

~Page Turner~

I know this is quite long, but it is hilarious! I was introduced to Victor Borge by my grandfather, and have enjoyed him since.