102

this pic was taken at her 100th bday party in 2009

Yesterday we went to the funeral for the very best neighbor we've ever had. She was 102-years-old. She was wonderful and kind. Gentle and caring. Thoughtful and sweet. We only knew her for the last 10 years of her life. When we moved in she was still taking care of her yard (minus the mowing). She would make treats for the girls every Christmas. She would sit outside in the summer, just to watch them play. She worried and prayed when Tessa was sick just after birth. She had a couple of falling accidents that took their toll. Her family began taking shifts to care for her, at first during the days, and then 24 hrs as it became needed. We became close to them as well.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Jones. We loved you.

One night last month as I was putting Tessa to bed she told me, "Mom, the Bible says if you obey your mom and dad you'll live a long and happy life. Well, I think Mrs. Jones must've been very good at that."

Less than a week before her 8th birthday...

My little girl decided to jump from the top bunk bed. It didn't work out well for her. Birthday plans of a trail ride with dad and a new bike will have to wait. For now, she's playing wii and making up her own algebra equations on her dry-erase board.

bugs in a bag

I have two daughters with birthdays in July. One is turning 11. The other, my baby, eight. Seriously, where has all of the time gone? Thankfully my Tessa still likes little girl things. So, for her approaching birthday I made these:

Five little finger puppet friends, a butterfly, a bumble bee,

a blue bird, a daisy and, of course, a ladybug.

Tessa has always had such an amazing imagination. My mom jokes that if Tessa is playing in the other room, there's no way to be sure if she's alone or having a party.

She also has a wonderfully tender heart. Often she talks to me about Lucy and how she wishes her cousin were here on Earth with us. No bug collection is complete without our ladybug.

I was going to make just a plain old bag for the bugs,

but then I had the idea to make a tree.

I can't wait for T's birthday.

A Dry Spell

A blogging dry-spell. Like everyone else, the end of the school year is crazy busy around here. Add to that our trip to the South in the middle of May. It was amazing. Mikay was awarded a trip to Space Camp by her school teacher. She had the best time ever. If the beds had been a little more comfortable and the rooms a little warmer, we probably would not have been able to get her to come home.

Tess, Mikay & Suzy at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL

While Mikay was exploring the depths of space and the surface of the moon, the rest of us stayed in Nashville, Tennessee and had an amazing time. We spent time with cousins, hung out at a children's museum, visited the Grand Ole Opry and the General Jackson.

Doug and our remaining girls outside the Opry.

We made friends at our hotel who were visiting the US from Switzerland and also had a seven-year-old girl. And went to the botanical gardens with some friends who live in Nashville.

The glass bridge at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

Although I very much loved our time in the South (the green everywhere is amazing!), after returning home I found did not miss the cicadas. Or the threat of tornados.

Mesh Bag

I'm not really all that green. I know, controversial. I do what I can, but I don't go very far out of my way (hey, gas is expensive). We reuse, but we've been doing that since before it was cool. We shop at thrift stores & yard sales, and have for a very long time.

(See my pup in the background? Isn't he a cutie?)

Reusable shopping bags are not something I've ever bought. I try to avoid purchasing things made outside the USA. I like to support our economy. All of the ones I've looked at have come from elsewhere. But. I dreamed up a bag that was not only made right here in the good ol' US of A, but right in my very own state, town, and home. With yarn I already had.

Originally I had thought it would be more of a swimming bag or a gym bag or something like that. And it still could be. But I think it also kind of lends itself to groceries. It can hold the same amount as a plastic grocery bag.

I made a single crochet pocket at the top for keys or change (though I didn't line it, therefore very small items could fall out). The strap is pretty thick and comfortable to carry. I really like this and hope that I can remember how I did it once I have time again (will that ever happen? It isn't looking very promising).

flip-flop socks

I made these for a friend. I think I need to make some for me. They were very simple, I c/o 60 stitches on size 2 needles. I knit in a k3 p2 rib for three inches. At that point I ran a piece of yarn through the last 20 stitches to save for later and continued around the remaining 40 for five rows. I like to bind off (loosely!) alternating knit and purl (that makes the last row on top instead of the side, and I like that look better). Next I put the 20 st from before back on needles and knit them for five rows using the same binding off technique.

Make some. Be happy. Flip-flops can now be worn in April & May when we're not sure if it's going to be warm and sunny or cold(ish) and snowy.

what college is teaching me

(Have I mentioned I'm back in school?)

I have now have a well defined sense of right & wrong. I am right, everyone else is wrong.

I love being a mom

A Pooping Bird

At the request of my cousin/sister (technically my cousin, but love her like my sister), I've made a pooping bird of some sort. Our grandma made pooping chickens. If I could find the one she made that my cousin sent me, I would post it. Although I find the concept somewhat unsettling, I've made one for her and it only took 3 years of her asking for me to do it.

(Sorry this one is a little blurry. I didn't check my pic quality before sending her)

Untie the bow at the back and watch her go! (yuck) Just in time for Easter. Now if it would only stop snowing/raining.

Oh by the way, those are jelly beans.

lil baby hats

There are a lot of girls in the other room, playing wii dance party. Or something like that. I'm hiding in here, thought I'd blog the hats I made yesterday. I didn't really use a pattern, but I did google how to crochet a rib. I liked it!

newborn-sized

***

larger-than-newborn-sized

hide-a-bed

My daughter was invited to the birthday party for a little girl she babysits. We went to Target for a small baby doll. I learned my lesson making these beds last fall, always buy the doll first. I made several but couldn't find babies small enough to fit, never mind that we had a million that size when my girls were small(er).

I based this on little doll bed purses I bought for my daughters at a craft fair before Easter many years ago. I know the concept is an old one. When I showed this to a good friend of mine she started gushing at the memory of her own doll bed when she was young.

(the blanket is a separate piece)

Sugar Cookies

These are the cookies on which I was raised. Every Christmastime my mom would make batch upon batch which we kids would decorate using her cloth piping bags. At Valentines she would make us each a giant heart decorated fancy with our names written across (Mom is amazing with frosting!). I remember shamrock cookies and bunnies, stars and pumpkins. These cookies are happiness, joy and childhood wonder all in a single bite.

Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Cream:

1/2 c. softened butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

Then add:

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. sour cream

Stir together, then add:

3 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Roll & cut out.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 6-8 mins.

The cookies should still be pale, but dry-looking.

Dough needs no refrigeration (that's the best part!).

Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.

They are so, so yummy.

borrowing the idea for this from a friend.

A little about me as told by pieces of facebook flair:

to go

I don't love every item I ever make. In fact, I'm pretty picky about the ones I even like. So to have a set about which I love nearly every piece, well, that's pretty amazing! Here is such a set:


The only one I don't love is the ice cream, but even that I don't hate. I do love the box, I got it at a craft store. I love the hamburger parts.

I love how the fries are all individual and can be taken out of the bag. I love the apple slices and their little seeds. I love the juice box with the picture on front & a straw sticking up from the top.

All of these items are firsts for me. I wanted to make things I've never made before because this set will be included in a baby-sitting tote that my girls will take with them to their new jobs & one of the kids already has one of my typical food sets. This way there won't be any confusion.

It's the busy time

After the Festival of Trees, I packed up and headed to Southeastern Utah and participated in a craft fair with my sister (went mostly for the fun of hanging out with her, the fair was an excuse). I've never been in one of those before and it went much better than I anticipated. I sold some mini stockings, some animals, some blankets, some stuff like that.

After I got home I worked madly on scarves for my aunt & cousin. My aunt is my dad's only sister and I love her so much! Dace, my cousin, is like another sister. We didn't know each other well growing up because they lived far away but, thanks mainly to facebook, she's one of my best friends.

Since then I have made stockings for teachers (I had quite a stock before the craft fair, but they sold out, so I started again at zero). Now I'm going to work on some dinosaurs and a couple of scarves.

Next month, next month I'll be able to stop, breathe and sleep again. Right? (PS, I am making a goal of 1 stocking a week next year.)

Lucy's 7th tree

Last week was the Festival of Trees. A favorite time. We made Lucy's 7th tree. We laughed. We got choked up. We remembered.

O Christmas Tree

a trellis scarf

I've got a new crochet stitch pattern that I adore. It makes a mesh-like fabric and I've been using it for water bottle slings. Yesterday I decided to apply it to a scarf and some soft, yummy yarn. I don't know if the stitch has a name, it probably does, I can't imagine nobody else has ever dreamed it up before.


I call it a Trellis Scarf because the stitch reminds me of a once-white, weather-beaten trellis on the side of an old farmhouse, the kind a young man would climb to whisper to a girl upon whom he had a crush, long after her parents had gone to bed (oh dear, this image is starting to worry me because I, myself, have four daughters!).

The yarn is Patons Bohemian (poly/acrylic blend) in indigo. The scarf measures about 89 or 90 inches (oh how I love a long scarf!), plenty of room to knot around a neck and keep someone toasty and snug. The flower in the bottom corner is made of wool. The scarf can be machine washed in cold and left flat to dry.

Although there are holes throughout the pattern, this scarf is very warm and cozy.

It is for sale, $20, which includes shipping (in the US). If you're interested, let me know. I can run a sale through Etsy (so I'm told. I'll have to call my etsy-pro friend *hi Jamie!* for instructions, but she says it can be done!).

My daughter won a trip to Space Camp(!) from her teacher and though tuition is free, we are responsible for getting her there. I'm going to be making items to sell to help pay for her airfare.