perception

Yesterday, Matt had an orthodontist appointment.  (His braces come OFF on December 14th!) 

When we walked into the office yesterday, they had their tree up.  
All three of us said, "Oh Neat!"that looks like a Who tree from the Grinch."  We all thought it was really fun and colorful and whimsical.  

About 15 minutes later, another family walked in, looked at the tree and said "Ew that looks like a Who tree."  with scrunched up faces and disgust in their voices!  

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder!

Shelter gifts....

I dropped off my pet shelter goodies before Thanksgiving.    While there, I looked at some of the pets they have and couldn't help but get choked up.
I managed to take 21 pet beds in all this year....along with dental treats, toys, soaps, collars and food.

Don't forget you can always hand make toys like we did....and take in your used collars and leashes...they can always use them.

I look forward to doing this each year.  I was talking to a young man who was helping unload and mentioned that there seemed to be a lot of animals.  He said "Yep, but they'll all find homes." 
"Lots of good folks are coming in of late."  His being so matter of fact was reassuring.  He went on to say that more people are saying they can afford pets again.  That gives me hope that these little animals will have loving homes soon.

Please consider adoption the next time you get a new pet.....
   

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals"-

Immanual Kant

crochet cocoon...

The last couple of weeks I worked on goodies for a baby gift for a teacher I work with.  She doesn't read my blog so I know she won't see this post.   
I crocheted a baby bear cocoon.    I've seen photos with these and they are so cute...here is a link to a page of them.

I put it on one of Kaela's dolls....hahaha!  kinda creepy on the doll but you get the idea.

I also made a teeny newborn beanie, a really large blanket and a hands free bathing towel.

The towel is by far the most "unglamorous" gift...but my favorite to make.  I've been making them for 18 years and they are always appreciated. 
I was tempted to make a terrycloth bathing apron instead but my kids talked me out of it.  They reminded me how special their bath towels were to them and said that aprons are for moms...towels are for kids.   Didn't take much to convince me, they are so much easier to make than an apron!   
Here is a link to my "tutorial" if you'd like to make one for someone you know. 

Today we were going to see my family but a virus has moved in amongst us and we can't take a chance of infecting them...so instead, we are going to hang out on the couch and watch movies....here is hoping you all have a great "after Thanksgiving" weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today and everyday.......

sock monkey crochet and a birdbath...

November couldn't get past me without my finishing 2 more Make It Monthly gifts!

First, I made this sock monkey throw pillow for a certain little boy....I hope he likes it!

I also made this birdbath for my mom.  

She has moved into a nursing home and misses seeing the birds every morning.  My sisters and dad visit her daily but it is still so heartbreaking for us all.   As she aged, she became enchanted by the birds that gathered in the yard throughout the day.  Dad got her a birdwatching book and some binoculars so she could see them up close.
She has a private room with a lovely view of a green space near a wooded lot and there is a perfect spot for a birdbath. 
At first, I planned to make her a large mosaic birdbath but they need to be kept up.  They get algae in the grout if not cleaned...and they need to be watched in winter so they don't crack.  Keeping this in mind, I decided to make this simple wreath birdbath instead.  You can find them all over the Internet (complete with tutorials) but they are so simple to make you don't need one.   I just hope the birds find it quickly so she doesn't get upset.  I really hope she loves it.

sketching......

The other day I was helping Kaela with some homework and I happened to glance at the front of her binder......brought tears to my eyes:

sometimes you just have to let go and hope you are doing ok as a parent.  This gave me a lot of reassurance.

Yesterday she babysat for a neighbor and when she came home, she didn't feel great.  
As the day wore on she felt worse and worse and by last night she had a fever.     She downed some ibuprofen and took it easy, doing a little sketching while we watched a movie.   

It is so wonderful seeing her enjoying art again.   These sketches took no time at all.  It amazes me at how she can be so talented and now under the right teacher, she is blooming.  She used a regular pencil and eraser and a napkin on these.   The only thing I could do with that is write a note or blow my nose.

a 5 minute apple...complete with striations and dimples

a 10 minute horse....my old mare Punkin.  She was a beautiful, soulful animal and I miss her still

15 minutes legs.  I don't get how you do knees.  She was on the couch but drew the stripes to look like she was at the beach...

This morning, she woke up with a 102 degree fever and vomiting.  (fun. fun. fun.) 

I just hope it is a quick bug and that she can still go to the mall with her friends tomorrow....after all, Thanksgiving break is supposed to be FUN!

"Drawing is the honesty of art.  There is no possibility of cheating, it is either good or bad." -
Salvador Dali

soldiering on

The seasons are changing, even in South Louisiana.....the tomatoes and peppers are long gone and the last of the basil has seeded, the trees blooms are long spent....

But I still have 2 beauties who refuse to let go......
This black eyed susan vine is still happy...

her brilliance still lingers.....

and the morning glory vine has been reinvigorated by the spring like weather....although her flowers aren't the dark blue of spring......

but a softer lilac only seen this time of year.  It amazes me that this wild vine can create blooms like this in fall

 and this in spring...the same vine, the only difference is the time of year, truly a striking difference.


the zinnas try and try but the waning sun and lack of truly hot weather is slowly stealing them away from us until next year....I am left with 2 dozen stragglers who refuse to let go.   When they do, I'll harvest their seeds for another beautiful garden next year.

Nature gives to every time and season, some beauty of it's own....
-Charles Dickens

mini wreath ornaments....finished!

I had Tuesday off and spent a little bit of time finishing these wreath ornaments from the weekend: 

 

here are a few close ups....... 

I love how they ALL turned out....even these with the little words are precious:

This little green one with toadstools will be on my YOE tree....

It is amazing how fast they came together!

crocheted cowls and owls!

This weekend I was sick with some sort of virus again.  Twice in 2 weeks.....that is some sort of record for me.    That being said, being sick is the one time I can be lazy without feeling guilty.

Soooooo, I did a lot of sleeping...and a lot of crafting....

I started on some ornaments....they just need bows and jingle bells and other bits to finish them up. 
(I got the idea here)

  

Matt and I swapped phones (well, sort of....he got my upgrade for Christmas...I got his old phone.)   I made a new cell phone case to go with it because my old case was getting pretty worn out.  Plus, the kids at school love to see the fun cellphone covers I come up with.  They'll get a kick out of this little owl.

The favorite thing I made is this ruffled cowl.  I made it with a skein of gorgeous yarn Jill gave me last year.  In an unrelated twist, I had recently purchased some handmade buttons and as luck would have it, they matched perfectly so I used them together.

I have the ruffle flipped up in the photo but I can wear it in a variety of ways.   Last night I wore it scrunched down a bit.   It is so warm and soft that I kept it on all night. 

 Here is hoping everyone has a great week....don't forget to VOTE!

Pink with a purpose....

I'm participating in the Pink Scarf Project until next October....if you would like to join this wonderful effort, click on the badge on my sidebar.

I've made these 3 scarves so far.  I didn't use patterns, just made them up as I went along, using the amount of yarn I had as a guide.  The first two were made with partial skeins I had in my stash.

This first one is a simple cowl made out of a bulky chenille yarn.  The roses are made from some old pj bottoms I had.  It can be folded in half and used as a headband too....and yes, I tried it on and it is SO CUTE!

This one is a button cowl of a soft wool blend, I had a sweet faux antique button I used to compliment the soft color.  This one will be super warm.

This last scarf I had Dean pick up the yarn for (good job, right?)   I love the triple picot edge.  It looks like a ruffle and is ultra feminine.  This one is Kaela's favorite and she is insisting I make her one "just like it."

I plan on making them all year long and then shipping them off next September.   Again, if you want to join me, click on the badge to the right and it will take you to Vicki's blog post explaining the project.  

*I've had a lot of interest in a pattern for this last scarf.  I did not write it down as I went but here is how I made it.  This pattern has NOT been tested so please be aware of that.

(I used Caron yarn for it but don't remember what hook size.  Probably H or I.)

Row 1:chain an even amount of stitches, turn. (I chained about 6 feet worth)
Row 2: half double crochet in second chain and in every chain to the end.  Chain 1, turn
Rows 3-6: half double crochet in every stitch to the end.  (You can make yours wider by making more rows.) 

Do NOT finish off, just begin ruffle edging.

*Ruffle edging.  Each stitch has two loops.  A front loop and a back loop.  The ruffle is made in these loops. 

*Row 7: working in front loop ONLY, work 5 chain picot stitches  Here is a link to picot stitch  all the way around the entire scarf.

*Row 8: working in back loop ONLY, work 7 chain picot stitches all the way around the entire scarf. 

Finish off.

Enjoy!

another October behind us

Yesterday started out with a whimper and ended with a bang.  

I was a bit sad because we did not get to do our annual pumpkin carving contest.  During the last 2 weeks, at least one of us was sick....then Dean was out of town....then the kids had conflicting school and church schedules.    

Then, I was told that both kids were doing things at other people's homes. (BAH!)
Our house has always been crazy busy at Halloween so I was not thrilled at the thought of having an empty house this year.

But then...early yesterday MORNING...things changed.  All of a sudden, EVERYONE was going to be at our house for Halloween! (EEK!)

Of course, since it wasn't anticipated, I hadn't done a spooky buffet but,  I dashed home after work and cooked and baked up a FRENZY.  Everyone ended up happy and full. (meatball subs can fill up the largest zombie army, folks.)

I did a little drop on the way to work...

After cooking and setting up, I put on my good witch hat and toad ring and happily passed out candy....

to brave little children who ventured near.
As usual, many of them took photos with the headless horseman.  





This year Dean snuck up behind the tree and spooked them... right as their parent's took the photos....it was great fun.

Our front door looked so pretty....

The best part was that the house was full of "characters" who ran around and had fun.....and ate and ate and ate!  There were more kids than this but some snuck off without a photo being snapped.  The front door should have revolved, it stayed in constant motion (much to my delight.)

There is something just WRONG about a 16 year old teletubby...and only "C" could have pulled it off without it being creepy! 

At the end of the evening, when MANY ghouls and ghosties had come to visit,  we were all tuckered out and happy to say goodnight until NEXT year!
I went in, cleaned up the wreck of a kitchen....with the help of sweet Dean and then read a few chapters of an appropriately Halloween-ish type book....

 

Til next year......my little lovelies!