Saturday, November 24, 2012

Leaves!!

Well, it was time to pick up the leaves. I BEGGED for a wooded lot when we were going to build 10 years ago. "I promise I'll rake all the leaves every year." I LOVE trees.  For the most part I take care of the leaves each year.(My husband might disagree with this statement.)




I soon came to regret this promise and really dreaded the annual RAKING OF THE LEAVES, but then my wise father told me "you don't have to RAKE the leaves. You can vacuum them up with your lawnmower and turn them into mulch at the same time." Father Knows Best! I actually enjoy picking up the leaves now.

My mulch bin


OHH! Look at that before and after line.Don't you LOVE jobs that have a clear Before and After?
Unfortunately, it was almost dark when I finished so I didn't get the "After" picture of the back yard so I will just have to tell you it looked great. I'm sure tomorrow there will be a few more on the ground, but I will try and snap a pic if it still looks good.



What about you?  Do you enjoy leaf raking or is this a chore you dread? Do you rake or blow or mow?
Thanks for stopping by. The next post will be some small crochet projects I have recently finished. See you soon!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalms 16:11.




Thursday, November 8, 2012

Painting on the Pad

Have you ever tried "painting" on your IPad? I have a new app on my IPad that I absolutely LOVE!!! It's called ArtRage and it allows you to draw or paint pictures with your finger and I'm completely obsessed with it at the moment. Here are a few pictures I made which were inspired by Autumn.
Hope you enjoy these BRIGHTS!


Here are a few pics from this summer


And finally, a summer sand dollar.





How do you like to express your creative side? This is such a fun, quick, app for drawing and as a BONUS, NO MESS!

p.s. Today is my 46th birthday and I'm going with my hubby to a great new restaurant called Tupelo Honey Cafe. It just opened in Knoxville and we have eaten there one time.It is FANTASTIC! I'll share some pictures of my supper soon.  

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If  God is for us, who can ever be against us?"
Romans 8:31





Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Fireside in Fall

Hi y'all,

With the weather turning nasty here I have hunkered down in front of the fire for some hooky time! Nothing makes me more motivated to crochet than a warm fire and comfy chair. I am having problems getting up from my spot FIRESIDE.




Little friend hanging on my mantle that I made using Lucy's Birdie Decoration.


Sorry it's a little blurry.


I am so thankful for my home when so many people are digging out from the mud, sand, and water left behind from Hurricane Sandy. The pictures and stories are heartbreaking and I am praying for the MANY who were in her wake.


While I have been at home watching the news my hands have been busy trying to finish the blanket I started last spring.







I have had to rethink the size and edging for this project since I am running low on the yarn for the squares, and I really don't want to buy anymore. It is one of the challenging, and also rewarding, parts of crochet...  reworking, adapting, changing, undoing, doing again.....
Keep checking back for more updates on this ever changing blanket.

What are your working on at the moment?
Have you had to rework any projects?
Do you find the process frustrating or rewarding?


I hope all is well with you and thank you for stopping by for a visit!
xxxxxx

P.S. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hey Y'all. It's Fall!

Hey everyone!
Well, it has been a long time since my last post and, even though it's FALL, I can give an update on the GREAT SUMMER PROJECT! The screened porch! We have already had many enjoyable hours out there and I cannot believe we didn't do this sooner. It is my backyard paradise!


TV is in the cabinet.

Finished cushions that I made from this material.


Fireplace to cozy up to on those cool days.

Sand dollars from my summer vacation at Kiawah Island, South Carolina






As I was taking these pictures I was shivering, since the temperature was in the low 40's and falling... Hurricane Sandy has hit the East Coast and we are feeling it's affects here, a little over 700 miles away. We are about 1 hour away from Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains which has had more than 3 FEET of snow and it's still coming down! They have 15 guests who are stranded up there at the Lodge, but thankfully they are being well taken care of with cozy cabins and GREAT food. The link is to the caretakers' blog and has some AMAZING photographs of this winter wonderland.

I have had Fox News on all day watching the photographs and stories of the flooding, fires, and blizzard that Sandy has brought to the entire eastern part of the US. I, along with many others, am sending up prayers for all of the people who have been in the path of this historic storm. 

Here are some words from His Word for strength and inspiration during these difficult times.xxxx

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Summer Break !?

I seem to be taking a little break from blogging right now without planning to. I've been buzzing from one thing to another with no regular schedule, and I've found that sharing on here is falling through the cracks. I have decided not to stress over it, and I will put things on here when I get around to it. Soooo... there may be fewer postings over the next few weeks. I AM still working on my hooky projects, and maybe I will have some "Ta-Dah" moments toward the end of summer. Remember this? I'm still making HEXAGONS. (Now I know why I like making scarves- QUICK!)


This tedium inspired my new blanket project... Bullseye by Brittany Tyler 
I was going crazy making little complex granny hexagons, and I needed something simpler and faster to work on at the same time to break up the monotony. This pattern is so easy and I'm really enjoying the speed with which it's coming together. The squares are about twice the size of the hexes and circles make for some happy hooking! You can see I'm still pushing the color wheel on this project, but I think I will be using this on our newly screened in back porch where color choices can be more adventurous.





Speaking of the new back porch...
The baby birds from the last post left the nest three days later and moved over to the woods beside the house while the mom and dad still fed them for a few more days. I LOVE having all of the trees next to us and the animals that live there... BUT... with woods come MOSQUITOES.  Millions of AGGRESSIVE, EVIL, HUNGRY MOSQUITOES! Ok, maybe not millions, but so many that I cannot sit out there without being eaten alive. I have had various methods for fighting these critters but finally we are putting up the white flag and SCREENING in the whole thing. I am so excited to have this beautiful area to sit and crochet without scratching, swatting, and saying bad words in my head. It should be much more peaceful! Here are some pictures of this work in progress.

The roof will be extended to the edge for the screening.

These posts will be moved to the edge of the porch to provide more floor space.

The cushion for this swing will be the fabric from my earlier post here.

Here's the furniture form the porch. Yes, the grass is getting CRUNCHY from a dry spell.   

I hope you are having a great and relaxing summer and I'll pop in here a few times over the next few weeks if I have something to share with you. As always, I am so glad you stopped by to visit and I'll talk to ya soon.


Monday, June 11, 2012

Back From the Beach


Hey everybody! I have been out of town for a week at the beach. I LOVE THE BEACH! I went with a good friend and her family and all together we had 14 people in a huge house in South Carolina. It was a wonderful week of this...








And some of THIS...



Thankfully, none of THESE...


Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, lol) there was a LOT of THIS!

chocolate chip cheesecake
Needless to say I had the most amazing time with good friends, good food, good times and was so thankful to be included in this family's vacation!


While I was away these...
turned into THESE...



SERIOUSLY, is there anything UGLIER than baby birds? The mom and dad have their work cut out for them trying to feed 5 little mouths! Maybe they will get cuter with age?!? More pics to come.

On the crafty front I was able to start a new crochet blanket on the trip. The 13 year old boy that was with us at the beach said ,"All you do is read and crochet!". To which I replied, "Yes, isn't it wonderful?"  I will show the beginning of the new hooky blanky next time. Come back and visit a while.

Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog and feel free to leave me a comment. It really makes my day! xxxxxxoooxxxxxxxooooxxxxxxxx

Philippians 4:7  "Then you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His PEACE will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."