Prayer Shawls

These aren't the typical prayer shawls I usually make. They are called pocket prayer shawls. I make them with cotton yarn and they are about 3x3 inches or 4x4 inches big.

The idea of pocket shawls are for people to be able to carry them. I originally made a batch for the troops at the request of the church I donate the prayer shawls to.

This batch I made for my church.

Dishcloths

These are dishcloths I recently made. The two on the left are made with regular cotton yarn. The four on the right are made with cotton thread. They were interesting to make. I made these dishcloths for a woman at church.

Baby blankets

 This is a baby blanket I made this past summer. It's made with Bernat baby yarn. It reminds me of a creamsicle.

 These baby blankets I made for two friends that know people having babies. The top one is blue/white and it's made with Red Heart yarn. The bottom one is actually pink.

This blanket I made for my boy because he liked the yarn.

Shawls

 This pretty blue shawl is the exact same color as my moms. I made it for a friend of my daughters mom. The mom has a tumor in her brain that is inoperable. I can't do much for her besides pray and make a prayer shawl for her. I made it in early December.

 This beautiful prayer shawl (it's folded here) is made with "Claret". It's so pretty. It's made with a new Homespun yarn called "thick and quick". It's a little thicker than the regular Homespun yarn I normally use. I like it well enough. I originally made this to give the church prayer shawl ministry, but I found another need for it. A friend of mines son died in October and I gave the mom this prayer shawl.

This prayer shawl I made for my sister in law. I asked her what color she liked and she told me yellow. I made this one in September.

Getting caught up

It's been a busy season for me. Christmas is over and I finally downloaded all my pictures from all the crochet I've done.  I'll make new posts for that though.

I also registered for two classes this semester. History and Writing ll.  I am looking forward to taking these two classes and I know I will excel in both classes.

My boy is doing well. He sold 4,500 dollars this fall for the boy scout popcorn fundraiser. He earned 200 dollars in gift cards for WalMart, and a lot of other fun stuff. He gets to go to a Basketball game, museums, amusement parks and a couple other things I can't think of at the moment.

My husband has been working a lot. We miss him and hopefully he will be able to take a week off from work right after the new year.

My daughter continues to do well. And so does my mom!  Mom is getting new granite counter tops in her kitchen next week and is excited about that!  I can't wait to see her new kitchen.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!!

Seven years..............

I love that huge NO SMOKING sign.

Today marks SEVEN YEARS that I have been a non smoker!!

Hard to believe it's really been seven years. I occasionally still miss smoking, much to my chagrin.  But, I simply cannot ever go back to smoking. If I take one puff, I know I will be right back smoking full time.

There have been plenty of health benefits for me too. I can actually breathe.  I don't huff and puff anymore just walking up stairs. I feel better. I am losing weight again too.  I actually can run and not be winded now.

And that old wives tale--that food will taste better?? That hasn't happened for me. But, I think most all food is tasteless anymore anyway.

Maybe I'll take up running for real in the coming year.

World Vision

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?lpos=top_drp_WaysToGive&go=catalog&

Each year my husband receives a bonus from work and each year we each receive a piece of the bonus to give to a charity.  Most years I choose World Vision.

Each year when I make the phone call, I make a fool of myself and start crying. I cry because it makes me desperately sad that I even have to give to this charity to begin with. But I give with a cheerful heart.

There are many different items that can be donated. Most years I give animals. This year I gave a goat and chickens, then another portion for where ever the need is greatest.

Last year I donated fruit trees.

It is very humbling to me to give to this organization. I am thankful I can give.

Veterans Day 2012

 Today is Veterans day. There are a lot of Vets in my family including me. You never know when you sign up in the volunteer Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines whether there will be a war. And when you are drafted, you know, of course, that it is war time.
Here is a list of my family members that are Vets:
John- Great Great Grandpa- Army- Civil war
Leonard-Dad-Army-WW2
George-Father in Law-Air Force-Korea
Bill-Uncle-Air Force-Korea
Mark-brother-Air Force-Viet Nam era
Bill-cousin-Army- Viet Nam  era
Bob-cousin-Army- Viet Nam era
Steve-cousin-Navy Viet nam era
Bill-cousin-Army- peacetime
Lisa-cousin-Army-Viet Nam era (last of the WACS)
Mike-brother in law-Air Force-peacetime
John-husband- Navy (Naval Academy)Desert Storm
Pam-Army-peacetime
Nick-nephew-Air Force-serving NOW
I am proud of my family members, and everyone else that serves in the Armed Forces, and I am thankful for each and every one of them that served. I am thankful for the men and women that serve in the Armed Forces today too.

This is a picture of me in Basic Training (Fort McClellan AL), I think. It might have been AIT in San Antonio TX.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

Baby blankets

These are the baby afghans I made for the NICU babies this year. It wasn't near as many as I usually make.  Hopefully I'll make up for that in the coming year.

A fellow crocheter on my crochet board collects blankets for the NICU at a hospital near her where her baby stayed.  I make them because I like to make them and my daughter spent time in the NICU when she was born too.

It gives me pleasure to give these blankets to a NICU unit knowing that the babies and parents will appreciate them!!

Disappointed...........

I, like a lot of other people in the nation are disappointed with the election results.

That's ok!! The world keeps spinning and we keep moving on.

I was reminded this morning twice that GOD IS IN CONTROL!! Still. Sometimes I forget that but it was nice to be reminded amidst my disappointment.

Romans 8:27-28

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

I voted

Went at lunch time. Took 15 minutes. I was number 471 of 1500 expected in my precinct.

Now, we just sit and wait and see the results tonight. I am very excited for the results.

Lots of praying for the nation and for this election this year. It's a big one. I know that is said each year, but this year it really does seem to be a big one.

I hope you all got out and voted!!

Seven things...........

I have a Seven things project update.

We periodically put things out to the curb. Most recently it was fish tanks and air conditioners. I love curbside recycling.

Also, I cleaned out my shoes. I desperately needed to do this as the shoes in my closet were piled high on the shoe racks. That's never good. It ruins the shoes and it indicates that a person has too many shoes.

I finally went through them and put them in a large garbage bag. There were about 14 pair of various shoes in very good condition. I will be dropping them off at our local family services. I like this place better than Salvation Army or Goodwill. I feel it serves the local people better.

October

It's been a rough month.  There have been several young deaths in our community. I know two of the families of the young men that died. It's just heartbreaking that this has happened. As parents, we need to be involved in our kids lives, to know where they are and what they are doing. Who their friends are etc. We need to keep the lines of communication open with our young people. At any age. At all ages. We need to pay attention, even if the child is not yours.

I'm currently taking a Statistics class, that I am not doing very well in. It's very humbling to not excel at a class. I received a mid-term e mail from my professor. While I am currently passing the class (barely), I am not confident that I can actually pass the class. I just don't understand the concepts of Statistics. If possible, it is even worse than last semesters Algebra class. I have chosen to with draw from the class. I feel like a loser for doing this, but, I don't think I can pass the class and the last seven weeks have been very stressful for me. Give me a biology, or microbiology class any day and I will get an A in that class! My mind is just not geared for Stats it seems.

On the other hand, my daughter is doing well with her job and life. She seems happy with what she is doing and since she moved back to Minnesota, we all see her more.

My little guy is doing well too. He just finished selling popcorn for boy scouts and did very well! He is still liking school too, which is always good.

My mom is doing very well too. She says her place finally feels like home now. And she has her pictures hung up now! I know that can make a huge difference. She is also getting new counter tops in her kitchen. She is happy about that too.

We'll all make it through the rough times, and be all the stronger for it.

Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Twenty years ago

This is my baby girl. Grandpa is holding her. I never let anyone hold her but grandpa.

Twenty years ago on this night my baby girl was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes.  She was very ill for a long time. I had brought her to the doctor three times and they missed this diagnosis. It wasn't until after we had gone out for Halloween and were home that it became apparent that she wasn't doing well.

I was awoken with a very audible voice, that I believe was God, telling me to get her to the hospital NOW. I sat bolt upright in bed, got my daughter bundled up and carried her out to the car. It was 2 am and I sped down the freeway to Children's Hospital.  I parked my car right by the emergency entrance. They took her immediately and started working on her.

After they finally got an IV in and got blood from her, the doctor told me she was very sick. And that she had diabetes. She was in ketoacidosis and not doing well at all. She had lost about 11 pounds too. I asked if she would be ok and the doctor wouldn't answer with a yes. He wouldn't even tell me if she would make it through the night.

It was terrifying. I stayed at the hospital all day and night while she was there. If my mom or dad were there with her, I would run home and get fresh clothes etc. I knew very little about diabetes. My daughter and I learned together. And we finally found a good doctor that we went to for 10 yrs.

She recovered and has done reasonably well since her diagnosis. The pump has made life for a diabetic much easier to manage with fewer sticks with a needle.

I am thankful each day that I listened to that voice and that my daughter is still here.

Proverbs 3:5-6

New King James Version

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Anniversary

Eighteen years ago today I married my husband!!

It was sort of a whirlwind romance. We met in October, starting dating in January, he proposed in May and we were married in September. Not as quickly as some people meet and marry, but sometimes you just know that you know that you know.

It's been a wonderful eighteen years so far and I look forward to, at the very least, eighteen more years!!

Every year I post this on his Facebook wall. This year he posted it on my wall!!

It's Fall!!!!

My favorite time of year!  Today marks the autumnal equinox.  Which just means it's fall.

I waited til late September to get married because I wanted to be married in the fall. I had a beautiful sunny wedding day.

We went to Boston and Maine for our Honeymoon and it was fabulous.

I love this time of year for many reasons. I love the smell of burning leaves, and the beautiful colors of the leaves on the trees.  I love the crisp cool air, and the bright sunny days.  It's the perfect time of year!

I held a Hummingbird

On Monday, my boy and I heard a thud at our bay window. The boy looked out and told me a hummingbird was on the patio floor.  I looked, and the bird looked dead. It was laying there belly up with it's wings splayed out. So, after a few minutes, the boy went out there to look at the bird. He told me it was moving. I think he meant it was breathing. I went out and picked up the hummingbird. I set it in the palm of my hand and it sat up. I could definitely tell it was stunned. It just sat there and I pet it a few times and told the bird he would be ok.

Turns out it is a juvenile male. No damage to his beak from hitting the window or his wings from the fall. He sat on my hand for about 3 minutes. I asked my boy to run into the house to grab my phone so I could take these pictures.

The top picture is of the juvenile resting on a hook after he flew off, he rested there for a few minutes too.  When he first flew away, he flew back to the window, then to my head, then my shoulder. He landed on this hook.

The second and third pictures are of him just resting in my hand.

This was a once in a life time experience. The only thing that came close to this was when we visited Madera Canyon in Arizona and the hummingbirds were accustomed to humans and flew very closely to us.  Before today I had never held a hummingbird. I am thankful this beautiful creature survived the window crash.

A mid summer update

It's mid summer. Another birthday has passed as well as my daughter celebrating another birthday on the same day.  We went out to Red Lobster to eat. It was good.

Unpacking at my mom's is going ok. Not as quickly as I had hoped it would go, but it's coming along. I can only do so much on the days I am there and then something else always comes up that needs doing.  But all the rooms are set up, and boxes are getting unpacked. In between unpacking, I clean her house. It's bigger than her other one, so it will take longer.

Mom is doing very very well. The ortho doctor does not need to see her for a YEAR!! I was shocked to hear that. She will have life long restrictions, mostly of the bending variety. But over all, she is doing very well.

The boy is taking swim lessons and playing baseball. He likes both activities, but is not a prolific swimmer at all. I refer to him as an aqua-rock. But he tries, and he can swim.  His summer has kind of been a bummer because we go to my moms house every other day to help her get settled. That's not a lot of fun for him but I explained that grandma can't do it all herself and we need to help. I think he understands.

My daughter recently had surgery to remove some steel plates and screws from her arms. She was in an accident a few years ago and she required plates and screws to repair her arms. She is glad they are out now and I hope she has less pain now.

I am going to Maryland in August! I can't wait. I thought I wouldn't be able to go this year with my moms surgery,  and school, but I am able to go and I am happy about that!  I signed up for one class this fall, Statistics. I am thinking about going to nursing school, but am still undecided. I am taking classes that are required for the nursing program and are general classes I would need for a degree anyway, so by doing that, I have time to make a decision. It would be a two year RN program. Two years full time.

The husband is working and taking some vacation time this month and next month, which will be nice too. And he is painting our laundry room and putting a new floor beneath the washer and dryer. We recently purchased a new washer/dryer set and thought it was a good time to repaint and refloor that area.

I continue to crochet during the summer. I have several projects I need to finish. I am making my sister in law a prayer shawl. She liked my moms so I thought I would make her one. I also have several baby blankets to make and the mornings my boy has swim lessons I make washcloths for the troops. I can almost finish one during his lesson time.

I think that's it. Hope you all are having a wonderful summer!! It's going by way too fast though~!!

Washcloths

These are six washcloths for the troops. My husband chose the yarn. It's 100% cotton yarn.  I found this charity through my crochet board.

The washcloths are easy and quick to make too. My boy is taking swim lessons this summer and I can work on these easily while he is taking his lessons.

Crochet stuff.............

I made this prayer shawl for my mom. She is always cold. She asked me about one and I told her I would make it for her. She really likes it!

I don't know why I didn't think of making her a shawl earlier, I'm just glad she said something!!

This one is Russet colored. Mom had a room mate in rehab. She was 94 years old and had a hip replacement too. I gave this shawl to her and she loved it!!

July 1 2012

Today my mom is 84 years old. She is doing well after her hip replacement surgery.

She also moved into a new condo. One with no stairs!!  We are still trying to get her settled after the carpet incident. Her brand new carpet came with a flaw and had to be re ordered.

Time for another word cloud.....

Decoration day...

It's what Memorial Day used to be called.

I'm shocked by how many people celebrate this day off from work, but don't know why they are celebrating.

What bothers me even more is the kids that don't know why we celebrate this day.
I know my boy didn't know why and I had to explain it to him.  I'll have to talk to my daughter and get her viewpoint on this too.

I just want to thank all the service men and women for serving our great country, and the men and women that continue to serve our nation to maintain our freedom.

But most of all, I want to thank the men and women that served our nation and sacrificed their very lives for all of us. And the families that they left behind. Because that is what this day is all about after all!

Hummingbirds

They are here!! They are three days late this year and we are shocked. We all thought with the warm weather we had that they would be early. We are glad they are here!!

Blankets.....

These are two baby sized blankets I made recently for a raffle for Battens disease. Look it up.

They are made with Red Heart yarn. One variegated and one solid color.

I also have made two other baby blankets and about 20 tiny preemie blankets. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of those, but I might be able to get one from the person I sent them too. If I get a picture of them, I will post it.  They are my annual contribution to the NICU babies.

I finished a shawl that I started some time ago. I'll post that later.

There hasn't been much time to crochet, but in the last four months I managed to make the preemie blankets.  And I made some cotton 4x4 squares for the troops. A local church had this project and I contributed to that. This summer I will continue with more preemie blankets and I am making a shawl for my mom.  She is having hip replacement surgery at the end of the month. I may need to fore go my trip to Maryland this year.

Update...........

This semester is finally over! I am so glad to be done. It was a tough four months and I still don't "get" algebra.  BUT, I passed! In fact I received a B in my Algebra class and an A- in the writing class. I am shocked with the B. I never ever could have done it without the help of my  tutor-my husband! He was so patient with me most of the time.

I will be taking Statistics in the fall. Only one class. And I decided not to take any summer courses for various reasons.

The boy is doing well in school this year and he is playing soccer right now with baseball following. Six weeks of each.  Then he will be taking his normal three sessions of swimming this summer. We also purchased a season pass again to a local water park. He will have a moderately busy summer. I also foresee some fishing going on as well.

The girl is doing well. So glad to be seeing more of her.

My mom is doing well, sort of. She is moving to a new place in about two weeks. She is also having hip replacement surgery! Just found out about that this week. So glad I am not taking a summer class, especially now. Mom is moving into a lower level unit so that she doesn't have stairs. With her knees, and now her hips, it will be much easier on her.

My husband has been busy with work, that business will end shortly.  He won't be having the crazy schedule soon, and I will be happy and so will the boy.

A note on the seven things project. I continue to rid my home of "stuff."  Most of it is clothing that the boy has out grown. Just recently I gave two pair of winter boots to a friend. Glad to be rid of them too!!

There's so much around here that I haven't had the time to do in the last four months so now I am kind of catching up.  I baked banana bread yesterday,  and burned it!  But I have been hungry for home made baked goods.  I need to make chocolate chip cookies too. YUM.  I have stuff to put away and organize, and I hope to get to the stuff eventually. It's kind of nice not having to run off to school or spend most of my free time studying and writing papers!

That's it for now.  Hopefully I'll be able to update more.

Spring!!!!

It's Spring today!! Though we have had some unseasonably warm weather all month.  Like in the 70's type of warm weather. Which is very unusual for us.  But, our ground is still frozen.

I haven't posted much lately because I have been busy with my college classes. The Algebra and Writing have taken over my life. I had a spring break but it wasn't even at the same time as my boy had his break.  And, I still had homework to do the week I was off school!!

I can't believe I haven't posted in two months!! That's a long time for me to not post.

My boy had another birthday in early March. He had his usual Dinosaur cake, and he brought dinosaur cupcakes to school. This year we also made a goodie bag for the kids in his class. Fun stuff, no candy. The kids seemed to like them.

The picture in this post is of a Barred Owl that visited us earlier this month in our yard. The boy spotted it and we all ran to the window to watch. It stuck around for about 45 minutes and moved from tree to tree a couple of times. It was fascinating! And Owls are really weird animals. It turned it's head. It was really weird.

My daughter is doing well, along with her cats!  Sometimes I miss cats, but with our one Jack Russell, it would never work.

I know I have more to add, but can't think of anything at the moment.  I'll try to keep up better with the blog.

School this semester....

If you think of it, you could pray for me for this semesters class.

I am taking a basic college math course and it is giving me fits. Even with my husband helping me.

I feel very defeated and I don't want to feel this way at all.

My brain needs to understand this stuff because I need this class. I need to take this class and pass it.

I'm also taking a writing class which I foresee being a cake walk compared to the math class.

Thank you!!

A round ripple

This isn't a great picture, but it's a picture of a round ripple I made.

It's made for a woman having her third baby boy and I wanted to make something different for her. So, I made this out of cotton, and it's a round ripple. I liked it a lot when I was done with it.

I also made some cotton wash cloths for her baby.   She like it all!  I'm happy she like the blanket and wash cloths.