Still here.

Hello friends. I just wanted to stop by and let you know I am still here but I have been super busy. I have my outdoor Christmas lights put up, my tree is up (i just couldn't wait..shame on me), and some of the decorations I have are up. So I am loving sitting at night watching the tree lights chasing, fading, blinking..it is so calming so joyous.

I have also been busy taking care of sick little ones. It appears a stomach bug is going through the house. It started with my oldest son waking up Friday night with a bad tummy ache. He only vomited once and had a bit of diarreah. My youngest daughter had it Sunday night, and my youngest son had it last night (Tuesday). So today I scrubbed, sanitized, lysoled, mopped, to try to keep it from spreading any further. Luckily this one wasn't too bad with very little vomiting and diarreah but it still makes the anxiety run high.

I will post again soon, friends. I have some pictures to upload to my computer. I will take pictures of my tree all lit up and of my lights (i'll turn them on just long enough to take the pics.).
Until next time friends, Be Blessed.

My happy little finds and more.

Hello again my friends! I have had a wonderful weekend full of grocery getting, household items getting, searching for bargains, scurrying here, there and everywhere. I swear we were out of everything from toilet paper to cleaning supplies to food. I have been a busy little bee.

However, I didn't just buy those things we needed. I splurged a little bit and got some things that just made me happy.

My happy little thing number 1 is these beautiful red candles. I asked my honey to bring these home to me because my other beautiful red candles had just about been burned up. Since these candles are apple scented, I use them in my kitchen and diningroom.

The bonus to these red, apple scented candles is that they go very well with my kitchen decor. Just a few of the red objects in my kitchen.

And since I am talking about candles and tis the holidays I decided to show you all this simple living room side table decor. All of the candles in this picure are white and fresh linen scented. I love the smell of fresh laundry and the fresh linen scent reminds me of just that.

The above picture is a find from a local second hand store. Aren't they beautiful. I saw this strand of painted wooden beads and just had to purchase it. Now I know these are Christmas items and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet BUT I just had to put them here on the stairs..

I also found these two vintage crochet books at that same second hand store. It seems as though these were kind of like the Betty Crocker thing where you get the binder and they send you recipe cards every month or so. But I am not for sure.

Inside these books there are little tabbed dividers to each collection of crochet patters. This book contains patterns from afghans to baby items to household items to tips and tricks and edgings.
Would you like to see some of the patterns that are included?

First, this lovely child's coat. I think it is just adorable! I can see making tons of these for my little nieces or some of my friend's little girls.

I saw this pattern and it made me think of all of my Ravelry friends. Of course these aren't the colors we are used to but could you imagine this in pinks, blues, greens, and purples.

This one also made me think of my Ravelry friends. Lots of granny squares, granny stripes, granny ripples, and granny hexis are made over on the We Love Lucy group on Ravelry. Here is a gorgeous granny square coat. Would you like to see it up close?

Here you go! Don't you think it is lovely?

Keeping with the granny squares, here is a nice granny square shoulder bag! Colors need to be updated but still lovely just the same.

Here is a nice round purse for you all to gawk at as well. I can see this in "Lucy" colors. I may just make one of these for my girls.

Not all of the patterns in these books are "to die for"..

I don't think I would make and wear this Checkerboard Sweater. Some of you may like it but I think it is a little dated for my tastes.

I also got this calendar and bill organizer in my scurrying. I couldn't pass either up. The calendar is full of these Dear God messages. The drawings are just too cute. The bill organizer is full of beautiful pictures of flowers and trees. Both great finds!

I also needed to go to the library during all of my shopping and unbeknownst to me they were having a book sale. So I bought some books from a few of my favorite authors. I also bought some books for my children. They aren't as avid readers as I am but I keep buying books for them hoping one of the books will spark their interest enough for them to actually read one.

Are you all getting tired of seeing all of these pictures yet? No. Great...See my big frog. It was an anniversary present from my hubby. (I love all kinds of frogs) But that isn't what this picture is about. I am showcasing the two Cinnamon brooms I stumbled across at my local dollar store. Here they sit in my bay window, in their packaging and my whole house smells of cinnamon. We are planning on purchasing an electric fireplace/heater next month for the living room and once we do, these two brooms are going on either side of the fireplace...I just can't wait.

Did you see my two little firbabies in my last picture? Here they are looking out the bay window. They do this every afternoon when it is time for the kiddos to walk home from school. It amazes me how they instinctively know when it is time for them to appear.

I promise this is my last photo. My hubby, our boys, and I got my garden beds ready to be covered for the winter. We put some good quality soil and fertilizer in them. We will cover them up for the winter and next spring when they thaw out we will add some peat moss and vermiculite to them and they will be ready to go for my garden next year. I can't wait.

I hope you have enjoyed my pictures and I hope I haven't bored you too much with my yammerings. I hope you all have a good day/evening.

Until next time. Be blessed.

So How's the Weather?

That seems to be the question right now doesn't it? Seems like the weather can change hour by hour around my neck of the woods. One day it can be sunny and warm, the next it would be cold and rainy, the next sunny and freezing. The weather patterns here in Ohio amaze me.

Today has been such a day. I woke up this morning to sunshine and crisp air. Not too chilly just crisp. As the day is progressing, clouds are rolling in and the temperatures are falling. The news said we could see the first snowflakes of the season tonight and tomorrow morning. I love to watch the snow floating down from the sky but I don't like being cold.

Would you like to see some pictures?

The is picture was taking one day while going to the grocery store. The sky looks ominous doesn't it. It never did rain that day but those dark skies hung around all day tempting my little town with severe weather.

This picture was taken last year. We had tons of snow over a week. It would snow inches and inches every other day. In the end we had 24 inches of snow on the ground. The kids got to enjoy some snow days and we got to enjoy slipping and sliding while driving on the roads.

Looks like the white is eating them up.

This is the alley beside my house. Many people got stuck trying to go up and down this road. I was rather amused at the people pushing their cars out of the deep snow. I was lucky though, My car is 4 wheel drive ;P

Last but not least, this is last year's snowman. Handsome devil isn't he? The whole family pitched in and made him. It took several hours to get the snow packed in. Once he started melting, the kiddos loved to poke holes through him with the sticks and broom.

I hope you have enjoyed my photos. As always, thank you very much for your kind comments. I love reading them.

Until next time, be blessed.

Halloween

It's that time of year again for ghosts and goblins, princesses and ninjas. It is Halloween time. Tonight my wonderful husband and I took our children trick or treating. Our town has a "safe trick or treating" area set up in the middle of town but we prefer the houses. The "safe" are is way too crowded for the kiddos.

First, I want to show the decorations I put up on my porch. All hand made and all out of yarn.

This first picture is of the spiderweb I made. It is made out of white acrylic (Red Heart Super Saver) yarn. The kids attached spider rings and yarn spiders.

Above is the spider web on the other side of the entrance to my porch. My darling husband made this one and once again the kids attached the spiders.

I love these little ghosts I crocheted up and made a garland out of. Their head is stuffed with a golf ball. There are 6 little ghosts. One to represent each one of us.

I love fire trucks don't you? (well as long as nothing is on fire) This is one of our town's new fire engines. This picture is taken at the Halloween parade.

Another picture from the Halloween parade. This boy's dragon costume is made out of green plastic and a wire frame. How ingenious.

I also thought this costume was blog worthy. It is the house from the Disney/Pixar movie Up. How original.

This push cart had several little goblins inside. At least they didn't have to walk the parade route. Again, another great costume design.

These are my two boys, Eddie and Sj. Eddie was a vampire (a very handsome one at that) and Sj was a ghoulish ghost. Both received plenty of comments on their costumes.

These are my two girls, Hope and Faith. Hope was Wednesday Addams from the Addams family movies and Faith was a senorita. Both look gorgeous.

Here are all four of my little trick or treaters together. They had a lot of fun walking around the neighborhood, seeing all of their friends. By the time we got home they were tired and ready to eat some real food and some candy.

Do you want to see exactly how much candy they got.

.........

Here you go. They filled a Kroger grocery bag to the brim AND had my Halloween candy bowl overflowing. I am sure I will be giving candy away and probably throwing some away as well..The most important thing is that they had fun, we spent a lovely evening together as a family bumping into friends and enjoying our neighborhood.

Until next time friends...Be Blessed...

P.S. Thank you all so very much for your kind comments! I enjoy reading each and every one of them.

Survived the storm

Looks ominous doesn't it? For a week now the local weather man had been talking about some strong storms that could come through today. The storms could be severe, with strong winds, hail, possible tornados, and heavy rain. The storm was a double edged sword for us because on one hand it could be severe but on the other hand we NEED the rain. We are in a drought. The drought was so bad wildfires were popping up, we were not allowed to use our grills for fear of a fire breaking out.

To prepare for this storm I went to the grocery store to make sure I had all I needed to keep us hydrated and fed just in case the weather cause lots of problems. Once I got home, I rounded up all the candles and the weather radio and waited.

The dark clouds rolled in (the pic above)

The wind picked up significantly. The leaves were streaking across the roads, the trees were blowing over, the flags were whipping about.

The wind blew some branches off the trees as well. Here is one of many. This one landed on my old beat up Kia.

When the rain came, it came fast and hard. The wind was howling at this point.

Another good picture. This was taken about 2pm. The rain and wind gusts were heavy and hard. The wind blew things off my porch, out of my neighbors yard and for some caused severe damage. My kids came home talking about the "tornado drill" they had had in school. In all actuallity this was not a drill. We were under tornado warnings. The most severe part of it went to the north of us.

I am thankful to have survived this weather. I do love storms but this was an odd severe storm. I didn't see one lightening strike or hear one bit of thunder. It was just winds (some gusts up to 60-70 mph). Now the rain is light, there is a brisk breeze and the temperatures have dropped by 20 or so degrees. Great hooky weather!!!

Until next time friends, Be Blessed.

Getting to know me?

I was going through the blogs I follow and catching up on some reading and commenting and I came across these questions on Creative Haven's blog http://creativehaven1.com So I thought I would answer them as well...seems like fun and you will get to know a little about me. Oh and I changed some of the questions to make it a little more appropriate for my blog...

What was your:
1. Last beverage: Grape juice
2. Last phone call: My mom
3. Last text message: my hubby telling me he misses me (he had to go back to work today after a
weeks vacation)
4. Last song you listened to: Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
5. Last time you cried: Few days ago...Trying to deal with and come to terms with some things

Have you ever:
6. Dated someone twice: Yes
7. Been cheated on: Yes
8. Kissed someone and regretted it: nope
9. Lost someone special: unfortunately I have lost several special people
10. Been depressed: Yes! I have been dealing with severe anxiety for 7 years and depression goes with it
11. Been drunk and threw up: No I have NEVER been drunk

List 3 favorite colors:
12. Blue
13. Pink
14. purple

In 2010 have you:
15. Made a new friend: Yes I have
16. Fallen out of love: No way
17. Laughed until you cried: Yes..my hubby can be goofy sometimes
18. Met someone who has changed you: Noone can change me but me
19. Found out who your true friends are: Yes
20: Found out someone was talking about you: Yup and it was all lies..as always..
21. Kissed someone who follows your blog: Yup my honey follows my blog

General
22. How many of your followers do you know in real life: 1
23. What time do you go to bed: I go to my room about an hour after the kids go to bed (9 ish) then I go to sleep around 11
24. Do you have any pets: 2 puppies...Tinkerbell and Shorty and a kitty Lily
25. Do you want to change your name: Nope I like my name
26. What time did you get up today: I got up the first time 7:50 then again at 10:00
27: Did you eat breakfast: I rarely eat breakfast..I know it is bad and I need to change it
28: What were you doing at midnight last night: Watching Friday the 13th part3
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: to get a bigger better car
30: Last time you saw your mother...one week ago
31. What's one thing you wish you could change about your life: Our financial situation
32. What are you listening to right now: Kids playing and tv
33. Have you ever talked to someone named Tom: yes my uncle
34. What's getting on your nerves right now: Nothing
35. Most visited website: Facebook, Yahoo, Ravelry
36. Favorite Month: July
37. Nicknames: Mommy, baby, sis,
38. Relationship status: Happily married
39. Zodiac sign: aquarius
40. Are you male or female: Female
41. Name your elementary school...Treutlen
42. Name your Middle school...Paint Valley
43. Name your high school and college: Treutlen and University of phoenix
44. Hair color: dark blonde
45. Is your hair long or short: it is around my shoulderblades
46. How tall are you: I'm short
47. Do you have a crush on someone: Yup my husband
48. What do you like about yourself: Almost everything.
49. Do you have any piercings: I have 2 holes in each ear and my nose pierced
50. Any tattoos: I have 1 tattoo of a blue rose on my ankle
51. Are you right or left handed: Right

Firsts
52. First surgery: Cancer removal in 2006
53. First piercings: ears when i was 9
54. First Best friend: Her name was Jennifer...she and I lost touch
55. First sport You were in: Softball
56. First vacation: Disney World when I was very young
57. First pet: Chow named bear
58. First date: Prom my freshman year of High school

Right Now:
59. Eating: Jelly Beans
60. Drinking: Hawaiian Punch
61. I'm about to: Put on the mac and cheese for the kids
62. Thinking about: This and finances
63. Waiting for: dog the bounty hunter to come on tonight and for my hubby to get home

Your future
64. Do you want kids: I have 4 and I don't want anymore
65. Will you get married: I did and we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary
66. Your future career: If I ever get the money to go back...counselor..psychology

Which is better
67. Summer or Winter: I like to be warm..summer
68. Hugs or kisses: hugs..I'm a germophobe
69. ice cream or cake....hmmm...both
70. Mountains or beach.....I love both but beach more
71. Romantic or spontaneous: both keep relationships alive
72. Morning or night: I am a night person
73: Fall or spring: Spring cuz everything is blooming
74. Truck or car: SUV?
75. Candles or diffusers: candles

Have you ever
76. Kissed a stranger: nope
77. Drank hard liquor: yes
78. Lost glasses/contact: nope
79. Threw a party: Yes
80. Broke someone's heart: yes :(
81. Been arrested: no
82. Climbed a mountain: nope
83. Rode a train: Yes
84. Cried when someone else did: yes
85. Ate sushi: ewww..no

Do you believe in"
86: Yourself: Most of the time I do
87: Miracles: Yes..i have witnessed a few
88. Love: yes i do
89. Heaven: yes I do
90. Santa Claus: Of course ;P
91. Angels: Yes
92. Faith: Yes

Answer truthfully
93. Did you sing today: I sing everyday
94. Ever cheated on a test: Nope I don't think you will get anywhere cheating on anything
95. Would you change something in the past if you could: I believe everything happens for a reason..so no
96. If you could pick a day to relive, what would it be: I've had too many good days to pick..plus you aren't supposed to live in the past...look to the future.
97. Are you afraid of something: Failure
98. Do you like your life: I love my life
99. Are you happy: Yes...I can honestly say I am happy
100. Your favorite thing to do: spend time with my family and crochet.

Random photos from the past few days and Michigan blanket Ta-dah.

Hello my lovely followers and readers. How are you today? I am feeling better and better each day. Oh and first off I want to thank you all for the well wishes. I am healing well and will be back to my old self in no time.

Don't you just love the above picture? I ordered these hooks a week ago and they came in the mail yesterday. I ordered them from the Herrshners website. They were on sale for $19.99. I couldn't pass up that kind of deal. I love these new hooks. I just open up the case and look at them and feel them and...well you get the hint. And you know, I never knew they made such small crochet hooks as some of the steel ones are. It amazes me.

The above picture is of on of the most perfect leaves I have seen so far this fall. I haven't been outside much lately but I happened to be walking around outside and saw this leaf..Had to take a picture.

Oh and this grasshopper was sitting right beside the leaf. I hovered over, zoomed in close, sat beside it and it didn't move. I took several pictures of it and liked this one the best..

This picture makes me smile every time I see it. This cat was once our neighbors cat. The neighbor had thrown it and broken its leg and then decided the cat should live outside. Well it adopted us. Here it is on our couch (it is supposed to stay outside but the hubby and kids let it in). This silly kitty lays up against the arm rest, on its back, with its feet up in the air...Cracks me up.

Today my hubby and the kids decided to play a little football in the vacant lot beside our house. My husband is in the white shirt and shorts, my oldest daughter in the pink shirt, my 2nd daughter in the blue shirt, my 3rd child and oldest son in the greenish shirt, and my younges son is in the white long sleeved shirt. In this picture my husband and youngest son is plotting against the others.

Here my oldest son is throwing the football to my dear hubby. Perty good arm for a 7 year old.

Can you see his head and body through the railing on my porch..My youngest son was taking a break. I don't think the game was going HIS way..

And here..my oldest daughter is giving her daddy a stiff arm block. She actually made it past him and her sister who is standing there appearing not to pay attention tagged her as she ran by..

Now are you ready for the Ta-dah?

Are you really ready?

Well here you go.....

The Michigan blanket is finished. All done in single crochet. It was made using Caron 1 pound yarn. It took a skein and a little of another in Midnight blue and less than half a skein of sunflower. It is 136 single crochets across and 160 rows. I did 3 rows of single crochet in sunflower for the border.
I am very happy it is finished and can be sent to its new home. Now I can finish up some of the other WIPS.

That is all for today my friends. I hope you all have a great day/night and until next time...Be Blessed.