Pure Naughtiness!

When I came back around the corner to finish picking up my crocheted items, after posting todays blog, THIS is what I found.


















" I wasn't trying to wear the pretty scarf, REALLY Mommy! I just wanted to smell these nice flowers."

Since I state, on my Etsy shop, that none of my items have ever been worn, I hope whoever purchases this in the future can overlook the antics of a SPOILED ROTTEN chihuahua!

Making Lace in the Air

In the midst of all the festivities, I am still working & trying to be creative. Currently I'm doing what Maggie Righetti in her book: "Crocheting In Plain English" calls "making lace in the air". Isn't that a beautiful way to describe the lovely art of crocheting?!

In this same book she describes how crochet came to be:

"Nameless women in the British Isles and Europe and the Americas took this simple idea of pulling loop through loop, expanded upon it, and made it into a fine art. Unbound by tradition and unfettered by restrictive social structure, it was the pioneering women of the United States who did the most with the new textile craft. They cunningly devised spaces and places and made filet cloth with which to drape their windows. They made spirals and pinwheels and popcorn blocks; they put the blocks together and draped their beds in elegance. They worked their stitches loosely and lacily and draped their bodies with wondrous shawls and capelets. They worked their sitiches firmly and evenly and clothed their families with caps and hats and slippers and hoods, weskits and waistcoats, scarves and soakers.

These nameless women sent drawings and instructions of their creations to New Idea Woman's Magazine, Godey's Lady's Book and The Ladies' World, where other women read about this new-fangled art form, adapted, and improved upon it."

Yesterday (with Norah Jones singing "Come Away With Me" in the background) I started crocheting a beautiful scarf that has a shell stitch and a miniature version of the old stand by pineapple stitch (one of my favorites), which this pattern calls a strawberry stitch. I LOVE IT! The color is "Renaissance Rose" ~ and doesn't that just sound ritzy now?! I'm hoping to have this lovely scarf finished and up for sale on my Etsy shop by the end of the week. Look for it as my "Strawberry Fields Forever" scarf.

Pictured with the scarf is a custom order I just finished for someone special. I made one in a heathered pink for Chelsea for Christmas, which (as soon as I can capture her) I'll snap a picture of to show everyone. I'm planning to whip another one up soon for my Etsy shop. (Hmmm...what color should I make it?) Think I'll call it "Chelsea's Big Blossom Cloche".

Just a little historical tidbit:

Did you know that the old~fashioned pineapple stitch has always been so popular because the pineapple is the symbol for hospitality? I've always loved to have touches of them sprinkled here & there throughout my home. I even have two lamps in my front room that have pineapples on the base.

Here's that big beautiful snowflake ornament from Baby Sister Bridget. Is that gorgeous, or what?!

They Know Me Well!

My friends and family know me well!

They all know how crazy I am about snowmen &

snowflakes. (And Tea, Tea Things & ... more Tea!).

My Girlfriend Karen made these TOO DIE FOR! snow people for me out of vintage bottles and fun stuff. (Look out Martha Stewart!) The snow lady has her tongue sticking out to catch the snowflakes. Actually, she was going to press two of the little pink things in to make lips when her six year old son Marcus came along & asked why her tongue was sticking out and before she could answer he said, " I know why, it's so she can catch snowflakes on her tongue!" Well, what was originally destined to be a couple of lips ended up being a tongue. I mean, how cute is that?!

Everything is always better when seen through the eyes of a child.

The gorgeous, sparkly snowman earrings were a gift from my sister, Bridget. A lady she works with brought in some jewelry her sister made & before anyone else could get any ideas about the ONLY PAIR of snowman earrings, my ever faithful sister hollered, " Don't anyone TOUCH those snowman earrings ~ I HAVE TO HAVE those for my sister!!!" Way to go Little Sister!:) I'll probably still be wearing them for my birthday in June! (One of the nice things about being 40 plus ~ we have more of a tendency to do what we want).

The lovely electric tea kettle (that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!) was a gift from my Dad, along with a case of my favorite cinnamon stick tea!:) And that absolutely WONDERFUL cable knit mug (straight from Starbucks ~ no less!) is from Becky to her "Monday night teacher". The picture doesn't do the mug justice. The texture is GREAT!

And the last picture is a fine example of that whole layered look that Gabby so prefers!

Thanks to all of you for the many delightful gifts & moments you have bestowed upon me this Christmas Season! I love you ALL so very much!!!

I leave you with a quote from C.S Lewis for you to ponder and do with what you will:

"Delight is incomplete until it is expressed."

Too Cute!

Gabby loves to model her new clothing. And she's just TOO CUTE in this adorable hat. Of course I had to make her remove the new nightgown she had slung over the top of her darling outfit. She really likes the layered look!
Just as I was getting ready to post these pictures Becky showed up with more Christmas gifts for Gabby. She got some books (one scratch & sniff, how fun is that?!) and a little Elmo with a bath tub. She's crazy about Elmo. We watch the red guy over and over so much that when I wake up in the night the Elmo theme song is the first thing that goes through my mind. If someone can help me figure out how to shut that off ~ PLEASE ~ let me know!

Cherished Moments

Here's a stack of presents with my name on them!


And let the good times begin!

Gabby gets a cabbage patch baby from Aunt Bridgie!

Christmas Pictures

These are just a few pictures of the day. I'll post some more over the next couple of days.

The Joy of My Heart

"Christmas promotes the joy of your heart." I heard Pastor David Jeremiah make this simple, but profound, statement in a sermon I was listening to on television. Scott always has him on every Sunday morning as we girls are still getting ready for church. (He's always ready ahead of us, of course!).

We have recieved so many unexpected blessings from friends & family this year that my heart is definitely full of joy! God touches our lives in new and wondrous ways through the beloved people He has given us. He has left fresh fingerprints all over our hearts and souls by touching us with His lovingkindness through some precious loved ones as this December has been special to us not only because of Christmas, but also because we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the 17th of the month.

I hope all of you have been blessed this season with unexpected delights as well! I pray that in all the hussle bussle you have had quiet moments of listening to the Voice of the Savior and tender moments with your loved ones.

I love the way Max Lucado's book, "Cosmic Christmas" opens:

"Gabriel."

"Just the sound of my King's voice stirred my heart."

Let the sound of His voice stir your hearts and promote great joy. Not just during this holdiay season, but all through the year!

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit." Psalm 51:12

"Splendor and majesty are before Him;

strength and joy are in His place." 1 Chronicles 16: 27

Creatures Great & Small

Creatures great & small ~ I just love to feed them all!


Meet Felix, our outdoor pet. He loves to munch on leftover pizza crust, bread, crackers, cookies and especially apple slices covered in peanut butter. He's sitting in his favorite little nook of the tree enjoying the goodies Gabby & I prepared for him this morning. It's a highlight of Gabby & Grammy's day when he finds the bounty we leave. We keep watch out the front door and windows for him. He was a baby the same Spring Gabby was born & we've all had the pleasure of seeing him grow fat & fluffy. If a day goes by and I forget to set his meal out, he comes to the front door and scratches at the bottom of it or jumps on the wicker couch that sits on the porch and paws at the window! Gabby and all our indoor pets (kitties & doggies) love it when he does that. He looks in at us as if to say, "Uh... did you forget something... I mean, I'm kinda hungry out here. Or maybe I could just come in there with all of you?"

We also have a darling little chipmunk who comes out every Spring and sits in the same spot every afternoon around 1:00 and eats the nuts & seeds we put out for him. We call him Digby. In the Fall we watch as he begins stuffing his cheeks so full they nearly burst. Then he crawls through a space at the edge of the porch to bury it for his long winter of hibernation. He'll do this all afternoon for at least two weeks just before winter really sets in. He's on his third winter of burrowing somewhere underneath our front porch. I'm always glad to see him pop back up as the weather gets warmer. He brings the promise of new days with him!


"O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24

Waiting For Santa

Gabby loves the lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree and has actually done a lot better with leaving everything on the tree than I thought she would (way better than the two cats are doing!). She did bring me an angel off the tree this afternoon, but that was the first time. Mostly she just goes around the tree "moochie" kissing her favorite ornaments.

She likes the pretty presents under the tree as well. Surprisingly enough she isn't taking tissue out of bags. She has a real thing for tissue paper!

I'm anxious to see her on Christmas morning. There's nothing like having little ones in the house for Christmas!

Here's a quote from one of my favorite Christmas books:

"The Christmas Quilt" by Thomas J. Davis

"After dinner had been cleaned up (though Christmas was like Thanksgiving - it wasn't completely cleaned up because folks would be nibbling the rest of the afternoon and on into the night), we went and opened the presents. It wasn't much, in a way. Yet, it was plenty, because it was never about the presents but about family and eating together and laughing and thanking God for Jesus and everbody else ever born as a baby."

~ To that I say "Amen".

Precious in Pigtails!

One of my favorite things about little girls is pigtails! I especially love these curly ones. I couldn't resist showing these pictures I took of Gabby eating her lunch with her hair done up. It looks like she's unsure about whether eating her green beans is a good idea or not. Actually, she was on her second helping. Green beans are her favorite thing (well... after cookies with lots of "glitter" that is!).

"Grandchildren are the crown of the aged..." Proverbs 17:6

Although I certainly don't see myself as aged yet, this child is definitely the crown jewel for me!

Peek~A~Boo!

As I was settling the house down to go to bed last night, which around here includes: letting the baby's (you know - dogs) out one last time and tucking them into bed, covering the bird cages (even the birds get tucked in for the long winter nights) and turning off lights, including the Christmas tree right now, I heard a lot of tinkling and jingling and turned to see the tree swaying! This is what greeted me at eye level:

This is Scout, our "resident beast". She's actually Hilary's cat, who named her after the little girl nicknamed "Scout" in her favorite book,"To Kill A Mockingbird". The name fits her well, as she is always upto some kind of mischief. One of her specialties is to hide behind furniture and jump out for a sneak attack at my little chihuahua when he is walking by. She loves it ~ he doesn't! As you see in the last picture, she decided to nibble on a strand of lights & that's when I made her get her fat self down out of my Christmas tree!

Ta Da!

Here's the finished lacy leaf hat. I always love the way a hat knitted in the round looks once it gets put on the double pointed needles for the crown decreasing! Looks like something that's ready for take off. How fun is that?! And these beautiful harmony wood needles from Knit Picks are a feast for the eyes.

The lovely model is my oldest daughter, Hilary.

Hats off to you kid, you look Great!

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Well, the weather outside is frightful...

But the knitting inside's delightful!

And since I've no place to go~

Let it Grow, Let it Grow, Let it Grow!

With Christmas just days away now, my knitting definitely needs to Grow! Just like many of you, I'm sure, I am pulling some late nights and making a mad dash to the finish line. I still have two projects that need to grow into completion and (if there's time), two more I'd like to start!

This pretty, fluffy piece of knitting will be a full grown hat before today is over. It's a beautiful lacy leaf pattern that I'm using my favorite Cascade Indulgence Alpaca/Angora yarn for. The heavenly softness can't be described, it has to be experienced. I keep a few skeins of it in my stash all the time and use it in as many things as I can. It not only makes a gorgeous finished product, it's divine to work with. Since 99% of my knitting is done for someone else, whether it's for my Etsy shop or a gift, the whole knitting experience is of the utmost importance to me. Thus, the elegant sterling silver, beaded stitch markers!

At least this weather's good for something! So ~ make yourself a nice steaming cup of tea (mine's cinnamon), grab your favorite Christmas mug, & curl up with some knitting. Who cares what it's doing out there?!

"She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands." Proverbs 31:13