Crochet Me Crazy

I'm really loving Sundays....

2012-01-29T21:57:00.004-06:00

Since Jeff is off on Sunday's, I'm really enjoying a Sunday! It's doesn't feel quite as lonely when he's around here. We didn't go to church this morning since we didn't have the day off today. We had to stick around here to do the chores. Jeff put in some extra hours around here.

Alison and her friend had a wonderful weekend after being apart for 2 weeks! They went horseback riding on Saturday and Sunday. It's so great having such great horses that they can go out and do that. They are allowed to ride whenever they want as long as they stay on the property (over 200 acres). The dogs usually go running out with them. They took the camera and took some pictures while they were out....

Saturday, they packed a pic-nic in a saddle bag and rode up the mountain....they took some pictures of the view...

I took this picture of them when they were heading back to the barn...

What a life! :)

Well, hope everyone has a WONDERFUL week!

Ear Flap Hat

2012-01-26T23:13:00.005-06:00

I finished an earflap hat this morning.

No pattern on this. I like to make hats like this...Just make a DC crown and then further down towards the brim add a row of FPDC, Then two rows of alternating FPDC, FPDC, then another row of FPDC. Makes a nice little texture in there.

I fiddled around with the earflaps quite a bit and undid them a bunch of times because I wasn't getting the shape I wanted. I finally just ended up going with this even though it isn't exactly what I was shooting for. I think I need to try taking my pictures during the day outside in natural light. I usually take them at night in the house and the lighting in our house is pretty dim. It seems like I can never get pictures to show the colors right.

I'm trying to decided whether I should add a beard to this or not. I've got the beard made but I haven't sewed it on. That's what I originally made it for. I think the beard hats are cute. I mean warm and novel at the same time!

Anyway, I spent a while looking around on Etsy this morning. I saved a few patterns I like. I want to buy a few patterns after Jeff gets a paycheck. It's been so long since I've bought anything that wasn't a "need"...well, crochet patterns ARE a "need" for me, but you know what I mean. My husband is going to be paying me back my personal savings that we have spent on groceries and bills so I'm going to buy myself some patterns! I now have to go back through the patterns I saved and check and see which designers say you can't sell the finished items. I will be crossing those off my list. I don't buy patterns from designers that say you can't sell your finished items. It's one of my pet peaves -- I respect their effort that goes into designing; however, I'm not selling their pattern, I'm selling my "work" and that's worth something. Even though I rarely sell my crochet stuff, if I ever want to, I'm not going to go digging back through my patterns to see if I can sell it or not! Geez...to me it's ridiculous for someone to tell me I can't sell something that I have hours of work and the cost of materials in! Anyway, I do respect the ability of people to write patterns...myself, I'm much too lazy! However, if I ever did write them, certainly people would be free to sell their finished items!

Okay...so I'm stepping down off the soap box now....

I wasn't home much today. After Alison finished her school work we went into town and stopped in Mrs. Grain's shop (even though she's out of town). We stopped in to say HI to our neighbor that was working in there & Michael wanted to see how much she's selling his leather work for. We picked up Alison's friend, Phoebe, who lives 5 miles out of town. Then, we went 7 miles the other direction to the Stables for Alison to see Princess. (We do a lot of driving out here and it STILL takes us less time to get somewhere than it did to go across the street in Houston!) Anyway, we stayed there for several hours helping Mrs. Stable feed the horses. It's quite a production right now because she's feeding them grain since they don't have any Alfalfa hay. (They need protein) Anyway, they have to be brought in to eat separately (there's 34 horses)! It gets a bit dicey at times because they LOVE that grain and they ALL want in the barn really bad and they don't really want to leave when their done. Anyway, I feel bad that Mrs. Grain is having to do it all by herself when Mr. Grain is out of town so we stayed and helped with that. Then, we rushed home to take care of our animals out here.

Now I'm about ready to get ready for bed. Tomorrow's another day!

2012-01-26T15:29:00.007-06:00

Welp, the bosses are out of town until Monday. That means we have a house full for the weekend --- 6 dogs!

Well, here's a hat I made from a ball of Lion Brand yarn from my thrift store find.

This picture doesn't do it justice. The color is all wrong and you can't even really see my flower. I WAS going to make a scarf to go with it but I ran out of yarn! Blah.... So I may just make a skinny scarf to go with it. Just start crocheting and see how long it will get and if how long it will get is long enough....or I could just make another hat with it? Hmmmm.....

What else....hmmmm...nothing really. How about a picture I took of our menagerie today....3 of the dogs, Grace, and the horses coming to say "Hello".

I ran to get the camera to get a video of Andrew (the colt) playing. He was running, jumping and kicking all over the place. Well, of course, he had stopped by the time I got back with my camera so I took this picture instead.

Well, the weekend is just about here. Um...what's a weekend? Oh, well at least Alison is happy because she'll be back on track with her Algebra by this weekend and she is getting to have her friend over. They have big plans to ride the horses up the big hill and have a picnic.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

2012-01-25T08:20:00.005-06:00

I was so glad to see Grace was okay this morning when I got up. Last night, we had a big rain storm with strong winds blow through. Alison's dance teacher's front screen door was blown off!! Yesterday, we knew it was going to rain so we set up a place for cover for Grace in the yard using hay bales and tarps. The problem is that she really wouldn't go in there all day yesterday. She seemed scared of it. So last night was trying to get her to go in there before the storm hit. She seemed nervous with the winds. I went to bed and then I heard it start raining...so I got up and went outside. She wasn't in the shelter. I got in the shelter and she followed me in. I sat out there with her for at least 30 minutes while she sniffed around and investigated. I watched her and waited with her until I saw she was finally relaxing and she laid down beside me. Then, I went inside and went to bed. I was hoping she would stay in there. The big part of the storm hit sometime later in the night. It woke me up a few times. So this morning, I went out and was very glad to see her nibbling her food in her little shelter and she was dry! Well, good...today she seems to like it in there now and is laying down in there. I'm glad that we finally have a place of shelter established for her that she accepts. As you can see, I love that little deer!

So anyway, this day slipped by pretty quick on me. I made another hat out of some Lion Brand Homespun I got in my thrift store yarn. That's about all I know to use Homespun for...or maybe some slippers but I'm not in a slipper mood right now. Lion Brand Homespun is such a pretty yarn but I really hate crocheting with it. There will be another beard hat coming soon though....I found a free pattern online I'm going to try.

************************************************************************

Ouch

2012-01-23T14:21:00.009-06:00

Well, yesterday I fell down the stairs in our house! It's horrible -- that split second when you realize..."Oh my God, I'm falling and there's nothing I can do about it!" Stupid crochet slippers -- that's why I fell! I need to put a warning on those things! Actually, I usually do warn people when I give them away to be careful because they are slippery. I have been careful on those stairs, knowing in the back of my mind, that it was eventually going to happen. Well, yesterday I was in a bit too much of a hurry and wasn't thinking and wham....it hurt but thankfully nothing major except I'm very sore. I hit both arms, my finger is cut, but my right hip in the back took most of the fall. I'm sore and I feel it when I sit down. By last night I had a HUGE, really mean looking bruise. I'm afraid to look today because it was actually hurting where there was no bruise. I think that bruise will surface over the next few days. Okay, but that's not all! Later on in the day yesterday, I was talking on the phone and was going to step into Grace's pen and I lost my balance and fell down again! (I have to sorta climb over her fence onto a big rock to get in there) Yes, I hit the ground! I started thinking maybe I should stay home today!

Okay, well nothing else exciting to report. Just more of the same...Alison's been wanting me to go watch dance so I went last night and brought my crochet with me. I've got a couple of small projects going but this one finished first! I've been seeing pictures of these beard hats around and having been wanting to take a shot at this for awhile now!

A Great Sunday

2012-01-22T21:33:00.005-06:00

What a great day today was....(the weather was simply gorgeous! We've had a couple of those beautiful days this week) I tried to sleep in a little bit since Sunday is our day off but that proved to be futile. So I got up and tended to the chickens anyway. I mucked stalls anyway. Jeff had his day off today. We went to church this morning. Jeff had a few chores to do around here today since he's been gone so much this week. He had to empty the poop spreader, haul hay to the feed room, patch a hole in the 4-wheeler tire. He also spent hours working on Algebra with Alison, helping her with the lessons she had problems with this past week.

Alison had a really nice riding session with Mrs. Grain today. She taught Alison a lot of stuff she can practice on Magic this week. She has a whole lot of riding expertise to share with Alison. She's learning how to really ride a horse with her body and not the reigns. She will eventually be able to get on Magic and ride him bridleless. Mrs. Grain was very impressed with Alison. She said she is a natural. She was doing stuff in minutes that takes a lot of practice to do. It's hard to believe that two years ago, we knew nothing about horses and now they are such a big part of our lives. I told Alison she is completely blessed to be here right now. People pay a lot of money to have people teach them what Alison is getting to learn here.

Only one day off....it's back to work for another 6 days for Jeff. He got home so late last night that I was already asleep. He worked about 55 hours this week and that does not include the driving which has often been an average of an additional 3-4 hours a day. We are thankful for the job for sure but we will be very glad when this training is over.

Well, here's a great blog I found with a lot of cute free patterns on it. You might want to check it out if you haven't visited this blog already! Crochet Creative Creations

Well, here's a picture of the hat I finished a couple of days ago....

That's about all I'm managed to output this week. It's been so busy!

I haven't forgotten that I still need to get a picture of my Prairie Star Afghan!...Time hasn't been on my side!

Have a great week!

Today...

2012-01-20T20:29:00.005-06:00

Very uneventful day today.... I actually didn't have any problems getting up a 5 am this morning! I do, however, have to get up earlier than normal again tomorrow...Michael has a job drenching goats (hundreds of them) tomorrow and I have to drive him out there. It's WAY, WAY out there. Jeff used to do this job but he can't now that he's working so Michael is inheriting it. Not bad money but it's sure not EASY money. Pray my son doesn't get impaled by a goat tomorrow! So....anyway, I'm tired and going to bed so here's some pictures from our day today...

Goofy Magic...he's such a SMART horse! He's very good at opening gates. He uses his lips like hands!

Now, that Alison can ride bareback...she's taking full advantage of the ease of riding without having to take the time to saddle.

My sweet, sweet little baby girl....

Today's blog post is dedicated to my son

2012-01-19T11:56:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I am able to get pictures of it stuff but its not easy to do! He doesn't let me! Well, I snagged these pictures he had taken himself on my camera! HA! He's been busy with his leatherwork. He has some of his items in our boss's store in town. I believe he has sold at least one items and is having a lot of interest in the gauntlets he makes but he needs to make some bigger sizes. Why he doesn't do it, I don't know. He gave them this bag of stuff he's made today with these items in there. The flashlight cover Mr. Grain is buying before it ever hits the store and he wanted the two knife sheaths as well. Michael told him he would make him one that he can pick out the pattern he wants on it.

Next....Alison got to ride bareback today for the first time! Something she's been itching to do but hasn't been able to do.

Mrs. Grain and the neighbor were riding today and Alison only had 20 minutes before she had to get ready for dance so Mrs. Grain said...Oh, just get a bridle and hop on him bareback then! Mrs. Grain showed her how to get Magic to pivot his front body and then to pivot his hind quarters. They might be trailering the horses and going for a longer ride on Sunday or Monday.

Oh mercy me! I have to get up at 5 am in the morning! I have to drive jeff so he can pick up his service van tomorrow --- I really hate getting up that early so I'm going to bed!!

Ear Warmers....

2012-01-18T22:26:00.005-06:00

Well, today was a bit more slower paced...mainly because we didn't have anywhere we had to go.

Have you ever just picked up whatever yarn you had sitting by you and whatever pattern you had sitting by you and just starting crocheting it without much thought? Well, I haven't...until today. Alison has to use my computer to do her Algebra lessons on. I came in ready to sit down for a minute and check my computer stuff. She had my computer and I couldn't just sit there! I just grabbed what was in my basket...looked at my pattern stack and started crocheting this: No thought went into it whatsover...I'll post that picture later when I'm finished with it. It's turning out more of a child size hat I think and my color choices could have been better but since I was too lazy to walk upstairs for yarn then this is what I'll get. Oh well, it kept my hands busy. I am not a person who can sit idle.

I was going to post a picture of two ear warmers but when I went to upload my pictures, I realized I had taken another picture of the cream colored one I had already posted! The new one I made is the same color but the flower is different. Guess that will be tomorrow's post! LOL

Here is a brown one....

Here's how I made it:

J Hook and worsted weight yarn.

Ch 13

Sc in 2nd chain from hook and each chain across (12 sc); turn

Ch 1, sc in back loop of first stitch and each ch across (12 sc)

Repeat row 3 until you have 62 rows.

(You can make it less or more until your piece fits your head, just make sure it ends with an even number.)

Joining row -- now you will ch2 and turn; now you fold it in half and you sl st in beginning row stitch and the back loop of row 62.
(Back loop makes it where your ribbing pattern doesn't get messed up in this join; however, if it does I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just sew your flower on there and no one will see it!)

Sew your flower on! You can get lots of free patterns for flowers online.

Sorta an improvision on techniques I've learned making flowers but here is how I made the flower on this brown ear warmer:

Ch 6, join with sl st to form ring

1) Sl sti in ring. Ch 3, 2 dc in ring, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made); * work 3 dc in ring;
repeat from * 4 more times. Join to top of beg ch3. (18 dc)

2) Sc in next dc; *ch 6, skip next dc, next picot, and next dc, sc in next dc; repate from * 5 more times; join
with sl st in beg sc (6 loops)

3) * In ch 6 loop: sc, hdc, dc, tr cr, picot, tr ct, dc, hdc, sc; sl st in next sc; repeat from * 5 times ending with the last
sl st as a join

I think the flower is much too big on this. ...I think you should use a smaller hook on the flower so it won't be so gargantuos but that's up to you!

Trendy Headbands and Trims Pattern Pack

2012-01-18T08:48:00.000-06:00

Oh my! I was reading my email this morning and this was in my Crochet Lover's Daily email! Look familiar? I made my headband before I saw this and I did not use this pattern!

Trendy Headbands and Trims Pattern Pack

What a "Poopy" Day!

2012-01-17T12:31:00.006-06:00

Literally! Ah, I cleaned all of Grace's poop out of the hay barn and then Michael and I cleaned the chicken house! Jeff usually cleans the chicken house but it really wasn't that bad. Just had to sweep all the crud out with a big broom and then Michael dumped new mulch in and we spread it out. Heck, those chicken deserve it (not that I think they care)...they gave me 12 eggs yesterday!

Boy, I've been so busy this week. There's been no extra time...everything started back full force this week....Jeff's job, Alison started back to dance, school work, plus taking care of all the animals is keeping me busy! Jeff has been getting home late and then having to tutor Alison in her Algebra. She's been having some trouble. Thank God my hubby is a math whiz! They are in there doing Algebra right now and I'm in bed! It's after 10 pm. I don't know how Jeff does it. He's having to get up at 4:30-5:00 in morning to drive the 90 miles to work. This is only for training though. Once he's done with training, he won't be driving so far.

Tonight after Alison's dance, the kid's had youth service! They haven't been to youth in a long time because the youth they used to go to was just too far now that we moved out here. Then, lo and behold, the youth pastor from that youth group moved here to our town and is now leading youth at a church here! Very convenient! It's very small right now and I basically brought the entire youth group tonight. There was one kid already there when we got there and I dropped off the rest -- Alison, her friend Phoebe, another girl from dance, Michael, and Morgan (the stable owner's grandson). The church and youth group is new so it'll take some time for it to grow.

I plan on making some more head warmers until I can get time to figure out what else I should crochet. They are the perfect project for the time being while things are so busy. I don't need a project that required me to concentrate or worry about losing my place at the moment. I'm going to try to jot the pattern down on the next one. I'm going to make another cream colored one for myself or Alison but I'm changing the ribbing up a bit so it won't be exactly the same.

In the meantime, here's another square that I had set the pattern aside to make when I had a chance. I thought it was cute. I think I made last week. I call it my crooked bear square.

Obviously, it's not *supposed* to be crooked though. This pattern seemed to have some issues though. I almost quit it but decided to go on. I ended up having to make some adjustments and wing it a bit...I guess that's why my bear is crooked! LOL! Oh well...I made it and now it can go into the black hole of completed things I don't know what to do with! If you want to give it try, here's the pattern posted on Crochetville....
Teddy Bear Squared- an 8 inch square pattern

Another Ear Warmer

2012-01-16T23:01:00.003-06:00

Well, today was a busy, busy day even though I was home all day. Since I had so little time, in my spare moments I just grabbed some yarn and started on another ear warmer. These are definately something I could make to sell simply because they are quick enough where you could make a decent profit. Maybe I should hit up some of the local shops around here.

This yarn is some yarn I got in my thrift store yarn find. I grabbed this yarn because there is only one ball. Tucked in the ball was the label....I was amazed to see that this is a Berrocco yarn and the price tag was $10 for this ball! Wow --- I have never paid that much for one ball of yarn! Thank God for thrift stores!

My earwarmer....

2012-01-15T20:13:00.005-06:00

I made this ear warmer awhile back. I didn't use a pattern. I just did a rib stitch the length and width I needed. I figured the stretch of a rib stitch would be good for this. I made it to wear feeding the horses when its cold outside. I didn't finish it off and was wearing it with my ends hanging out! LOL! Thanks goodness I didn't finish it off because I decided it was too big so today I took some rows off and made it nice and snug. I finished it off and then added the flower today. Here it is being modeled by my sweet daughter:

I think I will need to make another one because she is going to steal it!

Tomorrow Jeff starts his job --- why am I nervous? I don't know...it's sorta strange but I am! He has to get up and leave really early in the morning to be in San Antonio by 8 am! Tomorrow will be our first day on our own around here. The kids have their chore lists ready to go.

Today we got some fence rolls from a friend and expanded Grace's yard. It's sorta funny because she still sorta hung out mostly in her normal area even though she could go further. Poor little girl...she's had such a hard time. Her leg hurts her to walk on it I think. Otherwise, she still seems healthy.

2012-01-14T22:37:00.004-06:00

Finally had a day at home today. I had time to sort through my thrift store yarn find! That was fun! I got my yarn winder out and wound up some of the messy balls.
Gosh I miss my yarn organization I had when I had a house. I used to have yarn bins but when we moved, I packed my yarn in boxes and the kids used the bins in the camper for their clothes and stuff. When Jeff starts working, I'm going to get me some more yarn bins so I can find my yarn easily. I've got plenty of room upstairs in my room to put them.
I found 7 balls of Sirdar yarn in there. This alone would have probably cost more to buy new that I paid for the whole lot...

I also have a lot of this 100 percent wool. They are tiny little skeins of tapestry yarn. Not sure what to do with this. It is wool so I wonder if I could do some felting with this?

At last, I got all the little small balls of scraps together which reminded me of my scrap afghan! I have a box I keep all my scrap yarn in. I don't let it get too full before I add it to my scrap project. I've shown this on my blog before. I'm going to work on adding to this and getting my scrap box under control. This is made from a simple rectangle granny square.

I love scrap blankets. They are so....Usable. I used them without guilt. I have another one I made that I keep in the truck. I used it just this week to set down on the cold bleachers at the stock show to keep my fanny warm.

Well, the week is drawing to a close! Next week everything "starts" again! Alison goes back to dance classes and Jeff starts his new job. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

2012-01-13T11:22:00.007-06:00

We were procrastinating the trip to the grocery store so Jeff & Alison went on a horse back ride this morning before we went.

Alison was bugging daddy to go with her. This is actually the first time he has ridden a horse out here.

Well, a friend asked me to make a "monokini"...what the heck is a monokini? Well, apparently some star wore one and now they are the rage. OKAY. Well, that sent me on a quest to find a pattern. I found one on Etsy but her ad seemed...well...wrong to me. My instincts were right and come to find out she's selling a pattern that is not actually hers. A little investigation and discussion with some crochet friends discovered it is a pattern from a Russian magazine of sorts. So Anyway, it did lead me to these patterns, so if you're wondering what a "monokini" is check these out:

Dcrochet | Heart swimsuit

Dcrochet | Black swimsuit

I also found this pattern here:
Dcrochet | Vintage pineapple fantasy bodysuit / bathing suit This is the one I was going to make. I wouldn't wear something like this myself but I actually started on it but decided against it. It's a waste of time unless I purchase the right type of yarn for this project. So, I ripped it out....just not in the mood.

Still haven't had a change to rummage through my new yarn find. I need to rummage around in my pattern too and see what I want to make next. I actually wished I would have had a scarf yesterday at the stock show! I have a lot of scarves made but its soft fuzzy yarns mostly. Those are not conducive for my lifestyle. I need easy wash but I guess there isn't a scarf I could make that "hay" wouldn't stick to.

Well, here is a fish square I made a few nights ago....why? I don't know...I just felt like it.

2012-01-12T22:04:00.003-06:00

Long day at the stock show today and IT WAS COLD!!! I'll spare you the details of that today. We went and watched as long as we could though before we had to leave and come feed our horses. I took care of Grace who missed me. I cooked dinner and we got dinner eaten and then the power went out. You don't know dark until the power goes out in the middle of the country! HA! I used the light of my computer screen as long as I could before it was running out of battery. We did have our flash lights. The kids walked down to the the Grain's house to see if they had any extra candles or something we could us. Mrs. Grain gave us a bunch of these cool little fake flickering candles that run on batteries and he gave us this big old antique lantern that works great! I used to be all prepared for this type of stuff when we lived in our house. I had a lot of oil lamps I could light. Anyway, by the time we got all settled, the lights came back on! They were off for about an hour or so. Anyway, it's all good now and I'm going to bed. We have to go to town for groceries tomorrow...we are sooooo out of food!

Have a good weekend!

Oooooh.....Aaaah!

2012-01-11T22:05:00.004-06:00

I climbed into bed to lay down on my brand new mattress! We went to town today to take back the mattress we had bought when we moved in here. It was just too soft for me. Hopefully, my back will thank me. I can tell a big difference....we'll see how I feel in the morning!

I'm happy because now we will be able to pay my daughter back for the mattress and furniture Alison paid for when we moved in here! Jeff starts his new job on Monday!

Again.... Oooooh....Aaaah!.....

Looky what I got!!

I'm a very happy camper tonight! We walked into the Salvation Army thrift store today while we were in town and I spotted these. Of course, I made a bee line over to investigate. They were all taped up so I dug as best I could to see what was in them exactly and if they were worth it. I decided they were worth the risk and quickly grabbed them and put them on the counter. I have only been able to look through them briefly since I got them home and decided I definately got a a deal! There is yarn in there I've never owned before. I'm happy because there is 6 balls of Sidar DK weight yarn in there. I always see patterns calling for DK and I don't own any. There's lots of Simply Soft, some I Love This Yarn and some other stuff. I will be really sorting through it when I have time to lay it out somewhere! I'll share what I find with you!

Well, stock show is tomorrow! Another busy day. Alison won't be getting to participate this year but we're going to watch. We're heading to the stables in the morning where Alison is going to be moral support for their granddaughter. She's showing a horse for the first time and is nervous about it. Alison and everyone is pretty disappointed that Alison is getting to show Princess this year.

Wiggly Square

2012-01-10T19:20:00.005-06:00

I made this square this afternoon. I've had this pattern set aside for a little while. I've always wanted to try "wiggly crochet". Here's a great little pattern to give it a try. It's very simple to do! Thanks to Hooks & Yarn Blog for posting the free pattern: wiggles square for SIBOL ~

Well, I finished the Prairie Star Afghan!! I just can't seem to get my act together enough to get a picture of it yet. Sorry! I will try my best to get a picture this week!

Wow, this week is flying by! Hope everyone is having a good week!

It's a PARTY --- Image Heavy!

2012-01-07T18:15:00.018-06:00

at our house this weekend! Alison had a ton of games planned and they were busy with that most of the day....balloons, shaving cream, water, flour...a real mess! At least it was a beautiful day for being outside today! We made a campfire in the yard and we sat outside and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs last night. It was a fun and successful party!

This morning they got up for their surprise! HORSEBACK RIDING!! They went up the mountain and had a little pic-nic. Alison has been waiting a long time to get the chance to ride "Magic". He's a well-trained horse that she'll be able to do all kinds of things on. She's excited because Mrs. Grain said that she can start riding him.

We had a bit of trauma this morning! Grace's foot broke off! It wasn't a pretty site but in reality, it wasn't that bad. It was worse for me than it was for her I think. We bandaged it up for now. I may call the vet and see what they say about bandaging. I don't want to interfere with her natural ability to heal. They seem to be pretty good at that. The wildlife place told us they sometimes even self amputate, they have a strong resistance to infection and are very resilient. I have learned that to be true! I guess was God's design to help them survive in the wild. Bless her heart...she's been through a lot. Yesterday, when we came back from a ride on the 4-wheeler, she was out of her fence standing in our yard! Apparently, something scared her and she jumped it! I brought her the leaves I had picked for her and she followed me back in. We haven't heard back from the Wildlife Rescue place. People are now telling me we should just keep her until she's grown and then release her. They say once she's full size there aren't really any predators (mountain lions but we rarely have those) and that she'll be like a cat that leaves but comes back to eat. We might do that but we're going to have to fence the whole yard if we do. Her space is not big enough. Anyway...we'll just have to see.

My Quick Hot Sauce Recipe

2012-01-05T12:49:00.005-06:00

By the time I get the picture of my Prairie Star afghan taken, it might be finished! I'm getting really close! It's getting so big that it's hard to get a picture of it. I'm going to have the girls hold it up for the picture I think!

I've been seeing lots of these cute little character/animal hats and I'm thinking of making some of those after this. Just have to sort through my patterns and see what I've got. I've noticed that Red Heart has been putting out a lot of great free crochet patterns lately! Have you noticed the big trend with the "Owls" lately?

The lady we cleaned the house for called last night to tell us how happy they were with the house! I'm glad she called because I was wondering if we did a better job that the last people used to do. I think we did. Since we decided to charge them $14 an hour, I wanted them to be happy. I'm telling you...that house was spotless. They seem like nice people.

Today, I cleaned on my own house. We got the check for the cleaning job so Jeff went into town and got me two new tires on my car. The girls went to the stables and groomed horses today. Some people drove up and scheduled a trail ride for tomorrow so Jeff & Alison are going to go do a trail ride tomorrow with 8 riders. That's good. Enough people to get a little pay and some business for the owner's. Hay is hard to come by that you can afford. They are almost out of hay and they got a whole truck in that they can't even use because it's not horse quality. Using up the last of the alfalfa now....anyone know where to get horse quality hay? They buy about 500 bales at a time and have 18-wheeler truck, will travel!

I'm going to share another recipe...something I make quite often. We love hot sauce and we want it quick and easy so I make it this way with canned tomatoes in just a few minutes. I started out cooking the tomatoes but now I realize it's totally unnecessary and lots easier. I made a batch today!

In your food processor put the following:

2 cans whole tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of cilantro (the tops with stems)
1/2 of medium sized onion (we don't like too much)
1 jalapeno pepper (it depends on how hot the pepper is...sometimes I use half a pepper if the peppers are really hot and sometimes I've had to use 2 or 3!)

Blend it all up until its all chopped up or as smooth as you like it.

Texas Caviar

2012-01-04T12:57:00.009-06:00

3 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp hot sauce
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Avocado, Cubed
1 (15 oz) can white kernal corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans or black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I've always used black beans)
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup diced green onions
1/2 - 3/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic and hot sauce. Fold in avocado and rest of ingredients. Season to taste and serve with tortilla chips.

I got this recipe from my sister awhile back and it's one that we all like a lot. I used to make this to bring to the stables to snack on. Everyone that has tried this when I've made it loves it.

Now, speaking of green onions....here's something I learned on Pinterest and I've been astonished no one has ever told me this works! Don't throw away the white ends of your green onions. Put them in a jar of water in your window seal and they will start growing immediately! This is especially helpful for me because I have a hard time using green onions since I only go to the store one time a week. Today, when I pulled my green onions out of the refrigerator to make this recipe, my onions were completely wilted. Luckily, I had the ones growing in the window that I used! If you don't use them, so what? Cut them off and throw them away and grow more! You would have thrown them away anyway!

I called the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation place today. I talked to the lady who answered the phone about Grace. She said she thought they could take her but she's going to call me back after she talks to the director. They have several other Axis and some White Tail deer there. They basically get to live wild in the protected deer yard. Grace and I are pretty close and I'm going to really miss her but it's the best thing for her.

No time for pictures today.... and Good News!!

2012-01-03T18:58:00.004-06:00

Well, today got a bit away from me. I was gone all day today. The girls talked me into taking them to the stables. Turns out there was a tourist trail ride scheduled so they helped with that and then rode around themselves afterward and then took another trail ride on their own. So...I got home just in time to cook dinner. I'm just now sitting down to the computer.

There is a bit of good news though! Jeff talked to the job tonight and they said they are ready to offer him the job if he still wants it! Well, yes he wants it!! He starts on the 16th! This is good...at least we have a date this time instead of some abstract time period like the last job he was "hired" for! So, two more weeks of life as I know it and then everything is going to change drastically! We're all a little spoiled because Jeff has been doing most of the work around here. Job lists are about to be enacted! We're going to make up the daily chore lists for the kids and we'll all switch off on the feeding of the horses in the morning.

We are waiting on the check for the cleaning job. I ended up billing $14 an hour and I'm glad we decided to go up on the price because they didn't bat at eye at it when I sent them the invoice. The check is supposed to be in the mail and then we're going to buy two tired for the car and a battery for the old Tercel. My front tires are bald and I'm trying to avoid driving it too much. Michael can start driving the Tercel after we get a battery.

Pray God, a new season it starting! Yay!

2012-01-01T20:48:00.005-06:00

Spent our New Year's day in town grocery shopping yesterday. Alison was thrilled beyond measure to get to ride her horse yesterday! She hasn't ridden her in awhile! No horse thrills her quite like THAT horse, Princess, does. True Love.... You know I would have pictures but I didn't know they were going riding.

Jeff fenced in part of the yard yesterday while we were gone for Grace. It's going to make it easier to get her moved around and it will make it easier for me to visit with her and keep her company throughout the day. she seemed to be a little more at ease today and not as panicky when I walk away. Was going to call the wildlife place today but we were keeping the phone line open in case Jeff got a call about the job. He didn't here from them so far....He called and left them a message today. Here we go again!

Alison's friend has been here since Saturday... Good grief, those girls are soooo silly when they are together. Oh well, I had a friend like that when I was young. We had the best time together. They are so funny...they said why does everyone take pictures of themselves in the bathroom and post it on Facebook? (If you've had a teenager would would see that they all do this) So they went and took some pictures in the bathroom.

I thought it was really funny...lol!

I packed up all the Christmas decorations today. Glad to get that out of the way! I'm also pluggin along on my afghan little by little. I'm about finished with one end. I'll try to snap a picture of my progress tomorrow. I made a couple of practical things today....a couple of mats for under my silverware drying caddy.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T09:06:00.001-06:00

The New Year

Dear Lord, as this new year is born
I give it to Thy hand,
Content to walk by faith what paths
I cannot understand.

Whatever coming days may bring
Of bitter loss, or gain,
Or every crown of happiness;
Should sorrow come, or pain,

Or, Lord, if all unknown to me
Thine angel hovers near
To bear me to that farther shore
Before another year,

It matters not—my hand in Thine,
Thy light upon my face,
Thy boundless strength when I am weak,
Thy love and saving grace!

I only ask, loose not my hand,
Grip fast my soul, and be
My guiding light upon the path
Till, blind no more, I see!

--Martha Snell Nicholson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A New Year With The Lord

A new year is about to unfold
With new opportunities to explore
Doors will open for new experiences
New adventures with the Lord

Remember not the former things
The things of this past year
The Lord will do new things in us
Much more than we are aware

For He will make a way for us
As we put our trust in Him
And He will guide our every step
By His presence we have within

What God has placed within our hearts
We find we’ll be able to do
If we look for the opportunities
We’ll see the door to go through

We mustn’t let anything hold us back
But rise up and take our place
And be all that God wants us to be
With a fresh touch of His grace

© By M.S.Lowndes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43: 18-19

Is it really New Year's Eve?

2011-12-31T20:01:00.005-06:00

We're having a slumber party tonight! Alison's friend is spending the night and the owner's went out of town for the night so we have ALL THE DOGS tonight! :)
We went and got the dog beds and we're just going to have a big old house full tonight! Mose is so funny (the black Lab)...he's a very energetic hunting dog and he's always knocking stuff over with his tail!

I need to go to the grocery store severely but I did have the stuff so I made sausage balls and the girls made themselves some of the buttery popcorn I've ever seen! (I think they used a whole stick of melted butter!)

I went to the wedding today. It was a gorgeous day for a wedding today!

It was a very small wedding with just a few family members there. Alison played the wedding song perfectly!

We went back to their house afterward for cake that Alison and Phoebe baked and decorated last night.

They did a fabulous job!

There's a wild animal rehabilitation place we're going to call about Grace. She's sweet as ever. I feel so bad for her though because we bring her to the garden every day and she hates being in there by herself. It's a ways from our house and I walk down there and sit with her but I can't sit with her all day. She relaxes and starts walking around and eating when I'm there. She gets very distressed when I leave. Deer are herd animals and they need company. Mr. Grain's daughter was here this week and she found a place about an hour and a half or two away from here that takes wild animals that can't make it in the wild. I'm going to call them and see if they have a suitable environment for her to live like a deer in and maybe have some company. Mr. Grain said he would make a donation to them if need be so we're going to explore it. I'll miss her but as long as she's happy, it's all good. In the meantime, tomorrow Jeff is going to try to find some rolls of wire that might be laying around the ranch here and try to put up some temporary fencing on our yard so we can leave her here where we are near instead of bring her to the garden during the day.

Well, I hope everyone is having a safe and happy New Year's Eve whatever you may be doing!

Today --- my extremely boring blog post

2011-12-30T15:10:00.005-06:00

What I did today:

Sat with my little deer, Gracie, off and on today because she loves the company.

Normally I leave my tree up until New Years, but I took the decorations off the Christmas tree because the tree is starting to die and my ornaments keep falling off! Having a real tree keeps you from procrastinating!

Cleaned up tons and tons of Christmas tree needles. (Please, I'm tired of cleaning!)

Washed and put away several loads of clothes.

Added a few motifs to my Prairie Star afghan here and there.

Thought about making a grocery list!

Thought about how bad I need to mop.

Started reading the book "The Yearling" (How fitting that its about a deer) Yes, I'm now reading books that I should have read as an adolescent but I didn't become a reader until later in life and now I want to see what I missed out on.

Sat on a big rock behind the house and looked at the view because it's so pretty.

Missed hearing my daughter play the piano because she was gone today.

Re-arranged my crochet spot. I was feeling some dissatisfaction with my set-up. I was using the top of the wooden dog crate as an end table/crochet hook, etc. holder but I traded it for one of our TV trays. It's puts my stuff up a little bit higher plus I was able to fit my magazine rack (for patterns I'm using) under it and also get my yarn basket within reach. Now, I can't reach my lamp...but oh well, obviously, I can't have everything!

Thought about how I can fit another chair in this living room. Our living room is really small and there's not enough room for our whole family to sit on the couch so it's kinda like musical chairs around here....someone is the odd man out. It's getting old. I'm figuring out that if I can get the bookcase out of here, we could fit in a chair. Just can't figure out where in the world I'm going to fit that bookcase. (No one likes any of my ideas but I suspect it's because they don't want to move it!)

Okay, so I did a lot of thinking besides doing -- lol!

Bad news: Found out that Alison will NOT BE ABLE TO SHOW PRINCESS this year in 4-H because we missed the validation! Nobody informed us that we needed to be at this. Poor Alison...I haven't talked to her since she found out so I don't know how upset she is. She went over to her friends house today to spend the night and get ready for a wedding tomorrow. Her friend's mother is getting married tomorrow and they are baking a 4 layer cake for the wedding! It's going to be a small wedding and Alison will be playing the "Here Comes the Bride" tune on the piano! I'm proud of her for learning it herself in the past week just for the wedding. Yay, Alison!

Well, good night ya'll!

2011-12-30T08:32:00.003-06:00

Well, a diamond here, a diamond there. That's about how I've been working on my Prairie Star over the past few days. I'm so close to the end that I really want to sit down and work on it. I think I will get to work on it quite a bit today because I'll be home all day today. I was thinking that you could really do this as a hexagon baby afghan. Just stop right here and make those diamonds sticking out as half diamonds instead. Just picture this in baby colors.

When this afghan is finished, I'm thinking of putting this afghan in the consignment shop in town. I've sold some of my beer can hats there. What do you think a good price for it would be? She marks the stuff up from what you want for it quite a bit so it might be tough to sell there though. It's worth a try though. I could at least by my yarn to make myself one in different colors.

Tired, Tired, Tired....

2011-12-29T22:33:00.004-06:00

7 hours of cleaning yesterday and 7 more hours today... two people cleaning for a total of 28 hours of cleaning over the past two days! I am literally even a little bit sore tonight. My legs are sore...I guess it's all the squatting and getting up, bending, leaning, etc. It's not possible for that house to get any cleaner than we left it. I don't think there a spot in that house that we didn't touch. We thought we'd be there less time today because we had 3/4 of it finished but the stuff today took a long time. Jeff spent most of the day cleaning windows inside and out and we brought the pressure washer and he cleaned bird poop from the window sills outside. I cleaned and mopped the living room, dining room, and cleaned the kitchen. Lots of furniture to move so it made it tougher. I also had to clean the refrigerator, oven and microwave so that took some time. I'm tired and glad that is over with! I think we're going to charge them $350 but that's less than the $15 a hour people told me to charge. Either way, if they want us to do it again, I'm going to tell her up front it will be $15 and hour next time. It's just not worth it for less. I did not enjoy that at all. I don't know how people do that every day! Of course, I am extremely anal and perfectionist. That house is spotless.

Well, I wish had something more exciting to say but that's all. I just cleaned for two days straight. I'm tired, taking 2 melatonin, and going to bed. I might even try to sleep in tomorrow. I doubt that is going to happen though!

Goodnight everyone!

Yarn Stashes

2011-12-28T21:35:00.001-06:00

Here's something very interesting for my yarny friends to look at! Look at all of these yarn stashes! Someday I will have all my yarn in one place!

Knitting Nooks & Storage Ideas ~ The Loopy Ewe

Well, we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned today until we couldn't take it no more! 7 hours today and we didn't finish so we have to go back tomorrow! We are 3/4 of the way done. Kitchen and living room tomorrow and the large porch and outside windows. I do not want to be a cleaning lady...I'm way too much of a perfectionist for this job. Now, people are telling me we need to charge a minimum of $15/hour for cleaning and that is the going rate. Maybe it'll be worth it after I get paid....ugh..

2011-12-27T19:27:00.003-06:00

Long day in San Antonio today....Actually, we got home earlier than we ever have from a day in San Antonio. I wasn't going to go since we have no money but Michael had a gift card for Tandy Leather Factor he got from Mr. & Mrs. Grain for Christmas. It was an opportunity to go to the store and not have to pay shipping so we all went. We browsed around Hobby Lobby while Jeff was at his interview. I drooled over the Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" yarn. It was even on sale :( Oh well, that's probably the yarn I'll use for my next Prairie Star Afghan. I love that I Love This Yarn! (He He...pretty good name)

We got stopped by a police officer on the way home for not turning our turn signal on a 100 yards from our turn! We were trying to figure out why in the world he was stopping us because we weren't speeding but thank God, he didn't give us a ticket. He was pretty nice except for all the nosy questions they ask you now days....they seem to think they need to know where you going, where you've been and why. Not sure what that has to do with anything. Oh well...he wished Jeff good luck on getting the job!

The job interview went quite well but it's not the first job interview to go well and nothing come of it --- hope this one works out! So...not much more on that subject...no use in getting prematurely excited again. They did say they don't like to keep people waiting so hopefully we'll here one way or another pretty quick. If he gets it, Jeff will have to drive to San Antonio every day for 3 weeks for training. That'll be enough to make him grateful that he'll only have to drive there one time a week after that!

Jeff & I are have a job cleaning a house tomorrow for some people with a second house here. It's a twice a year job! LOL! They have someone clean before they come twice a year. Our friends used to do it and passed us onto the owners. They don't seem to care what you charge them and haven't even asked us so we're debating what we should bill them. My friend said they won't blink at two or three hundred dollars. It's going to depend on how long it takes us...we haven't even seen the house. We have to clean windows inside and out and stuff like that. I'm not really looking forward to it but it'll give us some desperately needed cash. God seems to provide one way or another just when you think you might not have grocery money the next week! Seriously...manna from heaven!

Well, got to go get some stuff done around here before bed. I need to cut up Grace's bedtime snack and bring it out to her. (A sliced up carrot) I enjoy my quiet moments with my little deer in the warm hay barn on a cold night.

Have a good week everyone...is it seriously Tuesday already??? Wow.

Finally - Prairie Star Progress Post!

2011-12-26T20:56:00.002-06:00

I finished a round of the Prairie Star! The long side of the rectangle is done. Now, I have to fill in to make it a rectangle. I'm liking it but the colors could be better. Not good but not bad either. Now, that I have this one made, it will make color selections on the next one a lot easier.

Hmmm....maybe a double wedding ring afghan next? it's another one of those afghans I've looked at for years and said I would like to make some day...Not sure....

~ Christmas Day ~

2011-12-25T18:58:00.004-06:00

Someone posted this on Facebook and I liked it so much, I wanted to save it here on my blog!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

We were invited to the ranch owner's house for Christmas Eve. It was sorta a low key get together and they invited a couple of our neighbor's that we know as well. It was a lot of fun getting together and getting to know everyone better. They served a WONDERFUL prime rib with horse radish sauce from a cow raised right here on the ranch. It was absolutely scrumptuous! They were amazingly generous and gave us gifts....really, it was quite nice. Both of the kids got nice shirt jackets and the kids and I all got very generous gift cards. Michael for Tandy Leather Factor and Alison and I for a local store. Jeff got money...a generous amount I guess you could call a bonus pay! Really, we are very blessed to be here. We have a mutually appreciative relationship with them...we appreciate them and they appreciate us very much as well.... very lovely people.

Today, we served basically a meal of appetizers....we didn't even end up cooking the steaks like the planned. We decided we'll just make those tomorrow. We just can't eat as much as we used to ... any of us.

Grace is really getting fast. I'm watching that leg and even though she seems to be using it more than ever, I'm worried about that hoof. It's just dead and I'm hoping it's not spreading up her leg. She's losing some hair above it now. I guess we'll just let nature take it's course and see what happens. She still uses it and she's getting faster and faster. She pretty much runs from everyone but me now. I go in there and she just follows me around...puts her head on me... wants me to scratch her... feed her. As long as it's just me and her alone...she's as relaxed as she can be. I guess because since she's moved to the barn, I'm the one that pretty much takes care of her. I usually go see her several times a day and sit with her.

We're back!

2011-12-23T17:54:00.004-06:00

It was fun for awhile but I sure am glad to be back home! A visit to the big city gets to me pretty quick...all the people everywhere, the traffic and crazy drivers! I'm sure it was much worse because it's Christmas. Geez...you put your life at stake driving on Austin highways! We went to a free trail of lights that was organized very nicely. They had school buses shuttling people to the trail where you got out and walked the trail of lights with various displays put on by local businesses. They moved the people very fast and we barely had to wait. We went to my friend's house and they ordered pizza. We hit a couple of thrift stores on the way home. One thing I really, really miss is thrift stores! Jeff found some jeans at the thrift store so God was smiling on us because he usually doesn't find jeans at the thrift stores. He was down to two pair of jeans.

Alison is working on teaching herself to play the Bridal Chorus on the piano right now. She is going to play it at a wedding on the 31st! She's using trusty ol' You-Tube tutorial to help her play two hands. It's a small wedding but she'll get to play it in a church.

Good news....we're going to San Antonio Tuesday with Jeff because he has a JOB interview! The job that he had the phone pre-interview for called him to come for an interview. If he gets this job, he will be installing satellite TV systems. They were hiring in our area and he will be dispatched to the jobs from his house. It's kinda funny that he'll be installing satellite systems and we don't even watch TV in our house! We gave up TV after living without it for so long...we decided we don't want it back. Too addictive, time wasting and keeps you from doing other things plus there's not much on worth watching anyway!

Well, this is certainly not feeling like it's only a couple of days away from Christmas! Tomorrow, I'm going to start some preparations for some of our food. We're just having a few little snacky things that we all like...taco dip, sausage balls, and I'm making my twiced baked potatoes to go with the steak Jeff is going to make on the grill. We don't normally eat steak but we've had someone gift us some steaks so I think Christmas is a good day for it.

I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-20T21:03:00.002-06:00

Well, Jeff has had two different job interviews this week. One of them, he apparently didn't get the job because we have never heard from them and they were supposed to make the decision last Friday. I'm guessing they decided he was over-qualified for that job and wouldn't stick around. He had a phone pre-interview today for another job. Maybe, just maybe, something will come of this one. They said they are going to go ahead and run the background check on him. Anyway, I'm not getting my hopes up.

It's Alison's birthday tomorrow! I've been trying to figure out how we can do something special and not spend much money so we ended up deciding to go spend the night with my friend in Austin. It'll be fun to go to civilization for a day. We're going to go look at Christmas lights and take her out to eat. Alison can take a bath in their jacuzzi tub. My son is going to stay here and do our chores and take care of our deer.

Well, hope everyone is having fun getting ready for CHRISTMAS!

Reindeer Cupcakes!

2011-12-19T20:27:00.002-06:00

Well, here's another creation inspired by "Pinterest"! LOL! They actually did these last week and I can't believe I forgot to post this! I found this post in my drafts! Anyway, the girls had a good time making these Reindeer Cupcakes! They made a whole bunch of them.

Um....then, apparently they got bored decorating the cupcakes and they decided to decorate themselves!

Silly girls! I'm glad they are so easily entertained! lol

A Funny for my yarny friends...

2011-12-19T20:24:00.001-06:00

I found this online but no mention of who wrote it so here goes...thought it was cute. Only my fellow yarn lovers will understand!

You know you've been crocheting too long when:

1. You need to rent or buy a separate dwelling just for your yarn, patterns, etc.

2. Your family tiptoes around and is quiet when you are "counting" (lest they end up killed outright for making you lose your stitch count)

3. Herrshners, Annie's Attic, Mary Maxim and the Needlecraft Shoppe all know you by first name only and have memorized your credit card details

4. You cannot go through metal detectors because you have so many hooks stashed everywhere in your luggage, your purse, etc.

5. Strangers mail yarn and unfinished projects to you without asking first.

6. Caron and Lion Brand are fighting over which one of them can hire you as "Poster Crocheter" in their new ad campaign.

7. Your computer's memory is maxxed due to the number of websites for crochet that you have bookmarked as favorites.

8. Your email inbox exploded due to sheer volume of Internet crochet list email.

9. You know more people by their email address than their actual names.

10. You win an award in mIRC for staying online the longest in a crochet chat room

11. You have more tools that your Significant Other.

12. Michaels and WalMart give you Frequent Customer discounts.

13. Your local yarn store owner knows exactly what skein of yarn you just ran out of the moment you show up in their parking lot. They also know what row you should be on by now.

14. You own more yarn by weight than you do furniture or motor vehicles.

15. The IRS and state tax authorities allow you to declare your yarn, pattern, hooks, etc. as dependents on your tax returns.

16. When someone mentions UFOs, you automatically think of Un Finished Objects (as in unfinished crochet projects) rather than extraterrestrial transports.

17. You have more yarn in your closets, storage lockers, garage, etc. than Herrshner's main warehouse has.

18. You have had to explain to non-crafters the difference between crochet and knitting more times than you can count.

19. You can crochet perfectly while fast asleep.

20. Your family decides they've had enough of your hoarding and hooking and has you kidnapped and deprogrammed.

21. You cannot find your family amongst all the boxes and bins of yarn and patterns around your home.

22. Your family files a class action suit charging the yarn manufacturers, pattern publishers, etc. for causing you to abandon them (alienation of affections).

23. Strange men call and show up, having heard a "hooker" is available at this address.

24. Because of you, yarn and patterns have now been declared an illicit substance by the FDA and DEA. They find you and throw away the key.

25. You write in abbreviations only, thanks to reading patterns for too long.

26. Instead of counting sheep to sleep, you count stitches.

27. You intrigue Martha Stewart by having every item in your house crocheted, including your furniture. You make her jealous because she didn't think of this first.

28. Even when they take your yarn and thread away in hopes of curing your affliction, you grab anything; dental floss, wire, packaging twine, weeds, tinsel, etc. and start crocheting with it instead.

29. Everyone you know has something you crocheted but in a strange color combination because they failed to specify a color preference, and you had so much scrap yarn to use up.

30. When it was time to tent your house to kill termites, etc. you crocheted the tent from plastic grocery bags cut into strips.

31. You taught one of your children to crochet a chain but did not tell them how to finish off; you now have a 5 mile chain "string" lying about.

32. You realize you practice a craft where the phrase "the end is near" actually has a positive meaning (your project is nearly finished.

33. You chastise people who call a crochet hook a "needle".

34. You got fed up with the unhelpful and rude craft store clerk at your local yarn store and crocheted her to her cash register in the middle of the night, stuffing a ball of yarn in her mouth so she wouldn't yell out.

35. You frequently get charged with carrying concealed weapons without a permit because you carry crochet hooks around.

36. You determine that you can eat Cheetos and crochet at the same time by using toothpicks to pick up the Cheetos so they don't stain your fingers.

37. You get a patent on how to crochet with chocolate. You also develop a chocolate that cannot melt and stain your yarn.

38. If you stacked your yarn from end to end, it would stretch from here to the Sun (96 million miles or so)

39. You crochet during dental treatment.

40. You win a fashion award for crocheting people's hair into interesting hairdos.

41. You win the lottery and spend the whole darn thing to buy Lion Brand Yarns' stock, a sheep farm in New Zealand, and spinning lessons.

Quite a full day today!

2011-12-18T10:06:00.008-06:00

Besides all the normal chorse, we had a big 18-wheeler load of hay come in today. They unloaded about 500 bales of hay.

Then Jeff had to try to figure out what was wrong with the manure spreader that was acting up last night when he was trying to empty it. Turns out one of the welds broke loose. Hopefully that will be back in service shortly because we need that spreader! That was pretty much a whole day right there.

I'm making great progress on my Prairie Star afghan...I'm getting down to the last row on the sides. It gets a little trickier once you get done with your star part. It's not hard, you just have to pay attention to what you are doing because the placement of the direction of the diamonds changes up on you. I almost hate to finish this afghan...I've really enjoyed making it! Pictures soon!

2011-12-16T14:15:00.007-06:00

“If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.”

Well, I think it is getting close to time to release Grace. She's getting harder to handle now. She's wanting to wander a lot more. This morning we went on a walk. She kept getting further and further away from home. I was afraid to let her go because I still don't think she is ready and I fear she will meet a bad fate. I also didn't want to let her go without taking the bandage off her leg. I got her back close to the house and she followed me back into the yard but I can see the day of release is coming close. I just hope she doesn't think she can wander around and then me come and get her out of trouble like we've been doing. Once she leaves, she's on her own that's why I would rather her be more healed. Today, we left her in the garden area where she had room to roam around. Tonight we took her bandage off and decided to leave it off for the night and see if she tears herself up tonight. She is really getting a lot better at getting around. If we can keep her for another week or two, I think she's going to be okay.

Today, Jeff went on a job interview. Nothing too exciting but it's a job. Maybe we'll hear back from them. They were supposed to make a decision today but we haven't heard back from them. Jeff is probably way over qualified for the job.

Alison wanted to go see Princess today. It's been a long time. We haven't gone because its been so rainy and muddy. Well, we decided to just put our mud boots on and go today....It was a complete muddy quagmire there. It's still very, very muddy here at our house too. When I fed the horses this morning, it was hard not to get STUCK in the mud or not to slip and fall down. I'm tired of having 4 inches of mud on my boots everyday.

It's a winner! Chicken Parmesan Bake

2011-12-16T09:05:00.002-06:00

This recipe was one of the new recipes I found on Pinterest that was on the meal plan this week. Here is the original link for the recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

The only problem is that you have to listen to the video to get the recipe so I jotted it down on an index card as I listened.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish put 2 TBSP of olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
Add hot pepper flakes.
Fill dish with boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 5-6)
Add 2 cups of Marinara (I used canned spaghetti sauce)
Sprinkle with basil.
Add 4 oz. grated mozarella & 2 oz. of grated Parmesan Cheese
Add croutons (I used a whole bag and family requested more croutons next time)
Top with 4 oz. of grated Mozarella Cheese and 2 more oz. of Parmesan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until chicken is done.

YUM!

Lots of stuff! -- Image Heavy!

2011-12-14T10:43:00.012-06:00

I have a friend is thinking of starting a craft store in town. She asked if I would be interested in teaching a crochet class. Hmmm...I'm sorta an introvert so it would be a challenge for me. I've never taken a craft course of any kind so I'm thinking about that and how I would go about it. She was thinking I should charge $10 an hour and require them to buy their supplies in her store. Not sure how it should work, maybe a class on chain stitch and sc and another on hdc and so on? Or I thought, maybe teach a class on mastery of chain stitch and single crochet and then come up with some small project they can complete in sc so they will be motivated. I was also thinking maybe a class on crochet pattern reading for people that know the mechanics of crochet but don't know how to read a pattern? I was thinking the more things she can offer inside the store to bring people in would help....demonstrations and maybe craft groups to meet there. I'm open to any ideas! Feel free to email me with ideas or suggestions! The more I think about it, the more excited I get...it could be fun! We'll see if she actually gets the store open...

Ah, it's miserable weather this week. It's slushy mud everywhere. We have been sitting here inside and not wanting to go out. Of course, my car has been inoperable since last Friday. I think he finally got it fixed today!

Then, we found out that someone has gotten our debit card number and was charging things to our account. One charge went through but we caught 4 more that were pending for about $700. They wouldn't have gone through anyway because we don't have that much money! LOL! Well, the bank cancelled the pending charges and reversed the one that went through. Don't know how they got the number as we rarely use our debit card anyway since we rarely have money in there. If it's not one thing, it's another!

Last night was the first night that Grace didn't sleep in the house. We have a large hay barn right beside our house and we put her in there during the day since it was raining. You would think she would have an endless supplies of food to munch on but contrary to popular opinion, deer do not eat hay! She's laying in it and has hay bales all around her and she doesn't touch it. It's a grass/alfalfa mix! She seems to really like it in there so we decided to see how she fared in there last night. She's such a picky eater...she needs a large variety...We have been gathering branches and various green things and laying them around in there for her to browse through. She has corn and various types of grain. We let her out for a little while the rain let up a little bit yesterday and she munched a bit and then went back in the barn on her free will. Today, I let her out and she followed me around! She knows I'm a protector for her.

We decorated our Christmas Tree last night!

Alison was taking pictures...Michael & I don't like our pictures taken...HA!

I have several crochet projects going on right now. I'm working on a Christmas project that I'm not extremely motivated on....can you guess what it is?... NOT!! Ha! Ha!

I also got started on my Prairie Star again last night.

My shawl is finished...

Ta-Da!

2011-12-13T10:04:00.006-06:00

Well, here is the finished Bulky Fisherman Afghan!

Maybe I should have used a darker color...but the texture of the stitches wouldn't have stood out as much. This afghan has already seen a lot of use even before I was finished with it. It's very warm and comfy.

Now, I need to get back to my Prairie Star afghan! Before I do that, I'm going to see if I can come up with something my son has asked for. He wants me to crochet him a hat to wear over his baseball cap with a slit for the bill in the front. I'm really terrible at designing patterns but I'm going to give it a shot.

2011-12-12T16:24:00.006-06:00

Well, now that the excitement of the dance show is over and I'm not busy I felt sad today realizing it's almost Christmas. This year is going to be hard for me. I feel so bad that there are things my kids need and I can't buy them. Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays. We always spent the whole month of December doing fun stuff...making crafts and ornaments, decorating, baking and cooking. We would make stuff for our neighbors. I know Christmas isn't about the gifts, but we all know that when you have kids...it's a big part. Let's be honest here and I had just as much fun getting them gifts as they do opening them.

Well, we've had this lovely tree in our living room for several days now but we still haven't decorated it. Mr. & Mrs. Grain (the ranch owner's where we live) gave us this tree.

We thought we had lights but apparently the lights didn't fare too well last Christmas when we had the tree outside when we were living in our RV. I guess the tree fell over one too many times! Jeff has been fighting the lights today. Hopefully, he'll get that figured out tomorrow.

He's also having set backs trying to get my car fixed. He can't get the belt on because it's too tight of a squeeze so he's having to make his own tool. It involves welding and it's been raining every day so he hasn't been able to work on it. We're glad for the rain but I'll be glad when it's over. It's been rainy and COLD every day for days and days.

Well, tonight I was about to take a picture of my finished Fisherman's Afghan when I went to grab my camera, it wasn't there. Apparently, one of my little camera thieves has been using it so I guess it'll have to wait!

Speaking of beautiful...here's our little Grace...

Christmas Dance Show

2011-12-11T19:05:00.004-06:00

It's only 7:00 and it feels like 10:00 to me. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight! We just wrapped up the weekend of Alison's performance. Jeff and I ran the concession stand tonight. There's no way I can even express how amazing they were tonight in the show. We are very proud of Alison...she did amazing! She danced in 6 dances this evening and did one dance on full pointe (a first)! It was an exciting weekend!

Remember my Fisherman Afghan?

2011-12-09T09:58:00.008-06:00

Well, it's been getting used like crazy even with all of my loose ends waiting to be weaved in. Everyone loves it because its so warm. Unfortunately, the dogs seem to love it too! Anyway, I took it to Alison's dance class last night with me. I figure if I brought nothing else I would be forced to weave all those ends in! Well, I'm happy to report....Mission Accomplished! Sorry, no picture yet. I've decided that I will not add the tassels like the pattern calls for. With all our animals, it's just not conducive to our lifestyle so it still needs a simple border to be truly a finished project. I will be adding at least a single crochet border all the way around...we'll see what I come up with.

This weekend is the big show! It's called "A Series of Lessons & Dances". It's going to blow this little town away. The girls are so good! Alison had full dress rehearsal tonight.

My car broke down on the way home! Thank God, I made it to our road and we still had a cell phone signal so Jeff came and got us. We *think* it's just a belt came off. I hope so anyway...that's the last thing we need right now!

How about my little dear deer, Grace? Well, today she started wanting to roam so we went on a little walk. She was pulling her bad foot and we ended up about 100 yards away from the house and UP a hill!
See her way up there?.....She did it herself!

Well, we spent the rest of the day running around like we were chasing a two year old! LOL! It wasn't that bad but she was really getting around today. We ended up putting her in the fenced in garden area for a while today where she would be safe. They have a very large garden area that is fenced and there is a lot of weeds, clover and stuff for her to munch on in there. One thing I have learned about deer is that they like a big variety in foods. She likes stuff but she doesn't want too much of one thing. She LOVES carrots but after 4 or 5 baby carrots, she's done and wants something else. We try but it's hard to imitate her grazing in nature. Now, we are having to start to deal with new wounds on her good leg. She had cuts that she got on the barbed wire that she keeps licking and opening up. Now, we have to try to treat those as well. She's a little mess!

Alison has been making Christmas cards -- here's a few of her creations....

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-12-09T09:07:00.004-06:00

I could have sworn that I posted this recipe but when I went to check my tags I didn't see it. Well, I either didn't post and thought I did or I may have posted and forgot to tag it so now it's lost in blog land! I wanted to share this recipe because it's one of our favorites.

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken - cooked and shredded (I don't measure this)
1 can of Garlic and Olive Oil petite diced tomatoes
1 can of Enchilada Sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic - minced
2 cups water
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
For Garnish: Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sliced Avocado

In crockpot, combine shredded chicken, whole tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies and garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on High 3 to 4 hours. Add cilantro. Garnish with cheese and avocado and serve with home fried corn tortillas. -- Delicious!

Note: I made this last night and it was hotter than normal but I couldn't figure out why! As I typed this out, I realized what it was...I used "hot" enchilada sauce! My husband loved it....me, not so much. I couldn't taste the blends of flavor with the hot so I like it better with the mild. So, anyway it's up to you!

Opinions on Ad Sense?

2011-12-08T20:27:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking about something but I wanted to see what people think about it. You know how blogger is always trying to get you to sign up for Ad Sense? Well, I've almost done it a few times over the years, thinking of giving it a try. Then, I end up not doing it because this is my personal blog. I'm not trying to be a professional blogger or anything and I don't have any control over what would be advertised...so I'm still not sure whether it's the right thing to do or not. Well, now I'm thinking about it again and maybe trying it out to see if it could generate any revenue at all. Anything at all would be a help for us. So I'm just wondering, does it bother you when people have ads on their blog? Do any of you have AdSense on your blog and is it worth it?

2011-12-08T08:18:00.008-06:00

One of my dear readers was asking what "Pinterest" is since I've been talking about it a lot lately. I'm not typically someone who jumps on every new bandwagon that comes along. I acually went to look at Pinterest site a few times before I got hooked. They call it an online "Pinboard" which is actually kinda like bookmarks only with pictures! You can have numerous number of "boards" and name them whatever you want. I have a board for Christmas craft ideas, Organizational stuff, Cleaning Tips, Cool Crocheted things, Recipes I want to try -- just to name a few. Anywhere you are online, and you see something you want to "Pin", you just hit your pin button and save it to one of your categorized boards. The cool part is that it's like interactive bookmarks -- it will also show you other people's "pins" which is how I've been finding some really neat stuff I wouldn't have found otherwise. You can follow other people with the same interests as you or you can just follow individual boards that people have. You know how you save stuff in your bookmarks but you just end up with a list of websites and you can't remember exactly what it was until you go back and click on it? When you open up your Pinterest, you will have a whole page of thumbnail pictures. When it shows me what other people have been pinning, pretty much daily I see a good idea or learn something new. For instance, I had no idea that you can grow green onions by putting the white ends in a glass of water in your sunny window seal. I also was looking up how to make caramel dip for apples. Well, I found out that not only can you make the caramel dip, buy you can also make caramel itself with an unopened can of condensed milk. Heat 8 hours on low (completely submerged in water) in the crock pot. Cool down in the fridge and you will open it up and have caramel!
So anyway, that's my explanation of Pinterest.

Here's a cute little ice skate pattern I found on Ravelry. I might whip one of these out for the Christmas tree!
My Paperclip Ice Skate Ornament pattern by Suzetta Williams

I think Grace is getting the drill down now. She only tried to stand up one time last night and we think it was because she had gone potty. Jeff woke up and changed her towel and she was fine. She can't stand up in the house at night because she can't get traction on our floors. She knows we'll bring her outside in the morning.

2011-12-07T22:29:00.005-06:00

Busy day today...It's 10:30 pm and this is the first time I've touched my computer all day! Even though it's really past my bed time, I'm just now sitting down at the computer. Little Grace is here beside me on her blanket resting peacefully. She is such a little sweetie. She is still doing good. We've let her walk around on her leg today. She gets around slowly and lays down when she gets tired. Then she'll get up when she's ready. We are still bringing her in at night. I don't think we'll feel good about leaving her outside until she is healed. It's a lot of work...I do a whole lots of sweeping and vacuming and washing! I have to wash her towels and blankets every day. At least I have a washing machine now here in my house. I do have to take the blanket up to the barn to wash because my washer isn't big enough. Oh well, if she makes it she'll probably go away and be a deer but people tell us she will come back and probably bring her babies here where she knows they'll be safe. We were talking to a guy tonight that was telling us they had a pet deer that they took everywhere with them. He said they used to take it on their boat with them. He was a buck though and when he grew up he got aggressive and left. He would come back and look at them sometimes. I'm glad Grace is a doe.

Alison and I drove to town today for groceries. I had to go to a couple of Farm Stores looking for the horse feed we use out here and some other errands. We had to hurry and get back for Alison to get to dance. Long classes all week this week. I took her to dance and Jeff came into town and we went to an open house at our boss's antique store. We hung around there and then went to eat chili at their house. The weather is cold, cold, cold! Just way to cold for me...Jeff has learned how to get a really hot fire going in the wood stove. We NEED the wood stove on night's like tonight. If it wasn't for that thing, I'd be freezing to death. We got up this morning to the frozen world outside.

I know it's not snow but this is Texas! I'm not snow person. The coldest morning since we've been here. We went around busting all of the ice off the troughs so the animals could drink. It's supposed to be another cold one tonight. Thank God for Long John's!

Oh, and remember the sock bun I told you I was going to try out on the girls? Well, it worked! Unfortunately, it rained the next day so even by the time I got around to taking this picture, the curls had relaxed a bit...

Alison edited this photo of Grace but she really is wearing the reindeer antlers!

Good night! I'm going to go climb under my electric blanket and go to sleep!

Grace

2011-12-05T15:44:00.007-06:00

Well, we spent the day agonizing over what we should do about Grace yesterday. I hate these kinds of decisions. I mentally prepared myself to possibly have her put down today when we took her to the vet. We got better news than we were hoping for! I really needed some good news! The vet said that she wasn't as bad as she was expecting. She said to keep cleaning it every day, start letting her walk around on the hoof without the splint, gave her two shots of antibiotics and said we'll see how she does until Monday. So we came home with our little deer after all! She got a lot of attention at the vet's office. I think they were surprised at home tame she was. She didn't fight at all. I wasn't sure how she would do for the car ride but she didn't give us a bit of problems. She sat down on the floor board and even stood up and few times and looked around. She's really a little jewel. She's not out of the woods yet but at least she may not be a lost cause! Mr. Grain was happy and is going to pay for the vet bill.

So now I'm going to need my computer for my meal planning -- thanks to "Pinterest!" Today, my son looked at my computer and said..."Hey mom, what is this Pinterest site for...oh, hey that's a good idea!" .... Exactly.... Ha!Ha! I've found me a little slew of new recipes on there I'm going to give a try. I'll post them if I find any really good ones! If you want to find me on Pinterest...I'm Crochet Crazy on there!

Random Tutorial Generator

2011-12-03T14:58:00.002-06:00

Here's a fun site I found today for crafters! I clicked and it took me to a tutorial on how to make a wreath out of book pages! Be inspired!
Random Tutorial Generator

As good as Grace, our little Axis deer, is doing...we've come to a realization today. Her foot is not going to heal...if she is going to be okay, I think they will have to amputate it. It's not getting blood flow below her wound. She really did that foot in trying to get it out of that fence! Even though she is going to the vet tomorrow, I was very worried today because in my mind, do you take a deer to the vet to have her foot amputated? I told Grace's benefactor, Mr. Grain, today what we have realized. I asked him if he wanted the vet to call him and let him know so he could decide whether he wants the expense. Well, he said no, for us to make the decision and have them put it on his bill. Well, I guess tomorrow will be the moment of truth. She is an amazing little girl...she is just as healthy and normal acting as she can be and doesn't seem to realize her foot is rotting. We are all very fond of her.

2011-12-03T11:53:00.010-06:00

Oh my, I have discovered "Pinterest"! I have been finding so many cool things there...crafts, recipes, cool ideas. The stuff just keeps turning up! It's totally addicting! One thing I found on there was how to curl your hair with a sock! I tried this on my daughter and her friend tonight. I had a hard time with it especially on my daughter's hair because it is sooooo long. We'll have to see how it worked tomorrow after they've slept with the socks in their hair!
Here's the link for the tutorial: How To Use A Sock To Get Beautiful Curly Hair Without Heat | A Spotted Pony

Alison has had her friend over all weekend this weekend. Today, they spent time making friends with the cows. There is a baby cow out there that is apparently very friendly...I refuse to go pet him and make friends with him because I know what will eventually happen to him. I can't be friends with my food... They say they are going to get him to let them ride him and then buy him and put him out at her friend, Phoebe's ranch! LOL! We'll see how that plan goes!
The baby's name is "Prince"

The dogs and Gracie are pretty used to each other now so I'm not having to be as viligent in sitting with her like we have been. The good news is that she is going to the veterinarian on Monday! Mr. Grain is going to pay for her to go. He's a kind mnan and I'm happy about it because even though the leg isn't getting worse, it's not getting better either. I'm really attached to this little deer. I hope they can help her!

I did have time to work on my shawl for a little bit today. It is finished all except for the fringe! I'll post pictures of that as soon as I get it done!

Busy week this week...my daughter has dance rehearsals every day this week and her show is this weekend! Her grandparent's are coming to see her dance this weekend!

Our Menagerie

2011-12-01T22:49:00.006-06:00

I do apologize for my lack of crochet content on my crochet blog, but alas my crochet blog has become so much more for me. I have never been any good at keeping a journal but my blog has become a priceless record for me of what is going on in my life. One day, when I have the funds I will print my blog in a book format. We won't forget all the adventures we had! This little deer is one of them...she has been very time consuming but so very fun! She got up by herself today while we had her in the yard. So she still seems to improve every day but I am a little worried about her because she has started gritting her teeth tonight. That means she's in pain. The owner came home today. He said we can take her to the vet after the weekend. I think she really needs to have that leg treated. It's doing okay but it's a very bad wound and it would really be good for it to be stitched and of course any other advice on how to care for her. We are cleaning and wrapping the wound every day but it still bleeds but it's all the way to the bone.

Ernie had to be rushed to the vet today. Michael found him wallowing around and he had gone after a porcupine! Michael rushed him up to Mr. Grain's house (the owner). Michael went with him to hold Ernie for the 40 mile drive. They had to sedate Ernie while they removed approximately 40 quills from inside his mouth and head. They said he probably would have died if Michael wouldn't have found him.
Here's Ernie (before porcupine attack):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So True~

Sweet story

2011-12-01T08:36:00.009-06:00

Sometimes I wish life had a break pedal! Oh my goodness, it's December 01 today! I know this month is going to get by me way too fast. Alison has dance classes every day next week, then her show and then December will be half way over!!

Okay, there is a very sweet little story unfolding over here. You know we have 6 dogs here. Well, we've have quite a zoo here at times with all 6 dogs and now the Axis deer! We've been pretty much making the dogs stay away from her. They were curious about her and wanted to sniff her. Well, they make her nervous so she would bite them! Most of the dogs are staying clear of her except for Pete. He's not giving up so easy but he wasn't being aggressive. He just was always trying to ease close to her. Well, today I caught him laying by her in the yard...as close as she would let him get.

Well, by this evening they are buddies. They were licking each other in the face tonight and Pete layed with her on her blanket!

It was the cutest thing I've ever seen! When we took her outside tonight, he was sticking around her. I really think he's going to protect her! It is so sweet... The owner's are not going to believe this when they get home!

2011-11-30T21:31:00.004-06:00

Well, everyone but Michael went to town today to get some groceries. Michael stayed home and did "deer duty". When she saw us leaving, she made her little deer noise at us. That was pretty much it for me today. We came home and put up groceries, did our nightly chores and then tended to Grace (the deer's name). It is astonishing how much she improves every day. Today, she was really starting to get around a lot better. She needs some help with that leg still. She's funny ...she'll move all her legs but that one and then try to move it a little bit...and then look at me for me to help her. Tonight she was took her outside again to stand and we decided to take the splint off to see how she did. She manages the leg better without the splint and she'll put weight on it and it doesn't seem to bother her...we don't know if it's okay for her to put weight on that joint when it's bent. It automatically bends. It's really looking like she is definately going to walk by herself very, very soon. The problem is that we can't let her go off until she can get up all by herself. If she falls, she's toast out there. We'll see what our boss says when he gets home tomorrow. He knows about the deer and was concerned about her. He even suggested to take her to the vet. He's a big animal lover so maybe he'll have some ideas. If we could put some wire on our fence, she could walk around in the yard and be safe to walk around. Oh well, we'll just take it one day at a time and see what happens I guess.

Well, the good news is that I did find the Simply Soft yarn I needed at Wal-Mart to get going on the Prairie Star Afghan again. I only bought one skein...should be enough...I hope -- lol! Well, there's more where that came from if it's not. Luckily, it's a "No Dye Lot" yarn and I couldn't tell any difference from my sample I brought with me. I think I'm going to try to stick with working on my shawl before I get back to the Prairie Star though. I'm close to finish on the shawl and I'm afraid I'll lose interest if I leave it now. It's not the most exciting thing to make.

2011-11-29T19:59:00.003-06:00

Well, our little Axis deer is still doing good...she's a little spoiled though! She sat outside again today but we brought her in again for the night. She is really quite funny...she doesn't like the dogs. She will nip at them if they get too close so the dogs have learned to leave her alone -- lol!

Today we got our Christmas decorations up except for the Christmas tree! It's a bit over-kill for our little small living room but Alison loves our decorations...and I have a lot! She insisted on finding a place for everything so it looks a little like a "Griswold" Christmas around here. The owner's wife said they wanted to give us a real Christmas tree so I didn't get our fake one out of storage. I'm a little bummed about Christmas though. I really love giving gifts at Christmas and it really is going to be difficult for me not to be able to. It will be the first time ever...even last year we managed a modest Christmas for the kids. I know Christmas isn't about presents but it still brought me a lot of joy to do so. Oh well, you never know...you never know what's in the store...maybe Jeff will get a job and it will change.

I've made some decent progress on a shawl I started. I'll try to get some pictures taken soon.

2011-11-27T21:13:00.010-06:00

I've been searching for a really quick and easy shawl pattern. I've never made a shawl before because I just don't have much use for them personally. I have a friend that is a big Ebay seller and she told me she can get a lot for a crocheted vintage looking shawl with fringe and if I made one, she can sell it for me. So I figure, what the hey..it's worth a shot. I found one that I've started on so I guess that's what I'll work on while I'm waiting to get the yarn to finish my Prairie Star Afghan.

There's no time for crocheting today though because of our little Axis Deer. She tamed up very quickly last night. She takes great comfort in us now. She is soooo sweet. She loves to lick and be scratched. She ended up staying in the house last night...yes, we are suckers. It was really cold last night and we figured it's easier for her body to concentrate on healing itself when she's not wasting energy on shivering to stay warm. Michael slept on the couch in the living room and she slept on the floor. Someone needed to be there in case she tried to get up because she falls down. Then you have to get her situated back in a comfy position. Michael said he woke up about 4 times when she tried to get up. It is encouraging because she does seem better and stronger today! I really would like to see a happy ending for once in one of these endeavors! We took her outside today and let her try to stand. She actually stood for a little while by herself once we got her back feet situated right....she seems much better than she did yesterday.

We do think she may have a break just above one of the back hooves because it bends the wrong way when she tries to stand on it. So we made a splint and put it on it. Maybe the little girl will be able to walk even if with a limp. Tonight, she's even more calm and relaxed in the house. She seems quite content and happy in my living room! Ha! She just sits there and looks around...eats and drinks. She's hardly trying to get up now. We can do whatever around her tonight and she doesn't seemed phased by it.

Today is my birthday ... I, um, got a REAL LIVE DEER for my birthday from Michael! LOL -- No, really though...Michael got me a padded Chef's Mat to put in front of the kitchen sink. It was a really busy day today. The ferrier came this morning and the owner's are out of town so Jeff had to move horses from the pasture next door. More horses than normal to deal with today. He was supposed to have Jury Duty today but he called and they had cancelled it! Good news but he had to go to Kerrville instead to fill out applications for two jobs he's applying for. We're hoping one of the two will pan out... gotta do what we gotta do.

Tonight, the kids surprised me with a cake after dinner!

Apparently Alison stayed up late after I went to bed last night to bake the cake. Alison gave me a gift...some really pretty iron horse head book ends.

I love my family....

Here we go again....

2011-11-27T17:17:00.005-06:00

Look what Michael brought home this afternoon! Ahh...another hurt animal. She is an Axis Deer so she is not regulated by game laws from what I read online. She's actually pretty big! I hate it because I don't like it if they die. Well, this little girl is really strong and alert. She's eating and drinking but she has a hurt legs. Michael found her hanging and tangled in a fence. So now she's in the living room. We bandaged up her leg. We don't know how bad the leg is but I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. That appears to be the only thing wrong with her. She's actually pretty big! We're going to put her in a horse stall for the night.

MY Slippers

2011-11-25T22:14:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I have made lots and lots of slippers in my lifetime but I have never kept a pair for myself. I made these with myself in mind. I get cold "feetsies" sometimes but I wanted a pair that was washable and dryable so I made these using Patons Voo-Doo yarn. I wanted a dark color so they don't get all stained. So here they are! And just in time too...it's supposed to get really cold Saturday night. I just hope I don't slip down the stairs...they are really slippery on our wood floors...I'll have to keep that in mind.

So it took my daughter less than 2 days of practicing to teach herself this. Now, she wants to learn the second part....If I know her, she'll do it. I hope the video works...

Progress on Prairie Star halted - - -

2011-11-24T22:47:00.008-06:00

I'm running into a problem with my Prairie Star Afghan...I ran out of the cream colored Simply Soft. This is very bad. I hope I will be able to find this color. Like I said, I have been using yarn out of my stash and I had two pretty full skeins of this and thought it would be enough but apparently not. This really stinks...I have to halt progress on this until I can find some. I hope Wal-Mart has it or else it might be a long wait! One positive thing out of it is that I have been reduced to weaving in ends on my Fisherman Afghan I had finished. We've been using it and its on the couch with all my loose ends hanging out! lol -- Not my favorite thing to do but it *does* need to be done....sigh....

My daughter never ceases to astonish me!! Alison taught herself to play Beethoven's Fur Elise on the piano yesterday! First, she figured out the right hand by ear and then she went on You-Tube to see how to add the left hand. I really am amazed...she's still practicing but it sounds so pretty. I'm going to have to video it and upload her playing it here on my blog. I just can't believe she did that! I could never do that.

Jeff & Alison were having a pretty busy day up at the stables today doing trail rides do I went up there to help 'em out. Glad to have the business...it means another day of pay for us! Hopefully, the business will hold out through the weekend. It was kinda chaotic today because we had a lot of "visitors"...just extra people everywhere. All the grandkids who were *helping* and when they help it actually slows us down...not really good on such a busy day. Then, we had some people we met in the park stop by and they stayed awhile...then Alison's friend with her dad and sister. They were still there when I left to come home and feed our horses here at our house. We have 16 riders on the board already for tomorrow so unless we get RAINED OUT, then tomorrow is starting off to be a good day as well. It is supposed to rain tonight...yes, rain...something we haven't seen much of here so either way, there's something to be positive about. I love those horses at the stables...I miss them when we don't have trail rides...

I love reading the scriptures that pop up everyday on my sidebar...sometimes they are fitting to me at the time. Well, my son typed this one up for me on my computer....he said he thought it might help us...now that was sweet. (It's a pretty long)

MATHEW 6:25-35
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:59:00.001-06:00

We all have plenty to be thankful for today no matter what life might be throwing our way! I try to stay in a state of thankfulness to God all the time for what he's given us, but I am glad for a day to be set aside to really ponder just how many things we all can be thankful for everyday.

Besides the obvious things that are at the top most people's lists of things to be thankful for which are ....
Jesus, my Lord and Savior!
My beautiful family!
Friends and so many good and kind people in my life!
Our Health!

I am very thankful to have all of these things. Then there are the things that I might not have thought to be thankful for last year..things I really am glad to have back, at least for awhile!

A roof over our heads

A full size stove and oven

A shower with good water pressure
A comfy couch
Surprisingly, something I really missed in the RV...My kitchen sink sprayer!

My Coffee Press!

Cute dogs to keep us company

The horses in our life, for their strength, grace, and beauty

I'm also thankful for my yarn stash...I'm glad I saved up all that yarn because it now enables me to keep on enjoying my hobby of crocheting.

Also, I am thankful for all of my blog readers and online friends! Thank you so much for your comments and encouraging words over the years! Even if I don't always comment back, please know I enjoy your comments and thankful for you all!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I am home today

2011-11-23T08:25:00.006-06:00

Well, Jeff took off this morning to work at the stables. I said I wouldn't post this week but I'm sticking around here today to start cooking for tomorrow. I've made an apple pie and boiled the chicken and the cornbread is baked for the dressing...now, I'm sitting down because I'm tired from standing! I'm about to start mixing up the dressing but I decided to take a break.

Alison brought home 3 friends to spend the night last night....her friend, Phoebe, and the stable owner's two grandkids, Morgan and Serenity. Morgan spent the night in the RV with Michael and the girls slept in the living room on the couch and pallet on the floor. It was a very loud night last night here. They played games and then I had a hard time getting them to be quiet last night while they were watching a movie and trying to settle down. They all had to get up early this morning to go back to the stables. They woke me up before my alarm did this morning!

I thought I would post a picture of the progress on my afghan. I took this picture in a hurry so it's not the best. Making decent progress on the white despite not being able to work on it much for the past couple of days...

2011-11-21T22:10:00.003-06:00

It was a busy day today and we will be really busy for the rest of the week this week so I doubt I'll be getting a lot of crocheting done nor blogging. We had trail rides today and there will probably be rides the rest of the week except Thanksgiving day. Alison still has dance except Thanksgiving Day....so, between all that and taking care of the animals at home, I don't expect to have a lot of time. Of course, I will start cooking on Wednesday for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. So, I wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving!!!

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~ Ernie says Happy Thanksgiving and he hope someone drops a piece of Turkey! ~

Quiet Evening

2011-11-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

Today was a trail ride day so I went up there to hang out with Jeff & Alison while they worked at the stables. That may phase out after Thanksgiving which is really bad for us since that's a little bit of money to go towards our monthly income needs.

The kids went to the Corn Maze with the Church youth group tonight so it's been a quiet evening around here. Jeff has been sleeping on the couch and I've been updating my Picasa Web Album with completed crochet projects. It was long overdue.

No crochet photos today so I'll introduce you to Andrew instead. He's the colt here on the property we live on. He's 6 months old.

Michael's Deer & The Prairie Star

2011-11-18T10:28:00.007-06:00

I started on the 4th and 5th colors of my Prairie Star and I don't like it. I went to my stash to see if I had something better to use but there is just nothing. I wanted to use a hunter green but I don't have enough of that color in my stash so I just continued with it. Maybe it will look better after I add the next color. I am really enjoying making this afghan though.
First picture is without the flash...

Second picture is with the flash... I still can't get the colors to look right in the pictures...

Michael's taxidermied deer is now on our wall and the pins are removed. He said that he still needs to paint the nose and he's going to gloss the eyes. It still looks great!

2011-11-18T08:06:00.005-06:00

Still working on my Prairie Star afghan. It's the perfect mind-numbing project for me while my husband is walking around depressed and not talking much. I learned one thing...don't try to work on this before you've had your coffee! LOL! I sat down to do a diamond this morning while waiting for my coffee to brew and I kept messing up.

The chickens gave us 6 eggs yesterday! The egg production was really low there for awhile but the past couple of days, they've been giving us more. Today, I'm going to try making some pie crusts to see if they can be frozen to use to make quiche with. Even though our grocery bill is already LOW for a family of 4, I'm thinking we can lower our bill a lot more if we plant a garden. We have a large garden space here that we are able to use. The problem is that I'm clueless about gardening. I know it's probably too late for a winter garden but we need to start planning and figuring out when and what to plant for a spring garden.

Alison is getting ready for her December ballet! I believe this ballet is going to be the best one yet! It's scripture reading and dances to Christmas songs. She will be doing her first dance on stage on Pointe this year to "Carol of the Bells" Yesterday, we went to the barn for her to practice her Pointe. There's plenty of space and they horse pads work great for dancing.

She put socks on over her Pointe shoes, so they wouldn't get dirty. I need to order her a new pair of tights and some gel pointe shoe pads before the show. Not a good time to bring up that I need to spend that $20 though.

Oh, and can I tell you something really scary? I won't say who but, it's pretty sad when you see one of your relatives on www.peopleofwalmart.com

2011-11-17T11:58:00.002-06:00

Still just trying to work through the shock of our new reality. I woke up this morning praying and asking God what is going on here? I know I must keep my faith. Jeff getting this job had so renewed my faith that God was taking care of us...so now that it's been taken away, does that mean he's not? NO WAY! I know it's not true so I'm just trying to sort it all out and hoping God will show us what to do. It's a strange feeling to for us to be so happy but so sad at the same time...I love our life but I feel like crying.

This was the verse on my blog today:
You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone
by.
Job 11:16

I had started preparing the following blog post about my Prairie Star afghan yesterday, before I got the bad news....so this was actually going to be yesterday's post..........................................................

I had a little bit of trouble with joining my first 6 stars last night and I actually cheated a little bit! You can't tell that I didn't do it *right* though so I went ahead. Then, I looked at the pattern and realized it says it is for "Advanced Experience" crocheter. I told my husband that I'm about to find out whether I am an advanced experience crocheter! The pattern really doesn't go into a lot of explanation on how to join. It just helps you through the first two and then says do the rest of them the same way except watch your placement. Well, I got through that and then decided to do a little search just to make sure I'm doing it right before I ventured further. I found this nice little YouTube that gives you an overview of the joining process:
Prairie Star Afghan joining overview - YouTube
This video is a general clarification but she also has some step by step videos if you need more help. I was able to confirm the process by watching this one.

However, I don't really think the Simply Soft yarn that I am using is a great yarn to use for this project. It's a very limp yarn and I think this would look better in a sturdier yarn. I'm in too deep to pull out now though plus I'm enjoying making this so I will carry on and perhaps I will make this again. I'd like to do one with the varigated yarn included like the pattern calls for.

~SLIPPERS~

Here are the two pairs of slippers, modeled by my lovely daughter, that I had finished before the Prairie Star inspiration overtook me.

It's really bad news

2011-11-16T19:44:00.003-06:00

Well, I don't really know what to say except that Jeff found out today that he is not getting the job. The higher ups in the company decided they want to do the hiring for a different area now. It really makes no sense that they wouldn't decide this BEFORE they hire someone! And he heard it from the recruiter too! Well, there's really nothing more to say...we are still pretty stunned and devastated right now. Jeff is really upset. I'm not really sure what we are supposed to do now. At least we have a place to live and can buy food with the money we make here where we live.
:(

Afghan sewn together!

2011-11-15T13:54:00.006-06:00

This is not the final photo of my afghan but it's completed enough for Alison to try it out for snuggle quality! Picture is kinda dark, I know but the final picture will be better. I have oodles and oodles of loose ends to weave in! Yuck! It's the bad part of a project like this but I shall get it done! BUT, I have somehow started on another afghan!! How in the world did I do that so fast this time? Well, I saw a picture of this afghan called the Prairie Star Afghan Pattern by Red Heart

You have probably seen this pattern. It's been around for a long time and I have loved it every time I see it and think that someday I'm going to make that! Well, I just decided to check my Simply Soft yarn stash and picked out some colors and took off with it this morning. It's a join as you go afghan. My colors will be different since I want to use my yarn stash. Here is what I have picked out....

I really wish I could get true colors on my camera. The colors don't look as vivid as they really are in real life. It's a deep dark blue, a maroon, a beige, a dark mauve and a dark country blue. I had to pick from colors I thought I have enough of so this is what I came up with. It was either this or a mixture of bright colors like hot pink, aqua, yellow, etc which would be a completely different look. I might use those for a granny ripple at a later time. Anyway, this project just sorta barged in on me and took precedence over the Christmas project I had *planned* on doing next. Oh well, when the inspiration strikes, you take it and run with it!

Big Recipe Hit !! = Ultimate Twiced Baked Potatoes

2011-11-14T23:03:00.005-06:00

I tried a new recipe tonight that was a big, that is soo good, can you double the recipe next time, hit with my family!

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly
brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half
lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour
cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix
Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes (continued) 3 of 3
DIRECTIONS: (continued)
with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins.
Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
5. Bake for another 15 minutes.

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I've got my blanket sewn together! I have a whole lotta ends to weave in though! I'll post a picture of the afghan tomorrow. I'm a little weary tonight to get that ambitious. I also have a couple more slippers completed. I'm ready to move onto a couple of Christmas projects I have planned...some cute and whimsical stuff. Check back tomorrow for the pictures! Goodnight all!

In the meantime, I leave you with a picture of a horse in my yard....Michael thinks it's real cute to open the gate and let the horses into our yard.

Hello, Magic!

Take Nothing for Granted

2011-11-13T21:27:00.004-06:00

We got up this morning and decided we better drive to Kerrville to get groceries today because the next available day we could go wouldn't be until Wednesday. I'm too low on food to wait that long so we loaded up and went. It's always a long day when we go because we go around to a lot of stores just for fun really. by the time we get home late and unload groceries...I'm tired, which I am right now. I bought the yarn to finish my afghan though! I'm anxious to finish that up but for now, I'm off to bed!

With the upcoming Thanksgiving Season, I'll leave you with a poem that I read and liked by Helen Steiner Rice .... We all have plenty to be thankful for!

TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED

Take nothing for granted,
for whenever you do
The “joy of enjoying”
is lessened for you…
For we rob our own lives
much more than we know
When we fail to respond
or in any way show
Our thanks for the blessings
that daily are ours…
The warmth of the sun,
the fragrance of flowers,
The beauty of twilight,
the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew
on a green velvet lawn,
The kind little deeds
so thoughtfully done,
The favors of friends
and the love that someone
Unselfishly gives us
in a myriad of ways,
Expecting no payment
and no words of praise…
Oh, great is our loss
when we no longer find
A thankful response
to things of this kind,
For the Joy of Enjoying
and the Fullness of Living
Are found in the heart
that is filled with
Thanksgiving.

Helen Steiner Rice

Ritz Chicken (Actually called Chicken Supreme)

2011-11-12T09:19:00.003-06:00

I came across the requested recipe! However, it's not called what I originally referred to as "Ritz" chicken. I called it that because of the Ritz crackers that the recipe calls for. The actual recipe name is "Chicken Supreme". In any case, here it is...

Chicken Supreme

1 cooked chicken (I did not use a whole cooked chicken) I just used 4-5 Chicken breasts
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
20 Ritz Crackers
1/2 cup of butter
2 tsp poppy seed

Layer bottom of pan with chicken. Mix soup and sour cream and pour over chicken. Crush crackers into melter butter. Add poppy seeds, and spread over chicken. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

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I spent some time this morning adding some new blogs to my Blog List. I like to read blogs that are updated regularly. Every once in a while, I go through that list and remove the blogs that haven't updated in a while. In any case, I've added some new ones that piqued my interest at some point in time or another.

It's hat making season!
If you have spent any time online looking for free patterns, you may have already come across this site. I just ran across it again while I was looking for an ear flap hat pattern --- which reminded me what a great hat pattern site this is! I have made the "Crochet Ridged Hat with Rib Cuff", the "Front Post-Back Post Brim Cap", and the "Loving Georgia Lee Tyler" hats. All are well written and make some great looking hats!

Head Huggers: Patterns List

Girly Slippers

2011-11-11T19:05:00.002-06:00

It was a beautiful day here today but even the sun didn't warm us up enough for me. Alison had her friend, Phoebe, spend the night last night and they stayed up too late and slept too late today. Then, they were doing their school work together and it took them all day to finish. The finished with only enough time to ride the 4-wheeler for a little while, feed the horses and cows, and now Jeff has taken them into town to go to the store. They are vowing to go to sleep early tonight so they won't be tired at the stables tomorrow....we'll see how that goes!

I'm starting to plan my Thanksgiving dinner. It's been so long since I've made Thanksgiving dinner that I forgot what I used to make other than Turkey and Dressing. It'll just be lonely old us out here but at least we'll have a Thanksgiving this year.

Presenting the next pair of slippers I have finished. I love the colors in these.
They are really soft, too.

I'm working on a pair for myself right now. I sure needed them last night! It was really cold here!

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Quote of the Day:

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

-Thomas Edison

Michael's Projects - Wallet & Money Clip

2011-11-11T13:04:00.000-06:00

Michael has had these finished for some time now but I'm just now getting a picture of them. He made these for my sister and I have not gotten them mailed to her yet. If my sister reads this, sorry -- it's my fault it's taking so long because I haven't mailed them!

One side of the wallet...

The other side of the wallet...

Reddish Slippers with Black Flower

2011-11-09T20:27:00.003-06:00

Well, it seems to take less than a ball of this chunky yarn to make a pair of this style slippers.

I had made the soles of another style of slipper and I ran out of this yarn so I undid the whole thing and made these instead. I still have a little bit left so I guess it'll go into my scrap blanket.

My computer has been having major issues with running very slow and taking forever to start-up. I did a little searching on the internet and ended up running this free program called Advance System Care on it. It is still running now and has been literally running ALL DAY to scan my computer. It checks for Malware, does a registry scan, cleans junk files, defragments and does a whole bunch of other stuff. I seriously hope this helps...apparently my computer is very fragmented. That is the part that is taking forever. I thought I was using a defragmenter already but apparently the program I've been using, or attempting to use, was aborting the process before it was finished and I have no idea why. Anyway, hopefully this helps!

Settling into a routine...

2011-11-09T08:19:00.006-06:00

Except for the part of waking up before the sun comes up and then not being able to go back to sleep because of this time change, which I hate. My body is still trying to adjust to it. I get up and put my water on to boil while I go throw some clothes on and bring my computer downstairs. By then, my water is boiling so I pour it into my french press (which I LOVE, by the way!) I leave my coffee to steep while I walk to the chicken coop to let the chickens out and throw their scratch. I actually enjoy doing this. The chickens are always happy to see me because they know I'm going to throw that yummy stuff on the ground for them. I come back in and my coffee is ready. I sit down to drink my coffee while I read my emails and check my blog, etc. By now, I'm either going down to the barn to feed the horses or I might start to see another person in my house start to rouse to go feed the horses. This morning, Alison got up to do it because she's planning on riding today. I know other people are starting to wake up too because usually the owner's dogs coming running down to our house to say "Hello". Now, sometimes I cook breakfast and sometimes I don't...today, I believe is a "don't" day. I think I will be sticking around here today. Alison doesn't have dance and I would be taking her to see her horse, Princess, but I think Jeff is going to the stables today anyway to do a job for Mr. Stable so I'll let him take her. It's cold outside today and I feel like staying in. I'll just do some domestic things around here today and work on the slippers I have on my hook. I finished a pair of slippers last night...
Here they are:

I made these out of a yarn called "Voo Doo" by Patons that I got at a Dollar Store years ago. I absolutely hate this yarn. It is extremely hard to work with and there is very little you can use it for but it works well for slippers. I am disappointed that after making these slippers that I still have several balls left in this color and I also have some more in brown. I will force myself to make another pair of slippers with the brown. I really want to use all this stuff up so I can quit looking at it taking up space.

Pondering my next crochet project....

2011-11-07T21:32:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it's very annoying to be waking up at 6 am in the dark and not being able to go back to sleep. My body is going to have to take some time to adjust to this time change which I hate.

I am pondering my next project....I'm a little frustrated with my yarn organization right now and it's stifling me. When Jeff starts working, I'm getting me some yarn bins. I gave the ones I used to use in my house to the kids to use in the RV. When I can *see* my yarn I have available, it helps me. I was wanting to make the bearded hat but I don't have the right yarn for that...that I can find anyway. I do have a large box of what I call "specialty" yarns that I got out of storage.

These are all very fuzzy or furry yarns. There's not a lot you can do with these other than hats and slippers. I did make a hat yesterday of some fuzzy yarn that I had only one ball of.

Now, I'm beginning to think "slippers" again. I had made tons of tons of slippers a few years ago and had a big box of slippers. I have made a significant dent in that box now. I sold some but mostly gave them away. They do make a nice gift so I think I'll try to make a dent in this box of yarn by starting some slippers. They are good to have on hand as gifts.

I had a scare today when someone in town if I had heard that the man that owns the stables (I call him Mr. Stable on this blog) had a stroke. I was shocked and said "NO, I didn't know that!" So I went directly to call Mrs. Stable to find out if he was okay. I didn't get her and spent the rest of dance wondering and concerned. I was smart enough to think...this is a small town and maybe someone mistakenly thought it was Mr. Stable when it was actually his brother. I do know that his brother is doing very poorly health-wise. Keeping this in my mind, I even told the source of this information that but she seemed convinced. So...anyway, Jeff did get a hold of Mrs. Stable tonight after I got home and it turns out Mr. Stable IS fine and it was his brother that had the stroke. Glad to hear that was not true!!

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"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.."

Albert Einstein

So proud of my son!!

2011-11-07T19:31:00.004-06:00

My son did this today! I think he did an amazing job!

He is still drying right now...all the pins and stuff will come out once he's dry. I'll post more pictures once he's dry and mounted on our wall! Ever since last hunting season, he has had this deer waiting to get with the Baptist pastor to show him how to mount it. He spent the whole day over there today and came home with this tonight. Pastor said he did 98% of this without any his help. I think it looks great. Michael says he can do the next one by himself. Michael has been so blessed with his creative and artistic ability!

2011-11-06T10:24:00.005-06:00

Today, Jeff & I went to a "Tour of Homes". It's something they do around here every year but I've never done it before. There were 6 local homes that open their house up for a period of hours for an open house. Grandma Bev gave us tickets. We dropped the girls over at Phoebe's house and Jeff & I went to that. There were some really pretty homes and we saw a lot of familiar faces. We're starting to know a little more people around here now.

Well, I have one tired little girl tonight. After two nights of sleepovers and getting up early both mornings, she's tired tonight. She wants to sleep in tomorrow morning. It was a good weekend for her though. I think her and Phoebe are going to be very good friends and I'm happy about that. After having to leave two very good friends in Houston, she hasn't made any good friends out here.

These are 3 very sweet girls....

Oatmeal Rice Krispie Cookies!

2011-11-04T22:53:00.010-05:00

Oh my goodness...I got about 5 panels of my afghan sewed together and I RAN OUT OF YARN!!! I was soooo close! Now I have to wait to go to town to buy more yarn before I can finish it! Well, the good news it that I don't have to worry about dye lot so much since I only joining the panels with it so if it's off just a tad it won't be very noticeable.

I'm have really been hankering to make these yummy, yummy cookies that I just snagged the recipe for. The dance teacher brings these every time they have visitor's week at dance and they are so great I finally asked her for the recipe. I've kinda been waiting for a cold day and a day I have time to come along at the same time because the oven helps me warm the house up. I decided to make these this morning and bring them to the stables today for them while they are working so I was making cookies at 7:30 this morning!! I took a big container of cookies down there and I can't believe how fast they devoured that entire container! Now there were a lot of kids there today...the stable owner's 2 grandkids, plus my two kids and Alison's friend.
Here's the girls on their horses...

They had a ball today. They rode and rode the horses around and groomed horses. Alison's friend, Phoebe, was there with her all day and asked to stay longer when her mom came to get her. Alison wanted to have slumber party tonight with Phoebe and Serenity (the stable owner's granddaughter) so they are both spending the night tonight. I just got finished making them a big bowl of popcorn and they are going to watch a movie.

I'm beat tonight...I think I'll go take a shower and go to bed early....I sure am glad I get an extra hour of sleep tonight because of the time change!

Oh, and here's the cookie recipe!

Oatmeal Rice Krispies Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups of Rice Krispies
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well Stir flour with soda & salt and then add to butter-sugar mixture. Fold in Rice Krispies, oatmeal, coconut & raisins. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.

Crochet Quiz

2011-11-04T19:05:00.002-05:00

This is something kinda different and fun...a Crochet Quiz! I took it and scored all correct answers. Try it!

Crochet - Happy "Hooking"! Quiz - Needlework

Today has been a relaxing stay-at-home day for me. Alison rode Ellie Mae again today and her friend came over. They played the piano, messed with the horses, looked at pictures and Alison's scrapbook and rode the 4-wheeler. They seemed to have a good time and she ended up spending the night and is going with Alison to the stables tomorrow. I'm glad Alison has made a friend.

I made homemade hot sauce today and tried my hand at making Ceviche. Everyone said the Ceviche was good but it needed more tomatoes. I used all that I had.

I started sewing my afghan together but I have to get it all laid out again before I can do anymore. Should be a relatively quick task if I can just have time to do it!

Internet!

2011-11-03T08:22:00.004-05:00

We got our own internet! I'm so happy...no more walking to barn to use the internet. I was especially thankful for that today because it was COLD!! I love this house...I hardly even know it's cold outside...it's a nice change.

The cold weather didn't stop Alison from riding Ellie Mae again today. Well, the owner's want their horses ridden and Alison won't disappoint them! She's planning on a repeat of the same tomorrow.

Tomorrow Alison also has a friend coming over. A girl who I met her mom at dance and we've been trying to get the girls together. She just pulled her daughter from school and is starting to homeschool her. The daughter has been very unhappy at school because of all the drug use, promiscuity and cursing and has been wanting to homeschool. Her mom has been hoping she could find a friend who's not into all that stuff. Her step-dad is a ferrier and was shoeing a horse at the stables today so we arranged for them both to be at the stables today so Alison could show her western riding. She's only ridden English. They are both shy so they broke the ice today by riding horses today. Hopefully, Alison will make a friend. She hasn't made any friends to speak of since she's been here.

Well, I finished the last panel on my afghan tonight at dance. I start sewing them all together tomorrow! Now, I have to figure out what to make next. I got a big box of specialty yarns out of storage. I think I need to make some hats out of some of that...not sure what else I can use it for. I do have plans to make on of those bearded hats I'm starting to see online. Pretty cute and funny...also would do a good job keeping your face warm. I also want to make myself an ear warmer...I'm not too into hats but I'm thinking an ear warmer will do me good when I have to feed horses when it gets really cold.

Alison's first solo ride & my afghan

2011-11-02T10:45:00.008-05:00

Alison came through with her plan today and she rode off on Ellie Mae on this beautiful morning and of course, I'm following her around with a camera, as usual!

Grooming...

Saddling...

Ready and heading to the gate...

A few minor adjustments...

Mounting...this is a VERY big horse...she's a gentle giant...

I got a glmpse of her as she passed through the trees headed off...

I'm so proud of Alison...she's braver than I could ever be. There are risks involved with letting her follow this dream with horses but she's such a natural and it brings her so much happiness, satisfaction, and confidence. At least I know she's on a reliable horse. Alison has all kinds of plans to learn all this stuff here and then she wants to teach it to Princess. If I know her, she'll do it.

Well, it's a busy day today...Alison will go see Princess and then Jeff is going to take the kid's to youth tonight. They haven't been able to go for a long time because it's farther for us to drive. I ran into the pastor in Wal-Mart last week and he wants to get with Michael soon for his taxidermy lesson. He has a deer to mount and Michael can do his at the same time. I really don't want Michael to miss out on the opportunity for someone to teach him this skill. It can really benefit him around here. The opportunities my kids have had out here have been great for them!

Well, here is the *almost" finished afghan. I have one more cable panel that goes in the space. After that, I just sew her up and I'm done!

2011-10-30T20:41:00.006-05:00

Well, I guess I lied...I just never had the time to lay out my afghan today to get a picture. I did finish two more panels and I've started on the 2nd to the last one that I need and that should be it! Then, I just have to sew it together! I can't wait to see it on my new couch!

We are very happy living out here. It's been a long time since I've been this comfortable in my living arrangement. With Alison's passion for horses, she's very lucky to be able to live with all of this available to her. She & the owner went riding today and she gave Alison the okay to start riding Ellie Mae by herself. Alison is beside herself with excitement. It's something she has wanted to do for a long time...just get on her horse anytime she wants and go ride! Well, it's not quite perfect because it's not "her" horse but you can't ask for much better! Ellie Mae is a wonderful, gentle and sweet horse who does just what you ask her to. She is a gaited Tennessee Walker beauty.

Alison has big plans tomorrow...she said she's getting up early to feed the horses, then doing her school work while the horses are eating, then she's going to saddle Ellie Mae and take her for a ride, then she's going to go to the stables to see her horse, Princess. This is one busy girl!

I can't believe how much our lives have changed in the past year and a half. It's really incredible. This horse has literally changed my daughters whole life, focus and future.

The special horse, Princess getting her tail groom. See how she stands completely relaxed while Alison works on her....

Another cute picture I captured of Alison & Princess...wonder what is going on over there anyway?

It's been one of the best things that could have ever happened to our family for Jeff to lose his job which caused us to be out here doing what we are doing now. God does work in mysterious ways....

Well, maybe I should rename my blog Crochet & Horses! LOL!

Another big milestone was reached this week in our family...my son got his driver's permit on Monday! He didn't much want to, but we had him drive home from town. He mainly didn't want to because our car is a stick shift...well, after a few false starts, he finally got going and we made it home in one piece!

2011-10-30T20:16:00.004-05:00

I really love how my throw/afghan is coming along. I would be through with it, however, since I used a smaller hook and my guage was off, I need to make more panels to make it wide enough. I don't have pictures tonight because I didn't remember to bring my camera down here to the barn with me to use the internet and I am not walking back to get it! I'll try to get it together on my next post.

We had a nice weekend. A lovely day Saturday working at the stables. Jeff's parent's got in late Saturday night. We put them to sleep in the apartment above the barn. They were blown away with how nice the apartment was....like staying in an upscale hotel room! The next morning, we wondered if they were ever gonna get up...Jeff stuck his head in and asked if they were okay in there. His dad said..."I love this bed." They raved about the bed and how much they loved the bed. Nana didn't much want to leave. When they got to see the property and everything in the full light of day, they felt really sorry for us for having to live like this (sarcasm) - LOL!

Today, Jeff got in some work around here still working on clearing a large tree that fell and he did some weed-eating. I messed around with the horses alot today because the horse that was injured, Magic, wasn't feeling good today. The swelling on his leg had spread down. We cleaned it real good but I was worried about him because he just stood under the same tree all day long. I went out there to him checking on him. He is such an amazingly sweet horse....I've added him to one of my favorites out here now. He is amazing and can open all the gates faster than I can! We have to chain them or he'll be out in the jiffy! He's probably going to the be the horse that Alison rides a lot out here.

We also went to the stables for Alison to see her horse, Princess. She went all out grooming her today and she was gleaming like a show horse by the time we left. That horse loves Alison so much and just stands there while she works on her, enjoying her pampering.

Tomorrow will be a busy day...we have to go to town for a long overdue grocery trip, Michael will be getting his driver's permit, Alison is going to get to ride out here where we live, and we're having some visitor's tomorrow after we get home. Alison doesn't have dance tomorrow since it's Halloween. We have a busy day ahead of us.

Afghan pictures are coming on the next post -- Have a great week everyone!

2011-10-27T11:19:00.007-05:00

Well, we're probably about a week away from getting our own internet. It's ordered but we'll have to wait for them to come out and hook up whatever it is they do. The owner's got a reverse osmosis water system for under the sink in our kitchen so Jeff got that installed yesterday. That's going to be GREAT!

We had a cold front blow in yesterday. . . brrr. I hate cold weather. It makes me want to stay indoors which is a bad thing because there is lots of stuff for us to do outside! Well, the good news is that the house is nice and warm. I don't even need my heated blankets like I did in the RV. I came home from dance last night and Jeff had a fire going in the woodburning stove in the house.

It was nice and toasty. The owner's dogs wanted in so the pooches made themselves at home.

Anyway, last night Michael got "hooved" in the back by the baby horse. Thank God, he's fine but he said he wasn't paying attention to where the baby was at and was letting the other horses out of their stalls when he felt baby Andrew's hooves on his back. He had reared up behind him and got him on the back with his hooves. Of course, the baby horse was just playing because he doesn't realize he's not supposed to do that to people yet. He's only 6 months old and hasn't been worked with. Michael tried to scare him away and he didn't understand so Michael ran into a stall and locked it when he started walking towards him again to play some more! Well, I guess Michael will pay attention to where Andrew is from now on and I'm glad he didn't get hurt! I always pay attention to where Andrew (the baby horse) is because he's one of those guys that doesn't seem to have any fear and even though he's a baby, he's big! He's as cute as he can be and he loves to run and jump and buck and play! I usually put him and his mama in the stall first and let them out last so I don't have to worry about him as he can be a little pushy.

We just got a call from Jeff's parents this morning. They are going to be in San Antonio on Saturday and they wanted to know if they could come from there to our house. So we just called the owner's to make sure its okay with them. They are out of town for the weekend. So that's a nice surprise that Jeff's parent's will be coming to spend the night this weekend and get to see where we are now.

On the crochet front...I have gotten to work on my throw. I only have another diamond panel to finish. I am going to make some more of the cable stitch panels to put in between each one to make it wider. Here's what I have so far....

What's going on in my world

2011-10-26T16:26:00.003-05:00

Well, it seems another week is flying by! Here it is already Wednesday. It's been visitor's week at Alison's ballet class this week so I've been sitting inside classes and watching. Alison has really blossomed in her dancing here. I'm so proud of her and how hard she works at everything she does.

I actually had some time to crochet this week! I'm trying to get myself into a routine around here now which will include some crochet time! I even had time to get back to a little bit of work on my throw again but no pictures of that so far.
Well, my "surprise" project is almost finished but I think it's really dorky looking so I don't know that it is worthy to be a gift. I still have to do some detail cross stitching work on it. It might make it look better but I'm not too happy with it.

Well, last night a little after 9:00 pm, I was about to get ready to go to bed when I went down to see if Jeff had let the horses out. They got fed a little later than usual because they didn't come down to eat. Michael had let them in their stalls. As we were about to let one horse, Magic, out, I notice he had quite a big cut on his leg. As soon as I saw him take a step and then i noticed how swollen his leg was, I knew we couldn't let him out. I ran up to the owner's house to tell her. She came down and looked at him. It's was pretty bad and he was in quite a bit of pain. So she gave him some bute and said she's going to clean it tomorrow and re-evaluate. She was very thankful and happy that we had noticed it and payed that much attention. Of course, I'm used to noticing things like this with our other horse friends at the stables. Horses seem to always be getting into trouble and hurting themselves!

Alison also got to go see her horse, Princess, today. She wanted to come see her anyway but there was a small trail ride so we came over here to the stables and just got done unsaddling the horses from that. I even went on the trail ride today! I rode the mule, Snuffy. I'm hopping on the internet while Alison is grooming and working with Princess. Alison has heartstrings with that horse. What an amazing thing that is! I don't know if there will ever be another horse quite like Princess to Alison...sorta like her first love...only it's a horse -- thank God!

2011-10-23T17:48:00.004-05:00

Well, things are a lot more comfortable around our house now. We spent the whole day running around and around the town of Kerrville looking for furniture. We were coming home with furniture one way or another. Thanks to a loan from our daughter, Alison, we now have a couch, table and a mattress. Unfortunately, I think we are going to be taking the mattress back because its too soft for my back but other than that, things are good.

Alison had her friend over to spend the night on Saturday night. They rode around on the 4-wheeler and then they got to the ride the horses out here for the first time today. Alison and Serenity rode in the arena. Alison had the honor of riding the owner's horse, Belle. That may be the only time that happens...she's a prized possession. After Serenity left, Alison got to go on a little ride to the neighbor's house on Ellie, the big black Tennessee Walker. She's a complete sweetheart.

It was a fun day for all!

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-10-20T20:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm enjoying having a real oven to cook it. I've started making some recipes I used to make but haven't made since we moved into the RV. Today, I even made chicken and dumplings...Alison's favorite! Earlier this week I made Chicken Pot Pie and I'll share that recipe here:

Chicken Pot Pie

Cover bottom of 9x13 casserole dish with cut up cooke chicken.
Layer 1 package of frozen mixed vegetables on top.

Mix in bowl and pour over vegetables:
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 can of chicken broth

In another bowl mix and gently spoon oversoup mixture:
2 cups of self-rising flour
2 cups of milk
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I know I had a request for the Ritz Chicken. I haven't forgotten, I just seem to have temporarily misplaced that recipe! When I come across it, I'll post it.

I love it when the horses wander up to my front yard. This is the horse that I really take a liking to...her name is Ellie Mae. She is such a good natured girl.

2011-10-19T13:05:00.007-05:00

Well, I've never been a nap taker but for the past three days, I have been enjoying an hour long nap in the afternoon. Since I'm getting up so much earlier than I used to, I have so much more time in my days! Of course, not having TV or internet or any furniture to crochet on....I don't really know what to do with myself and I can't believe its so early! Jeff and Michael hauled brush out of a pasture today and cut up part of a big tree that had fallen.

The kids are having fun riding around on the 4-wheeler every day. Alison can't seem to get enough of it. I guess it's the next best thing to a horse for now. I can't wait to get some furniture! We are going to try to get to Kerrville on Friday and see what we can find at the thrift stores. We did get our phone today though which means hopefully we can get internet soon. We still seem to have a lot of stuff sitting around everywhere that I don't know what to do with and some stuff waiting for Jeff to do that he hasn't had a chance to do yet.

The other day Jeff came and got me and told me he wanted to show me something. He took me up a steep road on the 4-wheeler to the top of this mountain. It was a beautiful view from up there.

It's official!

2011-10-18T14:29:00.002-05:00

I just got off the phone with Jeff. He's at the airport in Houston getting ready to head home...

As long as he passes the drug screening and the background check...which he will....they said THE JOB IS HIS! Other good news is that the boss said he expects Jeff to be able to be home every night. He might not always get home early, but he said there's no reason why he can't be home which is great news because we were expecting him to have to be gone most of the weekdays. The bad news is that he won't start for 3 weeks because that's how long it takes them to do the background and drug screening. We may have to borrow some money from Alison's savings to get us through until then. Thank goodness, she's a saver.

Well, things are really looking up! I thank God that he gave me the fortitude to stick it out here and not give up. I'm so thankful that God provided Jeff a job without us having to go back to the city.

Well, to all my crochet readers...I'm sorry for the distractions. I can't see me getting back into crocheting until I have a place to sit in my house. I did work on my little surprise project while Alison was in dance yesterday though.

2011-10-17T09:06:00.004-05:00

We're setting in slowly but it's getting there. Yesterday, we went to town for groceries so we bought a shower curtain and some other stuff we needed to settle in. I took my first shower in the house last night. Sure was nice to take a shower in a real shower with water pressure! Now, the only thing that will really make it seem like home is something to sit on (a couch) and a bed! The mattress works but right now I'm having a hard time finding a place to fold clothes, etc.

Alison has decided she's going to get up early to feed the horses and bring her school work down to the the barn. She can do her school work while the horses are eating and then let them out. I'm down here using the internet. It's nice at the barn....I remembered to bring my camera today! Here's my view from the barn...

Here's Alison working on her school work....

Now, I'm going to go lug my Kirby vaccume cleaner from the RV into the house and start trying to work on getting the place cleaned up real good. I figured the house would be pretty clean because the lady that lived there before was a cleaning lady. Well, apparently she cleans so much for other people that she's too tired of cleaning to keep her own house clean! I had to scrub the shower last night before I took a shower. The shower grime came out relatively easily though. The kitchen was the same way...stuff I thought might be stains came right out around the sink when I cleaned the kitchen. I had to clean the refrigerator inside and out...lots of dirty on the outside and food particles on the inside. That's fine though...I would have needed to clean it anyway!

2011-10-15T19:16:00.002-05:00

Last night was the first night we slept in the house. The owner's had an extra mattress in the loft in their guest house so I had Jeff and Michael go get it yesterday. The owner was out of town for the night so their dogs slept at our house last night. I threw a blanket on the floor and the two big dogs slept by our bed and the two little ones plus our two dogs slept with the kids. I'm still really tired...it always take me a little while to adjust to change so the new house and the new schedule, etc. My eyes are red and I can't seem to clear them up even with eye drops. It'll all get better in a couple of weeks. Still a little chaos around the house but it's coming along. Jeff and Alison worked late at the stable today. I went to the park to check on the new lady in the visitor's center. They asked me to check on her since she had never done it by herself before.

No crocheting for me...you'll know when I'm starting to relax because that's when I'll start crocheting again.

I'm sitting at the barn....it's a very nice "barn"...I figured I'd get in a little internet time while I'm waiting for the horses to finish eating and I can let them out of their stalls.

Whew....

2011-10-14T12:46:00.005-05:00

We've been non-stop busy since Wednesday. We got the RV moved on Wednesday but we are still moving into the house. We didn't have anything to move into the house but we moved all my kitchen stuff in the kitchen. We just kept ferrying baskets back and forth. Jeff and Michael went to the storage unit yesterday and got a load of furniture. We got our TV, some book shelves, my mother's piano and the dressers for our bedroom. We haven't spent the night in the house yet because we don't have a bed. We plan on trying to find some inexpensive stuff at a thrift store or something after Jeff gets his job...we need a small table, a couch and a mattress. Otherwise, it the great out here so far! For me, just cooking in the kitchen is great! I just can't wait to we are finally settled and organized. It's beautiful here. We've been feeding the animals since we got here and it's no big deal so far. We only feed and clean after 4 horses and let the chickens out in the morning. Then in the evenings, we feed the horses again, fee cows, 3 llamas and put the chickens up. None of it really takes very long. Yesterday was my first morning and I wasn't sure what time to get up. I got up around 7 am to make coffee...the rooster was letting me know it was time to come out and the horses were all standing up there looking down at our house! Then, they start nickering and the other horses started coming...they stopped by my house on their way. I had to run back in the RV because I forgot the coffee inside and I left the gate open. I came right back out and there were 3 llamas in the my yard! LOL!

Anyway, I am really tired. I've been too tired and busy to even think about bringing my computer down to the barn to get on the internet. Today, I decided to come down here and connect to the world a little bit. We don't have any cell phone out here either. We will be getting a phone in the house in a few days though.

Here's the little house we're living in:

Another funny thing...the owners have 4 dogs. The dogs love us and follow us around. It's like we have 6 dogs now! They really are fun though. The kids are loving all the dogs following them around everywhere!

I took this picture of Jeff with "Ellie" from our front porch....that horse is as sweet as she is beautiful. She's a Tennessee Walker.

Wow, it's an absolutely gorgeous day today. I should have brought my camera and taken a picture of the view from where I am sitting. I feel like taking a nap though. I'll write more later when I have more time!

Moving Day

2011-10-12T08:54:00.004-05:00

Well, it seems like I can only get the internet to work here in the park in the mornings. I'll hurry and get this post in while I'm drinking my coffee before it knocks me off and disappears. Today we are supposed to be moving the RV to our new home! I don't know if I'll be able to get internet anywhere there at first. We plan on getting our own installed but that might take a little while. I might be able to get online at their barn but I won't know until I get there. Otherwise, in the meantime I'll probably start bringing my computer to Alison's dance with me and go to the library to get online.

Well, Jeff drove to Laredo yesterday for his job interview and the hiring manager ended up not "making it" to Laredo so Jeff didn't have his interview!! He sent Jeff to the job site and he talked to some of the other service techs. Sound like he's going to be traveling a bit during the week but the pays decent and he'll have a service vehicle. So...now he still is going to have to fly to Houston for an interview! Sounds like the job is pretty much a sure thing but it sure would be nice to get this all settled!

I hope this whole situation works out at the ranch, I had two people yesterday tell me in town how hard these people are to work for....but they have been overly nice to us and soooo happy we're coming and haven't seemed that way at all so I'm keeping an open mind and giving them the benefit of the doubt. I'm hoping that they just have run across the right people for the job so far. So far, I haven't heard anything unreasonable that they are expecting for us to do. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out what people are talking about but I guess we won't know until we get there. The perk of living in the house means more to us than it does to a lot of people and after what we did this summer, working 10-12 hour days at the stables, 7 days a week and then coming home every night and putting in several more hours in the park wasn't easy. Seems like there was no rest. As much as we love the park, it's why we would have rather not had to park host during the summer while we were working at the stables. Working at the stables is a joy but by the end of the summer, everyone was pretty worn out trying to keep up with both jobs. Most people that park host are retired and don't have a full time job in addition. This seems like a piece of cake compared to that...so we'll just have to try it. We can always come back to the park if it doesn't work out. I'll miss everyone around here in a way! The park employees, rangers, and police and fellow park hosts are all such great people we've enjoyed our time with. Exciting and a little sad at the same time. One thing I've learned through all this is that there is good in everything no matter how hard it seems at the time. I heard the country song yesterday that had the lyrics..."You're gonna miss this...you're gonna want this back...You're gonna miss this...wish it hadn't gone by so fast." Through the past years of hardship, we have been amazingly blessed with experiences we would have never had otherwise so I'm thankful for all of it.

2011-10-11T09:38:00.008-05:00

Well, I have the internet at the moment so I'll take advantage of it and get in a quick post here. I heard Jeff drive away bright and early this morning for his interview. I'm praying for a safe trip for him to Laredo!

I found this Site online that makes afghans for kids with cancer from donated squares.
Share A Square FAQ
I think I'll work on making some squares for this project ~ I love making squares. If you have never sat down with a pattern book of squares and a basket of multi-colored yarn scraps, then you are missing out! Grab a book like "101 Crochet Squares" by Jean Leinhauser and start crocheting using whatever color combinations suit your fancy!

There are lots of links for free patterns online too. I have links to sites on my sidebar. Don't be afraid to try the more difficult looking squares, they end up not being as hard as they look and you learn a lot too. I made a King Sized Crochet afghan this way back in 2006. It took me 1 year to make it but it was one of the most enjoyable projects I've ever done and one that I am most proud of...

I already own the book 101 Crochet Squares but what's more interesting is that when I went to search for the cover image online to show you, I found that apparently the book is out of print now. If you do a Google search for "101 Squares" you will come up with a myriad of links to download this book for free. I'm not sure why that is...I didn't try to download it since I already have it but maybe it is in the public domain now that it is out of print. It's a great book and one I would consider a must have. My copy is so worn out.

2011-10-10T11:53:00.005-05:00

I couldn't get the internet to work all day yesterday. I tried this morning and still no internet....I just came outside to check it again and I seem to have it for the time being. (I have to come outside to pick up the wireless signal) Once we move, I might be without internet for a little while so if you don't hear from me, you'll know why. We plan on getting internet but it might take us little while to get it installed.

We are so excited! Tomorrow is my husband's job interview! Plans have changed though...instead of him flying to Houston, he's meeting him in Laredo, Texas. He talked to the hiring manager today and the guy has to be in Laredo on that day. They are excited about my husband and said they basically plan on starting the application hiring process as soon as he meets him.

We had a really great day at the stables on Saturday. It was cloudy but we didn't get rained out and the riders came steady all day. I wasn't working in the visitor's center so I went up and helped them. Saturday night we got a great rain storm that came through. It rained all night long. We got about 2 1/2 inches. Everyone, including the plants and animals are thanking God around here right now! There was a large ride scheduled for Sunday, so Jeff and Alison went up to the stable in the morning to see what the status was but we were rained out...it was just too muddy to ride so they came home.

There were lots of tents in the dumpsters in the park on Sunday. It's always that way after a rain...people don't want to pack up their wet tents so they just throw them away. We got a very large walk in tent that we assembled and cleaned it all up. Man, wish we would have had that earlier! We're letting it dry out and then put it away since we're moving this week.

Jeff and Michael hiked up the moutain on Sunday. They called me when they got to the top for me to come and take a picture. They were so tiny I could barely see them. You can't really see them in this picture unless you know where you are looking...

So I zoomed in to try to get them...

One Sunday, we also went out to see the house we're going to be living in . Jeff also needed to look at the breaker box because he is going to need to add a 30 amp breaker to the breaker box for our RV. I meant to bring my camera and take some pictures but I forgot it! The house is very cute...it definately works. It's small but big to us compared to the RV. Can't wait to cook in a real oven! This ranch is truly amazing...I came away a little amazed. We got a tour of the barn...if you can call it that! Wow...that is quite a barn. That's all I can say. It's more than a barn and looks like something you would see in a magazine. Everything is neat as a pen and organized. I love organized...organized and I get along very well. It will make doing our daily chores very easy. Everything we could possibly need is there. The feed is neatly organized and labeled in custom built-in bins. The tack room is cleaner than most houses I've been in. There's a meat room with walk-in cooler for cleaning game. We met 4 of the horses but I don't think we met them all. The llamas seem to be quite friendly and they have some really great dogs. Oh, and the chickens...I went to see the chickens and these are no ordinary chickens. One of them had a flat face! Some were really, really fluffy...some had big poofs on their heads. I've never seen chickens like these before. Well, I guess we're going to learn something about chickens! We also drove out to their neighbor's house while we were out there. Jeff has been working for her which is how we ended up getting this job. He finished out the inside of her tack room and he wanted to show it to me. It's an older lady who lives out there with her mother. We ended talking to them for a long time. They are both real nice ladies. Everyone is so nice and keeps telling us how happy they are that we are coming out there. It's hard not to be excited but I am tempering my excitement. It seems to good to be true. Well, another adventure for our family is about to begin....I hope it works out as well as it seems!

2011-10-07T17:59:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I did have to go somewhere today. I have to admit I am such a home-body...I just love to "not go anywhere" at least one day a week. You know, walk around looking all sloppy and comfortable. My peaceful day of productivity...cleaning, washing clothes, cooking, and a little crocheting in between was interrupted when Alison announced late this afternoon that she "needed to go see her horse". Okay, so we went to see Princess and had to drive way out to go get her because the horses were not down by the house. The owner's grandson drove us in his truck and we dallied Princess to the bumper and she trotted back with us. Alison did her usual routine...working with her walking and trotting for the show and grooming. Now, we are back home and Michael is working at the front gate in the park and Jeff & Alison are watering the trees. I have Ritz Chicken in the oven.

Between yesterday at dance and today, I did finish another cable panel on my afghan and have started on the next diamond panel. Wow...I'm actually going to finish this afghan BEFORE winter I think!

Getting a picture was next to impossible....the wind has been blowing like COMPLETE MADNESS TODAY! Everything, I mean everything is blowing away outside...stuff I didn't even know WOULD blow away is blowing away. Logs from our woodpile, dishes, chairs, shoes...nothing seems to be safe!

We have been fighting off the skunks like crazy every night...the little critters really just want to sniff around your campsite for food (even if you're in it)...so last night, we finally just decided to stop jumping up and running away and trying to scare them away. I mean all they want is some food.

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Crochet Quote:

The simple meditative act of knitting (crocheting) may not bring about world peace, but it certainly has made my world more peaceful.”

- - - - Ann budd, book Editor, Interweave Press, Author of numerous knitting books.

Playing Catch Up

2011-10-07T09:12:00.003-05:00

Well, today I don't have to go anywhere today! I spent some time this morning adding some new blogs to my blog list and I took off one blog that hadn't been updated in a year. It takes me awhile to get my blog list updated with new blogs because when I see a blog I like, I click my handy "blog this" button and save it as a draft. Later, when I think about it, I go through the drafts and save them to my blog list. If any of my readers have a blog, please send me your link and I'll add you to my blog list!

I found this picture saved in my drafts... apparently I intended to share this awhile back and never did. This was something Michael carved with a utility knife...

Another interested link I found saved in my drafts...
Make Your Own Yarn Winder for Center Pull Balls
Personally, I don't know why you wouldn't just buy a yarn winder but it's still cool if you could make one! I have a yarn winder and it is well worth the money! I love it!

Afghan - Puff Stitch Panel Complete

2011-10-04T20:59:00.007-05:00

Well, I finished the Puff Stitch Panel of the afghan.

I think this is really going to qualify as more of a throw instead of an afghan. It's not that big but I am using a smaller hook than the pattern said...mainly because I don't have that big of a hook. It'll be just fine though.

I don't know if the diamond panel of the afghan is really a cable stitch at all.

You actually make the cable stitches with chain stitches on top of the blanket. Maybe that's what makes it a "Quick & Easy" blanket.

Those are the basic three panels for the afghan, or throw.

Now, I just have to do some more panels. Alison was asked to go be a demonstrator for the 3rd grade ballet class today so I'll have time to work on more while I'm waiting for her today.

Afghan...

2011-10-04T13:03:00.004-05:00

This afghan is coming along very quickly. I finished the first diamond panel today. The diamond panel was slightly more difficult to understand than the cable pattern, but only a little bit. I was able to get it done with relatively little un-doing. This afghan really is Quick and Easy like the book says. I guess you can get the look of a more difficult fisherman crochet afghan without it actually being difficult. Also, the other pattern was done in single crochets....this one is done in double crochets which makes it come along much faster.