kraft krazy

Dr Seuss baby blanket

2012-02-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine had a baby girl last week.

This is the baby blanket I made for little Cadence.

She is decorating the baby's room with the Dr Seuss characters.

I had to order the fabric through Amazon because none of the fabric stores in my area had anything with Dr. Seuss on it.

I crocheted the border in a variegated yarn with all the colors that are on the fabric. I just got lucky on that one.

I got the pattern from a booklet by Terry Kimbrough.

For the back I used a bright yellow flannel fabric that I got a JoAnn's Fabric Store. I sewed the two pieces together and then started on the border. It took me a week to get the first row done because I was having to make a hole with an upholstery needle then stick my crochet needle through to pull the yarn out and crochet one stitch then make another hole over and over and over again. Each side of the blanket has over 200 stitches. It would have been easier if it had only been one thickness but I didn't like the plain back on the printed fabric which is also flannel.
It should keep the baby warm and is big enough she can use it until she is at least a toddler.

Brown and Ivory afghan

2012-01-21T22:10:00.000-06:00

My boss bought this afghan for her daughter through our yearly United Way drive. We have an auction to raise money. I donated my time and my boss donated the yarn and the cash.

It is made with double thread so it is really heavy and very warm. Just what you need on cold Texas night. It works up pretty fast, it took me about 3 weeks to make. I didn't work on it every day so it could have been finished in about a week.

the diet

2012-01-20T08:18:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it's been a little over a week since my last post about dieting. I lost a pound! Yeah! It has not been easy but at least I am going down the right path.

I have added some extra steps to my daily routine. They say to walk 10000 steps a day, I don't know who "they" are but I would rather sit on my butt watching TV than walk on my treadmill watching TV. Anyway I walked on the dreadful thing twice this week. Another thing I am doing to add steps is at least 5 times a day I walk around the loop at my work. I work in a laboratory and we have a set of labs that have hallways all the way around them, that's my loop. 250 steps per loop.

10000 steps a day is like 5 miles. Yuck no way I get 5 miles in a day.

Enough whining! Time to make a loop.

Next post will be about crafting I promise!

Dieting

2012-01-11T14:52:00.000-06:00

I know this isn't a diet blog but I have not posted anything in months and today I thought I would start putting down in words what I think about dieting.
In a word it "sucks". But I have to start thinking of it as not ugh a diet but as a new way of thinking about food.
Wish me luck on that comment.
I started watching what I was putting into my pie hole the week after Christmas and it was not pretty. Chocolate, cookies, chocolate, cake, chocolate... the list goes on. So I got rid of the cookies, tossed out the cake and cut the chocolate back to two small bite size pieces a day (baby steps). Actually I will never stop eating chocolate, moderation is the key, so they tell me.
I am not going to do any of the traditional or non traditional diets like Weight Watchers or Quick Weight Loss both of which I have tried and been successful at. I just didn't keep it off.
I started writing down everything I eat and am drinking at least 32oz of water.
I have lost a pound and a half in 3 days. My goal is to lose 15 to 20 pounds.
More later on the ups and downs of trying to lose weight after the age of fifty.

Lap Afghan

2011-09-10T16:30:00.001-05:00

This is my latest lap afghan I made to give to the seniors in my area.

I can't remember where I saw one made similar to this one, there wasn't a pattern I think I just saw a picture and thought it looked cool.

I need to find a better way to photograph my afghans. They look so blah just laying on my bed.

So Ann, if you have any good ideas I would love to hear them.

Closet redo

2011-09-04T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted anything just because I'm lazy about posting, not because I've been sitting around doing nothing.( My inner child is going ya huh!)

This long Labor Day weekend was anything but labor free. I know you're supposed to take time off to relax and recharge, but we don't seem to follow any of the hard fast rules of life so why start now?

Any who this is what we did.

This is after we removed everything and knocked down the wall. Forgot to take a before pic. Duh!

When we remodeled the laundry room we decided this little area would be better if accessed from the closet. (meaning it was easier than trying to make what we had look good.)

Removed 2x4's on floor and walls then put up sheetrock on back wall where 2x4's used to be and now it looks like it was done this way on purpose. HA!

Then we painted everything and put the floor down.

Put old shelves back in, not freshly painted, because I didn't want to wait a week before setting anything on them. Besides you won't be able to see them when I am done anyway.

Are you ready for this?

This is what was in that 5' x 5' closet minus the bed.

Yes there is a bed in there and a coffee table and a chair and a night stand.

See! There is the bed.

So here it is all filled up.

Ta Da!

And that's how you relax at the Miskell residence!

Have a wonderful labor day, no matter how you spend it.

Laundry remodel

2011-04-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

We finished remodeling the laundry room this last week.

It was ugly.

Now it is not.

I have been living with this for about 6 years. The floor had that peel and stick tile and while it is great for some purposes, it doesn't always do well on older pier and beam homes. Many cracked, many did not stick and very many stuck too well.

My DH is going to build me a screen to hide the water heater.

This has been the pantry since I was a little girl. Then after we remodeled the kitchen it became the storage area for small appliances and extra stuff. And the place where my dogs spend the night.

We closed in that area and bought a new cabinet to put my small appliances in the top and all the dog stuff in the bottom.
We are going to reclaim that space in the closet on the other side of that wall.

This is what I am most proud of, my beautiful floor. It looks just like the kitchen and dining room, and someday the living room.( I can't wait!).

Kitchen accessories

2011-04-09T20:25:00.000-05:00

My cousin Tammie got married today and of course I waited to the last minute to get her something so I made these kitchen accessories.

I have several of these cup towels you hang on the stove handle and I love them.

I saw some Texas shaped potholders at a gift store the other day and thought I can do that and so I made these

About a year ago I had seen an apron made from blue jeans and have been wanting to make one so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. The picture is not that good, but you get the idea.

Then I found this cute country basket at Hobby Lobby and cute bandana print tissue paper and lined the basket with it.

.
I got the idea for the pom pom tissue flowers from http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/ .
She has a good tutorial for making them if you want to pop over to her blog.
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/tissue-paper-pom-poms

Red Beaded Necklace

2011-03-29T13:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Sandra!

I made this for my dear friend Sandra, she loves all things big and sparkly. I got everything from Michaels, the large red beads are stones by Bead Gallery Natural Beads. The medium size are a resin bead and the small ones are Crystazzi beads. I am still learning to tie knots so I hope it stays together.
I now have a new appreciation for jewelry makers. From designing it, to pulling it all together, takes a lot more thought than I anticipated.

Blue Striped Baby Blanket

2011-02-22T17:41:00.000-06:00

I made this baby blanket with some left over yarn. I will probably give it to charity. I just love to crochet.

The colored stripes are slip stitched on as you go and the blue is crocheted behind it.

Hearts Baby Blanket

2011-02-06T12:14:00.000-06:00

I've been working on this baby blanket for the last three weeks and I think it turned out really pretty.

The original blanket called for every other panel to be pink with white stripes. But the yarn picked for the pink was to bulky, and it would have made it difficult to see the heart shapes, so we decided to just have the stripes pink.

The little heart details just makes this blanket so sweet.

I love the border, it looks like rope.

It is just a simple reverse single stitch, really easy to do but time consuming compared to a regular single stitch.

I got the pattern online from e-patternscentral.com it was designed by Delores Spagnuolo.

Ying and Yang Kitties

2010-12-23T15:02:00.000-06:00

Ying and Yang Kitties

My kitties could not be more opposite. (Unless one was female.)

The dark one, Rocket loves to be outside, killing squirrels, birds and lizards.

The orange one, Frisky loves to be inside curled up at your feet, purring his heart out and would run and hide if a lizard jumped out at him.

Rocket is very vocal and Frisky rarely has anything to say.

Rocket loves my husband and Frisky loves everybody.

Rocket thinks you have to put fresh food in his bowl every time he walks in the door and Frisky will eat whatever is in the bowl.

Rocket is the mighty hunter but will run like a scared cat (ha ha) if you wad up a plastic bag any where in his vicinity.
Frisky will not hunt anything, he's a lover not a fighter, and plastic mashtic.

So there's my kitty babies in a nut shell.

Merry Christmas Stockings

2010-12-23T14:42:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I made these stockings this week for my Mom and StepDad.

This one is for my Mom. I made them out of materials that I had on hand and they only took a couple of hours each. That is after I figured out how to make them. The pattern is copied from a stocking we use every year.

This one is for my StepDad. He's a real joker so.... Actually he's a really sweet man and I love him dearly.
I just used the same pattern and added a curly toe.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Deer

2010-10-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

I went to let my little girl dog Bonnet out to do her business

and this little lady was having her dinner.

She stayed out there for quite a while, always cautious but enjoying her feast. As she was leaving I saw her buddy in the trees. I think they pretty much always travel in groups. At least around here.

Kitchen Remodel before and after

2010-10-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

My friend wanted a before and after from the same position.
Before

After from the same position

Big difference!

Dining Room Remodel

2010-10-11T14:45:00.001-05:00

We finished the dining room remodel! At least the part that is part of the kitchen. If you look closely in this picture you can see that the little nook with the china cabinet in it is not finished. That is next on the long list of projects.

We had to remove all the wallpaper and wainscoting then float out all the various imperfections, which took forever.

But we finally got it done. It's not perfect but neither are we.

We widened both the doorways and had to patch the floors in those areas. Probably the easiest of everything.
We installed the new light which matches the lights in the kitchen.

At the moment it is my favorite room

in the house. But then that changes weekly.

It was a lot of work but well worth it.

Dining Room Remodel

2010-09-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

We started remodeling the dining room a couple of weeks ago.

This is what it looked like when we moved in.
Then we remodeled the kitchen and took down those half walls.

We finally got all that ugly wallpaper off the walls! Yea!

We made the door openings bigger.

We have put joint compound on the walls to make them flat and even, next is to sand and float them out.

Here is my camera shy sweetie.

Burgandy afghan

2010-09-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this afghan off and on (mostly off) for a couple of weeks now. I just have not been that into it for some reason.

It's about 2/3rds done.
I think it's turning out pretty good. It is a real simple stitch and design.
Now I'm off to work on it, maybe I can finish it up in another week.

Nothing inparticular

2010-09-09T09:07:00.000-05:00

Okay if absence makes the heart grow fonder you guys must be head over heels fond of this blog. I have been kinda blah about my blog lately. Then this morning I read Pioneer Woman's "Ten Important Things I've Learned About Blogging" and she inspired me to, if nothing else say Hi.

So HI!

I love her blog if you have not taken a look over there you need to right now. She is funny, inspiring, talented and helpful.
She's more than that but words are not my thing.

Crocheting is my thing. I am working on a new lap afghan and will post pictures maybe tonight or tomorrow.

Remodeling is also my thing at the moment and we have started on the dining room. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The new kitchen just didn't look right with that ugly blue flowered ribbon intwined wallpaper. That word doesn't look right. "Intwined" spell check is having a hissy fit.
Anyway the wallpaper is gone. In its place is splotchy sheetrock. I don't care because I know that soon it will be smooth and painted a beautiful orangy gold color. That is not the color swatch name but I am at work and can't remember the name.

I think this is the most I've written ever.
So take care everyone.

Needlework Giveaway!

2010-08-11T15:38:00.001-05:00

Lindamade is having a giveaway, really cool stuff for crochet and knitting projects. So git on over there and put your name in the pot.

http://www.lindamade.com/wordpress/2010/08/giveaway-time/

Good Luck to you and to me!

Button Pin

2010-08-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

My Mom's best friend Bonnie made her a pin like this one. I thought it was so cute I had to have one too.

It's really simple to make. I found using a material that doesn't have a lot of give to it works best. You just make a heart or whatever shape you choose, stuff it until you can't stuff it anymore then stuff it some more. It needs to be very tightly stuffed. Did I say that already?
Sew up the opening, then sew the beads all along the edge.
First I picked out some plain buttons and then picked out some fancy buttons. I started with the plain buttons first because the fancy ones are the ones you want to show. Of course you knew that already.
I just winged it on the placement of the buttons, but you can plan it all out if that's your thing. After I got all the buttons on then I filled any open spots with beads.

You need to sew the buttons on going all the way through the heart, pull the thread as tight as you can, that makes the back flat so that it will lay flat on your jacket. Then sew the pin on and your done.

If you make this Button Pin I would love to see it.
Have fun, see ya next time.

Patchwork afghan

2010-07-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

Just finished this patchwork afghan. My Crochet magazine has instructions on different stitches to try and I used 7 of them and 2 of my own to create this afghan.

Red and White Afghan

2010-07-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

I made this red and white afghan a couple of weeks ago.

Where have you been?

2010-07-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

It has been forever since I posted! I bet you thought I got lost.

Well I kinda did, first I went here...

With these guys.

Everyone may I have your attention please?
I would like you to meet my future daughter-in-law Regina.
Regina... Everybody.

This is her first time in the ocean. She took to it like a duck to water.

Then my husband and I went here.

This is outside the Egyptian Museum in San Jose California. Very cool place.
My husband was there on business but I got to play. I've been to San Francisco several times so I stayed south of the bay. I went to the Winchester House if you ever get the chance to go tour this place, it is awesome.
You can read more about it here.
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

That's all for now.
I will try not to be away so long next time.

Baby deer

2010-05-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

I went to let my dog out and notice something odd in the yard. At first I thought it was a broken tree limb with brown leaves on it, then I thought maybe its a bird. Then I took a closer look.

I crept slowly towards it. And this is what I found.

Isn't he beautiful? My husband touched it to see if maybe it was hurt and he jumped up and took off toward the woods. He got hung up in the fence but Edwin freed him. I hope that he finds his momma.

Kitchen Remodel

2010-05-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

I have not been posting about the kitchen remodel because most of what was left was the small things.
So to refresh your memory this is what my kitchen looked like before the remodel.

From the dining room.

From the laundry room.

The island.

Now for the afters.

From the dining room.

From the laundry room.

The island.

Viola!

Crocheted vest

2010-05-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

I found the pattern for this vest in my "Crochet" magazine May 2010 issue.
I wasn't sure it would turn out very well but I think I did okay.

Mother's Day

2010-05-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day is almost upon us. I usually give her flowers of some kind or other. So this year I made her a wrist corsage. I got the idea from Ruffles and Stuff. You can find the tutorial here
http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/04/rose-cuff-bracelet.html

Kitchen remodel day off

2010-04-10T13:29:00.000-05:00

We are taking the day off from remodeling today.
The refrigerator was delivered today! Yea! I love it, it has water in the door. I have never had a fridge this fancy before. Until now I never wanted one. Too many things to break on fancy stuff. But with a husband as handy as mine I am not going to worry about it.
I have been wanting one of these french door fridges for a while, then my mom got one and I was green with envy.
And now TA DA!

Palm Tree Afghan

2010-04-03T17:07:00.000-05:00

I know you thought I hadn't done anything crafty in a long time, but this actually took me a long time to make.

I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it online. Amazingly enough it really looks like the pattern picture! See for yourself @ freepatterns.com, you have to register but it's free.
My next crochet piece is a cute little vest. You may or may not see it, depends on how it looks. I'm not very good at crocheting clothes.
Wish me luck!

Kitchen remodel days 18 & 19

2010-04-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

This light was actually installed the day the granite was installed but I forgot to post it.

The island light we installed on Day 18. This is not a very good picture. I will try to get a better one later.

Day 19

Today Edwin installed the rest of the flooring, I had started it last week. I couldn't help much but to tell him he was cutting it wrong. That's my job these days, I hurt my shoulder so I have to take it easy for a while. Tough for me to do, I like to be in the thick of it.

It is so nice to walk on my finished floor instead of cement board.
This tile is really easy to put down, we got it at Home Depot. It's 36" x 5" wide planks. Really looks like wood.

Kitchen remodel days 16 & 17

2010-03-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

Day 16

After two trips to Home Depot, Edwin installed the kitchen faucet. It took almost all day, plumbing is not fun or easy, but look at the results. We've got water in the kitchen again! YEA!

After 2 days of cleaning and working I still don't have all the granite dust cleaned up.

Day 17

We put the doors on the island. The glass looks kinda funny because it has bubbles in it.

When we were finished with that, Edwin put mortar on the floor to make the transition from the dining room to the kitchen smoother.

After all that Edwin decided to fix the light above the island. It was not centered, he had to move it over 3 inches.

Next weekend the island light goes up.

Kitchen countertops

2010-03-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

My kitchen countertops were delivered and installed today. I am still very excited about them. I know, I know Connie get a life!

The island piece was the first to be installed. It took three men to carry it in and lay it on top.

Then they brought in the wall counter and put it in place.

They cut out for the stove and then the for the sink. Then drilled the holes for the faucet.

The wall counter had to be in two pieces, with the joint in the middle of the sink.

I love the look of movement in the granite. If you click on the picture you can see the silver flecks in it. Very cool looking. Edwin says it looks like a riverbed.
It took these guys 6 and 1/2 hours to install everything. Now I have a lot of cleaning to do because there is granite dust everywhere. They had to cut it in place because they were afraid it would break if they cut it outside and tried to bring it in. They put up plastic but the dust is so fine it still gets out.

Remodel days 14 & 15

2010-03-23T20:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday we put the island together and wired the stove and put plugs on either side of the island. It took us all day to get it straight and level.

When we got this part together we were short 1/4 of an inch on each end. Being the resourceful DIYer's we are, we glued some scribe pieces on the ends and TA DA!

Sunday we cut the plywood and secured it to the island and wall counters. Looks a lot more like a kitchen now.

This Edwin installing the pantry. This went surprisingly well and quick.

I love it.

Remodel Days 10 thru 13

2010-03-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

I thought I would fill ya'll in on what's going on with the remodel. Days 10 & 11 we finally got the ceiling and walls floated out and painted. I wanted to paint the walls an orange color that is on a clock I bought a few months ago. The color is called Maple Leaf by Behr. A really bold choice for me. I tend to lean toward lighter more subdued colors. I bought the paint and went for it. I agonized for a week whether I liked it or not, then my dear husband said lets put one of the cabinets next to it and see if we like it. Lo and behold it looks great! The cabinets seem to bring out more of the browns in the paint color. Amazing!

Looks like Home Depot orange doesn't it?

This last weekend we started put up the cabinets.
It took us four hours just to get these in place. I won't bore you with the details.

After getting this monster together and standing we put the wall cabinets on the wall.

Beautiful aren't they?
Keep in mind the ceiling and the floor and the walls are not level or plumb. Leveling these cabinets was very hard and time consuming.

The island is not screwed together, but we had to see what it will look like. The new fridge will be here next month.
More next weekend.

Kitchen Remodel Cabinets

2010-03-01T19:42:00.000-06:00

The new cabinets are here, the new cabinets are here, I'm somebody!

46 boxes of kitchen cabinets and assorted pieces.

TA DA!

I love them.

Kitchen Remodel Days 8&9

2010-02-28T21:02:00.001-06:00

Friday afternoon my husband finished putting the mud on the ceiling and Saturday we took out the island and he spent the rest of the day sanding the ceiling to get it smooth. He was covered from head to toe in sheetrock dust.

On Sunday he let me sleep in while he finished floating out the ceiling. It's a one person job and I was needing the extra sleep. Then after lunch we put down the Hardy backer board. This took us about 5 hours to do. You have to mix up mortar and spread it on then lay the backer board down then secure it with screws.

Tomorrow my cabinets are to be delivered! I can't wait!

Soon this will be filled with cabinets. Yea!

Kitchen remodel days 6&7

2010-02-22T06:05:00.000-06:00

Day 6 we put the first layer of mud over the tape and screws and in the corners. It doesn't look like a lot of work but the arms and shoulders really start to ache doing this part. As you can see from the pictures it takes a while for the mud to dry. We put plastic up on the doorway to keep the dust out of the rest of the house.

Day 7 One wall still had the original sheetrock and texture on it and since we would never be able to make it match and we didn't like the way it was textured anyway we sanded it and put more mud on it to make it flat. I tried to take a picture but it is not cooperating with me. You can't really tell what I am talking about. Maybe after it's painted. We are doing the same thing to the ceiling.

We removed the rest of the peel and stick tiles, some of them came up easy and some of them put up a fight.

Then my husband screwed the sub floor down to the floor joints because after 40 years some of the nails have started backing out and some have rusted. This makes the floor feel more solid when you walk on it.

Remodel Day 5

2010-02-14T19:20:00.000-06:00

It's Valentine's Day and my Sweetheart and I went to IHOP for breakfast. It was very nice, you always need a good hearty breakfast when you have as much work ahead of you as we do.
Then we came back home and got after the kitchen again. We finished up all the sheetrocking. Yea!
Spell checker says sheetrocking is not a word, spell checker must not be a DIYer.

I know it doesn't look like much work but it takes awhile when you have to do all the cutting and piecing together. Then we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned sheetrock dust from every corner of the kitchen and dining room. I still have to dust the rest of the house but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Remodel

2010-02-13T18:45:00.000-06:00

Fourth day of remodeling.
Sheetrock is up! Not all of it but most of it!

This is the side wall and part of the back wall.

The rest of the back wall. If you click on the picture you can see where I drew the pipes for the water lines and the drain. I did that so we would not try to put any screws in them. We still have one small piece to put up behind that ladder.

Kitchen remodel day 2 & 3

2010-02-12T19:54:00.000-06:00

Second day of remodeling.
Cabinets on the wall...

Third day of remodeling. No cabinets anywhere!

When we took the sink out and removed the cabinets we found trouble. Rot!

The drain pipe had a split in it, we think it may have happened when we had the house leveled last year. Some of the floor had to be replaced and a bit of the bottom plate for the wall.

Thank goodness my sweetie is good at patching things.

Kitchen remodel

2010-02-09T22:25:00.000-06:00

We started on our kitchen remodel on Sunday. We got quite a bit done tho it doesn't really look like it. Both half walls came down and we rebuilt the beam that spans the opening to the dining room. We also took down our pantry but I didn't get a picture of that. We are trying to take everything apart without being too destructive. You never know when you will need that 6" long 2x4.
I don't know when or where we will use some of the wood that is coming out of this remodel but the beam we built is from recovered wood from the porch we took down 5 years ago.

Before

After

Later this week we will start taking down cabinets and sheetrock and whatever tickles our fancy. Then we will be eating a lot of microwave dinners! I am really dreading not being able to create feasts for my honey. I will just have to get creative with the microwave and toaster oven.

Meatball Pizza

2010-02-09T22:04:00.001-06:00

My husband said I should blog about this recipe I whipped up tonight. He even took the pictures for me.
It's super quick and super easy.

I used one package of Pillsbury Crescent rolls. A little bit of pizza sauce, meatballs, black olives and mozzarella cheese.
Each little pizza uses 4 crescent rolls just pinch the perforations closed and roll up the edges a little to hold everything on the pizza. I like a lot of sauce and cheese but my hubby doesn't, he wanted more meatballs and olives.
Bake at 375 for about 13 minutes.

Kitchen remodel

2010-02-02T21:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend we ordered the cabinets for my new kitchen. We have a lot of work ahead of us. I have been dreaming about this for five years and can hardly believe it is actually going to happen! We ordered beautiful new hickory cabinets. I have so many decisions to make. What kind of sink, lighting, faucet, paint...
This is possibly the biggest, most expensive remodel we have ever done. But it will be worth it.
This is what I have.

excuse the mess

It's not much, but its mine!

I will be posting pictures along our remodel journey. So keep looking in on us while we work our fingers to the bone. I think I already need a back massage just thinking about all the hard work we have waiting for us.

Bathroom remodel

2010-02-02T20:54:00.000-06:00

We started this remodel of my Daddy's bathroom a year ago. Then he got sick and passed away.
We still have towel racks to hang and some trim work to do but it is quite a transformation.
Before

It was nice 40 years ago.

After

Sorry about the yellow tint.

I wish he could have seen it completed but he did get to see it in the works.

Christmas Apron

2010-01-06T19:51:00.001-06:00

I made 2 of these Christmas aprons for my sister-in-laws. They both took about 30min. I saw something similar on Craftzine. I used a cup towel and wire ribbon, I removed the wire and sewed the ribbon to the towel. They loved it. Heck I love it!

I'm Back!

2009-12-28T11:23:00.000-06:00

I have been neglecting my Blog for way too long! Christmas has been a whirlwind of crafts and family. I hope to have lots of pics in the next few days.
I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas.
Mine was a little sad because my Daddy is no longer here with us, but I believe he is now in a wonderful place where Cancer and Pain can touch him no more.

The New Year is coming and I have new afghan I am going to make.
I am so excited, it has palm trees on it and looks like it will take me awhile to finish.
I also have an idea for another project that I will share later. As usual I will have several things going at once.
Take care and I will post more later!

Christmas gift

2009-10-26T22:39:00.000-05:00

This is the afghan I made for my son for Christmas. I can't remember where I got the pattern, it's too late and I'm sleepy.

If you are interested let me know and I will dig it up. The colors are perfect for his new apartment. I made it longer than the original pattern so he can pull it all the way up to his chin and still have his feet covered.

Our New Employee

2009-10-23T16:31:00.000-05:00

This little guy is our newest addition to the wildlife at work. We knew someone was raiding the birdfeeder at night but now we know who.
On a friday afternoon he's the busiest of us all.

Garbage Purse

2009-10-13T22:46:00.001-05:00

Ok most people call these candy wrapper purses or potato chip bag purses, I call it my garbage purse. I will use just about anything to make these from Huggies diaper wrappers to Miracle Grow potting soil bags. I really like making them, they are so easy and I can do it while I'm watching TV. I have become addicted. I can't throw away a perfectly good piece of garbage anymore! Do you think I need a support group? Maybe I will form one myself.

I could call it GPCA Garbage Purse Collectors Anonymous.

Mommmmy!!!!

2009-10-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

Mommy?

When I saw this little tree frog next to my big tree frog I had to grab my camera. Looks like he's looking to Mommy to protect him.

I love frogs but tree frogs are my favorite.

Teal and yellow lap afghan

2009-09-20T16:34:00.001-05:00

Well back from vacation, its back to work and back to crafting. This is my latest lap afghan. It is made with the same basket weave that I used on the last baby afghan. I really like this pattern, it's fast and easy. I used a size K crochet hook so it is soft and squishy.

scarf

2009-09-14T23:17:00.003-05:00

This is a scarf I made and forgot to post. I made it in August.

Pink baby blanket

2009-09-14T22:34:00.002-05:00

I made this baby blanket before I went on vacation, I just didn't have time to post it with all the packing and excitement of going away.

This was made for a young lady who was having to start her life over with her four month old baby girl. I wish her all the best of luck.

I'm Back!

2009-09-14T22:10:00.004-05:00

This is what I got to look at everyday all day long on my wonderful week off.
The water and beaches here are just beautiful. It was a very relaxing week, we just did whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.

Mostly sitting in a beach chair.
This picture was taken from the balcony of the condo on Labor Day, the rest of the week the beaches were fairly empty.
If you ever get the chance to go to the Emerald Coast... take it!

2009-09-01T07:45:00.002-05:00

This is where I will be in exactly 5 days!!!!!!!
Navarre Beach, Fl
My husband and I are soooo ready to be sitting on the beach, listening to the ocean and reviving our souls. The last 9 months have been very stressful. It is time for us to disconnect from all we've been through and reconnect as a couple. A sick family member can either tear a couple apart or make a them stronger. I think this experience has made me realize that I married the most wonderful, caring man that I have ever met.
So dig out your flip flops Babe, the sand and sea are waiting!

2009-08-14T13:05:00.002-05:00

This is my dear Daddy. He passed away Monday, August 10th 2009. I miss him so very much.

Ray Freed Matthew

Ray was born in a small town called North Zulch, Texas on May 10, 1933. At five months old, he was adopted by a loving couple, Ray and Elmer Matthew and grew up in Houston. He had countless tales of growing up with his mom and dad, and a neighbor who loved him like a son. Growing up, Ray did a lot of handyman work for his neighbor to help him out.

Ray joined the Air Force in the fifties, and spent much of his time behind a typewriter. After leaving the Air Force, he eventually became an electrician working out of the Local 716 in Houston, until he retired. He has told many interesting stories about all the places he worked as an electrician, including the Houston Astrodome and the Pentagon in Washington DC. He really enjoyed electrical work, and this shows up in his house he built himself, because there are plugs and switches everywhere.

He moved to Conroe in 1968, where he built a home for his family. He wasn’t the best carpenter, but this didn’t deter his determination to have his own house in the country, away from the rat-race of the city.

Ray was a very easy-going guy and as laid-back as anyone could ever be. He was so laid back that he was sometimes thought of as a procrastinator. But this procrastination was simply Ray taking the time in his life to enjoy the small, simple things that made him happy. Some of these things were: Going to the corner store every day to get a breakfast burrito and a Conroe Courier; Reading western novels; Watching Channel 11 news, Wheel of Fortune, John Wayne movies and Mash on TV; Watching Astros baseball games. He also worked the daily crossword in the Courier, sometimes calling his daughter at work for assistance and to tease her a little.

It is hard to say what his favorite food was, but he had a special place in his heart for: banana pudding, meatloaf, grilled hot dogs, SOS (we all know what that means), and barbeque. He wasn’t a fussy eater, being laid back in that category too. If he really liked a food, he called it “more-ish” because he was going back for more.

After he retired from the IBEW, he had a woodworking shop built and filled it with a lot of tools, and later a lot of sawdust, as he created many projects. He made wagons, rocking chairs and curio shelves. When he tired of working in his shop he would occasionally take a quick trip to Kinder to hit the slots.

Ray really cared about those close to him and would do anything for them. He adored his daughter Connie and thought the world of his grandson Matthew. During Matthew’s four years of college, Ray paid for all of Matthew’s gas for his car. If you were to ask Ray or Connie to describe how they felt about each other they would simply say they loved each other. Although this was a simple answer, there was something deep and powerful about the way they said it. He didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, so it was sometimes hard to know how he felt about something, but his actions told the story. This is evident in his relationship with his best friend Cecil. Ray and Cecil played dominoes almost every day during his retirement, and they sat and told each other the same old stories, just like old buddies do. He cared so much for Cecil that, when Cecil was called home to be with the Lord, it seems like a part of him went with him. He was never the same after that. He never played dominoes again. Dominoes were a sacred game for Ray and Cecil only.
Ray’s activities in life gradually slowed as the shell that contained his spirit began to wear out. But even when he was in the hospital for tests or recovery, no matter how bad the situation, all the doctors and nurses and aids grew to adore him. He was always quick with a witty comment to bring a smile to the face of someone just doing their daily task. He made their job easier, and they were always impressed with his ability to make them laugh, when it should have been them cheering him up.

When it became apparent that he was nearing his life on this earth, he decided that it would be best to perish at home, with the daughter that he loved more than life itself. He died on August 10, 2009, with his daughter Connie at his side, just the way he wanted it. He never wanted much. Just what was important.

Written by Son-In-Law Edwin Miskell

2009-07-29T08:13:00.003-05:00

When I went outside this morning I was hoping to catch sight of the hummingbirds. I looked out and saw him on the shrimp plants so I grabbed my camera and sat and waited. I think I need to play with the settings to get a better picture. I was just excited to be sitting there when he came to feed.

Copper Shawl

2009-07-29T08:08:00.002-05:00

I made this Copper Shawl in just a few days. It is very easy I just did a half double crochet all the way across and then put a shell border around it.

I used a size N needle because the yarn is chenille and it makes it soft and squishy if you use a large needle.

Multi color afghan

2009-07-27T20:13:00.001-05:00

This is another afghan I made for the seniors.

It is all half double crochet stitches.

Candy wrapper purse

2009-07-27T20:10:00.002-05:00

This is the purse I made for my Mom.

I've become addicted to saving the potato chip bags and candy wrappers and any other plastic bag that would work.

Maybe I will make some for Christmas gifts.

2009-07-18T16:58:00.006-05:00

Just finished this purple afghan for the seniors.

Half are granny squares and half are double crochet squares, with a shell border around the whole blanket. It looks like I used different kinds of thread but they are all the same. I think some of the skeins were tighter wound than the others.

In response to the comment from vettech. Thank you.

Its just the basic granny square. With 6 double stitches in the corners and 3 double stitches in the other spaces.

Chain 5 and join with a slip stitch in first stitch.Row 1: Chain 3(counts as a dbl st) 2 dbl st ch 2 3 dbl st ch 2 3 more times.Row 2: Slip stitch in next 2 dbl st and in next ch 2 sp, ch 3 2 dbl st ch 2 3 dbl st in ch2 sp. ch 2( 3 dbl st ch 2 3 dbl st ch 2 in each ch 2 sp around). Join with a slip stitch.Row 3: Slip stitch in next 2 dbl st and in ch 2 sp. Ch 3 2 dbl st ch 2 3 dbl st in corners space *ch 2 3 dbl st in next ch 2 sp. 3 dbl st ch 2 3 dbl st in corner* Repeat from *to* around.Just keep repeating pattern until you get to the size you want.This is the first time I have written the instructions for someone. I hope it is not too confusing. This pattern can be found just about anywhere.

Hawk

2009-07-18T16:40:00.004-05:00

This is the closest to the house that I've seen the hawks that live in my area. We have about 4 living very near my house. I know one lives in a tree across the street because I see it fly into the same tree almost every afternoon. With the hawks and the cats we very rarely see any snakes. They can stay as long as they like.

shawl

2009-07-16T21:29:00.002-05:00

These are the new shawls I made for the seniors.

Dilly the Armadillo

2009-07-11T17:04:00.005-05:00

We have a new friend.
I call him Dilly. He just kept rooting around looking for bugs and ignored me completely.
Don't you just love those little ears?

Baby afghan

2009-07-11T17:01:00.004-05:00

This is the baby blanket I made for my friend Mary's grandbaby.

Rocky the Raccoon

2009-06-22T21:40:00.004-05:00

Meet our night time visitor.

We've named her Rocky.

We can't fill the bird feeder anymore because she empties it at night.

I tried to get a picture of her in the birdbath but she ran away before I could snap the picture.

Next time....

Mom's Birthday

2009-06-22T21:32:00.003-05:00

For my Mom's birthday I made her three bracelets. I've just started making bracelets for fun.

I got her this book from Avon. It's called Mom Tell Me Your Story. It asks questions like where did you go to school, how did you me Dad....

Fun stories that you might not have learned about her.

I got one for myself too.

Isn't she beautiful?

Aren't they precious?

That is my step Dad Fred.

He is very special to me too.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T19:11:00.005-05:00

Father's Day was very nice. Daddy was having a good day.
These little hamburger and french fry desserts were a BIG hit! My Mom's birthday is the same day so I made a special one for her.

The hamburger is a cupcake with a brownie for the patty. Colored icing for the ketchup, mustard and lettuce. The french fries are sugar cookies.
They are really very easy to make the hardest part was finding low sugar or sugar free mixes. My Dad and Step-Dad are both diabetic. Pillsbury makes a low sugar Sugar Cookie mix and a low sugar Brownie mix. The cupcake was made with a sugar free mix. I can't remember the brand name.
I got the idea from Bakerella (one of the blogs I follow).

New washer and dryer

2009-06-10T22:29:00.002-05:00

Last week my old washer crapped out (again) so I got a new washer and the dryer to match. I don't think I have ever had a new matching set before, this is very exciting! We had to rearrange the cabinets because after I ordered them my DH asked the dimensions and just our luck they were going to be sticking out in front of the back door! Lucky for me my sweet DH is a very handy man and we just moved the cabinet down next to the back door and now they fit. I really like what we've done because it makes the room look bigger.

Angel Wings White Baby Afghan

2009-06-10T22:25:00.003-05:00

I made this baby afghan for my friend Susan. I got the pattern from Leisure Arts Contest Favorites Baby afghans booklet. It is called Angel Wings. There are some very nice baby afghans in this booklet. I will be using some of the patterns for my senior afghans. I like to try new patterns and stitches so it should be alot of fun.

Candy Wrapper Purse

2009-06-04T10:48:00.003-05:00

This is my new candy wrapper purse. I got the instructions at
candywrapperpurse.blogspot.com

It took about 2 months to gather all the materials together. I used just about anything I could find. Potato chip bags, candy bags, power bars, Ulta bag, veggie bags, popcorn chicken bags and many others.
It's a lot of work but I enjoyed putting it all together.

Sweater redo

2009-05-26T18:13:00.002-05:00

I've had this sweater forever, as you can see I was wearing out the cuffs. I cut the sleeves down and used them to make pockets.

Afghans

2009-05-26T18:05:00.004-05:00

This is Mary's grandbaby afghan. I got the pattern from Annie's Attic Mile-A-Minute Baby Afghans.

This is Susan's afghan. This is similar to a previous afghan I made for Susan to raise money for the United Way. The pattern is from Vanna's Favorite Crochet Gifts book, with a little variation.

Organizing necklaces

2009-05-26T17:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend I organized my jewerly box. I have a lot of costume necklaces and they were getting tangled, so I decided to organize them. First I had to dig around for things I could use to hang them on. I also did not want to put any holes in anything so I thought I would hot glue the hooks to the side of my shoe rack. I used picture hangers and extra pieces from mini blinds. The little plastic pieces you use to hold the blinds in place I used for wide necklaces.

Chicken Stuff

2009-05-23T19:19:00.003-05:00

Chicken Stuff

2 chicken breast diced small
2 celery stalks chopped
1/4 onion chopped
mushrooms sliced
one carrot chopped
garlic chopped
white wine
olive oil
one can diced tomatoes
tomato paste
Italian seasoning

Heat olive oil in pan, saute carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Season with Italian seasoning.
After a few minutes pour in some white wine simmer for a few minutes. Make a well in the pan and add chicken, cook until no longer pink, stir all together. Make another well, add tomatoes and paste and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms. Mix everything together turn heat down to low, cover and let perk.
Serve over noodles.

2009-05-18T08:09:00.005-05:00

Fake Pizza

My Dad has become a very picky eater since he got sick. Finding something for him to eat is becoming a real challenge. This weekend was one of those weekends! He still loves pizza so I came up with this easy version.

One slice of bread toasted just until starting to dry.
pizza sauce
4 slices of pepperoni
shredded mozzarella cheese

Take the lightly toasted bread smooth on some pizza sauce, top with pepperoni and cheese. Then comes the hard part. Toast the whole thing in the toaster oven!
Voila! Fake Pizza!

2009-05-03T08:35:00.004-05:00

This is my latest lap afghan for the Seniors.

2009-04-22T21:32:00.008-05:00

Three more lap afghans for the seniors.

This one is my Purple Stripes afghan.

This one I got the pattern from "Crochet" magazine.

This one I decided to see what it would look like if I just took the bits and pieces of left over yarn and sewed them all together. Turned out pretty cool I think.

Meatball Soup

2009-04-01T12:40:00.005-05:00

20ish meatballs-cooked
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sliced mushrooms or fresh
1pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream mushroom soup
3 potatoes peeled and cubed
1/2 onion
2 tbls butter
1 tbls chopped garlic
Italian seasoning
salt to taste
water

Peel and cube potatoes, put in a large pot with about a cup to a cup and a half of water. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, mixed vegatables, chicken broth, cream soup and meatballs. May need to add a little water to cover everything. In a small pan saute onion and garlic in butter and Italian seasoning until onions are clear. Add to pot. Salt to taste. Simmer at low to medium heat for about 30 minutes. Really good next day.
Serves 6 to 8

No Bake Sweet Potato Pie

2009-02-27T11:24:00.010-06:00

No Bake Sweet Potato Pie

1 large can of sweet potatoes
1 sm tub of Cool Whip
1/2 individual serving of applesauce
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 4 oz pkg of instant vanilla pudding
1/3 c. chopped pecans
1-1/2 tblsp butter melted
1 tbls brown sugar
pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix melted butter, pecans, brown sugar and put in pie crust before cooking.
Cook pie crust according to directions on pkg or your own recipe.

Drain sweet potatoes, whip with electric mixer until fairly smooth, mix in pudding, cool whip, spice, and half a serving of applesauce. Put in refrigerator until pie crust has cooled. When cool put in crust and serve.
Serves 6

Shock of all shocks, my picky son loves this recipe!

2009-02-20T14:12:00.005-06:00

These are 2 of the 3 afghans I made for our United Way Campaign last year. Different people donate items and then we have a not so silent, silent auction. The one with the trees I got out of one of Vanna White's pattern books. It is crocheted using 2 strands of yarn.

The snowflake afghan I got the pattern online at http://www.artoftangle.com/snowflake.htm

Very quick and easy.

2009-02-20T08:59:00.004-06:00

Another afghan for the Fellowship Center. My DH loves this one. I may have to make him one like it.

afghan and shawl

2009-02-11T21:51:00.006-06:00

This shawl is partially my own design, it is a shell crochet with a collar and pockets. The pockets are mine I decided to make them because I made it too long. The rest of the shawl I got from a knitted picture.

The lap afghan is from an unfinished full size afghan I had started years ago. I took it apart because I didn't have the yarn to finish it. I make lap afghans throughout the year to give to the seniors at a fellowship center in my county for Christmas gifts.

scarves and lap afghans

2009-01-28T18:43:00.005-06:00

I made these scarves while waiting at the hospital. My dad had another stroke. They are still running tests to try and find out what is causing them.

The lap afghans I work on at home after everything else is taken care of and I have a little time to crochet and watch TV.

Finally Finished

2009-01-23T08:19:00.000-06:00

Finally finished this afghan. I have been working on it for the last few months. Christmas took up a lot of time and my Dad had a stroke just before Thanksgiving. He is recovering slowly. We have all our family and friends praying for him. Anyway on to the next project.