The Wall of Shame

 It's been a while....it's been a long while since I have reported on Mr. Bettis and his antics. We left the house...need I say anymore? And we came home to this....

So I made a sign for Mr. Bettis and from here on out everytime he acts out, he will be posted on the wall of shame (along with his owner who continues to defend him claiming he's still a puppy. A puppy? He's 7 years old now! 

Damage in 2013: a basket, skein of yarn, another storm door latch (3rd one to date), 3 placemats, Glad plastic containers (2 and yes they HAD food in them), 1 pair of flip flops, busted the wooden fence in 4 different areas, and the one thing that I find too funny...a pair of his owner's sneakers :D. Gives me great satisfaction to know he finally nailed something belonging to his owner...hee hee

Here's hoping we can get thru Thanksgiving without him stealing the turkey (our loving previous lab stole a whole chicken). It never ends with Mr. B

Time of the year

It's that time of the year...A little knit Christmas hat. Was making 2 for grandchildren and trying to tweak the size to fit. Unfortunately this one was too big but it's ok, I know a little boy who will wear it with pride. Using a light up necklace, I sewed it into the hat and then added little beads for the finishing touch.

 Next up a Sock Monkey set for Vet-girl's addition-to-be. I improvised most of this set. If anyone knows me, they know I love sock monkeys and so does the new mom-to-be.

 I cannot take credit for this little handknit. Chem-girl took her needles and knitted a little magic creating a beautiful vest for her nephew-to-be. She sent it across the big wide country and it arrived in plenty of time to be put away until today...the day of the baby shower. Vet-girl was pleasantly surprised.

Thanks to technology (of which I know very little) Chem-girl 'attended' her sister's shower via web-cam. Vet-girl was very happy and pleased.

Due to a medical issue of my own and more doc appts Christmas gifts are going to be scrapped this year. Just not enough time in the day but I can say it's a start for the following year :).

My Mini House(s)

When I want to leave Life in the corner I retreat to my world of minis. Found a pattern online to make paper house ornaments. 

 So I gathered my massive amount of paper (which isn't too far from surpassing my massive amount of yarn) and set to work.

 I'm on the look-out for mini things to embellish these little houses. So far I'm lovin' these little things. They remind me of the paper houses my grandparents...er...Santa Claus set under the Christmas tree.

Do you have any fond memories of a favorite decoration?

Christmas Journey

Took time off from chores (who cares if the laundry isn't finished...lol) to do a little scrapping. A Christmas journal that will head to Chem-girl so she can journal her first Christmas away.

 I used file folders and cut them 6X6 and used the ends to encase the cut pages. Made the ends into pockets on every other page. Tag inserts complete the look.

I need a few more embellishments then it is complete. Christmas journals are my favorite to scrap. She will be surprised when she opens this package :)

Pumpkin Day

We recently embarked on a road trip hoping to capture some of the fall beauty. It was a good day for the hubby and I to take a break from Life in general. Visited a yarn shop that I have not been to in over 5 yrs and I enjoyed chatting and catching up with the owner once again.

 We enjoyed the day until Chemgirl (who recently moved away) called with a dilemma. Hours later we managed to get the 'crisis' under control. Not an easy task when we're a day's travel away but it worked out.

Procrastination entered my Life (along with a few other distractions) and Christmas gift knitting is almost non-existent this year. However while cleaning up the knitting corner I found these mitts on the needles. I handdyed this yarn (way back when) so it would self-stripe and they were begging to be finished. It took all of 3 hours to finish and I'm wondering why I put them in the WIP bag and never finished them in the first place. *sigh*

The kitchen is in need of new dishcloths and this is perfect for the day. (hubby should like it...lol)

 Last I leave you with a beloved picture of our cat aptly named (by the kids), Pumpkin or Pummy as she's more commonly known. She is 18 yrs old and we're making her life as comfortable as possible in her old age. She is quite the mouser and caught a mouse a few months ago. I'm hoping she doesn't present me with a trick or treat today ;).

Happy Halloween!

Garden Party

I've decided to break out the spinning wheel once again and have some fun. I dyed this Border Leceister roving a few years back so it's time to spin. Two different colors to spin then ply together.

 The craft room was in overhaul and I finally found a spot for the wheel so I'm giving it a whirl for 10-15 minutes everyday.

 Love this roving, it's smooth and feels like butter through my fingers.

An awakening has occurred around here and just like the song "Garden Party" by Ricky Nelson (yes I know, I go back a few years on this particular day) I've come to the conclusion you can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself. Pleasing oneself can be a daunting task after XX amount of years (no, I'm not revealing my age...lol) of giving up for so many and realizing perhaps that it's not as appreciated as it could be. It's very early in the morning here and so far the morning isn't going quite as planned, no thanks to Mr. Bettis who discovered the raccoon is in the trash again....*sigh*
Anyone else have a hobby to make your day a little brighter?

Warm Woolies

As folklore would have it in this neck of the mountains, the black wooly worm is indicative of a harsh snowy winter. This is the second pitch black wooly worm found in our backyard. Deer, bears and squirrels are 'on the move' all of which are 'signs' of a harsh winter to come. Quite frankly after the past few years of mankind and all their technology and wrong predictions, I'll put my snowshoes on folklore.
Mr. Bettis thought the wooly worm was quite fascinating so I had to 'protect' the little wooly guy and send him packing on his way.

 A very dear friend's grandson had a #1 birthday. We missed the party but I whipped up this little sweater for him, Choo-choo charlie. Busy moms do not have the time to fuss with wool so this is made from Hobby Lobby I Love This yarn...soft and durable. Now to get it to the PO.

They're finally finished! My scrap sock yarn gloves. I love color and these definitely fill the bill of color and warmth. They certainly will not be lost in any snowstorms :). 

What's ya got Cookin'

Feeling frustrated I turned off the computer and headed to the craft room for some R&R. Bought a Maya Road Calendar stand and turned it into a recipe holder. I can't take credit for the original idea, found it on the internet somewhere. 

A beautiful pack of paper was the inspiration. There are 12 cardstock pages which results in 10 recipes plus a nice front and back cover.

One of the inside pages. I prefer old recipes to the new ones and enjoy baking cookies, cakes and making po' man lobster, all from my grandmothers' and great-grandmother's recipe books.

 Another page ready for something sweet to be written.

 The back cover is almost complete. I'm looking for another embellishment to add, then write the recipes and it's a Christmas gift that is finished!

Apple Pickin' Time

We are the proud owners of a very large apple tree in our backyard. In the past this tree produced apples that only the raccoon, bear and squirrels found to be tasty (as well as the yellow jacket swarms). This year is different. It produced the best eating and cooking apples ever! I'm assuming the horrible rainy/hot/cold summer had a big influence on this fruit bearing tree. 

The DH decided to climb the extension ladder (eyeroll here) to get the biggest and best apples which are always at the top of the tree. I was in charge of holding the ladder (insert another eyeroll). His twisting around to grab the best apples resulted in the ladder twisting which only caused me to scream and shout for him to GET DOWN! Did he listen? Why of course not. Kinda reminds me when I tell his dog to GET DOWN off the furniture and does Mr. Bettis listen? Why of course not.

Like owner, like dog or however that saying goes....

After picking a bushel of apples I went right to work baking apple pie, dumplings, applesauce and freezing. YUM!

 Dug around in my grandmother's antique button box and found 10 different buttons for this knit. Love this sweater. Nice fit and look just in time for Apple Pickin'.

Bountiful Blessings

I LOVE Fall! Best time of the year in my Life. 

A request from Chem-girl was fulfilled with hand crocheted pumpkin coasters. My girls appreciate handmade items and that is a blessing.

Some dear friends have a bountiful garden and have been sharing their fresh vegetables with us. YUM!

A knitter can never have enough sock yarn so when I found this skein reduced to $2.00 I had to have it. Not certain whether to knit socks or a nice scarf with a contrast. Any suggestions?

Enjoying my fall weekend, hope you do too.

De-stash and enhance

Knitting from stash has allowed my knitting to reach a creative peak. Love how this little sweater turned out. A bit fiddly crocheting the caterpillar but it was worth it.

 This little sweater pattern is worth the purchase. Directions are simple and a great stash buster. Only took 2 days to knit it, now to find special buttons. I've cast on for another one in a girly colorway and hope to line it with a nice flannel to make a heavier jacket.

 Someone 'dropped the other shoe' and I refuse to pick it up so I 'donned a new pair of shoes' and did some therapeutic shopping...stocking the paper stash. I will be making a recipe cookbook for someone special and I can't wait to scrap.

What are you de-stashing or enhancing these days?

From here to there

A move in progress and may I just say for the record: add other 'issues' into a move? and you've got MAJOR stress. Anyway, Chem-girl has a major life changing event and it's been a whirlwind around here. Her hibiscus bush bloomed beautifully this year in a fitting good-bye tribute.

 An early departure over the weekend to head to her new destination. Dear Dad behind the wheel.

 Living in the mountains only to spend most of the day staring at flat land was an interesting (and boring) ride. Due to medical 'issues' the hubby and I must stop every 2 hours (doc's orders) so we know every rest stop from here to there...Lol.  Thankfully we (including Chem-girl) were ok with this plan and enjoyed the breaks. To be truthful taking those breaks is really not much different than when we took the kids on a trip way back when. At one point I took on 'entertaining' and broke out in song: "This is trip that never ends, it goes on and on my friend..." I was threatened to be left at roadside (certainly wasn't the first time someone  threatened to leave me roadside...lol)

We finally arrived to our destination. While impressive I must add, I despise big cities.  Man made buildings just aren't a big attraction to me (unless they're historic) and I definitely don't like masses of people and traffic.

 Another view of the big and monstrous city. Whew! I was glad to leave it behind us.

 It was an exhausting 2 weeks prior to the big change and now that we're home, we're still recuperating. The 9 hour trip ended as a 12+ hour trip due to the stops. Near the end the hubby needed to stop every 1 1/2 hours. Sadly we must admit any car road trip over 8 hours will need to be carefully planned. We can never travel with others and it will be necessary for us to either a) travel alone or b) take alternative public transportation.

After many years, I've finally concluded that I am not a traveler. Like my grandfather, the mountains are in my blood. Country roads take me home....

Game on

A lot and I do mean a lot going on here and we decided to have some fun to ease the stress. Game on.

Homemade chex mix and iced tea was the snack choice.

 Disney Monopoly was the game choice (chosen by the eldest daughter who is a Disney fan)

 I have never won a game of Monopoly in my life but this one was different. These are the properties I purchased by chance.

 I haven't laughed this much in quite a while. While I was demanding my $950 rent for Fox & the Hound with a castle, our son-in-law faithfully requested his $4 and $6 rent for his lonely little properties. At one point the girls teamed up and against the whole gang. It finally came down to me (who they dubbed Mrs. Potter) and them. It wasn't long before the hubby and son-in-law were bankrupt.

At one point the girls were hoping to be in 'jail' so they could avoid paying the rent. Chem-girl found herself in 'jail' a total of 22 times thru out the game and Vet-girl was refusing the free get out of jail cards but it caught up with them in the end. 

I tried to 'visit' them in jail but they turned their backs on my visit and said they refused to speak to me...LOL. 

A game night we won't forget for a long time and a great way to put our troubles aside and have some fun.

School Days, School Days....

Remember the song "School Days, School Days, Dear old Golden Rule Days..."? Well the time is upon the kids in our area. We no longer have kids in school and I must admit for the first time that I don't miss it. While I enjoyed all the events of our children I certainly do not miss gathering school supplies, packing lunches, PTA meetings etc. I'll keep my thoughts and rants concerning the downgrade of the education system to myself but know that I pray for the kids of our country.

Now onto Mr. Bettis who is most concerned about the children waiting at the bus stop on our lane. *sigh* his barking begins at promptly 6:58 am with the high school arrival of the first bus stop. Then again at 7:14 am for the middle school student and once again for the elementary bus stop at 8:13 am. Makes for a very lo-o-o-ong and LOUD morning here.

 I will enjoy my morning sipping a cup of coffee and knitting some dishcloths. This is an older finished set but I realized over the weekend that I am in need of new cloths so I'll be casting on. I refuse to use sponges. They are not the best to wipe off countertops and IMO they are very germy. At least I can toss dishcloths in some hot water and detergent with a sprinkling of white vinegar for sanitary reasons and in no time flat they're ready for another day of work.

Only Time Will Tell

Almost two years ago this happy couple tied the knot. I call it the day 'my daughter took my breath away'. Still brings tears to my eyes when I look back on the pictures.

 This beautiful couple have already overcome a few major obstacles in life (economy) and are struggling with medical issues but they have some good news to share. She made some yummy cake pops for dessert and invited the great-grandparents for a surprise.

At first they had no idea but were pleasantly surprised and happy they were included in the unveiling.

As they bit into the cake pop, the color of the cake revealed the surprise :).

I have been blessed to attend her appts with her as there are more appts than normal due to medical 'issues'.  Her hubby's job doesn't allow much time off and just like my husband, he takes supporting his loved ones seriously (what's that saying about a daughter marrying someone like her dad? ;) ) So I know the news but have been sworn to secrecy....ssshhhhh.....  I have seen this little one jump, flip, open and close it's mouth, wave arms, kick and we have counted the fingers and toes. sshhhh....Not sure how much longer I can keep my trap shut....LOL. So stay tuned and be on the look-out for clues in the next few months :D