Knitting. Crocheting. Lets Talk!

Ok, so to update everyone on the world I have been living in for the past couple of weeks!, :-D I am currently working on several projects, both Knit and crochet, for the holidays. In doing this, I have opened up a world I new nothing about. Oh, the community that exists of people with this like interest, is phenomenal! So, here goes:

Websites & Blogs:
Ravelry - I so want a Ravelry page, but alas, I am on the waiting list.
Crochetme - A great Crochet community by the author of the book by the same name. Be sure to check out the very cool Blog as well!
BrooklynTweed - This guy's talent is beyond belief!
Betz White - Felted Cup o' Joe's as seen on Martha.
Happy Yellow House - Free Patterns for Crocheted Afghans!
Handable - Home of KnitAble, CrochetAble & Countable PDA sofware! Keep track of your knitting projects, stash, needles, patterns, gifts, etc. How could I pass it up!
KnitMap - Have you seen this!!! Find your local yarn shop! Oh beauty, we found one nearby and a girlfriend and I will be taking a day trip to THIS beautiful shop near us. Find the shop near you!
Oneskein - the knit-A-Long blog to the companion book (see below).
PurlSOhO - a pretty place to shop...
Susan B. Anderson - Blog of the author of the amazing "Itty Bitty Nursery" book. (see below)

Books: See side panel under "Books I'm reading! There's a whole section there with my Crochet/Knit titles in order of adoration! :-D

I love a fire! Big update...

What a pretty fire hubby threw together. It's just a tiny bit nippy in the morning now, but with one of these fires going, we can warm the house up and save cash by not messing with the thermostat! :-)

Please accept apologies for not updating in so long, there has been so much going on. Obviously, the Holidays beginning are part of the chaos. We went away for a long week on vacation during the week of Thanksgiving, and sice we've been back the babe and I have both been sick and are just starting to see the light of days again. So, what have I been up to:

~~~~I AM IN LOVE ~~~

Truly! No honestly! I have found a hobby that I cannot put down. CROCHETING and KNITTING! I love them, love, love, love them both! I have been doing a massive amount of "yarn arts" over the past couple of weeks and am in progress of completing all of our Christmas gifts for our family. So, need I say that future posts will probably have quit a bit to do with my new found love!

stay tuned!
n

Got Milk? Yes! But NOT your kind!

I have been a raw milk believer for quite some time now. It is illegal to sell raw milk in GA for human consumption. Why? Not sure.. Only thing I can think of is maybe DOA and GA Government, and the dairy industry won't make the billions they generate by pushing the processed poison they call milk? Anyways, the only way to buy raw milk, is to buy PET milk, milk for your "pet" to consume. Recently, the Ga Department of Agriculture decided it would be a good idea to try to make farmers have to put a gray dye in all raw milk. BAD IDEA GUYS! I have a better idea ~ mind your business and allow ME to feed my family with what I feel is best!

n

Re-discovering a Lovely Hobby

I Love, Love, Love this necklace!

While pregnant, I took up crocheting to pass time, and make cuties for the new babe. After babe came along, I stopped and have just recently re-started my addictive compulsion! LOL. I am all-in, head first, and there's no coming up for air! :-D .

I have decided to make all of our Christmas gifts this year, and what you see here is one gift I plan on trying my best to conquer! A new friend has these beautiful necklaces, and bracelets for sale at her Etsy shop. She will have the patterns for sale as well, and I'll post the link here as soon as they are all available!

In addition to the above thread crocheted item, the following items are on my Work in Progress Christmas list (WIPCL):

1 Afghan
2 Tea & Cookie Sets
1 Poncho
1 Amigurumi Doll
2 Little Bunny's
1 felted Checkers set
5 convertabe Neck warmers/hats
1 Flannel Travelghan
1 Pair slippers
3 Necklace sets
1 set Rattles

Wow, what a list... I think I forgot something! I'll keep everyone posted as I finish my projects!
Happy Monday!
n

Wonderful Gathering of Friends!

Well we had a grand time yesterday and a big bash at my home! It was nice, and the first party I have had in a great while. I have been very busy planning for this, and it was well worth it. We had a lovely lady here from Stampin'up , who showed us how to make beautiful cards that look like expensive, personalized stationary cards that cost $3 - $4 each, but cost MUCH less! We also learned how to make beautiful holiday gifts, and how to use the stamps to add elements to a wall. The menu was:

Rice & Beans
Deviled Eggs
Salad with Homemade Dressing
Fruit & Veggie Platter
Pumpkin Bread
Harvest Mini- Muffins
Connie's Banana Pudding! (This was SUCH a hit!)

The kids had a great time, and I can't wait for my next swaree!

n

History ~ Time Travelers Unit Studies

DD and I are really, really enjoying the Time Travelers New World Explorer Unit Study, by Homeschooling in The Woods. Amy was wonderful to do business with, and is a homeschooling mom herself. She and her family did a tremendous job on these unit studies! We absolutely cannot wait to move on to the other units. In this pic, dd is holding her "Old Ships Log," her "Ptolemaic Map" and the anatomy of a ship (just one of the very many mini projects included, to be compiled into a lapbook at the end of the unit!). The amount of projects you end up with at the end of this unit is amazing! You can see a picture of them here. In our picture, on dd's lap is her Notebook. So during the process of going through this unit, your child is also lapbooking and notebooking and ends up with a complete one of each at the end of the unit. { TTLapbook outside/inside & TTNotebook} Every day is laid out for you with lesson text, projects and all the project pages and instructions you will need. With one day being a project day to finish up any in-complete projects for that week. These units are really well done! I HIGHLY recommend! Stay tuned for more fun projects!

updated to add: I just discovered that this Old Testament Lapbook that I have been searching for, for quite sometime, is ALSO done by Homeschool In The Woods! It's their Old Testament Hands-On Activity Pak. I should have know! Have I already said that you MUST check this company out? Because you must.. :-)

"Daddy's Shirt" Dress?

We had a great time sewing last week! Discovered an awesome way of making a very cute dress out of Daddy's old shirt, and a neat (and easy) wrap skirt. I found them both on one of my favorite blogs! See both posts here, and the directions for making the dress here, and the skirt here then here. The front of the dress is the back of daddy's old shirt, the back of the dress is the front of daddy's old shirt and the pantaloons are daddy's old sleeves!

I love the skirt, as it is very flattering & I love long skirts! It was very simple and whipped up in just a few hours. I plan on making several more of these! The (wrinkly) skirt pics are at the end of the slide show :-D {Note: Please forgive the wrinkles, as I had to quickly jump into bed to nurse a sleepy teething baby back to sleep, LOL }now, on to the show.....

Menu Planning with iCal!

Originally uploaded by Ngabriel

My menu plan is finally done! yeaayyyy!!!! ok, so as I searched the web for a software program that would make it easy for me to organize a monthly menu plan, I became somewhat frustrated. Then I decided to give my iCal (the calendar program on my mac) a try. To my surprise, it worked like a charm! I set up 3 meals a day, for 2 weeks. Each meal is set to repeat on that same day every 2 weeks. So I end up with a 2 week rotating menu. In the notes section, I can enter things like the recipe, etc. I truly enjoy it and I hope you can find something just as user friendly to work your magical menu wand over! :-D Bon Appetite!

n

Favorite Breakfast recipe!

HPIM4763.JPG
Originally uploaded by Ngabriel

After much trial (and gnashing or teeth!), I have finally completed my menu plan! And in celebration, I am exploiting my absolute favorite breakfast recipe ~ Dutch Puff! Have you heard of it, you probably have. I came to know it through a blog that I visit often, and it has become a lethal weapon in my menu planning arsenal (especially with baby around!). I love it because I can quickly throw (literally) together 3 quick ingredients, and beat up and store in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning, pre-heat the oven, pour and oven bake for a few minutes! It cannot get any easier. We have it with pure maple syrup, molasses, bananas or fruit spread or preserves! mmmm! If you haven't heard of it, here is the recipe, courtesy of Kim @ Large Family Logistics:

Dutch Puff

2 cups freshly ground pastry flour or what ever you have on hand
2 cups buttermilk, milk, or cream
8 eggs
1 stick of butter

Put all ingredients except butter in your blender. Blend until smooth. Let sit overnight. In the morning put one stick of butter in a 9x13 pan and place in oven while it is preheating to 425. Blend ingredients again and add to baking dish. Cook for 20 minutes. It will puff up real big and then deflate once it has set out a few minutes. Top with Blueberry Sauce or maple syrup.
Wheat free version: use 1 cup rice flour and 1 cup tapioca flour


Enjoy!

n

Botanical Garden Field Trip

HPIM4783.JPG
Originally uploaded by Ngabriel

Our field trip to the Botanical Gardens was absolutely beautiful! If earthly beauty, touched by sin, can be this breathtaking ~ Can you imagine heavenly beauty, in all it's perfection? I surely cannot! But I can't wait to see it!

n

The Microwave Diet!

I just discovered a new diet, that I think EVERYONE should go on!

See, hubby and I have recently gotten rid of our microwave, and I realize that my weight has declined. Tonight, the thought dawned on me. It's because of the lack of the microwave! See, as I was finishing my delicious supper, I walked to the kitchen thinking "Mmm, that was so good, I could eat some more.' However, the casserole was cold as ice from being refrigerated, and would mean waiting, at least, another 20 minutes before I had another piping hot serving! So, of course, in that very moment, I also thought "Nah, I'm OK." EUREKA!!! Thus the secret to my weight loss! HA!

This diet comes highly recommended!! :-D
n

GoldenRod

While going through one of my DD's Prairie Primer lessons, one of the assignments was to draw Goldenrod and research it's uses. After gleaning inspiration from Like Merchant Ships (one of my favorite reads! :-D) , I came to realize that this herb is the same nuisance weed that grows abundantly along Ga highways & roadsides! And... after doing some more digging, I discovered the herbs wonderful therapeutic properties ~ a long time home remedy, often used as a tea to treat urinary tract infections & kidney stones. And, when in harmony with a few "roadside florals," I think it makes for an adorable arrangement!

n

9/30 Commitment to Loveliness!

It's time for another Commitment to Loveliness! This is a fun way to increase femininity and beauty in our lives each week without even trying! All you have to do is choose five things that you would like to work on or do during the week that will increase the loveliness in your life!

Here is my list for this week:

1. Take the time to sew SOMETHING this week!
2. Return the house to "Home"
3. Re-organize my Pantry.
4. Pick some flowers & bring them into the house.
5. Start using my "Motivated Moms" Planner.

n

I've decided to join these lovely ladies, over at "Less of Me.." in planning my week. So in addition to my usual Commitment to Loveliness, I will begin posting "Monday Meanderings" each monday. This is so that I can seperate my more-practical weekly goals, from the more-"lovely" weekly goals. Some will probably be the same, but there will be some that differ on each list. So here we go:

1. Bible Study/ Devotions ~
   This week, I will continue my study of Godly Beauty and begin to "Really" read the book "Escape to God" by Jim Hohnberger.
   
2. "Must Do"~
   
   • - Take a little time and Bless each room to "Return" my house to Home, after a very hectic last week.
   • COMPLETE my menu plan.
   • Begin 1st week of my "12-Week Christian Holiday Planner".
     
   • Plan Sabbath School lesson for this Sabbath.
     
3. Home Project~
   I would really like to get my pantry back! SO this week I am going to commit to getting that pantry re-organized!
   
4. Train Them Up~
   
   • Find knitting needles, to begin the knitting unit in the Training Our Daughters curriculum.
     
   • Find 7 cartons for Stewardship Street "Math" class.
   • Gather together necessary items for ms. "Ruby" doll / proverbs 31 study.
     

1. Menu Planning~
   
   • When I have finished planning my monthly rotating menu, I will post here wach week what the plan is for that week.
     

HomeschoolBoutique.com/ Our OTHER uniform!

Our favorite, online, homeschool attire shop is giving away FREE T-shirts! Check them out at HomeSchool Boutique

Our absolute favorite shirt (and the one we get THE most feedback from) is my DD's field-trip "Uniform" shirt.

We get SO many comments on this great shirt everytime we go out! The store has a ton of other awesome stuff, (VERY reasonable priced to boot!) so make sure you check them out!

ps: Tell her Nichole from Atlanta sent you! :-D

getting baby to sleep...

Well, trying to get this little teething babe to sleep for longer then a few short hours has been a true struggle as of late. Thus, my lack of posting. Mamma's been going on very little lately, and is soooo sleep deprived. We are using Hylands Teething Tabs, which seem to work a bit, but not for long. Anyone have any ideas? Anything would be greatly appreciated!

Living Room Done! Yaaaaay!

I am done with my living room!




It took some time, and made for a very complicated week, but I am glad it is done. I wasn't able to do my curtains, because turns out the rod was too short, but as soon as I can exchange it, my curtains will be up as well! And I was able to give the gift of hospitality already this Sabbath! It was great to have people here, and so much fun. My house is finally feeling like a home. Now to move on to my other projects!

n

A Site to Remember : Lady Lydia Speaks

A lovely site that I am learning quite a bit from is Lady Lydia Speaks, a sub-site of Ladies Against Feminism [LAF]. Topics like Homemaking, Feminine Dress, Hospitality, Manners & The Arts are covered. Read one of the many articles, or visit the store or message boards. Here is one of my favorite articles on keeping the home tidy. Her website is fabulous as is her blog! Also be sure to check out her articles on the LAF website, by clicking on "Lady Lydia Speaks" in the left navigation bar after you enter the site. Enjoy!

Commitment to Loveliness!

I love this idea, and this is one of my ultimate goals. So it was very timely that I came across this at Emma's Blog at Charming the Birds from the Trees.

"It's time for another Commitment to Loveliness! This is a fun way to increase femininity and beauty in our lives each week without even trying! All you have to do is choose five things that you would like to work on or do during the week that will increase the loveliness in your life!"

Here is my list for this week:

1. Make hand sewn thrown pillows for living room.
2. Begin Going to Bed Earlier! (with a 4 month old, we'll see how this works!)
3. Complete a rotating menu plan.
4. Move furniture back into the living room & put home back in order!
5. Have a home Spa Day (hair, manicure, etc.)

Sewing Pattern Sale!

Check your local Joann's sale flyer (or check online), for their $1.99 pattern sale going on this week and 3 days next week! This week, all Butterick patterns are $1.99, and next week Simplicity patterns are $1.99! I'm headed over there tomorrow to stock up!

Amazing Fabric Prices!

So, the color of our walls somewhat surprised us. See, they were to be a beautiful serene sand color. It is a textured paint, and has tiny black specks throughout. Well, we bought 4 gallons of it FIVE years ago!!! LOL (I know!) But, we opened it last week and it looked great! We painted and all was well, until it dried ~ at which time it took on a greenish tone. So now the room's walls are an earthy maroon and green! Ok! I'll work with that! I am going to make my own throw pillows and table cloths for end tables. So, I went looking for fabric. Of course Walmart's $1 fabric section was my first stop! But, to no avail, no upholstery fabric there. And their regular upholstery fabric was $8/yd. Yikes!!! So, a friend of mine mentioned a place, and took me there last week. PHENOMENAL! A warehouse, nothing particularly pretty, but if your willing to jump into the HUGE pile of remnant fabric, you will be rewarded with a "50 cents per pound" price tag!!! I was able to get these fabric remnants, all for $3.25! And an extra $1 for 2 lbs of fabric my DD picked out for herself. I'll never shop anywhere else for fabric EVER again! ;-D


I believe I will use the darker solid & rose print on the side end tables... the solid as table cloth, and the roses as a runner. I will be making 3 huge floor 'throw' pillows, for extra seating, from the lighter solid in the background.







And these will be my coordnating sofa throw pillows. I'll also be using the piping on everything to pull them all together a bit!

$3.25! Did I already mention, I'll never shop anywhere else for fabric EVER again!
n

(Home)School Uniform is here!

DD's uniform is here! She is very excited, and I am too (less laundry for me at the end of each week!) I think it will also help to instill a sense of discipline about her schooling, and teach her to take care of her clothing. I got this one from Cookies Kids . It's extremely durable, stain repellant with permanent pleats, so it will be an easy peice to learn "care of clothing" on.

n

Looky, Looky what I found!

Well, since the floors are finally done, I've decided that it's time to create an inviting atmosphere in the living room this time around, so I can feel good about being hospitable, instead of feeling like the room is bombarded with clutter. In the past, I had a lovely (but LARGE) table in the corner that has served as my office. Well, this time I really wanted something smaller that could fit in the corner, and not be so obvious. I prayed for guidance, and decided that an old desk downstairs, although big and tall, wasn't quite as big as the old table, so I'd use it! Then one night , last week, I went o church for an evangalistic meeting. and on the back of a church members truck was this beauty! In the middle of it was a sign that said "FREE to anyone who is interested!". I could have jumped for joy!!! A little cleaning up and polishing, and this baby will be absolutely quant in our *new* living room! Thank You Lord for your angel kisses!

n

Our floors are done!

I am so happy and grateful for our new hardwood floors. We decided to go with Hemse flooring from Ikea. VERY affordable and they look great down. Now I will say, that this seemed to be a 2 man job, although hubby did most of it on his own. A family relative came by for some time to help out a bit and the rest went down fine! We went ahead and painted to walls since the disgusting carpets were up anyway, and it all came out very nice!

My Purpose

I started this blog in an effort to record my growth ~ from where and who I am today, to where I envision I am going ~ where I believe God is leading me. I hope that this blog will be a blessing to other families as they strive to reach their ultimate goals.