Puppia Harness - Now available!

Our new shop, Puppia Pets, is now stocked with beautiful harnesses for your pet. So, why a Puppia Harness? Here are just a few reasons, the Puppia Harness is a best bet for your small dog:

- High quality materials are used in manufacturing. Makes for a very durable Puppia Harness!
- No velcro, so your pup will NOT pull away. Velcro harnesses can be dangerous for very active pooches.
- Puppia Harnesses have the sizing down! They are very well fitting, making them exceptionally comfortable for your pet.
- No neck/throat strain. If you have a small breed (like my pug, Pinky), then you know how delicate their throats can be. This harness puts the pressure of pulling across the chest, as opposed to the throat.
- The Puppia Mesh Harness is awesome in the summer heat!
- More control for you! It is easier to control a dog across the chest, then it is to control by the neck alone.

These are just a few reasons the Puppia Harness is one of the most popular small dog harnesses available today. For A full selection of Puppia Harnesses ( including the Puppia Orion, Puppia Rainbow, Puppia Dotty, and the Puppia Spring Harness ), at VERY impressive prices, check out Puppia Pets!

n

Knitting Projects!

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Does $10 go a long way?

When it comes to a produce Co-op, it does!

We are pretty pleased with our stash from the Produce Co-op we joined. The Co-op is a group of folks who come together to buy fruits and veggies in bulk. In GA, one family goes to the Georgia State Farmers Market every 2 weeks, and purchase fruits and veggies in bulk. They then bring them all home and divide them up among all the family "Baskets". This means that each family is able to get more for their money than they would at their local grocery store.

This is our first week, and we were a little bit unprepared. We brought this big basket, that we THOUGHT would be big enough, but others were there with laundry baskets! So, hubby grabbed one of the smaller stashes ( I wouldn't have done that, but momma was busy with baby in the car) and packed our basket up, and in two weeks, we'll be better prepared with a much larger vessel of some sort!

So here's what we got for $10:

1 lb Strawberries
1 lb Broccoli
1 bunch Bananas
2 lbs Carrots
2 ears Corn (? maybe this smaller stash was for non-corn lovers?)
5 Apples
5 Potatoes
1 lb Grapes
2 Heads Lettuce
2 heads Collard Greens

Now, I think that's pretty good, especially for one of the smaller bounty's. It worked out just fine, because this is just enough for our small family of 4, for 2 weeks. We look forward to our next visit, when we will be much more prepared and hopefully, just as pleased!

Here's another way to make your $10 go far! For those of you who are faithful users of Ravelry , the knitting and crocheting community, Check out Revelraiser, a fundraiser for the amazing folks behind this absolutely awesome site! So your not the donating type? oh, you WILL be when you see THESE BREATHTAKING PRIZES!!! If for nothing else, you must check out the link just to drool!

I turn my back for 10 seconds....

So, here's why I should NEVER turn my back on the kids to ask the sales person a quick question, right?

I turn my back for just a quick question, and I turn back to my baby boy dressed like the missing princess from YMCA! Oye Vey! My poor baby.. do you see the eveil fairy godmother back there? Yes, she's the culprit!

Needless to say the people around me thought this was hilarious, Daddy? ~ not so much.. LOL


We are very close to starting our new school year, our Sonlight curriculum is here and looks VERY interesting! We're really excited to get started. DD had such a great time putting together the castle box that the books came in! All we need to get now is our handwriting from Abeka and Math U See and we're all set!

Listen In:
Birds? chirping? Yes! Early morning bird songs are so pretty.

View from the front window:
Kids at play, must be spring break?

Supper Plans:
Fish

In the garden:
Gardening Plans: We will begin out Square Foot porch garden any day now! Hubby bought the wood, now I wait!

Beauty in the common things:
We are so blessed to have a home, our health and so much of everything we take for granted!

On the Needles:
Silk Sleeves, Koolhaas hat, and finally, my Shetland Triangle! (Thank YOU Trudi!), Socks and Chevron Scarf.

Something New:
Baby boy is walking! (he's actually been walking for about a month, but I forgot to tell you.. hehe) and Video Podcasts!!! LOVE Vcasts, and this one --> Lets Knit2gether, in particular!

n

I'm Mrs. Beaver!

Which Chronicles of Narnia character are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mrs. Beaver Peter Pevensie 63% Mrs. Beaver 63% Aslan 63% Lucy Pevensie 60% Edmund Pevensie 57% Susan Pevensie 50% Mr. Beaver 40% Oreius 33% The White Witch 30% Mr. Tumnus 30% Ginarrbrik 13%

Hubby is Peter!

Hats, Scarves Bags, and Boxes

Boy, what a bunch of updates I have! I have been so bad at keeping everything updated, but I will truly try much harder to stay up to date here. Our horrible HughesNet connection is partly to blame, and the rest is simply time. I think if my connection as faster, my time issue would probably resolve itself. But, until then.. we carry on.. :-)

First, a FO:
My dear sons new hat, scarf and mitts set! Isn't he a cutey pie!

And a WIP:


Chevron Scarf
Pattern: Scarf Style by Interweave Press
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky

I've wanted to try this pattern, and being a new knitter, decided I would do this in a solid color first time around, not expecting much.. I L-O-V-E it! The pattern is really very, very simple, and produces such lovely results ~ even in a solid color. Can't wait to see it some to life in color!


We are gearing up for our new Homeschool year (yes, we start just about anytime during the year!). Our Sonlight curriculum just arrived in the mail and it looks like so much fun! Now, we await our Math U See Beta and Abeka Cursive Handwriting and we're off the the races! It's also time to get our reading list in for the six flags 6 hour reading program and time to sign up for the Pizza Hut Book It! program.

On the home front:

Listen In:
Momma's sweet baby crying sleepily as he learns to fall asleep on his own..

View from the front window:
Nippy, nippy.. wait! Is that snow?!

Supper Plans:
Cabbage and Ground turkey (Yum!)

In the garden:
Gardening Plans: We will begin out Square Foot porch garden any day now!

Beauty in the common things:
The peace of sweet baby boy finally falling asleep (yes, that quickly!) and the quiet time between then and the moment I lay my head down (The ONLY few tranquil minutes I have all day!)

On the Needles & Hooks:
hmm, lets see: 2 hooded scarves that are just draaaging on.. , socks, sleeves & a Chevron scarf. In the next week: Another diaper soaker for the baby, Tiramisu Baby Blanket (gift), Koolhaas hat and the Hemlock! (Yes! Can't wait!)

Something New:
My beautiful new Lexie Barnes Lady B knitting bag! Love it! All the room I need, I can get a few small project, a couple of large projects, all my needles and all my every day stuff (including a diaper!) in this bag! It's water proof, has sturdy, non-slip shoulder straps, double zipper, matching needle cases, TONS of pockets, and is absolutely gorgeous to boot! (see pics below!)

n

My new year is just beginning!

well, I really need to blog more often. Today is a new day! I will blog more often, as I settle into my new home/homeschool/cleaning schedule. So this is a quick update.

what's new in knitting? my baby boys adorable hat!

what's new around the house?
a new schedule that I think will really work! I've kept my days, and added seasonal, etc. but enough that I'm doing small intervals of cleaning in between this littel guy wanting my attention.

what's new in sewing?
I need to get my machine fixed, as the tension is off, and it doesn't matter what I do, nothing works. then I need to make 2 aprons and a knitting needle case, for all my beautiful new needles I got for my birthday from my dear hubby!!! ( I must blgo about my beautiful needles later!).

what's new with friends?
ahhh, a dear frined is leaving to go to California! I will miss her dearly, but luckily, the internet and other modern techno's make the world a much smaller place. Of course, that doens't mean that lovely "written" letters on beautiful paper, won't be in order!

I know this is a quick post, but I promise to give more detail this week. Until then..

n

Cutest little wool soaker butt!

Just finished little man's wool soaker! How cute! It turned out really nice, I like it a lot with the small adjustments I made to the pattern. Thanks to my dear friend Trudi, I started out with the Ottobre wool soaker pattern as a base. Then I came across a few other patterns that I liked different details of, so I added the additional ribbing from the Sheepytime Sheepy Sack pattern at the bottom of their pattern page. I love how it came out. I made the legs just a bit longer. And I made the waist a bit longer as well, and then folded it down in half, before lacing the drawstring through. I thought about adding eyelet holes for the drawstring, but decided against it, so that as he grows bigger if I need, I can unfold the waist for a longer rise and not have to worry about holes from an eyelet row. The Ottobre pattern was super quick to work up and was a pleasure to knit, so I'll definitely be doing about 6 more of these! :-D

n

"Momento Bowl" & Beautiful Yarn Storage Ideas

We've come across a great book, "Weekend Knitting" by Melanie Falick. I highly recommend this book if you appreciate the beauty in the medium that we work with as knitters and crocheters. The pictures are heartfelt and warm, the ideas are great and the little tid-bits throughout the book, capture the rythmic, homely essence and pure beauty of knitting.

From this book, comes an awesome idea ~ We call it our "Momento Bowl." While our bowl is still a work in progress, it is still pretty and inviting. As we finish projects we will begin adding smaller sample balls of yarn and prettier needles. But for now, the simplicity of what we have works both as a beautiful storage solution and a Momento Bowl to share and create memories with friends for a long time to come!

Weekend knitting describes it best:

"Inevitably, if you leave knitting projects or pretty yarns or knitting books around your house, some of your guests are going to want to knit while they're visiting. To be ready for such situations, try setting up a quests knitting bowl or basket. In it place a small piece of knitting (just a few rows worked on a set of pretty needles) and yarn leftover from finished projects. When quests ask to knit, invite them to add on to the knitting you've started with whichever yarn they like best from the bowl. After a while (months or years, depending on the industriousness of your guests), you'll have a long, colorful ribbonlike momento- a memory quilt of sorts - of creative time spent with friends and family. You'll see the inevitable holes created bu the knitters who learned to knit on this ribbon as well as the complicated stitchwork of the experienced knitters who have stopped by."

-- Weekend Knitting, P. 129

Speaking of storage solutions -- do you see my nifty little yarn ball winder? Oh, I absolutely love! See how neat my balls are? (you should have seen them before!). On the storage front, this book has some great ideas for decorating with yarn (I've starred [*] my favorites!):

"

• Place pretty colors together in clean wooden bowls*, natural baskets, or other creative holders. Scour yard sales and antique shops for unusual choices. Casually combining an assortment of colors often leads to new discoveries about how colors play off one another.
• "Dress" a vintage dress form in yarn. Drape yarn across it's shoulders, or around it's neck or waist.
  
• Drape yarn around the back of a chair or on the door of a cabinet or armoire.
• Fill an armoire with yarn and leave doors open to display.
  
• Use a hank of yarn as a curtain tie-back.
  
• Hang different colors of yarn on the pegs of a coat rack.
  
• String an assortment of yarn on a cord and hang form a wall hook. *
• Line up cones of yarn on a shelf.
• Set up shelves and cubbies along an entire wall and arrange the yarn in a pleasing sequence of colors and textures. While some knitters will do this in a storage or workroom, it can also work well in a more public space.
  
• If you like to paint, draw or take photos, consider using your yarn as a subject for a still life. "
  

-- Weekend Knitting, P. 41

DD Learned to KNIT!!!!

After much trial and error ~ well, a little trial and error.. :-D, It is with great pleasure and excitement that I announce that DD has got it!!! She learned to knit! We tried a few months back and she wasn't ready yet, but after her big sis came for a visit and learned to knit, she decided to give it another try.. and she got it! She's very excited, and spends her own time concentrating on "her" knitting.


She is really enjoying it and keeps adding to our Momento bowl.. (I'll fill you in on this neat tid-bit later).

Here she is casting on (her favorite part). She is already planning her Christmas gifts for next year!




Now we can sit and knit together.. oh the joys of mother-daughter bonding.

n

Stinky Diapers?

Well, turns out that my dear little ones cloth diapers were coming out of the dryer smelling somewhat fishy because, Desitin contains COD LIVER OIL... hehehe That would be a really good reason! But after a good stripping, cold wash, then Hot wash with 1 C baking soda, dawn, Oxyclean and 2tiny caps bleach, then a few really HOT washes, all clean and smelling fresh again!

Breakfast in Bed... :-D

DD decided that she would make Breakfast today, since I've been under the weather the past few days. She decided toasted Blueberry Bagels and butter were in order, and a delicious cold cup of milk. She also decided that this pretty serving plate would make a grand compliment to her breakfast plan! Pretty decisive for a 5 yr old, I think! So we sat in bed together and ate our bagels and shared our cup of milk. It was a delight!

n

Hello and Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas gifts are done, and the holidays are over! What a wonderful time of giving! Everyone loved their gifts (that's my moms lace scarf in the pic). One thing I learned in making gifts this year, I will be starting VERY soon on next years gifts! :-D

It has been some time since I posted, mostly because of the holidays - preparation, guests, festivities and aftermath. I hope everyone's Christmas was blessed and New year will be great! I thought I'd give a little update and get used to getting on (and off) of my blog, in an effort to make it a more regular part of my day... :-) So, I was browsing around some of my favorite blogs this morning, and went to check on the Large Family Logistics blog to see if she was back up and running. And she is! not too many posts, as she is taking care of her precious little guy, who was brought to this earth prematurely, and is doing exceptional now! So, other then a few minor updates, there won't be much going on, HOWEVER.. there is so much wisdom in this site. and I find myself going back time and time again, for motivation, wisdom, inspiration. When I forget what to do, how to do it, or don't know where to get the energy to do it from!, I wander back over and read various topics on home keeping, home management, home Schooling, etc. I decided to borrow an update feature from her, I think it's kind of neat, short sweet to the point, so with a few minor personal adjustments:

Listen In:
:-( little sniffles, coughs (from mom AND baby) and the hum of the Vick's humidifier.

View from the front window:
Pretty day in GA, cool and crisp but bright and sunny!

Supper Plans:
New years Leftovers~Yes we still have them!

In the garden:
Greens & Kale (Broccoli is all gone! it was mm mmm yummy!)

Beauty in the common things:
Little gleam of sun, shining through the window.

On the Needles & Hooks:
3 scarves and a big cozy wrap! (It's that time of year!)

Something New:
I am finally on Ravelry! Yeay! I LOVE this site, if you haven't signed up for an invite yet, please do, it is awesome! For those already on Ravelry, my page is http://www.ravelry.com/people/ngabriel
Please come by and visit!

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.. :-)