I find it hard to take the time for personal bible reading. I read with my children and we do devotions together each morning, but as for my own personal quiet time I am ashamed to say that it often is put on the back burner. The mornings I begin with the Lord are always better but my sinful nature finds so many other things it would rather do. Like reading blogs...
So this morning, as I was surfing through Bloggityville I came across a post at Everyday Mommy that made me think.
"As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, “Come and see what I have done.” There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down."
Read the rest of the story here.
I am off for some Quiet Time before the rest of my household wakes up.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Listening for God
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Works for Me - Snack Idea
My family loves homemade pancakes and we have them quite often. Of course there are always a few leftover pancakes. Never enough for another breakfast and no one likes them heated up anyway. But my frugal side just hates to throw away good food, so I would put them in a baggie and save them. They would sit there a couple of days and then get thrown away until I tried spreading Nutella on them. Now my boys love leftover pancakes...who knew that a little smear of Nutella on a cold pancake would be the hit of snack time?!
For other great Works for Me tips visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Life in a Small Town
Small town living (and politics) is new to me. I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma - not a small town. Went to college in a town that was approximately 30,000 with the college students. Moved to NYC after college, found teaching in Harlem was not a good choice for a young girl from Oklahoma. Leaving New York, I moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex in 1989. I have lived all over the metroplex in the last 18 years...Ft. Worth, Carrollton, Flower Mound...all parts of the Greater Metroplex. As my mother used to say, "You can't tell when you leave one town and get to another".
Last year, our family moved to a town - still part of the metroplex - but somewhat isolated by a lake. Truly country living in the middle of a major urban area. There are 2100 people in town, the mayor (age 90) has been mayor for the last 30 years. She just ran again unopposed...I am not joking. Her son (age 70) is the president of the Library Board. His wife is on the city council, she is in charge of streets and drainage.
We are having a drainage issue in our front yard..water isn't flowing in the neighborhood quite like it should, this was brought to mind by the wonderful rains yesterday. I am on the Library Board so my husband said, "Why don't you talk to C, and find out if the town can do anything?" Sure enough, a simple conversation with one man, who is going to talk to his wife and mother will get our drainage issue handled....Life in a small town has its advantages!
Monday, March 26, 2007
And the rains came...
Today was opening day of the boys baseball season. Cowodie was to have a game this evening and Speedy B a double header tomorrow night...but the rain has put a stop to all that. Can I just say that it is as gloomy inside as out???
Poor boys, the next scheduled game/practice for both boys is Thursday night and the forecast?? Rain.
Monday Recipe
This recipe was passed to me from my dear friend Mrs. M. Her girls love it when she serves this for dinner. I am with them...the crust is delicious, just give me a spoon and I will scrape the pan clean!
Pepperidge Farm Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. sour cream
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 dash worchestershire sauce
1 package (small) herb seasoned Pepperidge Farm stuffing
1/2 cup melted butter
Parmesan Cheese
Combine sour cream, soup mix and worchestershire sauce. Roll chicken in mixture then dredge in stuffing. Place in a baking dish, top with melted butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Clown Socks Complete
I finished my "clown socks" as the boys call them this afternoon. I was less than 15 minutes from being done when we were invaded by family from Oklahoma. It was torture to leave a project so close to being done...but how nice today to finish them so quickly. The pattern is Zig Zag from Cavy Shops. The pattern was great, quickly knit using DK weight yarn. My yarn is the problem. It is Schaefer - Lola. I love the feel of the yarn and the color is very vibrant, but I hate the pooling that occured on the feet. I am glad it is on the foot portion, not the leg because I can easily cover it with shoes...but I am disappointed. I liked the spiral stripe on the leg of the sock. I also like the herringbone effect that happened in some places, but when I got to the foot there was the horrible pooling! Yeck!
I tried the socks on and was pleased with the fit. I could tell immediately these socks are going in the drawer until next fall. The brief amount of time I had the socks on had my feet sweltering. I think I will put up heavier weight sock yarn until later in the year. I may try my hand at knitting with some of the bamboo blend yarns. But of course I first need to finish my second Dublin Bay! And begin my STR club socks...a little nervous about the process, they are toe up!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Learn to Knit Afghan
I have completed two squares of the Learn to Knit Afghan by Barbara Walker. It is a wonderful concept, each block is a different Walker stitch pattern. She not only gives the pattern but also explains how and when the stitch might be used.
The first block I completed is Diagonal Ribbing. I enjoyed the pattern, it was quick and easy...would be great as the bottom of a sweater. I was a little concerned with my yarn color choice, it reminded me of jute rope that I used long ago to macrame. It is Cascade 220 and is knitting up well.
This square scared me at first. It is Stepped Fret. The mosaic pattern with slipped stitches and color changes was a bit intimidating. So I figured I just needed help to tackle it. Thanks to Manda (of the Knitting Psychos podcast) and Jennifer, two girls that attend a knitting meet up with me, I was able to not only attempt but complete the square. I was so excited that I was able to knit something that turned out so cool. Call me a geek, but I take it out and just look at it!
This is the square I am currently attempting. It is a simple garter stitch block alternating rows of color. Now why would I say I am attempting something so simple...I decided that along with learning different stitches I would teach myself to knit continental. I would like to learn to knit faster and from what I understand continental moves quicker. I am enjoying the knit stitch. I do believe it is faster and I am able to keep better control of my tension. But when I tried to purl earlier today....uh it was not pretty, actually it was very clumsy. I have watched the knittinghelp.com video and think now I can do it. May give it a try tomorrow.
I like the blocks that use both colors. The beige is much better in combination with the blue. Fortunately there are not too many blocks of the single color and I think if I am careful in assembling the afghan it will look okay.
Acme Brick Field Trip
The brick factory was established in 1891. 
The manufacturing plant. As Speedy B said..."It's just like the TV show 'Made in America'". The process seen here is just after the bricks were cut. All bricks are the same gray color until they are fired.
Here is a "car" of bricks coming out of the kiln. It takes 48 hours for the bricks to go through the drying room and the kiln. The wet bricks cannot go straight to the kiln or they will explode. The orange slit to the right of the bricks is the "firing" part of the kiln. At that point the temperature in the kiln is 2200 degrees. One car of bricks is enough bricks to complete two 1900-2000 square foot homes. As you can see, this load of bricks is the three hole variety. Three hole bricks are considered architecturally bricks and are used in the building of city buildings. They contain more clay than residential bricks. Their composition and size make them more structurally sound.
The brickyard. The Denton plant manufactures 12 million bricks a month. All of these bricks have already been sold and are waiting to go to their respective job sites.
The boys loved the field trip and learned quite a bit about the process. Smoda wore the headphones because inside the plant was rather loud.
Works for Me - Mr. Clean MagicReach
I have a large garden tub...small indoor swimming pool is a more accurate discription. To clean the "far" side, I would have to get in the tub. Eeewww! It was just a mess, no matter how I went about it. Then my friend told me about Mr. Clean MagicReach. I was familiar with the Magic Erasers and just love them so I was willing to give MagicReach a try. It is a wonderful tool! I can easily reach the far side of the tub and the upper reaches of the of my shower (I used to have to stand on the bench to reach the uppermost tiles). The extension handle can be removed for more control if you need to scrub. My hard to reach places all sparkle...Mr. Clean MagicReach...Works for Me!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Why do I Blog?
Everyday Mommy is in a bit of a blogging slump and posted this meme. I too am in a bit of a slump. My knitting projects aren't showing much progress to share and I haven't been inspired by things to talk about sooo...I thought this sounded like fun.
What made you start blogging? When I originally began blogging, I was trying to share bits of our lives with my mom. She lived in a different state than we did, and I wanted Gramma to be involved with the boys and see them grow. I was hopeful the other grandparents would stop by as well, but mom was the only regular reader.
Then mom got sick and I was talking to her everyday, several times a day so my blogging stopped. Several months after mom died, I realized that one thing I missed the most about her was being able to talk to her. Being able to share what craft I was working on, what I was fixing for dinner, what the boys were doing...just talking. I began blogging again to "get my words out". Living in a household of testosterone I NEED to talk!
What blogging host was your first? Homeschool Blogger was my first attempt. I became frustrated with its quirks and moved to Blogger. It is not perfect, but I haven't felt the need to change again.
How many different hosts have you tried? Just two.
How long did it take you to figure out how to install items in your sidebar? With Homeschool Blogger, NEVER..it was so frustrating. I would go and see other people's cute or impressive blogs and mine was SOOO boring.
I have learned to do a few things...still alot to learn. I don't want an overly busy blog, but I would like to learn how to do some fun graphics and put pictures in my sidebar that you could actually click and get to the link. Maybe someday!
Do you blog on a desktop or a laptop? Mainly on a laptop.
PC or Mac? PC.
What’s your biggest blogging “don’t”? Don't say something hateful...blogs will always be "out there" on the WWW and you can't take it back.
What’s your favorite blogging topic? Family life and knitting.
What’s your biggest blogging frustration? No comments. I know that people read the blog, friends will tell me "I really like what you posted"...but won't leave a comment.
What’s been your biggest blessing from blogging? I haven't been doing this very long, but I have already made a few friends. The friendships and examples of other Christian bloggers is very much a blessing to me.
Monday Recipe - Dijon Sirloin Tips
Another favorite from Taste of Home magazine. This recipe is a bit more time consuming that ones I usually share. It is a great meal for company or a special occasion.
Dijon Sirloin Tips
1 1/4 pounds sirloin tips, cubed
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup whipping cream
Hot cooked noodles
In a large skillet, brown meat in butter and oil; transfer to a 2 quart baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Pour mushrooms and liquid over meat. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours or until meat is tender. In the same skillet, combine broth, vinegar and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes; set aside. Combine mustard, cornstarch and cream, stir into broth mixture. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain juices from baking dish into broth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Add beef mixture. Serve over hot noodles.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Mommy Moment
Waco, Texas
Our mini-vacation began early Monday morning. We left our house at 7:30 and headed south to Waco, Texas. With rush hour traffic (RacerDad was smart and went through Ft. Worth instead of Dallas) we were in West, a small Czech community by 9:15...just in time for kolaches. RacerDad remembered the Ole Czech Bakery from his college days, can I just say I was glad he wanted to stop there....yummm.
After breakfast, we were 30 short minutes from our first destination....The Dr Pepper Museum. Dr Pepper was invented in a drug store in Waco, Texas in the late 1800's and was originally called a "Waco". The pharmacist that invented the formula was in search of a taste that reminded him of the fruity smell of the soda fountain. 23 different fruit flavorings make the basis of Dr Pepper. Of the mainstream beverages on the market now (Coke, Pepsi, etc.) Dr Pepper is the oldest. The museum is full of interesting artifacts and information about cokes in general.
We were able to see the antique machinery used in making the beverage, the bottle washer, and the artisian well originally used in the making of the product. Speedy B was fascinated by all the bottles and cans they had on display. For myself, it was fun to look at them and see how many I could remember. There was a room of old coke machines (all of them Dr Pepper of course!) that included the chest version right up to one you might see today. The prices were still on the outer labels....the boys couldn't believe that you used to be able to get a drink for 15 cents. They really didn't believe my MIL when she said she remembered buying them for 5 cents!
I had always wondered why Dr Pepper used a clock in their advertising, there was a wonderful display that explained it. During WWII, the government rationed sugar for public consumption due to the fact that sugar is a component of making bombs. Well of course, Dr Pepper has lots of sugar....so it was about to become extinct. One of their advertising agents remembered that in the early '30s research had proven that humans experience lulls in their activity at 10:30, 2:30 and 4:30 due to low sugar levels. Dr Pepper was then recategorized as a food substance essential to the war effort and their slogan became "Drink your food at 10, 2 and 4".
We all enjoyed watching the old Dr Pepper commercials that were playing at various locations in the museum and then we went down to the replica soda shop on the lower level and enjoyed Dr Peppers made the old fashioned way with syrup and selzer. It was a great stop!
Next we went to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. I am sure you are thinking baseball team, but no, this is the museum dedicated to the Texas Ranger Law Enforcement. This museum is little boy (and big boy) heaven, room after room of guns and cowboy paraphanalia. There is a wonderful video, originally aired on the History Channel that gives the history of the organization. I had no idea that when the Rangers began, they were mainly farmers and teachers, I must admit my knowledge of the Rangers had only been fed by John Wayne movies.
The Texas Rangers have a long and fascinating history...including their part in the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde. RacerDad said the museum used to house the car Bonnie and Clyde died in, it must be off display now because we did not see that, though we did see the guns that were confiscated out of the car.
Of course all the boys enjoyed this museum, I must say my MIL and I did as well. The museum did a good job of bringing the family aspect into the history, by including letters from the wives, mothers and sisters.
Smoda wanted his picture taken by this rock wall....how could I resist?
Waco was a fun day and worth the drive....there is also Baylor University that we could have toured as well....but we were off for Houston and NASA.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Vacation Knitting
We are back and had a fabulous time. I will post about vacation later. Just wanted you to see what knitting I was able to accomplish while on the road. I must admit I was afraid I was being too optimistic about being able to knit while riding in the car. Anytime I had tried it previously, I would get carsick after a few minutes. This time, my stomach cooperated and I was able to knit away!
I finished my first Dublin Bay sock, remember the one that gave me SOOOOO much trouble. I had just begun the gusset Sunday evening before we left, so I had the rest of the gusset and the foot to knit. I am a slow knitter, and I wasn't sure how far I would get on this sock. When I finished, I was so excited I tried it on in the car and took a picture. My mother-in-law probably thought I was nuts putting on a sock, propping my foot on the dash and snapping a photo, RacerDad just smiled and shook his head.
I also made two tribbles. Tribbles are so much fun to knit and require very little yarn. They are perfect for finishing up the last bit of yarn leftover from a dishcloth. Like handknit dishcloths they are great for scrubbing. I have knit several and only have one to my name, the rest have been given away, people always ask for them. The two I knit on vacation were no different. I planned on keeping them for myself as you can tell by the one that is a mix of the green and yellow yarn, just trying to use up scraps. My MIL said "those would be great to have". So of course they went home with her. I guess I need to knit tribbles in a closet if I want to keep any.
I also began my second Zig Zag sock. I was able to do the complete cuff on the road from Houston.
I was pleased with the amount of knitting I was able to accomplish.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Happy Anniversary!
On the Road
My mother-in-law is heading to town today. We will be going on a mini vacation. Not sure yet where we will head, either San Antonio or Houston. My original plan had been to go to San Antonio - do The Alamo and Sea World. RacerDad had a different idea. We could begin in Waco at the Dr Pepper museum, go down the street to the Texas Rangers museum (law enforcement, not ball team), then head to Houston for NASA. I guess tomorrow morning when we get in the car we will decide.
All that to say I will be off line for a few days. But it should be some major knitting time. I am hoping to have a finished Dublin Bay and my mosaic block finished....as well as several rows of Smoda's blanket.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Spring Gardening
Now I know it is not officially spring, but when you have consecutive days of over 70 is it hard to not get in the mood. Especially when I know that it will soon be consecutive 95+ days and I won't want to stir.
This week I have worked in my garden and backyard....
I would like to consider what I have done spring planting, but anyone who knows me well will tell you it is really the spring sacrifice. In my mind I have a beautiful garden...it is like a "grandma's garden" and this part of it is "my kitchen herb garden". Imagine lush fully grown plants, butterflies flitting in the summer, the scents of fresh herbs, a mixture of colors and textures....just beautiful. The sad reality is, each spring, I have high hopes. Go to the gardening center to find just the right plants, best specimens, plant them, tend them faithfully. Then come the heat of summer.....I sacrifice them. Sad but true! I kill plants. Not that I truly want to, I just have yet to figure out how to keep things alive. So last weekend when my dad and Julia were here, I picked her brain. She is the type that can take a dumpster of almost dead plants and have "my vision" within a month. She just throws out seeds and before you know it has a thriving garden. I asked her what to plant, where to plant, how....you get the picture. So I did everything according to her directions. I have a few more plants to get and have to wait for The Weedman (lawn fertilizing company) to treat for fire ants before I can put out mulch. I am hopeful. 
This spot is waiting for plants....a yew, hostas, begonias and impatiens. Still a little cool for those.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Year of the Blanket
I have decided that in my life this is the year of the blanket. Not that I intentionally went out and planned to make a slew of blankets, they are a big project and I want fairly quick completion.
It began with the feather and fan baby blanket I made for a friend. I figured a baby blanket couldn't be too hard, should be a quick knit....then I went out and purchased fingering weight yarn. I did complete the project, it turned out lovely and my friend was delighted.
The next blanket project is something I wanted to do for myself. I had learned of Barbara Walker's Learn to Knit Afghan Book, a form of a stitchionary with a purpose. In this book are 64 afghan blocks each a different stitch pattern. There are squares that teach simple garter stitch variations, cable, lace, twisted stitches and mosaic patterns. I figured each square was really no bigger than a dishcloth and if I hated a pattern, it would be done quickly in a 6x9 block. I also thought by the time I finished I would be a more confident knitter. One thing I really like about the book, Walker not only gives the pattern, she explains why the stitches work the way they do and where you might use the pattern in other knitting. For example, the first block I completed was a slanted rib. It looks really neat and was easy and quick to accomplish. Walker said this would be a sweater ribbing. My second square was not quite so easy to begin. I didn't quite understand the directions, it was a mosaic. I read the instructions several times, then put it aside to take to my knitting group. Thank goodness for Manda and Jennifer. Once they explained it for me, I am finding it fun to knit.....challenging, but fun. I'll post pictures of both squares once I finish the mosaic.
The last blanket is a "mommy project". A friend of mine asked Smoda what he thought of the baby blanket I had just completed. Now keep in mind, anytime he saw me knitting the blanket, he would say "I don't like it, it is pink". But this time, he said "I loved it. I want Mamsie to knit me one, I don't even care if it is pink". Needless to say, I let my baby pick a blanket pattern and choose his yarn. He grins when he sees me working on it. But he is a hard taskmaster, whenever he sees me knitting something else, he points out I should be working on his!
On my afghan, I am using Cascade 220. Smoda chose Rowan Handknit Cotton (fortunately his doesn't take a lot of yarn!) My colors are more subdued and neutral. He chose bright purple, lime green, coral and bright blue. I am definitely not going to get bored with these projects they are so different.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Podcasts - A Mystery No More
Thanks to Dawn, I am no longer in the dark about podcasts. I am actually listening to Manda at Knitting Psychos as I type this! So cool....now I can listen to podcasts and audiobooks while knitting instead of suffering through RacerDad's many car shows he watches. A non-car gal can only act interested in cars so long!
I have had my ipod for over 2 years now, used it for music while excercising....quit excercising (sorry to say), so the ipod went to live in the drawer. It came out of the drawer at Christmas when RacerDad got a docking station so I could play music in the kitchen. It had quite a bit of music on it, but I just couldn't see continuing to plunk down $1 for each song I wanted to listen to, so nothing new added.
Now with Dawn's help, I have discovered a whole new world! WooHoo! Maybe I'll start walking again....sure need to!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Swedish Nut Cake
Now before you pass on this recipe because "you don't like nuts", please give it a try. It is one of those "oh my goodness, isn't it delicious" recipes. My middle son and my dad do not like nuts and they both ate more than one helping of this cake. I am also a hard sell on desserts that do not contain chocolate..why on earth would you waste sugar on something not chocolate??
The ladies in my bible study had this at a luncheon, back when I was sick, upon my return everyone was raving about this cake. The lady graciously shared the recipe and can I just say I am glad she did. This is one of those you have all the ingredients on hand ( I always keep pecans in my freezer, handy for desserts).
Swedish Nut Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, juice and all
Mix all ingredients BY HAND, pour into greased and floured (isn't Pam for baking wonderful??) 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Now here I needed to cook it longer, my oven registers correctly, but it took closer to 42 minutes for the cake to not be jiggly in the center, so watch it.
Icing
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 box powdered sugar
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine all until smooth. Ice cake while still warm.
Now I will say this dessert was delicious on Friday, but it was even better Saturday and the crumbs that were left Sunday were the best. So you might want to make it the night before a gathering.
If you try this, please let me know what you think!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Weekend Ramblings
Well my weekend began early Friday afternoon as I rushed around making sure the house was tidy and company ready. My dad and stepmother came to visit for the first time in almost two years...needless to say they had not seen the new house. So, of course, perfectionist that I am I wanted the house to look nice.
Really shouldn't have bothered...Dad didn't care and my stepmom is not interested (her house is always filthy, I always worried when I had a baby crawling at her house), they didn't even care to see the house other than the room they were sleeping in. Can I say that hurt my feelings??
Saturday, Cowodie and I were up and out early (7:30) driving to Grapevine for the Awana Games. Awana Games is a competition between area churches involving games designed around speed, skill and agility. The teams had a great time. Both the boys and girls teams from DBC took first place awards. Needless to say Cowodie was grinning ear to ear, he had a blast.
We got home in time for me to fix lunch, then my stepmom needed to meet with a man that designs greenhouses (turns out that was the true reason for their visit, not to see us!) She needed me to drive her because she is not familiar with the area. Now where did we need to go?? To Richland College (roughly 635 and Central Expressway) Keep in mind I had already driven 45 minutes to Grapevine and 45 minutes back, now we were driving an hour from my home (and back). The meeting took less than 15 minutes and to be quite honest could have been covered with a few well taken photos via email!
To keep the drive from being a total waste of time, I suggested a stop by Central Market...yum! We did get some wonderful food finds....fresh asparagus, asian pears and marinated mozzerella. I also hinted about a yarn shop not too far away...no interest. So we headed home, just in time for me to fix dinner. Gotta love all the help! (not)
After dinner, my dad, Racerdad, the boys and I began a game of Monopoly. Cowodie got a great beginning, landing on and purchasing 3 of the railroads. Racerdad is a cut-throat Monopoly player....he loves to win. Unfortunately for him, the dice were not on his side and he landed on many of the "pay" spaces. As for myself, I was just a "jailbird" landing on "Go to Jail" 4, yes I said 4 times! Midway through the game, I sold out so I could go and finish the remaining apron that I needed for church this morning.
This morning, when I went to the pantry to get ingredients for my casserole I needed to take to church. I had gone to the grocery store, not once, not twice, but three times since Thursday and I had still forgotten ingredients. I looked through my recipes and found a recipe for corn casserole. I was able to pull it together and get to church in time for the luncheon. The aprons were a big hit and I had two people approach me about doing some embroidery for them. YEA!
Dad left soon after we got home from church. It was a nice visit with him....always a little strained with Julia. RacerDad and I trimmed the shrubs. Now he and the older boys are gone to Awanas, Smoda and I are kicked back relaxing....watching The Backyardigans. I really need to go and do the dishes...did I say I had NO HELP from Julia....there are still some dishes from last night's dinner, breakfast this morning and the corn casserole dishes...yuck! But then I also haven't knit since Thursday night.....am suffering withdrawal. Hmmm the choices, nasty dishes or knitting??? I wonder which will win out?
Friday, March 02, 2007
Rockin Sock Club
The first installment of the Socks That Rock Club came today!!! Yippeeee!!!. The colorway is called Monsoon and I think it will make a lovely pair of socks. With the predominant color being grey and I won't even have to hold on to them...they fit the Project Spectrum colors.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Aprons
Here are some of the aprons that I have finished for our church women's ministry cook-off. I am pleased with the color scheme on the red one, I had a hard time finding colors that didn't just fade away with the green ones. I have finished 5 of the six. Woo Hoo!!
Now off for a date with my hubby. I have asked for a movie for the past 5 weeks, time just works against us. Not sure if we will be able to do a movie this week or not....not looking good unless we go to the 10:00 show. Yuck!
Embroidery Software Class
One of my goals for this year is to learn how to use the software that goes with the sewing machines I inheirited from my mother. It is supposed to do wonderful things, I have seen projects completed that are beautiful....but the software is more challenging than I thought!
Now I have never claimed to be a techno wizard, in fact I know I am far from proficient. But I thought surely I could master this, lots of people are good with the designs. I took my first class yesterday. We barely scratched the surface of the capabilities. The class was two and a half hours and I walked away knowing how to turn the system on and search for designs to combine. I came home thinking I would begin the aprons that I am to have embroidered for the Women's Luncheon at church on Sunday. It couldn't be too hard, type in the words, choose colors, make sure the design fits in the hoop and download.
I am still reeling from being asked to embroider aprons. It is a case of "you have the machines that will do that, it must not be too hard, could you???" Of course it doesn't help that I am the only stay at home mom on the committee, never mind that I homeschool, I have loads of free time. (sorry for the brief whine!)
Well, I worked on it for roughly two hours last night....had it looking good, only to find out that the hoop I selected was too big for the bib of the apron. The design would not be resized, letters I chose were too big, etc. So I began again this morning. I have worked on it off and on all morning and now I think I am ready. I am procrastinating....if I put the disk in and it won't download, I think I will scream! Stay tuned for pictures of the aprons.....I only have to do SIX!!
Oh yeah, I will also have company this weekend. My dad and step-mother haven't been here in almost two years and they are coming tomorrow evening. Am I feeling a little pressure?
