Moving Right Along

Well, since the last time I posted, I have not only finished my sweater and the baby christening set, I have also started a second little white blanket and I've made several new bracelets.  Pics of those will follow later.  I haven't posted in a while 'cause I was having a problem uploading pics from my camera.  Turns out it needed to be erased and plugged into the charger for a much needed recharge.  Today I was actually able to take the pictures that I wanted and I'm going to post them now.

Let's start with my sweater.  If you remember, I made the sweater using some of the yarn that I got from my niece and her family for Christmas.  I called it Somerset, after the multi-color thread of that name.  It was crocheted in one piece from the neck down and the sleeves were crocheted directly onto the sweater body.  First, a photo of the whole sweater:

As you can see, this is a loose jacket type of sweater.  The lapel border acts as a floppy collar around the neck and the sleeves are nice and roomy.

Here's a close-up of the Somerset yarn.  It has all of the colors in it, which is why I was drawn to using it.

This photo actually shows the true colors of the sweater.  The others are a little washed out (my camera is nice, but not the greatest).  Anyway, the sweater is done and I have worn it several times already.  It's nice to have something to pop on when it's a little too chilly in the house so that I don't have to up the thermostat.

I also finished the baby christening set by adding a little hat.  It now has a blanket, sweater and hat.  I'm still looking for a bootie pattern that I like.  Once I add the booties, it will be complete.  First pic is of the sweater and hat.

And, a close-up of the blanket.  It's done with a V-stitch pattern.

All of the pieces are trimmed with a picot edge.  I'll add the same edging to the booties once I make them, too.

The last thing that I finished up were my biscornu pincushions.  Last time I posted, I had them all sewn together and they were stuffed.  Since then, I have added embellishments to the nine that I'm mailing out this week for the pincushion swap.  Here's a pic of the whole group.

And a close-up of a couple of them; one has a fish button on top (with air bubbles) and the other is trimmed with little dice on the corners.  (Sorry about the focus, or lack thereof, but when I go in close to shoot, it's the best I can get.)

The others have beads and trims around the seams, with some having buttons in the middle and others not.  All of these will be mailed off to my friend Lindsay in Missouri this week and in a few weeks, I'll get back a box with nine pincushions made by other cyber-friends.  Can't wait to see what I get.  I promise that I'll post pics once they get here.  For now, I've started making some new jewelry and I'll put together a new post in a few weeks.  Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, all!

Biscornu - Double Corners

In keeping with my resolve to post more often and to show some of my work, today I am going to show you the pincushion that I am making for the HGTV Pincushion Swap being hosted by Lindsay (SavedSinnr).  Actually, I'm making 10 of these for the swap, but since I'm using up one of my charm packs, I will actually be making 22 of these cute little pincushions.  I had been searching for an idea for a couple of weeks when I got the latest issue of the Keepsake Needlework catalog.  As I was browsing through it, I saw a book about these little pincushions called "biscornus".  While I was interested in them, I didn't really want to spend $14.95 for a book I might not need.  Instead, I looked closely at the photo, then I Googled biscornu and found other examples.

This little pattern was originally created to be used with small pieces of needlework, and most that were shown were about 1" to 2" squares.  But I wanted something bigger, so I went through my stash and found a charm pack of batiks.  Aha!  Perfect!  There were 44 5-inch charms in all the colors of the rainbow, so I went to work matching up pairs.

When I had finished, I had 22 pairs of fabrics.  I matched them corner to corner, which gives me 4 corners.

But these are called "biscornu", from the French meaning "double corners".  So, we need to make 8 corners instead of 4.  Hmmm, how to do that.  I know!  If we start the end of the top fabric at the middle of the other, we will end up with 8 sides, instead of 4 - I hope.

So that's what I did.  I sewed the first half of fabric 1 to the second half of fabric 2, then turned the corner, pulling fabric 1 around to meet the first half of the next side of fabric 2.  (It is very important that you remember the 1/4" seam allowance in order to keep all of your seams equal.)  I kept going around the bottom square and pulling the top fabric around the corners as needed, until I had sewn 7 sections together.  Heres what it looked like.

Then I turned it right sides out and stuffed it pretty firmly, being sure to fill all of the corners.

When I finished, I had a little 8-sided pillow with one short seam still to be stitched close.

Right now, I am working on getting all 22 stitched together and stuffed.  Next will come the embellishments, and do these ever call for those.  I'll be adding little tassels, a center button, some beads, etc.  I'll post about these again when they are closer to being fnished.  So, I am keeping my resolution to post more often and to show my work.  I am still working on my sweater, by the way, and should have it finished soon.  I post a picture of it once I'm done.  In the meantime, I hope you all have a great week, and keep warm!

Another New Year

Wow, we're already through the first month of 2013!  And I haven't posted anything in a while.  I'm going to try to be more diligent in posting more often.  I may take a lesson from Future Girl's blog and start posting my crochet projects as I'm making them.  I'm currently working on a sweater for myself.  I'm using the yarn that I got from my niece and her family for Christmas.  She's done this for the past couple of years and I love it.  I made a brown/cream sweater for myself from last year's yarn (wore it on a couple of really cold days and it's great!), so I chose a couple of the colors (actually 3) from this year's box and went looking for a pattern.

Of course, I went to my old standby, Lion Brand, and searched their free patterns section.  Since I did a pullover last year, I wanted to do a cardigan this year.  I found one that I liked and started crocheting, using the instructions for size 1X, the size I normally wear.  I was 90% done, when I realized that it was way too big.  It looked more like a large 2X or small 3X, so, after agonizing about it for a week, I finally decided to FROG it and start over.  For those of you who don't know what Frogging is, it's simple - rip it, rip it, rip it.  I ended up with a couple of balls of each yarn.  And then I started over, using the instructions for the Large instead.

I love this color combination.  It's rust, sage green and a multi called Somerset, which is why I'm calling this sweater "Somerset".  The pattern is worked in one piece from the neckline down with the sleeves crocheted directly onto the stitches left open for them.  It has a 13 row lower band and a 13 row lapel band that I'm working in the Somerset, with a section of the sage, banded by the Somerset, set between blocks of the rust color.  It looks really cool and I can't wait to get it finished.  I'm about to start the rows below the sleeve holes, so it's moving pretty quickly (since I've already done this pattern once, I know what's supposed to happen).  I promise to post a couple of pics once it's done.

In the meantime, I got invited to a craft show in April and I signed up.  Haven't done many spring shows before, so we'll see how this one goes.  I will also be working on stock for the Fairy Fest, which I'm assuming will be the first weekend in May, as usual.  I sold out all of my Fairy Bling last year, so I have to get busy and make some more.  I still have a bunch of wands.  Of course, I will have to replace the purple ones (they always sell out!) and add a few more pink ones, and I need to make some more of the headbands, too.  Luckily, I was able to get a lot of the ribbon that I use on sale last fall, so at least I won't have to be buying any more of that this year.

So, now 2013 is started.  And I promise to be a better blogger and to post a lot more often.  Maybe I'll just schedule myself an appointment to update my blog every couple of weeks.  Hopefully, that will get me here more often.  Have a great day!

Oops!

Wow, I just realized that I haven't posted anything to my blog since January!  I have been busy, but I could have sworn that I had posted some of my comings and goings since then.  Ah, well.  Let's catch up.  I finally recovered from that horrible bout of sinus infection in late March.  The only good part of it was that since I was staying in, I got a lot of crocheting done.  I did two more ponchos, another dozen flower hot pads (I sold almost all of the ones I made last year), a baby dress, blanket and hat from Bernat Baby Jacquard (so adorable), a multi-colored stole, and a bunch of little flowers to which I added pin backs.  I also managed to finally finish the French country table runner and the bamboo/rayon blend shawl.  I then turned my attention to adding some jewelry to my stock.

I found a pattern called bead netting, which I embellished with Swarovski crystals and created several pretty spectacular bracelets and a necklace.  I also finally got around to doing some cross stitched plant pokes.  I did 5 butterflies and 1 heart.  By the time the beginning of farmers market season began, I had a really good amount of stock.  Oh, by the way, here's a picture of the baby dress:

The Momence Farmers' Market didn't officially start until 7/11, but I got word that one of the vegetable vendors was going to have product ready early and wanted to start early, so as many of us that could did several weeks of a pre-market.  We had set up at our new location, which, while pretty noisy due to the big trucks, was at least very accessible on the main drag.  Unfortunately, there was a development in early August.  The property had been sold and the new owner was going to be tearing down the old building and ripping up the parking lot that we met on.  So, we got moved to another parking lot right next to the river.  The nice thing about it is that there is plenty of parking for customers and we vendors get to keep our vehicles right behind our tents.  Anyway, the market has been fairly successful monetarily this year.

As far as craft shows, my first one of the year was once again the Pilcher Park Fairy Fest.  Since I had gotten an application really early this year (end of February), I was able to spend some of that crafting time when I was ill making Fairy headbands, Fairy wands and Fairy bling.  While I didn't sell out this year, I did make a whole bunch of money.  That show is always a lot of fun, and I love seeing all of the little fairies and wood nymphs dancing through the woods around the Nature Center.  As long as I'm able and they continue doing the Fairy Fest, I'll continue to do that show, despite the 64 mile drive.

I added a new show this summer, too.  It was the Clifton Fun Days.  I got an invite to this show from the young lady who was the vendor organizer.  There are only a few craft vendors and they have all been personally invited to apply.  The organizer got to see my things at a craft show in December for the Food Pantry.  She told me who she was and asked if she could have my card and if I would be amenable to attending such an event.  I told her, sure, so in late June, I got an e-mail from her with an application attached.  I sent it back in and looked forward to doing a 2-day event in my own hometown!  The event was scheduled for the first weekend in July (after the 4th).

The biggest problem with the Fun Days event was the heat.  When I got to the park to set up on Friday afternoon about 3pm, the temperature was about 95.  I had hoped that it would cool down somewhat as the day went on.  Wrong.  Someone said that the temp hit 98 at around 5pm.  Unfortunately, between the heat and all of the activity of setting up my tent, my blood sugar crashed.  I had brought my normal emergency supplies, but they weren't enough to get me back to normal.  Luckily, I had my cell phone with me and called my niece.  She arrived shortly with some snacks to help me get my blood sugar back up.  She also hung around and helped me get most of my display set up.  With her help, I was actually open for business on time (6pm).

The crowds started arriving about 6:30, and since my tent was near the attractions for the kids (small ferris wheel, bouncies, climbing wall, etc.) and right across from the bingo tent, I had a really good flow of traffic all evening.  Jill and her kids stopped by to see how I was doing at about 8pm.  By that time, I had already doubled my booth fee for the weekend and had been getting to visit with a whole lot of family and friends.  At 9pm, I packed up my jewelry (I never leave any of my jewelry in my tent overnight), put the walls up on the tent and lowered the legs to lock everything up for the night.  Went home, had a snack, took a double dose of pain med and went to bed.  I had to be back to the site at 9:30am on Saturday.

Got to my tent on time on Saturday morning.  Took down the walls and raised the tent legs.  Reset my displays and put out my jewelry.  This was going to be the long day.  Supposed to stay until 9pm, and I did.  Early in the day, there were very few people out and about.  The temperature was even higher on Saturday than it was on Friday (topped out at 104 with a 112 heat index), which we think kepts the crowds away.  It started cooling down by about 2pm 'cause there was a storm front moving in.  I had a steady stream of customers and sales were good.  I got to see a lot of friends and family again and got tons of compliments on my stuff.  At about 8:45, I started packing up.  My great nephew, Dylan, was there to help me.  We got everything packed up, so I went to find Jill.  I drove my car down to an area near my space and Jill and the kids carried all of my stuff to my car and packed it in.  I hugged them all and headed the four blocks to home.  Locked up the car and went inside to kick off my tennies.  I sat down in my recliner and put my feet up and fell asleep.  When I woke up four hours later, I took the time to finally count my money and to enter my sales into my ledger.  I had ended up with sales that had quintupled the entry fee (YEAH!) and was feeling pretty good.  Only problem was that I was going to have to go to work to replace stock before the next market day.  What a great problem to have!

Anyway, I have continued to attend the farmers' market every week, and some weeks are good, others not.  But the market gets me out of the house (and my recliner) and has allowed me to expand my customer base.  Now, as I start into the fall craft show season, I'm looking forward to selling my winter and holiday things.  Hopefully, my body will let me continue doing craft shows for a lot more years.  I'm not really ready to stop doing them yet.

Keyhole Scarf

I got inspired the other day while visiting one of my HGTV boards.  Someone had posted a picture of a knitted keyhole scarf and was looking for a crochet version.  I looked at the picture and thought, "Gee, I could make that."  So I did.  I've made two versions of the scarf using the same pattern.  Please feel free to use this pattern, but I would appreciate it if instead of passing it on, you would pass on the link to this blog.  Thanks.

CROCHET KEYHOLE SCARF


This is a pattern that I created after seeing a picture of a knitted keyhole scarf posted by one of my cyber-sisters. She was looking for a crochet version, so I took up the challenge and created one. Depending on the thickness of the yarn and the size of the hook, you can make this as either a warm scarf or a designer piece to be worn as a fashion accessory. The basic pattern is the same. For the warm scarf, I used Red Heart acrylic yarn and a size G hook, for the designer one, I used Caron Spa with a size F hook.

First Petal

Row 1: Ch 3, 2 hdc in 3rd ch from hook. (3 hdc)

Rows 2: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc of each row), turn, hdc in base of ch 2 (increase made), hdc in next hdc, 2 hdc in last hdc (increase made). (5 hdc)

Rows 3 – 9: Repeat Row 2, increasing 2 stitches each row (19 hdc).

Rows 10 – 17: Work even on hdc across row (19 hdc). (This forms the first petal of the scarf.)

Row 18: Ch 1 (does not count as first stitch), pull up loop in first two hdc, yo, through all 3 loops (sc decrease made), *pull up loops in next 2 hdc, yo, through all loops (scd), repeat from * to end of row (9 sc).

Rows 19 – 27: Work even on sc across row (9 sc)

Scarf Body

Row 28: 2 sc in first sc, *sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat from * across row for 4 increases (13 sc)

Row 29: Ch 2, hdc in each sc across row (13 hdc)

Row 30 - ?: Work even on hdc until piece measures desired length. (For the warm scarf, I made it 29 inches and for the designer scarf, it was 21 inches).

Next Row: Ch 1, work on sc, decreasing four stitches across the row (9 sc)

Next 2 – 4 Rows: Ch 1, work even on sc across row (9 sc); fasten off.

Keyhole

Going back to the keyhole base area of sc’s, attach yarn at one edge, working sc into previous row (9 sc).

Row 2 – 9: Work even on sc across row (9 sc).

Row 10: Work row of sc, attaching each stitch to the last row of sc on the base area as you go. Fasten off.

Second Petal

Rows 1 – 18: Work the same as for First Petal.

Rows 19-23: Work even on sc (9 sc).

Row 24: Slip stitch Petal 2 to the end of the Scarf Body. Fasten off.

Work in any tails. For the designer scarf, I outlined the top of the keyhole with pearls. You can embellish it with anything that you’d like, or you can just leave it plain. The options are up to you!

Passing It On

Over on the HGTV Quilting/Needlework board, someone started a thread titled "Where Did We Go Wrong".  It's about  the fact that the older generations have failed to teach the younger generations how to sew.  A lot of people added their thoughts on the subject, including me.  I am concerned that the hand-made crafts may become a thing of the past unless we take steps now to prevent their loss.

One of the things that was mentioned a lot in that thread was the fact that many/most schools have eliminated what used to be called "Home Ec" from their curriculums.  Girls are no longer required to learn the basic homemaking skills that we were back in the 50s and 60s.  As a result, we now have a generation or two who lack basic sewing skills like sewing on a button or repairing a ripped seam.  Most of these young people are so used to going to the store to buy new items, that they fail to understand that those items are being made somewhere by someone.  Most of the time, by children and adults working in foreign sweatshops and only making a few pennies for each piece they produce.  How many of our young people have given an expensive piece of clothing away simply because it was missing a button, or it didn't fit just exactly right.  How much money are they wasting by not knowing how to sew.

I think that it's time that all of us who have the knowledge should be passing it on.  I have been thinking about doing some beginning crochet classes for youngsters and adults.  When I'm at my craft shows, I am almost always asked how I made something.  While I try to explain in the simplest terms possible, a craft show is not really the proper venue for teaching someone to crochet.  Trying to show someone how to do a crochet stitch in a busy, crowded and loud place is totally impossible!

I've also decided to check with our local schools about what kinds of sewing, knitting and crochet classes they are currently offering and seeing what I can do to help them out.  If I can do a beginning class on crochet at the school, it just might get me started with teaching on a more regular basis.

I really do believe that we are on the verge of a new era for the old fiber crafts.  Just as there was the resurgence of young people taking basic cooking classes about a decade ago, now those young people are starting to look at ways to save money, and being able to repair a seam on an expensive piece of clothing and continue to use it instead of throwing that piece out and buying a new one is one way they can do that.  So, come on, all of you older fiber artists.  It's time for you to teach the next generation the really good utilitarian aspects of your crafts!  Each one, teach one!

New Crochet Hat Pattern

I have been crocheting hats for the past month.  Hats for kids and hats for adults.  I'm not crazy (at least, I don't think crocheting hats makes me that).  I've just been creating inventory for my upcoming craft shows.  After making a couple dozen of the simple skull caps, I decided to change things up and created a new pattern for what I'm calling a "Simple Slouch Hat".  It's sort of a loose beret that can be worn a couple of different ways.  Anyway, when I got home from my craft show on Saturday, I finished up the hat that I was working on and realized that I needed to actually write down my pattern for the new design, which I did today.  I've decided to publish the pattern here.  So here it is:

SIMPLE SLOUCH CAP (BERET)

Designed by Linda Mathy

Materials: Loops & Threads “Impeccable” worsted weight yarn – 1 ball (actually only uses about half of the ball – approx. 96 yds/87.5m)

Crochet Hook: Size G (4.25 mm for our friends using the metric system)

Stitch explanation: dc2tog (dc decrease) – yo, pull up a loop, yo, through 2 loops, yo pull    up a loop in next dc, yo, through all 3 loops on hook

To begin: ch 4, slst to form a ring

Round 1:  ch 3 (counts as 1st dc throughout), dc in ring (11 times),  slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (12 dc)

Round 2: ch 3, dc in same space as ch 3, two dc in each dc of previous row, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (24 dc)

Round 3: ch 3, dc in same space as ch 3, dc in next dc, *two dc in next dc, dc in next dc, repeat from * around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (36 dc)

Round 4: ch 3, dc in same space as ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, *two dc in next dc, dc in next 2 dc, repeat from * around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (48 dc)

Round 5: ch 3, dc in same space as ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, *two dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, repeat from * around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (60 dc)

Rounds 6-8: ch 3, dc in each dc around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (60 dc)

Round 9: ch 3, dc in next 4 dc, *dc2tog, dc in next 8 dc, repeat 4 times, dc2tog, dc in remaining 3 dcs, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (54 dc)

Round 10: ch 3, dc in each dc around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (54 dc)

Round 11: ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, *dc2tog, dc in next 7 dc, repeat 4 more times, dc2tog, dc in remaining 3 dcs, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (48 dc)

Round 12: ch 3, dc in each dc around, slst in top chain of ch 3 to join (48 dc)

Edging: ch 1, sc and hdc in same dc as ch 1, sk next dc, sc and hdc in next dc, repeat around to end, slst to beginning ch1, fasten off.

And, so there it is.  My first published design pattern.  And, hopefully, here is a photo of the finished product. 

 Can you tell that I like to use colorful yarns?  I love using multi-colored yarns and creating things with them.

Here's another example.  It's a flower hotpad crocheted with cotton yarn.  And I have mixed and matched colors as I pleased.

And so, that's all for tonight.  It's nearly 2:30am and time for me to go to bed.

Big Family Weekend

Well, Halloween has come and gone.  It marked the end of a very busy weekend for me.  On Saturday, my Uncle Ed, the youngest of the five brothers, turned 80 years old.  He is the only brother to make it to that grand old age.  Uncle Donald was killed in Germany at the age of 22 during World War II.  My dad, Duane, died from congestive heart failure two months after his 58th birthday.  Three years later, Uncle Lavern died at the age of 59, three weeks after his wife of over 35 years passed away.  Several years passed before the oldest son, Uncle Russ, passed at the age of 74.  But this weekend, the youngest son made it to the age of 80.  As a milestone birthday, it called for a family celebration, so we had a big party on Saturday, the 29th.


Family came in from all over for Uncle Ed's birthday, including my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill who flew in from California.  Uncle Ed's son, Donnie and his family came up from Tennessee and brought his half sisters with him.  When Uncle Ed got married back in the 70's, his new wife Bonnie came with four children:  one boy and three girls.  An instant family.  And those kids, especially the girls, just loved Uncle Ed.  Ed and Bonnie had a baby boy about two years later, and were divorced after about eight years.  She moved down to Tennessee to be near some of her family members and took all her kids with her (except for Jess, who was in the Navy and married).  Donnie is now all grown up (he'll be 41 on January 1, 2012) and has an absolutely beautiful soon-to-be 16 year old daughter.  He still lives in Tennessee, so Uncle Ed doesn't get to see him and his family as often as he would like.  But Donnie and family spent several days here in Illinois last week and came to his dad's big birthday party.


Uncle Ed's party was like a mini-family reunion.  It was an open house from 2-4pm on Saturday, but I left at 4:15 and folks were still sitting around and visiting.  I had cousins up from Bloomington and Quincy.  My cousin Lana and her family were down from Michigan and Lynnette and her husband Duane had come up from Florida.  There was cake and punch and coffee and everyone was having a blast catching up with everyone else.  The two hours just seemed to fly by.  While it was a little sad to be saying goodbye to everyone, we knew it wouldn't be long until we saw each other all again.  The next day, my cousin Pat and her husband, Gary were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary!


That's right.  Pat and Gary had been married in 1961 and this year is their 50th anniversary.  So everyone who came to Uncle Ed's 80th birthday party on Saturday came back to the same place on Sunday to celebrate the 50th anniversary party.  The open house portion of the day was scheduled from 2-4 pm, but it was followed by a catered dinner for the family afterward.  I'm not sure, but I would estimate that there were about 60 people or so for dinner.  Pat's kids had put together a cd from Pat and Gary's photo collection, starting with them right out of high school and coming forward by decade (60s, 70s, 80s, etc.).  They had set up a big television and played the cd throughout the afternoon.  After the reception was over, Pat's sister Rita switched the cd for one that she had created from all of the folks' photos.  We all sat around watching the pictures flash by on the screen.  It brought back many good memories for all of us.


The only sad part of the weekend came about 6:00 on Sunday, when Aunt Mary, Uncle Bill, Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Harold (Uncle Ed's youngest two sisters and their husbands) got up to say goodbye.  They were driving back to Quincy that evening and they wanted to get on the road before it got totally dark.  After the rounds of goodbyes, a couple of us noticed Uncle Ed sitting off by himself in tears.  So Rita sat on one side of him and I took the other.  All he kept saying was "I'm never going to see my sister again."  You see, Aunt Mary, who is the youngest of the original eleven, lives in California and hasn't really been too well for the past few years.  When she was giving hugs, she said that this was probably going to be her last trip back to Illinois, and it suddenly dawned on Uncle Ed that he had just said his final goodbye to Aunt Mary, and it upset him a whole lot.


After spending all of last week in getting ready for his party, Uncle Ed had gotten overwhelmed with everything that was happening.  As a matter of fact, on Monday, Aunt Dorothy (who is the oldest of the living children at 82+) and her daughter Lori had to take him to the Emergency Room.  He was hospitalized for an acute case of nerves and depression.  Once the let down of the weekend hit, his blood pressure dropped and he was not doing too well.  Aunt Dorothy thought he had had a stroke, but after a bunch of tests, they kept him overnight to try and get his numbers back to normal.


Uncle Ed wasn't the only one thinking about this being the last time we might all be together.  A lot of us cousins, now that we're getting up there in age, were thinking and talking about it, too.  We didn't dwell on it too long, though.  We had so many wonderful things to think about and share instead.  My sister Karen said it correctly on Saturday afternoon.  It was really nice to be getting together for something so happy for a change.  The past couple of years, it seemed that we usually only got together at funerals.  Having a happy occasion, actually two, as a reason for getting together was a real blessing for all of us.  Our next full family reunion isn't scheduled until 2014, which would have been my grandparents' 100th wedding anniversary.  In the meantime, let's hope we don't have too many of those sad gatherings before then.

My Newest Creative Fad

For the past couple of weeks, I've been resurrecting an old fad - beaded/crocheted jewelry. I don't know what exactly set off this current binge of making necklaces and bracelets, but I've completed two necklaces and three bracelets so far, and I have three more necklaces in the works. This type of jewelry was first popular back in the 70s and there were some pretty spectacular pieces made up. The ones I'm making right now aren't anything really special, just simple ropes with beads winding up the sides. I have a cyber-friend who has the patterns for some of the more difficult floral pieces that she is going to send to me soon. Once I get those patterns, I will be moving onto the more complex pieces.

In the meantime, I am happily crocheting my little lariats and bracelets. I will be taking them with me this week to the Momence Farmers' Market in hope of a few quick sales. The Momence market will be held every Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 6 starting this week and running through October. They are trying to expand the market to include arts and crafts this year. As a result, they are offering spaces to crafters/artisans for free this year. If we can get a big enough turnout due to the crafts, next year we may have to pay for the space, but for now, since it's free, I'm going to try it out. I'll be taking my jewelry, some baby things and my table linens, to start. I hope to add things as time goes on.

Anyway, because I'd decided to do the farmers' market, I needed to expand my jewelry inventory. That is why I started making the crocheted jewelry. I'm hoping that it's still popular enough to generate some sales.  Here's a photo of one of my bracelets.  It's made of multi-colored E beads on a purple crochet thread.  I just made a simple tube and sewed it into a ring.  There is no clasp.  It simply has enough stretch to slip on and off over your hand.

I'm also working on a 1-1/2 inch wide peyote stitch bracelet made of aqua colored glass E beads, a half inch dark purple peyote bracelet, a white rope necklace with lavendar seed beads, a white lariat with white pearls and a green lariat with green seed beads.  If I'm a good little girl, I should have almost all of them finished before the farmers' market.  And if I'm going to actually do that, I have to get off the computer now.  I'll let you know how it all turns out in my next post.

Today is the First Day of Spring?!

Today is the officially the first day of spring - on the calendar, that is. I'm not really sure if Mother Nature agrees, though. While our forecast here in Illinois is for temps in the low 60's with a lot of clouds, there is also a winter storm front just to the west of us that is predicted to drop another load of snow. So for now, I am cautiously optimistic that spring has indeed come. At the end of my entry last August, I mentioned that the squirrels' tails were getting really bushy, which meant a long, hard winter with a lot of snow. Looks like Grandpa was right again. After that major snow storm we had in February, I think this past winter qualifies as long and hard. The only really good thing that came from all of that snow is that the fields will be plenty moist for the spring planting. Hopefully, the farmers will have better crop yields this year after the horrible heat and dryness of last year. Anyway, enough about the weather. Let's talk crafting!

I found out last week that there will be a Fairy Fest at Pilcher Park again this year. Our Head Fairy Darla, though, will not be with us anymore. She took a new job and has left the organization of the FF to the rest of the staff at the Nature Center. Since I know early enough that there will be an FF, I have already started making my beaded/beribboned fairy headbands. I want to make sure that I have a lot more of them this year than I had in 2010. I went to last year's FF with about three dozen headbands, two dozen flower and star wands, and about 50 pieces of Fairy Bling (jewelry made using beads and stretchy cord), and I sold out of everything but one wand and a couple of bracelets by noon. Unfortunately, the FF lasts until 2:00, so I had to pack up early and go home.

Don't get me wrong. Last year's FF was a huge financial success. It's just that I could have sold a whole lot more if I had made more stock. So this year, I'm starting early. At this writing, I have already made five headband bases. I need to do a run to Michaels for some supplies, though. I need more 1/4" dowels for my wands, some sparkle felt for the stars, and I used up most of my ribbon supply last year, so I have to replenish that, too. I should be able to get everything I need for about $30. I'll make that back easily. Nothing on my table is marked more than $4, and I think that's why I sell so much. The headbands, wands and Fairy Bling are shiny enough to attract the attention of the little girls and priced low enough that the parents/grandparents don't mind spending a few dollars at my table.

Anyway, the FF will be my first craft show of 2011 and I am really looking forward to it. I also am working with my class reunion committee. The Central High Class of 65 (along with the classes of 66 and 67) will be holding their 45th class reunions in July. We started doing the joint reunions five years ago. It seems that none of our classes can get enough folks to come in order to make it financially feasible. Joining the other two classes lets us enjoy the company of people who were at school with us, while keeping the overall costs down, which in turn gets more folks to come. That will be something to look forward to during the summer and I can't wait to see everyone. But in the meantime, I'll be here working on my Fairy Bling for the Fairy Fest in May. Happy crafting, everyone!

Bad Start to a New Year

It's been a while since I posted anything here. Primarily because I had a really bad December and January. You see, I caught a cold right after Thanksgiving and it hung on for a while. I was starting to feel a lot better by Christmas, but that changed really quickly the last week of the year.

It was a very cold Monday and I got dressed and went to the post office for the mail. I was wearing my hat, gloves, and winter coat. I didn't realize just how cold the air was or I would have also added my scarf. But I didn't have it on, and my first breath in of the frigid, icy air started my sinuses dripping big time. It was like someone had turned the faucet on high and I was not only constantly blowing my nose, but I was always coughing, too. I had a miserable Monday and when I got up on Tuesday, my temperature was over 100. I took whatever cold meds I had in the house and hunkered down to try to get rid of what I believed at the time was a major cold.

New Year's Eve came and went, and I was still running a high fever. I was only eating soup and some bread and jelly once in a while. I felt so bad. I went out on Friday to get more OTC cold meds and cough syrup and drops as well as more tissues (I had gone through two full boxes in four days). I also stopped to pick up a few groceries and headed back home. I was coughing so hard that I started getting traces of blood in my phlegm.

On January 4, I called my doctor and told them what was happening, or at least I was trying to tell them. By that time, I had lost my voice and was barely able to say anything. Anyway, the doctor called in a script for an antibiotic for me and, for the first time in 2011, I left my house and went to Walgreen's to pick up the medicine. The doctor also wanted to see me the following week as a follow-up. I called Walgreen's two hours after the doctor's office called in the script, but it wasn't ready yet. They told me it would be another 20 to 30 minutes. I told them that I would be there.

I got dressed and drove the 12 miles to the Walgreen's. I waited in line for about 5 minutes and got to the window and asked for my script. Guess what? It wasn't ready. I croaked out that I had been told that it would be ready in about 30 minutes and that had been an hour earlier. I asked them to please get it done soon and went to sit down. At first, the lady said it would probably be another hour, and since I couldn't yell because of my throat, I started to cry. I told her that I didn't think I could last an hour and they had already promised it to me earlier, so she should push the pharmacist to get it done quickly. After all, I was running a temperature and was very contagious. So I sat there coughing and coughing and coughing. No one would come near me and I'm sure that a few folks complained to the pharmacy staff about me sitting there. The result was that they had my script ready in 15 minutes and I was finally able to head back home.

The doctor had given me Clindamyacin which I started taking twice a day as soon as I got home. I was still going through a lot of cough medicine and tissue. At one point, I pulled out a roll of toilet paper to use for tissue since I was once again out of the tissue. Anyway, the antibiotic did help a little during that week and on the following Monday, the 11th, I went out of my house for only the second time that month and headed for the doctor's office. My appointment was late in the afternoon and I was late getting there, so they made me wait until everyone else was taken care of before they got around to me. I just sat there in a corner of the office, coughing and blowing. At one point, I was coughing so hard that I couldn't catch my breath, but eventually it eased up, and I was finally taken to an examine room.

They did the usual routine - took my weight, did my blood pressure and asked me if there were any changes in my medication. They also asked what brought me in to see the doctor. I just looked at the nurse and started coughing and blowing my nose and croaked, "I have this really bad cold which I think has gone into bronchitis and my left ear is now blocked and I'm having trouble hearing." She said, "I'm sorry, I can't understand you." I just shook my head and looked at her. She was a pissy little bitch and was set on teaching me a lesson because I had been late. I let it go 'cause I was just too sick to really care. Anyway, she left me alone in the room and said that the doctor would be right in.

Forty-five minutes later, I opened the door and asked one of the nurses if I had been forgotten. She seemed to be surprised to see me, but said that doctor would be with me shortly, and he was there within 5 minutes. I can't prove it, but I think PLB put me in the room and failed to let the doctor know that I was there. If I could prove it, I'd have her fired. Anyway, the doctor came in and checked me out. He said that he didn't think I had a cold, but that is was a severe sinus infection. He changed the antibiotic to one he thought would be better (bactrim ds) and referred me to an ENT for the ear problem. His office couldn't set up an appointment for me with the ENT right then since they had kept me until after 5:30 and the ENT's office was closed. So they called the next day and set me up with an appointment that Friday with the ENT's audiologist.

I went into the ENT's office on Friday, where they tested my hearing and made me repeat words (I still had no real voice) for 30 minutes. The audiologist said that the doctor would have to see me, so she took me to an exam room where I waited for almost an hour (55 minutes) for the doctor to come in. My original appointment started at 8:45 and the doctor finally came in to see me at 10:55. He told me that he was going to put a spray in both nostrils to numb them and then he would be able to use a camera through the nostril to examine my throat. When the numbing agent was put into my nose, I started having a panic attack 'cause it was also numbing my vocal chords and throat. It took me about 5 minutes or so to get myself back under control and the doctor was able to feed the camera up and see my vocal chords. The upshot was that all of the coughing had indeed done some damage. He gave me some aerosol saline to shoot up my nose several times a day and told me to buy a 12-hour Afrin, too. He wanted to see me back in two weeks. It was almost noon when I left his office (three hour appointment).

I headed over to the Walgreens to pick up the second antibiotic and the Afrin, more tissue, cough syrup and cough drops. Then it was back home for more sleep and some food, and, of course, more meds. The following morning, Saturday, I got up for the first time in three weeks without a temperature. Of course, it went up during the day and was back over 100 by the time I went to bed that night, but I felt that I had finally turned the corner. The saline spray seemed to be helping a lot and the Afrin was drying up the sinuses nicely. Once I stopped the sinuses, I didn't cough as much and that led to my throat feeling better. By the time I returned to see the ENT on Feb. 4, I was pretty much over the worst and on my way to finally getting better. That appointment was only the 4th time this year that I had been out of the house.

I am now pretty much back to normal and have made it a priority to get out of the house three or four times a week. I'm working with my high shool reunion committee and that has given me a reason to really get moving again. It is surprising how much muscle tone you can lose when you don't get out of the house and move for a month. Here's hoping that the rest of the year continues in a much better vein than January. I really do have to look into moving somewhere with warmer winters. It's apparent that my body will no longer tolerate those sub-zero temperatures without rebelling. Maybe next year.

Living in a Tea Party America

I just finished reading an article about a small town in Western Tennessee. It seems that an elderly man in the rural area who had not sent in his $75 fire protection fee (the charge for folks who don't live within the town limits) had a fire at his home. His grandson was burning trash and the wind blew embers on top of the trailer home and set it on fire. The man called 911 and pleaded with them to come help save his home and his four pets. He even offered to pay double the fee. The fire department came, alright, but only to protect his neighbor's house (who had paid the $75). They made no effort whatsoever to save the man's home or his pets. The firemen just stood their and watched the home burn to the ground, killing the three dogs and one cat. Their excuses - we have to follow the rules, he didn't pay the $75 and we aren't allowed to help him. What a heartless bunch of crap!

I cannot believe that not one of the dozen or so firemen who came out to protect the neighbor's property had the guts to stand up for what is right and try to save that man's house. The article says that the whole town is outraged by their inactions. I wonder if those firemen can even look their own family and neighbors in the face after what they did not do.

Later in the day, the man's grandson went into town to discuss what had happened and ended up punching out the Fire Chief, giving him a black eye. The grandson was arrested and charged with aggravated felony assault. It seems to me that it should have been the Fire Chief and his boss, the Town Manager, who should have been arrested. The Town Manager is still defending the non-action of the fire department and the ridiculous $75 fee for fire protection services. I wonder how much of that fee goes straight into his pocket.

Here's an idea - fire the Town Manager and use his salary to cover the fire protection service fees of all of the rural homeowners. I'd bet you would even have enough left over to pay for a new trailer for that poor man. As it is, if that family is smart (and I'm pretty sure they will be), the town is going to have to pay a whole lot more by the time the lawsuits are finished. I cannot believe that any judge or jury would find in favor of the Town Manager and the Fire Department.

Is this what life in America is going to be like from now on? Are essential services only going to be given to those who can afford to pay? I hope not since I am on a very limited budget and, if I were in the same circumstance as that man in Tennessee, would probably not be able to pay the fee either. And while I don't own a house, I would be very afraid that if I had a medical emergency, the EMTs wouldn't come to help me if I hadn't paid some fee that I couldn't afford in the first place.

As the members of the Great Generation and the Baby Boomers start dying out, and the power for change is handed to the Me Generation and the GenX crowd, I worry greatly about the disappearing social safety nets that were put in place all those years ago. Can it be that we've actually raised a couple of generations of people who don't have a social conscience? I hope not. If we have, then we'll start seeing many more stories like the one above. There will be a whole lot of younger people just standing around and doing nothing while the lives of others are being destroyed. And that's really un-American.

The Heat of Summer

I am sitting here this morning with the door open, enjoying an infrequent, cool morning. The temperature outside is a mere 70. I'm sure that it will be going up later, but for now, it is just right. I just wish we had had more mornings like this during the summer. Instead, we have been in an oven since late June.

My last post prayed for the end of winter and the beginning, finally, of spring. It seems that Mother Nature forgot to have spring this year. We went from the rainy misery of April and May straight into the blast furnaces of June, July and August. I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say that we had a record number of days over 90 this summer. And here we are, at the end of August, still having to run the air conditioner due to the excessive heat.

These horrible heat waves (and there have been a couple of breaks, so it is plural) have severely limited my outdoor activity. Some days, the air conditioner has gone on at 10am and stayed on until after 10pm. A couple of days, I haven't turned it on and simply sweated through temperatures in the high 80s. When the temperature is so high with the amount of humidity that we get here in Illinois, it is extremely hard to draw a full breath outside of an air-conditioned environment. Short trips to the post office and to get groceries (by car) and walks across my parking lot to the garbage dumpster have been about it. And that's a shame because I finally have a doctor who has found the correct medication to help my arthritis and I would have been capable of doing a lot more, if it hadn't been so darn hot!

Anyway, school started here yesterday, and that is usually a harbinger of cooler weather. Unfortunately, it appears that the little break in the weather that we're experiencing this week (mid 80s instead of mid 90s) is only that - a little break. The forecasts have the temperature climbing back up into the high 80s and mid 90s again next week, and staying there for a couple of more weeks, at least.

Ah, well, I'm sure that in a few months, we will all be wishing for some of this hot weather to warm us up. One thing that I've noticed in my lifetime is that every really hot summer is usually followed by a really long, cold, snowy winter (have you noticed the tails on the squirrels lately?). So, I'm going to sit back and continue to enjoy this lovely cool morning while I can. By the way, in the time it took me to write this entry (about ten minutes), the temperature has risen to 74.

Will Spring Ever Really Come?!

Here it is, May 12, and the temperature outside is 55 degrees - still. We had some really nice weather a few weeks ago, but since then, it has been cold and damp and dreary. I've been spending most of my time indoors getting rid of a cold. In one way, it has been driving me nuts being so house-bound. But, in another way, it has been a productive time. I have actually been working hard on my county fair entries during this time.

So far, I have managed to work on four crochet projects, all of which are in different stages of doneness (is that a word). I am almost finished with a shawl that I'm crocheting using a bamboo blend yarn (very soft and eco-friendly). I have a baby afghan that is about half-way done and I've designed a table runner from cotton yarn that should be done soon, too. The big item (actually, the smallest but most technical) is a pair of crochet socks. I've never crocheted socks before, but I was intrigued by the pattern (they have two cables down the front), and I really love the feel of sock yarn. The socks start by making the toe sections. Easy-peasy. Then I started working on the foot of the sock.

I have been working on the first sock for four days now and am finally getting to the heel gusset. The reason for that is that last night (very late last night) I realized that I had been doing the cable pattern incorrectly, which is why the cable didn't look like one. So, at 11 pm I ripped out everything that I had done, back to the first cable switch and re-worked the entire foot back to where I had ended earlier. I then added two more sets of the pattern to take it to the length it needs to be to start the foot gusset before I finally went to bed - at 5 am this morning. It now sits there waiting for me to begin the next section, which I'll probably do some time this afternoon. I've been reading the pattern, trying to make sure that I actually understand what the next step is. I don't want to rip anything out again if I can help it. And to think that when this sock is finished, I have to finish the second one, too.

I have also been working on a counted cross stitch project for the past few weeks, too. I've also finished the top for a new lap quilt. Since I've picked out 27 items that I want to enter into the fair, I really need to keep working on them now. Don't want to be rushing to finish everything the weekend before the fair judging. (LOL - I'm always rushing to finish things at the last minute. It's when I do my best work.) I actually have started on 10 of the 27 items and have chosen the designs for another 10, so far. If I can keep up this pace, I should have all of the entries in the works by June 1. Of course, the real problem is getting them all finished by the end of July. We'll see. I may have to pare down my list of entries.

In the mean time, I will keep working away on the projects I have started, all the while wishing that the weather will finally warm up and I can get out of the house more. Or at least, open the door to let fresh air in without freezing!

Getting Closer to Spring

Since my last post, we have made great progress towards spring. Although the temperatures this week are back on the low side, last week we had several days in the mid-60s and it felt great. The weatherman promises that the temps will go back up again by early next week, and I think that we just might have a pretty Easter this year. Of course, I'm not sure yet where Easter will be. We've got two people who want to host it, so no decision yet. I'm sure we'll figure it all out this week-end. In the meantime, I'll just go ahead and make my Easter projects for the greats.

I love my fellow crafters on-line. They always manage to find me some really great ideas. Take this year's Easter project for the greats. I usually fill a couple of dozen eggs with money and candy for the Easter Egg Hunt, but this year, I've decided to give each of the kids a carrot for Easter. Yes, I said a carrot. Thanks to one of my cyber-sisters, I found the instructions for making Easter carrots a few weeks ago. I won't explain the process here except to say that they are really cute. I'm making a couple of moderations to mine, but here's the link to the original posting for those who want to see what I'm talking about: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/easter/jelly-bean-carrots.shtml It's a really cute craft for Easter.

Speaking of crafts, in my last post, I was lamenting about my lack of crafting ambition. Well, I must have sparked my crafting muse, 'cause since then I've done a bunch of stuff. I did more work on the quilt that I talked about, made 5 new pieces of jewelry (including finishing a beaded cabuchon broach and a white pearl bridal necklace), and started a simple sweater for myself out of sock yarn. I had bought 3 balls of the yarn to try to make myself a pair of socks, but I didn't really have the patience to figure out the sock pattern. Instead, while watching a needlework program on TV, I was inspired to create a simple, block-type of sweater using the yarn. Of course, I had to go back and buy more yarn in order to finish it, but I am happy with how it is turning out and it will be a nice little topper for spring. I hope to have it finished for Easter.

I also went through the premium book for the Kankakee County Fair, which is scheldule for the first weekend in August, and made a list of the items that I'd like to enter. I came up with 27 of them. Based on projects that I currently have working and others that I've wanted to try for a while, I'm pretty confident that I can get most of them finished in time. But only if I keep crafting, so I'd better get back to it. The sweater is my first priority. Maybe I'll be able to post some pics later. Until then, I hope all are well and happy. Later.

So, Enough with Winter, Already!

Here it is, February 4, and we're expecting another 1-2 inches of snow today. The temperature is in the low 20's and it has been overcast for days. I have no motivation to do anything, whatsoever. These mid-winter blahs are just getting me down.

Not that I don't have some creative ideas. I do. It's just that the weather is causing me pain in my hands and it's hard to force myself to work when they hurt so much. I've got pain medicine that helps, but it's so strong that I end up in a fuzzy state for most of the day. (Case in point, I took a pill about 30 minutes ago and it's starting to kick in. I'm trying to finish this entry and my breakfast before the fogginess kicks in.) Fuzzy states are not really conducive to being productive.

And I really have some great things that I want to work on. I took one of my "jelly rolls" of Moda fabric (a wonderful group of colors called "Allspice Tapestry") and have designed a simple, but unique, quilt top. The first step of the process is sewing four strips together before cutting them into blocks. I have the fabrics all sorted and put into groups, but I have only managed to get one group sewn together so far. I'm going to try to get the other nine finished today, then I can iron the seam allowances and cut the blocks and arrange them. The pattern is a simple "Warm Wishes" type with a slight design change and, if I wasn't feeling so blah, I probably could have had it finished in a day. But here I am, a week later, and no closer to being finished than I was the day I started it. UGH!

I've also laid out the designs for a couple of wedding jewelry sets. I know that I have all of the materials that I need to make them, but every time I think about starting them, I rub my hands and think of what all that fine workmanship will do to the pain level in them. So, there sit the idea layouts, just waiting for me to get to the motivation to actually make them.

I've also started thinking about what I want to enter into this year's county fair. It's only five months away, so I need to get started on those projects now in order to have them done in time. And while I'm pretty sure about what I want to make, I just haven't been able to make myself get started. Knowing me, though, I won't really get into production on those items until May, which means that I'll have to work like a demon to get everthing ready before the deadline. Ah, well.

Like I said, I've just got those mid-winter blues and I sure wish the sun would show up soon. Even opening the living room blinds doesn't make it any brighter in the house. It just let's me see just how miserable it is outside. SIGH! I really hate winter.

New Great-Niece

I'm a great-aunt again! The baby girl was born at 12:26am on December 30, 2009. She weighed in at 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. And is she ever cute! (I'm posting her picture so you can see that I'm telling the truth.) She is my sister, Diana's eighth grandchild, and was welcomed by dad Darin, mom Jill, and big sister Zoe'.

We were beginning to think that she was never going to put in an appearance. At Christmas, Jill was nicely huge, in that beautiful pregnant way. She had hoped that the baby would have come before then, but no such luck. Jill went to see her doctor on her due date, December 28th. He told her that he wouldn't induce until she was five days past her due date. Luckily for Jill, she only had to wait another day and a half before her labor started in earnest.

And the result was this beautiful little girl who's name is Jade Katherine Bowers. Welcome to the family, Jade.

Oh, How I Hate The Cold

Well, winter is really, really here. The temperature outside, according to WeatherBug is -2 right now. -2!. I had gotten up early, planning on going to church, but I decided to find out what the temperature was just to be on the safe side. I'm glad I did. No going out yet for me. You see, I have two titanium knees, and they don't like the cold at all.

One of the admonitions that my doctors had give me after my knee replacement surgeries many years ago was to avoid frigid temperatures whenever possible. I didn't really pay too much attention to that during the first two years after my knees were replaced because the winters had been mild ones. Only a day or two during each of those winters had dipped into the single digits, temperature wise. And then it happened. My third winter with my new knees, I had driven over to the train station in the morning to head downtown to work. The temperature was in the low twenties. During the day, however, a cold(er) front moved in, and by the time I got home that evening, the temperature was only about four degrees above zero.

I hurried from the station to where my car was parked. Since I was able to park in the "Handicap" section, my car was about 150 feet from the door of the station. I got to the car, opened the door, and went to sit down in the car. A strange thing happened. My left knee would not bend. I had to manually force the knee into a bent position to get it into the car. After letting the car warm up for a few minutes, I drove the eight blocks home and pulled into the garage. I opened the car door and had to use the leg of my slacks to pull my left leg out of the car. I was panicked.

Once I got inside, I immediately called my doctor's service. He called me back a few minutes later and asked what was wrong. I told him about my left leg. He said, "Are you nuts? What were you doing outside in these kind of temperatures?" He then reminded me that I had been warned by both him and my orthopaedic surgeon to avoid extremely cold weather. He told me that once the knee joint warmed up I would be fine, but that I should never, never, never go out in the cold if the temperature was below ten degrees. It seems that titanium doesn't really like the cold very much.

I have, of course, gone out when the temperature was below 10, but I always make sure that I have extra covering over my knees. I wear tights under my slacks and I alse wear my long winter coat instead of the more stylish short jacket. After all, I was still working until last year, and I couldn't afford to take off every time the temperature dropped too low. I have to admit, though, that it is nice not to have to get so dressed up to go out in such cold weather. As the years have gone by, my joints have all come to dislike the cold as much as my knes, which brings me to this morning.

I had planned on going to church this morning, but after seeing what the temperature is, I have decided to stay put in my apartment until the mercury starts to rise. It's supposed to get up to 15 by this afternoon and I'll try to go out then. I haven't been out of my apartment since last Monday due to the cold, and I need to pick up some groceries. In the meantime, I will continue to dress in layers and layers to keep warm. I hope you all are keeping warm, too.

The Difference Between Big City and Rural Life

Something very nice just happened. There was a knock at my door, and when I opened it, the two little girls from upstairs were standing there. They asked my permission to clean the snow off my car. I said sure, "How much do you want?" They just looked at me with strange expressions on their faces. I said, don't you want any money to do it, and they said no, we just want to clean off the snow. I said, okay, just be careful. And right now, they are working diligently cleaning off the almost four inches of snow piled on my car.

And therein is the difference between life in a small rural town compared to life in a big city. When I owned my house in a rather large suburb of Chicago, I would have youngsters come knock on my door and offer to shovel my sidewalk and driveway, too, but for a price. I usually took them up on their offers as long as they weren't too expensive since snow shoveling is not one of my favorite things to do. Having arthritis in my joints, my body does not really like the cold, so I try to stay as warm as possible during the winter. Having someone else shovel the snow and clear my walks and driveway was an absolute must.

Anyway, my point to this post is that here in the small rural town where I live now, these two young ladies not only aren't charging me for cleaning off my car (they are almost finished as I write this), they even came to my door to ask my permission before they did it. And I think that is a very nice thing for them to do. Hmmm, I just might have to fire up the oven and bake some cookies this afternoon, since they wouldn't take any money. After all, one good turn deserves another!

Merry Christmas to All

I had a wonderful evening with my family yesterday. The new baby was there, but still inside of her mom. She's reluctant to put in an appearance for some reason. All but one of my twelve other "greats" were there, too. Unfortunately, poor Michael had to stay home with his dad Mike 'cause, as his big sister Hannah put it, he had "green snot". I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it sounded pretty bad and his mom didn't want to take the chance that he would infect the rest of the kids.

The rest of us, though, had a very pleasant dinner followed by a modified gift exchange. We used to make a huge production over Christmas Eve dinner, but this year we took a more laid-back approach. There was fried chicken (from J.R.'s), lasagne (from GFS), and a couple of salads, along with desserts (pies by Marie Callender and cheesecake by Eli's). The order of the day was EASY. We also told the nieces and nephews that they didn't have to bring anything. I brought the two pies, my brother and his wife brought the cheesecake. Two of my sisters, Karen and Diana, split the cost of the chicken and the third sister, Janis, bought the lasagne. A couple of the kids did bring things like cookies and candies and a cheese tray, but nothing complicated. As a result, we were all able to sit down to dinner without too much fuss.

After dessert,the gifts were handed out. We had decided that only the aunts and uncles would buy for only the greats instead of the whole family exchange that we used to do. We didn't want any of the nieces and nephews to feel bad because they couldn't afford to buy for everyone. Afterall, the recession has hit us just like it has everyone else. So, the rule was nothing excessive. I sewed a little goodie bag for each kid that I put a toy, a baggie of cookies and candy, and a marshmallow lollipop in. Someone else gave each of them a puzzle, someone else had given them socks, another gave another little toy, and Uncle Mike was the big hit when he gave each of the kids a little case that contained a $15 universal gift card.

We all sat around chatting for a while and telling stories of Christmases past. Everyone went back to the dessert table for seconds (thankfully). Then we started packing up and heading for home. We had spent almost three hours together without anyone having to stress out over a big to-do with a big dinner and tons of presents (trust me, when there are 30 family members exchanging gifts, it is a very big to-do and a whole lot of presents). I think that this was one of the best Christmas Eve get-togethers that we've ever had.

This morning when I first got up, I put a loaf of whole wheat bread into the oven to bake. Once it was done, I headed to Christmas morning mass with Karen, Diana and Ken (Diana's husband). Janis and her family had gone to the 4:30 mass yesterday before the dinner and had gone to Indiana for Christmas with her daughter-in-law's family early this morning, and Mike and Dawn (my only s-i-l) were on their way to dinner with their daughter, who had to work last night. After mass, we went to Karen's house for coffee and Christmas cookies. Karen's husband, Hap, had to work today. He went in for 8am and is scheduled to work until 11pm. Karen was going down to her daughter's for dinner today and Ken and Diana were headed for their daughter's house to see what Santa had brought the kids.

I headed back home, fixed myself a nice ham salad sandwich with my fresh baked bread. Then I sat down in my recliner and watched a couple of Christmas movies on television. I had turned on my Christmas tree lights and just enjoyed the feeling of not having to do anything or go anywhere. And I am very glad that I didn't have to drive anywhere since the rain that was coming down this morning, turned to snow by about 2pm. And, it is very windy out there. Better to stay in my nice, warm apartment. My friends had invited me to come to their house which is about 20 miles away, but I had told them that I was worried about what the weather was going to do. Looks like I was right. I'll just try to get out to see them sometime in the next few days.

In the meantime, I hope everyone had a really good Christmas, too. I also hope that Santa was good to you all, and not just with gifts. I hope that he brought all of you the true gift of this season, too. Merry Christmas, everyone!