OPAM 2010 March Finish

I have been doing a lot of knit and crochet lately. I guess I can sit and do that while sitting next to hubby at night, so I like that. Plus I have an older machine, which I LOVE by the way, so it kind of makes a whirring noise that I'm afraid will wake the kids, overcome hubby's TV show, etc. etc. I have several projects on the needles, but I do have some finishes :) Here are my OPAM finishes for the month of March: Numerous knit dishcloths as gifts, to sell, and for the Batten Disease Auction and this crochet doughnut at the request of my daughter :0 I think it turned out pretty cute :) All the patterns are from Ravelry- my latest obesession! I have also been watching Quilting Arts on TV and I am working on a few concepts for art quilts. I am excited to get back to quilting, I just need to get more time and energy, argh!

Batten Disease

Yep, I'm still here! I am crafting like a mad woman in between homeschooling and going doctors appointments- I still don't know what is wrong. I am doing all this hard work in order to send gifts to be auctioned off to benefit research for Batten Disease. I have a friend who has two children with Batten Disease and it is a horrifying and always fatal disease. We need to eradicate this one as soon as we can! If you are interested in helping out, leave me comment and I'll get you more information. You can also go to my etsy store and purchase ANYTHING or request that I make something that you may have seen on my blog (knitted discloths, stuffed animal sweaters, knitted bags, Christmas stocking ornament, baby booties etc.). If you send me the word BATTEN somewhere in your purchase, I will make sure the entire purchase price goes to Batten Disease Research.

The Color Pink

As I was recently taking a look at my blog I realized something has happened to me in the last 10 years. Around 10 years ago, we found out we were having a baby girl ♥ Now I was a serious tomboy, even to the point that my parents gave me a shotgun for my birthday one year. I have only brothers and I jumped my bicycle on mounds of dirt that we dug up and packed hard to make a good ramp. I grew up around animals and showed cattle and trained horses. My first date was to the drag races and I thought that was the best. And I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER liked PINK. I mean I had a serious spiteful attitude toward pink. Other people might *gasp* wear pink, but I would not. I was entirely too good for pink. Because of that, I had a bit of anxiety about what having a girl would bring. But I figured she would be like me. Ummmm, that was mistake #1.

When my daughter was born she was so beautiful and I dressed her in all the little pink lace dresses that had been given to us by such loving and wonderful friends and family. This may have been mistake #2.

As she grew, I learned that I had made mistake #1 and that she, indeed, LOVED pink. Oh well, I thought, she will grow out of it... She, however, did not. Now she holds her own when it comes to being around animals and she is tough as nails. She can play with boys without any problems. Much of the time, however, she is an incredibly girly girl. Throughout the last 10 years, she has taught me such an incredible amount about femininity, wearing pink, tiaras, and the finer points of being a princess. And you know what, something happened in me. At first I just stopped hating pink, then I started to think of it as neutral. Then I began to think of her when I saw something pink, and I almost like it now, almost. She is now 10 and she said she didn't like a pair of pink shoes today for the first time. (Pink and shoes, what girly girl could resist, right?) And then I took a look at my blog. Ummmm, it is very pink. I did that without even realizing it. I think I have really started to like pink after all. Thanks sweetie, I needed that. I hope you continue to

love ♥ pink!

new family member

Here is a photo of our sweet darling new family member, Dakota. We got her, of all places, from Freecycle! She has a driving desire to please her humans and is just a sweetheart ♥ She is part Pointer and part Pit Bull (or should I say Staffordshire Terrier?). I just prefer the classic American term, Mutt. I think that mixed breeds are really the best anyway.
I am just so glad that we "found" her and that she has found us. The kids are ecstatic, since they have wanted a dog for such a long time. The kids have already discovered that she loves to chase the red sighting light from one of our Nerf guns and they are using it to teach her to close open cabinet doors. When she learns this trick (if?) I will post video.

OPAM 2010 February finish

I have not been doing a lot of creating, mostly trying to get well! But I do have a little time in the evenings to do some knitting and crocheting. I finished this little garland and have it hanging on my hutch in my dining area now :)

Kolette Hall "class" on her blog!

I have taken several classes at Big Picture Scrapbooking with Kolette Hall. She is a phenomenal woman and an amazing and inspirational teacher. She also makes the most beautiful artwork and downloads. The project we will be doing together is called "Needful Things" and it's about prioritizing and managing your life. We just happen to be using scrapbooking supplies to make a gorgeous notebook too! If you are interested in "playing along" with us, go to Kolette Hall's blog.

Here is what Kolette has to say about the project:

"Life Management.
That’s a tricky thing sometimes.  We all have unique lives – different families, different work situations, different homes, different adversities, different likes and dislikes, different personalities, different everything.  Because of the need to adapt strategies to fit our individual circumstances, learning how to manage our lives can be challenging."

OPAM January 2010 Finish

Hurray! I have my first finishes! I have been knitting these scarves for my mother and grandmother :) I'm a novice knitter, and these were pretty easy, from a patter I found at here at Ravelry.I'm excited to give them as gifts!

One Project A Month Finishes for 2009

We are starting a new OPAM for the year 2010! You can read more about how to join and rules etc.here or by clicking on the One Project A Month picture on the left hand side of my blog. I'm excited to get started!

Just for the record:
Jan.: car trash can

Feb.: peasant blouse

Mar.: DD's quillow

Apr.: pink peasant top

May: doll for Craft Hope

Jun.: bandana tops

Jul.: fall star quilt

Aug.: curtains

Sep.: embellished dish towel

Oct.: recycled denim skirt

Nov. and Dec.: oops, I missed these!

Being more GREEN!

I used to use fabric napkins exclusively and then when I had kids I got away from that somewhat. Well, I am going back to using fabric napkins in an effort to be more "green". AND I just like the pretty fabrics and the feel of them as well. I think that using "art" or pretty things in everyday life makes people happy, or it should; so that is my other reasoning.

I do have to wonder what the impact of using more water and detergent makes on the environment and if the switch is really worth it from that standpoint. Myabe I need to switch to an organic biodegradable detergent at the same time. I also know that the trees used in paper production are replanted when they are harvested so they aren't truly being deforested in every sense. They still are able to clean and purify air and cool the area by their shade. They provide habitat for animals, but have an impact on the fauna in the area when they are cut down and reseeded. I need to do more research. There seem to be so many factors. What do you think?

One Word

Ali Edwards picks a single word to inspire her throughout the year. I selected a word for last year and found it was very inspirational. I have picked a word for 2010!

We went to the beach several times over the last week, so I wanted to share a couple of photos I took :)

Fire damages Titusville church – Florida Today

Fire damages Titusville church – Florida Today

This is our church and it is a sad situation. Please pray for us and for those who perpetrated the act.

Santa's Festive Honeypot Swap

Thanks Julie!

I received the most gorgeous ornament from Julie in the swap through Snickerdoodle Dreams! You can see her stitching is just beautiful! I adore it :) It came all wrapped in a pretty package and with a wonderful card too! Merry Christmas!