Cute pics to share

Baby Octavia

A sweet Cabbage Patch Kid. Wish you could see the detail better, but lovin' those dimples! She is a doll baby for certain.

Thank you for all the sweet comments on my past post. I am so blessed to have gotten my job. They are treating me amazing! Very caring and appreciative. And oh so encouraging! That alone goes a LONNNNNG way. 

I am blessed. ~Angela

Crochet Class 101

This Saturday, Penny and I will be vendoring and teaching a beginning crochet class. Here is the info...

What: 9th Annual Woolkeepers Hook-In

When:  September 8th, 2012
Where:  Camp Camby Conference and
    Retreat Center 
10740 East County Road 700 South
 Camby,  Indiana 46113
When:  9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

This is a fun show with awesome vendors. The main focus is on rughooking, but there is a wide variety of hand-did and folk art represented. We have only missed 2 years vendoring

Here is the project we will be working on.

 A small coin purse teaching chain, slip stitch, single crochet and half double stitches. Hopefully we will have some new crocheters come out with smiles on their faces! 

Thankful for the much needed rain we received over the holiday weekend. Our grass actually needs to be mowed for the first time in weeks! My veggie plants looks so much happier also. 

I am blessed. ~Angela

Pay It Forward

I love doing this. I joined up at Polka Dots & Rick Rack. And am now offering you the opportunity to play along. Here is how it goes...the first 3 people to comment that they wish to join will be gifted a handmade goody from me within the next 12 months. (I always do it much much earlier to make sure I do not forget!). You in turn, post on your blog and do the same for the first 3 that join. And the lovin's just keep on going. I ask that you have an active blog. Makes it easier to get your 3 PIF friends. Be sure to post when you receive your pressie. Cause we are nosey like that. :o)

Sweet baby from the market trying on one of my hats. I couldn't remember if I had posted this or not. Worth posting again. Such a precious lil one!

We are supposed to be getting rain and cooler temps in the next couple of days. Praying it happens! Indiana certainly needs it. Penny and I missed the last 2 farmer's market Saturdays because of the temps being over 105 degrees. Crazy! She has to work this Saturday, so our Daddy is going with me. Should be fun!

I am blessed. ~Angela

Mindless makes me happy

This is a pretty shawl I am working on. My poor lupus hands are screaming. But I have to crochet! It is a needful, gotta do, kinda thing. For my sanity you know. This yarn is very pretty. Soothing, restful colors that do not overwhelm my senses but just lets me flow along. It has a grey twist to it that makes it very nice. Will post when I have it finished. Working on a few bigger pieces for our autumn/winter shows. I have another shawl started in more folkart colors. It is a triangle shawl. I have been calling it The Beast. hahaha I never have 2 projects going. I know I am strange. It  stresses me to know there is something unfinished and I have started another project. But The Beast is soooooo beastly and I needed a break. Just a bit of hooky time here and there. 

We got rain!!!!! Bunches today!!!! The entire area has had a good drink today. So thankful for the farms and our gardens. The poor outdoor animals. It has cooled off a great deal also. 

I am blessed. ~Angela

Farmer's Market time

It is time for our local farmer's market. Penny and I love participating in this wonderful community event. Here is just a glimpse of our booth today.

 My daughter Heather helped us today. Appreciated her!!

 Penny's hand painted and dyed wool yarn. Yummy stuff! More vibrant in real time. The sun was hitting that corner when I was taking pics and fuzzed up the shot. The booth beside us is the host tent. You can see their free coffee and water table. A great service to shoppers and vendors alike.

I am blessed. ~Angela

Hooky fun and sweet friends

Two things I love!

Here is a bit of my hooky love. I made this lil' Bethany Bear on the fly. Writing up the pattern as I went.Thinking I will make more of her. She is made from wool and is very lightly stuffed. Her dress is closed at the bottom. Her hanger is ricketyrack. Right now she is hanging on our everyday tree, but will go on the Christmas tree one of these days. There is no mouth, that is just the stitch holes. Doesn't look so obvious in person. Bethany is 7-inches tall.

Look at this sweet box of goodies my retreat girlies gave me. Amgela's Advent Box. Sorry the tag photo is not very clear. It is all adorable. There is a sewn bag with a tag for each day. I had to wait about 2 weeks before I could bust into this baby!!! Oh the agony. Thankfully I had other distractions, Thanksgiving here and chemo, to keep me occupied. I will share along the way some of the sweet things I received. Miss Laura's daddy built the box. It is an awesome gift in itself! These ladies are simply amazing and I am blessed to call them my friends. Their thoughtfulness and encouragement is just boundless. Thank you my lovelies! You know who you are!!! I love you.

Today is my sweet sister Penny's birthday. I hope you can hop over and give her a birthday greeting.

I am blessed! ~Angela

Staying busy!

We have been so busy. Farmer's Market is over for the season. BUT we did 2 shows the following 2 Saturday's. Both were wonderful shows. And now we are heading to our annual autumn retreat with our online quilting friends, Backporch Friends, tomorrow. Just one more sleep. Love my girlies!! Our May retreat will be our 10th year!!! We are planning some special things for that one don't ya know!!! Would love to have all of the past attendees who could, come back. I have also started a booth in an antique mall with my sister Debbie. It is a really nice mall, lots of primitives and a good overall variety of wares. Still in the getting it stocked phase.

Here is a photo our Market Master Laura, posted on Facebook. I look frumpy and dumpy, but it shows a corner of the booth and Penny's yarn. She has more than this, but has it at the cooperative right now.

And of course our hats. We nearly sold out. Seriously! It was crazy. I am going to be hooking it like mad to get some inventory to the places I have promised them. Penny too. We have already been planning what new things to make for the market next year. Gotta have something new each year to excite everyone.

Hope everyone is doing well. I am sending out special prayers and hugs to our dear friend Sandra who recently lost her precious husband Dave. 

I am blessed. ~Angela

 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
 Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Got it Done

 This batch of apple butter was 14 pints. I was very pleased with it. However, the next batch, I will make not quite as sweet. Although Mr. Mark LOVES it sweet. He ate a pint the first morning! Out of the jar! hahaha I also canned 4 pints of tomato juice. Thought there would be more, but that is what I got. Pleased with even that much. I am planning on making apple jelly next. Working my way down the list. Jars are on sale now with it being end of season. Now is the time to get them. Speaking of jelly. Have you heard that peanut butter is going sky high this winter? All the devastation in the southern states this year. We are going to try to stock up this week. Mr. Mark takes a lot of pb/j sandwiches in his lunchbox. Either for a snack or breakfast or lunch.

 This is a more girly monkey love hat.

Just two more of my hats. Screaming pink (and dark chocolate brown) huh? 

 Mark, Shayla and Toby at Mark's birthday party. Doesn't Shayla look festive. Our mom got the little girl's these flower leis to play with. Shayla LOVED hers! Said they made her feel fancy. It was so sweet. Except she took me to stop doing the hula dance. It was creepy!! That was hilarious. Me doing it and her saying that! Love that girl.

This week seems to be going fast. Hope everyone is getting to do something they love. Feed your passion my friends. Life is too short to not do something you enjoy!

I am blessed. ~Angela

Puttin' Up For Winter

On today's this week's agenda...canning tomato sauce and making apple butter. Both I haven't made in a long time and both we love need. I will let you know how it goes.

Penny and I had a good day Saturday at Farmer's Market. We sold 27 hats plus a couple other things. Not bad for 3 hours, plus set up and tear down time.It is funny how each week it seems one size is the one that everyone wants. And then the next week it is a different size. Here is a pic of some of Penny's yarn. This was taken at a recent show we vendored at.

The mats, I felted from wool. Great hot pads or table toppers.

My lupus is flaring up some right now. Just an all over hurting you cannot get away from. Thinking of trying a new medicine the doctor had suggested. But hate all the side effects that can come with it. The disease is bad enough! Still praying about it and taking what my regular meds.

Pray Monday is the start of a blessed week for everyone.

I am blessed. ~Angela

Autumn Busyness

I snitched this photograph from our market master Laura, of Orange County Homegrown. It was taken at a vendor's booth at farmer's market. We are in the last month of market now. BUT our busyness is not over. Penny and I have shows the first two Saturdays of November. THEN we get to play with our buddies at our November Quilt Retreat the next week. We are also joining an artisan shoppe. The French Lick Artisan is located in the next county. It is a very rural community with a historic history that goes back to the 1800's. The community has done amazing things in developing a gorgeous travel destination. Five star hotels, PGA golf course, historic train rides and much more. Just a great area and we are happy to be a part of this shoppe. That is next week's project. Thankful my hands have kept working. I have been a crocheting constantly it seems. It's a good thing.

I am blessed! ~Angela

The start of my homestead :o)

But first you have to see this cutie patootie. Precious baby, Cooper Stone. Isn't that the coolest name? His mommy Ashley, has a lovely family in the mountains of Utah. I just had to share a baby hat with her. I do not get to make many boy items. Was hard not to add a flower! She shares more pics of him on her blog.

 Now onto my "homestead". A worm farm for composting and my veggies and flowers. :o)

I used a large plastic tote with a lid. Made a few holes around the top of the base for air holes using a nail and hammer. Mark has hid the drill or something. He wasn't here to ask about it. I created a mixture of shredded paper (thank you Penny), grass clippings, garden dirt and compost. All this was moistened well. I will check it tomorrow to see if it is damp enough. I was cautious about over watering it today. Boiled egg shells were added also. AND some of Penny's yummy bunny poo. That stuff is pure nectar for plants. I bought red wiggler worms. You are not supposed to use earth worms or night crawlers. For whatever reason. Then I popped the wormies into their new home and said "go forth and populate". :o) Supposedly the egg shells and the bunny poo make the wormies frisky and they reproduce more and faster. Interesting TMI huh? The more wormies, the more compost. So this is my first adventure into having a "homestead". Will keep you posted...on if I kill them or if I conquer being a Worm Farmer! yeeehaaaaaaw

I am blessed. ~Angela

Baby sweetness

Is this tooooo sweet or WHAT? I mean seriously, look at this precious, innocent face. She is one of my customer's grandsugar, in one of my hats. I have complete grandsugar envy by the way...

Things have been pretty hectic around here with family health issues, various appointments and your basic Life issues. Penny and I are working towards 2 fiber shows in April also. Being sick for 8 weeks with pneumonia did not fit into my plan. But then, no one asked me. So trying to play catch up on my crafting. I need to take some new pics. Yes people, I have been doing something besides crocheting. :o) Finished up some tiny painted pieces and working on pincushions.

Loving my spring flowers that are blooming. Stupid squirrels ate more of my bulbs this winter. Only one set of tulips came back, out of 3! Will be replanting in the fall. Thankfully they didn't take my purple hyacinths though. I would have been very sad. Stupid squirrels!

Hope your flowers are blooming and the birdies are waking you up with their chirpy songs of spring. The best alarm clock ever!

Somebunny loves you

 

Penny is at it again. Meet Sebastain. He is an adorable Lilac French Angora. Just a few months old. And too precious! I would love to have an English Angora, like her Sunny bunny, but am afraid I wouldn't be able to take care of it. Some days I cannot take of Toby, Timmy and me. Let alone another dependent. But they are just so doggone stinkin' cute! So yes, I have bunny envy. We are doing two fiber shows in April. And oh my! There will be so many bunnies who will be calling my name.... Mark would be giddy. He had rabbits as a kid, raised them for 4-H. He is pushing for one. Will I give in to peer pressure at 48? Yikes!

Speaking of precious. I am getting in to making the teddy bear hats. Someone asked about the patterns for my hats. They are all my own design.

Loving the warmer temps still. Especially the part of not hearing my furnace run!! Our gas bills have not been good. Not good at all. I know we are not alone. Everyone else is saying the same thing. I walked around outside today looking for green shoots of spring flowers. Nothing yet. But soon, soon. :o) God is good like that. Be blessed everyone.

Baby bear hat

 I thought this one was fun. Made from soft cotton yarn. More pics on Etsy. I am working on uploading more hats to the shoppe. It is time consuming!

We have had blessed sunshine the past two days! I am so very thankful. Today I have felt much better too. The doctor's office called me yesterday and said I am still testing positive for viral pneumonia, the 4th week. The only things I have accomplished has been keeping the bare basics of housework done (hubby always runs the sweeper) and my crocheting. But I guess that is enough. My current food favorites are soups, nutty bread toast with Nutella and fruit juice popsicles. Hope the sun is shining on you today! Be blessed.

Comfort food and hooky time

 Chicken and brown rice soup with carrots and celery. I made this for Penny and I and chili for Mark. It is just a soup time for us. Easy to swallow and warm in the tummy.

 Of course, I have been having some hooky time. Must have my hooky time. The photo above, is the unfelted bag. I used Patons Wool and a 5.5 (I) hook to create this felted granny square bag. I was so surprised how much it shrank. You honestly just do not ever know how felted projects will turn out. Part of the fun of it. The unfelted base was 18-inches square. It felted out to 10 1/2-inches! I had thought I would need to make a lining for it, but nope. It is dense enough to be nice without one. The pattern is just the most basic of granny square. I added 4 rounds of single crochet around the top before I did the handle. I always attached my handles before felting. I like the seamless look of it and knowing they will not come unattached, no matter the weight inside the bag. Will take it to the wool shows we will be vendoring at in April. Did you happen to notice the buttons on the sidebar? Penny and I will be at Greencastle and Charlestown both in April. And Farmer's Market will be starting mid-May.

 I had this great red button in my stash already which was a plus.

These are the cuties on my counter. All three were gifted to me. :o) And then there is Dollface Laura's sweet Valentine. Just a cheery spot when you come in the back door (which is my front door...you know they say back door friends are best). Can you see the cookbook peeking out of the basket? That was gifted to me by a co-worker of Mark's who knew I loved me some raggedies a couple years ago. I love cookbooks. Shame I don't actually cook....

Seventeen pictured and five more on the table. All sold as special orders. Love my cousin Kimmie Ann. She works at a hospital and has been packing a small suitcase around with my hats everywhere she goes. These are all 100% cotton except the cream one in the front, it is wool. I thank God I can work with my hands. Crocheting is something I can do without rattling moving my head about and I can just sit still and do it for hours. And I do. Sometimes I crochet 6-9 hours straight!

Miss Jaidy with one of her Aunt Angie hats. She is such a doll baby.

~Angela

Working away

These are on my Etsy. Have started working towards Farmer's Market and our spring shows.

I had a good report at the eye surgeon yesterday. He was pleased with things and that makes ME pleased. 

Hope everyone is staying warm and snotty nose free. Unfortunately, that last one has hit my family. 

~Angela

What in the world am I doing

Never thought this would be what I was crocheting. Oh well. Cuppycake anyone? :o)

Hand painted yarn

Here is a pair of small wool soakers I made from Penny's hand painted yarn. I love how it worked up. She will be listing her hand dyed and painted yarns on Etsy soon. This skein made me think of a froggy playing in a pond.

More pics here at my Etsy shop.

Health update, because some of your sweet ladies have asked. The new meds I have been taking once a week, stink. That crazy pill knocks me on my hiney and I do not even know my name for about 3 days/daze. The good news is I do not have to take it this week. Having a blood transfusion with platelets on Wednesday, so off the nasty medicine for a week. Sad when I am looking forward to this procedure which makes my head pound like a jackhammer. BUT at least I still know who I am. Trade offs work for me. I am easy like that. :o)