Been Awhile...

Hi, it's been awhile since I last wrote.   It's been awhile since I was in my sewing room too.  Earlier in the week, I made a commitment to myself to get back in my creative space and dedicate at least an hour of my time each day.

So I bought a tool to help me stay on track.  I set it for an hour and when the alarm goes off, if I decide to continue that's fine, if I'm ready to stop that's fine too but at least I get an hour of creative time.

Today, I made long sleeves to wear when I crochet for long periods of time.  I made them out of an old t-shirt I no longer wear.  The reason I did this is because a rash develops on top of my arms when I crochet for longer periods of time.  Its not on my hands or forearms.  So I was thinking maybe it is from lint or fuss that might come from the yarn.  So I'm going to try this and see if it helps.  If it doesn't then I will try switching to a crochet needle made of a different material than the ones I use now.

I've entered a Fat Quarter Swap! 

 Interested?  

Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://koolbeenz-blog.blogspot.com/2015/07/82-days-left-to-sign-up-for-august-fat.html

So what else have I been up to?  I found this cute little guy and cross stitched (or made an attempt at it) the bib he is wearing.  This was part of a baby gift.

You know I like to go to flea markets and such and last weekend I found this little treasure.  It's an instruction book from 1941.

Yesterday I cut some roses from my ground cover rose and took cuttings from one of my philodendron plants and made a small arrangement.

I think the major change from bringing them in from outside was to hard on the roses though because they were very wilted this morning.  So I took the roses out but left the philodendron cuttings as they will root.

 It's been very hot and humid here in Arkansas.  When I went outside somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. it was 95°F, this after it had started cooling down.

Yesterday was the first day, my dad sounded like himself in some time.  He has been in the hospital since June 4th, trying to recover from Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  He has been moved around so much, from facility to facility, that it has affect his dementia. He's tired of being in the hospital; he's tired of the time it is taking for him to recover and regain strength and mobility, but he is determined.

Okay... well I guess that catches me up with you all.   I hope all is going well for you and yours.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Sonia

Thursday Favorite

As the 4th of July approaches, I'm happy to know my dad is getting stronger every day and my niece Chloe is on the way and is scheduled to be born tomorrow.

New beginnings, new birth... isn't that what our country is all about?  The freedom to worship when and where you like; the chance to start all over again, learning from your mistakes and making better choices; the right to have your own thoughts and to agree or disagree with what's going on around you and the right to voice those thoughts.

Ben Franklin said "Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature".

So as you spend time with family and friends this weekend, whether grilling out and shooting off fireworks, or just chilling out watching a fireworks show, remember to thank God for the freedoms you have.

Hugs,
Sonia

One day down...

Hi, hope you had a great weekend.   Weekends never last long enough for me.  :)

Friday evening I caught this picture of the beautiful sky.  It was as the sun was setting after a storm.

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I tried out a recipe for Caramel Rolls.  I had to tweak it a little as I didn't have all the ingredients, but they turned out good.

Here's the recipe.

For Caramel:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut in slices
36 pecan halves
For Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
For Filling:
2 Tbsp soften margarine or butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Cinnamon

Heat oven to 450°F.  Place 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp butter and 3 pecan halves in each of 12 muffin cups; place in oven until melted.  Mix ingredients for dough, pour out on a floured surface, forming a ball and knead about 5 times.  Roll dough out into a 9" x 15" rectangle.  Spread the softened margarine/butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on the rectangle except for about 1/2" around the edge. Roll tightly from the long edge and pinch closed.  Cut into 1/2" pieces.  Place each piece on top of the melted caramel mix in the muffin cups.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When rolls are done, immediately turn pan upside down on a heat proof serving dish. Leave pan over rolls for 1 minute, then remove and serve (Remember leave pan on rolls only 1 minute, I left mine a little longer and some of the caramel wanted to stay in the pan).

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There's a great opportunity coming up for you to share your creative space with other bloggers.

Check out http://www.mydesertcottage.com/2015/06/its-party-time-again.html

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Also check out Vicki's giveaway.  http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-love-giveaway-for-you.html

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One day down... only four more days until the weekend.  :)

Until next time...

Hugs,

Sonia

My Favorite Thursday...

What a great way to end a hot summer day.

That's right a good bowl of strawberry swirl ice cream.

Relaxing, watching a little t.v. then this pops up on the screen.

Right in the middle of "Fat Guys in the Woods"... NO!...... and just as the guys were getting ready to weave mats out of reeds to sleep on!

If you are not familiar with the show you can check it out here.

I've only seen the show a few times now, but I must confess I'm a fan. :)


Okay... now... what is your favorite way to end a hot summer day?

Sonia

A needle, a little yarn...

Hello, hope this finds you doing well.

While dad was at Mercy in Springfield, MO there were times that mom and I could not be in ICU with him and the time I was there I didn't sleep much.

So what did I do?  With a needle, a little yarn and time on my hands I set to work.

• The morning that dad was flown to Springfield, I had packed some crochet work in my bag in case I wanted to work on something during the day at the hospital, not knowing that I would be driving around 200 miles north that day.

I had put some crochet circles made from left over yarn from previous projects and had planned on joining them together as a table runner or something.

I wound up doing something totally different.

This is  Crunch the snail - named by my nephew Lucan.

Here is an owl that is asleep and then awake.

Then I had to make something to carry them in.  It has a drawstring closure and I like the smaller handles on it.

Since I've been home and back at work... I haven't had the energy to do much more... have thought about quilting, crocheting, etc. but haven't done so.  Hopefully that will change soon.

Fore more detail on how these items were made, check out the Crochet Etc. tab at the top.

Until next time,
Hugs,
Sonia

A lot going on...

Hope this finds you doing well.

There's been a lot going on in my life of late.  You can learn more about it by checking out the My Walk tab.

Summer is almost here and if the weather continues as it has been we are going to have a wet summer.

The rain has been good for the flower garden.

David harvested kale out of the veggie garden today too.  We had it for dinner.

I've been planning for a set of place mats. I'm thinking of doing a seasonal theme, like summer or winter.

I plan to start on them soon.

I feel like I have gotten out of  my routine... hopefully I'll be back on track soon and blogging and keeping in touch with you all soon

Hugs,
Sonia

Treasures

Hi, thought I would share with you my treasures for this week.  I will signify them with a <> shape.

My work week was busy but it went fast, so I won't complain. :) <>

 Early in the week, I noticed the Asiatic Lilies were blooming. <>

I think they are pretty.




Then on Tuesday, the newsman said we had a full strawberry moon. <>  I of course had to take a picture and look that up.

It turns out, and you may already know this, but it turns out it got its name from the Algonquin tribe who used it to know when to gather ripening fruit.  I learned this little tidbit from  www.almanac.com  check it out for more information.

On Wednesday I caught this beautiful sunset on camera. <>

I can say this week has been blessed with beauty.

Thursday, I had an eye opening bible study at lunch.  Read more about it on the tab titled "My Walk". <>

I also received a call that my dad was taken to the hospital with a possible stroke.  He is still in the hospital having tests run.  He is clear minded and talking clearly but has lost all strength in his hands and legs. He is very positive mentally and spiritually.  Please lift him up in your prayers.  My husband also started running fever around midnight and is not feeling ill.  Please also pray for him.

Today, we had a potluck at work, due to one of our team members leaving for a better work opportunity.

So, since I munched off and on throughout the morning, I wasn't hungry at lunch.  I spent my lunch break wandering through a flea market in town.

I found this little treasure. <> A Weave-It in its original box, with the original pamphlet and instructions sheet.  The frame is made of wood with a series of triple prong sets placed all around the frame.

I did some research to find out the age of it.  I entered the patent number and the manufacturer.  I found it was patented in 1935, and this type frame was sold from the late 30's through early 50's.  I call it a treasure because I only paid $1.75 for it.  It's in great shape and I'm going to try using it and see what I come up with.

Well, that's my week in a nutshell.  :)  Don't forget to check "My Walk".

Have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Sonia