MARCH EXITING AS WINTER ENDS?

March 27th, 2014 and it was 32F this morning, 18F yesterday morning and snow showers the day before that. Here's a video of a bit of those showers (note the winds!)

So, plenty of opportunity to stay indoors and craft! 

With Easter coming up soon, I decided to utilize some badminton birdies I had hanging around to craft some little egg-cover bunnies. 

I did that yesterday and today tried my hand at making a video tutorial. Here's how that turned out:

I think she's pretty cute and will make others since I have four of those birdies sitting around not doing anything (we haven't had a badminton game set up for at least two decades!).

We have had a few truly Spring-y days here so far and I made good use of those days getting my garden ready. My yard is not well-lit or optimal in any way for growing vegetables. The earth beneath our feet is typical hillside clay and rock with little topsoil. I've tried a number of spots to grow edible fare with only a few little successes: my asparagus bed, which held a wheel barrow full of rocks before it was finished with additional dirt and compost, the elephant garlic I grow everywhere (it goes where it wants to and is very good), and my perennials (daffodils, tulips, daylilies, hyacinths, peonies, hosta, snow flowers, cutleaf toothwart and toadstool trillium {both native wildflowers} and Solomon's seal). I just acquired a hellebore which survived and is showing new growth! I have a few shrubs that we love, too - a couple crepe myrtles, some rose of sharons, a hedge of kerria, and a flowering almond and redbud tree. 

My efforts this season will be concentrated on one square foot garden plot and a dozen containers in a spot untried thus far. I've had to lop down some brush and need to do a bit more, so that the sun's light will get to the plants for at least six hours total daily. That was the hardest part, to find that spot. I've set up a large garbage can to collect rainwater off the roof right behind the area. A friend offered me composted horse manure and my son's friend had his back yard bulldozed and has bags of nice, loamy soil for me. Hopefully this will serve as the majority of what I need to fill containers and the rest of the square foot area. 

The remaining challenge is to keep out the gophers, goats and other scavenging and ravaging wildlife that manages to get to my produce before I do. 

I am also looking forward to my first craft fair in which I will be a vendor, finally. It is a couple weeks away and I'm already nervously making lists and gathering items, drawing diagrams of how I'll lay out my props, and trying to make some spring-y, Easter-y, and baseball-y (it's coinciding with opening day for the Dixie Youth Association ball season) items and props to catch folks' eyes. 

I figure my little easter bunnies will be a nice decoration, too. 

I cannot imagine a Spring without birds, bunnies, flowers and pretty little girls in Easter dresses, so I found this marvelously cute pattern for a crocheted dress on the My Hobby is Crochet site (link: http://www.myhobbyiscrochet.com/2014/03/crochet-top-iris-child-size-3-5-years.html ) and by way of the Facebook page Myhobbyiscrochet. Thanks to Kinga, the curator, for a great, free pattern. Here's my first dress in rayon chenille using that pattern, I'm starting on another in cotton: 

I got those cute button from a shop on etsy.com. fabric-covered with a metal shank. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CottnLove

I love them and it's something I can't make myself and they're very reasonably priced.  

While I'm at it, my shop on etsy is 3Csshop. Stop by and browse when you get a chance. 

I'll even throw in a 10% off coupon code for you - 1STTIMER which is good through July '14. Use it at checkout for your discount to be applied.

Thanks so much for reading and visiting with me and allow me to wish you a lovely Spring, wonderful Easter season and blessings in the coming year to you and yours. 

The God of our fathers is a loving god who desires nothing more than our love in return for His. 

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Pray for World Peace 

#SOSVenezuela: Les étudiants venezueliens appellent AU SECOURS - I would love it if someone would translate or at least paraphrase the gist of this report in english. PLEASE!

The unrest in Venezuela is very troubling to me. I would like to get the real spin not the "official" or what authorities or mainstream media say is going on there. I know there are google-ers out there who live nearby or even in the same country. Let me hear from you about this. So far the US is not saying much except a certain past-nominee for President who says the people there are "tired of socialism." I'd prefer to hear it from someone who is living there. Thank you and bless you.

Missed February altogether!

I swore I'd blog at least once a month this year but, hell's bells, I didn't meet that goal, did I? In my defense, I have been very busy. I had several projects to finish that were put on hold by the Holidays. I did catch up finally, but then decided to participate in two Crochet-a-longs (CAL), one of which I've completed, and one Mystery Quilt project. Yes, I said QUILT! Yes, it's a pieced quilt, something I've attempted before, but didn't truly master. This one promises to be easy and do-able, so long as I can sew a 1/4 inch seam, cut and press properly. I won't lie, I'm scared! Fabric is expensive, first cuts petrify me most of the time, but, if I pull this off, it will be a 30 year dream fulfilled. I'm holding tight to that dream, too.

This is that first CAL project I mentioned. It is a Stripey Sampler Stitch Afghan and a stash buster. I'm keeping it. As you know, if you read my blog before, I have an ETSY shop (3Csshop) where I sell, mainly, my own crocheted items. However, there's no way I could part with this for any amount of cash. Really. The edges (not shown) came out wobbly, so I decided to cover them in fabric. Here's what I did:

First, I used felt fabric to even out the uneven sides, then I covered the felt with blue linen, pinning both sides so that the felt edges were caught beneath the folded seams of the linen. That was not as easy as one would think. 

Eh, voila'! This is how it came out! 

Not perfect but I think it's lovely and that's all that matters. Looks really nice draped over the end of my queen sized bed, too. 

The other CAL is a Red Hearts Yarn project. Theirs is in gray, mine is in shades of violet. So far I've done 10 inch granny squares - 10 of those- and one each of the three squares they've released thus far; actually I'm not quite done with the one that was released this past Wednesday. I'm not at all sure how many more squares there will be and they are only giving out the patterns for new squares every other week. No telling when that project will wrap up! Some folks participating are already joining the squares but not me, I've got to have them all before I know how I'll lay them out. 

Now, getting to the quilt, I've decided on my fabrics,

washed the fabric and, if all goes as planned, will spend the rest of today, pressing and cutting strips. If I have time, I will begin making squares from the strips. I do not expect to begin sewing until next week. Do wish me luck. Thanks in advance for that. I will need all the luck I can get.

UPdate - I kept that crocheted afghan. It's on my bed now and looks great still. Until next time, stay well, and

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

traditional gaelic blessing

Right Under Your Nose: Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll by Gene Brignola (NOOK)

Right Under Your Nose: Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll by Gene Brignola (NOOK)

Written by someone who grew up in my hometown about the same time I did. Must put this on my TO BE READ list.

NEW CALENDARS

To begin with, I've decided I need to get myself out there into cyberspace a little more than I have of late. So here's a couple of links to my creative and crafty showcases:           3Cs Shop on Etsy.com    and my Facebook site

Now that shameless self-promotion has been dealt with, let's get onto to our next post here...

First Month 

Do you remember learning the months of the year? Was it in school or at home? We always had a large calendar on the kitchen wall near the phone, as I recall. It was just white and black, no pictures of waterfalls or cats or anything, just the days and dates with enough room to scribble important events and appointment times. It was a handy thing that I don't see around anymore. A pencil dangled from a string in front of it, which was even handier. What I'm getting at is that I KNEW of the names of the months but hadn't really LEARNED the months of the year until I was taught it in school. 

I don't think I'm alone in that I tended to imbue everything with a personality when I was very young, even words and numbers. For example, the number 5 seemed a bit cross to me, while the number 2 was an affable sort of fellow. Silly? Perhaps. The months' names seemed to suggest something to me as well. January's name (before I knew anything about root words or semantics) meant happy times to me; February - a bit severe; March, a mixed bag; and April, very fresh and lively. May is my birth month, and it seemed a gentle and kind one. June was freeing for so many reasons (summertime, no school,swimming) not the least of which was the letter J appearing again after nearly half a year (I always liked the letter J). I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but you get my drift, I think. 

This January of 2014 (personally, my 59th January) again makes me think "happy times" even though so much has gone on that could certainly argue for a different view of things. I remain estranged from my nursing career; I remain overweight and not in the best shape; I continue to struggle with my writing, finding all manner of excuses to leave manuscripts unfinished or needing "touch-ups" so I avoid the submission process and subsequent rejection notices; I continue to have a conversation with myself that never seems to end regarding what my passion in life truly is. So, the "happy times" that January tells me it is bringing is based more on faith and trust and hope than reality, in my life anyway. 

What about a new year is new anyway? 

Aside from the addition of one number to the date, what makes anyone think January first brings us anything new? Lots of people make those resolutions. They get on the band wagon for  new diets and more or different types of exercise, eating healthier, vowing to get outdoors more or take the stairs instead of the elevator. You know the routine. In my 59 years, I've broken more than my share of resolutions, so I quit making them years ago. Not that setting goals is out of my repertoire, I just don't set them to the timing of the coming of January first. But to those who do, I wish you the best and most success. 

To me, every day is new. The sun rises, the birds start singing and the day begins - anew! Each morning is an opportunity to thank God for it. To be grateful for the power to be all we can be if we put forth the effort, is a feeling that dawns with the light of day. As a former nurse, I know not everyone is on such a schedule; but I can imagine a night nurse who opens her "morning" eyes to a nighttime sky, full of stars and constellations, arousing the same emotions of gratitude and humility that the sunrise does in me. It's all relevant, in that respect. 

Here's what each new year brings, in my mind: 
Another opportunity to plant in the springtime, weed and tend all summer,and harvest when the time comes. This is how my earth sign (Taurus) brain works.
And I  think about sowing seeds of love and hope in the world outside of the garden in my yard. Sharing what's great about my life with others in an effort to bring about good things in the garden that we call our neighborhoods and communities. As with planting seeds, we rarely end up with a fruitful harvest if we don't revisit those seedlings and do some cultivation and weeding, occasionally watering. Often, in our absence, insects or scavengers invade and decimate all within the garden walls. 

Actual seeds sometimes plant themselves. No help from the gardener/farmer, but with help from rain, wind, birds & insects, animals and unknowing people. Similarly, seeds of love are planted  - rain as tears, shared in times of trouble; wind as words, spoken in peace and to comfort the hurting; birds & insects as a spirit of caring that allows us to discern those in need ; animals as things done for the greater good without thought of reward; and people as a vehicle for bringing forth goodness, whether meaning to or not. If growth and goodness can come that way, how magnified it can be when the gardener/farmer makes the effort to do so! 

Vigilance is necessary when tending a garden, and even with that, no harvest is 100% assured. Yet, we still choose to grow things from the soil with our own two hands, don't we? And we still hope that our words and actions somehow make the world a better place. Most of us are eternal optimists, gardeners or not. Thank God for the optimists, thank God for the gardeners and farmers, and thank God for the new year in which to bring more goodness, more peace, more caring to all the world, near and far. Happy New Year, everyone. 

More Holiday Prep

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I posted this pattern on google as a repost from someone else. It's fun to do and easy to follow and is a departure on the horizontally crocheted scarves I usually make. It's fast to work and these two were done with two different size yarns and hooks.

The black and white is done with a light worsted weight yarn and a G hook. The white and rainbow is done with a chunky yarn and a J hook. Neither took more than a few hours to make even with the addition of the fringe. And both so neat. The possibilities are endless if you have a yarn stash like mine.

Mug rugs and coasters make great additions to a gift basket filled with homemade goodies, a mug or two, some hot chocolate packets and there you have it. These were made from remnant pieces I won online in an auction on  Listia. Here's a link  https://www.listia.com/signup/3799850

They were already cut into squares and rectangles and are upholstery fabric samples. Perfect for a project like these.

 My new Singer has quite a few decorative stitches, so I tried them all out on these. So much fun and, aside from having to re-thread the needle a couple times (which is hard for a far-sighted person like me), it was effortless.

 The last two here are backed with some off white felt I had from another project. I still plan to put a border around them using some blue piping I have.
 Here are some links to more pictures of my latest and greatest (if I do say so myself)  - http://www.facebook.com/CsCraftedCreations
and    https://www.etsy.com/shop/3Csshop

The creche has been updated this past Sunday to include another animal and the shepherd. I put in the cow and the lamb with some straw on the 1st. Next Sunday I'll add the Holy Family, sans the babe, of course; my set doesn't have an empty cradle or manger. I'm not sure whether to add the Wise Men after the 25th or add them along with the appearance of the Baby Jesus. To be correct, they don't appear until quite a while after the birth, but we'll have to play around with those details, I suppose.

Have a good time with all your preparations for the holidays. I know I am.

Advent - A time of preparation

Top piece of wall hanging "The Nativity" by the author. 

A star appears, the angel waits, hovering above the land, a land filled with expectation.

Bottom right of "The Nativity" wall hanging.

Sheep graze while their shepherds watch...

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We prepare for Christmas by decorating, cleaning and rearranging our homes. Strings of electric lights help us illuminate the darkness of winter. We hang up wreaths, green garland and put up evergreen trees and boughs, to remind us that even amid the bleakness of these cold months, there is life. Scents of pine, cinnamon and other spices help to remind us of the security of home and hearth that most of us enjoy (and take for granted much of the time).

Perhaps this could also be a time to prepare ourselves -  to face another year; another year to be better to those we love,  another year to nurture our own inner life, another year to do more for those less fortunate.

Perhaps we can keep that illumination, even after the last string of twinkling bulbs has been stowed away. Perhaps the wellness of the earth that we remind ourselves of during wintertime will be cherished for the miracle that it is, even after spring flowers reappear and snow and ice melt away. Maybe we'll think more about those who are not as comfortable as we are, and be more alert for opportunities where we can make a difference when the free turkey dinners and handouts of Christmas food drives subside. Just maybe...

We are counting down the days; the counting starts sooner each year, it seems. Already several Christmas specials sales, animated stories and musical shows have passed. Children are excited and behaving like little angels themselves, or trying to anyway. Some kiddies, good or bad, will get very little, if anything at all, due to circumstances they have no control over; some expect nothing, some will be disappointed. Many youngsters will receive more than they wanted or needed, however, and fail to appreciate any of it.

Yet, Christmas can be a marvelous time to impart life lessons on these future adults. Sure, we've helped perpetuate this myth of the Jolly Ol' Elf; we've bought into the "department store Christmas" just as our parents and their parents did before them. But a mere century and a quarter before now, Christmas presents were handmade and needed, one or two store bought items, if that. We've come a long way from that scenario these days. I'm not saying it's for the worst or for the best, I'm just saying that's the way it is.

But it needn't be that way, if that's not our true vision of the world we'd like to live in. Our children can be taught not to buy into the hype of spend-spend-spend for Christmas. Our families can practice the ideal of giving out of our excess to help those who have less than enough. Our spirits can rise above the frey, our world can become full of light and love, and we can be the cause of that joyous sound that will fill the air. Just maybe...

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For the grace to bring the light of Christ to the world by offering lives of service, we pray to the Lord.