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

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10396429/?claim=ytxzcq8gkux">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
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.

Now It's November?

The busiest of months

Here we go:


- from today until Christmas, will be trying to plan the holiday meals. I will change them multiple times and probably decide on a menu two days prior to the day. 

- by the end of this month, I will have looked through each and every cookie cook book I own, which is many, to settle on which dozen or so i'm making this year

- before Dec. 15th, I will have boxed up the gifts I am sending to those who live afar, but until then, I'll be crocheting and sewing up a storm to get them all made

 - FYI, there will not be enough hours in the day to get it all done, but we'll put forth an honest and hearty effort to do so.

 A felted bag I made, my first effort in felting and tapestry crochet

 Two cheap felt throws crocheted together using the blanket stitched edge already on them. Neat!

 Oil painting I did. Another creative outlet of mine. Nice to finally have time to do it!

Day tripping! We love discovering new sites nearby and this one is about an hour away. Who knew we had a natural bridge right here in Middle Tennessee (mid-southern, actually)


This is a little bit of what I've been up to since the last posting.Right now I have a few projects on hooks, so to speak. One is a boucle infinity shawl. Another is a vest in autumn colors which I think I'll keep. Another is a round throw which will be donated to the prayer shawl ministry, which goes to veterans in the local VA hospital. I'm also working on a needlepoint Christmas scene which I hope to get done by Dec 1st. I'm also supposed to be doing a CAL which I have not even started yet. YIKES! 






So, I'd better quit killing time on here and get busy! But first, I'm taking my cup of coffee out onto the front porch and setting a while. Here I come, kitties! 

May God Bless you all and keep you until we "meet" again. 

New Giveaway from Lion Brand Yarn and FaveCrafts

Another great yarn giveaway for all you needleworkers and crafters out there.   Here's the link - http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Lion-Brand-Yarn-Prize-Package-Giveaway/ml/1

I love Lion Brand Yarn because they keep up with trends in knitting and crochet and their yarn and free pattern selections prove it.

You can find just about any material of yarn for a reasonable price, too.

And, almost best of all, EVERYONE carries their brand, so no hunting around and, likely, you have a store within driving distance, so don't have to sweat the shipping charges from online sites.

Best of luck, everyone.

Pumpkins and Falling Leaves

Autumn colors

I'm inspired by the palette of fall, aren't you? I used to live up north where the leaves changed on cue, it seems. In the south, it's not as predictable or pretty, most of the time. For one thing, there aren't as many maple trees here. More walnut (black variety) and other nut trees, elm and cottonwoods, which all seem to turn a similar shade of golden brown and yellow, and evergreen cedars which don't turn at all, dress up the treed hills around here. We do have some stunning shrubs, though. The flaming color of  sumac can be a real surprise when driving along a curvy, hilly backroad. There's one down the road in full brilliance right now. It's magnificent! 

Crochet Pumpkins

I promised a crochet pattern and I think I've got one for you now. It only takes a few hours to complete, so there's still plenty of time to make one for Halloween or, even more time, for Thanksgiving.  I'm new to pattern writing, so bear with me and here goes:

Yarn: Sport (3) or worsted (4) weight  - in two (or more) colors (yes, pumpkins are usually orange, but they can be yellowish or more reddish, and stems can be green, olive or brown. Or go crazy and make a purple pumpkin with a black stem!).
Hook size: G or H, depending on yarn

Begin with a Magic circle (Wrap yarn around finger twice, go under one wrap of yarn on top of finger and pull up a loop from the other wrap of yarn, and then make one chain. That's about it. When you are done with the first round, pull the beginning tail to tighten the circle and join together or whatever your pattern suggests.) Make 9 scs in circle and join to first ch 1. Mark this last stitch.
Round 1: ch 1, *2sc in next stitch, sc in next*; repeat from * around and join. Move marker up to join stitch and continue to do this after each round is completed.
Round 2: ch 1, *{1sc, 1hdc, 1sc} in next sc, sl st in next sc*, repeat around. Join and mark.
Round 3: ch 1, *{sc in next sc, hdc in hdc, sc in sc, sl st in sl st}* repeat around. Join and mark.
Round 4:  ch1, *{sc in next sc, 2 hdc in hdc, sc in sc, sl st in sl st}* repeat around. Join and mark.
Round 5: ch1, sc in each st around (including sl sts); join and mark.
Round 6: ch2 , skip first stitch, *{dc in next st, 2 dc in next, dc in next, sc in next, skip next st}* repeat around and join to sl st join of previous row.
Round 7: Repeat Round 5.
Round 8: ch1, *{sc in dc, hdc in next 2dc, sc in next dc, sl st in sc}* repeat around. Join and mark.
Round 9: repeat Round 8.
Round 10: ch1, *{sc in sc, sc2tog in next two hdc sts (decrease made), sc in sc, sl st in sl st}* repeat around. Join and mark.
Round 11: ch1, *{sc in sc, sc2tog in next two scs, sc in sl st}* repeat, join and mark.
Round 12: sc2tog around, join and fasten off.
Stuff the pumpkin before you go any further. [I've used traditional polyfil, but I've also used broken-up packing peanuts, yarn clippings, and dried beans.]

Stem:
Round 13: Join new color using regular method. ch3,  (sk1, dc in next) around. No need to join or mark.
Round 14: sc in each dc made around and repeat this for 3 to 4 more rounds until your stem is a long as you want it.
-OR-
Round 14: ch1, begin to dc in skipped stitch from Round 13 and continue the stitch by picking up dc stitch in previous round as well. Do this same stitch around and then continue in sc around until stem is of desired length. Fasten off.
 - OR-
make your stem any way you want to, you just start decreasing until it's closed enough, then work even around to make a column. Not rocket science, right?

Section off your pumpkin using the same color yarn as you did for your pumpkin. Thread a good length onto a tapestry needle. Starting at the bottom center, thread it up and out the top near the stem. Go back into the center bottom and continue in that way until you have 5 or six sections. Make last stitch come out the center bottom and tie the two ends together in a square knot. Trim ends.
Decorate with a leaf , coiled pipe cleaner or wet a length of yarn in school glue and wrap it around a pencil until dry and use that as a coiled piece of vine. Don't forget to leave a length of un-glued yarn so you can fasten it onto the pumpkin.

So, there you go. Feel free to message me with any corrections or problems noted. As I said, I'm new at pattern writing.
Hope you have fun with it!