WHAT A MONTH THIS IS TURNING OUT TO BE!!! I feel like a reviving perennial, waking from the slumber of winter. New friends, visits with family, antiquing and out on the town forays with the significant other; things are just popping. Business (my crafting business, that is) is really picking up. I've put out more feelers, joined some crafting groups and have been posting pictures on Facebook, so I take some credit for the upturn. I've also been busy crocheting and sewing, too, and when I finish something, I put it on Etsy.com. I like to try to list something every day; it helps to keep your shop in the forefront. Perhaps now that the election is in the past, people feel more comfortable about spending a little, not to mention some are getting their refunds about now. Whatever it is, I hope sales continue to trend upwards. Speaking of economics, the job I applied for recently didn't pan out. I've been an RN for 27 years, and have been on hiatus since a car wreck side-lined me for a time. I started writing articles to make ends meet, but the market dried up after about a year. I did get a bit extra in the settlement, so all's well for the time being; I don't need much except yarn and fabric, lol. After the physical therapy was done, there was still a healing period where being on my feet for 8 hours a day was not an option. I still am not sure that would be possible, but I'd be willing to give it a try. Unfortunately, it wasn't it the cards this time. Being the optimist that I am, though, this increase in custom orders for my crocheted articles has really buoyed my spirits and maybe life has other plans for me after all. Now, there are all these horrible happenings in the news and people are suffering and hurting from north to south & east to west in America. What I notice most is how stuff like that, awful as it is, tends to make us a better people; stronger in our love for neighbor, stronger in our resolve to live as good, decent people. That's what I take from it all. Comfort and peace to all those hurting from loss and injury.

APRIL!

Finally, a breath of springtime in the air! The Redbud and Flowering Almond are beginning to bloom in the back yard and the Primroses in the front. The Quince, Bradford Pear, Toadstool Trillium, Daffodils and Cut-leaf Toothwart are braver and have been showing themselves for a couple of weeks now, along with the Hyacinths, both wild and planted ones. They don't seem to mind the colder weather at all. I've even seen a large asparagus spear poking it's head up out of the still chilly soil. I see tulips buds getting ready to show their stuff, too. Nature is so magnificent.

Very soon, it will be difficult for me to stay inside and crochet or sew all day. I'll have to get out in the gardens, here and at the parent's home, which is where we plant vegetables. Their yard is flat and without rocks. Mine is sloped, full of rocks, and there is really no one spot that gets enough hours of sun to plant a vegetable garden. Many years of trial and tribulation have proved that to me. So, being it's only a short drive to the folks' house, we decided to do a large garden there. Last year was the first one doing so and, aside from the victims of drought, the plantings did well. Corn dried up, and the beans did, too. But we harvested a lot of tomatoes and squash, lettuces and chard. Hopefully, this years weather will cooperate more and we will be a bit more successful. Time will tell.

Anyway, the exercise as well as the food is so good for the body and soul, it's a win-win situation, no matter what the outcome of the crops. It's time to move more, sweat some and get dirty! I can't wait! I'll be sure to take pictures of the progress and stumbling blocks as they occur and post them here so you can see how I'm faring. In the meantime, if you are interested in what I've been up to all winter and fall and part of this spring, you can start here:

Baking Day!

I just made my first creme puffs and eclairs and don't know why I thought this was such a difficult thing to make! Really it was pretty simple, didn't make too much of a mess and the result is as good as bakery fresh.
The biggest obstacle was putting the cream inside the pastries. I got it in there but not without a bit of a botch here and there. Creme filling graced outside as well as inside of the puffs. And, Tupperware makers, I'm sorry, but your "pastry bag" is a waste of filling. The tips are fine and the concept should be, but the accordian folds in the "bag" hang onto the filling and it's difficult to get air out when you're piping into something and it pops out at the most inconvenient times.  I ended up using the tip placed inside an "old fashioned" plastic bag and that worked out so much better. I mean, I get it, Tupperware, it's plastic, so what can you do besides make it have folds? If you can keep the thing full all the time, then it will work quite well.

Anyway, I hope the picture shows not only how good they look but also how messy the creme filling made things. Still, well worth the effort. I got the recipe from The Shiksa in the Kitchen (theshicksa..com), and although I did use some matzo meal, I mostly used cake flour in place of the balance I didn't have on hand. No problems.
I share and find recipes on Pinterest too. I also share my crocheted stuff - <a data-pin-config="above" href="//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fkentbrew%2F6851755809%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7027%2F6851755809_df5b2051c9_z.jpg&description=Next%20stop%3A%20Pinterest" data-pin-do="buttonPin" ><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>

Teneriffe threadwork, Tapestry crochet, knitting and more

End of Life - thoughts from an MD: Death by Cessation of Fluids and Nutrition

End of Life - thoughts from an MD: Death by Cessation of Fluids and Nutrition

CROCHET OUR WORLD: Link Your Stuff March 2013

CROCHET OUR WORLD: Link Your Stuff March 2013

Another Year Older and Dapper in Dat

I am a neglectful blogger, I admit it.
There are many reasons for that:
Scrabble, Words with Friends and Facebook, to name but a few.
Here's the gist of what I've been up to for real lo these many months...

Crocheting for the holidays took up much of my time the latter portion of 2012. I worked up hats mostly, but some scarves and fingerless mittens, too. The gentlemen look pretty dapper in their new caps, I must say. I also have increased my inventory on etsy.com (name changed to: 3Csshop), and sales are up a bit. I'm still not in the black, however, but I remain hopeful. In any case, the yarn stash is bigger and, with the new sewing machine (Christmas gift from loving spouse :-)  ) the fabric stash can now be utilized in ways I imagined.

I mentioned previously about neglecting certain other of my many muses. Well, I have found time to fondle the keyboard once again. And the guitar is now being kept next to my computer so I can pick it up at any time. I find I do so much more when it is handy.

I did not do much writing in 2012 after all, in particular, work on my children's story book. Recently, however, I have become acquainted with a fictional character named Scot Tremble who lives in the late-middle of the 21st Century in America. He and his friend, Truth Passage, attend high school together in a world where school uniforms are made of Kevlar and vigilantes run rampant through the countryside with their assault weaponry in hand. Oh, and I should mention, Scot and his other friend, Martin, love old rock n' roll music, like the Who and Bob Seger, for instance. It's exciting to have a new idea for a story and I hope the thread doesn't run out before I solidify the plot.

The coming year looks good right now, since I have lots to keep me busy with things I enjoy doing. It is a wonderful thing to be able to do what you enjoy and I do not take that for granted. Sometimes I still sometimes feel like the grasshopper who fiddles while the ants toil, but I always did kind of admire that foolish fellow.

Oh, if you care to see some of my creations, you can check me on Facebook at  C's Crafted Creations  or on etsy.com as I mentioned earlier. Or check me out on Pinterest <a data-pin-config="above" href="//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fkentbrew%2F6851755809%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7027%2F6851755809_df5b2051c9_z.jpg&description=Next%20stop%3A%20Pinterest" data-pin-do="buttonPin" ><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>