Category Archives: Everyday

This Week

I got through my first (work) week with my daughter away at college. I am proud of myself, not doing too bad. The tears still come now and them, but not like they did on Monday. Thank you for your comments and support, you all help very much. I guess she hasn’t forgotten us because she wants to text and talk on the phone. ❤ Thank goodness for that, and thank goodness for technology!

I want to share with you these photos I took of the sunrise yesterday morning. Yes, I was up early… We ended up having a beautiful, but hot day.

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Some days after my morning coffee I also need a cup of tea. That was the case yesterday. For my birthday I received three varieties of Teavana tea. This green tea is my favorite; it is called Jade Citrus Mint. The most prevalent flavor is the mint, but it is a soft mint, not like peppermint tea. I love peppermint tea too, but this is different, which is nice. (My daughter left her teapot home for me to use. 🙂 ❤ )

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Now for dolly news, I am working on some apple themed outfits. I wanted to get two made for the Little Darlings so that they could dress in their outfits together.

As I was putting the macro lens on my camera I noticed my straight pins in the pincushion. I’ve used these pins forever and am extremely happy with them. They were sold by the Stretch & Sew company, so they probably have a tip made for knits. These pins won’t ruin fabric, are extra long, and won’t rust. Unfortunately, I don’t think they are being made any longer. I’ve probably had them for 20-25 years!

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Lucy’s ensemble was finished first (last week). Each of the girls has a little basket for their perfect little apple. The baskets were crocheted with hemp cord and they fit perfectly in their hands. I made the loops just the right size for their thumbs to fit through too. Here’s a macro lens shot of Lucy’s apple basket.

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As you all probably know by now, I am a sucker for cute fabric, and this apple print was a must buy. I took the hint from the bits of pink blossoms in the print and added the pink pin dot border.

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I finished knitting Alice’s golden yellow sweater in the car on the way to our daughter’s university on Saturday.

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I took this photo Wednesday morning. By the end of the day Alice’s sweater was complete with its embroidery and buttons. Yesterday I put the finishing touches on Alice’s ensemble and got photos taken of both girls.

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More on their individual outfits in the next two posts. I will most likely have both of these available on Sunday evening.

I hope you all have, or are having, a wonderful Friday. We had rain overnight; outside it is very cloudy, still, and humid. It is a most peaceful morning.

Bye for now!

Trying and New Beginnings

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Hello everyone! This weekend my husband and I dropped our daughter off at college to begin her freshman year. We got her moved into her dorm room yesterday, in the middle of a rainstorm, on a very wet weekend! We, and every thing got a little damp, but we got her moved in fine, nothing ruined.

I am very happy for her as she starts on this new journey in her life. She is at a beautiful, faith-filled school; her cousin will be a couple of buildings away, and she has a loving aunt and uncle very close by. I know she’ll be happy and looked after if she needs anything, which I am most thankful for.

I knew when my daughter started college it would be hard for me, but didn’t realize it would be quite this hard!!! I am trying, really I am. The tears come, and then I feel strong for a little while, and then the tears come back again. I miss her terribly (already) and I’m not really sure how to get along without her as a part of my daily life. I find silly things set me off: her water glass with half a glass of water still left in it (as if waiting for her), her over filled hamper with the clothes she left behind, how she took the sheets off her bed for laundering even though I told her to leave them for me to do. I keep wanting to ask her something, but she isn’t here; I guess I very quickly got used to having her at home this summer. However, I need to remember that continual change is a part of life, and so, I need to figure out how to adapt to these changes. So, I am trying . . .

I keep telling myself that I am blessed to have a daughter that I miss so much! It helps (a little) when those tears threaten to start . . . yet again.

I managed to take a few photos of the beautiful campus, but mostly I was trying to keep my emotions in check. My husband took a few also.

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Even our little chihuahua seemed sad to go.

Bye for now, and thank you for reading. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to get back to making things for the dolls.

Rainy Sunday Morning

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Oh, it’s been months since we’ve had a good thunderstorm! When I woke this morning the sky was gray and I could see the approaching dark grey clouds moving in from the west. I checked the radar on Intellicast and saw the band of rain approaching. Yay! We need rain so badly! When you haven’t had rain for sooo long it is a novelty, so I grabbed my camera and went outside. My favorite time is right before the storm starts.

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Look at how dry our yard is! We really need a good soaking.

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It looks cozy and warm in our kitchen . . . and in my studio. Do you see Gina all dressed up in “Calico Cutie”? My dolls usually get a day or so to wear the things that I make. Then they are naked again, and waiting for the next one.

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As I’m writing this post I’m listening to the cozy sounds of rumbling in the sky and watching raindrops hitting the pool. (My studio overlooks the pool and deck.)

Here are some other things that are going on around here. My husband is in the process of power washing the deck. On the recommendation of our tree trimmer we got a heavy duty power washer to clean our VERY dirty deck. Look at the difference!

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Our pool is extremely old, so we don’t want to put a lot of work into the deck, but the power washing helped make the deck feel like new, well almost. My husband got quite a lot cleaned yesterday. I love it! My view from my studio is greatly improved.

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Yesterday morning I spotted this chipmunk right outside my studio window. In the 8 years we have lived here this is the first chipmunk that I have ever seen on our property. I assumed that they stayed away because of all of feral cats roaming around. Isn’t he/she cute!

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Sorry, for the poor photo quality. I took these through the window and cropped them. The chipmunk was pretty close to the house though; I had the wrong lens on my camera. Can you tell I love the little critters?!

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On Friday I was working on a crocheted beret for the Little Darlings. It looks cute on Alice, but I think it is a little small. I will use it for either Millie or Ann Estelle/Patsy. Another day I will crochet another one for the Little Darlings, but make it a little larger.

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