Category Archives: Nature

Hello… Spring?!

Hello! ❤

I hope this new week finds you well and not too bored from being stuck inside.  We’ve been alleviating cabin fever as much as possible with walks in our neighborhood and a couple of drives to nowhere.  It’s not very busy in my neighborhood, and when we do walk past someone they are completely on the other side of the road.  Other than to pick up prescriptions at the drive-through and have groceries put into the back of the car I’ve been home for 11 days!  Surreal times!

My husband is able to work from home, and has for almost 2 weeks now.  My daughter had an extra week of spring break and is today starting classes back up online.  Choir is even continuing using Zoom.  She’s still not sure how her two lab courses will be able to continue.  Her professors are still figuring that out.

I want to wish you a “Happy Spring”.  However, this is what we woke up to this morning, not very springlike, but typical for March.  Nevertheless, it is always a shock.

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Even though today is snowy we’ve had some nice days the past couple of weeks.  The crocuses bloomed and the daffodils are on their way.  Gorgeous blue skies, puffy clouds, and pretty sunrises were experienced for quite a few days.

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While doing some of my floor stretches the other day I looked up at my shelf of craft books and felt a spark of inspiration.  I’d like to spend some time going through them again.  Let me know if you’d like to look inside some of them.  I could snap a few pics to show you what they’re about.  Let me know in the comments.  I’d be happy to do that.

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I am plugging along on the embroidery for my newest MSD cardigan.  Here is my progress thus far.  I am taking my time and enjoying the creation of each unique motif.  It is always fun to ‘grow’ my own indoor rose garden.

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I recently completed a pair of socks for my daughter and started another pair.  Sock knitting is repetitive and mindless and helps to quiet my mind while keeping my hands busy.

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I tend to worry… a lot.  In this time of uncertainty it has been a challenge to feel grounded and safe.  I have found comfort in prayer and reading scripture… and knitting, of course.

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I have also found peace with coloring.  My daughter and I printed a couple of flower-y pages from Johanna Basford and got to work with my daughter’s Prismacolor colored pencils.  Johanna has graciously offered these two pages free of charge.

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What about you?  Do you have any go to activities to ease your mind during stressful times?

Sending you all, my friends, warmth and love ❤ and positivity and ‘stay-well’ thoughts.

 

New Year–New ???

Hello, hello, hello!  I have been waiting to write a blog post for you for when I had some doll clothes making progress to show you.  And it’s not happening…  I am going to blame it on…

Our new puppy!!!

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Two weeks ago we drove 4-1/2 hours south to meet this 5 month-old chihuahua puppy and, well, we decided to make him a part of our family.  He has a wonderful temperament–is as sweet as can be and loves to cuddle.  Our 10 year-old chi does a lot of grumbling at this little guy, but he tries his hardest to put up with him and his crazy energy level (when he isn’t sleeping that is).

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My lap is full of chihuahua loves!

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I cannot believe Christmas has come and gone along with New Year’s, and now we are over the halfway point in January!

Christmas Day here in northern Illinois was sunny with a blue sky and 55ºF!  We enjoyed a walk wearing light coats or no coat at all.  So, Halloween felt like Christmas, as it was snowing all day, and Christmas felt like an ideal Halloween!

Even though we never did get to the tree farm to find a real tree we made our little artificial tree look sparkly and festive.  On Christmas Day we all took part in making dinner: baked salmon, green beans with mushroom gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, and cookies for dessert–simple and yummy.

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We visited the Volo Antique Mall during the holiday break.  My daughter saw these Ideal Love Mate cards; I thought they were a hoot–my how things have changed, thank goodness.  The copyright on them is 1941.  I wanted to know more about these.  I found the original machine they came in on eBay.

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New Year’s Day morning found me starting my new planner and knitting on a pair of socks which I completed this past week.

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The colors are kind of wild, but they kept my feet warm while shoveling the snow this afternoon.

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Since I finished one pair of socks I started another!  These will be for my daughter.

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Cannot forget about the birds and how they get so hungry when the snow is falling.  Yesterday afternoon I layered sunflower seeds with a basic bird mix and headed out to the feeder which had been recently cleaned out by the squirrels.

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Last night was all blustery and snowy and cozy.  It was nice being indoors!

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It’s been an easy winter so far.  Even the snowfall last night, the first since early November wasn’t much, although if you ask Morris he would disagree.

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We all helped shovel today.  Thanks to physical therapy my back is so much better; I am very thankful that I can help out!  Notice the little chihuahua potty patch we shoveled.  Ha ha.

Our older chihuahua loves loves loves soft blankets!  This pure white blanket is as soft as can be.  Whoever manufactured it though failed to close up the hole that was used to turn it right side out.  Look who found it… and got in it!  He’s a funny dog.

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I thought I’d show you the list of puppy names we came up with for our new addition.  Can you guess which name we chose?  Naming this guy took days for us all to decide.

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And one last photo–this gorgeous sunset during the first week of January 2020!

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Our new puppy’s name is Pebbles!

Sending you all the warmest wishes for a happy and healthy 2020!

BTW, maybe if you all put thoughts out in the universe of me creating things for my dolls it will happen!  I am really missing it, but cannot seem to get down to my studio. *sigh*

 

 

From the Past Month

Ah, once again it’s been so long between posts.  Time goes by so quickly!  I should title this post “From the Past Month Plus”.  It’s been a busy August here simply enjoying the summertime.

After a rainy June, July and August finally felt like summer had arrived and I took full advantage.  I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up my dose from the almost daily sunshine!  It makes me a little sad that September is right around the corner; summer was not long enough in my opinion.  Maybe we will be blessed with a warm-ish and sunny autumn.  Fingers crossed!

Here’s a little peak of a new ensemble I just completed for my Little Darling, Lucy.

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My girls have agreed to “share” this ensemble soon.  Lucy wants to wear it for a few more days before “sharing” though.

Do you like dragonflies?  This dragonfly landed right on my finger as soon as I was about to take a photo of Lucy’s cardigan.  It was so unexpected and sweet.  He wanted to stay on my finger too.  I’m probably too impatient; I had to set him elsewhere after a minute or two.

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Now for some human knitting news.  I finished my “Rumble in Brighton socks”.  You can read about that yarn in my last blog post.  The yarn is a random speckled yarn, but it knit up looking like micro stripes.  I have no idea why…

My current sock project is self-striping yarn by Urth Yarn’s Uneek Sock base in color #58.  My local yarn store where I purchased it at is 2 Needle Chicks.  I must say the yarn is tons prettier than the photo on the box.  I’ll share the finished pair next time.

If you’re in the U.S. I hope you all have a beautiful Labor Day weekend.  I’ve never heard of this, but my daughter has classes on Labor Day!  I thought the point of Labor day was no labor.  Oh, well…

Bye for now, my friends. ❤