Remember This?

Remember Mr. Brown?

I crocheted 14 of these strips.

I added green to 7  and

red to the remaining 7 .

 The strips were linked by white,

alternating the colors

and I finished the Christmas Afghan*.

Then I put the crochet hook down and

had a cup of tea.

And it isn't fall yet!

Back to 100+ degree temperatures this week.

This is way past the getting old stage.

My thanks to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

*The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book featuring *Mile-aMinute* afghans.

This and That

It's time for a little This and That.

One of the churches in the neighborhood has a Sticks and Hook group.

This knit and crochet group would like to make 400 scarves to distribute

to the homeless during the holidays.

I thought that was something I could help with and hit my stash.

 

There are no rules for the scarf -- just that it be 6 ft in length.

They didn't care about pattern or what kind of yarn.

Here are my first three ... one skein of Homespun in each scarf.

Each is a little different in pattern -- to keep me from getting bored!

I think this one is my favorite.

A girl can't live by scarves alone, so I took a little break and am

making 14 of these.

Fourteen before I can go on with the pattern.

Hmmmmm ... what is it going to be?!

(A big thank you to Mr. Brown for being the model. He is my grandson's

lovey when he visits.)

***

I am sure at least one of these is in my future!

Who knew there were so many Amineko fans on Flickr?!!!

***

I wanted to share with you my very FIRST color pencil sketch.

Mr. Robin at the bird bath in Musashi's Garden.

***

A little story.

Mr. Dragon always bought a teddy bear for me --

on my birthday, our anniversary (we had two).

On February 1st this year, he looked at me and said he was

sorry he didin't have a bear for me on our 30th anniversary.

To be sure, when it was all over, to get a bear.

I promised him I would ... a very special bear.

I'd like you to meet Holland.

He arrived yesterday.

He is the perfect -- very special bear.

Holland came from Ginger.

She is a wonderful bear artist and has a delightful blog.

You can visit her at Bearbits.

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful weekend.

To my friends on the East Coast ... hunker down and please be careful.

Hurricanes are no fun. 

I know. 

Is it cool yet?

As you can tell, the sun is shining here.

We set heat records every day and

I'm getting tired of the weather!

So, in an effort to feel cooler,

I finished this little scarecrow.

The little scarecrow was easy to crochet.

He's lots of fun.

The design is by Sheila Leslie for Crochet World/DRG.

I purchased him as a kit from Mary Maxim.

And, NO, I don't feel cooler.

But I am smiling!

Wishing YOU well and joy filled day!

For those who might be interested, I found a pattern for 

a scarecrow online that is very similar to the one I made.

Click here to see the pattern.

Yarn Along

I found a new MEME to join.

Perhaps Ginny will get me to crochet, knit and read more!

I've been crocheting this baby blanket.

It's a Herrschners kit called Lil' Lullabies Baby Blanket.

The Mom of the baby likes the color purple, so I thought this was perfect.

It was interesting. I crocheted the blocks and put them together first

and then the interior of the blanket was  crocheted in place. 

Something new and different for me! 

The Nora Roberts book VISION IN WHITE is perfect reading material for the treadmill!

Here are the happy parents to be.

I'm so happy they were able to visit the states in October while Mr. Dragon was still with us

and able to enjoy their visit.

We always take the family to our favorite Thai restaurant and take photos with "Bob"!!!

A tradition that I'm sure will continue.

Be sure to visit Ginny at Small Things and see what others are making and reading.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

Tea Cozies

The celebration of National Hot Tea Month continues!

The folks at Favorite Crafts sent out an email with lots of tea related goodies. 

You can find the patterns on their web site.

Image from Favorite Crafts

They suggest that we hold a tea party for our friends,

or just for ourselves and make some wonderful tea party accents

to celebrate this special month.

Mosaic made from images from Favorite Crafts. You can find the patterns for these cozies there.

I do love tea cozies.

Some of the prettiest crochet cozies can be found at Crochet With Raymond.

There are so many lovely tea parties in blogland.
A few of them are:
Teacup Tuesday, Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday and Tea Time Tuesday.
A big thank you to all of our hostesses!

Wishing you well, a JOY filled week and a wonderful cup of tea!

There is the size of the leaf:
Its unique shape,
Its unique color,
Its unique fragrance,
A taste all its own.
And it changes ... sip by sip.
~Ron Rubin, Tea Chings

***

We are between family visits this week and looking forward to a little quiet.
Mr. Dragon is still able to go up and down the stairs,
enjoys food and has enjoyed seeing friends and family.
As he says, we will laugh, smile and enjoy life as long as we can.
Thank you for your prayers, kind thoughts, white light that you have sent to us.

Pass the Yarn Please!

I've been catching up with my email and look what I found.

Crochet patterns from Lily using their Sugar N Cream cotton yarn.

Aren't they wonderful?

Images from Sugar N Cream

The Elf is named Lily, the coaster has a wonderful candy cane pattern and the Santa holds a tag.

Images from Sugar N Cream

My favorite pattern is the one for the reindeer ornament.

I have a thing for reindeer!

One of the stockings is knit and the other crochet.

I almost forgot the Santa ornament.

Pass the Yarn Please! I'm all ready for some more fun hooking!

A big thank you to Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

***

Mr. Dragon has an appointment with his oncologist Monday and we'll see what the word is on further treatment. 

Thank you again for all your prayers, white light, juju, vibes, hugs, emails.

We really do appreciate all your support.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week.

What I Did On My Blog Break!!!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope you did too!

I enjoyed my short blog break.

I relaxed.

I read.

I cooked.

I got the hooks out and had some hooky fun.

Cassie decided she had to help me while I had the camera in hand.

She's getting soooooo big!

Our vet says she has a sweet disposition ... we agree ... most of the time!

This is what I'm doing with the hook:

really cute Christmas trees, Gingerbread Men and Houses.

You can find the pattern for the trees (and other wonderful crochet goodies) at

The Royal Sisters.

The Ginger Bread Man and House are from a pattern of six Christmas potholders that I've had for years.

I think I purchased the pattern from Annie's Attic.

The designer is Crochet Village Designs.

The trees are fun, but I have to tell you I don't like the yarn I used to make them.

It was left over from a doily project I made last year.

The sparkly thread running through the yarn has a mind of its own.

I want it to go one way and it wants to go another! 

But it does make a pretty, glitzy, Christmas tree!

I'd like to thank Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Each mosaic is different and has its own story to tell. 

Wishing you all well and a JOY filled week!

Hooking At Thanksgiving

I get several emails daily from various yarn companies.

They are all into their holiday mode sending out 12 Days of Holiday cheer!

I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

All of these were made from the Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn by Lily.

You can go here to see some more patterns.

Red Heart is in the middle of their 12 Days of Christmas

and Caron has just started theirs. I'm a bit partial to Caron.

I think they do a wonderful job each year picking out new projects for the holidays.

With only 48 days left until Christmas, I'm thinking I'm so far behind I should start on next years crocheting!

Mary is our lovely hostess for Mosaic Monday.
Be sure to visit. Each Mosaic is different. Each has its own story to tell.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week.

Mosaic Monday

One of my best buddies is an art teacher.

Every now and then we have a play day.

She tries out new techniques on me or shows me things she has recently learned.

Sometimes I help do the backgrounds for a project she has coming up in class.

Last week we got together.

The piece I'm working on is 24" x 24" -- larger than I usually work.

When it is finished it folds to make a book.

I have a long way to go before it is finished.

More paint, Caran deArche watersoluble pastels, more stamps, more texture.

The black and white areas need to be colored in.

I need to work on some of the transparencies that didn't get gelled down completely.

You get the idea.

If you look carefully, you can see some of the wonderful texture that is beginning to pop out.

Last week I showed you some crochet I'm working on.

Here is the pumpkin block all finished except for the row of black squares that goes all the way around.

The shadow on the right side -- Miss Cassie was checking out HER new blanket.

Wondering if it would be finished in time for Halloween.

The lovely Mary is the hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Each mosaic is different. Each has a story to tell.

You'll enjoy your visit!

***

Snippets:

- The washing machine died on Sunday. One load of wash to finish. We put a makeshift clothesline in the garage and hung all the wet things. Mr. Dragon says the washer needs a new transmission. (Who knew a washing machine had a transmission?!!!) Since China bought Maytag, Maytag just isn't the same.

I think we will try to have it repaired and see what happens before we take the plunge and buy something new.

- Busy week coming up. My turn at the doctor appointments. Monday I see my eye guy. Wednesday I go in for the lab work for the appointment I have with the internist the following week.

- Last week we took little Riley to the vet for her cardiac exam. The vet who does the ultrasound on her is reported to have said "I don't know why this cat is still alive."!!!! Our vet tweaked her meds and home she came. She's in no pain and seems to enjoy watching Teddy and Cassie. We will carry on.

- The weather guys are promising us a cool front. Nothing yet, but I'll continue to hope!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week!

Mosaic Monday

In the spirit of Fall and Halloween, I have been crocheting.

 All these little squares:

some in solid colors and some in two colors.

Then I started to put them all together.

Do you think I'll finish?

I can only work when SHE is asleep!

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each a story to tell.

You'll enjoy visiting.

Wishing you well and a wonderful week full of JOY!

Mosaic Monday: 4th of July

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary. Be sure you visit to see the other mosaics.

I'm jumping the gun a bit for the 4th of July.

Maybe that's because Mr. Dragon wanted fried chicken and corn on the cob for lunch on Sunday!

Can you say *Kentucky Fried*? !!!!

He needs the calories and it's been ages since we've had either! It was a tasty treat.

Lily makes the Sugar and Cream cotton yarn. They have a nice newsletter and always include free patterns for crochet and knit goodies for various holidays. The last newsletter had these wonderful crochet goodies for patriotic holidays ... even the apron is crochet! You can sign up for the newsletter and see the free patterns here.

***

How about a recipe for the Red, White and Blue -- featuring blue!

Blueberry Cobbler with Sugared Star Shortcakes

This is straight out of the July issue of Southern Living. Doesn't it look good?

Here's the recipe:

Makes 10 servings. Hands-on Time: 10 min. Total Time: 18 min

2 pt. fresh blueberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. almond extract

2 (12 0z.) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 Tbsp. coarse sparkling sugar

Sweetened whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until bubbly and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

2. Separate biscuits, and flatten each into a 3 1/2 inch circle. Cut with a 3-inch star-shaped cutter, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet; sprinkle with sparkling sugar, pressing to adhere. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. Place 1 biscuit on each serving plate. Spoon blueberry mixture over half of biscuits; top with remaining biscuits. Serve with whipped cream.

Note: Tested with Pillsbury Grands!Jr. Golden Layers Buttermilk Biscuits.

Have a wonderful week.

Joy to You!

Hooky Goodies

You might remember this from a previous post -- some of my favorite things.

The scarf was started while Mr. Dragon was in the hospital. I collected lots of fun yarns (it was an excuse to visit my favorite yarn shop, Nancy's Knits, and fondle the yarns) and added them to my stash in an attempt to get rid of them! I just played. Mixed the yarns. Mixed the pattern. Took it out at least 3 different times until I took it apart for the fourth time and switched to a hook!

I asked Mother Goose (the latest in my teddy collection and my Mom's Day present) to model the finished scarf and she agreed as long as the goose didn't have to come along! So, here it is -- 50 inches long and about 5 inches wide. Crocheted with an I hook and single crochet. I am much happier with the way the different yarns show up and crocheting makes a much sturdier scarf. Crocheting uses more yarn, too.

I enjoyed making this scarf so much I decided to make another (I have lots of yarn in the stash) and here is Mother Goose once again modeling the second scarf.

I've just about used up all the pinks and will start on another color group. It's good meditation!

(Can anyone say Holiday presents??!!)

Joy to you!

Wordless Wednesday: Almost!

Pattern available at Coats and Clark.

Mosaic Monday

Mary at The Little Red House is the hostess for Mosaic Monday. Be sure you visit!

Before Mr. Dragon's surgery, we went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We had a great time walking around, looking, laughing. I think the "Caution Rednecks at Play" sign is one of my favorites of all time! We went to the arena to watch the cutting horse contest. Got a chuckle at of the cowboys on their horses with the Blackberries in their hands. How does a Bodacious Burrito or Fried Oreo sound?

I had never seen the Zucchini Weenie before. Didn't try the alligator on a stick, but we did have some good barbecue brisket. Easter is just around the corner and I slipped in this crocheted bunny to celebrate. The bunny is made from a Caron One-pounder. The pattern was in the latest Caron email newsletter.

Happy Mosaic Monday!

Friends Come In All Shapes and Sizes

I'd like to introduce you to two new friends.

They make me giggle.

I found the pattern in a Herrschners after holiday sales catalog.

Crochet Pals

I need to tack the hat on Mr. Red. It doesn't quite fit properly.

The big decision ... do I keep them or save them for gifts for Christmas.

Meanwhile, I think I'll make more!

Mosaic Monday and WIPs

This is my first Mosaic Monday .
Mary at The Dear Little Red House is the hostess.

I'm sharing some works in progress -- or works to be!

The flowers and the love birds are free patterns from Lion Brand yarns. The next four are all patterns that I received in the Lily newsletter and are made from the all cotton Sugar and Cream yarn. (Lily is a little slow in getting their new free, newsletter patterns on their web site. The Halloween and Christmas patterns are just showing up. Sign up for the newsletter!)
They are all crochet and they all make my fingers itch!
Perhaps, most importantly, they make me smile!


All of these can be seen in closeup at Flickr.

Isn't He Cute?!!

I believe this wonderful little turtle is Day 4
of Caron's 12 Days of Christmas.

Isn't he cute?

And he wears a sweater!

Be sure to check out the Caron web site.
The patterns are crochet and knit.

It's That Time Again!

It's that time again -- the holidays -- and some of the yarn companies start including holiday patterns in their email newsletters. I love the Twelve Days of Christmas from Caron. This beautiful crochet Christmas Tree Throw is Day One of their Twelve Days of Christmas. Be sure to check out their web site and sign up for their Twelve Days of Christmas!

Learn Something New Everyday

I really do believe everyday should be an adventure - that you should do something different, try something new (put your socks on differently), learn something new, do something you love. You get the idea. It doesn't have to be anything big. Look around and you might find a surprise. I did!




I do love to crochet. I find it very meditative and relaxing. I finished my Christmas doily and have enough yarn to make another. While reading blogs the other morning, I headed over to see what Julie at Moments of Perfect Clarity was up to. She mentioned her friend Beth who was learning to crochet. So I headed off to meet Beth at A Measure of Things and found something that was truly amazing and was crochet -- a coral reef! ( You can read about the Coral Reef project here.) I think I'm going to start my own coral reef. I have left over wool yarn (it felts) in various colors. What fun!

Because of Beth, I also found Ted.com and I'm going to share with you the video Beth has on her blog. When I started watching the video -- geometry and all its glory (don't let that frighten you) -- ( I have to share that I didn't do well in geometry in school -- way back in the medieval ages) -- I was fascinated and I knew I had to stop the video and go find Mr. Dragon because he would find this as fascinating as I did (math major and medical physicist) ... and he did! So enjoy the video and learning something new that I hope is fun for you!

Monday Mull

Mull: verb. Mull over, ponder, pore over, consider, reflect on, deliberate, think about for a while, give thought to, study, meditate, weigh, ruminate.

Here are my Monday Mullings for July 27, 2009.

First, I’d like to thank David McMahon for shouting out my last Tuesday’s MY World post as one of his POTD (post of the day). That was a wonderful surprise. Welcome to those of you visiting from David’s blog. Thanks again, David. What a nice thing to do!

***

From Versus.com

Mr. Dragon and I are wondering what we will watch on television now that the Tour de France is over. I guess it’s back to the news, weather and baseball. We’ve been watching the Tour for about ten years now and think, finally, we are really getting all the ins and outs of bicycle road racing. It is very much a team sport and teams from all over the world compete. The Tour de France is 3 weeks long -- 21 days on a bicycle over roads, cobble stone streets and mountain passes, through fields of sunflowers and mown hay. In fact, one reason we watch the tour is to see the countryside, the Pyrenees and the Alps. This year the tour started in Monaco, traveled through Spain, Italy, Switzerland and France to finish on the Champ Elysees. There is an individual winner, a sprint winner, a king of the hill, the best young rider (under 25) and a team winner. There is a team time trial and two individual time trials. A little something for everyone. I think I’ll take the list we made this year of places to see and add it to the 9 other lists we’ve made of places to visit. It doesn’t hurt to dream.

***

From Space Weather.com

I mentioned the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing last Monday. Seems I just can’t get away from astronomy in one form or another! Last week it was the solar eclipse and the discovery by many amateur astronomy lovers that something hit Jupiter leaving a very large spot. Several days after the Jupiter discovery was made, many of the television channels had it on the news. Sorry guys, you are a few days late. We already knew thanks to Space Weather!

***

It is still hot (so what's new). We did get some rain last week, but could use more. Drought conditions are no fun. It’s bad for my farmers market. My favorite egg guy says the girls don’t like this weather and we have to get on a waiting list for eggs.

***

The pigs are on their way to California and I miss them! I started a Christmas project. Now, I don’t know about you, but the idea of starting something for Christmas is a little frightening. Time is passing too quickly. At any rate, I like making a few things that I can use for hostess gifts or little surprises for the holidays. Mr. Dragon says this looks very festive and it does, but I don’t like the yarn. The silver metallic thread running through the yarn has a mind of its own and the thread itself is a little thin. Live and learn. I have another round to put on and then it is finished. I have enough yarn to make two. The first one I make is always for me. It has all the mistakes, the trial and error phase.

***

We aren’t movie goers. Thought I could talk Mr. Dragon into seeing Star Trek, but we never went. I’ve seen some of the trailers for Julie and Julia. I went over to the Sony site, and after watching what they had there have decided I must see this movie. Meryl Streep as Julia Child is something I don’t want to miss! I read the Julie book that was based on her blog. Speaking of blogs, the sony site is posting a foodie blog a day. I figure I owe you a few blogs of the week so here are some of the blogs they’ve mentioned:

• Whisk: A Food Blog
• Best Food Blog Ever
• Simply Recipes
• Cooking With Amy
• One For The Table
• The Scent of Water
• Dine and Dish
• Mia Cucina Su Cucina
• Elle's New England Kitchen
• Coconut 'N Lime
• Food Blogger

These are just a few, but enough to get you started!

***

There is nothing on the calendar for the week. Good thing, Mr. Dragon has a cold.

***

I’ll leave you with this picture thought. I thought it fit well with the food theme!

I am thankful for another day on beautiful Mother Earth.

Joy to You!