On The Hook

On the hook is a one skein baby blanket designed by Marilyn Losee
and a free pattern at Caron.

The pattern calls for Lion Brand Pound of Love,

a US K - 10.5 (6.5mm) crochet hook

and a J-10 (6mm) crochet hook

It is a simple double crochet and single crochet pattern that goes quickly.

Finished the edge with a simple picot stitch.

It's now on its way to the new owner.

Fun on a hook!

Calming too.

Almost like meditation.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and lots of yarn!

I'm joining:

Hookin On Hump Day

I Missed Hump Day!

Yesterday was Hookin' On Hump Day and I missed it.

I'm taking a class in Community Studies at Rice University on hump day.

The time just seems to fly but I did have a crochet project to share with you.

A good friend of mine put in her wish for a pair of fingerless gloves.

She saw this free Red Heart Pattern for wavy long wristers and said "this is what I want".

I missed her birthday.

I couldn't find the yarn in town and had to order.

Here they are all finished in time for Christmas.

After running out of yarn on projects in the past,
I ordered one extra of each color.
Lo and behold, the pattern seems true!
So I have enough yarn to make another pair.

I'll have yarn leftover
and plan on making a pair for me, but much shorter.

Be sure to check out the other Hump Day projects!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Just Keep Going

Cassie has been busy supervising the afghan I've been working on.
Here she is, being sure there is no more yarn in my bag.

This is what she was supervising:

The Happy Hearts Afghan, a free pattern from Red Heart.

I started this afghan last February.

Finally, it is finished!

I have plenty of yarn left and have started another one just like it.

Cassie is still taking her supervising seriously and

I figure once I get started, I should just keep going!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I'm also joining Hooking On Hump Day!

Potpourri

St. Patrick's Day is coming, along with corned beef and cabbage.

This is a vintage reproduction postcard.

No artist or date was listed.

Thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

*

I am creating...
Granny Squares!
The month of March is National Crochet Month.
YeeHaw!
Pictures coming when I have all the squares made. 

I am excited about...
being asked to taste test some teas from Tea Vivre.
I love Chinese teas and tea ware.
It will be fun to research and taste!

YiXing Tea Pot

I am hoping...
to win some handmade soap!
Nancy at a Rural Journal is having a give-a-way.
Get over there and sign up!

A favorite quote for today...
It's from the Walt Whitman poem  O ME! O LIFE!
"...The question, O me! so sad, recurring - What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here - that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."
It may sound familiar especially if you have seen the Apple commercials. 

One of my favorite things...

This is a Miltonia Orchid, sometimes called a pansy orchid.
When I brought her home from Trader Joe's she had one flower spike opened.
She now has two more spikes open and 2 more coming.
She is quite impressive and fragrant!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

A big thank you to Nancy for hosting.

Mug of The Month

When I posted about my new Emma Bridgewater mug,

I realized that I use a different mug each month for tea.
Thus - Mug of The Month!

For February,

here is another Emma mug:

Big Love.

Perfect for Valentine's Day.

How about a little sugar cookie?

The tea is a simple black tea with honey.

Big Love is sitting on my newly crocheted heart hot pads.

I'm joining some tea parties today:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Wishing you well, much joy and a lovely cup of tea!

Potpourri

It's been busy and noisy around here.
The kitties have been hiding on the bed under the covers or under my feet.

I have a new roof -- just in time for the winter storm warnings.

New covers for the outdoor faucets.

A new toilet (the old one was leaning).

Some other minor *stuff* that was bugging me. 

I thought as long as the guys were here -- I'd put them to work.

**

Talking about winter storms -- how about another snowman?!

Reproduction vintage postcard - no artist or date listed.

He seems so happy -- his feathered and furry friends too.

I love his sandals! 

(Sandals and gloves sounds like the Gulf Coast.)

Too bad all our winter storms aren't this happy.

Thanks to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

***

My Christmas decorations are finally put away.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

While it is cold and miserable outside, I think I'll hook some hearts!

One large hot pad heart and a smaller one in the works.

Cotton yarn, doubled...hard on the fingers, but a quick project.

I'm using stash yarn - Sugar 'N Cream - hot pink and white.

The pattern is from a Leisure Arts leaflet 2741.

Houston is all iced in.

There are still folks who are trying to drive on the icy freeways.

Not me! 

I'm happy to stay at home with the kitties, hot tea, a good book or two, with plenty of yarn.

Thank you to Nancy for hosting Random Five Friday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Note Card Party!

I missed Vee's Note Card Party last month.
I had a cold and forgot all about the party.
But I was forgetting about almost everything.
I looked back at the month of September to see what I missed!

The end of summer.

Mina -- keeping Mummy's place on the sofa all safe and warm.

McHugh Tea -- the first day I could really enjoy tasting.

As long as I was curled up on the couch with kitties, I put the time to good use.
Crochet Christmas Wreath hot pads.

That's how I spent my time while I had a cold.

A big thank you to Vee for hosting the Note Card Party.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Potpourri

It's Friday.

Time for some randomness with a little this and that.

*

What a beautiful week.

It started off with the first real cool front of the season.

Off I went to the Japanese Garden.

The azaleas are a bit confused -- they were blooming!

**

Then it was off to the zoo where they are busy decorating for Zoo Boo

and for Holiday Lights.

What do you do with a dead tree?

You carve it with a small chain saw into chimps climbing on a tree!

Located just in front of the entrance to the chimp habitat.

***

I have one more Christmas tree to crochet and my Christmas hot pads are all finished.

I started sending off the Halloween hot pads to their new homes.

I have yarn left over from the afghans I made several years ago.

I had to try out the Bavarian crochet pattern -- also called Catherine's Wheel. 

It took some frogging before I was comfortable with the pattern.

It reminds me a little of the cathedral window quilting pattern.

****

I have a list of books to look for when I make my run to Barnes and Noble today.

Top of the list -- the new Bill Bryson -- One Summer in American: 1927.

*****

The cool front didn't last very long.

The heat and humidity are back.

Next cool front is due in late next week.

Another trip to the Japanese Garden and Zoo is planned.

Thanks, Nancy!

******

Wishing all of YOU well and much joy!

Potpourri

It's Friday.

Time for a little this and that.

A little randomness.

*
A few coolish mornings here (high 60s) and that means I can get out and walk.
Yippee!
A few walks up to my village and some window shopping.

**

I noticed on my walks that the trees were talking/singing.
The breeze was wonderful and the sound in the leaves -- listen carefully.
Singing!

***

I've been working on Potholders for Christmas.
A Christmas Wreath

and Christmas Trees.
I have a few more to do.

****

Pumpkins are starting to show up at the grocery stores.
I'm starting to think about Pumpkin rolls, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Soup.
Jack-O-Lanterns

*****
Plans for the weekend:
Football, decorating for Halloween/Autumn, more crochet, some reading
and, of course, playing with the kitties.


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Potpourri

It's Friday!

Time for Five Random Things with Nancy.

*

My crochet for Halloween is almost finished.

I have one more ghost to make and I think I'm done.

I found the pattern for the ghost hot pads at Moms Love of Crochet.

Even if I do say so myself, they are cute!

**

Michael's had yarn on sale.

Perfect, I thought.

I could get all the yarn I needed for my Halloween projects.

Wrong.

They didn't have the colors I needed.

I ended up ordering Lily Sugar N Cream yarn from Dick Blick!

The cheapest online that I could find. 

***

The new cat toy of the week -- a small empty cat food box that I placed a few toys into.

Something a little different to keep them interested -- for 10 minutes! 

****

Are you ready for football?!!!!

It's that time.

*****

Yes, it is UGHust and the hot and humid is back.

Hope everyone has a fun filled Labor Day weekend.

Don't Labor too hard!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Potpourri

It's Friday.

Time to look back on the week and join Nancy with Five Random Things.

*

I have a new dentist.

I decided it was crazy to drive half way across town to have my teeth cleaned

when I live in an area (near the medical center) where there are dozens of dentists to pick from.

To make the story short ... I like her!

And I like the hygienist.

And, when the weather is nice, I can walk to my appointment and have lunch after.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

**

The kitty toy of choice right now is the common, ordinary drink straw.

YeeHaw!

***

August was the month for doctor appointments.

Cassie and Mina both had their annual exams and were very good girls at the vet office.

I had my eyes checked today.

I have a family history of glaucoma and have my pressure checked very six months.

I passed again.

****

I am crocheting some Halloween hot pads.

Here is the pumpkin.

Cute!

I'm working on some ghosts and will share them next week!

*****

I can't complain much about the weather ... except still no rain.

The heat this UGHust hasn't been as bad as past years, but UGHust isn't over yet!

Now, if it would rain ... lightly ... for several days ... that would be nice!

Thanks for dropping by.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Circles

This is Aldred, cousin to Alice.

You saw Alice last week as part of the CAL at Meme Rose.

I stuffed Al with a pillow form -- soft and cuddly.

Finding the right name for him really didn't take too long.

When I discovered that Aldred meant old, wise counsel I knew I had the right name.

Perfect for an Owl.

I'm using Al's eyes as the circle prompt for August Break.

Potpourri

Friday means a few Random Things ...

a little This and That.

Thank you Nancy for hosting.

*

I just finished reading BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel.

BRING UP THE BODIES follows Mantel's Booker Prize winning novel, WOLF HALL and continues the story of Henry VIII seen through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell. Katherine, Henry's first wife has died and Anne becomes the center of attention. Henry wonders that he has spent the best part of his life with Anne and only has one child and that child, a daughter. No one likes Anne. She is the focus of gossip and malice. Henry wants her brought down and he has already chosen her successor.

Perhaps I am now used to Mantel's writing style as I found BRING UP THE BODIES much easier to read. Seeing the story unfold from Cromwell's side is very different from the usual novel of the period. Mantel suggests that several of the men executed as lovers of Anne may have been selected as victims because of their part in the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey. Who knows? Being an advisor to Henry definitely takes a man of great skill and courage.

I'm looking forward to part 3 of the tale of Thomas Cromwell.


**

This is Alice Owl.

Isn't she cute?!

Love her eyelashes.

Meme Rose is having a CAL (Crochet-A-Long)

I've gone through my stash and picked out my yarn.

I'll report next week on how my Alice is coming along.

***

The plumeria are starting to bloom in the garden.
When they were first planted I had three different colors.
Then came a couple of bad freezes and Hurricane Ike.
I've pampered and babied them and thankfully, they don't mind the drought.

These are the first hints of what is to come.

YeeHaw!

****

I've been going to the gym with a good friend at 5 in the morning for our morning stroll

on the treadmill.

It is just too blooming hot to walk outside. 

UGH

But it is good for me/us. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

This and That

It's Friday and that means time for Random Things.

Thank you, Nancy for hosting.

*

I made a quick stop at Michael's early this week.

I was looking for a couple of sheets of 22 x 30 water color paper.

As I was dashing through the store on my way to the cashier, I stopped dead in my tracks.

I could not believe what I was seeing.

The FALL decorations were out.

Pumpkins and all.

Ack!

**

It is too hot to cook.

So, I've been having a slice of wonderful rosemary/thyme bread

 with black peppercorn chevre and tomatoes all from the Farmer's Market.

My Farmer's Market Meal.

Oh, my -- sinfully delicious.

I think I'm going to add some wine!

***

Hard to believe that the 4th of July is just around the corner.

My fingers have been itching to do a quick crochet project.

Last year I made red, white and blue placemats.

While I was cleaning out a closet,

I found a Leisure Art leaflet with holiday hot pads.

I thought the watermelon and star patterns were perfect for the summer festivities.

The watermelon was easy, 

but the star has a few glitches I need to work out.

****

My basil was ready for picking so I made pesto yesterday.

Yum! 

*****

I don't think my Japanese Maple is going to survive.

I've babied it through the long hot summers and our drought,

but it looks pretty sad this year. 

I had to trim some dead branches. 

I'll keep trying.

I talk to it every day.

Telling it how pretty it is and how much I'd like it to stay around.

I guess I could start playing music outside.

I wonder what it would like to hear??

The sound of rain, I bet!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Enjoy the weekend. 

Happy Summer Solstice

Five Random Things

I have Five Random Things for you today.

Sit back and relax!

I've been stash busting.

All of this yarn was left from the Christmas afghans I made two years ago.

I like lapghans and thought there was enough to make one for me.

Not bad!

It's just simple granny squares.
It is a little lop-sided, but then so am I.
It fits nicely!
I finished it just in time -- the days are getting longer and warmer!

**

One of my favorite things to do when the weather cooperates

is to walk into my Village and have breakfast or lunch. 

I was leaving the restaurant with my ice tea to go in one hand and a book

in the other when a very handsome man in a three piece suit walked into the restaurant.

He was tall -- basketball player kind of tall.

I am short -- as in getting older every year, shrinking, now under five feet tall.

Mutt and Jeff.

I said "Good Morning".

He said "Good Morning".

And then he was opening the door for me.

I said "thank you very much".

And he said "you are welcome very much".

Wow.
(I could have opened the door using the *back end* method.)

Now, I'm no spring chicken and I'll tell you ladies --

I appreciated a very handsome man with good manners.

His Mama taught him well!

I was smiling the rest of the day.

And, my baseball Owls won their game that evening.

***

Maybe it was the luck of the Irish or perhaps the Easter Bunny made an early visit.

 I won the Martha White giveaway on a Semi Homemade Mom.

Mina had to supervise as I unpacked the goodies.

The blue Martha White tote bag held all these goodies.

There's a t-shirt, an apron, muffin cups, a cupcake timer, 6 packages of

Martha White cornbread mix, spatulas, wooden spoons, hot pads, grocery lists, recipe holders.

Martha White has recipes on their website. 

It's a good thing that I LOVE cornbread! 

****

Since St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner,

here is a vintage reproduction postcard for you.

Many thanks to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

*****

Lastly, I am reading

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

by Candice Millard.

It is not my usual kind of read -- it is not fluff!

I'm the first to say that my American history is not very good.

I remember very little of what I learned in school.

I knew Teddy Roosevelt was a president and some thing of a wild man.

This book is fascinating - a real look at his personality and an amazing tale of

exploration in the Amazon along the River of Doubt.

Candice Millard is an historian and a former writer and editor for National Geographic.

She's made the whole adventure come to life. 

I am half way through the book and had to take a break and come up for air! 

Wishing YOU well and much joy! 

An Experiment

I won this lovely crochet pattern (Basic Circle Scarf) from Olivia at My Favourite Things.

I admire Olivia's crochet work and was delighted to try this pattern.

I had two skeins of Alpaca yarn.

One in a solid blue/grey and the other in a multi color.

The original pattern called for crocheting with two strands and since the Alpaca yarn

was quite chunky -- I decided to experiment and see what would happen.

Would I have enough yarn?

Olivia's scarf is 8 inches wide and mine is a tad over 4.

I was able to repeat the pattern once instead of the number called for in the original pattern 

 and held my breath on the last row.

I tried it on today and I love it.

The Alpaca yarn is so soft.

I want to cuddle the scarf.

Perhaps I'll sleep with it tonight! 

We have more cool weather (cool for us) coming. 

I will be ready.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

This and That

I've been waking up to foggy mornings.

Once the fog burns off the bird bath and fountain gets busy.
The robins have really enjoyed the fountain.

I added a pop of color to Musashi's Garden with a couple of geraniums.

The crochet baby blanket is finished.

This was a kit from Herrschner's called: Lil' Lullabies Baby Blanket.

The crochet group meets Saturday and I think I'm going to use this pattern

to use up some stash yarn ... with a few changes.

I have a thing for lapghans and think this pattern will make a very good one.

*

I had a lovely lunch with some museum friends this week 

and while I was there I visited the Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces From The Prado.

The exhibitions closes March 31 and then is off to Brisbane, Australia. 

The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia by Alonso Sanchez Coello

greets you as you enter the exhibition.

*

Lastly, I have another postcard for you from the kiss box.

Just in time for Valentine's Day!

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

Wishing all of you well and much joy!