Tag: family

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The Hooked Rug

Every once in a while I will stop by an estate sale. I stopped at two today. I found this beautiful hand hooked rug. The date says ’54 so I am assuming that it means 1954 and not 1854. I really don’t think it is that 100 years old, but I really don’t know much about it.

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It is a punched rug with wool strips instead of yarn. It has never been used as you can see that the burlap backing isnt tacked down to the back of the run like it would be if it had been used.2014-06-013

It is a little old fashioned and somewhat out of style but I love the color shading in it. I also found a wonderful bucket of crochet cotton thread in various sizes and colors.

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Quite a nice selection of threads. It was a fun day though my feet hurt today after all the walking.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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New baby bibs!

I have been sewing a bunch of beautiful baby bibs. They are so cheerful and happy!

2014-06-11 18.29.50They aren’t quite finished but they will be soon!  I can’t wait to show them all to you. I hope to get these bibs photographed and in the shop on Friday of this week, along with some new baby blankets. They are all lighter weight and perfect for summer weather. They all have snuggly flannel on one side and cool soft cotton on the other.

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This week has been a busy driving one back and forth to different activities for the kids. One is assisting at vacation bible school and the other has been needing a ride back and forth to work. So I have put many miles on the car this week. It ends tomorrow and there should be more down time next week.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

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A New Challenge

I have been tinkering around with the idea of a new Challenge! Here are the ideas I have had so far.

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  • crochet a square a day
  • creating more things from the supplies on hand
  • Christmas gift ideas 30 gift ideas in 30 days
  • 1 new item a day
  • Cleaning something in the house once a day
  • cleaning, organizing and decorating the studio… (ha, who am I kidding.)
  • Create a new pattern a week?
  • 100 new items for the shops in 100 days? With a little twist that I can use new bought supplies?
  • A Pinterest board challenge pick 30 items off my boards and try to create them myself?
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Can you think of any I have missed? What would you do?

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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Fabric

These days my heart calls out for color. Bright vibrant colors speak volumes to me and these three were at the top of my list. I bought more but these are like Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in nearly ever way! I have a new product heading to the shop and I think you will like them. Yes, I have more than one for the shop! Yes, I am so excited about it.2014-06-06 09.59.17

 

The house has been really quiet this week as our high energy kid is at camp this week. She is the one that keeps us talking and busy. She is fun and exciting and makes life that way too! While quiet is nice and allows me to think in complete sentences, I miss her. I miss her chatter and vibrant personality. Thankfully, she comes home tomorrow. I need to go and sew some more as the photographer promised to take some pictures for me tomorrow.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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Date Night…

Date night….was wonderful. It is years since planning a date was a simple as a phone call. Planning date nights was as complicated as planning a cross country move and required just as much cash to pay a sitter. I was also not quite comfortable leaving the kids for long as they were mischievous. Last night was a wonderful time; listening to live Jazz and eating Mexican food with my brother. He lives out of state and it could only have been better if more family had been there.

2014-06-006This was parked out in front of the restaurant. Street legal and ready to go! The music was played by Grady Nichols. You can find out more about him here. http://www.gradynichols.com/ It was a lovely night to sit and listen to jazz.

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I have been sewing quite a bit this week and my new fabric came yesterday. I can’t wait to show it to you.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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June

It was a quiet day yesterday and I pulled these out to work on.  I love the bright colors and simple design. I embroidered the stems and leaves of these teeny tiny little flowers.  I choose the smallest buttons in my button box to sew on as the flowers. The bunting was cut from my smallest scraps. I guess this is why things are always in an uproar in the studio. I have an extremely difficult time throwing any of these little scraps away.2014-05-31 21.58.00-1I just have to finish up the machine sewing and then I can give you a better picture of what this is! It will end up in the studio eventually. We are in the midst of getting a child ready for camp and another child is at urgent care with his Dad. The cold/cough has gotten worse. He needs a letter from the doctor for his job as he is not ready to go back to work tomorrow. He has been off of work for a week and we would appreciate your prayers that he would feel much better super quick! Talk to you later, Karen

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The laundry

I remember going to my Granny’s house for a week or two in the summers. Once a week we would gather (I say we, but it was mainly my mother and Granny) all the laundry in the house. Loading it into the car we would take it into town to the laundromat. It had a screen door that had a broken spring. It smelled clean like soap and heat like the driers that were stacked on one wall. There were all kinds of ladies at this laundromat. They would load all of the clothes into the washers and the last load would be my Grandpa’s overalls. He was a tractor mechanic and his overalls and work shirts would always go in their own washer with the Oxydol detergent. Then they would sit and wait for the washers to finish. There was usually a chance to drink a pop out of the machine in the corner. It was cold and sweet and very bubbly. Granny didn’t put her clothes into the dryer we would take them home to her house and hang them on the line. ALL the clothes on the line, even our underwear, though Granny would put them on one of the middle lines of the clothes line. As kids we would run through the cool wet laundry feeling it flap on our arms, but not too much as it would pull the clothes down.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/23974833/clothes-pins-hancock-maine-4-x-6-fin

My grandmothers would never let their clothespins stay on the clothes line. They were kept in a bag like one of these. They would bring the clothespins after their laundry day.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187700151/clotheslined-floral-print-clothespin-bag

My other Grandma, we called her Gran, would also dry her clothes on the line but hers was an umbrella style clothes line and she could stand  in one place and hang all of her clothes. The queen sized sheets fit on the outside line and the socks on the inner lines closest to the middle pole. It turned around and she would hang and turn the line and keep hanging the clothes until the basket was empty.

When our children were little I had a clothes line and we hung our clothes to dry. It was a way of saving money. We had a clothes dryer for wet laundry days. It seemed that the kids created laundry for fun. If we didn’t do laundry; at least three loads every day. They now do their own laundry and it keeps that monster under better control!

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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Looking Back…

I wrote this about a month ago. Believe it or not everything that I was worried about has been handled. All of the things that I thought were worthy of worry are now solved, resolved or handled. Shall I share the outcome of each of these worries.

I am starting to push the panic button. In the next month we have a ton of things happening.

  • The college girl comes home with all of her belongings  She is home and everything is great!
  • Sr. recognition Sunday at church for our graduating senior Done and over!
  • High school graduation for our youngest son Graduated!
  • Our 26th wedding anniversary Celebrated and wonderful!
  • Memorial Day, a day which we now try to put flowers and remember those who have passed away and those who have served in the military. Done
  • I need to get a child ready for camp
  • send her to camp
  • I have two kids needing to find summer jobs They both found jobs on their own without my interference!
  • feeding all of the people that will be here this summer I have two extra cooks and meals are getting accomplished daily!
  • find out about my foot in the boot and what needs to be done. The boot is gone. I am mobile and taking up the rhythms of life again!

I guess I am discouraged by the busyness of life. I need to take time to remember that these busy times are sweet family time. We will once again all gather around the table and share stories, insights and food. It seems that my family places importance on food as it gathers us all together.

Yes, we do place importance on food as it is hard to get all of us together at any other time.

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I hope you and your family find some sweet family time this summer!

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Graduation

Once again we are here. It seems only yesterday that he was this big.

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Such a funny little guy. In the top photo he is three and the bottom photo he is about 5 months old. He is now almost 19. I will never forget seeing him face down in the sand pit with his brand new glasses on his face. I will always remember “Sometimes my Mom lets me have three pieces of cake!” at about four years old as he conned my cousin into two large pieces of cake. I will never forget his cello breaking at a summer music camp! I loved watching you come into your own as a high school student. IMG_1850 er YBThere is not much left to say, but Congratulations! You have a strength and fortitude that astounds me. Thank you for being the funny guy, the punster, the artist and quiet guy. I can’t wait to see what happens next in your life and where life takes you!

See you later,

Mom

 

 

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Monday April 28, 2014

I had an overwhelming feeling this past weekend that I needed to buy more yarn. I have, after all, crocheted a huge amount of items. I haven’t really ordered any yarn since January when I started the 100 items in 100 days challenge. I did buy two destash orders from friends on Etsy last month but that doesn’t really count!  Here is the yarn I bought from my friend Rose who knits wonderful blankets, scarves, and shawls. 2014-04-16 12.51.32

I am combining it with the rest of the wool yarn that I had leftover and it is in the process of being turned into a wonderful one of a kind art blanket. It is full of lovely texture and Autumn colors, but it is wool and it is HOT to sit under right now. Here is the undoctored photo of my foot in the boot. This is the other reason it is hot. This boot is heavy and like wearing an insulated blanket.

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I don’t know about you but sitting around is exceedingly boring. I have run through many Netflix marathons in the afternoons and evenings. This is also the reason I have completed so many different baby items. So, I was thinking that I needed to buy more yarn and decided that I would first see what I have on hand.

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Lovely blues, greens, white, red and navy

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A nice assortment of colors from pink to bright orange back to purples, and grey.2014-04-27 15.02.53

Another tub full of neutral yarns. So, I am not ordering any yarn. I have ENOUGH yarn to keep me busy for a little while! These are all full skeins, we aren’t going to look at all the partial sets of yarn.

Actually, I did buy yarn but it isn’t for me. I am having it shipped to my cousin in Keller, Texas because she sitting a lot right now as well.

Talk to you later,

Karen