Miss Posy Crochets....

Happy Things.....

The view out my kitchen window, now that the old barn is gone.

Jars of ruby~red crab~apple jelly.

Big pots of soup, simmering away on the stove.

A fire screen for our fireplace. 

(~Now I can relax about keeping the little ones from getting burned on the stove! And I think it really adds an elegant touch to the area as well. I love it.)

Napping little people, snuggled up under quilts.

Boys who love to read.

Girls who "work together" to press leaves between sheets of wax paper

(~something I have fond memories of doing as a child),

......and then use them to decorate up the dining room table for their mother.

So very pretty!

New Yarn....

Miss Posy got new yarn for Christmas.

She has been hard at work this week, 

crocheting a blanket for her dolls.

Doings....

Miss Posy's Knitting

We bought her a French Knitting mushroom for her birthday, and she loves it! Currently, she is in the process of making a hat for Little Lady.......or so she claims. We'll have to see how that works out....;)

How it Progresseth.....

Remember this? It has gotten a lot bigger! And that is good considering it was a Christmas gift (unfortunately unfinished:( ) to my Knight. He is quite tall (...for those who have not met him, about 6 ft. 4in.)  so I still do have a good ways to go. The nice thing is, now that he knows it is his, he can tell me exactly how wide and long to make it.

So this is what I have been working on in the evenings, or when I am sitting down to feed Little Lady and not reading Titus Andronicus. I guess I never mentioned how my crazy resolution of the new year was to begin reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Vol I. I have always wanted to read his complete works, and figured that if I am ever going to succeed I had better stop wanting and start doing instead. So yes, Titus Andronicus comes first......though it seems there are conflicting opinions about whether Shakespeare did actually write it or not, as it is not really in his typical style. I'm about half way through, and it is very grim and gruesome. I think it has firmly lodged itself in position as the least of my favorites.......so far anyway;) The language is beautiful though. It is hard for me not to read Shakespeare aloud. It begs to be read aloud. It is too grand to be read in silence. So sometimes I can't help myself, and I just do. And the children look at me curiously, as if I have finally lost my last few precious threads of sanity. Perhaps they are right........;)

More Granny Squares...

My First Granny Square.....

It's not perfect.

And I stayed up 'til the wee hours last night completing it.

But I am so proud of it!!!

Just to think that as of yesterday afternoon, all I could crochet was a simple chain stitch!

It's all thanks to youtube and these wonderful lessons! 

I Couldn't Decide....

......whether to title this post

How to Put Spare Embroidery Floss to Good Use

or

How to Occupy Your Children Every Afternoon

Without The Aid of Electronic Devices. 

It's all they have been wanting to do!

Fabulous.

I

Busy Day

Tatting up a (Snow)Storm

Well, perhaps seven snowflakes don't quite qualify as a snowstorm....;)

Our family's annual Christmas party (on my father's side) is on Saturday, and I was trying to come up with a gift idea for the ladies that was nice and yet fit within our budget. Inspiration struck, and I came up with these simple tatted snowflakes. The plan is to starch them, weave a ribbon through each, and voila! ~They become pretty little bookmarks!

Four down.......three to go!

The Finished Pinata

.....mere hours before the children "had at it" this past Sunday. (We ended up doing most of our feast day celebrations a day early as my Knight had to leave on business first thing Monday morning.......and he won't be back till late Wednesday night.) If you use your imagination, you may be able to tell that it was supposed to be a rose;) What fun! And I am glad that I took the extra time to make the construction a bit sturdier.......the boys were quite lethal with the bat! It was really amusing to compare their mode of attack to Miss Posy's. For all our coaching and encouragement, she never did more than deliver gentle taps;) What a silly girl.

Homemade Pinata

.....in preparation for the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe. It is our fourth year of doing this, and I think the children anticipate making it every bit as much as they do destroying it! Last year we ran out of time and didn't get it painted, but I am hoping to do better this year. I will try to remember to post a picture of it, once it's completed!

"The Rain is Raining all Around.."

....but though it may be dull and dreary outside

we are keeping it cheery and cozy inside!

Lighted candles, good music, and a new knitting project....

Just the thing for a day like today!

*The title quote is taken from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem Rain.

Peace of Mind

When you have dinner all put together and simmering away in the crock pot........
Ahhhhh.....
Now I can get on to more important things. Like finishing up a knitted dish cloth to go with a bottle of wine for my dear cousin and his wife (who just bought a house). And laundry. Then heading over to our own house to do some more in the clean~up department. Oh, yes, and mixing up a double batch of blueberry muffins for the church potluck tomorrow morning. And, did I mention laundry?;)

Result of an Experiment....