A Round Afghan Pattern Link

Just a quick note here. There is another new round afghan pattern. It is by Red Heart. You can find it at this link. I have a list of other round afghan patterns that I keep updated too. It is here.

Inglorious Basterds--Movie Information

My favorite time in history is the 1940s and WWII. There is a movie I hope to see soon called Inglourious Basterds. A former history professor of mine, Cathy Schultz, Ph.D, writes a column evaluating movies as far as historical accuracy. She rates this one as being largely "made-up" and not too historically accurate but says the watcher should be ready for "one wild ride." I think I'll still go see it or maybe wait for it to come out on video whatever, I still want to watch it. Anyway, go here to read the review!

Go here for Brad Pitt Movies

On 31 Aug 1989, Princess Anne Of G.B. Separates from Husband

On this day in history--31 August 1989, Princess Anne of Great Britain and hubby Captain Mark Phillips separate after 16 years of marriage. They were divorced in 1992 and the princess married Timothy Laurence that same year. To see more about this go here. There is an online biography that you may also enjoy reading.

USS Kitty Hawk CV63

Here's another of Ray's ships. The Kitty Hawk was his last sea duty assignment. He was on board when the ship changed homeport to Japan from San Diego. I started looking for videos of Ray's assignments when a friend sent Ray links to videos of the friend's ships. Here it is...

USS New Orleans LPH11 in 1986

Saw this on YouTube and had to post it here. Ray transferred to this ship during this cruise. Most of the personnel you are seeing are Marines. Ray was a MM2 then and if you know anything about the Navy, you know that he was down in the hole steaming the plant. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

World's Oldest Still Performing Show Girl

I received this in an email and I had to share it with you. This lady is fantastic! I wish I had her energy and I'm more than 30 years younger than she is!


Here is another video of her when she was a little younger (Originally aired on April 18th, 2005). This woman is living the good life for her age AND a much younger person.



I hope you enjoy this. Hugs....Sharon

On This Day 28 Aug 1774 1st American Saint Born

August 28, 1774
St. Elizabeth born in New York City.

Elizabeth Ann Seton before becoming a nun

Mother Seton, the nun

Elizabeth Ann Bayley's life began on August 28, 1774, in New York. She married William Magee Seton (1768-1803), on January 25, 1794, in lower Manhattan. She and her husband William were blessed with five children. A serious financial crisis befell the Seton family's business in 1798. Elizabeth and her family temporarily moved into her father-in-law's house. During her residence in the elder Seton's home, she discovered her talent for teaching as she cared for her husband's younger siblings. Her husband's health deteriorated as result of tuberculosis and they moved to Italy. Her husband died there. Elizabeth learned about Roman Catholicism during her stay in Italy. Upon return to the States she taught school to support her family. She became a Catholic, established the Sisters of Charity and also established a school.





Catholic Online website has a biography that you may be interested in reading. In Emmitsburg, MD a shrine is dedicated to her. Another interesting online article about her is posted by the Emmitsburg, MD Historical Society.


Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Books

Baby Blanket for Cousin's Baby Boy

In this posting, I made mention of the baby blanket I've been working on for my cousin's baby boy due later this year. Anyway, here is the finished item--Ok, so I did hide the ends I need to weave in before I took the photos :). I modified the pattern I started out with so much that I ended up with a totally different look. In the beginning I was concerned that it would be too plain but I really think the edging gives it that extra "pop" that it needed. In the closeup, you can see the edging and the shell with ridges design. I hope you have enjoyed looking at it. Hugs to all...

List of Round Afghan Pattern Links Updated

Today I updated my links for free online patterns for round afghans. You can see it here. The new one is similar in appearance to other round ripple patterns. The new pattern is on coats and clarks site on this page.

Scarf for Leslie

Here's a scarf I finished some time ago for Leslie. I love the looks of this yarn but DESPISE crocheting with it. The texture of the yarn makes it very difficult to see the stitches. I ended up going the easy route of only using double crochet for the entire thing. I attempted a hat out of the same yarn and suffice it to say, it has been donated to the trash can lol! I am currently making a baby blanket for my cousin's baby boy (due in October) that I've had to modify the pattern I'm using because I kept goofing it up. Here's the pattern I started with and then I basically came up with my own idea based on ribs and shell design. I'm making it larger than called for because I think that after spending so much time and effort making baby blankets that they should be used when the baby is a toddler too. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before I have it completed and pictures posted for you to see. Hugs to all!

Race Riots in L.A. 11 August 1965

On this day Aug. 11, in 1965, deadly rioting and looting broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles. I was a young child then and I remember those tumultuous days from seeing the rioting on television news. During the 60s, my childhood memories of current events were filled with scenes of race riots, demonstrations against the Vietnam War and the war. You can read the New York Times article about the Watts riot online.

History of the 1960s

Swimming Record Set 29 July 1940

On this day, 29 July 1940: John Sigmund of St. Louis, MO, completed a 292-mile swim down the Mississippi River. The swim from St. Louis to Caruthersville, MO, took him 89 hours and 48 minutes. In 1955, Antonio Abertondo, tried and failed to break this record. Here is a newspaper article that tells the story of Mr. Abertondo's attempt. The only information I was able to find on Mr. Sigmund was listed on sites that contain "this day in history" information. I usually prefer to give my readers something more substantial to read. Hugs to all...

The Draft in Vietnam July 1965

28 July 1965: US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam

President Johnson committed a further 50,000 US troops to the conflict in Vietnam.

Monthly draft calls were scheduled to increase from 17,000 to 35,000 - the highest level since the Korean War, when between 50,000 and 80,000 men were called up each month.

"I do not find it easy to send the flower of our youth...into battle." President Johnson

Go here to read more about the draft in the Vietnam War. To read more about the history of the Vietnam War go to this website.

Books on Vietnam War

Movies on Vietnam War

Oldest Ship in US Navy

On July 23, 1954 - A law is passed that states that "The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the United States Ship Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original appearance, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the United States Ship Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts." Nicknamed Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy. To read a brief history of this ship you can visit this Naval Historical Center page.

Our Town Has a LYS

I keep meaning to post this information about the lys here that is also a used bookstore. They're very friendly people there. The owner is more than willing to order what you need if they don't have it in stock. If you're wondering what a lys is it is a "local yarn store" and normally is not a chain store. If you're in the area check this one out.

Round Ripple Afghan of Sport Weight Yarn

Here's my last finished projected. It's another round ripple afghan made from the crochet pattern by AggieMay of crochetville. It is made out of 2 shades of blue and one of a light green. It's about 54" from point to point. The yarn is by Red Heart and it is called Designer Sport. I did have a 4th color I was going to use but I couldn't find the yarn until I started the last row. Oh well, I'll probably use it to made some baby things. If you like to made round afghans, I have compiled a list of free patterns you may want to check out. I'm off to weave in the last few ends, wash this and put it in my extra bedroom not-so-affectionately known as the yarn warehouse. I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and come again for a visit. Drop me a note and tell me what you think. Hugs to my readers...
Red Heart Designer Sport Yarn

Golden Birthday!

Today it is my cute little gd's golden birthday! She's ll on the llth of July! Happy birthday Sweetie.

I Started Canning

Yesterday, I started canning my green beans. I had enough beans to can 9 pints. I got a pressure canner this year. The USDA recommends that you can with a pressure canner because it is the only way to get temperatures high enough to kill bacteria spores. I have some packs of veggies left from last year and I plan to divide them up among my 2 sons so they don't go to waste. Last year, I froze vegetables. After having a 5+ day power outage last winter I started thinking how lucky I was that the freezer was in the garage and that the outage was in the winter and not the summer. Concerns over a summer-time power outage was the deciding factor in purchasing a pressure canner. Here's a picture of my jars of beans.

Watch Out for Karma!

A comedy show I've been enjoying lately is My Name is Earl. When I first heard about this show I thought, hmmm, that's one cheesy, low-class show. However, after I watched it I fell in love with the show and the wisdom that karma will get you if you do wrong to someone. Yes, I believe in karma. Here's a story to illustrate that.
In the 1960s, a couple worked very hard to buy and payoff a new home to raise their 3 children in. The husband worked many over-time hours at a factory and the wife worked as a secretary at a car dealership. The kids were put into public schools instead of attending Catholic elementary school as they had previously attended in the old neighborhood. After living in the new house for maybe 14 months, the woman died. She had a CVA, in other words a stroke. She hung on for a few days until the husband was forced to make the hard decision to disconnect her from life-support. At the age of 33 she passed away 11 days before Christmas and the entire family was devastated. Three children were left motherless--a 12 yo, a 9 yo and a 6 yo. A friend of the deceased woman's cousin started setting her snare for the man by taking the kids to museums, buying them clothes flirting with the man at the funeral home and sleeping with him about 5 months later. She was sporting a 1/2 carat solitaire diamond engagement ring before the modest marker was put on the 1st wife's grave. Less than 10 months after the children's mother died, the man and the woman married. Before they were married, she insisted that her name be put on the deed for the house. Did I mention before that said house was paid for? He complied with her wishes. After the marriage, he worked the 3-to-11 shift and rarely saw his children and turned over all their care to the woman. He never spent time with them without the woman. She liberally used corporal punishment and verbal abuse ("your mother wasn't as perfect as you think", "you're never going to amount to anything", and "you're getting out of here when you're 18" and similar comments). She even used wood cutting boards to beat the kids with even when they were 18 years old! Why? This punishment was given for putting the toilet paper up wrong and it unwound from the back instead of the front or maybe for putting the towels in the linen closet and the wrong edges were facing out. The youngest child was easy for her to mold and now doesn't even remember the REAL mother. Still to this day, the woman has alienated and slandered the 2 older children and they are most likely disinherited. She has created fantastical stories about the older children to turn the father against them. Guess I'm going into too many details and straying from karma so let me get back on task. Fast forward to the present. The man and woman have been trying to sell this property for over a year. The property has been used as collateral to support their fancy life-style--boats including a ski boat and 32 footer, RVs, and 2nd homes in Florida. Unfortunately for them, the housing market has soured. The house isn't selling! She had to ensure that she got the house and the children from his first wife lost their home and now she CAN'T GET RID OF IT! I guess you can take a lesson from Earl and say, karma got her!
I believe that if you live your life with a little Christian charity you will experience good karma. I have tried to learn from this example and others. So, that's my story for today. Hope you are not too bored. Hugs to all...

Ta Da! 2 More Pairs of Cozy Slippers!

Here are MORE slippers! The 1st pair is for my uncle in Illinois. He had requested that I make a pair for him a bit larger than the last pair. Should have figured that one out--everyone in the family (esp. me) has kind of big feet lol! The yarn I used is acrylic and the colors are tan and brown. The tan is a Caron brand yarn and the brown is some vintage stuff I had in my stash. The 2nd pair is made out of acrylic yarn of unknown brand. The colors are pretty clear in here--one strand bright red and the other off-white. I am trying to find different settings to use for my photos as you may have noticed in the pic of these slippers. The floor and the grass backgrounds were getting old even to me so I thought I'd look around and try to find something a bit more original. I'm looking around for "different" sorts of places around the house to use. This location is on the rocks surrounding the little backyard pond.

For my readers, I try to include a link to a pattern if I have it so here it is once again for your perusal and use :)!