Finally the Blogs Are Up and Running...

Blogger is back on line. I was going through withdrawal. I've been trying to read the posts I've missed but on the reading list on my dashboard they're all mixed up with ones I've already read grrrrrr...

I've finished making all the squares for the latest granny 'ghan I'm working on and all the ends are woven in (so far). No picture of it for you yet so please be patient a little longer ok?

Here are a few pictures of the amateur nature preserve aka our yard:

Momma robin keeping watch on...

Baby robins; 1 made 1st flight a few minutes after photo was taken.

A few of my flowers:

There is a story that goes with this next picture:

This rose was originally a rose tree but the top was totally broken off from the trunk. For 2 years I debated on where or not to dig it up and toss in the trash because it grew bushy, but didn't have blooms until this spring. I'm happy I kept it.

Believe it or not, these pretty little red roses are supposed to be carpet roses but they're growing like climbing roses for some reason... 

Pretty irises

I hope y'all have a great weekend...

WIP Wednesday--A Granny 'Ghan--11 May 2011

I haven't been very busy with crocheting lately--just sort of piddling around with it. I did finish a few more squares. I need 3 more big squares and then I'll weave in some ends and assemble the ghan. I'm not sure of the colors but then again, granny ghans have traditionally been made of some wild colors. ;)

If you click the button at the top of this post, you can see what other crafty people have been up to lately. Y'all have a great day...

Added a New Link for a Round(ish) Afghan Pattern

I added a new link today for a roundish throw. You can find the new link under today's date on the page listed at the top of my blog under the header where it says "Links for Free Round Afghan Crochet Patterns"  or you can go directly to the list from here. If you just want to see this one pattern it is here.

Mothers Day 2011--

I had a quiet Mothers Day yesterday. Both sons were working but son #2 did come over on his dinner break to surprise me. Love it when the sons drop in--the fridge gets emptied of the left-overs! :)

Anywho, here's my handsome son #2:

And here are the cute gnomes he and his wife gave me for Mothers Day:

Search Amazon.com for garden gnomes

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (09 May 2011)

Items crocheters often get some good-natured teasing about are crocheted covers for the spare roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. Today's pattern is for a humorous version of the crocheted tp cover.

Feeding Our Wildlife--

DH and I feed the squirrels and birds that visit our yard. Here is a little squirrel dining al fresco at the squirrel table son Justin made for them a few years ago:

When I was a little girl, I remember my grandmother feeding birds scraps from the table such as bread, cake crumbs, extra pancakes and that sort of thing. Now, I do the same thing and often buy seed for them too.  But wait, the squirrels are gluttons and have invaded our feathered friends' dining facilities:

The other day I saw an oriole but it was gone before I got my camera in hand. It was the first oriole I've seen here and I really wanted to snap a pic. I'm keeping my camera closer at hand so maybe I'll have better luck one day.

Y'all have a great week!

New Friday Thing for You-->Coupon of the Week

Because of some recent male menopause thing my husband is going through, I'm having to be more frugal than ever. I've been watching the extreme couponers on tv and youtube. Unlike them, I haven't found anything I can get for free like they do YET. Anyway, I thought that on Fridays, I would post for you a link for a coupon, preferably for a free item. Today's coupon is for a free sports drink at a GNC store. Go here to get it.

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone for their kind words since I've been under the weather. I'm still not up to snuff, but getting better everyday.

Hugs....

I Know I haven't been Here for a While...

Did you notice I've been gone for a few days? Maybe not but "stuff" has been happening. I've been sick--body aches and allergies too. I've spent quite a bit of time in bed--reading until my itchy eyes couldn't stand anymore printed words. I think I have imbibed in enough water to float an aircraft carrier! DH is going through male menopause in a big way. No, he's not fooling around or anything like that. I'm having some anxiety--we'll just leave it at that. Anyway, while I was lounging around, I did get a few more squares made for the granny afghan I'm making. Only 10 more to go! Here they are:

I have 4 squares of each color made except for the black, tweedy-color one in the back. Most of the colors are muted so hopefully they'll all blend in together when the afghan is assembled. Most of the yarn came from my stash. Quite a bit of the yarn came from Dollar Tree when I did an impulse buy there.

I hope you are all having a great week. Hugs to all....

Search Amazon.com for male menopause

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (02 May 2011)

I saw this pattern and it was love at first sight. Lately, I've gotten into the granny square look. This is a baby afghan that has the squares but also it is a bit avant garde. I can see that it would be easy to enlarge it into a 'ghan for adults too. Here's the pattern. Have a great week y'all...

Sweet Potato Vine Growing Fast

The sweet potato vine I've started has outgrown the mason jar it was in:

It looks kind of alienish...

After pulling it out of the jar, the root system looked kind of like spider webs:

Hey look, there are signs of a leaf or 2!

New home:

We've had enough rain lately to float Noah's ark again. The question for the day is "when is enough rain enough?"

Why Businesses Are in Trouble...

Yesterday, I had a medical appointment at one of the veterans clinics in Louisville. When I have an appointment, I usually stop at Aldi on my way home because they have a good price on milk:

There is another store I like to stop at because they have a good grocery selection and they always have good sales and mark-downs. Yesterday, I was looking at grated cheese and it was "marked down." I was thinking about picking up a package:

Then I looked at the regular price:

The regular price was 34 cents less than the sale price. If you enlarge the photo with the yellow sale tag, you will note that it says save 83 cents. No wonder why big businesses are in trouble--they can't do simple addition and subtraction with 2 digit numbers!

I'm sorry that the pictures are of inferior quality--I used my phone and was in a hurry. 

Vikings Granny 'Ghan--100% Finished!

And here she is all sewn together, border done and ends woven in. I enjoy making the squares but there are certainly many, many ends to weave in and often this is the stage that a wip becomes an ufo with one of my crochet projects. This one made it to the finish with more than a month to spare! Here's a few pictures:

After I did the "big" shot, I wanted to get a shot of a portion of the edging:

The spread's color was too light and the border didn't show up very well. I pulled the spread back and placed the 'ghan on the bright and tacky colored sheets:

Color of the background certainly contrasts and clashes with the 'ghan but you can see the edging much better.

Thanks for stopping in.  Hugs to all....

Today's Plan...

Today's plan is to finish up the afghan I've been working on. As I mentioned in my previous post, the end is in sight! I've already started making squares for the next afghan that I'll be sending to Germany. I need to slip one or two small things in here so it's not so boring reading about the same project over and over.

I'm off to a doctor's appointment and then I'll be back home and hope to spend some time crocheting. I keep starting crochet projects and haven't had a chance to play around with my knifty knitter looms or butterfly looms. Perhaps I'll take one of them with me the end of next month when I go visiting my ol' high school friend in California. Always have to have a to-go project and the funny thing about deciding on a to-go project is that it takes longer to make that decision than deciding what clothes to pack! Y'all have a nice day....

Vikings' Afghan--Almost Finished!!!

Just a few ends to weave in and the granny square afghan in Minnesota Viking colors will be done. Whooo Hooo! I'm pleased with in and so are my Chi fur-babies; they both cuddled up in it when it was laying on the couch. I really need a picture of that... Picture of finished 'ghan coming soon. Hope everyone has a great week.

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (25 April 2011)

Here is a cute scarf that gives pizzazz to your winter outfits. I have almost finished making one of these but I "lost" it in my craft room! It is an easy pattern and I need to find mine and finish it. Enjoy...

Easter Wishes

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter.

Vikings Granny 'Ghan Progress

All my squares are sewn together and I'm working on the edging. My edging will probably turn out to be wider than the norm because I have a nice supply of left over purple and gold yarn and I want to deplete my stash and not add to it. I'm really slow with my projects. Seems like some ladies are turning out afghans in a week or so and here I am, plodding along with mine. The old gray mare she ain't what she used to be... :-(  Anyway, here's a peek at what's going on with it so far:

Stay tuned for the completed 'ghan...

Y'all have a nice weekend.

Spring 2011

INSTALLING SPRING...
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New Craft Light

I've wanted an Ott light for quite some time. Lots of folks swear by them. I did get a light, but not an Ott--too expensive for my budget. Here's what I got on sale for $7.50 regularly $19.97:

Light is adjustable--move it up or down, tilt or move side to side. Works great when dh is watching tv because it doesn't put too much light in the room but rather where I want it to go. This isn't where I'm keeping it, I just put it here so you wouldn't see the clutter on my side of the couch--lol!

Sweet "Tater" Vine Update (20 April '11)

Here's a picture of my sweet potato vine progress. Not a single leaf yet but lots of roots. Wonder how long before it looks like a green, leafy plant?