Saturday Stumbles #23

This week I’ve been all over the board on things I’ve searched for, stumbled across or hope to do.

Starting with knitting:

** Waffle Knit Dishcloth Pattern at Homespun Living - Renna posted a link to these dishcloths and amazingly I haven’t seen them before.  Through the years I’ve become a dishcloth snob and really prefer to only use hand knit.  I used a dishcloth pattern at church Monday night to demonstrate the purl stitch to one of the ladies even.  So now that the scarf drive is over and my knitting can be more than scarves I think I might give this a go.

** Sweet Swingers at Debi Birkin Designs – There are just no words to explain how darling I think these are. We happen to be right in the middle of rearranging a few rooms in the house and I keep going back and looking at these to see if perhaps I should knit them for my room.  They make me smile.  :)

And on to quilting/sewing:

** Quilted Coasters at I Can Find The Time – While rearranging the rooms I’m finding a lot of craft supplies that I had apparently forgotten about, including a plethora of quilt fabrics that I still dearly love.  I’ve been looking for patterns for some of the smaller pieces of fabric and these appeal to me as they are both functional and pretty.

** YoYo Kitchen Towels at This & That – As soon as I saw these I just knew they would look quite jaunty hanging in the kitchen.  Quite easy too!

And always food:

** Cheeseburger Runza at June Cleaver Nirvana – So many things going for these – using my bread machine, hand held dinner, reminds me of friends in the city we used to live in (she was the master of these, but I don’t think she called them runzas) and my daughter-in-law’s mom apparently makes fantastic runzas.  All that combined made me definitely want to try these.

 

Linking to Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come To This.

Scarves are Peru Bound!

As of this morning the scarves we knit for the Mission Crafts Ministry at my church are headed to Peru!  This is the 8th year we’ve gone on this mission and we do work at an orphanage there.  The first year was general cleanup, then we built a new dorm for the girls the second year, a kitchen the third year, etc.

This truly was a labor of love and an awe-inspiring example of God’s perfect timing.  Rosalie, the leader of the mission trip, asked if we could make 75 scarves….and we had one month to do it.  She then said that if we couldn’t get all 75 done that if we could at least do 28 that would take care of the workers and the interpreters so that they at least would know that there are people praying for them and that God loved them.

That’s a lot of scarves for a brand new ministry!  There were 3 of us that knew how to knit and we taught a handful of ladies in the church, two of which took to it like a duck to water.  And a funny thing happened as the due date got closer – we started hearing from people that were knitting at home for us, and we began to think we really might make the goal.

One of our ‘behind the scenes’ knitters was my mom.  She told me right off the bat when I told her about this ministry that she would make a couple of scarves for me.  Ever dependable, she brought the scarves to town when she came for Brooklyn’s birthday party.

 

And another unexpected blessing – I got an email from Melinda from Tales From My Empty Nest that she would like to knit scarves as well!  I’ve read Melinda’s blog for some time and am convinced that if we lived in the same state we’d be great friends.  She loves the Lord and her family and she just happens to be in the same life stage that I’m in.  I love to hear the stories of her family fun.  The photo above does not do her scarves justice.  Her box arrived on Monday, the day of our mission meeting.

When I arrived at the church we started unpacking and counting all the scarves.  Our total was 73!  And lest we might have had any disappointment at all that we didn’t make the magic 75 – let me tell you what happened next.  Rosalie all of a sudden started laughing and finally was able to explain – 2 of the children at the orphanage are infants….and they wouldn’t need a scarf!  73 was the exact number of scarves needed for the workers, interpreters and all the children.  Coincidence?  I think not!  As my grandmother always said - “It’s not odd, it’s God!”

And I leave you with one last photo from Monday night.  CJ showed up with an hour to spare and asked if we would teach her to knit.  I was working with Gail and showing her the purl stitch, so Sandy worked with CJ.

Do you see the little helper on CJ’s lap?  That’s Miles and he is 4 months old.  He was so intrigued watching the yarn and kept trying to grab it.  We were delighted with his antics and we did warn CJ that she wouldn’t be able to knit with Miles on her lap for very much longer at all!

Ah sweet blessings!  I so enjoy having a wonderful church home, family and friends.

The Bible in 90 Days

I realized this morning that I’ve been remiss in sharing my new Bible reading plan with y’all.  The plan I usually use for my daily Bible reading is the One Year Bible Online and I highly recommend it.  I love that your daily reading includes parts of the Old and New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.

When I first heard about reading through the entire Bible in 90 days I was intrigued, but also a bit of a naysayer.  I couldn’t see any way that reading the Bible that fast could be a good thing, so I went on my merry way.

But a funny thing started happening – I thought of this plan a lot and finally decided that if God is putting it on my heart this much then I should do it. 

I began my reading on July 5 as the schedule dictated and this was even while we were at the lake on vacation.  Genesis and Exodus provided great reading as I revisited some favorite stories.

And along about the two and a half week mark it hit me – this is really an awesome tool!  It was shared with us that this is NOT a study and we shouldn’t take the time to look up verses and do further study – just READ.  What is happening for me is that I’m seeing some connections between stories and bloodlines that I never would have noticed by reading it more slowly.

I’m certain that when I finish this time I’ll probably do this again annually.  And in between I’ll do my regular Bible in a year reading and any Bible studies that come my way.  I love how we have so many different ways to read the Bible available to us.

Saturday Stumbles #21

Ahh…so much wonderful shared deliciousness online!  When I look back to see what I’ve bookmarked each week I can always tell what was on my mind.  I’m going to be taking cupcakes to a baby shower on Monday, so I spent a lot of time looking at cupcakes.  These didn’t make the cut, but I have a feeling I will revisit them in the near future.

** FlufferNutter Cupcakes at The Novice Chef – Really she had me with the Nutter Butter cookie on top of a cupcake and then when I read the description – oh my word!

** Dark Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes With Coffee Buttercream – Seriously….this is the stuff dreams are made of.

** Butterscotch and Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes at A Baked Creation – Swoon worthy.

But I didn’t just look at cupcakes, well not entirely…

** Riser for Washer/Dryer at Finding My Aloha – We still haven’t gotten around to buying the risers for our washer/dryer and I’m a little tired of the bending.  I showed this to Keith as soon as he got home and we’re now considering a version of what she did.

** Snowflake Table Runner at Coats and Clark – Seems funny to look at this sort of thing when it’s about 150 degrees in Dallas, but it will cool off!  This would be so pretty on a winter table.

 

And of course, linking to the Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come 2 This.

Friday’s Fave Five #97

YAY for FRIDAY!  There’s more reasons to love Friday than you shake a stick at, but one of my favorite reasons is the Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living To Tell The Story.

1. Bird Feeder Fun! – Y’all know that ever since I made a bird feeder and set it outside I have been entranced with it.  So much so that we got our old bird feeder out, dusted it off and I started filling it again.  But then we had the neighborhood cat visiting the feeder and I wasn’t really sure I wanted to continue.  Honestly though I couldn’t help myself as all the different birds brought countless joy.

Until yesterday morning.  I went outside to fill the feeder and at the base of the pole was a very large pile of feathers.  I of course started crying and came back inside.  And do you know I saw the cat out there twice more during the day?  When Keith got home I took him out to show him and he looked at me rather solemnly (which for him is unusual) and said he thought a cat had gotten one of the birds.  But God love him, he pulled up the pole and moved it closer to the house.  We had it at the back of the yard and there was a little hole in the fence where the cat got through and then was able to hide in the bushes, not 6 feet from the pole.  The new location the cat would have to go across the entire yard in plain site, so I feel like the birds have a better chance now.

And why is this under the faves?  Last night Keith came to get me with a big grin on his face and had me tiptoe to the kitchen window – to see a cardinal and a red-headed woodpecker on the feeder!  I am so relieved that the birds might start coming back again.

3. Brooklyn’s 3rd Birthday Party! – We are all meeting tomorrow to celebrate this little one’s 3rd birthday and I can’t wait!  Of course it will be fun with her, but we also will have a lot of family in town and there’s few things I enjoy more than that. 

But along with birthday party fun, tonight my brother and sister-in-law will arrive at our house and we’re going to dinner.  I am so looking forward to spending some quality time with them.  :)

4. Maybe New Bedroom Furniture! (and how many exclamation points can a person use???) – I’ve been stalking Craigslist looking for just the right bedroom furniture and I think I might have found it.  We have an appointment with them to go and look tomorrow after the party and as long as it is as advertised we’ll be getting it.  When Lynne’ moved out into her apartment it left an empty bedroom and I want to set it up as a guest room.  Fortunately I really do have time on my side and am able to wait and find what I want at a price I want to pay.  Crossing my fingers!

5. Mission Crafts Ministry at church – Seriously…when you realize it’s the day that you go to a church meeting and it makes you smile, then you know it’s a perfect fit.  I’ve knit 4 scarves, taught 4 people to knit, met so very many ladies at church and prayed a bunch of prayers.  This is a great group and it does my heart so much good to be with them and laugh and discover things we have in common.  We’re coming down to the wire as far as our due date, but I know the Lord will provide.  And once this due date passes I’m sure we’ll discover another project to work on.  Our Father is handy like that.  :)

Stringing Beads With a Toddler

 

I will admit that I was SO EXCITED when I remembered this idea.  I love all kinds of crafting and I’m looking forward to sharing that with my granddaughter.  So when I knew she was coming to the lake over the 4th, well grandma and grandpa went shopping for supplies!

Sometimes I get amazed when I see her little hands and fingers and all the dexterity she has at almost three years old.  Really it’s such a blessing to watch them grow up.

 

I decided to get pipe cleaners rather than worry about string since I didn’t know how this would turn out.  But of course she surprised me and started stringing them immediately!  We are assuming they must do this at day care.  Either that or, my favorite answer, she’s a child prodigy!   :)

 

Grandpa got involved and started asking her to do numbers of colors so that it would be a learning experience.  In this picture he had asked her to put “2 orange” beads on the string.

Brooklyn spent a good bit of time sitting and stringing beads.  When she got the first pipe cleaner filled I asked if she wanted a bracelet and she did.  I twisted the ends and she handed it her Aunt Lynne’ and then the next one she made she gave to her Daddy.  So sweet!

I highly recommend bead stringing if you have a toddler.  This one enjoyed it highly.  :)

Brooklyn Loves Kincaid’s

I keep a list of sorts on my computer of things to do about town.  Any time I read about a great place to visit or a ‘must try’ restaurant – into my bookmarks it goes.  And I will admit that living in the DFW area makes it easy to have a very full list of things to try.  Texas Monthly magazine came out with their list of the top 50 hamburger joints in the great state of Texas…and into the bookmarks it went.

When we recently had a rare free day in town we decided to try one of the bookmarked restaurants – Kincaid’s.  We didn’t go to the original location because we had some other errands to run, but the one we went to just so happened to be close enough that we called the kids to see if they wanted to meet us there for lunch.

 

Now, clearly I’m a grandma that loves to show photos of her granddaughter, and I’ll admit that up front.  But seriously, she’s darling.  :)

She opted for the kid’s grilled cheese and the little toot loved to get her mama to tease her into taking bites.

I honestly feel blessed that the kids live only a short 45 minute drive from us.  I can’t imagine not getting to see Brooklyn on a regular basis.  This day it was probably only about an hour or a little more since we just met for lunch, but those short visits are worth their weight in gold.

Praises for family!  

Oh and by the way, the hamburgers were totally awesome.  :)

Saturday Stumbles Links

Have you used StumbleUpon yet?  It’s a fairly new to me site and I think I’m going to really enjoy using it.  I think the premise is to use this site to help promote the blog owners and share amongst other StumpleUpon users, but what I’ve found is that if I “stumble” a blog post I don’t have to print it out – especially nice for recipes I want to try.  It’s kind of like keeping your internet bookmarks online and easily accessible.

Then when I saw that there is a Saturday Stumbles meme I thought that might be a good way to share some of the things that I’ve found interesting – and hope that you might too.  :)

** Pan Pizza at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures – I’ve wanted to find a good pizza recipe for the longest time and I think I’m going to try this one next.  Looks good and I love her cooking with pepperoni tip!

** Lemonade by the Glass at Food Mayhem – Nothing beats fresh lemonade and I love the idea of making it by the glass.  You’ll probably see a post on this sometime next week as I bought the stuff last night at the store and do plan to try it.

** Mail Organizer Tutorial by Noodlehead – This is a pretty new to me blog and I think I sat and read all her archives when I found it.  Great project ideas and this mail organizer is just so (sew?) cute!

** Shower Curtain from a Twin Sheet Tutorial at Artistic Blend – I am THIS CLOSE to starting a bathroom remodel and am working on getting all my ducks in a row first.  I have yet to find a shower curtain that is perfect for me so now I’m thinking I might start looking at twin sheets.  I just love that clever people share their talents with us!

Now if you’d like to see some other link posts you can check the It’s Come 2 This blog.  And it just hit me that by doing a post like this each week maybe, just maybe, I might keep some of these great ideas fresh in my mind and might even actually get around to trying them!

Friday’s Fave Five #96

So did y’all miss me?  :)  We are now back from a week at the lake, starting with a fabulous 4th of July weekend with family.  And that vacation will be the subject of my Friday Fave Five this week.  See more at Susanne’s Living to Tell the Story blog.

1. Little Miss Brooklyn -

I love this picture that Keith took.  He told me that she did not want her picture to be taken right then and was running and you can really tell in the picture!  We all had so much fun with her this holiday.  She’ll be turning 3 in a week and when I tell you that even though I’m her grandmother I really am not biased – she’s just so much fun to be with!  (ok…maybe a little biased).

At one point Keith was going to take a group of people out in the boat and when she heard the boat was going out she came running in to get me and told me she needed her “jacket” on (lifejacket).  I started getting her ready and she was jumping on the bed and oh so excited that she had a hard time even telling us about it. 

Toddler joy is a site to behold.

2. Sparklers

It was a very different 4th of July this year because of all the rain we had due to the hurricane remnants.  In spite of that, we still all had a great time.  One thing we all agree on is that the time spent together is more important than what we are doing. And we had a very full house this year – big blessings!

The big fireworks displays were rained out, but the kids walked down to a fireworks stand and got some packages of sparklers for Brooklyn to try for the first time.  Now when my kids were little we happened to read the sparkler package one time and found out they are really “magnesium sticks” and since that time we have always referred to sparklers as Flaming Sticks of Magnesium.  It was with a full heart that I got to see my granddaughter playing with her first Flaming Sticks of Magnesium this year. 

3. Golf Cart Parade

Truly one of my favorite parts of the 4th of July holiday is the golf cart parade.  It has such a Norman Rockwell small town flavor to it and I was so pleased that the rain stayed away for that little bit of time.  Brooklyn had a lot of fun with the different golf carts that threw necklaces and candy out to the crowd.

4. Keith’s Folks

This year Keith’s parents even made it down to the lake for the 4th of July festivities.  What fun that they went out in the boat – and of course Brooklyn is right up front with her daddy!  It was great to see them laughing and riding the boat – Keith grew up with always having a boat in the family, but they sold theirs many years ago.  They had a great time riding in one again and I’m hoping to see them at the lake more often now. And special thanks to my sister-in-law Michele for taking pictures on this boat ride for me!  :)

5. FOOD!!!

Oh what a wonderful meal we had!  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob, had potato salad, baked beans, fruit salad, watermelon and cake.  Mom and I fixed a hamburger and hot dog, then cut each in half and traded, which was the best way to be able to try everything.

 

Loni found corn on the cob for only ten cents each, so bought a bunch and showed us how to get them ready for grilling.  Loni and Michele set up under the tarp outside and even had Miss B helping at one point. 

And that’s what it’s all about – the helping and laughing and talking and eating.  What a joyous blessing this weekend was!

PS – Just because I happen to love this 4th of July photo of my granddaughter from last year, here’s the link:  Brooklyn Waiting for Fireworks

Dad Life Video

I just got a link to this video from daughter-in-law and I thought it was great – and hope you do too.  It illustrates how we are a different kind of cool once we become parents.  :)