it's still here

Look at that. I still have a blog! How time is slipping away. I did even know I had followers...well probably not anymore since I don't post. We moved this last spring so that has kept me busy for two months or so. I still love to knit and make things every chance I get. I am starting to work on creating my own patterns. I am torn between making things to sell and making things for myself. I have also started doing a little crocheting, but I'm not as interested in crochet as knitting.

present time

We really enjoyed Christmas this year. It was simple and the kids appreciated what they received. The knitted fingerless gloves were a hit with Makayla.

oh...christmas tree

This is why we did NOT have a Christmas tree in our living room this year. I can remember from the about the ages 7-14 I wanted a cat so bad. Now I definitely don't, but my kids do.

christmas presents

I knitted hats for my nieces and nephews for Christmas this year. I do not have pictures of them wearing their hats, but Ruben was more than happy to model them for me before I wrapped them.

Denham's hat. He likes the Cardinals. I am not skilled enough to knit the logo so he only got the colors.

One of Holli's hats. I made her another hat that has a cut out for her pony tail.

Adam's hat. The colors just seem to fit him. He is in Scouts so he will get a lot of use out of this hat.

Collin's hat. This is one of my favorites and his also - so it seemed when he opened it.

Mason's hat. "Not a toy" is what he said after opening it. So I didn't seem to please everyone.

Isaac's hat. Waves with flaps. How much cooler could you get?

Hat for Princess Sophia. Yes, she really thinks she's a princess.

Jack's hat. I really wanted to make him an ivy golfer's cap, but couldn't find a good pattern for him.

Noah's hat. His mom likes this hat.

Chloe's pants. I made her a hat when she was born so I thought I'd make her a little something different.

turning 30

Last weekend, my father-in-law asked me how old I am turning. I reponded 30. Immediately, Makayla said "You're going to start shrinking!" I didn't have a problem with turning 30 until then.

(It's said that people start shrinking in height at age 30. Real or Myth? I don't know. You tell me.)

what do we have to offer?

"When Jesus was born, the wise men sought Him out and brought gifts in worship. Today we wait for God to find us and then wait to see what gifts God will give to us."

I heard this quote in church this morning.

knitted head scarf

This knitted head scarf is very beautiful, but it was too wide for me. I think it would look best with either shorter hair or big hair like dreadlocks. I found the pattern at Knitty.com.

day trip

Tim and the kids took a trip down to southeast Missouri one day. Tim really likes this area. Unfortunately, I had to work that day.

recent photos

Oli...I mean Holli, look at this picture I found.

Cheryl , stop texting and get your homework done!
(Ignore the mess in the background. I have kids.)

Holli, I've tried to teach you how to knit but it seems hopeless. You better stick to scrapbooking.

knitted pillow cover

I have decided to make something for myself, well at least for my house. That way I can see it everyday. I have had two of the same pillow forms for quite some time. I have completed one pillow and hope to complete another one later this year. I added buttons to the top to make it easy to pull the pillow form out and wash the knitted cover if necessary - which will be because I have kids. The buttons were not holding the pillow cover in place so I stitched matching ribbon yarn that I found on sale to hold the top. The buttons still add a nice touch. You can find the pattern at How Stuff Works.

updated homemade laundry detergent

I have updated the recipe of my homemade laundry detergent. I'm sure the breakdown cost no longer reflects what it would cost today, but I'm sure it's not more than $3 to make 2 gallons.

cross eyed

I didn't know she could do that!

about me - april 2007

I am about to update my "about me" section. I have created this post so that I can keep a log of my journey God it taking me through.

A dramatic change in my life has inspired me to create this blog. While pregnant with my second child, Tim (my husband) and I discussed whether I should stay home or continue working. I figured our income and decided that if I could find a way to make a certain amount of money from home, then I could become a stay-at-home mom. I knew that I needed to trust God on this and he would somehow take care of us like he always has. I got my hands on some Dave Ramsey (a christian financial advisor) materials. This changed how we spend and track our money. I then heard about the "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" book by Amy Dacyczyn. This book presents how to be frugal and save money in all kinds of ways, which opened my mind to a lot of new ideas I never conceived before. God has revealed to me that instead of trying to make extra money, I will learn how to survive on the income we have by spending less money. Now I not only consider myself a "stay-at-home mom", but also a "homemaker". Well, to sum it up you never know what you'll find on my blog...recipes, pictures, useful links, thoughts, etc. - April 2007

low-cost, easy curtains

I wanted to cover my windows with heavy curtains for the winter to help keep the cold out and save on my electric bill. The cheapest curtain I could find was just over $15 for one panel (half window) at Walmart. Instead, I purchased over-sized fleece blankets for just under $4. I folded down one short end at 3" and sewed across twice. I slipped them on the curtains rods leaving a ripple at the top. That's it! And the blankets came with a velcro ribbon so I have tie for each window. I covered 7 windows for under $35, and saved at least $190.

felted purse pattern

In my last post, I wrote that I would post the link to the knitted Felted Purse pattern. I made this purse before, but I never got around to posting it.

knitted christmas gifts

This year I knitted Tim and my parents their Christmas gifts. Let's start with my favorite:

This purse is my mom's. I knitted this pattern before, but this time I put a little extra design in it with the contract stripe color. My mom had mention that she liked the colors my cousin is planning for his wedding - teal and brown. I had some brown on hand to use up so I went with it. I so glad it turned out well. I can't find the web site for this pattern right now so I will post it later.

This wool hat is my dad's. I altered my ear flap patterns and threw in a few stripes. Although I don't wear hats, this one was hard to let go of. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will post the pattern.

This basket purse is my mother-in-law's. I used a felted yarn and purchase some bamboo handles.

I also knitted a ear-flap hat for my father-in-law which I could not post because the picture came out too dark, and pillow for my step-mom which I chose not to post because it did not turn out well.

the bridge

This video was shown to us during church service Sunday evening. It is a parallel of the awesome love God has for us. It shows how God sacrificed his son Jesus for the rest of the world.

homemade breads

Last weekend, I got inspired to try some homemade breads. I have yet to accomplish the loaf bread and it always goes bad before we eat it all. I decided to make Sweet Rolls and English Muffins from my Fannie Farmer cookbook. I love that cookbook! I was very successful. You don't bake English Muffins but fry them on a griddle. I don't have a griddle so I used the iron skillet Tim picked up at a garage sale for less than a $1. I love that skillet, too! We are looking for more skillets and a dutch oven. It did take me all Saturday morning of mixing and baking and washing, but it was worth it. We are trying to get away from the sandwich bread with preservatives, and at least buying bakery bread when we don't have the time to make our own.

Godly leader

I may be risking unwanted comments with this post, but I it's on my heart to share. Last night I watched part of the debate between the vice presidential candidates. I am so confident that McCain will win. Sara Palen really appears to have Godly wisdom. She stays calm, answers questions wisely and doesn't demeanor her opponent like most politicians. For example, she made a sincere comment to her opponent that she was very happy that they both had a concern for Israel. Her background also shows a trustworthy report. God puts people in high positions to accomplish his work. Look at King David or Queen Esther. God doesn't lift people up to important positions to set them up for failure. I believe God is hearing our prayers for our nation and has his hand on the situation.

bike riding

I came home from work Friday to learn that Makayla has learned to ride her bike. That fast? Finally! About two months ago Tim took her training wheels off, and since then her bike has been in the shed. I don't know why she decided to learn Friday, but it only took her between the time she got out of school and the time I got home. I was starting to worry about her because she's 7 years old. Would my child be normal if she never learned to ride a bike?
Sunday, we went for a family bike ride around town. It was great! I had been waiting for this for a while now. I have been wanting to go bike riding, but Makayla has been the hold up. As we were riding, my pedal started coming off so I stopped to see if I could fix it. I was in awe, when a complete stranger offer to fix it. He went back to his shed and brought back a wrench. I am not used to such friendliness. It is so awesome to know that there are still people like that out there. This has been also been a great reminder that I need to get back into my exercise routine. I was very hot and tired after the bike ride, but it gave me lots of energy later in the evening.