LOOK AT THIS EVERYONE!

My 10-year-old daughter, Hunter, was actually in the mood to sit with me the other night and crochet. Usually she gets bored after a few rows or rounds, but she was on a mission to make me something. I am posting a picture of her creation, which is a rainbow, sitting on some puffy clouds. She learned to crochet last Thanksgiving, just like I did, but she certainly hasn't been putting the time and effort into it like I have. So, I am very proud of her . . . not only for doing such a great job on her "rainbow", but also for setting a goal for herself and finishing it. I hope you all will take a quick moment to send her a comment with some words of encouragement.

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Lots going on in my life lately. Will update you soon. But, for now, I'm on a mission with this particular post. My 10-year-old daughter, Hunter, sat down with me the other night and asked if she could crochet something. I was surprised, but delighted. She learned to crochet on Thanksgiving, same time I did. Being 10 and much more active than me, her attention span won't allow her to do more than a couple of rows or make more than a round or two. I told her to make something small that she could finish at one sitting, like a coaster. Well, low and behold, she made not just one, but THREE coasters, plus some little white "puffies", and then she sewed them together. She gave them to me as a gift and said it was her version of a rainbow peeking out from the clouds. I had a little difficulty seeing the rainbow, but I was just totally amazed at what a good job she did, with her very minimal experience.

So . . . this weekend sometime, I am going to post a picture of her "rainbow" for you all to see. I really hope you will take a moment to leave a comment, so I can show these to her and perhaps it will keep her encouraged to stick with her crocheting. Thank you all so much in advance for helping out. :)

TOTE BAGS FOR BEANSIE!

I mentioned to Beansie that I had made a patriotic tote bag last week, but after seeing her adorable windsock, I was embarrassed to post my plain Jane bag. But, she persisted, so here it is, being modeled by my shy 10-year-old. The tweed and cream bag was made using the yarn that was given to me by my sister's grumpy lieutenant at work. (See my previous post.) Hunter, my daughter, said it looks more like a baby carrier than a tote bag! :) I don't really see the lieutenant carrying this bag, but it's the thought that counts, right? I also made her a very pretty winter scarf with the tweed yarn, plus an orange and black striped Oklahoma State drink koozie. Hopefully she'll know how much I appreciated the gift of yarn.

Happy Last Day of June!

Well, I was tagged by Beansie, so I was supposed to go to my photo

folder, then go to the 6th folder, and select the 6th picture. My 6th

folder is full of a bunch of little cartoons and jokes that were sent to

me in an email. They were cute, so I decided to save them. Some of

them are a tiny bit risque, but fortunately, the 6th picture was decent

enough to post.

I'm now supposed to tag 5 bloggers to play the game. I've got to run

right now, but I'll get back to "tagging" a little later.

Speaking of family . . . . .

Since I mentioned how much I love my family in my last post, I thought I would throw in a picture of my girls. They just got off one of the water rides at our local amusement park, so they are "au naturale", so to speak. But, I just love the picture. I told them that it actually looks like they're enjoying themselves and that they might even like each other a little bit. :) Ryanne's 26, Hunter just turned 10. I had two people at work today mistake Hunter for my son, which I'm sure would thrill her to death. She likes to wear her hair short, just to antagonize her big sister.

First and foremost, muchas gracias to Caroline for presenting me with the Kreativ Blogger award. I was shocked because I am such a newbie at crocheting and blogging, but I'm so very appreciative. I will only be able to fulfill the first two "requirements", mainly because I'm only linked to 8 or 9 other blogs, and most of these bloggers have already received the award. :) So, on to the first rule:

The rules with this award are to:
1) List 7 things you love.
2) Link back to the person who gave you the award.
3) Pass it along to 7 other bloggers

Seven Things I love . . .
1. My family- I have a very small family which includes my husband, two daughters, one sister, my dad, and my mother and father-in-law. I lost my dear mother, who was my very best friend, in 1996. My life has not been the same since, and for that reason, I cherish every member of my family and every moment I get to spend with them.

2. My Greyhounds - I love animals of all kinds, but my Greyhounds are my special fur-babies. I did research on Greyhounds a number of years ago, and quickly fell in love with these beautiful, gentle creatures. I became involved in Greyhound rescue, which helps find good homes for the thousands of wonderful dogs that would otherwise be euthanized after their racing days are over.

3. Autumn - Yes, I've lived in Oklahoma/Kansas/Texas all my life, but I'm partial to cool or cold weather. In fact, many people get the "Winter Blues" because of having to be cooped up inside when it's cold. I'm just the opposite. I am so energized and much more active when the temperature is below 50 degrees! Oklahoma has beautiful weather in the fall . . . cool and crisp and the wind finally stops blowing for a few months. :)

4. Coffee - My husband calls me a coffee snob! He bought me a Keurig coffee brewer for our anniversary in April, and it's one of my very favorite possessions. I will say that I've only been to Starbuck's once or twice since getting my Keurig. :)

5. Music - I love all kinds of music . . . easy listening, pop, folk, country, classical, and anything instrumental. Music relaxes or invigorates, whatever the situation calls for. To me, it's what makes the world go 'round.

6. Holidays - I especially love Christmas, but I love all holidays because they usually give me an excuse to spend time with my family (see #1).

7. Last but not least, I LOVE CROCHET!!!!! Nothing more really needs to be said because anyone reading this will understand. :)

I don't have 7 people to send this award to, but I would like to say that I appreciate all of you and cherish the friendships I am building with each of you through your blogs.

Happy Saturday!!

Well, my long-lost family will be returning tonight from their little vacation to Seaworld, San Antonio. It's been nice having the house to myself, with my 2 spoiled greyhounds, but I do miss my hubby and daughter. I spent my last evening alone doing something really exciting. While watching the finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I cut up plastic bags and made "plarn". I've been reading about it for some time, but kept thinking it would be too tedious, with all those plastic strips. But, it was quite enjoyable, and I created a nice little ball of plastic yarn. :) Now I just need to decide on a little project to make with it.

I forgot to mention something neat that happened to me this week. My sister is a police officer. She has a really grumpy, female boss. The other day, my sister got to work and found a huge bag of yarn in her seat. A note was attached that said, "Thought your sister might be able to use this." Baby Sis almost fell over!! She sent me a text message, and I was in shock, also. I figured her lieutenant wanted me to make something for her. But, when she went in to thank her for the bag of yarn, her boss told her that she had come across this while cleaning out her mother's house. She had seen some of the projects I had made for my sister. So, she thought I could figure out something to do with the yarn. The yarn is really nice. There are 8-10 rolls of two colors, one a brown tweed mix, and the other one is a cream color. Both are wool. In the bag, I also found a little WIP, perhaps the beginning of a knitted sweater. I got little tears in my eyes, thinking about the little lady who was probably making that to give as a gift and never finished.

Anyway, that was a huge highlight in my week. When things seem so dark and mean sometimes, it always amazes me and does my heart good to see these little acts of kindness.

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

NEED YOUR ADVICE!

Hi, everyone! I've been amiss at posting for a few days. My husband and youngest daughter have abandoned me and taken a little trip to Seaworld, in San Antonio. I've been taking the opportunity to work extra hours. Other people have felt sorry for me, being home alone, so they have taken it upon themselves to try to keep me entertained with offers of eating out, shopping, etc. Little do they know that I actually relish these rare days when I can come home to my 2 greyhounds, just the 3 of us, with no schedule to follow except for whatever the heck I feel like doing. Unfortunately, I've been so overwhelmed with sympathy calls and activities, I haven't had much time to myself, especially for crochet and blogging. :)

Anyway, I have a question for anyone who happens to read my ramblings. I have a problem knowing how to handle the situation when someone wants me to crochet something for them. Usually, they are admiring something I've made or am making. It's rare that I go anyplace without a tote bag full of yarn and hooks! Of course, I love it when people comment on my crocheted item, and I especially love it when I find someone who knows a little about crocheting and/or knitting. But, the problem arises when the admirer says, "Oh, I love that purse you're making. You could make me one if you want to!" Or, "You're an OU fan, but I need an OSU afghan for a friend's birthday. Something really easy and simple. I'll buy your yarn if you'll make me one."

That's when I get tongue-tied and don't know how to respond. As much as I love to crochet and show off my work, I don't have time to crochet for every Sam, Sue, and Sally who asks me to make items for them . . . and especially for FREE! Does that sound hateful??? Part of the problem is that I have no clue how to charge for my work, understanding that people who don't crochet have no clue how much time and effort goes into even the simplest of projects. But, even to get just a small return on my investment of time . . . well, I guess that is my goal, and I don't know a proper way to go about it.

Have any of you faced this dilemma, and if so, how have you handled it? Thanks so much for your thoughts!

Have a great weekend!!!

Happy Friday Everyone! Geez, this has been the longest 4-day week ever!!! I'm ready for the weekend! I am going to be at my sister's house until Tuesday, taking care of her dogs, while she goes on a little vacation to Reno/Lake Tahoe. We have the 2 greyhounds, and her 3 dogs are much more rambunctious than ours. So, I decided it would just be easier on everyone if I just stay at her house. She only lives 30-40 minutes away, but sometimes it seems like she's in a different state. :) Anyway, I hope to get a lot of crocheting done over the weekend. Speaking of . . . crochet . . . I just finished my 12-point, round ripple "Sunshine" lapghan. My best friend is going through a messy divorce and needs something to put a smile on her face. So, this lapghan will hopefully signify that brighter days are on the way. Hope she likes it! Everyone have a great weekend.

Ready for Hump Day!

It's only Tuesday, and I'm already looking forward to Saturday! The long weekend wore me out, and today was a killer at work. Now I'm just looking forward to some downtime.

Well, I can now post the pictures of my crocheted "organizer boxes". The pink/blue one was my first, and I have gotten so much use out of it. I decided to make one for my MIL for Mother's Day, which we were just able to celebrate yesterday because we've all had the respiratory crud the past few weeks. I didn't want to post a picture until after I gave it to her. But, anyway, she loved it, and I hope it will encourage her to get her hook flying. She's the only one in my family who seems to appreciate and encourage my new "addiction"! :)