Thursday, February 28, 2013

Silly Girl and Giggle Pants


My daughter Katie took this little video of Lola and Zoey while we were babysitting the girls . Nothing makes me smile more than a baby laughing...

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Supervisor

Rosie, watching over the craft table while i work

Monday, February 25, 2013

Bunny Buddy Blanket in Pink!

There is a new Bunny Buddy Blanket in the Etsy shop

    She's soft and pink and ready for her new home

She'll make the perfect baby shower gift, or a "welcome to the world" gift...

All of her features are hand sewn on so she is super safe for children of all ages. For more information, check her out in my Etsy shop by clicking here
 
This is my baby granddaughter Zoey, sleeping with her bunny buddy. So, as you can see, this pattern has been tested and passed the snuggle test!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Little Jewels

 Little diamond drops of rain on the branches of my Japanese Maple trees this morning








 and on the little crabapples on my crabapple tree


Click on the pictures to view them up closer...

Saturday, February 23, 2013

What's Bloomin'~ Orchids and Christmas Cactus(still!)

 The orchids are finally opening! The buds have been forming for months now and they are finally opening, just when i need flowers around here the most! All of the orchids i have here are Phalaenopsis . They are fairly easy to keep happy. The secret is not to over do it. Not too much sun, not too much water. They like to find their place on your windowsill and then stay there.

 They like a fine mist sprayed over them here and there, especially in the dry house in Winter. And they are definitely liking my home grown "Black Gold" i applied to their pots after i harvested a fresh batch.
 I have two more orchids getting ready to bloom, and one of them i know is yellow and purple. The other is a mystery! I bought it as a rescue off the sale rack at Lowes this past Summer. We'll see what color it will be when it opens!

And here is the BIG surprise! My Christmas Cactuses are STILL blooming big time! Again, the ONLY thing i did differently this year from all others is, i topped their potting soil off with my Black Gold (worm poo) and they are all bloomin away! Pinks and reds,corals and peach...It's lovely. I'll have to thank my little worker worms down there with a special treat...Maybe bring them some strawberry tops that i usually give to the guinea pig girls...







Friday, February 22, 2013

Ahhh ... Spaghetti!

Safou gets all excited when he sees a box of spaghetti come out of the cupboard. For him, this is the pasta of choice! I've always loved watching him eat a piece of spaghetti..holding one end and slowly biting off sections, inch by inch until it is gone. I have a longer version of him eating more pasta, but this gives you a view of how he savors every bite. He's looking a little raggedy right now. He just plucked his breast feathers and made a nice nest in our small bathroom(his man cave). He's definitely got Spring Fever...

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Many Sisters~ Dona Alejandrina thru Kiva

I would love to try her empanadas! Here is some information about Dona Alejandrina from her Kiva page:
Doña Alejandrina is 54 years old, married, and has three children who are independent. She lives in a neighborhood in the town of Choloma, Cortes.

Doña Alejandrina is a hardworking woman who has managed her own business for approximately 20 years. She prepares and sells baked goods such as cakes, donuts, empanadas, and cookies. Alejandrina also makes tamales by order and sews garments whenever she is asked. She reinvests her earnings so that she can maintain a stable business.

Doña Alejandrina has decided to request a loan of 10,000 HNL so that she can buy ingredients such as flour, shortening, sugar, yeast, eggs, and milk for making bread. With this investment, she will be able to complete a large order that has been submitted by her customers. Her goal is to generate income for completing the payment of her house and for continuing to grow her business. For more information, click here                    

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Little Leprechaun

 
Top of the Mornin' to ya!
 

 
I'm a friendly little handknit Leprechaun
ready to share my pot of gold with you
 

 
You can find me in the Etsy shop
 

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

New Art by my Favorite Artist

 I've been under the weather this past week, so my favorite artist (also known as Lola) brought me some of her new work.

First, and most especially, she drew me an elephant, because she knows i love them....This one is especially colorful!

She is also experimenting with mixed media. This is an Elf with a felt nose and pompom eyes!

and this happy snowman is adorned with felt, pompoms, glitter glue and popsicle sticks! Thank you Lola! Your art work makes me feel better and so happy! I'll keep them forever....

Monday, February 18, 2013

What's Bloomin'~ My Meyers Lemon Tree

 Even tho this is not the best time of year for my indoor potted trees in general, this little powerhouse is a great producer. Ordinarily my indoor trees go into a deep slumber in late Fall and don't show any signs of waking until after Valentine's day. All my indoor deciduous trees drop their leaves, just like the trees do outside, and it is quite messy! But this little tree keeps on going. Hopefully in the next few weeks new leaves and branches will start to emerge and form, and the trees will look lush and full again. But for now they are all a little scraggly looking...It's just how it is this time of year. 
(I'm feeling a little scraggly right now too!)

 If you look closer tho, my little Meyer lemon tree is flowering...
 and these little flowers will eventually form into tiny lemons. It takes a LONG time for the flowers to morph into full grown ripe lemons. For the longest time they actually look a lot like limes! But you just have to be patient and let Nature take it's time...
Here are two lemons that just dropped from this little tree. My first harvest! Hopefully with many more to come.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Me and Zoey

Me and my buddy, rocking in the rocking chair

Friday, February 15, 2013

Just finished reading~ The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston

I loved this book! It wasn't deep or informative...just good old fun. I especially enjoyed the parts where the main character created her own herbal medicines. There is nothing like loosing yourself in a good book... For more info on this book, click here
And PS- I LOVE my Kindle Touch...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Beam me up!

Well, today i had a very interesting experience. Laser surgery on my left eyeball! The proceedure is called Laser Iridotomy. I have  small eyeballs and shallow eye sockets, which causes a condition called "Narrow Angles"in my eyes. (Why couldn't i have small hips and a narrow waist?) If my "angles" completely close off it becomes a medical emergency, and i could loose my sight, have another stroke, whatever. My surgeon was called in when i went to my regular eye appointment last week and this condition was discovered.We decided this was the best way to go to keep this condition from getting worse. The whole proceedure took a few minutes. But the drops before the surgery(to prepare the eye for the laser) and the waiting period after the surgery(just to make sure there were no complications) took 3 hours. The doctor was very happy with the way my left eyeball responded to the incision, and if all goes well, in 3 weeks i'll have the right eye done. I have a very good feeling about this tonight. I found this chart, and the video below, to show you what happened today. It's pretty interesting....

Sunday, February 10, 2013

What's Cookin'- 16 Bean Soup

UmmmmUmmmmm...This house smells so good right now! This pot is filled with 16 different kinds of beans, cooking in homemade chicken broth. To that i added onions, garlic, shredded carrots, celery and some smokey ham hocks. Just before it's ready to be ladled into soup bowls, i'll pull the meat from the hocks and add some sauteed kielbassa to the mix. Pair that with some buttered slices homemade bread and you've got a super hearty meal for a cold Winter's night.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

On my windowsill....

The big snowstorm that is blanketing our area has passed and the sun is shining today. For whatever reason, we got just enough snow to make it really pretty, clean and bright outside, but we did not get burried as some of our neighbors did. We woke up to about six inches of the lovely white stuff...
So after a few heavy cloudy days, we are enjoying the sunshine. Here is Rosie sitting pretty under my pressed glass sun catcher

And the little kalanchoe plant my Mom bought for me last April is blooming again! I know Spring is coming soon....I can feel it!

Friday, February 8, 2013

It's a Leprechaun!

 This little Leprechaun was hand knit with love and care by me while i was sitting in my warm home on a cold Winter's Night.  
 He is a jolly little elf, all tucked into his mossy green suit, with a satin bow tie around his neck. Leprechauns wear the color green so they can blend in with the undergrowth where they live in the woods and gardens. This makes it very hard to find them.
 Of course you know that if you should catch a Leprechaun and befriend him, he will lead you to his hidden pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!
 This little elf is made in the Waldorf style, with no facial features, so that your child can use his or her imagination to decide what mood he is in. He is knit of an easy care acrylic yarn(vegan) and stuffed with polyfil. His cap is sewn on to his head.. If this is a gift for a small child, please tie his bow tie firmly or remove the ribbon around his neck.
 He's ready and waiting for a little Colleen or Laddie, just in time for St. Patrick's Day!
To go and visit this jolly little elf, visit my Etsy shop here!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Zoey and her Bunny Blanket



 I made this little Bunny Blanket Buddy for our Zoey for Christmas and she seems to really love it!
Nothing makes me happier then to see a child happy with one of my little creations....Zoey sleeps with her bunny blanket every day. I make these little guys super soft and safe for children of all ages. 
I have another of these little Bunny Blanket Buddies in my Etsy shop, just waiting for a new home. It is hand crocheted with Love out of Lion Brand's super soft Homespun yarn, in the color "Pearl"

These sweet little blanket buddies make great baby shower gifts, and are a sweet way to welcome a little newborn into the world....
For more information, click here.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Many Sisters~ Maria Gloria from Guatemala

From Maria's page on Kiva : María Gloria is a native of Aldea Xesuj. For several years she has made a living raising and selling animals. This year, she thanks God that she managed to open a store where she sells staple foods, which has motivated her to continue striving. She also thanks God because her husband helps her get ahead with the family, because they have nine children.

She's requesting this loan to buy staple foods. She hopes you can help her continue with her business.
To learn more about Kiva, click here

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Happiness is a warm cat,,,or dog.

Sometimes it's hard to get pictures like this. If i get up and move around in the house, all the dogs and some of the cats usually get up and move with me. So to be able to tiptoe out to another room and grab my camera (it's always in another room!) and have these two stay in place, shows how blissed out they are just laying here together, napping by the fire. Our little cast iron gas stove is always cranking during the Winter, and let me tell you, the heat it throws out is pretty intense. Yet i see the dogs and cats laying quite close, absorbing all that heat.
These two, Little Honey and Hannah Pearl, have become such good friends.

i love to see them snuggle like this...