Sweet Memories

(I got my first ferret, Sugar Bob, way back in 2006. I was going through old files yesterday, and found this little story I wrote about him. It brought back such happy memories, I just couldn't resist sharing it with you.)

Much as I adore my baby ferret, he does seem to have a knack for getting into trouble. He wants to explore everywhere and everything! And trying to crochet when he is running around is next to impossible. Case in point...

One afternoon, I was deep into a project, when hubby decided Sugar needed some time out of his cage to play. Sugar seemed distracted with his toys, so I thought I was safe to continue with my hook and thread work. The next thing I knew, I felt a little 'thump' on the couch:


"Hi Mom! Whatcha' doing?"


"What's this?"


"Heeeyy, isn't this MY blankie?"



"Anything good in here?"



"No? How about here?"




"Whatdaya mean, no? Come on, Mom, you're no fun!"




"Oops... Ummm... Mom? Help! My head is stuck!"




"I'm so embarrassed..."



"Come on, Mom, put the camera away, please?"



"I'll never live this down."

We lost Sugar Bob to diabetes two years later. He won a place in my heart the first time I held him. He lives there still. I miss you, Sugar!!

Thanks for letting me share my sorrow and joy with you!

Exploring Palm Coast Waterfront Park

My granddaughter, Brianna Joy, joined Wendy and I for our exploratory walk in Palm Coast Waterfront Park this morning. (Isn't she beautiful? She and her mommy are planning on moving back to Pennsylvania once school is out for the summer. I am going to miss her so very much!)


The park has a Children's Memorial Garden, planted by children with native plants and filled with memorials for children who have gone to heaven. I read this aloud with Brianna, and admit to shedding tears as I did. It's a lovely place, and this poem is so appropriate.



This is the boulder that the above poetry is on.


The engraving on this boulder in the Children's Memorial Garden reads "Rest, Reflect And Recall Special Memories." That's a bench behind it, looking out over the Intercoastal Waterway.


I was so tickled to find morning glories! The park was planned to include all sorts of native wild flowers and plants.



One of the entrances to the Children's Memorial garden.



Wendy gave the day an "F" for fun!


This is Wendy doing what I call 'the reluctant ferret'. When ferrets decide they don't want to go where YOU want to go, they plant all four feet spread out, and refuse to move, kind of putting on the brakes, actually. She didn't want to cross this bridge because there was water under it, and as far as Wendy is concerned, the only use for water is for drinking. If you give her a bath, she pouts for weeks. She literally ignores me if I dare to get her wet!

We all enjoyed our walk this morning. I hope you've enjoyed this small portion of it with us. Many blessings!

New Trails!

Wendy and I are going to explore the other end of the St. Joe's Walkway this morning. There's a lovely article about this Palm Coast Waterfront Park here. The article is from a year ago, when the park was just being completed, and had not been named. There's a lovely slideshow at the bottom of the article, too. I'm excited! I love exploring new places.

I found out about this park just yesterday from one of the new friends that the ferrets and I have made while walking the St. Joe's Walkway. He said he sometimes takes his two dogs there, and they enjoy it. He also made the comment that there were few people there early in the morning, so I'm not sure how I'll feel about that. I enjoy seeing people, smiling and wishing someone else 'good morning' just improves my mood tenfold for the day.

I almost forgot! We had rain yesterday!!! A lovely, heavy rain. The plants sure enjoyed it, and I did, too.

Wishing you all a lovely morning!

Walking With A Ferret....

...does not for good photography make! I mean, I'm no where close to being a professional photographer to begin with, but my photo's usually come out better than the following. BUT I had promised myself that I would take the camera with me for our daily walk, and I kept that promise!

This is the entrance to the St. Joe's Walkway. Yes, it's blurry, and I apologize. It seemed every time I pressed the shutter button, Bubba decided to move. It really is a pretty, peaceful spot. The water on the sidewalk is NOT from rain, unfortunately, but from the sprinkler system, darn it. We really need some rain here!



This is - or rather was a beautiful little yellow flower. Bubba noticed that I was focusing the camera in on something, and thought that if I was taking a picture, I must be taking a photo of HIM! Yes, he stepped on it..... sigh


This is where the walkway curves to pass under the Palm Coast Parkway and starts to run along the waterway. I thought the ferrets would be frightened by the sounds of the traffic passing over the bridge, but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.


Yesterday I got to see a Little Blue Heron. Did I get a photo? noooooooo. Today, we saw a Great White Egret flying over the water, but due to the overcast conditions and again, BUBBA MOVING, I couldn't get an even half way good photo. I DID manage to get a photo of a Black Vulture. Some people think they are kind of creepy. I think they are cool. Does that make me weird?


A view down the walkway. Bubba loves the soft, sandy dirt along side the walk. Please pay no attention to the little 'tunnels' and holes in the ground. Ferrets do love to dig, did you know that?


We were fortunate to see dolphins again this morning. I hope they enjoyed their breakfast. I tried 12 times (yes, TWELVE) to get a photo of them 'blowing', it's so neat to see and hear them come up for air! No, I'm sorry - you won't see the dolphins in this photo, just the ripples from them. But they are there. You'll just have to take my word for it.


A lovely purple wildflower. Luckily, Bubba was distracted by a squirrel, and didn't get a chance to step on it before I got the shot. Yay me!!!!


I just love the silhouettes of the palms against the cloudy sky. So pretty!


This is a King Conch shell. Isn't it pretty? That is not a King Conch inside, though. It's a little crab! Can you see the little claws inside? I don't think he was too happy with me turning him upside down to get a picture of him. At least he didn't pinch me!


This is a LIVE King Conch! I love to collect these shells, and there were plenty of them along the waterway this morning. They were all occupied, so no shells for me! It's a good thing for as much as I love to collect seashells, I prefer living creatures even more.

And that's my walk for today. Bubba and I both had a lot of fun. I hope you've enjoyed sharing it with me.

Have a blessed day!

p.s. Bev, I was thinking of you as I walked today. I'm sorry the photo's didn't turn out better.

Meeting Challenges

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew."

~Cicely Tyson

I've challenged myself, and am determined to meet my goal. My pancreatitus has improved a little, but I still suffer more than I like. I already know that one of the things that aggravate it is eating too much fat, and have tried to cut down on my intake, but not seriously enough. I LOVE butter, and chocolate, cookies and cake, candy, candy CANDY! All of those things are not good for me, especially considering I have Type 2 Diabetes to boot.

The other day, one of my cousins was raving about a new online program she found that really seemed to be helping her with meeting her weight loss goals. I decided to check it out, too. And you know what? I like it! It's totally free, and you can learn more about it here.

A few of the things that I like about it is it offers a food diary where you enter what you've eaten for the day, and it adds up the calories for you. There's an exercise diary, too, you enter what sort of exercise you've done for the day, and it automatically subtracts the calories from what you've eaten for the day. There's a great support system, too. I've got people I don't even know encouraging me, and that's a great feeling.

For my choice of exercise, I've been taking my ferrets every morning to walk along the St. Joe Walkway. It's located close to the European Village, a sort of mini mall with eclectic shops and restaurants. We walk along the path for 30 minutes then turn around and walk back to the car. It's not a brisk walk, but it is about a mile to a mile and a half, depending on which ferret I have with me.

It's a beautiful path to wander on, too. You never know who you're going to meet or what you're going to see. The squirrels seem fascinated by the ferrets. I had one walk right up to Bubba yesterday and touch noses with him! We also saw a dolphin swimming up the canal, that was sooo very awesome! I thought about bringing my camera, but only after I was already in the car ready to go. I am bound and determined to take it with me tomorrow!

Wendy was acting the diva today. I don't know if she was bothered because I woke her up before she had a chance to have her breakfast or if she thought the weather was too chilly to walk, or what. She dragged her feet most of the walk in. I have to say I am very proud of her when we meet people, even people with dogs. She's so polite, and acts her sweetest. No dolphins today, but we did get to watch a Little Blue Heron search for it's breakfast. And of course, after we had spent 30 minutes arguing over whether we should walk the path or head back to the car, I gave up and announced it was time to go home. Of course, she ran the whole way!

I'm hoping to get out and work a bit on the garden today. We haven't had rain in so very long, and my plants are suffering terribly.

Hope you have a lovely day planned for yourself!

Seeking Help!

I'm a member of Ravelry and Crochetville.org, and just love to 'oohh' and 'aahh' over the beautiful projects I've seen people make. Lately what's caught my eye is crochet work with beautiful embroidery done on it. Have you seen any? Some of it is so gorgeous!

I used to do a little embroidery work, but that was years ago and I seem to have forgotten almost everything I've ever learned. I can't even manage to make a simple french knot, something that would come in very handy when making eyes for my little crocheted critters.

I recently crocheted a little matryoshka or Russian doll. They're the little dolls that you open one and there is another doll inside. Open the smaller doll and there's another smaller one inside, etc.

I would love to be able to embroider some pretty flowers, vines and leaves on my little doll. Heck, I would love to be able to embroider cite little faces on any of my characters, but when ever I try, they end up looking like a kindergartener's scribbles.

Does anyone know of a website where I could learn these embroidery skills? I've tried searching on Google, but with no success. All I can find is the lazy daisy stitch, and while it is pretty, it's not what I want.

I also plan on attending my first crittter stitch meeting this morning at our local quilt shop, and can't seem to find a pattern I want to take with me to crochet.

What's a hooker to do?

Rosebud Angel Baby Hat Pattern

I don't know what is wrong with me lately. I meant to post the pattern for the rosebud wreath I used for the angel baby set in my last post, and instead posted the pattern for the baby hat that goes with the set. Here's the pattern for the baby hat if anyone is interested.

Rosebud Baby Hat

Materials used:
Carons Simply Soft (I used white, soft pink and orchid.
Size K (6.5mm) crochet hook
Tapestry needle or appropriate needle to weave in ends.

Abbreviations used:
ch - chain
ss - slip stitch
Popcorn Stitch - beginning popcorn stitch: chain 3, do 4 double crochets in same stitch, remove hook from last dc and insert from back to front into the top or third chain of beginning chain 3, reinsert into last loop of the 4th dc and pull through, slip stitch back down though last double crochet and slip stitch into chain.
st - stitch
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
tc - triple crochet
FO - fasten off

ch 4, join with sl st to form ring
Row 1: 14 dc in ch, join with a slip stitch in first dc. (14 dc)
Row 2: 2 dc in ea st around (28 dc)
Row 3: * 2dc in first st, 1 dc in next* around. Join with a slip stitch in first dc. (42 dc)
Rows 4-7: dc in ea st around (42 dc)
Row 8: dc in front loop of each st around. Join with a slip stitch in first dc. (42 dc)
Fasten off at this point if you would like the scallops to be a different color. Other wise, continue with main color.
Row 9(start of scallop edge): ch 2, 2 dc in same st, *sk 2 st, sc in next stitch, skip 2 st, 5 dc in next st* ending with skip 2 st, 3 dc in beg st, join with ss in the first dc, ignore ch 2.
Row 10: turn, ch 1, sc in joining st, skip 3 st, 5 dc in sc, *sk 2 st, sc in next, sk 2 st, 5 dc in next sc*,repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch in first sc. Fasten off.

'Bottom leaves' Attach green yarn with a sc to any spare loop from between row 7 and 8. *Ch 3, sk 2 st, sc in next* repeat around and join with a sl st in beg sc. FO

'Rosebuds" Attach pink yarn to loop next to where you started the green leaves chain, do a popcorn stitch in that loop and join with a sl st in next free loop. Rosebud completed. Sl st into the next free loop and repeat popcorn, continue around. FO

Top Leaves: Attach green yarn with a sc to any free sc from green chain below. Chain 3, join with sc through rosebud slip stitch and into sc of lower green chain below. Continue around, joining last chain to first sc with a slip stitch.

Fasten off, and weave in all ends.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Happy hooking!

Rosebud Angel Baby Shoe Wreaths

Rosebud Angel Baby Shoe Wreaths


Materials Needed:
G (4.5mm) hook
Caron Simply Soft in two colors, A: rosebud color, and B: leaves color.
Needle to weave in ends and attach wreaths to baby shoes.

Abbreviations used:
ch - chain
ss - slip stitch
Beg ppcn - beginning popcorn stitch: chain 3, do 4 double crochets in same stitch, remove hook from last dc and insert from back to front into the top or third chain of beginning chain 3, reinsert into last loop of the 4th dc and pull through, slip stitch back down though last double crochet and slip stitch into chain.
st - stitch
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
tc - triple crochet
FO - fasten off

Round One:
With color A, ch 12 and join with a ss into first chain.

Round Two:
Ch 1, and ss into the same st as join, ss into next ch, beg ppcn in same st, ss into next 3 ch, beg ppcn in next, ss into next 3 ch, beg ppcn in next, ss in remaining 2 and join with ss in beginning ss. FO and weave in ends.

Round Three:
Join color B with a ss AROUND the sts in round two just before a rosebud or beg ppcn, ch 1, and sc, ch 2 behind rosebud, do a sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc and sc in the space between the rosebuds, ch 2 behind rosebud, do a sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc and sc in the space between the rosebuds,
ch 2 behind rosebud, do a sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc and join with a ss in the first sc. FO leaving a long end of yarn to sew wreath to baby shoe. Weave in other end.


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If you have any questions or remarks, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'm trying to spend more time on the computer as my health improves, so I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Many Blessings!

A Thought For The Day

Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

Proverbs 16:24

Too often I forget this.

Hope you all have a blessed day!

A Happy Easter Sunday!

We've had a lovely Easter day here. My baby girl Wendy and I went for a walk as the sun was rising early this morning. She enjoyed all the different sights and smells, and surprised me immensely by rolling in the dew covered grass. Wendy does NOT like to get wet!


After we came home, I tried a new recipe from my favorite baking cookbook, "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion", Hot Cross Muffins! Much quicker to make and bake than traditional Hot Cross Buns, but every bit as yummy, in my opinion. Everyone else seemed to like them, too, as they disappeared rather quickly. I made them with golden raisins and dried cranberries - such a good combination!


After our lunch, my grand daughter asked if we could go to the beach, and Dearest said yes, so off we went. I haven't felt up to walking on the beach in a long time, so this was a real treat for all of us! The flowers are blooming on the dunes, I don't know how well you can see them here. The beach was packed with people!


Dearest and I walked along the beach, watching grand daughter boogie boarding in the waves, and admiring all the different sand castle creations we saw. I found a couple special shells and saw a huge blue bottle jellyfish/ I wish I had captured a photo of the jelly fish, but the waves washed it back out before I could get a shot.

This was our favorite sand castle formation. The tide had started to wash over it, and it left these amazing spiral towers.

Our grand daughter waiting with her boogie board to catch the perfect wave. She had a great time, as did we. We didn't stay at the beach too long as I worried about her getting sunburned, and it was very warm for me!

Now we're all relaxing at home. I have a pot of vegetarian Chick'n and Dumplings bubbling away on the stove. We're having that stew with a side of fruit and a Key Lime Pie for dessert. My mouth is watering at the scents drifting from the kitchen!

I hope you all have had as wonderful a holiday as we have had. Many blessings to you all!

I See Rainbows

"Rainbow Connection"
Why are there so many songs about rainbows
and what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
and rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard
and answered when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.
Look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing
and what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell. We know that it's probably magic.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors.
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Rainbow Connection song from "The Muppet Movie"
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I can't think of anything more inspiring or hopeful than the sight of a rainbow in the sky, so I thought I'd try something a little different this week. I'm declaring it my personal rainbow week.

Each day I hope to focus on a different color of the rainbow, and share photo's of either an item that I've crocheted in that particular color or a piece of artwork that features that color. Could be quite a challenge, don't you think?

At the top of the page, you'll see what I titled, Rainbow bears. Not quite every color of the rainbow, but close. Each bear measures approximate three and a half inches, and are fully jointed. Most of these bears have found new homes with grandchildren or with children's charities.

This is a polymer clay pendant I titled "Rainbow and Pearl Heart".


What do you think? Would you care to join the challenge, too?

Wishing you many rainbows, beauty and hope in this upcoming week!

I'm Designing Again!

I haven't been able to do a lot of crochet recently, and frankly, I find it depressing. I needed a little project, something I could do quickly, in one 'sitting' so to speak. A little instant gratification, if you will.

Then I remembered reading a post from one of my favorite bloggers who wrote about getting her hair cut, and how she'd like to try designing/crocheting a fascinator to wear. She shared some beautiful photo's to go with this post, and I found it inspiring. You can read that post here.

So this morning I picked up my hook and yarn, and started working on a fascinator of my own. And yes, you betcha' I'll wear it! I've finished two elements of my fascinator already, and am at decision stage now, should I use one of those big, rhinestone buttons as the center, or should I crochet a centerpiece. I know I definitely want to incorporate some birdcage veil in my fascinator, I'm not sure where to find some in my area.

That's where I'm at right now. I'll post some photo's when I get a little farther along. What's on your hook today?

It's Monday!

"Life is just a bowl of cherries.
Don't take it serious; it's too mysterious.
You work, you save, you worry so,
But you can't take your dough when you go, go, go.

So keep repeating it's the berries,
The strongest oak must fall,
The sweet things in life, to you were just loaned
So how can you lose what you've never owned?
Life is just a bowl of cherries,
So live and laugh at it all."

- Lew Brown and Ray Henderson, 1931

I'm ready, bring on the cream pies!

Temporary Setback

I. Give. Up.

Don't look at the background of my blog. No, no, no! Don't pay any attention to the layout either! I just spent (wasted) an hour trying to put a nice Eater background on my blog, and rearranging the layout to fit, and it didn't work. Not to my satisfaction at least.

Just.... Look at the pretty Easter Bunny and his friends up there! Isn't that lovely? What? No, I'm not trying to distract you. Would I do that??? No, no no...

Actually, I posted the photo of the Easter Bunny for a reason. The image is from one of my old children's books, "The Story Of The Easter Bunny", written by Sheila Black and illustrated by Robyn Officer.

It's a nice story to read to the little one's around this time of year, but that wasn't why I chose this book for my collection. It's the illustration's that caught my eye. I love her style! It's what I strive for in my watercolors and my colored pencil art. She gives just the right amount of detail, and her highlights are perfect. I wish my art work was more like hers, and I suppose if I am to believe what I keep telling my grand-daughter, that's why we keep practicing - practicing - practicing!

*sigh*

I hope you are all having a wonderful, sunny and warm Sunday!

ARGGGHHH

We've been without the internet for almost two hours now, and it's driving me crazy! Now, it's not as if I can't LIVE without the internet, mind you. It's more we all get into our little set routines, and when that routine is upset when there's nothing you can do about it, one tends to get a little ... irritated.

Sometimes when the internet goes 'out', there are things that you can do do to fix it by yourself. I've tried all those things, that was the first thing I did. After those self help thingies didn't work, and an hour went by, I had another idea.

**Please note, I have had a couple of cups of coffee by this time, so I can't claim to be dumb by being half asleep at the time.**

'I can call the cable company! Maybe they don't know that the internet is down in our area, it IS the middle of the night, I could be the only one in our area that's trying to use the internet, and thus the only one who knows it's down.'

Riiigghhtt.

Yeah, we have Vonage, a really great phone service at a great price... And you get it through the i.n.t.e.r.n.e.t.

Uh huh.

So I'll work on one of my crochet projects and that will keep me busy. Yes. Yes, very good idea, isn't it?

Unfortunately, I'm using patterns I have found on the internet, and no, I didn't print them out.

Sigh.

Is it Monday already?

***********************************************************************************

The above post was written earlier this morning. The internet ultimately was down for over four hours, and I had to do something to get my frustration out. Forgive my angst, please.

I feel much better now!

Confession Time

There's a part of me that's never grown up. I still collect shells when I walk on the beach. (You should see my shell gardens outside - I've brought home so many shells, I use them instead of stones or mulch in the borders beds.)


My favorite, rarer shells I keep in a jar on my toy shelf.



I also have baby dolls. These baby dolls don't belong to my grandchildren. They are MY dolls! This is a five inch doll I got at WalMart. The poor baby's outfit looked like someone was playing soccer with her on a very dirty floor, so she was on the marked down shelf. I had to rescue her, and in a way, she's helped 'rescue' me at times. She's perfect for those times when I want to crochet, but don't want to do a big project. I've made her clothes, and this morning she has a brand new bed and pillow to rest on. I'm thinking I'll make her a blanket for the bassinet, just haven't decided on the design or colors yet.



I looked online for patterns for the cradle purses that I made my grand daughters in the past, but the ones that I found weren't big enough for Suzy, so I adapted one to fit her. She fits nicely in the new one. I'm also very happy to report that crochet is starting to return to normal for me. It no longer takes me 45 minutes just to crochet one row LOL.


This is my Toy Shelf. You can see two of the other dolls I crocheted. To be honest, the one isn't 'crocheted', she's a yarn doll like the ones my grandmother would make for me when I was a little girl, but she IS wearing a crocheted dress, and has a crocheted cradle to sleep in. I like the Bunting Baby, too. I don't really care for making faces on baby dolls. I'm not good at embroidery at all, and they don't have to have faces for me to love them. Can you see Suzy's Easter basket with the robins egg in it? You might spot one of my teddy bears, and some of my pig collection as well.



Am I the only one? Does anyone else have baby dolls that they keep to dress up? I do hope you'll share if you do.

Have a great weekend!

Night Sounds

The crickets are chirping outside!

I find that such a comforting sound. It takes me back to warm summer nights, and porch swings. I'm reminded of fireflies flashing, endless games of freeze tag and the laughter of children under growing star light.

I pray your night is filled with peace.

Good Mornin'!

Good mornin',
Good mornin'!
We've talked the whole night through,
Good mornin'
Good mornin' to you.
Good mornin', good mornin'!
It's great to stay up late,
Good mornin', good mornin' to you.

I've had this song running through my head ever since I woke up. I even sang it to my grand-daughter when I got her up for school, poor baby!

I hope you all are having a bright, wonderful day!

The ABC's of Me

One of my favorite bloggers posted this on her blog today, and I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't resist doing it myself! Thank you, Charlotte!

A. Age: I recently celebrated the twenty-eighth anniversary of my twenty-fifth birthday.

B: Bed size: Queen, thank goodness! My dearest is a bit of a bed hog, so I end up hugging the edge anyways. The queen size just gives me more sleeping time.

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the ferret cage. They're clean little critters, and use a litter box MOST of the time. I don't think I know anyone who likes cleaning a litter box. Do you?

D. Dogs: I love all animals, but if we had a dog, I would want a miniature breed. I am owned by two of the sweetest ferret babies, and 'grandma' to a third. (Hello Wendy, Bubba and Bela!)

E. Essential start to your day: Gotta have my gourmet chocolate flavored coffee with my coconut flavored creamer. It's like a liquid Mounds candy bar in a cup!

F. Favorite color: No no no... Don't make me pick just one! I can never choose between spring green and baby pink!

G. Gold or silver: It's gotta be gold, all the way!

H: Height: 5'4"

I: Instruments that you can play: The drums and shell whistle. I was in marching band and orchestra all through my school years, and I taught myself to play a whistle made from a sea shell a couple of years ago just for fun.

J: Job title: Fiber Artist. Doesn't that sound all fancy and cool? I love it. I make things with thread and yarn, so that makes me a 'fiber artist', right?

K: Kids: Two sons, and two daughters, sons-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, step-sons, step-daughters, and lots of lovely grandbabies!

M: Mom’s name: Joyce Anne.

N: Nicknames: Lamb, NeNe, MaggieMay, Princess.

O: Overnight hospital stays: Too many to count so let's not go there, 'kay?

P: Pet peeve: People who talk on their cell phones everywhere they go and whatever they're doing. Driving a car and talking on the phone, I'm not talking about the hands free model, either, especially bother me! I mean, really!! Suddenly everyone is so important that they can't go anywhere or do anything without having a phone attached to their heads! Don't get me started...

Q: Quote from a movie: "Ooh, if I just wasn't a lady, WHAT wouldn't I tell that varmint." Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With The Wind".

R: Righty or lefty: Right handed.

S: Sibling: Two sisters,

T: Time you wake up: Somewhere between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. usually. I'm a morning person. DEFINITELY a morning person!

U: Underwear: White cotton grannies. What can I say? They're comfy and they're clean.

V: Vegetables you dislike: Brussels Sprouts. I'm actually a vegetarian, so I eat all kinds of veggies and love them. I just had a very bad experience with Brussels Sprouts once and will never eat them again.

W: What makes you run late: "Just one more stitch...", or, "I'll just finish this row, then..."

Y: Yummy food you make: Mmmm, homemade pizza from scratch, dough and sauce! I made yogurt cheese once, but it didn't turn out so well. Oh yeah, and chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies! Have to have my homemade bread, too. I guess you could say I just love to bake!

Z: Zoo favorite animal: Capybara's! They're like a giant guinea pig and I adore guinea pigs. My second choice would have to be meerkats or penguins!

Your turn!

Oh Dear!

When last I posted, I promised more photo's of my handmade books. I wanted to share pictures of the miniature books and book pins that I had made. Unfortunately, once I looked at them, I decided that I would be too embarrassed to share them, the photographs are too poor in quality.

Instead, I'm sharing another love of mine, dragons! I adore dragons, and have found myself making them in all sorts of mediums. (I'll have to get some photo's taken of some of my watercolor and pen and ink paintings, I know where they are, just need to find the energy to set them up.)

This is one of those miniature alchohol bottles, like you would get when flying on an airline? I covered it with polymer clay, way back in 2006, when I was really, really, REALLY into polymer clay, and before I figured out just how heavy polyclay is to pack up and move around the U.S. Now that we're retired, I may just drag that bag of clay out and start to play again. This is 'The Princess and the Dragon'.

Probably one of my most famous and popular crochet patterns, my Baby Snow Dragon. I can hardly believe that people are still making (and loving) them as much as I do. I've made them in all sizes, colors, and poses. This is one of my 'Dragon Family' sets.


Another polymer clay dragon, this was a big (if I remember correctly, about 9 inches in diameter) Dragon Orb. This was made for a gift.


Another gift for a special little girl, a crocheted Bed Dragon. I only made one of these, but I think I have the pattern shorthanded somewhere.


And one of my very first polymer clay dragons, Percy, sitting here glaring at the Blind Wizard. Both Percy and the Wizard are still around packed away somewhere.


I know I haven't been here much lately. I'm having some new health problems, I won't go into all the gory details, I'll just say that it doesn't leave me with much energy to do much of anything. I have two baby blankets all set up to be crocheted together, and when I can, I pick up my hook and yarn and work on them. I have two packages waiting to go to the post office, soon to be three, and I have photo's to share of what's in those packs, but I don't want to post them until they are sent and received. I feel like I'm so far behind in everything!

Oh yes, I promised the babies a big play time today, and hopefully will get some new pics of them to share with you, too.

Thanks for spending time with me, and all the loving thoughts you send my way!