Baby, Baby, Baby....

I'm so excited! My garden is starting to recover from the harsh winter freeze we had. Not all of my plants will come back, but this one definitely is still going, and has it's first blossom of the year. I've had this plant for over three years now, and while I can't remember the name of it, I love it just the same!

I made another baby set today, this time using a different pattern! Are you surprised? I found this little baby set on the RedHeart.com website, and making it was really different. The sweater is made on one piece, but the bonnet and booties both required separate part, and sewing together. The booties were really fiddly and I'm not sure right now if I would make them again.

I originally planned on using ribbon for the ties, and had bought a spool of it just for that use, but once I opened it and used it on the sweater, I didn't like it, so I crocheted all the ties for the bonnet, sweater and booties. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft in both Baby Brights Ombre, and White. I used a H (5.0mm) hook You can find the free pattern here. The pattern says that it is for a 0-6 months old baby, but the baby in the photo looks much older. Fortunately, the set once crocheted looks to be the right size for a newborn.

I found out yesterday that I can crochet for 6 babies now. No, I'm not expecting 3 more grand babies, my wonderful Aunt Mary asked if I would make some for her, and I joyously agreed. She and my Uncle David helped fill my childhood with such happy memories, that I'm so glad to be able to do something for her in return.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend filled with warmth and peace!

Daisy, Daisy...

...Give me your answer, do! I'm half crazy, all for the love of you!


I had that song running through my head the whole time I was making this little baby jacket set. I think it looks spring-like, and nicely feminine.

Once again, I used Caron Simply Soft yarns in white, lemon and pistachio, and my two favorite baby patterns, Bev's Baby Jacket, and the Sweet Little Baby Moccasins.

I want to thank all my dear blog friends who sent such nice wishes and concerns for me. You all make my life happier and brighter, with a special thanks to Faith, Bev, and Glor! You warm my heart!

New Baby Sets!

I wanted so much to post this earlier, but I was determined to finish it before I took photo's, and I didn't have any buttons to complete it. My darling daughter agreed to go shopping with me and I found these pretty little crystal-like buttons that I thought would be perfect for this set.

This baby jacket is a combination of three different patterns that I saw. I took the parts of each pattern I liked and this is what I came up with.

The baby moccasins are from the Sweet Little Baby Moccasins free pattern found here. It was my granddaughters idea to sew the buttons on the sides so they would be more stylish.

I'm in love with this feminine little set, pink is one of my favorite colors. What do you think?

I'm calling this baby set 'Fruit 'N Nuts'.


The jacket is made using another one of my favorite patterns, Bev's Baby Jacket. I added an edging to the fifth row. The matching moccasins are the same ones I posted yesterday, also from the Sweet Little Baby Moccasins pattern above.

Oh yes, and I called it Fruit 'N Nuts because the Caron Simply Soft colors I used are appropriately named Lemon and Pistachio.

Happy crocheting!

Crochet Is My Therapy

Yes, I know I've probably said that before, more than once, but it's so true. It helps me deal with or ignore the pain from pancreatitus attacks. If you are familiar with pancreatitus or not, I have the chronic type, and NO, I don't drink alcohol. I do have Type 2 diabetes, which doesn't help anything at all, but we think my pancreatitus was brought on by a regime of a pain medication prescribed to help ease a flare-up of pain from a herniated disc. What ever caused it, it's a tricky disease, one that fools me by easing for days or weeks, only to rear it's ugly head when I least expect it's symptoms. I've learned to deal with it, mainly by watching what I eat (too much fat is a guarantee for a flare-up). I've been dealing with an episode for the past couple of days.

Last night I had an unfortunate accident that only added to the 'fun'. I was making dinner, and reached up to the shelf that we keep our pots and pans on to get two skillets. I should have been patient and grabbed one at a time, but that's just not me. As I brought the second skillet out from the back of the shelf, I happened to catch a saucepan lid with the bottom of the skillet. Before I could react, the heavy glass lid (edged with metal to boot!) fell over five feet sideways and landed right on my second toe, just like a guillotine, cracking my toe like an egg.

So now I have a broken toe, with a huge blood blister on my first toe as well. I'm so grateful for my oldest daughter and my loving hubby at this time. My hubby made me sit down right away with my foot propped up and made a ice bag for my poor toe. My oldest daughter jumped right in and not only finished making dinner for us, but cleaned the kitchen afterwords as well. She is a treasure, indeed!

I had plans to go shopping for yarn, ribbon, and buttons today. My toe doesn't look too bad, it's badly bruised and still swollen, and hurts especially if I try to bend it. I may still go shopping, IF I can find someone to go with me, as I'm not sure how comfortable I would be driving (it's my right foot, the gas and brake foot).

Now I have to hobble off to the kitchen as my blood sugar is getting too low. I hope you all are having much better times than I am! Keep on smiling and enjoy your Friday. I know I plan to!

Sweet Little Baby Moccasins!

Sara, at Tangled Happy, posted a link for the pattern for these cute little baby moccasins. (That was my first visit to Little Eme's website, but definitely not my last! She does some really awesome stuff with yarn!

Mr Teddy and Mr Dog insisted on helping showcase the baby moccasins. I made them with Caron Simply Soft yarn in Pistachio and Lemon, using a D (3.0mm) hook. I have to confess, I made a mistake when I was making the first moccasin, I miscounted and didn't do enough rows on the cuff. Feeling a bit lazy, I repeated the same mistake on the second moc. I think they turned out darling anyways. I see more pairs in my future!

Thank you very much for sharing the pattern, Little Eme!

More Crochet Show and Tell

My hooks have been flying, as someone has said about me. I hope you aren't tired of seeing this, but I finally have the Sugar Spun Doily blocked and in place as my centerpiece on my dining room table and couldn't wait to show it off. I got the pattern for this lovely doily at Crochet Galore, I adore her blog, she's so inspiring! And speaking of Glor, she really made my day today! She mentioned me in her blog, check it out! I did the happy dance when I saw it!!

This is a cocoon and ball cap I made for one of my new grandbabies. I used Caron Simply Soft for both projects, and they turned out so cute! I got the pattern for the cocoon from Bev's Country Cottage, it works up so quick! The sweet newborn ballcap was a free pattern from heaverinscrochet on Crochetville.org. I had a slight problem when making the ballcap, I discovered I don't have a 3.75 mm hook! How could that be? My size F hooks are 4.0 mm, so that's what I used. I rationalized that I normally crochet tight, so it should all work out okay.

I really need to get a baby doll to model my baby things! I could have borrowed my granddaughter's Cabbage Patch Kid, but they aren't really to size. At least my pig and lamb don't complain much, and Teddy is more than happy to look on.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Introducing Prince Ga-arra

Or as he is better known - Bubba!


Bubba is my rescue ferret. He is a very, very, big boy(over 10 pounds)! He was found in a pet store, dying. It seems all his brothers and sisters were sold, but because too many people want cute little baby ferrets, and Bubba is so very large, no one purchased him. Ferrets are social animals, most of them do not like to be alone, and they are not the type of animal that you can leave in a cage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They need time out of the cage every day, time to play and run around, time to exercise, and just plain old time for love!


Bubba loves to dig, he is a champion tunneler.

Because he was left in the cage with little to no attention, Bubba grew depressed and he stopped eating. When a friend of mine found him, he was close to death. The pet store let her have him and she brought him home to nurture him with her other 2 ferrets. She knew I was looking for another ferret and brought him to meet me as a surprise. I took one look at Bubba and fell in love. He and Wendy instantly took to each other, too.


You might think after being treating so badly by people, Bubba might have some social issues. You would be wrong! Bubba is the sweetest, most loving ferret you could ever hope to meet. He is so grateful for any attention that anyone pays him. When you pick him up, he gives you kisses and cuddles before he 'asks' to get down and play.

Bubba has been a part of our family for over two years now, and I love my baby boy Bubba more than ever!

A Passion for Purple

I'm still making baby jackets, still using up my scrap yarn. I originally started out to try and make another hooded baby jacket, but life got in the way. I wanted to block the doily I made this morning so it could dry and I could put it on the table for dinner. Then the ferrets cage needed cleaned, and I am in charge of making the evening meal, so I reluctantly put the jacket down as I was a couple rows into the planned hood.

As I set it aside, I noticed the 'hood' was folding down onto the jacket, and I had a thought. 'That looks just like a collar!' I took a closer look and decided that yes, it definitely wanted to be a collar!

And here you have my latest adaptation on Bev's Baby Jacket pattern: The Passion for Purple!

Blocked CAL Sugar Spun Doily

The Crochet-A-Long Sugar Spun Doily I made this morning is now blocked and drying. I'm almost embarrassed to post this photo because of my poor blocking board! It's been through so much, I really need to buy a new one. Using the Stiffy on my Christmas ornaments, angels and snowflakes has left it badly stained, and it's full of pinholes. I guess I've really got my money's worth out of it.

Oh, and just so you know, the doily blocked out to 12 inches made with Patons Grace and an E (3.5mm) hook. It is going to be a very nice centerpiece!

Crochet-A-Long Doily from Crochet Galore

I thought about starting another hoodie baby jacket this morning, but then I read this blog post from one of my favorite bloggers, and I just had to try it. My eyes (and hands) aren't quite up to the task of crocheting with size 10 thread and a steel hook, so I dug out a skein of Patons Grace, and a size E (3.5 mm) hook, and set to work. It still needs to be blocked, but that requires digging my blocking board and rust proof pins out of storage so it will wait until there's more light outside. I couldn't wait to share this lovely doily. I think it will make a nice centerpiece for my diningroom table.

Loaf of Bread Jacket and Irish Hoodie

Ta-da! Here is the completed 'Loaf of Bread Challenge' baby jacket. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

I was trying to go to sleep last night, and had a thought pop into my head. 'Why can't I put a hood on that baby jacket? It shouldn't be that hard to do...'

Well, guess what? It wasn't hard at all!


I'm calling this one, 'Luck of the Irish Hoodie' baby jacket. I used the same pattern found here for both jackets, for all the jackets I've made lately in fact. I just added a hood to it.

I admit, I could have planned this jacket a little better. I would have liked the hood a couple of rows larger, but I didn't have enough of the green yarn. I've been using leftovers and scraps for these little baby jackets. I plan on making another hoodie, this time with a longer hood!

My clover is coming along nicely, isn't it? I almost dread the lawn guys coming along and cutting it down. We've started working on our veggie garden, too. My granddaughter weeded the one raised bed yesterday, and planted some chard seeds. I want to plant more flowers this year, and more strawberries, though I fear the squirrels enjoy my strawberries more than I do. They get to them before the sun rises!

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely day!

What Can I say?

Monday's have never been my best day. I like to think that I'm kind of like the cartoon cat, Garfield. I shudder to answer the door on Monday's for fear of being hit in the face with a cream pie.

Of course, my view point changes dramatically after I've had a couple cups of coffee.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

A Loaf of Bread and a Baby Jacket

I challenged myself this afternoon. I wanted to bake a loaf of bread for our evening meal, and I wanted to start crocheting another baby jacket. So while the bread was kneading (I love my stand mixer and dough hook!) I started the jacket. While the dough was resting, I crocheted a little more. And while the dough was rising and baking, I crocheted on.

I wish I could say I managed to crochet the whole jacket, but I didn't. I did finish the body of the jacket! Now all I have to do is add the edging and the sleeves and it will be done.

I'm happy! (I'll post a photo of the completed jacket when I'm done.)

It's Too Quiet...

Doodles, her mommy Robin, and dear hubby.
Goodbye Grandpa! Goodbye Doodles!

Our home seems so still and quiet once again. After a busy, hectic week, you'd think I would appreciate the peacefulness more.

I'm afraid to admit, I'm feeling a little sorry for myself right now. I'm going to miss so much having that little one curl up in my lap, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and murmuring, "good morning, Grandma..." (She's the first of my grandchildren to call me that, 'Grandma'. The rest all call me "NeNe" and I like that, but 'Grandma' is special, too.)

I'd forgotten how delightful they are at that age (she's a four year old), and everything they look at, touch, or do, is fun and exciting. And oh, how great it feels to have a little hand tuck into yours, you can't help but feel ten feet tall.

She, her mommy, daddy, brothers and sister, will all be coming here soon, this time to stay. Until she returns, I'll just have to be content with saving a spot on my lap for her.

Unexpected Visitors

We woke the other morning to find what looked as if a pumpkin had exploded all over our garden patio. (Yes, I still have our Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns. They were in lovely condition, no rot or mold, and I couldn't bear to throw them in the compost, so I moved them to our garden patio where no one else could see them but us.) We all agreed that it was probably the seeds that attracted what ever dug into the pumpkins, but we couldn't agree what animal had done it. I found proof the next night, when I saw the little rascals making a return visit.
One of them is actually quite bold, as you can see. Our motion sensor light doesn't seem to faze him, neither does the flash from my camera. I swear, he posed for me! His wife seems a bit shy, she would leave when ever I made a movement, and I had a hard time getting a photo of her.

Here they are together. I think they are probably wondering when the crazy lady with the camera is going to go back to bed and let them enjoy their early breakfast in peace.
Finally, all the attention was too much for him. (Or maybe his wife was calling?) He left me, and went on his merry way. I suspect at least one return visit, though. I still have one more complete pumpkin to dine on!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made my Dearest a card for Valentine's day. (Why can't I figure out how to use this photo up loader right?) This is the inside of the card. I attached the hearts to the cardstock with thread and yarn so that they can be removed later, if desired. The inside heart was crocheted using this free pattern from PlanetJune.

A closer view of the inside of the card. As you can see, my calligraphy skills aren't much better than my embroidery skills. But after all, it's the thought that counts, right?
And finally, here is the front of the card. His nickname for me has always been "My Lamb" so this stamp was perfect! The amigurumi-style hearts were crocheted using this free pattern from CRAFTYisCOOL. Aren't they the cutest?

This day promises to be a very special day for my Dearest. We are leaving early this morning to pick up his oldest daughter from the airport. They've never met before, (long story there, and not mine to share without permission) and in fact, he never knew about her until just before last Easter. She's bringing her youngest with her to visit with us for a week. Our hearts are overflowing right now with excitement and joy.

I hope your day is one of loving warmth and happiness! Happy Valentine's Day!

Baby Jacket With Flair!

I just love this pattern, you can do so much with it! This little sweater is made with the same pattern as yesterday's Piper Jacket, but with some frill added. We don't know if any of the expectant babies will be girls, but I'd like to be prepared. Even if they're all boys, this won't go to waste as there are so many program looking for donations. I'll have to do a post soon pointing to some of my old favorites.

Thanks to Bev's Country Cottage for supplying so many lovely patterns so freely! I adore her!

One Jacket Down

I started this morning and finished this afternoon, this little jacket for the expected Piper Baby. I used this pattern, from Bev's Country Cottage, one of my favorites. I made a couple of changes to the pattern, an extra row on the sleeves and the color changes. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn from my stash and wasn't sure when I started it if I'd have enough of the Ombre to finish the jacket, I'm thrilled I did! I'm not sure when I bought the sandy colors yarn or where so I was terrified of having to find more in the same dye lot!

I just need some ribbon for the closure and it will be ready to go off in the mail!

By Leaps and Bounds!

Our family is growing!! Not just one new baby will grace our lives this year. No, Not only two babies to bounce on happy knees, o no! That's not good enough for us! We are going to be blessed by THREE new bundles of joy! I've known for a little while, but didn't want to say anything. I think (I hope) it's safe now to make the announcement.

My oldest son and his wife are having a boy, I learned that joyous news just the other day, with photo's and everything. We don't know what my youngest daughter is expecting, that little one was shy and covered up during the last photo shoot, durn it!

We don't know what my husbands' oldest daughter is having yet, either! It doesn't really matter what the sex of the baby is as far as I am concerned, I've always just prayed that they be healthy and happy when they arrive.

This isn't the first time I've been honored by grandchildren. I am so very proud of Gabby, Maya, Ryan, Brianna, Jeva, John, Jules, Diego, Kalista, Ava, and High Moon as I am of Aaron, Amber, Tommy and Danie! That's fifteen, just in case you weren't keeping count. And by the end of this year, they will be joined by three more for a happy total of EIGHTEEN!

I don't know about you, but just thinking about it leaves me a little breathless.

So I am warming up the crochet hooks and going through my stash, practicing and looking for patterns for booties, sweaters, caps and of course, blankets! Each stitch will be made with love and prayer for the ones they'll touch.

So? Do you have any favorite baby patterns you'd care to share? I'd really love to see them!

p.s. Don't laugh, but I had to correct this post three times, can you believe it? My math skills seem to be a little off this evening. I wonder why???

I hope you all are feeling as blessed as I am this evening!

My Hero!

I'm reminded today of just how much a hero to me my mother is.

From as early as I can remember, she has always been a shining example of what unconditional love is. Even to this day, she continues to show by example of what a loving Christian mother and woman should be. When I am having doubts and fears, all I have to do is think of her, of all she has done , and all she has overcome, and my worries fade away.

She has always been there for me, loving and supporting me. I will never forget one of the most important things she ever said to me: "I may not always approve of what you say or do, but I will ALWAYS love you."

Thank you, Mom, for being you, and for loving me. You are a big part of my strength. Thank you for raising me to have faith in God and the power of prayer.

Forgive me for not telling you more often of just how very much you mean to me. I wish I could hug you, not just today, but everyday!

I love you, Momma.

An Apple A Day...

I know, I know, an apple a day doesn't really keep the doctor away, but they sure do make a delicious pizza! This is one of our family's favorite recipes, and I thought I would share it with you. It's a big hit with the kids, surprisingly I have yet to meet an adult who didn't like it either!

Apple Pizza

1 - 12 inch Boboli pizza shell (thin variety - or do as I do and make your own crust from scratch!)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 to 4 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar (depending on the apples)
1/4 cup apricot jam (optional glaze)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set the pizza shell on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cheese.

Arrange the apple slices on top of the cheese in a spiral fashion. Sprinkle with sugar to taste.

Bake for fifteen minutes, or until the apples are beginning to brown around the edges. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to sit for about ten minutes.

If you intend to glaze it, melt the apricot jam, and brush the top surface with the melted jam. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes (10 minutes of work)

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Mollie Katzen's "Vegetable Heaven".

Bon Appetit!

Share Four Things You Enjoy

I got this idea from Crochet by the Sea, of sharing four things that you enjoy. My top four things for today are:

A warm hug from my loving husband. (Honestly, he gives the most wonderful loving embraces I have ever experienced!)

That first morning cup of chocolate truffle coffee with coconut cream creamer.

Thoughts and prayers of and from my wonderful family.

Seeing a child's tears turn to smiles.

I would greatly appreciate it if you'd share four things that you enjoy with me, too!

Down Time Show and Tell

As I said in my last post, I've been comforting myself with hooks and yarn. I thought I'd share some of the things that I've been making. This is a tiny airplane.




As you can see, my embroidery hasn't improved any, but I still think it's a cute little airplane. The best thing is that this plane can fly all over the house and not break anything!

This is for a little boy who likes Curious George. Unfortunately, I don't have two shades of brown yarn. I only have one shade of brown, and it's cotton yarn. I was afraid it would shrink if I tried making a toy out of it.

These are Heart Babies! Aren't they the cutest little things? The pink one was made exactly following the pattern. The red one I made a mistake on. Guess which one everyone seems to like better? The red one, of course!

A coral snake! I love snakes, and hopefully the little boy I made this for will like him, too.

I tried to follow the pattern for this snake, but I think I made a mistake somewhere as he doesn't seem to have as many stripes as the one on the pattern photo shows.

This is a tote or messenger bag I made for one of my teen age granddaughters. She loves pink, can you tell? I have a confession to make though. I made an error on this one, too. I used a magnetic snap to close it, and I didn't line the two halves up exact. Hopefully she won't be too disappointed. I love the lining material, and the way the thin black strips accent the pink.

This is the bag closed. The pattern crochets up in one piece, and is very easy to follow.

What do you make for a teenage boy? He doesn't wear hats or scarfs, they're not cool where he lives. He's too old for toys, though I threatened his mother that I would crochet a spider for him. (She's terrified of them!) He does belong to ROTC so I thought a camo duffel bag would be perfect for him. I looked all over the internet for a free pattern for a duffel bag like this, but couldn't find one, so this is my own design. Here it is opened.

The back of the duffel bag.

And here is the duffel bag closed. I used the backpack straps to pull the bag closed, and a magnetic snap to hold the flap closed.

Hope y'all enjoyed my little show and tell, and that you've had a wonderful weekend!