Christmas and New Years Eve!

Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and New Years Eve!

First of all, I've had one thing specifically that I've been wanting to blog but haven't gotten around to it! A few weeks ago I went to my cousins house and my cousins, Ryan, Brittany, and Caitlyn had all chipped in to buy me a very early Birthday gift, it was very sweet of all of them. I can't really explain what the gift was, so I have a picture of it, it's not the best picture, but it's good enough! =D

The gift they got me is on the bottom, the huge one! I love
these stuffed pillows, and had two different sizes already,
so they were very sweet and got me another size! A very large
one! Really huge, it takes up  more than half of my bed!

     Christmas!

      I had a great Christmas, it was extremely relaxing, very enjoyable, and a great time of reflecting on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! =D We spent the entire day at home as a family, relaxing with each other, it was great! For Christmas, I got something to learn how to make hairpin lace, it's a lost art, and has been very fun to learn! I'll have to post some pictures of it when I really get the hang of doing it!

 

New Years Eve!

      This New Years Eve was one of the bests yet! My family, and I, along with several other families, went to our friends, the Wahl's house for a party. It was great! We ate dinner, dessert, and drank hot chocolate, had a bonfire, lit off fireworks, (some pretty big ones!), and sat around outside visiting with each other, first time I've ever been to an outdoor New Years Eve party! We also watched some people there play around with hot coals, which at times, was extremely funny!
    Praise the Lord, the weather held up alright and it only drizzled a few times, and it wasn't unbearably freezing, (of course I spent much of the night under a blanket with a heater near my feet, huddled around family and friends, so it was toasty!). It was pretty cold out, but mainly when it drizzled. It usually takes a lot for me to get cold,  I guess my northern blood must be thinning out in this mild Tennessee winter!...It was a wonderful night and a great time of fellowship with other Christians, I don't think there could have been a better way to bring in the new year! I really wish I had pictures, but it was way to dark to get any, but that's okay! It was a very memorable new years eve, and I was very thankful that my family and I were able to go, it truly was a blessing! I hope yours was too!

Various Projects!

 

 

 

Hello! I haven't been the best about updating my blog, but I'm here now and ready to do it, and praying I get better about posting more often! I don't have pictures of all the things I've finished since I last updated, but I have pictures of some of my favorite things that I've done!

 

To start out, I made a pair of camouflage baby booties, I love them, of course all baby items are super adorable!

 

I love the camouflage yarn, it's really cute, and super fun to
work with!

Second, I made another doily, for a long time I was in a doily making mood, but now I think it'll be a little while before I make another one! This last one is for myself! I've made a lot of purple doilies, and don't have any that I've kept!

I used all leftover crochet cotton to make most of my doilies,
and still have more purple left!

Next....I made up a pattern for baby socks, this pair is for my moms doll, but her doll is about the size of a newborn baby.... I love making baby stuff! The socks were super easy, and I was pretty pleased with the way they came out!

 

I used leftover sock yarn from the pair I made myself

 

 

I also made a purse and a matching wallet, this is my winter/Christmas purse, it's more like a drawstring bag, but it still works as a purse....once again, I was able to use leftover yarn....I love when I able to do that!

 

I like this because it looks kind of old-fashioned and the light
colored yarn is a little sparkly!

 

 

I made this little outfit for my moms doll, I made up a pattern for a dress and matching bonnet, the yarn I used has sparkles in it and it was fun yarn to work with!

 

 

You can't really tell in this picture, but the dress is actually really full!

Lastly, I made a cape! I had been wanting to make one but patterns are expensive! However, a few months ago there was a sale on patterns at Joanns and I got a pattern for $2! Praise the Lord! Then I realized the pattern I bought used fleece, which is usually $10 a yard...BUT! I was on Joanns.com a few weeks ago and they had a sale...it was half off! I was so excited and ordered some! Then when it came in, I started sewing my cape together! It was my first time doing button holes, and for some reason I was having the hardest time figuring out how to use to button hole foot, but eventually, I figured it out....God is good! =) The cape is really warm so I think I might be able to use it as my winter jacket!

This is the front of the cape, not the best of pictures though

And the back of the cape....I love the bottom ruffle!

Well...that's about all I have to post for now! Praying everyone has a great day and (just in case I don't get around to posting for a while), have a very merry CHRISTmas!!!

Old Projects and New

Hello! I was standing in my room the other day and realized I never blogged my finished cross-stitch piece, so I took a couple pictures and put them up. I started the piece a few years ago and never finished it because I didn't ever work on it, so a few months ago I got it out and finished! =D I used some quilt pieces as my frame and have it as a wall hanging in my room now, it was so much fun seeing it all come together, and the colors matched really well, which is always very exciting! 



I was so happy to finally work on this a finish it!

And here is what it looks like with the quilted frame, I used
a stick as a way to hang it up....obviously =D

        About a month or so ago, I was at a friends birthday party and had no idea what to make while we sat and visited, so I made up a pattern for a little bowl/basket....it comes in handy to put some small things in.

I think at some point I'll make a little lid for it =)

    I have still been making some doilies, I love making up patterns for them, and they make really great gifts!! I made one for a birthday gift and another for a friend, I think I'll be making more when Christmas comes a little closer.

This one is a little smaller than others I've made,
but I really like the colors!

I like the colors on this one too though!

 

 

About a week ago, we had a "girls day" with my cousins and grandmother, we met at my cousins house around 10am and went down to Florence, AL to go to craft stores....it was so much fun, and a wonderful time of fellowship, a HUGE blessing! We went to Joanns, then to Chinese for lunch, then to Hancock Fabrics, then to Hobby Lobby....we were so tired by the end of the day...we got some really great deals though!

At Joanns, I bought a crocheted sock book, and some yarn...then when we went to Hobby Lobby they had a TON of yarn on sale, and, praise the Lord, I got sock yarn for only $2.33 a skein!!! I couldn't believe it, I was so excited! The day was great and I believe all of us thoroughly enjoyed our time together!

So a couple days ago decided to make a pair of socks for the first time, and I was very excited when they actually came out looking like socks! God has really been blessing my efforts in learning to be a keeper of home, (Titus 2:5), and I'm very thankful for it!

Here are my socks....I can't wait to make more! I'm working on
Christmas gifts right now though! =D

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and a great week!

Mt. Zion Craft Show and More=D



  Hello! I hope everyone is doing well! Things have been wonderful here in Tennessee, and homemaking has been keeping me very busy, which is great!

                 About a month ago we were told about a craft show at a BEAUTIFUL place called Mt. Zion, so since then we've been making things for it. My mom, sisters, and I started out by making eight shawls, then we each made some other smaller things to try to sell.

                  At first I had no ideas as to what to make, then my mom found the cutest pattern for tea cup pin cushions, so I made two of those, then altered the colors to make coffee and hot chocolate, they were SO much fun to make, and they worked up really quick!! After I finished those, I crocheted some doilies, I used leftover thread and made up my own patterns for them, and oh my cotton-fields, it was an absolute blast! =D

                   Today was the day of the craft show, we were able to meet and talk to different people in the community which was really nice. At the craft show there was a civil war reenactment. Mt. Zion is located right on Sugar Creek, and the last civil war battle that was fought in Tennessee was at Sugar Creek (or near it, I can't remember which), so that was pretty neat! The entire day was wonderful and now I feel pretty tired, we got to Mt. Zion a little after 7am and didn't leave until after 3pm, so it was a pretty long day. God has been blessing our efforts in homemaking and I'm looking forward to the future craft shows.

                    Even if absolutely nothing sold today I think I still would have had an amazing day, it was spent at a beautiful place talking and laughing with friends and family, and crocheting while doing so!!! My cotton-fields, I can't even begin to describe how much of a blessing today was.....Well, now it's time for me to figure out what to work on next! Have a blessed night!

                      

 



These are the pin cushions I made =D

Here is a better picture of one of the pin cushions.

One of the doilies

Another =)

Another...... hahaha

And the last one =D

I made this a little while ago for my mom's birthday

I worked on this doily while we were at Mt. Zion, then finished
it when we got home and gave it to my sister Tabitha

I made this doily before Mt. Zion, but couldn't part with it
because I loved it so much! =D

Ice Cream Social!!!

       Hello!! It's been such a very long time since I last updated my blog! First and foremost, I am very glad to report that the Lord brought us safely to Tennessee, and we are moved in to our new house, settled, and back into a normal routine! YAY!! =D
 

Ice Cream Social...

    A few weeks ago my sister, Tabitha, and I were at our friend Cami's house knitting/crocheting. As we sat talking about various things Cami mentioned that she and her family like going to this one ice cream social about an hour or so away, Cami had said it was a get together where everyone brings ice cream, then , everyone dances.... old fashioned civil war style....not only that, but everyone dresses the part! Then, she showed us a video of some of the dances, and let us borrow it so we could practice them...So then of course, we HAD to find out exactly what this dance was like, so my family decided to go!
    Around 10am this morning we arrived at Cami's house and she did our hair, we all got ready, then Jonathan (Cami's brother), and Cami drove up there with us, and Miss Lona (Cami's mom), and Mr. David (Cami's dad) followed behind.....and oh my cotton-fields, what a blast it was! The whole day was purely enjoyable! There were so many dances, so many people, and lots of food! What could be better than a group of Christians, dancing, and having ice cream?! hahaha  My little brother, Billy, was so much fun to watch dance, especially when he and another little girl danced the Virginia Reel! I think the Virginia Reel is my favorite dance, but then again, the  Canadian Barn Dance/ another dance but I can't remember the name was a BLAST...oh! And the Patticake Polka is so much fun too... my cotton-fields! They're all fun! hahaha....AND! I learned to waltz...(which for those of you who don't know me....that's really awesome because I've ALWAYS wanted to learn!).... The whole day was fun, I really enjoy dancing, and due to the lack of guys there dancing, I was also able to dance with my sisters, Tabitha and Tara. It was really nice because no girl minds playing the guy part as long as they get to join in the fun! =)
    I was able to get some pictures of getting our hair done, but none of the actual dance, due to the fact that the camera batteries kept dying =( oh well! That's OK! :)



Today was wonderful! I'm so thankful that God gave us this opportunity, and feel so blessed to have made friends so quickly. God is so awesome! =D
   Well, it's about time for me to go to bed! Dancing exhausted me! =D Hopefully I'll post again soon! I have a few finished projects I want to get around to posting!!!' =D

Experimenting with Muffins

Wow! I'm about to do my second post in ONE day! Perhaps I will get better about my blogging! ;)



I love cranberries SO much that I thought they deserved a picture! =D haha

This afternoon, I decided I would use up the rest of our cranberries and make up my own muffin recipe. It was so much fun, I love being in the kitchen! =D Cranberries are one of my favorites, I love the bitterness they have !. There really isn't much to say about the muffins, but I took some pictures while I was making them, and after they came out of the oven. =D I was actually kind of happy with the way they came, (considering I thought of the recipe as I went along haha).

The batter tasted really good, so that was a good sign!

Here they are! =D

And last, but not least, the inside of the muffin....cranberries, yummy!

Experimenting is always fun, and so is working in the kitchen! Now, I'm going to get back to my cross-stitching, I'm hoping and praying I'll finish it soon! =D I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to have the ability to work with my hands! Praise the Lord! =D


More Finished Projects!

Hello!
I should really get better about blogging, I haven't really been in the mood to do so!... I've been pretty busy lately, I've been doing my best to finish up some projects before we move to Tennessee, (our move is in 18 days!!! =D) I'm getting more and more excited with each passing day, God is SO good!!!!... Anyway, I finished a shawl, a kitchen set which consists of 4 placemats, 4 cloth napkins, and a pot pad, and also finished a babydoll afghan, and a babydoll outfit. I don't have any pictures of the afghan though.



This is the back of the babydoll outfit, I really wanted to make the doll a boy for now,
but I couldn't find a pattern I loved, so I made my own pattern =D



I was really pleased with the way it came out! This is the front...obviously ;)



My kitchen set



Here is a better picture of the placemats...well one of them =)

 

Here is the shawl I finshed. I think it may be one of my favorites that I've made!