Happy Thursday & Darn (as in sock darning)...I Need Some Yarn!!!

This photo is courtesy of Prairie Flower Farm. Thank you Linda for letting me borrow this. I love your photos. Click here to pay Linda a visit at Prairie Flower Farm.

Happy Thursday everyone,  Lots going on today. Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm wrote a really sweet blog today. Click here to pay her a visit.  I can totally identify with things that hold meaning and how it's hard to part with them sometimes...but inspite of that, we're reminded about what really matters.  Plus she has some really super cute videos of one of the baby chicks hopping on a computer keyboard AND another that was adopted by Mrs. Puddleduck. I think Mrs. Puddleduck kicked the chicken mama off of her nest... Pay Linda a visit and tell her that I sent you :) :) :) She's an awesome lady with a huge heart!!!!

Oh, also my friend Stephanie (we went to the same school back in the day..) puts out this fantastic travel magazine called "Overland Journal".  Click here to check it out or click on the special photo I posted on the sidebar.  She was really sweet to send me a few copies to peruse..and it's FANTASTIC. It's very well-written and the photos, information and travel advice can't be beat.  It is truly THE BEST travel magazine I've ever seen...literally from front cover to back cover. If you like adventure and travel, then definitely pay a visit to the Overland Journal website. You can also subscribe to the magazine if you'd like...:) :) :)

This is the shopping bag from my favorite knitting shop in the world...The Web*sters. I had to make a special trip to Ashland today...just so I could buy a little bit of yarn here and take more photos of the town. Click here to check out "The Web*sters" site.  The ladies really know their fibre arts here and are more than happy to answer your questions. They will also ship anywhere in the USA :) :) :)

Yesterday, I realized I was running out of yarn..and I was already starting to experience symptoms of yarn withdrawl. Now I don't know about you ladies..(and guys?...not sure if any guys read this blog yet :) )..anyway, I don't know about you, but I am perfectly okay with having stashes of yarn and other fun crafty things in the home. However, it's unacceptable to run out... :) :) :) So I had to buy something. I originally went in for some mercerized cotton yarn by Tahki..it makes AWESOME French bath mitts..very sturdy. I ended up buying a yarn from a company in Chile called "Araucania".  The yarn itself is variegated..and it's made from real sugarcane fibres..yes, I said SUGARCANE :) :) I was intrigued..so I bought it. I'll post a picture of the finished product soon :) :) :)

The Web*sters store front. This is located in the downtown plaza in Ashland, Oregon. It's an upscale knitting shop..but they have something for just about every budget. I love this store and wouldn't mind living here and knitting all day long :) :)

This was another shop a few stores down from The Web*sters...I took a photo because of the sign hanging in the display window of "Gold & Gems Fine Jewelry" shop. The sign reads as follows: "Welcome to our store where women get into trouble...and men get out of it!"...This had me laughing so hard...I'm still having a good chuckle over this...hee hee hee. Thank God for laughs :) :) :)


Here's a couple views of The McCall house in Ashland, Oregon. One of my favorite buildings in the whole town. No, it's not leaning sideways...my dad snapped the photo and he held the camera at an angle. That's cool...it makes it more arty. Many homes in downtown Ashland look like this. There's also quite a few lovely old Craftsman style bungalows and cottages...Lots of detail!!!! I love the detail in this building in particular :) :) :)



This is one of the back roads leading out of Ashland.  It reminds me that Ashland is still very much a small town :) :) :)


Some more views of Ashland, Oregon...

A view of the plaza as seen from further up East Main Sreet in Ashland, Oregon.

I just love the detail on this building...especially along the rooftop.

The following photos are of the Ashland Springs Hotel built in 1925. Originally called the Lithia Hotel. Click here to learn more and see some cool black and white photos. All the buildings in Ashland are no more than two to three stories tall...except for the Ashland Springs Hotel. You can see this from just about any vantage point in town :)

Here are some  more views of Ashland....

This is a very old art-deco...but still very beautiful and much visited movie theatre :) :) :)

I saw this scrawled into the pavement in Lithia Park. It's really faint but if you look really carefully it reads "Remember Love"...so true..and it reminds me of the Author of ultimate and true love...Jesus Christ (read John 3:16)

Triangle Park...indeed in the shape of a triangle in Ashland, Oregon...very tiny park, but super shady!!!

Before I forget, let me welcome some more lovely people to my blog :) :) :)

WELCOME TO: Jill of Blessings of a Stay at Home Mome. Click here to pay her a visit. She's a neat lady :)

WELCOME TO: Becky of Life for Us. Click here to visit her website. She loves crafts...and who of doesn't? I've noticed that all of you make some really lovely things. In fact, if you visit Gerry's Soap N Stuff..Gerry posted a photo of some really sweet hand-knit dishclothes that she gave to Gerry as a gift :) :) :)

WELCOME TO: LV of Thoughts from Meme's Corner. Click here to pay LV a visit. She's a  lovely lady...just a total delight :) :) :) AND she has the exact same header and blogger background that I have. We both found ours at "The Cutest Blog on the Block" 

So I'll definitely be returning to Ashland one of these days to buy some more yarn. When my dad and I came home, I saw "Stubby"...She actually belongs to a neighbor. I met the neighbor one day and neighbor lady said "She refuses to come inside"...hmm..not sure why, Stubby is still trying, after more than two months, to adopt my dad and I and move into our home.  In any case, Stubby came over and said hello. She let me pet her. I tried to get a photo...but Stubby was more interested in the cat food another neighbor left on the pavement for her :) :) So you'll have to be satisifed with this view of Stubby. She's such a sweet kitty...and thankful to God for the simple joy she brings to my life :) :)


That's pretty much it today. Thanks for hanging in there. This post was extra-long today :) :) :) I"m going to start on this new knitting project with that "sugarcane" yarn tonight :) :) Wish me luck!!!

Oh, I just got the latest copy of "Hobby Farm Home" magazine in the mail today.  So excited. I've been going through a Bible study on the book of Ruth called "Redeeming Ruth" by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. Anyway, I'm praying for my own "Boaz"...learning lots...and hoping future hubby will have lots of land, so I can actually do some of the things I read in this magazine....most important is that whoever you end up marrying loves Jesus Christ. Okay, I'll step off my soapbox now :) :) There is also a great article on vintage quilts, too!!!

One last thing...my friend Gerry at Gerry's Soap N Stuff mentioned me in one of her posts. Click here to read it...also she knows a LOT about soapmaking..so feel free to ask her questions. She's been very helpful to me :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Lots of love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

If you want to make God laugh, than tell Him your plans & update on my daddy!!!!

I heard a really interesting phrase from the movie Bella that I just had to share with you. Click here if you want to see the trailer. Ignore the email list sign-up because I think that is now out of date. I highly recommend this movie. It's uplifting and life-affirming..Anyway the phrase goes like this: If you want to make God laugh, then tell Him your plans. I think God is laughing at me now a little bit...but there's a context to this...read on and see if you can find it :) :)

I'm not sure what these flowers are called. The first two photos remind me of petunias. However, I don't think that's quite right. All I know is the colors were all-natural and very intense. I just had to snap a photo!!! It was tricky focusing in on one flower, but I think the results were worth it :) :) All of the photos today were taken at the hospital campus.


This was my first attempt at focusing in on these flowers. They're so beautiful and the colors are so bright and intense.

So my dad went into the hospital today to have the first part of the non-treadmill stress test done on his heart. It was a really interesting day for many different reasons. I've included the photos that I took today on the hospital campus.
Back to the topic of my dad. He has worn a pacemaker since 2003. In 2008 he had a replacement done..and as I think I mentioned yesterday, he was experiencing some soreness in chest area where his pacemaker is located. So today they gave him a drug that makes his heart feel like it's been working out really hard. Tomorrow they'll give him the nuclear radiation stuff. I'm not entirely sure how that works. It's a very, very, very small trace amount that is injected into his vein and it's not harmful to humans...That's what the hospital info sheet said, anyway. What this does is allow the doctors to get a literal picture of how the heart muscle is working. It'll show them if everything is fine, or if my dad needs to make some changes!!!The final results won't be available for 5 - 7 days. That's too long to wait...and this is one of those moments where I don't like to wait. I don't want to wait..
But God....(I like that phrase a lot by the way...)...but God is in control. I trust Him with my life. I can trust Him to take care of my daddy too ;) :) I guess my fear is that the doctor will want to open him up like butterfly shrimp. When my daddy hurts, I hurt...and I want him to be healthy!!! Yesterday my dad and I were talking about this. I was letting myself worry too much and I told him that the agreement is he can't go home to Jesus until I'm happily married. Once I'm married, then he can do what he likes!!!..All I want is for him to be healthy & to stick around for awhile.That's funny and it's not funny...but that's the strange sense of humor that my dad and I share sometimes and it's helped us through many challenges!! Dad said "Okay..." Of course, that's my human side talking and ultimately God's hand is over my dad. God is watching out for my dad and He'll work on His timetable...not mine :) :) :)



Here's another shot from a different angle. It was really tricky trying to focus in on just one bloom, which I prefer to do. I like to show the detail in just one flower when I can!!

So I'm waiting in the hospital waiting room. It's huge...the length of this place was like a giant football field...and the waiting room, was more like a waiting area. That was really nice and spacious. It didn't feel closed in at all. I'll see if the hospital will let me get a photo. It's a really nice waiting area!!!! My dad went in for the first procedure. He came out later and sat with me for about 30 minutes, before he went back in. At that point, the doctor took some images of his heart. They'll take more tomorrow!!!
Before he came out, there was a mother with her son there and an older lady who was alone. This older lady looked really scared...and the mom just went over to her and said "Are you scared? You look scared". This sweet old woman had no one to wait with her...and this mother did a wonderful thing and just spent time with her, talked with her and made her feel more at ease about the procedure she was having done on her heart. The woman had to be in her 80s at least... It made me a little sad that no one waited with her. I'm so thankful that the young mother was there today. She has a way with older people I noticed!!! Just a stranger who blessed this old woman...and blessed me too, just because I was sitting near them and able to listen!!! The young mother was going in for an EKG. Her son was with her. He's 12 years old...and what a delight he was to all of us here. He was well-mannered, respectful...and only 12. I don't usually comment about kids behavior...but this young boy...everyone noticed how nice he was to all the adults and especially the old people!! I wish more kids were like that. It was refreshing!!!!



This was opposite of those bright colored flowers. I don't know what this is called either. but it remidns me of a furry caterpillar with pink highlights ;) :) :)

My dad was finished earlier than I expected. So we headed back out to the parking lot and got into the car. I treated my dad to a "Sierra Mist" soda at The Human Bean as a special treat for "good behavior". I said that all patients...even daddies...need special treats. He was a little grouchy afterwards, but that wasn't related to the heart procedure...but rather to the bank...grrr.. :) :) Don't we all have "bank" stories that we could tell...:) :) :)



This is a stone path that runs right next to those bright magenta flowers. These paving stones were engraved with all sorts of messages from loving notes to departed family members to sponsors/advertising from the local business community. It was really very touching and beautiful. This one in particular caught my eye...because I think of the sacrifices that our military men and woman make for us.

Two other news bits for today... I posted a comment on "Natural Home" magazine's fan page on Facebook. I posted a link to their website...you can click here. I don't think my comment made it on-line, but it's most definitely in print!!! They were asking about what we thought of the new design of the magazine. I love it of course...I left my comments on the page. One of their editors contacted me later and said they want to use my comment in the July/August 2010 issue...YEAH!!!! So dad and I went to Barnes & Noble and I picked up the current issue of the magazine. It has a title "95 products for a Green & Healthy Home". My name is in print in a national magazine!!! WOOHOO!!!!...It's just a comment from a fan...but it still counts. If you go buy the July/August issue...you can find my comment on the lower right hand corner of page 10!!!! There are some really good articles in this current issue that I'm excited to read...especially about line-drying laundry!!!

WELCOME TO: Sue of Pear Tree Lane Farmhouse!!!  Thanks for joining my blog. You're a really nice lady...and the front porch of your home...well, I want one just like it :) :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today.  I've come up with a new word for all the "talking" I do on my blog...type-chatter...I'm a type-chatterbox!!! :) :) :)  I'll post tomorrow about my dad.  I'd appreciate your continued prayers. They're much appreciated. I was going to post about my latest knitting project, but that will have to wait till this weekend. Thanks for understanding, patience and support.  Oh, the knitting project is easy peasy...if you can knit and purl...you can make this!!..Intrigued? Stay tuned..
Much love, hugs and greetings from Oregon, Heather :) :) :)