DAD'S RIB KNIT SOCKS - REVISITED

UPDATE: on May 10th at 4:53 p.m.
Okay, I just want to remind all my sweet readers, that this is NOT a sock tutorial. This is just my experimenting, trying to find the perfect sock pattern for my dad :) :

I WILL actually be doing a sock tutorial as soon as I finish knitting this second ribbed sock.  In the meantime, I did pick up a really fun book of sock patterns at the library today. Inside was a pattern for a really nice tube sock.  I may try that pattern next for my father :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful day.  That's the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

Hi everyone,

Okay, so I finished the first sock.  It's not quite what I'm after in terms of the increases and decreases in the ribbed cuff. That's okay.  It fits my dad's foot perfectly. However, I only made the cuff 11 inches instead of 14. Ooops, totally forgot about that.  I'll post a pic of that sock at the end of today's post.

I started working on the second sock a few days ago. I'm changing the pattern slightly.  Again, I'm not exactly sure of what I"m doing, since I don't have a pattern to reference. So this is just something I'm making up as I go along.  I'll also include "instructions" on what I"m doing.  If you want to try this, you can. Just remember, this is not really a tutorial. Rather, I'm just sharing this, so if any of you more experienced knitters out there can give me some ideas/help, that would be greatly appreciated.  As of the end of  last night, I'd knit 2 inches on the ribbed knit cuff:

The two things you need first:
- sock yarn
- double-pointed knitting needles.

If you have questions about why I use certain things, just leave me a friendly comment. When I get ready to do an actual sock tutorial "officially", then I'll go more into the knitty gritty of why I like to do things a certain way.

Using Size 00 US (1.75 mm) double-pointed needles, cast on 120 stitches.

Knit 2, purl 2 in the round till cuff measures 1"
In my case, it was rows 1-12

On Row 13, increase to 128 stitches:
I did this: (knit2, purl2) x4, inc 1 purl stitch.

I repeated that whole process 6 more times.

Then I did this: (knit 2, purl 2)x2, increase 1 purl stitich

Then continue in ribbing pattern in the round, paying attention to those extra stitches.  I used "stitch markers" to mark off the different sections so I don't get confused.

Continue in this pattern until Row 24 = 2 inches (from top of cuff)

On Row 25, increase to 136 stitches.

On Row 25 I did this: (knit 2, purl 2)x4, purl 1, increase 1 purl stitch

Repeat that whole process 6 more times. Then:

(knit 2, purl 2), purl 1, increase 1 purl stitch

Continue following ribbing pattern, being mindful of the extra purl stitches till you complete Row 37 = 3 inches

On Row 38, decrease to 128 stitches this way: 
(knit 2, purl 2)x4, purl 2 together

Repeat that whole process 6 more times.

Then: (knit 2, purl 2)x2, purl 2 together

On Row 40 switch to Size 0 US (2 mm) double-pointed needles. Why?...because I forgot to do it at Row 38. Hee hee hee :) :)  I was watching "Anne of Green Gables" on my dvd player.

This is what the second sock looks like as of Row 42:

When I do my "official" sock tutorial, I'll be more mindful of how I write out my instructions.  You should see my composition book. It's a mess with all my notes.

I think this is a good place to stop for now, or else this post will go on forever and ever. That's not so bad when it comes to knitting.  This is a photo of the first sock that I knitted for my father.  The leg looks really skinny. Remember it's done in the rib stitch, specifically knit 2, purl 2 with some minor changes fr increasing and decreasing. It's got a really nice stretch to it. It fits my dad's leg perfectly.  Here is what it looks like:

I just loved seeing my dad's happy face when I finished the first sock. He doesn't say so, but I can tell he's really anxious for me to finish the second one. Everytime we're sitting in front of the tv, I'm knitting. He keeps sneeking peeks at what I'm doing :) :) Sweetness :) :)

Oh,  I'm reworking my "It makes cents to me" posts on Fridays.  I've got some ideas .

What else, speaking of my daddy, here's a photo of him walking my aunt's dog.  Aren't they cute?  I am so grateful that God spared my daddy's life:

This is my sweet daddy walking my aunt's dog.  I like to call her "my dog" while my aunt is away.  She's definitely a "sniffer", so when you take her for a walk, just plan on it taking a long time. 

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs to your day, Heather

DADDY'S RIB KNIT SOCKS - PART THREE

Hi everyone,

So  I'm "glad" that I ripped out 8 inches worth of ribbed knitting in the round to start all over.  This version is still not quite what I'm imagining in my head. However, it certainly is much better than the previous attempt.  As of Friday afternoon, this is where I was at with the cuff on the first sock:

I'm knitting like it's going out of style, trying to get these socks finished, while not ignoring my other household duties like eating and sleeping.


This is where I ended up last night after watching the "Hawaii 5-0" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" crossover tv event last night:

The sock looks really skinny, but remember that anytime you knit in knit2, purl2 ribbing, that it's super stretchy.  Plus, this is just an experiment in knitting. However, I know that my daddy will happily wear these socks once they're finished.

He was watching tv with me last night and kept looking over at me while I was knitting. He had a smile on his face. So even though he's not talking a whole lot about it, I can tell that he's excited to see progress on the socks ;) :)

That is the news from the ocean shores of the California today. I hope that you all are having a good day today. Thanks for visiting me.  Love and hugs, Heather

DADDY'S RIBBED KNIT SOCKS - PART TWO

Hi everyone,

I don't know about you, but this new Blogger interface is really difficult for me to figure out. Okay, enough about that, let's get to the fun crafty stuff.  This was the progress that I made on my father's ribbed knit socks since I last post here on April 11th.

This is what I did on Sunday:

I think here the cuff is about 3.5" inches long.  I hadn't done much work on the socks in the last few days. However, this day I decided to really be disciplined about this. Daddy needs new socks.  Oh, yeah, even my father said "That's it? That's all you've done?" YEP.


Our regular ride to church wasn't going that day, so we also stayed home.  Instead of being in church, we watched Pastor Greg Laurie online. I gathered all of my knitting supplies first:

It really was a lot of fun and really relaxing to be able to knit and listen to a nice message at the same time.  Our regular ride to church wasn't in town today, so that is why we ended up having to stay home. My father will be able to drive again in just a couple of weeks. He's recovered so well from his heart episode back in January.  So this is what we watched this morning. It's Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Riverside, California. You can click here if you'd like to visit their site:

To my horror...embarassment, I couldn't find my cellphone. It might as well be a lung machine, because I feel like I can't breathe if I don't know where it's located. So my sweet daddy went looking for my cellphone while I'm listening to the sermon. The next thing I know, I look down into my knitting basket and find this:

It was in my knitting basket all along.  I told my dad right away that "I'd found it"  "What?"  "I found it".."Oh, Heather...(dad shakes his head and tries to frown, but is having a really hard time hiding a laugh and a smile)

These socks are proving to be really challenging.  The difficulty I'm having is figuring out where to increase and decrease the stitches while doing a knit 2, purl 2 rib pattern.  I know there's a way to do it, but I haven't found a satisfactory explanation anywhere.....yet. So that's why I'm kind of winiging it. That's okay. I love experimental knitting.  Maybe that's part of my "rebellious" knitting side. In any case, this is what I had last night, before I got so frustrated with how "wrong" it was turning out:

So last night while I was watching a re-run of "Hawaii 5-0"...dada da da da da... I unraveled that entire cuff, which by that point had reached almost 8 inches. I started over last night and worked on this some more today. My father, bless his heart, is being really patient.  This is what I have so far:

That's about it on the crafting front.  I really enjoy writing up a knitting pattern from scratch. It can be aggravating at times, but still a lot of fun.  I have been taking notes as I go along.  When it comes time to knit the second sock, I'll either follow the exact same pattern or alter it, until I find the right "formula" to achieve the look that I"m going after.

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs to you all, Heather

DADDY'S RIB KNIT SOCKS

Hi everyone,


Okay, so I'm finally getting a new blog post up with some photos. For the longest time, my father has said he'd like me to knit him a pair of ribbed socks.  Now that's easy, except he kept making one addition special request.  The ribbed cuff must go all the way to below his knees.  Hmm...that's a bit tough. However, I'm always up for a challenge. Oh, since I always knit custom-to-fit socks for the most part, this shouldn't be too difficult, right? Here's a photo of what I've knit so far. This is sock #1 of the pair:

Knitting a rib pattern in Knit 2, Purl 2 is really, really easy.  Indeed, all of knitting is based on those two simple stitches. However, I'm finding that I'm going to have to do an increase and decrease in the cuff to fit my dad's legs, so that the cuff won't sag down.  So this first sock that I"m knitting is a real experiment.  I won't include the instructions yet, since this is a literal knitting experiment. Perhaps, when I knit the second sock, I'll include the details. 




I had a really hard time finding a really good explanation of how to increase and decrease stitches in the Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbed knit pattern. I did find one thing that might work. However, if you have a good explanation or know of a good site, I'd be really grateful.  This is the yarn that I am using to make my dad's socks. These were purchased quite a few months ago, so the actual cost of the yarn escapes me right now. It's "relatively" inexpensive for this type of sock yarn.

I like this kind of sock yarn because it has a small percentage of acrylic in it. That eliminates the need for me to use reinforcing thread in the toe and the heel of the socks. However,  you can add some regular cotton sewing thread if you'd like. It's inexpensive. It works and almost everyone has some in their home.  Here's an extra gratuitious pic of my lovely sock yarn on my cute, vintage shop scale that I inherited from my aunt. Previously the scale belonged to my grandmother, and her father before her:

That's my project so far.  I just received another "Road to Avonlea" DVD in the mail from Netflix. This is my favorite tv series in the entire world.  It's a fabulous show that was produced in Canada, our lovely neighbor to the north :)  So I'm going to go watch some episodes and work some more on my socks. Stay tuned next Wednesday to see how my socks have progressed.  Until then, here's a lovely picture of some Spanish moss that I took while out on my walk this morning.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather 

FEBRUARY'S JOY DARE FOR FEBRUARY 9, 2012

Update:  I haven't been able to leave comments on some blogs. It's only the Blogger blogs that require a word verification, in order to leave a comment. I think it's just  a glitch. It should work itself out on its own. However, if you have trouble leaving a comment on my blog, would you please let me know? Thanks!!!

Hi everyone,

This is a surprise post.  I was at a women's Bible study last Tuesday. One of the ladies there had printed out Ann Voskamps "A Year of Graces" from her site A Holy Experience. Click here if you would like to visit. She also printed a copy of January's Joy Dare, even though we're in February :) :) So when I went home I printed out the Joy Dare for February. I've decided that one of the things I want to foster this year is an attitude of gratitude for the small and big things.  Each day is filled with different things to look for. Today is:

"3 gifts that were surprises - unexpected grace":

The first surprise was receiving this beautiful card with a quilted teacup on the front from my sweet friend Dorothy. Click here if you'd like to visit her blog, Notes from Mémère.  I love all things vintage, including quilts.

The second surprise came when I opened the card.  There was a lovely bag of Scripture tea.  I won't open it till I'm ready to drink it. When I do, I'll let you know what Scripture verse is on the tag:

The third unexpected surprise came when I saw what was on the back of the card. This made it even more special, because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE vintage things.  When I saw that this was a repurposed quilt, I immediately wondered about the person who lovingly put the fabric pieces together. Now I have a piece of that quilt, an unexpected blessing:

These are the unexpected gifts that I've found today...so far.  I just had to share this with you all right away. I couldn't wait.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing about what I spent this week.  I think I might of went a little overboard, but it's all a learning process.  There was one item that I stocked up on.....well, actually it was two items. More on that tomorrow, too.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MR. KITTY COMES FOR TEA

Hi everyone,

How is your week going so far? Mine has gone really well so far.

My sweet friend over at Red Pine Mountain sent me these latte bowls. She had them up as a giveaway. Not that many people entered. Too bad for them, but very happy lucky for me :) :) These bowls are from a company called Anthropologie. Aren't they just the cutest? Plus, they are very vintage chic.

THE GREEN LATTE BOWL WITH ALL MY OTHER TREASURES, EVEN MY STUFFED PINK CAT NAMED MR. KITTY :) :)

I decided to have coffee today. I made my own version of a "Depression" (as in Depression Era) mocha latte coffee.  My little stuffed pink cat, Mr. Kitty, decided he wanted to drop by for some tea, too :) :)

If you remember, Mr. Kitty is the stuffed pink kitty cat that I made when I was just a mere five years old. I cut out the fabric, decorated it, stuffed it, sewed it together. Mr. Kitty and I go way back :) :) He's my precious toy from childhood. His eyes look a bit strange, like they burn with the fires of Mordor (remember the movies Lord of the Rings? )...but I was only five years old :) :) Anyways, I think Mr. Kitty fits in just nicely with everything today :) :)

My sewing box always looks like that, too. It seems like I can't make up my mind what to do with it. So I pile it with memories that make me smile :) :) Gifts, treasures, antiques.....:)

 THIS IS MY CHACULT CHINA TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER. IF YOU LOOK REALLY CAREFULLY, YOU 'LL NOTICE THE PALE GREEN LEAVES MATCH PERFECTLY WITH THE GREEN LATTE BOWL.

Mr. Kitty loves to be color coordinated with his tea things, so  he chose the pink floral teacup today. I think it is a really nice compliment to the green latte bowl, too.

THIS IS ACTUALLY WHERE I ENJOYED MY "DEPRESSION ERA" MOCHA THIS MORNING.  THE PINK FLORAL FABRIC IN THE BACKGROUND IS ACTUALLY A BAG THAT I USE WHEN I'M GROCERY SHOPPING AT THE STORE OR THE FARMER'S MARKET.

Normally, I would sit at the table. However, my table is FULL of craft stuff and other things. So I sat in my dad's recliner and set the mocha on my wooden bench.  It was great :) :) I watched a little bit of tv while enjoying my coffee.  I'll post the "recipe" at the end of this post today :) It's really easy. It was just a matter of using what I already had in the kitchen :)

THE COFFEE TIN AND THE GREEN HOT PAD WERE FOUND AT A GARAGE SALE RECENTLY. THE COFFEE TIN WAS JUST $0.25 CENTS. THE HOTPAD WAS FREE. THAT IS THE BEST KIND OF DEAL.

I have to watch my money, which means I cannot shop at yardsales/garage sales as often as I would like to.  However, I had to purchase that little coffee tin because it was only a quarter . I thought it would make a cute container for sewing supplies. What do you think? What would you use it for?
The hot pad is great. I like this style in particular, because it's like a mitt without covering up your whole hand. I have another one like it that has a coffee theme on it. The green hotpad has a picture of a barn. In one of my magazines, there's a project that takes hotpads like this and extra fabric. You use the extra fabric to cover the hotpad. So  you make it prettier, more vintage chic AND you have recycled an item all at the same time :) :)

You can also see some of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and a glass latch/hook jar. I've been using a lot of recipes out of those cookbooks lately. So they are always nearby. The glass jar was purchased at my church's yard sale for  $1. I love jars like this and Mason jars, too. I LOVE Mason jars. So this will make a really pretty storage container for something really cute someday :) :)

MY RECIPE FOR DEPRESSION ERA MOCHA LATTE COFFEE:

*1 packet of instant coffee
*1 packet of cocoa mix
*some milk, however much you like
*boiling water
* sugar - to taste

Set some water to boil. While that is coming to boil, mix all the other ingredients together in a nice latte bowl ( or cup).  The order of ingredients doesn't matter, since it's all going to mix with the boiling water, anyway :)

Once the water has come to a boil, turn off the heat. Add boiling water and stir until everything is well blended. 

Make sure to drink this in a really cute latte bowl or mug. It's a guarantee that it will taste better :) :) In any case, this tasted really, really good :) :)  I added just a bit of granulated white sugar to help sweeten it up a bit. It turned out surprisingly well.  It was really cheap, too, because I just had to buy the milk. Everything else I already had at home :) :)

I'd love to hear some of your "Depression Era" tips and recipes.  Most of us have relatives who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. Economic times were tough here in the States and around the world.  I know it's not that bad now, however, it's important to be wise with what we've been given . So  I made up this recipe , because it was cheap and met a need. In this case, my need for a good cup of coffee :) :) :)

Oh, welcome to all the new followers. I definitely notice all of you. Welcome, welcome to my blog ;) :) You make my heart very happy. Feel free to sit a spell and visit ;) :)

One last thing, you have probably heard about the devastating tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri. The town has been virtually decimated/wiped out...even  important facilities like hospitals and fire stations.   Please pray for the people there. Pray for the weather. It's a difficult time for them right now. There are so many prayer needs. Right now pray for the people who are on the ground doing the daily task of trying to help the people there. There's so much to be done.  They really need our prayers and support!!  It is a difficult thing to see the images on the news. It's a very insecure world that we live in. However, God is the one sure thing in a world of uncertainties. In the midst of all this, there is hope we can cling too :) :)  Thanks, folks :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

SOME SNOW....FINALLY!!!!

Hi everyone,
How are you today? How was your week? I had a good week. Okay, well, there's so much to tell and I'm going to have a hard time containing myself :) :)  There's a show that I LOVE to watch on the CW channel called Heartland. It's from Canada. It's in it's 4th season there, but just in  Season 1 here in the States. If you have this channel, please watch the show. It's extremely family friendly and well written. One of the writer's on that show, also wrote many of the Road to Avonlea episodes. Here's a link to a song I LOVE from Season 4. click here to listen to it. You'll need to click the play button. It's so romantic and sweet. I think I want this played at my wedding someday!!! Oh, add to a my  future husband prayer list - he must love dancing with me, because I"ll want to dance at my wedding.
Okay, we finally got some snow here in town. I woke up to it this morning. Most of it melted by this afternoon. However, we're supposed to get more this week. Here are a few photos.

It wasn't a lot of snow in town. However, it was enough and that is all I care about :) :)  The mountains in the background are just beautiful in white. Combine that with the clouds and the sun peeking through and it's just beautiful :) I probably took over 40 photos of the snow today. It was hard to choose which to post here.

Here is my favorite mountain. I still don't know the name of it. I'm not sure I'll ever find out. It's kind of mysterious that way. Here you can see the blue skies trying to make an appearance amidst the gray skies. It was brrrr chilly today. Still it's really  beautiful outside when it's icy and white.

This sweet kitty cat is Sheeba. She belongs to my neighbor. Sheeba is an indoor cat. However, my neighbor will let her outside sometimes with adult supervision :) ) She's so sweet. You should have seen her experience the snow. She was the daintiest kitty you every saw and the way she walked in the snow was too cute. Sheeba also loves to be petted and scratched by people. Meeoww, more love and hugs, please, meeow :) :)

 My father and I went for coffee today. Well, just me, since I'm the only coffee drinker in my family.  That is an area where I could easily spend too much money. So I do have coffe fixin's at home. Today I needed super sweet coffee.  This was taken on the drive home.  It was just amazing. The clouds were so beautiful.  This kind of site never gets old for me. I always enjoy Oregon in the winter.

 This wrought iron table and chairs belong to another neighbor. I always admire this whenever I walk by. Since it had snowed, I  didn't think they'd mind if I took a photo. Doesn't it look romantic covered in snow?  I could imagine sitting here in summer with a nice cup of tea, a friend and some good conversation.

I hope you enjoyed my photos of the first snow here in town. Oh, the mail actually arrived really early today. In the mail was a wonderfully sweet surprise from Cindy Adkins. She has a a blog and an on-line magazine. Click here for the blog and here for the magazine. Cindy is a sweet blogger friend with an amazing amount of creativity. Here is what came in the mail today :) :)

Cindy sent me this necklace in the cutest little chiffon bag here with the satin ribbon pulls, her very cute business card and the beautiful tag that you see here. The tag has ribbon and twine at the top. Then these beautiful butterfly motifs with a beautiful creamy rose. Isn't just beautiful? She really has some amazing skill with altered art media. She can make something to fit any occasion or theme. So check out her blog and on-line magazine. I just might try making some tags of my own someday.

 Here is a nice close-up view of the shell necklace. It's a beautiful necklace and feels nice and heavy. The photo on her blog doesn't do this necklace justice. It's even more beautiful in real life, then when I first saw it on her blog :) :) :) I love the shell detail. It reminds me of the ocean. I miss the ocean. Oh, this necklace is also extremely well-made. I kept holding it and feeling it with my hands. It's beautiful Thank you Cindy .

 Cindy also has her own business card. Isn't this cute? This card shows just some of what she can do. I love all the different detail. The keys add a nice vintage touch.  A business or calling card is a wonderful touch. Not only does it remind me of the person who sent me this lovely gift. I'll keep it in a folder along with other business cards!!!

Here is a closer look at the tag Cindy made for me. It's so beautiful. She makes a lot of tags among other very lovely creations. Each item that she creates is so very different.   Look at all the lovely detail with the butterflies in various motifs, the beautiful glittery ribbon and the twine. Oh, and the beautiful creamy white rose is the added touch :) :) I may have to try making some tags of my own someday.  So if you have little bits and baubles of cool craft stuff laying around the house. Do not throw it away. Keep it in a cute storage area and save it to make a tag of your own :) :)

Thanks for visiting me today. I had fun showing off some snow ...finally. Thanks  Cindy for the lovely gift ;) :)

 I'm  trying to cut down the amount of time I spend watching television. However, one show I LOVE watching on Fridays is "Who Do You Think You Are?" It's a show that traces the genealogies of famous celebrities. It's really interesting. I've always been intrigued by family history. Every show is different and these are just people who learn amazing and surprising things about their families.

I made pretzels today because I was hungry. No, I'm not starving, but I was really fighting the urge to go grab fast food. Two reasons why I resisted the fast-food temptation: 1) It's not good for me since I'm overweight and I'm working on becoming LESS horizontally enhanced and 2) It's cheaper to eat at home.  So I had all the ingredients to make soft dough pretzels. They were really good. My dad was haunting the kitchen and stalking the oven, waiting for them to finish baking :) :) 

I'm going to work on some knitting items this week. I'm making some things for some people. Then  I'll be looking into what it costs to start an Etsy store and/or sell from my blog.  For those of you who do this already, do you find it easy to work with PayPal?

 I've noticed the new followers this week. Welcome, welcome. Please feel free to visit. I love having visitors. Thanks everyone for leaving comments, too. Your comments always make me smile :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

TEA CUPS & VALENTINE'S DAY SURPRISES

Hi everyone,
 This isn't a traditonal tea post today, but I did want to share some of the surprises that I received for Valentine's Day.  How did you spend your Valentine's Day?  I took my father out for breakfast at The Black Bear restaurant.  Click here to visit their main website. As far as I know, they're only on the West Coast. Oh, it's so down home. Do you have any place like that where you live? They make a seriously delicious breakfast, and their buttermilk biscuits are ginormous. My father was so excited.
I also treated my father to a Sierra Mist and myself a coffee from The Human Bean. The Human Bean is my favorite drive-thru coffee stop :) :) You can click here to visit their website. The girls at our local stop know my father and I. The drinks are good and the service is good, too :) :)

Then we came home and just did our usual stuff. When the mail arrived, two lovely surprises were waiting for me in the mailbox. So cool. Here's a photo of what I got: 

Here's what I got in the mail. Well, not all of this. Some of this stuff was already  in my house.  However, what I did receive was the lovely letter with the green and pink florals plus some earrings from Bramblewood Fashion. Then the pastel card with stripes and flowers came from my friend Jennifer. Both were totally unexpected. However, the fact that they arrived on Valentine's Day was so cool. It felt really good to have someone think of me. I suppose I should thank the mailman for delivering those items yesterday, too.

I knew that sweet Ashley from Bramblewood Fashion was sending me something homemade. However, I had no idea what it was. Oh, I was so EXCITED to get a real letter. It's becoming a lost art. So I'm seriously thinking of  reviving this art in my own personal life. Anyways, Ashley sent me this really sweet letter and fabulous earrings. I LOVE them. They're heart-shaped and very romantic. Click here to pay her and Gabrielle a visit over at Bramblewood Fashion. Oh, they're sweet young ladies, both have great photography skills, and Ashley has some serious dress-making skills. Peruse her website, and look for the video she posted where she creates a dress from scratch.

This is how I usually store my earrings. I use a teacup and hang the hook earrings off the rim of the cup.  It's a bit unusual. At the time I didn't have a jewelery box. Now I don't even want one. I like finding alternative uses for my teacups. This is way cuter and it adds a bit of whimsy decor to my life, too :) :) This is a close-up of the lovely earrings that Ashley sent me. She also has an Etsy shop, so you can order some things for yourself, too. The rose teacup is sitting on top of a pillowcase I found at a yard sale on Saturday. I'll share about that another day. It's so cute and has all the right colors.

 Here's the lovely card that my friend Jennifer sent to me. She's a wife and mother now to two beautiful boys.  We've known each other since junior high school. She loves Jesus Christ and has been such an encouragement to me, as have lots of other friends from my Christian school days :)  Jennifer included a surprise in here too, but that I'll keep private just for me :) :)  Isn't it great when those types of unexpected surprises come your way. I'll pray that God surprises you in a way you don't expect this week :) :)  God is so good  and loves us so very much :) :) :)

In other news,  I sometimes sign up for freebies when time permits. I received a free sample of some teeth whitening strips and some foundation. I haven't decided if I'll post photos of that. Maybe I will, since I'm trying to live a more frugal lifestyle.

I went to church last Sunday and it wasn't easy. I LOVE Jesus Christ, but this day I just wasn't "feeling" it. When I'm feeling discouraged, church is exactly where I need to be.  Plus, my father was preaching this day, too.  Well,  after it was all said and one, I was so glad that I went. I was blessed by the message and encouraged by the new friends I'm making at church. My father talked about Peter, the disciple of Jesus... I didn't take notes, because I just wanted to listen. The one thing that really stuck out at me was just how messed up Peter was and impulsive, too. However, Jesus didn't get on Peter's case for messing up. He did ask "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes, LORD, you know I LOVE you." I think that it's so easy to berate ourselves, especially in Christian circles and feed ourselves lies that are just that...lies. Jesus loves us so very much, and it's amazing how that truth can change your life. I choose to accept the truth of God in my life :) :)  

One last funny, our worship leader had concluded worship and was encouraging everyone to get some coffee, treats and greeting one another. The way he said it made me laugh a LOT. Quote "Say hi to someone next to you, grab a donut and rejoice in freedom in America" :) :)

Oh, I've noticed you people new to my blog. Welcome and thank you for following my blog. If you are a follower or a visitor, I love to hear from you !!!!

Well, that's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

My 22nd Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday & Tea Time Tuesday

Hi everyone, Oh  it was crazy busy at work. Good thing I was prepared .  At least it means job security at the moment.

Oh, don't you love it when someone you have never met in person sends you a goody box?  My sweet friend Dorothy over at "Notes from Mémère" sent me a lovely tangible gift of God's love to encourage my heart. There was also some fun girly stuff, too. That will be for another time.  Feel free to pay her a visit. She's a lovely lady, loves Jesus Christ, and she's just a wise, sweet lady...just like all of you :) :) :)

Okay, time to show off the tea things Dorothy sent to me. Here's the first photo...

These are just four of the items that Dorothy included in the goody box :) :) I received this care package in the mail yesterday. It was great.  My dad was just a tad "jealous". At least he was PRETENDING to be jealous. Usually the packages that come in the mail are for him. Don't you just love the delicate pink flowers?  I think there's a trend forming in my tea collection :) :) 

Here's just a little close-up view of the secret rose detail on the inside rim of the tea cup. This cup is really interesting. It's a little bit bigger than other teacups I've seen...of similar shape. Oh, but it's lovely and just the perfect size to hold in your hands!!! Oh, this would be a great hand warmer, a nice hot warm cup of tea ;) :)

Here's the flower and leaves detail on the side of the cup. It repeats on the other side of the cup, too. This reminds me of something really nice.  I just can't think of what it is just yet. However, once I think of it, I'll make sure to let you know :) :)

Here's the first of the three "plates". Although this is really more of a little dish. I'm not sure what it would be used for exactly . Now my grandmother would have used this for ice cream. Each scoop would be small, about the size of a golf ball.

This next plate is actually a saucer. It pairs very nicely with the teacup.   Wouldn't you agree?  Oh, I love it that a theme seems to be forming all on it's own :) :) Oh, and these are special now, because my friend Dorothy picked these out especially for me :) :) :)

 Here's the backstamp. In fact, only this plate and one other had the backstamp on it. I'll do some more research on this later this week. I'll add it to this post.  If you know anything about it, let me know. 

The angle on this photo is a little different. It makes this plate look a little oblong. Nope, it's all optical. It is perfectly round and perfectly suited for a nice slice of pie ;) :) :) Or maybe a nice scone with some clotted cream?   Something simple and lightly sweet :) :) :)

Those are my tea things for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Oh, ladies (and one gentleman who follows my blog :), thank you so much for your friendship. It's wonderful!!! You all encourage me in ways you don't even realize ;) :) 

Oh, weather, it's raining and pouring. There is no snow on the floor. Hmm...it is a bit strange. However, I'm grateful all the same.  Other than that, work is BUSY!!!!  This last week will be the busiest!!!  After that, I'm not sure what will happen. 

Remember a few times when I was "complaining" about the pain in my right shoulder? Well, last Friday it was so bad, it was hurting my shoulder, my right arm and my neck. After my last break at work, it felt like it was going to travel right up to my head. In any case, I just left work early and told my boss. My father took me to the hospital. No worries there.  I fall into that group of Americans that doesn't have health insurance, yet. So I sat in the hospital parking lot for awhile deciding whether to walk in or not. 

My family can sometimes have a fatalistic sense of humor. So my father said  and I quote " You can go to the hospital or you can go home and die"..all with a smile and laugh. Well, dying was not an option, so I walked into the hospital. It was a good thing. It turns out I have BURSITIS. WHat????? How did I get that?  So the doctor gave me a prescription for some pain killers, which have helped!!!  Plus some  pages filled with stretching exercises. Ladies (and gentleman), I haven't felt this great in about two months.  So your prayers have helped!!!!  This is God's reminder that I definitely need to take better care of myself!!! 

Oh, I'm feeling a bit long-winded today :) :) That's the news from Oregon!!! Extra bonus love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)       

Precious Gifts At Just The Right Moment & Update

Feel free to share this photo on  your blogs, Facebook, and or with your friends and loved ones :) :) :)

Hi everyone!!! :) :) :)  How was your day today? Mine was good. I had lots of calls today and with the exception of two customers who were not "happy" no matter what I did, my customers were especially nice today :) :) Oh, Here's the photo of a giveaway I won over at Prairie Flower Farm a couple of weeks ago :) :) Isn't it sweet? I really LOVE it!!!! Click here to pay Linda at Prairie Flower Farm a visit. She's a really sweet lady, who knows all kinds of wonderful farm and homemaking stuff....plus she LOVES Jesus Christ.

This gift came at exactly the right time....Why? God KNEW I would need some extra  love/encouragement in the form of a very sweet gift :) :) :) At first I was going to turn the guinea feathers into a project...but Linda packaged it so sweet...I'll leave it the way it is!!! It'll remind me of farm life, my sweet friend....and the love/encouragement of Jesus Christ she pours into everything she does...for her family and for others around her!!!

There's a peek at the sweet note that Linda wrote to me. I won't show all of it, because it's just for me :) :) :) I hope you understand...However, see that lovely purple Tazo tea bag? I'll enjoy a cup of that while I watch the elimination round of "Dancing with the Stars" on tv tonight!!!

Aren't the tags the cutest, too? Very sweet...and now I've got "pumpkin pie lattes" from The Human Bean on my mind....It's like the pumpkin pie in a coffee cup :) :) :) Yummy!!! That's just one of the things I love about Linda...all the attention to detail :) :)

Oh, I bet you are wondering what I meant about getting this gift at the time God knew I would need it most? Well, as most of you know, my dad and I have been going through some challenging times at work. My dad lost his job today...and that's all I can or will say about that. Needless to say, my dad is sad...however, he is also relieved!!!!   Continue to pray for him and myself, as I am now the only income earner in the family...for the time being..I'm NOT worried though....

I really do need a little calendar for my purse. This will be perfect!!!!! The one I currently use is too big for my purse...so this will be nice to have when I'm out and about or at work :) :)

The whole time I was  at my computer taking calls today at work...I was thinking of one thing only...well, actually TWO things...Number One: The joy of the LORD is my strength...a truth and a promise in my book :) :)...and Number Two: God will work this out!! He will watch over my tiny family. He is faithful and He ALWAYS keeps His promises..Okay...I guess that's more like five things...but that's alright :) :) So when I came home and I saw Linda's gift...this is just what I needed :) :) :) 

I immediately set to work photographing this special gift...and putting some Scripture to go along with it.  As I was searching, I found that the entire phrase "...the joy of the LORD is my strength"...is only found in one place...Nehemiah 8:10. For those of you sisters wiser in the faith, let me know if I'm wrong..but I even checked the Blue Letter Bible online...



Speaking of which, there's a website that's really great for looking up Bible verses, reading Scripture etc. It's called the Blue Letter Bible...It has all different English translations of the Bible...so you can look up a Scripture in one translation, and even have that translated into another English version. Click here to visit this really neat website.

I first heard about this from my father a couple of years ago. For a period of about a year, my father and I didn't have a car. So we literally had to walk EVERYWHERE, including the library...and I didn't want to carry my Bible with me, because it would get really heavy while walking. So I'd walk to the library and spend an hour on the computer just reading my Bible...and that was how I did part of my devotions for awhile. It's a bit unconventional...but at the time it worked and was a real ministry to me...

Oh...and while I was pontificating on why the "joy of the LORD is my strength" was only found in one spot in all of Scripture...my dad reminded me that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching etc...and He reminded me that God's promises back then, are still promises today.

Then we started telling silly jokes...and I'll end with a funny...Bear with me...I'm going to take a little liberty here..

Question: Who was the second shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Knee High Mia...(Nehemiah)

Question: Who was the first shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Bildad the Shoe Height (Shuhite)  :) :)


Okay...I hope you enjoyed the humor. It's good clean fun :) :)  Thank you so much for praying for my dad and I....your continued prayers are always appreciated!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

"...of Life, Love and Super Cool Knitted Stuff !!! "

My sweet friend Miss Antoinette of Practical Simplicity ~ For His Glory made this card for me. Isn't it super cute and so sweet? I LOVE it..I thought it would be a good start to my blog post.

Hi everyone...oh my goodness...today I started that mystery knitted dishcloth from "Rachel's Knitting Corner" that I was telling you all about. Click here to see what's been knitted up so far. She posts new instructions every day.

Each day she gives you a few more rows to knit...and I can say, at least for me, that this is just as exciting as waiting for a new episode of LOST :) :) :) I can't wait for the next post...and I'll be haunting my blogger dashboard all night!!  So I knitted the first four days this afternoon...but I'll show you the progress, so that you get an idea of how this goes. These look really easy. You all should join in on the fun with me...Please visit Rebecca and tell her I sent you!!!

So here goes...day by day...

Day One - still have no idea what type of dishcloth this will turn out to be yet!!!!


Day Two ~ I see a bit of pattern starting to form. Now I'm really curious and I'm thoroughly hooked on this knit along!!! Mystery dishcloth knit along...is all that and a slice of bread!!!!


Day Three ~ Oh, it reminds me of a lattice pie crust...yummy. for some reason, the pictures came out yellow. My lighting isn't the best today.


Day 4 - this is where it ends for today...at least until the next post comes out with more knitting instructions. I can't wait. This is the knitting equivalent of watching "LOST" for me...this is so cool!!!!

I'll be blogging every day there's new instructions for this mystery knitted dishcloth...You don't understand how cool this is...:) :) :) Maybe you do....hee hee hee hee :) :) :)

Apropos knitting, my sweet friend Miss Antoinette sent me some handknit dishcloths!!! Click here to visit her blog "Practical Simplicity ~ For His Glory. She also has a super cool photography blog called "Practical Simplicity Photography" Click here to visit that site. This is a young woman who loves Jesus. She also loves cool crafty things like I do :) :) :) I think you'll enjoy visiting her. Make sure and tell her that I sent you!!!

This is what I saw when I opened the sweet package....a lovely set of handknit dishclothes...and a card to go with it :) :) :) :)

I knew the dishcloths were coming. However, I wasn't expecting her to tie it with that lovely green ribbon or include a card!!! So cool...!!! Miss Antoinette, I LOVE my gift. I have your dishcloths ready...and will mail them within the next few days!!!  She wrote me a really nice note and the photo at the top of this blog post today, is the card she made for me :) :)


Here are the two dishcloths lovingly tied with a mint green satin ribbon!!! These are so well made. Miss  Antoinette makes and sells these on her Etsy store. Go over to her blog and ask for details if you're interested. These are really sweet!!!


I love the vintage look and they match...do you notice that the center and edging coordinate with each other? This is so awesome...They're so pretty that I"m not sure I will use them...because I want to admire them all day long!!!

Now I'm inspired to knit some more dishcloths, just so I can give them away. That sounds really cool. I get paid tomorrow, so I"m off to Joann's to buy some more cotton yarn :) :) :) Oh, like roses...more is more when it comes to yarn!!! There's no such thing as too much yarn...at least not yet :) :)

What do you all like to do? What brings you joy?

That's about it for the moment. It looks like today is a "two-for" Thursday...at least as far as blogging is concerned :) :) :) I started knitting some Victorian lace edging out of DARK RED crochet cotton. Agggh...what have I gotten myself into. Do any of you ladies have any experience with knitting lace? I want to make cute lace edgings for my bookcase. Why the color red instead of white? Not sure...maybe it was too much coffee the day I went crochet cotton shopping.

Okay...My head is swimming with ideas again!!! Gotta pray on it and think over it!!! That's the news from Oregon for this evening. Extra love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)