Mad dash toward summer

The end of the school year feels like such a mad race to the finish line.  Projects due, concerts, tests, soccer, and the excitement of the up coming summer chase us to that finish line.   My kiddos have two more weeks of school and it will be jammed packed.  The school I work for had graduation on Friday.  It's always bittersweet, the end yet the beginning.  I have one more week before I go to my summer schedule.  During the summer I work one day a week or more if needed.  I'm ready for a slower pace.  I say that but I'm already making my list of all the things I want to do this summer.  I just can't help myself.


I have finished my sister's chickens.  I ended up not using the variegated yarn.  Three chickens is more than enough.  If she does want more I'm very happy to oblige.  They were very fun and easy to make.

One of the things I'd like to do this summer is work with posting better photos.  I have lots I'd like to do with my camera and photos.  We have pictures that need to be put into albums and ones that need to be digitalized.  This project alone could take up all of summer.  But of course I have crafty projects on the list and house ones too - continue to declutter.  The one thing we have hired out is the yard clean-up.  Right now our flower beds are more weeds than flowers.

This was a very low photo week for me.  I take way too many photos of our pets.  My sisters and I text silly pictures of our animals to each other almost daily.

Bru and Binxy reluctantly sharing a bed

Avi sleeping on my chair while I work on the granny square blanket.  I have started working on this again.  I'm not going to set any deadlines for a finish.  I will work on it as the motivation strikes me.


I made a red, white, and blue Starflower mandala on Friday.  It turned out very well and so patriotic!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Memorial Day.   A heartfelt Thank You to all who have served our country.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and have lovely week.

Yarn-A-Long

My older sister would like to own a few chickens.  Actually she would enjoy a small homestead. However, she currently lives in town.  So she is starting small, growing beautiful flowers, cultivating her backyard bird population, and starting to compost.  I'm sure she will add a few vegetable to her garden as well.  Since I can't supply live chickens for her I thought I would crochet her a few chicken pot holders for her upcoming birthday.

It was Sunday when I decided to make a chicken.  Of course in all the yarn I own there was not one skein of rust red cotton to be found in my stash.  I didn't want to wait so I used yellow.  I wanted to see how well I understood the pattern.  The pattern is great, very easy to read.  After a trip to Hobby Lobby Monday evening I now can make her a red, white, and maybe a multi color chicken.  She may end up with a whole flock.  The smiley face bag is a reusable bag I picked up at Michael's.  It will be her gift bag.  I'll see what other goodies I can gather for her.

The chicken pattern is in the Ultimate Book of Pot Holders.  There are more potholders in this book I'd like to make.  My list of things I'd like to make is ever growing.  I've been reading "The More of Less."  It is a very quick read.  With all my clearing out clutter this book is definitely helping me stay motivated.

Now to decide if I will crochet chickens or clear clutter??  I'm leaning toward growing the flock.

Doing a little of everything but no granny square progress

The granny square blanket has come to a screeching halt.  I finally give myself permission to set it aside for a while.  I was making myself feel too guilty for not working on it.  The motivation isn't with me right now.  I will finish it but I needed a break.  So I moved on and finished a spring wreath.

I saw the wreath and link to the pattern on Stitch and Unwind.  The pattern is very easy and works up lovely.  I like how the flowers are large enough to be seen from the street.  I will definitely make these flowers again.  The only thing I'm not so pleased with is my placement of the flowers.  I wish I would have moved the two pink/purple pink away from each other.  I know, I'm never satisfied!

My other snafu was another of my own doing.  The flowers do need to be blocked.  I thought I would be so clever and press them.  I ended up with a purple pancake!

I quickly went back to flattening them with heavy books.  It worked much better for me.

I like the above photo because it includes Binxy.  She is always with me in my craft room.  She's my little crafty helper/comic relief.  It also has a better shot of my new ironing board cover.  The ironing board has been with me forever.  The cover that was on it was pitiful.  I kept thinking I would make my own but as I can't even finish the granny squares blanket it's probably better I bought one.  The work table isn't too messy.  There are still magazines waiting to be sorted.

Besides finishing the wreath, I've also been working on a very old quilt project.  It's from the blog Wild Olive.

All the many hexies flowers have embroidery centers.  I have finished all the embroidery and all the individual hexies.  Given how I bounce around in my crafts I will be making hexie flowers from now to possibly the end of time.

Other good things that have kept me occupied are watching sports, cleaning out clutter, and I've started crocheting a birthday present for my older sister.  The last two are rather typical for me.  The sports has my family baffled.  I have never been much of a sports person.  For some reason soccer and hockey have been very entertaining.  I used to watch the news.  Now I can barely stand it.  The local news is fine but the national is so YUCK!  I like listening to the weather.  I think I might be turning into my grandpa, sports and weather.  If I start watching professional wrestling we'll know I'm channeling his spirit.

This is the next pile of stuff to leave the house.   We all went through our closets and I cleared off my book shelves.  The crafting books stayed ;-)

 There will be more things added to the pile and more things listed on Craigslist.  I'm in such an "It's all got to go" mood.  It does feel good to let it go!

It's been a busy morning and I still have what feels like a million things I'd like to do before dinner.  I think I'll make a cup of coffee and see what else I can get accomplished.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  Have a great day.     Lisa

Mother's Day

I've enjoyed a very nice, relaxing day.  After a week of almost constant rain the sun has been shining.  The most exerting task today was using the leaf blower to remove the sand, artificial turf, and general crud out of the garage.  That was accomplished first thing this morning so the rest of the day has been all about crochet.

The boomerang scarf has been the project of choice for the weekend.  I love this pattern.  It's easy but the results are beautiful.  I can't wait to make another one.  The next one will be in a less striping yarn. I think a tweed look would be pretty or even a solid.  The pattern can be found on Ravelry.  It is call The Boomerang for Hookers by Gail Hovanec

The back of the scarf is more like a shawl.  I like that it's asymmetrical.  It should keep my neck toasty for the cool weather.

I made a mandala/coster for our kitchen table.  The pattern is by Lisa Clarke at Polka Dot Cottage. I now need to make at least three more for the rest of the family.

It matches the placemat perfect!

coffee cup matches too : )

Now for random picture from my day.

The cats are having a stare down with a squirrel.  They sat like that for over five minutes.  If you zoom in on the corner of the fence there is another squirrel.  These two squirrels often run on top of our fence.  Actually, they run all over the trees, house, fence and deck.

Avi and her own personal safari.  The violet offers a great disguise for bird watching.

A Mother's Day rose my son gave me. Based on the number of pictures of the coaster it is safe to say I really like it.

A slightly horrible picture of me.  I have one side of my hair pulled back because it was in my eyes when we were working in the garage.  It's me and that's life.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  Have a lovely week.  Lisa