Crabapple

A couple of weeks ago my mom had told me she wanted her crabapple tree trimmed. Between the heat wave and storms that came after that it was sorta forgotten for the time being.

My son & I were dropping her off at home when we remembered the tree. Mom walked right up the sidewalk (laughing) saying " I dont see what the big deal is, it works for me just fine..." It took us a minute to get the joke! Mom is the only one short enough out of everybody that could walk under the branches and not have them touch her. The lowest branch would have clothes-lined anyone else. After we all got done laughing about it we gave it a good trim. All the sidewalks are now clear of hanging branches!

The short jokes are a never ending thing in our family, your either tall or short. There's not really an in-between for us. Im so glad my mom has a great sense of humor. She's a wonderful person, we are so lucky.

Laughs & Giggles

Today is one of those days I wonder why I even got out of bed... no news is better than bad news type of moments. Anyway, I was browsing around and found this. I needed a good laugh. Even though my kids are older it still hits home, as I think it would for most moms.

At one time, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books were a running favorite in our house, so it makes it all the funnier to me and the fact it all started with a cup of coffee.

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Happy Father's Day

Dad & Me <3

Granny Square Swaps for June

Ive come along way since I first started making granny squares. With practice they have become much much neater.. I now know the gauge needed for the sizes Im making and have adjusted to a smaller hook (G). Im also proud to say the back is just as neatly done as the front too.

I only have three swaps to do for granny squares this month unless some private ones get added on to my list. I will be adding the third once partners are assigned. The colors are senders choice, but we always try to go by what they have listed as color preferences on their profile page.

So Ive done one set in pinks and purples & the others in what I call "diner" colors. Im off to get these in todays post... Happy Swapping!

I added the third set of swap squares ... One of the swap participants likes flowers & the other had no preferences, so I decided to do summery colors.

Judge Jacob Gale Estate circa 1838

My mom kept telling me there was some thing she wanted to show me the next time we went to down town Peoria. She was sure I would just love it. So, today we finally got the chance to stop here on the way to the Farmer's Market. She was right, I did love it! Who knew this charming little oasis was hidden among the business district. I'd been near there a hundred times and have never seen this. I do like the Judge's house (top picture) which would have been a mansion back in the day, but my favorite is the carriage master's/conductor's house. Very Charming, Id take it any day! Ive always had a thing for old original brick sidewalks & streets too. The streets here are long gone, but the paved sidewalks on the estate are still there and look to be in pretty good condition. The last photo is of what was the carriage house, but Im sure it looks nothing like the original did except maybe the front entrance.

Farmer's Market, Bakery & Bistro

This was a great morning! I went to bed early last night, which is highly unusual for me and ended up awake before dawn, 4:30AM to be exact. I had my first cuppa coffee and called mom to go to the Farmer's Market with me. We got there bright and early... not many stalls open today, but I found all the fresh veggies and fruit I need for now. I finally got to try out the Farmer's Market bag I knit up several months ago. It works great. I knew it would stretch a little but was surprised that it stretched out so much and was very durable. YEAH!

Since we had time, we stopped by the bakery first. Yummm , we picked up some scones for our breakfast and found some 7 grain and pesto bread loaves. The pesto bread was still warm from the oven and smelled amazing!! Basil, olive oil, pine nuts...need I say more? Im planning on having it with supper tonight if I can stay out of it. The bakery opens up to the bistro we went to ...very convenient, so we had our scones and coffee there. All accomplished and home by 10AM!

Now Im ready for a nap.

Jewel Tone Grannies

I started out making these rich jewel tone grannies to send out for some of my swaps, but Im really liking the colors. Not usually what I would set out to choose but turquoise is one of my favorite colors and these seem to work together. Im not sure what Im going to do with all these afghan WIP's yet but I know I wont have room to store them all here on a permanent basis. Looks like I might be giving some for Christmas presents. At least if they are worked on now they should be complete by then=)

Since I really liked the idea of handmade tags for the swap squares, I decided to give it a go. I like the fact that it adds some thing personal and gives the information needed. Mine arent all that fancy...simple really. I bought the pre-cut tags and stamped them & dressed them up with some ink around the edges. When Im feeling more creative I can add the pretty printed papers and decorations, have the inks and design match the color of my swap squares or even change the string to matching yarn. Not today though, I have to be in the mood for that sort of thing and Im just not feeling it.

Misc...

Granny Crochet Earrings- This is one of my daughters favorite stores. I was very surprised to find jewelry made with granny crochet & the fact that this generation might actually wear it.

Received this recipe postcard from Moscow, Russia today and just thought Id share this wonderful recipe.

Walnut Street Tea Co.

Ive passed this shop a couple of times, but its always been after hours. Finally today, I got there early enough for a visit. They have all kinds of goodies! I loved it! When you walk through the door it smells heavenly. All the tea and coffee aromas greet you like an old friend. I picked up some ginger peach tea Ive been looking for and found a gorgeous big mug, and a couple of spoon rests/tea bag holders. They have any thing and every thing you could possibly want to go with your tea. My son likes to have a cuppa with me every now and then so it works out great. We like to try all the different flavored teas, but we still have our favorite comfort teas. Blackberry Sage & Orange Spice are my favorites while my son likes the Blood Orange and Cinnamon & Gingerbread Spice (all black teas we like them strong.) There are days when a cuppa and five minutes R & R is just what you need to hit the spot.

Downtown Champaign is very quaint. Lots of nice shops, cafes and art. I enjoyed the afternoon.

Afghans

This was the very first afghan Id ever made. It was right after Lion Brand had come out with their line of Homespun yarns. No pattern, it was all done in front & back post crochet stitch throughout. Its very warm, but a little more stretchy than I had in mind.

This pink little cutie was knit by my mom for me when I was little. Sweet hu? I remember having this in my room for years. Can you believe I had hot pink carpet?

This is the ripple afghan my Great G'ma made for my 16th birthday. Its a little warn and has been loved through the years...ya see that straight edge?

This Christmas granny square afghan was a gift from my cousin Heidi one year for the holidays=) Even though I can crochet I enjoy receiving handmade gifts. Besides, I had absolutely no idea how to do granny squares back then and am only now figuring it out!

Ive put these away some time ago to keep down the wear and tear. My guys are so rough on things. When I caught my hubby sticking his big toe between the spaces of my first afghan and pushing to get it down over his feet that decided it! LOL. Its probably a good thing he doesnt read my blog =)