The Cake Shop

Went to The Cake Shop for homemade candy supplies and found these Halloween cakes. Cakes

arent my thing, but I thought they were great for parties.

Exploring My Hometown...

Above:

1. CJ's Coffee Cafe'

2. This is a little hide away in our down town. Always thought it would look awesome

with white twinkle lights.

3 & 4. This is just another small area between buildings down town. It had been run down for a

while until the high school art students came and cleaned it up and added this wonderful

mural.

5 & 6. Love this apartment building! Its older, but has tons of character.

7. The original brick streets-- there are only a few of these streets left.

I appreciate all the work & pride that must have went into them.

8. Every town has its mansions--this one is ours. It's known as the Herget Mansion

(yep thats right --Herget Bank..).

Still Exploring....

I love old buildings and their history. These buildings are in a neighboring city. We have driven by them for years and I thought it was about time to get some pictures. Several of the older buildings from my childhood have already been torn down and replaced with modern ones.
I enjoy the designs and some thing about them has caught my eye at one time or another.

Exploring Continued....

This is the old Zellers building, which hasnt been in use for many years. I was looking for some creepy pictures for Halloween and remembered this place. Last year around Halloween there were tours you could take and go through the building, but of coarse I found out to late and we missed it. Im keeping my fingers crossed for this year.

At one time a few years ago some one was going to buy this place and fix it up. It would have been awesome and a big tourist attraction in our area. Would love to see shops, restaurants, tea room, historical relics and tours. Maybe even part of it could have been a bed and breakfast. Haunted places are a big thing now days. Have any wealthy friends? Oprah what do you think?

Homecoming 2009

Love this dress...its a rich chocolate with a rose/lt.burgundy skirt.

It has embroidery and beading on the bottom of the skirt overlay.

Beautiful! Wow, you sure know how to make an entrence. Glad you had fun.

September Owl ATC

Went with the fall theme for September since the first official day is at the end of the month.

Tried to stay creative ....used a leaf punch to make the cut outs and added the owl peeking out.

The other leaf is filled with another punched out leaf in a decorative paper and added accents to the front of the atc card.

Lacey Knit Scarf WIP

I was looking for a pattern that would give me a fluffy lacey looking scarf ....so my knitting instructor suggested that I use these large needles and it has worked out great! ( I'm thinking she said these are a size US 35--the big boys). It hasnt really taken me long to get this far ....a few more sittings and this project will be complete.

Jade Tree

My daughter surprised me with a Jade Tree this spring. I was thrilled of coarse, but this plant is a new experience for me. Today, since the first frost is just around the corner, I transplanted it to a pot to be brought in for the winter months. I'm hoping my green thumb stays in tact and we will be able to enjoy this plant for many years to come. Its said to be a slow growing tree, likes to stay dry, and loves sun light. The ideal soil is one part sand to two parts potting soil. Wish me luck!

It just so happens I was right on time getting the transplanting done --our first frost was the following night=)

New Salem Candle Light Walk 2009

The New Salem Candle Light Walk is held the first Friday & Saturday night every October.

Its so much fun to see all the pathways lit up with hanging lanterns as well as the ones the visitors bring with them to carry along the way. Lanterns are lit up every where! Beautiful in the dark. The last couple of years we have had a full moon or the harvest moon during the walk.

Each log cabin has a different history to be told, the fire places are welcoming, and there are replicas of the original style of furnature and tools used during that time period.

Homemade gingerbread and hot mulled cider are given out--the most popular cabin! Hmmm!

Its a great night for family and friends.

Bottle Cap Fairy Pin

This swap consisted of handmaking a lapel pin out of a bottle cap. The theme was fairies.
These are actually fun and easy to make. I like to use "glossy accents" by Inkssentials for the clear coat layer...adding some glitter or snow before it dries. I had a fairy charm for this one that fit perfect,so I used that and added some embellishments of my own (beads on wire & the star were recycled off embellishments Ive had for a while--but not yet used.)

Life Can Be So Hard Some Times...

An Angel has spoken

Her words did I hear

Be not afraid my child

I am always so near.

I lighten your path

I hold you within

You are not alone

The veil is so thin.

I hear you in silence

Your fears do I sense

Darkness is ending

Light shall commence.

Your pains do I share

My heart reaches for you

I weep when you suffer

My love is so true.

As a child you called to me

You needed me there

My wings to protect you

To guide you with care.

With age...you forgot me

You looked another way

But I am still with you

How I long for the day.

As days turn to months

And months turn to years

You find yourself seeking

The Angels in tears.

I fly to you swiftly

With wings soaring high

To embrace your sweet spirit

Behold...it is I.

I walk with you always

Never shall I stray

I am your Angel

I will show you the way.

~ from a poem by Michael Williams ~
Danny Hahlbohm
brought to you by mamarocks.com

I am sure that every family at one time or another experiences hardships.

It only seems like we are the only ones at the time.

Help can be right in front of you and you may not see it till the hardships are over,

but I do believe it will make you stronger --

family and friends just a little more tightly knit together.

An offered shoulder to cry or lean on can mean more than a thousand words.

A Bit Under the Weather...

September has come on pretty quick and some of the chillier weather with it. This is going to be an early winter! For the last week or so I've been under the weather with some type of stomach virus --just miserable! Hope this isnt an omen for the upcoming winter. So, I've fallen behind in some of my projects.
I havent been to my knitting group for almost two weeks, afraid I'd pass it on. I'm having fiber withdraw....but tomorrow night I will get my fix at our Friday night knitting group. I have finished at least 4 knit hats , which is great because I still find the tops of them a challenge. I cant seem to divide the stitches evenly when I go to use the two circular needles and still messes me up here and there.

I plan to get started on one of the cowl patterns Ive had tucked away for some time. Its actually pretty cool. It can be worn just around your neck or be pulled up like a hood when going outside.
At any rate I will be working on getting caught up with things.

The first hat I made is pictured in an earlier post... I couldnt seem to get it off my sons head long enough to get it in this picture:)

Above: Breakfast Tea by Deborah Charbrian http://www.art.com/

August Owl ATC Swap

This owl ATC was made for the August swap.(January - July owl ATC's are pictured in a collage in an older post. ) So far, I've been in all the swaps for this year. The theme is of coarse owls...

so you will end up with an owl ATC for each month. Owls are one of my favorites so creating each months theme has been fun.

Gone Crazy with Knit Hats ....

Ive totally gone crazy making knit hats. So, instead of picturing them all separate Im gonna wait till they are all completed and make a collage. Hope everyone wants a hat for Christmas! I still have some trouble reading other patterns so this will take some practice on my part! There are so many gifts I need to work on to get completed. Of coarse, all the new fall and winter fibers are coming out ..... which makes me keep wanting to add to my list. They are all so fabulous.
Im still excited about the whole experience of knitting and about the new friends Im making along the way. There is way more to knitting than just making hats --it has a whole history behind it, skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. Im just glad I can be a small part of it.

Above: I totally love the art works by Conni Togal ! ("Sheep Incognito") Definatelly a favorite...

I am hoping to furnish my craft room with these wonderful whimsical works of art:)

http://www.charisma-art.com/

Christmas List Continued...

Started another hat today...hasnt taken very long to get this far already!I'm realllly liking the quicker projects. Almost instant gratification:) Besides all that, repeating the pattern is helping me learn the stitches and is improving my technique. I can see a big difference in my stitches ---from the begining till now. I used a long tail cast on-- just learned that one and it works well for me,so I'm gonna stick with that.

London Beanie Knit Hat Finished!

Yea! One down and the rest of the list to go. I was really surprised at how fast this project went. It only took me a couple of days to finish. I thought this pattern was pretty easy and since Im a begining knitter thats saying some thing! I did have some help reading the pattern since Im learning some of the basic stitches as I go. Over all the pattern went smoothly.
This pattern is the London Beanie by Mark Thrailkill.

Pattern can be found at
http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/hats/london-beanie.htm

Some of Dalton's trip Pictures: (2009)

1. The White House

2. The Washington Monument

3. The Arlington Cemetery

4. Smithsonian Castle

5. The shoes Judy Garland wore for the

Wizard of Oz ( my personal favorite:)

Christmas WIP's

These are just a couple of my most recent WIP'S (works in progess). The black, gray, and rust colored yarn above is what I have finished so far on my sons first knit hat. Not bad for only a couple days work so far!

The second-the blues and buff colors are the beginings of my moms crochet reversable afghan. That one will take alot more work before its full sized. Wish me luck!

Are You Being Served? (British Comedy)

Are You Being Served? This has always been one of my favorite TV shows!!!! Brings back fond memories and can still make me laugh till I cry!

Above: These pictures are from Amazon .com where the DVD's can be ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=are+you+being+served+dvds