The Buzz At Our Hive!

I did some more baking a couple of days ago, trying a recipe I found HERE, called Apple Strudel Muffins. There is a crumb topping, supposedly, but mine did not have a very "crumbly" look when they came out of the oven.. If anyone has an idea or tip as to why/what to do next time, let me know. Maybe I let the butter set out too long for it to "crumble" properly?.. Well, still, despite appearances, I thought they were easy to make, and we ALL thought they were delicious! I would definitely hold onto this recipe to make them again!

I LOVE gingham, if I haven't mentioned that already! I love all colors of it too, but most so in red or blues. I picked up this red gingham tray at a neighborhood garage sale recently. I was very happy to find it! I think it goes well with all my homemade apple goodies, during these earlier weeks of Autumn! I'll start steering more towards yellow and orange dishes and trays as October sets in!

I would like to do some more pies soon, to put in the freezer, as I am already down to only one. Our dog helped himself to one of those fresh baked pies I just posted!.. And believe me, he was NOT a popular fellow at that time! It has taken me this long to even dare speak about it!

Yesterday, Dear Son got to play hooky from school. He had a dentist appointment scheduled right in the middle of the day, so there just seemed no sense in sending him and picking him up, dropping him off, over and over and over again! Of course, Dear Son felt the same way, and needless to say, he was not terribly broken hearted about missing anything. At the dentist office, I did some crocheting while sitting in the waiting room. One of the office secretaries was absolutely delighted with a little pumpkin I was crocheting! I was very tempted to just give it to her, but I had plans to give this one to somebody else, and unfortunately, I just don't have the time to consider making extras right now. Anyways, once our dentist had a final look, Dear Son was warned to floss better in the back teeth, but otherwise had NO CAVITIES! Hooray! The dentist sent him on his way with a new toothbrush, and I treated him to McDonald's on the way home!.. As for going back to school this morning?.. He left this morning with all the MORE pep in his step, because his week is even shorter now after the holiday he already had from school on Monday!

Hmm.. Just wondering, but does anyone get the feeling that Jiminy Cricket likes it here?! Well, I love him, so it's quite alright with me!.. Moving on..

I don't know if you have read Lindsey's Vintage Wednesday Barbie posts yet, at Two Crazy Crafters, but if you like Barbies, or at least have fond memories of them from when you were young, you SHOULD! I have not yet participated, but I LOVE reading her Barbie posts every Wednesday! I thought that today I would post one of my Barbies, even though she is not "vintage".. yet! You see, on October 2nd, 1950, the debut of the first Peanuts comic strip was published in seven newspapers. Charles Schultz at first titled his work as "Li'l Folk". Against his liking, however, the United Feature Syndicate thought "Peanuts" sounded better. By 1952, The Peanuts were featured in over 40 newspapers across the country! I plan on showing a few more items tomorrow, maybe, but in observance of Charles Schultz's success, I will join Lindsey in showing off this one Barbie today!


Here is Barbie, dressed in her aviator ensemble, with Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace! This collector edition was issued in 2002. I do not display her with my other Barbie dolls. She and Snoopy are displayed with my Peanuts collection, of which I hope to show a few more things from for tomorrow's post, if I can!

I want to mention, before I go, that Heidi, from Fairy Footprints In The Sand, is having a giveaway! She has done a beautiful painting, and she is offering it in a drawing, to celebrate reaching 50 followers! Be sure to head over to enter!


Well, I'm off to get some chores and errands done, and then I have a macaroni salad I want to make, to go with dinner tonight!.. Busy, busy, busy as a bee, as always!

When I Wish For Apple Pie..

Hi diddle dee dee! Three apple pies for me!

My work is done! I spent much of this day grocery shopping, then cooking up a big batch of chili, AND 3 homemade apple pies! I've cleaned up the mess, and the dishes are washed! Now as the clock winds down for our first Magical Disney Sunday, it's time for some fun! Dear Son and I are gonna have some movie -n- snacks time, and we both can't wait to pull the ice cream out of the freezer to serve up with some warm, freshly baked apple pie!

Now that's what I remember when I was a kid. Every Sunday night we would go to my grandparents house. I remember a t.v. line-up of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, then a Walt Disney movie.. and then of course one of Grandpa's detective shows!.. I remember Mannix, Kojak, Columbo, Barnaby Jones, etc.! Grandpa would always get up and walk to the kitchen, and we kids just KNEW he was coming back out with sodas and snacks!.. Happy Memories!

Wish Upon A Star!

Today I'm excited to join Heidi, at Fairy Footprints In The Sand, for this first week of Magical Disney Sunday! When Heidi invited others to participate, right away, I knew I wanted to be a part of this! I love all the Disney movies and fairy tales! What little girl at heart doesn't?! There are so many wonderful Disney movies, stories, and characters, that it is impossible to pick only one favorite!

It was a coincidence, in fact, that right around the time Heidi proposed the idea of this weekly event, that I had just found this picture in a box at the tail end of a church sale. I loved it as soon as I saw it, snapped it out of that box, and claimed it as my own! The lucky thing was that the vendor then told me I could HAVE it!.. No charge!


I love Jiminy Cricket, and the lyrics to "When You Wish Upon A Star" are dear to my heart. Life may not always play out exactly the way you planned, but this beautiful song reminds you that "if your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme". It's a song of hope, even assurance, and it is all the more reason this picture means so much to me!

In the story, Jiminy is appointed as Pinocchio's Official Conscience. It was his job to help and look out for Pinocchio, to teach and guide him to do what was right. It wasn't necessarily an easy job, but whenever Pinocchio needed him, all he had to do was "give a little whistle"... once he learned how to whistle, of course! Can you imagine? It makes me want to wish upon a star for Jiminy Cricket to be MY official conscience!.. "But Jiminy, I really, really, really LOVE that beautiful pair of earrings that are on QVC right now!.. Well, no, I don't NEED them, but.. but.. Oh alright.. FINE! Let's just watch THIS instead!"



Another great song!.. Well, back to my picture.. When I first got it, it was just a piece of paper in an old frame I didn't really like. I set it on some pink tissue paper, glittered it up just a bit, added a couple of sparkly stars, then set it in a nicer looking frame. It now hangs among a growing collection of pictures, near to my stereo and entertainment center. I find myself now calling it my Wall of Fame!


As I got thinking more about the story of Pinocchio, the movie, and the songs, I went to look for the book. Much to my own surprise, it turned out I had THREE Little Golden Books!


I then wondered more about the history and making of the movie, and here is what I found.



Isn't that fascinating? I always LOVE to hear the history, and all the behind-the-scenes makings of a movie!.. Oh, hold on.. My phone's ringing!.. It turns out Dear Daughter wants to go apple picking today! The weather is perfect too!

Well, I couldn't see any reason why Jiminy couldn't come along for the fun, and I'm so glad he did! Just look at one of the beautiful apples he picked today!

Here's a picture of me, up in a tree! I am not terribly fond of heights, but I just HAD to reach for those nicer apples, towards the top!

O.K.. Umm.. Might there be a nice strong handsome fireman around somewhere, to help me get OUT of this tree now?!.. Anyone?.. No?.. (sigh).. Oh, fine. Never mind. I'll just try to get down by myself!

Gosh, I've eaten two apples already! I just hope the witch from Snow White hasn't been hangin' around this orchard! Now that our bushels are picked, and paid for, I guess it's time to head home. It looks like I've got some baking to do! I hope you had fun joining me today! Thank you so much for stopping by! Please be sure to pay Heidi a visit! I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing you!

My Pink Patchwork Afghan

Don't you blink,

For quick as a wink,
"Already?", you think?!
It's time for more Pink!

My gosh, where does the time go? Here it is, Saturday, September 26th! Somehow, it feels like the month just flew by in a blur, and I'm left here shaking my head in disbelief that October is just around the corner! It just doesn't seem possible!

Well, Saturday it is, and a PINK one at that! Each and every week, Beverly, from How Sweet The Sound, hosts this grand event known as Pink Saturday! Please do stop to see her and a listing of all the other Pink participants for today! It's always fun to see all the pinks that everyone has come up with! If you like what you see, and you'd like to play along, then just say the word, and Bev will add you to the list! Like the saying goes, "Be there, or be square"!

Oh just kidding, of course! You do what you like, in whatever color that makes you happy!.. But speaking of squares, I finally finished my granny square afghan! It is done with a variety of squares, made not only by myself, but some of which were made by friends from ATCT! Each square is approximately 7", turned 8" with a white border. Donna, from Smooth Fox Original Crochet Patterns, will recognize the heart squares that I made using her pattern!


I did not take the time to measure it, but it does just cover the top surface of a full sized bed. The nights got chilly, as I worked on finishing this; but that's the perfect time to be working on such a project! You keep toasty warm underneath it all the while!


Once all the squares were sewn, I crocheted a scallop edging all around. I really am happy with how it all came together!


Thank you so much for stopping by today! Happy Pink Saturday, and have a wonderful weekend!

Cookie Bars -N- Lemonade!

Just recently Liz, from Rose Vignettes, posted a recipe for Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Bars, so I thought I'd try baking them today, to have for over the weekend! Well the recipe was as easy as can possibly be, and my cookie bars were ready for picture taking, and for snacking in no time!


These came out delicious! I thought the recipe was so easy, in fact, that I plan to keep at least a box or two of yellow cake mix in my pantry for those times I need a quick snack for company! I'm also thinking that even though I didn't have any on hand for this batch, I'd like to top the next batch with some chocolate frosting! Mmmm.. That sounds really good, if you ask THIS chocoholic!

Well, just recently, I received a blog award from a very sweet blogger and friend, Heidi, from Fairy Footprints In The Sand. Here it is, the Attitude of Gratitude Award!


Upon accepting this award, the rules are as follows...

1. Put the logo on your blog/post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude.

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4. Comment on their blogs to let them know that they have now been awarded.

5. Share the love, and link to this post and the person who nominated your for this award.

6. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude.

Well, the most gratitude I have EVER felt in my life, has always been to God for blessing me with my two beautiful babies!.. My girl and my boy! They have brought me more joy and love than I have EVER known all my life! However, along the way, of course, life has thrown a few curve balls, some dodge balls, and even a wrecking ball a couple of times! But like they say, what's the use of crying? When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!.. as best you can, at least, right?! I remember Oprah once suggested keeping a gratitude journal, so I did. Well, I came to find out it really did help me to see things on the brighter side! No matter what was happening in my life, I always was blessed with so much more than the "spilled milk" I was fretting over! In time, I could see that no matter what happened, God was always there for me!.. and so was family, or friends, or neighbors!.. Even the family pets are right there for you, when you need them!

Well, in just these past eight months, since I first started my own blog, I have come to be very grateful for all the wonderful people I have met here in "Blogland"! It has truly been a pleasure getting to know EVERYONE! It is always very difficult choosing only a small number of friends to pass awards on to, so this time, I think I will handle it this way...

For showing their mutual appreciation of Jim Henson, and my tribute to him in my previous post, I pass The Attitude Of Gratitude on to the first ten friends who left me their kind words and fond memories for that post! So, with my sincere thanks to each of them, the list is as follows...

1. June, at Shespinswool.

2. cwa, at Coming Home Again.

3. Lisa, at Pupylov.

4. Shana, at Blaze'n'Crochet.

5. CC, at Lace 'n' Ribbon Roses.

6. Anni, at Hootin' Anni's.

7. Linnea, at Neabear's Sewing And Craft Mess.

8. Mary, at My New 30.

9. Leann, at The Old Parsonage.

10. Nancy, at La Chambre Rose.

Oh!.. and one more!!... 11. Liz, at Rose Vignettes!

In passing this award on, I am grateful to these wonderfully kind and inspiring bloggers and friends who take the time to even just say hello, or that they enjoyed my post for the day! While I do not mean to disrespect some peoples wishes to be tag-and-award-free, I only mean for everyone to do with this award whatever they will, and that I at least wanted wanted to show each of my nominees how grateful I am to visit their blogs, and for all the friendship, laughter, inspiration, experiences, support, and so-ooo much more that they share! In fact, for this, I really want to thank ALL my friends and followers!!

Heidi, again, thank you so much for this award!

The World Is A Little Better!

My tribute to Jim Henson

If you haven't read in my posts by now, I will catch you up by saying I have been a loyal Muppets fan since I was a little girl sitting in front of the t.v. set watching Sesame Street. In my younger teens, I remember watching the Muppet Show! I love all the movies. I still watch for Kermit, Miss Piggy, Cookie Monster, and all my favorite Muppet characters in t.v. specials and commercials, in Thanksgiving parades; and the minute I heard that The Green and Red Christmas CD was out, I knew I wanted it as soon as I could possibly get my hands on one! It is one of my favorites! I still even have a few of the albums I listened to when I was just a kid! Does anybody remember listening to these too?


Today I wanted to post about Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, and one of the most well known puppeteers there ever was, loved and appreciated for his imagination and the magic he created artistically!


James Maury Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in a small town in Mississippi. His parents, an older brother, and he moved to the suburbs of Washington D.C. somewhere around 1946. He first began creating and performing with puppets during his high school years, for a t.v. station, WTOP.

He went on to college, where he first majored in studio arts, but then he went on to take craft and textile courses. He began working for a small t.v. show on WRC-TV. It is here where Henson's most well-known and beloved character, Kermit The Frog, and the name "Muppets" were born!

Jim graduated with a BS degree in Home Economics in 1960! It is while he was in college when he met Jane Nebel, who would assist Jim in his work, and later become his wife, in 1959. Between the years 1960 through 1970, they had 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. During much of this time, Jim made films, and worked in the making of t.v. commercials advertising coffee and milk products.. But all the while, he never forgot his dream. He felt his Muppets could entertain a much wider audience than just children. He felt he could entertain an audience of ALL ages!

In 1969, Jim was asked to join the team at the Children's Television Workshop, to work on the public tv show Sesame Street. The show, as everyone knows, is still a success today, and the rest is history! Jim and his co-worker/good friend Frank Oz, with a team of others, went on to make The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, movies, t.v. specials, musical productions, the cartoon the Muppet Babies, etc., etc... The list goes on and on!

Jim is highly credited with his work in the mechanics and techniques of puppetry and special effects. He went on to be an Oscar nominated film director, an Emmy award winning t.v. producer, and the founder of the Jim Henson Company, The Jim Henson Foundation, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.


It was in 1990, while working on a new film, when Jim began experiencing flu-like symptoms. Just about a week later, around May 13th, Jim went to a doctor who prescribed him NOTHING but aspirin, and sent him on his way. Back to New York, still not feeling well, he canceled a recording session he was to attend on May 14th. By 2 a.m. May 15th, Jim was having trouble breathing, and was coughing up blood. He finally decided to go to a doctor 2 hours later! He was admitted into the hospital at 4:58 a.m., but despite quick and aggressive treatment, Jim passed away just over 20 hours since he was admitted.. On May 16th, at 1:21 a.m. Jim died from organ failure due to infection, at the age of 53. Happening so fast as it did, the news was shocking and devastating to family, friends, and fans! Following Jim's wishes, no one was to wear black during the funeral services held, and a Dixieland Jazz band played a final number, "When The Saints Go Marching In".

Jim Henson's memory and impact live on, and will continue to, I'm sure, for generation to generation to generation! Jim Henson once said, "My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here." Well, no doubt.. He's done that! Here's a video that was made in remembrance of Jim. This was one of his favorite songs.



Update: Rumor has it that there MIGHT be a Muppet Halloween special in the making for 2010! I HOPE SO!!

Scarecrows.. If I Only Had Some More!

When September sets in, and it seems there's no more denying that Summer has bid its final farewells for the year, I finally make my way to my decorations in storage, and gradually starting decorating for the new Fall season. I like to start with a few pumpkins, maybe some autumn-scented candles scattered about, and of course candy dishes filled with candy corn; but then I love to get out my growing collection of scarecrows!

By definition, according to my own dictionary, a scarecrow is a figure of a man dressed in old clothes, set up in a field to scare birds away from crops. Wikipedia states that the earliest scarecrow dates back as far as the year 712, in Japan. It is also said that Greek farmers made them to look like Priapus, the son of the god Dionysus and the goddess Aphrodite. Priapus was said to be so ugly, that when he was allowed to play in the vineyards, it did not go unnoticed that his appearance must have scared the birds away, and thus harvests were more plentiful. Other farmers took notice and decided to make scarecrows to look like Priapus, but ones that were now yeilding clubs and sickles for a more threatening effect. (Boy, you have to feel sorry for this little guy, don't you?!) Well, from there, the Romans liked the idea, and as their armies spread round to France, Germany, etc., the idea was further spread! Fast-forward, and today scarecrows can be found round the world!

Having just finished my granny square afghan, which I will post this coming Pink Saturday, I found I now had the time to do a little bit more Fall decorating, and maybe even find a little craft project, so to add something new! Among my stash of craft supplies and materials, I decided to dig out some dishtowels and washcloths. I have done other projects with these before, so I keep them on hand; but THIS time I wanted to try a project I found HERE. The craft requires one dishcloth, one washcloth, a wooden dowel (I used a wooden skewer), a straw hat, just a scrap of felt, some raffia (jute, string, or any yarn will even do), some markers, glue, and scissors. Here is how mine came out...


I think that I might take the skewer out of his arms, as I'm not sure I like such a stiff look to him, but I hope you all will give me your opinion on that, as I'm not sure. I am not liking such plain white legs on him, so I will be adding some felt/fabric patches to his knees. And I don't especially like the marker used for his eyes and other features. I think I may still cover this one's eyes with beads or very small buttons... Still, I like the project enough to share with you, and despite the touch-ups I have planned, I think he came out pretty cute!

Here are a couple more I have around my house. I think they remind me of dolls somewhat, and despite their supposed frightening natures on duty, out in the fields, I like all of mine to have happy faces!


Here, I like that I can still blend pinks into my fall decorating!


This morning I set "Sammy" out, so named by Dear Daughter at a younger age! He's been around for a while now, and is holding up very well, through rain, sleet, and hail! I can't remember if he's experienced snow or not. I think I've always gotten him back inside and in storage before Mother Nature brought THAT on just yet!.. Anyways, I usually like to set a pumpkin, or pumpkin pail of some kind in his hand and lap, so I am still looking for that. A neighbor was out watching as I was setting him up. This is probably a very good thing, as I am climbing and hanging on for dear life while trying to prop and set him up just right. If I were to fall, at least SOMEONE would see and call for someone to HELP ME! Well, upon finishing up, as you see him here, I called over to my neighbor, "How does he look?".. He replied "Very good!", and so I agreed!


If you are interested in another little scarecrow project, HERE is another one I would like to try! In fact, I think these little popsicle stick scarecrows are so cute, I may teach some kids at my church to make them!.. Perhaps I can even make a Fall bulletin board there with them! Of course this all depends on how much time I can put in, but we'll see what I can do, and how many kids might be interested! If the kids are as interested as they were to make Christmas decorations last year, then it will probably be a GO!

HERE is another really CUTE scarecrow project, made out of the leg of an old pair of blue jeans! I'd LOVE to try this one!

To make a scarecrow for your own front porch, or front yard, HERE is a tutorial on how to do it!

Well, in closing, who else should I include in this post, but whom I think must be the most well-known, most beloved scarecrow of them all!

Welcome Aboard For Pink Saturday!

Last weekend I looked out my window to find a neighbor across the street was having a yard sale. I have been to her sales before, so I knew I should get over there before all the goodies were gone! Well, I brought home some hand embroidered linens, a few necklaces, etc.. But my favorite find was this!...


It is sheet music for the song "On The Good Ship Lollipop", with Shirley Temple's sweet little face on the cover, encircled in pink! While it is not in perfect condition where you see the tape, the music printed on the pages is perfect, and the overall condition is just fine with me! It is dated in Roman numerals as MCMXXXIV, which is 1934, if I'm not mistaken. This is the same year that the child star first sang this song, in the movie "Bright Eyes".


I wasted no time slapping this into a frame, for both protection and display. Here is Shirley singing what came to be her trademark song...



I hope you enjoyed your visit here today! I had hoped to post my finished afghan today, but just couldn't quite finish it. I am still working on the edging. I hope you'll come by for next Saturday, when I will definitely have photos ready to show you! In the meantime, please do visit our Pink Saturday hostess, Beverly, at How Sweet The Sound. There you'll find a listing of all the Pink Ladies who are participating this week, and I hope you'll visit as many as you can! It's always fun to see what pink surprises everybody has come up! Happy Pink Saturday, and have a wonderful weekend!

Here A Square, There A Square

EVERYWHERE a square-square!.. All over my dining room table! Here are a couple of new granny squares I made recently, as I've been working on one of my afghans. The first square, slightly modified to fit into my own project, is made using the pattern from HERE. It's called "Trip Around The World".


I have to admit a sense of accomplishment on this next one. I really don't like following a chart, when I'm so accustomed to following a pattern with words. But this one looked simple enough for me to give it a try, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out! Thanks to Luna, for sharing this pattern HERE! (This link is her blog, but I'm afraid I have misplaced exactly which page... Not to worry, though. If you don't find this specific pattern, you will certainly find something else you can't wait to try!) I cannot tell you the name of this square, as I cannot read or speak Spanish, and Dear Daughter wasn't around to ASK! I just thought it was pretty, and I think I followed the chart pretty well! It really wasn't so bad! I just may try my hand at a charted table runner or doily sometime soon!


This afghan is really coming along, and is almost done now!.. Just in time to snuggle up in, as the Fall temperatures set in! Honestly, though, I'm also very anxious to get it off my dining room table!

Cable T.V.?.. Who, Me?!

Oh, time does fly lately! I feel like I just posted yesterday, but here we are, well into the next week! There are a couple of good byes to be said today. First a slightly overdue one.. Late Friday afternoon, after years of vowing I wouldn't do it, I finally broke down and invited the cable company into my house. If it weren't for digital t.v., I would STILL be perfectly content with my old rabbit-ear antennae! But sure as the seasons are going to change, so does technology. Ever since digital has taken over the air waves, and even after purchasing the required converter box, I STILL can't even get all my basic channels as of YET!!.. and what reception I DO have is less than favorable. Being a stubborn sort, I really did hem and haw for quite a while, and I'm still not entirely happy that I feel I was forced into this, but the free installation was being offered, and I was getting tired of fighting the issue, and tired of waiting for this converter box to start WORKING!.. So, I've finally kissed the old rabbit ears farewell. Dear Son is deliriously happy that we have cable now!.. As happy, I'm sure as the cable company is! I DO have to admit, I am enjoying it a little bit myself too, but if I'm going to pay the bill, I may as well ditch the stubborn attitude and enjoy it, yes?.. I really do love the movies! Now if I can just keep a safe level of self control when it comes to the shopping channels! HSN is celebrating Nat'l Sewing Month, 5-6p.m. this evening!.. Oh, and QVC has happy hour from 6 to 7.. I hope THAT'S as good as it sounds!

Well, speaking of t.v., I was so sorry to hear about Patrick Swayze yesterday. In fact, I was shocked, because I THOUGHT I had just heard, through one source or another, that he was doing well! As it turns out, it is with a heavy heart we say a very sad good bye to him, and again we pray that a cure for cancer can one day soon be found. There is so much to remember this fine actor by though. Right on top of my list, of course, would be his good looks! And how many of us will always love the movies Dirty Dancing, and Ghost?! How many of us imagined WE were dancing with him, instead of Jennifer Grey?.. Tell the truth!.. or wished that Patrick was spinning pottery with one of us (Be still my heart!), instead of with Demi Moore?!.. Road House was great too! I'm hoping the cable stations will play these, in remembrance.. But my favorite Patrick Swayze movie is "North and South"! In fact I think one of my favorite scenes, that Patrick Swayze has EVER done in ANY movie, is this one, where he gallantly rescues Madeline from the evil Justin LaMotte!...



Well, we had some family movie time come Saturday. I threw together a small set up of snacks and appetizers. I told the kids to leave room because I had still had some Cookie Ice Cream Bowls I wanted to bring out! I have been wanting to try these for a while, and I found the recipe that sounded best to me, right HERE. I found these ceramic ice cream/dessert bowls at a local pharmacy, just recently, on clearance for 10 cents a piece!! Aren't they sweet?!!


Can you believe that?! I was tickled pink, as they were so cute, and just the perfect size for this new recipe I wanted to try! Well, I doubled the recipe, and was glad I did. These little edible chocolate chip cookie bowls were very good, and I'm glad to have some stocked up now, in my freezer!


Well, I'm off to get some work done on an afghan. I like how it's looking so far, and I'd like to get it done, before I move on to making some new Halloween dollies!.. I'm STILL not done getting all my Fall decorations up! So many blogger friends are doing such beautiful jobs of it, and I am such a slow poke! I did finally manage to call a couple of places about apple picking, and they are in fact letting a delighted public in to start filling their baskets and bags! Right now macs and cortlands are available for picking. If we want red-delicious and other varieties, we have to wait another couple weeks or so, but whatever the case, I can't wait to go! It just may have to wait till next weekend or so, though. We have a neighborhood Fall Fair THIS coming weekend, and I don't want to miss it! I'm hoping the weather will be nice that day!

I Remember That Day

..But I believe we are all God's children.. And I believe love will always prevail.. And I pray for peace on Earth.

Fall Decorating.. In Baby Steps!

Well, the calendar says the first day of Fall is coming, and I finally find myself accepting the inevitable. I'll still hope for beautiful warm weather, for as long as we can have it; but no matter what Mother Nature brings, I will remain positive! Fall is a beautiful and wonderful time of year, and I have to admit, I think I'm actually starting to have fun as I gradually bring out my Fall decorations!

Now, you might recall my enthusiasm to crochet some fall colored placemats. I was very happy with those! Next, I made little autumn leaves out of plastic canvas. These were good things! I was feeling a little better!


My next little Fall project was this little crocheted pumpkin! You can find the pattern HERE. I love this pattern, but I did make just a couple of minor changes to it. I decided I wanted mine in two shades of orange, and I crocheted them alternately, every other row, for exactly the number of rows specified in the pattern. When I did the stem, I only made mine one round shorter than what the pattern called for. I then added the the little green ribbon bow, which I thought looked really cute! I gave this to Dear Daughter tonight, after dinner, so that she can put it on her desk at school tomorrow. I was so glad she liked it as much as she did! I'm hoping to make another one now, for my OWN computer desk! The pattern is easy to follow, and works up pretty quickly! Honestly, I'd love to make several, if I can just find the time!

Well, Dear Son is back to school now, while Dear Daughter is now TEACHING school! Talk about two kids being on entirely different sides of the tracks now! Well, it certainly doesn't seem to come between them, and I'd almost wonder if it may make their relationship stronger! I guess time will tell. In the meantime, they both seemed to have had great starts for the new school year. Dear Son hasn't had homework yet, so he's happy, while Dear Daughter will be getting her first paycheck soon, and she is VERY HAPPY! As for me?.. I am looking forward to being happy on Saturday morning, when I can sleep in, as long and as late as I want to!! This sounds heavenly to me!


I still have heard nothing about apple picking yet. It may still be too early, but I will make a couple of phone calls tomorrow to see if the trees, and what kinds of apples, are ready for picking. For now, I'm enjoying the apples from the market well enough! I just recently made an Apple Dip that is delicious! This recipe is a keeper, and you can find it HERE! I think this is great for after school snacks, or for setting out on family movie night! Thanks to Little Birdie Secrets for sharing this! The kids and I LOVE it!

Well it may be in baby steps, but still moving forward to gradually transform my home for Fall, I picked up a few things to go with the things I'm still pulling from out of storage. Here you see a 13" Autumn Leaves serving tray, and some orange soda glasses, both on sale already! The little ceramic salt and pepper pumpkins were NOT on sale, but were very inexpensive! My sister saw them, and loved them, so I picked her up a set, as part of her October birthday gift!


I hope to get more decorating done over the weekend, but we'll see. I really don't feel rushed, and I'd like to get more crocheting done on the afghan I'm working on. Just recently I tested a new granny square for Donna, at SmoothFox Original Crochet Patterns. Here's how mine came out! I have made 4 of these so far, all in baby pink.


You should see the Christmas squares Donna is making now!.. A candy cane, and a Christmas tree! I'd love to try those too!

Next, I did 4 more granny squares, using a pattern called Spring Breeze Afghan Square, by Priscilla Hewitt (c) 2001. I used a burgundy colored yarn for these squares. I'm in the process right now of laying all these squares out to plan an even distribution/flow of pattern and color throughout the afghan. I'm really very happy with how it's coming out so far! Now, as it progresses closer to being finished, I'm trying to decide on a border and/or edging for it.


Well, I'm going to try to head to bed by a more REASONABLE hour tonight, than I did LAST night.. Maybe I won't dread hearing that alarm clock quite so much. That's what I'm hoping anyway!

One more thing.. Tomorrow marks the 8th year since the devastating series of attacks on our country. Including the hijackers, it was estimated that more than 2,985 lives were lost in this one day. It is estimated that 1,609 people lost a spouse, while 3,051 children lost parents.


Please do remember to display your flag in memory of the men, women, and children who lost their lives, or gave their lives to save others, and to honor the heroic emergency workers, policeman, fireman, EMTs, and paramedics who responded to the call. 411 of these brave and tireless servicemen died trying to save others. Never have I EVER seen the unity of EVERY American as I did during this time; and never, in all my life, have I EVER seen so many flags waving! I will NEVER forget! I now have 2 medium sized flags displayed on my front porch, along with the red white and blue windsock I made this year. But for those who may not even have a flag to display?.. Then simply take even a moment to say a prayer, just as I will, for all the people who have lost their loved ones.