Aprons

I took an apron making class at the LQS and now I am hooked! This is the first apron I made. It is reversible and the straps criss cross so you just slip it over your head--no tying required. I wore this as a "hostess apron" during the cookie exchange I had here. I plan to make another one for regular use, but will make it narrower.

I made 7 aprons for Christmas gifts this year. Unfortunately I mailed several of them off before getting pictures (I was in a time crunch). This apron was made for Kelly's
birthday (Dec. 15--what a time to have a "baby"--she is almost 40). The main part is a dish towel
with added ties and a pocket. These are so much fun to make. I used this pattern 4 more times!

The one with the snowmen was made for JoAnne. It is not a "dishtowel" apron and is reversible. It was made from a panel. I added the reversible fabric so it would fit better.

The one with the "cherries" on the pocket was made for

Barb and the last one was made for Tiffanie. I made 2 others. One was a dishtowel one and the other was a reversible one made for Roberta. We taught together, so I made her one with Dick and Jane fabric. She was a kindergarten teacher. I sure wish I took a picture before mailing it off to Missouri!

Thanksgiving morning

It's time to play catch up with all I have been doing. First, this is what greeted us on Thanksgiving morning!! Our first real snowfall of the season. It was very gorgeous, but of all times to come. Keith had decided to grill our turkey on our Weber grill!! I had prepared the rub and the turkey was waiting to be put on the grill. So we did proceed as planned after shoveling off some of the snow.

We had a wonderful dinner with our 2 next door neighbors plus a family of 3 who are good friends. She was in a car accident just before Thanksgiving and spent a10 days in the hospital. So they joined us for dinner (they live close by and are used to the snow so the drive was not a problem for them.

The turkey was so moist and tender! This is now our preferred way to cook a turkey. We "learned" how to do it from our son-in-law--thanks Craig!!

October was a busy month for baby blankets!

This blanket was made for Willamina, a new baby at church. It is very soft and cushy (not sure if that is a word or not). I am working on baby blankets for triplets that were born to my dear friend's daughter in St. Louis. I've know the mom since she was 3--she grew up with our kids. I will post pictures when they are finished (the boy one is done, just have to do the 2 girl ones).

I am also working on baby hats to sell at a craft show on Nov. 10. The main things I will be selling are my novelty pillowcases. I made 22 this week, which were added to my other 11. We are leaving for Orlando early tomorrow morning (wedding on Sunday, then a week to "play.) so I won't have a whole lot of time to sew when I get back.....

Exchange package

I received this wonderful exchange package from Jean in Ontario, Canada. It took awhile to get here and then even longer for the post office to tell me I had to go and sign for it! She made the beautiful doily in the center. She loves doilies, and I do also, but I don't make them. Thread crocheting drives me bonkers. The basket design is gorgeous. I am imagining fruit in it for fall! The pot holder/hot pad is wonderful. My picture doesn't show the details too well, but it is crocheted out of cotton in a varigated pastel print. The small white "thing" is really a tiny angel (not attached, just placed there) that I will save for my Christmas tree. The other 2 items are candles. One is a miniature ice cream sundae that smells delicious. The other one is purple and has pictures of some kind of melon on it.

Jean sure did a great job of spoiling me. Thanks so much from across the border!

Dick and Jane Purse

I found this wonderful Dick and Jane fabric at the quilt shop and decided to make a small purse for myself. In my first attempt I cut the blue fabric the wrong way, so I had to go get more fabric--WRONG! The shop was out of it. I tried 2 more places with no luck. Then I even tried some quilt shops in St. Louis, with no luck either. When I got home I even tried to find the print online and came up empty handed there also. I was beginning to feel that it wasn't meant to be. Then last week I went to a quilt show at a local church where they had some awesome quilts on display. There were some vendors there and I found the fabric!! The vendor was from the other side of Michigan. I was elated.
Having taught first graders to read for many years I really wanted this print. There were other options in the Dick and Jane line, but this is my favorite.
The front of the purse has a zipper with an inside large pocket. The back of the purse just has a large pocket. This is the perfect purse for carrying to craft shows, the farmer's market and any other place where I like to have my hands free.

New baby blanket

This is the newest baby blanket I finished for baby Willamina, born a few weeks ago. I used Caron's Simply
Soft, double stranded, in soft pink and a size N hook. I found the pattern here:
http://crochetpatterncentral.com/patterns/bubbles_baby_blanket.php . It worked up
very fast and is soft and cushy.

Blanket for Mckenzie

This baby blanket was made for Mckenzie, born October 1.

I used Dazzelaire yarn which is no longer available. In fact, I had to hunt some down on eBay just so I could finish the blanket. I love the feel of the yarn--so soft--i wish they still made it.

St. Louis

I spent 4 days (and 5 nights) in St. Louis where I got to spend some time with 4 of our 5 grandkids. It was lots of fun. The cousins don't get to see each other very often because 3 live in St. Louis, and 4 live in Boise, Idaho! I hope they remember each other, even if it is from pictures.

Siblings--why couldn't they get along this well while living in the same house!!

A trip to St. Louis would not be complete without a trip to Ted Drewes for frozen custard, and their famous concretes. We had just enough time before heading to the airport to make a quick stop. Cory slept through the whole thing!!

This is a view of the side of the building--the front is where the lines are. Business was brisk because it was in the 90s and it was October 7!!

Ghost dishcloth

I made this for my friend "Ghost" and gave it to her when we met for lunch. It was a beautiful day so we ate outside and then sat and talked and crocheted and talked. Great way to spend time!!

Hats for Lil' Troopers

These are the hats I sent to Lil' Troopers for military babies. I did another pumpkin hat, but forgot to include it in the picture. There will be 250 babies born at the military hopsital every month for the next few months--a mini baby boom! I will be making Christmas hats next.