To read about Mary Jane's book, follow this link. I currently blog at www.makelifediy.wordpress.com
Thanks!
Renee'

Visiting friends

I know that ya'll haven't heard from me in awhile. I have kinda lost my groove and still trying to get it back. It will happen, I know. It's just gonna happen in its own time. Thankfully, I have wonderful family and friends to support me on my journey back to finding my groove, and I went to visit with some of my friends this week. Did I go alone, you ask? No, no I did not. A couple of weeks ago, my GS spent the night at my and left his Sleep Monkey. Sleep Monkey is a turquoise-y colored sock monkey that I got for him awhile back. Well, Sleep Monkey was so comfy at my house that he decided to stick around for a bit. When I got ready to go on this trip, I asked, "Is Sleep Monkey coming home with you while I'm gone, or is he going with me on my trip?" In case you are wondering, here's the answer....

Sleep Monkey was so excited about going that he sat on the suitcase until it was time to go. He didn't want to put on his seatbelt, but I insisted.

 Sleep Monkey was fascinated that we humans were actually smart enough to figure out how to fly above the clouds. He wanted to know if we could go out and get some so we could spin it into yarn later. Have you ever tried to explain the physics of cabin pressure to a sock monkey? I don't really recommend it. But then I didn't really get his explanation of why they have no fear in swinging from tree to tree.

 Here we are on the ground in Denver,

And here's my pal, crochet designer extraordinaire, who met us at the airport to take us to her house.

 Here he is lounging by Rob and Brenda's lovely water feature, just chillaxin'...

and here he is waiting for the wonderful grilled dinner of steak, red potatoes and green beans. Brenda had prepared a tasty salad to go with everything. Tomorrow I'll post more pictures of Sleep Monkey's travels. Catch ya'll later!

A Tour Through Crochet Country...Day 10!

Welcome, crochet fans, to one of today's stops on Crochetville's "A Tour Through Crochet Country"! Why a blog tour, you ask? (If you don't already know why...well...why don't you know why? Are you crocheting under a rock, or something?) Okay, the reason why is that it is NATCROMO, otherwise known as National Crochet Month. During the tour, Professional and Associate Professional crochet design members of the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) are blogging out crochet love. ALL. MONTH. LONG!!!! What's not to love about that? So, I have been asked to be your co-host on day 10 of the tour, along with my esteemed colleague, Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten. If you haven't hopped on board the tour yet, you really should, because there is swag involved. There will be giveaways, discounts and all other sorts of goodies, including a giveaway on the Crochetville blog, where they are giving away two autographed pattern postcards to winners each day of the tour. These pattern postcards are usually only available in Crochetville's Red Heart booth during the trade shows they attend.
A couple of other important items for NATCROMO: Crochetville is hoping that many of you generous stitchers out there will think about contributing to Project Night Night, whether in the form of monetary donations or hand hooked crochet love. Project Night Night provides blankets for homeless children. Click the link to learn more, won't you? I remember how much my son loved his blankie I crocheted for him as a newborn, well into his toddler years. I can't begin to imagine what a comfort a soft warm blankie would be for a cold child with no home.
Also, if you are a crocheter, and you aren't a member of the CGOA, well why not? Wanna know why you should be a member? Those are all great reasons to join, but for me, the greatest reason has been that being a member of CGOA has connected me with friends all over the WORLD (that's right; not just the USA) who are like-minded; that for the last 5 years or so, I have chosen to spend my vacation with. I call them the "friends who GET me", because they understand  (and share!) my passion for yarn and the fiberarts, especially the art that we call crochet.

Finally, here is what Crochet Renee' is offering in honor of NATCROMO...Above you see my shawl design, Summer Storm, most capably modeled by my friend, perennial conference roomie, Crochetville co-owner and past CGOA President Emeritus, Amy Shelton. Why am I showing it? 1. I love this shawl; it is one of my favorites! 2. Evidently, it is the favorite in my design collection of Crochet Renee' fans, because it has been the top seller. 3. Didn't Amy do a beautiful job modeling for me? 4. And finally, from today until Midnight on Tuesday, March 12th, when you purchase any one Crochet Renee' Pattern from my Ravelry store, you will get the pattern for Summer Storm....FOR FREE!!!! That's right, a two-fer. Buy one pattern for $1.99 and you will receive Summer Storm gratis, for nada, no strings attached. Just enter the code NATCROMO at checkout. But you love the entire collection of shawls, you say? Well, dearie, I am also discounting the entire collection for 10%! Enter the code CrochetRenee at checkout for the e-book. The original price of the book is $19.99, so it's already like buying 10 patterns and getting 2 for free...with the discount it's like buying 9 patterns and getting 3 for free. You're welcome!
I hope you have enjoyed today's stop along Crochetville's "Tour Through Crochet Country". I hope you will continue to follow along for the rest of the month, and please, visit Andrea today as well. Until next time, keep those hands busy and keep stitching!

Corner View- Hands

Today's Corner View theme is "hands".

I have done a lot of things with my hands.

These hands have changed diapers

Wiped tears

Given comfort

Created art

Rendered discipline

Helped with healing

Crocheted and knitted miles of yarn

Held hands with a dying loved one

Stretched miles of barbed wire fence

Held the reins of many a horse

Cooked and baked many meals and treats for a hungry family

 & Prayed

What did my hands do today?

 Today, they made gluten free Pumpkin Maple Scones

They patted the dough into the pie pan, put them into the oven...

Then these hands carried them to my Mother's house, where we shared them for breakfast.

Corner View is a weekly appointment with bloggers all over the world. For more CV's, visit my pal Francesca over at Fuoriborgo.

Corner View-look, don't touch

This week's Corner View theme is "Look, don't touch". In looking through my photos, I found several things that I saw this year...first, a peacock at the zoo.

A wee little frog on the side of my house...

One of the wonderful cave formations in Mystic Caverns

Spring flora (fern fiddleheads and an unidentified flower) on a hike in the Buffalo National Forest.

A holy water fountain in the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico

And the amazing staircase at the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe.

Seems like many of the things that I saw this past year that I could look at but not touch were found during my travels.

For more Corner Views, visit Francesca at Fuoriborgo

Auld lang syne....

First of all, here's a picture of Mom and Wyatt helping me to spread some dried manure on the asparagus bed. On the nicer days we have had so far this winter, we have been trying hard to rehabilitate the garden. Dad was so ill in his final season that we had to let gardening go for more important duties. Dad worked for many years to establish his wonderful asparagus bed; I am determined that we will continue to take good care of it so that we can enjoy the fruits of his labors for many years to come. Mom said one thing we needed to do was gather some manure and put it on so that the winter snows could coax the nourishment down to the roots. Wy found it quite amusing to be picking up poop, as most 4 year old's would.

Here I sit, poised on the brink of a new year. Really, I have never held too much reverence for New Year's. I don't typically go out and party the eve before. Not really my style. But if 2013 will be less stressful, less painful, less aggravating, frustrating and instead be peaceful, and render for me a time of mental clarity and sanity, then I say (as I think my Dad would have said), "So long 2012...don't let the door hit you in the ass!"
2013?
Bring it on.

Corner View- "White"

Today's Corner View theme is "White". So, without much ado, I searched through my photo files to find random shots of different whites...

 This is some Icelandic yarn that I spun from a roving earlier this year from fiber purchased last December at the Arkansas Fiberarts Extravaganza

 This was a baby sweater that I finished for a friend

 Homemade gnocchi

 Whitecaps on the beach at Vilano Beach

 The white (& black) tile I laid in the laundry room

 A beautiful doily spotted in Eureka Springs

 Clouds

 Potatoes, about to be planted

Mom's white roses.
Corner View is a weekly appointment, with bloggers all over the world. For more CV's, visit my pal Francesca over at Fuoriborgo.