Time for Recipe Box Swap!

It's hard to believe nearly a month has gone by since Randi at i have to say launched The Recipe Box Swap . It was a blast to participate in it. I met new blogging friends and stocked my recipe box full of great new recipes.

Randi has decided to theme March's swap as "Money-Saving Recipes". Now who doesn't need those?

If you'd like to join in the March Recipe Box Swap, head on over to Randi's (go on..I'll be here when you get back), and find out what you need to do (it's easy), then figure out between now and Thursday which recipes you'd like to post on your own blog. You know you want to!

Woe is me

I started feeling bad last night, and have been sick all day with the icky crud. I think I'll blame Michelle from my knitting group. She was hacking and sputtering Thursday night. I made the cross sign and kept my distance from her; but in retrospect, I did pay cash for some yarn from her (she has a craft shop downtown), and she did hand me back my change. I'm guessing her sick cooties were on that money, and me without my Purell.

I feel like I'm drowning in drainage, and the coughing is like fire in the wall of my chest. There's nowhere I don't ache, and I have a bad case of the chillls. I had planned to spend at least a few hours today knitting on the Second Oddball Charity blanket. That didn't happen.

My husband, God bless him, is a saint in many ways, but when I get sick he tends to avoid me like the plague. He'll do anything I ask him, but he keeps his distance.

I grew up with a mother who lavished me with TLC whenever I was sick. I, in turn, did the same with my kids. I don't think Hubby had that kind of attention as a child. In fact, I know he didn't. :-( His mother loved him, but having grown up without a mother herself, she didn't really know how to show affection. He has taught himself to be affectionate, but it isn't instinctive in him to pat a sick one's arm, or to stroke or caress their forehead. He thinks in terms of practicality, what 'thing' he can bring you, then hastily makes his exit from the room.

In other words, no real TLC going on here. In other, other words.........

I WANT MY MOMMY!

To his credit, he did come in the room a few minutes ago and layed hands on me and prayed for me, and the man does know how to pray. I know God hears our prayers, and I fully expect to feel better by tomorrow. Maybe then there will be knitting and pictures.

Leyna & Duck

Leyna's by far the most playful dog we've ever owned. She has so many toys scattered around our house, anyone entering in would think there's a toddler living here. She needs her play time (I can relate). I think that's probably typical of Min Pins. She plays hard, then she crashes and naps hard.

Though she likes to play with all her toys, Duck seems to be her favorite. 'Duck' is not one of her so-called dog toys, but rather a cheap, stuffed toy from the dollar store, that cost..well..a dollar.

Leyna's favorite thing in the world (aside from dog treats) is to get someone in the house to play tug-of-war with her and Duck. Amazingly enough, Duck has survived, unscathed, many hours of being stretched from limb to limb and end to end. Rabbit, another dollar store variety, didn't fare so well. Let's offer up a moment of silence for Rabbit.......

I do hope Duck doesn't face a similar fate as Rabbit, or I fear we'll be searching dollar stores high and low for a Duck look-alike; and I have a hunch that ducks who can keep their head while being thrashed about and tossed around are hard to find. I know alot of people who cannot.

Have a blessed weekend, and if you see a duck, or person, in distress, offer them a hug.

Be careful for nothing (fret not); but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil. 4:6

Easter Fun Knits

I thought I'd share a few free knit patterns I've come across of fun things to knit for Easter time. They all appear to be simple and quick knits.

Zakka Life has posted a darling Bunny Egg Cozy pattern. Grab your size 3 needles, some pastel cotton yarn and head on over there! While you're at it, take a look around. She is one crafty gal!

I also ran across this Chick Egg Cozy pattern that's adorable.

These Easter Peeps are just about the cutest thing I've seen.

Do the kids keep eating up your Cadbury Eggs? Hide your's under these adorable Easter Chick Cadbury Egg Covers .

Don't want the mess of dyed eggs? Or maybe the thought of discovering hidden easter eggs in the back of your kids' closet in July is a scary thought. Try these handknit Easter eggs, instead.

Last, but not least, is an adorable knitted bunny pattern. You do have to register with HeartStrings FiberArts while you're there, but it's free. She has some great purchasable patterns, too, by the way.

I knit one of Zakka's bunny cozy's today, but I still need to embroider the face. I did embroider it a face, but it looked so wonky that I picked it out. I'll redo it when I have natural daylight so I can better see what I'm doing (and yes, an OTT-LITE is on my wishlist!).

My faceless Bunny Egg Cozy

Though I find joy in bunnies and colored eggs, I do not confuse those man made traditions with the real meaning behind Resurrection Sunday, or what the world commonly refers to as Easter Sunday. It marks the time when Jesus died on the cross, and rose again from the dead. He made the greatest sacrifice known to man, an ultimate act of love, in laying down His very life in exchange for the sins of mankind. That is a truth to think upon every day. Hallelujah!

Morning Glory

Morning Glory's are my favorite flower. This picture was taken last summer. It's a spot along the fence in my backyard, which is just one of the places I grow Morning Glory's each year. Few things bring me as much satisfaction as stepping outside on summer mornings, a cup of hot coffee in my hands, and strolling through the yard greeting my herbs and flowers.

This is that same spot on the fence as above, from a different angle. This was taken a few days ago. I know. I should be embarrassed to reveal the sad state of neglect in my yard. Once the weather turns cold and the flowers are no more, I lose all motivation to spend time piddling in the yard. Clearly.

A little elbow grease, some warmer days (and sunshine), and I'll soon be seeing these beauties again. Heavenly Blue's are my favorite Morning Glory's. I do plant other varieties of MG's, and I do plant other flowering plants, but these babies are my favorite.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.~Isaiah 40:8 (New King James)

Charity Knitting

It was another exciting day at the mailbox. I've been signed up for nearly a year to participate in a charity knitalong at the Knitting Help website. Shandey over there is the mastermind and organizer extraordinaire of a number of charitable knitalongs, from preemie and full size blankets to lapghans. She's dubbed them 'Oddball'. It's been so long since they began that I've forgotten the reason behind the name, but I'm guessing it's because of the variety of yarn, stitch patterns, and knitters involved in each project.

She begins each blanket by putting it on circular needles and knitting three inches, then sends it on to the first person on the list of those signed up to participate. Included with it is a journal for each person participating to write an entry. Plus, there is usually a few little goodies in the box for the next person receiving it, from the last person who had it. It's a fun way to be involved in something which will ultimately truly bless someone (the blanket's recipient).

This blanket is dubbed Oddball Blanket #2. I took this picture right after removing it from the box. The last knitter to work on it was Traci, aka~Paper Girl at Knitting Help. She knit the natural tan looking color above the pinkish rose at the top. According to her journal entry it is Wool-Ease Wheat. I have never seen this particular Wool-Ease color, but I'll be on the hunt for it now. You can't really tell by this picture, but it is a beautiful yarn!

Sadly, while the blanket was in Traci's care, her husband's mother took ill and died. :-( Her husband asked her to write about his mom in the journal. I hope she (and he) won't mind me quoting it here:

"She would have been proud of all the people taking part in this blanket. As a teacher, she knew what comfort one could get from something as simple as a blanket".

I'm sending a big cyberhug out to Traci and her husband.

If you click on the top picture, you can see a better close-up the yarn Traci used, and the goodies she sent to me in the box with the blanket (there are a few less chocolates...ahem... now than there were in the picture).

I'm so looking forward to sitting down tonight and reading through the journal entries of the previous knitters. Many included postcards from their hometowns. The journal will make a memorable accompaniment with the blanket to the person who ends up receiving it as a gift. I plan to take the blanket to my knitting group later this week to share the love there.

If you've never done charity knitting or crocheting or sewing or whatever your craft may be, I urge you to find a need, and do your part to help meet it. I promise, you'll be as greatly blessed as the one who receives what you make.

The Blessings of Friendship

Isn't that just the sweetest little thing? It's a Lenox porcelain figurine of a Marsh Wren. My sweet, sweet friend, Sharon, of Trees Planted by the Water surprised me with it in the mail this week. She knows of my love of birds and felt moved to buy me this. She couldn't know of my particular affinity for Wrens. They're such tiny little birds, so cute and curious. I literally squealed with delight when I opened the package!

I've known Sharon for roughly ten years now, having met over at the Homeschooler's Swap message board forum, back when I was still homeschooling my (now grown) daughter. Sharon was moderating their prayer & praise forum at the time. I quickly realized this is a woman who knows how to pray the Word of God. When you find someone like that, you latch on to them!

Many is the time that I've been going through a particular struggle, when out of the blue, Sharon would call and start praying over me. She wouldn't be privy to whatever issue I was dealing with when she called, but she does listen to the Holy Spirit.

I learned alot from Sharon. I'm still learning from her. I'm still being blessed by her.

As I was trying to decide where to sit my little Marsh Wren, I realized I have three birds given to me by Swappies (what we call ourselves over at the Homeschooler's Swap ). The little Robin on the left was given to me in an Elephant Swap we had over there one year, by Momma Said . It used to be attached to a flower vase which I broke :-( The pretty blue bird on the right was also given to me in an Elephant Swap by my dear friend, Amy, of A Redeemed Sheep . It would seem that all who get to know me, discover my love of birds. ;-)

I hope you all have a good week. If you think of it, throw out some seed or bread crumbs for the birds. Then take the time to watch them awhile. God does.

.....and yet not one of the birds falls to the earth without your Father knowing it.

~Matthew 10:29b (New Life Version)

Knitting Knews

I haven't gotten much knitting done lately. I've been busy converting my daughter's bedroom into an office. She left home three years ago this past December, so I guess it's safe to assume she's not coming back, other than for visits, of course.

I have finished a couple of scarfs. The fuzzy looking one is made out of a novelty yarn I had in my stash from back during the novelty yarn craze (which is what drew me into learning to knit). This yarn, when knit up, is incredibly soft. Soft and squishy!

The yarn is Bernat Frenzy. It's knit in plain garter stitch (knit every row). I can't remember the needle size I used, but probably the recommended size on the label for this yarn.

This is the yarn I bought in the half-price room at the Woolie Ewe, that I posted about last week. I'm making it for my daughter. I've knit two skeins so far, and want to add on one more, so it will be nice and long. It's knit in a simple 2x2 rib. She's a cold blooded girl (meaning she gets cold easily-not that she's heartless!) living in a very cold climate right now, in Minneapolis.

I knit her a thick scarf when she was living in Germany for the past three years. She asked me a few months ago if I'd knit her another one. Poor child. Her mamma's such a slow knitter. She looks cold, doesn't she? I better go finish that scarf before spring gets here!

For the record, this picture is from last spring when she was still living in Germany. If it were taken outdoors now, she'd be surrounded in snow, and bundled up to the point that only her face would be showing. It's coooold up that way.

I won, I won!

Remember the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival: Winter '08 Edition put on by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer? Nearly 900 blogs participated, giving away gifts to winning commentors on their blogs. I visited a couple dozen of those blogs, leaving comments on a few. I was the lucky winner over at MOMMY SWEET MOM's. Yea!!! I won a $10 Starbucks gift card (drool), and a $15 I-Tunes gift card. How cool is that?

Granted, I'm about 2 1/2 weeks late in posting about my winnings, but I assure you, I did thank Jen, who's contest I won, in a timely manner. If you've not read Jen's blog, please do check it out. She's delightful! :-)

I believe the contest takes place every quarter, open to bloggers who wish to give away a gift/gifts of their choice. I plan on particating next quarter. Paying it forward, you know?

The weekend's nearly here. Be blessed coming in, and be blessed going out!

Have a Heart

I feel like a blog cheater, or would that be a cheating blogger? When I don't have the time, or patience, to corral the ricocheting thoughts bouncing around in my head and assemble them into some semblance of order, I go looking for a video which will hopefully express what I'm feeling at the time. This is one of those times.

For some time now, my prayer to God has been to let me see through His eyes of compassion, to hear the pain in the voices of those who are hurting, to feel and be moved by that which moves His heart.

My friend, Sharon, shared this week about how people are so busy praying their needs will be met, that they're failing to pray for the most important thing, souls! That really struck a chord in me. I've spent a half century trying to get my needs met. I've spent a miniscule fraction of that time, not even worthy of registering on a pie chart, praying for lost souls.

How many brokenhearted people have I walked past without so much as a glance. Lord, don't let me miss another one. Let me never again judge someone based on their clothes or appearance or their beliefs. Let me truly feel what your heart feels for lost souls. Let my heart break for that which breaks your heart.