A Squatter

Look who's taken over one our birdhouses. That opening was considerably smaller. He's busily gnawing away at it.

This is where you're supposed to live, little guy, in the trees!

And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

~Genesis 7:15 King James

Knitting, Yarn, & Feathers

Preemie Spiral Hat

I loved knitting this little hat. I used Lion Brand Microspun. I seem to have a ton of it in my stash, for some reason. The free pattern is Tracy's at Wool Windings. She has a couple of other free preemie hat patterns on her site, too. Mine looks a little wonky in the center of the band. I'm not terribly concerned, but I do wish I'd noticed it and at least turned it around a little for the picture.

Isn't this pretty yarn? I bought it when were were on vacation in Pagosa Springs, Colorado a couple of summers ago. I only bought one skein and just haven't yet been able to decide on a project for it. It is a big skein, though, at 100 grams. It's soft like buttuh!

This is a baby sparrow I rescued last summer. I've rescued several baby birds in my yard, and in my neighbor's yards over the years. I've seen a lot of bird courting going on in the neighborhood lately. It won't be long until the baby birds will abound.

Our neighborhood, with it's fair share of cats, isn't the safest place for fledgelings. Whenever possible, I'll return the babies to their nest. If that's not possible, but the mother is nearby, I rig up a 'faux nest', and have Hubby climb a ladder and place it in one of our trees, making sure Mamma Bird is nearby and watching. I've done this a few times, and it's always worked. The little bird's mom will tend to her baby in the makeshift nest. I've used small, square Priority Mail boxes (shhh...don't tell the USPS), small wicker baskets, and mushroom baskets.

My nails look hideous in this picture. I guess I was too busy playing mommy to orphaned fowls to take time for a manicure. My hands aren't as dirty as they look. I was feeding the little fella some moistened (dry) cat food that I'd soaked in water until it was spongy. If you ever find a baby bird, never pour water in it's mouth. They have little tubes coming up from their lungs (or is it a tube...?). If you pour water in the bird's mouth, you could drown it, and you don't want that!

If you find a baby bird in your yard, and the mother doesn't seem to be around, call your local park ranger and ask them if there is a certified wildlife rehabilitator in your area. If you live in or near a sizeable town or city, check the internet to see if there's a listing of rehabbers in your area. For that matter, check even if you don't live in a big city. There still might be one listed in your area.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

~Matthew 6:25-26 King James

Browse Your Recipes!

A quick reminder to those who participate, Randi's Recipe Box Swap is this Thursday, and the theme this month is Cookies & Bars. Those with blogs are invited to participate, and those without blogs are invited to look at all the recipes and find happy new blogs to read!

Aging Dog, Old Cat, & Excuses

I feel like a bad blogger. It's been a busy week, and blogging got pushed to the bottom of a "to do" list which never got done. My daughter left alot of clothing behind when she moved. Some, I donated to our local Salvation Army, and some, I've been listing on eBay this week. I have a storage bin full of cross stitch paraphernalia I've been meaning to list for some time now, since I no longer do cross stitch. I barely scratched the surface of that pile, but I at least got started.

I love the privilege of selling no longer needed items on eBay, but it is so time consuming! I'm sure if I did it more, it would become quicker for me. Writing out the listings, taking pics and loading them, packaging and weighing the items, then calculating postage all takes so long!

Added to the eBaying, I had my mom and her husband here visiting for the last few days. That meant shopping for supplies, and cooking ALOT. All that extra cooking required all that extra cleaning. I don't cook as often when it's just Hubby and I. My mom offers to help, but she feels bad most of the time and I know it's hard on her to be on her feet for long. She had surgery on her neck and spine two years ago, and it's been a long and painful recovery for her.

Last night was their last night here. As it was a cool evening, Hubby lit up the Chiminea and we all sat outside by the fire for a couple of hours, talking about old times, old movies, old movie stars, the Lord, and whatever else came to mind. It was a nice evening.

I also managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of knitting during the last week, but I don't have any FO's to show for it. Soon...really!

This week should be easier as I have less commitments. I just finished the heel flap on each sock of the Magic Stripe pair I'm knitting. I'm nearly through with this preemie hat at Wool Windings. It's a quick knit if I had just had the time to sit down long enough to finish it.

One of my readers accused me of favoritism pointed out to me that I am always showing pics of Leyna, my Min Pin, but never mention my aging dog and old cat. So, MSM, to prove they exist and that I do love them enough to take their pictures, I present to you...

Aging Dog~aka~BooBoo

and

Old Cat~aka~Puddy

BooBoo~aka~Mommy's Iddle BooBoo (is there an 'aka' useage limit on Blogger?)

BooBoo (& now deceased Sally's hiney in left corner)

Puddy Tat (betcha wish your pets had such creative names)

Puddy in the Kitty Pi felted bed I made her, which Leyna claimed as her own.

Red Letter Day at the Mailbox!

What's this? A package with a customs label on it? I have a hunch I know who the sender is. I recently participated in a swap at the homeschooling site I frequent. This was a particularly fun swap. We were to send a bookmark and a surprise to the person who's name we drew.

I love surprises!

Since most everyone had already received their packages, including the person who's name I drew, I was beginning to suspect my gift was traveling across the pond, hence a lengthier journey for it than most.

Sure enough, I was right. The bag of goodies is from Liz, my longtime online aquaintance from the Swap. Liz once called and left a message on my answering machine. She has the most delightful sing-song veddy British accent. She's bubbly and her voice made me think of sunshine. She's a sweetheart through and through, and I'm not just saying that because she sent me a package full of neat surprises!

Liz, if you're reading this, I can't wait to shower and try out the microfiber mitt & cloth! I've hidden away the colorful stick-it notes so Hubby doesn't use them all. I LOVE the scripture bookmark and pen!!! I'll carry it with me to take sermon notes on Sundays, and will think of you each time I pull it out of my purse.

The soft and squishy computer screen cleaning doll is just adorable. I've never seen those before. Trust me, he's going to earn his keep around here. Last, but not least, your poem disguised as a packing slip did indeed bring tears to my eyes (hence the inclusion of tissues) from laughter! Thanks, Liz, you are a doll!

Fiddly Sticks (and String)

I haven't thought of myself as a 'sock knitter'. Yes, I have knit a few pairs of baby socks, but I've never knit a pair of socks for myself. I've never knit a pair of grown up socks, pair being the operative word here. I have a few single socks living a life of solitude in a drawer, never having got to meet their mate. Sad, yes?

The thing is, I don't knit a very good sock. I do okay. I follow the directions and am able to construct the sock okay. I'm not satisfied with okay. It's that blasted little gusset hole which always shows up, no matter how many tricks I've read about and tried, that keeps my socks from looking good. In fact, the one in the picture below doesn't even muster okay. When this happens, I get aggravated, feel defeated, and lose the heart to make another one to create a pair.

Granted, this is the worst case I have to show you, but I wanted to show the worst to exxagerate my point. I'm doing all the right things, according to what I've read, but this, in maybe a less exxagerated form, keeps happening with each sock I knit.

Being the discouraged perfectionist that I am (a perfectionist who lacks the energy or perserverance to do a perfect job, so they don't do the job at all), I had pretty much given up on sock knitting. That's a hard resolve to keep when every knitter in blogdom is showing their lovely, latest pair of handknit socks. I want to be one of them, the knitting blogger who can show off her lovely handknit socks!

I've decided part of my problem is that I don't see myself being a good sock knitter. I'm not talking new agey mumbo gumbo hype. I'm not talking about the Secret, at least not the one Oprah pushes (sorry, Oprah fans, but I just don't buy into that garbage).

You are snared with the words of your lips....

Proverbs 6:2 a Amplified Bible

I have decided the only thing between me and a well knit pair of socks is practice, possibly lots and lots of it. I'm going to keep trying until I get it right!

I scored the Magic Stripe yarn at our local Big Lots. Apparently, Lion Brand has discontinued that line of yarn, so I was able to buy 4 skeins of it for $1.50 per skein. For that price, I can afford to use it for sock practice. I have a few skeins of nice sock yarn on hand, but I've held off using it, not wanting to waste it until I perfect the craft.

This time, I decided to knit two socks at once; no, not the two socks on circulars method, but two separate socks on separate sets of double pointed needles being knit at the same time...well, not exactly the same time, but you know what I mean. I finished the cuff and leg part of the first sock (these are going to be shorties), then began that part on a separate sock using a separate skein of yarn. When I've finished the cuff and leg on it, I'll knit the heel on each one, and so on.

The glaring mistake I made, which you can see in the picture at the top of the post, is not starting in the same place in the color pattern of the second skein. Hence, my socks will not match. I've decided rather than frogging it (ripping it out, for my non-knitterly friends), I'll leave it, though. I think I'll like the funkiness of it.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a pic of Leyna, snuggled in her favorite blankie.

Oh, and feel free to offer suggestions for my gusset hole problem in the comment sections. I'm open to whatever you've got! :-)

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

~Col. 4:6

Tragedies of April 19th

April 19, 1995-The Alfred P. Murrah federal building of Oklahoma City, OK, was bombed. 168 people, many of whom were children, lost their lives that day.

April 19, 1993-The Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, was destroyed by fire following a 51 day siege by the FBI. 76 people died that day, again, many children among them.

April 19, 1985 -My young husband, my children's father, died suddenly and tragically that day. Our lives were changed forever.

The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.

~Psalm 28:7 Amplified Bible

Sitting Pretty

Cedar Waxwing

I snapped this picture a week or so ago as Hubby and I were leaving to go out one evening. It was dusk, so the light was poor, though I did edit it in Picasa. This fellow was not alone. There was a flock of at least two dozen of these beautiful birds in one of our trees.

Isn't it funny how the birds you rarely see are those which excite you so? I remember a friend who lived in another state once telling me how excited she was to see a Redbird (Cardinal) at her feeder. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Redbirds, but they are commonplace in my yard year 'round. Though the appreciation is there, the thrill is gone.

I went to my weekly knitting group tonight. I've been going off and on for a couple of years now. I wish I could go every week, as it's so nice to sit and knit with others who love it like I do. Tonight, they helped me over a snag I'd hit in understanding the instructions of a pattern I wanted to knit. The ladies in this group are such neat women. I'm always a little sad when I realize it's time to go.

I guess part of the thrill of going to knitting group is the no-guilt knitting. When I'm home and knitting, there's always this nagging voice in the back of my head saying things like "don't you think you should be doing laundry?", or "the kitchen floor won't mop itself, you know". I've even heard "you lazy heifer, put those needles down and clean the toilet!". Man, I wish she'd put a sock in it!

Some of you non-knitters left comments that you'd like me to post a picture of my new stitchmarkers (from Ponyknit ) in use, to understand their function.

This close-up picture really shows off the pretty little square beads. As I'm knitting this baby hat, I need to gradually decrease the number of stitches on each round of knitting so it will get smaller as I go toward the top. My instructions tell me to make a decrease right before each stitchmarker. When I get to the last two stitches before each marker, I knit two stitches together, thus making a decrease. So, as you can see, they serve a nifty little function, plus they're plum purty!

So, are you non-knitters ready to try knitting yet? ;-)

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.

~Hebrews 1:10

Primitive Things

Miss Estelle

Several years ago, my mom and I got into making primitive dolls. We didn't have to buy much to get started in our little venture. My mom had previously worked in a fabric store where she'd spent her entire week's paycheck on fabric each week. We had quite a stockpile of it left at our disposal.

We more or less worked in an assembly line style. We'd prepare enough fabric for several dolls bodies at one time, tea staining muslin for the bodies, as well as whatever fabric we used for their clothing. Next, we'd cut out the bodies, arms, and legs. Though we had some patterns, we mostly drew the body part templates freehand. There was no need for perfection! After that, we'd sew them, leaving openings for stuffing, then we'd stuff them.

The assembling part was all rather dull. The work got interesting when we'd begin choosing their clothing. They really came alive when we hand stitched on their faces. Each doll seemed to take on it's own personality. Some seemed exuberantly happy. Some appeared shy. Some looked worn out and old. We never had a preconceived idea of how any doll was going to look before we began stitching it. All had a uniqueness that appealed to us.

When making primitive dolls, the idea is for the doll and her clothing to look as if she's been around for a long time, and received alot of love in that time. They conjure up images of a time when life was simpler, but much harder. Dolls didn't come off the shelf of a mass market discount store. They were crafted lovingly by a mother's hands from the scraps she could spare from her sewing basket. The little girls themselves even made their own dolls.

I liken sewing primitive dolls to felting, in knitting. You don't need great skills to do either. When you knit something and felt it, the felting hides any flaws you may have had in your knitting. By the same token, making primitive dolls doesn't require great sewing skills. That's a good thing, since I don't possess them. ;-)

We had alot of fun making those dolls, and we sold several on eBay, as well as some to friends. After awhile, my dad began to have health problems; plus I was having an awful time with carpal tunnel syndrome. Our doll making fell by the wayside. My dad has since died; and my mom has remarried and movied three hours away from here. I've since had surgery for my CTS, but dollmaking isn't the same without my mom working beside me.

Miss Estelle is the only doll I have made by myself. We'd sold the ones we made together. I decided to keep her as a token remembrance of the fun days my mom and I had, as well as the memory of my dad being there in the background, often offering to go get us a bite to eat, or scrounging us up some old rusty wire from the garage (a staple in primitives). Simple everyday moments that aren't appreciated at the time as being anything extraordinary, and yet when they are no longer within reach, save in your memory, seem grandoise.

Though I love reading stories of the life of Pioneers, I wouldn't want to go back and live in that time. I'm pretty spoiled to my modern conveniences. It is a romantic notion, though, and I do like to dream up stories of what life must have been like in the home where Miss Estelle first began her journey.

Goodies in the Mail

Aren't these pretty? For my non-knitting friends, they're stitchmarkers. You slip one over your knitting needle as a marker after a you knit a certain number of stitches, but I'm guessing you probably could figure that part out on your own.

These were handmade and sent to me by Ponyknit at if Ponies could knit. She was holding a contest to give away Malabrigo yarn. I didn't win the yarn, but I did win the stitchmarkers. Don't you love it when bloggers have runner-up prizes?

This is my very first set of stitchmarkers, other than the simple plastic o-rings I've bought inWal-Mart's craft department. Should I accidentally drop one of these on the floor, as I have a tendency to do with stitchmarkers, these will be a lot easier to see than those flimsy little plastic rings. I guess you can tell I'm proud of my prize.

Thank you, Ponyknit, you made my day! :-)

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

~I Corinthians 13:4 Amplified Bible