More wall progress...

Slowly, but surely...

Soap dish-check!
One corner shelf-check!

Derailed! Tile project takes precedence.

As you know, I intended to craft and photograph and share with you over my break.  I have crafted somewhat.  But we had a home repair usurp the relaxation plan.  I'm sure you've encountered the same from time to time.

So I will share some pictures from that 'creative' project that is still underway and probably will be for awhile.  My husband has spent his vacation doing it, instead of relaxing and blogging and working on his booth at the antique mall.  What a guy!  I'm so grateful to him.  He has, over the years, saved us SO much money by being both handy and willing to do things himself.  I appreciate and love him so much for the way he takes care of our family and our home.

Here are some 'before' shots:

I am the clean-up crew and sometime assistant tile and spacer hander.

Old tile we thought we might re-use in the other shower when we re-do it. 
BUT, after 2 hours of cleaning off the back and only getting 14 tiles cleaned, we gave up.  New tile will only cost around $100, and it isn't worth the hand and back damage.
 

Old wallpaper.  Interesting!  (Yes, I decided to re-do the walls, since tiling a shower isn't a big enough project!  Nuts!!!)

Number 2 Son karate chopped the old sheetrock out.  Boy heaven, permissive destruction!

New plumbing!  While we were at it...

New tile design.

This is my WONDERFUL husband who always figures out how to do amazing things we need done by reading books.  Librarian by trade, home repairman extraordinaire. 

 I am WAY impressed with my Man!

 More to come on this...

I promise I WILL get my crochet projects photographed sometime soon.  God willing!!!
So, stay tuned...

Crafty Time is Almost Here!

Hello Cyber Friends! 

I have been busily working away on the home front over the past month trying to finish the semester strong.  School is progressing as smoothly as it can, and we have today and tomorrow before we are finished for the Christmas season.  During our 3 weeks off, I intend to craft and prepare Christmas presents as well as get a few projects done on the home front.  Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in some time to photograph said craft and misc. projects to share with you.  I also fondly hope I will have time to work on my songwriting.

So, here's to hoping...

Lezlie

Leaving a Legacy

I attended a women's event at our church this morning with my sweet mother-in-law, Kay and my youngest sister-in-law, Amanda, and my good friend, Katie.  Many of my church friends and their family members were there as well.

Our speaker was a family member of our event organizer, Holly.  The speaker showed us her prayer journal and talked about how to get organized in your prayer life to life up people more frequently and to be more effective in prayer.  She also said she saves past prayer sheets to hand down to her children so they can see how she prayed for them through different life stages.  A legacy of prayer!

I want to become a prayer warrior.  But somehow the busyness of life gets in the way.  I get up early most mornings to spend time with Jesus, but often my thoughts wander in meaningless voids. 

The speaker, Debbie, shared about praying out loud as a technique for focusing thoughts and keeping away from rabbit trails.  She had an organized prayer notebook, splitting different people groups among the days of the week as a technique for making time for prayer for all those who need it.  She even puts pictures of those she prayers for regularly by their prayer requests to bring them more personally to mind during her prayer time. 

I loved it, but the thought of accomplishing all that is, to be honest, a little overwhelming.  So now I will take what I learned and pray over how God wants me to use some of it in my time with Him.  Debbie encouraged us not to make it a taskmaster over us, but a tool to help us.

Balance.  

Funny how so many things in life 

come back to this one word for me.

The speaker also talked about writing in a journal to the Lord.  She says she writes out all her thoughts, feelings, and current life events.  But she only does it once a week.  I thought that was a good goal.  When I think I have to do that everyday, again, I get overwhelmed.  Debbie says she plans for her journals to go to her children some day so that they can know her and her heart when she's gone.  A legacy of transparency!

Finally, we were encouraged to write down memories of special things our children say and do to enjoy as we get older and need help remembering.  I'm sure the children would enjoy reading those as well.  A legacy of memories!

I hope I will successfully leave these legacies myself.

I want to grow in my spiritual life.  I'm always trying to do whatever I can to stay close to Jesus.  So maybe I will pick up a nugget to use from today.  In any case, it was a good time, full of laughter and a few tears.  Women sharing together always have to have elements of both.

Current Thread Crochet Projects

I haven't had time to blog much lately.  But I have been working on crocheting, though not as avidly as usual.  My shoulders and neck have been stiff, and the chiropractor thinks crocheting and being on the computer are contributing factors.  So I have pared down, and most of the work I'm showing here today has been worked other than the past couple of weeks.  When things settle down, I'm sure I'll get back to crocheting/blogging more regularly, although not for long blocks of time.  I get started crocheting, and the 'just 1 more row' syndrome kicks in.  And we all know how the computer sucks us in to a time void.  Well, I guess my middle-aged body is rebelling at my overdoing tendencies.  So I must learn to work smarter.

That is probably more than you wanted to know, so I will get on with the crochet.

This doily I have shown before, but I had to re-block it after washing.  So I thought it would be good to show it again with the other things I'm working on.

I crocheted this for my husband originally, so I thought it fitting for him to take it to his booth at the flea market to cover some shelving flaws.

I'm trying this black doily due to my friend Vikki over at ByHooks4U.  I loved hers, so...

These little motifs are due to 2 of my favorite crocheters.  Again, Vikki, because she had the motif book I was asking about a while back in duplicate and was kind enough to sell her extra to me.  And my mother, who is always on the look out for ways to bless me.  When she visited for the 16 year old's birthday, she brought me a bag of goodies filled with thin crochet threads and ribbons.  Woohoo!

There is not much of each color of thread, so I decided that these balls were PERFECT to try out with my new book, 101 Motifs for Thread Crochet.

Thanks Vikki and Mom!!!

Last but not least, I made a Santa hat and beard for my 14 year old's Halloween costume per his instructions and have sewn stripes onto karate belts.

A crafter's work is never done!

New Venture

My husband just opened a booth at a local flea market.  This weekend has been full of him researching prices and labeling items.  We took some stuff over to get started yesterday.  I washed some old glasses for my contribution.  While he's been doing most of the work on that, I've still been doing the usual shopping, cooking, grading papers, sewing, and baking of my job.

He's been wanting to do something like this for years.  I pray it is a successful venture for him.  I know it will be fun.  His dad is an antique dealer (www.woodenheartantiques.com).  So he grew up going to flea markets, auctions, etc.  He loves to 'collect' and to buy unusual things.  Now he will have an outlet, and my house won't have to hold it!  :)

If you're curious as to what types of things he likes, go to www.retrohound.com.

Who knows?  I might even put some of my work out, if I ever have time to do any extra.

My 'baby' is turning 16!

Sixteen years ago, on the 23rd of October, my 1st son was born.  So wonderful.  A long road with many challenges and much love.  And now he is nearing 6' and almost grown.

I can hardly believe it.