I am Grateful for crochet

I can remember as a child watching my grandma crochet.  It was what she did when she was sitting down watching TV or talking.  

Source

Her blankets were beautiful and it wasn't long before I wanted to play too.

I don't remember if she taught me the basics or not, but I know that at some point she helped me figure some things out.  For the most part, though, I used a book to learn crochet.  It was a skill that I caught on to quickly and easily and I like to think that is from watching her for so long.  (crochet by osmosis?)

It has now become a source of relaxation for me:  something for my hands to do when they are bored (if that's the right word...boredom is something I very rarely experience lately), but also a focus point to calm my mind when it gets overwhelmed and stressed.  

When my grandma passed away, I inherited some of her crochet hooks and pattern books.  I feel close to here whenever I bring out my yarn and hooks.  

I am so grateful for the skill I have and for the connection to Grandma.

I am Grateful for Socks

Seriously.

Is there anything else like a nice comfy, cozy pair of fuzzy socks?  Especially when the air is cooling off and your toes are having a hard time staying warm and happy.

It's like wrapping your feet up in a soft, cozy blanket and giving them hugs as you walk.  Beautiful.

I am grateful for my socks.  =)

Handprint Turkeys!

Have you visited Meet the Dubiens?  It is one of my all time favorite blogs!  I love all of her projects.  They are fun and simple and kid friendly.  AND it's packed full of fun lunch ideas.  So inspirational!

So, when she posted this tutorial for hand print turkeys, I decided it was time for me to stop admiring from afar and actually give one of these beloved projects a try.

My girls were thrilled when I pulled out the paints, construction paper, and glue!  They ran for their paintbrushes and started painting away.

They were totally mystified when I grabbed L's hand and started painting directly on it!  But that changed to fascination when I pressed her hand down on the paper.

COOL!

By the time it was O's turn, she was pretty eager to have her hand painted and she didn't need any help stamping it on the paper.

Here are the final results:

O, very careful and clean and precise.

L, a little more "creative liberties" taken here, but beautiful just the same!

Be sure to check out the original tutorial and enjoy spending some time browsing her fantastic blog!

By the way!  It is 1:11 on 11/11/11...Make a wish!

I am Grateful for O

She is my firstborn.

She is beautiful in body and spirit.  

I don't believe I have ever known such a sweet and tender person.  She is friendly.  She is loving.  Every person she sees, especially other little girls, are automatically, without hesitation, considered friends.

She is like me:  Emotional, meticulous, a rule-follower, organized, a planner.  

She is not like me:  Her hair is blonde!

I love her so.  I love talking with here and hearing the thoughts running through her busy mind.  I love that several times a day she will call out to me, "Mommy!  I love you!"

I am so blessed.

I Am Grateful, Day 2

I am grateful for my husband.

Isn't he handsome?

He is a full-time (I'm talking over 20 credits for the last 4 semesters) P.A. student.  He works very, very hard on very little sleep and even makes sure I am taken care of (getting out of the house on occasion, eating enough chocolate, reading good books) before he thinks of himself.  He is adored by his daughters and loves to take them on picnic dates to the park or give them horseback rides around the house.  

He is a good hugger.  He is a good listener.  He loves to cuddle.  He thinks I am the best cook in the entire world.  He even likes the food I burn!  He is an amazing husband.  There are not enough words in the world to describe how much I love him and how grateful I am that he made me his wife.  

I Am Grateful

Welcome to November!

I absolutely love this time of year.  Today is the day that I feel the holiday season officially begins.  Halloween is just like a little teaser.

I have always felt that Thanksgiving and Christmas go together.  Each is a way to celebrate the many things I have to be grateful for and to serve and love and be happy.

I had a great day planned today to kick things off.  Unfortunately, I have instead been in bed for most of the day with a rather nasty little flu.  Dang it.

That's ok, though.  I'll get through it and still enjoy my holidays.

Now, I have a lot planned over the next couple of months: lots of gifts to make, treats to bake, decorations to create.  It's all going to be great fun!  I will share with you what I can, but some of my recipients read this blog faithfully.  Sorry, Family; I won't be posting pictures of your gifts here.  I'll post those in January.

For this month, I would like to take a little step back from some crafting.  I want to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday to give some thanks and to share with you a few of the many things I am thankful for.

I'll probably still post a few crafts here and there, though.  I can't really resist, you know.


So, to start things off, I need to express gratitude for something I should have mentioned ages ago.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon.  I don't talk about it very much and I am sorry for that.  I hold my feelings about the church very sacred and I hesitate to talk too much about it on this blog and I will probably continue to do so.  I don't want to seem pushy (if you have questions, though, please feel free to ask me)  But, it should be obvious to all who know me, that my church and my beliefs are very important to me.  I am who I am because of the Church and I am very, very, very happy because of the Gospel.

Recently, I got to go on a trip to the LDS Temple in Washington D.C.  I was so excited to go.  I have never been to Washington D.C. and I haven't been able to go to the temple in about 2 years.  So, everything about this trip was good for me.

The temple was so beautiful.

And, just so you wouldn't think I just posted a picture of a picture, here is a picture of me making a weird face (not on purpose, but the only picture I took) in front of it. 

But still, standing in front of it, I felt as if I had walked into a painting.  A very peaceful and welcoming painting. 

I went with the women in my branch and had a great time!  It is always fun to spend time with friends.

There was a lot of good food, good conversation, a few laughs, and even a little bit of this: 

Oh!  And, we went to Golden Corral for lunch.  Did you know they have a chocolate fountain there?

Oh, yeah.

Today, I am grateful for my membership in the Church, for the peace and joy it brings into my life, for the friendships I have made, and for the person I am because of it.