The Big Chill Ends

Good Morning, it is sunny and only -4 this morning. That means we have made it through the worst and can now talk about it.  No frozen pipes, kids off school 5 days in a row and we are all still civil.
     We ventured out into the cold yesterday when I needed crochet thread for a christening gown I am working on. An emergency?  In my book YES. I only bought one ball, not knowing if I would like working with #3 thread , rather than baby yarn. I love how it looks and now can't wait to finish it. I am then going to try and make a slip for this delicate vintage pattern Christening gown. I bought the pattern from an Etsy shop ,  

 As I stitch away I can see my Gram smiling from ear to ear. She crocheted almost her whole life. We grew up in things she made and our babies all came home in her sweater sets, got Christened in her gowns and off to school in her hooded sweaters. She could look at something and just figure it out, I wish I was that talented.
  I do have a few new things up my sleeve and if I finish my blanket squares and a few orders I can start on three new puppy hats, a chow, bassett hound and yorkie.  I have to make myself finish before I can start more. I also have a lamb and baby bird drawn out and waiting to be hooked.  I may have to forget cleaning house, have leftovers and just stay up later to get this all done.

  I am off to sit in the sunshine and work on projects, stay warm and safe and have a wonderful productive day!

Baby It's Cold Outside

I don't know about you, but I have seen the snow, have been cold and am ready for spring. We are into a three day stretch of sub zero days and enough is enough. On my face book page I am running a giveaway for a cute pug or sock monkey hat to make the cold weather a little more fun. Please enter and share for chances to win a hat for a little one in your life.
    The kids have had school cancelled, we are all in and if you just look out the window it is sunny, but looks can be deceiving. The wind chill is around -25 Brrrrrrrr.
     So to keep warm and busy I am baking bread, working on a few new projects and finishing up orders. Hubby will brave the cold to make a run to the Post Office and Walmart for odds and ends.
    Now, I know it cold be worse, we could be getting huge amounts of heavy, wet snow, or there could be an ice storm, so I will try not to complain but take this time to snuggle up with my yarn and enjoy the sunlight.
     Later I will put on a big pot of soup and the bread in the oven and the house will smell wonderful.
     I am trying my hand at writing out a pattern I came up with.  I can make them up and crochet them, but can I write them out so someone else can understand and follow them, that is the question. I hope so. This is my new hat, the pug, now there are pug hats out there but I did not like the faces, so I came up with my own.  How, much like when I used to paint on rocks and wood. I drew it out and then stitched it .

My husband calls this craziness, I love it!

Chilly Willy

That about describes the weather here in Wisconsin.  School has been called off because of the extreme cold and will be closed again tomorrow. That means , " can I have a snack will be said about fifty times and constant chatter by two little girls. I on the other hand am busy finishing up some orders and working on my square a day for Crochet Mood Blanket 2014, on Facebook. I have also joined http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crazysocks--friends  square a week crochet along. I am using up all my odds and ends and will use the blankets for raffle prizes at our family Christmas next December.
Orders seem to come in spirts, the minions were hot around Halloween, just before Christmas I was busy with fox hats and now, Boston Terrier hats. One of my customers was nice enough to share this photo with me.

I am trying to work up a few new items for Valentines Day and then onto bunnies and such for spring and Easter. Luckily I can sit in front of a sunny window and try to not think just how cold it is outdoors.
To warm the kitchen this morning I treated everyone to these Donut Muffins.  The kitchen was warm and smelled wonderful. Now to get a pot of soup simmering and a loaf of bread in the oven and we should be good.

To keep up with whats new in the shop and some of our favorite recipes follow us on Pinterest. You can also find us on Facebook, they we try to share more photos and exchange ideas for new fun hats and other clothing items.

Happy New Year

The New Year rang in on a quiet note here. I had 5 little ones waiting up to see the ball drop and 2 made it . LOL  New Years Day breakfast found some grumpy faces as well as hearty appetites for chocolate chip pancakes and a special order of eggs and sausage from our masked man.

I also added a new project for the year , Crochet Mood Blanket 2014  every day depending on my mood or stash color I will be making not one but two squares. These squares will be put together into a blanket next winter. I have decided to use mine as a grab bag gift for our next family Christmas. Depending on the size I could get three out of the 730 squares I will have.

soft yellow was day 1

this is called pistachio green and looks nothing like this photo LOL

I have not decided yet how I will join them or if I will back them with something. I have lots of time. The pattern for the squares I found on www.Ravelry.com, it is an African flower square.

Taking a Breath

After all the excitement of Christmas, a house overflowing with family and more cookies than one person should eat, I find myself looking toward the New Year and all that it will bring. First on my list is to become more organized! They say you can teach an old dog new tricks, and I am hoping that is true, because I could use to be more organized. Both in my everyday life and in my Etsy shop.
    Having gotten a five year old late last spring, by the way she keeps me young, LOL. I had to redo many of my routines to fit around, her, school and all that goes with being now six. I need to have time to answer the hundreds of "why" questions and can I have a snack zillions of times a day. On top of that I have five grown kids, eleven grandkids and three great grand sons, along with a few kids we just tossed in for good measure. A hubby, two small dogs and that rounds out my life. Busy, yes but very blessed.
  My Etsy shop that I started a few years ago, for a way to sell a few things has done very well, but I know could be better if I used my time wisely and planned ahead. So, that is on my New Years to do list.
   I want to share a few things with you that have been fun to make as well as brought smiles to many faces.

adorable fox hat https://www.etsy.com/listing/161173841

fun fox earwarmer hat, remember when we all wore these?  https://www.etsy.com/listing/169525676

fox hat and cocoon https://www.etsy.com/listing/164858697

fox hat and diaper cover https://www.etsy.com/listing/158114538

If the kids, big and small at your house are into "What does the fox say?" like they are here, try this link for some cute and fun party idea . http://www.bellacupcakecouture.com/category_114/What-Does-The-Fox-Say-Party-Theme-and-Ideas.htm

also for those of you who have no idea what all the fuss is about watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZM-72_Hr0k

  Now with that tune stuck in your head I will sign off and wok on my fox cocoon order. Have a great day!

The Happy Dance

It is that time of year again, when the kids prepare for the start if school.  The final BBQ with family before school starts. I have to confess I for one will be doing the happy dance in the driveway as Tabitha leaves for her first day of 1st grade. We have had Tab since May and I have to say that on any given day she says Aunt Pat about a hundred times. I am tired just from answering. LOL  We have practiced reading and she will be starting with some good work skills and hopefully enjoy this new teacher. Also this means it is craft show time again. Crocheting mainly hats, I find that summer shows are very slow and so I wait for fall and the pre Christmas shows. My first show will be a week from today in Waupun Wisconsin at Volkfest. Great polka music all day, delicious food and spending the day new a good friend Marlene who owns #Country Soaps by Marlene. We get to chat and catch up while selling, listening to music and an occasional beer. I have been behind with my hat making due to my new kid duties so will have to step it up. This is alos the same time that orders increase in my Etsy shop due to Halloween orders for the animal hats and early Chrsitmas orders. So far the most asked for hat this season would be the minion and for the littlest ones a rhino. You can never tell from year to year what will be the hit so I just keep on crocheting and go with the flow.

My newest favorites have been the little fox and boston terrier, so much fun and my new motto is  "LET NO EARS GO UNCOVERED"  so I must find a hat for everyone. That means I should get off the computer and crochet. 

But to leave you on a sweet note I would like to share a page link for a cinnamon roll bundt cake that I found. After making this maybe you will also be doing the happy dance! Have a great weekend 

http://sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/cinnamon-roll-bundt-cake.html

Blessings

       Blessings can mean different things to different people. I have been blessed I think with a large wonderful family. No, the siblings are not as close as we once were but, I do believe in times of stress we would all rally together. I hope. I have five wonderful kids who have been healthy and relatively happy, and who combined habe given me twelve grandkids and now three great grand sons.  Blessed by customers who during our recent heat wave ordered so that I could get the air fixed. Thank you again, it is not pretty here when the heat is on......it is hard to crochet while you are sweating.
       Yesterday I received another blessing, I have been looking for a pattern for the Christening gown my Grandmother made my daughter Kathy, back in 1974.  It had a long coat and bonnet and I wanted to make a few to put away for my granddaughters and then sell on my #etsy shop. I looked everywhere and posted about it in a Facebook group. :ast night I got a message that someone had the book and would make me a copy of that long lost pattern. I couldn't sleep last night I was so excited. That #Christening gown was my #Grandmothers pride and joy.

This is my daughter holding my Granddaughter #Elizabeth in a gown my Gram made her.

This pinafore was another of my Gram's favorites and all my girls had them in multiple colors.

As I sit typing this I think how proud my Gram would be of all of us and how amazed that I finally picked up the crochet hook and made something other than granny squares. 

    As soon as I receive the new gown pattern I am starting on it , until then I am finishing up a few other projects and getting a few things made for upcoming fall #shows. 

     

Be careful what you ask for

I should know better by now, but I asked for summer to finally get here and it did. I don't know if I posted about this before but I HATE hot weather. I am a 70's kind of gal. Cool nights and warm days. To make it worse I have Myasthenia Gravis which is triggered by hot and cold. Now, I wasn't worried because we had a central air unit. Having moved in in November we were unsure of how well it worked. Well. it was empty and that wasn't bad enough the coil in the furnace needs to be replaced. $450.00 and I can be cool. I am crossing my fingers and pushing the Etsy shop to help me make this happen.
  I need customers to think ahead to Halloween, animal hat make great costume alternative matched up with a pair of sweats or a blanket sleeper.

What about baby showers, there is always someone we know having a baby.

and If I haven't given you enough to think about Christmas is right around the corner. Order a special hat and mitt set or scarf and hat, for that special guy , what about a beard hat or a hat with a pocket for the mp3 player while they jog or run.

Ok I know I was asking for summer but, I need my air fixed and I HATE being hot. shop or share my etsy shop and help me get to my goal of 450.00 so I can chill out again LOL
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrammasGifts?ref=si_shop

July is Here

       It seems as if summer has just arrived but as I check the calendar it is July already. For crafters this is not summer vacation but time to get ready for the holidays. That seems silly but the time to make sure you have enough stock for shows and the shop orders before you get swamped with holiday orders. Being swamped would be a good thing but this year I have a plan to be prepared so I can also enjoy the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
      Long before people start searching for Christmas I need to be ready for the Halloween rush. In years past I have made a point of showing Moms just how easy it is to add a fun animal hat to a pair of sweats or a blanket sleeper for a fun costume alternative. The hat can be worn all winter and the sweats or blanket sleeper used again. Here in Wisconsin we never know what weather we will have on Halloween, a light jacket or the snow suit so these hats and costume suggestions are a good idea. No masks needed and the kids are comfy and cozy as the trick or treat of play at home long afterward.I am working on some new baby sets that will make great gifts for holidays or an upcoming baby shower.  Some of the fun animal hats will include fingerless mitts this season and I am adding to the fox items as well as those colorful owls,sock monkeys and a few surprises.

Ray of Sunshine

It has been very rainy here and my backyard looks like I should put in a pond instead of a garden. Mothers Day got some of the bushes and my rhubarb planted. From what I've been told next year I will have my own supply of rhubarb. For now I will have to make a trip back to Montello to the Garden Center to see my friend Jean and pick some up. That visit is always wonderful because she knows me very well and we talk each other out. I stopped there on Sunday before the birthday party and it did my heart good to sit and chat awhile. I do miss her after our move but am trying to keep in touch. While there she did pass on what sounds like a great recipe for that rhubarb.

Rhubarb Custard Cake

Ingredients:

Two-layer yellow cake mix
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pint whipping cream (2 cups)

Procedure:

Prepare batter for cake mix according to package directions; turn into greased and floured 9x13" pan. Dump the chopped rhubarb on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the rhubarb. Pour the whipping cream (unwhipped) over the sugar. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Cream, sugar, and rhubarb sink to bottom, forming a custard layer. Makes 1-18 (depending on how you cut it!!) 

My grandson Mike turned 15 on Monday, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. 

Tabitha is so excited about Fridays upcoming field trip, we are off today to find her a rain poncho or coat because they go to the zoo rain or shine and you can never be too safe.

   I have been working on mermaids and hula skirts over the past few days and have a few new patterns I would love to sit down with. I better hurry though school gets out on the 6th and then my piece and quiet will be over. LOL

Today after my rain poncho quest I am going to work on the pants set and then hopefully a new hula skirt order. They are calling for rain so that will be a perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

Just Like Gram

Grwoing up whenever we needed a gift for the crossing guard or a friend...Gram was there with the perfect something that she had made. Hankies in a thank you card the perfect baby sweater set for the friends new baby and so on over the years. Gram has since passed away but now I find I AM Gram.  My Granddaughter Elizabeth has once again put in an order for a friends baby gift.

camo booties, owl hat, sweater with owl button and a 12 point star blanket.

It is nice for a change to do little boy items but I will be more than ready to get back to pinks and fun colors after all this.
I have to admit that now I know how my Gran felt when people admired the work she did and saw the littlea gifts on the kids in our lives. Customers often send me photos from photo shoots and I love it.

Organizing My Time

This has been a whirl wind year. We have moved and went from a household of eight to ten depending on the day to just a couple with the occasional overnight guests. That all took some getting used to. Then once again I felt that it was up to me to step up and help out a family member, so we brought Tabitha my niece up from Tennessee to stay. She is five. Now I am back to getting someone off to school, reading bedtime stories and making sure there are freeze pops in the freezer for her new group of friends. All of this plus taking online college classes and running Grammas Gifts. Busy yes, but loving it. I think we all have a purpose and when my Gram was ill and I went to care for her, I thought she had trained me for this, then my Mom came up from Tulsa after my Brothers death and I stepped up to make sure she was set up and alright. We checked up on my Uncle until he passed and now a little visitor. I think this is my purpose, to make sure the others are all taken care of, and I am good with it.

This is Tabitha, and she loves to model hats, how wonderful!

With the new house came yard work and we were starting from a blank slate so for Mother's Day the family came together with gifts of plants and did some gardening for me.

Liz in the grey sweatshirt is our nursing student and is helping Tabitha get toiknow all the family members

Samantha in the black jacket should feel right at home, as a kid she was always picking up bugs and frogs and like today WORMS!

JJ would like to stop gardening and take the worms fishing!

The shop has stayed fairly busy and I added a few new items to the inventory

Luau anyone?

A knotted pixie hat

and a few more cute photo props or shower gifts

It is Nice to Be Busy

Things have been pretty busy around our house lately.  My Etsy shop Grammas Gifts has picked up again, and that keeps me hooking. I am taking two classes online and am learning to study all over again. Then we did have seven new puppies come along, my Granddaughter brought her dog Daisy for a visit and she decided to stay a bit. I was also trying to get ready for Easter at the new house, the little guys and I will be heading to Montello and the Annual Easter Bunny Parade. This is the fifth year and each year the crowd grows. The kids really look forward to this. Being from the Chicago area, as kids we went to the mall and saw the Easter Bunny. In this area there is no place to take the kids, and the Garden Center has been kind enough to bring the Easter Bunny to the folks of all ages who live here. Now add to that they we are in the process of trying to get my five year old niece here from Tennessee. Visits with social workers and loads of red tape. The probate on my Uncles estate is still hanging open , so yes we are busy here.
Even though all this is going on I had to get ready for spring. I decided to make what I am calling a diabetic Easter wreath, let me give you a peek....here is a link for the peeps

Marshmallow peep like bunnies.....NO SUGAR involved

Nothing fancy, but a touch of spring on my front door.

our seven little puppies are now wide eyed and crawling everywhere!  The Mom is overwhelmed, so many little mouths to feed.

These are our two guys last year when the weather was warm, the snow was gone and it felt like spring. This year we may be wearing snow boots and mittens to hunt for eggs.