Flower Power and Grand Girl Love

My favorite little shop in the woods, Rose Path Weaving, is trying out some new cotton yarn.  I am mad about the colors!  So, I volunteered to give it a test drive with the Flower Pillow pattern from Lucy of Attic 24 (round two of this little treasure of a pattern... for me, that's the highest praise to do something more than once).  LOVE IT!! 

AND, my friend, Laura at Beehive Rugs, was having a Children's Crochet class Saturday at Rose Path!  Two of my Little Angels did an amazing job of learning... and, Miss Laura did an amazing job of teaching!   It warmed my heart to bear witness to their sweet interaction.  Laura is very gifted teacher.

 

Ryleigh was VERY serious about this business!  She didn't even stop for snacks!  INTENT!  And, I loved it!

 

 

Karsyn was determined to get a tiny purse out of this effort!

 

 

However, the effort was so great she did need a little break... and snacks!  Soooo much fun! 

 

I loved the way they ran from color to color, texture to texture, design to design in the yarn shop... just like the rest of us do! 

 

The love of color... it runs deep. 

 

A special thank you to their little Momma for bringing them over so I could enjoy such a delightful day with all of them!  I hate I don't have a picture of Little Lady!  She is always a TREAT!  They hold their Noni's heart in their tiny little hands.  I am blessed indeed.

 

"You cannot wait for inspiration.  You must go after it with a club."

Jack London

 

 

blessings ~ tanna

Love Letters...

Received this morning:

Dear Noni,

I miss you terribly these days. I melt down into tears when Mommy tells me it's "only" two and a half weeks until I see you. That's too "y-ong." Are we going to Chuck E. Cheese's when you come see us? I really want to go there with you and Pop Pop.

Yesterday Mommy asked me to tell her what I love about you. I told her, "Because I 'y-ove' her so, so, so, so, so, so much!" That answer didn't seem to satisfy because she kept asking. And I kept giving her the same answer. Oh, but once I did say that I y-oved that you and Pop Pop almost always have a prize for me when you see me!

I asked Mommy to give me a picture of you and me, and this is what she found. Do you y-ove it? I y-ove it! I'm holding on to it for the next two and a half weeks until we can get a new one made together. =)

XOXO,
Alex

My Precious, Precious Alex,

Sometimes Noni has melt downs missing you, too.  It breaks my heart to be so far from you... and in the times, once in October and again in December, that you in your most earnest and sincere way ask me why God would want us to be so far apart... it breaks even more.  I cannot believe He does.  But, I answer you that many times we cannot understand God's plan for our lives. 

You are so very serious and smart and kind.  You are a great protector and a lover of family.  You shine the light of God's love everywhere you go... in every life you touch... especially in mine.

I do so love that sincere heart of yours... you are your mother's child... and she her mother's.  Blood of my blood, heart of my heart, soul of my soul.  I do not know why we have to be so far apart... but, I do know that no matter where you are or what you are doing, my love never wavers or diminishes... it only grows.  And, when your mother asks you why you love me so much... and you answer that you "just y-ove her"... that is it.  We do just love each other.  Unconditionally.  Unchangeably. Forever and ever.  Period.  We are very, very blessed by that... no matter how many miles separate us.

I love you to the moon and back... bigger than the sky, my sweet Alex... Share that same love with your precious brother, Roo for me... until I can swoop you both into my arms in ONLY two and a half weeks...

Bigger than the sky... Noni
PS I think this is going to be more fun than Chuck E Cheese.  ;)

Bohemian Rhapsody and The Big Ba-Nilla

You might have noticed that I've been MIA again.  This roller-coaster-ride of selling and buying a home has just been unbelievable at times.  I almost hate to write any of this down; but, today we finally came to an agreement on a home to purchase.  It ain't over 'til it's over, but we should close on both homes the first week in March.  Of course, we were 12 days from closing before... when it tanked... so, your guess is as good as mine.  At any rate, I'm taking a breather this afternoon.

I have finished the mixed stripey blanket  a.k.a. Bohemian Rhapsody.  I love its big snuggly-ness!  The hardest part was the edging... I'll share more on that later, if anyone is interested.

Then, before I was even done with the blanket... I saw this wonderful flower on Lucy of Attic 24.  It is just too much fun!!  It will be a pillow when it is finished.

I'm seriously noticing a color scheme starting to appear.  I ordered this beautiful bracelet from Sandy at Faith Hope and Love.  She has done such beautiful work!  And, her customer service is amazing.  You might want to hop on by; she is having a 14% off Valentine's Sale AND a giveaway!!  I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, that color scheme... we are gonna need it!  Or something!!  This is the possible future home... we call it The Big Ba-Nilla (vanilla) for obvious reasons.  Where every square inch of Tallulah, The Brick Street Bungalow, oozes character... the Big Ba-Nilla is an abyss... of none.  

My brain is whirling away though... It is going to be a challenge to breathe some life into this one.

But first, I could use some prayers that we make it through both closings... After that last deal, I'm feeling very anxious... and since buying my first home at 19, I've NEVER felt this way... it was always just exciting.  A little scary sometimes, but exciting!   This is not exciting.  It is stressful.

Once we've crossed that bridge... the CPR will begin.  ;) 

"And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may read as he hastens by."  ~ Habakkuk 2:2

May your visions become clear...

blessings ~ tanna

Gratitude and Growing...

Have you ever noticed how much JOY you get from doing something for someone who is grateful for your effort? 

How much MORE you want to do for that person who appreciates you...

Appreciates the things you do for them... little or large... easy or hard... just for them...

Gratitude grows your love for doing things for them...  fertilizes it... brings forth blossoms... and fruit.

Roo is one of my favorite peeps to do little hats for... because he loves them, uses them and ALWAYS says, "Tanks, Noni."

I wonder if our own blessings grow or shrink in proportion to our gratitude versus our feeling slighted or overlooked... or begrudging that we should have more?  God is always so much bigger than I am. That said, I find many of His lessons strewn in the ordinary business of living... so, I'm going to take away a desire to grow my own gratitude from this one.  ;)

The Crochet Love is still growing... neither of these photos has good color (inside, bad wintry light)...

I had it outside in the afternoon light the other day and the beauty of these colors almost took my breath away!   I think I need to do about two more feet before calling it quits and starting a border... Onward!

My Roo photos are compliments of Amanda. THANK YOU, Amanda. 

"Gratitude is a word that I cherish.  Gratitude is what defines the humanity of the human being."
~  Elie Wiesel

May you find joy in the simple... and express gratitude for its magnificence. 

blessings ~ tanna

Dancing in Sunshine...

Don't you just relish being around folks who love you at your worst and yet always make you want to be your best?

That's probably one of my favorite things about my daughter... though the list is quite long.

She has inspired me to want to improve my photography skills by her example... She has become very, very good and she is working to be even better.   I love that!

I want to be better.  So, I've set a goal of taking at least one photography class this year... really trying to get better.  I'm pretty intimidated by the idea of a class... but, there's much I have to learn.

I've been trying to define exactly what it is in a photograph, or any art, that makes me really like it... My answer is that it has to elicit a feeling. 

I would like to be able to convey the feeling that my knits (or whatever) give me...

One of the things I've learned in life is that we quickly recognize the familiar...

So, maybe the ultimate challenge would be to share that feeling with someone who has never had it... ???

Just pondering here...

A very, very special thank you to Amanda for indulging me with this photo session.  She UNDERSTANDS the desire to capture... and shares the love of the pursuit.

Shawl is Morticia by Boo Knits.  Done in Madelinetosh Lite:  Esoteric. 

The yarn I'm using in the Stripy Crochet is Madelinetosh Tosh DK.  I'll be sharing more about it soon.

My heart's hope is that there is someone in your life who inspires you to be bigger than you are... reach higher... do more... and yet, loves you when you do nothing at all.  We all need at least one of those.  I am blessed to have many. 

Life.  Liberty.  And the pursuit of Happiness.

May you dance in sunshine today.

blessings to all ~ tanna

Hooked: A Crochet Love

This fascination started with an old afghan I couldn't resist in Canton at the Trades Days, grew with this beautiful gift from the LM & Co., and blossomed with this Mixed Stitch Stripey Blanket Crochet-a-Long by Julie Harrison.

My friend, Laura, loved it, too, and, the next thing I knew we had whipped each other into a frenzy to begin!  We each walked out with a bag FULL of happy colors... then, I took mine back the next day and traded them in for these... they are more quiet, more somber, probably more me.  I want the bright, shiny, happy... but, I am more serious... less sparkly.  Maybe one day...

I am very much enjoying the crochet... learning new stitches... changing colors... my knitting needles have been abandoned (only for the moment).  The one thing I really hope to learn before this project is through is how and where to START and END each row.  Keeping a straight edge is a constant battle for me.  I will persevere. 

Things have been hectic around here... The Old Girls DO NOT like extremes of temperature... which means I DO NOT like extremes of temperature!  ;)  I am sure enjoying this warm front and the calm that is following it!!  Hope each of you are all safe and warm.

"The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic or intellectual, forms a basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference."
~ Audre Lord

It is good to have peeps to share your joy.  Roo asked me while they were here last month, "What's that (peeps), Noni?"  He was insatiably curious about every new phrase; he talks endlessly now.  I told him peeps were your people... the ones you could count on, the ones you celebrate with and cry with... and most of all, love... the ones who share your life. 

blessings ~ tanna

Happy Accident and Happy Moments

The last knitting project of 2013 was a Happy Accident (Details are here).  I'm tickled pink over how my Roo Vest turned out. 

When my daughter and grandsons are in town for their annual December visit, I will not lie… I go through withdrawals from my LYS. However, we make NUMEROUS trips to Hobby Lobby for Christmas projects, etc. In my desperation, I fondled this yarn and LOVED the way it felt. I surmised it might enlarge the Baby Sophisticate enough to make Roo a larger version than his first.
Almost as soon as I started it, I recognized it was going to be MUCH larger than Roo could wear… and I had a secret hope it might be large enough for me. ;)

After they headed home, I picked it back up… did a little math and decided it would work perfectly… and, I decided to make it with cap-like sleeves, more like a vest (which I love to wear… way more than sweaters).  It was indeed a Happy Accident!

Just a few Christmas memories...

If one is good, two must be even better!! 

I'll hold these precious moments in my heart until I can hold these sweet angels in my arms again...

I miss them...

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
1 Peter 5:7

blessings ~ tanna