It is not well for a man to pray cream and live skim milk.

For those of you who aren't my Hubby, just skip this post- you won't understand why it makes me laugh.

It is not well for a man to pray cream and live skim milk.
Henry Ward Beecher

Often times I wonder why our lives revolve so much around milk. We start with the bottle or nursing, and it continues to feed our lives, our bones, and our very souls.

Everyone in all walks of life have some contact with milk or milk products. The global impact of milk not only puzzles me, but gives me hope that everything will be safe, happy and sweet... much like milk.

We all have memories of milk: cookies after school, chocolate cake at birthdays, milkshakes on hot summer days and even cool autumn evenings.

A glass of milk holds memories, speaks to my soul, feeds my inner hunger, and quenches all my thirst.

What I did today...

I did a lot today. I cleaned my house a little, almost finished a bag, went on an activity with our youth group, took a bag apart, and made muffins for tomorrow's breakfast.

First the muffins, is it wrong that I use a boxed mix? I don't think so. I'm particularly fond of the mix that includes a can of wild blueberries. Yummy! It's got real fruit in it, too. My kids love it, and it's not any worse than pancakes covered in syrup or doughnuts. Plus, the house smells all yummy. I doubt all twelve make it to the morning.

Second, the bag, I got it all put together and was turning it ready to press and topstitch, when I realized that I put the strap on the bottom and the pocket upside down. While typing this I remembered that I hadn't turned off my iron, God bless the automatic shutoff! Hopefully, this little sneaky peeky will show up on my Etsy real soon. I'm still working on my fall things; I just haven't been motivated when it's 91 degrees outside.
Third, the activity, I had fun. We went to Palmetto Avenue Baptist and listened to a speaker from Ohio. There were games involving eating the mystery Twinkie (I didn't play that one- no way), popping balloons tied to everyone's ankles, and sticking lifesavers to your teammate's face with your saliva. I didn't play any of them; I'm too old for that. I did have fun watching and laughing, and laughing and laughing. No girls went, which is a shame, but I don't really know many of the girls because they don't come to activities. It's kind of a vicious circle. I think too, because I work at the school they aren't really sure what to make of me in youth group.
I need a muffin. It smells really good in here.

Tea for Two, or just Kelly.

I finished one more. It's a bag for my supervisor; she gave me the tea print to use. It's an old linen calendar from a few years back. Finding fabric to match that gold was a killer! I have issues paying full price for fabric, so that didn't help either. The blue fabric inside is actually pieced together from stash fabric that my grandma gave me. She'd be so proud- neither one of us throw anything away!
The linen calendar is still in one piece (in case she wants to take it off); she just needs to rip those stitches, and she'll have a plain bag! I tend to change my mind often, so the fact that it can change so easily makes me feel better.
My lovely friend Chesley photographed this bag and the previous one, and I think she had a little too much fun because she came back inside with 25 pictures (mostly lizards and bugs). She did a good job, and I have a huge memory card, so it's all good!

Busy with Stuff

It's been awhile I know. I've been busy with stuff, nothing fun, but important stuff. I did manage to finish one bag for a friend. She saw that bag I had on my Etsy, and she wanted it only bigger. So here it is! I even did a fancy pocket with separate compartments for a pen and a cell phone. Oh, and the straps are long enough to wear on your shoulder. I like it. I was kind of hoping she wouldn't like it so I could keep it. Yup, there's always the dream, but what do I need another bag for?

It's a boy! (I hope.)

Hubby told me that a co-worker is expecting. I'm pretty sure he said it was a boy. I'm also pretty sure that he mentioned the mommy is eco-conscious. So I got me some fancy yarn! It's Bernat's Bamboo, and I strongly recommend you try it! It is so soft; it feels like cashmere. The only problem is it's hand wash only, and I made baby things with it. Oh well, it's her first.
I made the pattern up myself, and it's obviously not blocked. I HATE blocking, and it's a blanket- so who cares! The blanket was done in a half-double crochet lattice pattern with ten rows of lattice and one row of HDC alternating. The border is a shell stitch (or my version of it). The snuggle bunny (that's what I call them because that's what we call snuggly hugs in my house) is done with five rows of HDC lattice and one row of HDC alternating. It also has a shell stitch border, and the head and ears are single crochet with a much smaller hook. I couldn't tell you how many stitches I cast on; I'm bad about writing things down.
Oh, the colors are water (blue) and linen (off white).
Now I just hope it really is a boy!

All Done!

I went back to JoAnn's and found some yarn to finish the hat I started (see previous post). It's Lion Brand's Chenille Thick & Quick in black, obviously. Enjoy!

Now what...

I kinda finished this hat. This yarn (Sensations Artic in Multi) was on sale at JoAnn's, so I picked up a skein. I thought that would be enough to make my monster a new hat for winter, nope! So now I have a half-finished hat that is made from a color no longer in stores. I'm thinking a black band and black tassels on each point. I found the pattern on Lion Brand's website.
Oh, this picture is of a little girl I sit during the day, she's not one of mine.

Let it snow; let it snow, please God! Let it snow!

I'm ready for winter. It's been 97 degrees outside with 250% humidity, and I'm done! I started going through my kid's sweaters (for the one week a year they need them), and I found the very first sweater I made. It's a year old and covered in mulch, but I still love it. My darling monster is modeling it (ignore the black eye- he's table height now).
I used a pattern in Candi Jensen's book, Total Baby Knits. It's made with my favorite yarn, Caron's Simply Soft, in colors Iris, Off White, Rubine Red, and Berry Blue in their Brights line.
I did make a matching hat, but his head grew faster than the rest of him! Oh, and that's his artwork on the door behind him (in permanent marker!)

Link-O-Rama

Ok, so Universal Studios on Friday, Hubby and I got the chance to take the teens to Rock the Universe. It was great even though I don't do roller coaster-type rides. Riding in the church van with Hubby driving is enough of a thrill ride!
We really just went to see the bands. Jars of Clay, Mercy Me, and Casting Crowns were all playing Friday night. I love Jars of Clay and Casting Crowns, and I also like a few Mercy Me songs.
Jars of Clay was great; I was cracking up with their wardrobe. It was very Napoleon Dynamite! I spent most of the concert trying to get a good shot of their outfits, is that sad? I missed seeing my favorite song, "Flood", but I did get to hear it. Enjoy the pictures, I sure have!
The singer for Mercy Me wasn't sounding that great; I think he was sick. That's alright because we only listened to them for a few songs because they were overlapped with Casting Crowns.
I loved Casting Crowns before, and I love them even more now. My princess sings along with so many of their songs that I felt bad for not bringing her, but 1 am is too late for a 3 year old. They don't make any apologies for being normal people and give God all the glory for what they do. I loved it all!
Great night in all, even without any rides!
PS. I HATE Picasa. I have no idea how to keep the pictures flipped. I told Hubby it wouldn't work, but no, Google is the end all. Whatever!

It's a Pony-Skull!

One of the blogs I check out regularly is Skull-A-Day. The guy who posts here makes a different skull every day out of whatever he can find. It's always an interesting read.
Anyway, on the way to Universal Studios on Friday, I spotted this skull, and thought he would enjoy it. I especially like the fact that the crossbones look like ponytails.
Check his blog out... it's listed in my places to visit.

Say Cheese

My budding photographer.

Fuzzy Paisley & New Toys

One more bag I've finished for my Mother-in-law! I used my new toys for this one- yippee! It's a cotton-like material with a velvety paisley pattern. It's cool because only the pattern is fuzzy, the rest feels like canvas. I used a magnetic snap this time because tying and untying the bow was too much hassle. I definitely should write some sort of pattern down because I couldn't remember exactly how I put the clutch together. It took longer than it should, but still took under two hours. It's pretty, pretty, and I have extra material!!!

Crackin' The Whip

I forced myself to finish a doily I started two days ago. I start things and then get bored, very easily. However, I wasn't going to allow myself to use my new toys (cutting board, rotary cutter, and fancy iron) until I finished the stupid doily.
Why did I start it, you ask? Well, because I've never made one before. I've done lace trim on my princess' socks before, but never a full-fledged doily. I included a shot with my yucky craft ruler for scale.
Oh, and it hasn't been blocked yet, because that wasn't part of the deal I made with myself. You'll also notice that the tail has not been woven in... again, not part of the deal. Isn't it sad when you find loopholes in deals you've made with yourself?