W.I.P. Wednesday (kind of)

I have no photos to post today.  I have been working on a project - it is for a challenge to design an Instant Pot cover.  I have never designed anything before so this is quite a challenge for me.  I have started, undone, and re-started. 

I have decided that if it comes out the way it is supposed to (in my mind's eye), then I will post it here and submit it to the contest.  We shall see. 

I haven't really had much time for crafting the past 2 or 3 weeks since I have been ill.  I am feeling better but still not up to snuff yet.  I've done a lot of sleeping and medicating over the past couple of weeks.

You know, I am so envious of some folks on Ravelry and on some of my crochet Facebook groups because it seems like so many of those ladies have all the time in the world and I suppose a lot of them do.  I often feel that I am the only crafter in the world with a full time job.  I know that isn't the case but it seems that way when I am browsing these groups.

Someone will start and afghan and 4 days later they are done.  Well, I could be too if all I had to do was sit at home, watch TV and crochet.  Alas, that isn't my life.

My typical day
Get up at 5:30 am
Get ready and drive to work
Arrive at work approx 7 am
Work until noon
12pm-1pm Lunch Break
7pm - 8 pm End of work day
8:30ish pm - Arrive home, go through  mail, fix and eat dinner, call mom, return friend's call.
9:00pm - 9:30pm - relaxing time - this is the time I can generally start watching TV and crafting
11pm - Bedtime (generally - sometimes a little later)

So basically I have about 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day where I can craft, that is if I am not too tired and I have the energy/mojo. 

The weekends are spent either working (I often work on Saturday), cleaning house, doing laundry, grocery shopping, church activites, etc. 

I like my job and I am grateful for it.  It is just a little  disheartening when you see others have a lot of time to crochet/knit/etc and they don't have to work (or they work maybe 4 hours a day).  I guess one day I will retire and then perhaps, I will have the time.

52 Amcestors in 52 Weeks - Week 7

This week's prompt is "Valentine"

I only really know of a couple of "Valentine" stories to tell so I am going to tell the story of how my parents ended up together.

My parents were raised in the same town.  In a small town, they all know each other and my dad's family were kind of the family from the "wrong side of the tracks" - the "rough kids" as you would have it. 

My mom's family, on the other hand were church going Christians that were at church every time the doors were open. 

My dad's younger brother and my mother were in school together and rode the bus.  My dad was at home one day sitting on the porch when the bus pulled up and his brother got out.  My dad asked him "Who is that pretty girl sitting on the front seat of the bus behind the driver?"  My uncle said, "That is Mary Nell"

My dad said "I'm going to marry her".  My uncle laughed and said "William, there is no way her daddy will let you within 5 feet of her, all she does is go to school and church" My dad said "What church?" so he told him.

Sunday, my dad went to church and asked my mom out on a date.  She said yes but of course it had to be a double date so they went Al's Drive In (yes, just like in Happy Days) along with my mom's sister and her boyfriend (who happened to be a friend of my dad's).

Less than 4 months later, they were married !!!

Guess my dad just knew right away.  I love that story. 💕

Funny Friday - Watch Out Now

Funny Friday - Hey Diddle Diddle

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 6

This weeks prompt is "Favorite Name"

While I am not really sure I have a "favorite" name in my family tree....there is a name that seems to pop up a lot and it intrigues me.

The name is Canzada.

It isn't a surname, it is a first or middle name.

My maternal grandmother was Jewel Canzada Odom
Her mother (my great grandmother) was Clementa Canzada Davis
My great grandmother's sister-in-law (my 2nd great aunt) was named Minnie Canzada Odom (so married into the family and still had Canzada in her name)

I can't find any information about this name, except that it is usually a surname.  However, I haven't located anyone with this surname in my family line (yet).  So I just don't know where the name came from.  It sounds Spanish, doesn't it?  Canzada means "hunted" in Spanish.

I wish I new where this name came - it is just unusual.  I have never heard it except within my family tree. 

Funny Friday - Wattch that First Step!

Completed Crafts

I haven't had much time to work on my projects that are already in progress but that doesn't mean I haven't completed some things.

I had a friend whose birthday was last week and she loves Wonder Woman so I found some fleece with Wonder Woman's image and made her a throw.  I'm not sure what you really call these but I call it a "Tie Throw" because you put the top and back together, then cut little strips all the way around the edges, then you tie the strips together to make the throw.

She loved it.  It was very time consuming to make, cut, cut, cut, tie, tie, tie.  But I was happy with it when it was done.

 

I received a message from someone I know (I wouldn't call her a friend, exactly, she is my friend's neighbor but I have met her.  She is a young mother. She is married, 19 years old and has 2 small kids so we don't have a lot in common.  However, she is a sweet girl and knows I crochet.  I made her a messy bun hat in baby blue before.  I made her a baby afghan, diaper cover and hat for her daughter (at her request).  So she asked if I would make her another Messy Bun Hat in Black.  So I did...I am mailing it today so no photo of her wearing it yet.

 

It is hard to see the details with black yarn but it came out pretty cute.  I hope she likes it.  I'm not charging her a thing for it (I didn't for the other projects either) so if she doesn't like it, at least she didn't pay for it, right?

I am hoping to get back to my other projects next week.  I've been super busy and when I get home, it is late and I am too tired,. plus my eye prescription has drastically changed and I can't see very well...hopefully my new glasses will be here soon!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 4

This weeks prompt for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is "Census"
Well that could be a lot of things....

I decided to pick the 1940 Census.  Mainly because that is the first time I saw my dad show up on the Census.

It was so cool to me to see my 6 year old daddy's name listed.  My grandparents were both so young.

My dad was born in 1934 and this was actually the first census done after he was born.  My mom hadn't been born yet, as she would be born late in 1940. 

My dad is the last name on the page.

 (click to enlarge)

I discovered from this that both of his parents had a 5th grade education.  I honestly never knew that.  I honestly didn't think they had attended school.  I notice, from reading census, that Grade 5 seems to be a common time for people to have stopped going to school.

I can only assume that was because by the time they were in the 5th grade, they were now about 10 years old and the family needed them to work on the farm full time instead of going to school.  Probably when they were younger, they just weren't able to help as much but by age 10, they were expected to pretty much do everything the adults did.

In a close up of the census, you see my grandfather, grandmother and father are the last 3 names on this page.  The family listed above it, is my great-grandmother and my great aunts and uncles, when they were still young and living at home.

 

(click to enlarge)

You can see that my great grandmother was widowed at age 54, with 4 children still at home.  Her husband died 7 years earlier, in 1933, the year before my father was born.  I wonder what his cause of death was?  He was 50 when he died.  

I also wonder....why does my grandfather - Clifton (spelled Clynton on the census) have an x with a circle by his name.  I wonder what the meaning of that was?  He was the only one on the page with that....hmmmm???

 

Funny Friday