W.I.P. Wednesday

 Well, I've made some progress on my old W.I.P.

Please ignore the kitty accessories and the cardboard shreds on the floor, that's just life with cats. You can vacuum daily and if you have scratch posts or toys, you are going to have cardboard shreds on the floor within minutes. 

I added the center so I'd have a good reference and would work towards that because after the center, the colors start working kind of backwards.  

Good news, I hope, I was looking at the original pattern and it only called for 8 oz. of each color, so I'm a little more encouraged that I will have enough yarn after all.  My skeins are 7 oz. so it will be really cutting it close and I mean really cutting it close.  I pray I have enough.

The pattern also indicated to make the squares one by one and attached them by sewing together but I thought that would be a LOT of sewing together so I am doing a join as you go method and I don't really know if that will take less or more yarn, seems like it would take more, but I just don't know.  I guess I will find out eventually.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it 😄 

 

Project Life - January 2026

I hesitated to post these this year, but decided to do it anyway, primarily because it gives me an extra backup if something happens and I lose the layouts from the app.

So...here is the first month of January 2026.  Highlights include 

We finally got our new pastor!
I was ordained as a deacon!
I finished an Afghan that I started almost 4 years ago.
I went to a reading of a new play - the Flirt Bar
My family, my cats and my friends were happy and healthy.

Click on photos to enlarge.

W.I.P. Wednesday

I've been working my Trip Around the World (TATW) Afghan but don't have a photo this week.  I want to wait until I get a tiny bit further along but have made some progress.

I mentioned last week that I have started a "take along" project that I can work on when on the go, like to the Sip & Stitch meetings.  I only went to the Crochet Connections in Tucker and worked about an hour and then went to the Sip & Stitch and was there about 90 minutes or so.  I have already almost 1/2 of my cardigan though.  It works up rather quikly.

The TATW Afghan isn't as fast became I'm making tiny squares that I switch the color every square and this cardigan is all one color.  I've gotten many compliments on the color and I admit to myself, I think it is really pretty.

W.I.P. Wednesday

I know, I know!  I said I would not start a new project until my old UFO was completed BUT hear me out.

The Trip Around The World Afghan is huge and I needed a small project to work on when I’m on the go, like at the car dealership or our weekly Sip & Stitch.  The Afghan requires me to carry 13 skeins around and it not feasible to do that…so this Cabana Granny Shirt, only requires one color & one skein (ball) of yarn at a time so it’s the perfect “on the go” project.

I didn’t buy new yarn (already had it) and the pattern is free…so no new investment. 

I’m still working on my Afghan (although I haven’t done much this past week so no updated photos) but it is still my primary project.  I’ll just work on this new one, when I need to take a smaller project with me.

Also, I did another thing outside my comfort zone.  I went to another craft group (Crochet Connections at the Tucker Rec Center) - there were like 25 people there.  I only met really 2 people (Maddie and Mickey) and no one actually reached out to welcome me...they seemed to be in their only little groups.  Not sure I will go back, but it is only 1 hour once a month, so it is dedicated crochet time.

Throwback Thursday

The Sparks!  I loved them.  My favorite song was "I Predict".  I heard it on the radio this morning and felt the need to share it.  They were a a bit of a quirkly duo (Ron & Russell Mael, who are brothers) and they are awesome!

 

W.I.P. Wednesday

Well, I started this project a long, long time ago..I’m fact, almost 15 years ago.  I still remember picking out the yarn at Hobby Lobby and was excited about the project.  Looking back, I wished I would have picked up 2 skeins of each color but at the time, I could only afford 1 of each.  I mean there are 13 colors and even it the yarn was on sale, that's still a lot of money at one time.  Of course, I thought I would be able to go back and get more when I needed it, but life took a turn.

Unlike my old Flower Power Blanket, I know why I stopped working on it.  First, after Thatcher died, it was a long time that I could even pick up a crochet hook and this was my first project I started on about 5 1/2 years after he died.  I worked on it a couple of months, then my dad got sick and about 4 months later, he died and once again, I just wasn’t in a place where I could crochet.  

I was really down and didn't really know how to move forward and was not interested and about 22 months later, I was in a horrible car accident, then my brother died 2 days later.  I couldn’t have crocheted with my broken body if I wanted to and my broken heart made it even harder.

When years passed & I finally started thinking about crochet again, so much time had passed that I discovered the yarn I was using for this project had been discontinued and I didn’t think I had enough to finish it, so I hesitated getting back to it.

Honestly, I still don’t think I have enough yarn, but I’m in the year of “completion” so I am going to try and hope if I do run out, I can find some kind of close colors in another brand.  

Anyway, wish me luck…Here’s where I’m restarting:

I'm about 40% finished. 

 

Finish it Friday - Flower Power Afghan

 

I finished my Flower Power Afghan!  I love it.  Sometimes the flowers want to curl up but that's okay.  I'm so glad I finally took the time to finish it. I don't know why I ever set it aside in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icey Viewing

We had a recent ice storm and luckily my power didn't go out (Praise God!) and I had a little time to catch up on some TV viewing (well, streaming)

 

I first watched, Unfrosted, which was a fictional based story (with a little bit of history thrown in) about the development of the toaster pastries in the 1960s - basically the birth of the Pop Tart.  It was a little bit silly but also funny at times and had a great cast.

I watched a series recommended by someone in our Sip & Stitch class - Death by Lightening, which was the telling of President James Garfield beginning with his unexpected election and ending with his assassination.  It was only 4 parts.

I switched back to a movie, which was wonderful, Eleanor the Great, about a 90 year old something lady who lost her roommate of 11 years and her best friend since she was a teenager, who she was like a sister to her.  Her roommate was a Holocaust survivor and was sad that she was the only surviving family member that could tell her story, so Eleanor accidentally is lead into a Holocaust survival group and tells her friends story as if it was hers and makes a friend with a young journalist college student, that has recently lost her Jewish mother.  Great movie starring the incredible, June Squibb.

I then settled on The Beast In Me, a psychological thriller told in 8 parts and has a great cast, including Claire Danes, Matthew Rhys and Brittany Snow.  It was about a writer that has a couple move in next door and the husband has been accused of murdering his first wife, though her body had never been found and they ultimately decided she took her own life...or did she...that's what we have to find out.  VERY good and kept me on the edge of my seat.

  

W.I.P. Wednesday

I'm almost done with my Flower Power Afghan, but not quite.  I should be finished by tomorrow.

I'm on the border now and there are 5 rows of border and working around a big afghan takes a while but it is coming along quicker than I thought.

Then I can move on the the older WIP I have. 

 

 

One Little Word - 2026

Have you read the book "One Word That Will Change Your Life"?

I first heard about this concept from Ali Edwards, who deemed it "ONE LITTLE WORD"

 

 

 

I thought Ali may have gotten the idea from the book but she started this in 2006, so perhaps the book got the idea from her..  Anyway, Ali Edwards is a famous scrap-booker, for those that don't know. I really don't know who to credit for the original concept but I think it is a good idea, whoever started it.

 

Basically, you select a word to kind of represent your year.  I posted about my word back in 2010 and I select a word generally every year, but I don't always post about it.

 

I also don't do Ali's work class or scrapbook because I don't want to turn my word into a chore I need to keep up with, I just want it to resonate throughout my life and year.

 

So...this year I selected the word "Completion"

 

 

Mainly it is because I have some projects in my life, (besides the two UFO that I've already mentioned) that I want to complete that I have been putting off for years.  I'm tired of these things hanging over me and I want them done so I can start fresh in 2027 or if not, sooner.  It will be so good to finally complete these things and move on without thinking about them anymore!

 

What is your word of the year? 

 

Cathy

Do y'all remember the comic strip, Cathy?  I used to love it.  I think because the cartoonist, Cathy Guisewite wasn't much older than me in real life and as a single girl, I could relate to the character.  I used to have a few Cathy books.

Eventually, the cartoonist said that she grew up and thought that Cathy should too and eventually the cartoonist and Cathy both got married and that was the end of the comic strip, which ended October 3, 2010 after a 34 year run.

I miss it though.  I wish they would still run it in the papers like they do Peanuts (which stopped in 2000 after Charles Schulz passed away).  But for whatever reason, they don't carry the "reruns" of Cathy in the paper like they do Peanuts.

I'm glad for the internet so I can revisit her once and a while though. 

I remember they had a Valentine special that ran on TV (along with a couple of more). You can watch it on You Tube.  I remember in the first TV special, her mom had 2 peas and did mom magic and made a full meal out of it - so funny!  The other special was called Cathy's Last Resort.

Triva: Do you remember Cathy's boyfriend's name?

Trivia 2: Do you remember Cathy's dog's name? 

 

 

W.I.P. Wednesday

 

I can’t believe today is Wednesday! This week feels like it is going so fast to me. 

I’ve gotten a lot done on my afghan. I have about 4 more colored rows to go (so about 24 more rows, I think) then to add the border. 

We are supposed to have ice this weekend and as long as my power hold out, maybe I’ll finish my afghan, that is…if I can keep kitty cats off my lap and afghan.

Dad’s Birthday

 

My brother would have been 66 on January 1st & my dad would have been 93 today.  I wonder what they would be like and look like had they still been living?  Instead, they are frozen in time at the ages they passed in 2012 & 2014.

Forever in my heart. ❤️

Peace and Love

 

Sometimes, in this world, it is hard to have Peace and spread Love.  It seems we are so divided and sadly, hate is everywhere.  I know that sometimes hate is in my heart and I don't like it.  God doesn't call us to hate, he calls us to love.  I really struggle with that sometimes and I guess we all do.  

In John 15:12, Jesus says "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you".  Wouldn't it be great if everyone did that? The sad truth is...there are not enough people that follow Jesus' teaching or his examples and when they don't that reflects on the world and reflects on us and on me.  When I encounter people that don't follow Christian teachings, then I can forget that I am so supposed to love them because frankly, they aren't that lovable in my eyes...but regardless, we are called to Love.

In Galatians 5:22-23, we find a list of Fruit of the Spirit, which two of those are Peace & Love.

Other Fruits of the Spirit are:

Peace: Inner tranquility, even amidst trials.

Love: Unconditional affection and care.

Joy: Deep, lasting gladness.

Patience/Forbearance: Endurance, not retaliating when wronged.

Kindness: Benevolence and generosity.

Goodness: Moral and ethical excellence.

Faithfulness: Loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness.

Gentleness: Mildness, humility, and consideration.

Self-Control: Discipline over one's desires and actions 

I think I really need to work on the Self-Control part and if I do, I will probably have more Peace and Love.  I've been working on that...trying to control my reactions to social media especially is tough.  I want to say things to set people straight (in my eyes) or agree with people (when they may be saying ugly things).  So I need to have more self control to (a) not look at that stuff and (b) avoid saying every thought that comes mind if I do look at it.

I think the Lord would be pretty sad at what the World has become, so much hate, so much violence, so much division all around the World.  All we can do is control ourselves and I pray and will try to do the right, I will try to do what brings Peace, Love, Kindness and Goodness.

I'm reminded of Romans 7:19
For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 

This is my prayer..that I do the good and not the evil. 

  

W.I.P. Wednesday

It's been a while since I've posted a Work In Progress Wednesday update.

So, I've been working on my Flower Power Crochet Blanket and it is coming along.  It is hard to work on it when kitty cats want attention but I'm almost 67% done.

 

Daddy Memories

 Today, 14 years ago, my daddy passed away.  I miss him every day. EVERY DAY.

The other day, I was in the store and there were lots of Valentine heart shaped boxes.  I was happy remembering when that my dad always got us kids a small box, which had about 5 or 6 chocolates in it.  He got my mom a HUGE box, I don't know how many pieces but it seemed like 100 to me, but it was probably more like 40 or 50. Do you remember when they made Valentine Hearts like that? They don't make them like that anymore..not at all.

None of us kids liked coconut so we always gave that piece to mama (with a tiny bite out of it because that's how we discovered it was coconut) and my mom didn't seem to mind, as far as I knew, that after our chocolate was gone, she'd find some of her's with little pokes in the bottom (so we could test if it had coconut) and a few pieces missing out of her box that were stolen by one of her 3 kiddos. 

This happy memory brought a smile to my face.

But then the next minute, tears welled up in my eyes....because I knew that daddy couldn't bring us Valentines anymore.  He hasn't been able to do that since 2012, when he passed away. Sometimes I can't believe that he is been gone 14 years.  

As you see, he passed away just 3 days before his 78th birthday.  I was praying that he would make it to his birthday but his body just couldn't do it.  

It's hard when a memory makes you happy and then makes you sad...all at the same time. 

 

 

 

 

Easy 3-Ingredient Tomato Dumplings

 

 

I saw this recipe on Pinterest about a year ago but haven't gotten around to making it but it is so easy and it is chilly so I thought today would be a good day.

Tomato Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 can tomato soup
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can (5 count) biscuits

Directions:

Put soup and diced tomatoes in pot and bring to a boil. Cut each biscuit into quarters and add to the tomato mixture.  Cook about 15-20 minutes until biscuits are done.  You can top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Easy to fix, quick to eat and good!

Note: I've seen variations of this that said to separate the biscuits (after cutting), add a piece of your favorite cheese and close the biscuit around it for cheesy dumplings, but I didn't want to take all that time to try that variety and to me, they were good without that step.

December 2025 Project Life

 ....and here are my December pages (click on photo to enlarge)

November 2025 Project Life

I just realized that I never posted my November or December Project Life pages.

Here's November 2025 - you can click on the photos to enlarge

The New Mary Maxim Catalog - AKA: Temptation

Oh no!! The new Mary Maxim Catalog arrived and it is filled with temptation goodness.  Remember when I said that I wasn't going to start a new project until I finished up those couple of UFOs...yet, here comes the new catalog and on the cover I spot the Barcelona Dreams Afghan.  Oh my goodness...isn't it beautiful??

 Just look at the details of that afghan!!

 

 

What makes it better is the array of colors that are available.

 

 Can't you just imagine how beautiful it would be made in "Your Majesty Queen" colorway? I can!!

 

 

 

 

 

Repeating to self...I will not start a new project....I will not start a new project...I will not start a new project.   

 

 

Flower Power Blanket - Take 2

I finally started my first UFO - which isn't my oldest one, but I am really surprised that it was started almost 4 years ago (May 2022).  I really don't know why I set it aside because I enjoyed making it...I guess I just got into making prayer shawls and knitting hats for cancer patients and the homeless and didn't really give time to me...but now I'm back to it.

It has been so long that I sort of forgotten where I left off in the pattern and it took me a while to find my place so I could begin and finally I located it.  Then I had realized I forgotten exactly how to do the flowers and grass so that was a little learning curve on the first couple of flowers but I quickly got back into the swing of it and I'm on a roll!!  

2025 Books

I think I set a new  record for me in 2025.  35 Books!!!  To some, that's peanuts as some people read that many books in a month! But to someone who just a few years ago, barely read 6 books in a year, I'm pretty happy with myself.  

You'll see from the book covers that I am missing 3 books...I don't know how for the life of me I missed them but the others were:

Rules for Fake Girlfriends - Reagan Revord (read after Black Bear)
The Widow - John Grisham (last book I read)
Boldness & Battlescars - Brittnay Collins (read before Huckleberry Finn)

I read 5 biographies, include 2 by Osmonds!  I loved the Cher book and I'm looking forward to part 2 of that that will be released in November 2025 (I believe) and Tim Curry's book. His book was so fun, he's got such a great sense of humor.  The only biography and only book I didn't really enjoy was surprisingly Sally Field's.  It was more about her mother than her, in my opinion.  It was just OK but I wouldn't really recommend it.  

I read 2 classics - Huckleberry Finn and Frankenstein and really loved Frankenstein...it was totally different than I expected it to be.  You might include Swan House in there too.  It is an older book (2001) but I don't if it is really defined as a classic.  I enjoyed that book a lot, because it took place in Atlanta and I recognized every place they were talking about and I learned a lot of history, especially about the High Museum and Woodruff's Art Center that I didn't know before.  

I never realized it until this year, but I really like Historical Fiction books.  The Lion Women of Tehran, James, Swan House, The Stolen Queen, The God of the Woods, Broken Country, The Queen of Sugar Hill, The Story She Left Behind, The Book Club for Troublesome Women, My Friends & The Correspondent fell into this category.

I even read 2 political books, which is something I usually never do. I also read 3 religious non-fiction books.

I can usually pick a favorite book but this year was really hard because I pretty much loved all of them.  I guess my least favorite novel was probably The Stolen Queen.  It was ok, but the subject matter didn't appeal to me a great deal I guess some of my faves were Theo of Golden, about a man who shares happiness and joy to others, The Queen of Sugar Hill, which is a fiction book about the life of Hattie McDaniel, but it contained a lot of true facts about her, The Bookclub from Troublesome Women, about a group of female friends and their lives in the early 1960s, & The River Is Waiting, about a man, who serves time in prison after he accidentally kills one of his twin children...it was sad, very sad, but a good story.

Did you read any fun books in 2025?? 

BBQ Chili Pasta

I've made this quite a few times but I haven't made it in a while.  I was thinking about this the other day and thought it would be good to make it because the leftovers are as good, or better than the first night.

 BBQ Chili Pasta

1 (8 ounce) package rotini pasta (I used wagon wheel pasta)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey (or you can use beef if you'd like)
1 (15 oz) can whole kernal corn (drained)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup barbeque sauce  

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat, add onion and cook until onion for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add ground turkey and cook until no pink remains, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chopped green bell pepper, corn, chili powder, dried oregano, salt, tomato sauce, and BBQ sauce. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine the turkey mixture with the pasta. Serve immediately. 

Notes:
I don't know why, but I just like this with wagon wheel pasta....if you can find it.  Have you ever looked for it? It's really hard to find.  I have recently located a brand called "DiVinci" but the wagon wheels are rather large and I like smaller ones, that keep their shape a lot better.  I found this box, but I don't recall where and I will probably never find it again.

You can also top with shredded cheese and sour cream if you'd like.