A Sweet Girl Turns Two

We enjoyed a birthday party for Cordelia yesterday.  She was so excited when we got there because she's recently been to a birthday party and THIS time she knew about PRESENTS!  She was so sweet, though.  She repeatedly told each of us "hi" on arrival.  We all got hugs and were told we were loved.  She made sure everyone enjoyed their cupcakes and asked us individually if we were done before we moved on to present-opening time, "Grandma, you done?  Grandpa, you done?...."

I bet if you check out her Momma's blog today you will find some adorable photos.  I just want to share two of my photos that occurred during the party as Cordelia enjoyed some of her new things...



Dear Cordelia,

Sweet baby girl, how precious you are to me! It seems just a few days ago I first held you in my arms, marveling at your very existence.  I loved you so much, even though I really didn't know you.

(I'm not sure if this is a photo taken by me or by your Daddy.)

I loved you even before I experienced the sweet way you hug with your whole being, laying your head on my shoulder and wrapping your legs around me.  I did not yet know the joy of your sweet little girl kisses or the feel of your hand in mine as we walk down a sidewalk.  I'd not seen you blow kisses to me from your carseat as your parents drive you away.

I had no idea of the quirky ways your little personality would develop.  I didn't know you would say to me, "Grandma, you fine?"  I didn't know you would look at one of my wounds and offer to kiss it while telling me, "Be careful Grandma!"  I didn't know your hair would "float" around your face reminding me of a halo.  I didn't know you would often start to call me Momma and end up calling me "Momma-Grandma".  I didn't know you'd love pumpkins and balls and crackers and berries and drums and Wonder Pets and PlayDough and BIIIIIG trucks and airplanes and bouncing on the trampoline with Grandpa and birds and ceramic backyard animals and the mole on my right arm.   I know those things now and so those things are important to me as well. 

I've loved having you in our family these last 2 years.  You have added a new level of fun and joy. I look forward to all the years ahead and all the chances to get to watch you grow and learn and love and be loved.

Happy Birthday Cordelia Rose!

Changes

I am going to be "playing" with new designs and layouts for my blog for the next few days.  I'm not sure I can break away from the Orange Paisley background but we'll see.  If you have opinions regarding any of the looks I try, let me know.

I just think it is time I polish it up a bit.

I think it is time to polish myself up a bit as well...

At our craft fair last Saturday our booth was next to the Curves booth.

Remember how slow the craft fair was?

The lady at the booth, Marla, was a very good salesperson!

You guessed it.

I signed up.

I went in yesterday afternoon to seal the deal.

I filled out paperwork and she did the weigh & measure session that

I guess occurs once each month.  

Since I had on a dress and was not prepared for an actual

work-out she didn't take me through the equipment and all that.

TODAY

I return for my first work-out.

I will let you know how that goes!

A Day of Delightful Adaptations

Yesterday did not go quite as expected.  I'd planned to fill out and drop off a job application, get some groceries, go to an appointment, mail some packages and finish my Bible Study lesson.  Mike got up, though, and thought it looked like a great day for a picnic.  Monday is his day off but he often has things he has to work on anyway.  I was thrilled that he was able to consider some leisure time so I rescheduled my appointment and off we went.

We headed to a State Park not far away.  We wandered off down a path, marveling at the perfection of the day.  Although we weren't far from home, for some reason it seemed more Fall-like there.  The leaves were awesome!

Do you see how the grass is all laid down from deer sleeping there? 

Bode liked the river.

We set up the chairs and made ourselves comfortable for waterside dining.

The sky was fun... can you see the turtle in the clouds?

I worked on my Bible Study lesson.

Mike & Bode explored.

We decided we'd pack up and move on to do some more exploring.

We drove on to a small town, still not far from home.

We leisurely drove around looking at neighborhoods until we just happened

upon the golf course.

I am using the term "happened" pretty loosely. 

Mike's vehicle "happens" upon golf courses frequently.

I got the bright idea that Mike should golf and Bode and I should walk around the town.  Mike tried to dismiss that plan as he thought I was just being kind.  I convinced him that I'd enjoy my time as well so he gave in and he golfed while Bode and I wandered through a couple of interesting neighborhoods and on to the sweet little downtown.  It was such a joy to have time to do that!

When Bode and I returned to the clubhouse I set him up with a bowl of water and I set myself up with some crocheting.  The weather was perfect for my shorts and tank attire.

We had a good view for watching my honey finish on the last hole.

I think he's pretty cute when he is taking his golf seriously.

He finished with a big smile, having birdied the last hole. 

If you aren't married to a golfer you may not appreciate how much a good golf round can positively affect the rest of the day!

So, the day went nothing like I'd planned, instead, it was PERFECT!



Craft Fair Wrap-Up

So, we were a part of our first craft fair Saturday.  We survived!  Actually, we had a fun day.  It started our quite slow.  That is a HUGE understatement.  What I mean to say is, we sat there for maybe and hour and a half before we saw the first customer even walk by!  We vendors wandered around looking at each other's stuff.  One of the vendors near the front door told us she saw people come in and when they were told it cost $2 to enter, they just turned and exited.  I couldn't blame them for that.

We entertained ourselves just fine, though.  Maria and I had time to crochet and visit with each other.  That in itself made it a good day!

I laughed when I used the restroom (I know, here I go talking bathroom talk again) and saw the name of the company imprinted on the giant toilet paper holder.  Well, it was funny!  Here, see for yourself and enjoy at least an inner chuckle.

Eric, my son-in-law, came by for a visit and to drop Cordelia off with us for a bit.  We'd been sitting there for about 3 hours at that point and we'd STILL only had maybe 10 people in to look around but STILL not one sale!



Not long before noon Maria took Miss Cordelia to get some lunch and to watch her Daddy's band do a performance at a park.  Cordelia said she was going to "rock out" and wanted to know if Grandma was going to "rock out".   I really never did do that.

Maria had been gone just a few minutes when quite a few people came at once and we finally had our first sale and then several more.  It was kind of a fun little rush.  By the time Maria returned after Cordy's nap the rush was long over but we did have more sales throughout the afternoon.  It was never a very well attended craft fair but it was good enough to make it worthwhile. 

I asked permission to take pictures of a few of the little cuties. This first little one, Riley, is the daughter of my friend, Kerry.  This picture doesn't quite capture the beautiful blue of Riley's eyes but she looked just heart-meltingly cute in the little hat Maria made and the little poncho I made.

This little babe, Brynna, went home with our purple bear hat and also a purple poncho that matched it.  It looked like they were made just for her!

The childrens' animal hats were probably our best sellers.  Two women chose the same owl hat but thankfully they graciously worked it out.  One took it home but first I took a photo so I'd remember which it was so I could make another for the second lady.  Since we make up the face hats as we go along (no patterns) I was afraid I'd forget exactly how I'd made that one.

We took orders for several other items, including an adult poncho, so we've got some serious crocheting to do this week!  That's not a bad thing at all!

Psalm 24:1

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.

Getting Ready!

Did any of you ever play "store" when you were kids?

I did.

Once, when we lived about 10 miles outside of a town in Nebraska, I had a friend with a real store where we could play.

Their home was on a corner and on their property was an old store, no longer in use.  There were some leftover items in it and even some old paper sacks and such.  We had fun playing and pretending we were business people.

That's kind of how I am feeling about this whole craft fair deal.

It feels a bit like we are playing "store".

We are going to set up our little space and make it all pretty and then sit there and act like store owners.

I think it will be just as fun as when I was a kid!

We're all set up and ready to go!

Since this is our first craft fair I have no idea how many items we should have, but I'm pretty sure we have WAY more than enough.  I'm too embarrassed to tell you how much we have but let's just say we've both been busy crocheting, making jewelry, etc.  We have more than you can see in the pictures.  It is truly an addiction but a fun and useful one.  You'll see some of it also at

 Wyoming Rose Boutique as soon as we get a chance to list it all. 

I'm kind of excited. 

Can you tell?

This particular craft fair is a first for the place where it is being held so I don't know if it will be well attended.  I was also kind of surprised to see that they are charging $2 for entrance.  Is that normal for a craft fair?  We already paid for our booth.  I don't understand how they expect shoppers to pay just for the privilege of looking at our stuff.  I don't like it but it isn't up to me.

 So, if you are local, stop by and say "hi". 

I'm sorry it will cost you $2 but we'll try to give you a

big smile as well.  You've heard of a million dollar smile?

We just offer the $2 smile.

Cordelia and the BIG Doll

Cordelia came over Thursday night.

She climbed on ladders (assisted by Grandpa),

played with Playdough,

helped water flowers and vegetables,

bounced on the trampoline,

and jumped off the step stool.

When she was ready to rest she wanted

the BIG Doll.  This is a doll my Mom made for Maria when she

was just a little girl.  Cordy loves to examine her.

She has a bellybutton!

She also has dimples on her knees and that made

Cordy think she had bellybuttons on her knees!

So, they snuggled up with me to watch an episode of

Wonder Pets.  I had to excuse myself from the snuggle

just long enough for the photo.

I love that little girl so much!

...and we have a WINNER!

Thank-you to everyone who entered my latest give-away via comments, FB sharing, etc.  As per the rules, some names were entered multiple times to match the different aspects of entering the give-away.  I'll just tell the story through the pictures:

I laughed that AKM got 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!

AKM,  this covered round box and a pair of Russian Jade earrings will be shipped soon.  I do have your address from your last order from Wyoming Rose.  I will hold off a few days so if your address has changed please e-mail me at onlythemanager@yahoo.com. 

Also, I so appreciated all your entries I decided to throw in a pair of cross earrings as well!  You've made comments that let me know you are a Christian so I thought you might like them.  If your address has changed since your last order, please let me know. 

Crocheting Can Be Dangerous!

As I said, Maria and I are going to try our first table at a craft fair this Saturday.

We're delightfully excited!

We've a lot of items to offer but yet I think I should make more and more and more....

I have to be cautious, though.

Did you know you could be injured by crocheting?

Several years ago, while I was still working as an oncology nurse, I crocheted hats for the chemo patients.  A LOT of hats.  I was using small hooks and doing a nice tight crochet and apparently I was pretty intense about it.

I developed a very painful right arm.  I didn't figure it out on my own.  I thought I had some kind of nerve entrapment or something.  I reached the point where it was difficult to even lift my hand without experiencing a sharp pain.  Starting IV's on patients became a miserably painful experience so I finally spoke to my doctor about this weird pain.  I was sent on to a neurosurgeon as the suspicion was still an entrapped nerve.

The neurosurgeon did a careful exam and declared that I had lateral epicondylitis, also known as "tennis elbow".  I likely had a tear in my tendon, which is holding muscle to bone.  I'm telling you, this is not a fun injury.  It hurt WAAAAAY more than having my shin cut to the bone by an evil plate.  Click here if you missed that story.

The neurosurgeon was perplexed, however, as to how I could have developed this.

I do NOT play tennis.

He told me it had to be something repetitive.  I thought and thought and mentioned I had been crocheting a lot in the evenings.  He asked me to show him how I crocheted and when I tried to simulate the movement he smiled and said,

"That's it!"

Later, I heard him chuckling out in the hall while telling someone

his patient got hurt crocheting.

It was kind of funny.

Anyway, I had to undergo 6 weeks of physical therapy, which actually felt pretty good.

I also had to be fitted for a splint.

That was fun because I needed to fill out insurance paperwork regarding my injury.

I remember some questions that made me laugh out loud right there in their office.

How did you get this injury?  CROCHETING

Where were you when this injury occurred?  IN MY ROCKING CHAIR

After the 6 weeks of physical therapy and splint-wearing I was still having a lot of pain that restricted my movement.  Finally, I went back for a steroid injection.  I'd heard that would be quite painful but actually it wasn't bad at all for me.  It brought relief quickly so I was very, very happy. 

I don't really want to go throught that again but I also love crocheting.  After taking a couple of years off I've been doing it now even more than before.  I've had to adapt my ways, though.  I brace my arm a certain way, usually against the arm of the chair or something, and it seems to be doing the trick.  I stop and stretch out frequently as well.

Anyway, enough of that!

Here are some of the things we've been making.

Some will be for the sale and some will be for Wyoming Rose Boutique.

I'm going to figure out how to use Random.org today to choose the give-away winner.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for that announcement!

Have a great day!



Nameless Lady

This dress form came yesterday.

Maria and I were really hoping it would

be here in time for our first craft fair as

we intend to use her for display.

Here

she is wearing

a wrap that I just

completed.

For now, she remains nameless

but Maria will surely

name her.

In case you are wondering about the art in the background, it was painted by my lovely artist/daughter.  If you want to see more work by Maria
or her husband, E.K. Wimmer, click here
and then click on either of their photos. 
Those two received more than their share of talent!

And last, don't forget that today is the last day to enter my current give-away!  Be sure to tell me if you've done any of the extra things, like mentioning it on your FB page or blog, as I will enter your name more than once.

Thanks!

Countdown to the Craft Fair

Our first Craft Fair is this Saturday!

My plan for today is to turn long strings of yarn into fun and/or beautiful items!

I feel content.

Don't forget to enter my give-away.!
I will have the drawing on Wednesday, announced on Thursday!



Galatians 5:22

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Napkin Tutorial + a Give-Away!

Maria (daughter) and I have been creating things for our online shop, Wyoming Rose Boutique, since last November.  We have so much fun!  We also had a Wyoming Rose Boutique blog but with us each having our own blogs as well, we decided to stop adding to our store blog.  Instead, we will occasionally do tutorials and give-aways on our own blogs.  Maria recently did one on how to make some beautiful decorative flowers.  She often has give-aways on her blog as well. 

Our shop, Wyoming Rose Boutique, is NOT closing, just the blog.  In fact, we've been crafting away for our shop lately and we are also going to do our very first craft fair next week-end!  We're kind of excited about that.

Anyway...

I decided you might enjoy a fun craft I learned from a sweet lady named Rosemarie.  I met her at our church in New Mexico and she taught this to us at a ladies' gathering.

You'll  need some pretty napkins, a paintbrush and some Mod Podge.  I chose the glossy Mod Podge but the matte would be lovely as well.  Additionally, you need something like an old basket or some prefab little container dealies or whatever else you may think of that you might want to recover.

Be sure to put down newspapers first.  This is a craft you can easily do with children but even so, it is messy.  Also, it is helpful if you turn on the radio.  Music makes crafting much more fun.  I turned on KLove.  Do you get that station where you are?  I know it is national but I'm not sure it is everywhere.  Anyway, I enjoy it a lot.

So, now you are set.

Begin preparing your napkins by tearing off the edges, you know,

that part with the little bumpy area.

I know that seems wasteful, but it gets worse.  Next you must peel off all the white layers from the back of the napkin.  If you wish, you can save all the scraps and use them to wipe your mouth when you eat lunch.  I just threw my scraps in the trash.  Anyway, you have to be real certain all the back layers are off and that you only have the top layer left.  Some napkins are just 2-ply but a lot of the really pretty napkins sneak in another layer.  After you are certain you've removed the backs, tear your napkins into pieces.  You may make them any size you wish.  I have best results using anything from the size of a half-dollar to maybe the size of a paper dollar,
depending on what you are recovering.

The next step is to paint a bit of the Mod Podge onto your item.

Then start sticking on pieces of napkin and apply Mod Podge over it to make it stick well.  The biggest piece of advice for this project is to go very light with the Mod Podge.  I tend to want to drown the napkins but that leaves the final project sticky and you may even have white spots.  Less is better.

I was doing a pretty thorough covering on this basket but I also like it when I go even lighter and leave some of the napkin still papery, as long as it sticks.

You can choose to do the bottom of your project or leave it alone.  Just be sure that while you are painting on the Mod Podge you are remembering to leave a side to set it down.  I let my projects dry overnight and then do the other side if desired.

I did a whole batch of things at once.  I guess I figure if I'm going to

make a mess I may as well really get into it. 

And this little cutie is for the give-away.

And to make it more interesting, the winner will find a surprise pair of earrings inside!

So, you can enter in a number of ways...

1) Any new followers from today through Tuesday will be entered automatically.

2) Anyone who leaves a comment on any of my posts from today through Tuesday

    will automatically be entered once for EACH comment.  I will also count comments

    sent to my e-mail (see below).

3) If you let me know that you shared this post on FACEBOOK I will enter your name.

4) If you let me know that you shared this post on TWITTER I will enter your name.

5) If you let me know you visited our shop site I will enter your name.

6) If you let me know that you've visited Maria's blog between today and Tuesday I will

    enter your name.
7) If you let me know that you have become a new follower of Maria's blog,
    Little Things are Big, I will enter your name yet again.
8)  If you let me know that you blogged about EITHER my blog or Maria's, I will
    enter your name yet again.

So you see, you can enter any number of ways.  My e-mail address is onlythemanager@yahoo.com so you can "let me know" what you've done that way as well. 

Now, for the warning.  Yes, there is a warning!  It is likely that you will have left-over Mod Podge.  It is ok to look around and think of what else you may want to recover, but be cautious!  It is easy to get carried away!  For example, here is a picture of my bathroom cupboards:

So, you've been warned.  This is an addictive behavior and intervention may be needed!
Craft at your own risk!  ..........but have fun!