Crochet Boho Coasters

I’m running low on yarn. I do not have enough in my stash to make anything large or in bulk. This has been a good time for me to use up some of those small pieces. There is a craft store that has stayed open here in town that carries a large selection of yarn but refuse to stand in a mile long while they limit the number of shoppers. They need to limit the shopping time for shoppers if you ask me. I mean, who wants to wait outside for an hour so Betty can make up her mind on a craft she wants to begin with no idea where to start?

Summer will be here soon and that gives me beach vibes. One of my favorite summer styles is boho. I love the natural or mixed colors, handmade looks, twill and fringe. That’s when the idea came across to create these cute boho style coasters. 

It has been a while since I crocheted any mug coasters. I love having a coaster under my cup because I hate the clinging sound it makes when it hits the table. Plus It gives me a focal spot to place my mug (That’s just one of my OCD things). 

They were fun and easy to make. I have seen most of these made with macrame. I remember macrame use to be big in the 70’s and 80’s. Well it’s back.

I found two small balls of cotton yarn in my remnants. This was perfect since I needed to use two strands of yarn together to get a macrame look. 

If you crochet, you can find the pattern for these cuties HERE. 

I have put this set in my Etsy shop and hope they sell. I like them so much, I may just have to bite the bullet and go stand in line for more yarn.

What are you makeing?

I see you- An Open Letter To Grocery Workers

Dear grocery workers,

I see you. You did not have that friendly smile on your face today as you were ringing up my groceries. It’s ok. I can only imagine your life right now. Though I fuss and cuss that I do not have a job to go to, I would not want to be in your shoes right now. 

You are essential. However, I do not see your titles in the headlines of the observer or news. I do not see businesses offering you free shoes to wear or free meals. Instead, I see customers arguing with you for not having an item in stock. I also notice the only thing protecting you from customers is a piece of plexiglass the size of a computer screen. 

I see you working endless hours filling orders for grocery deliveries and curb side pickup because others are afraid to risk their health while you are sacrificing yours.

Your hair is a mess and you simply did not feel like applying make up or shaving today. I get it. You are working overtime so everyone can go home to their families and pack their cupboards. You are tired, yet you are not complaining or asking for handouts.

You didn’t ask for this. You did not get up one day and say “I want to be a grocery store clerk”. No, you took a job because you needed an income. Your pay is on the lower end of the scale and you probably live paycheck to pay check. You had no idea you would one day be on the front lines of a pandemic war with a virus claimed to be so contagious that they shut down Churches, schools, beaches, and dental offices.

You come face to face with every person in the town not knowing if they are carrying a virus or a cold. 

I pray for you and all other essential workers every day. You sacrifice your health so others can stay safe. You are appreciated.

Thanks for all you do.

We see you.

Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls

I have my Mom to blame for this post.

It all started last week when a storm came through during the wee hours of the morning. We sleep fine through the strong rain and thunder but my parents had a little misfortune as lighting hit a big tree sending it down onto their house. This led to them fleeing their upstairs bedroom. They are ok but were a little shaken up. The tree did significant damage to the roof and a limb arrowed through the ceiling of a spare room. All of this required them to loose power for two days until they could get the tree off the house and fix the power lines. 

My parents emptied their freezer and refrigerator and distributed foods to me and my brothers home. They did not want most of the food back and said we could do what we wished with it. That was dangerous because one of the the items was pie crust (among other goodies). 

I’m one of those people that would rather eat the crust of the pie instead of the filling. 

I had a sweet tooth (nothing new) and decided to use the rolled pie crust and make some little pie crust cinnamon rolls. 

They were so easy to make and made the perfect snack after we got settle down for some night time TV. 

Want to make some? Here is how I did it.

• Unroll the dough.
• Brush with melted butter.
• Coat with a sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Roll the dough back and cut into pieces.
• Place on a cookie sheet (sprayed or lined with non stick foil or paper). 
• Brush with butter again. (You can add more sugar and cinnamon if you wish)
• Bake 350 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. 

I thought they tasted best after they had cooled completely then I made a dipping glaze with powered sugar and a splash of milk. 

We finished these off because starting next week, I’m going back strict to my diet as I have put on a few pounds that I am not so happy about. 

Being on stay at home orders has made it hard not to snack all day long. I have to get back to disciplining myself to healthy eating habits. 

I have a month supply of Nutrisystem foods ready to go. 

Whipped Coffee

My daughter mentioned to me about this thing called Whipped coffee. This got my attention. “Whipped coffee? Oh do tell me more”.

She said she had seen it on the internet and from friends. I immediately turned to Pinterest and searched Whipped Coffee. Sure enough, you can whip coffee into a thick butterscotch colored fluff. 

If your a coffee lover, you will enjoy this. 

Here goes.

2 Tablespoons- Instant coffee.

2 Tablespoons- Sugar (white or brown works).

2 Tablespoons- Boiling water.

Now for the hardest part.

Get your whisk and start start whisking. This will take both arms because one will get tired. You have to whip it for like five minutes or so.

At first it doesn’t look like it will work but give it time. It will lighten up and start getting thick. The more you mix, the thicker it will get.

(You can also use an electric mixer if you wish).

I Think I have some new muscles in my arms now.

After about 5 minutes I had a nice coffee whipped to the consistency of whip cream.

Add the whipped coffee to the top of a iced milk of your choice. I used almond milk.

The coffee whip is rich and stout so before you drink it, give it a whirl in the milk. 

IT WAS DELICIOUS! 

Now go impress your friends and make them a drink that will make Starbucks jealous. 

Mask Extenders

The world is so weird right now. I have so many mixed feeling toward this pandemic, quarantines , closings and social distancing.

I still think its 40% contagious and 60% political. None of this makes since to me. I have never seen the world jump so fast on shutting down. 

But that’s just me. Just in case, I still take precautions and urge others to do so too. Rules are rules.

Do you have a mask yet? I purchased a few mask for my household from a neighbor. Each one in different prints just to be fun. I never knew face mask would make a fashion statement.

 

My mom just completed several mask too. They were all donated to healthcare groups. She also made a few for other family members.

I had people contact me about making some mask extenders for the nurses in the ER. The elastic straps on their mask that fit around their ears are becoming irritating and their ears are taking the toll. These little straps fit around the back of their head usually over a pony tail and the elastic can button to it leaving the ears free from strain. 

So, I made a few for the ER nurses here in town. I received a message yesterday that they were very grateful for them as they have been a big help in relief. 

Now I have been working on creating more incase anyone else needs them. Its’s all I could do with the buttons I had. I have resources for more buttons if needed. 

So far I have not been over run by them so it’s been relaxing to sit and crochet. This also gives me something to use up my scraps of cotten yarn. 

What are some things keeping you busy while your staying in?

A Different Easter Sunday

This Easter Sunday was definitely different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the meaning of this special day stayed the same.

We are still practicing social distancing and stay in orders, but my daughter wanted to come home for the weekend. Of course she can. I am a mother. She is my only child. I have Mom-ed through the flu, many strep throats, infections, viruses, scarlet fever, and chicken pops. I refuse to let covid-19 stop me now.

So she came home and we had a great time together as usual as we exercised, baked goodies and dyed eggs. 

My daughter woke up Easter morning to an Easter basket full of goodies, puzzles and little things she needed (shes 28 but when shes home, she 12 again). She also had us a little Easter basket full of snacks. 

After breakfast we got dressed and headed to church for Sunday service. 

It was not an ordinary service. It was a drive in service. Definitely different.

Everyone sat in their cars as the singers sang a few songs and the pastor preached a great service from the porch of a little house on the church grounds.

You could hear horns honk in place of the Amens you normally hear in the sanctuary on a normal Sunday. It was rather nice but sad that it has come to this alternative. I talked to my daddy and saw momma sitting in their vehicle.

This is me and my sister sitting beside each other. 

It looked like it was going to rain but the rain held off until the service ended. As soon as he dismissed everyone, the rain came down. . 

When we came home after church, we had a small Easter dinner complete with ham, potato salad and broccoli casserole.

Hope you all had a great Easter despite of the changes taken place and social distancing. 

Dogwood and Easter

The Dogwood tree is one of my favorite trees. We have one in the front yard and one in the back. The Dogwood trees always bloom just in time for Easter. They produce beautiful flowers to remind us of God’s promise and whoever looks upon it will never forget.

You see, there is a legend behind the Dogwood tree. The story is not biblical fact but can be used as a tool to teach us some of the meanings of Easter. 

The Dogwood tree used to stand tall, straight and strong. It is said to be the timber used to build the cross that Jesus was crucified on. This made the tree sad so God promised it would no longer grow tall or strong enough to carry the weight of anything else. This is why you never see a straight branch on a dogwood tree and the branches are weak and fragile. 

The blossoms of the Dogwood tree are white to represent purity and in the shape of a cross. The outer edges of the petals are brown or red with tiny holes. This represents the nails that were driven through Jesus hands and feet and the blood he shed. 

The Center of the flower represents the crown of thorns that was worn on Jesus head. 

Though this legend of the dogwood tree may or may not be biblically true, the story that God sent his only son to to die on the cross for you and me, is.

You can read about the crucifixion of Jesus in the books of the Bible, Matthew, Mark ,Luke and John. 

Let’s remember the true meaning of Easter.....

And then let’s eat some of those Reese’s peanutbutter eggs!

Crochet Sneakers

My neighbor ran over to me on New Years Day to tell me that she had just found out that she will be a grandmother in July. She was so excited. Her son will be giving her a grand baby.

As soon as she found out the gender of the little human, she was quick to let me know. “It’s a boy!” Then she said “I want you to crochet a little hat for him”. “Sure”, I said, but I went beyond just a little hat. I made some little sneakers to match. I used black because it made me think of the style of the father.

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I have tried to make little Converse inspired sneakers in the past but could never get it right. I had given up on ever trying again but I could not stop thinking about accomplishing the challenge. I picked up some white and black cotton yarn and gave it another shot. I tried not to get in a hurry this time and just did them a little at a time. It took me three days at about an hour a day. The first day I just worked on the two layered soles. Day two I spent about 30 minutes and crocheted the toe and tongue part. Day three, I finished with the black part of the shoe and shoe laces. 

I like how they look but they turned out a little bigger than I had expected. They are about 4 inches long,  so I made the little black beanie hat a little bigger than new born. If the baby is born in July, It should be grown into them by August or September. Perfect for Fall. 

My neighbor does not know that I have made this little set yet. I will be taking it over to her sometime before June. This is when they are planning a baby shower. I hope she likes what I made for the little dude. 

Paper Eggs

Today I want to share with you a great little Easter craft you can make with your kids or if your like me, your simply so bored that you are trying to find things to do to keep you busy. Either way, this is a fun and easy.

What you will need is: 

-Printed paper.

-Glue (I used a glue stick).

-Scissors.

-String or yarn.

You can use any kind of paper such as used cards, magazines and book pages or scrap book paper. I did not have any of these things so I went online and found some floral colors and printed them on regular copy paper. 

I cut out one egg shape to use as a pattern and used it to cut out several other pieces. You will need 4 shapes for one egg. Try to get them all the same so they match up. Mine were a little off because I do not draw or cut accurate, but they were close enough not to notice. 

Fold each piece in half to make a crease. 

Now, glue four pieces together sides to sides. Somewhere along the way, make sure you glue a string between the pieces so you can hang them. The length of the string is up to you. 

Now get creative and find something to hang your fabulous eggs on. I took some branches from a dogwood and placed in a vase. You can use branches with blooms, paint them or leave them naked like mine.

This craft will keep you and the kiddos busy for about and hour. It’s on you to figure out how to keep them busy the rest of the day. 

Stay safe and take advantage of this time with family.

Wild Life Friends

We are now back home from our recent beach trip. We cut the trip short due to a couple concerns. This pandemic going around has put the whole state on “stay in” order. This means to limit time away from the house. We were fine down at the coast in our own little camper with no contact with other people while we enjoyed a nice relaxing time at the campground and on the beach. Back here at home we have to be in by 5:00 pm. The only places we can go are places of necessities. Well, you know how it is.

While we did not have contact with anyone except for talking back and forth from a distance or a hand wave, we did have contact with some wildlife in the area. Even the animals seem different. These birds refused to move as we walked by. Normally they will scatter. 

These two ducks visited our campsite every morning. They must of could hear my door open each morning to let the sunshine and cool breeze in. Within minutes I would hear them quaking at the foot of my door steps.

They would stay and watch me while I ate my breakfast then I would feed them some bread. 

We talked about the weather and about their other feathered family. 

While we were out walking we saw several of these little turtles. Some were no bigger than an quarter and most were smashed on the road. 

I was able to save this one. I took him over to the lake side and set him free. 

When we got home, I took a walk around the yard to check on my plants. I will occasionally peep in the bird campers to see if they are occupied. As I walked up to this bird camper, my stomach feel on the ground and my heart raced out of my chest as I saw an unwelcome happy camper. 

He looked happy and content so I told Nick to just take him out of the yard, but he got rid of him instead. It turned out to be a pretty long black snake and looked like it just had dinner (Probably from eggs in the nest). I know they are “suppose” to be the good snakes but I am terrified of any snake and the deader the better. The bite of a black snake will still make you extremely sick.