Rugs and Pugs Giveaway

This mornings sky

One thing that is so good about being a blogger, is the friendships you make in the blogging community.
Other social media sites cannot even begin to touch that. The friends I have made, and the people I have met have enriched my life in just about every area. Being a blogger myself, has helped me do things like rug hooking, sewing, doing wood projects and sharing my life out loud. Things I would have never tried before 2009 when I started blogging. I really am shy and would rather be a hermit.

One of the fantastic bloggers I have met has been Lauren at Rugs and Pugs. 
I have learned so much from Lauren, she has just shared things she has learned along the way and because of her gentle way of leading, I think I have become a better hooker. (rug) She also does wonderful giveaways.

This week I received my box from her. It was just a joy to open as it was filled with everything I love. Not to mention made by Lauren. First of all there was this lovely paisley emery strawberry.

 

With wool she has over dyed.

Isn't is pretty. When you become obsessed by wool like I have, this really to me is better than chocolate.

She also added something for my rug hooker necklace.

 Isn't that pretty. She makes such lovely things out of silver spoons. I just love this with the K on it.

So if you get a chance go over and read Lauren's lovely blog and I if you haven't met her yet, you will find out how giving and nice she is, not to mention just kind all of the time. Thank you so much Lauren.

I also managed to finish my heart rug by Cammie Bruce.

Primitive Junky

The colors aren't really true this morning as I grabbed the last bit of sunlight before the clouds rolled in.
We have storms lined up to Hawaii so I am hoping to get this bound today. So I have one rug I finished in January. Yay me.

This morning I thought I was seeing things. I got new glasses and of course, they gave me a migraine maybe worse than I have ever had in my life. So not wearing glasses at all right now. That is why my above picture the K is upside down. So that is why I thought I was seeing things until I got right up to it.

 Silly hydrandga thinks it is spring. I told it that snow levels are going to be down to the valley floor and it is going to get cold so it better not fall for this weather thinking it is spring, but of course, they never learn. Still is looks pretty all among the brown.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. I hope to keep my hands busy. Well, if I can stop staring out the windows in anticipation of the rain. Have a lovely weekend,

~Kim~

 "I was never any good at remembering dates, but now I hardly have to. When the first bulb catalogs get delivered and the hens start laying again, that's all the notice I'll need to know that winter has passed."
---Susan Orlean

Monday, Monday

 

Happy Monday!! Are you excited that this is the last week of January? I am sorta. When I went out for a walk this morning, I felt like it is the first time I have visited everything and noticed all of the surprises. My mind has been on such other things for so long, I could believe how much has changed. Not anything you would notice if you weren't looking.

Our Raywood Ash trees have all of these little green baby leaves on them. With these lovely little red buds.
I was so surprised to see this already. I have heard the meadowlarks for two weeks. A sure sign that a change is coming. You know they really sing so pretty when it is raining.

Artichoke

The artichoke is going crazy already. Have you ever read that verse that talks about "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself." I walk around and I see all of these plants, trees and bushes growing all by themselves. They just stay connected to the trunk, vine and root. I don't hear a single one saying, " I must grow fruit, or do I hear one saying, I am going to grow all on my own away from this root. 
Of course, which is what I do most of the time, I try to run off in my own direction, my own way and it isn't until I come back to the vine, because I have exhausted my hoard of resources.  You would think I would learn this by now. Life is so much smoother when I stay connected to the vinedresser. 

Large Nettle

 I couldn't believe all of the nettle that is already up this high. When I see nettle, my mouth waters. It only grows in areas that are high in iron. This time of year, I need iron. That is how I can tell. I know of no other tea that tastes as good to me as nettle tea. 

All of our mullein is growing too, I didn't take any pictures of that. That was what I always used when the kids were small if they had colds and coughs. It is an excellent expectorant. 

   I planted these in the fall. They are also good at a tea for colds and coughs. I have a herb book on my shelf that is full of recipes for different kinds of herbs for ways to treat different illnesses. Almost every recipe starts with Pot Marigolds. That is what they call these. 

Sweet Peas

 I had to show you how much my sweet peas are growing. I love seeing their little feelers out getting ready to start climbing. Here in California we have to plant sweet peas in the fall. It gets too hot for them by late May. Always on my birthday my favorite bouquet is sweet peas in a blue canning jar. 

Rug pattern by Cammie Bruce

 My rug for January. MY-ONLY-RUG! I hope to finish it this week so I can say I made something in January. Slacker that I am. It is so much fun to work with wool that I dyed myself and to do hearts this time of year. 

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments. I am so glad to be here in this place, right now.
Happy Monday!
  
~Kim~

The True way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.----Francoise de Motteville

 

The Wedding Video

 

Here I go again.  Back in October, all of these plans had to be made. As you will see, it was a total surprise for the guests. I couldn't blog about it, I couldn't talk about it. It was so hard trying to do wedding preparations in secret. They went and did that first video in October.  I hadn't seen the first part of the video until at the wedding. I of course sat there thinking what totally amazing kids we have.  It turned out so pretty.
You can't even believe that is my front yard.

First, I want to show you my favorite picture so far.

I always want to break into song, " Secret Agent Man"

See how green our hills are now after all of the rain.

They thought all of this stuff and they accomplished their goals and I am very proud of them.   Here is the link. https://vimeo.com/152670773

They are having a blast in Orlando. I will be glad when they come home, as you know I miss them. They are a lovely couple and I am so blessed to not only have a wonderful son, but I think he has the most beautiful and talented wife. All I can say as Mrs Bennet said before me, " Mr. Bennet, God has been very, very good to us."
~Kim~

On their honeymoon

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." (A.A. Milne)

Back To Normal---Whaterver That is!

 

Here I am, back to normal. Sort of. Everything is put away, packed away and cleaned up. Yesterday I figured out the best way to get to normal was to dye wool. There is nothing that I know of for me that gives me such joy is fooling around with dye pots, colors and wool. It is so dark today because of the fog. I couldn't get good pictures of the colors, but they did turn out yummy.

I bought Cammie Bruce's pattern Hearts. I wanted blue hearts so of course I had to dye lots of blue.

Primitive Junky

Blue really.

I love these colors!

It if was brighter outside you could see these wonderful yummy blues. I will cut it today to start hooking.

I also dyed some green.

I over dyed colors that I didn't use in the fall, which I think will be fun to use on the other patterns I bought two weeks ago.

I also spent yesterday going through my stash of embroidery thread. I have had  His Eye is on the Sparrow by Heartstring Samplery for a year. I decided back in December I was going to make it for 2016. I dyed my fabric yesterday too.

 

I had to really lighten this picture so you could see it, but it is a nice antique brown for this project. I thought about incorporating the 10 minute a day for this project. There are 38 pages to this pattern. It is a huge project. I have seen so many ladies accomplish it, so I know if I just work on it every day I can too. The hardest thing will be not looking at other patterns.

His Eye is on the Sparrow---Heartstring Samplery

I think this is just lovely. I love all of the designs in it and His Eye is on the Sparrow, is one of my favorite hymns.

I need to get back to my creative side. I have missed it. I can't believe we are at the middle of January and I don't have a single finished project. That is about to change I hope.

Have a wonderful Thursday,
~Kim~

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.---Charles Spurgeon

Just an Update.

 

For starters, Thank you so much for your words, your thoughts and prayers. This has been one of the hardest things I have done, I cried so much these last two weeks, if I had known what a nervous breakdown was I would have thought I was having one. Okay that aside.

The wedding was lovely in every way. Beautiful bride, handsome groom. Great food and lots and lots of terrific people. Making new friends and renewing old ones. We are very blessed and thankful.

 

William has been our clown, our humor, and as Makenzie's Grandmother says, " Our sweet William."
In his 26 years of life, we have barely had a cross word. When he told me he was picking songs for the Mother/Son dance. The first thing out of my mouth was, " Oh No William! No, I can't do that? I will cry in front of all of those people, and besides I am like a ox on the dance floor." He said it was too bad, but he wouldn't tell me what song.  So first thing after the vows and dinner was the mother/son dance.

The song he has picked by Johnny Cash was, " You are my sunshine." I was a wreck. William is taller than me by at least a foot and that is with heels. We both were crying. He was named after my Dad. My Dad was a big man too. In fact, as a little girl I thought in my little kid mind, that my Dad was bigger than God. William didn't know this as I had never told him, but when I was a little, little girl, my Dad would pick me up in his arms and dance around the room singing "You are my sunshine."  Later Ben said, " I saw you dancing with William and then I looked and Dad was crying, so I just turned and walked away I couldn't take it."

 

They did traditional as well as their own vows. Of course, Ron and I both cried through those too as did everyone in the place. But then at the end he said, " When I was about six years old, I read in Winnie-the-Pooh and from that time on I wanted to say that to the one I would marry, now I get to say this to Makenzie, "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." I don't think there was a dry eye in the place.

 

Those are the sweet things, too many to count. I am more tired than I ever thought I could be, and there is still work to do. My house looks like a disaster area, the tent is picked up but there is still so much to do like unhooking power cables and all of that. I don't have any dishtowels left in my kitchen so of course I have to do laundry.
But I am very happy and proud. But so glad this thing is over. Now it can rain all it wants.
Thank you again so much for your thoughts and prayers. I couldn't have done it without you.
~Kim~

Makenzie's Dad giving her to William, Ron and I are looking on.

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
---A.A. Milne

Wedding Day

 

Today is the day, at 3:00 I gain a daughter. Also for the first time in 36 years, as spare room. Kind of weird to think about. Except for the boys I still have at home have commandeered it for a man room or so they think. I am still hoping for a guest room.

Yesterday was my part of the wedding the rehearsal dinner. I have to say that with Megan and Ben's and Ron's help it turned out to be the best meal I have ever cooked in my life. So I think I redeemed myself after my Thanksgiving fiasco.

So here we are today. It is raining. Even as I write, water in going underneath the tent from the rain. Not a single thing I can do about it either. I thought you might be interested to see how my house looks today.

First we will start with my office.

 

 Sorry that this is so dark, but the rain and clouds makes it this way. This is camera equipment. Tons of equipment sitting here in the office.

Then I thought this lens deserved its own picture.

Isn't that awesome?

Now we will go into my entry way.

 

That is boxes of cups for the tables. These really pretty etched coffee cups. I will take a picture and show you after this is over.

We are traveling into the dining room, and my dining room table.

So much stuff. You know, I wonder why I obsess about having a clean house. There is so much stuff everywhere, you couldn't tell if it is clean or not. 

Now lets go outside and look at the front yard. 

The big generator that is to run the lights, the music the projector and who knows what else. then the things with the giant hoses is the heaters. It is so cold you wouldn't be able to stay out there without these heaters. 

The outside of the tent is up next. 

 

Those cement blocks are there to hold down the tent in case of wind. There are 32 of them that weight 500 pounds each. I felt so sorry for them men who had to haul them in over the wet lawn. 

The quiet before the storm. The first part of the wedding will be like a church service. Ron and I and the brides parents will be doing communion and praying with the bride and groom after the vows. Then after this is over, everyone will have to leave while the tables are set up and decorated. 

There is still so much to be done before I sleep. I just thought I would share with you before we kick into day two. I am always numb at this part. Well should end this blog, my phone is starting to ding. Work is waiting. 

Have a lovely day,

~Kim~

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking untio Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the cross, despising the shame has ssat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:3-4

The Light at the End of the Tunnel.

 

Next week, a tent will be here. One week, eight days from today. This will be our fourth time around. Trying to get a venue ready, in an El Nino year is one filled with challenge after challenge. We won't even talk about the cold. Next week, hopefully, only one day of rain is in the forecast. Every single day, I would say has had new tests, new experiences to over come. Do I have any idea if anything will work? Nope, all we have at this point is determination and grit. At least we don't have snow.

Ron gave me a test last night.

Circle the number that most closely reveals your attitude toward life:

1." Make the World Go Away"

2. "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head"

3. "I Did It My Way"

4. "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning"

 

 Inwardly I groaned, because it required thinking on my part. I realized, my attitude right now is number one,
Make the world go away. But buried deep inside of me, what I really want is to wake up again with number 4 on my lips, oh what a beautiful morning. My reflection is 2016 is the year, I will no longer ever be Kim I was but a different one I have never met. I think I can say, 2015 beat the old me to a pulp and 2016 is trying to show me that as this Portuguese proverb states, " God writes straight with crooked lines."
"Because God far more interested in our getting where He wants us to be than we are getting there. He does not discuss things with us. He leads us faithfully and plainly as we trust Him and simply do the next thing." (Elisabeth Elliot)

 

For me, I must keep my thoughts on all that I have gained. Not the loss I feel. To rejoice in the joy of life and in the blessings that surround me. In the love that God gives me and in the praise I feel when I sit watching the sun come through the clouds, when rain is falling all around, yet in the distance is a rainbow. All of life if a gift. Things I understand and those I don't. When God allows, things so far out of my comfort zone, I fear I will never laugh again, then I realize, what I thought was hard ended up being the biggest blessing of my life.
Then I remember, " It is Jesus in me not a different set of circumstances."

 

No, I might never go back to who I was, but I hope I can learn to embrace who I am now. This is my desire for 2016

"Deliver Me, Jesus
---From the desire to be,
praised ,honored, glorified, preferred, consulted,
or approved.
Deliver me, Jesus, from the fear of being humiliated, criticized,  forgotten,
ridiculed, maltreated, and from the fear of what others will think."

I always think goodness, I just want a light happy blog full of sunshine. Then today it comes out all cloudy and thinky. Thank you for reading along this far.

Bye for now, more work is calling my name.
~Kim~

 " Charles Spurgeon once wrote: I bear my willing witness that I owe more to the fire, the hammer, and the
file, than anything else in my Lord's workshop. I sometimes question whether I have learned anything except through the rod. When my school room is darkened, I see most."