Uptown Charlotte Visit with Kevin

On my day off last Friday me and Kevin took the light rail into town.  We parked on the South Boulevard exit station.  There is no charge for parking and it costs $3.00 for a round trip ticket.  It really is nice.   We walked the streets, indoor bridges of Uptown Charlotte.  Not sure if I'm giving those passages that connect the building the right name.  It's actually nice to get to where you want to go walking indoors since it can be very breezy and cold outside.  We never found the restaurant Kevin remembers eating at when he used to work at the Bobcats Arena.  He had not eaten mexican food in a long time, so we found Salsaritas and enjoyed delicious burritos.

After lunch, Cliff wanted us to join him and his two friends at Reid's.  On our way out I set the camera on the timer and took this picture.  Took a couple more pictures and then to my surprise a security guard walks outside to tell us taking pictures was not allowed.  This really made me kind of sad...how since 9-11 the quality of life is not quite the same.  Oh well., I had no idea and learned something that day.

Kevin does not like very much his picture taken.  I believe in preserving memories this way.

I don't think Kelly cares much about having his picture made either.  Cliff took this one.  He jokingly said that Taite, my grandson who has blue eyes was his kid....since he has blue eyes.  He can be very funny.

This is Aaron who has a terrific personality and as you can see in this picture can be silly but has a great sense of humor and a very uplifting personality.  One of his favorite places to eat is Reid's and Panera's which drives Cliff crazy.  Cliff is more a Golden Corral and Chinese Buffet type of person.

Accordion Fold Welcome Banner Tutorial

To make this easy Welcome banner for your mantle, you will need card stock.  A cricut machine to cut out letters is nice or you can cut your letters using a template or free hand. Using the  cricut machine, I cut my letters to measure 3-1/2 inches. To connect all the cut pieces of card stock you can glue using a glue stick or double stick tape.  Cut each length of the card stock at 4-1/4 inches.  You will get two pieces that measure 4-1/4" by 11".  Using a scoring blade or a bone folder, score the cut pieces at 4 inches 2 times and an additional 1/2 inch at the end. Scoring is done to make folding the cardstock easier. If you don't have a scoring blade or bone folder you can use a credit card or the pampered chef scraper also works well. Line up a ruler at the 4 inch mark and run the bone folder or other scoring element. Discard the left over.  You will connect all the pieces using this 1/2 inch measure.  For this welcome sign I used 9 and a half 8-1/2" by 11" inch cardstock.

Leave a space between each letter and decorate with flowers, stars or even with pictures.

Family Reunions are a Blessing

We have been enjoying Kevin's visit and look forward to spending time with him.  He will stay 45 days before he heads back to Germany.  The first pictures I took are a little grainy.  He looks very good and I'm thankful for God's faithfulness in keeping him well during his tour in Afghanistan.

Family Reunions are a Blessing

Shelia from work bake a delicious cake we enjoyed during his first evening at home.

Grand Baby Update - It's official - We are having a Grand Son.

Our Grand Baby To Be

Isn't this the sweetest Ultrasound picture.  My daughter had this ultrasound this week.  She is keeping everyone in suspense and not telling whether it's a girl or a boy.  I need to know so I can start making this baby some hats and a blankie.  We love you little one wonderfully made boy or girl.

Love how this Newsboy Cap Turned Out

This Newsboy was requested by Shawna and I just love the color combination.  It will be perfect for fall.  The button was sewn on a piece of wool which adds to the charm.

Two ways to  finish the middle of the flower.

 

Shawna - Let me know which center element you'd like for your flowers, the fabric circle with the button or simply the crocheted brown element.  I like both.  Hard to decide sometimes.

Love the New Blogger Editor

Just discovered the new Blogger editor and I think it makes posting much easier.  For example, it places the images you upload right where your cursor is positioned, not at the very top. You do have to write your text while in the compose mode.  Then after you upload your picture it allows you to choose the image position and size.  You can switch to this new editor by going to your settings, scroll down to global settings.  Choose the new editor there.

This pretty crochet flower is a a sweet lady who is in her early thirties and told me she wanted it for herself.  I think she will look beautiful wearing it any way she chooses.

I will be making two other flowers in pink, she plans to give away for some special girls in her life.

More flowers ----- This five petal flower can be found in the book Crochet Adorned.  I love several projects in this book and I'm considering getting a copy.  I made these for a friend who will use them to embellish kids hats.

I'm on the Ball.....

As many of you well know, Christmas is not far at all. I've already started crafting and my crochet cloths are going very fast. Heidi Price sells the most amazing line of bath and body products. I've been very happy with all my creams and soaps I've gotten from her. Visit her website here.

I purchased this darling heart soaps which come in three scents: vanilla warm sugar, lavender and white truffle raspberry soap. This last one is my favorite. Smells so good, you want to bite on the little soap.

I made a small crochet cloth and nestled the heart soap in it. Too sweet!

The sweet smelling bundle wrapped up.

Busy Day Off

I recently got the foam squares and blocking pins I ordered from Knit Picks. The set contains 7 11 inch squares. The squares connect so you can block pieces of different sizes. The squares come apart for easy storage. I'm in the process of making the cute owl I ordered from Amy Gaines. I just love owls. I used my favorite cotton yarn made by I Love This Cotton. Hobby Lobby carries this yarn. By the way it is on sale this week.

I would have finished this cute owl a long time ago but I've been busy completing some of my Etsy orders. One of my bestselling hats is the Lacy Crochet Hat which features a medium rose with leaves carefully sewn on the brim.

For sewing this roses, I especially like my needles which are bent at the tip. I recently also purchased a package of three for only $1.99 from Knit Picks. They really do make seaming a breeze. As you can see the owl does have many ends which have to be weaved.

This Lacy Crochet Hat was made especially for one of my customers, Betsy. It was made for her 8 month old baby girl.

I'm always in the mood for..............

Butternut Squash is one of my favorites in the squash family. I especially like to make Butternut squash soup. The hardest part about making this soup is peeling and cutting in cubes the squash. I get my dear husband to do that part. He uses my Pampered Chef Santoku knife. If anyone does decide to make this soup, really be very careful while cutting the squash up. I was introduced to this recipe by Julie who used to work with me at the Library.

To make this delicious soup, you will need:

1 medium 2 lb size butternut squash cut up
1 carton of Vegetable Broth - 2 cups
1 cup orange juice
salt and pepper

Cook the squash in the broth until tender. Bring the squash to a boil, lower heat and simmer for around 15 to 20 minutes until squash is tender. Remove the squash from heat and cool slightly. Using a potato smashing tool break up the chunks.

Add 1 cup of orange juice.

I use a stick blender to finish the process of pureeing. Make sure you use the pulse motion or you will be splattered. You can also use a blender or your food processor to do this.

Return the soup to the stove and season with pepper and salt.

This is really neat 1 cup of squash cubes contains 63 calories, 0 grams fat, 1 gram of protein and 3 grams of dietary fiber.