Week 42

You know how the o’ saying, “Same o, same o” goes? Well,  that’s how this week has been. I’m referring to my job, however. No crafts for me this week.

We got back from Ark. on Fri., I get up at 3 am on Sat. and start a loooong week back to work.  The gal that usually works that early morning shift felt like she had to had a vacation that week, so I filled in for her.  So all week I had that dreaded 5 am to 2 pm shift!  And you know how I hate that shift!

Needless to say, I didn’t get much else done around here this week. On my days off, I had to catch up with housework, washing, etc. (Not much fun, but somebody  has to do it!)  My evenings after work were a total washout. I tried to work on some sewing and/or knitting a couple of evenings, but I just couldn’t get into it.

I got some books that I ordered from my Crafter’s Choice book club this week……..

 

Once in a while they have a deal I just can’t ignore. This time it was buy as many books as I want for 50% off the regular club price and free shipping! I didn’t have to buy any books at regular price first. I LOVE deals like that!

The one called “Charmed Knits” has projects for fans of Harry Potter. There are scarves, socks, sweaters etc. that are in the colors of the different houses in the story. There’s also a Wizard Robe, an Invisibility Shawl, a Quidditch Sweater, Ron’s Ragg Raglan, Harry’s Christmas ornaments, and more and more! I’ve wanted this book for as long ago as a year when I first saw it advertised in one of my knitting magazine’s. I’m thinking I’ll make a scarf for each of the grandsons from the colors of each house. What do you think, mothers-of-the-grandsons?

The “201 Crochet” book has some fascinating motifs, blocks and projects for sure. And the last book, “Quick Knits” has some pretty “cool projects” like classic sweaters, easy afghans, and accessories that I’m pretty sure some of which  I’ll be making. I like all three books! I’m glad I bought them and got a great deal on them at the same time!

 Not much more to report this week. Next weekend is the craft sale I’ve signed up to be in. I will be checking out what projects I already have done, and spending some time in the shop out back and in the sewing room this week to get some more projects done, hopefully. Daughter C. took all of her projects back to Jeff City with her when she moved. She had a lot–more than she thought she had. So I may not have that much for the show. I may not even go. I only paid $20 for the booth space, so it may wind up being a donation to the church that’s hosting the craft show.

In either case, I’ll be telling you more about it next week. Until then……    have a great week and I hope you’re keeping  your fingers flying!

Week 41

We’re back!!

We had a great time in Ark. So many crafts, so little time!

We got there Wed. morning around 8:30. We were going to go to the new Applegate location first. It has been in Bentonville for years and years, but I guess it had to move to a larger area. It kept growing and growing and the park in Bentonville just couldn’t handle the crowds anymore. The location sounded wonderful when we read the brochure. But the trip to find it was a nightmare! The brochure map information was not right, and the signs from the freeway weren’t there! So we drove around for over an hour just trying to find our road. When we finally found it, it was up the mountain on a road that twisted, went up and down, around, and twisted some more. I set my trip counter on the way back and it was 44 miles from our motel in Bentonville! 

We started getting excited when we finally saw the sign for the turn off to the parking area. (It was 11:00) But our excitement was premature. There wasn’t hardly any of the craft vendors there that used to be at Applegate. And the ones that were there were mostly commercial vendors. It took us about an hour and a half to see everything and we even took time out to eat lunch! It used to take us ALL day to see all the crafts and sometimes we had to hustle before they threw us out of there at 5:00!

To add insult to injury, it was very foggy. I think we were just so far up that we were in the clouds! It kept getting thicker and thicker the longer we were there. We were disappointed to say the least. In fact, it was down-right scary going back down the mountain because it was so foggy we couldn’t see all the turns and twists in the road till we were on them. I had to go slow. Finally, the fog started getting thinner and the sun was shining. I was glad to get out of there! I doubt if we will go to Applegate next year.

C. taking shots in our motel room in Bentonville.

We drove back to our motel, checked in, and then checked the craft map to see if we could find another one to go to that day. We found a new one called Spanker Creek Farm. Anyway, it was new to us. On the way there, we saw another one in a building called The Gallery. It’s an old red barn that’s been converted into a fine arts and crafts store. I thought maybe it would be too expensive for our tastes just from the name. But I was surprised to find reasonably-priced items. There were three floors and lots of goodies to see. In fact…..

 

I found my favorite piece of pottery from the whole trip there. (I have a “thing” for pottery.)  And it was within my price range!  We’ll go there again!

Spanker Creek Farm was just on down the road. This place was great! Now we know where a lot of the craft vendors went that used to be at Applegate! We only had about two hours to look before they closed down for the day, so we had to rush to see everything. Unfortunately, the weather was getting bad, (we had tornado warnings, high winds and rain that evening), so they started closing early. The next morning we heard that several tents at some of the craft fairs were blown down and some vendors had to pack up and go home.

War Eagle was on the agenda for the next day. We got up at 6:00 am,  got there just after 8:00 and was there ALL day. We got to park right up front because we just missed the crowd that was about 10 minutes behind us. Within a few minutes, the parking lot was full!

This was the beginning of many many craft booths.

This is War Eagle Mill.

Across the river, people, people everywhere!

It was the perfect day, weatherwise, and lots of crafts to see, music to hear, and all kinds of food to eat! We had chicken on a stick with rice and eggrolls for lunch, ice cream for a snack, and an apple strudel before we left. War Eagle is our favorite craft fair of them all!

Once we got back to Bentonville, we passed The Frisco Station Mall 

where there was yet another craft fair going on. It lasted till 8 pm, so we had time to check it out. There was a Hobby Lobby in the Mall also, so of course I had to check it out too. We got back to our room very tired but happy that we’d had a good crafting day!

The next morning we slept clear till 7:00 am!  We went to the Bella Vista Crafts Festival this last day in Ark.

It’s not as big as War Eagle and didn’t used to be bigger than Applegate, but it is now. I found a new baby for my living room…..

and a decorated chair for the deck.

There was so much to see, and again, there was lots of food…..

 music, and crafts to see.

We came home with a car full of crafts from our big, exciting once-a-year trip to the craft festivals in Ark. If you ever have a chance to go, I highly recommend it.

I’ve been working since we got back, so have had little time for anything else. Daughter C. and Hubby met me for a late breakfast the next day which was nice. (I went into work at 5 am, so my “lunch” is around 9 am.) She decided to get new tires put on her car there at Wal-Mart, so she was still around when I got off work at 2:00.  We had a couple more hours to visit before she packed up her car and left for home in Jeff City. I’m sure the boys were glad to see her get home.

No crafting for me this week. I took my knitting to Ark. to  work on in the evenings, but we were so pooped out, I didn’t get anything done. It was a great trip, we had lots of fun, and we’re looking forward to going again next year. We’ve even made our reservation for next year already!

I have a craft show in two weeks that I’ve signed up to be in, so I’ll be busy getting ready for that. I need to work on my quilt, too. I have a lot of birthdays coming up in Nov., plus Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner. The rest of the year looks like it’s going to be very busy! 

With that said, I’d better get back to the sewing room and get busy! Get those Christmas gifts started and keep the fingers busily singing. Until next time……

Week 40

Several nice things happened this week. Our anniversary was Tues. It’s been 43 years ago that we got married. I remember thinking right after our wedding that one of these days way into the future we would celebrate our 50th anniversary. Wow, it’s not so far away now!

 We had a nice day in spite of the fact that we both had to work. I got off at 5:00 and since Hubby works  at home, he got off at the same time. We went out to eat. We were going to go to Cheddar’s, a nice place Daughter #1 took me for my birthday. I liked it so much that I commented this would be a good place to go for our anniversary. She told me that it’s usually very busy, so I called to make a reservation. The lady told me that we should be able to get in at 6:00 because it doesn’t usually get really busy until later, so she didn’t make a reservation for me.

 I think she was new because when we got there, we couldn’t even find a place in the parking lot!! Hubby isn’t one to wait around, so we chose to go next door to the Golden Corral. It’s a buffet-type, so we didn’t have to wait, had oodles and oodles of food to pick from, and could go back for more. Their dessert bar was out of this world! We’ll definitely go back there!

After we ate, we had some time to kill before our movie started so we went to Best Buy. I’ve been carrying around a couple of gift cards that Hubby got as gifts for various special days. He doesn’t spend money easily, so I’ve had them for a couple of years. Today we were going to spend them. First he looked at software, but couldn’t find anything he really “needed”. So I suggested some movies. We were passing the tv shows on DVD section, and he spied “The X-files”. We wound up buying the first season. He wants to start collecting all the seasons. (Hint, hint, to anyone who may need gift ideas for Dad. They’re kind of expensive, so you all may have to get together on this idea.)

We went to the movie after we left Best Buy. We saw “The Heartbreak Kid” with Ben Stiller. Very funny movie, but it’s R rated for a reason. Not one for the kids! I loved the ending!

After we got home, we watched the first, of many I’m sure, ”X-files” shows. We had a nice anniversary. He’s still my best friend after all these years. He still makes me laugh and feel like a teenager. I love ya, Sweetie!

Another fun thing that happened this week was the Mt. Vernon Apple Butter Makin’ Days. The best part for me was that Daughter #1 and her two boys went with me. 

 

We, I had a great time. I got to see and be with two of the grandsons. I love opportunities like that! You see… they are all growing up so fast, and the four oldest are teens or pre-teens now. Soon, they won’t have anything to do with their grandma.

I wanted to buy them both something from the crafts, but only the youngest one wanted something.

 

He got a pocket watch made out of wood with an attached chain. (He said that he’s always wanted one! I had to smile.)

Having some lunch with the bunch.

  

After they bought a jar of Apple Butter, they went on home. I stayed a while longer and looked at the crafts some more. We didn’t get to look that good while they were with me because I didn’t want to TOTALLY bore the boys to death! I bought a couple of things that might wind up being gifts for birthdays or Christmas. Of course I bought a jar of Apple Butter for Hubby.

Thanks for going with me, K. I like it when you humor your ol’ Ma.

I got the lap afghan done! It turned out pretty. I think Sis will like it.

And the other special thing this week was lunch with my friend Carolyn again. She asked me how my quilt was coming along. I was a little embarrassed to say that I haven’t been working on it. We talked about quilting enough to get me excited about sewing again.

The next day I got out my quilt blocks and instuctions and started reading how to cut the sashing and border pieces. It took me a while to figure out which fabric pieces I got for what borders. I got a little frustrated, but I stuck with it. Finally, I got the mat and cutter out and started cutting the sashing and the triangles to make the corner blocks. I’ve been afraid to start cutting for fear of cutting it wrong. I got all the triangles cut, they turned out perfect and neat, and then I realized that I had cut them all one-inch smaller than they were supposed to be! Aaaaah! So much for my phobia! Luckily, I had bought extra fabric, so I re-cut them correctly this time. (It’s like I’ve never learned to read a ruler!)

 I think I’ll sew the sashing and corner blocks to the rest of the quilt before I cut the borders. I’m putting it on hold again, though, because next week, Daughter #2 and I will be going to Ark.! We’ll take lots of pictures and have lots to tell next week. Hope the weather holds out.

Till next time, keep those fingers busy!

Week 39

This week went really fast for me. I’m not sure why, but I did have to work a lot this week. Inventory is over, and we didn’t do too well store-wide. Our store (Wal-Mart) is in the process of becoming a Super Center.  The store was at the end of a Mall which, in it’s heyday, was a very popular place for the area shoppers. Throughout the years, however, because of the decline of shoppers, the stores in the mall began to close. Now the only store left is our Wal-Mart.

We’ve heard rumors for several years that the Mall would be torn down and the Wal-Mart would be made a Super Center. The associates heard that rumor for so long, that when it actually came to be, we couldn’t believe it. One day we saw workers, big trucks and equipment, and they started the process of tearing it down! So it looks like it’ll come to pass.

Because of all this construction, however, there is only one entrance to the parking lot. So the customers are going somewhere else because of the hassle to get in and out. Consequently, our business is down. It’s been pretty depressing around the job these days. I’m glad to be home as much as I can.

I’m still working on the knitted lap afghan. I try to do a least several rows a day. I timed how long it takes to go through half the pattern and it’s half an hour. There are 16 rows to the whole pattern, so it takes an hour to do one pattern repeat. That is if I don’t get interrupted which is rare. Usually it’s Hubby wanting me for something. That’s ok, though, as long as I get it done by Christmas!

I also made this one day.

 

It’s made from a can that mixed nuts came in. The can was empty sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I came through the kitchen and spied it. I thought, “Now that’s a good-sized can. I wonder what I could make out of it.”

I picked it up, turned it around a little, looking at it from all sides. Then I got this idea. If I covered it with some Halloween fabric and put a handle on it, I could fill it with candy and take it to work with me.

I found some fabric, measured, cut out a rectangle, and sewed the edges together. Then I hemmed one end, strung elastic through the hem and drew it up tight. I put the can down inside, stuffed some fiberfill around the can, then turned the remaining fabric down to the inside of the can. I cut a circle of cardboard the same size of the inside of the can and glued the same fabric to the cardboard circle. Then I put it inside the can and hot-glued it down on top of the edges of the fabric I had  turned down inside the can. Next I cut a piece of black twill tape the size of a handle and glued it to the sides of the basket. What do you think? Cute, huh?

We just finished another can of nuts, and I’ve already washed it out and picked out another Halloween fabric. I’ll get it done and have two baskets full of candy to take to work and put in the lounge for everyone to enjoy.

There was another craft festival this weekend. Hubby decided to go with me this time. I probably don’t have to mention that it’s been unusually hot for this time of year because it’s that way all over the U.S., I’m sure. Well…. it was hot and HUMID at the festival. In fact, it rained on us once for about five minutes. Then the sun came back out and we felt like we were in a sauna! I NEVER sweat but I’m telling you, I was sweating! Hubby can sweat sitting in a chair in our air-conditioned house getting a hair cut. So, needless to say, if I was sweating and unconfortable, I KNOW he was! We looked through a few tents and then called it quits. It was nice to get back into the car and turn on the air!

I love to go to these crafts festivals, but it’s hard to enjoy them when it’s HOT. It’s supposed to cool down next week. HOPE SO. Next weekend is one of my favorites—- the Apple Butter Makin’ Days in Mt. Vernon! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Keep those fingers flying. Remember it’s only 11 more weeks till Christmas!

Week 38

This is the most fun time of the year for me. It’s Fall and one of the best things about Fall is the Festivals that spring up all around the area. I wish I could go to all of them, but I’d have to quit my job to be able to do that. I DID go to one this weekend, however.

                                                                   Music at the Mill

It was at Fairgrove just north of here. They had games and horse rides for the kiddies, hundreds of craft booths, lots and lots of great food, live music, tractor pulls, etc. Literally, something for everyone!

    Kids scrambling in the hay bales looking for goodies! 

I had to go after work, but I got off an hour early. I still had about five hours to enjoy everything. I had to go by myself which wasn’t as much fun as going with someone to share oohs and ahhs with while looking at all the crafts, laugh together watching the kids dig through the bales of hay for prizes, and eat some of that fantastic food with. But I still had a good time watching everyone else do all that and looking at all the crafts.

                      So much food, not enough room to eat!

                                           People, people everywhere!

I’ll be going to another one in Ozark this Sat. It’ll be the same thing, even a lot of the same craft vendors will be at this one that was at the Fairgrove one, but that won’t stop me! The weekend after that is the Mt. Vernon Apple-butter Makin’ Days. It’s one of the biggest festivals in this area. The air smells of apple-butter being cooked along with all the other smells of wood burning, food cooking, candles burning, etc.

But the biggest and best of all the Festivals will be the ones going on in Ark. the weekend of Oct. 20 and 21. In fact, there are so many going on then, that the festivals start on Wed. the 17th and last all the way through Sun. I’ve taken off work every year for the last eight years to go to Ark. for these events. Usually one or both of my daughters go with me. Last year, I took my sister. We have the time of our lives! We manage to go to at least three of the many festivals going on at this time every year. We get there as soon as they open the gates and stay till they close them. I come home with the car bulging from all of our purchases. I’ll be talking about them as the weeks go by.

Speaking of festivals, I’ve signed up to be in a festival this fall. It’s at a church and not one of the bigger festivals, but it’ll be big enough for me. I don’t have a lot of craft inventory, so I should get myself into gear and do some creating. 

I’ve been getting into the painting mood lately. I spent one day in the shop out back just base-coating a bunch of jars.

Look closely, you can see I’m wearing my “painting” pants.

I think I enjoy painting on jars more than anything else. The jars need to “season” after they’ve been base-coated before they can be painted on. It takes a couple of days for them to “season” to perfection. Next I’ll go through my ever-growing pattern books, pick out something to paint on the jars, and then the fun part starts! I like to get several going at once. By doing that, I can go back and forth working on one as the paint is drying on another one, etc. The bonus being that when I get done, I have several done all at once!

A friend at work wanted me to make her a scarf out of some new yarn that the fabric department got in to replace some deleted yarn. The yarn is Softee Chunky by Bernat. It turned out so pretty that I bought some of the same yarn in a different color and made another scarf. I’m thinking this second one will be a gift, but I can’t say for whom because she may read my blog. Anyway, didn’t they turn out pretty?

I’m still working on the lap afghan that I started last week. It seems to be going very s l  o w. I’m on the fourth skein out of seven. I’m not working on it like I did in the beginning. Oh no, I hope this doesn’t turn into another UFO! I wonder how many of the projects I’ve started since the beginning of this year that I’ve blogged about that are now UFO’s. I’ll have to go back through all of these blogs one of these days just to find out. I’ll probably be ashamed of myself if I do. But maybe that would be a good thing. Maybe that would give me the motivation to get them out and finish them!!!

Well, on that note, I’d better get into the sewing room or out to the shop and get these fingers busy! Have a great week, and make something and tell me about it!!