Knitting Again

I have been trying to learn how to crochet, but have just become more and more frustrated.  Several years ago a friend of mine, taught me the first basic knitting stitch and it took me quite a while to finish, but I did complete a scarf.  However, that finish was over a year ago.  But when the frustration over trying to crochet continued, a little voice inside my head was saying, "Hey, you know those bamboo needles that you have been keeping close by for so long, pick them up and see if you can knit again."  And guess what happened?  After finding a tutorial online to help me remember how to cast on, it was like coming home.  So what if I had to pull out my first couple of rows several times, the frustration was not there.  I just got more and more excited and am now so glad that I listened to that little voice.

What am I making?  Not certain, but I think it may become a little pocket, perhaps for my cell phone.  Or maybe it should be a little safety pouch for my little pink mouse.  Especially since I am always dropping it or knocking it off the bed.  The other day it was sick and I am so grateful for a husband who is a electronic technician and knows how to solder the connections inside the precious thing and made it all better.  Hmm, maybe I should make a pouch for both my mouse and cell phone.  Yes, I am graceful and never drop anything.  Just ask my husband.

Christmas at the Cottage

I am running a little late with this, but wanted to share some pictures of Christmas at Linton Cottage.  We had a special Christmas together just sharing and enjoying all our blessings.

Merry Christmas

"For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord."

To Be a Child

"You know what it is to be a child?  It is to be very different from the man of today.  It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear....."    Francis Thompson

Table Set for Thanksgiving

 Wanted to share our place setting for Thanksgiving. (Please forgive the glare, but we were enjoying sunshine from the french doors in the dining room.)  Our dishes are Currier and Ives that belonged to my grandmother and this is the first time we have used them.  The napkins are real; I found them at a thrift store a couple of years ago.  The orange berries were gathered by Galileo and I from our sweet neighbor's front lawn. This same sweet neighbor also let me know that he has a holly tree in his backyard if I want to gather red berries for Christmas~oh yes!   I know that I did not follow the exact rules for place settings, but this is how we do it at Linton Cottage.  It was just what we needed and made a beautiful table for us.

One of our yummy deserts ~ carrot cake.  Those are orange sugar pumpkins on top; it was decorated by Little Cowboy.  We also had a hen, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, corn pudding, English peas, roasted green beans, mac and cheese, fresh baked bread, pound cake and ice cream.

My sweet husband and I went to morning mass while the boys slept in, I was able to get a little walk around the neighborhood before finishing lunch preparations, and then just the 5 of us sat down to a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch.  We definitely had many blessings to be thankful.  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, also.

Thanksgiving Decorations

Remember the Halloween Tree?  Well, it is now the Thanksgiving Tree.  This picture does not do it justice, but to me, it is sweet.  I cut leaves from scrapbook paper and this afternoon I had Galileo* and Little Cowboy* write things for which they were thankful on the back of the leaves.

Too cute and funny.  We have things such as Mom and Dad (too sweet), our cats, food, my brothers, NaNa and Pops,  and the funniest one ~ "computer".  This was written by Little Cowboy after I, trying to give him hints, asked him, "What is something that you use all the time?"  I was thinking more along the lines of water, his bed, etc.  Well, at least he is honest.

 This is "Turkey Under Glass."  

 Our new chalk board in the Butler's Pantry.  This was once a bulletin board that I just painted with chalkboard paint.  I do hope the cork board will hold up.  I love the fact that we can write on it with chalk and also pin notes, pictures, etc.

 In this picture you can see the board that we placed on the wall that holds hooks for essential such as backpacks, jackets, and shopping bags. It was once just an old board that I found and knew it held potential.  What you may not see is that I still need 3 hooks to finish it up.  Must pick those up right away.

 My laundry detergent.  The other day I placed this chipped transferware into the jar and am loving it to dispense the detergent into the wash.  Forget that old plastic scoop; this almost makes laundry fun.

 I am working on getting the Butler's Pantry (which also serves as the laundry and entryway from the garage) decorated.  It serves many purposes and I love it.  I will share more pictures as I continue to create what I want to be a very functional, but welcoming room.

*To protect the privacy and for safety, I will use nicknames for our 3 sons.  They will be referred to as Michelangelo (who is 22 and away at college),Galileo (14), and Little Cowboy (12). 

Three Weeks

Only three weeks until Thanksgiving.  Are you getting ready?