Wishing you a very Happy and safe New Year!!!!!

HandmadeMN Giveaway

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We did!!! Be sure to check out: www.handmademn.com to register for the giveaway. This time the giveaway is one of my White Crocheted Angels. There are several ways to get into the drawing and you can enter more than once. Good luck to everyone!!!! I can't wait to see who wins!!!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!! For those traveling, be safe and God bless!!

HandmadeMN Giveaway

Be sure to checkout: http://www.handmademn.com/ for their giveways. I will be the featured artist for the giveway running from December 27, 2009 thru January 9, 2010. My giveaway is a White Crocheted Angel. Don't miss out on these great items.

Vendor Blender

Tomorrow, December 5th, I will be participating in the first of two craft sales for the season. Come to see my items first hand. Free gift will be given with every purchase, no minimum to buy. The will be a total of 40 booths: some vendors and some hand crafted items. You are sure to find something for everyone on your Christmas list.

Lion's Gate Christian Academy
6541 16th Ave S
Richfield MN 55423

Hope to see you there. I will have my banner on my booth.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Tomorrow our country celebrates Thanksgiving. We take time from our busy schedules to thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us this year. I am very thankful for my family: my father, sisters and brother as well as a very large extended family. I am very futunate to have a job. The customers I have had through my esty.com shop and the craft shows and shops I have items in.

Thank you also to all our military personal, past, present and future. For the many sacrifices you and your families have made so we can have the freedom to celebrate Thanksgiving. May God keep you safe and return you home to your families safe and soon.

May we never forget what sacrifices the founding fathers of our country made so we would be free from tierney.

Have a very safe and Blessed Thanksgiving!!!!

Anniversary

This past Saturday marked a very important anniversary in my life. It was 15 years ago on Saturday, I was given a very special gift: a cornea. I was diaginosed in 1986 with a degenerate eye disease: keratoconus. It is heriditary. It is a disease where your cornea becomes cone shaped. As I was told then as it comes to a point, scar tissue builds up and light evenually won't penitrate it. You then need to have a transplant. The thing with this disease is there is no way of knowing how bad it will get, it doesn't get that bad for everyone. I lost my battle with the disease in 1994. Mine was a case whereby the cone was so steep, I could no longer wear my contact lens. I had my cornea transplant on October 24, 1994. I was 34 years old. The following January I finally asked how old the cornea I received was. It was 49 years old. On Saturday I realized I am now the same age as the cornea was.

I have never forgotten the person or their family whose cornea I received. It is a very precious gift and am thankful every day for their generousity. I pray someday I will be able to thank that person myself.

Busy, busy, busy

These days there is so much to do and so little time to do it in.

The custom order is completed and sent to the customer. The vest turned out beautifully!!!! I finished another baby afghan out of Red Heart's Baby Cloud yarn. I hope to have pictures taken tonight so I can post them. Monday, a friend from church and I went shopping to get material to finish her put the quilt blocks she and her mother embroidered into a quilt. I purchased yarn for two more baby afghans, different pattern, different yarn, and for two triangle shawls. The yarn for the baby afghans will make one yellow and one green afghan. The yarn for the triangle shawls will make a shaded light blue one and a shimmering white one. All will be beautiful and will get pictures posted as they are completed.

Last night another friend and I took the first of two coiled baskets classes. It is a fun project. These will not make up as quickly as some of my other project do, but will help use up leftover yarns. The one I started last night, I don't care for. I should have used a light weight yarn. I am going to try to start another one with different yarn.

I continue with working on dish cloths, pot scrubbers and other items some for stock and others will be only one available to purchase. With Christmas coming, I want to make sure I have plenty for immediate shipping. Get those Christmas lists ready!!!!!!

Completed Projects

Last night I finished two projects I have been working on: a knitted vest, I am finishing for someone and another Baby Clouds afghan. I never get tired of the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a project let alone getting two done in one evening. I started another afghan out of the same kind of yarn, same pattern as this last one, but with different colors. Tonight I will be figuring out yardage of fabric needed to completed the top and binding for a quilt for a friend from church. She and her mother embroidered the squares, I will be assembling them. I am looking forward to do it.

Stay tuned for the updates on the quilt and other projects.

Fall is Definitely Here

Today is a very rainy day. It's one of those days you want to curl up with a good book or a good project. Alas, I am at my regular job. My crafty time is currently consisting of finishing a vest for someone. It is knitted. The pattern is victorian lace, very pretty. I am having fun with it. The fronts have the point dipped down toward the center front. This presents a challenge when knitting. You start with a few stitches, work in the designated pattern and add more stitches every so many rows. I am discovering when I had the stitches, I am actually adding another panel to the piece I am working on. I have the right front completed and I am guessing about a third of the way down with the left front. I am anxious to see how it looks assembled.

Baby Clouds Afghan

I finished the first of two baby afghans using Red Heart's Baby Clouds yarn. I love this yarn. You can't use a really detail pattern as the yarn is very thick. This pattern is very simple and works up quickly. The main color is white with little specks of other colors. It can be found for purchase in my etsy shop at: http://www.maryellenscrafts.etsy.com/ I have another color of this yarn to make for afghan. This will be a different pattern. I will post pictures of it when it is completed and ready for sale.

The Buddy Walk

Yesterday, my sister, Geralyn, invited me to do the "Buddy Walk" with her. The buddy walk is "step up for Down Syndrome". This was the 12th annual walk. We have beautiful weather for it. We checked in at the spot of the old "bubble" at Como Park in St. Paul and walk to and around Como Lake. There were two different distances you could walk. We chose the longer of the two. It was very impressive to see the number of people who participate in the walk. This was my first year. Geralyn has done it several years. Her godson has down syndrome. There were people of all ages participating. Many of the people out there had shirts with the name of a loved one they were walking for who has down syndrome. The shirt which "said" the most to me was one with a picture of a very precious little girl and the words "We miss you." My sister and both looked at each other and I said a prayer for the little girl and her parents. I am very glad my sister invited me to join her on this very important walk. I hope to participate in it next year.

Remebering 9/11

For most of us, we will never forget the day when our country was attacked or where we were when we heard about it. I remember very well: I was at work, I had just switched out the till and was returning to my office. We had a customer lounge across the stair case from my office. Our salesman was in there and the TV was on. They were talking about the first plane going into the World Trade Center. I went in to the lounge to see what they were talking about. While we were watching the second plane crashed into the second tower. Later hearing about the other two planes: the one that hit the Pentagon and the one that went down in the field in Pennslyvania,I admit it was like watching one of the disaster movies Hollywood likes to put out.

Once the salesman left, I turned the TV so I could see it from my office. It was left on the rest of the day. It is a day I will alway remember, as I know we all will. Please join me in praying for all those who lost their lives that fateful day on 09/11/01 and their families.

God bless America!!!!

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

Thursday was the kick off the of what we affectionately call the "Great Mn Get-Together". namely, the Mn State Fair. 12 great days of fun!!!!!! One of my sisters, a girlfriend and I went on Thursday. As our girlfriend had a limited amount of time to spend there, we went early. We were there about 8. This is early for us, as we usually go to church, then help clean strawberries before we head over. Our parish cleans the strawberries for a booth called the "Strawberries 'N Cream". This is our 14th year cleaning them. Our church is located 2 blocks from the fair grounds.

We had great weather for our day. Reports the following day said they broke last years record attendence by 10,000 people. The total was well over 110,000 for the day. So far this year they have surpassed the totals for two different days compared to last year. They are reporting with the economy being what it is, people are not traveling as far and the State Fair is their vacation this year. With tons of food booths and things to do and see, many of them are free, it is a great way to spend the day. We left around 8 that night. Check out their website at: www.mnstatefair.org for more information.

I had my pedometer read over 16000 steps on it by the time we got home. WHEW!!!!! "Don't miss it, don't even be late!" The fair continues thru Labor Day, Sept. 7th. ENJOY!!!!

SSND Quilt Auction Donation

The quilt is done!!! YEAH!!! As promised here are some pictures of the quilt. I should have taken a picture of the back. It is handquilted.

SSND Quilt Auction

I am in the process of making a quilt for the Semi-Annual Quilt Auction, "Hanging by a Thread" for the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) in Mankato MN. This will be my fourth for this very worthy cause. The funds raised from the auction of the quilts goes to help women and children in need. You can read more about it at:http://www.ssndmankato.org/events/index.php

I'm in the "home stretch" with just approximately 1 1/2 sides to go. Pictures will be posted here when I have it completed.

Tell me what you think!!!!

http://animoto.com/play/QaDjN0yAhbNHsW3afKDqrA?autostart=true

New Dish Cloth Colors

I have 3 new colors of dish cloths now available in my shop at: www.maryellenscrafts.etsy.com check them out. These 3 will bring the total color choices to 27!!!!

Facebook FP

Check out my facebook fp and become a fan.  I am new very to facebook fp, but am working on it.

Etsy Team

I am a proud member of handmadeMN team on etsy.  Check out our website at: www.handmademn.bing.com.  We have a monthly drawing. Visit our website for details.

 

Philomenia House

On Saturday, The Co-Directors (Joyce and Bernie), Secretary(Geralyn) and Treasurer(myself) of Philomenia House LLC, met to discuss the duties of the officers and finalize the list of officers. We had a guest join us. After introductions, we discovered our guest and I went to high school together. (Small world).



A little background on Philomenia House LLC: Philomenia House is a non-profit organization working to provide homes for women in crisis pregnancies. It is an expansion of the "Little House" project. The "Little House" is owned by Geralyn. It was purchased in July 2002 and after 9 months (Geralyn pointed out the time frame) the house was ready for the first tenent. We have been blessed with many new families through this project.



The hope of Philomenia House is to provide a home for pregnant women, who need a temporary place to live.

HandmadeMN Give Away

I have been very busy the last couple days working on my shop www.maryellenscrafts.etsy.com One of the many things I have done, I am a proud member of the HandmadeMN Team. We have started a monthly give away. Please check out it out: http://etsymn.blogspot.com/2009/07/handmademn-giveaway-palettepassion.html

Enter to win. Also check all the members shop. Their links are on the left side bar.

Good luck!!!

Road Trip

If you are ever in the Black Hills, be sure to check out Iron Mountain Road. It is 17 miles long, with one lane bridges and tunnels. We took this on our way to Hot Springs. Iron Mountain Road winds thru the Black Hills. There are couple places you can pull off to take increditible pictures. Tho they are at different angles and distances, you are eye level with Mount Rushmore. We drove this route to get to Hot Springs, but I warn you, it is not just the 17 miles of this road, but you end up in Custer State Park. Now we just driving through so we didn't have to buy the pass for the park. There are several signs warning about the animals roam freely and do not approach the buffalo, they are dangerous. Ok, so I was thinking it must be like the deer crossing signs we see here and never see a deer. Wrong!!! We came around a corner to a meadow and there was a buffalo walking. He didn't notice us. It was sad to see him, he was walking very slow and his head was down. We were trying to figure out why he was alone. Was he too old or sick and the others left him or kicked him out of the herd to die???

A couple meadows later we found a herd of about 30-40. One was taking his old sweet time getting across the road. Great picture opportunity!!!! We also saw elk and deer as well.

After driving a remarkable 70 miles, we were still in Custer State Park. There was only one place we could exist the area, but it would take us back to Keystone. Not where we were heading.

Anyway, take the long road and enjoy the scenery, but don't take it if you are in a hurry, you don't want to miss the wonders God has put here for us to enjoy in our great country.

Road Trip

Friday was a fun filled day. We took the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone. The round trip was 2 hours long. The train rocked gently back and forth made us very relaxed. It was beautiful seeing this side of the mountains. When we returned to Hill City we had a little something to eat and walked around Hill City. Then we drove to Keystone and of course Mount Rushmore to do somemore eating, walking and shopping. It was great to get some Christmas shopping done.

Road Trip - Continued

Our trip started about 8:30 am on Thursday, July 9th. I am hoping to have my pictures from the trip downloaded tonight so I can share some of them with you. We stopped in Owatonna, MN for breakfast and continued out to the Black Hills. The second season is also going strong in SD - road construction. Between here and the Black Hills, we hit 3 different sections of road construction. The first was 17 miles long, the second was 23 miles, the third not sure but after a while they all seem to go on forever.

When we started out the weather was a little chilly, but as we got closer to the Black Hills, it started to warm up. It was in the 80's and sunny. We made a quick stop in Wall, SD to get a homemade donut. These are not your ordinary donuts. They are thick and very good. As it was getting late, we were in a hurry to get to our hotel. That night as I layed in bed, thankful for the safe travel and good weather, I heard the start of a thunderstorm and prayed it would be over by the time we headed out in the morning.

Road Trip

Dad and I got back from our 5 day road trip last night. It was great!!!!! We went to the Black Hills in South Dakota, down into Nebraska, across Nebraska to Dixon, NE, where his dad was born and lived for 17 years, then to West Bend, IA, to see the Grotto of the Redemption, then home. Lots of windshield time, but a lot more fun. We had great weather and good roads. Ok we did have some road construction. Thanksfully it was going out to the Black Hills. The first stretch was 17 miles (felt like 30) the second stretch was 23 miles and I believe there was another one in there too. Of course we also hit road construction on 35 back here in MN. I will try to share more of our trip in the coming days.

Christmas in July Sale

On your mark, get set shop!!!! It's here Christmas in July Sale. There are many many shops at www.etsy.com doing a Christmas in July Sale. The sale runs from Wednesday, July 8th thru Thursday, July 23rd. A great time to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping and get in a some great deals.

Go to www.etsy.com click on the drop down box and select "All Items", type in Christmas in July or cij. Click Search. This will bring up all the shops participating in the site wide sale. Enjoy. Find something to treat yourself. You deserve it!!!!!

Christmas in July Sale

Good Morning everyone!!!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. We had a great one. Yard work is done and had a great picnic on Sunday. Lots of food and good friends.

This Wednesday is the start of Christmas in July Sale on Etsy. The sale runs from Wednesday, July 8th thru Thursday, July 23rd. There are many shops participating in this sale. Each shop determines what their sale will be. Get a head start on your Christmas shopping. Go to www.etsy.com , in the search box type in christmas in july or cij to get see all the shops involved in this sale.

Have a great day!!!

4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!!!!! Safe travel everyone!!!!

Happy Birthday America!! One nation under GOD!!!

God bless America!!!

Learning

They say we continue to learn every day of our lives. I believe that. For example today I learned how to add my etsy shop to my blog. My sisters have given my many times to learn, tho I don't think they realize that. You see, my sisters own houses. There is always work to be done around a home. I'm not just talking about cleaning. They have had their homes for several years and in the case of one, many years. Over the years we have learned to tape, mud, sand and paint walls and ceilings. I have learned to rewire lights and many other tasks.

This past week my sister and I have been working on her project house. She purchased the home about 6-7 years ago. It is used for women in crisis pregencies. The third family that has lived there purchased a home of their own in May. We are sorry to see them leave the neighborhood, but am happy for them. During our work to get it ready for the tenent, we had two new learning experiences: replacing screens in combination windows and replace linoleum. The linoleum needed to replaced on the counter top (thankfully is was a small area), a cabinet next to the stove and the entry way into the house using the back door. As I said this is not something I have ever done before. The countertop and entry way were the most challenging, I am greatful they were both small spaces. They entry had the extra learning opportunity as you step up on either side of the space. One way into the kitchen, the other into the bathroom. We layed the linoleum up both steps.

Always remember, we never quit learning and we are never too old to learn. Enjoy all your learning opportunities. You may be very surprised!!!! Have a great day111

Surprises

How was your weekend? Ours was full of surprises. Our girlfriend from North Mankato was visiting. Saturday we received a call from one of Dad's cousins. She and her husband were in town for a wedding and were in the neighbor so they stopped by. We were going to have a picnic that evening so we invited them to stay. Other friends of ours were also joining us for the picnic. There ended up being a total of 11 eleven of us. 9 adults and 1 child and 1 baby. Lots of food to eat and even more fun.

Sunday, my sisters, Dad and I met our friend for breakfast. As we were leaving the restaurant, former fellow caterers came in the door. Soon more of our former fellow caterers came in the door. We have forgotten we were meeting them for breakfast at 10:30. So we finished paying our bill and waited to be seated again. OK so we have desert. It had been at least a half hour since we had eaten breakfast!!!!!

After breakfast, the four of us girls went to Como Park to see the new giraffe. It was such a beautiful day there was a good crowd there. Thankfully we just need to walk there to enjoy rather needing to look for a parking spot.

I have pictures ready to list of the new items I completed last week for my etsy shop. They will be posted this week. I also have a couple new pictures of the white shrug. They are aready posted.

Enjoy your week. Be productive!!!

Productivity

How productive were you last night? Last night was one of those nights my get up and go didn't leave without me. I had a 8 rows left to go on a new color of knitted dish cloth and one side and handle to finish on a crocheted mesh bag. Determined to finish them last night, I walked on the tread mill until the dish cloth was finish and had a good start on the next. (I find I am more steady on the tread mill when I walk. Go figure). Next step, finish the mesh bag. In short order that was also completed and I started a 3-way scarf that's knitted. You make it in the round so it get interesting to knit with a fuzzy yarn and try to make it in a circle without twisting it. Accomplished. YEAH!!!! Then on to sewing. Boy was I on a roll. I completed 6 cooling neck bands (4 of these consist of 2 each of 2 different fabrics). I will be busy taking pictures this weekend of 5 new listing for my etsy shop. The list of items to make continues. Good thing, I would hate to run out of things to make!!! :)

Check out my shop at: www.maryellenscrafts.etsy.com to see what new items these and many other items I have made. I try to add new items as often as possible.