Secret Faces, Secret Places by Barbara J Davis

This is the name of my cousin's first published book. She had a book signing yesterday. It is about 2 men who have both lost the loves of their lives and how they cope with those losses. I am not allowing myself to start it until I get more papers put away, but I will let you all know how I like it. If it is as well written as her travel logs, which she has sent me for years, it will be a great read.

$65 CSN Giveaway in progress!

And entry number 128 is............

susitravl

Congratulations! Please contact me for your prize!

As stated in an earlier post, I am hosting a $65 CSN stores gift card giveaway. Here are the rules for entry into the giveaway...

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Tell me how you would spend your $65 at CSN Stores

EXTRA ENTRIES:
* Become a follower of my blog or comment if you already are (1 entry)
* Visit my Etsy shop (Link to right) and tell me one thing you would like to have (1 entry)
* Blog about this giveaway and leave me a comment with a link (3 entries)
*Make a purchase from my Etsy shop (5 entries)


Giveaway ends September 9 at 11:59 PDT. I understand that many want to keep their email addresses secret to avoid spam. So if you have that concern, please leave your email like this….any person at Comcast dot com. You MUST leave some sort of email/contact information in order for me to reach you if you are the winner. The winner will be drawn in a random drawing by random.org. If I am not contacted within 2 days by the winner, a new winner will be drawn.

I look forward to hearing all your comments! Have fun & Good Luck!!

CSN - your new "Go To" store!

I few weeks ago, I introduced you to CSN. They have over 200 stores that sell everything from shoes to dutch ovens I have been browsing through the stores and will be buying a few things to replace those that were lost in the fire. Take a look and let me know what YOU like!!

The wonderful people at CSN have graciously agreed to give one of my readers a $65 gift certificate in the form of a promotional gift code that can be used online at any one of the over 200 stores. So if you are looking for back to school supplies, household products OR just something special for yourself, this will be a great opportunity to get $65 towards your purchase. Lucky, lucky you!!

Rules of the give-away will be posted in a few!

6 weeks later.......

the last 6 weeks have been FULL of good things and bad! I had a great trip to San Diego with my dad to spend some time with Devan and Diana and take a one-day family cruise on the Mobile Bay. We did some very fun maneuvers and fired off 40 rounds on the 5" guns! AWESOME. We had a very nice visit and it was so fun getting to see Daylan ride his bike without training wheels for the first time!

I returned home on Tuesday, August 3. At 5 in the morning of the 4th, Michael woke me up with the cry of "FIRE". An iron that I had left plugged in 8 days earlier had ignited and set my office on fire. (8 days to catch fire???!!!) Luckily Michael woke up and got the fire out.

Only a few things are total loss, one being my childhood doll. It was a Miss Revlon doll from the 1950's. The other loss is my grandmothers jewelry box that I inherited from my sister when she passed. The box is not a total loss, but it is badly charred on one side and the top has plastic melted onto it, obscuring the picture on top. I will have them clean it as much as possible and keep it even though it is charred. Just too precious to get rid of. My vanity/desk was also heavily damaged. In subsequent searching I found it is a piece from the late 1800's/early 1900's by Maple & Co., a British furniture maker. Because it is rather an old piece, and really unique, we are going to try and have it restored, rather than find a new one....even if I COULD find a replacement!

Several of my Packer banners/decals are lost also, but that is minor to what could have happened. My stock certificate will be replaced by the Packers.

The day after the fire I left for Green Bay with Marnie & Tiana for Training camp, PPCC reception, Family night, sightseeing and the first preseason game against the Browns. We had such a good time in Green Bay....we went to the water park in Wisconsin Dells, the State Fair in Milwaukee and all the Packer stuff. It was a very busy week!!

Home again on the 15th to start dealing with all the fire clean-up/repairs. It took 4 days but the office is totally cleaned out and the dry-wallers are here today to do the repairs. Tomorrow the painters are to be here to seal the walls & ceiling, then painting in Thursday. New carpet after that and I should be able to move back in next week. TONS of stuff to sort before that happens.

On the plus side----I am going to be hosting another give-away for a CSN gift card soon!! Stay tuned for your chance to win!!

Kelly is having a party!!

A friend is having a Blogiversary over at http://kellyknits.com/. Drop on by for all the fun things she has going on including scavenger hunt! Fun times!!

And the winner is.............

Bethany Dailey from Gettinitpegged.com. Bethany won the $40 CSN gift card. She increased her chances of winning by making a purchase from my shop. The drawing was done at random.org. Bethany, your card will be mailed directly to you from CSN. I have your address from your purchase!!

Thanks you to all who entered. Watch for my next give-away coming soon. A $20.00 Applebee gift card!!

Amazing hand-dyed yarn being given away

I found this yarn give-away through ravelry. She is keeping the drawing open until Saturday. It is SO beautiful! I already entered the max times. I want to win this!!

Happy July 4th!

Happy Independence Day to all my followers and visitors. Our great country needs all of us to become involved in order to not lose the life we know and love.

May you have a Blessed and SAFE day today!

Great Give-Away has Arrived!

EDIT---Winner has been drawn. Thanks to all those who entered!! I will be having another Give-away soon, so be sure and watch for it!!

OK…the Great Giveaway is here!! A $40.00 gift card is up for grabs to one lucky person. All you have to do is—

1-Visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/carolscrafts4u (click on the link to the left)
2-Post a remark on either the content of the shop OR the layout, or BOTH.

To earn EXTRA entries, make a separate comment for each one you do

~Blog about the giveaway and leave a link in the comment
~Follow my blog and make a comment letting me know you are a new follower
~Make a post on Facebook with a link about the giveaway and let me know you did

To earn FIVE extra entries, make a purchase from my Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me what you purchased.

That's all there is to it!

The comments posted in the next 2 weeks will qualify to win. The winning poster will be drawn in a random drawing (random.org) held on July 15.

At least one of your posts must give feedback on my Etsy shop, it can be positive or negative. If you see something you do not like or you think I should change, TELL ME!

The winner will receive a gift card from CSN that can be used at any one of over 200 stores. It will be mailed directly to you, so please make sure I have your email address and I will contact the winner to get their mailing address.

Good luck to all and I look forward to reading your comments!

Watch for the giveaway soon!

We all want lots of things right? I was contacted recently by the coolest place. They are called CSN. They have about 200 stores and you can find absolutely everything you could ever dream of in their websites. Seriously, they have an entire section just for shoes! Over 7000 pair. I am in heaven. They carry everything from baby supplies to furniture, and every kitchen gadget you can think of. I found a cool bed that I LOVE. And they offer Free shipping and hassle free returns. We all can use a little less hassle in our lives, right?

In order to make my readers more aware of CSN and the fantastic merchandise they carry, I will be doing a giveaway of a $40 gift card redeemable toward any purchase in their stores in the next week or so. Check back for updates and how to enter!

Free Stuff??

Summer time is here...well according to the calendar anyway. This has been the wettest June on record here in Oregon, and the HIGH for the next 7 days is supposed to be 70. I am not sure I even believe SPRING is here!

Anyway, back to the point of this post. I have been contacted by a national chain of stores wanting me to promote them and do a free giveaway on my blog. From what I have been able to figure out so far, it looks like a cool deal for everyone. I promote them, you get free stuff. Sounds like a win-win to me. So I will keep you up to date on how that is coming along.

In the meantime, I am working on SEVERAL new projects. Making a set of towels/hot-pads/dishcloths for my new DIL, Kessa for her new kitchen. Making a set of place mats with matching coasters for another DIL, Diana. Just finished up 2 squares for the Bakers dozen Swap. also making the Loom-a-long Simple Lace Wrap by Renee Van Hoy. (pattern here) http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-lace-wrap I am using tapestry wool and it is turning out lovely. I will post pictures of all these projects later on.

Finished the CAL

Lion Brand Yarn had a CAL that I mentioned in a previous post. I finally got it finished. Like the hostess for the CAL, I made some modifications to the pattern. I did not want long sleeves, so made them elbow length. I also did not want a hood, so just did a collar. It turned out pretty good....well except I am not skinny enough in the hips for it....so we will see if I keep it or gift it to a skinnier person.

Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me

Ok, if you are not old enough to remember Rowan & Martin's "Laugh-In", the joke is lost on you (google it) :-)

I have been busy making socks. The first 3 pair are crocheted using different weight yarns, #1 sock yarn for the blue/purple pair and Sassy Stripes #3 for the other 2 pair. The last 2 pair are too thick for shoes but will work great as socks for lounging.

The last pair is a "knooked" pair. (knitted with a crochet hook) Made with Heart & Sole with Aloe #1, I was particularly pleased to do these toe up socks. You fit them as you go.

OH MY!!

Do you ever wonder why you take on so many projects at once??? I do!! Currently on the needles/hooks are...

1-Lion Brand CAL-Beach cover up cardi.
2-First pair of knooked socks (knitting with a hook)
3-3rd pair of crocheted socks
4-current Kris Knits KAL (I am knooking it)
5-crocheted scarf
6-Loom knitting slippers

Oh gosh, makes me tired thinking of it!!

Why do I do so many at once....maybe I get bored??? Most likely. I like to be busy, and some things are more suited for traveling...who knows.....

Catching up

Now that the traveling is done for a bit, well until I fly to Texas on the 29th, it is time for me to get caught up with some of my projects. I finished my second pair of socks...almost done with the 3rd.





I did my first "pattern with a design" in knooking, It looks remarkably like the picture on the pattern. Knooking is still much slower than crocheting for me, so it will not become my primary craft, but I love that I can have knitted projects without having to work 2 needles! We are starting a sock KAL in knooking so I am looking forward to that...

I am now working on a CAL-Beach top/coverup. The finished project will look something like this....

I just started last night and have the first section of the back done. I am using some mercerized cotton I got from Peaches 'N Cream over a year ago. It was one of those grab bags and I ended up with a LOT of this....figured this was a good project to use it on. There is also a companion piece to this as a hooded pullover, so I may make that also.

Jean's service

From 4 different locations around the US we organized the service. Maybe it went off so well, because we did not try so hard to make it perfect. Minyon did such an amazing job on the pictures & the power point. Don brought music and a contribution from donations by all of Jean's PPCC friends was made to the James Jones foundation, www.LoveJones4kids.com

The excess of the cost of the brick for Jean was donated to this worthy foundation that works with the local homeless shelter and helps underprivileged kids - - just 2 of the causes they support. Because of the generosity of the members, we were able to donate $550 to James and his wife, Tamika.

The Packer organization provided the MVP Sky box overlooking Lambeau field for the service. After the service, attended by PPCC members and 4 of Jean's family, lunch was served in a private room at Curly's pub. Bob Harlan, former president of the Green Bay Packers popped in to say hello and thank us for honoring our friend.

The Packer organization made this an incredibly special way to honor our friend. Jean would have been SO thrilled knowing her friends cared so much and that the Packer organization cared for a single fan.

I have never heard of an NFL organization doing such a thing and it makes me even prouder to call myself a fan of the Green Bay Pacers....not just the team, but the people working there on a daily basis. THANK YOU....Jade & Michelle.

Michael has been busy

He has made me some more hooks. When he has a piece that breaks off, he converts it to a holder and inserts one of my aluminum crochet hooks in it.

**Top to Bottom**

C Hook….I have already tried this out with my sock yarn…..mmm it is NICE.

D Hook…this is a very hard to find size. I currently have 1/2 pair of socks done using this hook and I LOVE it.

G hook using a piece he would have otherwise thrown away

H hook….using a new shape that I have not tried yet.

I hook, using the egg shape handle

M hook…I did not have one this size

S hook I also did not have one this size, so I pretty much have a complete set of hooks now.

I am AMAZED at the way he is able to take a piece of wood and make something so beautiful and functional out of it.

More of Michael's Handiwork

Michael has been a very busy boy this weekend. ****top to bottom****

~Shawl pin – made from Maple

~Size N/10 made from a piece of driftwood picked up on the Oregon Coast. (he thinks it might be Douglas fir) The thumb rest is wonderful

~Size 7 mm - Made out of Maple

~Size G made out of Myrtle wood – this looks funky but if you hold you hook like a knife, it is actually quite comfortable. We saw a similar one posted on a blog, so he thought he would try it.

He has one on the lathe now that he has gotten down to a 3 mm, trying to get it down to a C or 2.75. Cuz that is what I make my socks with! (have one done of my first pair, working on 2nd)

These are so smooth – almost sensual…………I can hardly wait till he gets the little one done to make my next pair of socks.

My Packer friend Jean Spring

My long time friend, Jean Spring passed away this morning at Unity Hospice in Green Bay, WI. Jean was diagnosed in January with terminal brain cancer. She was moved to Unity Hospice the end of January. She was not happy most of the time, but I think it was because of the circumstances. One of the things she wrote to me...

Double-whammies are a bitch!! First I find out that I have cancer, then I find out that it is terminal. On top of that, you can only get into this hospice if you have six months or less, to live. That really SUCKS!!

Even though she was terminal, she was always asking others if they were OK, She was concerned that Michael and I did not have enough time together. She was concerned for me to be careful and not break another ankle. She was worried I did not have the milk to make my latte yesterday morning! Jean was like that, always thinking of others. If she had it, she would give it to you.

Jean lost her job last year and had become homeless. She gave away all of her precious Packer memorabilia and White Sox stuff to her nephew. Everything she owned was in 2 suitcases. She ended up in the shelter in Green Bay, became sick, went to the hospital where they found the cancer through her whole body.

Two weeks ago, several of her PPCC friends were able to visit her --she had SUCH a wonderful time visiting with all of them. I had made my plane reservations for the weekend of April 10-11 to fly back and see her. I waited too long, and I am incredibly sad about that.

but I have decided to make the trip. Many of her friends are going to gather in Green Bay and have a service for her on the weeknd I am there. Some, like me, are flying in from around the United States. Others are driving up from Chicago, Joliet, Milwaukee and others live only a mile from the hospice.

Jean had friends all over the world. Bruce in England, Nate in Australia, and so many others, all made through the Packers Partners Club Of Champions, the official fan club of the Green Bay Packers. Even though we did not get to see each other more than once or twice a year, we have become family. Jean valued her friends in the PPCC and loved to have them visit. I was able to have a nice conversation with her last week via phone. I am so glad I picked up the phone and dialed her number.

While I am incredibly sad that I did not get to see Jean one last time, I am grateful that she is no longer in pain and is at peace.

Michael's new hobby

I have been asking Michael for some time to make me different things - scarf pins, crochet hooks, etc - so he finally bought himself a nice lathe. These are the FIRST things he made.....most all in one day!! The brown shape on the left actually has a solid ring around one of the pieces...he made it all in one piece. I would love to see the grand-kids figure that one out! :-)

The second one was just working to see how small he could make a piece and how thin....

The third one can be used for a candle holder and can stand on either end. The far right is a "goblet" with a lid! It is awesome!! The last one in front is a small "dish" that I can use to put my earrings in or paperclips.....he used a small scrap he had to see how just using the chuck would work.

All of these are made out of just scrap pieces of wood. The light color ones are actually out of birch from a tree our neighbor cut down. The wood is still so wet, it was "raining" on him as he was working on the pieces.

I can hardly wait to see what he makes when he gets good wood. i will post more pictures as he makes more projects.

And here is his first crochet hook! It is SO smooth!!!