Yarn Lovin' - Crazy Blue Granny

I am starting a topic and eventually a page called "Yarn Lovin'."  This is where I will share with you my love for yarn and crochet.  I will post about patterns, projects, yarns and resources that I have found.  I am no expert but it is a fun hobby that I love enough to share on my blog!

Today I would like to share with you a little about one of my favorite hobbies.  I love to Crochet.  To be frank, I have not finished many projects over the years.  However, right now I am working on an afghan for my husband that I plan to put on the very short list of completed projects.  I tend to pick very intricate or large projects, then get bored or overwhelmed and put it aside.  Then a while later I will move on to the next space eating project!  This time I picked a granny square afghan but with a "jamie" twist.  Instead of following a pattern I am using several colors my husband likes and making different sized and patterned squares then will put them all together "abstract like" and call it my Crazy Blue Granny Afghan!  Below is a pic of the progress I have made on the squares, laid out on the blanket I am using for sizing.

I have since complete more squares but do not want to get it all laid out again to collect more animal fur!  

I have found that crocheting is very therapeutic.  Taking time for things that I purely enjoy while not accomplishing something valuable for my family, home or spirituality makes me feel guilty.  I know that is not really healthy but God is working in me one thing at a time!  With crocheting I can be accomplishing something, making something we need or as a gift to one I love and still get much needed "down time" for my brain and body. I do know that I will have to actually complete projects for this to hold any water and remind myself of it daily! :)

Since the granny square is new to me (as well as finishing a project) my next challenge is deciding the best way to connect the squares.  The whip stitch and the slip stitch do not seem sturdy enough but the single crochet leaves a big ridge that I am not sure would be very comfortable.  Today I will be trying to do the single crochet with a smaller hook to see if it helps.   If any of you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.  Do you have a favorite hobby?  Do you struggle with finishing projects?

Note - I did find a cool yarn lovers site that keeps me motivated since I find so many cool ideas and people on it.  If you are a fellow yarn lover, check out Ravelry.com.  My name on the site is "jamiej76."  If you join, look me up!  I would love to share notes and projects with you!

Today I am linking up with Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop Linky Party Time at KatherinesCorner.com


Have a blessed and beautiful day!

Scrubbing With A Smile?

It's no secret - I really don't like house cleaning.  I mean, I really dislike it.  I am sure to some degree it's a result of cleaning being used as punishment when I was a kid.  My sister and I spent our summers with our Dad and his wife. With my Dad at work all day, she used her own methods of discipline.  To give you some perspective of the extent of the absurdity of this form of discipline I will share that once his wife made my sister scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush.  To this day I would prefer to have a house that does not have baseboards.  I will dread cleaning the seemingly miles of little cracks and lines for the rest of my life.

But this post is not about her or child discipline techniques.  It's about cleaning and my battle with it.  This month marks one full year of me being a stay at home mom.  And after a whole year, I still get all bent out of shape when it's time to scrub a toilet or vacuum the stairs.  I mean, who wants a back ache for the rest of the week just to have fluffy stairs?  And considering what we put in a toilet, does it really need to sparkle?  Yeah, I know, cleanliness is next to Godliness.  So do I keep murmuring and complaining like a child or do I get over it and start cleaning with a smile?

I have decided to go with option "B."  A while ago a friend of mine told me that she always dreaded paying bills.  It would get her all wound up and cranky.  Then one day she just stopped and thanked God that she could pay her bills.  Not only did the act of paying her bills become much less painful but their finances began to improve and have continued to do so since then.  I put that practice into place for my bills and I can say, it really works!  It's amazing that just the act of being grateful can change and improve so much.  It had never really occurred to me to put this into practice into other areas of my life until now!

Starting this week I have decided to apply that to everything I complain and murmur about.  If the bathrooms are taunting me I am going to thank God for indoor plumbing!  I mean really, what would life be like without it?!   Vacuuming? Praise and thanks, Father for a home to vacuum and for a working vacuum!  Piles of laundry growing all over - I am so grateful to not have to scrub my hubby's britches down at the creek with some rocks!

Just writing this is making me feel better.  I think I might even vacuum the stairs this week. Oh, and clean the refrigerator that I am so thankful to have!  (To be honest, probably still not going to scrub the baseboards.) 

This may turn out to be a positive and productive week!  My patient husband may end up asking what I have done with his real wife.