I had a blog about all my summer doings that was rolling around in my mind. It was to be filled with pictures of projects I had started or finished, what we had done during this school break, etc. Well, it will need to wait. This morning, as I was rinsing out my hair, my back decided it need to stop me in my tracks! About twice a year, my back decides to totally take over my life and go on strike! So I have been sitting on the couch, heat on my back, still in my pj's, all day long! Laura hooked up my laptop for me (thank goodness it is light weight), but it would be a very big hassle to find the space to hook up my passport which has all of my photos! So, for now, no pics.
This summer is going by quickly. Laura starts school on Thursday of this week. I still find it hard to believe that my youngest is going to be a high school sophomore! Am I really that old? This will be the last year she will attend full time high school. Starting her junior year, she will be attending a technical school, half day, to study cosmetology. She has always had a love of hair styling and makeup, so she has decided to get her license. She plans on becoming an animator, so while she learns that field, she will be able to have a job to support herself. Not that I'm kicking her out! I really wouldn't know what to do with myself if she wasn't here.
I've been keeping myself occupied this summer with several crochet projects. I crocheted 2 buntings, using a pattern Lucy, of attitc24, wrote for Simply Crochet Magazine. I made two because I couldn't decide between blue or pink bunting. One can never have too much bunting! I also made the cushion cover and tote that Lucy designed. All of the patterns came from Simply Crochet magazine. I'm also starting a jacket and scarf for Laura's birthday. Where were these patterns from? Simply Crochet magazine! Now, I'm not being paid for this, I just love the magazine! It is the only treat I give myself and I cannot wait for it to be delivered to me! I found out about it from Lucy's blog. Starting with issue 14, Lucy began writing an article. She talks about various crochet goodness, from colour to stitches, and how it has influenced her life. She has colour ideas that I love! Bright and full of life! So, as soon as I can actually walk back to my room and use the computer there, I will have pics for you of all my crochet goodies!
I am going to eat my dinner now, so I'll wish you a good evening. Until next time, enjoy life to the fullest! Share a laugh with someone and treat yourself to something special!
Hugs,
Deb
Monday, August 4, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Just Thoughts
Please excuse the look of my blog. I'm still messing around with it and trying to find the look I like. Not there yet, so please, bear with me.
I have just read Brenda's blog today, cozylittlehouse.com, and it brings up a subject that seems to be shied away from in blog land: divorce and how it affects us.
Some of us are very lucky and we find that knight in shining armor on the first try. We live in the castle and have children that are always happy and good, have a wonderful day every day...you get the picture. Don't get me wrong, I wish the best for each of you, always. We do need to be honest though and just say that not every one is that lucky, which is very unfortunate.
Me...well, I married right after high school graduation to a man that I knew since I was 5. Yep, we met in kindergarten and married after high school. He joined the Army and we lived in America and in Europe. We saw history in the making when we lived in Berlin. We had 5 daughters and 11 grandchildren. We went to church on Sunday and Wednesdays, I home schooled 3 of our daughters, was a stay at home mom our whole marriage. If you saw us out and about as a family, you would have thought we had it all together, we were a happy family, one younger couples would want to be like. But then came behind closed doors.
Do we ever know another person, really know what makes them tick? I thought I did. After 33 years of raising children, taking care of everyday needs, moving around the world, away from friends and family for 20 years, he up and divorced me. I really should have been shocked, but truth is, I suspected he would do it much sooner.
You see, under that facade of the perfect family, there was abuse. Not physical, but I think that verbal and mental abuse can be just as hurtful. He came from an abusive family, one that was physically and mentally abusive. I guess I thought I could make it better, fix the problem. I couldn't. I hung in there, tried for 33 years to teach him about love and compassion. Can you teach those things? Maybe he just didn't want to learn.
Divorce always has some type of effect on all the others-the children, the families, the friends. You just hope everyone can heal and move on with their lives. For my family, it's been hard. My 4 older children, all married with their own children, have learned that their mom wasn't the wack-job their father tried to pass me off as. They found out that I put up with so much mental abuse and cruelty, just so we could survive. I never worked outside the home. Some of my girls thought that I was just lazy and wanted their father to take care of me. I didn't work so he didn't get abusive to them, which I was always afraid of. He always said it wouldn't cost effective for me to work. I think he didn't want me to see what was out there in the world. Probably afraid I'd take the girls and leave. He couldn't afford that child support!!
Three years down the road, we have all tried to move on. He got married 8 months after our divorce was final, to the friend I thought was my close friend. Nice, huh? But that's another story. The girls really don't talk much to their father. Hopefully, he can see what he has done, how he has hurt them and ask for their forgiveness. But I won't hold my breath.
What does this all have to do with a blog? Not much. But it shows that we, as people and bloggers, need to realize that it's okay to have problems, to not show a happy face all the time. We need to be real. But, I think, in a way, it helps us all realize that we are not alone. Even though you may never meet in person, you can talk to someone that has walked that path, worn those shoes, cried those tears.
I know that I don't blog like I want to. Sometimes I feel like I don't have much to contribute, that I really am a fairly boring person. But I am beginning to realize that it's okay to just be me. I may say some crazy things, or maybe have a boring post, but it's my post. I just hope that somehow, maybe, I can help someone out, can have that shoulder for someone to cry on.
I hope all of you forgive me for babbling on. Sometimes you just need to get things out in the open. And that's okay. It just means you're human.
I wish all of you a good night, one full of dreams and wishes. Laugh with someone you care about, do something good for yourself and remember, you are not alone.
Until next time,
Deb
I have just read Brenda's blog today, cozylittlehouse.com, and it brings up a subject that seems to be shied away from in blog land: divorce and how it affects us.
Some of us are very lucky and we find that knight in shining armor on the first try. We live in the castle and have children that are always happy and good, have a wonderful day every day...you get the picture. Don't get me wrong, I wish the best for each of you, always. We do need to be honest though and just say that not every one is that lucky, which is very unfortunate.
Me...well, I married right after high school graduation to a man that I knew since I was 5. Yep, we met in kindergarten and married after high school. He joined the Army and we lived in America and in Europe. We saw history in the making when we lived in Berlin. We had 5 daughters and 11 grandchildren. We went to church on Sunday and Wednesdays, I home schooled 3 of our daughters, was a stay at home mom our whole marriage. If you saw us out and about as a family, you would have thought we had it all together, we were a happy family, one younger couples would want to be like. But then came behind closed doors.
Do we ever know another person, really know what makes them tick? I thought I did. After 33 years of raising children, taking care of everyday needs, moving around the world, away from friends and family for 20 years, he up and divorced me. I really should have been shocked, but truth is, I suspected he would do it much sooner.
You see, under that facade of the perfect family, there was abuse. Not physical, but I think that verbal and mental abuse can be just as hurtful. He came from an abusive family, one that was physically and mentally abusive. I guess I thought I could make it better, fix the problem. I couldn't. I hung in there, tried for 33 years to teach him about love and compassion. Can you teach those things? Maybe he just didn't want to learn.
Divorce always has some type of effect on all the others-the children, the families, the friends. You just hope everyone can heal and move on with their lives. For my family, it's been hard. My 4 older children, all married with their own children, have learned that their mom wasn't the wack-job their father tried to pass me off as. They found out that I put up with so much mental abuse and cruelty, just so we could survive. I never worked outside the home. Some of my girls thought that I was just lazy and wanted their father to take care of me. I didn't work so he didn't get abusive to them, which I was always afraid of. He always said it wouldn't cost effective for me to work. I think he didn't want me to see what was out there in the world. Probably afraid I'd take the girls and leave. He couldn't afford that child support!!
Three years down the road, we have all tried to move on. He got married 8 months after our divorce was final, to the friend I thought was my close friend. Nice, huh? But that's another story. The girls really don't talk much to their father. Hopefully, he can see what he has done, how he has hurt them and ask for their forgiveness. But I won't hold my breath.
What does this all have to do with a blog? Not much. But it shows that we, as people and bloggers, need to realize that it's okay to have problems, to not show a happy face all the time. We need to be real. But, I think, in a way, it helps us all realize that we are not alone. Even though you may never meet in person, you can talk to someone that has walked that path, worn those shoes, cried those tears.
I know that I don't blog like I want to. Sometimes I feel like I don't have much to contribute, that I really am a fairly boring person. But I am beginning to realize that it's okay to just be me. I may say some crazy things, or maybe have a boring post, but it's my post. I just hope that somehow, maybe, I can help someone out, can have that shoulder for someone to cry on.
I hope all of you forgive me for babbling on. Sometimes you just need to get things out in the open. And that's okay. It just means you're human.
I wish all of you a good night, one full of dreams and wishes. Laugh with someone you care about, do something good for yourself and remember, you are not alone.
Until next time,
Deb
Sunday, April 20, 2014
What A Gorgeous Morning
I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter! Have a picnic, have a bike ride, take a walk in a park. Mostly, spend time with your family and friends.
Hugs from me to you,
Deb
Hugs from me to you,
Deb
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
A Colourful World
How are you doing this gorgeous day? We are having a touch of cool weather, windy and some clouds, but at least spring seems to be here to stay! It was a long winter!
I have always thought that the colours you surround yourself with affect your mood tremendously. Flowers in the house when the dark, grey days of winter loom over us. Blues in the bedrooms help us to rest easier. For me, even a box of crayons can brighten my day. With this said, I would like to share with you a blog that positively brightens my day hands down.
Attic 24 is written by the lovely Lucy. She resides in England with her husband and their 3 children. Lucy talks about her days with her family, the school run, the market, having a cup of coffee, going to the Knit and Natter. Every one of these has one common thing: colour, heart-swooning, breath-taking colour.
Lucy can make something as simple as sitting in her garden or hanging out the wash a major colour explosion. Her cups for her coffee are colourful, her pots of flowers have little crocheted holders, even her crochet hooks are pretty.
Did I mention that Lucy is also a crocheter? Not just the run of the mill crocheter, but a brilliant one! From the basic granny square blanket, to the ripple blanket. The flower pillow or the raindrop cushion. When Lucy picks up her crochet hook, the ideas and the colours seem to just flow out of her.
Lucy shares a little studio above a cafe with Tracy, who blogs at Patchwork Chickens. There they work on projects to teach at classes they hold.
Lucy used the studio last September for her main Yarndale work. Yarndale is a festival that was held last year for the first time. One of Lucy's ideas for Yarndale was to make bunting for the hall that Yarndale was held in. Not only was bunting made from people all over the world, me included, but Lucy and friends yarn-bombed the trees and the little bridge had ducks, crocheted ducks!
Yarndale did so well that it will be held again this September. Lucy and friends will once again astonish the crowds!
Please go to Attic24 and see for yourself the brilliant colours that Lucy creates.
I will leave you the links for the blogs I have mentioned. As for me, I must go for now. As always, I hope you have a wonderful day.
Hug a love one, laugh out loud and remember that you are special.
Until next time....
attic24.typepad.com
patchworkchickens.blogspot.co.uk
yarndale.co.uk
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Spring Has Sprung!
I really thought we were never going to have temps above 30, but I stand corrected! For the last 2 days, I have had the windows open and have not frozen! The sun is shining, the snow has melted and the birds are singing! With all of this wonderful fresh air I have been inhaling, I have felt rather peppy. I have washed the outside of my little patio and am making bunting for it. I am planning all of my container plants and possibly a small fairie garden. Inside, I have cleaned my closet out and folded all of the winter clothes and stored them on their shelves. That felt real good, putting away the sweaters and turtle necks and the coats, gloves and scarves. Not that I don't love my cozy winter things, but April is not the time for them!
I have started the Easter crafting this week. I am making some small items for the new little one. A bunny, an embroidered egg and a cute hat. I may even make a basket if I have time. I am also making a couple of things for Laura. I love holidays!
So, change of subject now. Have any of you been sick this winter and needed throat lozenges? I had a sinus/ throat thing that lasted almost 3 weeks. Two of these weeks I couldn't talk without scaring everyone! Laura told me to stop talking, as it made her throat hurt listening to me! Anyway, I used cough drops so I wouldn't need to constantly drink water. Ashleigh brought over Halls cough drops. Well, the paper the drops were wrapped in have uplifting quotes and sayings on them. I tell you, I loved those little papers. It's nice to read something uplifting when you feel like a truck has run over you. So, I have wrote down some of my favourites and thought I would share some with you.
Keep your chin up.
Hi-five yourself.
Don't give up on yourself.
Be unstoppable.
Impress yourself.
Dust off and get up.
Be resilient.
You can do it and you know you can.
You've survived tougher.
Take charge and mean it.
And my favourite:
Don't give up on yourself.
Who knew cough drops could be so inspiring?
Well, I am off to working on some Easter decor. I hope all of you are having a warm spring day! Remember to hug someone, laugh over something and smile. It's good for you! :)
Until next time,
Hugs from me to you
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Waiting For Spring
I am officially not talking about the weather. It has done nothing but depressed me this winter. It has even gone as far as letting the snow melt, allowing us to see grass and our parking lot, then turned around and sleeted. This morning, as I looked out my window at 5:45 am, guess what I saw? Here's a hint: it starts with the letter S, ends with a W and the word NO, as in no way,you have got to be kidding, is in the middle!! Yep, it was snowing! So, until I see flowers, buds on trees and the birds are merrily feathering their nest, I am ignoring the weather! Moving on. :)
The last month I have been keeping busy crocheting, sewing, working on my knitting and reading. I don't know if it's the fact that it is too cold to go out of the house, the sinus infection that has been coming on or I'm just plan BORED, but I cannot focus on anything. I have started making three different cross-stitch ornaments and have left them in a basket. I am crocheting a wreath, bunting, Easter goodies and stuffed hearts and have left them in a basket, unfinished. You see the pattern here? I have started 4 books with the same outcome. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time doing nothing much!
I did actually finish the present I was making my daughter, Ashleigh, for her birthday. When I can get her to bring it over, I'll take some pics of it. I tell you, it was an easy project. It was an infinity scarf that was made out of Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn, in the colour Echo. I have never felt anything so light. It was like I was crocheting a fluffy cloud. It is a variegated yarn that made a gorgeous pattern. I hope I can get her to come over in the next couple of days so I can take some snaps of her.
I will leave you today with a picture of the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse,South Holland. I have wanted to go there since I was very small. Got so far as the city, but that's a story for another day.
Until next time, dream, laugh, love. Remember, life is short, so don't wait to tell someone you love them.
Deb
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Keeping Busy
I must say that this has been the most depressing winter I have ever known! With the continual snow and sub-zero temps, I will be welcoming spring with open arms!
The children here have not had a full week of school since before Christmas. If it is not a delayed day, it is a closing of school. I am so glad Laura is not a senior this year.
I am trying to read a book a week, but I think I have fallen asleep more than I have read! This weather makes me so tired. I am almost finished a Phryne Fisher mystery. Do you know Miss Fisher? She is an amazing woman. The books are written by Kerry Greenwood, taking place in Australia in 1928. This will be the second time I am reading them. I started watching the mystery series on Acorn TV. I think it is also available on Hulu or Netflix. The series is almost spot on with the books.
What has been keeping you from going crazy this winter? I have started to crochet so many things that my WIPs far out number my completed things! I have finished my daughter Ashleigh's birthday present. When it gets closer to her birthday, I'll show it to you. Don't want her to get a peek before her day! I have also been getting back to cross-stitching. It has been a good long time since I've cross-stitched and I realized how much I have missed it. I'm working on a couple of pictures I want to hang and also planning out some Christmas decorations for next year.
I am trying to read a book a week, but I think I have fallen asleep more than I have read! This weather makes me so tired. I am almost finished a Phryne Fisher mystery. Do you know Miss Fisher? She is an amazing woman. The books are written by Kerry Greenwood, taking place in Australia in 1928. This will be the second time I am reading them. I started watching the mystery series on Acorn TV. I think it is also available on Hulu or Netflix. The series is almost spot on with the books.
Well all, I must go, as my banana bread is needing to come out of the oven. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't bake! I love it!
I hope the sun is shining in your part of the world. If not, do something that you really love and make your own sunshine! Hug someone, see a funny film, a have good meal and share your love with all!
Until next time,
Hugs from me to you
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