The Calendar

Well, I received the proof copies of my new children's book titled The Calendar.  I'm glad that I got the copies before they were shipped out to others.  The cover got shifted over quite a bit.  Create Space did a little more adjusting than they usually did in the past.  The illustration on the book cover got moved over to the very end, which makes the drawing looked very clipped.  Also, there were also some shifting of the drawings in the book as well.  Chad and I went over the book again and adjusted them more than we had the first time.  I'm hoping that it comes out this time.  Here's a look at the front and back cover.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the book turns out.  Here's a Bible verse to help you finish out your day.

I Corinthians 3:7-8 (NASB)

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Knitted Hat

Well, I finally finished my knitted hat.  It matches the knitted scarf I made a week or so ago.  I had a great time making it.  The great thing about it is once you get used to working with DPN's, the pattern is pretty simple. It's knitted top down instead of bottom up, which I also think is easier than knitting from bottom up.  Here's a picture of me knitting.  I like to knit in the evenings; it helps me to relax.

Here's me posing with my hat and scarf. 

Hope you're having a good day.  Here's a Bible verse to help you relax and think about Yeshua.

Psalms 90:17 (NASB)

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

Simple and Easy Fun Cakes

I love making fun cakes.  I used to make them when I was a teenager.  Well, about a week ago, I remembered making them and decided to make them again.  I have been having a sweet tooth lately and this was a perfect way to fill that urge.  The bonus- Chad really loved them!  If you have guests and can't decide on a type of dessert to serve, try fun cakes.  People will love them, especially when you make them fresh and serve them while they are still warm.  What are fun cakes you be asking?  They are just Pillsbury Grands rolls, fried in oil.  I usually get honey butter.  Just take them out and pop a hole into each one.

I then put about two inches of vegetable oil in a pan and heat it up on medium.  When the oil is hot enough, put in your fun cakes.  I use kitchen prongs to turn over the cakes. 

I cook until they are golden brown on each side.  It takes about a minute or less for each side.

If you want, you can even ball up the extra rolls that come from punching out the holes and cook them too.

After removing your fun cakes from the oil, place on a paper towel for a while to absorb the extra oil.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

If you want, have fun cakes with hot chocolate or good strong coffee.

Enjoy!

Here's a Bible verse to help sweeten your day!

Psalm 119:103 (NASB)

How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Gracie

I wanted to introduce to my little sheep, Gracie.  I saw her on Etsy and thought she would make a wonderful little knitting and crochet buddy.  She sits near me when I knit and crochet and she makes me smile.  She even likes to sit in the yarn, as you will see in the pictures below.  She is 100% felted wool, handmade, from Latvia.  She got here via post sometime last week and I am loving have her sit next to me.  Here are some pictures of her.

Gracie is a reminder to me that I am part of the flock of the Messiah and that He cares for me like a shepherd.  If you are a believer in Yeshua, you are also His little sheep too!  Every sheep is a little different.  Some are young, some are old.  Some of us are a little chubbier than others (and it's not because of the extra wool but because of too many donuts!) and some of us make weird little "baa's" while others have more refined and elegant ones.  That's what makes the Messiah's flock so interesting.  We're all so different!

Isaiah 40:11 (NASB)

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Knitting or Crochet?

When I first thought about working with yarn, I thought about crocheting first.  Some years ago in when we lived in Alaska, I felt a crafty bug take hold so I signed up for a sewing class at a craft store.  I would go once a week in the evenings.   I really wanted to like it but unfortunately I didn't.  First of all, I didn't have my own sewing machine and had to borrow the store's.  All of the others who attended brought their own sewing machines and were already comfortable working on them.   To top it off, the instructor, although well-meaning, would never let me do things on my own.  She ended doing lots of the work for me and I never felt like I learned anything.  Speed up to present day.  The crafty bug hit me again and I thought about learning to crochet.  After doing tons of research, I decided to buy my first set of crochet hooks.  After I bought them, I also started to think about knitting.  After doing some more research, I decided to start with knitting first because it made more sense to me.  There was a logical flow that I could follow.  I bought lots of needles, even double pointed ones, because I had hopes of one day being able to knit hats, gloves, and socks.  Here's a scarf I just recently knitted.  Making scarves is easy.  They only require straight knitting needles.  I used a size 10 for this scarf. 

Here's a picture of me beginning the matching hat.  Anything circular in knitting requires either cable knitting needles or double pointed needles (DPN's).  I choose to do my circular knitting with DPN's because even if you use cabled needles, you eventually have to move over to the double pointed ones when the circumference gets smaller, like towards the crown of the hat.  I've done two hats already but because I took a very long break from working with DPN's, I forgot how to use them.  It took me about four hours, trying over and over, to remember.  Here's the beginning of my hat.  And oh by the way, working with five DPN's is very difficult.

Just recently, I decided I also wanted to learn how to crochet.  I had my niece try to teach me a while back, but I just got so confused with all the loops and turns, I didn't do to well.  However, my husband Chad, knows how to crochet.  He was taught how to crochet when he was a little guy, by his mother.  He used the crochet hooks I bought earlier, watched some YouTube instructional videos, and cranked out some hat, gloves, and mittens for me.  Believe me when I say that it took a little time for me to learn to crochet.  I kept trying to knit with the crochet hooks, which does not work.  After a few stressful lessons from him, I finally got some basics down.  I still don't feel quite comfortable with it yet, but I'm going to keep practicing because I want to do both.

Here's a little square I'm practicing on.  I want to get the feel of crochet before I begin a project.  I'm thinking about making some crocheted slippers.

Hope your having a good day.  Here's a Bible verse to help start the Sabbath rest.

Psalms 139:13-14 (NASB)

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.