October 2021 Harvesting...Crafts

 

Welcome to a glimpse of our major harvesting event! We decided it was time to cut the umbilical cord of the Birdhouse Gourd!  Since my youngest daughter, Elisabeth, had started growing the Birdhouse Gourd seeds at her house months ago I thought she should enjoy sharing the harvesting of the gourd that grew from the little plant she brought me to grow on my patio trellis. She has taken the gourd back to her house.  From what we have read it may take between six to twelve months for the gourd to dry before we can take the next step in crafting it into a birdhouse. Stay tuned! :)

It would have been such fun if you could have joined us one October afternoon when on the spur of the moment I crafted an impromptu tea party for my neighbor friends, Orletta (on left) and June (on right). Perhaps you at least can get pleasure from imagining that the menu of tea, cookies, and good conversation were enjoyed by us all.  

Another afternoon Candy, June's daughter was visiting here from out of town and was able to join us for some tea and cookies.  A dear friend, Becky, from upstate NY, had sent me a goodie box that arrived just before Candy and June came over.  Among the goodies were delicious dark chocolate-covered almonds from Krause Candy in Saugerties, NY that we enjoyedl Thanks again, Becky!

 

Some of you asked for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie recipe that produced these cookies I showed you last month. If you try the following recipe I hope it is a great success for you!

Several weeks ago my youngest daughter, Elisabeth, texted this and the following three photos to me.  A co-worker had heard Elisabeth enjoyed making cakes and asked her to make her wedding cake...the biggest Elisabeth had ever tried to make.  Elisabeth took on the challenge and gave me permission to share some of the process with you.

 After baking all the layers and trimming them, she spread a crumb coat of frosting on the three layers so that the final coat of frosting would spread smoothly without crumbs.

She transported the three layers separately then constructed the cake at the venue.

Finally, she decorated the whole cake with ribbon and fresh flowers and the couple's choice of topping.  Elisabeth does not claim professional results, but she reported the couple and many of their guests appreciated the look...and taste of the cake!

This is such a pretty season in our area near the base of Mt. Hood and close to Portland, Oregon, that I drove to one of my favorite spots in the old nearby neighborhood where I lived a few years ago to take some photos to share with you.

There are many nurseries in the area and this row of brilliant red trees captured my admiration!

Then back in our condominium community, this view got my attention also.  I hope you are enjoying beautiful sights wherever you are as well!

Have you harvested any crafts in October?

((Hugs))  

Gracie :)

"And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" Mark4:20 NLT

June Crafting Life!

Ahoy there, and thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!  I so appreciate hearing from you through your comments here or by any means we are able to exchange news.  

In June my yarn crafting focus was on finishing knitting a baby blanket, but among the things that distracted me from that focus was...

riding the trolley along the Willamette River in southern Portland, OR with a group of friends... a fun way to get to see aspects of the city we rarely if ever see otherwise...

seeing tall city buildings in the background of the river marina offered us a relaxing view in contrast to the crowded speedy freeway driving it took to get to the trolley...

viewing the Sellwood Bridge gently arching over the Willamette River was a highlight of the ride...

glimpsing magnificent Mt. Hood on clear days as I drive around on routine errands is a pleasant respite from the manmade congestion of city life...

knitting and crocheting blankets for babies who spend time in a local hospital neonatal intensive care unit continues to be a project to which a group of ladies in our church is committed.  The ladies are prolific and rapid stitchers...

finishing slowly knitting this blanket in 100% acrylic  Simply Soft Caron yarn that the sister of one of our group members generously donated to us was a joy for me; we have been praying that each blanket will be a tangible encouragement for the baby and family that receive it...

meeting Hobbs and Garfield, my Grand Kittens, recently was delightful and enjoying them will be a bonus when I drive over to visit my youngest daughter and her husband who live about a half hours drive away from me...

sharing my first name, Gracie, with my neighbor's Pug, Gracie, is fun but a little challenging in that when I hear Pug Gracie called or commanded I
have to discern I am NOT being addressed :-) ...

golfing on a miniature golf course with a group of friends recently brought out the happy wild women in me as you can see.  Have you played miniature golf while you are crafting your life?

Gracie xx



"You [Lord] will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever." Psalm 16:11 NLT

May: Many Flowers, Mt. Hood, and Craft Math

In the world around you, are you enjoying flowers in May?  I hope so; there are so many beautiful varieties to marvel over!

In my last post, I asked if any of you recognized a plant I inherited when I purchased my current home.  It reminded me of Bleeding Heart flowers I had seen although at that stage the heart-shaped blossom was not evident.

Now with confidence, I know that there are two different colors of Bleeding Hearts in the garden areas on either side of the front door.

If you click HERE you will be linked to more information about them.

While the hanging baskets of mixed flowers I hung are looking healthy now, I have been horrified two times when I looked out the front doorway and saw that the plants were wilted! The Spring weather shifts between warm and sunny and cool and gray and I am still learning to water appropriately.

Although there are many blooming Rhododendrons in the area around me, this is the one cluster of pretty blooms on the bush in front of the house that I am enjoying viewing.

Once I attended a wedding in which the bride had chosen to carry a lovely bouquet of white Calla Lilies, and I have admired their blooms ever since and am happy to have them in the garden in the front of the house.

See the white fluff above the roof line in the cleft of the trees?  That is the snow-capped top of Mt. Hood!  I am so excited to be able to see it from across the street looking toward my new home, thanks to a kind neighbor who introduced herself soon after I moved in.  She gave me a picture she had taken, and then this month when the weather cooperated she took me across the street and to the spot where I could take a photo for myself.  My home is the unit on the right; the Calla Lilies were just starting to bloom then.

Since I moved in almost five months ago I have tried to participate in some of the condominium's social activities to get to know some of my neighbors.  This month we had a Tea Party with most of us bringing our own tea cups and some of us bringing teapots to share.  It was a sweet way to gather.

As we near the end of May I am anticipating the warm summer months of outdoor activities including picnicking and brought out a red gingham tablecloth and washed and put away the green gingham one I had been using for Spring.  On Monday we celebrate Memorial Day established federally in the USA in 1971 as a day to remember and honor those in the armed services who gave their lives for the cause of peace for our country. The interesting long history of the day is documented in the link you will find if you click on Memorial Day above.

While I am still working on a baby blanket based on the Grandmother's Favorite dishcloth pattern, I have knit two more little dishcloths using the basic pattern, but in the one on the left, I have a three stitch border and the one on the right I have a two stitch border. Therein is my encounter with craft math challenge.  I am not gifted in math and detail work in general, and I am not showing you my first attempt at a three stitch border which ended in a wonky way :-)  The little dishcloth on the left, my second attempt in making a three stitch border on a small dishcloth is closer to being square than my first attempt, but I do not understand the math behind the construction, nor if it is possible to make a three stitch border more square.  If you want to attempt to enlighten me, I will be grateful!

Meanwhile, for many reasons, I am grateful today. The Thanksgiving I read this morning resonated with me in this season of the year and of my life, and I hope it will encourage you as well.

Gracie :-)  xx 

Crafting in Late Spring

Welcome!  While I had hoped to publish posts once a week since my last post, it has been over four weeks since then. I have been easily distracted by happy and sad events around me.  Creative projects stoke my happiness and combat my sadness.

 One sunny afternoon I packed the basket pictured above with some creative pastimes and hiked out to our front pond and sat at a picnic table to try to capture photos of wildlife, and then use my watercolor pencils.

 Can you see the squirrel in the upper V of the tree?  He scampered in the branches above me.

 And Mr. Mallard came into the view of my Panasonic zoom lens.

 Another day I stopped at the corner of Waybill Road and used my 7Plus iPhone to capture this zoomed in view of Mt. Hood with a row of mystery to me trees in front of it.

 Our flowers on the front porch are fluffing out in a lovely way.

 I am using Alicia Paulson's book, Stitched in Time and Helen Philipps' book Quick and Clever Cross Stitch to prime myself as I plan to do a stitching piece similar to my mom's I showed you several posts back.  My mom used linen to stitch on, but I have decided to use cotton Aida cloth.

Mid May I was given flowers to celebrate Mother's Day.  Some are now planted in the garden, but this bouquet lasted a long time and seemed to be happy on the Pioneer Woman brand tablecloth I found for a bargain price.

 We went to Wildwood State Park to celebrate birthdays while our friends from California were on a week long stay with us.

 Our friends stayed through Memorial Day, and we saw this Sandy cemetery especially decorated to honor those who have died in service while trying to establish and protect the peace.

 The first week of June my youngest daughter, son in law and son and I went camping on the east side of Mt. Hood.  We played miniature golf and the guys went back and played several rounds of golf on the big course as well.

 We had a bit of rain, hail and chilly temps, but even though we were deep in the woods we glamped thanks to being in a camping trailer.

This big black crow was our alarm clock on several mornings...just as effective as roosters!

 I have started the second part of the Ruby Shawl pattern. Guess what!  I have only seven more rows to crochet to complete the shawl!

Look what just arrived in the mail from my blogging friend, Joy, who lives in Lincolnshire, England, an area from which some of my ancestors immigrated in the1600's.  She sent a wonderful letter, and shared some lovely yarn left from a winter cardigan she just knit, some beautiful buttons, and knowing I like sheep, too, she sent me a learned one to help me count stitches! Thanks so much, Joy, for your kindness.

A few years ago a Mothers of Preschoolers group sold banners at the church I belonged to.  I bought the banner pictured above and have it hanging above my front door to remind me that it is my aim in life to get better and better at crafting love for those around me in the world, including you!

What are you crafting in the world around you in this season?

Gracie xx

Spring Around Here

 While I have not been posting much of late, and still have not caught up visiting many blogging friends, you can see from this sketch that my nine year old granddaughter, Haley, has pictured me with pen in hand after she and I were working on reading together one day. [very kind of her to make me appear thinner than I am]

 Several weeks ago I was thrilled to see Mt.Hood from 307th Street near our home.  We are dashing about through many April showers so views of Mt. Hood are precious and few!

 One day between showers, my oldest daughter and her five daughters and I, hiked around our ponds to see what we could see.  Molly caught this beautiful little green frog who soon leaped down along his way.

 We admired the Holly trees still showing us their pretty red berries.

 Last year we could not find any Trillium in the woods, but this year we saw four!

 Johnson Creek is full and flowing along at a merry clip.

Thanks to Karen's post, I believe we saw a patch of Salmon Berries.

 These Pansies somehow survived our winter.

 Our neighbors across the drive had profuse blooms in their Camellia hedge.

 The Mallards are visiting us, and we hear geese cheering their way south in the skies over us.

 The Wild Cherry tree has gorgeous white blooms.

 Although, they were battered by an impressive hail storm recently.

However, after one such storm I looked up and saw this rainbow through the window to the right of the fireplace, then saw the other end of the rainbow through the window to the left of the fireplace.  By the time I aimed my camera through the left window the rainbow had faded and did not show up well in the photo, but seeing the rainbow that way is an exciting memory for me!

 Aren't these sweet heart coasters and hand painted card lovely?  My dear blogging friend, Pat, blessed me with them. Thank you again, Pat.

 Completing this crocheted pocket for my iPhone is my main crafting achievement since my last post...unless you count frogging many rows of a baby blanket as an achievement...sigh...

 While driving around our neighborhood I loved seeing this row of trees.

 The local nursery arboretum was coming alive with fresh colors.

 The Saturday before Easter my five granddaughters went hunting for eggs in the yard.

Sarah was pleased to find this one.

 Then on the way to church on Sunday while my youngest son in law was driving, this flock of sheep and our church sign came into view. Sheep not only remind me of my love of trying to tame fiber into yarn and fabric, but they also bring to mind numerous scripture verses that challenge and comfort me...chief among them, Isaiah 53:6 NKJV All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; Psalm 23 NKJV The Lord is my Shepherd...He restores my soul...I will fear no evil for You are with me...

Joy, my retired nurse, blogging friend from northeast England, sent me a wonderful hand-made card and note and a book mark for Easter, which I really appreciate and I thought some of you might like to see as well. Thank you again for your kindness and encouragement to me, Joy.

What season is around you there?  May you know comfort and joy in it!

xx
Gracie