Should I try this again?

I’m sure no one has looked at my blog in a very very long time. Not even me!! But it was fun to keep a bit of a diary by doing this and I’m going to give it a go again. Even if I’m the only one looking at it. I don’t even remember how to do anything on here so it’ll be a bit of a learning curve. 

Collin, who is in 3rd grade now, received his Bible last night at Lenten services and I thought I’d like to give him something for his Bible. I found this in my Bible and I’m pretty certain that my mom made it. So this is what I gave Collin. It just happens to be his favorite color as well. He is very much into sunflowers at the time. 

I started crocheting another bookmark like this last night. There are 9 grandkids and now that I have given to one I need to give to all. We’ll see how this pattern goes…I might be switching to something else if I struggle too much figuring out how to stitch the squares together.

At the farm...with a surprise at the end!

When it is this cold...

 

(Yes.  It really was -24 earlier this week.)

 

 

 

Even your hair gets frosty when you are outside.

 

 

 

I think Daisy might have been saying "I'm done!  Can we please go in now!!"

 

 

 

 

Shelby, on the other hand, doesn't know anything about the cold.  He's got 3 heat lamps to keep him at juuuussst the right temperature.

 

 

 

Kitty, too, says "Cold?  What cold weather?"

 

 

 

The laying hens and the rooster are quite comfortable too with their heat lamp and heated waterer.  You just give them food and fresh water and ta da, you get wonderful brown eggs.

 

 

 

And here are the pigs sleeping like the pork sausages they really are.  But when they see you coming, you have their full attention.  Food, water and a bit of dried corn on the cob will have them running.

 

Let me introduce you...

 

 

 

This is Scarlett.

 

 

 

And this is Charlotte.

 

 

 

And why was I out at the farm doing chores for 3rd DS and DDIL, you might ask?  Well, it's because they were away for a few days adding a human baby to the mix of all the other critters at the farm.

 

 

DH and I are now Granpa and Gramma to a sweet little boy named Collin Jarvis.  He was 6 lb. 8 oz and 20" long when he was born.  He has dark brown hair and very dark blue eyes.  He's adorable I tell you and he has absolutely stolen our hearts!

Doll House

A few years ago, DH and I bought a beautiful doll house at an auction.  Since this is a small town, we knew the girl that it belonged to and her dad who built it from a kit and her mom who probably made the cross stitch quilt and some of the rugs for it.  And we knew her sister who told us the story about the house.

The girl who owned it is now a missionary in Africa and since her parents where moving away to a bigger town but a smaller apartment, they couldn't keep the doll house for her any longer.  And so it was put up for auction with all the other things they couldn't keep any longer.

It was obvious right from the beginning that she loved this doll house.  The furnishings were well thought out.  And the walls had been papered.  But when we got everything home, we found folders full of letters that she had received from companies where she had inquired about purchasing things for her doll house.  She was very much involved with her doll house and had kept everything that had anything to do with it. 

I felt a little guilty having it instead of her.  But so goes life and the decisions that are made.

For Christmas, DH asked what I wanted, and I replied that I wanted a cart on wheels to put the doll house on because it was sitting on the floor and couldn't be moved.  And so couldn't be used.  Or cleaned under/around.  And being the sweetheart that he is, he made me a cart on wheels that fit the doll house perfectly.

And then the fun began.  There weren't many things needed but what fun doing the ones that I thought needed to be added.

First off I did a little knitting and counted cross stitch.

 

An afghan made from fingering weight yarn and knit on size 1 needles.

 

 

 

A quilt for one of the kids' beds.

 



 

And another quilt for the other kid's bed.

 

 



 

A crocheted rug for the master bedroom made from leftover Peace Fleece yarn.

 

 

 

A scarf knit on toothpicks and with lace weight yarn.

 

 

A counted cross stitch wall hanging from a free pattern at Herrschners.

 

And this little armoire was just calling for some clothes hangers and so I made a few from paper clips.

 

 

And now for what the doll house looks like with everything in it....

 

 

It has a wrap around porch and in this picture you can see the cart that DH made.

 

And here you can get an idea of how big it is.  It is as tall as the built in cabinets in the den.

 

This is the full back.

 

A closer shot of the attic.

 

This is the second floor.

 

The kids' bedroom.

 

The bath.

It needs a picture in here.  I just haven't decided what yet.

 

The master bedroom.

 

Main floor.

 

Kitchen

 

Living room

 

And a closer shot so you can see the knitting in the rocking chair and the afghan on the couch.

 

 

It has been so much fun putting all this together and adding my personal touches.  But it was also impressive that a young girl had been so in love with her doll house that she had planned and thought out just how she wanted to decorate it. 

 

I'm honored to be the new owner.

River valley

I was down in the river valley today.  Someplace I don't go very often.  I get turned around almost every time I go.  It's all curvy roads with wacky angles.  Give me a good straight road with other roads going off at 90 degree angles and I'll be a happy driver!

But 3rd DS farms some land down there and so I have to go once in awhile when I'm needed to help.

It's pretty down there.  Even with everything being brown now.

And the sky today was especially huge looking.

The river winds it's way around generally traveling SE and eventually ends up in the Red River down by West Fargo.  The Red River is one of the few rivers that flow north.  So this water going by today will end up in Canada.

This cow seemed curious about what I was doing.  Her calf was having an afternoon snack.

And once you pop out of the valley you are right back on the flat, flat ND farmland.

With that huge beautiful blue sky.  And the view that goes on forever.

Mostly he's sleeping but sometimes he's awake.

This "sunlight" isn't quite as warm as the stuff that comes in the window. 

Maybe if I lay on it she won't be able to do any knitting and I'll get some attention instead!

I think I like this chair.

I think I'll call it mine.

I'll just squeeeeze in here for a nap.

Ok.  I'll use it if you insist.  I've only made you wait several years after you knit it.

Watching birds out the window plays me out.

This pillow is rather hard.

What?? I fit in here.  I do!

Good vibrations.  And warm besides.

There isn't quite enough room for my head...or my feet for that matter.

Peek!

This summer's flowers

Please ignore any and all weeds!!