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~~7 Quick Takes #6~~

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1.

This week has been full of ups and downs. I started out the week on a good note. I got my toes stepped on in church, but that’s a good thing. It doesn’t hurt to be reminded of what an awesome privilege it is to be saved by the grace of God. Then, Sunday night at our small group meeting, I got them stepped on again. OK, folks, they’re starting to get a little sore here. But, it was a lesson in love and priorities, and I needed that. Sometimes we tend to let our priorities take over our lives. When we keep our priorities in order (JOY – Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last), things go much better and we find it much easier to show the love of Christ to others.

2.

Then Monday evening rolls around and I feel like I have something in my eye. So, I take my contacts out, flush the eye, and go to bed. The discomfort keeps me up most of the night, so I call the eye doctor first thing in the morning. They get me right in. Come to find out, I have a bad eye infection in both eyes that is contagious! Not it wasn’t pink eye. So, I was given a prescription for an antibiotic/steroid eye drop to use every 2 hours until the discomfort goes away and then 4 times a day. I go back on Monday to see if it’s all cleared up yet. We spent money that we really hadn’t planned on spending, but God knew it was coming and had prepared a way for it all. At least it’s being treated and I feel much better than I did!

3.

We have gotten quite a bit of rain this week, and for that I am truly grateful. We really have needed it, so I’m not going to complain. It does put a damper (pun intended) on drying my clothes, but it’s working out okay. I’ve gotten to turn the AC back off and turn the whole house fan back on which is nice. I love these cooler days.

4.

Even though I started off the work week by being behind on my work because of the eye infection, I have managed to get it all caught back up and am please to say that I will have my 3rd weekend off in a row! I haven’t had this in years! I’m really enjoying it and praying that it continues this way for quite a while. And since this is end of pay period for me, it’s especially nice that I’m not going to be playing “beat the clock” to get all the work done in time.

5.

I’ve managed to be under budget again this month with groceries! I’m so happy that I’ve been able to accomplish this 2 months in a row. Since school is starting back up in less than 2 weeks, next month’s bill might be slightly higher, but I’m going to do my best to keep it at or below $300 again. Since they take their lunches all the time, I just need to get restocked on a few items that I usually keep on hand for them which is where the extra expense might cause a slight increase. We’ll see how it goes.

6.

We have also ate all meals from home this week except for 2 – one was due to unexpected company and my not feeling very well, and the other was due to being stuck in down with 3 kids at lunch time and having to wait an hour to pick up my prescription. Since it takes 15 minutes to get home and then another 15 minutes to drive back to pick it up and another 15 minutes to drive BACK home – yeah, lunch was easier.

7.

The hardest part this week is facing up to the fact that my oldest daughter, Melia, really is going to be a freshman in high school this school year. Wow. Where has the time gone? It does not seem possible that she will be 14 in a few weeks AND a freshman. Before I know it, she’s going to be moving out and starting a life of her own. I’m very proud of the young lady that she is becoming, but can’t she just slow down a bit? Hmmmmm. I don’t think I like where this is going. I’m not ready for this. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I guess I’d better get off this computer now and see if I can’t find those bricks that I misplaced almost 14 years ago. 😉

Don’t forget to check out Conversion Diary for more quick takes!

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One Of My Favorite Hobbies: Crochet ~ Part 2

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Now that I’ve told you a little bit about one of my favorite hobbies and how I keep up with my crochet hooks, I thought I’d share some of the reasons why I love it through some pics of some of my creations:

These are little cupcake purses that I made using a test pattern for a lady. My girls loved them!

I made each of my children one of these scarves for Christmas last year:

This is a large granny square afghan.

This is a round ripple that I said reminded me of a chocolate-covered strawberry (one of my favorite foods)!

I made this one for one of my sisters-in-law for her birthday, and another for a friend of mine. It’s so soft!

This one is still a WIP (work in progress) and will eventually go in my bedroom.

This one is particularly special to me. I made it for my mother-in-law for her birthday. It took me quite a while to make (even though the pattern was not that hard) because I had ankle surgery and then we moved. I completed the afghan in about 1-1/2 years. LOL. My mother-in-law knew that I was working on it (she had seen me), but I had not told her it was intended for her. She would ask me what I was planning to do with it, and I always told her I would probably put it on a bed.

I managed to get it done in time for her birthday (this was a couple of years ago now) and surprised her with it. She tried to give it back to me because she said it was too pretty for me to give away! LOL. I had a hard time convincing her that it was meant for her from the beginning. To this day, she won’t use it on a daily basis, but she does have it displayed on a guest bed in her home. I hope that it is something that she will treasure for a long time to come.

I’ve also made baby blankets and other items over the years. It is something that I love, and every time I pick up my yarn and hook, I think of my great-grandmother who taught me how to crochet in the first place. And, I’m passing on my love to my children.

My oldest daughter is really good and makes hats quite a bit. My youngest daughter has recently picked up yarn and hook again and is giving it another go. I’m hoping she’ll grow to love the hobby, too. My son has also shown a little interest in it but does not have the patience yet to sit down and really give it a try. Maybe in another year or so he will.

Don’t forget to check out The Diaper Diaries for more great Things I Love Thursday!

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One Of My Favorite Hobbies: Crochet ~ Part 1

wfmwbannerKRISTEN

I love to crochet! To me, it’s relaxing, and I love that I can create something whether it be a clothes pin bag, a scarf, an afghan, a table runner, etc. To me, there is nothing greater than being able to do it myself. But, one of the things that can really be troublesome is keeping up with all my crochet hooks.

But, I found this case at Wal-Mart a few years ago that changed the way I kept up with my hooks, from being in zip top baggie to this:

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I have my hooks organized from smallest to largest.

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I can’t fit them all in here, but I have the majority of them. Duplicates are still kept in a baggie but with some of my yarn supply (i.e. works in progress). This is actually my second case. My first case went to my oldest daughter who also loves to crochet, and I gave her some of my duplicate hooks that I had.

Now, no more duplicate hook buying because I know what I have and it should (in there -LOL) be right there in my case waiting to be used.

Don’t for get to check out We Are THAT Family for more great Works For Me Wednesday!

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