greetingarts

a girl can dream

My carpet is pathetic.  I complain about it, vacuum it, steam clean it, spray it with spot remover, clean it some more.  But it's really sad.  I'll spare you a photo.  I've got two kids and an over-sixteen-year-old cat.  Enough said.

 
But one of these days I'm going to have beautiful floors.  Hardwood.  With modern rugs placed artistically here and there to add warmth.  Remember I said I used to hook rugs?  Well, when I saw the Hooked Cat's Paw it made me want to start it up again!  I even remember seeing that exact same traditional pattern in rug hooking catalogs.  Ironically, it's the fact that the cat likes to get her paws (and claws) all over my painstakingly hooked rugs that makes having them in my house an impossibility right now.

Photo taken January, 2009

Sigh.  For now I'll just enjoy and appreciate Smokey.  One day, I'll have a nice,  unscathed couch, hardwood floors and beautiful rugs.  I guess it can all wait.

baby pickles

Even though I'm now at home with *two* sick, feverish daughters, there has still been some crafting going on, and a completed project or two.

 
I made this baby blanket with a free pattern from Pickles.no.  They have great patterns in their sidebar, and this one was really fun and easy.  The repeat is very easy to remember, it's straight knitting with yarnovers and dropped stitches, there's no purling involved, it looks complicated though it isn't at all, and there's really no edging or finishing required.  Best of all, it looks lacy and girly in pink and white, which is just what the baby's mom wants.  Surrounded by boys, she says this new baby is going to be in bows and frills until she has a voice and says otherwise. 

Welcome to the world, baby Sophia!  I hope you love your blankie as much as I loved making it for you.

awesome winner

And the winner is...

Comment number 5!  Jamielynn, please email me (link in the upper right underneath the Search box) with your mailing address and you'll be receiving An Awesome Book of Thanks from Dallas Clayton.

Thanks for playing, sorry if you didn't win this time.  I'm going to be doing more giveaways in the very near future, so there will be more chances for fun stuff.  But right now I have to get over this nasty cold that three out of four members of the family are suffering from...

Hope Rebecca manages to stay germ free, though I don't know how she will with all the coughs and misery flying around this place!

awesome book of thanks

Right before the holidays hit, Dallas Clayton sent me an advance copy of his latest book, An Awesome Book of Thanks, to review and comment on.

 
The kids and I already have and enjoy Dallas' other Awesome book, so it was no big surprise to discover the treasure awaiting us in this new one.

 
The illustrations are done in Dallas' signature style, brilliantly colorful, fun, and creative. 

 
I especially love the way he uses both pages in one spread, not worrying about the page split.  It makes his message bigger, stronger, louder (in a good way).  But the illustrations are just half of the book, the poetry is very meaningful and great for night time read-alouds.  It reminds us to be thankful for everything around us, the living and non-living, the good and the bad.

 
What better way is there to end your day than thinking about all that you're thankful for?

I'm thankful that Dallas gave me the chance to read and share his book with all of you, and guess what?  He also offered to do a giveaway for one of my readers.  One of you will get your own copy of An Awesome Book of Thanks.  A comment will be chosen from those left on this post, and if you click "Follow" (there in the top left sidebar), you can leave an extra one for a second entry.  I'll pick the lucky person next Friday, January 14th. 

Good luck, but even if you don't win, please be sure to get your hands on this book and read it at least once.  It really is a gem.