Life's Situations

I have been absent for too long, I know. Our family has had it's share of heartache this year. First, my husband got sick and didn't get well for about 10 months. He's still not 100% but is much better and has now returned to work. He was out of work for six months--hardly ever missed a day of work in over 40 years. Then, my mom passed away in May. Now, my husband's mom has also passed on--two weeks ago. Hopefully, 2010 will be a better year for us.

Anyway, the only peace I have had is what the Lord has given me and my tatting and crocheting. I also enjoy working with the residents at Elmcroft Assisted Living. That has helped alot. Oh, and I should also mention my little grandson, Blythe, who lives with us. And yes, I am thankful for all my friends and their faithful prayers. And I know that having the peace that God gives is so much more than these other things . . . . but it all helps.

Despite everything, I still have much to be thankful for--as we all do. As my daughter's photograph depicts, life is a road that we travel. We do not know what lies ahead--and I'm glad I don't know. That way, it makes me rely on my faith more day by day. Dear Lord, thank You for everything You have given me.

My Detour

Well, I've taken a little detour from tatting and am into crocheting now. I won't be gone long, though. I love tatting too much. But I am trying to be practical and make little cleaning cloths with my crocheting. I am making them for the holidays to give as gifts and (hopefully) also sell. I noticed there are many, many on Etsy and people are actually selling them. And they clean very well! I cleaned my bathroom with one and it made the sink sparkle more than it ever has. And, believe it or not, that sink stayed shiney for almost a week! I guess the nubby texture is a good scrubber. They are also good for scrubbing and exfoliating our faces, but I haven't tried that yet. The secret is to use 100% cotton so they absorb the water. Well, you all probably know all this already.

I also put some of my things on consignment in the store that I use to own. Now, isn't that weird! I visited my old store, Little Lace Lady, on Saturday and while I was there, the memories came flooding back. In ways, I really miss it. Theresa, the new owner, still sells lots of lines that I sold and she has added some new ones. I know pretty much what sells in that store, so hopefully, my consigned items will sell.

I have joined a group on Twitter that has allowed me to be friends with several other tatters, and it sounds like it will be fun sharing with all of them, as well as all of you. I'm going to try to be more consistent with the blogging and twittering--it's funny, these are words I never heard of just a couple of years ago. I guess they weren't even words then, right?

Our Elmcroft Craft Show

Well, National Assisted Living Week is over and it ended with my craft show being over, too. We did okay for not advertising it to the outside world. It definitely was worth setting it up for everyone to enjoy and talk about. All the crafters sold a few things and made some money, so I am happy. The lady pictured beside the table is Carol, one of our very talented residents who helped me with the craft show and sold some of her beautiful photograph cards. Carol also displayed her "Dianna" doll with all her clothes. People really enjoyed looking at that!

We also ended our week with a "Memory Walk" for Alzheimer's at Chattanooga State. They asked me to sing the National Anthem and "You Raise Me Up" and I sang before about 800 people. It went well and I was honored to do it because my mom passed away this year in May and she had this terrible disease for the last five years. I guess they all liked it because they asked me to sing again at the 2010 Memory Walk. Of course, I said I would.

Hope you enjoy my pictures!

My Busy Week!

We are right in the middle of National Assisted Living Week and tomorrow, we will be at the Memory Walk for the Alzheimer's Association. They have asked me to sing at the event, so I will be singing the National Anthem and "You Lift Me Up", plus some more selections while everyone is walking. They will release the balloons when I sing "You Lift Me Up".

I've got to take my camera today to Elmcroft to take pictures of our ongoing craft booth we have had all week. We have sold things everyday and are making a little money at the booth. The residents have enjoyed the different crafts and I even did a tatting demonstration yesterday and they were in awe (not because I was so great, but because of the beauty of the tatting). I love to hear the comments from people when I tat. Most of them have never seen it and I like to see their response when I start to produce the little lacy medallion as I tat.

It's funny - some of the people think my medallions are manufactured until I tell them that they are actually handmade. So much these days is machine produced, it is just assumed that all lace is made by a machine. Most people are not very observant - I have to actually tell them before they figure it out. I think we need to take more opportunities to demonstrate tatting. The fashion industry these days is using a lot of lace in their collections, and I think that our tatting could fit right in with everything, don't you? Today, someone even sent me an email with their little knitted hats and said that a medallion would look nice on the side of the hat. I agreed wholeheartedly and asked her if she would like to try it. I'm waiting for her response.

I'll take some pictures of the craft booth today and put them into my next post for you to see. Happy tatting, Linda

My Mini Tatted Hair Clips

Okay, so I went to Hobby Lobby and when I got home, I immediately started making little hair clips. I can't get my camera to take good shots, though. I guess you can tell sort of what they look like. I can't wait to try them on a little baby and see what they look like. I think the pink lacey ribbon one looks like it would go with one of those flouncy pageant dresses that little girls wear when they model. Anyway, I am having fun making them.

Love This Little Book Box!

Well, I bought this little book box and couldn't resist adding my tatting to it. Yet another purchase to "dress up." I'm on my way to Hobby Lobby to get some little barrettes to make for babies and little girls. I noticed many were on Etsy and they were so cute.

I have to tell you something funny! I'm still not totally educated on this blogging thing, and I was wondering why I hadn't heard from anyone--I thought I had offended some people with what I was saying--until I remembered that I was "monitoring" my comments now because of the unwanted "spam" I was getting. That went on for a few days until the light bulb went on in my head. I'm really slow sometimes. So, when I checked out my "monitored" comments, I found that I had 8 waiting for me to okay. So, now I know. . . . and I hope I remember!

Happy Tatting, Linda

DELETING COMMENTS

I finally changed my "Comments" section to where I can read everything before it appears on my blog. I was getting advertisements to sell flowers and other unrelated things (spam) instead of hearing from my friends. It's really sad that we have to monitor everything so much and can't just let our friends make their comments and observations. Why does everything have to get so complicated? Life is complicated enough just living it.

Oh, by the way, my grandson mentioned last night that when he grows up, he wants to be in the military and jump out of planes (horrors!), then become a cowboy, and then become a paleantologist (I can't spell that). He loves dinasaurs (can't spell that either) and knows every one by name. I'm sure all this will change, but it's fun to hear his thoughts about the future. He's so much fun!!