My Weekend In Review

     As a lot of you know, this was a really rough weekend emotionally for me. Thanks to a lot of support though, just like this little bird, I was in good hands! :-] I was supported in all the ways a girl can be supported. And you all were a very big part of it! So, a "BIG GIRL"" Woot! Woot! to all of you!! ^_^ And in case some of you don't know what happened, you can read the weekend's blog posts...or...here is a quick synopsis, in picture form:
      YAY! For the Australian Open ending a wonderful 2 weeks!

      But "Booooo!" Neither of these 2 guys made it to the finals!

      And Nadal had some sort of injury that's going to have me worrying about him for a while! *sigh*
      Had some family members rain on my good mood...

     ...Actually, it was more of a sting!

       It had my head spinning for a while.

        And it didn't bring out the best in me...In fact, I was pretty mad!!

       Killer Kitty made a showing! LOL

      I had to go into recovery mode...Had to listen to some music...

        .....Had to lean on hubby for support...

       .....and for foot and back rubs.....and a good...

       "Love you honey!!" :-)

       And just when I thought I had a game plan and was on the road to getting things resolved so I could move on...Another personal connection from my past tapped on my good mood.

       *Deep Breath*

        But you know what?! I'm going to ride this wave too and see where it goes. Hey! I can always cut the cord if I want, right?!....But I'm going to think good thoughts, and hope that there's going to be some good coming out of this too!

     If not....and the original situation doesn't get resolved either...I've always got crochet!!!

      I'm making a pair of slippers for my girlfriend...brown. It's not something I have to do. Just something I want to do. I'm all about doing just that today!....The beginning of this week...

       What are you going to bring Monday?!....I don't mind telling you that, at this point, I'M SCARED!!!! LOL.....My emotions have run the gambit this weekend. I need a mental vacation, don't you think?! ^_^

Emotions

Frustration, excitement,
Great anger, Pure joy!
Deep sadness, elation,
intent to annoy.

Loving, disgusted,
triumphant, afraid.
Affection considered,
uneasiness weighed.

Cheerful, proud,
optimistic, despair.
Euphoric, in anguish,
gloom hanging there.

Emotions experienced,
the good and the bad.
Without feeling, sincerely,
what life have you had?!

You need hope and peace,
kindness and love.
An unemotional life is
Not much to speak of.

For the above photos I'd like to give credit and thanks to: Under the weather print by arian; Holyoke Merry-G-Round by Peter Palombella; Killer Kitty and the Rainbow photo by Silja Erg; The Concert by buildyourownart; Got Patience? Onesie by funkymonkeythreads; Monday, Monday Owl by danacarol

How Would You Feel If......!

                         (Home-Original Oil Painting by Claire Elan 30x48 by blacksketchbook) 
       I know it looks like a really sad image, but that's exactly how I was feeling last night. Sometimes you can just brush it off and get over it. But something happened in my family yesterday that has me wondering: "Am I in this family, or what?!"
    Forgive me for not being my usual silly self, but it's hard sometimes to not let my emotions show...especially because I'm the kind of girl that wears my emotions on my sleeve...As some of you know, I have lots of siblings and a large family. I keep in contact with them on a regular basis, even though we all don't see each other regularly. Well, yesterday they made me feel like this...

                             (Hilda Sees Things Differently From Her Family...Print by badbird)

      In order for you to fully understand it, you'd have to understand how close I am to my dad. He's my knight in shining armor! He's rescued me in some really bad times in my life. And because I love him so much, I make sure I keep in close communication with him regularly.
     Recently I mentioned on this blog that he was considering whether or not he was going to have some surgery. It was a decision he had to make because he's been in pain every morning and not having the movement he used to have...Well, he consulted with the doctor and decided he's going to have it. That's what he told me when he called yesterday...a call I was waiting for, because I knew he was suppose to have his appointment.
     But what I wasn't prepared for was him telling me that he was sorry that he didn't let me know before now, but he just got home from the hospital!! I said: "Oh! You decided to go in and have the surgery?!" I was really puzzled that he said this, because he was leaning toward NOT having the surgery the last time we talked, and his appointment with the surgeon wasn't suppose to be until day before yesterday! :-/
    Then he said: "No! Not for that surgery! Something happened with my hand!...It blew up to 5 times it's size for some reason. I don't know what I did. I went to the hospital and they put me in. I was in there for 3 days!!! The fingernail had to be taken off, and I was put on some strong antibiotics. I'm still on them for at least 7 more days!"
    What?!!...After making sure he was okay, I started asking other questions. That's when my feelings really got hurt. He said that they thought he was going to die! That the whole family have been coming around and watching him like he was a dead man. That even the cousins {who are not generally that close to him) all came over to make sure he was okay!! And since he's been home the house has been full of people!!
     Really?!!....Really?!!!....The cousins were called?! They thought he was going to die?!!....And NOBODY CALLED ME!!!! He was in the hospital for 3 days, on a 'touch and go' kind of watch, and NOBODY CALLED ME!!!...Am I still IN this family or what?!! Going forward it's going to be kinda hard to do this!...

                  (Love, like you've never been hurt 2 pendant... by CharmsMaker)
   

        The part that REALLY hurts is that my sisters especially know how close I am to my dad, and yet, in a situation as dire as this....not one of them called me!! What's that about?!!...I'm really angry about it! I'm trying to prayerfully process it...as I always do. But no matter how I get pass this, somehow I know there's going to be some lingering feelings, and not good ones, toward my siblings over this one!
      I'm remembering Bible verses...I'll spare you having to hear the long list of the ones I'm playing over and over in my head....comforting;...and I'm having chats with my hubby. He always has a way of making me feel better, no matter what's happened. :-)
    As a matter of fact, after consoling me over this 'obvious slighting' from my family, he decided this was the perfect time to give me the details of his Colonoscopy procedure! LOL How he was in a room initially that had other men and women getting ready for the same procedure. All of the with their curtains drawn in between, but you could hear everything.
    He was curious as to why the men were told to remove EVERYTHING, but the women were allowed to keep their underwear on! I assured him that I didn't know!! LOL He told me that because he was so tall they had to give him a longer johnny {Curious! :-/}; That he didn't have to count backwards or anything when they put the medication in his I.V., but he did wake up with the doctor talking to him, and he was staring at what the doctor said was the inside of his pink colon!!! He said it looked like chitlings on T.V.!! ^_^ {If you don't know what chitlings are you're not gonna know how funny that really is!!!}
      We were laughing hysterically by the time we went to bed! {And you really haven't laughed until you've done it with a C-Pap machine on!!! LOL}..Once again, hubby came to the rescue! :-) 

                     (Cute Couple Wedding Cake Topper... by annacrafts)
... I'm thankful I have him as my family...even though I want to strangle the whole rest of my brood!!! ^_^ 
      Hopefully I'll get okay enough to call and talk to my siblings today. Maybe there's something about this that I'm not seeing correctly....Hurt feelings will get in the way of that happening sometimes....And, Oh yeah, did I mention....My feelings are REALLY hurt over this!!!...Yeah, I probably mentioned that! ^_^
     Has anything like this ever happened in your family?! Was there a reasonable answer for it?! Are you still mad about it today?! I'd love some feedback on it, even though I know it's gonna be one I have to work out myself...over time.

This poem is not new....surprisingly! {Forgive the seeming hardness of it's tone, but at that time it was how I felt} I wrote it back before my family and I got closer. Now some of these emotions are rearing their ugly head again!

Inside The Family-Out

Although I love all of them
and put myself 'All-Out' in love,
they continue to behave
as though my love's  disposable.

I came into this world alone
and I never knew my dad.
My mom was, most times, self-absorbed.
For sure, my future looked real bad.

I was my mother's  older child;
Illegitimate-but cute-
The product of impatience-
Her dark-eyed forbidden fruit.

Inside the family-but out-
Never quite belonging there.
Never looking like my sisters
(I had more weight, and straighter hair).

Later, resentment reared its head-
My sisters all would pout and moan;
'Why would their dad take me with them,
treating me just like his own?'

It didn't  show itself so much
back when we were growing up;
But, now, underlying tension
is about to tip the cup.

I got married-moved away-
But was concerned about them all.
I would write and visit them-
But I was not worth a phone call?!

There was always an excuse
that I should 'Really' understand;
And when they wanted something
I was suppose to say: "I Can!"

When there was a pregnancy
I crocheted them things to wear-
(Not because they needed them-
but to let them know "I Care".)

I'd  invite them to my house,
but they rarely ever came;
and they'd lie and say they would-
like it was some funny game!

I was suppose to get involved
in the workings of their life,
But they wouldn't  try to know me-
and it cut me like a knife.

I still try to understand it,
but I take a different route-
Now I try to keep some distance,
make them guess what I'm  about-
Still inside the family-out. 

Sometimes It's Good To Be A Little Different!

           This Signed Original Dancing Metal Wall Sculpture by frivoloustendencies just proves the point of the title of my post today, that sometimes it's good to be different!...I had never seen anything like this wall hanging before, and lo and behold, there's a whole Etsy shop full of these 'different' and WONDERFUL wall sculptures!
     Raymond and Geraldine are just boogieing the day away! Makes me wanna go looking for some music! :-)...But this isn't the only sculpture I'm in love with in this shop! I love this one too!

      It's entitled Girls Just Want To Have Fun! They look like it too, don't they?!...Do yourself a favor and go and check out the rest of the 'different' sculptures they have.
      I don't know why 'different' things catch my eye. It could be the color, especially of things like these wall sculptures. But it's not always the color. Case in point...

     ...these Knitted Duck Foot Leg Warmer Slippers by SaintReagansHollow...Now, don't get me wrong, that canary yellow IS pretty cute! But she has a green pair of these cuties in her shop too. If I had seen them first they would have been the ones that caught my eye!
      Then I saw these little 'different' Say It On The Rock Paper Weights by sjengraving.

     Aren't they adorable?! I know they're paper weights, but I could see using these for a wedding gift. You could put them on the table for each guest at the reception even! So many possibilities...'different' from the norm. :-)
     Speaking of weddings, how about having these cuties on the top of your wedding cake?!

     These Large Nuzzling Love Birds Cake Topper by CountrySquirrelsRUS come with a nest and hand sculpted egg. They give new meaning to the expression 'Blue Bird of happiness', don't they?! ^_^ But actually, you can get them custom made in whatever color you want!
     How about some butterflies?! Nothing 'different' about butterflies, you say?!...How about butterflies on a necklace like this?! 

      What's 'different' about it is that it's a 3D Brown and Cream Butterflies Necklace. terminy made the butterflies look like they're gonna fly off of your neck, with the wings open-like. So pretty!
      And the last 'different' thing that caught my eye was these Soap Daisies by SatinandBirch. 

      Okay, so if I'm being honest, these would have caught my eye and I would have loved them anyway...just because they're flowers! :-) But when I found out that they were soap...SOAP!...I really loved them!!
     Because I needed something to keep my attention yesterday when hubby was having his Colonoscopy procedure, it was really nice to have something 'different' to focus on. I didn't want hubby to know how nervous I was...not about the procedure itself, but about what they would find UP THERE! ^_^
     Thankfully the only thing they found was that he was as "Clean as a Whistle!" And he's also thankful that he won't have to do that again for another 10 years! :-) It could have gone 'differently'...There was another gentleman in the recovery room with my hubby that found out that he had 2 polyps. I think they removed them successfully. So, both him and my hubby were glad they had the test done!
     And now I'll go and get me a nap because I just got through watching the Women's Final tennis match at the Australian Open. It's a little after 6 a.m. I've been up since 3 a.m.!! Spoiler Alert!!!.......Congratulations Kim Clijsters!!!....And actually, Congratulations to Li Na too! It was one of the best finals I've seen in a while. Something 'different' from past recent years!! LOL
      All that's left is a poem!...Have a good day everybody!! :-)

That Something Different

I like things that are different.
Things that somehow catch my eye.
Things not quite 'Just The Same'.
Things that make me want to buy.

I can't put my finger on it
as to why they move me so.
They're not whimsical or gory;
And not lavish. This I know.

Sometimes it's just their color.
Other times it's how they're worn;
Or Sometimes it's just how beautifully
they're painted, sewn, or torn.

With 'Different' as the gauge,
it could be almost anything.
I guess that's why I keep on looking.
Hoping for that 'Different' zing.

When I find that 'Something Different',
I'll pay cash or click or dial;
Or I may just show it off;
(Like I just did) and sit and smile. 

Want To Know The Basics Of "How To" Crochet?!

       Okay, I'm gonna try to make this as simple as I can. At the end, if there's something you still have some questions about, just leave me a question in the comments and I'll address it in another post...Oh Yeah! There's going to have to be another post!! {I realized that when I was taking the pictures.}
      In my opinion, learning to crochet starts with having something you REALLY want to make! Something not too simple, but also not too ambitious for a first project...The top in the header photo looks waaaay difficult, but it's mostly made up of basic stitches {except for the edging}. This would have been my pick for a first project. You have to pick your own.
       Next comes the real basic...how to hold your hand! {Please ignore my fingernails. UGH! The close-ups!! LOL}

        Yes! It's just a hand people! :-] But notice the bottom three fingers...

      When you crochet the bottom 3 fingers will be in motion more often. Whereas the index, pointer, finger will just be the place to drape your yarn over...Let me show you what I mean. Notice the progression in the next few photos, starting with just a simple piece of yarn.

      Okay, now that the yarn is tied and on your hook, notice the way your yarn should be laced through your fingers. {For sewing machine users, it's sort of like the way you have to thread your machine before you get started on a project}

     Start by draping the yarn over your pinkie finger, from the back of your hand forward.

       As you can see in this last photo, your index finger will always have your yarn draped over it while you're crocheting. The bottom 3 fingers open and close...

      ...while you're crocheting, to lessen and tighten your yarn tension. {This is something, with time, you'll be more comfortable with. You'll find your own comfort level}
     This is what the hand positioning looks like while you're crocheting.

      As you also notice in this last photo, the bottom fingers hold your work while you're crocheting. {It sounds more involved than it is.} Just look at these next photos.

      Now, that's the basics of how to hold your yarn...Below is some info about what abbreviations mean, when you read patterns. 

       On a future post, I can show you what each of these looks like when you're doing them, if you like. But if you know how to read the abbreviations, it's pretty self explanatory.

     All you need is a stitch guide. It gives you the play by play for all of the basic stitches, which usually consist of how many times you wrap the yarn around your hook before you insert it into the next stitch. {Because doing a stitch is wrap, pull through 2 stitches, wrap, pull through 2 stitches......most of the time; unless otherwise stated in your particular pattern}

       This is how I learned! Just follow the red arrow with your hook! {As a memory aid.....this helped me....think of yourself as being like a pirate who has lost an arm, and you only have a hook to navigate everything with. When you're crocheting, your hook is your arm....Be One With Your Arm!!! LOL}

          And here are a few other little tidbits to know...

      Following this way of changing colors makes your work look clean. It'll look like you miraculously had a piece of yarn that changed colors all by itself at just the right spot!! :-)

      {And F.Y.I., treble is the same thing as "Triple"}...For people who use metric measurements...

        Okay, basics complete!!! I await any questions you might have...In the meantime, I'll leave you with a poem I wrote a few years ago about some projects I've done. And you can look below at some others I did when I was a new crocheter. I hope it inspires you to keep at it!....DON'T look at the photography! I was really bad at taking pictures back then...REALLY bad!! ^_^

       Have a good day crocheting!!


Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;
putting love in every stitch;
I let no one rush the process;
I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm
that nothing else quite seems to do;
I get such joy from choosing patterns,
and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;
that gives me much more time to think,
'cause I slow down, so I can read it
keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion
of my needle's in and out
makes me remember who its for,
and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,
with kittens crocheted all around;
and another one, for Tammy,
with her name written up and down.

I made a special one last year.
(made lovingly-to give away)
It marked the 20 years of love
that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;
We had good food, and dancing too;
and on the blanket, it was written:
'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;
but special is always what I say
'cause I put the time into them
so that they won't easily fray.

They are blankets made with love
that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';
To watch the faces of receivers
is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket
for your anniversary,
or your wedding, or engagement,
here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,
and making it was fun to do;'
and that 'with every single stitch
my every thought had been of you!'