CRONE:
Creative Researcher Of New Experiences

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Talking About Daisies



Hello everyone,

The snow is almost gone here in my little corner of Illinois - but our Temperature has been playing games - up and down like a sea-saw it goes. From below zero to in the 40's and quite frankly I've had enough of this. Mother Nature - you hear that - enough I say. I don't mind the cold or the winter heat wave as long as it stays there awhile when it comes but this up down stuff is hard on my fibromyalgia.

Consequently I was feeling a bit crabby and had nothing to really blog about - since my mom always taught us "If you don't have something nice to say don't say nothing at all." But then I remembered a few kind visitors had comment on the daisy afghan that Genghis was sprawled out on a few post back.

So I quickly gathered a few of my other throws and decided I could talk about these sweet things all day.

The one with the yellow centers is the second one I made for my mom way back in the 70's. The first one was from a kit which had wool yarn and while she loved the look of it she didn't like the scratchiness of it or want the trouble and expense to keep it up. So I made her a new washable one. She liked that one better. Now that she has passed on - it has come back to me.

Each daisy - all 325 or so of them are made individually on a loom and then are all crochet together using a chain stitch. I found the entire process to be rather relaxing.

I have made these for various family member in every color imaginable and each one is a work of heart.

The gray one in the picture is in our north woods room in the basement and the one with the pink centers calls my craft room home.


"Crocheting acts as a mental and physical therapy and there are many beautiful things that are created in the process." ...Today's Crochet World

Maybe I'll pick up my crochet hook and do a little therapy.

Thanks for coming by.

Hugs,
Penny

Monday, January 23, 2012

Bird TV



Hello evfurryone,

This Mancat Monday I am making sure I get my post in - even if I have to put the bitey on Pellie to do so.

ON Sunday when Pellie and Sir Knight were eating breakfast Pellie kept looking outside. Curious as to what had her full attention - Sir Knight had to turn around and look out the window also. Both of those silly humans thought it was a squirrel they were watching.

Me I knew better and if I wasn't so busy watching him myself - I would have laughed and made fun of them. I had a great view of Live Bird TV.




So imagine their surprise when this fellow finally finished his snack and took off.
Man that was an impressive sight,

This is the first Hawk I have ever seen in my own backyard.

Well Pellie is giving me the look - so I best get busy with my snoopervising job,

Hope everyone has a great week.

Purrs,
Genghis


(At least at first they did - when they realized it was a hawk they snapped this picture.)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Third times a charm?



Hello everyone,
Blogger and I have not been getting along very well - It refuses to play nice. It messes up the order of my pictures, jumps around like a centipede with athletes feet when I try to add a hyper link and has made an absolute pain of itself. I will therefore try to do this post for the third time and hope it comes out.

Time has flown buy since my last post and not because I was having lots of fun either.
Sir Knight and I have been engaged in a project of epic proportion - we decided that here in 2012 we would finish up a lot of our unfinished projects.

The first of which is a full scale assault,clean up and organization of the basement.
Phase one is nearly finished as we redid the area under the stairs to be a usable storage area and not a junk collection area. I'll take a few pictures when we are done - but not one minute before as I am too embarrassed of all the mess.

We are seeing a little light at the end of this tunnel - so we sure do hope the end is in sight and it's not a runaway train ready to hit us head on and roll over us.

As a nice change of pace from basement dirt & grime - I signed up to join the January swap over at the Blissful ATC Swap Blog. This months theme was Jane Austen and she is one of my favorite authors so how could I not join.

My partner this month was the talented Victoria over at "Things I Learn from Bear".
So I wanted to start by showing you all the cute little envelope that contained my ATC. Isn't it cute.





This is the card she sent. Oh my it is so darn gorgeous - I love it.

Thank you so much Victoria. I really love it and appreciate all the time and effort you put into it.



Here is the card I sent to Victoria. I wanted it to have an old fashion feel to it, so I constructed it as a pop-up card. This is the card when it is closed up.



This is how the card looks when it is popped up and sitting on a table.

The construction included digitally putting a picture of Pemberly on a background of roses, and adjusting it to fit the standard ATC card dimensions. Then I found a great picture of my favorite Movie Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) and Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle)on there wedding day and worked out the necessities so it would pop-up in front of my background. I also added a couple of extra rose bouquets on either side of my happy couple. To give it a bit of sparkle I added some pink ribbon in the same shade as the roses which was trimmed in gold to both sides of the card.

I titled it Love in Bloom, Mr Darcy Takes a wife.

It was a challenge figuring the sizes and shape of the folded paper necessary to make the pop up work - but I felt it was certainly worth it. Hope Victoria liked it.



This is the envelope I made to hold my card. I copied a piece of a page from her Persuasion manuscript and added a silhouette which is suppose to be of Jane herself.



Well that's about all I can think of to write for now - so I guess I'll bid you all a fond adieu.

Hugs,
Penny

I guess the third time was a charm - I got it all posted and in order YEAH!!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

My First Real Post of the New Year.




Hello everyone,

So good of you to drop by for a visit.

As my first mosaic stated - I'm not setting any New Years Resolutions again this year and will continue to work my way through my self care cards I received last year. Setting one particular goal on a month to month basis seems to work so much better for me. One month is long enough to really feel one has worked on the goal and hopefully commit it to memory.

The card I picked for this month as you see above - is Gratitude.
I was raised to say Please and Thank you - and while I really don't feel too deficient in this particular virtue; It certainly is one - we can never get to many reminders about.

With that being said - I wanted to tell you all about the wonderful surprise I received on Christmas eve. The mailman pulled up in front of my house and was carrying a package. Since I had received all the packages from my distant family - I was wondering what it could be.




This package arrived all the way from Germany - sent to me by my friend Johanna; who has a wonderful blog called "Silber & Rosen" (Silver & Roses) and if you haven't checked it out you really should.

This wonderful Sea Serpent plaque set my heart all a flutter - I just love him to pieces and insisted that Sir Knight get him hung up in a place of honor ASAP. So there you see him on the antique map of Odious, world we have on the wall in our Library. He looks pretty happy to be swimming around in those mythological seas don't you think? I thought he did.

My Dragon book mark is currently holding my space in "Women Who Run With the Wolves; Myths & Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype" by Clarissa Pinkola Este's, Ph.D..
The book and bookmark feed my wild woman side.

Thank you so much Johanna; your generosity knows no bounds and I am thrilled and thankful for your gifts; and I am especially grateful for you friendship.




Usually Sir Knight and I don't buy each other gifts - since if we feel we can afford it - we buy whatever we need when we need it - but this year he went ahead and bought me some great new punches. I am thrilled and delighted with them and can not wait to see what kind of flowers I can make out of paper with the McGill set.

Thank you dear Sir Knight - I will be using them soon. Never fear.




As you heard from Genghis on Monday - Sir Knight and I went to the Grand Opening of our New and improved larger Goodwill. It was pretty crowded - but I was still able to find a few Thrifty Treasures and wanted to take a little time and share them with you.

Whenever I enter any Goodwill I always head to the housewares aisle first. Mainly I look for any and all pieces of my Pfaltzgraff Tea Rose pattern - but I look at anything pretty. So anyhow - I found these two cute little trinket boxes in a delightful chintz pattern. The price was right at $0.88; so they came home with me.



Next I headed over to the wall of books and immediately found these great buys. The Renaissance Rat in me seems to smell a Renaissance book a mile away. Since I didn't have this particular one on Henry the 8th I was thrilled to find a $25.00 book for only $0.88. The one on William the Conqueror is not Renaissance - but how could I pass it up - as it was written by the same author and probably part of a series. and besides another $25.00 book for only $0.88 is a steal.




As I moved down the bookcase to the children's book I spied this great little Disney pop-up book about the Fairies of Pixie Hollow and I had to get as well. Fairies are always welcome in my studio and are acceptable reading for when my granddaughters come over. And the price - yep you guessed it only $0.88.

So for a grand total of $5.00 and some change for the Governor - I walked away with some really incredible finds.

Now I really don't mean to be too melancholy here but I do lament the loss of my Old Friend Goodwill before he became "the" in place to shop. When the rich and even most middle class folks turned their noses up at his treasures refusing to step into the store much less shop for used items.
Now Nate Berkus and his Friend Mr Goodwill Hunting have turned it into the Place to be. Brand new Cadillacs and Lincolns grace the parking lot and the rich flood the store, filling their carts to overflowing - making it difficult for the poorer & middle class folk to get in on the bargains.

Oooops, sorry, this has turned into a novella - so I guess I best get off my soap box and get busy around the house.


Hugs,
Penny

I hope you have most Pleasant 12th day of Christmas and a Wonderful 12th Night.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Afternoon Nap - Almost Wordless Wednesday



Uhmm Hello evfurryone,

It looks like you caught me napping. I know what your thinking - napping again. Hey it's a tough life but someone has to do it; so it might as well be me.




Well now that I'm awake - I might as well do a little post before I head to a different location - where the flashy box thingy won't find and disturb me.

I know this is suppose to be Wordless Wednesday - but you know me - I sure do like to talk.

In answer to all those who inquired; the woofie I was forced to endure over Christmas - belonged to one of the Grandbeans and his girlfriend. Her name(The woofies not the grandbeans girlfriend) is Peaches and she lives a couple blocks over from my house. Thank goodness.

They said she was just a puppy and couldn't stay home by herself for such a long time so they had to bring her. Likely story if you ask me.

That's the skinny on what's happening around here at the moment - so I think I return to my nap, just as soon as I find a good place to hide out.


Purrs,
Genghis

Monday, January 2, 2012

Getting back in the groove of Mancat Monday




Hello evfurryone,

Well Pellie and Sir Knight are finally back from the store. Our Goodwill moved to a new and improved, bigger building; so they where having their Grand Opening today. Of course Pellie had to go - so they left early this morning and just got home a little bit ago.

Now that they are home I can do my post. Yeah!!!!!!!





I was so busy before Christmas. Much busier than Pellie & Sir Knight. Since those two were kind of slow getting the last of the presents wrapped - I was late in getting the banquet table checked to make sure it was safe and would not fall down during the Christmas dinner.



I guess there was no harm done I finished it up in time and Sir Knight got right on to fixing the problems I found and pointed out. Loose Screws are not an option when you put safety first.



By Christmas afternoon - I was done working and was catching a nap in front of the tree; when Sir Knight came at me with the flashy box. Cool it dude, can't you see I'm resting up for the arrival of all the grandbeans.




Imagine my dismay - when this thing showed up on my floor. A woofy - dang people this is my house - I didn't say you could bring a woofy over - especially one who yaps a lot and chases me around the house. Have some respect. next time please. I don't care how cute she is - she is still a woofy. Humans...

Well it's time for my nap so I best end my post. I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Day and that the rest of the year is just as good.

Purrs,
Genghis

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Years ! Friends.



The New Year
By Grace Noll Crowell

The new year lies before us, white and clean:
So many lovely days in which to live,
So many hours to spend like silver coins,
So many precious moments God will give
For us to use in service and in love,
In friendliness and sympathy, until
our lives may be like fountains, lifting up
To sparkle in the sunlight and to spill
In radiance and beauty all about,
That other lives may catch the gleam and shine
Of spraying fountains, lifting, filled with light,
That will be your life, friend, that will be mine.

Oh help us live so beautifully, God.
This year of all years, that we may be
Like showers of blessings, falling on mankind-
Bright fountains, lifting high and clear to Thee.

Hello everyone,

We trust that you all had a wonderful Christmas; and that Father Time's departure and Baby New Years arrival brought you no new adversities to face in 2012.

Sir Knight and I both had colds for Christmas - but the pesky little germs departed within a normal amount of time and we are once again feeling better.

Since we share the philosophy that home is the safest and best place to be on New Years eve. We brought in the New Year quietly - toasting our love and life and then quickly headed to bed.

We will be entertaining friends this afternoon - if they don't get blown away by the cold gusty winds that have settled upon us this morning; so I must cut this post short and go help Sir Knight in the kitchen.

May God bless you today and everyday during this New Year.

Hugs,
Penny & Sir Knight

Purrs,
Genghis


A Prayer
by S.M. Frazier

Give me work to do,
Give me health,
Give me joy in simple things,
Give me an eye for beauty,
A tongue for truth,
A heart that loves,
A mind that reasons,
A sympathy that understands.
Give me neither malice nor envy,
But a true kindness
And a noble common sense.
At the close of each day
Give me a book
And a friend with whom I can be silent.