The Jitterbug and My Thanks

The jitterbug was what I was doing yesterday when I opened up my mailbox! Now  notice,I did not say it was pretty  but I  was  dancing and a squealing because that sweet Mr.Mailman left a package in my box from Carol of Buttermilk Creek Farm.Folks,you need to skip on over to Carol's wonderful blog and check out all of her amazing creations!  She is a wonderful person and a true artisan. Let me just tell you the dance I was doing at the mailbox  was nothing compared to what happened when I opened up the box!I just about gave my poor momma a heart attack ,I was so excited.As  many of you know already I was blessed to win Carol's recent giveaway celebrating her blog anniversary!!!I have long admired Carol's mouse creations,as you all know she is extremely talented.Folks until you have held one of her mouse friends in your hands you really have no idea the detail that she puts into one of her creations! Miss Milly is just lovely and something I will treasure forever! Carol was beyond generous and included a bag of grubby eggs and a yummy smelling pantry cake as well as Miss Milly.Thank you so much Carol! 

Please forgive my photographic skills because the pics just do not do Carol's creations justice.Miss Milly is adorable!!

My yummy smelling tart and sweet note from Carol.Loved the bunny  notepaper.

Grubby eggs and the sweet bunny tag! We all know I love me some bunnies!

Thank you Carol for the wonderful ,amazing goodies! 

Well today has been spent running errands and taking care of hubby's optometrist appointment.One of the errands was stopping at the feed store because the critters all have to have full tummies or they are not happy.LOL! It just wasn't to smart of hubby to let me tag  along ,because you know with Easter this weekend that there were cages of bunnies and chicks everywhere.LOL! Do you see where this is going? Yeppers ,I am richer one bunny this afternoon.Hubby just shook his head and kept muttering I should have left you at home.Giggles. In my defense he should be thankful because the cage was full and I stopped at only one.LOL! We are having a bit of a cool snap so when it warms up a bit I will share some pics of my new  little addition.

I am going to say good afternoon and go find some Benadryl because I managed to get myself a case of poison ivy and I am a might itchy...okay a lot itchy and a bit cranky.May you all have a blessed and Happy Easter! Spring Blessings,Jen

My thanks and a wonderful win!

Good sunny Tuesday friends!It  has been a beautiful couple of days here in the Bluegrass State.Yesterday was a busy one for sure.I mowed my lawn ,mommas lawn ,trimmed mine and still need to use the weed eater at momma's .On top of that there I had  6 loads of laundry and three chicken pens /houses that I cleaned .I was so tired by the evening that I could barely keep my eyes open.LOL! I did manage to watch the basketball game last night between UK and Kansas,it was definitely an interesting game! Congrats to the Wildcats and also to Kansas !Kansas may not have won the championship but they are winners in my book ,just to have made it so far!I am very proud of the Kentucky Wildcats!

A big thanks to all of you that have been praying for my mom!We finally received the results back and praise the Lord she does not have an infection in her heart. That meant we went for more blood work that also came back good so now both doctors are pretty puzzled over her condition.We return to the cardiologist on the 20th and will see where it all will go from there.I so appreciate you all for the well wishes and prayers! My momma is a  pretty special person in my life.

While yesterday may have been busy and tiring it was exciting too.As many of you know I was blessed to win Trace's giveaway recently and oh did she spoil me! If you are not familiar with Trace please check her blog out Granny Trace Scraps& Squares.She is a wonderful blogger and is just a super special person.She never fails to share her joy with the world and has uplifted me many times since becoming her friend! Now you take her special spirit and throw in her talents and  what a wonderful mixture you get in the end!

 Here are the goodies I received ,wish I had before pics because Trace had it all wrapped up so pretty but I was excited so there are no pretty wrapped goodies to share.Sorry!

Some of her woolie chicks...they are adorable!

A wonderful chicken towel!

A wonderful bunny mat on burlap and trimmed in beautiful fabric!This thing is huge and check out those cute  flower buttons!

A yummy smelling Yankee votive and a sweet friendship card!I told  ya she spoiled me !!! She did a wonderful job on it all and I love every thing that she sent!My thanks Trace for such a wonderful package of goodies and your friendship !It made my week!

I thought I'd share where I placed my goodies from Trace as well.I decided to make a Spring display on the bar in the kitchen and I have to say it makes me smile every time I pass by it.

Here is a closeup of those cute woolie chicks.I put them in the bowl with the eggs that I made using a tutorial that Teri shared a while back on her blog White Sheep Farm ,they look so cute together .

I know that I am probably overloading you with the pics today but I wanted to share the egg that I made from the kit I won from Keri at Calico Rabbit. I made  the one from the kit and one that from my own stash of wool .I confess to being nervous of doing the feather stitch along the edge as I had never attempted it before this project.So I practiced first on the egg from my stash.LOL!This is the one from the kit...

 This is the one from my stash...

And this is how I displayed them...

 They were so fun to make and you can find the pattern and instructions in the Spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings  magazine.Thanks again Keri!

I am going to call it the end because blogger is driving me nuts! Is anyone else having problems with loading your pics and posting?? It has taken me close to an hour and half to load my pics and get the correct ones in the right spot.Remember to be kind to one another and share a smile.Have a blessed day!Spring blessings,Jen

Good chilly morning

A good chilly morning to all.It was quite cool  here this morning but is supposed to warm up nicely in the afternoon.I wanted to take the time to thank you all for your comments and prayers concerning mamma.I appreciate you all so very much.We still do not have the results as it seems that they have been misplaced.Hopefully we will get the results today.Please continue to pray for her.

My furbaby Gretchen is not feeling well this morning.She has an upset stomach and was in need for a little extra cuddling.Since I was sitting here and letting her sleep on my lap ,I thought it would be a good time for a post.With the busy days of the last week or so and hubby being laid off work I am never sure what my days are going to be like lately. 

I have finished a few more projects to share with you...

I am actually pretty happy with the way this penny rug turned out.

I know St.Paddy's Day is long gone but thought I'd share the lil wool shamrock I made anyway.LOL! Better late than never.

 This next project is a pin cushion that was designed by Lisa  Bongean  of  Primitive Gatherings

Lisa is a talented quilter and designer.

 The last one is a punched rug that I did using an Oxford punch needle and wool strips.It is my  design and I was not happy with the way it turned out. The different colors along the edge were meant to symbolize rocks but to me it just looks messy.Momma loved the mat so I gave it to her.

Well I am off to start my cameo egg and work on another penny rug that has been started for a while.A big thanks to all my new followers.I appreciate you checking out my little blog. Spring blessings,Jen

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday evening all,I hope that you have all had a wonderful day.It has been a special day for my family.Today is my mother's 71 st birthday...so happy birthday momma! My mom has always been the center of our family and the heart of it as well.My mom is a quiet woman ,with a soft voice and an even softer heart.She has always been a guiding force in my life ,teaching me how to be a good person, daughter,sister,wife and a mom.My mom may have a soft voice but she could quieten a room with just a glance if it was needed.LOL! As a small child ,I was always on the lookout for that "look".A remarkable woman in my eyes,she raised four children ,worked alongside daddy farming for many, many years until her heart attack some seven years ago,and kept her home immaculate all the while.I never woke up to a bowl of  cold cereal for breakfast (wish my son could say the same thing,LOL!) it was always a hot cooked meal just like lunch and supper.I have long felt that my crafting abilities come from momma ,she can sew anything and I mean anything! She and daddy always instilled in me that you can do anything as long as you are willing to try to do it.Nothing was considered  a failure as long as you gave it your all.I was blessed to have both parents that worked at home and am blessed to live next to momma still today.As wonderful as it is to celebrate momma's birthday it has been a week of stress as well,her cardiologist suspects that she may have an infection in the lining of her heart.We have been waiting on the test results and expect to hear something on Monday.So if you would please add her to your prayers.

I have been blessed a lot lately as I have won a few giveaways from fellow bloggers.I owe Kerri of Calico Rabbit a huge apology for not getting my winnings from her posted before now.Time has just gotten away from me this last week or so.I was so happy when I saw that I won Kerri's giveaway and can't wait to get busy making my egg.Not only did Keri send me a kit to make my own Cameo Bunny  egg from the pattern published in the Spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings ,she sent me an autographed copy of the magazine!!! So if you are not familiar with Keri and the beautiful work she does click on the link above and it will take you to her awesome blog.Don't forget to pick up a copy of the magazine and read the article on Keri and get your own pattern to make her wonderful Bunny Cameo Egg,you will be so glad that you did.Congrats Kerri  on being published !You should be so proud!

Here are a few pics to share with you...

Thank you so much Kerri! I really enjoyed the article and know just where my egg is going!

I have spent the last week doing my Spring cleaning and has it ever been a chore.I do believe I have a bad habit of keeping old catalogs and such...well no more they are gone! I have spent the week really thinking about what is important to me and what isn't ,I have tried to cut back on things that are just sitting and collecting dust.I would rather spend my days  crafting or reading as dusting a lot of things that are not that necessary or special .Now don't get me wrong if it has sentimental value from family or friends it has a place in my heart and home,but a lot of it was just dust collectors.I hope to finish up the rest of my cleaning and get back to crafting.Bet you can't guess what my first project is going to be once I am finished cleaning .LOL!Have a great week and remember be kind to your family and friends!Spring blessings,Jen

Happy St.Patrick's And A Win !

Good Morning friends ,I just wanted to hop on and wish everyone a happy and safe St.Patrick's Day. There is a  bit of thunder and dark clouds here this morning,but it is supposed to clear out later in the day.

As some of you may know I was recently one of the ladies to win a pattern package from Valerie over at The Wooden Acorn.If you haven't been to Valerie's blog then I urge you to check it out.She is the sweetest lady and so talented! I was just so blessed to have won and tickled to death when I opened the mailbox Wednesday afternoon to find it had arrived.Valerie not only sent the pattern I won but she included another pattern and some sweet extras.It has been so much fun working with the Potted Chick pattern!

Here are the goodies that arrived on Wednesday...

Aren't those the sweetest patterns,check out the vintage needle case and that beautiful piece of wool ! Blessed I tell ya ! 

I thought about how I wanted to use the pattern  all Wednesday afternoon.I finally decided to do a needle punch ditty bag.Thursday morning bright and early found me tracing the pattern and searching through my stash of tread.Here is the finished project ,I love it .Been thinking about trying to stain it a bit but I have never tea dyed a needle punch project. So should I or should I leave it alone?

There will be pics with and without the flash as I could not get a good one.My house is kind of dark so I had to use the flash but it makes the colors look brighter than they really are in person.

That beautiful piece of wool was calling out use me ,use me too,so this is what it became...

Valerie thank you so much for hosting such a fun and generous giveaway!I had a blast and know I will be using the pattern many more times in different ways.

Well I am off to start the next project,so have a good one my friends.Remember to be kind and spread the laughter.Hugs,Jen

Good Afternoon

Hello everyone ,it is a cloudy day here but the temperatures are in the low 60's so I guess I can stand a few clouds.LOL! I was out pulling weeds yesterday and it felt so good to play in the dirt.It is hard to believe that March is almost half gone already.I feel as if I have blinked and missed much of 2012.I think we all need a less stressful and hurried lifestyle.


It is time to start my Spring cleaning and purging the things I know longer need or want.I am going to go for a simpler less cluttered look for my home .It will just be easier to keep it straight and neat looking, I am thinking.Though it is hard  to part with some things I do believe it could give me more of a free lifestyle. Dusting is a chore I dread and having so much sitting around, just makes it take longer.Let's see if  I can really do it. LOL!
 
I have finished a few projects and would like to share them with you.I hope that I do not bore you all, with my hand dids and not so great pics.A photographer ,I am not.
I finally did  something with my second rug I hooked and I am quite happy with the way it turned out.I mounted it to a large board. It is just sitting on one of my work tables in the craft room.Once I finally get it placed in it's home I will share pics of where it lands.



I set out to make a penny rug ,I have long admired them but so far had never owned one or tried to make one either.I ended up with a big rug ,I don't think I planned it to well.LOL! I wanted it for my dining room table so it is okay .It has 45 stacks of three layered of pennies,I am happy with it too being it is my first attempt.

To show how large it is I threw it on the back of my love seat .



The nice warm days we had a week or so ago put me into the mood for Spring.I designed this bunny needle punch to use as a pillow.Well I changed my mind and ended up using a light gray wool for the background and wool for the flowers that I blanket stitched at the sides .Guess you'd call it a needle punched /penny rug  sort of thing.

Here is  a close up of the bunny.

I used the Oxford rug punch needle and yarn to make this simple punched heart mat.I really just wanted to see what the yarn would like in a project.



The next one I used the same needle but regular wool strips for this little round mat.It is my design and a few of my friends suggest that I name it Stormy .I did this one during the recent storms.I do not have a basement and during severe storms I go to momma's for shelter.Well the tornado sirens are going off ,the wind is howling and here I am running up the hill with my hoop,needle and basket of wool .Probably looked like a lunatic but a girl has to have her crafting things at times like that,it calms the nerves a bit.





That is all the projects that I have for the day.Let me know your opinions good or bad. 
 
I have won a couple of  lovely giveaways lately and I will back to share those with you soon.I am blessed to have good friends and a loving family.It is always fun to read your blogs ,even though I may not always have the chance to comment ,I do so love visiting with you all. I pray that those dealing with medical issues find healing and to the rest I pray that you are blessed with all that you need.Hugs,Jen

A Few Of My Favorites

Hello my friends, it certainly feels more like winter than spring today here in Kentucky. There has not been a lot going on that is exciting enough to blog about so I thought I'd  share a few of my favorite things .As many of you know that I am just a plain country girl with a big love of animals.Nothing better than getting a hug from one of the many critters that own you.

This afternoon as I went to feed for the evening and tuck the goats,dogs,chickens ,ducks and rabbits in their beds for the night ,I grabbed a banana as a snack .As I reached the goat lot I still had not finished my banana so I decided to sit on the bank and watch the goats play as I finished eating it.Big mistake !As any of you that own chickens know they will follow you much like a dog if they are pets.Well my chickens are pets and so my snack soon became their snack.I sat on the bank pinching pieces of banana off and hand feeding it to the chickens.The feeling of sitting there surrounded by my chickens was one of peace and contentment.It was such a small thing but I am so thankful to be able to enjoy my animals knowing that their friendship and love is unconditional.I have long thought that the best friend that a person can have is an animal for they do not judge you harshly or unfairly.Give them love and they return it tenfold .

Here are a few pics of some of my favorites...

May you each be blessed with peace and love in your heart!Hugs,Jen