A Trio of Hearts

There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. . .pursue those. ~Michael Nolan

As a final indulgence in my passion for all things heart this month, I have made two more items to share with you as February is ending. I liked the pin I made for my sister for her birthday so much that I decided  to make one for myself. I never used to wear bright colors, just blacks, browns, dark blues and greens. Lately, however, I have been attracted to more vibrant colors. This pin should help spice up my wardrobe a bit.

In looking for crochet and knitting patterns that feature hearts, I found a quirky one that I just had to make. It is called Love Bugs. The crochet pattern can be downloaded for free here if you have registered at the Lily Sugar 'n Cream website. Isn't he cute?

 

And then the grand finale for this month of hearts arrived in the mail for me today. One evening when I was surfing the net looking at different craft blogs, I ran into a delightful one, My Tinker Space by Aisyah Helga.
She just happened to be offering a Valentine's giveaway to the first person to comment on her current posting and I was that person. The giveaway was a crocheted garland of hearts. Interestingly, it was very similar to the one I made for my mother-in-law. Serendipity!  Check out her blog. She is very talented and it is a bright and cheerful space to spend some time in.

I continue to be in love with hearts and will surely make more in the future. However, I will be concentrating on other things in March.What they will be is still to be determined, but definitely they will be things that catch my heart.

A Birthday Wish for A Special Boy

Because today's your 1st Birthday
And you're so special too,
Everything that's happy,
Is being wished for you.

I can't be with you today on your very first birthday, but I am keeping you close in my heart as always and hoping it is an extra specially nice day for you.  I miss you very much, but your mommy sent me these lovely pictures of you opening presents and taking a ride in your new wagon to help me share in all your joy today. 

 

A Few Signs of Spring

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  ~Ruth Stout  


Today was a sunny, blue skies kind of day, but still chilly.  And the weather forecast is predicting severe weather for Sunday--a high of 47 degrees and a low of 22 degrees.  For those who have suffered a frigid, snow-filled winter this may sound like spring, but for us here in the Southwest, this is far from springlike.  I've done what I could do to springify my indoor environment, so I went outdoors to my garden to search again for signs of spring there. I'm happy to report that although the signs are few, there are some indications that spring is actually on its way.

I found daffodils blooming and some almost ready to bloom.  I have a special love of daffodils because they are the flower of my birth month--March.

Our Lady Banks rose is beginning to leaf out.  I look forward to her blooms later in the spring.

And the salvia in the pot with the rose is leafing out too.  Its blue flower spikes make a lovely contrast with the yellow of the Lady Banks.

I am getting impatient for spring's arrival, but these signs of spring have given me hope that my wait may not be too long.

Making the Best of Things

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.  ~John Wooden


I have been preparing for the meeting of my Book Club at my home today for several weeks.  First, I made little heart bookmarks for everyone.  Then I decorated my holiday tree with hearts.  And then I made a heart wreath for my front door to welcome my friends.  Finally, I prepared a special family favorite dessert for them--Pineapple Angel Food Cake.  I have made the recipe, which is incredibly simple, many times before, with good success, and expected the same results this time as well.  How wrong could I be?  It was a total disaster as you can see!

 

Now what?  I decided to switch gears and make a trifle using the cake as a base. I searched online and found this recipe.  I purchased a few needed items yesterday and made the trifle today, changing a few things according to the first two reviews written about the recipe. It was beautiful and tasted delicious.  It was a much more impressive dessert than I had planned and earned me kudos from my friends. 

 

It is trite, but true.  When life hands you lemons, make a trifle out of them!

Spring in My Heart

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

After the record cold we experienced the week before last, I reveled in the warm weather, sunshine, and blue skies that came our way most of this week.  My husband saw a lizard on the wall in the back garden and some of our perennials began to show some green leaves. The false spring was short, however.  Yesterday and today have been windy and cool, with intermittent sunshine and clouds.  They forecast rain, which we actually could have used, as this has been a dry winter, but we only received a few drops.  I looked out to the back garden yesterday and saw two little birds shivering in the bare mesquite tree and clouds rolling by in the background.

I needed something cheery and springlike to brighten at least my indoor environment, so I bought these two lovely primroses at the local Walmart.  They make me smile every time I glance their way.

Being housebound by the ugly weather, I decided to start another project to lift my spirits.  I had wonderful news the other day of the expected arrival of a new little one in our family come October.  More about that later.  But in the meantime, here is the beginning of a sweet baby afghan.  The crochet block is called Friend Family Square and the free pattern can be found here.  I really like the stitch definition and the pattern is well-written.  I am grateful to the designer Christal Friend. 

It is too soon to know if the baby will be a girl or a boy,but I think the colors should work for either.  I made a big granny square afghan for my grandson that had the variegated yarn in it and fell in love with the colors then.  It is Red Heart's Monet.  The other colors are Soft White, Lavender, and Aruba Sea.  

Thanks to my primroses and this afghan in progress, I have springtime inside even when it is wintry outside. And now, I have spring in my heart.

A Crafty Day

One craft project, like one cookie, is never enough! ~Unknown

What a wonderful, crafty day I've had!  I made good use of some of the materials I bought yesterday and made this for my front door.  It will welcome my book club members to my home next week and follows the heart theme I have going in my decorating at the moment.  The pattern for this project can be found here. Neen, a lovely lady from Galway, Ireland, has generously shared this pattern for free.

After I finished the wreath project, I was on a roll, so made this little pin for my sister's birthday.  It was last week, but we are celebrating it tomorrow with a spa visit and lunch at a tearoom. The photo is a bit blurry.  My photographic skills definitely need some improvement.  I purchased the clever silver pin and the charm (amethyst for February) from CR's Crafts, a great online resource for many crafty products.  Used some beads I just happen to have in my craft closet. I love the pin because the head unscrews and I just slid the charm and beads on and screwed the head back on.

 

A Shopping Trip to the Big City

I like shopping, and I like to drive. ~Lacey Chabert


I scouted around my small town source (otherwise known as Walmart) for craft supplies yesterday and could not find what I needed for two new projects I want to work on--a wreath for my front door and a baby blanket made from a doily pattern. Luckily, like the quoted actress above, I like to drive.  The nearest location of likely materials for my projects is approximately forty miles from my home.  Whenever we go there we plan to be gone all day and we incorporate all those errands that cannot be done in our small town into our itinerary. 

Today we got our hair cut, went grocery shopping for items we cannot buy at the local Walmart, went to lunch, and I bought the materials for my wreath and a book of doily patterns.  It was a lovely day.
 

A Valentine for My Husband

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows.

Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;

Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide.

And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart.

I carry your heart.

I carry it in my heart.

e.e.cummings

A Christmas Heart

May we keep Christmas in our hearts
Through every day of all the year. 
~Gertrude B. Holman

Okay, I know tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so why am I making a Christmas Heart?  I am part of a group on Ravelry which is making a different Christmas ornament each month.  I haven't finished my ornament for January yet and the suggested ornament for February is an adorable little snowman.  However, when I saw this pattern for this Decorative Heart, I just had to make it.  Used the same yarn as for my Valentine's Scarf--Cascade 220 Heathers in the Carmine colorway.  I am really trying to use yarn from my stash. I'm going to make several more for additional gifts, but this one is for my grandson.