When Your Best Friend Turns 19

Did you ever have one of those days that was so nice that it seemed like you were living in a book? That describes my Sunday. Kara, my best friend, turned 19, and her family invited me to go to the beach with them for the day! We had so much fun. Kara and I dug a big hole in the sand and buried ourselves, (while singing songs from The Little Mermaid!) and played in the ocean with her brothers. I love her family so much, and I LOVE her! Happy Birthday Kara!

A picnic at the park

Birthday cupcakes!

Kara and Jonathan

Our amazing hole.

We match!

Kara and her parents at Cracker Barrel.

A random assortment of thoughts, news, and pictures

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely July. I am, although I'm tired of the heat. I doubt I'll melt, but at times I feel like I might. I'm looking forward to fall weather, but I don't want summer to end! Right now I have the house pretty much to myself. Jamey went somewhere with a friend, and Zach is at CYT summer camp. We're in the middle of the last two weeks of rehearsals for the next CYT play, (We're doing Daniel again!) but there is no rehearsal tonight. I'm enjoying the rest! I'm going to curl up with either a half finished sock or the cross-stitch project that I've been working on for years and have yet to finish. Maybe both. I have the worst time deciding what to work on. Do I cross-stitch? Draw? Read? Knit? If I knit, then what should I knit? What about all of the little things that I have to do at some point? Have I forgotten anything I really needed to do? *sigh* Life is full of decisions, and sadly, I am not the worlds best at making them.

Anyway, about the calendar. I sat down to say something about it, and here I've typed a whole paragraph about nothing in particular and have yet to mention it! Be sure to visit the blog for the 2010 knitting calendar! This year it's going to have two of my patterns, (there is a picture of one of them posted on the blog) and I can hardly wait to try some of the others!

Last, but not least, over the last few weeks I've gone dishcloth crazy. Here are some pictures of 

the result. :)

4th of July cloth! (the June KAL, but I made it on the way to my aunt and uncle's on the 4th)

Modified Feather & Fan cloth

This A Way, That A Way cloth

Clover Tweed dishcloth

Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July! (Belated, obviously.) I hope that you all had as nice a day as I did. My family and I spent the day at my Aunt Pam and Uncle Jim's house, along with my cousin Abbie, (age 4), my Uncle Warren, and my cousin Seamus. (also age 4) We all had so much fun. I wish we were able to spend more time together. We had a cookout, and then I played out in the yard with Seamus and Abbie most of the afternoon. We flew in our "plane" (the swingset) and chased a lot of snow monsters. :) It was great, but they wore me out! Once it was dark, we shot off a bunch of (NC legal!) fireworks. A picture is worth a thousand words so.....

Much love, from Kirby.

Uncle Jim at the grill.


Abbie and Seamus. All I said was "smile", and this is what I got.


Chasing snow monsters. Yep.

Abbie and me in the corn.

Brothers. Uncle Warren, Uncle Jim, and Dad.


Cousins. :)

Uncle Warren, Jamey, Uncle Jim, and Zach.

Aunt Pam, me, and Ella. Ella will be here in 6 weeks or so.

Daddies.

Early fireworks. Snakes, actually.

And this is only the beginning....

Sparklers!!!!

Aunt Pam and Mom

Happy 4th!

Looking Back

This afternoon for some reason I decided to get out my old journal from 2003. I was eleven when I started writing in it. It's so funny! When I look at old pictures of myself I tend to think of myself as pretty much the same, just younger looking. That (quite obviously) is not the case. My old journal, in a way, is more interesting than the one I keep now, because I really wrote down what I felt, instead of what I wanted to remember. I could be very dramatic at times! Things were so important then that I hardly think about now. I go from talking about some deep secret to writing that I got new "Juicy Apple" shampoo and conditioner, to commenting that the fish we had for dinner was "edible" to worrying about money. Some things I wrote are surprisingly deep, some are interesting, and some are just funny! I had so much fun with it that  I thought I might share a few quotes with you. (Original spelling!) The funniest things are, I'm afraid, a little too personal to post. :)

"I would rather have Nanny and Granddaddy come tomorrow than be the First Lady and a Billionare when I grow up!"

"When I turned 11, my Whole prospect of boys changed. Don't tell anyone about this, OK"?

"there are no words to discribe how I feel about spring."

"Once he called and talked to everyone and when we said goodbye we both said "I love you" and neither one of us thought the other was weird."

"Courtney is coming tomorrow!  I can't wait! I wont be able to write to you for awhile because she will sleep with me like she always does. (Halelewya!)" (Courtney is my cousin)

"I wish asking someone to go home was good manners."

"Its a very long story but the bottom line is that he is an annoying little brother who gets mad when you want time alone with your best friend even if you and your best friend have been playing with him all day and he gets you SO mad that you get him in a choke hold  and then he tells your Mom and Dad and you have to come in for the rest of the afternoon and your so upset that when your dad tells you to come turn your light off and you're getting out of an E-mail and then he tell you to hurry up and you yell I'm Coming and he thinks it's ment to be disrespetful so he sends you to your room and gets really mad. See what I mean?" (I somehow imagine that that whole scenario was slightly different than I described it... :) )

"Just so you know, my life is not a boring as it sounds. I just don't write about EVERYTHING because I just don't have enough time!"

On the subject of tea, and etc...

A cup of tea and a good book. It sounds so very appealing! Several months ago I was very definitely NOT a tea drinker. I'd tried it once or twice, and I thought it was gross. My friend Kara was very much a tea person. She talked all the time about how wonderful it was! It sounded like fun, but when we were together I'd always drink hot chocolate. Then one afternoon (I had had a very hard day.) I decided I needed a cup of tea. I'm not sure why, I just did. I had a vague idea of how to fix it, because Kara showed me once. Soon I was sitting in my chair with a cup of raspberry tea, and lo and behold, I liked it! Go figure. Tea and I are now great friends. I'm also falling in love with teacups, and I've started collecting them. Here are some pictures of my favorites. (Actually, most of my collection.)

My chicken miniature tea set. It makes me smile.

My newest addition, a beautiful cup and pot set.

I got this one a long time ago.

This one is an antique demitasse cup that once belonged to my great (and possibly great great?) grandmother. The baby in the background is me!

I got this miniature set when we went to Colonial Williamsburg.

This belongs to a set I got for my 9th birthday.

My friend gave this to me for my 8th birthday.

Here's the whole shelf.


And here's Kirby. :)

Post #100!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 facts about myself, in honor of my 100th blog post!

1. When I watch a movie where people speak with an accent, (English, Scottish, Southern, etc) for the next day or so I automatically think in that accent.
2. I don't like onions, and I HATE cottage cheese.
3. My family has bad allergies. I don't have many food allergies, but I am allergic to cats. I used to be allergic to dairy, but I grew out of that.
4. Fall is my favorite season, I love snow, and Christmas is my favorite holiday.
5. I have never been out of the country.
6. A frisbee is the only thing I can really throw; I am NOT athletic.
7. I think I'm a bit ADD.
8. I have 8 cousins, and the 4 youngest were born in the same year.
9. I always sleep under my big fleece blanket, even in the summer.

10. When I was little, I drew a picture of my dream room. (lavender walls and a loft bed) That's what my room has now.

11. I have been in 20 something states, but have never left the country.

12. I LOVE history! Especially medieval history.

13. My knitting business started at our old church's choir Christmas party.

14. I don't mind snakes at all, (unless they're poisonous) but I HATE spiders! I've held a snake as big around as a softball, but I scream if I see a tiny spider. (Much to the delight of my brothers)

15. When I'm nervous, I giggle. This often proves to be very inconvenient.

16. I have a weakness for blankets, fleece, purses, and stuffed animals.

17. When I was little, I collected everything, from old bandaids to toothbrushes. Now I collect teacups, stamps and postcards.

18. I met THE Donut Man, and he gave me a hug!

19. I ate dog food once, I think before I could walk.

20. I really like Broadway music, but CYT music is the best.

21. I enjoy way too many things, and I have a hard time limiting myself to a reasonable amount of projects.

22. Math and I do not get along. At all.

23. I have AMAZING friends and family, and I love being with them.

24. I love to talk with friends! However, when I'm in large groups of people I'm usually pretty quiet, especially when I don't know everyone.

25. I love to read, but have trouble making time for it sometimes.

26. I LOVE taking pictures, and going back and looking at them later. I have a sneaking suspicion that my friends groan inside when they see me with my camera. That is, unless it's my friend Kelsey. She groans out loud. (I love you Kelsey!)

27. I think Les Mis is the most amazing story ever!

28. I can't stand doing only one thing at a time. If I'm knitting, I'll listen to music, if I'm watching a movie, I'll quilt, and so forth.

29. I love to play the piano, especially when I'm playing from my Scarlett Pimpernel or Phantom of the Opera songbooks!

30. I hate change.

31. If you look up the word "unathletic" in the dictionary my picture will be beside it.

32. I've always wanted a pet of my own, like a bunny, but all I've ever had is a fish. (Besides Kirby, obviously.)

33. I love the mountains, only mountain roads make me nervous.

34. I have one pet. Kirby is my dear, sweet, wonderful goldendoodle.

35. I have an odd fascination with putting half finished knitting projects on Kirby's head and taking pictures.

36. Before Kirby, I had one other dog. Buffy. Buffy was a Dachapeekapoo.

37. My favorite dishcloths to knit involve more than one color.

38. I took tap dancing for two years when I was little. Do I remember anything? Nope.

39. I always wanted a horse when I was little.

40. We have lived in this house for 8 years. We lived in two other houses before this one.

41. I love fresh tomatos, but I detest cooked tomatos.

42. Red roses are my favorite flower.

43. I've been homeschooled from kindergarten on. I went to preschool at my church.

44. I love to read.

45. I drew out my first idea for a dishcloth pattern backstage during a CYT rehearsal. That was over 2 years ago.

46. I can crochet a little, but I learned to knit first, so I never did much crocheting.

47. I hate movies with lots of blood and gore.

48. I like happy, sentimental movies.

49. Dust is the bane of my existance.

50. I am very excited to be halfway through. Will I make it all the way? We'll see.

51. Every morning I have a piece of peanut butter toast for breakfast.

52. I hate storms.

53. It is my dream to wear a hoop skirt someday. Civil War fashion is my favorite.

54. I own several coloring books.

55. I'd rather talk in person than on the phone.

56. I wish I were a better writer than I actually am.

57. I dislike bright orange.

58. I love fruit.

59. I'd love to go to Europe someday. (Who wouldn't?)

60. The two most unusual things I have knitted have been a hammer cozy and a high five mitt. Long story.

61. I listen to different music than most people my age.

62. I want to have a craft shop someday.

63. If I ever have kids (and I hope to.) I want to homeschool.

64. I'm quickly becoming addicted to sock yarn. (Not good, considering how long it takes me to knit a pair of socks!)

65. Every time I have tried to start a garden it has been a failure.

66. I love watching the little birds at our bird feeder.

67. Hot weather stinks.

68. I have shelves in my room anywhere they will fit.

69. I grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey. I still do.

70. I made a total of $5.00 profit at my first craft sale.

71. When I was little, 8 was my favorite number.

72. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever make it to 100.

73. Furthermore, I highly doubt anyone will ever read all of this.

74. 72-74 were kind of cheating. Whatever.

75. When I was little I always spent my allowance on Beanie Babies. I still remember the thrill of having a new one.

76. I love to swing! It feels like flying.

77. Rain isn't so bad, but I hate storms.

78. I wish I could fly like Peter Pan!

79. By this point I can't remember what I've said, so I've probably said something twice.

80. I have dreams of a celery green nursery decorated with old fashioned Winnie the Pooh things....

81. I'm terrible at long projects, because I get bored with them after awhile. I always come back and finish them though.

82. During the final stretch of the last 2 CYT plays I was in I injured my big toe and had someone step on it. (I'm getting desperately random)

83. I'm really quite terrible when it comes to anything technical.

84. My nose was squashed when I was born, but it unsquashed after awhile.

85. When I was 18 months old I could sing the 50 states in alphabetical order and sing all the books of the Bible.

86. I totally missed my second blogoversary. (Did I spell that right?

87. I'm quite fluent in pig latin.

88. My 3 year old cousin pointed out that my knees are bigger than his.

89. When I was little I'd find books that I'd like and read them over and over and over and over.... I didn't branch out much.

90. I got glasses when I was 3.

91. I first sang in church when I was 5. It was a duet with my little brother, who was 3 at the time.

92. When I was 12, I was scared to death to be part of my little churches Christmas play. Now my best memories are from CYT. (Christian Youth Theatre)

93. The Berenstain Bears book, "The Bad Habit" got me to start biting my fingernails. Sister Bear did it, and I thought it sounded cool. (I don't anymore!)

94. Reading Emerson's Essays was my worst school experience this year.

95. I'm not at all a fan of texting.

96. I adore painting ceramics. I painted a plate last year that took 8 hours.

97. I wear my great great grandmother's engagement ring.

98. Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant.

99. I tried to write a book when I was around 12. It's the most boring thing I've ever read.

100. I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!

Myrtle Beach! (and a LYS)

This past week I went to the beach with my family. We had such a wonderful time! The weather was almost perfect, with the sad exception of the storm that destroyed my aunt and uncles tent. We spent our days on the beach and in the pool, and our nights visiting and playing cards. It was all so very special. I didn't do much knitting there, but I did read quite a bit! I read all the way through Anne of Avonlea, and started Anne of the Island. Here are just a few pictures.

Gilbert, the hermit crab.

Cousins!

On the way home we stopped in the most perfect LYS I have ever seen! To me, it was magical. I was like a kid in a candy store. For an hour, I walked around and looked at all of the amazing yarns, and finally settled on a very pretty skein of sock yarn. If you're ever in North Myrtle Beach, you should stop by! It's called "Knitting Up A Storm".

Random collection of projects from the last month or so.

I probably won't be qualifying for the "World's Most Faithful Blogger" award anytime soon. Please forgive me. I'd love to say that I'll probably get better soon, but that quite possibly won't be the case. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY THINGS TO DO AND NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN A DAY! *sigh* I have a craft sale tomorrow, so I haven't been knitting as many fun projects, and I'm just not going to stress about. For everything there is a season, and this season for me happens to be rather eventful with no sign of things slowing down. I think I'm starting to get used to it. At any rate, here are some long overdue pictures.

Finally, my socks! These have been in progress for far too long. They were so similar to my green socks that I was really tired of them before I started. Not good, if you're someone who isn't particularly inclined to work on something when you're not in the mood.

"Becca's Quilt" From Harvest Moon Designs. I loved working on this one.

Hakucho's "Circle Cloth" Always one of my very favorites.

A KAL. I'm sorry to say that I don't even remember what month this was from, but I enjoyed it.

Free Pattern! "Bloom"

Happy Spring everyone!



Bloom

Cotton yarn – any solid color
Size 7 needles

CO 40

1. K1, P1, across
2. P1, K1, across
3. K1, P1, across
4. P1, K1, across
5. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
6. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
7. K1, P1, K1, P1, P7, K3, P12, K3, P7, K1, P1, K1, P1
8. P1, K1, P1, K1, K6, P5, K10, P5, K6, P1, K1, P1, K1
9. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K2, P1, K1, P1, K2, P8, K2, P1, K1, P1, K2, P5, K1, P1, K1, P1
10. P1, K1, P1, K1, K5, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, K8, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
11. K1, P1, K1, P1, P4, K2, P2, K1, P2, K2, P6, K2, P2, K1, P2, K2, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
12. P1, K1, P1, K1, K3, P3, K2, P1, K2, P3, K4, P3, K2, P1, K2, P3, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
13. K1, P1, K1, P1, P3, K2, P3, K1, P3, K2, P4, K2, P3, K1, P3, K2, P3, K1, P1, K1, P1
14. P1, K1, P1, K1, K7, P3, K12, P3, K7, P1, K1, P1, K1
15. K1, P1, K1, P1, P6, K5, P10, K5, P6, K1, P1, K1, P1
16. P1, K1, P1, K1, K5, P7, K8, P7, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
17. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K7, P8, K7, P5, K1, P1, K1, P1
18. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
19. K1, P1, K1, P1, P4, K9, P6, K9, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
20. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
21. K1, P1, K1, P1, P4, K9, P6, K9, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
22. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P2, K1, P3, K1, P2, K6, P2, K1, P3, K1, P2, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
23. K1, P1, K1, P1, P4, K1, P3, K1, P3, K1, P6, K1, P3, K1, P3, K1, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
24. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
25. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
26. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1

Repeat rows 5-26

49. K1, P1, across
50. P1, K1, across
51. K1, P1, across
52. P1, K1, across

BO


© 2009 Patterns By Lindy

CYT ~ The Reformation of Katherine

We just finished another CYT play; The Reformation of Katherine. This one was about Martin Luther's wife, Katherine Von Bora. This was the Monday 13 and Up class, who did Hunchback last year. CYT plays are some of the highlights of my life, and this year was amazing, although it was very different than I originally thought it would be. The play itself was absolutely incredible! God took it above and beyond anything I ever pictured. I learned so much from being a part of it. I was a nun/townsperson/part of the German family in the finale. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took. :)

Praise and worship beforehand

Elise, Joelle, me, and Rebekah

The white nuns, minus our wimples. Alexandria, me, Ellee, and Maggie

Me and Hope

The amazing Emma, and her amazing hair skills!

All of the "named nuns" (aka nuns with lines)

Mother/daughter picture!

My brothers and me.

Jamey and I were in this class, and the rest of my family actually came in as a German family in the finale.

Elise, Kelsey, and me.

My grandparents came!

Last, but not least, you gotta do what you gotta do. Dad did it with flair.

Homeschool Prom ~ 2009

Last night was the homeschool prom! This was my first time officially going, but I was a server last year. One of the nicest things about it is the fact that so many people just go with friends instead of dates. There are, of course, quite a few couples, but some of them just go as friends, and there are there more than enough people who came with out a date to make being date-less

fun. I went with my dear friend Crystal. We've been planning this for nearly a year! She came over to my house to get ready beforehand, and fixed my hair. She is amazing with hair! I don't know what she did, but it was amazing. We were both excited, and maybe the tiniest bit nervous. Once we were there it was so much fun! There were a lot of people I knew, so there was always someone to talk to. I had never done anything like this before. The historical ball was nice, but this was REALLY nice. I loved seeing what everyone was wearing. After dinner we danced for a few hours. I say we, but that isn't entirely correct, because I didn't dance much. I'm not that good at it, and I couldn't quite get up the nerve. We did some songs that I knew though, like YMCA, the electric slide, and the Hokey Pokey. :) The whole evening was as nice as I'd hoped it would be. After the prom was over (at midnight) I went to my friend Parri's house and spent the night with some friends. We talked until 3 in the morning, so I'm pretty much exhausted at this point.

We sat with my friends David and Rebekah.

Alex, me, Kelsey, and Elise

Kara

Caroline, Katie, David, Rebekah, and me.

Jamey was a server.

Easter!

My grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins came to our house for Easter. That was something we haven't done in awhile! It was such a great visit. We're starting the last two weeks of rehearsals of a CYT play tonight, so I only posted a few pictures this time. Happy Easter! (belated)

My elephant and Ravelry

My life is about to get crazy! My schedule is packed this month. There are several things in the next few weeks that I am very excited about! I'll keep you posted. In addition to everything I have this month, I'm getting ready for a craft sale in May. I probably won't be doing quite so much "just because" knitting, but we'll see. We've been getting a lot of rain here. That gets old after awhile, but at least it's getting rid of some of the pollen. For someone with allergies, that's definitely something to be thankful for! Kirby has been enjoying the spring in spite of the rain, as this picture proves. :)



This cloth is made from a pattern from Harvest Moon Designs.

Now for my big(ish) news. I'm on Ravelry! I know, it took me long enough. I'd heard people talking about it, but for some reason I never actually signed up. Now that I have an account, I can't believe I waited so long! It's wonderful. :) Look me up; my user name is madebylindy. Don't ask me how I ended up searching for toy elephants, but I did, and this is what I ended up with. Isn't it cute? I'm going to make more. It makes me happy whenever I see it sitting by my chair. I think it's a boy, but I haven't decided yet.

Historical Ball!

I spent yesterday with some of my favorite people in the whole world! To celebrate my best friend Elise's 18th birthday, we went to a historical ball. It was so much fun! We got there in the morning, and they taught us the dances. (Pride & Prejudice kind of dances.) That lasted for 2 hours, and then we had a picnic at a park and went shopping. We got back to the church at 4:30 to get ready. The ball was so much fun! I'm not a great dancer, but I didn't have much trouble. They were such pretty dances! Even if you weren't that good at it you felt so graceful. I wish people danced like that now. I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing! You could come dressed in something from any time period between Medieval and World War 2. My dress was medieval. We got the dark purple velvet part at the thrift store, and Mom made the white part to go underneath. I loved it! I'd always wanted a dress with sleeves like that. I danced probably half the dances with guys, but there weren't quite enough guys to go around, and some of them just stood around talking. I was a bit nervous at first, but I had so much fun! We all did. After it was over, we spent the night with Elise. Here are some pictures!

At the park.

Trying on hats in the mall. :)

Mom made my headdress too! It has a sash in the back.

Alex

Getting ready

Erin, Parri, and Kelsey taking a break from dancing.

Happy birthday Elise!

Kelsey and Alex

From left to right: Alex, Elise, Me, Erin, Kara, Parri, and Kelsey

Elise, Hope, and Me.

My latest dishcloths

I actually finished these a few weeks ago, but alas, I haven't gotten around to posting them. Oh well. I'm still as busy as I have been, but I think I'm starting to get used to it. I'm going to have a table at a craft sale in May! I'm really looking forward to it. I have quite a bit of inventory left from the craft sale in November, so I'm going to branch out and try a few new things. It should be fun! I've been working on some larger projects lately. I've finished one sock, (You'll see it once it has a twin, but that may be awhile!) and just yesterday I finished a baby sweater! That was probably the most involved thing I've made so far. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, because it still needs buttons. Anyway, back to the dishcloths. The first one is the February cloth from the dishcloth calendar. I love this pattern!

This one was designed by Sue Schaefer of Harvest Moon Designs. She is one of my favorite designers, and this cloths is just beautiful!

Colonial Williamsburg

This week we went to Colonial Williamsburg! I had been once, when I was 6. I was bored then. That certainly wasn't a problem this time! I love colonial history, so I was in heaven. It's amazing what you can learn in only two days! I don't know if any of you have ever been, but it's absolutely beautiful. It's amazing being in a building and thinking that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry were all there once. I can't decide which part was my favorite.



The Capitol Building



Happy criminals in the stocks. :)


Drilling with the militia.







Bruton Parish Church


Calf's head for dinner in the Governor's Palace. Yummy!


The ballroom in the Governor's Palace.


Our buddy Thomas Jefferson.


In "gaol". (jail)

Long Overdue..... Again

You may have noticed that things are slightly different. I've had the same look since I started blogging almost 2 years ago, and I decided it was time for a change! Here I am, once again, catching up on posting dishcloth pictures. I have no excuse, only that things are REALLY busy around here! Yesterday was the first day in weeks where I had nothing on the calendar. I need a day at home every now and then, to stay sane. I have been knitting, although some of the things I've been working on are larger projects that aren't finished yet. (I am, however, almost finished with a sock!) My days have been very full lately. Perhaps not as full as others', but for me I'm about as busy from day to day as I ever have been. It's hard to find time to work on all of my projects, and it's easy to get stressed. I'm the kind of person who is stressed if I'm not "getting things done", and at the end of the day I always feel like I could have done more. Through prayer, I'm changing, but it still makes for a frustrating day every now and then. What my Mom said is true though, at least I have things I enjoy..... Anyway, now that I have vented a little, here are my latest dishcloths. My photography isn't the best. I'm still trying to learn which setting on my new camera works best for dishcloths.

Ice Skate (January KAL)

This is the second January pattern from the dishcloth calendar. I love this pattern! Patterns that use multiple colors will always be my favorites.

January MM KAl.

This pattern is from Harvest Moon Designs. I love this pattern! I couldn't get both the color and the pattern to show well in a picture, so I gave up and decided to post one of each. The color is terrible in the second picture, but it should give you an idea of the pattern.

Snow!

For all practical purposes, it hasn't snowed here since early 2004, when Kirby was a puppy. On Monday they said it was supposed to snow 2-5 inches, and we got 7! Needless to say, we were pretty excited. We bundled up and went outside and stayed outside basically all day. It was so much fun!

Me with the boys.

Isn't he cute?

Sledding.

This was NOT supposed to happen!

Kirby and our snowman.

Kirby playing in the snow.

Christmas Projects

While I didn't get much knitting done during December, I had a reason. I was very busy with other projects. I made several felt ornaments, like my mom made when she was younger. (Those were so much fun, and so easy!) I made an apron from a pattern in a book my friend gave me for my birthday. It was my first big sewing project! (Not counting the quillow [quilt/pillow] I made several years ago. That was easy.) I had fun with it, and I just love how it turned out! I also made a tiny sweater for myself, and gave several as gifts. While I stayed with my grandparents for a week in November, we went ceramic painting. I painted an ornament, and it took me 4 1/2 hours! I adore ceramic painting. We don't have a good place close to us, so I only get to go a few times a year, but it's one of my very favorite things to do!Here are some pictures. I'm still learning how to use my new camera, so some of the coloring is not the best.

I finished the first pattern in the 2009 Dishcloth Hangups calendar. Patterns that use two colors are my favorites, and I love this one. The color combination is VERY different from anything I'd done before, but I had fun with it!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

All but three of my Christmas mornings have been spent at my grandparents' house. (If I have this right, we stayed home in 1995, 1999, and 2003.) I am very much a person who loves tradition. My vision of an ideal Christmas is being with family, drinking hot cider by the fireplace, and just hanging out. That (for the most part) is what this Christmas was. I love Christmas Eve almost as much as I love Christmas day! It's so cozy. The end of this Christmas Eve was bittersweet. My great grandmother, who has had Alzheimer's for many years, passed away that evening. Well miss her so much, but to quote my mom, we didn't lose her on Christmas Eve, we really lost her years ago. (She didn't recognize anyone anymore, hardly said a word, and spent her days just sitting in her chair.) She was just in time to celebrate Christmas with my great grandfather and the Birthday Boy in heaven! It was really a new look into the meaning of Christmas. Because God sent His Son, we'll all be together again someday. The funeral will be in a few days. On Christmas morning my brothers and I woke the adults up at 7, like we do every year. (Although this year my youngest brother and I had a hard time waking up my now 15 year old brother in time to wake the adults!) We looked in our stockings, and opened presents, just in time for my aunt, uncle and cousins to come for brunch. I got some wonderful gifts, including several new scrapbooking tools! I've been having so much fun with it all. Christmas evening we went to my dad's brother's house and had dinner with some of his family. Here are some pictures!

Merry Christmas from Kirby!

Making ambrosia, because it wouldn't be Christmas without it!

Me and Mom.

I spent a lot of time playing the piano this year.

With Reed and Will (my cousins) at the Christmas Eve service.

Handing out gifts.

Our gifts to each other!

Jamey was born on Christmas day! We usually have a cake, but this year we had pumpkin bread, and used the only candle we could find. :)

Playing with my cousin Seamus at my aunt and uncles house that night.

Dad and their dog, Greta.

All the cousins on December 26th!

Happy 2009 everybody!

Christmas Cookie Time!

About a month ago, my friend Parri moved in within bike riding distance of our house! It's been ages since I've had a friend so close by, and we've been having a lot of fun! Yesterday she came over and we decorated Christmas sugar cookies together. We went a little crazy, and we had a wonderful time.

While we were out....

While we were in South Dakota, friends from Mom and Dad's small group were in our house, doing an extreme home makeover on our living room! We had new sofas, and had planned on painting it, but they came in, painted, decorated, and it doesn't even look like the same living room anymore! It was such a wonderful surprise. Dad was the only one who knew about it. It's such an amazing blessing! I don't really have a good before picture, but you can kind of see here. This is how it looks now!

South Dakota!

This year was my dad's parents' 50th anniversary, and what they wanted most was for their 5 kids and their families to come and stay with them in South Dakota. The last time I was there I was 1 1/2, and needless to say I don't really remember anything about it. It was so much fun! My grandmother and I enjoy a lot of the same things, (quilting, scrapbooking, and knitting, of course) so we had a great time together. It was a 22 hour drive to get there, and on the way we were able to go to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum! I had wanted to go ever since I heard they were building it, but I never thought I'd actually go someday. Here are some pictures.

I'd seen pictures of the entrance, and it was amazing to actually be there!

The Garden of Eden. (It was BEAUTIFUL!)

My brothers.... *sigh* :)

Me, my mom, and the llamas.

Eating from the Tree of Life.

Outside the museum.

While we were staying with my grandparents, and before my aunts, uncles, and cousins got there, we were able to go to the Black Hills! It was an amazing trip. All 7 of us piled into my grandparent's van and drove 5 hours to get there.

On the way we stopped at a rest stop that overlooked the Missouri River.

"Beware Rattlesnakes"

The Badlands! It was absolutely beautiful, especially since there was still some snow left over from a blizzard.

It was kind of surreal, standing next to Mount Rushmore. Here we are with my grandparents.

We got to go to Sylvan Lake. The drive up was a little nerve wracking, but the lake was spectacular, especially with the freshly fallen snow, and it was totally worth it!

Here we are at Sylvan Lake.

We went to Custer State Park, not sure if we'd see any wildlife or not. We saw basically everything! Here are pictures of the buffalo.

We drove right through a herd of antelope!

A few days after we got back to my grandparents's house, the rest of my family got there, just in time for a few inches of snow! We haven't seen snow here since early 2004, and my Texas cousins had never even seen snow before! We had entirely too much fun.

Here we all are. Actually, not all. There were 20 of us total, including three 3 year olds! It was an adventure, but I loved being with all my family.

Here are the 3 year olds, Addison, Abbie, and Seamus.

This is my cousin Courtney. For Thanksgiving we went to my grandparents church and had a big meal in the fellowship hall, along with some extended family.

My brothers and me.

I got full WAY before I was done eating. It was very sad.

Long Overdue Dishcloth Pictures, and the NC State Fair

It seems like lately I've started every post out by saying something along the lines of "Sorry I haven't posted in so long". Now I'm doing it again, and I'm also confessing my tardiness in the area of posting dishcloth pictures. I'm way behind. I've missed the KALs from the beginning of the month, but here are pictures from the last two Mid-Month KALs.

I have a new love, Hakucho's Circle Cloth pattern. The first one you see is the result of my attempts to make one before she posted the pattern. It's not exactly right, but I still like it. The next two I made AFTER she posted the pattern, and I just love them! I already have ideas for more.

Last week we went to the North Carolina State Fair. It's so much fun! There is so much to do. I love looking at all the exhibits. I entered a few things this year, and won a 2nd place ribbon for my ceramic plate! Here we all are in front of the pumpkins. My dad couldn't go, because he had to work.

Feeding a llama in the petting zoo. You have to understand, I really, really, REALLY love llamas!

After riding a big ride which I could never get up the nerve to ride before. Actually I didn't really get up the nerve this year, but my brother talked me into it. I was scared to death, but I loved it! It was so much fun! I'm going again next year.

And the winner is........

Hakucho! Sorry I'm late posting the results. I actually took 720 pictures, and her guess of 500 was the closest. Go ahead and laugh at me for taking so many pictures. I laughed at myself. :)

Texas! (and a little contest)

You may have wondered why I haven't posted in so long. It's not that I haven't been knitting, although I haven't really had that much time to knit in the past few weeks. I've been in Texas! I go every year and visit my Auntie Ann, Uncle Brian, Austin, (she's 7) Brett, (he's 5) and Addison. (she's almost 3) I had so much fun! The time went by far too quickly. We did so many things in two weeks that I never could write about them all. You wouldn't believe how many pictures I took! (This leads to the contest at the end of the post) We made flower fairies, went to the park, went to a pumpkin patch, (That was probably my favorite thing that we did.) and the list goes on! I love my family. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took.


They made me a birthday cake!

Swinging in the backyard.

We did each other's hair. :) Look at Brett's!


After church.


Austin and I painted each other's faces with sidewalk chalk!

Auntie Ann and and me with our new beanie babies. :)
Addison made me a tea party.

Austin got a potholder loom at a yard sale.


Ceramic painting! Probably one of my favorite things to do ever!
At the pumpkin patch.

Our scarecrow.

The kids got to ride the ponies!

Addison

Now, about the contest. See if you can guess how many pictures I took while I was there. The person who guesses the closest will win a pattern from my patterns blog, http://patternsbylindy.blogspot.com/ I'll announce the winner on Wednesday. Have fun!

My 17th birthday party

For my 17th birthday, I had a party at the park near our house. 13 of my friends came, and we had SO much fun! I had never had a big party like that before, but I'm so glad I did. We had to change parks last minute, because we found out that the one we had originally planned on going to was having their 10th anniversary celebration at exactly the same time. It worked out though, because we ended up under a beautiful tree, next to a field, and across from the lake. The weather was beautiful, and it was in the low 70s that afternoon. We played games, talked, and just enjoyed being together. I love my friends! It was such a special day.

Here we are! David and Kendra couldn't come until later on, so they didn't make it for this picture.

We played Ultimate Frisbee. I had never actually played before. I'm not at all athletic, but I managed! It was really fun.

My friend Joelle has more pictures on her blog.

September Mid-Month KAL

This KAL pattern called for red. I don't normally use red, because it bleeds. I thought I would just try orange and see what happened. Now I realize I should have gone for brown, but it still looks cute. :) It's a schoolhouse, and I love it!

In spite of my "summer break", things are starting back up around here. This week is the first week of CYT. We don't know all of the plays yet, but we do know that the Monday 13+ class is doing Reformation of Katherine and the Wednesday Homeschool class (the class I help with) is doing Little Princess. I am SO excited about Reformation! I've never seen it before, but I've read the script, and I think it's going to be amazing! I can't wait get started.

Also, be sure to visit the knitting calendar blog! The calendar is now available to order.

My 17th Birthday

Thursday was my birthday! I had a wonderful day. The morning and afternoon were very relaxing, and for dinner we went to Olive Garden. It was neat the way that came about. The past several years we have gone to IHOP for my birthday, but this year I kind of wanted to go to Olive Garden. I hadn't said anything about it at all, because it's pretty expensive. Then, the day Brandon left, he gave us a gift from his parents. It was an Olive Garden gift card! I love it when God does things like that. The meal was wonderful, probably the best I've ever eaten! Then I came home and opened my presents. :) Probably the thing I got that I had wanted the most was a new Bible. I had wanted one that was smaller and easier to carry around. I also got a new overhead light for my room, some cute shirts, a purse, earings, and lots of sweet cards! Here are a few pictures, because in my life, no event is quite complete without them. :)

First Trip of the "Summer"!

You may remember that, because Brandon was here, we did school through the summer. Because of that, this is the first week of our break! It's so nice to be finished. Summer was wonderful, but now I'm ready to rest. This past weekend we went to Asheville to visit the Biltmore house! I had never been before. It was amazing! Because we went on a school day it wasn't crowded at all. The weather was perfect too! Here are some pictures.

Eating lunch on the lawn.

Me and my brothers. :)

It was incredible! It's hard to imagine someone actually living there.
The flower carpet was only there for two weeks, and we were there on the first day it was open!

I liked this flower a lot.

In the gardens.

Souvenirs. :)

The next day we went to Chimney Rock State Park. The actual chimney was a rock high on the edge of a mountain. You have to understand, I am VERY afraid of heights. From the second I saw where we were actually going, I was about as afraid as I had ever been. Once I finally got up there it was worth it, because the view was amazing!

The chimney.

See how high we are?

The view was spectacular.

Conquering my fear.

My brothers.

After the rock we walked on a long trail.

August Mid-Month KAL and another ballband.

This KAL pattern was so pretty! It's definitely one of my favorites. I was in a fall mood this week, which always happens to me about this time of year. Because of that, I chose this variegated, and I love the way it turned out! The picture doesn't show the pattern that well, but you can still see how pretty it is.I also finished my second ballband. I love these colors together!

Today was my last day of school, and tomorrow will be the first day of our "summer" break. While Brandon was here, he had to do school. Because of that, the boys and I also did regular school work through the summer, and we'll be taking the fall off. It will be a much needed break! I'll have more time to knit, and work on some other projects that I haven't had time for. We also have some fun things planned! I'll keep you all posted with everything that's going on.

2009 Knitting Calendar!

I just wanted to remind you all to check out the 2009 knitting calendar blog! From what I've seen of it so far, it's going to be wonderful. There are so many talented people involved. I'm especially excited because this year the calendar will include two of my own patterns! This first one is called Bluebonnets, the second is called Stained Glass.

DANIEL: AN UNCOMPROMISING LIFE ~ CYT

These last two weeks have been a crazy marathon, but they have also been among the most wonderful weeks of my life! God did so many amazing things in my life, and in the lives of my friends. I have the greatest friends ever. The play was absolutely incredible! We were all so blessed. The costumes were awesome. In the ending "Older Daniel" said something about praying for future generations, and after the lights went down we all came out as ourselves and sang a reprise of the song "We Resolve"! It was a perfect ending, but sadly that meant that in all the pictures after the play we were wearing white and khaki. We had 2 performances yesterday! It was the 1st time I had done that. It was exhausting, but so much fun! I could go on and on about the whole thing, but the pictures say it better than I could!

Eating dinner before dress rehearsal.

All the animals in King Nebuchadnezzer's second dream. (minus one who didn't have his costume on) I was a peacock. I didn't have my mask on yet. It goes down in history as my favorite costume ever!

All the flappers/Babylon girls! We had an amazing time together!

The 4 guys! From left to right, David D. as Abednego, Jamey (my brother!) as Meshach, David E. as Daniel, and Nathan as Shadrach. They were wonderful!

The 4 boys and the flames.

Backstage in our court costumes. This is a great picture, except my hair is funny looking! They hadn't fixed it that night.

In the hall before the performance.

Jamey and Kelsey both had to get their hair cut for the play.

My best friends, Kelsey and Elise!

Me, Jamey, and Brandon

Carrie was the assistant director. I love her!

Me and Eliza

My grandparents came to see it!

Yet another play, yet another DW...

I'm in the middle of yet another CYT play. This time it's Daniel: An Uncompromising Life. (As in the Daniel from the Bible) We're in the middle of the last 2 weeks of rehearsals, and it's been so much fun! All of the music is amazing, and I love everyone in it. It's definitely kept me busy this summer, but it's been wonderful to regularly see all my friends when I wouldn't be able to otherwise. Pray for us if you think about it, we are going to need it! Everything is going really well so far. There is more music than usual in this play, and it's all based on different styles, which makes the whole thing a lot of fun. I am a Babylon girl/flapper, (you'd have to see it to understand!) a peacock, (for the Nebuchadnezzar's second dream) and a member of the court. My brother is playing Meshach. My dad is in it too, and he helped write one of the songs! Here is a picture of me and my best friends Kelsey and Elise in our court costumes. (No, I will NOT be wearing the pink shirt underneath mine!) :) It's the only picture I have so far, but there will be more, trust me!

Even with the play going on, I have managed to squeeze in some knitting. Here's a picture of my latest DW cloth.

Also, be sure and check out the dishcloth calendar site. I'm already excited about it, and I had the chance to design several patterns for it this year! From what I've seen and heard so far, it's going to be wonderful!

July Mid-Month KAL

I love this pattern! It's so different from any I've tried before. It's nice to have a KAL finished on time again. :)

I also made another Finders Keepers cloth. Definitely one of my favorite patterns.

Of Birds and Brandon (and dishcloths!)

Our baby wrens are gone. They flew away yesterday, and we were able to watch! It was so cute. Here are two pictures, the first is from the day before they left, and the second is of one of them out on their own.Brandon has been dying for me to teach him how to knit, so we went to Wal-Mart and got him some needles and yarn. He was so excited to learn! I taught him on Tuesday, and he finished his very first dishcloth today. He did a great job! He's already started a second one. This time I'm showing him how to make a Granny's Favorite.

Every night Brandon has to write in his journal about something he's done that day. The night I taught him he wrote about knitting, and I told him if he'd type it on the computer that I'd post it. So, here it is.

Knitting lesson with Lindy

I am learning knitting with Lindy. Lindy is teaching me. Lindy is good at hand making: knitting, hand sewing, sewing machine and cross stitch. I like knitting. I want to make clothes. I’ll give them to my family. I bought yarn and needles in Wal-mart. I picked the color. I’m making a dish cloth. I worked hard at my schoolwork so I could have my lesson with Lindy afterwards. I knitted 21 rows. I want to do this in Korea. I’ll buy more yarn and needles and then make a lot of things.

It did not me this long to finish the June Mid-Month KAL, only to post a picture of it. :) It's such a pretty pattern, and the picture doesn't do it justice!

Last but not least, I've fallen in love with another pattern... the ballband! It was so much fun to make, and I love any pattern that uses more than one color! I just can't believe it took me so long to get around to making one.

Baby Wrens!

Several years in a row we've had a wren build a nest somewhere in our front porch. The past few years we haven't, and about a month or so ago we saw a wren fly back and forth on our porch. Sure enough, there was a nest, and now we have 3 babies! They are so cute! I think they're about ready to fly. Here are some pictures and a video. The video has sound, and you can hear them! As far as my knitting, I started my first Ballband cloth yesterday. I'll post a picture when it's finished.

July 4th

Every 4th of July for the past 5 years we have gone to Charlotte to stay with my grandparents. This year was no exception. The morning of the 4th, we got up, put on our bathing suits and left for the pool as soon as possible. Usually the pool is very crowded on the 4th, and there are only 2 places with shade. We got there about when it opened, and got the spot we were hoping for. We swam all morning, ate a picnic lunch, and stayed until about 3. 4th of July at my grandparent's pool is always fun, because they have games for the kids, like a coin toss and a relay race. Sadly, I'm not a kid anymore, but it's still fun to watch my cousins and brothers. Actually, brother. Jamey is too old now too.

My grandmother is still best friends with her college roommate, Kermene. They now live 5 minutes apart, in Lake Wylie, SC. Kermene and Bobby actually live right off the lake, and their dock is the perfect place to watch the big fireworks show Lake Wylie has every year. After the pool we went to their house. We had a big dinner, and then everyone visited as it started to get dark. We were a little worried; there was bad lightning, and if it was raining, they obviously couldn't shoot off fireworks! Fortunately, it stopped in plenty of time, and the fireworks were absolutely amazing! The show lasted for 15 minutes, and really it was too pretty for words! I love the 4th of July. Here are some more pictures.

Zach's sailor pose.

Reed and Will, my cousins. Are they not too cute for words?

Kermene had fun socks for all the kids. From left to right it's me, Brandon, and Zach.

Jamey took this one.

Will

The lake

Waiting on fireworks

On the 5th, we went to see Wall-E.

May Mid-Month KAL

You've probably just about decided that I've given up knitting forever, but I promise it's not true! Things have just been really busy around here lately, plus I'm getting ready for a craft sale in November. I'm behind on KALs too. I'll have to miss the next one, and then I *should* be back after that. Anyway, here is a long overdue picture of the May Mid-Month KAL. I have the June Mid-Month KAL in progress. I've just decided not to stress about it.

Here's my other recently completed project, a textured painted cloth. I first read about it on Hakucho's blog. It was fun to make, easy, and I love the way it turned out! It's such a clever idea.

Homeschool conference...and a surprise!

Ok, now I'll backtrack a little. Every year Mom, Jamey, and I go to the homeschool conference in Winston-Salem. I love it! I meet my friends there, and we hang out together for most of the three days we're there. We eat lunch and dinner together, and when we're bored we find a corner and talk. There are speakers and a book fair, but the book fair has more than just books. I could spend forever in there! It's the one time when I buy some fun things that I wouldn't normally buy. All of the speakers were really good this year! I learned a lot. Most people stay in one of two hotels beside the convention center, but my great aunt and uncle live about 15 minutes away, so we stay with them. I could go into further detail, but the pictures pretty much say it all. There were lots of good pictures, but I tried to just choose the best ones.

Our Starbucks date in Joelle's hotel room

From left to right: Elise, Kelsey, Alex Joelle

In Kelsey's hotel room during our lunch break

The amazing galaxy lab goo! We had entirely too much fun with it. :) We found it in the book fair and couldn't resist.

Jamey's friend Justin stayed with us. Here we are playing ping pong.

Taking a break! (On the left is Anna, Elise's sister)

Now for the surprise, we have a Korean exchange student staying with us this summer! He got here on Saturday. His English name is Brandon, and he's 11. He's so sweet! I love him already. His English is very good; he has an amazing vocabulary! He's been having a good time so far. He and the boys have been playing lots of games, and he's even been teaching us some Korean words! Right now he and mom are at the store getting rice. Here's a picture of the two of us. He brought me 2 gifts, a fan and a mirror, so that's what I'm holding. Wasn't that thoughtful? He'll be here for three months, so we're doing school through the summer and taking a break in the fall. Consequently, today was my first day as a junior!

Beach trip

I'm sorry I've neglected you! I didn't mean to, I've been out of town. I intend to catch up. This post is about our beach trip, and in a few days I'll backtrack a bit. Like I said, we just got back from Myrtle Beach. We went to celebrate my grandparents' 50th anniversary! Thursday night we had an actual anniversary party, with a cake, a little variety show, and a slideshow with pictures from when they were kids up to now. It was a wonderful trip. The weather was just perfect, it wasn't too crowded, and we all had a lot of fun together. I have a great family! We were there for a week. It was really nice to have a chance to relax. I haven't been able to do that in awhile. We spent all but one of our days at the beach and pool, and at night we all visited or played games. I didn't do any knitting (gasp) but it was a much needed break! Here are some pictures.

Happy Anniversary Nanny and Granddaddy!

I got an awful sunburn the first day, hence the shirt.

Me with Will in the lazy river

Burying ourselves. I love playing in the sand!

The cool dudes with their new shades. :)

Relaxing after a busy day

Jamey and the little boys playing football

Splash wars! I started it. :)

Three generations

My first Garterlac cloth

I'm planning on teaching knitting lessons this summer. I needed a project for the advanced class, and someone suggested the Garterlac dishcloth. Great idea. However, if one is going to teach something, it might help if one has tried it first. Hence, my very first Garterlac cloth! It took me a little while to get the hang of it, (Ok, I almost quit) but I finally figured it out, and I think I'm going to use it for my lessons. It was so much fun to make! I love the way it looks. Here's a picture.

Knitting in random places

I just finished Driver's Ed. It made for a really long week! Now all I have to do is actually drive, which should be interesting. I managed to get my kites (for the Kite Along) involved. The teacher said we could bring a book or something, so I brought my knitting instead. It kept me sane! I got 5 2/3 kites done, so I felt like I accomplished something. (I mean besides learning to drive.) Here's a picture of all my kites so far.

May KAL

This one is so pretty! Usually I keep my KALs, but I think I'll give this cloth to my second cousin, who is getting married in August. I used P&C light green, and I love it with this pattern!

Hunchback pictures

My Camera ~ Backstage

Here's me. Joelle took this one.

Me and Elise

The Statues in all their glory.

Me, Kelsey, Rebekah, and Elise. (and Nathan)

Jo, (Ruby) David, (Phoebus) and Ginny. (Esmeralda)

Me and David. (Quasimodo) And Flat Stanley.

Me, Jo, and Ginny

Kelsey and Caroline. (Both statues)

Our backstage TV. You can kind of see the sets on it.

Mom's Camera ~ After the play

Jamey, me, and Mom

Me and Caroline

Me and Joelle

Kelley, Parri, and me

Me and Jo again

Hope, me, and Delise

Me and Kendra. She was the Assistant Stage Director.

Me with my grandparents

My Camera ~ Out to eat afterwards

Don't we look great in our makeup? The people in the resturant must have thought we were nuts. David's hair is still grey.

Having fun!

That's all. Hope you enjoyed it. Hope you weren't bored. I won't be around much next week, because I'll be taking Driver's Ed. *sigh*

Hunchback! (Pictures to follow)

It will be a day or two before I can download the pictures, but I wanted to go ahead and let you know how it went. It was amazing! The play, yes, but also the backstage experience! I love everyone in that class, they are all so much fun. If you had a problem, there would be 5 people around you praying for you, and the focus on prayer is really what made the difference in the play. We'd come in costume, (I loved my costumes!) and get our makeup and hair done there. (I loved my hair too!) I don't really mind wearing all the makeup; it's kind of fun every once in awhile, but it is a pain to get off! As we'd finish, we'd congregate in the hall and sing praise and worship or pray. About an hour before the performance started, Mrs. Natalie would come back and talk for awhile, then we'd pray as a group. Before we knew it, it would be time for the play to start. Most of us were in the first scene. (Festival of Fools) I'm normally a very shy person, but when I'm onstage I'm hardly nervous at all. I really enjoy it! Each night, we had a lot of little mistakes, but never a big disaster. Once we finished the festival scene, all the girls had a massive costume change. To go from being a townsperson to a gypsy, we had to change costumes, take our hair down, put on jewelry, and put on 3 times as much eye makeup! I was always nervous I would forget something, but fortunately I never did. We'd finish a scene or two before we were supposed to be onstage for the gypsy scene. Speaking of which, the gypsy scene was so much fun! Acting like a gypsy isn't exactly in my nature, but once I got the hang of it it was pretty enjoyable. (Of course, this being Christian Youth Theatre, we didn't go too far!) That was definitely a comedic scene. We had a dance, a big group number, and all that. I can't wait until the DVD comes out so I can see how it looked for the audience! After that scene, most of us were done until the very end, so I would either pray with a group or watch the play (There was a TV screen so we could watch the stage!) and pray alone. It was really a great atmosphere. The play itself was amazing too. Everyone did such an awesome job, but God really blessed it and took it above and beyond all we ever could have done on our own! I love the story too. The music was beautiful, AND in the Christian Youth Theater version, Quasimodo married Esmeralda in the end! :) I could keep going for a long time, but you're probably nearing boredom, so I'll quit. I'll have some pictures (Ok, lots of pictures) later. I'll just end by saying I can't describe how wonderful it all was, and I'm so blessed to have been a part!

Hunchback Dress Rehearsal

Dress rehearsal went so well last night! I really feel good about it. We went through the whole play once, then went back and polished a little. Backstage we have chairs set up, and there's actually a TV so we can watch what's going on onstage! I took some pictures while we were getting makeup and during intermission, and I thought I'd let you see a little behind the scenes.

David/Quasimodo. Doesn't he look amazing!?!

Me with Kelley. Not the best picture of me, but for now it's only one I have in my townsperson costume.

Nathan, Joseph, and Caroline. 3 out of 6 statues.

Me with Jo/Ruby. Isn't my gypsy eye makeup crazy!?

Me with Kelsey in her statue pose.

Last, but not least, your peek at the girls dressing room.

April Mid-Month KAL

Usually I'm not this late in finishing, but with all the Hunchback rehearsals I haven't had any spare time. Even now I'm about to get ready for final dress rehearsal, which could easily last past midnight. I might have skipped it, except I love patterns that use more than one color. This one was so pretty too! I just love the way it turned out. Check back sometime next week, and I'll have plenty of Hunchback pictures!

Coming soon...

We're getting ready for another CYT play! This one is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is the Monday 13 and up class, and it's the biggest play of the year. I'm really excited! The play is this weekend, and we had a rehearsal almost every night last week, and we have one on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, (final dress) and then Thursday is our first performance! I'm a random townsperson/gypsy, and it's really fun. We're in several songs, 2 dances, and we really have a lot to do in our scenes . I love my costumes! It's going to be amazing, but we need lots more practice and LOTS more prayer! If you're in the area, try to come. On Friday Jamey and I went to paint sets. (The sets are going to be amazing too, by the way!) Several of our friends were also there, and we had a great time. We learned a lot too. Mrs. Millie has been doing sets for CYT for 10 years, and she showed us everything we needed to know. We got a lot done (these are big sets!) but we also managed to get some paint on each other! Jamey even got paint in my ear. Here's a picture of us when we got home. (We're holding our cousins' flat Stanleys, but I'll save that for a later post.) Not the best picture, but that's not really the point. Notice my grey face.

After our rehearsal yesterday, we all had lunch, then loaded sets. We all sat on the porch, and it was such a nice day. One of the great things about CYT is that it's like a big family. We all have such a great time together! That's all for now, but I'll have many more pictures next week after the performances.

Free pattern ~ "The Meadow"

The Meadow

Cotton yarn – any solid color
Size 7 needles

CO 40

1. K1, P1, across
2. P1, K1, across
3. K1, P1, across
4. P1, K1, across
5. K1, P1, K1, P1, K32, K1, P1, K1, P1
6. P1, K1, P1, K1, P32, P1, K1, P1, K1
7. K1, P1, K1, P1, K32, K1, P1, K1, P1
8. P1, K1, P1, K1, P32, P1, K1, P1, K1
9. K1, P1, K1, P1, K32, K1, P1, K1, P1
10. P1, K1, P1, K1, P32, P1, K1, P1, K1
11. K1, P1, K1, P1, K32, K1, P1, K1, P1
12. P1, K1, P1, K1, P32, P1, K1, P1, K1
13. K1, P1, K1, P1, P1, K29, P2, K1, P1, K1, P1
14. P1, K1, P1, K1, K4, P25, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
15. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K21, P6, K1, P1, K1, P1
16. P1, K1, P1, K1, K6, P1, K4, P11, K4, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
17. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K1, P6, K1, P5, K1, P6, K1, P6, K1, P1, K1, P1
18. P1, K1, P1, K1, K5, P2, K6, P1, K5, P1, K6, P2, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
19. K1, P1, K1, P1, P3, K3, P6, K1, P5, K1, P6, K3, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1
20. P1, K1, P1, K1, K6, P1, K5, P2, K5, P2, K5, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
21. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K1, P4, K3, P5, K3, P4, K1, P6, K1, P1, K1, P1
22. P1, K1, P1, K1, K6, P1, K6, P1, K5, P1, K6, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
23. K1, P1, K1, P1, P5, K1, P6, K1, P5, K1, P6, K1, P6, K1, P1, K1, P1
24. P1, K1, P1, K1, K6, BOBBLE, P1, K5, P1, K5, P1, K6, BOBBLE, P1, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1
25. K1, P1, K1, P1, P12, K1, P5, K1, P13, K1, P1, K1, P1
26. P1, K1, P1, K1, K13, BOBBLE, P1, K4, BOBBLE, P1, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
27. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
28. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
29. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
30. P1, K1, P1, K1, K32, P1, K1, P1, K1
31. K1, P1, K1, P1, P32, K1, P1, K1, P1
32. P1, K1, P1, K1, K29, P1, K2, P1, K1, P1, K1
33. K1, P1, K1, P1, P2, K1, P29, K1, P1, K1, P1
34. P1, K1, P1, K1, K30, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
35. K1, P1, K1, P1, P1, K1, P30, K1, P1, K1, P1
36. P1, K1, P1, K1, K25, P1, K4, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
37. K1, P1, K1, P1, P1, K1, P4, K1, P25, K1, P1, K1, P1
38. P1, K1, P1, K1, K26, P1, K4, P1, P1, K1, P1, K1
39. K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P4, K1, P26, K1, P1, K1, P1
40. P1, K1, P1, K1, K27, P1, K3, P1, P1, K1, P1, K1
41. K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, P6, K1, P21, K1, P1, K1, P1
42. P1, K1, P1, K1, K22, P1, K5, P4, P1, K1, P1, K1
43. K1, P1, K1, P1, K4, P4, K1, P23, K1, P1, K1, P1
44. P1, K1, P1, K1, K24, P2, K1, P5, P1, K1, P1, K1
45. K1, P1, K1, P1, K6, P26, K1, P1, K1, P1,
46. P1, K1, P1, K1, K17, P2, K7, P6, P1, K1, P1, K1
47. K1, P1, K1, P1, K7, P3, K3, P19, K1, P1, K1, P1
48. P1, K1, P1, K1, K22, P10, P1, K1, P1, K1
49. K1, P1, K1, P1, K8, P24, K1, P1, K1, P1
50. P1, K1, across
51. K1, P1, across
52. P1, K1, across
53. K1, P1, across

BO


Patterns By Lindy



If you have trouble with the bobbles, please visit http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/cyca-forum/read.php?1,27145,27159#msg-27159

Kirby's haircut

Kirby's hair had gotten way out of hand. Mom cuts his hair every 6 months or so, and it goes from long and fluffy to really short. It's a big job, he had a lot of hair! He's pretty patient, but he fights it a little when she cuts his face and feet. She spreads it out over several days, and in between, he looks really funny! I thought I'd share some pictures.....

The first day she cut his head and legs. (Doesn't he look like a sheep?)

Then she cut his body

Here he is with only one ear done.

Ta daaaaaa!!!!

In case you've been wondering, I'm not taking a break from knitting. I just haven't been knitting dishcloths as much. I've mostly been working on belts for a craft sale this November. I also joined the Kite Along. I've been having a lot of fun with that! I've made 9 already. I'm using my cotton scraps, in all different colors. The color combination isn't that pretty yet, but once I do some more it will be! (I hope!)

Easter

As I mentioned earlier, I had a wonderful Easter! We went to Charlotte and stayed with my grandparents. (All except for my dad, who had to stay home sick) :( I love being with my extended family. My grandparents house feels like a second home. They've lived there since long before I was born, and we've lived in our house for 7 years. We got there Friday night, and then on Saturday we had a nice quiet morning. Before I knew it, it was two o'clock! I decided it was probably time to get dressed. :) That afternoon we went to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner and an Easter Egg hunt, along with my Aunt Julie, Uncle Al, cousin Courtney, and some family friends. We had a great time! Here are some pictures.

Me with my Aunt Elizabeth

Granddaddy caught snitching jellybeans!

Before the Easter egg hunt

Jamey and Courtney

Preparing to play "secret agents" (don't ask)

Easter morning, we woke up early because my grandparents sing in their church's choir and had to be there for the first service. Mom (aka "The Easter Bunny") said she was going easy on the candy this year, but it didn't quite work out that way. :) The church service was really nice. I love going to church on Easter. It's so special. (I always love church, but especially on Easter!) When I was little, my brothers and I would always sing a song on Easter Sunday, (because my dad was a worship pastor) but we haven't done that in a long time. After the service we came back to my grandparents' house and had lunch. It was a very big lunch! It was all wonderful, but I think my favorite was the pretzel salad. After we ate, Will took a nap, the boys played outside, and I sat with the adults. When Will woke up, it was time for our traditional Easter egg hunt! I had filled the eggs with Starburst jellybeans a few days earlier, so we were ready to go. I love Easter egg hunts. (In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm a big fan of tradition.) I suppose I only have a few years left before I graduate from "hunter" to "hider", so I'm enjoying it while I can. We had plenty of eggs for the 5 of us, so it wasn't exactly competitive, just fun. Reed and Will had a great time. They are good egg hunters! We had leftovers for dinner, and then we had to come back home. It was a wonderful trip! Here are a few more pictures. I hope I didn't bore you to death!

You can tell we're tired!

Lunch.... the picture is great of everyone except Reed!

I managed to squeeze in some knitting!

We're ready to go!

Zach and Reed

"Show and Tell"

Happy Easter!

(from left to right) Aunt Elizabeth, me, Nanny, and Mom

Contest winners!

I must admit, I couldn't believe how many people entered my little contest last week! Thanks so much for all the sweet things you said. You made my blog-a-versay fun! To all the people who said to give Kirby a hug, he says thanks too. :) I was really surprised at how close some of the guesses came, especially since there was no picture. I was even more surprised that two people actually got the exact number! The winners are........ Kathleen (via email) and picn'knit! Congratulations! (picn'knit, if you could leave a comment with your email address or else email me at MadeByLindy AT nc DOT rr DOT com in order to claim your prize, that would be great!) The correct number is 63. Here's a picture of all of them. I hope you all had a great Easter! I did. Check back in a few days, and I should have some pictures.

March Mid-Month KAL and Easter Eggs

Here is the latest KAL! This one is cute, it's an illusion bunny. I'd never done an illusion cloth before, so this was kind of exciting! It ended just in time too, because we're about to go out of town. This is one of my favorite times of year, except for the pollen. I could do without that.

Last night my brothers and I dyed Easter Eggs. We had fun! I love dying eggs. I don't think I'll ever get too old. :) Here's my entire basket.

Here are my favorites....

My traditional rainbow egg. I make the stripes with rubber bands.

For this one, we put vegetable oil in the dye.

I think this one is my favorite! Rubber bands again.

My "Made by Lindy" logo egg!

I always do some half and half eggs.

More dishcloths

The Mar-di-gras P&C yarn was just begging to be turned into a new DW cloth! I couldn't resist. :) It's such a beautiful color. I also finished "My Favorite Dishcloth" from Harvest Moon Designs. The title is appropriate! It was very easy, and I love the way it looks.
I'm sure you'll hear from me before then, but if not, Happy Easter everyone!

Blog-a-versary contest!

Well, this blog began a year ago today, and in honor of this very important fact, I'm going to do... ummmm.... Just give me a minute, I'll think of something. While I'm thinking, I just have to say how much I appreciate all of you wonderful people who take the time to read my blog! It would be pretty much pointless if no one bothered to read it. Special thanks to Hakucho, TEA, and Joelle, who never fail to comment. Not to leave the rest of you out! Every time someone leaves a comment, it makes my day. I still can't believe it's been a year! Actually, I almost missed this important event. *gasp* That would have been very sad, after all, these things only come once a year. Oh well, I didn't, so it's all good. Ok, I thought of something. I'll have a little contest. In my room, I have a rather large pile of dishcloths. Leave a comment, and see if you can guess how many I have sitting up there. This includes KALs, patterns I've designed, everything. For added challenge, I'm not going to post a picture. :) Whoever comes the closest will win 2 free patterns from my pattern blog. (Your choice) If there's a tie, I won't draw names, there will just be more than one winner. You have until next Saturday, March 22, to enter. I'll announce the winner on the 23rd, along with the correct number. If you don't have a blog, be sure to leave your email address or something so I can get in touch with the winner! Again, thanks for making my blogging experience so wonderful. Have fun!

P.S. Oops! I forgot that the 23rd is Easter! It still seems too early. Because of that, the contest will still close on Saturday, but I won't announce the winner until a few days later.

More Finders Keepers

I've been enjoying making a few more Finders Keepers cloths from February. It's so much fun, and there are soooo many possibilities. Here are the three I've done; the last one I used different scraps, and I really like the way it turned out.

Yarn!!!!!

I just recieved my very first P&C order! I actually got it within 24 hours of having ordered it. I just love it! All the colors are so beautiful. I can't wait to use them. Kirby was excited too, not because of the yarn, but because of the box. Nearly every time we get something in a box, Kirby get's to play with it. (the box, that is) He didn't get this one, but he sure did want it. Immediately, he ran over and sat beside it, hunched over with his head leaning on it! Then he looked at us with his "cute" eyes. It was so funny! Here's a picture. You have to understand he's leaning very hard. You most likely would have laughed if you had seen how excited I got over each new color I pulled out of the box! I think the Mar-di-gras and Baby Ombre are my very favorites. Here it is, all spread out. All my NEW yarn got me curious about how much yarn I had total. So, I got it all out and counted skeins. (Only cotton, mind you, although I don't have too much of anything else.) I had 198 skeins! (Roughly, I already forgot the exact number.) I go through it pretty fast though. :)

KAL and Kirby

I'm so excited about the latest KAL! Yes, I know I keep saying that, but hey, it keeps being true! :) This is now one of my favorite patterns, right up there with lace cloths. I'm going to be making many more. For this one, I used S&C Tea Rose and Ivory. They look so pretty together!Kirby has a new love - bubbles! Dad brought some home, and he just loves them. I took a really cute video, but I can't get to work. Check back in a few days, and maybe I'll get it. Oh well, here are some pictures anyway. They're blurry, but you get the idea.

Kirby is my baby!!!

Valentine's Day, Stitch Markers, and a new lace cloth!

Every year for as long as I can remember our family (just the 5 of us) has had a Valentine's Day party. It's never exactly the same, but it's always fun! We have dinner on our china, in the past we've made our own heart shaped pizzas, and decorated cupcakes, or else had something fancy. We play some games, and do other things too. We never know what we're going to do until we're doing it! This year we had a dart competition. I was actually ahead for most of it, (trust me, that's a big shocker!!) but at the end I fell apart and came in third. Oh well, it was still fun. Then we had a raffle. (something we do every year) We each draw pictures, and then we raffle them. It's actually really fun! We get kind of crazy. This year, instead of Mom choosing the categories, we each got to think of one. That got interesting. Here we are with our "artwork" :)For dinner, we had Twice-Baked potatoes, Vegetable pancakes, cranberry sauce, and Chicken Marsala. It was really good! (by the way, that's sparkling grape juice in the back!)We have a "Heart Mobile" that we add to every year. We each make a few hearts with Sculpy to put on it. It's very full by now. :) It was a great party.

Last weekend I made some new stitch markers. I made the little Easter eggs with Sculpy! The beads took an eternity to make, but I just love how they turned out.

I also finished this lace cloth. I'd forgotten how long lace patterns take, but in my opinion, it was definately worth it!