Lots of new projects..........

Have been super busy working on secret gifts and new patterns.... 

This is the "Birthday Celebration Every Weekend" time of the year.... Yup, you guessed it.... everyone in my family (except for me) has a birthday from two weeks ago until the end of May.  So I have been busy....  a good busy... but nonetheless B U S Y!  

Between cleaning, baking and cooking - there has been no time for blogging....  okay actually no baking (I have decided that the store bought cakes/cupcakes/pies are so IN this year ;)  But I did make the super duper yummy pulled pork and the homemade Kansas style bbq sauce for hubby's birthday celebration.  Huge success.... with all the credit and thanks going to Gina at skinnytaste.com

Also working on a very top secret project for my oldest daughter's birthday......  Will post pics once the gift has been received!  

Also working on a "new to me" pattern for a youth afghan with donated yarn....  As I mentioned here I work with some awesome ladies at my church... not only do we make Prayer Shawls, but we also make youth and baby afghans for a women's and children's shelter and beanies/hats for our Food Pantry.  We get a lot of donated yarn and we like to be good stewards and use it!  So with the help of Lucy at Attic 24 - I have finally dove hook first into the world of Granny Stripes and I am loving it!  I love making Granny Squares anyway!   I have some donated variegated purple skeins and a solid purple Pounder - so I am set for a nice sized afghan.  While I am only a couple rows into the pattern - it is fantastic and I cannot wait to get it done so I  try this edging! A friend started an afghan but was unable to finish it - so she asked me to and I was able to finish it for her..... she lovingly donated it to our ministry....  It is with the same color variation that I am doing the granny stripe with... but this one was a just one large Granny Square.....  

 This purple is darker than the one I am working on now.  

 Here is a sneak peek.... mainly because I have not gotten that far....

Do you like the little hook holder?  I made it over a year ago.... mainly because I would lose my hooks - they would fall through my bag into never never land.  


I will admit that I am very very slow crocheter.....  but I do love to crochet.  I think it is because I cannot sit for very long (the whole puttering thing) and once I get a few rows hooked - I must get up and go do something else for awhile.  


This explains where there are lots and lots of projects going all at once.  My youngest daughter even laughs because I have two books going on my NOOK right now...  (do any of you have a NOOK or Kindle?)  Oh I love my NOOK....  but that is another post....  


My tomato plants are doing great.... I took this picture last weekend and they are twice the size now.... 

So you see..... I have many irons in the fire... I have tried to figure this out and I have come to one conclusion... that whole empty nest thing.  Am I filling up my time with lots of creative endeavors because the "little projects" that have occupied my time and mind for twenty years are now not my little projects anymore?   (Yup.... my youngest will be TWENTY years old in one week!)


The funny thing is that I cannot imagine how I DID it all those years.....  now when I am tired, I go to bed or take a nap.... if I am bored I crochet, or bake or garden or ???????.... Before I did all those things and MORE.... in one day! I cannot even imagine that now. 


Back once again to puttering.....  taking the time and lots of new projects......