Tolentreasures

Doesn't that just sound all office and professional?  Friday Morning Weekly Progress Report.   I really do go over the past week at work on Fridays and make the list for the next week.   This is a Home Progress Report though.   Afghans. Six of them. One down, five to go and the progress on each.   Because if you live in an ADD world as I do... you know one project is never enough.   Forty-five or so is really the magic number and I guarantee I have at least that many projects started around here! Some are stashed, some are blatantly staring me in the face.   These are all the ones stashed in the living room, if you don't count the doodle art projects started in the one corner behind the couch.   Shhhh, let's keep that quiet! Hopefully next Friday I will have another one finished.   One a week would take me to.... December 19th... I might h...

Thanks to some awesome benefactors, there will be some of God's tiniest clothed!   While in Haiti, next week, we will be helping out at an orphanage for preschool children. Twenty one children in desperate need of food, clothing.. basics!   So, I packed.  And Kendall helped. At four, she had a lot of questions about where their Mommies and Daddies were, why they needed clothes. "don't they even have a car?"   and "Can I go with you and play with them?" Clothing was found at end of year prices. Bible story books, lots of sewing, and flip flops for $1 each. How can you pass that up? Some more sewing, and underwear. I found a huge duffel bag at the church, and I packed and weighed and packed and weighed.   Add a can of formula, some more clothing, weigh again.   Getting the picture? Finally at 43 pounds, I decided that was clos...

We are heading into one of the busiest times of the year. My house and business are a mass of lists, deadlines, appointments... It's enough to make your head swim.   You say, "Who has time to take on anything else?"   And I agree that it sounds overwhelming, however, so many of you that read this sew, knit, crochet, paint, craft, encourage, uplift, you name it. We all have a gift! Share it this season!   Below, I am going to list all my favorite service projects from years past.   What will I do this year? Right now, I have no idea, but I do know that there are a lot of crafting supplies calling my name!   This is the most popular post on my blog, close to 12,000 hits!  Shocked?  I was and am as it continues to grow. Thrilled? Yes! That means that there are all the more people receiving these much needed bags!   http://tolentreasures.blogspot.com/2010/04/w...

The weather outside is getting frightful! Why not warm up some cold little and big heads? These are literally the fastest hats EVER to knit. I can make one in an hour! And, they sure put a dent in your stash. and who among you doesn't need to stash bust? The pattern is here or here http://tolentreasures.blogspot.com/2010/12/fastest-hats-in-world-free-knitting.html or look on the sidebar under tutorials. Your local women's shelter, homeless shelter or even your local grade school could use warm hats, scarves and why not zip into the local discount store and buy some mittens to go along with them? C'mon, not only will it make someone else warm and fuzzy, you might just feel a little warm and fuzzy yourself!

They were at work with us, they were a little "antsy" I mentioned that if they cleaned up... I would take them home for the afternoon.... It started like this. Two little angels loving my phone and the bowling app. Don't they look innocent and well-behaved?   And then... This happened. See the little one still calmly sitting there playing with my phone?   See the mess increasing and the little one still is entertained quietly...   Even as the fun amps up...he is still calm.   Still being the perfect child.   Like that was going to last.   NOT!!!   And then it escalated. Plastic candy cane sword fighting.   And the words of the day when they went to my sewing room to get the candy canes. Tyler takes a look at my sewing room, which I am trying to clean and reorganize and says, 'What is this mess?" and then "You better get this cleaned up before Mommy sees this" I ask why. To which he replies, "My mom hates messes, she REALLY...

My girls loved I Spy books when they were little, well to be honest...I loved them also. Luckily I still have them and we have a whole new generation loving I Spy . When the boys arrive they run for those books, they have their order that they want to look through them and they have their favorite pages. Logan doesn't quite have his colors down so I have to be careful what I tell him to look for, but Tyler can find the littlest stuff and make me search for it. I have years of experience with those books, but Papa is so easy to stump, they are all new to him. When I was making the patriotic ATC'c, I thought I would try making some bigger paper decorated pieces. Fun and easy! Donations!!!!! More yarn, tons of knitting needles and crochet hooks! My friend Becky's mom cleaned out her sewing stuff and sent these to me. I was so surprised to get the package! These are going in the donation closet for the mission trip in January. Good thing I found a place to donate t...

I had just settled into my recliner for my afternoon recuperation time. (I actually went to work for the morning yesterday) when I heard this awful, nightmarish noise. Now for all of you bird lovers....good for you, I am not a big fan of birds, bats, large fluttery moths, or the worst...the dreaded HUMMINGBIRD! Most people think that is weird and I am sure that it has some deep rooted issue in my childhood, but whatever it is, I strongly dislike the above mentioned members of nature! Please don't think less of me...I have had my moments that I have been sympathetic to these creatures and allowed them to coexist in my environment. Last year I had a mourning dove nest on my porch in a ladder that I have there and I "allowed" her to stay, however any fluttery creature who dares to invade my inside space is sure to meet an untimely demise. Sorry, they crossed the line, if they are outside where they belong, I will be a pacifist and let them live. So now that we have...

Oh, the things that I could do. Would I procrastinate and not do anything as I have heard so many people say that are staying home? I don't think so but I really don't know. All I know now is that when I get a few hours off in the afternoons as I did this week, I accomplished so much at home. Well to tell the truth, the house is not really clean, but I love making these dishcloths. I learned how when I was in the Dominican and now I am hooked on making them, I guess that I'll put the hats and scarves aside for a little while and make these. Luckily there was a huge spool of the cotton yarn in my aunt's stash that I received. They will all be the off-white color but I also learned that to make them stronger you can add crochet cotton to them. I tried that on one but kept dropping the cotton. Maybe if I try it in a color I will be able to see it better. I found this pillow top that I had put together many years ago (well actually about 2 moves ago for a bedroom in a hou...