Saturday, March 31, 2012

I'M A KNITTER

My first dish rag
As you can see there are a few mistakes.
But I still patted myself on the back.
When I was in high school my mom taught me how to knit,
but it was never my thing.  
My Aunt started making these and she gave me one.
I asked her to come and give me a refresher course. 
I will never use a store brought one again.
The yarn must be 100% cotton. 
These are great!
This one is for Ethel. 
I know she'll treasure it.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

SWEET POTATO PIE



My dear friend gave me this recipe that she tweaked to accommodate her husbands sissy diet.  Taste better than pumpkin pie.  I will never go back. You have to give it a try, probably the simplest pie I ever made.  
Here it is: 

Sweet Potato Pie

2 pie crusts
(I used store brought which made my friends skin crawl)

Mix all the ingredients 
(or immigrants as a friend calls them, don't you love old people)

2 large sweet potatoes 3 1/2 cups mashed
2t salt
2c vanilla flavored almond milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2t cinnamon
1t nutmeg
1t ginger

Pour in pie crusts, 
 and bake for 35-40 minutes 
at 400 degrees.
insert knife on outer edge to come out clean, 
the center will set.




Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day

May You Always Have
Love To Share
Health To Spare
Friends That Care

and

May You Arrive In Heaven A Half Hour
Beefore The Devil Knows You're Dead!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Tooth Fairy Pillows

These adorable little pillows are perfect for the tooth fairy.

You can personalize with their name and the date they lose the tiny little tooth.

The pocket in the back houses the tooth until the fairy sneaks in at night, 
to purchase it for her castle.

These are also great shower gifts!




 Place orders at
djcreations.wordpress.com

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The March


My granddaughter will spend hours lining up her animals.  Some of these aren't cheap, but worth every dime.  
As she says, "I like to keep them in their families Mimi."

As you can see from the pile in the background, 
they sometimes go all the way across the room.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Take the Initiative!

If someone else always does things for you. . .you don't know your own abilities!  The wise mother lets her daughter stir up the cookies all by herself after a few tries together.  The kind father lets the son take a summer job and learn to stand on his own feet early.  The greatest thrill in life is in discovering that what once was hard has become easy. . .or at least within the range of your understanding.  To discover that you can is the whole joy of learning how to make a set of bookshelves with your basement tools. . .or learning how to make a dress on your portable sewing machine.

All teachers of beginners should be wise and tolerant, sympathetic and understanding.  You won't always find them so.  You must use your initiative to start new things. . .your courage to keep on with them until they become easy.

You can't say "I have such-and-such abilities.  I could never do thus-and-so."  How do you know you couldn't?  Human potentiality is almost unlimited.  Of course there will be certain things you are more adapted to than others.  Whichever type you are, try. . .if even for a short time. . .one of the pursuits that seems more difficult.

You may be surprised to find yourself making a better birdhouse than the next one.  And if you were always deep in books and speeches before, the use of your hands. . .the feel of power over tools. . .will be good for you!  It will give you the mental rest and change you need.

The magic lies in taking it slowly at first, doing the simple easy job.  Simplicity is best in most things anyway.  It is certainly the best way to learn.  Don't be ashamed of your simple work.  This is the biggest most important lesson anyone can learn.

If you always worked with tools. . .try taking an adult recreation course.  Persist. . .do not take yourself too seriously.  Soon you'll be doing the impossible!



You can accomplish these good deeds. . .these successes you sometimes dreamed of but were too timid to try.  Haven't you seen the amateur theatrical in which the local tailor or plumber turned out to be the hit. . .because he could summon a naturalness and a gusto which outshone the mannerisms of experience actors?  That's what usually happens when we bring a fresh new interest to something.  That's why a change of activity is always good to give a person for recreation.

We might call this discovery of hidden treasures within ourselves mining for the hidden gold!  You don't know what you can do until you have tried to do it!

Learning to do things for yourself and to enjoy the doing of them is the best foundation for happy living you can have!  You certainly would think anyone who started out to build a cathedral tower without any foundation at all was acting foolishly, wouldn't you?  It's the same way when you start living a life by just looking on. . .without ever feeling the thrill of activity, of work and play, yourself.  If so, you're leaving out the solid foundation for the fun of living.  The greatest joy in learning you will find. . .is to do things yourself.

Don't let anyone scare you a way by telling you  you can't.  Of course you can't. . .until you give yourself a chance to learn how.  The joy is not in turning out a perfect work.  No one ever turned out a perfect work anyway.  The joy is in the doing!  So raise your own pansies or petunias, make your own tea cups or coffee tables.

The label "handmade" still means quality. . .but more than that, it means happy leisure hours for someone.  so whether it is plastics or seashells, or new synthetic fibres for waving. . .get yourself a hobby and hang on to it.  Do it yourself and watch your self-confidence grow.  You'll learn to take initiative at the office, in social functions, too.

Of course taking initiative doesn't mean honing in on everybody else's business.  Nobody likes a busybody. . .but everybody like a go-getter!  The boss wouldn't like it if you started bypassing him or popping up with needless questions. . .he would like it if you were right there with the right answers when he needed you.  He' like it if you came up with a sound suggestion at an office meeting. . .not just yes or no.

It is lazy to expect everybody else to think for you.  Remember to exercise your mind as well as your body.  Initiative is the fifth secret for Important Living.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

In Deep Thought

For crying out loud he's 2, 
and knows how to work his mother's iphone.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Now That's A Friend!!!

I received this card from a dear friend 
and lost it when I read it.

See what I mean, 
she's a true friend!!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Animal Lover!

I was talking to Ethel this morning and she told me a little story that made me laugh.  At Christmas time she saw a story online about a cat that had 26 toes.....
Yes 26!   
The animal shelter in Wisconsin that was housing the cat was in need of a larger location.  They decided to use the cat to help raise money,  I think they were exploiting the cat (not really) ...... Anyhow, they were asking for a donation of a dollar per toe!
That's what made me laugh!
I got a visual before I got online to get a look at this cat, and thought, that thing must need a tree trunk for a scratching post......I know, I'm terrible.......
Well this little tabby cat raised $80,000.00.  
Wish I had 26 toes!  
 Ethel was one of the kind souls that contributed. 
Kudos to Ethel! 
Well the story doesn't end there.
 Since she was on their email list, she got sucked in when they contacted her about this dog who was in Washington D.C. that they needed to get back to the shelter in Wisconsin.  They needed someone to take the leg from Cleveland to Toledo. Well guess who volunteered!  ETHEL!  It's like the torch for the Olympics!  She let her daughter Hazel know and she was all excited about the road trip.  She is going to be disappointed though, she was just contacted this morning that someone from United Airlines has offered to fly the dog home free of charge.
This animal shelter has it going on! 
Free flights, $80,000.
 I'm in the wrong business!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

More Lamp Shades

Here's another lamp Ethel and I are working on.
We've branched out to the athletic market.
They have been very well received.

Interested?

contact us at 
419-626-9291 Tues-Fri 
 cell 419-366-7275 
 Ethel's cell at 419-357-8900

If we don't answer
 please leave a message and we'll get right back to you.