Crocheting Workbasket

On Saturday evening, on my bed, an afghan flung over my shoulders, I crocheted a little jellyfish. Although I didn't have the exact yarn the pattern suggested, and a smaller hook, I had succeeded in getting ravishing results! The pattern was from a library book, and you know how all those examples are perfect and so when I compared with the picture I was a tiny bit disappointed my one was not as perfect. But what is?

It was fun and who cares if it wasn't exactly like the photo. My goodness but inspiration really gets me!

This April while in California, I had taken up my crochet hook and had come up with a hedgehog, "Hedgie". I wasn't following a pattern, just enjoying myself while a worked, and see? I wish I had written the pattern down for it really does make a very chic impression to my showcase, along with my earlier crocheted apple. I think Crochet is just about the best handiwork you could ever really master! Its is relaxing, not like sewing or embroidery where you have to watch each stitch to make sure your right. With crochet you can experiment, and get enraptured in such a lovely and beautiful creation that perhaps only you could have made. I wish you all the best in the happy world of creativity and imagination! Avi P.S. This is, my awesome followers, my hundredth post! I thank you all for such loyalty in reading such things as this. Love to you all!

Paper Dolls For Hetty

After reading Betsy-Tacy over again for like the hundredth time, I came across the chapter in which Betsy and Tacy play paper dolls. Well, after collecting some paper doll books, cutting things out, and coloring, I had come up with a good- sized folder full of my findings. And after looking over them, me and Hetty found that some of them weren't at all satisfactory. Some were dreadfully ripped, and cut way to close to the head so that they were bald. (They were from a 7-year-old's handling, so I am not surprised.) We had to do something. Last Christmas, Dad had downloaded a few pages of cute 1930 style paper dolls. WE have many girl cousins that would really appreciate a little christmas gift that would last them some hours of enjoyment, at least. We still have the folder saved and so after printing them out, Hetty is now coloring them. I like this idea better than cutting clippings from magazines since you can make the clothes any colors you like. But even better is drawing them yourself. That way you can make their expressions, and design their clothes to satisfaction. Above is a surviving doll from when I was 7. She is supposed to be dear Ma Ingalls in the Little House books, By Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Here is a cutout from a Dover magazine cover. Its really nice, isn't it?

Esther is still finishing her paper dolls. We shall glue it to card stock, let it dry, and then dress her up. She's really cute. Avi P.S. I'm sure you'll have your own ideas! Share some!

on the shelf

This is going to be one of my chatty posts, I am thinking of doing one really chatty post a month, and maybe a few in between. We have been pretty busy this week and the last preparing for Eph's 1st Communion which was on Mother's Day which made it special.(Speaking of, Happy Mother's Day! I should have said it sooner!) Last Thursday we went to Creative Studio For Children© in the Salem area. It was awesome! It was rainy last Thursday, and we were grateful to be inside in a cheery heated place. You first come into a comfortable waiting room, then there is a children's area with easels, salad spinners, a sand box filled with birdseed, board books, and that kind of thing. On the left there is a larger room with long tables for older kids where the drawing and painting is usually done. There is a washroom, and a tiny little refreshment counter with a coffeemaker and a basket of Swiss Maid© cocoa packs. The lady who is the owner, is the assistant as well and the only employee! The salad spinners, are used for spin art. You put a paper plate inside, cover it with dashes of watered down paint, and spin it! It creates a wonderful effect and I made a name banner using five little plates to spell my name, and stringing them together with craft yarn. I have made a caterpillar out of them too, stapling the plates together, gluing on pompoms, and paper antennas(which I really should have used instead with pipe cleaners.)I spelled Abe's name on it to make another banner, used goggly eyes as well, and it looked really cute and nice. I decorated a clothespin with green feathers and cut-out dragon flies. I made a birdhouse out of those chinese restaurant boxes, and used popsicle sticks to make a roof. I painted a canvas, making a Japanese garden and glueing on some beads to have the sparkling and fun effect, I drew a continuous line drawing of myself which made me think that I had Picaso's secret to his disturbing and strange paintings, I made a postcard with paints and beads, and a collage. The rain was still pounding on the roof, but we were cozy and creative so it didn't matter anymore. Clem experimented with origami, I twisted pipe cleaners to make a horribly lop-sided flower. Abe spattered paint everywhere, and birdseed, getting into his naughty spirit again! It was so much fun, and it was one of he first times when I knew I didn't have to hurry, I could let my inspiration go wild! I loved every bit of it! I am going to wish Grandpa W., Mum, Aunt C., myself, and all the others a very Happy, Blessed, Funny, Memorable, Creative, Awesome, Hair-Raising, and Lovely Birthday! Many Happy returns to you all! Love, Avi P.S. Please pray for me on my birthday, May 15th. (I am going to redo my profile then as well so stay tuned!)

Mum's Famous Chocolate Revel Bars

For some odd reason in May, I always feel like chocolate. On the 1st of May, we had cocoa, and now I've been just hankering for a handful of chocolate chips, or a Revel Bar, Fondue, and even just a crumb of cookie. My sweet tooth sometimes seems to get the better of me, and I'll never lose it! Anyway, in this post I am going to show you a special recipe that my mother often uses for a special treat if we are by any chance going to have a visitor or its just an occasion. I just love them, and so do all the kids. Mama just started making them this year, and I just got to get more people inspired! Chocolate Revel Bars Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 25 minutes Oven: 350 F Makes: 60 bars 1 cup of butter, softened 2 cups packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs 2 teaspoon of vanilla 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed sweetened milker low-fat sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans Set aside two tablespoons of butter. In a large mixing bowl beat the remaining butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking soda. Beat until all are combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. And beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Add in the rolled oats. Your mixture really has to be 'mixed in'. Next, heat up the chocolate chips till its a melted mass, combine the 2 pieces of reserved butter, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in the nuts, and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Press two-thirds of the oats in the bottom of a large pan, covering the bottom, spread the chocolate filling over the bottom. Crumble the remaining oats and sprinkle them over the chocolate covering. Bake in the oven until the top is lightly browned. And serve by cutting it into bars. Voila! They are so yummy! The comments that are going to be read, should be for mom. Thanks for taking time to read such a post! Avi Above: Me, last may with my spring recital flowers! My spring recital is on May 18th so please pray for me, and my two cousins as we dance upon the stage.

A Little Holiness to Go Around

My Papa, as a special project for the soul, wanted me to write a blogpost with a few little snippets of our Catholic faith, or my little musings which I have thought about recently (which I probably will lengthen to whole book, I have so much to tell), since Pope John Paul has been canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday. I am not very good at writing what we would call a “Bible Blogpost”, so I am just going to base this post on a few simple phrases that saints have written for our disposal and reading. I was reading the letters of Elizabeth of the Trinity and found one phrase that is so simple and yet so meaningful to our dear Lord Jesus. This was the beginning to a very lovely letter to her sister from the Carmel. “May Jesus hold us firmly in his love.” How beautiful...May Jesus hold us firmly in his Love...May Jesus hold us firmly in his love. Would anyone think that Jesus was a firm man with not a speck of softness in his heart? Of course not! Many people, including I, thought that maybe this could mean Jesus is a firm hearted character like Gandalf the Grey in the Lord of the Rings, but no! Jesus is to hold us tightly in his love, never letting us go. Isn’t that beautiful? God loves us so much even thru the misery and treachery of being crucified by our sins. How lovely it is to know you are loved. How often people do not know and forget that God up there in Heaven watches them saying, “I love you my daughter,” or, “I love you my son.” So even thru a bad day, always remember that God loves you more than anything else. Why else would he have not made you, huh? Remember that big storm we had this winter, OR being drifted in snow for about 4 days? God sent us that storm to show how he loved us, even if some of his children didn’t enjoy it as much as some, what with all the cars being ditched, but just think; God loved us so much he sent us some snow. And then he melted it, for us! How good he is! I went to the Opera yesterday with some of my dear friends and saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was thinking that God is responsible for the actors talent and voice. It wasn’t thru the voice teachers that they got to be on stage in front of hundreds of people. No! It was thru God that they received a place of high degree in singing. Also when I looked down in the orchestra pit, I thought, God made these musicians wonderful with the instruments they use. Its not because of the music teachers, its because of God who inspired them, lit a flame in their hearts that flickered out, “Oh, I want to play the trombone!” or, “How the violin will work for me!” God gave us all our talents and we should be proud of them, even if ones only talent is mowing the lawn, or making paper snowflakes the best, it is thru God that you become who you are right now. Another topic...St. Gemma Galgani said: “It is now night. Tomorrow morning is approaching, and then Jesus will possess me, and I will possess Jesus!” Holy Communion for the Saints was a bigger deal than it is now for some. It is not only the dress, the rosary, the veil, the suit. Just think, Jesus is coming to you because he wants you, he loves you, and he cares for you. On my First Holy Communion I was thinking about the beautiful presents I would receive when we came to the church steps as I received on my birthday. But when I got inside the church with all the flowers and incense, I grew scared, as I realized that Jesus was coming to me and I hadn’t paid too much attention. I then turned around and stood tall, I was going to receive my Lord! Why, wasn’t my communion banner on the right hand side of the alter to remind me? The simple outline of the dove, the wine, and the loaf of bread. I was then truly a warrior for Christ and now as I receive Holy Communion at Mass, I still remember the joyous tingle of excitement when the Host first touched my tongue. Now I’m older and I can watch my other siblings receive, one received on Christmas, the other is going to receive on Mother’s Day, and every time I can relive my first Communion again, as the Host first touches my tongue I can breathe and think, “I just received my Lord! He loves me, and I love him! “Our soul can find in the Blessed Sacrament the joys and consolations it desires.”-St. Teresa of Avila

picture from http://madisoncatholicyouth.com/category/jpii/