Goodbye 2025...

Posting here has been sporadic this year (okay, for a few years now), but this year in particular it seems I haven't written about some of the most important things that have happened.  Not that most of what's in this post is all that important, but I thought a round-up, especially of things I've photographed, but never posted about would be appropriate.

I promise January is the most wordy month.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

January brought some new healthy habits:

Not through resolutions, but through external (which became internal) motivations.

I'll spare you the storytelling (leaving some humorous moments on the cutting floor), and get to the main points.  After experiencing a few random episodes of tachycardia between I think...  September of 2024 and January of 2025, and after having an echo cardiogram, and an EKG, my GP ordered a heart monitor for me to wear for a week in late January. 

It's a nifty little thing that sticks (somewhat) discretely to one's chest, monitoring every heart beat and sending a report via a cell phone to the monitoring company.  My instructions were to press a button on the accompanying cell phone any time I felt like my heart was beating rapidly for no obvious reason.

While it was a small, easy-to-wear device, I have to say I found it very stressful - not knowing exactly how the information being collected was going to be interpreted.  And even now I don't consider it to have been in any way helpful in understanding what was causing the tachycardia. But on a good note, I came through all the tests and wearing this little monitor with nothing worrisome showing up.  

Also, in January, since I was doing all these heart related things, I had a Coronary Artery Calcium score done, and while it did show some evidence of calcified plaque, I felt like my score was much better than I deserve.  

Now... because of all the above, during the time from about October to January I was researching the topic of heart disease, which included educating myself about cholesterol, metabolic disease and insulin resistance - and how all those things are involved in the development of arterial plaque.  By late January, while wearing that heart monitor, I became highly motivated to make serious changes in how I eat. I won't go into it deeply, but significantly cutting out refined carbs and sugars since the end of January, has appeared to bring to an end to the tachycardia.   When I've mentioned it at different doctor visits, they concur that these things may have very well been the culprit.  I'm thrilled that simply eating healthier (evidently) made the tachycardia go away, and that there were no obvious issues that needed tending to.

And while I've indulged just a tad over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I'm pleased to still be maintaining a much healthier way of eating.  And feeling better for it.

February brought dozens of cardinals to our yard during a snowy spell.

March brought an early spring with early budding trees!

...the local cemetery remaining a favorite place to walk.

April saw lovely blooms from an Amaryllis my neighbor had propagated and gave to me a few weeks earlier.

May brought the perfect amount of strawberries, as hoped for.

And finally some dry days to plant a garden.  We had a LOT of rain last spring.

June gave us a daughter-in-law.

This is a woefully inadequate mention of something that makes us exceedingly glad, but the happy couple married in a unique and private ceremony with friends attending, and we celebrated a month later with extended family.

July had me in this funny contraption for taking measurements for new glasses.  I had some trust issues over it, but amazingly, it worked!

August saw Greg in the hospital for a scheduled heart catheterization and stent.

Before stenting - LAD was 80% blocked:

After stent - LAD is wide open

Again, so much more could be said, but it's not really my story to tell.  I'm just glad Greg finally got in to see a cardiologist after much much too long of "feeling tired".

August also saw this little guy eating all of my cherry tomatoes:

September brought my sister (who last year moved from Florida to Louisville) and my niece to our place for a visit.

And saw me canning and freezing produce from the garden, and otherwise.

I can only estimate what I put up from what is still in the pantry and freezer, but this is pretty close:

Green Beans: 55 pints, and 2 quarts

Sweet Pickle Relish:  25 jars (some half pints, some 4 oz.)

Dill Pickles:  18 pints

Sweet Corn (frozen)  20 ziploc bags with 8oz each of corn 

And this doesn't even account for what was eaten and given away fresh.

For a garden that didn't seem very ambitious when I planted it, it produced quite a bit.  

Actually, for a garden that was really only half a vegetable garden due to all the sunflowers I planted, it produced very decently.  I've made a note to self that I don't need nearly this many sunflowers next year, and they need to be more strategically planted so as to not shade lower growing plants.

By the end of September, swallowtail caterpillars were feasting on the dill:

October  finally brought cool enough weather to shut the garden down.

November held autumn's most beautiful colors

Enjoying a drive to visit a friend in Brown County

and, while leaves were still turning and falling, November brought our first snow!

December brought frigid weather early on.

But by Christmas, it was almost balmy.

I learned that having a cracked lens cover 

on my phone makes for some artsy pictures.

I have no New Year's Eve photos, but we ended the year today eating chili and playing games with long-time friends, and getting home shortly after nightfall.

2025 was a very good year overall, but it went insanely fast.  We spend our youth wishing we were older, and our last decades wishing we could slow time down.  Since we can do neither, it is good to simply be grateful for whatever time we have here.    

I hope you have a blessed and prosperous (in all the ways that truly matter) 2026!

Making simple hotpads...

Just a short post with pictures of hotpads I finished earlier in the year for my adult kids as part of their Christmas.

These were simply squares of fabric sewn together with Insul-Bright batting as the middle layer, and then quilted on the sewing machine.  For the last pair pictured I made the binding with a contrasting cotton fabric for my first attempt at mitered corners using the technique shown in the short below (though I joined my ends differently):

The other hotpads were bound with store-bought seam binding.  It was a bit of a time savings to use the store-bought seam binding, but I do wonder how well they will hold up. The seam binding fabric seemed thinner than  regular fabric.  I'll have to follow-up with my kids after they've had time to use and hopefully abuse these.

Posting this makes me realize I keep backburnering fabric-piecing and making some simple quilt projects, but I don't know why. Small projects like this are pretty satisfying to make.

~~~~~~

Serendipity...

A little over a week ago a friend sent me a sweet text telling me she was cold, and asked if I would be willing to crochet her a lap blanket and she would pay me for doing so.  

Anyone who's been reading along here for more than a minute, probably knows that I have a pretty firm policy of not crocheting (or doing any of the handcrafts I love) on commission.  I say it's a "pretty firm" policy because occasionally my resolve gets tested.  

That said, my resolve held firm, but because this is someone I've considered crocheting a blanket gift for in the past, I was pleased to know she would like something I've made.  

While I was happy to gift her a blanket, the problem was that it could take me weeks to finish even a lap-sized blanket, depending on what she wanted, if I had the yarn, or had to order it, if the pattern was easy...  and any number of other factors that could pop up before the thing was done.  I started to wonder if I had anything already made that she might like.

So... I went looking through the tubs I store finished crochet blankets in and I was tickled to find at least two that I thought she might like.  I packed them up with several other blankets, thinking if she was willing to take one of the lap-sized blankets, that would be amazing.  And if she truly wanted something else, it would buy me some time crochet that up.  As a gift.

She loved one of the blankets immediately.  It was light purple/lavender, very gently used, and as she took it to look at it more closely, she cooed that she loved purple. 

Wow.  Could this be that easy?

I also showed her other blankets, knowing they were too large for what she wanted, but thinking if one of them pleased her, I'd eventually make one the size she wanted.

I think it was only as my friend started looking through all the blankets, she got another idea. I didn't see it coming when she asked what I would charge for a blanket if she wanted to buy it as a Christmas gift for a family member.  Not prepared for that, I thought for a moment about how much the yarn probably cost to make it, and quoted her a price just a little over that.  Then she shot me a price $10.00 higher than that.  What, are we bidding on a blanket I have made?  lol

Truthfully, both of our prices were low if one considers the time spent on crocheting a blanket (and all that that entails).  But because I don't crochet with the intention of selling (because there is no way I am willing, with a straight face, to actually ask a price that would take into account the labor), I was pleased with the offer.  

I started folding up the blanket to put it aside, and my friend mentioned that she had three tall (adult) nieces she would love to give a blanket to if any were large enough.  Since I often crochet blankets extra long, I had a few contenders. 

She really liked the green border on my most recently finished Granny Goes Large blanket, so that got set aside for one niece.

And she thought my bright and cheerful Dahlia suited another niece:

But she had a third niece, and the other blankets I'd toted there were nowhere near long enough to cover someone six-feet tall.

Then I got the idea to open up my Ravelry project page and scroll through to see if I might have another blanket at home that was as long as these.  I came up with two and offered to run home and bring them back to see if she'd like them.

I'm so glad I did.  She loved the Moroccan Afghan I had crocheted years ago, and had completely forgotten about it.

And evidently, during the 20 minutes I was gone, my friend figured out the rest of her "shopping list".  

She wanted the Moorland blanket I had originally thought of as a potential child's blanket, she wanted to give to someone she employs.  She thought it would make a nice lap blanket in this person's new study that was done in blues and grays.

And I can't remember who she mentioned she'd like to give the lavender Leaping Stripes blanket to, but it got put into the "sold" pile.

Most of this time, she had the Bertie blanket (below) on her lap, and just as I was thinking it would go back into a tub to take home, she told me the colors were so happy she wanted that one too!  

In the end, I believe all the above, except for the Happy Blanket (the Bertie blanket), got wrapped up as gifts for people on her Christmas list.  So my friend has a lap blanket of cheerful colors to keep her legs warm, and I have some unexpected dough in my wallet, and time to hopefully finish another blanket, made just for her, before winter is over.

She liked the Granny Goes Large I'm working on now and is just about lap-sized already, but I know she also really liked the Granny Goes Large (above) that is bordered with a bright green.  It was just way too large for what she wants.

When I finish this one, we'll see how she feels about it.

What a great way to end the year.  Hopefully, this week several people will have smiles on their faces as they open their gifts of colorful soft blankets.  And just as I'm getting back into my crocheting groove, a boon like this comes along.  

It's serendipity at its finest.

Parade of tables...

After a few commenters to my last post referred to the differently decorated tables at our church's recent Christmas luncheon, and since I had the foresight to take pictures, I thought I'd do a pictorial post showing all of the tables.

We had a smaller number of ladies attend this year (by about 20), so there are at least two fewer tables.  Ours is not a large space, so I'm not sure if we could have fit in two more of these round tables, but nine tables ended up being perfect this year.  Enjoy the lineup:

Josie delivered a party with her Disney-themed table.

Cindy pampered her guests with elegance.

Gena had one of the most festive Christmas tables.

Amy's pretty table was inspired by a recent trip to Greece.

Holly was in the party mood with 

her ribbon-festooned plates.

Kay and Laura were celebrating snow 

we'd had earlier in the week.

Michelle, who is a vintage reseller, had lots of 

interesting things on her beautiful table.

While you can't see Rachel's dishes above, I swooned over the beautiful brown transferware picture on her (mother's) Johnson Brothers Friendly Village china.

And lastly, my table again, 

with vintage Courier & Ives dishes 

like the ones I grew up with.

Christmas Amore, 2025

A Christmas luncheon...

As is to be expected, this YOP (Year of Projects) post, is going to be about creative, crafty things.  And a Christmas luncheon.  For me, nothing is much better than being able to combine some creativity with spending time with others.

With the Christmas season upon us, I was inspired this year to host a table at our church's Women's Christmas Luncheon (which was yesterday). 

Attendance from our own church ladies was down this year for some reason, so I ended up being able to host a table full of friends (and one friend of a friend).  That isn't how I imagined this being, but looking at the lovely (and loved) faces around my table, I thought it was surely extra fun the way it turned out.  I knew these gals would appreciate anything I came up with - even if I completely flubbed on making a nice table setting.  Not that I was very worried about that, but these things do cross one's mind...

My inspiration for creating a Christmas table was a set of dishes I brought home from my mother-in-law's when she passed in 2020 that were the same design of dishes I grew up with.  

The dinner plate of this Currier & Ives set is a winter scene of "The Old Grist Mill".  Perfect for a winter brunch to kick off the holidays.  While it was probably not obvious to anyone else, my theme became "Vintage".

The gals organizing the event decided to make some changes from previous years - the first being to rent round tables (for which the church has evidently purchased a bunch of plain white table cloths).  I had already given thought to decorating a long table, so wrapping my head around creating a centerpiece that needed to look nice from multiple angles around a round table, I'm sure made me expend a few brain cells I didn't anticipate.  

Also, I wasn't interested in using a plain white cloth, and I didn't want to buy a round table cloth just for this purpose.  So I came up with the very simple idea to just purchase cotton fabric and make a square "topper" out of it - thinking I could use the fabric for any number of things later.  Learning how large the tables were, that simple idea morphed into buying enough fabric to stitch two widths together into a square that I could drape over the white table cloth.  The selvages of the fabric were nicely frayed which made a great way to finish it off all the way around.  In other words...  it required no hemming.

I did decide to make (and hem) some fabric napkins, though.  

And I'm so glad I did!  

Using this tutorial:

I became proficient at another way of making mitered corners.

Mitered corners and I are becoming fast friends!

An interesting video playing in the background made this tedious task more tolerable...

One job done

At some point in this whole process, I also came up with what I hoped would be a fun gift that my guests could use, and ideally was something handmade (just because I liked the idea of that).   

Hand-knit dishcloths came quickly to mind, and when I found these holiday soft soaps, I thought the combination would be a respectable little gift.

So each lady got a slightly different version of the same thing.  A cute jelly roll of dishcloths and some soap - that well...  most anyone can use!

I also made simple napkin rings using a wired ribbon, topped with these cute little holly thingamabobs (found at Hobby Lobby).  All hot glued together.

And finally, using things I already had, I made a centerpiece.  The hardest part of this, was estimating how big of a centerpiece to make.  We were told the tables were 5 feet across, and using my 5-foot-long rectangular dining room table as a guide, I eventually came up with a vignette - that probably was a bit large for the round table - but I think it was okay.  

But backing up for just a moment...  When I first started pulling a centerpiece together, I made a sort of wreath out of fake garland I've decorated with for years.  Then placed a vintage glass Tom's Toasted Peanut jar in the middle filled with red and gold glass balls.  We have two of these vintage jars, and one of them has held cookie cutters for years.  Oooh...  Suddenly the idea of using old metal Christmas themed cookie cutters tied to the wreath occurred to me!

It worked, but something about the whole thing felt, I don't know....  unwieldy, maybe, to me.  It was only after I packed it all up for taking to the church the next day that I came across a large woven tray that I had bought at a friend's garage sale a couple of years ago. It was the solution I didn't know I needed!  The tray made all the difference.  Before this, I didn't fully appreciate the power of a container of some sort to build a centerpiece on.

Instead of forming a wreath, the garland was placed in something of a free-flowing design around and overflowing one of the edges of the tray. Then, as if it had happened organically, I just "spilled" some more red and gold balls into the middle of the tray to fill it in.  The extra napkin in the middle (below) came out the next day, but for some reason, the night before I thought it looked cute in there.  The next morning I thought it just looked kind of confusing.

I don't know if the small cross stitch pillows were too much - in fact, it was my intention the next morning to pull them out too, but I forgot.  They ended up being a conversation piece, so I think my table mates liked them. 

All in all, I was pleased with how everything turned out.  Our meal was catered by Johnny Carino's, and while it could have been warmer (at least mine, by the time I ate it) it was delicious.  I'd love to recreate the Lemon Rosemary Chicken they served us.  

The time passed quickly - singing carols, hearing the story behind all the elements of the Twelve Days of Christmas, then visiting over our meal.  It was a lovely way to kick off the season.  For me, having this behind me, I now feel like the rest of the season should provide plenty of time to focus more thoughtfully on the birth of Jesus, and the gift of salvation and grace He offers us.

I hope this Christmas season is meaningful for us all.