Pray for the firefighters!

 Today I received a very scary alert on my phone, it took me back a bit.  It was a fire emergency evacuation alert for the Bolt Creek Fire near Skykomish.  This is a few hours away from where I live and it brought the fires even closer to home for me.  I am asking for a special prayer today for all the fire fighters out there that are risking their lives to put out these fires.  I guess this particular fire has already burned 2500 acres as of Saturday Sept. 10th.  It is probably much larger by now.  We are surrounded by fires here in the Pacific Northwest it seems with Oregon, Idaho and California there are so many it's no wonder we are having very bad air quality and even bad haze in the sky.  We are all in need of God's helping hands.

Dear Heavenly Father, we place everyone that is helping in fighting the fires in your hands.  Protect them and give them the courage and strength to do the job before them.  Keep all the families in hams way safe and comforted in these trying and dangerous times.  We ask these things in Jesus name - Amen. 

Well, today I want to introduce to you my "Cozy Girls Knitted Fingerless Gloves" pattern, so easy and you can whip these up in no time.  Hope you get to make tons of these before Christmas, they make very nice gifts for the gals in your family.

Materials:  1 skein 100% acrylic sports yarn (Caron Simply Soft) works great

Size 6.5 US or 4mm knitting needles

Plastic sewing needle - and pearls (optional)

Woman's Size:

Cast on 36 stitches onto needle

Knit each row until piece measures approximately 6.5'

Sew up sides leaving about 1-1/2' hole for thumb. Ties off and weave in ends.  Make 2

Teen's Size:

Cast on 32 stitches

Knit each row until piece measures approx. 6"

Sew up sides leaving 1" hole for thumb.  Tie off and weave in ends.  Make 2

Child's Size:

Cast on 28 stitches

Knit each row until piece measures approx. 5.5"

Sew up sides leaving a 1" hole for thumb.  Tie off and weave in ends.  Make 2

 If you would like to have this in a printed PDF please go to my Etsy Shop.  I am offering 50% off my "knit and crochet" patterns all this month.  Do pass this along to others, I would love the company!

May God's face shine upon you and keep you and your family safe always.

Blessings

Mary

 

Good bye August - Hello September!

Fall is in the air here in Washington. Happy Labor day to everyone out there, hope you get to enjoy time with family and friends and have a fun day off. I love warm weather but the cool days we have been experiencing have been a God send. So very blessed to live on Whidbey Island, is a bit cooler most of the year, but it's beautiful and I would not change that for anything in the world. 

Now, as promised in my last post, I am going to share a "free" crochet pattern, of my "Cowboys colors crochet kindle cozy". It's also available on my Etsy Shop as well, if you prefer to have one to print out in PDF format.  But for everyone else - hear is the pattern:

"Cowboys colors crochet Kindle Cozy"

• Materials: Crochet hook H 
  
• Plastic or wooden button and Star applique (optional)
  
• Large plastic sewing needle 
• Dark Blue 4 ply yarn (about a 1/4 skein for each color) 
• White 4 ply yarn
  
• Gray 4 ply yarn 
• Sc - single crochet
• Slp st - slip stitch
  

SC—Single crochet throughout every row including foundation row Slp st with the dark blue color chain 20, this is your foundation row, then sc in second chain from hook and crochet to end, making 2 sc in last stitch of that row, then continue on to the other side sc in each chain to end and finish with 2 sc in last one. From here on in you will be crocheting in the round and sc in both loops of stitch. You should have 30 stitches at this point and throughout. Make sure to use a stitch marker if you need to.

• Rows 1-8: Using dark blue sc for 8 rows in the round then change to gray color 
• Rows 9-12: Using gray yarn sc for 4 rows, then change to white color 
• Rows 13-16: With white yarn sc 4 rows, change to dark blue 
• Rows 17-20: With drk blue yarn sc 4 rows, then change to gray 
• Rows 21-22: With gray - sc 2 rows, then change to white 
• Rows 23-24: With white sc 2 rows, then change to dark blue 
• Rows 25-28: With drk blue sc 3 rows, then when you are on the backside of the 4th row, stop at the 8th stitch, then chain 13 (this is the button holder). Then slp st back into the very first chain, and continue sc across to the last stitch and end at the left hand side before the curve of the kindle edge fold. 
• Sew your button accordingly making sure the kindle will be snug in place. Try it out first before applying the button. Be sure to weave in all the different yarns and tie them off nicely. Depending on how you change colors, I keep my colors connected as I crochet this saves on yarn and there is less waste. 
• Finally, if you have a star applique it’s time to place that on where ever you would like. I used a star with some gems so it really sparkles. You can even use the actual Cowboys Star applique if you like. I don’t iron it on I use all purpose glue. Be sure to let it dry over night before using your kindle cozy. I also place a heavy object on the applique so that it will not move while drying. There you have it. A really fun and easy project, if you are a Cowboys fan you are going to love showing it off and telling everyone that your team is it! Remember you can use any colors or even change the number of rows for each color—the sky is the limit, just have fun!

I do hope you will try crocheting one for yourself and show off those true blue colors of the Dallas Cowboys. If you need any help whatsoever with the pattern please email me at (gainesmary@hotmail.com) and I will do my best to answer any questions or concerns you may have. 

Have a blessed day!

It's summer time on Whidbey - yeah!

Hello everyone, it has been way too long since I posted on here. Life got in the way.  But, I am happy to report that even though I miss my hubby very much, I realize moving on is the best thing for me to do and he would want that for me too.

So, here I am living in my new place, which is much smaller than my other beautiful home, but I feel so blessed and secure.  I also have my sister living with me now who is a blessing to me, she is also very crafty and loves football - LOL.  We have a lot in common and are enjoying our time together creating some very cool stuff especially now during football season.  Knitting and watching football is a girls dream day!

We have both started making crafts for Christmas and the upcoming holidays.  She also makes beautiful jewelry such as beaded bracelets, they are simply gorgeous.  Her crochet dolls are so adorable. As for me, I am doing a little bit of everything.  I love crocheting and knitting so those are on the top of the list.  Then there is my new cricut machine I purchased a few months ago, please don't get me started.  This thing is amazing, I just love how you can cut vinyl and make gorgeous welcome signs, keychains and ornaments.  I still dabble in my art and photography, those two are my first loves.  

We've taken some of our handiwork to a local shop called Whimsies.  It's a fun shop, the owner and her daughter are very crafty and make really nice mosaic items such as crosses, mirrors and other fun stuff.  We are totally honored she will feature our crafts as well.  If you happen to live in Oak Harbor do stop in and take a look, you will be glad you did. 

My sister Bea and me

My photography canvas prints

 

Fall Welcome Sign at my Etsy Shop

God has been busy with me the last few years.  After Larry's passing everything changed for me. I sold my beautiful home, I moved in with my friend Mary for a while during my search for a new home. Then I flew to Missouri to pick up my sister Bea and we were off on a road trip back to Washington.  It was a blast.

I believe this was God's plan, I have learned to fully trust Him in this new stage of my life.  He knows best for me, He has been so faithful through it all.  I certainly could not have done all this on my own. "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength".  I am also very thankful for my family and friends and all their support during my time of grief. 

But now, it's so good to have the desire to write and create again and be able to share it with you.  Thank you Jesus - couldn't do it without you. Thanks for reading my post today, I will try my best to post more often.  I also pray you are all doing well and that God is also working in your lives too.  

Happy Fall - Y'all and God Bless! 

P.S. My future posts will have some cool free crochet patterns I want to share with you! See you soon!

I love you Larry - see you in Heaven!

This is how I will always remember my love - Larry of 22 years.  His smile was so contagious and his heart was so full of love.  Larry had been very sick for many years, with heart issues, pulmonary issues, kidney and liver disease.  The last 6 years were the hardest times I have ever gone through.  For Larry it was heartbreaking.  When Covid hit, which is when he started to go down hill very quickly, he was devastated at the idea of not going anywhere.  It was getting harder for him to walk so he walked with a walker.  He was also having a paracentesis performed every 2 weeks at the hospital, which is fluid removal from the stomach.  This was due to the heart not working properly and fluid backing up in his body.  Life became very tough for the both of us.  Then early signs of dementia were starting to appear as well.  He had the type where early evening he would begin to get restless and anxious after dinner, sometimes he didn't even want to eat.  I didn't know what to do except to pray a lot.

The day of Oct. 12th, 2020 came it was a Monday and he had a scheduled procedure of the fluid removal at the hospital.  That morning he didn't want to get out of bed.  He told me it was useless to go and get the fluid removed because he was going to be with the Lord very soon.  I of course said "oh honey, you still have a long time here on this earth".  I have always been the encourager, always trying to give him HOPE! Well I finally talked him into going.  He got up had a very small breakfast, half of an avocado.  I got him showered and ready to go.  My neighbor Rich had to come over to help me with him down the three stairs we have into the garage and got him in the car.  He's done that many times and I sure appreciated his help. 

We left and Larry didn't look very good when he got in the car.  He looked super tired so I drove off and a little while later I noticed his head dropped.  I thought he had fallen asleep.  I started talking to him and nothing.  I shook him and nothing.  My God, what is happening.  I was driving near Deception Pass by this time and I started crying.  I knew what had happened, he had fallen asleep for good.  I was in such a state of shock I didn't know what to do.  First thing I thought of was to call 911, but that would mean stopping on the side of a very dangerous road and possibly getting into an accident.  So I decided to keep driving to the nearest hospital which was Island Hospital.  I sobbed the whole way there.  When I got there I rushed into the emergency and asked for someone to please help me with my husband.  They quickly brought a stretcher out and a few of the staff lifted him out of the car onto the stretcher and they started CPR.  I asked them if he had a pulse, they said no, if he had a heart beat, they said no.  I said then stop.  Don't do anything else.  These were the hardest words I have ever had to say. 

The rest was a blur. I did remember giving him one last kiss and held his hand and said good bye my love.  I will see you in heaven.  We had so many wonderful years together and the last few were so hard on him.  I know he is in a better place now because God has given me peace about his leaving.  I did all I could to make his life as comfortable as I could.  He was loved, he was valued and most of all he loved me.   

It's not about Black Power or White Power, it's about God Power!

I live in a beautiful area of the country, Whidbey Island and if you do not know where that is located I will share that with you. It is about 2-1/2 hours drive north 9f Seattle, Washington very close to the Canadian border. I have lived here for over 34 years and woukd not live anywhere else. We are surrounded by so much beauty, Olympics to the south of us, Cascade Mtns. to the north. Beautiful Camano Island across the way over the sound. I am in love with this place. What I am not in love with is our leaders, our governor and some of the leaders in Seattle. During the last few weeks our beautiful city, Seattle has given way to the Black Lives Matter group and 6 city blocks are now theirs. They called it "Chaz", but changed it to "Chop". I guess they will occupy this area until their demands are met. Yesterday the fire department actually went in there with cement blockades to keep any cars away from the protestors. Please do not get me wrong, I am all for protesting for a cause you believe in peacefully, but seriously is this going to bring change? Day after day the people who live in those areas and who have a business to run are being placed in a very ackward situation. What if they do not agree with what the Black Lives Matter represent? What then? I certainly do not agree with some of the ways they have handled the protests. Like for instance the cops had to shut down I-5 yesterday because protestors were there, seriously? That is so dangerous. What messages are we sending our children with this type of nonsense. I truly believe change needs to take place in the police force that is an undisputed fact, but there needs to be change on the side of the way people treat them. They go out every day and risk their lives and face so much oposition and violence sometimes, its a tough job, I would not want it and I pray that only good policemen and women sign up for the task. I also pray for the black young men and women that do not deserve to be treated like theynare sometimes. God created everyone equal, black white, brown, etc. He loves each and everyone of us equally. There is no black power or white power only Gods Power, these are the words of the late Martin Luther King. He was a godly and very wise man. What I believe is needed in this day and age is more Love! More understanding for the hurt and less fortunate, and lots of grace. Grace overload is what I pray for each and every day. God help us to see others the way you see them, feel what you feel and love others unconditionally as you love us. God Bless!

Beam me up God, I've had it here on earth!

Today is the day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it. Hello everyone! It has been much too long since I wrote on my blog, so much has happened that my heart was just not in it. My husband has been thru so much illness, there were days in the last few years I just didnt want to get out of bed, literally did not want to. But, by God's amazing grace, here I am! So glad to be back writing again. God has truly given me a gift that He has shown me time and time again that I need to share with you all. God has given me and Larry so much strength each day, He has been with us thru so much pain and sorrow. He has comforted us in those dark times, that I just had to shout and declare how much I love God and thank Him each and every day for sending Jesus to die for us, and the Holy Spirit to live in me to help me thru it all. So from here on in you will definately hear from me. Maybe not every day, because as a caregiver to my husband Larry, my days are long and sometimes the nights are even longer, sleep so hard to get at times. But, God is with me giving me strength and encouragement every time. I hope you are all staying safe out there in your communities. Because, we are living in times of which I have never seen. I am so glad my mother is not here to experience. My dear mom passed away in November, 2017. It was the hardest day of my life, and then after that every day, week, month was just a combination of sad days and missing her so very much. She would be saying that these were the 'end times', and I have to agree with her, because with the corona virus in full force and then all the protesting against police brutallity, our world is on freefall. The incident with the police and George Floyd is a tragedy for sure, and I believe that officer will be punished to the full extend of the law, but the looting and rioting has to stop. Dear God, heal our hearts from all this hatred and division that is going on right now. Help us to see others as you see them and love unconditionally. We need you more than ever. So good to be back. God bless you and see you very soon! By the way Larry is doing much better, we have found out all his health issues and the Doctors are keeping a pretty good watch over him. Praise God!

Hope for the New Year!

Someone once said we all create masterpieces, if our thoughts are our paints, our words, our brushes and our attitude is our canvas, we can create our own masterpieces.  Wow, I never thought of it that way, how about you? So, what are you creating? Is it a beautiful painting full of colors with so much beauty for the eyes to see, or is it a dark painting, gloomy and not very attractive to feast your eyes on. It's never too late to change our attitude and our way of thinking, or how we paint our painting. 

We all have a chance in life to influence others.  To encourage and make a positive difference in the world if we choose to.  Or, we can also do the opposite and bring bitterness and hate, especially to those around us who love us the most. It's all up to us!

Having said that, as we reflect on how individuals handled the Presidential election, I believe this will go down in history as one of the most negative, hateful campaigns on both sides of the isle.  People from all walks of life painted a very grim picture of how they perceived things would be if Mr. Trump won the election, then again the other side did that as well.  I believe Mr. Trump ultimately had the victory because he listened to the American people who were so fed up with business as usual in government. The people have spoken and his ideals and campaign promises will be put to the test after January 20^th.  America prayed, America voted and the results are Trump is our new President Elect.  I truly hope those who voted against him will give him a chance before they criticize or demean him.  I believe in my spirit God’s hand is in this.  God, heard us loud and clear.  America has been going in a direction which would have been irreversible had Clinton won the Presidency.  I believe a Trump Presidency is going to expose all the corrupt business in our government once and for all, and he will do something about it.  Remember, God is a God of second chances and if we humble ourselves and pray for our Country and our leaders, He is faithful and will Bless America once again as he intended all along. But we have to be obedient to His word and bring Him back into our daily lives again. 

I am very excited for our country right now.  I pray for those who are angry and so disappointed in the outcome, but I have to say I can relate.  The last two elections, I felt the same way.  I eventually got over it because I knew God was ultimately in control and in His timing the right person to lead our country would eventually emerge.  After reading His word I am convinced if God’s hand is in something no devil in hell can stop it.  Praise God!  I hope you enjoyed a blessed Christmas everyone and now enjoy a Happy and Healthy New Year - let's all make it a great year shall we! Blessings!