I just wanted to check in and brag a little about that last couple of days` productivity. I started a new job, got some work done that has been over my head for quite a while, finished all my Christmas crocheting, started writing in my blog again and even got my Christmas tree decorated. Now the trick is keeping up this pace! Hopefully I will, for now enjoy a picture of my Christmas tree...I will write again soon.

Hats off to Eckman

I want to endorse a wonderful author today. Edie Eckman is the best crochet book author I have ever encountered. Whether you want to try your hand at crochet for the first time, get excited about it again, or simply love to find your next crochet challenge, her books are great. As a wedding present from my good friend Holly, I got "Beyond The Square: Crochet Motifs" and I got hooked. This book is filled with brightly coloured motifs that are not just re-imaginings of the granny square. There are 144 wonderful shapes to make your imagination run wild. Eckman does not make any assumptions about what her readers know. She explains everything in the introduction and gives clear concise instruction throughout. With my birthday money I bought "Around The Corner: Crochet Borders" and it was the same caliber with the same bright colours. Eckman realizes the need that crocheters have for a base knowledge to make their own creations rather than specific patterns that are a repetition of everything that has been done before. If you want a great resource for crochet in your library, look for the name Edie Eckman, believe me!

BTW--I WILL be showing some of the creations I make from the books in the future. I am not now because some of them are not done and others are being used as gifts, so I can't post them until I give them away.

New life, new look, new entry!

I am still very bad at keeping up with blogging, but at least this time I have a bit of an excuse. Since the last time I blogged not only did I get engaged, but I got married and moved to a new city and new house with my new husband. I have just gotten settled enough to write a bit on the blog and I am not making any commitments this time around, I will simply try to blog when I have a good idea and want to share it. This time is just a short hello, a promise to blog something significant tomorrow and a picture from my wedding!

My New Favorite Comic!!

Ok, first of all, comics in general are a newish interest for me. Last year my friend Holly got me into comics and so this past August I decided to go to a comic convention which is where I met my boyfriend Ben (so comics have a rather special place in my heart now, lol). Anyhow, at the convention I heard of a comic that seemed like something right up my ally. I just recently bought it and finished it and I am here to tell you that this is something that I STRONGLY suggest reading....if you are not into comics now, you will be after reading this. The comic series is called Unwritten created by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. I cannot give you much about the story line without spoiling it for you, but I will tell you that it is an extremely intertextual piece of writing that blurs the lines between reality and the fictional stories that were written by real people. I have only read the first in the series and I am absolutely hooked. There are mature themes and it is not meant for younger adults and to tell you the truth I don't think they would appreciate it in the same way. All I know is that as someone who has/does study English Literature, this comic/graphic novel is able to totally capture my imagination in an intellectually stimulating manner. Just read it, and let me know what you think of it!

Making Something Out of Nothing

Okay, today I have a very simple tip that made my house a little happier... window writers. That's right, window writers. When I moved into the house I am living in right now, I noticed one thing right away: the ghastly mirror doors on my closet. They stared at me like some awful eyesore every time I went in my room and I had very little money to do anything about them. So one day I decided to be proactive and I went and bought some window writers. When I got home I drew a calendar on one side of the mirror with some drawn-on post it notes and spots for lists. On the other side of the mirror I write quotes (I call them my happy thoughts). Now my mirrors look a little prettier (if I could draw I'm sure I could make them really pretty) and they are extremely practical! There you go, tomorrow I will be back to tell you about a FANTASTIC comic book.

More Recycle Tips!

Well, I am almost done my Tetris scarf, so you can look forward to the pattern next week. While you are waiting I figured I would give you a couple more recycle tips, these ones coming straight from lessons I learned from my Grandmother who tried her best to never waste anything. So I will just list off the things she found a use for that you might too!

1. For crackers that come in a box with paper (The ones we have are a Newfy classic, Purity Cream Crackers)....the paper can be taken out to be used as tracing/pattern paper

2. Cereal bags can be reused as wax paper after being wiped out

3. While talking about what comes out of boxes, don't forget that the thin cardboard from the boxes is great for kids crafts and for patterns.

4. Milk bags are great as sandwich or snack bags or even bags for your crafty supplies

5. Any and all containers can be used again....I especially love when something comes in a glass jar...stay tuned for a pattern for a beautiful decorative vase from a recycled container!

So, just a small reminder that sometimes what we throw in the garbage isn't really trash! Let me know if you've found something useful in your trash!

This week is going to be different...

Ok, so I did not talk about any books on Friday because I was trying to finish the book I was planning on writing about. Now that I am finished, I am prepared to talk about it. However, this messes up the week a bit. So, this week I will write on a book Monday and Thursday (because I will be away Friday) and I will write about crafting tomorrow and give a happy house tip on Wednesday as usual.

Now that we've settled that, on to the book. I just finished reading a book entitled Navigating Route 20-Something: A Lifemap for the Road Ahead by Erin Keeley Marshall, a thirty something who wished to pass on information to those in their twenties that she wishes she had known when she was their age. The book was an easy read that had journal-like questions at the end of each chapter. I love journaling but never really find those types of questions helpful so I usually skipped them, but if you find that type of questioning helpful the questions are quite insightful. The thing I liked about the book was not actually the advice it gave, rather it was knowing that I am not alone in what I am experiencing. At this point in my life, I needed that knowledge. I would recommend the book to other people, for sure. It gives Biblical references throughout the book and would be great for someone new to the Bible since it gives a lot of background for the Biblical references. Since I am not new to the Bible I found it annoying at times, but I appreciated the fact that I could recommend it to new Christians. So there you go, a short book review. By the way, not all of the books I am reading are Bible related or Christian, it just so happened that this was the book I was almost finished. On Thursday I will be talking about a comic book that I am really enjoying.

Homemade Pizza Pops

Okay, so I got this idea from a friend of mine and decided to try it out one night and now this is my go to recipe for a fast meal on the go! Pizza can be a fairly healthy meal option, but often the store bought pizza pops or pizzas have things in them that are a little troubling. I always like to make things at home rather than buying them pre-made at the store and so when I got the idea for homemade pizza pops that were quick and easy to make, I jumped on it. Okay, I'm done ranting, on to the recipe!

Take 2 slices of bread (now this is why this can be healthier...you can choose the kind of bread to use, allowing you to make healthier choices), spread some pizza sauce (You can just use store bought pizza sauce, but if you have a pizza sauce recipe, that would be yummy) on both pieces of bread. Next, add the toppings of your choice (again, you can make healthy choices and aren't constrained by the limited options of the store's selection, not to mention that you can make veggie pizza pops without your kids seeing the veggies they don't like) and finish the 'pizza pop' off with some cheese. Put the two pieces of bread together, essentially making a sandwich, and then put it in a sandwich maker if you have one. If you do not have a sandwich maker, do not despair, what you need to do is treat it like a grilled cheese sandwich and VOILA! Homemade pizza pops.

I loved it, it took all of 5 minutes to make, if that, and I felt very satisfied afterwards because it felt like I was eating an instant meal, but I knew exactly what I was eating and that I didn't need to feel bad about eating it, lol. Try it out and let me know how it turns out!

Waste not, Want not

For this week's craft tip, I have a little recycling tip. Whenever you have a lot of ends in a crochet (or knitting) project -like my tetris scarf- you end up throwing out a lot of wool. I found the waste really annoying and plus the mess made with the yarn ends could get pretty intense. Here is my solution: I got a freezer bag and that's where I put my ends. I know what you are thinking, okay, so you got a mini garbage bag for your ends, big deal....but here's the cool thing, I now have stuffing for my various stuffed projects. The yarn I collect in my bag can be used for small stuffed animals or cushions, depending on how long I decided to collect it. TA DA! Waste not, want not.

I also wanted to show you my updated scarf. I commented on the previous blog that I ended up starting over and using double instead of single crochet. I like the results and I wanted to show you how it looks now:

Last Friday of the Month! Joshua

It is the last Friday of the month so today I will be discussing Joshua, the book of the Bible that I studied this month. Joshua falls between Deuteronomy and Judges in the Old Testament. As far as context, the book of Joshua is the story of the Israelites taking possession of the promised land. Moses had just died along with all of the Israelites who left Egypt and Joshua had just taken over as the leader of the people. Joshua was one of the spies that was sent into the promised land by Moses to report back to the people about what they would be facing when they got across the Jordan. Joshua and Caleb were sent out with 10 other spies and what the spies saw was not promising. 10 of the spies came back saying that the Israelites would be crazy to try to defeat the people of the land, but Joshua and Caleb came back excited because they saw how great the land was and knew that they had God on their side. From the first time Joshua is spoken of in the Bible, it is easy to see the extreme faith that he had in God and that is what struck me most about the book of Joshua. Joshua was constantly faced with impossible solutions which he responded to with one answer: God is in control. Joshua believed God was going to fulfill his promises and so he faced impossible situations with courage and continued to prove that the impossible becomes possible with God. Through Joshua's faith, the people of Israel were able to witness that "Not one of all the Lords' good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." (Joshua 21:45, NIV) But after all of these promises were fulfilled, Joshua challenged the people of Israel to continue in their faith when he says, "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness...But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15, NIV) Just as Joshua challenged the people of Israel in that moment, I was challenged by the book of Joshua as I read through it. Am I seeing the blessings God is giving me and the power he has to fulfill his promises or am I making my problems out to be so big that I can't see God's power any more? The book of Joshua certainly did challenge me and I hope that this will inspire you to read through it and let me know what it says to you!

Next month I am reading through 1st and 2nd Corinthians, so I am looking forward to that.

PS: Veggietales has forever made the scene in Joshua 5:13-15 hilariously funny to me, all I can see is Larry falling flat on his face in the sand, cracks me up every time, lol.

Mmmmm, Goodness in a Cup

Okay, so I have a friend who has been asking for this recipe for a while and so, my happy home tip this week is a recipe for a drink that we call Ginger Tea. This is what I make when I am feeling sick, tired or a little down ... basically it's part of my happy place, lol. It's particularly good for when you are sick because it has great healing ingredients.

Start by boiling 2 cup of water and then put in 2 tea bags (we prefer Tetley orange pekoe tea) to let steep. While the tea is steeping, heat (do not boil) 2 cups orange juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cinnamon (or put cinnamon sticks in afterwards) in a pot on the stove. Once the orange mixture is hot (steaming), take the tea bag out of the water and add the tea to the orange mixture. Voila! Ginger tea. Having a nice Christmas cookie with it would be great as well. It is pictured here with molasses buns (Look at the earlier post "Ode to my Nan Fradsham') and man was it a yummy snack!

I know this recipe is used a lot in our house and I hope that you can make use of it as well!

A New Experiment!

Okay, here we are, my first Crafter's Corner. As always, I have a lot going on in my crafting world right now. I have two very tedious blankets on the go right now (they are made ENTIRELY by 1.5 inch granny squares) that are taking up most of my time. I am also converting my baggy t-shirts into baby doll tees but that only takes a few minutes so it's not really a big project. There is one thing that I am very excited about though and I want to share it with you.

I have recently decided to start crocheting video game inspired items and I am starting with a scarf and hat set. The scarf and hat set is inspired by the original Tetris. The scarf is going to be black with an in progress game of Tetris on either end and falling blocks throughout the rest of the scarf. The hat is going to be black with a trim made of Tetris blocks. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited about the project and I'm hoping that it works out because if it does then I have opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for myself (and my readers) for crochet patterns. So I will definitely keep you posted and if it turns out I will post the pattern on a future Monday. For now, I will tell you this...I have graphed out the pattern on graph paper with each block representing 4 single crochet stitches and so far it is working out.

The only problem is having to constantly switch colours, it's making for a rather big mess.

Well, that's what's going on in my craft world right now, on Wednesday I'll be back with a great winter comfort recipe!

What I'm Reading In 2010

As can be seen, I need a jump start idea for my blog because blogging about baking and crochet once a week is not working and it is surprisingly not because I have no time but rather I usually have no ideas. Lately I have been making blankets that take a couple of months to complete and are not my original pattern so I cannot give you any crochet tips. So here is the new plan...

Mondays are Crafter's Corner Day: A craft idea, tip or simply an update on what's going on in my crafty world.

Wednesdays are Happy House Day: A helpful tip or recipe that will hopefully help you to make your house a little happier.

Fridays are Biblioholic's Day: An update on what I am reading. I will critique what I am reading and give any updates on the list I am giving you today.

And don't forget that all three of these categories go very well with a good cup of tea!

Okay, down to the main event, my book list for 2010: (If it is italicized, I have finished reading it)

1. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

2. Navigating Route 20-Something by Erin Keeley Marshall

3. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

4. Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery

5. Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

6. An anthology of short stories by Anton Chekhov

7. The Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories selected by Jane Urquhart

8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

9. The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence

10. Prayer by Philip Yancey

11. Paul by Charles Swindoll

12. Simple Hospitality by Jane Jerrell

13. Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver (I have been trying to read this for ages and something always comes up, hopefully this time it will work out)

14. Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel by David G. Benner

15. Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction by David G. Benner

This list will have things added to it by necessity or whim constantly throughout the year, but I am committing to reading these 15 this year and will keep you updated on what has been added to the list. I will not add these to the list, but I will be talking about the comics I am reading on occasion as well. Also, on the last Friday of the month I will talk about the book of the Bible I decided to study for that month.

So friends, hopefully this schedule will make it easier for me to commit to keeping this blog updated! Talk to you Monday!