Eclipse

I would like to give a hearty thanks to Yarnplayer, Gina and Jane Eborall for their wonderful advice on my earlier post about tatting frustrations. One other reason that I couldn't tat for beans that night is because I was coming down with the flu and I think it all started in my brain! Anyway.....Their advice was to use a solid colored thread along with the variegated and the two medallions pictured are the result. I used the variegated as chains on the one to show the colors, but must say that I like the one on the far left the best. The dark purple gives almost an outlined effect. They are the centers of Yarnplayers 'Arches' and they remind me of Eclipses; one a lunar eclipse and the other a solar eclipse. Have you seen either? I watched a lunar eclipse with my dad about 10 years ago in our old house. We lived in a wooded subdivision so we had to walk to the end of our lane where there was an open field. I remember it was snowy and quite, no wind, and it was a lovely time with my dad. I always ask him a ton of questions on those kinds of outings and I'm so glad that he was the patience to answer them. I've seen a lunar eclipse since then and am always amazed at how the colors change from a red to a maroon as the planets arrange themselves. I have yet to see a solar eclipse, but I can't wait until I do!

So thanks again to the lovely ladies that I've mentioned at the top. Be sure to check out their websites and blogs for more adventure.

Until we meet again!

Allison

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I hope everyone had a blessed holiday ~ ours was one to remember for sure. We had quite a large winter storm with ice, snow, sleet, we had it all! To boot we lost power for quite a bit, but mustered up the woods stove and got through the night. It's like opening a present, in a different way, when you wake up and look outside after and ice storm. What amuses me the most is when you look at a tree and can clearly tell which way the wind was out of. Our northern row of White Pines had needles that were iced over horizontally!

As you can see from the picture our Corkscrew Willow took a beating and thank goodness I took an Tree/Arboriculture class this past semester, so now I know how to repair them!

One thing that made this Christmas memorable is that this year the four of us all got each other movies! We all wrote down out top three and from there we decided who would give whom which movie.....ok, don't know if you follow, but in any case we have many new movies to enjoy. I tell you, since it's snowed or rained every day since Christmas, we have gotten to watch quite a few. There is quite an array of genres to be seen ~ from action to Jane Austen, yes our family is AWESOME!!

Thread Frustrations!

Have you ever bought a ball of thread that looked amazing and beautiful on the ball, then started working it in a pattern and begin to dislike it more and more? That's what's going on today. I bought a variegated purple Lizbeth and can't seem to be able to do anything with it. I tried the Spinning Wheel and the 'Black magic' bookmark out of the Visual Patterns book and can't seem to have my work come out just right. So, is it the pattern, the thread, or me? O_o I don't know....Weather here is ICEY! We're shut in and reading, watching movies, and I'm trying to tat! Grrr! I've never had this happen before! Needless to say that there are tatting 'remnats' that I've cut off scattered all around my desk and chair. The colors are pretty, but I just can't seem to do anything with it! I HAVE been wanted to re-do a doily that I made when I first started out in my tatting adventures, so it looks as if I'm headed back to the basics. Maybe that will clear my sanity!
Stay warm!
Allison

Countdown to Christmas

Ahh, the 2009 Christmas countdown begins! The Henze house looks specatular this year and as Christmas Day draws near the baking has begun! We had some great friends over for cookies and cards on Saturday and so far my mom, sister, and I have made four different kinds of cookies. Needless to say that the house smells incredible! We've also had snow flurries on and off so we've been juggling bringing the horses in and then turning them out again. In spite of all that, I have had quite a bit of time to devote to my lace. My necklace got picked up today and she LOVED it! There is something exciting in the feeling of knowing that your work means something to someone enough for them to purchase some of my lace.

Today is Monday and once again I've got a million different projects going. How about a photo tour? here we go!

Size 40 cross that keeps breaking! I've repaired it, tried to hide ends and now it's personal! LOL, just kidding, but I think I'll put that project aside and try the pattern in a bigger thread and maybe come back to 40. The picture doesn't give the color justice. It's a much darker color - actually it's the 'Lizbeth 40 'Boysenberry'. I'm wild about the color which brings me to our next photo:

This is a pattern out of the 'Visual Patterns' book by Mary Konior called Netting. How unique is that! This will be a fun adventure. I've never seen anything like it, so I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Next on the photo tour is a golden square doily for my Grandmother for Christmas. Each corner is a separate doily to create a kind of patchwork. I hope she likes it!

Another doily in the works. This is the one that I work on while we're watching a movie or something because the outermost ring is easy. Four rosettes down, about eight to go! This is the Easter doily that I mentioned earlier.

And just for grins, my Amaryllis is about to bloom! We started these bulbs in my Greenhouse I class and once it's done blooming I'm going to continue to force it in the fridge and have it bloom again in the summer. It will be a deep Christmas red, perfect for adding color to our living room as we celebrate our Savior's birth!

Hope you enjoyed the show! Tune in next week....ah, never mind!

Blessing from chilly Illinois!

Allison

Tatting, Tatting, tatting....

Wow! I have three projects going at the moment - mainly because it's been pretty cold and snowy here lately. I know, it's what?, December 4th and we have snow??? Ok, perhaps it's just a dusting but snow, none-the-less. My new Lizbeth threads and shuttles have sure been hard at work! Here's a run down on my latest projects still in the works and then one's that I've finished - hot off my smokin' shuttles!

• I LOVE size Lizbeth 40! I'm playing around with a semi-celtic cross, but I can't wait to try a bigger doily with it! I bought a deep maroon that is lovely. Quite possibly my favorite thread that I own.
• From my new 'Visual Patterns' book, I'm working on a doily that has a connected, repeating motif in the center, then something crazy...10 rounds of chains, upon chains, upon chains! Variegated thread's being used so I think that will turn out nice. It goes from a soft green into a light, then deep pink. Perfect for Easter! I'll shoot for that deadline; gotta get-er-done by Easter.
• I think I'm most excited about some of the ornaments that I've started! Over the years I've bought glass balls on sale at Hobby Lobby or at garage sales. Now I've finally started doing something with them. The tops are a simple ring and chain circle and I plan to attach Christmas motifs in the middle. I'm totally making it up as I go so they'll all be one of a kind.

We bought a newer camera about a month ago that ummmm....got eaten by my sister's horse. He chewed the lens off! So there won't be any pictures for a while, which I was pretty bummed about because I love posting pictures. Ah, well, I'll just have to describe my tattings to you!

One piece that I've finished is a custom necklace for a friend. It's two lines of black, 20 thread split chains with purple iridescent beads. And it is very pretty, if I do say so myself.

So, I just watched the nightly News with my mom and the weather team is calling for over a foot of snow accumulation starting on Sunday! WHOOHOO! Our family just purchased a new, heavy-duty snow blower and my dad is very happy about the chance to use it soon! That's fine by me because we didn't have one at all last year and that was harsh. My pony blew an abscess in his foot so we had to dig out the driveway constantly for the vet to be able to get in and out. Snow storms around here are welcomed, whatever the circumstance. We all put in a movie with our wood stove cookin' away or we'll read -or tat- all day long. I just love it. We decorated the inside of the house today and I have to say that our house always looks it's best with all the holiday decor up. We are definitely in the Christmas spirit this year!

Blessings to all!

New threads and a doily to share...

FINISHED! I can see the headlines now 'Local girl shot down mysterious variegated UFO last week.' Ok, it's not a real UFO - that's tatting code for UnFinished Object. But I finally finished my round robin doily! I have to admit that this was one of the hardest doilies to finish. I started it way back in August or so and never had the drive to get it done. All those chains really made it hard to press out and to complete in general. The last round though has got to be one of my favorites - weird huh? I love and hate this doily all at the same time!



Something else exciting....I got a knock on the door and a package on the front step on Wednesday! I was a happy girl! With no school until Monday, I've already started on a doily from my new book.
I also splurged (no idea how to spell that) and thought I'd try my hand at 'Lizbeth size 40. Boysenberry is the color. Snowflakes are the plan. It's cold and rainy here, so I know that I'll be working on them and will keep ya posted!


So I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! We spent today chillin' on the farm, taking care of horses, baking and cooking, and had a super yummy dinner. My dad had our wood stove going all day and it kept the house toasty - we even had the furnace turned off. Needless to say that my room upstairs is a little chilly, but what are electric blankets for???
May you all have a blessed weekend! Much love from the Midwest,
Allison

Order Up!

About two weekends ago we ran into an old friend at a concert in Dekalb. My mom and I used to do Girl Scouts with her and her daughter ages ago! Now both of us are in college! What a blast from the past! She had seen my cross bookmarks and said that she would like three of them for a mission-sponsored family in KY for Christmas and two for her own daughters as well.

So here they are! A real order for a long time friend. I'm very pleased with them and am working on the final cross; that will be a purple and white varigated mix.

I've also seen that Handy Hands has the 'Lizbeth thread has new colors in both size 20 and 40! I hope to try my hand at size 40 sometime soon. Fall semester is wrapping up and my winter break is for a whole month! There will be a lot of tatting! yay!

Bye for now,

Allison

Currently tatting...

Once again I was taken captive by an antique pattern found online. What I like most about it is that it's SQUARE! I've seen my fair share of rounds and ovals, but never squares. I am trying to think of a way to attach all of them and make a 'quilt' of sorts. We'll see. The pink and white was my first go round that I did in a size 10. I make myself laugh because I always try a new pattern in a large size and gradually get smaller. The other square is in a size 20 and that's the size that the rest of 'em will be in. I'm going to make all of the squares in white and all the 'Lizbeth colors that I have. I especially can't wait to see how some of the variegateds come out.

I just have to share that on Saturday our family is going to a Micheal W. Smith concert in Dekalb IL!!! My Dad's bank has a suite at the NIU Convocation Center and we got it for the night! This will be Micheal W. Smiths kick-off for his world tour and we are so blessed to be going. It's going to be a fantastic evening!

I have been tatting! I promise!

OH MY! how I fell short of updating ya'll on here! So sorry! It's funny though, I was looking at my Blog Archive and it's sad how once school started, the number of posts have dwindled. However! I got to tat today!! I had started an antique, square pattern a while ago in a size 20 and never finished. Now, I pulled out some size 10 and went to town. It's in a pretty white and pink thread and I'll have pictures up soon. We got a new digital camera, so I'll have to see if I can do something pretty with it.

We were scheduled to have our monthly tatting get-together today but it was the first day in about a week or more that it wasn't raining! So I opted to stay home and help out the family divide a horse-paddock for our boys. The weather was absolutly beautiful! Here are some pictures for you:

Dad and I placing the T-Posts

Me and my beloved sister, Lea

Mommie and me

Harvest time!

October - harvest time. Truly one of my favorite times of the year. It's crisp outside. The trees are starting to break out into colors of oranges and golds. And best of all...the farmers are starting to bring in the crops. Everywhere there is a distant hum of a combine and tractor working together to bring in the bounty.




Our pumpkin stand had it's grand opening last weekend (yes, it's been that long since I've posted any news, my apologies) and I am proud to say that we made a profit! Small, but a profit none-the-less. We are hoping that the weather warms up, and CLEARS up for this weekend, as we will be open as well.


So this is a tatting blog, right? and you are thinking "why does she keep putting pictures of pumpkins on her blog?!" Well, now I shall combine the two in a way that will make you smile:

TA~DA!!! I saw this pattern online and HAD to tat up a pumpkin! It adorns the empty space near our new 'puter, as we kindly call our new computer. It's so cute that I just might have to tat up a whole patch of 'em! :) My dad's birthday, is *ah-hem* 50th birthday, is coming up this weekend and we are gonna celebrate this weekend!

I have so many projects that I've started over this week that I've been off of school! So there are like 4 UFO's (Un-Finished Objects) floating around my desk. AAHH! I still have the weekend...I do have a pendent pattern in the works with a color combination that I'm not quite sure about, but we shall see. The pattern is Yarnplayer's Dream and I haven't done it in a while so doing it in the car was fun! LOL! I had a very special day with my Mom though! I just have to share! It was rainy, chilly and windy so my Mom and I headed to Countryside Gardens! We walked around the outside Quonsets and it was so fun to look at what systems they are using. I got to tell my mom a little bit about what we are doing in my Horticulture classes. A good friend gave me a gift card ages ago so I used it today - I bought 5 cactus/succulent plants and the soil to make my own desert! So even though it was miserable outside my mom and I sipped coffee and had an awesome afternoon together. Gosh I LOVE MY FAMILY! :D

Soon that note, my friends I bid thee well. Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you later!Much love from the Midwest tatter,

Allison

Hello October!

Last weekend was Belvidere's Pioneer Festival and I had such a nice time. There were 4 of us there from my lace guild (myself, Marleen, Judy and Kathy) and did we have the perfect weather!! It was sunny and in the low 70s with a pretty good breeze. So much so, that every now and then someone's bobbin lace pillow would almost get blown away! This festival is about 3 or 4 times larger then Genoa's so we got to share our lace with a lot of people. Not to mention there was great food and awesome things to see.

The picture on the bottom is my version of the pic on the top. I am using a dark purple Lizbeth with the variegated 'Caribbean' from Sarah. I'll be finishing that doily up over the weekend, along with a couple of reports that I have to get done.

I love the expression on people's faces when they recognize what I am doing, and say with a sweet tone of remembrance "My mother (or my aunt, or my grandmother) used to do that for hours!" One lady thought it quite exciting that someone my age was taking up the craft to 'keep it alive.' I always really appreciate comments like that. It makes me feel like I am part of a bigger picture. I was writing a letter to a good friend in New York and we were talking how there is a 'turning of the tide' so to speak. I called it a quiet revolution. I don't know, I just feel like there is a void in the world and we are desperately longing to fill it with 'something.' Or maybe people are tired of the way they are living and want to get back to the old ways, how life was lived back then. Now, everyone thinks that the void should be filled by something different. Maybe it's material possessions for some or to others it could be having many friends and being super popular. There are even heavier things that could fill the void, but I am pretty sure that I know what this world needs. A song by the band Casting Crowns called 'What this world needs' sums it up pretty well:

What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind

Another two bit politician peddling lies

Another three ring circus society

What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you

Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth

Another prophet in an Armani suit

What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue

A Spirit who will lead

A Father who will love them in their time of need

A Savior who will rescue

A Spirit who will lead

A Father who will love

That's what this world needs

What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside

Have we become so blind that we can't see

God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt

What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance

Blending in so well that people can't see the difference

And it's the difference that sets the world free

That void can only be filled by a certain Heavenly Someone that some people have chosen to completely shut out. How He desperately longs for those who reject Him and how gracious He is when we come back to Him! For me, it's a daily choosing between what the world has to offer, which are things that will pass away, or what Jesus offers, which is eternal. So for the month of October, when the trees display thier prettiest of colors, when Creation praises Creator, let's daily remember that we mean so much to our Lord. Let's live to the fullest everyday!

Blessing for the weekend!

Allison

Getting ready!

Hello everyone! Our home computer finally bit the dust. We have been replacing hard drives left and right and on Friday morning it blew the motherboard; it wouldn't even turn on! So we are shopping for a new home PC and I am updating my blog and keeping up with email at our local library. So tomorrow is Belvidere's Pioneer Fest and I'll be there from 10-5 tatting with my lace guild. I am so excited! I'm going to be working on a doily that Sarah made a while back in a dark red. Mine will be in the Caribbean variegated and a dark purple. (The pattern is called 'Robins round robin or something...) I'll take plenty of pictures and let you know how it goes.

My mom and sister are at a Horse Fest up North today so it's just me and dad on the farm. We harvested a wheelbarrow full of mini-white pumpkins this morning as our farm stand is opening next weekend! Something else exciting!
Well, I have to run home to bring the horses in so I'll catch you all later!

My First Necklace!

Here it is! I had an idea, conjured up a pattern, and *Ta-Da* my first piece of tatted jewelry. It's just a simple line of split rings with beads and a pretty charm. I'm going to wear it to school tomorrow so we'll see if it stands the test of the 'outside world!' It turned out to be just the right length too!




My weekend outside of my tatting adventures consisted of 50 quarts of home-made apple cider! We harvested 7 bushels from our two trees, chopped the apples, poured 'em all into the press and out it come! Well, lot's of test to study for this week so sorry that this is so short!
Talk to you all later,
Allison

The Little Things...

Little things...small, seeming insignificant treasures of life that are often over looked. A sunset, an infant's smile, flowers opening in spring. This Labor Day weekend I really took in the little things of life and made sure I enjoyed them. Speaking of all things small, above are some earrings with some new colors that I was foolin' around with. The one on the top picture to the left is the Lizbeth Caribbean-something that Sarah gave me. She made the large doily for the fair and had a ball left over so she spoiled me and said I could have it. The colors are so pretty. I wanted to thank her by tatting up something special for her (especially since she loves clunies! lol!) and it turned out like this: Clunies in the Caribbean! This little snowflake turned out pretty good for not weaving clunies in a month or so. It's just a bit bigger then a half dollar! My family and I had pizza and a movie last night and we watched The Fugitive. I had started a cluny during the first part, during the train wreck scene, and ended up having to take it out because it was so suspenseful!! I couldn't weave a cluny without watching what was going to happen to Harrison Ford!

But on to other things...Here is the doily that I started at the Pioneer Day demo. This one is for my mom to take to work. Her department is getting all new desks, so she'll have something pretty to put on top of it.


This past weekend was also my last weekend at Farm and Fleet. Yeah, I gave my two weeks notice because I wasn't anticipating such a heavy work load from my studies. I'm taking 5 classes, 3 of which have labs, and I'd also need two separate weeks off for field studies and a work week on campus. Thursday is my last day, but I hope to be back for the Christmas Toyland and next summer for sure. We shall see.
Alright, well my sister wants the computer, so I'll catch up with all of you later. At least now that I'm not working I'll have more time for my beloved shuttles and irreplaceable family and farm!
Toodles for now!
Allison

My First Tatting Demo!

I joined the Prairie Mill Lacemakers Guild and today was my first tatting demo! We were at Genoa's Pioneer Days demonstrating both bobbin lace and tatting. The weather was absolutely fantastic! I think the high today was only 70 degrees and not a cloud in a brilliant blue sky. There were four ladies there today making bobbin lace; Judy, Kate, Maryann, and Millie. I have quite a new respect for all bobbin lacers. It truly takes well rehearsed skills and patience to create the beautiful lace that I saw today. There were bookmarks and edgings that were beyond exquisite.

The picture above is from today of Marleen and I all dressed up in our Pioneer get-ups! We were the two tatters there today. Well actually Marleen started out with bobbin lace and then transitioned onto her shuttles! Marleen was working on an edging that will go around a cameo pin. I started a medium-sized doily that is tatted in a lavender and brown. *Pictures to come* :D

Back at school tomorrow. My poor sister has a pretty bad cold and my dad has allergies so we are laying pretty low tonight. Wishing you all blessing for the upcoming week!
Allison

School is IN!

Well, I had my first day of college on Monday. I'm surprised at how well it went. I am taking 5 classes this semester; 2 are on the easy side and the other three are quite in depth. My mom insisted on taking 'First Day' pictures so the picture at left is me getting into my car about to head off to the wild-blue-yonder of COLLEGE! Anyway, since school is in I hardly have time to tat anymore, but I am working on a square, antique doily. I'm for sure going to Genoa's Pioneer Days to demo tatting with a lace-makers guild that I just joined. I was google-ing doilies so I could have something to work on and ran across this website: Antiquepatternlibrary.com

There are a TON of older tatting books/patterns. The pattern I used is titled he Priscilla Tatting Book, Selections of Useful Articles from The Modern Priscilla, with Beautiful Designs Never Before Published by Jessie M. DeWitt. It's pretty cool to look at all the old patterns. There were a lot of bonnets that look really cool.

Well, I don't have much to report other then school starting.

Needle Tatting

More adventures in the realm of needle tatting!

I got the bug again to give needle tatting a try and it went surprisingly well. I followed instructions from MaryJane Butter's Stitching Room book. The instructions finally make sense!! This book is so cool. There are all kinds of farmgirl sewing and needle crafts projects in this book and I can't wait to make one of her aprons. This book is also special to me because this is where I first saw tatting and fell in love with it. As I looked through the book it was the tatting that really stuck out to me. I asked my mom about it and 'lo-and-behold' she had a gal at work that did tatting and was going to take a class. So that is how it all got started way back in November of 2008. I'm nearing my 1-year tatting anniversary!! How fun!

So as for the needle tatting excursion itself, I think I did pretty well. The reason that the first 3 rings are 'bumpy' is because the needle I was using was too big. So after I realized that I switched to a smaller one the rings and chains that followed looked much cleaner. I'll try some other patterns later.
Alrighty, off to start another day on the farm and I think I'll go and sit in our Adirondack chairs in the front lawn and enjoy the company of my beloved family.
Love,
Allison

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!

The judges have collaborated and the ribbons awarded. *Drum roll please* Allison Henze places FOURTH in the Tatted Hankie Edging category! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

As you can tell, our family went to the fair last night. It was cool when the sun went down and boy did we have a nice time. First we went straight to the Exhibition hall where the tatted pieces were and to my surprise I placed! There were around 10 or so tatted entries total which is quite a step up from the TWO last year. They almost dropped the category, but all the gals from my tatting classes pulled together and contributed quite a bit.



My dear friend Sarah showed a lovely doily that placed fourth in the 'Any tatted piece' category. CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!! I just love the colors that she chose!

My black 'Arches' doily didn't place but looked real pretty in the display case.

I even ran into my tatting teacher there! Marleen was looking at our pieces too and was very proud of us. As a teacher she couldn't show any of her creations but she said that she was glad to see so many entries. I forgot to tell you all; at our last tatting class Marleen brought up the option to help demonstrate at a local event called 'Pioneer Days' in Genoa, IL (which is just southeast of here). I am quite excited because I may be demonstrating! I'm gonna get all the details so that is something new that I'll keep you all updated on!

After that my family headed over to the pony tent where my friend and co-worker Danielle is keeping her miniature horses for the week. The picture is of Dani and I with her mini Opie. I'll be headed out there tomorrow to hang out all day and watch the fireworks on Friday, spend the night, and watch her show on Saturday. Next we all walked around the livestock barns and ate ice cream. Our favorites this year were a bunch of Clydesdale's. There were 6 or so down a row of stalls. What gentle giants! There noses were so big and they were all so itchy! So all in all not a bad night. Blessings for the weekend everyone!

Lavender and Jelly Beans

Weird title, huh? Well those are the names of the threads of my latest projects. I finished a medium doily called the "Daffodil Doily" from the Learn to Tat book. Mine is not quite like the picture. *sighs* Ahhh well, it's probably because I used a size 20 thread and the directions call for something a little bigger. I love reverse rings, so I was a little disappointed that mine doesn't look as nice as the picture in the book.









I got kind of creative with the second picture here. My family and I use Young Living's essential oils. We use them for medicinal purposes and other things like cleaners or just to smell nice. I just love 'em! There are oils for everything from indigestion to bug bites. And the best part is that they smell great and there are NO side effects! I have some small bottles that I carry with me always; Lavender for cuts and scrapes, Peppermint for an upset tummy, and a blend of oils called Joy for a perfume. Check out the Young Living website!


Now for the jelly beans! I'm thinking of making this little project into a one-of-a-kind watch band. You can find inexpensive watches at thrift stores, so I think I'll look around and see if I can find a style that would look nice with the pattern and colors. And if all else fails it will be a superb bookmark! The pattern uses split rings and I really like it.

So that's all. I haven't been tatting a whole lot lately but I have some ideas for my next piece...here is a sneak peak!

I went out to a local observatory with my dad last night and we had such a good time! We saw some binary stars, the Ring Nebula, a fuzzy Andromeda galaxy, and we even looked at the moon through their large telescope. Right now in the Midwest we are at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. So something fun to do is to sit out late at night, when the breezes are cool and the moon hasn't come up yet, and look to the North and East and see if you can't spot a shooting star!
My family and I are off to the fair tonight so I'll let you know how my pieces did! Have a great week everyone!
Much Love,
Allison

Back at it...

Well, I head back to work tomorrow (on my mom's birthday, of all days) after being off for a whole week. I honestly don't know where the time goes! I have been working on two projects at the moment 1) a medium sized lavender doily and 2) the 'South Africa' pattern from InTatters. The second piece is either going to be a bracelet or a bookmark. I haven't decided yet; probably a bracelet, though. : )

Today my mom and I dropped off a couple of financial things at Kishwaukee College to finalize my attendance there! I am so excited! I have been getting all of my books that I ordered online in the mail and that is so fun! Christmas in July! I really can't wait for school to start in the fall. I am so ready; a couple of days ago I was very nervous, but today mom and I walked around the campus, looking at all of the classrooms that I'll be in, and now I can't wait! God has been so merciful through all of this college-sorting-out-time. It can be really hectic for some; I have friends that are going to school out of state and I don't know how they are gonna do it. I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE MY FARM OR FAMILY! So I am very blessed to be able to attend a college that is so close by.

So back to work tomorrow and a Happy birthday to by beloved Mother!
~Allison

P.S. just in case you wanted to see what else I did today with my sister, check out the video that we made! Enjoy!

Tatting Photo Shoot!

I was sitting at my kitchen table this morning and had an idea...I need a creative way to showcase my latest tatting creations. The lighting was really nice; it was around 7:00am so there was almost a freshness in it. As I looked around for ideas and glanced to my left to see our china cabinet and BINGO!!

There are some really lovely stories about this china set. It's my great-aunt Dorothy's Arzberg china. Her husband, Edward, was serving over seas during World War II and had it shipped in a wooden crate to her while he was away. It's been in our family ever since. My mom took care of 'Aunt Dodie' up until she was settled in a home. It was there that she passed away at 96, but she gave her china to us. There is something to the white, simplicity of it that I absolutely love. My family and I use it for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and when we have guests over. I'll have to ask my mom if I could inherit it someday, but for now I'll just enjoy it and cover it in tatted pieces!!!