Crochet Tree Skirt

For the last several years, my Christmas tree has been well decorated on top but sadly naked on the bottom. But now she's got a nice skirt to wear. I couldn't find one I liked anywhere (why do they all have such small center holes? My tree stand is big). So I made one!

I improvised the pattern. It's made of granny-style pentagons, followed by granny rows, followed by an edging I found in the book Super Stitches Crochet. 

I also made a headwrap for my grandmother-in-law:

The pattern is from the Frayed Knot blog. I tweaked the design of the flower. This was a quick, fun project, and I'm happy with the way it turned out. 

Merry Christmas!

Crochet Blankets

Here's a tour of the blankets I have crocheted:

This was one of my first crochet projects. It took more time and more yarn than I'd anticipated, hence why it's rather small. It's also starting to fall apart a little bit.

This is a baby blanket I made for a friend's baby. The ripple pattern is from Attic 24's blog.

Another baby blanket (kind of rough around the edges - I was experimenting with different ways of joining squares). 

Here's an "in progress" picture of my biggest crochet project to date - a queen sized ripple (also from Attic 24's pattern).

The finished product! We snuggle under this thing all winter. Preferably while wearing pajamas that match. Because I really like to match my bedroom while I sleep. Husband (correctly) thinks I'm crazy. 

This is another baby blanket - also a ripple, but with a road, car, river, and boat added in.

Someday I will learn photography skills and we'll all laugh about the quality of these early blog photos. But for now, here's my cozy corner of the couch. The blanket is from this pattern. I'm not usually a geometric shape kind of gal, but hubby likes the geometric accent pillows on the couch, so I gave it a chance. This is what I worked on when I was stuck at home with chickenpox. And then I washed it. 

The "Heaven Will Be Boring" Lie

I've been reading Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven" off and on for over a year now. It's not a hard read, but it's a big book with a lot to ponder. 

Today I read a chapter on whether heaven will be boring. I was freshly reminded that God is good, and everything good comes from Him, so of course living His way for eternity will not be dull. 

In Randy Alcorn's words:

"Won't it be boring to be good all the time?" someone asked. Note the assumption: sin is exciting and righteousness is boring. we've fallen for the devil's lie. His most basic strategy, the same one he employed with Adam and Eve, is to make us believe that sin brings fulfillment. However, in reality, sin robs us of fulfillment. Sin doesn't make life interesting; it makes life empty."

And, bluntly: "It's not God who's boring; it's us. Did we invent wit, humor, and laughter? No. God did." 

The Lord has been frequently reminding me that His way is better than my way. He's also shown me that I can still have fun and enjoy life doing it His way (in many cases, it's much better than it would have been otherwise). 

"Weddings By Bella" Series

I get excited when I find a book that is "good clean fun". So I'm going to share!

The "Weddings By Bella" series by Janice Thompson is entertaining and funny. It's about Bella, who is a wedding coordinator, and her Italian family. They live in Texas, so it's a blend of pasta meets cowboy boots. The book also talks about Christian faith - but unlike some Christian fiction, it isn't overly cheesy/awkward. There's some love stories, some misadventures (things always go wrong at weddings, right?), and lots of food. 

Plus the Kindle prices are decent. For all three books, I only paid $8. 

I'll let you know when I find more good, clean fun books.