She Knows has published another article of mine! I originally wrote this as a post for this blog, this is the revamped version for the site.
Our brains are amazing, and the idea that knitting can help in all areas of our brain is facinating! I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Please leave me a comment here or over at She Knows.
Enjoy!
Cat
Trying to raise caring, selfless children in today’s age isn’t always easy. There are many objects that stand in our way that we never faced as kids. Objects like cellphones, computers, video games, etc.. In the world of selfies, how to raise a child who will think of others first?
My kids are not perfect. Most days one of them is mad over me saying no to whatever whim they have at that moment. They bicker between themselves, hate cleaning up messes, do NOT ask them to do laundry unless you are prepared for a 5 minute folding session to last an hour or more, with grumbling. But every once in awhile I see that we are doing alright by them. They always have each other’s backs, even when they are professing their disdain towards each other. And they really are selfless in their daily acts where they don’t brag about helping the shy girl at school feel welcome, or comforting their friend who just got her heart broken, or playing with the disabled boy when no one else will. I know these things because others tell me about them. And I see it in the girls’ eyes, that gratitude and love. I also see it in their choice of friends.
So Xiola spent the day yesterday with her best friend. These two have been friends since they were toddlers. When Xi came running in after being dropped off, I expected to hear about all the fun she had doing the things she loves. What I was greeted with was a gift bag and a smile on her face. She promptly asked me to open it and stated it was from both her and her friend. While I figured it would be a drawing or something they love and thought I would too, I never expected what I pulled out of that bag. Those girls bought be the journal I had been wanting. A leather bound, beautiful handmade book with an embossed Tree of Life on the cover that matches the tattoo on my forearm. It is a journal for a story…not daily lists like some of my others hold. It is for a glorious story that will hopefully flow from my pen to it’s gold edged pages. Can you tell I really love this journal? The day before I had taken the two of them out for the day and we ended up at the bookstore. I realize now they had been keeping a close eye on me while we were looking at the journals. When I pulled it out of that gift bag, I started to cry. My daughter was face-timing the whole thing with her friend. When I was a kid face-timing was actually facing and talking to a friend, but I digress. They both were laughing and telling me they love me. Through my tears, I saw her eyes…..the eyes of a girl who, even though she loves her selfies, loves making others happy most of all. And hearing those two laughing with love over making mama cry with happiness was the best part of the gift.
Every once in awhile I get a glimpse that we are doing alright with these kids….So now to fill that book with a story for her…
Oh yes I did! I finally got to experience VooDoo Doughnuts Austin, located at 212 E. 6th Street. What a treat it was too! I dare say it lives up to the hype. The doughnuts were fresh and fun, the atmosphere eclectic and kitschy, and the service was suburb. Even the coffee was good! Now I admit, I went in with a ton of excitement and a little skepticism. I mean, come on, all the hype was on such a grand scale that no way could the shop live up to it all. But I am pleased to say that my excitement was justified and my skepticism not. Good things really do come in pink boxes!
If you want a fun, destination doughnut shop, VooDoo has you covered! Make sure you get the jelly filled voodoo doll doughnut too….yum!!!
This one for the car enthusiasts…. Jason was cleaning car parts a few weeks ago. As you all know, dirty job! He decided to test my crazy hippie products and so used Thieves cleaner on one side and a cleaning solvent on the other side. Someone was sold! The ratio he used was 2 capfuls to a quart of water. As you can see it turned out great! With the Thieves Cleaner, he didn’t have to worry about all those nasty chemicals coming in contact with his skin either! I love using this cleaner for household cleaning as well. I have a spray bottle, and a soft soap type cleaner I made that are amazing! And did you know that you can get a whole Thieves Kit? Yep!! Check it out here along with the other kits available.
This was 10 passes of solvent on the right, nothing on the left.
Still 10 passes solvent on the right, and now 1 pass Thieves on the left.
5 passes of Thieves Cleaner and this side is done!
10 passes of solvent barely touched the grease.
Finally, the solvent actually stained some of the metal on the right….Thieves cleaned up the rest!
Any questions?
The definition of residual, or passive income according to The Free Dictionary is:
“Passive income is an income received on a regular basis, with little effort required to maintain it.”
I wrote a short article about it and it can be found over at She Knows! Check it out here!
This is the pattern I am working on right now, Drachenfels by Mairlynd. (My progress will be noted below).
I found this pattern on Craftsy. This is an excellent site for crafters like myself. Great online classes for all different types of arts and crafts, patterns, ideas, etc. You can buy whole kits or just the patterns themselves, and not just knitting. Seriously, when I say all types, I mean all types. A sampling of some of their current classes:
Craftsy was founded by 4 tech guys; John Levisay | Founder & CEO, Josh Scott | Founder & COO, Todd Tobin | Founder & CTO, and Bret Hanna | Founder & VP of Engineering. According to their “About Us” page:
“Craftsy was founded in the spring of 2010 by four tech guys who wanted to create a new high-quality approach to online learning, and it launched in May of 2011. Our founders hoped to create a convenient education platform that captured the magic of a live classroom, including interaction with an expert instructor and fellow students.
Some of the first months were spent building a video player that would deliver the kind of in-class experience they dreamed of. After the founders first gave wine tasting and economics classes a whirl, John’s mother-in-law, an avid quilter, suggested trying quilting instruction, and from there, it was history!”
Sites such as Craftsy really inspire me. I love learning new techniques and having a community of people to ask questions and share triumphs with! If you haven’t discovered this site yet, you really should!
So for the update on my progress…here is where I am at with the scarf. Setting a goal to have it done by the end of the month, and yes, it’s for me! (If my image is showing upside down, I apologize….for some reason is wants to post like that!)
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Here are today’s 10 FREE Kindle Books. Prices may change, it’s ultimately up to Amazon, but as of this morning these were free. Don’t have a Kindle you say? You can get one for only $49! You can also download the Kindle App for free – Amazon.com – Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
Thank you to All Mommy Wants for the list!
We are in the process of transferring the site and it’s all jumbled around…LOL So forgive the mess please. Here is a flower to make you smile!
*contains affiliate links
Here are today’s 10 FREE Kindle Books. Prices may change, it’s ultimately up to Amazon, but as of this morning these were free. Don’t have a Kindle you say? Well there are several great choices, check out the links at the end of this post. You can also download the Kindle App for free – Amazon.com – Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
*thank you See Mom Click for the list!
We love making gifts for people during the holidays. Cookies and pies are filling our oven on almost a daily basis. Teachers get treats as well! This year we decided to combine some yummy treats with some homemade goodness. What better way for a teacher to relax than with a cup of tea in their new cup, some shortbread cookies and a bath with delectable homemade soap and Peace and Calming oil? We had a blast making them, and hope the teachers love using them! Here are the recipes for all….happy making!
1/4 t Rose Clay (I found this at Whole Foods in the beauty section)
1 t Himalayan Pink Salt (look in the bulk spice section…can use course although I used fine)
1 T local Raw Honey
20 drops Young Living Grapefruit EO
1 C Goat Milk soap base (I found mine at Michael’s, really easy to melt and pour)
Plus 1 t Himalayan Pink Salt per bottom of each mold.
Melt soap in double boiler or microwave (be sure to use a heavy glass measuring cup if using microwave). Once melted, take off heat and let cool slightly. Add Rose Clay, Salt, Honey and EO in that order and stir to combine. Add salt to each mold and pour mixture into soap molds and let cool. Sprits with rubbing alcohol to disperse air bubbles for a nice finish. Super easy and a wonderful treat for the recipient!
Shortbread Cookies
I used my favorite Martha Stewart recipe found here. Instead of rolling out cookies, we pushed dough into super cute Snowman cookie molds I found on sale at Michael’s!
After baking the cookies we packaged it all up and added a sweet Nutcracker miniature ornament, sample of Peace and Calming EO, and a Young Living Lip Balm in each gift. The kids loved giving these to their teachers and from the notes we got in return, the teachers loved the gifts.
Creating something for someone is such a lovely way to say I am thinking of you! So much love and attention is added and I know for me, receiving a homemade gift is something I treasure. I have noticed over the years, the gifts the girls have saved and keep in special places are the ones that were made for them. I love passing this tradition down to them and my grandkids!
Now to break out those needles and finish some Winter hats for the crew! If we ever see Father Winter here that is…LOL
Peace!
Cat
P.S. Check out the Essential Oils section of this blog for more info…;)