Friendship Squares............

keep coming in for my daughter and I.
Arent these pretty!?
We're collecting squares from all around for friendship afghans for ourselves.


Thank you my dear sweet 'ville friends for helping us make our Friendship'ghan!!!


hugs....love & blessings
.::Tam::.

Damaged Goods.....................

I walked down the aisle of the discount grocery looking for a bargain the other day...that I couldn’t live without. It’s always hit and miss in this store…and I had missed…again.
But, I passed by a bin that caught my eye. “Damaged Goods.” It was filled with dented cans and missing labels…no real rhyme or reason, just random items that were not shelf worthy. And suddenly, I knew just how they felt.
Life sometimes delivers the unexpected. Lessons learned in the school of hard knocks bruise us, dent us and remove the label that defines who we are. We feel as if we have been tossed into a bin, no longer worthy of a place on the shelf. Some people substantiate the lie that we are second class failures and all hope is gone.
So, I leaned over and intentionally chose a dented can with no label from the bin. I got it home and placed it on the can opener with anxious anticipation. Twisting the can opener round and round... finally penetrated the metal lid to reveal….peaches!!! I love peaches!! What a treat to open this can and be greeted by one of my favorite fruits. The can was damaged but the contents were still good…and sweet.
God must have smiled…because at that moment the sunshine beamed in my kitchen window. I knew in my heart there was a lesson.
I have been damaged. We all have to some degree. I havent always lived the life that I dreamed about when I was a kid. However, the damage that I had suffered has made the contents of my heart so much sweeter, so much more compassionate, so much more in pursuit of Jesus. I have been looked down upon and judged by many who have seen my label missing and slapped on their own.
I’ve wanted to say, “Don’t judge too quickly. My damage has not defined me…but, it is refining me.” I may be at the bottom of the life’s bin, but Jesus paid as high a price for those of us at the bottom as He did for those that are proudly displayed on the top shelf.
Look around you. Is there someone in your life, your family or your church that you consider “damaged goods”? Don’t miss an opportunity to reach out to them, to love them. You just might find a friendship that is good…and sweet

hugs....love & blessings
.::Tam::.

Little Show & Share..........

Its kinda hard to see the pattern in this dishcloth............ but its a log cabin pattern done in an Enterlac stitch. This was a test cloth for a pattern a lovely lady over on the 'ville created!

This is a fun square I made to help contribute to a friends Wedding 'Friendship' afghan! A bunch of us ladies got together and each made a square with this pattern.... sent them all to one lady for her to put together and give to her for a Wedding gift from all of us! Neat huh?!

I cant wait to see the finished afghan! :)


God Bless

.::Tam::.

I Believe..............

I Believe...

That we dont have to change friends if

We understand that friends change.

God Bless

.::Tam::.

HaPpY bIrThDaY dAvId.................

Chocolate cake......... vanilla icing........ strawberry icing for writing!

Davids Neapolitan Birthday Cake! :)

Mommy loves you David!

Happy Birthday baby!

hugs...love & blessings

Happy Birthday to my oldest................

Mommy misses you!! Have a wonderful Birthday sweetie! Love you bunches!!!

hugs....love & blessings!!!

Finished................

I finished the Corner start Entrelac baby blanket!
I really like how it turned out! I'll be selling this at the craft fair next month!
I sure home the fair is a success!

thanks for stoppin' by.
have a great day everyone!
God Bless you all!
.::Tam::.

I Believe...............

I Believe........

That just because two people argue,

doesn't mean they don't love each other.

And just because they don't argue,

doesn't mean they do love each other.

God Bless

.::Tam::.

First Day of School....................

OmGoodness...................When did they get so big?!?
My babies are growing up so fast!!!
Here they are.... getting ready to get in the van and head to school! My sweet little 6th grader... 7th grader and 10th grader(Sophomore)
have a great first day of school boys! Mommy loves you!!!



God bless
.::Tam::.

He's Driving................

Can you believe this? Oh my.................... what a big boy!

He's driving us home from the Court House after passing his test and getting his permit.

Oh how I remember the days of learning to drive. Daddy would take me out to my High School parking lot and teach me. Stop.. Start... Park... Turn.... etc. Gosh how long ago that was!!!

Well... Patrick is doing great... but until he is totally confident ..... stay off the roads everyone... hehehehehehehe

hugs...love & blessings

.::Tam::.

Testing a new pattern................

I was lucky enough to test this pattern. Its called Corner start Entrelac afghan.
I'm using some lovely baby yarn I was given by a sweet friend.
This is a really easy and fun pattern! It has a sort of knitted look to it!
I'll be putting this on my table at the Craft Fair next month! I'm trying to get as much done as I can so I have plenty of items to sell.. and a nice variety of things. I hope I sell it all. :)



Well... back to crocheting...
thanks for stoppin' in!
have a wonderful day everyone!

God Bless
.::Tam::.

County Fair...................

Spent the weekend going to the County Fair!
The boys had a good time riding the rides ... playin the games and watching shows!

This is Tabatha............ she was my favorite part of the animal show! Isnt she beautiful!!!!?!!!
Michael and David got to sit in the grass with her later after the show and feed her greens.

Two silly kids!!! Patrick gets a piggy-back ride from his girlfriend K. FUN!

Michael takes a break by one of the rides. Going to the Fair means alot of walking. Scoot over Michael ... mommy wants to rest too. *whew*

David spinning on one of the rides with a buddy! Okay... done watching! I cant even watch the spinning rides! *whoa*

Really David........? Another spinning ride............?

This was really neat to watch.............. this awesome guy was carved from a tree stump... by a very talented man using only a chainsaw. It was really amazing to watch him.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

have a wonderful day!

God Bless

.::Tam::.

Freebie Friday..........

Diet Coke Cake......

This is a simple... yet VERY yummy cake recipe! Its so moist you don't even need to frost it if you don't want. You can use any diet soda.... and if you want to have fun... use a white cake mix. Diet Orange soda and a white cake.... yum. :)

This is a great recipe for those that are dieting and those that have a dairy allergy. No eggs... no milk.

Ingredients...........

1 box cake mix (your choice of chocolate or white)

1 can of diet soda (your choice of flavor) 12oz

In mixing bowl... mix cake mix and soda.

Grease and flour 9x13 cake pan.

Pour cake batter in pan... you will need to spread it out as it is thick.

Bake at 350* for 30-35 min.

Let cool and enjoy!

Topping ideas...........

~regular icing

~powdered sugar glaze using same flavor diet soda and powdered sugar

~sprinkle with simple powdered sugar

~dollop with cool whip or whip topping of your choice.

hugs...love & blessings

.::Tam::.

Why an education is so important.......

So... the story starts with Patrick getting a job. Yep........ my teenager is a big boy now and got himself a part-time job! I'm so proud of him. So is his dad! Which is where the title of this post comes from.
I took Patrick up for his interview today .... it went very well... and he scored the job. So for some fun and support... his dad brought home a cake to celebrate his very first 'job'.

Umm..... look real close and I'm sure you'll see something just not right about this cake.
The second Ken sat it on the counter I saw the lovely misspellings of a sweet old lady that works at the deli writing on cakes. Me thinks a dictionary behind the cake counter might be handy! hehehehe :)

Well.... with a little 'mom magic' I fixed it!

Good Times... :)

Fun memories!

God Bless

.::Tam::.

Quick Fix...........

So............ my son Michael comes to me a little while ago.............says, "mom... can you make a little bag to put these memory cards in?" Of course I told him I could... and would.
I went to my basket of scrap balls of yarn and randomly grabbed Red White Blue. Well.. that was neat... lets see what I can do with those.

Yep... 20 minutes later............. this is what I made! The boys are pretty happy with it! :)

have a wonderful day and thanks for stoppin' by!

God Bless

*”˜˜”*°•.¸Tam¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.

Dishcloths for the shop.......

·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸Good Morning¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸
Just a quick post to show off a couple dishcloth sets I made for the Soap Shop
I think they came out pretty nice!

Thanks for stoppin' in.

have a GREAT DAY!

God Bless

.::Tam::.

Where is God in your storms?

photo by tkcarlton

With great confidence I can begin by telling you that God is right there next to you even if the storm is raging and you can’t sense His presence. He promised that He would never leave or forsake you. The key is to figure out how to get your eyes off of the storm, and on the One who can help you calm it.

Do you remember the story in scripture where Jesus came walking on the water? (Read Matthew 14:22-32; amazing story) The disciples in the boat were terrified of both the storm and this figure they saw coming towards them. Understandably so. I am sure I would be unsettled as well. So would you.

However, in the midst of their confusion and fear, Jesus spoke revealing himself and telling them there was no reason to be afraid. We don’t know how the others in the boat responded, but Peter; bold, courageous, impetuous, and dangerous Peter; decided he wanted to walk out to Jesus.

And, he did…for a while. The storm was raging, but Peter was walking. The water churned beneath Him, but he was so captivated by the One who had given him permission to walk on the water, that he didn’t even notice. At first that is.

After a while, he got a little confident and decided to look around. That is when the circumstances got the best of him. When he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink.

But, Jesus was right there next to him. The Savior of the World picked him up and put him in the boat.

I know that there are people in life who feel as if the storm is too much for them. Their circumstances are overwhelming and their emotions are telling them there is no hope for improvement and no way they can survive…but that is not the truth. No matter how drastic your situation, God is right there with you, and he will sustain you. But, you have to keep looking at Him. He is the One who can calm your storm. He is the One who can give you hope. And, He is the One who can change any circumstance.

God Bless

.::Tam::.

Fun Photo...............

We went to a baseball game this evening... and at the New Stadium was this fun poster.
Michael and David posed for the shot.
It came out great!

thanks for stoppin' by ........ :)

Sleep well.

God Bless......

.::Tam::.

David's summer friend.......

This is Jarod. David caught him right at the end of the school year back in April or May sometime... he was really tiny. He fed him... played with him and have a great summer watching his friend grow. Well... we were starting to feel that Jarod was missing some important things from the outdoors... so David set him free today! It was a sad... yet exciting moment.

He immediately hopped over to the pool and started making friends with other frogs that hang out there. Found a few bugs to eat too. :)

Bye Jarod............ it was great having you visit for the summer! Stay safe and happy hopping!

hugs... love & blessings

.::Tam::.

Baby Set.............

Good Morning friends...................
here I am to show off a baby set I made a friend.

There is a Bottle cozy to keep milk warm or cold..... A wipe/diaper pouch ..... a Granny'ghan to lay baby on for changing or cover baby when cold... .and a Tote to carry it all in!
I am really happy how it all turned out! :)

thanks for stoppin' by!
have a great day!

hugs...love & blessings
.::Tam::.

Its what you scatter.........

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?''
H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'

'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?' 'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.' 'Good. Anything I can help you with?' 'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.' 'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.

''Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?''

All I got's my prize marble here.''

Is that right? Let me see it', said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red.

Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.'

Not zackley but almost.'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.' I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.

Several years went by. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size they came to pay their debt.' 'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.


Its not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you lived.

God Bless

.::Tam::.