Skipper

Just finished this little guy. Makes me think of the pups in "Lady & the Tramp".

Spice

Just finished this little cutie snail. His name is Spice.

Glasses & Boots

So, what do you think? Found Roy some boots and a pair of glasses.

Look at Herbert

This is Herbert the Gardner bear. My sister knit him for me for my birthday. He is made from an Alan Dart pattern. I was so surprised and pleased when I opened the box! She did a wonderful job on him. He looks like he is ready to head off to work in the garden.

Monkey Mittens

Just finished knitting a pair of mittens for monkey. What do you think?

Chenille Jumper

Here we have Lloyd modeling his new chenille jumper.

Gig & His Fairisle

Gig is modeling a new fairisle jumper. It goes nicely with his brown trousers.

Roy in his new Jumper

Munkeh here. Wanted you to see Roy in his new jumper. It has rolled neck, hem and bottom of sleeves. He looks pretty pleased with it.

My Monkey Boys

This is the latest pix of my Monkey Boys. Everyone has a sweater or hoodie to keep them warm this winter.

New Monkey Hoodies

This is Lloyd in his new Hoodie, backpack & tennies. The tennies have a nice flat sole making it possible for Lloyd to stand on his own and look darn cute.

The second pix is of Lloyd & Roy in hoodies. Considering we are in Ohio and have had a fairly nasty winter (so far) they are pretty toasty warm.

Monkeys again

I've no idea when this passion for monkeys started. We're talking stuffed monkeys. I just purchased another PG Tips monkey from England. Then I decided he needed some clothes. He is small, so its not hard to whip something up for him. I used a holiday sock and made him a shirt and festive hat. His name is Roy.

His larger friend, Monkeh, is an original ITV monkey (from England). I decided he needed a few clothes also. I went to our fave thrift shop and found a few things that will fit him, as you can see.

I know, I'm nuts. But they are fun and it keeps me out of trouble.

Richmond Art Show

Our son D, entered two of hubs photos in the Richmond Art show. Hubs had no idea, it was a surprise. Hubs and I went to the judging last evening. Both his pictures were selected to be in the Art Show. The judging is Nov 4. Whether his photos win anything or not, they will be on display Nov 4 - Dec 15. Hubs was very surprised and pleased and excited to be chosen for the show.

New grandbaby

I'd like to introduce our newest grandchild - Ella Elizabeth North Watson. In the pix with her Mom Ella is one day old. She is now two weeks old and growing like a weed. In her first two weeks she has grown nearly 3 inches taller. My goodness she will be walking soon.

Three Things

Sorry its been "years" since I last posted (not that anyone will notice). No good reason, I'm afraid. ---

I received a box in the mail yesterday (things I ordered) and with that box, I've just completed my Christmas shopping for this year. I've been collecting a few things for gifts and I've done some embroidery. So now its finished but for the wrapping and sending. Hopefully the post office will still be in business this coming December.

---

Saw this on another blog and thought it was a good idea.

Three names I go by:

1. Stine

2. Christine (only when I'm in trouble with my Mom)

3. Chris

Three jobs I have had:

1. Nurses aide

2. Receptionist

3. Administrative Assistant

Three places I have lived:

1. Houma, LA

2. El Cajon, CA

3. Portland, OR

Three favorite drinks:

1. Margarita

2. Gin & tonic

3. Snapple diet pink lemonade

Three TV shows I watch:

1. The Closer

2. Dr. Who

3. Justified

Three places I have been:

1. Eagle River, WI

2. Disneyland (Los Angeles)

3. Tijuana, Mexico

Three places I would like to visit:

1. England

2. Ireland

3. East Coast in Autumn

Three favorite dishes:

1. Nachos

2. A good cobb salad

3. Prime rib

Three beauty/make-up I can't live without:

1. Scent

2. Mascara

3. Eye liner

Three things I'm looking forward to:

1. Grandbaby #2

2. My next visit with my sister

3. Boxes in the mail

Sock Monster

Just finished this funny "Sock Monster". His non-matching socks can come off his feet. He is the fellow who makes off with the odd sock from the washer or dryer.

New dolls

I recently invested in 2 new dolls. The first is from Japan. Its a Wanda the Wonder Frog. His name is Pod and he is wearing his knit hoodie, that I finished this afternoon. Pod is about 6.5 inches tall. Don't you love his tennies?

The 2nd doll is a Pullip (type of doll). Her name is Lyvy. She is about 11 inches tall and very thin. She is like a Blythe doll but I believe she has a sweeter face. She is wearing a dress I made for her yesterday.

New dresses for Hitty Louise

Recently finished sewing a couple of dresses for Hitty Louise. They are made from vintage hankies. The pink has small flowers strewn about the dress and the white dress is from a linen hankie with flowers embroidered on the front. They both turned out pretty much like I envisioned them in my head.

Washing with Homemade Laundry Soap

I did two loads of wash with the homemade laundry soap this evening. I also used the white vinegar in the rinse rather than store-bought fabric softener. It all worked a treat!!! The towels came out soft and fluffy. My clothes had no static when they came out of the dryer (they usually do). Everything smelled nice and clean. I'd say this was a great project and I'd recommend it to ANYONE! Sure beats paying $6-12 for liquid laundry soap.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I just finished making a batch of homemade laundry soap. The batch makes 10 gallons of soap and it only costs about $2 a batch. The recipe is from the Dugger Family (The Learning Channel)(they have 18 children). See the recipe below: Homemade Laundry Soap - (red print is from me, Chris) TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2. Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value (I found all ingredients at Krogers (local grocery store)) 4 Cups hot tap water 1 Fels-Naptha soap bar 1 Cup Washing Soda ½ Cup Borax - Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. -Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. -Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser (container) half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (it will gel) -Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. -Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads) -Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads) I was at Kroger (to get supplies). A lady stopped me in the aisle and said "You're going to make soap". She had already made some of the soap and had a few suggestions... You don't need to use prewash. If you want, put some soap on the stain and then wash. You don't need to use softener. Lastly, when you are ready to put the homemade laundry soap in the small laundry soap container (equal parts soap and water) only put enough soap and water to fill the small container 2/3s full. That leaves "mixing" room. Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes Recipe #1 1 Cup White VinegarAdd vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too. Recipe #2 1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener 4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet. Sorry this is all run together - I haven't figured out how to get spaces between paragraphs. Can anyone tell me how? Thanks