Gimlet Media Podcasts

Like I said yesterday I am blogging once again during my water sipping cool down time. I did 20 sets of stairs and 15000 steps according to my FitBit. Go me!

So while walking I was as usual listening to podcasts, several actually. One of them was Science vs put out by Gimlet Media. BTW I also have enjoyed The Habitat and Reply All from the same company. I need a break from all the news and politics sometimes and Gimlet Media podcasts provide that.

Back to Science vs., today the show was a advertisement for another of their shows named Every Little Thing. After looking up Every Little Thing I decided to subscribe with Podcast Addict which is what I use on my phone to listen. This new to me show has 45 episodes so far with titles like Do Scarecrows Scare Crows? and Do Dogs Have Belly Buttons? Come on now, who could resist such fun and informative topics?

Just found out that son and daughter-in-law are coming for the weekend. So I don't know if I will get steps or blogging done with company to enjoy and care for.

If I don't get back here til next week I hope all of you have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Be a Better Blogger

Being a better or at least more consistent blogger is really just a small part of what is on my mind these days. However when it comes to blogging I have a plan. I am damn good at making plans by the way. I can get so lost in list making and organizing that I don't get anything done but that list is beautiful. I have had to stop making lists and just keep deadlines which I rarely have and appointments on a calendar and call it good. Procrastination encouraged by distraction is a problem for me.

Back to the plan. I have developed (and am proud of this) a daily habit of exercise and walking. I do this first thing in the morning after 1 and only 1 cup of a caffeinated drink, either coffee or tea. I turn on podcasts and start moving. After all, as I like to say, I am in training for old age. So when I finish this activity I drink some water and cool down a bit before I move on to having breakfast, a shower and get myself dressed. My plan is to start writing my blog posts during my cool down time. 

You see, my exercise time is great getting lost in random thoughts. Rather than being so random I can plan a post and then sit down and write while sipping my water. The reason I think this will work well is because I am building onto a already established routine. I have tried planning blogging for other times of day and it just doesn't work. I, and maybe you too, need a certain amount of alertness and concentration to write a post and those things are best for me in the morning. After a day of Etsy shop work, tweeting, housework, making meals, running errands and so on and so on the last thing I want to do is sit down to plan and write a blog post.

So if this works you will see me here or rather I will be talking to myself here more often. 

Dear reader if you would, and you are a blogger, let me know what works for you.

And now I am leaving you with my most viewed picture on Google maps. I am going to imagine he is watching to see that I do well in making the goal of more consistent blogging happen.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Crocheted Cotton Infinity Scarves

Before I left Arizona for my summer in Wyoming I got some new scarves listed in my shop CozyAtoZ.etsy.com. These can all be found in the Infinity Scarves section. All of these crocheted warm weather accessories are made with 100% cotton crochet thread except the white which is made with a soft polyester thread. The cotton thread softens over time and wears like iron. One of these scarves will brighten your wardrobe and your day.

All scarves pictured in the shop are made and ready to ship. I also want you to know that any order over $25 ships free to anywhere in the US.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

A Summer Project

My life for the last couple years has meant going back and forth between Arizona and Wyoming. Currently I am in Wyoming for the summer and looking forward to spending time with grandkids and on the boat on Jackson Lake.

Being here in Jackson, away from my studio set up and supplies left in Arizona I wondered what I would do to keep my hands busy on long summer evenings. Actually my mother ended up helping me out with that.

More than 30 years ago I started a Cathedral Window Quilt. I was going to use up bits of fabric from the clothes I sewed back then for my children and myself. The barely started quilt ended up being left behind at my mother's house when we moved from San Diego to Salt Lake City. My daughter brought the quilt to me after a visit to grandma's house earlier this year.

My instructions are on a photocopied page from a magazine but you can now find a how to at Instructables.com.

Below is a glimpse of what I have so far. These blocks we already done. In the basket the whole project came in there are probably enough muslin squares cut to make a quilt. For the small patches that go in the "windows" I have about 75 different fabrics cut into small squares. You will probably notice that I sewed a lot of gingham back in the day.

I like putting the patches in groups of four. If you ever make one of these you could make each window different. As the blocks get joined a new places to put more patches will get created. This quilt gets its layers from folded fabric rather than batting. It is also all done with hand sewing so if that idea soothes you like it does to me, this is a quilt that you may want to make. 

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Next Finished Book of Books

Another volume read and ready to be passed on to a thrift shop. 

Most of the stories in this volume from 2001 aren't ones I would normally seek out to buy or borrow from a library. I don't regret the time reading them however because I feel no time with a book is ever wasted and I felt like each one expanded my knowledge of the world in some way.

• In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton
• Keep It Simple Stupid by Judge Judy Sheindlin
• The Russian Word For Snow by Janis Cooke Newman
• Special Agent by Candice DeLong
• Down The Highway by Howard Sounes

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Etsy Turns 13

Through highs and lows, good times and bad Etsy has managed to become a teenager. I remember reading about the site on blogs in 2005 and was so thrilled someone had made something for crafty people.

To celebrate rather than have cake I am having a sale. Although I offer free shipping for orders over $25 the idea of a percent off sale is new to me. I thought about what I should offer and came up with 40% off. I wanted to make an offer that makes it worthwhile for folks to come by my shop and look.

This all ends on Friday and I wouldn't want you to miss out. I will not be offering such a steep markdown again this year. You can shop for dishcloths, headbands, market bags, hats and potholders at CozyAtoZ.etsy.com.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Market Bags Available Now

A recently added section in my shop, CozyAtoZ.etsy.com, is a group of hand crocheted market bags. I have had and made this pattern for a very long time, maybe 30 years or more. These handy bags have a lot of stretch which makes them very useful. 

• You could load these string bags up with goodies from your local farmer's market. 
• You could use this bag at the beach to hold your sunscreen and towel. 
• Another use would be to transport books between home and the library. 
• These crocheted shopping bags would even come in handy during your regular grocery shopping trip. 

Hand crocheted in 100% cotton your new shopping bag be machine washed and dried. When not stretched out they don't take up much room making them easy to carry and keep handy in a purse of backpack. 

Consider cradling your kale in something pretty!

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!