Shamrocks on Zazzle

Do you think of St. Patrick's Day when March begins? I do. I love the lovely green of springtime that it brings into my world. I suppose it does help that I am a bit Irish among other things.

I checked out Zazzle for shamrock items and was amazed at the range of things you can find to bring this fun yearly holiday into your home.

I found an article from 2010 on the National Geographic site that tells the story of this holiday. The article says that St. Patrick's Day with traditions of wearing green, the symbol of the shamrock everywhere, green beer and rivers and parades is an American invention. In Catholic Ireland it is really no different than any other saints day.

Now how about some of that stuff I found on Zazzle? Well here you go!


I thought this sticker was so pretty!


Wear your shamrock with a message of love.


Not sure if there is time to order invitations for this year but there's always next year and you are now proudly planning ahead. LOL

As for me, exercise is done, breakfast and getting dressed are done, podcasts are playing in the background, blog post is nearly done. The rest of the day will be working on listings in the Etsy shop. I will probably share more about those here later in the week.

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

Sharing Thanks Received

For the last several years I have knitted or crocheted a blanket for the first baby born at my hometown hospital each year. Usually I get a printed form letter from the St. John's Auxillary thanking me for my donation. This year was different and special. I got a hand written note from the auxillary and a note from the family. My blanket is in the picture wrapping baby Noah. It was nice to be personally thanked and makes me want to make more blankets for more babies.

Little things like a thank you can mean so much.

I think I need to make a conscious effort to say "thank you" more myself to those who cross my path.

Happy Monday! I have exercise done, breakfast done, this post nearly done, will be starting on returning retweet favors with retweets of my own soon

Etsy shop is open again. A little sample of shop offerings is below and in the sidebar.

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

The Flower in the Gun

Have you seen this video or heard this song? The flower in the gun is such a beautiful concept for a very serious issue.




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

Currently Crocheting Dishcloths

The last time I visited my son's home I was told they were out of dishcloths. I decided to do something about that and give myself something to do with my hands during TV watching time. I chose this colorway because 1) it was cheaper than others and 2) he likes blue, she likes green and the purple and white add sparkle.

I do worry about how much or how long these will be useful. The have a sneaky but very cute dog in their home that likes to take things to the backyard and chew them up. That is one of the reasons why these are so simply made. 

I have created my second ever Ravelry project page for these dishcloths simple though they are. I have been on Ravelry for years, lurking and learning in the forums. One of the things I want to do this year is start making more digital records of things I make and do. It is a shame that over 50 years if making there are very few records. These memories are important to me whether they mean anything to anyone else doesn't really matter.

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

More from my Reader's Digest Collection

 This time I am sharing an old book but one I thought was definitely worth my time. If it might be something you would like to read to I have links to this book found on Amazon. My own copy will be passed on to a thrift store in town for someone else to enjoy.

All four stories found in Volume 2 from 1987 kept me turning pages and ignoring the television and that's a good thing. 

• A Place to Hide by Evelyn Anthony first published in 1987 and takes place mostly Ireland. It is a story of a brother and sister caught up in the struggles between Catholic, Protestant and the governments of England and Ireland.
• Nightshade by Gloria Murphy was published in 1986. This tale is a thriller with lots of great plot twists. It includes characters like a good cop, a single mom, an unknown brother who stalks a family. It does end with happily ever after for the single mom but that is all you're getting from me.
• East and West by Gerald Green was in bookstores first in 1986. Set in the years of WWII it puts two people in love and their families in the middle of the the fears and dangers of being at war and living in countries that were both attacked.
• Will Bryant wrote A Time For Heroes that was also available in 1987. Set in 1923 frontier Arizona this book was just so fun to read. Serious thing happened here but the characters were all a bit over the top. There was a flying ace that gets the girl. I loved the grumpy old grandpa who was a prospector and hopeful inventor. Add in assorted crooks and thieves and a newpaper man who wants a story and you get a story full of life and unexpected heroes. 

Reader's Digest Condensed Books

Volume 2 1987

The links to this book on Amazon are Affiliate links. Clicking and then purchasing from Amazon might earn me a small commission with no cost to you but you get my thanks and I might buy more yarn. We will both be happy, right?

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

Winter Solstice

I don't know about you but I am so happy to see this day arrive. These short daylight hours and I don't get along. I don't really mind the early darkness in the evenings but long dark mornings mess up my whole day and attitude. I like to start my day's activities as the sun comes up and I just can't do that in the winter and accomplish what I want.

Does winter bother you the same way or even worse, are you afflicted by SAD? If so more daylight hours are coming and hopefully we both enjoy life better soon.

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

#Yule comes as a festivity during the winter solstice with traditions much like Christmas. Come and decide for yourself which are similar to the other... https://t.co/w4V5Qpz1KO pic.twitter.com/B6kHjZ78rW

— NationalDayCalendar (@NationalDayCal) December 21, 2018

Just another day....

Yes just another day here in Jackson. Cold, cloudy but no new snow.

I sent off the baby afghan I finished knitting to the hospital in town for the first baby of the year. I started my first recorded Ravelry project when I bought the yarn. After Jim took the package to work I realized that I never took any pictures. So no pics of a very nice blanket for here on the blog or for my Ravelry project pages. Typical of me really, if something simple can get messed up I will find a way to do just that. Oh well...

Currently I am watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix. I am enjoying the story much more that I thought I ever would. I started watching the show because it was next on my list on Instant Watcher. That website has lists for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO and podcasts. You, whoever may be reading, may find InstantWatcher.com useful for you.

Still reading my way through all the Reader's Digest condensed books that were given to me. The current volume is a classics collection and I am reading Jane Eyre.

I wish I could say I am excited for Christmas but I am not. My gift giving has been taken care of and safely delivered and I am glad of that. I used emailed gift codes from Amazon this year. There has been too much talk of packages being taken from porches so I decided not to send physical gifts.

No pictures today, just talk and now I'm done. Hope all my readers are happy and well.

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