Home On The Range!

This morning when I checked my e-mail, sweet Jean sent me this e-mail with a tutorial on how to make loom potholders. Jean wrote:

"Saw your blog tonight and commented but not sure it went through and then remembered this tutorial from a knitting person that I like to watch. Keep up the good work! Miss seeing y'all. Hugs, Jean"

So I watched the video and I really enjoyed watching it. Plus the instructor's tips were so helpful. So I wrote Jean back and told her that I loved watching the video and to also let her know that her comment did not make it to my blog.

This afternoon after Tony left to go to Medina, I was so inspired by that loom potholder tutorial I decided to make another potholder—like the one she used in the tutorial. And I finished making the potholder five minutes before Tony came back home. His words when he saw it, "Nance, it looks great! I love it!" 

Then I put away my supplies and took a short, sleepless nap with our four-leggers. And Henry Standing Bear snored for the very first time.

After my wannabe nap, I decided to go ahead and bake Tony a birthday cake. Because this week I will not have the time or energy to bake one for him one or to shop for a birthday present before August 6th, because of our heavy work schedules this week. (Plus I do admit that I was craving something really sweet to eat.) 

But I am so glad that I did take that noisy nap, because I came up with a name for my potholder Christmas project—Cousin Nancy's Home On The Range Potholders!

Anyway, while my/his birthday cake baked, I checked my e-mail and then I checked my blog to see if Jean's comment might have come through. And it did and so did Anon's! (And you can read both of them at the bottom of last night's post if you want to.)

I love my new pretty potholder so much that I've decided to go ahead and give Cindy the first potholder that I successfully made. The one that didn't unravel itself, before I could finish tying off the loops. 

And to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, even though that is a stupid expression, I already know what Tony is going to get from me for his birthday present—Cousin Nancy's Home On The Range Potholder #2! Because when he saw it he did say, "I love it!"

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Undone!

This morning Mari sent me this sign and it made me laugh out loud then it got me thinking.

So when Tony and I went to Kerrville to stock up on supplies, I asked him to take me to the craft store first, so I could buy some pot holder loops, because I had decided to make pot holders for my Christmas presents for my friends and family. And just maybe it would keep me busy, so I would forget about eating comfort food and to help me flatten my curves.

Tony wasn't thrilled about me trying to make pot holders, again, because he didn't think I should try making pot holders without Jean's much needed help. Anyway, I ignored his  warning comments even though I knew that I would most likely need Jean to "bail" me out and finish off the pot holders for me. 

And needless to say I had fun at the craft store and I not only bought two big bags of loops, because I have a lot of friends and family, I also bought a sign, because I love signs and this one made me laugh.

Before starting on my Christmas pot holder presents I went outside with Tony so he could add "the one way" sign to our collection of signs on our future bathhouse building. But before he hung the sign I took a before picture, so I could show y'all before and after pictures.

When we came back inside The Cabin I started making/weaving my pot holder and I was determined to do it all by myself to prove to Tony that if a four-year-old can make a pot holder I could do it, too. 

Things went smoothly at first as you can see.

When Tony walked into the kitchen he saw my almost finished pot holder present, and he said, "It looks pretty, Nance. Good luck tying it off." And his words even made me more determined to make the pot holder all by myself. (Even though I was truly tempted to call Jean to tie -off the loops.) 

And after Tony had left the kitchen, within minutes my sister Cindy's Christmas present completely fell apart or better said, "came undone" while I was trying to tie-off the loops on the third side. And I wanted to cry or eat something. And of course, Tony returned to the kitchen and saw this mess. "What happened?" he asked. 

"I was temporarily blinded for a few minutes," I said, with a little sarcasm in my voice. "A few minutes later when my sight returned I saw this mess. I think Henry Standing Bear did it."

Then after calming down, I explained to him that the third side and the fourth side "just jumped off of the loom and began unraveling..." Then Tony went outside to take pictures. So while he was gone I unraveled the entire wannabe pot holder. Then I quickly smudged The Cabin. And our four-leggers and Tony were not real happy about that.

Then I sat down and meditated real fast for a few minutes and then I actually began making another pot holder. This is a picture of it, before I took ten deep breaths and slowly began tying off the loops, while thoughts of using duct tape to help hold down the third and fourth sides, raced through my mind.

And without using any duct tape at all I actually managed to finish tying off the loops! I made my first pot holder!

Even though this pot holder was meant to be my sweet, sister Cindy's Christmas present I've decided to keep this one. And as I finish writing this post tonight I am now seriously thinking of giving our family and friends $10.00 Home Depot gift cards for Christmas if I can't persuade Jean to help me—for free! I could tell her that it would be like her Christmas present for me? So please wish me luck.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!