Happy Valentine's Day

Some fun heart shaped baskets for Valentine's day

Another heart shaped basket.

For those of you who have asked how to make the heart shape, look closely at the base of the basket in this bottom photo.  It is almost a square isn't it.  Weave a square base and then un-weave one of the corners.  Twine around the heart shaped base and then upset the sides.  Use lots of clothespins for the first few rows because you re going around a lot of corners.  Those extra clothespins are your extra hands.

Hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's day.  I see my kiddo's have put some chocolates on the kitchen table with my name on them!!!

I'm going to be making them some chocolate covered strawberries a little later this morning.

Blessings everyone,
Nancy

An Award! Prayers for Others and an Emily Update

Hi Friends,
Mike is quietly doing the taxes with an occasional grumble under his breath.  I think I've gathered all the paperwork for him that I can so I have some time to sit and write a post.

First I have to thank Paula for the Award.  Thank You!!!  Paula blogs over at Crop Notes and Crafts and we are like kindred spirits.  We both have a love of basket weaving, paper crafting and other hobbies.  If you haven't been to her blog then it is high time you visit her.  She also makes the best video tutorials of her work. 

With the award I'm supposed to tell eight things about myself.  Hmmmm.....What have I not told you about myself?  I feel like I've shared so much about me already.  Well, here goes.

1.  When we lived in Florida I sang with the Sweet Adelines for a short time.
2.  I'm allergic to cats.  I love cats just my nose doesn't.
3.  I've been working on my photography skills.  I own a nice point and shoot camera and I've never really taken the time to figure out and appreciate all its features.  Photography is something I want to get into more.
4.  Spring is my very favorite season and I know it is just around the corner.  I love the colors and the gardening and just getting to spend time outside.
5.  My sewing machine is a machine I got when I was in high school, a Bernina Minimatic that my parents bought used.  It has 8 stitches.  It's over 30 years old and still sews up a storm.  (I'm actually in the process of looking for a new machine, I would like one that does monogramming.  Any suggestions?)
6.  I love all the books of the Bible, especially the gospels, but probably my all time favorite book is Ecclesiastes.  It is kind of like the book of Proverbs and is just full of wonderful information.
7.  One of my favorite television shows is "Biggest Loser".
8.  My all time hands down favorite food is seafood, in particular shrimp.  Oh yum.

Now I'm just going to open this wonderful little award up to all of you my friends.  I'm really supposed to pick 8 blogs, but I'm so glad you are all here and reading each and every one of you can accept this award.  I am going to direct you to a couple of blogs though that have really touched my heart lately and these blog owners NEED our prayers.

The first is The Simple Wife.  Joanne is 38 years old and has just recently, as in just a few weeks ago, had a massive stroke.  They didn't know if she would make it but she is now in a long term care facility and was able to make the "I Love You" sign with her hand.  She has two young girls who are younger than mine and her husband has been keeping us up-to-date on her blog with daily posts.  Joanne's blog will have you in tears.  She is such a beautiful Christian woman.  I know God is going to use this experience for his good but she surely is going through some tough times right now.

The second is New Nostalgia.  Amy is another young Christian mom with two young children and she has been battling breast cancer.  I had told her I was doing the Think Pink raffle last year.   Amy was diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 breast cancer and it has been an emotional journey for her.

Third is a fun blog I just stumbled upon.  Prairie Flower Farm.  What excites me so much is Linda, the author of the blog lives just minutes from where I grew up and where my parents still live.  She has relatives in a nursing home where I got my first job in nursing.  The places she shows on her blog are so familiar to me.  Not only that, her country style is my country style.  Her blog is so fun and pretty and the photography is beautiful.  Did you know my parents still live in the same house they bought before I was born?!!  I should have put that tidbit in the about me section above.

Now an update on Emily.  She does have Hashimoto's Disease.  That is a fact.  She does have a Vitamin D deficiency.  That too is a fact.  One doctor says she has Lyme disease.  Another doctor isn't so sure.  Emily is still in pain.  Things always seem to change with her.  Over the past 6 weeks she has complained that her ear is "staticy" and she is nauseous all the time with motion sickness.  That sounds like an inner ear thing to me.

Right now the only thing I'm doing differently is some high potency vitamins and I've put her on a gluten free diet.  This is from my own reading and I'm surprised at the different places  I've read that talk about the connection of being gluten sensitive and getting Vitamin D deficient as well as getting Hashimoto's disease.  I hope putting her on this alleviates some of her symptoms.  I've only started the gluten free diet two weeks ago and this may take some time to see any results but I am sure hopeful and I know God is Great.

Please keep my sweet Emily on your prayer list.  We are ever so grateful for your prayers.  This has been going on too long and she is too young to be in such pain and now with nausea some days life is just miserable for that sweet child.  She manages her schooling with good grades but most free time is spent in bed resting and sleeping.  She will often nap for 2 plus hours in the afternoon along with 10 hours at night.  This is another one of those instances in which I believe God is going to use this for a greater picture that we just cannot see yet.  Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for Emily.  Thank you too for those of you who have sent me e-mails with ideas on what it might be or what may help.  I look into each and every one of them.  Thank you!!!! 

Hugs and Blessings to you all,
Nancy

One Thousand Gifts

If you have just 4 minutes, take the time to watch this beautiful video.

Relish the moments this day will bring and the sweet memories of moments gone before.




I ordered my copy of the book yesterday from Dayspring.  I can't wait to read it.  There has been such great words and comments about it on the internet. 
Blessings,
Nancy

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp


A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Published by Zondervan

Come join the community taking the dare to LIVE FULLY

http://www.onethousandgifts.com/

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

Merry Christmas and a little about 2011

Dear Friends,
A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to each of you.
It is my hopes and prayers that 2011 treats all of you with good health and many joyous days.

You've noticed, I'm sure, that this blog has quieted down.  It is my fault as both my time and interests have been pulled in other directions.  I hope you understand.

I'll be taking a hiatus from this blog for a while posting only when I find something pressing or worth your time to read.

This blog will remain open and I do read each and every comment.  You can always e-mail me anytime.

Like I said, I'll post from time to time so I hope you do pop in once in a while to see what is going on and to say hello.


Thank you for all the wonderful e-mails you have sent me and for those of you who have sent pictures of your baskets, thank you as I have loved seeing your work.  You can e-mail me a picture any time and know that I'm cheering you on.

My life at this time is full, blessed and busy.  It is good.  I'm keeping the household running as smoothly as possible.  Please continue to keep our sweet Emily in your prayers.  If your church has a prayer chain, I would truly appreciate it if you would add her name to your list.  She is a good kiddo and manages to babysit, work a few hours a week at a concession stand and attend school with good grades.  She does this all in pain and it is very discouraging for her at times as she doesn't see an end in site.  We're pursuing with treatment through a pediatric infectious disease specialist but it is soooooo sloooowwww.  They question is it really Lyme's disease.  It puts us back at square one for a while as they do more testing, but God is great and I know he has big plans for that little girl.  I often wake up in the middle of the night and pray for hours for her and all who are suffering.  Even so, life is good and precious.  God bless you for remembering her.  Our other children are fine and busy with activities.  Mike has a good job so we have much to be thankful for.

Be sure to take some time with your family and remember the real reason for the season that Jesus our Savior came to earth to wash away our sins so that we may have life everlasting in His holy presence. 

Merry Christmas,
With love and blessings to each of you,
Nancy

Basket Weaving Tip - Balancing the Weight of your Basket

Good morning Friends,
In watching my YouTube videos you have heard me say as you weave each row, rotate your basket approximately 90 degrees when you start the next row.  This is with basic start-and-stop weaving (not continuous weaving).  The reason I say as you begin to weave the next row to give your basket a 90 degree turn is to do the starting and stopping in various areas of the basket, not all in the same area.  The location where you start-and-stop adds just a bit more weight to a basket and can add a very tiniest of bulge with the extra thickness of reed.  Your basket will sit better if the weight of the reed is distributed around all sides of the basket. 

There is one exception to the rule-of-thumb above.  When you are weaving a wall basket, you may do all you start-and-stops on the back side of the basket.  This way, the front side of your basket will be perfectly flat and pretty.  Any extra weight or even slight bulge will never be noticed on the back side of your basket.

One final note...As you do your rim, on the inside and outside of your basket, do make sure the overlap is in two different areas of your basket.  I usually place my overlap on opposite sides of the basket again to balance the weight and look.  If I know one side of my basket will be facing outward where most people will view it, I do not place the outside overlap on the viewing side of the basket.

In the photo above, where I have my arrows, is where I've overlapped the rim.  As you look at this basket head on like this, you do not notice the overlaps, as both the inside and the outside pieces of rim overlap in the direction to the BACK side of the basket.  This way, you do not see the cut end of my reed which happens to be 1/2" flat/oval.
This is just one more simple basket weaving technique to give your basket that high quality you're after vs. one that is rapidly mass produced.
One more thing.  This is my Kitchen Counter Basket and I have the free pattern for you HERE.
Happy Weaving Everyone,
Nancy

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Dear Friends,
How does the time just slip away?  I've been getting the house ready for Christmas.  I want it to be done by Thanksgiving.  That may seem early, but I want to enjoy the season and all its beauty and by having the decorating done is one less thing for me to think about!

I took my sweet Santa boot that I wove last year out of the closet a couple of days ago.  It is sitting on a table near the front door and I put big candy canes in it.  Cute!  The pattern for this is Julie Deen's.  If you haven't been to her site in a while, it's time you popped over to see some of her latest works.  She has the most beautiful egg basket and has woven it with fabric!  I love it!  Julie is so creative.

Remember last year Julie sent me this angel?  It has been on my kitchen windowsill all year.  Now it sits among some Christmas greenery and pine cones.  Super Sweet!

Anyway,  are any of you getting ready for Christmas?  Last night the kids made chocolate covered pretzels.  Yum!!!  Of course we have to have those as a snack on Thanksgiving day.

Emily has started seeing an endocrinologist for her Hashimoto's and Vitamin D deficiency.  That has meant more lab work for her.  Poor kiddo is a pin cushion these days.  After Thanksgiving she gets in with pediatric infectious disease about the chronic lyme disease.  I really believe God is shining and getting her going in the right direction.

I also started with a company called Rendi.  So now I have two small businesses, Rendi and Scentsy.  Rendi is personalized home decor and is a brand new direct sales company that just launched October 1st of this year.  It's actually a sister company of Danieleson Designs which has been around 20 years.  I feel I'm on the ground floor with it and much can be done on the internet for it so I don't anticipate it taking as much time as Scentsy (which has been keeping me pleasantly hopping).  I'm really pressing forward with getting the mortgage paid off on the house.  Hallelujah when that happens!

Have a blessed Sunday.  Hope you are all healthy, we've been getting over colds here, and hope all is going well in your part of the world.

Love and hugs,

Nancy

An Emily Update - Finally Some News!

Dear Friends,
If you've been reading this blog for some time, you know my sweet Emily, age 15 1/2 was struck with fibromyalgia beginning about a year and a half ago.  There are two schools of thought with fibro.  The first is that it is its own disease.  The second is that fibro is a symptom of something else going on in the body.  I choose to believe the second because I want to believe we can "fix" her.

We have been to so many doctors and specialists.  The pediatric rheumatology/fibromyalgia specialist that she sees has tried everything in his bag of tricks.  I've tried everything that has been sent or told to me.  Nothing has worked and all lab results, exams, and testing have come back normal.  Until now...

We had been referred to a medical office that does more alternative therapies of medicine.  We first went a couple of months ago.  Emily first saw a nurse practitioner who spent about an hour and a half going over EVERYTHING regarding Emily's fibro history.  She ordered some blood tests.  I thought to myself, Emily has been tested for everything under the sun already.  The nurse practitioner said I had to go to a specific lab because this is the only lab in the city/state to run some of these specific tests.  While I wait the 6 weeks for the tests, Emily has been back to this clinic for massage, healing touch, she's started yoga, and will soon begin acupuncture.

This morning was our follow-up visit after 6 weeks.  Would you believe there were some lab abnormalities?  I was shocked.  She, the nurse practitioner, spent an hour with us again today and there were three significant findings.  The first thing she said is that Emily has Hashimoto's disease.  This is a disease of the thyroid, the antibodies that the thyroid produces, that is not treatable, but is pain causing.  (Emily's thyroid is functioning properly, just not the antibodies it is producing)  I also question if the other two issues get resolved that possibly the Hashimotos will resolve itself???  Maybe??

Another abnormality that was VERY low was a specialized Vitamin D test.  Not your standard test and Emily has started today on some medication to bring that up.  Low test results here cause pain.

The third abnormality is something that could be carried by ticks.  Not Lyme disease, but related.  It has something to do with her lymph system and according to the nurse, there is only one doctor who treats for this specific issue in the United States and that doctor is in Kansas City.  Again, this was a specialized test and Emily's results were VERY low.  She thinks these three things are all interrelated and all causing her pain.  She also thinks it will take a year once treatment begins for Emily to start feeling better.  Back to the tick thing.  Emily had been bitten by a tick. (I don't remember the nurse asking us about ticks at the first visit and I didn't even think of it at the time.)  She was bitten back when we lived in Florida.  The nurse practitioner thinks that it is possible that Emily has carried something in her body that has remained dormant.  Then when she got very sick 1 1/2 year ago, high fever and so forth at the time all this fibromyalgia started, what was dormant in her body became active starting her pain.

So what happens next...Emily is now on super high doses of Vitamin D that we've started today.  The nurse practitioner asked her to start the Paleo diet, Emily calls it a cave man diet.  I got the book and we are starting it tomorrow.  Tonight I research this doctor in Kansas City and begin the process there.  Emily continues with yoga, massage, healing touch and accupuncture.  Whew....

I have been elated today to hear news that I'm hoping and praying will take us in the right direction with her.  I've been watching the television show "Mystery Diagnosis" faithfully to see if any of their cases are similar to Emily's.  There was a case of Hashimotos on the show.  I remember thinking, well Emily doesn't have anything wrong with her thyroid as it is functioning properly so I didn't pay much attention to that episode.  I'll have to go back and watch it now.  The final thing is that the nurse practitioner wants Emily to have some counseling.  Emily is such a sweet and loving girl, but as you can imagine, being in pain every day takes a toll on her both physically and mentally.  Sometimes it is hard mentally for her mommy here to know that my child is in pain, but we take it day by day.

So with all this said, please Please keep Emily in your prayers that we are doing the right things and finally getting her the help that she needs to remove this pain from her body.  Also please pray that she has the strength to deal with the pain until we get it resolved.

With love and blessings,
Nancy
(Update)  Upon further research regarding Emily's lab tests, it appears that she has Chronic Lyme Disease.  So much was given to me earlier that it is all hard to digest.  The more I read, the more I find people first being diagnosed with fibromyalgia for years only to discover that they have had chronic lyme disease.  Could it be that this has been her problem all along?  Now, what about the Viatmin D and Hashimotos?

Happy Halloween! and Share a Basket Sunday

I made this witch basket years ago at a basket guild meeting. I wish I had a better photo of it but I have given this basket away. The rim is interesting as it is a "rolled border". I sewed the arms and the hat came from the doll department at a craft store.  It is not my design.  This pattern is titled "Hagetha" and the author is Wanda Grahm.

Have a Blessed Sunday and Happy Halloween,
Nancy

Free Basket Weaving Pattern

Hi Friends,
Here is a beautiful pattern called Lines Of Autumn by Jennifer Rhodes.  It is a large market basket that uses a 10 x 12 D handle and space dyed reed in "autumn" color,  This pattern is available from http://www.basketweavingsupplies.com/ and you can link directly to it HERE.  They also have the kit available for purchase for $23.95.  It's not a basket for the brand new weaver yet it is a beginner level.  Once you have a few baskets under your belt, give this pretty basket a whirl.  The space dyed reed in it is stunning.
Happy Weaving!
Nancy

A Fun Use for Extra Wire Handles

Hi Friends,
This project came across my e-mail and I want to share it with you.  You know I like crafting of all sorts, but I thought even all of you basket weavers would enjoy something different that you can do with your supplies.

If you teach classes like me, you may have a surplus of an item.  I'm always ordering extra handles for my classes.  I want to have extra handles on hand because someone always says they would like a kit to make the same project again at home.  Soooo..... if you have some of these sweet wire handles, these are the ones that you get with the eyes and ears, also sometimes called spool handles, you can do a fun craft project with them.  These happen to be three inch handles.

Here is the link to the project that comes from Crafts 'N Things.
Enjoy!
Nancy