Up coming Honduras Mission Trip

Hello there! It has been a minute since I last posted,but there has been a lot going on in my life.
One of these things is that I have been grated a wonderful opportunity to travel to Yoro, Honduras this June to serve on a mission team of about 20 other volunteers, and help fit the visually impaired with prescription eye glasses. I am so excited! I first heard of this trip in January and was very interested in joining the team, but was uncertain if I would be able to commit to the trip. But some of my plans changed and, as I said before, I am going.
I plan on going in a little more detail about this trip sometime soon. I just wanted write a quick little update for the blog.
Have any of you travel to Honduras? Have you been on a mission trip? Are you planning a mission trip in the future? I would love to hear your story!
Thanks & God bless!

Simple Crochet Infinity Scarf Patteren

I made a few of these crochet infinity scarves for some of the girls in my family for Christmas 2014. I thought I would share the pattern with anyone out there interested.  I have been wanting some practice writing patterns, & I think that it is simple enough for most crocheters to execute. But if you find any problems with the pattern feel free to let me know in the comments or email me at grannysquareflair{at}gmail.com. I would greatly appreciate it!

I used Vanna's Choice yarn by Lion Brand for all of the scarves I made. I really love the colors in this yarn range. The colors you see above are Sapphire, Eggplant, & Mustard by Vanna's Choice yarn.  

Materials needed:

300 yards of any medium weight yarn (I used 2 skeins of Vanna's Choice)

J/10-6 MM hook

Stitches used & abbreviations: 

chain (ch)

slip stitch (sl st)

double crochet (dc)

single crochet (sc)

Right side (rs)

wrong side (ws)

Pattern 

ch 190 sl st into beginning of ch ( make sure not to twist ch) creating large ring

row 1 - ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next st, repeat in the rest of the sts (190 dc). Sl st in 3rd ch of ch3.

row 2 - ch 4 (counts as first dc & ch1), turn work facing ws, skip first st & dc in 2nd st from ch4 post. ch1 & skipping 1 st *dc in next st, ch 1 skip 1 st * Repeat from *to* until end of row, sl st in the 3rd ch of ch4 post (95 dc & ch1).

row 3- ch3 and turn work facing rs. Dc in next ch1 st, *dc in dc st, & dc in next ch 1 st * rep *to* until end of row .
sl st in 3rd ch of ch3 (190 dc).

row 4- Repeat row 2

row 5- Repeat row 3

row 6- Repeat row 2

row 7 -Repeat row 3

row 8 -Repeat row 2

row 9 -Repeat row 3

row 10 -Repeat row 2

row 11 -Repeat row 3

row 12 - ch1 (counts as first sc) while working on rs *sc in next dc st* rep *to* until end of row (190 sc) sl st in ch1. Fasten off

row 13 - Starting at the beginning of the work (row 1), connect yarn to work while still facing rs and repeat row 11 (190 sc).

 

I hope you have a wonderful day!
God bless!

Crochet Beard Beanie

A dear friend had his birthday last week. We had spent some time together the week before and the topic of bearded beanies was brought up. He is going to school in the North Carolina mountains and has to deal with some super chilly temperatures during the winter. I asked him, if I made him one of these beanies, would he wear it? He told me he would, so I got to work. I found this pattern by Ashlee Prisbrey on Ravelry. She designed the beanie as well as the beard patterns. Please check out her site for the beanie pattern here, & the pattern for the beard here. She has different sizes ranging from infant,to extra large adult, for both the beanie & the beard. My friend was pretty excited when he received his beanie. And I highly recommend this pattern if you are wanting to make one yourself. 

Check out my friend rocking his bearded beanie!

    I hope you are having a great day!
God bless,

counting my blessings

Day 6 of 2015. The past few days have been, for the most part, low-key. Slowly but surely I am recovering from the whirlwind that is the Holidays.
I thought that it would be a good time to count/recap some of my blessings from the first few days of the year.
-I got to see two very different movies with my mom this weekend, Birdman & Big Eyes. We both liked the latter, & only I liked the former. Despite that, it is always nice spending time with my mom.
-A dear friend is arrived in Costa Rica on Monday to live for a few months. I was able to spend a few hours with her Saturday helping her pack, than I got to tell here good-bye on Sunday just before she left home. Praying for her while she is there.
-I got to visit a neighboring church & perform with my music group, Adoration, on Sunday. It was a wonderful time worshiping together with other than one's "usual" group.
-I have a couple of crochet projects that I am currently working on that I am pretty excited about.

What are are some things you are thankful for at this start to 2015?

Take care & God bless,

2015

This is a little late, but I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope that 2015 is a wonderful year for us all. God bless!

Welcoming in 2015

Here we are at the end of another year. I don't know about you, but I tend to get a little depressed around Christmas and New Year's. I have gotten better in the last couple of years when it comes to Christmastime, but I still have to fight melancholy when New Year's rolls around.
As I have gotten older, I recognize that this annual low mood has a lot to do with my issues with anxiety. The "commercial" build-up to New Year's, the thoughts of change, & loosing another year can lead me to feeling anxious, and anxiety leads to depression for me. But I am working on choosing a better outlook when it comes to a new year. Count my blessings & be thankful for all I have. Realize that another year means new experiences, new people, & time to grow.
What do you look forward to in 2015?
I hope you all have a wonderful & safe New Year's, & a blessed 2015!




Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:8

chilled cookie dough

I have said it before & I will say it again. I love cookies. I really love baking cookies. Even more than that, I love to eat cookies. I enjoy trying new tips and tricks when it comes to baking made-from-scratch cookies. One of my favorite tips I learned is chilling the cookie dough.
What are the benefits to chilling cookie dough? Many believe that letting the dough chill for at least 24 hours will allow the wet ingredients to absorb into the flour & will allow the dough to age & develop more flavor. I agree with this thought. I do enjoy the taste and texture of aged/chilled cookies. But the main reason I really like is trick being able to bake a smaller batch & save the rest of the dough for later. I would always like to eat my cookies warm & fresh out of the oven, & this technique allows me to do just that.  

As you can see I like to wrap and save my dough in a "log" shape similar Pillsbury. After mixing the dough, wrap the dough in parchment paper and roll into the "log" shape. After this I wrap the parchment-covered dough in cellophane to keep it fresh while stored in the refrigerator. When I am ready to bake a batch of cookies, I just slice off as many as I need from my chilled dough, bake & then enjoy. Just place the remaining dough in the frig until next time.
Do you have any cookie tips?
God bless!

thankful

I thought this would be a good time to express some gratitude.
I am thankful for the simple things such as warm pajamas, fuzzy socks, and fleece blankets. I enjoy a good mug of strong coffee to start my day, or a relaxing cup of tea to end it. But I always fancy my hot drinks in a fun cup. I enjoy holding it from the curved handle, or if I am cold, holding it in both hands to warm me up.
I am thankful for the changing seasons. I am glad to have the variety. So many of us enjoy the autumn time & what it brings. I am thankful for the colors, the slight chill in the air, & the smell of bonfires on cold nights.
I am thankful for family & friends. I am thankful for time spent in deep, thoughtful conversations that  then turn into pure silliness & giggles. I am thankful for where & what time I am living.  I am thankful for my Savior & His love.
What are you thankful for?
God bless!

Blogtober, day 4: instagram favs

I am still trying to participate in Blogtober14. So far, so good.

The suggestion for the day 4 post is my favorite Instagram photos. Here are three of my favorites:

Here is the very pretty, yet very strange, Lily. She is one of the family cats.

My mom & me Mother's day weekend this past year.

And here is a recent photo of a super cute little tree frog I found last week :)

Happy weekend! God bless!

high 5 Friday: Oct. 3, 2014

I thought I would give high 5 Friday another try. I think it will be a good addition to #Blogtober :)


1) For the past couple of weeks I have been ordering the London Fog steamer (a.k.a. London Fog Latte or Earl Grey latte) from my local coffee shop. I usually will get a chai tea latte this time of year but I am really digging the London fog.












2) My hair hadn't had so much as a trim in about 10 months. It was getting very unruly so I had to make a trip to the hairdresser's this week to tame the mane. I am glad to get that over with. I am not one who enjoys the process of getting my haircut, but I am always happy with the outcome.

3) For many years now, I have been a big fan of dark, fall nail colors. I like navy, dark purple, burgundy, oxblood, chocolate brown, & hunter green. I will have to paint the digits this weekend.

4) Here is the Bible verse I have been thinking about this week:
  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,    plans to give you hope and a future.  - Jeremiah 29:11 
I try to focus on the fact that God is always in control. Good times or bad it makes no difference.  


5) I am also thankful that the Lord has been watching out for my family. Dad was in a car accident last week & was unharmed.

Did you have any favorites from the past week?

I hope you have a great weekend!
God bless!

what I love about fall

Here it is the second day of October. I am so excited about the changing season. It takes a little longer for the weather to get cooler here in North Carolina compared to other parts of the US. So we do take notice when the temperature does drop. There is something about the Autumn time that excites many people including me. Is it maybe something biological engraved in us so we will have motivation to start the harvesting & prepare for the coming winter?  I don't know. I, like many other girls, love Fall fashion. I am ready to wear scarves, sweaters, & cute boots. I love drinking hot drinks such as chai tea lattes and London fogs. Burning candles, warm blankets & cuddles from the fur babies while binge watching Netflix are some of my preferred ways to spend my free time during this time of year.
What are some of your favorite things about the fall time?
Have a wonderful day & God bless!

What if Money were no Issue?

Happy October 1, 2014, everyone! Wow, October. Two months away from Christmastime!? Yikes. Lets not get to far ahead of ourselves, Hannah! Let's just enjoy Autumn for now. It being the first day of the month, I am going to write about the prompt from the list I found,which is,"What would you do if you won the lottery?". Well, I don't play the lottery, so I do not see this happening, but I understand the purpose of this prompt. If I happened to come across a great sum of money, what would I do with it? Whenever I hear scenarios such as this my mind jumps to those reality t.v. shows about how winning the lottery ruined the winners' life. I try and keep in mind that money will not solve all the problems in a person's life. Money is merely a tool. And if I somehow acquired a great deal of "tools", I would like to be a good steward of what I am allotted.
For one thing, I don't think that I would be able to stop work in some capacity even if I had enough money to live on for the rest of my life. But, a wonderful benefit to having enough money is that you have more freedom to pursue an occupation you enjoy. With that freedom I would choose I job where I could be creative. Maybe I would even "flip" a couple of houses to re-sell. As to what I would do for fun; I once read that people find more happiness in spending money on experiences rather than material possessions. I happen to agree with this school of thought. This being the case I would do some travelling. Tokyo, most Europe, Cape Town, to name a few. And of course I would hope I would have the decency to use the money in helping others. I really love charities that help individuals with an occupation. A "teach a man to fish" type of thing. Such as charities that give sewing machines to under privileged woman so they can create merchandise, or donate farm animals for a family to raise and to sell the products.
I want to also remember to be prepared, and save some cash for a rainy day.
Well that is all I have the energy to think of at the moment.
What would you do in this case?
Have a wonder day & God bless!

a month of writing

Hello, all you lovely people out there. I hope you have had a wonderful start to Autumn.
I am wanting to start blogging regularly again. I have seen that some fellow bloggers are making the commitment to blogging everyday in October. After seeing this I said to myself,"Self, this would be a great challenge for you to attempt".  I stumbled upon some writing prompts on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago that might help with inspiration (Check out The Daily Tay's Blogtober14).
To any bloggers, or any other form of writers reading this, from what or where do you draw inspiration? I am curious.
I hope your September was wonderful! And here's to October!
God bless!

25 things I learned in 25 years

I have been meaning to post this for over a month now. This past July I completed a quarter of a century of life. I am now 25 years old. Bam. I honor of my birthday, (over a month after the fact) I thought it would be a good idea to post 25 lessons I have learned in my lifetime. Now, I am not saying that I am perfect at practicing these facts I have learned. I have just found them to be true. And they are listed in no particular order. Here we go...
   1) Do not take yourself too serious
   2) It is better to give than to receive
   3) Show more gratitude
   4) Count you blessings everyday
   5) Take the time & effort to show others that you care about & love them. You never may know when it will be your last chance.
   6) Laughter is GREAT medicine
   7) Do not worry about having many friends, put the effort into quality friends
   8) It is good to break a sweat everyday
   9) Find a hobby that you love, & DO IT
   10) Try to take your experiences, especially the hardest one, and grow & learn from them
   11) DO NOT let bitterness into your life!
   12) When having a conversation, listen. Don't just wait to talk. (Thanks, Pulp Fiction)
   13) Sometimes is best to just shut up, Hannah!
   14) Do not let your expectations get in the way of enjoying the moment, or what actually happens
   15) You can't judge a book by it's cover
   16) Worrying is pretty much useless, & causes more trouble than it is worth
   17) Always be polite
   18) There is no reason not to show kindness
   19) Make whatever life gives you an experience
   20) Try to encourage others as often as possible
   21) But, you cannot please everyone (some people are impossible to please)
   22) Start my day in prayer & scripture
   23) Be patient with others because you do not know what they are going through
   24) Making others happy will lead to your own happiness
   25) Forgiveness is more for the one who was wronged more than it is for the one who committed the wrong

God Bless!

Happy Father's Day: a re-post of My Hero in an Eye Patch

To commemorate Father's Day, I decided to re-post a blog entry I wrote for my dad's birthday this past January. I think it is funny & sweet.
Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought that since it is my father's birthday I would write about him.  This is about a discussion my brothers and I had about our dad a couple months back.

My whole family and I watch AMC's The Walking Dead. If you are not a fellow viewer of this zombie filled soap opera I will give you a little explanation of the character, known simply as "the Governor", who is much more scary than any of the flesh-eating zombies on the show. ( Maybe I should call them "walkers", because none of the characters living  in the Walking Dead universe have ever used the term "zombie", nor have any of the characters, before the first day that zombism began to spread, known that the only way to kill a zombie is to SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD! That was, unfortunately, learned by trial and error. It gives me some comfort knowing that I am well informed on the whole zombie exterminating thing if a break-out ever occurs. I digress; let's return to the Governor and my dad.) The Governor is a super bad dude that is a little wacky. But he reaches his pinnacle of bad & wackiness when he looses his eye.

AMC c/o  http://screencrush.com/the-walking-dead-season-4-spoilers-governor-standalone-episode/

Look at The Governor (actor, David Morrisssey) with his big, bad gun, his bad snarl, & of course his bad eye patch!
It seems that, at least  in American cinema, that the eye patch gives an antagonist  more of an evil persona compared to the average two eyed bad guy. But when I asked my brothers about their thoughts, they agreed that they feel the same way as I do. The three of us have feelings of comfort and nostalgia from a man in an eye patch. That is because our dad only has one eye. He lost vision in his left eye when he was an infant and had been blind in the eye ever since. When I was less than two, and my brother Jordan was about 5 months-old (our youngest brother, Jamison, wasn't born yet), our dad had his eye removed due to pain and vision loss the atrophied eye was causing in his healthy seeing, right eye. The left eye's removal was a success and ended his pain and deterioration of his right eye. It was not traumatic for him since he was never able to see out of the eye. (I know it is a completely different for others loosing a seeing eye). He was able to get a wonderful prosthetic eye. It is one of the best I have ever seen in real life. Most people have no idea that it is a prosthesis. He is comfortable enough to joke about his eye.We sometimes play and mess with his spare glass eye. Jamison would take naps on our parent's bed when he was a very young child, & when my mom would go check on him she would find him asleep, wearing a pair of dad's jeans and dad's glass eye on top of his. This was one of Jamison's very weird ways of emulating our father. (Of course when you put the prosthesis on top of your eye it looks like you have a protruding blue eye, which is both creepy and hysterically funny. If things get a little boring with our guests, we just bring out the spare eye and let the good times roll). Another thing I remember about dad's glass eye is when you are about six years-old it is a great trump card against anything considered cool. "Oh, your dad is a policeman. That's nice... My dad has A FAKE EYE.". Or if you need something interesting to add when introducing yourself; "My name is Hannah. My favorite color is purple and,,, my dad can take his eye out". I don't know how many times I caused my father to be swarmed by a herd of elementary school children begging him to take his eye out. He never would oblige the kids (bummer). When I was six years-old  I felt that he missed out on a lot of opportunities to shock and awe. I have told him he could work in a haunted house tour on the side. He would just need to take out his eye, add some ketchup for blood, scream, "MY EYE! MY EYE!" and freak people out. You know, for supplemental income.
If I were ever to write a story, I would make the hero wear an eye patch. Why should all the bad guys get all the glory of monocular swag? Here is my real life eye patch wearing hero:

Happy Birthday, Daddy! Love you,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Father's Day!

God bless

high 5 Friday, 5/22/2014

Hello dearies! How was your week? It is starting to feel like summer in your neck of the woods? Have you been rockin' shorts & a pair of cheap sunglasses? (Insert ZZ Top song here).  Maybe you have this Monday off for Memorial Day, therefore having a long weekend, & have plans for a mini vaca?  
If you are curious about what I did this past week, here is a list of my favorite things that happened in my life.

1) A Jo-Ann's Fabric & Craft Store opened in my town! About 7 minutes from my house! You have no idea how happy this made me. Until last Friday, we did not have a craft store in my town.  The closest craft store was about a 30 minutes drive on a ridiculously congested highway. Yuck! Now I have a store at my back door! I am so excited :)

2) Mulberries are blooming. This my not mean much to you but this is a sign in my household that a super delicious treat is on it's way.   You see my dad is a one who loves to experiment. He experiments in many ways including when it comes to food. Many people I know make home-made ice cream in the summer months. Most make, or start out making vanilla ice cream. Why not? It is a very reasonable starting point, especially for a beginner. But not my dad. No ma'am. He decided to use the mulberries that started blooming in our yard. None of us had ever heard of mulberry ice cream, but my dad wanted to give it a shot. This is some of the most delicious ice cream I have ever tasted!
3) I am really loving the Spotify app. I heard about it a couple of weeks ago & have been listening to all kinds of music lately while getting ready, cleaning, baking, etc.

4) I am happy that I am on the cusp of finishing a crochet project. :-D

5) I am enjoying the iced coffee season. I have had a couple chilled coffee drinks this week <3

I hope you have a great weekend!

Check out the link party 

God bless!