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!