A quiet All Hallows' Eve

Whether you are observing All Hallow's Eve or Samhain, wishing you a good day to remember those in the Other World. As the veil between the worlds is thin today.
This candle is for my dad, grandparents and all loved ones gone from us.

If I was in Germany I would be at my dad's grave on All Saints Day (Allerheiligen) where grave lights will brighten the dark time of the year. (November 1st).

If you're trick or treating with the kids be safe and have a great time.

Concert night: Lynyrd Skynyrd & Molly Hatchet

Lynyrd Skynyrd rockin' rollin'..............




















(above: Lynyrd Skynyrd in action)

Molly Hatchet was the first group to play on Thursday night at the "7 Clans Paradise Casino in Red Rock, OK. (It's literally in the middle of nowhere and the Otoe Missouria tribe who owns this casinos prides itself "bringing big entertainment to our backyard"...and they do:)
Molly Hatchet played for about an hour and I can only say that I am not huge a fan of this technically good rock band, their songs don't hit home with me.

(Picture below: Molly Hatchet)




At around 9:30 p:m the crowd got really excited when the stage was prepared for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I had never seen them live before, but I have owned every album out there.
And they didn't disappoint: their energetic Southern rhythms rocked the house (which was a huge concert tent, and we were lucky to have VIP seats, and sat in approx. 12th row, correction: nobody sat while Lynyrd Skynyrd performed newer songs and a medley of their older hits, everyone was standing, jumping, dancing, swaying and even the most stoic fans were tapping their feet).
It was an exciting 90 minutes, with fans going nuts at "Sweet Home Alabama" and they got called back for a last song, of course "Free Bird", I didn't expect anything else.
Even though the choice of songs and interaction with the fans may have been a bit predictable, it was what everyone was expecting, and in my case, even a bit more.
I was surprised by their energy (they have been around a long time now) and long variations of well known hits without distorting them, or ever sound boring.
I loved their stage performance, rocking rolling in an ageless manner.
(We took videos, but haven't managed to upload to YouTube yet).

New hippie tams and patchwork skirt, a picture blog post:)

Me modeling a brand new patchwork skirt (it's actually blue but I played around with the pictures for my blog:)
for sale on Etsy

(tams all for sale on my web site)

We have Lynyrd Skynyrd tickets for this Thursday. If you love Southern classic rock, stay tuned for my next blog post.

Dear to my heart: Crafting For a Cause (CFAC)

(From the yahoo group's landing page...it pretty much sums up "charity" and our motivation to give)

LET ME GIVE~~

I do not know how long I'll live

But while I live, Lord, let me give

Some comfort to someone in need

By smile or nod, kind word or deed

And let me do what ever I can

To ease things for my fellow man

I want naught but to do my part

To "lift" a tired or weary heart

To change folks' frowns to smiles again

Then I will not have lived in vain

And I'll not care how long I'll live

If I can give... and give... and give

(Author Unknown)

Even if you are not a member of this crafting group (non-profit), you can help by doing some Christmas shopping at Crafting For A Cause (webshop & info)

Handmade items, sewn, beaded, crocheted and crafting supplies, everything at more than reasonable prices. And the proceeds go to a propane fund for families on the Pine Ridge Reservation who are most in need.

Quickie update

Do you ever feel like time is the most precious possession?
Nice to have money, things, food, but time is such a concept hard to grasp. You start valuing it once it gets rare. As with advancing age it seems to run faster. Filled with more tasks and things that need to be taken care of.
In a new study released (and presented at CNN) modern women tend to feel unhappier compared to their sisters of pre-feministic days. Reason are "over-achieving" and a lack of time, the kind of time that belongs to us women!

With no invoice on my desk I feel joy today. An afternoon completely open to spend however I please.
That's the true luxury of the 21nd century.

(My past week was productive and eventful with crocheting, selling, attending a sweat lodge, consulting our accountant, cleaning, socializing, thrifting, shopping.... )
This uneventful free Saturday is my reward:) and battery charger.

New tams on the way

While I crochet a lot of black and brown winter tams (many people love it simple and solid in classic colors), I have time to dream up new stuff.
The actual making is on the back burner though.
But I had time to realize a few ideas:
front: the boyfriend tam (brown/beige)
left: the tam with multi colored braids
more patchwork tams (last row)
and some striped tams in cotton and acrylic, with a random color choice.
Now if I had a little fairy helper sew in the loose ends I'd list them tomorrow, but as I am on my own, I'll list them "whenever I get around".
...a little preview!

Our daily bread

comes from a bread baking machine.
(Potato bread and country white bread in the picture).

It's the best alternative to kneading the dough by hand and and baking in a conventional oven. Time often is scarce and I am still a novice.
But since I come from the "bread country" Germany I had to find a way of accessing fresh crusty rye breads. I had already been so desperate to spend $14.95 on a 3lb loaf of traditional sour dough rye bread at a German deli in Tulsa.
It's trial and error now, but I haven't purchased store bread for weeks now. Most loaves were delicious, but some had to be tossed out, for example my sour dough breads that were...just sour.
But once hooked on a dense cispy crust bread there is no going back to "wonder" sponge bread.
For me bread is such an essential staple in my diet.

The baking mixtures are still the most reliable sources, but I have started experimenting with home-mixed flours and ingredients like butter milk, oils and herbs.
If anyone has some "sure" recipes to share with me, please do...

A place to put custom order pictures

Borrowing my blog space today to share custom order pictures.