GOD KNEW I NEEDED YOU

Thursday, July 2, 2026

MOD CROCHET MICROWAVE HOT PAD MITT; Castle Rock-WA

MOD Microwave Hot Pad Mitt; Castle Rock-WA
This mitt is NOT FOR REGULAR OVEN USE!

This hot pad mitt was designed out of necessity - the cloth ones I had purchased, are nice; but they are pretty stiff and awkward to use. I want something more pliable for microwave use.

So, this morning, I designed & whipped a pair up for myself: and if I can talk Holland into using one, I'll make 1 for his hand.

I made traced hand tracings for pattern guides - but really didn't need to use them.

I used an acrylic worsted weight yarn, single thickness … and it works just fine. I don't want anything heavy - just something to guard against the generated heat of testing a microwaved 'baked' potato.

I'm a small woman, so my hands are small


MOD Crochet Microwave Hot Pad Mitt

Materials: Worsted Yarn, chosen color = make a separate small ball of yarn from this skein before commencing work (this ball will be used for the thumb work); a 12" length of Scrap Yarn for a marker #H/8 crochet Hook; Scissors;  Tapestry needle

Terms Used:

ch = chain

dc = double crochet

sc = single crochet

inc = increase

dec = decrease

sl st = slip st

beg = beginning

EA = each

x = repeat sequence

EO = end off


This pattern is worked from the top, down.

Oven Mitten Portion: With hook & yarn, ch 3 - and work 9 dc in circle; jn (10 dc's) and begin working in rounds from this point on.

Row 1: Holding scrap yarn in place, work a row of sc, inc'g in EA sts around - 20 sc; do not turn work, just keep working in rounds - moving marker yarn upwards each row.

Row 2: Inc in 1st st, then *1 sc in next st, 2 sc in following st *; rpt * to * around - end sc x1: 30 sc

Row 3: Inc in 1st st, then sc x7, inc, sc x6, inc, sc x7, inc, sc x6: 34 sc

Rows 4 thru 22: Sc evenly around: 36 sc; ch 6 … skip 6 sts & sc about 5 sts ahead - loosely tie off (you will return to this row later to finish mitt).

Sc evenly around.
Ch 6 … skip 6 sts & sc about 5 sts ahead = for thumb placement.
Checking for pliability & correct thumb opening placement.

Thumb Portion: Attach separate ball of yarn at corner of thumb & work 1 sc in same space, 1 sc in EA ch, 1 sc in corner st (the beg st of ch 6), & in EA skipped st: 14 sc.

Rows 2 thru 8: Work in rounds.

Row 9: Work a round of dc; EO with a length long enough to thread through tapestry needle & draw through sts, pulling tight and securing on back end.

Dc around thumb portion.
Run tapestry needle around tops of dc & pull tight, for closure.
Finished thumb portion.

Finishing: Return to the tied off portion of the mitt body & continue working in rounds for an additional 5 more rows (count these rows from bottom of thumb portion). EO and weave in loose end.

Trim (opt.): The mitt will be closer to your wrist without the trim; but I like trim on everything … so, my mitt, got trimmed.

Pattern: *Slip hook through the backside of next st & pull yarn backwards through st, yo and make a sc, ch 1*; rpt * to * around

Slip hook through the backside of next st
Pull yarn backwards through st ...
Yo, and make a sc
Ch 1, & rpt sequence around mitt bottom edge.
Mitt finished: 7-3/4" length - 6-1/2" width, including thumb portion, 4-1/2" width (without including thumb)

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

A WITNESSING THAT COMFORTS; Castle Rock-WA

The other day I was asked about remarriage.

The person asking had known me in my previous life with Bob - she is considering remarriage herself: she knows how much I loved Bob and how devastated I was when wife morphed into widow. She heard me say that I could never see myself with anyone but Bob - she was surprised when I did remarry … I was surprised at how easily remarriage transpired when it arrived on the scene of my new life's turning pages, unscripted & unexpected.

She is wondering how I compartmentalize that life with this present life.

Forgive the type-o's:

Looking at my life, I see blessing after blessing. MPO is that this life feels like answered prayers.

Grand Funk Railroad - 'Some Kind of Wonderful' lyrics: 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTuIXtXUEw4&list=RDxTuIXtXUEw4&start_radio=1)

THE OLD SCRIPT IS BEING FLIPPED; Castle Rock-WA

Yesterday was my grandson, Azariah's, 12th birthday.

This is the 1st year … in 12 years … that I have not cried with the missingness.

I credit that blessing with the presence of Holland in my Life.

It is hard to continue to show up in a life that has been seriously altered: the scenario has drastically changed. The landscape is unfamiliar. Even happy memories carry a haunting heaviness. All the newness of a New Life can be exciting & rewarding … but, it can also be very disorienting & and a bit scary when stepping into a new script unfolding on shaky ground.

Pink Flyod 'Comfortably Numb' song: 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnQ9_uTSyBQ&list=RDLnQ9_uTSyBQ&start_radio=1)

Holland brings a freshness into my Life.

His ever vigilant protectiveness offers secure peacefulness.

He is buoyantly optimistic.

He is calmly encouraging.

His love is steady - even on black mood days.

I am no longer comfortably numb; with him all jets are firing - he introduced me to life, again. With my hand tucked into his, I feel a relaxation I can safely rest in. Year 4 is looking very good.

He is everything I need to stabilize, and balance, a life that went seriously sideways in the winter of 2018 - and was completely erased the July of 2020.

I kept (and keep) showing up.

He shows up.

The old script is being flipped 💝

Life, again, is very good 😘

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

MOD SUNNY SUN RAYS COFFEE COASTER; Castle Rock-WA

MOD Sunny Sun Rays Coffee Coaster; Castle Rock-WA

Summer 2026 🌞 began on June 1st and will end on August 31st - I've gotten a late start on a summer-themed craft 🧶, being so focused on wrapping my plant pots in MOD Freedom 250 pot covers … but tonight, I started & finished this cute over-sized sunny coffee coaster ☕️

This is what I worked my design around - embellishing it, of course, with my own additions = blue for cloudless days & the 2-tone [rays] mimic ray warmth.

Not only is it's 4-1/2" diameter 📏 perfectly oversized to catch my mess-cat coffee mug spills when they occur - it's even big enough to use as a soup mug hot pad 🥣😊

The pattern looks and reads more complicated than it actually is; this pattern really works up pretty quick. I had my coaster done in a little under 3 hours … and it took that long because I was creating a design as I worked & wrote the sequence down 📝📸: it should go a whole lot quicker for you 👍

Materials: Worsted weight in Yellow, Blue, Gold, Orange, & a length of scrap yarn to use as an outline guide; #G/6 crochet hook; scissors; tapestry needle.

Terms Used:

ch = chain

st = stitch

dc = double crochet

sl st = slip stitch

sp = space

EA =each

EO = end off

rpt = repeat


Coaster:

1) Ch 3, work 11 dc into ring; sl st to top of ch 3 (12 dc)

Ch 3
Work 11 dc into ring
Sl st to top of ch 3

2) Ch 3 & dc in same space, work *2 dc in EA st* around; sl st to top of ch 3 (24 dc)

3) Ch 3 & dc in same space, 1 dc next st - work *2 dc in next st, 1 dc next st* around (36 sts); drop yellow & attach blue with a sl st to top of ch 3 to close circle.

4) With blue, make 1 sl st in the back loop of each st, around -  without increasing (36 sl st); EO blue.

Face Detail: With scrap yarn & tapestry needle, loosely outline eyes & a smiling mouth on the coaster front circle. With Gold yarn & crochet hook, draw a loop of yarn from back of piece through the front … and sl st a sunny face in place on the front-facing side.

When face is in place - remove the scrap yarn:

Edging Trim: At left edge of smile, attach Orange yarn & ch 4; then work as follows - *draw a loop up in next ch, & each of the next 2 ch (4 loops on hook), then draw up a loop in the back st of the next 2 blue sts of the circle … pick up Gold yarn, yo & draw yarn through all 6 loops & ch 3: draw a loop up in next ch, & each of the next 2 ch (4 loops on hook), then draw up a loop in the same sp as 1st orange loop as well as the back st of the next blue st … pick up Orange yarn, yo & draw yarn through all 6 loops & ch 3* rpt from * to * for this alternating "sun rays" color pattern around circle.

You will be carrying the yarn along the back of the work for easier picking up & switching out:

Attach Orange yarn & ch 4 …
Draw a loop up in next ch, & each of the next 2 ch (4 loops on hook)
Draw up a loop in the back st of the next 2 blue sts of the circle; pick up Gold yarn & yo.
With Gold yarn; yo & draw yarn through all 6 loops & ch 3.
With Gold, draw 4 loops on hook & in the same sp as 1st orange loop.
Rpt alternating colors pattern around circle.

EO & weave in loose ends for a  nicely finished, simple, Summer Season Coaster.

BLOOD DOESN'T LIE~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

June 29th: Sunday was the start of the 4th of July 📜 Week.

Drinking my morning coffee ☕️, the headlines were  announcing - that as usual … the demonrats are doing all they can to ruin it 🤦🏻‍♀️

And the Repubs are trying to clean the demonrat mess, up …

Scrolling through my FB pop-ups, I did get a laugh 🤭 about the absurdity of the demonrat mentality:

We are half way through 2026 - and I am definitely still alive and kicking.

But some are not; Father Time finally caught up with them and stopped their tickers. Some, I won't miss at all … some - I was sorry to read, as I did internet searches ,🧐 had been gone for half a year; their FB Pages are still up, and there is no obit notice, but there are funeral home notices. I also saw that the internet 🌐 was giving out quite a bit of their personal information 👀; and that piqued my curiosity 🤔 Was the internet putting out MY personal info; info, that I had not [put out there]: I checked into that and was surprised at what I read. There was information posted online that was nobody's business … and there was some info posted that was a startling confirmation of suppositions, assumptions, and queries that had dogged me for decades 🤷‍♀️ - and had been soundly denied. Denials that are ridiculous 🤨 Ridiculous because blood doesn't lie 🤦🏻‍♀️ DNA is all conclusive and always trumps a stoic poker hand.

But, I thought I'd try 1 more time to get to the root of the issues. I contacted my middle sister 💻💬 and asked her to contact our Aunt Karen, who is my deceased mother's only living sibling. I was hoping that since she is close to 90 years old, she'd come clean about our ethnicity:

WHAT???
Blood doesn't lie.

I was reading that not only did we have blood ties to paganist africa … it appears now, that we also have blood ties to the cultic, blood-thirsty, middle east countries. I was not happy to be facing that dilemma! I was hoping for answers to dormant queries.

Instead, Karen stuck to the family story BS 💬🤨📜🤦🏻‍♀️

Grandpa's looks are similar to Holland's Armenian friend … & his nephew Jake's, 1/2 Armenian sons.

My Grandmother Ball's family may have lived in Czechoslovakia before they escaped the socialist-communist-nazi coups, to settle in America, & go through the citizenship courses to become citizens … but a genealogy report tattled that they hailed from Hungary. It doesn't matter where they lived, or what culture they adopted - their bloodline ethnicity is Hungarian.

My Grandfather Ball's family may have have come from England during the colonization era of American before America was America 📜 but his bloodline tattles that his ethnicity is more than what the family is claiming: it is a fact that most of Europe during the 600's was under muslim ottoman rule; my mother told us that our relatives came "from the country that looks like a boot" = Spain.

Spain is not Czechoslovakia, or Hungary.

Spain is not England, Ireland, or France.

Spain is not mentioned in the country line-ups - but, it is a definite, factual, part of our Life Story. Karen may not mention it, but my mother talked about Spain, our family connection to that country, & would point it out on maps - and even show us how to do the Flamenco dancing steps.

And while it is possible that claims can be made that family ancestors did live in all those places … the one fact left out, is that the moors were also dwelling in those countries; it is also more than possible that dalliances took place between ethnic groups while relatives were living in those places - and those dalliance's are showing up in the here-and-now present.

Someone has not been truthful in spinning the tale of familial history that shifted ethnic connections.

Blood doesn't lie ⚕️

DNA doesn't lie 😱

Physical characteristics will tattle - and override staunch denials 🤔

My mother's sister, Karen, has spent her entire adult life in the medical field, working in hospitals as a licensed nurse! She knows better than this … and yet, will stick to the parroted lie.

Aunt Karen was acting like a BSing karen 😑🤯🥴

I was trying not to get too frustrated pissy 🤨 

Someone, somewhere along Grandpa Ball's DNA chain wandered off the stated ethic pathway … and introduced the Middle eastern bloodline:

{{Is MENA a Separate Ethnic Census Classification?

Yes — MENA (Middle Eastern or North African) is now an official, distinct ethnic category in U.S. federal data collection, replacing its previous inclusion in the “White” category.

Under the updated Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (effective 2024), MENA is one of the seven minimum reporting categories for race and ethnicity on the U.S. Census and other federal surveys

The MENA category covers origins in North Africa, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran (Persia), including both Arabic‑speaking and non‑Arabic‑speaking groups such as Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Iranian, and Israeli. It is designed to be inclusive of diverse ethnic identities within the region, such as Kurds, Copts, and Imazighen

In summary: MENA is no longer just a subset of “White” — it is now a separate, official ethnic classification in U.S. federal statistics, reflecting the distinct identities of Middle Eastern and North African populations.}}

Holland & I discussed this new discovery.

Then we ate supper - and I did a dumbbell workout; it felt good to work with weights, again. For the past 2 weeks I've been walking a mile every other day; and doing step-ups & stretches several times a day (not posted, but done):

Do reps for EA set as indicated x3; easy to do - even for a senior woman.
3-, 5-, & 8-lb weight used interchangeably as sets progressed.
Dumbbell Hand-assist Overhead Triceps Extensions~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Dumbbell Front Raises~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Dumbbell Overhead Front Raise~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Dumbbells Overhead Triceps Extensions~Aim for 10-12 reps x2
Dumbbell Standing Kickback~Aim for 10-12 reps x2

I posted some post links to a couple blog hops, and saw that one of my posts had been featured on one of the Blogs I visit:

My May Post, was featured on 'You're A Star' @ God's Growing Garden Blog Hop.
'FROWNING BARK FACE; Castle Rock-WA':  (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/05/frowning-bark-face-castle-rock-wa.html)
My May Post, was featured on 'You're A Star' @ God's Growing Garden Blog Hop

It's been an interesting  Day.

I'm going to take my tired self upstairs to bed, and rest my thoughts.