Gifts for Unexpected Giving

Can it really be Monday already?? The weekend flew by in a bit of a cleaning frenzy. For weeks, we've been making piles of things that are no longer useful to us but still have some life left in them. Saturday afternoon we loaded up the car with items to be donated and headed over to the local thrift store.

Naturally, a visit to the thrift store, even just to donate, requires a peek inside. The boys found a pogo stick that was practically brand new for a mere $4.99! Rob spent most of Sunday mastering it. He can hop 200 times without falling! Not bad for a kid who just started. Poor Kyle isn't even heavy enough to make the spring compress!

I found several brand new skeins of yarn for just 99 cents each. I have visions of knitting dancing through my head! I've done a few rows each night on the baby blanket that I'm knitting. Its so exciting to see it begin to have a design, even though it makes my mistakes more evident. I can't wait to get my collection of Granny Squares started.

Yesterday was my aunt's birthday. We made her a batch of granola. Once it cooled, we added:
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants

We put this into a container for her to keep. Rob made a label for the container that read Mangan's Grand Granola. We also attached two of the potholders I had just made from outgrown sweatshirts.

I really like the way they came out. I was able to incorporate the front pocket of the sweatshirt into a place to put your hand into. I used an old blanket on the inside for insulation and I added decorative knots (like you would in quilting) to give it a more decorative look. These were such a handy and useful gift that I've decided to make a few more to keep on hand for unexpected giving.

I find this kind of productivity very therapeutic and relaxing. I just need to find a better way to store all my "raw" materials. I'm certainly guilty of having too many projects going at one time. I've begun to look at every bit of material that I come across, and that includes outgrown kids clothing, as potential project material.