February 8, 2011 by debi.

Today was another cold winter day.  It started snowing sometime in the middle of the night, and has continued on and off all day.  The temperature has been hovering somewhere around 0 degrees all day long.  My dogs do not even want to go out in this weather.

This is a picture that I took of my deck.  I was trying to get one of the lake, which is frozen over, but it was too hard to do tonight.  It was definitely to cold to go out to take the picture.  Especially since I am in my slippers. 

I worked on my website most of the day, and finished putting the last of the inventory on my website for now.  I will still need to take pictures of additional items, but that will wait until I get back from Mexico. 

I can’t wait to get to my little house down there.  A new garden has been put in near the kitchen since I was there in December.  I am excited to see what has been done.  I always love the bouganvilla and the cupa de oro’s that grow over the roof of our kitchen.  It is always so pretty when the flowers are blooming.

This is our little house Casitas de las Palmas.  It is such an escape, especially after the last two weeks.  It has been freezing here.  Our neighbors were saying that it is cold down there, but I think it will seem tropical after the -19 degrees below zero last week.  I will have lots of time with my mom.  I will be able to spend time reading and studying the bible, and I will be able to knit and watch all of the movies that I have been recording for down there.  Here is a picture of the bouganvilla growing against the kitchen roof.

Life is pretty simple down there.  We do not have regular tv, we watch movies on the dvd player.  There is no phone, we finally have a plan on our cell phones that we can use down there.  We used to use skype, but the internet is pretty irregular at our house, so that was not always reliable. It is small, and if the whole family is there, the kids sometimes will sleep in the tents, but we love it.  It is our own little piece of paradise, for which I am very greatful.

I will be checking in from down there towards the end of the week. Thank you for checking in, and keep reading.

Here is a link to a new item I added to Dreams by Debi today. Please take a look.

http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/hand-knit-shrug-multi-purples-p-90.html

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February 7, 2011 by debi.

Egypt is an amazing country, and it is as varied as its people.  Sometimes I think that people just see the beauty in big things, and forget to look past at everyday things, to find beauty.  We all know the pyramids, the sphinx, a cruise on the Nile, and a mosque are going to be spectacular, but below you will find some things that are also spectacular in an ordinary way.

When we entered the Mosque of Mohammad the rugs on the floor were beautiful, but the lights hanging overhead were beyond spectacular.  At one time it was only lite by candles, it must have been magnificent.

We see children everywhere, but sometimes they become invisible.  Especially in a country where there is so much poverty.  This little boy was with his mom, watching people eating in a restaurant.  They were waiting outside of a gift store that we were taken to, and she was begging for money.  I saw such despair in her eyes, such hopelessness, but  I also saw a woman with dignity.  She was beautiful, and so was her son.  Beautiful in a different way, but beauty all the same.

 I also took a picture of this woman below.  She was so elegant.  She was covered in the Muslim way, but showing her face.  She was so pretty, and refreshing.  It was hot outside that day, and dirty, and the rest of us were sweating, but not this woman.  She looked calm, cool, and totally unruffled. Ahh, but to look so good, when you are feeling really hot, and to do it with lots of clothing on.  I, of course, was wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt, tennis shoes, and a hat, and was really not looking half as glamorous as this woman.

Cairo was an interesting city, full of opposites, high rises, palaces, hotels, and restaurants, all extravagant, beautiful, and expensive, and so much poverty.  It makes the poor in Mexico look rich.  I am happy that we got there before all of the rioting started.  It helps me to understand what is going on there today.

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February 6, 2011 by debi.

Since it is so cold today I am posting some links to www.dreamsbydebi.com  with suggestions for something warm to buy and wear this week.  Thanks for taking a look, hope that you find some  great wardrobe additions.

http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/wool-hand-knit-shawl-p-84.html?osCsid=254d45771bd84ba1a3feeefdb040986d

http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/fuschas-purples-hand-crocheted-p-48.html?osCsid=86926e2aabb5c154bfc281795355c22a

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February 6, 2011 by debi.

Today the city is blanketed in snow.  It is absolutely beautiful looking out my window at the snow covered frozen lake.  A day to rest and relax with my wonderful husband. I am making wings and hot dogs and italian sausages in crescent rolls for the superbowl.  Maybe we will light the fire today.

 This week I leave for the house in Mexico.  It will be in the 70’s, sunny, and beautiful.  I will get to spend a wonderful weekend with my mom, and then David and the office will come join me.  I then get to be pampered at an all inclusive hotel for 5 days.  Sounds good to me.  Especially since we are getting another Arctic Front this week, and we will be below -0 again this week.

The picture that has been posted was taken at Tino’s Maricso’s in El Anclote.  It is the town at the bottom of Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico.

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February 3, 2011 by debi.

It is amazing what life brings our way, what new things we learn along the way, and how we use all of it in our lives.

So far I have made two websites, and then hired someone to make the 3rd.  I had to learn to write html and php, and also had to learn mysql. When I hired people to make me a nice pretty website that has all of the bells and whistles, I thought I might not have to use that stuff anymore.  That is not the case.  I have still had to try to figure this stuff out, but there is a rainbow after every storm.  God has promised that.

So now for the rainbow.  I am 52 years old, and was able to learn all of that on my own.  I fixed the last thing that needed fixing behind the scenes yesterday.  Most of my keywords bring my website up on google, on the first page.  Which means I can now focus on the fun part of having my own business, designing.

God gave me many gifts, for which I am forever greatful.  One is that I love to design, knit, paint, crochet, take pictures, and see beauty in everyday mundane things.  I am posting a picture of a skirt that I saw on a woman in Turkey.  You will only see part of it because it is the pattern on the fabric that I loved so much.  It is a simple picture, and the pattern is in black and white.  Absolutely beautiful.  If there is one thing that I really enjoy about this world, it is sharing beautiful things with other people. 

I have also been adding new inventory to my website, and I would love you to see this really fun hat, that I made out of a yarn called Ozark Handspun.  Here is the link to the page of the hat on my website.  Please check it out, and I would love to hear from you.

http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/wwwdreamsbydebicomgreenhandspunhandknitp77html-p-77.html

Check back tomorrow for more pictures, and fun tidbits of information.

And if you are reading this. Thank You!!!

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February 2, 2011 by debi.

The last year and a half have been really busy for me.  I am finally getting back to work on my website, adding lots of new inventory. 

In some ways it seems like time has flown by, and in others it seems to have gone slowly.  Our family is doing well, two kids live in the same town, and are safe and good. One kid, a marine, is also safe and back from Afghanistan. 

We have so many changes in our lives as we grown older.  Kids are now grown and no longer living at home.  Not a sad thing as long as they are doing well.  As a couple we get to spend more time together which a great thing.  We now have we time, which is something we have not ever really had.

 Which now leads me to our adventures.  We travel a lot, most of it being for family, but this fall we took a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean.  It was exciting, beautiful, and best of all romantic.  Slowly over the next few weeks, I will start posting some of the pictures that I took, and telling stories about the trip.

I am also adding new items to the website everyday, which is also exciting.

 Check back to see the pictures of Rome, Capri, Ephusus, Rhodos, Alexandria, Cairo

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November 4, 2009 by debi.

I just changed the look of the blog.  I will post more later.  Need to go to work, but wanted to add the the blog.  I’m not sure if I like the new look yet or not.  Will blog soon.  I know it has been a long time.

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March 15, 2008 by debi.

 Yesterday, I wrote a little bit about my bedroom.  Today, I wanted to show you pictures.  I spend a lot of time in my bedroom, and it used to be done in burgandies, golds, and blacks.  I got really tired of the dark colors several years ago, but had a difficult time finding the colors that I wanted for my room.  I wanted aquas, but there were not any in the stores yet.  I had to wait until last summer to find and aqua coverlet.  My duvet is white, but I have so many animals and they shed, that to keep just white on my bed would be impossible to keep clean.  My bed is a rice bed, and so it is very high, and we have the bed on a wall that is narrow opposite the windows.  I did this because I live on a lake, and want to be able to see the lake from my bed.  I am from Los Angeles origonally and living in Colorado I sometimes feel landlocked.  Living on a lake really helps with the feeling of needing to move back to the coast.  Since my bed is high I needed something I and narrow for the nightstand on my side of the bed.  I found the bookcase at a garage sale a long time ago, and last spring, I decided to paint it a pale yellow.  I also did this with an old bookcase that I also found at a garage sale.  I wasn’t able to tie it all together until recently.  I finally found the 2 chairs for in front of the fireplace, and I love them.  I am actually sitting writing on my computer right now, with HGTV on the TV. ( I love those shows)  Then I found the little aqua table between the chairs at Pier 1.  I found some yellow shams for on my bed to tie things together and pillows with aqua and yellow at Pier 1. 

There is still a lot to do in my room.  I need to redo lamp shades, and I want a yellow throw for one of my chairs.  I have not found a yellow that I like yet, so that may be something that I have to make.  We also need to redo the fireplace.  I want to put drywall above it and build a mantle for it, but that will come with time. 

I really love the feel of my bedroom.  It is really peaceful and relaxing.  I love lighting the fireplace, and sitting in my chairs or bed and knitting or crocheting.  Right now I am working on a blanket for my daughters room.  It is red and black.  Her room was recently redone, and is very pretty without being frilly.  She is turning 18 in a week and needed a more grown up room instead of a young teenagers room.

 Anyway everything will get done in time.  It is just fun doing it. 

I’ll check back in sometime in the next couple of days.

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March 14, 2008 by debi.

I always know when spring is here.  As the weather gets warmer, the sky seems bluer.  Living is Colorado is such a pleasure in spring.  It starts getting warmer, the bulbs start to bloom, and the sky is the prettiest blue.  It makes me feel happy and creative.  It makes me feel inspired to work and make new things.

It has been almost a year since my father passed away, and I am finally starting to get back to normal.  It has been hard to be creative this past year, but in the last 2 weeks I have all kinds of new ideas for patterns and clothing.

I just did a pattern for a clutch bag for summer.  I graphed a copy of a vintage card pattern, and then decided on the stitches for the purse.  It is great colors and I think it will look really good when it is done.  I want to enter it in the Crochet Guild of America contest.  I am also working on a pattern for a lace camisole for summer.  I will start selling my original patterns on the website later this spring.

I have always embellished clothing, and I have my favorite jean which I have been patching for the last several years, because the fabric has gotten so thin, that they keep getting holes in them.  I need to add a few more patches because more holes have appeared in the last few weeks, and then I will take a picture and post it for all of you to see.  The new thing that I am really enjoying redoing sweaters.  I had sweaters in my closet that did not fit right so they needed to be redone, and just were not right, so I am reworking them. 

The first one is a pale pink vneck sweater that did not hand right in the front.  I love the sweater because of the ruffles on the sleeves and bottom.  I decided that I would cut it up the front and make it a cardigan.  I love cardigans.  Then I added lace to both sides and a button that the top.  I love the way it came out.  It is really feminine and pretty.

The next sweater that I am working on is a red cashmere pullover that my husband gave me 10 to 12 years ago.  I am turning this into a cardigan also.  I cut it up the front, but it was so big that I have added darts to the front and back to help take in some of the bulk, I have also taken in the sleeves.  I have cut off the bottom, it is still a little on the long side, so I will need to cut more off of the bottom and I am adding a floral fabric to the bottom that is gathered.  I am posting the picture for this also.  It is still a work in progress, and this is taking more time, because I love the feel of the cashmere, and I do not want to wreck the sweater.  I think I am also going to cut out a few of the flowers and put them on the sweater. Since the fabric is fairly thin I think I am going to have to attach it to some muslin to give it a little stability. 

I have also been busy redoing different areas of my house.  I was really tired of all of the  burgandies and golds that were in my house.  I finally have most of my bedroom redone. It is now done in aquas, whites, and yellows.  I love it.  I finally got 2 new chairs for in front of the fireplace.  They are off white chenille recliners.  I love them, and I love my room. 

I had to leave my couch burgandy, but I slip covered my chairs an off white and I have lots of aqua, white, and burgandy pillows and blankets around the room.  It is really cozy, light.  It looks updated.  I next need to do my dining room chairs, and I think I will do them in an aqua fabric. 

And by the way the fabric colors are finally catching up with what I have been looking for for 2 years.  It has taken so long for the furniture makers to start making some lighter colored furniture.

Well enough for today.  I will try to write everyday.  

Hope you have enjoyed what I have written.  I have really enjoyed it today.  Tomorrow I am going to write about cooking.  One of my other favorit subjects. 

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November 17, 2007 by debi.

I am finally getting all of the scarves, hats, and sweaters in the online store.  I certainly like knitting and crocheting much more then working on a website. 

I want to get everything loaded so that people can do their Christmas shopping.

I love the holidays.  I love all of the sights, tastes, and smells.  I have been cooking a lot lately.  Making cookies and cakes.  I am always in search of easy recipes.  I love all of the Sandra Lee Semi Homemade cookbooks. 

Well I just wanted to checkin quick, and I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving. 

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