I made this monster from one pair of ankle hi socks from Walmart. I used every last piece of it, (thus the ears). It was fun to make and I had no idea what it would turn out like. My grandson was a little bewildered apparently when he first saw it but soon became attached with it and loves the ribbon hair. He calls it his monkey.

My little grandson Alex loves Taggies or anything with tags, so for his birthday I wanted to do something different for him that had tags. So this sock monster is what I ended up with after some experimenting.

Where did April go?

Down the river! We have had major flooding here in North Dakota. The clean up efforts have begun and everyone is trying to put their lives back together. The spirit of service here has been great as everyone pitches in to help each other through this difficult time. It makes one feel proud to be a North Dakotan.

This isn't our front yard, thank goodnes, but we have a lake out front just the same. The geese are coming back to the area and I just hope they don't think they can set down in my front yard. I told my husband that we should put some rubber duckies out to float in the in our new pond.

Well, spring has sprung! In a big way. Almost the entire state of North Dakota is under a flood warning. They are advising no travel in many counties. even parts of the interstate are closed. This year we have had record snowfall and it was bound to happen. Everyone here is great and really pull together during times like these. North Dakotans are tough people! I'm proud to be one of them.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love


I am the nursery leader at church. We have one little girl named Maddy who loves dolls. I decided to look at the local thrift store for a doll that I could clean and dress up for the nursery. I found one in great shape with long blond hair. I couldn’t wait to get started. I even found some doll pajamas in perfect condition. This was my lucky day!


I have fixed up old dolls before, and looked forward to the great satisfaction I would feel when the job was done. I proceeded to shampoo her hair and used some cleanser to clean her plastic body. This has always worked well to remove ink and other soil from a well loved doll.


Finally she was squeaky clean and practically like new. Next, I set about making pony tails and braided each one into three small braids and then two big braids. Then I twisted them into two little top knots on her head. “Looking cute,“ I thought to myself. With her new doo done I dressed her in the flowery new pj’s and tied matching blue ribbons in her hair. I tacked the pajamas closed with a few stitches so the children couldn’t remove the clothing. Presto chango! That was easy and she turned out pretty cute I must say!

I was pretty happy with the results and knew that Maddy would love this doll. Giving the doll one last inspection, I noticed one solitary eyelash on her cheek. As I went to remove it, I noticed a few more. “What the…............!!!!!” Much to my dismay her eyelashes in one eye had all fallen out, and her eye suddenly rolled back in her head. "Oh no!” I cried. “This can’t be happening.”
I checked her other eye and sure enough as soon as I touched it those eyelashes fell out too.
She looked terrible. I laid her down and both eyes rolled back into her head. She was frightening to look at. She looked like a character from a Chucky horror movie. I can’t take her to the children like this. She gives me the creeps.

What could I do? I had no choice but to perform emergency eye surgery right there on the kitchen table. Carefully prying her eyeballs forward and rolling them to an open position I glued them open!! Yes…open! Forever……open!

Now she looks bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and very, very alert, (even perky). I had diverted a catastrophe. I took her to the nursery and Maddy loved her like only a mother can!

(Note to self: use a milder cleaning agent next time.)

We have been very busy these past few weeks filling Miro Monster orders.

What is a Miro Monster? Well it is a little creature that stands about six inches tall. He is a vivid purple color with orange spots and a row of red spikes running down his back. He moves very slow and when you're not looking he instigates all kinds of mischief. His stare is hipnotic and when you look into his eyes you can tell he definately has attitude. He is a world traveler and has been spotted all around the globe. Places like France, London, Croatia, Finland and America. Have you seen him yet?

This whole monster thing has been a bit of a suprise. It all started when my son, who lives in Finland with his wife and daughter, came to America for an internship in Boston. He was able to complete part of it from our home and we were able to enjoy them for a few months before they returned to Finland. My son asked me if I could design a monster for this company in the shape of their logo. After alot of work, we came up with the prototype. My son made a short video and played it at his meeting. It was a smash! The monster is slowly and mysteriously being integrated into the getmiro.com website. Be on the look out! The rest is a bit of a blur. He will soon be added to their store. Crazy huh? It has been alot of fun!

So what's the monster up to these days? I think he's looking for love! Stay tuned!

Welcome to my Blog!

I had a wonderful childhood! It was full of gardens, canning, puppies, kittens, dolls, sewing, crafts and lots of imagination. My parents taught me the value of hard work and service. They encouraged me to be industrious, to develope my talents and put them to good use. I remember the clothes and toys my mother would lovingly make for me and my siblings. Many of which were made from old clothes or an old coat. But we never knew that. We never had much money but my mother could make our home lovely with whatever she had to work with.

My mother could work mirales. She taught us all to sew, embroider and crochet and bravely turned me and my sisters loose with the sewing machine and the scrap bag. We spent countless hours cutting and sewing our own creations. We made all our own clothes through junior high and high school. And yes, we actually wore them to school.

These skills have turned out to be such a blesssing in my life. As it turned out life has thrown us a few curve balls in our pursuits for family, education and career. But we have felt better equipped and ready to take on any challenge that comes our way. In fact...I have found it quite rewarding when I've made something from nothing.

And so with that said....I hope to share my thoughts, ideas and enthusiasm for thriftiness, sewing and handiwork with you. Hopefully you will find it as fulflling as I have.