One Thousand Gifts-9

Captain’s Log, Stardate 11.26.2006

I’m participating in the “One Thousand Gifts” list from Christian Women Online. Click on the picture to find out more about it.

201. Eatsmart Veggie Crisps—yummy and healthy and not very oily
202. Honey Mustard and Onion Nibblers—mmmmmmmmmm
203. my cute pink business cards, thanks to Dineen for designing them
204. my KitchenAid stand mixer—I seriously don’t know what I’d do without it, even though I don’t use it very often
205. my hand chopper from Pampered Chef—this was one of my favorite wedding gifts. It’s so useful and great design, easy to clean.
206. my stoneware 8x8 pan from Pampered Chef—it totally makes things easier for me to bake, especially since I tend to burn something every time I do. This gives me a little bit of fudge time on my baking.
207. cranberry juice, which keeps UTI away
208. colored pencils for marking my study Bible—doesn’t bleed like pens
209. pretty beaded book thong bookmarks—they’re just so pretty even though regular bookmarks are easy to use
210. little koa wood bowls for candy and knick-knacks
211. my pretty black and tan Dooney and Bourke tote bag, a gift from my mom who didn’t want it anymore
212. The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition—I love it when something is written so I know it has to be right.
213. Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
214. Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins
215. Fiction 101 by Randy Ingermanson
216. Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
217. Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
218. 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
219. French berry lemonade
220. ginger beer
221. alarm clocks, even though I hate them in the morning
222. homemade bread
223. my wonderful bread machine that lets me make homemade bread so easily
224. chicken soup with vegetables
225. garlic bread (lots and lots of garlic, and I don’t have to peel them if I use my handy garlic press)
226. that Chinese scallion bread that’s so yummy
227. Chinese scallion pancakes (different from the bread, just as yummy)
228. Chinese walnut honey prawns—total cholesterol bomb but oh so good
229. my exercise earphones that let me go running or walking with my iPod without my earbuds popping out of my head
230. my Griffin iTrip, that lets me play my iPod through my car FM radio, so I can listen to writing workshops on MP3 while I’m driving
231. the causes God has laid on my heart to care about—I don’t know why they affect me so strongly over other worthy causes, but I feel the Spirit tug at my soul
232. Zoe Children’s Homes, which rescue children at risk for child trafficking and the sex slave trade
233. The Agape Home in Thailand, which takes in children victims of trafficking who have been infected with the HIV virus (often AIDs patients believe raping a virgin (young) child will cure them of the disease)
234. NightLight program, which works to rescue prostitutes and sex slave victims in Bangkok
235. the free books at RWA conference—who doesn’t like free books?
236. the free books at ACFW conference—ditto
237. the free books from the ACFW Book of the Year contest—double dito
238. free books in general—triple ditto
239. the fact Robin’s going to be ACFW President next year—yay!
240. sugar-free dark chocolate hearts from Ethel M’s
241. those tough blue plastic bins from Costco that can store anything so easily and safely, including my thousands of books
242. Betty Neels books—such good characterization and plotting, always a good read
243. those foaming hand soap dispensers from Bath and Body Works
244. my cute bear-in-a-frog-costume stuffed animal
245. the giraffe note holder my uncle made for me
246. the koa wood geta Japanese sandal pen holder my other uncle made for me
247. notebooks—just love ’em, even though I don’t fill them up very much
248. my cute Japanese coin purse—clever design
249. iPod armband holder
250. cheap books from GoodWill and Salvation Army, where most of my library came from

Comments

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

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Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

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I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

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Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

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