My Favorite Things....A Guest Post

I am happy to be the guest today over at Amy's blog, Ms. Toody Goo Shoes for her Favorite Things feature.


Click HERE to head over to see what a few of my favorite things are....


Here's a hint....

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up to these fun blog parties....

Monday Mish Mash Link Party

Share Your Cup

Thriving on Thursday

Thoughts of Home

No Rules Weekend Blog Party



Pumpkin Mania at Trader Joe's

Warning! This post is filled with pictures of delicious pumpkin items that can only be found at Trader Joe's. I really hope you have a Trader Joe's near you or this post may be depressing! (You can go to their website to find a store near you).

I stopped in at Trader Joe's the other day to get another can of their delicious coffee. It's my new favorite brand and a treat for me to walk around the store. While I was there I noticed some pumpkin items were out and the box of Pumpkin O's cereal caught my eye. I bought them to try because I couldn't find anymore Mini Wheat's Pumpkin Spice cereal at my usual stores. Have you tried that yet? Delicious. It's a limited time special cereal.



The cereal turned out to be really good....like Cheerio's on a pumpkin spice kick! And as you can see by the left bottom corner of the box, it's good for you! Only $2.49.

Anyways, my friend Bonnie introduced me to the coffee so I bought the medium roast, the dark roast and the decaf. It is so inexpensive compared to the Starbucks I was buying for $11.99 a bag and the Dunkin' I was buying for $8.99 a bag. Trader Joe's coffee is $4.99 and the decaf is $5.99. Crazy. And you can freshly grind it in the store.

I also picked up a box of their pumpkin cornbread mix ($2.49) because I was going to be making my famous chili. That was really good! Even my son who doesn't like cornbread ate several pieces. It was almost like a sweet bread but with enough cornbread taste to serve with the chili.

I was so impressed with the cereal and cornbread that I wanted to go back and get a few more pumpkin items to try. The store is not far, but not close enough to just run over there, so I made a special trip to have another look.

Wow, did they have a large, eclectic selection! There was pumpkin in things I would never dream of putting it in, like pita chips, and pumpkin in things you'd expect, like bread, muffins and pancakes.

 

 

Let's have a closer look....

Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter
So tempting!

There's my cornbread mix and below it, Pumpkin Biscotti

 

There were Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramels and Pumpkin Spice Brittle.

 



Pumpkin Greek yogurt!

 

 

I decided on the pumpkin bars ($1.99) and the Pumpkin Spice Coffee k-cups ($4.49).

 





Can you see the name of the bars..... "this pumpkin walks into a bar...."! As soon as I got in the car I opened the box. Wow, was that good! It was a soft, chewy bar with an almost creamy filling of pumpkin and spices. The filling reminded me of a fig cookie that literally sticks to the roof of your mouth and fills the rest of your mouth with texture and gooeyness and lots of goodness. Very satisfying.

This morning I tried the coffee. I have been put off by most drinks with the name Pumpkin Spice in it because I tried one of the aforementioned coffee shop's lattes and I thought it was horrible. What exactly is all the excitement over that about??

Anyways, Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice coffee was really good. Just enough subtle taste of pumpkin and spices. It helped make it all so festive drinking it out of my new giant pumpkin orange mug!

This may be weird but when I make coffee with a k-cup I always run it through twice. That way I get a larger cup and the taste is still there. I am not crazy about drinking flavored coffee first thing in the morning so this will be saved for mid-morning coffee with a friend or for guests.

I have my eye on those Pumpkin Biscotti and the Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter for my next trip to Trader Joe's. If I lived closer, I would be tempted to do my weekly shopping there. They have such unique items and all of the things I have tried are pretty good. It has a fun atmosphere to shop in and they give out free samples.

Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? I hope you do so you can try out some of their pumpkin items. If you try something different than I did, please let me know!!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Roses of Inspiration
Coffee and Conversation Link Party
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
Home and Garden Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Freedom Fridays
Flashback Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday

I've Caught the Knitting Bug

I learned to knit when I was about 12 years old. Haven't since and now I am, well, 50 something. I do remember some of the basics though.

I have my heart set on making a throw for my bed like the picture above. My dream may never be realized as the yarn for this costs $198 a skein!

When my dear friend Bonnie started a prayer shawl ministry I wanted to participate to take up knitting again and learn to make that throw. Bonnie is an accomplished knitter and has the patience to teach others also. I was about to learn a few things from her, and not just about knitting.

Her love of knitting together with her desire to serve the Lord led her to want to start the ministry. As we all can be when stepping out into a new venture, she was hesitant to take that first step. A powerful visual message at our church about breaking down barriers and fears prompted her to step out. Once she did the doors starting opening.

There is a cute café in Williamson, New York called the Firewall Coffee Hall. It is a community sponsored not for profit coffee house. It used to be the headquarters for the Williamson Fire Department and in keeping with that, the inside and outside is decorated with a firemen theme.

Anita volunteers at the coffee house and once Bonnie told her about her ministry, she was happy to open the doors to the ladies.

Anita with her granddaughter Grace who has just learned to crochet.

Every other Saturday morning a group of knitting ladies meet there to knit and chat and drink coffee. They have named themselves The Knit Wits.

The cafe serves Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters coffee, which is locally made and a treat in itself.

 Marcia volunteers serving coffee and goodies and also knits with the ladies.

As I questioned Bonnie about how it all worked, I quickly realized that this was not the place to go and knit what I wanted, but to knit as a ministry for others.

A prayer shawl is a knitted wrap for around your shoulders or legs, a handmade gift covered in prayer. Those that knit pray over the stitches, that they give comfort, peace and warmth to someone who is sick, recovering or downtrodden. They are also nice to give to mothers of newborns, and men who are ill appreciate them also. Bonnie hears wonderful stories about how they are used. One woman takes hers to chemotherapy to keep warm during her treatments. Others have been passed on to the family members as a remembrance of someone who had been in hospice.





A nice discount on yarn at a local craft supply store helped Bonnie supply the yarn at the beginning. Another open door. The knitter supplies the needles. For a beginner, like me, Bonnie casts the stitches on and then you knit. Or, like for me, she had to rip it out twice and cast new stitches on before getting it going because I kept messing it up!

I was so excited to get a couple rows done that I had to take a picture!

After a shaky start I started making headway and my shawl started to show some inches! Obviously I have a long way to go! And that is the part of the draw to join in with these ladies. You don't have to have any experience with knitting, just a desire to serve in this ministry. There is no time frame or pressure to get a shawl done. You just have to reserve every other Saturday for the Firewall Coffee Cafe to sit and knit and chat and drink coffee with other sweet ladies for a couple hours!

Bonnie (right) is helping Carrie (left) get started as Arlene rolls her yarn into a ball.

My daughter Jena joined me the first time I was able to go. She is a knitter herself, since about 12 years old, having learned from her grandmother. She fit right in. I was busy taking notes for my post and knitting in between.

I went around the table asking the ladies how they started knitting.....

Marcia learned to knit  at a women's retreat and has been knitting for 8 years. She makes scarves and socks.

Arlene taught herself to knit from an encyclopedia at 8 years old!

Bonnie learned to knit at 5 years old from an Italian lady in her Philadelphia neighborhood. She made blankets for baby dolls.

Anita started knitting at 17 and made sweaters. She learned to crochet for finishing borders and prefers it over knitting. She has taught her eleven year old granddaughter Grace to crochet. Grace wanted to make a prayer shawl for friends and is learning to make prayer squares and phone cases.

Katherine has been knitting for 7 years and crocheting for two. She knitted and knitted and gave everything as gifts. I have received a knitted poncho, a prayer shawl and a blanket from her. She also has donated baby items to a local co-op shop.

And me, I have been knitting for almost two weeks now and I think I am close to being done with my first prayer shawl! I've got the knitting bug! I've already bought the yarn to start my next one!

 This is a permanent fixture at my couch every night....


The yarn actually matches my bag, a gift from Bonnie!

So pretty, isn't it?


Soon after my time with the Knit Wits I had the opportunity to visit the knitting ladies at a local independent senior living community. Bonnie visits each week to knit and chat and help ladies with their knitting. I was warmly welcomed and asked to come back soon. These two ladies, Carolyn and Peggy were a delight to chat with.

Bonnie is my sister in Christ and like a real sister to me. I truly believe the Lord closed the door on a ministry I was a part of for over 8 years and just couldn't physically do anymore, and opened the door to this prayer shawl ministry. I have already been blessed by my first time with the Knit Wits and my visit to the independent living community. I am looking forward to continuing to make prayer shawls to bless others. I get to share this with Bonnie, my daughter and the other ladies.  I can sit and knit and chat, all things that are not too physically hard to do.

Bonnie and Me.....she is beautiful inside and out






It took me a few months to finally go to the Saturday morning knitting in Williamson....things just kept coming up to keep me from being able to go. I had been struggling with what to do with the ministry I was in and then, in one morning, the doors opened wide to a new ministry while they closed shut on the past one. It's all God's timing and I am happy to step out and obey.

Have you caught the knitting bug yet?

AnnMarie :)

I am linking up to these great blog parties!

Tuesday Trivia
Open House Blog Party
Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop
What's It Wednesday
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Thursday Social Media Roundup Blog Hop
Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Be Inspired
A Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
Raising Imperfection Link Party
 Sweet & Savoury Sundays
Amaze Me Monday
Marvelous Mondays
Make It Pretty Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday