I'm a Crochet Instructor!

Well, it's official! I'm a Crochet Instructor at Valdosta Technical College. I applied to teach knitting or crocheting for their Adult Education program some time ago and I finally got selected to teach for the summer and fall semesters this year.



It's great to see my name in print!



I am so excited and have been looking forward to this for a very long time. To be able to teach a subject you love and get paid for it is a dream come true!


And to celebrate, let's whip up some brownies made with honey:



Honey Bee Brownies

10 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 eggs
3 cups (2 lbs., 4 oz.) honey
1/4 cup vanilla extract
3 cups (14 oz.) biscuit mix
2-3/4 cups (12 oz.) pecans, chopped

Melt chocolate; cool slightly. Beat eggs; beat in chocolate, honey and vanilla. Thoroughly beat in biscuit mix. Stir in pecans. Pour into greased 12"x20"x2" baking pan; bake at 350°F until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Spread with Chocolate Frosting, if desired; let set up. Cut into 48 (2"x2-1/2") pieces.

Honey Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup boiling water
1-1/2 lbs. powdered sugar
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup (3 oz.) honey
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Gradually beat boiling water into powdered sugar. Beat in melted chocolate, honey and vanilla. Thin frosting with 1-2 Tablespoons of boiling water, if necessary.

ALTERNATIVE:

Instead of the frosting, top your brownie with a generous scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream since Haagen-Dazs loves honey bees.

ENJOY, AND REMEMBER TO THANK YOUR HONEY BEES!

Poetry Challenge Give-away!

I decided to have a Poetry Challenge and give the winner a gift from my shop!

After you read my poem, you'll know that I'm not a pro, but I'm passionate about the subject of my rhyme, which is my pet pekingese dog, Gizzy. Please note that this is not an entry, just my way of getting you inspired:










My Boy, Gizzy!

Some like it hot…
My boy does not!
His coat is dense and furry
He sleeps a lot,
but don’t you worry
he’s soon charged and ready to play
Tug-o-war is his game
and Miss Piggy‘s the prey.
He gives you a run for your money.
Watch out, honey, he’s very funny!

Only you fellas beware
Don’t you walk through that door
lest you dare
getting your pant legs pulled
from here to there…I know it’s not fair!

I tell him, he’s the only boy for me.
He’s one of a kind, rare and unique,
a very special Peke.
There’ll never be
another Gizzy
No, Siree!


Here are the simple 1-2-3 RULES:
1) Compose your own, original poem containing anywhere from 4 to 26 lines about a subject you feel passionate about (to make this fair, only one poem per person or under the same name)


2) Submit your poem in the comments section (here) in this blog

3) Deadline to enter is June 16th, 2009! (my Birthday)



After all entries have been received, I will ask people to vote. I will post a link on Twitter, Flickr, Squidoo, BLIP, the Etsy Community and my two Etsy teams, namely the Etsy Hookers Street team and the Etsy Honey Bee Helpers team, plus all my family and friends in my address books in my e-mails. I'll also see if I can solicit some votes from my Yahoo groups! The person with the highest number of votes will win the contest. If it's a tie, we'll draw a number!

Winner will be announced on the following weekend, June 23rd, 2009.

NOTE: If only one person enters, then that person gets the prize!

The winner can chose from one of the following:

* An item (or items) from my existing inventory in my Etsy shop for a combined total of $15 or less with FREE standard shipping. If your selected item(s) total less than $15, then that's your prize.

* or a $15 credit towards any item over $15 so that you will pay the difference and I will pay the standard shipping.

* or a $15 Gift Certificate (with free standard shipping) for you to use as you will, including transferring it to another person, in which case I will need the details from you, please! (If for some reason, I end up having to close my Etsy shop, all bets are off and I will not honor the gift certificate.)

My shop on Etsy is:

Honey Bee Crochet by SturmDM

I used to have another shop that was called:

365 Days of Christmas but I had to close that one because apparently someone has trade marketed that name for her business back in 1999. Here is the convo I received:

by mrsclaus365days profile shop contact

Listing: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26544977

Dear Friend,

I found your site on Esty, and your work is lovely. Unfortunately, I trade marked the name 365 Days of Christmas back in 1999, so you will have to change your name on this site.

Please contact me back. Thanks, Barbara Jancovic www.365daysofchristmas.com


Good luck and let the creative juices flow!

I'm crocheting, honest, I am!

(Lydia crocheting in the Garden of Marly by Mary Cassatt, 1844-1926, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)






I felt that I needed to say that, since my blog is called 'Crocheting in Georgia' yet I never actually blog about crocheting.

I figure, that's what my shop is for. You can click on my flickr account or Etsy shop (to your right) and see the things I've crocheted and knitted. So, unless it's something really extravagant, you probably won't find me blogging about it here.

...and while I'm crocheting, I have to confess, my mind wanders often to Southern California, where I spent my "American Life" for several decades. I've made some wonderful memories there because California has breathtaking sceneries. You can have it all, mountains, beaches, the desert, big Redwood forests, you name it, it's all there. I have "done" California and I'm here to tell you, it's truly awesome!




The above video is about Laguna Beach, my most favorite beach to walk with Gizzy. Of course, the video does not do it justice, but right now, that's all I have, that and my memories and my photos. If you're young, strong or rich, I would definitely recommend California (...and being educated always helps, no matter where you go, but especially there - the competition is fierce!)