Hi! I am Gina and I welcome you to my cozy corner! This is a place where I hope to share all the things that bring me joy! My love for crochet, tea and coffee, reading, homeschooling, and being a mom and wife.
I have often contemplated starting a blog, but never got up the courage…until now! Heading into the SUPER hot months here in Florida where it will soon feel like we are melting when we step outside, I think now is the best time to start! I would love to tell you that I have the most interesting story to share with you, but alas, I am just me. I was born and raised in West Virginia (minus a few years spent in beautiful Oklahoma!) where I learned to crochet by watching my grandma as she sat in her worn comfortable chair with her feet propped up as we watched television (The Golden Girls and Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, mostly!) when I spent nights with her. She did not even know that I was learning until I picked up a ball of her yarn and started making a chain. That chain went on forever, because I had no idea what to do after that. Eventually I got the hang of simple stitches and made more little tiny doll blankets than any doll would ever need.
I went years in my teens and young adulthood without ever picking up a hook and yarn. Then one day, I just decided to “try it out” again. Self taught and with the help of some tutorials, I began making simple blankets, moved on to little crochet animals and dolls, and now I love to challenge myself.
My first crochet “animal” attempt…. I could not even tell if it was inside out or not!
I did progress and have learned a lot! I submitted some of my work this year to the County Fair! (credit for the patterns: Seed Packet Blanket by Wool Thread Paint; Hedgehog and Cat by PolushkaBunny)
My other Grandma was an avid reader. It was meant to be that I would be too! My grandparent’s house had books everywhere… stacked beside the bed, stacked beside chairs, and my sweet Grandpa even built my Grandma a library in a spare bedroom. I am always reading a book and listening to another (usually while crocheting and drinking tea!). I buy new books, used books, and utilize the library app for my kindle more than anyone else I know! I just recently read Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and recommend it to everyone! I also can not move on without mentioning that Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt has to be one of the BEST AUDIBLE books ever! (There is a movie coming to Netflix next month!!).
Our family began our homeschooling journey during the pandemic. We had been thinking very hard about it before hand and it seemed that the timing was perfect. There has been no greater joy than getting to spend extra time with my youngest daughter. I found that the one on one she received at home was exactly what she needed! She did better than “get by” she absolutely excelled. We started with her in the 4th grade and after some trial and error, we found our groove! Our daughter sets our pace, for the most part. She completed all of her 7th and 8th grade years in one year and is quickly pacing through her high school courses. Some days our classroom is in our “school room”, some days it is just where we end up. Our kitchen often transforms into a science lab (oh what the neighbors would think if they accidentally opened our mail to find a preserved frog to dissect!). We head out in nature to learn, have field trips often, and the bond we have formed is absolutely priceless!
I have always loved Tea and Coffee and have began really looking into the benefits of loose leaf tea blends for health purposes! I am looking forward to sharing with you as I learn!
Thank you for visiting! I am so excited to get to know you!
XO Gina
Gina’s Cozy Corner 