moved...

2010-08-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

http://plus3crochet.blogspot.com

I've finally gone and done it!! New blog name and address!

Visit me here http://plus3crochet.blogspot.com , please change your bookmarks, feeds and where you follow. Thanks! Hope to see you at the new home.

small touches

2010-08-06T09:57:00.000-06:00

I usually crochet a little bit every single day. I've been spending most of my crocheting time working on my contest project and I ran out of the yarn I was using but still had an itch to do something last night.

So, I whipped up a small circle and slipped it over the handle of my front door closet. Instantly gratifying.

I think I may start adding little unexpected touches of crochet around the house, even seeing something this small makes me happy.

featured on...

2010-08-05T19:56:00.000-06:00

So, I've been featured on a couple blogs... I know, shocked me too! I haven't been featured on a ton of blogs or anything like that but there's been a couple and I have never gotten around to posting and thanking them for it. So, here they are;

I was featured with my granny square necklace back in April over at V and Co.

Also, on One Pretty Thing's Flickr Friends Roundup, I had my yarn art featured just last week and my doily bowl was also featured in April.

And today Kara at Craftastical featured my yarn art.

Thank you to all of you! I have to admit it does feel pretty good when someone notices and likes something that I've made.

a little color added

2010-08-03T11:58:00.000-06:00

I haven't done too much in the way of decorating since we moved to the new place... actually I've done almost nothing. I'm starting to do little things here and there though.

I stumbled onto this fun idea some time ago and instantly loved it! Instead of using tape like suggested, I slipped on some cute striped socks that don't fit me. They're those socks that you get in a big pack for dirt cheap at Wal-Mart, I can never resist those even though they never fit me right.

It doesn't look so pretty sitting still like that but it looks really great turned on! This fan is in the boy's room, he loves laying down and watching it. And it's nice to have some extra color in that almost blank room.

I think this idea would be really fun using happy tapes. I may switch it up one day using some of those and I may even do the fan in my kitchen too.

I'm sharing at:
Today's Creative Blog
Topsy Turvy Tuesdays
Take a Look Tuesday

purple loveliness

2010-07-29T09:33:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to share a little peak at something I'm working on, it's for a contest that I found in a new group I found on ravelry. It needs to be finished by the end of August. Deadlines are good. I don't have any type of urge to just set it aside for a new project. Although, it does have to sit for a week or so, until I have the money to get the yarn needed to finish.

These motifs are so fun to make, I wish I needed to make more of them. The motif I'm using can be found here. The purple I'm using makes me swoon so ridiculously hard, I've had a really hard time photographing it, so the picture does it absolutely no justice. Hopefully, the end result will be easier to capture.

ps: go see Carina's blog, she's the reason I posted today, I'd still be sitting here not sharing anything if I hadn't seen her post today.

yarn art

2010-07-27T06:09:00.038-06:00

The idea for this project came from here, just a couple things changed.

I think I mentioned before how much I love this yarn. Now you can really tell I do! I used one of the frames that I used for the silhouettes I made last year. I only had the one left, those dollar store frames don't like to take a lot of falling off the wall.

I decided not to add fabric to the inside of the frame. I think the rough look of it looks really good, maybe it's just me? The hook will eventually get changed out for a bigger, possibly wooden one, if I can ever find one for cheap. The one in there doesn't bother me too badly, it's a plastic 7.5mm that used to belong to my grandma, I kind of like having something in there that can remind me of her.

I'm sharing at:
Today's Creatove Blog
Topsy Turvy Tuesdays
Take a Look Tuesday
Everything Etsy

what a disaster!

2010-07-26T07:05:00.013-06:00

I left some beginnings of few squares out, along with the scissors and my three year old, who was supposed to be asleep, decided to help out with the crocheting.

Nope, not so much help.

She also took some snips at a rather big skein of yarn, there are ends poking out of it everywhere, I think there will be a lot of yarn lost. It can all go into my new scrap yarn sack, I found a super awesome idea for my little bits of yarn that I can't wait to try out! So, maybe she was helping after all.

P P P S

2010-07-25T14:50:00.000-06:00

I tried to add this to the first post but it screwed everything up. Someone else wanted to say thank you. The video is a bit dark, this was in our not so bright basement

random bits

2010-07-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's Sunday already, I'm happy for it. I'm going through hard stuff again, it sucks but I know it will get better. Maybe not soon, but eventually.

I saw Eclipse this week! Thanks to the $50 gift card I found while cleaning up this darn place before we moved in. Thank you people who lived here before us... the cops are looking for you by the way. Anyway, the movie was really good. I'm glad that I read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner before I saw it too, it's not 100% relevant to the movie but if you've read it, some things make a little more sense.

One last thing, I have finally got myself set up over at pinterest. You can find me pinning right here. It's a really fun place, I could spend a huge chunk of my time playing with it. You have to get invited to make an account, I just went through the site, so I had to wait a few days. But, I have 5 invites that I can send out if anyone wants one. Leave me your email address if you'd like one!

ps. Thank you for all the wonderful comments you all have been leaving me lately! I try to reply to everyone but not everyone has their email attached to their comments. But, still thank you to all of you.

pps. Welcome to all the new followers! The number has jumped pretty high in the last couple weeks. Thank you for choosing to follow me, I hope I won't bore you too much.

baby gifts

2010-07-22T09:00:00.003-06:00

My niece Olivia that I shared about a while ago got to go home from the NICU last Monday. Yesterday was the first time I went to see her and hold her. I was a bit sick so I couldn't see her earlier. She's such a tiny thing, I've never held a baby so small (5lbs 110z now, she's gaining fast!), in the NICU she was always asleep when I saw her. The closest I got to interacting with her while awake was when I held down her legs so her mom could get her diaper on.

Of course, I didn't want to go without taking something with me, so I made a little baby present. I got some Gerber onesies and embellished one with her name and the other I sewed a rossette on. Pattern for the rossette is here.

This rosette makes me so happy! I'm going to make more, they are so easy.

I also made these cute little booties. They seemed so tiny, I was sure they would never fit her but they actually an inch too big! The ones made with variegated yarn are my favorite! I'm not so sure I like the pink and yellow ones, but Olivia's mom seems too, though she could just be too nice to say otherwise.

This girl is going to get so many crochet goodness from me! Baby stuff is the most fun to make. The bow blanket I was so excited about a few months ago I gave to her when she was born. I still love that blanket, I need to make more but all the other baby stuff is preoccupying me.

Sharing at:
Craftatical
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Everything Etsy
Today's Creatove Blog

quick question/opinons needed/survey/whatever...

2010-07-20T09:36:00.000-06:00

plusthree

plus3

+three

Which looks better to you? It kept me up last night, I just could not figure out which looked better. Leave me a comment letting me know what you think!

Thank you!

finally a pillow

2010-07-20T08:14:00.000-06:00

Being determined to finish a WIP this weekend payed off, I finished the same day I posted about it. I don't know why I let it sit unfinished so long, once I really got started, it only took me a few hours.

I made this pillow from a pattern called Petal Pillows in Crochet Today. The pattern was very easy to work up and I am definitely going to make at least 2 more soon. The pattern said to do one side in all one color but I decided to make both the same, that way I won't ever end up caring which side is facing out when it's on the couch (I get like that sometimes).

I didn't have a pillow form on hand and I really wanted to get this finished, so I just stuffed it with batting and stuffing. Plus, round pillow forms apparently are a little hard to find around here, I may have to start sewing up some of my own, there's quite a few round pillows I want to make! I love this pillow, it's so squishy and soft. My girls love it too and are already begging me for their own.

Just the first of hopefully many pillows for my couch! I want that thing overflowing with them!

I'm linking this up here:
Get Your Craft On!
Topsy Turvy Tuesdays
Take a Look Tuesday

doilies

2010-07-19T08:46:00.000-06:00

While on our spontaneous trip, I noticed a little thrift store in the town we were staying in, so one morning I walked down to it with one of the kiddos. I've only been to one of those smaller thrift stores before and that was before I actually wanted to find stuff in them. Around here is mostly big stores with not too much to offer.

Just walking in excited me! I hoped to find something milk glass but there wasn't anything, people there probably already know how awesome that stuff is. While the kiddo pulled out the toys in one corner, I spotted a few shelves stuffed with pillowcases, fabric, etc. I dove right in and found a basket filled with doilies! A lot of them were the same, so I only walked out with a few.

I can't wait to get started on what I have planned for these! I put one of the doilies into a metal hoop that I came across during my digging, it had no price and the woman didn't know what it was so she just let me take it for free with all the doilies. She hates doilies and was happy to get rid of a bunch, it was a much cheaper trip than I anticipated.

The doily hunting made me hungry to do more, it's addicting to dig through them all. Just that one store took up 2 hours, if I had more free time, I'd be searching out more little thrift shops.

some pretty on a Sunday

2010-07-18T07:14:00.003-06:00

1. Untitled, 2. DIY Pouf!, 3. When-in-doubt-add-a-flower lamp, 4. Tea-Dyed Thread Crochet Doily in Rich Beige, 5. working on this week, 6. knitting, 7. an apple a day, 8. Kitchen Rug, 9. zigzag, 10. Mary, 11. Summer blooms pillow cover WIP, 12. Doily Dance, 13. floral dishcloths 2, 14. musculosa tuneada, 15. Large Calendar Detail, 16. plastic doilies

WIP determination

2010-07-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

I have many WIP's laying around, this one I am determined to finish off this weekend.

Vampire Academy

2010-07-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

Well, I am officially hooked on yet another series! My sister in law is big time into the vampire books and she let me borrow this series from her. She thought it would be something I would like and boy, was she right!

So far, I've read the first two books, Vampire Academy and Frost Bite. I honestly don't even know how to explain the books, it's obviously about vampires, both living and dead ones and it's also about the one's who guard the living vampires. You can read what good reads has to say about both these books here and here.

These are such great books! I've been flying through them, Frost Bite took me about 5 hours to read. Luckily the kids were all in bed asleep, so I had no interruptions. I'm really getting attached to a lot of the characters, I even bawled towards the end of the Frost Bite, though that could have been the sleepiness, it was 1am.

If you're looking for something new to read, pick this series up! I saw in stores that you can get the first three in a box set.

pot holders

2010-07-15T09:07:00.000-06:00

June was my month to receive in the pot holder swap I'm a part of. Every time I opened my mailbox and there was a package in there, it was like Christmas, I loved it! I got some really great pot holders, they are all being put to use already.

I can't wait to show off the two I've made for the next members, they were both patterns I'd been dying to use and I love the way they both turned out.

new key chain

2010-07-13T08:19:00.004-06:00

I whipped this little pretty up last night. I used a pattern called Ranunculus from my new book, Crochet Adorned. I love the button that I put in the middle, I've been saving it for quite a long time, I'm glad I finally found something to use it on.

I used these exact colors in another project that I can't wait to show you, I'm seriously giddy over it, it turned out so perfectly! The project is for a swap, so I don't want to ruin any surprises but I hope to share soon. The colors made me so happy, I had to do something else with what I had left. Thus, this key chain was born.

I lose my keys constantly around the house but with this pretty flower attached, I think they're going to be easier to find from now on.

alphabet walk blog hop

2010-07-12T06:23:00.000-06:00

I'm really excited that I managed to sign up for the alphabet walk blog hop at one sydney road on time.

My letter for the blog hop was 'D' and here's what I came up with:

driftwood

dirt road

dandelion

DAWGS, I suppose these are the Canadian Crocs

I took all these photos around where I grew up, I miss the non paved-ness of it. Nature didn't cooperate well with me, so there are far fewer photos than I had hoped to get.

Click over here to see all the participates in the walk, today's letters are a-e. The walk is continuing all week long, so be sure to visit everyone for some great photos.

my birthday

2010-07-11T07:03:00.000-06:00

My birthday was last week, I completely forgot it was even my birthday! We had been driving a really long time already and still had lots to do that day anyway. I still ended up having a good time the next day at the Waterfront Festival, it's so pretty in Ontario.

Here my sister made me some really great cupcakes!

She got me a fab present, I've been wanting the book for so long.

I think I want to do every project in it but especially the pretty petals tank (biggest reason I wanted this book!):

As soon as I can get more yarn added to my stash, I'll be diving right into this book.

granny stripes

2010-07-10T08:12:00.002-06:00

Finally I have a picture to show of the new blanket I'm working on! I took this with me on our trip as well, I usually get motion sickness really bad but I had pretty much no problem crocheting while driving. I'm excited about that, now I have something to do on long trips other than sleep!

It's a baby blanket, either for my friend's upcoming baby or another girl who has been wanting a blanket from me for over a year. It depends on what my friend ends up having, she wouldn't find out the sex but she's due really soon! I bought the yarn thinking it was going to be gender neutral but I think it's looking more like a boy blanket.

I'm using the granny stripes pattern from Lucy at Attic24. I love this pattern, it's so easy and fast to do! I think if I ever get around to making a king sized blanket for my bed, I might go with this pattern.

took awhile

2010-07-08T21:56:00.001-06:00

Last year around the time I made my very first granny square blanket, my sister bought me some yarn to make one for her too. I made lots of the granny squares and then stopped because I really could not stand the way it was turning out. So, last month I finally pulled it all out again and managed to get it finished.

Yes... last month, I'm so slow at sharing these days now!

I'm still no fan of it but my sister loves it and I figure that's what really matters! Plus, I plan on making a better one for her some upcoming Christmas. Especially since she was so super sweet for my birthday this year! I'll share it tomorrow when my camera is alive again.

2010-07-06T19:57:00.000-06:00

I disappeared for a bit there! I'll start posting again really soon, I'm recovering from a spontaneous trip we took last week. It was an exhausting drive but it was fun while we were there, we're even thinking of moving before school starts up again. Should be quite the adventure.

I will share more soon, once the world stops spinning, my legs are still getting used to being out of the car after a two day drive.

Baker's Dozen: May 2010

2010-06-24T07:44:00.010-06:00

This is the 12X12 square I made for Anissa, the May member of the month for another swap I'm involved in on ravelry. I really love how this turned out! It's a pattern called Sun Daze and it can be found on ravelry here.

Starting off the swap with a square that I ended up really loving has definitely gotten me really excited for the rest of the upcoming months! It's going to be fun to try out different patterns.

pattern tested

2010-06-23T08:02:00.010-06:00

I've been following the SmoothFox blog for some time now. Donna creates some really fun crochet patterns and she's always looking for testers to test them out. I'm always finding the posts too late so I usually miss out on the fun. But, just a couple weeks ago, I got my name in on time!

The pattern that I tested is called Scrapity Scrap - Don't Talk Back, it's a 12X12 block. This is what my block turned out like.

Other photos of the squares created by other ladies can be found here. I made this for another Baker's Dozen swap I'm involved in on Ravelry. I have another square I made for that swap last month that I'll share tomorrow.

diapers contained

2010-06-22T16:00:00.000-06:00

Diapers were invading every inch of my purse, so I needed something to contain them. I whipped up this super simple diaper case. I didn't use a pattern, I just crocheted a rectangle and sewed the sides together to make a little pouch. Then I added a blue ruffle trim to finish it off. Blue because the diapers are for the boy and ruffles because... I just love ruffles.

I love pulling this out to get diapers, it makes me happy every time. I don't even mind changing the diaper, even though the boy hates diaper changes away from home.

Darkest Powers Trilogy

2010-06-22T07:25:00.000-06:00

Maybe you noticed... maybe you didn't, I read these fast. My sister told me about these books some time ago and I finally decided to grab them from her last week. This morning I finished the last book of the trilogy.

The books are The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning written by Kelley Armstrong. My sister was right, they were such great books! Not exactly what I was expecting after I read a couple reviews, I expected vampires the way people put the writer down about trying to be like Stephanie Meyer. There's no vampires in these.

The main character is Chloe Saunders, she sees a ghost and gets put into a group home for troubled teens. When she finally learns the truth about who and what she really is, the adventures begin. She escapes with a few other teens who also have their own unique abilities. The group that had them wants the back, bad, so there is a lot of running away and getting caught throughout each book. You would think it would get tiring to read about it all but it was all written really well, I literally could not put the books down. The last one took me about 5 hours to get through.

Reading these really took me back to the type of books I used to read as a kid, after the first few chapters all I kept thinking was how much it reminded me of the R.L. Stine books I read. I don't know how I managed to read about the ghosts and killer cheerleaders at age 11 without having nightmares. But, I guess now I know why I didn't get scared reading some of the parts that my sister told me really scared her, I desensitized myself early. I wonder if R.L. Stine writes for adults? I'm thinking I want to give that type of book a chance again but I think buying the Fear Street books would look a little weird for me now.

we have a winner

2010-06-21T17:25:00.000-06:00

Winner of the hat pincushion giveaway is...

Sandy a la Mode said...

awwww this is soo cute and i could totally use a pin cushion! you are such a talented lady to have made this, i LOVE the green color! thanks for the chance to win and thanks for visiting my blog and entering my giveaway, dear! xo, sandy

Congrats Sandy! I will be sending you an email shortly. Thank you to everyone who entered to win.

2010-06-19T11:32:00.004-06:00

I have so many things I need to start sharing here. I will make sure to share it all next week, major catching up to do.

Things have been crazy and busy around these parts. Hubby is still off working, he did come home Thursday but only for the day, he was gone again yesterday morning. He might be back for another day at the end of the month for my birthday.

The children have all been acting out in their own strange ways since their dad has gone back to work, I didn't realize how it would really hit them again with him being gone all the time. Zachery has been throwing the biggest tantrums ever, hardly anything slows him down. I know that it's also the terrible two's kicking in... oh joy. Lizzy hasn't been too bad, she's started ordering people around though and she thinks that whenever I get upset with her that I hate her. Breaks my heart, I explain to her constantly that I love her no matter how stressed out she makes me. Sami's acting out came in the form of stealing. Yes, my little girl stole from her teacher's desk. The next day, we took the stolen property back and she apologized, now she comes home every day letting me know she didn't steal anything. hehe. I guess she learned her lesson!

Yesterday, I got a brand new niece! She was born early and spent a few hours with a breathing tube to help her gain some strength. I went to visit her when she was 7 hours old and she already had that one out, she just had the tube over her nose (taped down because she kept ripping it out!) Today, she's off all assisted breathing. She just needs to start feeding on her own and gaining weight so she can get home. When you look at her you wouldn't even think she needed to be in the NICU, she looks so good, she's the biggest baby in there.

She really did not like all the stuff attached to her, she made this face a lot of the time I was there.

hat pincushion & giveaway

2010-06-14T20:41:00.004-06:00

I found this great blog awhile ago called Made to Treasure. When I found it Nima was giving away a free pattern for a hat pincushion and I jumped right at the chance to get one. Here's what my pincushion ended up looking like. Reminds me of spring, the sunny part of it (which we haven't seen too much of here yet).

The pattern was super easy to follow, I was amazed at how quickly I was able to put this together.

I'm planning on making another one of these (or two), so I've decided to give this one away. Just leave me a comment telling me what the weather is like where you are. Anyone, anywhere can enter to win. I'll pick a winner next Monday.

p.s. this is linked over at V and Co's link me up party!

hello mr. turtle

2010-06-10T09:51:00.001-06:00

I'm really into Ravelry now, I've joined a couple year round swaps that have recently started. One of them is for pot holders. The May member of the month wanted her pot holders to be kitschy themed. I figured she'd probably already get a chicken one so I decided to look for another type of animal. I decided on a turtle.

I found a pattern for a turtle hot pad but had a hell of a time trying to get the pattern to work out. I gave that up and decided to figure it out myself. I found a pattern for a flower pot holder and decided to use the center because it could look like a turtle shell. Took me awhile to get the perfect turtle look but eventually it all worked out.

I made two of these, one for the swap and one for my mom for Mother's Day.

blog makeover giveaway

2010-06-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

Free blog makeover giveaway, I definitely need this! I have my fingers crossed. Click the button above to go enter, giveaway will be ending soon so hurry!

a meme

2010-06-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

I got tagged by a friend to do a meme. I haven't done one in quite awhile but because I love her, I'll do it for her. Plus, I have nothing better to do at the moment and I haven't put a post up in awhile.

We're All a Little Colorific

Angry Red

1. Are you currently mad at someone?
Yes, at the moment, I actually am. Stressed like crazy for no good reason.

2. Which of your family members has the worst temper?
Hubby for sure.

3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone?
Yes, a few times.

4. Is anyone mad at you?
I don't think I've given anyone reason to be, so I don't think so.

5. Are you usually mad?
Sadly, yes.

6. When you're mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell?
Yell

Exciting Orange

1. Has anyone ever thrown a surprise party for you?
Once somebody tried to throw me a surprise baby shower but no one knew it was supposed to be a surprise, so everyone told me about it.

2. What event is coming up that you're most excited about?
Eclipse coming out! It comes out the day after my birthday, so that's my present this year!

3. If you won a million dollars, what would be your first thought?
I would buy myself a house and a brand new vehicle

4. If you could have anything right now what would it be?
some peace and quiet

Yellow Belly Self

1. Name: Casey

2. Birthday: June 29th

3. What's your main goal in life?
To make myself better and be the best mom I can be.

4. Do you want to have children?
I have three already, no more for me but I would love for more nieces or nephews (ones that I can actually see and bond with)

5. When do you want to die?
When I'm old and gray, after I've had tons of grandkids.

Opinionated Green

1. Are you against gay marriage?
No, I think that everyone should have the right to show how much they love each other if that's how they want to do it.

2. Lower the drinking age?
No, I think they should actually raise it here to 21 like the States.

3. Capital Punishment?
Yes.

4. Abortion?
I don't have strong opinions on it, it's something I would never consider for myself but I've known people who have had them and I don't judge.

Lovely Blue

1. Do you love someone?
Yes, a few people.

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No.

3. Do you believe in love?
Yes

Purple Query

Q: How many glasses of water did you have today?
A:Three so far, I'm drinking nothing but water lately!

Q: What color are your socks?
A: White

Q: Name one thing that you do everyday?
A:Cook

Q: How much cash do you have on you right now?
A: not a lot, and won't have a lot for quite some time, too many things going bad right now.

Q: Are you for or against Hillary?
A: I actually don't pay attention to the US politics too much.

Q: Look to your left. What's there?
A:Stairs going upstairs

Q: What's the last piece of clothing you borrowed?
A: A t-shirt from my sister when we were out and I noticed I had poop on the one I was wearing.

Q: What website(s) do you visit the most?
A: Facebook and Ravelry

Q: Do you have plants in your room?
A: No

Q: Does anything hurt on your body right now?
A:Yes, both my baby toes, it's gross and I don't want to explain.

Q: Do you own a picture phone?
A: Yes

Last but not Least, Pink

1. Person you saw:Samantha

2. Person you sent a text message to: Hubby

3. Movie watched in cinema:the new Shrek movie, we got to go for free!

4. Song you listened to: Sweet Caroline from Glee

5. Person you talked on the phone with: Hubby

6. What are you doing right now?
Filling this out

7. What are you doing tonight?
Going to try and finish my sister's blanket

8. What are you going to eat?
maybe spaghetti

isn't she a beauty?

2010-05-26T16:07:00.002-06:00

There's a contest going on over at Pink and Polka Dot right now for ugliest sofa. I had been on the lookout for a couch for our new basement for awhile now and when I heard about this I decided I would just pick the ugliest one I could find. I can always attempt to recover it later I'm sure.

So, without further ado, I give you my ugly couch.

I really think that this is the ugliest sofa! I would love to prettify her, I think my super stylish 5 year old would like that too. She says this is just not pretty enough for her room. (She's also picking up a lot of snobbery lately)

photography & giveaway

2010-05-20T23:06:00.009-06:00

I've been wanting to write about this for awhile but I keep forgetting. I want you all to go over to my friend Amy's website, Amy McMaster Photography. She does amazing work! I'm so happy that she took that plunge and started a photography business because she really is fantastic at what she does.

Amy hasn't been doing this professionally all that long but you would never in a million years believe it once you've seen her photos! I don't have a professional eye or anything but this girl has got some serious talent. She has definitely found her calling.

She's holding a giveaway right now for some actions she created (awesome actions!). So if you're a photographer as well or like to edit your photos OR if you just want to see some really amazing pictures, go see her site! The giveaway ends tomorrow at midnight, so hurry!

giveaway day winner!

2010-05-20T10:28:00.000-06:00

The winner of the doilies and coasters via random.org is #6 (so happy it was a low number for me!)...

MandiCoulter said...

you have a lovely blog! (and giveaway!) i am a stay at home mom and new blogger as well - happy giveaway day!http://commonthreadskingston.com/mandicoulter@gmail.com

Congrats Mandi! I will be emailing you shortly for your mailing address.

Giveaway Day!

2010-05-16T21:09:00.003-06:00

Giveaway closed, winner annouced up there!

Giveaway Day is here! I'm really excited to be participating this time around, it's my first time offering up a handmade item.

I'm giving away two of the "Your Neighbor Lady's Doilies" that I crocheted from a pattern in Crochet Today! and a set of 4 coasters made from this pattern. They are all made from a cotton/acrylic blend yarn.

Just leave a comment to enter your name to win. Anyone can enter this giveaway, I'm open to shipping anywhere in the world! The giveaway will close on May 20th and a winner will be chosen randomly. Make sure you leave your email address in your comments so I have a way to reach you if you win, I will choose another winner if there's no contact info.

Become a follower of my blog and I'll let you have an extra entry, just leave another comment.

blanket finished

2010-05-11T20:41:00.002-06:00

I am finally finished with Zach's blanket! I finished it awhile ago but with all the rain and Zach not letting go of it, it was pretty difficult to get a finished shot.I didn't think to measure it, so I don't have the finished size, it fits the crib with some hang over, so it's a good size.

I went with a gray border, I was going to go more wild with a bright yellow but I chickened out. I think it looks good this way and I don't hear Zach complaining.

a thing or two

2010-05-10T09:20:00.000-06:00

I have things to show you but I'm still trying to get us settled into our new place. It's becoming a bit more homey here, there's still so much to do though.

Don't think I forgot about the giveaway I promised awhile ago, I'm still trying to think of something really great. Since I'm still working on that, I'll have it up for the Giveaway Day at Sew, Mama, Sew! So, make sure you come back May 17th.

I also wanted to share with you a fun new site I found, it's called The CSI Project. Go learn more about the project, it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun, it all starts up on May 24th. I don't think I'll be in on the first week but I see a few themes in the upcoming weeks I want to be a part of.

alphabet patterns

2010-05-01T13:56:00.000-06:00

Want to crochet the entire alphabet? I sure do! There's a giveaway for the patterns to each letter over at Laura's Left Hook.

Also, be sure to check out her etsy shop, she has really great patterns there! And, she even has some free patterns for you, how awesome is that?

it's done!

2010-04-26T15:14:00.005-06:00

I finished this blanket up just today, I couldn't wait to share it. It turned out really good I think, pretty much exactly what I pictured the night it came to me. The bow is killing me, it's so stinking cute!

This was a very easy blanket to crochet, I used double crochet for the whole thing, which is why I finished so quickly. I just single crocheted around the edges for a border. I was thinking maybe a ruffled or scalloped edge might look good but I'm just not sure if that would be too much with the big bow on there. I might try it out just to see.

This is not going to be the last you see of these blankets! I might try a different stitch for the blanket next time though, I don't hate the look of this but I think something softer looking might be nice.

:: linking at ::
Skip to my Lou
Making the World Cuter
The Girl Creative
Get Your Craft On Tuesday @ TCB

Wuthering Heights

2010-04-24T09:03:00.000-06:00

The next book in the Bronte-along is Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, I reread it so I could have my memory completely refreshed. If you want to know what I thought of it last month, click here. I remember how much I loved the book then and you would think that reading it again would only make me love it more. I think it really probably would have if I hadn't started watching the '92 version of the movie while I was reading. I already hated Heathcliff from reading but watching the movie only made me hate him more. I kept getting more and more pissed off thinking about what an ass he is. It was hard to finish the book again but I did it.

I do still love the book, that movie couldn't take my love away completely. While I was at the bookstore, I came across the book with a different cover. I think I put off buying it for exactly one day, then I ran back to the store to get it, I was literally in and out of there in 5 minutes flat! Just look at it though, you would do the same, right?

The illustrations were done by fashion illustrator, Ruben Toledo. He did a couple other classic novels which you can see here, I think this one was the best looking though The Scarlet Letter looks good too.

I think my favorite part of this book is the back cover though. Who does he remind you of? When I first saw it, the name Rochester popped into my head but that was only because of how in love with him I was feeling haha. I never did think Heathcliff, though obviously that's who it is. No, I went straight to Edward of Twilight. You see that right?

Anyway, back to what I think about the actual content of the book. I know that there are some people out there who don't really like this book but I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of things that happened in it that made me so crazy angry but even reading that stuff was enjoyable to me. I liked hating Heathcliff. I usually just like characters in books but Heathcliff, I truly grew to hate. I hear there are people out there that actually like him or love him even, now that really confuses me! If you're one of those people, please, please tell me why. Is it just because you love to hate him? Because that I can understand. But, the people who dream about him... I just don't understand, it baffles me. Heathcliff wasn't the only one I disliked, I hated Catherine too! What a selfish bitch. Seriously, the bitch irritated me. Every other character in the book I mostly liked, I was really happy to see Hareton and Cathy end up together.

The way Emily wrote this novel was great, I loved how it was a second hand story told to Mr. Lockwood by Nelly. I just really loved this book! I will reread it yet again someday in the future, I just need to make sure not to go near that darn movie during it again.

:: more on Wuthering Heights ::
Want to know what I thought about the book when I first read it? click here to read about that.
I might make another post or two about the book, I'll let you know here!

an idea coming alive!

2010-04-22T23:34:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, (I think anyway, sleep has not been my friend lately) I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about a blanket I really wanted to crochet. I sketched it out, it's not complicated or anything but I didn't want to forget it. I finally started working on it tonight, I think I'll be finished in the next day or so, good thing because there's a baby I want to give it to and she's already been born!

this week in crochet

2010-04-21T10:04:00.002-06:00

I have been crocheting, a bit. I made another Your Neighbor Lady's Doily from Crochet Today! with the cheap yarn I bought at Wal-Mart awhile ago. I really love that pattern, so easy to work up. I might make another couple, same colors, if I have enough yarn left over for that.

The other thing I've been working on is Zach's blanket, I wanted to try and get it done before we move but I need to buy yarn for the border. I don't even know what color I'm making it yet, so it might be awhile before I actually do it. I'm sewing in all the yarn ends now though, I thought I would hate the sewing part but I actually enjoy it, it's almost as relaxing as the crocheting is.

things are good

2010-04-19T21:05:00.001-06:00

Things are finally good again, we found a place to live on Saturday and I got the keys today. I get to spend the next couple days cleaning it out, the last tenants left it in a disgusting condition! But, we got a whack of money knocked off the first month's rent since I offered to do the cleaning. I'm just going to think of it as a trashed hotel room, I've cleaned my share of those. Thank you to everyone who prayed and sent me good thoughts, they all worked wonders! I'm even getting calls today from other landlords who want us to rent from them now, it's nice to be able to say that I already have something lined up. And thank you to those of you who let me vent last week, talking it out was helpful also.

I'll have a giveaway of some sorts up here within the next few days, I want to share some happiness with you all too.

it's been quiet...

2010-04-14T16:08:00.005-06:00

...on the blog at least! Things in the real life have not been so quiet unfortunately. Hopefully I'll be getting things all settled soon, things have turned into such a huge mess. A couple months ago, we found a house to rent, signed lease papers and everything, move in date was for May 1st. The other night I got an email from the landlord letting me know we couldn't move in anymore. Lovely right? I don't care to mention her problems because frankly she's pissed off and I could care less about her now. (it's just boyfriend problems, nothing major, I'm not a bitch!) We've been told we can take legal action against her and we will if we don't find another place to live in by the end of this week. The apartment we've been in the last 5 years got rented out really fast so staying here is not an option. You can't put in notice around here and have no place to go, finding places here is hard. If you're following me on twitter, you've probably seen me bitching a lot lately, trying to get myself in a more positive mind frame so that can stop. Send me good vibes if you can, I think we really need them.

Other than that, I've been crocheting (of course) a bit here and there. And I've finally gotten into ravelry, I'm having such a blast there! I've joined in two baker's dozen swap groups, can't wait to get started with those. If you're on ravelry, look me up, I'm caseyplusthree there.

Tonight, I plan to watch Glee! I know last night it was on but before I realized what night it was I took some anti-nausea medicine and passed out 10 minutes into it. You gotta love those "may cause drowsiness" medicines, hey? If it says that, you can bet I'm going to be passed out for the next 12 hours, sometimes more. Luckily, it's on another channel tonight, so I get to gleek it out!

Jane Eyre, again

2010-04-08T10:52:00.005-06:00

I finished rereading Jane Eyre again a few days ago and I think I liked it even better than the first time. It was probably because I could better imagine what Mr. Rochester looked like. When I read it the first time, I imagined him to be a not very good looking older man but now I know better. He's a hot, swoon worthy man.

The other night I watched the 2006 version of the movie again, probably for the last time until I get the dvd myself. How I'll miss watching him over and over again. That was the only version I watched, I don't think I'd like to see it any other way, so I'm good with just the one version.

I hate to leave Jane Eyre behind but I'm sure I'll get just as into the next book in the Bronte-along. I already love the next book, I'm rereading it already!

this was a necessity...

2010-04-06T07:37:00.001-06:00

I did it, I bought the copy of Wuthering Heights that I so badly wanted the second I set my eyes on it. My sister borrowed my only other copy last week, so I had no copy of it here. Buying a new one makes total sense, right? I'm diving in to it again now!

This totally awesome cover art was done by fashion illustrator, Ruben Toledo. Look him up, his illustrations are fabulous!

granny necklace

2010-04-05T08:28:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, before we went out to my parent's house for Easter dinner, I decided to make myself something springy in colour to wear. When I started the granny square out, I had wanted to try and make a bracelet out of it but I was pressed for time, so it ended up as a necklace. For the chain, I just chained a long row, strung it through the square and tied it off. I really like how it turned out in the end, though I think a real necklace chain might make it more pleasing to the eye.

I still want to try and figure out a cute bracelet to make using a granny square sometime. I'm more of a bracelet girl than a necklace one. My sister and mom really liked the necklace, so I'll probably be making some more of these. I think with more thinking and planning out I might be able to make these really great!

happy easter!

2010-04-04T07:17:00.001-06:00

1. little bunny, 2. bunny brains,
3. Spring refashion: Easter dress, 4. Bunny Cupcakes

a baby block

2010-04-03T12:16:00.004-06:00

I made this awhile ago now but am just getting around to finally showing it to you. I found a pattern for this square that I really wanted to try out (I can't remember the link to it, I'll edit later if I can find it again). I didn't want to just make a bunch of squares and then have nothing to do with them, so I decided to do something I've been thinking about for some time now. I made a baby block out of them.

Joining the squares together was a bit tiresome, especially at the corners but I managed it. And it turned out a lot rounder than I wanted, so it's almost a ball. The boy doesn't seem to mind though, he loves playing with it anyway.

Even though it didn't turn out as nicely as I wanted, I think I might try and make some more sometime. But, I'm thinking for future ones I might try some textured squares and definitely some brighter colors!

:: linked at Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party ::

first ever doily!

2010-04-02T21:29:00.004-06:00

I made a doily! Not one of those beautiful, intricate ones that you find at the thrift shops, maybe someday. I found this pattern in "Crochet Today!" It's called Your Neighbor Lady's Doily. It was a super easy pattern to follow. I really like the yarn I used to make it, I have more of it in another color so I think I'm going to make another one soon.

By the way, if you like to crochet and you've never heard of "Crochet Today!" you need to pick up a copy. I've been buying it for awhile now, ever since I got one in a swap last year. It's always full of such great ideas and patterns.

the movie

2010-03-27T10:53:00.004-06:00

Oh.my.goodness! I finished the movie last night, didn't think I'd be able to get through it all, the kids made it a bit difficult. Now that I've seen it, I swoon even harder after Mr. Rochester. How dreamy is he, seriously?

I think the BBC did a really good job with it and from what I've been reading, people seem to think it's the best version to watch. I questioned if there were others in my other post and all I had to do was look on youtube, there's a few out there. And a new one is being made also with Ellen Page playing Jane, I think she'll probably do a good job playing her. I haven't been able to find out who's playing Mr. Rochester yet though, maybe he hasn't been cast?

I'm going to have to buy the dvd soon so that I can watch it without all the having to click to the next part. That way I can watch it over and over as many times as I want.

Bronte along

2010-03-26T11:41:00.007-06:00

I don't think I can even put into words how excited I am for this Bronte-along! It's been going on for a little while now but I'm just now getting to posting about it, I'm slow with things sometimes.

The first Bronte book being read, watched, crafted is Jane Eyre. I read this book back in December and absolutely fell in love! I'm rereading it right now, I read it really fast the first time since I had such a hard time putting it down, I'm hoping I can really absorb it more this time around.

Also, I'm trying to watch the BBC version of Jane Eyre. It's taking me such a long time, there never seems to be enough time to really sit and watch it with the kids being sick so often. They're better now, so hopefully it will be watched entirely very, very soon. I've made it through the first episode only, my kids need to let me watch it in peace already! Is BBC the only version of Jane Eyre out there? I know that a lot of classic books get made in to many different movies, so I'm wondering if this is one of those books. If you want to watch the one I'm watching, youtube has the whole thing right here, so you can watch too!

To learn about how the Bronte-along works, go here and to see the others participating in with this also, go here.

:: edited ::
I watched the movie! Read about that here.
I made my last post about Jane Eyre here.

goings on

2010-03-25T09:36:00.003-06:00

Everyone is finally healthy again in the house, it's so nice to sleep through the night again. Especially on my new king size bed, it's absolutely heavenly! Anyway, I thought I'd pop in today to share a few things I've found going on out in blogland. In no particular order, here they are.

Lindsay at Living with Lindsay is again hosting the $5 craft challenge, I forgot all about and didn't get anything made unfortunately. Go check out all the really great cheap crafts to make over there! I'm getting tons of ideas.

I really almost don't want to share this giveaway because the tote is really cute and I can picture myself carrying it everywhere! But, here it is anyway. At Craftaholics Anonymous, they are giving away a Thomas Paul small goldfinch bag. You'll love it when you see it I'm sure.

Bronte-along! Click over to learn more about it, I'm excited for it and will be posting more about it as soon as I find more time.

Carol is reading Pride and Prejudice and she's inviting others to read along with her and discuss the book. I'm so happy that she invited me to join in, I really can't wait to talk about the book with others! Come join in if you'd like to read the book and talk with others about it as well!

Pride and Prejudice

2010-03-23T12:46:00.005-06:00

I have finally read a book by Jane Austen! I loved it! I can't wait to read the rest of her books. Unlike the thing with Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, I totally understand the love that people have for Mr. Darcy! I have fallen completely in love with him too. I couldn't wait for the book to shift back to him, I was almost giddy when he and Elizabeth finally expressed their love for each other. If you haven't read this book, I don't want to give too much of it away. I really good go on and on but this would just be a complete spoiler then.

Have you read this book? Are you in love with Mr. Darcy as well?

I was going to read another Jane Austen book after this but I'm going to reread a book that I just read last year, I'll let you know all about which one it is and why in another blog post real soon!

giant boy granny

2010-03-18T20:28:00.002-06:00

Here's the blanket I ended up making for my cousin's baby boy. I went with an over sized granny square bordered in two rows of double crochet. You might be shocked in the type of yarn I went with, I know I was when I bought it, variegated yarn! But, I like the colors in this yarn, I think it's perfect for a little boy.

I first started with a rectangular granny but that wasn't working out too well, so I pulled it all apart to start over (after going through a ball & a half of yarn!). I managed to get it all finished off a few hours before the baby shower. I think I need to start making a stash of crocheted baby blankets so there's not such a hurry to get done next time.

thank you

2010-03-16T19:50:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to every one of you who reads my blog and leaves me such kind, encouraging comments. They and you all mean so much to me, I don't know what I would do without the encouragement I find here on the internet. People in my life are good but they don't really get much of what's going on with me, and I don't blame them because I keep a lot to myself most of the time. Anyway, thank you all for being so great!

Now, I need to go cuddle my sick boy some more. We went to the doctor today and he's got gastroenteritis, the poor guy. He's been unable to keep anything in his stomach since Saturday night, he's really, really sickly right now. If we can't get his vomiting and diarrhea under control by tomorrow afternoon, we're supposed to go to the hospital to get him some help there. I really hope we don't have to go that route, I hate seeing my baby so sick like this.

...

2010-03-12T19:34:00.003-06:00

Sick kids have been keeping me busy for quite some time. We just can't seem to shake any of it. Sami had hand, foot and mouth disease last week, I only knew of the name before she got it. I really hope none of my kids ever get it again, that was a stressful week but she's completely fine now. Lizzy's having a hard time right now, keeping food down is hard for her, it's not fun to have her feeling this way. She woke up screaming yesterday, it scared the living crap out of me. Hopefully, if this warm weather sticks around, we'll be able to finally shake all this sick.

I'm not sure if I remember posting about hubby's injury before but back in November he broke his ankle while at work and has been at home since. He's been getting so many different dates from his therapist of when they'd expect him to be able to work again, so far going back this year is not looking very possible. We have to also make another trip to Edmonton because they think that a couple pins may have slipped out of place, so that might put him back in for surgery sooner than they expected. The next surgery wasn't supposed to be until September, we'll see what happens in April when we go see the surgeon again.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm going back to work since hubby isn't able to yet. I have thought about it, I think it would be nice but hubby isn't too patient so I'm not sure him staying at home all the time would be the best option. Then there are others who are saying I should open up myself an etsy shop, even hubby's trying to get me to do it. I've been thinking about it but even if it does happen, I can't see it being until sometime next year. I'm not entirely confident in my blanket making skills just yet, someday maybe.

Water for Elephants

2010-03-09T18:24:00.002-06:00

I saw this on my mother's bookshelf almost a year ago and immediately wanted to read it but thought there was no way I would get through it. I don't know why I thought that, this book was a breeze to get through, only two or three days was spent on this one. I was hooked from the first page when the main character telling the story said he was ninety or ninety three, he couldn't remember. The book was all about the main character's time spent in a traveling circus and all the crazy things that happened during his time there. There were a few parts of the story that made me want to stop reading but I pushed on, I guess I'm not one for really weird scenes. But, I did laugh out loud at the end of one of those weird scenes when he was found in a trunk with clown makeup on. I was sad when in present time his family forgot all about their visit they were supposed to pay to him. But, in the end things turned out good for him and it made me happy. I love to read a book where I really like the main character, this was definitely one of those books I loved.

Jane Eyre

2010-03-08T19:36:00.003-06:00

Another book by a Brontë sister, this was actually the first one by one of the Brontë's that I read, I read it at the end of December. I read this one because I had heard so many great things about it, people really love this book. And you can definitely count me as one of them! I could not put it down, I read it in two days. I don't even know what it is exactly about the book that made me love it so much, I just can't get over it. This book is still so fresh in my mind, I could read it a hundred times and not get tired of it, it really was just that good.

Has anyone else read the book? I'd love to hear what you thought of it. Also, I just recently found out that there was a movie made of it, actually I probably did know but forgot. Anyway, I'm going to get to the library soon so I can watch it. I hope it does the book justice.

Wuthering Heights

2010-03-07T20:49:00.004-06:00

I finished this book about 2 weeks ago now, I've just kept forgetting to write about it, I've even read another whole book in that time so hopefully I still can remember all about Wuthering Heights. I swear that somewhere I've heard that this book was a romance novel and also that people really love Heathcliff, but I'm not so sure where everyone gets that from. I guess I can understand the romance, there is some of that in there but the loving Heathcliff part? In the beginning when he was young, I thought he was alright but the more I read, the more I really began to hate the character. He was just a completely evil man in my opinion. Even though I really hated him, I still didn't want the book to end. I was so engrossed in it the whole time, it's really a fantastic read so I am so glad that I picked it up and read it. I will definitely be reading it again in the future.

I have a couple more books that I've read recently that I will share soon when I can find some time. I need to figure out which book to pick up next though, both are by Jane Austin and it will be the first I've ever read by her. I have Sense & Sensibility and also Pride & Prejudice, I'm just not sure which one to choose first.

SAL progress

2010-03-02T19:44:00.003-06:00

I'm finally caught up with Sylvia's stitch along! I'm really loving the way it is looking so far. Here's the last two blocks that I finished for February and March.

The only I changed with my block for March was there was supposed to be a bow on the ladybug but I decided not to put that on mine, I think it looks cute still.

not a so good day

2010-02-26T18:29:00.003-06:00

Having a pretty bad day emotion wise, I know it's really my own fault. The kids are being their normal loud selfs but it's really driving me up the wall today, I'm so happy bedtime is fast approaching. It's not only the kids, I'm also thinking about something that kept me up a few weeks ago. Every so often it just pops into my head and I can stop crying or thinking about any of it. All it is, is crappy "friend" issues I've had all my life. I really don't know why these things happen, I always seem to lose whatever friends I make eventually, it's really depressing. I've never known the reason, I keep trying to think of why or what it is that I'm doing to make people stop wanting to be around me. I don't know. I should probably just try to keep that all in the past, it hurts to think about it too much. I guess I'm just not meant to have any long term friendships, I just need to realize that and get on with life, stop trying to make friends.

Other than the emotional wreck stuff today, I had to see the specialist that my doctor referred me to last year again to get the results of the blood tests she ordered. I've been having really severe joint pain, which is why I was referred to her. I had a blood test checking for rheumatoid arthritis but those results came back negative and all my x-rays looked good, so she wanted to check for some kind of vitamin deficiency or possibly anemia. I knew it wouldn't be anemia, I've been tested for that one numerous times, I'm extremely pale so it's always the first thing a doctor asks me. Turns out I have a vitamin D deficiency, normal levels are around an 80 but my levels are lower than 30. Obviously not good. So, now I get to take 5 pills a day to hopefully bring my levels up closer to a normal level. I wonder why a doctor never thought to check for that one before? It may be the reason for all the pains I've had, so hopefully upping my levels will finally relieve me of the pain once and for all.

WIP's around here

2010-02-25T19:34:00.003-06:00

I just got home from my nephew's first birthday supper, I love the little guy so much! Out of 13 nephews and nieces, I think he's pretty much the only one who truly likes me, he's always got the biggest smile for me. Now, the kids are down for the night, not sleeping yet but also not bothering me, so I don't care. I thought I'd share a couple of the WIP's I have laying around the place right now.

I've got this new baby blanket on the go. I was going to be making it for my cousin's new baby boy who was born earlier this month but I've decided against it. I've decided that the blankets I crochet that I put a lot of time into making, I'm only going to be gifting to people I care about. Not that I don't care about my cousin, it's just I haven't spoken to her since Christmas of 2008, so she's not someone I'm very close to. I plan on making her one but it's just going to be one that's quicker and easier to make. Anyway, this blanket is going to be for Zach. He needs a blanket for his bed, the blanket he has isn't very big at all, luckily the boy hardly ever stays covered up anyway.

3845, 3846, 828

The other project I've got going is this really great stitch along I found over at Sylvia's. I changed the colors that she suggested using for the border (the DMC colors are listed under the photo up there). Each month there's a new design to stitch up, I'm loving it so far and it's going to help me build up an embroidery floss stash finally!

I love January's design, so cute! I'm still working on February's, so I'll post a picture of that one soon I hope.

my grandma's doily

2010-02-23T12:32:00.003-06:00

I was digging through an old chest at my mom's quite some time ago and I managed to snag myself a doily that my grandma had made long ago. It's been living on a side table for some time now, I pick it up off the floor every single day thanks to my kids (mostly Zach), they love to make a nice mess.

It's so pretty and I love it so much! The fact that my grandma made it is too awesome! I really wish she were around so she could help me learn to make doilies. Thread crochet seems far too difficult for me, it will be awhile before I attempt it.

Anyway, I got sick of picking it up off the floor, so I got the idea to make it into a bowl. I've seen doily bowls all over the place and I love the look of them. I didn't use starch to do it because I didn't have any. Instead I heated up 2 cups of sugar and a cup of water until the sugar dissolved, then I submersed the doily and left it to dry over night on a bowl. The results made me so giddy! I adore how it looks, I think I love it even more now than I did before.

It now is living above my couch. I'm going to my parents again tomorrow, so I'm going to do some more digging around and hopefully find some more doilies. I think it would be nice to have more up there.

still around

2010-02-21T13:54:00.003-06:00

I haven't forgotten about this blog, I swear I haven't. I didn't expect this break to be going on as long as it has but it's been nice to not think about needing to get something up all the time. I'm finally trying to get my bearings here again though, I just updated the "reading" section to the right and I put some links of where you can find me when I'm not posting over to the left. I hope I can get more changes happening around here soon too, I'll keep you updated on how I'm getting on with it.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a sick baby to tend to. He got over it for about a week, then Sami ended up getting sick, it really knocked the energy out of her. She's never been sick like that before, she usually can go on normally but this time all she could do was sleep until it was over. Then Zach ended up sick again, worse than before, he was wheezing for days, it was horrible. I even took him to the hospital because it worried me so much, but he quit the wheezing as soon as we got there. I need to keep an eye on that wheezing though, I want to make sure that it wasn't any asthma trying to rear it's ugly head. I don't want my baby to have to live with that, I saw my brother in the hospital too many times because of it. Anyway, he's much healthier now. Lizzy got it a couple days ago, she got a really bad fever from it, she rambled off a lot of crazy talk while she was sick. Luckily, I managed to get rid of the fever myself, so no hospital visits. Now everyone seems healthy for the time being, knock on wood.

bloggy blahs

2010-01-26T20:06:00.003-06:00

Not sure if you've noticed this or not but I haven't been blogging all that often. I said I wanted to start writing this more as a personal blog again but I'm pretty sure I haven't really written anything besides crafts and flickr mosaics lately. I keep wanting to but I feel all jumbled up when I come to post. I think I need to make a fresh start and soon. I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to starting actual real blogging again but I'm going to try and make it real soon, I just need to find my bearings again.

Now I must get back to cuddling a sick baby. Thanks for taking the time to read and for sticking with me here!

friday flickr

2010-01-22T10:21:00.002-06:00

I was looking back and rediscovering old favorites.

1. yarn pom poms, 2. i don't care, 3. Nie Auction Calendar, 4. jingly ball, 5. fancy hangers, 6. More apples..., 7. road cushion 2, 8. Plucken along, 9. home is where the art is - cushion, 10. the whole bunch, 11. Orange blue butterfly pillow, 12. Handmade toy, 13. his reading nook., 14. IMG_5874crop, 15. tooth pillow, 16. valentine quilt 2007 detail

variegated yarn stash busting

2010-01-18T10:32:00.003-06:00

When I was first learning how to crochet, I bought myself quite a bit of variegated yarns. Why? I don't know, I don't even really like them all that much. I'm trying to use it all up now, so I did a couple stash busting projects.

First I made these bottle holders, it was a really fast and easy project. I can't remember where I found the pattern anymore though. I made three of them, two are going to my sister in law since she has two kids on the bottle still. And one is for me, we don't take bottles out with us anymore but it works for Zach's sippy cups too, it's nice to not have a damp purse.

And then because I decided to make a basket, I'm using it to hold my yarn while I work. I found the pattern here, I didn't make handles for mine though.

I still have quite a bit of the green/white yarn that I cannot wait to use up. I'm thinking I'll probably just make some washcloths for the kids, but if you know of something better, please share!

friday flickr

2010-01-15T07:27:00.001-06:00

Just pure prettiness to look at. I seem to keep one picture in that second row, I wish there were a way to know the picture wasn't going to show up before it generates the mosaic. Maybe there is, if you know, let me know too!

1. IMG_3308, 2. Pinwheel quilt, 3. Grandma Love Close up, 4. Finished Granny, 5. picnic sheet quilt detail, 6. IMG_8991, 7. { quilted + bound }, 8. Christmas snowflake, 9. my favorite and my best christmas decoration..., 10. HG0511-78viamakeroomforliving, 11. studio., 12. What time is it?, 13. marny's baby afghan, 14. Funky baby afghan, 15. IMG_3547, 16. livingrm11

delurker day

2010-01-14T13:53:00.007-06:00

I just found out that today is Delurker Day! That means that you need to come out from where you are hiding and leave a comment. Seriously, leave one. Let me know that you are here, I'd love to know how you got here. Or, if you've already been reading my blog for awhile but never commented before, what it is that makes you come back. And I still want to hear from the people who do comment because I love hearing from everyone, you all make me smile with every sweet comment you leave.

There are a few bloggers out there who are doing a really great thing along with Delurker Day, I wish I had the funds to do what they are doing too. Go visit them and leave them a comment because they are all donating money to the Haiti Relief efforts for every comment they receive.

Cass Just Curious
Diary of a Modern Matriarch
Life Candy
Chez Rougie

If you know of any other blogs doing the same thing, let me know so I can add them to the list.

Now, go delurk!

another baby blanket

2010-01-11T18:13:00.003-06:00

I have been crocheting a bit here and there still, just haven't been posting about it. I just recently finished up another baby blanket for another nephew of my sister's boyfriend.

I almost used up the rest of the yarn from the other blanket I made, I need to find something else to make to get it used up. Again, I made this blanket up as I went. I made 25 granny squares and joined them all together, then granny'd a few rounds around it all.

I went with a really simple edging this time, I did a round of dc and then finished it off with a round of sc.

friday flickr

2010-01-08T15:33:00.003-06:00

1. 08-18-08 Granny square afghan, 2. pocket pillow, 3. Jacks room, 4. Embroidered elephant., 5. emma's nursery <3, 6. bedroom, 7. Kids corner, 8. Finished - 9 patch doll quilt, 9. 015, 10. posavasos al crochet vintage, 11. Our Guest Room- AKA MY ROOM, 12. Dream in progress... part 8, 13. petals, 14. playroom, 15. picnic fairy friends, 16. Elinor's Name Banner

books read in 2009

2010-01-06T07:24:00.003-06:00

I read quite a bit more than I usually do last year, almost a book for every month. I got sucked into the Twilight series after months of avoiding the whole thing. I read books that made me cry, laugh and cringe. This year I hope to read a few more than last.

Here's the list in no particular order:

Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Sunshine by Norma Klein
The Sunshine Years by Norma Klein
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
Broken by Daniel Clay
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Nineteen Minutes by Jodie Picoult
My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Knocked Up by Rebecca Eckler
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholie Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Cult Insanity by Irene Spencer

I don't think I can really pick any favorites, I mostly enjoyed them all.

my 101 in 1001

2010-01-05T10:03:00.005-06:00

I said I was finally going to make myself a 101 in 1001 list and I have finally finished it, so now I'm sharing some of it here. Who knew coming up with 101 things could be so difficult? I wanted to have it done for the first of January but it took longer, at least I have it finished in the first week.

Looking at the list, you'll probably notice there's only 50, I've decided not to share the very personal and financial things from my list. There are a lot in those categories on my list, I plan on getting a lot of things fixed and set right around here.

Here's the list, I have 101 days to finish it all. I should be finished the whole list by September 28, 2012, I'll blog about each task wherever possible.

Healthy Changes
~~1. Go an entire month without 7Up~~ (don't drink it anymore at all!)
2. Walk for an hour every morning for a month
3. Take a spin class
4. Buy a DVD or take a class for belly dancing
5. Eat breakfast everyday for a month

Organizing/Decor Things
6. Fill picture frames for above the couch and hang
7. Get a desk for a craft & sewing area
8. Get matching comforters for the girls beds
9. Create a comfy area for reading/crocheting
10. Get a houseplant

Kind Things
11. Participate in a charity walk
12. Donate blood
13. Donate to a charity
14. Put money in ten expired meters (0/10)
15. Do two toy drops for The Toy Society

Crafty Projects
16. Crochet a blanket for hubby
17. Sew a quilt for Sami
18. Sew a quilt for Lizzy
19. Sew a baby clothes quilt
20. Finish Sami's hexagon blanket
21. Make Christmas stockings (0/5)
22. Crochet all the blocks in Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks
23. Knit a scarf
24. Sew a picnic blanket
25. Make a wreath for the door for each season (0/4)
26. Make a digital scrapbook page
27. Make something using mod podge
28. Do an embroidery project
29. Make 3 things from my sewing/craft books (0/3)
30. Make 5 pillows for the couches (0/5)
31. Make a Christmas memory book
32. Give 5 handmade birthday presents (0/5)

Cooking & Baking
33. Try 30 recipes from various books/sites (0/30)
34. Make butter from scratch
35. Put together a recipe binder
36. Bake cupcakes and gift them

Things for Me
37. Get a pedicure
38. Get a facial
39. Learn to change a tire
40. Buy a little black dress
41. Buy a Wreck This Journal and finish it
~~42. Get new glasses~~
43. Buy a KitchenAid stand mixer
44. Get passport
45. Read 30 books from my to-read list at goodreads (6/30)
46. Get a library card
47. Send in a postcard to PostSecret
48. Buy a little black dress
49. Read a book read in high school
~~50. Complete 15 challenges in the Sexual Revolution (15/15)~~

be prepared...

2010-01-01T14:43:00.003-06:00

for a little bit of TMI (too much information) this month. I came across a challenge yesterday that I decided to participate in. There may be a couple blog posts from me about the challenge during this month. By posting your experience you get entered into a drawing for the grand prize. Click the button to learn more about it!

last of 2009

2009-12-31T08:30:00.003-06:00

This is my last post of 2009, I can't believe tomorrow will be "two oh one oh" (heard that on DOOL yesterday, plan on saying it that way forever now!) At the end, it always feels like it flew by, even at times I'm sure it dragged on forever.

I have no New Year's resolutions this year, instead I decided to make my own 101 in 1001 Days list that I've been seeing on a lot of other blogs for over a year now. At the Day Zero site, you can sign up and manage your list there. I opted to do that instead of a big long blog post because there are a lot of very personal things on my list but I will share some of the fun ones here soon. I'm still working on it, it's hard to come up with that many goals, I think I'm at 30 right now.

Happy New Year to all my wonderful handful of readers! Be safe!

Christmas is gone

2009-12-30T12:31:00.000-06:00

Christmas season is over! All my decorations came down on Sunday, it always feels so good to take them all down, guess I'm still not a big Christmas person, still working on that. Now that it's all gone, I'm reminded how empty and undecorated my place is. I definitely need to work on that next year.

It took me the whole Christmas season to get this one picture, I tried so many times and it never worked until Christmas Eve. I finally got myself a bokeh picture! Hubby was so confused when I started jumping up and down over it. Not the best you've ever seen by any means but it's bokeh.

Also, Lizzy got the best bunnyhug! I need to see if they have one in my size too.

Our Christmas was actually very relaxing, I hope yours was too.

a handmade gift

2009-12-29T12:12:00.000-06:00

I only made one handmade Christmas present this year but I guess it's better than none. I made a small pillow for my mom for the kids to give to her, they chose all the colors that I used.

The heart is crocheted using a tutorial over at The Royal Sisters, it was really fast to work up, I plan on making a bunch more soon. "Gramma" is cross-stitched, I chose to stitch the word that way because that's how Sami tried to spell it on her own, I thought it would be cuter to misspell it. I forgot how frustrating blind stitching pillows are, I refuse to ever make a pillow that way again, slip covers are all I plan to ever do again.

friday flick favorites (on saturday)

2009-12-26T09:13:00.004-06:00

pretty Christmas packaging

1. holiday packaging, 2. Wrapping Gifts, 3. Christmas wrapping..., 4. Untitled, 5. gift wrap Christmas 2008, 6. Christmas wrapping, 7. Gift wrapping paper, 8. Peppermint Twine on a Pink Candy Cane!, 9. printable calendar / France, 10. Doiley tag, 11. Here Comes Santa Claus!, 12. wrapped, 13. Gifts, 14. Christmas Presents, 15. Present crochet pillow, 16. printable gift tags — grandpas ornaments

see more flickr favorites here

'tis the season....

2009-12-22T16:26:00.003-06:00

For ugly Christmas sweaters.

My sister came over today and gave me a bag from the thrift store and a challenge. She needed me to come up with an ugly Christmas sweater for her to wear to her boyfriend's family Christmas.

I had some left over felt from Halloween that I cut a Christmas tree out of. I sewed that on along with a few ornaments. Obviously, it's not supposed to be an amazing masterpiece but it looks tacky enough I think. I hope she will be happy with it.

wreath & something new!

2009-12-20T21:50:00.003-06:00

I was pretty bummed about not getting any more wreaths made for around here due to not being able to find supplies anymore, then Sami came home from school one day with one she had made! She made this fabric wreath out of some fabric we picked out awhile ago. I had a feeling that this is what they were planning on making, I'm so glad it was! She did such a great job with it.

And, look what hubby brought home for me last week too! It was supposed to be a Christmas present but he couldn't wait to give it to me. It's a Sony DSC-HX1, so far I love it! It's not a Nikon like I would have wanted but since I'm no pro this is still great. I'm having a lot of fun playing around with it right now. Maybe soon you'll start seeing pictures that look pretty around here.

Fabulous Friday Giveaway!

2009-12-18T06:50:00.003-06:00

Another fun giveaway for this Friday is happening over at Today's Creative Blog! I don't know how fair it is that I'm entering another Friday giveaway, I won one awhile ago for the Mod Podge. If I do win, first thing I make will be a present not for me!

giveaway fun!

2009-12-17T12:26:00.003-06:00

Missie Krissie is having a really fun giveaway starting on Sunday and going until Christmas Day! She's got some really beautiful jewelry up for grabs, here's just one of the pieces you could win.

There's much more that you can win too, just go to the blog to find out more info.

door knobs

2009-12-16T11:33:00.003-06:00

I made a couple door knob covers the other day to add more Christmas cheer around the place. The pattern I used can be found here, it was such a fast pattern to work up, I made these both in less than 20 minutes. To finish them off, I used red gingham ribbon, I'm so glad I still have lots of that ribbon, I love it!

Deeeaaar Santa...

2009-12-15T10:41:00.007-06:00

I really want to make a quilt or two next year, I definitely want to make a picnic blanket and more likely work on a few of those projects over in my to-craft list. But, I need some fabric to do it all with, so I've written up a nice little wish list for you. Any of these would make me happy.

1. Golden Gate California Dreamin' would make a really, really cute and bright picnic blanket! How fun would it be to sprawl out in the grass on a quilt made of these fabrics?

2. Either the Morning Flower Fairies or the Sweet Flower Fairies collections would make my girls quilts they'd be happy with.

3. My Paris Traveler's Bag has been one I have been drooling over for a really long time! Making this would make me super happy!

Thanks for reading Santa! I hope you have time to visit me this year.

PS: Go here and write a letter to Santa too.

some birthday pictures

2009-12-14T13:18:00.004-06:00

I didn't get the greatest pictures from the birthday party we had this weekend. It wasn't even really a party, more of a family get together. That's the way our birthdays are right now, there's just so many people in our family. Next year I am dreading having to do a party with kids from school, Sami is not going to let me avoid it forever!

We were going for a green & pink theme, hence the green & pink helium balloons. Uncle had fun with those, the kids all enjoyed him, who needs a clown when we've got him?

I made some chocolates to top the cupcakes with. Lizzy loves frogs and Sami loves butterflies, so I ordered some molds to make them happy. Chocolates, I have found out are really easy and fast to make, I think I might just start making them on a regular basis. The cupcakes were more pretty in person to look at and they were yummy too!

And then I filled up some bags with extra chocolates for the kids to take home after the party. I never thought about the goody bags ahead of time, so I had to use the bags I had on hand. The tags I stuck on the bags were generously made by Kellie of 74 Lime Lane, she was so sweet to offer to make them for me. The writing is actually in green, it looks blue unfortunately because of my crappy picture taking ability.

Christmas Tour of Homes 2009

2009-12-13T19:38:00.012-06:00

It's time for the Christmas tours! There's a few that I'll be linking to at the end of the post, so make sure you click the buttons to see plenty of other Christmas-ed out homes!

No info, just pictures. If you want to know more about what you see, just click the picture or browse more of my posts. My home isn't as decked out as I had planned to have it this year, hopefully next year more will be done. I'm still trying to work on more Christmas crafts, so you can always come back to see what else has been done.

Thanks for coming by! Please do come again :)

friday flickr favorites

2009-12-11T06:41:00.001-06:00

1. Not Working, 2. Origami Christmas Wreath, 3. Gingerbread baby, 4. vintage ornaments, 5. mantle, 6. all hanging!, 7. yarn ball & ornament wreath, 8. it's beginning..., 9. felt ornaments, 10. sugar cookie gifts, 11. snowmen, 12. holiday swap ornaments, 13. "A Sweet Celebration" - Candy Cane Candles, 14. Christmas Tree Table Centerpiece, 15. CafeMom Holiday Home Tour, 16. Wool advent calendar

See more flickr favorites over at 1/4 of an inch

Christmas decor

2009-12-10T10:58:00.006-06:00

I thought I'd share some closeups of some of the decorations I have up on my fireplace, I'm actually really happy with how most everything turned out.

I had a lot of fun with white yarn as you can probably tell, there's a few pom poms up there. I love how the pom pom flowers turned out, I've seen them around the net, I thought they might look nice white. I know there's probably a tutorial out there but I didn't see one, it wasn't difficult to put together. I like the pipe cleaner stem.

The "vases" the pom poms are in, I made using this easy tutorial. I used some old jars from tomato juice to make them.

Last year I stumbled upon this tinsel tree tutorial and saved it right away. I gave it a try, it turned out a little crappy but I still kind of like it. The plan was to make quite a few of them but just making one frustrated the crap out me. And now I am left with a lot of sparkly pipe cleaners, so if you know of any crafts I could use them for let me know! I've already tried a snowflake, I'd like to find other things to make too. To make my tree stand up, I wound up a ball of the left over white yarn and stuck it in.

This post is being added as part of Living with Lindsay's Impromptu Linky Party, see more fun posts over there.

wreaths

2009-12-09T16:57:00.003-06:00

I have a few wreaths up around my place right now, I still have a couple I want to try and make before the season is up. I'm actually going to hit up Wal Mart tonight to get some supplies for another one.

This first one I'm sharing is one I made last year but I added some granny stars to it.

These next two, I whipped up really fast one night. I cut out some wreath forms out of a diaper box, then took some tinsel and wrapped it around. I added the granny stars because everything seems to have granny stars around here this year. I really like the look of them, so far they are my favorite decorations here.

::edited::
Added to Living with Lindsay's Impromptu Linky Party

christmas ornament swap #1

2009-12-08T07:21:00.003-06:00

I can finally post about the Christmas ornament swap I was in over at Daisy Quilts now that I know my swap partner Donna got hers in the mail.

This is the ornament I received from Donna, how cute is that patchwork star? I love it! Right now it is residing with my granny star garland that's up on my fireplace. I really love the center button, it's adorable!

This is the ornament I sent. I didn't have any end result in mind when I started, I just crocheted until I got something and I actually really liked what it turned into! I used two pieces of yarn while I crocheted to make it bulky (both were a sparkly yarn from Bernat) and made a circle. Then by weaving the green and red yarns through, I made it a wreath ornament. I think it's a cute and fun ornament.

i ♥ faces: sweet dreams

2009-12-07T10:59:00.004-06:00

I've only participated in I ♥ Faces once before but when I saw what the theme this week was, I knew I had to get in on it again! I wasn't sure what type of picture I should choose because I have so many of my kids sleeping in such strange positions and just plain sweet looking ones.

I chose to go with a sweet one. I love this picture of Lizzy! She's always fighting her naps and then falling asleep somewhere. This was a time where she was on the couch, a nice comfy sleep for her. Her naps aren't usually this comfy, she's usually twisted up, on her face or standing up against something. I would share one of those pictures if she wasn't just in her undies. Too bad because they are some of the funniest pictures I have of her!

happy birthday

2009-12-07T10:36:00.002-06:00

My oldest Sami turned 5 yesterday, she now believes that she is too old to be called a kid now. I asked her what she is now, she thinks she will be a mom soon. She's a funny kid that one. It was a quiet birthday, all the kids are really sick right now. I made some cute little present cakes, I wish I could have gotten a picture because they really were cute. Sami loved having "Happy Birthday" sung to her, this girl loves to be the center of attention.

We have a few birthdays in December, it seems like a lot of our family was born this month. My second baby's birthday is tomorrow too. It makes for a crazy busy month for sure. I don't think my kids get ripped off in the present department just because it's so close to Christmas, I almost wish they would, they get a lot of new toys this month. It's a good thing we go through their toys before their birthdays to give to kids who don't have many toys.

All these birthdays have had me thinking back on my birth experiences with the girls. I might post about them soon since I never had this blog when I had them, so I don't think I've shared them before. Once I get my hands on some pictures, I'll get those posts up. It wouldn't be a good post without pictures of the new babies in them.

Now I need to go make some more cakes for Lizzy's birthday tomorrow.

christmas tree

2009-12-05T07:44:00.002-06:00

Curious about how my Christmas tree looks now that it's decorated? Well, it's not going to knock your socks off or anything like that. I'm not too happy with it but I thought I should still share anyway. I'm using it as a holiday card holder instead of the advent idea Sarah suggested.

PS. I broke my camera the other day, so I'm not sure how or if I'll be able to get more pictures of Christmas decorating I've been doing. I'm really bummed out about it because I did make a couple things last night that I can't wait to get a picture of to show off! My place is slowly becoming more Christmas-y and I love it. "Granny-chic" is most definitely the theme around here.

crochet blocks

2009-12-04T13:13:00.004-06:00

Not too long ago, Amy from badskirt started posting about a book called 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans by Jan Eaton. She's working on different squares from the book and they are turning out great! It gave me the idea to work along with the book also, I think all the different types of squares would look interesting in a big blanket.

I haven't been able to get my hands onto the book just yet but in the flickr group that Amy started, she posted a link to corrections from the book. So, those are the ones I'm going to start with first.

This is block 79, Baltic Square. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, I did mess up in one spot, if you look close enough you'll see it too.

This is block 47, Queen Anne's Lace, I like this one the best.

I used Bernat cotton yarn to do them. I planned on using that same yarn for the whole thing but it's pretty hard to find that yarn in pleasing colors unfortunately. So, I'm considering these two just a little practise run, maybe I'll make them into potholders or something. When I start making more of them, I think I'll use the Vanna White yarn, I used it for the Christmas tree I made and I found her yarn to be quite soft. I've seen it a lot at Michael's, so I know there are a lot of colors I can use. I'm not sure how into this I can get just yet, I may have to wait until after Christmas to really get going on this.

advent calendar

2009-12-01T20:14:00.003-06:00

Last year I never actually finished an advent calendar and it made me so upset! I didn't think I'd get one done this year either but today I sat down and made myself finish it. I got the idea for this from here. It didn't turn out as pretty as I wanted but it will work. Next year will be something new though, that's for sure. I cut up some Christmas note cards that I bought last year from Michael's. There's stickers and chocolates inside, I'm sure my kids will be very happy with the contents.

Grace in Small Things: part 32

2009-11-28T07:27:00.002-06:00

1. a babysitter who lives 2 minutes from me.

2. not waking up to snow, where is the stuff anyway? not that I'm complaining.

3. catching a store's mistake and getting ornaments for $2, regular $29

4. catching up with friends

Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.

So, I haven't written a GIST post in quite some time. It's getting much harder to write these things every day now with hubby sitting at the computer almost 24/7. I'm lucky to get on here even once a day. I'm now just going to write up these posts when the mood strikes I guess, definitely should make them easier, it's been hard thinking of good things lately. Just a bad week though, next week will be better.

oh christmas tree!

2009-11-25T10:02:00.003-06:00

I'm finally getting around to posting a picture of the November mystery project that I did from Sarah London, it's a Christmas tree! I ran out of green yarn so my tree is one square less than the one Sarah did. She made hers into an advent which I thought was a super cool idea! I'm already making a different Christmas advent, so mine will just be for whatever Christmas cards I receive.

I'm making some ball ornaments to hang on it, I'm going a bit slow with those, but hopefully early next week I'll have a new picture to show you. And on top, I made a yellow granny star, the color was hubby's choice, I think it looks good.

I had a couple people email me asking if I had a pattern for the granny star, but I am no good with writing out patterns so I'd be zero help. Sarah London has a PDF pattern for sale at her site, it comes with variations to make them too. You can also find a free tutorial over at The Royal Sisters, it's a bit different than what I did but looks the same. There's also a tutorial there for grandma trees, I'm going to give those a try soon, they are so cute!