FO Friday And A WIP Sneak Peek!

Considering at the beginning of this week I was shocked that it was only Tuesday I can’t believe that it’s already Friday!  I think it helped that Wednesday we got some snow.  We’ve had a very mild winter this year and I’m loving it!  The snow was predicted to start after noon, but it started a little after 11 while I was out buying yarn, of course..  We only got about 5 inches in our area.  It’s funny that this is only like the 2nd storm we’ve had since Halloween last year.  The first one, in January, we only got a couple inches and it didn’t last that long.  The weather is supposed to get warmer by Saturday (near 50*F), so our recent bit of snow probably won’t last long (and I’m actually ok with that!  lol)  My boys, however are gonna be kinda bummed.  We had a snow day today for Bug and after breakfast we bundled up and went out to play.  Fidget loved being dragged around in the sled.  I will say that snow is a good workout for me.  Before 8am I had the front walk, side walk and the bottom of the driveway shoveled out and all the running around in circles pulling both boys in the sled gave me some cardio!

Anyway, like I mentioned in my last post, I finished my Grey Hooded Cardigan.  Here are a couple pictures of it.  I really do love it!  It’s my new favorite!

And here’s one with the hood up.  I mentioned previously that with the first sweater I made with this pattern I had trouble with getting the front panel of the hood on easily and without a slight twist.  I felt it was unnecessarily difficult to sew on the extra piece.  Following the suggestions of fellow ravelers who endeavored to make this sweater, I picked up the stitches along the front of the hood (the same number as the final amount of rows for the front panel) and knit it to the width of the 20 stitch button area.  Then I inserted the cord and folded it over.  It doesn’t twist like the first one and gives it a slight flair, which is unique.

I don’t have a close up of the buttons, but they are a silver metal button that has what appears at first glance to be a Celtic design.  They really suit me and the sweater nicely!

I mentioned buying yarn, too.  I picked up some Caron One Pound skeins at Joann’s on Wednesday (Lavender Blue, Deep Violet, White, Sage Green, and Petal Pink) and I’m using some Rose and Cream from my stash.  I’ve started working on a Twin Sized Spring Flowers blanket for my friend Pammi’s daughter.  I’m really excited about it.  Here’s a sneak peek.  The pattern can be found here on Ravelry.

So far (in 2 days) I’ve made 7 white ringed hexagons and 7 cream ringed hexagons (only the white are pictured).  I really like how the cream looks…I’m leaving it up to Pammi whether we omit the white and go with the cream only or if we use both.  It would probably end up with diagonal stripes if we go with both, though that’s not a bad thing.

WIP Wednesday – Sweaters!

I’ve been busy knitting lately.  I’ve got 2 projects currently on the needles and finished a 3rd (a hat) this past weekend for one of the ladies at my library knitting group.  I’ll try to remember to post about that on Friday (FO Friday.)
The first project I’ve been working on is my 2nd Hooded Cardigan in charcoal grey.  I’m approximately 95% done with it and just have to get through the sewing part…which is the part I hate the most!  Last night, at my weekly craft night, I finished seaming up the front button area and the corresponding pocket area and started stitching together the button holes.  I still have to finish the last 2 button holes, sew on the buttons and knit the pocket tops.  After that I’ve just got to weave in the loose ends and wash it and I can wear it.    Hopefully I’ll have it finished by this weekend.Here’s a picture of the almost finished product.

Charcoal Grey Hoodie (aka the Twilight hoodie!)

I also cast on another project on Monday since I was in the sewing stages of the cardigan and missed the knitting.  I decided that Fidget needed a wearable (aside from the hats that I’ve made him).  I was going through some of my friends projects on Ravelry and stumbled across the Coastal Stripes Pullover pattern.  It looked like a simple little sweater that I could use some of my leftover yarn from previous projects for.  I pulled out a couple skeins of black wool-ease leftover from my Tubey sweater and some half skeins of red and blue Plymouth Encore Worsted I had leftover from Bug’s Super Shirt.

Coastal Stripes Pullover

So far this little sweater has been super easy.  The first day I finished the back panel and the first 9 inches of the front.  I finished up the remainder of the front while Fidget napped and Bug and I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that we borrowed from the library.  We’ve been reading the Harry Potter series at bedtime and are now about halfway through the 3rd books.  Later, I finished one sleeve and cast on the 2nd one at Craft Night last night.  I’ve only got a couple more inches to go on the 2nd sleeve then I get to start sewing it together and finish the neckline.  I’ve done the sleeve edges in blue, but I think I’m going to do the neckline in the red.  I’m hoping that it turns out as cute as I’m picturing and I hope that Fidget will wear it and that it fits!

Yet Another Sweater

I’m sure that’s what Darling Hubby is thinking!  lol  I’m sure I’ve mentioned somewhere before that I’m always cold and have a huge love of blankets and warm sweaters.  Since my house practically has blankets in every room (and many in storage) I figured my next crafting project probably shouldn’t be a blanket.

After making Nancy Fry’s “Bella’s New Moon Hooded Cardigan” last year it has been my favorite sweater.  I seriously wear it every week.  My only wish was that I had made it in a darker color…having an 18 month old can cause it to get dirty quickly!  I decided that since I love the sweater so much I would make it again in a darker color.  I was leaning toward a dark grey or a dark green.  The pattern calls for Dusty Green in Vanna’s Choice (which is similar to the color of the sweater Bella wore in New Moon, but when I went to buy the yarn at Joann’s, they didn’t have a single skein of Dusty Green, so I went with Charcoal Grey instead.  My only mistake was that I didn’t realize Vanna’s Choice comes in 170 yrd skeins rather than the 197 yrd skeins that the pattern writer used (she must have bought bigger skeins).  So, I bought 6 skeins like the pattern called for (I’m making the largest size).  They were on sale, so it cost less than $15.   I didn’t notice my error until I was switching balls of yarn for the sleeves… (each sleeve used a little over 1 skein of yarn).  I had to go back to get buttons, so I picked up another skein, but of course they didn’t have the same dye lot…I just hope it isn’t a problem…fingers crossed I don’t even have to use it and I can return it or use it for mittens or something.

Anyway, I started the project on December 27th and so far I’ve gotten both sleeves finished and I’m 15 rows into the body (just past the first button hole.)  I seriously love following this pattern.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way Nancy wrote it out, row by row, giving you a place to check off when you’ve finished each row.  This is, in my humble opinion, how every pattern (bigger than a hat or scarf) should be written.  I’m forever using scraps of paper to write down and cross off what row I’m on.  I’m sending out big KUDOS! to Nancy on her pattern writing skills! 

So, that’s what I’m working on now.  I’m hoping to get if finished before the end of the month.   Last time it took me over 3 months to finish and that was just because of laziness and a bit of frustration!  I had the bulk the of sweater finished in 2 months, but it took me over a month longer to pick it up and do the sewing for the button holes, buttons and getting the hood front assembled.

I think this time I’m going to do the hood a little differently.  I got a bit discouraged last time because I was having some difficulty getting the hood front attached properly…and while I didn’t get it exactly right I finished it and was happy with it…just took me a little longer than necessary.  So, rather than knit a separate front pane like the pattern says, I’m going to pick up stitches along the hood and knit a panel to fold over.  I can’t take credit for this idea…I saw a fellow Raveler did it and her hood looked great!  Hopefully I can recreate what she did and that it will remedy the twisting issue.

Finally Finished!

This post has been a long time coming.  Apparently I not only have start-itis when it comes to knitting or crocheting projects, but blog posts as well.  I’ve started I don’t know how many posts only to stop several sentences in and never come back to it…

Anyway, I finally finished my Bella Cardigan (rav link) and it’s one of my favorite finished items.  I’ve worn it at least once a week (twice if I wore it before laundry day) since I finished it.  It’s warm and comfy and is just my style.  There are pictures on my ravelry link, but I’m not going to post them here.  I need to take a couple new ones of me wearing it.  I’m not happy with my hair in the 2 that I took and posted on ravelry.

I also started and finished 2 granny square bags. (Rav link)  One is for one of Bug’s Kindergarten friends, Tia, for her birthday and one for me to use as a diaper bag for Fidget.  I’m very proud of these bags.  The reason I made 2 was that I fell in love with the one I made for Tia and I had to make one for myself since I had enough leftover yarn.  They are exactly the same except mine  has a green tassel on the handle where Tia’s has a blue, pink and white one and is filled with art supplies.  I ended up using the Sunburst Granny Square pattern rather than the one the bag pattern called for.  The best thing is that I managed to get 2 projects out of the skeins of yarn I had on hand and didn’t have to run to the store to buy more.  The first bag was really a rush project because the birthday party was only a week away and I wanted to make something for the girl since she truly appreciated the star baby blanket I’d made her last year.  The bad thing was that the morning of the party, Tia got sick so the party was canceled.  At least now it’s been rescheduled and I’ll get to be there to see her get the presents.

There were 2 final things that I finished.  The first was the Wedding Shawl.  It’s a crocheted shawl following the Doris Chan “All Shawl” pattern.  It’s made with light green Pound of Love baby yarn.  I made it to wear over the dress I was making for my friend Leana’s wedding this past Saturday.  I was very proud of it, though I wished it were longer.   Unfortunately, Darling Hubby kept telling me that it didn’t match the dress and that it made me look like an old Grandma.    I ended up not wearing it.  I kinda feel that my hard work was for not, but maybe I’ll find a use for it someday.  Dh was right though, it didn’t really go with the dress…I think had it been a different material, say a fingering weight yarn or a lace it would have been more appropriate.  The worsted was just to thick and heavy.

The next and final thing that I finished was the dress that I wore to Leana’s wedding.  If you’ve read some of my past posts under the sewing tag then you know the back story of “the dress.”  If not, here’s a basic rewind.  I’m wordy, but I’ve tried to keep it brief.

A couple years ago a friend from college asked me to be in her wedding and I said yes.  The plan was for the bride to make the bridesmaid dresses as well as her dress to wear later in the evening for another ceremony of sorts that she was planning.  That was 5 dresses.  I decided that since I had a bit of sewing know how and a good friend who is an accomplished sewer that I would make my own dress to take some pressure off the bride.  Somehow or other I ended up being roped into making not only my dress, but the maid of honors and 2 other bridesmaids as well.  I spent hours pinning patterns, cutting fabric, and sewing and got my dress and the maid of honor’s dress to the point where they just needed the zippers and hems and one other dress to the point where the neckline, zipper and hem were the only things left and only had one more dress that I needed to figure out how to make a size bigger than the biggest pattern available.  That’s when things went downhill.  I got notice in the mail that the wedding had been postponed.  I didn’t even get a phone call…The plan was for the wedding to take place the following June, which gave me several months to finish the dresses, so I put them aside and went about my own crafting things figuring I’d hear more about the wedding in a few months and could start working on them again when the time drew closer.

June quickly came and went and I hadn’t heard anything from the bride about the wedding…she pretty much stopped all contact with me.  Come to find out, she eloped in December and still didn’t bother to say anything to me.  I’ve since found out how much her friendship actually was worth when I confronted her about the fact that I was so far out of the loop and that I was annoyed by the fact that I spent all my time and paid out money for something I wasn’t going to have a use for.  Her reply was that I should be grateful that she didn’t choose the $125 dresses from the bridal store like she’d planned and that I was only out $50.  There was no “thanks for all your effort” or “sorry that I did that to you.”  I got nothing and being the glutton for punishment that I am, I tried to make the friendship work, but came to the realization that I was only a means to an end (she only called when she wanted something) and not a true friend.  So, I cut all contact and I feel I’m the better person for it.

Anyway, the dresses have sat in a half finished state for a couple years and I finally had a purpose for mine.  It was going to once again be worn for a wedding.  Not as a bridesmaid like originally planned, but as a guest (or the mother of the ring bearer) and I was so happy about it.  It turned out great!  Here are a few pics from Glenn and Leana’s wedding.

Me in the dress with Bug as the Ring Bearer and Fidget just hanging out in the stroller.

Darling Hubby and the Boys.

The Wedding Party!

The Reluctant Ring Bearer (aka Frodo) who was happy that he got to be a bit silly during the photograph session.

Fidget playing with some spoons at the reception.  We were trying to get a picture of his eyes changing color in the direct sunlight, but it wasn’t working.  His eyes are this gray blue color, but in direct sunlight they can change from a vivid blue to a green color.  I’m not sure what color they are going to end up!

Here’s one last picture of the whole dress.  I’m dancing the Cha Cha Slide with Bug (who you notice is no longer in his monkey suit!  He changed in the car before the reception started. lol)  We had planned to make the dress knee length or from knee to ankle on the diagonal, but the cut of the dress didn’t work for it, so it was floor length with me getting to wear my prom shoes again.  The sparkly silver 3 inch heeled ones that I’ve had since 1997.

So that’s what I’ve finished in the last month.  I’m feeling pretty accomplished.  Finishing a knit cardigan, 2 bags, 1 shawl and a pretty satin dress.  Maybe that will give me the encouragement to finish the other things I have going on…a stuffed sheep for Fidget, a 750 page book that’s due to the library next Friday and a knit scarf for spring (I’d like to have it for Easter, but I’m not going to push my luck).  Hey, I can say I’ve finished one more thing…this blog post!

What’s on the Needles?

Today is the first snow day of the 2010-11 school year for Bug.  We are getting quite a bit of snow and as of 6:30 this morning had about 4 inches on the ground with the possibility of 9-15 total by this afternoon.  Darling Hubby braved the snowy roads and drove into work (they never close!) and I’m hoping that they send them home early…but I won’t hold my breath.  It has been coming down pretty steadily, so who knows what’s on the ground…I do know that the snowplow went through twice, so the end of the driveway will need to be cleared.  Not sure if I’ll attempt to do it before Darling Hubby gets home or if I’ll just wait and let him do it…I have to see how Fidget is this afternoon.

I’m not sure what today will bring for me, Bug and Fidget, but I plan to stay warm, whatever we do.  We’ll probably play a little on the Kinect and I hope to get some more knitting done while Fidget naps later.  Fidget is officially crawling now.  He started on New Years Day and once he really figured out what he was doing he just took right off.  He’s also started pulling himself up on the coffee table…not to standing, but he gets himself upright on his knees.  I keep telling him he needs to master crawling better before he starts pulling up and walking!  Speaking of Fidget, he’s nearly 8 months old now and is just starting to get his bottom 2 teeth…Bug had at least 4 teeth by this point, probably more.  It’s true when they say each kid is different.

Anyway, I wanted to write about my crafting projects.  I’m still been working on Bella’s New Moon Hooded Cardigan since December 5th and I’m happy to report that I’m almost done!  I’ve been doing a couple rows here and there each day and last night I managed about 10 rows at craft night.  I’m about 30 rows away from starting the hood and then I have to make the pocket tops and do some finishing up.  I’m really happy with how it’s coming out.  The only thing that I’m upset about is that one of the stitch holders I used was red and some of the paint wore off onto the sleeve (underarm specifically)  I’m hoping that it will wash out.  To me it’s a rather obvious pink spot on a cream colored sweater. 

Here’s a picture of the cardigan in it’s half way done state. If you look to the left hand side of the picture (under the right arm), you can sorta see the pink spots. Otherwise, I love it!

I’m hoping that I’ll finish it in the next couple weeks so I can start on a couple new projects (I have start-itis and want to start something new, but I’m being good!)  Things that need to be completed by the beginning of April.  The first thing is I’m going to finish the dress that I started over 2 years ago for the wedding that never was.

It’s really sad that it has been over 2 years and I’m still pretty pissed off and hurt by what happened with those dresses.  I still feel like I was taken advantage of and wasted my time doing something for someone who didn’t even say thank you for all that I did to help her out.  She told me to just be thankful she didn’t pick $125 dresses from the bridal store and be happy I was only out $50…no mention of the weeks I spent cutting out fabric, pinning, and sewing I did to make 4 dresses for her!  Oh, and she didn’t even have the courtesy to tell me in person that the wedding was postponed (I got a generic card in the mail like all the other guests.)  Yeah, I’m still pretty bitter about the whole thing…but, I digress.

My plan is to move past all that and do what I originally intended…finish my dress and wear it to a wedding!  My friend Leana from Craft Night is getting married in April and rather than go out and buy a new dress (I already have to buy a suit for Bug since he’s her ring bearer) I’m going to wear something I already have.  With a little modification (I’m thinking going knee length rather than floor), I think the dress can be appropriate for an early spring wedding.  I really just need to find a zipper, which will only cost a couple bucks.  The 2nd project goes along with the first.  I’m going to knit myself a wrap/scarf to wear with the dress.  I’m thinking the Clapotis (rav link).  It seems that everyone is making one (there are over 16,800 projects on Ravelry!) and while I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon it looks like it will be a quick knit and functional for both wearing to the wedding and for wearing later on in a casual setting.  I’m just debating about what color to make.  I’m thinking maybe I’ll make it in a cream color (the same color as my Bella Cardigan) as it would be a nice color to go with the light purple satin in the dress.  I’ll have to see what yarn is out there when I finish the dress.

Off to shovel out a spot so I can walk the dogs and assess the driveway situation while Bug is playing on the kinect.  Hopefully I’ll get a row or 2 done before Fidget wakes from his nap.  Happy snow day everyone!

Where Has All the Time Gone?

Seriously?  What happened to this year?  I swear it was just May and Baby Fidget joined our family.  He’s now 7 months old and I feel like I’ve missed so much.

Bug is doing fantastically in school.  He’s learned to tie his shoes (though, like many of his fellow Kindergartners, they don’t stay tied for long.)  He’s reading above the Kindergarten level and his writing has improved 10 fold over last year.  He’s writing in sentences now and even has a weekly homework packet, which he enjoys doing.  I’m sure that won’t last long, right?   He loves gym class and going to play on the playground.  He loves it when his baby brother and I come into the class to help with crafts and things.  Just this past Friday, we came in to help with the creation of “gingerbread” houses.  The kids had such a great time and it’s so cute to see them in their element.

Fidget is 7 months old and is doing so much.  He’s such a happy baby and pretty much always has a smile for you, even complete strangers.  He’s eating solid foods now and definitely prefers fruits over veggies.  Banana’s are definitely a favorite.  He’s on the verge of crawling forward, but has pretty much mastered the ability to get where he wants by pushing himself backwards or turning around in circles.   So far he doesn’t have any teeth, though he’s been teething for some time now.  I think I can feel the bottom 2 getting ready to push through.  Knock on wood that if he continues teething like he has been, it will be an easy teething ride.  He’s already experienced his very first Christmas this past Sunday when we visited with both sets of grandparents.  I think his favorite gift was the Fisher Price tool bench.  He loves hitting the little “nails” and spinning the paint roller.  Chewing on the little hammer is fun, too.

I haven’t been doing much in the way of Christmas crafting.  Pretty much the only Christmas gifts I made were the hats for Bug’s teachers and one for his best friend.  I have to say that I’m so happy that his one teacher LOVED the hat I made her.  She said that she loves the scarf (the hat matches) I made her last year and that her daughter was going to want to steal it.  It makes me so happy when someone appreciates a nice handmade gift and uses it, rather than hiding it away.  I did start to make my MIL a set of place mats for her new table, but since they were getting a Wii for Christmas, we decided to get them a 2nd controller and a game for her and their grandkids (they are always over at Grandma’s anyway).  We figured it was a safe bet that they would enjoy that rather than a handmade gift.

I have been doing some crafting and this time it’s for me.  I’m always cold (we keep our heat turned down to save money) so I’m always bundled up in either a sweater or a blanket (probably both) and searched Ravelry and fell in love with the Twilight New Moon Eclipse Bella Green Hooded Cardigan (Rav link).  I’m not a Twi-Hard by any means, though I did enjoy the books and the movies (well, the last 2 thus far…the first was just ok…)  I fell in love with the look of this cardigan, rather than where it came from.   I had to buy more needles and was forced to learn how to knit with those scary dpn’s to make the sleeves, but I think in the end it will all be worth it.  So far I’ve finished one sleeve, got the other half way done and I’ve already cast on to make the actual cardigan part.  I’m a little scared about making the button holes, but I think if I was able to do the sleeves, I can do anything!  I also love how the designer wrote out the pattern, including a space to check off when you’ve completed a row.  That saves me from having to write down each row number and crossing them off.    If only all patterns were written like that!  I’m making it in the Pound of Love baby yarn in a nice Antique white color.  I’m really hoping it comes out well and that I can finish it shortly after the start of the new year.  I haven’t been getting together for Craft Night lately because it seems that everyone is sick or one person is out.  I’m hoping that with the start of 2011 I can do some more crafting…

Well, that’s pretty much what I’ve been up to.  Maybe with the start of the new year I can make another crafty resolution and keep it.  I’m proud that I did manage to learn to knit properly and that I was able to complete Darling Hubby’s sweater (and that he’s worn it more than once!).  I even learned those scary dpn’s!  That alone should make me proud!

Cute Crochet Granny Bag

I’ve been working on crocheting items for my mother-in-law whose company is putting on a convention in 2012 and to raise money they are having a “Country Store” and plan on selling handmade items that are being donated.  So far I’ve whipped up a couple baby blankets, several hats, and a scarf or 2.

While browsing newly added patterns on Ravelry, I found a pattern for a granny square bag.  I thought it was super cute and looked easy, so Monday night at craft night, I whipped up a couple basic granny squares.  I decided to go with the 3 square bag first and will tackle the 4 square one next.

Here is the completed bag.  I really like it.  I did chose an easy granny square pattern, but it has several largish size holes, which doesn’t make it ideal for carrying small items like tubes of lipstick/lip gloss or loose change.  It would be perfect for a wallet/checkbook/change purse and a set of keys or even to use to carry a book or 2 and some sunscreen for a jaunt to the beach.

It’s quite roomy inside and the short strap places the bag comfortably under your arm.

I made a little flower button and a loop to make a closure for it.

Overall, I’m very happy with how this bag came out.  You can use pretty much any granny square and can make the bag any size.   I like the look of the flapstyle bag and I think I’m going to make my next one with a tighter granny square so things won’t have the chance to fall out…either that or I’ll have to learn how to line the inside with fabric…

I think I’ll be making one of these for me, soon!  I think I’ll make the strap longer so I can loop the bag over my opposite shoulder (I feel more secure like that) and maybe I will learn how to line a bag for myself…it’s probably not a bad skill to have!

Recent Happenings

It’s been a while since I posted.  I’ve been busy doing different things and just haven’t had time to post.  Let’s see…over Father’s day weekend we went to visit family.  On Saturday we went to a surprise 60th birthday party for Darling Hubby’s step father.  His birthday isn’t until July 6th, so with the party being so early it really was a suprise…he actually thought it was someone else’s retirement party.  We didn’t stay too long because Bug still had a touch of the stomach bug and was in and out of the bathroom pretty much all weekend.  I did get to wear my Birthday Cardigan.  It’s was very comfy and I got a few comments on it.  I’m happy with it.

After that, we spent the rest of the weekend with my parents to celebrate father’s day and my 29th birthday.  My mom was feeling pretty under the weather on Sunday, but we still had a nice Father’s day dinner (steaks cooked on the grill) and birthday cake (which thankfully didn’t ruin my diet.)

Monday was officially my birthday.  My friend Leana came over for craft night and together we cooked my birthday dinner of Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu.  Darling Hubby came home with 6 roses (3 red, 3 yellow) and a very sweet card.  It was a nice day.  Bug even “baked” me a birthday cake (I heard him mixing and stirring and cracking eggs in his room while I made my bed), which he delivered on a tiny red plastic plate with a cup of “milk.”  It was so sweet.

Oh, I mentioned that I had a weight loss goal.  I actually met that goal.  Despite indulging in a couple pieces of birthday cake loaded with inch thick icing, I weighed in at 150lbs on my birthday.  Go me!  Now, only 10 more lbs and I’ll be at my over all goal weight.  It’s funny, thinking back to when I was born, I weighed in at 7lbs 7oz…I’ve gained quite a lot from then!

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.   I only worked out on Tuesday…I’m kinda disappointed in myself.  I paid for it, though.  I did level 1 of the shred (I figured I’d go easy on myself for a couple days) and man it made my muscles hurt like crazy.  I couldn’t beleive it.  After doing level’s 2 and 3 of the shred for weeks, level 1 kicked my butt!  I literally hurt all week long.  I’m sure had I just jumped back into working out I would have felt fine, but I wimped out…As of today, (Monday) I’m back on the ball.  I did level 3 again today and I’m feeling pretty good.  I’ve got my mom friends keeping up on me about the working out.  I need to keep it up all week!

Friday I got a call from my mom.  Turns out she has pneumonia.  She was in and out of the doctors office and the ER all week and was home waiting for a nebulizer to be delivered.  I talked to her briefly and she sounded pretty miserable, much worse than she had been on Sunday.  I called her again yesterday (Sunday) and she sounded much better.  She’s still pretty sick, but all the antibiotics she’s on and the nebulizer have helped her a lot.  She’s hoping that she’s much better by tomorrow (Tuesday) so the doctor won’t put her in the hospital.  She hates hospitals.

Saturday and yesterday we ran a lot of errands.  I picked up 5 skeins of the Caron One Pound yarn and a spool of Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Cotton Thread and 3 steel crochet hooks.  My MIL asked me if I would make a few handcrafted items to donate to be sold to make money for a convention (not sure for what exactly) that is being held in 2012.  They have to come up with an ungodly about of money to put on the convention, so every little bit helps.  I’m planning to make 4 baby blankets (Rose, Lilac, Pale Green and Soft Sage), using the hooded baby blanket pattern from Pound of Love (omitting the hood).  The Caron One Pound yarn is a bit thicker and stiffer than the Pound of Love, so I think my gauge is different.  I may have to make adjustments in future blankets, depending on how the first comes out.  As for the crochet threat, I thought about making some bookmarks.  They are pretty easy to make and I could make several of them from one skein/spool.  As I was looking through bookmark patterns on Ravelry, Darling Hubby saw a pattern for a Book Thong and I found some old beads in my craft drawer so I whipped up a couple book thongs of various lengths.  He then found a couple beads in my stash that he liked and asked me to whip up one for him (it has a fish at the bottom and is pretty neat).  On Sunday I bought a bunch of wooden beads and plan to make a few more thongs for my MIL to sell…I’d love to make crafty things like that to sell for myself, but I’m hesitant to try.  I’d love to have an Etsy store, but I just don’t know if I could keep up on it or if anyone would even buy my stuff…

Anyway, yesterday we bought a bunch of things to finish sprucing up our front yard.  We picked up some solar lights from K-mart for $20 and put them along side my new walkway.  We also picked up some plastic fencing pieces that match the ones we have in the front already and fenced off our barberry bush and an orange lily that is next to our front steps.  we also picked up 2 more lilies (one pink (Bug’s favorite color) and a purple one (my favorite color) and planted those in the big flower bed out front.  We’re planning to get 2 more tonight (Darling Hubby will pick them up on his way home) and will fill in that garden with mulch.  We also ran to Home Depot to find a bird bath to put in the backyard.  I’ve wanted one for a while and decided to look for one after I’ve seen several birds taking baths in the water on top of our hose box.  It’s very hard to find a bird bath….we were about to give up completely if Home Depot didn’t have one…I haven’t seen any birds in it yet, but I see some evidence that someone has been there recently.

So, there you have it.  That’s what I’ve been up to recently.  I’m hoping to get a little more crafting done tonight.  It was supposed to be my craft night, but Leana isn’t feeling well, so we cancelled.  I’m thinking we are going to stop by Bernie and Rose’s new house tonight after dinner to check it out.  Hopefully I’ll have a good week in the workout department and will be down a pound or 2 next week.  Fingers crossed.  Hopefully my mom will continue to be on the mend and will stay out of the hospital.  Bug sent her a card today with a kitty dressed as a doctor.  I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of it and it will make her feel better.

Memorial Day Weekend and 30 Day Shred – Day 22

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend.  It started Friday when I carried a barefoot Bug 2 blocks down the street to catch the ice cream truck so he could have his Batman Popcicle that he originally wanted on Wednesday…when I didn’t have any cash in my pocket.  Saturday we went grocery shopping and Darling Hubby went to the airport to pick up our friend Dave and his family who were flying back in after a vacation in Florida.  Later that day I did some weeding in a couple of our front flower beds and weed whacked the grass (my arms were pretty sore afterward).  Sunday we went to the mall for a little bit.  I picked up a couple dime books to hold my dime collection from the coin store and then we went to the book store where we found a couple good deals.  Then it was to Walmart to pick up a few items and some lunch and ran home so I could get a Joann’s coupon that I left at home.  That was the bulk of my exercising…no shredding on the weekends.

After lunch we went to Target and Joann’s and on the way I practiced my parallel parking.  I’m getting better at it.  I made 4 attempts and they improved each time.  Go me!  lol   At Target we picked up some new sandals for Bug.  His other ones were getting a little snug.  Then I picked up some fabric to use on the backing of Bug’s Wheels on the Bus blanket at Joann’s.  I’m not going to weave in all those little ends from each of those squares  (I’ll never finish by September!) so I’m going to cover them with a fabric backing.  I chose a brown flannel that matches the color of the tree trunk.  I figured something neutral and that would hide dirt would be best.  It’s also a light weight fabric so it’s not going to make the blanket overly warm or heavy.  I also picked up some yarn to make a lacy cardigan (Rav link) for me to wear over my sun dresses this summer (I hope to finish it before Father’s day so I can wear it for my birthday) and baby blanket (Rav link) as a surprise for someone.  I chose lavender Pound of Love for the blanket and I’m loving the yarn.  It’s super soft and the pattern that’s included (the hooded baby blanket) works up fast and so touchably soft.  After 2 days of working on it a little here and there, I’m over half way done.  I’m debating on adding the hood.  Having looked at other crocheters finished products on Ravelry, I’m not 100% sure I like the hood.  I also think that the hood is meant for infants and the blanket could get more use over a longer period of time without the hood.  I guess I’ll crochet that bridge when I get to it.

Yesterday we stayed home all day.  We had a picnic lunch on the patio and I got some sun – I don’t want to be bright white this summer!  After lunch Bug’s super-hearing picked up on the ice cream trucks’ jingle and we let him have one more Popsicle (I could go broke if we buy something every time the truck drives by!).  It’s so cute how excited he got!

Waiting for the truck to come down the street.

He wouldn’t take his eyes off the truck, even when Daddy called his name.

He was so polite.  He said, “Hey, thanks mister!” to the lady in the truck. lol

Yeah for Spider-man Popsicles!

That afternoon we had a BBQ and Darling Hubby grilled some chicken and baked potatoes on the grill.  I made some baked beans and sweet corn on the cob.  It was a delishous feast!  Bug even ate an ear and a half (I broke each ear in half)…he loves him some corn on the cob!  We stayed outside for much of the day, blowing bubbles, swinging on the tire swing, playing in the dirt and munching on make-shift s’mores – I only had mini marshmallows, a few graham crackers and left over chocolate Easter eggs. – we wrapped them in foil and set them on the grill to melt.

Despite yesterday being Monday…today feels like it should be Monday.  I feel so thrown off!  I had a hard time motivating myself today, even after getting a good night’s sleep.  I did finally do my shred before lunch and it felt good, even though it felt a little tougher…probably from taking 3 days off.  I’m getting better about a lot of the stuff.  I can do the easy version of the sit-ups (for the most part) and I can hold my own on the scissor crunches.  I still can’t get the hang of the walking push-ups, though…maybe someday!  As for weight, yesterday when I weighed in for the weight loss challenge on my Mommy board I was back up to 155lbs…today I was back down to 154lbs (and that was after eating breaky and shredding)…go figure…lol  Hopefully, I’ll drop down some this week.  I’m going to be very good about watching what I eat this week.  Hopefully I’ll be better motivated the rest of the week…

Cthulhu and Play Dates

So this weekend was fun.  Bug had a play date each afternoon and he had so much fun.  Saturday morning we ran to Joann’s to get some yarn for the blanket that I’m making for Bug to take to school and then we did our grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks before doing a little yard work.  In otherwords, digging up the 4 rose bushes and a hosta in my front yard that just needed to go.  They were climbers that were not in a place to have anything to climb and so entangled with this very tall grass that there was no easy way (read: a way without getting completely scratched to shreds by the inch long barbs) to clear out the grass without removing the bush…plus, I was never a fan of those roses…they came with the house…I want to find something else to put in that bed.

Around 4, our friends dropped off their son Little A to play so they could go to dinner and do a little Easter shopping.  Bug and A had so much fun, despite Bug getting injured by a thrown toy early on in the afternoon.  A little TLC and some juice and he was back to playing.  While they were engrossed in playing with some cars, Darling Hubby ran to Target and bought a Spider-man Bop bag so the 2 could smack it around a bit (it’s what they were doing with a hard toy when Bug got hurt (just seconds before I could utter the warning to stop before some got hurt, mind you)…we figured a $4 bop bag would be a good investment so there were no more injuries.  While no one else got hurt, there were lots more tears.  Bug must have been overtired because ever little thing set him off before A’s parents picked him up.  Needless to say, Bug had an early bedtime!

Sunday was a pretty lazy day.  I did a little cleaning and prepared for Bug’s second play date of the weekend, the little girl I used to baby sit, Baby Girl…She’s not a baby anymore, though!  She’s talking up a storm and she was so different from the last time I watched her.  The only thing that shut her up the entire time she was here was when Darling Hubby came in the room…she’s never cared for him, despite the fact that he was only around a few times when I watched her and he’s never done anything to scare her.  She just has a thing against him…Anyway, her and Bug had a great time.  Together they played with cars, had car races, played with trains, cooked all sorts of foods and drinks with Bug’s play kitchen.  We colored and read all sorts of stories and she even “read” several stories to us.  It was cute that most of the stories were the same thing over and over and had nothing what so ever to do with the pictures in the book…It’s something Bug has never done, so I enjoyed it while it lasted.  Oh, and they even enjoyed the new bop bag.

On the crochet front, I haven’t been working on the Gatsby sweater, not because I haven’t wanted to, but because Darling Hubby asked me to make him a “pin cushion” of sorts to use at work.  He picked out a Tiny Cthulhu and I set to work creating it.  I made the head/tentacles/body and wings according to the pattern, but Darling Hubby wasn’t fond of the arms and wanted it to have some legs, so we sat down together and perused Ravelry to find some other patterns I could use.  We found a couple of frog patterns and I whipped up a couple arms and some short stumpy legs.  I finished him this afternoon and took a couple pictures to share (although they don’t really do it justice.)  I think he’s pretty darn cute for an evil, soul sucking, terror evoking, being. 

Darling Hubby will take him to work tomorrow and show him off to his buddies and put him to use.  In the mean time, I feel justified in working on Bug’s school blanket since I finished an item for Darling Hubby.    So far I’ve finished up the black (school roof, tires and door) and white squares (windows) and I’ve started on the red (school squares).  I have about 5 done and need 36 total.  I think I’m going to curl up  with my F hook and watch Heroes and Castle and knock out some more red squares.  I think I’ll have this blanket done in no time…I just have to keep justifying my working on it.