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.

WIPS and FO’s – Sweaters

So, I’m still working on Fidget’s sweater.  I have only worked on it a bit here and there after posting last Wednesday.  I did manage to sew the one neck seam and pick up the stitches around the neckband and knit that for an inch or so, but other than that it’s just sat in the work bag.  I was hoping to get to it today (maybe during Fidget’s nap while watching Breaking Dawn part 1 that Darling Hubby bought me yesterday) but it’s looking like it might be tomorrow or this weekend.  lol  I’m hoping for a snow day tomorrow for Bug since we are supposed to get our first big snow of the season…I can’t believe that tomorrow will be the 1st of March and we are just now getting some snow that will last more than a few hours!    At least if March comes in like a LION it will go out like a LAMB, right?

On the other hand, I did pick up my hooded cardigan a couple times over the week.  I finished sewing the button holes Monday night and last night at Craft Night I sewed on the buttons.  It’s a bit bigger than the last hooded cardigan I made using the same pattern.  Mostly because I used heavier yarn and I didn’t do a proper “washed and hung” gauge swatch.  I just went with the needles called for on the pattern and my quickly knitted up, measured, and then frogged swatch.  It’s fine as I prefer my sweaters to be a little baggy.  It’s not like the sleeves are too long or anything!  lol

Hopefully by next week I’ll have another WIP to write about.  One of my fellow January Jubilee mommies approached me asking if I’d make a blanket for her 7 year old daughter.  I’m looking forward to the task.  I have to take some measurements of Bug’s twin bed and calculate dimensions and figure out how much yarn I’ll need.  I also have to find a pattern.  I’m thinking flowery hexagon granny squares in purples, pinks and white with some light green.  I’m excited to start it!

Donations Make You Feel Good

After my Hats Off post yesterday I went through all the hats, mittens, scarves I had in storage and pulled out a bunch to donate to those who need them.  In total I pulled out 3 hat/scarf sets, 3 scarves, 3 children’s hats, 4 adult hats and 3 pairs of mittens/gloves to be donated.  Many of those items were either knit or crocheted by myself or my mom…only a 4 pieces were store bought.  I washed and dried everything last night and Darling Hubby took the to the clothing drop box this morning.  Hopefully someone out there will be warm this winter here in NY!

Hats Off!

At the beginning of the month one of my Craft Night friends and her sister-in-law planned a trip to a LYS called Common Thread Saratoga.  Carole (the sis-in-law) found this yarn shop in Saratoga, NY and thought it was different and knowing my friends yarn crafting habits, thought bringing her up there to buy her birthday and Christmas presents would be fun.  I tagged along in the hopes of finding some yummy yarn.  I can count the time I’ve used the really expensive and awesome yarns on well one finger!…pretty much all of the yarn in my stash is acrylic or wool/acrylic combined.  Not that there’s anything wrong with acrylic.  It’s great for items that need frequent washing  or things that are difficult to wash like baby blankets, large blankets and sweaters.  It’s just not yummy yarn!

While we were in the shop I fell in love with this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky (100% baby alpaca) yarn.  Oh. My. God!  This yarn is so soft and squishy and, like the clerk said, it’s like knitting with a cloud!  I didn’t have a particular pattern in mind when I set foot in the shop, but one of their display hats caught my eye and I was in love.  It was a bulky snowboarder earflap hat with braids.  It was exactly what I was looking for!  I ended up purchasing the pattern (at around $5.50) and 2 skeins of the alpaca yarn (at $22 a skein!) in a variegated green called Midsummer’s Night (CP25) that matches the bright green of my winter coat.  I’ve never bought yarn that cost that much…much less 2 skeins of it!  Thank goodness for credit cards! lol

I had to wait about a week before I could start on the hat for myself…I had to finish the project on my circulars before I could start anything new.  I have a set of Boye interchangeable circulars and I was using the smallest length for a scarf that is a Christmas presents for one of Bug’s teachers.  I also had to pick up a set of size 15 dpns and I ended up going up to the other LYS called Trumpet Hill because Joann’s (despite me having a 50% off coupon) just doesn’t carry needles that big.

I finished the scarf on Thursday the 8th (I’ll post about those Christmas presents later) and started the Snowboarder Hat (for Everyone) on Friday.  I was worried that I wasn’t going to have enough yarn since the pattern calls for 130 yards of super bulky yarn and together the 2 skeins of Misit Alpaca were only 110 yards and only bulky, so I would have to hold them together to get gauge.   I figured worse case scenario I’d go back up to Trumpet Hill to get a contrasting color in the baby alpaca they carry for the border and braids.  Turns out I had nothing to worry about.  The hat is such a quick knit and the alpaca was like knitting with a warm fuzzy cloud.  The only downside is that it shed quite a bit, but I didn’t mind!   I ended up making the braids holding the yarn single stranded rather than doubled and I’m sure that saved me a bit of yardage at the end.  I actually love how it came out!  I wish I had more of the yarn leftover so I could make a matching scarf or some mittens.  It’s the most expensive (and luxurious) hat I’ve ever owned.  Seriously, I’d never buy a hat that cost nearly $44 bucks in a store!  It cost as much as (if not more than) the 2 new pairs of jeans I bought last month!  I’m looking forward to wearing it every chance I get this winter!

I seriously loved the pattern so much that before I was done making mine, I bought yarn to make more and I’ve made it twice since!  Once for Bug and again for Fidget.  I picked up some Lion Brand Home Town USA yarn in Cinncinati Red and Oakland Black at Wal*Mart for less than $3 a skein when I had to buy a replacement Christmas tree stand for out 8 year old one that cracked.  Two Skeins of Red and one black was enough for me to make 2 hats and have enough left over to probably make one more child size one.  Bug’s hat is red with a black edging and red and black braids (that’s the one that’s pictured).  Fidget’s took some modification to make it sized down for an 18 month old, but I did it (the mods are written on my Rav project page) and it’s also red with black edging and has black braids (mostly so I can quickly tell which hat is which.)  Now if I can just get Fidget to keep it on his head when we go outside!  lol

Since pretty much everyone in my family has new hats, (except Darling Hubby who has a perfectly good earflap hat (not made by me!  GASP!)) I think it’s time to go through all the hats in storage and wash and donate the ones we really don’t need.  I know I have at least 2-3 hats and a couple scarves that I haven’t worn in forever…Guess it’s in with the new and out with the old.

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!

Overdue Update and Food For Friday – 9/14-9/27

Wow!  I can’t beleive it’s September already…Where has the time gone?  I’ve been so busy with things that I’ve been neglecting my blog pretty severely and it’s time I get back into the swing of things.   Here’s e a quick update on what we’ve been up to lately…

Let’s see…gosh, I don’t even know where to start…At the beginning of August, Darling Hubby and I went on a mini vacation to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY.  It was a lot of fun and a very memorable trip…I have tons of pictures that I wanted to share, but I haven’t really had much time or inclination to edit them.  We didn’t take Bug with us, as we wanted to get away just the 2 of us.  He stayed with his “Auntie Shannon” and they had a great time together.  They went swimming in her pool, went to Friendly’s for dinner and ice cream and even went bowling.  He talked about everything and her cats for weeks afterward.

On September 1st I officially became a big girl…I passed my road test and can officially drive the roads of NY.  Scary!  It was something that I should have done many, many years ago and just kept putting it off.  The sad thing was that we had to drive 2+ hours back to my home town where I should have taken the test to begin with…it seriously took less than 10 minutes for the test….then we had to drive 2+ hours back home…But, it’s done and I passed.  It was necessary for me to get it so I could drop Bug and Darling Hubby off at school and work and pick them up, too, since logistically, it would have been impossible for Darling Hubby to do it all.  Actually, it’s been rather fun driving around all alone in the car.  I get to pick my own music and I have freedom.  This morning I went to Walmart all by myself…it was just to buy dog food, which isn’t all that exciting, but I did it and I enjoyed it!  lol

On the 8th Bug started Pre-K.  So far he’s loving it and the first few days he cried cause he didn’t want to come home…I’m not sure if it was because he loved school that much or if it was because he loves their awesome playground!   In just the past couple days he’s come back with little school art projects…things I could never get him to do at home.  Maybe he just needed that extra peer pressure from the other kids doing the projects.  I’m thinking school is going to be really good for him and it warms my heart that he enjoys it so much.  I’m enjoying having quiet time at home, which allows me to get my cleaning done quickly and not have to worry about ignoring Bug while I scrub a toilet or something he can’t help me with.  It’s hard to take care of a house and a kid at the same time…something is going to get neglected.

As for me, I’ve been working on my crochet projects and recently decided to start working on Christmas presents.  I want to get a head start on everything this year so I don’t feel like I have to rush.  Right now I’m working on a blanket for a certain someone who may or may not read this blog, so I’m going to keep it a secret.  Once I finish this blanket, I’m going to start on something for my mom, who I know doesn’t read this blog.  I’m thinking of making her a snuggy…you know, one of those blankets with sleeves…essentially a reverse bathrobe.  I think it might be something useful for her…maybe I’ll even make one for my dad, too, in nice manly colors!

Monday - Craft night – my turn to cook -
Tuesday -  Pizza
Wednesday - Beef Stew
Thursday - Game Night – Dinner TBD
Friday - Cabbage Casserole
Saturday - Pan Fried Chicken
Sunday -Southwest burgers

Monday - Craft night – Leana’s turn to cook
Tuesday - Rotisserie Chicken with veggies and mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Homemade Chicken Soup
Thursday - Spaghaetti with homemade sauce
Friday - SPAM and eggs
Saturday - Fend
Sunday - Fend

Going on Vacation

It’s been a long time since Darling Hubby and I have been on vacation and since the plans fell through for my trip to Ireland this fall, Darling Hubby and I decided it was time for a quick and inexpensive getway.  A few years ago we took an overnight trip to Vermont for our anniversary, but we had Bug in tow.  This time, we are going alone!  Gasp!  We’ll be leaving Bug behind with his Auntie Shannon and her husband Jay for the weekend.  It’s actually the 2nd time I’ll be away from Bug in his 4 and a half years and the first time for Daddy.   I’m a bit nervous about leaving him…but I trust Shannon and Jay completely and they have a fun filled weekend planned for him.  I think they might spoil him rotten with bowling trips, jaunts to the park and pool, movies, snacks, boardgames and fun in general.   I’m hoping that bedtime is easy and that he sleeps through the night without any nightmares (which have been popping up recently) and that he doesn’t have a meltdown because we aren’t there to tuck him in and won’t be there in the morning like we usually are.

So, where are we going you ask?  Well, we are taking a romantic getaway to….dat da da dah – Corning, NY!  Ok, so there’s really nothing romantic about Corning, but we’ve never been there and they have a cool museum of glass that we both want to see.  We got a hotel room in Painted Post, not too far from Corning.  We made reservations to try our hand at some glass blowing at the museum and will have dinner at a local pub called The Glory Hole.  The name aside, it sounded like a neat place and the menu had some interesting items that sounded worth a try.  Plus, I’ve never been to a pub before.  On the way home on Sunday we plan, weather permitting, to take a side trip to Watkins Glen State Park and maybe find one of the many waterfalls and have a picnic lunch.

Darling Hubby and I both grew up east of Corning (past Binghamton) but have never actually been there so this is a nice opportunity for the both of us and we can have a break from Bug and not have to worry about him every second: what he’s touching or what he’s getting into.  I’ll leave that up to Auntie Shannon!  lol

I’m sure we’ll both miss Bug terribly and will only be a phone call away (espcially to say goodnight at bedtime and hear how his day went), but the break for all of us will be good (plus Auntie Shannon and Jay can get some child rearing experience for when they decide to expand their family.)  I’m sure we’ll all be, as Bug always says, “very glad and happy” to see each other upon our return.

Sick and Worried – Updated

Bug is one of the healthiest kids I know and when he gets sick it really puts both Daddy and myself on edge.  Yesterday Bug was supposed to have a play date with Baby Girl (the little girl I babysat for) and shortly before her arrival he started complaining of a headache.  I gave him some Motrin just before she arrived and within 5 minutes of them starting to play, he started throwing up…

Baby Girl and her mommy left and Bug and I curled up on the couch with a cold washcloth.  I made the room as dark as possible and had Daddy run to the store to pick up some Children’s Tylenol and some ginger ale since we didn’t have any.  Bug was reluctant to take the meds because he was afraid he was going to throw up again…he finally took it and kept it down.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get him to eat or drink anything…which is very out of character for him…as is the sudden headache and vomiting.

It was late so we got him to bed and he did fall asleep.  I brought the baby monitor in my room so I could hear him better if he got sick or needed me.  He woke up to pee at 3 and still complained of the headache.  I gave him more Tylenol and got him back to bed.  He seemed ok this morning.  He was hungry, ate an apple, drank some water and some ginger ale. We laid in my bed for most of the morning.

Around 11 he was playing downstairs and curled up on the floor, again holding his head, and started to vomit again…thankfully, it was a false alarm and everything stayed down.  He seems fine as long as he’s laying down and is currently laying on his bean bag chair watching a cartoon with the volume down low…hey, it’s keeping him still and happy.

I called the doctor and they said it could be strep throat…he’s never complained of a sore throat, but when I asked him while I was on the phone with the nurse he said, “yes, it hurt.”  I didn’t see anything inside his mouth, though…I’m wondering if it’s an ear infection.  The pain seems to radiate from the left side…It’s either those things or a migraine…

Until we see the doctor at 2:45 I’m going to be on edge and I know that Daddy is very worried (he keeps calling me from work to check on him).  I’m hoping it’s something simple with an easy fix and that my little munchkin can go back to his happy go lucky self.

It doesn’t help that Darling Hubby and I are planning a get away without Bug this coming weekend and are planning to leave Bug with his Auntie Shannon…I’m hoping he’ll be ok by then.  I don’t want to ruin the fun for all involved.  He’s so looking forward to staying with Auntie Shannon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, we are back from the doctors.  They did a strep test and checked his ears and both came up negative.  Dr. B is going to chalk it up to a virus right now.  I’m to call if he gets worse or if this happens again in the future (something similar happened in June), which might be a sign of something (benign) called Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome.  I’m not going to worry about this now, but it is a possible diagnosis if this keeps happening.  Honestly, I much rather it be something treatable like an ear infection or strep.

On the up side, Bug seems to be pretty much back to normal this afternoon.  He was pretty normal just before we went to the doctors appointment – go figure!  I think it was the Tylenol at 12:30 that perked him back up.  It also helps that he’s got food/drink in him.  He  ate an apple for breakfast, a piece of lightly buttered toast for lunch, and a slice of pizza for dinner <–his choice.  He’s also been drinking water, ginger ale and, per the doctors recommendation, Gatorade.  I’m hoping that this is the last bout of this…it really gets Darling Hubby and me worked up.  So, if you wouldn’t mind, keep your fingers crossed for us and/or say a little prayer if that’s your thing.

30 Day Shred – Day 10

One more day of level 2 under my belt.  I’m feeling pretty good.  I woke up with some minor discomfort in the front of my shoulders, probably from the plank position stuff.  I found that 80 degree weather is not fun for working out, even for 20 minutes.  I was dripping when I finished.  I think if the weather is going to continue being this hot in April/May, I’m going to have to drag down the fan so I can have it blowing on me.  Thank goodness for gatorade!  lol

I’m still doing the modified moves and honestly, I think I get more out of them that way than I would doing the plank jacks and the plank squat thrusts (I think that’s what they are called) the way Natalie does them.  I feel like I have more control over my abs with the modified moves, even though I’m not getting the full cardio effect.

I think I’m going to burn a few extra calories today by heading up to my attic after dinner and sorting through a bunch of stuff.  We are planning to have a neighborhood garage/yard sale in the next 2 months (haven’t nailed down a date yet) and I want to get rid of some of my clutter from the attic.  (I’m a kinda of pack rat!)  I’ve already set aside several boxes filled with dvd’s and vhs tapes, books (both old school texts and novels), some of Bug’s toys, some men’s, womens’s and little boy clothes.  I’ve got a bag of old stuffed animals, some posters, pictures, and some Christmas stuff.  I’ll probably have some more books, clothing and toys from the attic.  I know I have some puzzles and a latch hook kit that haven’t even been opened and Darling Hubby has some games he might want to get rid of as well as some of his old (and I’m talking old) GI Joe figures.  I want to make a little money to save up so I might get to go to Ireland in the fall on vacation.  I might even get to meet up with my dear friend Suzy.  Nothing is set in stone yet…I’m hoping to go, but at the same time I’m scared…I’ve only been away from Darling Hubby and Bug once (for my friend Shannon’s wedding).  I was only a couple hours away for an overnight.  This would be a whole ocean away and for probably over a week.  Not to mention I’m scared of the plane ride.  I’ve only flown once, from NY to FL and it was only a 2.5 hour flight…I have no clue how long a flight from NY to Ireland is.  But, I guess we’ll cross that ocean when we come to it. 

Debt Free! Yahoo!

Well, not completely, but I just paid off our credit card with a portion of our federal tax refund!  That’s HUGE!  That will save us around $100-200 each month.   Now I’m hoping that we can just keep from putting anything on the credit card for a while.  I haven’t used mine in months and when I did it was for something small and I paid it off right away.  It didn’t help that we’d paid it off all the credit card debt last year and then I coerced Darling Hubby into getting an X-box and Rock Band, ended up putting it on his card where we had a promotional interest rate (so long as it was paid on time)…and then paid it one day late a few months later.  But I have to say, the X-box was a good investment.  We’ve been using it and having fun and that’s what matters, right?

Darling Hubby got a small raise…it’s not even the cost of living, but we’ll make due.  We’ve got some money in savings and are getting a decent refund from the state…whenever they get around to giving us our money back…they are taking forever!   I’m just hoping that the rest of my dental work doesn’t drain everything…I don’t think that it will, but you never know.  I go in tomorrow for 6 more fillings.  Eeep!  The first round wasn’t that bad…fingers crossed this round goes as smoothly.  I’m just going to ask for additional novacaine in advance so we don’t have to stop work to get more.

On another good note, I’ve picked up Darling Hubby’s Gatsby sweater that I started eons ago and have made a vow with myself (in front of Rose and Leana, my crafting buddies, so I have witnesses!) that I am not going to pick up another craft project until this sweater is finished.  Kinda like a lent thing, giving up all other projects til this one is done…I’m hoping that I’ll get it done within a month.  It’s still kinda chilly outside, but with March roaring in like a lion with a small winter snowstorm, it might not be sweater weather come the end of the month when it goes out like a lamb.  I’ve at least finished the back panel and have started to work on the back neckline.  I’m actually looking forward to getting it done.  It will be one less WIP that will be hanging around in my craft trunk.  Actually, it’s really the only thing I have going that needs to be finished…

I think I’m going to go work on it for a little while, while Bug plays with his play-doh, and see how far I can get on it before I need to start making homemade pizza for dinner.  Yum!  Oh, this chili recipe that I linked to in my last Food for Friday post was a big hit with the family.  I substituted ground turkey for the beef, used a 16oz jar of Toastitos salsa, used a 15oz can of tomato sauce and  6oz can of tomato paste and omitted the corn.  It was great.  I think the only thing would have made it better would have been if we had some corn chips to dip in it.  I think I’ll have the leftovers for lunch!