Where has the time gone???

I can hardly believe that 2009 is coming to a close and that today is Christmas Eve!! I have a bunch of things I made to post and some WIP's (works in progress) that I really need to finish, but for now I'm going to enjoy what's left of this year and hopefully try to update my blog more in 2010.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! :)

Too Tired

So one day (at the beginning of the summer) and after a long day, Justin and Madison go into Justin's room to watch a dvd. A half hour later, Bryan mentioned how quiet they were (because this is very unusual). We sneak in to check on them and this is what we found. They fell asleep on Justin's bed right next to each other.

Been a LONG LONG time

I know I know... I haven't posted in a few months. I have so many things I need to add on here that I'll start with the 'secret' Mother's Day Gifts I was making forever ago.

This is the blanket I made for my mom. It's a Round Ripple Afghan and I got the pattern off www.crochetville.com. It's red and black because, well, red is her favorite color... not to mention it's also Rutger's colors.

Here's the blanket I made for my Mother In Law. It's all shades of blue... also her favorite color.


Then this is a blanket I made for someone who just got married. It wasn't quite finished in this picture, but close to it.

What a Beautiful Day!!!

My indoor thermometer says it's about 70 degrees outside today!! About time we finally got some nice weather!! So, as soon as Justin got home from school we grabbed some lunch, picked up some carrots (you'll see why), and headed to Thompson Park in Jamesburg. They have a big area with animals and there are deer that you can feed... not to mention all the play areas for the kids to run around in. Justin and Madison each had their own big bag of baby carrots (because forget bringing one bag and have them share.. then one complains the other got more carrots... or they fight who will hold the bag... etc). Here they are feeding the deer:

Other than that, I'm just working hard finishing my home-made Mother's Day gifts. One is completely done and the other is very close to being done. I'll take pics and post them after Mother's Day... so I don't spoil the surprise. :)

Grosgrain: Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Grosgrain: Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! this is too cute!!

SNOW!!!!!

About 2 weeks ago, while Bryan was in Florida, we got hit pretty bad with snow (we had around 10 inches). The kids had a BALL playing in the snow. Here they are in the backyard and what they looked like afterwards (do they look tired? lol).

Making Rainbow Crayons

I was looking at the Oriental Trading website and came across some rainbow crayons (they are sticks with 5 or 6 colors in each stick). I thought they were sorta expensive, so I did search online and came across a blog of someone who made their own crayons out of old ones. What parent doesn't have a bunch of old, beat up crayons that they don't know what to do with? All you do is peel off the paper and break them into approx 1 inch pieces. Then you put them into the oven at 250 for about 15 minutes (or until all the wax is melted). I put mine into those foil cupcake wrappers. Then, let them cool for about 20 minutes or so and pop them out of the container/wrapper. Voila!! You have your own rainbow crayons. The girl from the blog used star shaped foil cupcake wrappers.

I actually FINISHED a blanket

So, I sorta have adhd when it comes to crocheting. If it takes too long to make, I usually get bored with it and don't finish it. Or I find a great pattern online that I want to try, so the current project gets put to the side. The fact that I made and finished a blanket (in 5 days) is a HUGE step for me. I decided to make a blanket for a special person who was going thru a difficult situation. I found out they liked blue and green, so I found a yarn that actually had both those colors in it. I used Lion Brand Homespun yarn in the color Windsor. It's hard to tell how big the blanket is by the first picture, but you can see it on our couch in the second picture (plus, there's a bunch of the blanket behind the couch). And I crocheted a trim around the entire blanket. I'm really happy with how it came out. :)

Scarf for Mom

So, my mom came over the house about 2 weeks ago with a skein of specialty yarn that she wanted to make a scarf with. It's sorta like fun fur or eyelash yarn, but with shorter 'eye lashes'. I volunteered to make the scarf for her since I knew that yarn was a pain to deal with. I strung together her yarn with a multi-colored chenille yarn and here's the results. It's SUPER long (taller than me when I hold it up) and skinny with fringes on both ends. It came out pretty cool (if I do say so myself.. lol). It was soft from the chenille but fuzzy from the eyelash yarn.

Puss Ann Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Puss Ann Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Another great super cute giveaway!!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is SOO Adorable!!

Secret.... Shhhh....

I know I haven't been posting much on here lately, but I've been busy working on a secret project. I wish I could post some pics of my progress so far, but I can't. This is by far the biggest pattern I have taken on and it's taking me awhile to finish. I promise that as soon as I'm able to, I'll post pics. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!! <3

Crazy about Scarves

Here are three more scarves I just recently made. The first one is made with Vanna's Choice yarn (this is quickly becoming one of my favs for almost any project). The 2nd is a ruffle scarf with a wool blend. The third is a more decorative scarf that I got from the 'Cozy Crochet Kit'.

A few more hats (big surprise... lol)

Here are two more hats and a scarf I made. The black hat was a request... it's like one I made that Madison modeled a few posts back (it was red with an ivory flower), but I made this one with Homespun yarn so it's super soft.

A few more things...

Here are a few more things I made today. I made a hairband with a bow and a flower (althought I'm not sure what I'll do with this yet).

And another hat... see a pattern here? lol

Here's my newest hat. I found the pattern on ravelry.com (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nubby-brim-cloche#) and it was pretty easy to make. Unfortunately, you are suppose to use a really chunky yarn and I didn't... so it doesn't fit me that well.... But it does fit the kids.

Finally a Pink & Purple hat

Here's another hat I just finished last night for Madison. She really wanted a pink and purple hat... so she got one. It's hard to see, but I put a pom pom on top. I used Vanna's Choice yarn and I'm really liking this yarn for hats (it's so soft and stretchy so the hat will fit different head sizes easily). I made a green and grey hat for my grandfather, but I'm not thrilled with how it came out so I may run out to get a skein of green Vanna's Choice yarn.

Another Lost Tooth

Justin just lost his 2nd tooth!! It's on the bottom, right next to the first tooth he lost. He's super excited because it means he gets to put it under his pillow tonight for the tooth fairy. Thank goodness the 'tooth fairy' happens to have cash on hand since she seems to mostly use her debit card lately.. lol.

I found a pattern online for crocheting a beret and I decided to give it a try. About a third of the way thru, I realized it was one of the worst patterns ever. The person who put the pattern online 'assumed' you would do certain things in each row, but failed to put those instructions in the pattern. I decided to cut my loses and to make it doll size, rather than waste more yarn and make it big enough for an adult to wear. I started a green and grey hat last night (like the ones the kids are wearing in a previous picture) and will have it finished today. It was a special request from my grandfather. :)

Flower Hat

I'm experimenting with adding a crocheted flower to the beanie hats I just learned to make. I think the flower may be too big, so I need to find a smaller pattern. I'm also making a matching red scarf for this hat and I think I'll add the flowers to the end of the scarf as well.

Hats!!!

I found a pattern online for crocheted hats (rather than use a loom which takes too long). I made the tan one two nights ago and the grey one yesterday. Madison is not thrilled with the tan one because "it isn't pink and purple" (that's a direct quote.. lol) so I am going to make a new one for her tonight. These hats are so easy to make and can be done in about 2 hours (maybe less since I'm not a fast crocheter yet) and don't use a lot of yarn. I was able to use some of the partial skeins of yarn I had lying around.