Finally doing something right.

Ok, twice a year, our church has General conference. once a year, the weekend before conference, there is a Relief Society General Broadcast for all women 18+. Well, that once a year was last night. I had to take Vaughn with me, but my sweet friend Stacey (who is as gorgeous as all get-out!) saved me a spot. Well, not long after the first speaker started, he needed to go out. Going out turned into a good thing. I was able to concentrate a LOT better just listening to the speakers than sitting in the freezing chapel watching them. I get distracted that way. SO..... we were sitting in the foyer, Vaughn and I, when the rest hymn started. It was "Now Let Us Rejoice." For some reason, while singing that song, I was looking at Vaughn and I just kind of got freaked. Here was this tiny perfect child who was so wonderful and full of light and what if I'm not prepared enough to provide for my family when these inevitable last days come? I had three children that there was no way I could choose between if it came to choosing who should eat a last meal. I know that sounds absolutely and horribly terrible, but it was what I was thinking. I was in tears, of course because I felt like I had already failed my family. Then, after the song, President Uchtdorf spoke. WOW- did he speak directly to me, or what? You can listen to his talk here. It brought me SO much comfort and I was even happy after. If you haven't listened to it yet, you're probably wondering what in the world this has to do with crafts. WELL, he talked about happiness, esp Godly happiness. In the talk, he mentioned how important it is to create- whether it be creating delicious meals, creating a clean environment, or creating whatever else. I, of course, thought about crocheting. He said that it's important to be able to make something out of unorganized matter. It helps us realize our worth and importance. I'm sure there is a deeper, more spiritual meaning than the level words, but still. I feel like it gave me some validity. That I'm not just burning time, but that I am doing something worthwile. You really should listen to it. It's VERY uplifting. I can't wait till General Conference next week!!!!

Yummy!

I've been itching to blog so badly lately, but time has NOT been on my side, I tell you. I feel like the last three weeks have been sent from the "GO GO GO" demons or something. Hardly a second to do anything. Tomorrow Roger and I are cleaning. We actually started tonight. We've got to get these kittens potty trained because I just can't take it anymore. I hate that my house smells like cats. YICK! Hopefully we'll find a good home for the kittens soon. They're adorable and half of the time I really want to keep one of 'em, but I'd rather them be together (and me not have to potty train).

Family news- Xander is loving preschool, although he's started being bossy lately. Drives me up a wall. He's writing his letters SO well and I"m so proud of him. Juliana is potty trained now. A few accidents here and there, but for the most part, we're good to go! Vaughn is growing SO fast. He tries really hard to grab things, has rolled over twice, and likes being propped up.

Ok, as for my crafts. I'm in love with crochet. I like trying everything else. I enjoy making cards, esp when I get to paint or stamp. I"m not so good at the sewing, it really frustrates me, so I think for now my main focus is going to be crochet. I'd love to get to the point where I can crochet clothes. For now, though, I'm crocheting food. I'd like to give Juliana something to "cook" with in her fake kitchen. She loves playing in there, but only has utensils.
So far, we have two carrots:


I also have a cookie, that I rEALLY need to take a pic of, because it's adorable. It's like a peanut butter oreo. I'm also working on a cheeseburger. I have the bun done as well as the tomatoes and the hamburger patty.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO......
a book review!!!!


I checked out this book, "Amigirumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute" by Elisabeth Doherty  and can I tell you... I LOVE IT!!! Not only are her animals and things so superly adorable, but I can understand the patterns very well. She has cute little snippets about why she picked the things, stuff like that. She also shows you how to do each of the stitches you'll be doing in the book and tells you what level each project is. She even starts with beginner and ends with a challenging "humanoid" (which I have yet to try). One of the carrots in the above picture are from this book (the long carrot) and the cheeseburger is in this book as well. OH! And one of my favorite parts of this book, albeit random part, is at the end she has a little section on hand massage and how to stretch out and relax your hands. Cool, huh?! Her writing is witty and entertaining, which is always a plus. I mean, I even read the section explaining crochet hooks because it was fun to read. I hope you enjoy this book. I'ts SOO going on my "I wish I owned this" list.

Told You So! Oh, and a challenge.

Aaaaalrighty!  Here are the pic updates. I've been to a couple CTMH parties that have made me want to play w/ paper SOOO bad, but not enough to actually scrap. So I made cards. And I'm having a TON of fun doing it!

Also, I finished this baseball bat (with baseballs) for Gavin. Yes, I'm aware that one baseball is bigger than the other. Same hook, same yarn, different stress levels.

I can't wait to start a few more projects soon. Christmas has been fun!

PLEASE do a challenge with me, please, please, please. Here's the challenge. Go through your digiscrap stash (if you don't have one, go to shabby princess and download one). Pick TWO things - paper, embellishments, brushes... whatever- that you've admired for a long time and USE them! I don't care if you make a scrapbook page, a digital note paper, a flyer, whatever. Just use them! :D Post links here!

Updating

I promise I have updates w/ pics coming today or tomorrow!

Lots of stuff!

Ok! So I've been a busy, busy bee lately!

First up: "Soft Pink Cookies"

So, my friend Holli- who is so super adorable, invited Juliana to her daughter, Emma's birthday party. In trying to decide what to do for uber-cute Emma, Kristin showed me a link to Feeling Stitchy, where she had this BEAUTIFUL set of felt cookies. Well, it inspired me to make some crochet cookies. This it the end product first- but keep reading because there is a story.

 

Ok, when I first started making these cookies, I started w/ a really pretty mauve color, then I used a natural fiber, kinda brownish for the outside. I was a little bummed that the frosting didn't look more frostingy, but figured they could pass as jam filled cookies. I took them with me to a Tummy Time play date and they fell out of my bag. My friend, Angie, asked what I was working on. I told her they were cookies and then I saw them.... I could NOT believe I hadn't seen it before....

Yeah, obviously I fixed it. I added the soft, fluffy, "sprinkly," yarn so it's frosting instead of jam... and less dirty. I didn't mean to, I swear!

Next Project:
I had 2 days to complete a birthday gift. It ended up taking me 3, but I made a flower scarf and I can't BELIEVE I forgot to take pics. I made 18 crochet flowers, then sewed them together with fishing line. It turned out pretty dern cute, if I do say so myself.

Also, I've joined a group on Ravelry called RAK- (Random Acts of Kindness) and I have been BEYOND blessed just this month! My awesome friend Linda from Holland sent me an entire set of crochet hooks in a beautiful zip up case. One person asked for letters for her daughter who is in Jr. High. I remember Jr. High WAY too well, so I wrote her a letter an sent her a few cute paperclips. She went OVER THE TOP and sent me this:


Can you believe it? I'm STILL in shock. We've already eaten one of the candy bars- so good! The purple yarn has beads in it. I'm trying decide whether to make a scarf or something else out if it. The white yarn is 100% cotton- I've never used that kind before, so I'm excited to try it. And the ribbon... oooh, the ribbon. GORGEOUS!!! Anyway, then you again, Sample family!!!
Also from the RAK's this month, one sweet ravelrer sent me the gold I need to make my Gryffindor scarf. Now I just need to find a pattern. I am SO excited to actually do something for me!

This week I need to make a gift for Gavin. I"m not going to post it on here till it's done, just in case his Mommy sees this post.

YAY! A finished project (or two)

Ok, I finished my first Amurugumi (sp?). And then winged it to make a candy corn that I gave to my cousin for her baby to play with.

 

 

I'm now making some cookies inspired by THIS post at Feeling Stitchy although my cookies are going to be crocheted instead of felt, and I"m pretty sure my bag won't look that amazing.

New Toys, Toys in Progress, and Sneaky Bread

First we'll start off with the bread. Today I was dead set on making French Dip Sandwiches for dinner. They sounded SOOO good. What do you need for French Dip?  French Rolls, Au Jus dip mix, onions, and roast beef. So I go to the store for the ingredients and I grab bread that looks like this:

Yes, it looks like French Rolls. I come home, make dinner and go to cut the rolls. They're not light and fluffy in the middle w/ a crispy exterior. No, no. I look at the label and they're PORTUGUESE ROLLS> What the crap are Portuguese rolls? Never heard of them in my entire dang life and they are VERY misleading on the top. THEY LOOK LIKE FRENCH ROLLS. And they're not flavorful like French rolls. They're heavy, dense, and not very good for French dip sandwiches. Maybe if you're making Portuguese Dip sandwiches, but who's ever seen THAT on a menu, eh? BEWARE of the Portuguese rolls!

Anyway. Next on the list. Remember a few posts ago I talked about wanting to change cell phone plans, but not being able to afford to cancel the old ones, then I updated in a new post later that we got a loan and part of it went to cancelling our old phones. We went from 2 AT&T/Cingular lines to 1 Cricket line. Our old phones were falling apart (literally- my screen was cracked) and couldn't be flashed to Cricket, so we got a new phone.
 


Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?!?! In high school I refuse to wear gold jewelry, but now I LOVE the color gold. I don't know why. When Roger told me which phone we got, I was giddy! Then when it came today I was in heaven. Anybody know where I can get some decent priced ring tones w/ out all the junk mail or spyware? Same with games? I need at least one good ring tone and one good game. Then my phone will officially rock.

And, since this IS technically a craft blog, I thought I'd share my craft in progress. It's my first Arugumi (Sp?). It's Scott The Bear from Lion brand yarn's website.

Oh, and one more. I also picked up one of my new favorite things and now a staple in my home:

Yes, yes it is on a shelf. In my living room.

Mission: Mystery

Ok, a few of you will be getting instructions to visit this post.

Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to create SOMETHING with the contents of your envelope. You can use one thing, all of the things, a couple of the things... whatever talks creatively to you. It does not have to be a fiber art, although it can be. Once you have created something with it, take a picture and link it in the comments here. Can't wait to see what you've come up with!!

Gifts that Fit into an Envelope

I'll be adding to this as I think of more

• Paper Clips

• Paper Clip Stitch Markers

• Templates


• Bookmarks


• Cards


• Photos


• Ribbon


• Seeds


• Confetti


• Artist Trading Cards


• Painted Book Pages


• Stickers


• Tags


• Wallpaper Samples


• Cartoons


• Mini-books


• Paper Dolls


• BandAids


• Gum


• Stationary


• Patterns/Instructions/Tutorials


• Glitter


• Iron Ons


• Shrinky Dinks


• Kool-Aid


• Magazine Articles


• Carstock Games


• Scrapbook Embellishments


• Little Handmade Envelopes


• Temporary Tattoos


• Luggage Tags


• Perfume Samples


• Word Puzzles


• Recipes


• Jokes


• Popsicle Stick Puppets (maybe w/ a handwritten screenplay)


• Stupid Trivia


• Bumper Stickers


• Baseball Cards


• Poem Cards


• Quotes (esp for Scrapping)


• Postcards


• Certificates/Awards (Best Friend Award, etc)


• Mini Calendars


• CD


• Quotes from favorite movie/show

A

My son started preschool today. I had a meltdown on the phone w/ my mom while we were getting ready. I didn't like the fact that he wouldn't need me for an entire 2 1/2 hours. Anyway. I ended up doing just fine.

 He had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back on Thursday. Today they talked about the letter A, the number 1, squares, and cows. So he couldn't WAIT to start his homework today. Since he was so into it, I found a few activities to add to it. AND, I made him this:

it's actually one thing, just double sided.

Oh, and one other VERY random thing. We have yet another "pet." We've got a preying mantis living here. It stays by our door, on the door jam, the porch light, by the doorbell, on the mailbox. It has been here for at least a week. We're in the process of naming her. We'll probably name her Natalie French- after a Buffy episode about a substitute teacher who is like, part preying mantis. Roger's pretty sure she's a girl. I'll have to take a pic soon.

RAKaholic

Ok Kristin, look what you've done to me!!! I'm ADDICTED to the RAK group on Ravelry! I feel like I can actually make someone happy by sending something that only costs a stamp. However, I need some new ideas. I have bookmarks and flat stitch markers that I'd like to send this month (and every month) but I need other fun things that I can send in a one stamp (or two stamp) envelope.

Any ideas?