Crochet ripple & goodies for the bath decor...

First off, I must mention how much the hit counter on my blog jumped yesterday.  Just shy of 300 for one day!  That has never happened before.  WOW!!!  It's kind of neat knowing that so many people are coming to check out my little area of the world.  Neat!!  :D  Now if a good portion of those individuals would comment, I would be giddy.  I like to go to other peoples blogs who took the time to visit and comment on mine.  It always brings me to a rather neat and different piece of the world.  And there are some pretty darn creative people out there that I never knew about, which is nice to find out about.  So if you take the time to visit me, leave me a comment and I will do my darnedest to stop by your world to visit and chat.  :0)

As I said yesterday, I have been collecting things to add to the girls bathroom.  They love bright colors and believe me when I say that bathroom needs the color.  It doesn't have a window to the outside world so anything is welcome when brightening it up.  I'm seriously thinking about having one of those solar tube light sources put in there to help things out.  I just have to get my tail moving at seeing how much it will cost.  Anyhoo, the girls and I found some really neat ribbon the other day when out and about at the fabric store.  And more buttons to add to the bright collection.  I finished the crochet flowers that the girls wanted to go around their mirror but I'm not sure if I want to add leaves yet.  I can make up my mind as I go.  The leaves are a cinch to make and very fast to finish.  So we will see what happens there.  I have to get moving on painting the frames a brighter white so that they stand out from the walls a bit more.  I think the ribbon will pop on them much more with a brighter white.  I just have to decide what to do with the shower curtain.  There is just the one panel and I don't think that I have any more of the same in the stores for a while.  I'm thinking I might add some panel of color around the edges to make the curtain stand out a bit more instead of just being a waffle textured yellow thing just hanging around.  So, we may be making another trip to the fabric store this weekend.  Glenn will love that.

As I was sitting with the girls, after reading time, I could not help but start on a rippley bit of blankie last night.  I am using up all the left over colors from my hexagon blanket.  I may have to get a couple more skeins of a few colors just to make sure I have enough to finish the whole thing.  It will be a great partner to go along with the hexie blankie.  It is quite the sight to see three people all cuddle under the hexie blankie at night.  The girls got into quite the discussion over what color should be next for the ripple and which ones work and which don't.  It is fun to watch their little brains work when they really get into a certain subject.  I am wanting to make a scrap bag but I want it to be made out of cotton yarn because I am afraid that if I use acrylic it will get snagged on something and that would really set me off, and we surely don't want to deal with that.  So I am patiently looking for just the right yarn for that, at a reasonable price.  I'm a bit of a tight wad and can not see spending $7 or more for a very small skein of yarn and it wouldn't go very far.  Especially with all the pretty colors I am thinking about.  So, I am still window shopping.  

So that is what is happening in my neck of the woods at the moment.  A couple of loads of laundry, some vacuuming, a bit of school work, painting frames and let's not forget some cookie baking that will be happening today.  It's a good thing I have plenty of chili leftover from last night for dinner.  'Cause who knows if I would even remember to tackle that if there wasn't anything sitting in the fridge already.  :}  No sun in the forecast today.  Just some rain in the afternoon.  And you know what that means, all the lights will be on in the house today in all the rooms I will be occupying.  Oh, the power company loves me on days like this.  Oh well, the girls and I will just have to have the stereo turned up (after school work) and jig around the house just so we don't end up as three blobs vegging out on the couch, not being very productive.  I've already got the little wheels in my head working on another idea for a blanket.  I get emails from a quilting site, which I love to look at the pictures to see if I can get some ideas from there.  Well, one "slapped" me in the face the other day and so I am looking at what I would need to crochet something similar.  I am not a quilter, but do admire all the beautiful pieces of artwork that come out of that.  I sew, but quilting is just not part of that.  When I get my act together with that idea, I will share!   :0)

I hope everyone has a FAB day where ever you are and don't hesitate to do a little dance to brighten you day.  Just don't hurt yourself.  I don't want to be the blame for any injuries.

Toodles!!!   xxxx

Crochet blankets from the past...

I wasn't sure what I was going to post about today.  Really didn't have my act together when it came to that today.  Who knows.  So with my little doings of adding color to the girls bathroom that wasn't much to show other than a few frames scattered on my desk (which is a horror right now, so embarrassing) colorful ribbon, crocheted flowers and pretty, bright, punchy buttons.  That just didn't seem too exciting to me for some reason today.  I think it is the lack of light outside today.  I'm just not a gray day kind of person unless there is nothing that has to be done and I can just kick back or nap all day.  I know, way to exciting I am.  :}  I will show what I am up to in the girls bathroom, just not today.  Sorry.

So with that I decided to show off a few of the blankets I have made some very special little peeps that are very dear to me.  And yes, a lot of work and thought was put into each of these so that they would fit each peep they were made for.

The first is for "Sir Nicholas" .  He is the son of my dear friend Julie in Texas.  He is such a sweet little guy.  You just want to squeeze him when you get near him.  Anyhoo, his bedroom is decorated with all kinds of cowboy stuff and so he needed a cowboy style blankie.  I got the pattern from a book from Candi Jensen (Candy Blankies).  I made this blankie bigger than in the book so that it would fit his twin bed, but it is crocheted all in one piece.  There was a lot of switching colors around when doing the "cow hide" patches.  But man did it turn out great.  And I lined the back with some plaid, checky style flannel.  It looks FAB in his room with all the cowboy stuff.  And let's not forget Julie's decorating abilities.  She thinks she doesn't have much of it, but let me tell you.  She knows what she is doing.  TALENT oozing out every where.  I just wish it would ooze over my way some.

Next, there is Miss Mary Kate.  She has a lovely green, purpley girls room.  So she got a cute little thing made just to go in her room.  With this blanket I made each square separate and joined them together at the end and then stitched the green stitching all through it.  The edging is so pretty and sets everything off beautifully.  I got this pattern from "Candi Blankies" also but just made more squares to make it bigger.  It is lined on the back also.  So cute.

Now this blue piece of work is my son's blankie.  There are 7 different blues used in this one.  I found this one in a Leisure Art book that I bought a few years back.  Each square is started down where the white  is and you just keep adding rows on two sides until you get to the darkest blue and then that one goes all the way around for 2 or 3 rows and then all are sewn together.  I also made this one with more squares than what the pattern called for to fit his bed.  He doesn't let anyone touch it.

This blankie is Em's.  She so loves old fashioned looking things and so was born this patchwork, quilty looking blankie with her favorite colors greens and purples.  Let me tell you that her and Mary Kate are  a lot alike.  It's kind of scary really.  I have a small book with patterns of all kinds which used small granny squares to make blankets.  So we gathered up Em's favorite colors at the store, 2 solid greens, 2 solid purples, cream and a variegated with all those colors mixed in.  And I charted the colors to replace the colors that were used in the original pattern.  I can't remember how many squares are in this blankie.  I didn't keep count while I was working on it because I would have screamed.  :}  I just made sure it was so many rows wide and so many long to fit her bed.  Yes, it is lined in the back too!  :)

Lastly, this is Brenna's blankie.  I designed this one myself.  Because where would you find a lady bug design for a cutie pie who adores lady bugs?  I couldn't find any so I just took some graph paper and drew out the picture on it within the same size as Em's.  There are a lot of two color granny squares on this one.  That really kicked my butt on this blankie because you really have to pay attention to what color you start with when doing the two color squares, for the simple fact that I connected them as I made them.  I'm sure it would be easier just to make all the squares and then sew them together but I just can't stand sitting and stitching all those buggers together.  At least this way I could see things coming together as I went.  Yes, lined also.  :)

Both of the girls blankies have over 700 little 2-row grannies in them.  Each of the five blankies took me about a month of evenings to crochet.  A lot of work but I loved every minute of it when you see the smiles that it puts on the little ones faces.  It's all worth it.

More tomorrow with the bathroom.  Hopefully the sun will be out.  Please!!!  :0)

Hope you all had a great day!! 

toodles!!!   xxxxx

the Crochet Hexagon blanket is now finished!!!

My most fabulous creation as of yet, is now finished and being enjoyed by all the peeps in this house!  I am so pleased with how it all turned out.  Just being able to look at all the fabulous colors everyday is simply peachy.  It really sets the mood for the day when you see it.  When I use it in the evening while working on little projects, the girls will come over and ask to share it with me.  I have had to change where I sit now just so the three of us will fit in one area.  The chair will not do anymore.  And I love the cuddle time with the girls.  And yes, as I am posting all of this rambling, I have my blankie on my lap keeping my warm this morning.  ;)

I must share a small bit of info with you.  Liz from Wine & Windows asked me to email her because she was giving the hexies a try and they were "curling" on her.  I remember having a small issue with that myself and told her that after every tucking in the tails on each round, just give the little hexie a little tug all the way around and it will lay flat for you.  The hexie will hold its shape a lot better in the end also.  The only thing I can figure is that it helps the yarn relax a little after you get done with each round.  Maybe this will help others who may be having the same problem.  :)

I finished the edges similar to what Lucy did with her blankie.  My shell edging isn't as rounded as hers.  Lucy's shell's looks to be made up of all dc stitches.  My shells are comprised of : sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc.  There is a space skipped after a shell then a slip stitch in the next, skip a space and then make another shell, etc.  I am so happy with how it turned out.  Sunday morning the blankie found it's way to the washer (with softener added) & the dryer being prepared for some major usage around here.

 That is what I was working on Saturday while we took a LONG drive south of us into the high desert, in an attempt to get out of the house and see some different scenery.  Obviously my scenery did not change a lot during the drive.  The girls had fun though.  We drove in a BIG circle to show them the air base where Glenn and I were both stationed years back.  They saw the Snake River carving it's way through the canyon below where we were driving.  When we got to the bottom of the canyon, you could see all the ranches, farms and tons of cows that call that area home.  And yes, there were two little peeps with the windows down, trying to speak to the cows as we went by.  You have to wonder if the cows are thinking "Stupid humans".  We laugh every time the kids do this.  Brendon would do this all the time when he was little and then squeal that he saw a cow look back at him and answer back.  Hilarious!  In all the fields in this area there are tons of boulders and rocks all over.  Glenn used to tell Brendon when he was little that all those rocks were really dried up cows that got too hot in the sun and just fell over.  Brendon believed him and one visit my Mom made, Brendon told her that they were dried up cows.  Needless to say, she shook here head while laughing just knowing that Glenn would tell his son something like that and the poor child would believe him for a long time.  Issues.  :)  We could not get up to the southern mountain range in this area because of the snow still.  20' or more on some of the mountain roads, so no possibility until the summer.  And can you believe there are a brave few that live up there all year round.  There is an old silver mining town, Silver City, that you can only get to during the few months of the summer.  Beautiful up there but that is not the life for me.  Sorry.  Any way everyone had fun and the girls thought that it was strange the some areas where open range and we had to keep an eye out for cows on the highway.  And the hilly roads were their favorite.  They said it made them feel they were on a roller coaster ride.  Too much of that is NOT good while trying to crochet!  :)  Anyhoo, fun was had by all and I finished my blankie!  Yeah!!  (doing a little dance)

Well, after that big project done I had to find something else to do.  I have been adding things to the girls bathroom to make it more colorful, thanks to Lucy's influence of color.  I found a pattern in my book of crochet rugs and decided to make a cute little one for the girls.  I used the same colors that I used for the blankie and isn't it neat how the same colors used differently comes out with totally different look.  It only took one afternoon and evening to make and we are pleased with the color it adds to the bathroom.  And the girls go in there now just to stand on it.  Don't ask!

I found some absolutely adorable pics a few years ago of little kids playing in tubs, to put in the girls bathroom.  The colors are so wonderful and they match the colors I have been using lately!  Weird!  I have to do something with the frames now to make them stand out from the walls because the colors are way too close to each other.  We are going to the fabric store today before PE to find some pretty ribbon, in the colors that are in the pics, to wrap around the outside of the frame and then make a bow to hang them from.  That will be a nice punch of color.  I will show pics when done.  I just think the kids in the pics are too darn cute!  And the colors are FAB!  I was able to find info on the artist a few years ago, but now I can't find anything.  I will do some more digging just in case anyone is interested.  :)  And they remind me of the "mess" the girls make when soaking in the tub at times.  :)
So now the girls are wanting some pretty little flowers added to the bathroom for color all over.  Sorry for the poor pics.  I took them last night in the poor light.  I haven't been able to decide if I will connect them to ribbon or crochet a chain to put them on.  Or if I will just add them to the top of the shower curtain up by the hooks.  I'll have to decide before I got to the fabric store, won't I.  :)  We will see what happens to them.  The next project after the little flowers will be a bag for myself or a ripple blanket.  Not sure what order yet because both will be made.  :)

And finally speaking of flowers, my crocuses are coming up outside!  I just love the little pop of color right before spring arrives.  It makes this time of year more tolerable for me.  I find myself looking out the window just staring at the little beauties.  And then it makes me wanting to see all my other flowers that come up later.  Pure torture!  The weather has been nice for the last few days and the girls have been taking advantage of the outdoors.  The temps have been in the low 50's but I hope that they drop just a smidge for a while just so the snow doesn't start melting in the mountains.  We need it to stay there for as long as possible, so melting is not good right now.  April is good.

I will now let you go for now.  Long posts are what happens when I don't post for a few days.  And for the fact that Glenn hogged the computer this weekend being it was his long weekend from work.  I don't complain because he works so darn hard and he needs to take a break every once in a while and he is doing something he likes to do, his pictures.  Nothing wrong with that.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend and that your week is just as good.  I must get my tail moving and get things done before PE today and I have got to try the new little pattern that Lucy posted on her blog for the most darling little flowers ever.  She is such a sweetie for sharing with us all.  Thanks Luce!!   :o)

Toodles for now!  xxxxx  (aren't you glad it's over?!  :D )

the Crochet Hexies are done!

I have now completed all of the hexies for my beautiful blankie!!  There is no more wonkiness on the sides.  Both sides match and don't look like it was all thrown together.  It had to look like there was some kind of method to my madness.  I don't anyone thinking that I'm not put all together you know.  :)  There are no exact matches with the hexies.  Each one is different.  I tried to be as random as possible but when I got to a certain point in making this masterpiece I had to take a look at what had been done to make sure there were no two alike.  Very important to me.  Remember, I do have issues that "we" don't want to deal with.  :)  I'm sure therapy would not help.  It would be a BIG waste of money because I wouldn't want to change my ways!  LOL!!  Anyhoo....

I just love looking at the "Sea of Hexies".  So darn pretty with all the lovely colors.  This project was a big break from the norm for me.  I am usually a bit of a "matchy-matchy" kind of a girl.  Things normally have to "fit" in with the rest of the things I may have in a room.  This is a whole new way of doing things for me.  And I owe it all to Lucy (take a bow dear).  :)  I love adding the bright, beautiful colors into the mix of things around my house.  And I absolutely LOVE how when I walk into the room this is sitting in for the moment and the colors just jump out and smack you in the face.  It doesn't leave bruises though, thank goodness.  Try explaining that!  I have made up a whole new list of things to do with bright, lovely colors.  Bags, flowers, more blankies, etc....  It is becoming a long list.

Isn't it so completely awesome looking across this "sea of color"?  While working on the hexies, I would really have to control myself with the urge of dropping everything that was on my daily to-do list, plopping down next to they yarn basket and just crocheting the day away.  Could you imagine what this house would look like if I did nothing but crochet all day long?  Not nice.  And then I would have problems with dealing with the house being Yucko.  I would be in a bad mood and my peeps would have to deal with me.  Not pretty.  Don't get me wrong, I do not have everything in marked spaces and all that.  But I don't like the house getting out of hand where days are spent getting it back together.  Anyhoo, I'm rambling on again. :/  Back to the super duper, awesome possum colors (as the girls would say).  All these super dupery colors just grab a hold to me, brightens my day and makes me want to dance.  It doesn't take much to make this girl happy when yarn is in the mix.  Forget the jewelry and stuff.  Just give me pretty YARN!!!

And to think it all started with the lovely bright pink hexie above.  Wonderful!!!  Now let's take a moment to mention that the entire blankie is not totally finished.  I still have to finish the edges so that they look all lovely also.  It will be similar to what Lucy did with her blankie.  The two colors I will be using are the jazzy blue and purple pictured below.  I just don't think it would nice at all without being properly finished and all.  Kind of like going outside and not being totally dressed.  Not that I've done that before mind you.  Just saying.  LOL!!!

Well, I must be off to go get dinner going.  You know the drill; must get everything done so that I'm not busy doing other things all night long and not able to get back to my blankie!  The horror!!  I'd have nightmares!!!

On the menu tonight ... Country fried steak smothered in gravy.  Man, is that some good eatin'.  Especially for this southern girl.  I could eat so much I would hurt myself.  This is the recipe with the brown gravy that you serve on the steaks and with rice on the side.  That is how it is made in the "deep South".  The recipe with the white cream gravy comes from the Texas area.  Don't get me wrong.  I love both!!  But it is nice to have the memories I have with each of the recipes.  The brown gravy recipe so reminds me of when I grew up in South Carolina.  I'm drooling now.  So before I make a mess of myself, I must go and get my tail in gear.  I will have to go and check to see if I have green beans to go with it all.  The way I make green beans with the steaks is:  green beans, chopped onion, chopped bacon and little red potatoes cut up, chicken broth, salt & pepper.  Put them in a big pot with a can of chicken broth and cook them on a medium simmer for about an hour till the potatoes are done.  Just make sure the liquid doesn't cook completely off so nothing sticks.  Keep checking on it.  I've got to go so that I can stuff myself till I can't move!   :D

Have a great evening everybody!!

Toodles!!!! 

(sorry for the edit.  I left out some info!  Oops!  :} )

Yearning for warmer days...

The weekend went well.  Nice, quiet and a bit cozy.  Things have been a bit hectic lately and it was nice to slow down.  Even Glenn thought he didn't get much done (hiking, picture taking, etc.) but I reminded him that he doesn't slow down very often and it is nice to do that every once in a while and just "veg" out.  This morning we woke up to just a smidge of snow but no it is all gone.  I was starring out the window watching it, a bit mesmerized.  It looked as if "someone" was sprinkling powdered sugar down upon us.  It was just so fine and beautiful.  Peaceful.  I love waking up and seeing things like that first thing.  It some how sets the whole day off in a good way.  It quietens the soul so that you can appreciate things a little more than you normally would.  Just magnificent.

After that bit of beauty, I began thinking about how nice it will be to get back up in the mountains when things do thaw.  Some places will not be able to be explored until June or July, but a good chunk will be ventured out to by end of April.  Below are a couple of places where we like to go for day hikes.  It is so nice to go where you can hear the wind in the trees and hear the "volume" change with the speed of the breezes.  That would be my absolute dreamy, happy place where I could hear the wind in the trees, a little creek babbling near by and all the lovely fresh smells when the sun shines down on things.  I would need no more in life.  Could you imagine the peace and tranquility while creating with lovely, wonderful yarn?  Oh if that dream could come true!

I finished what I had planned for on my hexie blanket.  But as I looked upon my creation, I realized that the sides did not look right.  A hex blanket does not have nice, straight, even edges as you know.  But as I looked at it, I saw that one side had less hexies than the other side.  I have 14 in one row and 13 in another.  So that being my design plan, I have to make sure that both outer edges have the same amount of hexies so that it doesn't drive me insane for the rest of my life.  I do have issues.  Having my blanket masterpiece be all "wonky" would be detrimental to my happiness and not to mention my sanity.  And why put my peeps through any more torture than what they must endure on a daily basis.  It would be so cruel.  So I have 14 more hexies to go and then on to the border, which I will be picking the colors out for today or tomorrow.  So hopefully, in a few days the Masterpiece will finally be done.  Cross your fingers.  You never know what might happen.  Not to mention I have my eyes on another project after this!   Stay tuned.....

Off to finish things before we must go to our PE group.  I'm thinking homemade spaghetti will be so tasty tonight with warm bread sticks and salad with it being a bit damp and chilly out.  And maybe a batch of warm, gooey, chocolaty brownies will hit the spot afterwards while reading and snuggling up with the little peeps.  Good times.  Enjoy your day and don't forget to stop a soak up all the beautiful, simple things around you.  :D

Toodles my friends!

(sorry for the update.  I left a few words out and I can not go on knowing that I sound like a "doofus" ) :)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Wishing all my friends a 

great big 

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

love ya!!  :)

(don't eat too much chocolate!  Oh, alright.  Go ahead!  :D  )

Crochet goodness and more ...

Today has been a pretty darn good day here in my little piece of Idaho.  The sun has been hiding behind clouds on and off most of the day but at least it started out nice and bright.  Even though not much sleep was to be had last night for myself (who knows), I still woke up in a cheery mood.  Which was good for all.  I'm not the most pleasant peep in the world when overly tired.  I get really cranky or really giddy silly when tiredness sets in.  So I guess all is well in the world being somehow I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.  :)  There have been days when the days have started with everyone whispering so that they don't get cranky Mom started.  Sorry peeps!  :/

I am nearly finished with my most colorful yarnirific masterpiece.  I am "peeing my pants" in hoping to be done this weekend with the hexies.  When I get this close to finishing a big project everyone in the house are pretty good about giving me my "finishing" space.  I don't think they like getting the "eye", if you know what I mean.  :)  I was a bit worried for the last few nights that the lovely blankie would not be as big as I wanted it to be and I would have to add to the length.  But after putting it on my bed for better judgement, I am pleased with how it is coming about.  Pleased as punch while doing a little jig or two. [no awards would be given for those dance moves.  :) ]

After all the hexies I have made so far, this pretty little blue one seems to be my fav so far.  The colors are a smidge off because of the lack of light today, but it's still FAB.  I think I will be finishing off the edges like Lucy did with her blankie.  It just looks so darn wonderful with it all done prim and proper.  And please don't forget to see her progress with her garden blankie she is working on.  WOW!  It is looking FAB also.  She so inspires me to add more punchy color to all my things.  Thanks Luce!  I just love seeing that there is an update over at her little piece of the world and hurry over to check things out.  :)

More Valentine goodies were made today.  Don't they look scrummy!  Look at those cutesy little faces.  All most creepy thinking about chomping on those little faces smiling at you, but what the hey.  I can get over the creepy factor really fast!  LOL!! :D

Talking about the creepy factor.  I saw that a remake of the original Friday the 13th movie is out.  EEK!!!  I remember when the first one came out, I was 12ish, and I saw it at the theaters.  Man talk about scaring the Jeepers at of a kid.  Didn't sleep for a week!!  Was never too keen on asking if I could ever go to summer camp after seeing that.  Then after Glenn and I got married, we went home to Minnesota Northwoods to visit his family and I found out there was a YMCA camp less than a mile from his parents house.  Not good.  I heard the loon calls one evening while sitting in the yard (had never heard them before except for in the movie and did not know that a bird makes that sound) and just about jumped out of my skin.  All I could picture was Jason popping out of the woods or something to get me because I was too close to the camp.  My first visit to the in-laws was the first time in ages that the doors were locked at night.  Not that locked doors would stop Jason would it.  Try explaining why the doors are locked tight when Glenn's brothers drove up to the house after work and they darn near killed themselves by slamming into locked doors that were normally open.  OOPS!!!  Those darn "city girls".  :}  hehe.  I laugh now with everyone else but it was not so darn funny at the time.  Picture screaming girl being woke up by pounding on the back door of the house.  LOL!!!  And let's not forget to mention that for the longest time I wouldn't even drive down the road that went by the Ycamp.  hehe. :)

Oh well, enough of reminiscing about good times.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines day.  We treated ourselves to The Cheesecake Factory with the girls yesterday and made a pig of ourselves.  Who would blame a girl with all those FAB flavors of cheesecake!  Lordy Gordy!!  Off to finish dinner and then hang out around the yarn basket!!!  

Toodles!! xxxxxxxx

Crochet Happiness!!!!

A scene that just makes a mama burst with pride!  I was so tickled last night when Em came over to me and asked if I would show her again how to get started again with crocheting.  I was tired but oh my little heart warmed.  I couldn't say no to my little sweetpea.  :)

She gave it try a while back and her fingers just didn't want to cooperate with her, so she decided to wait and TRY later.  (see that magic word?) :) 

I'm quite proud of her.  She is making a teeny blanket for her beloved Mr. Bunny.  She said he gets a little chilly at night and she wants to make something for him to stay warm.  The only area that I think he has a problem with holding in heat is around his poor little neck.  If you can tell by this pic from a earlier post, his neck is a little droopy and lacking of fur from all the loves that Em has given him through the years. That is how she always carried him around when she was smaller.  I'm sure Mr. Bunny will be very grateful for the wonderful little blankie Miss Em will create for him.  She gets very excited when she finishes a row and those cute little brown eyes just light up with her accomplishment.  It just me a bit giddy with pride.  Oh the yarn love is spreading.  :D 

Glenn found it funny in these pictures that you could see the fake tattoo Em had to have put on last night after pj's were put on.  He said it makes her look like a Harley biker babe crocheting.  LOL!  It is pretty darn funny.  Brenna is quite proud of her little alien head that is on her hand.  Simple things to make them happy.  At least the tattoos aren't real and they will come off in a couple of days.  Sorry, but the real ones will not be encouraged around here.  Remember "the Wrath of Mom"  :{ LOL!

Well, break time is over and we must get back to the girls lessons for the day.  That way chores can be finished and some MORE cookies can be made!  WOOHOO!!  I know, they are doing nothing for my fluffiness I already have  but who can resist.  And then there is Crochet Time after all that!  It just makes a girl dizzy with happiness!

Have a great day everyone!  And remember, keep on "Trying".  

Toodles!!!   xxxxxx

Just a quick post!

Just thought I would let everyone know that my friend Julie in Texas has good news about her brother Nathan.  He had his surgery with his brain tumor and all went very well.  He just needs a few treatments now after the surgery and he should be fine.  Just cross your fingers from him and say some prayers that this is the end of this "bad thing".  Julie sounds so much better now let me tell you.  My heart feels a little brighter because of this good news.  YEAH Nathan!!!  :D

xxxxxxxx

Valentines and random thoughts...

As you look at the lovely Valentine decorations the girls made for our little piece of the world, I start this post today with a bit of wisdom that I received from my Dad from time to time.  He was never one to like the words "I can't".  To tell you the truth, I despise them.  If he ever heard any of us kids say those words he would ask, "Did you try?".  If the answer was no sir, then he would tell us to give what ever "it" was a try and then make the decision of if we couldn't do something or not.  And then we would know for sure if "it" was something that we wanted to continue with or not.  I tell my kids the same thing no matter what "it" is.  Well, except for the obvious things; drugs, cigarettes, drinking, etc.  They know that those are never to be on list of things to do because they would have to deal with the "Wrath of Mom".  And that is not a very pretty thing to deal with.  Trust me!!  :}  

So what brought this up was the girls and I were at their PE group yesterday at the bowling alley and I was talking to a few moms while they kids were bowling (of course) and the moms were asking me where I got my felted purse.  I told them I made it myself.  Could you believe that I heard those dreaded words "I wish could do that!  I'm not that bright".  My eyes rolled in to the back of my head.  So I gave them my kind speech about "if you have never tried how do you know if you can't do something" bit.  One mom said she just doesn't have the patience to do something like knitting, crocheting, etc.  I told her she was wrong because if she has the patience to stay home and home school your kids then you have the patience to do anything as long as you try.  You know it's the same thing as when the kids say they don't like a particular food that they have never tried before.  Try it once and then decide if you want to eat it still.  I just don't understand why people sell themselves short.  Don't get me wrong, I have tried all sorts of things and have made a decision that I would not continue on with certain crafts, projects, etc.  But at least I tried.  I think for me it comes down to hopefully not having any regrets when my "number" is picked one day and being a good example for my kids to follow.  I must confess that I will never try to jump out of perfectly good flying airplanes (like Glenn did in the military) or things like that because I just don't feel like killing myself anytime soon.  But things I feel that are not "life ending" I will surely give a try and then make up my mind.  

So for anyone who stops by my little part of the world, please give something a try (within reason as far as my rules go ;} ) before you say "I can't".  If things don't pan out then at least you can say you tried but it just didn't grab you.  :)  Just throw those two little words out of your vocabulary, please!  :)

So as you can tell, the house is filled with all sorts of pretty "love" themed decorations.  I get to look out my kitchen window while seeing the pretty hearts the girls made (wax paper & crayon shavings).  We decided to hang them from curling ribbon from all sorts of places and I think they look awesome.  Glenn has to duck out of the way when walking from the dining room to the living room area because they are right in his face.  At least he likes them better than the spider webs we put up for Halloween.  Not a pretty sight when he gets up in the morning with the lights off downstairs and walks into a web.  

LOL!! It is really funny even if he doesn't think so.  It is sad that Glenn is tortured during certain holidays in this house.  But at least it isn't all year long.  :)  We do love him alot though!  The girls want to leave their little heart animals up for awhile after Valentines because they are so cute.  I'm sure we can work something out, but the dangly hearts will go after Saturday.

Well, enough of my "advice" and babbling.  I must go check on dinner in the crock pot.  It's a yummy recipe I got from Tina at Cherry Hill Cottage.  I have tried several of her recipes she has posted and let me tell you, they are GOOOOD!  Why wouldn't they be.  She's from Texas like I am so the food has got to be good.  :)  I feel an urge to put on the piggy nose just thinking about yummy food!  Like I usually say if the food is that good, I will eat so much that I could hurt myself.  Not a pretty sight.  No mam.  Hope everyone has had a most fabulous day.  Back to my last couple of things to finish for the day before dinner, reading time, pj's and yes, you know it, CROCHET time!  WOOHOO!!!! (doing a little jig right now.)

Toodles Noodles!!   xxxxxxxx

Crochet and cookies...

So over the weekend there was a lot of cookie baking and cookie eating.  I took the easy way out but man were they good!  The girls and  finally finished the Valentine decorations and they look great.  I will take pics tomorrow and post them.  The sun is not out today and I didn't want all those beautiful hearts looking awful.

Along with all the yummy cookies, there was a FAB pot roast to devour for two days.  I thought I was going to have to put on my pig nose it was so good!  Friday night we ended up having a movie and snacks night because our trip up to McCall, Id didn't pan out because of the weather.  But fun was had by all with the movie and eating in the family room ( on blanket).  I have an issue with crumbs and stuff getting on my light carpet down there.  This way the girls say they are having an inside picnic.  Whatever makes their day! :)

Saturday was full of these wonderful little beauties, yummy lemonade, and good ole' comfort food.

And who could forget a few of these lovelies for Valentines!  They are gone now.  They never had a chance with my crew around.  Good thing there is more in the fridge just waiting to go in the oven.  There are only a few chocolate chip cookies left because I keep giving everyone the eye about woofing them down.  I've got my eye on you guys! :)

But lets not forget the most important thing this weekend.  My Blankie!  I'm about halfway done and I can't wait for it to be done.  (pee'ing my pants again)  LOL!!

So a nice, quiet weekend was had by all and lots was accomplished!  Hope yours was the same!

xxxxxx

My Daddy...

I was tagged the other day for a photo challenge by my blog friend Bev.  I was suppose to go to my 6th folder, 6th pic and post it with a little bit written about it.  Well, that picture turned out to be a picture of my Daddy when I was home for my last visit with him before he past away.  I did not want to post those pictures for personal reasons but also they just don't show the real Daddy except for the sparkle in his eyes.  So with that said, I decided to break the rules a bit and show everyone my Dad and all that made me love him show much.

A tribute to my Daddy...

My Daddy was such a wonderful man.  He had the most horrible childhood that one could imagine and still ended up being the most beautiful person I will ever know.  Both of his parents abandoned him and his siblings when they were young and they grew up in an orphanage.  Scum of the earth they were.  Luckily they had loving Aunt's, Uncle's and the greatest Grandmother in the world who brought them home for visits many times every week.  I believe that is what saved my Daddy and made him who he was.  No matter how bad things were while growing up he found a way to make his life better after he joined the US Army and met my Mom in Germany.  

(my Daddy as a young boy)

My Daddy always had the nicest smile and the brightest, happiest eyes I have ever known.  He always looked at the bright side of any situation and continued on with them and not the down side.  He always encouraged my brother, sister and I to do our best so that we can have wonderful, happy lives.  He taught us not to take things for granted because you never know when those special things will be gone. We learned that first hand when I was very little and my Mom was in a car accident and we nearly lost her.  I saw how strong my Daddy was for us three kids but also saw how horrible of a time this time was for him.  Luckily for all of us, Mom made it through this awful time. :)

(my Mom & Dad in '65)

Daddy always made holidays special but most of all always tried his darndest to make sure some special "normal" days for us also.  All of the day trips, vacations, and just going out to eat were made to be so memorable by my Daddy.  In those days (70's) going out to eat was a special thing and everybody dressed up for it.  And man did my Daddy love food!  I think that's why certain foods bring back so many memories for me now.  He always made holiday dinners a big deal and we had to make sure we had a little of everything. :)  And everyone had a new outfit for every holiday.  We had to look our bestest!

(my Dad & I  on my 1st Easter)

(my Mom & Dad one Easter)

I had always taken for granted that my Daddy was the greatest just because until I found out a few months before we all lost him, what really made him the person he was.  When I found out about his childhood and what he went through, I cried so much every day for a few weeks at the least.  I could not figure how anyone could bring such a beautiful person into this world and not love them like they should be loved.  The only thing I thank those two people for is giving me my Daddy.  Now knowing all he went through, I know now he always wanted to make sure we knew he loved us and that he did everything in his power to make a happy, good life for us growing up.  Even though he thought he had not done enough for us, he could never measure the true intensity of every little thing he ever did.  Just being our Daddy was all that was needed, and those most wonderful hugs and kisses.

(my Dad, Brendon & Em into mountains of Idaho)

My Daddy loved his wife & children with no ending.  But let me tell you about his love for his grand babies!  There was no greater smile on a person (I've been told) than when he was told his 1st grand baby was a boy!  Everyone in the family was woke up at 2am that morning to be told about the grand event, Mr. Brendon was born! :)  And when Miss Em arrived, WOW!  The same if not a bit more.  I could not talk to him on the phone and tell him how those two would be in trouble for something and then get a talking to myself about not being too rough on either of them!  I would remind him of how I would have been "straightened" out and he told me that was different. :)  That was Papa for you. :)  He did not get to meet Brenna, for she was born 1yr & 1mth after we lost Daddy.  I look at her at times though and wonder if some of my Dad's soul is in her.  She definitely has his spunk and determination with everything in life.  We found out by sure surprise that we were expecting her a few months after  Daddy passed and I wonder how those mysterious things work.  I often wonder if Dad had something to do with the timing of this particular little blessing.  Who knows, but I know he is smiling down upon her also with shear delight and laughing his tail off with every thing she gets herself into.  Thanks Daddy! :)

So thank you for being my Daddy and loving me unconditionally.  I miss our daily phone calls and not a day goes by that I don't think of you and get a tear in my eye.  My Daddy would have been 67 this past Feb. 3rd.  We lost him March '03 and it is still rough for me from time to time.

So I will leave you all now that you know just a wee bit about my Daddy and how freakin' awesome he was! :D  He is my hero and always will be.  When I hear anyone say that they have a pitiful life because of their up bringing, I tell them they are full of  sh**, and that is a very poor excuse for not applying themselves in life and just being plain lazy.  My Daddy could have easily used that as an excuse (believe me) and we would have had the most pitiful lives ourselves along with him.  But that man decided he was going to be better and make sure that his family knew that he loved them and appreciated every day with them.  No life is perfect or smooth going but my Daddy  made the rest of his life wonderful along with ours. And with that, I leave you with a challenge to not have self pity when things are bad because if you knew the WHOLE story of my Daddy, you don't know bad nor ever will.  Don't take the most important things for granted.  Where you live, what you wear, the cars you drive or even the amount of money you have don't mean a thing if you don't have happiness and a most loving family in your life.  Things don't make you YOU, how you live every day with happiness in your life makes you and the choices you have made to be happy.

So in the spirit of the photo challenge, I challenge the following to go to your photos, go to the 6th folder, the 6th picture and post about it. 

Julie

Lucy

Judy

LuAnne

Lallee

Hen

Love you all!  Thanks for visiting and being my blog friends! :D  You brighten my days!

Crochet hexagons and a bit of cheeriness...

Well, first of all I have to say thank you to Cindy at Cindy Crochets for the FAB blog award she gave me!  You are too kind Cindy!  I am speechless being that I don't think I am doing anything too spectacular around here except for just living the way I want and doing things that make me happy and hopefully bringing my kids up to be happy little peeps also.  (I'm taking a bow).  Thanks again. :)

So here are my 5 FAB choices:

Lucy

Julie

Hen

Judy

Bev

It was very hard choosing let me tell you.  Maybe I should have given one to everyone I follow!  :)  Well, one to other news.  Above you can see my progress on my blankie.  I just love sitting in my room in the beautiful sunshine while the girls are busy with their important things of the day.  I love having reading time in there too.  It's warm and cozy in there.  Perfect with all the pillows and blankies and a good book.

Brenna was busy with her Valentines and adding her name to the back of them yesterday.  She's got one more day of work and she will be done with them.  Today will be filled with hanging the other decorations around where the girls want them.  Those plans got pushed back with the bread baking and cookies  that were made yesterday.  Hopefully we can stay focused today and get things done.  We will see.  Please don't make bets.  I don't want to be responsible for anyone losing money  or anything. :)

With the past few days of nice temps (40F) I have been thinking about spring sitting in my warm sun filled room.  I thought I would share I few of my fav pics of spring.  I have tons so it is hard to choose these also.  I love my lilacs I have planted around my front and back yards.  I wish I could find more spots for more!  I just might have too! :)  I just love all the green and flowers that pop up every where.  Oh the colors!  (drooling!)  I just can't wait.  I may pee my pants.  It does seem I have a problem with that don't I!  LOL!  I'm easily amused you know and simple things is all it takes.

I can't wait for all the wonderful birds and butterflies to visit my yard.  Love it!  I can sit in the back and watch for hours if left alone.  But that doesn't happen often. :)  Anyway the pic is from a butterfly exhibition that was at our zoo a couple of years ago.  It was so much fun to see.  All the little pretties fluttering around and landing on us.  So awesome!!!  Hope you enjoy the pics today and my bit of rambling.  I can some of the cookies calling me and I must go make them stop! :)  I'm not very strong willed with them today.  Much too YUMMY!

Hope  everyone is having a FAB day!  Come back for more craziness later!  I know there will be tons to talk about!  xxxx

Crochet hexagons and Valentine things!

This weekend was definitely a home body weekend.  Everyone went outside for at least a bit except for me.  Had no desire to leave the house.  Too many things running around in my head as far as all the little crafty ideas go.  I don't think there is enough time to get them all done.  But and effort will be made.  Glenn got some really neat pics this weekend.  You have to go look at the last page of his photos.  The birds are awesome.  The little hawk was sitting right outside our bedroom window and never moved when Glenn went out on the deck to snaps pics of him.  So cool!  Go take a peek. :)

The girls wanted to make wax hearts again.  A couple of years ago we shaved a lot of Valentiney colored crayons and melted the shavings in between wax paper.  After it cools down you have all these neat smudgy colored blobs to cut all sorts of hearts out of and do as you please.  The girls are wanting to cut out hearts and dangle them all over the house.  They do look like stained glass in front of windows! They are so bright and cherry to look at.  And a great way to add color to a drab time of year I must say. :)

I took every spare minute I could to work on my hexagon blankie this weekend between laundry, cooking, straightening things up, etc.  It gets to be quite the obsession you know.  It's hard not to want to work on it when you start seeing all the beautiful colors coming together.  I must admit there were a few hex's I spent a bit of time deciding on the right color and where it should go. You don't want it looking all weird you know.  I spent some time figuring out how long and wide I want it to be.  It's very important to make sure that if you are going lay about on the couch that it covers every inch of you and that no piggies are hanging out at the end.  That would be a disaster!  How could I live with myself! :)  The girls are asking whose bed it will be on when I get done.  Nobody's!  It's mine, all mine!  I'll share at times, but I lay claim to this lovely creation.  I have to put down limits now or I could lose it. Things could get quite squirrelly if that happens.  Rough house I live in. :)  Anyhoo, here is the big 

picture so far.  I am so giddy about it.  Glenn has been laughing at me because everytime I add a hex to the "canvas" he can hear me say WOW.  Simple things you know!  It doesn't take much to make me happy with this project.  Anyhoo, must get done with more pressing matters of the day so that I can get back to the wonderful yarny creation that is going on.  I will need a fix by the afternoon!  Hope all of you are having such fun with a creation of yours like I am.  Crafting and crocheting are calling me! :)

Toodles!! xxx