More Of A Personal Update...

Well, blogging has been suffering as my plate continues to overflow! I apologize! My full time job has blown up to include much traveling and long hours spent at the office and on the computer at home. I love what I do, but boy does it take a toll on my crochet time! I have been doing what I can to spend some good time with the babies. Here are some recent highlights.

Jacob is developing a personality of his own. He is super funny and silly. Most kids like to play but Jacob is going to be a class clown for sure. He will do anything to make you laugh and he loves just dancing and singing and being carefree. He has decided that he doesn't like to eat lately unless it is mac n cheese or in the form of a nugget. He loves to play with anything Nathan is touching. He also loves to be doing whatever Nathan is doing.

Nathan is the best big brother I've ever met. Honestly, I've never seen a kid be so patient and kind to a younger sibling. It is rare that I hear Nathan telling Jacob no or asking him to leave him alone. Nathan is an expert at helping mom and honestly she couldn't do it without him some days! Nathan is about to finish the 1st grade. While he had a rough beginning he is doing very well now and his teacher is impressed with his improvement. Nathan loves reading and constantly comes up with smart questions to ask and tell us about all the things he learns. He is also getting super tall. He will be towering over me in just a few years.

Mike and I continue to be very busy with our careers. Both of us are experiencing some huge growth and responsibilities and in order to take care of our family there is a lot of give and take. I'm blessed to have a partner in life to work together through the busy life we have. We manage to take time for ourselves but for the most part we just enjoy being home with the kids and playing around.

With that...it's time to say goodbye with hopes that updates with be less infrequent! Hope you enjoyed the update.

Comment on this blog post and you could win a free beanie!!!

That's right. I have PLENTY of awesome new stuff going into my shop all the time and in order to generate some blog readers and facebook followers I'm giving away a FREE beanie to ONE person who comments on this blog page. Just leave a message with your email and which of the new items below you wish to own. :)Better yet, have someone tell me you refered them to this giveaway and get DOUBLE the entries!

I love this hat. Better yet, I love how it looks on everyone! The lovely model in this picture is my adorable husband. This beanie is made with a woven pattern and can be made in any color (shown in Fresh Green). It is very warm and perfect for hitting the slopes or shoveling in the yard.

I'm dubbing this beanie the SUPER slouch! It is also very warm dispite the large holes. This is because the yarn used is super chunky. Made with Lion Brand Homespun USA yarn this is available in a variety of colors but not all. Please contact the seller if you wish to see a different color than shown. So far I've made them in Plum, Pink, and coming soon to my Etsy store in White.

Here is another beanie that I can make in a variety of other colors other than this listing. While it is happy and bright in pink and white I can make it in nearly anything! Made with acrylic yarn so it is never scratchy,but like wool, keeps shape and is easily cared for. I love this pattern and it is also available in a child size.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? Start commenting on your favorite style listed above, leave your email, and for goodness sakes tell your friends so you can get DOUBLE entries!!!

Entries need to be submitted by Friday 2/18 at 5pm. Winner will be announced 2/19.

Happy Giveaway!

Breast Cancer Awareness Ear Warmer

Can't see yourself wearing a boobie beanie as in my previous post? Well, maybe one of these earwarmers are more your style?

Don't forget to donate here! My friend Heidi is looking to raise $2500 dollars before her 3 Day walk. All donations over $100 get a free boobie beanie or earwarmer for FREE. Can't donate $100? Donate what you CAN and get free shipping off any item in my store located here. I'm even willing to do it on a custom order.

Thanks in advance for making a difference in someone's life!

When Is a Crochet Hat Worth $100?

A friend of mine is doing the 3 Day Walk for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Her page can be found here and I believe that you'll be touched by her personal story and determination.

I thought about how I would love to help and then it hit me. POW! I could make beanies and when someone donated $100 or more they would get a FREE beanie! Now it isn't just any beanie. It's a special beanie that would get the person wearing it noticed. Something that would attract attention and get people asking questions. Perhaps even interested in making a donation (no matter how small) themselves. This is why with great pride I introduce you to the BOOBIE BEANIE.

You can purchase this listing here.

I'm also giving FREE SHIPPING to anyone who donates any amount of money. I can also make another beanie or head warmer for those who don't fancy wearing a boobie beanie on their head.

Thank you to everyone who reads this and takes a moment to check out the listing. It is important to remember that someone out there needs our help, no matter how small. While I can't give $100 myself I hope that I can help encourage someone who can.

Happy New Years Everyone!

Wow, again it has been some time since I last posted. Hard to keep up with the bloggin when so much is going on. I have been on vacation the last 11 days and today was the final day down. Going to miss being home but it will be nice to get back on schedule. I have worked on a variety of projects and got my hookin on many times during the last two weeks.

Recently I purchased a few patterns from PlayinHookyDesigns She has an amazing variety and if you crochet I highly recommend going over to her store and picking up a few patterns. This hat is made with one of her patterns and I was able to do it in a variety of ways. This one is in purple and yellow (Vikings or Lakers colors) and can be done in any team colors to show your spirit! Or use your favorite colors. Can be done in two or three different colors for best effect. Selling in my Etsy store for $20 each right now.

I made this one for my husband who is a huge fan of the Lions. It is done in blue, white, and grey. Picture doesn't really do it justice but it is super warm and easy to care for.

Another one of her awesome patterns is a houndstooth headband. Here are a few pictures of the headbands I made using this pattern. Each is super warm and lots of fun. You are sure to stand out in a crowed wearing one of these. Can be made in two colors of your choice. Again, a great way to show your team spirit! They're also REVERSABLE! Selling in my store for $15.

I got a few giftcards to my favorite yarn store here in town and I treated myself to some pricey Noro wool and silk yarn. BEAUTIFUL. Here is what I made for MYSELF! That's right. I finally made myself something during my vacation. I LOVE it. If I were to sell this one in my store (due to the high price of the yarn) I'd sell it for close to $45.

Much more to come shortly, I seem to be on a roll. It has been a great Holiday season and we're all hoping for a very happy new year!

May your 2012 be blessed!

Hot Off The Hook: Bright Green Slouch Beanie

I just completed this slouchy beanie for a friend of mine. All she specified is that she wanted something in bright green. I happened to have had some yarn in just that color! Here's what I came up with and I'm really hoping she likes it.

Here I am trying the beanie on for size

Side profile. This beanie has a cherry wood button that was handmade in Michigan from fallen branches. Eco-friendly :)

In this picture you can see the back slouch a little more. If she doesn't like it, I might just keep it. LOVE THIS! If she does like it then I have one more to make for a friend and then I'll be making one for me :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I got a lot done on my projects and I'm hoping to reopen my Etsy store shortly!!

Hot Off The Hook: TEDDY BEARS

I have been working on a special project.

ISN'T HE ADORABLE??? I love him. He's going to a good home where a little girl was just born. She can grow up with him! Isn't that sweet? Soft wool make up his outer layer. It is felted for extra softness and duribility. He is filled with polyester surpreme fiberfill.

Teddy is made with safety eyes and nose so it is less likely that they will fall off and be a hazard for baby to choke on. This ribbon is not attached and recommended to take off prior to giving it too baby. In this case it matches the ribbon on the blanket that I'm also giving to the new little muffin. He is a smaller bear measuring 8.5 inches tall but little kiddos need a teddy they can really grip without tripping over themselves.

Because they are handmade with love and quality materials I'm going to have them in my store for $40 each. I should have the first one listed in a few days. They'll be made to order so you can expect a 2-3 week lead time after purchase.

The End!

Surprise!!!

There is little more in life (when it comes to physical things) that a woman will treasure more than her wedding ring. It is a symbol of finding the one man she believes is perfect for her. It symbolizes his love for her, and her alone. It shows the world that you are taken and belong to someone. I often thought about how mine would eventually go to a great grandaughter for her wedding day...

When I lost my wedding ring down the drain last Christmas Day I was beyond devistated. I cried for hours and hours. When it was certain I could never get it back, I cried some more. In the last year the mear mention of my wedding ring being lost would send me into a depression daze.

I've been wearing another ring Mike bought me for my birthday before Jacob was born. It's a beautiful Sapphire ring with three stones and two diamonds on each side. It's goregeous and I love it but it isn't the ring you'd really expect to see on the wedding finger. I decided I was lucky to have it and move on. Mike promised that some day he'd replaced the one I'd lost but we'd have to wait as there are bills to pay.

And bills there have been.

This weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with his family. His parents live close and his sister and brother in law and our nephew Caleb all came in. It was a great Thanksgiving and since we're all together we celebrated Christmas together on Friday. Lots of fun. More pictures of all of that later.

I thought it would be great to have the kids go to the mall in the nearby town and see Santa. Take a picture with all three grandkids for the grandparents and great grandma since it is so rare they all get together. After the picture I asked Mike if we could go get my ring cleaned at the store we purchased it at. He agreed and while they cleaned my ring we took a look at the wedding sets.

I sighed as the sales person asked what I liked and started to take rings from the cases. Nearly Chrismtas, not the time we could afford something like this. We talked about different settings, stones, cuts, colors, clarity, and so on. I tried on a few and to be honest I was so excited that rings out of the case were fitting my finger I was happy to be playing with them all. One particulary caught my eye and when it slipped on my finger perfectly I started to get dazzled. I could feel that emotion start to rise so I put it back on the counter and started to walk away. That's when Mike asked the guy how much it would be with tax...

My mind started to swoon.

Really? Why is he asking this?

He then told the guy that we would take it.

Really? Did he just say that.

Uh oh...

Then came the tears. I hate crying in public but it could not be helped.

Isn't it GOREGEOUS???? I am so in love. I have to look at my finger every 20 minutes at least. I can't wait to see it in the sun. I am on cloud flippin' 9.

Yeah, he shocked the heck out of me for sure. And I found out all along he was planning to do this today.

I will not be wearing it in the shower. I will not be putting it near ANY drain of ANY sort. This is going to be handed down from generation to generation.

Blogging Help Needed

How do I change the color of my "Mommy's Time Out" Title??? I don't want it to be white and blend into the background. HELP!

Little Blankies

Nothing is more special to my little guys then their blankies. Honestly, Nathan loved his blankie till he was 4 and even now when he finds it he cuddles it as if it is a long lost friend. Jacob has a blankie too...there is nothing that can make him feel better like his blankie can. In fact, he finds in tough to fall asleep at night without it.

This is why when I make blankets for little ones I'm really careful to make them special because I know how special they could be! I was really excited when a friend of mine asked me to do a blanket for her a few months ago...and while it has taken me to the wire to get it done it is finally complete.

This blanket is in Vanilla,Chocolate, and Pistachio. How awesome is that name combination? It is very cute for both a boy or girl but this is going to a special little girl that is due very very soon. It measures 33" wide and about 30" long.

I am excited to have been a part of this project and it might actually get out in the mail tomorrow!

Next on the list: 3 little girl hats for a friend of mine to give to her nieces at Christmas. All will be similar but different girly colors. Having 2 boys, it's nice to do some girly stuff! I also have another baby project to get done and should probably make myself a winter hat!

Time to get hookin'!

Etsy Treasury and 5K Update

I created an awesome new Etsy treasury called Ready to Run . It's an ode to all the awesome running stuff I want right now off Etsy. I'm actually really getting into this running thing...

That being said, I've had a really off week. I weighed in at weight watchers after working really really hard and gained a total of 3 pounds. GAINED?!? Yes. It was pretty mind blowing. Sure. I could explain it because muscle weighs more than fat...blah blah blah. It didn't matter to my head. I needed a mental break. The last 4 days I haven't tracked one calorie. I did manage to complete my run on Saturday which was good. I then didn't run for the next 3 days because I was feeling "off". I was sickish. Just feeling crappy.

I caught a break today. My friend has a membership at the local Y and I got to run indoors. Something is just so much easier about running on a treadmill than outside. I ran 13 minute miles (better than my previous 15 to 16 minute) and felt pretty darn good. One more week of couch to 5K which is good because my 5K is in just 10 days!

Already thinking about finding the next 5K to do. Even thinking about doing a 10K next year. I am crazy but it feels pretty awesome.

Halloween Review (Lots of Photos)

Catching up on some blogging. Been going full speed these days and it is time to catch up on what has gone on.

Halloween was awesome this year! We normally have grandma and grandpa at our house to hand out candy and then take the littles around our block. Since grandpa was working and grandma was nursing her sprained ancle we decided to join our daycare family for some trick or treating!

Before that got started, Nathan came to my work dressed in his costume to do some trick or treating! I was shocked he wanted to be a Mario Brother for Halloween. Seriously, how awesome is that? Also, how old is my kid already? We looked everywhere for Mario but Luigi had to do. Lucky for us another kid in his class was Mario so it worked for the both of them.

Nathan in my mess of an office

Nathan got some Vampire teeth and couldn't wait to try them out.

While Nathan was playing at Mommy's work, Jacob was having a great day at daycare with all the kids! He was dressed as a the skunk.

His little tail bobbed when he walked :)

Then we got together and went out trick or treating with our friends!

This is Nathan and his best friend Miles. They met at daycare and when they get together it is like they never spent time apart. I love watching and listening to these two together...even if Mile's is a Vikings fan :)

Jacob spent most of the time in the cart as we walked around but it was lots of fun. We had an awesome time and look forward to doing it agian next year. We also got more candy than we can even think to eat! In fact, we had to toss the leftovers from last year to make room for this year!

Hope everyone else had a great Halloween too! I can't beleive it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving already!

And I Thought I'd Have Time!

When I graduated last month I thought for sure I'd have more time to do all the things I felt like I was missing out on...like crocheting, dishes, spending time with my kiddos. However, I'm finding that I don't have anymore time then I had before. I'm not exactly sure how I did school work!

I got a rush of orders recently and that took away from a few projects I was doing for some friends. Glad to have the business though and I'm so thankful for the people who find my little shop without me doing much advertising right now. I really am blessed with those that come to my shop and chose to purchase from me as there are a zillion other shops on Etsy.

Now that those projects are over I'm working on a blanket for a friend of mine. I posted a picture of it last time I blogged but I've changed my mind 50 times since then...here is the pattern I ended up going with.

The colors are a little washed out with my phone camera but they really work well together and they match the color scheme the momma has all planned out for their little girl. My friend is purchasing this for her boyfriend's sister. I can't wait to get it all done and then put an adorable bow around it! In fact, I want to make another one like it for another friend of mine who is having a baby this month.

This is another new pattern I've been working on. I made hats for my boys for the fall and they turned out pretty cute. While getting Jacob to stay in one place is difficult, here are some more pictures of the hats on the boys.

My shop is closed right now while I'm taking care of some of the out of store orders I've been getting. I have a few hat orders from work people to get done before the end of this month too. I'm also working on some new inventory for the shop as well! Stay tuned for pictures of more projects and sneak peeks to store additions once I'm ready to reopen!

Happy November!

What I'm Working On

It has finally happened! I graduated the Masters' program and I'm free! I am so excited to have gotten through the program but I'm also excited for the FREE TIME!

Here's what I've started working on

My friend asked me to help her out by making a baby blanket for someone she knows. I'm so excited! I'm working on the middle green square and then there will be cream and brown with more green in the mix. Going to look super cute and match the colors she is doing the nursery with well. I'm just hoping I can dedicate a lot of time to getting this done!

Of course my shop is still open but the orders are few. I haven't done a lot of advertising and I plan to pick that up once I get some of these other projects (like winter hats of the family). I look forward to spending more time being with the family as well. Our oldest is in first grade and needs some help in reading. He is a WIZ in math but you ask him to read or write and he freezes up. I'm glad to have more time to work with him. :)

Hope all is well with everyone out in blogland! Hope to see more of everyone in the coming days, weeks, and more!

Vacation!!

Huzzah! I have been in the deep need for a vacation for quite some time. The last time I took an actual vacation from work was a year ago...no wait, maternity leave which was 15 months ago. Crap. I need me some fun!

We are flying into Vegas Tuesday morning. My sister is picking us up from the air port and then we're going to the Hash House A Go-Go and meeting my BESTEST FRIEND for some breakfast. She will be there celebrating her 30th birthday. I feel bad missing the party but at least I will be there the day after for some birthday updates.

Then we will drive the 1.5 hours to my parent's house in Laughlin. HURRAY! I cannot tell everyone how much I cannot wait to hug my parents. I'm sure they feel the same about hugging me and my family. :) They haven't seen the kids in nearly a year.

The next 3 days will be spent hanging out with them and MY NIECE! I haven't seen Beth since I got married 8 years ago. She and I grew up more like sisters rather than Aunt and Niece. I tear up just thinking about how long it has been. I cannot wait for her to meet my babies.

Party part party till Saturday. Saturday is my grandmother's memorial. We are seeing family that I haven't seen in about 5 years. Nathan was a year old when we saw this side of the family and most of them were not at that that event. Nathan will have lots of cousins to play with. :)

Then back to my parent's house for two more days of play time before we come home! During this time I'll be doing my LAST WEEK of class for my Masters. I plan to have some sort of celebration while I'm out there. OH and Mike and I are hoping to squeeze in a date night so we can celebrate our 8th Wedding Anniversary in the town we were married!

I CAN'T WAIT!

Wishin' I was Home Doing These

Here is a picture list of all the lovely things I wish I was crocheting. I just got some amazing patterns from Playin Hooky . I've been eyeing her designs for quite some time. Now I'm the proud owner of 6 of her patterns. 4 I purchased myself and 2 came with being her 600th order! Whoop! Time to get out the crochet hook! If only I didn't have 3 blankets and 2 teddy bears ahead of these fun hats!!!

I'd Rather Be Crocheting

Sounds like a bumper sticker. It probably is.

Sad to say but I have a ton of school before I can crochet :( At least there is only 3 more weeks of this.

I just wish I could get the other stuff I HAVE to do! Feeling a little stressed out at the moment.

Apple Picking in the Fall

My mother in law and I have been wanting to take the boys apple picking for quite some time now. We talked about ALL last year and didn't get to it. Then this year the conversation started last weekend. We knew we HAD to fit it in.

Today, we were discussing how we didn't have anything much going on and needed something to do. DUH IT'S APPLE SEASON! I asked her if she was coming to get me or if I was coming to get her. She said she would be here in 20 minutes while I got the kids ready. We were finally going!

We have a few orchards to pick from around here but we decided to go to Ecker's Apple Farm . It's only 15 minutes away. We arrived and were impressed by the amount of people. Apparently, this place is pretty popular. There was a sweet little cafe with apple goodies, a store where you can choose a variety of apples and fun gifts, and a seating area to eat your bounty. We decided to find out where to go picking first. A nice lady showed us to the bags we would use. We grabbed three bags and headed out to the orchard.

We started and quickly realized one bag could be filled easily off a tree all by itself but we wanted to do some more walking. So we decided to search for only the "big ones". This picture shows grandma showing Nathan what "big ones" look like and how to place them nicely in the bag.

I could tell Jacob wanted to get out of the stroller and run around but he was content as long as we gave him some apples to hold along the way. He had a good time :)

Jacob and grandma having a good time in the orchard

Nathan does a fantastic job filling up his bag of apples!

Jacob tries to pick apples from his stroller.

It was a really good time and the boys did very well. After we were done apple picking we decided to go in, pay for our apples, and grab a treat! We went with the Queen's Apple, which was actually developed, trademarked, and franchised by this farm! It's a nummy cored apple drizzled in an amazing caramel sauce then topped with peanuts, whipped cream, and a cherry! It was so very delish and we will be back for more.

Our time apple picking was a success! We had a great time and I ended up going home with 2 big bags of Honeycrip apples. NOM! Never spent so much on apples in my life but it was worth it. We will try and go again before the season is over!