Happy New Year!!

I thought this toy was really cool and very fitting for New Year's!! I hope you all have a wonderful new year! Happy 2007!


Click here to get this from pimp.myYearbook.com!!

We got a new bedroom set!!

We finally upgraded from the hand-me-down bedroom set!! We are so excited! It is a platform bed, which is apparently popular everywhere but here. So, for once in our lives we are trendy. I didn't think that would ever happen. We don't usually care. Another nice thing about it is you don't have to use a box spring, so it is about $200 cheaper! I am so excited to get it here. My back is not going to know what hit it! It is also great to be finally in a queen bed! Oh the space!

Christmas break

We have had a great Christmas break. We still have a three-day weekend left! We have gotten a lot of things cleaned and/or organized!! THANKS Aaron! He is awesome! The house is in better order than it has been in a long time. We have been able to spend a lot of time relaxing as well.

The Wii is a ton of fun! Luke and Aaron have really enjoyed the new Zelda game and we have all liked the sports game that came with it.

I have also gotten to crochet quite a bit, which makes me happy. This double-sided blanket I am doing for my niece is going to take a while. I don't think it'll be done for the shower...it is only a few weeks away. But, I do have about 2 months before she is born. That is a more attainable goal. It is turning out really cool, though.

We made cream horns last night. We have never worked with phyllo before, and so it was a really interesting experience. By the last few, Aaron had figured out how to actually do it and it was pretty easy. We'll actually be able to duplicate it. Oh, they were SO yummy!

Recovery

I woke up at a little before 2 am on Christmas morning and couldn't go back to sleep. You'd think that it would have been the kids, but no, it was me all excited for Christmas. The kids had a great day and loved their gifts! We really enjoyed watching them open and play with all their new things! Christmas is for kids, it is so much more fun when you have little ones to watch and play with on Christmas morning. Somehow, I had energy to make it through the day, until about 2 pm or so when I got pretty tired. We were at my in laws' home until about 4 or so and by the time I got home, I didn't want to nap and then not be able to go to sleep for the night.

Tuesday was a busy day where I still didn't get a chance to clean the house from all the messes of Christmas. So, this morning, we are left with a huge disaster! Aaron is home still and so between the two of us I think we can get this place livable again, soon!

I did it! I did it! I did it!

I was actually able to complete the blue blanket that I was crocheting for Luke for Christmas!! I was so excited to be finished. I had enough yarn with some to spare! I thought I might get into trouble at the end. It turned out very well and looks great. I'll post pictures after Christmas. (I have a lot of things to post after Christmas, eh?) Even though I couldn't hide the fact that I was crocheting a blanket for him, I still wrapped it and put it under the tree for Luke to open in the morning.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Dee-dah!!

Belle loves Santa. She is only 16 months old, but she knows who he is. It started with a decoration that I added to the door. She loves to look at the things I hang there. Well, she has learned how to say it, well sort of. She calls him "Deedah!" It is so cute.

Merry Christmas! Leave me a present!

Get Your Own! | More Flash Toys

Pink

Pink is such a versatile color. You can mix and match just about any shades of pink and they look fabulous together--as long as only one of them is a print. Having said that, I have never liked pink. I am not a girlie-girl and I have no desire to wear a lot of pink. When I was pregnant with Belle, I told people that I wasn't a big fan of pink in hopes that I wouldn't get a lot of it. But, having female relatives I got a lot of pink clothes. Belle looks great in them, actually she looks great in just about anything! I have come to appreciate pink and even wear and enjoy a couple of pieces of pink clothing. (I wasn't the one to buy them, but I still like them.)

You really can't mix greens, oranges or reds. I think if you put teal and forest green together, for instance it just doesn't work. Come to think of it, blue is pretty versatile, too. I love blue! I think I'd be happy to wear only blue for the rest of my life!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!

We were able to get a Nintendo Wii. We didn't have to wait in line for 15 hours in subzero temperatures, either. We're waiting for it in the mail, now. I hope it gets here by Christmas, since that is the bulk of Aaron's Christmas. I can't wait to play it! It'll be so fun!

We're going to go to my in-laws' home for Christmas Eve since Santa Dennis is going to be there. Aaron's uncle dresses up every year and we get to have the kids enjoy him. Then, we'll go back home to clean up and sleep at home. We'll stay home in the morning to open presents and play. After that, we'll go to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play with brothers, sisters, grandparents and cousins. Plus, more presents and lots of food! I am excited! We are going to have a great Christmas! We only need to go to one parents' home, since mine are 2000 miles away. Some year we'll make the trip, but it is not something we can afford very often.

Life

Life sure hits hard sometimes. We had an especially rough weekend. I don't really want to share details now, maybe I can in the future, but I am not ready for that, yet.

We made it through and we are ready for what comes next, as long as it isn't bad. I am glad that it was this weekend and not next. I can be prepared to face all of the family and have a great Christmas. I don't think I could have done that if Christmas had been over this past weekend.

I feel that maybe I should be more upset still. I am not exactly happy, but I am sobered. I feel that I have changed, but that I am still happy about the rest of my life. I guess I really don't know how to feel.

Hoodies

I'm not usually a fan of posed pictures, but this one turned out really well. I was trying to get a cute picture to thank my aunt for the new clothes and this is what I got!

Snow Belle

It snowed again. Luke was playing inside with his dad. I took Belle outside to play in the snow. She had a blast this time!

Gmap Pedometer

I found this on Dumb Little Man (which by the way is a great blog. He puts tips for just about anything you can think of in life!) You use a map to trace routes for walking/running. It can calculate the miles you would go as well as estimate calories burned. I made a couple of routes that I can walk and get the exercise I need. You can save them and go back to remember later. Although, I don't think I'll be using it all that much until it is warmer... I'll have to go do my walking at Wal-Mart or something!

Christmas Blanket

Since I decided to only finish Luke's blanket by Christmas and that other projects can wait, I have actually been working on it alone. I have gotten a lot done and got to the half-way point, today. I can't believe that all it took to get me to really work on crocheting it was a thought that it needed to be done. I had also not worked on it in a while and was working on other projects. I had gotten bored with the the large blanket, so I worked on smaller projects. I guess I got that out of my system. It's a good thing. Christmas is only 2 weeks away!

Ha! Ha! I can post here!

Consider me a vandal. And not in the sense the Ancient Romans used the word.

Oooooh, Aaaaaah...

A couple of years ago, Aaron, his sister, Luke and I, went to look at neighborhood Christmas lights. She had Luke "Ooohing and Aaaahing" over every light we saw. This year we took the kids and I got them started on it again. Even Belle was saying it. It was adorable.

Unresolution

I agree with Aaron on this one. He doesn't like making New Year's resolutions because it is just an arbitrary day and why would you keep doing it, since it doesn't really have a lot of meaning?That said, I am making a resolution to be positive. I am a lot more negative, judgemental and critical that I want to be. I want to look for the good in things and especially people. It is also not of my business what others choose to do. When it has nothing to do with me, I am just going to leave it alone!!

Link to Pattern

I probably should have listed a link with the previous post. Here is where I found that pattern for a reversable baby blanket!

It turns out really neat! I don't think I will get to it until after Christmas. I have decided that the only projects that I really have to get done before Christmas, are the ones for Chirstmas. That cuts the stress way down! I think I can actually manage that!

Blogger Beta

I have had fun adding new elements to my blog. And it is so much easier for me on the new Blogger than before!! I love it!! I also realized in making a list of my current projects that I need to spend A LOT more time crocheting. Why do I always get so many great ideas at the end of the year? I really need to start brainstorming earlier!

I also found the coolest crochet blanket pattern. I took the kids to the library for storytime. There was a woman there who was making a blanket that was two-sided. You actually switch colors every row and it looks like you have to make it one color at a time and attach the two. I'll take pictures when I complete one!! I am excited. I am always trying new things in crochet, so this should be fun.

Pretend Spiderman Costume

I almost ripped Luke's pretend Spiderman costume. What kind of horrible mother would do such a thing?

He is the cutest little boy! He has been pretending to be Spiderman for a few days and told me today that I needed to be careful not to rip his pretend costume. I am so glad he has such an active imagination!! That is one thing we really try to encourage: playing with an imagination. Some people seem to think that their children and everyone else in the world, I suppose, should be grown up and sophisticated. I don't agree! I think we should all be allowed to play. Sure, there is work to be done, but why not have a little fun in life? Why not make up some stories to enjoy your day? Why not stay up late on a special occasion, just to enjoy life?

There is so much hate, anger and bitterness in the world. We should all take the time to put on our pretend costumes once in a while!! OR, why not just wear one all the time....I'm the little mermaid right now! At least it is pretend, you wouldn't want to see the real thing!! I promise!

Links

Wow! My blog was link-deprived. All it took was to try it out and, how easy is that? I guess most things seem hard until we try them and then it is easy and we wonder what we did before. Now, I can make referencing people and previous posts a simple click away!! I get excited over the silliest things, sometimes!

Oh, is it weird to anyone else that if you run a spell check, "blog" is always a trigger word. Does that make any sense at all on a blog???

Mom's Zazzle Page

My mom is a picture taking fool. It drove me nuts when she was here (Love you Mom) I think the worst was when she was taking pictures (LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS) of me feeding Belle some of my ice cream after my graduation. I mean who is cute eating over the age of 3?? Not me! But it has been nice to see all the pictures she has come up with and shared with us. She has also turned it into a way to make a little money. She has a webpage at Zazzle.com. She made the cutest shirts for Belle and Luke for Christmas. Luke's says "I am a geologist" and has a collage of rock formations, since he wants to be a "rock man". Belle's has a duck on it and says "I love baby ducks". I think she likes ducks mostly because she can say duck. It is pretty cute. Sorry, but they are already wrapped or I'd put a picture on here. That'll have to wait until Christmas.

But, here is the picture that she is going to put on a tote bag for me:



I thought it would be fun to have a bunch of pictures of my kids on a bag that will most likely hold a lot of stuff for them!

And, here is a link to her page:

Photogenic Pics

Advent Calendar

Thoroughly Mormon Millie asked that I post my advent calendar. I made it from my head using five different fabrics and made the pockets from 4 inch squares that I sewed together and attached to a background fabric. There is batting in the middle and ribbons along the top, I don't really like the way that I have decided to hang it, but that is how it will stay this year. The plan is to do one "deed" per day. Some of them I did duplicates and others are things that may or may not get done. I just wanted a way to accomplish all the traditions that we always want to do, but don't always get to.

Here's my list:

(I should have done a "Go look at Christmas lights", huh?)
Read the Christmas Story
Everyone do something nice for the person just older than you (oldest gets the youngest)
Everyone do something nice for the person just younger than you (youngest gets the oldest)
Make a yummy Christmas treat and share it with a friend
Watch a Christmas movie
Read a Christmas story
Make a Christmas Craft
Make a Christmas treat
Make a gingerbread house
Sing Christmas carols
Go caroling
Make and drink wassail
Learn about St. Nicholas
Learn about why we give gifts at Christmas
Take a treat to someone's door and run away
Read a favorite story about Jesus
Act out the Nativity
Play in the snow
Write a letter to someone who is away from home
Do a good deed
Read a Christmas article from the Friend or Ensign
Learn about Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith's Birthday (December 23rd)
Read the Christmas story in the Bible(December 24th)
Open Presents(December 25th)

Hope you have a great Christmas!!

"Will you wake me up in the mo'nin' ?"

This is the question I get everyday, well, MANY times everyday, from my 4 year old. Here's the dialog:

Him: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes?"

Him: "Will you wake me up in the mo'nin?"

Me: "Yes." (Unless I feel like teasing and having him yell, then I say no way.)

Him: "Promise?"

Me: "Yes."

Him: "Forever?" (I'm not sure why I have to make a forever promise or where that came from, but it is cute.)

Me: "Yes."

Him: "Okay."

You would think that a forever promise was good enough, but then he'll ask again in a few minutes and we go through the whole process again.

The good thing is that waking him up does not mean I have to get him up early and have him be grumpy all day because he woke up before he needed to. I simply have to go upstairs when he wakes up and be there when he gets out of bed and goes potty in the morning. He is a cutie.

I had a topic, but I forgot...

Last night I thought of a great topic to blog about, and I should have written it down. I didn't and now, I have no clue what it was. But, I'll share a cute story about Luke. He is 4 1/2 and is always asking about things. If he is watching a movie he asks all about the plot and who is a bad guy and a good guy. It is really cute, but gets really frustrating, especially when I am reading or otherwise not paying attention to the movie. But, the other day he was asking a series of questions and I didn't know an answer. He thought I should know, and he said he thought I knew everything. I told him that I didn't and he asked if various people did know everything. It was really cute. I wish that he always thought that I knew everything. It would come in handy in about 10 years!

Cutie

I may be biased, but I think she is about the cutest little girl EVER!!!

Christmas Decorations

Belle thinks the tree is great!! I get to battle her, but I have chosen to try and let her get used to it being there and, I am hoping that I'll have less frustration if I let her play a little.


Luke got to try and place the star on top!


Our stockings are hung with care, but we don't have a chimney...


Here's the advent calendar to help us keep up the traditions we want to enjoy.


Here's a close-up of the tree skirt.

I am really excited to have all the homemade decorations this year!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was at Aaron's aunt and uncle's home. We haven't had it there, before. She went to a lot of trouble to make everything beautiful and really nice. She sent invitations (which, frankly, I thought were weird for a family gathering, before going). She had center pieces. There were even take home gifts (including Playdoh for the kids). It was a great meal and we had a great time!!

Lemon Pie

I love Thanksgiving pies. My favorite is one that my Grandmother used to make. It is a lemon custard pie. It is so sweet and...I think my mouth just started to water thinking about it. It is nothing like lemon meringue, but everyone thinks it is and they pass it up for others. That just leaves more for me.

Aaron was able to go into work early and get off early, so we came down to be with him, today. The kids and I are staying at my mother in law's house for the day and then helping make some of the pies for dinner tomorrow.

I can just feel the pounds attaching themselves to my hips just thinking about it.

Craftiness

So I've been doing a lot of sewing recently. It is odd because I don't really sew well or often. Between Halloween, when I made two Jedi robes, and a Jedi tunic, and Christmas, when I am finally making the tree skirt, stockings and an advent calendar, I have been a busy little seamstress. I have really enjoyed it. I am not very good and that is probably because I just dabble. My real craft love is crochet. No matter how many things I try, I return to her: My one true craft love! I have done it the most and know how to do the most things in crochet. I think it is where I am comfortable. I am always trying new things in crochet, too. It is fun to experiment with new techniques and materials.

P. S. I'll post pictures of my Christmas creations when they are done and/or up for the holidays!

MySpace

I was sucked into myspace. I really didn't want to be there. My extended family are all there and love it, so I decided to join so that I could post on their blogs and that sort of thing. I really just like having a plain and simple blog where I can do what I want, I just want a blog.

Sleep

Does anyone else take pictures of their kids when they fall asleep in weird positions or places? I do it all the time. They are so cute, plus they might make good blackmail someday...


Belle fell asleep, in my arms, barely after waking up yesterday morning and I took this picutre of she and Freckles resting together. Freckles would be a lap dog if she weren't such a giant!


Luke was still sick, so he was extra sleepy yesterday, too. He crawled into the makeshift tent-fort we made in the living room for them.


Luke was having a bad day, so he was in time-out until he could calm down. Well, he calmed down... How do you like that Jedi tunic?

Waiting in Line

I can't believe all the people we have seen waiting in line, outside of stores, to get the new video game systems. And it isn't like they get anything special for doing it. They still have to pay for them. It is ridiculous! We want to get the Wii for Christmas, but there is no way we'd wait outside in below freezing temperatures, just for a game. It's JUST a game. If we can't get it before Christmas, we'll be able to get it after.

It got me thinking, though. What would I be willing to wait in line, like that, for? The only things I can think of are not things you can buy. The only things that I want THAT bad are the health and welfare of my family and to be close to God. Those things are way more valuable and you have to work for them, not sit and wait around.

Ill

Well, now that I am feeling well, it is Aaron's turn. The kids are doing well, just more tired than usual (Luke just fell asleep sitting beside me). Aaron is upstairs in bed. I really should get up and do something to the house, but I don't feel like it. Other than all the toys on the floor and the tent in the middle of the living room, it actually isn't all that bad. On Thursday, I was in between illnesses, and I was able to get quite a bit done.

I think the nastiness on Wednesday may or may not have been caused by the large amounts of popcorn balls that I consumedon Tuesday. If we didn't finish it, it would have been all soggy the next day. I do that more than I should--eating more than I should so that it isn't gross the next day.

I did work on my Christmas decorations. The tree skirt is all but done, 2 out of 4 stockings are also all but done, and the advent calendar is not even close. I need to go buy more red thread before I can do very much more. I'll post pictures when they are complete. I have to get at least the tree skirt done by the day after Thanksgiving. We always put up the tree, then.

100 Things About ME!

Well, I thought I'd try to post a list of 100 things about me.

1. I love to sing, but I rarely do so in public.
2. I refused to eat chocolate as a child because I was fanatical (I couldn't give it up, now)
3. I got my first dog this year and have mostly enjoyed it.
4. She is a dalmation, German shorthair pointer mix and her name is Freckles.
5. I love being a mom---2 is a great number, for now, we'll see what we are given.
6. I have a horrible memory.
7. I love to read.
8. I am a crochet-a-holic.
9. I like to have a clean house, but #5 makes that nearly impossible.
10. My favorite season is spring.
11. But I love snow! I usually go out and take pictures of the first snow of the season.
12. I shop for purses and other bags everywhere we go, Aaron thinks I am nuts.
13. I think that cooking is fun.
14. I like to find new recipes, and get bored if I don't get new ones once in a while.
15. I was born in Florida.
16. I was 21 when I moved out of state.
17. My name is from Ben-Hur.
18. I have a bachelor's degree in horticulture.
19. I'm not a very picky eater.
20. I don't get depressed.
21. I love turtles, but I have never owned one.
22. My favorite colors are blue, yellow and green (I can't decide in what order)
23. My favorite number is 23.
24. I don't watch very much TV.
25. Calla lilies are my favorite flowers. (But I have TONS of seconds)
26. I get along with most people.
27. I love being at home.
28. I used to squish my face up when I walked home from the bus stop so that kidnappers wouldn't think I was cute enough to take. (Conceited, eh?)
29. I love cool pens.
30. I love Christmas!! (I started playing Christmas music at the beginning of November)
31. But, I don't like Santa.
32. I don't know how to fix my hair. (Most days are bad hair days)
33. I really like potato chips.
34. So, I rarely buy them.
35. I love mushrooms. (Aaron hates them, so I usually only eat them at restaurants)
36. I like shrimp. (Aaron thinks they are bugs.)
37. I make lists for most things.
38. I hate pictures of myself. (But I like how I look in the mirror)
39. I drive a purple Saturn.
40. I wear glasses, but only when I need them. (Which is becoming more common)
41. Lasagna and cheese cake are my favorite foods.
42. I like cold weather. But I need a nice warm coat outside and cozy blankets inside.
43. My hair and eyes are dark brown.
44. I like weird names, but I have a difficult time naming children strange things.
45. I am a Mormon.
46. I didn't have a middle name until I got married and used my maiden name.
47. I don't drink very much pop.
48. I hate buying shoes.
49. I have REALLY wide feet. (Reason for #48)
50. I am right-handed.
51. I wish I knew how to play the piano.
52. I have a sister and 2 brothers.
53. I am a morning person.
54. I don't get enough sleep.
55. I have seasonal allergies.
56. I haven't found my political party, yet.
57. I sing the songs from video games.
58. I get songs stuck in my head easily.
59. I have really weird dreams, but I rarely remember them past the morning.
60. I have a horrible sense of direction.
61. I like order and symmetry.
62. I don't spell very well. I will replace the word I really want to use with one I know how to spell.
63. I love orange juice.
64. I can remember numbers easily, sometimes without trying.
65. I can do math in my head, quite quickly.
66. I haven't liked math since 7th grade, but before that, I loved it.
67. I like to get email.
68. I like to get mail.
69. I love presents!
70. I was homeschooled in second grade.
71. I did well through school.
72. People think I am younger than I am.
73. I am 5 feet 5 inches tall.
74. I got bitten by a dog when I was a teenager and (after some time had passed) I was less afraid of dogs after it than before the bite.
75. I can keep a secret.
76. I have no tatoos or piercings other than one ear piercing in each ear.
77. I was supposed to wait until I was 13 to get my ears pierced, but my mom let me when I was eight.
78. The only jewelry I wear everyday is my wedding ring.
79. I don't wear make-up at all.
80. I always light a candle if I know someone is coming over, because I am paranoid that my house smells weird.
81. I notice things that most other people don't.
82. I can tell when many people are pregnant long before they announce it. (#81 helps with that one.)
83. My favorite musicians are Billie Holiday, Harry Connick Jr, and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
84. The only real concert I have ever been to is Simon and Garfunkel with Aaron. (About 2 years ago.)
85. I like to wash my hands in warm water.
86. I like to brush my teeth in cold water.
87. I have never been out of the US.
88. I remember faces extremely well.
89. I forget names, horribly.
90. I hate guns.
91. I met Aaron online, but not on purpose.
92. Aaron is the only man I have ever loved.
93. I don't have a distinct accent. Most of my family does.
94. I have good skin.
95. I would like to act on stage. Just for a community thing.
96. I mostly drink water, but I don't get as much of it as I should.
97. I love cuddling.
98. I have mostly cacti and other succulent plants as houseplants. When I get normal plants, they usually die, because I am used to watering the others.
99. I worry a lot that those I love will die.
100. I love taking cute pictures of my kids, but I take a long time to get them off of the camera and edited on the computer.

There, I did it! It took me a while but I don't feel too bad because we are sick at our house today, so not much got done, anyway.

Agency

We had a great lesson about agency in church, yesterday. A lot of it revolved around how to teach our children to make wise choices. The sister that taught, read part of a newspaper column. In it the author talked about the fact that there is too much negativity in directions. He thought there were way too many "Don'ts" and not enough "Dos". For example, when the kids are yelling, what do we do? Tell them to stop yelling, rather than give them something to do, such as play quietly, or whisper or be reverent.

I do give alternatives at times, but I, too am guilty of just saying "no", or "don't" rather than giving a GOOD alternative. That is my new goal.

Snow

It snowed pretty hard for the first time this year, yesterday. I took the kids out to play in it. They liked it!

Punishment

Our little boy is having trouble with violence. We have started to take away all violent toys, movies and games. He love Star Wars, so it is an especially effective punishment. Today is the first time he doesn't get anything violent. A few days ago, we took away all Jedi stuff to try and teach him to control himself and that Jedi only use violence when absolutely necessary. I hope it works. It is tough to teach a 4 year old that he needs to think before he does. It is definitely a needed life skill, though. In most instances, he is such a good little boy. He is fun and smart, but he just has trouble with hitting his family. At least he doesn't hit other kids.

Waste

Well, I wasted a lot of time on random quizzes! I needed that, though. It was a weird Saturday...We didn't do most of the things we normally do, so I needed to do something else. Sure, I could have been productive, and I was in the morning, but I wasted a lot of time. I think everyone needs to do that now and then. If you are always "on" you'd go nuts. I also couldn't work on the crochet project that I wanted to. I have been making a cradle from some really stiff yarn and it hurts my hands. I have to do a little at a time or I am afraid I'll get carpal tunnel syndrome. That would drive me nuts!! I need my hands!

Future

If You Were Born in 2893...

Your Name Would Be: Reunn Vir And You Would Be: A Comet Chaser

If You Were Born in 2893

Wow, and I'm a college graduate!

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

My celebrity baby name

Your Celebrity Baby Name Is...

Heaven Bamboo

What's" Your Celebrity Baby Name?

I finished!!

Well I am doing well, so far. I finished two projects this week!! I successfully turned a would-be baby blanket into a cute little doll blanket for Christmas and I made a bunny puppet from the pattern I bought on ebay. The kids really like it! His name is Harry.

Unfinished

I am really good at starting projects and then finding another I want to try. The first project gets set aside and the new one is begun. Well, I am going to go back and finish or remake my old projects into something else. My first is a baby blanket that I started before I was pregnant with my 4 1/2 year old. I'm going to turn it into a baby doll blanket for my baby girl and then that one will be out of the craft box forever.

I need to do the same thing with books. There are about 8 books (that I can think of) that I am in the process of reading, most of which I haven't looked at in months or years. They are all good books, I just have gotten distracted by another and need to finally go back and finish them. I keep upping the number of books as I type this paragraph. It is sad.

Pumpkin

A few days ago, my neighbors put out a carved pumpkin. Our dog saw it and was really angry with it. She sat inside staring, barking and growling, and when we went outside, she barked louder, flared up her fur and tried to get at it. It was nuts. She didn't have a problem with other pumkins, and she is fine with it now that a few days have passed, but I guess there was just something about that jack-o-lantern.

Thanksgiving

I have lived across the country from where I grew up for about seven years. I email and talk to my family a lot and so it isn't a big deal most of the year. For some reason, Thanksgiving is the time of year when I miss my family most. We would always get together for a huge family meal. Most of the cousins, aunts, uncles, Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters and Granny all are there. We talked, played and of course ATE! Granny makes this wonderful stuffing with mushrooms, bread crumbs, and chicken giblets. My husband thinks it is foul, but it is awesome. I miss that and the ham. Here we have really yummy turkey, but ham waits for Christmas. I think a lot of it is that Thanksgiving was the time of year that we always got together and spent a lot of time together. I really love my home and family here, but Thanksgiving time is still a bit tough for me.

Can I do it?

To go along with the puppetry I have in mind, I am going to try to learn ventriloquism. I have never really thought a whole lot about it, but I think it'll be fun to try. I found a website and I hope it will help. There is always the library! I'll let you know how it goes!

Looking for Puppets

I want to crochet some hand puppets for my kids. I have been looking for a while for a pattern and have had very little luck. I found a place that has one, but I don't think I can get it. If anyone has a clue let me know. THANKS!!

Jeans

Well, I took a pair of old jeans and cut them into 1/2 inch strips. Then, I used the strips and some other fabric, to crochet a little purse. It is quite workout for my hands to crochet with denim. I like it. I think I am going to make a big basket for our living room out of it. It'll take a lot of jeans, though. So, if anyone reading this has unwearable jeans they want to donate, I'll take them.

Yum!

I tried to cook my cook book, today. I should have known that the back burner of my stove was NOT a safe place to rest it. Of course, since the book was in the way of the dial, I turned on the back burner, rather than the front one. Amazingly, the cook book is only minorly damaged (browned bottoms of pages and a slightly melted cover) and the taco soup turned out well. I promise I really am a good cook. I love to cook, I just make silly mistakes sometimes. Maybe this is another reason to edit and print my recipes again.

Pseudosphere

Well, I finished it and realized that it is what is called a pseudosphere--a cone in hyperbolic space. Here it is!
It was really easy. All you have to do is start with a small number of stitches and increase every few stitches. I increased every third stitch. This one was done in rounds.

Crocheting Numbers

Okay, so this is my second post, today, but this one is too interesting to pass up. I was looking for a picture and found this: http://theiff.org/oexhibits/oe1e.html

There is a mathmatician at Cornell University who made a crochet model of hyperbolic space. It is really neat, check it out!

I started making one. It is about 4 inches in diameter, so far...

I am going to have to read the sections about hyperbolic space a few times to understand completely. It has been a while since I've had ANY math classes. And, I'm pretty certain my geometry class (10th grade) didn't go that deep.

Library Junkie

Recently I have become a library junky. I go at least once a week, and many weeks is it more than that. I love to check books out before I buy them, in case I don't want to. My kids love books and this opens up the possibilities for us. My son also likes to play the Magical School Bus games on their computers. My baby likes to run away, so I started taking a stroller.

It's nice to be able to thoroughly look through cook books. I have found that most have a lot of really weird recipes that I would never make for my family and if I did, they wouldn't eat them!

My latest find is a book called Simple Crochet by Erika Knight. From the cover, it looks like a regular crochet book, but she recommends crocheting with anything that is a continuous string. Her list includes kitchen twine, hemp, ribbon, mohair, and my personal favorite, leather thonging. I am really excited to try to make a basket out of leather. It looks really neat and would be really useful as well. She also has patterns for boxes to hold household goods in. They also look interesting.

I've also been reading the Anne of Green Gables series. I have loved the movies since I was a little girl and now I have finally gotten around to reading the books. I've really enjoyed reading about the "Anne-Girl".

Smile

It's amazing the utter joy that my baby's smile can bring to my heart. She is an amazingly happy baby. She is so much fun to watch. She is funny and loves to laugh. I love to see her learning. You can almost see the connections being made and the thoughts developing in her little head.

It is really fun to watch my son grow and learn. Sometimes, it is hard, because he has started learning things that I am not sure how to answer. He has learned about death and wanted to know if Santa Claus was dead. What do you say to that? I am really amazed at some of the things that he understands and remembers. He shocks me regularly! He can remember things I had forgotten.

I love the things I have learned by being a mother. It makes me think of a book called Being the Mom : 10 coping strategies I learned by Accident because I had children on purpose by: Emily Watts. It has been a while since I read it, so I really don't remember much other than it is funny (my memory is horrid) but I thought of the title. I have learned a lot of things on "accident" because I chose to have children. I think I have learned to have more patience and tolerance. I have learned that anything can be a toy. I have learned diligence, so that I can constantly make sure they aren't killing themselves. I have definitely learned a lot about love. I can't wait for the next lesson.

Crochet

I love to crochet!! I love to make things for people and honestly, for myself. I tend to make either things for my kids or purses for me. I also love to make hats and scarves. (which are really handy since I moved from Florida to snow!) I hate the cliche of a little old lady crocheting doilies (though I have made some of those, too). I am a young crocheter and I like to make things that I can use. If I have a need, I try to find a way to make something to fill that need. Water bottle holder, a band to hold toy arrows, bags and bookmarks are all on the list. Right now, I am making a blanket for my son and knitting finger puppets for my he and his little sister.

There is so much time that can be wasted just watching TV or talking. I like to take crochet along and work on something while I am talking to family or watching a movie. (as long as it isn't one I've never seen, then I need to see it more to know what is going on.) I think this stems from being fidgety. I wiggle a lot and crochet gives my hands something to do.

Strong Women

I love being a mom! But that is not all that I am. I can be a strong, educated person, with a life of my own as well. I don't have to simply wash, wipe, and cook because I chose to stay home with my kids. I am not implying that I don't like to do these things. (well, I hate dishes) I love to cook, teach my children, take care of my home, husband and kids. BUT, I am more than these things. I know women who have the goal of being wives and mothers, but seen to have no other aspirations in life. My question is: what do YOU do all day? I am a stay at home mom, but I don't just sit and stare at my kids and clean all day. I do a lot of that, because they are young, but I do things that I enjoy as well. I need to be a complete person, too. I can't raise complete, healthy individuals if I am not one myself! I have interests and hobbies. I am going to teach a community class. I just got my bachelor's degree. I rarely get bored--I have too many things that I like to do. I hope that all women, especially those who choose to stay home with their children can learn that they need to and can be accomplished, educated women!!

Howdy

Well, here I am at my first posting on my own blog. I'm not sure I'll have much to say, but I'll say it anyway. Maybe no one else will find it interesting, but I'll do what I like. I guess we'll see what happens. Thanks.