Michelle's Stitchwitchery

Hair Wars, Episode IV: A Lost Hope

2009-10-05T13:25:00.002-04:00

Yes my friends, it's started again!! Melodie is resisting the hair brushing. This morning, I had to threaten to not only never turn the TV on again before they leave the house (which it usually isn't anyway), but to cancel the cable to get her to brush, and even then I had to finish it. I gave her til the end of the week, and if not, it's getting whacked again!

This is ADM week again, and we MUST NOT BE TARDY!! Or at least, so says the note they send home every quarter when they do this.

My new work schedule is going great. The house is coming into better shape, finally. And having 2 whole days off in a row....I can't even describe how wonderful that is to finally experience!!

My crafting is going pretty slow this month. I'm still working on my first Poke-critter for the Cup. I should hopefully have him done tomorrow. This is a 20" tall Ash Ketchum trainer ami. It's much more involved than I thought it would be! I'm a good 70% done, though. I've got him all together. I just need to embroider and attach the eyes, attach the hair I've got made and finish the last few spikes of that, and then do the hat, shirt, and pants. Hopefully it will go pretty quickly. Other than the pant legs, it should mostly be done flat, which I think goes much more quickly than in the round.

Well, my back is hurting and I've got a TON of work today, so I'll update more later!

Last Day of the Month

2009-09-30T13:21:00.002-04:00

Well, the first month of the fall term of the Cup is officially ending today...and I completed all 6 classes!! yay! I've also joined a Quidditch team (to make stuff to send to my cousin in Afghanistan) and submitted for an OWL. (The toaster will be mine!!!)

I've completed my first filet bookmark for Transfiguration, the Crochet Counting Fish toy for Charms (which will be one of Charlie's X-mas presents), a Sheldon for DADA (Charlie gift #2), a golden snitch necklace for Ari (also X-mas present) for COMC, a soap saver pour moi for Herbology, and I can't for the life of me remember what Potions was...hmmm.....ahhh yes, Charlie's new Mittens. My OWL is going well. I've got the front of Ari's sweater almost done. I've got 1 sleeve done and 1 started for Melodie's sweater, and the bottom is done, though I think I may frog the last row and make it a bit longer because it looks like I'll have plenty of yarn. If anyone makes the Fresh-Picked sweater from Lion Brand, be forewarned the picture shown is of an oversized sweater, and the one the pattern is written for is, in fact, cropped as it says. The bit about the over-sized picture is in small print, and I'll be sending an email of complaint for a misleading picture. Why on earth would you put a picture up with a pattern of something that the pattern doesn't make!?!?!

Tomorrow, we get new homework for the Cup, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping I can fit most of Melodie's b-day crafting in there. I'm planning on making her all the Poke-critters I can this month. And Charlie needs a Halloween goody bag.

I've also been sewing. I ♥ my new sewing machine!! :0) I've started cutting out a new jacket for Atley because his old one is getting small. Charlie will also be getting a jacket with matching pants that will double as his Halloween costume. Along with his Chunky Monkey hat.

Maters and House Cup and Children, Oh My!

2009-09-18T08:55:00.004-04:00

We have a TON of ripe tomatoes! We'll be canning them this weekend. I'm hoping to have pics up early next week for all of you who commented on our organic tomatoes! We're thinking about just stewing these and not actually making sauce so we can use them in more things throughout the winter. I can't wait!

I've been making GREAT progress on my House Cup work! I've got 5 of 6 classes done. I've completed a pair of mittens for Charlie, Sheldon, a Crochet Counting Fish toy (both also for Charlie), a filet crochet bookmark for me (my first filet crochet!), and a teeny tiny golden snitch pendant to make a necklace for Ari for Yule! Just dyeing more yarn with walnuts and working up my Charlie's hat for his Halloween costume.

The kids are having a blast at school! Melodie seems to have really grown up the last few weeks. We're having a much easier time. Ari will be starting tutoring in the next week or so, so hopefully her spelling and sounds will get better. Her teacher said she'll be contacting speech, also, and voicing my concerns....again. Hopefully this time it will help, because the teacher agrees with me that she's having a hard time with spelling and phonetics because of the way she says things. Atley is just having the time of his life. He plays and is doing SO good! His art work has gotten better. His handwriting is better than Ari's (at least the letters that he does know and can write.) Charlie is still sad and lonely. :0( He's mommy's buddy. (yes Michelle Duggar, I'm quoting you!)

Oh, and I almost forgot....we've had our first tardy! It was really not due to not getting ready on time. I hurt my back yesterday morning. See, it was legitimate! Apparently, my back does not like to do laundry any more than the rest of me. I was lifting laundry out of the dryer, and oh the pain! It wasn't even like it was a heavy load of jeans or towels or a full laundry basket. It was just laundry, and the girls' tank tops and sundresses at that. It weighed all of 2 pounds.

Atley's First Day of School

2009-09-13T09:39:00.006-04:00

I know, I'm a horrible mom. Mere hours after the girls bust open their shiny new pencils, I've blogged about their first day of school. My Atley, has yet to have his first day of school blog post. :0( So, without further ado.....Atley's First Day of School!!

He was SO excited to go to school!! Of course with our later start time this year (not one tardy yet, knock on wood!), we have plenty of time to get ready, and he had to wait awhile to leave, which he was very anxious about. He barely said goodbye when he jumped out of the car and ran to the school.
He has been very happy to go everyday now. He's doing pretty good, I think. He even did a good job on his first swimming lesson! (He was not the child who kicked and screamed and ran from the pool!! yay!!!) Luckily, he and Ari seem to have the same swim day, however hers seems to be after lunch, so I don't usually catch hers. :0(

In crafty news, the fall term of the House Cup is well underway! We're about halfway done with the first month. So far, I've completed a Sheldon for DADA, a lace bookmark for Transfiguration (which I still need to block so I can turn in), a pair of mittens for Charlie for Potions, and I'm over halfway done with a counting fish toy for Charlie for Charms. That will leave dyeing some more yarn with walnuts for Herbology, and I think I'm doing a snitch for CoMC. Plus, I've still got to submit for my OWL approval. (I will be doing Muggle Studies to get the toaster badge.) I'm going to knit Ari a Gryffindor House Sweater and Melodie a Fresh Picked Cardigan.

I've also started to fill my Etsy shop!! Yay!!

Oh, and of course we can't forget everyone's favorite recurring theme....Injury Of The Day!!!! Today's Injury of the Day goes to.....Arianna! (I know, a rarity!) Yesterday, we went to the fair. We were sitting on some nice, shady benches eating our yummy fair-food lunch, and Ari decided it was a good idea to stand between them and swing. She took a flying leap.........and cracked her jaw on one! We've got a nice bruise from that one. I swear, my kids. *sigh*

Awesome Hooked on Phonics Gr. 1 Giveaway!

2009-09-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

My Organized Chaos (click post title for the link) is doing another SUPER GREAT giveaway....a complete Gr. 1 Hooked on Phonics program!! I so need this for Ari. She needs some help. She does okay reading, but mostly because she can remember everything she hears, so she wings it. Her spelling definitely needs some help, though. She got a 44% on her spelling worksheet last week. :0( I don't think I've ever felt more like I've failed as a mother than when I saw that paper. :0(

There are a bunch of other cool products on the Hooked on Phonics website, too. Check them out!

First Day of School Pt. 1

2009-08-24T11:44:00.005-04:00

Well, it's official. Summer vacation is finally over. The girls went back to school today!!

They were SO excited. Melodie is in 4th grade this year, and it's her last year in grade school. She'll be a middle-schooler next fall! Ari is in 1st grade and very excited to see her friends again.

Lucky for us, all of the elementary schools are starting at 9:25 this year, so here's hoping no more tardies!! lol

This morning went very smoothly. It was a little surprising how smoothly it went, actually.

Atley goes for his KRA-L assessment test tomorrow. Then, his first day of school will be Thursday. I admit it, I'll probably cry when my sweet little baby boy goes to school. He is completely my little momma's boy, my little poppet, and I'll miss him horribly. Charlie and I are going to have fun together, though!

Yesterday, we canned for the first time! Dan had made some pasta sauce, so we decided to give it a try before our tomato crop comes in and we're swimming in tomatoes without a clue on how to can! It was a success, and we're very proud of ourselves! lol We got a half dozen pints. I think I'm going to need to get some more jars, though. We have ALOT of tomatoes that will be done. This batch was just from cans of tomatoes from the store. Our tomatoes are homegrown organic....I can't wait!

And, I finally finished Ari's snitch socks...better late than never! (ok, actually I finished them a few days ago, but here is the pic.)

I also finally fixed the neck band on Charlie's Imagine Peace Vest last night. I'm hoping to get some pics of him in it with my snowball bush this week.

My Organized Chaos: Dyson DC25 Vacuum ~ With Giveaway

2009-08-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

I have been dying to have one of these vacuums ever since they came out! And now, the chance to win one!?!? I can't even imagine. These are so expensive, I've never even thought about actually being able to have one of my own. My old vacuum is less than perfect, and it's big and bulky. This one is small and light and works so well! I hope I win!

My Organized Chaos: Dyson DC25 Vacuum ~ With Giveaway

Some pics

2009-08-10T11:52:00.004-04:00

Okay, here are some pics of my last few projects! Here is Charlie, in his new matching get-up (minus missing slipper, which I'm apparently going to have to re-knit.) I will be taking the top button off and sewing up the buttonhole, because there's no way I can button it without choking the poor little guy!

Next, is baby Hermione. Ari likes the sweater vest look, and says she doesn't want sleeves on her. I still need to sew the blanket, though. (It will take all of 5 minutes.)
Ari's birthday was nice. She loved her doll! I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow. Her cake didn't turn out how I wanted it. :0( I just tried to rush it too much. She still loved it, though.

We have another injury of the day! This time, it was poor little Charlie. :0( We had Charlie vs. the Rocking Chair, and the rocking chair won. He now has a nice vertical line in the middle of his forehead. I'm not sure how he got a vertical line from the rocking chair, but that is what the other children reported his head hit. Poor little guy's had a rough last few days!

We went to Cleveland Saturday, to take the little kids to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Melodie is at Disney World with my mom this week! They are having a blast. We initially wanted to take the kids to Memphis Kiddie Park, which is kind of like a fair/carnival kind of rides amusement park, just for little kids. Unfortunately, the "isolated" T-storms turned into an all day long shower, so we went to the museum, and were going to head back to the amusement park if it cleared up. We walked out of the museum, and low and behold, sunny skies were just opening up! We headed back to the amusement park, and it had closed. Evidently, they must have given up on the rain. (There were people there when we went by in the morning, but the rides hadn't been going.) So, we went to White Castle, where Ari got whacked in the head with a box of chicken! (It was a Church's/White Castle.) The guy felt so bad, he won her a prize out of the claw game.

All in all, the kids had a pretty good time. Then we got lost on the way home, and went like an hour out of the way. Oh well, it was a nice, scenic drive. ;0)

Poor little Charlie's bum was worse for wear after his all day long sitting marathon, though. He was in pretty bad shape yesterday, but was doing better today, you know, until the rocking chair thing.

Friday, we are taking the kids to COSI! I can't wait! I think I'm more excited than they are. I'll be taking Ari's sock to work on in the car on the way down, and finally finish that.

Some progress to report!

2009-08-05T12:54:00.002-04:00

Well, I am very happy to say, I finished my OWL! I knit the 2 baby camo bibs, a sweater for Charlie, with matching slippers (of which the children have already lost 1) and little leg warmer/hamhock covers for winter. He also got a new pair of socks.

I did not finish Ari's socks in time to turn in for complete points. :0( I am hoping to finish them by tomorrow...when my sweet baby girl turns 6!!

I did get a wonderful present for my birthday, though. My dad bought me a new sewing machine!! It is awesome. Though, it still doesn't have all the stitch options I had hoped for, I am still THRILLED with it!

Yesterday was the first day I got to use it. I made Melodie a purse with matching coin purse (cursing my snap attacher....grrr. It's a hand press, not part of my sewing machine, and let's just say, I now have to cover the hole I accidentally pressed in her purse! sigh) And I made Ari a baby Hermione doll she had asked for, for her b-day, to go with her baby Harry. I just have to embroider the face tonight and whip up some clothes and a blanket. I ♥ my new machine!

I'm hoping to work the heel on the sock tonight, and I'll probably have to finish up the foot tomorrow during lulls in work. I've also got to bake her cake tonight. She was inspired by one of her friend's b-day cakes, so I'm tweaking it a little bit because I don't have the necessary baking apparatus to recreate that one! I'm doing a quarter sheet cake, and we're making cupcake fairy houses on top! My mom got me a piping tip and dye set for my b-day. (I had been buying tips as necessary.)

My Organized Chaos: Sophie's Chic Boutique ~ With Giveaway

2009-07-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

Check this out! Win a pair of squeaky baby shoes!! How cute are these?!? Charlie needs some new shoes in a bad way, so these would be great for him. He's never had his own brand new shoes yet, just Atley's hand me downs.

Plus, today is my birthday, and it ends on Ari's birthday, so I've got birthday luck on my side, right!?!?

My Organized Chaos: Sophie's Chic Boutique ~ With Giveaway

I am just a boring person

2009-07-22T16:36:00.002-04:00

So, I keep thinking, I need to blog today! But, I'm just not interesting!! I've just been working and wrangling the kids.

About all the exciting news I have right now is knitting related, and that's not all that exciting! I'm kind of stalled. I've got a week and a half of the Cup left for this term, and then it's break.

Right now, I'm working on my OWL. Since Charlie's sweater grossly underused my stash I'm trying to get rid of (I need to knit/crochet 750 yd for a Transfiguration OWL), I kind of lost my gumption. The pattern said the largest size would use 600 yd. I knit with 1 size larger needles, and it still only used about 384!!! I'm working on it, though. I've got half a baby sock done. I need to finish at least this pair and use up the last of the yarn that matches Charlie's sweater, and I should be pretty close. I've done 2 baby bibs and a pair of slippers to match the sweater already.

I've also got to finish Ari's snitch socks, which I bought the yarn for last year to make for her birthday, and her birthday is in about 2 weeks. I've got about half of one of those socks done, too. Oh, and I need to sew a dress for Muggle Studies. (Thank you prof., for accepting sewn projects, too!) I am also going to try to whip up a lacy soap saver for Potions if I have time.

I finished my Charms. I knit 2 camera cases; 1 for Melodie's camera and 1 for the camera Ari wants for her b-day. I tried to get the camera Monday, because Dan kept the kids so I could go to the store in peace....and they no longer carry 35 mm cameras at Walmart!! At.All. So, I'm watching a few on ebay, as well as some kids digital cameras and hopefully will be able to get one here by her birthday.

I've also finished my DADA homework. I made 2 pygmy puffs. I haven't turned it in yet, though. I'm hoping to get some extra credit, so I'm going to make a little box and poke holes in them and do a label that says they're from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and address it to Ari like they do Harry's letter in Sorcerer's Stone!!

Well, that is me, in a nutshell, in my mundane, boring life. Hopefully when the kids are in school (August 24th!!!!) I'll have more time to at least post fun tips and recipes again!!!

The Chosen One

2009-07-16T12:19:00.003-04:00

YAY!!!!!! It's finally here!!!

We got to go see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince opening day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (can you tell I'm a touch excited?)

I so wanted to see the midnight showing, but Dan said it was too late for Ari. I vow to take her to the midnight showing of Deathly Hallows, though. She'll be almost 8 by then.

Here is Ari, sporting her Quidditch wristies from the Cup, in the lobby with the movie cutout....also wearing her OOTP shirt and Timeturner!

Stupid Sewing Machine

2009-06-24T10:38:00.003-04:00

So, the new fabric was finally the push I needed to start up the sewing machine. I got started on Melodie's sun dress from my stash last night. I've had the fabric for like 2 years. I had cut it out about a week ago. So, last night I start. And.......something went wrong. I think it might be my bobbin tension, which I messed with and didn't get help from. Any sewing gurus out there that can give me some input on what would cause the bobbin thread to loop 600 times and bunch on the bottom of the fabric, get stuck in the sewing machine, and repeat every 2 inches? :0( I so need a new machine! I'm going to hint around for my birthday, rather strongly, that I need a new machine.

We went to the park yesterday with my grandparents. The kids had a blast! The creek was almost dried up, so they went down in the creekbed looking for rocks. We went walking along it to the little pools where there was still water to find minnows. While Atley and Melodie were looking for rocks, he started happily shrieking...."Mommy, I found a snake, and I touched it!" OMG! I couldn't believe he touched it. He's usually skittish about stuff like that. I was very proud of him. I did also have a little talk with him about not touching snakes unless a grown up tells him it's okay, because some snakes are poisonous and all snakes bite!

Oh, on a funny note, Atley just walked in wearing one of Charlie's shirts....size 12 months! That's my scrawny boy! lol

Injury of the Day: This one, for a change, goes to Ari! She was going into the bathroom at the park to rinse out her cup to get some water, and she ran the door into her toe and busted it open. Thank goodness for being prepared for Melodie's injuries of the day, I had my first aid kit in the truck and very easily scrubbed, disinfected, and bandaged the bloodied toe.

My Organized Chaos: PerryWinkles Kids ~ With Giveaway

2009-06-22T13:14:00.000-04:00

My Organized Chaos: PerryWinkles Kids ~ With Giveaway

OMG, these are so adorable! I ♥ smocked dresses! I've been wanting to make one for Ari, but the smocked material at Joann's is so expensive (why I tried to get that remnant that was too small), and I'm a little leery of trying to do it myself! How perfect would this be! These dresses are too cute, and she saw them and loved them!

Fabric Pictures!

2009-06-22T09:05:00.003-04:00

Ok, I know I've been saying this for weeks. Jaydee, just for you, here are fabric pictures! ;0)

These are from Joann's a few weeks ago. The one on the right is to make Ari a dress. (and enough for at least a doll dress and maybe one for Melodie too. But hey, it was $1.99 a yard!) The one in the middle is to make the boys some summer pajama shorts/pants. The one on the left was a remnant of the smocked sundress material I had hoped would fit Ari, but unfortunately it didn't, so I'll be making a baby sundress to put in my Etsy shop. And, as you can see, Charlie had to sneak in because he has decided he is quite a ham in front of the camera now!

Ok, this picture turned out pretty dark. On the right, you can barely see the gray fabric with pink butterflies I got to make the girls winter skirts for school. I'm thinking of going pleated, and I'll probably have to make some matching pink sweaters! The one in the middle is Shrek fabric. 99 cents a yard! I got 3 or 4 yards I think, I can't remember right now. I'm going to make the baby a shirt out of it, and then make some stuff for my Etsy shop. The fat quarters in the front are for bib backing for bibs for my Etsy shop. The blue on the left is to make Melodie a dress. Isn't that beautiful fabric!?! It was only $3.74 a yard because I got the last of a bolt, and they take 25 cents off a yard if you buy a whole new bolt or finish one off. So, about $4 for that beautiful embroidered dress...can't beat it!

And, here is Charlie in his new sweater with the neverending sleeves. I still need to get him some buttons, but I haven't been to Joann's for awhile. He was happy to see his picture, and went and got his sweater and handed it to me. He's such a smart baby!! (If I do say so myself, which I do.) ;0)

And we're walking, we're walking.....

2009-06-19T12:30:00.002-04:00

Finally! Charlie is officially a walker! He went the whole way across the living room last night! All for a piece of pizza. (That's my little chunky monkey!) He has also discovered with his new found walking abilities, he can just about climb into Atley's pedal car, and if he's put in it, he can push it around with his feet. Dan was so proud. Luckily, he was home to see it! Charlie can also say "car."

I finished my partial chunk of roving last night! I think I'm going to wind it up and do the hot water thingy and whack it tonight, and then start over with an empty spindle for the next ounce of fiber. I don't want to overload my spindle. I don't think I'll be able to fit the whole second ounce on there, so I'll make 2 hanks out of it. Then, I can attempt my cotton ball spinning for the Cup.

That was the only fibery thing I had time for last night.

Been Caught Stealin'

2009-06-17T09:40:00.002-04:00

So, yesterday morning, we do our normal weekly shopping trip. I take my own reusable bags, so we went through the self checkout, as usual. Atley got a piece of candy because he had written his name all by himself the night before, and he had to get his K shots yesterday. We get out to the car, and someone was parked close next to us, so I was watching the girls get in so they didn't ding the doors. I saw Melodie toss something on the seat. I knew she hadn't taken anything in the store with her. I went to see what it was, and saw a jumbo pack of Juicy-Fruit on the seat!

I was furious! I still am. And disappointed. I marched her right back in to the store and made her give it back and apologize to the manager, who talked to her. (although, not nearly as sternly as I had hoped.) I'm going to have my uncle (a detective with the Highway Patrol) have a talk with her, too. After the boys had their shots, we went to Twistee Freeze for ice cream, and she had to sit and watch. (Dan says I'm messed up.) She also will not be participating in cake and ice cream, goody bags, or party games at my cousin's son's b-day party this weekend. Dan says I was being too harsh to keep her home completely. (Which really surprises me, because he's usually slightly stricter than me. I figured he'd say I wasn't doing enough! go figure!)

Today, poor Charlie seems pretty miserable. They wanted to give him 5 shots. One of them, we're deferring, but I still didn't want him to have 4, so we split them up. Thank goodness! I can't imagine how miserable he'd be if he'd had 2 more! Atley is fine. Now that the shots are over. My goodness, I didn't know the little weasel was that strong! It took me and the 2 nurses to contain him enough to get the shots. He still squirmed a little much, and they had a hard time getting 2 of them to stop bleeding. He has made a full recovery and shows no ill effects, though! :0)

I know, I still need to get those fabric pics up. I am battling this sweater. I've got about 1-2 more rows of ribbing, BO, and seam! Then, I can put pics of everything up!

Headache

2009-06-15T15:26:00.002-04:00

So, today I have a headache. My mom gets migraines, really bad. I'm lucky and only get them very occasionally. I think from Charlie's stint of not sleeping, and my staying up too late this weekend, plus the muggy change in the atmosphere, I got one today. :0( I really am lucky, though. I only get one maybe 3 times a year. My mom gets that many a week. I don't know how she functions.

Well, against my better judgment, I let the kids play in the back. I figured taking the chance of a repeat of the other day was worth it to my poor, throbbing head to have some slight quiet (if you can count Charlie growling quiet...silly baby.) Oh, he's making "car noises" for a wagon. Anyway, I took a nap earlier (with the kids safely inside) and feel slightly better now. I can work, which is always good. I need to go down to the dollar store and get some Gatorade. It probably wouldn't have gotten as bad as it did if I could have gone down earlier, but when it started coming on, Charlie was napping. I ended up taking a bit of a nap with him until Atley came in and woke him up, but it was enough to at least take the edge off...yay!

My fabric trip was a nice surprise! I got some GREAT finds! I'll try to get some pics up later. I started cutting out some stuff last night from my stash. If I've said my yarn stash is bad....it's NOTHING compared to the fabric stash. Hopefully, Melodie will have a new dress tonight! Then, I just need to find my pajama patterns. I had gotten them out to lend to a friend a few months ago, and now I have no clue where I put them. *sigh* Well, if nothing else, Joann's is having a $1.99 pattern sale this week, I think.

I should be finally finishing Charlie's sweater for my OWL tonight. I finished the front last night. I just need to do the edging and seams! I have to look over button holes, because I've only done them once, and I want it to button, not snap.

First Steps!

2009-06-11T10:59:00.005-04:00

Charlie took his first steps last night! There were only about 2-3 of them, and he only went about 4 inches, but he took steps without holding on to anything! Hopefully he'll be full-fledged walking very soon! :0)

I'm working on a new sweater for him right now. It's for my Transfiguration OWL for the Cup. I've had the yarn for it since last fall. My OWL requires me to use at least 750 yds of my stash. I don't mind seaming. I don't know if it's because I like to sew or what, but it just doesn't bother me. I'd much rather seam in sleeves than do them in 1 piece. Dear lord, I never thought I was going to finish the sleeves on that thing! Thankfully last night, I had to break for the front, and I'm now happily doing short rows of st st. (which I also don't mind, but for pete's sake, 132 sts in each row was a bit much!

Oh, we're going to Amish Country in 2 days to check out that fabric store! I can't wait! (and, I think we're even going to get some lunch at Der Dutchman...yummy!)

Summer vacation is in full swing....70 days left! Yesterday, I let the kids play in the backyard by themselves. Normally, they're not allowed back there if no one is out with them. Well, I figured almost 9, 6, and 5 year olds should be able to play by themselves in the backyard......um, no. They were "washing" their bikes with dirty leaves, so I gave them rags to use. Then, Atley came in and asked for a bucket of water. "Sure, just make sure you turn the hose off." About an hour later, I went to check on them because they were quiet......and the entire backyard was a mud pit, children looked like drowned rats, and my nice, clean, previously dry laundry that was hanging on the line was dripping. Needless to say, it will be some time before the kids are allowed to play in the backyard unattended again.

A Giveaway Addicted Mommy: Soft Landing - Go BPA Free Advanced Feeding Kit Giveaway

2009-06-08T11:47:00.001-04:00

A Giveaway Addicted Mommy: Soft Landing - Go BPA Free Advanced Feeding Kit Giveaway

Another great giveaway to win a product from the Soft Landing! I'm still drooling over the Kids Konserve lunch kit from a few months ago. My mom and I are going to check out a fabric store in Amish Country Saturday morning, and I'm planning on getting some fabric there to make the kids some reusable sandwich and snack bags for next year. With Atley starting school in the fall, I can't even comprehend the carbon footprint we would have with 3 kids' worth of baggies every day!

Anyway, Charlie is doing finger foods himself, so this would be great for him to venture into eating messy stuff, too. (even though, I'm hoping to start designing some fabric bibs to put in my now empty Etsy shop, too! Which I will be keeping an eye out for the fabric Saturday. Stay tuned for hopefully some awesome fabric pics next week!)

Anyway, check out The Soft Landing for all your green kid (and adult!) feeding needs!

Baby Legs Giveaway!!

2009-06-08T11:22:00.002-04:00

I have been dying to get a pair of these for Charlie!! Since my chunky monkey is still not walking (though, I think we're finally getting pretty close...he's standing by himself now!!) his poor little knees are looking pretty rough, especially since he's now wearing shorts and rompers all the time! These would be so awesome for him! You can check them out at Baby Legs and you can enter the contest by clicking on the title link, which will take you to The Shopping Mama. If I don't win these, I will definitely be knitting him a pair, though!

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Help Your Skin With Corrective Skin Care Giveaway

2009-06-04T16:03:00.000-04:00

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Help Your Skin With Corrective Skin Care Giveaway

Yet another great giveaway! This is for a Tea Tree Oil exfoliating scrub from Corrective Skin Care! It looks like a great product! I know my funky eczema dry itchy sensitive skin could use it!

Crazy Baby Clothing Giveaway!!!

2009-06-04T14:42:00.002-04:00

OMG, I SO want to win this for Charlie! They are baby clothes, fit for rock stars! (and those named after them) ;0)

Click on the title of the post to go to Crazy Baby Clothing to enter!

You can win a onesie, bib, blankie, 2 binkies, and a baby cap!

Progress

2009-06-03T10:50:00.003-04:00

Well, I've been knitting and crocheting up a storm lately! For the Cup last month, I finished the Wizard of Oz finger puppets; the lion binky holder and Charlie's Gryffindor House Hat for Quidditch; Melodie's Pokeball water bottle cozy, a crocheted hip sling, and a baby mandrake!

I did a Calorimetry for Ari's teacher last night. Very, VERY quick knit! She is just a sub, so she won't be there next year (one of the K teachers was on maternity leave, has quit, but our district isn't hiring right now, so she can't stay.) I wanted to thank her for all she's done to help Ari come out of her shell and learn this past year.
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Charlie had his 1 year check up. He only weighs 20 pounds! We're pretty sure he may have lost a little weight, since he's been so mobile lately, though. He is crawling all over everywhere and everything! His favorite things to climb are over the big kids when they're laying on the floor and to sit on top of Atley's train box! (a plastic sweater storage box.) Right now, he's standing at my desk, clicking the mouse, so if this post looks wacky, it's Charlie's fault! He can say "dog" and he says dada and mama. He waves hello and good bye. I sewed him a sock monkey, which I'm trying to make his "lovie." Mr. Charlie has decided it's not fun to sleep anymore, and he'd rather be awake all night and cry in his crib. So, he's been spending a few nights sleeping in the living room in his play pen. Atley could sleep through a tornado!

Funny story about that, though. This morning, I groggily drug myself out of bed to go check on Charlie (sleeping peacefully in the play pen) and went to go get ready for the day. I walked past Atley's room, and his bed was empty! I went to check the girls' room, and he wasn't there. I asked Dan if he was laying on his side of the bed, nope. I went back and checked his bed, and it was empty. I checked the couch, no Atley. My heart dropped. I ran screaming into our room that Atley was gone! We started running frantically. I went back into the living room to check the front door, and I noticed a big pile of blanket on the floor. Here, Atley had heard me put Charlie in the living room. (last night, he turned the hall light on because he was scared, he said, and that's what woke Charlie up, the one night he actually was sleeping pretty good.) He said he didn't want Charlie to be alone, so he went in to sleep with him. I had forgotten I changed his sheets the other day, and his blue blanket (which I was looking for) was in the wash. I'm used to seeing blankets piled on the floor in the living room, so when I didn't see the blue one, in my half-asleep state, I think I just subconsciously overlooked his other blanket. But, Atley is safe and sound.

Well, that's about all that's going on here! Tomorrow is the last day of school, and although I will have to put up with the insanity of having all 4 kids at home full time for 3 months, I will hopefully get to sleep in some!

(oh, and for anyone who misses it, I've got 2 "injuries of the day" from last week I never posted about.) Last Friday, the kids were playing outside after school. I've told them millions of times not to spin on the swings. (Ari's gotten kicked in the face before.) Well, of course they didn't listen, and Melodie comes in screaming about her finger. She got it pinched in the chains. Any harder, and she probably would have lost a chunk of finger. It was darn near devitalized. Then Saturday, we went to the park, and she ran up ahead of us up the steps that go into the woods, and came running back down crying. Here, she fell through a weak part of the step and scratched her leg all up. My wonderfully clutzy Melodie. We don't leave home without at least 1 first aid kit!

RockerByeBaby: New giveaway from Cowlick Cutie... dont miss this one!

2009-05-21T12:16:00.000-04:00

RockerByeBaby: New giveaway from Cowlick Cutie... dont miss this one!:

Some rockin' cute bows! Pink with black skulls. The girls would LOVE these! And, a matching key fob for mom! My friends would not be disappointed in me for having the girls in pink hair bows with skulls now, would they? ;0) Also, check out RockerByeBaby's etsy shop for all your super cool Rocker baby needs!

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Tuga Sunwear Review And Giveaway

2009-05-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Tuga Sunwear Review And Giveaway

A great chance to win a sun protective suit for boys or girls! I'm hoping to win one for Atley. He needs a new suit this year! Here is the link to Tuga itself. Check out all their sun protective gear, even for pets!

Two of a kind, working on a full house: ShooShoos Baby Shoes Giveaway

2009-05-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

Two of a kind, working on a full house: ShooShoos Baby Shoes Giveaway

These shoes are too cute! Charlie hasn't has his own pair of shoes yet, just Atley's hand-me-downs. With walking fast approaching, these would be great! Check them out at ShooShoos

Cold

2009-05-17T12:20:00.002-04:00

So, it's cold today, at least compared to what it was! It's only 54 right now. My, I get used to nice weather fast!

Our garage sale went well. I was very pleased. I think having it advertised and with the whole neighborhood really helped, even though we were competing with other, bigger garage sales (a small town over from us had their annual one this weekend, too.) Of course, I got sunburned.

Charlie can stand on his own! He was hanging onto the couch, and let go and stood there for quite awhile. We are inching ever so much closer to walking!

I got a good bit done on Melodie's Pokeball water bottle cozy for my Muggle Studies class in the Cup yesterday. Sitting and watching your stuff is good yarnin' time! I've just got a couple more rows to do and then the bottom and some duplicate stitch for the "latch" on the ball. It'll be done in time for school tomorrow.

I whipped up a quick design for the Quidditch team, too! I did a little crocheted lion binky/toy holder. I think he's pretty darn cute!

Hair

2009-05-14T17:28:00.003-04:00

Why the ongoing battle with hair in this house?

This time, it was Atley. He cut his hair Monday. Bad. My hairdresser just got him in today (thank goodness!) I made him wear a hat to the grocery store on Tuesday. All of his sweet little curls are gone. :0(

Well, things are finally starting to die down on the Cup, so maybe I will finally be able to post more here! My Quidditch duties are completed. I will be filling in as sub-captain while our normal captain is on vacation for the next week, though.

I finally completed my first homework assignment! I made Wizard of Oz finger puppets!

They took me forever, but I'm pleased with them. I may eventually embroider their faces on, or we may just keep them Amish. I'm undecided. Ari has put in an order for Glinda and Toto, though.

Tonight, I am going to write up a lion binky clip pattern!

Other than the hair chopping, the kids are good. The girls were extremely tardy this morning. It was crazy hair day. I did Ari's hair in 4 braids.

Charlie is just growing and growing! He can say "dog" now. He is also a superfast crawler. He can even crawl normally now! He's doing that more and more often. He is also pulling himself up and cruising all over the place. Hopefully it won't be long before he's FINALLY walking! I got the gate up Tuesday.

Dan built me my raised veggie garden for mother's day! I was so excited. I've got most of my seeds sown. I'm just waiting to pick up some mater and pepper plants after the danger of frost. I'll get pics later. Right now, it's just dirt, but for a couple rows of radishes. ;0)

I'm still here!

2009-05-06T11:42:00.003-04:00

I know, I've been quiet...okay, silent. I'm still here! Things have just been crazy hectic around here. (I know, what's new?)

Charlie is growing like a weed! He is cruising all over the place now, and he can even crawl right (though he still prefers to drag his leg under him.) He went down the baby slide for the first time yesterday, and he loved it! He also got to ride in the Gravedigger for the first time on Saturday. Atley has been waiting for this day since before Charlie was born. He always said if he had a brother, he would drive him around in the Gravedigger. (I must say, Atley is a very good driver! He could wheel that thing around like it was second nature. Ari...well, thank god she's got 10 years before she can get her license! lol)

Tonight is Ari's kindergarten family night. They are doing a little program. She is one of the little kittens that has lost its mittens. Oh, she also lost her first tooth! (the first one that was supposed to come out, at least. (She lost one before, courtesy of Atley's hard head.) Melodie is doing good in math! She's working on some of the 4th graders work now. Atley, well, my sweet Atley is just as sweet as ever. Right now, he's chanting "don't give up" because he's trying to build a super high tower out of blocks, and it keeps falling down. Dan also let him screw in some wood screws with the drill all by himself last night to finish up my raised bed!

Speaking of, I have a raised garden!! Yay!! I'm so excited. I'm going to get the dirt in it this afternoon. I have to bake cookies for Ari's thing tonight, too. I don't know how much I'll get done! We have to be at school by 6:15.

I haven't gotten much done in the way of the yarnin' either. I did finally start my House Cup homework!! For Ancient Runes, I'm finally making my Wizard of Oz finger puppets! I've almost got Dorothy done. Just the tin man, scarecrow, lion, and witch to go!

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Creative Vado Pocket Video Camera GIVEAWAY

2009-04-27T09:25:00.001-04:00

Two of a Kind is having a Mother's Day Giveaway Extravaganza! Over 20 giveaways over the next 2 weeks!

Today's giveaway is for a pocket video camera! How cool is that!?!?

It's from Creative.

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Creative Vado Pocket Video Camera GIVEAWAY

Two Wheels!

2009-04-26T13:22:00.003-04:00

Melodie can ride a bike! She falls more often than she goes, but she can pedal a 2-wheeler by herself! (Of course, just now, I realize, gee, I should have taken a picture! doh! I will get one this afternoon. We will be practicing some more.)

She got a new 2-wheeler for X-mas. She hadn't tried it AT ALL. Yesterday, I finally casually suggested it, and she ran with the idea! I still won't let her ride on the sidewalk by herself, but hopefully soon she'll be able to zip up and down at least part of the block on the sidewalk and have some fun with it. Could she finally be starting to get a teensy bit more "normal" and less gifted-flighty?

Atley was very jealous of her riding her bike. He was jealous of Charlie's gifts. We skipped the terrible 2's with him. Are we instead getting the ferocious 4's? Mr. Evel Kneivel seemed hell bent on flying down the driveway. (Our driveway is very steep, and obviously as it's a driveway, goes right into the street.)

Ari went to a little friend from school's birthday party yesterday. It was the first time she went alone to a party. She had a blast! And, it turns out her friend lives just a couple blocks down the street! (none of their school friends live near us since we're supposed to go to the other school.) So, her mom and I talked, and we'll hopefully be getting the girls together over the summer. Yay! That is the only thing I really don't like about this neighborhood. It's mostly elderly people. It's nice and peaceful and safe, but a complete lack of neighborhood friends.

The people across the street from us have kids, little boys even, that are Atley's age and probably about 1 1/2, but they are never outside. We are outside alot, and I know they've seen us. I figure if they would want to be friends, they would have said something. I guess not. :0( Maybe they are just unbearably shy like me and I should go knock on their door sometime. I don't know if I can get up the nerve! Honestly though, I didn't even know they had a kid until I saw the older boy outside once when he was about 2. I've seen them outside less than a dozen times, I'm sure. Just last week was the second time I'd seen the little one outside.

Oh, and wouldn't you know it, Fasty Bocco is doing well. He is swimming around, eating, and checking out the pirate ship wreck. Hermione(Ari's fish), on the other hand, has taken a turn for the worse. I think she has ick. I just changed their water last week, and it said a temperature change or stress can cause it. Maybe from the water change and the 40 degree weather one day to 80 the next could have done it? I put an ick tablet in the water today. We'll see how she does. Thankfully, Ari didn't care. She said that's okay, I'll just get another one. My mom said they're just immune to fish-death now, after the Bocco saga.

The cake!

2009-04-25T00:29:00.004-04:00

I got it done! I think Charlie's cake turned out great. I was so proud. I kinda wish I hadn't put the nose on it, but all in all, I was very pleased. It tasted extra yummy, too!

Charlie had fun. He didn't really get into the opening the presents part, but we got him a wooden shape/color train and a wooden shape sorter thing with other little activities, and he LOVED them! He wouldn't stop playing with them after his uncle opened them for him.

He wasn't very thrilled with the cake! He didn't like the frosting on his hands. He kept trying to scrape it off and throw it on the floor. I fed him off a fork, and he gobbled it up, though. Silly Monkey. He played so good and had so much fun. It was a nice day. Before the party, daddy was hanging out with the boys (before the girls even got home from school) and they were playing cars together. Charlie would even mimic the sounds Atley was making. It was too cute! My baby is certainly growing up.

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

Another superb giveaway from Grosgrain!! These look like some pretty cool, stylin' hats!! I currently only have baseball caps, so this would be a fun addition to my wardrobe!!

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday to my Chunky Monkey

2009-04-24T13:27:00.003-04:00

Today is Charlie's first birthday. It has been one heck of a year! All of the drama with work, these nagging colds that won't go away (hopefully soon...it's 80 right now!! w00h00!!)

Charlie started us off into uncharted territories. I hadn't nursed the other 3 kids. That was an interesting adjustment. Now, I can't imagine not doing it and feel even worse I didn't do it before. Oh well, the girls are thriving, and we carb load Atley as much as we can!

Charlie is just learning things by leaps and bounds. We finally have what I could officially call a crawl!! Just this morning, he kinda started pulling himself with his arms and scooting his legs forward, though not a normal crawl. It's still mobility, and he's getting fast with it! My grandpa said just while he sat there watching him, he could see him get better each time he tried. I will be getting the gate out of the shed tomorrow to get cleaned up. We will be needing it! Charlie's new game is pulling up in his playpen, plopping down, and repeating. This keeps him occupied for quite awhile. He likes playing with books, and he loves watching the dog. He's trying to talk. He can say dada and mama. He has attempted to say "girls" and "brother" (bubba). He LOVES splashing in the tub! He is still signing for milk and diaper change! He randomly will wave hello and goodbye. I'm HOPING he will blow out his own candle tonight! We've been practicing, but it's still pretty sporadic. (He saw me blowing on his dinner one night and tried it. He's done it a few more times since. We'll see!)

It's been an exciting, and although stressful, very fullfilling year.

Momma loves her sweet little chunky monkey. Happy Birthday Charlie Cash!

Kids Lunch Kit Giveaway

2009-04-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

Not only for kids, this would be great for grown-ups, too! It's reusable, BPA free, and helps cut down on trash! Very cool.

Two of a kind, working on a full house: The Soft Landing Kids Konserve Lunch Kit Giveaway

Here is a link to the store actually selling it: The Soft Landing

ANOTHER giveaway!!

2009-04-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Another giveaway I found today! This one is for an aluminum water bottle from SIGG and a reusable shopping bag! One can never have to many of either of those! Click the title of the post for the link to check it out!

Sunny Day!

2009-04-23T11:28:00.002-04:00

Yay! It's FINALLY going to be nice out! Today, tomorrow and Saturday especially are supposed to be awesomely beautiful!

I can't believe I forgot to blog about it yesterday....we got Bocco Fasty II on Tuesday. This time, we went for a Danio, promised by Auntie to be a hearty fish. So far, so good. On the bright side, Pet Smart has a 14 day return policy, as opposed to Walmart's 3 day. Hopefully, we will have better luck, or at least be able to replace said fish more easily.

I'm baking Charlie's cake tonight! I know, the build up is horrible. I can't wait, myself. I promise, I will add pictures of everything after "the big day." :0)

The VW toy is turning out okay. I'm not as happy with it as I could be, but it's not done yet, so I'm hoping the shaping will get a bit better when I put everything together. We shall see!

I sold my first pattern! Someone bought "Bite Me" yesterday! I was so excited!

Another Earth Day Giveaway!

2009-04-22T13:34:00.002-04:00

Here is a great one! You can win a reusable market tote! This looks awesome. I would love to use this at the Farmer's Market this summer or to gather my own veggies from the garden. Very, very cool! Just click on the title of this post to get to the link!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

Of course here in Ohio, it's yicky, crappy, cold, rainy, nasty out. Good thing we go to be outside yesterday! (In between the cold, yicky, crappy, rainy, sleety, hail.) We planted our strawberries in a planter. We trimmed down some bushes that didn't get it in the fall. (My mums are starting to come up, and their old stalks were there. I also trimmed down the butterfly bush so we can hopefully open and shut the window this summer. NOTE: To anyone growing butterfly bushes with crank out windows...plant a good 3 feet or more from the house or you will get butterfly bush stuck in your window when you try to reel it in!)

Atley rode his tricycle for quite awhile, while I hung out laundry and read a book Melodie's teacher loaned me. It's a very good read about sorting through verbal exchanges with your daughters. Very insightful.

Charlie is pulling up on othings like crazy! Still no walking or actual crawling yet, though. Last night, he and Atley played with Hot Wheels together. It was TOO cute!

Organic Popcorn Giveaway!!!

2009-04-22T09:31:00.003-04:00

Who can resist organic, gourmet popcorn!?!? I ♥ popcorn. All of us do. Dan got me an air popper 2 Christmases ago, and I love it! Check it out for your chance to win479's organic popcorn! Just click on the title of this post to take you to the site!

I'm a Reporter!!

2009-04-20T14:32:00.002-04:00

I got picked to be a reporter for the House Cup for spring term! I'm so excited! (and yes, I know I'm a dork!) The Headmistress herself even sent me a PM!

Well, it sure has been quiet today with the girls in school! I wish it hadn't rained all day. Atley wanted to go outside and play so bad. (Plus, I have some laundry that needs hung up!) Which, BTW, we saved $10 on our electric bill this month! Yay for energy saving clotheslines!

I finished Charlie's dino last night. I'll post some pictures of all the birthday stuff after Friday. (hey, I have to keep you guys reading somehow, right?! lol) ;0) I also started the VW toy I had been planning on last night. I'm still not sure how it's going to turn out. It's working up pretty quick. We'll see. More on that later, too. I might frog and rework some things, but I really want to get it done, so I might just do it and then rework the pattern later. decisions, decisions

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-20T14:28:00.000-04:00

How cute! What a great chance for this giveaway! I bet both the girls could wear these!

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

Good Day

2009-04-19T14:54:00.003-04:00

Well, I've had a pretty good last couple days! Yesterday, I went to my BFF's baby shower. It was fun. I got to give her my yarned goodies. I still owe her a dalmatian hat, but I figure I can give that to her in the hospital when baby is finally here! Oh, and it was so funny, my other BFF (the 3 of us are pretty much 3 peas in a pod) was babysitting her little niece who is 1 month older than Charlie. We sat them at the head of the table in their highchairs next to each other so they could play. It was too cute! They held hands. They shared pancakes, eggs, and Cheerios. She kept putting her finger in his mouth, and he'd suck on it. Then, he'd check out her buttons. They even shared toys! No fighting or biting at all. Very impressive for one year olds! We've decided they make a cute couple and are destined to be together. (We had decided that when Charlie was born, though!)

The girls got to help with the presents. They took turns holding the trash bag for the wrapping paper and were so excited. Ari won a door prize! She got a movie night gift basket, which is her favorite thing in the world.

My mom took the kids for an overnighter afterwards. I must say, I did enjoy it, although strangely, spring break went much happier and smoother than I thought it would, crappy weather and all! It was a pleasant surprise. Maybe summer won't be so dreadful this year...we'll see!

Dan's friend came over last night to celebrate his birthday. I made his good cake, and they both loved it! His friend kept saying how he hates chocolate cake and icing, but that was the best he ever ate, and he just loved it! Yay for me and my cake!

My mom still has the kids. I got the lawn mowed this morning. I'm doing good on getting work done. Charlie just laid down for a nap. It's been a good day!

I'm almost done with Charlie's dino. I hope to have it done tonight. I just need to do the feet and embroider the eyes. I finished the head last night. I can't wait for his birthday! I can't believe my sweet baby is going to be 1 already. He is still SO close to crawling. He gets on all fours, and then sits back down. He's doing good pulling himself up now. Hopefully in the next month or so, we'll finally get him walking, or at least scooting/crawling in the right direction! (He can scoot himself backwards on his belly with his arms. He can scoot on his butt wherever he wants to go, though.) Charlie will be getting a sock monkey cake for his birthday. I'm going to do a banana pudding filling in it! I can't wait. I'm so excited to get started on it!

I've also been inspired by Inspired Mama Musings (her button is on my blog! Check her out, she does some AWESOME work!) to break out the good ole' sewing machine again. I've been wanting to, but I just haven't had the drive to sew. I admit it, I'm lazy. I like to sit on the couch and knit. I have to sit in an uncomfortable wood chair to sew. But, I think I'm finally going to make the girls' dresses I got the fabric for last year. I really want to take the kids to get their pictures taken at the park. I'm hoping my mom's boyfriend will take some so Dan and I can get in them, too. We haven't done a family picture since Melodie was a baby, so we're long overdue! I was going to make the boys matching overall outfits, too, but my mom picked up a little short outfit for Atley on her last vacation, and it happens to match almost exactly a little outfit that used to be his that Charlie can wear now, so I think I'll leave them at that. I do need to make him his Spiderman jammies I've had the fabric for for over a year though. He doesn't really have any summer jammies for this year that will fit!

Blessings Abound Giveaway

2009-04-17T14:45:00.003-04:00

Blessings Abound is offering a GREAT giveaway! It's for a UV Skinz shirt! They are UV protective swim clothing for kids (and adults!) I'm hoping to win a shirt for Charlie, though he and Ari seem to be a bit more darker complected than the other 2. Especially my poor, pasty pale little Atley. He doesn't burn quite as easily as I do, but easier than the other kids. I'm hoping to spend alot of time at the wading pool this summer because Charlie loves to splash! Click on the title for the link to the site!

Maggie Collection from Kandy Kisses

2009-04-16T16:27:00.001-04:00

Kandy Kisses has just launched the Maggie collection! They are boutique little girl pieces, only available at her site! Just click on the title of this post to go right there. Here is the release picture, too.

Pinch Me

2009-04-15T12:38:00.002-04:00

We don't owe taxes this year! We won't see our refund because it will go to back taxes, but it will take us down to just about 1 year of back taxes! and NO NEW TAXES! I'm still in shock. I cried when I saw the number stay in the black after I entered my 1099. I just can't believe it.

On top of that, my mom bought me new clothes yesterday. I'm the smallest size I've been since I got pregnant with Ari! I picked up my yarn to get started on some bibs for my booth, too. I told my mom, either our crappy luck is finally changing, or the bottom is just going to fall out because too much good has happened for too long! (yes, 2 weeks is a long time for good luck for us!)

Ari's appointment went okay yesterday. The perforation is healed, but she still has some bulging pressure. The doctor wants an audiology check in about a month. He said to check to see if school will do it for free, or to call him back if we get on Healthy Start, and he'll schedule it then. He said if the pressure doesn't release, she may need tubes so it doesn't affect her hearing. Hearing problems run in my family anyway, so we want to stay on top of it.

On the other hand, of course since Atley's swelling was going down, I didn't end up having them check him out....and when we got home last night after the doctor, dinner, and shopping, his temp was 102.1. It's 101.0 this morning. My mom said if it doesn't go down, to get him back in there.

I got Charlie's pics yesterday! OMG! He's adorable. Even Dan liked them, and he usually grumbles about the kids' pics.

I got Charlie's vest done last night! I'm going to start on Bronty tonight. 1 week, 2 dinos and a puzzle...can I knit that fast???

Doctors Appt

2009-04-14T11:47:00.002-04:00

Well, Ari is getting her check up today for her ear. Hopefully, she will get a clean bill of health. I'm hoping they can squeeze Atley in, too.

My mom is taking me shopping to pick up at least a new top for my friend's baby shower Saturday. It's at the restaurant I used to work at. Then, we're going out to eat at Red Lobster. Ari wanted to go Saturday, but it took too much time getting their Easter Bunny pictures. My mom promised her we'd go if she behaved at her doctor's appointment. (She hates going to the doctor and is usually rather rude to them. She was really good at stat care, though. Maybe she finally grew out of it. She has gotten so much more mature this past year!)

I pick up Charlie's birthday pictures today! I can't wait.

The big 3-0

2009-04-13T11:37:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday went pretty good. The kids ate WAY too much chocolate. I am pleasantly surprised and shocked. The in-laws only gave the kids handmade candy!! No heards of bunnies or chickies this year. No hot wheels. Dear lord, poverty has it bonuses!

No, really we had a pretty nice day. Of course, MIL did NOT make Dan a cake this year, only because I didn't either. Good thing I had the poke cake ready!

Today is Dan's actual birthday. He's 30 and uber-depressed about it. I don't know why. It'll be my turn next year. I don't care. Heck, it's not like he's going to be 80. I told him he needs to hook up with my cousin. She refuses to even talk about being 30, and she's even got a year after me to wait. Am I weird because I think 30 is no big deal? Heck, I'll just be glad to finally not get carded to buy alcohol. I should not have to be surrounded by 4 kids to not get carded dammit! I also told him it's not so bad, that my friend's BIL is going to be 40 today. That made him feel a little better, but still bummed. Oh well, I think I'm going to surprise him with his cake tonight. We've still got poke cake left. I guess I just like having 2 cakes to choose from! ;0) I was going to make it Saturday because we're ditching the big kids and were going to have some of his friends over, but he never called anyone. I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull it off by Saturday.

Oh, I think I finally recruited my SIL to the dark side. I was showing her my pretty, soft, pettable sock yarn last night and my fun DPN's and she was talking about learning how to knit and crochet.

Oh, and last night, Dan's friend called him. He's a local EMT / firefighter. Apparently, he had gone to Canada with some buddies for a little trip. The department called him 6 times, begging him to come home (he was on his way.) There was a HUGE fire downtown last night! An 100-year-old building was completely destroyed, and one built in 1885 was heavily damaged right next to it. That main strip of road through town is still blocked off this morning. It's a shame. Those were some beautiful old buildings. Luckily, the others on that block were saved. They just have smoke and water damage. No one was hurt. The people that owned the shop were having Easter dinner in the apartment above it, and they got out with everyone but 1 cat. :0( One firefighter got some 1st degree burns from a flare up, and some were treated for smoke inhalation, but at least no one got seriously hurt.

Mama's Money Savers

2009-04-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

A great chance for a giveaway of some natural cleaning products!

Mama's Money Savers

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:55:00.002-04:00

Well, we got eggs dyed, and bunny nests and speckled eggs made. I didn't get the poke cake made. I'm waiting for the dishwasher to be done (any minute now) so I can use my pan, and then I'll get it in!

Ah, another hectic day. I've got work, today is my grandpa's birthday (who thankfully lives about 2 blocks down the road), and the in-laws are coming over at 4. Oh, and I still have to make a cake and my Easter bread. Dan's making the pasta sauce. (We're having pasta. We had our ham on Ostara.)

I'm beat. I stayed up too late watching Moses last night. I set my alarm for 6:10 to hide eggs. The kids were up by 6:45...close call! They had all of their eggs found before they even came in to wake us up!

Atley freaked me out yesterday. The whole side of his neck was swollen! Today, it's gone down a little and I can feel it's a lymph node, but if we would have had insurance, I would have had him in the ER last night I was so freaked out. I'm going to try to get them to fit him in with Ari on Tuesday, just to make sure that's all it is. I already know they're going to say his tonsils need to come out. They've been huge for at least a year now.

Oh, and if you can believe this, Fasty Bocco died yesterday! I swear, why him? Is it just because Atley cares the most? For crying out loud. I think this time, one of the big goldfish tried to eat him, though. So, we'll try again. I haven't had the heart to tell him yet. "Hey Atley, Happy Easter, and, oh yeah, your fish died again!"

Hippity, Hoppity Easter's on it's Way....

2009-04-11T14:12:00.002-04:00

The kids got letters from the Easter Bunny yesterday! My mom had signed them up for it at work. They were SO excited. They got right to work painting him pictures to leave.

Today, we're dying eggs. They've been begging all week. We're also making bunny nests and some krispy speckled eggs.

I've got to get my cake baked for tomorrow. I'm going to do a poke cake. That way, we can still celebrate Dan's birthday with his parents tomorrow. Dan loves poke cakes. And, if I don't make it, I know we won't have one because just my luck it would be the year his mom decides to not make him one. How pissed off do I get when I invite them down for cake and ice cream, and she brings a cake too!?!!? And of course, it's always a stupid Volkswagen cake. grrrr Then, not only do we have 2 cakes to eat, but all the effort I put into baking him a really nice cake that he asks for is put to waste. So, I'm going to make a poke cake just in case. If we don't eat it tomorrow, we can have it Monday on his actual birthday. Then, I can make him his special cake for his party next Saturday!

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-10T14:10:00.000-04:00

Another great giveaway!! These are darling little ribbon covered barrettes in fun butterfly and lady bug shapes!

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I won!!

2009-04-10T08:46:00.002-04:00

I won! Charlie's Hat won in the House Cup!! Yay! I won some roving. I'm so excited!!!

Speaking of roving, here is the ebay store that has the .99 cent roving! It's called My Special Tea. They have really good shipping time, and .99 cents, can't beat that! Some of it is more, but she has sales and stuff. I've bought at least 4 ounces or so from her. Now, to find the time to spin the rest of it!

Yesterday, the florist put up a big sign about opening their craft store! I need to get moving on getting some stuff made up!

Last night, I would have had the back of Charlie's vest done, but the kids did something with my pattern! I couldn't find it anywhere, and of course I had already shut down the computer for the night, and it wasn't worth the hassel of waiting for it to boot back up. So, hopefully tonight I'll get the back done and a good start on the front. It's working up superfast, but a babyvest in worsted weight isn't all that complicated of a project!! lol

Picture Day

2009-04-09T07:59:00.002-04:00

Again....yes, again. I swear, they have WAY too many picture days at school! Don't get me wrong, I love pictures of my kids, but school pictures are always crap. Plus $40 x 2 kids is really expensive! I don't know what I'll do next year. Of course, I don't have to buy them, but then the kids are so disappointed. I'm not getting the whole package though. I'll just probably get a sheet of each. I am very happy to say that Melodie washed her hair....with shampoo....this morning!

Well, we're back to being sick again! Atley had a very slight fever last night and is coughing again. Poor little Charlie has the runniest nose and also had a fever again yesterday. I'm watching ears VERY carefully.

Here is the link for the clothespin bag I was talking about! I haven't gotten mine done yet. It probably won't be until after Charlie's b-day. I am going to get to hang out some more laundry today though! I'm so excited. It's supposed to be almost 60 and sunny today. Of course, it's supposed to drop 10 degrees and rain tomorrow. Oh well, I'll take what I can get!

I started on Charlie's vest for his birthday last night! So far, so good. I'm lovin' the yarn I picked. It's Knit Picks Comfy worsted. It is VERY soft. I was a little worried because of the stiffness of other WW cottons I've used. This just feels so good in my hands. I think the colors go together pretty good, too. I'm hoping to have the back done tonight!

Dare I Say It??

2009-04-08T09:21:00.004-04:00

Good things might finally start happening to me!?!?

Yesterday after our weekly grocery trip, I decided to finally stop at the florist's on the way home and talk to them about their "Crafters Wanted." I think I'm gonna do it! I need to get some inventory made up. My mom said she would spot me at least the first few months of space rent to get me started and see how it worked out. I'm so excited! Dan's kinda wishy-washy about it. The way I look at it, is this could be my only chance, and it's been practically thrown in my lap. I've really got nothing to lose, because if the shop space doesn't do good (they're a small florist, but they're hoping to expand in a couple months and be more flowers and a craft boutique kind of thing) I can always do craft shows or put more effort into my Etsy shop or on ebay.

Thanks for all the kinds words about my car! I'm still in mourning. It took every ounce of self restraint I had yesterday when I told my SIL they were invited down for Easter/Dan's birthday Sunday, and she asked if she should call their other brother, and I said yes not "No, car-killers aren't allowed!" One of Dan's friends came over last night. He and his fiancee restored her 65 Mustang last year. He was horrified to hear about my poor car.

Oh, we finally have 4 fish! *knock on wood* Atley picked out a new fish yesterday. This time, it is just a run of the mill goldfish. He named it Fasty Bocco. He's whitish with an orange dot on his head. He's so happy. He watched it for a couple hours last night.

One more step to greener living!

2009-04-07T13:54:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited! A couple weeks ago, I bought some clothesline. We had a clothesline when we moved in, but it was old and icky, and when we redid the shingles on the garage we took it down because we had to replace some facing it was attached to. I don't think I had ever really used it all that much, if at all. Maybe just to hang swimming towels on to dry out. Well, I decided with the crap-shoot that is our life, we need to save as much $$ as we can. During the winter, I just pulled the dryer vent off the wall and used it to help heat the house...electricity is cheaper than gas, and if I'm using electricity to dry the clothes, I might as well get some benefit, plus it added humidity to our dry, scaly, itchy skin. (our house is 1-story, no basement, and the laundry is in the corner of the kitchen, so it worked well.)

So, now it's FINALLY getting warmer (well, until now when it's supposed to freakin' snow again) and I've had the itch to get outside. I've been pestering Dan to put up my clothesline, and he did!! Sunday, he finally put it up. I ran out and put a load up right away. I'm still going to dry "underthings" and socks in the dryer, but do you know how much that will cut down on my dryer time!?! I need to get another line today because we didn't have enough to run 3 rows, and with 6 people, I could use 3 rows. Now, I have to get that pattern for the clothespin bag out of my queue!! yay!! I'm so excited!!

Awesomeness

2009-04-06T09:56:00.002-04:00

Charlie's viking hat is up for the March prize for Herbology in the House Cup!! I'm so excited. I showed him his picture today, and he was too. He's getting so big. He can sit up by himself now! Like, from laying on the floor to pulling himself up to sit. This morning, he even finally scooted forward in his walker! (Food is a driving force for that child.) He rammed into my work chair because he was hungry! lol

Oh, I can't believe I forgot to blog about this yesterday. So, while I was at the carnival with my mom and the kids, Dan stopped by to wish his sister a happy b-day. While he was there, his dad says, oh yeah, by the way, about a week and a half ago, your brother was burning a stump out of his yard, and it caught Michelle's Mustang on fire. WTF!!?!?! They BURNED my CAR and NOONE COULD TELL US!!?!??! Ok, so it wasn't the nicest car in the world. In fact, it was a pretty crappy $300 special, but it was mine, and Dan's VW is finally painfully close to being done, and there was an actual snowball's chance in hell that my car might get started on before I die. We got it almost 5 years ago and have made about twice our money back from it selling parts we weren't going to use off it. And now, it's burned. Apparently the tarp caught on fire and the roof is toast. We had initially planned on putting a different roof on it anyway because I like fastbacks and it's a coupe, but we have since changed our minds because I'd just like to have it. Well, so much for that plan! Dan did just find a picture of a Mustang wagon a month or so ago, and we were talking about that so I could have my car to drive everyday and still be able to tote all the children. My poor car.

Moby Wrap Giveaway

2009-04-05T14:37:00.001-04:00

I just entered a giveaway for a Moby Wrap! Very Cool! Either click on the title of this post or go to More Than Cents to check it out!!

2009-04-05T10:03:00.002-04:00

Well, we had a fun time at the carnival Friday night. Of course, I just now thought, gee, I should have taken my camera! Oh well, there's always next year. We are +1 fish, but no new Bocco. Melodie won it for Charlie. Poor Atley is just crushed. He tried so hard. I bet he played the fish bowl game 5 times. Ari played it 4 times for him, too.

Ari is feeling better. Yesterday, she still had some drainage, and she still can't hear. Anyone out there in cyberland know how long it takes the drainage to stop and hearing come back after being on antibiotics? I'm just worried they're not working, and I don't want her to lose her hearing. (Hearing problems run in our family anyway, so I don't want to take any chances!) Of course, being an MT, I always think worst case scenario when it comes to the kids.

I don't even know what I did yesterday. I know I did some knitting for my friend's baby shower. I hope she has a 10 pound baby, or this outfit is going to be HUGE! I'm debating frogging and trying to adjust the pattern or just frogging and finding something else. I'm torn. I have to have it done by the 18th. I've still got Easter basket knitting to do, too. And Charlie's b-day knitting.

Carnival

2009-04-03T09:50:00.003-04:00

So, tonight is the school carnival! We're hoping to bring home Bocco #675 tonight....and hopefully this one will live longer than a week! They are having a mouse game. The mice were in the office. Atley is in love. They are pretty freakin' cute. I always wanted a pet mouse. Apparently, I saw the description of the game, and you pick a color, and if the mouse lands on it, you win. I don't know how they are going to propel live mice onto colors...we'll see!

I was in school twice by 9:30 this morning. I got a call about 11:00 yesterday morning from school. Ari had green drainage coming from her ear! I picked her up, knowing full and well what it was. I called the doctor, and the stupid nurse said I had to take her to the ER. I said really? We don't have insurance, you guys can't see her? She said I could try stat care. Nice way to treat a patient you've had for over 15 years, huh? So, off we went to stat care, where the doc barely looked in her ears and could see a bilateral ear infection with perforated right ear drum. He took a culture. NOTHING they could not have done easily (and less expensively) in the office. Maybe I will find a new one since my old doc left, anyway. The new one wouldn't even give me an Epi pen for Ari and her dye allergy, even though she had a really nasty reaction, and from what the pharmacist said yesterday, was borderline anaphylactic!! Dr's reasoning: With all the kids around, I wouldn't feel safe so no one gets hurt. Yeah, like I let my kids play with sharp objects and medication. grrr

So, anyway, we get done at stat care and go to Giant Eagle, because they have $4 prescriptions! So, we get there. Now, the stat care doc gave her Zithromax because Dan and Melodie are allergic to Penicillin, and with her other allergies and skin conditions, it makes her more prone, especially with the family history, and he didn't feel the risk was worth it. So, of course, the Zithromax isn't under their $4 program. It's $30. Ok, fine, get the kid the meds so she can get better. I get called back like 5 minutes later...ooo, that was quick. Nope, turns out Zithromax has RED DYE IN IT!! So, they had to call stat care and get a different Rx. This time, we get Omnicef, which does not have red dye, but can cause a reaction in 1 out of 5 people who are allergic to Penicillin. We decide to risk it. Of course, this isn't covered either, and we're up to $60 now!! The pharmacy tech asked if I was sure. No, what am I going to do, let my baby drain pus out of her ear??

So, we finally seem to be on the road to recovery, though. Ari's ear has stopped draining, though she can't submerge her head. She was so upset by that because today was swim class at school, and she has to sit out. AND I now have to help her wash her hair. (She's very independent, and I know won't be happy about this for long) The stat care doc said to follow up in 10 days or so with the family doctor and they might want me to see an ENT. (This is her first ear infection, but because of the perf.) So, I'm just going to call the doc and see if they want her referred, because I'm not going to take her there, just to have them tell me to go to an ENT. Luckily, I have a hook up with a good ENT.

Dan feels horrible. I wanted to take her in Tuesday, because she developed a rash Monday from the viral infection she's had for 2 weeks now. He said no, don't take her, she's fine. If she would have had antibiotics Tuesday, she probably wouldn't have perforated. So, now he feels super bad because Ari is his little princess, and because of him she is worse of than she would have been. Of course he tried to blame it on swim class, because he hates them having swim class. I told him, her last swim class was like 2 months ago. She does NOT have an ear infection from swimming!

Ugh. Anyway, I wanted to talk to the teacher this morning because Ari can't ear well, and I wanted her to know she had to speak up for her and to watch her going to the pool so she didn't get run over in the parking lot or anything because she can't hear. I had written a note, too. Well, we get home, and I see the note on the couch. For some reason, Ari took it out of her folder! So, I go back down so she doesn't get a bad mark for gym that swim class counts for. AND, we're going back tonight for the carnival, not to mention I have to pick the girls up this afternoon. I swear, my car could auto pilot to school!

Warmth

2009-04-02T08:59:00.002-04:00

It's going to be 69 today....69!!!! I can't wait! Heat! Warmth! Sun! I love spring.

Well, I think (hope, hope, hope) I might finally get my crafting dream started! The other day, the florist at the end of my block put up a sign "Crafters Wanted, Inquire Within." I'm thinking about stopping down and seeing if they'd want to sell my bibs and toys!! I figure, most people buy flowers for new moms. What better thing to sell there than some sweet baby gifts, so they have one stop shopping!! I'm hoping to get some things together and go talk to them in the next couple days. I'm very hopeful!

Charlie has 7 teeth now! He will be 1 in 3 weeks. I can't believe it. He is definitely mobile, though still not really crawling. He can scoot on his butt faster than I can blink, though! Oh, I got my sample diapers I blogged about a month or so ago yesterday. Very nice. If anyone has little ones, definitely give that number a call! So far, so good. They are very absorbent. I like them much better than my normals.

Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup

2009-04-01T10:29:00.003-04:00

I know, I know. I've talked about it....alot. The wonderful House Cup! I just wanted to let everyone know that we've just finished winter term 2009, and we are currently on break (for April.) Anyone who hasn't joined already should! It's great fun. You don't have to make Harry Potter related projects. We sure could use some good new Gryffindor blood, too! We've sadly come in 4th place both terms. :0( So, if you want some good motivation to finish projects, fun times, and the chance to win some pretty cool prizes, sign up for the House Cup and tell Headmistress Onica that stitchywitchy sent ya! (yup, we get referral points, and yup us Gryffs can use whatever points we can get for next term!)

Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

Oooo..another awesome skirt giveaway. I know, I know, I need to just start making Ari stuff instead of trying to win them. Sewing cuts into my knitting time, though! lol (FWIW, I like knitting better because I'm lazy and I like to sit on the couch, and you can't sit on the couch and sew, at least not on the machine, and while I love hand sewing, for the kids' clothes, it's just not practical!)

Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sonic

2009-03-27T14:18:00.002-04:00

Ok, for about the last 6 years or so now, we have had nonstop commercials for Sonic. What is this new and wonderful place we wondered? So, we googled it. The closest Sonic was at least 1 1/2 hours away, if not 2. We've waited. We've watched the commercials. We've periodically checked to make sure we didn't miss one, still, no Sonic. Even the kids would ask, "Mommy, if there is no Sonic here, why do they have commercials for it? I wanna go to Sonic." Because they're mean kids, very mean. But, to our wonder and amazement, Dan was going to see a friend, and on the way came across a brand new Sonic! We sampled its wondrousness last night. I'm still mad we had to wait 6 years, but it.was.good. sigh. The only sucky thing is, they're probably going to put the local good-burger drive-in spot, Swenson's, out of business 'cause they're right down the street. :0(

It's Official.....

2009-03-26T15:03:00.002-04:00

I am a mommy to 3 school kids. I just got home from signing Atley up for kindergarten! My baby. My sweet, sweet Atley will be leaving me in the fall. He says he doesn't want to go (much to my happiness...he loves his momma) BUT he seemed to have fun with the other kids there. Poor little Charlie is still snuffly. At least his fever seems to finally have broken!

I started my Petunia Dursley Eyelet socks for the March SKA. I'm about halfway done with the ribbing on the first sock! I finished one of Charlie's socks last night. It fits pretty good! I used the Moda Dea Sassy Stripes I used on Ari's socks, and I found out when I looked at my stash page, it's marked as a DK weight...no wonder it's been a pain on size 1 bamboo needles! I'm going to rough through the second one, then I'm going to try another pair with actual fingering yarn.

Sick

2009-03-23T09:38:00.002-04:00

I have sick kids. It's making it's rounds. Ari missed school Thursday and Friday, and still doesn't sound the greatest, but she went back to school today. Poor little Charlie got it Saturday, and he's just miserable. :0( I feel so bad for the poor baby. He's just so stuffy and he looks so pathetic with his little baggy eyes and runny nose. And Atley's getting it today. Of course, kindergarten registration is Thursday, and I've got 500 things to do tomorrow for it! Perfect timing. Tomorrow is my grocery day. We've got to go pick up his birth certificate. We've got to get our hair cut. AND I have to clean because Dan's having a friend over. Plus, his dad's birthday is Wednesday. Oh well, I'm not picking anything up for that...hehe. ;0) Then, just getting up the gumption to get Atley to kindergarten registration (which he still doesn't want to go to.)

I finished a project last night! Yay! I made another Bunny Blanket Buddy, this time I almost perfected the monkey ears, but it was late, and I was tired, and Charlie woke up and started fussing, and I just wanted to give him his monkey, so it's rather bear like because it could have used another row or 2. Oh well, it's good enough! lol 5 more to go for my Arithmancy OWL to be done!

Happy Ostara!

2009-03-20T13:44:00.004-04:00

Happy Ostara Everyone! Now that spring is officially here, hopefully with the bright and beautiful new spring days, we can all have a bright and beautiful new lookout on life. I'm posting my favorite spring recipe. We always called this Easter Bread, though most Easter breads I've found are fruit filled, not like this.

Easter Bread

1 loaf of frozen bread dough
pepperoni
diced ham
swiss cheese
1 egg
oregano
mozzarella

Thaw bread dough and spread out. Lay 1 layer of pepperoni, ham, and swiss across center of dough. Fold bottom half of dough over the meat and cheese. Do another layer of pepperoni, ham, and swiss on top of folded over dough. Fold over top half. Do an egg wash. Sprinkle top with a little oregano and mozzarella. Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. It's just as good, if not better, eaten room temp or cold even!

Krispy Speckled Eggs Recipe

2009-03-19T13:52:00.002-04:00

When I was a little girl, my grandma and I were always in the kitchen cooking and baking. Every year for Easter, we would make Krispy Speckled Eggs. They are still my favorite, and they are super easy to make. The kids love to help.

Krispy Speckled Eggs

1 jar of marshmallow cream
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 T. melted butter
3 c. Rice Krispies cereal
1 c. chopped pastel M&M's

Combine marshmallow cream, PB, and melted butter; stir until smooth. Mix in Rice Krispies and M&M's until coated. Spread butter on your hands and roll a golf ball sized amount into an egg shape. (Make sure you give it a little squeeze, or it won't stick together.) Refrigerate until set.

2009-03-18T15:47:00.001-04:00

Boy, I am just a bloggin' fool today! I just had to post the "Injury of the Day." Today at school, Melodie stabbed herself with her pencil, erasing a math problem. Bad enough to cause a puncture wound and make it bleed. She said she was pressing down to erase and pressed too hard!

Fun times

2009-03-18T10:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Melodie had a field trip to the McKinley Monument / Museum and Discover World. My dad had gotten us a membership for X-mas, so I decided to take the boys (solo since someone bailed on me...geez!! j/k how is the poor kiddo, BTW? That volunteer guy was telling me about a chess club he helps run from the main branch of the library.) Anywho, Atley had a great time. He loves the trains. There is a HUGE model train display set up, and it is just his favorite part. He also got a certificate for being brave and not scared to walk past Alice, the animatronic Allosaur. (This was the first time he wasn't scared.) He still won't go down the fireman pole. (Wonder if they have a certificate for that?) We saw Melodie and her friends a couple of times. Poor Ari was so upset she didn't get to go. I picked her up a new squirrel friend from the gift shop. She was very excited to see her. I set her on her seat when I went to get them from school so she saw her right away. Yes, this one is a girl, to go with Earl, her boy squirrel. It's name? Arianna, of course. All of Ari's girl toys have 3 names....Arianna, Hermione, or Emma (one of my baby cousin's names.) Well, that and sprinkled in with names like Ballerina Baby (she came wearing a tutu, of course, though now she should be bald baby because Ari cut ALL of her hair off...poor Ballerina Baby) and Target (named, of course, after where Ari made her purchase.)

I don't know how many people ask me, "How old is the baby, 2?" Nope, he'll be 11 mo next week. "OH MY GOD!! He's big for being 11 mo old, isn't he?" Yes, yes he is.

We took a picnic lunch to enjoy the beautiful WARM spring weather (yay! heat!) Charlie smeared chicken and stars baby food all.over.everything. I've never had him get so messy. During our lunch, we also decided to walk up the steps at the end of our visit.

Atley: "Why are people going up and down and up and down and up and down the steps?"
Me: "Because they're exercising."
Atley: "Can we go up the steps?"
Me: "Sure, but when we're all done because I can't take Charlie in the stroller up the steps, and I'll have to put the stroller away."

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. Yes, I was planning on carrying Charlie up the steps. Me, the 5 foot 1, sits on my butt and types all day, gets sunburned through windows me, was totally thinking it was a great idea to carry Charlie up the 100+ reflective granite steps in 60+ degree weather. So, we finish our lunch, go back inside, visit the gift shop, look at the trains again, look at the animals again, walk through Space Station Earth again, and decide it's time to take our trip up the steps. The first flight, I was okay. This is a piece of cake, I thought. Boy, I must be in much better shape than I thought (ha!) Second flight, okay, Charlie's kinda heavy, but at least my knee isn't grinding like it normally does going up steps. Third flight, my right leg starts to shake. From there, it was all a blur, just trying to keep upright and keep up with Atley. On the way down, all I could think of was, "You cannot fall with the baby. You cannot fall with the baby. This is granite, and he will squish, you cannot fall with the baby." By the time we got to the bottom, I could hardly stand up.

Atley: "That was fun, can we go again?"
Me: "Sure, knock yourself out. I'll wait for you right here."

My calf feels like it's going to explode today. I can hardly hobble across the house, and keep in mind my house is only about 800 sq ft! I was thinking about taking the boys on a bike ride today...nope, not gonna happen!

As for the yarnin', I ordered yarn to make a vest for Charlie for his b-day. I'm almost done with my Fanny socks! I ordered a ball of sale yarn for another pair in purple. (Knit Picks has their 50 g Essential Kettle Dyed on sale because they're getting rid of it for 100 g skeins, in case anyone is interested!!) I think I'm going to start on some b-day dino knitting when this one is done. Well, I take that back, I might FINALLY start a pair of socks for Charlie. My friend and her hubby are supposed to come over Saturday night so I can give her a lesson on heel turning / gusset shaping (yes, me, the one who is only on sock pair #5...such an expert! lol)

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-18T10:06:00.000-04:00

Another AWESOME creation from Grosgrain! Wow, would Ari love this dress or what!?!

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Yarnin' Progress

2009-03-12T13:08:00.003-04:00

Things are plugging along here. I've been working like crazy. Dan's work said they might call him back next week, so we'll see!!

Other than playing Big Mutha Truckers and Big Mutha Truckers 2 (boy, it's amazing what you find in the back of the cupboards on the entertainment center), I've been yarnin'. Mostly while Ari has been kickin' the pants off of everyone, including Dan (which really cheezes him off...hehe) in Mortal Kombat 545 (ok, so I forget what one we have...it's about 5 years old, for PS2, if that helps, if anyone cares.) Yes, we are bad parents. We encourage our children to play violent video games and applaud their 5 yo selves for getting 11 straight wins in a row, most of them flawless victories. (Mortal Kombat is nice like that and keeps track of how many times one person beats another, just to rub it in a little more....)

Anywho, Charlie has tooth #6 coming in! Yay for Charlie! He loves brocolli and cheese soup and is very sad it is gone. What is it with my kids and brocolli? They are like the kids on the Hidden Vally Ranch commercial. They fean brocolli. Charlie at 2 bowls of it one night. He wanted more, but I didn't want him to explode. He also, finally for time #2, slept through the night last night! Yay!!

Here is my newest FO. I test knit a baby viking hat. I love this pic of Charlie.

Of course, I know have to make one for Atley. Incidentally, when I googled the spelling of Attila, I found out that Atley is a derivative of Attila. Who knew!?! Here, we just thought we were naming him after someone in the most awesome car movie ever. Dan will be so proud when he comes home. He has always been pushing for the name Attila. I vetoed it with Atley, and with Charlie we tried to stay away from "A" names because we didn't want Melodie to feel left out being the only not "A" child (that, and we didn't want to be confused with the Duggars.)

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-11T17:16:00.000-04:00

Another great giveaway!! This one is for reusable shopping bags!!

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tip for the Day!

2009-03-10T12:25:00.000-04:00

Another one from Real Simple!! To get those cobwebs on the ceiling or to dust crown molding, rubberband a rag on the head of a broom. (They suggest a microfiber one.) I've already got one of those loopy duster things, but when I've got the pad off to be washed, not a bad stand by when Dan squishes a spider with said broom and leaves guts all over. Us short people need all the reaching help we can get!

Chuggin' Along

2009-03-08T12:59:00.002-04:00

Well, so far things are going okay. My mom is a big help, though. And, she's in Florida for the week. :0( I miss my mommy when she leaves me! She's even gone over her birthday.

My knitting has been coming along good. Yay for stress knitting! I'm doing a test knit for a baby Viking hat. OMG, too cute. I hope to have it done in a day or 2. I'm a little over halfway there. I just hope it fits! So far, it looks a little small, but it's supposed to have negative ease to fit snugly to keep the horns up. My little Hungarian baby is going as Atilla the Hun for Halloween this year. (We've decided this based on the hat.) Atley has also put in an order for a Viking hat.

Cinnamon Sticks GUEST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-08T12:45:00.000-04:00

Another cute giveaway!!! This one is for jewelry.

Cinnamon Sticks GUEST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tip for the Day!

2009-03-07T12:20:00.000-05:00

Again, from the Real Simple emails I get. (These can have neat tips in them.)

To polish chrome, use baby oil! I don't know about all you moms out there, but invariably you get at least 1 bottle of baby oil from your baby shower. I don't know about you, but they've always sat in the back of my linen closet. Now, I've got a use for them!

Again, and again, and again

2009-03-04T09:41:00.003-05:00

I swear, every time we finally think we're starting to make some progress, we get knocked right back down again. Monday, Dan got laid off. We're already behind on stuff from me being low on work for the past year. Of course, my work finally started to pick up, and I was going to call all of the "wonderful" people who call me 15 times a day that I could finally start paying them at the end of the month. (yes, because when you have no money, if someone calls you 14 more times, you just might have some *rolls eyes*) And, for a double whammy, my good hospital is going to voice recognition. I got trained to edit it, but the editing is less pay per line. It's supposed to even out because I'm reading and editing, not transcribing, but we'll see. Yesterday was my day off, so I've just barely gotten my feet wet with it. Hey, maybe now they'll finally think we're broke enough to get the kids some freakin' Healthy Start insurance! nah, I'm sure there'll be something that will keep us from getting it. That would be too much luck for us.

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

Another awesome giveaway from Grosgrain! This one is for a $20 gift certificate to Born 2 Impress for hair bobbles and bows for your little princess! Designs from infant to teen.

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

And the winner is.......

2009-02-27T17:13:00.002-05:00

Tanya904!! Thanks so much for entering my giveaway! You can keep checking back here or through my Ravelry store, if you're on Rav, and let me know when you see a pattern you'd like! I can also contact you when I have some crochet patterns up.

Puss Ann Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-02-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER awesome giveaway! A chance to win a set of matching mommy and daughter shoes!

Puss Ann Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

Free Diapers!

2009-02-26T15:47:00.003-05:00

I found this link on one of my fellow House Cup participant's blogs! Cool stuff. You call the phone number, they send you free diapers! There is a number for boys and one for girls. They don't have any size 4's for boys right now, but they put me on a list to call when they have some available. How cool is that!?!

Here is the info from her blog:

for girls call
1-888-342-7372 ext. 646

for boys call
1-888-342-7372 ext. 634

Arquest (the company doing the testing) sends you free diapers. Fill Out Survey when done with diapers. You will get a call back from Arquest then receive check for $10.

Or you can click on the title linky-do to go right there.

PSA: Bubblegum

2009-02-26T11:05:00.002-05:00

Atley would like the world to know, he was allowed to have a Blow-Pop and actually chew the bubblegum. He is making a list of people to tell, so I told him I'd just put it on the computer, so the whole world could know he had bubblegum. ;0) We don't usually let the kids have bubblegum. (Case in point, Melodie got some from V-day at school, and promptly ground it into her pants the other day!)

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-02-23T07:48:00.000-05:00

Another awesome Grosgrain giveaway!! How cute are these skirts!?!? And, she has a link where she got the instructions and her added info to make construction easier. Even if I don't win, I think I see puffy skirts in the girls' futures! I may just have to put down the needles and break out the sewing machine again!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Giveaway!!!

2009-02-20T12:40:00.003-05:00

Well, I have entered enough giveaways, since I've been blogging. I even won twice in the big giveaway bonanza at the beginning of the month!! (A wonderful "Notes To School" notepad and a super awesome bag provided by Chunk-a-Monk. It's just the right size for an on-the-go mom. I highly recommend checking them out! It's got enough room for my phone, keys, wallet, checkbook, changing pad, travel wipes, and a couple of diapers to make a run to the grocery store. LOVE it! It's much cooler than the diaper bag.)

My 1-year Rav-aversary is coming up on February 27th! (Again, thank you Lori, the most awesomest knitting guru there ever was for introducing me to the wonders of Ravelry!!!) I know it's not much, but we're broke, so to honor the day, I am offering to give away 1 pattern from my Ravelry store! You can choose whatever pattern you'd like. If you don't knit, I'm working on some for sale crochet patterns. So, if you'd like a crochet pattern or don't really like the current knit ones, I'd be more than happy to give you an IOU to be used at a later date. Trust me, I've got zillions of ideas swarming my brain. If you like VW's, some of them will be right up your alley, especially if you have kids or kids who like VW's. Most of my designs are probably going to be baby/kid/toy related. Maybe some housewares, fingerless gloves, hats. If I get really confident, socks. I doubt I'll ever do grown-up sized garments, though. Sorry! :0)

Anyway, if you're interested in entering, please leave me a comment! For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway! (For fellow Blogger users, you can click "Create a Link" at the bottom of this post.) For another entry, follow me! It makes me feel special when people follow me. ;0) I will draw a winner by random number generator (a.k.a. Melodie) by 5 PM February 27, 2009. (I have to wait for the random number generator to get home from school.) For each extra entry you do, please leave another comment. The random number generator might be a mathematical whiz, but mind-reader, she ain't! (That's Ari, and she's not so good on the numbers yet!)

Thanks for checking out my giveaway! I hope to give away more things of substantialness when we're not quite so broke! :0)

Guacamole

2009-02-19T13:03:00.003-05:00

Until recently, I have never had guacamole. It's green and smooshy and veggies and green. (Yes, I'm a big baby about eating veggies. My children ask for spinach and cauliflower. I dread putting peas in soup!) I just never wanted to eat guacamole. Then, we had those loaded nacho things that Taco Bell had for awhile. My god, those were awesome! Dan made me try the guacamole, and I was hooked. (He always makes me try things, damn him. I have always hated pickles and Swiss cheese. Guess what I have to have on my hamburgers now and what my fav kind of grilled cheese is?) Anyway, I bought some at the store the other day for the taco salad we had last night. Yummy. That was lunch today. Chips and guacamole. (Hey, I already said I'm a bad example for eating! That was a chaser for my breakfast of the last slice of that chocolate cake!)

Green things, yicky. Broccoli, peas, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, spinach...yuck! I can eat spinach in quiche. I can eat broccoli and peas in stuff like pasta primavera or chicken pot pie, or broccoli and cheese soup. Mmmmm...broccoli and cheese soup. Must put that on the menu for next week! BTW, if you want to get your grocery bill down, start making a weekly menu before you go shopping! Better yet, use your sales circulars and / or coupons to base your menu from. I can usually get a week's worth of groceries for us for $70-80.

House Cup Progress

2009-02-18T08:58:00.003-05:00

Here is the progress on my Arithmancy OWL for the House Cup!

Oh, here is also the super-cute Charlie wrestling his new Hungarian Horntail, Hunky:

My 1-year Knitterversary!!!

2009-02-17T05:57:00.000-05:00

YaY!!! It seems like forever, but today is just my 1-year knitterversary. Well, technically purlaversary because I've been able to do the knit stitch for years. Thank you, thank you, thank you Lori, for teaching me to purl! (and decrease and do cables and do raglan shaping and for taking me to Yarnia, god that wonderful yarn at Yarnia, and for getting me hooked on spinning and for planning out what I want to use for those thrummed mittens and having someone else to knit with that doesn't think I'm crazy for weilding the pointy sticks!!!)

2009-02-15T15:51:00.003-05:00

So, how was everyone's Valentine's Day? Ours was hectic but nice. Hectic, because I was cooking all day. Our dinner turned out great, though! I'll be posting pictures of the cake I made later. You have to see it to believe it. It has got to be THE heaviest cake I have ever handled! Decadent and delicious it completley was, though.

The big kids were in bed at 7. Charlie woke up from his nap at 7. So, he chowed on Cheerios while we enjoyed our meal. We watched the end of "The Transporter" (Dan loves that freakin movie) and the start of "The Transporter 2" on FX. Then, Charlie went back to bed, I nabbed the remoted, and we caught the tail end of "Phantom Menance" and the beginning of "Attack of the Clones" on Spike. What is it with Spike? Why oh why, do I always have to come across their Star Wars marathons? We zonked out on the couch by 9:30, I think. Someone called my cell phone twice, and we even missed both calls. Of course, Charlie woke up around midnight. I tried to put him back to bed around 1, which didn't work so well. He was up until after 3. The only thing he wanted to do was nurse. Man, I wish he would take a pacifier! I could really use a complete night's sleep!

Seeker

2009-02-14T10:09:00.007-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! <3

So, I've been a busy little yarner lately. My pattern for "Bite Me" is available for purchase! YaY!! I also finished my pattern for "Seeker." I am offering it for free. It's in the process of being tested, but patience is not one of my best qualities, so here ya go! If you try it before Monday, 02/16/09, be forewarned this is my rough draft, not-finished-testing-yet copy!! Errata (if necessary) will be available after Monday. Hopefully not, though. It is really a pretty straight forward, anyone could do this kind of thing! I will be adding stitch counts in each row in the next day or two.

Seeker

Is your baby the youngest seeker in a century? What better way to start them out than with their very own Golden Snitch Bib!

Materials:
- You will need less than half a ball of Sugar and Cream cotton in White and a Golden color.
- Stitch Marker
- Size H crochet hook
- Three 3/4 in white buttons.
- sewing needle and white thread.

Abbreviations:
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
hdc: half double crochet
BLO: Working in back loop only
sl st: slip stitch
st / sts: stitch / stitches

Finished bib measures about 7 1/2 inches from top to bottom of body.

For snitch body:

With the gold yarn, ch 2.

Round 1: 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Place stitch marker in first stitch, marking first stitch in each subsequent row.
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around.
Round 3: *Sc in 1 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 4: *Sc in 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 5: *Sc in 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 6: *Sc in 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 7: *Sc in 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 8: *Sc in 6 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 9: *Sc in 7 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 10: *Sc in 8 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 11: *Sc in 9 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 12: *Sc in 10 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 13: *Sc in 11 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
Round 14: *Sc in 12 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around. Leave marker in 1st st of Round 14. You will now work back and forth for 2 rows, not in the round.
Row 15: Hdc in 13 sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 16: In BLO, hdc in 13 hdc. Leaving stitch marker in place, finish off and weave in ends.

For wings:

Note: When joining with a sl st, join to the gold sc.

With white, join in 10th stitch from marker (include HDC rows plus an additional 10 sc stitches) and ch 6.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each subsequent chain across join with sl st, turn.
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc across, ch 3, turn.
Row 3: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch and sc across, join with sl st, turn.
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in each sc and ch across, ch 4, turn.
Row 5: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch and sc across, join with sl st, turn.
Row 6: Ch 1, sc in each sc and ch across, ch 4, turn.
Row 7: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch and sc across, join with sl st, turn.
Row 8: Ch 1, sc in each sc and ch across, ch 6, turn.
Row 9: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch and sc across, join with sl st, turn.
Row 10: Ch 1, sc in each sc and ch across, ch 8, turn.
Row 11: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch and sc across, join with sl st, turn.
Row 12: Ch 1, sc in each sc and ch across, ch 10, turn.
Row 13: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch and sc across, join with sl st.
Row 14: Ch 1, sc in remaining gold sc and end of hdc rows. Turn and sc across in each sc. Finish off and weave in ends.

For second wing:

Rows 1-12: Repeat as with first wing.
Row 13: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 12 sts, ch 2, skip 1 sc, sc in 3 sc, ch 2, skip 1 sc, sc in 3 sc, ch 2, skip 1 sc, sc across rest of sc, join with sl st.
Row 14: Ch1, sc in remaining gold sc and end of hdc rows. Turn and sc across in each sc, doing 2 sc around each ch section. Finish off and weave in ends.

Finishing:

On Row 13 of first wing, tightly sew on three 3/4 in buttons to correspond with button holes made on 2nd wing. Remember, attach these very securely, and never leave baby unattended where they could eat the buttons!

Please feel free to email me with any problems, questions, or concerns. My email address is: michellesstitchwitchery at gmail dot com

This pattern is property of Michelle Adams of Michelle's Stitchwitchery ©2009. This pattern is for personal use only. No items made from this pattern may be sold. You may make items from this pattern for your personal use, for gifts, or to donate to charity.

A Tip For Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-11T13:06:00.002-05:00

Here is a tip I got today in my Gooseberry Patch email:

Dip the rim of a dessert glass in melted chocolate and immediately coat the chocolate with chopped nuts; refrigerate until firm. When it's time to serve dessert, add a big scoop of ice cream.

I'm going to try this on Valentine's Day!! After we get the kiddos in bed, I'm going to make filet mignon (bacon wrapped for Dan), red potatoes, some sort of veggie (haven't decided yet), probably a salad, and a Chocolate Raspberry cake I got the recipe for in the Feb/Mar issue of "Taste of Home." I'll be serving the cake with some Raspberry Rumble ice cream from Schwan's. And of course, we will have wine with our meal. I think this neat little idea will make the dessert very special!

Crochet Survey

2009-02-08T16:15:00.002-05:00

One of my fellow CLF'ers has a crochet survey up right now. If you're a hooker, why don't you go give it a look-see! There is even yarn-y incentive for completing it! Here is the link!

inspired mama musings: LoVe your blog! GiVeAwAy

2009-02-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

Check out this awesome chance to win a free blog makeover! It's an awesome package, offered by Erika, over at Inspired Mama Musings, and the makeover is provided by Blog Designs by Summer!

inspired mama musings: LoVe your blog! *GiVeAwAy*

Chunky Monkey Progress

2009-02-05T09:31:00.002-05:00

I worked on Chunky Monkey again a bit last night!! I've almost got the head done. (The only reason I stopped was that Charlie was in bed, and I didn't want to wake him up getting the safety eyes and stuffing.) It looks like I may have a bit of time to work on him today, though. Work is not shaping up to look like a very full day today. :0(

That is about all of the yarn related activity I had yesterday! I got sucked into "A Very Duggar Wedding" last night. They never cease to intrigue me!

I really need to CO my second sock. And find the instructions to finish Ari's second sock. Oh, and get started on my HPKCHC homework, not to mention I have to have 25% of my OWL's done by the end of the month! I've also got my designs that are in the works. Full plate right now!

Tip for the Day!

2009-02-04T13:05:00.003-05:00

I got my Real Simple email today, and I thought I'd share this little tip for any of you who might not get their emails!

To clean your dishwasher, put 1 packet of Lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) in your dry detergent dispenser and run the dishwasher empty. It will remove stains and hard water deposit build ups. I'm going to try this! I had bought some of the special dishwasher cleaner from Jet-Dry, and it was probably close to $4, and I didn't think it worked all that well. Even if this doesn't work the greatest, it's only a few cents instead of dollars!

And for an update on the yarnin': I finished my first Hedgerow sock Monday night! I'm ready to start working the heel flap on Ari's second sock, too. (I worked on that yesterday because I feel bad I abandoned her socks to do mine!)

Check this out, re: CPSIA!!

2009-02-02T09:30:00.002-05:00

Raising Them Green has a nice post about a ruling on the CPSIA! It looks like, for at least another year, handmade toys are safe! WooHoo!!

I know, I've been awfully quiet lately. I've been busting out some knitting, though! I've just finished working the gusset on my first Hedgerow sock. If I get some good knitting time in tonight, I should have it done! I'm hoping to have the second one done by Saturday.

I've also been designing. The pattern for Charlie's teether toy is being tested right now, which I hope to have up for sale soon. Dan and I are also working on some VW Beetle themed projects. Stay tuned for updates on those!

Well, that's about it for me. Work, kids, snow, work, snow, cold, snow.....ugh...snow. Someone needs to take out Punxsatawney Phil, by the way! Stupid groundhog and his 6 more weeks of winter. (I know, they'd be there anyway, but it just makes it feel nicer when he says spring is on its way.)

The Apron Goddesses: Hot Momma! It's a Valentine's Give Away from Carolyn's Kitchen

2009-01-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

The Apron Goddesses: Hot Momma! It's a Valentine's Give Away from Carolyn's Kitchen

Raising Peanuts: Giveaway : Wooden Baby Rattle

2009-01-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Raising Peanuts: Giveaway : Wooden Baby Rattle

Mom of 2 Dancers: Bloggy Giveaways Carnival ~ $25 Amazon GC

2009-01-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

Mom of 2 Dancers: Bloggy Giveaways Carnival ~ $25 Amazon GC