Happy New Year 2013

Tonight is 31 December 2012. As I sit and think about the last year, so much has happened and so much to look forward to! My cousin was married in September. Another cousin will get married in September. We lost a cat to kidney failure in March 2012 and gained a new cat in June 2012! We had someone attempt to gain entrance to our house and we gained a dog! We lost more family to illness and death. Some got better, some wish they hadn't! We gained more to love! More friends, more family! God has a plan and we have to trust that HE knows what HE is doing and we are just along for the ride! He will take care of us! I made many things to donate and give to children. As we start the New Year, I have already chosen the next project that has to be finished in 1 1/2 months (Feb 14th). I memorized another pattern to make! I have been making Winter Slouch hats. A very simple pattern (http://www.macyarns.com/?p=279) that is very quick to make. I started doing a test crochet on some hats. They are very simple and they are very pretty! Thanks, Tamara (OzarkLakeCrochet) for letting me have this opportunity. My girls love the hats! They want them all, but I made them agree on who gets which ones.

This is the hat I made for the test crochet.

I made this for my bil's girlfriend's youngest daughter. My youngest loves it and wants it for herself.

The same winter slouch that I have memorized. I discovered that while the "lacy" scarves are very pretty and simple looking. They are quite frustrating and need to be worked on when no one is demanding my attention, for I will gladly walk away from it to help anyone!

Tomorrow, I will resolve to finish many WIPs! Some of them are UFOs and need to be finished! I will list them and try to make some order as to what will be finished first to last! I know that the afghan for my father and brother need to be near the top and the scarf for my mother needs to be near the top. Only one can be carried with me, the other two can only be worked on at home. I also have a shawl that I started in June or July and I would like to finish that also. I also started another that is to be mine all mine! I will try to have photos of the WIPs or UFOs (if you will) to help me organize my thoughts. I will also go to the library on Wednesday or Thursday to get a few books to read that will fit the two reading plans I signed up for. I already have Band of Brothers (double dipping in reading is truly acceptable). But I want to try and stay on track and get an A book. Besides there is nothing better than wandering the stacks at the library for a book! What are your resolutions? What are you going to try and achieve? Happy New Year! Happy 2013!

Reading

I have been pretty busy. Life as we know it has school....helping in classrooms. Illnes (kids get it bring it home and then I get it). Then caring for the animals. I am constantly chasing the newest cat....

Prince Naveen Dingleberry Doofus Rotten Houdini the Second, he escapes and because of where we live he could easily be hit by a car, then we have the dog who takes opportunities to run also and then we chase her. My washing machine broke (only had it for about 2 1/2 years). Very frustrating. So we decided to find out what our friends had and what they liked or didn't like on their washers. We are now using a front loader. I also made many, many things over the past few months.

The biggest quantity items were candy corn gift bags. I made these for youngest DD's class.

I made Minikins for my oldest DD's class. I need to start working on my middle DD's class item for Valentine's Day. As I was going over my reading for the year, I found 2 blogs that are hosting two different reading challenges. The first is for reading about "men in uniform" and that can be any uniform....military, police or fire. The other is and A-Z Reading Challenge. It suggested that you make a list of books that you want to read that start with the letter in question. For example, A - A Funny Thing Happened the Other Day. I am thinking of posting my list of what I want to read that fits the list and then adjusting as I go along should I find something I want to read from a library (real book) vs. an ebook. Which brings up the issue of problems with my Kindle. I have an older version and the battery is not holding charges and they say that my warranty ran out. That made me upset because most places send you a note when your warranty is out and then you renew. They said that was not available with the Kindle....reason? Because that Kindle is not being made any longer. Frustration. I will be complaining in the morning to the people who did the warranty. Oh well. Have a nice Christmas. If you are interested in the A-Z Reading list it can be found at http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/category/challenges-2/a-z-reading-challenge/ The other let me put a link on the side of my page (I will check to see if it works as soon as I post).

Yeah, Drugs!

I started feeling really bad yesterday. I have a sinus infection that was brought on by my allergies. So today, I am grateful for Drugs. To be specific....prescription drugs that will help me feel better soon!

Power of Positive Thinking and Lots of Prayer

As I stated in a previous post, my van broke down again. We had to get new tires and new brakes and now a new alternator. On my daily journeys I have found a vehicle that I would like to own for color alone! It is a Lime Green Jeep!

There are several reasons I want this jeep: 1. The color! It would be easy to spot in a parking place! 2. The size! It would accomodate the girls and I and the dog on our journeys. To the dog park, to the park, to the library, to the vet, to the doctor, etc. 3. My DH wouldn't drive it! Yep, that is what he said! He wouldn't drive this vehicle because of the color! So it would be mine all mine! On to the power of positive thinking and lots of prayers. He said that if we won the big lottery amount I could buy this jeep! At the same time, he can have the van for driving around or if we did win the big lottery he could get something that he wants and that will accomodate the family! Right now I have the only family vehicle (as stated before it means I have to keep this running). Oh, by the way, did I mention the color! If Ford or Toyota or Honda had this sitting on their lot and it was big enough to accomdate the family, I would definitely be interested in that too!

Car Breakdown

Yesterday, I took my dog to the dog park so she could run. On the way home, the car started acting up and it worried me enough that I immediately went to Ford dealership, that has a Quick Lane and told them what was happening. It seems that the Alternator was in such bad shape it was trying to catch fire. Here are my thankfuls for this: 1. The Quick Lane that was open and close, so that I didn't do any damage to my car, by having to drive farther than I should have with the car. 2. My friend, Caren. When I needed to get my dog home and wake up my husband. She came to the dealership, picked the dog and I up and took us home, and bonus: had a key to my house so we could get in! 3. My mother, who lent us the money to help pay for the fixing of the car. With all the things that have broken in the past month, we are slowly going broke trying to get them fixed and get them right. So we did not have enough to fix the car. Since this is the only vehicle we have that can transport the whole family, we had to get it fixed! 4. My husband, who was very supportive in trying to get the van fixed. This is 4 days worth of grateful wrapped into 2, but I am grateful to God for putting these people into my life.

Gorgeous Night

Tonight I am thankful for the beautiful night. Actually, today I am thankful for my friend Caren, who lent me her Spot Bot so I can clean some carpeted areas without hauling my huge carpet cleaner to them. Also, for her friendship. We have such a good time together. I am thankful for the guys who while working on the park on Miller Road, took time to help me catch my dog, who got away from me because I was trying to do too much again! I am thankful for tonight's beautiful night sky to help me become grounded.

I am thankful for the new cat....he has so many names. Naveen, Houdini (he likes to escape), Rotten, Doofus, Dingleberry. But he entertains me when the kids are at school and he makes me laugh at his antics. Like tonight:

Last night I am thankful that all the cats and one dog could be in one room and not fight or growl or hiss (the cats).

I am hoping that tomorrow I can work on my knitting!

Positive Thinking Day 1

I keep reading how positive thinking and thanking God for all the good in our lives helps our lives to be better. So I am going to try starting my posts with something positive in my life. The biggest positives I have: my wonderful, Darling Husband! He is such a good man. He really cares about me and our daughters and he works very hard to keep a roof over our head! So Thank God for my wonderful Husband! Some man said, "At my age, I take what I can get." But I waited for God to lead me to the best man for me! That would be my husband! Other positives on the day: my daughters, my dog, my cats, my friends and my family. I am also grateful that my friend was not seriously injured in a motorcycle crash today. Another friend came home from Afghanistan, unharmed physically. My friend's babies were born and are beautiful and healthy! That is a big positive. She did an awesome job bringing 3 babies into this world all at one time! What a great mom she is! So life is good! So many positives to be grateful for! What are you grateful for? Make a list and thank God!

2 Days In and 2 Phone Calls from School

1st Day of School, my middle DD's teacher calls me. She has fallen off the slide (from high up). She has hurt her arm and is claiming it is broken. 2nd Day of School, my oldest DD's teacher calls me. She is in the school office crying because she doesn't like the food being sold in the cafeteria. Because of Obama's wife's forced changes, the menu has not been approved and they cannot serve 2nd or 3rd choices for those kids who do not like Pizza or other foods served in the cafeteria. I have to go get her a sandwich (I was going to go shopping and buy food) and take it to the school and she gets an extended lunch period because of this. This is the first time this has ever happened! The cafeteria has always offered a 2nd or 3rd choice (usually one of those being pb&j sandwiches). I am so grateful for the weekend right now!

1st Day of School

My girls are starting 4th, 3rd, and 2nd grades today. My house is quiet and I am enjoying the silence. But it is bittersweet. My girls are off growing up some more while I wait for their return.

My poor Animals.....

My children are not cruel, they just think that things they wear look good on Poochie and Kitties.....End result, poochie is wearing sunglasses or fake glasses, or hats, etc. They also constantly pick up the kitties. Poor cats are a little too big for the girls to hold comfortably (for them). Oh Well, they are only young once.

Pink Sky

Recently we had a storm, followed by a beautiful PINK sky! It turned everything pink! It was gorgeous.

Bullach Family Reunion

We went to Akron, OH for a family reunion for the Bullach family. This is my husband's father's mother's family. Now this woman, Thelma Bullach Hofacre is already deceased. But we are part of the family and went. There were a lot of family we have met and many we haven't. It was a good time. I got some good photos for the family and finally got them off my camera and onto FB where they can be shared with the rest of the family.

I am showing my father-in-law, sister-in-law, Aunt Flo, Cousins Jill, Daniel and Janie. It was a great time! Aunt Karen and Joanie did a lot of work and they did a great job!

More Finished Offs

I have been busy knitting and crocheting, but I haven't been very busy posting what I have finished. So I think it is time for me to start. I will also try to share where I got the pattern from (if it is available....some have been removed).

First up, I finished a baby afghan. I had started it sometime ago, used up some baby yarn in light blue that I had. It is very pretty. I also put a shell stitch border on it. The grandmother said it was wonderful!

I finished another diagonal scarf. I really don't remember who I gave it to, just that I finished it. I may have given to my mother for her birthday back in March (that was when I took the photo, but I didn't download to my computer until June.

2 discloths. One is 2 color and fun. The other is a basketweave dishcloth. I c/o 40 stitches and k5,p5 repeating the entire row for 5 rows and then switched p5, k5. I did this until I felt that it was the right size and cast off.

This is the afghan that I was working on for my sister's boyfriend, Kyle. It is different types of yarn (alpaca, mohair, etc) and it is different colors. I just made strips and then sewed it together and added a border. I am so happy to have this finished!

This is something that can be worn as a cowl (safer for kids on a playground) or up around ears to keep ears warm on a playground.

This is a purse that I was playing with. It is wider, has a button enclosure and the handle actually goes to the base and up and around to the base on the other side.

This is the year of the dragon Dishcloth. It can be found at

It was an easy knit. It turned out really cute also.

Just another cowl. Basically I was using up yarn and making a scarf and then connected the ends. This way it can wrap around my daughter (who loves pink) and keep her safe and warm.

A cupcake. I was only able to finish one for a birthday party, but I can make more for my own daughter's birthday in November. http://beeknit.blogspot.com/2008/02/cake-glorious-cake.html is where you can find the pattern. It is quick and simple, but there are some corrections. Check on Ravelry.com. There is a place where people have posted the corrections.

I finished this and mailed it to my aunt, whose mother passed away recently. I make a lot of these! I found the pattern in a book I was given for Christmas, written by Debbie Macomber, but she also has it on her website. If you are interested, google her site. It is a good place to visit.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a practical joker. So for my anniversary, I made my husband a roll of toilet paper. This pattern can be found here: http://mochimochiland.com/2007/10/free-pattern-toilet-paper/

Universal Scarf. I have put this away to give as a gift at Christmas (123 days away). It is simple and quick to remember. Pattern found here: http://www.interweave.com/wir/kr110604.htm#2

I made a lot of these fingerless mitts. They are really simple and make great gifts. My girls even love them. I gave quite a few as gifts to teachers, who have to help kids zip into coats.

Here is a link to the pattern: http://creativeyarn.blogspot.com/2009/11/diagonal-eyelet-hand-warmers-free.html

I also made for a birthday present, two "Miffed" Birds. I refuse to use the word angry. Mine are called miffed. You can find the patterns on Ravelry.

They are from Adorable Amigurumi.

My oldest is into snakes, so for her birthday, I made her a snake.