Middle of May

Last year, for my daughters' birthdays, we didn't celebrate. We didn't do our usual, the whole day is her day celebration. Why? My mom was in the hospital and getting too far away was stressful for me and for my husband. So this year was make up for last year. The girls combined their choices and decided that they wanted to go to Hershey and make a chocolate bar and ride roller coasters. Hershey is in Pennsylvania and is a wonderful place to spend time. We went to the main building and signed the girls up to make chocolate bars and they went in and made their bars and came out and couldn't find us. This prompted them to send us a text message and one to start trying to call us, but the noise level was so high she couldn't hear us answer our phones. So I went in search of them and brought them over to where we had been waiting and my wonderful, loving husband got them drinks. After they had hydrated, and had some chocolate (yep, I bought a small bag of chocolates and divvied them up), they were in a mood to go over the amusement park. They loved the rides. There were some for everyone and they rode roller coasters and rides that allowed them to see the whole park and we walked and walked and walked. We even went to Zoo America! What a nice little zoo. Yes, it is little and your pass to the amusement park is the pass for the zoo, too. The bears were my absolute favorite! They were active and would sit and wave. They were so fun to watch. The zoo stays mostly to North American animals. That made it fun. The girls got to see road runners and partridges and so many other animals that we hadn't seen at a zoo yet.

We came home and started working on all the things we needed to work on, which means I don't have a lot of time on the computer to clear out my emails, so they are growing again, but I plan on trying to get to the computer before the girls in the morning and just do a little at a time. Between that and getting the rest of my mom's recipes onto the blog for her recipes, I will be busy.

Afghan/Square:
Striped Star Afghan
Bright Ripple Throw
Parcheesi Afghan
Eliot Square
Yo yo square

Amigurumi/Toys:
Breaking Bad Bear - actually it is quite cute.
Owl Stuffy

Animals:
Cat Bed - I have 4 cats. I really think I need a few beds for the cats.

Bags/Baskets:
Summer Crochet Tote
Crochet Coin Purse Fair Isle Technique
Owl Pouch
Plastic Bag Keeper - I need to make a dozen of these! For me, for friends. Who doesn't have plastic bags from a store. We use the plastic bags to clean up after the dog, but I have started collecting some of the bags, to make plarn with, yep, I did that!
Water Bottle Holder - Summer is upon us and if you have kids you usually don't have extra hands, but this would be a great way for the kids and anyone else to carry water with them, to stay hydrated.
Crochet Stash Baskets - a great way to store things, use up yarn and have something that will be easy to clean.
Crochet Bathroom Set - sort of like the stash baskets, but these would be for the bathroom.
Ereader Cozy - Many people have ereaders or tablets, if you use a thick yarn it could help keep the ereader safe.

Christmas:
Crochet Icicle Angels

Cleaning:
Swiffer Cover - I love these. I made one for myself and liked it. I made another (was supposed to be for me), but I left it at a friend's house. Well worth it!

Hats:
Crochet Unicorn Hat
Sunset Slouchy Hat
Rainbow Beanie
Slouchy Hat
Montera Slouch Hat - This is a free pattern, but you have to log in and "buy" it, but well worth it.
Slouchy Hat - Listed also as Fair Verona Slouchy Beret
Ava Hat for toddlers or babies
Mini Brim Hat - my oldest girl would love this hat.
Puppy Dog Ear Flap Hat - my cousin's son would love this hat. He is just a little guy, so it would be perfect for him.
Baby Bird Hat 6 - 12 months old.
Circus Scrap Hat
Dad hat - good for any man in your life....your father, husband, boyfriend (it is not a sweater and therefore okay to make as a gift), son, nephew.
Fox Hat - baby (I know a baby or two who could use a new hat)
Bloomin' Purple Beanie

Headband:
Braided Winter Headband

Just for Fun:
Gratitude Stones
Indoor Fairy Garden - I have seen this many times over the last year, but this was in my email from January 2014 (remember I mentioned my email box was "full" and I needed to empty it).
Draft Dodger - cute long dog shaped stuffy that you can put in front of doors or windows to keep the cold out and the heat in.
Slow Cooker Cupcake Cozy - this is from Moogly blog and covers a round medium sized crock pot.
Tissue Box Cover - My grandmother used to make these. They were so fun. I wish I had taken time to sit with her and learn how she did it, because they didn't look like this. She was so very talented.
Crochet Windsock
Kid's Crown - seeing these a lot this year, too for babies.

Mittens/Gloves:
Beginner Mittens
Ailhbe Fingerless Mitts
Toasty Fingerless Mitts
Social Media Mitts
Stashbuster Mittens
Toddler Mittens - Yep, I think I need to make a few of these, too, for the cousin's kids.

Scarf:
Candy Stripe Scarf
Dragon Stitch Scarf
Flower Motif Scarf
Subway Scarf
Colorful Block Scarf
Old Flames Scarf

Shawls:
Flower Triangle Shawl
Summer Morning Shawl
Silk Handmaiden Wrap
Mystic Forest Shawl

Slippers/Socks:
Women's Loafer Slippers - you can print a pdf form of the pattern for $1.50, or just print the whole things for free, without a pdf.
Rainbow Sherbert Socks
Yoga Socks