Better late then never..right??

Hey there! Long time no see! I was going to start this out by saying how sorry I am for being gone so long, but I won't bore you. Lets just say I've been busy living..after all I'm a mom first and foremost..then a wife..daughter..sister..maid..driver..therapist....blah blah blah...

My goal is to soon post ALL the lovely crochet I've accomplished in the last few months. The one good thing about those away football games that take hours of driving..lots of crochet time. Although now that the sun is setting earlier I have to use my lighted hooks for the drive back..boy..Jeremy just loves that! :) I must admit if I were doing the driving it would drive me crazy too, but I'm not so he can just deal with it..and he does, pretty well. I've made a good many things AND my biggest news (as far as crochet) is I taught my cousins wife, Shelley, to crochet! How awesome is that! She has taken to it like a fish in water! She really has amazed me. I'd like to think it's my fab teaching skills but I'm sure that's not the case, but I can dream can't I! lol

I can't wait to finally be caught up on all that I've missed in your worlds..I've missed that much more then writing about my own happenings. I'm sure you'll soon see me stopping by for a chat. Hope everyone is well, talk to you soon..take carexoxoxo

Just a quick Hello!

Hi Everyone!!! I am alive and well...hopefully you haven't even noticed that I haven't been around much. I feel like I"m missing out on so much..it will take me weeks..months..to catch up on what everyone is doing. I've manged a look or two at a few of my favs..but not nearly all of them. (Love the Bobble Tut Cuckoo)
I'm sure everyone knows what it's like when life goes crazy and you have no time for anything except what other people need or want..I'm there right now..and have been for weeks. I'm hoping( and praying) it's going to get better but now that school is out I'm not as confident. We shall see...I guess they matter most so all is good. Just wanted to check in. I have tons to show and share once I get pics for you. New bags on the go..one completed..and of course NO progress on my Flag Blanket..
Take care everyone..I miss you all
xoxoxoxoxo

Croc Bag

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. I haven't been around much lately. Destiny's 16th bday is tomorrow and her party has taken up every spare minute I have, not that I'm complaining. :) She's more then worth it. I finished this bag ages ago and hadn't shared it with you yet.


This is the Croc Bag pattern Shanti wrote and you can find it HERE. Once you get the hang of the stitch it's really fun to make. It is a yarn eater just to warn you, but the outcome is well worth it.


I have lots to catch up on..after this Birthday Weekend is over I hope to be able to. I miss seeing whats going on with everyone!
Hope you all have a great weekend! Take care! xxx

"The Crochet Way"

Hi there! I wanted to share this with all of you. Debi Y has created  another wonderful board. It's called the "Crochet Way" and you can find it HERE. I've found some pretty amazing people through this page and they've found me too :) The projects listed on here are out of this world..my to do list is totally filled up!!

All you do is click on the link on Debi's page and then click on the blue add your link...fill out the 3 box's and your done. Take's maybe 30 seconds..but if your anything like me your gonna spend loads more time on there just checking everything else out ;)

I hope you all like it..let me know :) Thank you Debi for this wonderful idea!
Take care!!

By the way.... welcome back Amanda  my lovely!! I've missed you so!xoxoxo

Hearts, stitches and some dish clothes..

I hope everyone is doing well. Feels like ages since I've wrote on here. We had an unexpected death in the family. Aren't most deaths unexpected..not all but most. I don't know why I said it that way. I guess it makes me uncomfortable...I've never dealt with it well. Makes my mind go in a million different directions. Anyways..not going to be a dreary one I promise.

Jeremy has kept me very busy indeed. It was the kid's weekend away so Friday we had our "date night". They are always tons of fun. Dinner and a show. Makes us feel like were 16 again. Young, in love, and kid free! Don't get me wrong..love our babys..but it's nice for them to be at an age where we have time to enjoy each other.
Then Saturday we went shopping! And not my normal once a week in town shopping. We went to tons of places! I think we covered the Tri-State area...Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia! Even hit a few anitque shops! He certainly kept me busy! I won't bore you with all of our purchases..(no I didn't get any yarn!! Thats "me" time) but I do want to show you this...

I didn't even see it when we were in this particular store..I had my hands full with a few other things. And just when I think Jeremy is about to draw a line/put his"foot down (hahaha yeah right) he tells me I should get this too and points it out to me. It's not something I would have picked out myself but I do love it. It's cute and I love the way his face looked when he showed it to me. I hope I can always remember that look...
Sorry, I guess I'm just in one of those moods! I have been pretty busy hooking as well...I want to show you this even thought it's not finished. I only have a few things left to do then I can show you the finished product as well as explain how bad I messed it all up!

Isn't it pretty. I love this stitch! First time for doing this as well as this....

Just another day or so..shouldn't be too long! You may even be able to tell what it is already. There was a post out there not so long ago talking about it....:)

I decided to make some dishclothes using the Motif book I bought a few months ago. I was just about finished and thought there was no way I was going to let my kids ruin this with a Kool Aid cleanup or goodness knows something worse. So I added a few more rows and decided to turn it into a doiley...

As long as it took me I figured I'd be better off to just buy some clothes and maybe just do a little edging to them...which still took me longer then a normal person :)

I hope everyone has a great week.  Take care!!xxxx

Yarn Donation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Hi there! I hope you all are enjoying your day as much as I. It's hard to believe the weather is so gorgeous today considering we had terrible storms last night. The thunder and lightening was pretty intimidating! Even for an adult! It actually shook the house! The sun is out in full force now though..it's a beautiful day...

In more ways then one...Do you guys remember when I told you about my cousin Amy, she was going back to work after being a stay at home mom for the past 10 yrs and she wouldn't have time for crochet so she was going to give me her stash...well, last night I finally picked it up! As I suspected there was TONS there...When I thought of adding it to my already huge stash I felt a bit guilty! Well, a lot guilty.

There is a nursing home/assisted living down the road from where she lives so when I left her house I stopped there and spoke to the activity's director. Sure enough, lots of their lady's in the assisted living section of the facility still knit and crochet so I donated half of it to them.

It was actually a little more then half..but you can see there was still plenty left over for me...I wish you could see these closer. There is two skeins of RHSS Coral..first I had seen this color and I'm loving it! It's the top row, center 5th and 6th one in from the right. She has a good bit of variegated yarns too. Pink, purple, greens and blues...

What will I do with all that white! Has anyone started anything new? Finished anything old??
I made a terrible mistake..not sure if that's the best way to describe it. I was suppose to do something and didn't...will explain that one later. I feel terrible though...

Hope everyone has a great day..xxxxx

Fabrics, Flowers, and a new crochet book :)

Hi there. I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday! In my neck of the woods it's been a beautiful day in deed. The sun was shinning bright and it was actually pretty hot. Felt like it got into the 80's today!
My Easter flowers are in full bloom. Aren't they lovely..I'm not much of a flower person. I mean, I like them but don't do too much gardening myself. The orange ones were here when we bought the house and continue to come back every year to say hi :) When I saw the yellow ones I was totally confused. They weren't there last year..hmm..couldn't figure out where they come from till I seen Jeremy looking at me and smiling. He had planted them for me and not told me..isn't he a doll..I do love that man :) If I had planted them we would have never seen them, trust me. Just my touch kills them.

Well, I made the drive in town today for my Saturday shopping. Made a mistake and took both kids with me. I always spend double when they go..is that everyone or just me?
I did come across this little goodie that I just had to have...

It's a soft cover book, 144 pages, it has 150 borders. Found it at A.C. Moore. I have no immediate need for this but I realized I have no edging books at all and since nothing else caught my eye I couldn't resist. Maybe Jeremy is right, I just like to spend money regardless of what it's for. Yeah, I think he's right but who cares...if I didn't would I really work 40 hours a week! No, I think not..:)..They didn't have any yarn on sale that I fell in love with so this was my only purchase at the craft store. I've  been trying to NOT buy yarn. My craft room is already overflowing...and I'm out of places to stash it. Once Jeremy builds the shelf I want I'll have plenty of room for more...guess that's why I'm still waiting on it..He's no dummy for sure.

I did buy some fabric today. Again, nothing in mind for it's use, another just because purchase. Well, I did start searching for fabric to make a noticeboard like I found HERE, but didn't see anything that tickled my fancy. I'll keep searching as I patiently wait for that tutorial Mama Cuckoo :) The polka dot fabric is really cute though. Maybe I could use it to line a bag.. Here is a better pic of the pink...

No big plans for us this weekend. I don't even think we'll  see the family. Jeremy is making a ham tomorrow with his "out of this world" baked mac n cheese. Hoss wanted a new game for Easter so I'm sure that will  occupy them for me to hook awhile. Maybe Des will join me. She will be 16 in less then a month so she has been busy busy busy planning...party..truck..license..She is constantly on her phone texting or talking about one or all of them. No time for crochet with mommy...

I do have a new WIP that I could show you...well, it's actually been a WIP in since I read THIS. I've been trying to mange my time better. It's amazing how much time I spend riding in the truck and hadn't even realized it...I consider myself such a homebody but this proves differently. I made a bag to keep in my truck and a bag to just grab if I'm going in someone else's. I filled both bags with identical yarn and hooks...and this is what I've come up with so far...

I actually have 14 squares total, this pic doesn't show them all. I have an idea what I'm going to do with them but I'll save that for later :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday, take care xxx

Pretty in Pink Bag

Well, I finished this rather quickly. Well... quick by my standards. I'm trying to think when I started it..let me hop on over and see. I know I started it the day it was posted...Ok, Saturday April 16th..of THIS YEAR! Not too bad for an ole slow poke :)

The pattern was very easy to follow. You can find it HERE. (Thank you Debi, once again!! For the pattern and for answering all my silly questions!)

 I think it would be great for anyone, a beginner or advanced. And the best part is you don't need to line it.
 I'm not at all happy with the handles though. I looked for the ones like Debi used and couldn't find them. Since I had my heart set on them I should have known nothing else was going to be good enough. I tried crocheting a few, hated them. Tried just a wooden handle, nope. So, I cut straps off an old bag that was given to me that I knew I'd never use. Down fall there was they were black...so I had to do something and this is what I came up with.

 I wrapped the yarn  around those ugly black straps and TA-DAH...this is it. I wrapped them just like you'd make one of those thread bracelets the kids wear, some things are like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it. I wrapped them at work today so they aren't exactly even in color. I tried counting but when your talking on the phone and getting dates, cpt codes, icd-9 codes...all those numbers start to run together. I can multi-task with the best of them but some things weren't meant to be done at the same time :)

As you can see here I did sew them on rather loose so when I do finally come across those beautiful handles, it will only take a second  to snip snip..and these are gone.

Something else I need to point out is that I used a K hook and I know I should have used a bigger size...(grabbed what I thought was an L)..oh well, not too bad. Except for the handles I am really pleased with it. I'm still thinking about adding a bow..I'm not very girly but I like Debi's bag with it. I really just wanted to finish it asap, am feeling a little guilty that I started something new with all the others I have on the go. To make matters worse I have that " I COMPLETED SOMETHING" feeling now so it's like ok, lets find something new since I got one done..lol..

I didn't finish until it was dark so I tried to take pictures in different areas..different light..I don't think it helped. For some reason Josephine is in love with this bag! I had to get Destiny to hold her to keep her out of the pictures, even when I put it up high. I thought Des would be the one claiming this but Josie beat her to it!

Hope everyone is doing well. The week is more then halfway over..Take care!xxx

Crochet with a friend...

I was working on my Pretty In Pink bag Sunday when my buddy stopped by the house. We were sitting side by side on the love seat talking and watching the guys play the xbox (that's starting to turn into a very bad habit). They were watching me do one single crochet after another and said, my that looks easy. So I gladly handed my project over and said here you go, give it a try since it's so easy...

This was the outcome...it was actually right. The tension was terrible of course but over all, for a first timer, not too shabby...what do you think????

My buddy, Mike, wasn't at all happy when I snapped some pics of him. lol.. Did you think those hairy arms were mine??? lol
He's such a good sport :) Wanted to share with you...
Have a great Monday! xoxoxo

A new WIP...

Hi there! I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday. We have had down pours most of the day.. so my normal trip to town for Saturday shopping did not happen. I've been sitting at home all day, relaxing with Jeremy and the kids...
The boys are playing some hunting game on the xbox..and us girls are in my craft room talking..crocheting..listening to the rain. Well, she's doing most of the talking while I'm doing most of the crocheting :) Life is good

I started a bag today...I know, I KNOW! I have enough projects on the go..BUT when I seen THIS today I didn't have a choice. When I asked about maybe having the pattern posted sometime, Debi immediately wrote it up and posted it...now, how could I NOT start it today :) Yes this is the same Debi that I got the hook making directions from. I know I've been talking about her a lot but I am just so in love with her blog right now..can't get enough. She is so talented and helpful and kind..She's just like the crafty sister I 've always wanted :)

 I'm  using the same Lion Brand Baby Soft yarn but mine is Pink Lemonade and Pistachio. The worsted yarn I'm using is RHSS in a variegated pink/brown/green (not sure of the actual name). I suddenly became very fond of pink and green together and started buying different shades of the 2 in different brands of yarn. With her pattern you use 3 strands at the same time so it's working up fairly quickly. I would be much further along had I not been stopped in the middle of writing this with unexpected company. (I'm further along now but too lazy to take a new picture, you'll see soon enough)

Do you consider it rude to crochet while you have company?? Please tell me because I do all the time :)

 

I ventured out to take some pictures of the overflowing creek and our ducks! The pictures of the ducks aren't the greatest..I tried from the deck and they were way to dark even though it wasn't even 4pm. So out in rain I went. I'm sure I looked like an idiot but oh well, I wanted you to see.

I included the picture from earlier this week..see the difference in the creek size??? It's usually just a tiny little thing...Flash floods will do that I guess.

Enjoy your evening..take care! xxx

Hook making...again!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a peachy day and able to enjoy this gorgeous weather!  I wish more then anything I was off work today. I can see this birdhouse from my office window. Birds have been there all day except when I try to take a picture :)

I had so much fun making those nifty little hook handles I wanted to make some more. I've actually been wanting to make more since the day I started. Ms.Debi tried to warn me that they were addicting, but her words of caution came a little too late. Not only do I have an addiction problem with yarn and crochet books, we can now add homemade HOOKS to that as well!
 I know I just posted this a few days ago but I would never want anyone to think I came up with this idea myself, so...you can find the directions for these adorable creations  HERE. Thank you once again Ms.Debi :)

I purchased a few more packs of clay..white, blue, and orange. I didn't have as much time to do these as my first batch so I'm not liking these as much as the first few.   Tell me what you think.....

I tried taking a few pictures outside to see if it helped show the colors better. I'm not so sure it did though..

The orange colored one actually has blue mixed with it but in these pics it looks more like purple.
The blue is really dark, hard to believe mixing the white with it gave me this baby blue color, I love it :)
These... like I said ..were rushed..but still turned out ok. I know from now on I'll only do them when I have nothing else going on. (if you look at the baby blue one you can see where the bottom part kind of bends outward) Oh well. I like them, thats all that matters.
Have you guys made any of these yet? I'd love to see them. :)

Enjoy the rest of your day...Take care!xxx

Crochet Books!!!

Good afternoon! I hope all is well your way. This is a picture of one of the smaller trees in our front yard. I love when they look like this.We've had some lovely weather the last 3 days..beautiful sunshine! It tricked me into thinking Spring was actually here for good. Today has been nothing but cold, wet, constant RAIN..sure did snap me back to reality :)

Yesterday the post man delivered my latest on-line purchase. I actually got them so cheap I should be saying this is what I stole. I ordered them from Annie's Attic..I think they are more expensive then Knitpicks but I found these at a bargain!

"50 Sensational Crochet Afghans and Throws"...Hard back  176 pages. Cost $5.95..isn't that amazing! How often can you buy any hardcover book for that price! The pictures in this book are brilliant and it actually has 2 different versions of a blanket I've been wanting to make for a while. I'm not even sure of it's real name..in this book it's referred to as Happy Cartwheels and Peaceful Harmony. I can't describe it, it reminds me of wheels..if that makes sense! Here, I found a picture of what I was trying to describe, much easier! lol 
Click here

"Heirloom Afghans"..176 pages, 53 patterns and hard cover! What a bargain at $3.95. .This has a lot of the lacy Victorian style throws..which I honestly don't do too often BUT who's to say I can't start now..It also has a few patterns with cables...which has always scared me and I've stayed clear of them..but why be scared..I just need to try it and get it over with.

"1-2-3 Skein Crochet"...Soft cover 176 pages $5.95. This is suppose to be an excellent book for stash bashing which is  what made me place the order to begin with. I told myself that with this book I can use up what yarn I have already have instead of the book making me want to buy more..

Well, that and because I just bought a ton of yarn from my cousin. She has been a stay at home mom for 11 years and has decided to return to work. She's doing away with all of it! Says she won't have time. Which, now that I think about it makes no sense. I've always worked, was never a stay at home mom and I've always crocheted..well, I guess I don't have 5 kids either.  I was just thinking about the great bargain I got and not the why. I was too excited to think clearly!We're not talking a few skeins here..were talking her entire supply! What she has acquired in the last 10 years!! Yes!!!!..can you say awesome!!
I haven't picked this up yet, so next week when I'm whining and complaining about space ( like I think I just did a few posts ago) someone just needs to tell me to shut up! lol :) I'm wondering now if I should tell Jeremy before hand or just show up here with it. I think I'll just show up with it...that look will be priceless!!!

 My pictures are terrible! I need to work on that. Take a class or something. I'm not sure if it's the lack of light or what. The camera I have is a pretty nice one so it has to be my picture taking ability, or lack there of..so sorry about that! Hope you have a great week! Take care xxx

Crochet Hooks

 Happy Saturday :)


A few months ago I came across the cutest crochet hooks. Well, it was actually a modification to just  your standard hooks. See for yourself here... I finally found the clay so Thursday night I tried making a few of my own.
Crochet, Crafts & Gardening: ~ crochet hooks re-post ~

I thought the lighting would be too bad for pictures so I waited until Friday to snap a few...
It wasn't much better so I had to throw some crochet squares in there to give it some color.

I only bought two colors of clay...a deep purple and some hot pink. Once I started preparing the clay I realized that not many of my current hooks would go well with these two colors so I only made four of them.


The first one I did was the all pink one. It's a blue hook so I added a blue bead to the bottom of it.

The big fat one that is mostly purple..well that one was Jeremy's idea. He wanted the clay nice and thick on the hook and then had me hold it like I was crocheting. He was sure by doing this the hook would fit in my hand perfectly. Well, he was partly right. The creases and dents are where my fingers go...but the dang thing is so heavy I'd never be able to actually use it to crochet. Oh well, I don't mind...at least he tried :)


The mixed colored one with the white bead is my favorite I think

If your hands get sore while crocheting I think you should definitely try this. Even if you just want to make your hooks look pretty and unique this is a great idea. It's also very inexpensive. We all have tons of hooks laying around (even if they aren't the right colors) and I bought the clay at A.C. Moore for under $2 a pack (2oz per pack). I recommend looking at Debi's before you make up your mind. This was only my first attempt so as you can imagine hers are MUCH prettier then mine. Her directions are super easy and it doesn't take much time at all.
Thank you Ms.Debi, I love them!

Such Goodies!

Does this look familiar to anyone??? Come on, you know you've seen it somewhere...think hard...

Well, while your thinking.....the other day the post man delivered this big package to me..

I love how it says "Royal Mail" on the postage :) Jeremy gets a kick out of this too...
We got an even bigger kick out of what was in the package...

Two adorable cards...Thank you for your kind words, very touching :)

This wonderful crochet book that teaches you how to do Bavarian Crochet, something I've been wanting to do for a really long time...My oh my the sender sure did put a lot of thought into this package..they know me so well..

The stitches look so much better then my pictures. The light was terrible as it always is. Plus I can't get them centered right. They look fine until I post this..oh well, sorry about that :)

Can you believe all this yarn was in there too! 11 skeins total, in every color

of the rainbow! I just love the smell of new yarn..

As if her friendship weren't enough...Such a lovely surprise to brighten my day. Do you recognize that heart yet?

It's Amanda's heart! Identical to the one on her blog :)   see her here
Now..to figure out what to do with all this beautiful yarn....you know I can't just let it sit here..I will have to start something new with it :) I think the first thing should be something from the new book she sent me. That narrows it down to 9 different patterns...hmmmmm

Thank you my lovely. I was totally shocked...still smiling from ear to ear :) I hope to hear from you soon! xoxoxo

OH My...I almost forgot! There was also some yummy chocolate in there..a little heart shaped box of it. My two candy thieves were too quick for me...I didn't even get to snap a pic of it..now I can't even find the box it came in..so sorry :)