Reboot!

Holy cow! It's been almost 2 years since I have posted anything here! That's got to change.

Lots has happened since March 5, 2013. My sweet baby boy graduated high school and sang at the graduation! Baby Girl became a teenager last summer and is just like me. My first born moved in with some friends but that didn't work out (the move or the friends). He also lost a job and found another he really loves.We moved in with Dad for economic reasons as well as just because Steve and I decided we would feel better if we were around more often and Dad has gotten where he needs someone with him more, emotionally more than physically, but still.

I have worked some unofficially as a receptionist/office manager/bookkeeper. It really just reinforced to me that I have too long been out of practice. I also worked seasonally at AC Moore and am currently still the crochet instructor. I am also now a certified crochet instructor level 1! I completed the Level 1 Crochet Instructor course through the Craft Yarn Council. I just got the email today that my certificate and pin are being shipped tomorrow!!!!

Steve has lost the last 20-ish pounds he needed to lose. It's funny how much he and the kids are so different since moving to Dad's and out of the moldy house: Dorinda and Stephen are no longer having as many problems with allergy flare-ups. Gideon and Dorinda are both having an easier time keeping their eczema under control and Dorinda doesn't breakout in a rash of fever blisters after being sick that included a fever above 100. Stevie has actually put on weight! He's been a size 28 waist since the 7th grade. He is actually having to get bigger pants, not just longer.

My differences have been more subtle. I haven't lost weight or otherwise gotten healthier. I have had less trouble with depression at least as far as frequency goes. I sleep better. And I am able to do baking much more often! I also have had fewer colds/allergy problems since the move.

Dad has been through 4 funerals in the time since my last post. He's lost 3 brothers and a nephew. He is the last surviving brother now. It has been very hard on him, but with the last 3 happening all within 4 months, I think he appreciated us being here even more.

There has been adjusting and big time. Dad is a heavy smoker and started out using a kerosene heater as supplement heat. The smoke is bad, but we're somewhat used to that. The heater though was awful! It stank and even smoked one time and it didn't really save any money on fuel. So, we finally got him talked around to stop using it. It's better now. And the sound of the furnace coming on and running is a very comforting sound to me. I like it better than the little tick-tick-tick sound that I lived with for almost 20 years. Dad goes to bed super early and gets up accordingly. That took some getting used to as well. However, we all feel better about being able to keep a better eye on Dad and Dad is tickled to have the house full of people again. I didn't truly realize how lonely he was until we moved in. I could use less of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Walker, Texas Ranger. I feel like I should have saddle sores sometimes. Oh, and The Rifleman for 3 hours on Saturday mornings! Holy moly there's a lot of cowboys.

My childhood home (where I spent a big chunk of my childhood living on and off) is now gone. The state finally bought the property for the highway and the house is now officially gone. There's nothing left but the maple tree. At least as of the week of Christmas the tree was still there. I hope that it will still be there this spring so I can get Mama to collect me some seeds so I can try to get one started. I would love to have a child of that ancient tree at my house.


Steve is continually evolving display space for his armor & weapons. Between him and the boys we have a little bit of an arsenal :) Swords and axes and maces, oh my! Love it! Dorinda finally has her own room and loves being able to close the door any time she wants to. I'm still working on getting a way to store yarn and still have it accessible. My yarn stash is no where near what it once was. When we were moving I found that the mold had gotten into a huge amount of it so there was a lot that was thrown away. Another big chunk of it was donated to various Girl Scout events. I now have a tote box with some in it in the storage building, but it's not very accessible and it's mostly scraps of various weights/types of yarn from other projects. Both the boys are working now. They are well on their way to independence :)

So, that's been my last year or so. I'm looking forward to this year. It's my last time preparing for high school. Dorinda is getting ready to start on her Girl Scout Silver Award and the boys are preparing to get me one step closer to being an empty-nester.

One of my goals this year is to document more. Whether it's here or in a paper journal, there needs to be a record of my crochet projects and adventures if nothing else :) I've also got to take more pictures. I have always been a terrible picture taker. I have very few Christmas morning pictures and as the kids got older, even the birthday photos got scarce. Snapshots just don't happen with me like I remember Mama doing with us :(  I feel like my time is very limited with having all 3 kids together so I want to make the most of it.

Hook Free Day

No stitching today. And boy is my stress level showing it!

It has been a very long and frustrating day. I am looking forward to a blissful non-busy day tomorrow to get caught up on some household bookkeeping & some make up stitching :)

No Dice Today

But I am over halfway through a new bottle holder! I found some yarn at Wal Mart that had red and blue and purple! Bud didn't like it, but I bought it anyway since it is so groovy! I'll get a picture of it as soon as I get it finished.

Happy National Crochet Month!

New Earrings!

In honor of the third day of National Crochet Month, I crocheted another pair of earrings! Baby Girl wanted to wear them since they're so AWESOME!!! So I let her :)

Actually, I must confess, I had hoped to do the earrings as a make up for not doing a project on Friday. I had planned on making the 6-sided die today to add to the 4-sided one I made yesterday. However, I didn't make it :(    Hopefully I'll be able to get 2 done tomorrow night. Maybe I'll even remember to put the numbers on the sides before I put them together this time.

New size 10 crochet thread is also on my to-do list for tomorrow. Either finding it or buying it. The stuff I got with the earring kit is kelly green and is very pretty, but I would like to make some of the earrings in other colors. So I may go shopping for the thread & get some more beads while I'm at it.

Since in addition to being National Crochet Month it is also National Craft Month, I am going to see if I can find a tatting shuttle. I have a book to learn from & it even came with a DVD, but I don't have a tatting shuttle. Learning to tat is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I think now may be the time to try it.

Happy National Crochet Month!!!

I am so happy it is March! Do I have some projects ready! I am sooooo ready for some quality time with my hooks. Cookie season for Baby Girl's troop is officially over and boy, am I glad!

So for the first day of National Crochet Month I visited the blogs of the day. Great designers' blogs for each day in the month! How exciting!! I found a fun seaming technique new to me on one of them.

On the second day of National Crochet Month I crocheted the first in a set of gaming dice. I was so excited to get one done that I didn't put the numbers on the sides before I put it together. I'll be adding numbers tomorrow. That first is a four-sided die, aka "d4" for those not hip to the gaming vernacular. My plan is to have a whole set of gaming dice by the end of March.

Another project (also a set) is earrings from a kit I got from Mary Maxim . The ones in the picture show earrings made with cream colored thread. I got kelly green! I've made one pair already and they are so pretty I can't wait to get the rest of them made. It came with enough stuff to make a total of 6 pairs of earrings. Most of them have little tiny crystal beads on them and are sparkly as well as being a eyeful of crochet grooviness!

Voting & Stitches

So the voting here is officially over. I don't have it in me anymore to stay up until the wee hours to find out who won. I'll find out in the morning.

On a funner note (is that a word?), I found green thread!!! I have been waiting until after Halloween to find size 10 crochet thread for a doily and the trim on my sweet troop angels. I figured it would be easy to find with the whole approaching Christmas thing and all. I was wrong. I've been looking for a week and just now found it! I'm very excited :D  I also picked up some thread with sparkly gold in it for the halos :)

I am soooo looking forward to making the doily. I've been wanting to make something for my father-in-law's coffee table and this is perfect. It's a Christmas tree doily that is part of an online crochet-along class as hassdesign.com. The class is called 12 Weeks of Christmas. I finally was able to get this class. It was an early birthday present from me to me, hehe ;)  I can't wait until I get it done. I'm starting on it Friday.

The rest of the week is pretty much planned as far as crochet goes: tomorrow is my tree skirt which really is cross stitch since the crochet part is done, Thursday is going to be angels, and the weekend is going to be split between angels and the Christmas tree doily. I'll be working on angels for the next couple of weeks. I need 20 all together, I think. I'll probably do 2 or 3 extra just in case.

Angels in the Works

I have two sizes of angels right now.

The one on the left is with worsted weight acrylic yarn using a G (4.25mm) aluminum hook and is 4 1/4 inches long. The one on the right is made with size 10 cotton thread using a size 7 (1.65mm) steel hook and is only 2 inches long. The larger ones are going in the mail today to Maggie's Crochet for a festival of trees fundraiser they are helping with. It's to benefit a children's hospital and I am so tickled that it is somewhat local (well, same state anyway). And thanks to the 2008 Girl Scout council merger I even know where Kernersville is!

 

My darling little 2-inch angels are destined for my troop angels at Christmas :)  My girls are all angels and I hope to show each and every one of them how special and precious they are.

 

I'm taking a break from a lot of stitching today to make sure everything is ready for tonight. When there are anywhere from 350-500 kids that come by trick-or-treating, it's best to be prepared as early in the day as possible ;)

 

Have a happy and safe Halloween!