Tiff Crochets

For those of you celebrating America’s independence today, Happy 4th of July!!

We’re off to a barbeque at a friend’s house, then will enjoy trying to catch as many fireworks shows in our area as possible, and there are quite a few!  The benefits of living in the “mid-cities” area between Dallas and Ft. Worth!

Here’s my favorite photos from a 4th of July many years ago (okay, about four years to be exact).

Laura survived three days at Girl Scout camp, arriving home only slightly miffed at her camping buddy and best friend.  I made them talk it out the 30 minute drive back from camp and now things are better.  Here’s Laura in her cabin, right before I left her on Saturday.

I really should have taken an after picture. She looked exhausted!  She did have a great time and learned a lot of new things.

Look at my wonderful stash of goodies newly arrived from England!  We did a swap in the Who Knits? group on Ravelry for Doctor Who items and Jelly Babies.  I have now discovered that I will never eat jelly beans again.  I will also weigh 500 pounds before the summer is out because I also discovered on the same day of my package arriving that Cost Plus World Market sells Jelly Babies.  I am doomed.  Doomed!

We celebrated Maddie’s 6th birthday over the weekend with a Star Wars party.  I was so glad to see the homemade light sabers go home.  We still have around five, but they haven’t been touched since the party.  Here’s Maddie playing Pin the Something (control panel?) on Darth Vader:

Last, but not least, I finished more tawashi!  I need to make more.  Tawashi will probably be my beach (11 more days!) projects because they’re lightweight and portable.  I made these for a swap on Ravelry.  They are now happily residing in Pennsylvania!

My camera phone does not do Laura’s quilt justice, but here is a temporary photo of her amazing work until I get my digital camera back on Friday.

From Laura’s description when she gave it to us, this is a kaleidoscope quilt pattern.  She chose all of the fabric pieces, either from her grandmother’s stash or from the local quilt store.  Her grandmother cut the pieces, but all of the sewing was done by Laura, with the exception of the backing, I believe.  This was her first sewing project ever.  I’ve put off any sewing projects with her at my house until I have a better grasp at what I’m doing myself, but after this project, I think she can teach me a thing or two!  The top pink square incorporates leftover fabric from a night gown made for Laura by the same grandmother for last Christmas.

I found the purse handle I want for my Meadow Handbag (I cheated and used my Ravelry search box, so it’s a Ravelry link), but I’m waiting until payday on Monday so that I can buy at least three handles for future purses.  Here’s the purse, with buttons temporarily attached to see how they look, and the awesome pink flamingo fabric I found.

Life had not come to an end.  My camera has been found.  It was under a bag on a cedar chest in between two rooms at my mom’s house.  Awesome.  Just had to backtrack to where I’d been and where I’d placed my stuff.

I can’t take a photo of Laura’s wall hanging until Friday.  I tried tonight but the camera phone was just no good.  I might try in the morning with better light, but most likely, it will be a Friday post.  In the same time that my daughter made a quilt wall hanging, I botched a pair of sleep shorts for Maddie.  Turned that pattern completely upside down.  I am soooo talented.  Next week, when I am not planning a birthday party, I will attempt to make the shorts right side up.  Only a photo comparing the two will explain what damage I did to the first pair. :)

I’m staying up too late yet again, but it is Saturday (technically early Sunday morning at 12:06 am) and so I shall astound you with my random thoughts at this late hour.

Disclaimer: I am aware that I rarely astound.  It just sounds good. :)

1. I’ve misplaced my digital camera.  It’s somewhere between my house, my car, and my mom’s house in Houston.  I think it is somewhere in the back seat of my car, but have yet to actually find it.  The power is out at mom’s house so she can’t look for it.  My camera case has my awesome Ravelry “Where my stitches at?” button displayed proudly on the front cover.
2. We’re busily preparing (aka spending a lot of time Googling cool ideas versus actual planning) for Maddie’s birthday party on Saturday.  It’s Star Wars themed.  I practiced making Yoda cupcakes tonight.  Andy thinks I should have gone with plain white icing, then added the yoda decoration.  I disagree.  I rather like the green background.  Maddie fell asleep 30 minutes before they were finished so I can’t ask her opinion until the morning.  What do you think? I know that the blue eyes are out.  I know Yoda is an alien, but it makes him look like my alien ornament from Roswell.
3. I made this cake with the leftover batter when I couldn’t find my other cupcake pan (I think it’s hiding with my camera).  My hopes are that Maddie won’t like it because I’d much rather it say something more along the lines of Happy Birthday Maddie.
4. Laura’s home from Montana!  She surprised us with her first sewing project - an amazing quilt kaliedoscope wall hanging.  When (notice the lack of IF) I find my camera, I’ll take a photo of my new prized possession.
5. I found the missing piece of my yarn winder in the bottom of Laura’s closet so now I can finish my Brownie hat.  I need it in order to cover up whatever my hair seems to be doing lately.  It’s not pretty.
6. I’ve been searching for the perfect purse handle for my Meadow Handbag.  I think I may end up settling for a not-so-perfect one, which will completely blow the coolness of my pink flamingo fabric.
7. Andy has been appointed to the Iowa team at work.  I don’t remember if that includes all of the recently declared disaster areas or just Iowa.  Either way, he will be working hard over the next several months helping many, many families and businesses get the funding they need to restart their lives.
8. Ack.  I was distracted by Google Reader and the sound of Andy smacking the virtual tennis ball around in the living room.  It’s after 1 am and I’ve got to go to bed.

Good night!

Andy and Maddie spent Father’s Day playing on the Wii, while I was able to sneak off to finish picking up a few items for dinner tonight. I cooked a citrus-glazed pork tenderloin, parmesan risotto and green beans for the dad in the house. Maddie helped out by setting the table and then cleaning off the table after dinner. Laura is gallivanting around Montana at the moment and has not called yet for her daily check-in. She is enjoying her two weeks of one-on-one time with her grandma.

I finished picking up the last few items for my tawashi swap at Ravelry today and found a never-before-seen (by me) magazine. Have you seen Living Crafts ? It was full of many craft options that are budget-conscious and rather eco-friendly.

I’m starting to work on a new handbag tonight while the Wii play continues (it’s their day - non-stop Zelda and tennis would drive me mad). I’m making Jennifer Fletcher’s Meadow Handbag . I’m looking forward to seeing more patterns, both crochet and sewing-related on her site Fable Handmade Goods in the future. I tried to use something from my stash, but all of my good yarn is set aside for projects-in-progress, so I picked up the new Vanna’s Choice Baby in Berrylicious while at Michaels today. I wanted to go with a green because it seems to be my new favorite color, but went with the pink after finding a perfect set of wooden buttons in the clearance aisle. I think I have the handles already, but if not, I’ll head to Hobby Lobby tomorrow before driving to Houston for the week.

The dishes are done, the kitchen semi-clean before the pecan pie gets taken out of the fridge, the family is beating their virtual opponents at tennis, and I am going to sneak off to take a bath (hot temps in Houston mean lots of swimming to be done!) while all is quiet.

Found the instructions on Knit Lich’s blog

1. A Girl’s Best Friend?, 2. Sol del guacamole, 3. WideRight, 4. Nant Ffrancon and Glyder Fawr, Wales, 5. _MG_9768, 6. Ritas, 7. heaven’s tree, 8. a fairy cake, 9. Day 106 - I am a librarian, 10. family day out, 11. You’ve got mail!, 12. madelinebuncover

Here’s how it works:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker).

There’s a group you can add it to, as well.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)

I ran to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up the two necessary items that we cannot live without (or wait until payday tomorrow before buying) - milk and Diet Coke. The milk is so that the girls will not freak in the morning, hyperventilating over a bowl of dry Honey Bunches of Oats when they discover their dad drank the last of the milk the night before (every other day - he must STOP.IT!). The Diet Coke is supposed to stop the late night milk chugging, but does not. Anyway, back to my point! Immediately when I walked in, I was blinded by my favorite sign of late spring - strawberries under $2 a pint/carton/whatever-they-come-in. Strawberries are my biggest fruit weakness. I could eat the entire container in a day, but force myself to share (unlike Andy with the MILK!). I picked up Cool Whip Free (an attempt to be good with that creamy goodness) and a box of Angel Food Cake mix. I’ve always wanted to make angel food cake on my own so this was the first step towards attempting it. Look at our lovely shortcake goodness!

I used dark brown sugar on the strawberries instead of granulated sugar. I’m trying to switch over to the “dark” side. It’s supposed to be healthier and you definitely do not have to use as much to sweeten things.

I’ve also spent this Sunday afternoon starting on a Brownie hat for myself. I’m using Cascade Luna in a lovely green. I’ve been in love with greens this spring. My newest purse is green. My crochet bag is green (and brown and white). The last three shirts I bought were green. I would have bought a green Ravelry shirt but I was trying to control my green urges. Here’s my progress so far -

I should truly be finished by now because the total crochet time for me on this hat is about an hour. Instead, I wandered into the kitchen to make angel food cake, then hot dogs for the girls, then cut up the strawberries, washed a load of dishes, talked to Andy’s mom and my dad on the phone, engage in the neverending battle to keep my Google Reader feeds under 200, and now it’s hours later. Which reminds me! I will sit down to watch The Hours once the girls go to bed since it’s due back at the library tomorrow and I can finish my hat then.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I’m doing to try to finish the Little Acorn bag for both Laura and Maddie as a end of school present. They have both worked hard this year and have done so well in school that I am so proud of them.

Have a wonderful week!

As seen on Robyn’s blog.  My day was not nearly crafty enough, but it is pretty much a typical end-of-school year day in this household.

6:30 am – I wake up to Johnny Cash on my ihome. Hit snooze a few (3) times.

7:00 am – Hop out of bed, head to the girls’ rooms to wake them up before heading back to my room to get ready.

7:10 am – Peek in on the girls. Both are surprisingly moving around, probably because it’s their picnic day at school.  Most days they do not like to move.

7:30 am – Head to the kitchen. The girls and I make their picnic lunches. Laura gets to work on their peanut butter and banana sandwiches while I gather up snacks and drinks, snacking on a banana while I’m loading up the lunch bags.

7:40 am – I barely remember to grab the summer birthday cupcakes for Maddie’s class as we walk out the door for the trip to school

7:50 am – Drop the girls off, then run back to the house to pick up the car payment to drop off at the bank before returning for Maddie’s picnic.

8:20 am – Get back to the school to find the parking lot overflowing. I forgot that it was awards day for 1^st and 3^rd grades. Check in and head to Maddie’s class just as they were preparing to go outside for recess.

9:00 am – While talking to Maddie’s teacher, get a surprise hug from Laura. Her class had an early morning recess so the girls were able to play together for a few minutes for the first time this school year.

10:00 am – Lunch and cupcake time. Must remember to not buy cupcakes from Kroger. 17 kindergartners covered in pink, yellow, or blue icing.  Drop off a cupcake as a surprise for Laura while her classroom is empty.

11:00 am – Maddie and I head home for the day.

11:10 am – Sit down to check email when Andy calls. He’s bored at work. They switched to a 4/10 schedule this week and he’s worn out. Find out that I have 453 unread feeds on Google Reader. Start browsing through the feeds while Andy laments his workday, filling in the important supportive comments.

11:30 am – I really should eat. Start researching locally grown food sources on a whim while debating on what to eat for lunch.

12:30 pm – Finally quit looking at local farms and co-ops and eat a sandwich. Wish that Cheetos were never invented as I eat want to eat more of them than the teeny serving I allowed myself.

1:00 pm – Water Maddie’s lima bean plant (only vegetable she loves), load the dishwasher with the dirty lunch dishes, then celebrate getting below 375 feeds by starting a meme post before cuddling Maddie on couch for a bit.

3:00 pm – Woke up from unexpected nap with Maddie to text from Andy about not forgetting to wash his khaki pants. Still forgot. Love the power of “dry cleaning” sheets.

3:15 pm – Laura is home from school, the pants are in the dryer and the quiet afternoon continues as girls play Mouse Trap and I get much needed crochet time on my vest.

5:00 pm – Maddie’s classmate stops by. Find myself doing a little Girl Scout administrative work before finishing a few rows on my bathing suit vest while watching the kids play croquet in the front yard.

6:30 pm – Croquet mallets turn into light sabers. Politely say it’s time to go in for dinner before my Luke Skywalker takes out poor unsuspecting Darth Vader.

7:30 pm – Stir fry is complete and delicious! Let girls choose from birthday cupcakes or brownies from last night’s Brownie Girl Scout meeting for dessert.

8:00 pm – Do more Girl Scout administrative work. I’m trying to help a few troops re-organize after bridging activities have divided troops into different age levels. If this wasn’t a volunteer position, I wouldn’t spend Friday night working on it.

8:20 pm – Play pool on Yahoo Messenger with my cousin, while eating a cupcake. Vow to devote next hour to Wii Fit in order to finally figure out the Advanced Step kick move that has me stumped (and work off cupcake).

9:20 pm – After a round of Angelina Ballerina DVD watching, the girls are snuggled into bed for the night. Me time!

10:00 pm – I think I finally figured out the kick on the Advanced Step game on Wii Fit. Super Hula Hoop makes abs hurt, especially after two previous rounds of regular Hula Hoop. Cannot breathe.

11:32 pm – Google Reader feed count down under 250. It’s time to go to bed, cuddle the husband, and watch Doctor Who episodes until I fall asleep.

Next weekend I am off for my annual trek to Houston for a Memorial Day full of soaking in the sun by the pool.  I have been in probably the most damaging types of crochet slumps.  I start projects and cannot get past the few rows before becoming overwhelmed by a sense of “blah” towards the project.  I’ve started tawashi, dishcloths, clothing, and afghans, and nothing is catching my fancy.  My house, as always, remained full of gorgeous (and non-gorgeous yarn that needs a new home) yarn choices, but nothing is appealing to me.

I am determined though, to go into next Saturday with a quick, simple, and appealing cover up for my bathing suit.  We spend most of our time outside during this weekend and, with the exception of time spent at the Astros game next Saturday, I will be in my bathing suit most of the time.  Here are a few links to a few free cover up crochet patterns that I’ve come across today, just in case you also have a sun-filled holiday weekend ahead of you.

• Water’s Edge Cover Up via Crochetme.  I’m looking more for a top cover up over a skirt, but I may need this for our week at the beach later in the summer.
• Beach Wrap via Coats and Clark. While beautiful, it’s made of thread.  I don’t think I could finish this by the weekend along with the myriad other responsibilities on my plate this week.
• Beach Coat, Suit & Hat - Pretty and a nice 70’s vintage option.  I want more of a pullover, I think, but this is very cute.
• Petal Stitch Sarong - Another cute wrap.  I like the stitch pattern in this one.
• Beach Cover Up/Pullover - A new one from Lion Brand, but it looks a little thick.  I need to find this yarn to play with in something else summer related.
• Women’s Summer Vest - I like this one and think I might do a gauge swatch.  I’m thinking of making it a little bit longer and see how it goes.
• Tunic with mussel pattern - I think I could finish this one quickly too, and would work well as a cover up for the summer.

I think the key for me finding a summer beach cover up for this weekend might be to take a tunic or pullover pattern that you like, adjust it to fit perhaps a little larger, and add length.