Sunday, February 6, 2011
Project52 - Week 5 {I'm Hooked}
I did have a big list of tips that I was going to post from the women in my family that are teaching my to crochet...but I can't seem to find the paper that I wrote them all down on. Am I the only one who is constantly writing things down so I can remember, then losing all my slips of paper? I so hope they didn't get lost in the washing machine...
Instead I will post the flower pattern that my Great Aunt Sandra showed me. It's her own personal pattern and it's really fantastic and easy once you get the hang of it.
Sandra's Crochet Flower Pattern
{hook J or larger}{4 Ply yarn}
1. Chain 4 and then slip stitch to form a ring.
2. Chain 3 and then slip stitch (6 times) in ring.
3. In each chain 3 do:
1 single
2 1/2 doubles
2 doubles
1 triple
2 doubles
2 1/2 doubles
1 single
4. In the top of each stitch on round 3 do: Slip stitch, chain 3 and finish off.
To make this flower really big do:
Complete step 4.
5. Slip stitch in first single, chain 5, slip stitch to first single of next petal around.
6. In each chain 5 do:
1 single
2 1/2 doubles
2 doubles
1 triple
2 doubles
2 1/2 doubles
1 single
7. In the top of each stitch of slip stitch, chain 2 around and finish off.
Should be 12 petals total.
If you don't crochet and instead are here to catch up with the goings on of our family we are all doing well. The kids took advantage of the 4 days off school and aren't looking forward to heading back to school in the morning. Instead of making up the work that they miss I think they want to build more of these:
For the record...I am over having 4 kids home all the time when it isn't summer {you know when they can burn off all the energy outside without making a mess out of my home while going in and out to play in the snow.} or during Christmas when they have so many presents to distract them. I am also over having to change my shoes at work like Mr. Rogers so that I don't have to wear wet shoes while waiting on tables:
The truth is I had more to say...but Glee's on finally and since almost all of my shows are skipping weeks...I'm going to enjoy it while it's new!
What was the best thing about your weekend?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
My Week of Happiness
More than ever I need to focus on having happy thoughts and making time for joy in my life. With a death in the family plus all the other junk that has me in a funk - I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of some things that made me happy recently so that when I need a boost...I can look at them and say - see there is happy to be had - you just have to choose to have it.
In the first 15 minutes of wearing this scarf...I got a lovely compliment and within an hour 2 requests to make the same scarf for others. I was very happy to say - I made it.
While I am a pretty good cook (as in if I have a recipe I can make just about anything)...I have no idea how to make regular things like fried potatoes, hamburger stew, skillet cornbread or chocolate gravy. With the help of my Aunts and Grandma I have made all 4 this week. Check out the recipe for Chocolate Gravy on the food blog!
Learning a new crochet stitch...I have been practicing the front post/back post all week. It's a lot harder than what I have been doing...I am also practicing going through the front loop and back loop only...each looks completely different. The scarf above is front loop only.
I had the courage to deviate from my Chili recipe...I made it the exact same way every time - but when I went to add the tomatoes...I was out. Turns out that tomato soup works great too.
Cleopatra the dog is getting used to some of us. While she is the most laid back dog I have ever seen...she gets really excited when I come home from work. I have been taking her outside to run, play and gets lots of love after being home alone. She usually only acts like a dog during this time. Jumping and even letting out a few barks. But until recently I was the only one who saw this. I even had to video tape it for the kids to see. But she was so excited to see Miss Maddy yesterday too. I was so happy for both of them. Cleo has been a very scared little pup but Miss Maddy has been in love with her from the second we brought her home.
The food blog had it's blog-a-versary last week...I made the very first recipe that I posted: Caramel Apple Cheesecake. So easy and super yummy!
I watched The Never Ending Story with the kids...well actually it was Tales from The Never Ending Story...when I return it I will get the real thing...but I loved being snuggled up on the couch surrounded with children.
What's made you happy this week?
Handling Disappointment
After spending every night with my Aunts and Grandma taking care of Mother...I took Saturday off to spend sometime with my family. Hubby and I took the kids to see Gulliver's Travels - spent a whopping $24.00 for tickets and another $24.75 for snacks only to find out that the movie was being shown in the smallest theatre known to man - and that every seat was already filled. I stood there at the back of the theatre with a large bag of popcorn, 2 pops and a passel of children ready for some fun with their Mom trying to make seats magically appear if I just stared long enough. When I finally gave up on that proposition...I made a decision...we were going to make the best of it. I herded them out of there, got a refund and tried to make a fast exit. Not so easy when 4 disappointed kids are trailing behind you.
I tried to be as honest as I could be. Told them it sucked...but we have to look on the bright side. We ate our snacks in the car on the way to the bowling alley (a good 30 minutes away) and I listened to my kids make the best of it.
One said this is like a moving movie theatre...just look at all there is to see. Everyone shared their candy...and I taught them what a candy tax was as I passed out popcorn into their water cups (does anyone else do that? I get one large popcorn and divide it into small cups.)
I was really surprised to see that they were willing to go with the flow after disappointment...but realized that I was the key in this situation. If I had let my feelings of anger show...we might have had a much different scene on our hands.
Turns out that it cost almost exactly the same for a family of 6 to bowl as it does to go to the movies. I just wish that I knew how to get started more quickly with the actual bowling. I'm sure that we looked like something out of a National Lampoon's movie trying to get tickets, set up our lane and find balls that the kids could use. The bumpers kept getting stuck, a few balls might have been thrown before the bowling mechanism was finished setting up the pins and I'm pretty sure the families around us thought I needed a chill pill. Miss Maddy at 3 was really freaking me out with her antics around the ball return. I tried to keep the images of her arm getting sucked into it to myself but since Hubby was the one helping her bowl...I might have shouted out a few times "You have to watch her."
I'm really torn about having such a small child still - I find myself just waiting until she is a little older since I don't think my heart can take the panic attacks that a 3 year old issues on a regular basis but knowing that I will be wishing she was little still.
I am thinking about making bowling a weekly or at least bi-monthly thing. The kids would have really enjoyed themselves if they had really known what they were doing...as it was it took them a while to understand when it was their turn, who was in the lead and how hard you have to throw the ball. Wouldn't it even be a ton of fun to invite a few families out to bowl too?
P.S. What do you think about the shorts and short sleeves? While we are under 5-6 inches of snow and ice right now...last Saturday is was sunny and 70.
How much snow did you get?
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