WIP's

It's that time of the year again....time to finish up all those WIP's sitting around the house.

I started looking through my bags of yarn and such and found these:

 the Pink Camo knitted Baby Blanket....of which I worked 10 rows on this afternoon/evening....

and also the Scrap Baby Blanket (using the Bouncy Ball Baby Blanket pattern) which is a Stash Buster Project that I started.....

and I managed to add one square this evening and started on a second.

I also have 2 other WIP's at the moment.  They are the Dottie Angel Scrap Blanket and the Grape Fizz Color-ific One Piece Throw.  I am making myself some daily goals with these WIP's and hopefully it won't be long before I have them finished.

Now...I also have 2 bags of yarn that people have brought to me and asked me to make items with the yarn.  So...I have 2 Teen/Adult Earflap Hats to make as well as a scarf.  I will need to start on these asap and they will be finished long before all the WIP's that I have.  Well, that's my update on current projects that I need to finish.  Do you have a WIP list that you need to finish up as well?

Repair

Big C has taken to sleeping with one of the CAL afghans that I made last Winter.  This morning, Small T noticed that one of the squares was coming apart.

 Right smack in the middle of the square.  So I figured I needed to do a quick repair job.

I sat down this evening and got to work on it...and now it's fixed.  Thank God it was an easy repair job!  I would have hated to have to do something major in order to fix it.

Slouchy Hat and Shelly Scarf

I sat down yesterday and spent a bit of time with my yarn.  I had received an order before Christmas and needed to get it done.

 First, I made the Slouchy Hat.  If you'd like the instructions on how I make these, just click here.  I made the smaller version which uses a size I crochet hook.

Then, I made the Shelly Scarf.  It's a free pattern and can be found by clicking here.

Both items are made with Caron's Simply Soft yarn in the color Grey Heather.  Each item took about half a skein of yarn.

Gifts...

 My favorite Christmas gift this year ... I love the colors and pattern.

I felt bad when Small T said she will never know what it's like to get "sister" stuff since she doesn't have a sister.  Geez.  I felt so bad.  She doesn't talk much about her twin dying, but every now and then it surfaces.  Her cousin Z will have to buy her sister stuff, and vice versa.

I ended up getting a lot of stuff...none of which I thought I was getting.  I got books.  Lots of books.  I love books, can you tell?  I also got a foot bath and a massaging pillow.  And an 8 piece set of purple dishes.  And jewelry.  And a huge black trash bag full of yarn.  And a movie.  And the list goes on.  I was so blessed.  I thank each and every person that blessed me with a gift.  :)  

Christmas

 Christmas morning 2013 (before kids).

 Small T opening her big gift from her dad.

 She loves her guitar.

 Big C tearing into the wrapping paper.

 Medium J getting involved with the gifts before he had to leave.

 Little Ty and his mom.

Z (Little Ty's sister).  She's best buds with Small T.  They are the same age and as close as sisters.

Baking Cookies

On Christmas Eve, I sat about to baking some cookies.  I had made and froze several batches of dough, so all I really had to do was thaw it out a bit and heat up the oven.  I made oatmeal scotchies, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, and peanut butter with chocolate stars in the middle.

 Then Small T asked if she could try her hand at making sugar cookies.  She had gotten a recipe from a boy in her class and she said they were really good.  So...I let her have at it.

She did a really good job.  And of course, she had a lot of questions, but since she's not an accomplished cook, that's ok.  Whenever she does want to cook, I always make sure I spend that time with her and we make whatever she wants.  She enjoys the whole learning process and she even cleans up her mess when she's done.  So that's a big point in her favor.  :)

Scarf #3

I finally finished the 3rd scarf that was a Christmas gift.

 This yarn did not come out of my stash.  I had to actually purchase a skein of the Red Heart Boutique Sashay in the color Hip Hop.  I used the pattern on the back of the yarn wrapper to make the scarf.  I did the crochet version instead of the knitted version.  I've made both versions and I like them equally.

I really don't mind using this yarn, but honestly...there's nothing worse than getting half way through unwinding it and finding a big mess (shown above).  I figure if I'm paying up to $8 for a skein of this, I should get one that isn't spliced together in a big knot somewhere in the middle of the skein.  I lucked out and paid $4.47 plus tax for this, but really....I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known about the knot.  It left an unsightly mess when I was crocheting the scarf.  Sometimes...quality is worth paying for.  I don't always want to use the cheap yarn for all my projects.

Big Daddy

Big Daddy is sick.  He's been in the hospital since last Monday.  He spent Monday through Friday in the MICU on life support, but he's awake and breathing on his own now.  He's been transferred to the SICU as of last night and hopefully he'll be well enough to move to a regular room soon.  That way he can finally come home to recuperate.  He completely missed Christmas but we're waiting to have a big dinner until after he's well.  The kids opened their gifts but Big Daddy's gifts are waiting for him by his recliner.

Sea Shell Poncho - Stash Buster Project

I finished the Sea Shell Poncho for my great-niece, Little Miss E.  It's all wrapped up and waiting under my Christmas tree for her and her mom to visit.  

I used the Sea Shell Poncho pattern off the Lion Brand website.  You can find the pattern by clicking here .  I made the 2 to 3 year size.

I used Red Heart With Love Yarn in Navy and Pewter.  Both were in my yarn stash and it took less than 1/2 of a skein of each.  So it really didn't make much of a dent in what stash I have of it.  I still have enough of it to make a few other small items.  I might make a pillow for one of the great nephews....like Muffin Man.  He's getting a blanket that I knitted with this yarn.  So that's not a bad idea.  Anyway, that's one more project out of my yarn stash.

Scarves - Stash Buster Projects

I finished up both of the scarves yesterday morning.

 Here's the Salsa one.

This is the Twist one.

Both skeins of yarn are Red Heart Sashay Boutique out of my yarn stash.

I was going to knit them but it wasn't going so well.  I made the crochet version instead.

2 More Projects

Seriously....I need my head examined today.  I've lost my marbles.

Tonight, when I was downstairs doing laundry, I decided to look through my yarn stash for the Red Heart Sashay Boutique Scarf "yarn" that I have.  I thought I could whip them up really quick for a couple of Christmas gifts.  (I always think I can do something more than what I can really accomplish...and someday I will learn my lesson.  Maybe this is the year I will learn it.)

 The skein on top is called Twist and the skein on the bottom is called Salsa.

Small T saw them and said she wanted the scarves since she liked both the colors and that I needed to buy something else if I wanted to make any gifts.  So...I somehow let her talk me into making them for her.  Usually she's not very self-serving and thinks of others first, but apparently not when it comes to her scarf fetish.

I started working up the Salsa skein.  I don't have much of it done yet, but it will go pretty fast once I set my mind to it.

 I also dug out my Red Heart With Love yarn (I don't have much of it) and I decided to make Little Miss E and quick poncho with the Navy and the Pewter skeins.  It won't use all of it, but I dug it all out just in case.  I'm using the blue and gray, which seems like an odd combo for a little girl, but it's the school colors where she and her mom live.  Her mom is a Junior in HS so it won't hurt little miss to have something in the school colors as well.

 

This is the poncho I'm going to make.  It can be found on the Lion Brand website. 

Sea Shell Poncho  click for the pattern

I'm wondering if I can get all of these done by Christmas.  I'll have to pace myself, that's for sure!

Favorite Blogs

This morning, I spent quite a bit of time going through my favorites tab on my computer and I wrote down my all time favorite blogs just in case.  You never know when the dreaded computer virus may strike and I don't want to be left out in the cold like the last time.  For anyone that's interested, here is my list of favorite blogs:
Attic 24
Bobo Bun
Bunny Mummy
Cherry Heart
Crochet With Raymond (she's started posting again!  :) )
Greedy For Colour
Little Tin Bird
Mereknits
Purl Bee
Mias Landliv
Tangled Happy
Jelly Wares
ohmygoodknits
Aesthetic Nest
Pass The Cereal
Le monde de Sucrette
littlewoollie
Fiddlesticks
Apple Blossom Dreams
Beck To Vintage
Petals to Picots
gipsy bazar
Crochet in Color
Wise Craft
Vintage Grey
Linda's Crafty Corner
pieceful
coloresyganchos
Love The Blue Bird
Repeatcrafterme
psimadethis
My Rose Valley
homemade at my place
Lanas de Ana
creJJtion
Coco Rose Diaries
cozythings
Just-Do
littlecottonrabbits
barbinchen
the 8th Gem
Mrs Thomasina Tittlemouse
This Housewife Life
Sarah London
Posie Gets Cozy


2 new blogs I'm going to check out are:
Made With Loops
my little red suitcase

WIP

I haven't had a lot of time to spend on the latest WIP - the altered version of the Dottie Angel Blanket, but what I do have done is shown here.  I'm trying out something a bit different so I hope it works out ok.  I don't want another WIP to end up in the "I just hate it" pile.

The Flu

It's that time of year again.  Yes, indeed.  Every year, right before Christmas, my kids come home from school with the flu.  God bless their hearts.  And I always pray that I won't get it and I have a 50/50 chance every time.  Last year, I got it.

 Small T was down ill last week with something different and missed 3 days of school.  I took her to the clinic on Saturday and they started her on an antibiotic.  Yesterday, she started running a high fever and was absent from school.  She woke up during the night last night vomiting.  It was so bad that we took her to the hospital.  They had to give her medication for the nausea.  Big Daddy is off getting a prescription filled for the same medication in hopes of getting the vomiting to quit.

While we were gone to the hospital, Big C called me.  He was headed to school to get Little Ty.  He was sick as well.  Thank God that Big C was home from college on break otherwise Little Ty would have been stuck at school until we could get back to town.  I called Little Ty's mom to let her know about the illness but she's away until at least tomorrow evening.  So...it's Aunt BB to the rescue!

Now all I need is for Big C, Medium J, Big Daddy and I to come down sick as well.  Big Daddy is picking up Lysol spray and wipes on the way home from the pharmacy so it will be cleaning time very, very soon.  I hope I can keep the germs contained!

Little Ty

Little Ty had an eventful day yesterday.

 After a visit to the orthopedic surgeon, he lost the moon boot and got the 1st cast.

 He has 3 fractures with the worst being at the growth plate in the ankle.

He goes back in 2 weeks for the cast removal and x-rays and then the next cast.

 Later in the afternoon, Big C volunteered to help him with his bio-dome for Ag class.

 He had to make a beaver bio-dome.

 They started with a shoe box.  Then used some evergreen branches, sticks, clay and paint.  I think they did a pretty good job.  It shows the dam, the waterfall, the rocks, and the beaver's home.

I especially liked the little beaver...he has good detail on his tail too.

I'm glad to see that my nephew (along with most of the other nephews and nieces as well) is craft inclined.  :)

Today...

Today has been a busy day.  After cleaning off the truck this morning we ventured out to get Small T and Big C from a friends house out in the country where they stayed over last night.  This was no small feat as we had an entire day of freezing rain yesterday with some snow in the middle of it all.  It took Big Daddy a long time to get the truck de-iced and warmed up before we could head out.

 Once we picked them up, we headed out of town with Small T to the nearest clinic which was 30 miles away.  She has TMJ Disorder and her jaw was killing her.  So she needed to be seen today.  It was a rough 30 mile trip and it ended up taking about 45 minutes to get there.  Between the clinic visit and then going to Wal-Mart pharmacy to get her prescriptions, this trip ended up taking us about 5 hours before we finally arrived back home.  Let me tell you...I was sure glad to get home.

 After arriving home, I hurried up and made Taco Soup for dinner then washed the dishes.  After that, Small T asked me to help her with the Ugly Christmas Sweater for the contest at school on Wednesday.  I started out sewing the bows along the buttons of the vest she's wearing.  She spent the time making a sparkly headband.  We still have several things to sew on the vest, but she's not at home right now to give me "instructions". :)

I usually bake cookies once a year and that's during the Christmas holiday season.  The other day I made up several batches of different cookies and put the dough in the freezer but tonight I decided to make up a double batch of M&M cookies and bake them right away.  The photo above shows what's left of the first 3 dozen that I baked.  The four guys in the house really hit them hard.  But that's ok.  I'm still baking them and after the initial stampede for cookies, they've slacked off now and I have about 3 dozen on a plate so far.  I should have at least twice that amount by the time I finish up tonight.  Of course, they won't last the weekend, but that's ok.

So...that's my day in a nutshell.  What's everyone else been up to today?

Christmas List

Does anyone still make a Christmas list as an adult?  My family is always urging me to make one so this is what my list said this year:

a pair of house slippers (I need some new ones)
a necklace from my favorite store here in town
2 books :  Deadlocked and Dead Ever After (the last two books of the Sookie Stackhouse series)
a dress shirt/t-shirt from Wal-Mart

then of course, I always ask for a new purse and I'm always told "I know" because I ask for one each and every year.  lol

So...if you make a list...what did you ask for?

Coupons & Rewards Cards

It's that time of year again...Christmas shopping time.  I enjoy shopping but I enjoy it more when I don't have a budget.  This year, I have a budget.  Darn it!  With my children being young adults and teenagers, that means that their lists usually contain items not bought at Wal-Mart.  In other words, it's a trip to the mall.  Over the years, I have signed up for every store rewards card that we frequent and it really pays off.  I either have coupons that I've received in the mail or enough purchases on the rewards card that I get a percentage off that days purchase.  I saved the following on this years shopping trip:

Small T's Christmas Wish List consisted of a pair of Nike's, a pair of boots, a pair of black yoga pants, some nice panties, and some headbands.  A pretty decent list if you ask me.
Big C's list - Crown Royal (nope...he's a minor), money, clothes, and iTunes cards.
Medium J didn't have a list.

1 pair of Nike's at Finish Line - price $129.99 - I paid $92 and some change.  I had a $20 off coupon when you spend $100 and I had a $20 off total purchase rewards coupon for being a loyal customer.  And Small T was able to get the exact shoes that she wanted.  They didn't have her size, so she tried on a size smaller and a size larger and then they shipped her shoes to the house.  It was free shipping and we received them in 3 business days.  That's a great deal!

1 pair of riding boots at Journey's - price $59.99 - I paid $52 and some change.  I had a $10 off coupon for the store.  This wasn't as big of a savings, but at least I didn't pay full price for what Small T was wanting.  Big C is a frequent customer of this store, so with the coupons we get and the rewards card, we end up saving over the course of the whole year.

1 plaid dress shirt at American Eagle - price $49.99 - I paid $24 and some change.  The shirt was 40% off regular price and I had a percentage off on my rewards card.  By the way, this is for Medium J.

1 Big Bang Theory t-shirt at Hot Topic - price $29.99 - I paid $21 and some change thanks to my rewards card having a percentage off.  :)  This is for Little Ty.

7 pairs of panties, some headbands, and a bottle of perfume at Aerie - price $64.45 total - I paid $44 and some change.  I had a $20 coupon when you spend $60.  This was printed on my American Eagle receipt.

Now...the only thing I paid full price for was a pair of black yoga pants at Victoria's Secret.  They were less than $40 including a small bottle of my favorite perfume, so I think I saved enough on the other purchases to justify the full price at this store.

Then we went to MC Sports.  I bought 4 packages of Under Armour Socks and 3 packages of headbands here. My total price was $105 and I paid $90.  I had a $15 coupon.

The last place we stopped (for my shopping) was Goody's.  I bought a pair of men's slippers (reg price $30 on sale for $9.99), and a double breasted pea coat (reg price $50 on sale for $29.99) for a grand total of $39.98 plus tax.  I had a 30% off shopping spree coupon and my final total was $27.99.

We went to a few other places to do some shopping but since Small T was the one doing the shopping, I won't share her details on here....even though she shopped with coupons and rewards cards too.  She's a great shopper and loves getting brand name clothes without paying full price.  At one store, she ended up with an Under Armour sweatshirt (over $60), a pair of texting and sports gloves (over $30), a headwarmer (over $25) and paid less than $90.  She got what she wanted and saved over $25.  That's my girl!  She's best at hitting the clearance and on sale items and combining them with coupons and rewards savings.  That's how she is able to stock her closet with the clothes she wants.

On Black Friday, I sent Big C to the store where he shops - Casual Male XL.  He was in bad need of clothes.  He bought 4 pairs of khaki's, 2 polo shirts, a winter coat, a pair of jeans, a plaid dress shirt, 2 pairs of sweat pants, and  2 sweatshirts.  The coat, jeans and dress shirt were on sale and the rest of the items were buy one, get one free.  He ended up spending a little over $300 and I think that was a great deal.  For someone his size, the khaki's are regularly priced at $55 each and at buy one, get one...you just can't pass that up.  It also helped that I had a coupon for save $30 when you spend $100.  :)  Go Mom!!!

So...that's my shopping savings.  

Another Project

When I went downstairs tonight to fold the laundry in the dryer, I rummaged through my yarn stash and found out these colors...Soft White, Pretty in Pink, Light Blue, and Aruba Sea.  I am dying to make a quick and easy afghan and figured I would make a version of the Dottie Angel Blanket.  If you've never made one of these, you can find the details here.  I've made probably half a dozen of them, and I love each and every one of them.  However, they've all been given as gifts, so it's high time I made one for here.  I realize I have another blanket started but honestly, I'm just not that into it where I'm really wanting to work on the Dottie Angel Blanket.  So...that's what I'm doing.  Just one more WIP to sit on the couch beside me.  lol

Little Ty

Well, the Whitney Family Curse has been passed on to Little Ty.  In case you don't know what the curse is, it's the curse of being clumsy and always getting hurt.

 Yesterday, before school, he was shooting hoops in the gym and went up for a block and came down wrong on his foot.  He said he heard it "pop".  He didn't want to come home and walked around all day at school on it.  Imagine that!

 After school, I picked him up, called his mom, and made arrangements for her to meet us at the hospital mid-way between us.  After x-rays, it was determined that he broke the bone on the side of his foot and also the bone near his growth plate at the ankle.  So...he will be seeing an orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  Until that time, he's in a moon boot and on crutches.  With four sets of crutches in our garage, we had a set he could use since the hospital was out of them in his size.  It's a good thing Small T is "small".  lol

I'm happy to report that Little Ty isn't letting the broken foot get him down.  In fact, he and I were rather excited over the crutches thing.  We gave each other a "high five" and his mom was like "really!".  lol  She thinks we are crazy!  I was like "dude, way to go...if you're going to get hurt, you need to do it right".  lol

Projects...

I've had very little time for my projects lately, but I did manage to get a few worked in.

 This is the state of the sofa next to where I sit.  Hmmm...guess I need to think about cleaning it up soon.

 I started an afghan using some yarn out of my stash.  I'm making the Color-ific One Piece Throw.  The pattern can be found at www.redheart.com .  Here's the link http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/color-ific-one-piece-throw .
**Edited to add...the yarn I'm using is called Grape Fizz (Red Heart Super Saver)**

 I also made Big Daddy a new stocking cap and scarf.  He picked out the yarn on one of our trips to Columbia when we were able to stop at Hobby Lobby.  I was going to give these to him now, but he said to wrap them up and put them under the tree.  I used my Simple Super-Long Scarf pattern, minus the fringe, for this scarf.  You can find the pattern here.  As for the stocking cap, I made it up as I went.  He wanted it longer so that he could fold up the edge, so that's what I did.
**Edited to add...I used I Love This Yarn in Autumn Stripe**

 While at Hobby Lobby, I found this lovely "yarn" with the sparkle along the edge.  I'm making Small T a scarf out of it.  It will be wrapped up and put under the tree too.  The pattern for the scarf was on the back of the yarn wrapper.
**Edited to add...the "yarn" is Yarn Bee Chrysalis Metallics in Dustywing**

This is what it looks like all wound up and ready to be used.
**Edited to add...I have finished this scarf tonight but I don't want to take a completed photo of it until I can take one of Small T wearing it.  So...photo to come, hopefully.**

I also made two slouchy hats...one gray, one black.  I got an order for them last weekend.  I forgot to take a photo though, so I can't share them with you.

I also had an order for a very complicated, knitted stocking.  Since I'm not the best knitter, and there was so little time to complete it in, I had to turn the order down.

I also made a few more Hackey Sacks for some of the kids in the family.  I don't have a photo of them either.  Sorry.

Well, that's my crafting update.

Preparations...

We were a little late with getting things started for Christmas, but we finally took an evening after the kids went to bed, and started in on the wrapping of the gifts.

 In the process, Annie, Big Daddy and I, trashed the living room.  lol  It looks like a tornado hit!

Then, we had to get the tree up and decorated so we could put the gifts around it.  This year, Big Daddy surprised me with a purple tree.  That meant that we needed some new decorations.  What a treat!  I had fun shopping for some white and silver things to put on it.  Small T threw a huge fit over a purple tree and said she wasn't going to participate in the holiday if we put it up, but when it was time to start decorating, she changed her mind.  In fact, she said she's taking it to college with her when it's time for her to go.  Imagine that!  She must like it after all!