crochet

Okay, I know I have mentioned how much I love crochet, and I just finished this really fun bag and thought I would share it with you!

I got the pattern for this bag in Debbie Stollers' book Stitch and Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. It was really fun and easy to for such a cute turn out! I love it and am excited to start another of her patterns.

Besides the bag, I have also been frantically trying to make up some awesome ski team hats, and ogling new patterns to buy online! I just can't stay away. It is such a relaxing hobby for me and yet I get such a feeling of accomplishment once the project is done.
Weirdly enough, I love to make larger items, like blankets, shawls, and hopefully soon some dresses and sweaters.

My baby girl is getting big fast so I had better start on those sweaters while they are not too daunting! (and while she doesn't get a say in what she wears :)

I really would like to improve my knitting though.  All I am able to eek out is a straight line and I doubt any of my friends need more scarves...

So, with that, here's to starting the next project!

puppy wash day

Talk about drama.
My boy is darling. He is sweet, has a full head of hair that constantly needs clipping, he talks amazingly well, and tells his sister he loves her every night.
He is also maddeningly attached to his puppy.
Not the real live kind, but the stuffed floppy kind that gets all smelly and full of tears and boogers and spit.  He adores this stuffed animal.

Today was wash day.

I usually can sneak it out from under him while he happily plays with something else, but today, even though I snuck puppy away, my boy noticed all too quickly and put all the pieces together. He stood at the dryer and cried and cried. "Puppy is dry momma! Puppy dry! waaaahahaaaaaa!" I distracted him with Thomas the train, but two minutes later he was back at my legs, "I need puppy momma! Waaaahahaaa!"

Finally, I could not take the moping and cute longing words anymore.  I gave in and opened the dryer before it was done and found puppy.

Puppy was not dry, puppy was pathetic looking, but my son was instantly soothed. A smile relaxed every feature and he said, "oh puppy, I love you. Momma, puppy is warm!"

Without any fits he climbed straight into bed for some much needed one on one time with freshly washed puppy. A smile on his face, he could not take his eyes away from that raggedy old thing.
Man, this kid can melt me pretty darn easy.

Thanks for sharing Bub. I'll have to turn ya down next time though, I almost passed out...

I am sure nap time will go very well today.

The b word (budget... thats what you thought I meant right?)

Budgets are so hard. Maybe it's just because we are in the beginning stages of one that it has been kind of stressful, but it just seems to reveal all my selfishness.

Each time we go through it I think how much we have, despite how tight the money is. I think that if only I would give up my eight dollar a month netflix, what else I could do with that money. Eight bucks doesn't sound like much, but in a budget like ours, it seems like it would soften some edges sometimes. I could give more, I could save it for more dates with my husband, I could get my kids a new outfit or a toy when I felt like it rather than ever so strategically every time.

But then I think, if I did just get things when I felt like it all the time (I still do, and that is why we are over budget this month :p ) we'd be dead broke in no time! So would I rather be broke or know when to buy even though it takes a few weeks or months before I have the money to get it? Gee, I guess I don't want to be broke. But even though we won't necessarily go broke if we stick with the budget, it still takes a lot of self-discipline, practice, and patience. Mostly things that don't come easily. I find the more we stick to the budget the less my husband and I fight, the less I stress, and the more he and I are able to understand each other.    

Budgets are good, but budgets are hard. They force me to look at my life in a much more responsible way. It's not fake, there is no pretending, it just is. I have to change much more than my buying habits when I stick to a budget.

Whether or not I am ready to change, here it comes. I am sure it is for the better, but does it have to be so painful?

chugga chugga

Both kids were in bed by 6:45.
Hubs is chaperon at the high school prom tonight.
I watched the original movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, and cried my eyeballs out.
I started working on an awesome new crochet hat that I might make 10 of for a really cool ski team my parents coach.
I drank myself some awesome tea.
I let my children cry themselves to sleep.
I thought about going to bed early and then didn't.
Instead I put on a sweater and kept working on my awesome crochet.
I love to crochet.
How was your day?

Here are my babies on a day when they were much happier. So much cuteness.

Girls night!

Was a hit! I had such a nice time I was practically giddy all night! I feel like I have not done something like that in so long, it was refreshing to my soul. Deep down soul.

It was 40 below, the icefog was thicker than thick, and we squeezed our way into our bathing suits and winter hats, ran our bare toes through the snow and jumped into the GLORIOUS hot tub!

Oh my.

I have not felt so good all winter. My muscles untangled, the laughing started, and all around we shared stories and rolled in the snow and had a pretty much GREAT time.

I feel ashamed I didn't have my camera! But I will see if I can post pictures later when I can get them from my friend who very responsibly did have hers.
Tell me girls night was not a gift from God! I wouldn't believe it for a moment. God must have personally ordained such gatherings. There is too much happiness for Him not to have!

Children are adorable and I love mine more than life, but a night away does a body gooooooood.
I have to admit, at first I felt very strange like I was forgetting something important as I walked out the door. And then when I made sure I had all the important things, I realized I felt guilty. It was just such a weird sensation to leave the children behind. But it wasn't just the kids. It was my husband too! I was ALONE in the car, listening to MY station, going to a party for GIRLS who are like ME. Not for the kids, not for my darling wonderful husband who would keep the kids so I can do something like this, but for me.
Oh MAN it was so nice.... I am still smiling from it. Thanks to the girls who put it on. You probably didn't think it was that big a deal, but for me, it was awesome.

Now I am back at home feeling refreshed and thankful and loving that I have girls to hang with. yo.

Until I get the right pictures, here is another memorable night with the girls.

about this blog

I have no idea what this blog is about.

This is only my third post. I have been doing a little research the past few days and everything tells me I need to know my audience and work towards my specific goals for this blog. Be consistent and not random.  Hmmm.

I am not a pro writer that is for sure and I don't really have specific things in mind to relay here. I don't do finance stuff, I don't feel like I am in a position to give family advice, and I am no longer working in a professional field.

I figured my purpose here would merely unfold over time... I hope, right?

This blog world is way more in depth than I ever imagined! There is a science to this process! I don't know if I will be able to keep up. I had to look up the definitions of an RSS feed, a blogroll and other things I don't remember there names to. It's all a foreign world to me.

I find though that throughout my days, I have these comments that run through my head (sounds kinda creepy, I know) I feel like other people might like to hear... maybe just my mom wants to hear it, or maybe some girlfriends that are walking a similar path. Maybe all I want is someone to tell me how crazy I am for thinking or doing the things I do or to tell me how much they understand.

So, in all my unspecific goals and possible randomness, I hope I can generate something interesting and meaningful here.  Even if it is only my sisters that read it.  I love you, sisters.

Remembering summer time keeps me alive.

Do you know how COLD I am?

 It has been almost a year since I started this thing up. The first and only post asked if this whole blog thing would actually keep up. I guess, for that moment in time, it was no. How am I supposed to think this go 'round will be any better? I don't. It might be more of a flop than the first time. But really, what do I have to lose? Oh gee. I could fill that blank in with a lot of embarrassing things... never mind. I am just going to let you know, I have lots of stupid things to say and probably little to offer, but I was told to blog like I am writing to my sister (of which I have two) so just pretend you are related to me and you may begin to understand what I am trying, or not trying, to say.

 I am going to open up by showing you how I torture my children in this endlessly cold dessert town after we have been inside far too many 40 below zero days. I think play time lasted for all of 4 minutes til the screaming commenced.

Thanks sister for the neck scarf! It works wonderfully on baby at -20!

Me: "Are you cold?" Bub: "Um, slide."

"Keep going Momma!"