Crochet-a-holic

So, has it really been since July since I posted last?!  Holy cow!  I guess that's what happens when you combine 2 kids, a hubby, and going back to work in August = no free time for mommy!

But I've been up to a LOT of different things here lately, so I decided it's about time to start sharing what I've been working on.

For starters, I've been crocheting like a mad woman trying to get ready for Christmas.  These scarfs are SO easy to make (thank goodness!) and only take a small amount of "focus" while working...which let's face it...is all that matters at the moment! :o)

These were made using the "Belle" scarf pattern from Lion Brand Company.  Easy peasy!  I used two different types of yarn, the one on the left is Lion Brand Homespun (which is what the pattern calls for) and the one on the right is done in 100% cotton Peaches n' Cream.  I have a feeling this pattern will be my new favorite pattern for a while!

I've also been crocheting baby hats for my bff's new baby girl.  I first started following patterns for hats I found all over the internet and Ravelry, but I got frustrated when I wasn't using the same type of yarn and it didn't come out right.  So, I've been working on developing my own "patterns" or more like guidelines for sizings and such.  Here is a fuzzy little bear hat that I made using some yarn I found at Joanns.

And here's two earflap hats that I just love how they turned out....well, once I get them completely finished with the braids.

So, those are what all I've been working on.  My Pinterest boards are exploding with ideas, so I hope to be able to share more ideas with you all again soon!

In the mean time, I hope you are enjoying the holiday season and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Finally!

I did say somewhere that this blog was supposed to include my crafting adventures and creative ideas, right?!  FINALLY!! My first craft post! :o)  I have finally found a few moments to work on something unrelated to fixing up the house or working in the yard.  About a week ago I pulled out my arch nemeses: my sewing machine.  Don’t get me wrong, I L.O.V.E my machine, but I’m very much a novice when it comes to sewing.  I’m pretty sure none of my lines are straight and I go about 2 times slower than a turtle.  Being a closet perfectionist doesn’t help matters either.  I realize that homemade isn’t supposed to be perfect, and that’s what I love about it….but I can’t help it.  Anywho, here’s my first attempt at making a piece of clothing.

The skirt is made using Dana’s MADE tutorial found HERE for the Simple Skirt.  I adore every inch of her website and hope to try out her kid’s pants tutorial when I get a little more experience under my belt.  I was very surprised as to how easy her instructions were and they even made perfect sense to me, being such a newbie and all.  The material is something I found on clearance at Walmart, but no idea what it's called.  I really cannot wait to make another one!  I wish my “model” would cooperate and leave the skirt on long enough for me to take her picture….but oh well.  Maybe later. 

So, got any “newbie” projects that you would you recommend?

Thanks for stopping in! :o)

Wanna Be

Yeah, I’m a “wanna be.”  A total wanna-be runner.  I guess that’s what I get for marrying a cross country coach and marathoner.  Back in the day (read: when I was in shape and not overweight) I could play tennis for 3+ hours, play volleyball, softball and basketball with no problems….but I HATED running.  I mean, what fun was it to just go out a run??  What kind of crazy person found doing that torture fun?! Well, now I get it.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered there’s more to running than just pounding pavement for the heck of it.  It’s a way to de-stress, chill out, find the calm in a hectic world.  I wouldn’t classify myself as an official “runner” just yet, but definitely a jogger. 

When I first met my hubby, I was a tennis player returning from a shoulder injury.  I ended up having to give up tennis – if I couldn’t play all out because of the pain, then I didn’t want to at all…and I needed something.  My hubs (then just boyfriend) started pestering me to join him on one of his runs.  I finally gave in and decided to go.  You’d think a person who could go three sets in a grueling tennis match could run at least for a little bit, right??  WRONG!  It was pitiful!  But I kept at it.  Baby steps.  Tribble Mill Park and Stone Mountain became my favorite places to visit.  I LOVE running (oops…jogging) on a good trail.  There’s nothing like being so close to nature, surrounded by God’s creations, just you and your thoughts.  Yep.  I wanna be a runner.  Four years and two kids later, through lots of ups and downs in my jogging career, I finally made a commitment to run in my very first road race.  Members of my family have run in the Peachtree Road Race for years – my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my hubs ran it for years in high school, so hearing the talk about the race wasn’t anything new to me.  Last year, I told my hubby that I really wanted to do it this year.  So my sister, hubby and I started in the LAST stinking start group, and actually ran all 6.2 miles.    With the other 60,000+ people.  I don’t think I’ve EVER seen that many people.  It was crazy!  But I loved it!  My goal time was to finish in under an hour and a half (I’m slow, I know, gotta start somewhere).  I finished in 1 .23.58!  Not too shabby for having to pass somewhere around 25,000 people.  Will we do it again next year?  Probably.  The one thing I will do differently is try to get into an earlier start group.  What’s next for me?  I want to finish a 5K in under 30 minutes.  Here’s hoping to a long, healthy and injury free next few months of training! :o)

Summer Challenge: Green vs. black

Okay, so those who know me know that my thumb is ANYthing but green when it comes to keeping plants alive.  If it is green, I’ll kill it.  But I come from a line of ladies who could grow just about anything.  Both of my Grandmamas have a thing for all things green.  My Grandmama N. has always had some sort of flowers around the house and my Grandmama L. had a garden in her backyard where she grew eggplants, cucumbers, and a whole lot of other things that I apparently didn’t care too much for since I don’t remember anything but those.  Her favorite flower was the Geranium and I apparently inherited her love for those flowers and will always associate those flowers with her memory.  This year, something tickled my fancy and I decided I was tired of having a black thumb.  I am determined to keep a few pots of flowers alive through their season and hope to even put a few veggies on the table as well.  I decided to start small….two pots of Geraniums/Begonias for the front porch (which I gotta remember to get a picture of eventually….once I finally clean the porch so it looks somewhat presentable), and then a pepper, Roma tomato, and zucchini pot on the back porch. 

The blue pot has the bell pepper plant, the middle red one is the tomato, and the end red pot is the zucchini.  I have to toot my own horn here because I actually have TWO little tomatoes growing and both the pepper and the zucchini have major bulbs and flowers on both which have to mean they’ll sprout veggies…right?!

So, that’s my challenge I’ve taken on this summer.  Here’s hoping that in the next month or so I’ll be posting pictures of my plate with the veggies I’ve grown myself! :o)

What's in a name?

So, I had toyed with the thought of starting a blog and Etsy shop for quite some time and finally talked myself into starting this here blog (nothing like jumping on the band-wagon’s band-wagon).  But, before one can do either of the above, a name must be decided.  What will you call your "shop?"  What will you call your blog?  Deciding on a name is of upmost importance.  After all, that's what people will remember you by, right?  So, I thought....and thought....and thought some more.  Nothing.  Nada.  Not even an inkling of something that sounded both catchy and memorable....not to mention meaningful to me.  I dabbled at a few suggestions, discovered that half of all word combinations that I remotely liked were already taken, and then settled on something less than perfect.  I wrote my “Welcome aboard!” posting and haven't touched my blog since.....until now.  So, why the change of heart?  The sudden clarity?  It's a story I don't think I'll ever get tired of telling.

It all started with a Disney movie I had watched a while ago, The Princess and the Frog, and continues with a book I just read called Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah.  The movie was a cute, rather touching movie (like all Disney movies...to which I'm completely addicted), but after watching it then it hasn’t seen any air time…until the other night.  The book on the other hand touched me.  Big time.  (If you're looking for a tear-jerkingly great story about friendship, I highly recommend!) I thought about the story for days; wondered if I could do something “firefly” related.  Yeah, it had that much of an effect on me.  But nothing I came up with made sense.  Nothing sounded right.  After a rather rough week attitude wise with the dear daughter (she's 4 going on 14), for some reason she asked to come outside and water the plants with me.  I rolled my eyes and said sure.  After drowning watering the few plants I've been able to keep alive, we stood out on our deck just looking at the yard.  That's when she asked me about lightening bugs.  I told her the "they only come out at night to play" and the "I don't know if we'd be able to see one or not" but she kept persisting.  I gave in since she had actually been rather decent that afternoon and let her stay up a little longer.  We stood out on the deck for maybe another 10 minutes or so, looking in the dark areas of the woods when suddenly, she noticed one.  Her excitement grew as she saw another, then another.  We rustled the hubby up off the couch and he headed down to the yard to attempt to catch one.  About 5 minutes later, we had a dear little firefly to torture play with.  R wanted to catch and hold it soooo bad, but wouldn't bring herself to actually touch it.  We finally let the poor thing fly away, but R's excitement about the event was absolutely precious.  We ventured back inside (for fear of being carried off by the mosquitos) and the whole time R was peppering us with questions about the poor bug.  All of a sudden, I remembered that cute Disney movie and the lightening bug who was in love with Evangeline.  I couldn't, however, remember that bug's name.  So we made it our mission to watch the movie in the morning, and that we did.  Raymond.  Or Ray for short would be that bug's name.  Also happens to be my daddy's middle name too (coincidence? maybe).  I was hooked.  R, not so much…but what do you expect from a 4 year old with the attention span of a gnat?!  That's when it finally hit me.  A name that finally registered.  A name that had meaning.  A touching book about a road called Firefly Lane and the story that went with it, a movie with a courageous bug named Ray that has now become my favorite Disney movie (for the moment at least), and an evening spent with my daughter that I will never forget....that is what's in a name.

The moonlight is when the fireflies come out to play....

Welcome Aboard!

So, the blogging bug finally bit me and I decided to jump on the band-wagon.  Better late than never, right?!  :o)  I hope you enjoy all the randomness which I call my life.  I am the wife to a wonderful man, mother to two precious kiddos and one furry one, and a middle school teacher.  I'm starting this blog to hold myself accountable...accountable to my family, accountable to my hobbies and interests, and accountable to myself as a person.  Check back often for crafting ideas, recipes, photography randomness, and getting a peek inside our crazy life.  Hope you enjoy!

-E