FO: Lunasea Leticia Hat

I swear my nose isn't really that crooked.  :)  This hat is a Valentine's Day present for my husband and I was afraid he would find the pic if I used the digital camera, so I used the handy little camera on the computer.

I used less than a skein of Leticia from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Lunasea.  I LOVE these colors.  The yarn is a slight thick and thin--but mostly thin.  I knit it on 10.5 dpns and it is my own design.  Quick, quick knit.  

I was thinking of making a cowl with the other skein of Lunasea in my stash.  Do men where cowls?  Nothing fancy-just a scarf substitute in stockinette.  Maybe I should ask him before taking a chance and making it.

FO: Crocheted Sampler Wave Scarf

This pattern was a great way to learn and practice various crochet stitches.  I used 4 colors of Cascade 220 Super Wash that I had in my stash.  It turned out a little shorter than I would like.  I used half the number of stitches called for in the adult-sized pattern.  Oh well, I'll chalk it up to learning.  London doesn't know the difference. :)

So, my model was not at all into modeling.

Can we say tempermental?
Does every model storm out of their photo shoots?  Or just my model?

Thank You!

I have finished a project!!  YEA!!  I will attempt a photo shoot tomorrow.  Hopefully my model cooperates! :)

On the money front . . . my husband still hasn't produced the receipt for the groceries yesterday so I'm not sure of the exact total.  He also bout $20 in gas today.  After he told me, he quickly said "but the light was on!"  Yea, I guess that would be a good reason to get gas. :)

Thank you for my congratulations on losing weight! :)  I am currently 9 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight.  That is very exciting!  I am starting to think about rewards for myself.  I want something to celebrate 50 pounds.  I have created my own system of what works for me.  I was thinking that I could share some things that are working for me in some blog posts.  

So, the first one is being really conscious about what I am eating and I what I am feeling.  This is sometimes easier said then done.  I have a toddler and anyone who has spent any time with toddlers knows that meal times can be interesting.  I also have two dogs and I can not tell you how much energy they consume while we are in the kitchen.  Whether it is needing to go out, needing to come in, begging London for food, eating the other dogs food, you get the idea.  Then of course, I'm trying to make food, clean up afterwards, do dishes, etc.  So, being really conscious of what I am eating and whether or not I should be eating isn't always easy.  It is easy to consume without even fully realizing what I am doing.  Also, I need to consciously think about if I am hungry.  Again, it is easier to pop a leftover graham cracker in my mouth then to put it away when my son has decided he doesn't want it.  I believe the first step is to be truly conscious and think about what I am doing.  Awareness.  It starts with awareness.

It's A Party!

There is a party going on!  There is the cool thing called Mr. Linky that lets us link to our posts.  The party topic is taming kid clutter.  Go check it out and borrow some great ideas from lots of creative, organized bloggers.

So, on the money front--my husband bought some groceries during his lunch break today.  He thinks it was under $30, but he isn't home yet so I don't know exactly how much.

And . . . I lost 32 pounds!  YEA!! :)

Free Photo Book

Inkubook is offering a free photo book for filling out a survey about their product and site.  You will need to pay shipping and tax, but the book is free.  Cool, huh?  I've been wanting to make a photo book of London's first year.  My coupon code expires the last day of this month.  So, despite my intention of spending as little money as possible this month I think it is worth paying for the shipping and tax to get the book for free.

By the way, we didn't spend anything today! :)

Ground Hog's Day

Is it Groundhog or Ground Hog?  Either way, six more weeks of winter!  I'm very ready for SPRING!

So, neither of us spent any money today.  Yea!!!

Feel free to share your financial triumphs in the comments! :)

Money Challenge

My husband and I are challenging ourselves to see how little we can spend during the month of February on our non-fixed expenses.  I aim for $125 a week on groceries (although I usually spend more) and we spend about $200 a month in gas.  Then of course there is a little bit here and a little bit there.  We do have Valentine's Day this month and a couple of all ready scheduled social engagements that we will be spending money on.  Also, I have been making an effort to buy more organic and hormone-free food.  So we will continue with these commitments.  I would like us to be more conscious of our spending and think about how to save ourselves money, but we won't be sacrificing other things that we value (eating healthy and spending time with family and friends).  I think blogging about it will help with accountability.  And who knows, maybe someone will join us in our challenge!

Today I spent $5.71 on lunch and $1.25 for tip for a total of $6.96 for the day.  My husband didn't spend anything today. 

Easy Money!

I found this laundry research study that pays $175 for 2 hours of your time.  Here is the link if you are interested.  I am happy to accept $175 for 2 hours of my time!!! :)

Handy Manny

I LOVE Handy Manny!!!  What?  You haven't met Manny?  If you have a toddler or preschooler or just need a dose of beautiful humanity you simply must check out Handy Manny on Playhouse Disney.  

Everyone in the town of Sheet Rock Hills is very helpful and loves to help solve each other's problems.  Everyone is accepted for who they are and both their faults and attributes are loved.  The acknowledgements flow and the support is always there.  At the same time, characters offer their assistance and are open to their assistance being declined.  All of this is done without being sickeningly sweet like some little ones shows can be.  This is exactly what I want my child's cartoons to look like.  My husband and I enjoy the antics of some of the good nature mischief that the tools find as well as trying to identify the voices of the characters.  We are so hooked that we now refer to some of our tools by their proper names.  "Honey, I bet Turner could help you with that."  Yea, we are hooked.

So I can cross it off of my list . . .

Before our lives were hijacked by yucky colds, I had been on an organizing and cleaning kick.  

I have a lot of WIPs.  I always have a lot of WIPs.  I've decided to keep track of my WIPs and 2009 FOs on the side of my blog.  I am hoping that with the visual reminder it will help to motivate me to finish.  I'm one of those people that writes something on a list just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off my list.  

You'll notice that there aren't any finished objects listed yet.  They're coming.  Soon, I hope! :)  

Have a great Sunday!!

Crocheted Wave Scarf

This is my crocheting project.  Dog nose included for scale. :)  Not really, she just was super close to me all day that day.  The light blue in the middle is actually two different shades, but it is really hard to tell.  London's coat is navy and red.  I'm thinking of trying to find a crocheted hat pattern to make a set.
I had the second class today which is where we learned the "wave" part of the scarf.  It is probably too short for London.  Ah well.  It was a good learning project.  I can now do a chain, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, and something else that I can't remember the name of.  I signed up for a scarf class at the end of February.  It is an Interweave Crochet pattern.  I think I also conjured up some interest for the Larger Than Life Bag.  I'm hoping it will be a class in the spring.  It would be a cute spring/summer tote.

I think I now have London's cold.  Some moments I feel like death and then some moments I feel pretty good.  Hopefully it doesn't get too bad.  London is feeling and acting much better.  Still coughing and a runny nose, but I think the worst of it is behind him.

Taming the Toys

Here is our sick little boy.

Poor thing!  We are surviving his cold.

One of my favorite bloggers asked for pictures of how I'm taming the toys.  So, HollyJo here you go! :)

We had purchased matching tv and stereo units from Ikea back when we were living in NYC.  We continued to use the tv stand until London was mobile.  It was very low and on casters, so it was basically a death trap for a toddler.  I looked and looked for another piece of furniture without much luck.  Everything was waaaay more money than I wanted to spend.  So, we finally decided to move our sofa table and put the tv on it.  It had little baskets on the bottom shelf which housed London's toys for awhile.  As he got bigger, he started playing with (climbing on, dragging around, throwing) the baskets and I was afraid that they would start falling apart.  So I moved one of our under the bed boxes to the living room and it works very well. 

It isn't exactly stylish, but I don't mind.  It works well.  London can pull it out and even play in it.  With a December birthday and Christmas, he has outgrown this "toy box".  Now it houses stuffed animals and a few other odds and ends.
We purchased this toy box from Babies R Us.  It is exactly what I wanted.  When London has a big boy room it will be primary colors and we will move this into his room.  I really like how I can anally sort his toys into the bins and he can enjoy un-organizing them.  I also like how he can see all of his toys and choose what he wants to play with.  Traditionally toy boxes aren't as easy to access.
These are 2 small, unfinished book shelves that we bracketed together so he couldn't pull them onto himself.  They house his bigger toys that don't fit into the bins.  He loves taking his toys on and off of the shelves.  Some day I will probably paint them and put them in his big boy room for books, puzzles, games, etc. 

So, yea, our living room looks a little bit like a preschool right now.  I love it!  London spends 95% of his waking moments in the living room and I want it to be comfortable for him as well as us.  I like having a place for all of the toys while maintaining easy access to them for London.

Happy 100th Post To Me!

I've been totally stalling on posting because I have been waiting for something profound to hit me for my 100th post.  And then I finally decided . . .  eh, I'm just going to post.  So hear I am singing "Happy 100th Post To Me" as I type. :)

As many people are in January, I have been in a major cleaning and organizing mood lately.  We have been working on taming the toys in the living room, made London's bedroom more accessible to him as a toddler, had a major cleaning overhaul in our bedroom and bathroom, and the list goes on.  It feels so good to walk into a clean, un-cluttered, organized room.  It makes my heart sing!!

I have finished my crocheting homework a week early.  That's unheard of!  I am making a scarf for London and I think it will be a little short.  Oh well.  Maybe I will crochet onto the ends to add some length. 

London woke up with a fever this morning.  100.7  It is our first fever. :(  He has a runny nose and a little bit of a cough.  Let's hope this passes QUICK!!

The Dark Side

It is official.  I have gone over to the dark side.  I took a crochet class yesterday and I LOVE IT!!!  I learned 4 stitches (don't ask me their names because I find that to be quite confusing with half doubles, singles, and such) and they are coming together to make a stitch sampler scarf for London.  I am super psyched!  We have to do eight rows by the next class and I will be starting on row two today.

Lime Gelato Felted Bag

This is a long overdue finished object post.  I started this project in a class at Saratoga Needle Arts in January 2007.  I knit it up pretty quickly and felted it.  It took me forever to put the gorgeous ceramic button and snap on.  It was January 2008 to be exact.  My mom sewed the lining for me.  Now, January 2009 I am finally showing you the finished pictures.  I used it all of the time last winter and spring.  I love, love, love it and always get tons of compliments on it!

I love the super cute pink geometric fabric lining.  I picked it up at JoAnn's.  After being inspired by Vera Bradley bags, we took a piece of heavy cardboard, cut it to the size of the base of the bag, and covered it with the fabric from the lining.  It gives the bag support and structure.

I bought the ceramic button at Saratoga Needle Arts.  It is handmade, but I don't know who made it.  I glued it on with apoxy and totally faked the little piece of yarn going through it.  It is covering part of a snap which is the actual closure.
I made the handles longer than the pattern calls for.  I was knitting the handles at the last class and everyone who had finished theirs said that their handles felted much shorter than they would have liked.  Mine comfortably fits over my shoulder.
This is one of my most loved finished products.  It was a great knit too.  Love it!!!

Pattern:  Gelato Bag by Bev Galekas  

It is a Fiber Trends pattern and I enjoyed it.  I had to re-start it after ripping it out, but I think it was user error.  Or too much chatting while knitting and not enough attention to the pattern.  Ah well! :)

Yarn:  Cascade Pastaza  3 skeins

I didn't love knitting with it and I shaved my bag a little after felting.  I wouldn't buy Pastaza again.  I think I held it with Cascade 220, but I don't remember.

FO: Christmas Stocking

Yea!  I have a finished object to tell you about!! :)  

I started a Christmas stocking for London when I took a class at Saratoga Needle Arts back in July.  During the classes I knit all of the stocking, but then of course stalled out until December.  The pattern is designed by the woman who was teaching the class.  The red and green stripes towards the top are a twisted rib.  The letters are duplicate stitched on after the stocking is finished.  It was my first time doing duplicate stitch and I think it turned out quite well.

I did two hand, two color knitting for the trees, checkerboard. and holly.  The little red holly berries are french knots--again a first for me.  I used Cascade 220 Superwash in red, green, and white--maybe a quarter of each skein.  Plenty left to make more stockings for our family!

I hope your holidays were fabulous and your new year is off to an amazing start!

Is it Spring yet?

So last week we got hit with a horrible ice storm and lots of power outages.  Then yesterday about 1pm it started snowing and it is now 10am and it hasn't stopped yet.  We have at least 8 inches--probably more.  And guess what?  Another storm is supposed to start dropping a foot of snow starting tomorrow morning.  Mother Nature is really putting a damper on my plans.  Two Fridays in a row London and I were planning on meeting up with friends that haven't met him yet and we had to cancel.  Today we were going to meet another friend who hasn't met him and I can't see that happening.  Also, I was going to finish Christmas shopping this morning and at 2:30 today I am redeeming a spa gift certificate.  I am REALLY hoping I can still make it to the spa.  I feel badly for the merchants having to deal with the two weekends before Christmas being affected by the weather.

On a more positive note, it is absolutely beautiful out there.  It is so nice to be snuggled up under a blanket in my warm and cozy house and look out at the snowy scenery.  I'm also almost done with gift wrapping---snowy days are good for gift wrapping.  

I hope you are safe and warm and snugly on this wintry day. 

Thawing

Life is getting back to normal in our area.  There are till 50,000+ people without power and some school districts are still closed.  But, for the most part the ice is melting and life is normalizing.  It was actually really warn today--over 50! 

So, today while waiting at my chiropractor's office it suddenly dawned on me---Christmas is next week!  NEXT WEEK!!!  When did that happen??  I am in disbelief!  I have more shopping to do and I haven't wrapped a single gift.  

I only planned on one knitted gift this year.  I was hoping for more, but I only planned on one.  Well, the problem is my parents still don't have electricity and my mother has been staying with us since Friday.  Guess who the knitted gift is for.  Right!  Ugh!!

Ice Storm

So, our corner of the world had a horrible ice storm Thursday into Friday.  We are very fortunate.  There are "state of emergency"-s in many of the towns and counties very close to us.  There are 200,000 people in our area without power.  We have only had brief power interruptions.  Very, very fortunate.  My parents have been staying with us while they wait for their power to return.  According to the weather forecast, it will be awhile before we thaw out.

We are also very fortunate because we were able to see 4 friends today who we haven't seen since October 2007.  It was a wonderful day and London greatly enjoyed meeting them.

I am feeling blessed!!!  It is a wonderful place to be!!!

The New Winter Knitty

The new winter Knitty is up and man am I loving it!  I took a quick look through the patterns, but I need to give them a better look when I have more time.  I have to say I love, love, love the fish hat.  I really wish there was more time before Christmas because my brother's three children would LOVE it.