Floppy Dog

Here is a floppy dog I finished today. It worked up pretty fast. I took it to the park with me the other day when we fed the squirrel. I just worked on it that day and finished up the nose, tongue, and collar today. (And sewed her eyes on.) She is expecting a litter of puppies, too! ;p I got the pattern in a magazine that is out of print now, 'Crafting Traditions'. The Jan/Feb 2003 issue, if anyone has anyof those old issues. I have also been working on a plastic bag purse. But ran out of white WalMart bags... So I have to wait until I go shopping again for more 'yarn' ;p....

Pikes Peak

We drove up to the top of Pikes Peak last Saturday. This picture was taken from the top. (That's the Cog Railroad there.)
Here's the Cog train. We could have come up like this but it would have been over a hundred bucks. So we drove. (Less people, more fun anyway!)
I thought this sign was cool. Ooo!
A view from on the way up. None of these pictures can capture how awesome it is going up. I did a lot better going up this time, than I did last time. The first time we went up (a few years ago), I was hyperventilating practically. I was so scared. I thought for sure we were going to fall off the edge, and you can't even see where you are going to fall. This time I was hardly afraid at all. I looked down, and saw the 'bottom'. It wasn't as far as I thought. (I think I'm getting used to mountains now.) Ialso took a bunch of pictures of the wildflowers all over the mountain. You can see them here. (Turn your speakers on to hear the music.) :) Have a Nice Day.

No Pictures Today...

I wish I had brought my camera with me today, though! The one time I don't, something cool happens. The oldest went to a theme park with some friends today, so I took the two younger boys to a park here in town to play. Well we went across the street to see the Spring that was over there. Then the kids wanted to climb on the 'bleacher/stairs'. We were sitting there, and I got out the cheese and crackers for a snack. Well this little squirrel was kind of by us, and the nine year old says, 'Can I give it a cracker?' I said, 'Sure, just hold out your hand and be really still'. The squirrel came right up to his hand, and took the cracker. Then she sat there on her hind legs, eating it. It was SOOO cool! She kept coming back for more. Some she would go bury and then come back and get some more to eat, then go bury some... I hope we didn't make her sick feeding her crackers, but it was so awesome. I wish I had of all days brought my camera with me today. Oh well. Maybe next time we go there, I'll remember for sure. Then when the squirrel got full and stopped coming back, we went back over to the park. The kids were more interested in picking up garbage and putting it in the garbage bins. I don't know where it came from, but I certainly encouraged it!! Then we went down to the creek, and the nine year old wanted to take his shoes off and go in the creek so I let him. Then he started getting all the garbage out of the creek. He found a baby bottle with milk (or formula?) still in it. (Yuck). A flip flop. A cup. A few wrappers. A pop can. We put it all in the garbage bin. He wants to go tomorrow to a different park and clean out the creek. :))) I'm so proud.

An Oldie But a Goodie :)

Since we've been unpacking more things from the storage unit in Michigan, more and more treasures keep coming up. Like this doily I made I don't even know how long ago. I love this doily. I don't know how my fourteen year old son got a hold of it, but.... if he wants it, I guess he can have it. He's the only child who I know will take care of it. (The other two might, too, when they get older...) Anyway, it is from an 'Old-Time Crochet' magazine. The summer 1992 issue, on page 6. I only have two issues of this magazine. Anyway, I thought I'd share it here. I was so pleasantly surprised yesterday to recieve an RAOK letter in the mail!! An adorable lighthouse card, and inside was a recipe for 'Grandma's Pumpkin Bread'!! How could this person have known that pumpkin bread is my absolute favorite in the world!!?? She couldn't; but how nice of her! I can't wait until it is cool enough to bake, so I can try this recipe. I haven't been feeling good lately. Saturday I felt sick. Then Sunday I wasn't feeling that great, but... Then Monday I was feeling okay but reeeaaally crabby! Today I felt okay, but an hour before dinner I started feeling really sick and had to run to the bathroom. :( Weird. Well maybe I'll get some crocheting done since all I want to do is sit around...

A Baby Afghan I started last night...

Due to insomnia I finished these two squares last night for a baby afghan. It's going to be for my niece. My husbands' sisters' daughter and her husband are due October 1st. I *just* got a baby shower invitation (even though they know I won't make it-it's in Michigan) it's July 29th!! Yikes. I don't know if I will finish it by then w/ time to mail it. Let's see... that would be 39 days plus a week to send it.... I need 63 squares, that's approximately 1.6 squares a day, then the sewing together plus the border. So I'd have to do 2 or more a day. That *might* be workable... I don't know. Maybe if I sewed them together as I went along... Well anyway sorry I had to figure that out on your time. ;p The pattern came from 'Sweet as a Rose' Baby Afghans, by Leisure Arts.. I tried looking for it on their site, but I couldn't find it. (It may or may not still be in publication.) An old friend of mine bought it for me about eleven years ago, so I could make this afghan for her daughter. I made that one just like the one on the cover, in pink roses. This one I am doing in yellow, because the babys' room is painted yellow, and a lot of yellow Pooh things so I thought this would work well. Sheesh- I better shut up, and go do my daily quota of two squares, eh? :p

Is There Something in the Water Lately or What? :p

It seems like everyone is having babies lately. My sister-in-law is pregnant (my brother and his wife), my niece (hubby's sister's daughter), and now another sister-in-law is pregnant! I just found out this morning. Oh, and my stepsister, too. (I only met her once or twice, though, don't even know her...) Whew. I guess I know what I'll be busy crocheting or knitting this summer!!

A Plastic Bag-Recycled from Plastic Bags ;)

Well, after three summers, I have finished this bag. I think I started this bag before I went to Florida one summer with my mom. And, I brought this bag with me. (I'm making it for my mom.) I was going to do a blue stripe in it, but Wal Mart stopped carrying the blue plastic bags, so I didn't have anything that would 'work'. Then I joined the Plastic Bag CAL at Crochetville, and posted my dilemna. Someone sent me some blue Wal Mart bags! It was one of the things I had put on my Wish List, too. That's how bad I am. :p I still have some blue left, I can use for a stripe on another bag. I have another one started already, too. I did notice (when I was on the second to last round) that I made a mistake in the pattern. In my own defense, I picked this up after two years of not working on it. And, the bag I had started meantime, is in sc's... so the way my brain is (not working) lately... I started the blue stripe in sc's. Instead of hdc's. And so it looks funny to me. Well maybe my mom won't notice, since she doesn't crochet. She'll probably just be amazed that I finished it. :p I also have about fifty tan Kroger bags. I'd like to do something with them, too.

Progress on my L.A. Shrug

Ooo I like the way that sounds. LA Shrug... ;p Well I haven't even worked on this since we got back from Michigan (except sewing the shoulder seams together this morning). But I have made a lot of progress on it since my last blog post about it. The body is done, one sleeve is (almost) done. I wanted to sew the shoulder seams together so I could tell how much longer I needed to make the sleeve (never trust a pattern just because it says to work so many rows...)
Here's the sleeve so far. I think I need to do about two more inches at least on this. (I don't know why this picture came out darker. Same exact place, same exact lighting...) Anyway... I can't wait until it's done, so I can finish all the other things (Shrugs) I want to make. :p It's supposed to be over 90 today! I'm thirsty already....

This doily was in one of the boxes I have unpacked so far. I totally forgot about this one. I made two of these, actually. The other one I made was white, for a friend. I'd like to make another one, too. I couldn't for the life of me remember what booklet it was in or anything. (That's been happening to me a lot lately...) But I found it today. It's a Year of Doilies booklet, the September doily, 'Welcoming Oval.' I've had it on the living room coffee table but it keeps getting knocked off onto the floor so I think I'm going to move it into my bedroom, on my dresser. I washed a couple of doilies I made today too. (I didn't make the doilies today, they are older doilies...) ;p But pretty dirty. I'll write more about those when I get some pictures of them.
We went for a hike on this trail today. Obviously this is an old picture (snow on the ground), but this is one of my favorite parts of the trail. I could just stand here and look at it for hours. Today we think we hiked seven miles. I am exhausted. I thought my knees were going to give out, they hurt so bad. I must be really out of shape. (Although hiking up a mountain is not exactly easy.)
Here are some of the wildflowers on the trail. I couldn't make out any of them. The only one I could tell was the Yuccas. They have buds on them now; and they are so pretty when they bloom. (I've never seen them in person, but I saw some on a postcard.) I guess I shouldn't have even posted that picture, since you can't even see any of the flowers on it. There are supposed to Columbines on the trail. I haven't seen any yet. We saw three lizards, a big blue beetle with black spots on it, a big yellow and black butterfly (I don't know what kind of butterfly, but I don't think it was a monarch, they are more orange aren't they?), a little blue butterfly, a little white butterfly (or moths), and my husband and older son said they saw a hummingbird. If we go on that trail again, I'm packing a picnic lunch and starting in the morning. I'm whipped....