I'm Back... Did You Miss Me? :P

Actually, I didn't even go anywhere. We just haven't had internet for a couple weeks. We cancelled Wild Blue. They suck!!! All our "computer problems" were because of Wild Blue. Some policy they have about only using so much inernet per day. "So everyone can use the internet." ??? Well if everyone had as horrible as service as we did, no one was using it...  We even "upgraded" so we could do streaming (which also sucked) and watch videos. Still the same...  So anyway now we are back online, paying half the price as Wild Blue was charging us and getting 100% better service. No waiting for videos to buffer, half an hour, just to watch a three minute video...   

Anyway~~ Thank goodness my crochet hook and yarn always work! ;)   I crocheted some more Heart Pocket Note Holders.  This one was for Alice, who I send things to, on Pine Ridge Reservation.

This one I still have, and am going to send to someone for the Winter RAOK at Crochetville. I got a little green notepad to put in it.

This one I made for myself.

One day I just was bored with everything. I had been trying to re-organize my craft room. (Yeah, that still isn't done.. But it does look better.)  I got my magic ball of yarn out, and decided to make a rug with it.

Or, start one anyway. This is about as far as I got. It will just have to be an add as I go rug from now on.  I was going to just chain however many til it was wide enough, but then I remembered there was a pattern for a rug like this in the 101 Scrap Crochet Projects book. So I am following that.

The back. Pretty cool for pieces of yarn that would have otherwise been thrown away!

Meatball Minestrone and Breadsticks

I was in the mood for soup and bread today. I had gotten the stuff for it earlier (all except the celery, and I didn't feel like going to the store just for celery).  I was trying to think what kind of bread to make with it. I usually make Cheesy Italian Flatbread. But I don't have any Italian dressing. I thought, "Hey, I bet I could just make some pizza dough and cut it into breadsticks." So, that's what I did. Next time I think I will take them out earlier. I like them soft.  But, they were still pretty good. We dipped them in our soup. :P  I posted the recipe I use for pizza dough in this post.  

Heart Notepad & Pen Holder

Just a quick post, to show you the notepad/pen holder I crocheted for a Valentine's Day gift. I had been looking for ideas of what to send to someone. I started a heart pillow then realized when I looked at how big it was finished; "Uh... I have to send this in the mail?.."  Then I got an email from Talking Crochet newsletter, and the free pattern for this was in there. I thought it was so cute! I had to crochet one. Now I am crocheting another one, in lavender & off-white. And probably a few more when this one is done, too.  I found the pattern on crochet pattern central, so it is a free online pattern: Heart Pocket Note Holder  Yay for free patterns! :)

Here it is with the chocolates I am sending her, too. She is diabetic, so they're sugar free...The little notepad is on the table.  Just a little something.  <3

My Friendshipghan Is Done!

I don't believe it. :P  I finally got all my squares out, and the afghan that was put together so far; not too long ago. I had put it away when my Mom came to visit, to clean up my Craft Room in case she wanted to stay in there on the blow up mattress. (Plus, my Craft Room was a tornado zone anyway and needed to be cleaned up... Kinda like right now.) Anyway~~ I got all the squares and laid everything out on the floor to see how many more I might need/if I could just do a couple more myself and finish it. Well I had enough. ??  I don't know why I didn't finish it back in November. Well... Yes, I probably do know. I was too busy finishing up all my stockings, the Snuggie, Holiday Wishlist crocheting...  I probably just put this away for a while. Anywho~~ I got the Flat Braid join video going, and finished it! I just have to weave in some loose ends. I washed it (dog hair, string, lint...) and it is soooo soft now! I can't wait to cuddle up with it on the couch. Thank you to all my Crochetville friends! :)

Random Blog Post...

I've been crocheting more squares for the Friendshipghan CAL. And, I found some squares I had made and forgot about. :P Bonus.  Can you tell what my favorite square is lately? :P It's #24 from "99 Granny Squares to Crochet", by Leisure Arts.  The two little squares on the top right are square #98 from the same book. I like the diamond in the middle of the square look. I think it's cool.  And, I like navy blue and turqoise and off white together, too. In case you couldn't tell. The teal and warm brown/tan I was experimenting with a smaller weight (scrap yarn, but it looked like Caron Simply Soft); trying to see how small I could make this square with a smaller hook and smaller weight yarn. Well. Only about ten inces is the smallest I could go. So. I will have to make square #98 for smaller squares...  Until I decide to try something new.   :)

I painted my nails. What do you think?  :D  I sent a picture to my Mom and she said it's "Crazy." lol...   I never used to paint my nails much at all. Only for weddings or special get togethers family reunions, graduation parties..  We don't have much of any of that since we moved here. But when my Mom came to visit, she had her nails done. And got me doing my nails..   It's really easy to do. I just painted my nails white, and got some full nail stickers (?) at Walmart and I cut them right in half. I stuck them on the bottom half of my nails.  I saw a similar thing in Cosmopolitan magazine, called "New Moon".  I have had to touch them up a lot it's starting to annoy me. I think that's why I hate doing my nails. I like the way they look right when I finish them; but then they get chipped too soon, and I get mad. Or then one of my nails will break and I have to cut them all off.  Plus, painting my nails and waiting for them to dry cuts into my crochet time too much! :P Oh well.  Sigh... 

Red Neck Cling Wrap?... LoL

I made pancakes this morning. I have probably said this before, but... I usually make a double batch; so the kids can just get them out of the freezer in the morning rush before school, when they are sick of cereal.

Well I didn't have any freezer bags, or containers with lids, to put the leftover pancakes in. So, I improvised... Lol!.  What do you think? It's Red Neck Cling Wrap. It reminds me of those elastic bowl covers. But... Red Neck Cling Wrap had a catchier title.  (I know, I've lost it...)  I just thought it was kinda funny, so I had to post it...  :P  Maybe it will make you smile. Or even laugh. ;)

I finally bought a Wax Warmer. (What are they called, anyway?...)  I almost bought a red one I liked, a couple weeks ago. But, I carried it with me around the store; then put it back thinking, "I don't really *need* this.." Well then I decided to buy it. And guess what? No red ones were left.  (That is the story of my life lately...  Grrr)  I finally get the money to buy something and it's gone.  Ugh!...   Oh well. I like this one, too.   Too bad this picture isn't a scratch n' sniff.  I got Caramel Vanilla Spice wax bars; they smell so good!

And, another square I finished. I mailed this out; thinking, "Oh all I have to do is put four stamps on it. I know it's $1.71 to send one square."  Well I forgot about the postal rates going up.  Like two days before I sent this. I think I was 3 cents short.  :/  I hope it still will make it.

I Have a Sick Child.. I Think?...

Eon is home from school again today. He says his head hurts, and his throat and stomach. (These are his complaints every time he doesn't feel good, by the way... So I never know if I should believe him or not.) Sigh... The school nurse called on Monday, and I went and got him early. And, although he doesn't have a fever, his eyes are glassy. There *is* something going around.    I wouldn't care if he stayed home from school, except for two things: 1. The homework he comes home with the next day is RIDICULOUS.  And 2. He only has 3 and a half absences left. For the rest of the year. Ugh...  I keep telling him he only has so many absences left. But he doesn't care. What would they do? Fail him for the whole third grade because he has too many absences?....  I don't know.  He did good for the whole last couple months of last year. He didn't miss one day.   ~~Anyway~~  I made him some hot tea and biscuits (and he ate breakfast~ for his stomach "hurting", he sure is eating a lot. ?). And he's watching Kung Fu Panda, wearing his Snuggie.  :P 

*I'm supposed to add this:  "This design contains artwork that is © 2006-2008 FunDraw.Com."


(I got the teddy bear clip art from that site.) Isn't it adorable? :D

Love Bugs

I finished the last of these love bugs today. I was trying to find a cute Valentine's Day thing to crochet for the three kids I send things to on Pine Ridge. I kept looking, kept looking, kept looking...  I just got tired of trying to find anything; and I thought, "Why dont' I just make one of my Ami Love Bugs?" I hadn't crocheted one in a long time. I ended up making one for each of them. From the left: Nia's, Dre's, and Tia's.  :)  Dre is a little boy. So I made his "boy" colors. :)  Oh, and I made the red heart pops, too. With Wilton's candy melts and molds. I was going to use chocolate. But then I saw the red candy melts so I thought I would try those. I think I prefer chocolate better. 

~~Anyway~~ 

Here is a square I finished, too. I have been (slowly) getting back into crocheting squares for the Friendshipghan CAL.  I was too busy crocheting for Christmas and the Holiday Wishlist. Then I got burned out of crocheting for a while. 

Pizza Dough Recipe

I made pizza again last night. I remembered saying I should post the recipe. I looked for it online last night and couldn't find it anywhere. I don't remember where exactly I got the recipe. It was either in a newspaper, or my Mom gave it to me from some mail she got?...  Anyhow, I think it would be okay to post it here since it was a free recipe to begin with.

Pizza

3 cups all-purpose flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour & 1 cup whole wheat flour
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup very warm water (120* to 130* F)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon basil & 1 teaspoon oregano or 2 tsps. Italian seasonings
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
your choice of toppings

In a large bowl, combine flour, undissolved yeast, herbs and salt. Stir water and oil into dry ingredients. Mix in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. roll dough to fit bottom and sides of 10 x 15 inch baking pan. Spread sauce on dough. Top with remaining ingredients.

Bake on lowest oven rack at 450 *F for 20 minutes or until crust is golden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Notes by me: I have used tomato sauce with garlic salt & Italian seasonings (whatever I have) for the "Pizza Sauce". I just got pizza sauce yesterday. I also don't use Parmesan cheese. Next time I will try that, though.  I  also want to try some other toppings, some time. Last night I was just tired and hungry ;and just wanted pizza. Can you say "Grumpzilla"?  lol..  The recipe is from a little leaflet (?) called "The Pizza And It's Garden" by Michigan State University ~ I think I originally thought it was U of M, but that might just be because I am partial to U of M. :P

A finished pizza for two boys who just like Pepperoni on their pizza...  :P  (This is actually the same picture as the one in my previous post...)   I love this pizza, because the crust is super thick and yummy. I am not a thin crust pizza type of person...  Lol.  ;P

Jetta Got a Bath, and a New Sweater

Look how filthy Jetta got from our walk the other day. I think she was having fun. I walked up on a trail, because cars kept coming and there was nowhere to go on the side of the road. Well the trail is all sandy. (I think it's a four wheeler "trail"..)   Jetta was going crazy. She would start out walking, then all of a sudden jump and dig her back paws into the sand and bolt like a wild dingo. It was so funny. But she was kicking up sand/dirt everywhere.  So we both got really dirty.  I had to change my jeans and wash my feet & change my socks.

Look at her nose. :P  I think she thought she was in trouble, her ears are plastered to her head.
After I took this picture, I gave Jetta a bath.

And a new sweater. :D Actually, I made this the next day.  I'm not sure if she likes it...  Her ears are plastered to her head again. :P 

It looks like she's afraid to move.  The first time I put it on her, she was acting like she liked it. But every time after that, she would act afraid of it...   So, I don't know if she will want to wear it or not.

Here is my little helper again...   We made homemade pizza for dinner the other night. Last week, actually. Eon helped with the fun parts (the toppings).  :P

Here it is, ready to go in the oven.  I haven't made homemade pizza in a long time. I don't know why. I don't think my husband cared too much for it. But the kids and I do. And my husband doesn't eat dinner with us, since he started his new job. He takes his dinner to work. So, I have been making things the kids like more. 

It was yummy. 

Jetta Went For a Ride in the Truck :)

I haven't taken Jetta in the car for a while. Every time I would take her, she would pee. I would get so frustrated. I would have to clean the car out and air it out... Spray Febreeze... Finally I just gave up. Then I tried again, just taking her up to get the kids from school/the bus stop. She still did it.  Well yesterday; I thought I would try again...  I had to pick her up to get her into the truck. And, she was shaking. But I kept petting her and saying "good girl".  She was afraid for a while. See her on the floor? :P

Then she got brave and looked out the window.  A milli-second after I took this picture, she heard some kids and went right back to her spot on the floor. :P

But after a while, she relaxed and started acting like a real dog. :P  This was our second trip (in one day). I rolled the window down, and she was looking outside. (I had her leash on & had a hold of it, in case she decided to jump out, lol..)  She didn't pee once! Yay!!  Maybe she just needed to mature a little more.  She is almost a year old now. :)   We saw a horse and rider, going for a horseback ride down the side of the road. Jetta liked that. Her ears perked up, and she wouldn't take her eyes off that horse. I think she would have liked to chase it, if she could.  I don't know.  :P

Remember, Safety First.  :P   (My husband's Safety Glasses from work...) 

Afghan WIPs and Monkey Bread

Here are some afghans I have had going. This is another "Eye Dazzler" afghan I started, for someone on Pine Ridge. Actually both of these two are for PR, for two of the elders I send things to. They probably won't be done until next winter. I really like this one so far. :)  This one is for Alice.

And, I started a second (well it will be my third one of these, but..) one. Because I ran out of the purple I was doing the last row in the picture. And I didn't know when we would be going to the store next, so I just started another one. I got this far, before we went to the store that day. So... Not bad. :)  This one is for Florine.  After I finish these two, I will have made an aghan for everyone I send things to on PR. 

And this is my son Evan's afghan. So far...   I started this a long time ago. I wanted to make him one for his Graduation but that was in March, I think? Of last year. I jokingly said "By the time I finish it; it will be a Graduation/House Warming Gift, because he will probably be moving out~ by the time I finish it.."  Well both of those things happened and I still haven't finished it. Sigh...    I started it with what yarn I had available. Which was a lot of grey and some black.  I think I will add some burgundy to it next. Getting kind of sick of grey and black..  :)     These afghans are about all I feel like working on lately as far as crocheting goes. I got kind of burnt out from all the crocheting for the holidays & wishlists, and the Santa Tree hats (even though I only did five hats).  I just kind of want to do "nothing" for a while... 

And, here is the Monkey Bread I was talking about...   I took a picture of the dough so I would know if it was rising right. :P    I don't think I will use the recipe I used, ever again.   I found a good one on Family Fun that I printed out: Monkey Bread.  The recipe I used (from cooks dot com, I think) isn't very clear at all. I don't know why I printed it out..   Anyway, it turned out all right.

I got a helper for a while...  :P  He put the balls in the butter then the cinnamon/sugar mix, and into the pan.  

Here he is trying not to look at me, cuz he knows I have the camera...  Sigh. :P

The finished Monkey Bread. My Bundt Pan is about a million years old. But, it works~ and I like it. :P  I'm pretty sure my Mom gave it to me.

Yummy...    Why do I keep baking? (Sigh...)  I weighed myself this morning. :((((   I am officially on a diet today.  Sigh.... It isn't even like I eat all that much. Just must be harder to keep weight off after you turn 40. :(((

Ha!! I got a picture of him, AND he is smiling. :D  Just not looking directly at the camera...  :P  

Oma's Baby Sweater

This is a baby sweater and bonnet I tested the pattern for, in the Liebe Oma group on Ravelry. I had left a comment on someone's baby sweater a long time ago. I had forgotten about it. Then just recently, she left me a message, asking if I wanted to test the pattern. It had been a while since I had tested any patterns. I get a little stressed out if I get too much going on. Testing patterns, joining swaps...  But since I hadn't tested in a while, and the Holiday Wishlist for Crochetville was over with, and all my Christmas crocheting was done; I joined the group, and wallah..   Here we are. :)  I think this sweater will fit a bigger baby. According to the measurements/ charts online, it might fit a 12 month old or bigger baby.  My babies were all big. They wore a 12 month size when they were 6 or 9 months old.  A 2T when they were one year old... So. Maybe this will fit a six month old. Who knows. I am sending it to Pine Ridge Reservation.   I started another one for my neighbor. She is due in the beginning of May, and it's a boy. So hopefully I can make a newborn size..  If not, I will have to do something else for her.

A close-up of the buttons. Nothing spectacular, at all. But. :P  The owner of the pattern/Liebe Oma group said the pattern should be available in the Spring. 

Some Holiday Wishlist Crocheting and Other Stuff...

Well I started this post December 31st. Last year. But I am actually posting it today. January 2nd, 2012.  I can finally post pictures of some of the crocheting I did for the Holiday Wishlist, since they have all (well, almost all) been received. These are some slippers, done in Christmas variegated and red. I almost wanted to keep these for myself. :P But I said "I can always make myself a pair later.."

This is a dress potholder I made for someone else. Her favorite color is purple.

A doggy coat. It fit her dog, I'm so glad. The only other dog sweater I made was for my friend's dog in Colorado. And I could try it on her/re-do it if I needed to.  So I was really hoping it would fit okay, but I had no idea if it would..

A Christmas Tree Tea Cozy! It's Cupcake's Scalloped Tea Cozy, but I did it all in green and added some "ornaments" and a star. :P

A Poinsettia potholder. The poinsettia was confusing. This was the first time I have made this one, from the Ultimate Book of Potholders. I don't know if I will do it again. Maybe I will.

Here are some cinnamon rolls I made. So last year...  :P  I was really in the mood for brownies that night. But I only had two eggs left (and I didn't feel like going to the store). Then I thought, "What about cinnamon rolls?"  I hadn't made cinnamon rolls in forever. They didn't even last 24 hours.   Like most stuff around here... :P 

Here's a fun peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made for Eon the other day. I saw this in Martha Stewart Kids, I think. Pretty basic. Cut out a shape in one piece. Cut the crusts off. Put the peanut butter & jelly on the whole piece, then put the cut out piece on top.  I think he liked it. I know he's nine years old, but...  He wanted the piece I cut out too. A puzzle sandwich.  The things that keep kids entertained...  :P

Today is "hair cut day"...  The kids go back to school later this week. And they both needed a hair cut before they even got out for break. But we haven't had the money. So, today's the day...    

Happy 2012 everyone!