I'm Still Here..

... See? I am crocheting, too. Even though I have been neglecting my blog. This is a dress and headband I finished. It's becoming an obssession with me to crochet dresses lately. I don't know why, when I am surrounded by boys/men! Maybe that is why. Lol. I made another set about a year ago, almost. I just love how this one worked up. It's "Peruvian Print" by Red Heart. I wanted to get a pair of leggings, or tights, to go with it. I did get a pair of leggings for the other dress (linked), but I couldn't find any in an 18 month size to go with this dress. I'm sending this to Pine Ridge. I have also finished (and bought a package of tights to go with) another dress, in a 0-3 month size. The Angel Wings Pinafore, which is so similar to this pattern. I just need to sew the buttons on that, and take a picture...  I don't know if I will have enough yarn to make a matching headband for that one. I don't have much yarn left of that color and I was using stash yarn that someone gave me. (6th picture down.. Lol) Sooo...  

..Anyway. Here's another picture you can see a little more clearly. The dress pattern is the Girl's Lace Pinafore by Bernat. That was the Ravelry link .. Sigh... Hopefully this link will work to the actual pdf?:    Girls Lace Pinafore   If not, you can go to the Bernat site and do a search. :)The headband pattern is the Genius Headband pattern (free Ravelry download), with the flower from this pattern.  I don't know why I did that (combine two patterns); but that's me so.. :P

Oh, and I have been knitting, too. :D  A knitted "vest" I finished for Knit-A-Square. It looks more like a tank top to me, but..  I did it for the February Pattern of the Month, along with the car and plane squares I finished. 

And, a slipper (it's the Ruby's Slipper pattern) I am going to attempt to try and make into a pink bunny slipper? I don't know if it will work... Maybe I will just end up with some all pink slippers. Yesterday I went to Walmart to get another skein of the pink yarn, and some Banquet chicken fingers dinners, because Eli ate the last one that Eon wanted. :( That was all I bought. Two dinners, one skein of yarn. I got all the way home and in the house and realized I didn't have the yarn. GRRRRR!!! I guess it's just as much my fault as it is the cashiers, but... So irritating. So I went all the way back to get it (again).

And here is a picture of an afghan I have been working on (The Eye Dazzler afghan pattern-from Annie's Attic- a scrap yarn pattern club I was in before). It's just kind of on the couch and I work on it when I watch tv... Jetta thinks it is hers. :/ I keep trying to get her off of it, but she will get in the weirdest positions just to "claim" it. Strange dog... Lol  I will definitely be washing it, before I send it. I had to do that with Evan's afghan, too. (She tried claiming that, too.. Last picture in that post.)

A Boring Post About Plants..

Remember how we dug up the rose bushes to plant these? (Second picture down in that post..) Well guess what won't go away? Lol...  Rose bushes. Three baby shoots are growing up in there. One..

Two...

And three.  I dug them all up...

..and put them in here. There was a cactus in here. Sheesh. I hope  another cactus baby doesn't come up next year. ;)  I haven't decided what to do with these yet. I might plant them somewhere else in the yard. Or see if someone wants them.

See all the baby pine trees growing under this big one?..  I have been wanting to dig them all up and put them in pots, and re-plant them in different spots in the yard. I have done two so far since we've lived here.

Well over the weekend I did the rest. We had a really nice day one day, and I just did it with whatever pots I had in the garage. I just wanted to get it done. There were 11 little trees growing! Some I planted two or three in one pot.  

This is the first one I potted. It just grew like crazy since I've put it in this pot! I want to plant this one somewhere in the yard, once it gets warm enough. I want to get some kind of wire "fence" to put around it, first. I would like to plant them all along the back edge of our yard. I think I'd have enough to do one side and the back. The other side is fenced, from our one neighbor. So that side I don't care about. :)  

Here is the other one I potted. It's grown, too. But not like the first one. You can see them when I first put them in these pots, here.  That dragon tree we planted, and the two flowers, all died. We are wondering if the Lime Tree is going to make it, too..   Can't grow anything here. :(  You can see why I'm so happy when something does well. :p

Here are some more crochet projects I've finished recently. A couple more hat and scarf sets for Pine Ridge, for the Jan/Feb Challenge for Pass Creek Elderly center.  The hat pattern is the Reversible Strands Hat pattern. The scarf pattern I used is here: Crochet Ribbed Scarf.  I used an I hook and chained 220, for the scarf.

Different colors. Trying to use up what I have in my stash. Now I just have to mail these out. 

I also have been doing a "Transportation Challenge", for Knit-A-Square  for the month of February. The car applique pattern was free, I found it here: Car Applique.  I thought it was so cute! 

And, I did an airplane, too. Airplane Applique.  I did not buy this pattern, I confess. I looked at the picture and guesstimated.  

Look what I got in the mail over the weekend, from Melissa at EEROP. :D  It was a little giftie (although it's not so little) for participating in one of the Challenges. Or the Ravelympics. I don't remember. I said she didn't have to send me anything, but it was nice of her to do. Thank you, Melissa! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Look what I woke up to this morning.. Aaaaaaw!  I love my husband. 

We didn't buy any valentines or anything for any of Eons' friends. The teacher said "If you want to bring in a Valentine for anyone, you have to bring one for everyone." Which kind of makes sense, then no one gets left out. But Eon said he didn't want to. Which was a good thing, since we are low on cash this week. :(
At the bus stop this morning, he started talking about cupcakes a girl had brought in for her birthday. "They were the best cupcakes ever." Me -> "What flavor were they?"  Eon -> "Chocolate. With chocolate frosting."  Me -> "Did her mom make them?" ... Lol  You should have heard him going on about those cupcakes. (He is such a Prystup- going on and on about food, Lol!!)  Well then I said "Do you want me to make some cupcakes just for us, today?"
I had bought a cupcake "kit" for a little stick-in for a package I sent out earlier this month, and I kept thinking "I should have gotten one for us, too."  So today I did.   

Here they all are. I made 24. But I ate one. :D  I had to taste test it! Tee Hee...   I made the cupcakes from scratch. Betty Crocker's Best Chocolate Cake Recipe. I baked them for about 20 minutes.  I obviously bought the frosting. It was cheaper than buying sprinkles and frosting. (Or even just buying sprinkles!) How come there is more than enough frosting, but not enough sprinkles?  Oh well. I'm sure they will still get eaten.   Besides us, Eli is having a friend over tonight. So..  :)  

Sewing

I've been doing some sewing lately..  We got a new bedspread set a few months ago (because we got a new bed/bedrom outfit, after 20 years of marriage Lol).  Well a couple weeks or so after we got it, I tried to wash it. This happened. :(  It's way too big for our washer. I had been meaning to try and fix it, because there is no way I'm going to waste more money buying a new one.

There is also two holes on the back side..

I measured past the hole, then cut out a piece of black fabric (it doesn't match but who cares?); folded down about 1/4 inch around the edges and ironed them flat, then pinned it on the bedspread.

Then I sewed it, by hand..  Took me a couple of hours (or less?). I wasn't really timing myself. I sat there and watched tv while I did it, so..  :)    You can't really even tell. Unless you get up right next to it and look. Now I just need to do the backside (maybe this weekend, who knows..) And then I can take it up to the laundry mat and wash it. :P

I also sewed a couple of pillowcases that kinda sorta match our bedspread.  We were in need of extra pillowcases, so I looked through my fabric to find something.  I actually had a paisley print I wanted to do but when I got everything out to actually sew it, I realized I didn't have enough of that. So I used a different fabric I did have enough of for the nine inch piece.. 

I think it looks better than the paisley print would have, with our bedspread. :)  I had enough fabric for two more pillowcases, too. I might make those for Evan and Jayce. Then I will have made pillowcases for all my kids. ;P

I also made some for my kids I sponsor on Pine Ridge. This one is for the little boy. I think he is 7 years old now. It's a crayon (Crayola, actually) fabric. I wanted to make them "Valentine Day" pillowcases, but Walmart doesn't have much selection for boys- for Valentines Day, anyway. Plus I wanted them to be able to use them all the time. So..

I picked this fabric out thinking the girls could use it anyday, too; maybe. I did two of this pillowcase, actually. I send things to two teenage girls.   I already bought some St. Patricks Day fabric, too. Lol. I'm going to be making pillowcases for every holiday. :P  They're fun to make. I think I posted a link on my blog here somewhere for the video tutorial I used for these, but I have no idea where it is, so..  Here it is again: Easy Tube Pillow Case Tutorial. Have fun!

My Baby Got Married...

...and now I have a daughter. :D  Having had all boys, I always said "Well... Someday I will get a daughter." :)  They were married on January 18th. 

The rings

Our new family photo :)

The wedding cake (it was red velvet cake).

And the wine glasses (even though both the Bride and Groom are too young to drink legally). Someone in the Brides family crocheted them. So pretty. :)

Jetta

...doing her Elvis impersonation. "Thank you, thank you very much".   Lol.  Some of you may have already seen this picture since I posted it on facebook.  I was actually just trying to take a picture of her. I had just given her a treat and she was still licking her chops, and I just happened to get a picture of her like this. :P

Evan & Jayce's Afghan Has Been Delivered

Thank you so much for the tip on Picmonkey, Mimi!!! :D  I love making collages. Sometimes you almost need one.  I took Evan & Jayce's afghan up to Evan before he went in to work the other day. (Yesterday?) Oh yeah, it was yesterday..  They both like it. I didn't know this was the colors he wanted, I totally guessed when I started this. And about a month ago, Evan said "Can you make me a blanket with grey and black and like a dark red/burgundy?"  :0  I said "Are you serious?... " And I told him I had been making him one, in those colors. Weirdest thing ever. Or I know him better than I thought... Lol.

(You can see the afghan almost didn't fit in the gift bag~ And I got the biggest bag I could find.)  :P  

Hat and Scarf Set for Pass Creek/Challenge

Well I've finished one set for the Challenge for Pass Creek Elderly Center, so far. :P  I did start another scarf, too. I wasn't sure about the hat, but I tried it on my husband's head, and it does look good. So... ;)   This is the hat pattern I was thinking about making for Eon in red and blue, instead of the knitted Striped Hat (he wants one just like the blue one w/ red stripes). I still haven't decided yet, though...

The hat pattern for this hat is the Reversible Strands Hat. (It's a free Ravelry download.) The scarf is the Crochet Ribbed Scarf. I used an I hook, and chained 220.   Okay, that's it for now. Gotta go take in my husband's and son's suits to the dry cleaners for the wedding..  :0

P.S. Does anyone know of a website to upload pictures to (free), and then be able to make collages and decorate the pictures? I have a photobucket account, but they "upgraded"; and I cannot figure it out. :( 

Thanks, signed: TechnoDummy

:(

Eon doesn't love me any more!!...  :(

Over Christmas break, Eon and his Dad cleaned out his room. (You can see his closet floor now!)  Eon went through and decided what toys he doesn't play with/want anymore.  All the toys (and the Diego bag) I crocheted him were in one of the bags.  :**(   I don't know what to do with them all. I don't just want to throw them away. I know no one would want them, though.  I am keeping the Ensign Bear. But... I don't know what to do with the rest.  (Sigh..) It makes me not want to crochet anything again. 

More Catching Up..

Now that I figured out how to post pictures (again), I can catch up some more.. :)  These are a pair of slippers I actually finished. They are the Yarn Lover Room's Slipper Sock pattern. I had been wanting to try them forever. I'll be sending them to Knit-A-Square.  I think I originally started them for Eon for a stocking stuffer but he said he didn't want any slippers. So.

We went sledding over Christmas Break. :D   There isn't any snow here, so we had to go up on  Mt.  Charleston.  There were a gazillion people!!! But..  It was still fun.  Look at Eon's pants. :P

Coming down the hill. It went down farther, behind me; too.

Steve went down a few times, too. I wanted to, but (I don't know why) I never did. Probably because I was too busy taking pictures (and freezing, lol).

Eon had so much fun. Look at that smile. I can never get him to smile for pictures anymore (when he even lets me take his picture!). 

Still smiling..  :P   He didn't even want to leave. But he was covered in snow, soaking wet and cold. 

Have you ever seen the Honey Badger video?  Soooo funny! (If you have little ones in the room, you might want to wait until they are in bed or out of the room to watch it as it does have some *language* in it you might not want them to hear.) We went to the arcade in the bowling alley here in town, and they had a bunch of these in one of the "claw" machines. Well Eli is the Master at getting toys out of those machines. He got me this one. :D   We went again about a week ago, but the machine was broke. :(  The claw had fallen down. 

A picture of Mt. Charleston.  I think it's so pretty.

And, a Slouchy Hat and Scarf set I finished for one of my girls I sponsor. I  used the Phannie hat pattern. And the Crochet Ribbed Scarf pattern. The Challenge this month and next for Crafting for a Cause is hats and scarves. This one doesn't actually count towards the challenge, because the challenge is for Pass Creek Elderly Center. But..  I did start another scarf today, in soft white. I still haven't decided which hat pattern I want to make. I like the Durango Hat.

Evan's Afghan

...is done!!! I do not believe it myself. But I finished it.  I started it June 11th, 2011.  And finished it January 3rd, 2013. So it took me over a year and a half. But... I did put it away a bunch of times.  I started it as a kind of "Graduation" gift. But that wasn't really working. Then I thought, "Well it will probably end up being a Housewarming Present; when he moves out and gets his own place". Well he ended up moving out a month after he graduated. That, my friends, is when it got put away for a while. 

So you can see how big it is..   I'm not sure when I started working on it again. But I wasn't really in  a hurry. I did want to get it done, though.    Well, then we found out he was engaged. :0  (I can't keep up!!) Then, we found out he was getting married in less than six months. That's when I really was like, "I need to finish this". 

I didn't realize it was going to be so big!! It fits our bed- a California King sized mattress. :0  So they could even use it as an extra blanket on their bed. Maybe even doubled up, almost; Lol. I think they only a Full sized mattress.

I have been trying to post this since about the 3rd. I wasn't able to post a picture. Then tonight I went on to Blogger Help and "known issues"... :D  I love when I figure stuff out. Wish I could figure out how to make Evan wait a few more years to get married (they are too young...)   :/