Destiny Cove

Yesterday, my husband asked me if I wanted to go to some thrift stores. "What?" (He hates going to thrift stores usually.) I naturally said yes. I wanted to look for some things for the basement bathroom. I saw this basket. I walked past it a few times. I picked it up (I had been looking at baskets like this at Meijer and Walmart, and they were just plain and like over $10...)  I thought "That blue ribbon would totally go in the bathroom. But not the orange flower." I looked closer and saw the flower was just clipped on. I put it in the cart. I said "Maybe I can find a shell or some nautical thing to glue on there." 

We drove around looking for more thrift stores, but we didn't see any. Then we did a big loop and my husband said "Do you think Hobby Lobby has any shells?" I said "Maybe, I could look"...   I was walking around and I saw this display. 😱 I said "What? Blue... nautical theme" I must be with it, I just wanted to match something to the shower curtain...  And somehow I am with a popular decorating trend. I didn't even know.  

I really liked this picture. I didn't actually get anything from this display, though. I did find something on an end of a row farther down.

This was my thrift store haul. 

This is my Hobby Lobby Haul. The cashier said "I really like that paper". I said "Me too. I was trying to think how I could use it in my bathroom. Maybe just stick it in a frame." LoL  I got the little starfishes to glue on the basket. 

Ta Da.  Not bad for $4.99, plus maybe $1.66 (it was $4.99 for a pack of three starfish). 

My bathroom so far. I have all these ideas on Pinterest for this epic nautical bathroom. I was so excited to find these things but it doesn't look so epic. It does look more "decorated" than it was though. I got the dial soap because it has seashells on it.. (It smells good, too.)

I mentioned before about the vanity and how bad it is. I took a picture of it yesterday. This is what I was talking about. My husband and I were talking. Since he does remodels.. I said "I wonder if you could sand all the warped parts off, and paint it? Maybe take the handles off and put some new ones on?" 🙅 We were talking about vanities and he said "Have you ever seen one of those clamshell sinks? That would look cool in there." I said "Yeah, I would hate to clean that though..."

When we were downstairs, my husband said "Look, a clamshell".  😱 I was thinking a little later, "I could name the bathroom "Destiny Cove". LoL  Because it was destiny that I decorate it in a nautical theme, the clamshell counter top. And cove, because it's a nautical theme...  I told my husband and I said "I'm going to Destiny Cove sounds better than I'm going pee in the basement bathroom"....   

I've lost my mind, naming my bathroom. LoL.  

Oh, yeah. And I decided to decorate the downstairs kitchen in dark blue and light blue, nautical theme, too.  And I crocheted a dishcloth yesterday.

Starfish Dishcloth

Maybe I should have used ecru for the outside border. But I still like it.

Breaking News

I frogged the shawl. I was so irritated that I had that mistake and I ripped out 2/3 of the work I had done. And it was just sitting there. And I didn't want to crochet it any more. Sorry shawl. Now I'm using the yarn to make a vest. I wanted to make it in the colors she was doing it in, but I decided to do just all purple. This is the video tutorial. She speaks Spanish (?) but there is an English interpreter. (It would just be easier if you could put subtitles on, but...)  Well, last night we went shopping at Walmart and I started to look at yarn....  And, I bought the colors to make one just like hers, too. I kept looking at the yarn in my cart and I thought, "That reminds me of my bathroom colors when I first got married." 😄 Burgundy and Hunter Green. Those colors are making a come back. (My husband is not happy, lol.) I like burgundy. 

And, more epic news... I baked some cookies yesterday. First time making cookies in our "new" house. Alert the Press. They're snickerdoodles. I didn't have any butter or any chocolate chips or special ingredients. So...  They came out good. The recipe said to bake 8-10 minutes. But I baked them for 13 minutes and they came out perfect. The first time I baked (the only other time, actually) I burned the muffins.  I feel like you have to get to know your new oven...  LoL. It's a gas oven (our other one in the last house we lived in was, too but it's different..) I wasn't used to cooking with gas, I had only cooked with electric ovens before. I always chill the dough for at least an hour before I roll these and put them in the cinnamon-sugar.

In other Breaking News, I have an idea for a card for St. Patrick's Day. Stay tuned for that.. I got a new storage bin/drawer (what is it even called?) last night. (Something exactly like this but mine is white.) So I can better organize all my card making loose papers, and they aren't just in the big cart my husband got me. I hope it's big enough. I was thinking I could put all my actual paper packs in the cart, and the loose papers in the drawers.  What is wrong with me? I want to organize and decorate my house lately.... 👀 Next thing you know I'll be wanting to go to the nail salon... LoL (Not...)

More Bathroom Pictures

Here's a picture of the shower curtain I mentioned in my last post. With the towels...  (Epic isn't it...😜) 

I need to get a little hand towel bar for the wall. My husband does remodels. So we might eventually get a new vanity too. (The cupboards are about falling apart...) And there's cigarette stains in three places on the counter top.  But, it's all clean for now.

A close-up of the Q-tip holder. I posted the link in my last post for the pattern. But here it is again: Free Crochet Spa Container. 

 

New Recipes and Ripping Out Mistakes...

I have been trying some new recipes lately. I get tired of the same old thing. I was watching a You Tube video about "forgotten meals of the 70's"..  This one is Hamburger Potato Casserole. I don't remember what recipe I used. It might have been in the video. It was good. I don't remember if I actually used this recipe, this was in my favorites bar. (I went back and looked..) Old Fashioned Oven-Baked Beef and Potatoes.  Okay, I went back and found the video. The directions how to make it are not in the video (Beef and Potato Casserole is at approximately the 35:50 mark.)  Don't ask me why I watch random YouTube videos like that. Lol

Then I made this last week. It smelled amazing and it tasted good, too. (Even though it looked nothing like the picture in the recipe.) That one I do have the recipe for.

Recipe

I had been working on my Evening Shawl... And I noticed I did something really wrong... I don't know where my brain was. So I ripped it out. Then I was looking at it and noticed I did the same thing another few rows back. So I ripped it out even more. I was so irritated, and I didn't want to roll all the yarn back up (I did this morning, though).  Ughhh...  It was in my memories the other day, a navy blue one I did. And I was looking at the picture and I noticed I did the same mistake in that one! (Second picture, if you look you can see it...) But I didn't realize it until it was all done. (I still have that shawl, and I was wearing it the morning I decided to start this one...)

I bought a few new towels for the basement bathroom. We don't use it. But, if any of our kids ever come to visit us and stay here. We'll have towels for them to use at least. I want to get more stuff but it's a start. The shower curtain is (about the same color) blue and off white stripes. And I was thinking about doing a nautical/sea them...  And (of course!!) I was thinking I wonder if I have any yarn that color.... What could I even crochet for it... Duh.... Q-tip holder! I have crocheted at least three of these by now (well, four now since I finished this one, too). I realized I never posted the pattern for this.

It's in this book. Although it's not really a book.... But guess what? It's also a free pattern online. Free Crochet Spa Container. You're supposed to use a D hook and cotton yarn. But I used an F hook and acrylic. I don't care.    My husband is working on the toilet in that bathroom right now. He thought the wax ring seal was broken. But, he took the toilet off the floor. There isn't even a seal on the toilet at all. And the flange is broken.  I cleaned that bathroom for four hours one day. (I will spare you the drama and details...) But, it still smells down there. Hopefully after today it will be better down there. Ever since we moved here it's been one thing after another.

WIPs

This is the Easter Egg Pot Holder I've been working on. I actually have almost all the pieces done. I just have to do the cotton batting and assemble them.... I don't know if I'm going to do the batting. It's not even done yet, but I started another project. (Sigh....)

I don't know WHY I started a shawl. Well, I kind of do. I was unpacking some bags yesterday. In one of the bags were sheets/pillowcases and all my shawls. I put one on because I was cold. Then I started looking on my blog to see what pattern that was....   Then I said "Oh yeah I still haven't made myself a purple one!" The very first one of these I started was the absolute best color. I have been wanting a (plum) purple one ever since then.And I remembered the purple yarn I bought for the hexagon sweater I started.. (Which I need to buy another color to start working on again...)  I really like the purple one I made for my sister in law (which I should have just kept for myself--- oh well hind sight is 20/20)...  I like this purple better, anyway it's my favorite color. I cannot find the Evening Shawl pattern online anymore.  My printed copy doesn't have a URL on it either. 👀  Those are all my W(orks)I(n)P(rogress)s for now....  

Just wanted to add that I crocheted a bunch of shawls when we lived in Tennessee- what's up with that?

New Stray Cat and New Project

First off, what am I, the Cat Whisperer? We haven't even been here in the new house for three weeks, yet. And a cat appears. I don't know if it's a stray, actually. Or someone's cat. I am not going to feed it! LoL

I was trying to get it's attention, tapping on the window... It reminds me of Bagheera. Bagheera was the best cat. 

I was looking for Easter themed crochet patterns this morning. There are so many cute ones. But I wanted to make a cute one you can actually use. Easter Egg Pot Holder. It says it's easy. I wanted to make sure I had enough yarn this time, before I started it. (The runner pattern did not have a yarn amount, technically... Even though I should have known..)  ~Anyway~ I still need to find my "I" hook to start it.

My hip and lower back is not hurting as bad today. (Knock on wood.) It's supposed to get super windy and snow today. 😭  For some reason yesterday I thought it was Friday. But today is Friday. 👀

My Runner Is Finished

I found two more skeins of the cotton in my yarn bins. I forgot about another drawer I started putting all my cotton yarn into and I said "I'll just look". I'm glad I did. Because Walmart did not have any Lily Sugar and Cream yarn. I did not feel like driving all over trying to find any. Traffic is insane and really irritating here.  Anyway. I use four skeins of Lily Sugar and Cream, "Ecru." I vaguely remember buying a bunch of it last summer because I was going to crochet a strawberry bucket hat. (That didn't happen..) 

Here's a close up of the pattern. I think it looks nice. It's the Easiest Crochet Table Runner Pattern.

I don't know why but my bones have been hurting. My collarbone was hurting for two days. Now my hip is hurting and I can barely walk. I don't know if it's from stress, unpacking, cleaning... Or the weather. We had massive hail yesterday.

This is how big of hail.. It had been 62, and blue skies and sunny out an hour and a half before it started to hail. What are we in Colorado? And it's supposed to be windy and then snow tomorrow. Ughhhhh..