One of the slots on the spreadsheet that was low at the end of this month was sleep sacks. So, I started working on some (like crazy, over the weekend/Christmas).  I got three done. But, then someone else sent some and that slot got filled. I was going to send them out anyway. But I am going to wait until next month now..  I might make some hats/booties/mittens to go with some of these..   I was just trying to use up what I have..

Here is a picture Paula, does this help?  I don't know what size blade it is, the package didn't say; and there's no numbers on the cutter, or the blade. But my skip stitch blade interchanges with this. I will try to find it later and see what size blade that is..  
ETA: The skip stitch blade says "For use with 45mm Rotary Cutters".  Is that more help, Paula?
I woke up way too early this morning so I could say goodbye to my husband before he left for work.   I might have to take a nap later..

I picked up a pair of jeans that used to be tight on me; to hold in front of me, now.   Since February I have been trying to lose weight. I lost over 30 lbs and went from a size 8/10 to a 6.  I was only trying to lose 25 to get to my goal weight, but that last five was due to major stress, since I wasn't even trying...

Last night Steve brought home Christmas presents from his brother and our sister-in-law/Aunt and Uncle to the boys..  She got all of us (except Steve) stockings, and presents.  She spoiled us way too much!!  I feel so bad. All I got her was a Christmas candle. Christmas was super tight this year..     :(
My husband showed me how to upload my phone pictures to the computer, I should do that soon then maybe I can figure out how to post more pictures here..  

I took this picture a few days ago. Our front door...  I put the rug out there, and then remembered our snowman wreath.  We had a hook on our door in TN, but nothing to hang it with here. We finally went to the hardware store, and got the last one.   Long story, but I had gone there earlier in the day and got a different hook- because I only  had $10 and this hook was $12.99. There were a bunch of them. Well the other hook (which I didn't really like, it had an extra hanging loop and was big and plastic) didn't even go over the width of the door.  Eon liked it for his room to hang his hoodie on.  My husband took me back the same night and got the other hook for me.  Guess what? it was 50% off, so I did have enough money.  Ugh...  (I didn't see any 50% off signs by them..)   ~~Anyway~~   I would like to get a different wreath next year. This one was left by some previous tenants at our house in TN.  So we kept it...  (I would also like to get a different rug, too- one that says Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays..)   

I finally took a picture of my mitered squares blanket progress.  I felt like I had come so far. But it looks so little, still..  It is fun and relaxing to knit, though.

Eon put Jetta's Santa dress on Duke. :P  I think he likes it. He wore it all day..  He's so funny.Eon also put a Jingle Bell on his collar. I bought some bells for a project, and he keeps using them for things. i wish he would do some Arts & Crafts with me..

Since it is officially Christmas Break, I wanted to go do something... (I don't know what, since all I know is how to get around this town and to Fred Meyer's).  If I can drag Eon to come with me..  I wanted to go get a couple things to put in my husbands' stocking.  O'keefe's Working Hands was one thing...  And some more candy to make him a Candy Cane Sleigh.  I finished the two for the boys.  I took a picture, but its on my phone..  Here are some I have done in the past.  I also saw some Peppermint Candy Spoons I really want to do.  I would have to go find the mold for the spoons. I think the boys would like those for stocking stuffers..

Merry Grinchmas

I don't know if I ever posted a picture of the four strips, all edged..

I sewed them together (backwards, I see) and edged all around the blanket.  It is probably ugly as sin, but I kind of love it. :)  And it is soft and warm, and will keep one more baby warm on Pine Ridge Reservation.  I used Sings4Joy's Scrap Strip "pattern".  :)    

We almost weren't going to buy a tree this year...  In this apartment.  I don't want to start complaining.. but...   We didn't think it would even be worth it.  But...  We ended up buying a small one anyway.  (We sold ours at our Moving Sale, in Tennessee).  We mostly did it for the kids.  (The dogs like it too.)  I don't have anywhere to put the stockings; so they are hanging on that door knob.    I don't want to put any holes in the walls..

We looked at one house for rent (we had seen it available a couple months ago, then it was not online again).  Well I called on it this time and we went and looked at it and told them we were interested. They said they were showing it to "one more person, just to be fair"..  ?  Long story, but I got her number for a realtor and called her when it wasn't even online. Then I made an appointment on Sunday, to go look at it. Sunday morning I got up and was looking to see if there are any other houses available-which I do every day, and there never is any- and this house was on one of the sites. For $2,000.  She quoted me $1,600. $1,750 if we went through a realtor. (Which we weren't...)   Grrrr.   And when we looked at the house, the guy (her nephew-another long story, she lives in Connecticut but her nephew lives here) said it was $1750 a month.    After seeing she posted it for $2000 I felt like $1750 was better (even though that wasn't what she quoted me on the phone and makes me so mad!).  We said we wanted it (we need to get the hell out of these nightmare apartments!!). He said to call his Aunt, as soon as we leave. So I did. She acted like it was a done deal, but she was showing it to these other people, just to be fair.   She said she would email me the application and if I didn't get it by tomorrow morning, to call her.     Well, I didn't get any emails....  waited. waited...   Texted her my email, said I hadn't received an email from her yet.  "I woke up sick, blah blah blah... Do not fear I have not forgotten you."   WTF?????   Days went by, no email, no text, no call...   Are there no honest, decent people in this whole state?  Our current landlords sure the hell aren't. I don't want to move in to a house with the same situation. But we are so desperate to leave these apartments.   (I guess I am complaining now..)   They are SO Loud, no one has any respect for anyone else living in this building. I have been complaining since the first week we moved in. Nothing has been done.  "That's apartment living." "It states right in our lease we are entitled to a 'quiet enjoyment of our home', you are not providing that."  (We have had other problems, too- with the people right below us. Even the police will do NOTHING.)  I tried calling lawyers, to get a free legal consultation over the phone. No one gives a free legal consultation over the phone here. You have to pay to even ask a question.  "But I can give you the number of a renter's rights line" "Okay"...  I call them (between 1 and 5, only) finally.  "Our hotline is available to all but if you are a member you will get priority."  WTF?  So I can't get any help from anyone, unless I pay a fee, or become a "member"..       Oregon is so backwards, and stupid.  Everything is so PC, but also SO behind in everything. And everyone is so rude here. The only nice people I have seen are older people. Or people who work in stores. Because it's their job. But even then they're not always nice..

  I wish we never moved here.  Finding a house to rent is impossible- there never is one. We were so hopeful when we went to look at this house, now we are even more disappointed.     They say there is a silver lining in ever dark cloud. The ONLY good thing that came out of all our problems with the people below us, is our apartment manager said they would let us out of our lease with no penalties or fees.  (I guess it is easier to just let us-the good renters- out of our lease, than to evict the bullies/assholes below us????)   If only we could find somewhere else to go...      We might have to move to another town.  I didn't want to. Because I didn't want to make Eon switch schools again.  He seems to be doing better, finally. Although he said he doesn't have very many friends. But he doesn't want to ruin what he has..   I, on the other hand, HATE his school.   That, is too long of a story.  But is another (BIG, huge) reason I wish we never moved here.  I would love to have him switch schools, so he can go to a better school. (If there are any, here..) But I also don't want to disrupt his life again. :(

I am trying (really hard), to be in the "Christmas Spirit"...    (I'm doing it, but I'm not feeling it..)   I thought I would try to make some Christmas cookies the other day.  I wanted to make some Candy Cane cookies. But there were a couple things I didn't have to make those, red (or any other color) food coloring, and almond extract.  So I kept looking...  I found a Peppermint :Cookies recipe in one of my cookbooks. So I made that.  The first batch turned out looking terrible. (Of course, what would ever go right..)   I tried rolling the scoops into little balls after that, and rolling them in colored sugar, and some in the leftover crushed candy canes.  They still didn't come out super great.  Then I remembered a trick I just saw on Facebook: to use a cheese grater to scrape off the burned bottoms of your cookies, to save them.   So I did that on the sides of mine.   They came out looking a little (a lot) better.  

I had also planned on sewing the boys' pillowcases, for an extra Christmas present each (Christmas is super tight this year..)  I made them some a few Christmases ago: Eli's , and the Spongebob one for Eon  .  I got the fabric all cut out, ironed (that was a job, since I don't have my ironing board anymore, either..) rolled and pinned.   Then yesterday I got my sewing machine out and finally started sewing one..   The thread kept bunching up in the back.  (UGH, this is why I hate sewing!!!!)  I went online to see why it would bunch up. (So irritated..)  Tried adjusting the tension.  Then, it totally jams up, needle in the fabric. I can't move the needle up or down. GRRRRRRR!!!!!   I guess they aren't getting pillowcases.   I don't even know of a place to take my sewing machine to get it fixed. And we don't have the money to do it, anyway.  Maybe my husband can fix it one day, if he isn't too tired..    Meanwhile, maybe I will crochet myself a Grinch hat.  :(

Paula left me a comment asking about my rotary blade cutter. This is it.   I wish I could find my other one, I liked it better. But this one I can use my skip stitch blade on, too. So, it works..  

"What are you doing, Mama?..."

Sick Day and More Baby Stuff..

I am still trying to get "caught up" on my blog..  I guess technically all my project pictures are but I was going to share pictures of our new state/home. Sigh... The problem is, I take them all with my phone. Then I have to somehow get them from my phone to my computer. And it's a big pain.   Which is also why I haven't sent any pictures to my family.   ~~Anyway~~  Here is a Santa Sleep Sack set, and some Christmas sleepers/onesie with a big I got on sale after last Christmas. (I'm glad I got these, or else I wouldn't have been able to send any outfits this month to the OB Unit. We don't have any real Walmarts here, or any stores with clothes in this town. There are a couple WalMarts, but they are in bad areas. The only other WalMarts are "Grocery Centers".   So weird.    Anyway, I added a whole other round (?) of the required stitches in between the white band on bottom and belt, and the top section, to make this sleep sack the required length. The person who wrote this pattern must not have a real baby to try it on. Because the finished sleep sack- going by the pattern, is 16 inches long.  Either she didn't have any babies or her babies were tiny. Lol  

I also finished two Christmas fleece blankets for the OB Unit.  I somehow misplaced my rotary blade cutter. But my husband let me buy a new one. So I was able to finish these in time.. :)

And, progress on my scrap strips...  I edged them in "Soft Navy".  I am on the third strip. I think four strips will be good for a blanket to the OB Unit.  They measure 9 1/2 inches wide. Then by the time I add the edging and sew them together and add a border to the whole blanket.....    

I woke up at 4:08 this morning. :(  Got in the shower about twenty minutes earlier than usual. Then went to wake Eon up at 6:15. Just as I was waking him up, I remembered, "Friday is late start."  Ugh...  (Nothing like waking up over an hour early, on the one day you can sleep in..)  I said "Oh... I forgot today is Friday and late start. Go back to sleep. Sorry."  Then he said he is sick anyway. :(    (Steve was sick last week, and I have been sick the last two days..)  He has a sore throat and "Can't hear out of his one ear." Oh, great...  probably going to get another ear infection.   :((((((    Our oldest son would get them all the time..  They are miserable. Thankfully, we have lots of allergy stuff; so I can give him some Benadryl to help drain his ear tubes...

Scrap Blankets

I went and got more "Coffee" yesterday ;P so I could finish this blanket. I only had to buy two more skeins of yarn (warm brown and coffee) to finish this "scrap blanket".  I had enough of all the other colors.They are all the same colors, don't know why that warm brown looks darker towards the top. It's the same..    It's a warm blanket. I was hoping to send it in November (that column is still low for the group on Ravelry). But...   I already sent one box this month and we just don't have the extra money to send another one. (We really didn't have the money to send any, but..  it's something I want to do..)     I haven't taken a picture of it, but I got some Rudolph the red nose reindeer fleece; on sale at JoAnns a couple weeks ago.  I am going to make a blanket with that, too.  Oh, I also got farther on my scrap strip. I will take a picture and add it..

I got a lot farther. :)    I found my (tangled mess) bag of scrap yarns right after I got done with my blog post yesterday.

 I haven't worked on my mitered square blanket in a while. Or any sweaters..  I only feel like working on things that make me happy, right now. For some reason, scrap blankets make me happy.   :P  I want to start a log cabin one, too.   

Scrap Blankets and a Sweater...

I don't know if I ever posted a picture of this sweater in progress. I know I did on Ravelry. I almost cut it up and threw it away. It's from the Surprise Crochet Sweaters book by Darla Sims/Leisure Arts. I wanted to make it a newborn size for the OB Unit. And the smallest size pattern is six months. So I tried chaining less, etc..  It looked all crooked and like it wouldn't even lay right.  And didn't seem like it would even meet in the middle to button up..  (That's why I wanted to throw it away.)  I put it away for a while. But then I noticed the sweater column was still low on the spreadsheet. So...   I got it out to try and work on again.   I ripped out the buttonhole row, and added a few rows THEN did a buttonhole row. I also added more rows on the other side, so it would meet up in the middle.  Then added to the sleeves (I did the picot edge sweater sleeves up to row 4.)    I didn't have much of the coral color at all left. So I just did one more row on the sleeves...      I guess I'm glad I didn't cut it up and throw it away.  I also soaked it in a vinegar wash I read about online to soften crappy acrylic yarn projects...   (I just fill the sink up and put some vinegar in..)  I had some brown buttons so that's what I used.    I was making this to go with the Turkey hat/sleep sack set.  But... obviously it didn't get sent with it.   And, I don't think it will be sent this month at all either.  Even though that's why I got it out to try and finish. We just don't have the money..

I also started this a couple days ago to send too. (The blanket column is also low..)  But will not be able to send. I just need more of the dark brown, to finish the last section of color. Then I was going to do the border in navy blue since I have a lot left of that..  In the picture the first warm brown colored section looks lighter than the section on the top. But they are the same color.  My camera...

I also started another scrap blanket, this morning. Sings4Joy on Ravelry posted one she had been making, and how she did/is doing the strips. So I started one, too.    I have a plastic bag full of scraps somewhere. I just need to find it..  I think it is in my closet.     You can see exactly how much of the coral color I had left, here. Exactly enough for one row.  :P    I don't know why but I love scrap projects. Probably because you can make something useful out of "nothing".. something that would just have been thrown away.

Jetta likes to get all covered up.  :P  I took this picture about a half an hour ago, and she is still there. Silly girl..  

Duke likes attention...  And lots of petting, and scrap foods...  Any scrap foods you can spare..  :P  

I don't know if I posted about the Turkey Hat/sleep sack set I made?...   Well I added booties and slippers to the set. I started a sweater too. Which I don't like. So it is put away for now.  I ordered the little gobbler onesie, so cute.   So. This is one of the sets I'm sending this month to Pine Ridge...   

And, I finished the Christmas Tree. I just need to decorate it..   I asked Eon if he wanted another little Christmas Tree to put in his bedroom.  Nooo....   So. It looks like it is mine.  Or if I decide to give it to someone for Christmas. 

Birthdays... And Christmas.

I finished a hat and scarf set for my sister-in-law, for her birthday (obviously.. Lol).  I don't really know what she likes, other than Betty Boop, and the color purple.  So, purple it is..  :P

I used the Phannie hat pattern, and the One Skein scarf pattern.  Her birthday is next week. Today is actually her husbands' (my husband's brothers) birthday.  I didn't crochet him anything (I started this set a long time ago, I didn't even know his birthday was this month..)  So, we are going to go get him something then go over there, later  on tonight.

I started crocheting a Christmas Tree yesterday.  I'm using this pattern: Crochet Christmas Tree.  I've just been wanting to crochet a Christmas tree forever. Then someone posted one they had done, on Facebook. So... I started one, finally.
I was thinking about giving it to Eon, because he used to have a little Christmas tree in his room. But we moved; and it was one of the things that got sold in one of the many moving sales we had..    And even though he is a teenager (and acts like one!!!); he still does little kid things that are cute.  Like the other day, we went to Burger King. We were in line, and I said "Do you want a BK crown?" (the little kiddie crowns).  Oh my God. How could I even ask something so stupid? Eyes rolling into the back of his head...   But then later we were eating at a table and he was messing around with the crown on the table (each table had one).  He said "These look like Viking horns." And popped them out.  Then later we are getting ready to leave and he says, "I should probably take this with me since I popped the horns out.."   Yeah...   sure...   :P  I didn't say a word. But I thought it was cute.   But then, this morning, he was his ornery grumpy attitude self!!  UGH!!!  We were getting into the car to take him to school. He opened his door and it hit the pole in our parking spot.  (Ugh...)  I said, when I got in the car; "Can you please be more careful and not hit your door on the pole? It's going to dent the car.."    OH. MY. GOD.   WW3....   (sigh...)   :(    

More Catching Up...

I don't think I will ever catch up on my blog..  But I will try.  :P  This is a Mitered Squares Blanket I have been working on. For Pine Ridge Reservation (OB Unit).  Just using up scrap yarns..

I saw some cool Green Lantern fabric at a local store here. So I had to get it. Then I noticed there was another piece (both pre-cut pieces), so I got both of them to make pillowcases for the boys for Christmas.   Then got home and realized "Oh yeah, I don't have my ironing board- we donated it before we moved here.. " (Sigh..)  I will have to use a towel on the counter or floor, or something.. Both pieces were $4 something.So not bad at all.

Silly dog...   :P

I should have posted the actual picture of the hat from Target, but... I saw the cutest Turkey hat at Target. I took a picture of it and finally copied it.  Then I made a sleep sack to go with it. You can see the actual hat, and how I did the turkey feathers; on my Ravelry project page.  I've actually since I've taken this picture finished a pair of booties and mittens, and started a little sweater to go with this set..

Sigh... It's true. And I did this today.  I was thinking about getting a "Get Well" card for someone. Then I thought "I should just make one, it would be cheaper.. Save $4 or $5.."  Then-of course- the one I saw that I loved on Pinterest, I didn't have all the tools for... Sooo... I went and spent almost $20. When I was going to "save" money by making my own card. (Sigh...)   

All to make this card.  :)  I didn't have any tape left in my tape runner. I didn't have a get well stamp. And, I didn't have a heart punch..   I did only spend $4.99 on the tape runner- I got the absolute cheapest one (they were like $8!!!). The heart punch was $4.99-- one was $17.99.  Uh, nooo!..  Then I found the cheaper one.  And, the stamp was $7.99.  After I make a few more of these cards, I will have saved money. :P  This was the actual Pin.   

I'm Still Here..

Hello... Yes, I'm still here.  I don't even know if I posted that we were going to be moving again.  Across the country. Again.  But. We did.  To the Northwest. For my husband's job. Again. We've been here two and a half months now.  This move has been hard on everyone (except Eli, maybe..). Eon had a really hard time adjusting to his new school/making new friends.  I was almost to the point where I wanted to pull him out of that school (long story/lots of issues), and move back to Michigan since I can never be happy anywhere.  I spoke to the Principal (about another issue-not how Eon is having a hard time), but I did mention he is having a hard time and asked if maybe there was a counselor who could talk to him...  Later that day the counselor did talk to him, and called me as well. She suggested an after school program, "Lego Robotics".  I signed him up.  Since then, things have seemed to turn right around for him.  (Although he won't admit it, I can tell by his actions- getting up first thing when I tell him to in the morning-before he wouldn't get up/fake sick [yes, even at 13 years old]...  After his third group meeting, we asked him if he was making any new friends. We finally got out of him, "Yes".  I am glad he is doing better, that's a big relief for me. (I still do not like that school, though!)

I'm still crocheting (and knitting) baby things..  I've finished a few blankets. This is one.  The Corner-To-Corner Afghan.  

This is a baby sweater set I did. There are (surprisingly!! In this small town with nothing) two stores that have yarn!  I found a blue/brown variegated that became my new favorite baby yarn.  

Another blanket I finished (this one I had been working on for a long time), my pattern.  I decided that I don't really like my own pattern. Lol  Too many ends to weave in.  I made it (originally) as a doll blanket, using up scraps. Then thought I could do it with a baby blanket (or adult), too.  

Another Corner-To-Corner. They had some Pound of Love yarn on sale at Jo-Anns (in a town about a half an hour away, which is where we go grocery shopping mostly)..  So I bought a skein, and did this. 

A pumpkin set.  

And a "Pumpkin Bear" set.  Well, that's what I was thinking anyway with the orange and the bear hat. Didn't turn out so cute. But it will keep a baby warm..  (I do love the hat though.)

We had Steve and Eons' birthday last month..   I made cupcakes on their birthday. (Long story, we had Steve's brother/wife over that following weekend for birthday dinner, too..)  

Eons' presents.

I saw this bag and said "That's Eon's personality, I have to get it.."   

This is what he does most of the time when I try to take his picture. (Grrr)

Opening his gifts.

Eli smiled for Eon.  :P

The candles lit..

Eon being silly (but still with an attitude...)  :P

I Started A New Hobby...

I think I need another hobby, like I need another hole in my head.  O.o  But, it's so fun.  Have you ever heard of Pocket Letters? I hadn't, until one of my pen pals sent me one.  So... I googled it.  Here is the blog of the creator of Pocket Letters.    I think they are so much fun!! Of course, it is a lot more work than just writing a letter. You definitely have to be in a crafty mood.  :)    This is the first one I finished.  When I took it to the post office, the guy was acting like that was the strangest thing he had ever heard.   I showed him a picture on my phone.  He said "All that is in this envelope?"  "Yup."  :P  

A little envelope I made, with some sequins I got at a hotel I used to work at; when we lived in Colorado.

Some pinwheel paper clips. (You Tube video tutorial)

Washi Tape Critters!!  

Here is a second one I did.  Nothing super fancy, like some I have seen while Googling and on Pinterest.  But...   The idea is to send little fun things to your pen pal that you might send in a letter/puffy: tea, buttons, paper clips, sticky notes...  Anything you can fit in the little slots.   I tried to make this one not so bulky as the first one I made.  So it only cost like two stamps to send.

The back so you can see what it is inside..  They fold up and fit inside a standard 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 inch envelope (long envelopes).    If I didn't have so much going on right now, I would be making more.