My Yarn Came In The Mail!!

FINALLY!!!! I started a baby blanket, a long time ago - I don't even know when; but I was going to send it last month to the OB Unit. (I posted about the yarn on March 7th. So that's when I got it or shortly before that.) But, I ran out of yarn. And the store I got it from didn't have any more. I told the cashier, and they ordered more. But...  I went in every week, still no more. Sooo...   I went online, and ordered some.  Well it was shipped on the 18th of March. And was only supposed to take 7 business days to get here.  Pshhh...   19 days later; I finally got it. Okay I don't know how many "business" days that is. But I call it ridiculous.    Anyway, I finally got it today. So I can finish the baby blanket.   

Isn't it weird how much brighter the blanket is, than the actual skeins?  I should go into that store, to see if they have any more of this yarn. I bet they have it now.  (Grrr..)  Lol.  I am more than halfway done; and it's taken me five skeins so far. So five more should be enough. (It better be!!!)  I kind of like this color. I just got it because I wanted a variegated "baby" yarn to make a blanket with...  And this was about the only one they had that I liked.  Well it's kind of really growing on me, and I really like it.   I keep thinking "Tutti Fruity" but it is called "Tropical Fruits".   It's Red Heart Classic. Which isn't a yarn you see everywhere.  And I've only been able to find it at that one store. Not even JoAnns or Michaels has it, here. But JoAnns does have it online.

Duke has a boo boo. If you get grossed out by pictures of cuts or gross things, don't read any further. It isn't "that" gross, but..

I was petting him the other day, and started scratching him. He likes scratchies. :P  And I felt a bumpy spot. Then I made him stay, and looked under his fur.  It was all black and with a white-ish bump?  I don't know how else to describe it.. I immediately thought it was a tick. So, I put his flea and tick meds on right then. (I had been meaning to do it anyway.)  I don't know if that's what it was.  I tried to clean it up and it doesn't seem so bad now. (Which makes me think it was dried blood.) I need to look at it again.  I have to pin him down and force him to let me look..   I would take him to the vet. But...  We don't have any money for it right now.  So hopefully the flea and tick meds work.  My husband sprayed the yard with stuff to repel fleas and ticks, too.  Weird...   My husband said Jetta probably did it.  :P  Who knows...

An Old Project... And my Back "Patio"

I don't know why, or how I started thinking about this doily.. Maybe because I was looking through my books and started thinking about old projects. Who knows. Maybe because Paula posted a filet crochet doily she had done.  This was a doily done in filet crochet, too. A very, very long time ago.  The last time I remember seeing it was when we lived in Nevada. And when we were having all our garage sales, I cleaned out the tea cupboard it was in with all my thread and ribbon and everything...  I miss that thing. Funny thing was, I hated it. :P  Anyway I either probably sold this or just threw it away. :(  Now I regret it.  I could not figure out the next side I was supposed to join. I felt like I was a stitch off, if I remember right. I posted about it here.  (That's where I found the picture.)  I think it was from the book "Victorian Style Needlecrafts" (which I either sold at one of the garage sales, or donated to Goodwill). I'll have to see if I can find another one at a used book store somewhere or online...   

I don't know if I mentioned that I bought some purple pansies...  And a butterfly hanging thing.  Well a couple nights after I got the flowers/butterfly, we were sitting there watching tv. And I saw a shadow on the blinds, of a hummingbird  going first to the big bead on the bottom of the butterfly, then to the flowers.  I think my mouth dropped open.  Because it was still the end of March, then.  My husband said "There's a hummingbird out there." I shook my head and said "I saw it."  So I went in the kitchen and made some hummingbird food.   And put my hummingbird feeder out there.  I have seen a hummingbird (I think there's more than one, because the one looked like an Anna's Hummingbird, and the other one had a coppery colored head..)  but they fly away as soon as they see me in the window..

We bought two chairs and a little table so we can sit outside and drink our coffee in the morning (which we still have not done, it's too chilly lol). But, I have sat out there and knitted and crocheted..   We are still trying to clean things up around here.   :/  

Another view of the hanging things...  I love my butterfly.

And, a new project I started. (Which I already want to rip out.)   I have been very CADHD lately (Crochet- or in this case Knit ADHD)..  Want to start all these new projects, and do actually start one or two. Then they just sit there, unfinished. I have three now...  These I started because there is a new Preschool Drive for Pine Ridge.  I want to do so much, but...   Then I start thinking "I have to ship them..."  And, I already am doing the OB Unit, that is my main charity project.  I get too many things going, then I really start getting resentful and "Why did I sign up for this?".....  I haven't said anything on the thread, so I am not committed. But...     Anyway, I did knit a pair of these mittens, a long, long time ago when both our two oldest boys were little.  For my cousins' daughter (who is a year or two younger than our oldest- he will be 24 this month)...

Paula had mentioned in the comments about wearing the cowl over one shoulder, so I said I would post a picture I had taken of it like that.  I did like it like that. But..  I don't know when or where I will have a chance to wear this..  Maybe I will have to just make a chance. :P

My husband has had a couple rare days off this past week. One day we went for a drive to a ski resort town about 62 miles from here..   It's beautiful up there.  I don't know if this is Mount Hood (I think it is, though?)   But it looked so cool, covered with a cloud. 

Some snow in the foothills...

Another shot of Mount Hood

And, another one, with the rocks on the side of the highway..    It is much more beautiful when you are driving up there, in RL (Real Life)...  

There is a museum up there.  We have been there a couple times before. But, I didn't know you could go upstairs - and downstairs.  :D   This was a quilt there...

A wheel, about the Barlow Trail...  

A spinning wheel.

A bear. And a fox fur. :(   

We went to one restaurant. And sat there. And sat there.  No one came to our table or said anything to us. So we left. Then we went to a different restaurant.  Walked in. Someone said hi right away and said they would be right with us..   So we ate there.  This is what we both got.  I cannot remember the name of it. It was goofy.  They had sandwiches called "The Yardsale".  This wasn't that but I am drawing a blank what it was called...   It had corned beef, saurkraut, russian dressing on a swirled rye bread..  I googled the restaurant the sandwich is called "Goofy Foot".   (I was right, it was goofy!)  I ate half of it, and gave the other half to Eli when we got home.   Well.....    He left it on his bed. And Jetta got it.    It was not a good moment...   She is very bad to do that. Yes. But...   I have told them before (I don't know how many times) to not leave food so the dogs can get it. I mean, they are dogs...   But I did feel bad for Eli.  :(  I should go get him another sandwich somewhere, just for him...   We might go back there, with the kids. Because right next to this restaurant, there is an arcade. I know Eon would like it.  And I think Eli would even like it..  And we could all get sandwiches.  :D  

I wanted to post some pictures of the little Knick Knacks (???) I got for Easter.. I have never been a knick knack-y type person...   But, I think I could become one. (Lol... )  I just thought these bunny tea light holders were soooo cute!!! I got them at Target. $3.99 each.

And my Cherub Angel... I just thought it was cute.  I got it at Goodwill. 

And my three bunnies!!  I got them at JoAnns, they were originally $15.99. On sale for $5.99. So... I HAD to get them. I honestly talked myself out of getting them, twice; and left. Then came back another time, and they were still there.   So, I just had to..

I am still not caught up on my blog, but I am getting there.   I wanted to talk about some things I have been wanting to do...   I think I need to stop going on to Pinterest.   I have enough hobbies.   (Sigh...)  But, then I say to myself "But you have been wanting to do that forever.."  And it's true, I have been wanting to do "that", "forever"...     The thing I am talking about is painting rocks.   I don't even like paints...   But I love painted rocks!! One of my Aunts has painted rocks since I was a little girl.  She had them all set up in her dining room.  One was a "Rock Party".   Lol.  Ladybugs, I don't even remember them all.    But there is a rock in our back yard that is just sitting there, by the fence. And I keep looking at it, thinking "I like that rock. I need to paint it.."   (I am losing my mind, people... lol)  Then I went on Pinterest.  O. M. G....   Now I have a new Pinterest board, "Painted Rocks".  :P     But, I think this is a hobby that Eon and I could do together. Because he loves paints.  So, if I bought paints and then decided I wasn't any good at painting rocks, Eon would still like the paints..   I wanted to a "My Garden" or something similar rock..  I pinned this one "Welcome to my Garden."  I don't know if I could do all that fancy painting though..   

Easter and One FO

Still trying to catch up on my blog posts... I feel like I never will. But, bear with me. This one has a lot of pictures. :P  We went to a park a couple weeks ago. Just to walk around. There is a little creek there, and a bridge... It's a nice park. Right in a residential area. (I wouldn't want to live there, though.)

Steve...   Always smiling.  (Is that a smile?)  ;P

We were walking over that bridge, and I didn't even notice there were some ducks on the ground there. Steve pointed them out to me..  A Dad and Mom duck. :P

More ducks and geese in the water..  

Steve and Eon looking at the ducks/water..

Eon kept trying to sneak up on the geese.  Lol.  I'm surprised they didn't try to attack him. But they flew away.  He still acts like a little kid sometimes..  :P

I asked Eon to take our picture..

Did you have a nice Easter?  I wasn't going to do anything, or have anyone over...  (Well, we only know my husbands brother, here. But..)   But. I did...   I bought some candles and candlestick holders, and an Easter Lily.  I also bought a bunch of little bunny and an angel knick knack. That will have to be a different blog post, I still haven't taken pictures of those.  I usually don't decorate for Easter except maybe a flower pot...  But, this year I did.

And we invited my husbands' brother and his wife over.  (Her daughter is staying with them, she came too.)  I made two dozen pickled eggs.  This was the day I made them so they weren't "pickled" yet..  (I also bought this pickled egg jar, too.)

I made two pans of hot cross buns. I have never made them before, they're pretty good.

And a New York Style cheesecake. Which used FIVE sticks of cream cheese!!   I forgot to take pictures of everyone while they were here. But they don't really like getting their pictures taken. So...  I didn't.

These were the boys' "Easter Baskets".  I think I mentioned on here a thing I saw on Pinterest. Well, I did it...   Two baseball caps (Um, not cheap... when you buy Under Armour baseball hats..) with "boy" foods...   I did put a chocolate bunny and a Cadbury egg in each one, though. Beef jerky, cracker jacks, and a Monster energy drink..

After I finished the mitered squares blanket, I wanted to do another one. (Can you believe it?!)  I did.  But, I wanted to try doing the squares bigger this time. I actually started out with a different pattern; but then I had to add one stitch casting on, and just did the original pattern I did with the first blanket. Just more stitches.  I've actually gotten one more square finished on it plus another half done, since I took this picture.

And, I finished something for me.  Since all I do is crochet or knit for the babies, and I do get burned out of it sometimes. I wanted to make something for myself.  I bought the Crochet! magazine I think I posted about a while back. Because I really liked the "Cowboy Cowl" in it.   I used some old "stash" yarn (and I do mean old) I had bought when we lived in Colorado.  That was what, over eight years ago?   But the pattern said #2 yarn.  And besides sock yarn, I had a bunch of this...   But, I wasn't really happy with the cowl.  I don't know. It doesn't lay like it did in the picture. Not very "cowl like".  Maybe once I wash it and actually wear it one time I will like it?   But it seems "tight".  By the time I sew buttons on it might be too tight...  I only had a hair clip keeping it together at the very top in the back, here.   

Mitered Squares Baby Blanket And Other FO's

I did finish a couple eggs I was posting about..  This one did not turn out like I thought it would.  For some reason I thought you could take the egg out, but that was not the case..   

This one, you can take the egg out. I had an egg in it; but someone who acts like he doesn't do "little kid" things anymore, I think took it..  :P  So I put another one in it.    Now, I have NO idea what I am going to do with them?...   But I wanted to crochet them. So, I got that out of my system. I also have been wanting to crochet a pillow, from "Barnyard Buddies".  I did start (and finished one side) one last night.  I know I could send that to OST/CPS, that's actually what I am making it for. I hope to do a few.  I wish they had patterns like that when my guys were little. I tried to crochet (and did write up the pattern for, but doubt anyone would want it..) the two older boys "Bed Bugs" when they were little. They took them up  north with them once.  That was before Pillow Pets..    I didn't take a picture of them, back then. I think I did a "Ladybug"..   Anyway.   Maybe I'll make some to send to OST...   

I finished the mitered squares blanket! Yay! It "only" took me six months...   I liked working on it, but I think I will do quicker patterns from now one, for the OB Unit.  

I saw the cutest tea card/packet? on Pinterest....   I loved it and wanted to make one so bad.  I couldn't find the stamp anywhere then kind of figured it was a retired stamp. So I looked online, and found one. But, it was for the whole set. (I only wanted the one stamp).   I told my husband all that and he said "Get it."   Aw...     (Excuse my messy table.)  

This is the stamp I wanted...   Now, I have another problem. (Sigh...)  I thought the one punch I had (circle) would be big enough; but it doesn't look like it will be. :(  And, I can't find the size scallop punch she said she used. I looked at JoAnn's, but could only find a three inch scallop punch.   And it is expensive!! Even on sale..   Maybe I will improvise...  It's a lot of money to do crafting now..  :/   Unless you find stuff at garage sales..

This is a little sweater and knit booties set.  I got the little heart buttons at JoAnn's yesterday. They were (are) so cute. The sweater is Aunt Jen's sweater, and the booties are Ooo Baby Knits booties. I made a pair before, but didn't write down any notes anywhere (that I can find). So, I will write them here (and on Ravelry, for future reference).  I used simply soft paints and the size 5 needle. I did the "large" size, because Simply Soft is a little bit heavier weight than baby sport yarn.  Well they still came out small, I think. They do measure 3.5 inches though.   They just look so tiny!  My babies were all huge, and had huge feet...   I also finished another sweater set..  I'll just add the picture..

It's the Paw Prints Cardigan.  And "Impatiently Waiting for Baby" booties by Christal Dines Friend. I love that pattern..

I'm just waiting for my yarn to arrive; so I can finish the corner to corner blanket, then I will send the box to the OB Unit...  I might finish another pair of booties meanwhile. We'll see. I've been busy cleaning, and still unpacking/ trying to organize...    OMG...  This house was not exactly "clean" when we moved in..  For example, all the windows are disgusting. I have been working on those. It's a lot of work.  Inside the window frames, on the bottom (well all over) were all disgusting...  Plus cleaning the actual windows...  Light plate switches (how do those get so gross????)  Walls, doors, running boards...  The stove was gross. I spent an hour easily on that yesterday. I only cleaned the hood and the filter and had to change the water, it was so greasy?     But now my kitchen is clean.   :D    I don't know if I mentioned, but we are having my brother in law and his wife over for dinner on Easter Sunday.    Today I am making the Pickled Eggs.  (They have to sit for a couple days.. Maybe I should do those tomorrow..)    I was going to make dinner rolls and desserts...   I'm stressing myself it thinking about it.   It isn't like they clean their house when they invite us over, either.   :P    I'm almost done with cleaning.  I just have to dust and clean the counter/toilet/floor in the bathroom.   I got the cutest little rabbit figures at JoAnn's... I'll have to take a picture of them. They were originally $14.99 for three bunnies, on sale for $5.99.   :D   I also got some tapered candles, for the table.  I had some crystal candle holders...  I can't find them anywhere.   Maybe I sold them at a garage sale.   (Which is where I probably got them to begin with..)   I don't usually decorate for Easter.  Now I want everything...   Sigh..    Anyway, I am almost all unpacked now!!!  I only have two boxes left (in our bedroom).  And organize some more in the "Craft/Laundry room".   There's a door to that room. So I can just close it..  Lol.   Somehow I think that table will never be organized.  Especially with Eon around...  Messmaker #1...   ;)   I don't care.  Most of the time...   (Only if company comes over, lol...)  

Easter Is Only A Week From Today

I did not realize Easter was NEXT SUNDAY!!! :0  I do this all the time...  "Oh, Easter/Halloween/Christmas isn't for a month.."  Don't pay attention, then BAM! It's only a week away... Sigh...   Well, our boys are older now; so I don't have much to do. But, I was thinking about having my Brother and Sister-In-Law over for dinner. So, that means cleaning, finishing unpacking/putting away, baking...  And, I did want to do these for the boys.   And, I want to crochet everything. :P   I have been wanting to do lacy Easter Eggs forever..  Like this. And this one.   These are pretty, too.  And these. This is the one I am crocheting in the picture.  And I love these; I want to make them next..  I saw a bunch on Pinterest and printed some out, I want to crochet a bunch. I am crocheting this one (in picture) for my Sister-In-Law (the one we want to have over).  She gave me the thread and the hook I am using to crochet one of the patterns I really liked and printed out this morning. Coincidentally (or maybe not), the hook is the size I needed for the pattern; and I didn't have that size hook.   I got some plastic eggs when we went grocery shopping this morning.  I've been trying to think of small things to put in an egg for an adult.  Lol.  She is a diabetic.  I can only think of small earrings, maybe. But, I think she can only wear certain kinds...   Sigh..    

This was the hook package. It was 99 cents at Bi-Mart.  So, you know it is old. Lol...

My Sister-In-Law gave me this bing of crochet thread, a couple steel hooks, a tatting shuttle still in the package. And a thread crochet booklet.. She got it at an Estate Sale.   I haven't crocheted with thread for a long time. But, I found my glasses (again) since we moved.  So I started an egg..  :)   I ordered more yarn for the baby blanket I posted about, but it won't be here until this week, so I wanted to do a fun little project while I am waiting...

It's Time To Be Happy...

I don't know where or why I got it into my head but I have been really liking cowls lately...  Not just cowls, neck shawls/scarfs... I guess they are called shawlettes?  Mini shawls you wear backwards around your neck. Another thing I really like (and always have) is magazines. Especially crochet or knitting magazines. :D   And this one had a shawlette (it's called "Cowboy Cowl") I really liked.  After picking the magazine up (and carrying it around, then talking myself out of buying it) about four different times, I finally ended up buying it...  I started the cowl the same day.  I am using yarn that I've had forever. And I do mean forever. I bought it at the Goodwill in Colorado Springs.  (That's over 8 1/2 years ago, or more...)  I don't know what fiber it is (it feels acrylic), or anything.. I used to have a label on one of these but I can't find any labels either. So...  It's a mystery yarn. :)    I will definitely have enough, though.    

These are two magazines I bought recently. Now I am cutting myself off!! (Famous last words..)   I get so mad at myself (or maybe at the magazine..) because I usually only like one pattern in the whole magazine. But; like the Cowboy Cowl magazine (the one on the right), it cost almost $10!  I like a few other patterns in that magazine though. But seriously, that's a lot of money for a magazine...  The other magazine on the left has a nice shawl in it, too.  

The yarn I bought for a baby sweater (which I almost finished the body on then realized it would be way too big for the OB Unit--  Which is what I bought the yarn for) I frogged the whole sweater and it became this.  I went back and bought the rest of the skeins they had (only two)... It isn't going to be enough. I can tell you that.   I asked the cashier to order some more.  So I will go back in a week and see if they got more..   It's turning out really soft (compared to other Red Heart yarns), I am really liking this blanket. It makes me happy to work on it.    And I have been trying to be more happy lately..   (It hasn't been easy for me, the past few years - due to circumstances I cannot control/the way people act...)  So I have been trying to make a conscious effort to be happy..   Or "happier."

Eon has had three days off of school this week (conferences? - who has three whole days off for conferences?... Only this school...)   Anyway, I have been trying to "do" things with him.  He likes to go shopping at the Goodwill (that comes from when we had no money living in Colorado, going to Goodwill was fun for him - and I think for the older two boys, too because he could get a toy, or new clothes/fun pajamas or a superhero costume..)  Anyhow he wanted to go to Goodwill. So did I. :D  So we went.  This actually was from our second trip there (the next day). The first day we went, he got a guitar.  It isn't anything super expensive (I don't even know if it is tuned right), but he LOVES it!    I only had a picture on my phone which I haven't uploaded to the computer yet.. I'll try to do that. Or take a picture of it with my camera.  I like that he is interested in music.  Gets him away from the Xbox!!     Anyway, back to the coffee cups..  I wanted to look for some more coffee cups (we got rid of a lot of ours from the moves), and I wanted a cup to drink tea (and coffee, too- but I wanted one to drink tea) out of...  I still have some coffee in the one in this picture.  I liked these. I was going to just get the Eiffel Tower one for tea then I saw a second one. So I got it.  Then I saw the one in the middle. It says "Mainz am Rhein", it looks (and sounds) German, I will have to Google that.  I got my Rooster hot pad out, too.  To "love life".  I put it away in a drawer.  But, I like it. And it's fun. And it makes me happy. I just have to find a spot for it...

These are the Coke glasses Eon wanted. :)  He was counting how many Coke glasses there were. He picked the blue one out. Then I found another one just like it so we got them both..

And, some soup bowls...   These are strange, I know. (Is there even a thing such as Oxtail Soup?)  I have been in the mood to make (and eat!) soups, lately..  I wanted to make Onion Soup (which I don't even like!)-- but I saw a recipe someone posted on Facebook, which had French bread with cheese on top of the soup... Um. I could eat almost anything if it had French Bread on top of it. ;P   But....   My husband said he doesn't like it (and neither does anyone else in our family.) So, I ended up (even though I bought the French bread and chicken stock) not making Onion Soup.   But, I wanted these soup bowls to put the Onion soup in (to put the French Bread on top of to broil..)    And even though I never made Onion soup and still probably never will, I still wanted these soup bowls. I just like them. I saw them originally (not Oxtail, but others-- Mushroom, Onion, and Chicken) at a pharmacy store.  They had even more at the Goodwill. BUT, the ones (brand new) at the store only cost $2.49.  They wanted $2.99 for them at Goodwill!! These were only $1.99 each.  I still want the other ones. But I might get those at the pharmacy store.  They are just fun, and they make me happy.   Anyway, here is the Onion Soup recipe I was going to try, if anyone is wondering (and craving it)...  

This is the soup I ended up making, instead. I had all the ingredients for it. And I wanted something different. I have never made chowder soup.   Even though I am lactose intolerant, I still wanted to try it..  Chicken and Corn Chowder.  It was so yummy.   Especially with French Bread. :D

I saw a picture at the store yesterday that I wanted to get.  It wasn't really a picture. It's just words on a board. What is that? A Meme Plaque?  Anyway,  it said "The Time To Be Happy Is Now."  I just stood there for five minutes, looking at it.  Eon probably thought I lost my mind...   I didn't end up getting it (I got another picture, a scene in France, with the Eiffel Tower in the background-- it was half off- I will try to take a picture of that, too.) A lot of our pictures got broken glass moving from Nevada to Tennessee. When we were moving here; we just sold them -or gave them to the Goodwill.  So I don't have many pictures, and I wanted some..  Now I have one.  

I want to find an area to walk in...  I went for a walk one day. But it wasn't very nice. I had to walk on the side of the road- and off the road when cars came...   A lot of people walk here.  I want to find some trails or a park or somewhere nice I can walk. That won't be a big deal getting to...     I have started watching Tilly Trout's podcast(s).   And I love her already! The one I watched yesterday was episode 26.  I could watch this one over and over!  She was walking in a common area (love that story) - with wildflowers, and birds. It looks so peaceful!   I want to try making some sourdough bread now, too.  :)  I will have to go back and find episode one and start from there so I can watch them all.  Well I think that I've rambled on enough for one day.