~Hello, and Good Bye~

Hello, hello! It has been a while since I have popped on to say anything at all. Life is busy with a baby! Busy, but wonderful, of course. :-) My darling daughter is almost one month old now. We are enjoying life with our daughter very much!



I am so sleep deprived, sometimes I can't even talk in full sentences, much less try to maintain a blog! So I've decided to say "good bye" for now. I don't know how long my blog break will be, but I do plan on coming back after a while. Maybe when my baby starts sleeping through the night? We'll see.

So, good bye! and thank you for being sweet blog readers! I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging because of the people who comment on my blog! Thank you!

~Dish Cloth~

FO from January:



Pattern: My Coffee Cup Cloth
Yarn: Red Heart Ltd. Cotton Twist
Needles: Size 6

I don't know why, but dishcloths make a fun project, and it is hard for me to resist making them. The only thing is, I can't stand to use them to wash my dishes! LOL This one ended up being a gift to my grandma, who does enjoy using them! :-)

~My daughter is here!~

Sorry for the delay in posting...

Our adorable daughter was born on March 11. She has been a delight and a joy, and we are praising the Lord for her!

~A little update~

(Image source) My little girl decided that an aquamarine would be a better birth stone than the amethyst. Though, if *I* were picking, I would have picked February's birth stone over March's birth stone! After all, it would have been nice to have her by her due date! But my little one is still quite cozy where she is and hasn't shown any inclination that she is coming into the world any time soon!

In the mean time, I am recovering from a very bad cough and cold, so perhaps it is better that she decided to wait a bit anyhow! There is an end in sight, as my doctor won't let me go too much longer!

~A house or a home?~

I'm just musing here...

TLC has a new program called My First Home (which I have only seen advertisements for). The advertisements for the program show people telling why it is so important to them to own a home. Some of them have pretty shallow reasons - "so my son will have a place to remember". You know what? If you only rent all your life, your children aren't going to look back and have a blank spot in their memories when it comes to their home life. It really doesn't take owning a house to have a home.

Kevin and I do own our house - but we had a home long before we owned a house! I have many fond memories of our first home together. It was a tiny 500 square foot apartment. It had the smallest kitchen I've ever had, and the largest bedroom closet we've ever had. The apartment was old, the oven could have blinded me one day due to an electrical problem, the walls were thin and the neighbors were noisy. But it was our home. I happily cooked and cleaned and we had company over and we spent many happy hours together in our home.

I do think TLC's program ought to be named "My First House"...because it doesn't take buying a house to have a home!

~Stitched in Time~

I was delighted to get a copy of Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share from the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy from my local library! In fact, I was the first person to check the book out!

I have read Posie Gets Cozy for quite a while now. Alicia's style of writing, photography, crafts, and food is very enjoyable.

I had a fun time looking through the book. There were several projects which could be jumping-off points for me. I don't think I would make anything exactly like the book shows, but I could change my mind down the road. I'm sure I'll check out this book again for crafting inspiration!

~An Interesting Read~

As I read through blogs, I occasionally come across a book that looks interesting. I then look on my library catalog and see if it is available. If it is, I place a hold on it. Often, by the time I get the book, I've forgotten who recommended the book.

Such is the case of White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen. Regardless of who recommended it, it was a very interesting read. It allowed a peek into the White House, through the eyes of the chef. Walter Scheib was the chef for 7 years of the Clinton administration, and 4 years of the Bush administration. It is not a book on politics though - far from it. The book is peppered with recipes as well as short commentaries on different occasions and events. I really enjoyed reading this book!

~Spring~

Last May I snapped this picture at a park:



Ah, it would be lovely, lovely, lovely to be able to go to a park and see this. But alas and alack, we still have much snow on the ground!

~Counted Cross Stitch Projects~

I recently posted about my finished counted cross stitch projects...the bunnies that took me 16 years to complete. As any good crafter would, I actually had several cross stitch projects that I completed while my bunnies sat untouched. *Smiles*

This project was one I completed before I started my bunny project:


Projects finished during the bunny projects:






I haven't done a lot of counted cross stitch projects, but I am very happy with the few that I have done over the years! I recently started another counted cross stitch project, which I will show soon.

~Infant CPR Class~

A few nights ago, Kevin and I took an infant CPR class. This class varies several ways from a regular, certified CPR class: the methods used are for "friends and family" rather than the methods used by the medical world, and it was specific towards infants and small children.

I have never had a CPR class, and the last time Kevin took CPR was in 8th grade. The class session was just under 3 hours, and was a video course that you practiced on an infant mannequin/dummy right along with the video. After the video, we also went over other emergencies that are specific to infants and children.

If you spend any amount of time with children, I highly recommend taking a class such as I've described! It was well worth our evening, and while I hope that we never have to use what we've learned, it could quite possibly be the difference between life and death if we are ever around an infant or child that is not breathing and/or is choking.

To find a class in your area, check through your local hospital or health clinic.

~Spring Fling!~

Well, it isn't technically "spring" yet, and certainly with snow on the ground here it doesn't even feel like spring! But I'm in the mood for getting rid of things! It is a great feeling to clean out your home and rid of unwanted things!

Here's how I choose to get rid of my clutter:

***Donate to a thrift store
This is the easiest way to get rid of clutter. All you have to do is load the car up and drive to the nearest thrift store. I use this method for clothing and small household items.

***Donate to someone via Freecycle.org
I have blogged about Freecylcle several times. If you have a group in your area, this is a great way to get rid of larger items. I was just looking at my group, and there is someone wanting non-working lawnmowers. This would have been great to know a few months ago when my husband took our old lawnmower to the dump! You can find a home for practically anything on Freecycle!

***Sell on Craigslist
If you have larger items that are really nice, you can make some money selling them on Craigslist. In the last year, we have really started using Craigslist, both for finding items we needed and selling items we didn't need! In recent months, we have sold Kevin's old truck, a mirror, and two different sets of mirrored closet doors. With the listing, make sure to post a picture of the item you're selling. A picture is worth a thousand words, you know! :-)

Be cautious when dealing with people, either through Freecycle or Craigslist. There are scams you have to watch out when you sell large items through Craigslist. If at all possible, have the item you're giving away or selling either outside, in the garage, or as close to the front door as possible.

Most of all, have fun getting clutter out of your house!!!

~Do you clip coupons?~

In looking for some ways to save money, I've turned to our grocery bill. We don't spend a ton on groceries, and in fact, we make almost everything from "scratch". But there are still coupons out there that I know I could put to use. In the past I have purchased the Sunday paper and clipped a few coupons here and there, but I've never subscribed to the paper, so it was always a separate trip out to get the paper, which isn't very convenient!

Last night we went grocery shopping at Meijer. For those of you who don't have Meijer stores, the closest description would be a Super Wal*Mart. But in my opinion, Meijer is much better than Wal*Mart. =) The only coupons I had were Meijer promotional coupons. We had gotten them on previous grocery shopping trips (they print when you check out), and they were set to expire, so we had to use them or lose them.

I was so excited to look at my receipt and see that I saved nearly $42 by combining sales and the Meijer coupons!!! I am far from posting a picture of a table full of food and saying, "Look what I got for $1.89", but I was still very happy to have saved so much money!

So far, our money-saving tactics are:
To go to the store after 8 p.m., so we can hit the meat counter. They close at 8, and put meat out at greatly-reduced prices.
To go through the weekly ad and buy as much as possible on sale.
To stock up when something is on a good sale.

I'd like to add couponing to my list of tactics! Do you coupon? are you "gung-ho" about it? or just casually interested in it?

I know that a lot of people save money by shopping at CVS and Wal-greens, but I'll be honest. I'm not interested in the amount of work it takes to do this, and I'm really not interested in the products that I see people saving money on/getting for free. This is just a personal preference, because I know a lot of people save a lot of money doing this! It just isn't for me! :-)

~Framed~

Yesterday I picked up my cross stitch project from the frame shop.



They did a great job, and it has already found a home in the nursery.



I have finished a handful of counted cross stitch projects over the last 16 years - and framed them myself. But this project needed not only a custom mat but a custom frame/glass. Adding the cost of labor for them to frame it was not that much more, and well worth it, in my opinion.

Now that these are finished, I'm looking for a new counted cross stitch pattern!

~Washing Counted Cross Stitch Projects~

In my previous post, QuiltedHeart Lisa asked:

I'm concerned about you washing your project. Are you certain all of the embroidery thread is colorfast? Can you get away with not washing it? Sometimes the fabric underneath shrinks, causing puckers. Just another idea...but a wonderful job!!!

Good question!

First of all, I used DMC thread for my project. DMC is known for making good quality, colorfast threads. Since that is what I used, that is what my answer applies to. Some of the cheaper cross stitch kits may not use quality threads, and then I would be concerned about washing the finished project (I would venture a guess that these wouldn't bleed either, unless some of the threads were red or extremely dark). Also, the aida cloth I used was quality fabric. I have washed finished counted cross stitch projects with great success.

Since it has been a while since I have finished a project, I looked up some instructions, and found these excellent directions for washing a finished project: How to Wash Your Cross Stitch Piece. All washing is done very gently by hand, in lukewarm water. No tossing in the washing machine or dryer!!! :O

When I took my pieces in to the frame shop, the lady who I was working with told me, "This is exactly how we like to see finished projects: clean and pressed."

~16 Years in the Making...~

Sometimes it amazes me how long I can draw certain projects out. However, this project, a counted cross stitch set of pictures, is my longest project ever. It took me a little over 16 years to finish these:



Before my 16th birthday, I was drawn to this set, named "Pinky and Blue Bunny". The patterns were in a magazine that my grandma subscribed to. One of the reasons I liked these patterns was the fact that every single square of the pattern was filled in with a cross stitch. So I did know that they would take a while to complete, but I never thought I'd take 16 years to finish them! :-)

The final step in finishing the project is to wash them and take them to get framed. Because of their shape, they needed both a custom mat and frame. I chose to put them in one frame with a double mat. I'm happy they are done, and thrilled that a WIP is now a FO! =D

~Showers of Blessings~

As we prepare for the coming of our little girl, we have been so incredibly blessed by our friends and family. I won't list everything that has been given to us, but we are well prepared with essentials and non-essentials alike for our baby!

This week, the ladies of my church gave me a shower. I was overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone!

I wanted to share a few pictures - I completely forgot to take my camera along, so these pictures are from one of the ladies who hosted the shower.

The theme of the shower was Winnie the Pooh. I love Winnie the Pooh, and am doing my nursery with the Classic Pooh (along with other decorations - I'll share pictures of my nursery soon!).

My friend's daughter made the cake:



Each table was decorated with a Winnie the Pooh character, a book, a balloon, little cutouts and adorable favors for the guests. The favors were teddy bear grahams and gummy bears wrapped in pink tulle and tied with a pink ribbon.



As I mentioned, everyone was so generous in their gifts! Some of the gift bags seemed bottomless, as I kept pulling out outfit after outfit, item after item!



I felt very special by how well-planned everything was. It was a very nice evening!

~Yum~

So...I've had a "Yuck" post at the top of my blog for over 10 days, I figured it was more than time for a "Yum" post. :-P

Yesterday I was looking at the Money Saving Mom blog, and noticed that Crystal mentioned a brown rice, spinach and cheese casserole. That sounded so good to me, only she didn't post her recipe.

So I made up my own. I still have morning sickness issues, which include not liking onions or garlic, or pretty much any seasoning at all. So I browned some ground beef, drained and rinsed it and then put a frozen package of chopped spinach in it and defrosted it. Then I mixed in cooked brown rice till it looked right, put the mixture into a casserole dish and topped with cheese. Since everything was hot, I just stuck it in the oven until the cheese was nice and melted.

And it was so good! Kevin liked it too - and he usually likes things seasoned well. I didn't even put salt or pepper in it! Easy and delicious! The spinach makes everything moist, so that you don't need anything creamy in it. Although, I bet cream of mushroom soup would be a good addition. But I liked it just the way it was!

~Yuck~

Recently I've had to throw away two of my handknits:


Pigs Monkeying Around


How Fetching

Why? Because they felted in the wash! Boooooo I'm so sad! The Monkey Socks were the most disappointing. I washed them fine for nearly a year then all of a sudden they started felting. The yarn is 100% wool, but it was labeled as "superwash" wool, and the instructions on the label said to machine wash.

I'm certainly not happy about the Fetching mitts, but at least I am forewarned that the yarn is not machine-washable, because I have a scarf out of the same yarn. I'd hate for the scarf to get ruined since much more work went into it than the fingerless mitts.

*sigh*

And to top it off my ripple afghan is in need of washing. I'm going to hand wash it - there is no way I'm throwing it in the washer and crossing my fingers hoping it comes out ok! Not after I spent so much money on it!

~Another FO~

I just finished another little project for my coming little one, the Top Down Bonnet. I love free patterns! :-)



It was a very simple knit. I did learn one new tecnique - the Figure 8 cast on. It wasn't hard to figure out, and made the top of the cap very nice. There is no seaming on this cap. I just love the self-striping baby yarn I used. I made the "baby" size, rather than the "newborn" size, so I hope it will fit at the right time!

For more pattern/yarn details, please click here (Ravelry link).

~Happy New Year!~

A very happy New Year to you!

Last night we went to our church for fellowship, food, and games. I took a cherry pie, which was so pretty, I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I didn't! And egg salad sandwiches. There was a lot of food. In years past, people have brought a lot of sweets, but this year there was more substantial food, which is so much nicer for snacking than plate after plate of cookies and cakes and candies!

Today has been a lazy kind of holiday day. I tried my hand at New Year's Cookies. What are they? Yeasted dough filled with raisins, that are deep fried until golden brown and then rolled in sugar. My grandma makes them every year on New Year's - it is the only day she makes them. My dad's side of the family is German, and I am pretty sure this is a German tradition. We have never been with my family for New Year's, and so this year I determined to make some for myself. Well. I need more practice in the deep-frying department! Thankfully, I only made half a batch, so I didn't waste too many ingredients. The dough turned out perfectly. But I have never been a deep-fryer so I heated the oil too hot and the outsides cooked too quickly, leaving the insides gooey dough! Live and learn! Next year I'll know to cook them more slowly! I was able to salvage them, by refrying them. Needless to say, I won't be putting in for a job at the local donut shop! ;-)

We're going to take down the tree tonight, and then I'm going to get out my snowmen. I have a little collection of snowmen, and it is fun to bring them out after Christmas is over, to enjoy for a month or two during the winter.

May God bless you richly in this coming New Year! Thank you for continuing to come by my blog, and read and comment!