Just Another Manic Monday

Rogue and I took a nice little walk this morning. The sky was blue, the wind was at a minimal, and you could actually hear some birds twittering among themselves in the trees up above. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love dark and dreary days. But this morning was a nice change of pace. I attribute feeling better, physically, to it as well.

I have been keeping busy today

• Laundry, both washing and folding
• Dishes, still drying in the dishwasher
• Picking up toys (they are never ending)
• Making banana bread
• Writing the meal plan for the week (tonight is Chicken Parmigiano Strips with Spaghetti Marinara)
• Organizing various projects
• Organizing the closets

I should be working on my love notes card for Shawn, for Valentine’s Day. I need to do some 1/8″ stitching around the envelope before I can embroider the card.

I should also be doing some embroidery after investing in a hand painted canvas on supplies. I decided to delve into the world of embroidery on my second visit to Queen Anne’s Stitches. It was a perfect activity while the rain poured on and on in the afternoon. Of course, I saw this and just had to join.

I should be working on my Minimalist Cardigan considering the Ravelympics start on the 12th and I really don’t want to start a second sweater without finishing the first one. I guess we’ll see what happens in the next few days. I am in three groups for the Ravelympics. What was I thinking?

I should be going to the gym. Right now. I finally joined a gym and need to go check it out so I know where everything is and to get a class schedule. I did very well last month with our new healthy living. Until I got food poisoning. I know that whatever weight I lost in January I gained right back this past week. So I need to get some exercise to help shed those pesky cottage cheese thighs.

I should also be very pleased with myself because my Littlest Pet Shop Special Edition Platypus came in the mail the other day. But you have to see what I had to buy to get the Platypus because she’s just so damn cute:

I should also try to calm myself down. All weekend I’ve been up in the air. Flitting about from one thing to the next. You see, school starts tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. My schedule?

• 8-9:20 History 102: Western Civilization
• 9:30-10:50 Political Science 1
• 11:10-12:30 Sociology 200: Women’s Studies

My days are just getting busier and busier and I don’t know where to find the time to do all the things I should be doing. How does one do it?

Project Overload

I don’t know if it’s because the holidays are approaching so fastly but I feel like one of Santa’s not so little elves. There are stocking, advent calendars, ornaments. There will be candy making, Chex mix making, cookies to bake. There are turkey dinners with all the trimmings, pumpkin pies, dishes to clean. There are gifts to buy, packages to wrap, birthday cake to make. There is a never ending list of things to do that normally would get me depressed and lazy. I’d leave things to the last minute. Nevermind anything handmade.

But this year is somehow different. Maybe it’s because Scout is two and it’s time for the magic of the holidays to come and make her eyes shine with delight. Or maybe I’m finally ahead of the game and not as stressed as I normally would be if I left things to the last minute.

With each new ornament I’m inspired to make something new. In fact after making the gingerbread men using a cookie cutter as a template I realized I had another perfect cookie cutter that I could use. A Heart.

I made a blue and a red heart but I liked them so much that I want to do green, yellow and white. I’ll work on those this weekend.

Then last night I got an itch and decided to scratch it.

I decided to work on a double pointed needle cozy because my needles are everywhere they shouldn’t be.

I used Sandi Henderson’s Farmers Market line. I love the green apples and I love the red apples.

There was a lot of crafting last night. And there will be a lot today. In fact, I’m off to take a beading class in about 30 minutes. Four and a half hours of no children. Four and a half hours of counting tiny size 15 beads. Four and a half hours of a beautiful bracelet.

Oh yeah, I’m on overload and I’m loving every minute of it!

Gingerbread Man

I got a little crafty with some felt and embroidery floss.

Ready for Christmas here.

Hop, Hop, Hop down the bunny trail

I am over a month late for the mobile swap so late night I sat my butt down and reworked the original design I had in mind, which really wasn’t the first original design. It was more like the seventh. After checking out all the gorgeous mobiles in the group, I had to change my design. There were already a number of bird mobiles and I wanted something a little different for my poor swap partner who I am sure has been waiting impatiently.

I had actually cut the fabric for the birds and some pretty little flowers and then somehow, all the cut fabric disappeared. (Even after doing a major clean sweeping of the house the other day and today, still nothing.) But the other day I picked up the fabric for the quilt I’ll hopefully be making, (successfully of course), and I saw some felt and I thought, “Huh, I can use this”. At the time I didn’t know what for. But this is what I came up with after watching the first three episodes of Dexter on Demand, (gotta love cable, right?):

They are little bunnies, but really when I look at them they look like long eared pigs. I shouldn’t have used button noses, but they were too cute. This is kind of my first attempt at embroidery. When I was little I did a bit of cross stitch but that was back in the day when they used to put the patterns on the cloth. All I did was add the color you know? When I was about 15 I did a great Precious Moments pattern, (on my own), but I don’t know what happened to it or the pattern book. I guess that’s what happens when you move around a lot, you simply lose track. And I admit, over the past year I’ve wanted to dabble a bit in cross stitch, but really I already have too much on my plate. (Lucky for me that my DMC floss stash hasn’t diminished much. Thanks to that friendship bracelets phase!)

Anywhoo, those are my little bunnies and this one is my fave:

I love the grey, pink and white combo. All that’s left to do is string them with fishing wire onto the hoop and get that package out ASAP.

I have some big plans ahead that just might involve some of you who are interested. One being that I will need test knitters for my sock pattern. I’m just wrapping up the pattern and notes, so it will be about a week or two before I need anyone. But if you are interested let me know. I can’t provide yarn for the project, but I can provide $10 gift certificates to an online yarn shop to help recoup, (unless you want to use your stash). Maybe one day when I’m a rich and famous designer I can send bags and bags of yarn to you all, until then I am claiming poverty. Well, something like it.

Another is a new swap group for those that were flaked on in the Sock It To Me Twice swap. I’m sorry to say that the second round I hosted had a large number of flakers. This will be a small and special little group and anyone I know personally, (from blogs and life), are welcome to join. Details will follow probably in the beginning of May.

And I have a few giveaways planned. So if you are in need of crochet hook or knitting needle holders, BEWARE. There will also be a knitting bag or two given away. So if you like contests, keep reading. I have to lure you all in somehow right, it can’t possibly be just my charm that brings you all back?

Til then. Happy Monday.