Dis-Easter (Kinda, but not really)

I hope everyone has had a fantastic week and had a great Easter. My Easter Sunday started out well enough, I ran into a blog called Crochet with Raymond the night before right before I dashed off to bed, and read through Alice's posts during the my nightly feedings with Alyssa. I love the blog! It's colorful and bright, plus Raymond, you're just going to have to check it out or take my word for how wonderful it is! And I finished Alyssa's Easter booties that matched her dress that morning and had managed to dress myself before getting the girls ready. Then disaster struck. Amelia refused to wear her dress and when I snuck it onto her she desperately pulled at it and begged to take it off. Crying and saying, "mommy, off!" No, sweetie, we have to wear it for a little bit. "Mommy, off!?" No, we can change out of it later, we just have to wear it for a little bit. Screaming and crying and begging ensued and mommy put little Amelia into time out for not listening and screaming. Crying is ok, but screaming is not. Not too big of a deal, not something uncommon in our daily life. But then a bigger disaster hit.

The sweet little booties that I made for Alyssa, the one that I had tried in a cream color first and decided that the pink would match better, and tried on one of her feet and determined it would fit, didn't fit the other foot. I tried my best to stay calm and get the bootie on that sweet little big foot, but the more I tried the sweater I got, the more she moved and fussed from being "held" down. It was a nightmare. In dismay I snatched the booties, threw them at the crib and cried in despair to Elliott that our baby had too big of feet. "Can't she just wear socks?" Of course she could! But that ruined the picture of Easter I had in my head. The whole 20 minutes that all of this took place I lost my appetite for Easter. And I love Easter! Then after we were on our way to my in-law's I realized I had left Alyssa's Easter onesie at home with her sun hat. UGH! "Do you want to go back?" Elliott asked. NO! I don't want to go back. If we go back I might lock myself in the bathroom and not come out until dinner.

Then I stared out the window and shed a few angry tears that helped lessen the fire in my tummy. It would be ok, we just had to get there and I would feel better. We stopped at the gas station on the way out and Elliott ran inside to get something. He came out with my new favorite drink, Brisk's sweat ice tea, and one of my favorite little snacks, a nacho flavored slim Jim. Thank you sweetheart, for making me feel better with goodies. How could I be mad after that? He did try his very hardest to keep me collected and make me laugh. He has always been the only person to get me out of the deepest funks. So, we got to my in-law's house and Alyssa wanted to be held, no biggie, and it was rather warm outside so body to body gets warmer. We had to shed the dress before anyone really got to see it, and of course, no pictures were taken of the girls in their dresses together. Years from now when they ask me, "mom, where are all the holiday pictures at from when we were little?" Well, girls, mommy has mommy brain and I can't hardly remember where I leave my shoes let alone remember to bring and/or use the camera. MENTAL NOTE: Get better about using the camera. You'll miss those memories when they're gone.

So, aside from no Easter pictures and me being mad the first part of Easter, and Elliott working that evening, it was a pretty good day. The girls got a nap and I put my feet up and had a few minutes of quiet time, because you know if you have more than one little one down for a nap they take turns actually sleeping, so the overlap is only ever a few minutes. It's a work in progress I assume, or is it always like that? Either way, it's worth it. I can always sleep when they're in school. Right?...

Well, that's about all I have for today, because this has taken me a week to write. My mom was very generous and let me borrow her computer with her internet card. It's nice to be able to see things full screen. I was watching something on YouTube and my eyes started to hurt a little because it was so big and bright! It was a nice change from my little iPhone. I just wanted to give you a peek of my ripple which is fast growing now that I have an itch to finish it so I can cuddle with it. Yep, just in time for summer.

And I leave you with a picture of my two A's, enjoying tummy time together and watching their/Amelia's beloved Puss in Boots. Amelia wrapped her arm around Alyssa and gave her a kiss on the head. Of course it didn't last long, because being two makes you move more often.

Happy Days!

Crochet Goodies + Easter Stories

Easter was pretty good this year. E had to work but my dad and brother came out to keep little A and I busy until he did get home, then we went to E's parents for dinner.



E took little A on a tractor ride that she loves last year but this year wasn't so sure. She didn't cry just fussed like she didn't know what was going on, and we told her we were going bu-bye. She looked around and said, "bu-bye" in a said little voice as if she was really saying, "can I leave this place for something better?" The tractor ride didn't last very long, E was disappointed, but there is always next time!


The dress that almost wasn't... I waited until the night before Easter to wash little A's dress, because I was worried about washing it anyway. I had good reason to worry. The seams in the skirt of the dress fell out! The fabric frayed and unraveled (which I didn't sew to closely to the edges) and parts of the arm holes came undone (only two spots were I did sew to closely to the edges). I was understandably upset, it made my stomach tighten up and tears well up in my eyes. I wasn't altogether upset because the dress had fallen apart, I was upset because if I couldn't fix the dress little A didn't have a back up dress to wear because I didn't buy one! If I couldn't fix it she wouldn't have a dress to wear for Easter! But thank goodness, I was able to fix everything! And of course, she was adorable in it.



Oh, here it what I made for all the littles in my life! I made 5 of these babies. Of course, I was so excited to give them away I didt get pictures of all of them. *Sigh* I seem to be doing that a lot lately. But they were so much fun to make and that much more fun to give away. The two in the picture are Mario and Luigi, both belong to little A.


The other day I got a wild hair, or is it hare? Anyway, I'm working on that hexagon blanket (I'll post a link as soon as I can/have permission) and it's a join-as-you-go process, meaning you join the pieces together as you're working on them instead of piecing them together when every piece is finished.


I thought to myself when I first saw this method how lazy and unprofessional it was. Boy was I wrong! Big time! It's so much fun and it looks better in a way, I think, plus I was able to finally do something with all the granny squares I had made and wasn't doing anything with because I dreaded the sewing together.


Look how beautiful it is! I'm so happy I found the join as you go! This is actually the first traditional granny square anything I've done. It's only a little afghan but I'm so in love with the whole granny experience now that I want to so everything granny! But I must fulfill my other crafty obligations before I get to play around.


Look how big they're getting! No buds on the sunflower but it as the basil smell amazing!

But anyway, next week I'm going to have more crafty goodies to show to you! And I'm thinking of a crafty give away because I'm nearing 200 views on my blog. Yes, yes! I'll have to think of something fantastical that you'll enjoy.

Until next time!

Easter Bunny PSA

(Above: Rabbits on display in a pet store)
It's that time of year again. Pet stores pray for a good turn out every year and most gets their wishes. Mothers and fathers love the looks on their little ones' faces when they see a cute little fuzzy rabbit, with a wiggly nose, and soft ears and whiskers. Sure, they're small enough now, and seem like a great idea for an Easter present, but PLEASE DON'T fall into the Easter= rabbit for Junior. Don't buy one because it seems like a good idea at the time.
Rabbits are a life long commitment, at least 5-10 years depending in the breed. If you can't or won't take at least an hour out of your day to play, groom, and check over your rabbit, clean their potty pan/litter box (yes, rabbits can be box trained) 1-2 times a week and be prepared to spend 30$ weekly for romaine lettuce, hay, and pellets, don't get one.
Rabbits are considered exotic animals and most vets will see them but many are not well versed in rabbit. Specialist are well versed and will be better qualified (meaning experience, but meaning more expensive too).
Rabbits are the only mammal that can neither pass gas, burping or otherwise, or vomit. Therefore, if your bunny gets a hair ball he cannot spit it up like a cat. That's a trip to the bunny doctor. Nail trimming, teeth examining, shots, well being, all things the bunny doc will do for your exotic treasure.
I'm not saying don't get one if you want one, just know they're expensive and time consuming. But if you're heart is in it, it's also very rewarding. Though similar to cats, they are very playful like dogs. They give kisses and click their teeth, and jump and bound around when happy. With a personality bigger than body.




(Above: My home set up for Joey and Alfy)
I know both sides of the "Easter bunny." Joey was an Easter bunny bought for brother when I was a sophmore in high school. Like most people will do, we were unknowingly killing Joey very slowly. We only fed him iceberg lettuce, which is just water basically, and carrots, which are full of sugar and fat. Nothing heathy really. Within two years Joey hadn't gained any weight and was being to loss fur from his legs and belly. Luckily, E's (we were dating at the time) mom had been raising house rabbits for awhile and set me straight on a lot of things that a lot of people get wrong if they're not ready or educated for a bunny. Joey's story has a happy ending. He got better with proper care and nutrition and is still alive, living into a very old age.


(Above: Alfy in his potty pan)
We have had three rabbits altogether. Colby, who we rescued because he was a school rabbit not wanted and yet again another instance where he was not properly cared for and he unfortunately passed away two years ago because that poor care caught up to him. And Alfy, whom we got right before Colby passed away as a baby from the pet store.



(Above: Joey on his shelf)
In short, I don't want to tell you what to do or what not to do, but please know the facts. Our animal shelters are packed to the brim with animals that people picked up and brought home before they truly understood what they were doing and got rid of because they couldn't take care of that animal or didn't want anymore. Be educated and be prepared. Make wise decisions before you commit to something you weren't ready to commit to. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them or point you in the right direction if I cannot answer them for you.

Happy Easter!

Call it Good

Hello! This week wasn't quite as strange last week but still just as disorganized! Until yesterday, our kitchen table was still in our living room. Now it's back in it's rightful place and the kitchen is slowly getting back to it's regular chaos. E has done a great job painting the kitchen!! The paint, called "Pool Party" is a wonderfully light and bright comparison to the hunter green that used to hover on the kitchen. All that is left to do is trim the sliding glass door! Yay!


Remember this? That green behind the bag is what used to be in the kitchen. The. Whole. Kitchen. Blah! I mean it's a nice color, I just don't feel it's best in a kitchen.


We had to Kilz over the green first and then do the blue. Look at E go! He did such a wonder job with everything! I knew he would though. A is pretty excited to have her play area back upstairs and I'm ready to get the house back in order. I slacked a lot more than usual while the kitchen was being made over.


But never in the craft department! While E spent his evenings, after A went to bed, in the kitchen I worked on A's Easter dress! And...


It's finished! Thankfully next Sunday is Easter because it is almost too small! I made it without a pattern so I just made my own measurements and I obviously didn't measure for some wiggle room. (C'mon! It's my first attempt! :-))


But she loves it! And so do I! Now I know, kinda, what I'm doing, the next dress I make will be better/bigger, and trust me, there is probably going to be a LOT more dresses!


And I have my kitchen window back an now everytime I wash my hands I get to look at my growing plants. They are going nuts! No blooms on the sunflowers yet, but they're huge. The basil is actually putting on the leaves you can cook with and eat. Next week I'll be able to show you a bunch of goodies I've been working on! Until then, here's the new blanket I'm working on, my first one I'm making for myself! There I said it, now I can't turn around and give it away.



It's a scrappy hexagon blankie! I'm using only the left over yarn I've collected over the last year or so from previous projects. I love it!


I love the new paint too! It makes the kitchen seem so much bigger.


Little A loves it too! But anyway, that's about all the babbling I've got for today.

Until next time! And Happy Easter everyone!