P.C.P part II with some extras

Good day! We are in the middle of another (insert clever apocalyptical phase related to snow) here in Spring time Kansas. Every time that groundhog doesn't see his shadow this happens. Late season snow. Barf! I mean I love the snow, but in winter. I'm ready to be outside with my girls! To go to the park and let them be free! It feels like a pipe dream right now. Someday soon, it'll happen.


Poor Amelia is getting the cooped up crazies. She's been naughty the last few days and meaner too. I know it's cuz she's bored and wants to be outside. I don't blame her.


Alyssa has been pretty sweet lately and really into playing games like peek-a-boo and a tag of sorts between her and Amelia. That is until Amelia knocks her down and gets put in time out for pushing. But what have I been doing? The same as I always do. Play with my children, try to clean house, and of course crochet and sew. I haven't done a lot of sewing but some.


I finished Amelia's doll and she effectively named her Princess Girl. I love the names she comes up with, she's so imaginative. Princess Girl and Carrier are pretty good friends. And I finished some projects for my "Project Complete Project 2013" also. Would you like to see?


Remember when I started This? It was forever ago and I finally hit got tired of trying. I was making it from my Red heart scraps and if you've worked with red heart it's not exactly ideal for a big project. So I fastly fell out of love with it.


So I weaved in the few remaining ends and added a small border and gifted it to Tonka, our male corgi. It now lays on his bed and he sleeps with it every night. I'm glad someone loves it.


Then there is this one. I started this back in January 2011. I hadn't really blogged about it because I didn't work on it a lot and I fell out of love with this a long time ago too. So what did I do with it? Same thing I did with my hexie blanket. Finished it where it was and gave it to Mabel, our female corgi. It's on her bed too and she sleeps with it almost every night too. I feel bad these endeavors ended like this but I'm glad that my dogs are happy.


Then there's this one. . I finally finished it. I ran out of yarn, then got all but one color and I had to wait forever to get it. But...


It's finally done. By the way, looking back over some of my old posts and looking at my pictures I'm thinking to myself that you all must think I never clean. Almost every picture has some toys or papers in it. To tell you honestly, I do clean. It just so happens when I want to take pictures there are toys and mail newspapers that the girls get into. If my house was dirty I would never display it over the Internet! I would be beyond embarrassed.


I've started another project. Something for my sister who got promoted at work. I started it Thursday afternoon. On Friday I challenged a friend on instagram to a crochet off. She's working on a project for her mom and is doing a ripple. I'm doing Le monde de sucrette's summer time ripple. They're about the same size, except hers is a tad wider.


It's gone from an idea to...


This to...


This, plus more, in a matter of days. I'm up to 40 rows I believe. My goal is 120 by Friday, which is the end date we chose. Well, she chose really, that's when she needs her'a done by. I love a challenge!


But as I was saying, it's for my sister who was promoted in her job and leaving for the police academy next month. I wanted to say congratulations and give her a piece of home to take with her. What better way to show someone love than with a handmade gift.

Another...

Turns one.




That's right, Friday the 8th, my little Alyssa turned the big 0-1. How has it already been a year? I don't get it, it couldn't be because we were having so much fun or anything!




I made cupcakes.




And a smash cake.




Decorated the living room.




And both doorways to the kitchen.




And didn't get a picture of the food table. Alyssa's birthday was much more relaxed than Amelia was, well for me anyway. Maybe it was because I was still in birthday mode. I don't host a lot of parties, I don't have a lot of reason to, but I do enjoy it.




Alyssa had a lot of fun. She got to be the center of attention and eat cake and see all her favorite people!




Well, she mostly just ate the frosting. Elliott gave her a spoon and she just scooped the frosting off.




After everyone left and after bath, Alyssa just couldn't handle it anymore and had a huge meltdown. She fell asleep promptly while I nursed her.




I cut my finger with an exacto knife the day of the party. I was making Alyssa's birthday shirt, it's something I do every year for my girls, and the exacto knife bit me. Have you ever been cut by one? It's not like being cut by a regular knife, you actually don't feel it until its too late, then there's blood everywhere by that point. But it healed quick because it was cut so cleanly.




I made Alyssa this little dolly for her birthday, it gets passed around between the girls then left in the living room on the floor for awhile and so on. I'm going to make one for Amelia too, hers is about half finished now.




Then the other day Alyssa was finally ready to sit in the wagon. I had fun pulling them because they cracked each other up the whole time.




And I hope you're having a fabulous Saint Patrick's day, we are despite the picture. Alyssa just didn't want to play photo shoot.




Sorry this wasn't a super exciting post, but here's an Irish Blessing to say bye for now.

May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

P.C.P 2013 part 1

Why hello! Are you Midwesterners gearing up for the storm headed our way! My neck of Kansas is scheduled for 6-12 inches of snow. Of course if Kansas stays true to herself we'll probably get 3 or so inches, or truer still, we'll be tropical. But the way it feels outside is telling something is gonna happen. I've come to show you some things I've crossed off my list.


This darling little baby blanket that wasn't even a quarter finished. I started it way back on 2011. But once I knew who I wanted to give it to it was a race up the finish line.


I worked on it every chance I got and only ran out of one color in the process. If you crochet faster when you're nearing the end of a skein/ball, it does NOT make the yarn go further. It was so lame too because I was almost done with that row. The greens were a little off but not too terrible. If I would have just finished it years ago it wouldnt have been a problem.


But I finished the blanket and then finished a baby sock monkey hat, wrapped them up and delivered them toy giftee. She's due on March and cried when she saw the blanket and hat. I love reactions like that! It makes it all worth it.


Then I finished my Blooming flower cushion. I started this last year sometime, last summer I think, and I finally finished it today.


I ordered a feather insert because I just love feather pillows! I can't fall asleep without my feather pillow, I've been that way since I was 10 or so.


I washed the two halves before I slip stitched them together. The insert arrived today and I ran to the door and jumped up and down to see the brown box sitting on our front porch. Don't you just love getting packages? I know I do.


I simply love it! I did "mess up" on the pattern because I misunderstood a part of it from Lucy's blog. It was my fault though because I didn't read it carefully enough and ended up doing hdc, sc, sc, hdc between each pedal instead of only one sc. I still really like it the way it is.


I love the colors too, all I can think of it "candy stripes."


And what I love most about it is I get to cross another project off "Project Complete Projects 2013." Two more down! I'll have to recount to see how much I have left, but it's still progress!


Hope you're all staying warm and entertained.


We are! Hopefully we can keep the girls steadfast through the snow storm!

Three Years

Three years. That's:
1095 days
26,280 hours
1,576,800 minutes
94,608,000 seconds

I did the math.
Three years ago yesterday, my little Amelia barged her way into the world. I was a due February 5, 2010, I was progressing but not enough and not having any contractions. We were going to set up an induction date of Monday the 8th but they were full and went ahead with my originally wanted induction date of the 11th, since it's my dad's birthdays. I was ready to be done with pregnancy and wanted my little girl out already. We were so sure she wasn't coming out on her own we went and had our taxes done on my due date. On the 10th my mom and I went shopping, I cooked dinner, and straightened up the house. The morning of my induction day at 530am I started having contractions. Got up, went to the bathroom, took my shower, still contracting. Every five minutes. If you know Amelia you know this is just like her, wanting to do it on her own when she knows your going to do it. We got the hospital with Elliott trying to make me feel better by making me laugh asking me what the ratio of Stanley nickels were to Schrute Bucks and I would have to reply, "same as the ratio of leprechauns to unicorns." (if your an Office fan you'll know what I'm talking about). We got to the hospital and into our room about 7am. Got my epidural pretty quick because I was in pain and already a 4-5cm. I slept most of the time and about 1230 was really hot and uncomfortable. My wonderful, amazing nurse Abby came in and checked me just as my doctor came in too. I was ready. They got everything set up and me in position to push. I'm not sure how long I was pushing but it wasn't long, less than 30 minutes, and my big headed stubborn Amelia was born at 144pm at 8.5 oz and 20 inches long, with bright red fuzz.


One of the three top favorite days of my life. Bet you can't guess the other two.


This little girl amazes me everyday and I love her more everyday too. I'm so proud I get to call her my daughter and he calls me her mommy.


We had a Lorax party for her on Sunday with all the family. It was so much fun. I made the cake, a Thneedville hillside with truffula trees. And a surprise inside.


Rainbow insides! I had a lot of fun doing her birthday this year.


We had truffula decorations.


Balloons.


And of course delicious food that Elliott and I made. He was such a great help with all of this, he did a majority of the cleaning and kept me calm through all of it.


And of course, who could forget the Lorax mustache cups. I know I can't.


It was all worth it when she saw it all and we surprised her and she ran and hid for twenty minutes. Alyssa ate up all the attention that Amelia wasn't getting. Alyssa thought it was all great fun and loved seeing all of her favorite people, walking around like crazy to any outstretched hands beckoning to her.


Then Monday we all crashed and just laid around. In the afternoon we went out and about and took the girls to eat at T-Rex Cafe . I don't have any pictures because Amelia was terrified of some of the dinosaurs despite the fact that she loves them. Then Alyssa had a meltdown. But we still had fun, and came home and put everyone to bed early! Thank goodness too, everyone was super tired.


What a happy birthday day had by all. Happy birthday little bear.

Present

It's no mystery that being a mom is hard work, so I really won't make excuses or explain away my absence. But I will tell you that I just wasn't feeling blogging in the month or so I've been gone. Every time I might have thought about it I just felt anxious and tired, and who wants to do something that makes you feel like that? I don't. So I just skipped it. I'm sorry if you've missed me, I've missed you! We're all doing quite fine though. Alyssa still isn't sleeping through the night despite being 10 months old. On a good night she wakes up once in the early morning. On average, 2-3 times a night. On bad nights 4 or more times. I've talked to her doctor about it but he didn't seem concerned. So I've just accepted that she'll probably do this until she's weaned.


Amelia will be three on Monday and we're having her party on Sunday. It's Lorax themed and we really went all out for it this year with decorations and I'm making a cake, its going to be great! I read her "Oh, the places you'll go!" by Dr. Seuss the other day, I've never read it before, or at least that I remember, and I couldn't finish the last page until I swallowed the lump in my throat. Because if you knew her like I do, you'd know that she's already moved mountains and that there is no stopping the unstoppable force which is my Amelia. Three... I remember when we brought her home from the hospital.


My mom has been back in town for awhile and we've been spending a lot of time with her. Catching up on lost time, since she's been out of state with my step-dad, I guess you would say. We do all kinds of things together. It's been nice having her back. My girls sure do love their nana, we'll all be sad when she leaves next week. Gone for six weeks then back for my step-brother's wedding in April. Anyway, we survived Christmas and had a good time with all our families. Elliott and I barely brought in the new year, we were both ready for bed at 9. But we made it, then promptly fell asleep by 12:05. The life of partiers right?


We've spent the last two weeks cleaning the house. And every time we feel we have a hold on it we realize we really don't. Someone once told me that with kids you really don't clean, you just maintain. It's too true. Maintain a low roar of clutter and chaos. After the girls' birthdays I'm spending some time organizing and decluttering. I've already started with TCC (Tabby's craft corner). So wish me luck with all that! I've made a goal for 2013 since the TCC is out of hand.


This is an "organized" TCC, insane! So much yarn and fabric, but craziest of all was the amount of half finished projects I found in there.


I made a list of things to complete in 2013 and then I'm going to start to destash some oft horde. I'm calling it "Project Complete Projects 2013." So far I've completed two things.


A panda hat for my sister.


And a sheriff scarf, also for my sister since she's an officer for them. It felt good to mark things off the list, hopefully chasing that feeling will help me complete the list.


I've been working on a pattern for a doll too. I loved making this little doll.


I made one for both girls (per hair) and they're named Harriet, left, and Margret, right. Since Amelia has a hard time saying those names they are respectfully Carrier and Yogurt. I like what se came up with better. Before I put hair on Carrier Amelia kept asking me to make her happy (put a smile on her) and give her hair. Ever since I made her, Amelia has taken her everywhere. Made me happy that she loves her so much. Well anywho, that's a quick catch up on the goings-on of my little life. I hope you are happy and well! Hugs and love until next time.