(Another!) Star Garland Give Away!!

Hello! Hello! Good Sunday to you all! It has come to my attention that some people who would have liked to been entered into the Star Garland Give Away were unable due to whatever reason so...

I'M DOING ANOTHER GIVE AWAY!!!

That's right! If you want it, tell me! Text me (if you have my number), email me at tabbysorangemarbles@hotmail.com, message me on my blog, on facebook, where ever! This, again, is open to everyone! So, if you'd like to recieve a star garland (FREE to you!) let me know! AND! If you need more than one to avoid fighting amongst your household, if you should win, tell me why and I'll hook out a few more. ;-) (no more than four please).

I hope you're interested because I'd love to make some for you! Just give me a shout out by August 20th, that's almost two whole weeks! All I ask for in return is an email saying how much you love it and a picture of where you've hung it up! With your permission, I'd share that on my blog. I'll name the winner (selected randomly from those who enter) on August 24! I hope to hear from you soon!

Until next time!

A Little of Everything

Good day all! I hope you are all having a good day and week! Today we were supposed to get some rain (it was a 60% chance!) and it hasn't come yet, I wish it would, it would make taking Little A out back so much more comfortable. Hopefully all this excessive heat we've been under will melt away and we can spend more time outside. We've been going to the pool, which Little A loves but sometimes she's too brave and goes out too far for her reach. She doesn't mind going under, she actually finds it pretty funny, but she has no idea how to get back once she's gone too far. Everytime we go she gets more interested in the water over watching all the people. Well, anyway, I just want to do a quick shout out to my little sister who turned 22 yesterday! Happy Birthday S!

I found these cuties while searching (holy cow, I have no idea where I got them from Google, but if they're your's I'm not trying to take any kind of create for them!) and I think I can make a pattern for crochet ones from looking at them. Only time, and actually getting to it, will tell. But they are so cute!

I haven't done much crafting lately, but Tonka and I have been spending most evenings in the recliner in the basement. He's such a lover. Plus, that lap afghan, or lapghan, is a recently (almost finished) project I was working on. Why can't the ends weave themselves in? It's real teal and spring green from Red Heart and those colors together are so yummy.

Do you remember when I was stuck up on the hate Jane Fonda was wearing? Well, I finally just did it! Finished it just the other day! Wait for it...

Ta-da! I don't think it's exactly like it, obviously, but it's a great look-a-like I think! Plus it's my first one, the next one should look a bit better, I'm still pretty proud of it.
Little A and I went out with a friend and her kids yesterday, her oldest son will be three in October. It was fun but it was so hot and we got a late start and by the time lunch rolled around everyone was hungry and kind of cranky. Ok, at least I was! But her son and Little A kept holding hands! It was so cute! Wish I had a picture of it, it is in facebook though.

I've also been meaning to share these with you. E loves homemade things, especially if they're made just for him. I had left over fabric from when I made the curtains, I'm a chronic over buyer of fabric because I don't want to be short or mess up and not have enough to redo it. There were no plans for the fabric so I made him two pillows! Despite their different sizes both are equally comfortable to snuggle with.
Oh! Last night, for the first time in over a year, I went to see a movie, by myself. Well, with a friend. But wait! It wasn't just any movie! It was Harry Potter!!! I'm a huge fan of Harry and have been waiting to see it. It was fabulous! It was everything I wanted it to be! The director David Yates, in my opinion, is one of the best ones the Potter series has had. I also will admit, I cried! I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so I can watch it repeatedly like I do the others. Sorry, the nerd in me came out a bit. But E was so sweet and took over my nightly duties for me including bathing and feeding Little A then putting her to bed, all without complaint! I sure am lucky to have him.

(rain in the south a few days ago, off the back deck.)
That's about all for now I think. Hopefully, I'll be able to show you some stuff that I'll try to get done, I need to get my lazy butt in gear! I hope you have a great week!

Until next time!

Lazy Summer Week

Good day all! I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I know I am. The heat is an energy killer though and I haven't been working on stuff as much as I should. I have managed to eek out a few rows on the granny stripe blankie. Poor E was just telling me today how he wished he had a new blanket to cuddle up with his newly reinstated recliner. Sorry honey! It'll be ready before fall for sure. As for the recliner, I was using it to nurse Little A at night because she was getting too big for both of us to be comfortable in the rocker any more, so we stole poor daddy's recliner. He just got it back at the end of June I think. But it's back and that's all that matters.

Everyone, including the two corgis, love the recliner. It's sage and it's fabric is so soft like a short haired Teddy bear and it doesn't have "arms" per se, it's like a crescent shaped seat that makes it easy for more than one person to sit in. I got it for E when we were newly married, it wasn't leather like he's always wanted, but it still suits his needs just fine!

I never told you the story of the mantis! The next morning after it was completed (I didn't put it in her crib for her to find because I wanted to see her face when she saw it) I went to pick up Little A from her crib and had it in my arms. Of course that was the first thing she noticed. She saw it ad her eyes lit up! She reached out as yelled, "That!" I gave it to her as she hugged it and kissed it and it proceeded to be her sidekick for the next few days. It's name is Bonzai, courtesy of Daddy. It was shortly replaced by the original sidekicks:

The giraffes! She has two about the same size that she has all the sudden gotten really attached to. Oh well, at least Bonzai was top dog for a day.

I made grape and yogurt smoothies the other day and Little A loved them, I thought they were just ok. Silly me saw the lack of ingredients and thought "oh, this will be easy!" but I also forgot that little ingredients sometimes/mostly equals little flavor. It was a fresh taste and the yogurt was good, but if I make it again I'll definitely add more fruit.

I have those curly Q hats I made stores by my sewing machine and Little A constantly steals this one and puts it on. I'll be sitting down watching a show or working on something and the next thing I know she'll come up with the hat on. I don't mind, I think it's cute. She also loves to sit, lay, stand, dance, on the coffee table. Though we strongly discourage it all, there are only so many times you can try to stop the unstoppable force of an 18 month old.

You may or may not see her, but she's inside her toy box. We've been inside a lot lately, like I mentioned last week, and this week is no different. *sigh* I think next week we'll be spending a lot of our evenings at the pool. Hopefully. With that being said, I hope I'll be able to get some projects finished and show them to you!
Oh! Something exciting, well for me, I'm planning a baby sprinkle for my sister-in-law's second baby due October 5. I've never planned much more than Little A's birthday, but I'm confident! Rightly or unrightly so! We'll see. But after the sprinkle I'll definitely be able to show you my nephew's quilt. Well, anyway, sorry this post wasn't super exciting but it hasn't been a terribly exciting week either. I hope you're all staying cool out there!

Until next time!

Anniversary=Crafty

Good morning! Ok, I know I said I'd post on Wednesdays but yesterday doesn't count. It was our fourth wedding anniversary! E told me yesterday that he forgot our anniversary and offered me a high five as condolance. I cried a little. It's not that he said he forgot our anniversary, it was the high five that made it hurt. I looked at him and said, "you're making it worse." There has been so much going on here lately that truthfully I didn't know what day of the week it was until our Parents As Teachers lady texted to see if we were still ok to have our meeting the next day. In truth, I lost track of the anniversary, didn't forget! Just misplaced the days. But my sweet husband, who isn't like some husbands really did remember and had it all planned out.

He had these sent to me these, gerbera daisies, my favorite flower and our wedding flower, with a card that said, "Happy anniversary. I love you. E." He and little A took me to dinner at Johnny Carino's at the Legends and we ate all of our favorites! We don't go there hardly at all so it's really special when we do go. E told me that all other speghettis taste weird compared to mine (which is his favorite dish). It made me really happy to hear him say that.
Then we went to Cabela's to exchange something E bought that didn't work out for him and came home and did our normal routine stuff. But wait! He had something else for me! Oh my gosh! A Big Foot Free Motion Foot for my machine! *heart melting excitement* This guy was late coming home Monday night because he had to drive all the way from Kansas City to Lawrence (both are on the opposite sides of where we live) to pick it up. He must love me or something! I've been after this foot since January, with minimal searching though. And he bought it for me!

It's pretty much amazing! He's amazing! He remembers way more than I give him credit for sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I got him something too, but I'm making his for him, that quilt I mentioned earlier and that granny stripe blanket, of course neither were finished on time, but who is surprised? Not me! My brother didn't get his Christmas present until May! But it was a great day and a happy anniversary!

These are the booties that go with the hat.

Apparently it was a great success along with the quilt. It made the mother-to-be cry or almost cry, but she loved them and that's what matters! I didn't add toe nails because the pattern I used for the bootie wouldn't look right with toe nails.

I've also revised my pattern for the cupcake hat, I think I'll actually write it up and share it with you! And I'm also working on quilted coffee sleeves.

They're really fun and easy to make. I'll have to punch out a tutorial/pattern for that too.

I'm mass producting these they're so fast to make! Besides that crafty has been a little slow this week because E's schedule is backward so mine is too. Next week it'll mostly be back to normal thankfully.

Besides all that, we've been hermitting inside from the horrible heat, plus Little A is taking an antibotic that makes her already fair, redheaded skin more sensitive to the sun. Here I was excited for summer so we could spend most of our days outside! Ha! Maybe we'll get a cool down soon. Anyway, I hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Until next time!

Dreaming of A

Last night Little A and I ate dinner (late) in the kitchen. She in her high chair, me in my chair. Making faces at one another. She would only eat if I fed her her chicken and then it got to the point that she wouldn't eat anything unless she fed me a piece at the same time I would feed her one. All this going on while Coldplay's song "Yellow" played on the iPod dock. I've come to associate that song with the feelings I have for Little A, most particularly the line, "for you I'd bleed myself dry." How true is that line of any mother who ever loved a daughter, or son.

Then I looked at that little face chomping on her chicken nuggets, second round of nuggets today, grinning at me, turning her head the same way I would. How lucky am I to have this little girl's love? A love so unconditionally that if I pretend to leave her behind she completely melts down. Yes, sometimes I want to pull my hair out if I've left the room to potty or put something away in another room and she can't see me and begins to cry out for me. But when that little person peaks at me around the corner, sees me, and steps back to play a quick game of "I see you! Now I don't!" how can a mommy be mad?

My dad told me once that parenthood is one of the most rewarding and hardest things you will ever do. It absolutely true! Example:
Reward: a grin and a tackling hug and maybe if you're lucky even a kiss!
Hard part: sticking that bubble butt in time out because she's doing something you've told her not to a hundred times and she cries the whole time.

Hard part: she doesn't need you anymore to fall asleep at night.
Reward: you've raised her well enough that she CAN do it herself.
I don't think I ever truly knew what love was until I've been grabbed and held onto as if I was the only life vest on a sinking boat. Or kissed through crib bars because she can't lay down otherwise. Or stepped in the shower to see little fingers curl around the shower door seconds later to wrench it open to peak at me because she can't wait 8 minutes for me to be done in there. I know once this time is gone it'll be gone forever, and I'm enjoying every, single, second.

Sorry, just feeling sentimental I guess! :-) I strongly urge you to check out "Yellow." It's a lovely song.

Until next time!

Coming Back

(Mabel asleep on her bed for once!)
Good morning! I know it's been awhile, I've just been so worn out lately and can't explain why exactly, but I'm back! I'll try not to make this too much of a downer post but I have something weighing on me.
The other day, Little A and I went to wal-mart after nap and lunch time, just bobbing to the radio and kissing our baby doll named Baby. It wasn't an unusual drive until we got to the stoplight in Basehor (Ks).
A few blocks ahead of us there were flashing lights and an arrow pointed us into the right lane. Traffic slowed and we all looked to our lefts to see the terrible accident. An SUV had been in an awful accident (I'd rather not go into details). I crossed myself, being Catholic it comforts me, and we drove on.
I prayed for those people, whoever they are, and then thought of all the people I knew who might had a car like that. Fortunately for me, no one I knew did, but people I know knew the people. I was in a daze, it rocked me so hard and I didn't even see it happen. Not until almost three miles later when Little A shouted "mama!" at me did I come back. Even then it took me awhile to fully come around.
Seeing something like that or being in your own accident (I've had my unfair share) it makes you realize what really matters to you. To tell you the truth, it's not as much as you might think.
The rest of the day I wasn't thinking of the house, my dogs, dinner, anything that worries my mind daily, I was thinking of Little A, of my husband and how much they mean to me and exactly how much I love them. They're the only things that keep me "coming back." If the world fell down tomorrow it would be ok with me, as long as I had them by my side.
Phew, now I have that off my chest...

(Little A on her new tricycle!)
On a WAY lighter note! I hope everyone had a safe 4th! I know it's a little late. Little A had a great time! Her cousin was scared of the fireworks and wouldn't even come out of the house, but Little A needed a pair of legs to hold on to until the noise was over. She let me hold her while the big stuff at dark was going off, but then she got excited a wanted down. She would arch her back and point out at the lights, "talking" about them with little exclaimations of "neat!" and "cool!" She enjoyed herself for sure!

This morning we found her treasure chest! The vent. She stuffed some crochet stars and her little brown bunny in there and she got pretty pissed off that we took it all out. She loves to take the vent covers off! Lord only knows why!

I've also been very busy craftwise! I made this hat for my friend for her cousin's baby shower.

It didn't take long to make! I plan on making booties and mittens out of the gray and putting white toe nails on them to match the hat, so it'll be a whole little elephant costume! I can't wait to finish it all! I'll take pictures for you all!

This is the granny stripe I've been working on for our anniversary. It is what I call "the man blanket." it's colors are all man. As I've said before, I wish the colors were brighter. My birthday is coming up soon and hopefully I'll be getting some means to buy woman colors for a new blanket.

This is the quilt my friend Megan and I have been working on for the last two or so weeks. Not every day, but we hit it hard when we worked in it.

The floral fabric is stunning, it's so modern and girly.

The back isn't eye catching quilt pattern-wise, but the floral makes up for it.

Lately, at night after Little A goes to sleep, I've been working on this. All the pieces are finally finished so...

A pink praying mantis! Love it!

It's so cute! I don't like real praying manti, because they are so mysterious and creepy! Buy beautiful at the same time! I can't wait to give it to Little A tomorrow! What do you think we should name the mantis?

Well anyway, that's enough crafty goodness. It has been SOO hot out lately! We've been spending a lot of time in the basement where it's nice and cool. Little A actually sat down with daddy in his chair for a good twenty minutes. It's very unusual for her to sit still longer than a minute or two. Needless to say, daddy was quite happy! I was watching the weather an it doesn't look like we're going to get much relief from the heat anytime soon. Looks like we're gonna hit the pool!
I just wanted to tell you all, I recieved some big news Friday, but I can't tell you what it is yet, but it'll be soon! I hope you all have a great week!

Until next time!

P.s. I promise to always post on Wednesdays and this is my way of keeping accountable... Hopefully. :-)

Goings-on

Hi! I didn't realize how fast this week has gone! I didn't realize it was Friday and I thought it was the 23rd instead of the 24th and I had to fast forward my thinking clock and get straight with the days! Plus, Little A has decided that 25-40 minutes is a good enough nap for a growing baby which makes the days seem so much longer and this mama so much more wore out at the end of it.

This kid loves wal-mart! Maybe it's the lights, the warehouse like sounds, the many strange people that are often too loud and talk about things maybe only their diaries should know about, or the many colorful toys, balls, and balloons found on every other aisle. Whatever it may be, if she's having a bad day a trip to Wally is always a cheer-upper! And there is ALWAYS something you need to pick up at wal-mart.

I've been really into hats lately. Crochet or fleece doesn't matter! The fleece punch out so much faster than the crochet ones, but I get the same amount of satisfaction from both. I made myself, Little A, AND Virginia matching fleece hats. Who's Virginia?

This, my friends, is Virginia. It was actually an accident that Virginia came into a hat of her own. I was making Little A her hat and I cut on the wrong side which didn't allow stretching (is that the bias side? I'm still new to the terms of fabric and sewing), and it was cut just perfect for size so it wouldn't fit right. Virginia's head is plastic so she doesn't need much stretch because she won't cry when I have to hold her down to squeeze the hat over her ears. So I made a new stretchy one for Little A and sewed down the old one for Virginia.

I just wanted a picture to show everyone in your matching hats! I'm sorry I made you cry by setting you on the couch for a picture and holding your baby next to you. I promise I won't set you on the couch unless you ask me to ever again!

E wanted some curtains for the kitchen window, have I told you this? After we remodeled the kitchen door and repainted he threw the old ones out and then began to complain about how he wished we had curtains again. Doh! I had a print in my mind and have been searching for something close for about a month and a half to two months. I found the sailboats and piers fabric above at Hobby Lobby. Oh, just saying the name of the store makes me happy because there is so much I'd love to buy and make stuff out of it with! I also got a hunter green to go behind it to block out some sun. On Wednesday, after E went to work, I put Toy Story 3, out new favorite, on for Little A and set to make my curtains. Measuring, cutting, planning, sewing, not in that order. Phew! But here they are!

I forgot to add width to it to make pleats when I put them up. :-( But! I do like the way they came out.

My mom's response to the sailboat print? "My grandma had curtains like that." Thanks mom... Haha! I'm sure (I think) she was joking, but I think it's fun and they look great! Measuring and calculating sure was back aching work, I think I made E give me a back rub.

We had to go to a new doctors' office for E to have a check up and they had the coolest thing! A bird "cage" instead of the traditional fish tank! I should have gotten a close up but I was getting strange looks and felt uncomfortable. They had finches, diamond doves, a canary, orange check something or other, and gray waxbeaks (I think). It was so cool!

I've been wanting to share this with you! There are 157 (3 extra) 5 1/2x5 1/2 squares cut from scrap fabrics from a lot of the quilts I've made. I'm so excited I could pee myself! Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.

E helped me lay them out, as let me tell you, that man has an eye for color combos and positioning! He's way better at it than I am! But don't tell him, but it's a present for him/me for our wedding anniversary next month! Yay! It's four years, forty? Four hundred? Hehe, just kidding! Though it has only been four years since the "I do's" it seems like a blink of an eye as well as if life was always like this. Bliss is what they call that I believe. I'm over half done with the quilt top, which is my favorite part.

So last week I mentioned an idea I had for a new project. Lucy at Attic24 has a great tutorial for the granny stripe pattern on her blog: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-stripe.html
I'm SOOO sorry, I still don't know how to link via my iPhone and we still don't have home Internet, but I still hope you check it out by copy and pasting. But I was thinking of making a granny stripe for my home for somewhere, probably the basement, and wanted to see if any of you would like to crochet along with me? I'd be happy to post your progress pictures along with mine if you'd like! Right now I'm working on a sample blanket (above pic) used from left over yarn from this blanket:

Hexagons for my new nephew! Due in October. This pattern can also be found at Attic24 under 'hexagon how-to.'

Well anyway, I feel like I've babbled a lot today, I think I need to post more than once a week or when I've finished a project, this feels like it's going to be long! So sorry! But I leave you with my chocolate face slide baby! I hope you have a great weekend!

Until next time!