Made It(and still making it) Monday...

Yes, I've had a bit of blogging slump. Seems that I go in spurts, lots of posts, then nothing, then back on again.  My life is out of routine, so I guess the blog is just following that flow.  I have been doing things, and I keep saying I need to post about them, but it just doesn't happen.  But today I am back and I will show just a few things I have been up to, with more to come.

I pin a lot of crochet projects, but don't actually do most of them.  I saw a gorgeous granny square blanket and decided to make one.... then I realized that I really hate to connect all the granny squares once I am done. Solution, just make ONE giant granny square... super simple. I worked on it a little bit a night over a couple weeks. Here is the result... 

 All the yarn was from my stash, and the colors go with the family room for now, but I am changing things, so this may go to the game room.

 I like the end result and look forward to making another one in different colors.

 This next project is a WIP.  I found this unopened candlewicking kit at Goodwill for $1.99 and I had to have it. I have always wanted to make a "Home Sweet Home" sampler and here was my chance.  I love the muted tones of it. I haven't gotten very far on it because my evenings lately have been spent on another project(quilt) that I will share later in the week.

 And then there are always the school bulletins boards that I am working on. The one for March had a Dr. Seuss/reading theme(all hand drawn). It came out pretty cute. I'll have to remember to take a picture of the finished board before I take it down for April(I keep forgetting my camera when I go to school).

So, I'm still here, just a bit mopey and busy.

Have a lovely day,

Tiff

Invasion of the Daleks and Snow!

We woke up to the most gorgeous blanket of snow this morning. This is my absolute favorite thing about winter...when the snow is thick and heavy and sticks to the trees.

 I wish it looked like this all season long... a winter wonderland...

 Pictures just don't do it justice.

 At about 11 this morning we went out and shoveled about 4" off the driveway. By the time we were through with the whole driveway another 2" had fallen :( and it's still falling, so we will be back out there again in a few hours after we thaw out!

Apparently Daleks like the snow too, one has invaded our front yard....

 But he is a friendly fellow and posed for pictures with the kids....

 In another hour, he will no longer be red, but turned to white as the snow continues...

Enjoy your Sunday. I'll stay put in front of the fireplace for a little while longer.

Tiff

Her Golden Birthday...

 My second oldest child(my oldest daughter) turned 18 today on the 18th... Her Golden Birthday :)

She is my "artsy" child. She loves art in all mediums. She was accepted to the Art Institute of NH with a lovely scholarship for this coming Fall.  She is the also the child with the personality that most resembles mine, which can mean that we butt heads often;)  As you will see in this photos, she is very creative and loves to dress up and take pictures, it doesn't hurt that she is photogenic too.

 She is having a bunch of friends over this evening for pizza and cake... and we have a prank to play on her...exploding balloon cake!

 She likes to experiment with her hair. It's fine with us, it's only hair.

 Her photoshop creativity...

Happy Birthday my dear Samantha bear!! You have grown into a beautiful young woman right before my eyes and I'm so proud of you.  I love you.

Mommy
ps...Cameron finished up MCT today and he was able to call her this afternoon! I got to talk to him for a nice long while after 5 weeks of nothing.... very happy mommy today.

Easter Swap

I thought this Easter swap looked kind of fun. Head on over to 521 Lake Street if you want to join the fun, but hurry, sign ups close February 18th.

Tiff

Just Waiting...

Waiting in limbo, that's what I'm doing, that's what I have been doing, and that's what I will be doing(for who knows how much longer).   We are trying to figure out where and when we should move. After my oldest daughter graduates, there isn't anything holding us here anymore.  Hubby works in NH, so for financial(travel expenses and taxes) and family reasons(less commuting more time at home) it makes sense for us to go there.  We want to rent for awhile, but trying to find a house big enough, that will take 5 children still at home, a dog, and two cats is not an easy task.  I would love to find a fixer upper farm on a few acres, but those are few and far in between. I want a safe town and neighborhood, but not sure I'm up to a new subdivision again.  Schools must be good, but then again, maybe I will home school.  

All this makes doing anything in the house right now, well, not at all appealing. Why should I rearrange a room or redecorate when I don't know if we will be here in 4 months?  What I should be doing is gutting the house of junk, because the thought of moving all of this gives me nightmares!  But that is a daunting task because I love my collections and finds, but I really don't need them all.  Simplify is what I need to do.  But I think that would be easier if I knew the house we would be moving in to... will it have a place for my sewing and craft stuff, will it have a basement for storage, how many of the kids will be sharing rooms, will it have a garage? all things that I need to take into consideration.  I guess no matter what, I will be having a massive yard sale come Spring.

Enough of my whining, I just need to pray for patience and guidance :)

Today I will share what was out my bedroom window this past Wednesday....

I was walking out of my bathroom and past my bed when something caught my eye out the window....  do you see it?

 Closer examination showed this big beautiful owl!  He(or she) was just lovely. I called the kids up and got the camera.  We watched him for 20 minutes or so(and he watched us, noisy children were "whoooing" at him out the window).  He eventually silently flew away and was marvelous to see those wings spread.

Have a lovely weekend,

Tiff

35.5" Apparently Weren't Enough...

Thank you all for the kind words yesterday.   

Today I wanted to share what our Maine winter looks like this year.  My town had the grand honor of highest snowfall in Maine from storm Nemo, 35.5"!!   And apparently winter thinks it wasn't enough. Here is what is happening outside right now...Oh and they are pretty much finished with the house behind me. No one is in it yet, but soon I'm sure. They went with a nice green colored siding and white trim.

 Hubby has made a point of always having fresh flowers for me lately.  He brought home the roses for me on Sunday, but the last batch still had life in them, so I separated them an put them in jars on either side.

 One more look at today's snow.

Tiff

Snow and Life...

I couldn't think of a good title for this post, hence the lame one above.  I didn't want to share the Dr.'s news yesterday on Mason's birthday, but I thought you all did need an answer, since I was the one who brought it up. This blog has evolved over the years into more than I thought it would. I thought it would just be a place for me to share my love of crafts, decorating, and junk shopping, but if you have read here for awhile, you know I share my life too.  It has become a diary for me. Maybe not quite as personal as a private pen and paper one, but definitely the closest thing to one that I have ever been committed to.  So here I will log the very short life of the third baby that is awaiting me in Heaven. I knew of you for only a week, but you will be forever in my heart.

Sharing a few pictures of the storm. Not looking forward to shoveling the driveway again after we woke up to all this.

 The picnic table is somewhere under there.

 Not sure how the dog is going to get out.

Tiff

Happy 3rd Birthday Mason!!

My baby turned 3 today!!  He woke up to his first present... a pretty blanket of snow on the ground and it has been falling steadily all day.

We celebrated with homemade cupcakes...

 Here he is showing how old he is.  He didn't know which way to look because there were four of us with cameras :)

 He approved of the cupcakes.

 His Nana and Grandpa sent him a Hess truck and $3, he was very happy.

 I decided to go the homemade route with our presents...  I made him a baby carrier to carry around Rosa and a knit hat for Rosa's head(my first knit project!)...

 Then I found a couple on Etsy who make the most beautiful wooden toys...   Ok, so I didn't make them, but they are still handmade.  The toys are very reasonably priced for the quality and workmanship.  Mason has had a thing for military stuff ever since Cameron became a Marine, so I knew he would really like these.

 In these next three pictures he was playing with the helicopter and he exclaimed "I love these!".

I think he had a good birthday. For dinner he asked for chicken and french fries, so that is what he will be getting.

Happy Birthday Mason!! We love you little buddy!!!

Mommy

Crocheting, Knitting, and waiting...

February has creeped up on me faster than I thought it would. I've been doing things, not sure what exactly, guess the winter blas have set in a bit, but I know they are actually some life yuckies.

Anyway, I thought I would share a baby gift I made for a friend's second grandbaby. She is having a little boy this month and I wasn't sure what she needed but thought a blanket and some burp cloths can always be used....

 The blanket is made from two pieces of flannel in a fun patchwork quilt pattern and I decided to add a crocheted edge to it to dress it up a bit.

 Sorry, blogger rearranged my pics...  I've been teaching myself to knit.  I was just not getting it the other night and it was frustrating me to no end, so I put it down.  I picked it back up again today and somehow my hands and needles finally caught on to what my mind had already picked up.  I managed to figure out both the knit and purl stitch and now I can play around with other designs.  On the needles here is not a project, it's just practice.... try not to laugh to0 hard at my uneven stitches.

Here are the burp cloths, flannel on one side and cotton on the other....

 And I found this book at goodwill for $.99, I know my mom will love it. She loves Warren Kimble and it has several of his paintings in the book that she can tear out and frame.

We are waiting for a big snow storm to hit some time tomorrow, two feet or more supposedly, the kids are hoping for a snowday(I am too).  I'm waiting for a phone call from the Dr to let me know that bad news that my heart already knows.

Tiff