The Shtick I Do!

Michael with his dog, Zoe. So my baby boy, Michael, graduated from High School on Saturday. Guess he isn't such a baby anymore, huh? He'll always be that to me even when he's 30 with his own kids. LoL In and amongst all the excitement of his graduation ceremony, having his older sister, Kat and her family here, having my Mother and one of my sisters here (in a small 3 bedroom home with one bath) was an adventure! But not one that I'd ever trade! Plus, Kat and her bunch slept in a hotel, it gave them more privacy and made sleeping arrangements in the house a lot easier. We had a blast. Staying up late and talking about things that made us laugh until we cried. Making dinner for Cox's Army and feeding all 11.5 of us at one time  (baby Daeus is the .5 in case you're wondering).  Kat and her family (all 5 of them) had to leave Sunday morning but my Mother and sister stayed until yesterday. We went exploring at the Tamarack for treasures and we went ...

My youngest daughter, Maeghan, has decided that she's tired of paying full price for things. What things? Well, almost everything! We go shopping for a shirt last night and came across this adorable vest; lacy crochet looking, very Bohemian. She says, " For that price it better come with the Rhapsody, too! " And a lot of times it's a comment much like, "Y ou can probably make one for cheaper than that. " I'm constantly amazed at the witty, often times poetic, comments that come from that child's mouth. My husband likes to remind me that " She's 'Karen' version 2.0. " It makes me see myself in a whole new light. =D Here's the lacy top she asked for, still in progress as you can see. She's been instrumental in the design as well. Getting her to try it on has been the biggest thing. You try pulling a 16 year old away from becoming a Dragon-born jarl and see how successful that endeavor is. I'm thinking about ...

You know, when you love something so much that you do it every day, you can get distracted and frustrated when the next thing to make becomes an evening of surfing the web, browsing the 300+ saved patterns on the computer and perusing the back issues of over 123 issues of different crochet magazines. I know - that was a mouthful. But I found something that helps me get back on track and refocused on a project: I take a break. I put it  down  ( IT  being the crochet hook and yarn)  for 2 or 3 or even 8 or 10 days. That sounds like a lot of time but when you're trying to recenter the crochet chi - it really isn't that long. Recently I took such a break. When they were demolishing my bathroom. It's fixed now, I'll post a pic at the end of this post. I'm certainly happy with the results of that project! Anyway - on to my other crafty endeavor. I made these little beauties with  Creative Paperclay® . You may remember this post from when I did a project with i...

Before you ask, Yes, They're still working on the bathroom. But it's looking good and I do have a potty and a tub. Most people in the family take showers though so some are chomping at the bit to get that back! This week I've been working on a new flower pattern, similar to this one . This is a larger flower since it has 3 rows instead of 2. The way it's worked lends more texture to the piece than the last flower I made. It would be great to pair with your jeans, a summer skirt or cut-offs, across a t-shirt, on a purse or even a beanie! Here's the pattern, enjoy! 5 Petal Flower Pattern Materials : Yarn of your choice - sample made with Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread size 5 (since I tossed the label I have no idea the name of it but it's a lavender/lilac color with a purple sparkle in it) size D/3 - 3.25MM hook scissors embroidery needle for weaving in the ends All crochet terms are American. Stitches used : Chain (ch) Single Croch...

Not that my home is Paradise but I do consider it a place of comfort and rest. Guess what's happening here? A complete bathroom re-do! Okay - stop going "ooohhh" and "ahhhhh". This has turned into a waking nightmare. We only have one bathroom in the house! It was supposed to be simple; change out the tub and remove a window. When one of the workmen stepped THOUGH THE FLOOR it became something else entirely . . . ** sigh ** BUT I have been able to get through most of the stress with what? That's right, ladies and gentlemen! Crochet! My therapy, my place of relaxation and zoning out! LOL Here's what I've done this week: A stack of hats for the Cancer Center. I just took 63 hats to them and I'm starting on my next lot! A Presentation Dress for my sister's baby due at the end of this month, she may deliver before then but we'll see. It had to be white so I used a light-weight yarn and the pattern (mostly) from the Little Sweetie Dr...