Ugly Blanket

I can't remember if I mentioned this the other day or not, but I have started crocheting an "ugly blanket."  I'm not sure what anyone else calls them, but I am just going to call it an ugly blanket.  It's going to be all the same motif, but with varying colors that I'm letting my children pick out.  So far I have three squares.  My daughter loves it already and my son could care less, he just likes picking the colors.

The squares I have look like this:

That's a little over a foot long.  I want this blanket to be around 6 feet.  I'm using the join as you go method which looks kind of wonky when the motif borders are different colors.  Oh well, it's an "ugly blanket," right?  These flowers are so much fun to make.  I never would have known that I'd be crocheting.

Okay, I'm off to work on my Geisha and then it's bed time.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I hope everyone had a spectacular holiday!  I have just put the kids to bed for the night (they were super exhausted) and I am settling in with two of my Christmas gifts right now.  I got this:

and I got this:

from my in-laws.

Both books are by the same person and I've already made two motifs since sitting down.  They're um...not very good as I've only just today learned how to read a pattern.  I made one circular one that looks like a flower and one lacy diamond one.

Flower one:

And the diamond one:

The diamond one is a little bit sloppy.  In my defense, I didn't understand how to read the pattern with this one and then when I figured it out, I had to pull out the work and then re-do it.  So I tried, I really did.

I'm off to work on another motif so I can get to practicing reading patterns.  Hopefully just doing these little projects helps.  I'm thinking of just doing a bunch of different random motifs in different shapes and colors to turn into an extremely random blanket.  Maybe a purse or something.  I haven't decided yet.

Happy stitching, everyone!

Cutting it awfully close!

I finished the blanket finally!  It's Christmas Eve, so I knew I needed to force myself to sit and get it done.  It is done!

The border is a single crochet tan border.  The tan is the same color as Link's skin in the sprite.  It's in the wash to soften up the yarn right now.

Here's both of them laid out together side by side:

Laid out like they are in that picture, they take up the entire floor in my son's bedroom.  So they're not small blankets.  I am five feet tall and the blanket on the left covers me from my feet to the middle of my chest.  The one on the right goes almost to my neck.  They're both really, really, really (emphasis on really), heavy.  Perfect for lounging in the winter time.

They're currently folded up in my gift hiding spot (not like the kids haven't seen them) and dryer sheets folded in each layer.

Now that I have both of these done I can finally focus all my energy on my Geisha.  I should have a ton of WIPs soon.  I'm off to finish baking my gingerbread men and then I'm finishing my wrapping.  Happy stitching, everyone.  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! ***EDITED***

My house has this weird permanent gingerbread smell right now.  Probably because I've been making a dessert every day all week and I have several more things to make before Christmas Eve happens.

So far I've made:
Gingerbread Chex Mix*
Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies, also a Chex mix)
Pfeffernüsse Cookies*
Velveeta Fudge*
Spritz Cookies
Italian Rainbow Cookies*

*recipe has never been tried before

So my house smells really yummy right now.

EDIT:  So I never meant to publish this where I left off and meant to save it as a draft.  Darn my fingers.  Anyway, I have a few more things that I need to make still for Christmas.  I have a pumpkin pie, a tomato soup cake (recipe HERE and it's amazing), sugar cookies, and lastly some good old fashioned gingerbread men!

So much work ahead of me.  I love baking.

I have one last row on my daughter's blanket and then I can finally start working on my Geisha.  I haven't been working on her as much as I normally would because of the time crunch with the blankets and I think I miss her.

Alright, I'm off to go work on some sugar cookie Chex mix.  I'm going to send a little of everything to my father for Christmas because I don't know what to get for him, so I figured if I make him a bunch of different stuff he'll appreciate it more.  Off to go mix.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Re-enlistment

My husband had his re-enlistment ceremony yesterday.  After all was said and done, they were rolling up the flag and all the  men were standing at attention.  In the dead silence of the room, my three year old loudly proclaims, "Okay, guys, that's enough."  Everyone standing at attention was trying so very hard not to laugh.  I was dying.

After the ceremony, we went to breakfast at Denny's.  When we got our table, we ordered drinks and then my husband took our son to the bathroom.  As soon as they both get to the table, my son very proudly yells, "Mama, I peed!"  The table behind me busted up laughing.

He was on a roll yesterday.

I have no WIP.  I didn't have time yesterday because we got a bunch of running around done after that, so I wasn't home.  My yarn from Hobby Lobby DID end up coming after all, so I am able to finish the blanket in time for Christmas.

That's all, I was just updating to say that I'm still working on the blanket and to tell you of my son's goofiness.  Off to work on the blanket and probably do some laundry.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Velveeta fudge

Yeah, you read that title right.  I just made peanut butter fudge with Velveeta.  I found the recipe online and decided that because of how odd it seemed, I needed to try it.  My father was always very adventurous in his foods, and it definitely was passed down to me.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I am very pleased and I understand why it got its high ratings.  The recipe is a Paula Deen recipe and you can find it HERE if you would like to try it for yourself.

No blanket WIP today.  I forgot to take the picture earlier because I've been white glove cleaning my house.  Not for an inspection, but just because I figured I should probably do it every so often.  Especially lately with my asthma being the way it is.  It's probably best to white glove clean at least a couple times a month.

I do have a Geisha WIP though!

I'm almost done with the blue.  I just can't believe the detail.  I'm so happy that my stitching is starting to actually look like something now instead of just a bunch of random patches of color!  I can't wait to have this finished.  My husband already picked a place for it.  We're going to be decorating our entire hallway with my stitching projects.

Alrighty, I'm off to work on my Geisha some and then I'm going to bed.  I had an asthma attack earlier today that just took the life right out of me.  So good night and happy stitching, everyone.

Yarn for a year

Red Heart is doing a "Yarn for a Year" sweepstakes.  If you would like to enter, the click HERE.

I would have had a new WIP of my blanket today, but my son is sleeping and his room is the only room with enough floor space to lay it out properly for a good picture.  So tomorrow for sure!

Nothing new and exciting is happening lately.  My husband is for sure re-enlisting on Thursday, so we will probably be getting news on that very soon as to where we are going to end up.  Hopefully I don't get stuck clearing post by myself because that will be stressful.  Not that I can't do it, it's just a lot of stuff to remember and I'm terrible with that whole remembering thing.

I'm off to let my dogs out and then stitch on my Geisha.  WIP on her tomorrow as well.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Well that's inconvenient.

I ordered all the supplies for my daughter's blanket from Hobby Lobby.  Come to find out today that the bank thought it was a weird charge.  So now I have to re-order everything again.  I'm planning on contacting them with my order number to see if they can just recover it because I used my discount codes AND the yarn was on sale.  Nice little set back.  Ah well.

On that note, I have a blanket WIP:

Five more rows and then it's done!  Like watching a picture load in dial up.

I am in kind of a time crunch so I'm off to work on the blanket some more.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Still no news

I hate this constant waiting of everything.  He's supposed to be ETSing to get out of the Army, but he was in the office and the dream job he's always wanted opened up, so they are willing to reenlist him for that job.  The problem I have is that we're in this waiting game.  I wish we just knew.  I don't care if I'm going home, I don't care if I'm staying here, I don't care if I'm moving to frikkin' Alaska (note:  I would actually LOVE to go to Alaska), I just don't want to wait anymore to know.  I hate it.  I really, sincerely hope that my husband gets the job he wants because he has been talking about this since we met.

Well, off my drama, I have, well, it's not really a WIP.  I have my stack of granny squares because I am very tired and have had a long, headache filled day.  So here's my granny squares all ready to be stitched together!

I just bought some Christmas gifts for myself.  I bought a Tunisian crochet hook which I have never used and have no projects lined up for.  My mother always says that you should buy first and plan for it later when it came to craft supplies.  I also bought these two kits:

Oh, my GOODNESS, I'm in love.

These are Janlynn kits which I've only ever done once before.  I really hope these turn out, but unfortunately the random item picker that chooses my next project chose the Teresa Wentzler Summer which is a very complicated carousel horse pattern.  Ah well, I'll get to these eventually.  I just like having them in my stash.

Alright, off to go play some Hyrule Warriors before I go to bed.  Goodnight, all, and happy stitching, everyone!

Nominated for a Liebster!

Okay, no news or WIPS today even though I have one ready to go.  I was nominated for a Liebster award by Lisa at Three Monkey Chaos, thank you!  Alrighty, so this award is basically a way of meeting new people in the blogging community that you might not have ever met before.  SO, here we go!

Six rules of the Liebster award!

Rule#1  Acknowledge the Blogger who gave you the award
Rule#2  Answer 11 questions the Blogger gives you
Rule#3  Give 11 random facts about yourself
Rule#4  Nominate 11 blogs you think are deserving of the award (must have less than 200 followers)
Rule#5  Let the bloggers know you have nominated them
Rule#6  Give them 11 questions to answer


Alright so to start, I'm going to answer the 11 questions I was given:

1.  How are you, really?
Well, I am doing just fine right now.  A little cold, but I'll survive!

2.  Do you like your job?
I don't have a job outside of the home.  I have two kids and I'm a stay at home parent.  So IF you consider that a job (and I don't), then yes.  Yes, I do love my job.

3.  What makes you smile?
This is one of my favorite questions to ask people and I will probably be jacking it for my blogger nominees.  What makes me smile is watching my children have fun playing pretend with each other.  Watching helicopters take off and land.  Pfeffernüsse cookies.  Stale gingerbread snaps dipped in milk.  I'm pretty easy to please.

4.  When is the last time you showered?
Like two minutes before I checked my email that said I was nominated.  So roughly 10 minutes ago now.

5.  Grab the nearest book.  Turn to page 6.  Write down the first line.
The cat didn't move.

6.  What did you dream about last night.
Bear with me, this is a doozy.  I had a dream that was Mario Kart in nature.  It was a bunch of people driving around in these wacky cars and using Mario Kart power ups.  The problem was that the game was essentially like Death Race 2000 so there was a lot of blood and carnage.  Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond were the announcers and when I crashed my car, Benedict Cumberbatch was there helping me out of the wreckage.  I remember blushing and then waking up.  Lol what can I say?  I watch a lot of BBC.

7.  What was the last thing you ate?
I haven't eaten anything since dinner last night, so it would be spaghetti and meatballs.

8.  How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend?
Psychology class in our first year of college.  He was picking on me like little boys do in elementary school when they like a girl.  Apparently that really works.

9.  What is your biggest fear?
Mortality.  Specifically I'm scared of my children being killed or getting into an accident.  I never once questioned my own mortality or the mortality of others until I had kids.

10.  If you had 1 day to yourself, what would you do?
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.  I haven't had a decent sleep in years.

11.  What's under your bed?
Probably the cat.  She likes to hang out under there and smack your feet when you walk by.


11 Random Facts About Me
1.  I have 8 tattoos, but only one you can see when I'm wearing clothing.
2.  My toes are so dextrous that I can pick up a baseball with my foot.
3.  I gave birth to my son on my birthday.
4.  I share a birthday with Sailor Moon.
5.  I have a scar on my nose where I tripped over a bed frame and smashed my face on the other side of it.
6.  My pinky toenails don't grow out--they grow up.
7.  I have trichotillomania (obsessive skin picking) and have destroyed the skin on my arms.  Adding tattoos to problem areas helps relieve it because I don't pick on my tattoos.
8.  I would rather watch something on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network than most prime time shows.
9.  My guilty pleasure is watching Dr. Phil.
10.  I have a super hard time keeping in contact with people.  They always have to contact me first because I'm so worried about bugging them.
11.  I am one year younger than my FATHER'S girlfriend.


I nominate:
Crafty Sasha
Evening Emma
Sally's Stitches
Tabletop and Stitches
Without a Stitch On
Gorram Quilts
Carolyn's Stitchings
In The Hand
Craftiness...Starrley's Stitchings
Pixel Pockets
Une aiguille dans une meule de foin

YOU ALL HAVE BEEN NOMINATED!

Here are the questions for my nominees!

1.  What is your guilty pleasure?

2.  This or that:  Chocolate or Vanilla?

3.  What's your favorite book?

4.  Stealing from the person who nominated me, Grab the nearest book, turn to page 23, type the first full sentence on that page.

5.  How's your relationship with your family?

6.  EDIT:  I accidentally repeated number three, so instead, what is your favorite movie BASED on a book?

7.  Are you a righty or a lefty?

8.  Use a movie title to describe your life.

9.  What's your favorite thing to do in your free time?

10.  What is the greatest gift you've ever received?

11.  Stolen again:  What did you dream about last night?

Alright, I hope to read your posts!  If you were nominated and are participating, I would love to read your posts!  Happy stitching, everyone!

No news.

Well, I had hoped to know whether I was going home or not.  The guy who was supposed to reenlist my husband never showed up, so now he gets to try again tomorrow.

Hopefully I'll be able to update tomorrow.  Happy stitching, everyone.

Can't wait for tomorrow

Tomorrow I find out if we're going home.  We find out tomorrow if my family is moving back to Florida and I can not WAIT.  I need to know now because I've definitely got my hopes up.  My mom has been wanting us to come home for a long time and has even been working on modifying her house so that we can live with her until we find a place for ourselves.

I have a doctor's appointment and then from that appointment I leave to go watch my husband swear in if he gets the job.  If he swears in, we're going home!

Definitely have my hopes up.

Alright, off my good-ish news because I have a blanket WIP and tomorrow when I update on my living situation, I'll have a Geisha WIP.  Here's the blanket where I am at now:

Ten rows down, seven to go!  I am definitely going to be done by Christmas!

I am so excited for Christmas this year.  This year we were able to afford some really awesome gifts for the kids because I have been shopping since July.  Now, I know that sounds really early, but I knew we weren't going to have much money for Christmas as we usually live paycheck to paycheck.  So I figured I would buy stuff when I knew we would be okay to spare some money.  The kids also got some really awesome stuff from my mom so far.

Alright, I'm off to go watch Cars with my kids...again.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Glitter, glitter everywhere!

My daughter is insistent on wearing her tutu all the time, now.  Did you know that glitter tulle is the devil?  It sheds so much glitter that my living room looks like a Ke$ha music video.  She's also the same kid who was walking around with my Christmas garland as if it were a boa.  She definitely loves to be girly.

I've had kind of a string of bad luck the last few days.  Bad allergies, then I got sick, plus my asthma making life miserable, AND to top it all off, I threw out my back.  Things have been annoying at least.  I'm alive, though, so there's that!  I did get an early Christmas present from my mom:

Don't mind the laundry under it, that's my laundry room lol.  That is a giant Q-snap frame that's meant for quilting, but I am using it for my peacock kit!  I only got to open it because when it was delivered it was just a long box that said, "Q-snap," so I knew what it was immediately.

So I have a WIP of both my Geisha and my daughter's blanket.  First up, the Geisha!

I took the picture with my phone instead of my iPad because the iPad was dead.  That's why it looks super washed out.  The colors are much more vibrant, remember.

Next up, the blanket!

This is extremely washed out and blurry.  I don't know why my phone wouldn't focus, but this was the best I could get.  I'm actually almost done with the next row right now.  I just have to crochet it onto the main blanket.  I think it'll be done by Christmas!

Alright, I'm going to go finish the blanket and then it's time for some Dragon Age Inquisition!  Happy stitching, everyone!

Idle hands.

I feel like I'm dying right now.  I've had four asthma attacks in the last two days.  My kids think I'm dying.  My husband thinks it's funny to make me laugh when my chest hurts (hey, at least he's trying).  I have these horrible coughing spells for an hour or so after every attack and I'm miserable.  My inhaler gives me the jitters so I have been feeling like I'm on a super caffeine high.

My asthma is allergy induced, so who knows what's causing it?  I certainly don't.

I have no yarn so I have been taking a break from my blanket during the days.  The problem with that is that I'm so used to doing something during the day that I almost feel lost (hence the "idle hands".  I would cross stitch, but my kids are constantly wanting to touch it or my threads or my scissors.  At least with yarn I don't worry about little fingerprints on everything.

I'm pretty exhausted so I think I will go lie down for a bit.  My chest hurts.  I am hoping to stitch enough tonight to give a WIP.  It's been far too long since the last time I gave my stitching some love.  I miss my cross stitch.

Happy stitching (and breathing!), everyone.

Loot Crate November 2014

Alrighty, let's get to it because I've got some more baking to finish before Thanksgiving!

This month's Loot Crate theme was "Battle."  And there was something I noticed right away before I even opened it.  This:

Attention Looters

This crate is designed differently than any other crate before it.  Please read the first page of the magazine to see how!

So that seems odd.  But anyway, LET'S dive right in, shall we?

The little diorama of a street was kinda neat.  I wasn't able to put it together because my children absconded with it as soon as they realized it was actually kind of a play set.  It had Megaman I know for sure, but like I said, my kid's took it.  That's what was so unique about this crate was the interactive box.

Anyway, on to the loot:

A Street Fighter headband.  I already have modified it into a "snow white bow" style headband, so it already looks nothing like it's supposed to.  I'm girly, what can I say?  The other item is a Halo Megablocks figurine with a metallic block.  My son immediately recognized the Halo logo and snagged that along with the box.

Some game codes.  A full game download of the arcade version of Street Fighter IV.  I'm not sure what the other two are for, my brother will use Steam cards, though, so I'm sure he can tell me.  

*NOTE*  I love Steam, but I haven't had a computer capable of running it in forever.  My last computer I used for gaming almost burned my house down, so I haven't bought a good computer in a while.

One of the cards isn't actually a game code, but more like a "vote for your side" kind of thing.  I would choose pirates over ninjas.  Sorry.  I just love pirates and I even have a thing for ships as cross stitch kits.

An Assassins Creed Unity coin and faux suede pouch.  It's really heavy duty and my husband thinks it's just the coolest thing ever.  I'm thinking it will go along side my Harvey Dent two headed coin.

The Megaman helmet replica is exactly what it sounds like.  It's slightly smaller than a baseball and it comes with a stand.  I ended up putting it up with all my collectibles that I keep out of reach of the kids.

My favorite item from the crate.  This is a pirate vs. ninja yin yang t-shirt.  The shirt is made by the same people who made the Legend of Zelda shirt from May's crate.

Finally:

The magazine and button from every Loot crate.  I added it to my lanyard.  I need a new lanyard because I'm running out of button room!

Anyway, I have a lot of cooking planned, so I am off to get prep done for tomorrow.  I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Power outage.

Our power went out last night at around three in the morning.  Of course my son inherited my fear of the dark, so he screamed bloody murder as soon as it happened.  I wouldn't have woken up had it not been for him screaming.  I was in a goooooooood sleep.

My daughter didn't make a peep.  That kid is a heck of a sleeper.

My son wouldn't go to sleep so long as the house was dark, so because the power was out until seven (four hour total) we ended up staying awake that long.  Me and my three year old...it's been a long day.  A long, lazy day full of lots of yawning.

I'm surprised I'm still awake, to be honest.

I have another WIP!  I have one of my blanket, but I also have one of my GEISHA!!!  Yay!  I got to work on her a bit last night before I went to bed, so I was happy about that.

First the blanket:

Four rows done in four days!  BOOM!

Next is the Geisha.  I will say before you get to the picture:  It doesn't look like a lot of work, but I felt like I'd put in a lot of work.  Beading is really pretty and this is my first kit with the beads and because of my very poor eyesight, it takes me a bit longer to thread a beading needle.  I have to buy needle threaders when I go out next pay period, but right now I'm doing the best I can with what I have.

The first image is where I was last time and the second is where I'm at as of this post.  So it doesn't look like much.

Alright, I'm off to take a shower and then I'm probably going to work on my Geisha a bit more before bed.  Good night and happy stitching, everyone!

Like living with an old lady.

I, according to my husband, am a little old lady trapped in a young body.  My hobbies are crocheting, cross stitching, baking, and watching Dr. Phil.  Don't judge me on the Dr. Phil thing...everyone has their guilty pleasure.  I wear my glasses on the end of my nose, my hearing is pretty poor, and my hair is usually put up in a bun.  I am a stereotypical old lady...but I'm not even out of my twenties yet.

Pointless first paragraph is pointless!

I have a WIP of my daughter's blanket.  I'm a whopping three rows in!

I might have to take a break from crochet for a bit.  Not sure yet as I only injured myself tonight, but I did a few rounds with my heavy bag and jammed my knuckle when I hit it wrong.  I hope it won't affect me too bad.  

I'm working on my Geisha tonight because all I use my left hand for with her is holding my pattern up to my nose because of my very poor eyesight.

Alright, I'm off to go watch The Twilight Zone (which I am ADDICTED to) and work on my Geisha.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Praise be to Din, Farore, and Nayru! It is done!

All hail the Hero of Time!  He is done!  Now I get to start all over and make one for my daughter!  Here's to hoping it's done in time for Christmas!

You can't really see it, but there's a single crocheted green border around the whole blanket.  The camera didn't really pick that up very well and it's not really that wavy.  The only reason it's like that is because it is so big and heavy that when I went to lay it out, it was awkward.  So it got all stretched because I'm too short to get a good view lol.  From where I was standing it looked fine...obviously it didn't!

Anyway, I'm off to start my daughter's blanket now.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Anything less than immortality is a complete waste of time!

Sorry, I've been watching a LOT of Futurama and the title was something Bender said.

I don't have a WIP, I haven't even been working on my blanket since the last time I posted because I've been fighting off the mother of all migraines.  I'm hoping it lets up soon because I can not function properly.  Even my children are sympathetic.  I've never had them so well behaved before.

So I'm sorry I don't have WIP.  I am off to put my child down for a nap and probably nap a little myself.  Happy stitching, everyone.

No, you sit here and let me love you!

My dog won't leave my daughter alone today.  She's got a bad head cold, so my dog is constantly "checking" on her which means she's nudging her constantly, licking her face, or trying to sit in her lap.  My dog is 75 pounds and my daughter is a little over 20, so there's a bit of a size difference.  I can definitely understand why my daughter keeps pushing her away...my big nanny dog.

My dog hit a full week of no submissive peeing today.  Since getting my depression mostly under control I've had a lot more energy.  I've used that energy to work with my dog a lot more on building her confidence.  It has definitely paid off.  I've finally been able to let her hang out in the living room for an extended period of time without worrying that by walking next to her too fast she'd pee on the floor.  Or by approaching her she'd pee on the floor.  Or by speaking to her she'd pee on the floor.  NO MORE.  She is pee free for seven full days and I am so happy!  She even acts a lot more confident.  I'm so proud of her!

Alright, enough humble bragging lol  I have a blanket WIP.  I only have two more rows left and the border, so I should, in theory, be done within the next three days.  Here's where I'm at now!

Don't mind the random kitty paw in the top.  She saw me lay the blanket out and said, "OMG NEW THING TO PLAY ON!"

I am so close to being done with this blanket that it aches my SOUL!  After this is done I'm making my daughter her blanket.  I'm hoping that I'll be done with hers in time for Christmas.  It's the same size as the one I'm making now but it's a different Link sprite.  Same game, different sprite (side view).

Alright, I'm off to watch Planes with the kids and fend my giant dog off from my daughter.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Arancini

If there's one thing I'm good at, it's replicating recipes.  Typically someone's "secret recipe" is no more than a Betty Crocker recipe that has been tweaked to their specific taste (example:  add more salt, boil for two minutes longer, take out x-amount of sugar, etc).  There is one recipe that has plagued me for literally years now.

Backstory:  When I was pregnant with my son, my mother's boyfriend's mother (convoluted, no?) sent over some prepared food for me so that I could rest instead of cooking for the household.  She was a little Italian lady who was from New York, and she was such a sweet person.  This woman had never yet met me, and here she was sending food over.

Anyway, in one of the many Tupperware bowls she sent over, there were these little fried balls of something.  I opened up the container and I was immediately hit with the scent of garlic and Parmesan cheese.  Drool.  I bit into one and it was one of the best tasting things I'd ever had.  After eating one, I couldn't help myself and I ate another.  And another.  ...And another.  I had eaten probably five or six before I put the lid back on and put them away.  I would have eaten the whole thing on my own if I didn't move the bowl out of my sight.  This was my first time ever eating Arancini.

Throughout my whole pregnancy, I craved those.  She kept sending them over to the house because Phil (my mom's boyfriend) had told her that I couldn't seem to get enough of them.  She loved making them, so she was happy to do it.

I never got a chance to really thank her.  I mean...I told her thank you on several occasions.  I even sent some of my own culinary creations to her after my morning sickness (see: all day sickness) finally went away.  She passed away not long after my son was born, so I feel like I wasn't grateful enough.

She would never give me the recipe for those rice balls.  I think she liked knowing that someone needed her to make them and I never had a problem with that.  Since she passed away, I've been trying my HARDEST to replicate that recipe.  I have looked at recipe book after recipe book, website after website.

I assumed at first that it was, like I said in the beginning, just a tweaked recipe.  Apparently I was wrong.  I've tried every single Arancini recipe I've ever found and not a single one comes close.  So I took a basic one and I've been subtly tweaking it myself as I'm going.  The ones I make now, after roughly three years of research, trial, and error, are so close!  They're just not right, though.  My husband thinks that it's maybe because SHE made them that they'll never taste the same.  Kind of like how coffee tastes better when my husband makes it even though he does the same thing I do.

I am trying again tonight to replicate her recipe.  Who knows, maybe one day it will be my kid or my kid's wife wanting MY recipe for themselves.

Side note:  During my research for this recipe, I found a recipe book that was so old (mid 1800's) it said to, "..rake the coals before putting pot in hearth."

I Yuh Yoo

My daughter says I love you!  She started saying it today.  She says, "I yuh yoo."  She never says it to me or my husband, but she says it to her brother a lot.

I forgot to ask how everyone's Halloween went?  Any exciting things happen?  Nothing exciting happened here except my son throwing a tantrum when he was done trick-or-treating because he was tired.

I pickled my own beets for the first time yesterday.  Made my whole house smell like those little sweet pickles.  It was pretty awesome.  I tried them this morning and they were pretty good.  I probably should have made more because my kids are all over them.  I suppose there are worse foods for them to like.

I have all my Christmas shopping done already, so I guess there's nothing left to do but save.  

This post was a roundabout way of saying that nothing is happening right now.  Nothing.  I live a boring life, what can I say?  I do have a WIP of my son's blanket, though!

I'm pretty sure I've done two rows since the last update.  I'm so excited to be in the final stretch!  Five more rows and I'll be done...then I get to start my daughter's blanket.

Time for bed, I'm coming down with the same cold my kids both have, so I figure an early bed time is the best thing I can do right now.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Busy, busy, busy, busy...

...there's so much to do!  I have a WIP of my Geisha.  It feels like I haven't done much on her, but remember she's roughly 12x16, so she's not exactly a small piece.

I had to move this piece from a hoop to a scroll frame because I'm doing the beading as I go along and I don't want to accidentally pinch one of my beads between the pieces of the hoop.  Seems like something I should try to avoid...  Anyway, I know it doesn't look like I haven't done much, but that's like a solid four hours right there.  Well, a four hour stint riddled with, "Mommy, I need water," and, "Mommy, I'm not tired."  Oh yeah, and, "Mommy, I can't find my toy."

You think you're safe just because the kids are in bed.

I also have a WIP of my Link blanket today!

I feel like I'm cruising through this blanket now that I'm past the halfway mark because I've got another row of squares ready to be stitched on.  I've already planned the border for this blanket.  It's going to just be a simple treble crochet border, but I've never made a blanket, so hopefully it looks as good as it does in my head!

Alright, I'm going to bed, happy stitching, everyone!

Halfway Done

Well, I have an update on my son's blanket today.  As of right now I am halfway done.

I tucked in all the tails and trimmed the pieces that needed to be snipped.  I am going to be working on this pretty diligently in the next few weeks so that I have time to start my daughter's blanket, too.  

I introduced my one year old to Nutella this afternoon.  Now she's hounding me for more.  Her little face is covered in the stuff right now, so I must go to chase her down and clean her off.

I'll be cross stitching a lot in the coming week or so because my husband won't be home.  I would stitch with him here, but I take up a lot of the couch with my lap stand and my pattern and my supplies, etc etc etc, so I don't like to burden him with my messiness while I'm stitching.

Alright, off to chase my daughter.  Happy stitching, everyone!

D.E.A.R. *ETA*

I'm not sure if DEAR was something that was implemented around the country, I just know it was in all my schools when I was growing up in Montana.  DEAR stands for Drop Everything And Read.  Not to be confused with DARE which was the Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes that I'm pretty sure every school did.

Anyway, my kids and I practice DEAR every day because I want them to get as much reading in as possible.  My kids, especially my daughter, get really excited about reading.  I have started doing a three hour quiet time DEAR session every day.  From noon to three there is no TV, no video games, no iPad, and no phone calls.  We all sit around and read.  They can't read to themselves yet, so if they bring me a book I'll read it to them and they know that even when it's not DEAR time, they are welcome to bring me a book and I will drop whatever I'm doing and read to them.

I love reading and I hope that they do too.

Switching subjects.  I uh...I'm a jerk.  I accidentally stepped on my dog's foot this morning and broke his little toenail off.  He yelped and I feel so bad for doing that.  He seems to forgive me though.  He hates the stuff I had to put on his little toe to stop the bleeding.  That probably hurt worse than the actual break, to be honest.  Thank God I have a dog first aid kit.

I have a blanket WIP today.  I'm starting to really cruise through this blanket.

I already have another row that's crocheted I just haven't attached it yet, so I'm actually one more row further than this picture.  I have patterned a blanket for my daughter and one for myself.  My husband says he doesn't want one, but if he ever decides he'd like one, I'll make it for him.  I was really surprised that I truly enjoy crocheting.  I had my doubts because I didn't like it as a kid which is why I only ever learned how to do a single chain.  My poor mom probably hates that I learned from youtube instead of from her.  

Anyway...so, my geisha had to take a back seat for a bit until I can get more threads because I ran out of a couple colors which has never happened to me before.  I will have a WIP soon though because I am working on an area that doesn't need the threads I'm waiting on.  It won't be much, but it's still something.

Happy stitching, everyone!

ETA:  I finished crocheting the next row and instead of making another blog post I'm adding it to this one!

Don't mind the minion.  She wouldn't let me get a picture without her in it so she's modeling my half of a blanket.  Time for bed now, happy stitching, everyone!

Dumb Ways to Die

My daughter is ruining my life with the song Dumb Ways to Die.  I've heard it probably forty times in the last few days.  I should have never shown her the app because the video is right there on the menu.  She plays it over and over again, so it's almost always stuck in my head.

I have another row done on my son's blanket!

I think I need to sew in the tails because they really bug me.  I didn't mind them being loose in the beginning, but as the blanket has started to get further along, I hate them.  My daughter is sleeping in the room with all my craft supplies right now otherwise I'd be looking for my darning needle.

It's coming along, though!  You can see his adorable little Hylian 8-bit face!

I'm off to go drink some coffee and then clean my house.  Maybe do some stitching...or crocheting.  I don't know.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Dropped the Ball

Oops, I meant to post last night but I uh...kinda fell asleep.  So here's the WIP I was supposed to post last night!

I am getting ready for a Halloween party with my friend soon.  My daughter and I are going as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World.  There's a costume contest, so I'm hoping we win lol.

Off to work on my son's blanket in the meantime.  Happy stitching, everyone.

Coloring "therapy"

I read something a few days ago about how coloring actually calms people down and is good for stress relief.  Something about how you are focusing on coloring and therefore whatever's troubling you can't be forethought because the coloring is taking over your mind.  I brought this up to my therapist the last time I went and he said that it is indeed a good way to relieve stress.

Later that day, I talked to my husband about it and he told me that his mother used to force him to color when he was having an anger outburst as a kid.  He said that it worked wonders for him.  When I told him I would like to try it, he bought me this:

Not only is it a coloring book, but it's a Mandala coloring book.  Mandalas, from what I remember from my sister, are used for meditation and you're supposed to color them to calm your mood.  So it fits right in with what I want to accomplish.

I received the book in the mail this afternoon and as soon as I realized what it was, I busted out the markers, opened the book to a random page, and colored the Mandala on that page.  It really was pretty relaxing, and while I was coloring it, I couldn't help but think about doing another one.

Not sure if it's my inner child wanting to color, or if it is really helping.  Who knows?

I should have a WIP later hopefully.  I'm off to go color some more, so happy stitching everyone.

Another Blanket WIP

I have a massive headache, but I have this WIP of the blanket.  I finished the fifth row a few minutes ago.

The next row is the exciting one for me because it's finally the start of his face.  

I'm still dealing with blurred vision and a massive headache, so my Geisha is still taking a back seat right now.  Hopefully I can work on her a bit tomorrow after I clean my house.  I'm off to bed to sleep off my headache.

Happy stitching, everyone!

ETA:  I forgot to mention that I found a sketch book, so my 30-day drawing challenge will be starting soon!

Top Gear is my "I'm sick" friend.

I adore the show Top Gear (UK).  I love the banter, I love the guys who host the show, and I love the cars.  Such a funny show to watch.  Every time I'm not feeling well I watch one of three things:  House M.D., Top Gear, or an anime.  Today's choice was Top Gear.

I started taking an antidepressant and this side effect I have from it is NOT fun.  Every time I move my eyes, they go out of focus for a few seconds and so stitching has been a no go today due to that and the headaches the lacking of focus causes.  Though I was able to crochet because I can do that without looking, so I have an update on my son's blanket because my yarn came today!

So now I'm off to bed because I can not stay awake anymore.  My head hurts too much and I am just exhausted.  So good night and happy stitching, everyone.

Loot Crate October 2014 and the end of the photo challenge...and other stuff, too!

Wow, it's been a whole month already!  They just sent me the tracking number this morning and BOOM it was in my mailbox this afternoon.  It's LOOT CRATE TIME!  I love this...

Okay, so this month's theme is FEAR!!  Because of October and Halloween.  Admittedly I was expecting something from the F.E.A.R. video game series or from Silent Hill (Bubble Nurse, anyone?), but no such luck.  That's okay, though because there were some other great items.  Ready?  Okay, here we go!

First up, THE REVEAL!

So of course I notice there's a shirt.  At first it looks like the shirt and that smaller box are the only two things in there.

The shirt spread out:

This shirt is called "Death by Cats" and it's really just that.  It is a skull made out of cats.  I am in love with this shirt.  Though I don't think I've gotten a shirt from Loot Crate I didn't like, so there's that.

Next up:

The little box that was in the reveal was this.  This is a Sledgesaw Hammer pen from Dead Rising.  I don't think I'll ever use it.  I have a feeling this is going to be one of those things that just stays in the box because I'm notorious for losing pens.

There's a movie coming to DVD...or came out on DVD:  Sharknado 2!

Naturally this Loot Crate would honor that and include the How to Survive a Sharknado book.  I haven't read it yet because I just haven't yet.  Today was busy.  Anyway, the other item pictured is a SuperEmoFriends art print of The Walking Dead.  I wish my flash hadn't ruined the picture, but any other angle made it even worse and, again, the lighting in my house is terrible.

A Walking Dead comic!

Again, sorry for the flash.  This is a Walking Dead comic with a Loot Crate exclusive cover on it, a sheet of various horror wound temporary tattoos and a Smite gift card which I will probably never use, sadly.  Maybe will have to pawn that off on my husband.

The little stuff in the crate:

Here we have a pair of 3D glasses that go with the Loot Crate Magazine.  Horror movies are always more fun in 3D right?  Even Silent Hill in 3D was fun and those movies are just goofy (I love a good B movie).  We also have the monthly button which I forgot to put on my lanyard and a piece of Toxic Waste sour candy.  I haven't eaten it yet, but I'm assuming it's like a Warhead.

Lastly, the inside of the box:

Don't mind the baby legs in the picture, my daughter was throwing a tantrum because I wouldn't let her play with the box until after I'd already taken a picture.  So she's mad and kicking it while I'm trying to take pictures.  The inside of the box is something I look forward to every month now that they started decorating the inside with the theme of the month.  I'm loving the horror movie drama.

Alright, so that's all for Loot Crate.  I will have  WIP probably tomorrow or the next day, but until then, happy stitching, everyone!  And if you want your own Loot Crate, you can subscribe HERE!

The last of the Legend of Zelda Photo Challenge!

Day 29 - Best Opening and Best Ending

Best Opening:

Windwaker

I loved that this was the history of Hyrule.  The beginning of this game held my attention and was much more interesting than the other games.  Personal opinion, I suppose, but I loved it.

Best Ending:

A Link to the Past

For me, the reason for this is only because of nostalgia.  This was the first video game I had ever beat on my own.  It was the very first one.  So for me it is the best because it was the very first.

Day 30 - What Scared You Most

Dead Hands (Ocarina of Time)

This enemy just...ugh...the way it MOVED was even creepy.  Everything from how it looked, to how it attacked, to how it moved.  It was creepy.  This game came out when I was still a kid and it freaked me out like you wouldn't believe!  I remember having to put the game down for a bit and come back because I was freaked out.

Alright, I'm done with the photo challenge!  My next photo challenge will actually be a 30-Day Drawing a Day challenge where I will be drawing a random picture every day for 30 days.  I draw a lot of anime, so bear with me on that.  I'm not sure when I'll start that one, but it will be soon.  The only reason I'm doing this is because I haven't drawn anything in over a year and I figured what better way than to get into the habit again?

I'm off to go work on my Geisha.  My yarn should be here tomorrow for my son's blanket, so I'm going to get to work on that a bit tomorrow as well!  WIPs to follow :)  Happy stitching, everyone!

Whew, that was a lot of pictures!