A Crochet I Will Go

Over Christmas break, I took up a new/old hobby. When I was 14 or so, I taught myself how to crochet. I love having a 'lap craft' to work on when watching tv or watching the kiddos play, and crochet is perfect for that! I can work on something, and it keeps me warm while I work!!! When I decided to take it up again, I wasn't very smart, and I only bought one skein of yarn. And yes, I ran out. There was enough of the yarn to turn it into a makeshift infinity scarf. I probably won't ever wear it, but whatevs. So, Christmas Eve day, I decided to do a really stupid thing. I went to Hobby Lobby. Yes, you read that correctly...on Christmas Eve day. What else was I supposed to do? I had no yarn, and they would be closed the following day. This time I bought 5 skeins of yarn. It was gone within four days. I went back and bought 6 more...there are only two and a half left, and it will more than likely not be enough. This is the current project with it though...

Pretty afghan, yah?

Right Here Waiting...

Oh.
   My.
      Word.

Life is so busy. There has been so much going on, and I knew it had been an eternity since I was last here; since I even last visited a single blog or really thought about posting. I have all of these fantastical ideas for posts swimming around in my head, and yet there seems to be no time or inclination lately to actually sit down and put them into print. I just wanted to tell y'all that I am still here. And this blog and all of the bloggers that I usually adore reading posts from are always right here waiting for me to take the time to share with them. What has kept me away from you? Well. These are the top ten things (in addition to Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Lefty's first prom, our last dance recital, cheer try-outs for Lefty and Boo)...

1. Finishing another year in kindergarten. Finishing always seems to take so much out of me!
2. Beginning preparations for the new year in kindergarten. It will be my eighth year! Wow!
3. Professional development meetings for new things happening in our state regarding education.
4. Staying home and spending time with all four of my kiddos. For the first time ever, we chose to have them during the first part of summer, rather than in the middle. I am really liking it this way.
5. Having and recovering from surgery. Nothing serious...just a boob job and a touch of liposuction. I am at three weeks post-procedures, and I am loving the results of both!!!
6. Getting to be an Aunt for the second time! Weston is so precious, and Carson is the best big brother!
7. Working on the garden that would be. Chris keeps saying that this is just not the year for my garden. It has really sucked. I still have hopes that it will just be a late bloomer. Literally.
8. Becoming the mother of a 16 year old daughter. There are no words. 
9. Throwing a Sweet Sixteen bash. Hilarious!
10. Preparing to get a business license for my mesh obsession. 

I do have pictures, I swear. Uploading them is just another thing that I have not yet gotten around to. But I will. Promise. In the meantime, enjoy the ones that I do have!

Floral Frenzy

One of my favorite creative outlets is to build floral arrangements. I love to mix and match colors and textures, and I wish I could do it all the time! It's funny that my florals typically turn out as well as they do, because I have zero ability to work with color and texture in clothing. Total fail area for me. To each her own, I suppose. Some of my arrangements challenge me; others come together quickly.

Challenging...

• Fall

• This little guy, built in a container shaped like a drum. I am still not sure I like it. What do you think?

Not so much a challenge...

• Florist in the making?

• I knew I had to do something with this adorable owl vase Lefty brought me from a trip to Colorado last summer with her dad. Does she know her Mama or what?

•  I happened upon a terrific sale at Hobby Lobby one day in the floral department...80% off! WHAT?!?! This is the result of that little retail therapy session.





And here are my most recent creations. We have been updating the color scheme in our living room since we took down this year's Christmas décor. I redid the arrangement from the above-mentioned post, because it needed a container that was a little more sturdy than the original. I like the new one oh-so-much better!

Our fun new color 'pop' is called saffron, and I adore it! I have always been a huge fan of yellow in all shades, but was never able to pull it off in a room. This time, SCORE!!!

And finally, I had come across some smoky lavender vases that had been packed away for a rainy day. It was a rainy day, and I was bored out of my gourd. This beauty is what happened.

Linking up today with Karen for Sew Darn Crafty at Sew Many Ways.

Where Have You Been?

and what have you been doing??? I have been everywhere but on this blog!

I have seen more rainbows in the last month than I have in my entire life!

We have had serious drought conditions since May. September has brought us much more favorable weather...and the promise of better days to come!

One week this month, I saw at least one rainbow every single day. Insane!!! God was making me a promise that week...









I have spent time watching my precious girls do this...one as a Jr. High cheerleader, and the other a Sr. High. Where has the time gone? *tear*

Hubby and I put out the fall decor, which got me wanting homemade bread...so I made some. First. Time. Ever. and it was Y.U.M!!! must.make.more.soon.very.soon.

And finally, we are going to attempt to do a couple of craft shows next month. **serious nail biting here!** Therefore, I have spent pretty much all of my 'spare' time in the craft room, either crafting or cleaning or planning. Some of the results look a little like...

 OH...and I have been spending some time getting to know these sweeties!!!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...No, it's...

my Christmas break flying by!

It will be super hard to go back to school on Monday, since my kiddos don't go back until Thursday! I was happy that I got some good reading in though...I read the entire Hunger Games series last week. It was so good! The movie will be fantastic!

Anyway, we have been so busy during our time "at home." I have hit the gym 7 of the last 10 days. Go me! Lefty usually goes with me, but her time available for workouts will be slim when school starts up again because of cheer. Basketball season ends in a month though, so that should free up some time for her. She had a winter semi-formal to go to on our first day home. She went looking like this...

The very next day we hosted our first round of Christmas. It was a giant spaghetti supper with hubby's family. There were a few minor mishaps (spaghetti in the floor...twice, and a broken dish), but it was pretty perfect. As anti-social as I am, I always love hosting get togethers at our house. This was a great pic of all the kids!

On Monday, I got mah hair did. That and a trip to Wal-Mart took pretty much the whole day. Tuesday brought 9 teen-agers to our house for a 'movie night.' They didn't watch a single movie.

After that, the week was spent wrapping gifts and getting ready for the rest of our Christmases. In all, we had four, and they were all terrific! We went to my dad's on Friday, where this little guy and his big gift were the spotlight all night...he kept asking...'open pehsents now? I eat, open pehsents?'

Then there was Christmas with my mom at our house...my nephew 'Little Boy' loves opening presents...no matter whose they are!

And Christmas morning, before kiddos took over, looked like...

After kiddos, it looked like Christmas threw up in our living room!

My precious family gave me some great gifts! 

This was all of our trash after the big day...

And on the day after Christmas, hubs and I had a shopping date! I always treasure the days he and I get to spend out and about (or just home) alone together.We braved the crowds (which were really pretty non-existent), a pouring rain, and had PF Chang's for lunch. Yum! This was the haul for the trip home...

The girlies and hubby worked together to put the new net on the trampoline. They told me to blog it.

 Then, maybe best day of all...perfect hubby built me shelves so that I could finally organize my craft room! He says he will build some more to finish it. I was so excited to get it situated the way I wanted and to have workable work spaces for quilts and other crafts.

 The two newest additions to my wreath stash are these. But I actually sold the last one! Woo hoo!

There are only three days left of my break. I imagine half of one will be spent at school, the rest...who knows!