Hooray for school!

I couldn't keep the boys busy enough this summer. Every free moment they had they spent picking at each other and fighting! Cody and Shawn are back to the books.
Paul is in his last year of pre-school. But it's getting so darned expensive (and is starting to feel like glorified babysitting, really expensive babysitting!). Paul and I will be giving it a go here at home. He's thrilled, our house is his school, I'm his teacher. I figure even if I buy a few new workbooks and activities every month there is no way I'll be spending $140+ per month! And we have lots of kids at our house, a lot, so I'm not worried about his social skills. The local library does Story time 4 days a week. It's FREE. A few stories and a craft project, with lots of other kids. I've also found quite a few websites to print off workbook type pages, to trace, cut, color.
And I can do a bit every day, instead of just a few days a week. It's made me much more concious about helping all of them, going over school work with them, instead of figuring that they have learned plenty in school.

WIP

I've got a few Work In Progress peices

The little Piggy is from some barnyard patterns I found online...I'll find the link and get it up. He turned out soooo cute! I kinda like him as is in the photos, but with legs and eyes he is adorable. I didn't get any pics of him all done, but he worked up in about 3 hours total, so I plan on whipping up a few more. I took him down to our new yarn shop to hang out in the window with the few items she has. Perhaps it will draw a younger crowd as well? One of these days I'm going to have to go hang out and work on my WIPs at the shop. She's got some couches and chairs, with a table, for anyone who wants to come on in and chat and work.

(YAYYY!! Some decent yarn options in town!because Wal-Mart's yarn stash is starting to go down hill, even on the basics-red heart, caron, etc.)

While browsing Amazon.com I came across an amigurumi book with some adorable projects in it. Looking at the robot I figured I had some patterns already that I could tweak and make it work. This is him so far. Straight Pins are marking out the face for now. Still have to figure out the balls for joints at shoulder level and figure out the legs that I'm seeing in my head.

As soon as the book is available I plan on buying it. And 3 or four others!

I've also started on a four eyed monster. Cute cute.

And I want to get some apples done for the kid's teachers. School gets out in two weeks!

So many projects, too little time!

Happy hooking all!

Update on the farm

Spring is trickling in here in Northern Nevada. Learning from years past I planed a few things for the garden that would do well with the still cool temps. It's those occasional warm days that get me in "the mood" lol, and a few days later we've got freezing nights and snowy weather.
The onions are doing awesome, potatoes are comining up nicely, and the corn is coming up now. The Onion chives that wintered in the garden are 6 inches high, I've already trimmed some for baked potatoes. The strawberry box is filling up nicely, a few of the plants are flowering already. This is their second year, so hopefully we'll get lots more berries, once I put the bird net over them so the birds don't get any this year. In two weeks or so I'll be getting the rest of the garden in-squash, green beans, peas, pumpkins. I might wait until the end of the month for the tomatoes and eggplant.

I've also been busy with my flower beds. The marigolds are huge already, with flower heads getting ready to bloom. At least 2 feet tall against the house. But upon closer examination I can't decide if they are in fact the marigolds, or perhaps some Poppy? I only planted a few Poppy last year, but I did let it go to seed. We'll see pretty soon, those flowers are gonna be out in a week or two! Daffodils and tulilps are getting ready too. I just planted some butterfly brush, trupet lilly and exotica bulbs. DH dug up some lilly of some sort that was growing wild in the pasture /field, so I got those in a better place. We'll be tilling in the pasture later this summer to make an arena. I sprinkled out some wildflower mix and old fashion flower mix.

The horses are shedding like crazy. I swear I get a few pounds of hair each time I brush them, which is at least once a day! It's getting to be time to wake up an hour or so earlier so that I can work horses in the morning before the kids get moving.

The chickens aren't much work for now, until we get the materials to build their permanent coop. But the modified dog house works for now. I can't wait until it's just a bit nicer so the turkeys can go outside! Two turkeys is a million times noisier that 13 chickens in a laundry room. They are growing like popcorn. Every morning when I turn on the daytime light I swear they have doubled in size from the day before. Their necks are getting so long!

Crochet has turned into more of an evening /break from the outside chores activity. I've completed 3 more wash-cloths, trying out different patterns and using up the peach colored yarn that I have no idea what to do with. Peach just isn't one of the colors that's very popular in my house. I've got the body of my robot done, with antane attatched to his head. I've just got to figure out his legs, and arms. Maybe I'll embroider his face first. I'm winging it, since I don't have the book this idea is from, but figured I could modify some other patterns I have. I'll post some pictures later.

Ok-I'm off to hang laundry on the line (yay!), and water all the things that need it.
;)

Drowning in Denim

Denim has overtaken my closet. All shades of denim. And a few scrap pieces of fabric. I started saving them to work on a quilt. This quilt.


In 4 years this is all I have accomplished! Ok, I got sidetracked with work, children, life. But I still save jeans! lol I've made a few jean purses, chopped up a few pairs to patch the jeans that still fit my boys, but mainly I pile them in my closet, in rubbermaid tubs.

I've dug the jeans & tubs out of my closet to make room for my new yarn stash. And it sorta made me decide to get my butt moving on the quilt again.

Perhaps I can get it done this summer, before the cold weather hits? My current bedspread just got a big rip in it. I'll be patching it up before it gets put away for the season, but another big one for our bed would be nice!

I'm thinking I have waaayyyy more than enough denim here to do more than just finish my partially done quilt. I have more squares/pockets cut and ready to be peiced back together in this other tub. (oh goodenss, perhaps seeing it all again will convince me how looney I really am!)

Any pattern ideas? What else can I do with these jeans? And there will pretty much be a constant supply of jeans, with three very active boys.

Latest off the Hook

The crochet hook that is!

I really like these little turtle rattles. I've made up a dozen or so this winter, in all sorts of colors, for baby showers and gifts. And if you don't add the head or legs, the ball/body is a great cat toy. After all there is a cat ball w/ bell inside! lol
I've been making a few washclothes, trying to use up some of my stash of baby yarn. I'm liking how this one turned out. The other two patterns that were with this particular were another story. I'll try again in a few weeks.

(There's Little Guy with his head in the way.)

I found this seedstitch pattern on another blog--can't remeber the exact location right now. I really like the seed stitch. Worked up nice, gave it some texture. Used up the last of that purple.

The weather was quite nice last week, and I really wanted to be playing out in the garden. But after 2 years of jumping the gun & loosing all my plants, I knew better.

So I "grew" some carrots inside instead. Little Guy says thay are quality. But watch out. There is catnip tucked away inside. It makes a lovely tea when left in the water dish for an afternoon. But it then requires a really good wringing to get all the water out.

I made a few in the bright orange, but really wanted at least one in the duller orangey/yellowy color. The little bit I had didn't quite last until the end, so Little Guy's carrot is two-tone. He still likes it tho.

Ok-that's enough for the first night! We'll see how well I can keep up with this blog. LOL

G'Night All

Alicia N.

Mrs. Funky Bear

I finally got her all put together, but I'm not sure I like her.

She was the first project I have done from my newest book, Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful. Perhaps it's the colors? I was thinking of giving it to my nieces for christmas. Or maybe I'm just burned out on girly stuff.

Back to the boyish/neutral colors! I've burned myself out on pink! Is it even possible?
Next I've got some ideas for robots, & dragons are on the list too.

Perhaps I should work on my mom's gift first? lol