So much fun

Last night I *started* to work on dominoes for Cheryl and a rain stick for Bekah but then I decided to just have fun (Crafting is fun most of the time but last night I literally wanted to play)
So a while back my sister bought me a trading spaces doll house (because she knows I used to love Trading Spaces) like the one in here BUT it was only a one story (sorry it won't load ~ I wll take a picture of mine)... For some reason this looked like so much fun to me. It was pretty easy and I had a great time... Jim and I were like little kids. Now I want so cute (yet sturdy) furniture so the kids will have something to play with at my house!

yippee kie yie yay

I finished!
I finished baby Tyler's blanket...
It is all boy! I am so happy with how it came out and how much I thought about this baby I don't even know yet but love already... And it worked out just great because as I worked in the last piece of yarn my phone rang and it was Christy asking if when she goes into labor (as if she hasn't already been doing THAT for months) if it's in the middle of the night can she call me and I can take care of the girls so that Corey's parents don't have to (I really really think this is her way of keeping me out of the hospital because I am not a good hospital person)
But since the doctors said it is okay that she has the baby anytime now... (still a couple months early) and my blanket is done let the baby come!

Aww come on I want to cuddle the baby!
Anyway here is the picture of my affectionately titled all boy blanket

What's up chicken butt?

LOL Gary I heart you...

So lately I have been ignoring a lot of crafts INCLUDING baby Tyler's afghan (I think I am about one skein from done and since it feels like he will never be born I am not hurrying)

What have I been doing to keep my hands busy? Well a million little things ~ OR more acurately a thousand little things. I have been making 1000 cranes for peace. As of today I have 125 done and still have quite a number to do. I am hoping to finish them for Mother's Day... I think my mom will rally like them as a gift. At first I thought I was going to hang them for her and then I realized it would be many strands of birds in her house (and I am not sure that that's the look she is going for...) then I thought I would put them in a box and decorate the box for her, now I am leaning towards one of those LARGE mason jars because I can not imagine that all the hours of work that I have put into these cranes being stuffed into a box never to see the light of day again. It would break my heart...

Speaking of hearts yesterday was Valentine's day. It was a great day. Jim had to work late on Monday and I had a great opportunity to make him his surprise gift. I made home made Maple-nut party mix... You would have thought I gave the man a million dollars... All that commotioin and the recipe was pretty easy (okay I will grant you it is a bit time consuming but it was easy.

Maple-Nut Party mix

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used butter)
1/3 cup of brown sugar (I used dark that is what I had in the house)
2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (I used Aunt Jemima)
4 cups Rice Chex
4 cups corn Chex
1 cup peanuts (they said honey roasted but I didn't get them because they have gelatin on them and I wanted to be able to try this treat that my husband talks about frequently)


Pre-heat oven @ 225
In a roasting pan (in the oven) melt the butter. When fully melted mix in brown sugar and maple syrup. Allow brown sugar to disolve. After the sugar is disolved mix in the remaining 3 ingredients. This is where the time comes in. This needs to cook for 45 minutes. It also needs to be thoroughly stirred every fifteen minutes. After the 45 minutes spread on to a wax paper sheet and allow to cool fully. Store in an air tight container

*** I honestly was SHOCKED by this recipe. I couldn't for the life of me (while I was making it) understand why my husband would like such a sticky mess. But somehow when it cools down it loses it's stickiness***


And I will admit to YUM!

This one's for Tircia

(said in the tone of IZ as he says this one's for Gabby)
This morning I was driving Stephanie to school when I figured out something...
MY life is broken down into thirds...
I spend 8 hours a day working, 8 hours each night sleeping (Hey what can I say my body needs rest), and 8 hours a day doing whatever I wish. FURTHERMORE I figure that 1/3 of my life is gone (a fact that freaked me out like crazy) SO I have 1/3 of each day to decide what to do with. AND I should decide to do things that I enjoy and not do the things that I hate (unless they help someone else) So here are the things that I have decided I will do... I will continue to have crafts that make sense to noone but me. I will go places (near or far) that make me happy, I will surround myself with people I love and allow those I don't to go their way and surround themselves ith people who love and cherish them.
And here are the things that I will not do (or try not to do) I will not stress over the things I can not change. I will not pretend to be someone else to make ANYONE in this world happy. I will not say that something is wonderful if it's not. I will not hurt anyone's feelings knowingly, and most importantly (for me) is that I will not let my feelings be hurt by people who I know don't mean to hurt my feelings they just spoke before they thought...

So what does this mean for you my friends? (Well in this case Tricia) That my blog will continue to be filled with things that I make that you may or may not like but are more than welcome to your opinion. But it will also be filled with fun things that I do, or interesting places that I see, or emotions that I feel...

In that spirit I will tell you that I left a 3 Apples meeting last night to go listen to Blue speak. Brother Blue is a storyteller, more importantly he is my friend. He is talented and earnest, and truthful to his love... He tells every Tuesday at Harvard Divinity... He has had Jim as the feature and my friend Laura as the feature but VERY VERY rarely he himself features and last night was one of those nights... A gift! A very real present...

Wow did this day fly by...

It feels like I just barely got up and now it is time to leave work.

Today I got and worked out (The Denise Austin workout) then while I was watching Crafters coast to coast I (for the first 15 minutes) used the stairmaster and for the 2nd 15 minutes I crocheted some more of Jim's scarf... At this rate it will be August before he gets it.

I am very excited. I learned how to do some origami... I am making paper cranes.
They say that folding the cranes promotes world peace. There is a legend and it says that when you finish 1000 God is so pleased with your effort of peace that he grants you one wish and one to whom you give the cranes...

Bigger isn't always better

I have been making this afghan for Tyler (my nephew who is due in a few months) and I have been thinking about him and how much I love him the whole time I have been crocheting it. I wanted to be sure that it was packed full of love and warmth. But even though I have never met him I already love him BIG. and that BIG part went into the blanket... So I have used up a few skeins of yarn and I go to my sister's house to show her this beautiful piece of love I have made. She looks at it and asks me who it is for. I told her it was for little baby Ty. She asks me where I got the pattern.

Pattern ~ What pattern... I mean come on now I only know one stitch and I am fairly certain that they don't have a single crochet pattern available. Well she points out to me that it is rather large (what do I know what size baby afghans are supposed to be.) and takes it over to Alicia's twin bed to try it on there... Nope too big hit the ground on both sides. SO low a behold I am pulling it apart and starting again. The good side of this (and there are many) I won't need to use nearly as much of the $10 a skein yarn AND it won't even take me as long to make... I am after all hoping to have it done by Sunday (the super secret shower day) Wish me luck!