Christmas Home Stretch

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

OK, are you guys all ready for Christmas? I am about as ready as I’ll ever be. The pillow I’m working on for Noah might not be done in time, though 🙁 If that’s the case, I’ll give the boys their handmade gifts on New Year’s Eve — I just need a couple more days. But maybe I’ll rally tonight and get it done, who knows?

Anyway, today I’ve just been puttering around the house. I folded and put away a few baskets of laundry, made homemade pizzas for lunch (Hawaiian for the kids and Chicken Cordon Blue for Drew and myself), and finished up some last-minute gifts.

The kittens had the right idea, I think 🙂

Drew took the boys to the comic store for a while this afternoon and brought home dinner, which meant no cooking for me! So I think I’m going to indulge in a cup of tea and a cannoli and see how far I get on that pillow.

Sweet dreams!

String Up the Lights

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Do you have a Christmas tree decorating tradition? Ours is to hang up all of the ornaments while Christmas Vacation plays in the background. It’s something Drew and I have done since our pre-kid days, and every year without fail we laugh at all the same parts.

While I love the idea of a real tree, the reality is that our artificial tree just makes more sense for us. We can put it up whenever we like (in our case — last weekend, even though we didn’t decorate it until today). We can use it for years. We don’t need to water it. And honestly I love that it has glitter on it. Find that on your local tree lot 😉

This year, the ornament hanging went much smoother than in years past. The kids all listened, and there was minimal frustration. We have some very old and very fragile ornaments that they’re not allowed to touch yet.

And yes, there was hot cocoa. (The grown-up version had a little extra “Christmas cheer” thrown in!)

Over the next few days we’ll move ornaments around until it’s just right. I had planned on making a popcorn garland this year, but I just didn’t have time last week. Our old garland is at least 30 years old. Have you ever seen 30-year-old popcorn? Yeah, and I thought the ornaments were fragile. We strung it up last year, but this year it’s staying in the box.

This early in the month, it’s still a work in progress. And I really need to find our tree skirt!

Look Who’s Back!

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

This morning our Elf on the Shelf made his first appearance of the season! He brought a little present for the kids — a Star Wars Lego Advent calendar. Needless to say, the kids were thrilled! I can’t wait to see what mischief this little guy is going to get into this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. From our family to yours…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

One of the best things about the holiday season is getting cards in the mail from family and friends. I don’t care if they say Merry Christmas, Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, or something different. It’s the sentiment that matters to me, the thought behind the cards and not the verbiage. And if my family loves checking the mailbox every day, I can only imagine how great it is for our servicemen and women to get special mail at this time of the year.

Enter The Red Cross’ program: Holiday Mail for Heroes. It’s a great way to get your kids involved and help provide a service to others. The cards are delivered to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world.

There are, of course, guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety and to make sure the program is successful. From the Red Cross Website:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

Ensure that all cards are signed.
Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.
Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

Mail your cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Cards will only be accepted through December 7th, and any received after that date will be returned. This is a great activity for a scouting group, a class, a playgroup, or even just for a family activity (maybe start a new tradition to write out cards after Thanksgiving dinner).

I’m sure each and every one is appreciated.

{Tutorial} Country Christmas Crochet Garland

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Carol — 24 Comments ↓

It’s Election Day! I’ll be voting this evening, as my polling location is adjacent to the library and I’m working there for a couple hours tonight. Every year we have an election day raffle to help support our little library, so the hours are extended to correspond with voting hours. This year I decided to whip up this sweet country Christmas garland for the raffle. It’s such a fun project (not to mention instant gratification), that I just had to share it with you!

For the garland, you’ll need:

about 50″ of jute twine
homespun fabric
worsted weight yarn (I used acrylic)
“H” hook
darning needle, scissors

There are a few patterns out there for these granny-style crochet Christmas trees. I tinkered around to come up with a shape I liked, but by all means use your favorite!

Crochet Christmas Tree Motif

Abbreviations:

Ch = chain
SC = single crochet
DC = double crochet
Sl St = slip stitch

Start with a magic circle.

Round 1: Ch 3 (the Ch 3 always counts as the first DC stitch), 3 DC, ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2. Slip stitch to the top of the beginning ch 3 st. (Three clusters of 4 DC and three ch 2 spaces.)

Round 2: Sl st over to the first ch 2 space of the previous round. Ch 3. 3 DC, ch 2, 4 DC in this space. *Ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2, 4 DC in next ch 2 space. Repeat from * in the last ch 2 space. Ch 2. Sl st to the top of the beginning ch 3 stitch. (Six clusters of 4 DC and six ch 2 spaces.)

Round 3: Sl st over to the first ch 2 space. Ch 3, 3 DC, ch 3, 4 DC in the space. *Skip three DC of the previous row. SC in the next (fourth) DC (this will be the DC immediately before the ch 2 space). 4 DC in the next space. Skip three DC of the previous row. SC in the next DC. 4 DC, ch 3, 4 DC in the next space. Repeat from * along the second side of the tree. Ch 1. 4 DC in the next ch 2 space. Ch 1. Sl st to the top of beginning ch 3.

Tree Trunk: Turn work. Sl st into first DC. Ch 3. DC in the next 3 DC stitches. Turn so that the front of the tree is facing you. Ch 2 (counts as the first SC). SC in the next three DC stitches of the previous row and top loop of starting ch. Finish off and weave the yarn end into the back of the tree.

If you don’t want to use a magic circle, you can certainly start with a Ch5, and connect the beginning and end with a slip stitch and then work out of the center of that loop you create. I just think the magic circle makes neater work.

After you accumulate your little stack of trees, it’s time to assemble the garland. You’ll need 9 trees (you could also use 11 if you want them closer — that’s up to you). You’ll need 9 (or 11) 7ish-inches x 1/2 inch pieces of homespun fabric. And you’ll need your jute.

Take a piece of fabric and form a loop. Stick the bottom of the loop through the topmost hole in your tree (1). Lay the jute over the two fabric ends (2). Pull the ends through that loop (3). Then just tighten up the knot until your tree is securely attached to the jute (4).

Repeat this for every tree you’ve crocheted. Then slide the trees around until you have the spacing you want and voila! You have a quick and easy Christmas garland to hang across your mantle, the front of your entertainment center, across a mirror, wherever!

If you make this project, be sure to post a link in the comments. I’d love to see your creations!

Linking up with:

Halloween Fun

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you and your kiddos all have a fun and safe day. Since house-to-house trick-or-treating really isn’t an option where we live (that’s country living for you!), all of our festivities took place on Saturday. Considering how the threat of the hurricane loomed, it made everyone happy to at least get a little bit of fun in.

First, we headed to the mall. I know, I know… “Malloween?” LOL, well it’s a safe and easy way to let the kids get some candy. We’ve been doing it for several years now. Honestly, some of the parents there makes me insane, but I keep my smile on for the kids. After that we zipped over to the library and town hall, where our town was doing a little event. I really enjoyed that because, well, obviously I knew most of the people there so that helps! Good candy, delicious cake pops, and friendly faces. How can you go wrong?

After that, we came home and Drew and I changed into costumes for the Halloween party at the comic book store. Laura also had a quick change into a superhero outfit. She and I went as Batman & Robin! Good grief, I still can’t believe I wore that outfit in public… even if it was only for about 20 minutes! LOL… well, the boys thought it was great that I played along.

And here’s Drew in his Cobra Commander outfit. I think he looked great!

Tonight I think I’ll try to come up with a fun Halloween treat for dessert, and maybe watch some kid-friendly spooky movies like Goosebumps or something. What about you? What kind of creepy plans do you have for today?

Easter Mani

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

It’s a little-known fact that I love nail polish. Love it. I pin lots of cool manicures and I have a basket overflowing with bottles and stickers and doo-dads. Of course, I don’t always get around to actually doing my nails, but that’s beside the point.

If you pay any attention at all to beauty boards, chances are you have seen the amazing-sounding sponge gradient manicure. Now, as with all things I find on Pinterest, I approached this technique with great trepidation. No way could it possibly be that easy.

Well, strike me down, it actually worked! I thought it would make a fun Easter manicure so I tried it out this morning. I used Zoya Kendal as my base polish, and then simply striped various other pastels onto a makeup sponge, per the tutorial. I pretty much love how it came out! (Sorry for the lame photos — I was trying to do this quick).

I only did one accent nail on each hand because I think at at my age, 10 rainbow nails would be a little more than I could get away with. But a little bit of fancy on my ring fingers? No problem!

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Have you tried it yet? The only thing is that you definitely need to apply a topcoat because your nail picks up the texture of the sponge. Don’t skimp on that step. I recommend trying this, though. It’s quick and easy and makes it look like you spent a lot of time on your nails. I plan to experiment with other colors after the holiday!

easter softie decoration

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

I didn’t do much Spring or Easter decorating this year. Terrible, I know. But sometimes the idea of dragging out the boxes, putting out the stuff, and just having to pack it all back up in a few weeks seems like too much effort. But I felt like I should do something.

I had collected a few ideas on my Pinterest boards, and for my inspiration I used these fabric carrots from The Ballard Bunch and these other fabric carrots from Clare’s Craftroom. This is what I came up with:

I’m pretty happy with them, though I don’t think I like the fabric I used to tie the three together. It’s just what I grabbed. Maybe a need a small bow around the top of each individual carrot, too. What do you think?

The carrots were easy enough to make. I just cut long triangles from three different fat quarters and sewed up the side. I sewed a casing at the top, stuffed the carrots with Polyfill, and then cinched the opening together with crochet thread. For the leaves, I used my trusty hot glue gun and some green ribbon. I just made loops that looked about right. I glued the sides of the center loop to each adjoining loop in order to get them to stand up a little bit.

Super easy project and now at least I feel like I did a little something for the holiday!

2011 – what a year!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

Source: timessquarenyc.org

Although I am not a fan of the whole New Year’s Eve thing, I really do enjoy looking back on the year that is passing. In many ways it is bittersweet, filled with lovely memories but also tinged with a bit of sadness of time gone by.

Nevertheless, here we are: December 31, 2011! This year was a crazy one. I’m happy to say that I did pretty well with my yearly goals. I certainly improved my health and took better care of myself. I did not take my writing up a notch, and that was by design. But also, the writing assignments were not so plentiful this year. Of course, at the same time I dabbled in boutique hair bow making and I’ve also had good luck selling my crochet hats as photo props. Honestly, that all made up for the lack of writing work!

I also wanted to kick up my blog and I’m not really sure if I did that. I was contacted for several reviews and hosted a few giveaways. While it was fun, I learned that I really love reviewing products (probably because I’m opinionated, LOL!) but the giveaways are more work than they are worth. So I have to think about where I want to go with that.

There seems to be nostalgia in the bloggy world for how things used to be and I definitely share that sentiment. My blog goal for the new year is to just have fun with it. I remember when blogging was no-pressure, when it was a community, heck when there were (gasp!) no comments! I did it just because I wanted to, because I wanted to share, because I wanted to document it all for myself. And that’s where I want to be!

Here’s a little look back on my year. It’s a classic meme that has been going around for ages and I love it! You post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.

January 2011

I decided that we needed to start the new year with a big breakfast, so I made a fritatta with smoked ham, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions as well as pancakes (served with the cherry preserves I canned back in July) and sausage.

February 2011

Last month I was really motivated to start this project and I completed the first two squares.

March 2011

… because he adds sweet little extras to my daily “to do” list when I’m not looking ♥ ♥ ♥

April 2011

If it’s Friday, you know what that means… it’s time to party!

May 2011

Friday night I had a revelation when the dress I bought about a month ago for my husband’s high school reunion didn’t fit the same way as when I purchased it.

June 2011

Ten years ago I married the macaroni to my cheese, the salsa to my nachos, the peanut butter to my jelly, the butter to my bread.

July 2011

There was a bunch of beets in last week’s CSA share.

August 2011

Hello, friends!

September 2011

Well here we are, heading towards the end of the year.

October 2011

It has been a pretty easy adjustment to the carb-restricted diet, and even though I don’t have to eat this way, I am and I’m enjoying a lot of benefits, specifically increased energy.

November 2011

It occurred to me that I never put up my CSA post from two weeks ago (life is crazy, and blogging has obviously not been a priority – sorry!).

December 2011

The weather in my neck of the woods: Today it’s sunny and mild ~ in the mid-50s as I type, but I believe it’s supposed to turn colder later in the week, which is OK with me.

Thank you so much for reading my blog, following my ramblings on Twitter, liking me on Facebook, and truly being a part of my life (because you are)! Many of you I have known for years through blogging and you’ve become good friends. Others I know in real life, and still others I only know via my comments. And I bet there are some people who read quietly without saying a word. That’s OK. I do that on a lot of blogs, too, but I would LOVE if you’d say hello once in a while 🙂

If you’re out celebrating tonight, please be safe! I wish each and every one of you a happy & healthy new year! Cheers!