Buddy Bag

Finished up a cute little Buddy Bag (pattern from annypurls). I got Eva to do be a model. Don't mind the apple goop all down the front of her dress (notice discarded apple on the floor--or don't, actually!). It was just a shame to only show the bag and not this adorable girl's face!

We decided to try and get some action shots as well. Eva on the go!

This bag isn't 100% completed since I don't have a fabric liner yet. I need to find some matching fabric and use my awesome, new found sewing machine skills.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft and odd bits of green/brown/red/black for the puppet and leaf pocket
The pattern is extremely well written and I'm looking forward to making another one.

Buddy Bag

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/buddy-bag.html

Mail Time!

This morning Eva and I got ready to go to the post office and the grocery store. We were mailing this back2school swap box to Mique. I can't show you what is inside yet. We also had to go and buy some eggs and bacon because we are having breakfast for dinner tonight with the sister missionaries.

When we got home from our errands, I spotted a couple of boxes on my doorstep. One contained all of these goodies from Mique! Can you spot everything? There is a Crafts n' Things magazine (love those!), a binder FULL of knitting patterns (thank you so much!), a couple of notepads--one for the fridge which is something I really needed but kept forgetting to get myself, and an APRON! It is big enough to cover my bosoms (bless you) and even personalized with a "C"! The colors are fabulous and I am so excited to wear it around the house. Please go check out her blog. I'm so glad I did this swap just to "meet" her. We have lots in common. We're both Mormon. We've both been married 9 years. We both have a child with autism (instant bonding-right there). She lives in Saugus, CA. I've been to Saugus, CA. You get the point... ;) I'll post what I sent along to her in a couple of days.

In the other box was a pair of shoes. My Ryka shoes! These are the ones I won on sk*rt. I ended up getting The Chase running shoes. I tried a couple of different styles on at Scheels before I sent them what I wanted. I needed to make sure I was making the right choice. I think I did!

When I was placing my "order" with Ryka, they let me in on another giveaway they are doing. Starting on September 5th, Ryka will be giving away 50 pairs of shoes a day for a month on their website. I'll certainly remind you about this next week so you can stop by and check them out!

What a great mail day!

Mail Time!

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/mail-time.html

Good Stuff

All week this week at Life is Like a Lunchbox is the Summer Soap Celebration. There is a giveaway a day. You haven't even missed out on the first few days either because you have until Friday to enter each one.

Check out the Margarita Salt soap at The Foil Hat.

The soaps at Sudz n Bubbles are must sees. I'm a little partial to the Fish in the Bag soap (scroll down a bit). How cute is that?

Again, I'm probably ruining my odds at winning but I'm going for karma. It didn't work on the Twisted Silver Jewelry giveaway but maybe for soap?

Good Stuff

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/good-stuff.html

Time Timers

This timer looks like something that might work well with my kids. Anyone have experience with this product? My Pampered Chef timer just doesn't cut it anymore.

Time Timers

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/time-timers.html

State Fair Results

We headed on over to the State Fair of Nebraska this hot and muggy evening to check out how my items fared. I've been a little fatalistic about my chances and it was probably a good thing because not all of my entries placed. But, it isn't all doom and gloom. I got some ribbons!

My blue cardigan and a plain rolled brim hat didn't place at all. Whatever. I'm not bitter. Really, I'm not.


This Hello Kitty doll I made for Eva got 3rd place in one of the toy divisions. This was competing against other hand made toys (knit/crochet/sewn/etc...). There were some really cute things and I totally screwed up on the embroidery on the face. Oh well. Eva loves it.

This sweater took 4th place. It was in the child sweater category. I really botched the seaming of this one and didn't bother to re-do it. I'm sure that hurt my chances for a higher place.


These mittens were a last minute thing I whipped up. I made them to fit Eva. They are from that Katia Mexico yarn I won off of eBay (same time as the big Noro purchase). I had to work really hard to make the stripes match because the skein isn't the same all the way through. I made a matching hat (it was the one that didn't place). Eva looks really cute in them. Third place is fair.


And now we have my pleasant surprise! This vest took second place in its category of sweaters without sleeves. I also entered the vest into the special category sponsored by Personal Threads (a yarn shop in Omaha) for the best overall handknit item using natural fibers. This vest was made using my Jo Sharp Silkroad (wool/cashmere/sik) so I decided that would be my best bet for the category. Check out that blue ribbon! I won! I didn't just win a blue ribbon...I won a $25 gift certificate to Personal Threads.

I've won $25 gift certificates for two years in a row now. It is going to be hard to keep this up especially since I keep telling all my knitting group members how to enter the fair! It was really fun to see so many familiar items and names in the cases. Looks like even the Omaha Guild was well represented. Dare I say that we're taking this State Fair knitting competition to the next level?

State Fair Results

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/state-fair-results.html

Recital

Here is Caleb playing his self-titled song, "The Lord". It is really "I"ll Follow Him in Faith" which is one of the songs the primary kids are singing this year for their program.

Again, we caught him playing the piano with no pants on. It's just the way we roll in our house.

Since the last video we posted of him playing you'll notice that he is now playing mostly 2 handed and doesn't like to play anything without the pedal.

Enjoy.

Recital

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/recital.html

Mika

When I first heard the song, Grace Kelly by Mika, I was not impressed. It only took a couple of more listens to burn in my brain and make me Mika obsessed. I can't help myself. Is there a group for this?



This one is Big Girls...my new favorite on the iPod for working out. If you go to abc.com (or watch ABC for a few mintues--they are showing the commercial like crazy) you can see the Ugly Betty version of this song.



When Carl gets home from his campout, I'm going to have him upload Caleb's piano recital so you can expect some more youtube videos tomorrow!

Mika

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/mika.html

KAL for Jane

Here's info on a new KAL starting up.

KAL for Jane

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/kal-for-jane.html

Teaposy

So beautiful that it almost makes me wish I drink tea. Click on the link here to see video of the Teaposy in action.

Teaposy

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/teaposy.html

Home Alone

Carl has been really busy this week. Last night he had home teaching/Scouts. Tonight he has an awards banquet to attend in Omaha. Tomorrow night he is going on a Scout campout. In September he has another campout and he'll also be attending two conferences (one in LA and one in Las Vegas) so he'll be gone for two weeks. Thank goodness they aren't 2 weeks in a row. Good thing school is in session so I know that I have the mornings to go to the store and stuff.

Because I believe in good karma, I think I should tell you about the giveaway at Design Mom. It is $400 worth of Twisted Silver jewelry. Leave a comment to enter. If you win, remember me! ;)

Home Alone

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/home-alone.html

A New Do

I'm really proud of how I fixed Eva's hair. It is nice having time in the morning to do stuff like this. She wasn't too keen on me taking her picture. She really wanted to show off her crocodile. Now you all can admire a picture of Eva's crocodile with her rubber-banded hair in the background.

A New Do

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/new-do.html

Ahoy There Mateys

I made this little pirate patch in about 5 minutes while waiting for Caleb to get off the bus. I think I may need to make some for the whole family!

Ahoy There Mateys

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/ahoy-there-mateys.html

I Love Archer Farms

Caleb isn't adjusting well to his new school. I thought this might happen. He is really good at controlling his temper there but it builds up and as soon as he gets home---we all suffer! I had a hard time finding something to calm him down. Eva's refusal to take a nap wasn't helping because she will get in his face and say, "NO, Bub!". Cute that she calls him Bub but bad because every time she does that someone gets hit and it is either her or me. I called Caleb's teacher from last year to see if she had seen him at school. She had and said she meant to call me to warn me. We've had days like this before after long breaks. I'm sure once he gets used to the routine and the new teachers things will get a little better but I'm anticipating a rough week. The good news: I have all morning to relax. Well, as much relaxing as I can do with a 2 1/2 yr. old still needing my attention.

Now, for my actual post for today. I went to Super Target again on Saturday. I can't help myself. It must be an illness like SYTYCD withdrawals but without so many trips to the bathroom. I bought some chips.

These are Archer Farms Black Pepper & Sea Salt potato chips. I opened them yesterday and they got me through a rough patch of the day. They are absolutely delicious and I love them. Don't go out and buy them unless you love pepper...which I do!

Another item purchased from Super Target (but available in other stores) was Haagen Dazs Caramel Cone ice cream. It didn't last very long so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to start scheduling my Y visits to occur more frequently.

Coming soon: More video of Caleb playing the piano. Our family home evening last night was spent recording an impromptu piano concert. We got lots of good footage!

I Love Archer Farms

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-love-archer-farms.html

School's In!

Caleb got on the bus this morning at the reasonable hour of 8am. Sure beats his 6:45am pickup from last year. Although, we were ready by 7am and waited outside for about 50 minutes because Caleb was pretty darn excited to be able to ride on the bus again. He spent the morning reciting the names of his classmates from last year. I'm so sad he's not going to the same school. At least he'll have a few friends from last year and one of the paraprofessionals from last year will be in his classroom. We also found out at the open house that a girl from his class in church (Caroline) will be in his class. The sick feeling I had about the school year is slowly going away. I'm optimistic.

Poor Eva keeps going to the door asking to get on the bus. I thought she might be excited to have all the toys to herself for an older brother abuse-free morning. I think she'll be ready for some serious playing soon enough. After the first couple days of trying to get back into the routine, I'm going to start getting a good schedule going for us that includes museums, trips to the Y, and playdates. Good stuff.

School's In!

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/schools-in.html

Withdrawal

Since last night I've been having some gastrointestinal issues. Could it be symptoms of withdrawal from SYTYCD? These have prevented me from attending church today and it has been so bad I can't even knit. That is when I know I am truly sick. I can't even enjoy my virtual bedriddenness (new word) by knitting a Lizard Ridge square or two. Don't cry for me (Argentina) just yet. I did snuggle up with a good book. Alas, I finished it mere minutes ago. Eclipse is the third book in the series by Stephenie Meyer that Catherine introduced to me as my new crack. This is probably my least favorite book of the three so far. That isn't saying that I didn't enjoy it immensely. Because, I did. I guess the next one comes out in Spring 2008. I feel some withdrawal coming on.

Withdrawal

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/withdrawal.html

Natural History Museum

Yesterday we visited the Natural History Museum on the UNL campus. Carl can get his immediate family in for free as an employee so we met him for lunch. It was actually a really good outing. The fossils there are amazing. Some of the best I've seen. The kids were even well behaved (for them).

They are beginning to master the art of "Turn around and let me take your picture".


We're still trying to master..."it's time to go home now".

Natural History Museum

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/natural-history-museum.html

In the Car

Caleb plays DJ when we're in the car. His latest favorites are from a cd I had with just a few of my iTunes songs. He has to listen to them in a particular order and he has special "color" names for them all.

Blue= Natasha Beddingfield's Unwritten.
Maroon 5= Maroon 5 (duh!) This Love
Orange= OK GO's You're So Darn* Hot *edited to protect the innocent readers of this blog*
That Blue= Goodnight and Go by Imogen Heap
That Orange= Suddenly I See by K.T. Tunstall

I was starting to get very, very tired of listening to these songs. So, I changed the cd to the one with all the church Primary songs for this year's program. We've listened to this cd before but now Caleb knows most of the songs.

On the way to UNL today (we visited the Natural History Museum with Carl on his lunch break--pics to come later), Caleb started to ask for a song.

Caleb: I want to hear THE LORD!
Me: What song is that?
Caleb: THE LORD!
Me: *trying to figure out which one he wants* Is this it?
Caleb: *screaming loudly now* NO! I NEED THE LORD!!!
Me: Don't we all! How about this one?
Caleb: This is it! Thank you! I LOVE THE LORD!

In the Car

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-car.html

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

Or, whatever. I dropped off my items to the State Fair today. I'm not as excited about it as I was last year. Probably because most of what I took was not my best work. I shouldn't be too down, though because some of my best work last year (Snowdrop Shawl) got 4th place! I did end up entering my mitered vest that I made earlier this year. I entered that one in the special Personal Threads contest as well (best use of natural fibers).

Time will tell how my entries fare at the fair. Bring on the funnel cakes.

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/our-state-fair-is-great-state-fair.html

What I'm Watching

I'll be tuning in tonight for the finale. I don't know who I am voting for yet but I have a feeling it will be either Sabra or Neil. I might be going into SYTYCD withdrawals* after this week.

*Is it really spelled this way? Spell check says so.

What I'm Watching

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-im-watching.html

Another Day, Another Contest

Our local yarn shop, The Yarn Shop (previously known as Threads) is holding a design contest over the next couple of months. It is called Project Lincoln. First prize is a $100 gift certificate to the store. I'm pretty sure I could use that.

I have called on Wendy to be my model. She has experience and it runs in her family. Remember Matt Mar Male Model? I'm designing a top loosely based on the Josephine top from Interweave Knits (summer 2007 issue, I believe).

Do you like it?

I've got some yarn that has a little texture in it and I'm reworking the pattern to include a bit more sleeve and a different lacy pattern at the bottom. The yarn is Ironstone Warehouse Flake Cotton from Brazil. At 328 yds/100g a skein (and only $5.10), it is really economical. I hope it knits up the way I'd like it to. There was a sweater in the store made from the yarn the looked really nice. We'll see if this will give us the look we're going for.

I need to finish it in time for the runway show on October 13th.

Another Day, Another Contest

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/another-day-another-contest.html

Out for Delivery

I've been tracking my book and it is out for delivery today. I hope it comes soon!

Out for Delivery

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/out-for-delivery.html

Holy Moly!

Holy moly! What happened to my tooth?

I guess it looks okay in there!

Caleb's tooth fell out sometime during the night last night. Carl found it in his bed. He's taking it well and it quite excited that it is out. We haven't introduced the tooth fairy or anything like that...he wouldn't understand the concept anyway...so I'm probably going to leave a little treat for him tomorrow morning and tell him it is for being a big boy and losing a tooth.

Holy Moly!

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/holy-moly.html

Buddy Bags

I first saw these bags on Jessica's blog and I thought they were the cutest things ever. The little animals on the bags are actually finger puppets. The pattern can be found here. It is a $6 pattern available for instant pdf download. I think I'm going to start one tonight. I just can't decide which one. I can also use my new found sewing skills to put in fabric liners. How awesome is that?

Buddy Bags

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/buddy-bags.html

Gathering Dust

Have you got books and movies that you wish you could trade for something better? Check out Swaptree. It is a free site that is a swap marketplace. You enter the ISBN numbers of books, movies, cds, and games that you no longer want and you can search for items to add to your wish list. Got an old diet book that you really want the Pirates of the Caribbean instead? No problem! They work out all the swap details and you just take care of shipping your item yourself. I'm really looking forward to getting rid of some of my books and trading them for different ones.

Gathering Dust

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/gathering-dust.html

Guilt Free Shopping

I'm going to indulge in a little guilt free shopping soon. I won a giveaway on Sk*rt! They were giving away 20 pairs of Ryka shoes and I was one of the winners.

Which pair will I chose?

Will it magically make me not afraid to get a new trainer and use up the rest of my sessions?

Guilt Free Shopping

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/guilt-free-shopping.html

Gift Ideas

Carl isn't really the type of guy that gives flowers. They aren't a practical gift. I wonder what he'd think about this?

Gift Ideas

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/gift-ideas.html

Up Again

I did finally get back to sleep last night. But, here I am again in the middle of the night waiting for my tylenol to kick in. I'm starting to think I should go and buy some more ibuprofen. Doesn't it last longer than 4-6 hours?

Anyway, today should be an easy day for me. I just have to keep Caleb and Eva occupied until noon and then Ashley will be here to help me. This is one of her last days, if not her last. I think she may be able to come one more time on Monday but then, that's it! I'm going to miss the extra help but school is starting soon and then it would just be overkill to keep her.

It isn't storming anymore so later today there is a rescheduled activity for the youth of the church. Since I already had plans for the evening that can't be changed, Carl wasn't going to be able to go (he's one of the leaders). He decided he would take the kids with him. This is no normal activity. It's a whole afternoon at the lake. Should be interesting. Good thing there will be lots of helpful hands around. I know Caleb and Eva will have an absolute blast. I went and bought an extra life vest last night so they'd be good to go!

I went to the new Super Target last night. I can't properly express how much I missed having all of the Archer Farms goodness at my fingertips! It certainly won't become my #1 grocery store. I can't afford to do my grocery shopping at the same store with the dollar spot, cute clothes, home accessories and shoes. I did find some pretty sweet deals and some neat treats. I might have to limit myself to a once a month trip.

I think I might actually be able to fall asleep again now. This too, shall pass.

Until later.

Up Again

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/up-again.html

Insomniac

It's 3:30am. A fantastic storm woke me up and a fantastic pain in my ear is keeping me awake. I'm waiting for my pain reliever to kick in so I can sleep. In the meantime, a few questions...

1. How many of you have read Twilight and New Moon? Did you know that Eclipse came out THIS WEEK?

2. Do I have to use a Flickr account for Ravelry?

3. Should I turn in a person that is breaking the law by selling Stampin' Up cards in a retail environment? I have never met this person and don't know whether she is a demonstrator or a customer.

4. Will I ever blog about the American Idol concert?

5. Am I going to be able to fall asleep again tonight?

Insomniac

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/insomniac.html

Nine

Nine years ago I got married in Dallas, Texas. Here is my tribute to nine years of wedded bliss.

1 trip to France

2 adoptions

3 states (Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska)

4 years "dating"--2 1/2 of those years we were on our missions in Mexico and France

5 years (almost) waiting to be blessed with children

6 cars (Stratus, Civic, pickup, Caravan, Accord, Town & Country)

7 different apartments/houses (University Place and Chalmette in Norman; Duroc duplex,
Elk Street, and ghetto mansion in Lafayette; 42nd St rental and our FIRST HOME on Pawnee in Lincoln)

8 years before we up and got ourselves a mortgage

9 practically perfect years

Nine

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/nine.html

I Didn't Do It

Not me.

Not me.

Hmmm. Not me either.

Nope.

Not me before I was married.

I can't find myself on the internet!

I Didn't Do It

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-didnt-do-it.html

Dear Blog,

I don't mean to be ignoring you today. It is just that life is catching up with me and I don't have time to blog about the things I want to share with you. So, I'm turning off the computer for the rest of the day* and stepping away from the sticky keyboard (thanks to Caleb and an apple). We'll be in our pool.**


*I will be turning on the computer again as soon as the kids are in bed!

**We got one of those inflatable pools that are about 2 1/2 feet deep. We just finally put it up last night. I think it is done raining for the time being so we're heading out!

Dear Blog,

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/dear-blog.html

Eye Boogers

Eva has eye boogers. They won't quit coming. We actually took her to church before we knew how bad they were but she didn't even make it through the first 30 minutes. I took her home and called the nurse. She said it sounds like a bacterial eye infection. All the mothers of kids in the nursery can be glad now that I took her home when I did.

Eye Boogers

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/eye-boogers.html

The Police Are Busy

Caleb's swim lessons are over. I decided to cancel his next session because I'm too lazy to take him every day and it will be with a different teacher. He had a sub one day and kind of flipped out. I can see why. His teacher was awesome. So, he'll go again maybe sometime in the fall. I've emailed the aquatics director to let me know when his teacher will have a Perch session again. We'll be there!

The one thing Caleb took away from his lessons...how to dial 9-1-1.

Priceless.

If I don't answer my home phone it is because they are hidden up high in drawers or have the batteries taken out. Leave a message and I'll get to a phone eventually. But, until the novelty wears off...they are off limits.

The Police Are Busy

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/police-are-busy.html

On the Docket

Things going on today:

1. My dish rag tag box arrived this morning. I must knit a dishcloth.
2. My Reefer sweater will make its debut--at the American Idol Concert!!!
3. Buy pull-ups. Eva is out and her potty training successes have been less than stellar these past few weeks. She definitely needs them for naps and overnight.
4. Go to the post office.
5. Finish final day of the Sk*rt contest.

On the Docket

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/on-docket.html

For Jane

2007 KAL listing

Knit Wars

For Jane

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/for-jane.html

Embarrassment of Riches

It's embarrassing, really. I can't believe all the yarn I got this past week. This isn't even all of it! Here is Carl's contribution. He brought me back these three balls of fingering weight wool all the way from France!
And now, on to my eBay purchases. Kathy, eBay member tbcbkbjb, was a pleasure to do business with. I paid for the my eBay purchases as soon as the auction was over this weekend and she shipped it all on Monday morning. I got it on Tuesday. Wow.

This Katia Mexico did not disappoint. It is even better than I imagined. Still no plans but it will look very nice sitting with the rest of my yarn.


What's that? Do you see a little Lizard Ridge going on? I finished one square using color 95. I'm just going to stick my hand into that gorgeous pile of Noro to find out which one I'm going to use next.

I was a little confused when I opened the box because there were two skeins of Noro Kochoron. That's right. Kochoron! Wool/Silk/Angora...need I say more? I emailed Kathy to see if it was a mistake. It wasn't listed in the auction. She responded that it was a thank you for the purchase.

THANK YOU!!!!

Embarrassment of Riches

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/embarrassment-of-riches.html

Dish Rag Tag

I don't know if I mentioned yet that I'm participating in Dish Rag Tag. Not only am I participating, I'm a team captain! Basically, I have 10 people on my team and we have to circulate a box between us as quickly as we can...each knitting a dish rag for the next person on our list. The first few teams finished get prizes. I can't pass up prizes!

The competition started yesterday by our hostess, Emily, sending out all of the boxes. I'm expecting to receive mine today or tomorrow. Either way, I'll be ready.

I've added the widget in my sidebar (under the knitting blog links) so we'll be able to track the progress of the box.

Dish Rag Tag

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/dish-rag-tag.html

Red, White, and Blue (and Gold)

As you know, I entered 5 things into the county fair. I ended up with 5 ribbons. Just not all blue.

Here's the lowdown.

1. Blue Cardigan-3rd place (White) At first I was really sad and disappointed but then I saw that Amber from Threads entered her circle jacket (Vogue Knitting ) that she was working on when she came to the Perk. That got a 1st place ribbon. Liana had a beautiful cabled sweater that got 2nd.

2. Toddler Sweater- 2nd place (Red)

3. Toddler hat- 2nd place (Red)

4. Sweater Ornament- 4th place (Gold). I was wondering how they were going to judge this one. I had to enter it into a weird category (winter decorations) so I guess any ribbon is okay. I'm assuming they only had 4 entrants.

5. Socks- 1st place (BLUE!). I would have been REALLY, REALLY disappointed had these not placed 1st. They are truly awesome socks, if I do say so myself.

Let's bring on the State Fair!

Red, White, and Blue (and Gold)

http://craftyconservative.blogspot.com/2007/08/red-white-and-blue-and-gold.html