Mommy UnraveledCrafting Fun & More!

Once a year whether I need to or not....

2010-09-24T16:42:00.002-07:00

Apparently blogging just ain't my thing. I don't facebook, I don't myspace, I don't "social network." Just not my cup of tea, ball of wax, etc. I prefer real face-to-face friend encounters rather than facebook posts.

Recently, I realized that I am fast approaching the ONE YEAR mark since my last blog. An old high school friend I recently re-connected with emailed a few days ago--she's a career mom...works some environmenta-basedl job for a big company....and has one little girl who's 2.

She emailed & relayed her busy-ness dropping said kid off at daycare, hitting her office, etc. And she asked me, now that my daughters are 2nd graders--How do you stay busy during the day? The implication being that Stay-At-Home-Moms do NOT work.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..........that's a good one.

As you can see--I'm too busy to log on & post a simple blog entry. Do I keep busy?!?! Yeah, I think so.

Whereas other women have made their careers their life--I have made being a mom my career. :) I am super-proficient at laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning, kid-carting, school-volunteering, soccer-whatever-ing, family functions, etc. And I don't just mean a scattered trip to get groceries after work or 10 loads of laundry all during one crazy Saturday.

Being a mom is my daily 24/7 job. No monetary benefits. No vacation time. NO sick leave...hahahaha...just the thought of that is funny! No 8-5 hours. I am on-duty, on-call all day everyday.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm damn good at this job. In short...........I rock. :)

Fried!

2009-12-05T19:59:00.002-07:00

Ok, I am FRIED.

My mom informed me that my sister had purchased a small item for me for Christmas...even though I was under the impression she & I would no longer exchange gifts--we'd just buy for each other's kids. (You know what they say about assuming!)

So I felt guilty. What could I do?

I know....I'd knit her a washcloth for her kitchen. She's raved about my hand-knit rags for a few months, asking me to PLEASE knit her some when I had time. I was like "Yeah, sure....'time'....that's a good one."

So I found some fun cotton yarn (variegated red/white/blue--very nice)...and started knitting at 3 pm. I do a fun "waffle-weave" knitting pattern for my rags......knit 3, purl 3, repeat...switching the pattern every 3 rows, so the end result is a woven effect.

I had the first rag completely done by 5 pm! I've never knit so dang fast. I thought "What the heck...if one rag is good, 2 would be even MORE 'see-I-do-love-you' for Christmas!"

And despite my aching hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and legs (from sitting too long in one chair) I started that second puppy. Two more hours later, I was DONE! I finished 2 whole washcloths in about 3 1/2 hours. (I did have to stop twice to feed my kids dinner & then read them stories before bed...sheesh, they're such a pain!) :)

Does this mean I can now end my weekend sans guilt? I certainly hope so.

Oh, and why, you ask, did I feel the need to knit both of them in one evening?!? Simple. My sister & family are visiting this weekend--and return home to Billings tomorrow morning. If I wanted to knit them & get them wrapped & ready to send with her family's other gifts going home in the back of their minivan.............well, it just had to be done, didn't it?!?

So, yes, thank you, I DO rock. And I am completely FRIED. Time to suck down some Advil, some Tylenol, etc............and head for bed. :) Ho Ho Ho.

Kids Are Nuts

2009-07-23T20:49:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I do love my kids. But they are nutty. And driving me nutty--frequently. It's already been a LONG summer.

And yet, I can't believe they'll be First Graders in just one month! WOW. The summer is half over already, and I hardly feel like I've had time to settle in.....nuts.

It's all nuts. Truly--that is my favorite word nowadays (besides "Yikes!"...that one fits some aspect of my day, every single freakin' day....YIKES!)

My nephews are in town too right now--staying at Papa Nana House for the week. So we've been having lots of nutty "Cousin Playtime" everyday. They may be 9 & 12, and my Girls only 6 1/2....but when all 4 kids get together it's sheer nuttiness. Chasing, giggling, teasing--you name it. The usual Cousin Fun.

And my hubby leaves tomorrow for a 10-day (solo) trip to Seattle for his 30-year high school reunion (yes, he IS that old). I must say, I can't wait for his trip--he'll get the chance to hang out with friends & family, and I'll get the chance to enjoy some nutty "Girl Time" with my daughters at home alone. Woo hoo!

Taking Daddy out of the mix eases up on some of the nuttiness, and adds nuttiness in other areas. We have a big week planned though (now that swim lessons are over--thank goodness)--we'll be hitting the DQ, probably shopping at Costco & Walmart, painting toenails, AND baking cookies. Oatmeal were requested, and they usually don't turn out for me....but I'm game. I'll give anything a try when my darlings ask nicely.

So there you go....kids are nuts. Parents are nuts. Life is nuts. YIKES! ;)

3 Free Hours!

2009-06-27T15:58:00.003-07:00

Wowie! I had THREE FREE HOURS today! Woo hoo!

My kids had a great time at the birthday party--and it was only 3 houses away, so we were able to walk to it too. :) The mom hosting helped the kids make homemade ice cream as part of their "birthday fun" & you'd have thought they invented the lightbulb the way they're going on & on & ON about "how cool that was, Mom!"

So good, way to go, kiddoes....I prefer the fast route to my ice cream--the drive-thru lane of the Dairy Queen, or a half gallon from WalMart. ;) I'm just glad they had fun.

I had fun too--hubby went golfing, so for 3 hours I was ALONE. Wow again. I did laundry (by myself), ran the dishwasher (by myself), even fixed and ate lunch (by myself). Which I NEVER get to do! Usually I eat a bite here or there as I'm serving other people lunch. As in--"Mom, can I have some chips now?" "Mom, can I have more milk?" "Mom, do HAFTA eat the crusts on my sandwich?!?" So eating alone is a rare, stress-free luxury...almost as good as showering in an empty house!

And best of all...I did indeed get time to scrapbook! I finished TWO pages! Holy smokes! I never go that fast. (Ok, I have to admit--they were pages from a kit-of-the-month club...so all I had to do was follow the directions & cut here, adhere there, embellish, etc.--but still I finished TWO of them!) :)

I am almost giddy with the enjoyment of my afternoon. Even my grouchy hubby who claims I jinxed him (because he golfed his second-worst round ever today) can't ruin my good mood.

Have a lovely weekend y'all...and I will too!

PS--the picture is a super-girlie card I made for a friend who's pregnant with #3 (two boys thus far) & just found out she has to go on bed rest AGAIN! She deserves something pink & happy. :)

Just For You, Steph

2009-06-26T18:35:00.003-07:00

Ok...so in an effort to try this one more time, here's a super-quick entry before my friend Steph (may or may not) read(s) this........

It's summer, people. And that means the kiddies are out of school! On to first grade next year--woo hoo!

In the meantime, we're in a battle of wits everyday, trying to come up with new "projects" for my darlings to do & STAY OUT OF MY HAIR. Good luck with that, Mommy.

Every day my daughter says "Mom, can we do a craft project?" Like, what, I'm a fountain of patterns & ideas?!? I keep craft kits up my (bleep!) ready to be pulled out at any given moment?!? Yeah, right.

I'm lucky if I remember to grab some cruddy foam stickers at the dollar store--which I then throw at said daughter..."Here ya' go, knock yourself out, kid."

Ok, all kidding aside. I do a lot of craft & art projects with my kids. It's just been exhausting lately--since we've only been out for summer break since June 10, and every day I'm supposed to act like the Activities Director on the Good Ship Lollipop.

But we'll fit more craft time in--as much as I can stand anyway. Between laundry loads & my treadmill time. And hopefully AFTER I take a daily shower. (Here's hoping anyway.) If only I could get them to sleep in past 7 a.m............hope springs eternal.

Thank goodness they have a birthday party to go to tomorrow--that'll give me THREE FREE HOURS tomorrow afternoon. I might actually be able to complete an ENTIRE scrapbook page. Wowie!

Like I said................never stop hoping. :)

No Comment...No Comment.

2008-08-01T19:33:00.002-07:00

Ok, what can a gal say about her lack of blogging get-up-and-go? Nothing. Nada. No Comment.

I can't even come up with a decent entry today for this post. I simply feel guilty when I check the blog (after royally forgetting it!) & realize it's been a million months (ok, almost five) since I posted anything.

There you have it.

A fellow preschool-mom friend got me hooked. Hooked on the worst stuff out there. It's SO addicting I may have to seek help. I just can't stop. Now I've started finding places to order it online. I'm out of control.

Nope....it's not drugs. It's scrapbooking supplies! Or more specifically, stamping & card-making supplies. I think it all falls under the general "scrapping" heading though.

She's a rep for Close To My Heart--a mega-expensive super-cutesy company that puts out some of the AWESOMEST stamps I've ever seen! Their "My Acrylix" stamps ROCK! I have purchased about a gazillion bucks worth of stuff in just the last two months alone.

Now, let's face it--I am a self-confessed knitaholic. I have NINE super-huge plastic bins (I mean, like fake Christmas tree size) FULL of yarns. So is it really so surprising that I would get hooked on a new crafty endeavor?

I always thought "paper crafts" were crap. For people who simply didn't have a creative sewing/knitting bone in their body! Little did I know....making cards is SO fun. I can't stop myself! Of course I don't have time. Of course I don't have places to store the supplies. Of course I can't afford the expensive tools & stamps & doo-dads.

Does any of that matter? Of course not. :)

Going Back In Time

2008-03-21T19:16:00.002-07:00

Ok, so we all know time travel is just a cute idea put forth by Hollywood & fantasy/sci-fi movies, right? But what if you really COULD go back in time? Well, maybe you can...with your knitting!!!

I started a new scarf for myself the other day. We're at that funny in-between Winter & Spring weather, where some days you don't really need a coat, but it's too cold to go out with nothing--ergo, a scarf is the perfect accessory!

I've had this pretty hand-spun ivory-color fiber I've wanted to use for a long time, but no project in mind. A perfect match for my scarf frenzy! So I started knitting an open-weave "holey" design..........

And hated it. Got about 18 inches knit and decided it wasn't right. So I set it aside & started pondering. After about a day of serious scarf-thought, I realized it was time. Time to go back in time! A-froggin' we will go...a-froggin' we will go....high-ho, the mommy-O, a-froggin' we will go!

I ripped out all 18 inches, re-wound my ball of yarn, and started over! This time I chose an easy cable design, with moss stitch edges. And after 3 inches of that, I decided that my width & pattern were slightly off. So I ripped that out too!!! The time machine was working in overdrive!

Finally, with attempt 3 or 4, I was happy & content. Now I've nearly finished the scarf, and it's gorgeous! An easy 3-stitch edge in moss stitch on both sides. A center cable, all front-twist, split from 6 stitches. And all done on big, fast size 13 US needles. Can't beat it!

So maybe you can't really go back in time, but sometimes it's ok to start over! Better to start over, even when the project is half-done, than to finish something you're not happy with...just so you can say you finished it. Because, as I've learned, a project finished that you're unhappy with is no better than a project you never finish. You'll never wear it or use it if you don't LOVE the end result!

Enjoy your time travels, fellow Lint Heads! I know I have enjoyed mine this week!

Knit One, Purl Two, Smile Three.....................and Keep Crafting!

Bad Mommy!

2008-02-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I suspected I wasn't really the "share my deepest thoughts online" type...and now it's been confirmed.

My last post was in OCTOBER, 2007! Folks, that pretty much sums it up--I ain't no stinkin' "blogger"!!!

In fact, I can pretty much guarantee I'll never become a blogger either. I've thought about this page often, but frankly, life gets in the way. And I really prefer to choose my LIFE over time spent posting online!

I don't have time to waste typing even this short a posting. So for now, I will just let my past ruminations hang out in cyberspace. Maybe you'll see me again in future postings...

...Maybe not.

Off The Face Of The Earth...

2007-10-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I just realized that it's been 2 1/2 months since I posted anything on my so-called blog. Oops. Sorry. Of course, I don't actually think anyone reads this....except me, when I proofread it. So who gives a shit?

Kids started school in Sept--and since then we've had non-stop colds, pink eye, etc, running rampant in our household. I feel like I've fallen off the face of the Earth. Fallen into some exhausted, angry, over-worked, abysmal "Mom" chasm.

So there you have it......we're getting by. We're living day by day by day. Kids are great--still knitting when I have the energy, and if my over-tired joints aren't too achy in protest of my guilt-induced knitting frenzy.

Nothin' new to report.....if you actually read this--check back next year. I'm sure I'll be WAY wittier & even more clever then. Sure. Whatever.

Knit One, Panic Two...

2007-07-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we leave for our "Family Trip" in less than a week. And I am trying to get it all ready & done & packed & good-to-go...without succumbing to the usual pre-travel panic. Good luck to me!

I haven 't posted in a loooooong time. Just never seems to be time to blog. I don't know how serious bloggers do it. I'm too busy living to sit down & type about living.

I also don't know how people travel with children. One of my in-laws has 4 kids--and they fly all over the world with their children. Like it's no big deal. Hello?!?!?! It's a HUGE deal for me. And we're not even flying!

In a mere 4 days, we leave, in our oh-so-loaded minivan to drive across 3 States for a "Family Reunion." My husband's family will ALL be there--and we're going to join the gang for 5 days of mayhem. It will take us two days to get there--kids need a lot of potty stops.

And the worst part is that all I can think about is "What knitting project should I take along???" Granted, it's unlikely I'll have time to sit & knit & wow my in-laws with my knitting prowess....at most I may get a few rows knit here & there in the van, while we drive through city traffic from one far away destination to another far away destination.

But I can't help it--my knitting is my touchstone. It's like a childhood blankie or favorite stuffed animal....having a knitting project soothes me. It keeps my hands busy & my head occupied. It passes the time & keeps me from feeling panicky & overwhelmed. Some people do yoga to soothe stress. I create stuff....I knit.

Plus I find it gratifying to knit in front of people. I find my confidence in my own knitting surges greatly when I "show off" my skills to others. Non-knitters are fascinated by we who knit. They'll watch from across the room, awestruck by the almost-hypnotic, fast motions of the needles as they dance with the yarn. They'll sidle closer, just to "get a better look." And to a person, they will ALL remark, "Wow....that's awesome--I wish I could do that!" To which I always reply--"You can! It's not as hard as it looks!"

So I will need that project with me. Even if it's just some scrap yarn, some old needles & my trusty Easy Square pattern. I will make squares like no tomorrow if need be. I will fill bags with squares. Squares that may never see the light of day again once I am home. Fine. So be it. Just give me something to DO to make my loooooong journey with the in-laws pass a little faster.

Knit one, Purl two, Smile three.................and Keep Crafting!

Knit One, Purl Two...Meditate!

2007-06-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when life hands you lemons? Make lemonade? Ha--hardly. I know very few people who react calmly, rationally & patiently to added stress in their lives. Most of us have varying reactions--screaming, arguing, crying, throwing things...are just a few of the possibilities.

I've found, when my kids are driving me nuts, and my husband comes home from work & tries to push me even farther over the edge, there's only one answer....start knitting! (Assuming dinner has been cooked, eaten & cleaned-up after, that is!)

I love nothing more than sitting down in my favorite recliner, putting my feet up, & reaching for my yarn basket. Doesn't matter what I knit--just that I KNIT! Which is one of the reasons those "Simple Squares" I posted below are so popular with me right now--they're completely mindless, but really feel like I've accomplished something.

Even doctors, scientists, and those "in the know" are now saying it--meditation works! And knitting can be a real form of meditation. You get very wrapped up in the simple action of knitting, purling, etc....and before you know it--half the evening has passed. You'll have created something, and spent time NOT thinking about the day's stressors. And that's worth more than it's weight in gold--yarn, that is. :)

So pick up those needles & some fabulous yarn--and get crackin'! You'll make something AND feel better about life in the process. Who could ask for anything more?!?!?

Knit one, Purl two, Smile three..............and Keep Crafting!!!

Hip To Be Square

2007-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just hafta be a little square. Or knit squares, at least. :)

A good friend told me this simple pattern over coffee during a morning playdate with our respective kids....and I thought it seemed too easy to give much thought to. Until I tried it! This "Simple Square" pattern is fast, easy--and can be used as a building block for a gazillion different craft ideas! Just try it!

So far I've used these squares to create blankets, purses, kitchen hot-pads, washcloths, AND fun toy balls. Give it a whirl--you'll be as addicted to this pattern as I am!

Simple Square
Cast on 3 stitches.
*Knit 1, yarn over, knit to end of row*. Turn work.
Repeat *.* until you have a triangle as large as half your square (however large you make it is entirely up to you!)
*Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit to end of row*. Turn work.
Repeat *.* until last 3 stitches.
Slip first stitch knit-wise. Knit 2 together, PSSO.
Cut yarn & tie off! Presto--a simple square!

You can choose any weight yarn, any size needles, the options are endless with this pattern! You can sew them together for multi-colored scarves, baby blankets, or quick purses. They can be doll blankies, hot pads, you name it! It's a super-easy pattern--cast on 3, knit 1, YO, knit to end....then reverse for the other half. Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit to end. Piece o' cake!

Knit one, purl two, smile three........and keep crafting!

Busy Hands...

2007-06-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

I think there is some old-fashioned saying about "idle hands" being the devil's playground. Or something like that......at any rate, that statement has a modicum of truth to it. If you're stressed out, overworked & underpaid (aren't we all?), then why is it that sitting around doing nothing actually makes the stress worse?!?

The simplest solution to the problem, I've found, is to KEEP BUSY! And the most-enjoyable way I've found to stay occupied has since become a daily obsession. I knit!

I'm not JUST a knitter...I'm a wife, a mom of twin girls, and an at-home-full-time Domestic Goddess. But once the hubby is stretched out on the couch, well-fed, clean-clothed, remote in hand.....once the kids are happily playing with whatever is the favorite toy-du-jour.....then I am MORE than just Momma. I'm a knitter!

I started trying to knit a couple years before my kids were born. It just didn't click with my brain. I couldn't tell the difference between the knit side of a piece, and the purl side. It seemed hard & slow & frustrating.

And then one day--Voila! It clicked! I 'got it'--and all was right with the world. Suddenly my free moments were happily filled with click-clacking needles and fabulously colored yarns. My house started to fill up with hand-knit "stuff"--and my stress levels dropped. Life was good.

Life IS good. And I will attempt to pass on some simple knitting ideas and whatnot to anyone interested in reading this blog....why not? It's free, and fun, and nothing beats sharing with others!

Knit one, purl two, smile three..............and keep crafting!

*Mommy Unraveled*Crafting Fun & More!