My Creative Space....

I am so glad the weather is cooling down, I might actually get to sit outside and soak up some rays. I am sure by now I am quite vitamin D deficient, not to mention I look like a ghost especially next to Hubby...

Again not a ton of crafting time this week thanks to my lovely little monster. He has figured out the storm door even when it is locked so I am constantly chasing him and the dog around the neighborhood..Nothing like a big bellied woman chasing a dog and a half naked 2yr old around the yard...I am sure I am considered a loony chick by now...

Anywho, me and Shay have been having fun with snacks this week...Here is one of our creations..Aren't they cute???

Can you tell what he is going for????


Yep, this was the leftovers haha...Little stinker! Thankfully once the bigger kids came home they munched down the remains so no waste



And you won't believe it but I did actually decide on a few things to make with my lovely Ikea fabric...And I still have some left over to do some appliques as well..The pillowcase was super easy but the bag "which was my first bag project in sewing" was a bit tricky, since the felt was not easy to turn about and all...It is suppose to be a kiddie version of a messenger bag but I think it might have gotten a too "purse" looking????



Since my sewing room is in the closet it doesn't get air..now that it is cooling down I will be able to spend more time in there and get a little more sewing experience under my belt!!!

Thanks for hosting Creative Space Kirsty I am addicted....If you want to play along come join in on the fun...here...

Blogtoberfest

Although it is not October here in the states yet I am going to start off today with my Blogtoberfest arrival!!! I need to post every day in the month of October to keep it going, so wish me luck...

I hear there are lots of giveaways in the works, I plan on joining along doing a few of my own. It will be a first for me so I am excited to get involved!

To kick it off a little about me,

I am a SAHM with 4 kiddos and currently preggo with #5, My oldest is due to turn 13 next week and I am a little freaked out about it. Not sure if I am ready for all that but I guess that's life.....

We are anxiously awaiting November when Hubby can re-enlist and we can move on to a new post hopefully in a colder climate because we are so done with the southern humidity. Although I dread the thought of moving and him getting deployed soon after like what happened here in Louisiana. This area is just not good for us and it's time to go. You can always count on an adventure with the Army...

As far as my dreams...Other then growing in the Mommyhood of life I really want to one day have my own studio for photography and find time to go back to school to finish off a few things I have started over the years :)...I strive to become a master couponer lol and deal finder with a big family and one income it's almost a must but I do find it fascinating the money you can save...

Overall I lead a pretty simple life with dreams of bigger things one day for now I am happy with the small things ..

If you are interested in finding out more about this hoopla go visit the Lovely TinniGirl and get the 411 :)

Crochet hat how-to pattern

You can make this hat in any size you want, super easy and pretty darn quickly too..
Hook size and yarn don't matter..Just make sure to have a measuring tape handy..

My Example
Baby - 3 to 6 months
Head Circumference: 14" - 17 "
Hat height= 6.5 - 7"


Decide what size you want to make then check out the crochet hat size chart..

1. Start with a chain measuring half the length of the head circumference that you are going for...I go for the bigger inch circumference (14" - 17") so in this hat circumference I made my chain a little over 8 inches...


2. Sc first row, chain 2 turn and HDC next row, chain 2 turn and DC 3rd row..."you are working back and forth"

3. Once you get to the DC row continue until you have almost doubled the height length...Then one row of HDC and final rown of SC.(6.5 - 7") total length should be close to 14 inches..

4. Flip it in half and sew the side seams up...I just use a slip stitch...You can use the seam side out or turn it inside out and use the other side...I flipped mine...

5. Lastly use the same yarn take 2 strands long enough to tie in a bow...Thread strands through each corner then tie together :)...There ya go!!!

The Christmas "To Make" list...

Having a house full of boys always lends itself to aggressive play, anyone with a boy or two knows this all too well right?? I just came across these nun chucks on Craftzine I know without a doubt they will be a hit in this house and practical enough that I won't have to worry about serious harm. I won't go as far as to say NO HARM because well they could probably hurt each other with a feather. So they are officially going on the list of Christmas gifts I can get away with making...

Crochet hat sizing...

There are a ton of these lists floating around but I figured since I make a lot of hats I will post a one here for quick reference...


Newborn
Head Circumference 13" - 14 "
Hat Circumference = 11.5" - 13"
Hat height = 5.5 to 6"

Baby - 3 to 6 months
Head Circumference: 14" - 17 "
Hat height= 6.5 - 7"

Baby - 6 to 12 months
Head Circumference: 16" - 19 "
Hat height = 7.5"

Toddler -12 months - 3 years
Hat height = 8"
Head Circumference: 18" to 20 "

Child - 3 - 10 years
Hat height =8.5"
Head Circumference: 19" - 20 1/2"

Teens
Hat height 9-10"
Head Circumference: 20 1/2" - 22"

Adult Woman
Head Circumference: 21.5" - 22.5"

Adult Man
Head Circumference: 23" - 24"

<3

24 weeks.....

Being brave and posting a belly pic...


Yep, I have a non-existent waist, huge thighs and a wonky sleep schedule oh the joys of being preggo...Is it girls that you are suppose to carry all over??? Either way this baby has taken over my whole body lol....

Things have started to slow down a bit with the whole "waiting game". I am counting on the holidays coming up so things can move quickly again..But all in all I can't complain everything has been very normal with this pregnancy so far. Praying it remains that way...

Me and my hats

I just get in these moods, I need to make a hat or two. Today I caught one of those moods apparently because I turned out a few new hats...

It always amazes me how creative you can be with such a simple shape...

And what's a day without a little Shay :)

The Motherload

Well I managed to stumble upon an amazing link list of crochet patterns...If you are lacking in ideas go here...

Long List of Patterns

You can thank me later :P

My Creative Space

It's been a challenge to find craft time this week. My wonderful 2yr old has decided to up the "mess factor" around here. And I have been completely exhausted running after him. We have been trying to potty train, which he totally gets but thinks it more fun to see how fast mommy can chase him down before he pee's on the floor...So we have returned to diapers for now..Pull-ups are too easy to pull down..Good grief...And just today a carton of eggs met the floor and fridge shelves while a pepper grinder full of peppercorns met the living room floor and table..AGGHHH

But alas I still have a bit of time for craftyness.Even if it involves extra messes to clean up..And like we all do from time to time, I need some help! I love this fabric from Ikea I've had it for awhile but I can't figure out what to do with it. As you can see I made a scarf and am thinking of cutting some of the animals out and being creative that way but I just don't know what to do....What would you do???



And of course still working on the poncho's



Feel free to be nosey and check out other creative spaces over at Kirsty's

Happy Birthday Hubby....

Oh goodness he would kill me if he saw I posted this pic here..hahaha..Love you hunny..Happy Birthday! This is a few years old but it is one of the rare pics that I caught him being silly and not being a grump in front of the camera. Mmm maybe I should cook up some ribs for his birthday dinner...:)

No we're not Vegan

But This Book has some great veggie ideas in it that we are loving...


Honestly I would love to cut wayyyy back on our meat intake just to be healtheir but with a huge meat eating family that's a tough challenge...So I bought this book strictly for more veggie eating ideas....

So far we have tried the Tomato-Zuchinni fritters, They were a big hit among my non zuchinni loving children and my tomato hater husband.....

A more "eggplant parm" version of The Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach and toasted pine nuts...I used the same ingredients just sliced and layered instead of rolled :)

And lastly, "the only one I got a picture of because let's face it, dinner time around here is hectic" The Yummy Southwestern Corn Pudding Which was a tiny bit too spicey for this family so I will use one Jalapeno instead of 2 next time..But it was still super yummy...


There are tons of great ideas in this book even for the Non-Vegan family..I'm a fan of having somewhat consistently changing dinner menu's so this is proving to be a great weapon in my cooking arsenal!!!

Poncho Love

Really enjoying making these. And am trying to come up with a pattern so I have been making them the past few days and taking notes.. Starting to feel a bit "accomplished" in the crochet world haha...Maybe I will have the nerve to add a few patterns of my own to Ravelry one day :P

Sunday Stealing...

Sunday Stealing: One Long Meme (Part Two)

27. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? definetly eat :)

28. Do you look like your mom or dad? I guess my mom more then my dad

29. How long does it take you in the shower? 10 minutes is a luxury for me, with kids I am lucky to even get one :P

30. Can you do the splits? haha, nope

31. What movie do you want to see right now? drawing a blank...

32. What did you do for New Year’s? Just hung out at home waiting those last few days to be over til hubby came home from deployment...

33. Do you think The Grudge was scary? No not really

34. Do you own a camera phone? Yeah but I never use it..The Nikon is never far :)

35. Was your mom a cheerleader? lol hahaha..No

36. What’s the last letter of your middle name? E

37. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? usually 6 or 7

38. Do you like Care Bears? Of course, CARE BEAR STARE!!!!

39. What do you buy at the movies? Popcorn, Mr pibb

40. Do you know how to play poker? Yeah baby, I know how to win too :P

41. Do you wear your seat belt? Yes I do

42. What do you wear to sleep? whatever is comfy..

43. Anything big ever happen in your hometown? I don't really have a "hometown" SoCal was my home so yeah lots of big things happened I guess..

44. How many meals do you eat a day? 3

45. Is your tongue pierced? Nope

46. Do you always read MySpace bulletins? I barely get on that site...

47. Do you like funny or serious people better? Funny of course.

48. Ever been to L.A.? Yes plenty of times...

49. Did you eat a cookie today? Sure didn't...

50. Do you use cuss words in other languages? No just plain old english will do.

51. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads? I pay in the rare occasion that I actually download something.

52. Do you hate chocolate? Is that even possible??? :P

53. What do you and your parents fight about the most? Oh this one is too complicated to answer..I'll say "life" stuff...

54. Are you a gullible person? No too analytical for all that.

55. Do you need a girlfriend to be happy? Nope I am bad by myself ;)

56. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what what would it be? I would love to be a photo journalist, or an animal caretaker at a zoo

57. Are you easy to get along with? I think so...

58. What is your favorite time of day? Anytime I can sneak a few minutes to myself :)

The Gang...

I think it is finally starting to hit me and not just because I am thoroughly exhausted day to day. Just a little over 3 months left until we will be adding another little tush to that bench...And of course we are all still grinning from ear to ear that it will be another girl....It would be a bonus if she decided to be super girly because Miss Alexis is just like her Momma, totally tomboy :P...I have tons of plans for twirly skirts and bows in her hair..Atleast until she is old enough to protest :P

Another take on the Kiss'a'me hat...

Hubs said I should make an elf hat after he saw my Kiss'a'me hats sooo....I added a tail, super simple addition but very effective I think :)

My Creative Space

Yay it's time for Kirsty's Creative Space again, Come play along!!


I have never actually shown my "creative space" otherwise known as the oversized storage closet haha...It is messy and cramped but atleast I have a place to stash my stuff. Oh and don't mind the bookcase, Shay is forever pulling them out after I put them in nice and orderly so I gave up awhile ago :P



And this is what I have been working on over the last few days...Since I made a girly version I decided to try out a more boyish idea...Apparently the little man thinks it's a game to let mom chase him around to try and get pictures..That is until I bring out the bribes, which is the thing he is grabbing for in the first pic..it's a licorice stick....:) Oh and if anyone can point me towards tips and tricks to lining a hood please do so...I lined this one pretty pathetically but it works...

Pretty Flower

I worked up this little flower motif by simply looking at a picture..I am quite proud of myself...Although I feel it a bit wonky I think I can turn it into something more "solid" if I played around with it...Hubby said it would make a cute blanket for B.G (baby girl) as he calls her...I think he might be right :P

I'm going to have to revisit this one....

I am bummed this idea didn't really "turn out"....It's my fault seems I used the wrong yarn, it's super floppy and wonky lol.....Oh well, I guess we all have our redo's

It's in the writing....

Last night me and hubby were writing up our grocery list...He happened to be in one of his quirky moods which was not settling well with me because I was feeling irritated. "gotta love these pregnancy hormones"... I try my best to warn him when I am feeling this way and last night I looked down on the paper and I hadn't even realized I wrote this until I was reading him my veggie choices haha....

I guess it provided a good laugh, and he is the one who took the picture so I know he got a kick out of it...Maybe now he will believe me :P

Weekend Crochet

First off I have to apologize to my son...He was not happy about modeling this severely girly hooded poncho..Not in the least but I bribed him..Shhhh..

How bout some gummy bears Shay???? :)

I have been checking out ponchos of the crochet persuasion and just haven't found anything I really like...Yesterday it was raining and I thought a hooded poncho would be perfect...

So here is what I came up with, the tie would look much better tied in a bow but again I was working on limited time here so I took what I could get :P...

Kiss'a'me crochet hat pattern

I used a 5.00 (H) hook, in worsted weight yarn...which turns out a hat with a 15 inch circumference... go up hook sizes for bigger hats :)..



US TERMS

sl st= slip stitch
ch= chain
sc= single crochet
hdc= half double crochet
dc= double crochet


I do not count ch2 as a dc...

Crochet 3 ch and 3 dc in first ch. sl st to 2nd ch.

row2. ch2, 2 dc in each dc from previous round sl st to beginning ch do not turn.

row3. ch2, 1 dc in first dc, 2 dc in the next dc repeat, sl st to beginning ch
row4. ch2, 1 dc in first dc, 2 dc in the next dc " "
row5. ch2, 1 dc in first 2 dc 2 dc in the next dc " "
row6. ch2, 1 dc in first 3 dc 2 dc in the next dc " "
row7. ch2, 1 dc in first 2 dc 2 dc in the next dc " "

8-11. 1 dc in each dc
12. 1 hdc in each dc
13. 1 sc in each hdc, fasten off..

If you have questions please feel free to ask :)

Self Portrait...

We all have that picture that we love..That we feel "comfortable" with..I'd say this one is mine...:P I think it expresses who I am, perfectly.

I know it might seem a little random to post a self portait but I am needing a little pick me up from this preggo blah stage..So I had to remind myself that I do like me..

My Creative Space....

Crochet........Are you surprised??? :)

Well this is my little stash of WIP's currently in the corner of the living room. I finally got out today to get some fabric and zippers, to finish up a few pouches in progress....So I will be posting some finished projects from this table soon!!!!




I also wanted to get a little funky with my hats today and made up a few of these cuties...I am not quite sure why I love them but I just think they are adorable...I call them Kissamee hats...Cause they sort of look like a hershey kiss...I will have to write up a tute for these soon....



Come show off your skills over at Kirsty's

You make me smile....

Every day with you brings a new challenge a new mess and a new inspiration..But most of all each day with you brings me smiles.

He's so sweet....

So I have been griping about my expanding waistline, thighs, arms oh you get the point.....I am not a skinny minnie preggo momma by any means, and have a tendency to gain on average 50lbs with each pregnancy, thankfully with breastfeeding and lots of working out I can get it off but watching myself grow is never fun..

I digress.....As I was walking through the house complaining of my hugeness, Scott so sweet and endearing gives me a big hug and says..Baby your not fat your round......

Ok so maybe he was trying to make me feel better but he really emphasized the word ROUND...I do find humor in the fact that men love to stick their foot in their mouth so I got a good laugh out of it..But he's not kidding anyone and he knows it...

And I am pretty sure he knows it's not gonna shut me up so I wonder what he will come up with next week :P

I love you baby girl, I do!!!

I knit a hat.....

Ok so I have crocheted hundreds of hats it seems..But since I am a completely novice knitter I have never knitted one...

So I figured I would make a special hat for the Baby Girl, "my first knit hat" :)

Back to crochet

I am loving the simplicity of Granny Squares during the long weekend. With all these kids running around it's impossible to follow a stitch pattern. So Granny does a body good..IMO..

I have not had a chance to buy a few "finishing" necessities for these projects but hopefully during the week I will. For now I will just keep picking them up and enjoying their simple beauty :)

Only in Louisiana....

An Alligator Park!! This place was pretty intresting..tons of Alligators of course a few "non" reptile animals to be pet. But of course the main attraction were the Alligators..Of course for me it sucked because the smell in certain areas was too overwhelming for me, and the humidity was not my friend...But we all enjoyed ourselves and it was a nice addition to our little trip so it gets a plus from this family....

A few Fort's other then Fort Polk..

We headed about an hour north of Ft. Polk this weekend to spend some time in Natchitoches Louisiana...Scott was searching around for things to do here and found a few Old Forts.."Fort Jesup & Fort Jean Baptiste" so we packed up the gang and went to see what they had to offer...

After the territorial boundary was finally fixed at the Sabine River by the Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819, the United States built Fort Jesup in 1822. Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Taylor established and commanded the garrison, which was originally called Cantonment Jesup in honor of Taylor's good friend Brigadier General Thomas Sidney Jesup. Taylor's troops managed to establish law and order in the Neutral Ground and Fort Jesup remained an important military post for nearly 25 years. Via

This is the only original building left..It was used as a kitchen, I always find it fascinating to go to these types of old buildings...



And my favorite part was finding this hand stitched quilt...Look at the amazing and tedious work done on this thing..Even Scott was impressed lol..





Then Fort Jean Baptiste....

In 1716, Sieur Charles Claude Dutisné was sent to Natchitoches with a small company of colonial troops to build and garrison an outpost that would prevent the Spanish forces in the province of Texas from advancing across the border of French Louisiane. This strategic outpost was named Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches Via








There is your history lesson for the day :P....It was nice to get out of the house for a change...We also went to The Alligator Park, will post pics of that soon.