Finishing Up The Year

It's been awhile since I talked about my crochet stuff. I'm still working on the 3-color blankie, a long-term project just for me! (couldn't guess that from the colors, right?) 
This is my 'relaxation' project, what I work on at night while watching teevee. Really enjoy making the continuous spiral in multiple colors. No boredom here! 
Another 'almost done' is the pair of slippers I'm making as a class sample (AFY's schedule of classes is out, if you are interested.)
"Pair" is probably the wrong word - one (this one in Noro Silk Garden) will be felted; the other will be in an acrylic blend to show a non-felting version. I seldom end up actually wearing class samples, so a mismatched set isn't a bad as you might think.

On the 'finished' side of things -

a batwing granny shawl with a picot edging (also a class sample) using one ball of Crazy Zauberball sock yarn. **LOve** that yarn; so soft and colorful. This is one sample I AM planning to wear. Absolutely love the finished shawl.

Also done is another Tunisian shell scarf.

I made this one as an experiment in using multi-colored yarn. Turned out to be a good move since the original class sample has turned up missing. Not sure if I've misplaced it or if it was 'borrowed' from the shop. Hopefully another search will turn it up.  It's depressing to think of things disappearing from my favorite yarn shop.

 

Still working on additional class samples - spike stitch scarf, adult sized 2-Hour Hat, and Tunisian honeycomb cowl - and hoping to have them completed before the holiday weekend is done. Happy New Year - and Happy Hooking!   

Nothing Better

There's nothing better than happy, healthy kids.

Early Christmas

Now that the kids are grown and we have an assortment of half's and steps, in-laws and out-laws, it's hard to find a time when everyone can get together to celebrate on Christmas Day. To make it even more challenging, we wanted to spend some time on Christmas with hubby's house-bound mom, who lives over an hour away.

So, we tried something new this year - holding our celebration on Christmas Eve. We took the little girls out to watch Santa fly over (love helicopter Santa!), 

drove though some of the more brightly decorated neighborhoods to admire the lights, then came home to find that Santa had already stopped at our house!

We told the kids that we must have been first on his list of stops this year and that's why they were getting presents early. 
I don't know if they believed that story or not, but they really didn't care; presents are presents and early presents are the best.
The kids will find that Santa visits them at their homes tomorrow morning too, but we had a lot of fun putting together our early holiday. Hubby bought a gently used playhouse that now resides in our pool-table room for all the girls to enjoy. 

Leanne got a new car seat, because at 10 months, she's already outgrown the one that was supposed to last her until 18 months (she looks so small in it!) 

We had pizza and goodies and lots of kisses. 

All in all, a very successful early Christmas.

You Know It's Christmas When . . .

You know it's Christmas when the baking pans come out at my house. Naia and I headed out about noon to get the few items I missed on my late night run to Target last night. Then we cleared the decks counters, and got started. 

First up - because I got to choose - were my favorite brownies. 
I got the recipe from a co-worker, Old John, well over 20 years ago (back when I was still a dispatcher) and I've never found one that's better.  

Then it was on to Naia's favorite, Toll House chocolate chip cookies. Naia did most of the measuring and mixing on these, with just occasional help from me. 
We added the cinnamon glaze at the end, while the cookies were still warm from the oven. I think that's going to be standard from now on. Yummm!  
 
We tried to clean up as we went. Fortunately, Naia's favorite part of cooking is playing in the bubbles washing the dishes 
so she handled that while I transferred cookie pans in and out of the oven.

A break for dinner, then we made a batch of snickerdoodles - PopPop's favorite cookie - 

and last but not least, the first of many batches of zucchini bread. Naia peeled and grated the zucchini all by herself for the first time - she was shocked that there was actual zucchini in zucchini bread - then did the mixing and measuring too.

I think she may have a talent for this baking thing. 

P.S. Don't tell my kids, but all the cookies we baked tonight? I hid them in the freezer. Only way I stand a chance of having any when Christmas actually gets here.

Happy Birthday

Want to guess what we did for my birthday last Thursday? Or, I should say, where we went? (click any photo to see it bigger.)

Nooooo, not the mall . . . . Want another hint? Yep, we took the little girls out of school for the day and headed off to Disneyland. I thought because it was a Thursday and not yet winter break the park wouldn't be too crowded. Wrong.  Even the benches had to be shared. . .

We headed straight for the Castle, where I told the girls about the present they were getting for my birthday. A princess make-over at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique. I don't know who was more excited, me or them.

 They got the full treatment - hair, 

 nails, 
 
makeup,
(Leia held her hands out like that for almost an hour, afraid she'd mess up her newly painted nails, even though we told her they were dry.) glitter, face jewels, hair extensions, 
and a photo shoot in Cinderella's very own coach. 

Can't tell that they were loving it, can you? 

We hit most of the rides in Fantasyland (big surprise with a 10- and 3-year-old in tow, right?) 
before Naia and I agreed that our favorite ride was the Haunted House and we needed to go there Right.Now. Along with everyone else in the park, apparently.
Rather than stand in the 40 minute line, we got our Fast Passes and headed over to Jungle Cruise and the Swiss Family Robinson tree house, then went back and walked almost right in to the Haunted House. 

And exited to pouring rain. 

We'd planned for cold - dressing in layers, with knee socks and heavy coats - but we weren't prepared for funnel clouds (spotted nearby in Orange County; fortunately I didn't find out about that until later) and cold downpours. It lasted just long enough for us to have dinner and buy rain ponchos before it stopped. The upside was that a lot of people left when the rain came, making it a much less crowded for us.

We hit a few more rides - Leia's favorites were Winnie the Pooh and the Disneyland Railroad - before Leia's runny nose and lack of a nap caught up with us. By 8 pm, she'd decided she'd had enough of Mickey Mouse' House. 

And 8 hours in the land of the mouse was about enough for hubby and me too. Great day and a great way to spend my birthday. Wonder where we'll all go next year - and wonder if we can sneak Addy along too . . . .  

Randomizer

Walked into the family room this morning to find this - Say it with me: "awwwwwwww".

Finished up these guys for Naia today.
She'd asked for a crocheted snowman and while we were flipping through patterns on Ravelry, she spotted this cute family. Done, done and done.

My daughter went to Vegas and all I got was this silly mousepad. Which I love. Hubby and I are both fans of the show so this made us both laugh.

Gifts

Now that certain things have been gifted, I can finally show pics of what I've been working on for the past month or sew (heehee, a little sewing humor . . . )

Bobbin lace bookmarks - I forgot to take a picture of this pink one when it was finished. Bummer too; it was one of the best I've done so far. The rest of the gifted bookmarks are here.

Cloth project bags, 

with boxed corners,

  

lined interior, and six little outside pockets

  

similar to the prototype I made for myself -

 

along with little mice pincushions, in fabric that matches the bags. 

These turned out to be a big pain in the ass backside to make, but they're so cute, it was almost worth it.