Thursday, January 25, 2007

charmar's pc fix!

Over the last 2 years garagesaling and 2nd hand store shopping blitz Rocky and I found some goodies to give our boys a computer for around $60.
We got the kid's Little Tykes keyboard first at a gs for $2, it was new in the box and has symbols for each letter along with the letter character to help learn letters and sounds. Unfortunately it was missing the software though.
We then found the speakers and woofer at Value Village for $5.
Next we got the desk for $30 from a statewide online gs group, thankfully my MIL was able to get it delivered to her home and we picked it up a few weeks later.
Next we got the printer/scanner/copier as a freebie when we bought our laptop.
Then we got the actual Pentium 3, XP OS cpu at the Salvation Army, we paid around $20 for it, it also had a monitor, keyboard, printer, mouse, sound, etc. but we wanted our other ones.
Rocky found a usb wifi adaptor at Salvation Army sealed in the box for $3.
Lastly we received the flatscreen lcd monitor as a Christmas gift from my parents.
Now they have their own computer to play their games on, and internet to go to websites like www.starfall.com or www.noggin.com and explore.
So you are probably wondering why this post on my craft blog?
Well right after we got their monitor and wifi I got the bright idea to clean up their computer and then to add anti virus software to protect it since they would be on the internet. I went crazy with deleting and downloading and then all of the sudden I couldn't connect to the internet anymore :(. I didn't know what caused it since I was doing so many things at once. (not a good idea with a computer btw). Long story short, after several weeks and multipe calls to support for help and getting a very savvy person to come to help it was still broke. . .
That is until 2 nights ago when I prayed over it and figured out how to fix it. It took literally FOREVER, but now it's back up and running as it should!
So I guess I posted this here to proclaim my achievement since I'm am the furthest thing from a computer guru and I felt proud of myself.
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Sock Beetle Bag

Now that I'm knitting socks I wanted a small project bag for toting around my socks in progress. Socks are substantially smaller than my other knitted projects as are their balls of yarn and skinny needles for the most part so project bags that are larger just kind of loose it all within imho.
I saw a cutesy little bag pattern for sewing or knitting notions or as a child's purse that looked like a bug a few years ago at my local fabric store, but at the time I wasn't knitting socks so I didn't see a need to buy it.
More recently while looking on Etsy at knitting supplies I found these cute bags for sale by Sockdiva. I loved her color combinations and the personality she gave each one so I decided I wanted one. After thinking about how I wanted my bag to be and seeing her photos I wanted to try without the pattern. Here's my attempt.
The main body of the beetle is a soft and rich velvet/denim fabric from some Levi Jeans I planned to recycle into a purse. The other fabrics are cotton prints from my stash and scraps. I twisted multiple strands of wool and sock yarn into a rope for the drawstring closure. I am still deciding if I will add a strap for carryng it around. If I make another one of these bags I have a few plans for changes, but with no pattern this came out almost exactly like I wanted it to.
This is my first stash buster bag/project of the year. My fabic stash has grown significantly from donations from my boss so I plan to make many many more before the close of 2007. This one is not for sale but most of the future ones I make will be for sale in my Etsy store.
Here's an inside view showing the pocket I put inside for 7" or longer dpns. It's on a diagonal to help the needles stay inside.
The exterior pocket with a few stitch holders, a chibi and some saftey scissors. this pocket overlaps but I put velcro for additional security. I also pin my stitch holders to the inside of my bag vs. letting them swim free so I have no fear of them getting away.
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Monday, January 22, 2007

Here we go again. . .

Last year I got very busy, made goals, organized, cleaned and de-cluttered. It felt wonderful. By early spring my life became more complex and as I lost focus my beginning of the year business fell to the wayside. I backslid. I went back to stash-and-go behaviors.
Garage sale season started and I acquired a ton of stuff that I didn't need. I had extra money from online sales and then my new job so I started to pick up more fabric and yarn stash as well as grow a mini sewing machine collection on top of miscellany I found at GS. All of this was gratifying in the moment, but contributing to a HUGE problem.
I slowly become fed up and have been gaining momentum to try again to make changes. I have started already in some small ways but the stuff was still all around me and starting to get me. Starting last night and carrying over until I began this post I cleared, cleaned and organized and have finished my 3 Major areas! I feel so great to have gotten my kitchen (including the horrible main counter and inside the cabinets), my sewing workroom and my desk clean!
Happy dance anyone? It's weird how having a space in disarray can really drag you down, but if you buckle down and clean it it's liberating. I want to do so many projects and now I feel actually able to do them. Realistically I will have to make them fit within our daily routines or once again something will go out of balance, but having the spaces free to actually work within them means I can start whenever I can grab a moment to do so.
I cleared clutter and trash from my desk, filed receipts and papers, made an action plan for the things I need to get done this week. I reorganized the kitchen cabinets holding my appliances and cookbooks. I consolidated the contents of those cabinets so that like things are together and infrequently used items are higher up, or in the back. I removed some items that need replacing or are going to be used in our camper and in doing so created some under cabinet space for my purse and knitting bag so I can actually put them away, OFF my counter. I cleared the clutter counter that I had made several attempts to clear over the last few months. In my sewing workroom I put away the fabric stash that my boss gave to me into neat stacks, cleaned up the horizontal surfaces that had gathered everything from stray spools of thread, to fabric clippings, to sewing machine accessories and notions, to FO's that will be photographed and sold in my store or other online marketplace.
I am having a hard time believing I'm actually done with those areas except for vacuuming and mopping the floor in the kitchen.
I hope to maintain what I've done and continue to make progress in other areas of our home!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Completed sock

At my sister's urging I finished the 2nd sock and it did go much faster so thanks Janet for the tip.
The fabric is a looser knit than I wanted. I think I used too big needles for this yarn. Now that I've convenced him to keep them on Mardie likes his new socks. Charmie is begging me for a pair. I see though that if Mardie's feet grow at all these won't fit him since they are almost an exact fit now.
I've got to experiment with making some more socks for them. I'm thinking though that the next pair will be dk or worsted weight but I may use some stash sock yarn.
These were from some Dancing Knit Picks yarn scraps my sis gave to me. There was just enough to make these with less than 5 yards to spare!
I have been turning around in my mind an idea for a scrappy project using sock yarn remnants.
I'm trying to decide if it will be a cardigan front with little squares, or a lapaghan. A dormmate in college made me a scrappy cardigan sweater with squares and like an idiot I either lost it or gave it away after I graduated. I know she put lots of time into that sweater now and I am so sad that I no longer have it.
If you have ideas or scraps to spare let me know!
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Carmel Corn Dreams

Part way through naptime Mardie awoke with a bad dream. Could it have been from his Carmel Corn luch? Anyway I quickly removed him from the bedroom to preserve Charmie's remaining naptime.
At first he was very sad and acting in a very uncharacteristic way. He went into the living room and gathered this blanket and pillow and pulled them back into the dining room where he snuggled down onto the floor. He didn't want to be around me, or play with his toys, or watch tv. He just wanted to cuddle on his pillow. After a little while though he perked up and in his usual way and this is the picture that sums it all up.
I wish he could tell me about his sad dream. I feel so helpless when I don't know how to help or exactly what's wrong.
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Mardie seemed to like the corn for lunch too.
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carmel corn for lunch?

Need I say more? I think Charmie was enjoying himself.
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Diego scoping out the yard

Yesterday after breakfast I looked out the back door and saw this sight. Evidently Diego has grown a little tired of running away, he hasn't done it since we returned from Myrtle Beach this weekend. My dad checked on him while we were gone and he escaped 2 times, but that seems to be the end of it seeing as how he was escaping everyday.
He's sitting on his dog house looking over the fence. I don't know what he was so interested in but he stayed up there for some time just looking and looking.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

MLK Weekend Youth Retreat

Here's the group from our Myrtle Beach weekend retreat. The kids had a great time. We had7 youth from our congregation participating, plus our two and two others who were younger age and just along with their parents.
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Here the kids sing a song for a special presentation.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Yes the sun is in our eyes.
Me and the boys under the waterfall at Hawaiian putt putt.
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Rocky and the boys under the waterfall at Hawaiian putt putt.
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We decided to go play putt putt while some of the activities that our kids wouldn't be able to appreciate were taking place. We had lots of fun.
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First night in our room and Mardie is trying to make his escape. We told him he couldn't go outside because he wasn't wearing shoes. . . This was his solution to the problem.
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Busy coloring during the service. Mardie, Cody, and Charmie.
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Here's Rocky's interpretation of Diego wanting his own ATV. . . Seeing as how this was the only moment in time we could get him still enough for this pic without trying to roll off the helmet I think he has other ideas on how to get dirty and have tons of fun. . . jmho.
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Playtime with friends

Our friends visited this past weekend. We had lots of fun visiting and when Rocky came home the kids all went outside to play on the ride-on's with him. Willow is on the green dirtbike powerwheel, Charmie is on his dirtbike, Mardie is on the 4-wheeler powerwheel and Rocky has Ava on the big 4-wheeler with him. The kids, Rocky and Diego all had a blast!
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Vacation pics Summer 2006

Back in the car after a short stay in Cherokee, NC.
I'm sorry I got the pictures out of order. I for some reason cannot blog like I should so they are back wards. Here are the last few pictures from our summer Vacation to Gatlinburg/ Pigeonforge, TN, and Cherokee, NC 2006!
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Toddler sized headrests I made for our trip!
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Another view of Rocky and the boy's at the little pond. This time our cabin is behind us.
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Here's the cabin we stayed in for our Gatlinburg vacation this past summer. This picture is from the entry of the community. We had a single family unit. It was so nice and peaceful with the water so close. It was very private too! We would love to return for another vacation.
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Cabin living room and kitchen view 2.
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Cabin Living Room and Eat in Kitchen view 1. The exterior door pictured is to the back porch. The interior door pictured in the kitchen is for the laundry facilities and the interior door chopped off on the side is to the bed and bathroom suite.
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The back porch and privacy hedge of our cabin
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Downtime at our Cabin. We were very pleased to have a hot tub on the back porch of our cabin. We miss our ht from our first house sometimes. The boy's loved it!
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Hurricane sim. This and the driving sim pics to follow were taken at the Wonder Works Museum in Gatlinburg. See our July posts for the rest of our vacation!
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