Getting the new Wheelchair... NOT!

Yesterday was supposed to be the big day... and we were ready!!!  But it wasn't to be... 

This is what R rolled in when we went to get Princess Junior's new chair. 

 I thought it was a bad practical joke. I told R "No, that isn't what I ordered." but the tag has her name on it! Anyone who knows me knows that I do NOT like orange. And this was pretty close to UT orange so that made it worse. R checked the paperwork and... sure enough, it was supposed to be Pearl Pink. He called the supplier and they were all apologies and expedited arrangements have been made to replace the colored parts of the frame. Now R will have to take this one apart and rebuild it when the other parts get here. We are looking at about 2 weeks. So we canceled her seating clinic appointment on Monday and that is now rescheduled to AUGUST!

On a happier note... R was able to find another loaner that works better than the stroller we were given so we returned the wheelchair they loaned us and gave them the stroller to use as a loaner for other kids in need.

Short and sweet - shhhhhh... it's a surprise!

Princess Junior has a birthday coming up. This is for her, so don't tell!

It's a Vicki Howell pattern (you can find it HERE) that I adapted to make bigger. I used a larger hook and 5 squares for the sizing. And I really, REALLY don't like doing the picot stitch because I have a hard time making them look good so I did a shell stitch around the edge. I think it turned out pretty nice. I'll post a picture of her in it after her birthday.

And talk about weird inspiration... I ordered a key fob (or two) on ETSY (From Sweet Irie, check them out!) It arrived a couple days ago. Anyway, they are very good about wrapping their merchandise for travel. When I opened the package it was tied in three strands of yarn that really hit me color-wise!

Ironically I had just seen a pattern that needed three colors. Hmmm... I see a trip to buy yarn coming soon in my future!

I forgot!

A few days ago I helped Princess Junior post some news about her wheelchair on her blog and I should have posted something about it as well. Rather than repeat the whole thing you can go HERE and read it. 

I've been working on some things... Here are a couple scarves I ran across this week. Made them a while back but not sure I showed them here.

This is actually a scarf so it's much longer than the picture shows. But you can see the detail here.

Then there is this...

Again, another scarf. As you can see, it looks really different when smoothed out and after you have worn it. Wearing it seems to make it curl up onto itself.


And yesterday I got some more of the new Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe (a 55% bamboo/45% wool blend) yarn to finish up a rectangular granny blanket/afghan. This is the center, stray ends and all...

 I'm so glad more Bamboo yarns  and colors are coming out. I LOVE BAMBOO!!!! It's so soft to work with. We have Bamboo blend sheets on our bed and I wouldn't go back to the Egyptian Cotton we had before for anything. The bamboo is sooooo comfortable. You have to look carefully before you buy though. The prices can vary greatly! I saw them online for as much as $400 a set! No, thank you. We got ours at Target. They are about $75 a set (king) and then have them on sale every once in a while. I just wish that they had a greater variety of colors there. 

Last is something I've just started last night. I only have one square done so far. It's out of Crochet Today's "All-time Best Blankets" and is called Sunny Spread. I've done it in a tweedy yarn I have. This is what a square looks like.

 In the picture you can barely see the Front Post Stitches that form spokes, but they are there! It works up fairly quickly but I will probably just make enough for a small throw.

Let me lend you an arm, and an arm, and an arm, and an arm, and an arm...

I made a new friend for Princess Junior. Her name is Olivia.

She was fun to make. I found the pattern online. The person who make it hadn't realized that the original pattern she had used those old darn pointy sticks for the arms. She adapted and did crocheted arms. I liked what she did but she didn't give instructions for that so since I couldn't reproduce her look (although I really tried!) I adapted as well and made these stuffed arms. Twelve stitch single crochet tubes. I made four arms just a bit longer than the others and then alternated them when sewing them on. And, yes, there ARE eight legs.

No news on the wheelchair. We hope that no news is good news. One of Princess Junior's nurses took some fabric I picked up and made an extension for the back of the stroller we were given. It will help greatly in making sure her head doesn't drop backwards over the top edge. Maybe we will hear something soon. :)


Oh... something we thought was hilarious. GamerBoy just got his license the first week of December. Now the state uses the list of who has a valid driver's license for lots of things. One of those things is to pull jurors for trials. Guess who just got done serving one week of jury duty! LOL... Yup... GamerBoy got summoned. I have never had to serve and have been driving for 33 years! I don't think Dak has either. GamerBoy just hit the jackpot right off the bat! 


Don't get me wrong, I would have no problem serving. I have an aunt that used to work for a big city in Florida and I would go sit in on trials. Fun. Just have never been asked to serve. GamerBoy called on Sunday to verify and learned that he didn't have to go in Monday or Tuesday but had to call Tuesday evening to see about Wednesday. We did but after the questions and everything he was one of the ones excused, being told to call back Thursday evening to see about today. He did and had to go back again today for a different trial. But he was excused from that one as well and today he was sent home after questioning too, so his week is up. (Ironically, today was a theft case and he was asked if he had been the victim of a theft. He told them about Princess Junior's wheelchair being stolen so they didn't want him on that jury!) He should be getting a check in the mail soon. We hit the jackpot too... He brought home breakfast from McDonald's both mornings. :)

Thank you all!

It is gratifying to see how one life can touch another. It is humbling to see how a tiny girl who can't speak or walk can touch perfect strangers. Thank you to all of the people we have heard from in the support groups we are a part of and because of the article in The Daily Times this past Saturday. We have received letters of encouragement and suggestions on looking for the missing chair. Thank you! There have been offers of wheelchairs to use for Princess Junior while we wait to see what will happen on getting her a new chair - some from out-of-state. Thank you! We have heard from a several people who may be able to help a new wheelchair happen if the insurance won't replace the stolen one. Thank you! And we have been gifted with a pediatric special needs stroller by a local family who's daughter no longer needed it. It will serve her better than the loaner we have that was made for a self-propelling child. Thank you! There have even been donations made to the Room Addition Room Addition/Wheelchair Fund. Thank you!

What else can we say??? Thank you just doesn't seem to really cover it but it's all I can come up with. Please know that you have made a difference to many people by your caring. 


If someone missed the article drop me an e-mail.

Princess Junior in the paper!

Princess Junior's day nurse stopped and picked up a copy of the local paper for us this morning. There was Princess Junior - sitting in a skybox on the front page. The actual article is over 3/4 of a page in the A section of the paper and there is a HUGE picture! WOW! If you want to read/see it, e-mail me.

Because of the wheelchair theft we have been forced to expand the fund-raising scope to cover whatever her need is. Right now, it's the wheelchair, if the insurance company won't cover it. If they do cover it then we will again focus on the room enlargement.

And we didn't get the projected amount of snow. BOO... HISS..... As a matter of fact we are heading out to run an errand in a bit as the roads seem to be doing ok.

LET IT SNOW!!!!!

Ok. I'm a happy camper! It's SNOWING!!! And, depending on who you listen too, they are calling for anywhere from 2-4 to 6-12 inches. I'm sure you can tell what I'm rooting for. :) Right now I can hear the sleet hitting the windows. Gamer Boy came in here a few minutes ago with a 3-4 inch patch of snow in his hand to show me what it was looking like. Fluffy snow on the bottom and pebbles of sleet on the top.

Snow checklist:
Supplies and meds for Princess Junior? Check!
Milk, bread and all the other staples that people clean the store out of when the flakes start to fly? Check!
Movies to watch? Check!
Junk food including popcorn to got with above movies? Check!
Yarn and hooks? CHECK!!!

We may have jumped the gun on the junk food. Yesterday I sold some blood to buy a half a dozen cuppy cakes from a nearby cuppy cake emporium. (Kidding about the blood, but they definitely weren't cheap.) Since it was just Dak and Gamer Boy and I at home I cut each cuppy cake in three so we each got a taste of them all. I had gotten six different flavors so there was a variety. There was one that was a banana cuppy cake with peanut butter frosting... a chocolate cuppy cake with chocolate frosting... a yellow cuppy cake with raspberry filling and raspberry frosting.... ditto, but with lemon... a chocolate cuppy cake with peanut butter frosting ... and yellow cuppy cake with a creme filling and chocolate frosting. I'm still not real sure which was my fav, probably the lemon, but I'm not overly concerned about it because I don't think that place will become a regular stop on any of my travels. Now there are two other similar establishments in the area that I want to check out but again, I probably wont become a regular at any of them. Too rich for my blood in too many ways. What blood I have left, that is. {wink}

One thing the weather has already been impeding for a while is the delivery of our new shed. We started the delivery "process" about 3 weeks ago but the weather just won't cooperate and has forced rescheduling either here or at the builder's location at least thee times! They need to move it (taking up a lot of space) and we want, no, we need it here, but unfortunately the snow is going to delay it a while.

I have been woring on several WIPs, trying to get them finished. I did make Princess Junior and I somewhat matching hats for the cold. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be around the house. :)

No news on the wheelchair but the local news paper was out today and there is supposed to be a story in tomorrow's paper about Princess Junior.

Wheelchair update

To compensate for the jerks there are some really good people out there. Several people we know through support groups offered us the use of wheelchairs to get Princess Junior through until we can straighten this out. I think at last count it was 5 chairs offered - Even from out-of-state! THANK YOU ALL!!!

But the original supplier has also offered a loaner. They are going to meet us at Princess Junior's Botox appointment tomorrow and bring it there. They will be working with the doctor to see what we need to put her in now. They are also going to file the police report and a letter from our car insurance company (saying that this isn't covered on the policy) with the order for a new chair. They say that sometimes insurance companies will pay for a new chair in these circumstances.

Dak talked to a colleague who teaches security issues on Tuesday... In turn he mentioned the scenario at his class that evening and got an interesting reaction...

"I relayed a little about the theft of a little girl's wheelchair, in the context of what it would take to secure a neighborhood, and the class was ready to form a "vigilance committee"to detect, detain, and perhaps dismember, the perpetrators who stole said chair.Their enthusiasm for the task was interesting to watch because they connected at such an emotional level with this case."

LOL!!! I wonder if we could convert part of the shed into a guard shack and have them take shifts. :)

Have you seen this wheelchair?????

It's gone and I'm MAD!

Princess Junior's wheels disappeared out of our van sometime during the night. Without the chair we can't do therapies, doctor's appointments become a real ordeal and life in general for her becomes more limited. And at a cost of $7,011.13 (plus the cost of the oxygen tank holder) with several weeks of waiting after ordering we can't just go out a buy a new one. Did I mention I'm MAD?

What lowlife would steal a WHEELCHAIR? Especially a CHILD'S wheelchair!?! I was asking myself that question when we were talking to the sheriff's deputy that came out and he gave us an answer that had never occurred to me. He said that people steal things like that and they turn up on CraigsList or they scrap them for the metal.

I was up way too late last night so slept in this morning. It was about 11 am when I finally got to check in with Princess Junior's day nurse. She told me that the night nurse had called her about 10 minutes after she left this morning telling her to make sure her car doors were locked (they park in our yard but along the edge next to the street). She had been driving home and noticed that the back end of her van was open. She pulled over and went to look and found that some lowlife had been in her van! She had money in the center console that was now gone (a substantial amount to pay car payment and other bills from what I understand). She also had some things in the back that she had recently bought but hadn't been able to go through them yet to see what, if anything, was missing at the time she was talking to Princess Junior's day nurse. But she did call the police to report it.

Dak went out to the van to check and when he came back I was heartbroken. He told me that Princess Junior's WHEELCHAIR is gone. The lowlife(s) took her chair plus every single electronic charger in the glove box (for phones), the power inverter/converter installed under the passenger seat (and wired into the van!) and even a plug in flashlight! Yes, we hadn't locked the van (Please don't beat me up about that. I can do it very well on my own. Dak is usually very good about locking it and it just didn't get done last night.)

I'm agonizing over this because, like I mentioned, I was up way too late last night. I just got a pair of winter Crocs (lined) and was crocheting myself a pair of ankle warmers since I can't wear socks with the Crocs or they are too tight. I should have gone to bed but I kept pushing and pushing, determined to get them done. After all... What good is just one? I have two ankles! :) Sometime between 2:30 and 3 am (when I finally turned out the light and went to bed) I actually heard probably two cars outside, doors closing and the cars driving quickly down the street. We have neighbors with teenagers so I thought it was just that. So what I chalked up to neighbor's friends leaving was actually some jerk(s) taking our stuff. Have I told you that I'm MAD?!?

And since it's a holiday the police report won't be ready until Wednesday at the earliest, plus I can't reach the doc who prescribed the wheelchair or the car insurance folks. They took the day off too.

If you see the chair call the police. Oh, and keep me away from the jerk that has it because, in case I hadn't mentioned it, I'm MAD!

I am very thankful...

I can't claim this as mine but I got it in e-mail and I really like it so I'm sharing.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

May we always be grateful for what we have and be mindful of the sacrifices of all that helped make our lives as good as they are.

********************************

I am always grateful for the abundance in my life. But I'm having a real problem with Thanksgiving this year because I don't think it should be a once a year thing... I've always thought Thanksgiving should be EVERY day! And that is how I would rather observe it.

Although we have our challenges I have a wonderful family. Although they can frustrate me to no end I love each and every one of my kids! I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

My husband is so very special. I can't tell you how loved he makes me feel. I still get shivers when he just looks at me and smiles. How corny is that? Look at all he puts up with. Not only does he put up with my yarn addiction he even says he's going to let me teach him how to crochet. It will be a slow process with all the other stuff that comes first but, since he doesn't share my love of scary movies, I'm hoping that he enjoys it so I can enjoy sharing crocheting with him.

I've been a bad blogger. I have started to start to blog many times in the past couple months but something always got in the way. There have been family issues (dealing with nursing for Princess Jr, a short hospital stay for Chatty, m-i-l challenges due to the Alzheimer's), time issues, energy issues...

I have gotten some crocheting done. I have a mile-a minutes blanket completed except for weaving in the ends, started a couple pair of fingerless gloves, worked on a couple other blankets and "designed" a pair of heelless bed socks.

The socks... I have never had any real luck with socks. I'd probably have to up my shoe size to wear any crocheted ones. But in the wintertime I have a real problem with keeping warm at night. My feet need to be covered but if the whole foot is covered I get TOO warm. Does anyone else have that problem???

I have tried scrunching my sock down below my heel, but (while it does fix the temperature problem) the socks work their way off and end up floating around under the covers at the end of the bed. So I decided that I would try and make a pair of bed socks with no heel! What I came up with was a heelless sock that isn't real beautiful, but it is very functional and works perfectly!!! I am even in the process of making a second set with a bit of a decorative front. I will try and post a picture soon.

Anyway, I will try and get some semblance of order to this thing as far as posting on a more regular basis. I need to, for me. And because I am thankful for you.

A foreign exchange meeting.

Today has been a great day! Years ago (neither of us can even remember how many) I answered a pen pal ad in a cross stitch magazine. Now I didn't just see the ad and answer right away, like a normal person would have done. No, not me, I tore out the page and put it in the stack of "I want to do this" items. Quite a while later (years, not months) I found the ad again and I wrote to someone in England, hoping that she was still willing to write back. She was and we have been writing back and forth (although now in e-mail) ever since. We have been through lots of things together, a couple weddings (daughters) and even babies. The only difference there was that mine was MY baby and her's was a grand baby. And Matthew is one of the cutest ones you can imagine, too!

Today is very special. Sue happens to be in the states traveling with her husband and a couple of friends. They have been over here several times before but this time they were going to be in this area! Can you imagine how thrilled I was when she told me?

They had a cabin in Pigeon Forge rented for a few nights and we planned to meet today at a restaurant in Wears Valley. So I finally got to meet a wonderful friend in person. Someone who has always been there for me, to listen and commiserate. We think a lot alike and I have always enjoyed learning things from her and having her as my personal English tour guide as she describes the places she goes to visit over there. And she makes it better by including pictures!

Speaking of pictures... guess who forgot to bring their camera to this special event? Yep, moi! But Sue had hers and will be sending me copies when they get home.

We had a great time. They were there waiting for us when we arrived and the restaurant put a table together for us. Even though it is Labor Day weekend we didn't have a problem. (One of the reasons behind not choosing a restaurant on the main strip.)

We both came bearing gifts. :) I had gotten them a Smokies DVD, a small olde time-y household tips and recipes book and an ornament commemorating the 75th anniversary of the National Park. (We gave one to Joan and Chick too.) I also had a couple of Smokies specific story books and a baby red fox to bring back to Matthew. Oh, and I made her an apple tea cozy. I hope she has a tea pot it will fit. Sue gave us a picture book called Beautiful Yorkshire that is full of absolutely gorgeous pictures of absolutely gorgeous architecture. I will have so much fun tracking down more info and pictures of these places! She also put together a bag of British treats that we will be fighting over. Shortbread biscuits, licorice, CHOCOLATE, and tea! YUM!!!!!!!!! And she displayed her talents well with a pink tote bag that is embroidered with a beautiful design... See????? I love it!!!! It is lined in a beautiful floral fabric and I can see yarn in it's very near future! She is really so talented with the embroidery machine! Hmmm... maybe that is why I hesitate using mine. I'm intimidated! ;)

And she knits! She made Hannah the most adorable doll. We have named her Rose. You can probably figure out why.

Sue is just as I had pictured she would be. She couldn't be nicer. Her husband is also nice and they are both easy to talk to and her friends were the same. And with their accents I could have listened to them for days... weeks... on and on. :) When I tried to pay the bill I learned that Neil is sneaky, just like I can be, only he's faster. :) I was really glad to get to meet Joan and Chick too because I hear about them on occasion. (In case they see this - there is no need to worry. It's all been good!)

Anyway, thank you, Sue, for being a wonderful friend and for making us a stop on your 2009 American road trip. I can't think of a better way to have spent the afternoon. I hope that this is NOT the first and last time. I will visit England! :) And thanks for lunch. Next time it's on us! I hope that you had a great time as well and you weren't disappointed.

Linking Rings and Barfing Clowns, and Shaded Squares... And ROCK ON!!!!

I have been remiss in my postings. I apologize to anyone I have disappointed.

We have been dealing with some issues with several family members and it has taken quite a bit of time and attention. but programs have been completed and a cross town move (MIL - not us!) made and I think we are doing somewhat ok at the moment. Still some stress (always will be) but it is now at a lower level. Hopefully it will continue to head downward.

I have been working on a few projects. One is in the finishing stages. I saw one that someone else had done and used it for inspiration. (My squares don't have as many rounds) I'm working on the border now and then will weave in the ends. LOTS of ends. :( This is the blanket. It is done with two strands to achieve the blending effect.



It is three rows of four squares. I alternated, starting some squares with the light color and some with the dark. I used black to set it off (I love how black really makes bright colors pop out at you!) and am doing a solid black border around it. I will probably do a second row and a scallop row to finish it off. It is definitely a winter throw because of the double stranding. I have some left over yarn in those colors so am making a smaller throw only not double stranded so it won't have the blending and the squares will only be 4 rounds. I'm going to do a solid join so there will be no holes in it.

I'll take pictures of other projects soon.

I also wanted to alert you to a REALLY cool colorway for yarn at an Etsy shop I found. I HAVE to have this yarn and plan to acquire some asap. It is from Astrid at Damselflyyarns.

CLOWN BARF!!!

Astrid, you could NOT have named it any better!!! Be sure and check out her other yarns! She has a really nice chocolate mint sock yarn and does 7 different kinds of yarns.

Another couple Etsy shops I have run across have some really cool stuff too. JustBeHappy is run by Alessandra and she has some really whimsical button necklaces. I got the multicolored one. :)


And I'm in the process of making her Love You Forever wreath. Drop by for a visit. I also have business card holder that she made. The PINK one! :)

And then there is FebystanDesigns, which is a family endeavor. Ebru does amazing thread work and made a gorgeous pair of earrings I am anxiously awaiting to arrive. Check out the shop and see what beautiful work is there!


Aren't they beautiful?!?!?! I have nothing but awe and respect for people who can do this work.

And lastly... Look what Dak just got. I surprised him with this last week and he is a very happy camper. Just don't tell Chatty that it's Vampire Red Satin! :)



I threw in a small amp and a case. :) And HEADPHONES! :)

I have an odd habit of throwing quarters and singles in jars. See what you can do when you save your quarters??? :)

Not a good weekend...

It's been a... let's just say it's been a weird weekend.

Of course, as all weekends do, it started last week. Tuesday we got a phone call from Firstborn telling her dad that her mom had opted to not continue dialysis. Needless to say she was a bit upset. She and Skellyson came over and met up with Chatty and they went to the hospital to see their mom. Their mom said that she would continue the dialysis if they could/would move her to another hospital. (She didn't like the way the hospital she was in did it and said it was less tramatic and painful at the other hospital.) Without the dialysis they gave her about two weeks to live.

Friday we got another early morning call. Firstborn again. Her mom was not going to be transferred to the other hospital (they considered her medical stable so no reason to transfer her from a hospital that was giving her the same treatment they would) and she had been moved to a local hospice facility the day before. Again Firstborn and Skellyson came and got Chatty and went to see her.

Saturday morning we got another early morning call. Their mom had died early that morning. So now Dak and Chatty and Skellyson are on their way to the middle of the state to the funeral. Dak will be there for the kids but at this point doesn't plan to attend the funeral (It's a weird family dynamic and he wants to make it easier on the kids.) They visitation is today and the service tomorrow. He will be home tomorrow night.

This quick chain of events necessitated some fast arranging. Dak had finals to deal with. To deal with it he needed a video camera and mine uses those cute little mini-DVDs. Good but there are not long enough to tape a whole class. So, since he knew that I wanted a different camera he offered to let me use some summer pay to upgrade to the style I would rather have (one with a hard drive) and then he could use it for the class. So last night we went shopping (quickly, since it was Sunday evening and limited possibilities) and came home with a new camera. Now I will probably use the camera more!!! (And be more pressed to get the DVD drive fixed on the laptop.) And I'll go pick up the camera from the school later this evening and Dak can grade them tomorrow.

I opted to stay home from the trip to mid state because we have had some nursing issues lately and I wasn't willing to leave Gamerboy on his own to have to deal with a cancelled nursing shift that doesn't get covered with us out of town. The scheduled night nurse for Saturday didn't show. As far as we know she didn't even call the agency o say she wasn't coming and they weren't able to reach her on any of her contact numbers either. So Saturday night we had no nurse. Gamerboy jumped right in like a champ and helped us out.

Our day nurse (who had worked a 12 hour shift already) came in about 4 am on Sunday morning instead of the 7am she was scheduled for. Then the same night nurse was on the schedule for Sunday night. What to do... The office still couldn't reach her so they start trying to fill in the shift. Since our day nurse came in early she left at 4 pm.. (She was going to be leaving at 4:30 pm anyway so not a big difference) and as of about 6 pm we still didn't have a night nurse. We did get a call a bit later saying that another nurse that has worked with Princess Junior before was going to come out early in the morning (5:30-6 am) and the day nurse that left at 4 was coming back in about a half hour or so and cover until he got there. YEA!!! Hopefully there won't be a hitch with tonight's nursing. And I think the nurse who came out to orient on Friday is going to fill in some of the slots that will be open. Over all we have a pretty good crew.

I was planning on posting a link to a cool way to join granny squares. I will do that but it will be a few days. I will have pictures too and might have some pictures of some WIPs that are coming along.

Gonna try and settle in with the yarn and relax.

Sunday...

It's quiet here. Oldest son arrived for a respite visit (he needs some space and time to think) early this morning and he took Chatty with him to work tonight. Gamer Boy took Dak with him this evening to do some practicing behind the wheel. He now has his permit and is just waiting to get the driving portion of driving school finished. Until then he is practicing with us. I went with him last night and it was driving in the dark, tonight with Dak was semi-rain. It was raining when they were getting ready to head out but by the time they got on the road it was just dealing with wet roads. Dak says he did well. He did well last night too.

On Friday we took Princess Junior to her physiatrist for her Botox injections. (More on that with pictures here.) We are dealing with some minor fevers now but, from what we have read, that isn't connected to the Botox.

I've got a couple new projects going. Just what I need, right??? The first is a circle centered granny square. I'm making it for Princess Junior so am just adding more and more squares as I need to, joining as I go. I'm using a pale pink for the centers with a light gray border. I'm calling it her polka dot blanket.


Then I saw one of the start blankets in bright pink and red and white. I was hooked there. I'm not using a white white but stuck with the red and pink. The pattern is from
here. I made the sections larger than they were in her pic but I don't like it and I'm going to frog a bit of it and go to her color pattern as I think it shows off the colors better. But this gives you and idea.


So off I go to frog...

Happy Mother's Day everyone.

Hope all the mother's out there have a great Mother's Day! Enjoy your families!

Finished! No longer WIPs... YEA!

I finished the spiral granny. Here it is. I did a couple rows of black half double, row of half double light pink, row of alternating 3/3 half double light pink and dark pink, then a couple more rows of black. Now this is folded in four. There are five squares down and four across. so it's a decent size for one person.


Then this is the blanket I made with the left over yarn. A five sided blanket just big enough for Princess Junior. Again, in half double. With a 4 row wide black border and a final row of scallops.

It's her birthday today so we gave it to her this morning! You can go to her blog to see more about her birthday.


I'm still working on the circle for Gamer Boy but have also started an elongated granny from a pattern from Minisoda at Crochetville. That is in a red, black and light gray. I'm really liking the color combo!

Spiral Grannies continued

Ok, I've changed the goal on this one several times. I never wanted to make a big blanket. More something to throw over Princess Junior or over my legs. I had twelve squares done but didn't like it. It wasn't big enough so I made more. I ended up with twenty squares and I like it better now. And I had all of the original twelve connected and then realized that I didn't have them all oriented in the same direction, like I wanted to. Sigh... So I ended up with lots of little bobbles of yarn rolling around on the bed as I took all of them apart and put them back together again. This time I paid attention!

As I mentioned I was going to do, I used Drew Emborsky's "Dudessembly" to put them together. I had to alter things a bit because the squares weren't the same size as what he wrote for but I couldn't have done it without his helpful instructions.

The twenty squares (5x4) are done and together and now I am working on the border. I do see something that I probably would have done differently but I was not about to take the darn thing apart again! I think it will look ok anyway. And it will be a bit bigger because of the border too.

Here is what the squares look like connected. I'll post the finished piece once I get it done and all the ends dealt with.

Peep, Peep, Peep... PEEPS!!!!!!!!

Ok, I'll admit it. I LOVE PEEPS! How can you not love this face?????



Yes, I know that Easter is traditionally when you see them but I am so glad that they are now available for other holidays (and I have found a website to order from year round!) They even come in Orange Creme and Chocolate flavors. The only ones I will not, under any circumstances, eat, are the black ones that come out at Halloween. Not going to do those. Ever.

So I was thrilled when I came across the store GOODKARMASOAPS in the course of my online travels. Blaire has some really cool soaps including lego block soap, exploding frog soap, geode crystal soap, and light up soap balls! Way cool!!!

But what I really liked were her PEEPS! She had created a PEEPS soap that looks just like the squishy marshmallow blobs you find in the stores! A bar of 5 so you can cut/break one off at a time to use, just like you would pull one off at a time to eat.

But, alas, they were only in the traditional yellow. And I'm not really a yellow person. So I wrote and asked her if she had considered making other colors. She thought this was a good idea and a short while later I opened a box and out popped pink and purple PEEPS! Aren't they cute????? And they smell so good.



So keep clean and check out Blaire's Etsy shop GOODKARMASOAP to see all the fun stuff she has. And she says that 50% of her proceeds benefit local animal shelters.

Is your baby a Good Baby baby?????

(If you follow Princess Junior's blog you will see that this is a copy of what was posted there. But I wanted to let everyone know about this so please excuse me if you read it twice.)

I want to tell you all about some new "equipment" that Princess Junior now has in her arsenal. I can't even remember for sure how I stumbled across it but there were several things that struck me and I decided that I wanted to try it. When I arrived I was very impressed.

Princess Junior will most likely be in diapers for a long time. Diapers = the inevitable rashes. We don't have to deal with that often but when we do, we need something reliable. And what mother wouldn't want something that is not packed with things that aren't necessarily good for their child's skin?

What did I find??? Why did I ask if your baby was a Good Baby baby??? THIS is why...

Introducing the Mayron's Good Baby product line!

When I found this online what struck me first was that it was co-developed and created by someone I had actually heard of, Melanie Mayron, the actress I loved to watch in the TV series "thirtysomething", and not by not some big corporation that also makes furniture polish and drain cleaner. Then I read some more and saw that she and her dad really did have the credentials to do this. It wasn't just some Hollywood "star" slapping her name on some product in exchange for an occasional check.

Melanie cared about what she used on her children. She didn't want the chemical laden products that flood the market. She is in the trenches with this one because she believes in the products! And part of the proceeds from the Good Baby line go to support Womens' Health Research in honor of her mother, a breast cancer survivor. How cool is that!?!

Melanie and her father, David, have spent years developing a great product. David was an Assistant Director of Pharmaceuticals and Manager of International Pharmaceutical Services at SmithKline & French Laboratories. In 1988, he founded Mayron Research Laboratories, Inc., a contract laboratory specializing in formulation of liquid and semi-solid pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and personal care products, and re-formulation of products that need improvement in stability, texture or taste. He even holds a patent on the time-release tablet, among others. I know my son, who suffers from migraines, would thank him for that one!

So... what's so special about Good Baby? Simple. No Paraben. No sodium lauryl sulfate. No DEA. Just clean, natural ingredients including essential oils, vitamins, and anti-oxidants in the aromatherapuetic tradition.

When I first opened the tube, what impressed me was that it didn't smell funny. It was a nice clean, fresh smell! That was refreshing! And when I put some on the back of my hand, it went on smooth and wasn't at all sticky. Exactly the kind of thing I want for Princess Junior!!!

The barrier cream is currently available in tubes and in handy travel packets!


As you can see by the photo at the top of this posting, there is a complete line planned. And I have it on good authority (thanks, Melanie!) that there will be a new product launch in the next month or two. I know I'm looking forward to it!

So be sure and check it out! You don't have to be a baby or have a baby to use Good Baby. There are loads of reasons that it can be used by people of any age. I know when I was a teen I would get chaffing because I didn't listen and change out of a wet swim suit. I wish this stuff had been around then!

And, to quote a certain celebrity mom... ...you don’t have to be a baby to use it. After all, we’re all somebody's baby.

Calling all gardeners! (And wanna be's with space issues)

I just ran across something that I think is really, REALLY ingenious! A real space saver for those who are space-challenged for gardening - maybe no yard space available or no sun in the area where they could garden in. Problem solved!!! Check out this space saving garden idea! I would think that besides on a house you could install them on the side/sides of a shed or garage or other out building... and I can see where this idea would also be usable on the outside edge of a deck... Sort of a border along the railing. Anywhere they could get the appropriate sun. The deck rail is where I am thinking about using it. (Ironically, in following the links on the site I found that using it on a deck rail was the original incarnation!)

Besides being used for small veggies I can also see it maybe being used for seedlings... something to start bigger plants in.

I wonder if the neighbors would think I was crazy???