Crazy over tutus!

Turns out that Samantha, the photographer who took those awesome baby pics for me, is multi-talented! She told me that she made custom tutus.

I thought little Andreanna (who is 18 months now - time flies) would look adorable in one and Samantha offered to make one for her.



Samantha used brown, beige, and bright pink. I absolutely love the color combination and how full the tutu is!

The hot pink flowers are a perfect accent too. I'm such a sucker for girly things.

Andreanna's mom said she looks adorable in it and will hopefully have pics of her in it this coming week. I can't wait to see them.

Thanks for making such a fun and unique gift Samantha!

Baby Randi Part 3

Can you guys handle one more post about Baby Randi related stuff? This is the last one for awhile, I promise!

Tomorrow is the baby shower and I was given the job of making cookies. I bought a Wilton's teddy bear cookie cutter set. Basically its 3 cookie cutters and you stack the cookies you bake to make a bear shape.

My bears don't look anything like the ones on the box! These pink ones are ok I guess, but I'm not very happy with them. The icing recipe I used turned out too thin and it spread too much, even though I followed the recipe to the T.

Since it wasn't as thick as I wanted, the bear faces are not nearly as dark as I would have liked. I used regular old Betty Crocker for the ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. At least those are dark enough.



As much as I'm complaining about the pink ones, I really really don't like the purple ones! The color on those came out even worse. Not a fan.



Oh well. Even though I'm not nuts about them, I'll be bringing them to the shower anyway. They may not look pretty, but they do taste really good (I cheated on my diet a smidgen and had one).

Oh yeah, and these cookies are huge! One cookie is really enough for 2 people to share, easily!

Cross your fingers I have the willpower to stay away from all the sweets that will be there tomorrow. Besides the cookies, peeps are bringing brownies, cannolies, cake, cupcakes, and candy bags. Sigh!

CPSIA

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too. How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.To the Avid Reader:Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses. If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbeshttp://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Lawhttp://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.htmlDid you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

ETA: I didn't write this myself. A woman at Etsy put this together and asked that as many bloggers as possible post this today to spread awareness.

Tuesday's Tribute

Lesa from Lesalicious Style and Life gave me this award yesterday. Thanks Lesa!

I thought Tuesday's Tribute would be a perfect way to pass this on to some of my favorite bloggers to let them know how much I enjoy them. This Tribute's for you ladies!



1. Subway Hooker - Not only does Subway Hooker crochet and knit all sorts of awesomeness, but she also gives a great look into vintage patterns. I would have never discovered the beauty of vintage patterns if not for her. Not to mention the delicious looking bread she keeps baking. Makes me want to get a bread maker every time!

2. Random Meanderings - Bezzie is the chick to check out if you want a nice dose of humor, sarcasm, and baking to go along with the fiber goodness. She's an awesome knitter and her projects are a major reason why I decided to try my hand at knitting. It is tough reading Bezzie's blog while on a diet though...all the cookies! Mmmmm

3. CookNKnit - Karen's is the first knitting blog that I started following. All the credit of that goes to Karen. She started a conversation with me on the subway when I pulled out the hook and gave me my first intro to the world of knitting. Karen's is another blog that is hard to read while on a diet. The cupcakes she bakes makes me want to lick my computer screen.

4. Riohnna - I love reading Angela's blog! She's super talented with thread crochet and especially doilies. Her daily stories always make me giggle. Not to mention the great Monsterling (her baby) pics that always make me smile.

5. Crochet Cami - Cami is about as all around talented as you can get. She crochets, sews, quilts, and is learning to knit too! Cami's quilts are amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. One day, I hope to grow up and quilt just like Cami.


6. Pulsipher Predilections - Kristina is the funniest blogger ever! I learned the hard way not to drink anything while reading her blog. I usually laugh so hard, something is shooting out of my poor nose. Thanks for the laughs! Especially your post about the Snuggie blanket!

7. Red Hair Lady Crochets - Laura always has awesome crochet projects going on. I get a lot of inspiration from seeing the things she's done. This chick is also super smart and keeps me updated with the latest going ons. Not to mention I am totally jealous of her awesome red hair!

Lesa, since you were already nominated, I thought I'd give the spot to someone else. But, I just want to let you know I love your blog and your sewing projects are such a huge inspiration. You rock chica!

Thanks for making the internets an entertaining place to be! Now go nominate your own 7 (if you want).

Baby Randi part 2

This weekend was soooo relaxing. I slept, crafted, and lounged around, leaving me feeling so much better.

Baby Randi got more of my crafting attention. I wanted to make a bib, specifically THIS one from Chickpea studio, but the cotton fabric I had for the backing wasn't large enough. Instead, I drew out a rectangular pattern on a sheet of paper and wound up with this. I use the word pattern very loosely. C'mon, its not so hard to make a rectangle.

I realized that I didn't have snaps either, so ribbon closures it was. Mind you, I had no idea how I was going to sew the ribbon in, but it was a problem that could wait. I pulled out the monster 60's sewing machine and started setting up. It was a no go. The machine started making odd noises and the needle wouldn't move. It sounded like a car whose engine won't start. After over an hour of trying to fix it, and possibly maybe (profusely) swearing at it, I put it away. I had to meet my mom anyway.

Mom and I were running some errands and I started explaining the issue with the sewing machine. She listened to me rant and rave. I was so upset that the f-bomb slipped out while describing it. Oops. Mom looked at me with wide eyes and offered to let me borrow hers. The f-bomb might have shocked her, though she's got a potty mouth as bad as me. Sorry ma!

After all the drama, I was able to attempt the bib and ended up with this. Its far from perfect and riddled with mistakes. See the uneven hem at the bottom? Considering its my first bib, I'm happy with it and am going to give it to Baby Randi anyway. She's going to be spitting and drooling on it. I hardly think she'll mind an uneven seam. I hope!



There's a large amount of fleece sitting in my wicker chest (and more in my closet) that I bought on clearance when the Rag Shop went out of business. I pulled a piece out that had Tinkerbell, thinking it was cute and girly but not too babyish and cut it to be 36" by 36".



I had some leftover Bernat's baby coordinates in yellow and edged it with that (the edging pattern is on the Edgerydoo website). Its a really simple chain edging that was super fast to complete and I love the way it turned out!



When Pi saw it, she started moaning about how much she loves Tinkerbell and she wished I had enough left for her. Funny how last September, when we were shopping for backpacks, she told me only babies (imagine her rolling her eyes here) carried Tinkerbell bags. Indecision much? There's definitely not enough for a big kid blanket but there's enough to make a doll blanket. She seemed pretty happy with that compromise.

My sister had 2 more guest passes to her gym and she let me use one yesterday. I did an hour on the elliptical. An hour! I've never never never done an hour on any exercise machine, even when I was 20 pounds lighter than I am now. I'm pretty proud of myself. If you happen to be walking behind me as I go down the subway steps, don't be alarmed at the "ouch, ouch ouch" that you might hear. :)

Happy Monday peeps!

Baby Randi

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days. I've been crazy busy and just feeling completely drained. Add Aunt Flo to that and well, I'm tired and cranky. I'm hoping to re-charge this weekend and be myself again on Monday.

My last few posts have been minus any kind of craft, but lookie lookie, I finally have something to show! My co-worker had a little baby girl on Christmas Day. Baby Randi was over a month and a half early, so no one was prepared. I'm happy to say that Randi is doing really well and thriving.

Since she came before we could throw a shower, we're throwing a post-birth baby shower next Friday. You know what that means. Baby clothes! Wooo!



I used Yarncat's Cone Hat pattern for the cute little hat. I wanted to do something a little different than a regular baby beanie. The only thing I changed was that I used a fpdc and bpdc to create ribbing on the last 2 rows. I also used Bella Bambina's Kelly Sweater, which you already know is my favorite baby sweater pattern. The elf booties are Maven Haven's Elfin booties.

The purple is all Caron pounder (which gets soooo soft after you wash and dry it). The variegated accents for the pom pom, sweater edging, and bootie edging is Bernat Softee Baby. Its my first time using this yarn and I'm a fan. Its easy to work with and feels soft even before you wash it. I'm hoping to edge some fleece for a baby blanket this weekend, but it depends on how tired I feel.

An awesome surprise arrived in the mail today, all the way from Italy! I'd won a prize from Angela over at My Tangled Threads. The prize was a secret, which was killing my curiosity. It was worth the wait...Angela sent a Brittany hook!

I've heard of these before but had never seen one in person. Its gorgeous, delicate and lightweight. Look at the detailing on the end of the hook. Just wow! Thank you so much Angela! I love it!

Last, but not least, I've got good news and bad news.

The good news: Today was weigh in #2. I lost 3.3 pounds this week, for a total loss of 8.5 pounds in 2 weeks. Woohoo!

The bad news: My fight against Aunt Flo cravings crashed and burned today. I ordered a pizza and...and I enjoyed it, dammit. I should feel guilty, but I don't. Aunt Flo demanded the pizza. Tomorrow, I'll get back and track and chalk up today as a momentary weakness.

Tuesday's Tribute

Today's Tuesday's Tribute is about our departing president Mr. George Bush.



While I think that Bush was not a fabulous president (understatement) and not really a bright man (understatement), I have to give credit where credit is due. Mr. Bush did do a great deal for the Pro-Life movement and I applaud his Supreme Court appointments. Yet, by far, his best achievement has been the creation of Bushisms. Mr. Bush was quite possibly the funniest president this nation has ever had. Really, what other president inspired whole calendars with Bushisms?



Here are just a few of my favorites.

"Misunderestimate" (November 6, 2000).

"I'm the decider." (April 18, 2006).

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." (September 29, 2000).

"You work three jobs? ? Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." (February 4, 2005).



"Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" (January 11, 2000).

"It was not always certain that the U.S. and America would have a close relationship." (June 29, 2006).

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." (May 24, 2005).



Sorry BO, as charming as everyone seems to think you are, you just can't rival Bushisms.

I've given birth to...

A babushka! haha. Piper and I took a run to Sears this weekend with my dad to return something and the little babushka was clearly cold and tired. When I turned around in my seat and saw that, I just about died laughing.



Speaking of Pi, she got the strangest assignment last week. She's learning about immigrants in school and her teacher told them that part of their homework was to learn to the words to Coming to America by Neil Diamond.

I'll pause while you re-read that and let it sink in. Uh-huh, I'm not joking.

Now, I'm not sure about you guys, but Neil Diamond isn't a huge deal in my house, so I didn't have this song already. Hubby bought the MP3, looked up the lyrics, and let Pi go to town with the song. She's been listening to it everyday, at least 12-13 times a day. At full volume. And do you know what? She friggin loves the song.

Unfortunately, for hubby and I, the song is stuck in our heads. We can't get it out and trust me, we've tried. Its like Chinese torture.

Not much crafting going on this weekend. Saturday was full of chores and Sunday I had to make the decision to use my free time to craft or use the free buddy pass my sister has for her gym. I went with the buddy pass and worked out. I will have to hook soon though...there's a baby shower coming up in about a week.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Week one completed!

My first week of the biggest loser challenge is completed! If I do say so myself, it was really tough but worth it. I lost 5.2 pounds this week and am in 35th place out of 103 players! Booyah!

I rarely use the word hate, as I feel its really really strong. But I'm going to use it today. I hate you, elliptical. I know we have the same goal - banishing the lard - but can't you take it easy on me just a little? No? I didn't think so. Bite me!



My family has been really supportive and has been trying really hard not to tempt me. Well, that was the case until this box of school candy came home, calling my name in all of its chocolaty goodness. Chrisssstina...Chrisssstina.... eat ussssss....we're preciousssss. Did you notice that the box sounds like Gollum too? Creepy.



Hubby and Pi each had a bar. I stared in disbelief and horror. I was drooling to boot. So in desperation, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed this. Thank goodness for Jello. Seriously, this stuff will take most of the craving away when I need a lil sumthin sumthin. Since I've been eating more of it, I've been buying the boxed stuff that you make yourself. Its half the price of the ready jello.



Last night, we went grocery shopping after work. Normally, we go out to eat because neither hubby or I feels like cooking after we get back from shopping. Hubby and Pi wanted Burger King. The panic bells started ringing in my head. RUN, RUN STUPID! I think hubby and Pi noticed the panic and they both assured me that BK has salad. Really? Who knew? So I ordered the garden salad with grilled chicken and no dressing. I ate it while inhaling the french fry fumes and you want to know something? I didn't want the french fries! Maybe there's hope for me yet.

I won't get too excited though, because yodels still look awfully sexy to me.

P.S. - Thanks for the school info Laura. Pi's school is not affected, but the other school in the neighborhood is one that is closing. Its sad, really sad, but the diocese has to do what it can to protect the schools that can stay open.

P.P.S. - You guys convinced me. I'm going to enter the hat in the Vanna contest.

Baby Petal Hat

(photograph by Samantha Adams Photography)

This is newest baby hat design. I think I'm going to call it the Baby Petal Hat, since my inspiration was flower petals. Its made in panels to give the feel of separate petals.

I'm terrible at sitting down to type up my patterns, but I'm going to work on it in the next week or two. I need to perfect the other sizes and then I'll put it in my Etsy store. This is the 3-6 month size.

I'm thinking of entering it in the Vanna's Choice Contest. Do you think its decent enough to enter? Slap me with your honesty, please!

Thanks again Samantha for such an awesome picture!

Tuesday's Tribute

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.
My Tuesday's Tribute is dedicated to none other than Miley Cyrus, the pre-teen idol.



Dearest Miley,

When your show Hannah Montana first came to my attention through my darling child, I thought "Hey this show looks ok." It did…it really did. No foul language, nudity, or bad innuendos. Even though it dealt with boy issues, it was harmless, for the most part. Plus, the kid friendly music had the aforementioned child quite entertained,even if your singing ability is very very limited.

Very. Just had to add one more to make my point.

I even took my precious baby to your 3D concert movie. There we were,glasses on and bouncing to the music when you…oh, I can barely say it…gyrated like a mini hoochie mama. My hand twitched to cover my angel's eyes, even thought it was too late. Miley, Miley…your audience is a handful of babies. Why are you gyrating? What are you gyrating? Who are you gyrating for? These are unanswerable questions that keep me up at night.



It all went downhill from there You wanted to branch out from your pre-pubescent fan base and reach a more mature audience. Apparently,by mature, you meant older teens with whorish tendencies. Your lyrics…no good. Your look….no good.

Then, the big kaboom. The mama-jama of no-nos. The type of thing that makes every parent cringe. Naughty pictures. What are you thinking? First, naughty pictures at your age are horrific. The fact that you're taking naughty pictures with Hello Kitty sheets is even more horrific. Sorry Miley, I just can't support you anymore. You just can't be a role model for my baby anymore.

Just a tip, my dearest Miley. If you want people to take you and your career seriously, put your clothes back on, clean up your lyrics, and stop humping your microphone on stage. Until then, its all Jo-Bros,all the time in my house.

Sincerely,
A disturbed mother

Weekend Wrap Up

On Friday night I had just started to get ready for bed when I heard sirens outside. Half jokingly, I said to hubby "looks like someone got stabbed again." Not 5 seconds later, there is a pounding on my door. I immediately freak out because I'm not completely dressed since I was changing for bed. Hubby runs for the door and I'm right behind him, wrapped in a blanket, thinking that there must be a fire.

Lo and behold there is a fireman standing at the door decked out in full gear. Before I could start screaming fire, he said the neighbors carbon monoxide detector had gone off and he needed to do a reading in my apartment too. The idea of carbon monoxide had me freaking out just as much. Hubby showed him to the kitchen while I ran to the bathroom to get dressed again.

The fireman said our apartment was clear and told the neighbors to buy a new alarm. I was still totally freaked out though. Talk about an exciting Friday night. I learned that in an emergency, my instinct is to panic. I totally felt like a schmuck...like George from Seinfeld when he pushes kids and runs out of an apartment on fire.

Saturday and Sunday were a lot less exciting, thank goodness. I made another daisy square, even though I said I wouldn't, because its a ROAK over at Crochetville.



I promised Cami I would send something for the Relay For Life fundraiser she is helping with. The theme is home items. I thought that lots of people would do kitchen things, so I went with a bathroom theme. More bath puffs!



I wanted to get some knitting in this weekend too, but I didn't get around to it. I want to try a knit hat, but most of the patterns I've seen require circulars and then DPNs for when the hat gets too small. I've got the circulars but not the DPNs, so hopefully I'll be able to find a hat pattern that is worked flat to get the hang of it.

Hope all you peeps had a good weekend!

Catching up...

I've still been feeling like this all week, so I'm way behind on showing FO's. Not to mention my rapidly aging memory, which seems to forget all about FO's as soon as they're out of sight.

Blogging buddy Bezzie had a baby boy in December and I made her a baby papoose. I failed to get a picture (I thought I did, but I can't find a pic. Please refer to aging memory). Here's a pic of Bezzie's baby, Moochman, in his papoose. Isn't he adorable?

Next up is a scarf I made for hubby. He waited patiently all through the Christmas madness, so I worked on this non-stop til it was done. Its 2 strands of Vanna's choice yarn and dc stitches. The doubling up made a super warm, super squishy scarf. I'm tempted to steal it from him, but I can't exactly hide it from him. Drats!

This is another Vanna's autumn print scarf in the Ifeoma pattern that I've been using to death. While Pi was getting a haircut, I was working on the one for my aunt and an old woman (75 or so) asked me to make her one. How could I say no? I will say that I don't ever want to look at this color again though.

These slippers were made MONTHS ago. I threw them in the closet until I could get around to felting them. Totally forgot about them and they never got felted.

Yes, I'm hugging my foot and yes, I'm that flexible. I'm also double jointed in my wrists and feet. Don't be jealous! They're a little big but not terribly so. Should I felt them?

Last but not least, I joined the Biggest Loser 6 challenge over at Tiburon's blog. I took humiliating pictures of myself from the front, side, and back and sent them to a total stranger. Now that is motivation, eh? For the next 12 weeks, its healthy eating and a daily date with the elliptical. I'd like to lose 8 pounds a month. Wish my fat ass luck!

Happy Sweet 16!

Happy Birthday to my sisters, Jennifer and Tiffani, who turned 16 today!!



They truly are miracle babies. They were born over a month premature and had to stay in the hospital for a long time before they were allowed to go home. Tiffani was so small, the nurses nicknamed her peanut.

Happy Birthday my Twinsies!

Tuesday's Tribute

Over at Halftime Lessons, Jay and Deb started something called Tuesday's Tribute - It's not all about you. Basically, you blog about someone other than yourself for once, whether it be to gush how much you love them or spit fire about how much you dislike them. I like this idea and am going to try to keep up with it for awhile.

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.

My tribute is to this guy, Pope John Paul II the Great.

Pope John Paul II the Great was the 264th Pope to lead the Catholic Church. He was an amazing man with unbelievable empathy for people. He was especially good at connecting to the young people of the Church who felt left out for years. He breathed new life into being a young Catholic. His wisdom on many subjects, especially Theology of the Body, was an integral part of regaining my faith. So much so, that if I am ever blessed with a son, he will probably be names John Paul.

So there's my tribute for today. This may have been too heavy for some of you, so to make up for it, I'll do a scathing celebrity rant next week. :)

Stupid cold

I meant to post over the weekend, but I was stuck in bed with a nasty little cold. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were mostly spent in and out of sleep. I dragged myself back to work today, even though another day or two in bed would be awesome. What a way to start the new year!



I finished this pair of arm warmers for Pi and I'm happy to say she loves them.

I cast on 4 less stitches to make them kid-sized and instead of 8 pattern repeats, I only did 6. I used size 6 needles and Caron Pounder in purple. These have less mistakes than the first pair I made. There's one glaringly large one (to me) but as long as Pi doesn't notice, no big deal. I'm scouring free patterns to see what I want to try next.

But first, a simple dc scarf is on the hook for hubby. He's waited patiently enough through all the Christmas crafting.

I've decided not to do any real resolutions this year. I break them all anyway.
So do you guys have any resolutions? Do tell.

Edited to add: Please read Kristina's hilarious resolutions. These resolutions are right up my alley!

Looking Back to Move Forward

Happy New Year!

I'm calling 2008 "The Year of the Afghan!" I made 5 full sized afghans this year...more than other years combined. I also designed, sewed, and learned to knit a little. Those are things I didn't even imagine doing at the beginning of 2008.



Moving forward....here are some "future projects." I hit the Michaels sale today and came home with more than I intended.



Here's hoping that 2009 will bring more creativity and learning opportunities. Lets see what crazy antics happen to me this year!