how do you deal with stress?

I bake cakes from scratch...
and make homemade frosting (and blog) instead of fixing dinner :)

kids ideas on making some extra money

At lunch today the kids and I were talking about the possibility of Max and Tallulah both going to preschool next year, but that in order for that to happen Mommy and Daddy were going to have to find some way to make some extra money to pay for two kids in preschool. The kids quickly chimed in with some great ideas for how we could make some extra cash...
Regan is going to start babysitting (any one interested in a 7 year old babysitter?) and Max suggested that Daddy should start busking... well he did not use that word, he said Daddy should "play music and put out a jar for people to throw money into."
So, no worries, with these plans implemented we should have no problem coming up with the money to pay tuition for the two of them! lol!

all finished!

I finished the sweater last night and sewed the buttons on this morning! It is a little big for Lulu now, but that just means she will be able to wear it longer. The buttons are supposed to be on the back, but Lulu wanted them on the front, so that she could see them.
I love how it turned out, and I can't believe I crocheted a sweater!!! I only wish I had more of that fabric I used for the covered buttons to make a matching skirt!

on the hook

I first saw this sweater here (scroll down) and fell in love. I had to have the pattern... which I bought here in December and have been holding on to, waiting for the perfect yarn and the new year. I started it Monday night at my knitting group and have hardly been able to put it down! It's not done yet, but I though I would post a few pictures anyway.

Lulu, modeling her new (half way done) sweater.

snow day!

I couldn't help posting this picture. It is the view out my front door at 12:40pm. All of the local schools were canceled today because of impending snow... 2-6 inches by 6pm! Not looking likely. Oh, well, we've had these warnings before and so far, in our three years of living here, we haven't even had a inch of snow. The kids are ready though, with snow boots and hand me down snow pants, plus all those hats and scarves I crocheted for Christmas! Maybe things will turn around in the next 5 hours and we'll actually see some snow, but I won't hold my breath.

the best mornings start like this...

i'm a craft book junky...

So, I have a confession to make... I LOVE craft/sewing/knitting books. I saw this one in Michaels when my mom was here and it was love at first sight! Of course there was no way I was going to pay Michaels prices for it, so I waited for my next Amazon coupon to come and now it is mine :) I also got Anna Marie Horner's Book Seems to Me and am enjoying that one as well!

Anyway, back to my Amigurumi book, I had planned to work on some other projects yesterday, but instead started looking through the book with the kids and decided to give the little turtle a try.
I think his head is a bit big, but he's still cute and the kids love him. It was my first time crocheting a round, I have just done scarves so far, and it took me a bit to catch on to following a pattern (another thing I have never done with my crocheting), but I think I have a better handle on it now and hope that my next try will produce better results. I think I might make these for the kids Easter baskets this year. They have all picked out their favorite animal and put in their request, I just need a few skeins of yarn and some kid free moments to work on them!