End of one year....onto the next

Well, 2014 is at a close.  Literally too, tonight!  It's been quite the year.  There's been surgeries and sicknesses galore.  3 weddings, a baby shower and baby in the family.  The death of Mocha, our awesome Chocolate Lab.  The getting/saving of Cookie, our 2 yo pitbull.  Remodelling and unpacking....still.  Lots of fun memories with the kids.  And lots of crafting.

Carl was Christened on May 25th

We had Mosey pass, our lovely girl....on June 3rd

Then the weddings!

First was the only wedding we weren't in!  Lynn and Bill on Sept. 20th!
Caim had so much fun dancing on the floor and playing at their awesome kids table full of tons of games and drawing stuff.
Carl and me danced and swayed and had a great time.  Jeff isn't much in to the dancing :)

Made these for them...

Next was Amanda and Nick on Sept. 27th!
I made the shawl over the summer for her, though it was nice out and she didn't wear it, it was still worth it, no matter what it's for.

And for her bachelorette party I made this lovely....a chapstick coozie

Caim was one of 5 flower girls!!  Carl was just dressed up cute.  I was Matron of Honor, and had a great time.

Then there was John and Kay's wedding on Oct. 3rd!

All 4 of us stood up in this one!  And let me tell you, my hair rocked!!!  A Mohawk braid, and because my hair was down to my butt, it was VERY workable and looked fabulous!!

On October 6th we got Cookie, after all the wedding hoopla was over with...saved her from a pound....

She's so ridiculously sweet, it's amazing.

Then I chopped off the hair I had been growing out for said weddings on Oct. 9th...16 inches for Locks of Love

We saw Santa at the Adventure to Santa at Oakbrook Center Mall

We had a good Christmas and hopefully will have a nice New Year.  Missed Barb at Christmas Eve this year, but she had a good friend's house to go to that she's known since she was little, I understand, she just was missed.  

I am still in the HPKCHC on Ravelry and crafting away.  This year has been the year of crochet for me.  I want to get back to spinning.  I have some looming projects that I have as WIPs that I need to get off my plate, and I am going to be doing a Detention OWL this term to get those done.  It will be the year for me too.  If I want to do stuff for others, I will.  But this year, I'll do what I want, for whom I want, when I want.  And I'll do stuff for me.  Socks, mitts, finish a scarf, make whatever I want to as a tester maybe.  Do a swap this year. Make some stuff for the kids that looks fun.  Whatever my heart desires.

So some of my works this year....

And this month I've done....
Mizzou Tiger...

Colorado Ram....it was several pieces of patterns and modified to be its own thing, so I'll have the pattern in the next post.

I was sorted in Slytherin again in my Rav. group - HPKCHC, I'm a middle of the Anaconda nest, I am the Swap Mistress, heading up the big term swap again and a member of the Slytherin Sunshine Committee. I look forward to sharing much more crafting and other things in general with you!

I hope everyone has a fantastic new year!!!  I sure hope I do!!!

Shower fun :)

Well, I've been busy crafting for Christmas time, so just in case any of those people happen to randomly come to this blog, I can't put any pictures of my creations on here.  But since Amanda has had her shower and her surprise shawl is fully made, I can put lots of pics up of the shawl and show it looks now that it's all done!

We are having my brother's wedding shower at my house in September.  That should be fun.  I have gotten some of the stuff I ordered for the shower favors so far....they are going to be adorable!

I personally think Amanda's were adorable as well :)  Made a Lemon Sugar Scrub and put it in little jelly jars and then put a little slice of soap on top in a clear bag with colorful crinkle paper at the bottom and cute ribbons to tie it up.  Cutest favors I've done yet.  I think Kayla's will be just as cute, but that's my opinion.

Happiness and Sadness

Well, so much for writing every week.  Eh, is what it is.  I was reading a post of one of my fabulous online friends, Amy, and she very eloquently said she chooses to be happy.  Every day she chooses to be happy and sometimes are harder than others.  Got that right.  I think I'm generally a happy person and I try not to let the little stuff get me down.  But hey, every once in a while, too much crap gets to me and I have waaaay too much stress and too much on my plate...and I crack.  Not quite literally, but might as well have.  Hey, I think depression isn't anything to be ashamed of.  And I'm pretty sure that's where I'm at right now.  And I'm lucky to have a great support system and some super kick-ass family and friends, around me at work and there for me even when I don't see them nearly as often as I'd like...and a fabulous community of online friends in my Anacondas Nest of snakes in my Slytherin group on Ravelry.  I can't say enough about the encouragement and good thoughts they all send my way.  I'm grateful to them all.  And I want to be happy...but I think I need to make it through what I'm in before that's going to be an everyday thing again.

I started working out at lunch with Annie.  I feel great afterwards, which is a good feeling.  I need it.  I need it for physical and mental.  And I push myself, so that's all fabulous for me.

My wee man is 1 year old!  Monday was his first birthday, and it was celebrated at the doctor because he has another ear infection.  This poor kid, I swear.  But he's still a happy little dude.  We are having his birthday celebration with his Baptism, which time and circumstances did not allow us to do earlier, at the end of May.  Loooots of people will hopefully be there, but we only do first birthdays, so we do them up.  Why not?  I just hope I can hold it together for it all.

And on a happy note, I won a book from that fabulous Amy mentioned above and I got it in the mail early this week!!!  A book of crochet patterns of all different hats for parent/child....they're so friggin cute!  I am in the midst of working on a blanket for a shower, I made flowers for Quidditch on Rav which went to Caim for her Barbie house, and a square I turned in for Care of Magical Creatures class that went also to Caim as a Barbie house rug.  I've done a monster, working on a Minion....and I can't say specifically what my Owl is, it's a gift, but when it's done, it should be epic...but I am STILL waiting on the 2nd round of yarn for this project!!!

So lots on my plate, good things, but still lots.  Just keep swimming....

Going to try more...

I'm going to try more posts.  Maybe a weekly post?  I'm not sure if anyone reads this or not, but hey.  Is what it is.

I've got several things going craft wise.  I'm starting a surprise for someone...and that's about all I can say about that.  Crud...that's anticlimactic.

I was asked by not 1, but 2 people at work to make something for them!  I'm so honored!  I am making a Minion for Christine's son and I'm making a 3 eyed monster for Lili's nephew who is suffering from cancer right now.  Lili just did a fundraiser and is going to see him over Easter weekend and loved the one I already made, so I'm so excited to make one for her to give to him!

Speaking of Easter weekend, I can't wait because Alex is coming to town from Germany!  I really hope she can just stay with us, but we'll see.  But she'll be here on Good Friday, just a little over a week to go!  I'm so excited to see her, she's someone I met and volunteered with at LeakyCon in 2012 and I've kept up with her...and she gets me and the nerdy Harry loving person that I am!  We can talk nerdy stuff like that, she's the same age as me....and it's so awesome to learn about the different stuff from across the pond and all.

Anywho, I have to get going on swatching that, uh, special gift....and I have to get going on that monster for next weekend.  Hmm....too much going on at home, painting, straightening, cleaning, unpacking (still).....and getting a garden started.  We're going a little huge with our first garden...way I look at it, even if it all doesn't take, in the long run, if only some of it takes, we'll still be saving money with buying some less produce....but here's to hoping that more will take than less!