Knitting, What's That?

I'll tell ya, it's something that isn't happening in this house over the holidays!!!! How disappointing is that?! Instead, I have gotten to do pretty much ALL of the Christmas shopping (no bitterness there...yes, that is sarcastic). My poor baby Emma Belle has been terribly ill, with the works, bless her little heart. I also still have to make food for the upcoming events, pick up a few gifts, and become a wrapping mad woman with just a few days left. I think I know what a poor little elf must feel like.
Anyway, I have been able to knit a couple dish cloths for Emma's teachers and I have started on Emma's scarf. I like the way it's turning out, but I HATE the yarn. I know, what a harsh word to use during this joyous holiday season, but I HATE IT!!! And I mean every word!

Sorry for the crappy pics :)

Well, I'll leave with a cute, short story. Every Christmas Eve, we get together with my mom's side of the family (like 40 + people)
and celebrate. We have a pot luck, and a few of us pitch in and get each of the kids a little something from SANTA. Yep, my cousin, which is a rather young, but jolly, chubby fella gets to dress up as Santa! The kids LOVE it! Well the other night, I was trying to get some wrapping done for this and I can't do it in the basement because I would die from hypothermia, so I decided to do it in the living room while Ava lay asleep on the couch and Emma lay sick on the love seat. Thinking to myself, she won't get up, she never does when she isn't feeling well, I went for it. About that time, I looked up and there are those too big brown eyes glaring at me. I had already wrapped a couple and had them laying over to the side. The little smarty-pants, of course, took a look asking who they are for and WHY do they have SANTA written on them? GOOD GRIEF, she's only 5, can't I get a little more time!!!! Why does this child need to learn to spell and read so early?! Well following this, she looked stunned, then says to me wide-eyed "Mommy, are you one of Santa's helpers?" I almost died laughing, but held in every bit of it! I looked at her and said, "Yep, sometimes!" I think under the circumstance that was the best I could do, and hey, it ain't really a lie :)
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!!!!

Will I Ever Get to Knit Again?

Okay, I know, I know...I haven't blogged in FOREVER or knit on any of my projects!!!!! Was I wanting to knit up some X-mas gifts? YES! Will I have time? Probably NOT! I'm still not giving up hope though!!!!! I have just been sooooooo BUSY!!! It's really ridiculous. We have went to Emma's Fall Festival. I planned my friend's Bachelorette party, that went rather nicely this past Saturday. Tuesday, Emma has her first play "No Turkey for Perky". She said, "I'm not an actress, like I wanted to be, mommy, I'm a singer (with this sad little expression)!" I told her she had a beautiful voice and that is why they want her to sing. She said "Well all the other kids singing with me must have beautiful voices too because they won't even let me sing loud or by myself!" So, needless to say, mommy was no help in making her feel better. Hopefully I can think of something better to say after her play :) Thursday I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for EVERYONE! On the same day, I have Ava's b-day party (which she wants to be Barbie Princess, cake and all). Friday, we have a wedding to go too, not to mention my mom will probably want to go X-mas shopping at 5 in the morning! Then Saturday, we are going to have dinner at my MIL's ! Can't a girl get a BREAK??!!!!! So far, I have nothing on the agenda for next week, and hopefully it will stay that way, so I can get in some knitting and X-mas shopping :) WILL BE SHOWING FO'S NEXT WEEK!!!!!Emma after having her face painted at her Fall Festival. Isn't my baby girl a doll?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! Here are a couple pics of Halloween over the years for you too enjoy!

Pumpkin Carving 2007

We had dinner and carved little pumpkins last night with my mom and nephews. It was lots of fun and the kids loved doing it together! We saved the BIG pumpkin for Mommy and Daddy to carve with the girls though, cause Daddy didn't want to miss out. We are gonna carve that one tonight :)

Emma and Trevor (on the right) did most of the carving all on their own! I was so proud of them! Bryce had some help from grandma. And Ava had mommy's help...she loved poking out the pieces, but meanwhile her vampire pumpkin lost a fang, oops :)




During the day, we also attended Olivia's birthday party. I knit with her mommy, Sonya, and her and Emma have become good friends. The girls had a blast! They had LOTS of chocolate, which Ava loved! And got to paint their own little pumpkins. Overall, we had such a wonderful day!

Once again, no knitting to report :( But I think I'm gonna cast on a sock today, so don't get your panties in a wad!

Having a Spooktacular Time

Halloween is almost here! We have already been celebrating. We went to a costume party a couple weekends ago dressed as Joanna "the Chotchkies waitress" and Bill Lumbergh from the movie Office Space (which was pretty funny among a bunch of engineers). Other costumes included some season fairies, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, Medusa, the scary clown from IT, a nerd, a cat, and some black-eyed peas. They had a dart and caps tournament, best costume, karaoke, and awesome Halloween treats! It was a blast! A big thanks goes out to our friends Bobby and Stacy for hosting :)

Then last Saturday, we took the girls to a costume party. Emma was a beautiful Mermaid that won best costume, and Ava was Batgirl. Some other costumes were a Batman, the good and evil Spiderman, a werewolf, a pirate, Wednesday and Pugsley Addams, and a little Harry Potter, so many awesome costumes this year! They got to bash a pinata, eat lots of yummy Halloween treats, and play with all their friends. They had so much fun! We just love Halloween!















I'm sorry to say I haven't accomplished much knitting, but I have been baking like a crazy person. I've made 4 loafs of pumpkin bread, lots of Halloween cookies, and some Peanut Butter Spider Crackers for Emma to take to school. I plan to start knitting for the holidays. I've gotta get motivated to knit up some presents!!! My plans are to knit a couple pairs of socks, some dish cloths, towels, and scrubbies. I'll probably make the usual scarves and hats too. We'll see how much time I have and if I can even accomplish what I've set out for first, LOL!!!! Wish me luck!

A FO....can you believe it?

I finally finished Ava's pair of socks. I love the color of the yarn, very good for little girls, but I wasn't very fond of it knit-wise. It is the Tofutsie, and I thought it split a LOT, and was a little hard to work with. I also finished the toe with the Kitchener stitch, and I HATE it! I don't really care for the square look it gives the toe and it was a pain in the rear! My advice - DO NOT Kitchener stitch around KIDS!!!! But overall the pair turned out nicely and Ava loves them, so that's all that matters to me!

We have had a fun couple of weeks. Last weekend, we took the kids to play miniature golf for the first time. It was all in black light, which you can't really tell by the pictures, but very cool. Ava was amazed, and a little scared I think, but more amazed. Emma, Bryce, and Trevor loved it!


Then last night, we all went bowling. Sorry no pics for that, we forgot the camera, but they all (once again) had so much fun! I think Emma might go Pro! She has such a look of confidence when she knocks down the pins. It's sooooo cute!

We also have lots planned for October. Emma has her first field trip coming up. They are going to Slow Poke Farm. We have Halloween parties to attend. Emma is going to be a Mermaid, and Ava, Bat Girl...both of which are adorable! I just love Fall! I'm off to start decorating! Happy October :)

Still Alive......Barely

Hello all, yes I know, I've slacked on my blogging, knitting, housework, EVERYTHING! It is due to a house full of germs!!!!!! I blame the germs!!!! It all started coming back from a great camping trip with a scratchy throat. Tim and I both had a little cold. Well of course, it spreads it's disgusting way through the house and reaches Ava first. She has been sick going on 2 weeks. I got better really fast. Tim had his for a week. NOW, I have it again! And poor little Emma does too. I'll tell you what, I'm SICK of being SICK!!!! I want these germs gone!!! They are NOT welcomed in my house. When I felt better for a couple days, I cleaned the whole house thinking that would get rid of the nasty things and refresh it all......NO, all it did was make me sick again...ridiculous!
We took a trip to the Dr. yesterday and got Ava on some antibiotics, since she has had it a long time, maybe that will help. I hope we all don't have to end up making that dreaded trip (crossing fingers).

I have started a child's sock. I'm winging it from the book, Sensational Knitted Socks, Peggy, so graciously let me borrow.....thanks Peggy :) I have made mistakes, I know, but I think I've finally gotten to the point that as long as it resembles a sock, then I'm fine with it. I'm still the Knitting Apprentice and can't frog it back to my mistake, or even notice my mistake until I've already knit 2-3 rows past it. I'm the kind of knitter that leaves it or frogs the whole thing, and I'm not about to frog this sock again, lol!
In other news, the other day Ava and I encountered a SNAKE in the backyard under the steps. I think I almost had a heart attack. I HATE SNAKES! Spiders I can handle, but NOT snakes, poisonous or not. I hate 'em! We ran back up the steps, literally dragging Jax by the neck with the leash. We were all freaked! I got a good look at it, from behind the glass door of course, once we went back inside. It looked like a brown snake or a garter snake , according to the internet, but I'm still not taking any chances. We haven't been in the backyard since. I really wish I had the guts to have gotten rid of it because it was gone by the time Tim got home. Emma said, "Mommy, I hope it doesn't get in the house like the one at Gammy's did." I had terrible dreams all night and have been checking corners of the house since.

Emma's school had their first Open House last night. Even though we were sick, we had to go. I wasn't about to miss seeing all the wonderful things she has been working so hard on. I forgot the camera, dang it, but at least got to see all of her drawings and such. She made a face that looked like her and brought in her favorite Princess T-shirt, that they put in her chair. It was very cute. Then she had a little "me" book she had made. It said what she liked, taking pictures with family...what she was scared of, sleeping in her room without the TV on, lol. Nope I can't leave it on just cause I feel sorry for her, people, she'd stay up all night. Her teacher's assistant, Mrs. Brown, said she had a wonderful personality and that she always has a cute story to tell her husband about something Emma said when she gets home. She said the other day, they were talking about swimming and Emma said, "Well, are we talking about one of those pools that are stuck to the ground or that you blow up?" We both had a good laugh. She seems to be doing great. I'm a very proud momma :)

Here are the nominees....

I have been nominated by Peggy (Knitting and Spinning with Ewe) for the Rockin' Girl Blogger! I hear this title holds a couple responsibilities. One, that you remain a Rockin' Girl Blogger once nominated, and the other, that you nominate more Rockin' Girl Blogger's! So, here are my nominees.....

1.) Sonya (In the Skein of Things) - She is a wonderful momma to three awesome children, a knitting goddess, a dog lover, and someone who cares for others like no one I've ever seen. She is someone that would be there for you no matter what and that is pretty big in my book.

2.) Lora (Lora's Keyhole) - She is a wonderful momma to two adorable, red-headed little boys, an incredible knitter, a beading queen, she sews, need I say more? You've gotta check out her blog and her Etsy shop. She is definitely Rockin' Girl Blogger material!

And finally.....

3.) Holly (Drive By Knitting) - This girl can KNIT and DYE and SPIN yarn like none I've ever met! You must check out her Kylan mittens she knit, yes I said her, she created the pattern! And they are amazing! She can also knit up a pair of socks in a matter of hours I think, lol. Her hand-dyed and spun yarn is gorgeous! I could go on for days about this Rockin' Girl Blogger nominee!

Well there they are! Now my rockin' girls, go post your Rockin' Girl button on your blogs and get to nominating some more rockin' chicks!

Pay IT Forward!

The IT is a secret in this lovely game! Here's how to play or pay.......This is the "Pay It Forward" exchange, based on the concept of the movie where acts of kindness are done without expecting anything in return...just passing it on, with the hope that the recipients of your kind acts will pass it along to someone else. Here's how it works: I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what the gift will be yet, and it won't be sent this month and maybe not next month either, but it will be sent within 6 months and that's a promise!
What you have to do in return then is "pay it forward" by making the same promise on your blog. Isn't this a great way to brighten someone's day! Let's play AND pay!!!!!!

Anyone Need More Time?

I don't know about you folks, but I cannot seem to find time lately for my knitting and spinning! Well for one, I never realized how much effort you have to put into Kindergarten. They have homework, a ton of papers you have to initial, you've got to make reading time, making lunches, mornings are crazy! I have, Ava, aimlessly running around without a care in the world, but trying to get my attention at the same time. I have Emma's daily routine, which isn't bad, but she just doesn't focus well with a 2 year old little sister wanting to play and have fun around her while she is trying to get ready. Then of course, Jax, who thinks every morning that something exciting is going on and he might miss it, so his nose is in everything. It's enough to drive ya nuts! And once we take Emma to school, you would think alright, now is time to get some things accomplished, but nooooooooo! I have to clean the house, usually do the never ending laundry, Ava is still tugging on my leg for attention, make food and fill a drink cup every 10 minutes, find time for a shower, find time for Ava's nap, then it's already time to pick up Emma and make supper! It just seems ridiculous that I can't work out a schedule and include some time for ME!


Here is how pathetic it is....I have only made a few dishcloths, barely started a baby blanket, frogged a sock for the girls 3 times cause I can't find a pattern, so I tried just making one myself, HA, what was I thinking? I did actually knit a cute change purse for my sister's b-day gift, but of course, didn't take a picture.



Does anyone have a pattern for a child's sock, age 3-5? I have this cute Tofutsie yarn and two girls wanting some socks knitted by their momma! Please help!

The End of Summer Days

You wouldn't believe it with these temperatures, but Summer is coming to an end, and Fall is on the way. We are leaving it with a bang, making the most of the last days! Last weekend, we took the girls to two different parks and had a blast!

We started here.......











And made a splashing exit!












I had lots of fun, but I have to say, I can't wait until Fall! I absolutely love Halloween, the leaves changing colors, the cooler temps (meaning we actually get to wear our knitted pieces we drooled over all Summer), the yummy goodies to be made, pumpkin anything, apple everything, can you smell the spice in the air? SNIFF......ahhhhhh :)

Alright Sonya

I guess Sonya realized I've been hibernating and has tagged me, so here it goes......

1. Famous Singer/Band: Toad the Wet Sprocket

2. Four letter word: Talk

3. Street: Third St.

4. Color: Teal

5. Gifts/Presents: Toy

6. Vehicle: Toyota

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Thimbles

8. Boy Name: Tim

9. Girl Name: Theresa

10. Movie Title: Terminator

11. Drink: Tab ( it's legit Sonya)

12. Occupation: Teacher

13. Celebrity: Tom Cruise

14. Magazine: Teen

15. U.S. City: Tallahassee

6. Pro Sports Teams: TN Titans

17. Fruit: Tangerine

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Traffic!!!!!

19. Something You Throw Away: Trash

20. Things You Shout: Time Out!

21. Cartoon Character: Taz

TABITHA RULES!!!!

Home safe and happy!

The clock displayed 3:30pm, Ava and I made our way out the door to pick up Emma FINALLY! We were in the rather long car rider line, and had to wait. It was driving me crazy, but then I made it to the front of the line and saw this cute little girl following the teachers orders, not even realizing the whole while that her mommy and sister were in the car right beside her, ready to pick her up. Yep, it was my Emma Belle. She jumped in and said "Mommy, I had soooo much fun!" And repeated that phase only about 100 times during the 3 minute car ride home. I was so happy! She loved it! She sang songs, ate pizza for lunch, learned about vines (which I later found out were lines), and that her friend Ashley had the same Tinkerbell backpack! That's my girl, already making friends :)

First Day of School

Well, today was the day my first baby girl entered KINDERGARTEN!!! She woke up excited, ate breakfast, got dressed, and asked lots of questions. It was all going so wonderfully, until we went to walk out the door.....Emma opened it ready to go and out Jax runs! What terrible timing! We tried luring him back with a treat, chasing after him, nothing worked. Emma started to cry saying she was the one that opened the door, what if he doesn't come back mommy. I said "Forget it, let him run, this is not going to ruin our day! You didn't do anything wrong, dry your tears, Jax will come home if he wants. Now let's go to school and have a great day!" Thank goodness, she went along with that, still asking in the car, "Mommy will you please look for him while I'm in school?" Of course baby girl, now don't worry, and have a great day at school!

We walked into her classroom, she put her backpack in her cubbie and went to find her seat. She sat down, started to color, and was ready for class. I almost cried, she had done exactly what the teacher had written on the board, without being able to read, or even knowing what she was suppose to do. It made me so incredibly proud, but I had to suck up my tears and just praise her! I talked a little to the teacher and teacher's assistant, took some pictures, then gave her
a big hug and kiss, and out of the classroom I went. I had a few papers to drop off in the office, and had to run by the cafeteria to pay for her lunches in advance, then I HAD to go home balling my eyes out! It felt so strange leaving her. I wanted to go back and stay all day, but got myself together and went to find Jax. Kudos to my mom, she had came to watch Ava for me, and found him before I even got home. I can't wait to pick my baby girl up and it's only 11:15am :)

Yarn Princess

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Yarn-Doll

The girls made some yarn dolls last night with mommy's help. Emma loves them, even though her eyes may not look like it (she hates the camera flash)! Ava was interested for the night, but then onto something different by morning. Emma also decided to make a prince (not pictured) to go with her princess, then proceeded to ask me if I could make a yarn castle for them to live in. I told her that may take some time, and NO, lol! I'm not up for that much of a challenge.

Mommy's baby off to school

My first little girl, Emma, is set to start school on Monday. I can't believe it is already that time. It seems like just yesterday she was crawling on the floor, and up the stairs, and you know where I'm going with this.....I'm SAD!!!! I know, I know, I should be proud and happy and think of what a bright young girl I have brought into the world, and I do think all of those things, but I'm still SAD!!!! I like having her at home with me, where I know she is safe. There are no little rotten bullies here to pick on her, she can do what she wants when she wants (if mommy says it's o.k.), and I just know she is happy and safe here!!!!!! Alright, personally, I'm just a mom who doesn't want to give up her first little baby. I'd like to keep my baby, MY BABY, as long as possible! What will I do when she no longer fits on my lap :( And to think this is only the beginning of it all..........

So it's NOT a twin, it's a PAIR!

Alright, so I got in a hurry and was so excited to finish my sock, I messed it up! On my decreases for the toe, I totally forgot to knit plain rows in between my decreased rows. Therefore, I don't necessarily have a twin, but at least it's a dang pair of socks, and I have learned my lesson! I still like them! And I'm still confident I can make another pair and get 'em right, so there!

Fun at the Fair

We were finally able to go to the fair on Saturday. The girls loved it! They had a blast! They rode lots of rides, played lots of games, and even enjoyed a band that played that night. I have no idea the band, but Emma and Ava cut a rug to their music. It was so cute! If only I could have captured Emma's air guitar on film.






If you can't tell, these are the little bodies of my nephews, Bryce and Trevor, and my Emma Belle going down this big yellow slide. Ava had to ride down it too, so guess who rode with her, yep me! I'll spare your eyes that pic though :)

In other news, I finished my lovely two-toned, green baby blanket. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. I think I'm still just mad! I did however start on another cream colored one that I'm knitting in box stitch. I'll let ya know how that turns out.
And yes, still working on my other sock, picking up on the gusset now :)

Soon to have a twin....

Yay! I finally finished my very first sock. I'm not shy and will admit it was a pain at times, but with help from my wonderful fellow knitters (and you know who you are since I asked about a billion questions), I got through the rough stitches and finished! Now I only have to make one more, or a twin, to have a pair. I have decided I don't really have the second sock syndrome that everyone talks about, but I'm definitely willing to learn how to knit a pair on circular needles for next time, LOL! Especially since both my girls are screaming they want a pair of socks now, and they mean NOW! :)