Let it snow!

When you live in Arizona and have winter days with highs in the 60s and 70s, you don't have to worry about snow. Well, that's not true of the entire state. Flagstaff averages 70-80 inches of snow each year. After living in Flagstaff for two years, I've had enough snow to make up for the last three years without it. Still, it is really pretty -when it first falls and if you don't have to be out in it. So, I've found a way to have the best of both worlds (thanks to Family Fun magazine). I get the pretty snowflakes and my warm winter temperatures.

The snowflake directions are on familyfun.go.com. I tried using wax paper, but the wax paper stuck to the snowflakes leaving them less clingy. My daughter got frustrated that her snowflake kept falling off, so we tried again using a Corelle dinner plate. The snowflakes peeled off easily and retained their clinginess. The downside of using a plate is that you have to free-hand the design instead of tracing the downloadable template. It's a fun project and since no two snowflakes are alike, it lets you be creative.

An Elf Trap

My mom came across this idea by Kayla Lamoreaux and I thought I'd share it. It's an elf trap. Apparently elves are quite curious about the gifts under the tree. So mischievous little elves with extra time on their hands are busy peeking into the presents under our Christmas trees. With an elf trap, the elves get stuck inside of the box and the only way to get out is for them to leave candy.

To make your very own elf trap you'll need a box that can be opened and closed, some candy, and the cute poem about the elves by Kayla Lamoreaux found on her blog. Then find yourself a gullible young child or two and you're ready mess with some innocent young minds.


A note from my daughter who wants to help too:

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Turkey Traditions

I have to admit that while I call this a "tradition," we really don't do it every year. In fact I think it's been three years since we last did it. It came from my husband's family, but has been slightly altered since then. We had to change it even more this year when we couldn't find candy corn (tail feathers) or red tic tacs (the waddle).

As you can probably guess, my kids had a great time making their turkeys. Even my 2 1/2 year old caught on and had a blast making her own turkeys. With the frosting being treated as a controlled substance for adult use only, we didn't have much of a mess to clean up afterwards. All we had to worry about were two kids on a sugar high right before bedtime.

For our turkeys, we used:

• rolos
• whoppers
• mike and ikes (we couldn't find candy corn)
• oreos
• chocolate frosting (in a ziploc with the corner cut)

It's pretty easy to make just using the picture as a guide. After separating an oreo and removing the white middle, cut (or nibble) one side to form a flat edge for it to stand up on. Glue (with frosting) the feathers (candy corn or mike and ikes) on to the oreo fanning out from the flat edge. Tail completed. Glue the body (rolo) to the other oreo piece before attaching the tail. Finish with the whopper head and the waddle (red tic tac or a piece of a red mike and ike).

Bags!

We have a very generous neighborhood when it comes to Trick or Treating. My son's pumpkin almost overflowed last year. So we (I) decided he needed a new bag for Halloween this year. I made this decision when I opened the Halloween box and found a very squished plastic pumpkin sitting on top. We really need another box for Halloween stuff since cramming everything in doesn't seem to be working that well. So going with my son's costume choice (skeleton) I used the graph from the Jolly Roger pattern in the SNB book. As you can see, my daughter got a new bag as well. I misjudged the size and it came out almost as big as her, but it's cute and she loves it. Hers is from the Haekelbeutel Bag pattern.

I ran across this post and really wanted to make one, but didn't really need another bag. Luckily, my mother-in-law wanted a felted purse. The picture really doesn't do the bag justice, but I was in a hurry so it will have to do.

The free pattern for the Lacy-flap Felted Purse

Is Halloween here yet?

Yep, more Halloween decorations. Apparently, making one just opens the door by setting the dangerous precedent. Or maybe it's just that it gives a little five year old reason to hope (and to whine) for more Halloween items made mostly for him.

Presenting Pipsqueak the Bat.

My son named him. He was thrilled when he came home from school to find it finished. After telling me what a wonderful mom I was and how he loved and adored me (OK, maybe that's a stretch and he really just said "Thank you."), he asked me to make him more.

I'm thinking of making a few more. I think they'd be cute magnets and I'd like to have a group of them hanging together near a doorway. Good thing they're easy to make, although the wings were a pain to make. I redid them several times. I think I finally settled on the fifth version. Who knew that wings could be so difficult?

Is it time to decorate for Halloween yet?

I love decorating for holidays (It's the undecorating that I hate.) and I find it difficult to wait until the appropriate month. It's gets worse when the stores start selling Halloween decorations in August and Christmas decorations shortly after that. Hobby Lobby is near torture to go into since they have Christmas decorations out in July. Hubby claims they sell them year round.

My son is even worse than I am. Of course, he just loves Halloween in general. Spooky decorations, playing dress up, and getting candy. What wouldn't a five year old like about that? He's already decided to go as a skeleton this year. He's really hoping for a glow-in-the-dark skeleton.

So walking through the stores with my son is fun this time of year. He wants to look at all the Halloween decorations and bring home all the spooky ones. Luckily he hasn't gotten into the gory ones -probably because I try to steer him away from those ones. At Costco a week ago we saw this giant spider decoration. He had to have it. Unfortunately what a five year old deems a necessity is often very different from what his mom considers necessary. So we didn't get the spider or the really cool $80 inflatable graveyard that would look great in the yard that we don't have. He was disappointed until I suggested making our own spider similar to the one that we had seen in the Oriental Trading ad.

Aside from a few little tantrums (mostly my 2 year old that wasn't allowed to paint with us), it was really easy to make. First we gathered our materials.

2 large black trash bags
red paper (or you can paint white paper like we did)
scissors
clear packaging tape
something to stuff it with (empty plastic bags or newspaper)

Stuff one trash bag until it's full enough to hold its shape -a little squishy is fine. Next, tie the bag closed. I taped down the two bottom corners of the bag after stuffing to make it more rounded. Then tie some string around it about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the bag to form the head.

To make the legs, lay the second trash bag out flat and cut it length-wise into 8 pieces. Do not cut the bottom seam of the bag or you'll end up with short legs. The bottom seam will be the halfway point on the legs and a great place from which to suspend the legs when you're done. Tape the legs to the bottom of the spider with 4 on each side.

Cut circles from the red paper. I traced around a wide plastic cup for mine. Tape eyes to the spider's face.

I'm not sure how well the spider would hang since I just put him on a high shelf and then attached the midpoint of the legs to the wall nearby.

My son and I love how he turned out. My husband is just glad that we put it up in the kids' room for now. Next on my list of homemade Halloween decorations is furry spiders and little bats.
And possibly a glow-in-the-dark skeleton costume.

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a great 2007 and will have a wonderful 2008! I had mixed feelings looking back over the past year. A lot of good things have happened and a few things that I wasn't really thrilled about as well. My baby has gone from crawling to walking and talking. My little boy isn't so little anymore and is in 1/2 day preschool twice a week. He uses words like distract, disgusting, panic, and filthy that make him seem too big for having just turned 5. So while I'm thrilled to see how far they've come over the past year, I'm not ready for them to grow up so fast.

Other highlights over the past year... I picked up crocheting again and started making my own patterns. We moved. El Guapo started a new job. I went from working with the kids ages 3-11 at church to teaching a Sunday school class with my husband for 14 and 15 year olds. I found out my sister and sister-in-law were expecting (both due in February 2008). I visited Mexico for the first time on our Mexican Riviera cruise. I got to visit my 91 year old Grandma introduce her to my daughter who shares her name and take a 4 generation of girls picture with my mom there as well. We bid farewell to my brother-in-law who will be serving a church mission in Germany for the next 2 years. My son got ear tubes put in and his adenoids taken out. It's been eventful. We've done a lot, survived a lot, and learned a lot. I have mixed feelings on it's passing, but I'm looking forward to the New Year and all that it might bring.

To welcome in the New Year we had a party. It was over by 7:00 PM since since half the party (our kids) had to be in bed by 8:00 PM. We started with a yummy dinner of homemade sushi. It was our first attempt, so they weren't as pretty as you get in a restaurant. We had a great time and improved as we went. My 5 year old even made some with a little help from Dad.

After dinner we had a mini carnival. It's a tradition from my in-law's that we've adopted. It's great for young kids and doesn't involve staying up 'til midnight. We each were in charge of a game and handed out prizes. My son did a penny toss. You try to throw the penny as close as you can to the line without touching it. The closest wins. My daughter tampered with the results (she kept picking up the pennies) so we're not sure who won. Then we did a bean bag toss, a fishing game, and a shooting gallery (with a toy gun that shoots foam discs). Then we toasted in the New Year (I'm sure it was midnight somewhere) and did confetti poppers. The kids were thrilled and no one lost any more sleep than normal. I have "chronic insomnia with acute episodes." That's what the doctor said. By the way never take Ambien.

I have to admit that in the past I have skipped the New Year's resolution tradition. I figured why make a resolution that rarely makes it past the middle of January. But since there were a few things that I've been wanting to do anyway, I decided to make them into resolutions for 2008. I'm going to list them here, not because I expect you to care, but to help me remember and for a little accountability.

My first goal is one that I talked El Guapo (see previous entry for explanation of Hubby's new name) into doing as well. We plan on reading 25 books this year. We have a few already specified as part of the goal. We are both reading the Book of Mormon and El Guapo also wants to read Crucial Conversations as one of his 25. I have to admit after sitting in on my father-in-law's lecture based on the book, I am tempted add it to my book list as well. I'll be adding completed books to my list as I finish them.

Another goal El Guapo and I have in common is exercising. El Guapo has a specific goal of so many pounds by a specific date. I don't. I just want to be more active and maybe loose 5-10 pounds. I just like how I feel when I've exercised. I have more energy and a more positive outlook. So I'm not looking at a strict exercise schedule, but I plan on having a few dance parties with my kids. And I love that my son likes to do pilates with me. He thinks they're fun, which makes me laugh.

Next goal is to have a better morning routine. I admit that I'm kind of lazy. There are days when we don't get dressed until almost lunch time. Although some of my most productive days have been spent entirely in pajamas. I like to clean in my pajamas. So the goal is to get up, have breakfast with the kids, get all three of us dressed and properly groomed, and read stories. Then we can get on with whatever the day has in store for us. I may have to skip the stories on preschool days though. I hate waking the kids up, so we're often in a rush on those days.

I am also continuing the goal of making one toy a month for Kristie's Toy Drive. So that's a minimum of 12 toys by June 2008.

I am also joining in on El Guapo's goal of not moving this year. It may seem like an easy goal, but we've never had a year without a move. We're worse than the military. We've moved 9 times in 7 1/2 years. Alone I'm even worse. I haven't lived in one place for more than a year since I graduated from high school in 1996. So we're hoping to avoid the hassle of moving and save the cost of a move this year.

There may have been more goals that I was considering, but I can't remember them. Now you see why I'm listing them here. And I used to make fun of my mom for making lists all the time. Now I wish I was in the habit of doing it more often. Sorry this post went on so long. Thanks for humoring me and reading to the end. Have a wonderful New Year!

My Christmas

I had a great Christmas. The best part is that I got presents that will fuel my crafty obsessions. It actually started with my birthday a month earlier. My mom gave me a needle felting kit. It came with a felted purse, wool roving, felting needles, and beads. The idea is that you can use the felting needles (which have barbed tips like a fish hook) to attach the wool roving (wool that hasn't been spun) to the felted purse. It came with a design and easy step by step instructions. My mom also sent extra needles and roving in other colors. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to try it even though I'm really excited about it. However, it has also gotten me excited about the whole felting process.

So for Christmas my kids were ever so thoughtful and bought me Patons Classic Merino Wool in black. OK, I picked it out, but I did take my son to the store with me. So I have now started a black purse/diaper bag that will be my first adventure in felting. I have spent too many years carrying ugly diaper bags and now just buy big purses instead. I couldn't find a pattern I like and have started my own. I have started and restarted a few times. I'm trying to keep it fairly simple since I'm not sure how felting will alter the final results.

This year El Guapo (aka my cute hubby) actually surprised me. He tries really hard each year, but it's very hard to surprise me. This year he succeeded. He got me a jewelry box. The kind I've wanted for quite a while. The other gift was Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker book. Which just goes to show that he really does pay attention when I talk about crochet stuff. I've read parts and like it so far, but it's not a book for everyone. If you're offended by the term "butt load" this book is not for you. I haven't really looked at the stitch diagrams and instructions, so I'm not sure how this book would be for a beginner. Hopefully I'll be able to get to a couple projects from it soon. When I get a few other projects finished up first.

Small Christmas Presents

I meant to get these posted before Christmas, but life tends to get so busy around the holidays. So, here they are and a belated Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope it wasn't overly stressful and that you were able to enjoy some time with your friends and family.

These were filled with candy and given to my son's preschool teachers. I let him write on the tags. He wrote his name and drew a picture of a back bone. It was a really good drawing of a spinal column for a 5 year old. Maybe he'll grow up to be a doctor... We can always hope.

The pattern is one that I posted earlier in December.

My husband (who teased me about calling him "my cute hubby" and shall be referred to as "El Guapo" from now on) needed some small gifts for coworkers. We had originally decided on beaded bookmarks, but altered the plan slightly. Instead we made beaded crocheted book thongs. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but price wise it did make a difference. I made eight total, but I'd like to make another to go with one of my New Year's resolutions. When I get a chance I'll share my resolutions.

Here's a close up of one. I used the pattern from Crochet Me, although I altered the length.

Small Christmas Stocking Pattern

Small Christmas Stocking

Crochet Pattern

This pattern has been tested. If you find any errors, please let me know so that I can correct them.

Please do not post this pattern on other sites or attempt to sell it. Instead, please provide a link back to this page. Thank you!

Beginner level

Approximate size: 5 inches


Materials Needed:
Size G hook
Color A ww yarn (1 ounce)
Color B ww yarn (2 ounces)

Do not join rounds.
Pattern is done in a continuous spiral unless otherwise noted.

Stocking
With Color A
Round 1: ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd chain from hook. (6)
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each stitch around. (12)
Rnd 3: *sc in next stitch, inc. Repeat from * around. (18)
Rnd 4-5: sc in each stitch around. (18)
Sl st in next stitch. Fasten off and weave in end.

Join Color B with sl st in any stitch.
Rnd 6-10: sc in each stitch around. (18)
Do not fasten off.

Heel
Worked in rows, not rounds.
Row 1: attach with sl st in 6th st from end of round 10. 2 sc in next 2 stitches, sl st in next stitch. Ch 1, turn. (6)
Row 2: sl st in first stitch, sc in next 2 stitches, inc in next, sc in next 2 stitches, sl st into next stitch of round 10. Ch 1, turn. (8)
Row 3: sl st in first stitch, sc in next 3 stitches, inc in next, sc in next 3 stitches, sl st into next stitch of round 10. Ch 1, turn. (10)
Row 4: sl st in first stitch, sc in next 4 stitches, inc in next, sc in next 4 stitches, sl st into next stitch of round 10. Ch 1, turn. (12)
Row 5: skip first stitch, 1 dec over next 2 stitches, sc in next 7 stitches, 1 dec over last 2 stitches, sl st into next stitch of round 10. Ch 1, turn. (10)
Row 6: skip first stitch, 1 dec over next 2 stitches, sc in next 6 stitches, 1 dec over last 2 stitches, sl st into next stitch of round 10. Ch 1, turn. (9)
Fasten off and weave in tail.

Continue Stocking
Pick up Color B from round 10.
Rnd 11: sc in each stitch around. (This will include Row 6 of Heel and the remnants of Rnd 10). (18)
Rnd 12-19: sc in each stitch around. (18)
Sl st in next stitch. Fasten off and weave in end.

Join Color A with sl st in any stitch.
Rnd 20-21: sc in each stitch around. (18)
Fasten off and weave in tail.

Optional Loop
Attach Color A with sl st to round 21 at back of Stocking (above Heel). Ch 4, sl st into next stitch of round 21.
Fasten off and weave in tail.



Abbreviations
Sc = single crochet
Sl st = slip stitch
Ch = chain
Inc = increase (2 sc in one stitch)
Dec = decrease (insert hook in next stitch, yarn over, pull up loop, insert hook in second
stitch, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on hook)


© Emily Miller 2007

A Little Stocking

I wanted a little stocking to crochet for a simple gift. I tried one that I found online, but didn't like how it turned out. So I improvised one. I thought it turned out well. It's only 5 inches long. The perfect size to fill with chocolate and give away.

Hopefully I'll have the pattern up soon for anyone that's interested.

A Halloween Treat!

A long time ago I signed up for the Bright Ideas e-newsletter. The last one had a recipe for Mummies made from pretzels and chocolate. I have a weakness for chocolate and love the sweet/salty mix. I was able to convince my cute husband that this would be a great addition to our pumpkin carving party. He has a weakness for chocolate too.

Because I have small children, it's easiest to spread out the process. So Sunday I did the pretzel dipping, while Hubby tried to keep the kids away (a near impossible task). I used an improvised double boiler instead of microwaving like the directions said. I'm also substituting chocolate chips for the Dove bars. I used the entire bag of chocolate chips plus the remnants of a previous bag. It ended up making more than the recipe says.

Here they are about halfway through the process.

I didn't have vanilla frosting so I used the cream cheese frosting that I had on hand. When I make sugar cookies I double the batch of both cookie dough and frosting. Then I divide it up and freeze it. It makes the process a little easier for subsequent cookie making fun. So I happened to have my ziplock of frosting ready. Just snip the corner and squirt!

This is about half of what we made.

They were a big hit. My son told me they were scary. He was talking about the good, fun kind of scary (not the Haunted House kind of scary -long story). My daughter enjoyed hers as well, starting with the frosting. She was a chocolaty mess when she finished.

To keep us from eating all of them, we took a few plates to our neighbors. Share the sugar highs! I think these will be a yearly tradition. They were a lot of fun to make and taste great!

Halloween Costumes

Not only did I finish the 1 1/2 costumes on time, I was able to throw together a last minute costume for me as well. It's been years since I dressed up, and I realized that I was going to be the only one not in costume. So while my daughter was napping I crocheted little ears and a tail and I went as a lab rat. I got the lab coat from my dad a couple years ago (My dad is an immunologist and does skin cancer research on mice.)

The Phantom cape turned out really good, but not because of my sewing skills. The fabric was perfect for a cape. It was lightweight and flowy (not a real word, but you get the idea). I finished it while Hubby was at work so I tried it on myself. Capes are fun to walk around in with the cape billowing out behind you. I can see the appeal.

So here we are: Phantom of the Opera in the back, Batman, a lab rat, and our Butterfly Princess who refused to wear her wings. Taking pictures with kids is an adventure. What did we do before digital cameras?

Holiday Friends Pattern Available!

The patterns are finished for my Holiday Friends! The pattern is available at Em's Emporium!

Holiday Friends

I do realize that Christmas is still more than 2 months away, but I wanted to finish these so I could get to my various other projects.

The Hliday Friends crochet pattern will include the instructions for all four -the reindeer, Santa, the snowman, and elf. It will be for sale in Em's Emporium in about a week (my testers are trying out the pattern right now).

The poor reindeer almost didn't get ears. I wondered why it looked like something was missing on him. He looks much better now that he has ears.

You can't see it in the picture, but Santa has thumbs sticking out on his mittens. It looks really cute. Maybe I should take a better picture. I'm going to put candy in his bag. When it gets closer to Christmas and I can actually put him out where people will see him.

I love this little guy. He actually has 3 different hats because I couldn't decide what style he should have. I think this hat is my favorite though.

And lastly, here's the elf. He almost had a beard, but it made him look like Hagrid from Harry Potter. The elf has thumbs just like Santa.

Tom Turkey

My mom always called our Thanksgiving turkey by name: "Tom." So in honor of all the Toms that she stuffed and served over the years, here's one that you can stuff and save.

I had fun with him, except for the tail. I think I redid it at least 4 or 5 times before I was happy with it. He's only 4 inches tall. Yep, short and fat!

He's available to purchase at Em’s Emporium at etsy.com!

I'm hoping to have some of his Christmas relatives coming soon! While my daughter napped in the car, I wrote down some ideas for more little Holiday friends. What else is there to do when you're stuck in the Wal Mart parking lot waiting for a sick kid to wake up for that dreaded shopping trip that you can no longer avoid because you're down to only 2 diapers at home?

A Pumpkin Basket

It was suggested that the ghost needed a little something to go with it. So here's a splash of color to brighten up the party! And a great place for a little bit of Halloween candy!

The pumpkin is pretty easy and really quick to make. For those that hate sewing, the only sewing is to attach the leaves.

By the end of the week the patterns for the 2 liter ghost and the pumpkin basket are available to purchase at Em’s Emporium at etsy.com!

Spider

My son is under the impression that I should buy him something everytime I go to the store. Even when he's not there. When I drop him off at preschool he tells me to go to WalMart and buy him something. So when we went to JoAnns, he fell in love with a spider that he just had to have. Needless to say, I didn't buy it for him. I did tell him that I could make him one though. So after waiting for 2 weeks, I finally got around to making his spider for him.

I used Patons ChaCha in purple together with Red Heart Super Saver in black and a big hook (size N?). The body is just a flat ball shape. The head is a bowl shape (not a complete sphere), stuffed and sewn on.

The legs are sc-ed over pipe cleaners so that they are bendable and match the rest of the spider. I bent over the ends of the pipecleaners and tied the yarn to the bent end before starting. Then sc along the pipecleaner, stopping 1/2 inch before the end. Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing. I glued the pipecleaner on, and then used the tail to sew it in place. So the legs should survive two small children!

A 2 liter Ghost!

Growing up my family invited all the neighborhood kids over for a Halloween party and afterwards we would all go Trick-or-Treating together. Dinner was always included. It was sort of a pot luck type affair. Each child was asked to bring a can of pop and a can of soup. All of the soup was thrown into one big pot along with some ramen noodles. (You can't have Halloween soup without the brains, right?) All of the pop was added to a batch of home made root beer complete with dry ice bubbling away. As you can tell it was really memorable -we've been scarred for life along with half of the neighborhood. Just kidding, kids will eat just about anything if you make it sound special enough and then promise them candy afterwards.

So here is my salute to Halloween parties. This ghost slips right over a 2 liter bottle. You can pick your poison (as my mom would say), but root beer just seemed appropriate to me.

You wouldn't believe the trouble I had with the arms. It took forever to find a shape that I liked. It's surprisingly hard to keep ghost arms from looking like wings.

Boo! Two Little Ghosts Are Here!

I do realize that it's not quite Halloween, but at my house (and I imagine with many little boys) ghosts are a mainstay. I've been informed that ghosts with smiles are not scary though. Scary or not they do make cute little Halloween decorations or toys for a little boy obsessed with scary ghosts.

The crochet pattern for both ghosts (two sizes) is now available to purchase at Em’s Emporium at etsy.com!

To add to the scariness, my 4 year old son designed this monster -a variation of the ghosts.