WIP Wednesday: Fireman Teddy bear

So Christmans is coming up... about 17 days to be exact. And that means that my sons 2nd birthday is 18 days away. I knew that this Cristmas was going to be tight, but last Monday I realized just how tight its going to be. I lost my job. Yeah... you heard read me right... I got fired less then a month before Christmas and Nathaniel's birthday. Josh and I have no gifts for each other... not even a card. Nathaniel has a few things, mostly hand made stuff and a hand-me-down rocking horse. Now, I know that Nathaniel is 2 or will be in 18 days and that he probably won't remember Christmas or his birthday this year, but I will. I also know that its not about giving... its about being with those you love and celebrating the birth of Christ and Nathaniel on the 26th But its still had for me to not be able to give him everything he wants.

Ok, enough of my sob story... I wanted to share with you the Fireman Teddy bear that I am crocheting for Nathaniel. I searched and searched for any crochet pattern involving firemen/fire trucks/dalmations and found this patter for the most ADOREABLE teddy bear. Once I found it I fell totally in love with it Christmas was saved!!! , and then my heart sank.... I didn't have the yarn needed for it and I didn't have the money to buy what I needed. So what did I do? I got on FaceBook and complained like I always do. Soon my friend and one of my Pure Romance consultans, Jessica Randal, asked me what colors and how much I needed. Then she went through her stash of yarn and on Sunday she brought me the yarn. JESSICA SAVED CHRISTMAS!!!

Now, this bear isn't finished yet. I probably only have 1/3 of it done. But I'm SO looking forward to finishing it.

Awesome Give Away!!

The Garden Bell is having a YARN GIVE AWAY!!! Go take a look!!

Flashback Friday: Sean

Tomorrow is a sad day for me, my family, and my friends. It's hard to believe how fast time goes by. It's hard to believe that it had been 5 years since I last hugged Sean... 5 years since I last saw him smile. Seems like just yesterday that my mom was waking me up to give me that horrible news... we had lost Sean. One of my best friends... some one so close he was considered family.

Sean was such an amazing person. Friendly with everyone, funny, smart, caring, the best friend ANYONE could have. I remember one time in February of 2002 my little brother had been taken from my mom by his dad. We had some one come over to interview my mom and get a look at the house. I was a mess. But here came Sean acting like the big brother he WAS and comforted me. He sat in my room with me and we talked and talked until it was over. He was one of the only people I could remember coming to visit me in the hospital when I had my back surgery. He was so scared that he was going to hurt me that he practically air hugged me.

Sean made such an impact in my life that I decided to name my son after him. I think that giving Nathaniel the middle name Sean has helped me heal. Sean lives on in our hearts and Nathaniel helps me to remember him.

Sean with my brothers, Jacob and Buddy.

RIP Sean, we love and miss you!

New Project

My sister Sarah found this pattern for a VERY cute purse. So I decided to make it too. Turns out it wasn't as big as I had hoped. I can't even fit my wallet in it. BUT thats ok, it will make a cute purse for a little girl!

As you can see I chose a different flower. The pattern can be found here.

Flashback Friday: Faux Triplets

I was at my dads house for Thanksgiving and saw this picture and decided I needed to borrow it so that I could use it for my blog. I don't really remember this, but I do know that this is one of the RARE pictures of the three of us together. It was our 9th grade graduation party. I miss my sisters.



WIP Wednesday: ME

So I'm kinda drifting away from my normal Wednesday posts about my crochet projects to talk about my BIGGEST work in progress... ME.

On November 12th I made a decision to try and change. I went to my doctor and asked to be put on anti-depressants. After talking with him for a good 20 minutes he agreed that this would be a good thing for me to try. He explained that I probably wont notice anything for 4 to 6 weeks, that I could have some severe mood swings as if my current situation is really any better for the first few weeks, and that I would need to remain on the meds for 6 months AFTER I start feeling better. After my appointment I went home and explained everything to Josh so that he wouldn't be suprised if I did have those side effects.

Now, its been 12 days since I started my meds and I don't know if I'm having the placebo effect or if my meds are actully working, but I feel almost human. So far I have managed to finish 2 hats, a scarf, and a blanket; I've straightened out my front closet no kidding... it was HORRIBLE, and I don't turn into a momster as much or as quickly. I have learned that I do need to take my pills at the same time every day or I'll get aggitated and angry.

I know that I will always be a work in progress and I'm ok with that. I just hope that this new step will make it easier for me to get where I need to be... HAPPY.

Flashback Friday: Taylor

Ok, so this weeks Flashback is about my nephew, Taylor. I decided to use him for my subject because today just happens to be the 3 year anniversary of his conception.

Strange that I know that, but I remember dates WELL.

Anywho, Taylor was born on September 2, 2008 almost 5 months before Nathaniel. He weighed 8 pounds. Taylor is my brother Buddy and sister-in-law Ashley's first child. I don't really remember much of the day he was born... mainly because I had been awake for 20+ hours.

Taylor and Nathaniel are like best friends. They play well with each other, Taylor teaches Nathaniel things like how to jump, Nathaniel teaches Taylor things like how to be super quiet so mommy and daddy get nervous, and they even have nick names for each other "Naniel" and "Tayor". Nathaniel is getting better with Taylor's name... he used to say "Tayo".

Here is a picture of Taylor and my mom and dad the day he was born...

Sorry mom, I know you want to kill me for putting a pic of you on here. Suck it up!! Love you!!

And there he is, so cute, tiny, and cuddly.

WIP Wednesday

This last Friday my 2nd cousin Kassie had her baby. Since then I have been inspired to pick up the blanket I started for the baby MONTHS ago. LOL I'm horrible. BTW, her baby was 12lbs yeah... TWELVE pounds. Here is the blanket which will now be a Christmas present.

So today while I was crocheting his blanket I realized that I should make something for his older sister too. How unfair would that have been for me to make something for only one of her 2 children. While thinking about what to make I remembered that I have this HOT pink and pink/purple verigated blanket that I've been playing with for almost a year. I sent Kassie a text, asked her what her daughters favorite color was, and got SO excited when she said pink and purple and that pink is the one she likes better. THE BLANKET FINALLY HAS A HOME!! That will make Josh happy. Here is hers.

On December 12th I will not only give them their gifts, but I will meet Kassie for the first time.

Flashback Friday: I'm Kari

Yup, that sweatshirt says "I'm Kari". When sarah and I were little we wanted to play T-ball. Mom and dad let signed up and we were put on the same team. That poor coach... he had not one but TWO sets of twins on his team that year. So, my mom being nice had these Sweatshirts made for us. Sarah's was pink and said, yup, you guessed it "I'm Sarah" We wore those sweatshirts under our uniform shirt so that the coach wouldn't get confused.



WIP Wednesday

This week has been a VERY slow work week for me due to the car accident I was in last week. I have been working on a Christmas present for my sons god-sister. Sure hope her mommy doesn't read my blog or the suprise will be ruined!!! LOL!

A few weeks ago I entered a contest for a pattern giveaway over at Banana Moon Studio's blog.... and I won! I got to choose two patterns from her Etsy Shop. Just so happens that my sister Sarah entered too, so I chose the Sweet Little Rounded Mittens for me and gave the Sweet Little Mittens pattern to Sarah (she liked that one the best).

Anywho, I made a pair of the mittens using Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn in Soft Mauve and  Made the buttons with Sweet Pink. Here are the gloves:

Aren't they cute?! They are thumbless, soft, sparkly, and perfect for Lily!

 After making the mittens I thought it would be SO cute to make a matching scarf and hat. So, using the same stitch for the cuff on the mittens I am making the scarf. My plan is to use the button pattern from the gloves and make it a functioning button on the scarf so that Janelle and Darrin won't have to worry about the scarf slipping off. 

Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I will finish the scarf and then I can start planning the hat. Be sure to check back to see the finished scarf and hat!!

Flash Back Friday: Grandma Cozad

I don't really remember much about my Grandma Cozad. She passed away just over 13 years ago. So I guess that would have made me 13 at the time. Like I might have mentioned before, I don't remember much from before age 17. I do remember Molasses Crinkles, Tomato Soup with rice, and pink mints in her old-fashioned candy jar.... I also remember the day she died. She died on September 8, 1997 in the morning while I was at school. I remember coming home and my dad and step mom weren't there. So us kids just went about our business and when they got home my dad told us she was gone. He had a hard time just saying "I'm so sorry, kids, but Gramma passed away today.". So, he said, "come listen to this song." and he played Patty Loveless' How Can I Help You Say Good-bye. He didn't have to say anything... the song said it all. I love my Grandma and miss her like CRAZY!

These pictures are from my dad and step-moms wedding. We don't have very many pictures of Grandma Cozad. I have a story about these pictures that I'll be sharing soon. ENJOY!!

Wordless Wednesday

Flash Back Friday

In the spirit of Halloween I thought I would post a picture from Halloween 2001 (I think). I don't remember this halloween (or any from before 2002 for that matter) but some how I have this picture. This is me and April. I believe we called our selves "The Death Chicks". Anywho... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!



This might not be Halloween now that I'm looking at it again. lol Oh well, ENJOY!

GIVE AWAY!!!

My friend's Tia and Christopher are having a jewelry give away on their blog. One of the pieces they are giving away is this beautiful Monarch Butterfly neckalce from The Charm Lady. Go check out Their blog to get your hands in this awesome give away too!!

Flashback Friday

This friday I took time out of my crocheting to go through my BIG box of pictures to find something that I have a GOOD story for.

Say hello to my brother, Buddy. No, this isn't present day Buddy. This is 10 years ago Buddy. This was Buddy at his prom in 2000... June 3, 2000 to be exact. He looks so happy and handsome.

Now, saw hello to me (10 years ago me of course). Same day, but I'm not so happy looking. Why? Because this was my 16th birthday and he stole my day. LOL

Now, before you say hello to Buddy and his prom date (I forget her name), let me tell you why I Chose these pictures. 10 years after my not-so-sweet 16 I can still laugh. She was a foregin exchange student from a DIFFERENT high school... ANNNNNDDDD she is WAY taller then him. How sweet is that? LOL

Anyways, its actually really sad. These are the only pictures I have of my 16th birthday. I didn't even get to enjoy my dinner that night because we ended up at the same restauraunt as him and his date and he got mad. Some might say I'm still angry and need to let it go. But I'm really not mad. How can I be? He's given me a joke to last forever... he couldn't find a girl from our school, town, state, or country to take to prom... so he asked a girl who was a foregin exhange student.

I love my brother!!

WIP Wednesday

I have this friend who has a 9 year old daughter. When her daughter was just 3 months old she was diagnosed with Cystic Fybrosis. In Tessica's 9 years of life she has struggled to be "normal", to stay healthy, and to be free. This week, tomorrow actually, there is going to be a benefit in Longview, Wa to help raise money for Tessica and her family. Unfortunately I will be unable to make it... BUT on Saturday I have a table at a bazaar at my church. I started making book marks this week to help raise some money for my friends. I figured this would be a great WIP for this week. What do you think??

Flash Back Friday

Got to thinking about a conversation I had last night with a friend from WAY back.... like 10 or so years back. She was asking me about my life now and why I left Kelso. So, what do I tell someone I haven't seen in over 10 years? I didn't really know, so I told her the truth.

Flash back to March 2000, I was 15 years old and didn't really think I had a whole lot going for me any more. Sure, I had a boyfriend (who was a loser, BUT all the same... I had one), I had my family (the only one who REALLY seemed to care was my mom and my 1 year old brother who liked everyone so what does that tell ya), and I had.... well that was really all I had.. no friends... nothing. You might be wondering what cause the lack of (to put it simply) EVERYTHING. Well, February 10th that year I happened to skip school with a guy who WAS NOT my boyfriend and everyone was pissed. My dad was mad cause I skipped and because of who I skipped with, my boyfriend was mad because I skipped with another guy, some people were pissed because I skipped with someone that they WANTED, and some people were just mad because they wanted to be on everyone elses good side.

Any ways, back to March. My mom was noticing that I was really depressed, just not me at all. I tried to hide it, but my mom who sees everything (and I thank GOD everyday that she does) knew what was going on. I had spent a month or more trying to kill my self. I tried so many things, but it either didn't work or someone came in the room before I was able to succeed. My mom realized what was going on and moved me out of my dads. My dad let me go, but not with out making me sign a paper stating that I would move back at the end of the school year. I signed, but knew that there wasn't anything that would make me go back there.

My friend didn't seem at all suprised when I told her this. Maybe she knew already, maybe I wasn't as good at hiding my pain as I thought I had been. But oh well... that was 10 and a half years ago. I'm a differen't person now.... I'm a better person now. I'm a 26 yer old mother to an amazing son who lights up my entire world, I have the most amazing man in my life, I am happy, I have most of my family back, I graduated highschool (2 years late, but I did it and thats all that matters), and I have a job that I love. Life couldn't be much better. And I have my mom to thank for that... she SAVED me.

Flash Back Friday

My first Flashback is of me and Sarah,my sister, my twin, my OTHER other half. LOL!! I don't really remember having this picture done, but I do know that we were 4 years old and we LOVED those dresses and our 80's bangs. Gotta admit, my mom rocked at doing our bangs like that... so long as we sit still.

Any how, not much to this one because I don't remember it. But I can tell you that this picture reminds me of the way things used to be with me and Sarah. Sure, we are still sisters and she is also my friend, but nothing beats the bond and friendship we had as little girls. This picture makes me miss her too... well, more then I normaly do. :)

I love you, Sarah!!

WIP Wednesday

So, totally stealing this from my sister who wrote a blog a few weeks ago about her crochet projects that she has not finished. My Work in Progress this week isn't about my crochet/knit projects... its about Nathaniel.

Josh and I have been working on getting Nathaniel to sleep in his "Big Boy Bed" for 5 days. So far it's been a hard thing to do. He doesn't want to stay in his bed. The first night he got out of bed once and all I did was take him back in his room, lay him down, and said good night... I didn't see him again until morning. The second and third night I put his baby gate up in his door way and just ignored him when he got out of bed and sat at the gate. Both of those nights he fell asleep on the floor and I had to pick him up and put him in his bed. NOT an easy thing to do when your child weighs 31 pounds. The last 2 nights hes fallen asleep with the door closed, but not totally in his bed.

I have been saying that I could make a whole photo album with just pictures of him sleeping. Here a a few pictures of him learning to sleep in his "Big Boy Bed".

Monday night... found him sleeping behind the door.

I picked him up, put him back in bed, and when I went in to check on him before I went to bed I found him like this.

Tuesday night he fell asleep in his bed with his leg hanging off the bed.

So I fixed it and came in to check on him when I was going to bed and found him sleeping like this. He can't be comfortable like this... can he?

So, that's it for my WIP Wednesday, hopefully next week I'll have more to report... or maybe things won't change and I'll have to talk about my crochet/knit projects that are cluttering up my apartment. LOL!!

I've been sitting here for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out what to write on this blog. I can't decide if I want to stick to just my crochet / knit stuff or if I want to mix it with some details of my life. This post is more about my life I think... or maybe more about the life of my 21 month old son, Nathaniel.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to see the world as your child sees it? I do... every morning when Nathaniel wakes up and hollers for his mommy or daddy I wonder how he feels when he sees us come through the door, I wonder what he is thinking that makes his face light up the way it does.

Nathaniel has been like a sponge the last few weeks.... soaking up every bit of knowledge he can get his tiny little hands on. He is starting to say things like, "Love you, Popa (or mommy, daddy, etc)", He knows when to say please and thank you, when you say sorry, and just a few days ago he started sleeping in his "big boy bed" and so far its been a rough ride... He's been sleeping on the floor, coming out of his room ALOT, and when he gets into bed I find him laying there with both legs hanging off the bed. lol We keep trying tho... he will get it eventually.

Anywho, I think that's all from me for tonight. Hope you enjoyed this post.

First Blog...

Not too sure what to post on here. Never blogged before. I guess I'll have to post about my crocheting and knitting projects since I named my blog about it. LOL Still, I have no clue what to blog about... be prepared to be bored to tears.