HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLAN!!

My BIG boy is turning 2 years old today!! Ahh! Almost unbelievable. I can't believe it was 2 years ago today that I lay there in the hospital with my brand new baby boy! It really is a miracle of life. No one ever really knows what it's like until you have a child of your own. It's a crazy amount of work but I enjoy every second of it!! I can't wait until Saturday, because that's when we are having his party! I will have to update about that too! Cross your fingers the weather is nice for me. We are having his party at the park close by. We'll have the pavilion so we'll stay dry even if it rains, but I would still prefer it to be a nice day.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!!! Mommy loves you!!! :D

Happy Easter!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter Sunday! I can't wait to see how my boys react when they see their baskets. Rylan got to go on an egg hunt today with his cousins. He had lots of fun with a little help finding them from his older cousin. His favorite part was opening the plastic eggs and eating the candy inside. :)

We went shopping today for gifts for Rylans birthday next week. He'll be 2 years old on Thursday! Ahh! Where did the time go??!!? His party is next saturday so he will have to wait to get his gifts until then!

Ok, well I will be posting again soon! Until then, have a good one! :)

Hello again...

Sooo, I know it's been quite a while since my last post. I just got so busy at one point and kind of shoved my blog to the side. Recently I decided I should start back up.. I do have a few projects I have been working on. I'll slowly start posting things about them, as long as updates on old projects. There are some old ones I still have not even finished. Like I said, I got busy. Well, it's dinner time so I gotta go. I will be posting again soon though! :)

Two Hearts Bookmark Pattern

Two Hearts Bookmark

This is an original pattern written by Adrena Donnelly. © Copyright January 2010

What you need:

*Very small amount of White and Pink 2ply yarn.

*Size G crochet hook

*Yarn Needle

What you need to know:

*How to make a chain (Ch), and how to single crochet (SC).

*Counted Cross Stitch

Directions:

Foundation Row - Using your white yarn, make a chain of 12.

Row 1 - SC in the 2nd Ch from the hook, and in each Ch across. (11 stitches) Ch 1 and turn.

Rows 2-24 - SC in each SC across, Ch 1 and turn.

Row 25 - SC in each SC across, do not Ch 1. Finish off and sew in your yarn tails.

Cross Stitch:

Following the graph, cross stitch 2 hearts onto the front side of your bookmark.

Tassel:

Cut 2 pieces of pink yarn about 5 inches long. Fold one piece in half twice. Cut a small piece of white yarn and tie it around the top of the folded sides of the pink yarn. Cut the yarn at the bottom, forming 4 strings to your tassel. With the second piece of pink yarn, loop it through the top of your tassel and pull one end through the top left corner of the bookmark. Tie both ends together. Your bookmark is now finished! :)

***Terms of use: You may do whatever you wish with the finished product made from this pattern. If you do plan to sell the item, I ask that you give credit to where you got the pattern from. You can NOT claim the pattern as your own. You may NOTsell the pattern itself.

"Two Hearts" Crochet Bookmark

Here is another Valentines inspired project I came up with. This is a cute little bookmark I have named the Two Hearts Bookmark. It is made out of a very soft 2ply baby yarn. (Not sure of the brand it was scrap left over from another project.) I think it's really cute! I made this in just about an hour. It's perfect for your favorite romance novels, or any of your books for that matter! :)

(I will be posting the pattern for this later today!)

Soft "Baby" Blocks Pattern

Soft "Baby" Blocks

This is an original pattern written by Adrena Donnelly © Copyright January 2010.

What you need:

*Less than one skein of each: (Any soft 4ply yarn will work for this.)

-Color A (I used Caron Simply Soft® Eco in Blueberry Mist 0023)

-Color B (I used Caron Simply Soft® in Off White 9702)

-Color C (I used Caron Simply Soft® in Chocolate 9750)

*Polyester Fiberfill

*Size H crochet hook

*Yarn Needle

What you need to know:

*How to make a chain (Ch), and how to single crochet (SC).

*How to sew and/or join two pieces of crocheted work together.

*Counted cross stitch.

Directions: (Makes 4 Blocks)

Squares (Make 12 in Color A, and 6 each in Colors B & C.)

Foundation Row - Make a Ch of 13.

Row 1 - SC into the 2nd Ch from the hook and in each remaining Ch to the end of the row. (12 stitches (sts) ) Ch 1 and turn.

Rows 2-11 - SC in each SC across. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 12 - SC in each SC across, do not Ch 1. Finish off.

Once you have completed all 24 squares, sew in all of your yarn tails.

Cross Stitch

Cross stitch using the graphs I have provided to add the lettering to your blocks. Each block should have all letters to spell out "B A B Y", and one square of the block should have a heart. (The letters should be on the sides of the block. The heart can be on the top or the bottom.) Make sure to use a color opposite that of the color you used for making the squares for your lettering, so that it is easier to see it. (Example: If you are cross stitching over a blue square, use the brown for the lettering.)

Letter B (Make 2 per block)

Letter A

Letter Y

Heart

Joining

To form the box shape you will need to sew each square together, making sure you are putting the right sides together. (Make sure the letters are facing in the right direction.) Each "Baby" block needs 6 of the squares you made. Here is a diagram of how I joined my squares: (Once joined like this, you can then start sewing it together to look like a box. Remember to leave one side of the box open.)

Once you have all the squares together leaving one side open, turn the block right side out and stuff it with the polyester fiberfill. Do not over stuff. You can continue to shape your block as you are stuffing it. Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, sew the last side closed. Sew in any yarn tails.

Your blocks are now finished! :)

***Terms of use: You may do whatever you wish with the finished product made from this pattern. If you do plan to sell the item, I ask that you give credit to where you got the pattern from. You can NOT claim the pattern as your own. You may NOT sell the pattern itself.

Crocheted Long Stem Roses (Valentine's Day Project)

In light of the upcoming holiday, I have crocheted some Valentine's long stem roses. This is my own original pattern. I have never done anything like this before but I think they came out great! Crochet flowers are something I am very interested in and look forward to designing many more of them like this. I would very much like to share my pattern with you. I just have to get it all typed up. I'm not very good at writing up patterns, which is why I don't have any posted as of yet. I will start posting patterns soon though, and if anyone has any tips on how to write patterns that would be great!

The lighting in this picture isn't the greatest, but I thought you might be able to see more detail in it.

Crochet Soft "Baby" Blocks

I made baby blocks! :) This is an original pattern made by me for cute little crochet baby blocks. They are great for small babies because they are soft and there are no small parts a baby can put in his/her mouth and choke on. I thought of these for my baby boy and he loves it! I will definitely be working on posting the pattern for these blocks very soon! I used Caron simply soft yarn for the ones I made, and they are so soft. Just what a baby likes! I cross stitched the letters "B A B Y" on the blocks and also a little heart for a touch of decor. Come back to look for the pattern.. I hope to have it up within a few days.

Isn't she adorable?!?!

Here is the beautiful little girl I made the purple "Baby Ballerina" dress set for. She looks so pretty in it!! I was told it fits her really good...and I was worried it wasn't going to. Babies grow too fast! Anyway, I'm glad it fits, and she looks absolutely adorable in it. It feels great to see a real baby wearing something I created. I can't wait to see more of my creations being used! I love it!! :)

Here is a link to the original post about this dress : http://crochetcrazymama.blogspot.com/2009/12/purple-baby-ballerina.html

The diet is working!! :)

Well so far this diet is going great!! We are on a low calorie diet and are making sure that we exercise everyday. It's working! It has only been 7 days and I have already lost 3.7lbs. Justin my fiance has lost exactly 4lbs. We are happy and just knowing it's working is encouraging enough to keep it up. Well, just thought I'd let you know how it was going. I'll keep you updated! :)

I finished the Rainbow Starghan!! :)

I finally finished the Rainbow Starghan I have been working on for my brother. I really like it! I hope he likes it as much as I do. I did kind of want to make it a little bigger but I was running out of yarn. I made this using Red Heart Super Saver 4-ply yarn in colors, Cherry Red 0319, Pumpkin 0254, Bright Yellow 0324, Paddy Green 0368, Blue 0886, and Amethyst 0356. I used a size I/9-5.50mm crochet hook. This was a super fun blanket and I really like the design. I will most likely make more of these in the future! (The only reason it took me so long to finish this blanket is because I was working on other things as well. The holidays also slowed me down a bit. Hopefully I will be posting more blogs about crochet now that the holidays are over.)

The 2nd Video of Elijah saying Da Da!

Here is the video I took today. Sorry it's a little dark because I was leaning over him and blocking the light. Hopefully you can hear him saying "da da" again though. He likes to whisper it. I think he thinks it's funny. (Oh and notice my crocheted candy cane in the video.. he loves to play with it. Oh well I can make more :). )

Elijah said "Da Da"

Elijah James has said his first word! I was recording him and he said "Da Da"...and he's only 6 months old!! Ahh! I believe Rylan was 10 months when he said his first word which was "Hey!" lol. "Da Da" was the second thing Rylan learned. I just can't believe it though, and I just happened to be recording him. After he said it I tried getting him to say "Ma Ma" lol but he didn't. He loves to squeal too! The video is from last night I hope I can add it to this post.

I just now recorded Eli again trying to get him to say "Da Da". He likes to whisper it, and then thinks it's funny if I repeat him. I can only post one video to this post so I will try to post the one from today in another post.

I also taught Rylan to say Juice today, and now he's calling everything Juice. Ugh! lol. Oh well, hopefully I can get him to match the words to the actual thing soon. His favorite thing to say is "more". He also calls everyone "Ma Ma". When he first learned to say "Da Da" , that's what he called everyone. He's so funny and cute! I love when they are learning to talk.

Christmas 2009 & New Years 2010

So how did every ones holidays go? I actually enjoyed the holidays this year a lot! ..and I have to say I tend to have a negative attitude around the holidays just because of things that have happened in the past. Well I tried to keep a positive look this year all though there were definitely things that could have brought me down this year, such as the loss of my grandmother and the financial troubles that go along with our failing economy. I just tried to remember what Christmas was truly about and celebrated for that. Everyday I thank Jesus for what he's done for us.

For Christmas I made a delicious ham dinner and had family over. It was great! I enjoy having people over sometimes. It gets really lonely when my only company is a 1 1/2 yr old and a 6 month old baby. Anyway, dinner went great! The ham was delicious! It was really fun watching the boys open their gifts, especially Rylan. Once he realized there was something good underneath the wrapping paper he started tearing into one after the other hardly giving me time to get pictures. Eli was excited for the first few things but he got bored fast. It's just his age. Rylan was the same way last year. I hear it gets better as they get older, but it gets more expensive too lol.

On New Years Eve my mother took the boys for us over night so Justin and I could go out. We had a nice time, we had a few drinks (...literally like 3-4) and watched the fireworks together. I hadn't really been able to enjoy the holiday in 2 years because I was pregnant 2 years in a row lol. So this year it was really nice just to be able to enjoy some time alone on the holiday. (Thanks mom if your reading this! :D ) On New Years Day we spent some time with Justin's parents and Rylan finally got to play in the snow with his new snowsuit. (I'll post some pictures at the end of this blog.) They made a lasagna dinner that I hear was pretty good. (I don't eat lasagna anymore..long story that involves 4 kids with the stomach flu. Yuck! lol) Anyway like many people I'm sure, Justin and I have made a New Years resolution to lose weight. We are starting a diet with exercise starting Monday, January 4th. So wish us luck! I got to lose all this extra weight gained from being pregnant 2 years in a row.

Well I'm signing off for now. I got some errands to run today. Once again, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season this year! God Bless!

Here are the pictures of Rylan playing in the snow. (This is his first time because he was too young last year.)

Happy New Year!!

Have a safe and happy new year everyone!! :)

I was right about Eli :( ...

We found out today that Elijah is 24% behind for his age. We had people come over today to check him out because we were concerned. He averaged out at 4.8 months and he turned 6 months on the 21st. They said his motor skills are behind a lot, but everything else is pretty good. They said he should be making more sounds (baby talk) than he is, but it's not a big concern. They said he should be sitting unsupported by now, but he's not. His balance is off and he is very tense. He's not really extending his arms and legs but instead keeps himself tense and pulls everything close and tight. It could be a security thing though. They also think he may have reflux. Which would explain some of his lag in motor skills. The reflux can be causing him to be uncomfortable in certain positions. So that's something we have to talk to his pediatrician about. We also have to talk about getting him fit for a helmet :( . They think that if he doesn't get one soon his head will never be as round as it should be. He has Plagioceplaly (Flat Head Syndrome). It's very common but it's best to fix it while he's still small or it could fuse and stay that way. I don't really want my beautiful little boy to be stuck wearing a helmet all day but I guess it's better to deal with it now. We will be getting PT for him once a week to help him with his motor skills, and hopefully the doctor can help with everything else. Well I'll keep you updated.

Elijah James hit a new milestone...

Elijah seems to be lagging behind in some of his motor skills, and he also doesn't have any teeth yet. (Although he is teething very bad..) He just recently began holding his own bottle (Rylan was holding his own bottle when he was 4 months old), he's still not sitting unsupported, he actually still falls over even when sitting supported sometimes. He's not crawling yet, but he does get up on all fours and rock so he's getting close. Well yesterday he rolled over from back to belly for the first time, before that he was only going from belly to back. He has been doing that for months. Yesterday I had him on the floor for some belly time and he rolled over onto his back.. and then my fiance Justin noticed he was back on his stomach. He asked if I turned him back over, and I said no that he must have rolled back over himself. :) Yay!! I can't believe he's 6 months old already! Half a year has flown by so fast!!

Yet another baby dress...

I finished another dress. This is similar to the red and white dress I made. This time I tried to make it into a pattern I could remember. I made this one in the modern pink and brown design. Man these dresses really make me want a daughter of my own. Just wish I could convince my fiance to have another baby in a year or so. (Crossing my fingers..:) ) It only took me 2 days to finish this dress so I'm getting better at this. I used the Caron Simply soft yarn again for this dress. I think so far this is my favorite yarn just because it's so soft and a great value for the price. Here is what the back looks like. I think it's adorable!! :D

Crochet Candy Cane

Here is a crochet candy cane I made. I got this pattern from The Art of Crochet with Teresa. It was really fast and easy to make. I think it's so cute.. I added a little ornament hook to it so I could hang it on my Christmas tree. I think I am going to make a few more. I know Christmas has already come and gone but at least I will have them for next year! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!