Littlest Warrior

While browsing a favorite blog this morning I was reading about a craft project this lady was participating in. I decided that it would be a really good idea to get in on the 'action'. I haven't read much about the program but I did check out their site. Every year they get donations of a certain crafty variety to give to kids of all ages who are battling cancer.
This year they are looking for beanies of all sizes and all types-knit, crochet, fabric. As well as homemade tote bags to use in the hospitals. What a fun way to help the younger people who are going through such a tough time. All the info is on their site if you'd like to participate.

I am going to try to make several hats and maybe a tote to donate, I have enough yarn to make hats for the entire country so half the work is already done ;). I figure if I can do one hat every evening by the end of the week, I'll have lots to donate...that is if my poor fingers cooperate.

Here are a few links to patterns if you'd like to participate...although ANY pattern can be made in any color.

very easy, very basic beginner knit pattern

20 minute sewed tote bag. Such a fun/easy pattern

sewed fleece hats for those who sew

There are so so so so many patterns online, the options are endless for these tough kids. I'll post an update when I get some of my stuff done.

OH YA this is Pinterest Thursday...I'll post later about that...I have some pinterest plans for today...

Pinterest Crafting #3

please note that my kayak (seen in blue) does NOT make a good sled...

This Thursday has snuck up on me big time!! I'm going to be honest, I haven't left the house except on Sunday (when I went to a meeting--in between snow falls) it's now Thursday. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to drive to work on a regular, no snow day. There is also one significant hill, and one smaller hill between me and work. I don't drive in the snow so everyone who lives just a few minutes from work have been covering my shifts...I hate being that person who is a 'driving through snow baby' but I am. So I've been cooped up all week along with the rest of my family --except my dad who knows how to drive in the snow and has a bigger vehicle. I've made snow ice cream multiple times, had snowball fights when the snow was packable (now it's lame-o powder), made a small snowman, blogged a lot, listened to spotify pretty much constantly, watching season 1 of Prison Break (Michael cough Linc cough).

I've also done a few Pinterest things that I'll post now.

 this is the beginning of a hat that I started last night. I don't think I really should be knitting/crocheting with my messed up hands (they keep 'freezing' in a curled position when any pressure is put on them) but it's SNOWING for crying out loud, snow is made for knitting and drinking hot cocoa don'tcha know.
I've made this hat before but I just pinned the pattern this week. See my knitting board here.

This is kind of a cheat post since I haven't completed this hat yet, but I also have made these cookies 2 times. I was trying to find something for Shelley to do this week so we baked. Our first batch did not work and went in the trash. I tried to tweak the recipe and added half a teaspoon of peppermint to the batter (in theory, good. in real life, bad). So today we remade them how they're supposed to be made. They are flour-less and pretty chocolaty. They are like a brownie but flatter and less calories. This recipe makes 24 cookies so I did 12 regular and the other 12 I added half a crushed up candy cane which turned out a little minty and much better than using the extract.

The recipe was found on King Arthur Flour site here's the recipe:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder- I did NOT use this FYI it's optional
• 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process (European-style) preferred*
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
• *For darker, richer-looking cookies, substitute 1/4 cup black cocoa for 1/4 cup of the Dutch-process cocoa

I have no idea what the heck dutch process cocoa powder is, all I know is it's way expensive so I just used the cheaper hershey stuff and it worked just fine.

Mix everything together in a bowl and bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes-- mine baked for about 12 min and were still a little soft which I like.

They are good, definitely a richer treat but moderation is good, or so I've been told ;).



Hope everyone is enjoying the snow, or whatever weather you happen to be experiencing, it doesn't snow here that often so when it does I love to hunker down and do my own thing, can you pick up what I'm throwing down? (Sorry wayyy too much Prison Break , I've been working on my street cred.)

October Crafting

This is my FAVORRRRITE time of year, hands down. I don't mind the rain and the wind it's worth it! The colors are intense and it give me an excuse to drink hot apple cider (or this really good herbal/organic tea that I had last night at work, it's peppermint with red clove and it's called world peace or something..it's delicious). It also gives me an excuse to craft a little bit since the weather isn't great anymore. This month has been super crazy but I have had some time to get my craft on. Please forgive me for saying that. It won't happen again...

This was a hat I made during my night shift hours. It took 2 nights and it was done. I love the gradation of colors in this noro yarn. There was enough yarn left over to make these:

The only trouble is, since the yarn is self striping, my 'gloves' are different colors...wooops. OH well I plan for them to be my car hand warmers for my cold early morning drives home. I don't necessarily like to have my fingers covered, even though they are the coldest part of me, it makes me feel confined so I made them easy. If you'd like to make a pair, just cast on 36 stitches (they are a little loose so you could do 32 as well, they stretch). Then work in knit 2 purl 2 ribbing throughout the whole piece until you reach your desired length. Then leave a long tail and stitch up the sides, leaving a hold where you want your thumb to go. Super easy, made both in less than 2 hours. The girl I babysit hinted heavily that she would like a pair for skiing so I have another pair almost done for her.

Again with the sideways pictures :( grrrr. oh well. I made this several weeks ago. I got a free baby pumpkin from Hovander and spray painted it with chalkboard paint. Then I used a chalk marker to countdown the days until halloween! I love Halloween!!

This isn't crafting at all but when I do have a few minutes, I've been enjoying some books. I don't really read during the summer (THAT much) so I'm reading when I can now. I've read the Host once or twice before and it's one of my favorites so slowly but surely I plan on reading this through the winter, library books take precedence since they need to be returned. The Power of Six is the sequel to I am Number Four (which was made into a movie). They are written for teens but I've been sucked in once again (Twilight, Hunger Games etc). I just finished this 2nd book last night, I think it's overdue...SORRY library. The last book is called, the Happiness Project. I just got it as a gift at my work's staff meeting Monday. Since I have an overdue book I've only read the first few pages but I reallllly like it so far. I'll have to finish it up and let people borrow it because even the first few pages made me open my eyes.

This last Monday for FHE the Pratt family and the Peck family met at the church again to update our Ward's Missionary board. We had 6 missionaries out at the beginning of the year, then 5 and we had clocks for all of them because they were all in different time zones. We also had each of their pictures and addresses with a string showing where they are serving. Now, there are only 2 missionaries out, Sister Pratt and Elder Peck. So we decided to update it again. We each printed several pictures from while they've been in the mission field and stuck the up there. We also got red push pins and started marking where ALL the missionaries from our ward have gone since 1980. It's pretty fun to see where members of our ward have served. We also bought blue pins to represent the members of our ward who have served missions but weren't always in F2 and started sticking those up there. It will always be a work in progress but it's fun to do.

Lastly, this is my project for today. We are making pillowcases for YW activity tonight. I'm not the best seamstress. I like to sew, I don't like patterns or instructions (it's that darn ADHD again) so we'll see how it goes. I've enlisted the help of several sewers in our ward to come help! It should be fun.
Now I just gotta see if I can make a sample between now and then.

Even though this month has been crazzzy busy I still find time to do some things that I want. I've been spending lots of time on the computer photo shopping which used to be a really fun thing for me, now it's feeling like a chore, but once I get the 12 photo shoots I have scheduled done and take a break, I will learn to enjoy it again.

Whaddddya Doing?

There seems to be a lot going on lately, which is good... I have lots of photoshoots set up and scheduled (which is the same thing?) so I'm excited for that. Here are a few random peeks into my life the last week or so. In no particular order:

Shelley thinks Ty's coming home September 20th..which was yesterday. He didn't, he hit his one year mark a few weeks ago but she doesn't understand the meaning of 2 years. So she made him a cardboard sign, homeless person style, and sat with it all afternoon waiting for Ty to come home. Sad but kind of funny too. I explained to her several times that he would be home in a year so she's saved her sign for then.

I've been knitting a lot again which I love. It's not really a summer activity but now that's it's cooled down and there's no more sun :( I started up again. These are just a few real simple baby cocoons from the pattern I made up a few years ago. They are super simple which is good because I can knit it and not have to concentrate on what I'm doing. They only take an hour or two to make if I put my mind to it. I'm trying to build my collection for baby photography and I might start selling them...? I dunno that ANYONE would ever buy one but maybe they would?! I guess since I offered my 'pattern' for free they can make their own :D.

 I couldn't put off packing any longer. So yesterday I got some of my toiletries ready for our trip to here:

we leave on SATURDAY!! We'll be flying all night and land early Sunday morning (well Florida time it won't be that early). Seriously cannnnnot wait. I'm most excited for Tower of terror and Splash mountain...and lets not kid ourselves, Pineapple Dole whip is the MAIN attraction for me :D. KIDDING. Kind of. If i can figure out a way to transport gallons of that stuff home, you better believe I will. It would make excellent food storage.

Monday night I went with my friend Nicole to a FHE with her ward. I'm not a social person and I'm just way too awkward to hang out with strangers but I managed to Lamaze breath my way through...not literally but internally I was heeee-heee-hoooing the whole time. I'm so dramatic. It wasn't that bad.

well just turn your head cuz I'm too lazy to change this picture. I've also been busy with Church stuff. I make it more difficult than it needs/should be. This was my handout for my lesson on Sunday, our lesson was on scripture study and our activity tonight relates too. I gotta get stuff for tonight ready too...shoot I need to stop blogging and get started on that.

I've also been working lots Mondays and Tuesdays are my crazy 2 shift days (3 if you count shelley which technically is my other job). But I don't mind it very much, it's actually nice to have an excuse to knit/read in the evenings since there's not much else to do.

Anywho, I doubt I'll blog before I leave or while I'm gone because duh, I'll be busy. But fear not (ha) I will be back with a vengeance and boat load of pictures when I return from my travels.

P.S. Watch this, it will make you strong.

Just do it.

Whooooo are yooou?

I made this last Friday for a birthday try to guess what it could be!! muhahaha

a sock? maybe an ice scraper cover?

hmmm...more clues to the puzzle but what could it be?

another hint, have you guessed it yet?

how about now? (this is just gonna have to stay sideways blogger is driving me nuts right now) 

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any final guesses?!

okay I'll just tell (show) you. it's an OWL!! hoooot hooooot i looove owls, no joke I even have one that sits outside my window staring at me for a LONG time, kind of creepy. I prefer the kind that can't swoop down and eat my cat so that's what this is.

I made this hat with extra yarn I had then I decided to just give a hat is pretty LAME-O so I found a really quick and easy owl pattern online (thanks raverly!) and knitted him up that night while I watched The Office, Community and Outsourced. I'm a sucker for those types of shows I guess. if only 30 Rock had been on it would have been complete haha. wow that makes it look like I watch a lot of TV but that's pretty much it for the week except for Survivor and AMazing Race. I'll just stop now haha.

It was a super easy pattern to follow and if you know how to knit, purl, K2TOG you could make this no problem. The original pattern just said to use felt for the nose and eyes but I wanted to have it be all knitted/crocheted so I made up my own nose pattern then I just did 2 easy crocheted circles for the eyes.

I have another one almost completed now and I plan on making a smaller one to go with it to match another set of hats I made a few weeks ago. That might be my new thing, making a small toy to go with the hats I make. I have big plans for this pattern I could turn it into a robot, a cat, a dog, a car...the possibilties are endless!

THE hat

remember that one time where i posted about the hat i started making...this post. well last monday my grandpa was admitted to the ICU so while we waited for his 9+ hr. surgery i finished this hat. it was nice to have something to distract my wandering mind. anyways here is the finished hat:

it's grey, it's slouchy, it's cable-y, it's amazing. i love it. it's just so comfy and i am NOT a hat person, at all. i made myself about 4 hats last year and have never worn any of them but i've already worn this one several times.

here's a terrible back view of the hat. it really doesn't show it very well. i've started one in a bright berry color. grey is great but kinda boring. so i'll see if i ever really finish the 2nd one. this one took like 4 days and was a little hard so i might just only have one.

this is a wanna be picture of the hat.

also remember this post?
i accidentally bought some, skinny jeans that is. i feel a little goofy in them and i still need to get comfortable in smaller clothes but i took the tags off today. officially wearing half the size of jeans i used to. and remember this post? add 8 pounds to that. i guess only loosing 8 pounds every month will have to do for now.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Please enjoy this photo blog with limited 1-2 sentence descriptions. I will call it, my life the last week or so.

some of the ingredients to make the best potato soup. recipe to follow?

2 ikea blankets for my photography. the white one is heavenly!

i started making this hat last night. it will be amazing.

buy one get one $.88 shirts at Penny's. Also new doors down the hallway.

big tub of girls camp stuff. it's coming up quick!

40% off fabric for this book.

the HUGE pile of clothes i got rid of. if it didn't fit, i got rid of it, heeeheeehoooo

one remodel pic, it's ALMOST done we are sooooo close i can taste it.

and just for the heck of it, the kitchen sink ;)

i like to knit, knit, knit...(& crochet)

quick weird sidenote: after i got home from babysitting 2 weekends ago my parents had gone to an antique shop and found me a kodak brownie camera!! about a month ago we were up in lynden and i found one but it was 25 bucks so i put it back this one they got for 12! i use it as a bookend on my new cube bookcase


ironically it's holding up my photography books, some of them anyways.


this is a granny square blanket i am making for my grandpa's b-day which is this month. (P.S. where did this month go?!!!) i'm not a huge fan of the colors i decided it looks really fallish. hopefully he'll like it. i still have 2 more rows to stitch on there.


for the last two weeks my mom, her friend and i went to a knitting class on friday. i chose to learn how to cable knit and my mom did fair isle knitting. here's my hat close up:

i actually made two hats for the class i started the little blue on on friday and finished it on sat. then started the purple one on tues and finished it thurs. i just cast on another blue hat to be kids size last night.

i bought the knit simple book after the last class on friday and i have about 12 projects in there i want to do.

they might include leg warmers

fingerless gloves

and an earflap fair isle hat

....there are some projects in the crochet book i want to do to but i figure i should get "real life" stuff done first.

i've babysat for the past two full weekends but this last saturday i had some time to take photo's for the wilson family here's a link to some of the pictures: Wilson Family Pics

i'm trying to come up with a pricing sheet for people but it's hard work maybe someday i'll get it done.

well i have to start on my day i guess. i don't really have much motivation i wish i could buy some.

Funky Chunky

Don't let the title...or cover photo fool you. this is an amazing book. it's crochet patterns of all sorts. some are pretty tacky but for the most part they have some pretty cool ideas. i just love to buy yarn so i should start using it up now.

if anyone still needs to get me a present here's a link, BOOK FOR $7! i'm just kidding, kind of. haha i think after the holidays after things settle down i'll buy
it and a few other pattern books. i just love it.
i'm all done with christmas shopping and wrapping (be jealous) but i'm still venturing to the mall
tomorrow morning for Old Navy's $1 socks! i've already bought them i'm just going to
take my receipt back and get the price adjustment. they also will have $3 basic sweatshirts. i'm all
about the pattern books and sales i guess. i will also be getting some buy one get one 1/2 off shoes (boots) at
famous footwear and FREE LIPGLOSS at bath and body works. wow what good savings.
i won't be at the mall past 10am so that's the only reason i'm going. no more mall for me after that.

also tip if you are going to shop at bellis fair mall, the car lines get REALLY bad depending on what
time you go shopping. park in the upper kohl's parking lot (where x-mas trees are sold),
it means you have to walk a little further but it saves you 45+ minutes waiting in that dang car line.
i learned that after working there 4 christmas' i would seriously sit in a row of cars one time for
almost an hour! you only have to wait for the light if you park up there.especially the next several
days if you go at a good time it shouldn't be too bad butit gets nasty the closer we get to christmas.
anyways good luck if you do venture out!!


p.s. if you have safari web browser don't use it to post blogs, it messes EVERYTHING UP!! i will
remember that and only use my regular explorer next time.

Baby Bear Hat

Saturday night while watching 17 again with michelle and shelley i started this baby hat for a lady i work with who is having a baby next month (run on sentence much?). i only got like 8 rows done though i wasn't really motivated. well sunday i knitted a little longer and got the hat and one ear done and today after work i finished it up.

it's a bear hat....or just a brown blob with green things on top....it should fit a newborn head just perfectly hopefully.

this weekend i also used sam and shelley as my test subjects for "facepainting" shelley is the guy from kiss and sam is just a weirdo. a little random.

also emily this is for you since i never gave you that picture of reagans first haircut! even though it was a little it still matters! also i hope you are feeling better emily!!!! let me know if you need anything.

this was like a mishmash post, lots of random pics i found on my camera. at least i got one project done and i updated woohoooooo. ok off to start a new project? maybe. or i'll just go to sleep. ya right. hopefully that one random cow will stop mooing tonight.

My Name is Amanda...

...and I am a craft-a-holic. (or my dad would probably say a crap-a-holic). I have issues. mostly involving paper, yarn, fabric, eyelets, etc...
allow me to explain:

paper tower...not even close to all the paper in this room. there is more under the desks but I chose not to photograph it.

one of the embellishment/stamp bookcases....ONE of them. this room used to be a 2nd kitchen but we ripped out some appliances to make room for all our junk...stuff. those brown cupboards to the right have more craft stuff and my darkroom equipment.

another embellishment/stamp/random things bookcase, there is another side to this but it mostly has books and movies.

this you can't really tell from the photo but it's stacked as high as a bookcase and that thing on the left is from Mervyns store when they closed. and those bins have most of the yarn/fabric. we only have 8 of those filled....

here is the stamp ink center as well as random tools and another accessory holder....we DON'T have a problem...

paint/ribbon/glue center. WAY more ribbon where that came from. i have to have some dignity left.

here's the visitor's table where people can work if they come over but I seem to have commandeered it since my table is currently like the rest of my life and a HUGE MESS. what can I say I "love" chaos.

here is the movie/ipod/more ribbon/foam stamp window sill. you have to be entertained while you work.

and last but not least, i promise i DO use some of this crap...i mean stuff.

My name is Amanda, and I need HELP.