Year of Projects: An (un)Update

Just a quick note for anyone stopping by from a Year of Projects.  I've got nuttin'.    Babygirls got strep and I'm down with a viral throat thing.  There has been absolutely no knitting/crocheting this week.  I hope to catch up on reading blogs later in the week.  Babygirl (and in turn mommy too) slept through the night for the first time in a week last night.  So hopefully she's on the mend.

4 Months Until Christmas!

Yup, I went there ;)

 I love Christmas. Normally around June/July I'll start picking up things for Christmas and making my list. I started that to help me with the knit/crochet gifts planning. As this year's theme is "Selfish Crafting" I don't have to worry too much about that. (Selfish knits defined: Due to limited crafting time I've decided only the kids are getting something handknit/crocheted this year. The rest of the year is knitting for Babygirl and I. And no, I'm not being mean excluding hubs, he's not much of a handknits kind of guy. He's set on blankets and hats, when he wants another he'll get it.)

 Anyway...this year is going to be a different kind of Christmas for us. Due to Christmas being in the middle of the week, hubby's work schedule and Babygirl being so young, we've decided we can't go home for Christmas. The decision was not easy, but it's best for our little family at this time. Although I know it's the right decision for us I'm still having a hard time with it. (Being a grown-up sucks sometimes!) This will be the first year I am not home for Christmas. We've had a good run, being away from home for 9 and a half years and only missing one Thanksgiving because of a bad snowstorm. We will be going home during December to celebrate with family, it'll just be a different day. At this point there is talk of some family coming to visit us for Christmas, but it's all very up in the air right now.

 I've decided that regardless of where Christmas is this year, I need some help with the organization part of it. It's no secret that since Babygirl's been born I feel very scatterbrained. Sometimes I find it hard to figure out where to start my big projects. I recently stumbled across  Organized Christmas and am hoping it helps me with Christmas/holiday planning this year. As an added bonus, if I follow the plan my house will get the "deep cleaning" it so desperately needs and we'll be ready for overnight guests! And using the card list, maybe I'll finally get to updating my address book. That way I can stop sending those "Hey, I've got somethign for you...need your address" texts/fb messages.

Sticky Art

Babygirl's playgroup came over for an art project  yesterday.  I'd like to say the lack of pictures is because we were having so much fun that I just forgot to take my camera out.  The reality is not so pretty:  Babygirl was up from 10pm - 3:30am the night before (love teething!), then got up at 7am and my brain was fried.  I took the camera out and left it in plain sight....but did I take any pictures...nope.  The pictures below are all after the fact.

Here's what I call Sticky Art (Step by step directions at the end of the post):

Basically you take clear contact paper and stick "stuff" to it, then back it with a piece of construction paper.

Here's the "stuff" we used: feathers, pom poms, yarn snippets, foam shapes and letters, stickers, ribbon flowers, and construction paper shapes.

Here are Babygirl's Sticky Art Collages:

Step by step directions:
1.  Cut a piece of contact paper a bit larger than your construction paper.
2.  Take the backing off the contact paper and tape the contact paper to your work surface. Sticky side up :)
3. Place your "stuff" on the contact paper, pushing down slightly so it sticks.
4. Once finished you will place the construction paper over the contact paper.  Apply a little pressure so the contact paper sticks to the construction paper.  Smooth out any air pockets that may form as you go.
5.  Since you cut the contact paper larger than the construction paper you will be left with a contact paper edge.  Fold this edge over the construction paper.  At the end you will have some "extra" contact paper in the corners.  You can fold it over and tape it to the back of your art or cut it off.

~Wordless Wednesday ~

Can someone please explain how this happens?  Where are all the mates?!?

WIP Wednesdays

Wip Wednesdays:

WIP Wednesdays with Tami's Amis:

I feel like such a slacker.  This is all I've worked on since Friday:

Really not sure what's going on with me and knitting/crocheting right now.  I'm just not feeling it :(    At this point I'm not sure what to do.  Do I step back and take a little break?  Start something new?  Force myself to work on what I've got on the hooks needles?  I don't like feeling this way.  Knitting and crocheting are my stressbusters.  They usually help me to relax.  Right now, not so much.  I'm hoping this passes quickly.

Year of Projects:Sunday Update #7

Because I don't have enough to work on.... My crochet guild met at my house last week and I realized I don't have any active crochet projects.  I was going to attempt to knit Babygirl a stuffed animal to take with us on vacation.  (Her lovey is a Winnie the Pooh made by a friend and I refuse to take it out of the house for fear of losing it!!!)  I made an owl body and am using the ears and ears from this.  The second ear is complete, just didn't make the picture.  I'll finish this up this week to give Babygirl some time to get used to it before we head out for vacation.

Socks that Rock plain vanillas are moving right along.  I'm turning the heel now.  I love this yarn, it's a bit thicker than the other yarn I've worked with.  These socks are going to keep me nice and warm this winter.

The Lacy Cardigan has been neglected once again this week.  I'm just not feeling it right now.  Which is not good as I plan to wear this to Rhinebeck in October.  I did add four hexipuffs to my collection though.  I'll try to update with a picture when I locate my camera.  We had a very long day yesterday and I have not unpacked our bag yet.

Healthy Eats: Canned Tomatoes

These:

Have been turned into these:

Canned tomatoes

One more batch and I should be good to get through next summer.  There's nothing better than opening a jar of garden tomatoes in the middle of the winter! Next up: salsa

I must say, canning is definitely more challenging with a toddler running around.  And this was a relatively simple can.  I waited until Babygirl went to bed to do this.  She woke up about an hour after I started.  Daddy's going to need to be home when I do the salsa.