Friday, November 28, 2008

Black Friday

Okay, so I am a huge chicken! I didn't venture out to fight the crowds hoping to get "the deal" on anything this year. In all honesty, I have only braved a Black Friday sale once in my entire life and that was because my son, J, HAD to have a nintendo Gameboy SP for Christmas and they were on sale for $50 at a time when they were generally $99 or more new. I had been expecting the pushing, shoving, rudeness that I see on TV every year. However, most of the shoppers I encountered were really wonderful. When I couldn't get to a doll my daughter wanted someone next to them asked what style I needed, grabbed it and threw it to me. That year I saw more acts of kindness than rudeness and it renewed my belief that deep down the human race isn't as selfish as the 6 o'clock news tries to protray us.
All that being said, I still didn't venture out. I value my sleep to much! Especially last night since baby A decided that dark meant cry time. She recently started on baby foods, oatmeal first. Typically I mix it with breast milk but some days I don't pump and don't want to take the time to raid the freezer and thaw some out so I take the lazy road. I grab that sample can of powdered formula and mix up about 2 ounces to mix with the oatmeal. Hubby and I think that this may be what kept her up crying last night. We don't think her little belly likes the formula, so for the next several days we will use "boob juice" only with the oatmeal and try to feed it to her for lunch instead of dinner so if it is the oatmeal and not the formula she will let us know before it is everyones bed time and not keep us up all night. It sure is hard being a baby and not being able to say "hey!! My belly hurts don't give me that stupid formula again!!"
And even if she had slept, I wouldn't have ventured out this morning. Money is especially tight this Christmas, as I am sure it is for many families. I am trying to make most of the gifts I am giving this year. H has begun to get interested in baby dolls again since baby A has come along so I have searched the web for preemie size baby clothes patterns and am making several for her to use with her 15 in doll. For J, the little man, I found a pattern for a crochet Pikachu and have assembled him. He is just waiting for me to embroider his little face and get wrapped. K, the 13 year old, is the hardest this year. She is at the age that it is difficult to make things for her. I hope to make her a scarf with the WVU emblem on it as she has decided that she is a football fan this year. I am a new knitter so I am not to sure how that will end up. Hubby and I have agreed to not exchange gifts with each other, unless it comes from the dollar store.
So today, I am packing up the fall decorations and pulling out the Christmas ones. I am working on making a few decorations also, I will post them as they are finished, along with instructions for the ones that are mine or links to ones that aren't. Better get back to it before baby A wakes up and all decorating is put on hold while I tend to her. If you ventured out to the sales, I hope you were blessed with a good experience and were able to find what you wanted! Until next time, may God bless you and your family.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Viewing Veteran's Day

Hope everyone took a few moments yesterday to thank a veteran for their service to our country. I spent the first 12 years of my life as a military "brat". Dad retired from the Navy after serving of fast attack nuclear submarines. Military life ended up costing him his family as he and my mother were unable to reconcile him being out to sea 6 months or more a year and being married. Many men and women have made personal sacrifices so that we can enjoy the benefits and freedoms that this country offers us. If you didn't thank a military person or vet yesterday, take a moment to do so today!

In honor of our countries military I have created this plastic canvas corner bookmark.









You will need:
small amount of red, white, and blue yarns
standard piece of plastic canvas
yarn needle


Follow the graph that can be found by clicking here The black dots indicate french knots to be done in white. Place wrong sides together and whip stitch along left and top sides leaving remaining sides open to slide over the page. Using the corresponding color, whip stitch around the exposed ends that were not stitched together to give it a finished look. See picture above.

Creative Commons License
Flag Bookmark by Ginny Blankenship is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Day After

Did you vote yesterday? I did. J needed to go to the polls with an adult as a homework assignment or he had to write a report on the election results. What child wouldn't chose the easy way out?! I guess that is one way to get people out to the polls. I don't mind voting for local elections, but the presidential election is a waste of time for me.
Before you get all upset and start in on how it is my duty to vote give me a minute to explain. I agree, it is my duty to vote, and I do in every presidential election since I was 18. But my political science class ruined the process for me. I used to envision that my vote was counted with everyone elses and that it actually determined who the next president would be. Then I learned the truth!
My vote counts only in that it assists in determining which party in my state will be allowed to cast a vote in December for president. That is our electoral college at work. In my state, the electoral representatives are not required to even vote according to the popular vote results. So basically, I vote, if enough people vote the way I do then that party wins the right to vote in the electoral college elections where they may or may not vote for the same candidate I voted for. (You can read more about the process by clicking here) It was kind of a let down for me. It is also the reason my dear hubby doesn't vote. He feels like his vote doesn't actually count so he just doesn't do it.
Enough of the history lesson, I voted and did my duty. I won't say who I voted for, but I will say that it will be interesting to see how the next 4 years turn out.
Below is the pattern I promised last week. Enjoy!

Shells and Vines baby hat

see the Shells and Vines sweater pattern for a picture of this hat
fits 0-3 months

You will need:
Red Heart Baby Sport pompadour yarn, approximately 1-2 ounces
size G crochet hook

Gauge: 6 rows of hdc = 2 inches 7 hdc = 2 inches
Notes: beginning ch 2 counts as first hdc
FPDC is a Front Post Double Crochet
BPDC is a Back Post Double Crochet
sc is a single crochet
dc is a double crochet
hdc is a half double crochet
shell is 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc all in the same stitch

Pattern:
chain 3 and join to form a ring.
R1 - ch 2, 6 hdc in the ring, join to the top of ch 2. (7 hdc)

R2 - ch 1, sc in same stitch. * FPDC around the post of the next stitch on the previous row. sc in same hdc. Repeat from the * around, ending with a FPDC. Join to the first sc. (7 FPDC, 7 sc)

R3 - ch 2, hdc in the next stitch. * FPDC around the FPDC of the previous row, hdc in the next two stitches. Repreat from * around. End with a FPDC and join to the first ch 2. (7 FPDC, 14 hdc)

R4 - ch 2, hdc in the next stitch. * FPDC around the FPDC of the previous row. hdc in the next 3 stitches. Repeat from * around ending with a FPDC. Join to the top of the ch 2. (7 FPDC, 21 hdc)

 R5 - ch 2, dc in the same stitch, skip 1, * FPDC around the FPDC on previous row. Skip 1, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in the next stitch (mini-shell made). Repeat from * 5 more times. FPDC, skip 1, (2 dc, ch 1) in next stitch. Join to top of beginning ch 2. Turn. (7 mini-shells, 7 FPDC)

R6 - ch 2, dc in same stitch, * skip 2, BPDC around the FPDC of the previous row, skip 2, shell in center of the shell on the previous row. Repeat from the * five times more. BPDC, skip 2, (2 dc, ch 1) in the next stitch. Join to the beginning ch 2.  Turn

R7 - ch 2, dc in same stitch. * skip 2, FPDC around post of BPDC on previous row. Skip 2, shell in center of the shell on the previous row. Repeat from the * five times more. Skip 2, FPDC, skip 2, (2 dc, ch 1) in next stitch. Join to the beginning ch 2. Turn

R8 - repeat row 6
R9 - repeat row 7
R10 - repeat row 6
R11 - repeat row 7
R12 - repeat row 6.
R13 - repeat row 7. Do not turn at end of row. Fasten off.

*** it is only necessary to turn if you are making this to match the sweater.  If you do NOT turn, work a FPDC for each BPDC on all even rounds

Creative Commons License
Shells and Vines Hat by Ginny Blankenship is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.