Crocheting for Christmas and getting caught up. Crochet Snowman Pattern

Christmas Crochet

 Hi Y'all! Wow! How are we so close to the end of this year?!?!

This whole year has flown by. I stay pretty busy throughout the year, so I always feel so rushed towards the end. There is always something I never got around to, or kept putting off for later, thinking that I'd have more time.

You'd think I would realize by now, that isn't going to happen. My 2022 goal is to not overload myself. I want to set realistic goals, work on my time management, and seriously get more organized!

Every year I have this list of projects, whether homeschool, craft, reading, or blogging. I know that they need to be prepared and completed WAY before they are actually useful. (e.g. Christmas things should be finished by Halloween and published)

I know this and I try, but seriously get behind every time. 

This particular crochet post has been in the making for quite some time! The two main reasons I am just posting it late December are, 1. My computer is an old piece of fruitcake! And 2. I am no photographer.

Top of my list is a new desktop. I know, laptops. That just isn't for me. The photos, well I'm learning about light boxes and angles. I'm improving.

On to the crochet...

There are patterns that I absolutely follow to a T. Then there are patterns I play around with and tweak to my liking. Lastly, sometimes, I can just come across a picture of crochet and figure it out blindly, no pattern. I just go with shapes and piecing it together.

The pattern I used for this snowman came from Amigurumiforum.com They have a ton of patterns. I believe, both free and paid.

Honestly, I did pretty much follow this pattern, with the exception I wanted to see it a bit larger, so I went up to an I hook. Although, next time, for the nose and arms, I recommend no bigger than a G

(mine was done accidentally. Just forgot to go down a hook size)

Crochet Snowman Pattern

One of my favorite things about anything that I crochet is being able to choose colors, and customize them the way I want them. This one was super fun. I let my daughters decide the colors for the hats, and scarfs(I altered the "snood"). These are so soft and snuggable.

My new obsession with yarn is the super soft "baby" yarn.

Here are the yarns I used for my snowmen.

Premier Parfait Chunky

in white(body), chocolate(arms), and, tangerine(nose)

This yarn is AMAZING!

Red Heart with Love Metallic

in red and purple

I definitely will be making more of these! I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Not only that, but I'd love to see pictures if anyone tries this pattern.

Be sure to go see Nataly Dastous and give her credit for the pattern.

She has some great patterns posted.

Happy Crocheting and Happy Holidays!

Homeschool/Preschool Week #8 More Halloween and ABCs

Super excited!

We hit our

Two Month Mark

Today!

That's right! We have completed a full 8 weeks of our little preschool! I couldn't be more proud of Little E...or myself. We have really worked hard to get here and it is paying off!

If you'll remember back over in Week #1 of Preschool , we were both pretty lost and trying to find our way, anyway to make this work! Wow, we've came a long way baby!

I have found so many wonderful Momma's and resources out there, and I know I keep mentioning them but, I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without all the help!

A couple of my favorites for awesome resources are:

FastSEOGuru~ For alphabet printable worksheets

Planning Playtime~ TONS of worksheets, activities and games

This Week....

We are still working on the letter T.

Here is our:

Letter T tracing worksheet

I've had her do a few worksheets. Mostly, tracing and learning to write the actual letter. I also am having her try to think of words that begin with that letter and really emphasize the T sound. She did catch on that Tuck(Wonder Pets character) sounds like Trema(me). She got really excited that she knew that was right! 

I can't forget the Youtube Letter T song!

Halloween(cont.)...

I am still printing off the Halloween tracing worksheets. She is working her way through those on and off this week.

We also have the pattern and mix-match pages. All of these printables can be found online, mostly for free. Be sure to follow my Pinterest board all about: Preschool Activities and Resources!

I have found so many wonderful, fun, cheap and always educational ideas.

Here is one of the great ones I found over at Planning Playtime:

Little E hasn't done this one yet, but it is in her folder!

This week seems like we didn't get much done...or at least nothing new. We seem to be working over things a little longer. I want her to really "get" it(whatever that is) before we move ahead. I don't want her to feel rushed or have her trying to learn too much at once. And also, I'm trying to keep it fun and stick to the theme.

I hope y'all have had an awesome and productive week. Blessing for a great weekend!

Keep checking back to see what we've been up to! 

Are you ready for Halloween? or just over it and ready for Halloween to be over?

I'm sort of in the middle. I love the kids excitement but it's really just a Hallmark holiday around here.

Costumes, cookies, candy and done!

See ya next week!

My Homemade Slime...FAIL! (How NOT to do it!)

The Slime Nightmare

Let me just begin by saying, I am not a scientist! I am however pretty confident in my creative, DIY, Pinterest, Momma skills...until now!

It started out great. Little E wanted to make "slime"(thanks to the annoying commercial/ads posted at the beginning of, every. single. Youtube. video!)

I began by doing a quick...Pinterest search of...

How to make homemade slime

Y'all, there are seriously 100s of recipes! With borax, without. Shampoo, dish soap, cornstarch, contact lens solution, Epsom salt, shaving cream, Elmer's glue, glitter, food coloring, liquid laundry detergent...it goes on and on!

Just look <<HERE>>

The biggest factors for me were: 

A) What is the safest for my four year old, and

B) which recipe do I have all the ingredients for.

We started out with the simplest one I found.

Slime with Cornstarch

1c water(heated but not boiling)

3to 4 drops of food coloring

(mix those together)

2cups cornstarch

(slowly add to water mixture)

slowly begin to "work" mixture with hands until cornstarch dissolves and mixture becomes..."slime"

Sounds pretty easy, right???

This has got to be in the top 10 of grossest, weirdest things I have ever put my hands into.

Seriously...I'm a Momma. I have kneaded bread, made meatloaf, touched poop, vomit, dirt and a few un-identifiable substances!

This was worse!

I have NO idea, WHAT we made!

It was not slime!

It kind of had the texture of chewed gum you'd find in your kid's pocket after the wash but before it has been heated and dried. Add in a little grit from the dirt and lint that is now wrapped up and became a part of it.

One more close up pic....

Now...On to recipe #2!

Or as I like to think...almost slime. 

Slime with Epsom salt and Glue

4Tsp Epsom salt

4Tsp warm water

(combine)

in a separate bowl

8Tbs Elmer's glue

food coloring(2 drops)

combine and add to Epsom salt mixture

Again, work mixture together with hands until "slime" is made

Now, This one started out great! We thought we had finally gotten it! Real slime!

We has all the ingredients.

We had done everything just like it said.

And the "slime" was actually starting to form and feel like slime!!

Although there seemed to be a ton of extra "blue water" that the glue just wouldn't soak up. No matter how much we dipped and tried to work it into our slime.

I let Little E give it a try...

She LOVED it....for about two minutes!

And then, I don't know if it was the air or just that we didn't get all that water absorbed but it started to harden.Like first into a putty texture, then a dry playdough...then just a big, dry, gritty blob...

Like the cotton candy that sits out and gets air!

Hard. as. a. rock.!!!

I have no clue what we are doing wrong!

Making slime cannot be this hard!

Have you ever tried either of these recipes?

What works best?

I'd love to know of one we can easily make that really...works!

This Momma's Wish List...

What is a wish?

Well, according to Mr. Webster, 

WISH:

verb

feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen

(Well, that is pretty discouraging!!!!)

noun

a desire or hope for something to happen

I really try not to use that word too much. I like to think of myself as more of a realist.

I like things broke down into either a need or want. Those two categories are usually easier for me to manage and "realistically" place things into one of the two, nice and neatly.

Do I need it or do I want it?

Easy right?

So, where do you place the things you WISH for?

(mainly material things)

If I truly wish for it, I have more than likely wanted it for sooo long that I can't knock it. I just get it on my mind and need a moment to really embrace my desire. Let it sit there in my mind and be admired until the moment passes. Y'all get that, right?

But, what if that wish is a need?

If you truly feel that it would make you or your life better, easier, more fulfilled.

What if it really could help you? Whether it be physically, mentally, or spiritually. Then is it a need?

Oh, the questions of life...

How do we justify a wish?

WE DON'T!

Wishes don't have to be right or reasonable.

Today, I want to share my wish list with all of you.

These are the things I have pined over for some time. I've found, loved, researched, "wish shopped", begged the hubby for, and even PINNED and PINNED them on several boards(That's serious stuff).

This Momma's Wish List...

1. Goats and Chickens!

I want these little adorable,crazy, lovely, milk, meat and egg producing creatures even more than I wanted my beagle 16+ years ago! And not just any old goats and chickens. I've done my research and read and read and looked and looked. I need Nigerian Dwarf Goats and Rhode Island Reds.

These goats are the best milk makers, for all my cheese and soap I'm going to make. Plus, they are friggin' adorable and hilarious!

The chickens are both meat and egg chickens. Bonus! With us being in Ohio, they are considered "hardy birds" and can take the colder temperatures and they are more docile..since I have children.

2. Farmhouse in the country

Ok, I know this should be #1 since I need a place to keep the goats and chickens.

So...maybe the farmhouse is a need?!?!?

I have always dreamed and wished for a big old farmhouse up on a hill out in the middle of nowhere.

A house that has a history, memories, a story...and room for more.

The kind where you have to drive to the mailbox and can sit on your porch smelling sweet, sweet hay and say to the hubs, here comes (X) down the road...when they are still a good 1/2 mile from your drive.

I had this once(that's a touchy story, maybe another day/post). A good part of my childhood, I had this. I truly feel my soul NEEDS this again. Someday...I wish.

3. Classic Books

It is no secret that I love books. I love to read just about anything. I can buy used, have them given to me, check them out from the library but lately I've really been looking into old books.

Not the new remakes but the original edition books.

Some of my favorite authors are Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, The Bronte Sisters...

I would like to start a small collection of some of the classics. Not too many. Remember, I'm frugal and I can't justify cashing out our IRA to collecting old books, but maybe just a few.

4. Antique Coffee Grinders

I suppose all these "old things" go hand in hand with my old soul. I'm so drawn to anything antique, classic, old.

I love the old coffee grinders. I would love to have at least one that is still functional but I hope to decorate with them in my farmhouse kitchen. There are so many different styles and makes. I love them all. Aren't they beautiful???

5. Coffee Mugs

Yes, I know. I may have a problem. Hey, don't judge. Coffee lives matter!

I just love all these wacky mugs. I can add them into my decorating and choose a new mug to drink out of everyday. The hubs can design and build me a fabulous display shelf...or 2 or 3 to show them off!

Tell me those aren't awesome!

6.  Quirky T-Shirts

I honestly don't know where this wish came from. I openly have OCD and I went through a phase in high school where I only wore solid colored shirts, jeans, and ALL white Keds. I couldn't handle anything that even remotely didn't "match". 

I guess as I got older, and had girls in sports, every thing we own has a logo, sponsor, school name and # on it. We got trapped into buying those "support your kid" T shirts and there it went. All my trying to match and coordinate. Ain't no Momma got time for that!

That is the truth. Anyway, I've come to love these expressive T shirts.  Maybe it is my way of saying what I want to say on those frigid, game day mornings where my coffee hasn't kicked in enough to talk human. Who knows? But I love these.

Purchase T-Shirts here

7. Rustic Signs

I think my brain must be stuck on old, antique, farmhouse decorating and design these days.

I may need to pray and reflect after writing this post. I'm starting to feel like my wish list may be more of an obsession with what I want and not what I need.

Rustic signs are another way for me to "say" something. I love the worn look. Something that has been used and enjoyed.

(Too Cute)

I hope you've enjoyed my wacky wish list.

What do you wish for?

How do you define a wish?

I'd love to see what other Momma's have on their lists.

 Do you write them down? Do you search for it?

Easy Fall Craft~ Making Trees...Homeschool Week #2

Do you need a quick, easy and cheap Fall/Autumn craft to do with your toddler or preschool aged child?

This craft can be done with minimal supervision and not a huge mess.

You will need:

A printable tree trunk(Printable Tree Trunk)Free!

Construction paper(shredded or torn)

red, yellow, orange, brown...

and a glue stick!

That's It!!

This whole project cost seriously, like $2.00

Glue sticks are $1.00/2 pack

and the construction paper was $1.00 for like 200 sheets

How easy is this?? Right?

Here is a link: Autumn Tree Craft

By the way, I printed off like 4 of the trunk sheets and my little has been making these for days!

Each one turns out different...She made one with all red leaves.

At first, being the OCD that I am, I tried to arrange and show her how to place them at the tips of the branches and then work her way around or in toward the trunk.

Well, Yea, she wasn't having that! She just wanted to haphazardly glue them anywhere!

And, guess what?

It turned out GREAT! I loved it! She loved it, and was so proud of her little Fall Tree!

We went over each color and why they fall off the trees.

"The trees deed(Dead*), Mom?"

"Why"?

She really was fascinated with learning about why they go from green(and stay on) to changing colors and fall off.

I've honestly been sort of slacking this week with the homeschooling. 

I've been out of sorts and she has been restless and fussy.

We've read a ton of books about school and whatever else she finds, we've tried to work on the letter A. I found some cute Autumn themed worksheets about Apples, Acorns, etc. She wasn't really into those too much. But I have discovered she loves the "Letter finds". Basically, it is a word find sheet, only with letters mixed up and each sheet wants you to find a particular letter.

Those are great and they have capital and lowercase.

(I'll have to find a pic of her A sheet)

I'm sure I will have a ton more things about Fall/Autumn and the crisp season coming.

I've got a ton of material yet to do on this.

I hope you enjoy this fun littel craft as much as we have.

Also, check out these great finds:

Fall Patterns Worksheet

Fun Fall Activities For Kids

In case you missed our intro to homeschool/preschool and week one,

Check us out here:

Preschool~ week #1

Happy Learning!

Toddlers in the kitchen?....It can and should be done! WIP Wednesday!

Toddlers in the kitchen.

Yes!

I really feel this is so important.

I'm a strong believer that toddlers are the most impressionable creatures and we need to use it to our advantage!

If we push them away or don't allow them to engage, they will quickly lose interest. They will learn that the kitchen is a "bad" place or that they aren't wanted there.( or anywhere, but today, it's the kitchen)

I know from experience, this can cause them to yell repeatedly from another room until you leave the kitchen to find them and what they want!

(Mom, mom...Come here! Come to me!... Just, come here mom!!!)

I know, I'm guilty myself. We get tired, in a hurry, try to just get one meal finished without interruption, chaos and multi-tasking! And that is totally okay!!

I'm not saying they have to be attached to your hip for every single meal prep or underfoot  for every detail of the meal.

Find a time, meal and area that works for everyone. Prep work is a GREAT place to start with the littles!

If we really think about all that we put into each meal we fix for our families, we can find tons of little ways to get our kids involved. 

Teach them from the beginning how we decide,find a recipe, grocery list, shop, prepare or store the food, gather ingredients, pots, pans, etc. 

Think about it!...All this before we even get cooking!

These are great ways to teach our kids soooo many lessons.

Planning

Organizing

Shopping

Budget

Learning Plants, Veggies, Meats, etc

Reading a Recipe(for older kids)

Using Utensils properly

 Kitchen Hygiene

Kitchen Safety

Okay, sorry, I've gotten a bit off topic. I wanted to share a few ways I have introduced my toddler to the kitchen and how I let her help out.

1. Making decisions: 

What veggies will we have tonight?

How many potatoes will we need for 5 people?

Kids love being included in the decision making. They feel like their opinions matter(as they should). They like to feel important, just like you!

2. Gather Items:

Do you have a garden? Let them be a part of it!

Can you bring me a big spoon, whisk, bowl...?

They want to be and feel helpful.

Can you find the green peppers?

Let them show off what they know! Identifying is huge for toddlers!

3. Wash and Rinse:

This is important for you, them and the produce they will be handling!

Show them the proper way to wash their hands and any food they are helping prepare.

Get them their own scrubby brush. They will feel this is "their job" and be more willing if it is something you have entrusted them to do.

4:Cut and Peel

Obviously with supervision and caution!

I'm NOT saying turn your three year old loose with a meat cleaver!

My daughter actually uses her play/tea set "silverware" to help cut soft foods.(mushrooms, as seen in pic, grapes, cheese, tomatoes, etc)

Also, this could be a great way to teach smell, texture, taste

Why is the potato "bumpy"?

Can you smell the onion?

What does the carrot taste like raw?

Peeling oranges by herself  is HUGE in this house! She knows she can do it...and she DOES!

5: Putting items in a bowl, blender, pan

This is the part where they start seeing what this is going to be or what they are making.

Explain why we put A with B or why we need to "dump" everything together.

With veggies, let them see the different colors going into the dish. 

Can you name all the veggies we've used?

What colors do you see in our food?

6. Shake, Sprinkle, and Roll

This is should be the easy and funnest part!

What kid doesn't want to shake things up? Sprinkle a little LOT of cheese in the mix!

How many spices did we use?

How much cheese does it need?

Does it go on top of the dish or mixed in?

7. Stirring

They love to be hopped up on the counter top and given a wooden spoon or whisk!

I don't know why every kid I have ever met thinks this is the best part EVER of cooking or baking!

Just go with it Momma!

Unless it is eggs...

Let them stir, stir, stir their little hearts out!

p.s. D #3 wasn't quite sure about the mushrooms at first

What are you WIPping up today?

What is your Work in Progress?

#toddlersinthekitchen

Here is a great list of kid friendly recipes I found on Pinterest:

My Life and Kids

WIP Wednesday... Granny Square Fiasco

Welcome to WIP Wednesday!

I can't believe it is Wednesday already! This week has flown by...or maybe it has been drug out and I'm just still in a daze.

So, I've been trying to expand my crochet knowledge and really learn this great art. As I have said before I cannot read a pattern. I seem to be more of a visual person, as in what the final product looks like. I can try to figure it out by how large the stitch is or by visually counting rows across.

I understand a few of the "symbols". Not nearly enough to finish any project exactly like it was written.

So as I have Googled, Pinterest, and a few patterns I have saved from skein labels, I decided to really try and figure this out. 

I read that the "Granny Square" is supposed to be like the most basic, simple, pattern to learn and follow as it is just repeating a few common stitches.

Lies, Lies, Lies, I tell you!!!

There is not one thing about these little geriatric blocks that is simple or easy!!

I have spent hours...hours trying to work a magic circle into a block of four corners, double crochets and chaining around to the next "block"!

And, it isn't just me! My bestie across the pond, Sarah has also been trying to master the wonderful UK version of this maddening "Granny Square".

We have text and sent pictures back and forth and neither of us blondes can figure this out.

I know your thinking...We are way too young to be bothered learning such a thing called a Granny Square. ;)

But I am determined to get it right.

Here are a few pics throughout my work in progress(WIP)...

Here we go with a good looking start(an actual square)...

With 4 actual corners...

Sooo, the second time around it turns into a circle?? Did I miss a stitch? Add too many?

Take it out and we're back to the first "square"

Woo Hoo! I made it around to a bigger square...

Annnnd, round three, we have a....wobbly circle!

I actually did and re did this about 10 times.

UGGGGHH!!

In the nicer version of my besties words...

"Screw the bloody Granny Square!"

Here is where I found the "easy" tutorial....Granny Square

I'm still considering this my WIP for now, although I think Granny is getting put back in the bag for awhile.

Has anyone had any success with these? Any tips, pointers, tricks??? What am I doing wrong?

I've done the 

ch 4, sl st(make a ring), ch 5, 3 DC(in ring), ch 2, 3DC, ch2, 2DC.....and on and on. around and around....

Help us newbies out!!!

WIP WEDNESDAY (Beginnings of my blog)

Edit and Updates:

** I have been trying to keep up and stay productive. I'm learning and growing as I go.

1) I have switched my Pinterest account over to a business account.

2) I have joined several AWESOME Facebook groups!

 Bloggers Finally Getting Noticed

 Pro Bloggers For Moms

 Blogging With Heart (These people have been a huge help and encouragement!!)

3) I am trying to figure out all the legalities and tech codes.

4) I am almost  ready to switch over to Wordpress (still have a few questions)

5) I have started using Pixabay for free stock photos!

6) I am getting better at editing and sizing my images

7) I am connecting with more bloggers in my niche and making online friends

8) I'm working on gaining real followers that return to my blog

9) I am working on my analytics and Adsense reports(understanding better)

10) I'm getting more scheduled and confident in my writing/posts.

How are you and your blog improving this month?

Hello bloggers, readers, mommies. I hope everyone is making it through the week smoother than myself!
I want to do a weekly WIP, work in progress. I will share what I am up to with you. I usually have about 100 things going on all at once, so there is ALWAYS a WIP going on around here!
 I'm sure most of you know life can get crazy and multitasking is the American norm.
Why does it always seem we have so many unfinished projects? Time, money, attention?
 As you can probably tell by now, I have started  am trying to start up a new blog. It has been a tedious work in progress.
 I always seem to get so excited and have all these ideas, themes, topics and I know what I want to say and do but all the graphic, technical, legal crap always gets me so overwhelmed.
I am sooo not tech savvy and it obviously shows. Please bear with me, I too am a WIP!
As you can see from my lovely Pinterest account, I have been doing my research.
Here are a few screenshots just to have an actual image on this post!
Please share your WIPs, any and all. What are you working on?
Happy Wednesday!