Hey! It fits! YEAH!

I am  right with you!

With 4 kids two cats and a largish dog, I struggle just to walk through a room let alone carve out a space for . . . → Read More: How To’s Day: Creating a space to create!]]> So, how many of you wish you had a place to do your creative stuff? Ooh I see a lot of hands up out there!

I am  right with you!

With 4 kids two cats and a largish dog, I struggle just to walk through a room let alone carve out a space for myself to ‘create’.

The hubs has his own office space, and we shared it for a while; that was until my oldest moved his desk in there so he could do his high school work.  Now it is a bit of a ‘man cave’ and there is no space for me to spread out and work.

We have a 3 season room and I have generally had that space a bit.. it is mainly used as a play room for the little guys.  And we also have this unique space it’s a long storage room about 10(ish) feet wide by 5 feet high by bazillion feet long. (the full length of the house) the one furnace is in there and it’s not a bad space, but you can imagine it is quite like a REAL cave! Our thought was to turn that space into a play area for the boys and that would leave the porch room for me right?

So here’s my question. I wonder how do I claim that space for myself? Setting rules.. etc. and How do I do it without feeling guilty or even selfish! (Us moms are good at that eh?)

How do you do it?

We have started quite the tradition of watching Doctor WHO with the whole family and somehow we have to have Chinese food from our favourite local restaurant to do it!

Now unfortunately the last episode we watched tonight is the last one of this . . . → Read More: Little Things]]> What small ‘traditions’ do you share with your family?

We have started quite the tradition of watching Doctor WHO with the whole family and somehow we have to have Chinese food from our favourite local restaurant to do it!

Now unfortunately the last episode we watched tonight is the last one of this round till autumn so we will have to fill the void with as many of the OLD episodes we can find! That will be fun because many of them I have not seen. In fact, pretty much 99% of them.

But it sure is something we all enjoy, and enjoy doing together! You can’t beat that!

Before:

After:

I still have a couple plain Hosta’s to split and add in but it looks pretty good!

Waddya think? Hmm looks like I need to scrub the brick too!

I was working on reading with Julian my 8 year old and this was in the lesson.

It is interactive and you can click on the words so they are read to you. Guess which one he kept hitting twice.

I don’t know who came up with the combination of . . . → Read More: Things that make you go hmm. then laugh!]]>  

I was working on reading with Julian my 8 year old and this was in the lesson.

It is interactive and you can click on the words so they are read to you. Guess which one he kept hitting twice.

I don’t know who came up with the combination of sight words for this lesson, but hey, it gave my 8 year old unwilling reader a little motivation. And gave us all a little laugh!

The diet includes LOTS of eggs. Hey they are cheap an good for . . . → Read More: Frugal Fridays: Weekly Update]]> So, since becoming unemployed we are on what we fondly call the ‘unemployment diet’ the good news is we have lost weight.. at least those of us who need it, and the ones who don’t have actually gained weight (go Jules!)

The diet includes LOTS of eggs. Hey they are cheap an good for you! On Frugal Fridays I will let you know my two best meal deals of the week. And my best frugal find!  So here we go:

Frugal Find of the Week:

Cereal! Here we go I got 4 boxes of Kellogg’s and General Mills cereal for +$2.61 yep they paid me to get them!! Here’s how:

3 of the boxes were $2.50 one was $3.89 I had 2 free product coupons from Kellogg’s from the recent recall, and one $1.00 off and another $.75 off coupon which doubled to $1.50 . I also had a $2.00 off your order coupon as well! Top that off with the fact that Giant Eagle is also offering a bonus $.15 off per gallon (up to 30 gallons)  Fuelperks when you buy 4 boxes of the cereal in one trip. Here’s the math:

I love getting paid to shop!

Meal Deals!

Now for the best meal deals of my week:

The tastiest was Grandma’s Mushroom Chicken from the book Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn.

I spent $6.99 on the chicken $2.00 on the mushrooms, $.75 on the chicken broth and about a buck on other ingredients. Add $1 for the veggies on the side and about $.25 on my mashed potatoes and I get $12 total so for us $2 a piece and was it ever yummy!!

The best per serving deal was my mini pizzas. Got the English muffins free. Used about 1/3 of a jar of spaghetti sauce $1 a can of tomato paste $ .25 and some cheese probably $1.75 worth. That adds up to $3.00 so per person that is $.50 and everyone loved them!

What are your best frugal meals? Let me know and I will try them out!

And don’t forget to use those coupons!! I have a link to one of the  online coupon spots I visit the most over on my left sidebar! Check it out I have saved alot of money printing coupons from this site! In fact two of the coupons I used in my cereal deal came from there!

Also stop by my Frugal Finds page regularly I will be adding links to deals I find there on a regular basis!

(Let’s just say Caleb would not survive the Rijksmuseum!)

We ended the trip with a stop at the museum shop where they each got . . . → Read More: A trip to the Art Museum]]> I took Caleb and Julian to the Akron art museum yesterday for a field trip! We all survived.. so did all the artworks, despite a distinct lack of those velvet ropes..

(Let’s just say Caleb would not survive the Rijksmuseum!)

We ended the trip with a stop at the museum shop where they each got one of these guys:

Julian has been doing alot of this since then:

Not bad! Oh.. and for those of you in the know.. look at his hand and tell me what that is on there! 

This is the first time the whole family has gone and stayed there. The little ones had fun too. Caleb had so much fun he was crying when it came time to leave!

He helped me to my toy drop though.. it�s fun to have an accomplice!

I hope someone finds this little toy and enjoys it!

(I did end up moving it.. I was afraid with the rain showers that have been popping up across this area that it wouldn�t get found in a timely manner on this fence..)

Time to start deep cleaning the house after 9 months of neglect!

Caleb is in one group number, and Azia is in two. This ought to make . . . → Read More: Sorry.. been living at the Ice Rink..]]> Hi! coming up for air. We have been spending a whole lot of time at the ice rink the last two weeks! Azia and Caleb have the ice show coming up and so it has been off to practice.

Caleb is in one group number, and Azia is in two. This ought to make things interesting for Brian while I am away in Texas!

It gets me a little knitting time too. Though that hasn’t gotten me too far! I have started socks.. you know so I have some interesting travel knitting, and had to rip back 3 times! I’ll snag a pic of them soon.

You are my sunshine.. but not my only sunshine..

You make me happy, when skies are grey.. You’ll never know dear how much I love you…

Rats.. my little sunshine’s already went away!!!

My little nephews (with their parental units.. and grandma) came to visit this weekend! A-DOR-A-BLE!! And energetic.. the house . . . → Read More: Sunshine on Sunday… and a sweater report..]]>  

You are my sunshine.. but not my only sunshine..

You make me happy, when skies are grey.. You’ll never know dear how much I love you…

Rats.. my little sunshine’s already went away!!!

My little nephews (with their parental units.. and grandma) came to visit this weekend! A-DOR-A-BLE!! And energetic.. the house was overrun with BOYZ!!!!

And since you are dying to see my sweater progress…

I am down to the pockets! Good times.. but this sweater is not going to take up nearly enough yarn! I have 10 balls of yarn allotted.. and I am only on the 3rd one! YOWZA I am never going to get through this stash yarn at this rate! I keep having leftovers!

You never saw two boy’s eyes get so big..

Julian: ” Then you could knit it and we could eat the stuff!”

Caleb: ” Yeah we could eat our hats!”

Ahh his first day of kindergarten! It’s going to take a bit of time for him to pick up on the routine! I sure wish we had the math books!

Jaxom and Azia did well too! It wasn’t too bad all in all!

And I even got to knit this evening! started yet . . . → Read More: We all Survived the First Day!]]>

Ahh his first day of kindergarten! It’s going to take a bit of time for him to pick up on the routine! I sure wish we had the math books!

Jaxom and Azia did well too! It wasn’t too bad all in all!

And I even got to knit this evening! started yet another project! hehe Poor Shephard is never gonna get his sweater at this rate!

Our Internet has been down today, and no pleading or harassing of our Internet provider would get it back in operation! At least they said not until tomorrow morning. (aka Wednesday) But it seems it worked out and we are back online! (but if you emailed me today, please send it again because those did not seem to make it through the outage!)

While the Internet was out, we were a bit.. er.. without something to do. So we made some knitting looms with things around the house!

I’ll tell you about two styles that we made.

First up is the simple easy peasy loom.

Here is what you need:

2. Make sure the sticks are distributed evenly around the tube,with the sticks extending about 3/4 to 1 inch above the top of the tube.

3. Tape them in place with your tape.

4. KNIT!

�

The second style is a little more complex, but a great way to recycle those plastic juice, and drink mix containers!

Here is what you will need:

So here is what you do with all of that!

1. Measure your container at the point you expect to cut, you want a container with an even measurement, like 20 inches no fractions like 17 1/2!

2. CAREFULLY cut around your container. (usually there are lines on these you can use as a guide!)

3. Make a template on your paper for how you want to cut the pegs into the edge of your container. I used a half inch wide and a half inch deep, I think 3/4 inch deep might be better. line your template up with the top edge of the container, and trace the peg cut lines with your permanent marker.

4. CAREFULLY cut your pegs out, cut the sides first then the bottom line. You might want to cut a slit in the bottom to hold your yarn while you are working (see photo below)

5. KNIT!

By far the Kool Aid drink mix container was the best.

I think the paper tube ones would make a great make and take for a fiber show or craft show, or even for a scouting or church group. It’s so easy!

*** and if you don’t know what to do with the loom once you make it.. check out my loom knitting basics tutorial on my tutorial page!! And any of the loom knitting sites in my links will have some great resources as well!*****

I am hoping to submit a tutorial to Whip Up for a foldable portable knitting loom, so look for that there some time in September!! (crossing my fingers!)

Well Brian is cooking dinner tonight so I am off to finish another peice of the project for Shepherd.. really they are not naming him that.. it was a little joke.. that stuck! Hang on Jesse I am almost done!

I love a good informative blog festival. This one is no exception! It looks great! If you are a brand new mom, or a mom to be you can relish in some great information today! And it lasts all week so hey there will be something for us old seasoned moms too!

Here’s the schedule:

Monday – May 12, 2008

Guest Speaker: Carrie Lauth Topic: Breastfeeding FAQs

Guest Speaker: Dr. Diep Nguyen Topic: How to Prevent Still Birth

Guest Speaker: Barbara Winters Topic: The Joys of Adoption

Tuesday – May 13, 2008

Guest Speaker: Annette Yen Topic: Home Schooling Basics

Guest Speaker: Melitsa Avila Topic: Activities Moms Can Do with Their Little Ones

Guest Speaker: Aurelia Williams Topic: How to Speak to Your Child so They Listen

Wednesday – May 14, 2008

Guest Speaker: Kelly McCausey Topic: How Moms Can Use the Internet to Break Out of The �Mommy Box�

Guest Speaker: Tracy Roberts Topic: Do�s and Don�ts of Family Traveling

Guest Speaker: Val Selby Topic: Exercise and Weight Loss for Moms

Thursday – May 15, 2008

Guest Speaker: Cara Mirabella Topic: Best Housekeeping Secrets

Guest Speaker: Alyssa Avant Topic: The Advantages of an Organized Life

Friday – May 16, 2008

Guest Speaker: Marie Ynami Topic: Fun and Easy Father�s Day Gift Idea

Guest Speaker: Teresa Smolinski Topic: Encouraging Your Kids in Business

Guest Speaker: Vera Raposo Topic: Bringing Your Small Business to the Net

Looks pretty good don’t you think? Hey.. don’t forget to stop back here!!!

Ok.. he was still crying but I didn’t tell you that.. ok?

Brian came in and took a look. There was some discussion about what to do with the boy. Take him to the hospital? Urgent care? Nothing.. it was probably just a broken nose..! What..?

I called the urgent care place and they were open. So we decided to take him there.

They cleaned him up and took a look, and as soon as he was able to see in there Brian knew we should probably have headed to the local childrens’ ER. He had two lacerations which made a nice little flap of the nose lining up there.

So off they sent us to the ER, figuring we might end up getting the boy stitches INSIDE his nose..

The drive to the ER nearly deserves it’s own post.. it was like all the crazy drivers in the state had a convention on the highway right in front of us. I was 100% certain there was going to be a multiply car pile up right in front of us at least 20 times during that ride..

At the ER, Jaxom adopted the line Brian had come up with as we waited at the Urgent Care..

“I was trying to get my woodpecker merit badge… and it didn’t go so well”

(Did I mention he rode his bike into a tree?? More accurately his nose was the only thing that hit the tree.. the bike is fine)

The ER docs looked, and thought. Sent in the ‘were here to take a survey’ non threatening CPS in disguise ‘research assistants’, and poked and prod again.

They came up with a very interesting method for stopping the bleeding.. nose spray.. yep… those allergy nose sprays work by constricting the blood vessels in the nose so they thought they would give it a try.

It worked like a charm.. his nose�went from looking like Mohamed Ali ‘s after a big fight to Janet Jackson’s in less than 5 minutes flat.. insta-nose job!

And the bleeding mostly stopped.

A quick CAT scan revealed that he had a fracture in his nose and nothing else was broken and that indeed there is a brain in there.

After consulting with the ENT on call they decided that it was best to leave the lacerations to heal on their own, as long as the bleeding stayed in control.

So we got to go home, and drip nose spray in his nose every 3 hours overnight and check him hourly for bleeding.

Boy these ER people must think that parents won’t sleep after their kid gets hurt like this or something.

As I was saying, my afternoon on Sunday took a BIG turn. The kids and I were headed down to my friends house to go play on their new trampoline.

It was just beautiful out. Sunny and warm. One of the few days like that we will have this year. Jaxom and Azia took their bikes� and zoomed ahead of us while�Caleb and Julian and I walked behind. I had my knitting in my smaller bag so I could sit and chat and knit while the kids played. All was well.

Then Azia came back around the corner. She was saying that Jaxom needed me. I asked why.. figuring he had tipped his bike and fallen. She didn’t say, I asked again, she didn’t say.. I asked a third time and she said his nose was bleeding really bad. Well I couldn’t just run straight to him like I wanted at that point. I had my two little ones in tow and we were on the busier of the two streets. SO I got east coast mamma on them and litterally started dragging them both behind me as I rushed toward the side street to get to Jaxom.

When I turned the corner he was making his way toward me. Hands up to his face, and just absolutely covered in blood. In the next .001 second the following thoughts went through my head..

What do I do?

Should I call 911?

�No I can handle this.

What do I have to stop that bleeding?

Quick, inventory..

I have nothing!

Wow.. Douglas Adams was right, a towel would be a handy thing to have with you at all times!*

No wait, I have my kniting bag.

No I can’t use that!

I could whip� off my shirt and use it.

No I can’t do that! My knitting? ooh no I have a deadline!!

Oh his shirt.. yeah that will work.

I need help, I need to call Brian..

So I grabbed Jaxom, and told him we are going to pull up your shirt and use it to stop the bleeding.. we managed�to get the shirt off his arms and up so I could get it on his nose and get pressure on it. I got his helmet off too and out of the way.

He was shaking and crying and I was afraid he was going into shock.

I kicked the helmet to Julian and told him to grab it, I threw the knitting bag to Caleb and told him to carry it, and told Azia to drop her bike and herd the boys toward Wendy’s house which was the closest. I started heading Jaxom that way as well and grabbed my phone to call Brian.

No answer.

I called Wendy, let her know what was happening where we were and please bring ice.

We kept making our way down the street to her house and she ran out with ice and some washcloths.

We got to their house and got him cleaned up and settled. Tried to call Brian again, but still� no answer.. turns out his phone was basically dead..

So Wendy jumped in the car and went up to get him….

To be continued… there happens to be a bulldozer poised and ready to dig in my yard.. should I grab a a towel?

*Yes.. I did ACTUALLY think that…

The boys think it’s cool!

Bed time…

All Quiet…

THUMP…

Silence..

WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Here we go!!!!

I got a sticker…

Caleb got a sticker, AND four stitches in the back of his head..

And a popsicle..

and a happy meal..

the toy in the happy meal?

BOUNCING BOY!** hmmm those super . . . → Read More: Paging Dr. Gupta…*]]> New bunk bed..

The boys think it’s cool!

Bed time…

All Quiet…

THUMP…

Silence..

WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Here we go!!!!

I got a sticker…

Caleb got a sticker, AND four stitches in the back of his head..

And a popsicle..

and a happy meal..

the toy in the happy meal?

BOUNCING BOY!** hmmm those super powers would have come in handy last night…

He is fine today…

the stitches will come out on their own in about two weeks!

Pretty cool..

*Yes our doctor was Dr. Gupta.. not THE Dr. Gupta.. does ANYONE know about THE Dr. Gupta except me?? The big burly RN guy who did the stitches did… but everyone else looks at me funny when I mention it..!
** Bouncing Boy is apparently a member of the Legion of Super Heroes.. Who knew?

And just wait.. the day got even better!!! more later!

-Caleb tried to burn the house down make his own popcorn.

-The internet went out again.

-I had to open up Jaxom’s computer and do minor surgery to get it running.

-The dog ran off on me in the rain..

-The dog was really only hiding somewhere dry while . . . → Read More: Random events in the last 72 hours..]]> -Nellie Olson flew over my house.*

-Caleb tried to burn the house down make his own popcorn.

-The internet went out again.

-I had to open up Jaxom’s computer and do minor surgery to get it running.

-The dog ran off on me in the rain..

-The dog was really only hiding somewhere dry while she listened to me run around the neighborhood looking for her.

-I cleaned the house.

-The pastor came to visit.

-I had to do minor surgery on Azia’s computer because her monitor stopped working.

-I made brownies.

-We ate them all.

-I finished the larger portion of the test knit I am working on which means I am that much closer to STEEKS!

-I won an I-pod Shuffle!

-Brian gave me chocolates.

-I ate them all.

-I want more chocolates!

-I didn’t work on this:

*Well ok.. the actress who played Nellie Olson flew over my house.. the real Nellie Olson is… well… dead… and it would be quite disturbing if she flew over my house.

I am headed off to District Conference for church. I am a delegate so I have to pay attention! I don’t know if Brian will let me take the wireless card with me so you might not hear from my till Sunday!

I have a greater respect for them now. This is the longest I have gone without Brian being around.. with all four kids; and it is trying and exhausting!

But I know I must be doing something right. Take today for example. I had my oldest son (11) and my middle son (5) both sobbing at least once or twice today. All because I laid down the law.. it seems the more you say no as a parent and the more they protest and cry the better a job you are doing..You would think it was the end of the world to them!

As I was pushing the bike trailer back up the hill to our house listening to the echoes of my son’s wailing off in the distance, I thought..� he is just giving me my job approval rating..

and today..

it’s high.

I’ll be back next week with a little tutorial on using those flower looms! They are fun! Maybe Azia will help me, and we can make a video!!

My little window cleaning tip! Take a cue from the gas station! Get . . . → Read More: How To’s-Day:Clean the House and Windows Fast!]]> We preempt our regularly scheduled tutorial for a bit of a cleaning lesson.. How-to-clean-your-house-very-quickly-and-’baby’-proof-it-because-your-sister-in-law-is-coming-over-to-stay-for-a-few-days-with-her-two-little-guys-for-a-much-needed-break-cause-her-hubby-is-in-Iraq……

I’ll be back next week with a little tutorial on using those flower looms! They are fun! Maybe Azia will help me, and we can make a video!!

My little window cleaning tip! Take a cue from the gas station! Get yourself a window cleaner tool like they have there at the pumps and use it on your windows! Be sure to have a cloth to keep the squeegie side clean and to wipe off the bottom of the window!

Some neat Free Loom Knitting patterns to help with your house cleaning!

Dishwashing Mitt

Towel Toppers

Monogram B Dishcloth (really cute!)

Scrubbies!

Swiffer Cover!

Broom Topper (I need one of these!)

And just in case you really want some cleaning tips here are a few sites for you to check out!

Fly Lady

HouseKeeping Channel

Home Cleaning Journal

Home Made Simple

Remember.. the faster you get the house cleaned, the more time for looming!!!

Sunday finally brought my return to church after an almost . . . → Read More: WAW-What a Weekend!]]> This has been a whirlwind of a weekend! A mini women’s retreat on Friday and Saturday, we stayed up till 4am talking! Tried to go shopping in Zanesville only to find that the whole town was shut down for a 3on 3 street basketball championship!

Sunday finally brought my return to church after an almost 2 month absence! The chicken pox quarantine lifted!

Sunday afternoon found me at the softball game getting whacked in the head with the ball. I was fine, I think it hurts more today than it did yesterday.

This morning I feel like a truck has run over me. But it’s all good.

I have some goals this week…

1. Get a haircut!!!
2. Help in any way to get the second issue of Loom Knitters Circle up! (not that that is much.. it’s in Isela’s control now!)
3. Get the carpets shampooed
4. get the toys sorted and make a big trip to Goodwill!
5. Get the kids to finish up the school work for the year, I would love to get it done this week!!
6. Get my current loom knitting design knit up, and written up!

Well that should do it! Some knitting pictures and a little twist on my How-To’s Day tomorrow!

P.S. I got in Ravelry! Turns out I was just getting to the front of the invite line when I posted!

Her name came about by accident, as Brian mis-heard that we where calling her ‘shirty’. I sort of liked the little bit of sci-fi girl Cylon reference.. because of the character Sharon from Battle Star Galactica and so it stuck. I think she looks rather good in my Ballet Top don’t you? She is nearly my double.. if I slim down in the middle that is..

In a little slice of life.. Caleb was REAAAALY thirsty last night…

I am making up my shopping list for the Great Lakes Fiber Festival. I might be accepting a ride there from Kraftie, so I might move the meetup up a bit. We will see. That might be best since Azia can’t go, and I sure don’t want to drive the truck all the way there. And with the record of Brian ALWAYS getting himself hurt or stung or something on show day every year I want him to have the van available. But like I said we will see.. I might just drive myself down and be freeeee! Well List tomorrow… booty on Saturday and then some!

Bop on over to� my Lion Blog to see my latest finished object. I just cast off last night and I think it needs a slight bit of tweaking.

PS. One last note.. I have gotten alot of great comments and feedback on the knit as you go I-cord.. all on the boards and forums.. just in case you havn’t seen the comments link since I switched themes.. it’s up at the top of the posts now!! So please drop me a line!