Bad Mother of the Year Award

. . . . . goes to me, Keri Bowers!!!  That's right. You guys will never believe what I did (or didn't do) this week. I'm so ashamed, I can't believe I'm telling on myself, but if I can't tell my friends, who else can I tell?

Today, as you know, is Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day, by the way. Love and hugs and Cupid and mushy stuff would have been the topics of my post today, IF I had not had a flare up of Alzheimer's this week. So, this is what happened. Hunter came in from school on Friday afternoon. I greeted her as usual and asked her how her day went. She said, "It was okay", in a tone somewhat less exuberant than normal. Then, much to my dismay, she got into her backpack and pulled out her decorated Valentine's sack from school. I was aghast in horror. It was then, right at that very moment, that I realized I had sent my child to school, on the day they were going to be celebrating Valentine's Day, empty handed. That's right, totally WITHOUT Valentines to give out to her classmates!! Inside, my stomach churned, and I felt a little bit nauseated. On the outside, as embarrassed as I was, I put on a big smile and let her go through and show me all the Valentines she had received. All the time, I kept thinking how embarrassed she must have felt to have gone through the day and not had any Valentines to put in her friends' goody sacks.

Well, Hunter, being the sweet child that she is, never said anything. I wanted to say something, but wasn't prepared to talk about it right then. It was Saturday morning, sitting around and chatting with her daddy, before I brought up the Valentine's Day fiasco. As it turned out, we all took some of the blame of not being prepared for the Valentine's Day celebration at her school. I mean, she is 10 years old and in 5th grade, after all, so it's not like she hasn't known for some time that she would need Valentines on Friday. She and her Daddy go to Wal-Mart every weekend, so it's reasonable to assume that she COULD have asked to buy Valentines last Saturday. So, she didn't plan ahead, her daddy and I got busy with life and didn't think about it, and Friday came and went, and Hunter went without on Valentine's Day. That still makes my tummy turn, just thinking about it.

But, alas, life goes on, and in the grand scheme of things, this is really just a minor speed bump in our day-to-day lives. It did provide us with a great opportunity to have a nice family discussion so that hopefully, we'll all be better about not procrastinating and we'll be more willing to speak up and communicate better. Hunter and I are going to put some little Valentine's sacks together this afternoon, so her classmates will get something after the fact. She'll just be spreading the love a little bit longer. :)

Here's a little something I made last night for Hunter while watching the Olympics. Her daddy and I finally broke down and got her a cell phone. According to her, she was the ONLY kid in her school who didn't have a cell phone. Hmphh!  Well, it was time to renew our cell phone contracts anyway, and we got her phone for free, so we just decided it was an okay time.

I started with 2 chains and 6 sc in the 2nd chain from the hook. I then worked continuous rounds, doing my increases up to 24 stitches and changing colors every round until I had a pouch tall enough for the phone. I then went to rows and did 10 sc, chained 1, turned. I did this for 4 rows to cover the top, before working a sc dec on each end. My next row, I put 3 chains in the middle to make my buttonhole, then did 2 more rows. I went around the flap with a border of sc's, then sewed in my ends. I found a cute Valentiney button in my vast collection, and sewed it on. I think she'll like it, don't you? Maybe she'll forgive me for forgetting Valentine's Day.

I do hope all of you have a delightful Valentine's Day, spending time with people you love and doing whatever it is that makes you happy. Give your loved ones an extra hug today.

CONGRATULATIONS, 

SAINTS

PROZAC, WHERE ARE YOU?

I told you all a few weeks ago that I am always hesitant about posting when I'm in a crappy mood. But, after a bit of debate with myself, I decided to go ahead and share with you. I actually started this post yesterday and stopped after a few lines, still trying to decide whether to reveal my gloomy outlook on things. I picked up the phone and called a very good friend just to vent a little and to get some unbiased perspective. I felt much better after that phone call (thank you, You-Know-Who!), but still never got back to my blog.

So, here I am today, and I'll have to say that I'm in much better spirits. Believe it or not, the sun is actually shining, and it appears to be melting most of the ice and sludge that has been on the ground for over a week. One thing about living in Oklahoma . . . we don't get much "pretty" snow, but mostly sleet and ice that turns icky brown after a day or two. I've been extremely excited that we've gotten REAL snow a couple of times this year. But, accompanying the snow has been an abundance of gray and dreary days that tend to make me want to go back to bed and bury myself under the covers.

In reality, as much as I love winter and cold weather, this is probably why my mood has not been up to par lately. It's easy to look at things in my life that are not quite the way I'd like them to be and blame my grumpiness on all that. But, truly, I have a pretty decent life, and I have more blessings than I can count, and I really have no excuses for being poopy! So, I'll just blame it on the weather and move on . . . . .

Well, what are your plans for the weekend?  Any Super Bowl fans out there?  GO COLTS!!!!!  I know, I know, a few weeks ago you heard me yelling, "Go Vikings", but that was because I was pulling for Brett Favre and our former OU Sooner, Adrian Peterson. Now that Brett's season has ended, I'll be proudly wearing my Peyton Manning jersey and rooting for the Colts. No big game plans for me. We're supposed to get another round of "wintry mix" late Sunday into Monday, so I'll probably be cuddled up under a beautiful crocheted afghan . . . hot wings in one hand and a frosty beverage of some sort in the other!

Hey, he's wearing my jersey!!

Hunter and I are also going to spend a big part of the weekend at my oldest daughter's house. Ryanne and her husband are driving to Chicago to pick up a new race boat, and Hunter and I get to puppy-sit for her 4 fur kids. Ryanne promised me the pantry and refrigerator would be filled to capacity, AND she bought me a new Keurig so that I won't have to be without my precious coffee when I spend time at her house.  What a good girl my daughter is. :)

Ryanne and Joe

Speaking of good kids, take a moment if you can to drop by Hunter's blog. She has changed her background, and she's trying to be a little more diligent about posting. I told her not to follow MY example. :)  We did sit down last night, and I scrutinized her technique as she crocheted a granny square. She really wants to make some afghan squares to donate to Sue, but she was worried that hers wouldn't be good enough. I thought she did a great job and encouraged her to make more.

Hunter and her Grandma "Babci",
 testing out the new sewing machine,
not crocheting granny squares! 

Hunter's first sewing project

I think I have made up for a few days of not posting, wouldn't you say? I have been crocheting some, here and there, and this weekend I hope to finish the multi-colored ripple afghan that I showed you in my WIPs post. That's the BEAUTIFUL afghan I plan to be snuggled under during the Super Bowl!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

SMART WOMEN

Recently, in a large city in France , a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia , the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. 

They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist.  If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT? Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me:  I want to be a whale.

P..S.. We are in an age  when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think,  

 ¨Good grief, 

look how smart I am!¨

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

MY BOOK ARRIVED!

This is the great book I received after winning my bet with Pammy Sue on the Vikings - Cowboys game. The game was played Sunday, and I received the book yesterday. That was SPEEDY DELIVERY!  Thanks so much, Pammy Sue. I've been reading through the book almost all morning and have already tried some Entrelac. That's just what I need . . . something new to divert my attention away from the WIPs I promised to get finished!  :)  

I COULDN'T RESIST

I used to lay claim to this recliner, but as you can see, Hunter and Mini both think it belongs to them. 

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

I agree with Pammy Sue . . . trying to come up with titles for our posts is agonizing. Most days, it's difficult to organize all the thoughts and ideas mulling around in my head, much less try to figure out a creative way to express them in written form.

With that being said, I wanted to take a quick minute to let you all know that I haven't slipped into oblivion again. I realize I haven't posted since my big football win on Sunday, which I'm sure causes some of you alarm (grin), but things are all good with me right now. I'm not moping around under a big, dark cloud, and I even have my blinds open today and am enjoying the beautiful blue skies. I've just been extremely busy the past few days, and although I've been following you all through my Dashboard, I haven't taken the time to post anything.

My husband's parents came up from Texas on Sunday and stayed with us until Tuesday. Due to our Christmas blizzard, they couldn't make it up then. The week after Christmas, through New Year's, I had the flu, and the following week, my hubby was sick. So, this past weekend was the first opportunity we've had to get together with them to celebrate Christmas and just enjoy some R & R time, visiting.

You all might recall that my mother-in-law was the one who taught me how to crochet that very first granny square on Thanksgiving of 2008. She is so crafty and talented, I wanted to wait until she arrived before pulling out my new sewing machine and giving it a whirl. Yes, I did get to sew a few lines and even tried out the zig-zag stitch a few times. Then, while I was in my office catching up on some coding, I heard the sewing machine sound like it was about to take off. Thinking it was my mother-in-law, I stepped in to take a peek and lo and behold, I saw my daughter, Hunter, sitting at MY new sewing machine, looking like a crazed lunatic. She had this devilish grin on her face, and an unmistakable gleam in her eye, and the child was sewing 90 miles per hour! We ended up going to the fabric store, and my mother-in-law bought her some fleece and matching thread. When we got home, they measured and cut and tucked and pinned, and before long, Hunter showed me her new creation --- a blue and green pillow cover!  She is not letting me live this down. I consider myself the crochet queen in our family, but Hunter has now claimed the title of "Sewing Queen", and all because my sister bought ME a new sewing machine!  :)  GO FIGURE!!

Well, I had better get back to coding some charts. I hope you all have a happy HUMP DAY, and I will visit with you soon. Oh, and my PRIZE, the new crochet book I won from my football bet with Pammy Sue, should be arriving soon. I will be sure to post a picture. Thanks, Pammy Sue. You're a sweetheart!

Hunter crocheted this scarf all by herself. She got tired of waiting around for me to make her one, so the Saturday before last, she got out her yarn and went to town. I may have to relinquish my "Crochet Queen" crown. :)

TONY ROMO GOT SACKED HOW MANY TIMES?????

Some of you who visited Pammy Sue's blog were mistakenly led to my blog, expecting to find the loser of today's bet on the Minnesota Vikings' and Dallas Cowboys' football game. I am happy to inform you that Pammy Sue is full of hot air, as usual. Brett Favre is not washed up and is still the cutest little hottie on the field. His counterpart, Tony Romo, being MUCH younger than Brett, seemed to have trouble standing on his own two feet today. 

If you try to contact Pammy Sue, she will probably be busy, ordering my crochet book from Amazon!  

OKAY, I PROMISED . . . .

Ready or not, here are the pictures of my unfinished projects:

This "thing" was from a very reputable pattern book. It's supposed to be a large table mat of some kind. When I finished the stitch part, I thought it was so ugly I never wanted to sew in all the tails.

These are the pieces of an organizer box that need to be sewn together. Way back in my blog archive, I got on a kick of making these little boxes for Hunter and her friends. Boy, did I get burned out!

Two little purses. The green one is missing a fastener, and the multi-colored one
is missing the strap and fastener.

I made this one night while watching a football game. It's supposed to be a little container to hold my hubby's Sweet-n-Low wrappers by the coffee pot. I never got around to putting the stiffener in it.

This is supposed to be a coaster. The "lights" need to be sewn on, and it needs to be blocked.

This was actually 10 rows larger than this, but I was not happy with my lettering, so I frogged it. It's extremely long and will wrap around the back of a couch. It will eventually say "SOONERS" and be a gift for my sister.

Baby blanket - nice easy pattern but boring

Another baby blanket, made with ILTY sport weight. It's about 18 inches square, and I'd like to make it at least 36 inches.

I REALLY like this blanket and after seeing it again, I'm excited about finishing it. I started this almost a year ago, before knowing anything about ripples and certainly before finding Attic 24. I think Lucy would be proud. :)

Another baby blanket. I'm not really sure why I quit working on this one because I like
doing the round ripples.

These are rectangles that will make up an afghan that was designed by Mary Beth Temple. I have another bag of these someplace with yellow, green, and purples circles.

And, yes, another baby afghan. Do you think I'm wanting to be a grandma?
This one will be an "after-bath hoodie".

Okay, this was supposed to be an adult mitten. I used the hook and yarn recommended but did not check my gauge. Well, Hunter cannot even get this over her hand! I would like to finish it and make another one, but they will have to be for a toddler.

Not a very good picture, but this is a market bag made with red, white, and green variegated cotton yarn. I'd like to finish this, but making all the chains gets SO boring!

Crimson and cream . . . another afghan for my Oklahoma Sooners. I'm making this for the lady who bought the orange and black OSU afghan from me last summer.

These are the squares that started it all! These are the very first granny squares I ever made, a little over a year ago. I have another stack of the variegated squares and 70 total.

I just started this face cloth a couple of weeks ago, thanks to inspiration from my friend, Pammy Sue,
who sent me a couple of these.

I have no clue what this is supposed to be. I got on a rippling kick a couple of months ago and thought about making an afghan with different "chunks" of ripple fabric. This is as far as I got. :)

Okay, these are not really "unfinished". I have wanted so badly to find a neat slipper pattern, but everything I try ends up not being close to the right size. So, I make one and give up on making the second one. If any of you know of a good pattern, let me know!

These are supposed to be part of a Christmas pillow. ICK!

I discovered that this scarf is basically finished, except for making some more curly-ques to use in place of fringe. This pattern came from my friend, Caroline, the Kansas Hooker.

These pieces will eventually be sewn together to be a happy little hippo. It's really a cute pattern that I think came from the Lion Brand website.

I started this and was going great guns. Then, I got to a hitch in the instructions, could not figure out what I was supposed to do, so I stuffed it in the bag and put it away!

Remember these?
I was so irritated at myself. I got in my pre-Christmas FUNK and did not finish the stockings
for all the animals in our family. I needed 13 in all. Max and Mini each got one, but I still needed 2 more.

The picture does not do this justice. It's actually almost 2 feet long and has a beautiful twisted cable going up the middle. You all might remember that I was wanting to have this finished before Christmas to give my daughter, Ryanne. Well, looks like it will be birthday in September instead. :)

And, last but not least . . . Hunter's Spongebob!
I don't have a pattern. I'm just winging it, using a picture I printed from the internet.

I also have two "secret" projects that I'm currently working on, but I can't put pictures on here because they are gifts, and the people who will be receiving them happen to read my blog.

Whew!!  I'm not sure my choo-choo train is as long as Pammy Sue's, but I've definitely got my work cut out for me!  Hmmm, now what should I work on first?

CHECK THIS OUT!

My friend, Bev, at One Yarn After Another, crochets the most beautiful sweaters. She crochets other items, as well, but baby and toddler sweaters seem to be her specialty. She has been taking her crocheted items to a local consignment shop to sell, but she recently discovered some "shenanigans" going on. So, she brought her remaining items home, and I'm hoping she will soon have them for sale in her own little "online" shop. I think she would do extremely well, and I will support her 100%, which is one of the reasons I'm writing this today.

The other reason I wanted to mention Bev's situation is because she is having a GIVE-AWAY!!!  That's right, friends, Bev is going to give away two of her lovely infant sweater sets. Why, you ask?  Just because she is a sweet and generous person. All you need to do is go to her blog, which I've linked to above, and follow the instructions for entering her give-away. Then, keep your fingers crossed and hope your name is drawn. 

I didn't get Bev's permission to write this about her, but I'm sure she'll be happy to have you stop by for a visit.