Maybe Matilda

Quick + Cheap Graphic Canvas Art

2013-06-13T10:26:00.001-05:00

I’m traveling outside my box today . . . far outside my box. So far from my warm, comfy box. Hold on to your hats, folks, there is no yarn in this project.

I tried my hand yesterday at making some artwork for Forrest’s bedroom (which you can see HERE). For the most part, I’m pleased with his bedroom and feel like it’s more or less completed (at least, it’s completed enough for my minimalist decorating taste), but there was one obvious area that I’ve kind of ignored . . . the space above his dresser:

I hung that mirror shortly after we moved into our house almost a year ago, but never really decided what else to do with that area. I had originally thought it would be cute to collect a few vintage toys to display on/around the mirror, but I only ever found one old toy that I liked, and Forrest lost it within like 10 minutes of purchase, so that didn’t pan out. But posting that picture above must have been the kick in the pants to finally make that spot look a little more on purpose.

(You are so welcome for the attention to detail I put into my photography and blog posts—the mirror still has the sticker tag on it [I’ve owned it for at least 4 years], and who can remember the last time it was washed? Not this perfectionistic Susie Homemaker.)

Sticker tags and finger smudges aside, that’s much cuter, isn’t it? The little ‘Say Your Prayers’ sign was a 50 cent thrift store purchase quite a few months back that I had never bothered to hang, so it took all of 5 minutes (5 precious minutes procrastinated for 6+ months) to hang it along with Forrest’s cute baby picture. But that left the spot to the left of the mirror empty, and I flipped through my Pinterest inspiration pics and found two cute canvas projects that I thought would look great and (hopefully!) be relatively easy to make: this cute wall art from The Embellished Nest, and this great herringbone canvas art from View Along The Way. I decided to combine the two—I loved the graphic layout of The Embellished Nest’s project, but preferred the painting style from View Along the Way’s art, so I picked my favorite parts of each project and went to work.

It came out far from perfect, but it’s good enough for me. I think it’s a cute little piece, and it was actually kind of fun to put together despite my serious lack of talent in the artwork/painting arena.

Here’s how I made this little canvas art, quick and painless, for under $10:

I bought:

- a 3-pack of 8 x 10” flat canvas panels from Walmart ($3.97 for the pack of 3)

- a few small acrylic paint bottles (57 – 97 cents each)

- package of foam brushes (I think $1 for 4 brushes?)

I used masking tape to lay out the design—two long vertical strips first, followed by smaller zig-zag strips. Measuring would have been smart; I just eyeballed it.

Make sure the edges of your masking tape are pressed down tightly. Since I peeled up and rearranged mine a few times, it probably wasn’t pressed down tightly enough, and I got some leakage underneath the paint. Part of the problem was that I initially tried to go for the ‘drippy’ paint look from View Along the Way’s Herringbone Art, and although I love how it looks on hers, it wasn’t working for me and I think the added water helped the paint work its way under my tape. Whoops!

Start adding your paint, blending each color with the next as you work your way down. I can’t say there’s a lot of technique here . . . I just started with my first color and painted a few horizontal strokes across, then when I was ready to fade into the next color, dipped my brush into the next color without cleaning off the first color so they blended together on the canvas. I tried to add some red at the bottom of the canvas to tie into the sign and photo, and got a swift elementary school art class reminder of what blue + red equals. Had to hide that with more blue; purple is not part of this room’s color scheme.

I peeled off my tape while it was still wet, then waited until it was dry to go back with white paint and clean up some of the taped-off areas that the colors had leached onto under the tape. Once it was completely dry, I used a Command strip to hang it.

And there it is! A quick, simple, fun little painting project to fill that little space. I think it turned out cute, and now I have two extra canvases to play with. Don’t get too excited—very limited art skills over here.

Little Boy Bedroom Reveal + Airwick Review

2013-06-10T03:00:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by Air Wick. All opinions are 100% mine.

(First things first, if you haven't entered the Better than Perfect giveaway, head HERE and do so now now now!)

This seemed like as good a time as any to 'reveal' Forrest's bedroom (as if it's been some well-guarded secret). I keep putting off sharing any rooms in my house until they're finished, and I need to just accept that none of them will probably ever actually be finished, and so what if they're not quite the Pinterest-worthy designs you've come to expect from all these fancypants bloggers? Ain't nobody got time for that.

For Forrest's room, I was hugely inspired by little Henry's nursery at Newly Woodwards. You really ought to pop over and check his bedroom out if you haven't seen it yet--I love its classic style, the masculine 'un-baby' color choices, and the overall preppy look. So perfect, and exactly the feel I wanted in Forrest's room. I think it's a look that grows with a child and won't feel too babyish as they get older--as much fun as designing a room can be, I don't particularly want to have to redo it because it looks too little for a growing boy, and I love that Kim's design for her son will look just as fitting for a 3- or 5- or 10-year old as it does now for a baby.

So here we go--my stinky little boy's room!

I painted his room a very soft gray (Valspar Comet Dust), and I stuck with mostly navy blues for accent colors. The curtains are those cheapy sheers you can get for a couple dollars at Ikea, and I taped them off and used paint to create the dark blue stripes. You've probably seen a zillion tutorials for similar painted curtains on Pinterest. I love how these curtains look in photos, or from a distance, but to be honest, I definitely wouldn't use this technique again unless I was truly desperate for stripes and really couldn't swing it any other way. They look, well, painted. And crispy. And it's been almost a year since I made them and they haven't uncrunchified yet. Maybe I did something wrong? Probably. But they make a nice bold impact and look good as long as you don't get too close, so who cares. And I lined them with black-out fabric, which prevents the light from shining through and emphasizing the streaky painted look, so it isn't terribly obvious, I guess. The map above the bed was a years, years, years, years ago purchase from a thrift store, and I love how it looks above his crib.

This little corner's kind of cute, huh? That's actually his time-out chair (frequently utilized), but that doesn't seem to turn him off from thinking that having his very own little goober-sized seat is fun. He loves sitting there (when he isn't in time out, that is) and coloring on his chalkboard, which was a purchase from my mom's boutique, Amenities (in Heber, UT). The name sign was the gift I received from my partner in the Craftaholics Anonymous handmade gift exchange last summer, and it fits in his room so perfectly . . . love it. Once upon a time, there was also a cute little paper bunting above that name sign, but it has long since been torn down, and I'm too lazy to put it back up. Surely you've come to expect such things from me. I aim to please.

This view isn't terribly exciting--just a toy box, his little dresser from Craigslist, and an unfinished wall that I haven't quite decided how to decorate yet. But that brings us full circle to my favorite part of his bedroom . . .

His little fun-size reading wall! One thing I really hope to inspire in my kids is a love of reading . . . and I'm not 100% sure how to go about doing that, but having books easily accessible in his room where he can see them and look at them and flip through them anytime he wants seems like a good start. The little shelves are just spice racks from Ikea that I painted white and hung low enough that little hands can easily reach the books (and I'm slightly concerned that he'll try climbing them like a ladder one of these days, but I guess he hasn't realized how fun that might be yet). The 'read' letters are just large, flat, plain letters purchased from Hobby Lobby and covered with cute polka dot scrapbooking paper and Mod Podge. Plus a little garland punched from decorative papers and sewn together, that I have never noticed until just now kind of looks like a creepy clown smile. Hmmm.

My favorite area in his room, clown smile or not.

(Now, it's time for the part of the post where I get paid, everyone's favorite!)

This boy is smelly. I mean, I grew up with three older brothers--I was under no illusions about the interesting fragrances growing boys subject their poor families to--but wow. It's another beast entirely to have one in your own house, the house you invite friends and guests to, where you hope to not subject them to the stench of stinky little boy feet and tiny sweaty clothes and yesterday's diapers. Suffice it to say, I'm a tad self-concious when it comes to the way my home smells, and I'm constantly trying new air freshening products to keep it smelling fresh and nice and not like a stinky little boy.

So I was more than happy to try out some new scented Airwick products and see how they stood up to this boy's stinkiness. You may have noticed a little plug-in scent warmer in his pictures above . . . if not . . . (please take note of my expert paint job around that outlet--ha! Anti-perfectionist in the houuuusssse!)

The Airwick plug-ins have turned out to be a nice solution for this smelly kid and his smelly room. I've been hesitant to use a wax warmer in his bedroom in case I forget to turn it off at night, or what if he tugs the cord and tips it onto himself? Maybe I shouldn't be worried about this, but I like that this Airwick warmer unit is so small and unobtrusive, and he hasn't even noticed it there yet.

The scents I sampled are: Grand Canyon Cactus Flower & Warm Breeze, Samoa Sweet Coconut & Island Palms, Hawaii Exotic Papaya & Hibiscus Flower, Ocean Spray & Sparkling Sea Minerals, Bright Citrus Splash, Lavender & Chamomile, Magnolia & Cherry Blossom, and Island Paradise.

My thoughts: I really liked the Grand Canyon Cactus Flower & Warm Breeze, the one pictured above that I used in Forrest's room. It's got a sweet scent, but it's sort of deep and not too 'fruity,' so it's perfect for a boy's room. It tends to get a bit strong and overpowering if left plugged in for too long, so I've just been unplugging it every day or so when I notice it getting a bit strong, and the scent lingers for another day or two before I need to plug it in again. My favorite scent is definitely the Samoa Sweet Coconut & Island Palms--if you're a fan of coconut scent, you'll love this one. So light and refreshing. I put it in a bathroom and love how it gives the room such a fresh scent (and unlike the Cactus Flower one, it doesn't ever get too strong, even in that small room, so I just leave it plugged in all the time). The Magnolia & Cherry Blossom also has a great, sort of romantic scent, and I love the fresh feel of the Ocean Spray & Sparkling Sea Mineral. They've really freshened up the rooms they're in, and I love how they make my first thought on stepping into Forrest's room, "Mmm, nice!" instead of "holy diaper odor, get me out of here."

Two of the scents I sampled, Bright Citrus Splash and Ocean Spray with Sparkling Sea Minerals, are brand new and available only at Sam's Club, where they (and other Airwicks products) are an awesome value and a better deal than at other retailers like Walmart, so I'd suggest heading to Sam's Club if you'd like to try some yourself!

Giveaway: Better than Perfect (Monster Coloring Totes)

2013-06-05T08:39:00.001-05:00

Fun giveaway today, guys! My old friend Katy has opened an adorable shop, Better Than Perfect, selling the cutest monster coloring bags, perfect for letting your little one carry their own coloring book, crayons, and other little essentials . . . I love how colorful and creative these bags are!

Here’s Katy to tell you a little more about herself and her shop:
“Hi! My name is Katy and I’m the mother of toddler twin boys. When I’m not chasing them around you can find me hunched over my sewing machine or my computer creating to save my sanity. I have a little shop on etsy called Better Than Perfect where I sell handmade felt coloring totes and personalized car mats for children.”

“I am so excited to be here on Maybe Matilda giving away one of my monster coloring totes. These fun bags are made of eco-friendly felt (made from 100% recycled plastic) with 8 one-inch pockets for crayons that double as the monster’s teeth. Plus, the boxed out bottom provides plenty of room for a coloring book + a favorite toy or two. Cute and functional, my favorite combination!”

Want to win a monster coloring tote from Better Than Perfect? Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Crochet Dress, Sweater, and Blanket

2013-06-03T15:07:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for all your kind comments on Saturday’s post! I so appreciate your sweet well-wishes. I don’t know what it is about having ONE boy that makes me think I am only capable of producing boys, but it was quite a surprise to hear the doctor say there was a little girl brewing in there. And of course, a girl must mean girly projects!

I’ve worked on 2.5 projects for the little Miss so far, and they have been so fun to put together. First up, a little dress I crocheted . . . before we knew she was a girl. It was a bit of a gamble, but I couldn’t resist. (Pardon the cell phone pictures—these are all from my Instagram, and I’m too lazy to retake ‘real’ photos.)

I’ve had my eye on this pattern for a while—it’s called the Angel Wings Pinafore, and you can find it free HERE. I used worsted weight yarn, which really is too heavy for this dress, but it was a last-minute naptime project so I had to just work with what I had on hand. It came out very cute anyway.

I also worked up this little sweater recently:

And I love how it came out. The pattern is called Picot and Lace Sweater Set, and you can find it HERE. I struggled a bit with this pattern—it’s definitely not the most crystal-clear, well-written pattern I’ve ever encountered, but if you’re fairly confident that you can piece together the things it leaves out or doesn’t spell out very clearly, it does make a cute little sweater with only a few swear words uttered in the process. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in Pistachio for this one—overall, Simply Soft is far from being my favorite yarn, but the weight and feel of it are perfect for a baby item. It came out so sweet, and since it was another naptime project and I have NO patience for leaving a project unfinished when it’s thiiiis close to being done, I used a ribbon woven through the stitches to tie it shut instead of waiting to buy buttons for it. I think it’s kind of a cute touch.

My final project only counts halfway as being made for the girly-poo, because I didn’t start it with the intention of keeping it, and I’m still not 100% sure whether I’ll keep it for her or sell it.

I used the Bold Stripe Blanket pattern (another free one!) from Baby Love Brand to make this, and I love the gradient purples mixed with that silvery gray. The colors are a bit distorted in these pictures, but I used a very light lavender, a pinky-‘orchid’ purple, and a deep jewel-tone purple along with the gray. It was a fairly quick blanket to make, and works up so fast thanks to using two strands of yarn at a time, making for a super-thick, super-chunky, super-warm finished blanket with a lot of great texture in the stitches.

I made it more of a throw size than a typical baby blanket, inspired by my buddy Kim of Newly Woodwards’ baby blanket . . . when I worked on her little Henry’s blanket (which you can see in this post), she requested it be big enough for mom and baby to cuddle in at the same time, and I don’t know why I’ve never thought before that it would sure be nice to BOTH be warm while cuddling under a baby blankie, not to mention that it can eventually be upgraded to a toddler blanket or a throw blanket when baby outgrows it. So a big’un it is.

Make sure to stop by again on Wednesday—I’ve got a great giveaway that you’re going to love!

Catching Up + June Goals

2013-06-01T15:53:00.001-05:00

Oh, hi there, old friend! Did you forget about this blog? It’s been a while. I almost forgot about it myself. I guess I have some catching up to do!

I’m not one for big flashy announcements (blogger fail spoiler alert: sorry, no cutesy projects, themed photo shoots, or announcement cupcakes here, but to be fair, I’ve never led anyone to expect such things from me--minimal effort is key), so I’ll just say it plain and simple: baby #2 is on her way!

Look at that, it’s an announcement BOGO today! We’re having a baby, and it’s a girl!

(She’s cute already!)

So there’s the reason for my recent absence. Maybe someday I’ll share the first trimester drama in all its unwanted detail, but for now, suffice it to say that I’m doing well, baby looks great, and I’m glad to have some energy back. I’m 19 weeks along, and she’s due in late October. We’re very excited, and even Forrest seems to be kind of into the idea. (Although, to be fair, he gets excited about almost everything, and I kind of doubt he really has any idea what we’re talking about when we tell him a baby sister is coming. But no matter—”Baby sistoh! Wow! Yay! I yuv baby sistoh! Baby sistoh kiss!” are the cutest things I’ve ever heard him say, period.)

That being said, I didn’t bother with my goal of setting goals for the past monthish . . . when my biggest goals were ‘don’t stay in bed all day’ and ‘consider exchanging pajamas for real clothes sometime this week’, they hardly seemed worth sharing. So here we go for June!

1. It’s been so long since I used my sewing machine for anything besides hemming pants. It’s time to dust her off, choose something fun to work on, and get sewing.

2. I don’t even want to explain to you how awful our house is right now. And I’m not trying to be cute and act like it’s a mess when really it just needs a few toys picked up. I literally cannot recall the last time I did laundry or cleaned my bathroom, and it’s downright embarrassing when someone knocks at the door and I’m forced to open it and expose them to what appears to be tornado destruction ruins inside. Now that I’m feeling mostly normal again, it’s time to get a grip and start cleaning up.

3. I’ve been trying to eat healthier these past few months, and a big part of that is putting on my big girl panties and eating some vegetables. I could eat fruit all day and night, but I’m not the world’s biggest veggie fan. So this month, I want to try a few new side dish recipes and add some more vegetables to my diet.

4. Almost all of my photos lately are cell phone pics, and while that’s fine and dandy, I think maybe someday I’ll regret not using my real camera more and having better quality photos to look back on. I’m going to get out the camera this month and capture some memories.

5. We’ve been “planning” (“air quote that one”) (“’”heavily”””) a basement makeover for months, and have never even gone so far as looking at paint colors or carpet or anything. We have such a great (potentially great) space down there, and it’s going completely to waste right now. We’d really like to have our big basement room converted to a multi-purpose craft/chiropractic/play room before this baby arrives. Speaking of which, my craft room needs to start making its journey to becoming a baby’s room instead. So this month, I’d like to take some steps forward on those two room makeovers, even if it’s just gathering ideas and putting a little money aside.

There we go! Hopefully these are do-able. What are your goals for June?

Hair Shmair (John Frieda Product Review)

2013-04-29T23:01:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by John Frieda. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now, I'll just come out and say it right now: I'm not terribly fancy when it comes to beauty products. I have avoided department store makeup very much on purpose, because I'm worried the difference in comparison to my drugstore makeup will be too great to deny and I'll be forced against my will to spend 4 jillion dollars on makeup each year. And I have only been introduced to salon quality hair products in the past year or two, when I hoped that splurging on fancypants products would make growing out my short pixie haircut a little more interesting and enjoyable. I almost hate to admit that I can tell a difference when I use salon hair products vs. drugstore products, because I hate spending much money on something goofy like my hair, but it is what is it. I'm still avoiding fancy makeup at all costs, but I might maybe may be just a tad converted to at least some salon hair products.

So I was excited to have the chance to try out some John Freida goodies. John Frieda hair care products are salon quality, but can be purchased at Walmart, so best of both worlds I guess, right? You won't spend a fortune, but you'll get some good bang for your buck.

Here are the products I got to take for a test drive: (from left to right) Full Repair Shampoo and Conditioner, plus Full Repair Hydrate + Rescue Deep Conditioner, Brilliant Brunette Colour Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner, Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, and Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Shampoo and Conditioner.

My thoughts on the products: The first thing I noticed was that they all smelled fantastically salon-ish, if that makes sense. You know how when you get your hair professionally done, and the products smell out-of-this-world good and, somehow, they actually do smell expensive, and you hate to go back home and wash it in a day or two with your own crappy products because you'll lose that fancy salon smell? These products (especially the Full Repair line) smelled to me like salon products, which I guess makes sense if they are salon quality, and I loved walking around all day catching whiffs of my own fancy-smelling hair.

(Would that the screen were scratch-n-sniff.)

My favorite product, hands down, was the Full Repair Hydrate + Rescue Deep Conditioner. I'm always a fan of a good deep conditioner, and this one did not disappoint. It left my hair feeling incredibly soft and smooth, and I even think it styled a bit easier after use, and held the style for longer than usual. In the picture above, I had just used the Full Repair Shampoo and Deep Conditioner, and I was able to get better-than-usual curls, which lasted well into a second day of wear, and never felt 'crispy' or dry the way curls sometimes do. This is one product I'll be happy to restock when my bottle runs out.

I also liked the Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner--although I honestly have my doubts that a shampoo or conditioner can do much to help with volume (other than by simply not being a very heavy formula), I think I got exactly the same results using it as I typically get with my Kenra Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner, which cost like 4 times more, which I find really annoying, to tell you the truth. (Will Ulta accept a refund on the Kenra shampoo/conditioner I bought 6 months ago?) Here's a picture of the day I used the Luxurious Volume line.

Enjoy the photobomb of Forrest in the backseat, complete with a tractor in his mouth. Is he eating it? Kissing it? The world may never know.

As for the Frizz-Ease line, I'm not sure I have anything incredible to say in either direction. Apart from the nice smell, I didn't insanely love or insanely dislike it--I thought it was just dandy, I guess. No complaints, no rave review, but frizz is not my greatest hair issue, so I may have been the wrong person to test out an anti-frizz product. And once I realized the Brilliant Brunette line is meant to be used on color-treated hair, I only opened it to take a smell (mmmm), and will be passing it on to someone who dyes their hair (seems like a waste to use color-treated shampoo on my own non-color treated hair), so I can't remark on it, either. But two thumbs up to the Full Repair and Luxurious Volume products, especially the Full Repair Deep Conditioner.

You can find video tutorials and product videos on the John Frieda hair care products brand page if you're looking for more info.

Rip Slip (or, some Ripply Crochet Goodness)

2013-04-29T15:54:00.001-05:00

SEO be damned, I’LL NEVER STOP GIVING MY BLOG POSTS STUPID TITLES!!!

If you’re a crocheter/crochet appreciator on Instagram, I’d highly recommend you follow OneCraftyLady. She crochets the loveliest things, and I’m always inspired by her creative color choices and gorgeous photography. Anywho, before I creep her out (is she reading?! I would die), I’ll get to the point: she’s been working on a ripple blanket recently, and it is just so pretty and perfect that I had to try it out myself.

I pulled a few colors from my stash and liked the way this dusty purple, cream, and greige looked together:

No big surprise there, but I’m not terribly adventurous when it comes to my color combos. Nice and safe makes me happy. The ripples are quick and satisfying to crochet—kind of monotonous and repetitive, which makes it sound boring, which I guess it kind of is . . . but sometimes I like boring. It’s nice to be able to crochet without hardly thinking about it.

I used this ripple tutorial from Attic 24 to model my blanket after. I’m doing 3 rows of each color to end up with thick, solid stripes, and her instructions are very clear and simple, so if you’re newer to crochet or have never tried a ripple before, I think you’ll be well-equipped if using her instructions.

And shortly after posting the above pictures, a pregnant friend emailed me a color list to use so I could make one for her soon-to-debut little boy, and it’s coming along swimmingly as well:

(In case my cell phone pictures have distorted the colors, the stripes are light gray, mint, charcoal gray, white, and blue.)

Since there are so many more colors involved in this one, I’m only doing two rows of each color, so each one gets plenty of showtime in the blanket. These are super fun to make, and hopefully I’ll have the little guy’s blanket done in just a few days.

(The pictures are from my Instagram—you can find me at maybematilda if you want more.)

March Goal Recap

2013-04-02T12:56:00.001-05:00

So, in an effort to be more productive and not get bogged down by yearly goals that heaven knows I’ll never accomplish, I’m trying out a monthly goal system this year. It has worked decently so far, and I’ve found it really motivating to have a smaller list of specific tasks rather than a huge yearly system. You can see my March ambition HERE, and now that we have entered a new month, it’s time to review my wild success. Ready?

This is going to be embarrassing . . . .

. . . .

NOPE.

That’s a big ol’ fail for the entire month. What happened, you ask? Idunno. Forrest spent the first week of the month puking, I had some last-minute travel, then I wasn’t feeling so hot myself, then Jeff ended up having to cover two offices for a week instead of just his own office, plus the weather was nice enough that Forrest and I spent about every spare moment riding his trike outside and visiting the park (where, of course, I interacted nonstop with him because I am an all-star mom hahaha #goodone) . . . phew. I’m tired.

In my defense . . . March wasn’t a total flop. At the very least, I did brainstorm some jewelry storage ideas, and did one or two of the multiple small touch-ups I had hoped to do in Forrest’s room, and although 1 dessert per week was a long shot to start with, I definitely did cut down on my typical treat consumption. And sure, I only made my bed once (that’s right! one time!) all month, and the ‘inviting someone for dinner’ was partially fulfilled when I threw a birthday party for my brother (counts, right?), and my sewing machine is gathering dust . . . but I read some books this month! One goal out of eight: check!

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: 3/5 stars. It was quick and pretty enjoyable, but in the end, a little too much for me to take.

The Round House: 3/5 stars. Definitely impressive in terms of the writing and construction and delivery, but not one I necessarily loved reading. I respected it, but I didn’t love it.

The One and Only Ivan: 4/5 stars. Adorable and so sweet. I’ll admit: I cried a tad at the ending. So lovable.

Something Missing: 3/5 stars. Quirky and different and endearing and fun. It’s sure not going to change your life or anything, but I read it all in one day while feeling under the weather and it was quick and fun and had a few cute laugh-out-loud moments.

Clockwork Angel: 4/5 stars. I’m a little behind the times on this series, but it’s new to me and I actually really liked the first book! I tend to stay away from YA, and fantasy, and YA fantasy, but I thought this book was really engaging and exciting and unique. I’m working on the second in the series now.

So March wasn’t a total bust, but I can’t say I got many important things done. Oh well, we all need some time off every now and then, right? Right.

More Last Minute Easter Crochet

2013-03-25T12:41:00.001-05:00

So, at about this time in 2011, I wrote a post sharing some cute crochet patterns that would make awesome last minute Easter gifts. And for some reason, it got and continues to get a good amount of attention (weird—I’m always kind of surprised when any of the garbage I write here gets attention), so I figured I’d do another one this year with newer pattern ideas!

Now, first things first: I get at least one email a week asking for the pattern to the chick in a bunny suit I made and linked to in the previous Easter post:

The good news: it’s a super cute, super fast little project that will work up in no time, perfect for tucking into an Easter basket.

The bad news: it used to be free, and now it’s not. But it’s only $3, and you can find it right HERE in the Dawnie Dolls etsy shop. (The photo above is my version of the project, which I took some liberties with, so make sure to check out the listing pictures to see how making one exactly as written will turn out!)

Now that’s out of the way, here are my top 5 picks for quick, adorable Easter crochet patterns (all free!) that would be perfect to start and finish in one or two days and add to an Easter basket! (Note: while a few of these are on my to-do list, I haven’t made any of them yet, so I can’t comment on the patterns themselves or finished projects made using them!)

If there is a Peeps fan in your house, this Easter Peeps pattern would be so cute and funny to make for them! I have no fondness for Peeps, so the crocheted version looks much better to me than the real deal.

I love the idea of making a dozen colorful little Easter eggs to use for decorating or filling baskets. Sure beats dyeing eggs every year—not my favorite holiday activity. Get the free Easter egg crochet pattern HERE!

I love the unique look of these little Easter bunnies! So colorful and cheerful, and the lack of appendages would make them SO quick to work up. Get the pattern HERE.

Doesn’t this little Easter chick look so sweet? It’s hard to tell how big he turns out, but I’m guessing he’s little enough to tuck into an Easter egg. Awwww! Get the pattern HERE.

And last but not least:

I love the Boxy Skirt Bunny! They look cute in every color combo, and look like they’d be a lot of fun to customize and play around with. Get the pattern (a Ravelry download) right HERE.

Have you crocheted anything for Easter this year?

5 Awesome Dinners

2013-03-18T14:14:00.001-05:00

So, I thought I had shared 5 of my favorite dinner recipes, oh, a few weeks ago. Maybe a month or two, max. I thought maybe I’d make it a monthly or every-other-month regular thing.

Turns out, it’s been six months since I wrote that post. Whoops!

So here I am again, 6 months later, with 5 more of our favorite dinner recipes. I mentioned in my previous 5 recipes post that while I enjoy cooking, I get bored repeating recipes and would much rather try something new than repeat something I’ve made before. So a recipe only makes the repeat list of it’s really tasty, quick and simple to make, and a crowd-pleaser. With that criteria in mind, here are 5 recent favorites that are delicious enough to make again and again. (And, in case you are the suspicious type, this post isn’t sponsored or anything, and the people who wrote the recipe don’t know me . . . just dishes I love and think you might like, too.)

1. Chicken Ranch Tacos

Recipe and photo from Do You Smell That?

These tacos are quick and easy to pull together, and really delicious. If you don’t like the taste of Ranch dressing, you might need to keep moving, but these are always a big hit at our house. Even a certain picky someone who refuses to eat meat of any kind unless it comes in a hot dog package gobbles this up. Find the recipe HERE.

2. Classic Chicken and Rice Soup

Photo and recipe from Picky Palate

I know, chicken and rice soup sounds about as boring as it gets. But this recipe is a real keeper, and I’ve probably made it a dozen times this winter alone. I can’t put my finger on what exactly sets it apart from other chicken soups, but something about it is just so perfect and so delicious. Plus, it’s quite healthy, and makes for absolutely divine leftovers the next day. Find the recipe HERE.

3. German Pancakes

Photo and recipe from Allrecipes

You probably don’t need one specific recipe for this favorite—almost every recipe I’ve seen for German Pancakes is nearly identical—but this is the perfect last minute “the fridge is completely empty!” meal. It’s quick, it hardly requires any ingredients, and it tastes great. We like it best topped with butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. Toss together a fruit salad for a side dish, and you’ve got dinner on the table in like 20 minutes, tops. Perfect.

4. BBQ Chicken Pizza

Photo and Recipe from Two Twenty One

Another no-brainer here: quick and simple, you probably have all the ingredients in your fridge right now, and everyone always loves it. We rarely ever have leftovers of BBQ Chicken Pizza. If you’re feeling ambitious and have a little more time on your hands, you can step it up by making homemade pizza crust, but even on store bought dough/crust, this one is a favorite. Find the recipe HERE.

5. Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photo and recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

I can’t say enough good things about this soup. It is absolute perfection. Smooth and creamy and savory and just a tad spicy—delicious. The soup itself is delicious, but top it with some sour cream, avocado, lime juice, and cilantro, and you’ll be in heaven. It makes a lot, which I didn’t mind at all—I was perfectly happy to eat it for lunch every day all week before it finally ran out. This one will be getting repeated very often. Find the recipe HERE.

How to Get Rid of Extra Chains from Foundation Chain (Crochet)

2013-03-15T07:02:00.000-05:00

That’s a wordy title, isn’t it? Can’t think of a more succinct way to put it, though, so it’s staying. I thought I’d cover a nifty crochet trick I learned recently. Maybe it’s common knowledge and not worth doing a full-blown tutorial on, but I figured that if I didn’t realize this was an easy option for hiding foundation chain screwups, surely someone else doesn’t know and could benefit from learning it as well.

If you’re anything like me, you probably lose track of how many chains you’re making when starting in on bigger projects . . . if you’re making a blanket, for instance, and you’re starting with a whopping foundation chain of 100 chains or 200 or even more, you’re bound to lose count at some point and either have to go back and tally them up, or just hope for the best and move on. And if you’re really like me, you’ll get the number of starting chains wrong anyway, even if you’ve counted and recounted, and you won’t realize the count is off until you’ve finished your first row and have extra chains dangling at the end.

I never knew there was a quick and simple fix for this. All along, I’ve been either ripping my work apart and starting over when I ended up with too many chains, or forging onward and trying to find a way to hide those extra chains by sewing them into the project (which makes for a bulky, awkward finish that probably no one but you will notice, but still—it’ll bug you). There is a better way. A MUCH better way. And if this is news to you, like it was to me, you’ll be kicking yourself for never realizing how easy it could be to get rid of those extra chains.

So you’ve reached the end of your first row. You have the correct stitch count, you’ve followed your pattern carefully, but curses! Extra chains! You don’t want to mess with the pattern to include them, but you don’t want to just leave them hanging there as a reminder that you miscounted your foundation chain. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Find your extra chains. You’ll have a knot on the far left, then however many chains you overshot your foundation row by. I have two extra chains here. Dangnabbit!

2. Grab a blunt needle and use it to loosen up the knot. Maybe you’ll be able to do this with your fingers . . . I can’t. Just pull that knot loose with the needle or your fingers, and undo it.

3. Now just carefully unravel those extra chains. They won’t just rip loose, like you’re used to when you have to pull your work out. Since you’re kind of working backwards here—from the bottom end instead of the top--you’ll have to manually unravel each individual chain.

4. Once your extra chains are pulled loose and you’ve reached the first real stitch of the row, just pull the yarn tail tight, and you’re all done! When you get a few more rows out of the way, you can go ahead and weave that tail in, and no one will ever know you messed up your foundation chain.

Simple, right? I can’t believe I’ve ripped out so much work in the past because I didn’t realize I could just undo the knot and unravel the chains. Totally kicking myself for all that wasted time, but hey, at least I’ve figured out a better way. And now that I know how easy it is to fix, I purposely add extra chains when making blankets just to make sure I don’t make the even more annoying mistake of having too few chains in the starting row. I’d rather go back and undo too many chains than try to make up for too few.

Is this concept news to you like it was to me, or is this Crochet 101 that you can’t believe I haven’t heard of before?

Intel Science Talent Search in Washington DC!

2013-03-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Intel for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Well, I just got home from quite a weekend . . . I took a whirlwind trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Intel Science Talent Search! In case you're not familiar with this, it's the nation's most prestigious and elite pre-college science competition. Out of nearly 2,000 appliants, 40 finalists are chosen to travel to DC to show off their hard work and research projects, meet with hot shot scientists, and compete for over $600,000 in scholarship prizes. The cool thing about this event is that the contestants are selected and awarded for not just one specific science project, but for their overall creativity, personality, work, and potential in the scientific fields. It is truly a talent search, not just a science fair.

First things first, I've got to ask it: do you ever look at teenagers today and just feel kind of concerned? I mean, between constant texting and ridiculous outfits and awful language and atrocious facebook misspellings, do you worry that these are the leaders of tomorrow? I did . . . and hopefully won't ever have reason to worry about that again after this weekend. The kids competing at the Intel Science Talent Search were all top-tier, impressive, amazing youth--driven, ambitious, talented, articulate, creative . . . I will gladly submit to their rule when they have conquered the world someday. Our future is in good hands.

The event was held at the National Geographic Society in downtown DC--such a cool place to visit and wander through. I wish I'd had a little more time to spend sightseeing in the city . . . there's so much to check out!

The place was absolutely packed with reporters, contestants, and just the general public visiting to, you know, meet our future world leaders, nobel prize-winning scientists of the future, etc. No biggie.

Once we were in, we had the chance to talk with and get to know the contestants, and have them explain their projects to us. Each one had conducted a high-level, in-depth research project, and it was incredible to hear about the work that had gone into them, the originality and creativity in their thinking and research methods, and even just learn about them as individuals. I don't think there was a single student there who didn't impress me with how well-rounded and mature they seemed. They aren't just science kids or math kids--they were all so talented and bright across the board, from science to music to athletics to community service. Really awesome kids.

So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite projects from the Intel Science Talent Search:
This is Naomi . . . she did years of study on indoor air quality and lung funtion measurements, and even came up with a mathematical model and software application to quantify the impact of harmful pollutants found in indoor air.

She told me she was inspired to research this topic after watching family members suffer from year-round allergy symptoms that just didn't line up with traditional allergy seasons; she knew there must be something else going on, causing their symptoms and discomfort, apparent from the constant diagnosis of, 'it's just allergies.' Maybe someday, if we're breathing cleaner, better indoor air, we'll have her to thank!

I was also really intrigued by Raja Selvakumar's work . . . you're probably familiar with surgical robots that are used for stomach/intestinal surgeries, correct? Well, they run on lithium batteries, which can be a huge problem if they get loose in the body.

Never fear, Raja's got us covered. He's developing a fuel cell that can be used in these surgical nanorobots that is powered by your very own stomach bacteria. No battery required--just your own natural stomach acids and bacterias, powering a flipping robot. Amazing, right? (And talking with Raja was such a delight--he is so charming and funny. When he's not innovating fuel sources for nanorobots (!) he told me he is a black belt in martial arts and a major Jackie Chan fan. Amen, kid!)

And I can't leave out Sara Volz . . . she kind of laughed at me for wanting to take this picture, but can you see her earrings?

They're elements from the periodic table! I loved that the kids' creative sides shone through, even in picking their outfits. So many kids picked an accessory to represent their work, from a crayfish tie (worn by a young man who researched--and disproved--long-held ideas on crayfish habits) to star jewelry (worn by a young lady I'll get to in a minute here). Sara found ways to improve biofuel production made from . . . ready? . . . algae. I didn't even know that was a thing! Although algae can be used to create fuel, it hasn't been cost-effective in the past, and she figured out ways to increase the harvesting of algaes with high oil content and increase overall growth. So if a few years from now, you're filling up your car with fuel made from algae . . . think of Sara here!

Undoubtedly, a huge highlight of the event was running into a contestant from my own high school! Samantha Scibelli is a senior at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, where I graduated from however many years ago.

And let me tell you, we are not talking about a big high school in a high-population city here. Small-town, rural New York with a relatively small high school. So it was really exciting to see someone there from BH-BL! Go Samantha! (She's the one who wore star earrings . . . to match her study and classification of thousands of previously miscategorized stars!)

And even more exciting was running into this lady here . . .

My own high school chemistry teacher from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake high school! I'm glad she finally got a stellar student in Samantha who could show off her teaching skills in a large scale like the talent search . . . because she certainly didn't get that with me. It was so fun to run into her there with Samantha and catch up. I tell ya, I think the only reason I loved (and passed!) chemistry that year was because Mrs. Reals was such a fun teacher, not because I have any deep love for chemistry.

All in all, it was such a fun event to attend. I loved seeing all the kids' ingenuity and creativity--from biological studies to researching and improving cancer diagnosis/treatment to more everyday concerns like air quality and chemicals used in dry cleaning, they tackled a huge variety of topics and, I have no doubt, will make a huge impact on the scientific world someday. The winners of the Intel Science Talent Search will be announced on Tuesday, and I can't wait to see who will be winning those huge awards! I think our future is in great hands . . . no more worrying about Bieber fanatics and, ahem, creative spelling choices from today's teens--I'm just trusting these very talented Intel Science Talent Search kids to be the frontrunners of the future.

March 2013 Goals

2013-03-06T07:02:00.000-06:00

Since sharing my February goals seemed to keep me at least partially motivated, here we go for March!

I didn’t even come close to finishing my 1 big project from February, so I’m just going for multiple littler projects this time around. I desperately need to figure out some sort of jewelry storage solution (my current method is tossing everything on a shelf in my closet until they all transmogrify into an amorphous blob of tangled chains and lone earrings), and my family room walls have been very bare for a very long time, so it’s probably time I addressed that. Forrest’s room has had about a dozen tiny touch-up needs that I’ve ignored for, oh, 6 months, but would probably only take about 10 minutes each to complete. And it’s been such a while since I sewed . . . I don’t even have a particular project picked out, I just think I need to sew something this month.

So there we go! My goals for March. I’ll be back at the end of the month with a recap.

Do you have goals this month? Hit me.

New Spring Items + Sale!

2013-03-04T07:02:00.001-06:00

I mentioned the other day that I’ve been adding some new items recently to my Etsy shop for spring. I’ve had a lot of fun finding/writing new patterns that I think will carry your typically wintry crochet over into cooler weather. So here’s what I’ve got!

I always have fun crocheting headbands—so quick and adorable and fun to wear—so I added a few new headband styles for spring. Shop the Wavy Crown Headband, Big Leaf Headband, and Flower Headband (which technically isn’t a new product, but the cute pictures of my nieces wearing them are, so I’m counting it).

Chelsea suggested bow headbands, which sure seemed like a good idea. And in 3 bow sizes, to boot!

Shop Little Bow Headband (shown in pink), Medium Bow Headband (shown in blue), and Big Bow Headband (shown in cream).

I couldn’t leave hats out, plus a twist on an old favorite. My personal favorite? The ribbon hat. I love the idea of switching the ribbon out to match different outfits. I’ve worn it a lot so far . . . a whole lot.

Shop Butterfly Headwrap, Ribbon Newsboy, and Textured Newsboy.

My favorite spring item by a long shot, though, is this one:

A soft, romantic springtime wrap. I love that dusty rose color, I love the feminine ripple pattern, and I love that it can be worn in so many ways—a wide scarf, a shoulder wrap, or even belted to give it a drapey sweater look. I love it. I love it a lot. Find it HERE.

I have some ideas for more kids’ items, but an unwilling model makes me less than enthused about kids’ crochet at the moment. If I can recruit an adequately adorable neighbor child, or bribe the one I already have into modeling, I’ll see if any of those plans come to fruition.

In the meantime, I want you to celebrate my new spring designs with me with a sale! Use coupon code SPRINGFEVER for 20% off your purchase through March 15th! Click HERE to visit my shop and put it to good use!

What do you think of my new spring items? Anything you’d like to see added to the shop?

This week . . .

2013-03-01T07:02:00.000-06:00

(Photos from my Instagram.)

1. Lately, this little psycho has been about 1000% more pleasant than he was, say, 2 months ago.

I’m sure I have never, ever, in all my typing, ever given the impression that he is not the sweetest most perfect little angel nugget in the universe, because that would be shirking my most sacred and holy blogger responsibility of pretending he is the sweetest most perfect little angel nugget in the universe. Here’s the well-kept never-before-heard secret: he is not a very easy child. And although I’m not nearly optimistic enough to cross my fingers and wish upon a star that we might be nearing the end of the terrible twos, I’m enjoying the (possibly temporary) reprieve from the tantrums. Boy, can he sure be sweet and charming and kissable when he isn’t shouting. Such a little lovebug. If he could just cool his over-emotional toddler PMS jets a little more often . . .

2. Have I mentioned that I got bangs? The media must indeed be failing us if you haven’t already been alerted of this gripping, heartwarming, timely information on your local nightly news.

My hair has felt a little boring lately—not short enough to be a sassy fun short cut, but not long enough to be a pretty princess long look, and heaven knows I’m scared to death of dyeing it and can’t add anything interesting via the color highway. So I went with bangs instead. I’ve loved them. They add a little interest without being a huge commitment in terms of cut or color. Just a little sumpin to spice things up.

3. I spent a few hours (hooouuuuurrrrrsssss) last Sunday photographing all my most commonly used yarn colors and updating each of my Etsy shop listings with color options.

In days of yore (yore = before last Sunday), I hadn’t taken advantage of Etsy’s new-ish feature of adding drop-down menus to select options like size, color, etc. on each listing. So I finally took the time to update everything, and it should hopefully make ordering smoother and faster from here on out.

4. Speaking of crocheting and my shop, I’ve really been enjoying coming up with new items for spring. I was worried my shop’s gotten boring—I haven’t added anything new in ages, and although I enjoy making all my items, a little variety sure wouldn’t hurt. Once I get everything modeled and photographed, I’ll write a post about my new spring items, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of one new goodie I’m particularly excited about.

I don’t know which I like more—the awesome wavy pattern or the dusty rose color. Both are winners.

5. I know I’ve mentioned this recipe before—probably more than once, if my real-life habit of repeating tidbits of information dozens of times before people finally tell me to shut it carries over to blogging—but I really, really, really can’t get enough homemade Happy Joe’s Taco Pizza.

And I know what you’re thinking: “Be tacos or be pizza, don’t try to be both.” I’m usually annoyed by these conjoined Siamese twins food combos. But this is delicious, and the perfect fusion of 2 favorites. Try it. I love NewlyWoodwards’ recipe, which you can find right HERE.

Have a great weekend!

February Goal Review

2013-02-27T07:02:00.000-06:00

At the start of the month, I posted a few goals I set for February, hoping that the imminent embarrassment of having to publicly admit not completing them would be some motivation for me. It partially worked! Here are my grades for the month.

Bathroom vanity: big fat FAIL. I kind of considered doing it once or twice, then felt intimidated by the enormity of the project, and in the end didn’t even come close to taking a single step forward. Fail.

Clean craft room: success! That room is almost always a complete disaster, which is a shame, because that means I don’t want to go near it and purposely avoid a lot of projects I’d like to do because I don’t want to search through the mess and work in there. I was almost annoyed by how quickly it cleaned up—I’ve put it off for so long, and it didn’t even take that long to get it straightened up. Somehow it would have been better if it had taken hours.

Organize pantry: a low A . . . I got it done, but half-heartedly and only at the last minute.

Add 3 new items to shop: done and done! I’ll post about my new spring items soon.

3 blog posts per week: did it! I just wrote a rough calendar with post ideas for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I didn’t even really follow it that closely, but having a plan (even an unfollowed plan) helped.

Exercise 3 times/week: eh, sort of. Except for one week where I only managed one workout, I did it. Not terribly impressive, but it’s definitely a step up from my usual activity level. Thanks to Fitness Blender for all the free workout videos.

Go on 1 date: we went on two! Go us.

Read 4 books: did it! Here’s what I read . . .

Gathering Blue—so-so. I enjoyed it but wasn’t thrilled. Shutter Island—boo! I knew I wouldn’t like it, but hoped it would pull me out of a mediocre book slump, which it did, because I thought The Light Between Oceans was fantastic! Loved it. Still a bit undecided on The Demon King—I liked it, but wasn’t in love, but was interested enough to get started on the second in the series, so 3.5 stars out of 5, I guess?

1 fun activity per week with Forrest: partial credit for this one. I had been picturing craft projects or baking treats together or playing matching games or something . . . it ended up being more like ‘spending an hour at the play area in the mall’ and ‘woohoo, lunch at McDonald’s!’ Not the most interactive activities, but he definitely had fun at least once per week, so mission accomplished, I guess?

March goals coming soon.

Chalkboard Flower Pots

2013-02-25T07:02:00.000-06:00

My little old lady flowerpot cozy project made me a antsy for spring. Really antsy. And having a little greenery in my kitchen made me want a lot more greenery in there. So I decided to try my hand at growing some herbs. I fully expect to fail miserably in this endeavor. I cannot keep plants alive (or, incidentally, fish, as we discovered recently when Forrest’s 2 pet fish named ‘Shishie’ and ‘Shishie’ only survived a whopping 2 weeks), but darn it, I’m going to try. I love the idea of snipping fresh herbs right off my windowsill while I’m cooking dinner, so I’m giving it a go. And since my windowsill gets a lot of light and attention and I end up staring at it every night while I wash dishes, I tried to make the pots a little more pleasant, too.

I generally go for very low-effort home décor-ish type projects, and this one is certainly no exception. I just picked up a few clay small clay flowerpots and a can of chalkboard spray paint at the Walmarts.

Then gave them 2 coats of the chalkboard paint.

The can said to let the paint dry a full 24 hours before writing on it. Hm. I made it, like, 16 hours. Close enough. You’re supposed to completely cover the paint in chalk the first time, so go crazy.

Then wipe ‘em clean and label your pots! I planted mint, basil, and cilantro.

And I’m pleased to say the cilantro is growing! No signs of life from the mint and only the teensiest of sprouts that haven’t gotten any taller in the past week from the basil pot, but hey. 1 out of 3 isn’t bad. I’ll take it.

I think those pots are a little cuter than your standard clay pot, and I can re-label them when my plants inevitably die and need to be replaced. A little bit of cute greenery on my windowsill. I like it.

Vintage Book Tablet Covers

2013-02-22T08:52:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday! Today feels especially nice to me since I’ve woken up convinced it was Friday three days in a row now. It’s a sad, sad feeling to realize at 10 AM that it’s only Wednesday.

I wanted to share a cool product with you today . . . do you remember my talented mother Kathleen, the owner of the Bungalow Boutique in Heber, UT? It’s an adorable shop of contemporary furniture and home décor, stylish boutique clothing, and handmade treasures made by talented local artisans, and she’s recently branched into online services as well—her site BB Daily Deals offers weekly discounts on Bungalow Boutique items, and she has also opened an Etsy shop to showcase some of her own handmade goods.

One of her awesome handmade items that I think you’ll love? Tablet covers handcrafted from vintage books.

My mom has always loved the look of books from the 40s, 50s, and 60s (and good teacher that she is, passed it on to me as well), and she’s built up quite a collection of cute vintage books. And when I got myself a Kindle Fire recently (love it!), inspiration struck: why not use a cute vintage book to create a cover for it and other small tablets/ereaders? Keep the feel of a book in your hands and pay homage to awesome books of the past while enjoying the convenience of an ereader!

The spine of the cover has been carefully reinforced, and only archival quality glues and tapes have been used on the book and illustrations. All the book covers are in great condition, and a few of the pages and illustrations have been preserved and carefully applied to the inside covers, so you can still enjoy the old pictures, type, library stamps, etc. Elastic straps hold your ereader in place, and another strap on the left inside cover holds the book closed when you’re not using your tablet. And with many of the covers, you'll even receive the library pocket and checkout card that was inside the original book. Um, cool. Especially for a library lover like me.

I love the idea of using a vintage book while reading an ebook . . . a nice blending of past and present. And let’s be honest: those old books from the 50s are just dang cute.

Make sure to check the book measurements and compare to the size of your tablet/ereader when shopping—since each book is unique, the measurements are included in the listings, so make sure your tablet will be a perfect fit!

Hop over to the Bungalow Boutique on Etsy to shop for a cute vintage book tablet cover, and use coupon code MMDiscount1 for 25% off your purchase for the rest of the month of February!

Have a great weekend!

Granny Square Flower Pot Cozy

2013-02-20T02:00:00.001-06:00

This post brought to you by iBulb. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was first learning to crochet and spent hours browsing Ravelry for ideas and inspiration (which sure makes it sound like I no longer spend hours browsing Ravelry . . . not so), I noticed--and enjoyed many a giggle at the expense of--a funny crochet trend. Crocheters crochet everything. Whether it has a purpose or not, is useful or worthless, is pretty or ugly, or is just flat-out ridiculous, you can find a crocheted version of a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. Seriously. Anything. And I would laugh sometimes at the 'silly' things people crocheted--toilet paper? (a gag gift, I hope and pray) amigurumi poop? (for realsies--google it) male anatomy inspired lip gloss case? (don't look that one up . . . just take my word for it. yikes.). If you can dream it up, I swear to you, someone has crocheted it.

This project falls squarely under the heading of 'Crocheted Items I Once Might Have Laughed At But Now Embrace.' Because what early-crochet-days-Rachel didn't know, crocheter-Rachel-of-today now understands: crocheting brings joy, and calm, and peace, and plain old homey comfort. So why not crochet something just for the love of crocheting, even if it might seem a little silly to those who haven't seen the light? This may not be your most typical crocheted item, but it was a pleasure to make and the crochet goodness puts a smile on my face.

All this intro to say: I crocheted a flower pot cozy, and I'm not sorry.

When I got an offer to write a blog post about potted bulbs, I jumped at the chance. Everybody loves a little flowery goodness, and with spring still a distant (hopefully not too distant) dream, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring a touch of warmth into my life. These tulip bulbs will make a lovely Easter gift for a friend, and the little crocheted pot cozy adds a bit of handmade love, I hope. I love that the bulbs can be replanted later--a much longer-lasting gift than cut flowers. Perfect gift that can be held onto and treasured. And bonus points since potted bulbs are easy to find (I picked mine up at the grocery store, but you can find them also at flower shops, garden centers, home improvement stores, etc.).

I used my favorite color combo for my crocheted flower pot cozy: purple and green. These were my wedding colors, so although I love them together all the time, I've loved them even more since my wedding. I always try to include a little purple/green combo in my home decor somewhere, as a reminder of that day. (Awwwwwwwwgag.)

The cozy was easy and quick to pull together--I used scrap yarn from my stash and did just two rounds of a granny square (I haven't made a tutorial for these, but you can just google 'granny square tutorial' and find plenty of instructions and videos. Don't be intimidated by them--they aren't very difficult!).

Then I used more of the purple yarn to stitch them together by hand to form a circle. 7 squares was a perfect fit for my flower pot.

Then just slip it on your pot, and you're ready to give it away as a lovely springtime gift, or make it in colors to coordinate with your home to keep yourself. I'm excited to pass this flower pot along to a friend as an Easter present.

(I know this is far from my most detailed tutorial--if you have any questions about this project, I'm happy to help. Leave any questions in the comments or email me: maybematildaquilts [at] gmail.com)

For more bulb inspiration and ideas, visit the Dig Drop Done pinterest page.

Quick + Easy Spring Chain Cowl

2013-02-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Is the weather getting a little more bearable in your neck of the woods? It’s getting better here . . . we even ventured outdoors for a walk yesterday afternoon! Sure, we only made it a block and a half, and okay, we required warm cookies and many episodes of Dora while wrapped in blankets to warm back up afterwards, but still. The end of winter is in sight!

So when I got my hands on some of Lion Brand Yarn’s new Zpagetti yarn, I knew just what to do with it. Turn it into an easy-to-make, easy-to-wear, lightweight spring cowl that will keep me warm until we can make park visits for longer than 20 minutes, but won’t make me sweaty once the weather gets warmer. Perfect!

The Zpagetti yarn is way cool—it’s made from garment manufacturing remnants, so each colorway is limited edition and unique. And since it’s a super bulky elastic and cotton blend, it’s very sturdy and great for dozens of home décor projects. It has the feel of a smooth, comfortable jersey or knit fabric, and I thought it would make for a great, stylish transition piece to wear into warmer spring weather. I love how soft and comfortable and wearable it is, I was really impressed with the feel and stretch of it, and it was seriously fun to crochet with.

You could of course make this cowl with any bulky yarn, although that might make it better suited to chillier winter weather, depending on the fiber content. If the Zpagetti isn’t an option for you, perhaps you could even try your hand at making a similar version yourself with knit or jersey fabric. But I’m loving the Zpagetti. Fun stuff.

Although portions of this cowl use crochet stitches, you certainly don’t need to know how to crochet! All you really need to be able to do is make a chain and a slip stitch. The absolute most basic basics of crochet. So don’t worry if this is new to you—there’s nothing to be scared of here.

Start by making a slip knot around your crochet hook. I used an N hook because that’s the biggest size I own—the yarn actually recommends a Q hook (mega!). The N worked fine for me.

(If you need help making a slip knot, visit this link for a how-to.)

Now, you’re just going to start making chains. This is pretty simple stuff, and you’ll be flying once you get the hang of it. Just wrap a loop of yarn around your hook, like so:

(Make sure you’re grabbing the yarn that leads to the ball, not the tail dangling from your slip knot!)

Then just pull that loop straight down and through the loop that’s already on your hook.

That’s it! You’ve made a chain. Now just keep chaining.

Chain chain chain. (Bet you’ll never guess what song was stuck on repeat in my head while I worked on this.)

You’ll go on and on and on. When you’ve got a big ol’ pile of chained-up yarn, start testing the length by draping it around your neck. Make sure you’re keeping it loose enough that you can pull it straight on and off—the little button cuff on the finished product is purely for show, so you’ll need to keep it loose enough to just slip on and off.

(Butterfly removable hand tattoo courtesy of my sister and the Valentines she gave us last week. Think I should make it permanent?)

If it isn’t big enough, chain some more. When you’re happy with the look, just make sure you have enough chains on your hook to reach back to the starting end. If you need to, add a few more chains or pull a few out so they’ll reach nicely.

To connect the ends, you’ll use a slip stitch. With your hook still in the ending chain’s loop, just insert your hook through one of the loops of the first chain:

Then grab a loop of yarn, just like you’ve been doing all along:

And pull that loop straight through both of the loops on your hook.

That’s a slip stitch!

To finish it off, make one last chain:

Then snip the yarn a few inches out and pull the chain all the way through.

You’ve got your cowl all finished! Now, if this marks the far reaches of your crochet experience, you can just wrap some of your extra yarn around a side of the cowl to hold it all together and secure it while you wear it. But if you know how to make single crochets (or are willing to try it out), then let’s make the button cuff.

Start by making a slip knot and 6 chains.

Now just work 5 single crochets back across the row, starting in the second chain away from the hook. If you need more details on this, you can visit this tutorial of mine, or this great one from One Dog Woof.

When you reach the end of the row, chain 1, turn your work, and single crochet back across. Repeat.

Keep going until your rectangle is long enough for the ends to meet when wrapped around your cowl.

Then just slip stitch the ends of the rectangle together—insert your hook through a loop on each end of the rectangle, grab a loop of yarn, and pull it straight through. Slip stitch down the ends until your rectangle is fully closed, then fasten off just as you did when finishing the chain cowl.

Once again, you’re at a good stopping point! If you like the look of just that little cuff, leave it as is and proudly wear your cute new springy cowl!

I thought some little buttons would be the perfect way to finish it off. You can of course sew these buttons on—I was in no mood to search through my mess of a craft room for a needle and thread, and my hot glue gun just happened to be left out on the counter from an earlier project, sooooo . . . I just hot glued them on. As long as you keep the glue along the outer edges of the button so it doesn’t squelch up through the buttonholes, no one’s the wiser.

There you have it! A quick, easy, comfortable and lightweight spring cowl. I love the cheerful red color, I think the little button cuff is a fun finish, and I love the feel of the jersey-like yarn.

(With most crochet projects, you’ll want to weave in the ends of your yarn to hide and secure them. I didn’t have a needle large enough, so I just made sure all the ends were pulled as tight as I could make them, then cut the yarn off about 1/2 inch away from the knot, and hot glued the ends down.)

Yarn provided by Lion Brand Yarn.

A response to “Dear mom on the iPhone”

2013-02-16T10:29:00.001-06:00

On Friday, the Deseret News posted an article by Tonya Ferguson called Dear Mom on the iPhone. The author shared a letter-style article written to a mom at the park who checked her phone as her kids played. Ms. Ferguson informed this mom of all the sweet moments with her children she was missing or only engaging in halfheartedly while she placed most of her attention on her phone. She informed this mother that although she is sure her heart is in the right place, she needs to “put [her] eyes back on [her] prize” and stop showing her kids that “the phone is more important than they are,” because their childhood is passing quickly and (apparently) every moment not spent fixated on the children is a reminder of their unimportance in their mother’s life.

As I first started to read the article, I’ll admit to feeling the defensiveness of the damned. Why, just a few days ago I took my son to the park and planted myself on a bench to read a book while he played. Every few minutes, he’d come over to me and take my hand, and I’d stand ready to catch and ‘swoop’ him at the bottom of the slide or help him climb up a high step, then I’d head back to my bench and pick up my book and let him play on his own for a few more minutes. I felt a guilty prick as I read the article: was I really that terrible of a mother because I didn’t spend every moment at the park playing with him? Did he really feel he was unimportant to me simply because I brought a book to read while he played? Was I really teaching him that he was unloved or unworthy of my attention because I stole a few moments of playtime at the park to enjoy a moment of quiet with a book?

Then my guilt transformed into a feeling of annoyance, and different questions replaced my self-doubting ones: when will this judgment stop? When will we, as mothers, band together in love and support of each other instead of continuing to come up with an infinite number of ways to criticize others’ parenting style and choices? Why can’t we, as mothers and parents and women, trust that we are each doing our best, no matter how different that ‘best’ may look from one woman to the next? Why can’t we each be given the respect to make our own choices with our children, and not be made to feel like failures when we don’t all make identical choices?

My visit to the park with a book would surely have warranted the criticism of Ms. Ferguson. Because I heard my son “whee!”-ing his way down the slide and continued reading after only a quick glance up at him to say, “Good job!” Because after a few minutes of chasing and tickling him while he laughed and shouted in excitement, I told him, “Ok, have fun! Mommy’s going to sit down for a few minutes.” Because once or twice, when he came to take my hand and pull me up from my seat on the bench, I told him, “Go on and head down the slide! That looks like fun!” and chose to stay sitting with my book instead.

But what Ms. Ferguson doesn’t see is the rest of the picture. Every other moment of my—and the infamous ‘mom with the iPhone’s’—life. She is armed and ready to criticize us for our moment of quiet at the park, but what she doesn’t see are the meals enjoyed together, spent laughing and joking and talking about the day. She doesn’t see the game we played together before heading to the park, or the snuggling while we watched a movie together after we came home. She doesn’t see the book we read together before naptime, or the comfort we offered after a scary nightmare last night, or the ‘tickle monster’ attack when Daddy got home from work that day. She doesn’t see our tears as we question our choices or worry about our children or wonder if we’re doing a good job raising them. No, just the moment with the book or iPhone in the park is enough for her to decide that “the phone is more important than [the children] are.”

I want my children to know how precious they are to me. I want them to know that they are loved deeply and cherished and worried for and thought about and prayed for, and I do everything I can to make sure of it. But another important lesson that I want them to learn is that mom is a person, too. Just like them, Mom has her own needs and wants that might be different from theirs. I want them to know that the world does not revolve around their every whim and desire. I hope to teach them, perhaps, that mom could sure use a few minutes on the couch with her book to regain some energy to play with them more a little later, and that I have responsibilities and interests outside of their daily care. I want them to learn that I trust them to be able to entertain themselves, that I have confidence that they will be able to play on their own and have fun without Mommy’s constant interaction. I want them to see and know that just as they sometimes want a moment to play alone or watch TV or not participate in an activity that doesn’t look fun to them, Mom also sometimes needs a few quiet minutes or a chance to catch up on something she needs to do.

So, no, I do not feel guilty about reading my book in the park the other day. And I’ll do it again, gladly, because as important as my child is to me, I also value myself, my own wants and needs, the person that I was before I had a child and the person that I am today who, just like my son, also deserves nourishing and time and growth. I love my son and I make sure he knows it, and I do not believe that taking a few moments for myself detracts from that love in any way. In fact, I truly feel that I am a better mother after taking some time to focus on myself and meet my own wants and needs, and if that time for myself comes in the form of a few moments to read in the park or—gasp—to use my phone to text my sister or catch up on friends’ news on facebook, I will gladly embrace it. Sure, I might miss a few sweet moments here and there while taking time for myself, but the trade-off, for me, is worth it: I’ll be rejuvenated enough, renewed enough, and whole enough to appreciate more greatly the moments I am fully present for.

Now, I don’t mean for this post to just be a backlash to the “Mom on the iPhone” article. I have no doubt that Ms. Ferguson is a fabulous mother, and I hope that she didn’t intend her article to be a criticism of other moms and their need—which maybe she herself doesn’t feel—to take a moment for themselves amid the wildness that is a day with young children. I hoped that I could touch on something bigger, and could maybe start to reverse the idea that we, as mothers and women, somehow have the right to criticize each other, that we have the role and responsibility of making others’ decisions for them and deciding after a moment’s observation that we know what is best for someone else’s family and their children.

From now on, this will be my mantra: “I am doing my best. And so is she.”

I truly can’t think of a mother I know who does not appear to be doing her best with her children, who doesn’t value and cherish those little ones and make sure they know her feelings toward them. And I similarly can’t think of a mother who isn’t already acutely aware of her shortcomings and failures with her family, who doesn’t despair over the things she’s done poorly and try to improve them. I can’t think of a mother I know who would hear a parenting criticism from a stranger without thinking, “I already knew that, and I already feel badly about it.” We don’t need to criticize each other—we’re all doing a magnificent job of criticizing ourselves already.

Some moms’ best might include balancing a full-time job with motherhood—more power to them. Some moms’ best might involve homeschooling their children or planning elaborate Pinterest-worthy activities to educate and entertain them—good for them. Some moms’ best might mean frequent iPhone checks throughout the day to connect with family and friends to feel supported and loved and validated. We’re all doing our best, whatever that may look like. And I hope we can all start trusting that our ‘best’ doesn’t all have to look the same, and start doing each other the favor of respecting and supporting each others’ ‘best’ without feeling the need to criticize or look down on their choices and actions.

5 Crochet Blanket Patterns I Love

2013-02-15T12:29:00.001-06:00

I have a problem, and since it’s common knowledge that the first step to recovery is admitting the problem, here we go: *deep breath* I’m addicted to crocheting blankets.

This is probably not big news for you since I thrust them in your face every time I finish one and try to talk you into buying them. And frankly, it’s not an addiction I feel particularly compelled to fix, so there. I’ll just carry on. (Is denial a step in the recovery process?)

I’ve been wanting to make a throw blanket to toss on my living room couch (you can see this room HERE). This probably shouldn’t be all that big of a decision, but since I know it’ll take weeks or months to finish, I’d hate to put all that work into something and end up feeling anything less than wild passionate love toward it.

While I figure out what exactly I want to make, I’ve had my gray + white zig zag blanket on the couch. I love that blanket, and I do think it fits in pretty nicely, but it isn’t really big enough for the sofa (although I think it would be a great size for a chair), and I’m thinking zig zag blanket next to zig zag pillows might be a little much. So I thought I’d share some crochet blanket patterns I’ve been eyeing. I’m leaning towards a pattern that I can make in a solid color, but that has lots of great texture.

1. Summer Lace Afghan

This is currently the leader of the pack in my search for the perfect throw blanket. I love all the texture, I love that it looks comfy and cozy for winter but airy enough for spring and summer use, and I think it would fit in nicely in my living room. I love browsing the crochet tags on Instagram for inspiration, and I wish I could remember whose version of this blanket I saw there. It was amazing, and I’m glad it pushed me to look up the pattern (which is free, by the way—bonus!).

2. Chunky Cables Throw

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blanket before that made me more excited than this one at the thought of snuggling up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. (On second thought: keep your hot chocolate as far as possible from this gorgeous thing. I can only imagine the conniption I would have if someone spilled their hot cocoa all over it.) I think it’s bulkier than what I’m going for (I’d like a year-round, lighter-weight afghan), but would be so perfect and so homey and cozy during the fall and winter.

3. Zig Zag Afghan

This one is definitely not right for my room, but isn’t it cool? I love the sort of tribal look, and the colors they used are perfect. I’m not sure where it could fit in in my house . . . but I keep coming back to it anyway. Such a neat look.

4. One Skein Throw

I love the lightweight look of this one, and I bet it would be a breeze to work on and come together quickly. Although I’m having a bit of trouble believing you could really get a decent-sized throw out of just one skein . . . maybe a baby blanket, but a throw? I don’t know. Somebody try it out and change my doubting ways.

5. Spider and Cobwebs Throw

Although I’m having trouble getting over the horrific name of this blanket—not to mention the cheeseballs with a side of extra cheese photo—I have to admit that I actually do like this pattern. Breezy and airy with lots of great texture. I think it would be lovely in just about any color.

Crochet Dog Stuffies for Valentine’s Day

2013-02-13T10:24:00.001-06:00

I’m not all that into Valentine’s Day. I mean, it’s nice, and I always appreciate getting a card or candy or flowers or something, but my husband and I don’t typically make a big deal out of it. We went to Chili’s last weekend . . . that’ll probably count as our Valentine’s date. Chili’s! The ribs! The romance!

But now that we have this little boogerface stinking up our house, I kind of want to make it a fun day for him. So we’ll be spending today baking up Valentine’s goodies, and I can’t wait to give him his present tomorrow . . .

A little crochet puppy! He’s cute, huh? The sweater gets me. It gets me every time I look at him. Forrest is pretty into puppies (and kitties aka ‘titties’; yes, that’s right, titties) at the moment—his new favorite game is coming up to me while I’m on the couch, meowing or barking at me, then saying, “gent-oh? gent-oh?” (which is how we try to remind him to pet nicely, I think he thinks ‘gentle’ just means ‘pet’) and waiting to be petted or have his belly rubbed. It’s pretty sweet. I hope he likes his little puppy dog.

And I couldn’t resist showing him off to my sister ahead of time, and she liked him a lot, too, so guess what she is also getting tomorrow?

The girly version! I like this one even better than the one I made for my son. I like the colors better, and I did a better job with placing the facial features. I almost don’t want to give her away.

I used the Amigurumi Dog pattern from Lion Brand Yarn, and they were a cinch to work up. Relatively quick (although making all the separate pieces is kind of slow and tedious, I’ll admit), but overall a very simple pattern. I wasn’t crazy about the ears in the pattern, so I went for a more folded-over look instead. I like how they turned out.

A moody close-up. She’s pondering the state of the economy, or maybe thinking about something deep like . . . I don’t know . . . the poetry of . . . Ginsberg? (The only name that comes to mind . . . it’s early, I’m still waking up, cut me a break.)

I tossed up some listings in my shop for custom versions of these little puppies—you can find the boy puppy HERE and the lady puppy HERE, and message me for a discount if you plan to buy two or more! As always, feel free to play around the colors when you order . . . I’ve got a nice big yarn stash, just begging to be used in whatever creative color combos you come up with.

Did you make any Valentine’s gifts this year?

Living Room Tour + Gallery Wall Tips

2013-02-11T07:32:00.000-06:00

Remember how 6ish months ago, we bought our first home? And although it had great ‘bones’ and tons of potential, it was a bit of a mess when we moved in? (If you’d like, you can revisit the ‘before’ tour HERE.) Certainly not terrible, not much demolition involved, but very bland, very boring, very neglected and abused by previous owners, and very dirty and disgusting.

Well, we’ve worked hard, as I’m sure I’ve made abundantly clear by my near-constant complaining about it, but we really got burned out a few months in and have mostly taken the winter off from home renovations. And although I’ve had all sorts of great intentions to post in-progress and after pictures, there is no after in sight, not to mention that it’s rarely to never clean enough for an unembarrassing in-progress picture.

But I figured I’d put on my big girl panties and tidy up one room today so I could start a proper tour. (I’d like you to know that besides the typical household/toddler clutter, I found two cars, one firetruck, and one Christmas countdown block hidden in the couch. Like, wedged into cushions and under pillows. My son is a scavenger and a packrat and displays many early hoarder warning signs.) To start out my house tour, I picked the room that is seen the most by outsiders anyway and is thusly the most finished room in the house. Gotta impress the neighbors, duh.

I wanted to keep this room kind of soft and subtle, but still welcoming and cozy. So hopefully the above picture made you think, “My, that room is soft and subtle, but I’m really getting some welcoming and cozy vibes.”

The rug makes the occasional appearance in Instagram pictures, and I almost always get a question about it. You can find it HERE on Overstock. It is actually an outdoor rug, which I was a little worried about—would it feel scratchy or uncomfortable or plasticky or something? But no, I’ve been very happy with it. It seems that outdoor rugs are much more affordable than most indoor ones, but it’s plenty soft and comfortable for bare feet inside. It definitely isn’t fluffy like some indoor rugs—it’s a tight, dense weave—but I have zero complaints and wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again.

I sewed the pillows on the couch and chairs, and just yesterday picked up two new pillows for under $10 each at Ross to toss on the window seat.

And although no one ever sits and reads there, I made sure to set a book out to make sure you picture me serenely reading and pondering while snow falls gently outside, maybe sipping hot cocoa with a dog sleeping at my feet. This has never happened. But it makes for a nice mental scene, doesn’t it?

And as long as it’s clean and straightened up in here, I really enjoy the view as I come down the stairs in the morning. I love the blue and green accents, and I love how they look against the silvery wall color. I like how the natural accents (like the wicker chairs and burlap lampshades and twiggy vignette on the side table) keep it looking kind of cozy and homey and comfortable.

Now, I always seem to get comments from friends and visitors on the photo gallery wall (which secretly thrills me to no end, because I feel like a really good gallery wall can be kind of hard to achieve). So, I’ll give you a few details on it.

I spent lots of time looking up and comparing different gallery walls, and here’s what I decided my preferences are:

1. I like gallery walls to be more or less symmetrical. Not perfect, and not a grid, but I do like them to have a sense of order and shape and symmetry. (For instance, on mine, it is roughly rectangular instead of a big frame blob; the edges are more or less straight/grid-like; and the frames meet and connect pretty well without any big gaps or spaces between, or random frame outliers that don’t fit in and make sense with the overall shape.)

2. I like the frames to be close together. I see a lot of gallery walls with bigger spaces between the frames—personally, I think anything more than, say, 3 inches makes it look kind of haphazard and unplanned.

3. I like the pictures to have a theme—same/similar frames, same/similar photo coloring (like all black and white shots, or all prints from the same photo session, or at least photos with similar colors/editing). I purposely planned our outfits in these pictures to match the décor, and tossed in coordinating scrapbook papers in two frames for a little subtle variety and texture.

4. I think they should be hung low on the wall. A decorating pet peeve of mine is when art/photos/mirrors/etc. are hung too high on a wall. Who wants to have to crane their neck and tip their head back to look at your family pictures? Have you ever been in a house with photos or art hung just a few inches from the ceiling? I have, and I’ve got to say, I think that looks a bit silly. Art has no business being almost at the roofline. According to my interior designer mom, wall art should be hung at eye level.

Here is my gallery wall setup:

All the frames are Virserum frames from Ikea—I purchased them months ago, so I could be remembering wrong, but I think that I spent something like $70 for all of the frames. You really can’t beat Ikea’s frame prices.

Now, just for before and after purposes, and because it makes me so happy to know that we made this house not look like this anymore, here’s the living room when we moved in:

Very bland, very boring, very carpeted (do you see the windowseat on the far left? Even it was carpeted!), and, although this photo is not a scratch-n-sniff so you’ll just have to take my word for it, very stinky. I think our changes are a definite improvement. And check out the view through the front door when we bought the house:

Compared to the view from the front door today:

Much better.

For other home progress posts, you can check out the kitchen renovation and the staircase makeover. And I’ll work on getting the rest of the house in presentable condition.

February 2013 Goals

2013-02-08T07:32:00.000-06:00

Want to know a secret? I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. It’s seriously been years since I sat down and thought up goals for a new year and wrote them down and actually intended to keep them. I gave up on them when I realized a few years back that in my lifespan of 20-some years of making goals for each year, I had never once kept a single one of them. Nary a one. Kind of puts a damper on your goal-setting spirit to know that there’s not a chance in hell any of them will actually come to pass, don’t you think?

So I thought I’d try something else, inspired by some blog friends who do a monthly goal post. I really enjoy seeing what they plan to do each month, and then tuning in a few weeks later to see what they accomplished and how things turned out. Since I’ve proven to myself time and time again that yearly goals are sooooo beyond my capabilities, I’m just going to make and try to tackle goals on a monthly basis. And I skipped January, because really, making January goals? Totally overdone. So mainstream. Over it. (More like we all had the flu in January and my main goal was no puking on the carpet. Check and check, off to a rip-roaring start in ‘13!)

I think these are do-able. I guess we’ll find out come the end of the month. It’s going to be embarrassing when I have to admit to completing none of them, eh? And I suppose if I were really on top of things, I would have posted this on the first of the month and not, oh, the eighth, but it took me 6, count ‘em, 6 tries just now to spell ‘eighth’ correctly, so I’m clearly not firing on all cylinders.

I’ll recap at the end of the month to see how I did. Do you have any goals for February? Lay ‘em on me, maybe we can keep each other motivated.