Ballet Shoes and Yarn and Hooks and Books.

Linky Party Going on Now on My Other Blog

2011-01-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Come link up your awesome posts!!! :) LittleEme.blogspot.com

Come visit me at my new/other blog! New Tute and FREE Pattern today.

2010-12-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Little Eme

AHOY there!!

2010-12-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

Pirate Pj's on my other blog!! Little Eme

Ever wondered how to make a SIX pointed snowflake?

2010-12-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

Tutorial on my new blog: Little Eme; a photo blog of the things I make.

Come join me on my other blog.

2010-12-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peak of todays post:

LittleEme.blogspot.com

This poor little blog...

2010-11-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

I've kind of abandoned her in favor of this one: littleeme.blogspot.com.

Little Eme is my company name, so I decided to start blogging there instead. Please feel free to join me there... There's a new post today featuring this sweet little bunny:

Come join us!! :)

I've been cooking again...

2010-07-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

This time it was no-bake cookies. I (of course) adapted it mostly because the recipe called for milk and butter, of which I cannot eat. But, I also added more chocolate and peanut butter.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL NO-BAKE COOKIES

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco (Yes, I know how bad it is for you but when you can't have butter, you do what you have to do.)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
3/4 cup peanut butter

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil for one full minute.
Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter (optional), vanilla and oatmeal.

Drop by spoonful onto wax paper. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

They turned out great, satisfied my craving to cook them (because, yes, I was craving the cooking part) and bonus!! I stumbled upon a dessert that my husband actually likes!! Ha!!

No Fail French Bread

2010-07-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

I tried (and tweaked) this recipe yesterday. It make really good bread and is SUPER easy. The best part? I started it at 4:30 and IT WAS DONE BY 6:00!! Well, a few minutes after 6:00, but still!! Fresh homemade YEAST bread in an hour and half!?
UNHEARD OF!! At least by me. Until now. So, here is the recipe:

In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid) mix:

2 cups very hot water

2 T honey

1 T salt

1/3 cup oil

In a small bowl mix:

½ c warm water

1 T honey

2 T yeast

Add 3 cups flour to large bowl (or your Kitchen Aid) and mix well. Add small bowl and 3 to 4 more cups flour. Mix until smooth and you have a cohesive ball of dough. Leave the dough in the Kitchen Aid (if you are using one) and mix every 10 minutes for an hour or knead every 10 minutes for 1 hour. Divide and shape into loaves. (You don't need to let it rise again!) Bake at 350’ for 35 minutes.

Try not to eat all of it at once. ;)

The Fourth.

2010-07-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all.

I know it's been a long time. I've made stuff; Ive done stuff, but I've had no camera to document all the stuff with! :(

Guess what?!

We FOUND the camera!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, hopefully, we will now return to our regularly scheduled blogging. :)

Please enjoy these sweet pics of Eme enjoying the fourth. (Taken by his fabulous photographer-uncle, Nate of Caulford Photography.)

p.s. Perspective makes it seem as though I am a crazy mother who is allowing her six month old to hold fire. That IS NOT the case. I swear Eme is NOT holding the sparkler. It is NO WHERE near his hand even. It just looks like it.

p.s.s. Eme LOVES fireworks!!!

Baby Mamas (Put a Sling On 'Em)

2010-05-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my. I'm a babywearing fool and I LOVED this.

Honestly, I laughed so hard!

I use a (fake- read fabric from Joann's) Moby. It is the best, most used "baby" item I have. I wear him at home when I'm trying to get stuff done (the rest of the time I usually just hold him.) But when we're out and about, he is ALWAYS in it. To the point that friends say, "I've NEVER seen him." Because he is often asleep and therefore mostly covered. Haha. What can I say? He's happy in it and I'm happy to have him in it.

I could go on and on about it, but I'll save it and just say, if you have a babe, you NEED this.

Emerson's Birth Story

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be sharing our story over at The Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts!
Guess what? I had him naturally. Head on over for the details! :)

Special thanks to Jenny for allowing me to participate!

I better watch out, my nerd is showing.

2010-05-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a wonderful weekend.

On Saturday, Dave (that's the hubster), Eme and I went to a friend's moving sale. Mostly to say goodbye before they leave for med-school in Iowa. But. I got a AWESOME table so that I can cut my fabrics without crawling around on the floor. YAY!!! For $15 bucks no less! It is SUPER solid too. It was quite exciting for me. I'll post some pics as soon as I find the lost camera.

In the evening Dave took me out to the same friend's parent's Japanese restaurant. Oh man, was it good. We had sushi and tempura. Which it pretty much the best meal ever in my opinion.

This morning, Dave surprised me with a book that I have been mooning over for TWO years. It's a first edition, signed copy of "The Great Conspiracy" published in... are you ready?... 1887.

Awesome. It has newspaper clippings all through out the book from then too. I am so excited about it. See, I'm kind of a book nerd.

This book is about the civil war. I can hardly wait to read it. Gotta get some latex gloves to wear while handling it. I'm so excited about it!! :) And now I've said that twice.

I hope your Mother's Day Weekend was as exciting for you in your own way as mine was for me!! :)

Happy Mother's Day to all.

Anyone seen my camera??

2010-05-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

If you have, please tell it to come home IMMEDIATELY!!

Please use your best "mom" voice to convince it that I mean business.

Thank you.

Do Not Disturb

2010-05-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

I have all kinds of plans for different projects. I even have the materials bought and ready. Life sure has been getting in the way lately. Though I wouldn't change it either. My little bud needs me right now. In a few years he's gonna be begging me to find something else to do and all I'll want to do is hug him and be allowed in his life. So for now, my crafts can wait; so can the dishes. I'm lovin' my bud and that is enough.

Poor Baby!

2010-05-06T01:25:00.000-07:00

My little guy has pink eye! :( I have no idea how he got it. One minute he was fine. The next his eye was pouring out goop. And it really was that fast. He's been so sad about it. But it is getting better. Hopefully he's feeling better tomorrow, even if it's not completely healed yet. :(

I feel so badly about it. I know it's not my fault. But, I still feel responsible. I should have kept him safe! I shouldn't have let those yucky germs anywhere near his sweet blue eyes. But they got there! Stupid germs. It is completely ridiculous that I'm feeling ashamed for letting him get it. (Because really, I didn't let him get it.) But there it is. O-well. He'll be good soon. Wish I could find my camera so that I could post a pick... not of the pink eye, just a cute one of him. He's getting so big!

If you are interested...

2010-05-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

I'll be sharing my birthstory in a few days over at The Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts. It's a lovely little blog.

I'll tell you when! :)

Some thoughts on dreams.

2010-05-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

The lights a low and Eme's sound asleep. I've been very pensive and melancholy today because I dreamed a lot last night and remembered them. Which is weird because I very rarely remember dreams. In every one of them I was either dead or dying (mostly of cancer.) I was horribly upset in the dreams because I wasn't going to get to raise my children and because they wouldn't know or remember me.

I woke up early and kind of upset. I actually laid in bed for another hour and thought while my babe slept all curled up next to me. I thought about what I would do if I really was dying. How I would say goodbye to my husband. What I would do to try and get him "ready" for that day. How I would hug and hold my sweet little guy one last time and hope that it would be enough to last for the rest of his life. What I would try to leave behind so that he could in someway know me, from me, and not just by what his daddy, family and friends told him.

It's affected me all day. Now, as far as I know, I'm totally healthy and I will live to bare this babe some siblings and live far into his future. But, what if I don't? I would hope that other's would love him for me and teach him about his mom that loves him so much and is certainly watching from the other side. And, I know that my family would.

But if something was to happen to me, I would want to "leave something behind" that was just for him from me. Something to help guide him through his life. A piece of me. Is it weird that I feel like I want and should do something in response to these dreams? I have no idea why on earth this was what my dreams were about.

No good, Horrible few weeks.

2010-05-01T00:22:00.000-07:00

So. I haven't written in a while... Oh, you noticed? Sorry. Eme had some tummy troubles and then I've been in a funk for a good while. Our ward has been dissolved. We now have to go to our home wards. I might have cried. A lot. For days.

I'm doing somewhat better now. But obviously, I haven't been. Our ward was just so wonderful. It was a married student ward, so we were around the same age and stage of life. Now we have to go back to a ward that we've been to before. A ward that my husband grew up in. The same ward as my parent's in law. A ward that did not welcome us when we were a part of it before. And so, I've cried.

It is looking like one of my friends might be in the ward, so I'm crossing my fingers that that is the case and if so, sticking close by her.

Is anyone else as ridculously excited about...

2010-04-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

GLEEEEEEEE as I am? 'Cause I'm about at loose-my-head-crazy excited! :)

OMHECK!!!!

2010-04-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

EEEEE!! I was featured over at V and Co.! Thanks V!

There were a TON of sweet projects. Go check 'em out.

This is the story of my Epic Fail.

2010-04-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the hubster's birthday.
I decided to make him a cake.
You know, because it's his birthday.
It's what you do for birthdays.
So I got to work, whipped up a yummy tasting batter and put it in the oven.
The minutes ticked by; I watch it closely.
I pulled it out right as it was springing back from my touch.
It looked awesome.
Then it started to cool.
And deflate.
"WHY???" I cried in despair!
Then I had a vision of the instructions.
It said to sift the baking soda and flour together.
BAKING SODA!!!!!
Aww NUTs.

2010-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today (and tomorrow)...

2010-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm watching this:

Yup. It's general conference weekend AND Easter! :) Here's a link if you're interested.

Hey all, it's that time again...

2010-04-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's time for Friday Follow!!! :)

If you're new around here, Welcome!

I'm a new stay-at-home mom that likes to crochet, cook, read, sew and dance... Really those are just a few things I enjoy, but those are mostly what I blog about. come on in and look around! :)

Can I tell you what really irks me?

2010-04-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Two things. One is when Blogger LOOSES an almost finished post. Freaking TWICE.
The other is this:
Today one of my friends (Jessica Kettle of Jessica Kettle Photography) found out that an Etsy seller (Bridal Bliss Designs- DON'T work with her) had stolen a bunch of her pictures and ~~was~~ is using them to sell knock offs of the dress that her client (also a friend of mine) had designed and made with her mom for her wedding. She cropped out Jess's watermark too.

WHAT A LYING THIEF!!

Sorry for the rant, but this has my knickers is a bit of a twist! Jess is sweet and cute. And majorly hysterical. In both her writing and life. She is an incredibly talented photographer. I love her and her work.

Here is a picture that she took from my little brother's wedding:

Beautiful huh? You can see the rest of my bro's wedding here and here.

A few new hats.

2010-03-31T01:42:00.000-07:00

Here are two hats I finished last week:

Isn't the button pretty?

I call this one the Goldie Bear, after the little miss it was made for.

Another Polar Bear hat... This one made for and sent off to Alison, the giveaway winner.

I'm working on a Pink Polar Bear hat order and then I think I'm gonna make a bunny for the Little Mister to wear on Easter.

Yup, I'll have plenty of embarassing pics when Em's a teenager. ;)

New Header

2010-03-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, me and photoshop had a date... What do you think of our photo/header love child?

I think it's ok, but I'm not quite convinced yet. We'll see how I feel about it in a few days.

Since I've been on vacation I haven't done a whole lot of creating. I've made several of the same hats, but I haven't created anything new. I'm feelin' kinda itchy to make something new.

Guess I better get on that.

Oh. And I've sort-of opened up an Etsy shop, but I've only listed the Koala Hat so far. Kind of as a test. I'll get the rest up soon, and then we can have a grand opening party! :) It'll be fun; you're all invited.

Please excuse the mess...

2010-03-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

I'm doin' a little spring cleaning. :)

Mickey Hats

2010-03-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

These are my nephews wearing a Mickey version of my hat. I heart Brady's cheesey grin!

Guess where I've been?

2010-03-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a hint:

My parents took all of us. It was awesome.

And the winner is...

2010-03-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Alison!

Who said:

"I'm a follower of Ballet Shoes and Yarn and Hooks and Books!

I'd LOVE to win the polar bear hat in blue for my second surrogate son who is due in June. :D

THANK YOU!!"

Congrats Allison!! I'ma email you in just a minute!

Thank you all for entering! And Extra Super Thanks to Helena for hosting!!! For those of you that didn't win, have no fear! I have decided that I AM going to open up a shop. It's gonna be a few weeks, but it's in the works. Until then, if you need something made, just email me or comment and we can work it out!

Thanks for your support! :)

I know who won-un.

2010-03-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

But I'm not telling 'til 6:00 EST.

I said that in a sing-sony voice, just so you know. ;)

Exciting news!

2010-03-19T02:29:00.000-07:00

At least in my mind... I made a button!

You can grab it if you'd like. It's on the side bar --->.

Grab it and enjoy. :)

Friday Follow :)

2010-03-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all.

Last Chance!

2010-03-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Giveaway ends tonight!!

If you haven't headed over to Life in the Pitts yet, you had better go now before you miss out!

Good Luck to all!! :)

Giveaway!

2010-03-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little late getting this up this morning. Sorry about that... but Eme and I just woke up. And yes, I know it's 11:40. Our schedule is a little funny. We usually stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning and then sleep 'til, well, around now. So anyway!!! On to the GIVEAWAY! Helena, over at Life in the Pitts is hosting it.

I will be giving away one of these:

It's your choice which one you want me to make for you! And, since I'm making it for you, that means it can be what ever size you need it to be. Happy day!

All you need to do to win is become a follower here, then head on over to Life in the Pitts.
and tell her which hat you'd like! That's it!

Now, if you'd like more entries you can:

Tell others about the Giveaway. Facebook, Twitter, Blog (3 entries), etc. Then leave a comment telling us what you did! (with a link). This is completely optional.

The Giveaway will end Thursday night, at 11:59pm Mountain Standard Time.

Goodluck!

p.s. This also happens to be my 50th post... ;)

I have a fun secret...

2010-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm doing my FIRST EVER giveaway.

It starts tomorrow!

And is being hosted here.

What am I giving away you ask?

Well it just MIGHT be a hat. If you want a sneaky peeky, head over to Life in the Pitts.

Check back tomorrow to join in the fun!

And feel free to tell your friends.

Weird...

2010-03-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

Lately, as I am out shopping, people double take me and then ask if I'm carrying a stuffed animal?? Yeah. Cause I'm that kind of crazy. I'm so nuts, I strap a stuffed animal to my chest. One person came running up to me thinking I was carrying a cat! That would have been the freakiest (green headed, FIVE eared) cat that I had ever seen. At least once they realize I'm actually carrying a BABY they say they like my hats. Haha.

Yup, Joining in the fun again. :)

2010-03-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hmm... Maybe this is why I love performing.

2010-03-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

"When you perform...you are out of yourself - larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours nightly." -Agnes De Mille

I think this is the best discription of how I feel when I'm performing that I've ever heard.

What to do, what to do...

2010-03-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've had a lot of feed back here on the blog (and from random strangers at Walmart) that I should be selling my hats and whatnots. And I think I want to.

But I'm nervous.

I've gone to the 'register to be a seller' page on Etsy like fifty times.

Then I just stare at it.

And do nothing. Well, nothing but stare.

It feels like this huge step and what if?... What if my product isn't as cool and cute as I think it might be? How do I effectively market so that people will actually SEE my stuff? 'Cause there's a lot of people selling. What if people think my stuff is cute, but not cute enough to actually invest? What if they think it's crap?

*Sigh*. And so, I stare.

Then I make another hat for Eme. And don't waste my time worrying that he's gonna reject my stuff.

'Cause he won't... At least not for a few years yet.

Have any of you 'taken the plunge'? Any words of wisdom or encouragement?

Participating in...

2010-03-08T02:17:00.000-08:00

So, boo.

2010-03-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

I forgot to take a picture of the blanket I made to match the pink polar bear hat. Sorry guys, you'll just have to imagine the sweetness. And the sweetness was great. I can hardly wait 'til Andrea has her Little Miss! I'll see about getting a picture of her in it.

Two more...

2010-03-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

These ones are polar bears. The pink one is going to a friend tomorrow (hopefully along with a blanket in the same colors... gotta get it done!) for her baby shower, the blue one is for Eme.

I have puppy, kitty and bunny hats in the works! :) Oo. And a different dinosaur one too! I'm having fun with these, can you tell? ;)

It's Friday..

2010-03-05T00:39:00.000-08:00

Time check out and follow a few blogs! :) Welcome, come on in and look around!

Hehe. Dinosaur Hat.

2010-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

I've been busy. :)

LOVE the tongue!

Here's a side view.

What do you think?

Sharing a few projects

2010-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

I.Think. I'm. In. LOVE.

2010-03-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

With the hat.

I fell for the child a long time ago! The cuteness of this hat just might kill me. Kill me dead I tell you. It took us a little while to figure out what kind of ears they are, but, now we know, they are koala ears! Seriously, I love how this hat turned out.
Don't you agree?

I'm a dancer.

2010-03-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

The small child at dancing class may never become a professional dancer - but the courtesies and disciplines, as well as the joy in movement, will touch her forever.
-Helen Thomson 1943

I'm a dancer. Even though I rarely get to dance anymore I still identify myself as such. As in, when people ask me to describe myself, I lead with "I dance..." I'm not a pro (my boobs pretty much guaranteed that I wouldn't be - I developed big and early, even though I was a stick) but, like this quote says, it touched me forever. There are few things I love more.

Mittens, Hat and Blanket Set for Nora

2010-03-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

So, I was able to get the blanket done in time! Barely. As in, I finished it during the shower. And I didn't get them wrapped. Haha. O-well. But here are the pics of the whole set. (You've already seen the hat and mittens in action... thanks for modeling Eme!) Enjoy.

(I have another hat in the works at the moment... it's almost done. It has ears. And a chin strap.)

Quote

2010-02-28T15:50:00.001-08:00

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong. --Lao-Tzu

Also joining in with this one! :)

2010-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome one and all!

p.s. I totally messed up when I was adding my link to this Friday follow- Sorry! But at least you made it right? ;)

Joining in the fun again. :)

2010-02-26T00:58:00.000-08:00

One skein.

2010-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

This is what I ended up with after winding this yarn into a ball(s). Don't you hate it when the skein is all messed up? I do. Besides the three balls you see, there is also a knot in the middle of the medium sized one and three other major blemishes in the big one. I'm going to attempt making a baby blanket with the largest one... we'll see how it turns out.

In other news, I was able to get a hat and mittens set finished yesterday. Good thing too, I need the whole set (blanket included) done by tomorrow night! I'll be giving them to my sister-in-law at her baby shower on Saturday.

Here's Emerson modeling a sneak peek of the mittens and hat set:

Can you tell I really like this green yarn? I think it works well for a boy OR a girl, depending on the colors you pair it with.

I'll share the blanket as soon as I'm done. It's gonna be the yellowy cream above and the charcol gray contrast color in the mittens and hat set.

p.s. Do you like the ear flaps? I do. Super easy to add to the origional hat pattern. I'll share later. :)

I do, I do, like green poop and ham?

2010-02-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, no ham really, but, as a crafter/reader/blogger do you ever feel guilty for not crafting/reading/blogging? I do. 'Cause I have all these plans and then life happens and I end up not being able to devote the time that I want to to my craft. Poor Eme has had an upset tummy for a little over three weeks now and because of that wants to be held a lot. And bounced a lot. And NOT sleep a lot (at least during the day.)

Last Friday I was VERY flustered by the time my husband got home. Like, flustered to the point of tears flustered. I had all these things that I had planned to do and had gotten NONE of them done. Plus, after two and a half weeks of going milk free and CHOCOLATE free M's poop (yes, I'm gonna talk about his poop- if you're not a mom, sorry; if you are a mom, I know you totally get it) was still green. The only other thing I could think of that I had had everyday was wheat. I went from flustered to depressed VERY quickly. Wheat is in EVERYTHING. And, I was freaking out. No bread. No cookies. No marinades. No SOUP!! (Those that know me, know I heart soup. ) Or at least thickened soups... So I can still have pho. I can't even have soy sauce!

So, I have been wheat AND dairy free since last Saturday night. Guess what?! His poop was yellow again all day yesterday!! Maybe I was getting some milk in there for the first almost three weeks? Or maybe he's allergic to both? I guess we'll see as time goes on and as the doc figures it out. Oh. We went to the doctor's yesterday- I hadn't mentioned that.

Hopefully, he'll be right as rain soon and I can get the things that I want and need to be getting done. (Like the baby shower present for my sister-in-law.) Until then, I've realized that it is more important to tend to him and not be upset if I can't do all that I want to. He's only gonna be a baby once and I need to enjoy it. (And I am!!! Oh so much!) Green poop and all. :)

Lookit my lovelies

2010-02-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

Aren't they pretty? I'm going to attempt a quilt for my little bud. Wish me luck...

This is a fun idea.

2010-02-19T14:12:00.001-08:00

It's Follow me Friday over at Trendy Treehouse. I've found a few cute blogs to follow too! I heart finding new blogs to stalk. :) Check it out:

(Blush) I was featured!

2010-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Helena over at Life in the Pitts liked my Sweet Newborn Hat and Mittens Set and included them in this post! How awesome is that?! I'm pretty excited at the moment! And yes, I realize that I have ended every sentence with an apostrophe, but gimme a break people, I've never been featured before! It's an exciting moment in life for me! Ok. Now the apostrophes are getting out of hand. I'll stop. Anyhow. Go check her out. She has a fun "life" blog. "Life" meaning that she not only blogs about crafts or recipes or any one thing, she shares some awesome commentary on her Life (in the Pitts(burg)). Thanks for making my day Helena! :)

I'm Linkin' Up Again.

2010-02-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

Also, I'm working on an awesome nursing dress. I'll share when I'm done. It just might become my first tutorial! We'll see how it turns out.

I'm linkin' up!

2010-02-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

On a mission.

2010-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Eme LOVES to be swaddled. Loves. It. However, he is also a wiggler and therefore, eventually wiggles out of his swaddle. And then smacks himself in the face. Which inevitably wakes him up. ('Cause who wouldn't wake up after being hit in the face?) So, I'm on a mission to make a better swaddler. I'll share when I'm done. Loves!

I figured it out! Here is the Newborn Hat and Mittens Pattern:

2010-02-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

Newborn Hat
Yarn used: Homespun by Lion Brand
Size H hook

row 1: ch 4, join last ch to 1st.
row 2: ch 2, sc in ea st around,join with sl st (5)
row 3: ch 2, 2 sc in ea st around, join with sl st (11)
row 4: ch 2, sc in ea st around, join with sl st
row 5: ch 2, 2 sc in ea st around, join with sl st (22)
row 6: ch 2, sc in ea st around, join with sl st
row 7: ch 1, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next, repeat around, join with sl st (35)
row 8: ch 1, dc 1, sc in next 4 st, repeat around, join with sl st (29)
row 9: ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (30)
row 10: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st
row 11: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st
row 12: ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (31)
row 13: ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (32)
row 14: ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (33)
row 15: ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (34)
row 16; ch 1, sc in 1st st, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (35)
Tie off, weave in ends.

Infant Mittens
Yarn used: Homespun by Lion Brand
Size H hook

row 1: Magic circle 5 sc
row 2: ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, join with sl st (10)
row 3: ch 1, 2 sc in ea st around, join with sl st (20)
row 4: ch 1, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 st, repeat around, join with sl st (25)
row 5: ch 1, dc 1, sc next 3 st, repeat around, join with sl st (20)
row 6: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (20)
row 7: ch 1, dc 1, sc 2, repeat around, join with sl st (15)
row 8: ch 1, dc 1, sc 3, repeat around, join with sl st (12)
row 9: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (12)
row 10: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st (12)
row 11: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (12)
row 12: ch 1, sc in ea st around, join with sl st (12)
tie off, weave in ends

Tie

Ch 50, tie off, weave into double crochet.

I gave my baby a tattoo...

2010-02-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, not really. I made him a Valentine's shirt. Of course I'm his Valentine.

Here's a close up of the "tattoo". Also, of all the pictures, it is the truest to the real life color.

The shirt is a nice, dark navy that in it's past life was a man's XL t-shirt. I recycled. I used this tutorial from Made. You could also make it with a onesie (get one at the dollar store!) or a purchased t-shirt. Then I cut out the heart (also from an old t-shirt) and just eyeballed the embroidery. I "heart" how it turned out!

Sweet Newborn Hat and Mittens

2010-02-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

So, these are obviously NOT for Eme. 'Cause boys don't wear flowers! I made them a friend's new baby girl. I like how they turned out. I'd share the pattern (it's mine), but for some reason I can't copy and paste it from word. If'n I can figure it out, I'll share. But for now enjoy the picture. :)

My Newest Favorite Person

2010-02-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

This is Emerson Graham:

Isn't he the sweetest?

I just ordered this picture BIG.

As in 16x20 big.

Can't wait to see it tomorrow.

I put it in B&W too.

Which do you like better?

He has my feet. :)

And. He's sleepin' on my chest right now.
I know you're jealous.

Possibly the BEST Icing EVER.

2010-02-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe for Italian Buttercream. Got it from the "Baking at Home With the Culinary Institute of America" cookbook.

It. Is. Divine.

Really. The next time you make a cake you NEED to frost it with this icing. You can thank me later.

Ingredients:

1 recipe Italian Meringue (Recipe to follow.)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter (Hey, I didn't say low fat, just worth it.) diced, at room temp.
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Just before you are ready to make the butter cream, prepare the Italian meringue. To do that you will need the recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

Cooking spray for greasing
3/4 cup sugar (divided use)
1/4 cup water
5 large egg whites

Grease a heat proof glass measuring cup. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F. At that time, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until frothy. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat the meringue to medium peaks. When the sugar mixture reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F, pour it into the measuring cup, then into the meringue in a slow steady stream on low speed. Increase the speed to high and whip until the meringue cools to room temperature and has the desired peak.

Ok. Now on to the main event!

Once the meringue cools to room temperature and reaches stiff peaks, add the butter a few pieces at a time while continuing to whip on high speed. Once all the butter has been incorporated and the butter cream is thick and very smooth, blend int the vanilla extract. The butter cream is ready to use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let the buttercream soften at room temperature before beating it on low speed with the paddle attachment to make it warm and soft enough to spread. (IF you refrigerated it.)

Now. It is AWESOME as is, but if you care to increase it's awesomeness 10 fold, do this:
make it chocolate.

Melt 1/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate, let it cool to room temperature, and add to the buttercream just after the vanilla extract has been added by stirring about 1 cup of the buttercream into the chocolate to lighten it, then adding the lightened chocolate to the remaining buttercream.

I am telling you. It. Is. The. Best. Icing. Ever.

Enjoy. :)

Today is the Day

2009-12-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

'There are many fine things which you mean to do one day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstancs. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtful friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others.

Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of some less fortunate fellow traveler."

Greenville Kleiser 1868-1953

Really like this quote.

SO I haven't posted in a long while.

2009-10-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

School got started; therefore: life got busy. (I'm a substitute.) Plus we're moving, plus I'm 6 1/2 months pregnant! I've been so tired. But as I was looking at that Grosgrain giveaway, I decided to stop being lazy and post something. Didn't have much of a plan about what I was going to post though... So, after some thought, this post is a spring board. Something to get me going again. I will post a real post later on today, after I have time to figure out what to post about. Haha.

In the mean time... I have REALLY been enjoying the recipes over here. OOO!! And HERE! I love the pictures on this site.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Holy Heck. WOW. These are some AMAZING costumes!!! I cannot BELIEVE she is GIVING THEM AWAY!! Oh I hope, I hope, I SOOO hope!!! These would look incredible on my nieces! Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

(Just a side note: Awesome pic huh? There are TONS more on her blog. She's a great photographer!)

Sometimes I hate blogger.

2009-08-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to add some pictures to a post and IT. IS. NOT. WORKING.
Well, actually it is working, but not how I want it to. So, I guess I'll just say that I'm getting some ramekins tomorrow and a new rolling pin.
Excited about that. NOT excited about blogger tonight. BOO.

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
It's just what I'm gonna be needing in a few months! Though as I found out today... A BLUE one would be more appropriate! Haha... But really I would just love to have one. :)

Just Cook Already; A Giveaway.

2009-08-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Just Cook Already is having a give away!! And it's good stuff too.

Like Williams and Sonoma good.

They have several ways that you can enter:

-twitter/blog about them & leave the address where they can see it!
-leave a comment with your favorite just cook already recipe.
-become a follower.
-grab their button!

I love giveaways; and this is a GOOD one!

Fabulous French Cookies with a Mexican Twist

2009-08-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

MMMMM. I made pommiers (you say that palm-EE-es; love the French, just wish they could spell! Haha.) But I put a Mexican spin on it. I wanted them to taste similar to churros. (We were going to a dinner party. She made Mexican Food.)

Don't let the french name scare you. They are SOOO simple and quick to make.

Ingredients:

1 puff pastry sheet thawed
1-2 cups sugar
cinnamon to taste
1 egg white

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Liberally dust your counter top with the cinnamon and sugar. Unfold the puff pastry, place on counter top and coat top with cinnamon and sugar. Roll out the puff pastry to around 17" by 13" (Or about the size of a cookie sheet.) Roll in both sides of the short ends until they meet in the middle. (It will look like a scroll.) Cut the scroll in to 1/4 inch pieces and lay on a cookie sheet. Brush each cookie with the egg white and put them in the oven for 12-15 min. Watch them closely! You want them to brown and have the sugar caramelize but, with all the sugar in them they can go from perfect to over done quickly.

Enjoy!

I REALLY want this book

2009-08-06T13:47:00.001-07:00

I looked through this book while I was at Barnes & Noble last night. It is awesome! It has some great ideas. And lots of pretty pictures. I'm a sucker for pretty pictures.

There's a stenciled quilt pattern I'm dying to try out...

Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!
Nuts! I didn't do it right yesterday... But here it is all fixed. If you haven't already, go check it out!

The Pod Swaddler Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Pod Swaddler Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Should I be this excited?

2009-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

I just got size 50(!) knitting needles! I didn't even know they MADE size 50 needles. And I got'em for a buck 99. Seriously. I have no idea what I'm gonna make with them yet... any ideas? They're HUGE!

But WOW! I love good deals.

They look like this only mine are yellow and therefor cooler.

Beautiful Giveaway at Grosgrain!

2009-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

I mean, just LOOK at it! You can try your luck too. Just head on over.

Good luck... But I hope I win. ;)

More Simple Pasta

2009-08-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

12ish oz spaghetti
3ish cups rough chopped tomatoes
1/4ish cup minced garlic
1ish cup fresh chopped mushrooms (I used cremini)
1/4ish cup parsley (or carrot tops...)
1 stick butter
1-2 tbsp dried basil
1-2 tsp red chili flakes
Salt to taste
Parmesan Cheese to taste

Boil a large pan of water, salt it WELL and drop your pasta. Melt the butter and saute the garlic on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not let it brown, you just want the flavor to really come out. Add the mushrooms, salt them and saute for 5ish minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, and chili flakes. Cook until the tomatoes soften and give off their juices. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Grate in the Parmesan mixing it in with the pasta often to create a nice cheesy layer over all the pasta. Add in the parsley and salt to taste. Transfer to your serving dish and top with with more Parmesan and parsley if desired.

The Year of Living Biblically, One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

2009-08-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

This book was awesome!
Author, A. J. Jacobs puts himself through some crazy experiences. Like stoning an adulterer. Really he did. Not to death and only with pebbles... but stone the man he did. He also herded sheep in Jerusalem, grew he beard out to abnormal lengths, wore only white and observed the Passover by not only holding a Passover dinner, but also by painting his doorway with the drippings from his lamb roast. Basically he did everything he could to follow ALL the rules in the Bible. (Even the crazy obscure ones that most of us have never heard of like, not wearing clothing made of mixed fibers.)
The resulting story is both hilarious and touchingly insightful. He spends a lot of time fighting with his secular self and his religious alter ego that he calls "Jacob". In the end, it does seem that his year of living biblically changes him permanently. As living the Laws of God are wont to do.
It's a great read.

I. Love. This. Movie.

2009-07-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

QUICK and EASY Spicy Shrimp, Sausage and Tomato Pasta

2009-07-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get started on any projects yesterday. We had a dinner party instead! It was kind of impromptu. But I think the pasta dish and ice cream I made turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. The pasta was an exercise in what-do -I-have-on-hand-that-I-can-serve-company. The ice cream came about because it was hot and I thought homemade ice cream would be a good way to cool off.

The pasta was SOOO easy. And easily adapted or copied. AND FAST!!! Love those kind of meals.

Ingredients:
5 Italian Hot Sausages (You can use mild or sweet if you like... but the extra kick was nice.)
1 stick butter
8ish cloves minced garlic or ~ 1/2 cup
1 lbish de-shelled and de-veined shrimp
1 1/2ish cups rough chopped tomatoes
1/2ish cup minced parsley (or carrot tops like I used... they taste the same!)
1/2 cup shredded or ribboned Parmesan cheese
enough pasta for 6 people... I used a package and a half (~ 27 oz) of spaghetti
1 cupish reserved pasta water

As you can tell from my ingredients list I'm a "little bit of this and a little bit of that chief"... I measure NOTHING! Except of course when I'm baking. Measuring is a given when baking. No choice really. But! Feel free to adapt this recipe in anyway you like. That's what recipes are for in my opinion. Adaption.

Boil a large pan of water, salt it WELL and drop your pasta. Half the sausages, remove their casing and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Put in a hot pan with the butter. Cook until almost done. Add the garlic, shrimp and tomatoes. Cook until the shrimp are almost done then add the drained pasta and most of the parsley (or carrot tops! :) ) Mix the pasta in with the "sauce" and add the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and coat all the pasta.

Transfer to your serving dish and top with the remainder parsley and Parmesan. To make the ribbons: use your potato peeler and "peel" off ribbons of the parm!

That's it! You're done!

This dish really only takes as long as the pasta takes to cook. So 15 minutes or less! Woohoo! And it's so pretty done- it really is company worthy.
Enjoy!

O!! p.s.: My mod podged picture frame from the other day? It unbubbled it's self as it dried. YAY!

Modge Podge Spring Board?

2009-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

So I finally DID something today! Yay me! I'm a substitute teacher and as such I have the summer off. But I've hardly done a thing. Boo me. I can't say that I've done nothing, I've been reading quite a bit. (My current fav is The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs- I got it for my birthday a two days ago and I'm half way done. I'd be done if I hadn't been on line so much!) I also made a fun baby blanket for one of my friend's soon to be born son. But I digress... Now that we have the internet again, I have been wasting my time online. Again, BOO me!
I have gotten SOOO much inspiration from a bunch of different crafty blogs though. I've been so engrossed in them that, until today, I've done nothing about it. Finally, I decided to get up, get out my Mod Podge stuff and get to work on a picture frame project that I've had waiting for me for months.
Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped. It bubbled a little. I'll live, but when things aren't perfect it bugs me. Mod Podge is harder to fix then, say, crochet. With crochet if something isn't up to my specifications I can rip it out and start over from the mistake. Glue doesn't let you 'rip it out'. Because it rips. And then it's ruined. So BOO for not putting enough glue down in the first place. If I'd done that it wouldn't have bubbled when I put the 'Podge on the top.
O-well. I guess progress is progress. I've seen a couple sewing projects that I'm thinking about tackling... Hopefully I can use today as a spring board of motivation for tomorrow.

Pho, Bubble Tea, Godiva, Borders, Choir and Pizza. In that order.

2009-07-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today was my birthday. I say today because I haven't gone to sleep yet. I say was because it's one in the morning and is therefore technically no longer my birthday. It was a fabulous day. Full of favorite things. We (meaning my husband and I) had pho from my favorite pho place in Utah. They also have some FABULOUS bubble tea there. I highly recommend it. (Kim Long in Layton.) Then we went to Godiva and I got a 32 (!) box!!!!! We then enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere of Borders where I got 2 books. The Geography of Bliss and another one about a guy who lived the bible literally for a year... I forget the name so I will have to add it later. We then booked it back to town so that I would be on time for choir. I sang and a friend and I had fun doing what the director told us not to do... But immediately after singing it very wrong he told us that that was right!? So we had a good laugh. Then, said friend joined the hubster and I for pizza at The Pie. All in all, a day of favorites! I'm tired.

Ballet Shoes and Yarn and Hooks and Books

2009-07-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is a blog dedicated to my favorite things.
Thus the title. I happen to have a deep abiding love of ballet shoes and yarn and (crochet) hooks and books. So as a beginning:

My favorite things; a list.

ballet shoes
yarn
crochet hooks
books
dave
zuppa tuscana
pretty dishes
dresses
lilacs
classical music
spencer
dance
rainy days
home school
anne of green gables
long showers
tea parties
tomato soup
kitties
mom
birthdays
beads
bread
fabric
singing
disneyland
volleyball
chocolate
seattle
boats
the ocean
old houses
pasta
food network
farmer's markets
journals
home
interesting conversation
the nutcracker
dessert
sushi

This list is by no means all inclusive...

Ballet Shoes and Yarn and Hooks and Books.

Linky Party Going on Now on My Other Blog

Come visit me at my new/other blog! New Tute and FREE Pattern today.

AHOY there!!

Ever wondered how to make a SIX pointed snowflake?

Come join me on my other blog.

This poor little blog...

I've been cooking again...

No Fail French Bread

The Fourth.

Baby Mamas (Put a Sling On 'Em)

Emerson's Birth Story

I better watch out, my nerd is showing.

Anyone seen my camera??

Do Not Disturb

Poor Baby!

If you are interested...

Some thoughts on dreams.

No good, Horrible few weeks.

Is anyone else as ridculously excited about...

OMHECK!!!!

This is the story of my Epic Fail.

Today (and tomorrow)...

Hey all, it's that time again...

Can I tell you what really irks me?

A few new hats.

New Header

Please excuse the mess...

Mickey Hats

Guess where I've been?

And the winner is...

I know who won-un.

Exciting news!

Friday Follow :)

Last Chance!

Giveaway!

I have a fun secret...

Weird...

Yup, Joining in the fun again. :)

Hmm... Maybe this is why I love performing.

What to do, what to do...

Participating in...

So, boo.

Two more...

It's Friday..

Hehe. Dinosaur Hat.

Sharing a few projects

I.Think. I'm. In. LOVE.

I'm a dancer.

Mittens, Hat and Blanket Set for Nora

Quote

Also joining in with this one! :)

Joining in the fun again. :)

One skein.

I do, I do, like green poop and ham?

Lookit my lovelies

This is a fun idea.

(*Blush*) I was featured!

I'm Linkin' Up Again.

I'm linkin' up!

On a mission.

I figured it out! Here is the Newborn Hat and Mittens Pattern:

I gave my baby a tattoo...

Sweet Newborn Hat and Mittens

My Newest Favorite Person

Possibly the BEST Icing EVER.

Today is the Day

SO I haven't posted in a long while.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sometimes I hate blogger.

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Just Cook Already; A Giveaway.

Fabulous French Cookies with a Mexican Twist

I *REALLY* want this book

Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Pod Swaddler Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Should I be this excited?

Beautiful Giveaway at Grosgrain!

More Simple Pasta

The Year of Living Biblically, One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

(Blush) I was featured!

I REALLY want this book