It's my choice. I'm going to have a good day.

I just finished my second cup of coffee. It was cold, but I drank it anyway. I had already reheated once and was too lazy to nuke it again.

I'm listening to baby girl babble on the monitor. It's nap time, but she's fighting it.

Laundry is whirling away. The buzzer on the dryer just went off. I should probably switch it out.

Today is Monday. For me, that means grocery shopping and cleaning the bathroom.

Woot.

My to-do list doesn't seem that impractical today, so that's encouraging. However, I didn't write "blog" on there, so we'll see if things get thrown off.

Many times the days just run together.
There's always laundry.
There are always dishes to be washed, clothes to fold.

I can't help, but be thankful for all of it.
(even on the hard/frustrating/lonely days.)

When I want to have a pity party for myself, I think of my husband who works (outside, in all kinds of weather) so hard, so that I may stay at home with our baby girl.
A plus is that, he likes his job. He likes the people he works with. It's not always the same, so it isn't too monotonous. But even if he didn't necessarily enjoy his job (because he's had jobs that aren't the best), he does them anyways, rarely complaining.
I am so grateful for his positive work ethic and his selflessness.
He is the best husband-ever.

Baby girl fell asleep.
::happy dance::

It's going to be a good day.
The sun is shining despite the lower temperature.

It's going to be a good day because I'm going to have a good attitude.
Whether baby girl cries hysterically in the grocery store, or someone cuts me off in traffic, or if my coffee is cold.

It's my choice.
I'm going to have a good day.

To brighten your day, I'll share with you my latest crochet project- the Dutch Rabbit!

The pattern was purchased from lovecrochet.com It was designed by Katalin Galusz. I used worsted weight yarn instead of the sport weight as the pattern calls for, so it turned out huge- as it almost life size.

I also crocheted a basket to put yarn in, halfway through making the rabbit.
Does anyone else like to think of other projects to do while you're in the middle of one? I do- all the time.

 

I hope you decide to have a good day.
I don't think you'll regret it.

Colleen <3

today is a green day

For a month now, I have been seeing my days in color.

Yesterday was a blue day.

Today is a green day.


I have wanted to make a "temperature" project for a while, but never got the yarn needed in time.
I started a few weeks late, but got to Joann's to buy my eight skeins of yarn and got going.

"What are you even talking about?" you ask?

I'm making a temperature scarf. (It is more common to make an afghan, but I have scaled it way down to make a scarf.)

I found a chart, made by Yarnspirations.com and have crocheted a row each day depending on the temperature.

 

 



I don't have the exact colors as suggested, but found similar ones. A few colors are marled to give a different effect.

Making a scarf has been nice because one row only takes a few minutes. It also allows me to work on other crochet projects at the same time.

The pattern that I am using is from www.stitching-together.com and is called Wrap Me In Diamonds.

Because I change colors pretty frequently, the diamond pattern is a bit hard to see, but I think once I am done and block the scarf, it will show.

We have been experiencing every weather pattern imaginable: snow, rain, sun, fog, clouds... This project will be very vibrant for sure.

I have a feeling I may need to go out and buy another skein or two in various colors and I wonder how many rows will be red, which depicts 89 degrees or higher...

A couple things I've had to do to make things easier are label my skeins, so I know which one is for what temperature and to weave in ends as I go along. I don't always have to switch colors, but as you can see, I've had a lot of color changes already.

Whether your day is purple, blue, green or red, I hope it's a good one.

Colleen <3

new found freedom

The following post has been brought to you by "Nap Time."

"Nap time," where the house is quiet and the coffee is hot for at least one hour.
"Nap time," don't you want some time to yourself?

Naps are going so well, guys, thanks for asking!

Truth be told, the first week was brutal.

Bru-tal.

Everytime I'd put her down in her crib, little girl would just wail.
{Heartbreaking I tell you.}

I stuck with it. I didn't give in. If I knew she was tired, I'd nurse/sing/rock/put her in her crib, repeat. Now, she is either so tired that she immediately puts her head down or she looks up at me with a big smile, I blow her two kisses and she's on her way to Dreamland.

Every once in a while, I'll get a little cry, but it lasts two minutes tops. I turn on the monitor and hear her babble, make her sleepy sounds and she's ouuuuut.

Another "perk" of a nap schedule is Cecilia goes to bed early. As in between 6 and 7 o'clock early. Now, my husband and I have more time together and we go to bed at a reasonable time. One night we were in bed by 9:03. I couldn't believe it.
Cecilia used to "take a nap" at seven o'clock, wake up at 8:30 and then fall back asleep at 10 or 10:30. (New parent we-didn't-know-what-we-were-supposed-to-do problems.)

I digress...

Since I've had this new found freedom at naptime, I have been baking more and crocheting.

If you've been around since the beginning of my blog, you know that I like to crochet stuffed animals for new Mamas.

My repertoire is pretty lengthy.

I've made:
Owls and a bunny, elephants, giraffes, a panda, penguins, a fox, a zebra, a duck, teddy bears, flamingos, monkeys and a whale.

I just finished and mailed off a stuffed animal for a friend. She requested an elephant. I'd made an elephant in the past, but wasn't happy with the design. After looking on Pinterest and Ravelry, I couldn't find anything I liked.
Using some basic increasing and decreasing, I came up with my own elephant, that I think turned out really well.

 

I'm working on another stuffed animal, but you'll have to wait to see what it is and how it turns out. (It's a surprise!)

 

 

As the saying goes, "the shoemaker's children go barefoot," so "the crocheter's baby doesn't have a stuffed animal" or something like that...

 

I have yet to make a stuffed animal for Cecilia. I am planning to make one for her as a birthday gift. I haven't decided what animal to make. I once tried to make a cat, but it didn't turn out cute at all and I stopped halfway through. I was following a pattern. Maybe I should make up a cat pattern? A chicken would be fun.

 

What do you think?

Comment below on what animal I should crochet.

 

What projects have you been working on this Winter?

It's another cold one here in Northwestern PA. I'm definitely thankful for cozy days inside. And I may or may not be in my pajamas still...

 

Colleen <3