Life Lessons and Godmother of the Year

Yep, that's me...godmother of the year. My godson is an amazing, energetic, fun, wonderful four-year old boy. I went over to my friend's house last week after a fairly brutal day of work and when I walked in the door, he came over and gave me a HUGE hug to make me feel better. I have found that he gives the best hugs!

My sweetheart of a godson has learned that winning is wonderful and losing...not so wonderful. So, we're trying to teach him that it's OK to be unhappy if you don't win, but it's not OK to quit or cry or insist on starting over five times. It's a tough lesson and there are a lot of adults still learning this lesson...case in point, his very loving, typically good sport godmother.

For his birthday last week, he got a new Wii game...Monsters vs. Aliens. I love this movie and he wanted me to play the game with him and I was happy to comply. I'm not very good at video games (see number 64 on my 100 Things) but they're still fun and I love my boy. This is a two player game: one person (me) is B.O.B. who is trying to get from Point A to Point B. The other person (AJ) is a gun, shooting at things that make B.O.B.'s journey much more difficult. So, as I'm going along, AJ keeps shooting at me! He's knocking me off of platforms and B.O.B. keeps saying, "ow, you got me" and making other outbursts. AJ is having a grand old time and I, well...I'm getting annoyed. After the tenth time of being blown off the platform, I said, "AJ, playing this game with you is just not fun." I tossed my controller down and stalked out of the room like a...well, like a four year old. Luckily, my friend thought it was funny rather than a horrible lesson for the son she's so lovingly bringing up to be a happy winner and a gracious loser. She told me something that was very wise. See, I was thinking that the object of the game was to try to get B.O.B. to fulfill his mission and successfully reach Point B when actually the point of the game was to be a moving target. She said that if I'm playing the game with the intent of being the target, it's a lot more fun. Huh! I think this lesson applies not just to my attitude toward the game but my attitude toward life. Perhaps my mindset is just getting to Point B when really I need to be exploring the possibilities of where I am in the meantime...we'll call it Point 1 1/2. Maybe it would be fun to fall of a few platforms or get lost and ask a four year old for directions. It turns out, they have a better grip on what's important than we do.

The Wedding

Ladies and gentlemen, by the power vested in me by Red Heart Yarn and Boye Brand crochet hooks, it is my pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Pea. Congratulations to the happy couple!


I'm quite pleased with my first effort. I like them so much, I think I'm going to keep them as opposed to selling them in my shop.

This weekend was so nice. The birthday party was so fun. There's something about seeing little children running around and being children that makes me want to cry. Sounds silly, right? It's just so amazing to see the promise in these kids, the potential to be absolutely anything they want to be. It brings tears to my eyes every time. As crazy and wild and out of control a group of kids can be, they are equally miraculous.

I finished the pink and chocolate scarf and started this new apron yesterday. It's not much to look at yet but I love the colors. It will be so pretty when I'm finished.


Well, I got a new Crochet! Magazine in the mail today that I can't wait to go through. It comes every other month and I always save it for an evening when I can really give it my full attention and I mark the patterns I like with stickies and make notes about what I like or what colors I think would look good. So excited.

I will keep you posted with apron pictures!

*SIGH*

Can you feel it?  Take a second, a deep breath.  Aaaaaaahhhhhh.  It's the beginning of a THREE DAY WEEKEND!  It is a wonderful evening here, I made it through the week and what a long, rainy week it's been here in Orlando.  It has poured every day and I don't know about you, but I like to be curled up on the couch with a good book when it rains.  Rainy days make me think of toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, wrapped up in a blanket with my kitty sitting on the back of the couch keeping me company.


Rainy days are not to be spent behind a desk wishing you were at home.  Aaahhhh, it feels great sitting here at the computer with this weekend (read, time to crochet!) ahead of me.  Here are the reasons this weekend is going to be awesome.

1.  I get to wear this!


This came in the mail today from Sweetbrooke.  You can see their Etsy shop here.  I love their page so much I linked it twice.  They have so many incredible, unique jewelry items.  I fell in love with this bracelet as soon as I saw it and I'm sitting here in my pajamas wearing it. 

2.  Tomorrow is my godson's birthday party.  He turned four years old last week and we're celebrating tomorrow. I can't believe it's been four years already. I love him so much and I'm so excited to celebrate his birthday. I got a couple games and a Spongebob coloring book...they're waiting to be wrapped...

3.  I get to finish this beautiful scarf!


This is the second of my two requested scarves and I am in love with this yarn.  It's 100% wool but still soft and the colors are so pretty.  My friend asked for "pink and chocolate" and this scarf fits the bill (in several shades) and it looks like her, like something she would wear.  I'm very excited to finish it for her.

4.  Friends, here we come.  I have come to the conclusion that I will never take a week off work to watch Friends straight through.  It would be wonderful, I would accomplish so much as far as my crocheting goes but it's just not going to happen.  All of my shows have come to an end for the season so, I've decided to start now.  Season 1 begins tonight.

5.  DMV - OK, so going to the DMV isn't really anything to be all that excited about under normal circumstances.  However, I have the card that says I've completed the Motorcycle Safety course so all I need to do is go to the license branch and get an updated license and I'm official!  Since they're open during the week at the most inconvenient hours possible, I have to fight every other working Floridian on the weekend to make this change.  Once it's done, I can legally drive a motorcycle!  I was a little burned out right after the course and wasn't sure if I would actually want to drive a motorcycle again but now that I've had a chance to rest my mind and get out of the heat, I'm anxious to get back on.  I definitely need some practice on a closed course before taking it to the street but I want to give it a chance.

6.  I get to sleep in for three days!!  Yes, I know it would be best if I got to the license branch as soon as it opens tomorrow morning but, let's face it, I'm going to stay up way too late tonight trying to finish that scarf and getting up in time to be all prettified (they're going to take my picture for the new license, I can't just roll out of bed and go) and AT the DMV by 8 a.m. is just not happening.  I will just take a little project (squares perhaps?) and crochet in line.

So, I'm going to bid you goodnight for now.  I have a stack of gifts to wrap and a scarf to finish. 

100 Things

1. I love to laugh. That statement defines me pretty well.
2. I am able to laugh at myself and have occasion to do so more often than I’d like.
3. I am a very happy, friendly person.
4. I always try to see the good in other people.
5. I believe everyone has some good in them.
6. I am a Christian and my faith is in Jesus Christ.
7. I am in love with a wonderful man who is wonderfully in love with me.
8. My family is awesome and I miss them so much.
9. I am one of 10 children. I have a younger brother and sister and seven stepbrothers and sisters. I am very blessed.
10. I am blessed to have two best friends. My sister and Ann.
11. Ann and I moved from Indiana to Florida together on a whim and a prayer.
12. After almost nine years here, I am a Floridian – I get cold when it drops below 80 degrees.
13. It is amusing to my sister to watch me shiver in 65-degree weather when I visit in the fall. Her exact word is, “Pansy.”
14. Other than my family, the thing I miss the most about living in Indiana is the changing of the seasons. Especially spring. But I also believe you have to survive the winter to truly appreciate the spring. Deep, I know.
15. I also miss cows and fields. I never thought I’d say that.
16. I am the VERY proud godmother of an incredible, imaginative, creative four-year-old boy.
17. I am a huge country music fan, thanks to my Grandpa! I enjoy all types of music (except rap) but always return to my first love.
18. My favorite band is Sister Hazel.
19. I love them even though they’re not country.
20. I am not an organized, neat person. I can handle a LOT of clutter before I get the urge to clean. And “clean” is a little strong, I mostly straighten.
21. I am very sentimental about things and feel the need to keep EVERYTHING! This amps up the clutter factor.
22. I enjoy road trips.
23. I have a Bucket List – Skydive, learn to drive a motorcycle, go whitewater rafting, visit England…
24. I now have a motorcycle license.
25. I am an adrenaline junkie. I will try just about anything once.
26. Even though I want to skydive, I have a strange aversion to bungee jumping.
27. At some point in my life, I will probably get talked into bungee jumping.
28. Roller coasters are my favorite (and most easily accessible) drug.
29. Crocheting has taken over my life. (Wow, I got to number 29 before I brought up crocheting.) It is all I want to do while I’m at work and all I do when I am home. If I have to sit still anywhere for more than 5 minutes, I’m crocheting.
30. I have attempted knitting but it felt awkward. I think knitted things are beautiful and will try it again when I’m caught up on my current crochet projects.
31. I will never be caught up on all the crochet projects I have started.
32. I also love to scrapbook but not enough to put my crocheting down.
33. I also cross-stitch but I’d rather scrapbook.
34. I enjoy origami but it got lost in the shuffle of my other hobbies.
35. It is very easy to suck me in to a new hobby but nothing trumps crocheting.
36. Exercise and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate it and every time I do it, it loves to remind me how much I hate it.
37. I am a somewhat obsessive person. (Stop laughing.)
38. I would like to take a week off work and watch the entire series of Friends straight through.
39. I believe that everything in life can somehow be related back to Friends.
40. I frequently quote Friends whether the person I’m talking to knows what I’m referring to or not.
41. I am a major procrastinator. Major. It is an art form where I’m concerned. I firmly hold to the motto “If it weren’t for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn’t get done.”
42. I love to do things people don’t expect.
43. No one cries alone in my presence.
44. I love making lists.
45. I can be very forgetful – hence the lists.
46. I am an improving cook.
47. If you come to eat at my house, you will be served one of my seven rotating core recipes.
48. My favorite drink is Root Beer.
49. My favorite color is lavender, followed closely by turquoise. Blue turquoise, not green turquoise. Yes, there’s a difference.
50. I work at a golf course but I am a terrible golfer.
51. I love to play putt-putt.
52. I can eat the same thing for months on end and it typically involves eggs.
53. I prefer sweet snacks to salty ones.
54. I love, love, LOVE dark chocolate.
55. I love to eat breakfast foods for dinner.
56. I believe cereal is good for any meal of the day.
57. I love sleeping in and love to take naps.
58. I love staying up after midnight. I’m my most active and alert between 12:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.
59. I love to clean in the middle of the night.
60. My favorite song of all time is “It’s Raining Men” because it makes me happy and you can’t help but dance to it.
61. If I burp in an empty room, I will still say, “Excuse me.”
62. I prefer driving a manual transmission. Driving an automatic is boring.
63. I love to play Guitar Hero, and I’m pretty darn good at it.
64. I’m generally not very good at video games.
65. I love storms…as long as I’m inside. There’s something very awesome about a good thunderstorm.
66. Rude drivers put me absolutely over the edge.
67. I talk to rude drivers and tell them what they did that offended me even though I know they can’t hear me and don’t care.
68. Sometimes I yell at rude drivers.
69. I try very hard to never be a rude driver.
70. I don’t watch the news (or even attempt to keep up with it).
71. Most people find this rather appalling for some reason.
72. I voted for the first time in the 2008 election at the age of 31. It was my proudest moment as an American.
73. I took years and years of piano lessons as a child and still enjoy playing.
74. I should be much better at playing piano than I am.
75. I always thought I was a dog person until I got a cat.
76. I adopted Lemieux, my solid black cat, in October.
77. I talk to my cat like he’s a person. I talk to all pets.
78. I love being greeted by my Mew when I walk in the door. It makes the day better no matter how bad or how good it’s been.
79. I absolutely hate spiders and cockroaches…seriously. I will scream squeak and run in place the entire time I’m trying to kill them.
80. I like snakes.
81. I think it would be so neat to have a pet rat.
82. My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy for wanting a pet rat.
83. He doesn’t like snakes either…or cats.
84. If I don’t have to leave the house, I do not feel the need to shower.
85. I love jewelry but I don’t wear very much. This doesn’t stop me from buying it.
86. I rarely wear makeup. If I’ve got makeup on, it’s a very special day.
87. I consider myself to be a low-maintenance girl.
88. My favorite symbol is the Claddagh. I love the meaning behind it and wear a claddagh ring every day.
89. I do not like silence. In the absence of music, TV or another person, I will talk to myself.
90. I am pretty good company.
91. I love to sing but can’t sing harmony to save my life. I still try.
92. My favorite book as a child was “But No Elephants” and it was the first book I bought for my godson.
93. I cannot dance.
94. I love reading.
95. Twins run in my family on both sides.
96. I hope when I get pregnant that I have twins.
97. I know I’m crazy for hoping that.
98. I'm a very good speller and it drives me crazy when I see words misspelled.
99. I have a funny sense of humor but totally appreciate a sarcastic sense of humor.
100. I collect music boxes and dolphins.

I passed my motorcycle test!!  What an exciting weekend.  It was tough and it was HOT but Robin and I were triumphant. Here I am on the way to class the first day.


Notice how excited I looked. That is at 6:30 in the morning folks. That is a feat all by itself. I was awake and SMILING! We got to the class at which point I attempted to put on my boots. I just got these boots and didn't realize how snugly they fit. Robin picked up my camera and snapped these winning shots.



Robin was under the impression that it was funny that I was struggling to get the stupid things on. I was about to panic. I was certain I was not going to get them on and would have to miss the class. Finally, after much hopping, stomping and tugging and a little help from Robin (once she stopped laughing and put the camera down), my fat foot went into the skinny boot. Good thing I only paid $9 for them. Now I know why they were on clearance! Ugh. At any rate, we both passed. Now the trick is getting to the DMV.

My crocheting was not neglected during this time of Bucket List Fulfillment. Look at my pea pod! He's still lonely...he took a little longer to complete than I had hoped due to some technical difficulties. He looks pretty schnazzy with his little top hat, he'll have a friend in no time. And hopefully she won't give me near the difficulties that he did.


I've also finished a scarf for a friend. My first requested piece!!



I'm so happy and excited to have a special order. I hope the colors are what she had in mind. The scarf turned out so pretty. I have another scarf and a couple aprons that I'll be working on over the next few days so I will post pictures of those on here also. I love to see new pieces come together.

That's the update for now from Dreaville. I will be crocheting like a madwoman over the next few days and plan to post as much as possible!! Until then, I'm going to finish just one more row.

Good News, Bad News

OK, the good news is...I know the pattern for the coverlet! The bad news is, it's not crochet, it's a quilt. 1, 2, 3...awwww. It's called a yo-yo which involves making a little pouch and then ironing it flat and sewing all the "rosettes" together. I believe this can still be recreated but it's not going to be as easy as I had hoped. I will still admire this quilt and strive to replicate it. I made a valiant effort this evening but got sidetracked by the little amigurumi peas in a pod. Here is the pod and a half finished pea. This time tomorrow, there will be two.



They don't look like much yet but when they are finished, they will be a little bride and groom, with one of them in a top hat and one in a veil. I wish I could tell you this was significant in some way but it isn't, I just thought it was too cute not to make. Maybe I'll leave it at my boyfriend's house as a very subtle hint. hehe

I went shopping after work today. Usually I'm pretty restrained, I've done the credit card thing and dug myself into a bit of a hole so it's rare that I get too crazy with my money. (Although, yarn seems to be an exception to that rule, but then where I'm concerned, yarn is the exception to all rules.) I had to go to Target first to get some gloves and boots for my MOTORCYCLE LESSONS this weekend...yep, you read that right. My friend and I are crossing something off of our bucket lists. I'm really excited about it...other than the fact that we have to BE there for the lesson at 7 a.m. On SATURDAY! Thanks, Robin. Love ya, mean it. She had a valid point for wanting to sign up for the earlier class but for the life of me, I can't think what that was. But I digress. So I found baseball gloves that are hot pink and black (should be cute with my purple shirt, ha!) and boots on clearance (score!) so I'm ready to go. I happen to be in a shopping plaza that has a craft store just down the way. I thought I'd walk in and browse about and head home, I was just there a few days ago, I have plenty of projects in the works and several more I'm itching to start. Just a quick visit...but then...I don't know what happened. I walked down the yarn aisle and then I ran into the patterns and I was just going to look for a pattern similar to the quilt (have I mentioned that I'm just a tiny, wee bit obsessed with that thing?) and then I saw that cotton was on sale and, well, where is the voice of reason when you need it? So, in addition to the cotton thread I got for aprons (the cost of that kind of doesn't count, it's for a special requested order!) I got these books. Look closely...


Are you as disbelieving as I am?? 101 Granny Squares, has Drea lost her mind? Well, I picked it up with the pretense of finding something similar to the quilt (um, I'm perhaps a little more obsessed with that thing than I might have initially led you to believe) and there were all these pretty squares in there, I mean really gorgeous and I wanted to make every single one. I think I'm going to have to concede to the squares. Game, set, match. And I already love ripples to begin with so the "154 Crocheted Wave Patterns" hardly took any rationalization at all. Then I saw the title "You Can Crochet Socks" and I picked up the book and said, "Why, yes I can!" and added it to the stack.

Ah, the heady euphoria of buying yarn. It doesn't fade like caffeine. A good bag of yarn and some great patterns can keep me going for DAYS! I fight sleep for nights on end so I can do "just one more row."

Well, the pea is calling my name. He's lonely and would like a friend. It's getting pretty late but one more row won't hurt.

The Obsession Continues

HUGE shout out to my brilliant friend, Kelly who had the idea that playing the DVD on a computer would allow me to pause and print screen. I present to you (cue trumpets) the coverlet.


It's very pretty isn't it? This is the best I could do as far as a close up goes. Unfortunately, the focus of that show wasn't the coverlet...



So, per my previous post, my plans were to try to sketch the pattern. Hmm...well, this is what I've come up with so far.


I have to say, for my lack of artistic skills, this isn't all that bad. It at least gets the idea across. So the next step is to actually try to crochet this little thing. I'm guessing each one should be about 2-3 inches and the big square is 5 X 5 which should make the final product about 10-15 inches. It should be simple enough (uh oh, I hope the yarn didn't hear me say that).

Obsessed

I have become an obsessed woman. My friend, Wendi, and I were watching Friends this weekend when I became ENAMORED with this coverlet that is in Phoebe's room. Go check it out for yourself. It is season 7, "TOW All the Candy." It's the one where Ross gets Phoebe a bike and then when trying to teach her to ride, he lets go and she falls down. At the very end of the episode, he goes into her room to apologize and she's sitting on her bed and the coverlet is GORGEOUS!! It is so simple and stunning and I WANT TO MAKE IT (because I don't have enough projects in the works, I need just one more)! The problem is...I can't find a pattern ANYWHERE. (It seems I've also become enamored with capital letters!) I have Googled like crazy, and finally gave up on "Friends" "Phoebe" "crochet coverlet" "Lisa Kudrow" "TOW All the Candy" and every variation of these together. Friends is old enough now that no one is talking about it anymore and very few people are so obsessed as to have noticed the coverlet to begin with. So, I began Googling "crochet coverlet" and "flower garden" to see if I could find a similar adaptable pattern with NO success. I have come to the conclusion that I will have to create my own pattern. I have never done this before so it should be interesting. My plan is to go to Michael's tonight and look for any type of pattern for flowers or hexagons or (gulp) squares that might be manipulated as I wish. I'm going to find that part of the episode and pause it and see if I can figure out about how big a square is in real life and how many little flowers are in each square so I can try to figure out how big it is, maybe even do a little sketch which should be interesting since I'm not even a little bit artistic. I already have an idea of what thread yarn I'd like to use. We'll see how this all plays out. Should be fun. If anyone has any information on this pattern or a good picture of it, I will reward you handsomely with a beautiful white coaster or a blanket for your Barbie.

The First of Many...

I've been thinking off and on about how I would start my first post...should I start off with crochet? That is my hobby, my passion, and the title of this blog. But the other part of my title is Whimsies...that leaves my discussion topics pretty wide-open! So, after much thought and being the big movie fan that I am, I think I'll start my blog like we're already in the middle of a conversation...like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail." I guess that's kind of an older movie now...I don't go to the movies as much as I used to and now that I think about it, it has been a SERIOUSLY long time since I rewarded myself with a movie weekend. You know the kind...where you rent five movies you've been wanting to see forever and you only end up liking two. I'm also a big Friends fan and I work quotes into my conversations as often as possible. It's not that difficult really because everything in life can SOMEHOW be related back to Friends. It's a proven fact, just ask my friends.

Hmm...well, first things first...CROCHET!! I was recently reading another yarn lover's blog and she was talking about all her unfinished projects. It got me thinking about all the pieces in the corner calling my name. I try not to look directly at them, like if I can't see them, they can't see me. This one gets the most attention, it's my favorite take-along project because I have the pattern memorized and it's easily portable.



It's eventually going to be a decorative bedspread but right now, it's just a bunch (and I do mean a BUNCH) of squares...very pretty squares, but nothing very bedspread-like. To be honest, I'm afraid that once I get halfway through, I'm going to run out of steam and my friends and family will be receiving very pretty square coasters for all holidays and birthdays from here to eternity. When I first learned to crochet I attempted granny squares and I promised myself that I would NEVER do them again. The pattern is so pretty though I decided that I needed the challenge. What does your mother always tell you? Never say never, because not only do I have the bedspread, I have this...


I justified these because they are very large squares and thus, will need less work to assemble. I managed to make one square of each color pattern and then moved on to the next soon-to-be orphan. As you can see, I'm not a big fan of weaving in the ends and I have only haphazardly tried to hide them in this picture, and not only that but they've been stuffed in a bag for so long, they refuse to lay flat. *sigh* If I run out of steam on these, every child in my family will have a blanket for her Barbie.

There are half finished projects all over the house and my roommate is so cool to put up with my yarn stash!


Here are a few other projects that are hidden in the mess, er, ahem, the gold mine that is my corner...


A purse that will be so cool once I have covered and attached all the rings...


A blanket whose stitches looked so intricate but turned out to be quite simple and so I grew bored and carelessly abandoned it...


A baby blanket that I misread the pattern and thought it was supposed to be much longer than necessary. I was about to run out of yarn but it would probably be fine now that I know the length was off. Have I attempted to finish it? Why, no. There are about a million ends to weave in and we know my opinion of weaving...yuck.


Now this, this I will finish. It is a baby blanket in progress for a friend. It's my favorite pattern and I never get bored working on it.

It's going to take me a while to complete all of these projects (if ever, let's face it) because I keep adding new projects to the collection. Hey, look! A pattern for hexagons! At least they're not squares, right?