Wordless Wednesday - A charcoal drawing I did of Sitting Bull

Would you like to play? More Wordless here and here.

The contact lens saga continues...

I found out today that I can't just order a new contact lens to replace the one my two year old disposed of yesterday. I found out my prescription is expired so now I have to have an eye exam. Which means I have to order a whole new set! The worst of it? I just had the left one replaced because when I took it out of my eye a couple months ago, it tore! This set of contact lenses has cost me a bundle! On top of it all, I can't see the greatest right now!

I finished my loom along Felted Baguette by Isela Phelps this past weekend. I have a top load washer and despite what I've read a hundred times over, you can felt just fine with one! I am so non chalant! I worried not one bit about the felting process. I threw that baby in my washer, didn't change my settings one bit (it was set for cold wash and cold rinse on high water level and heavy soil). I walked away and went about my business, when the washer beeped, I opened up the machine, checked my bag, decided it needed a little more felting so put it back in with another load of cloths (nope, didn't put jeans in either washload) and walked away again. When the machine beeped, I opened up the washer pulled out my bag and voila, gorgeousness! It was the perfect size. I just needed to smooth out a few wrinkles and put in my toilet paper pack to shape it a little. I purchased a purse zipper today and it fits perfectly (size 12" zipper). The only snag I've run into with this bag, I sewed my zipper in and accidentally sewed the purse handles in the inside of the bag! Arrrgh! Had to tear out one side and fix that! Ooops. I found this necklace with a gorgous pendant that broke a long time ago. It has some of the colors of the bag in it. It looks so beautiful next to the bag that I am trying to figure out how to attach it to my bag. I'll keep brainstorming and I am sure I'll think of something!

Down in the dumps.

If this cold, snowy weather wasn't enough to get me down, now I have a crumpled and torn to shreds contact lens thanks to my two year old exploring little girl. I caught her in the bathroom messing in my cupboard. She had the toothpaste and was about to squirt some into her mouth. I got it away from her and shewed her out of the bathroom. Ok, disaster avoided there. A little while later I went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. I grabbed my contact case and oh ooooooh, it was open! I took off the cap and no contact lens! I turned towards the sink to set the case down (my mistake) and crunch, I stepped on it! It was a mushed and ground up mess. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmandaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I hollered at the top of my lungs! Such frustration. Thanks goodness I kept my old contacts (very old, two years old I think) for such an emergency. It was all dried out and needed to sit in some solution to get it ready for my eye. It is slightly blurry but not as bad as my glasses. I think my glasses are as old as my five year old. I can't see worth a darn with them.

Friday Fill In

1. When I fell in love was when I first layed eyes on my first born son!
2. May is (suppose to be) when the flowers bloom and it heats up outside, but the way things are going it'll be July!
3. Oh no! The internet connection is down, now what am I going do with all of this time on my hands??!!
4. MADtv is the craziest tv show ever.
5. Cheese and crackers make a great meal!
6. Plant a garden.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a steak dinner and a movie, tomorrow my plans include not much, we are suppose to get a pile of snow and Sunday, I want to send the kiddos to my sister's!

My little girl graduated from Pre-K!

My five year old graduated from preschool yesterday! They performed some songs and danced. My little one is the blonde in the yellow top and tan pants.

She is so excited to go to Kindergarten. She thought she started next week! LOL! I told her she had to wait through the whole summer. She groaned and said that was way too long of a wait! I am glad she loves school. She is one smart little cookie. A bit shy around others, but academically talented! Congratulations sweety!

Want to be promoted with a feature interview and one month of free advertising?

I just found out about this and wanted to alert mom bloggers to the following contest going on over at www.5minutesformom.com. They really want everyone to know about this great product that is a wonderful way to introduce young riders or children and adults with special needs to the joys of riding a bike! On May 5th a winner will be chosen to receive a free Caboose Trailer Bike. If you blog about it, a winner will also be radomly selected to receive a feature interview on 5 Minutes for Mom and one month of free advertising for your blog or website! How cool is that??? It is so easy to write up a quick little blog post and link back to the contest and you'll be spreading the word about such a unique and wonderful product that will bring joy to a child unable to ride on their own, or for an adult with special needs. Go check it out!

Wordless Wednesday - My daughter, dipped in chocolate

More wordless here and here.

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It looks like I am still a Top Momma! Won't you vote for me? I sumbitted a while back and forgot all about it. Imagine my surprise when I logged online yesterday morning and discovered I was a Top Momma! It feels good to be recognized for being a mommy (I have six little kiddos)! It's the hardest and most rewarding job in the whole wide world! Thanks for all of your support!

Tuesday's Toot - I am a Top Momma!

I have two toots for today! First off, I finally made it onto the front page of Top Momma! I had forgotten all about it until I logged online a few minutes ago and low and behold, I am a top momma! Whooo, hooo! If you vote for me, I will stay there (for a little while, anyway). I sure would like to experience a little of that warm fuzzy goodness of sticking around for a few days at least (hint, hint), so could you click here and vote for me? I am Cre8tivkj and I am in the upper left hand corner.



My second toot for today, I finally submitted a pattern to Loom Knitter's Circle Magazine and it was accepted! Yeah!!!!! I have been meaning to do this for sometime but my little inner critic keeps telling me how ugly, stupid, or unacceptable my designs are. So, I took that bugger by the neck and choked the living daylights out of him and submitted a design! LOL!

What personality type are you?

I found this over on Isela's Blog. I took the little test and here is what I got:

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings. At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist. How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

What's Your Personality Type?

Sounds about right.

I keep dreaming the same dream.

This dream is so real. Almost night after night I wake up in a cold sweat and I either shake my hubby awake or holler out. Poor hubby, last night I jumped up out of bed and yelled out his name over and over again, frantic. Then it hit me that it was only a dream...again! He just sat up and said "looks like you figured it all out". I keep dreaming that I am forgetting to feed the baby alpaca! In my dream the baby is dying because she isn't being fed. What a silly dream! Of course the baby is being fed! And, the silliest thing of all, her momma still feeds her milk. She eats hay and she gets fed grain morning and night, but in my dream she isn't being fed. What on earth does this crazy dream mean? I've had this dream almost nightly since she was born last fall! Oh, I wish I knew.

Friday Fill-ins...a contest...and what I've been up to.

1. The last time I lost my temper I scared myself!
2. The price of gas is what I'm fed up with!
3. The next book I'd like to read is my own (I started writing it - whoo hoo).
4. Summer is what I'm looking forward to.
5. If you can't get rid of the skeleton[s] in your closet, look in someone elses, I bet they have more (hee, hee)!
6. The best thing I got in the mail recently was some Wolly Wonka from a contest I won over on the Purling Dervish's blog.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a nice long workout, tomorrow my plans include working on my mom's mother's day gift and Sunday, I want to go for a walk outside, it will be nice finally!

Now, about the conest, if you like dancing and you like gospel, go check out this cool contest going on over here. The contest winner will be announced on April 23rd, so hurry on over and check out the contest rules.

I've been kind of quiet lately. I been asked why I haven't been posting to my groups and why I haven't blogged (I didn't know anyone would miss my mindless dribble). Well, I have lots of designs I am working out for the loom. First and formost, my mother's gift which is taking me forever and a day since it is knit on an extra fine gauge loom! I took a break from that over the past couple days since I heard the call for designs for the Summer issue of Loom Knitter's Circle Magazine and I worked out the most darling design (if I do say so myself). I am my worst critic and always think my stuff isn't up to par to submit, so I don't. This design though even impressed me. My kids are so funny, they keep saying that they can't believe I designed it. They don't think of me as being anything but a mom, I guess. Well, got to go, I have miles to go before I sleep...

Wordless Wednesday - Another little drawing of mine.

More wordless here and here.

Have you heard?

You could to win a Dell P-Ditty MP3 Player just by spreading the word!

There is a VERY COOL contest going on over at my other blog. I am launching my new pattern's blog in a big way! So, spread the word and you will be entered to win! Just blog about my new pattern's blog and you could win a Dell P-Ditty MP3 Player! Sign up for my Pattern's RSS Feed via email and double your chances! Entries accepted from 4/11/08 until 4/18/08 11:59 p.m. Central Time. HURRY! HURRY! HURRY! Contest ending soon, don't delay! Hop on over to my new pattern's blog to get the rules.

The winner will be randomly chosen (I'll throw all entries into a loom knit hat and draw the winner). Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Friday Fill Ins and My Latest Loom Knitting Experiment

1. I love springtime in July?! (Hey, it's MN, we are getting a blizzard right now and we are expected to get up to 2 feet of snow). See for yourself.
2. Pancakes and omlets are foods I love to eat for breakfast.
3. It seems I'm always searching for ideas of things to knit :D
4. A good long workout is a great way to end the day.
5. I think I am addicted to yarn!
6. A vacation is what I've been craving lately.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to shoveling snow(?), tomorrow my plans include shoveling more snow(?) and Sunday, I want to stop shoveling snow!

My latest Loom Knitting Experiment

See how it's done here.

Wordless Wednesday - A little drawing I did back in college

Picasso - based on a photo by Arnold Newman "Pablo Picasso", 1954

Want more wordless?

Tuesday's Toot - Workin' Out is Finally Workin Out!

Despite struggling with six kids by myself for the entire past week (hubby is working nights right now on top of working days so I've been doing things alone) I still managed to get my body movin', movin' and I worked out five out of seven days! I increased my workout speed by nearly 1 mph from last week and I added five more minutes to each session! Whoo Hoo! Workin' out is finally workin out for me! This is a big deal to me since I haven't been able to devote much time to myself and exercise since before I got pregnant with my last child (she is now two). Working out and getting my body back into shape is very important to me since prior to having children I was a workin' out maniac! I was in the most amazing shape of my life and it felt GREAT! I want that for myself again. I hate feeling tired and frumpy! I hate some of the health issues I face due to not being able to take some time for myself. So I am giving myself another great big pat on the back.

My new toy... (ahem) tool!

I had a great time on Sunday destressing from a whole day of being chased by six kids (hubby decided to take one child off my hands - how generous) on Saturday. I still had six since my stepdaughter had a friend over, so no real change from my daily grind :D... Any way, Sunday I slipped off to town by myself for a change for a couple hours. I stopped somewhere I haven't' been in far too long and a place I used to go before children, a place where I instantly relax as soon as I set foot in the door and get a wiff of the baking cookies and brownies and gourmet coffees; I stopped at Barnes & Noble. I had great fun thumbing through all of the knitting and crochet books. So many good ones! I wanted to bring them all home with me and give them all a new home, but alas, my pocketbook is too thin! I settled on a book entitled Knitting Design: Working from a Master Pattern to Fashion Your Own Knits. Now I just need to take time from my busy design schedule to read it! LOL! After I selected this book, I wondered over to the magazines and found this great magazine. I got a great bonus, a new toy...er, I mean tool! The Spring issue came with a Free Row/Pattern Counter! A really, really good one! Not only does this cool toy (er, tool) count your rows (counts to 999), it keeps track of increases, decreases, and repeats! It has a small 4 1/4 inch ruler at it's base for swatching, measuring your work, or tension! I have a standard knitting counter and it's good but this great new counter will be the one I will carry with me from now on.

Friday fill-ins, freebee Friday, and my latest loom knitting project.

Friday Fill-Ins: Friday Fill In #66

1. Tonight I saw a beautiful sunset.



2. Shania Twain makes me wanna dance!
3. Splitting a few appetizers between friends sounds like something I haven't had a chance to do in a very, very, very long time.
4. The Lord is someone I'd like to get to know better.
5. The smell of rain reminds me so much of springtime!
6. I ate some chocolate and that made it all better.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting my hair done, tomorrow my plans include chasing my six kids and my stepdaughter's best friend around the house by myself since my hubby will be gone AGAIN and Sunday, I want to go shopping for more yarn (hehe) and leave our six kids with hubby for a change!

On a crafty note, I finally learned lace on the loom (pictures soon)! Yeah! Thanks to the lovely dishcloth design from my friend Stephanie McElheran of Loomy Daze Designs! Her Little Bit O Lace Dishcloth design is the April Loom Along over on Ravelry in the Loomin' Dishcloths group. Now, I've had a lot of people ask me why the fascination with dishcloths. Well, what other project can you try out new techniques with, learn new things with, and have a finished project that is usable or giftable without devoting too much time to? Plus, if you aren't crazy about dishcloths, loom or knit them with yarn other than cotton and you have a quilt block, the start of a purse, pillow, rug, or anything else you can think of to make it extra special. The possibilities are truely endless. Think outside the box and you can turn a boring dishcloth into something extra special!

Finally, it's Freebee Friday today! Yeah! I haven't had a freebee for awhile so here is another graph for you. Sorry, no written instructions this time (I want you to think outside the box)! Use it as a quilt block, tile it and make a darling bathroom rug (I hear two strands of cotton makes it extra cushy and super absorbant), turn it into a pillow, placemat, towel, or anything else you can dream up! Enjoy!



Before I go, don't forget to check out my new patterns blog! I have some extra special projects I am designing right now (something really beautiful for Mother's Day) and more I'll be adding soon so don't miss out, sign up for my pattern blog's RSS Feed and get my latest pattern download links delivered right to your inbox!

Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday - Simply Inspired

What to play too? Visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Tuesday's Toots

Today I have two toots. At first I couldn't think of a thing to brag about and then I realized that I need to give myself a great big pat on the back for working out for a whole week straight. I logged in 7 miles! Yeah! The Lord of The Rings really keeps me going!

Toot two for today goes to my two year old daughter (say that fast three times -- LOL)! She has slept straight through the night for three nights in a row for the first time since she was born! Hallelujah! Now I just need to catch up on nearly eight years of barely any sleep! I almost feel more tired now that I've gotten a full nights sleep than I felt when I barely got four hours! Go figure.

On a crafty note, I've been seduced by beads. No, I am not throwing down my looms just yet. Just taking a little break to prevent burn out. The pattern I was working up for my latest loom knit design has been frogged and I need to walk away from it for awhile. My loom along project isn't going great either! I don't understand the directions so can't work on that either. So, I will bead for awhile :D

Have a great day!