Just be happy!

5,000 fans Giveaway Celebration

2012-02-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Just Be Happy has reached 5 THOUSAND fans! It's really an honor to have so many people visit my page and see the work I do. I love to crochet and I feel so lucky I can be a stay at home mom to my two beautiful kids and still work on something I am really passionate about.

So, to celebrate the 5,000 fans milestone you'll have a chance to win awesome prizes by some fabulous and generous vendors!

The rules:

- Like each vendor and also leave them love on their wall. (Just click on the name of each vendor of this post and that will bring you to their Facebook page)

- Then come back here and leave a comment under this blog post to let me know you have done that

- For a second entry: share about this giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a link to show that you shared.

Thank you for your continuous support!

Just Be Happy

One hard copy of the crochet pattern book "Just Be Happy Crochet Hats for Babies and Toddlers" by Alessandra Hayden.

Retail Value: $21.99

Custom Creations by Blessed2009

Baby Boy Beanie

Retail Value: $15

Aspin Photography

Them Simple Session, a 30 minute session for up to for people with 12-15 images provided to order from. *Prints and/or digital negatives not included. Session must take place in Thurston or pirce County, WA.

Retail: $60

The Knot Shoppe

Gift Certificate (Expires in 30 days)

Retail Value: $30

Whimsical Warmth

Lamb Hat

Retail Value: $30
Liddie Mae Designs

Pink Peony Headband

Retail Value: $12

Busy Mom of 5 Designs

Newborn Nest

Retail Value: $30

Picture by www.facebook.com/boxeravenuephoto

CUTEture Creations

Bunny Booties

Retail Value: $12- $14

Karrie June Photography & Desinz

Beautiful & completely personalized photo block set (up to 12 photos)

Retail Value + free Sipping: $35
Amk's Boutique

$20 Gift Certificate

Bella's Bowtique

Pink Ivory Dainty Flower Headband

Retail Value: 9.99

Yarn Geek Fibers

1 3-ply chunky 40 yds in Red, 1 Thick & Thin 36 yards in Spearmint Stick, 1 2-ply Thick & Thin in Blues 44 yards

Retail Value: $40

Dolly Priss

One Vintage Petite Flower Headband

Retail Value: $15

Love MK Boutique

One pair of baby rhinestones shoes

Retail Value: $32
Playin Hooky

Kids Leprechaun Beanie

Retail Value: $25
One Sweet Cookie

12 Cake Pops, Gift Packaged.

Choose from: Vanilla birthday cake, chocolate birthday cake or red velvet.

Retail Value: $36

Handmade Crochet Accessories by Gracie

One Fox Hat

Retail Value: $18

Isla Garden

Sweet Dreams Headband

Retail Value: $15

Kiwi and Kiki

$25 Gift Voucher!

Echo Echo Embroidery

Owl Burp Choth and Pacifier Clip Set

Retail Value: $ 12

The Cuddle Loom

Boy size (you can choose from newborn to 24 months) blue and gray fanned diaper cover lined with super soft bamboo.

Retail value: $24

Good luck everyone!

Note: Giveaway ends on February 25, 2012. Winners will be chosen through random.org and announced on February 26, 2012 - after I check if they have followed the rules.

This giveaway is not endorsed, sponsored or associated with Facebook in any way

Testing 1, 2, 3

2012-02-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

We had a very quiet weekend. My husband went golfing with his brother on Saturday and I ran errands and brought the kids to the park. Today (Sunday) we just stayed at home, my husband and I had planned on making a practice cake for the little man's birthday next month - the theme for his party is dinosaurs.

I made the cake (two round cakes) and frosted it and my husband made the marshmallow fondant and covered it.

This was the very first time we made fondant and covered a cake with it - thank goodness for you tube videos to teach us how to do things like this!

My only contributions were the feet and the spots - the baby started to cry, so I had to stop helping and feed her, but I think my husband did an awesome job.

What do you think?

New!

2012-02-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

I have been working very hard on one of my new years resolutions, which is to have my website up and running. Well, my website has been live for a long time, but I wanted to be able to sell my work there. I do appreciate my etsy shop - I wouldn't be where I am otherwise and I intend to keep it open, but I feel confident enough to have my own thing.

I ask you to take a couple of minutes to visit my website, I'd love to know what you think of it, so please leave me a comment and let me know.

www.justbehappycrochet.com

Cheers!

Things I'm Loving

2012-02-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Spoiling my under the weather boy.

Making cute crochet cards for my princess.

The clever ideas I find on Pinterest, like writing on the medicine bottle to keep track of what has been given and when.
My "new" yarn basket, which is actually old, but I finally decided to use it for something.

What are you loving?

Surprise!

2012-02-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

This little knitted jacket is called "Surprise Jacket" and the name couldn't be more fitting because yesterday when the mail man delivered the mail in my house, this is what I received.

It came all the way from Spain, made by a long time blog friend "Alhana". I just LOVE it (can you tell?), thank you so much!
Don't you think my baby girl looks so precious wearing her jacket?

Being real

2012-01-31T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's hard to sit down and blog about things that I'm not really proud of, but I am just like any person, I'm full of imperfections. I'm a tired mess lately, some days I don't even brush my hair, I just put it back in a pony tail and call it good, there are days that I am on my PJ's from the time I get up to the time I go to bed and I feel lucky if I squeeze in a shower... I know it's embarrassing, but with a new baby and a high energy toddler, I feel pretty exhausted some days.

So here is my messy living room for you to see:

looking at the kitchen from the living room:

My baby is growing so fast though, so I'm trying to snuggle her as much as I can because I know she will never be this little again. The mess on the other hand.... LOL

Organization Challenge Day 16

2012-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Day 16: Photos

Okay, I know that the task on day 16 wasn't supposed to be photos, but in order for me to complete something, I needed to work on a task that allowed me to hold my baby while organizing.

My poor kiddos with their nasty cough... ugh! It just kills me to see them like that, I can't wait until they're all better.

Before:

After:

I'm still here

2012-01-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am still here, I promise.

Things just have been a little out of hand here for awhile. Why? Because my two kids are sick! Little man has a cold, he's sneezing, coughing and a runny nose - oh and he wipes that nose everywhere... (Oy!) and the baby has croup (poor baby is two months old and this is the second time she gets sick already), so she is having a hard time breathing, specially at night when she is laying down, which means I am having some pretty rough nights lately and have no energy left during the day.

I have been doing the basic (making the beds, laundry dishes and cooking dinner) but I have to admit that I have not had the desire nor the energy to organize anything.

However I have been feeling the urge to create, I have to hold the baby so much because she needs to be in a vertical position to breath better that I have been spending a lot of time sitting on the couch with her laying against my chest and while I'm there I crochet.

If you follow my Facebook page you probably have seen these pictures, but if you can see some of the new hats I made lately:

Organization Challenge Day 15

2012-01-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Day 15: The freezer

I know that today's task wasn't the freezer, but I couldn't remember the task of the day and I just had a quick moment to do it and I didn't want to waste any time on the computer because that can suck me in.

Before:

After:

Free Pattern: Crochet Monster (Amigurumi)

2012-01-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

What you need:

- Crochet Hook US Size H-8/5mm

- Worsted Weight Yarn

- Polyester Fiber Fill

- Small about of felt

- Safety eye (s)

- Yarn needle

- Needle & thread

Gauge: Not important for this project - yay! Monsters can be short or tall, skinny or chubby and they will still be a ton of fun!

Note: Monsters are worked in a continuous round, do NOT turn or join.

Abbreviations:

sc = single crochet

st (s) = stitch (es)

sc2tog = single crochet two stitches together

rnd = round

Body:

Foundation round: Make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 5 into de ring (6sc)

Rnd 1: 2sc into each st (12 sc)

Rnd 2: (2sc into the next stitch, sc into next st)* repeat to the end of the round (16 sc)

Rnd 3: (2sc into the next stitch, sc into next 2 sts)* repeat to the end of the round (24 sc)

Rnd 4: (2sc into the next stitch, sc into next 3 sts)* repeat to the end of the round (30 sc)

Rnd 5: sc around until you reach the desirable body length. Mine are usually 5.5"

Rnd 6: *Sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sts; repeat from * to the end of the round (24 sc)

Sew the felt parts and attach the safety eye (s) following the package instructions.

Start stuffing the body with polyester fiber fill.

Rnd 7: *Sc2tog, sc in the next 2 sts; repeat from * to the end of the round (16 sc)

Rnd 8: *Sc2tog, sc in the next 1 sts; repeat from * to the end of the round (12 sc)

Rnd 9: *Sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sts; repeat from * to the end of the round (6 sc)

Fasten off. Leave a long tail. Weave tail through the last round and gather tightly. Secure with a knot.

Arms & Legs (Make 4):

Foundation round: Make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 5 into de ring (6sc)

Rnd 1: 2sc into each st (12 sc)

Rnd 2-6: sc around

Fasten off. Leave a long tail. Stuff each piece and sew them to the body. Weave in any loose ends.

Be creative with felt to make fun faces for your monsters! You just need to cut your eye shape and sew it with needle & thread.

Enjoy!

**Please give me credit for the pattern if you make one.

Slacking

2012-01-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am slacking on my organizing challenge today. We lost power for a couple of hours this morning due to the ice on the trees making the branches break. I know that a lot of you guys are used to getting a lot of snow, but I am not and I'm terrified to drive in it, which means I have been hiding in my house since Monday, with the exception of a couple of outings - courtesy of my husband driving. LOL

Here are a couple of pictures of the highlights of our snow days:

A upside down snowman:

and silly face on my husband's truck:

Organization Challenge Day 14

2012-01-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Day 14: Under the bathroom sink

This wasn't too hard to do. A few months ago I asked my husband to install those shelves for us to store toilet paper, so I didn't have to run to the garage to grab more every time we ran out. I love it. LOL

Before:
After:

Organization Challenge Day 13

2012-01-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Day 13: Medicine Cabinet

Well, we only have one box with medicines which is already organized and we keep it in the kitchen in a high cabinet, so for today's challenge I decided to clean the two drawers in the bathroom that were messy.

Before:

After:

Organization Challenge Day 12

2012-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Day 12: Spice Cabinet

I know you might not think that the "after" picture looks very organized, but I assure you that everything is much more accessible then in the "before" picture - you can even see the back of the cabinet! LOL

Lots of things were tossed and others were moved to the pantry and the cabinets were wiped clean.

I can't believe I am more than half way done with the challenge - yay!

Before:

After:

Organization Challenge Day 11

2012-01-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

Day 11: The Fridge (It was supposed to be the freezer, but I messed up. Oh well...)

Today's task wasn't too bad. Just a few containers to throw away and a few expired sauces that were on the fridge's door, then a little clean up and after that I just put everything in the places they belong. Let's see how long the fridge will be nice and clean...

Before:

After:

It sure looks empty now, so I might have to think of some goodies to make and add to those empty shelves. *wink*

A Little Break

2012-01-15T14:21:00.001-08:00

Today is Sunday and I decided to take the day off of organizing challenge. No, I am not quitting it, I just wanted to have a day of doing nothing for once - at least in theory, because you know I can't sit still and just do nothing. I did a couple of loads of laundry and meatballs and red sauce for our meatball sandwiches and I also crocheted a hat.

Today was also the first day we had snow this winter and I tell you, I had a very, I mean VERY excited little man. So the "guys" went to the backyard to play in the snow. I just stayed inside in my pajamas, nice and warm with the baby. (hehe)

They spent over an hour building that snowman and it's huge!

After so much work and fun in the snow, we all had some yummy hot cocoa together, such a great Sunday...

Organization Challenge Day 10

2012-01-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

Day 10: The Laundry Room

In my case is more like the laundry closet, but still it was a mess. There were things in there that I thought to myself "why did I save this in the first place?". I literally filled up the garbage can with things I took out from the laundry room, it was amazing to see how much stuff I had packed in there... LOL

The baby's bath tub will stay there, because I bathe my sweetie in the kitchen and it's just easy for me to put the tub in there and it's accessible for the next day's bath. Once she grows out of it, I will give it away and won't have to store it anymore. We kept it in the attic after the little man stopped having baths in it, this time this tub will find a new home.

Anyways, I'm proud I accomplished today's task, I was afraid it would take me all day, but I did it in about one hour - yay!

Before:

After:

Organization Challenge Day 9

2012-01-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Day 9: Toy Organization

It might be hard to believe but I didn't have to get the toys organized. Why? No, it's not because my son doesn't have a lot of toys, because he does (more than he needs and most of them were given to him as presents), but because my husband and I rotate the toys often. Once we realize the little man is bored with the toys that are in the toy box, we take some of them out and switch with the ones we have stored in the shed.

With that said, I decided to clean and organize something else, so I tackled the corner shelves of the kitchen cupboard. That's our catch all place, right by the garage door, a lot of things end up there - where they certainly don't belong.

I grabbed a clear container and made put a lot of the little man's art supplies, I tossed a lot of mail and moved things to their correct place.

Here is my before picture:

Here is my after picture:
Tomorrow is a big task for me, my laundry room is a mess. Wish me luck!

Organization Challenge Day 8

2012-01-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Day 8: Coat Closet

This was a pretty easy task for me (finally! LOL), mostly just had to move the coats to our closets and organize the small area above.

Before Picture:

After picture:

Organization Challenge Day 7

2012-01-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Day 7: The Pantry

It wasn't easy to complete my organization task today. I decided to vacuum my car and after that make some breakfast burritos to freeze, so my husband can just have something to eat in the morning (I made 14), by then the kids were both falling apart on me, it was a crying festival here... LOL

When my husband got home I was trying to finish cooking dinner and boy was I happy to see him! He entertained the kids for me to finish cooking, then we ate our meal and then HE cleaned the pantry for me. Yay!

Before:

After:

Are you doing the 21 day organizing challenge?If you are leave a comment with a link to your blog, I'd love to see your progress!

Organization Challenge Day 6

2012-01-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Dresser Drawers

I don't know why, but everyday before I start my task of the day I get a little anxious, it's weird, but it's true and the funny part is that after I finish doing it I think "Oh, it wasn't so bad". LOL

Today I organized my side of the dresser, including the 2 small drawers that you can see in the picture below however I'm not showing you the before and after of those because they are my underwear and socks drawers and I just thought that was too much... ;)

Before:

After:

Wish me luck, tomorrow is the pantry day and it's a hot mess in there!

Organization Challenge Day 5

2012-01-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Under the sink cabinet.

The cabinet right under the sink was already clean & organized, so I decided to clean the cabinet where I store the pots and pans. Today for once was a quick task, so I took advantage of it and cleaned and organized two more cabinets. I'm getting excited to have an organized home again!

Before:
After:

Organization Challenge Day 4

2012-01-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Linen Closet

I honestly was mentally avoiding this task, I felt like every time I open the linen closet door the closet was throwing up bed sheets, bath towels and pillow cases all over me. I was a bit overwhelmed, just thinking about it.

I have a ton of stuff that I am getting rid of, my pile of Goodwill stuff is just getting bigger and bigger, my car's trunk will be completely full!

Before pictures:

After pictures:

Organization Challenge Day 3

2012-01-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Day 3: Tupperware Cabinet

I actually didn't have one whole cabinet just for tupperware, there are some in the cabinet and some in the drawer, so I cleaned and organized both.

Before pictures:

After pictures:

I know that the drawer doesn't look super organized, but I tossed and recycled stuff from there. I need to get some bins to put the small and medium size lids in still, I think if I did that it would be easier to find them.

I also organized the silverware drawer and that's because my house needs much more than just 21 days of organizing, so if I can squeeze in a little bit more organizing each day, that will help me to get there quicker.

Organization Challenge Day 2

2012-01-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Desk

Oh my word, I am even a little embarrassed to show you the picture of my desk before I organized it. What a mess!

I had a lot of organizing and tossing to do, I made sure to put everything where they belonged (toys, kitchen stuff, etc) and tossed a whole bunch of junk and recycled a whole bunch of boxes that I don't even know why I had them sitting there.

Before:

After:
Still lots of work to do to get my house organized, but I believe I am in the right track.

If you joined the 21 day challenge, leave a comment with a link to your blog post, I would love to see your progress too!

Organization Challenge Day 1

2012-01-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Junk Drawer

My junk drawers are in the living room, right by where I sit to crochet. They were filled with buttons, small skeins of yarn, computer cables, pattern books, pictures, etc. They are not big drawers, but they were packed full.

It's funny that it was hard to find time to organize just these 3 little drawers, but it was. I was lucky that my mother-in-law took the little man out for a little bit, I took advantage of that time to tackle this task and I did that while rocking my baby girl or she wouldn't stop crying.

Here is the before picture:

Here is the after:

If you decide to join me in this challenge, leave a comment with a link to your blog, I'd love to see your progress!

21 Days Organizing Challenge

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to join the 21 Days Organizing Challenge, because I needed some inspiration to get things back to where they belong. Since the end of my pregnancy, when I was so tired and beyond busy with crochet orders, I didn't have much time or energy to organize the house the way I like and I must admit that things got a bit out of control here and it's driving me batty.

How does it work? Well, every day you have one organizing task and you take a picture of the before and after, then you blog about it. I am looking forward to doing this because the tasks are divided in a way that I think I can handle right now, not a LOT of organizing to do in one day... LOL

So here is the 21 days organizing challenge schedule:

Wish me luck!

2012-01-04T22:17:00.001-08:00

I don't know how it is for you, but for me deciding what to cook for dinner every day is much harder than cooking the meal itself and that's why one of my new year's resolutions was to plan meals and I'm excited to say that I have started it and so far I'm loving it. I wrote a menu for a whole month, except for the weekends, because I take the weekends off of cooking most of the time. It's my "free" time.

I like the menu not only because I don't have to think of what I am going to cook, but because I can buy groceries ahead and not have to go to the store so often, which saves us money (I go to the store for one thing and end up leaving with a cart full) and also when I plan ahead I make healthier choices.

Now forget about the healthy part and let me tell you about this chocolate martini I had to have. My friend Carolyn had added this martini to her Pinterest and when I saw it I knew I HAD to try it. It has been over 3 years since I had any alcoholic beverage to drink and that's because I became a boring person since I gave birth (LOL).

Anyhow, I asked my husband to get all the ingredients and he was happy to make me a martini on New Years Eve, so here is a toast to 2012!

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

I usually don't go for the resolutions, but this year I decided to make a list of things I want to accomplish.

Here are my goals for 2012:

- Complain less (so far I am failing miserably! LOL)

- Read more

- Double the sales in my etsy shop

- Reach 10,000 fans in my Facebook page

- Get organized (I'm going to do the 21 day challenge - will tell you more about it soon)

- Put all the little movies we have of our son into timeline and burn a DVD

- Lose the baby weight

- Write more patterns (I have the first one being tested - yay!)

- Plan meals better (so I don't get anxious thinking about what to cook, the freezer meals were a great, I need to make more!)

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress. ;o)

What are YOUR new years resolutions? I'd love to know!

January 1st

2012-01-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's January 1st, 2012 already! My goodness, I feel like 2011 flew by and it was an awesome year.

Here are some good things:

- our precious little girl was born

- little man started preschool

- my sister came to visit with her family in February/March

- my sister came to visit again after the baby was born

- I had over 1,000 sales in my etsy shop in 2011

- we went on a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

That's just a few of the good things that 2011 brought us, it was a really wonderful year and I hop 2012 is a good one, too!

So, yesterday we had dinner with friends at their house, it was a lot of fun, they have two kids as well and our boys played together and we just chatted and had a good time.

Today, the 1st, my husband let me sleep in, then we went to the park to feed the ducks and enjoy the sunny day.

Little man had a good time watching the ducks and chasing the birds!

Then we came back home, ate lunch and later on I had a little boy that was really bored, but my husband and I just wanted to stay home, he wanted to play his video game and I wanted to crochet and cuddle with the baby. Good thing that Santa had brought him this "road tape"!

He has been playing cars for over 2 hours! I made him a parking garage out of a Ritz Crackers box, so the parking garage along with the tape are a total success!

I hope everyone have a marvelous 2012!

2011-12-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Im sorry I vanished again, but it has been a bit of a rough week here. I am sleep deprived and in turn I'm grouchy and to add to having a newborn baby that wakes up all night, I have a toddler that has outgrown his nap. Fortunately, he has been doing "quiet time" in his room for one hour, "reading" books and playing with stuffed animals.

Anyhow, I was wondering how did your Christmas go? We had a wonderful time! We spent Christmas eve at my brother-in-law's and Christmas day we spent at home, all day in our Pj's!

Here is our little friend, she was posing for me so I could snap a "bokeh" picture. I just love how the lights look. Well, I love our sweet dog too, she'll be 9 next month.

Little man on Christmas day opening his gifts... which was so much fun to watch!

One of his gifts was this silly face plate. You add the food to make it fun! lol

And here are the snow globes I got this year. Every year I get one (this year I got 3!). My collection started with the little man's first Christmas and it is growing with him. It is a great thing for my husband, he always knows what to buy to put in my stocking!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too. The best present was for sure our healthy little girl, that now gives me toothless smiles that simply melt my heart. I feel so blessed and I just hope 2012 is as good as 2011!

Just in case I don't come back to blog before the New Years, HAPPY 2012!

Tag your it!

2011-12-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

Rules:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
6. No tag backs.
7. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 Things about me
1. I don't like pineapple, peanut butter or shrimp.
2. I always report the price of the stuff I buy to my husband, not that he cares about that, but I'm usually so proud of my bargains. LOL
3. Every year we buy a new ornament for the little man and this year we bought our little girl her first one.
4. I love watching the movie Napoleon Dynamite, it makes me laugh every time.
5. I wear contact lenses.
6. I don't like frogs.
7. I don't like talking on the phone.
8. I love Nutella.
9. I'd love to own a pair of red shoes.
10. I am ashamed I haven't learned how to properly use my camera.
11. I bite my nails (shame).

Mommy, Daddy and Mason's Questions:

1. What color lights did you put on your christmas tree this year? The colorful ones.

2. Do you exercise regularly? I used to before I got pregnant, I hope to get back at it in the near future

3. Are you making a new years resolution? Yes, to complain less and to lose the baby weight.

4. How do you usually spend your new years eve? We don't do anything special, just stay home usually.

5. Hair up or down? seems to be always in a pony tail.

6. Heels or flats? flats, no doubt.

7. Where is the farthest place you've traveled? I suppose that the furthest from the US must have been Argentina or the South of Brazil.

8. What do you do to relax? Crochet.

9. Favorite thing to do outside? Take pictures and watch my son play.

10. Would you go white river rafting? I'm not sure.

11. What's the last movie you saw in theaters? Crazy Stupid Love.

My Questions for you:

1. What's your favorite food.

2. Where would you travel to if you could go anywhere.

3. What's your favorite season.

4. How old are you?

5. What genre of music do you like?

6. How often do you eat out?

7. What's your favorite color?

8. What kind of vehicle do you drive (brand/color)?

9. Do you do any type of craft?

10. What's your favorite dish to cook?

11. If you had to choose one word to describe yourself, what word would that be?

Cookies for Santa

2011-12-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon the little man and I decided to make cookies for Santa. He enjoyed adding the ingredients to the mixer, rolling the dough, cutting the cookies with the fun shapes...

and he also had a blast decorating them and sneaking some candy into his mouth, of course.

We decorated them after dinner, so even my husband joined us - it was so much fun!

Now this will be something I'll look forward to doing every year with the little man and soon with my little girl, too.

Happy Holidays!

New Crochet Work

2011-12-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't have much energy to take pictures lately and with that I end up not blogging, because I like adding pictures to my blog posts. So, yesterday when I received a picture of the purple bonnet, I thought "that's my solution! I will blog about my recent crochet creations".

Here they are:

I made this "toy block" hat, you know... inspired by the classic blocks that every kid has. ;o)

This is the newest, I made this after my baby was born because I had never been able to make a bonnet with a nice fit, but with a baby for me to try on everything worked out quickly and perfectly! (Note: it's not my little one in this picture, even though I think she is gorgeous and I love the photo).

and a mini crown, instead of a regular size one.

Cheers!

Hello!

2011-12-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today marks a complete month since this head full of hair joined our family. It has been a big change going from one kid to two, lots of adjusting, but we are starting to get a hang of it. We are getting to know her a little better and she is getting to know us, too. We are sleep deprived big time, but we are beyond happy, it's amazing to feel so much joy.

My husband is totally awesome, I don't know how I would do this without him. He works all day and we he gets home he is ready to help. I look forward to the weekend all week long because he lets me sleep in the morning while he watches the kids and yesterday (Saturday morning) he had rainbow pancakes ready for me to eat. The menu was chosen by the little man, but mine had chocolate chips in them. ;o)

By the way, I found this picture in the camera when I grabbed it to take a picture of something else. My husband is so cool that he even took the picture for me! hehehe

I am also happy to make cute food from the ideas I gather from Pinterest. This week I put together this cheese reindeer for the little man. He loved it!

Wishing everyone a happy & healthy week!

Maternity & Baby Shower Picture Overload

2011-12-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, when I was still pregnant I told you guys that my friends threw me a baby shower and I also had some maternity pictures taken and I promised that I was going to show you some pictures once I got them. Well, the time has arrived!

My baby shower was at a cupcake bakery in downtown Tacoma called "Hello - Cupcake". The place is the cutest little shop, I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world for having such good friends.

Here is a picture of some of us sitting by the window of the cupcake shop. I love the pink bike, they change the basket arrangements according to the season.

Here is room decorated for my baby shower:

The mocha and water had my name in the label, the napkin was shaped as a dress and look at the paper mustache and the chocolate mustache stick!

Cupcakes with pink booties decorations - beautiful and delicious!

and here are a couple of pictures of me, I was 9 months pregnant and ready for my baby girl to make an appearance.

The two pictures of me were taken at an apple orchard, across the street from my little man's preschool, while he was in class - perfect, isn't it?

All the pictures in this post were taken by my friend Tammi over at Finding Moments Photography.

Trying hard

2011-12-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

I've been trying hard to be a good mom to both of my kids, to be a good wife, to keep the house in order and to be a human - however, I feel more like a zombie (lol).

It has not been an easy task, I feel bad that my little man hasn't been going out much and is bored out of his mind some days, but my little sweetie pie wants to nurse all day long and it's tough to get anything done with a baby attached to your breast.

Today my husband came home from work a little early, so I was able to do some fun stuff - it's incredible the difference that a second set of hands makes in my life right now! I can't wait to find my rhythm again.

Anyhow, I made mini doughnuts to serve to the little man after his nap:

Then I gave him some washable finger paint and put him in the tub and let him paint away, he had a blast and I was so happy to see him so excited.

I was also able to cook dinner, I tried different recipes I found on Pinterest and I must say, that all of them are keepers - even though next time I will modify the mongolian beef recipe a tad so it's not as sweet, but other than that everything was perfect.

Well, now I better run and take a shower! LOL

Peg Dolls

2011-12-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Since the baby was born we haven't been getting out of the house, I'm jus too tired and it's also a lot of work to get them both ready. I know things will get easier, but until then we are taking things slowly.

So, with all this time spent home I have a very bored little man that is used to get lots of attention, to give him something new to do, I decided to paint some peg dolls.

I purchased the peg dolls at Michael's, they come in sets of 2 and I also bought the cheapest type of acrylic paint (.79 each) - I didn't even buy a lot of colors, I mixed them to make the colors I needed, then I drew the designs with a pencil until I was happy with the way the looked and painted away!

Here is picture of them ready:

My initial idea was to make super hero ones, but I showed the little man two pictures one was Sesame Street and the other Super Heroes peg dolls. He chose Sesame Street, but since I had one more peg doll left, I decided to make Superman and it's turns out that this is my fav.

I must say that the inspiration for the peg dolls came from Pinterest.

Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here is our little Christmas tree, it's a fresh noble fir tree that smells wonderful and has been brightly decorated by the little man and I. We put some effort to get our tree up before my sister left, so she could see it and I'm glad we did, now every night I look at it and the colorful lights make me happy.

I took this picture last night after the kids went to bed (well, you know that little missy wakes up every 2-3 hours), so I invited our old lady to sit down, which was a good idea because she hasn't made an appearance here in the blog for a long time, huh?

Is your Christmas tree up yet?

This is my baby!

2011-12-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hi friends,

Yesterday I took my little sweet pea to get her newborn pictures taken by Kamieo Fox, here are couple of them for you to see how beautiful my sweetie is.

Don't you just love the picture with all the colorful yarn balls? So fitting for this yarn lover mommy!

And this one is a picture of her wearing a "Christmas Gift" hat that I made, my kids are my everyday gift, I'm in love with my family.

The ABC's of me

2011-11-29T13:34:00.001-08:00

Alhana had it on her blog and I decided to join the fun. I hope you join me, too!

A: Age: 32

B: Bed Size: Queen

C: Chore that you hate: Cleaning windows

D: Dogs: Yes, one almost 9 year old Jack Russel Terrier

E: Essential Start to your day: Coffee

F: Favorite Color: Pink

G: Gold or Silver: I prefer silver, however I have lots of gold stuff... LOL

H: Height: 5'9"

I: Instruments you play: None

J: Job Tittle: Stay at home mom and wife

K: Kids: 1 toddler boy and a newborn girl

L: Live: Tacoma, WA USA

M: Mother's Name: Sonia

N: Nickname: Ale or Sandra

O: Overnight stays at the hospital: Delivering my kids and another time when I thought I had appendicitis

P: Pet Peeve: People not returning shopping cards to the designated area

Q: Quote from a movie: I can't think of one...

R: Right or Left Handed: Right

S: Siblings: 2, I am the youngest and have a sister and a brother.

T: Time you wake up: All night long nursing the baby

U: Underwear: Cotton ones, please. LOL

V: Vegetable you hate: Beets

W: What makes you run late: Poopy diapers! LOL

X: X-Rays you've had: Oh Gee... legs, pelvis, neck, hands... I'm sure I've had more, just can't remember.

Y: Yummy Food that you make: Carrots and bacon wrapped in beef in a tomato sauce - Brazilian "Carne de Panela".

Z: Zoo Animal: Polar bears

Counting my blessings

2011-11-27T22:19:00.001-08:00

Lots of times I use my blog to vent, to complain about things going on in my life, because I feel comfortable doing that here, I feel like I can say anything I want and lots of you can relate to the way I feel, but today I am here to count my blessings.

So, here are some of the things I'm thankful for:

- my husband - he is totally awesome, he gives me so much support and I'm so thankful he has been here these 9 days to help me with the kids, I don't know what I would do without him.

- my healthy kids - little man is feeling good again and my baby girl is going to the doctor tomorrow morning to have her weight checked and hopefully we will learn that the jaundice is gone for good.

- my sister, that flew all the way from Brazil, a 24 hour trip and started helping as soon as she got here, she has cooked, cleaned, changed diapers, and much more. I'm so lucky to have her.

- crock pot & simple recipes for days like today that we didn't know what to eat, I just threw stuff in the crock pot and have a meal for dinner (Crock Pot Italian Chicken Pasta found on Pinterest).

- dry shampoo - it saved me the other day, I had to take the sweet pea to the doctor early in the morning and didn't want to look so greasy! hehehe

- entertainment - we went to a local park to see the Christmas lights, it's a 5 mile drive and I am so thankful that there are fun things we can do just sitting in the comfort and warmth of our vehicle. (note that I attempted to take one picture and it didn't quite work, but it's so colorful I decided to share it with you guys anyways)

- Gingerbread House Kits - yet, I am thankful for the store bought kits, with a newborn at home I really didn't have the energy to bake a gingerbread house from scratch, I am glad I had purchased one at Michael's a few weeks ago and that my sister could assist my little man decorating it.

- I'm also thankful for God, I pray every night and I feel comfort and peace.

*Hugs*

2011-11-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I'm having a little spare moment here (with the baby sleeping on my chest), so I thought I should come back and update you guys.

Well, I had an ultrasound on Thursday (11/17) to check and see if the baby was in the correct position, she was, even though she hadn't dropped yet, however, she had umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which the doctor's consider normal, no big deal. BUT for my husband and I, it was a SUPER big deal, due to our history of losing our first son at 34 weeks because of a knot in the umbilical cord.

So... after we had the ultrasound we went to see my midwife and I told her that now that I knew that my baby had a cord around her neck, I would not be able to sleep anymore until the baby was in my arms, that said, we decided to get induced. My husband made some calls to arrange care for our little man and we went home to grab a few things we needed and headed to the hospital.

I was given Pitocin for almost 24 hours, but my contractions never really picked up, so we got off of that and got the midwife to come and check how dilated I was and to check if the baby had dropped. The baby had dropped and I was at 4cm, so they decided to break my water and after that the contractions came fast and strong. I walked around the birthing floor of the hospital until I could no longer stand the pain and came to the room and asked for the epidural. The main anesthesiologist could not be found, so the nurses had to find another one, but that took a little while and by the time he came and gave me the epidural injection my contraction were too strong. The nurses and the anesthesiologist were leaving the room telling my husband and I that in 20 minutes I would no longer feel pain, as they were at the door I told my husband "the baby is coming now". My husband rushed to the door and told the nurse station what I had just told him and they came quickly and delivery started. I felt everything, other than my knees and feet (ha! how useful is that?) and it was hard, exhausting and at moments I thought I could not do it, I still can't believe I had a "natural" birth, even though I took the epidural.... (after the baby was born the epidural kicked in! LOL).

Anyhow, my little miss was born on the 18th, weighting 8lbs 13oz and measuring 20.75". She has a head full of dark hair, her skin is so soft and she smells so good that I have fallen in love again.

Last Monday we took her to her first doctor's visit and found out she had jaundice and it was really high, so a bilirubin bed was sent to our house on the same day and little miss stayed on it for 24 hours/day for 4 days. She was allowed out just to be fed and changed and I tell you, it was heart breaking not being able to pick up my baby and comfort her every time she cried. You know what else was hard? The little man caught a cold and had fever all night and all day Wednesday. When both of the kids were crying at the same time, I broke down and cried too, I felt like my heart was being torn in 2 pieces.

I am beyond thankful that my sister decided to fly all the way from Brazil to meet her niece and help me for a week. The night the little man had the fever, my sister slept in his bed with him, which put me on ease.

It has been crazy here for the last 8 days - since the little miss got home. My mother-in-law had surgery on the same day my sister arrived, she had found out last month that she had breast cancer, but thankfully she found it out early enough and was able to get the cancer out before it spread to her body.

And then Thanksgiving came and we could go anywhere because the baby had to be in the bilirubin bed, so my husband ventured to the store, bought a turkey and we made a small dinner for us and my in laws (mother, father and brother). I was so tired that I ended up overcooking the vegetables. But hey, we have a newborn baby at home and no sleep, so I can be forgiven, right? hehehe. We just didn't want to let such a special holiday to pass by, we have so much we are thankful for this year.

Anyways, I hope my post makes sense... I am little fuzzy in the head with the lack of sleep, but I am in love with my new baby, my husband and my son. I am happy we are healthy and I know that I'll find my rhythm again at some point.

Have a great weekend. Cheers!

My sweet pea arrived!

2011-11-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hi my friends, this is just a quick post to let you guys know that I haven't vanished, I have a very good reason for my lack of posts: my little baby girl is here!

I am awfully busy right now, she has jaundice and has been doing foto therapy since Monday and as of last night, the little man is sick, so I feel like my heart is broken in two pieces... when they are both crying at the same time I don't know what to do. I sure need some time to get used to this life of mom of two.

Anyways, I will have to come back some other time to tell you more about delivery.

If I don't come back by tomorrow, happy thanksgiving!

Things I'm Loving

2011-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Loving the "road" I drew on the back of one of my husband's t-shirt. My husband gets a "car massage" while the little man has a blast playing. Very clever idea I came across while browsing Pinterest, of course.

The silly lunch "bugs" I purchased from Perpetual Kid. Little man picked it up and did laps around the house saying "I got a bug! I got a bug!"

Loving the amazing recipes I find on Pinterest. Yesterday I made Nutella Truffles and they are absolutely amazing! If you are interested in making some, click here for the recipe.

If you want to join the "Things I'm loving" fun and share what you are loving, click on the picture below.

Cheers!

Bored?

2011-11-12T18:08:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been a long, long time since I have been bored. Crochet always kept me so busy, along with the little man, hubs and house chores, but today...

Hubs drove me to the post office to mail some packages, from there we went to a quick walk - it started raining and the little man stepped on a puddle with his regular shoes and got soaked, so we headed back home after that.

(I took this picture this morning during our walk)

We ate soup and then I read the little man a couple of books and put him down for a nap. My husband was more than content to play his new Xbox game and I was just surfing the web for a bit, but decided to go lay down because my back was sore, I ended up falling asleep, nice nap on a cold and rainy day.

Well, afternoon came and we just stayed in. I wanted to go to the craft store to take advantage of their 25% off sale, but just couldn't motivate myself to get out of the house, not even for an ice cream.

I think the anxiety and lack of comfort that I feel now is the reason I am feeling bored, I am usually very pro-active and motivate myself to do whatever, but not today. I think this feeling of "get the baby out" is God's way of preparing us for the baby to come and I say that because not too long ago I was a little anxious thinking about giving birth and at this point, I don't really care. LOL

Anyhow, my poor husband got tired of my whining and took the little man to the grocery store with him, while I am here alone to some peace and quiet, I decided to draw some finger people to entertain myself and of course, I had to share my wonderful boredom breakers with you:

I even used my son's Woody's hat as a photo prop for my finger people! LOL

And what about this little guy? Passing from stool softener pills... talk about silly...
*Fingers* crossed the baby will come soon! LOL

Waiting...

2011-11-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

Nothing really exciting to share today, it seems to me that I have just been sitting here, watching the time pass and waiting for my little girl to come. I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant and I really thought that my sweet pea would have made her appearance by now, like the little man did. He was born at 38 weeks, big and healthy.

Chatting with a friend yesterday, she was listening to my complaints and telling me that the baby was just waiting for me to get everything done. I told my friend that I thought I had everything under control, hospital bag packed, all the baby clothes washed, her bassinet ready by my bed, her crib is also ready, then my friend said that maybe she was giving me time to do things I wanted to do.

What did I do? I watched all the episodes of "Chopped" I had recorded in the DVR last night and today I went to ikea (even though I really don't like driving on the freeway) and washed all the dog's pillows and blankets. LOL

I know, I know... it's ridiculous!

I am just feeling ready, I've been complaining a lot, but it's getting hard to sleep at night and that is making me so tired... Sorry for all the whining, I really am, but I just can't help it.

And just because I have nothing else to show you, here is a picture of the blueberry mini doughnuts I made yesterday - really loving the mini muffin maker, so fun!

Cheers!

Crochet Scarves for Bottles!

2011-11-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Browsing Pinterest I saw some Starbucks frappuccino bottles dressed like snowman, they had a cake pop head and wore scarves, nope, they were not crocheted, but then I thought "Hey! I can crochet little scarves for those frappuccino bottles!" and so I did.

I'm going to give some to my son's preschool teacher before the winter break starts and to some other people as thank you tokens. I know they are simple gifts, but they show that I care, that I was trying to make something special. What do you think?

I've been also saving those bottles, so I can serve them with milk or hot chocolate to my little one.

Would you like to make a scarf too? Well, it's a very quick and easy project, so if you are new to crochet you can certainly tackle this!

Row 1: Chain 6, hdc on the 3rd chain from the hook and remaining stitches - turn.

Row 2: Chain 2, hdc until the end of row - turn. (5 hdc in each row)

Repeat row 3 until you have the scarf to the length of your liking. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the scarf or you can make it extra long and make a knot, if you prefer.

Cheers!

Mini Doughnuts

2011-11-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to buy a mini doughnut maker at the store. It wasn't an impulse buy, I wanted one for awhile but didn't want to pay full price, but after seeing it on sale on my last few visits, I figured it was time.

My husband never gets upset with me for buying anything (he's so proud of me for making some spending money with my crochet business and always talks so nice about me and what I do to everyone, it's so cute!), but sometimes he laughs at the stuff I buy.

So, he laughed, but he got a craving for the mini doughnuts, I tell ya!

He wanted them so bad that he went to the store to get the only ingredient we didn't have at home (buttermilk) and he made the batter and started making the mini doughnuts himself!

After a couple of batches he passed me the baton, which was okay since I was going to do all myself and he had done half of the work already.

We loved them, it was great having them next morning for breakfast along with a cup of coffee.

A different fun in the tub

2011-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

My little man always loved taking baths, long warm ones. Where he can enjoy playing with all his bath toys, he can sing and just relax. However, we found a different way to have fun in the tub: with finger paint and brushes!

It was awesome to see how much fun he had, drawing on the tub, painting himself, laughing, it was just priceless!

After I convinced him it was time to be done, I took him out, washed the paint off (super easy!) and then drew him a bath - he needed it, but the cool thing is that the fun continued at bath, he played with his toys and I let him play with the clean brushes, too.

This is something we will be doing again for sure. Cheers!

Small Pleasures

2011-11-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am a sock lover, not that I have a billion pairs or anything, but I really like colorful and fun socks and would certainly have more if I could.

The other day I was browsing Pinterest and saw some super hero socks with capes and I HAD to have it. So, I ordered myself a pair and today my hubby snapped a photo for me of my new pair of socks:

Funny, huh? They will be great with boots since they are high and they will make me giggle every time I take my boots off and look at them.

Autumn Craft Projects

2011-11-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

I mentioned here the other day that the rainy, gray and cold weather is back to the Pacific Northwest and because of that I always keep my eyes peeled for new craft ideas to keep my little person entertained and happy.

This week we made a couple of Autumn inspired crafts:

This first craft was a fingerprint tree. I dug out the only stamp ink pad I had, which was blue, pink and purple colors, but who cares what colors the leaves were, right? This is our whimsical tree. By the way, the tree itself was a free template, if you want to print one too, just click here.

For the second project, we went to our backyard and gathered some leaves, then I taped them to the table and put a piece of paper of table and taped that to the table as well.

Then got the crayons out and voila!
I ended up making one, too.

Fun, life is fun.

Little Hootie

2011-11-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day with no custom orders to work on, so I tested this pattern for Dawn. It was an easy and fun pattern to follow and a good change from all the hat making.

Time for me to get up and moving! I need to take the little man to toddler gym and run some errands.

Have a great day!

Things I'm Loving

2011-11-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Loving to stay warm inside of our house and finding simple things to play with. (Idea from Pinterest).

Making Yummy and fun colored pasta for lunch - idea came from Pinterest as well. (I used Pioneer Woman's Sesame Sauce recipe)

The fun new fork and spoon I bought for the little man.

All the little visitors that are coming to our backyard.

Apple Cider season + using my fun mugs. Did I ever tell you I love mugs? I tend to buy a mug when I visit new places.

If want to join the "Things I'm Loving" fun, just click on the picture below.

Mixed Feelings

2011-10-31T09:01:00.001-07:00

Last night I deactivated several listings from my etsy shop. It makes me feel kinda sad to take so many listings down, now there are only ready to ship items and patterns listed there, I am no longer taking custom orders. It's time to get ready ready for my baby girl to come, which is the part that makes me happy.

I still have some hats to complete and mail out before I can say I am completely done, but that was for sure a BIG step for me. My husband is really excited I am taking a break, maybe I can be a more relaxed person, if that's possible - I'm always the energizer bunny, can't sit still.

Well, it's Halloween, so I better get moving, get out of the house with my favorite little man and look for something fun to do with him.

Happy Halloween, wishing everyone an awesome week!

Art Projects

2011-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year for us here in Western Washington - rainy & gray. Oh, and t's getting cold too. So, we have to find ways to entertain the little ones when we don't feel like going out anywhere.

I'm very thankful for all the great ideas that are all over the internet, we also come up with some of our own sometimes.

Here are a couple of things we created recently:

- We picked up leaves in our backyard, with crayons we drew a tree trunk and then glued the leaves on. This is actually the one that I made along with the little man, but he was so excited that he ended up taking all the leaves from the paper shortly after, not giving me any time to snap a picture of his project.

Airplane. Well, this one I saw on Pinterest. We saved the popsicle sticks + a clothes pin and painted them with finger paint, then I used hot glue to put it all together.

And here is another Pinterest idea, that's not a project or game, but rather a way to keep the puzzle pieces from getting lost. Just some felt and hot glue!

Freezer Meals

2011-10-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned here before that I have been working on Freezer Meals, but this time I will show you a picture of my freezer and tell you more about it.

We got a freezer from my mother-in-law (she was going to get rid of it) in May, which was just a blessing as my husband was going to Alaska on a fishing trip, so we had a freezer to store all the salmon he caught, but at that time I was already interested in making meals ahead of time - I didn't get around it until recently though.

Being pregnant (36 weeks now!) and seeing so many meal inspirations on Pinterest, I decided to give it a try- I even made breakfast sandwiches! With the help of a freezer meal book and many blog posts, this is what my freezer looks like:

You can't see the bottom of the freezer (my car was parked in the garage, so I couldn't go any further back to take the picture), but we have lots of salmon and frozen vegetables there. I know I could fill it up more, but I need to find some more time and motivation, but who knows... I might just find my motivation and get super inspired before the baby comes, if not, this is better than before - that's for sure.

Cheers!

A week in crochet

2011-10-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

This was a crazy busy week as far as crochet goes, which means it was super busy week all around.

Can I tell you what I did? I hope you don't mind!

I received an order for 10 crab hats last Saturday, 8 of them were adult sizes - and I was able to finish all of them by Wednesday. Update: the customer just ordered 4 more of them!

I made a black earflap hat with a pink mohawk.

and a black earflap hat with a blue and red mohawk.

Made 2 of these gray doggy hats with red and black accents...

also made:

- a football hat

- a dino with tail

- a snowman hat

- a three eyed monster hat

- a mini crown

- a granny square banner

- a sock monkey hat

- several crochet crowns

- a knot hat

and two hats for a friend that's expecting her first baby.

That's what I could remember, I have a feeling that I am forgetting some, but that's for you to have an idea of how many items I crochet every week at this time of year, when I get lots of orders.

Besides crocheting, I have a husband (wonderful one, by the way) and a toddler to care for, a house that needs to be cleaned daily, laundry to do, cooking, and all the other household chores. I am also a friend, a sister and daughter. I help at my son's preschool often, I take my son to the gym twice a week, I read and play with him. I'm the designer, the crocheter, the marketer, the mailer, the contact person that replies every single message, the photographer in many cases - I'm one person business. It annoys me sometimes when I hear people saying things such as "I should find a craft to do and start selling it too". Go for it! Give it a try. People would appreciate the handmade more if they new all the work that is put into each piece made.

To become successful you need much more than learning how to make a craft, you need a lot of dedication - I often go to bed late so I can have time to work on my orders and I still wake up with my boy in the morning and a lot of love - imagine yourself making 10 of those crab hats in a roll if you didn't really love to crochet?

I love crocheting, LOVE and I happy I have gotten where I am, just wanted people to know that things just didn't fall from heaven, I work hard for them.

Cheers!

Save your scraps!

2011-10-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

I know this was supposed to be a Spring type of project, but I just learned about this recently and Spring is just too far away for me to wait.

All you need is some scraps of yarn and a suet feeder station. I got this at Target for about $3.00.

Then you fill it with yarn scraps and little birds will take some and weave them into their little nests. It will make me giddy if I find a nest with some bright yarn woven in! I heard that it works, but I am not holding my breath since it's the end of October and the weather is getting nasty around here already.

I will leave this out for a couple of weeks and will put it back when Spring comes, but I had to share in case you want to give it a try too.

Cheers!

RAOK Day 7

2011-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the last day of my "Random Acts of Kindness" week. It doesn't mean I will stop doing it, it just mean I will not be blogging about it.

I hope I've helped inspire you to be kind, to do a little something extra for someone. It's not always easy to make kindness a priority, sometimes we are tired or just having a grouchy day, but it always feels good to be kind, after you have done something nice you will be glad you did it. No matter if you are doing something big or small.

So, here are my random acts of kindness for today:

32- Paid for someone's lunch.

33- Surprised my mother-in-law with a gift.

34- Didn't use plastic shopping bags at the store, everything fit in my purse, so I said no to the bag.

35- Made a new friend.

APPLE COZY WINNERS:

- Tabitha

- CrochetBlogger

- Cortney

Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can send your apple cozy! Thanks everyone.

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can"

- Arthur Ashe

How it went.

2011-10-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'll finish my random acts of kindness week tomorrow, that's when I'll also announce the 3 winners of the apple cozies, if you haven't left a comment to enter the giveaway yet, make sure you do it asap!

While I've been doing the random acts of kindness, I also had lots of other things going on, but just didn't want to mess up the post, so I decided to write a post about that week's happenings.

- I started having doctor's appointment once a week, which means I am getting close to having baby girl!

- Worked at the little man's preschool twice this week. Once taking pictures of their first field trip to the apple orchard, where they looked at signs of Fall and picked apples to make apple sauce the next preschool day.

- Cooked dinner every day this week and make some more freezer meals - more on that soon.

- Packed my hospital bag ready!

- Purchase an outfit to bring my sweet pea home.

- Celebrated my baby girl, with my friends. They threw a fabulous baby shower for me. I couldn't be feeling any more loved.

- Had maternity pictures taken.... this is one of the pictures my friend Tammi took:

- Carved our pumpkins:
Of course, those things between home chores and crochet work. I'll post about the crochet part of the week soon, it was a busy, but fun week and I'm very thankful for my family and friends.

I hope you had a great week, too. Cheers!

RAOK Day 6

2011-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, already day 6! The days are going by fast and today specially I didn't think I was going to be able to do anything, since it's usually a family day and my friends were throwing me a baby shower, but I am glad I was able to squeeze in some random acts, it felt good.

27- Donated a big bag of clothes.

28- Gave a generous tip to someone who really deserved it.

29- Gifted a couple of friends with books.

30- Left change at the parking meter.

31- Made some crochet coffee sleeves and left them at a table at a coffee shop.

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple, the philosophy is kindness"

- Dalai Lama.

RAOK Day 5

2011-10-21T14:37:00.001-07:00

It's day 5 of my random acts of kindness week already, time is flying by so fast!

22- Put coins in several candy machines.
23- Left quarters at at toy in the play area with a note that said to "Take it if needed, have a blessed day".

24- Ordered some candles from an acquaintance because she's donating the proceeds to Breast Cancer research.

25- Left other drivers merge into my lane.

26- Listened to someone who needed to talk, giving the person my full attention.

"A little spark of kindness can put a colossal burst of sunshine into someone's day" - unknown.

RAOK Day 4

2011-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Another day of random acts of kindness:

17 - Purchased a bird feeder and installed it in our backyard and we already received beautiful little visitors!

18- Left coins and a note at a vending machine.

19- Bought a treat and out it inside of my mailbox along with a card for our mailman, he's always so good to us.

20- Donated all the change I had in my wallet to my little man's preschool. Today was the first time I noticed a jar that said "Penny Drive" to help out the school.

21 - Brought some of the little man's used books to the doctor's clinic I go to, so the other moms can keep their little ones occupied while they get checked. The books that they have there are missing pages, time for new ones!

Please share if you have done any random act of kindness, I'd love to hear about it and post it here, too.

Cheers!

"No act of kindness

No matter how small

is ever wasted"

RAOK Day 3

2011-10-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Picking up right where I left yesterday, here are the random acts of kindness of today:

12 - Let someone go before me in line at the post office.

13- Mailed a "Happy Mail" to a mom of 3 boys that I don't know in person, but from an online crochet group I belong to. She's going through a hard divorce and has three boys, she has never asked for anything and doesn't even know I'm sending this to her (I got her address from another lady in the group that knows her personally). Inside of the water bottle I put coloring pencils, stickers, coloring pages, 3 toothbrushes and smarties. The lady at the post office was so nice to let me take this picture after she put the paid postage on it.

14 - Put kind notes on people's cars wishing them a happy and blessed day.

15 - Donated candy to the YMCA's halloween costume parade/trick or treat event.

16 - Brought cookies to our neighbor's house. We talked for awhile, even though we are the kind of neighbors that just wave "hi" to each other, it was nice and I'm glad I did it.

That's all I was able to fit in today. I still have lots of ideas in my head and it makes me happy I decided to do a week of random acts of kindness instead of a day. Being 35 weeks pregnant, having a full of energy toddler and lots of errands to run and crochet orders to fulfill everyday, a week of RAOK was certainly a great choice.

Cheers!

"Whatever you do, do with kindness

Whatever you say, say with kindness

Whatever you go, radiate kindness"

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

RAOK Day 2

2011-10-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

This morning was a tough morning, little man was very moody, didn't want to get dressed, didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to have breakfast, he was whining... it took a lot of energy and positive thinking on my part to keep myself calm.

So, after a lot of work, we got out of the house and I decided that my first stop of the day should be at a Starbucks drive through to keep my Random Acts of Kindness going and lift my spirits. So, continuing where I left yesterday, here are the acts of today:

7- Paid for the car behind me at a Starbucks drive through.

8- Donated to the breast cancer research at the grocery store.

9- Brought a box of donuts to the Fire Station. The firemen were very appreciative and even took the little man to see one of their fire trucks, he was so happy to sit down inside of the truck and pretend to drive it.

10 - Made a small donation to the hospital my little man was born.

11 - Took the time to write to a friend that I really love. I seem to always be too busy to write with details, so I put everything aside and wrote to her (it felt good).

I wish I had time to fit more acts today, but I have more things lined up for tomorrow.

Have you been able to join the random acts of kindness? If your answer is yes, I'd love to hear what you did..

"Kindness in words creates confidence,

Kindness in thinking creates profundity,

Kindness in giving creates love"

- Lao-Tse

RAOK Day 1

2011-10-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

So the week of Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) has started and I thought that there was no better way to start than to being kind to my family, they are always there for me and I think they deserve something special. Wouldn't you agree?

1- I made breakfast burritos for my husband to take to work. He has been working so much lately. He leaves the house way too early for me to be up to even think about making breakfast (although I leave the coffee pot ready to go every night before I go to bed), so I decided to make him something that he could just grab from the fridge. He loves breakfast burritos (eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese in a tortilla) and was very appreciative that I had I made them for him.

2- Read 5 books for the little man before he went to bed, we don't usually read that many. He was very happy.

3- Made a hat for my brother-in-law. Despite this being the busiest time of the year for me - crochet wise, I stopped working on my orders for a little bit last night and made a colonial blue beanie for my brother-in-law. He was over the other day and saw the color and said he would love to have a hat like that for golfing. So, my husband brought to him this morning at work, I hope he likes it! I will tell you about that later.

4- Left two headbands to the lady that used to be the little man's swimming teacher. She just found out she is expecting a little girl, so I left a the headbands (picture) at the YMCA's front desk for her along with a card.

5- Mailed a ticket for the Museum of Glass to a friend. We were chatting the other day and she mentioned she has never been there and since I recently became a member, I received a couple of extra tickets and thought she was the perfect person to have one.

6- This one is for you! I made 3 apple cozies (different colors then the one on the picture) and would like go use random.org to choose 3 people for me to send apple cozies to. You just have to leave a comment and your e-mail addy in case you are one the winners, so I can contact you.

Tomorrow I will be back to update you on my journey of random acts of kindness. Cheers!

RAOK = Random Acts of Kindness

2011-10-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

Have you thought about doing some random acts of kindness?

Well, I'm sure you do something here or there, like hold a door for someone at a store or restaurant, hold the elevator, etc.

How about a full day of kindness? How about a week?

I got inspired by reading some blogs (you can read by clicking here and here) and then I found this website with tons of ideas for random acts of kindness, so I decided that next week I will perform some of them and I also have some ideas of my own.

Would you like to join me? If you do, please blog or comment here about it letting me know your story, I'd love to know what you do and that we are spreading kindness to the world, it might be small, but we might be making someone's day!

Ideas coming to life

2011-10-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have talked about Pinterest here before, but here I go again - you should totally join it, there are so many cool things there, lots of good recipes, crafts, tutorials, etc.

Here are a couple of Pinterest inspired projects that we made today here at the Just Be Happy home:

Look at how big is my 2 1/2 year old's foot is... LOL - anyways, he had so much fun with me painting his foot that he wanted me to paint more, so we made another ghost to give to grandma thanking her for the dinosaur Halloween costume she gave him.

And here is an appliqué I made from a free tutorial. I changed the colors and used fabric fusible webbing and a button, but the design itself is the same. Little man really loves it!

Now I better go back and look for some other ideas, I feel like we are coming down with a cold. I feel tired and grumpy, the little man is whining, crying... it has been a very long day already.

Cheers!

Voo Doo Doughnut

2011-10-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is a quick post, as I am swamped with crochet orders and have to run errands and do some more chores at home = life. (LOL)

Anyhow, my mother-in-law went to Portland, Oregon to attend a convention and I had to ask my husband to give her a call and ask her to pleeeease bring me some VooDoo doughnuts, because I just "needed" to try.

So, last night she came over and brought us the VooDoo doll doughnuts, the one on the left was mine and the one on the right was my husband's, I must say they were pretty good, nothing out of this world, but the exciting part is to eat a doughnut shaped like that... LOL

Fun stuff, I just love it.

Cheers!

Food, Food, Food

2011-10-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

This was a very busy weekend. On Saturday morning swimming lessons started for the little man, my husband is now in the pool with him instead of me - I really don't feel like getting into a swimming suit at this point of my pregnancy, but I still went with them to snap some pictures.

After swimming lessons there was a "Trike-a-thon" fundraiser event at L's preschool, so we went straight to that - got some homemade brownies from the bake sale and also got L fitted for a safety helmet, so he could ride his tricycle there.

In the afternoon we went on a boat ride to spread my husband's grandpa's ashes. Grandpa loved the water and wanted to have his ashes spread there. It was a beautiful afternoon, sunny, really nice for this time of year here.

Today my husband left the house early to hang out with his friend. Little man and I stayed home. I did laundry, wrote down a long list of ingredients I needed to make lots of "freezer meals". I have been thinking of it since we got our freezer back in May and just now I got around to it. I felt inspired by looking at a fellow crocheter Scotti Oxford's blog (most known as "Inner Hooker").

My afternoon was spent in the kitchen, I was able to prepare 8 meals (soups, poultry and meat), plus that little appetizer that you see in the picture. I am beat now, my poor back and feet hurt, but I feel very accomplished and intend to prepare some more meals soon.

Cheers!

Things I'm Loving

2011-10-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am joining the "Thing I'm loving" today, so here we go:

Loving using egg molds to make fun shaped food for my little boy... he absolutely loves when I make him fun food.

Professionally done nails and pink nail polish... My wedding rings had to come off (wearing them in my necklace), I have sausage fingers now... hehehe

Making crochet crowns - my very favorite thing to crochet right now, also loving the violet color...

Loved being the parent responsible for bringing snack at preschool, so I could bring something in the color and shape of the month (more about preschool will be posted soon). What you see in this picture is cantaloupe cut into stars and flowers.

What are you loving?

Lots of fun

2011-10-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

What a fun day, full and busy, but above all fun.

We had friends over for a halloween play date this morning and it was a blast. Pictures with the details of the party will come soon. My very sweet friend Tammi took pictures for us, so I will upload those when I get them. I really ended up just taking a few pictures, I was so busy trying to chat with everyone and make sure they had something to eat and drink, plus I had to keep a close eye in the little man as he was misbehaving in the beginning of the party.

Here is a picture I took, so I won't leave you too curious:

After the play date, I had to give the little man a bath to calm him down before I put him down for a nap. While napped I cleaned the house, did laundry, crocheted a little bit.

I'm extremely happy I had a pot roast going in the crock pot and just had to make some side dishes, but got too excited and even decided to make beer bread. LOL

Crochet orders were sent out, including one that I had to drop off at my mother-in-law's shop for a local customer to pick up tomorrow and now I am looking forward to sitting on the couch and doing nothing, the baby is sitting on my sciatic nerve and is making my right foot and leg hurt like crazy - thank heavens I am going to the physical therapy for an examination tomorrow, I hope they can fix me!

I hope you had a good start to your week, too.

Cheers!

Pregnancy Update

2011-09-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am getting there, see my big bump? I took this picture today, even though I am at almost 33 weeks. Very excited to be in my 3rd trimester, it feels to me I am getting close to the finishing line - yay!

Even though I am super excited, I have also been a very big complainer. Getting close to the end of a pregnancy also means that I am uncomfortable to sleep, that I have awful heartburn and with this baby I am having trouble with my right leg and foot. The baby is sitting on my sciatic nerve and it's making me feel like old, complaining every time I put my right foot on the ground.

The good news is that I went to my doctor's appointment today and got a referral to go to physical therapy to get myself back to normal. She promises I will feel like new again, so I am very much looking forward to my appointment next week.

I follow some pregnancy websites that have a week-by-week descriptions of what momma feels, what is the baby looking like, so at 32 weeks it says: Your baby is the size of a squash. Still growing, your baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches. (size of a squash? I have a pumpkin cooking for Halloween! LOL)

I've also been completely uninspired to cook. I have neither the energy nor the taste for anything - other than cocoa pebbles (LOL). I feel so bad for my poor husband and kid. They’re not starving, but they’re not eating too great, either. Oh well.. I hope this is just a phase that will pass soon and I will get my mojo back.

Well, I better go work on some crochet orders. Cheers!

Life is good

2011-09-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's silly that sometimes I have to remind myself that life is good, specially when I have been through some rough times in the past. I am very thankful for the family and friends that I have and just want this post to be happy.

Here is a very silly thing that makes me happy: playing angry birds on my phone! LOL. I'm going to tell you a secret, sometimes my husband and I go lay down in bed with our phones in our hands and we play angry birds, competing to see who gets to the next level first.

I am also loving girly girl stuff. I have never experienced that before, since I don't have a daughter, any nieces or little cousins. This little rose is a hair clip that my friend Rena made for my little girl, along with some other cute hair embellishments.

I am making hats for my princess as well, it's so fun to go to the yarn store to look for pinks and purples and come home and put together something specially for her. Can you tell I am nesting?

Another thing that has been making me extremely happy is planning a Halloween play date. I have been decorating my house for at least a couple of weeks. I will show you more pictures later. I've added spider webs around the house, a handmade candy corn banner to the window and have decorated the foyer (picture) and I have been planning crafts, party favors, snacks, etc. It's not going to be a big play date due to the limited space (unfortunately, as I would like to invite a whole bunch of people!), but it still be a lot of fun. The kids (and the moms if they want) will come in their Halloween costume, so just thinking about the 2 and 3 year olds in cute costumes already make me smile.

Have a great week everyone!

Picture Mosaic Loving

2011-09-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I wanted to showcase some of my creations by category, but at the same time I didn't want to swamp my Facebook page with a ton of pictures, so I decided to make some picture mosaics. Well, my idea was to make one, but I got carried away and ended up making three of them... LOL

A monster collection:

A autumn collection:
and a Holiday inspired collection:
All the hats and some of the patterns can be found in my etsy shop.

Time for me to get dressed and take my little person to toddler gym to get some exercise!

Cheers!

Crochet Crown

2011-09-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there, let me start this post by showing you pictures of crochet crowns I have made. I created the pattern for this and still can't believe how popular they are!

The first two pictures are from Kamieo Photography and the other two are from two different photographers that have purchased the crowns from me and shared a picture of their work.

They are so quick and fun to make, I actually make several of them at once and have them ready to ship, which reminds me I need to make some more pink ones, since the last one was mailed out today!

How adorable are all of these newborn babies?!
You can find the crowns and the pattern for those who crochet in my etsy shop.

Cheers!

New in the shop

2011-09-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick post, I have to leave the house soon to run some errands - buy the yarn I need to finish a couple of orders and get some chowder for lunch since it's raining today and cold, which makes me desire a tasty, warm and creamy chowder.

Anyways, I just wanted to show you a couple new hats I made. This colorful stocking hat I made with my sweet pea in mind, in fact the only hat I have made for her so far is one exactly like this.

And here is an owl hat, aviator style. Kamieo's pictures are always so gorgeous, they make my heart melt.

Happy Saturday!

Toddler Art Project

2011-09-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

My toddler loves coloring and painting, I think it's because that is something I really enjoy doing with him and started at a very young age.

This morning I really didn't feel like going out, just wanted to stay in and have a quiet morning.

Little man first used the crayons to draw, then I painted his hands and he stamped them on top of his colored background and after the hand prints were dry I put glue on the back of goggly eyes and he glued to the hand prints creating hand print monsters!
Isn't it cute? He likes good, colorful and fun monsters!

Then I took him to my doctor's appointment. I came prepared with snacks, portable DVD player and toys - he was a great little boy. I am glad I had to go to the doctor, they reminded me that September is the beginning of flu season, so I got a shot today and called the pediatrician to schedule an appointment to have the little man get a shot, too. He starts preschool next week and I don't want either of us to get sick.

Now I better set the table for lunch, the leftovers are nice and warm just waiting for us. *wink*

Have a great weekend everyone!

Busy Days

2011-09-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy busy week. Little man is feeling better, not 100% yet, but he's happy and energetic - thankfully.

So, we took him to the fair on Tuesday and he absolutely LOVED it. He was looking at everything, dancing around, loving the animals and the little kid rides. It was a challenge to get away from the little rides without a meltdown, but we made it.

Here are a couple of pictures I took, I haven't downloaded all of them from my camera yet.

This one of him touching the bubbles makes me giggle.

The tittle of this post is "busy days" because yesterday it was also a busy day, I had a dentist appointment for cleaning and I was glad to hear that I didn't have any cavities, I also took the little man to the Museum of Glass (I am so glad that we are members now, thanks to the deal I found on Groupon) and grocery shopping, made dinner and worked on crochet orders.

Today I had to go get some more groceries because my lovely husband informed me (last night) we have a family potluck to attend to today, which I am happy to go to, what I wasn't happy was to have to make another trip to the grocery store. After going to the grocery store, I went to my mother-in-law's shop to drop off a few hats for a customer, then stopped to get gas and came home to meet a friend that was coming to pick up hats I made for kids and to make lunch - hubby was able to have lunch with us today, and while the little man napped I worked on crochet orders and took care of house chores.

Busy, busy, happy and healthy.

Cheers!

Friends

2011-09-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to have the awesome friends I have. My friend Marcia just had her second baby, a handsome little boy named Evan and our friend Tammi captured some pictures of little Evan wearing some Just Be Happy hats. I am happy. Marcia is happy. Tammi is happy.

So here are some pictures:

*Gnome Hat with Earflaps*

And a new addition to the shop, just in time for the football season! Isn't it cute?
Cheers!

Calm and Quiet

2011-09-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Little man caught a cold, runny & stuffed nose, sneezing all over the place, a little bit of fever. :o(

Oh well, I know it's normal and part of life, but still makes me sad to see him suffering. So, today we had to skip our first day back to the YMCA after our 2 months break and just stayed home doing some low key activities.

In the morning after he watched Sesame Street, we sat down in the kitchen and I grabbed some food coloring, a brush and a piece of bread and told him to paint his bread. After he was happy with his art, I toasted his bread and he was so happy to eat it!

We also played with Play-doh for a long time and went to visit his grandma just for an hour, so we didn't go too crazy in the house. He had fun at grandma's since she has a costume shop and there are lots of colorful things to look at, plus all the halloween stuff is out, so it's fun.

After nap time, we did some finger painting and I must tell you I am impressed at how helpful the little man was! He let me stamp his thumb prints all over the paper in different colors, then I gave him some more paper for him to go wild and put the thumb prints away until they were dry and then I drew little animals on them. He loved it!

I sure hope he is feeling better tomorrow since my husband is taking the day off to watch him in the morning for me to go to preschool to learn how to work in the classroom and I have my fingers crossed that he will be feeling awesome for us to go to the fair in the afternoon.

Keep your fingers crossed for us, too!

Apple Squeeze

2011-09-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

What a fun filled weekend for the Just Be Happy household members!

On Saturday morning my husband took the little man with him to run errands, so I had time to run my own errands alone. I went to the yarn store to buy the yarn I needed to finish some orders, to the office supply store to buy envelopes, to the mall to buy some new maternity tops for myself, to the grocery store and finally to drop off some hats to the photographer.

In the afternoon we had my husband's company party to attend to and it was actually a lot of fun, we stayed at the party for a little over 5 hours! L had a blast running and playing with the other kids, he was so exhausted and overly stimulated that he had a rough night.

Today (Sunday), my husband spoiled the little man and I by making us very yummy crapes for breakfast, then in the afternoon we went to an "Apple Squeeze" event - they had live music, booths with food and everybody could pick their own apples and have them squeezed to bring home some fresh apple cider.

On our way home we got some ice cream, since it's 85 degrees outside today. Fun day, fun weekend.

New Bonnet

2011-09-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for bonnets, I think they are so pretty for little kids and I was happy when I found a pattern (from crazysockscrochet.com) to make this pointy bonnet.

These pictures were taken by my friend Tammi and this is her gorgeous little girl. She has been my little man's friend for about a year and a half already.

I can't wait to make one of these for my little princess, in fact I can't wait to make her lots of hats... but so far I have only made one stocking hat *shame*. I will get around to it. I will.

Have a great weekend!

2011-09-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the apple cozies I mentioned on my previous post. Aren't they cute? I love making them so much that I decided to add them to the shop.

I have a lovely friend that offered to come over and take pictures of the little man ready for his first day of preschool, that'll for sure go to our wall.

Our morning was busy, picking up around the house, going to preschool to meet the teacher, Costco shopping, then back home for lunch and nap. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but my big belly is making me more tired these days and lifting a 40 pounds boy in and out of the car adds to that.

Not much going on this afternoon, we just need to go out and buy some gifts for a few upcoming birthdays, but that's always fun.

Anyhow, I am going to step away from the computer now and grab my hook and yarn while I can, because once the little person wakes up my crochet time is over.

Cheers!

New Beginnings

2011-09-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite little person starts preschool this month and we are both so excited for it!

It's so funny, but today we went to the zoo with a couple of friends (both have 2 year old kids, one has a boy and the other one a girl) and all we talked about was preschool.

Tomorrow is "meet the teacher" day and the little man got a postcard in the mail the other day from the teacher to remind/invite him to attend that and I know it's silly, but I couldn't help letting some tears come down my face. I'm not sad, really, but it's just amazing to see how fast time goes by.

So today I am making some apple cozies, one for my son's teacher and one for my friend's daughter to give to her teacher and I'm hoping to finish one more to have on hand - you never know when you will need an apple cozy, right? hehehe (Pictures will come soon)

All my etsy shop orders have been fulfilled and I have cooked dinner for tomorrow already, which makes me feel pretty good and not so stressed - I hate having a long to-do list!

Other than that everything has been pretty good, baby is growing, I'm growing, heartburn is growing... but all part of the deal, at least I am tricking myself into thinking that way.

Well, I better go finish this cozy and go to bed, it's almost 11 pm, super late for the usual old lady bedtime I have. *wink*

Cheers!

Colorful home

2011-09-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

By now you know I love colorful stuff. You can see that in the hats I make, in the clothes I wear and around my house, too.

Here are a couple of new additions:

These book shelves are actually spice racks from ikea that my husband spray painted (pink, dark blue and purple - even though you can't really tell that the last one is purple in this picture).

I love it! It's so easy now to have my little man go pick whatever book he wants to read!

The second addition is the magnetic knife holder (also from ikea). I got home the other day and saw it installed on the cabinet with all my beautiful and colorful knives displayed. My first intention was to put the knife magnet in the little man's room to put the little metal cars, but once we found out we were having a girl and they are sharing the room I gave up on that idea, there is already enough boy stuff in there. ;o)

Cheers!

Roar!

2011-09-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

My little man is very much into dinosaurs these days and that actually makes me happy. I like that he likes something simple instead of just being all about characters from TV shows or movies, even though he likes Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toys Story as well, but not as much as dinosaurs.

I bought a set of dinosaur amigurumi patterns from an etsy seller and already made 2 out of the 3 patterns. I think they are darling and they will be given to my little boy for Christmas along with a dinosaur coat I ordered.

Then, I started thinking that dinosaur would make a good theme for a boy's birthday party (I know, I know... his birthday is six month ahead! LOL), so I started looking on Pinterest for ideas and found a tutorial for a plush and thought I should give it a try and if it was easy I could make several of them to give to the kids that at attended the party.

I tell ya, I changed my mind pretty quick. It took me forever to make this plush and it doesn't even look as good as the one I saw. hehehe

Anyhow, I will keep looking and thinking about dinosaur stuff, just for fun and I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Thinking ahead

2011-08-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

The other day I asked on my Facebook fan page if anyone had started doing Christmas shopping and I was surprised to see that some people were almost done! In my books I still think I am starting early (note that I have only bought my son's gift - a dinosaur coat).

It's just hard to think of buying gifts for Christmas when I have to think of other holidays first. In Brazil we celebrate Children's Day on October 12 and since both of my sweet nephews are my God sons, it's traditional that they receive gifts from me. I always have to send the packages ahead of time, it takes at least 3 weeks for something to arrive there (air mail) and if I were to send anything Express it would certainly cost more for the stamp than for the gifts.

My sister said my little nephew is really into Thomas the train and into horses, so I bought him a Thomas the train t-shirt and made him a little crochet horse and for my other nephew I sent a toy (Bakugan) that I know he loves.

My husband and I have talked and decided we are not buying toys for our son for Christmas, in fact we rarely buy him toys, most of the stuff he has were gifts from others and believe me, he has has more than he needs already!

However, he is all about dinosaurs these days, so I am making him a set of 3 crochet dinosaurs, so he can bring them to bed with him - the little ones he has are so sharp.

This morning I made the first one:

Now that Children's Day is taken care of, I can focus on Christmas a little more, starting slowly so it's not "heavy" in our pockets in the end of the year.

Cheers!

Downtown Adventure

2011-08-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

Last week I took my little man to a downtown adventure. We went to the museum district and it seems so funny to me that every time we go downtown we see something "different", like this bike:

Can you just imagine riding it? It must be heavy! It's an exercise just trying not to fall, I believe. hehehe

Anyhow, we went to the Washington State History Museum and the little man's favorite thing was for sure the train models, he was running to watch the trains, so cute.

Have a great week everyone!

Fun in the kitchen

2011-08-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

I finally bought the set of knives I had in mind for a very long time and I am so thrilled - they are awesome!

It's so funny how adding a new gadget can make things more enjoyable. Isn't it?

I bought this online from Costco because I didn't find them in my local Costco store, but it's free shipping and they arrived quickly.

Now, I still have in mind some Fiesta Ware (LOL). One of these days...

Cheers!

Weekend Makings

2011-08-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I really don't have a day off, I like to craft and I do it when I can. So this Sunday, while my husband and the little man were playing in the living room floor (and I was watching the fun) I decided to try making new fabric flowers. This time I made them from satin and I am really pleased with the way they turned out.

I am so glad I was able to at least get a taste of making these flowers because I am now swamped (thank heavens) with crochet orders - today I mailed out 17 packages!

And I am not the only "artistic" person in this household, look at the rainbow pancake my husband made for our little man. Isn't it neat? Our little man was so happy, I wish I had taken a picture of his face when this awesome pancake was served to him. He didn't even want any syrup or powder sugar, just butter.

Oh, and today with all those orders, I am so thankful for leftovers, they really saved me a lot of time today at lunch and I'm also thankful for my crock pot - I have a roast being made for dinner. LOL

Cheers!

Apple Cozies

2011-08-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

The other day I bought an apple cozy pattern from a fellow crocheter, Theresa of Unravel me and decided to give it a try.

Oh my, I got addicted! I unfortunately just had time to snap a picture of the first cozy I made, but I have made 5 other cozies and not more just because I have ran out of time, all my crochet time has been used to fulfill orders - I am very thankful for them, by the way.

Last Friday I hosted a play date, my idea was to have my friends over and stay in the backyard to enjoy what's left of Summer, in my mind I was going to make a cute table set up, a banner, the kids would play in the blow up pool, etc... things didn't quite work out that way, it was a bit cold when we started the play date, so I had to set up the snacks inside, eventually the sun came out and we were able to move to the backyard and most importantly, we had fun.

Oh, where was I going with that? Well, I made the apple cozies to give to my friends, that was my punch line... LOL

I think I need more coffee. ;o)

Have a great Sunday!

New Crochet Work

2011-08-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

Just thought I should share some pictures of new crochet hats I made and I am very happy with the way they turned out.

This first one is a pumpkin beanie, made with hand painted and hand spun "Thick n Thin" yarn. It's very soft and the texture is gorgeous.

This is a Pixie Hat, I made it in off white color and added the fabric roses I made. Love.
This one I call "Vintage Lady Hat". The feathers and veil totally make this hat. I am in love.
What do you think? What's your favorite?

Things I'm Loving

2011-08-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am joining the Things I'm Loving fun to share with you some of the things I've been enjoying.

Granny square blanket I made for my baby girl:

Fun boy shoes for my toddler, like these pair with the Grinch:

This adorable toothpick holder that my sister bought for me while she was on vacation in Europe (it's from Gobbler a china company from Germany).

Cheers!

Blueberry Picking

2011-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

There is a blueberry park in town, 20 acres, where we can go pick our own (free) blueberries and that's what I did this morning.

It was so much fun to see my son looking for the blueberries, picking and eating them. We did that last year, but he was much smaller and had a hard time getting around the bushes, not this time though. After all the eating he did, I think we have just enough blueberries to make a batch of muffins! hehehe

Happy Tuesday!

So fast!

2011-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

I know I am not the only one that feels this way, but boy, I feel like times goes by way too fast!

Yesterday my husband was cleaning the garage & shed and our son was out there with my husband "helping" him getting things cleaned and organized. Well, while they were doing that I sat down and made this party monster and an alligator as well, however I am not in love with the alligator so I am not going to show it, it actually has become the little man's new toy.

After that I vacuumed, mopped, did laundry and started the dishwasher and thought that it would give me so much time the next day (Ha!)... Then, we put the boy to bed and sat down to watch True Blood and Entourage - of course I crocheted while watching TV.

I was missing only 4 squares, so I made them and also 15 rounds around all the squares, as a border. It was already way too late, so I left all the ends to be weaved in today.

This morning I was feeling like I had so much time on my hands since I had done most of my cleaning the night before... so we had breakfast, I weaved in all the ends (next time I promise I will weave in the ends as I go for goodness sake!), printed some shipping labels, made the beds, then went out to run some errands. By the time we came back for lunch I was pooped already, but while L napped I had to make a hat, then prep the food (I even meant to take some pictures of what I cooked for dinner *Asian Beef Stir Fry, but was in such a hurry that I forgot) and then left the house to meet with a friend at the park.

So tell me, where did all the time I saved yesterday go? I am not quite sure... I feel so tired right now... LOL

Fall is coming

2011-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yep, as an etsy shop owner I am getting ready for the next season: Autumn.

So I decided to make something new to add to my shop along with the traditional pumpkin hat. This time I made a "Knot Hat" in Salmon color and added a couple of wooden buttons that are shapped like leaves.
I have been working on lots of new designs - not only hats and I can't wait to have some nice pictures back from the photographers to share with you.

Happy Friday!

32 + Re-introduction + Announcement

2011-08-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd like to introduce myself to all the people that have recently joined my little space - I'm so happy to have you here, and for the ones that have been here for awhile, this is an opportunity to get to know a little bit more about me.

I'm Alessandra Hayden, a 32 years old (today!) stay at home wife and mom, a crochet addict and a chocolate lover. I learned to crochet from my grandma when I was a young girl and it has always been part of my life, even during the times I didn't crochet I have always appreciated it.

I have 2 little boys, one is in heaven and one is a two year old that brightens up even my gloomiest day, and now here are the big news, we are expecting a little girl that will be joining our family in November and we couldn't be happier!

Brazil is my country of birth and where half of my heart is, along with my dad and siblings, but I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where the trees are always green and there are mountains covered in snow everywhere to look at, with my lovely husband and my son.

I love doing what I do, I feel blessed to be able to be at home and take care of my kid (soon kids!) and have my own little business that I am so proud of and that brings me so much joy. But, because of the arrival of our new family member, I will not be taking any customer orders in November or December, I will need time to get to know my little girl and get adjusted to the new life. However, I will keep my etsy shop open and there will be tons of ready to ship hats available!

I have been working very hard to build an inventory since we found out we were expecting, so there will be no customization, but still lots of Just Be Happy items for you to choose from.

Thank you for being here, without you there wouldn't be a Just Be Happy.

Holy Melt Down!

2011-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a rough day for my little boy. My friend dropped off her son in the morning for me to watch him while she went to a doctor's appointment. Our sons are little buddies, they are used to seeing each other and usually play really nice together.

Well... my boy was having a really hard time sharing yesterday, he didn't want to share any of his toys and was being mean and crying for no reason. Lots of time outs, conversations, hugs, and so on, were implemented, but no luck.

I was lucky that my dear husband got home early (4pm) from work and I just had to tell him I need a break or I was going to lose it. So, I left the house and went to my photographer's friend house to bring her some new crochet hats and accessories I had made for her to photograph.

By the time I was headed back my husband called and I was sorry that I left and didn't even think about dinner, he was so cool and solved the problem by ordering a pizza! hehehe

I felt rejuvenated just from that quick escape, I was feeling calm and happy when I got home, my boy was happy to see me and we were very good friends again. Thanks hubby!

Now, changing the subject completely, here is a book I borrowed from a friend and can't wait to start reading:

Hopefully tonight I won't be too tired and can start on it.

Have a great weekend everyone!