Oh Baby, Baby it's a wild world

but you'll get by just fine with a warm cuddly blankie!

This is another set that I've made for Marine Corps Kids. I think this fleece is just adorable! I used my scalloped edging pattern to finish the blanket and crocheted a quick cap to match.

Many thanks to my friends Marlene and Byron, creators of Edgerydoo. If I may say so myself, this blanket is really cute - but it has nothing to do with my skills. I just got lucky to find some really adorable fleece! With the Edgerydoo, its so fast and easy to make finished blankets quickly and easily. This set took just a few hours, and it will be a perfect blanket for a newborn, or carriage cover for an older baby.

Zeb-baby Girl

I rarely reach for the black yarn when making a baby set, but this adorable zebra fleece will appeal to the wild side of a rocker baby.

This fleece is super soft, and super adorable. I finished it with my Super Simple Edging in bright pink yarn and made a matching black and pink cap.

Not all new moms will want to put a black cap on their little girl, but I think this set will appeal to some.

I'm donating this set to Marine Corps Kids.

Pathetic

My husband might tell you I have a competitive nature. I don't know about that - I think I'm just a bit pathetic.

I don't want to win the cookie competition at work tomorrow, but I wasn't satisfied with the butterfly cookies. I could have just let well enough be and gotten points for participating, but no... I had to make another batch of cookies.

This time I hand cut the butterfly wings so that I could make them "stained glass" and put them on sticks.
For the second batch, I let my husband pound the candy for me with some dangerous looking hammer/mallet thing. That made the candy pieces much smaller and finer, and let them melt more cleanly.

So, now I have better butterflies and a basket full of stained glass flowers, butterflies and mini-taster cookies for tomorrows event.

I still don't want to win, but I'm happier with my entry.

Spring is in the air!

I smell flowers in my kitchen, and they're good enough to eat!!

I love my new job, and I'm thrilled to have found a great career opportunity at a company where I genuinely enjoy my co-workers and respect my executive team. It's a great place to work, and I count my blessings that I have landed a position that feels so right!

The company does some fun group things, and this week is the annual Chili and Cookie cook-off. I was asked to make vegetarian chili for the event, but I'm just not a chili sort of girl. I do like being involved at work though, so I volunteered to enter the cookie contest. Cookies are judged based on taste and presentation.

Now, I don't really want to win because the winners have to organize next years event, and while I like being involved, I have my limits. I just can't see me organizing and judging a chili cook-off.

Luckily, these cookies aren't going to win for taste. They're not the kind of amazingly tasty cookie that makes you want to eat, not just a second, but a whole plate full. I think that I may manage second or third place for presentation though (don't want first!). I made the larger cookies with Jolly Rancher stained glass centers, and baked them on cookie sticks. The small centers I baked plain. A flower pot, some styrofoam and some Easter grass and I have a cookie presentation perfect for a cute entry but shy of a first place win.

They were fun to make - I had a little trouble with getting the sticks attached, and with keeping the candy centers neat, but now that I have some practice, I think my next attempt will be better. Thanks to my friend Melanie for sending me this recipe for stained glass cookies.

For Livie and Friends

Two weeks ago when we visited my family in Fort Wayne, my niece gave me some socks and asked me to make leggings for some of her friend's babies. I love making things for others, so I was glad to do it. These leggings are great for boys or girls, and my niece had purchased men's and women's knee socks. The ladies knee socks were fine. The men's didn't work so well because she purchased thicker socks. My advice - use thin knee socks. Doesn't matter if they're men's or women's, but the socks need to be thin - the more sweater like socks just won't work as well. I think that women's socks offer more fun patterns and colors, and luckily, there are plenty of women's socks in blue, brown and grey patterns that will make fabulous leggings for little boys. One pair that my niece bought were also shorter than a standard knee sock - you can see them above - the gray pair with the snowflake design. This size will be perfect for a newborn baby.

My niece also asked if I would make a few more happy face bibs for Livie and her friends. Of course! I've been quite busy at work, but yesterday I had a last minute business trip to NY. The flights gave me the perfect opportunity to crochet a few bibs, and I added the buttons and happy faces today.

I'm so thrilled to be able to make things for Livie. She's such a delightful baby! Now that we live in Indiana, I get to see her more often, but not enough. I love knowing that she can wear or play with things that I've made for her - even when we're hours away.

Quick Gifts for the Kids

I've been working a bit of overtime lately, and just dog-tired in the evenings, so I haven't been crocheting as much as I might like.

These little bibs are fast and easy to make. When I'm too tired to start a larger project, it's easy for me to make these. Add a happy face button and a smilie face, and I have some cute bibs to donate to Marine Corps Kids.

Have Hook will Travel

This weekend hubby and I drove up to visit family. On Saturday we took my Mother-in-law out to lunch for a belated birthday celebration. Then we spent last night and today with my Sister-in-law, Niece and Great Niece! My SIL is an amazing cook, and we were spoiled with an amazing dinner (with home-made cheesecake!), great wine, and a yummy breakfast.

It was a GREAT weekend, and a lot of fun.

Earlier in the week I posted that I had made a hat for my great-niece and that it didn't come out very well. I'm so glad that I decided to give it to her anyway. You must never underestimate the power of an amazingly adorable child to make a hat seem perfect.



This child would be adorable in a potato sack, but I was happy to see her wearing the hat and making it look so cute.

The drive up and back gave us about 6 hours in the car. Hubby drove and I used the time to work on some charity projects. I was able to finish up a fleece blanket that I started earlier in the week, make a matching hat, and make three bibs. All of these will be sent to Marine Corps Kids.


All in all, a really fun, fattening, relaxing and productive weekend!