tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338636402024-02-02T05:22:43.133-05:00onecraftychickphotographic musings and random crafty thoughtsOneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-35502042424868190242013-01-12T10:09:00.001-05:002013-01-12T10:09:44.565-05:00Birthday Party? Check!So I officially have a "Tween" in my house. The Punk turned 12 this week and last night we hosted 10 (holy-cow-what-was-I-thinking) girls for a movie themed party. <br />
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We had pizza and soda and buttered popcorn in cute little popcorn boxes. But the highlight of the night was the "buttered popcorn" cupcakes. <br />
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Making them is simple: bake Devil's Food cupcakes according to the directions on the box. You can make your own frosting, and normally I would, but for the sake of time, I used frosting from the grocery store and piped it on with a BIG tip. To make the "buttered popcorn," all you need is a big jar of yellow sanding sugar and a bag of mini marshmallows. Grab a handful of marshmallows, quickly run them under running water (yes, running water - like from the kitchen sink) and dump them in a bowl. Liberally sprinkle them with sanding sugar and toss until all are coated. Grab a frosted cupcake and dunk it, frosting side down, into the marshmallows. You might have to reposition a few marshmallows to get them like you want them. Repeat the process - wet, sugar, toss, dunk - until all the cupcakes are finished. <br />
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They are so yummy! Each bite is like getting a little cupcake and a little marshmallow Peep. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. <br />
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I'm just glad that birthday parties are only once a year. <br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGBnn6Eow2HnyQCUaXOnK9PX_Q9M4L2LcbTfP7QPe9ileT2cwPJyKD5fb46qfzoM0WH1AbhDy759DTT19yzXDnPGqSR34OhXE3WSa_G1IUYSr0SPaq1Jp1F-I8frXlBJsqe1RTw/s640/blogger-image--1215280167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGBnn6Eow2HnyQCUaXOnK9PX_Q9M4L2LcbTfP7QPe9ileT2cwPJyKD5fb46qfzoM0WH1AbhDy759DTT19yzXDnPGqSR34OhXE3WSa_G1IUYSr0SPaq1Jp1F-I8frXlBJsqe1RTw/s640/blogger-image--1215280167.jpg" /></a></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-47372964477671386442012-12-20T12:28:00.001-05:002012-12-20T12:28:27.326-05:00Busy Busy BusyI've been crafting feverishly since Thanksgiving:<br />
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My friend Elizabeth and I hosted a Christmas Pinterest party where we made adorable ornaments - snowmen made from fingerprints, quite the cute and personal gift for grandparents. <br />
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However, the hit of the day was the travertine coasters, hand-stamped with the monogram of the recipient. These turned into my "go to" gift of the season for friends and family. I think, in all, I stamped about 40 sets of four. <br />
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As if that weren't enough, I posted a pic to Facebook of a pair of fingerless gloves I knitted for the Punk. Next thing I know, I have orders for 20 (!) pairs! Hello extra Christmas money! Finally I'm down to my last pair and a half before I've filled all the orders. Maybe I'll actually get to make something for myself soon. <br />
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Or maybe now's the time I should look into that Etsy store? :) <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA2AzKEE9mIV2ovgajll7lx6WPwK2xy6PHT5Zs898nCgCrwOjlbZo_hdVbITYElQbyhLC6NBjGKpFDmBcglZVMMJXKnNwRB_VTIrCaP8-VRVy6yo_H9LFRUwJ316dwbxDZCsa3w/s640/blogger-image--544583641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA2AzKEE9mIV2ovgajll7lx6WPwK2xy6PHT5Zs898nCgCrwOjlbZo_hdVbITYElQbyhLC6NBjGKpFDmBcglZVMMJXKnNwRB_VTIrCaP8-VRVy6yo_H9LFRUwJ316dwbxDZCsa3w/s640/blogger-image--544583641.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaYT-83by5uLg6RZRMcRuhRqlnGlIZxoXN4okC7VQ5n91FLb79K6szjkbkkOyovkXs1ZhdMWt_viqH6VAH4muHZEhQe-DjFbTp6EEYwKznQoqgN5KfivjVvHCJHI2Fcdky12xqQ/s640/blogger-image--884562605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaYT-83by5uLg6RZRMcRuhRqlnGlIZxoXN4okC7VQ5n91FLb79K6szjkbkkOyovkXs1ZhdMWt_viqH6VAH4muHZEhQe-DjFbTp6EEYwKznQoqgN5KfivjVvHCJHI2Fcdky12xqQ/s640/blogger-image--884562605.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxtAa4DrRNyodFYJKSi7ktXrlpLmFYn5HRxO9DgmQB_H1ryY9xjXQvh3WYlEtjvMbbLIepVhIEUTcVFf7Jq-ucpu5qC-PFhp6grdt83qL7a8U4qeYpt101OmqPtpr9GHBMkKAIw/s640/blogger-image-682354703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxtAa4DrRNyodFYJKSi7ktXrlpLmFYn5HRxO9DgmQB_H1ryY9xjXQvh3WYlEtjvMbbLIepVhIEUTcVFf7Jq-ucpu5qC-PFhp6grdt83qL7a8U4qeYpt101OmqPtpr9GHBMkKAIw/s640/blogger-image-682354703.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJtCVJncTHW4J98KLsgYdwLZzuxlSDHyFtokiYD88NQpUStsn_zIEY_W0ghrWGwuRL0iPy09UKfab9TSaMZSILGge4ANeFOHRS-VjFu6aXeSGgLVhrLd8HkA2hxbNjRlVuM4zsw/s640/blogger-image--1156866459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJtCVJncTHW4J98KLsgYdwLZzuxlSDHyFtokiYD88NQpUStsn_zIEY_W0ghrWGwuRL0iPy09UKfab9TSaMZSILGge4ANeFOHRS-VjFu6aXeSGgLVhrLd8HkA2hxbNjRlVuM4zsw/s640/blogger-image--1156866459.jpg" /></a></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-39537048221768859402012-06-26T23:05:00.001-04:002012-06-26T23:05:59.552-04:00On an Afghan KickI've been on an afghan making kick lately. Here are some of my latest exploits:<br />
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A sweet pink crochet afghan for baby Reese. <br />
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The Lion Brand "Sunshine Day" afghan. I made two of these - one for a baby gift for someone who works with my aunt and one for me. I currently have another one (different color way) on the needles now. It's a great way to use up leftover yarn from other projects. <br />
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Lastly, I've been making versions of this stinkin cute toddler hat with interchangeable flowers. I just wish my toddler would wear it!<br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzUH5loP7F0CYcA_LkmtTkA4W3YOVxN5QsjVvN7xu2WM4ht8pNvbDIaIJD0b5AaBzn17N9lNf8oNgGuIqBcAVhcvSRVk30J_veWhH5qYi7qI3CBFh94DnOyMRZ3Aoxp21w0Okbg/s640/blogger-image-1010099144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzUH5loP7F0CYcA_LkmtTkA4W3YOVxN5QsjVvN7xu2WM4ht8pNvbDIaIJD0b5AaBzn17N9lNf8oNgGuIqBcAVhcvSRVk30J_veWhH5qYi7qI3CBFh94DnOyMRZ3Aoxp21w0Okbg/s640/blogger-image-1010099144.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzx0MUel9x3cpqgXGDM22jUB5jdaRtDI5pCcF7d2P2a0d_Lj6dbwSihh-u4WtM3PG-fMOFJ2Sy5ir7-HyXC9YLb15iY_GULK28wIlRC9nWAS7NaWL3P_EV7TfU53mZLMNd_B8wg/s640/blogger-image-816562011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzx0MUel9x3cpqgXGDM22jUB5jdaRtDI5pCcF7d2P2a0d_Lj6dbwSihh-u4WtM3PG-fMOFJ2Sy5ir7-HyXC9YLb15iY_GULK28wIlRC9nWAS7NaWL3P_EV7TfU53mZLMNd_B8wg/s640/blogger-image-816562011.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0q-HWhQpwlv1Ygs6P5-Q_nMCDTaY6KhgJnOAc2lOZNxWeIU_YMIOKW4nbnS4Q-ppSZiJ59UUPBUe6c6aXxARiFo46JBQSaVw4ZK5gxy2EDvYB0f4y9x_tMtly3esEY3w9FqXjg/s640/blogger-image-968004889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0q-HWhQpwlv1Ygs6P5-Q_nMCDTaY6KhgJnOAc2lOZNxWeIU_YMIOKW4nbnS4Q-ppSZiJ59UUPBUe6c6aXxARiFo46JBQSaVw4ZK5gxy2EDvYB0f4y9x_tMtly3esEY3w9FqXjg/s640/blogger-image-968004889.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluXzsVXIu1Dj6dOegU5qQTWstf-YvQI_eDBvdG4gEfzojeQ6nO2_c0DiNsng0Kit27Lh2pxF1jv7u4MecZPXK0USnVYnrOqMqtjdG2L4turNgm24piuHgp_-PQb4atRwimgUfXg/s640/blogger-image-790513424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluXzsVXIu1Dj6dOegU5qQTWstf-YvQI_eDBvdG4gEfzojeQ6nO2_c0DiNsng0Kit27Lh2pxF1jv7u4MecZPXK0USnVYnrOqMqtjdG2L4turNgm24piuHgp_-PQb4atRwimgUfXg/s640/blogger-image-790513424.jpg" /></a></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-37646959905265844852011-08-09T08:08:00.003-04:002011-08-09T08:26:38.930-04:00Into Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall<div>I recently completed an online photo class called <a href="http://www.kateyeview.com/p/find-your-eye-e-course.html">Find Your Eye</a>. As part of that class, we had to create an inspiration file of our photos that "spoke" to us. </div><div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPnyHngBIfF3KGwqWmACp6qOflN_up51fQBk10zC7MjenXF7TQ4LKJkRtAlfuUdUYSSNJQ54XDCwUckswPJes9IT6hFViQNMu7udAc4hteMYGsUDFGKsHnhZHQDaBrB87y7DJ5g/s1600/IMG_5039.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPnyHngBIfF3KGwqWmACp6qOflN_up51fQBk10zC7MjenXF7TQ4LKJkRtAlfuUdUYSSNJQ54XDCwUckswPJes9IT6hFViQNMu7udAc4hteMYGsUDFGKsHnhZHQDaBrB87y7DJ5g/s320/IMG_5039.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638827456347069378" /></a>I took this picture this summer on our trip to Panama City Beach. I thought it was so cool to look out from my balcony and see a storm rolling in - lightning, thunder, rain. <div>
<br /></div><div>I've thought about this pic over the past few days since I found out that one of the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/08/nato-probe-continues-at-site-military-helicopter-crash/?test=latestnews">Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan</a> was the husband of a high school classmate. Though she and I were by no means "close," we were (and still are) on friendly terms and I keep up with her through Facebook. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Right now, I feel as though I'm standing again on that balcony in PCB, watching a storm roll in to someone else's life. I'm a safe distance away but I can see see the lightning and hear the thunder and watch the peals of rain as they pelt this sweet family. Like all storms, this one will pass and her sun will come out again but unlike a normal rain, this storm will leave behind visible damage in it's wake. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I've spent the last few days thinking about her and her children and all the things they'll never be able to do again with their husband and father. And that breaks my heart. Watching the storms in other people's lives certainly makes you take stock in your own. I have to admit that on Saturday night I hugged my husband a little tighter, and the snoring bothered me a little less and I was a bit more patient with my children. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>My prayer for her family is that the God who heals will wrap His arms around her heart (and the hearts of her children) and protect them as they recover from this tragedy and move on. I pray that her boys will always have fond memories of their father and that they will work hard to cement those memories so that they never fade. My prayer for myself is that I will love my family a little more and remember that our next breaths are not promised and that we should live each moment to the fullest.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>What storm are you watching now? Maybe it's one of your own and you're struggling against the wind and rain. Maybe you're watching a storm in a friend's life. Do you need to take your friend an umbrella? You might get a little wet in the process, but everyone appreciates an umbrella in a downpour. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-5907132342504733682010-01-28T16:19:00.002-05:002010-01-28T17:37:46.073-05:00<div style="text-align: left;">Taking a photo a day can be quite the challenge. Like with most things, life kind of gets in the way. One of the Daily Shoot challenges (can't remember what number challenge it was) was to take a self-portrait. Ta-da!</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdNE093a-bTkfdGXSL0ClFrBWyiy0FlDQ-kIS42aWTJik5IRKVYhwYhCmgmAUjxDmdIzwwlU-WgM4VTOGeRbugziaxv44Jxqh7RhCzKBlYL-0dtuL_GnkfSww5XY7-ineCUW2Pg/s200/_1201647.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431917702093649346" />I would have attempted a more traditional self-portrait, but on this day I had only made it to wardrobe and not to hair and make-up. Some days are like that, you know. <div><br /></div><div>This week at the Punkin's school they had their annual International Night. (Which they're now calling "Heritage Night" - was the old name not inclusive enough? Just asking.) We live in a very diverse community and the premise of the night is to celebrate all the cultures that are represented in the student population. The event is sponsored by the PTA and is the most well attended of all the PTA's events. This year was no exception. When you arrive, the students hand out "passports" that you take from country to country and get stamped.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each country has a classroom and the classroom is decorated with artifacts from that country; the "hosts" dress in their traditional costumes and most rooms have samples of food from the country. The most popular country was Mexico (my personal favorite). I snapped a quick picture of these tomatillos and jalapenos while were were waiting in line for taquitos and salsa. I liked the different green colors and the way they were arranged.<br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PIWyaHOjZhatdze1cX1yS9T0cITJZoNuAUdOl6qeVyfEzhIabQm4Ospd7xQojulAniptK6qdWt1hhlU6dVi4ZjXN4XpCNxocOGBXk1Dukt7RapoMu3axR1f0mybVYlomH9ttdg/s200/_1261670.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431917702973607682" />I wish I could remember what country this amazing carved box was from but I can't. I loved all the colors and bold patterns as well as the hand-carved details of the figures inside. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINGD9O4fMYUaX7PCYILdQWO4Apu6l7zSpnIQXQ1JmccjRHMiSVFvIk2rwTyN49Xj9lBSCFgN86HYcTVeb_c25l7LAn90U6ZoTClM66dXXyWN6ihaaScltPVj_8SNzHW76dV8K4Q/s200/_1261673.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431917713301119186" /><div style="text-align: left;">As part of the 365 Project, I made a list of all the little things that play a role in my day-to-day life. Today I decided to snap a picture of my arch nemesis...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienErOpCekG4PrLm4S0khY6TfBCPTczY5XuTbOD7ec07yLHK1PkUYzLJQ3yiE7opU7_L0L5dXrJglJyXlXnGx30zAM8v0MAHKAzX6dUArqiSCqG5khcC9SwP5Lj1CudwYXTyh8sg/s1600-h/_1271692.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienErOpCekG4PrLm4S0khY6TfBCPTczY5XuTbOD7ec07yLHK1PkUYzLJQ3yiE7opU7_L0L5dXrJglJyXlXnGx30zAM8v0MAHKAzX6dUArqiSCqG5khcC9SwP5Lj1CudwYXTyh8sg/s200/_1271692.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431917719633514146" /></a>The alarm clock. Oh how I hate this little torture device. I aspire to one day be able to chunk it into the garbage and never have to listen to it beckon me out of my cozy, warm bed and into a day of drudgery at work. Pie in the sky. Unless of course I win the lottery . . . how much is Mega Millions this week? :-)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-64355034187535516472010-01-23T21:18:00.002-05:002010-01-23T21:23:02.874-05:00Raise Your Hand If You Saw This One ComingWhich one? Oh, that would be the one where you knew there was NO way I would ever be able to take a picture EVERY day, without fail, for one year. Three days in and I missed not one, but two days. Oh well, when you fall down you have to get back up, right?<div><br /></div><div>So, tomorrow, I'm back on the photo wagon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, one more thing... Bill got tired of watching TV with the Punk talking constantly and told her that she wasn't allowed to talk for a <b>whole</b> show. LOL! She's done pretty good so far. She's only written me three notes; it's so quite I don't know what to do with myself. We might have to make more shows "wordless." Wonder how long THAT will last?</div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-63820006354246923052010-01-21T15:19:00.002-05:002010-01-21T15:43:09.886-05:00A Lesson in Being Prepared<div>I wouldn't have made a good Boy Scout. The most obvious reason is that I'm not a boy. The less obvious reason is I'm just not very prepared. My dear husband will tell you that I'm an "Idea Person." I have great ideas but I'm not very good at implementation. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, today, I decided to make Aunt Doris' Chocolate Chip Cookies (which could quite possibly be the best chocolate chip cookies ever - just sayin'). I start grabbing my ingredients from the pantry: sugar (almost all gone but enough for cookies), all-purpose flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, etc. </div><div><br /></div><div>I cream the butter and sugar and get ready to mix in the baking soda and water. Oops. Problem number one - no baking soda. (An aside: Who runs out of baking soda? Doesn't a box of baking soda last for, I don't know, ever?) OK. No problem. I'll just use self-rising flour and leave out the soda and salt. Problem solved. </div><div><br /></div><div>I continue mixing. Add in the vanilla; go to the fridge to get the chocolate chips. Those who know me best know that I always (always) keep chocolate chips on hand in the refrigerator. However, today, NO chocolate chips. How can you have chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips? Ugh! At this point I could blame someone in my family for eating the last of the chips and not putting them on the grocery list, which incidentally, is <i>RIGHT NEXT TO THE REFRIGERATOR</i>, but I'm not going to lay blame. Not today. </div><div><br /></div><div>All of a sudden I feel like I'm on the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/worst-cooks-in-america/index.html">Worst Cooks in America</a> show. If I had just read through the <b>entire</b> recipe <b>first</b> and made sure I had <b>all</b> the ingredients, I wouldn't have ended up with this:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuxxbdPhOnsuBlrsYqBZhyphenhypheniKOTFl8nMsTHWddLOzuUdTB-XoTZ57d6uwve_dR8rS7gyHg_lhKzZTDA3r6HPaureWBom35trdgdeynS-YGOwfQKVuELhE35pD-WTaX0iOgspBTwg/s1600-h/_1211649.JPG"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuxxbdPhOnsuBlrsYqBZhyphenhypheniKOTFl8nMsTHWddLOzuUdTB-XoTZ57d6uwve_dR8rS7gyHg_lhKzZTDA3r6HPaureWBom35trdgdeynS-YGOwfQKVuELhE35pD-WTaX0iOgspBTwg/s200/_1211649.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429290728260934642" /></a>This is what chocolate chip cookies look like without chocolate chips. Not quite as tasty as with the chips. Guess I'll be making a run to Publix . . . in the rain . . . with the baby. Oh joy. In the meantime, here's Aunt Doris' Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in case you happen to have chips at your house and decide to make them for yourself. <div><br /></div><div><b>Chocolate Chip Cookie</b>s - <i>a heritage recipe from my great aunt Doris Olliff</i></div><div><br /></div><div>[Ingredients]</div><div>1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed</div><div>1/2 cup white sugar</div><div>1/2 cup butter or shortening (use butter, trust me)</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour</div><div>1/4 teaspoon salt</div><div>1/2 teaspoon baking soda</div><div>2 tablespoons hot water</div><div>1/2 teaspoon vanilla</div><div>1/2 package chocolate chips (use mini chips)</div><div>1 cup pecans, finely chopped</div><div><br /></div><div>[Directions]</div><div>Cream sugar and butter, add egg and beat well. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add to batter. Add flour which has been mixed with salt. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes until done. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-78711005934927584632010-01-20T15:36:00.003-05:002010-01-20T15:54:15.974-05:00The Issue with Clutter<div>This week's assignment at <a href="www.365project.org">www.365project.org</a> was to photograph clutter. (Mom, I can hear you laughing....) There may be some people who would have a problem finding something clutter-related to photograph. I would NOT be one of those people. Frankly, there is no shortage of clutter in my house. With the exception of my downstairs bathroom, you can pretty much turn in any direction in my house and see clutter. </div><div><br /></div><div>With so many choices to photograph, what did I choose? I chose the Punkin's clutter. This is a shot of the desk in her room. Uh, right. This would be the desk where she is supposed to do her homework. Since you can't actually see the top of the desk, you would be right if you guessed that not a lot of homework gets done there. She does it on the sofa in the living room, while watching <a href="http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/phineasandferb/">Phineas and Ferb</a> (but that's a post for another day). </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ0UsbqAJHjkVmzOa4ZP9jNsUIWOwnaMurd6WEtDMKkS8b5p4trg-lVKkeTGxeWca3iLNeykmSmjr0FhIEG2JwgRTCLMTq5wfdHhP0-LKcnskF0Roox17XrP_Zvn71fpa6QobNg/s1600-h/_1191635.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ0UsbqAJHjkVmzOa4ZP9jNsUIWOwnaMurd6WEtDMKkS8b5p4trg-lVKkeTGxeWca3iLNeykmSmjr0FhIEG2JwgRTCLMTq5wfdHhP0-LKcnskF0Roox17XrP_Zvn71fpa6QobNg/s200/_1191635.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428924137800200818" /></a>So, in addition to Project365, I'm also back on the <a href="http://www.flylady.net">FlyLady</a> bandwagon where I'm desperately trying to get my house (and my clutter) under control. I swear some days I think there are <a href="http://actionflickchick.com/superaction/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gremlins0zf.jpg">Gremlins</a> who follow me around messing up stuff behind me and disappearing when I turn around. <div><br /></div><div>My first stop on the FlyLady decluttering train are the two spots that drive poor Bill the most nutty: the computer desk in the living room and the desk in the kitchen. There will be pictures - before and afters. I will also add that all of this decluttering is in preparation for hopefully, one day, putting our house on the market. Since EK arrived, we've kind of run out of usable space and really need to concentrate on getting a bigger place. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whew. I have a lot to do. Guess that means that I shouldn't be sitting here talking about what I need to do. Where's my timer? My 15 minutes starts now...<br /><br /></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-6031563772615689682010-01-19T08:51:00.003-05:002010-01-19T09:07:49.972-05:00Jumping on the Project 365 Bandwagon<div>Over the summer I bought a dSLR camera and 2 lenses. Then in the fall I took a class to learn how to use it. Since then, I've pretty much only been taking pictures of my kids. Over the holidays, my friend <a href="http://www.leapfrogcreations.com">Jodi (a budding professional)</a> posted on Facebook that she was participating in Project 365 for 2010. The premise is that you are to take a minimum of one photo per day for 365 consecutive days. You can take pictures of anything, including the mundane things of life, just so long as you take one picture per day. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided this would help my photography skills since it would (1) force me to use my camera everyday and (2) force me to look at <b>everything</b> in my life and how all those things - big and small - make up who I am. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday was a warm day for us (in the low 60s) and a welcome reprieve from the really cold weather we've been experiencing over the past few weeks. My friend Elizabeth and I took our girls, and another friend, out to Sims Lake Park and spent a few hours snapping pictures of the girls. This is yesterday's photo:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8asrXfHElw2aeTKDJTt1Z7FKAZ6bkEQ_zqHjpVnsQd-_21SFqb8gY7QKlpKvZwitmwHc7788Kn4hCplRTqiqFn2b3J_6Jn650jmTsRKj_2eYLfyBunCcxRiYM4lztFX2WvEuWzQ/s1600-h/_1181607.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8asrXfHElw2aeTKDJTt1Z7FKAZ6bkEQ_zqHjpVnsQd-_21SFqb8gY7QKlpKvZwitmwHc7788Kn4hCplRTqiqFn2b3J_6Jn650jmTsRKj_2eYLfyBunCcxRiYM4lztFX2WvEuWzQ/s200/_1181607.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428449426761665554" /></a>I also joined a <a href="http://365project.org">Project 365 group</a> where I'm <a href="http://365project.org/onecraftychick/">cataloging my progress</a>. The group posts daily and weekly themes - this week's theme is clutter. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to find <i>something</i> to take a picture of. :)OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-53066857790487256512010-01-03T12:35:00.004-05:002010-01-03T12:48:25.927-05:00Holy Freaking Cow? Where Did the Year Go?If there is anyone who still stops by to read my blog, you might be wondering what happened to me last year. Or you might NOT be wondering, but I'd rather think you care enough to at least be curious.<br /><br />Well, last year was a crazy busy year for me. You, of course, know about the Biggest Loser challenge that I was doing with some Facebook friends. I made good progress and lost about 15 pounds.<br /><br />It was a contract negotiation year at the Deathstar and, because I'm in management and not part of the folks represented by the contract, I spent a good portion of the year training to do someone else's job in the event of a work stoppage (a.k.a. "a strike"). That involved about 100+ hours of online and classroom training - on top of my normal job.<br /><br />Speaking of normal job, I wrapped up the project I've been working on for two years! FINALLY!<br /><br />Perhaps the biggest thing that happened to me last year was this ...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT8sglA8kvep9L1tpkGdaS7ConGJPtX0Uo9fZNiBIcKmgju85zE5uXhW0BZsKaeuoBYeKESJyJy1LLWIHQ7huEIqLKyF7w-gN8CPu4eVvxoS_MhkLY3DBrGtcfjH-R0TU3h04XA/s1600-h/EK_Santa.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422571135328248658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvT8sglA8kvep9L1tpkGdaS7ConGJPtX0Uo9fZNiBIcKmgju85zE5uXhW0BZsKaeuoBYeKESJyJy1LLWIHQ7huEIqLKyF7w-gN8CPu4eVvxoS_MhkLY3DBrGtcfjH-R0TU3h04XA/s200/EK_Santa.JPG" border="0" /></a> Aww! We welcomed a new daughter to our family. Emily Kathryn (a.k.a. Emma Kate) joined our family on December 1, 2009 weighing 5 pounds and 15 ounces. She's absolutely the best thing about 2009!OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-16510182744754841692009-02-02T21:20:00.003-05:002009-02-02T21:37:21.876-05:00Progress Report - Month One<div><br /></div><div>It's been one month since I started the Biggest Loser challenge with some of my Facebook friends. It has NOT been easy since I LOVE to eat and I have an incurable sweet tooth. I am not a morning person and by the end of the day I find it hard to squeeze in a workout (working 10+ hours a day doesn't help either). I've been doing pretty good on managing my calories. I downloaded an app (called Lose It!) for my iPhone. I use it to track EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth as well as my exercise and daily weigh ins. Since my iPhone is virtually attached to me like a body part, it's easy to remember to log my intake.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good thing is that there has been some weight loss! So far I've lost 9 pounds, which is about the 1-2 pounds per week average I was shooting for. What makes it great is that the 9 pounds translates into 7 inches! 3 inches from my chest (bummer), 2 from my waist (yeah) and one from each of my thighs. I can finally start to see a difference! Yahoo! My pants fit MUCH better now. I'm planning to literally work my arse off so that I can win the prize money ($600) - you can buy a lot of new clothes with $600!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LwtWt1p4beGDGQ5pNV2BjItlqLwz-DfTAIcjeaEMC3i9k7YDqINiAtQD1zKv5TGukKI7mEHf2IctdVYCw_reTPKhFdnJ3QpHvIb5B9EubtjLpBcdwMbFcg4IDq6bjTHMYnv2Xw/s1600-h/SA702154.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LwtWt1p4beGDGQ5pNV2BjItlqLwz-DfTAIcjeaEMC3i9k7YDqINiAtQD1zKv5TGukKI7mEHf2IctdVYCw_reTPKhFdnJ3QpHvIb5B9EubtjLpBcdwMbFcg4IDq6bjTHMYnv2Xw/s200/SA702154.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298392266425954898" /></a><div>Now, get out there and eat a Krispy Kreme for me! (Just tell me that it was awful and I wasn't missing anything. Thanks. Carry on.)</div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-47577861286904180832009-01-25T20:07:00.002-05:002009-01-25T20:19:04.873-05:00Bad Blogger. Bad.Hi. My name is Jennifer and I'm a bad blogger. <div><br /></div><div>Today is January 25th and it's been since January 1st since I last posted. To make matters worse, I have no real excuse. I have time to update Facebook and read email but for some reason I can't make time to update this blog. Sad, really.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the weight loss front, I've lost 6 pounds - it doesn't sound like a lot but it feels like a lot. I actually bought 2 new pairs of pants yesterday and my jeans are starting to fit a little more loosely. I have a long way to go but I didn't get to be this size in 3 months and I won't lose it in 3 months. I realize it's a process. My goal is to lose it all in a year. I would like to lose most of it by the spring/summer because of my husband's 20-year class reunion. But that's another story for another day. </div><div><br /></div><div>The only thing I've been knitting is socks and if I'd knit a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">complete pair</span> before I started another pair I would probably have something to show for my efforts besides 5 half pairs of socks. But, alas, I cannot be "project monogamous." My next project is going to be these <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2009/01/21/down_but_not_out.html">Leyburn Socks</a> that I saw on the Harlot's page - they're from <a href="http://pepperknit.com">Pepperknit</a>. As soon as I figure out how to do a toe-up cast on I'm going to knit them in <a href="http://knitwitch.com/sagitarius.jpg">Sagitarius</a> from the <a href="http://www.knitwitch.com">Knit Witch</a> because I think the stitch pattern will show off the colors in the yarn nicely. The picture of the yarn doesn't do it justice - it's WAY prettier in person. If you have a suggestion for a toe-up cast on (or better yet a VIDEO of what to do) leave me a comment. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-55018303405830077392009-01-01T22:03:00.003-05:002009-01-01T22:21:20.932-05:00I Feel Like Oprah...Well, without the TV show and the magazie and the money and the multiple houses. I feel like Oprah and her "how did THIS happen" issue of O Magazine. <div><br /></div><div>"How did <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">what</span> happen?" you ask. Uh, how did I go from a svelte 125 pounds 13 years ago to (approximately) 180 pounds today? HOLY FREAKING COW (no pun intended)!!!!<div><br /></div><div>I'm either really brave, or really stupid, for this but . . . want to know what (almost) 180 pounds looks like on a 5'3" tall woman? It looks like this (and I'm only showing you the back, mostly because I can't bear the front): </div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7OnQ-cXgJnjZUotoMM1VNSJ16_0ElOOQB1ckGW8VdDKhzHUI8VvQfOi5Ipv5S3pmH2OHbjXJKkMBAaDZ0z3v_2vZVupY8fhIWJ8Dh_y229tNlBfrC0cdQ7LnSgp3BbA_THSDMg/s200/SA702138.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286528110638353522" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What am I? A really short linebacker? Look at the size of those shoulders! (Notice the placement of the fire... obviously a poor choice of location for a photo shoot, but funny nonetheless.) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, to do something about this I've joined a "Biggest Loser 2009" support group with some Facebook friends. There are 12 of us so far and we've chipped in $50 each. The person who loses the biggest % of weight between today and May 31st wins the pot 'o money (and a nice engraved silver cuff bracelet which is going to look awfully funny if one of the two guys happens to win). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm hoping that the six of you (ha!) who actually read my blog will remind me of this picture and offer moral support along the way. Especially when I mention "work," "stress," "beer" or "cookie dough" in the same post. Our first virtual weigh in is on January 11th. I'll post additional pics and report on the progress. And the next time you eat a Dairy Queen M&M Blizzard or chocolate chip cookies or a Mocha Frapp from Starbucks, think of me. I'll be over here in the corner (of the gym) munching on carrots and sipping something with protein in it. Let the fun begin!</div></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-73604533674402933722008-12-29T16:28:00.002-05:002008-12-29T16:47:41.245-05:00Holy Cow! What Just Happened?It's almost been a full 2 months since I last posted. You might be asking, "What happened to you, Crafty Chick?" <div><br /></div><div>Well, since you asked...</div><div><br /></div><div>My choir kids put on their fall show, <a href="http://www.littlebigstuff.com/">Life School Musical</a>, the first Sunday in November so I was pretty busy with rehearsals leading up to that. </div><div><br /></div><div>We went to Statesboro for Thanksgiving and had a great long weekend hanging out with family. </div><div><br /></div><div>My big project (that I've talked about in previous posts and on Facebook) launched the first weekend in December and I'm relatively sure that I was so busy working that weekend that I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">might</span> have gone three or four days without make-up or a shower. Yuck! </div><div><br /></div><div>The second weekend in December was my choir's big Christmas shows and, on top of post-project launch activities that week, I had 15 hours of rehearsals in the span of about 5 days. Whew. </div><div><br /></div><div>By December 16th, I was celebrating my 13th wedding anniversary. As it turned out, it wasn't THAT big of a celebration because I was sick! I know - why in the world would I be sick? It's not like I'd been burning the candle at both ends or anything. Good grief. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, because I felt so bad and could hardly drag myself out of bed, I finally broke down and went to the doctor. I saw one of the new docs in the practice and she noticed that the last three times I'd been in had been for (surprise) FATIGUE. Ya don't say? (Oh, and she did mention that I've gained 15 pounds in the past year since my last visit. She did blood work to check my thyroid. Uh, whatever. I can tell you why I've gained 15 pounds...start reading from the top of this entry and multiply <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">that</span> stress by 12 months. That should<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> just about equal</span> 15 pounds.) </div><div><br /></div><div>That brings us to Christmas. I've been off for one week already and I'm not scheduled to go back to work until the first Monday in January - a nice, well-deserved breather. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Punkin got a Wii for Christmas. What a hoot that thing is! We've had a blast playing with it so far; now we're waiting for some store somewhere to get another shipment of <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/hoiNtus4JvIcPtP8LQPyud4Kyy393oep">Wii Fit</a> in stock so we can have an animated computer figure tell us how fat we are. HAHAHA!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have plenty of pictures to post - as soon as I get around to getting them off the memory card. Hopefully sometime this week. Oh, and I did do a little knitting between all of that stuff; something has to keep me sane.</div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-63845561285287326172008-10-27T17:47:00.006-04:002008-10-27T18:35:05.279-04:00One Day as I Was Walking, Walking to the Fair...<div>Check it out... I'm now an "award winning" crafter! (Stop laughing; I can hear you.) I entered 14 items in the <a href="http://www.kiwanisogeecheefair.org/">fair in my hometown</a> and each of them won something! Now, it could be that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">everyone</span> won something, but I prefer to think that the judges were simply smitten by my clearly superior handiwork. Yeah, we'll go with that.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsY5jqKsoJgyQTyVdn-7f0W6drSCFaIkfdLDDv4I1v89C-9KyKIIuv-ksedK54_OZVDyjfoIYMfAYtzvNA4-Xg_R0E9WDbr0VWjkscIashClulFuBLv5DtZV0kXNneB6s_YL_Tw/s1600-h/DSC00156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsY5jqKsoJgyQTyVdn-7f0W6drSCFaIkfdLDDv4I1v89C-9KyKIIuv-ksedK54_OZVDyjfoIYMfAYtzvNA4-Xg_R0E9WDbr0VWjkscIashClulFuBLv5DtZV0kXNneB6s_YL_Tw/s200/DSC00156.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261956259192709042" /></a>This is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/onecraftychick/golden-child-jacket">Golden Child</a> jacket, hat and boots set by <a href="http://www.candijensen.com/fly.aspx?layout=home">Candi Jensen</a> and each item got a blue ribbon. I crocheted them in <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/yarnInfo.cgi">Lion Brand Suede</a> solely because I fell in love with the pattern, not because I like anyone enough to give them a baby gift made of $75 worth of yarn. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFpthuZboisuodtXuYew6QUc0ysEFgR0It5JJIaRBG8SKnIfKhnUtLUdm3FNyu4VVB-fKyDIFqQpUwBewojbFM6JTrMu71tYGiXDn-GBP2b3uTcwlwotaUNGqguE65SO0X3tasA/s1600-h/DSC00160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFpthuZboisuodtXuYew6QUc0ysEFgR0It5JJIaRBG8SKnIfKhnUtLUdm3FNyu4VVB-fKyDIFqQpUwBewojbFM6JTrMu71tYGiXDn-GBP2b3uTcwlwotaUNGqguE65SO0X3tasA/s200/DSC00160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261956248470761010" /></a>The pink afghan won a white ribbon. The pattern is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579907407?ie=UTF8&tag=onec06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1579907407">Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=onec06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1579907407" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> by Jane Davis. It works up quickly and is my "go to" pattern for most baby presents I've made recently. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHUuzpaG0_nHYN_0hE42nd_n7mbxLd5UdPlf_wCXfTx1NeHweZdL8JHMsR1F-Z2F7pgy120I_zN50-GYRFMCrXlvNhqBNkw5p9J0cn-X7Q_JB1PIxqqeJiVDJwI4YjuDlWef6TA/s1600-h/DSC00165.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHUuzpaG0_nHYN_0hE42nd_n7mbxLd5UdPlf_wCXfTx1NeHweZdL8JHMsR1F-Z2F7pgy120I_zN50-GYRFMCrXlvNhqBNkw5p9J0cn-X7Q_JB1PIxqqeJiVDJwI4YjuDlWef6TA/s200/DSC00165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261955268362596690" /></a>In this view: the pastel bag on the top won a white ribbon. The socks below (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flame-wave-socks">Flame Wave by Ann Budd</a>) won a red ribbon and my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/onecraftychick/monkey">Monkey Socks</a> won blue. The brightly colored bag (below and right of the pastel one) won a white ribbon. You might remember it as the bag that caused me to <a href="http://onecraftychick.blogspot.com/2008/07/rant-about-sewing-machine.html">lose my religion with my sewing machine</a>. The blue/green hoodie won a red ribbon. It's a good thing they didn't put in on a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">real</span></span> kid. I know kids have big heads but it would take a ginormous head to fill up that hood. I think it was something wrong with the pattern. I'm just sayin'....</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qc4gSsjYTXH_usGMyBfrNHLXTdJwVTqTCuwm2EHFplYcEFt41_IceaQwW9u5k1O4zQyY2GrPDi7QrwWWPvTTvBNMGKG6g0iHH1tQIDUwLkwV5yF8wgNX8lPsAOHGUeXEF1jGcA/s200/DSC00162.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261955242926320450" />The green <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/onecraftychick/ballerina-neck-sweater">ballerina neck sweater</a> won a red ribbon. (I actually expected blue and would have liked to have seen the entry that got first place.) </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPv4D_9-O_JhQbJxwNitHqvZnjv9z99dykGHqUSTQRvrxAyYt4DtmnSq6FPHZPExeaL5zAvG4eI8S0F5m9nKkmsfICh7NjBNKYfeCMbsE9j5Y3OEUJoTC312_071MEdmQafCVlA/s1600-h/DSC00164.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPv4D_9-O_JhQbJxwNitHqvZnjv9z99dykGHqUSTQRvrxAyYt4DtmnSq6FPHZPExeaL5zAvG4eI8S0F5m9nKkmsfICh7NjBNKYfeCMbsE9j5Y3OEUJoTC312_071MEdmQafCVlA/s200/DSC00164.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261955258360694754" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">My "<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/onecraftychick/game-day-hobo-bag">Game Day Hobo Bag</a>", a pattern of my own design, won a red ribbon! I had two dishcloths and another kid sweater that I entered on a lark and all of them won ribbons, too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the winnings from my first Fair entries; prize money . . . not so much. All 14 projects netted a whopping $33! I'm rich! I'm rich! A quick shout out to my mom who took the pictures for me: "Yahoo, Mom! You rock!" </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-13961903140059021462008-09-30T19:03:00.005-04:002008-09-30T20:14:25.660-04:00WARNING: Political Rant!Those of you who aren’t interested in politics or our financial crisis need not read further. And if you’re one of my “church lady” readers, there’s going to be some harsh language – you’ve been duly warned.<br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen, I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore! I’m sick of Congress and the Media thinking that we’re stupid myrmidons and we can’t do our own research and that we should just assume that everything they tell us is the gospel truth. Well I’m NOT stupid; in fact, I’m extremely intelligent and my head isn’t so far up my “politics” that I can’t see a line of crap when it’s fed to me.<br /><br />I’m more than just a little torqued that the Administration thinks that the money I work my ass off for should be taken FROM me at the threat of jail and used to bail out companies that made bad business decisions. No one bailed ME out when, as an ill-principled college grad, I ran up astronomical credit card bills. No one! I worked HARD to pay off those debts and it took me more than 10 years! But, by God, they’re gone – as are my student loans. And no, I didn’t get a consolidation loan; I scrimped and scraped and spent nights and weekends at home until they were paid off. Big surprise – LESSON LEARNED – do you think I’ll EVER get in that shape again. HELL NO!<br /><br />So, here begins my RANT on this financial crisis and how, why and who caused it. I’ve linked where appropriate so that you can do your own research. You aren’t going to hear this on the CBS News with perky little Katie Couric because it makes certain people and their party look bad and that doesn’t fit the mold of the news they see fit to share.<br /><br />The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 was a bill passed under the Carter administration. The Bill, like most, had good intentions but was manipulated for political gain. Designed to invest dollars in community revitalization, this Act was hijacked under the Clinton administration by groups like ACORN (I’ll get to them later) and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/used%20to%20brow-beat%20leading%20institutions%20into%20lowering%20their%20lending%20standards%20to%20make%20loans%20to%20people%20who%20would%20have%20not%20qualified%20under%20standard%20lending%20practices">used to brow-beat leading institutions into lowering their lending standards to make loans to people who would have not qualified under standard lending practices</a>, hence the onslaught of sub-prime lending. Now for an aside – do you REALLY THINK for one minute that any bank, out of the charity of their heart, is going to loan money to someone they KNOW cannot afford to repay it? Of course not – that’s corporate suicide! They wouldn’t loan it unless, they were forced/coerced by the government to do so. (This is where Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae come in.)<br /><br />Freddie and Fannie were NEVER government entities - they were Government SPONSORED Entities (GSEs) which means that they looked from the outside to be a true government entity, like the FDIC. The banks and lending institutions were leery of making these kinds of loans until Freddie and Fannie stepped in to say, “Hey, we’ve got your back. Make the loans, bundle them together and we’ll buy them from you.” Now, as a GSE, Freddie and Fannie were not governed by the same rules and oversight that normal corporations are subject to. In fact, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Republicans%20warned%20in%202005%20against%20the%20coming%20disaster%20while%20trying%20to%20pass%20the%20Federal%20Housing%20Enterprise%20Regulatory%20Reform%20Act%20of%202005">Republicans warned against the coming disaster while trying to pass the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005</a>, which sought to curtail these kinds of lending practices. The warnings were NOT headed and the legislation was soundly defeated by Democrats in the Congress. In fact, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Congressmen%20went%20as%20far%20as%20to%20say%20that%20there%20was%20nothing%20wrong%20with%20Freddie%20and%20Fannie%20and%20the%20simple%20act%20of%20trying%20to%20clean%20them%20up%20amounted%20to%20a%20%E2%80%9Cpolitical%20lynching%E2%80%9D%20of%20Franklin%20Raines">some Congressmen went as far as to say that there was nothing wrong with Freddie and Fannie and the simple act of trying to clean them up amounted to a “political lynching” of Franklin Raines</a>, the then CEO of Fannie Mae (who happens to be black) and now a financial advisor to the Obama campaign.) <a href="http://www.blogger.com/They%20were%20then%20forced%20to%20restate%20their%20earnings%20wiping%20out%20$9%20billion%20in%20reported%20earnings">Under Raines leadership, Fannie is accused of cooking the books</a> to generate fat bonuses for their leadership, including Raines. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/They%20were%20then%20forced%20to%20restate%20their%20earnings%20wiping%20out%20$9%20billion%20in%20reported%20earnings">They were then forced to restate their earnings wiping out almost $9 billion in reported earnings</a>.<br /><br />Back to ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN is one of those “community organizing” groups that the Media is so fond of these days. What they don’t tell you is how they operate – or at least how they operated in the time period leading up to this financial meltdown. For example, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/For%20example,%20ACORN%20representatives%20jammed%20the%20lobbies%20of%20banks,%20confronted%20bank%20executives%20at%20their%20homes,%20blocked%20the%20drive-thru%20teller%20lanes%20of%20banks,%20and%20otherwise%20intimidated%20banks%20into%20making%20these%20risky%20loans">ACORN representatives jammed the lobbies of banks, confronted bank executives at their homes, blocked the drive-thru teller lanes of banks, and otherwise intimidated banks into making these risky loans</a>. So how is ACORN involved with Barack Obama? Obama was a trainer and an attorney for the organization during his community organizer days in Chicago. His campaign has paid more than half a million dollars to ACORN for “get out the vote” efforts. Speaking of “get out the vote efforts,” there are MANY instances of ACORN being involved in blatant voter registration fraud – <a href="http://boortz.com/nuze/200809/09302008.html#acorn">some of them are detailed here</a> – you can Google each of them for yourself. (For the sake of space, I didn't include links here.)<br /><br />So, for the sanctimonious Nancy Pelosi to stand on her "pulpit" in the House of Representatives and preach to me about how it’s “all the Republican’s fault” that this happened is <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0">pure crap and a load of unadulterated lies</a> – and she knows it. She also knows that most Americans get their news from ABC, CBS and NBC and they aren’t going to tell the whole story. Her lies are safe - safely perpetuated by the Media. (Which is why I do my OWN research.)<br /><br />Were the Republicans PARTLY responsible? You betcha! Were they SOLELY responsible – OF COURSE NOT and it's stupid to try to place all the blame there! And for Pelosi, Barney Franks and Harry Reid to continue to pontificate that it’s the Bush Administration’s “failed economic policies” is an affront to the <a href="http://boortz.com/more/us_constitution.html">US Constitution</a>. My understanding of that sacred document is that it’s the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES responsibility to initiate EACH AND EVERY spending bill, NOT the President's responsibility (no matter his party affiliation). So, Nancy need look no further than her position as Speaker of the House to find the ultimate blame. Where I work, the buck stops with ME - I don't get to pass blame to others. Buck up, Nancy! <div><br /></div><div>Rick Warren once said that “you can’t fix the problem if you’re consumed with fixing the blame.” So, shut up Nancy and get about the business of fixing what CAUSED the problem instead of trying to put a $700 billion dollar band-aid over it!<br /><br />Finally, to use my friend Jodi's words, "Nancy Pelosi, do you wanna piece of me?" Bring. It. On. I’m done and I’m going to uncork a bottle of Chardonnay. Discuss…<br /><br /></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-13878471490951261272008-09-30T08:22:00.002-04:002008-09-30T08:26:45.391-04:00Hysterical!Tim Hawkins is a Christian comedian and is hysterical. If you go to a church that does Praise & Worship music, you'll get a BIG kick out of this clip.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aYaTSbCGY50&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aYaTSbCGY50&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-23870328427994371202008-09-26T08:57:00.003-04:002008-09-26T09:22:11.386-04:00I'm Happy To ReportI'm quite happy to report that today (cue the music...) I am FINALLY GETTING MY ROOTS DONE! (Ta-Da!) So, after 2:30 this afternoon I will no longer look like a country-music-fan-fest-4 wheel truck-driving-Redneck-Princess anymore. Not that there's anything wrong with that...it's just not the "look" I'm going for. It's actually gotten so bad that, thank God I work from home a lot, I've resorted to the college-just-rolled-out-of-bed ball-cap-wearing look. <div><br /></div><div>For effect, I took this pic just now with Photo Booth on my Mac. Nice. Really nice. So, obviously you can understand my excitement about getting my hair fixed. :)<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5icqW68KxETMeoMyDsSqelZ_w5XopCzxnu7sN6sN49YHlWM1R1ownkAP44FVYwwgPo81uNtTfFhtx-FFL6CEYeb2hz8y-FDNk9QcVw0QGXv_xR9Zp7hyphenhyphenTJm3AgjcK3eBOtaT8ag/s200/Photo+7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250315036001315874" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the world of crafty endeavors, I'm working on some new projects. (Please, contain your shock...) All better? I've started <a href="http://www.tkga.com/copreview.shtm">this cute little cardigan</a> (#22 on the link) using some stashed <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/yarnInfo.cgi">Lion Brand Microspu</a>n in a pretty purplish-blue Lilac. I currently have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR pair of socks on the needles; three on double points and one pair on one LONG circular. (I'm trying to teach myself to knit two at a time using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/2-at-Time-Socks-Revealed-Knitting/dp/1580176917/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222434654&sr=8-1">this book</a>.) So far...OK. I'm a "neat knitter" and getting started on this method is so far from neat that it drives me crazy. It's a hot mess!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was going to enter some of my work, both knit and crochet, in the Gwinnett County Fair - however, I missed the registration deadline. As it turns out, that's good for all the folks who DID enter their "work" in the fair because I would have SO hated to make them look bad. My stuff was WAY better than their stuff. I'm just sayin'. (Bless their hearts.) So I'm going to send a whole bunch of it down to Statesboro so my mom can enter it for me in the <a href="http://www.kiwanisogeecheefair.org/">Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair</a>. Since I'm FROM Statesboro, I see no problem with this plan whatsoever. I'll post pics later of everything I'm entering, 15 projects in all. Who knows, I might actually win enough for a trip to Starbucks - or a gallon of gas! (Ha!) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Woohoo! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-56016756288416315172008-09-11T20:26:00.003-04:002008-09-11T20:39:29.257-04:00After Which Nothing Was the SameI remember it like it was yesterday. I was working in sales at BellSouth and had just popped my computer into the docking station at my desk and hit my radio's "on" button to listen to <a href="http://www.wsbradio.com">WSB AM 750</a> (and my boy, <a href="http://boortz.com">Boortz</a>) when I heard the news. <div><br /></div><div>What? A plane? Like a BIG one, or a little one? Oh, most definitely a big one. <div><br /></div><div>We all ended up in the Vice President's office watching the news unfold on the TV in her conference room. Numb. Shell-shocked. Speechless. Quiet ... odd, still, deafening quiet. Who could possibly work on a day like today? </div><div><br /></div><div>The girls and I went to Jocks 'n Jills for lunch because we knew they'd have on every news network. We sat for 2 hours and ate in near silence - remarkable for our group. How could this happen? In America? This kind of stuff happens somewhere else. Not. Here. All I could think about was my 9-month old at the baby sitter's house and how I wanted, no <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">needed</span>, to get there to hold her. </div><div><br /></div><div>A fog. A fog that lasted for days and days and days. You'd blink, thinking that it was a dream and you could just blink, wake up and will it away. But no, it was real. Painfully, heart-wrenchingly real. </div><div><br /></div><div>After 09-11-01, nothing was the same. Never will be. To this day I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">cannot</span> step foot on a commercial airliner - for business or pleasure - without thinking of those people who, on 9-11-01, were going about their business . . . like they did every day before and thought they'd do every day after. But it wasn't an ordinary day. It was a day that profoundly changed us all - affected us to the core of our beings. Forever. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I will never, ever, forget......... </div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-34124522359051538172008-08-26T17:21:00.005-04:002008-08-26T18:08:49.394-04:00Gettin' Cozy<div>So, I had some cotton yarn in my stash, but not enough of any one color to make a sweater. And since I'm not that found of a "<a href="http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=pCEYDTrhanO&aid=wJpzt3uszpC&sa=X&oi=music&ct=result">Coat of Many Colors</a>" for myself; I wondered what I should make with said cotton yarn. </div><div><br /></div><div>I happened to have just bought a case of Caffeine Free Diet Coke ('cause it tastes better than regular Diet Coke), I decided that those cans needed Cozies. So I grabbed a size G crochet hook and set out to designing. This is what I came up with.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdvaN-RCyhicZ0nwXuHroVuFFl7h0YInkpHwAVzyJScJyUssUeBOf2fULusHylvgK9KRW_2GzHb02UO1z0Mk9cCngoxJMctGky_fxDGmp9krpjXxDU0_nB0FLL-hB31VgWaK5PQ/s1600-h/SA701910.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdvaN-RCyhicZ0nwXuHroVuFFl7h0YInkpHwAVzyJScJyUssUeBOf2fULusHylvgK9KRW_2GzHb02UO1z0Mk9cCngoxJMctGky_fxDGmp9krpjXxDU0_nB0FLL-hB31VgWaK5PQ/s200/SA701910.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238940653089960946" /></a>The pink/orange/white one is totally random and made from scraps. The pink and black one gets me in touch with my "Diva/Princess" self. The pink camo one gets me in touch with my "Redneck Princess" self. (HA! I kill me. Redneck Princess...)<div><br /></div><div>This blue and orange one is an experimentation in "team colors" - if your team colors happen to be blue and orange (University of Florida, Auburn....)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp_eTLnjYjoN_KKw5jeVtz1328gbzDUTVH8nOe_buErqkyerXJlcogo7ZUPRObh2a7NbGsSKm6LKsEvUVj6jgnr9GkMCgG2GbiE5OooxiFLb_uIepk5rCK59UPVoU-YfAps_zdQ/s1600-h/SA701911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp_eTLnjYjoN_KKw5jeVtz1328gbzDUTVH8nOe_buErqkyerXJlcogo7ZUPRObh2a7NbGsSKm6LKsEvUVj6jgnr9GkMCgG2GbiE5OooxiFLb_uIepk5rCK59UPVoU-YfAps_zdQ/s200/SA701911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238940661980708450" /></a>Then I thought, if you can make a can cozy, why not one for a bottle? So I did...</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvw2saLouDGnpQ5O1OmBxaJKH-IOfaSN3HFn4LVuKxsES5LWP5DJar3VN_Tuu8rlx9by3T2nPsFEF9Zwdukt9ojFKcbC8yoy56sd2TnlrDrT13wI6tgIHgnAqh52p-l7O-Sx9kqQ/s1600-h/SA701912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvw2saLouDGnpQ5O1OmBxaJKH-IOfaSN3HFn4LVuKxsES5LWP5DJar3VN_Tuu8rlx9by3T2nPsFEF9Zwdukt9ojFKcbC8yoy56sd2TnlrDrT13wI6tgIHgnAqh52p-l7O-Sx9kqQ/s200/SA701912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238940668174005106" /></a>Red and black for the 'Dawgs. Some fuzzy boucle novelty stuff at the top. Now that I look at it, it should have been a little taller.</div><div><br /></div><div>This "making up my own pattern thing" was working for me so I decided to take it a step further (or maybe a couple of steps). I designed my own mini hobo bag! </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckX6H2qj9jEOThoXwOaPTkDs0Rpwdr0Z-mnBeprDOntraaxI-9pk6FAAqra-rgA-Comm9u_jOzkXuggRlWzMv4F-Ymcy1tgy34Bzlbxyl8Wx1bg4CFgsTs6Kv6kYy5jefV-X5Gg/s1600-h/SA701913.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckX6H2qj9jEOThoXwOaPTkDs0Rpwdr0Z-mnBeprDOntraaxI-9pk6FAAqra-rgA-Comm9u_jOzkXuggRlWzMv4F-Ymcy1tgy34Bzlbxyl8Wx1bg4CFgsTs6Kv6kYy5jefV-X5Gg/s200/SA701913.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238940675718296210" /></a>How cute is that? It's about 7.5" long x 2.5" wide x 6" tall. It even has a zipper! (Don't worry - I didn't sew it with my sewing machine - I actually LEARN from my mistakes.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Another shot with the handle up...</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1eqLNMDeZ5gLsDMTCcoxlr5zEt_5kTSExCoUoGvcXS3pn1CT9iUVR8U59RNOSKf-sliipB6UvCKA-8HOfRDeSTzfxj0ysR7Yfn8SiDgIH9zeedjFM7hkuPdV4_YfRtY5nFEzcA/s1600-h/SA701914.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1eqLNMDeZ5gLsDMTCcoxlr5zEt_5kTSExCoUoGvcXS3pn1CT9iUVR8U59RNOSKf-sliipB6UvCKA-8HOfRDeSTzfxj0ysR7Yfn8SiDgIH9zeedjFM7hkuPdV4_YfRtY5nFEzcA/s200/SA701914.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238940682299329650" /></a>It's perfect for "game day" - just big enough for your wallet or ID, some cash, keys and lipstick. Since I'm really NOT a Georgia Bulldogs fan, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with a red and black purse...</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what do you think? Not too shabby for the first couple of original "OneCraftyChick Designs" patterns, huh? I have PDF copies if you're interested. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-41046474175793873672008-08-17T18:35:00.003-04:002008-08-17T18:44:53.316-04:00You're Ruining My Life!<div>Those of you know me well know that the Punkin has NEVER, I repeat, never been one to sleep through the night in her own bed. To say that we've been struggling of late with the sleep in your own room thing would be a gross understatement. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, last Thursday night was a doozy. Friday morning was not much better (considering none of us had had much sleep). So, after the battle to get her off to school, THIS is the note that was waiting for me on the white board in her room. For the benefit of those who cannot read I-just-started-second-grade phonetic spelling, it says "You ruin everything in my life and you need to say you're sorry." </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID6d-oQrjMEzohZcgvaFZaPrILBBe3UzCjGg3eMOXZ01yk0AMx-qt1Jsa0adVs7IfEDNf-xsoMBboeMiPOB3uqIF02YOHhN1VKfuzG4RXDThbalJOxch9UNtLuRITXZp1CIunnw/s1600-h/IMG_0057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID6d-oQrjMEzohZcgvaFZaPrILBBe3UzCjGg3eMOXZ01yk0AMx-qt1Jsa0adVs7IfEDNf-xsoMBboeMiPOB3uqIF02YOHhN1VKfuzG4RXDThbalJOxch9UNtLuRITXZp1CIunnw/s200/IMG_0057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235619223655814466" /></a>She has NO idea how much I can ruin her life. Just wait until she's a teenager! So, we're beginning to employ several techniques to get her to sleep in her room ALL night. Or at least to NOT come into our room in the middle of the night to wake us up. I'm sure there will be more to come on this subject. <div><br /></div><div>In crafty news, I'm working on the Farm Fresh blanket from the <a href="http://www.candijensen.com/fly.aspx?layout=books">Candi Blankies</a> book by Candi Jensen. Right now it would be a terribly boring picture to post - since all I've got finished thus far is about 3/4 of the green "field" that the cute sheep hang out in. Hopefully I'll finish this week. Fingers crossed. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-72014432259796915032008-08-15T15:55:00.002-04:002008-08-15T15:56:09.991-04:00Laundry Update!I'm happy to report that my 8 loads of laundry have all been folded. Not put away, yet, but folded. Baby steps, friends, baby steps. OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-53398235854474364682008-08-05T08:03:00.003-04:002008-08-05T08:22:02.254-04:00The Bag Lady and Her Albatross<div>I've been called a "bag lady" before, and with just cause. You see, I do love the bags. Here's my parade of finished bags from last week. I can't find one that the Punkin absconded with but it wasn't that great anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is the one that gave me fits with the sewing machine. You can't see the inside, but I ended up hand-stitching the ribbon to the handles and the top edge of the inside of the bag. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00h5gazLKpwWhY_XpsO6aJ9AGmoDFDndDV7-WSqzA754ZN6ZWB9rbUSIXYH6BpX0YdYTa0m7aAWsI1u886HSa3-3hzaDX7PhNsbiNEU3vIH8iLsZZ6K6wSgtuOL471IevPx2rpQ/s1600-h/SA701892.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00h5gazLKpwWhY_XpsO6aJ9AGmoDFDndDV7-WSqzA754ZN6ZWB9rbUSIXYH6BpX0YdYTa0m7aAWsI1u886HSa3-3hzaDX7PhNsbiNEU3vIH8iLsZZ6K6wSgtuOL471IevPx2rpQ/s200/SA701892.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231004009644661442" /></a>This one was done (*cough*) two years ago as a baby gift that obviously never got gifted. It's based on a Candy Jensen pattern and was super easy. (They all were super easy; crochet works up fast.)<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms9pPU81GgSVjHu5NMq7m2FTreVCxfUu8CkkKnqnHu5DQlzRpUmy056FZlFtLFYfeXyjZtN2xwSeApDYdv5Ig8tKR5Ps9Q-cylNaxIqSvWnd9pYuSqu3aoJ2OEaXQ5QpDzdQ-ZA/s1600-h/SA701891.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms9pPU81GgSVjHu5NMq7m2FTreVCxfUu8CkkKnqnHu5DQlzRpUmy056FZlFtLFYfeXyjZtN2xwSeApDYdv5Ig8tKR5Ps9Q-cylNaxIqSvWnd9pYuSqu3aoJ2OEaXQ5QpDzdQ-ZA/s200/SA701891.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231004016539925666" /></a>This one. Well, it took a little longer. You can't tell from this picture, but it's made up of 26 triangles that are sewn together. Twenty-six triangles = LOTS of ends to weave in. A royal PITA (pain in the arse), but cute, no? It's a pattern from BH&G Easy Crochet a couple of years ago. Again, I made up all the triangles a while back and just got around to sewing them together last week. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_bOAdXUb-3gsKhp93nMn_ZdrNROWRMkrP0wAFXGOwMXeTa0o7umNZ1QLAE8jiNHvXMhVSU9VK7VTiwYj8DBgtMZziaTL4XYaFh_UyR_aUdSR0DcdFOViLMta09AXWWwvbWAl1g/s1600-h/SA701893.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_bOAdXUb-3gsKhp93nMn_ZdrNROWRMkrP0wAFXGOwMXeTa0o7umNZ1QLAE8jiNHvXMhVSU9VK7VTiwYj8DBgtMZziaTL4XYaFh_UyR_aUdSR0DcdFOViLMta09AXWWwvbWAl1g/s200/SA701893.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231004021843247906" /></a>So, my friend <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562198325">Robin on Facebook</a> reads my status on Saturday (which said "Hanging out at the PGA Superstore looking for a new driver" 'cause that's what I was doing) and comments, "Sewing, scrapbooking, marathons and now golf! Is there anything you don't do?" </div><div><br /></div><div>Uh, yeah, right. That would be housework. Laundry, my <a href="http://etext.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancient_Mariner.html">Albatross</a>, to be specific. This is the pile of CLEAN clothes in my office/craft room that have yet to be folded and put away. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzub_NtnCH4POzGpAN0JdhkFTN2W4Eis1zbN14wFGmwXJNqoFKQp0T5A_nkWc_hoDBlCsAfXPeZUV6GGCutQGbNebMmM53t3qEYe8shcgaykuIrZkOidUVWCfgHShhQ-Q8QepdGw/s1600-h/SA701889.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzub_NtnCH4POzGpAN0JdhkFTN2W4Eis1zbN14wFGmwXJNqoFKQp0T5A_nkWc_hoDBlCsAfXPeZUV6GGCutQGbNebMmM53t3qEYe8shcgaykuIrZkOidUVWCfgHShhQ-Q8QepdGw/s200/SA701889.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231004028081948274" /></a>Let's look at the pile from another angle, shall we? </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu8ZH6Z2v5iYSvysKCQP52xBkrwCWli8SBnsUbhbg7AdRF-zlU2LiWvg4_hfIW_7oBsBdtvqIwme81NNy2wQ9DkjH0PXcuj1Nw3L9Ip29h1kwHovH78C7hpCOVXAOlPGg1YcMXw/s1600-h/SA701890.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu8ZH6Z2v5iYSvysKCQP52xBkrwCWli8SBnsUbhbg7AdRF-zlU2LiWvg4_hfIW_7oBsBdtvqIwme81NNy2wQ9DkjH0PXcuj1Nw3L9Ip29h1kwHovH78C7hpCOVXAOlPGg1YcMXw/s200/SA701890.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231004035783214162" /></a>Nice. <a href="http://www.flylady.net">The Flylady</a> would be so disappointed in me. </div>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-3488407489993043382008-07-31T21:17:00.002-04:002008-07-31T21:22:27.216-04:00I'm on a Roll...Seriously! Three - count 'em - THREE finished objects in ONE week. (<a href="http://onecraftychick.blogspot.com/2008/04/make-note-of-this-i-finished-something.html">And "they" said I never finish anything</a>.) After the <a href="http://onecraftychick.blogspot.com/2008/07/rant-about-sewing-machine.html">sewing machine fiasco</a>, I got inspired to break out some other unfinished bags and move them from the "to do" bin to the "Ta Da!" (done) pile. I don't have pictures taken yet - no time to take pictures when you're busy stitching - but TRUST me when I say, there are three bags hanging from the desk in my craft room. I'll post pictures soon, but for now, I'm on a roll....OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33863640.post-50149730304243571822008-07-27T20:50:00.002-04:002008-07-27T20:53:27.335-04:00There's Joy in the 'Boro!I'm back from "the 'Boro" after a whirlwind weekend. My dear friend <a href="http://www.myspace.com/joywatersfowler">Joy</a> did a concert at my parents church so we went down to support her. I didn't take any video but here's a snipit of her with <a href="http://www.pcbconline.org">my choir</a> a few years ago. Hope you enjoy. Go to iTunes and buy her stuff. You won't be disappointed. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e7UogdV4O8M&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e7UogdV4O8M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>OneCraftyChickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05862412477586870436noreply@blogger.com0