Decisions

Now that we know Andrea's little pea is a boy, I'm trying to decide which blanket pattern I'd like to use for him. I have it narrowed down to two:

I love the texture of this stitch and think it would make a really warm, snuggly blanket. And I was thinking heather gray, charcoal gray, silver mist, taupe & linen for the colors. Of course, I usually end up changing my mind as I'm shopping.

Or this circles blanket. The gal that crocheted this one also did a version with sock yarn:

I love the multicolored look. Not sure if I can get this look without the $20 per skein sock yarn (yummy, but not so practical). I am partial to these kinds of projects because every circle you work will be different and the surprise of each makes it fun.

What do you think? Color suggestions? Maybe something different all together? And Andrea, feel free to chime in with your preferences of pattern and color.

Meatloaf...Perfected

There are few meals that everyone in the house enjoys. But meatloaf is one of them. I was bummed to have to miss out on it, with all those breadcrumbs and eggs. It seems, though, that I have perfected an allergy-free, and dare I say, tastier version.

2 tbs flax seed meal
6 tbs water

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (Any combination of turkey, beef or pork will work. I use turkey when I feel like being good, but 1 lb hamburger to 1/2 lb pork is my favorite)
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 C oats (gluten free if needed)
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp worcestershire

1/3 C ketchup
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp worcestershire

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

In a small bowl mix flax seed meal and water. Let set for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix meat, onion, oats, salt, pepper, ginger and 1 tsp worcestershire. Form into a loaf shape on the cookie sheet.

In a small bowl mix ketchup, brown sugar and 1 tsp worcestershire. Spread over the top and sides of the loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

I always serve this with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Enjoy!

To start your day

Accepted

We finally received our acceptance letter! Claire has been accepted as a student at The Ambrose School. We're excited for Claire to start school this fall and even more excited to be a part of such a great school and program! And can I say, I'm just the tiniest bit anxious to see Claire in her cute little uniform...

No words, just cute

Indecision

Hard to decide when there's room for two drinks on my mug rug...

Finally.... finished

The monster hexagon afghan I've been working on for almost a year is complete! Considering it's the project that was always second to a number of other projects that came up, I'm pleasantly surprised to have finished it in under a year.

Eleven colors.

196 Hexagons

1590 ends to weave in.

I love it so much... and it's all mine. The first blanket I've ever crocheted for myself.

And a sneak peek and one of my next projects for someone's little angel.

Ta-Dah!

The granny ripple for my niece Katelynn is finally done!

I'm going to have a really hard time letting this one go. It's about the size of the area rug in our living room. 24 skeins of yarn, 12 colors & A LOT of work, but she's worth it.

And here's a little spring...

I forgot to share these little cuties. Claire and I made these for Valentine's Day and she shared them with her friends at school.

And because he's just so darn adorable!

We had a family get together of few weeks ago. Elijah decided he needed to join Claire and Sam for a bath, and of course, Coen couldn't be left out. It was a little crazy, but one life's sweet moments. I'm so glad that Claire and Sam have cousins close in age!

Last night of dreamed of crochet

Yesterday I had a whole two hours to myself. Two hours to watch Bright Star and do a little crochet. I love this movie. The scene at the end, the most convincing crying scene I've even seen, gets me every time. But strange as it sounds, I couldn't keep my eyes off the crochet.

I did a little googling to discover that Sophie Digard created the pieces used in this movie.

The textures, colors, design... divine. So, I dreamed about crocheting pieces as beautiful as hers. All night long. And when I found this pattern, that reminds me a bit of Sophie's work, I just knew I had to add it to my super-long list of things I want to crochet for myself.

I had a great post...

I had a great post started for you. A post full of updates and photos. A llloooooonngg post. A post I'll probably never finish. But here's what I really want to share on Valentines. I saw this quote today, and I just love it. It reminds me of the pre-marital counseling Jeff and I did. Pastor Everett told us that love is a choice, not an emotion. It's that one wise statement that has gotten us through more rough patches than just about anything else. This quote shares that wisdom:

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because, that is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being 'in love' which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

-St. Augustine