Putting it in Perspective

A couple weeks ago, I asked the city inspector to come out & see if we could start insulating the second story of the addition (future master bedroom).  I was having my second productive day in a row, chugging along through laundry, dishes, phone calls & picking up the house - with EJ in the play pen - when the knock came and I realized the house was a disaster!

2 laundry baskets waiting to be folded; an arm chair piled with half my yarn stash & etsy items waiting to be photographed; baby toys all over... :/





...not to mention all the dishes covering my entire kitchen counter.


But then it was like a voice reminding me:

Be thankful that I have a washer & dryer (no laundromat trips) and clothes TO wash.
Thank God for a healthy baby who is meeting & exceeding her milestones that we need a play pen; that we were even BLESSED with a beautiful daughter (some are not so lucky) & the resources to provide for her.
Thank God for such a beautiful, sturdy house that we can afford to live in & even afford to build on to, for our need of more space.
Thank God almighty for my beautiful, loving family & the hard working, selfless husband He has provided me.

And how could I not be over the moon thankful for this beautiful face?

So on this day I felt the call to show my thanks through service in the home: cleaning & organizing as best as I could with a little 8mo between my feet.  And I have to say, at the end of the day, I felt quite accomplished.  :)

Navy Blue Beanie


Last Thursday I finished Michelle's blue beanie.  A nice, classic crochet beanie with one row of white along the edge for a little pop.  


It is amazing what one dash of a contrasting color with do!


Even with EJ on the move, I'm still finding little snippets of time to sit down and craft - even if I don't get to blog about it much.  :(  So I've been trying to at least make myself post to Instagram.  Hope to see you there!

Decorating for Christmas

Slowly but surely it is starting to look like Christmas around here!

Hubby hung the Christmas lights on the house last week & I hung up the wreath on our door.

I had hopes to get three stockings knit up by now but it hasn't yet.  Maybe next week?  Last night I got around to making this crochet star garland, though, and that is a decoration crossed off the list!




We're planning to pick out a real Christmas tree this year so EJ has the full holiday experience.  It should be up by this weekend and I'll update with a photo when we do.

What decorations have you put up?

Hair Bows & Bow Ties


I finally got around to trying this nifty little pattern back in March (was it really that long ago?), whipping up quite a few more than I intended, and I'm ecstatic to introduce it in the Etsy shop!

Add a bow to any hat or headband in the shop

I think this pattern was originally intended to be a little girl's hair bow but I have been on a quest to find cute *boy* clothes & accessories before EJ was born.  Using my grandfather and his adorable bow ties as inspiration, I think these would make wonderful bow ties for a little boy!  What do you think??

I haven't figured out how to safely (i.e. not a choking hazard) attach these around a little neck, but I'm open to suggestions.  In the mean time, I'm also selling these under supplies.

I plan to add many more colors soon; I just had this baby blue skein to use up.  What are you working on today?

Naptime Check-in @ 7 Months

Currently Busy with:
-House Addition


     We tore off the little bump-out on the back of the house at the end of June to make way for the addition of a little back room (which we'll use as a sitting room/Etsy area, half bath & new back door) off the kitchen & master upstairs.



EJ sleeping just before the first sledge hammer swing.
However, we didn't anticipate it taking ALL of JULY to get our permits and then another month to get our foundation dug, poured and block laid before we could start the framing in September.








Putting up the I-beams to support the second floor.

Trusses go up for the roof.

Hubby attaching trusses.

He's having too much fun.  ;)


Hubby finally has the whole thing wrapped in house wrap and we are beginning to get the windows in.  We have already had a few snow flurries (Halloween night) and the forecast is calling for more unseasonably cool weather (30*s) this next week so we are hoping to get the rest of the windows in and the siding on very quickly.


-Catching EJ before she smacks her head on the ground now that she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING.  She has been crawling like a pro for a month now (ever since we got a rug in the living room, she took off on Day 2) and her toys can't hold her interest longer than 2 seconds.  She will definitely be an explorer like her dad.  Did I mention she is nearly SEVEN MONTHS already??

I swear we have better fashion sense, this was Halloween
(that is a Jack-o-lantern sweatshirt & the hat was knit by my Aunt who taught me).


gif of EJ crawling & getting into a yarn bag

Latest Obsessions:
Peaky Blinders - set in 1920s Britain about a gang of brothers and their exploits to claw their way to the top of the underworld? or at least illegal money-making.

Shutterfly - I'm trying to stay on top of backing up my pictures (and emptying them off my phone), especially of EJ.  So far I've downloaded the app on my phone to make it easier to upload pictures that way (no computer and cord-hook up necessary; though over wi-fi definitely keeps the data bill low ;) ), and then during nap times I organize those pictures into albums by month (including big events of the month in the title) and writing the picture's corresponding story in the "description" which is printed on the back of the picture any time I order prints.  Score one for record keeping!

Swagbucks - mostly because I can get Amazon giftcards and I've been using them to bulk up our cloth diaper stash.  Yay for FREE cloth diapers!  And FREE baby shower gifts :)

Couponing has dropped to the very back burner (unless we are low on something, then I try to watch Joni's blog for deals).

But knit & crochet classes have really picked up at Michael's!  And I have another consignment opportunity in the works.  I hope to be posting about it soon!

Sweet Cheeks


I can now spill the beans & tell you Knitted Home is in a physical store!!  This adorable boutique here in Toledo has agreed to sell baby mittens, socks & longies as well as requesting shorties for the warmer weather season.


I'm so excited to receive more feedback from a different market experience compared to online and craft show shopping.


Do you sell in a physical store?  Do you have any advice or suggestions?  Pros and Cons?

Blogger's Block Challenge

Since I have been battled writer's block before, I thought doing *all* of these prompts might be a fun way to get some interesting and different content on this blog.  I stumbled upon this article through Bloglovin' and I have been quite impressed with the quality of the articles they send.

Anyway, here are the topics I'll be covering, to be posted whenever I don't have other timely content to write about.  Sound fun?

POST IDEAS FOR THE STUMPED BLOGGER, PART ONE



 1. Behind the Scenes. A few photos of your morning routine, what makeup you love to use, or even your walk to work. Take your readers into your world and show them something new, from your point of view. No matter how big or small it may seem to you, it will most likely always be interesting to someone reading your blog, as we are all curious creatures by nature.

2. Stream of Consciousness. Sit down and write. Really write. I call this a brain dump and they are my favorite posts to read on others' sites. Talk about your day, your thoughts, what you're dreaming of, what you're scared of. Just write and don't stop for a good 10 minutes. 

3. Share a Snapshot. Think back to a particular time in your life- it can be big, like the first day of high school or the day you met your partner, or it can be small, like getting the mail yesterday or riding the train to work. Take that experience and capture it in a paragraph. Describe it; tell a story. Create an image for the reader and allow them to be right there with you, along for the ride.

4. Photo-an-Hour. Take your camera (or iPhone if that's more convenient) and commit to taking one photo per hour the entire day. Start when you first wake up. At the end of the day compile all of your photos into a post, and write little blurbs about each moment in time. 7:07am- wake up. Feeling so tired but ready to start the day.

5. An "I'm good at this!" post. Sometimes I feel like I see the same kind of DIY projects floating around the internet over and over again. It would be so nice to see some new ideas, from new people, even if you're not necessarily a DIY-blogger. So what are you good at? Maybe you're an expert BLT-maker, or you taught your dog how to do really neat tricks, or you still enjoy getting out your old keyboard and playing songs. Teach your readers how to do it themselves! Just share it, even if it feels a little out there. In my opinion, fresh and good and out there are pretty awesome.

6. Share a collection. What do you collect? Take photos of your whole collection, then of a few favorite items. Tell your readers the story of how the collection came about, and talk a bit about those special pieces. There's a reason you love these things enough to collect them, so share some of that passion in the post.

7. Borrow a Feature. So many bloggers have particular features they do regularly. For example, I do Currently posts,Jen does Weekly Parenting Ups and Downs, and Diana does Friday Darlings. There are so many bloggers out there who something special and unique to their blog, that it could be fun to try it out for a post. Just be sure to give credit where credit is due and share where the feature is from, along with a link. 

8. Song and a Story. Pick a song in your life, maybe your wedding song, a song from an old boyfriend, a party song from college, just a song that has some sort of meaning, and tell your readers about it. Share the song in a one-track playlist, then write the story of the song. Where did you first hear it? What does it mean to you? What do you feel when you hear it?

9. What's in Your _____. The "What's in Your Bag" posts are super popular, but I would love to see what's in your car's glove compartment. Or your junk drawer, makeup drawer, etc. Post a photo of what's in there, and talk a bit about each thing. 

10. The Best ______ Ever. Choose a topic, like Meg Ryan movies or blueberry muffins, and gather together what you'd need to find "the best ______ ever." Maybe you'll screen five of the most well-known Meg Ryan movies and crown the winner, or try out four blueberry muffin recipes and pick the very best. This can be a one post project, or span into a mini project as you search for the very best of whatever you choose to highlight.

I'm curious to see if anyone else picks up this challenge.  Please leave your link in the comment section if you do.  Thanks!

EJ Arrives & the First 2 Months in Pictures

4 hours old

Our new world began Thursday, April 10th with the arrival of Elvera Grace (rhymes with "Vera").  She was a perfectly average 7lb 6oz & 20-inch long baby girl whom I can't imagine NOT knowing.


24 hours old

I never knew how time-consuming and mesmerizing a brand new newborn could be until EJ arrived.  I can't stop starring at her beautiful face, kissing her sweet-smelling forehead and holding her tiny hands (she has a strong grip!)  

2 days old


5 days old

6 days old

First outting (to the Library) at 7 days old

2 Weeks old - introduced to her first garden starts

6 Weeks old & starting to show some personality!
9 Weeks old - dead-heading flowers with Dad

10 Weeks old w/ Dad - First Baseball game: Toledo Mud Hens

10 Weeks & really smiling now - though it's been camera shy


10 Weeks old - still sleeping on my chest (yay snuggles!) & Neko has decided EJ isn't going anywhere so she's going to make the best of it and try to still sit on my lap like before.  


And Saturday morning demolition began on the house to start the addition (3rd bedroom + family room/Etsy studio).  Here is EJ about 30 minutes before I swung the first sledge hammer hole in the wall.  Last bit of restful sleep she had that day:

11 Weeks
Hope you enjoyed the pictures; it was fun to look back already. :)  To see more, you can follow me on Instagram.

A Wedding & Cedar Point

Memorial weekend the three of us traveled to Sandusky to celebrate a lifelong friend's wedding.

My family: sister's b/f, sister, me w/ EJ, hubby, Dad, Mom, brother's g/f, brother

I couldn't believe EJ was one of 10+ babies attending the wedding under 2 years old.  I think she might have even been the youngest by 1 week at 6 weeks old (the baby at the table next to us was 7 weeks old).  It got to the point that people would walk around the reception and ask each other, "How old is yours?" :-)

After sleeping through the reception,
EJ woke up much to the delight of my mom & sister.

EJ, me, Hubby

Sunday we got the whole family (minus my younger brother & his girlfriend) together for a day spent at the famous roller coaster park, Cedar Point.  Even though we only live about 45 minutes from this famous park, the last time I visited I was in 8th grade.  Sacra-religious?  I get motion sick and don't care for roller coasters.  :-\  So my husband was very excited for this weekend and a whole day dedicated to the rides.

We spent the majority of the day at the park.  My mom and I, Ellie, and my sister's boyfriend hung out on the ground, while my dad, sister & hubby rode their chosen rides.  I loved all the walking and even though the sun was hot, the shade was refreshingly cool with a nice breeze; a perfect park day.

After the park, Hubby and I said goodbye to my family and met up with a local college friend to meet his fiancée and their new (2 week old?) baby girl.  It's funny how quickly these babies grow - theirs looked so tiny compared to EJ!  I kept thinking EJ was never that little... was she?

For EJ's first "vacation" weekend with my family, it sure was a lot of fun.  And I'd say this was the weekend she learned to smile :-)