Mary Jane Fever!

I don't know if I've already shared this tidbit of info or not, but I love baby shoes. I always have! While shopping, even long before I had babies, I would always ooh and ahh at tiny little baby shoes. The funny thing is, my kids didn't wear them. I received a pair of Pink tennis shoes for my daughter at my shower, but I think she only wore them once for pictures. My son only owns one pair of little brown shoes that I got at a second hand store for his Halloween costume. I learned something from being a mother: baby shoes are completely pointless. It's sad, but it's true. Although adorable, they are expensive, clunky, and probably very uncomfortable. I cannot give you even two reasons why infants need to wear shoes. 

I wish I would have discovered crocheting while my daughter was an infant, because I would have made her so many pairs of little booties that she would need an entire closet just for them! These Mary Jane style shoes are ADORABLE and practical! Inexpensive, soft, light, and comfortable! I have been making these like crazy over the last few days. There are so many color choices and styles of ribbons. These shoes look equally adorable without the ribbon! They are detailed and look just like regular Mary Janes. 

Walk MS 2011- The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

My sister-in-law, Jessica, was diagnosed with MS in 2006 shortly after the birth of her first child. Her hands and part of her face felt like pins and needles, and the doctor thought it might have been caused by her epidural during labor. Later on, she was at work and experienced double vision. She went to the ER, where after many tests, they diagnosed her with MS. 
 

Over the years, her MS kept getting worse. In the eighth month of pregnancy with her second child, she had another relapse. She had to quit her job because she couldn't walk. After some steroid treatments and with the help of a walker, she is able to walk again but not very easily. She is only 29 years old. Things that we take for granted; like walking around the mall or playing with your kids in the park, she cannot do. Jessica rarely complains, and is overall in pretty good spirits considering.

Our families have been walking in the MS Walk for about three years now. We usually have a pretty big team and can raise a good amount of money. The money goes towards research, educational materials, and more for people living with MS and their families. It also goes to finding a cure: there is NO cure for Multiple Sclerosis currently.

This year, the walk is in May in Grand Rapids. Our team name is The Banana Hammers (an inside joke.) I have made donations to the cause before, and when I got married instead of giving out wedding favors, we made a donation to the NMSS in honor of our guests. For this walk, I have decided to donate a portion of the proceeds I make by selling my handmade items in my Etsy Shop.

We hope that we can raise money toward our goal so we can help find a cure for this terrible and devastating disease. If you would like to help, please visit my Walk MS page  or our Team Page.You can make a donation there, or you can also help by purchasing an item from my shop! Cute items, great cause! :)

Angry Birds

My daughter loves to play Angry Birds on my iphone. She calls it "Birdie Birds." I don't think she ever plays the game correctly, but that's OK. One day while I was making a doll, she asked me if I could make something for her. I told her to think of something she wanted, and she instantly replied, "A birdie bird!" We looked at pictures online of all the different birds from the game, and she picked out the Red one. I didn't have the right color yarn so it's a little darker than it should be, but she still liked it. It was pretty easy and didn't take too much time. Now, I wonder how many things she'll throw it at...

Sweet Little Dolly

A family member just had a baby girl a month ago. I made her a cute little beanie with matching booties, but I also wanted to include something for the older sister. She is an adorable little redhead, so I thought it would be fun to make a doll that looks like her. It took me about four days to make the doll, but the hair itself took an entire day! I was very happy with how it turned out! It looks JUST like the little girl! 

I made all the parts separately and sewed them together. I used safety eyes because I think it looks better than using buttons. For the hair, I had to put every single piece of yarn in individually. Then to make it curly I just pulled the yarn apart. I've read that you can wrap them around rods and bake them in the oven to make spiral curls, but I didn't know that until I had already attached the hair. My daughter was so sad that this dolly wasn't for her, so I'm sure I'll be making another one soon! 

Ready For Spring!

I have a problem. I've got Spring on the brain! I am so sick of snow and cold weather, I could scream! I don't want to think about crocheted hats with ear-flaps. I just want to make SPRING things! Every winter I ask myself, "Why do I live in Michigan?" 

Yesterday, I made this cute little hat. It wasn't the right size for my daughter and I felt bad putting it on my son, so this lovely baby doll modeled it for me. :) 

This lovely little hat is available in my Etsy Shop. 

I made the flower out of some floral patterned fabric, and used a button for the middle. I've had the fabric for awhile and never knew what to make with it. I thought this would be more fun & different than a yarn flower. The funny thing about this picture is that this baby doll is a boy doll that my daughter named "Carlos." :)

Friday, March 11

I woke up this morning to the news of the massive earthquake in Japan. I read that it's the biggest earthquake in Japan's history. Now Tsunami waves are threatening Hawaii and many other parts of the world. 

Today, my Friday video is dedicated to the people of these areas. I cannot even begin to imagine how horrifying this must be. This is one of my favorite songs of all time. There are so many versions of it floating around on YouTube, but this is one of my favorites. 

This was performed by Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris during the Haiti telethon. I love their voices, and they sound great together. The only way this song could sound better to me is if my brother sang it...I'm looking at you, Casey! :)

Today, while we're complaining about high gas prices, boredom, money problems, minor colds & coughs, snow, etc....let's think about the people who were affected by this terrible tragedy this morning.

Just For Fun

Today I made this cute little pouch. I'm going to use it for my business cards so they don't get lost in my wallet, but it could also be used to hold cash, credit cards, Chapstick, Driver's License, etc! 

I made this holder with Hyacinth yarn, and some floral fabric on the inside. I used a button for the closure, but you could also attach some velcro if you'd like that better. This was really easy to make, and didn't take much time at all! Only about an hour! 

NaNaNaNa NaNaNaNa...BATMAN!

I was the only girl in my family and grew up with two older brothers and one younger. I remember playing with G.I. Joe, Star Wars figures, Legos, and Matchbox Cars. I also remember wearing all Black clothing and running around the front yard, and then diving onto the ground when a car drove by. We were always playing fun games in the front yard, like "Bloody Murder." Funny, because I don't think I would want my kids playing a game called that! 

One thing that was a constant around our house was Batman. I remember the action figures, the toy Batman car, the movies, etc. It's crazy how things that were so popular then are still popular now. I guess Superheroes never go out of style. 

I had girl toys, too. I don't want you to think that my mom thought I was a boy. I had the entire set of 90210 barbies, New Kids On the Block barbies, and even the Wizard of Oz barbies. I guess like every normal girl, I LOVED Barbies. I didn't have the convertible or the crappy cardboard house with the elevator, but I had enough to get by. My mom probably didn't buy me those expensive barbie accessories because my brothers would have ruined them in two point five seconds. The story I'm about to tell is 100% true: My brothers would take my Barbie, put her in the middle of the road, pour Ketchup on her, and then bring me out into the road to show me. They would tell me that she was hit by a car. Then they'd cut her hair super short or dye it with Koolaid and throw her onto the roof, so I'd never see her again. No, I am not kidding.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Someone at my husband's work wanted me to make a Batman hat for him. I was reminded of my childhood the entire time I was making this hat. I haven't added this hat to my Etsy Shop yet, mostly because I'm not sure if that is legal. I wanted to show off the hat of course, so here is a picture. 

I think the bat symbol could be seen from pretty far away, but I wouldn't expect the person wearing the hat to necessarily save you from any harm. I'm sure he'll think he can, though! :) 

I Heart Purple

Living in Michigan, right now I am dreaming of Spring. I can't wait for the temperature to be above 20 degrees. In February we had a "heat wave" where it was in the low 50's for a few days and all the snow melted. Days later, we were hit with another Michigan blizzard and everything was white and nasty again. I don't know why I live in this state! 

When I think of Spring, besides the warmer weather and sunshine, I think of the colors. Pinks, Purples, Yellows, Oranges... anything BUT White! I wanted to use the leftover yarn from the blanket I made for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention auction, and I wanted to make something quick and easy. The yarn I used is called "Hyacinth." 

I love these little baby booties. The pattern I bought for these a few months ago on Etsy (from seller SkipToMyLoop) was the best money I've spent in a long time. They can be made in so many different colors, the possibilities are endless! I just wish I still had a little baby girl that could wear these. :) 

 

Friday Fun

Today I am finishing up some doggy slippers, working on a Batman hat, and thinking of all the fun Spring and Summer hats I could make. I am also working on making something where the proceeds will go to my Walk MS team. We walk for Multiple Sclerosis, which my sister-in-law, cousin, and a friend suffer from and live with every single day. 

My video of the week is "To Make You Feel My Love" by Adele. I know it's a cover, but her version is the best one I've ever heard. She has an amazing voice! Love her.

Mommy Moments

Sometimes I think I'd like to write a book. I would call it, "You Know You're a Mom When..." My life is full of these moments. When you have babies, you know you're a mom when you go out in public covered in baby puke and don't even care. You know you're a sleep deprived mom when you change your little baby in the middle of the night and you put the diaper on backwards and both of his legs in one side of his pants. When they're a little older, in my experience, you know you're a mom when you beg your daughter to watch High School Musical for the 1,432,895th time instead of some annoying show like Blues Clues. 

Last night, I had an ultra mommy moment. We were out shopping for a computer armoire, and of course ended up buying plenty of other things we maybe didn't necessarily need. First, I searched Hobby Lobby for Pinking Shears. I never found any, which annoys me because I need them. I walked out with two rolls of yarn, and a new appreciation for Easter baskets. They had a TON of fun little baskets! Different shaped ones like elephants, race cars, sock monkeys, etc. They had character baskets like Sponge Bob, Disney Princesses, and Spiderman. I think I spent more time looking at Easter baskets and eggs than yarn. 

At the next store, I first looked at some rugs for my kitchen, and then I went straight to the toys. I wanted to see if they had any cheap toys my kids would like. Four stores later, we were at home unloading our goodies, and the one purchase I was most excited about? A new step stool for the bathroom!! It folds up and down very easily and is high enough for my daughter to reach the toilet and the sink, but not too tall where I'd have to be afraid for her safety. Back in the day, I would buy so many new clothes that I would barely ever need to do laundry. I'd buy books and movies. Now I shop mostly for my kids. I don't know how something as simple as a step stool could make me so happy, but I really do LOVE that thing.

I guess the first chapter in my book would be: You know you're a mom when you write an entire blog post about a freaking step stool!