Winter in Minnesota

Okay, I really can't complain about the horrendously awful Minnesota we've had, but it's still winter. Cold, windy, not-a-lot-of-sun...winter. And I live in Minnesota. So yes, it is a Minnesota winter...just way milder than normal. This winter I've found myself doing a lot of crocheting - more than normal anyway. There's just something about sitting and working away with the soft yarn flowing through your fingers. Frankly, I find it very soothing and a wonderful escape after a long day...or week...or month. I've really gotten in to making infinity scarves - they're SO stinkin' warm to wear (not to mention CUTE), and they're fun to give as gifts! And the best part...I can make one in the amount of time it takes me to watch an episode of "The Bachelor" off my DVR. Yes, I just admitted I watch "The Bachelor". Sad, but true. Not as sad as my husband watching it with me though...with his spreadsheets of "Fantasy Bachelorette Picks". Seriously, you'd think he was at another Fantasy Football draft party each season premier. No joke, he sits with the laptop logging his "top picks". Strange.

Enough about that - here are a few of the scarves I've made lately...I've got them in pretty much every color - gray, brown, electric blue, pink, green...they're fabulous.

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From Cupid

Remember how yesterday I was ranting about how I'm not real fond of Valentine's Day? Well, I'm switching gears today a bit because last night I woke up and remembered something about Valentine's Day that made my heart happy (no pun intended). You've probably heard me talk about my Grandma Grace. She was such a special person in my life and I miss her dearly. She passed away right around Father's Day last year at the age of 91. My daughter and I had the privilege of spending Easter weekend with her last year. Those few short days were something I'll never forget - the time we had to talk with Grandma was priceless as she told us many wonderful stories about her upbringing, married life with my Grandpa (who passed away about 10 years ago), my Dad and all his naughtiness growing up, and even sweet stories of experiences with my brothers and I as we grew up. That weekend spent with both of my parents and my daughter as well as with Grandma was really a gift, and I'm so thankful it worked out for us to have that special time with her.

One of the stories she told us while we were there was about her very first Valentine from my Grandpa. It was 1934 and she found out that there was this older (by 8 years) boy named Carl who had taken a liking to her. She didn't think much of it, but then Valentine's Day rolled around. On her doorstep she found a big expensive Valentine along with a large box of chocolates...and on the back it was signed, "From Cupid". Grandma smiled as she remembered the moment she realized who "cupid" was, then she turned to me and said, "Aimee, go in to the back bedroom and open the 3rd drawer in the dresser". I went down the hall into the bedroom and opened the 3rd drawer. There were piles of keepsakes that Grandma had kept over the years, one of them was her first Valentine from Grandpa. I was speechless when I opened it up and saw the beautiful detail on it. The colors were so vibrant and it amazed me that after all this time it was still in such gorgeous shape. I turned it over and on the back there it was... "From Cupid" in my Grandpa's writing. Wow. Every time I think about this it makes me smile. Sure, Grandma & Grandpa had their ups and downs in their marriage, but they spent nearly 65 years as husband and wife and they loved each other dearly. I've been blessed with opportunity to see both sets of my grandparents as well as my parents model what a godly marriage looks like and I'm so very thankful for that. With that, I leave you with some photos of Grandma Grace's first Valentine...

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Homemade Valentines

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. It's a silly excuse for people to get their feathers all ruffled as they scurry and scramble through the over-commercialized buildings we call stores in hopes to find the perfect way to say "I love you". How ridiculous that there's ONE day a year to profess our profound love for someone. Like I said, I'm not a fan. But the "mom" side of me can't overlook how excited the kids get about it, so last night we sat down and wrote out valentines for the kid's classmates.  We didn't go the traditional route (because heaven forbid we buy valentine's - oh no, we must MAKE them...that's what happens when mom is a graphic designer) - instead we made our very own. The kids got to pick out their favorite kind of candy to put in the valentines and then they helped me pick out what type of animal/character they wanted on their own. Peyton chose a dog and Carson was all about dinosaur-themed ones. Here's a couple of pictures of the finished products:

 (Sorry, Peyton's "girl" ones aren't assembled yet, so you only get pictures of Carson's "boy" ones)

Hope the classmates like them! :)

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Mmm, Mmm, GOOD!

This past weekend some girlfriends and I got together for a craft/comedy (we DID have a comedy movie, although we didn't really need it - no shortage of laughter with this bunch!) night. I taught them how to make those cute folded paper flowers you see all over Pinterest - we had a blast and laughed our backsides off. It was lovely! What girls night would be complete without FOOD...and lots of it!? We each brought something to share, and since I was in a bit of a time crunch, I needed something quick & easy. So naturally, I defaulted to my all-time favorite cracker spread that my Mom used to make when I was younger - to say I LOVE this is pretty much the world's biggest understatement, but whatever. I love it. I've taken this to a few get-togethers lately and afterward everyone's asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd share the love and let you all in on our "secret" family recipe.

So, here you have it folks - the recipe for Olive Nut Spread. I'm drooling just typing out the name of it!!

Ingredients:
1-8oz cream cheese (I usually use low-fat or fat free)
3/4 c. mayo (again, go for the low-fat option - light mayo)
2 T. juice from salad olives
**Mix these three ingredients together well**
Dash of pepper
1 cup salad olives, chopped (I just buy the sliced ones in a jar - saves time!)
1/2 c. chopped pecans -or- walnuts
**Fold these last 3 ingredients in**

Serve with crackers, pita chips, etc. - and ENJOY!!

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Craft Night!

Enjoyed a fabulous evening filled with friends, food, LOTS of laughter, and of course, some crafting...here's the result (we actually made close to 45 of these flowers total). Great night, ladies - thanks for the laughs!

P.S. Sorry for the not-so-great photo...forgot my camera so I just snapped a quick photo with my phone.

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*Gasp!*

Yesterday I was at a thrift store and as I turned the corner I saw this...and gasped!

All I have to say is THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES!!! Sadly, my husband would have killed me if I'd come home with it, so I left this $19.99 treasure there for someone else. But I can't get it out of my mind. How stinkin' cute would this be all done up in a fun color and plopped in the empty back corner of my oddly shaped family room?? Well, crap. Now I'm kicking myself for not buying it. Grrrr! Maybe I should go back. Wonder what time they open tomorrow? Hmmm....  *wink, wink*

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Dishcloth Goodness

Remember how I said my Grandma Grace taught my 3 brothers and I how to crochet when we were just tiny little things? Well, lately I've fallen into my annual winter "funk" where as soon as the sun goes down I wanna crawl in to bed and hibernate. But that'd just be wasteful, right? Post-bedtime hours are my prime time to get stuff done - so no hibernating allowed. In an attempt to stay awake and to feel like I'm being productive even if I've parked my rear on the couch to watch a 'lil TV, I've started crocheting again. It's been a couple years, but now that the kids are older and I'm feeling a little more like I can breathe, I figured what the heck - let's get back to it! Some of my friends think I'm off my rocker (no pun intended...okay, maybe it WAS intended), but I'm fine with sounding like a 90-year-old grandma talking about my crocheting projects. It's all good. So I've been alternating between making a few things...dishcloths, because c'mon, who doesn't love a new dishcloth?! Then I've also been making some infinity scarves and coffee collars. But I like the dishcloths because they're so quick & easy to throw together - plus,  a couple weeks back it was 'Dollar Days' at Michaels and they had my favorite 100% cotton yarn on sale for $1/skein. Let's just say I stocked up...and now I've got all these lovely dishcloths that I think will make PERFECT gifts for friends, teacher, family, etc. Suhweeeet! So here are a few pics of my dishcloth goodness I've whipped up in the last couple of weeks (I'll have to do a separate post on my infinity scarves & coffee collars).

Don't ya just LOVE all the fun colors??? Just gave my first one out as a gift and it was a hit! :)

On a side note, where do you shop for yarn? Just curious...

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