Spring Chicken Amigurumi

Since I've been making some of those cute little bunnies, I started thinking about Easter. Then I found a cute little pattern for a little chick with an egg. Cute, right? This pattern was found on Ravelry, but the source is from crochetisforlovers.com.

I thought it was going to be much smaller than it was. But it's still so cute. I might have to make some adjustments and see if I can make a smaller version. I just think it's so cute. And it's perfect timing for Easter.

Now I'm off to start and finish some things that I'm making for friends and the shop. Oh, and I guess I should clean some of my house...

Happy Friday! Peep Peep!

Baby Dragon Amigurumi

Well it's not a Motivation Monday. But it kind of is because seeing my cute little finished crocheted friends motivates me to make more. :)

Here is a little dragon. The free pattern is found at All About Ami. She also created the pattern for the Spring Bunny I have been in love with making in the last couple of weeks. And he's just TOO CUTE.

I know people are going to ask - this little guy will not be in my upcoming shop. So he will be made for gifts for friends and family. This particular one is going to my friend who will be having a surgery soon. He's going to be her hospital/get well buddy.

Happy Monday!

Take A Moment...

Sometimes I have to take a moment. Do you do that?

Since the New Year, I have felt that our lives have increased in extra activities. It's been weird. I'm used to having weeknights pretty free. But suddenly, nearly every night has some sort of activity inside or outside our home planned.

Because of this, I have needed to learn and remember to take a moment.

The stress and busy-ness get to me really quick. I am pretty introverted, so being around a lot of people constantly wears me out - so much. I get stressed, tired, and frazzled. And sometimes I forget who I am.

This last week especially, I have had to ponder on how we are children of God. So I take a moment, ponder, and remember that I am a child of God. He loves me. I don't do this willy-nilly. I sit and really imagine Him with me, comforting me, and listening to my stories. He truly loves me. When I do this simple thing for just a few moments, I regain some eternal perspective. I remember why I'm here and what I'm striving for.

So, take a moment. Remember who you are. Remember you are a child of God. You really are.

Reading Review

Here is an update into what I've been reading lately. 

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Well, The Lord of the Rings turned out wonderfully! I loved - no, I LOVED - these books. The details are incredible. I know that I will need to read this book again, probably a few times more, to truly understand, remember, and appreciate all the detail that went into this story. Samwise Gamgee is my favorite character. His loyalty and love for Frodo is so amazing to envision. I also loved how so many different characters have to contribute to the end result. Without knowing it, all the characters are so intertwined and need one another. Even the one that seems the most villainous is necessary for the end result. LOVE. Also - it had all clean language, there was fighting that wasn't too gruesome (remember how I sometimes didn't even realize they were fighting?), and the friendships that form throughout the book are so deep and caring.

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
Well, it's safe to say that I did not enjoy this book. But it was so short I just finished it since I had already started it. I think I mostly did not like it because I did not understand the culture or language of everything. As I discussed this with a coworker, they told me it included a lot of things that were under the surface. It wasn't a novel that was written simply to enjoy and tell a story. Either way - I did not enjoy the book because I had no idea what was happening 45% of the time. But I crossed another book off my list!

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
This was another book that took me longer than expected to read. I had to re-read pages a few times because the language was a little harder for me to understand. I also think that reading right before bed when I was probably really tired didn't help understanding that language. But by the third volume (there were three volumes in the book), I was really into the story and sped through it to find out what happens. I think it's good and it ended how I wanted it to. Haha. I like cute, expected endings. So I was happy with the ending. I think it's good for a story about enduring love and respect.

Now I'm going to read a little Harry Potter to read something in language that is familiar. :)

Spring Bunny

You guys!!!! Look at the cutest thing I've ever made! Ok, I guess I'm biased because everything I make is considered the cutest thing I've ever made. Especially right after I make it for the first time.

This is a Spring Bunny from the free pattern over at All About Ami. The stuff she creates is always so cute and so small!

Here is my regular photo - so you can see that it's light blue.

 

And here is my instagram version - just because.

I see many of these being made in my near future - for new babies, for spring decor, and many other possibilities! I'm even envisioning a bride & groom version. Cute, right?!

Motivation Monday

Happy Monday, friends! We don't have to work today! Win!!! However, we still have lots of things to do and some places to go.

I read an article from the Ensign yesterday. It was just what I needed to hear at this time in my life. It was uplifting and promising. I loved it. Here is the link to the whole article by Richard G. Scott: Living a Life of Peace, Joy, and Purpose.

I found a few parts very touching.

As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty while exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions to the challenges of life you would not obtain otherwise.

Strong character is more important than what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished. Your consistent exercise of faith builds strong character.

Life isn't always fair. That's a fact. But it's always charged with marvelous opportunities if you know how to find them.

I know these things are true. I know that the Lord will keep all the promises He has made to us. His love is pure and eternal. He understands us and will help us when we are in need.

And here are some tidbits of what we've been up to in the past week.

My really cool friend gave me another Smash book recently. I have loved these "un-scrapbooks" since they first came out. I love having a place to smash ideas and bits of life that don't fit anywhere else. Since she got me a brand new one, I decided to make this a place to journal about me and my life. I have another one that I got a long time ago that I'm going to make about me and the hubs.

My really cool friend also sold me her really cool contraption that make envelopes. Did you read that correctly?? It makes envelopes!!! I'm obsessed! You can make all sizes and shapes. It's amazing and I can't wait to write use some soon!

And Valentine's day was good. We had two date nights in a row. Here is a picture from our stake Valentine's dance. We love going to this and seeing the couples in our stake dance - whether they are good at it or not. heehee. And we have fun dancing too!

Minion Valentine's Box

My friend asked me to make her child's Valentine's box for his class party. Of course I said YES! And I made a minion.

I was giggling with glee the whole time I was making this. Just too funny! And yes, I copied some pictures from Pinterest just to make sure I got the sizing correct.

Mountain Beauty

We've had a few days straight of snow and rain. It's been great considering how little precipitation we've gotten this winter. It's been bad. We were grateful for the precipitation not only for the wet, but for clearing the grossness out of our skies.

Hello again, beautiful mountains and sky!!

The 12 Dates of 2014

I just realized (again) that I haven't shared our new 12 Dates of 2014 tradition!! Duh! I shared the date from January, but not the book I made.

So, now presenting: The 12 Dates of 2014!!

This year I went with a much simpler layout. This was for a couple reasons. 1) Last year I made cute little ticket invitations for each date, and I probably only used them to "invite" Steve to the fun date once. So I got rid of those. 2) I procrastinated a little bit. ;D

Also, this year I made all the dates free. We are saving up all the money we can for upcoming family trips, choir trips, new windows (and many other home projects), and to actually have a savings if/when it is needed. Because the dates are free, some of them are pretty cheesy. Oh well! We're saving money, right?! I used or adapted a lot of ideas from thedatingdivas.com again this year.

I'm hoping to remember to keep sharing our fun and free date nights with you!! I'll share each date later on. But if you need ideas, thedatingdivas.com have a million ideas! Go check out their extensive list and variety!

Crafty Cards

Because of the better organization in my craft room, I have been able to see all my things to make things! So I got to work making some more cards today (along with cleaning and shoveling snow). I like making cards to have on hand for events and for friends.

Making these cards has been a great way to use up scraps. I still have entirely too many scrap pieces of papers, so I need to get to work getting rid of those.

Happy crafting!

Printer's Tray

After a good 1 hour and 45 minutes of organizing and cleaning the craft room when I got home from work today, I decided to give myself a break and actually do some crafting. I deserve it, right? Right.

I have had this little printer's tray for quite some time. My mom gave it to me one day after she had cleaned out her craft space and thought I might enjoy making it cute. That was like a few years ago. It sat empty and blank for a long time. I had no idea what to do with it because I didn't know it was a "thing" to decorate these and stuff. I finally cut squares of paper and put them in there. That was probably a year ago.

Today was the day to start cute-ifying it! And it was just what I needed! I wanted to do something cute and quick. Something I didn't care a great deal about. This was perfect and it was just sitting on my desk waiting for me to start.

It's really cute. I might add to it a little here and there as the inspiration hits me. But it's good for now. I guess it'll just sit on my little cabinet looking cute for a while. Or maybe I'll hang it somewhere in the craft room. We'll see what happens when I finish cleaning out and organizing the craft room.

I'm really excited to finish up that organization project because I have a fun (and very cheap) idea for some decor. I'm hoping it will work out. Update on that soon!

Valentine's Crafts

I had so much fun crafting with some friends last night. We did some fun Valentine's things and some other just plain cute things. And it was fun to do with friends!

Here is some of what we made:

Paper Heart Wreath

Cards

Giant Clothespin Recipe Holder/Picture Holder

Do you like our Coca Cola/salt & pepper shaker collection?? We love it too!

Doing those cute little crafts inspired me to make a one more Valentine's craft this morning! I've loved using these candles to make some cute and temporary decorations for holidays.

And then I couldn't find if I had shared this craft I did for last year's Valentine's craft. I looove it!