Wednesday, July 27, 2016

What a day to be a WOMAN in America!!!

This is going to be short, but I just wanted to take the time to say OHEMGEE, WE HAVE OFFICALLY NOMINATED THE VERY FIRST WOMAN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!  I mean, girls, do you KNOW what this means?!  All the barriers are gone.  YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT!  There is no place a woman doesn't belong!  

I know a lot of you say "I just can't vote for Hillary".  Honestly, I don't understand that at all, but I think that's what makes this beautiful country just so beautiful: we don't have to agree, because it's all about having the freedom to choose!  If you want to argue with me about it, that's fine!  Argue away, pretty lady, because we. are. FREE!!!  


Enjoy this day, my loves!  For THIS DAY is THE FIRST DAY!  ...and if you happen to be with me, skooch on over to HRC's website and share the love!  I proudly tell you that my WIP's will soon be toted around in the amazingly gorgeous "H" tote bag and I can't wait!!!  


Hillary, y'all!!!  We are STRONGER TOGETHER!!!



Friday, July 22, 2016

The comfort shawl...

So here's a link to a wonderful pattern that's not only amazingly beautiful, but beginner friendly (YAY!), and so full of soul that it brings tears to my eyes!  The Serene Comfort Shawl.  

The Comfort Shawl, y'all.  Wow.  You know all those times where you're like "oh I'm so sorry, I'm keeping you in my thoughts", and then you're just lost?  Like, you know the words are so appreciated and for a brief moment floated through the air and uplifted the recipient, but then what?  You're left thinking "man, I wish there was something I could do..." well search no more!  The idea behind a Comfort Shawl is epic.  Utterly amazing.  Sweet, pure, and so so kind.  It's a wonderful blanket-ish, sweater-ish hug!  ...that lasts forever!  Seriously.  Can you think of a more heartfelt gesture?  Nope.  I would just die if someone did something so incredible for me!  And they don't have to be strictly for times of sadness; you could do them for expectant mothers, or graduates, or anything really!  

And for reals, there are tons upon tons of patterns for these puppies!  They're also called Prayer Shawls, so you may want to reference that as well!  I actually ordered this book from knitpicks.com for $3.59, and while it's called Everyday Shawls they have several books specifically for Prayer/Healing/Comfort Shawl patterns!  I would assume that all these guys are interchangeable, though, no?  A shawl is a shawl is a shawl... It's all about the love and thought you put into it as you're making it.  Heck, you could make dishrags and send them, just as long as you make them with all your love, amiright?  

Also, you can put little cards or poems or notes or whatever with the item that sort of state the purpose... here is what I came up with after doing some research about the shawls and reading <what felt like> thousands of examples (note: I did not compose this 100%, but you could say that I put my own "Melania" spin on it.  Too soon?):

This shawl contains no magic; it has no enchantment or mystical powers.  It is intended to be an object of comfort for the one who receives it.  It is a warm embrace and a reminder that you are loved.
…and I hope that in it, you find comfort from all that appears too much to bear.
  
        May this shawl be a shelter in time of overwhelming grief, a glimmer of hope in times of sorrow too deep for words, and a shield from times of unimaginable loss.
        May you be comforted by the presence of those who love and support you, by faith in the everlasting, and by the memories you hold nearest to your heart.
        May you be strengthened in your daily comings and goings, in the excitement of new beginnings, and in the memories that await you!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

You are enough. As I am enough, and they are enough.

I'm standing here telling you, screaming it from the highest mountain, that you are enough!!!  

I think, no matter how amazing our lives may look from the outside, that we all struggle from time-to-time with feeling like we're enough.  

You can have the world's cleanest  4'x4' area for your Instagram pictures (I'm talking surgery suite clean and stark white!) and still have a toddler clearing your coffee table, emptying the entertainment center, and slinging his spaghetti across the kitchen by the forkful!  You can put on a big smile and crisp new capris and run your errands in full makeup with your hair just perfect, and still spend 95% of your time in last week's yoga pants, no bra, and a messy bun (and not a cute one).  We're always trying to make sure we LOOK like we have it all together for other people, but really, we're struggling to keep our heads above water.  Guess what?  You are enough.  Bird's nest bun, sagging boobs, and chugging twice reheated coffee... You. Are. Enough.  

"It is what it is, but it will be what you make it."  This is my favorite quote by one of my favorite women, Pat Head Summitt.  She didn't care what anybody thought about her.  She just wanted to play a great game, because that was her job.  Winning was not her job.  Winning was a perk.  Her job was to make sure her team was there, ready, and willing to lay it all on the line.  And her team did that more than any other team in the history of sports.  Coach Summitt knew she was enough.

Do you give your all?  Do you try your best?  Do you do everything you can, everyday?  You won't win them all, sure, but if you can be happy with your efforts then you're doing it right!  You are enough!  

There will always be someone who doesn't see what you do.  Doesn't appreciate that 4'x4' space in the midst of the chaos.  Doesn't see that you're spending your time doing for others and that's why your hair is in a knot.  Doesn't care that there is a hot meal every night, only that it's been smeared on every surface in the kitchen by the toddler.  All too often, this person will be one of the closest to you.  The one who should be on your side and supportive is the one who sees every flaw, but don't you ever forget that you are enough.  

Chances are high that this one person doesn't feel like they're enough, either.  Which brings me to my main point... not only are YOU enough, but I am enough, they are enough.  Take it upon yourself to uplift others.  One of the best ways to feel better is to make someone else feel better.  Smile.  Laugh.  Encourage.  We're all ENOUGH!

Monday, July 18, 2016

Here's to New Adventures!!! ...and coconut milk in your coffee.

OKAY!  So, this blog (much like my intense search for a hobby...) started off slow and with a very passionate attempt at starting an Etsy shop and selling printed t-shirts!  I had my big amazing idea of Hay ____ shirts (think: Hay Mom, Hay Girl, Hay Dude...) and while I did sell one, I still have a stack of them at home and will probably either end up cutting them into t-shirt yarn or giving them away to friends over the next few years!  :)  Either way, it's totally okay!  

I have had a pretty weird obsession with yarn for years, but have never been able to do any kind of fiber art!  My Nanny (loooove you!) taught me to crochet a chain probably 20 years ago, but that's about as far as that went!  She crochets like a machine and I couldn't for-the-life-of-me wrap my mind around turning and crocheting into the loop!  While that didn't pan out, I never gave up the dream of learning it!  Therefore, I've bought yarn like a pro for several years!  

When I was pregnant, I even bought a Learn-to-Crochet set that came with everything I needed to get going!  Of that experience, I only have this say:  Please do not ever attempt to learn anything whilst preggo.  Just.  Don't.  I also had a terribly fancy and fuzzy yarn, which now I realize was more than likely the issue!  But I cried a lot and it really was not a good time.  

Anywho, I laid that to rest and raised by son for nearly two years before crossing paths with fiber art again!  This time it was in the form of ARM KNITTING!  OH EM GEE, y'all.  I love arm knitting!  But holy cow, who has the money to throw at that?!  I just cannot justify 18 skeins of chunky yarn for one small blanket!  I made two blankets... one needs frogged because it's totes wrong, but it actually looks cool draped over a chair, and the second I made for my adorable Gran (I missssss you!) while she was in hospice care.  Now like I mentioned, 18 skeins of yarn.  So I went with something pretty affordable ($3/ea) but it was entirely too heavy for the project, since arm knitting tends to end up pretty loose.  The blanket was gorgeous, but heavy and not terribly user-friendly.  Way too much drape.  A nice, lightweight chunky wool would be your best bet.  But at that price, buying a nice blanket would be another option.  :)  

At this point I had a pretty good idea of how to work with yarn and the in's and out's of the movements, albeit on a massive scale!  I decided to take on regular, everyday knitting!  I made a "koozie" for my favorite coffee cup (which I got here!) and I started a dishrag!  "Started" being the key word... sure I was on the hunt for an awesome hobby, but I seriously have NO time for one!  Between working, momming, wifing, and farming, I have like 30 minutes of free-time a day and this is when I have to bathe!  I figured out super quick, and after three or four nights of knitting while I could, that this was going to take WAY too long.  

So out comes the Learn-to-Crochet set!  Still having serious trouble learning from the book, I decided to do what we millennials (I think I'm a millennial?) do best, and Google it!  After spending my lunch break watching YouTube videos, with no yarn in sight, I felt confident I could do a chain and a single crochet!  I could not WAIT for Ikey to go to sleep that night, and when he did, I grabbed a ball of Peaches & Creme in Rosemary and got to work on my new dish rag!  Was it perfect?  Nope.  Was it even a square?  Honestly, not really.  But was I in love?!  TOTALLY.  My tension was all over the place, but I've since figured out how to hold my yarn, which has seriously improved that problem, and I made a basket for Ikey's room, I have a shrug in process, and started a puff stitch beanie for Ikey last night in this dreamy bamboo mix yarn that seriously feels like clouds!  I can't think of the name, but I'll post a picture of the finished project and a link to the yarn!  

Seriously, though, Crochet, y'all.  For reals.  It's quick, easy to put down, easy to pick back up, quiet, it travels well, it's extremely versatile, and amazingly gorgeous!!!  I could NOT be more excited!  I finally found a way to make pretty things that's fun, simple, and fits into my mom-schedule beautifully!  I hope to be able to share my projects, mistakes, tips and tricks, and life through words and photos on this little blog!  

OH!  And coconut oil in your coffee.  You'll thank me later.  
**UPDATE**: Do NOT put coconut oil in your coffee if you have acne prone skin.  OMG.





Here's to New Adventures!!! ...and coconut oil in your coffee.

OKAY!  So, this blog (much like my intense search for a hobby...) started off slow and with a very passionate attempt at starting an Etsy shop and selling printed t-shirts!  I had my big amazing idea of Hay ____ shirts (think: Hay Mom, Hay Girl, Hay Dude...) and while I did sell one, I still have a stack of them at home and will probably either end up cutting them into t-shirt yarn or giving them away to friends over the next few years!  :)  Either way, it's totally okay!  

I have had a pretty weird obsession with yarn for years, but have never been able to do any kind of fiber art!  My Nanny (loooove you!) taught me to crochet a chain probably 20 years ago, but that's about as far as that went!  She crochets like a machine and I couldn't for-the-life-of-me wrap my mind around turning and crocheting into the loop!  While that didn't pan out, I never gave up the dream of learning it!  Therefore, I've bought yarn like a pro for several years!  

When I was pregnant, I even bought a Learn-to-Crochet set that came with everything I needed to get going!  Of that experience, I only have this say:  Please do not ever attempt to learn anything whilst preggo.  Just.  Don't.  I also had a terribly fancy and fuzzy yarn, which now I realize was more than likely the issue!  But I cried a lot and it really was not a good time.  

Anywho, I laid that to rest and raised by son for nearly two years before crossing paths with fiber art again!  This time it was in the form of ARM KNITTING!  OH EM GEE, y'all.  I love arm knitting!  But holy cow, who has the money to throw at that?!  I just cannot justify 18 skeins of chunky yarn for one small blanket!  I made two blankets... one needs frogged because it's totes wrong, but it actually looks cool draped over a chair, and the second I made for my adorable Gran (I missssss you!) while she was in hospice care.  Now like I mentioned, 18 skeins of yarn.  So I went with something pretty affordable ($3/ea) but it was entirely too heavy for the project, since arm knitting tends to end up pretty loose.  The blanket was gorgeous, but heavy and not terribly user-friendly.  Way too much drape.  A nice, lightweight chunky wool would be your best bet.  But at that price, buying a nice blanket would be another option.  :)  

At this point I had a pretty good idea of how to work with yarn and the in's and out's of the movements, albeit on a massive scale!  I decided to take on regular, everyday knitting!  I made a "koozie" for my favorite coffee cup (which I got here!) and I started a dishrag!  "Started" being the key word... sure I was on the hunt for an awesome hobby, but I seriously have NO time for one!  Between working, momming, wifing, and farming, I have like 30 minutes of free-time a day and this is when I have to bathe!  I figured out super quick, and after three or four nights of knitting while I could, that this was going to take WAY too long.  

So out comes the Learn-to-Crochet set!  Still having serious trouble learning from the book, I decided to do what we millennials (I think I'm a millennial?) do best, and Google it!  After spending my lunch break watching YouTube videos, with no yarn in sight, I felt confident I could do a chain and a single crochet!  I could not WAIT for Ikey to go to sleep that night, and when he did, I grabbed a ball of Peaches & Creme in Rosemary and got to work on my new dish rag!  Was it perfect?  Nope.  Was it even a square?  Honestly, not really.  But was I in love?!  TOTALLY.  My tension was all over the place, but I've since figured out how to hold my yarn, which has seriously improved that problem, and I made a basket for Ikey's room, I have a shrug in process, and started a puff stitch beanie for Ikey last night in this dreamy bamboo mix yarn that seriously feels like clouds!  I can't think of the name, but I'll post a picture of the finished project and a link to the yarn!  

Seriously, though, Crochet, y'all.  For reals.  It's quick, easy to put down, easy to pick back up, quiet, it travels well, it's extremely versatile, and amazingly gorgeous!!!  I could NOT be more excited!  I finally found a way to make pretty things that's fun, simple, and fits into my mom-schedule beautifully!  I hope to be able to share my projects, mistakes, tips and tricks, and life through words and photos on this little blog!  

OH!  And coconut oil in your coffee.  You'll thank me later.  





Tuesday, July 5, 2016

11 months later...

...my last post was in August of 2015.  Oops.  Apparently I'm not very good at this!  :)  Hmm, now to get you back up-to-date: Ikey is 19-and-a-half months old now; walking, talking, biting, yeah.  I flushed my t-shirt idea; wish I had the time to do everything I dreamed about!  I got my insurance license and started selling; life and health, and property and casualty!  <insert shameless plug here>  If y'all need any coverage or have any questions, call me!  Quotes are free and more-or-less painless!  Ikey is 19-and-a-half months old.  NO, SERIOUSLY.  Where does the time go?!  He loves (read: LOOOOOVES) to go anywhere and everywhere with John, and would spend every waking moment outside if he could!  He eats more than I do and he has quite the vocabulary!  Shoes, juice, cow, moo, Pip (our dog), good girl, ear, bath, thank you, excuse you (and he uses this one perfectly, thanks), and a handful of words that are just ALMOST actual words!  He could not be more fun!  I started arm knitting back in the winter and then started knitting and this weekend I finally figured out crocheting!  I'm a TOTAL beginner, but I enjoy it!  I can't wait to get better and be able to share things with people!  Right now, I tend to get things too tight, but I'll relax soon enough!  Well, time to get to work!  I'll be thinking about posts and try to be more consistent!  I hope everybody has been well!  :*