Just a quick little bit of humor...

This is a picture of an actual sign posted on the brick wall of Campbell's Pharmacy in Plainwell, Michigan. It looks completely normal, unless you really read it and notice there are some things we just don't rent and return for use by others!

Enjoy the laugh.

Easter eggs, crazy faces, and sweaters from afar

Here is the appreciative face of an almost-8 year old, wearing the handknit sweater she just received all the way from Tasmania, Australia from my friend Katt. You should check out her Etsy shop, she is the bomb. Good prices and great quality.


This is what happens to a three year old after candy, cake, and ice cream at Grandma's. She has not yet perfected the headband.




I hope everyone enjoyed Easter. My kids love dyeing the eggs, especially Emily now that she is three and old enough to join in. She's pretty good at dyeing her fingers too.

Emily's 3rd birthday party

My little baby is three now, or she will be tomorrow. We had her party over the weekend. She received three Barbie Mariposa fairy and friends dolls, a big Tinkerbell doll, a stuffed spider monkey from Diego's Animal Rescue, a Little People princess horse and carriage, and well, here is her favorite gift. This was her immediate reaction upon opening it, this is not a pose.

A miser in the making?

I got tagged by Katt. :)

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.

Mention the rules.

Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.

Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that let’s them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I love animals. Lots of animals. Right now, we have a guinea pig, a cockatiel, some fish, and three cats. This is a small number of pets for us. lol

2. I'm addicted to Super Mario Bros. We have a Wii and I still play Super Mario Bros.

3. I used to be a vegetarian, for 7 years, and then my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) left a Hot N Now cheeseburger in my truck one day, and well, I'm not a vegetarian anymore.

4. I'm a BIIIIIG Harry Potter fan. I've read the books multiple times and have all the DVD's that are out so far. Expecto Patronum!

5. I like dragons. I'm not into Dungeons and Dragons but I like dragons in general.

6. I must have Diet Cherry Coke. I cannot substitute a different kind of pop if I run out. I NEEED Diet Cherry Coke.

Ok, now I'm tagging Trish, Nele, Michelle, Erin, Jussi, and Melissa.

I won! I won!

Ok, so now I'm this famous blogger being linked from the Mason Dixon Knitting site...(check out the December 2, 2008 post, I'm a wiener! LOL) No, but really, I entered the blog contest to get a yarn kit for the Emma Peel dress, and I won! I'm so awestruck... My daughter keeps asking me when I'm going to make the dress for her. I have to wait for the yarn.

I also just finished a test knit for Michelle Miller. It's called the Hollywood and Vine and the pattern will be out soon. It's an easy but not boring knit, in the round from the bottom up. Very comfortable, feels like wearing your favorite t-shirt but looks nicer (you know what I'm talking about, our favorite t-shirts are usually pretty ragged and worn). Here's a very rare picture of an elusive knitter (me, lol) that is actually being posted online.

Take a good look, folks, you won't catch many pics of me on here... Oh, and disregard the date stamp on the pic, we forgot to reset the camera.

Cooking, Exercising, and Sale

Well, it looks like the cooler fall weather has brought on a new passion for me. All of a sudden, I want to bake bread and cook fabulous casseroles. So in light of this, I purchased two new cookbooks. The first is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I have been using my breadmaker to make bread from scratch, and our family of five eats a 2-lb. loaf in about 2 days. This book is sort of an extension of that for me, making the dough and refrigerating it to bake later. A friend of mine has been blogging about her experiences with this book, if you'd like more information.

The other book is The Best Casserole Book Ever. I'm trying to get back to the all-in-one-dish, nutritious but cheap meals. Everyone is feeling the effects of the economy lately, and I am no exception, so I am trying to get the most out of my dollar. Not to mention how easy it is to throw a casserole together.

I have also decided, after all my life of hating it, that I like to jog. I am not a hardcore runner, I have just started, and it is because I'm looking to improve my fitness level. I have been a brisk walker for years, but my 2 year old egged me on from the stroller the other day. She kept telling me, "Faster, Mommy, faster!" as I pushed her through the colorful leaves on the sidewalks. So what do you know, I jogged, and it was fun. I was out of breath afterwards, of course, but not unbearably so, and it felt good.

Last on the agenda today, I have had slow (read "no") sales on my Etsy shop as of late. I was recently asked by a previous buyer to custom make a sweater, and when I agreed, she never got back to me. It has been about two weeks and I sort of gave up on that one. But if anyone is looking for gifts or stuff to get ready for the fall and winter seasons, take a look at these.

Knitting, Accounting, and Toys

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I wrote on here. Chalk that up to school starting back up for the kids, continuing my online accounting classes, and of course, knitting. Here's a bit of what I've been up to.

I struggled and agonized over my final exam for my last accounting class. Just when I was about to give up, I reworked one section and I ACED my exam! I was so shocked, LOL, and then I wound up doing a little victory dance. Sorry, you don't get to see a picture of that!

I have been working on test knits, this one is for Justine Turner. I just love her designs. Here is Maya modelling her new cardigan, the Roaring Meg.

I have also become strangely addicted to Cartoon Network's Johnny Test, now that I can't seem to find Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends anymore.

I also made knitted toys for each of the girls.

Ok, this one is crochet, but this poodle is for Maya, from a Lion Brand Yarn free pattern.

This is a bunny for Emily, from Fuzzy Mitten's pattern. This is my interpretation of the Easter bunny, who is naked because Emily wouldn't let me hold on to it long enough to make him clothes.

I would love to call this my masterpiece, but it is not my pattern. LOL This is Maddie's Hedgy, a Huggable Hedgehog from the Fiber Trends pattern. He turned out so cute, and he is well loved.

Now maybe I can get back to my poor hoodie that has been neglected, or my socks that have been impatiently waiting...