Handmade Christmas

Christmas may be over, but I am still finishing a few things! I have one more pair of socks to complete knitting, which I had to give half done to my dad, my grandparents' gift that they will get when they are back in town, and a baby gift for my cousin that had to be put on hold while I hurried to work on all the Christmas gifts. It is going to be a very busy week!

I made sets of scrubbers for everyone in the family, socks for my mom, dad (though still working on his!), sister and her husband, a cross-stitched picture for my grandma, and hats for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, with hers pictured above.

As soon as I finish the three aforementioned projects, I am already thinking of what I will make for next Christmas!

Christmas Rush

I have been so busy with The Christmas rush lately that I have ignored my blog for way too long! After baking cookies for all the neighbors and finishing the chocolates for my husband's work (the picture above is of peanut butter cups and pecan cups in the back rows) I only have one more project left. I should probably be working on it now, but slaving over gourmet chocolates - some of which did not meet my esthetic standards and had to be immediately eaten - has worn me out already!

Video Games

Picture this: two televisions set up with video games, a tableful of sodas, chips, pretzels, Twinkies, and leftover Halloween candy, and 15 tweens hollering and running about, hopped up on sugar. That was the scene at my house this week during our Monthly Video Game Club. It is much like an arcade, but in a more confined space.

Somehow my one-year-old managed to sleep through most of the hullabaloo this time, which is more than I could ask for. And though loud, the kids are amazingly well behaved for all the stimuli. That is why every month through the school year I will continue to open my house for 15 kids to play, though only 15 because I don't think I could squeeze any more in the space!

My Adventurous One

With three boys I have learned that they are all different and present their own challenges. My one-year-old has now shown an aptitude for climbing, so much so that in the last few days he has astounded me with his prowess. It started with the dining room table, then the kitchen table. We even turned two of our couches to face the wall because he was jumping off the top onto the cushions, and after falling off he was more proud of himself than ever. Two days later he figured out how to monkey his way up the back of the couch. I overcame this as well by making him wear socks, which are much too slippery to climb the couch.

Yesterday he started climbing the entertainment center to play with the DVD player and sound system. I have no idea what to do about that one. The toilets are locked to keep him safe, but it doesn't keep him from hurdling himself on top and climbing onto the bathroom countertops.

This morning he was making his way up the ladder of his brothers' bunk bed. Surprisingly, he has not been able to scale the baby gates on the kitchen or office, though it may be soon. It seems that nothing is safe in our house anymore.

Stash Project #5: Kitchen Scrubbers

This has been a long project, ironic for the fact that they only take about ten minutes each to make. Originally I came up with the idea to put cotton yarn on one side of the scrubbers I make so I could do hand dishes, one side to scrub and the other to soap up, because my dishwasher has been doing a lackluster job as of late. So now it is a month later and I can finally put these bad boys to work!

This crochet pattern, from my great grandmother, uses tulle and is great in the kitchen. Because it is passed down in the family, I don't want to display it on the Internet. However, if you would like to learn how, let me know. This is a really easy and cheap project!

It's What We Do

As moms, we do so much for our kids without even thinking. Yesterday, as I sat completely still for 20 minutes so that my oldest could draw my profile for art class (and also while my one-year-old used me as his own personal jungle gym), I reminisced about all the crazy things I have done for them.

I have made goofy faces on numerous occasions in the checkout line at the grocery store to entertain them. Of late, I have gone hungry at the dinner table because they are starving for seconds, thirds, and fourths. I have shaved my legs in the shower, standing with one knee to my chest, while balancing a toddler on my other hip to keep him from having a fit.

As for my portrait above, my younger son said, "Mom, your picture looks like a boy."

Field Trip

I apologize for not writing in so long, but it has been absolutely busy around here! Halloween - check. Three boys to the dentist - check (and only one cavity). Schoolwork - check. Boy scout projects - check. Vote - check.

On top of so many extra things this week I also hosted my first homeschool field trip today. It was a blast for the kids, visiting my grandparents' pecan farm, but the preparation and anxiety over how it would turn out took most of my attention for the last few days. Now that it is over I can relax, get back to knitting, and enjoy myself. And, of course, write my blog regularly.

Stash Project #4: More Scarves

When I think back to what went on this week, it is an absolute blur. I remember a toddler learning how to open and empty clothes drawers of their contents, escaping from the shower while I still had hair full of shampoo, and scaling the dining room table for the first time. I vaguely remember getting schoolwork done. I definitely remember a 7-year-old with a front tooth so loose he spun it around and around like something out of the Exorcist.

And somehow, in the midst of all that, I made more scarves. Four of the six are pictured above.

Twilight Novella Review

I spent one afternoon this weekend reading "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner." It is a Twilight Novella by Stephanie Meyer, so I couldn't pass it up at the library. If you have read the Twilight Series and can't get enough, this is a good quick read that fills in some back story for "Eclipse." The only drawback is that Bree Tanner is a character whose fate is already known from the series. Unlike my husband, I do not like to flip to the last page of the book first to know how it ends. I like the anticipation and surprise of the story as it unfolds. That being said, I am still going to start the Twilight Series again this week, for the third time.

Exhibit A: Procrastination

Some people would call my lack of enthusiasm to do what needs to be done procrastination, however, I like to think of it a little differently.

Let's say I need to get A done. B and C seem more interesting at the moment, so I get off task. By the time I get through L, M, N, and O, A is no longer as pressing and I get back to it. When I look at it that way it doesn't appear to be your standard definition of procrastination. I do get it done, I just get side tracked.

Long story short, this week of writing my blog has been Exhibit A.

Say What?

Yesterday I heard the words that I thought would be absent from my ears until I someday had granddaughters: Can you teach me how to crochet? I almost pinched myself to make sure it was not a dream. My oldest boy, who is 9, was then immediately followed up by his 7-year-old brother asking enthusiastically, "Me too?" I guess the preponderance of yarn strewn about the couch had finally caught their attention.

Today is the day we start, and I am a bit apprehensive. Will they like it? Will they quit after realizing the amount of patience it takes? Will I actually get someone in my household to share in my obsession of crafty crap?

However it turns out - good, bad, or ugly - I will keep you updated!

Stash Project #3: Scarves

I had a very productive weekend, though I accomplished none of the tasks I set out to originally do. The school assignments that should have been put together for the week will have to wait until later because football was on yesterday. And football around our house means lots of food, hooting, hollering, and knitting.

You are probably also wondering why this Stash Project is not the scrubbers, as promised, but then I never got around to that, either. Instead I worked in scarves all weekend. Our homeschool group is putting on a get together to knit for the needy next week and I couldn't help but start early. I was only trying out an oversized pair of hand-me-down knitting needles for the first time and doubling up the yarn, but it went so quickly that before I knew it I had three scarves done! I find trying something new very addictive, and with the more the merrier with this project, I'm not sure how many more I will make before I tire of it.

My scrubber project will have to sit a few more days until my scarf fever has run its course.

Cub Scouts and Crafting

I have discovered a new source of inspiration and time to craft from an unlikely source: cub scouts. I just finished a poster board haunted house for the scouts' Halloween party so they can put stickers on the jack-o-lantern while blindfolded (a version of pin the tail on the donkey).

The other crafting advantage is that while sitting at meetings I get the chance to knit without distractions. I wasn't sure this was going to work at first, with half a dozen boys running about. But then I realized they were as interested in my knitting as they would be in getting a manicure.

I already cannot wait for the next cub scout meeting!

Creativity Breeds Creativity

If I start working on writing one thing, I inevitably will wake up at three in the morning with a plot for a novel or a great opening scene for a screenplay (at least I think it's great at three in the morning). If I am working on a new crochet pattern, I will have a moment of enlightenment about using a cotton yarn on one side of a scrubber sponge - my next Stash Project - or crocheting a bikini (and yes, I have, though it turned out to be fit only for the bedroom).

I thought this was an adult-onset habit, until I pulled out my box of keepsakes last week. Everything I kept from childhood was jammed into an odd array of telling knickknacks, journals, and notebooks. I found poetry, encrypted stories and messages with a Rosetta Stone of sorts to decode them later, drawings and paintings, and even a baby blue sweater with brass buttons that I crocheted for a cat.

With this I realized two things: 1) I am a complete nerd; 2) I have always let my creativity lead me, and probably always will.

Gotta Love This

When I find something I love, I have to tell the world about it - and ravelry.com is one of those things. This is a free website to join if you love knitting or crocheting like me. Sure, there are tons of free patterns all over the Internet, but this is different.

I rarely buy a yarn specifically for a pattern, most of the time I just like the color or the feel without anything in mind. And if you like to do that, you can search Ravelry patterns for that particular yarn! There are even groups to join on every kind of yarn subject, including homeschooling knitters or local knitting clubs.

I have actually spent so much time downloading patterns for my stash that I didn't write my usual blog this weekend!

It's in the Genes

I am one of those people who just cannot sit still. My mind is a constant flood of ideas - some a little crazy - and my hands never rest. I think it's in the genes because everyone in my family is the same, though maybe not to this extreme.

Currently, in addition to writing this blog, I have half a dozen knitting and crocheting projects running simultaneously, not to mention all the various other crafts I throw in on a whim. This would be easy to carry out if I sent the kids off to school for the day, but we homeschool. However, I think it's all the hand crafts that keep me sane. Whether I am giving a spelling test or lecturing on history, my hands are busy. By switching projects frequently, sometimes after knitting only one row, it quells the tedium that an otherwise stringent schedule would bring. It gives a sense of personal satisfaction in that I was able to put my skills to good use. And it keeps me calm when one of the boys repeats the same question, because he wasn't listening when I answered at length the first two times.

Some people would call this chaos, but I like to think of it as multitasking!

Stash Project #2: Recipe Booklet

There is nothing better than pulling out your recipe box and whipping up a favorite dish that your grandma, aunt, or mom makes (unless of course your mom came to your house and baked it herself - and cleaned up the mess afterward!). Usually such prized recipes are kept in the family, and some are highly guarded secrets. It has taken me years to gather many of them up, but I wish I had been able to enjoy them all along!

I printed off family recipes on 4" x 5" card stock, embossed the cover, and tied the pages together with ribbon. As I would have loved to receive this when I got married, I tucked it into a wedding gift for a family member to enjoy. So go and share your recipes!

Just Desserts

Sometimes you win, and then sometimes you bake a cake that looks like a turd. This one happened yesterday as the convergence of two factors led to an aesthetic disaster.

First off were the two-layer cake pans that were star shaped. My grandma passed them down several years ago, but this was their maiden voyage. Secondly, I tried to make a chocolate butter cream frosting. Sure it was delicious, however, the consistency was more like cream cheese. Every time I attempted to spread it the whole sticky mess pulled away from the cake. And don't even get me started on those pointy corners that refused the frosting like it were a vile substance. At some point I dropped the knife, flew my white flag, and walked away.

This just proved that there must be a few flops when you try new things. I'm just glad it tasted a lot better than it looked!

Friday Night Tomatoes

It's October, but don't tell that to my tomato plants. I collected another dozen red tomatoes yesterday with no end of production in sight, and I am getting sick of eating them. I am sure the neighbors are also tired of getting bags of tomatoes dropped on their doorsteps.

After some searching recipes on the Internet, I decided it was time to try making sun-dried tomatoes in the oven. They came out delicious, but along the way I learned two valuable lessons. 1) If the recipe says it will take 6-10 hours, don't believe it - 10 hours is the minimum. 2) Never ever attempt an untested recipe at two in the afternoon on a Friday!

Stash Project #1: Baby Squares

This is the first in a series of Stash Projects, which will showcase what I have created without going to the craft store (read my last post, "No More Craft Stores!).

Knitting baby items is one of my pastimes for many reasons: they are small items that can be traveled with, they don't require a marathon of knitting to finish, and they're so cute!

When I was pregnant with my youngest son (and bonkers with hormones) I began a love affair with baby yarn. But what do I do now that my baby is a toddler and cannot wear tiny booties? Luckily a baby boom in my family is in full swing.

This project is knit squares to be sewn into a baby blanket. I found the pattern in one of the squares off an Odd-Ball Sampler at ravelry.com.

No More Craft Stores! (Maybe)

If you are like me, you can go into a craft store and want to buy one of everything - five if it's glittered. Unfortunately I have bought more than I needed for any one craft project at a time on so many occasions that my funds have dried up. So I took stock of all the crafty crap I have (as my husband calls it) and was absolutely amazed by how much is stashed away in my crafting closet. There is enough material for an entire wardrobe, baby yarn for every child born into the family for 30 years, card stock and stamping paraphernalia to put Hallmark to shame, hot glue gun glue sticks to glue - well, whatever it is that I may need to glue, ribbon to outfit a Maypole, and odds and ends that make me wonder what on Earth I was thinking when I bought them.

My new objective is to actually use what I have and try - I say try because this is hard to contemplate - to stay out of any craft stores until after Christmas. Maybe.

Musical Mastery

Every kid loves crafts, though many may not love the Arts. I have been teaching my older two to play the piano for some time now, and in an effort to foster a love and appreciation of this art I handed them blank music paper to write their own songs. I figured it would help them remember the technical aspects such as time signatures, bar lines, and rests, and it has. However, the unforeseen consequences are starting to make me rethink my approach.

All of their free time in the past few days has revolved around writing the newest, greatest song. They seem to be in competition with one another, furiously composing an entire page of increasingly harder music, all the while completely ignoring the piano or any semblance of melody in the process. The finished masterpiece is then hurried to the piano for its debut, which they ask me to perform. If this was the end of the mashed notes, sounding sometimes like an orca in the throws of death, the day could continue on in relative peace. But unfortunately it is only the beginning. They studiously practice their pieces and each other's until the piano itself cries out in pain. At least we didn't start out on the violin!

Bathroom Time

In the past week I have learned a lot about my bathroom. Did you know that in the time it takes to apply mascara, a one-year-old can amass Mount St. Helens out of toilet paper? Or did you know that your feminine napkins can be used as stickers? No, that is not my crafting tip, however, my inspiration yesterday did come from the bathroom.

I wanted to emboss tags for the Christmas presents I have been working on, but didn't want to burn my fingers on the stove again while holding little bits of card stock over the burner. There is a heating tool you can buy specifically for this, but why spend the money when it will only be used once a year? The solution turned out to be my flat iron.

With the boys pouring over their schoolwork (and the little guy napping), I embossed dozens of tags in a short amount of time! If you want to try this at home it does take a little testing, as my flat iron is a cheapie and yours may get hotter. After stamping and dusting with embossing powder, I placed the back of the card stock over one plate of the iron and it heated the design rather quickly. If you are embossing many different items it works best to stamp them all first and then sit down to heat each one.

Add a little flair to your life, grab your flat iron - or your daughter's - and emboss something!

Let Them Eat Cake

Making cakes is an acquired taste. But when your child begs for a certain cake (like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars), your better judgement exits the room and you say, "Sure!" You've just set the bar a little high, and not for this one birthday or even this one child. Every year until they reach 18, and maybe after that, each creation must outdo the last in its originality, composition, and "wow" factor. Not to mention that this labor of love will never be seen or played with for more than the one day like any other handmade item. It will be cut into pieces and shoveled into the mouths of sugar-frenzied kids mere moments after being appreciated as a work of art.

Last weekend I attempted another such feat, making a cake for my youngest's first birthday. I could have made a simple cake and stuck on a few plastic toys - after all, he won't remember the cake - but I have that bar to reach. I pulled out a Lightning McQueen cake pan (recycled from another birthday) and began to bake. With the party just hours away and my countertops strewn with icing bags, tips, and mixing bowls, I grabbed for my stash of icing dyes. Lo and behold, only three colors remained: black, yellow, and blue. How could I have overlooked this! If I had been the least bit prepared there would have been red, which was the main color of the cake. Lightning McQueen also had a Dinoco blue paint job, right?

After two hours of painstaking frosting, taking only one break to let my hand uncramp, I finished. The party was on, the cake attained its full glory lasting 30 seconds while we sang "Happy Birthday," and then it was gone.

The next birthday in December is already closing in, and Hogwarts Castle has been requested.

Welcome!

Welcome to my first ever blogging experience! I am Candice, the All-In-One Girl, which entails being a wife, mother of three boys, and extreme Do-It-Yourselfer. The extreme part comes from trying my hand at almost anything from arts and crafts to writing novels to homeschooling. My mantra is "I want it done and I want it done now," which usually leads to jumping in and trying it - sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. Though even when I've failed miserably I will try again, and it may result in an epiphany. Case in point: if you put your hair in a ponytail at the nape of your neck and cut above the rubber band, you will have a nice little A-line bob that requires just a little trimming. If you start at one side and hack all the way around, it will look like you stuck your head in the lawn mower and you will have to call your mother for help.

This blog is for anyone who has ever tried something new, those who are looking for ideas in the arts and crafts department, or for those of you who are just wanting to laugh at life!