2012 Rewind

The last day of 2012 is today. It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in the new year for 2012. So much has happened in such a tiny amount of time. I am taking today to reflect on some of my favorite memories from 2012.

1. I started this blog on January 1st, 2012. This was to improve my business, keep people in touch, and yes, show off a bit with what I am making. I didn't know that direction I wanted to go in with this blog when first created and after a year, I think that I have finally figured it out (look for changes in 2013).

FO American Girl Doll Outfit #2

One of the most fun things to knit are tiny doll clothes. They are cute, easy, and super quick. With one outfit down, I had to make another. This time for Kali. The shirt was knitted and the skirt was from the leftover fabric that I had from the doll bed (which I actually used to make 2 skirts, for Kali and Scarlet).

2 Day Christmas Whirlwind

This year, our Christmas was a little less than traditional. The biggest tradition broken was that Santa came the day after Christmas because daddy had to work on Christmas. However, with a one and a half and a two and a half year old who would really know the difference.

 

Let Your Past Make You Better.....

There are times when a quote just resonates with me so deeply. Saturday, upon reading this on Pinterest, I had such an experience. And these words could not ring any truer for me. I have had a rough past; from my childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. I always thought that life was giving me what I deserved. Upon meeting my husband, however, I learned that this was not the case. My life was no where near where I deserved it to be. I learned this and so much more due to my past.

Wow were we little here!

I have learned to love life. You are never going to get another one and there is no reason to spend what little time we have being unhappy, even for a second. There is not enough time to waste being bitter about things that happened, lessons we wished we would have learned sooner, or regretting things we chose to do against our better judgement. Life is supposed to be cherished and I have learned to do that.

FO Throw Pillows and Tutorial

Although I can't share all of my Christmas gifts on here, I am sharing a few. I decided not to knit everything this year, and this has proven to be a lot easier to handle. Some of the gifts I am making actually called for my sewing machine. Last night I put my machine to work!

 

FO Baby Doll Bed and Tutorial

The little miss that I babysit, Scarlet, while her mom is in school is one of the cutest little things ever. She has amazing hair and such a feisty personality. She loves being the mommy and would spend a lot of the time at my house either playing with Ryenn's babies or playing mommy to Ryenn.

FO American Girl Doll Outfit #1

My nieces are so cute when they ask for things. They mention how much they would like something and how cool it would be if someone could make them that certain thing. When this adorable attempt at getting me to make them clothes for their American Girl Dolls was tried last April, I knew exactly what they were getting for Christmas.

Saddest Carousel Ride EVER

I was thinking about not blogging about this experience, but decided that Ryenn looks too sad but cute to not share. After visiting Santa on Friday, Nolan wanted to do nothing more than to ride the carousel.

Visiting Santa: Take 2

When we went to Robinettes two weeks ago, I blamed the lack of a nap for the uncooperative kids we had that day. Both were a bit uneasy to sit with Santa. Well,we went to Rivertown to try again. And it got worse!

Mourning Loss

With all that is going on with loss today, it is difficult to comprehend. My prayers are with the families affected by the shootings in Connecticut today. Children are so precious and it is so hard to even begin to understand the loss of their lives. My problems seem so insignificant comparatively. However, losing a pet is hard as well. I experienced the loss of my favorite dog, Diezel, in 2011. He was hit by a car after escaping our yard under the fence, something he had done numerous times. The final time was while I was working. I stayed home from work for 4 days after because I was so devastated. Didn't really help that I was 6 months pregnant with Ryenn so my emotions were extremely high. He was 4 years old (and 6 months if we want to get technical).

Kitchen Update!

We haven't made MUCH progress in the kitchen, but enough to make me happy for the moment. I can finally put away some of our dishes in the right spot, rather than our pantry. This let me reorganize our pantry to fit our food better. It has been a life saver. But how did we get to this point, and why did we stop?

Weight Loss Progress

Yesterday was the last day of the 7 day detox diet that I was on. I was surprised by how much easier things got toward the end of this diet. I did "cheat" a little yesterday but not that terribly. I had a baked potato (a no no) and Zatarain's black beans and rice instead of just brown rice (another no no).

I was able to lose quite a bit this past week and I am very happy about that. I am actually having a cheat day today and getting right back into it. Anyway, what you're most wondering about, I'm sure, is the final numbers. This morning I weighed in at 185.6 lbs. That's a loss of 10.1 lbs! I will say that I was hoping for a little bit more, but you can't expect too much when you aren't working out at all.

Christmas Tree 2012

My mother has always had the most gorgeous Christmas trees. The ornaments each match one another, all her decorations throughout her house, and even match her living room decor. She has vaulted ceilings so she has always gotten gigantic trees that she needs a ladder to decorate it. I have yet to see hers from this year, but every year she does an amazing job.

My mom's tree in 2011

WIP Mom's Christmas Gift

My mom has never specifically asked me for anything. So when she does, I know that she REALLY likes it. When I wore my Summer Lace sweater over to her house one day, she told me a few times how much she liked it. Then one day on the phone, she told me if I wanted to knit her something, she would buy me the yarn and everything. When she told me it was a sweater like mine, but with long sleeves, I knew right then what I would be knitting her for Christmas.

Unblocked lace

Visiting Santa: Take 1

Every year we have visited Santa, except for Nolan's first Christmas, has been a challenge. For Nolan's first Christmas, he was too young to be "scared" of Santa. Last year was Ryenn's first Christmas so she was too young to know the difference either. However, Nolan was at the age last year where they can be a little scared. He didn't want to sit on his lap and would only take a picture if daddy was holding him and cried when he set him down (check out my very first blog post to see pictures). This year a little different, but not by much.

FO Leg Warmers

I have made so many pairs of baby legwarmers, that I was actually lost on how to knit them for an adult. Nonetheless, when I got a request for them I was more than willing to get them done. The baby legwarmers I have done in the past were knit using the Soft Armwarmer pattern from Caron by Marilyn Losee. When Marilyn (coincidence), who is a yoga instructor, asked for legwarmers similar to the child sized ones I make, I knew that I needed to follow the same pattern.

perfectly match yellow tights and ballet flats

Weight Loss Progress

I gave up on the 17 Day Diet. It worked so well for me for the first 3 months. Then I hit a plateau. So I gave up on it months ago. Every time I tried to get back on it, I couldn't stick to strict enough so it didn't work. And again I was late. 11 days late! And I am having nausea. As of right now all tests are negative, but I have been told that my hormone levels might not be high enough yet to register. So this has amped my weight loss up a bit because I want to be at a certain weight before I get pregnant next.

However, on Pinterest recently (something I seem to say a lot) I found a detox diet plan that will help stop cravings called the GM Diet. This is something that appealed to me because I have been craving different things here and there lately. Especially Peanut Butter Sandwiches and cereal. These two things have been my weakness.

Christmas Festivities Begin

Last night we ventured out to downtown Grand Rapids to see the official lighting of the Christmas tree at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Rosa Parks Circle. There were free carriage rides, ice skating, the Christmas tree, and you could check out the museum. It was so much fun to get out and show the kids some of the fun things to do. It has even made us decide to take both the kids ice skating next weekend! Ryenn kept wanting to climb right onto the ice. Nolan had fallen asleep in the car so it was a lot for him to take in. The only time he seemed really interested was when the horses were around.

FO Four Twisted Headbands

I have been over run with knitting these last few week, and still have so many more to finish. I did kick my butt into high gear yesterday with starting AND finishing four twisted ear warmer headbands.

FO Vintage Knitting

I finished it!!! Don's sweater, it's finished! Granted the project isn't quite complete yet. Allyson is in the process of writing up duplicate stitch charts for team logos so she is using this sweater as a guide. I mailed it off to her to complete that and add the custom leather buttons.

Love this neckline!

Black Thursday Thanksgiving

With two toddlers, nothing is ever easy. Especially holidays. When we are at other people's houses, our kids turn into mini Godzilla's and have to get into everything they aren't supposed to. At both Adam's parents' and my parents' houses, they have open stairways to their upstairs. This proves to be the most hectic area of the house for me. Both Nolan and Ryenn spend the majority of their time here trying to get up those stairways. They must think there are these hidden treasures up there or something.

Nolan's 1st Thanksgiving

FO Baby Cowl

The last part to Annie's order was a baby cowl. She wanted something that could be pulled up over her bitties head. I remember seeing the perfect pattern for such a thing!

Another FO Headband Earwarmer

Like I said, Annie added to her order once we talked on the phone. One addition was a headband earwarmer. I like to make these because they are simple and look amazing! I was excited to make this because I decided to add a button detail to the flower in stead of the bobble it called for.

FO Baby Legwarmers

Insanely busy is an understatement for my life right now. I am trying to stay on top of house work, remodeling, kids, eating well, working out, homework, making Christmas gifts, and business knitting. It is proving to be a difficult feat. However, I am doing it. I have also added in some selfish projects for KAL's and reading 2 different books. I just mailed out a few different products today to Annie.

Kitchen Update!

First and foremost, don't mind the mess in these pictures (renovations don't prove to be helpful for cleaning). I haven't posted about the kitchen in quite some time (September 22, to be exact). However, we have made some progress today! Last I updated, we were in the middle of knocking out the bulkhead.

WIP Vintage Knitting

As of today, knitting is taking over my life. This is a good sign for business, but a bad sign for my projected time frames. Nonetheless, I am almost finished with the vintage baseball sweater for Don. I started the sleeves Tuesday night (after I skipped that portion to work on the button bands). I don't have much done on the sleeves yet (or at least the pictures don't show the progress), but I thought I would share the gorgeous contrast of the colors. Wouldn't you know it, they are blue and red!

 

FO Dog Sweater #2

I know that I finished the two dog sweaters about a month ago, but I just got a picture of the second one on the dog today. I was very nervous about this sweater and how it would fit. This is mostly because I used a thicker yarn which meant I had to modify the pattern to accomodate my yarn choice.

Get to Leafin'

Fall is a time for pumpkins, cider, leaves, and everything that makes living Michigan worthwhile. This past Thursday we spent our day making gigantic leaf piles in our yard. The amazing thing about a leaf blower is how it makes a huge yard full of trees less daunting.

Gigantic leaf pile in half of our front yard

FO Hello Kitty

The cutest pair of pants ever! I can't get over the cute factor of these. Before I finished the face on these pants, I tried them on Ryenn and decided she needs a couple pair of these. I just told you how this pattern was a lot of Stockinette stitch, but I love the way it looks.

FO Pikachu Hat

About 2 weeks ago, I sent out my second knitted Pikachu hat. I had an order for this hat in early October and had to put it off until the end of October because of how backed up I have been. However, I finished this hat in one day!

WIP Hello Kitty!

I have so much fun creating things that are characters. Like the Pikachu hat or the Geo hat from Team Umizoomi. I received a request to make the cutest Hello Kitty pants. I was so excited to get working on these!

Super heroes and Pink Elephants!

Yesterday was Halloween and it was Ryenn's first REAL Halloween. We dressed the kids up last year but only got candy for Nolan. He didn't quite get the concept last year of trick-or-treating, but by the second house this year, he looked like a pro. It was a night of funny occurances with our babies.

Halloween Happenings:

Pumpkin Patch with My Pumpkins

Sometimes the best things in life are watching your children explore new things. This is exactly what happened when the kids went to the pumpkin patch.

WIP Vintage Knitting

Although baseball season has come to a painful and sad end, I am lucky enough to get my baseball on with some vintage baseball sweater knitting. Allyson, my amazing promoter, got an email wanting to know if she could knit a vintage baseball sweater. With her busy schedule, she is not able to take on other projects. So instead, she sends them to me.

The Tigers and the World Series

For anyone who doesn't know, our family are avid Tigers fans. My husband is literally obsessed with baseball, especially Tigers Baseball. So much so that we are planning a vow renewal ceremony for our 5 year anniversary that will have a heavy Tigers influence and our kids' names are Nolan and Ryenn (I was tricked with Nolan's name after I said no professional athletes, but then couldn't get the name Ryenn out of my head for our little miss). But right now, we are only concerned with the Tigers winning the World Series.

Hammock Anyone?

This must be the time for photographers to either switch out their photo props or stock up on new ones. I had my third order within the last 6 weeks for another hammock. Most photographers order the white that is pictured in my site, which is exactly what Kristin Byrum ordered.

Topping these Boots

As I said before, I am swamped with orders. This is such a great feeling, being so busy. This week I worked on an order from a friend I graduated with. Jayne and I played volleyball together FOREVER! She was my setter and I her middle blocker. When she asked me if I could make her some boot toppers, I was more than willing to fit her into my schedule. I had her pick the color she wanted from Knit Picks and she decided on Dove Heather in Knit Picks Brava Worsted Weight.

Laughter Fills This Home

On my worst days, the laughter or smiles from my babies just make everything better. They fill my heart with so much joy. Especially when they play together. They seem to be enjoying each other quite a bit more, seeing as Ryenn isn't just trying to break and eat all the toys. I have been trying to share a video on Facebook for a while now of just how much fun they have together.

FO Bowtiful

I have made the earwarmer headbands and got an order for a super cute bow headband. I have had it on my list of things to knit, but haven't made the time. When Stephanie ordered one from me, I was so excited to work on it.

Holla Knits Accessories: Multiplicity!

Welcome Holla Knits Readers! I am excited to once again have helped Allyson with test knitting her pattern for the Holla Knits Accessories issue. Not only do I help my sis out, but I get amazing knitted projects in the process!


Top: Emma Welford's Wallpaper Cowl, Katie Canavan's  Scallop of the Sea; Middle: Teresa Gregorio's Knight Service, Tara Shade's Black Swan; Bottom: Anna Elliott's Snowball Bonnet, Allyson Dykhuizen's Multiplicity

FO Striped Dog Sweater

Although I have knit this very pattern using these very colors, this one was a struggle. When I got the order for this poor little pug with some sort of allergy or disease that makes him lose his hair, I was willing to do just about anything she asked to help him out. So sleeves was what I needed to tackle.

Another Baby Hammock

I have been knitting up quite a bit of photography props the last few weeks. The most popular seems to be the hammock. And what's not to love about a baby looking sweet and cozy sleeping in a fuzzy hammock.

F isn't for Finished AT ALL

I have been slacking hugely on updating this blog. This isn't due to lack of things to do, trust me. I have been so busy that I have forgotten to take pictures of products I have sent, forgotten what day it is, and forgotten to eat on certain days. I have a brutal school schedule, Christmas is coming up (where has the time gone?!), and orders are coming in like no other.

Mommy/Nolan Playday

Ryenn naps more than Nolan now. I think she is teething and growing all at once. She takes two naps and sleeps through the night. Well while she naps, I get to spend some time with just Nolan and I. We chose to play in the backyard yesterday. It was so fun. He loves his dogs, especially chasing them.