Egg Salad Facial

Space Cadets!

2012-02-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Nearly every exciting project Violett does as school we have to make at home for Bibby too! Milk jug space helmets for space week at school.

Hipstamatic Photography

2012-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Violett has taken up snapping photos using the Hipstamatic camera app on my phone while we drive. About half the pictures are just fuzzy finger shots or just too dark to make out anything. Some of them are really great though! Here is a few of the good ones.

A Whale of a Trip

2012-02-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

We went into the States today to get gas and stopped to play with some whales that had stopped on the side of the road...

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

2012-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Its A Sunny Day!!!

2012-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Just playing around with my Hipstamatic Camera app on my iPhone.

Now why haven't I thought about posting via email to both my fb page AND my blog at the same time before?!?!? Killing two birds with one stone seems the smarter move

2012-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not sure if this text will show up or this email will even work because to list in m y fb page I can only write text in the subject line and the text for the blog in the body of the email but I can't choose where e text will end up when published in the blog. This is all just a test.

John the Devil, custom rush order

2012-02-11T12:08:00.001-08:00

WIP (work in progress)

2012-02-10T11:18:00.001-08:00

Little Girly Ewok

2012-02-08T18:26:00.001-08:00

I still have to finish her ears, but I think she's super cute! The holes for the ears in the hood were too small for them to fit through so I have to rework new ones.
(original pattern from lucyravenscar on etsy)

Some Kind of Bunny...

2012-02-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I had in mind when I started to make this bunny. I think he still needs a tail, but he's still cute...sort of.
I wanted to make him in one piece, but it was just as much trouble to put him together so perhaps the method isn't worth it in this case.
Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained!

What a Beautiful Girl

2012-01-13T18:16:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2011

2011-12-06T22:13:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I posted any photos from Halloween 2011 so here's some cute ones!

Three Amineko

2011-11-22T21:15:00.001-08:00

So sleepy!

Boundary Bay Moustache Marathon

2011-11-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

I ran in the Boundary Bay Moustache Marathon this morning and this is the medal I got for finishing! It was my first official 5k run and I came in under 35 minutes which is really good. I'm very proud of myself and am going to start training for 10k next...

Toast (1993-2011)

2011-11-05T13:05:00.001-07:00

Toast, my kitty living with my parents, passed away on October 31. All in all, it's been quite a week of loss.

Ricky (200-2011)

2011-11-05T12:56:00.001-07:00

We recently lost our dog, Ricky, to a medical issue. We are sad and we miss him.

Testing the link...

2011-10-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Testing testing 1 2 3

Bulldog Hat

2011-10-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

And here's the dog hat that was commissioned for a Christmas present that was found just a little early by a snooping child...

Frog Hat

2011-10-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is my best frog hat ever! It's a custom order for a new friend and I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction to it. I hope her son likes it!

Canucks Practice Game

2011-10-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Our neighbour gave us four tickets to the Canucks practice. It was fun! Thanks, Theo!

An Amineko for Amina

2011-09-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Early this week, while cooking Violetts favourite food, macaroni and cheese, there came a knock on the door. I looked out the window to see Farhad, a co-worker of Scotts. He had come bearing an invitation to his daughters third birthday party for this Saturday.

As you may or may not know I refuse to buy gifts for children if I can make one instead. What to do with less than a week?

Luckily I had a head and a body finished in the Amineko pattern, but had put off making the rest because using a 2.25 mm crochet hook is a little on the tough side considering it's very small.

I buckled down and got to work and here he is in lovely shades of the ocean. I'm very happy that he turned out the way he did and that he was finished with plenty of time to spare. Yay!

Fish on Rice

2011-09-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Scott took me to a sushi bar tonight for dinner with some of his co-workers. It was called Fish on Rice. I had a really good time and ate myself silly!

Skills Test

2011-09-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Violett went to pre-school today! Yay! She had a good time playing with the other kids and was a good girl. They played outside, sang a song, had a snack and did a skills test using scissors which Violett loved. She hasn't been allowed to use scissors at home since she cut her shirt. 

Check out my HipstaPrint

2011-09-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone

Raspberry Fluff Amineko

2011-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

This doll was commissioned by my Mother for a little girl who is having a birthday in August. I thought I'd get it done early so I wouldn't have to rush. Her name is Raspberry Fluff because of her red nose. She's tired from playing with her fishy toy and needs a nap.

PS: this is where i got the cat pattern from...

Big Eyed Fish pattern

2011-08-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

This little fishy cat toy is adapted from the Big Eyed Fish Pattern I recently purchased off Etsy. The original pattern was too big for the Amineko so I just made it smaller. Raspberry Fluff seems to love her toy already. Inseparable!

Ankylosaurus by PlanetJune

2011-07-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally finished the Ankylosaurus pattern I bought from the PlanetJune website. Her patterns are awesome and super easy to make. Thanks, June! I hope your craft room is coming along nicely! I can't wait to see pics of how it's going together. (can you see my little helper?)

Violett In Grandmas Garden

2011-07-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ah, Sweet Violett helping Grandma water her "overgrown" garden. Personally, I think Buttercups are beautiful.

Blue Chalky Face

2011-06-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

Oh dear goodness this was priceless!

Baby Hat for a Baby

2011-05-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

This super soft grey/white hat is for a baby who hasn't shown his/her face yet! Baby K is due close to the end of June and E wanted a neutral hat. It's made to fit one of our little baby dolls so I'm hoping that it fits baby! It should, unless baby K is a big big baby!

New Items!

2011-05-27T22:27:00.001-07:00

so as you can see i've changed the sidebar of my blog just a little bit! i've added a link to my new facebook page and i've added items from my etsy shop! yay! now you can "like" my facebook page from my blog, which is cool.

the new page is dedicated to my crochet work and to promoting my etsy shop. so now do your duty, "like" my page and visit my etsy shop where you can get yourself a custom order hat or amigurumi!

Ain't She Sweet!

2011-05-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

A Field of Dandelions

2011-05-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

The New Playground

2011-05-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Learning to Use a Spoon

2011-05-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, Sunshine

2011-05-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the Good Old Days

2011-04-29T22:32:00.001-07:00

Remember how nice it was when they couldn't walk or talk or tantrum?

Boy, Does She Ever Look Like Scott!

2011-04-23T22:29:00.001-07:00

Broccoli

2011-04-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

How do you get a child to eat broccoli? Simple...smear sour cream all over her face and hope some gets in her mouth! As you can see, there isn't much broccoli left on her tray!

Mossy Gnome Hat

2011-04-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

I love this hat!!!

Violett & Daddy

2011-04-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Cute Pictures of the Day

2011-04-09T12:40:00.001-07:00

Cute Pictures of the Day

2011-04-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Mobile posting rules!!!

2011-04-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Haha, look at how big my belly was!

Pink Baby Gnome Hat

2011-04-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Deb has asked me to donate some of my crochet hats to her Spring Fling Fundraiser at the local grade school. I came up with this pattern, along with others that I've made. I have promised 20 crocheted hats in total and I'm almost done!
I've made ski hats, panda hats, gnome hats and I'm working on a new pattern right now! Its an Aviator hat!
I'm looking forward to being finished the order so that I can start making more and listing them in my currently empty etsy shop!
(I will mention that I really love mobile posting! Yay mobile posting!)

Fun With A Magnifying Glass

2011-04-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Sid, the Science Kid, used a magnifying glass in a cartoon the other day so what did we do a few days later? Yup, head out to the dollar store looking for magnifying glasses to look at stuff!

Silly Bibby!

Testing Mobile Posting...

2011-03-26T17:02:00.001-07:00

Time To Play Catch-Up!!

2011-03-25T23:41:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it's been a while since I was able to sit in this freezing basement for any amount of time. Bibby has learned to sleep alone in her own room (yay!) and it's not as cold down here as it used to be, so...here's what's been happening in our family since the last post!

We made electrical tape moustaches! Kind of a mistake since they really stuck to those pretty faces and I had to be super careful when taking them off. I highly recommend not attempting this...

I made Sleeping Baby Sheep for the neighbour girls and Violett just loved them so much she needed one for herself too!

And who could resist a little sheep in green for Bibby!

Next was Bibby's first Christmas! Hooray for Bibby! The video of Violett discovering that Santa had come to our house to follow...

Awwwwwwwwww! Two beautiful ladies sitting on Santa's lap! I'll tell you, Bibby was not impressed with this scenario!

Violett has her first trip to the Dentist! Woo Hoo! I prepped her nightly for about a month pretending to be "Dentist Courtney" by counting her teeth and being super friendly. She was so excited to go and did a great job of sitting in the chair.

We went to the Newton Public Library and got ourselves some fancy schmancy library cards! Violett chose 'Boo Hoo Bird' as her first book to check out of the library. Grandma was so proud!

We made Valentines Day cards for Daddy and Violett decided that she loved to draw! This was the very first person she drew...can you guess who it is? That's right, it's the spitting image of Daddy!

And who couldn't just fall in love with this beautiful little jam face?

Ok, it's late and I'm going to go to bed! More posts to follow...

Our Strange Family

2010-11-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2010-09-01T01:05:00.000-07:00

It's insane how much these girls love that book! M & P are our neighbours who are staying with us for a little while. Violett is having a blast because they are here at bedtime, and so sad when she wakes up in the morning and they aren't here.

A Trio of Creeps

2010-08-17T23:46:00.001-07:00

An old friend from high school, Heather M, contacted me through Facebook and asked me to make her some of my Creepy Dolls. What an amazing thing for me! I love making them and for someone to ask for my dolls specifically, well, it made my week! She said to use my imagination and i went to work right away. Here's the result! Three Creepy Dolls. Killer the Bunny, Edgar the Sheep and Nigel the Creep. SO AWESOME!

Scott Takes a Good Photo!

2010-08-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Look at how round that belly is! She woke up the next morning and it was gone...she was probably a little taller too! She's being very brave lately and getting herself soaking wet at the playground by standing on the water spout.

Bibby Ate A Cookie

2010-08-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

Violett's 3rd Birthday

2010-07-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Violett actually had a birthday party this year! It's only her third birthday and the first one where she didn't get sick. Yee Haw! I made chocolate cake for the adults

And Dirt n' Worms for the little kids!

Violett Likes Chalk

2010-07-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here are concentric circles drawn by the fabulous artist, Violett.

And here's a "Monster" (we had been reading 'There's a Monster at the End of This Book'

Samantha's Birthday Amigurumis

2010-07-25T12:50:00.001-07:00

Back in June our little friend Samantha had her second birthday! I don't like to buy toys for friends' kids when I can hand make them instead.

Here's the Sleeping Baby Sheep and Little Pig that ended up being the gifts. As a two year old will do she opened up the wrapping and tossed them onto the floor heading for the next gift to tear open. C'est la vie!

Here's Pink Pig with Piggy. He didn't make the cut. Poor dear, he doesn't photograph well at all, but he's cuddly and is going to belong to Bibby when she gets a little older as our Violett said that she doesn't like Piggy.

The Not So Jolly Jumper

2010-07-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

I pulled out the Jolly Jumper for this not-so-jolly-jumper today. Bibby had been in it before but today was the first day she really understood that she could use it to bounce in rather than just hang there.

We have organized and unpacked enough and are able to move around the house with ease. Bibbys room was the "dumping ground" for all the disorganization and boxes and stuff I didn't want to deal with until all the furniture/bookshelves/tv stands/wall-mounted shelves were in place. Now it serves as an actual bedroom! What a concept. I am almost finished unpacking, but those boxes that still lurk are filled with a jumble of nameless crap that I wish I didn't have to deal with. Soon I will be able to take pictures of our new home with no boxes visible.

Oh, and thank you, anonymous neighbour, who keeps coming and taking away my neatly nested boxes. You're saving me the trouble of finding someone who wants them.

We're Moving!

2010-06-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Very shortly after my last post we agreed to move into a three bedroom townhouse in our co-op. The move is almost here and I've been furiously organizing and packing and party planning for Violett's birthday this past Saturday. This is the reason for the lack of posts over the last month. I also broke my toe and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3...

2010-06-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

just testing out mom's laptop to see if we can post videos from photobooth...

Awww...Ain't She Sweet!

2010-05-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Bibs and her Giraffe Rattle

Hipstamatic Pictures

2010-05-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures using the Hipstamatic application on my iPhone. It's a cool camera and you choose different types of films, gels and lenses. Here's our Hipstamatic Family.

The Grandma Blanket

2010-05-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

My Mom, aka Grandma, made her first crochet blanket. It looks great and Violett just loves it! She sleeps with it every night and screams if she's left it downstairs. Vi calls it her "Grandma Blanket". Now she has something of her own to lay down on on the floor instead of crowding Bibby off her receiving blankets...

Sleeping Beauty

2010-05-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Violett falls asleep in the car when picking up Daddy. We have to carry her into the house. She looks so peaceful...until she wakes up!

Did I Ever Tell You About...

2010-05-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kate's first reaction to seeing the new baby?

Post For Laura

2010-04-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Laura, I'm glad you liked my version of the hat! Luckily I'm in the middle of another one so I can just show you exactly what I did differently.

Here is a view of the 'loops' that you would normally insert your hook under both to do your single/half double or double crochet.

Again, normal back and forth crocheting you insert under both 'loops'. There is a front loop and a back loop. The front loop is the one closest to the table and the back loop is the one closest to the point of the hook.

My version of the hat uses the back loop only. I always use both loops on my turning/end part to keep it looking tighter and neater. Make sure that when you finish your hat you stitch it together using the same back loops only so you don't have a visible seam.

Let me know if you need further instructions. Good Luck and send me a picture when you're finished!

I Have a Crazy Child

2010-04-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know what she was thinking when she started to run around the train tracks. She's crazy.

Ribbed Crochet Stocking Hat (by Teresa)

2010-03-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is my version of the Ribbed Crochet Stocking Hat by Teresa. I really like the way it turned out. I did make some changes, but the general idea is the same. My rib stitch is in the back loop only on each row instead of in the stitch under the loops. I did learn how to make a foundation chain (really cool!) and sewing up the seam to make it invisible (mostly). Thanks, Teresa!

Learn to Crochet is a really good blog and I've been lurking around for a few weeks watching her videos on youtube and looking through the patterns on her blog.

Just the Ladies!

2010-03-05T00:19:00.001-08:00

Finally at home with my girls. Tired, but happy. Very happy!

Heart Shaped Cheddar Parmesan Biscuits

2010-03-04T23:15:00.001-08:00

Hmmmmm, what to make for dinner...?

I had no idea the other day. I kind of wanted soup, but I'd already had a sandwich and couldn't eat another one and there wasn't enough "real" cheese to make a grilled cheese anyway. What is "real" cheese? Well, it doesn't come individually wrapped in slice form...

Hmmmm, I kind of wanted biscuits so within moments I'm dialing the phone...

"Mom? Do you know your biscuit recipe off by heart?" Less than twenty minutes later we had heart shaped cheddar parmesan biscuits and tomato soup on the table. I even added some milk to the tops to give them a nice shine and added fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt to the tops of the ones I was going to eat.

Tasty. Yummy. So good with the soup! Thanks, Mom!

Mini Green Ski Hat for Bibby

2010-03-01T23:21:00.001-08:00

A little while ago I bought baby soft green yarn to make Olivia (aka "Bibby") a little ski hat. It took me only a few hours to make it and I thought it would fit her since it was a little too big for Honey Doll, but when I put it on...D'oh! Too big! Bibby is about a full day old in this picture and you can see just how loose the hat fits her. I chucked it into the crib at home and left it there until tonight...

Tonight I tried it on again to see just how much she's grown over the last eleven days and to my shock and surprise she's gotten big enough that the hat fits! It fits! It fits! Hurrah!

The Kicking Baby

2010-01-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

Normally you can't really see Little Olivia kicking away in my belly, but my arms were tired from laying down to crochet so I put the hat on my belly to rest my arms and you can see her kicking. I think that this was hiccups, but I'm not positive. She was really going at it so I had Scott grab the camera and I tried to be as still as possible.

The Longest Dinner

2009-12-15T02:02:00.000-08:00

This video goes on for quite a while. There is film of me eating spaghetti at her age and my parents used to run it backwards to see the noodles coming out instead of going in! I'm not about to learn how to run this video backwards, but it was worth posting anyway because of how silly she can be.

New Ultrasound Picture

2009-11-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest picture of our little girl, Olivia. Isn't she just beautiful?

We have Brandon Ricci to thank for this one...oh, will the joking ever end at Shaw Cable?!!!

We've Decided to Grow Our Own...

2009-11-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

MOUSTACHES!

Olivia

2009-10-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

Here's little Olivia. She will be joining our family in a few months and we are very excited to see her! We now need to figure out a middle name for our new baby Olivia. Suggestions can be posted to this blog by using the link "cookies in the cookie jar" at the bottom of this post. Simply click on that link, fill out the form using the name option and voila!
Please note that one or none of your welcome suggestions may be used so include your reasons why you like the name you're suggesting! If you are a grandparent and have severe issues leaving your comment, email me directly and I'll copy and paste your answer to the blog. Now get suggesting! We're running out of time!
(any assinine comments/name suggestions will not be posted or considered)

A Few Quiet Moments

2009-10-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Silly Girl

2009-09-22T02:04:00.000-07:00

Pipe cleaner glasses or "gassers" and a Panda she named Kenny. What more could a girl ever want?

In the Playhouse

2009-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Singing

2009-09-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Crayons and Colouring Books

2009-08-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Family Portraits

2009-08-04T14:13:00.001-07:00

We've finally had our pictures taken professionally. Didn't they turn out amazing?

Ricky! Come 'ere!

2009-07-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

A New Hat

2009-07-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

For some reason, Violett likes to wear this plastic bicycle basket on her head. Every time she sees it she stuffs it on and wanders around with it. Kids are weird!

Three Twits in a Puddle

2009-07-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

From left to right:

Violett

Paige

Madison

Here they are chucking water at me. I loved how this photo turned out.

Nice face, Paige!

How To Eat A Hot Dog

2009-07-02T21:39:00.001-07:00

Since Violett became a big girl she won't sit in the high chair or the booster seat anymore. Sometimes I let her stand at the pass thru and eat there so I can get kitchen stuff done and watch her at the same time.

I decided to give her buns to go along with the dogs to see what would happen. This is the strangest method for eating hot dogs, for sure! Avoid the buns at all costs...

I eventually had to remove the buns and give her some ketchup to dip the dogs into. Meh, it was funny to see. I just wish I had the proper camera instead of the cameraphone to have better quality pictures. Oh well...

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2009-06-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Violett!!!

2009-06-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Two years ago our little Violett came into the world. We love you very much. Happy 2nd Birthday!

Just Don't Make Fun of Me...

2009-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Juanita, Aloha Oe, Gentle Annie...

This is what I call a mega-tantrum...

2009-06-12T02:19:00.000-07:00

Water Logged!

2009-06-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Boy was it hot the other day! I pulled out the little wading pool, filled it and she jumped right in! That poor diaper was full of water in ten minutes and when she ran across the drive it literally fell right off! Time for some little swimmers I guess!

Dora Sunglasses from Grandma

2009-05-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! How cute is this?

Random Cuteness

2009-05-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Trying on mommy's shoes.

This is a wet baby who loves the sprinkler.

Grandma bought me sunglasses!

Orange County Scott

2009-05-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you let a boy play with a razor...

The Dufus at the Zoo

2009-05-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Play Off Beard

2009-05-05T17:36:00.001-07:00

Goodness! Play Off Beards are yukky! And this photo was taken about a week ago...just think of what it looks like now! Ikky. I want my husband back...

Such A Pretty Girl

2009-04-28T19:02:00.001-07:00

I know I've said it before, but man! She's Gorgeous! Rockefeller loves going for car rides too...

She looks like Ella in this one.

Burp!

Just chillin', waiting for Daddy to come back into the car...

She seems a little shocked to have her picture taken in this one.

(P.S. Click here...I've posted all the photos in this set on my Flickr page...)

Star Wars Space Rocks!

2009-04-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

I offered to help out my friend Rosie when she was planning a Star Wars party for Billy, her 3 year old. I wanted to make Treasure Stones, or coffee rocks. You simply make the dough and put a toy inside. This is what they looked like just after being made. I learned that you have to make the dough really dry for it to hold it's shape, and that one batch of it is enough for only 4 small toys.

Here's an obligatory picture of Violett. She really has nothing to do with this post, but we love to look at her anyway!

Here's what they look like when they are mostly dried out. The look grainy and are pretty cool looking. They were still wet a little on the inside so it was easy for the kids to break them open. Rosie's backyard was covered in the remains after the kids got into them!

Maid For Hire

2009-04-20T02:03:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kate's Local Playground

2009-04-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Grandma Kate the other day and she took us to the playground! It was lots of fun and fully fenced in! Here's a couple of cute pictures I got while we were there.

Grandma Kate

2009-04-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha! I finally have you just where I wanted...BEHIND BARS! Ar Ar Ar!