And we have reached the end of 2013.

WOW!!!!

What an amazing year it has been.

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This year brought two more beautiful additions to my wonderful family. 

In February came the birth of my second grand-daughter, Kacey Elena. 

And in May came my first grandson Elias Nathaniel Dante.

That same month we celebrated the 1st birthday of my first grand-daughter Luna Bella.

That's right with one comes the attitude. ;)

Along with the changes to my home life, I had a big change in my work.  My wonderful friend and mentor, Vilma Bell, decided to retire and leave me to fend for myself in this sometimes cruel and rough world of employment. Thankfully I still had those awesome kids to keep me together. 

Thankfully the changes to my job were good ones all around.  Other than my sweet and inspiring administrator leaving for a better and probably more tranquil environment ;) I dd gain a new friend and co-worker.  Thank you Tricia for helping me transition gently; and to all my wonderful co-workers that never hesitated to share a smile and a nice word or two. :D

In addition, I had a fantastic high school reunion, and was able to see many of the beautiful ladies that I went to high school with.  When I say beautiful I mean it; inside and out.  I was lucky to have attended a school with these kind women. 

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And of course, I must add that mother nature was there everyday to inspire and calm my spirit, with it's colors and sounds and atmospheric energy.  

Along with my honey, Antonio Cordero, who was there with me every step of the way as well.

So farewell, 2013, thank you for the good times and for the challenges. The fabulous days spent with family and friends. The memories that were added to mental vault, which hopefully will not lock me out too soon. :D

 

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Hasta next year!!!

On going projects....

So today, as I took care of my little Luna, I worked a little more on the blankets that I am crocheting.  Here is a sneak peak:

This is the throw that I am making for my friend from work.  She had given me a few colors to pick from.  This is the combination I chose and I have to say that I think it works pretty well.  Can't wait to finish. 

The pattern is basically a ripple or chevron pattern.  I chose how many lines to make for each color to give it a nice patterning. 

This is a nice chevron tutorial to begin working with:

http://www.abc-knitting-patterns.com/1181.html

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The other blanket I am working on is this pretty lavender baby blanket.  The pattern is very simple and works up very quickly. 

You can find the basic pattern here:

http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-crochet-blanket-stitch/

This is a very easy to follow step by step tutorial.  Good luck and have fun. 

Oh and I have to add, that on this day I tried out a very interesting recipe.  Bacon chocolate chip cookies.  They were delicious.  Here is the recipe I used.  

Here is the recipe to the cookies. 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Chip-Bacon-Cookies/#step4

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There are many that you can experiment with on Pinterest.  Check it out!!! 

http://www.pinterest.com/

Have fun trying out these great patterns and recipe.

Stay safe.

  PEACE and LOVE

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

I hope everyone is doing wonderfully this holiday season.  May all your days be filled with LOVE, JOY and PEACE. I am enjoying myself very much, thanks for asking. :) 

It has been awhile since I visited my little blog.  I've been busy lazy. No, but truly, I have kept myself occupied in my crochet world.  Below you will see some of the things that I have finished.  I am currently working on two blankets.  One for a friend that is expecting her first little girl and the other for a friend's room decor.  I was very flattered that she asked me to make her a throw for her sofa.  I am very excited about finishing it.  I will later post a picture of the finished product.  One thing about blankets, they sure do take looooooong to make.  

I have been trying my hand at some camera lens buddies.  

Here are a few of the hats I have finished.  Believe me there were quite a bit more than these, but they were all pretty similar.

I made a few owls again.  I love the little owls.  And the babies that wear them are just adorable.  I am definitely grateful to the friends that have purchased these for their beautiful babies.  They are the most amazing little models. 

I'm trying to work a bit on some photo props, like this cute Dr. Seuss like hat and tie, and the matching hen and rooster and little eggs.  I think these would be adorable on a cute set of twins. <3  And not to mention the one that I was the proudest of.  The little fishing hat with the net and little fish to go with.  I absolutely loved the way this one turned out. <3 <3 

Dr. Seuss inspired hat pattern can be found here: 

http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/free-crochet-patterns/cat-in-the-hat-crochet-pattern/

The other little project that I tried my hand at was some cute little phone cozy/covers.  These were so much fun to make, and I loved how they turned out.  They were like little cartoon characters for my phone.  

The pattern for the owl can be found here.  http://www.stranamam.ru/post/6338021/  I believe it's in Russian, but you can try translating it. 

The kitties pattern can be found here: http://www.handmade39.ru/2012/02/12/master-klass-kotochehol/comment-page-1/#comments  It is also in Russian. 

The elephant was my own doing.  I just followed the basics for the other patterns and added my own little parts, like the trunk, the ears, the flower and the heart.

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When you don't find me buried in yarn on my living room couch or on my cozy bed, you can surely find me spending time with my amazing grand-daughter Luna. While her mommy is working, she gets to spend time with her grand-parents and her Titi Vanessa  and her cousin Elias.  Those are the days when I think twice about starting an exercise routine, because I find myself moving ALL day long and am completely exhausted at bed-time. I am not complaining though.  I love every moment I send with this little chica.  She is so funny and so amazingly brilliant. 

My little nerdy baby. :) 

Such a cutie patootie!!!

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There is no way I can continue without talking about my HUNKY CHUNK of LOVE!!!

You will know exactly why I have given him this title when you take a gander at his pictures.  My precious grandson has grown so much.  The smile that he gives you just totally melts every ounce of your heart and soul.  It leaves me in awe seeing how determined he is to grow and learn.  He is tenacious in his wanting to do the things that he sees his "big" cousin Luna doing.  The excitement he exhibits, when he tenses his little body and his tiny little hands, makes you want to help him accomplish his desire.   

 

SEE? What did I tell you? HUNKY CHUNKY MONKEY!! <3 <3 

THAT SMILE!!!

Look at those cheekies!!!

I LOVE THAT BABY!!! <3 <3 

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Now I'm going to brag about my little Kacey.  The sweetest, smiley faced little angel that our family has been blessed with. 

I don't get to see Kacey so often, but every time I see her, she gets more and more beautiful.  One thing that never changes....her gorgeous smile.  Now she is getting her little teefies and she looks even more adorable, if that's even possible.  She is also starting to experiment with her first steps and the world of exploration has become a new adventure!!!  Go Kacey GO!!! <3 <3 

Chillin with the cousin!! <3 <3 

Posing for a Thanksgiving Day picture with Daddy and Tio Sean.

Enjoying some time with Grandpa and cousin Luna. <3 

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Winter is now upon us and that makes for a very sad ME. :(

OH how I miss my SUMMER.  I need that warm sun and the fresh air and to move my frumpy body off the couch, which I find myself not doing enough in the winter.  I can't help it. I don't like to go out in the cold.  I can think of just about any excuse not to. Just give me my sweat pants and jersey, and I'll see you next spring.  If I could hibernate I definitely would. Are you sure we weren't meant to do that, because my body sure remembers something of that sort.  Maybe I was a bear in my past life. (?) :/

What makes it even worse is that all my favorite shows go away for the season as well. I made it through the week because I would look forward to Sunday nights and The Walking Dead and now Sundays are just the day before Monday.  Grrrr.  

Ok, I'm going to stop complaining now and suck it up. 

Instead I am going to now pay a tribute to a wonderful summer gone by.....

Melancholy music playing in the back ground of your mind. 

See you soon Illinois State Beach.  

Sleep for now little frogs. I'll come visit with you soon.

Hasta luego, Sunsets at 8:00 pm. I will miss you most. :(

Adios bike rides to the Marina.

Rest for now my sweet, sweet bike.  I will soon be filling up your tires, oiling your chain and pedaling my little heart winter pounds off, before you know it. 

I even enjoyed the first few days of fall, with it's changing leaves and crisp air. I am now looking forward to seeing these trees with their new early Spring buds and the daffodils that greet me come April and May.

PEACE and LOVE to ALL!!