I'm a Crocheting Fool!

For a while I have had a basket full of different yarns and knitting needles and crochet hooks(inherited from my mom when she was cleaning house), and it has been gathering dust. I was on Pinterest yet again and found a FREE pattern for a slouchy hat, which I have been looking for to buy(but not for $30) since I started transitioning my hair. It was super cute in the picture, and I thought "I can do that!". So I read through the pattern, looked up how to do stitches on YouTube (btw here's a really good tutorial series for beginners) and went mad. Apparently I wasn't as boss at crocheting as I thought I was initially, because I got about 3/4 done before I realized that my creation was not about to be a hat anyone with a head smaller than Shrek could wear. Then I decided to click the FAQs for the pattern, and low and behold that was where all of the answers were! If only I had read through them first...but anyway I unwound the whole thing and started over, and here's where I am so far.

 Now I think I ROCK at this! Look out friends and fam, crocheted items may be in your Christmas future :) After I finish this one I think I may buy 2 of Julies patterns I saw for other hats, they are super cute.

And of course, just because no post is really complete until I have put at least one of my lovies faces on it, here's one of Baby Que dressed for church Sunday after the Wolverines pulled it out!! Hail to the Victors!

Taking a Different Approach...

Things around here are tight financially. By tight I mean TIGHT. The last few days I haven't been smiling a lot, or doing extra fun things with my kids because I'm stressed. Hubs brought to my attention that I shouldn't worry so much, and that got me thinking. So instead of griping about what I think I need but don't have, I decided to take a different approach and remember why even in times of lack I am blessed beyond measure.

My Children. Really enough said, but they are healthy and happy and make me feel like supermom.

First day of kindergarten!!

I love his smiles!

Hubs. He keeps me grounded and makes me smile, he compliments my neurosis with calm laid back charm..and he's HOT :)

No matter how bad I think things are, I must not forget that there is someone worse off than me. There is someone who is homeless, who has NO income, who is truly hungry(not just eating something that isn't their favorite meal), who is grieving the loss of a loved one...and now I can take a deep breath and smile through my circumstances because God is good.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Cloth Diapers

I follow a blog called Letters to Ames, and recently Rachael has been talking about cloth diapering, and how she manages it with three littles in diapers. I was thinking for a while about trying this with Baby Que, but I must admit I've been lazy about it. The idea of scraping poop off of cloth diapers had me grossed out, but lately I've been realizing that even with disposable diapers I often still get poop on me, so what's the difference? So I got out the cloth diapers I got at his baby shower and ordered a set of 6 Dappi Diaper Covers from ebay, and this week is the beginning of the experiment. I am keeping some disposables on hand just in case I feel like I can't do it anymore, but I have high hopes for the money that we'll save!

Okay...I started writing this post yesterday and today has been our first clothy try. Can I just put out there that I am not nearly as boss as I thought I would be with this?? First clothy on at 8:33am, first poop in a clothy at 8:34am. I figured I would put him in the thing and have a few hours to get my setup worked out. Apparently NOT. I'm on my way to it, but boy do I feel like I overestimated myself right now...but Baby Que does look cute in his little getup :). And unfortunately I can't even say that he usually wears clothes because the truth is, well, he doesn't at home especially in the summer...he likes being nekked, and I like doing less laundry since he doesn't dirty up 3 outfits a day.

Lightning Strikes...

...I just can't seem to catch it with my camera. I this gorgeous picture taken by Mary Kate for Fabulous Friday, and wanted to try. Today we just happened to have a really bad storm brewing, and while I was trying to get my settings right and figure out what to do it rolled right in so my trying was cut short. So here's what I came up with....

No Lightning striking for a full minute....

Then it struck to the left of where I was pointing.

While I didn't catch anything worth really looking at, I am pretty excited that I have learned something new tonight about my camera, and I'm excited for the next storm so I can try again!!

Crazy Days of Summer

This summer our days were way more lazy than crazy, and blowing bubbles was one of Maddie's favorite things to do.

I'm linking up for the finale, hop over and see the awesome stuff up for grabs!

We're Ready For Some FOOTBALL!!!

Hubs and some team members after a good play

Hubs has a long history with football....he played in high school(he was captain when we started dating <3) and college, and now he's doing something great for some little boys in our area by coaching the Braves!! I went to my first little league football game on Saturday, and it was so fun to see the boys playing their hearts out and calling "Coach Que". I have decided to invest in a telephoto attachment for one of my lenses as opposed to buying a telephoto lens($$$) or getting an adapter for the one that I have(no autofocus capability). Hopefully it will be here this week, as I have 2 shoots scheduled with people I am friends with so they won't mind me fiddling around with stuff.

On another photog biz related note...I am pretty excited about some prints I ordered from WHCC! I went on the I Heart Faces community boards and found a recommendation from a fellow photographer(ha! I have "fellow photographers"!!) that she loved them for printing her work. I went to their website and set up an account, which was super easy, and followed the link in my email to order 5 free 8x10 test prints. A few days later I got a package in the mail with my prints, which looked AWESOME, and a little pack of sample paper and a booklet about some of the choices they offer and prices. I will definitely be using them for my jobs!(BTW, I was not asked to mention them here or compensated for doing so, I am just so pleased with the service and prints so far).

My Own Shortcomings

One of my friends from kindergarten is getting married in October, and her bridal shower was this past weekend. My mom and I went together(her mom and mine are really good friends), and ended up having a really good time.

Here was my dilemma: I really didn't want to go. First, I'm just not social. As any of my close friends will say, I suck at maintaining relationships. I can go for months without talking to folks, but the ones that remain my best friends just answer when I finally call and tell me they still love me.

 Second is that she is a doctor, and she is marrying a doctor. Sounds like a "so what" type thing, but to me it's not. She and I started on the same path...played sports through school(she was a basketball and track all-star), got good grades, got accepted to U of M and were roommates freshman year. Here is where the paths diverged...she studied and stayed on a pre-med path, I socialized and dated and changed my major 3 times. Fast forward 10 years and we are where we are. I am not totally without anything to show, I have my B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature and all but the actual nursing courses done on the way to my BSN. I just felt...inadequate in comparison. I love my children and my husband and more days than not I am content with my life, and I realize that God doesn't make mistakes in His plan. For whatever reason I am in this particular path, and the journey is designed just this way to bring Him glory. But still...when I look at her I think, a lot, about where I would have been now if I had been more dedicated to school.  The way I imagine it I would still have my same kids and Hubs, but we would have buckets more money(probably not the case). About this point I realize I have conveniently "forgotten" that I decided to leave the pre-med track because being a doctor was not something I was at all passionate about. My friend on the other hand loves it, and is very passionate about changing our country's health care system.

Third: I was very nervous to be the frumpy mom of two friend at the shower, and as I suspected ALL of her other friends who were there looked like supermodels in their too-high-for-me stillettos and little party dresses. (Side Note to self: step it up for the wedding) I pretty much just hung with my mom until my friend got there(late to her own shower I might add LOL). When she did I was so glad I came, she was her usual self that I have loved for years.  Since I didn't know a lot of the girls she introduced me, and included that we've been friends since kindergarten which(intentional or no) made me feel like I was special to her.

I think the real reason I was feeling less than enthusiastic is that in confronting these feelings that were all about me, I was looking back on things I have done that I consider mistakes. I try not to do this since it doesn't change anything, but when I do I feel shame and disappointment in myself all over again. I prayed to be delivered from those feelings, and for the strength to forgive myself and be proud of the person I have become in spite of them.

So as I get ready to celebrate in her honor in a month or so, I try to remember that the choices I made are mine, and no amount of what if will change what is. When I play with my munchkins and kiss on my Hubs I find myself praying that one day my friend will be as happy with her own hubs and kiddos as I am, no matter what path we went to get there.