The New V-Land Scarf

So I today I got pictures of my newly (finally) finished scarf. It's called the New V-Land Scarf because it's V-shaped and the designer Patrina Hollis is from New Zealand. The pattern was released for free in the CAL - Crochet A Long group. I used Lion Brand Mandala Baby yarn in Magic Moon. I added 62 stitches because it was shorter than I like and I used a chainless foundation because I like the look better than chaining a lot and crocheting into the chain.

Feeling Productive

So today I managed to finish up a couple projects that I've had just sitting around waiting for me. One was a water bottle sling that I made in May, but I needed to confirm that the strap was long enough before I finished.

I finally added the tassel to the scarf I've been working on, I'll try to remember to take a decent picture tomorrow. The other project I've had hanging over my head is a crocheted Advent calendar. I'm mostly using a post from The Cookie Snob, which starts with a tree from River Weaving. I've finished two trees (one for each girl) except I haven't made a way to hang the trees on the wall nor to hang the ornaments on the tree. Last night I finished the first couple ornaments and today a couple more. So now I'm only ten days behind, lol.

Star & Santa

Snowman

Baby Taryn

Here's a post from my first blog, which was called Not Very Interesting published December 12, 2006. I will say that past-Cheri expressed herself in ways that present-Cheri wouldn't, but I forgive her, she was so young and she doesn't know what I know. So I'm not going to edit her.

In the last three days we have attended two Christmas parties. One was labeled "Congregation Christmas Party" but that apparently means "everybody but the kids." Of course, Taryn is young enough that no one minded her presence. Plus she was in her cute Christmas dress and everyone loves that. Then last night was the Ladies' ornament exchange. I don't know why I keep going to that one. Just to hang out I guess. It is "dirty Santa" style. You know, where one person opens a present and then the next person can either steal the first present or open a new one. It is usually a lot of fun, but no one ever opens anything I like before my turn and then no one ever steals my ornament. So I end up going home with something that is really not my taste at all. This year, I got this creepy Santa head. It is ceramic with some sheep pelt attached for the hair and beard. It is too big (it's about the length and width of a phone book) and it's just creepy. I don't know what I'm going to do with it.

Not creepy baby head

so creepy

She's got the pose and she can rock back and forth but so far if she tries to actually crawl she just face-plants. But it doesn't seem to bother her, the face-planting part. But when she gets tired she gets the post and then wants to go and gets mad at me because she can't. Because it's all my fault.

She only army crawls, but apparently she can conquer the obstacle course.

So last night Taryn didn't sleep well at all on account of not being able to breathe through her nose very well. Which means I slept even less. She's also having the worst teething symptoms she's had so far and this morning took the opportunity to experience her first head-dive off a piece of furniture (my bed). And the cat is in heat. And my sinuses hurt and that makes my throat hurt. Strangely enough, Tim, who has no immune system, is not sick. 

It must be winter in the Viles household today.

Silly Caelie

On This Day 2012:

Caelie just informed me that when she grows up she's going to change her name to Cher and "live in Chinese".

2019 update: I read the post to her and she face palmed and said "I probably won't do that." She's a character.

Here's a picture of a gingerbread house she made at a friend of Taryn's house. She used tootsie roll wrappers in a unique way. I think she was trying to use them as shingles for the roof, but she just dropped icing and put a wrapper on top and then kept stacking like that. In retrospect, I'm certain her primary goal was to get as much candy as possible onto this structure. There's a good chance she peeled back each layer of wrapper and ate the dried icing in there. She's always been our little sugar fiend.

The gingerbread house building wasn't strictly ON this day, but since I'm at it, here's Taryn's house as well. She was more interested in the structure and in eating all the candy while playing with her friends. I didn't get the picture taken before she'd already eaten parts of it.

Not Crafty

So this is the kind of time where I can tell how I'm doing by looking at my projects and seeing how much I'm getting done. I had hoped to post a picture of this scarf I'm trying to finish. I put the fringe on the other side of it today. And I went into a store to look for embellishments to put on the center tassel. But I didn't find what I wanted so it's not done.

And typically I'd grab any number of other projects laying around and just do some work on one of those instead. But I didn't.

When finishing a crochet project feels like pulling teeth....that's when I know I'm having a really rough time.

I'm not good at recognizing my emotions, so I'm always looking around trying to observe what I'm doing and match it up to the appropriate label. It's a little clunky, but it works sometimes.

This time last year I finished up a project that was a lap blanket for a friend who had had knee surgery. He is a fan of Allis-Chalmers orange tractors. I just looked back at the photos and I'm not super proud of my photography work but I am really very proud of the finished blanket. I started with a generic green tractor and modified the pattern so much that I think I can really claim to have designed it.

I don't really know anything about tractors, but I'm pretty proud of it.

The Sleep Side

So I got a good hours of sleep, woke up, started my morning routine....and then took a nap... I love naps, but they do have a way of messing up my sleep schedule. And now that I'm typing this I just realized a part of my routine that I may have skipped. Oops.

Before my nap, I was trying to think of one small thing I could do to change my life today. A tiny thing. And I decided that thing would be as many loads of laundry as I could do. Turns out I could guide the children to do two loads of laundry and then I threw a load into the washer. Maybe I'll finish that, maybe I won't, it's just like a choose your own adventure.

Something about that small productivity motivated me to do the dishes. I'm not a randomly motivated to do the dishes kind of person. But there I was. In the kitchen. Washing dishes. Well. Half the dishes. Still counts.

I put half the fringe on a scarf I'm trying to finish.

This has been a hard week. But it does seem like I took a couple small steps forward today. Now if I can get another good night's sleep it will really seem like I'm on my way.

And Again

So I went out of town for the first time in months. We had a very pleasant holiday with my sister's family. Plus exciting haircuts. But my phone is slowly dying and I can't do all the things on it, like write and publish blog posts. And I got back in town just in time to have all the drama hit me at the same time.

When I say all the drama. I mean all the drama.

I mean, some of it is funny drama or easily solved drama. But other parts of it are ridiculous.

Some of the heavier parts, when added to accidental caffeine ingestion, have resulted in what is currently 39 hours in a row of not sleeping. So that's exciting. I mean I sort of blinked a little too long a few times at church this morning. I snored at least once.

I've got a couple yarn projects pretty close to finished. Maybe someday I'll get into the zone and get a bunch of stuff done.

Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to get some sleep.