Bread Anyone?

Today is grey and rainy. I love these days.

I feel like rainy days are some of the best! The kids and I usually stay home, pushing any errands to another day, and do things like: have a dance party, make tons of cookies, play some videos games and playdough, or just hang around in jammies and read tons and tons of books.

Today was a little different than our usual rainy day though, I had an doctor's appointment I needed to go to. Mema came over this morning so I could go to my 36 week check up. I'm doing good, may not 'make it' to my next appointment which is fine by me (my oldest 2 were born at 36 weeks). And, of course, she had some fun prizes for the kids - new coloring books and jumbo crayons- she's pretty awesome like that.

We folded a few loads of laundry, had a dance party, and had lunch with Daddy after I got back.

During all of this I decided it was a perfect day to make some of this:

Oh how I love homemade bread! I'm thinking this is going to become a weekly event, my house just smells SO good.

I'm not quite sure where I'm getting all this energy all the sudden, especially since the past 2 weeks it seems like the minute my kids eyes are closed so are mine (hence the lack of blogging).

I'm also not quite sure how I got to the conclusion that doing a fabric swap online AND a mystery quilt with my guild are wonderful ideas when I'm having a baby in March (which starts tomorrow...). But, I did get all my fabric cut for the swap, and it's already arrived at the hostesses house! I also got the first part of the mystery quilt Monday evening at the guild meeting, and started cutting this afternoon between stages of bread-making. Go me.

I'm not sure how many more days I will have this burst of energy, but I sure am taking advantage of it!!

Oh Monday

How is it that you manage to come EVERY week and still feel the same??

Eh, either way I'm looking forward to this week.

The items on my 'to-do' list are slowly dwindling getting ready for the baby, there are only 3 scheduled 'events' on my calendar for this week (joy) 2 are doctor's appointments, and my que on Ravelry is calling me since I've been so good at finishing projects lately! Though I'm still not sure how I only have 12 things in my que.

Here's a few recent FOs & my first try with a cookies press:

Piper's Hat, yes I need to weave in that one thread.

Martha's Reversible Purse I made for me. LOVE it.

Kit's Winter Hat, tutorial coming soon.

Hearts Hat, this is what you get with a click and shoot camera after getting a nice one.

Light Pink Diaper Cover & Earflap Hat

I'm also quite excited to send out my squares for my first ever fabric swap. Did I mention I'm excited?!

I even took a photo of my squares, haha. I chose to do royal blue, but mostly by default simply because it was the first color on the list that I found 10 FQs worth of fabric for. There are 200 squares there, all 4 inches. I can't wait to get back all the colors after the 'swapping'.

I'm also thinking of sending along a little gift for the woman hosting this swap, I mean I'm not sure I would enjoy doing 3 rounds of sorting thousands of 4 inch squares to make sure everyone gets one of each fabric. Maybe if I had a day without all my kids around....

Wow, I feel like this post is just a hodge podge of everything. Sorry. My brain is kind of all over the place lately.

Hopefully your week is looking good too!

My First Swap

I have to admit, I have never done a swap before.

Shocking, I know.

The thing is, I'm pretty nervous about some things, some things like criticism. There, I said it. I would be crushed if I spent time making something for someone just to find out they hated it.

So, why am I signing up for a swap? Well, because it's a fabric swap, a rainbow fabric swap. Yum. It's being hosted over at Bolo Heads, and she's actually doing 3 different rounds of the swap so go sign up.

Next question: Why am I signing up for a swap when I'm due almost any day now?

Simple, because I'm crazy... see:

Ha ha ha. I think my belly looks even bigger because a six-year-old took my picture... bad angle!

No really, I figure I can cut out about oh 200 squares in the next week and have them shipped out. The way I see it, it'll be my little present to myself that I can play with after having the baby (or dream about playing with). And, it will only cost me shipping since I'm pulling it all from my stash. Even better.

ROYGBIV Ripple Finished

Since this blanket was finally gifted I can blog about it, I only finished it about 2 weeks ago so I didn't have to wait too long.

I absolutely LOVE this blanket! I love the colors, I love how wonderful it was to work on, and I love how soft it came out. I'm thinking I need one of my own!

Stats:
- Tutorial: Neat Ripple @ Attic 24
- Finished size: about 46 inches by 52 inches.
- Cast on: 227 (has 16 ripples)
- 118 rows
- Hook size: G
- Started: Nov. 16, 2011
- Finished: Jan. 27, 2012
- Ravelry: ROYGBIV Ripple

Posted about it here, here, and here.

Handmade Christmas Gifts Part 3 - Stockings

My brother and his boys really like Charlie Brown, so what else do they need besides some Charlie Brown Christmas stockings??

I used the template from this stocking pattern for the shape of my stockings. I felt like it took me forever to find a template that I liked, and I didn't want to try again to draw one I liked (I've only drawn about 4 in years passed). And, the stockings that my kids have are Whoville stockings from the Grinch that Stole Christmas, so using them as a template seemed kind of silly.

With these stockings I simply free-motion quilted around the pattern on the fabric. The back of all three is the same blue and white stripe.