SnowBuddies

I first saw this little SnowBuddy when I was away on the Soul Sisters Weekend Smackdown. He was in the window of a little knitting shop. I went in to investigate, and the lady said they were all out of the pattern, but she could take my name and number and call me if she got more in. I declined, thinking I would come across it at some point....



...And I did!! My mom sent a me a mail order catalog she received a few weeks ago and they had a kit for the whole family. I ordered it on the spot and it came a few days later. I was busy all last week working on them. If you can believe....I knit all of the "Buddies" in just two days.....then it took me almost FIVE evenings to do all of their miniature accessories. I thought they would take me a night!! They range in size from four inches to about seven inches and I am just so happy and proud of they way they turned out. I did make one change.....the pattern called for doing their eyes and buttons in french knots.....but I thought to use these itty, bitty buttons I had seen at Joanne's. And for the record....I think they look way cuter then the ones I saw in the yarn shop last fall....just sayin'.

Scrapbook Sunday

Let's just start by sayin' I'm not impressed with the background for my pictures for this post...the shag carpet of my family room doesn't really do my cute pages any justice....so next week I'll try to improve on that! But it's hard to take a picture of something that's 12"x12"......any suggestions???? Well, this is the first page in Cub's Disney scrapbook....He was soooooo excited to get his "ears"...the first thing we did when we went down Main St.



As you can see....I like to tear paper and have used a few Mickey things...and how 'bout Chip in his scooter?....his ankle can't take all that walking, so we rented one for him.....drove me NUTS!!!!!! He and T. were taking turns driving it like they were in the X games....but it was GREEEAAT to pile our stuff in and we got on all the rides super fast in the handicap lane.....worth the $45 a day for a "Fast Pass" onto the rides!!



This page and the previous one are side by side.....I always like to coordinate my paper and accessories...I also used my sewing machine...her name is Bessie,she's a bit temperamental, but that's another story..... a bit to add some interest...As you can see Cubby loooooves Mickey!!! We ate a bunch of Mickey ice cream bars and he got Pup a friend.....her very own Mickey.

What is it Wednesday????

Mini Muffins (or should I say Little Bites this week....they were on sale :) have joined the ranks of what has been featured in my favorite jar! They rank right up there with the way I feel about fruit snacks, Gushers and fruit Roll Ups.....but my kids looooooooooooove them!!!!!!!!!!! They can eat a box a day! I actually hid these until today when I could take their picture, or they would have been gone. I have tried to make mini muffins in the pans I have and put four of them in little Ziploc snack bags.....NOPE! Not the same! They only like the blueberry and chocolate chip...no banana nut. So, I buy them every now and then. It makes me feel like a hero to hear them yell, "YYYYEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!" when they see them in the pantry. Admist all of the police work and no-saying I do over here, hopefully some day they will remember I spoiled them with Mini Muffins!

Check Out This Giveaway!

Be sure to stop over to my friend Saucy's little blog.....you won't be dissapointed! She giving away the cutest valentine bracelet...click HERE to see it...and be sure to peek around...she has THE BEST ideas.......Good luck!!!

Got Squishies????

We do!!!!! They are the latest craze over here......at 25 cents each from the machine at the grocery store it's do-able. And I must admit they are kinda cute. But seriously....these people who think this stuff up are toooo much!!! Why can't I get every little kid hooked on something for a few months and make millions????? Probably because they don't want to knit, scrapbook or do crafts!!!

Cub has a LOOOOOTTT of collections......his beer caps, Bakugans, Pokeman cards....I got 500 on ebay for $9.99! Yes!!...Disney pin collection......that was crazy while we were in Disney...but again I scored on a ton of pins and a portfolio on ebay that "Santa" brought him last year for a fraction of the cost. Then there are all of his stuffed "friends"....Don't get me started on the Star Wars stuff....I was just happy I talked him out of wanting to do his room all in Star Wars stuff! Just a few weeks ago he started a map collection when we were driving home from Buffalo in that snowstorm. We kept stopping at all of the rest stops and he was getting them from the kiosks in there. He also has a marble collection he inherited from the big kids....Dumb. He did skip the Webkinz phase though....getting only 3 or 4. Wheh!!!

But I must say he is organized about them....they are all in bins, folders or special places. But his room is only so big........and he's only six. And I keep getting sucked in to help him with them...hunting stuff down when he's not even with me!? They don't mention this kind of thing in the Mommy Handbook I have....I guess it's just best to roll with it......they are only little once!

Scrapbook Sunday

Hi...Welcome to my first post on my new weekly feature, "Scrapbook Sunday". I have to be honest....I didn't scrapbook this week :( I got sidetracked with more knitting...I had NOTHING to do any afternoon last week and I was able to give a dear friend some knitting lessons......she's making terrific progress and I am soooo happy for her! I hope it will become a lifelong hobby that she will always enjoy...and with just a few more afternoons and evenings left in which I totally planned on starting my scrapbook season....I got the CUTE.EST knitting project in the mail......and I totally got obsessed....hopefully it will be done in the next few days and I will share it with you...trust me....super cute!!

Anywhoo.....I will introduce you to the big project that is waiting for me when I DO GET down to my craft room this week...... Cubby's Disney scrapbook. I actually haven't started his REAL scrapbooks because I want to get caught up on Cindylou and T's...but I wanted to at least do this one for him.....Last year we were all about Mickey Mouse and Disney.....taking our first trip there, and Cub also had a Mickey Mouse birthday party. I actually intended to have this album finished for him for his birthday.....but that was in the middle of T's football season .... I tried sooooo hard, but I still have 8-10 pages to finish...



Here is a collection of Disney type ribbons and a great Mickey Mouse punch. I have used that a BUNCH of times already.....



LOTS of stickers and doo-dads.....I went a little crazy....but I actually put together an album for my cousin...Gerberagirl's... little cutie patootie last summer....they went with us to Disney and I wanted to surprise her with her own album too. So I bought doubles of everything.....for little Tish's album, Cubbys and eventually Cindylou and T's pages....can't have too many cute Disney things!



...and a little assortment of Disney paper....although I haven't used tooo much of it yet....it has seemed a little too busy for many of the pages I have put together so far.



Oh, and here is our Christmas card from 2008....the year we first went. I made sure I packed the kids all a red tee shirt so they all coordinated when I took the perfect picture of them with Mickey. We went at Thanksgiving time and I already had purchased these plain red cards from Target, embellished them myself with silver glitter glue around the edges and used that Mickey punch to punch out silver glittler Mickey's.....then I dolled them up with the bows. They were addressed and stamped and ready to go......just needed that PERFECT picture! So all I had to do when I got home was slip the pictures in and VOILA....our super great Disney christmas cards!!

I Want This For My Next Party!!!

Okay.....if I ever have an outdoor party in the middle of winter with tons of my friends and family, and money is no object .....I want this big, HUGE cupcake ice sculpture!!!!!!! How A.MAZ.ING!!! You could have as many as you want and they would just keep bringing more!! And we would all just stay warm automatically! Yeah!!!

And the Winner is...................

Cubby has been excited all week to help me pick the winner for my first giveaway....he insisted on using the top hat from the magic kit that Santa brought him...



He mixed them all up......



And pulled out a winner!!! Katie! You've won!!!!!!!!! Yeah!! She has a blog in it's early stages ... The Life and Times of a Teaching Mommy Stop on over and check her out.....she has a little cutie patootie named Tyler and teaches a class full of elementary kids during the day....Katie....please get me your snail trail address so I can send out your treats!

Let's Play a Game

Here is an assortment of Cubby's favorite games....he loooooves to play games. We try to play a few times a week....with him going to afternoon kindergarten we usually have time a few mornings a week. I tried to start a family game night that included the older two kiddos as well....but it didn't go over very well. Part of the problem being the age difference....the only way we could do it was if they played his games....and let me just say they weren't thrilled. The one and only night was sheer torture.....although Cub announced several times,"I just wuv family game night"....at which point the older two moaned and rolled their eyeballs. So now it works out great that we play whatever he wants...just the two of us. I know I will ache for mornings like these when he is away from me next year. I'm already dreading when he will be in school all day in first grade.

Also......as a reminder...don't forget to enter my very first giveaway...click here to see all about it....You have one more day!

What is it Wednesday????

Don't you just love the pure white softness of cotton squares?? I do! Which is why my lovely glass canister went on a field trip up to my bathroom this week. And yes, I must stress they are squares...I prefer these over the the "rounds" or the old fashion "balls"......I even found a cute little trial size of them at Target last summer when I was going on vacation...in their own little case...I am a total sucker for anything trial size! So tell me......do you have a preference???? Squares, rounds or balls????? And just for the record I can totally guarantee that Chip would think I am a total nut case to even acknowledge I have a preference on this!!!

Yeah!!!!!!!! My Very First Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been meaning to do a giveaway FOR.EVER!!!!!!!! It's a really cute one! You have the chance to win a super warm and cozy pair of hand-knit mittens.....knit by of course, yours truly----the Treat Girl!! Some chocolates...and how 'bout those Junior Mints are heart shaped???? And a Starbucks gift card......to treat yourself to a hot cocoa or a latte on one of these chilly days.....

There are three ways to enter and win.....choose one or all three...the more the merrier...more chances to win!

1. Leave a comment here......tell me a bit about yourself, something you love about my blog, why you would love to win....anything you'd like to share.
2. Become a follower......I have been stuck at 52 followers FOR.EVER!!! If you love to stop by and check things out....now would be the perfect time to become a follower. All you have to do is create a google account....which just means you need to think of a cute name and a password...that's it! So come on....become a follower it's fun!! :)
3. Give some bloggy love---comment on your own blog about my lil'ol give away and link back to this post.

That's three different ways to enter...Do all three.....3 entries!!! You have until Friday to get busy......That's the day I will have Cubby....my random picker :) pick a name out of a hat and we will notify you of your fab.u.lous luck! I will also post about it so all of blogland can see you was the winner! Thanks so much, have fun....and be sure to enter and tell all of your bloggy friends! Good Luck!

A New Weekly Feature! Scrapbook Sunday!!!

Welcome to my new weekly feature...Scrapbook Sunday! It almost coincided with the beginning of the new year....I missed it by just a few weeks...anywhoo....I'll be sharing with you ideas, layouts, pages I've completed, progress reports and fun new supplies I find along the way...I have to be honest here though...I do have an ulterior...I'm hoping this keeps me on track to keep up on my scrapbooking all year long. As you all know, I have a lot of fun, crafty things that I love to do and they keep my creative juices flowing...but I truly do want to get caught up on my kids scrapbooks.....Cindylou and T's are about 4 years behind...and I haven't even started Cubby's yet!! :( ....although I'm almost finished with his special Disney scrapbook I started this past fall....It has been my plan to get the older two's up to date before I start his......hopefully with this new weekly feature I will be able to produce at LEAST one new page a week! Yeah!!! We'll see.....I've mentioned before that I seem to go through "season's" with my crafts....and traditionally from now until the kids last day of school is my "scrapbook season"....but it also coincides with my "knitting season"....and sometimes I get wrapped up with a knitting project and I can't put it down...I'll try to do better, keeping my crafting well-rounded....I won't even mention the stack of books I have under my nightstand waiting to be read....another thing that I just can't get to....reading! I'm a REALLY bad mom/wife when I'm into a book! But that's a whole nother post!!! ......so, here we go!!!!!! Stop back every week and check it out...

Chef Cindylou Makes Dinner

Tonight was the night Cindylou made our family dinner for her food lab class in school. She had to choose the menu, make a list of ingredients, cook from all food groups, plan out a schedule, take a picture (see above) and write down the recipes for everything.....oh, and help clean up the kitchen :) She chose fruit salad, chicken fajitas and mexican rice, and brownies.....making a dessert was an additional 10 points extra credit.

About 3:30 p.m. I mentioned that she may want to get started on things...maybe bake the brownies awhile....she was like, "What??, It's not even dinner time yet"....of course she was laying on the couch watching iCarly....an episode I have even seen 5 times.

I was nice and defrosted the chicken this morning and sliced it into strips, because I knew that would freak her out. She made the fruit salad and brownies. And had just a tiny bit of help with the fajitas and rice. She learned that when you cut onions they really do make you cry....she thought I had been kidding about this. It was great to sit down and be served too! I felt like we were in a restaurant. Cubby even announced we didn't have to call "991" ....as he calls it :) I could get used to this......maybe she would be willing to take on making dinner one night on the weekend every week.... We'll see :)

What is it Wednesday????

This Wednesday I'm featuring the jar I got T. for his birthday last week....He put it on his desk and filled it with money. We are saving all of our change for our family dream trip to Hawaii. Chip and I went there on our honeymoon almost 17 years ago...and now we all want to go back as a family. We're not sure quite when...we've been hoping he'd win a trip at work...he's been very close....but it hasn't happened yet :( Chip travels 4-5 days a week and stays in Marriots all the time, so we're hoping to use all of the Marriot points toward our hotel....Anywhoo...my mom got T. a digital coin counter for Christmas and he has exactly $100 dollars saved up so far. Actually, I'm the one who contributes the most. I add all of the change I find around the house, in the cars and the dryer. I really just started at the end of the summer....so we were all happy to see how just the quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies we don't even miss can really add up...and the jar isn't even half full.So, why not get a jar and start saving today for something you really want.....what would it be????? Leave me a little comment and let me know....

Cream of Potato Soup

It has been frigid in my neck of the woods for several weeks now.....and I have been in the mood for soup. My sister in law gave me this recipe 14 years ago and it's been a favorite ever since. Sorry this isn't the greatest picture.....I made this for dinner and it was already dark at 5 pm and it didn't turn out that great :(

So if you're looking for a quick and easy soup for a chilly night....gather your ingredients and get busy.....

3 c. chicken broth
1 c. chopped onions
3 c. chopped potatoes
1 tsp. dried dill weed.....ummmm, I looove dill! So I think I used about a Tablespoon.
4 T. butter
5 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cups milk

In a large saucepan combine chicken broth, onion, potatoes and dill weed. Bringto a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

In another saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add to the broth, onions and potatoes. Stir and simmer just a bit more. Enjoy with some delicious bread.

Scrappy Fingerless Gloves

How great are these????!!! I whipped them up yesterday in just a few hours...



I just used a bunch of leftovers I found in my yarn bin when I was in a major flurry of organizing over here last week....




But I have to be honest.......I kinda copied the pair pictured above that I bought for myself and my sister for Christmas from Marshall's.....they were $12.99.....but I HAD to get them so I could figure them out....and I think they turned out pretty great! I've never really written a pattern out that I've made up as I went along....but if you'd like to try them I'll take a stab at it:

I used about 10 different yarns.....and don't worry about them being different textures etc...they are long and get scrunched up so you won't notice.

On size 10 1/2 double pointed needles cast on 22 stitches. Divide evenly onto 3 needles. Work in K one P one ribbing for 12 rows. Then K each color for 4 rows. When you get to the 8th color, work one row. Then work across the stitches on the first needle. Work the first four stitches on the second needle and put them on a stitch holder....a piece of yarn or safety pin works fine. On the next row cast on 4 stitches just above the stitches you took off. You will still have a total of 22 stitches. Finish knitting that color...knit one more color, then switch to the color you want to knit the cuff with....I used black on both ends. Work in K one P one again for 7 rows.Then cast off. To knit the thumb, holding the thumb hole in front of you, slide one needle through 2 of the 4 stitches on your holder. Slide another needle into the other 2 stitches. With a third needle , pick up the left sides of the four stitches you cast off on the top of the hole. With each of the needles on the bottom, pick up 1 stitch on each side of the hole. You will now have a total of 10 stitches. Knit these ten stitches for about 6 or 7 rows, or until desired length of thumb. Then cast off. Weave in any loose ends. Wow!!! My first knitting pattern!!! These are SUPER EASY!!! Perfect for a beginner!!! There is still a lot of winter left....get busy and have fun using up a bunch of leftovers.....knit a few pairs up...treat a friend....I did!! :) Also.....I'm entering in these over at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land DIY day ....Do you have anything crafty and fun you've made that you can enter???

What is it Wednesday????

Girls.......this Wednesday it's yarn. Warm and cozy.....flirty and fun! The possibilities are endless....So many say that knitting relaxes them...but often times I get stressed when I knit! My quiet time is usually limited....I have so many other hobbies I love to do....scrapbooking, writing in my kids journals, making jewelery, reading, keeping up with my blog and all of my fab.u.lous blogging buddies, that I get overwhelmed with my knitting projects. I just can't knit fast enough! There are so many yummy projects I want to get too...and not enough road trips that I can knit for hours in the passenger seat :) But I have high hopes of getting into a few projects soon...I knit a cute little beanie hat in and hour and half over Christmas break....it turned out super cute.... I need to carve out some time every morning to fit in a bit of knitting....because this is also prime scrapbooking season as well.... I usually sneak down to my craft room in the evenings....Here's hoping the treat girl can crank out all kinds of crafty goodies over these next few winter months :)

Happy Birthday T. !!!!!

Happy Birthday T.!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE you're 13 today!!!! A teenager!!! It seems like yesterday we were all tucked away in our hospital room getting to know each other. You were such a good baby...sometimes I even forgot I had you. Cindylou was just 15 months old when you were born...I would put her down for a nap and get my shower while you were snoozing in your bouncy seat. I'd come into to the bedroom and jump because there you'd be smiling at me :) Every year on your birthday I take your picture in Daddy's winter snow boots. Here you are on your first birthday ready to celebrate.



On your second birthday.....not so happy to be wearing the boots :(



Look at how cute you were when you were three! I just can't imagine these big, huge boots ever fitting you...I just want you to stay little.



Here you are five on the fifth of January...I think I may have bribed you this year...you are so happy!



And how fast seven came.....It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Perfect for sledding.



The year you tured it 11 it was soooo warm....it broke the record for that day.....which was actually the day you were born! You spent the afternoon playing street hockey and even had a popsicle to cool off.



And now you're my teenager.....how can that be??! I just want to slow it down....to have more fun, to experience new things, to travel to more places, play more games, take more hikes....it's going by so fast T. You are a funny, sensitive, caring boy....I am so proud of you! Happy Birthday!!!!

Driving Through a Snowstorm

I spent the week after Christmas in Buffalo, N.Y. with my family at my Dad's house. It was my kind of weather week.......snow every day!! I've become famous for bringing on a good storm when I come to town.....even bringing a snowstorm in the middle of October a few years ago. It was just wonderful to be tucked inside with a fire crackling in the fireplace....watching it come down. Well....then it was time to go home. It was just flurrying at my Dad's...Chip headed out earlier in the day with Cindylou and T......they wanted to be home in time to watch the Steelers game. Cubby and I packed up and left about 9:30 a.m. The roads were just wet went we got to the 90...But Chip called to say it was REALLY bad once we got about 40 minutes down the road.....and he was RIGHT!!! The snow started coming down....and I couldn't go much faster than 35-40 miles an hour. It took us 3 hours to get to Erie, PA....which normally takes about an hour and a half.....We took a break at this McDonald's.....and I was seriously contemplating getting a room at a hotel.




But I thought I'd try it a little bit longer......hopefully it would improve once I took the turn south on 79...here is where I got back on the highway...not much improvement :( And I didn't mention my Mom Van doesn't do great in the snow AT ALL!




This was the umpteenth accident we saw.....cars, trucks, tractor trailers and even a State Trooper car stuck in the snow...Cubby lost count.



There wasn't even two lanes clear......just two ruts down the middle part of the way. And I STILL can't over how these stupid tractor trailers barrel through the snow and fly by you.....it's sooooooo dangerous!!! Slow down!!!



And these poor guys were in charge of directing traffic from the north bound lane through that emergency cut through so they could turn around and head south....their lane was closed due to 2 tractor trailers that had jack-knifed and a bunch of cars that had all slammed into each other trying to stop. Anywho.....my trip home normally takes 3 hours 15 minutes without a potty break....and yesterday it was a whopping six hours! My back is still killing me from the stress and gripping the steering wheel and hunching over. I was just too happy to make it home safe and sound!

01.01.10

Happy New Year!!!! Best wishes of health and happiness to all of my favorite peeps!!! 2010.....a new year.....a new decade....Here's to making memories*laughing with friends*hugs to give*projects to complete*drinks to try*cookies to bake*sweaters to knit*bubble baths to enjoy*new jeans to wear*coffee to sip*gifts to give*parties to attend*treats to share*pictures to take*games to cheer for*families to love*treasures to get*beaches to relax on*exercise to relieve stress and anxiety*cuddle time to share*journals to write*scrapbooks to get caught up on*books to read*walks to take*seasons unfolding*candy to eat*holidays to celebrate*life to live......let's get started!!!!!