I've been sooo busy this November and December making presents for Christmas for everyone.

So far I've made:


5 hotpads (aunt & uncle)
1 poncho (friends daughter)
1 baby blanket (friends son)
1 vest/jacket (aunt)
1 filet christmas tree square (mom)
dozens of snowflakes (assorted folk)
1 garbag can made out of hundreds of little circles made out of magazines (grandma)
& now i'm working on a cardigan for my not-so-little guy

if i've got time i'd like to make a few other small items...but i have a feeling i'll be running out of time.

i just love this picture of a bookstore entrance in france.

Can you believe it?  I've read 32 books this year!  Cover to cover!  Every chapter!  Every page!

I have not read this much since I was a kid.  Best of all reading all those books didn't seem like a challenge or a chore.  All this reading has really reminded me how much I love to read and how important reading is to me.

So this 32 covers my goal of 25 books for 2011 and the 7 books I was short from 2010.

I am so pleased with myself.

I need to set a new goal for the remainder of 2011.

What I've Read in 2011 (in no particular order):

1.  How To Survive In Your Native Land by James Herndon
2.  Listen by Renee Gutteridge
3.  Shopaholic Ties The Knot by Sophie Kinsella
4.  Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg
5.  Unless by Carol Shields
6.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
7.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
8.  The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson
9.  Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
10.  One For The Money by Janet Evanovich
11.  Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
12.  Faking Grace by Tamara Leigh
13.  Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella
14.  All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
15.  The Centurion's Wife by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn
16.  A Circle Of Prayer by Holly Bridges
17. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
18.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

January 17 - A bit from Andrew's Room and everywhere else

1 kids workbench
1 baby gate
1 box with about 10 things in it

January 21

1 box with 12 baby things in and 1 garbage bag with 10 baby things in to sent my friends house where it will get used!!!!

12 + 12 + 10 = 34
1777 - 34 = 1743 things left to fling!


We have flung 268 things!

January 22

1 kids easel sent to Value Village
1 box with old ski pants, toys, indoor grill, and stuff - counting as 10
1 big box with Halloween decorations, baby puzzles, toys, and stuff from Andrew's room - counting as 20
our old set of dishes - about 5 mugs, 5 big plates and 2 little plates ('where are the bowls?' you ask...well they all broke months ago.  it seems we're clumsy)

1 +10 + 20 + 12 = 43
1743 - 43 = 1700 things left to fling
We have flung 311 things!

January certainly has been busy for us!

• I received an invitation to attend then United Church Conference Interview Board to become an official candidate to the order of ministry.  The interview is February 9th.
• I wrote 11 pages in response to 15 questions for the United Church Conference Interview Board.  I handed it in on the 26th and have been taking a mental break since then!
• Andrew started Yoga Kids and KinderGym - He seems to really like both of these activities and the Husband reports that Andrew is quite coordinated (which is good because I am very clumsy).
• I trapped my finger in a bank drop deposit box on the 16th and needed a trip to the ER and 6 stitches.  That was a great way to spend a Sunday Afternoon.
• I went on a workshop on how to use MS Front Page (which apparently is obsolete) and have now learned a bit about code and I'm excited to try out my new found knowledge.
• It was like -40 here for a good part of the month.  Good times in Manitoba.  Good times.
• I've been Hive free since the first week of January.  That's exciting.
• We had a dinner party.  I think it went well and our house got a good cleaning!
• I've been steadily working on my yo-yo afghan and I made a pair of slippers!

I think that mostly sums up January.  It has passed quite quickly.  Now, on to the resolutions!


1.  Health And Wellness

Read 25 books in 2011 - I've read 3!
Fling 2011 Things in 2011 - We've flung a lot!

Eat better and Exercise more - I've been eating 2 oranges a day during the week and playing badminton twice a week!

Weekly Honey-Do Jar - Haven't started yet.


2.  Being Green And Activism

1 New Green Item/Activity a Month -Planning to purchase some 'green' dish soap next time we go grocery shopping.
1 New Fair Trade Product a Month - We bought Fair Trade Wine and it was good!


3.  Career And Crafts

Finish that damn cross stitch (maybe) - I took it out of the cupboard...does that count for anything?

Destash down to 1 Plastic Bin And Canvas Bag - I've been destashing.  I'm down to 2 plastic bins, half the canvas bag and 1 basket of little yarns.

Make a totally awesome bedspread for our bed - Still looking for the best pattern ever.


4.  God's Call

Read the New Testament in 2011 - I read 2 books (okay, they were dead short books - Galatians and Titus, but they're still books)
Complete The Leadership Development Module And take 2 MDIV Courses - Waiting to register until after my interview with Conference

5.  Money Matters

$500 in our EF by 2012 - well, we have like $11

Accrue No New Debt! - so far, so good

Build up our Holiday Savings - working on it

Use The Jars/Cash System - we did this for only 1 week this month.  It's hard to not spend willy nilly.

I like it when crafters post pictures of where they do their crafting.  Normally my spot is downstairs in the big comfy chair, but for the last month or so this has been my crafty spot.

My view from the crafty spot

Yep, I've been crocheting on my bed.

It's been pretty chilly outside and the upstairs is warmer then the main floor.  The Husband got a bunch of Xbox games at Christmas and has been playing them.  So while he's doing that I turn on the space heater, settle in with some TV (when I took that picture I was watching Ice Road Truckers, now I'm re-watching Supernatural), and get down to some serious yo-yoing.  Everything I've got fits in to that little basket.  It holds my yo-yo's (I store them in a Juice Carafe, it makes them look pretty), my little balls waiting to be made into yo-yo's, my nail clippers, my hook, and the joining yarn.  I've usually got a book on the bed too and take reading breaks here and there.  Since I've made so many squares, I have had to add another basket to hold all the completed squares.  It's nice being accomplished!


Sometimes, this little guy joins me and lays exactly where all my stuff is.  I don't mind though.  He's pretty adorable.

Bailey, The Dog

Just some snaps of stuff I've made but never blogged about.

2 Dishcloths made out of the Crazy Pattern!

Close Up of One of the Dishcloths

A Mini Bag -- Which was supposed to be a Market Bag -- Dunno what happened to it.

Fingerless Gloves & Scarf in the same style -- Made For Andrew's Teacher I guess his teacher wasn't entirely sure what the fingerless gloves were when she opened the gift.  One of the boys in the class exclaimed, "They're Leg Warmers!"  lol

Close Up of the Scarf details.

I can't remember the last time I posted a picture of my little guy.  It feels like years.  (Okay, I checked.  It was Halloween, so 3 months ago)  Here he is in his in his sweats with his too cool sweater over top his MarioTee.  That's the beanie hat I made for him in the Spring.

The 5's have definitely been my favourite age so far.  He has some interesting ideas about everything and there is so much he can do now!  We have started him in YogaKids and Gymnastics (well, Kindergymn anyways).  He is so so so so close to reading.  I cannot wait for the day when he reads a story to me!  He memorizes songs as well and is still singing Christmas Carols (much to our dismay).  There was a jolly bearded man and Santa was his name-o.  S - A - N - T - A.  S - A - N - T - A.  and Santa was his name-o (sung to the tune of Bingo).


His class is fund-raising and he told us, "kindergarten is raising money to send to poor kids in Minnesota."  We read the letter his teacher sent home about the project and explain that they are fund-raising for poor children in Lesotho, Africa...but he sure as heck doesn't believe us.  He's adamant that they care collecting coins for poor kids in minnesota.  He swears that's what his teacher said.  

I'm glad someone is looking out for the poor kids in Minnesota.  They are so often overlooked. :p

I know what y'all are thinking.  I really do.  I'd be thinking the same thing.

I know you're thinking, "How can this girl have any more scraps?  All she ever does is de-stash and make things from leftovers."  To be honest, I'm starting to wonder the same thing.  Where does it all come from?  I know a lot of it comes from other people.  My grandma, aunts, and all their little Senior Citizen friends have donated their leftover yarn to me over the years.  Some of it came from actual projects I have done.  Some of it mated with each other and made new yarn.  Honestly.  Girl Guides honour.

Years ago, I started to make Yo-Yo's with the purpose of making an afghan out of them.  I made hundreds of them and then lost interest in the project.  I seem to remember not wanting to join them up because I didn't like the joining stitch.  They sat there for years until just after Christmas when I found a new way of joining the yo-yo's on Ravelry (Oh Ravelry, how I love thee).  Basically, instead of joining all the yo-yo's together one after the other, you make them into 4 x 4 blocks.  Like this:


I love the idea of making the yo-yo's into 4 X 4 blocks with a nice border instead of just monotonously joining them together one after the other...

I had to edit the pattern quite a bit because it calls for yo-yo's with a 15 stitch circle...but mine only have 12.  The first couple of blocks I made are a little wonky...but I've got everything under control now.

I love watching the stack of my squares grow.  I pile them up and move them around and lay them out flat all in a row and then pile them back up again. They all look so lovely.  I've played with colour combinations (like all red yo-yo's), done them in colour rows, made patterns, and enjoyed the pure randomness of the yo-yo's as well.

The only downside to this project is all the ends that need weaving in.  There is a lot of stopping and starting in each square.  I am definitely not looking forward to that.  I wonder if Andrew is old enough to learn how to weave ends in?