Here is a picture of a teddy bear that took me only 25 minutes to crochet. I gave "Ted" to a friend of mine's 2 year old.

Here are some of my doilies that I made. I love pineapples, can you tell?

Here is an afghan that I made for my 10 year old second cousin. Her mother was having problems with her landlady about getting their furnace fixed and I really didn't want Kayla to freeze in these Montana Winters so I whipped up a twin sized afghan in her favorite colors. I used RH WW Dark Orchid, Orchid and Aran and a Q hook and the stitch is SC. I thought it was heavy like a quilt and Kayla adores it. My cat Kaleigh thought it was for her but I decided to make a granny square afghan in black and white to match her colors too.

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Well, I still haven't been able to get any of my pictures put on here or at Crochetville. I am a bit frustrated but oh well. The time will come when I will be able to do so. I finished a twin bed size afghan for my 2nd cousin for her birthday using some awesome colors and a Q hook. The colors are Dark Orchid, Orchid, and Aran. I still have some left over so I decided to join the Giant Granny Square Afghan CAL at Crochetville. I am really excited about this. My aunt, who happens to live next door is battling cancer and so I opted to make her an afghan using the colors she primarily has in her bedroom. Black and white. Simple yet the afghan will be elegant. She is really cold all of the time and has a chemo catheter in her chest so the nurses don't have to poke her all the time when she goes in every week. This is her 5th bout with the cancer. First, it was in her breast, which had to be removed, then her other breast, which didn't have to be removed, thank goodness, then in her ribs,
its in her bones AND legs. Recently, we found out that she has Uterine Cancer. Poor thing! Of course, she is in our prayers. She was told by her Doctor that she should quit smoking but she has been a smoker since she was 12. Its going to be hard but she refuses to quit. Its her battle but my uncle is suffering along with her.

I went down to Arizona this summer and had all these great plans to go to Tombstone to show my little girl where I went to school and other places that I knew. But my brother, a control freak, didn't take us around like he promised. He claimed to have a bad back. He was whiney and a pain in the neck. He wouldn't let ANYONE except his wife drive his car. He has two laptop computers. I asked to use it and I was only allowed to use it for a little bit. In fact, I was timed! The next day I asked to use it my brother told me that Lisa took it to work with her. I couldn't even BREATH on his new one. He has a jealousy problem. He is two years older than me and he hates me. Before I found out that I was pregnant in 2001, the day before actually, he literally threated to kill me. What happened was he was living with my parents and my now ex-husband and I moved back to the states and mom was complaining about my bro's laziness. Well, being the good daughter that I was, I picked a fight with my brother. He was vicious! He yelled and screamed at me in front of my mother and then he threatened me. His exact words were, I want to kill you and when I do,you the police will have to drag me off of your corpse because I am going to make sure you are dead. A few days later, I found out that I was pregnant and my brother was in the room when I told my mother (my husband left me the day before to go back to Canada because he was a big baby and didn't like how he couldn't control me) My brother looked ill and left the kitchen and stayed in the bedroom for the rest of the day with his wife. Another thing about my ex-husband. He was married before and he divorced his first wife on the grounds of adultery. But I have been curious about the circumstances of WHY she did it. After leaving him on the 20th of April for the last time, I called her in June and asked her what happened in her marriage. Turns out that he did everything that he did with me. He controlled me, played mind games with me, told me I wasn't good enough, emotional and mental abuse. Always made fun of my weight...he did the same with Sharon. Nothing either his first wife or I did was good enough to please him. That was the end for me. I saw through his final trick and when I did, he turned it around onto me telling me :what part of dont screw around with me didn't you understand?
He was mad because I didn't play into his plans and called his bluff. He hated the fact that I outsmarted him and ended our relationship. He makes me sick. Looking back on my 5 years with him, I realized how much of a mistake I made to marry him. He is a closet homosexual who is fighting every aspect of admitting it to himself and coming out with it. I feel so sorry for his first three kids and my beautiful daughter. I refuse to speak negatively about him around her or to her. She is only 4 and a half and she misses daddy. I tell her that I understand how she feels and I love her very much. So far she hasn't said much about him. I hope she moves on and continues to bond with her heavenly father who has helped me through so much. My interests now lie with God. He sees all things that happen and knows both sides to every story. I don't care if Darren, my ex, tells his version of the story. I have faith that God knows the whole truth and will take care of Darren and his destructive behavior. We both think we told the truth to our families but I know that I didn't leave anything out about what I had done and what he did as well. He has told stories and twisted things around. I am so glad that I don't have to deal with him anymore.

Well, I know I haven't posted in ages. I am down in Arizona visiting my brother and sister in law. I have been working on crochet and I am excited to say that I have pictures! I need to figure out how I can do it on my brother's computer. I am eagerly awaiting for the day I get my own home PC so I can really show off my work. I have made several doilies for my aunt but I have to take those pictures. I am working on a filet crochet sampler and a poncho for my s-i-l. I am even swearing off sports as well since I made a complete fool of myself on the superbowl. Don't worry. I am trying to behave myself and just focus on crochet when I am on crochetville.

That superbowl really ticked me off! I have never in all my life seen a game handed over like a head on a plater. My goodness! I wonder what kind of payoff the Hawks received! My poor brother, never once lost faith in Seattle and he said after watching that game, he was really disappointed in them. I guess money can really make one make stupid decisions. On the other hand, the Steelers haven't won a superbowl since the late 70's. Ye of little faith! I really wanted Seattle to take the trophy but I guess we all can't get what we want. But Seattle! You finally got your name up there in the big books with all the other teams. At least you got your championship ring! You are the NFC Champions! 'nuff said!

I have to admit I got a bit cocky on C'ville while rooting for the birds. But, hey! Who hasn't ever made a fool of themselves in their life before? I was just sharing my opinion, which is my right. But I never really ever got rilled up over the superbowl before. Never had a reason to. So I opened mouth and inserted foot but that doesn't mean I appreciate people gloating over it. What is done is done. Steelers won and Seattle is still the NFC Champions. Even in school I was always low key about things like sports. When my friends would make fun of my favorite baseball team (the yankees) I let it go. When they won the Penant and the World Series...I didn't whoop it up and brag about them winning. But the first time in my life I made a fool of myself online with a group of people whom I consider friends. Now I feel really stupid for such an action.

Now, back to Crochet: A wonderful lady is allowing me to test one of her awesome doilies. The Emerald's Song Doily. I had some difficulty with round 7 and I kept frogging it over and over for a total of 5 times. Finally, last night around 1 am I figured it out and voila! I am now on round 11 and going strong! Its a beautiful pattern and I feel honored to be able to test such a masterpiece by a crochet artist. Lately, I have been wanting to crochet doilies more than working with WW yarn. I still have to stitch together my squares from the blue squares too swap. Maybe its a bad slump but I still have YAS (yarn aquisition syndrome.) I feel terrible....I need to apologize to Elizabeth about my rooting and saying terrible things about the Steelers. I am so ashamed. I will never live this one down....

Ok, spam is really offensive! I know people like to work at home and use their PC to earn money but sending email about non important information like home mortages is just down right rude! I mean, I don't want your stinking information on my blog sight or in my email. I am not interested in garbage. That is why I put my garbage out to the side of the street every monday to be taken away. Anyway, so nothing really exciting has been happening to me so far....work is work and I finished crocheting the purse for the Crochetville Purse swap. I just haven't sent it out yet because this coming Saturday is a scrapbooking crop that a friend of mine is having and I am sorta helping out with that and I am working on a book for mom for her first child that passed away when she was 2 years old. Then payday is on the 28th and maybe then I will be able to send off Kathy's purse. I do so hope she likes it. I feel kinda silly to see people showing off my work at Crochetville when I send it to them. Compared to other FPs that I see on there, I feel so inferior. Oh well, at least I am trying and I have my psuedo-health. HA HA. This week school is out from Thursday to Monday and my daughter's class has a bunny. The teacher is going out to Billings for the comfrence and there is no heat in the school in the weekends. At the parent confrence, I was volunteered to take the bunny home until tuesday when my little girl goes back. Lucky us. I brought the thing home and was sick to my stomach because my dad is not a happy camper when you bring another animal into the house when you have 4 cats and 3 fish residing in your home. Well, the bunny (I call it Bunn Bunn) made herself at home and played with Kaleigh and Abby. Technically, Kaleigh watched it from the distance as did Abby but it was adorable to see this little bunny hopping around the living room "chasing" Abby. Sarah had a ball! This morning, I let the bunny out and Sarah went around with a kleenex saying "It pooped It pooped!" I had to laugh but I was adamant that she didn't do the cleaning up. I did that but it was funny to have her giving commentary about the bunny business. I introduced Bootsie to the bunny today. I have never seen her to attentive to anything before! She just stared and stared. Of course in the end, all the cats seem to accept the bunny. Even dad was thrilled. But this is not going to be a permanent thing at our house. I have to keep bunn bunn away from my yarn stash......

You know, being alone with my daughter seemed so tough at the beginning. Now, I think we are working a decent stride. Living with my parents is a bummer though but at least I have a roof over my head and a family that is interested in my well being. I started working with the home health agency I worked with before I got married in 2000. Every time I came to live in Montana, I would always go back to Spectrum and work until I had to go back up to Canada. Well, no more bouncing back and forth. I am working minimal hours but hopefully on monday I can get back up to parr. See, last week I broke my big toe and since I have to walk around alot, the pain is excuiating! But now, its bearable and I am training myself to think positively and keep going not to fall back and complain and quit like I used too. I finished the scarf for the winter scarf swap and just today I sent off the baby afghan that I promised someone to make when she was bitten by a spider and her shoulder had to be immobilized. My cat, Kaleigh, thinks that all things crocheted belong to her and she has to give her approval of the item. She likes to "sing" at night and she drags out crocheted items to me when I am in the living room. Well, needless to say, she brought out this afghan that I made and the little ends of yarn came out after I tucked them in. I love Kaleigh! So with the same yarn that I crocheted the blanket I made a toy mouse for her. I even put stuffing with cat nip in it just for her. The result? She won't touch it because Abby and my mom's cat, Asher have taken it over. Asher is part persian and part tom. He has the persian body and tom face and paws. He is such a big baby and expects everyone to baby him. I cannot stand him. Truth be told, he used to be my cat but since I went away to Job Corp when I was 21, he adopted my mom. He irks me royally because he complains when he doesn't get the attention he "THINKS" he deserves. It drives my mother's blood pressure through the roof because he is the most narssistic cat and demands sole attention. He complains a lot so I call him "Sir Asher Whines Alot". Mom thinks that this name suits him but he whines about it. Now, Asher has a bladder stone and he pees on my parents bed, on the walls in the cat room and licks himself incessently!!!! My dad complains about the bed and the washing but he has a retreat: WORK. He isn't at home when Asher complains about not being able to pee and complains to mom that he is not getting the exact amount of attention that he demands. My mom's other cat, her siamese Bootsie, has thyroid problems and has to take medicine for the rest of her life for this. Well, when it is time for Bootsie's med's, like a typical cat, she runs and hides. But her medicine is liquid and poultry flavored. Asher has a hissy fit because HE thinks he should have everything that everyone else has. Asher wasn't our first cat when we adopted him from the pound, you see. But he feels he should have PRIORITY in everything in the house. He and Bootsie are boyfriend and girlfriend (even though they are fixed). Bootsie likes to cuddle with him at nap times and when he wants her there, he is docile and quiet but when he is in his mood (doesn't matter if he is hurting or not) he doesn't want to be bothered. My dad doesn't see the many sides of Asher. My mother has tolerated Asher's antics for a long time and now, she is tired of Asher always demanding to be held, his whining at everyone.....Sarah would be walking to the bathroom and he whines at her. This is not communication, people! I have been around cats for a long time and I have been called at times the Cat Whisperer because I do communicate with the feline species. Asher just doesn't like people being around when he wants ALL the attention for himself. He is in a very selfish mode in his life. Well, Asher has been selfish since we brought him home. Anyway, to make a long story short, my mother wants to put Asher down because not only does he have a blocked bladder stone, but he has bad teeth and they need to be pulled. Mom and Dad do not have that kind of money! Dad doesn't want Asher put down. Dad doesn't understand that he is suffering but it doesn't matter. Bootsie is only 8 years old and has an absessed tooth that needs to be pulled too and this thyroid problem. Mom wants to end Bootsie's misery but Dad is like, "keep giving her the medicine, she will be ok". My dad doesn't understand how Bootsie feels. She hisses at Kaleigh and Abby a lot and those two don't do anything. Asher is in a lot of pain but he thinks that his Mommy will get the stone out. Surgery is too expensive, Asher will not take his pill, he pukes it up....we tried a variety of ways to get that pill in him but he is allergic to them. The Vet and my father really are prolonging death. One way or another they will be taken care off. I don't know. Maybe my dad thinks I am too verbal in my knowledge as to what is going on inside the cat's mind. But then again, my dad grew up on a farm and cats were not pets then. Ok, enough about the cats. I have to search for a medium purse pattern that has short handles for the purse/tote swap I am in. That starts today and I would like to get this started.

Ok, I know I have been slacking off in the crochet department. Well, that isn't really true. I have been working on the scarf for Amanda on Crochetville for the winter scarf swap. Maybe I have bitten off more than I could chew. I took my name off two swaps BUT I was silly enough to join the purse/tote swap. Am I really crazy? Sarah is starting school tomorrow, my husband seems to be doing better but I am still unemployed. I did sign on at a temp agency but who knows where that will lead. I just wish I could just pack things up and move to a place that I know I will have a good paying job, a nice home that the rent is do-able. Things are just not working out as I had hoped they would. Crazy, but I feel like I am slipping away further down into the black hole of depression. Lucky me.

Tonight I am going to be going to a parents orientation for the Co-op school that I am putting my little girl in on the 10th of this month. I need for her to start interacting with children her age. The program is exactly what I want for her. The class room size is only 16 and some idea's are montisorri based and kindergarten like. I like the instructor and how she has set up everything Sarah really liked what she saw, I think. This is going to be about 2 days a week and I think that will help break up her days. I hope she does well in school. I hated math and I hope she can cope with it. Reading, writing and crafts are my thing in life. Oh, one day we were watching PBS and Bob Ross was painting(of course it was a rerun) and I mentioned to Sarah that she could paint like that if she put her mind to it. She got all excited and now she wants to paint like "Rob Boss" What a sweetie!

Dear Gentle Reader,

Today I have been really tired. I have a dishcloth in the works and silly me, I started up another one. I had a horrible migraine headache and so I limited my time online. I am definitely drawn to Crochetville and Yahoo messenger for some reason or another. This afternoon, when my headache was unbearable, I laid down on my couch around 1:30 pm and didn't wake up until 6:15 pm!!!! What a waste of a day! I could have been crocheting! Haha. Tomorrow afternoon, I will be moving back down to Montana from Canada. I am a bit nervous about this move but I got to make it work. Have to save my money and get on my feet. I don't know how to budget because I have a terrible habit of spending money right away on yarn, thread, patterns...etc;. I know I know! I have an addiction! But I am not complaining. My family is! LOL I am taking a U-Haul Large box with me that has all of my crochet, crafting items with me. I would be insane to leave that all up here when I need it with me. I am working a baby afghan for a friend on Crochetville, that is coming around nicely...just have to pick it up again. My squares for the swap are completed. I have 2 dishcloths done and working on another one. I volunteered to do 10...5 crocheted by me and 5 crocheted by my husband. Well, that is all for now...I will keep you posted!

Well, everyone! I just hit 500!!! 500 posts on Crochetville, that is! And today my husband is being discharged!! It is a wonderful wednesday so far. I wanted to post some pictures of my cat, Kaleigh but I have been having some difficulty doing so....alas! No pics of my baby. Oh well. I signed up for the dishcloth swap and I made my first one last night. Its a Pineapple Dishcloth and I absolutely love it!! I love anything made with Pineapples. Now I am working one a round dishcloth. Not using any pattern in particular, just making it up as I go. I am also working on a Crochet along....for Thread! I am still working on this Heirloom Table Topper in a Hunter Green to go in my bedroom. The first one I made was in a frosty green colour which actually ties in the bedspread and so its going to have a Hunter green one to accent it. I have burgandy curtains that I made hanging on my windows so its going to be easy on the eyes. I love the colour green. I haven't heard from my secret swap partner, sister mysteriosa...I hope she is ok. I worry about people. Its a natural tendency, I guess. I signed up for the Winter Scarf swap too. These swaps are so addicting...or maybe its just the buttons I'm after...LOL Who knows for sure, right? This weekend I am going to Montana to house sit for my parents but I am going to be staying there. Have to get a job and start saving up my money so I can get into a decent place there, in the states that is....I have been dreaming about moving to Tennessee for some reason. Never been there and I think it would be a nice change from being out West all my life...Well, not counting being born in Viriginia and living in Ontario after marrying my husband. Well, enough rambling. I will close for now.

Well here is one of my creations...its called a floor doily. I used three strands of yarn (2 yellows and one pink). I had the yarn left over from Sarah's "hug" that I crocheted for her. I will get a pic of her holding her hug and post it here. I made this thing in about one week because it works up fast with a Q hook. I have it in my kitchen but the only downside to it is that it likes to slip around. Sarah has a blast with it. She says she is skating. My cats, Kaleigh and Abby love lying on it. They have to give their approval on everything that I crochet. Its a good thing they are not here while I am crocheting my squares for the swap I am in. They are in Montana with Sarah while I am resting up.

I just finished reading a post at Crochetville and I just had to add this pic. Since I really don't know how to post a pic at the forum, I will just link everyone here to see Miss Abby in all her embarrassing glory. I wish I would have taken a pic of her when she was a kitten and the dress did fit her...oh well. What do you think? She really didn't mind getting dressed up for her photo opportunity. Abby wants to be a model when she is old enough...LOL

First of all, I want to send out a warm hug and thank you to all my friends from Crochetville. You really have helped me out in this difficult time. I am feeling alot better and doing much more every day. My dd is in the states with her grandparents and I have had a lot of time to focus on my crocheting. But I am missing her terribly. I have offered to help a fellow member on Crochetville to crochet an afghan for her nephew but I ran out of yarn and I have to wait until I get a check from the government to continue. She was awfully kind to ask if she could help and I really hate to ask people for money. I find it embarrassing to do so. Anyway, I have been dieting and so far I have lost 5 lbs. I want to go slow at first because I don't want to end up being in the hospital. Lord knows, I have too many financial obligations to up hold. I have been making new friends online and I am really looking forward to going to New York to visit one of them. I have been saving up for this trip and it has been in the planning stage long before dh got ill. I feel bad to leave but he ensures me that I do need to take a holiday. And I know my dear parents won't mind looking after their only grandchild. I won't be going there until after I am done housesitting for my parents though. They have to go to Washington State, to my Uncle's to spread my grandmother's ashes. She passed away back in June or July....goodness! I cannot even remember my own grandmother's passing! My age is really catching up to me now! And I am only 31! Mom and Dad have 2 cats and I have my 2 cats down there so I will be taking care of them and my DD before I go on my trip. I am so excited! I will be taking the bus so I will definitely have my crocheting with me! But before I leave, I will have sent off my secret pal's package before then.....I am so excited about all this!

This past weekend, I had a bit of an accident. While visiting my family in the states, I tripped and fell at my Grandmother's house. I was walking into the kitchen and my foot snagged the area rug and down I went, right onto my stomach!!!! Everyone was trying to help me up but I was trying not to cry. This is exactly how I miscarried the last time and I was afraid that I was going to lose another baby. You see, I have a history of being a klutz. My aunt threw out the area rug and kept apologizing to me and everything. My mind was on the baby. I was 8 weeks along before I fell. Later, that night when I was getting ready to lay down in bed, I miscarried. My DH held me after cleaning up because I was a blubbering mess. I still am. We went to the ER and there was nothing to be done because it was so early in the pregnancy and the Ultrasound showed there was nothing left behind. It was a clean SA as the nurse called it. This was my 5th miscarriage and I don't think I will be able to go through this again. I am going through a serious depression right now and I am hoping that crocheting will help me overcome this devastation. I don't know if it will or not, though.

Well, I am frustrated! I am so mad that I cannot post my pics of crocheting on here! I so badly wanted to share my work and this is disappointing. Well, I know that patience is a virtue and God is not too happy to hear me complain. wah! This is so unfair!! There, my tantrum is finished for now. My dh is working at the honey farm and yesterday, he actually brought out a comb to show our dd where honey comes from. I should have taken the wax and melted it down to make a candle but silly me, I was like a child in a candy store....fresh honey straight from the comb. That was a first for me. I am going to get more beeswax from there today for free. Then I will put my hand in candle making for the first time. I do so love the idea of making things from scratch and not having all the fun taken out by buying it from a store. I know that I have a Secret Pal out there and so I won't spoil the surprise of what I have for her. But you know, being on Crochetville really has enlightened me a great deal. To my shame, I thought crochet was a dying art and that I was catching on the tail end of it. Not to be so! In fact, crochet happens to be one of the most top fibercraft out there besides knitting. But Crochet is older than knitting, isn't it? I know the French Nuns started it and then took it to Ireland when they went over there some time in history. If I am ignorant in posting this, please feel free to correct my thinking. I do so appreciate imput from friends. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Today, on the Forum, I read that one of my fellow crocheters is suffering from a spider bite and her shoulder is out of commission, having to be immobile. I offered to help her crochet anything that she had to work on. So, she presented me with a baby blanket project for her nephew. This works for me because I will be working on a layette for my new little bundle of joy! I am thinking of a quick and easy afghan that calls for three strands of yarn and the Q hook. It works up quick and it will be cuddly too. This will be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to this project. This evening, I found out that my USB port doesn't work and I cannot download my digital camera pics to the computer. I am not happy about this. Oh well, life has its little quirks, doesn't it?

Well, back home in the Hat, my dh is at hospital for tests, my dd made a huge mess of my RH orchid yarn that I am in the process of unravelling. I had read earlier another blog where one of my fellow crocheters sister is battling Cancer of the Throat. Cancer is such an ugly disease but it affects us in different ways emotionally. But we do become depressed along with the sufferer, we hurt with them, we just wish the pain would alleviate somehow. My dd doesn't understand about Daddy being sick, she is only 3. I have found it is easier to tell her that daddy's tummy is making him hurt really bad. She is so emphatetic. When she hears her daddy vomitting in the bathroom, she looks awful worried and when he comes out she tells him, "don't worry daddy, the bug will not stay in the tummy much longer." Where she came up with that, I have no clue. Well, I sort of finished unravelling the yarn but I have to finish some more squares now. I have to get a baby layette pattern out for the baby I found out that we are going to be having in March. Both my mother and brother, not to mention my dd were all born in March. Now, our new one will join us in that wonderful month. I am so excited!