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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

"If I Were President" a third grade perspective...

Every so often, my girls bring home little gems from school that warm my heart. With the recent presidential election, the Taylor's class has been discussing our government and the presidency. I found this essay that she wrote a few days ago and decided to share it. Here is what it says:

If I were president I would make more hospitals because I want the world to be safe and healthy so no one will get sick. If I were president I would have safe homes for animals because they help the Earth to be healthy and clean. If I were president I would help people that are poor and do not have a lot of money. If I were president I would give to the poor and the good. If I were president I would plant trees and save the whole entire Earth! If I were president I would save the people of the Earth. If iwere president I would be safe, thankfull, nice and forgiving to every thing in the whole entire world.


If only we could all be so pure in mind.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Support Crafters this holiday season

I really dislike buying gifts when they seem - unoriginal. I find that sometimes my gifts feel that way. So, I was thinking about this and decided that I'm going to try to do some of my shopping at Etsy this season. I have both Christmas and birthdays coming up, so I've already started searching. www.etsy.com You can shop on Etsy by area, city, state, etc. so that you can support your local crafters. Also, you can shop by holiday, person you are buying for, etc. - this just helps your search since there are 1,000's of products on the site. Today I purchased a coffee cozy set - I'll be giving one to my mom and to my sister in law for her birthday. I'd like to mention that this is a nice "green" idea so that you no longer waste paper with the sleeves they give you at Starbucks and other coffee shops. Here is a picture and the link to the Etsy shop (KnittyBitties): knittybitties.etsy.com.

Here are some other interesting shops that I found on Etsy...check them out:

CoffeeHouseSuds.etsy.com
morganstreet.etsy.com
urbbody.etsy.com
gamiworks.etsy.com - Japanese Inspired Candle sets - CUTE!
Lockette.etsy.com
naiad.etsy.com
janinekingdesigns.etsy.com
littlefishbigpond.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Blogger is lame, but for a good reason...

A few days ago, I posted some pictures of probably one of the cutest hats ever. I was going to sell these hats for Christmas, but I've decided to refrain from doing so this year. One reason for this is because of time. I just didn't think about the fact that I should have started earlier to get this done. Also, as you might have seen from my previous post (from yesterday) it is really apparent that there are children and babies in need. SO - I'll be doing some small charity knitting projects for this cause and for Colorado Children's Hospital. I encourage you all to use your talents this season to benefit those in need.

After sitting down and coming up with samples and designs, I will be selling the hats. This just isn't going to happen before Christmas. So thanks to all who inquired.

T

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A new reason to come together as Americans

I understand that not everyone knits or crochets, but for those who do please read on and participate. For those who don't, please read on and enjoy the fact that we can work as a team to help people and cause change. Change can only happen with actions. Below I've pasted today's blog from Vickie Howell (popular in the knit and crochet community). Also, I've posted the link to her blog with this post.

http://vickiehowell.blogspot.com/2008/11/knit-one-save-one-with-warm-up-america.html

"Knit One Save One, with Warm Up America!


Check out this Warm Up America press release about an exciting new program that we can all participate in. I'll definitely be knitting one, to save one! xo, Vickie


Big Stars Make Little Caps to Help Newborn Babies

Knitters and crocheters nationwide are mobilizing to help save babies lives. And there are a list of prominent knitting and crocheting celebs who are doing their part as well, including Save the Children Artist Ambassador Gwyneth Paltrow, actresses Rebecca Romijn, Debra Messing, Lisa Edelstein, Vera Farmiga, Mischa Barton and Patricia Arquette.

The campaign is called Knit One Save One and it’s sponsored by Save the Children (STC), the global health organization, and Warm Up America (WUA), the industry charity that works with volunteer knitters and crocheters to provide afghans and clothing for people in need. (For all of you crocheters out there, our apologies for being left out of the name. Our friends at STC came up with the name before we were onboard, but this is definitely for crocheters as well as knitters.)

The campaign is bringing U.S. knitters and crocheters of all ages together to draw attention in Washington, D.C. to the nearly 4 million newborn deaths that occur each year in developing countries. Participants are asked to create one baby cap to keep a newborn warm during the first critical hours and days after birth, and to write a personal note to the President-elect asking him to lead the way in reducing newborn deaths globally.

The campaign that kicked off at the end of August will continue through December 31, 2008. Early next year, Save the Children will take the personal notes to the new President to Washington, D.C. The caps will be distributed to mothers and newborns through Save the Children’s community health facilities in Africa and Asia.

Hollywood’s biggest stars made little caps in all colors and wrote personal messages to the mom and baby on a tag attached to the cap. Gwyneth Paltrow knitted a raspberry-colored baby cap gathered at the top and finished with charcoal trim. Paltrow’s cap tag says: “As a mother of two children who mean everything to me, I share your joy. Love Gwyneth.”

All of the leading ladies’ baby caps and cap tag messages can be viewed at www.savethechildren.org/knitonesaveone. An interactive web game on this page lets fans match the caps to their favorite stars. To view a special video message from Lisa Edelstein, visit Save the Children’s nonprofit channel on YouTube at www.savethechildren.org/youtube. To download a Knit One, Save One action kit, which includes cap patterns, cap tag and more information about the program, go to www.savethechildren.org/knitonesaveone, or call 1-800-728-3843. Knitters and crocheters can also download patterns at the Warm Up America web site: www.WarmUpAmerica.org."

Monday, November 3, 2008

Lame Blogger posts the hat picture!

In reference to my earlier email regarding custom hats, I never posted a picture. Thinking this would be ok for a short time until I found the picture proved that I'm pretty lame for thinking that was ok. So here you go my friends...that hat...






And a close up shot...
Taylor is about 4 months old in this picture and wore this hat for the rest of the cold-ish season (it was California...doesn't last too long).

Gift giving - time to plan ahead!

Hi everyone! I'm back!!! After a series of stressful busy weeks & family business, I'm back in the game. All of a sudden it occured to me that I need to plan for my Christmas gift giving...not to mention the 5-6 birthdays that I have coming up in November and December!

Just a reminder, my mom is still selling Avon and you can shop and have your order shipped directly to you if you use her website: www.youravon.com/joeylane. All order over $40 receive free shipping. I really love the Liiv Botanicals product line - these are not harsh on your nor the environment. I've been using their face line for several months now and I'm hooked!

Coming Soon! Custom Child and Baby hats! These are modeled after a hat that Taylor had when she was a baby. She wore it ALL the time and we loved it. Her had - shown below - had flowers worked in with the yarn. My hats (for time sake) will be simple striping or will have a simple design - like a heart, flower, or another cute motif that boys may like. The nice thing about this hat it that it is square so it can fit a child for quite a while. You'll all be notified once the hats are available. If you would like a custom color, design, etc., please feel free to let me know and we'll discuss options. Once the hat is up, I'll let you all know.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Back to the grind...

What do you get when you have...
an Ipod...













Some shoes...


A treadmill...



And me...



A smart girl! Yep, I'm back to the grind and on my treadmill again. I really slacked off this Summer - not a good idea. I realized as I started that my muscles were super tight and I needed to start off slow. That really stinks - you get to a great place in your physical workouts and then you have to start from ground zero after taking a LONG break from it. Oh well - at least I'm back on track. So, I started with 2.25 miles at 3.5 mph. It took about 36 minutes and I was actually able to get my heart up to an aerobic rate. I thought I could only achieve "fat burn" or "max burn", so I was surprise and happy to reach a max heart rate.

My Ipod is the vessel that keeps be moving on the t-mill so that I don't get bored. Below is a sample playlist to check out. Maybe you'll be inspired to get into shape, also. Enjoy...

(Oh and you'll have to pause the playlist at the bottom of my blog in order to hear this. And if the player doesn't load properly just click on "pop-out player".)



Friday, September 5, 2008

Flikr Mosaic




This is a cool thing I learned on a fellow Ravelry member's blog. Here is how you play:
type your answer to each question below into
Flickr Search
using only the first page of results, pick an image
copy and paste each URL into
fd's mosaic maker
blog it!








The Questions:
What is your first name? Tami
What is your favorite food? cheese
What high school did you go to? clayton
What is your favorite color? red
Who is your celebrity crush? John Cusack
What is your favorite drink? coffee
Dream vacation? Italy
Favorite dessert? chocolate
What do you want to be when you grow up? graphic designer
What do you love most in life? family
One word to describe you? constant
Your flickr name? zteamtami


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Lilo and Stitch Dance Party!

I couldn't sign off tonight without posting a silly video of Quin and the girls dancing to the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack.

Ok - goodnight!

For you Ang...


It's another sick day for me. Quin is sick, also. So it was a day of cranky baby and cranky mommy.


I did speak to my friend, Angie, about Gordon Ramsey and I mentioned one of his cookbooks that I'd like to get. So, Ang - this post is for you:





And now I leave you all to go fold clothes, knit a few lines and blow my nose with the first sentence from Gordon Ramsey's "Fast Food":


"A well stocked pantry is essential to fast cooking."


Smart man...

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Trying to get my mind off the refi woes...

So, I've had some good and not-so-good news with my impending refi. So...

I'm trying to get my mind on better things to come. Could it be a new pattern for me? I'm currently working on a sweater (FOR ME!!!) from Stitch Diva - it's a top down knit pattern, which has provided some challenges, but I'm not giving up. I'm really digging their new pattern, so check it out.

http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SDS-049

If I knit this one, I think I'll do the short sleeve pattern rather than the long sleeved.
I encourage you to check out their patterns online - they are figure flattering and really quite beautiful.

Now I'm happy! =>

Monday, September 1, 2008

Wake Me Up When September Ends...

No just kidding...I'm glad it is September. August was full of fun and memories, but it could have been one of the most stressful months so far this year. Although I'm sporting a nasty cold that seems to be getting worse - I think this week will be better than the last few. Not sure why I feel this way - maybe I'm just being positive. That works for me!

I leave you tonight with positive thoughts for a wonderful September! Sweet dreams...

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Zoe Bag by Carolyn Mader

Awesome designer Carolyn Mader has a bag called Zoe on her site.
This pattern is free and so cute! Don't forget to take a peek at her other patterns. These bags are unique, creative and quite beautiful. Christmas is coming soon, so get your wool, needles and start felting some gifts!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Green Bathroom

I just received an email from the National Geographic Green-Guide-To-Go. Very interesting tips for making your bathroom - green. They mention bamboo towels and I have to say I've been told bamboo sheets are awesome - so maybe I'll try the towels too!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The BIG CIRCLE can help save the earth.

So, I have this thing I call the "big circle". I've always had the Big Circle, but now it seems more relevant than ever. Why? The cost of gas. I know I know...I'm sick of hearing and complaining about it, too. Just hear me out, though, because you might add the Big Circle to your routine. Today I had several errands to run, but I find I save time and gas if I plan out a quick map of where I'm going from home - then errands - then home. It's really a BIG CIRCLE that I drive in. Today went like this:

  • Home
  • Bank
  • Sonic - get the poor starving kids some lunch before I rip my hair out
  • Drop off donations
  • Post Office
  • Recycling Center
  • Home

Now your circle will probably look different than mine, but instead of stressing out, wasting gas and driving zig zags all over town the cirlce just makes sense. So, next time you have a bunch of time consuming errands - take 2 minutes and plan it out. I even write it down sometimes so that I stay on track. It works - let me know if it works for you.

And now a thought for today - "bringing hope to the table". This is a campaign I saw the other day while grocery shopping. I was buying cheese. It was on sale - 2 for $5 with the slogan "bringing hope to the table". Does anyone else find this sad? What does this say about our economy? Are the American people losing hope as the cost of food, gas, etc. goes up? I wanted to cry when I saw this. Any thoughts?

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sing a song for the white vinegar...

Many who know me understand my severe gag reflex. At the top of my list is the smell of white vinegar and even apple cider vinegar. Ugh - I get sick just thinking about it. Anyway, I've put my nose aside to allow these awesome, good for the environment items in my house. A recent discovery - the founder of http://www.happyhousewivesclub.com/, Darla Shine, suggested on a forum to use white vinegar in the rinse cycle of your dishwasher. I've done this for 3 cycles now - ATTENTION EVERYONE - do NOT waste your money on rinse aids!!! This works GREAT!!! My glasses no longer have any soap residue. This is a non-toxic way to have sparkling glasses and dishes. Thank you, Darla!

Tonight my writing is short and sweet...I go now to attend to laundry so that I can get ready for this weekends camping trip.

Oh and a quick shout out to the Fathers - Happy Father's Day to you all!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Away I've been, but now I'm back...

Ok, I was never really "gone"... AND I did not blog due to lack of information...just lack of time. Again, I start with good intentions. =)

Let's start out with the green stuff. This is the kind of stuff that challenges me daily. I recycle just about everything that I can and still have to challenge the hubby and kids not to through that bottle in the garbage - I end each conversation with the length of time it could sit in a landfill.

Are you tired of junk mail and unwanted catalogs? - studies show that they are responsible for 40 percent of the solid mass in our landfills. Here are some websites that will help in reducing this issue:

http://www.41pounds.org/ - this organization will remove your name from mailing lists and donate a third of the $41 fee to a charity of your choice.

http://www.greendimes.com/ - for $20, this org will keep your name off of mailing lists for at least 5 years! On top of that, they will plant up to 10 trees on your behalf.

http://www.dmachoice.org/ - just click on "remove my name from those lists" on their homepage and they will direct you on how to proceed.

***According to Experience Life magazine - you will gain 70 hours a year of your life back that you would have spent sorting and shredding junk mail - "a simple way to save time and trees."

And now in knitting news: my beautiful sister is due to have a baby boy on September 23, 2008!!! So, I'm knitting a sweater for the baby. This sweater is a Debbie Bliss pattern from her Essential Baby book - a must read/buy! http://www.debbieblissonline.com/Book.asp?bid=42

I'm using Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca DK - beautiful soft yarn and great for this project - I did have to adjust my needle size, though.













This picture was taken on the 29th of May. I was almost done with the 2nd front - if you look closely, you can see the 4 button holes - this is a double-breasted sweater with a hood. I'm still looking for a good picture of the pattern finished to post, but for now this is what I have. Anyway, I'm a bit further now - the front pieces are attached at the shoulder now and the hood has been started - only 5 or so inches to go. *sigh* Then the sleeves...seam it up...weave in my ends...add the buttons and we are ready for baby. I have a feeling I will have plenty of yarn left - hmmm...enough for a little hat???
I leave you today with a word of advice - if your fridge starts making weird sounds you should not wait too long (let's say a few months would be way too long) to call your repair service. If you wait, you could have your entire fridge and freezer go out and everything will either go bad or completely defrost - can you say emergency BBQ? I am waiting in my 4 hour timeslot right now for my repairman!
Signing off for now and I hope to come back tomorrow as a woman with a fully functioning fridge!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Interesting sites

Here is a site that I came across today at my local library. http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp
Great games that encourage reading!

Also, ever wonder if you've had all of your veggies? Or better yet, have your kids? Check this out:
http://www.chickinfeed.com/

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Teddy Study

Some do and some do not know that Quin is involved in the Teddy Study at the UC Denver. When he was born this study tested his blood and found the diabetes antibodies. Its a great study that is looking for environmental determinants that might be causing Type 1 diabetes. I'm glad to say that nothing has changed from his testing and he has no signs of diabetes so far. Here is a great kid snack recipe from their newsletter. Of course, Quin won't be able to have any until he is a year due to the honey.

Teddy Bear Snack Mix

2 Cups Honey Nut Cheerios
2 Cups Teddy Bear shaped graham snacks
1 Cup honey-roasted peanuts
½ Cup raisins

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Safety Note: Children should be seated and supervised when eating.