Catching up

I know I know......I've not been posting as much as I usually do...I'll try to do better, I promise.

Not a lot has been happening lately. With the kids home they've on my computer much more than I have been......frustrating yes.....but it gives me more time to crochet. I've even signed on with a very well known person in the crochet world to do some contract work for 'them'. I'm excited about it.

My parents will be here next week, Wednesday August 1st, and will be staying for a week. I'm very excited. It's always so much fun when they're here. They spoil the kids like crazy. They just love going shopping down here. A lot of things cheaper....except for food that is!! I'm hoping my mom, whose mother (my dear sweet grandma) taught her to knit, will remember enough to show me how to knit. It's been a long time since she's picked up the needles though so I don't know. I don't ever remember her knitting...ever!!

I've made some more hats. I'm hoping they will sell well once the cooler weather hits. Time will tell.

Next Saturday, Aug 4th is dh's high school reunion. I'm sooo nervous about it. He is very gregarious..the life of the party and I'm just the opposite....shy and quiet...until you get to know me. I will know not a sole there so it will be tough for me. Besides that....I don't a dang thing to wear to it!!!

Things are going well at my crochet home...Crochetmania... just like always. What a great bunch of people...and by people I mean women...lol... It's like sitting around and crocheting and having a *insert beverage here* with friends. I just love it!!

You know I have to post a pic or two so here are 2..........

This is the new scarf and hats that I've made...I have them on sale at my Etsy store

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Been busy

Well, I've been busy switching my Etsy shop. It was strange to me to have jchllm as the name listed on my account, and it couldn't be changed so I really wanted it to be aplayfulyarn. So what I've done is switched everything to a new name...it's done now...but phew!!

gotta get back to work..........

Just a few things....

It's almost been a week since my last entry...hard to believe. What else is that I still don't really have anything to say.

I did find a couple of cool websites this week. One is called Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/) which is, for lack of a better phrase, Myspace for adults. I've found a lot of old high school friends on it and some other friends too. I love it. If you decide to sign up make sure you look me up....Lisa Marchand.

Another new site I found, through Viqui, is iGoogle (http://www.igoogle.com/) which is a great 'homepage'. They have so many different modules, it's amazing. One thing to remember though...if you do like it and love all the goodies, make at least one more 'add page' at the top of the page or it may load waaaaaaaaaay slow!

I got burned on Etsy this week. I had a person make a $51 order and then decide to just not pay for it. I was not amused...trust me. I'm still not!! Oh well, what can ya do??

I made my first thread items this past week and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not really that different from yarn...and here I was so scared to try it...silly me. I made a couple of things for my swap partner at Cmania for the Christmas in July swap so I can't post a pic yet, but I really did like it.

Well, hubby's working overtime, the boys are playing PS2 and 'the girl' is watching tv...guess I'll go do some more crocheting.

Later gaters!!

Drew the shmoo......

My step son, Drew turned 13 on Friday the 13th......but he was at camp so we celebrated yesterday. Here he is with his cake......

And......have you ever seen such a thing?? A cat eating watermelon!! I swear.

This cat is fascinated with water in any shape or form. If he hears you in the kitchen he'll run in and sit at the sink and meow until this happens.................

(sorry for the dirty sink)

Bo, you silly little animal!!!

More fun at the lake

We had so much fun at the lake today...thought I'd share a few 'movies'. The one singing about the Titanic is my 16 year old son Matt....the comedian.















If you're not sick of the kids jumping off the dock, there are more on my YouTube 'inventory'. Click here If it doesn't work, just look for videos by 'jchllm'.

And this is how a tree is supposed to come down...

Well, looks like dh had finally had enough of the trees of falling through the roof so he contacted a guy to come and cut them down. He cut 3 trees down for $170, which was an extremely good price. We had been quoted $1500 at one point and that's why they weren't down yet.

Here's the guy getting it ready up the tree and then starting to saw it down....

Drumroll please................. Click to play the video

Now we have big cleanup but it's entirely worth it. We're going buy a fireplace for the winter anyway and now we sure have plenty of wood for it!!

Just had to post these pics

Well, if you read my blog regularly at all you know how much I love to take pictures and my daughter Samantha is usually the prime target of my lense. But....you also know she loves it too!

You know how we all are, we have our good days and our bad days...right? Well, there are times when I look at her and she's 'just my daughter' and then there are times when she comes out of her room looking a certain way that I think "man, how did I make that??" Yesterday was one of those days. Her birthday was yesterday, she turned 17 years old...wow and here are some photos I took of her on her special day......

I love you honey.

Go jump in the lake!!

What a great day today was! It was actually sunny outside for a change and NOT RAINING!! How awesome is that?!? The kids had been bugging me all week to let them go swimming in the lake by our house so today I gave in. They had a blast, as you will by the pictures.

Chico and Maisy had to come of course. Chico stayed on the dock but Maisy had to dive in.

Sam looking waterlogged.

Matt jumping in backwards. He's funny.

My 3 little men. Drew (my 13 year old step son), Matt and Austin

My little daredevil. He decided to just go ahead and jump over the side of the dock like it was a hurdle....and made it. He also did this other little trick. I swear...talk about giving me a heart attack!!

I think these pics speak for themselves.

My little cutie pie!

And the final pic of the day before coming home.

It was so much fun!!

Here's a bonus pic. Not a good one of me...but it was fun!

My newest, and first, creation

Well, she bugged me and bugged me until I finally thought of something. Thanks Kathy!
While sitting with my kids we were throwing ideas around (my kids are 16 and 17) we came up with this. Now, brace yourself!

It's called "Mr. Willy Pilly" The car penis pillow. It's the first thing I've made from scratch and Kathy helped me with getting the right stitches in the right spot. (Oh, if you could only have heard the converstation...lol)

I have it for sale on my Etsy shop. I also have to give a 'shoutout' to Jodi, who truly was inspiration to me to get this right!

I'm working on something else right now too that my 13 year old step son helped me 'invent'. It's cute. Stay tuned.........

Happy Independence Day everyone

Dear Mother Nature.....

Ok, I get it. You were sick of everyone in Texas complaining about how, over the past 2 years, we were in a drought and never getting enough rain. Well, we're all shutting up now. We understand how women get when you nag and nag at them about something. Finally, at some point she blows and says "fine! You want rain? You'll GET RAIN!".

I do understand that you got tired of listening to us all complain but don't you think enough is enough? Can't you please give us a break? Please? I'm not saying we don't need rain at all. I mean, it is wonderful to see the lakes back up to their normal levels again but there is a lake close to here that is 20 feet over its normal level. And we do need SOME rain to keep our lawns from turning crunchy but don't you think you're going a bit overboard?

In a little over 2 hours this morning you fed us with 3 more inches rain, to top off the inch (plus) you gave us yesterday...not to mention the rain you've 'blessed' us with over and over over again. As a matter of fact you've helped us set all kinds of records this year as far as rainfall goes.

So, in closing, I'm showing you exibits A, B and C in the photos below and begging fo you to reconsider your anger and just lighen up a bit.

Thanks so much for your consideration.
Your waterlogged fan.


Exibit A: On the other side of the 'weeds' on the right is the creek that has peaked and busted over into our yard.

Exibit B: Looking at this photo you can see that the trampoline and the bench near it are at least a foot under water. This is supposed to be my backyard where my children can play. Now they are housebound without being able to go outside and blow off some 'stink'.

Exibit C: This is the view from my living room window. You know...the window right next the patched roof where a tree branch fell through the other day because of the rain. Anyway, this is what I see when I look out of my window and honestly, I''m not liking it that much!

If it's not one thing.....it's another.....TREE

This is how I feel right now.....

Ok, so ya'll know how much rain there has been here latelyin Texas.... It's been just awful!

Well, if you've been paying attention, you'll also remember that we have a lot of trees around our house, including one that we cut down and it went through my son's bedroom ceiling...not fun.

Well, Friday night, while dh was working the second half of a double shift, I was sitting on the loveseat crocheting and all of a sudden..BANG... a huge branch fell through living room ceiling...right over the couch.

DH says it's because the dead trees just soak up the water, instead of using it like the living trees do......if he says so....

It's fixed now but here are some pics of what it looked like.

This is how my couch looked when the tree went through the ceiling. The funny thing is that even before I talked to my wonderful hubby on the phone to tell him what had happened, I had this picture taken...lol

If not for this electrical wire I am certain the log would have been laying on my couch. Thank goodness it was there because my special little doggie, Chico, was laying in the one corner asleep when it burst through.

And the 'on top' view. Yup, it went through in two spots but all the way through in just one spot. As I said, I really think it would have been one BIG hole if not for the electrical cord. The breaker popped and the tv went out because of it, but it was just fine, thank goodness!

I really hope these dang trees stop falling on my house! Enough is enough!!!!!