Crocheting - my latest hobby obsession

 Hobbies, I love hobbies! I've dabbled in many different crafts and hobbies. I don't like to be idle. I cannot sit and watch TV mindlessly. I can binge watch like no tomorrow, don't get me wrong, but I've got to be doing something while I do it! Crochet is the perfect hobby for that.

I used to do scrapbooking like crazy. I was obsessed. Not in a good way either. My every waking moment was consumed with it, and I probably dreamed about it too. I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning to scrapbook once I got the kids to bed. Staying up until 2 or 3 and then the alarm going off at 5 or 6 was not very healthy, but I had to scrapbook. When my first husband left in 2011, it felt like he took that passion with him. I have only made a couple of pages in the last 10 years. I have kept all my supplies because I have thousands of dollars in supplies, and my hope is that someday, I will want to do it again. My inks and paints may all be dried up by now, but I still hold out hope. I loved scrapbooking, and I was pretty decent at it.

I've also made some mesh wreaths over the past few years. As with anything I do, I'm an over-the-top kind of person. I couldn't make a simple, elegant wreath to save my life! Nope, mine have to be overwhelmingly full of stuff. 

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Here are a couple examples of the wreaths I have made. Both of them light up also. The top one was made for my mom and the bottom for my sister. So, needless to say, another craft I wasn't able to sell because by the time you get done with the cost of product and time, nobody (in my circle) wants to pay $80 for a wreath. Both of these were gifts. My sister keeps hers up year round in her bakery. 

My latest craft obsession is crochet. I taught myself to crochet in 2007 when I was pregnant with my son. I bought a book at Walmart, along with some yarn and hooks. I practiced the stitches in the book, then followed along to make first pot holders, then a blanket. That 1st blanket turned out a trapezoid, and I actually just threw it away last year when I found it again. When my son was born, I put up the crochet supplies to concentrate on raising him and just scrapbook when I had free time.

About a year ago, my niece told me she was trying to learn, but was having some difficulty, so I offered to get my stuff back out and re-learn so that I could help her. Little did I know, it would lead to quite the obsession. Over the last year, I've made 5 full size blankets, 4 child/baby blankets, and countless hats & headbands. I've been trying to sell the hats and headbands through my Facebook page, but haven't had any luck yet (except family, but do they count??) Stephanie's crafts and crochet

I did have 1 friend that ordered a blanket and hat for his grandson. Through that, another lady has contacted me to make a squishy, warm queen sized blanket for her son, so that yarn is arriving today, and I'm excited to get started on that project. I don't charge much for the labor portion as I crochet for fun, so I give them quite a break on cost. 

So far, all the patterns I've used, I've found free on Pinterest. I always give credit to the pattern designer when I post.

This is the TC Twist Crochet Headband by Traversebaycrochet.com. This one my mom bought and ordered 2 more, one in red and one in black. All 3 are made with Hobby Lobby I Love this Yarn. I love shopping at Hobby Lobby, and I love their every other week 30% off sale.

This one is the cupcake hat by Nicole Chase. This was a super fun hat to make. 

This is one of my favorite patterns. The Timeless Drifter ear warmer by Lullaby Lodge. I love the colors I chose for this, gray and mint pair so well together! 

I will share more of my creations in the upcoming days. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment! I appreciate you taking the time to read my rambles! 

Have a great week!

Stephanie

10 Little Goldadors

10 Little Goldadors!

We woke up this morning to a brand new litter of puppies. We knew yesterday she was in labor and was hoping she would give birth during the day so we could watch, but she chose to do so overnight. Can't say that I blame her, she knew what to do and how to do it. We had her kept in a kennel in the back room with a gate separating the German Shepherd and Shihtzu from getting in there. They alerted us though by barking because of the sounds of new puppy cries! Birthing began around 11:30 P.M. and she was all finished and everything clean by the time we got up at 5:30 A.M.

Emmy is a pure bred golden retriever. This is her 2nd litter of puppies, but first of Goldadors. 

Is there anything sweeter than a bunch of brand new baby puppies? When I told my son that she was gonna have puppies, he asked what we were going to do with them. I said sell them. He said, but what if they are cute? (have you ever seen a puppy that wasn't cute???) and I chuckled and said, sell them. 

This is daddy, Stryker, with mommy, Emmy, prior to conception. Looks like they are actually in love. 💕

Here is Stryker just lounging on the couch one evening. Normally, they are both kept outside, but we let them in once in a while for some extra love and attention. 

Here are some of our favorite products that we use for all of our dogs to keep them healthy and strong. (As an Amazon associate, I will earn affiliate commissions on any product ordered through links on my blog at no additional cost to you.)

Salmon bites are great for their coats, leaving it looking healthy and shiny

With my German Shepherd, he is prone to get urinary tract infections when he is stressed or anxious, so I find these cranberry bites helpful with preventative treatment.

This is the dog food that we feed all 3 of the large breed dogs. I did a lot of research to find a healthy dog food that didn't cost a fortune. They have all done wonderfully on this food. We don't have any issues with digestion, stool, or dry spots.

This is what I give my Shihtzu. It's a little pricier than Diamond Naturals, but they don't make Diamond Naturals for small breeds. 

This is the dog crate I have raised my German Shepherd in. We've had it for 2 years now, and it is still holding up excellent! I looked and looked for an extra large crate that would grow with him, that didn't cost a fortune. For less than a hundred dollars, I found this. It's not made of heavy duty material, and I have had to buy one replacement bottom pan that I just picked up at Rural King, but otherwise, this has been an excellent crate. He no longer has to go in here with door locked unless he comes in muddy, but this has become his safe space. We leave the door open and he often lays in here just to be. 

Well, I'll finish bombarding you for today! Thanks for looking at my adorable dogs! I'll be back soon with posts about my current craft passion!

Stephanie

MOOSOO for the win!

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I've been wondering lately, why is it women seem to get Christmas gifts that have to do with cleaning their homes or cooking meals, but men seem to get gifts for their hobbies or pleasure? Doesn't seem fair. Well, it is what we ask for, right? Sure, we have hobbies, but most of us just buy for those on an as needed (or wanted 😉) basis! We somehow justify buying those items, maybe we are going to sell our finished project or it's to beautify the home we live in...or simply to keep us from losing our mind, which nobody wants to see! So, we buy the wants all year and save the needs for Christmas! Don't tell the guys!

This year, I asked for a cordless stick vacuum for Christmas, and I was very surprised that my boyfriend snuck around behind my back with my daughter, bought it for me! Not only that, but after I opened it, he unpackaged it, charged it, then proceeded to vacuum our entire home! Talk about a Christmas gift!!

He will kill me for posting a pic where he doesn't have his hat on. Men and their hair loss insecurities! 😖. But who wouldn't take a pic of this rare phenomenon? He even moved furniture!! 

Anyway, I asked for the MOSOO Cordless Vacuum. I was looking for one that wouldn't break the bank, but still had great suction and great battery life. I got both with this vacuum. On just one charge, he was able to vacuum our entire house. Now, our home is only about 1700 square foot, and the kitchen/dining room is hard floor, but the vacuum hadn't died yet, so he started moving furniture. His goal was to see how long it would last, and it definitely did! 

The suction on this vacuum is fabulous too! I have a full size Shark vacuum that I got several years ago. I still love that vacuum, but it becomes a pain to pull it out and plug it in, move the plug to different outlets for the whole house, then wind it up and put it all away. I have found myself just grabbing this out of my pantry and using it daily! Whether I want to clean up just a small area or do a whole cleaning job, this is my go-to. 

Did I mention, I have a Shih-tzu and a German Shepherd? 

That tongue though! 

A big baby! 

The rare moments when they get along

Niko (the GS) stopped harassing Roxie for a pic! 

I brag about my darling doggies for the one simple point...HAIR! There is a reason that the German Shepherds are nicknamed the German Shedders! THEY SHED! OMG!!! And this little vacuum, picks it all up!! 

The canister holds quite a bit, and we were impressed how much hair and dirt this vacuum picked up each time we emptied it. I was also a little surprised in how much my Shark left behind. 

So, if you are looking for an inexpensive, yet very reliable cordless stick vacuum, I highly recommend purchasing this one! 

As always, thank you for visiting my blog, and I look forward to writing more soon! 

Stephanie