Firefighter Kade

I love making gifts for others and almost never buy presents but sometimes it is hard to know what to make others....especually when I've taught everyone I know how to crochet and they can now make stuff for themselves!

But I do love getting request for gifts bc then I know they are getting what they want! One of our little friends is really into fire fighter gear right now so I was excited to make him this hat!

What do you think?

I kinda made up the pattern after looking up patterns on ravelry...so if you want to make one, pop over there for inspiration!

Crafting with kade

I'm trying out posting from my phone! As you may have noticed I haven't been posting much but I've been doing tons of interesting crafting.
Here is a picture of kade and I crafting together! If this works I will be sure to post more often....happy crafting!

Child led parenting....

I am by no means a parenting expert. I have one often amazing, mostly crazy, spirited child who challenges daily, not just to be a better parent but a better person. Mostly I feel I fail as a parent except for those beautiful moments when things fall into place. Sometimes it's a little body holding open a door or a well placed thank you but sometimes it's something big.

We are in one of those big moments right now. My 5 year has decided he is ready to go over night without a diaper! When I potty trained him 2.5 years ago to prepare him for school he decided he wasn't ready to go over night without a diaper. I practice many different kinds of parenting but I try my best to allow my son to lead me in the right direction. I feel that it is really important for him to feel comfortable in our home and in himself and try my best to listen to his instincts as well as my own.  So when he proclaimed he wasn't ready, I let it slide.

Many have told me this was a big mistake! When you potty train you must get it all over with! Letting him keep a diaper at night would mean I would be buying him diapers to take away with him to collage! Codswallop, if you ask me. I knew a day would come when he would develop the same instincts we all have to hold it until morning and that day has finally come.

It started about a month ago when, for several nights in a row, he hadn't peed in his pull up! We were all very excited but we still had half a pack of pull ups left and we had several nights away from home, so we decided to wait until the end of the summer to go diaperless over night. Well, in my part of the world, it is the end of summer and last night we used the last of our pull up supply, which means....tonights the night!

As you can probably tell, I'm very excited! But mostly I'm proud. Proud of my little boy who is brave enough to stand up to me and tell me how he feels. And proud of myself for actually listening! It is so easy to brush our children aside and not listen to what they are telling us, we are all busy and they talk so much! But sometimes, things work out and our little people grow before our eyes!

 Much love,
melissa

Ps. I promise to post pictures tomorrow of this weekends projects and yarn finds!

summer loving'

it is true, it happens so fast! summer is almost half done and i don't know where it has gone.

some days i wish i had gone to teachers college so i could have my summers off to hang out with kade (my friends just tell me to get pregnant again!) but that is not the case, and while i love my job, i miss being home to play and go to the park. kade is lucky to have his dad home with him this summer and while i know this is a great way for them to bond, i'm also a little jealous about how close they have become. he will always be a mama's boy, right?

next weekend is kade's birthday and the potato festival in alliston, so i'm looking forward to some celebration! then i have a few days off to hang out and have fun. we have friends and family coming home next weekend, which should be great, too!

anyways, i've been working hard on my top secret project that i don't think i will get done on time but we've been doing a lot of other fun stuff too. birthday parties, pool goodness, and a little bit of baby crocheting!

here are a few pictures of a commissioned baby blanket i just finished....

look how cute the little tiny loafers are! i really hope they fit!

And now for some other summer goodness....

kade taking a mid-afternoon nap, his legs are getting so long!

alex and kade a birthday party this past weekend...my boys are so hansom!

yummy home grown strawberries...we have been eating them like crazy!

nap close up! look at the little sweaty face!

hope you are enjoying your summer and getting lots of crafting and napping done!
much love, melissa

Canada Day Camping!

My crocheting has been top secret these days, so I haven't go any crafty pictures for you but I thought I would share some photos for our camping trip this past weekend! I had planned to get lots of crocheting done and got none but we had a great time and Kade loved it, so that's what really matters.

One of my co-workers has a beautiful property up in Bancroft, Ont. I've never really gone camping before, not as an adult anyways, and really didn't know what to expect! I grew up in the suburbs and I'm not used to sleeping in a tent or cooking my food on a fire but I know it is important to expose Kade to the great outdoors.

The drive was long but totally worth it. The property was amazing, the food was great and the company was fantastic! Here are just a few pictures....

The view from the swimming hole.

Kade wading in the pond.

A tree split in half by what we thought was a tornado! There were several big trees completely up rooted and laying on the path to the pond. Alex was excited to try out his new chain saw and cleared the path quickly!

Kade being cute! He wouldn't let me out of his sight while we went for a hike!

Kade and Alex after swimming...the water was cold but we need to clean off all of the bug spray and sunscreen of the day before!

The little beach we were swimming at!

Crazy Hair Day!

Today is crazy hair day at Kade's school so we decided to do something a little wild!

A MOHAWK!

I know some mom's may think I'm crazy for letting my little boy do this (I did it really) so I feel like I need to explain my excitement!

When we found out we were pregnant, my love was convinced we were having a girl. So we thought about girl names and girl clothes and girls hair and I feel in love with the idea of having a baby girl to craft for and enjoy! So when the doctor told us we were having a boy I was a little disappointed.

I tried to be positive but really I sulked for a few days...until I saw a little boy at the mall about the age Kade is now with the coolest mohawk and I realize that boys can be really fun too! I have been waiting for the day when my little guy could sport the mohawk with pride and I'm glowing because that day has arrived....And he loves it too!

Enjoy the photos!

Less then a week!!!!

Hi everyone,

My blog has been a bit boring as of late, sorry for that! I haven't been crocheting anything other than the squares for the CAL and this afternoon I finally sat down and took photos of the squares I've made so far.....

But, since I'm not allowed to reveal them until next week, I thought I would post the pictures I took of the pile of them and the little love of my life!





This spring is devoted to blanket making....not only have I been working on the 'square a day in may' blanket but I also started a baby blanket for my cousin and decided on the pattern for my brothers wedding blanket...I never thought I would enjoy making blankets but I really do!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend,
Melissa

Freezer Paper Stencils!

My mother in law dug up some freezer paper while we were at her house on the weekend and I got right to making stencils from it! Kade is in love with pirates, or so I'm told, so I printed off a pirate ship for him and cut out the stencil last night (along with my thumb!)

Then I found some more cheap shirts while out this morning, and whipped two more stencils this after work this afternoon. Kade is invited to a party this weekend so we did some pink butterflies for Lucy and a blue garbage truck for her garbage truck loving brother.

This was so easy to do! Honestly, it was much harder to find the freezer paper then it was to make the stencils and do the painting. If you're thinking of making your own stencils, there is a wonderful tutorial over on Made or give me a shout and I can whip something up for you.

Added my shirts to a linking party...if your coming from there, thanks for stopping by!



Here are the pictures to prove it!

This weekend....

While this weekend is only moderately busy, I don't think I'm going to have much time to blog...sorry!

I have been spending the last few nights working on a tutorial that will be posted some time next month in the Spring Stashbusting event on The T-Shirt Diaries Blog. This is the first tutorial I've ever done, and it has been taking awhile but I'm almost done and I think it will be totally worth it. If you would like to take part, follow the link below to find out more info!



I also finished a gift for one of my co-workers son's birthday party which Kade and I will be going to this Sunday. It is at a local indoor playground that we have never been to but I will report back on Sunday, hopefully with some stellar pictures!
Here is the hat I made for him!



I've added this hat to a linking party....check it out!



And, a plant update!

Here is the latest addistion to the family in the way of plants, a lovely hyathan that Kade picked out on a shopping trip last week. We also go one for Kade's classroom and theirs is already blooming! I will keep you posted as this one comes to life.



And our orchids are making subtle changes, the one on the right is getting ready to pop. I can't wait to see what color they are...what a lovely surprise!



So, between a hair cut, a visit from my parents, a birthday party and a trip to see the in laws, I will be finish my mother in laws socks and doing the final steps on my tutorial!

Thanks for stopping by,
Melissa

This is what I came home too!

Last night I had to work late at The Blue Frog. My job is fun, sometimes stressful but always fun. The hardest part of working late is spending time away from Kade. When I checked on him last night after getting home this how lovely he looked. Just thought I would share!

And they grow and they grow!

Recently Kade found the Sea Monkey's he got for christmas and the boys in my life decided they would set it up and get it going. To be honest, I had no idea what a Sea Monkey was and kinda wish I didn't know what they are! We've had them for about a week and they are just now becoming visible. I will try, when they get a bit bigger, to snap a picture of them. For now enjoy the pictures of my loves!



Alex discovered that if you hold a solid piece of paper behind the tank, you could see them better.

"These are Kade's Sea Monkey's" a direct quote from Kade!

Birthday Bliss!

I had the most wonderful birthday!

Alex and I slept in (Kade was a the grandparents place), we went out for breakfast, and I got to talk to my brother, twice. Then I sat on the couch and crocheted for a few hours before we headed to my mother in laws for a wonderful dinner made by my brother in law. Thanks everyone over on Facebook for your birthday wishes!

Here are some pictures from my lovely day....

White and dark chocolate covered raspberries....so lovely!

Kade enjoying said raspberries! (Kade called me 'birthday girl' every chance he could today!)

Birthday dinner (care of Nick). Bacon wrapped chicken, steamed veggies, boiled potatoes and stuffing filled butternut squash! So good!

Birthday cards and a nice handmade gift from my good friend Sam (check out her blog). Also, check out our orchids, they are doing so well!

Ice cream birthday cake! So good but way to much dairy for me.

Some birthday gifts. Yummy Godiva chocolate from Nick and Cindy and Bamboo yarn from Marianne!

Last but not least, a birthday napkin that my mom has had since I was a baby. On the back of these napkins is the year that they were printed....1983, the same year I was born. Happy 28th Birthday Napkin! It's been a good one!

Mail Bag and Birthday Gifts!

This morning while Kade and I were getting ready to go to Cocoa Club at the library, we decided to take some pictures of his new mail bag. Kade wanted a bag like the girls have at school but I wanted to do something a little different. I have such a hard time finding cool projects for little boys but love this bag I just made Kade. I'm going to type up the pattern and have it for sale on Ravelry.







And, when we got home I had a birthday surprise in the bedroom! Alex found this wonderful handmade and hand painted blanket box at the Re-Store in town. It is very lovely and will go great at the end our bed when we have a bigger bedroom. For now, it will live on the living room and hold our blankets.

Some may not find this a very romantic birthday gift but I do! Alex knows how much I love handmade goods and it's nice to build our life together! I'm very excited!

Hearts!

Part two of my school crafty creations are crocheted hearts for the boys and the girls. The pattern is simple (and can be found here). Once I was done I knew I needed to do something more with them, so I got little backing so the boys could pin them to their shirts and the girls could clip them in their hair....here they are!








You can see that I used three different backings....these were so much fun to make!

Sea Monkeys!

Kade got a Sea Monkey Kit for Christmas from my Mother In Law, which we just found today while going through some of his toys.

Alex and Kade got it started after dinner tonight and Kade wanted me to take a picture so we can share it with the world on my blog. Be prepared for updates!



(and yes, just in case you're wondering, that is our kitchen and not some diner!)