GingerScraps and Pretty in Green

So, yeah...it's been awhile. And I've even said for the last two months that I'm going to get back to this. I have so much I can blog about. Crochet, Digital Scrapbooking, GingerScraps, and other assorted randomness.

So today I will highlight my new love for Digital Scrapbooking. A couple of sweet friends turned me onto this and I have to say I am in LOVE with the whole concept. So much easier to use the digital photos and so much money saved since you can reuse elements, design your own, recolor pages, etc. 

There are so many designers out there making marvelous items. And so many offer free items either via their blogs or Facebook pages. Perfect for the newbie starting out. There are also many, many websites and forums that offer places to ask questions, participate in challenges, and upload your layouts.

I have found a home a one site in particular and (of course) I think it's the best out there. GingerScraps is full of wonderful, supportive people always happy to lend a hand. The designers that sell on GS are actively involved in the forum and are always offering help and praise.

I am currently doing some Creative Team work for one of the fabulous Designers on GingerScraps. Check out Pretty in Green on her Facebook page, her blog, and her shop at GingerScraps.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PrettyInGreen.Designs
Blog: http://p-in-g.blogspot.com/
GS Shop: http://store.gingerscraps.net/Pretty-In-Green

Below are a couple of layouts I've done with her fabulous kits.

Made with The Pumpkin Season

Made with Go Team! Cheer!

Hopefully another update soon. Maybe more DigiScrap stuff (DSD is coming) or maybe some crochet.

See ya soon!! 

Rock of Ages

Danielle and I went to see "Rock of Ages" on Friday night. Being a child of 80's music and a fan of Julianne Hough, I had been anticipating it's release for months.


My first suggestion, before you decide to go, is to remember what you are going to see. Rock of Ages is a movie adaptation of a Broadway Musical. Unlike a lot of musicals and movies, the music for this came first and the "plot/storyline" was built around the music. If you think you are going to go see a movie with an outstanding storyline, then save your money and stay home. If you want to go see a movie and tap your feet, sing along, and relive memories, then head to your nearest theater.


Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough did a great job starring opposite each other. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand were just hilarious. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mary J. Blige were impressive, but for me, Tom Cruise stole the show (so to say). I wasn't expecting much, but I thought he really pulled off the character of Stacee Jaxx. He took voice lessons from Axl Rose's voice teacher and is said to have a 4 octave vocal range (who knew?).


I would (and will) go see it again. And this might be one that is added to my odd collection of DVDs when it comes out. I have already bought a digital copy of the Soundtrack on Amazon and am listening to it as I write this. I will admit to being a lover of cheesy movie musicals and TV shows (I am a self-proclaimed Gleek) so that may have played a bit into my enjoyment of this.


I would love to know what you think of it. Enjoy!!

Crochet Lite Crochet Hooks

I saw these in the store a few months ago and could not even imagine what I might need one for or why I would want to have one. After seeing a post on a crochet group on Facebook (Bethintx1 Crochet Club), I realized these would be perfect for using after Brian goes to bed at night and I still want to stay up and crochet. After work, I went by my local Hobby Lobby (5.59 plus 40% off) and picked up a Size J to try. I chose the J hook since I have three different projects started with this size hook.

After fighting a few minutes getting it to light. Batteries are included, they just didn't want to work right away.

Let me just say... I LOVE THIS THING. Brian can go to sleep and I can actually turn off most of the lights in the room and still see to crochet. You have to get used to the feeling of the grip, and the yarn slides funny off the plastic, but it's awesome. I might have to invest in a few more of these to keep around.

There are several places online that have them. They are available in sizes C/2.5mm to K/6.5mm.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I am. 

Another Work in Progress Finished

It took me about two months of working off and on, but I finally finished a gift I was working on for Christmas.


The story behind it first. About two months ago, one of Matthew's friends (and one of the kids we like to call an "extra") was hanging out at the house. We were talking about the stuff I was crocheting and I showed him the blanket I was working on for Danielle (in purple and gold, of course).

He said that it was looked warm and that they needed something like that for their living room. Then later, I gave him one of the other afghans in the house (we have a ton) to use to sleep under that night. The next morning, he said again that they needed one for their living room. 

Not sure he was asking me to make one, but I decided that it would be the perfect gift. It is warm and soft.

I was happy to be able to give this to him yesterday. And then he said if he ever convinced me to make another it would be in Alabama crimson or Duke blue. Hmm...might have created a monster. :)

It's almost done!!

I have been working on this gift since before Christmas. Hoping to have it done this weekend so it can go to it's new home. I'll try to post the story behind deciding to make this when I post the picture of the completed afghan. This has been a bit of a struggle. The pattern is easy. I finally figured out that I just don't care for these two colors together. Has nothing to do with any sports team they might represent, I just don't like them next to each other. Ah, well, it's not for me and I do love the recipients. :)

And we shall try again...

Guess I'm going to try this whole Blog thing again. I want to pin down my meanderings and musings about "stuff". Mostly crochet and knitting probably, but you never know what might pop up on here.


Now to figure out how to change the layout up a bit.... :)

My D-blog Entry

Today is the 5th Annual D-blog Day. This year's topic is "6 Things You Want People to Know about Diabetes"..... so here we go.

1. No, she is not going to outgrow it. There is no cure for Type 1 diabetes. She won't get "better" by eating a better diet, taking miracle cures, exercising more, etc. She won't get "better" until we get a cure. Please understand when we say that this is our top priority with charity donations. I don't want to see my girl hooked up to an insulin pump and testing her sugar for the rest of her life.
   
   
2. No, she didn't get it by eating too much sugar or by having a "bad" diet or being lazy. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease. There is nothing she (or we) did that caused her to get it. Her immune system went wacky and attacked the insulin producing cells in her pancreas, and now they don't work. Not even a little bit. So she has to be on insulin 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's a fact of life.
   
   
3. Under control? Really? She's a teenage girl with hormones... what is control? One of the questions we get asked is "Is her diabetes under control?". In a word, no. Is it being managed? Absolutely. You don't "control" diabetes. Not in a hormonal teenager, not in a growing toddler, not in anyone. She can eat exactly the same thing (same amount and everything) twice, and her body will react to it in different ways each time. There will only be control when there is a cure.
   
   
4. Yes, she really can eat that. While a balanced diet is most helpful in managing Type 1 diabetes, she is not restricted on what she can eat. She can have sweets, pizza, etc. She can hang out with her friends at the mall and eat what they do. Whether she has a apple, a piece of pizza, an ear of corn, or an ice cream cone, she has to take insulin for the carbs. A carb is a carb for a Type 1 diabetic. Her insulin pump makes it easier for her to be a normal teenager.
   
   
5. Just because she looks "okay" doesn't mean she feels "okay". Looks can be deceiving. When her blood sugar is high or low, she feels it and it doesn't make her feel good either way. She can have a headache and have problems focusing when she her numbers are high. When they are low, she can have problems talking, thinking, may have numbness in her tongue and fingers. The lows are especially scary. Because of this she carries fast-acting sugar with her and a Glucogon shot. Ask her to show you how to use it. Hopefully you never have to, but it will mean the world to her if you care enough to ask how it works.
   
   
6. Learn the signs of Type 1 diabetes. Left undiagnosed and untreated, Type 1 diabetes can be deadly. From the Mayo Clinic website:

• Increased thirst and frequent urination. As excess sugar builds up in your bloodstream, fluid is pulled from your tissues. This may leave you thirsty. As a result, you may drink — and urinate — more than usual.
• Extreme hunger. Without enough insulin to move sugar into your cells, your muscles and organs become depleted of energy. This triggers intense hunger that may persist even after you eat. Without insulin, the sugar in your food never reaches your energy-starved tissues.
• Weight loss. Despite eating more than usual to relieve hunger, you may lose weight — sometimes rapidly. Without the energy sugar supplies, your muscle tissues and fat stores may simply shrink.
• Fatigue. If your cells are deprived of sugar, you may become tired and irritable.
• Blurred vision. If your blood sugar level is too high, fluid may be pulled from your tissues — including the lenses of your eyes. This may affect your ability to focus clearly.

There are so many other things, and these six are in no particular order, but they are the first ones I came up with. Please, if you have questions, ask us. We would much rather you ask questions you think might be "dumb" or even "insensitive" rather than just assume you know the answer.