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Keep Calm and Crochet On

Sometimes the most significant life events are the hardest to blog about. They are difficult to process quickly for a timely post, and there are always the “do I blog or don’t I” and “is it too personal for the internet” questions.

Last Thursday I spent most of the day in the emergency room due to chest pains. I think my body wants to make sure my 30th year goes out with a bang. After a series of not too invasive tests, the supposed diagnosis is esophageal spasms. I’ll save you the Google time, it’s like really killer heartburn that wreaks havoc on the esophagus. Trust me, it didn’t feel like heartburn, and it still isn’t very comfortable. But I have medication, the pain is definitely decreasing, and thank God I have tests confirming I have a healthy heart! Surprise, surprise, stress is the likely culprit. Take a couple of boys with school difficulties, a husband preparing to travel overseas for two and a half weeks and add that to the typical day to day for a family of six and you might be surprised these are my first chest pains.

As if that weren’t enough, yesterday half of my hand turned blue. Not Smurf blue, but “dusky” blue. The color your skin turns when there is not enough oxygen or circulation in a part of your body. We initially witnessed this dusky blue color during our twins’ time in the NICU, so as soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn’t good. I called the ER, discussed it with a nurse. After what seemed like forever, but was really about 45 minutes of intense prayer and rest, my hand returned to normal and I dodged another ER visit.

My health is just another addition to the pile of things trying to discourage me lately. I’m combating my own negative thoughts with the promises of God. It’s not easy, I’m not perfect at it, but I’m trying and getting better at it, bit by bit. I still haven’t thoroughly processed what all this medical stuff means, I’m still working the process with doctors, but I know that God is faithful. I’m encouraged by Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” If you have something you are struggling with, I’d like to encourage you to check out White Paper Bible. The papers are compilations of scriptures that anyone can create on any topic they like. Use the search feature to find something that fits what you are going through and find a scripture to use as a weapon against your own negative thoughts.

Hopefully, I’ll find some rest and my children will be fever free and on their way back to school soon so I can find more time to blog about all the craftiness I’ve been working on. Real life isn’t the most fun to read about, but it’s the most authentic. Truth is at the sight of the blue hand I thought, “Now how am I supposed to finish those crochet projects for Valentine’s Day?” LOL

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By wistfulwrists – February 8, 2010

JumpStart 3D Virtual World Offer

For today’s Friday Find I have a special offer for you from JumpStart. I’ve share with you before about the JumpStart line of Wii games, but have you seen their online experience? My kids love it! For a small monthly fee, you can play online games within the 3D Virtual World. From now until Sunday, they are offering a trial membership to new members for just $1 for the first month. This is a great way to see the differences between the free games and the subscription to see if it is a fit for your family. Also, if you sign up for a year at a time or a lifetime membership, you can get an even larger discount.

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My kids have been using JumpStart online for a while now. We first started when we won a free 3 month subscription from a contest over at A Mom Blog. It was in the early stages and while the kids liked it, I had a few issues with it. I was pleasantly surprised when I received positive interactions from the crew over at JumpStart to my concerns. Since that time, we’ve continued to use it and I am really amazed at how they continue to roll out new “worlds” which are new sections of games. I am amazed that it continues to captivate my first grader. He frequently chooses JumpStart over other television network websites for games.

If you are a family with multiple children like ours, you’ll like that each child can have their own sub account to save their own game. We can even have more than one child playing on our account on different computers at the same time. Because the virtual world remains the same, I’ve discovered the older children helping the younger ones navigate the world and the games. Hop on over to JumpStart.com to try a subscription membership for yourself to see how well it works for your family. It’s a great way to keep their minds busy on snow days!

Posted in Tech Fun, Things I Like.

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By wistfulwrists – January 29, 2010

No Apple iPad for this Mom!

Seriously. If you are a mom blogger, you need to read this. The new Apple iPad is not for you. Sure, they make be marketing it with a catchy name that is sure to catch any woman’s eye <insert sarcasm here>, but I’m pretty sure this thing is really for the Kindle set, which is my politically correct way of saying the geriatric demographic. I was shocked when this link came across my Twitter feed this morning championing the iPad. So shocked I looked for the disclosure statement, apparently they didn’t get a free one, which is the only way I might consider recommending one.

Personally, I can’t imagine any mom, especially a stay-at-home, run of the mill, mom blogger such as myself, following the Twitter buzz, internet hype and a post like that and investing in one. It almost makes me want to cry. So as self-proclaimed Mac enthusiast and mom blogger, let me lay out my argument against (this version of) the iPad.

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#1. It won’t multi-task. It’s not like your laptop, you can’t have 6 different softwares open at the same time. If you are like me, when on the laptop at any given time I may have a music player, Tweetdeck, an internet browser (or two) with numerous tabs each, e-mail, iPhoto and maybe even Skype all open. No, the iPad won’t do this. Yes, for the price tag, in my humble opinion, it should.

#2. No Flash. You know all those websites with the fancy photos on the front page? How about those games your kids play on all the network webpages? Yep, most of these are in Flash. When on the iPhone and you encounter a Flash application, a lovely blue cube with a question mark appears. Annoying yes, but can you imagine how much more annoying when the blank area takes up half of your 10 inch screen?

#3. Not for children. I’m not sure where people are getting this idea, but have you seen what my sons can do to a $7 paperback book? There is no way I’d hand them a $600 device to read a book or watch a movie or whatever. I think this is a completely ridiculous notion. And even if you do have older, more responsible children than I do, see note #2. Do you know how annoying it is when a child expects to see something on a webpage and it isn’t there? Yeah, that’s just a free ride to Whine City.

#4. No camera. Seriously? Not anywhere? Several of the design speculations about what the new tablet from Apple would look like had one on the front, so you could use iChat, Skype, etc. for video chat. Sure, it’s obviously too bulky to use as a regular camera like you would your iPhone, so it makes sense not to have one on the back. If Apple is the king of innovation, they really missed the mark here. All Mac laptops come with built in iSight cameras, so clearly Apple does not view this as a laptop competitor.

#5. Apps only. Not software, just apps. For instance, you’ve got a few minutes of time while waiting in the carpool lane, and you want to do some quick color correction on your photos. You’d have to have an app for that. So that thousand dollar suite of Adobe software you have at home, nope, can’t install it on the iPad. You’ll have to buy a new app, that’s likely far less useful to fix those great photos of the kids for your Christmas card. Sure, I expect the App store to explode with new versions of things with the new iPad capabilities, but it’s still just a glorified iPhone, not a real laptop.

#6. Hard drive size. Yep, they only go up to 64 gigs. If it’s bigger than an iPhone, more useful than an iPhone, why didn’t Apple give us more room to store things on it? If I really expected to replace my 2 yr old 160 gig Macbook Pro with this new cutting edge technology that is going to revolutionize how I view computers, it’s going to have more space. Again, the design shows that it’s clear that Apple is not intending this to replace your computer, it’s really just competing with the Kindle.

Don’t believe me? Check out this article from someone who knows more than I do and has actually seen an iPad: Gizmodo: 8 Things That Suck About the iPad

I’m really quite disappointed by Apple. It’s almost as if Apple set me up on a blind date and the iPad was waiting at the table for me. Sure, it’s quite the looker, but as dinner wore on, I grew weary of the shallow conversation. Clearly the iPad is all beauty and no brains. Apple, you told me you knew what I wanted in a partner; how great you were at pushing boundaries; how you’d revolutionize how we read, write and interact. I just can’t trust you to pick another blind date for me again.

All in all, I think I may ask my hubby to build me a hackintosh. So if I ever get to attend one of those cool blogging conferences, I’ll be the chick in the corner with a netbook with an Apple sticker on the lid.

Posted in Tech Fun, reviews, what were they thinking?.

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By wistfulwrists – January 28, 2010

Snow Day Treat

Peppermint Mochas

Posted in Making It Home, Secret Life of a Modern Mommy, Things I Like.

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By wistfulwrists – January 27, 2010

Sad Friday

Today is a sad day because we must say goodbye to Conan O’Brien. We hope it’s just a “See you in September”, like an early school summer vacation. So to celebrate, here is the full (not just Twitter) story of our Conan sweaters.

Last weekend, my husband insisted on heading over to the craft store to pick up fabric markers to make himself a Team Conan shirt.

Our first issue was his work dress code. He didn’t want to make a shirt he couldn’t wear to work and t-shirts are not allowed. While chatting with family at lunch on Sunday, my sister-in-law said she had just the thing. A year or two ago, she had picked up a pair of pale yellow sweater vests from the men’s section at Wal-Mart for just $1 each. PERFECT! Not a t-shirt, so it would work for the dress code.

When we got to the store, they didn’t have the recommended brand of fabric markers, so we picked up a set of classic color Marvy Uchida Fabric Markers.

We started the process while the kids were eating dinner, making sure to wash our vests first. We ironed them too, to try to assist the transfer.

Transferring the Image

The knit of the sweaters did add a bit of difficulty to the whole process, but not too much. We did pull the fabric a bit while coloring with the markers to make sure we had good coverage. Following the package directions, we also did two ‘coats’ for bolder colors in some areas, allowing to try about 30 minutes between coats. One tip for using these fabric markers: we found as we colored, the markers began to loose a bit of their felt tip, which made for a messier line. We just used a pair of scissors to trim this off as we worked to keep our lines as clean as possible.

I grabbed this quick iPhone photo of him before he left for work on Tuesday. It really doesn’t do this sweater justice.

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Sadly, it’s been foggy or rainy for days here and we haven’t seen the sun to get a good, natural-light photo of both of our sweaters together. Rest assured there are 2 sweater vests and there will be photographic evidence eventually, if the sun ever shows again in Missouri.

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By wistfulwrists – January 22, 2010

Three I Like Thursday

One of my favorite parts of blogging and the blogging community is learning about new things and reading how people actually feel about them. So here’s a new (occasional) feature “Three I Like Thursday”. Why like? Well, I could say I love, but I’ve found myself using extreme adjectives far too much and I’m trying to scale back and be real about my feelings so that when I say “love” it has real meaning. I certainly do not put these items on equal status as my family, which I truly do LOVE. Why only three? KNOCK, KNOCK. Hello, read this blog much? Mom of 4, no time for top ten lists here. Three is much more reasonable. Now that the set-up is finished, on to the items.

1. e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner

I’m not a huge makeup person, but I do wear it when I go out. I like to look my best, especially for the rare date night. I picked this up from an endcap at Target in late November for just $1. I’m not normally an eyeliner person, haven’t used liquid since my college days in my stage makeup class. I knew I was going to be in the show, and just in case I lost it or had to share with a random teenager I didn’t want to spend a lot. I’m a little picky when it comes to eye issues, and as a contact wearer, don’t want to risk any germs. For a buck, I could always toss it and replace it if necessary. The surprise was, I really liked it. And I’ve continued to wear it on days I wear full makeup. It’s a quick lift and definitely something everyone should try if they haven’t already. The price is great too! They only had black at my Target store, but on the e.l.f. website there are lots of other colors to choose from. Don’t believe me? Sarah over at Real Life Blog also used this item for a stage performance and shares my sentiments about it.

2. e.l.f. Regular and Waterproof Mascara Duo

Same Target trip, same reasoning. I picked up this little duo for the show as well. I know some beauty experts may disagree, but because I’m so cautious about my eyes I buy the cheapest mascara I can find and replace it every 4-6 weeks. I like that this duo has both because there are certain *ahem* weeks that I need waterproof, but I don’t like how difficult it can be to remove. Other days regular mascara will do just fine. This affords me the choice without having to dig around the drawer to find the right one or try to remember which formula I bought when and which needs replacing. Again, I only found black in store, but brown is available online.

3. Black & Decker Burr Mill Coffee Grinder

I’m a French press girl. A few years ago when I wanted to switch from my Tassimo system (great convenience) to French press (better taste), I did a lot of research. I read that buying whole beans and grinding them with a burr grinders was the way to go, but most grinders were too expensive in my opinion for a trial. I found a Black & Decker model for less than $30 and eventually gave away my Tassimo. Because my model is older, it is no longer available, but I’m so glad B&D has continued to provide an affordable burr grinder. The one pictured is the newer model, but based on what I’ve read it’s the same, just with a sleeker, more modern stainless look than mine. Yes, it’s loud. My overly dramatic kids like to cringe whenever I start it, but that is the way of the burr grinder. Yes, it requires maintenance. I clean it every time I refill the hopper & the cleaning takes a time investment of about 10 minutes if you do it well. I’m so pleased with the taste difference, and that it won’t heat up my beans like an electric grinder that chops the beans, so it’s well worth the noise and effort. If you are considering grinding your own beans at home to French press, this is a great starter model. Some day when I wear this one out, I’m going to ask for a fancy burr grinder, but this one has lasted me nearly 2 years and doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

I’d like to hear your opinions on any of these products if you’ve tried them. Share with me in the comments.

Posted in Making It Home, Things I Like, deals, reviews.

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By wistfulwrists – January 21, 2010

11th Hour Sweater: Vanna’s Choice Baby review

My baby sister is expecting. When I first found out (in November), I thought I’d have enough time to knit up a quick little thing to wrap and have under the tree for the newest member of the family, even though the child, known now as B.O.B. (Baby On Board) won’t arrive until summer. I might have been a bit off on my calculations.

I was seaming this beauty together on Christmas Eve. Yes, I am the queen of procrastination. I finished all the details and wrapped it somewhere after 11 p.m., resulting in a single, terrible lighting, iPhone photo. I was too caught up in the family festivities the next day to snag it back for a better, natural light photo. This just doesn’t do it justice:

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It is the Little Luxury Kimono pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. It was a really quick knit and in my opinion a great first project if you are thinking about making garments or sweaters. It went quickly, was basic and gave me some practice on how a garment is put together. The down side is that if you are used to quick projects, like I am, it gets a bit boring at the end. Once you are finished knitting, you need to block, seam, maybe add some edging details, etc. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I liked learning and practicing some of these news skills. The pattern includes 5 pieces (back, front left, front right, and 2 sleeves) and the individual pieces knit up easily. This is a great evening, television project with the stockinette stitch pattern used. Easy decreases shape for the neck, so if you know knit, purl & decreases, any beginner can knit this project!

The yarn I used was Vanna’s Choice Baby in the Sweet Pea colorway. This was my second project using the Vanna’s Choice line from Lion Brand Yarn. My first project was the Luigi Hat. It took about 2 skeins to complete the project, with enough yarn left over to be comfortable (errors, details, edging, extras, etc.) I chose the green color because it is one of my sister’s favorite colors and it’s gender neutral. We are still waiting to find out if B.O.B. is a girl or boy. The Vanna’s Choice yarn is really soft and easy on your hands as you are knitting. It is one of the softest acrylic yarns I’ve tried. It is a worsted weight (weight class #4) which means it knits up pretty quickly. I believe this project was knit on size 7 or 8 needles. My only complaint about the Vanna’s Choice Baby is that the strands tend to separate a tad more easily than some other acrylics. Not too bad, but I’m just being completely honest here. The softness and the rich, almost jewel tone colors (compared to other baby yarns), and the fact you are likely using larger needles totally compensate for this issue. I loved the yarn so much on the next sale I grabbed one of each of the Vanna’s Choice Baby colors to play with and use in other projects. They are soft, yet vibrant, a nice change of pace from many chain store yarn brands.

It remains to be seen how well the kimono will survive in the wash and dry process necessary for newborns, but with $5 in yarn and only a few evenings worth of labor involved, it was a good trial into this sort of project. Sure, I wish I could make these for every new baby in my life, but I really don’t like seaming and blocking, at least not yet. Maybe once my children learn to feed themselves more often, or Mr. T builds that feeding trough for them, I’ll have more time and won’t mind the tedious parts as much. So for now, because of my life situation, not the pattern itself, this will remain and “family only and maybe not even them” project.

A quick note for all my fellow knitting and crocheting iPhone/iPod users: Lion Brand Yarn recently released (FINALLY!) an iPhone app that makes it much easier to cruise their listing of patterns while mobile. It’s an early version, has a few quirks, but it is so much better than having to use Safari to navigate the LBY website! It’s a free download too, pick it up here.

Posted in craft, knit, reviews, what were they thinking?.

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By wistfulwrists – January 18, 2010

Team Conan

I know there are a lot of things going on in the world right now and this is by far the least of them, but it’s nice to have a distraction sometimes. At least until those with the skills can get in, determine what help is needed and coordinate how best to implement that assistance. For now, I am praying, and waiting for word from some of my favorite charities- Service International, Hand of Hope, and Convoy of Hope – on how best to help.

Now, back to the post at hand:

Let me just say it. I LOVE Conan O’Brien. Sure, I’m married to a witty red-head, mother to two twin red-heads well on their way to careers in comedy, so I’m clearly biased. I have fond memories of watching Conan off and on in my college years. I really began watching him regularly during late night nursing sessions with my first son, nearly 7 years old now. That’s when my love of O’Brien truly began. I was thrilled years ago when the date was announced when he would take over The Tonight Show. I patiently waited until the debut last June. I can’t tell you how many nights I stay up much later than I should to watch every minute of his show. So the recent stir has me in a tizzy. I truly don’t understand why there is such a disconnect between executives in corporate America and basic rules of decency and conduct. A contract is a contract, your word is your word. If you prove yourself unworthy of trust, what else is left? Anyway…


DIY Team Conan Tee
Originally uploaded by craftrocklove

What is better than internet frenzy + crafting? NOTHING, I tell you. I was thrilled to see this come across my Twitter feed, from one of my favorite crafters & red-heads herself, Vickie Howell. Her DIY “Team Conan” T-Shirt has so many possibilities! T-shirts aren’t a staple of my crafting arsenal and don’t own any of those fabric paint markers, but I’ve been plotting the various items you could embroider with the “Team Conan” logo. Think of it as if it was our generation’s version of collectible election memorabilia. A button, a set of cloth napkins, even baby Onesies! Heck, if you love Mod Podge, the possibilities are endless!

I think this will be my craft of choice for the weekend, I just haven’t quite decided what medium I will work in yet. Mr. T has even requested a t-shirt, which would require a trip to a craft store. That’s almost like him ASKING me to spend money on crafts!

< insert evil laughter here >

Posted in Inspiration, Making It Home, craft, embroidery, what were they thinking?.

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By wistfulwrists – January 16, 2010

Finding the Groove

Hey there. You thought this was just another abandoned blog, didn’t you? Ha ha, well SURPRISE!

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It’s hard to find the balance, especially during the holidays. I’m not sorry to say I spent it with people & not the computer. January arrived with a few days of hot tea, a blanket & my sofa. Then a day or two of whipping my house back into shape after the holidays once the kids returned to school and then the cold snap hit. A few inches of snow, wind chills below zero and no school due to “inclement weather”, and a blogging mom’s best hopes are de-railed. Kids went back to school Monday, and are currently completing their first FULL week of school in nearly two months. Notice how that correlates with how long it’s been since I’ve posted. Bad Dog, I know.

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You know it’s cold when the kids will only play in the snow for 12 minutes. This photo is about 2 minutes into the outside time, and isn’t it telling? It’s a real chore to keep 4 kids busy inside the house for 4 days in a row. Exhausting!

Also of note, my husband, Mr. T turned the big 3-0 yesterday, with mild fanfare. That happens to be just the way he likes it.

Today I’m spending my day writing posts today to share with you in the upcoming days. Some crafts, gifts and projects that I couldn’t share with you in the midst of the holidays. So hopefully if you get snowed in like we did, you’ll have some fun ideas for your projects.

Stay tuned. I promise to return!

Posted in Secret Life of a Modern Mommy, Twin Mommy.

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By wistfulwrists – January 15, 2010

Receiving Handmade Gifts

Hope you don’t mind the micro-blogging. It’s always hard this time of year for crafters to blog because so many of our projects are gifts. We don’t want to blow the surprise before the gift is given.

Today I’m sharing with you my oldest son, who carries the crafty gene. Don’t you just love the look on this sweet face? He loves making and giving handmade!

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He made this at school. It’s a carpet sample painted with what I suspect is just average acrylic paints. He was so proud of his gift & of keeping it secret until he brought it home. Merry Christmas to you all! Safe travels for all of you hitting the road (or air) as we are later today!

Posted in Kid Crafts, Making It Home, Secret Life of a Modern Mommy, craft.

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By wistfulwrists – December 23, 2009