The Angel Forever

Making Time to Crochet

Posted on March 7, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

A week ago, I decided that I wanted to try to really crochet again. I knew the basics, but it never really worked out for me. I always had troubles holding the hook, moving the yarn, and getting even tension. Being a long time knitter seemed to complicate things a bit. Thanks to some amazing YouTube tutorials out there, I figured out what I had been doing wrong before. My hook started to fly over the yarn. Once I did practice stitches, I tried the cloths that ColoradoMoms made a video for.

This used Half Double crochet and I fell in love. I used an entire skein of Lily yarn to make three quick cloths to work on some items.

Then, I wanted to try more. I went to YouTube again and decided to tackle granny squares. After I got the hang of it with some cotton yarn, I pulled out some softer yarn that I stopped using on an old project (crazy colors I know and more will be added). I decided to try more granny squares. The rest is history.

Yes, I owe a big thank you to Emily at ColoradoMoms.com and also to Connie at MiscFinds4U.com for their inspiration. Their posts about crocheting really pushed me to try something new for me time.

If you crochet and have patterns that you love, please let me know. I am definitely looking for more items to try now that I have the hang of this.

It's Me

Categories:
knitting me moments

Duffy the Disney Bear in March

Posted on March 6, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

In March of 2011, we flew to Walt Disney World on St. Patrick’s Day for the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. It was a magical experience that I have written about many times. The next day, during the conference, we came back to our computers and had a surprise. There was a St. Patrick’s Day Duffy at each place. Another person gave me her Duffy for my other son. When I went back to our room, I surprised the boys. Here they are meeting Duffy all decked out for DisneySMMoms and St. Patty’s Day.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney DisneySMMoms travel vacation

Tuesday Tales – New “Watch Me Grow” Books

Posted on March 5, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a parent, it has been amazing to watch the growth of my children during their preschool years. This is the time when they learn to be independent, share, read, and get ready to go to school. As wonderful as this time can be as a parent, it can also be a scary time for children. These days, books are now available like the Watch Me Grow books from Sterling Kids Books. We recently received the two latest books in the series.

Little Chipmunk’s Wiggly, Wobbly Tooth (ISBN 9781402772313) and Little Raccoon Learns to Share (ISBN 9781402772306) – Written by Mary Packard– Illustrated by Lisa McCue – Sterling Children’s Books – April 2013 – $7.95 each – Ages 3-5

When the books arrived, my kindergarten kiddo wanted to sit down and read them with me. JSL has not lost a tooth yet, so he wanted to start by reading Little Chipmunk’s Wiggly, Wobbly Tooth. We quickly met Chipmunk who was extremely proud of his two front teeth. He suddenly notices something is “wrong” with his teeth and he can’t eat the way he had. We watch as he problem solves through the problem by visiting his dentist.

JSL really enjoyed Little Chipmunk’s tale as told by Mary Packard. She took something that can be scary for a child and made it a milestone to be proud and excited about. Lisa McCue’s beautiful illustrations invite us into the adorable world of Little Chipmunk and his friends. I know we will recommend this book to families with children who have kids with wiggly teeth in their future.

When we read the second book, we met Little Raccoon. She is a sweet character who is very egocentric. She is definitely a “Just Me” who focuses on herself and not others around her.

Thanks to McCue’s illustrations, we can see how hurt her friends are when she does not think about them. A lesson in being part of a team and sharing shows Little Raccoon just how nice it is to work together. This book shows how children can put their interests first and prepares them for how others may feel.

The Watch Me Grow books are a great read for children who are starting school, learning about manners, or hoping to get reassured about big childhood milestones.

Please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: My family received the books mentioned above from Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed are my own. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through the link.

Two additional Tuesday Tales books featured illustrations by Lisa McCue:

Categories:
books Tuesday Tales

Magical Mickey Ears

Posted on March 4, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There is just something special about Mickey Mouse ears. They make me smile, think about fun times, and keep me going when times are tough. Last weekend, we were celebrating Purim and I knew exactly what my “costume” would include. I had to wear my new sparkly Minnie Mouse ears that I bought while at Walt Disney World in December.

When we arrived, I knew I wanted to get myself a special pair of Mickey ears. I mean I have many amazing memories wearing my regular Walt Disney World ears like this:

Those are just like the ears I had as a child. They are also like the ears we got the boys to celebrate our first family trip to Walt Disney World. So many magical memories from many years and adventures.

We also have special ears from trips. On our honeymoon, I bought a pair of Eeyore ears and TechyDad got a Fantasia Mickey ears hat. In December, we were given these beautiful ears that celebrate the opening of New Fantasyland.

Still, I wanted to have something that nobody else in the house would want to use. I was selfishly thinking of being a the queen of the castle and getting myself something that sparkled. While walking around, I fell in love with a pair of Minnie ears. They called my name, but I was silly and never bought them until we were leaving the Magic Kingdom on our way back to hop on the Magical Express home.

Yes, I was the person at the gift store asking to have my special new ears wrapped to pack so they would not be ruined traveling home. Thank goodness, my ears made it without any problems. I fully admit I sometimes just put them on while working around the house for no reason, just because they made me happy.

When driving around with my ears on the other day, it made me smile. My only problem was not stares from people looking at my sparkly ears, not at all. I kept forgetting that I needed more clearance space when putting on my winter coat and getting into the cars with said ears.

What are your favorite Mickey ears that you own or your children have? I would love to know if you wear them at home and when you are not in a Disney Park.

It's Me

Categories:
Disney me moments travel vacation

Knitting or Crocheting

Posted on March 1, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I like to knit. Just sitting there and hearing the clicking of my knitting needles relaxes me. The more mindless the pattern, the better. Sometimes, I work on long term projects where I can just sit and knit, and knit, and knit.

Yes, I put that on the bunk bed ladder to show how long an edge it. It is almost as tall as I am already. Of course, sometimes I knit something a little different to keep my neck warm.

While I love to knit, I am super jealous of my friends who are crochet masters. It really intrigues me. I have learned to crochet in the past, but it did not stick. I knew that I really needed to watch a video, get some yarn, and my hook and learn that way. Thanks to Emily at ColoradoMom, I used her tutorial for a refresher (see the pin below).

Source: coloradomoms.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest

So, I tried to crochet again while listening to Emily. After a bit of trouble with my hands being used to a knitting position, I kind of figured things out.

At this point, I am going to keep practicing single crochet and then move forward. Then, I will ease into learning patterns and more. Who knows where this will go.

Do you crochet or knit? I would love to see what you have made if you have photos or patterns to share.

It's Me