In like a Lion...

Whoever wrote that old saying of "March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb" really needs to get a new animal picture book.

March is going out like a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  We got snow.  The road and driveway were COVERED last night but I guess they plowed and salted.  The lighting is horrible because it's that dreary and overcast outside.  And yes, our garbage can is still there from yesterday.

Hubs, Bear, and I all got the Plague this past week.  I'm still coughing (my chest feels like a baby rattle) but Hubs and Bear seem to be on the mend. 

I'm still working on my knitting WIP.  Slow and steady win the race.  Right? Right?!  Slow and steady.  The tutorial has already bound off their 8" long washcloth and started a new one using the Purl stitch.  Mine knit is about 3" long (and that's being generous).  I just don't seem to have the rhythm down.

April is going to be a month of accountability.  With the Plague there was lots of whining and moaning and "I'm too tired to cook" (with a huge draw on the oo of cook).  There was lots of restaurant meals totally blowing our food budget.  We even went out for pancakes.  Seriously??!!! Pancakes cost like $1 to make for both of us and we blew about $11 going out to the local grocery store.  Our one grocery store chain has restaurants in it.  Sit down, full service restaurants.  Does anyone else have these?

I'm still working on our "How our home runs" Binders.  I managed to get the section pages started and a few labels put on.  But the insides are mostly blank.  Our bills have run amok for right the moment.  We forgot about the electric bill.   But thanks to some quick consigning of outgrown baby clothes and hand me down gear we didn't use, we paid it in plenty of time.  Our taxes are complete and we're awaiting an ample tax refund to help us be credit card debt free.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Hopefully a few more days and I'll finally be back to me.

WIP Wednesday

Just what I need, another WIP.

When I was younger my Grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet.  It was nothing complicated, just some straight rows.  Before I got married I picked it back up for a few weeks with a friend and lost interest again.

Then I saw over on Ashley's blog, Make it and love it, she;s having a guest series of Learn to knit.  

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/03/learn-to-knit-mini-series-with-rebecca.html 

I was inspired an did this in about 20 minutes.  It's amazing how quickly things can come back! 

Money Saving Monday

Sorry for the sparse posting lately. We've all been attacked with the change of season cold.  Bear woke up Sunday morning all goopy and snotty and I'm just barely keeping it at bay.

My money saving tip today:  Always have a well stocked pantry and medicine cabinet.

I had no desire to crawl out of our house today, heck I didn't even get out my pajamas.  It was great being able to scrounge up a pound of ground beef and a box of hamburger helper (bought on sale for $0.50).  Also knowing I have a store of cold medicine and Ibuprofen was relieving when my body feels as though someone took a sledgehammer to it.

Unfortunately, the yuckies have to quiet down tomorrow because we desperately need milk.   We will be venturing to the grocery store where they have a half gallon for $0.99 on Tuesday.

Hubs has managed not to get sick and I feel awful.  I managed to get two loads of laundry done today and it's folded and piled in the living room.  The dirty dishes are on the counter waiting for a hand to load them in the dishwasher (and it won't be me until tomorrow morning) and all I want to do is crawl under the covers and never come out.

I feel the best first thing in the morning so I've been concentrating on getting some if any chores done then.  I'll load my dishwasher up first thing, run in through Bear's morning nap and then we'll head to the grocery store. Thankfully it's only about 3 miles away, and on the way home we can pick up the mail and then head inside for a quick afternoon nap.

Chores

It's naptime around these parts, and this is by far my ffavorite chore. Nighttime sleep has been a difficult commodity so snuggling my little Bear during the day is much appreciated.

Spring is in the air...
INSERT PHOTO

and my favorite chore is well-needed. I started my day off with two loads of laundry in hope to catch the fleeting 60* weather. I love hanging my laundry outside in the anticipation of taking the clean clothes out of the drawer later on and swearing I still smell the sunshine.

While I love doing laundry, putting in the washer and then hanging it outside, I hate finishing it. There are plenty of times I forget it outside, or it stays in a huge heap on our couch.

I've been trying really hard lately to be more dilligent with starting and FINISHING my chores. Bear has therappy once a month in home and I do the night before scramble of pick-everything-up-and-shove-it-in-the-guest room kind of cleaning and it really stresses me out. Tomorrow is March's therapy session so instead of our own March Madness tonight I mopped last night, vacuumed and laundry today, and I plan on cleaning the bathroom tonight.

Here's to having a sressless therapy pregame.

Money Saving Monday

I always love to start out the week with a fresh idea.  I'm new to the "frugal living" lifestyle so bear with me if some of these ideas sound mundane.

ALWAYS check the unit price. 

My 2 cup bag of shredded cheese costs less per ounce than a 4 cup bag of shredded cheese at our Walmart.  The same is true of cereal.  There are 13oz, 18oz, and 24 oz boxes.  The 13oz box is the most expensive, followed by the 24oz and then the 18oz.

Why is it more expensive to buy bigger amounts when it results in less packaging and more guaranteed product sold for the manufacturer? 

Daylight Savings Time

Really stinks when you have an infant.  Hubs and I are just sitting around and big deal, it's 9PM, oh wait in terms of sleep it's 10PM.

Bear does not sleep well.  It is related to his muscle issues and we're constantly struggling to get more than an hour's sleep at a time.  We keep getting a few good nights thrown in there, just so we start getting hope, and then he's up screaming all night.

Sleep is a precious commodity in this household and I'm mourning the loss of an hour tonight.  I've warned Hubs that we may not be making it to Sunday School tomorrow, depending on the quality of sleep tonight.

My latest project is crafting Bear's 1st Birthday Invitations, we're having a blowout, a We-Survived-The-First-Year bash and we have lots of people to celebrate with.  I couldn't find anything I liked in the stores, cost or quality so I've been making my own.  I have about 50 to make and believe me when I say I'm a beginning paper crafter.  I'm going it with just a small die cutter.  Oh, and I only have one die.  So I have one shape I've cut out for the front and I'm just winging it for the rest.

I plan on making my own Happy Birthday Banner by printing out letters on the computer and cutting them out of cardstock.  I also plan on making pinwheels.  We'll see how it goes.

Currently, we're in the process of switching our master and guest bedroom so my sewing machine and supplies are inaccessible.  So I'll leave you with an old picture of my fabric stash.  There's a bunch more fabric now, it's folded neater.

What? Your stash doesn't have a cat?

Oh and despite there being more fabric, and folded neater, the cat is still there.

Some Past Projects

I've always loved to make quilts for others, unfortunately, with owning a poor quality camera and an "I'm way too excited to give this away" in addition to my wait-till-the-last-minute finishing skills, I seem to always forget to take a picture.  I do have some pictures of some past quilts I have made and hopefully, I'll remember to take some of new projects.



Wilton Cake Decorating



 

My First Quilt Top Ever!



A Spring Quilt, my cheater pieced top.





Noodle-heads Foldover Bag
http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/03/fold-over-bag-tutorial.html



A Quilt for a new baby!

 


                                                             My first pattern pieced top.

    


Sorry for the crazy layout, Bogger's picture upload tool is super funky.  I think I'll stick to using HTML and uploading to another server for the next round of pictures.

Oh, and the best thing I ever made....

Hi Everybody!

(You need to say the title with the accent of Dr. Riviera from The Simpsons)

My names is Abs and I have a wonderful husband (Hubs) and a beautiful son named Bear.  Just for clarification, these are nicknames, I did not name my son Bear.  Although in today's times it wouldn't be that unheard of, he could go to school with River, and Brook, and Bronx Mowgli. But I digress.

We live out in the great old Midwest, so in the Winter we have icicles hanging off our noses, flooding in the Spring, crazy hot/cold waves in the Summer, and usually a quiet, low key Autumn.  The Fall is just glorious around here, up to our knees in corn and gorgeous orange pumpkins.  In addition to our son, we have two cats that are absolutely bonkers.

I'm not sure where this blog is going to go in terms of directions, I'm sort of misguided myself.  I do know that I love to craft (I'm a quilter, novice knitter/crocheter, and intro paper crafter), I enjoy finding deals and bargains and being cheap. Our expenses are pretty high since having Bear, he was born with special needs and after a stint in the NICU, countless doctors, tests and therapy we're left holding the bills with only slightly more information than we knew before.  In an effort to pay off his medical bills and still give him everything he needs I've tried to find cheaper ways to do things without sacrificing quality.  I also love to read, in fact, I'm slightly addicted.  I have not read a book in months because once I start I have to finish it. 

I look forward to sharing some favorite books, crafts, and frugal tips with everyone with an underlying hint of special needs and how it affects our daily life.

I'm a very lucky woman right now because Hubs and Bear are napping and I'm getting some much needed quiet me time!