Went to the Magic Valley Air Show last Saturday and saw the Blue Angels fly for the first time ever. Amazing! The boys were pretty impressed, too! It was hot and not cheap, but so worth it!

Click on any of these to view them larger.

 

eReader Cozies!

Well, I finally got around to stocking my shop a bit. I've been so swamped with commission projects and gifts that I haven't had time. I hope to include cozies for other devices, but I'm still in the process of perfecting a few other patterns. Go to my shop to snag one for yourself!

Sock Monkey Coffee Cozy

A friend of mine requested two of these.

Practical? No.

Adorable? ABSOLUTELY!

Sock Monkey Coffee Cozy, Sock Monkey Coffee Cozy by Inner Hooker

Blackmail

Will he hate me for it someday? Probably.

Was it worth it? Most definitely.

Snorkle

Rob learned how to snorkle this weekend. He caught on pretty quick!

And he thinks it's funny that his flippers look like duck feet.

Rob's 4th Birthday

In the midst of company and VBS, we celebrated a very special little boy's 4th birthday. Nothing fancy, but he did ask for Spider-Man...everything. I did my best to not disappoint. Rob talked about it for days after the fact, so I'm assuming he was pleased.

His birthday started with our pastor calling him to the stage and serenading him in front of ALL the VBS kids. Rob just stood there, petrified. It was hilarious. Later, Pastor Bear gave him a whole Snickers bar. Far better experience than the serenading.

More after the jump...

Kathy

We were blessed to have my step-mom, Kathy, come and stay with us for a week. The only thing that could have made it better would to have had my dad here, too, but he had to work. =(

It was a crazy, busy week, mostly filled with VBS - which she, true to her sweet, servant's heart, jumped right in and helped where ever she could. Much to my pride's dismay, she also clothed and fed my children every morning (after making coffee), did my dishes every night, and even folded my laundry while watching the boys so Matt and I could go out on a date. She's notorious for doing things like this and, while it drives me nuts for the moment, I deeply appreciate her love and willingness to help.

African Flower Kindle Cozy

I've seen the African Flower motif kicking around the internet a few times, but never got around to playing with it. Then, I found these lovely shades of lime and teal (which are lighter in person) crochet threads just sitting next to each other on the shelf at Michaels. I had to find a project. HAD TO. I know I've made so many Kindle cozies along the way, but what fun to have one made out of cute teal and lime hexagons?

So, I set out to map out a template. Printing off and hand cutting out a bunch of little hexagons, I pieced together what my finished pocket should roughly be shaped like. Then, I set out to making the hexagons (nine full ones, two halves) and then started sewing them together. Which was a bit of a task. Weird shapes going all sorts of directions, aiming for that pocket shape. Thankfully, it didn't take too long with too much fuss. Viola! A pretty little cozy for a Kindle. Again. What? I like making Kindle cozies.

African Flower Motif Tutorial

Half African Flower Motif Tutorial

Pocket design loosely based on this (must be logged into Ravelry to view).

Spider-Man Afghan

Tada! Rob's Spider-Man afghan. Isn't it spiffy? I've never made a "round ripple" before. It was fairly straight-forward, but for some reason I kept messing up on the color changes. The pattern instructions weren't clear on this, so once I got the gist, I chucked the pattern. I so hope he likes it! I managed to keep it hidden from him, only working on it during naptime or bedtime, but he came out of naptime one day much earlier than I anticipated and saw it. Thankfully, he went back to sleep and forgot about it, but then brought it up a couple days later. I told a Mama lie (I hate that!) and said that I didn't have time to make him a Spider-Man blanket...better luck next year. Bad me! But you do what you have to when it comes to birthdays, right?

Spider-Man Afghan, Superhero Dream Catcher Afghan by Stitch 'n Frog Crochet

"Can I Have a Snack?"

Rob: "Can I have a snack, please?"

Me: "No, you can wait for dinner."

Rob: "But I only have time for a snack."

Me: *chuckles* "Do you have a hot date tonight or something?"

Rob: "Well, while I was sleeping, I was pretty warm. Can I have a snack?"

4th of July - Marshall Style

We didn't do a whole lot of fireworks, but the boys, of course, we're thrilled with what we did have. That's all that matters.

 The boys' first sparklers!

More after the jump...