Are You Ready...

I kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a couple of days.  I have lost steam, don't have the desire to do much of anything lately, so I've used that time to think of some different things that I can post.  You know, keep stuff fresh, don't just phone it in.  One thing that has come to mind, though, that I want to touch on. 

I am a serious weather freak.  I love any type of weather, but a good thunderstorm will bring a smile on my face that will rival that of the Cheshire Cat.  I have always wanted to chase tornados!

I'm also a planner, though.  Since my boys were born I have taken the weather a lot more seriously.  I am not a pro, by any means, and I have had some people make fun of me, but I have tough my kids the importance of being prepared for severe weather.

Some of the things I've learned are:

• Weather radio!  I have two, one that is a plug in that I rely on heavily, although I hate the sound that it emits!  Ugh!  It's almost as annoying to me as an alarm clock!  It makes this really loud doobeedoobeedoobee sound.  It's worth it, though.  It's not something I can sleep through!  I also have one on my phone.  It alerts me to any of the places that I have programmed in, but I can sleep through that one.  That's mainly for the daytime hours, when my phone is in my back pocket.

• A safe place!  I'm sure you've heard that the best place is on the lower level, away from windows.  We have a closet.  It's a small closet (we had a huge closet before we moved, it was almost like another room!), so it will be tight, trying to fit two adults, two kids, and two dogs (yes, we take the dogs, too.  they are our family, and I won't go anywhere without them!), but we'll make it work.

• Helmets!  It's something that I've heard from meteorologists more in the past couple of years.  Protect your noggin.

• Go bags!  A disaster of any kind (fire, tornado, flood) is traumatic for any family, but I have a special worry for the children involved.  I have a bag that has a first aid kit as well as information such as insurance policies.  I also have another radio that runs on solar power, and I keep some little trinkets that are special.  My boys pack a go bag with some little things that they hold dear, also.  I try to impress upon them that it's not material possessions that matter, that it's family and people that matter more, but in a disaster I want my kids to be comforted, and if that means a toy or book or blanket has to come with them, then I have no issue with it.  *Note:  Animals need to be prepared, as well!  Make sure that your dogs/cats have a collar and leash, or are crated.  

That's all I can think of right now.  These ideas are just for a short amount of time, they are by no means for survival for more than a few hours.  That is something that I like to dabble in, but I have no advice on that.  

What do you do when there is a storm?

I get to practice again tonight, as the meteoroglogists are foretelling of high winds and possible tornados.  Gotta go prepare!

See ya!

~Amanda~

P.S.  I have a Pinterest board for storm preparedness, if you'd like to take a look.  Check it out here.

Being Deliberate

I have taken the Write 31 Days project very seriously.  At least, I've taken it as a responsibility to write.

I haven't been too deliberate in my writings, though.  I've just been writing what comes to mind when I realize that I haven't written and I need to get something out there.

I am just phoning it in now, and we're only 10 days in! 

I feel like that with my life, as well.  I was very disappointed about losing out on the house in Florida,  and I've just let things go.

No longer!  I'm getting back into working out and running, I'm going to get everything back to the way it was before the move.  I hate sitting idle, and that's how I've felt for the past two months.

Time to change that.  :)

See ya!
~Amanda~

Super Sleepy Blanket

I waited til the very last minute to blog today because I really just had no idea what I wanted to say.

Now I'm super sleepy, so I'm just going to show off the granny square blanket I'm making.  It's made from scraps from other projects, so it won't have a certain color scheme, it'll just be what I can get my hands on.

Well, that's all for now.  I'm going to make 5 more circles and add a couple more rounds on my Super Sleepy Blanket.  That's it's name now.  I have to name my blankets.  I even have one called a Sherlock blanket (it's another stash buster blanket that was made while watching Sherlock).

After my circles and rounds it's off to bed for me.

See ya!
~Amanda~

Prepping

I don't have a very elaborate post because I have decided to try my hand at a ready to ship sale, so I've spent most of the day stocking for it!

I worked for a little bit this morning, then turned on Sherlock and got my crochet on for the rest of the day.

I would love for you to stop by my IG feed (@_heartshapedcloud) and check out the sale on Friday, Oct. 10 at 8:30pm(Est.)!

I'm super nervous about it!  Wish me luck!

See ya,

~Amanda ~

Hmmm. Halloween.

Photo by Amanda Ropp
Border courtesy of pixlr-o-mantic

Halloween is fast approaching, and I have no idea what my two young'uns want to be!  Under normal circumstances, we have already purchased costumes and are in the midst of a battle over whether or not they are allowed to wear them before trick or treating!

A lot of times they ask me to make them a costume, {bless them, they have so much confidence in my sewing and creative abilities}, but they always get excited to go to the store and pick out a costume, so I can get off the hook relatively easily.

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, myself (I'm more into Thanksgiving), but I think it's about time to start thinking about pumpkin carving and what to wear.  The kiddos will be super excited to get pumpkins costumes.

I'd like to know, do you do anything big for Halloween?  Do you make costumes and carve pumpkins, or are you more like me, fine sitting in a dark house watching tv?

See ya,

~Amanda~

Organization Woes

Busy, busy, busy.  That's how I roll.  I have a family, and a real estate business, and I sell some of my crafts in my spare time (as well as trying my hand at blogging).

All of the activities and menus and planning and idea and patterns all need to be kept in order, don't they?

I am so overly type-A that I have calendars, planners, and notebooks everywhere.  Oddly, I'm not very organized.  Perhaps I'm not type-A,  I'm more obsessive...

Either way, I need to find a way to make it all co-exist without confusion.  Tomorrow my goal is to organize.

I will get my home, work, and craft lives to exist in harmony.  Yep.  That's my goal.  That's the plan.

{I'm trying to convince myself, if you can't tell}

Updates to follow (we'll see if I can follow through)!

See ya!

~ Amanda ~

Making A House A Home

Now that the dust has settled a little bit after selling our house (see I Left My Pillows In St. Augustine for that story), I have the herculean task of setting up our current house.

I decided to start by making the boys a reading corner.  It was easy enough.  I had all the items already, so it was free, and it didn't take long to get it put together.

The boys love it!  They beg to do their reading homework first, and for me to flop on the bean bag and read to them.

My goal has been to make the house as comfortable for the boys as possible, then make it comfortable for Hubby and myself.  This was a special treat for them, since we didn't have a space like this at the old house.

I'm still working on the rest of the house.  It's been slow going, but I'll post more if I set up something else that is as exciting as the reading corner.

See ya

~Amanda~

Technical Difficulties Are driving Me Insane

So, I had this post all written up, and now I can't even get the photo uploaded, much less get a link on it.  It has driven me insane for an hour, and now the battery is running down!

Well, phone, you have thwarted my plans this evening by not working the way I need.  I may be down, but I'm not out...

I think I may spend this time jotting a list of possible posts for my 31 Days series.

You can't keep me down, phone!  I'll come back!

See ya bright and early tomorrow!

~Amanda~

Rainy Day Bliss

Today has been a gloomy, rainy day, and all I've wanted is to curl up in my fluffy chair with a warm blanket and a ball of yarn, and maybe some Dr. Who.  I haven't been able to do that, but it's been on my mind!

I'm pretty excited for the change in temperature that the rain will bring.  I want to be able to wear my. Boots and sweaters!  I hate to be cold, but I love to use my handmade scarves and blankets and boot cuffs!

So, let me ask you, what's your favorite rainy day activity or your favorite thing about the colder weather?

~Amanda~

Pumpkins!

Hello, again!

{Last night I made some pumpkin garland for the shop, and I was asked for the pattern.  I decided to try my hand at pattern writing, so, here goes!!!}. Oh, by the way, if you don't want to make these little guys for yourself, I can gladly work them up for you!  Just click the link to the store!

Why is it that every time I have an idea and I think "I can just whip that up really quickly", it takes forever to figure it out?  These little pumpkins gave me such a hard time, for such a little design.  I stared at the yarn for hours, trying to figure out how to make circles look like pumpkins.  

All it took was an IG post about my problems, and within ten minutes (I'm not even sure that's how long it took, that's how long I was away from my phone) I had a message with the answer!  My awesome buddy, Britney @craftierbyb (go check her out, she's so cool!) had the solution to all of my problems.  Well, the pumpkin problem, at least.

Here's the pattern, as requested.  Please keep in mind that I am not a professional pattern-writer girl, so there may be mistakes.  Please let me know if you come across anything that needs attention.  

Pumpkin

12 DC in a magic ring close with a slip stitch

ch 2, 2 DC in each stitch close with a slip stitch

ch 1, 2 sc in first stitch; 

1 sc in second stitch; 

hdc, dc in third stitch, 

*2 dc in fourth stitch, 1 dc in fifth* repreat from * to the 10th stitch.

hdc in 10th stitch

sl st in 11th & 12th stitches

hdc in 13th stitch

*2dc in 14th stitch, 1 dc in 15th stitch* repeat * to the 20th

dc,hdc in the 20st stitch

sc in the 21st and 22nd stitches.  slip stitch closed

bind off

Stem

sc with new color into 15th, 16th, 17th stitches. 

ch 1, sc into each stitch of new color

bind off 

Oh, my goodness!  I am so sorry if this pattern is confusing!  I am so not a writer!  Please, please, please, let me know if you see anything that is confusing or needs my attention.  You can comment below, email me, or DM me on IG!

Well, I think this is day 2 of the 31 Day thingy in the books.  Cool.  Now to brainstorm what I want to write tomorrow!

See ya!

~Amanda~

31 Days Of...

I find that I am most happy when I am busy, when I am learning or working toward a goal, and I'm challenged.  That is where 31 Days comes in.  

Let me tell you what's going on.  "31 Days" is going to challenge me and keep me busy.  

On a personal note, I have self esteem issues.  I want to blog, I want to get my thoughts out there, but I'm afraid that no one will read it.  I am going to use "31 Days" to boost my creativity, come out of my comfort zone, and blog EVERY DAY!  I will put my fears and doubts out of my head and I will put my thoughts and ideas on paper. 

That is my personal endeavor for "31 Days".  It may be about my crafts, my home, whatever, but it will be out there!  Every day!  

I'll have clickable links to each day below, so they are easy to find!

To get details about 31 Days, check it out here.

See ya tomorrow!

~Amanda~

P.S.  Actually, since I started this a day late, I may even post later today to make up for it!

A.

Day 2: Pumpkins!
Day 3: Rainy Day Bliss
Day 4: Technical Difficulties Are Driving Me Insane
Day 5: Making A House A Home
Day 6: Organization Woes
Day 7: Hmmm. Halloween
Day 8: Prepping
Day 9: Super Sleepy Blanket
Day 10: Being Deliberate
Days 11 & 12:  I was away...
Day 13: Are You Ready...