All About Me

So, here is the post I answer all of those burning questions everyone has about me :-) Haha, well I have one follower with burning questions, so everyone gets to read my answers to her questions! Hope you enjoy!

Here is what Cindy asked me:

When did you learn to crochet and how did you learn?
I learned to crochet my Junior year of college. I lived in a wreck of a house with four other girls. Haha, seriously, I should send you pics of this place! Hey, it was college and living in a dump is what ya do! The place was a turqoise color with flowery carpet. Ugh.

Anyway, I'm getting off track (which I do so often!). For some reason I decided that I wanted to learn how to crochet or knit. So, I went to the craft store, bought the cutest, fluffiest yarn I could find and picked up whichever crochet hook I felt looked good. I am SURE I picked my hook based on the color. I also bought myself a little "Learn to Crochet" book. I went back to my run-down house and attempted to whip up something amazing. Needless to say, I thought the base stitch for crochet was the Afghan Stitch and I could not figure out how to make something bigger than the length of my hook. My other issue was that I could hardly tell where I was putting my hook because the yarn I bought made it difficult to see my previous stitches. So, I put it all in a box and put it away.

About a year later I decided to try my hand at it again and for some reason it all "clicked." The instructions made sense and I went online to look for free patterns. The online world of crochet was like hitting the jackpot! Slowly I began to teach myself different stitches, understand how to read patterns, and eventually I could visualize patterns in my head of how I would create different things. The rest is history...

What's your favorite thing to make?
My favorite thing to make is hats. They are functional, yet very quick and easy to whip up in a couple of hours or less. I also love to start ANY new pattern. I get beyond excited! I tend to browse the internet during my graduate courses and will often buy Etsy patterns. When they are emailed to me I can hardly wait to get out of the class and head home to crochet what I just received! My husband would definitely agree that it is a bit of an addiction with me!

What's your favorite and least favorite parts of being a stay-home mom?
Hmmm.....there are so many favorite parts. First, I LOVE being home with my girl hanging out with her during the day. I rarely miss a milestone and I get to watch her learn new things everyday.

I also LOVE that I can stay in my pajamas all day on most days. Who wouldn't love this?? I love a laid back schedule. My mornings usually consist of getting up with Belle, drinking my coffee, and finally hopping in the shower around 9 when she takes a nap.

Third, I would not have the time to do my crochet like I have been if I was still working. This part of staying at home has been a neat surprise I wasn't expecting. I never thought I would have my own little small business going. I LOVE IT.

Worst parts. Hmmm. I do miss the adult social life. All of my sisters stay at home too, so I get to spend a lot of time with them, which helps. I also think this blog, as well as facebook, tend to me my social adult interaction. Say what people want about facebook and people that "live" on it, but it makes me feel connected and I often get "mommy advice" through these social networking sites.

Second, I also LOVED the place I used to work at. I have my BSW, so I have a natural desire to want to feel like I am making this world a better place. I worked at Access of West Michigan. GREATEST place ever. It is a small non-profit that does so much good in West Michigan. The people are genuine and the mission is something I stand behind. I miss the people I worked with and I miss the social work aspect that I was a part of. I still find my way into Access here and there :-) This year I am the chairperson for the SE quad of Grand Rapids for the County Wide Food Drive. It helps me feel a part of Access still and I get my "social work fix." This is definitely something I miss being a SAHM.

Thanks for your questions, Cindy! If anyone else has anything they want to know about me, please feel free to leave a comment or email me. I thought I might end this post by leaving you with a pic of the cutest girl ever :-) She makes EVERY part of being a SAHM fabulous (even the yucky parts!)