My Life As A...

Wife, Mother, Student, Christian, Singer, Crocheter.....

Life has quickly become hectic in the Thompson household! I am currently pursuing my masters degree in school counseling and have just begun my internship. I am at a fabulous school with wonderful people, but somehow I am still working through accepting this new role in my life. I have been a SAHM for almost a year now, and I have loved being home with Belle. I know that this internship is a means to an end and a MUST for completing my program. All in all, I believe that once I get in a groove I will figure out life with this new role, but please give me a little time to figure out how to fit in my LOVE of crochet and the blogging world.

As of late, I have been able to stay on top of orders, but I am curious how I will complete the little extras I adore doing....trying out new patterns, selling things at Village Kids, and an upcoming Matilda Jane trunk show where I will take orders. I don't pretend to be the most organized person, so this will be a wonderful challenge for me! :-)

Thanks to each of you ahead of time for following my blog and for sticking with me through the next few months. I will try to continue to blog once a week or so, but I apologize ahead if things go a little longer. I know that I still owe you a pattern for a boy, and I cannot wait to work it all out and share it with you. I will get there, but I don't want to share it until I can devote enough time to it to make sure it is one worthwhile sharing!

I'm still here and I am still crocheting. It is my therapy and I will lose my mind over the next 9 months if I don't get my nightly fix (not to mention a glass of wine :-) ). Stick with me!

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!)

Wanna Know Who I Am?

Many of you who follow my blog know who I am. We are good friends, family, went to school together, or maybe worked together. However, there are MANY of you who have no clue who I am, except for the fact that I am a SAHM who loves to crochet.

I thought I would give you the opportunity to ask me anything you want to know. I love to know about the people whose blogs I read, so I thought this might give you the chance to learn a little more about me. Haha, this is assuming you want to know more about me :-)

So, for those of you who wonder more about who I am and my story, please ask away! I will respond to all of the questions in a few days and fill you in on who I am!

WINNER!!!

And the winner is #28:

CINDY WINS!!

Cindy said...
Well, geez, if everyone is going to get in multiple entries....

I'm a follower of your blog and a fan of your Facebook page (hence the earlier comment for entry)!

CONGRATULATIONS! Email me your information at bhuizinga@gmail.com and I will get your hat and booties in the mail soon! Thanks to all who entered! I appreciate the new followers, the Facebook followers, and the Facebook promotions! If you are new to my blog, be sure to keep checking for other giveaways, as well as free patterns. I have a pattern for a boy in the works....

Please Pray

I realize that this is a blog about crochet, but there have been times I have strayed from the regular post about a new project or upcoming projects to write about things of much greater significance.

I am asking for prayers for a young family that is being affected by cancer. Libby and I went to the same college. Although we were not close friends in college, we have many mutual friends and had gone on a Young Life spring break together. From what I know of Libby and the times I have spoken with her she is beautiful all around.

Recently, I saw a Facebook status of hers with a link to her blog saying "hope this helps." In her blog, Libby reveals that she has been diagnosed with cancer. She is 26, married, and has a 6 month old daughter and now fighting cancer. Her blog is an amazing testament of her faith and her passion for God. It is truly a story of inspiration.

I am asking for prayers for this family. The internet has an amazing way of bringing people together from every walk of life and many parts of the world. I know that all of you who follow have your own personal stories of strength, struggle, and times when you just needed someone to send a prayer up. Please send one of those prayers up for Libby and her family.

Click here to read their amazing journey they have begun in their fight against cancer:

dontwasteryourcancer

Neighborly Love

I wanted to share these beautiful pictures my neighbor, Jennifer, took for me.

Jennifer and her family moved into the house behind ours and we have just started to get to know them. One night, a few weeks ago, Jennifer and her husband, and a few others came over to our house on a whim and we had a fabulous evening! She began to talk about her photography and I began to talk about my crochet. Anyone else see the match made in heaven? Every crocheter loves professional pictures taken of their items, and I would assume every photographer loves the free publicity of these pictures being used on blogs, Etsy, and Facebook.

Jennifer took home a few of my items I have had trouble selling and within a few days she posted this pictures on her Facebook. I must say that her photography is amazing, and her lovely daughters as models makes my crocheted items look even better than I had hoped!

Please check out her site and the work that she does here: JFATA STUDIO or check out her Facebook Fan Page.

Be sure to enter the giveaway! It ends Sunday! GIVEAWAY

Enjoy the pics!

Giveaway!!!

Remember these??

Too cute, huh? Perfect for a baby shower gift! Ideal for newborn photos! Well....it's someone's lucky day! I am giving this lovely hat and booties set away! There are MANY ways to win. You can do one of them, or all of them for more entries! This is how to win:

1. Become a follower of my blog and comment about it...OR, just let know if you already follow.

2. Become a fan of my Facebook page and comment about it here.

3. Invite others to become fans of my Facebook page and comment about it.

4. Facebook about the giveaway and let me know you did.

5. Just for fun, tell me your favorite thing to crochet. If you don't crochet, tell me what your favorite type of handmade items are.

Be sure to make all of your comments on my blog, not on Facebook. By all means comment on my fan page, but those comments won't be able to be used when I pick the winner.

I will choose a winner on August 15! Good luck!

Still Here

I am so sorry for my delinquency the past couple of weeks with my blogging. This past week I was with Paul's family on a whirlwind trip to Gettysburg. We literally drove 12 hours on Wednesday, did the tourist thing on Thursday, and drove back home on Friday. What is more insane is that we did all of this with a 10 month old! Belle did fabulous on the drive and I am VERY thankful for portable DVD players! We were able to spend time with Paul's cousin and Mema from California. We haven't seen them in two years and they were able to meet Belle for the first time! The coolest part of the trip to me is that we were on a vacation with four generations! How often does that happen?!?!

Last week we went on a camping trip with my family, which was great fun as well. It was spent with the kids swimming, fishing, and playing on the playground. Belle was more into her kiddie pool. I hadn't been camping in ages and I forgot just how much I loved it!

Anyway, this is a crochet blog, right? Haha, so enough about my family summer vacations! The great part about both of these trips is that I had a lot of time to crochet. I am amazed that my hands didn't fall off after the drive to Gettysburg! I literally crocheted the entire time! I finished many hats and a beautiful baby blanket for my friend.

The blanket was my favorite piece! I hadn't completed a blanket in awhile. I asked Liz to let me know what she would like for the baby. She had free reign to pick anything! She asked for a blanket that matched the baby room with some flowers in the corner. I was excited to pick out colors and to come up with a plan! I ended up doing the blanket with this stitch:

OFFSET COBBLE STITCH

I was a little skeptical at first, but was very happy with the results. I didn't want to do a stitch that was too open because the little munchkin's toes and fingers would push through. I wanted to make sure this blanket would be warm enough during the awful winter snow storms we get around Michigan!

After completing the larger part of the blanket I crocheted 3 rows of sc around the edge and then finished off with a scalloped row. I whipped up a few flowers and placed them in the corner. I love it! I can't reveal the pics, yet, as I haven't given it to Liz. Her shower is in a few weeks, so once Liz has seen the blanket I will be sure to post the pics! Oh, and I wanted to share the colors I used. I am not one to use tons of different colors on one project, but I decided to go for it with this blanket since the baby bedding had so many colors that looked beautiful together. Here are the colors:

Stay tuned for pics in a few weeks!