I Know, I Know

I didn't even realize how long it had been since I'd posted! I have only been home for 1 week in November. I was in a wedding in New Jersey and then of course Thanksgiving! Both were so much fun and one of the best Thanksgivings ever! We went to Prescott for Thanksgiving, it was very cold but they have great Antique stores and lots of them! We got to see the Main Street Christmas Parade of Lights and did ALOT of shopping! I have a crazy busy month ahead of me, both of my kiddo's birthdays are this month and we are traveling to California for Christmas, you should see my list! I took the Handmade Pledge for gifts this year so it's making me extra busy...what was I thinking?!! JK..lol, I loove making gifts I just need to get on it and get 'em done! I of course have to buy some of the gifts...I don't think my son would like any attempt from me of a homemade Transformer! He IS Optimus Prime...when anyone asks his name he tells them Optimus Prime..it's very funny and everyone loves it..lol :)

On to another topic .... I have learned to spin my own yarn!!! FINALLY!!! I got my beautiful spinning wheel from my parents last Christmas and just learned how to use it last month! It is so much fun and very cool to make your own yarn! I need to take some pics and I'll post my first yarn :) Hopefully , I will get good enough to sell my own yarn on my Etsy shop!

Check out http://www.thepinkfunnyfarm.typepad.com/

She has the most beautiful store in town and the BEST place for any gift for any girl you can think of! Her name is Anita and she just started her first blog! I'm sure it's going to be fantastic just like her store! You simply have to visit if you ever are close. She has this crazy gift of remembering your name and what you like or what your Mom or sister etc. liked when they came in! Anita and Tammy (I hope I didn't spell your name wrong Tammy!) are great and you should visit!

I am in the Swap Sisters Holiday Swap and I have been terrible about posting pics! Well , here are some from the Swags and Tags for November that I sent :)

Sweet Goodness Swap

So, the lovely ladies from Sweet Goodness Swaps generously let me and my mother join their latest swap ,you can visit there site here: http://sweetgoodnessswaps.blogspot.com/
We have one swap partner for three months ! How cool is that?! I am sending my partners stuff probably tomorrow so I will post pics after I know she has got it :)

I made a promise to myself that I am going to update my blogs that I visit , because since I started doing this I have made lots of new blog friends :) aaand I want to feature some of my favorite sellers on Etsy and some cool websites that I have come across,stay tuned for some new stuff :)

Also, to touch a little on my daughter's eosinophiloc disorder, did anyone watch the interview that Matt Lauer did with a little boy from London who's allergic to almost all foods? He had Eosinophilic Entropothy (sp?) in other words he has the same thing as my daughter only worse!
I was sooo happy for the exposure! I really wish that they would have interviewed someone form the states and told about the hospitals here that can help, and I wish they would have done a more in depth story but of course I would , I want a cure!!!!

Handdyed red scarf

Handdyed red scarf
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Wooo,I haven't posted in a while, October is a busy month in our town, and I have been setting up a new shop on Etsy called HMBM (handmade by me) It's all the stuff I like to make but doesn't fit in with my dottielouknits shop. I have been having so much fun making things for this shop, I have had a renewed sense of things lately, I hope it lasts...lol! Anyhoo...this is one of my handdyed scarves, I machine embroidered the ends so they wouldn't fray but kept it unfinished so it looks very casual . I really love these, I'm going to make more really soon.

Sweet Goodness Swap Questions!

1. Favorite Color: I love earthy colors 2. Chocolate Lover? Yes, I like milk chocolate and I love love white chocolate3. What is your favorite craft hobby? knitting is my favorite! 4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? spinning my own yarn 5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)? painting or drawing 6. Do you have any allergies? (we don’t want to send anything with peanuts if it’ll make you blow up like a balloon!) I am allergic to shellfish 7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? I love dressing up and decorating the most 8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? Yes, I love to! 9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? Christmas What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? Of course a tree and it's decorated in gold and red and vintage and handmade looking ornaments and lots of white lights :)10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls? I have a girl and a boy , my girls is almost 7 and my son is almost 4 (December babies)11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind? We have one pet and he is a boxer named Oscar 12. Are you a reader? Yes If so, what type of books do you like? I like Janet Evanovich books , anything funny 13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? both of my kids' birthdays are in December , the 7th and 21st If so, what day and what is the occasion?14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect? yarn and fabric 15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?? I love to make mexican foods and I like to bake 16. What is your favorite scent? beachy scents and clean scents Is there one that you can’t stand? fake cinnamon and really sweet or powdery scents 17. What’s your favorite song? I have so many , this is hard question for me 18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater? Bridge to Tarabithia and I cried my eyes out !19. What’s your favorite Candy? bit o honey 20. Tea or Coffee or other? I looove tea and chai tea over ice , I like coffee too but it upsets my stomach :(

Swaps

Swaps FINALLY on their way!!! Please accept my apologies for them being late , I am a very prompt swap partner under normal circumstances! I have never been late before in fact I'm usually early. Alot of fun stuff has been going on this past week like babies being born and visitors etc. So to my swap sisters, I am sorry and I hope you enjoy your gifts!

The Swap Monster !

oscar
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Yes, this is him...hard to believe he could do something so bad...LOL!
This is Oscar, my husband was out in the desert and watched someone drive in and drop him off and leave!!!!! So my husband picked him up and we've been spoiling him like rotten and he is the sweetest thing I can't believe someone wouldn't want him! He's awesome and I'm so happy he came into our lives :)

THE DOG ATE MY SWAPS!

Yes, it's true , I swear , my dog ate my swaps! I had them all done and laying out on the table , they just needed to be packaged and off they were going! I had spent several hours finishing them the night before :( My husband calls and says " Ummm...I had to go do a bid and , it's just down the street sooooo I thought that I could just leave Oscar (our one year old boxer) inside cuz I wasn't gonna be gone THAT long.......and it's so hot outside, but ummm he ate your bamboo candle...and there's green tea and tea bags everywhere and glitter? I wonder how he got those?" As soon as he said it my heart sank! "NOOOOOO I cried! noooot my swap stuuuuff!!! @$#$%^$%!!! I was sending them out today! He ate everything but thank goodness a journal that I had made, I can't believe it ,he didn't get into the kitchen trash or tear up toys just the swap stuff!
Sooo, if any of my swap partners are reading this I am going to be late sending everything out but I promise promise I am on top of it and you will get your swap gifts :)As soon as I get home I will post a picture of the little stinker himself!

This is the message that came with my tea this morning! What a great message to start the day with :)

Good Morning!

All of the treats I sent

tussiemussie2
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

I found a vintage hankie with light pink embroidery and mini metal salt and pepper shakers and an old alphabet block. I added some tags and rose buttons and a pretty card to go inside.

Close up

tussiemussie
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Tussie Mussie that I made

tussiemussie1
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Catching up

Wooo! What a summer! Lot's of stuff going on that I haven't been blogging like I was. I've been visiting some of my favorite blogger girls and I see that I am not alone :) I finally took some pictures of my last couple of swaps, the Tussie Mussie swap and the Art Doll Hat Swap wich were sooo much fun! It was my first time making either one and now I'm hooked. I had two really great swap partners and they both made me beautiful things :) Lucky me! I just joined the Cotton and Candy swap and I'm really excited ..I mean who doesn't like candy and cotton?!

Eosinophilic Disorder!

Sooo,I haven't posted much about my daughter being sick cuz .. well, it makes me cry everytime I talk about it or start writing about it, but I think that I should because it's a disorder that is rare and happens mostly in children. It is getting more common though and there is some great resources out there. So I thought that I would share her story as briefly as I can and if anyone knows anyone going thru the same thing maybe I can help point them in the right direction!
Lauren was (and still is in my book!) perfect and healthy and normal and she got what we thought was a stomach virus in December, she had just been sick with a stomach virus about two weeks before and it is the right time of year so we didn't think to much about it . Well in December she was really really really sick for 7 days! I took her to the emergency room and they said " she doesn't have appendicitus" and sent us home. She got better but got sick again in January, so I took her to the doctor and he said she had the stomach flu..."three times in three months?" I asked ! So we got sent home again and THEN she got waaay worse in April. Screaming in a fetal position asking GOD to make her and Angel!!!! she did this off and on all day and nite for 2 straight weeks! We had 3 emergency room visits and 2 doctor visits and 2 days in the hospital with a morphine drip to control the pain all in those 2 weeks. HELL...I can't even describe my feelings I had those weeks. She had every test in the book and they all came back normal. So, we went to the Phoenix Children's Hospital and they said that a virus "probably settled in her intestines and caused some damage and sent us home with some prescription strength liquid Pepcid. The Pepcid worked a little , the pain was def. less, but then she got really sick again one day and started bleeding when she went to the bathroom, another emergency room visit and lots of tests. We went back to the Children's Hospital for her to get a colonoscopy and a scope. They took biopsies and found eosinophils in her small intestine and colon. Eosinophils are white blood cells that are made in your bone marrow and usually triggered by and allergy or parasite. She tested negative for parasites and she had a blood test called RAST for allergies and tested negative for allergies. These little eosinophils clump up and release toxins and it causes tremendous pain. If they find a certain percentage you have an eosinophilic disorder. The kind of Eo's disorder you have depends on where they find them in your digestive system. There are severe cases where children can't eat at all and they have to have feeding tubes put in their stomachs...of course this is what I saw when I started researching! My daughter is not a severe case but it can get worse and my goal is to get it under control now. She is going to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital sometime here in the future, we are waiting for all of her test results , etc. to be sent there and then they discuss her case and make an appt. They are THE hospital to take your kid if they have this. They have their own section that deals only with these disorders. She will be up there for a week for more tests and then at the end of the week they decide what course of action is best. So, I'm praying every nite and hanging in there for her :) We have good days and bad days but most are good! She's loving school and just started first grade and it's keeping her busy and her mind off of it. She's very tough, tougher than me and I'm very proud of her! If you want to know more please check out these websites
www.apfed.org and www.curedfoundation.org and www.eosinophilictucson.com these are great websites and provide a wealth of information and resources, they helped me alot! Also you can visit www.cincinnatichildrens.org for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital info. Please feel free to contact me if you are going thru this or know of someone....I know what you're going thru and you're not alone and you're not crazy! Take care everyone :)

annd the back....

First Haircut!

I always put my pictures in the wrong order this should be one of the last ones,oh well I'll learn one day. Isn't it cute?! I've always wanted a bob so I'm living through my daughter :) I can't stop looking at her, she looks older now like a big kid!

She is so happy! I thought there would be tears, but I think it was harder for me than her...lol!

This is Lo's first "real" haircut! She had been asking me for months and I finally caved! I'm really glad I did, she looks adorable and they cut enough off that she donated her hair to Locks of Love :)

Felt acorn pincushion

Felt acorn pincushion
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

I sent this as a little extra for my bunny swap partner. My mom started making these pretty little pins,they are so cute! I make and sell the felt acorn pincushions on my Etsy shop.

Little pink bunny's blanket and tail

Little pink bunny's blanket and tail
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Here's the pic of the matching blanket and I put a crocheted flower for her tail :)

Bunny Swap

Little pink bunny's face
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

This is the bunny I made for Barbara,I think she turned out pretty cute for my first one ever! I used the wee bunny pattern from Hilary Lang. I had alot of fun making this I even made a little blanket for her that matched.

Bunny Pic!!!

Look below for pics of my new bunny!!!!!!!!! and her little buddy :)

Seasonal Swap sent

This is all of the goodies I sent for the Seasonal swap I was in. It was a summer beach theme and so fun to put together :)

More stuff sent out

Bunnies and Clowns!

I have had a stressful weekend to say the least! I had to go to Phoenix this weekend to take my precious Lo to the Children's hospital for tests, tests that she had to be put under for :( Not fun at all! Sooo as you can guess I was not in the brightest mood when I arrived home until I saw a package from my wonderful swap partner Barbara! I got a huge smile on my face and raced inside to open it!! WOW is all I could say.It is the cutest bunny I have ever seen! It's truly adorable, and she made a little clown to go with him. I have not had time to take pics yet , I will do that today and hopefully get them up tonite.The bunny I made her is not anywhere near the quality of work that hers was ..lol but it was made with alot of love! I will post pics of mine too but not beside the one she made LOL!! I seriously cannot say enough good things about my new friend Barbara, thank you thank you for your prayers and hugz for Lo.Oh ... and thank you from Lo to Maddesyn for her very sweet pictures , Lo loooved them and has them in her "special place" in her room :)

Swaps

My first experience with a swap was great, I loves what I got and so did my swap partner. Well not the same with my second swap :( I joined the FP swap and made the green umbrella etc. and still have not got anything in return! My mother has not received anything either,I'm def. more bummed for her cuz this was her first one and she made the most beautiful swap gifts! I just don't understand how you can receive something that someone put their time and love in for someone they don't even know and not send something back! Totally understand that life is unpredictable but a quick email that it is going to be late or something is not to much to ask, I don't think. I hope that no one joins swaps with zero intentions of sending something back, that would be soo wrong! Do I sound angry?...LOL! I'm mostly mad for my mom :(

Since I am on the subject of swapping...haha, I will be sending out my swap partners bunny on Thursday! and I am finishing up my stuff for the Seasonal swap that I am in and will be sending it out this week sometime too! I have had so much fun making everything, it has really kept my mind off of all the stuff going on ..but that's a whole other post! lol
I will post pics of everything in the next couple of weeks as to not ruin the surprise for my swap buddies :) Check back cuz they are really cute!

This is the inside,I love love love this fabric! I'm not the best picture taker so the photo does not do it justice :( It is so pretty and looks really pretty next to the green.This was my first time lining a knit bag and it wasn't that bad! Probably not the best job ever but it's mine and I love it ..hehe :)

I finally finished my knit bag! I am soo pleased with the way it turned out. The flower is just a pin, I'm going to make several in different sizes and colors so I can change it around or not have one on it at all. I love this yarn, it is so fun to knit with.

This is my son, I loooove this face! I kiss it all the time and he gets mad at me and wipes them off...LOL! I can't help it he isn't going to be this little for very much longer ...boo :(

Daddy and Daughter Dance

Lo and my husband went on a daddy/daughter "date" one nite and I swear it's the happiest I've ever seen her, she absolutely glowed!

This is my sweet Lo ! This was her big recital nite, they had the cutest costumes with ruffles and cherries. She looked precious on stage as usual, but this year she didn't look like one of the little girls :( I was proud and kind uv sad at the same time. I didn't think any costume could beat the ladybug costume they had two years ago but this one came close! I'm getting these up late as the recital was on the 2nd and 3rd of this month but better late than never :)

Bunny Swap

I started working on my stuff for the bunny swap last nite! I was having so much fun that time got away from me and I stayed up waay past my bed time..lol.I will post pics as soon as my swap partner has gotten her sweet little bunny! Don't want to ruin the surprise just in case she ever visits me here :) You can go visit her sweet blog at www.123lavenderlollipoplane.blogspot.com

Free People Blog

I just looked at the Free People Blog and fpgirl just posted some pics from the travel swap flickr group and mine and my mom's stuff is on it!!!!!!! I am beyond excited about that! You can check it out at http://blog.freepeople.com/
Have a good Sunday :)

Mini Notebook

recitalandtravelswap 017
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

My very talented mother made this!!! I looove it ! I told her that I wanted it but she already listed it on her Etsy site :( booo. I'm half way tempted to get on Etsy and buy it from her...LOL! It is so beautiful on the inside and the back too.

Handpainted Umbrella

travelswap3
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

This is the finished umbrella I made for my swap partner...well I didn't make the umbrella itself of course! I painted it and made the inside all pretty :) I am really happy with the way it turned out..I was veeery nervous about it!

I'm Finished!

I'm finally finished with the stuff I made for my swap partner! I have been stressing about it a little because I did some painting and I am NOT a painter...LOL! I woke up at 5:30 in the morning and everyone was still sleeping and I thought ...ok....I need to do this cuz I need to finish and if I mess up I'll just make her a new one. Well it turned out better than I gave my self credit for , don't get me wrong I am no artist when it comes to painting but it had the feel that I was looking for ...wheeew! I can't wait to send it to her,I hope she likes it.

As you can see I am pretty new at this whole blogging thing and I have been poking around at other blogs and there are soooo many cool ones out there! I really need to sit down and write them down so I can put them up here on my blog so you can check them out. There are some fantastically talented women out there! I'm jealous that some of them get to create for a living,very cool :)

Bittersweet Weekend

We had to put one of our dogs down this weekend :(....Let's hope I can write this without crying! She was awesome and I am so so sad that she is gone. We have been of course spoiling our other dog like crazy because it makes us feel better ( kinda) and well.. he lost his playmate. On the other side of the coin...we had family in town this weekend and it was really nice and fun and a good way to keep our minds off of it.Talk to you later.....:(

The Culprit

The Culprit
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

This is the baby bunny I caught eating my new purple flowers that my husband just planted for me :( He is so cute though isn't he?!

Blue umbrella

Blue umbrella
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

This one is going to be mine :) I love the fabric and can't wait to get started on this one!

Purple umbrella

Purple umbrella
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Inside the purple umbrella

Purple umbrella

Purple umbrella
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

pic of the handle on my purple one

green umbrella

green umbrella
Originally uploaded by Dottie Lou Knits.

Ok,I finally did it, I took some pictures of my umbrellas that I have been working on. One of them is for my swap partner and the rest I am going to sell on my Etsy site. They are still a work in progress , I still have to paint on the tops and I'm thinking about some other embellishments. I'm really excited about these they are turning out great!

Craft Swap

I am in the Free People craft swap ,this is the second one they have done and this one is travel themed. I am almost finished with what I decided to make, just a few more touches and I'll be finished. I just have to find some cool little stuff to put with it and decide how to package it up pretty! Sooo I am brainstorming because what I made is kind uv big and awkward for sending. I soo hope that she likes it! I'll post a pic of the progress when I get home today or at least I'll try and get it done...lol! I need to go and buy some paint and some brushes tonite. If anyone gets a chance go and look at the Free People Travel Swap on flickr , I think you can still go and look at the FP Valentine swap pics on there...it's got some really pretty stuff on it. Everyone involved can post pics of what they are making on there and there are alot more people involved in this swap so it should be pretty neat to see everything!

My Little Perfectionist

I made it thru! I didn't cry ! She was so cute up there singing, I was so proud.She was so nervous all day about the letter O song (they sang an alphabet song) , she did great of course but thought she did terrible and we had alot of tears after the show because she was embarrassed that every one noticed :( My little perfectionist! I thought she was perfect of course and loved every minute of it!

Kindergarten Graduation!

It is going to be a busy week,actually a busy rest of the month! My daughter has her kindergarten ceremony this Thursday ( I'm going to try my hardest not to cry, lol) and then next week is her last week of school so they have alot of activities planned plus the actual graduation on the last day of school and then that weekend is 3 days of dance recital! woooo........Then summer vacation! Life sure does change when they start school. I'm looking forward to summer vacation,we are going to California to visit my husband's family and to take the kids to the ocean...I can't wait! It is always so much fun and I am forever amazed at how big the ocean is, I could stare at it all day. If I ever won the lottery I would buy a house by the ocean so I could visit it anytime i wanted.

Home

Home
Originally uploaded by morningk.

How cute is this? MorningK made this for a swap and it's just adorable, don't you think? I would love to make one of these for my mom, she would love it. There are so many talented women out there,it really is amazing to see the work and creativeness!

Olive Juice & Co.

My Weblog

Olive Juice & Company makes the cutest aprons. You should really go and check out her blog,way cuter than mine ;) Did I mention that I collect aprons?! I mainly collect vintage but I have vintage inspired ones too. I am def. going to get an apron from her one day.Her choice of colors and patterns are adorable and make me happy

My Mom makes these great little pin cushions too!

I just have to write about my mother's Etsy shop , especially since it is so close to Mother's day. She makes the cutest little hanging birds nest and she makes them in pin cushions. Check out her shop at www.robinbirdsnest.etsy.com. She hand felts and makes the nests by hand too,I love them!

The coolest bike basket!

I looove this bike basket! I have an Electra beach cruiser and it will look so very cute with it!

Relish :: modern objects for home and life