In any case, here I am, trying to start again. Now that my youngest, Jonas, is getting a little more independent I am hoping to revamp my Etsy Shop. I have been doing a lot of sewing and really loving it! I am hoping to get some diaper covers and baby shoes up on my shop soon! And I am hoping to blog on a regular basis now that I have a little more time!

Wish me luck!

So- this whole time, Tony and I will be apart… which brings sadness.  We have done this kind of thing before, and it was difficult, so we are doing some things different this time.  First, we are setting aside specific times that we can be alone on the phone together.  Second, we are writing each other e-mails about our days.  So, hopefully that and Skype will make us have a better time apart.

As for my knitting, I made my sister an awesome beach bag for her graduation present.  I will try to get a picture of it up here sometime soon.  It was first attempt at a bag.  When I post the picture, I will post how I made it, etc.

Well, for now, that is all.  I will update in a few days or a couple weeks.  I am not sure when I will get the time!

Anyway, things are going well here.  Chloe is as cute as ever.  I love her more and more every day.  I am also starting to get attached to the new baby.  He or she is healthy so far.  We have a doctor’s appointment on Monday to make sure.

Tony is almost done with this semester.  It has been crazy!  For all of those Moms married to full time college students- I pray for you.  Please pray for me!  It can be like being a single parent sometimes.  I am just lucky that Tony is so diligent about making those times as short as possible.  He is really trying to keep family above school, which can be difficult with all the deadlines and papers and everything.  I will be so happy when he graduates!  Only one more year to go!

Well, that’s all for today!  I am a little tired, so this is just an update.  No funny stories.  Sorry.  Maybe next time.

I have always wanted to loom knit a sweater, so I decided to start small.  It turned out pretty well, so I think that whenever I find out if my baby is going to be a boy or a girl, I am going to knit them a sweater too.  I put this one in my Etsy Shop for $12.  Reasonable price?  If anyone is interested in buying this one or wants one in a different color, let me know.  And keep in mind, I’m a bargaining girl.  If you think the price is unreasonable, and you offer something reasonable, I just might consider knocking down the price.

Well, lessons learned from this project:

#1: On the sleeves I had to increase the stitches by two on each side.  That part was fairly simple (though if you don’t know how and want to know, let me know).  However, I made the mistake of starting the project on the very end of my board (this was knitted on a board not a circle loom).  So, when loom knitting and you have to increase on both sides, start a couple pegs down the line so there is room to increase on BOTH sides.

#2: If you do make the mistake of starting your project in the wrong spot or you start on a loom too small, thread a piece of thread through each loop, taking them off the pegs as you thread.  Then, to move the loops, all you have to do is carefully remove the thread, one loop at a time, and put each loop where you want it on the same board or on a bigger one.

If any of you beginner loom knitters have any questions, just let me know and if I know the answer, I will let you know!

I am also trying to think of ways I can promote my Etsy Shop offline, maybe with business cards or posters or something along those lines.  If anyone has any ideas, let me know!  As I get more items in my shop, I will want to make sure people are at least seeing it.

Update in the life of Bri:  Chloe and I went to the emergency room last night, but we are both ok.  I just wanted to make sure the baby was ok because of some abdominal pain and light bleeding, which for those of you who don’t know, can be perfectly normal.  Chloe had been sick and seemed to be getting worse with random outbursts of the cry that means “ouch”.  It turns out that sometimes diaper wearers can get a UTI from lint in the diaper or something.  They didn’t seemed worried about it, just gave her some antibiotics.  As for me, I have the flu or some kind of stomach virus.  I’m supposed to get rest (LOL) and eat a bland diet and drink plenty of liquids, which means my already frequent trips to the bathroom have become even more frequent.  I think we are both feeling a little better now, though, after getting some medicine.  By the way- kudos to my awesome husband who, though he is crazy busy with school and work, is still there for me when I need him.  God has really blessed me with my man.

I was still pregnant with Chloe when Tony and I decided to have dinner at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant.  Of course, before we were finished, I had to run to the restroom for the millionth time that day.  So, after I had done my business, I, like a good citizen, went to wash my hands.  At around the same time, a little girl and her mother came out of a stall and headed for the sinks.  The little girl was maybe four years old, with blonde, long pigtails and round plastic thick framed glasses.  The mother picked up her daughter so that she could reach the sink and told her to put her hands under the faucet.  The little girl looked confused, and so the mother put her own hands under to demonstrate.

A look of shock and awe spread across the girl’s face as she beheld the water start and stop by the movement of her mother’s hand.  She slowly, with eyes wide and mouth gaping, put her little fingers under the faucet.  The girl smiled proudly, eyes still wide with wonder, when she successfully willed the water to come forth out of the magic sink.  She rubbed soap between her hands and watched amazed as the water washed it away without turning any knobs or handles.  With excitement, she looked up to her mother and asked, “Mommy, Mommy, can we have one?”

Her mother smiled and said, “No, honey.  We can’t get one.”  The woman put her still mystified daughter on her own two feet and took her hand to lead her out of the restroom.

The girl kept her eyes on the sink, her free arm outstretched towards it, and said in her best TV salesman voice, “But Mommy!  It can be yours!“

Ok, I’m done ranting.  So frustrations aside, I did get to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time yesterday, which was pretty awesome.  Everything seems to be healthy.  My husband and daughter have been for the most part a big encouragement over the last few days throughout some difficulties.  I finally got my books back that I had left in Osage Beach a few weeks ago on vacation.  I’m thinking about new projects for my Etsy Shop.  Things are coming together as my husband and I look toward moving this summer.  All in all, I think the good outweighs the bad.

Here’s my plan.  I’m going to do some research on health during pregnancy and what I can do for my energy levels and other health problems, and I’m going to post my findings just in case there are any other pregnant women who are having similar issues.  I’m also going to attempt to promote my Etsy Shop and add more items to the site.

Besides all of that- well, I think I’ll talk about life stuff tomorrow.  I’m pretty tired, and my daughter just finished an hour long screaming fit, so the head isn’t feeling too great- there’s a ringing that I don’t think is normal…

By the way, I added a link to my shop to the right there under “Blogroll”.

I’ve decided I would like a little bit of creativity and relationships back in that maze that is my life. So, I’m starting to write, to create, and to read.  I have had an Etsy shop filled with beautiful examples of my creativity over the last year… which is to say that my shop has been completely empty ever since I created it.  Not anymore, my friend!  I have spent many long minutes retrieving my password to etsy.com and have resolved myself to knit something and sell it, or at least get it up on that sad long forgotten page.  As you may have guessed, my shop’s name is Breezy Accessories, and if you put two and two together (i.e. the name of this blog) you will surely guess that the shop is what inspired me to blog.

And so, on top of my life stories, I’m planning to include upcoming projects that I will be posting on my shop and some tips for beginner loom knitters on how I got myself out of some kind of yarn mess or how I learned to do something new on the loom.  Hopefully this will just keep me accountable to actually using my Etsy shop.  Eventually, I will be learning to knit by hand, too,  and then you can just tune in for some laughs as I am sure to poke my eye out with one of the needles.

On top of that, I have set before me a schedule for daily activities.  Yes- I will be organized and structured and hopefully less prone to confusion and misplacement of important information.  If you pray- now would be a good time to say a little something on my behalf.

Speaking of prayer- that’s another thing I am attempting to freshen up.  I love Jesus, but right now I’m more of Me Freak than a Jesus Freak, so by the grace and patience of God, I will be taking some steps forward spiritually speaking too, which I believe will soak nicely into all the other aspects of my life and point all of me in the right direction.  And my husband secretly thinks about the hope that Jesus will eradicate my pregnant woman mood swings.  Yes, honey, I hope so too.

Well, I will be striving keep up with this whole blog thing.  Yep- you got me- I’m a first time serious blogger (meaning I had a blog once when I was like 15).  Wish me luck, and if you know me personally, kick my butt if you don’t hear from me at least once a week.  My goal is more, but hey- baby steps, right?