Thursday, November 28, 2013

What are you thankful for?

Funny thing about loosing everything.  It makes you incredibly grateful for the things you do have.  Being Thanksgiving and all I wanted to write about the things that I am thankful for.  I am thankful for my 3 healthy children.  It's so easy to take things for granted, you assume your going to get knocked up and have healthy perfect babies but that's not always the case.  2 out of 3 of my kids have birth defects, and where as it's not ideal at least they are healthy, smart, they can see they can hear they can use kid logic.  I am one lucky lucky lady! 

I am thankful for my car.  I can't believe I've had that car over 12 years.  I remember being 12 years old and thinking I was really old now and what a big shot and I knew everything. . .  wow.  Now that I've had a car for 12 years 12 years really doesn't seem like that long of a time.  It still works!  The only big thing I've had to fix was the transmission.  It's been in many accidents, got hit by a semi-truck, a tree fell on it,k got struck by lightning so the radio doesn't always work but hey it get's me where I'm going. 

I am thankful for my apartment.  Sure it's got its massive flaws but it's a place to live.  It beats one room in my parents house where we were not welcome.  It beats living in my car, or the trailers I have looked at.  It's got pretty good square footage for the price, the kids have their own room, I have my own bathroom and a place to do laundry where I don't have to put quarters in it.  My very own kitchen.  I remember when I moved in how excited I was about having closets.  It doesn't take much to make me happy.  Be it ever so humble there's no place like home. 

I am thankful for my warm cozy bed.  For a while I didn't have a bed I had a mattress witch is better than nothing but it was like night and day when I sprung for the pillow top.  Makes me wonder why anyone would ever sleep on those old school mattresses.  The kids can climb up into my bed and it doesn't even wake me up anymore.  I actually get to sleep threw the night.  It's wonderful. 

I am thankful for my God.  No matter how hard times get I am so thankful to know I don't have to go threw any of it alone.  He's always there to listen to me.  There's been so many answers to prayer.  Maybe some day I'll try and list them all.  I would just be so lost without him.  He truly is an awesome God.  He has blessed me with so many great things.  I don't know why he decided to pick me but I sure am glad he did. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!  Thank you for reading my blog may God bless you e even more than he's blessed me. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Cheapo thoughtful gift idea's for everyone on your nice list.

T minus one month till Christmas!  Are you done with your shopping yet?  I haven't even started mine.  I might just not do it this year since I'm all broke and all.  Maybe I'll be able to get the kids one thing each.  I lucked out and my daughter asked Santa for something that's like 6 bucks this year so at least I got that going for me.  For those who aren't in love with my little pony's though here's some thoughtful gift ideas for all those people on your "nice" list.

First up we have this lovely blue-gray chenille scarf that's perfect for either gender.  It's soft and warm without being too girly.  The color is one that will go with anything, if you get it for yourself you'll want to wear it all winter long.  If its a gift who ever you give it to will want to wear it all winter long and will no doubt think of you and how awesome you are that you got them such a lovely handmade gift.  Right now I'm also offering free shipping to the 48 states with coupon code FREESHIPPING at check out.  No minimum purchase!

Next up we have this lovely chevron cup cozy that will help your eco-friendly friend drink coffee from all their favorite places without killing tree's.   As an added bonus it keeps their fingers from getting burnt and also helps keep their drinks toasty longer.  Talk about a nice gift for under 10 dollars!  I can make this in any colors you choose so if they have a favorite sports team or whatever just ask. 

Lastly up for your consideration is this sweet baby pink crochet beret for under 15 dollars!  It has an oatmeal colored band that's made of super soft chenille to help keep it in place.  Who doesn't love a sweet winter hat??  Fits your average teen/adult sized head.  Don't forget free shipping if you live in the 48 states!  There's plenty more to choose from at Crochet By Mel so please do stop by.  Get your shopping done at home and have it delivered to your door!  Beat the crowds and the cold and support small business.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

The rock and the hard place

I never was one to make decisions.  Now that I'm a single mom I have to make so so many of them.  The latest I am struggling with is to get a job or not to get a job .. . that's the question.  I wanted to wait till my kids were older because me being me I don't trust anyone that's not family (and some of my family I don't even trust) with my kids, but the boys are going to be 4 soon and I'm starting to think maybe it's time.  On one hand I am seriously sick of being broke all the time, but on the other my mom has been trying to get a job like one I'd need for a very long time and she can't find anything so I'm thinking my chances might be slim to even find a job. 

Also, I hate the government and I really don't want to use any of their programs to help me get back on my feet but I'm just not seeing any way around it.  The quickest way to get daycare assistance is to sign up for food stamps, you sign up  for the food stamps and they give you 13 weeks to find a job.  Well if my mom can't find one in over 4 months what are the odd's I'm going to do any better?  They say that they sign you up for all this crap to get a job, temp agency's and such but I'm sorry I don't want to throw my kids in daycare so someone else can take care of them while I go do a job I hate all day.  Is that wrong?  Is it wrong to want to be able to do a job you love? 

I'm stuck.  I keep mulling it over.  A big part of me says they are only going to be young once and I should really just enjoy it.  Another part is saying I should go and get a job so I can get them all the material things that well, they don't really need per-say but it would make life easier.  Is 4 a good age to go to daycare?  And then my daughter is getting bullied on the bus and I worry about her getting bullied at afterschool care because she'll be by herself.  I pity the fool who tries to pick on either of my boys b/c they always have each others backs. 

And then there's the thing of if your getting food stamps, and the government is paying a big chunk of your daycare bill, are you really on your own two feet?  Are you really contributing to society or are you a part of the problem?  Right now I feel like I'm doing them a favor by not using the services so that they can use it for someone else who might need it more than I do. 

And then there's the am I even going to make any money if I start working?  By the time you pay for gas, uniforms, my part of daycare oh and finding a job that's going to let me have Wednesdays off early because my court order says I have to drive to Illinois for 2 hours worth of driving so the kids can see their dad for 2 hours that's always there too.  Where am I going to find a job like that? 

If you pray please pray for me.  I need all the help I can get.  Anyways thanks for letting me rant. . .

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Getting ready for winter

A funny thing happened this week.  My daughter asked me for mittens.  Me being all resourceful I crocheted her some mittens that very night.  No pattern needed.  She loves them and now my daughters hands are no longer cold when she's outside for recess.  I decided to list them, so your kid can have warm chenille mittens too.  They come in size small medium and large.  The sample size is what I would call a medium they fit my 6 year old nicely.  I have many colors of chenille to choose from a few examples are butter cream, white with gold sparkles, brown, blue and red.  It's hard to see the glitter in these but they came out pretty cute. You can find the listing for them here and they make a lovely gift for that special grandchild or child in your life.  They aren't super bulky but they are soft and will keep those precious little fingers warm.














Next up I have your traditional Santa hat in what else?  Chenille.  I wish the pictures would have come out a little better but this hat is super comfortable and also very cute.  It has a vintage feel to it and the red reminds me of the red in red velvet cake.  Sorry this hat isn't as delicious as cake but it's a good size for a man or woman is pretty warm and of course very soft and is a lovely gift option under 20 dollars. 

You can find the listing for this lovely hat here and sorry to say but when it's gone it's gone, I don't have enough of these two exact colors to make a second one. 
























Lastly I have a very simple soft and snug neck warmer in my signature color, purple.  This yarn has light purple and dark purple together so it gives it a nice textured look.  It is accented with a pink square button so you can wear it many different ways.  This is also a nice gift option under 20 dollars.  I love neck warmers because you get the warmth of a scarf without the extra scarf flying around all over the place in the wind.  For the most part they stay neatly in place and you never have to re-tie them. 
You can find this listing right here  and this is another one of when its gone it's gone, I've had this yarn in my stash for quite some time and don't know if I can even find it anywhere anymore.  It's very soft and not scratchy at all. 

Well I hope you enjoyed your little peek of whats new for winter and if you get a chance please check out the rest I have to offer over at Crochet By Mel there's more than meets the eye.  (My camera pretty much sucks)  Ta ta for now. . . .

Saturday, November 9, 2013

some firsts and, give responsibly

Who hoo!  There I was minding my own business crocheting a scarf as I was waiting to get my oil changed and you'll never guess what happened, SOMEONE ASKED FOR MY CARD and I actually had one to give.  Funny the kinds of things that excite you when your just a small time dealer of crochet products on Etsy.  Let's see, other big news some publications are following me on Twitter.  Of course I don't know if they are the actual real live publications or just someone posing as them, or someone hired to do PR for them but still that's pretty cool.  Yay.  I need to get some new stuff in my store I know but I'm still working on the sweater that I'm not so sure I'm in love with anymore.  I still have to finish it because I can't start something and not finish it but I'm kind of looking at it like the project that will never end.  Those who know me know I have kind of a short attention span.  Can't imagine where I got that from . . .

So it's that time of year again where stores are crammed to the brim with all those useless gift sets that are cheep and no one really wants or uses, and if you do use them they break the first or second time you use them.  I urge you fellow American's not to buy said crap.  I know its tempting, and it's the seemingly perfect gift to buy for that someone you have no idea what they are into or what they like so you go and you get them a box of 46 shades of eyeshadow that they are never going to use and they thank you and smile politely but nothing says I honestly don't care about you at all like buying those stupid gift sets.  Something else that would be a bit more thoughtful would be say, a gift card to Starbucks if they are a coffee drinker, or a gift card to the movies if they like that sort of thing, or whatever.  Really.  Anything but those gift sets made in China.

I know it's tempting as all get out to spoil your children rotten this time of year.  My parents were gulity of buying a lot of those crappy gift sets for us as kids because honestly they still don't have any idea who we are and I think they just wanted stuff to put under the tree but a good rule of thumb is to get each child only 4 presents.  I'll be lucky this year if I'm able to get my kids each one present.  They say you should get something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.  I know as a kid my parents didn't have a lot of money but the truth is me and my sisters would have been happy with just one well thought out gift, something that said that they actually like. . . cared.  Being super poor like I am I used to really stress over Christmas because you know, I want to give my kids the world but I don't have it but watching them share their Halloween candy really opened my eyes.  They don't really care about the presents.  Sure they look forward to getting something but for our family the holidays are more about being together than anything else.  We're making memories and cookies.  We're going to see Santa at Bass Pro shop because any smart child know's that's where Santa vacations for 2 months out of the year *wink wink*  Asher is really looking forward to going fishing with Santa when he's a little older.  But it's about the Church Christmas program and watching the movies and going to see family- well my kids will miss  out on most of my family this year because my parents refuse to have Christmas any day other than the actual Christmas and my ex gets the kids for Christmas this year.  Maybe I'll be able to get them out to my grandparents one of these days but with Molly in school she's always bringing home illnesses and the last thing I want to do is get them sick.  Anyways I'm in the bad place so I'd better shut up, but please America, give responsibly and don't waste your money on commercial bull that no one needs.  Everyone is tightening their belts these days and I really believe this is one area we can all cut down on.  Toodles.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Free shipping day!

Who knew?  There's this magical thing called free shipping day on December 18th.  From what I gather its the last day before Christmas that you can send stuff out and be sure it will get there before Christmas.  To celebrate this magical idea I am now offering FREE SHIPPING on all my stuff for the 48 states on any item from now till December 18th.  Just enter FREESHIPPING in the coupon codes at check out.  How exciting is that?  Now you can get high quality hand crocheted products for you, your friends and family and get them shipped for free.  I know I love free shipping, it's just about the only time I order from anywhere. 

Speaking of witch, I have a Victoria's Secret problem.  My problem is they keep giving me coupons and free stuff.  Rough gig right?  Sometimes I wonder how they can possibly make any money when they keep giving me stuff for free but they must be, because they are still in business.  I will tell you this much, NEVER pay full price there.  I mean really who pays 14.95 for one pair of undies?  If your a fan of this place you really should get their credit card, the trick is just to pay it off every month.  Did you know when you use a angel card at the store and pay your bill you get double points, every time?  I used to think holy cow 250 points that's 250 dollars before you get a 10 dollar off coupon but that's not the case, not really.  They have specials all the time where if you buy such and such thing you get double points, then pay your bill and they double those points as well, next thing you know your getting an angel reward card for 30 bucks and then you pop in a 10 dollar off a 50 dollar purchase survey coupon and your getting 50 bucks worth of stuff for 10 dollars, you get 10 more points (or double if you got a bra) pay that 10 bucks off at the register and you got your self 20 to 40 more points twards your next reward.  They also have a special on comfy cotton undies I think they are 7 for 26 bucks right now what I do is I get 14 use my coupons and it's like I get them for 10 bucks.  FYI there is a market for reselling those bad boys on Ebay.  Your welcome. 

I am looking at a kid free weekend.  This time I feel rather good about it since I've spent so much time with them over the past 2 weeks but today is a mommy son day since my daughter is in school.  We are going for hair cuts and grocery shopping.  Sad what makes me super happy right?  When you have to share you learn to appreciate every single day and never take one for granted.  I can't believe what awesome little people they are turning into, all 3 of them.  Yes I am totally looking forward 2 two count them two full uninterrupted nights of sleep, two days of being able to go to the bathroom by myself and two days of being able to clean and walk around without tripping on toys.  Be jealous. 

Ok kiddo's just a recap, free shipping at Crochet By Mel till December 18th with coupon code FREESHIPPING at check out.  Have a killer weekend! 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Scarves scarves and more scarves

Who doesn't love a good scarf these days?  They are perfect for cuddly cozy comfort on a cold blistery day.  They add color to an otherwise dreary outfit.  They subtly mumble "Hey look at me" without being too obnoxious.  They sway when you walk.  Mostly though, they make a great gift for the person who has everything.  Not much says "I love you" more than giving someone a handmade scarf.  Let's check out a few of the humble offerings from my little shop shall we?

 This little beauty is a blue chevron ombre scarf.  Colors range from white, to light blue, medium blue and dark blue.  It's made with lacy mohair blended yarn that if you have sensitive skin it might find it a little itchy however you can always wear it over a turtle neck.  Or give it to someone you want to make itch.  Worn over a coat it would make a stylish and beautiful statement without saying a word.  You can pick up this little beauty right here if you have a mind to. 
 Now this pink fetish scarf is made from 100% crochet cotton so it's both comfy and functional.  Funny side note, it's also a shawl.  Two products, one great price.  It's made from a series of chains that are beautiful and simple at the same time.  It sports a beautiful flower fringe that's all attached so you won't have little pieces of fringe falling off all over the place.  You can pick up this one over here and if you like this but aren't crazy about pink I also have a smaller version available in purple.  I know I have a lot of purple in my store, too bad everyone else doesn't love purple as much as I do. 
 Speaking of purple, here is my fantastic invention the Everything scarf.  Not only is it a scarf it's also a caplet, and also an infinity scarf.  Look over here for all the many ways you can wear this plush chenille beauty.  It's warm without being over bearing and so soft you'll never want to take it off.  Forget about giving this to someone because if your a woman you're going to want to keep this for yourself.  It's a rich dark plum color that will go with most everything and the pattern of it is simple enough that it's not going to overshadow the rest of your outfit.  A lovely confidence boosting piece, and three products for the price of one, you can't beat that value!
Lastly here's my purple green and white chevron scarf.  A little birdie told me that green is supposed to be in this season so this was my attempt to cash in on that.  So far it's not really working but this is a really cute scarf and I imagine it would make a nice gift for a woman, teen or tween.  Made from regular old acrylic yarn it machine washes and dries like a dream and don't ask me why but chevron is very "in" right now.  You can find it right over here along with a lovely scarf I did up with in gold, baby yellow and heather gray with the same pattern idea.  There's also many other scarves and shawls and such at my shop if your interested. 







I'm still working on that sweater I was talking about before.  Not much farther along than I was before but it's coming together rather nicely and I kind of doubt anyone is going to want to drop that much cash on a one of a kind Crochet By Mel masterpiece I'll never know if I don't try right?  Thanks for stopping by, until next time. . ..

Monday, November 4, 2013

Daylight savings time, WHY???

Now I really don't understand the point of Daylight Savings time.  It's not really saving any daylight, the sun is still out for the same amount of time.  I got to see the sun rise today and it came up at about 6:30, so I guess before this it came up at 7:30.  Don't farmers want to sleep in?  I don't understand why they can't just push back milking the cows or whatever till 7:30 and really who's dressed and up and ready to go before 7:30 anyways?  Am I missing something here?  Never was a morning person myself I am not as bad as my sister I don't wake up and curse the morning like she does but 5 is just so so early for someone like me who doesn't go to bed till about 12, not to mention pip squeak woke up at 2 AM with a bad dream so I only got about 5 hours of interrupted sleep.  Takes me back to the days where the twins were babies and I like, never slept.  At least I know I will get some sleep tonight and the cool thing about daylight savings time is it gets darker earlier so its much easier to trick the kids into getting into bed at like 7- 7:30 and then I can attempt to go to bed early tonight. 

There's an old proverb of some nationality that says the person who says it can not be done should not interrupt the person doing it.  That's pretty much how I'm feeling right now.  So many people who I'm not going to name because someone reading this might actually know who I'm talking about are always telling me what I can't do.  What I shouldn't even try to do.  What's impossible to do.  Unless they are using some kind of reverse psychology than they just rather suck and I can't wait to prove them wrong.  There's one that really drives me crazy not only does she tell me what I can't do she then turns it around and says if I don't do the impossible thing that she said can't be done I'm going to be even more screwed.  Nod and smile.  That's about all you can do with that one.  I've found that where there's a will there's more than one way and where there's no will there's always excuses.  I've decided these folks who keep saying it can't be done are just saying that because they feel bad about all the crap they never even TRIED to do because they were too afraid of failure.  I have decided that failure isn't as bad as not even trying. 

Odd how it took me so long to find myself but all this time I didn't even know I was lost.  Yes I stole that from a song.  So sue me.  I wish it hadn't taken me so long because there's so many years I'll never get back but you know what they say there's no sense tripping over something that's already behind you. 

So you, yeah YOU go find that impossible dream and tackle it till it's possible again.  Start out small little baby steps and just keep going.  If you get stuck try something else till it finally works.  By the time it's no longer daylight savings time I want you to have accomplished your goal.  You CAN do it.  Nothing is impossible, and if you need someone to hold you accountable for your actions and help you get it done than I'll be more than happy to yell at you till its done.  If you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains, how much faith do you have?  

If this makes no sense or is senseless remember I am running on like no sleep and have a headache and kids screaming in my ears and there's only so much coffee can do.   Have a great day :)

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Stumbled upon and tricks or treats

Now this website is perfectly named or maybe it's just me but I am totally stumbling all over that site that seems to have no rhyme or reason why it shows you the things it shows you, how to add content to it, how to add followers or get followers and how to get seen on it.  Kind of reminds me of this baby mole I saw over by my house the other day that was totally blind, stumbling along looking for who knows what probably food right?  Or maybe its mom?  Honestly its a wonder those little ugly things find anything it was so small and blind and totally clueless.  Some social media are pretty easy to navigate, like Pintrest for example.  You pin a pin, you get followers, you follow people although I have yet to figure how to find people outside of my little circle.  If you have any tips or tricks or help with stumbled upon please leave me a comment. 

Something else I am stumbling upon is google SEO.  SEO stands for search engine optimization.  It's the kooky little formula that google geniuses concocted that decides what pops up when you search for certain things.  I must be doing something right now though because when you type in my store name it's only 7th on the list now ha ha lucky number 7.  I guess there's some magic formula of words that's supposed to drag people to your site but yeah. . . not a clue how to get there.  Someone found me last night by typing in "crochet shawls for sale" but they must have dug threw pages and pages of results before they found me because I looked and I am no where to be seen in there I gave up looking. 

Yes my kids are having candy for breakfast.  I made a super healthy Butter Braid but surprise surprise they didn't want it.  It's one day a year and it is kind of a tradition around here candy for breakfast the day after tricks or treats.  I learned a lot of things from my parents, what kind of parent I want to be is one of them.  What will my kids remember once they've grown up?  Will they remember that there was almost always dirty dishes in the sink or will they remember that mom would drop everything just to take them to the gas station for a slurpee in the summer?  Will they care that their room was almost always a cluttered jumble of toys or will they remember how mom never made them throw their toys away because she deemed them too old for them.  Are they going to remember how totally poor we are or are they going to remember snuggling on the couch with mom watching cartoons and having popcorn?  People spend so much energy and time trying to buy their kids the best of everything but most times what the kids really want and need is their parents love and attention.  They say the average 4 year old asks 400 questions a day.  Well I got twins.  And a 6 year old. I am always answering questions.  Always so busy, but hey at least my life is never boring. 

And here I go stumbling upon this entire blog post of randomness.  If you read this hey that's like 3 minutes of your life you can never get back.  :)  thanks for stopping by .. .  hope you enjoyed the show
 My 3 trick or treaters you better believe they made out like bandits.  Ash did exceptionally good he played the game of always being the last one to the door so he usually got 2 handfuls. 
And brave princess mommy- and I was brave last night I can't believe we all crossed the train tracks twice and visited some very spooky houses and no one died.