Projects and Performances.

What do you do when it starts to get cold outside and you don't like what's on t.v. anymore?  You find projects to do around the house.  I recently learned to crochet in young womens.  I was practicing for awhile and couldn't think of anything to crochet.  I love crocheted blankets-I think they are beautiful-, but I don't like to use them.  I prefer quilts, so I didn't want to crochet a blanket.  I have always wanted to crochet the edges of baby blankets though. So I got online and learned how to do it.  Then I went to Mom Sorenson's and she taught me some more stitches to try.  I found this really cute blanket material at the Quilted Bear and went to work.  A few days later and I had finished my project. (I know that most of you have probably crocheted baby banket edges before, but it was something I have never done before, so I was quite proud of myself.) I can't wait to start another one, but first I have to find a hole puncher to punch holes in my fabric, because it is just to expensive to buy the hem-stitched blankets at Quilted Bear, and I love to shop for fabric...It's like shopping for scrapbooking paper...I love all of the patterns and colors.

Dale started a project.  His was a little more intense.  He knocked down our "rock" fireplace in the kitchen with a sledge hammer, then proceded to sheet rock, tile, put up the new fireplace mantel, and paint.  It looks really nice.  He is so excited about the whole thing.  He hated the old rock fireplace, but he loves the new one.  Unfortunately we didn't take before pictures (just pictures that were taken of other things with the rock wall in the background). We did take pictures of the final product.  I think it looks amazing.

This is the best picture of the "rock wall" that I could find, but you get the idea.

Jordan's projects have been school related.  His most recent was that he had to make a "mousetrap" car for his "Project Lead the Way" class.  He spent hours on mathmatical equations before building the car then more hours on actually building, tweeking, and tinkering, on the car, but he finished and got it to school in time.  He did get an A- on the project, because of a few technical difficulties, but it got done, and he was happy.

Yesterday Marie and I decided to make our gingerbread house.  I made ginger- bread a long time ago, but I don't do that anymore.  Now I just buy the already assembled kits, all we have to do is decorate it.  I like the little bead candies in the kit, but the gum drops are really hard.  They hurt my hand just trying to cut the suckers in half.  If you wanted to eat them, it was probably best done by sucking on them for a really long time before trying to bite down on them...Maybe the box was a left over from last year... who knows, but the house turned out cute, and Marie was very happy we got to do it. 

Valerie had her dance recital last night.  She is in a tap and clogging class.  She has been taking tap since school started.  There are only 3 girls in the class, and the teacher's daughter is one of them.  Valerie really likes it and the teacher keeps expenses down by doing simple costumes.  They wear black pants of their choice and a "Music in Motion" t-shirt.  The girls did a really great job. Valerie is very talented. There was one little girl in the youngest class that looked just like Phoenix with short brown hair in piggy tails,  she even had the attitude to match.  It made us laugh to watch her.  We were sitting (and standing) on the back row, because when we came in there weren't seven seats together that weren't reserved, so we had to set up our own row in the back.  It's okay though because we could stand without being in anyones way, and the show was only an hour long.  I'm sorry we don't have pictures of her dance.  I had to take video for the people who couldn't make it to the show and I don't know how to put that on at the moment without using You-tube or Weber tube. I will have to look into it more carefully.  It doesn't really matter, the video wasn't that great.  I was trying to watch Valerie live and in person, not through a little 3 inch screen, so the video wandered a bit, and it's just through my cybershot camera, when it is dark it goes in and out of focus a lot, but at least we got her performance on film.

There are other projects I need to work on around the house, like wrapping the presents and cleaning, but I can't wrap when the kids are home, and who wants to clean the house? (That's why my house looks the way it does.) Anyway, stay tuned for more performances from Valerie.  Her school choir concert is tomorrow night. I'm sure we are in for a treat.