Found an awesome printable from Artsy-Fartsy Mama! This is a great weekly printable that includes a menu planner. Love this! You can also download the printable in different colors! Awesome!

Weekly planner printable

~Stephanie

Stained Glass Blanket Square!

I've been looking for a blanket square to use for a blanket for my grandmother lately, and I think I've found it! I wanted something a little flowery, and very pretty. I found JulieAnny's Stained Glass Afghan Square. I LOVE this pattern. I'd say it's a couple steps above a beginner pattern. Definitely worth the $2! I can't wait to make a blanket out of these! 

I think I'll use some softer colors for my grandmother though. 
Here is Astro!

It's very cold in Northern Kentucky today: A high of -2!! He's a snuggle bug, especially when it's cold. :-)

I've also found an awesome oatmeal that is completely natural and very clean: Love Grown Hot Oats.
They are delicious! Especially with just a pinch of sugar and cinnamon added. I have had the Strawberry Raspberry and Apple Cinnamon, and love them both. What I love about them is that there are actually a lot of oats in the single serve cups; enough to fill me up! They are made with gluten free oats, and here is the ingredient list: Gluten-Free Oats, Brown Sugar, Apples, Red Seedless Grapes, Cinnamon. AWESOME! I love finding things that are natural that I love!!

I'm still doing well with my nail growing resolution. If I'm ever able to paint them and get them to look nice, I'll post pics! I'm off now to stay warm and drink some coffee. :-)

~Stephanie

Links

So here are the links to the color inspiration for my blanket I'm crocheting and what pattern I'm using.

Color inspiration
Zoejoyful's ripple crochet

Ripple Crochet Blanket!

Here is my ripple crochet blanket!! 

I have since added rows to it, but this is the only picture I have so far. I will soon post a link to my color sequence inspiration and to the pattern I am using.

~Stephanie

2014 Resolutions

Happy New Year! So, yesterday was a little busy. We traveled a little bit for a New Year's get-together and took the dogs along. It was a great time! So here is my New Year's resolutions post.

1. Eat HEALTHIER. I'm not expecting myself to diet, but I do want to eat healthier and make better eating choices, especially at work. It's so easy to buy my lunch there and buy a cookie every day for lunch. That has GOT to stop. This also includes packing my lunch way more often. I may post some ideas for awesome lunches soon, if I come across any.
2. Exercise. Maybe not EVERY day butt-busting cardio or running, but at least maybe planks and situps every night. I'm a nurse and I'm on my feet a lot, so coming home after being at work for 13 hours and doing cardio just isn't going to happen. I need to remind myself that this is OK. 
3. Organize my Pinterest boards. This sounds ridiculous, but when there's 800 pins on one board, things get messy. I know there's things I've pinned onto those boards but I have NO idea where to find it. And sometimes searching my own pins just doesn't work. So, I WILL make new boards and organize those pins.
4. Organize my pile of yarn. I have a 31 bag full of *almost* all of my yarn, and it's a big giant mess. I received a hanging sweater organizer for Christmas to store my yarn in, so I'm going to do that in the near future.
5. I will keep the house clean(er). I've been getting lazy and slacking on dishes and laundry, and it's just the two of us living here. I'm going to stay on top of laundry, dishes and picking up things around the house.
6.  I'm going to take better care of my nails. I've been a nail biter / picker all my life, and that is going to stop. I've currently let them grow the longest they've been since last Spring, and they're going to stay that way. 

Well, there it is. My list of resolutions for 2014. Here's hoping I can stick to them!!!

Hello!

Hello! My name is Stephanie, and I am a crocheting surgical nurse and music making mother of two (dogs) trying to live a healthier lifestyle in 2014. I'm creating this blog to post my crocheting antics, and to share my fitness journey. I have been married for 2 years (and counting!) to my best friend from high school. We dated off and on since middle school and finally wed on December 10th, 2011. He is my sweetheart! Our dogs are Sammy and Astro. We have had Sam since she was about a week old, and she will turn 3 in March of 2014. She is a border collie springer spaniel mix, and you will probably see a lot of her. She is the smartest dog I have ever met! Astro is new to our home and family. He is a two year old Australian Shepherd mix that we adopted from a shelter on Sunday December 22nd, 2013. He has adapted well to our home and routine and is doing great! Sam is taking some time to adjust, but is doing better. 

Other than being a doggy mommy and working as a surgical nurse,  I spend my time crocheting and playing music on Sunday mornings at our church. My husband and I met in our middle school band since we both played trumpet, and still do. I love listening to and creating music. I also apparently have perfect (or close to it) pitch, where I can know what a certain note is just by hearing a pitch. It's almost like photographic auditory memory. It's strange, but very helpful at times!

Well, that's just a little about me. More to come when there's more time to write. Tomorrow will include a post about my current crochet project: a multicolored ripple blanket! I've been a little obsessed with ripples and chevron crochet lately. I will (hopefully) post my 2014 New Years resolutions as well, and some pictures of the pups.

Have a blessed day!