After the initial moment of panic when my laptop first went into a coma, I really did think Hey, it might be nice to not lug that thing halfway across the country! After all, my mom has a computer, so it’s not like I’ll be totally internet-less. And my mom has been very generous with her computer. Even if it weren’t in the same room Annalie and I sleep in, she still would be allowing me free access to it.

But there is the problem: the computer is in the same room where Annalie and I sleep. That means each night when Annalie is trying to go to sleep, the computer is pretty much off-limits. Since we often are out and about during the day, that really limits the computer time. I get to use it when Annalie is good and asleep, but my poor mom has been having to politely schedule time to check her email. And I’ve been trying to actually sleep at night instead of giving in to the temptation to stay up into the wee hours of the morning blogging and reading.

Also, I’m used to having the laptop in the room with me in the evening when I’m watching TV and crocheting, so if a question comes up about, say, the cost of airfare from Omaha to Washington, D.C., or why an actor in a TV show looks so familiar, I can just look it up right then and there. I have joked in the past that I don’t know how to watch a movie anymore without browsing IMDb at the same time. This past week I’ve learned that there is more truth to that than I imagined.

Finally, I have not been able to download photos from my Nikon. The cardreader on my mom’s printer isn’t working. I bought an inexpensive USB cardreader to do it, but for some reason it’s not working either. I decided to give up and just download the photos when I get home to my laptop which Troy was able to rescusitate and restore to reasonably good health. Which is why I swiped some of my mom’s photos for this post.

My brother and his girlfriend gave Annalie a gift card to Build-A-Bear for Christmas last year. I intended to save it for a time we were in Omaha so Ben and Angie could have the pleasure of going with us. Then we, uh, lost the gift card in the move. It’s around somewhere! We just couldn’t find it before this trip.

But Annalie remembered we’d promised her a trip to Build-A-Bear. She went to a birthday party there last year and loved it. She was quite excited about going back. So I just paid for this pink leopard, which Annalie christened Heart Sophia Pink. I love the names she comes up with for her animals. She also has a penguin called Foot, a little black poodle named Apple, and a lamb with the impressive handle Easter Maryland Lamb.

This photo of my brother’s cat Styx (named after the river, not the band) and Annalie watching TV looks kinda like a LOLcat waiting to be captioned. Don’t you think?

Oh, right…I did a giveaway and said I was going to announce the winners. I am sure you’re all on the edges of your seats, waiting for me to do that. Without further ado, I declare that you are ALL winners in my book! Everyone who left a comment asking to be entered into the drawing is a winner, anyway. Congratulations to Mim, K, kj, Annika, Mysh, and Meaghan!

Does anyone remember waaaay back in January, when I made a bunch of crocheted snowballs?

Photos by Brenda Ponnay

I originally made them for an idea Brenda had up her sleeve. But you know how those ideas can fizzle out sometimes. Personally I think Brenda got the box of snowballs in the mail and decided she loved them too much to part with them. Bug might also have had something to do with that decision. I don’t know, I’m just guessing.

The other day Brenda IMed me to say that she was going to use these snowball photos in a post of hers where she and Bug were modeling some items crafted by her sister-in-law Jaynette, of bluejaye crafts on Etsy. (She is helping Jaynette out by holding a virtual craft fair. You can read all the details on Brenda’s post.)

I will just add that I own one of Jaynette’s wallets and I love it! I get compliments on my stripey wallet all the time. It’s big enough to hold cash, cards, ID, and more—but small enough to fit into my back pocket if I don’t want to carry a purse. I’ve been using it constantly for over a year and it’s still in perfect shape, so you know it’s well-constructed!

Anyway. Brenda told me she was going to use the photos with my snowballs in them, and asked if I had thought any more about putting a listing in my Etsy shop for crocheted snowballs, or the pattern. I hemmed and hawed at first, but she’s a fast-talker and she convinced me. She said I could use her photos, since I’m not at home and don’t have any crocheted snowballs handy. She even agreed to create the PDF for me and prettied it up with an illo just because she’s nice like that. Maybe this was her way of paying me back for making the snowballs in the first place. Maybe I owe her another latte now?

I know, I’ll just pay it forward: I’ll give away three free copies of my crocheted snowball pattern. Just leave a comment telling me you want in! I’ll do a drawing on Saturday morning and then email the pattern to the lucky winners. (Incidentally, that’s the same day that Brenda is doing her drawing for a free Miminko onesie, so if you’re interested go over and leave a comment on that post. You can also snag free downloads of her monthly calendar print-outs while you’re there.)

Crocheted Snowball and Crocheted Snowball PDF Pattern

Drum roll, please.

Tdrdtrdterdtdrdtrdtrdterdt…

Michelle of Michelley’s Belly and Mad(elyn) in Alabama! Congratulations, yours were the lucky numbers. Your bags are on the way and should arrive no later than Saturday. Here’s hoping they arrive by Friday.

My sister-in-law Dana commented on the giveaway post about the Mary Katherine Gallagher and Wonder Woman costumes she’s worn. (I personally would have mentioned the time you and Paul dressed as Jay and Silent Bob, Dana!) I emailed her back and told her that if she wanted a bag from me, all she has to do is tell me! She’s family, she has the right to order me around! I happened to be partway done with a pirate pumpkin bag, so I asked if she wanted that for Leo. She did, so I shipped that off today as well.

Why does he have an eyepatch? Honestly, it’s because I ran out of the white yarn I was using to make eyes. Also I thought an eyepatch would be cute. Too bad I didn’t have any gold thread to make an earring. But look, I did make the eyepatch actually tie in the back!

Which is kinda fun, right?

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway! I really loved all the Halloween stories and great costume ideas you shared in the comments. Seriously, if anyone is hard up for a costume idea, you should go take a gander: Alien with a papier-mache head, a farmer and a hoe, Cruella de Vil, Johnny Cash (the Man in Black! Brilliant AND easy!), and my personal favorite, Bob Ross, AKA the guy who painted happy trees.

I’ll just hang onto all those addresses you sent me. You never know when a little something might arrive in the mail from me…uh, except for Michelle and Madelyn. Your mail from me should be arriving this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

(Brenda, thanks for telling me how to write out the sound of a drum roll!)