Titanic Thursday...I'm going down with the ship!

If you pretend I am the Titanic, then my life is the giant iceburg...and BAM they crashed, and I sunk to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again.....until Kate & Leo fell in love, and my life was made into a movie where we all fell in love, and vowed that our love would last forever... "don't let go" has been my catch phrase for awhile..for if I let go, for just a second, my ass was sinking into the abyss, much like Leo did.  Hmmm..maybe not the BEST analogy lol perhaps we shall change it to the past few years instead of my LIFE in general...including up to yesterday of 2015 (aka 2/18/15) which was total hell, ended myself AND my 8year old daughter in the ER...where she ended up being ok and sent home HOURS before me....with a virus, that was made worse by dehydration.  Same diagnoses for me, only to get that diagnosis for me, involved a brain CT (yup, brain is STILL THERE!), 5 vials of blood drawn (though hell, they actually got the vein the very first time!! and he didnt have to dig around, with me trying not to fly off the table, to get the vein! WOOT!) blah blah blah...so...yeah...we have a virus...well..HAD a virus..bc today...guess what?!!? we're o-freaking-k. The dr called to check on my daughter today (same one who sent us TO the ER) and said "oh, well it's likely that the massive pain and high fevers of yesterday were caused by extreme dehydration." Yeeeeeeeep, me thinks so toooooooooo! So did the ER nurse and ER doc lol now, all rehydrated (me via IV and lots of fluids today, her just oral fluids-yay no pokies on my bebe!) we are okiedokie!! Though the dr would rather I keep her home tomorrow, just to be 100% sure. *sigh* Do I HAAAAAAAAVE to? ;) lol I am totally sending the boy to school though. He was 93% well yesterday, and is back at 125% today (ya know, bc each kid steals 25% of mom at birth...which is why mom is never quite right again lol)
Sooooo, yeah...I'm working on recovering all the pieces from my personal shipwreck.  First, I must get health under control...I've been keeping up my drs appts and all that fun stuff.  I've been referred to a surgeon for my back and neck, because PT just wasn't working for me, the pain was getting worse and worse, and the appts were harder and harder to get into, especially with increasing pain, and only the one family vehicle right now. Of course, I've had to reschedule the surgeons appts twice already, 3 appts, 3 cancels. joy. I haven't rescheduled the last one yet, I think they probably hope I dont! lol

I'm really hoping to get back into blogging..and keeping things up to date in general in my life.  Thanks to all the nasty germs that have been running our lives for all of 2015 so far, this weekend and all next week will be spent on a full house DEEP clean.. I'm going to need massive amounts of energy to get through this lol not to mention bleach ;)

I haven't touched my spinning wheel in MONTHS which is so NOT good for it, or for me lol but I have been crocheting a bit..I don't have many of the pictures on the computer (or any really for that matter..but some are on facebook, so I can get them from there) ... here are a few of my most recent finishes...and we will NOT discuss how disgustingly LONG it took me to make these few items LOL or how many WIPs I have going lol and I'm sitting here trying to figure out what to start, to keep my hands busy lol

 

  

These are by no means in order, except for the last 2..the Hello Kitty Scarf and the Chevron blanket are the last 2 items I made.  All of these are the only items I've managed to finish or get close to finishing in the last year...and the purple/turquoise/gray shawl still is not done! Neither is the pink/white hat...the rest are done & gifted/homed. :)

I have several items I need to work on..but, as usual...I'm indecisive...and looking for something quick and easy to work on.  Oh pooh, I've also made several hats and baby hats, but have no pictures of those of course, as I give them away before I remember to take a shot!

Alrighty, well I've now spent more time hunting down photos for this post than doing anything else, and it's almost midnight..5am comes SO early!

I wish you many blessings and happy days! And hope to be better about blogging!

Wednesday's Winners

I may be dying here.. I'm out of Irish Breakfast tea! :gasp: I know! It's the end of the world!! ok, I'm being a bit overly dramatic. But seriously, I'm extremely excited..I placed an order last week to try some new teas and for a POUND of Irish Breakfast tea for less than $20!! (to be clear, the Irish Breakfast was $19 for a pound of loose leaf!) from Adagio Teas and my box is in San Antonio right now..::bites nails:: It MIGHT be here tomorrow, thursday at the latest...and UPS is also delivering a box of wine from my (new & good) friend Raven. <3 Also on Thursday...which is also my first time (hopefully) with my massage therapist. I missed the first session bc of flooding, second session was cancelled bc she had to go out of town...fingers crossed the third session is a go! I also will be doing physical therapy and seeing my chiropractor thursday (and every monday--no mt on mondays though!) Would someone please remind me to call the lawyer tomorrow?? I forgot (AGAIN!) today :/ dagnabbit! This wine I'm getting, omgosh, soooo good!! It's Thirsty Owl Wine "Diamond". It's very sweet, bubbly, and just plain DELICIOUS!! I'm VERY lucky and can't wait to get it!!

So, I'm going to start doing round-ups of my favorite projects, yarns, patterns & what not each week...it may be different things on different days....but to start with today, I'm just going to do random favorites off Ravelry.

Alright, today, I'm going with shawls! I might have a bit of a shawl addiction..maybe ;)

First, we have (and I am quite biased, as this was made for me by my friend Christi!!!) :D Whippoorwill by Momma2abunch


Second, BLT Scarf/Shawl by Cheri McEwen, knit by my friend Tish, Pixiemamadesigns on Ravelry..the yarn she used is MINE! aka Cha0ticYarns Rebellious in "Gray Skies Turning Blue" in honor of her mother.


Ohh, now, a Light and Up Shawl by Caroline Wiens, knit by kmhutchins30 on ravelry.


I found another one by a friend, LittleShellfish, she did "Fabergé" by Laura Aylor.
a detailed shot:

and a full shot:

And, another Fabergé, this time from kayhey:


Then, of course, I come across "Sometimes My Wife Forgets That She Is Not An Alien From Outer Space", how could you not love this one!? It's by SpinStitch. Pattern is Lattice by Rose Beck.


And another shawl I seriously love and feel can go into my "Stripe Shawls of Fame" section (lol) is the Serena Shadow Shawl. My choice from there is Cha0tic Shadows, which was made for me by mamapantsx3 ;)


This shawl I only just discovered, Lazy Vicky or Tuch / shawl *LazyVicky* by Birgit Freyer..
this one is by tara08 on Ravelry:


This would also be a favorite of mine, Persephone by Anastasia Roberts, this one is "Perigraphiste's Persephone Turquoise"


This beauty was pointed out to me tonight, made with my Cha0ticYarns Grace Bubble Gum! Cotton Candy by Maniagos, Pattern: Icicles Shawl by Susanna IC <3 bubble gum pink, with beads!! :squee:



Haha, one that says "another" for me! Another Andromeda by MakoShark, pattern is Andromeda by Anastasia Roberts


Ohh and one that's not a shawl..but beautiful anyways, and a perfect ending to my post of "I love these and need these and must make all the things!"
Snowdrop by Reiko Kuwamura crocheted by joujouka on Ravelry



I hope you have enjoyed my little collection, and come back soon looking for more!

You can also find me at cha0ticBeth @ ravelry & instagram! and my shop is at http://cha0ticYarns.etsy.com. Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cha0ticBeth or cha0ticYarns :) Have a great week!

WIP Wednesday!

It's Work in Progress Wednesday!

What does that mean?  It means that on Wednesdays I will be blogging about my current projects in progress...whether they be spinning, crocheting, knitting, dyeing...or even something not yarn related.. (is there really such thing?!)

This week..well..if I'm going to hold myself TRULY accountable...then I have a LOT to show you! LOL  So, be warned this post is photo heavy!

Here we go, in no particular order...

My current FAVORITE shawl.."For the Love of a Hobbit", which is a crocheted shawl (Goldberry) by Michele DuNaier.  I am doing this shawl in 3 different shades of MadTosh DK, Windowpane, RainWater & Magenta.

This is BFL from On The Round, predrafted...and the spinning photo is done inside, with a flash, due to lack of light :/  the color is accurate in the first photo.

 I will use the handspun yarn to make a project for a friend in a secret swap on Ravelry.. 

Here we have what will be (if I finish it) my first knit shawl, Brass, Crass & Full of Sass. Also known as The Age of Brass & Steam by Orange Flower.  (my first bc I lost the Hitchhiker shawl I was doing..that sucker just DISAPPEARED!) But, I keep leaving this one at my mother-in-law's condo, so I haven't made any progress past this photo of knitting at the pool while my kids & husband swam.  This yarn is done in Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend in Teal.

  

 Ahhh...and here is one of my favorites.."A Song of Friendship"... a Tunisian Crochet shawl, Raven's Song, in Before the Storm on Super Sparkle base, both by Julia W, aka Pandia's Jewels.

Here are the yarns for another project I am working on, but have BARELY started, a chevron cowl, for my friend Kari.  It is being done in Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn in 2 shades of gray, a black, a white, and a pink/black/gray/white variegated. 

I am also spinning a yarn for a friend, in the prettiest pink!  It's Cadillac Pinks luxury blend (merino & sparkles) by Dyeing For Colour. 

Ooooohhh, and here is "Team Cindy", which is for my good friend Tish's mom, who was diagnosed with cancer, and recently had a bone marrow transplant.  This is the First Love shawl by @Michele DuNaier, done in Naturally Caron Spa in Natural, and Premier Yarns Serenity Garden in Twilight, held together.

Ok, there are more, but I'm not sure if I should post them lol I'm getting a bit embarassed by how many WIP's I have! LOL

Another (first) First Love shawl, that after putting all but the last few rows on, I am not sure if I like it...so it's just been sitting there..for a few months lol

There are also, 2 more shawls that the patterns are by Michele DuNaier...they are both Amagansett Girl..for 2 different friends.  One is for my friend Dawn, in MadTosh Sport "Mare"...

and the other is for Tish, in Pandia's Jewels Super Sparkle in "Weyward Sisters".

And last, but not least, (because I refuse to post any more WIP's!) is Unicorn Sprinkles...which is a "Tea Wrap" by Lion Brand, done on Out of Step Dyeworks Silver Sparkle in Mall Rat..this one is a gift too.

So, here ya go, all (well, most!) of my WIP's, on one post...I hope by next wednesday to have finished or made good progress on a couple of these.  And hopefully have started the project in the handspun yarn at the very top. ;)  Shhhh! It's a secret what I'm making though!!  (It's for a secret swap.)  I'm also about to start ANOTHER shawl, for a gift for a swap I am in..but I haven't decided on the yarn yet.

Come join me, and my friends, in my Ravelry group for a CAL/KAL/PAL!  (Crochet-a-long, Knit-a-long, Project-a-long)

Until next time...........oh, and have a GREAT day!

Colgate SlimSoft Product Review

So, I've been a bad blogger, but I aspire to be better.  I've been working on growing my Etsy shop, and my health has been poor.  Things are starting to look up, or so we hope, and I'm working on expanding a few things.  In the meantime, a few friends invited me to join a community called Influenster.  Influenster is awesome.  I get a box in the mail, with a product to review.  I use it, use it, abuse it, use it some more, then post the review on the interwebz. This is one of those reviews ;) My first actually!

The product I received for my first review, in my "VoxBox", was the Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush.  It also came with a sample size toothpaste (Colgate Total Advanced Whitening) & a sample bottle of Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield (blue) mouthwash.  I got home from the hospital and this box was waiting for me, yay! After 2 days there, with no toothpaste, this was a VERY welcome package!!

Let's start with the toothbrush.

According to Colgate, the SlimSoft toothbrush is 17x slimmer, for a deep clean.  It has "floss-tip" bristles.  Ok, whoever came up with this idea?? AMAZING!  They deserve some kind of special prize.  Seriously.  Until recently, I used a toothbrush like this (brand left off so as not to be rude, good brand, just the toothbrush wasn't right for me.) ;)

And, when I bought that brush, I thought AMAZING!  But, after a few days, it wasn't soft enough for my sensitive teeth and gums.  And the side bristles hurt.  The SlimSoft brush though, oh wow, nope, no pain.  I've been using it steadily since I got it, and I find that I'm willing to brush more now. (You know, like the actual 2-3x a day you are SUPPOSED to brush, as opposed to the only at night & quick first thing in the morning brushing I did with the other brush above.)  My teeth definitely feel cleaner, and it gets between my teeth SO nicely! (This brush does NOT replace flossing....but, I hate flossing, with a passion...if you do too, check out the flosser picks, much less hassle, less awkward, and they come in mint flavor too.)   This brush doesn't LOOK like anything special, oh, but it is, it so is.  I plan on trying the "Pro-Tip Slim Soft" next.  My back teeth want the extra love it provides.

Toothpaste/Mouthwash:  As I said before, this product box came with a sample tube of toothpaste & sample bottle of mouthwash.  My regular toothpaste of choice is Crest Pro-Health Sensitive or Whitening (depends on which one is available at the store I'm at.)  This toothpaste is definitely a competitor.  I prefer the mintier Crest over the Colgate, but the Colgate Total Advanced with Whitening, in combination with the Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush, left my teeth and mouth feeling over-all cleaner than the same brush with the Crest toothpaste.  I may just have to buy more of this toothpaste! (ya know, when the 3 boxes of toothpaste my mother-in-law bought me at [insert giant mass supply box store name here] runs out.)  And, last, but not least, the mouthwash.  I use Listerine.  I like the fresh minty taste, not so much the burn, but it's worth it in the end.  The Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield mouthwash (in "Peppermint Blast") was...uneventful at most.  I wouldn't call the "Peppermint Blast" a "blast" of anything.  It had little to no flavor (in my most humble opinion)...but, as I said, I use Listerine, which is a burning hot EXTREMELY minty (and don't forget the added alcohol) flavor.  So, next to that, how could this have any flavor without the alcohol burn?  I will say that I did enjoy that it did NOT burn (especially after I busted my lip the other day!)  But, without the burn, my mouth didn't feel as clean as it does with Listerine.  For some folks though, the burn is bad, for others, we like it.  This is just MY opinion.  I will add though, that I woke up with icky breath in the morning, after using this.  When I use Listerine and whatever toothpaste/toothbrush, I still have icky breath in the morning...just with minty lips.  I DID notice a definite difference though in waking up after switching to the Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush with the Colgate Total Advanced with Whitening toothpaste.  And I'm going to say it was due to the two together, as I DID try the brush with my old toothpaste.  (I did not try the new toothpaste with my old brush, that sucker got downgraded to sink/tub cleanerbrush!) :P

So, all of that said, the (wow this is a mouthful!) Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush gets an A+ in my book.  The Colgate Total Advanced with Whitening toothpaste gets an A.  And the Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield mouthwash gets a B.

I hope you enjoyed my review, and keep an eye out for more.  I will also be reviewing some yarns soon (possibly today..) and doing a store update soon as well, so keep your eyes peeled!!

**Please note: I received this product free in exchange for my review.**

Addicted to patterns much?

yeah..I am..I really really am!!  I have a binder that I've been printing off patterns and loading them in...and it's too full!!! I can't fit anything else in it!

 

  

I didn't of course let that stop me from shopping Etsy this past week though *blush*  It was my first time to shop Etsy, and I was nervous..because if it was anything like Ebay (which thankfully it was NOT!!) I was in for bad customer service, rude people, bad orders, etc.  Thank goodness that is NOT what I got!  But man, when you search CROCHET PATTERNS on Etsy, you get over 2000 results! and that's just for the most RECENT results (as in usually the last 3-4 days!) and holy moly, talk about some goodies!! There  is enough adorable baby stuff in there to make my uterus-free body yearn for another baby...then my 2 would run in the room fighting and screaming and that would take care of that! lol Plus, I have friends with babies..I can crochet for them, and charities, and not have to do the whole up all night and spit up thing all over again ;) (HUGE BONUS!) 

So I found some seriously GORGEOUS patterns!! and some GREAT customer service! My friend Tish found these adorable patterns on Etsy at the same time I had a few of the same ones in my cart (funky coincidence!) she bought hers a couple days before I did, because I HAVE to shop around..I have to be sure that these are what I want..and you know what? I didn't find anything I loved as much as what I found in this one shop...You should totally check them out.... KNOT*SEW*CUTE!!!  (isnt that name adorable?!) on Etsy!  They have some of the best patterns...I know, I bought 6 of them ;) LOL  Well, technically 5, because you buy 5, you get the 6th free..how awesome right?!  I picked up the Double Twist Cowl, Sunset Mobius, Never Ending Scarf, Elegant Evening Shawl, A Touch of Africa Shoulder Bag & All Seasons Scarf.  I can't wait to get started on these patterns, (though some are above my skill level for sure), I've even ordered the yarn already! Kim & Tara have such awesome customer service! They had my patterns to my shortly after I ordered them (less than 1.5 hours!) and I ordered them at 10:40pm CST! (Maybe they are night-owls like me?) lol 

Anywho, I also wanted to let y'all know that Kim & Tara of Knot*Sew*Cute are hosting a giveaway this weekend! First place gets 3 patterns (of your choice) from their store, 2nd place gets 2 patterns from their store, and 3rd gets 1 pattern from their store.  So hop on over to their blog, leave a comment, post on your facebook/blog/where ever and leave another comment and get 2 chances to win! :)  Good luck & Many Blessings!

Hiya!

So..a little about me and what I'm doing here...

My name is Beth..obviously..and my life is..well..chaotic..that explains the blog name, right?  I'm a 29yr old married mama of 2 (5 yr old daughter & 3yr old son). We live in the middle of nowhere in Central Texas, with our 7 dogs & 1 cat.  My husband is a manager in a mechanic/tire shop, and works a lot of hours, so I have a lot of time to fill!  I love to read, listen to music, digital scrapbook, and now, crochet! I tried to learn to knit when I was pregnant with my daughter, but it didnt take too well! My friend, Tish, started crocheting awhile back, and was always always talking about it, and pinning things on Pinterest, and she got me interested, and next thing you know, here I am!  I made scarves for my daughter, niece and nephew for Christmas, and have a hat in progress for my daughter currently...and a binder and a folder on my computer FULL of patterns I want to try!!!

Here are a few photos of the scarves I made & the hat in progress:

   

Both of these scarves are I Love This Yarn (my favorite yarn) from Hobby Lobby. The left is Beth's Garden (a combination of all of my daughters favorite colors, with MY name in it...I HAD to get it, right?!?!), the right is Sea Blue.

For this scarf I used Caron One Pound from Joann's in Soft Pink. (I won't use it again..it was not to my taste as far as softness goes..and felt icky while working with it.)  I did not use a pattern for any of these scarves, I just did single crochet, and did them to a thickness I thought was appropriate for the size of each child.

My daughter couldn't decide if she wanted pink or purple...so she's getting both! ;)  I'm using Vanna's Choice Rose Mist & Purple Mist.  This is the pattern I am using Quick Fix by Vallieskids.  It would be really fast & easy, but I can't seem to sit down and actually work on it without being interrupted 3094763097 times! Right now would be the perfect time to work on it, but my dogs actually will not leave me alone! I have one practically in my lap, and another is laying on my feet, and every few minutes one of them is upset with me about something or another and is moving around.  Unfortunately, the coyotes are being very loud tonight, so everytime they start to howl, both of them jump up barking, which is NOT helpful when I'm trying to crochet..my yarn is VERY tangled from Maddie getting tangled in both balls and sending them flying across the room earlier...and it took me about 20 minutes to find my crochet hook..which was behind the t.v. LOL

Well, I think that's it for tonight, it is almost 2am and I have no idea how it got to be this late...again!! But I have to get up early to get my daughter on the bus :(  We get up at 530 am :( and she has to be out at the bus stop at 6am to be on the bus at 610. Oh the joys of country living!

I hope everyone has a great day!!  Many Blessings!