He Lives!

"What praises can we offer

To thank thee, Lord most high?

In our place thou didst suffer;

In out place thou didst die,

By heaven's plan appointed,

To ransom us, our King.

O Jesus, the annointed,

To thee our love we bring!"

~ O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown, K.L. Davidson
 

Happy Easter!

"Soul Searching..."

...Or...

"Why am I doing what I'm doing?"

Ok.

So this will maybe be kinda long-winded...and maybe a bit angsty (is that a word?)...but I've been wondering lately what I'm really doing with, and in relation to, my business and blog.  I've been floundering a bit with it all...Feeling overwhelmed for no really good reason.

I have all these ideas and projects swimming around in my head...and I'm not sure how to organize my thoughts and activities.

And today I could finally put into the words the feelings I was having:

There are a lot of people out there doing what I do...and they're doing it better than I am.

Yeah.  I know.  Such a HUGE revelation, right.

Ahem.

Pardon my sarcasm.

Anyhoo...

I've been trying to figure out why I'm doing what I'm doing.  And being able to pinpoint the feelings I've been having has made me question a few things.

Like: "Is what I'm doing useful?"  "Is it needed or necessary?"  "Does it matter if it is...or isn't?"

And I can honestly say that I don't really know the answers to those questions yet...

BUT...

I do know that I like being creative...I like being a mom...I like being a wife...I like to crochet, and blog, and, sew, and doing fun things with my kids...I like being me...

And being true my ever-changing self is something I need to continue to work on.

So...here are a couple of quotes that have been helping see my potential and want to work harder to figure out why I do what I do.

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So...I'm trying some new things and stretching and learning some things about myself...And I'll keep doing a little soul searching and keep you updated!

Easter...

Sorry I left ya'll hanging this week with the Make Something Monday Link Party...I needed a little vacation from my vacation if you know what I mean! ;)

I'll be back next week with another Make Something Monday party and a bunch of features...so stay tuned!

Until then...and on a much more serious note...This past weekend was the April 2012 General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

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It was a truly uplifting and inspiring couple of meetings.  I feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful organization, and would love to share that with you...

No pressure, of course!  Just click on the links above if you are interested in finding out more about the Mormons or if you would like to listen to any of the talks that were given! :)

And I'd also like to leave you with this inspiring video presentation on the Resurrection of our Savior. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge of my Savior's love and atonement for me.  It has blessed and shaped my life in so many ways.



Have a wonderful Easter!

SAHM of Etsy: Feature

Hey, all!!



I was interviewed for a Featured Artist post on the SAHM of Etsy Team Blog today!  Go take a peek at the post if you're just dying to know a little more about me...which you are, I'm sure! ;)

OOAK Retro Granny Square Lap Afghan

11 Random Things...

Happy Leap Day!!

Rachel, of Maybe Matilda, posted some fun responses to random questions about herself on her blog today...and, then shared some for others to answer.  So, of course, I thought, "Heck, why not?"

So, here you go...11 random things about me...I know you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for these insights, I'm sure.  :)

1. Go ahead and name one (or two, or three) of yours celebrity crushes: Christian Bale...Yes. This one began with Newsies...but I mean come on - LOOK at the man now.  Oy.  Nathan Fillion...he's so handsome and heroic as Mal Reynolds...and just cute and silly as Castle - gotta love that!  Hugh Jackman.  His Lipton Iced Tea commercials are priceless. All I can say:

2. What’s your favorite book?  My favorite non-scripture book changes a bit, every so often, but a book I can read at least once each year is Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.  Yeah.  I'm that girl.

3. What are your 5 favorite TV shows?  Currently: Sherlock, Avatar: the Last Airbender (all three seasons), Phineas and Ferb, Castle, and Firefly.

Have you seen Sherlock?!?!  Check it out HERE.

4. Guilty pleasure?  I love bread.  Really good bread.  Especially when it's dipped in olive oil and a fantastic balsamic vinegar.  Mmmmmm.  I'm not sure that counts as a guilty pleasure...but it's definitely a pleasure.  See below for a great recipe.  Just sayin'.

5 Minute Artisan Bread

5. Any goals you’re currently working on?  I'm trying to be a more attentive wife and mother.  I know it sounds a bit cliché...but with six other people in the house I sometimes turn into robot-mom (clean house, make dinner, fold laundry, bathe kids, sweep floor, etc, etc, etc), and I kinda forget about being a real person with my family.  I'm working on it.

6. A trend or style you’ve wanted to try, but been scared to?  I would love to dye my hair purple.  Like this:

My pin...

Isn't it so cool?  But I always feel like I couldn't pull it off...I guess I worry too much what other moms, teachers, neighbors, family members would think.  And I probably shouldn't...but I do.  I still secretly dream about doing it one day, though.

7. A skill you’d love to learn?  I really want to get the hang of knitting.  I'm PATHETIC at it.  Seriously.  You don't want to see how bad it really is.

8. If you had a day to yourself with unlimited money to spend and no obligations, what would you do?  Honestly I think I'd spend the day chillin' with the fam somehow.  I'm a bit of a homebody...and I don't like feeling stressed about having to meet a schedule.  Which is funny because I happen to be the scheduling queen.  You should see my Google calendar.  Ugh.

9. A person (living or dead) you’d love to meet?  I'd love to meet my hubby's mom.  She passed away when he was 13 years old, but she had such an amazing impact on so many lives.  She was beautiful, smart, talented, and loving.  I've always admired her.  The first time I saw a picture of her I got this feeling in my gut that she was really looking back at me, and that I knew her already!  I would love to meet her someday!

Isn't she lovely?  Look at that smile!

10. If you weren’t doing the career you’re doing now (being a stay-at-home mom counts as a career), what would you want to be doing instead?  A fine artist.  I think.  I love to draw and paint...and I have a degree in graphic design and illustration...but I've found that even though I enjoy occasional illustration jobs, what I really would like to do with that talent is just paint for fun!  Here's a pic of one of my paintings:  It's nothing spectacular.  But I like it. :)

11. What are the names you want/wanted to give your kids until your meanie-pants spouse vetoed them?  I've always liked old-fashioned names...and we've had five children...and each has a middle name...so my list of unused names has definitely decreased, but there are a few that got completely ruled out:  Hazel, Molly, Daniel, and Andrew.  Maybe I'll have to write a book...and those can be my characters...Hmmm.

So in the spirit of spreading the love, I'm posting 11 questions of my own here!

If you'd like to join in and answer 11 random questions about yourself, too, you can post these ones to your own blog!  Please come back and share a link in the comments here!  I'd love to get to know you better!  :)

1.  What is the scariest thing you've ever done?

2.  If you could be a character on a TV show, which show would you be on?

3.  What are your three favorite colors of fingernail polish?

4.  Who are your celebrity crushes?

5.  What are you really, really good at?

6.  A place you'd like to live?

7.  What do you really wish your name was?

8.  The silliest mistake you've ever made?

9.  If you could be any type of (real or imagined) animal, what would you be, and why?

10.  What part of yourself do you like the most?

11.  What is your most absolutely favorite thing to eat?

Things to Make: A Snail Birthday!

As promised, here are a few pics of the Snail-themed Birthday Party I planned for my six-year-old daughter.

I know.

Snails.

Really.

Anyway...

We had a lot of fun playing some silly snail games like "Slug, Slug, Snail" (which is basically my made up version of "Duck, Duck, Goose," modified so that they have to go slowly...and crawl instead of run!).

We also had a "Snail Race!"  All of the kids colored their very own snail and wrote their name on the back.

You can find this cute little snail clipart HERE.

I set up a "path" for them to follow from the living room to the dining room, where a Snail Feast awaited them.  The path was made of green construction paper leaves, black paper rocks, and blue paper puddles taped to the floor.  Each child took turns rolling a dice, and moving along the path according to the number on the dice.  If they landed on a rock or puddle they had to wait another turn (because it's tricky for snails to get around rocks and puddles, you know).

After the party my daughter turned the rocks and leaves into a tree on the door! :)

When each snail reached the table they got a little Fruit by the Foot roll, and some "mud" - ie chocolate pudding - to dig in.  We also added some gummy snails to the mud to make it fun!

Sorry for the crumby picture...for some reason it was really hard to get a pic of the gummy snails in the mud! ;)

When everyone finally got to the table we ate our Snail Feast!

There were Snail Shell crackers:  These are just swirls of Easy Cheese on Ritz crackers!  A big hit! ;)

Sweet and Savory Snail Roll-ups:  The sweet ones are tortillas spread with peanut butter, cream cheese and apple-cinnamon jam.  The savory ones are tortillas spread with cream cheese, avocados, and deli turkey.  You just roll them up and cut them into little pinwheels!

Sweet Snail Roll-ups!

Savory Snail Roll-ups!

And finally Hot Snail Dogs:  These are hot Dog wrapped in Crescent Roll dough.  Then we added little chow mein noodle eye stem thingies.  The serving platter was drizzled with honey to make the "snail slime trails."  I got the idea for these on Pinterest, here.  Aren't they cute?  (And sort of disgusting?  There's no accounting for taste.)

Hot Snail Dogs! 

See the little snail trails? Tee hee!

After our meal we opened present and then it was time for cake!!

The dirt on the cake is made from crushed up chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos), with the squishy white stuff removed.  (I saved that stuff for another part of the cake!)  The grass is made from coconut tinted green with food coloring.  Rocks and flowers are made from jumbo gumdrops...the flowers have lemon drop centers.

The snails are my favorite part!  Their bodies are made from the white Oreo filling...I just kinda rolled it into little snake/slug shapes!  The snails shells are made from Hershey's kisses with the tops chopped off...and then swirled with edible writing gel.  The little eye stems are those chow mein noodles again!

All in all it was a great party!  I'm just glad I was able to make a snail-themed party work!  I mean, whose kid ask for a snail-themed party?

Oh, right.

Mine.  :)

Ready or Not...Here's 2012!

So, you may be getting tired of hearing what everyone has resolved to do this year...but I'm about to add my two cents...just a little heads up.

The Anderkids

Last year, in this post, I shared some of my goals for the year.

Well...

Here's what actually happened:  I didn't take it easy.  It was a crazy year for us.  I was having a baby.  My hubby was working as a half-time school teacher...and supporting a family of six with one more on the way isn't easy.

At the beginning of last year I decided that I would try a little experiment.  I buckled down and made blogging a priority.  I posted at least three times a week.  I linked up and networked with other sites.  I interacted and commented.  And guess what?  It worked.  Big time.

My blog and business grew!  I went from 45 followers to 865 and from just 1000 page views to over 300,000.  I went from just 60 orders in 2010 to over 260 in 2011...CRAZY!  Seriously.  I know.  My mind is a little boggled by it, too!

I was VERY busy.  Yes, I loved doing it!   But, it didn't come without some HARD work and a lot of persistence.  I completely re-designed my blog FOUR TIMES!  I edited thousands of pictures.  I wrote, tested and re-wrote several patterns.  I hosted giveaways, sales, and guest posted on other blogs.

Not that this busy year hasn't been a HUGE blessing for our family!  I feel so blessed that I've been able to stay at home with my children AND that my business was able to help support our family!

I have also loved getting to know so many wonderful and creative crafters, crocheters, and people!  Thanks so much for making this journey so much fun!!  I wouldn't be here without YOU!

However...I hate to admit it, but sometimes I worked on these things at the cost/neglect of other things that are important to me...like housework...and meal preparation...and showering...and my family.

So...my biggest dilemma in making goals for this coming year has been...where do I go from here?

After a lot of prayer and thought, I've realized something:

I've discovered that blogging and running my business really do matter to me, and I want to continue the relationships I have formed this past year!  I'm just not going to be as structured in my approach to things...I'm going to take a break if I need it...and not worry about pushing so hard for success...don't worry...I'm sure I'll still be here OFTEN...but...

This year I really want to just SIMPLIFY, AND FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST.

I'm going to enjoy the little successes I have everyday; whether it's finishing a new pattern, making a great sale, or watching my baby crawl for the first time.

And I feel peace about that.

I loved this message, from LDS.org, about slowing down and paying attention to the Moments that Matter Most...I hope you will, too!



I look forward to this year, and all of the unexpected joys and trials that this year will surely bring.  Thanks for being a part of my life!

The REAL Anderkids

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmastime.  I love the smell of cinnamon and pine boughs.  I love the peppermint candies and Christmas lights.  I love Christmas carols and giving gifts.

But most especially I love the reason we celebrate.  I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior at this time of year.  My heart is so full of the blessings that I have been given, and for the gift of the Atonement, from my Savior.

I love these new Bible videos that have been made by The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints. They depict passages taken from the life of Christ from the Bible.  They are sweet, simple, and heartfelt.

I hope you'll take a moment to watch this beautiful depiction of the very first Christmas.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

Feature Friday: About Me ~ A to Z!

I've seen this little survey going around the blogiverse, and thought I'd share a little about me, too!!

A.  Age:  32 B.  Best Friend:  My Hubby...and my sisters! C.  Chore That You Hate: Dishes...ugh. D.  Dogs:  none E.  Essential Start To Your Day:  Prayer F.  Favorite Color:  Purple...any shade, but most of all vibrant deep tones! G.  Gold or Silver:  Gold H.  Height:  5'1" I.  Instruments You Play:  Does your voice count? J.  Job Title:  Mom and Wife! K.  Kids:  Five ~ Ellie, Ben, Lilly, Maddie, and Amelia L.  Live:  Rural UT M.  Mother's Name:  Joy N.  Nicknames:  Rae Rae, Stubby O.  Overnight Hospital Stays:  With each of my babies P.  Pet Peeve:  People not using their turn signals when driving! Q.  Quote From A Movie:  "I'm out of it for a little while, and everyone's having delusions of grandeur..."  ~ Han Solo, Return of the Jedi R.  Right or Left Handed:  Right S.  Siblings:  Matt, 'Manda, Sam, Abby T.  Time You Wake Up:  About 6:00am. U.  Ultimate Vacation:  Anywhere that I can relax and not be stressed out!!! V.  Vegetable You Hate:  Okra...it's slimy. W.  What Makes You Run Late:  Kids...and being overscheduled! X.  X-Rays You've Had:  Collar bone, when I was 9, I think. Y.  Yummy Food You Make:  Chicken Tikka Masala...mmmmmm..... Z.  Zoo Animal:  Red Panda

Halloween

Hope you all had a fun and festive Halloween yesterday!  Hope no one is suffering too bad from a sugar coma...

This isn't really a how-to post, per se, but since I haven't had anytime to make anything new except for Halloween costumes I thought I'd share those with y'all!  (Warning: I have the cutest family in the world.  Don't be offended...but they really are.  I'm just giving you fair warning.)

First up is my hubby.  He teaches 5th grade.  He wanted to be something tough for Halloween.  He picked Wolverine.  But there was no way I was gonna make him a yellow spandex super-hero outfit...sorry, hon.

Here he is stealing a baby pumpkin...the brute!

He settled for a stream-lined trimming of his chops and beard, a white t-shirt with a flannel shirt over top and jeans.  He's pre-X-Men Wolverine/Logan.

But he also kinda looks like an over-worked dad who didn't get enough sleep...

Yeah.  My hubby is the best dad ever.

Next up is my oldest.  She's cute.  She's 10.  She's also a little odd.  She came in a couple weeks ago and announced that she knew what she wanted to be for Halloween:  Ludwig von Beethoven.  Yup.  My kid is awesome.

Here she is...

She really wanted to make sure she got his 'scary eyebrows' down.  I think she hit it on the head.

Next is my son, who is 8.  He wanted to be Aang, from Avatar: the Last Airbender.  He begged us to shave his head...so we got pretty close.  His costume was made from a thrift store bathrobe, and an old orange shirt of my hubby's.

His staff is a wrapping paper tube, wrapped with a piece of the t-shirt.  The funnest part of this costume was taping an arrow on his head an spraying it blue with colored hairspray!

Here's my next daughter...she's 5.  She wanted to be Toph Bei Fong, also a character from Avatar: the Last Airbender.  Her costume was also made from refashioned thrift store finds, elastic, and one of my shirts.

I crocheted her 'wig' and added bangs and a pom-pom embellished headband...she's so cute!

Here are the benders together:

Next up is my 3-year-old.  She's a doll.  And a bit dramatic.  And she wanted to be Rapunzel.  Of course! Her costume was a thrift store find that had seen better days...I made new sleeves and fixed the hem, and then made her a long yarn wig on a crocheted cap.

You should hear this kid sing "Flower Gleam and Glow..."  It's classic.

Here's my littlest squish.  She was a little bear.  Can you stand the cuteness?  I thought not.

I know it's a bit of a cop out to use a *gasp*completely store-made costume...but guess what?  I'm completely ok with that this year!  Besides...she's so. dang. cute.  She doesn't even really need a costume!

Lastly, here's me.  I was a gypsy (so baby could be my dancing bear, of course!)

My costume was just bits and pieces of clothes I already had...I bet you're jealous of that skirt, right?

And here's the gang all together!

Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!!!