Blankets for the Kids!

I have anxiety. One of the ways I combat the really bad episodes is to find a way to distract my brain with videos. In particular, how to crochet videos on youtube. I've knitted since I was 7 years old, but I've never wanted to crochet. This all changed in December when I, quite by accident, came across videos from The Crochet Crowd on youtube. Mikey makes videos on how to crochet certain stitches or patterns. I love his slightly awkward self. He is hugely popular and has big name sponsors. There are crochet cruises and get-togethers.

Anyway, I watch the videos and they provide enough mental stimulation to interest and distract my brain. However, I suddenly had a NEED to crochet blankets. During Christmas break my mother-in-law took me and the kids to JoAnn's to shop for yarn. Yes, I have never crocheted before, but I was going to make each of my children a blanket, dammit!

We found Bernat Blanket yarn, a crochet hook, and a sale at JoAnn's. Gavin picked three colors he wanted, and I paid for 6 balls (giant balls!) of it. Seriously, it is super bulky yarn and 6 balls is like 1320 yards.

I cast on a chain of 90 stitches and went to it. It was awkward to get used to holding the crochet hook. Still, I  double chained along and 5 days later I had a super long, super warm blanket for Gavin.

We immediately went back to JoAnn's to let Henry and Irene pick out their colors. Their blankets took even less time than Gavin's. I was on a roll!

My kids each got a warm blanket that will fit them into adulthood. For as long as the yarn lasts, this blanket will stay with them.

A New Year...

A new year! I've been rather lazy about posting here. It seems like I always have something that I need to do instead. Ah well, perhaps it'll get easier as the year progresses.

We had a great Christmas. We went to my older brother's house the weekend before. Had a lovely lunch, caught up on lives, exchanged gifts, etc. My dad was also there, but my younger brother and sister-in-law had to work.

For Christmas eve we had dinner with Mark's parents. Very easy and relaxed.

Christmas day found me getting up early. I had put a ham in the crockpot the night before, but I had other food to make for a Christmas brunch. Mark's parents came over and joined us for opening gifts and eating. It was a lot of fun and really just an easy holiday.

The kids had two weeks off of school. Leading up to the holiday Henry was sick several times. One day had us at the doctor's office with the right side of his neck hugely swollen. He got to have two doctors confer on that one. Thankfully, it wasn't mumps (especially since he has been vaccinated for that!) but they wanted to make sure.

On New Years Eve, Henry woke up during the night with severe itching. I couldn't find any marks, bumps, or hives. Gave him Benadryl. The next night, Mark was on the road, and Henry got up at 1:30am. He was itching again. However, this time his face and hands were horribly swollen. I gave him Benadryl again and called Mark. We talked on the phone for two hours while I sat with Henry. In hindsight I should have called 911. Instead I sat up and watched him breathe.

The next had us at the doctor again. Blood was taken to do a food allergy test. Was told to call 911 if he ever had a reaction like that again. The doctor said that a reaction so severe had to be from something he ingested. Of course, you tell people it had to be something he ATE, and yet they'll still tell you a million things he could have touched to make him swell. Oh well, at least they care!

A few days later the blood work came back, but Henry is not allergic to anything that they currently test for. That means we wait and see. We do have a current Epipen for him and we all practiced on how to inject it.

The one thing about that whole saga is that it happened on New Years Eve and Day. We just happened to have a meat and cheese tray on NYE that we finished up the next day. There was hard salami on the tray that I know Henry ate both days. We don't normally have hard salami...like only sometimes on NYE. So, is it possible that something in that caused him to have such a reaction? Sure. But I am not willing to test it. It is not worth risking his life to check if that was the culprit.

And there we are. A relaxing Christmas and a slightly crazy start to the new year.