Babbling Brook Cotton Table Runner - Crochet Pattern - Free PDF Download

I had to wait until today to post this because I was giving this as a gift to my mother-in-law this year!

She had asked for a new table runner for her new dining room table, and she has a babbling brook in her backyard that the kids love to play in!

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This is one of my favorite side dishes this time of year! My grandmother used to make something similar, but it was always more of a relish. So, I came up with this saucier variation!

Exploring Your Five Senses with a Marshmallow!

This is one of my favorite topics to cover because there are so many activities that the little ones can do to explore all five of their senses. However, our marshmallow play was by far the best activity we did. We were able to play with it, cover all of your senses and best of all it tasted delicious!

The Book I Used to Learn to Crochet

When I was a little girl my mother and grandmother taught me the basics of how to crochet. Since I was 8 years old I knew how to chain, single crochet and double crochet, but nothing more. So, when I was pregnant for my daughter, 5 years ago, I got the itch to learn more.

Chicken Stuffing Bake Recipe

Now here is an awesome recipe! I've made this recipe twice now with the intent of getting pictures, but both times this happened before I could get the pictures!!

Above and Below

Along with our Core Knowledge curriculum we also use a math curriculum called My Math. This week we began discussing positional words, and today we did above and below. This activity was a huge hit for both of them. 

Slow Cooker Apple Chicken Recipe

I just love this time of year! It's full of so many opportunities for great food! Since we've started homeschooling, I've been giving the ol' slow cooker a pretty good workout. This recipe came to me earlier this week, and it turned out so good I wanted to share it with you all!!

Homemade Fall Apple Butter Recipe

I have always wanted to make apple butter. I had it once at a restaurant, and it tasted so good on a warm biscuit I knew I had to make it for my family. So, after going to the apple orchard, the second thing on my list to make was some homemade apple butter.

Five Little Pumpkin Poem/Song

 I love the Five Little Pumpkin poem or song, and look forward to singing it every Halloween with them. It is something that I have sung to them since they were babies. I have wonderful memories of them sitting on the floor giggling at me with those adorable little baby laughs as I sang it to them! So, this year it was one of our favorite activities to do and brought back many memories.

Where to Get Great Crochet Patterns

I am often asked where people can find specific patterns, and see many people posting asking for patterns. So, I wanted to share three great places where people can find patterns both free and paid. Also, all three Ravelry, Craftsy, and Pinterest offer the options to save the patterns that you love, so you will be able to easily find them again in the future!

Spiced Crockpot Apple Sauce

When I was a little girl, my grandmother always made homemade apple sauce every fall. She made it the old fashioned way in a big stock pot on the stove.

She would cook the apples down with a splash of water, and they would slow cook on the stove all afternoon. She would then smush

GipsonWands (c.o. VioletsBuds) Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Pancake Recipe - Review

The other evening I came across a post on Instagram from GipsonWands of these delicious pancakes. So, of course I asked for the recipe, and was pleasantly surprised when he directed me here. I also asked if I could share this on my blog and he agreed!

Focusing on Columbus

This week we have been focusing on Christopher Columbus!! To refresh my memory on Columbus I watched a wonderful documentary on Hulu titled Biography ChristopherColumbus: Explorer of the New World! It was full of information that I had forgotten over time, as well as some knew information that I found interesting! I highly recommend it! 

My 3 Favorite Crochet Tools

Every artist has their favorite tools, right? No matter what you make or design you have your favorite brand, style, or material. This is a collection of my three most favorite tools, and each picture links to that item on Amazon (if you'd like one of your very own). ;-)

Apple Picking - 2014

My family and I went to the apple orchard this year to pick apples!! It was the first time my hubby and I had gone in a long time, and it was our first time taking our two little ones. We had such a wonderful time and the views were just amazing.

Placemat Activity

My hope as we go through our homeschooling journey is that I will be able to share at least one activity with you all each week. So, as we have begun our journey through preschool we have been focusing on a very broad unit titled All About Me. We have been covering small topics such as what makes us unique and special, body parts, our 5 senses, and important information such as phone number, address, and birthday.

Selecting a Curriculum and Other Topics This Year

We have finally decided on a curriculum that we will be using this year for our little ones. My husband and I wanted one that was full of a variety of content

Memories and Old Toys for New Kids!

We have always been a very sentimental family!  We take a ton of photos and often save items that are sentimental to us in some way.  I'm not a pack rat, so sometimes I have to go through what I have saved for my little ones to make sure I am not getting too carried away. Both my hubby and I have saved a few toys, books, and a couple stuffed animals that were important and well loved by us as children.

Cinnamon Apple Cider Adult Beverage

My hubby and I have always enjoyed the occasional adult beverage, so we often have the odd smidgen of some liquor hanging around the house. The other day we grabbed apple cider at the grocery store. As we were driving home my husband remembered that we still had some Pinnacle Cinnabon cinnamon vodka leftover, and suggest that the two might go well together.

My Father's Dragon - A Great Beginning Chapter Book!!

We finished reading this book to the kids not too long ago, and they absolutely loved it!

I had been looking for a beginner's chapter book, you know something that was easy enough for the kids to grasp, but still broken down into chapters. And, this book hit the mark!

It's actually a collection of three separate books that occur in chronological order.

Spreading The Love of Handmade

My two little ones and I go walking in the morning and on our way back home we stop at the park to play for a bit. One morning, not too long ago, for some reason my daughter said, “Mommy let’s go this way!” I said, “Okay!” …not our usual way, but it didn't really matter.

Newborn Criss-Cross Sweater Pattern - PDF Download - FREE!!!

Good morning here is my latest free sweater pattern!

I've always like the look of the criss-cross stitch, and wanted to make it into a sweater. I love how it's delicate and elegant when worked up into a baby sweater.

So, I'm offering it to you for free!

Coming Soon! Baby Doll Crochet Pattern Book!

Those of you that follow me on social media know that I've been working on a new book of patterns.

It's coming along

Zucchini Bread Recipe

This year we planted 6 zucchini plants in hopes of getting some zucchini to eat - last year didn't go so well. However, the big difference was that last year we did seeds, but this year we bought started plants from a local greenhouse. Now we didn't realize just how many zucchini would be produced by each plant. So, they started blooming and we were

My First Barbie Dresses!!!

When I was a little girl, my Great Aunt Pat made me several crochet Barbie dresses out of crochet thread.

Baby Girl's Fancy Shell Sweater Set Crochet Pattern - PDF

Here it is!! Finally!! My first ever complete layette set!! I'm so excited to finally be able to publish this!

Okay, enough yelling, please click any of the pictures, or here, to purchase this lovely pattern.

My Grandma's Chocolate Drop Cookies Recipe

So, I posted this picture on Facebook, and so many people were asking for this recipe that I just decided to write it up and post it over here for folks to copy or download.

These cookies are one of my grandma's go to chocolate craving killer weapons! I love the flexibility of this recipe.

Baby Cowboy Booties - Made to Order - Free Pattern - #CreativeDaily

So, I recently started working on another custom order for these cute little booties, when I saw that the #CreativeDaily prompt for today from Lu and Ed was "Child" and I just had to share this.

The Found Patio WIP

My husband and I moved into our current house over a year and a half ago. One of the things that we changed when we first moved in was the fencing. The owner, two owners prior to us, had several huskies that required extensive chain link fencing - our dog does not.

Spots the Cute Puppy Crochet Pattern

Update: This pattern has been redesigned as part of the work that I did on the Puppy PAL-ooza line. Spots has received a makeover, and now is more detailed!

Spots was my very first pattern that I ever wrote! He was inspired by my precious little guy, as is almost all of my patterns that I write! I got a custom order for a Blue's Clues stuffed dog, and he sat right next to me the whole time I was assembling it - just waiting for it. I had told him several times that it wasn't for him, but since at the time he was only one and a half years old, he didn't quite get it! So I put it away and finished it after he went to bed, and then started my mission for finding a more generic puppy pattern that I could make for him because he has no idea who Blue is.

The Liebster Award - Discover New Blogs!!

Okay, I am so sorry to my nominees! I had attempted to install the Blogger app on my tablet, and for some reason it decided to revert this post to a draft, and any early draft besides. So, I had to rewrite the nominee and my questions to the nominees section. So, if things look different - that's why. Needless to say, the app has been uninstalled.

Two Tone Sweater Pattern - PDF - Free Crochet Sweater Pattern!!

Update: I've just release this sweater as a complete set! Check it out here!!

I am so excited to introduce my Two Tone Baby Sweater Pattern. I am offering this pattern for free to
everyone!! I LOVE making baby items for my store and this is one of my favorite sweaters to make. It is so easy to make for a baby girl or baby boy. Also, you can add pockets, appliques, or whatever you would like to make it your very own!

My Homeschooling Journey Has Begun!

Through this section of my blog I hope to share my many adventures of homeschooling my two little ones. We are starting right out in the preschool years!! I hope to cover many ideas, tips, activities, as well as cover other topics that are homeschool related.

I went to college to be an elementary and special educator, but have become discouraged in our school system. So, after a lot of thought, researching, and many discussions with my husband we have decided homeschooling is right for us! However, if your children ever feel they want to attend a school we will definitely look into a private school for them.

My Mom Life

I have always wanted to be a stay at home and take care of my little ones!! I am so happy to be able to be with them every day, and never a miss a moment of their development. They grow up way to fast!  Here I want to chat with all of you about being a SAHM, support each other, and share recipes, ideas and activities for children, Mommy time, time with our significant others! I hope you all will join me!!

First Edition of Off the HOOK!! Newsletter!!

Since Facebook has made, and continues to make changes to the way the unpaid content from business pages gets displayed (or not displayed) to followers - I started an email newsletter!

This first edition went out to any customers that I have email addresses for, so if you didn't get a copy, feel free to signup below! Also, you will want to be sure to sign up because I plan to do special offers that will only appear in the newsletter.

As always, comments are welcome!!

Subscribe for the Monthly Newsletter!!

Hello, and WELCOME!!

Hello, and welcome to my new blog!! My name is Britteny. I am a wife to an amazing husband and a stay at home mom to two beautiful children.

When I was little, my grandmother made me many hand-crafted items, and I cherish them to this day - so much so that I have begun handing them down to my daughter. I wanted to do the same for my children, and grandchildren someday. So, when I was pregnant with my first child, I taught myself to crochet - and I haven't stopped hookin' since!

When I say always handmade with love, that is exactly what I mean. Almost all of my projects are inspired by my own children in some way, and I love them so very much!

I find it so relaxing to just sit with my hook and yarn. And, it's so portable! I can toss a partial sweater, ball of yarn, and hook into my purse and hook anywhere I like.

I really enjoy mastering new stitches as well. My hope is someday to complete the Crochet Guild of America's Master of Advanced Stitches and Techniques, but that's still down the road.

My vision for this blog is to be a place for me to post more lengthy insights into my life outside of crochet, or off the HOOK!!

Please feel free to comment and subscribe!!