Does it bother you if …

We all have our own obsessive compulsive tendencies right??? I’m not alone am I?? It’s just little things.  The toilet paper has to spin in a certain direction.  Your books all have to be alphabetized and in my case that also applies to your spice rack.  My friends at this point are all shaking their heads and remembering how they used to swap two of my spices and see how long it would take me to freak out and swap them back. 

I consider myself a bit of an organizational freak.  My house is never ever spotless, but I absolutely LOVE to organize things and pretend that it is.  Love the label maker.  Love baskets.  And yes, my yarn is all organized first by type, then by color.

Today I was baking cookies and came across another organizational thing that bothers me that I’m really hoping some of you can relate to so I know I’m not alone.  Does anyone else have to have equal numbers of cookies in rows and columns on a cookie sheet??  I seriously tried to rearrange my cookies today because the corner of parchment paper was ripped off and I couldn’t fit that one very last cookie on the sheet to make the perfect rectangle to cookies.  What’s wrong with me?

I noticed the same thing happened when I made meatballs a few weeks ago.  I had one row that had 2 fewer meatballs than the others and it actually bothered me.  Not enough that I did anything about it, but I did pause to make sure there weren’t enough scraps left to put together two more.

What little things drive you crazy??

Until the next time
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

The wonders of a new computer

I’m still exploring this new computer but I’m finding thing I like about Windows 7 more and more each day.  Like the program I’m using right now!  Anyone out there use Windows Live Writer???

I love it!  It’s like I’m writing something in Word.  An easy click of the button and  I change fonts or colors all just like I would in Word.  Ctrl+K and I add a hyperlink … Ctrl+L and I add a picture.  Then I’m done and I hit Publish and voila it appears in my blog! 

So much better than working in blogger!  You have no idea how long it used to take to import pictures.  They all come to the top of the post and then you have to drag them down because Copy and Paste don’t work.  Now I can import them right where I want them to be and I can even edit them right there!

I’m also a huge fan of having sticky notes on my desktop. Especially during the holidays it was so nice to have a running list of all the orders I had to fill and the order they came in on so I didn’t have to run to Etsy.  It was nice to have a separate list for the orders that I was waiting on the yarn to come in so I could give better shipping time estimates.

My other favorite?  Having a little weather icon.  I have two actually.  One for where I live and one for where my parents live.  It makes me feel a bit more connected to home and gives me a good reason to call and complain that it’s colder here than it is in the frozen tundra of northern Wisconsin.

So there … Consider me a fan of Windows 7!

Until the next time …
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Welcome little flowers!

When something new comes into the shop, I rarely can take credit for the idea.  I have a lot of people that come to me and say, “Hey I really like product X, can you make it but change XYZ??”.  Thus the birth of a new product for the shop.

This new one comes with many thanks to my sister-in-law. For Christmas she really wanted a knit ear warmer headband with a flower on it.  Not something I carry in the shop, but I can work with that right?

Well the ear warmers are coming soon, but the flowers have premiered today!  I used some more great yarn from Knit Picks that comes in … get  this … over 80 colors!!!  Knit up some petals … sew them together … add on some beads and voila!  A super cute flower pin! 

 

Now available with free shipping to all of you blog readers!  By the way, I have to share … I received an order earlier this week and she mentioned that she loved my blog and it really made my day.  I always love reminders that more than just my family read my blog :)

Until the next time …
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

All the Best in the New Year!

Well I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed taking 3 wonderful weeks away from the shop.  True I spent the first week finishing up orders and Christmas presents and I spent the last week curled up on the couch with a pretty bad cold, but all in all it was a wonderful vacation!

I got to spend time with my family and friends and that is what’s important during the holidays right?

I was just complaining that I had absolutely nothing to write about.  I’m just blank. Drained from the cold.  Nothing exciting in life other than cold and snow.

Then the events of today transpired … 

It’s a  normal Saturday – my husband’s birthday actually.  Happy Birthday sweetie!!!!  I was just getting ready to bake him a cake and I thought I’d check my email.  Look at that an order!  Exciting yes, but who knew what that order could do for my day?? 

In the “comments to seller” section it said “Love the gray merino wool cable knit hat!  Saw it on the Lucky Magazine blog.  Thanks!”

Lucky Magazine?????  What??? As in the fashion magazine???  You know the one that is published and sold on news stands everywhere???  Back up the truck!

Lo and behold I went to their blog and there I was!!! I don’t think the model is actually wearing my hat exactly, but it looks like my hat and more importantly it’s my hat that’s pictured below and is linked to my little Etsy shop!!!

http://www.luckymag.com/blogs/luckyrightnow/2010/01/fashion-copycat-cozychic.html

Woah!!! I have no idea how it got there or how they found me, but they did!  This is so surreal to me!  I’m just a girl that knits.  A girl that sits in her comfy chair, watches the Today show and Rachael Ray and knits most of the day away.  I don’t put a lot of money into marketing.  I’m active in the Etsy community and I have some great friends and relatives that talk me up around town, but other than that I’m just a simple girl with knitting needles and a love of yarn.  Who knew? 

We’ll have to see what comes of this, but I’m hoping this isn’t the end!!

Until the next time …
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Mexican Wedding Cakes

First up on the cookie baking adventure is by far my most favorite cookie in the world and I think they should be eaten year round. Mexican Wedding Cakes!! YUM!! They are soft, buttery, sugary goodness.

When I moved into my first apartment, I couldn't believe it but my mom gave me one of our treasured cookie books! Of all things it is a collection of recipes from the Wisconsin Electric Company. They used to put it out every year. This particular edition is from maybe the 1950's or 60's??? It is full of pictures of little dolls with the cookies and is definitely very German - true to Milwaukee's heritage. It has recipes for Lebkuchen, Springerle, Pfeffernuesse, and Stollen - all things I love to try to pronounce.

Not exactly part of the German theme - but tasty are the Mexican Wedding Cakes

You should try them!!

Mexican Wedding Cakes
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
Extra powdered sugar

Cream butter; add sugar gradually; blend in salt, vanilla and flour. Mixture is stiff. Pinch off small pieces of dough; place on ungreased cookie sheets (actually the recipe says "cooky" and it makes me laugh). Bake at 400 degrees about 12 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

Let the Cookies Flow!!

I absolutely love the holidays. Love, love, love! My tree is up the day after Thanksgiving. I'm humming Christmas tunes before Thanksgiving and you can bet that "Sounds of the Season" is the radio channel of choice on the TV.

I especially love to decorate for the holidays and of course bake cookies.

The last few weeks I've been SWAMPED with custom orders for the shop. All of the holiday gifts, which is great! It does mean though that all I've done for the last 6 weeks is knit day and night and that's OK, but I do need a little fun in my life right?

Well, now it's Dec 8th and I am shutting my shop down for the holidays starting next Tuesday. I'm like a kid in school. The end is coming and I just can't focus anymore! I have 12 more orders to fill and hopefully be done by next Tuesday. Good luck with that.

It's too bad that I can't stay focused and just get it all done you know? Well, it's a good thing there are Christmas cookies in my life. Cookies always remind me of my mom. We always had the best Christmas cookies and we always had so much fun baking them together. Well, my mom is coming to visit this weekend and it's got me thinking of my family and I've decided to go on Christmas cookie binge! If I'm lucky (and don't run out of butter) I'd like to make new ones every day so that we can have cookies for the months to come. Stay tuned for updates and recipes!

What kinds of cookies does your family make for the holidays??

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

Who are you and what's with the donations??

I know that some of you are family, friends or have been following my blog for awhile, but others are new to Lama Works so this is for you. In particular, this is for a new team I just joined called Etsy Project Embrace. Hello to my new team!!

I am by trade a biomedical engineer from Milwaukee, WI. I have a bachelors and masters degree from Marquette University. I spent a few years designing artificial elbow, wrist and shoulder joint parts and surgical instruments to go with them. During grad school I worked with stroke survivors. I worked with a team of physical therapists to design a low cost joystick gaming device that could be used to regain arm function and work on strengthening and controlling movements.
After grad school I moved to Chicago and started working with the rehabilitation department at a Children's hospital. I worked with children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and clubfoot that all had problems walking. I watched them walk with special cameras that are frequently used to make animated movies and video games. Our movies were used to help physicians break down how they walked and figure out how to fix any problems they might have.
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Life brings changes along the way and while I loved what I did, other opportunities came around. After I got married a year and a half ago I found myself rather bored and picked up my crafting hobbies again. I have a very short attention span so that included knitting, quilting and scrapbooking. Well, one can only knit so many hats for herself ... A friend of mine opened me up to Etsy and the rest is history!

One sale brought on a second and a third. Before I knew it I had more sales than I could keep up with on the nights and weekends. Right around the same time my husband was offered a fantastic job in his home town of Quincy, IL. I took the leap and now I'm running Lama Works full time.
What's with the name?? My brilliant mother-in-law came up with that one! La are the first two letters of my first name, and Ma are the first two letters of my last name ... put them together and you have Lama! Not the animal ... not the Dalai ... just me :)

And what's with the donations?? A good friend of mine, Matt Wessel, has been singing, writing music and performing for years to raise money for the American Cancer Society. You can find out more about his music here. At his concert this past March, he challenged us all to make a difference. He wants to show that if a large group of people band together to make just small donations, it can have a large impact. One person can make a difference. So he challenged each of us to get creative and see if we could raise $100 by the time his next show came around next March.

What better way to be creative than to use my store! It not only gave me a cause to be passionate about, but it also gave me some sales goals. I wanted to grow the store of course, but have never really sat down and said, "OK I want to have 1 sale a week".

So there it started and I am so happy to be a part of this project and now part of Etsy Project Embrace. Many of the team members donate part of all of their profits directly to the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer research. How great is that? You can find out more information about the team and a list of members here.

So go out and check out the team and help them support the ACS!

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

So Proud ...

Today is a very special day in our home. For as long as I've known him, my husband wanted to be an attorney. I was just an acquaintance when I saw him studying political science. I was a friend the summer he was studying for the LSAT, telling him that it didn't matter how he did on the LSAT - it just mattered that he got into a law school, graduated and passed the bar. I had graduated to girlfriend status by the time he was accepted into law school and was choosing where he wanted to go. I was his fiance as he struggled to find summer internships in a tumultuous economy. And I've been his wife to see him through graduation, studying through the bar exam and then the waiting to see if he passed.

Today is his day.

Today he gets sworn into the Illinois Bar Association. We will all stand beside him and hope he knows just how proud we are. Congratulations, my dear! I am so blessed to have been by your side through everything and am so excited to be by your side for the journey to come :)

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama
~LMM

The Year the Dog Ate Chocolate

There was a lovely comment from Midnightcoiler on my last post that is the inspiration of this post - that's for curing my writers block!

Dogs and chocolate. Talktothevet.com has the following guidelines on dogs and the toxicity of chocolate:

"The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration.

On average,
Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz.
Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz.

Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as:
1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate
1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate
1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.

So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems."

Now my sweet little (yet chubby) Puggle has a tendency to get into things. He will do ANYTHING for food and I mean anything. He loves carbs. Will eat an entire bag of rolls in a flash.

The setting is Christmas, 3 years ago. It would be our first Christmas with Luke. I had just purchased a plethera of boxes of Frango Mints (love them - thank you Macys!!) to hand out as gifts. We went out to dinner one night and found that Luke had eaten yes, an entire box of these dark chocolate mint wonders. He appeared to be fine. Stomach of steel. Never better!

Fast forward 2 weeks. It's our first year we are spending Christmas together. My first Christmas at my future in-laws. We head to their house and have a lovely time. Christmas Eve. We go out and about somewhere and come home to find that as much as we had barricaded him in, our cute and innocent dog had broken into the basement and had found the one pound box of Jamaican rum chocolate and ate ... well all of it.

Christmas Eve goes on ... we open presents ... Luke gets sick. Luke proceeds to attempt to expel all chocolate and rum out of his system all night long. My poor husband slept with him on the kitchen floor all night to make sure he was OK.

Christmas Day comes and everything appears back to normal. We party all day long. 9pm rolls around and we finally start out 5.5 hour drive home because I had a meeting the next morning. We are 45 minutes into the trip and poor Luke starts to get sick again in the back seat of the car. Still the chocolate?? Hungover maybe?? Either way he ended up getting sick about every 45 minutes the entire car ride home.

Longest car ride ever.

We even went to far as to call a vet at 10 pm on Christmas Day night to see if he needed emergency care. He ended up at the vet the next day with an IV of fluids and shaped back up. Poor dog.

So yes, for your own sake - keep the dog away from the chocolate.

Other dog stories to come some day. Maybe about the time that he needed a epi shot?? Or maybe the time that he was in a cast for a week?? Ahhhh ... Luke. So cute ... yet somehow so accident prone!

Until the next time ...
The girl behind the lama (and her dog)
~LMM

I ....

Have writers block ...

I've started numerous posts ...

Erased them ...

I'm out of bloggy ideas. Do you have any??

To keep everyone happy, I'll keep today simple ... with a few pictures of my dog, Luke, from Halloween. He is a bit ... well ... "stocky" ... so it doesn't fit him very well and he never seems completely happy when we put it on, but the complies and just looks up with this sad "Mom, do I have to????" face.

Happy Halloween!!