baby bees and baby nephews

I am very excited about becoming an aunt for the first time in a couple months.  My only sister is having her first baby, another little boy! She decided that his room would be black and yellow with a bumblebee theme.  Hearing this, I started stocking up on yellow yarns and bee ideas.

Baby T, of course, got a hat:

and a little stuffed amigurumi bee to cuddle:

...and then, I add to make him a hot air balloon to fly above his changing table.  I made my first hot air balloon for my best friend's niece.  She told me what a great distraction it was for diaper changes.  Since then, my little guy has loved his, as has BFF's second niece.  While I made the balloon in the bee colors, the passenger is a black bunny.  My sister has a GIGANTIC black rabbit named Marvin and so I made a little tiny Marv for the balloon:

So those were the gifts, but I really enjoyed trying to get crafty with the party. Thank you, pinterest.
Little tiny bees flying over the flower plants, with bee patterned fabric covering the pots and scrapbooked signs welcoming the boy:

Of course there had to be some yummies, too.  I made oreo truffles with edible paper hearts (I love wilton sugar sheets). I made bee cakepops, displayed on the cake pop holder that my husband made for me at 11pm the night before the party.  What an improvement over the cardboard contraption that fell apart before I started using it.  N made some absolutely delicious cupcakes with brilliant yellow frosting.  J was commissioned to make the fondant covered cake with yellow and chocolate layers to look like bee stripes.

crocheting with the kiddos....

Spring time is MCAS time in Massachusetts.  This high stakes test strikes fear in many hearts, and when I get nervous...I crochet.  So, as I proctored my students through a test that I am not allowed to look at (except in cases that legally require me to provide support and the state makes me sign a non-disclosure form about) I worked on some amigurumi.  The kids took interest in what I was doing, and one student asked me to show her how to do it. 

So, one Monday morning, I had one third grade student learning to stitch with me.  Soon, a couple fourth grade girls also showed interest and we were a group of 3..and then 4...and now I have a group of 6 girls learning to stitch.  Today some boys approached us to see what we were doing. It gives me something to try to multitask while on morning duty watching 250 third and fourth graders.  I do feel bad for my partner who has to carry more than her fair share of that load.  I couldn't believe how interested the kids at our urban school are in this craft. Even the kids in the Emotional/Behavioral room have asked to see how to do it.  

My hook case is now curiously short of G, J, and K hooks...and the halls of my school are clinging with the sound of dropped aluminum hooks.  Right now, the girls are working on chains and making headbands of strands of chains.  We aren't to flowers quite yet, but this is a good idea of what the headband looks like. 

Our next step is single crochet, and we'll probably be trying to make little head kerchiefs.  I need quick projects that will provide some instant gratification for impatient young artisans.