wildpeculiarjoy

Leggings FTW!

2012-01-20T19:24:00.001-05:00

I kept Willow's baby clothes. For eight long years, I kept them washed and folded and in Rubbermaid bins. One thing I never considered while hoarding these clothes that I may end up having children in complete opposite seasons. True, both my girls were born during storms - but Willow a thunderstorm in July, and Piper an ice storm in February.

The itty-bitty baby clothes weren't much of a concern - newborn clothes are much alike, regardless of the season. However, now that Piper is wearing 12 month sized clothes, I have run into a problem. Willow's hand-me-down 12 month clothes are summer clothes. We had a high of 39'F today. I washed all of Willow's former 12-18 months clothes last weekend, and secretly lamented that there was so much cute stuff that Piper was just not going to have the opportunity to wear... but then I had an idea...

Leggings! I bought some footless tights at Target and she wore them under these cute pink and white plaid/gingham short-alls. She looked adorable!

Here's another shot:

I'm going to have to go back and find some footless tights in a few other colours - I have 3-4 other paid of short-alls I can dress her in now! Leggings FTW!

The Worst Smell Ever

2012-01-15T17:04:00.000-05:00

She looks happy and healthy, doesn't she? The picture completely belies what has been happening around here the last four days. An epic stomach bug attacked Piper's daycare and a bunch of kids, Piper included, were told to go home and not come back until the symptoms were gone for 24 hours. I thought I would be out for the day... cue 4 days later, and I thought I was going to lose my mind (not to mention my stomach) from the ungodly stench coming from my Piper Bean's posterior. It was funny - I thought I was going to get some sympathy from the doctor's office, and what I was told that I was lucky it wasn't coming out both ends. Ah well. As my mother is always telling me, it's one of 'the joys of being a mother.' She's getting better. Knock on wood, we've hit the 24 hour mark. Wish us luck!

Oh No -

2012-01-03T21:05:00.001-05:00

I may have spoken too soon...

A First Time For Everything

2012-01-02T20:22:00.002-05:00

Well.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that I've been knitting for nearly ten years and this had never happened before. I finally finished the project that was occupying my size 5 circulars, so I started on Tara's cream slouchy hat. The yarn is a lovely silk-merino blend, and I was happily and speedily knitting away while Willow and I watched 'Mysteries At The Museum' when I noticed that something was wonky.

See it? No? How about a close up:

For you non-knitters out there, this should not happen! I had created an unintentional moebius by accidentally twisting my stitches when I joined the hat in a ring. Piss piss piss. I had to pull it all out - but not before this happened (and please forgive my scream):

I was holding up the nascent and not-to-be hat to show Willow what I had done wrong and Piper grabbed the yarn. Piper is fascinated by my knitting, and is not happy when I say these are Mama's toys, not Piper's toys. Oh well. Tara - I'm sorry my child flossed her teeth with your hat.

(Oh - And forgive the living room - it doesn't get picked up until Piper goes to bed - it's a sisyphean task otherwise.)

Just Because She Is Cute

2012-01-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

I already posted this to Facebook, but I'm going to share this here, too:

She ate it all up! I went easy on the sauce because I didn't want to overwhelm her (and it was a mild Japanese curry roux mix), but she ate everything. What non-baby food can I feed her next?

Those Pesky Resolutions

2012-01-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

I find myself looking forward to creating resolutions this year - it's the keeping of the resolutions that is the pesky part. This year is a big one for both me and Andrew. Not only do we both turn 40 this year, but our 15th anniversary is in September as well. With these things in mind, here are my 2012 resolutions.

1) Lose weight. I'm not setting a number here, but suffice to say, it is a big number. My willpower has been fighting a losing battle with stress, sleeplessness, and lack of coordinated time to have Piper and Willow cared for so I can exercise. I have already taken steps to alleviate some of these things, and I am really looking forward to exercising again.

2) Either finish or frog all UFOs. I could not even give you a rough estimate of forgotten and neglected works-in-progress I have in my bins. However, it is getting to the point that I can't locate needles I know I have to start a project... because they are languishing somewhere else. And other than 2 projects that I have prior commitments for, no starting a new project until one is finished! I frogged 2 things this morning.

3) Try a new recipe once a week. I am in such a food rut. If you have anything you think I must try, pass the recipe my way.

4) Declutter. You have no idea how much this is bugging me right now. Part of it is just Christmas and how we have to move things around to accomodate the tree, etc. - but a large part of it is we have a smallish house and a lot of stuff. Add a new member to the family, and the stuff increased exponentially. I need to start with the kitchen/dining room. I have seen some neat ideas on Pinterest to maximize storage, and I am looking forward to implementing them.

I think that is good for now - and if you have any suggestions or advice, pass them on - I could use all the help I can get!

And In Conclusion

2011-12-31T20:09:00.000-05:00

Forgive the blog silence - I have misplaced my camera. I had it on Christmas morning, but then haven't seen it since. Willow graciously lent me her camera so I would be able to finish out the blog for the year.

The year ends with some finished objects - some of these were Christmas presents, others just stuff I managed to finished between baking and not cleaning my house.

I wanted to give Andrew a hand-made gift for Christmas, and I even bought the yarn to make him a hat way back at the beginning of November... but with everything else going on, I didn't manage to cast on for the hat until two days before Christmas. I made a valiant effort, but the hat didn't get finished until Boxing Day.

Andrew's Ribbed Beanie:

The Particulars:
Pattern: Ribbed Beanie by Wooly Wormhead
Yarn: Knottiegirl Superwash Bulky Merino in Spruce
Needles: Size 9 bamboo 16" circulars and dpns
Would I make this pattern again? Sure - it was easy enough. I'm not terribly keen on the rippling edge - I think if I had knit the cast on rather than doing long tail, it would have been firmer. I also changed the decreases - I didn't like how the decreases ate up the purl columns on the first decrease, so I decreased on the last two knit stitches and left the purls intact until I had a 2x2 rib.

I also finished the first pair of socks of my own design - and as much as I like these socks, you can't see the lace pattern in the yarn. I might try knitting these up again in a solid or semi-solid and then I might publish it. These will be a gift for someone.

The Particulars:
Pattern: My own - unpublished.
Yarn: Unique Sheep Footprints in 'Chocolate Kiss.' I'm not sure where I got this yarn - it has been in my stash for a while.
Needles: Size 3 Harmony dpns. I rarely knit socks entirely on dpns, but my size 3 circulars were otherwise occupied.
Would I knit this pattern again? Yes - with some tweaks.

Incidentally - these are Willow's feet - at age 9 she has women's size 6 feet!

My second attempt at a cowl - I am still not sold on them for myself - this is the second one I have tried, and the second one that was meh on me. I like knitting them, however - round and round - makes lace easy.

The Particulars:
Pattern: Diamond Leaf Cowl by Mosaic Yarn Studio
Yarn: Loops and Threads Sante Fe Roving in Scarlet Stripes (discontinued yarn) - acrylic
Needles: Size 7 Knitpicks 16" Circular
Would I make this pattern again: Yes, but definitely in a less bloomy/fuzzy yarn next time. I was a little short - the pattern called for 4 repeats, but I ended up with 3.5 and then had to start the purl rounds to cast off. I am not sure who this is for - it doesn't look fabulous on me. Right now Willow and Piper just play with it. Any takers?

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Some closing shots -

I know it looks like Piper doesn't have any hair in most of the pictures I post on this blog:

But I assure you, she does:

It all just resides at the back of her head. So far, her hair is stick straight - doesn't even curl when wet. This picture doesn't give a great idea of colour, but I think she may end up being a fair apricot/strawberry blonde when it finally comes in.

We were at the zoo today, and oddly enough, there was a melting ice sculpture in the middle of the picnic area:

There must have been a function the night before at the zoo - and as warm as it was today - in the mid-50s, there was still a lot of definition and sharp lines on the statue.

That's all, folks - 2011 has been an exciting, stressful, game-changer of a trip. Let's hope things calm down in 2012 - I have enough plans of my own I want to accomplish.

Cinderella Intermission

2011-12-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

Willow and Piper were putting on a performance of Cinderella - Willow, of course, was Cinderella (in her Pocahontas costume), and Piper was the Fairy Godbaby. Willow's dolls played the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters. See how the cat has the best seat in the house from the playard? And I would like to say that I didn't 'drop' Piper. I was supposed to hold her until it was her scene... but the squirmy baby had other ideas.

Piper and The Ill-fated Bacon

2011-12-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

Finished Object: Simple Yet Effective Cowl

2011-12-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

I've managed to finish up a few small projects recently - but hadn't had a chance to take pictures of them (and some of them are intended as Christmas presents, so you won't see them until Christmas!) until today.

Here is Willow modeling my Simple Yet Effective Cowl:

Which easily transforms into a ponytail hat:

The Particulars:

Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Cowl
Yarn: Lion Brand Amazing (lost tag with colour/lot number) - less than 1 skein
Needles: Size 5 bamboo circulars (16")
Would I knit this pattern again? Absolutely - it's very easy, and after the first few rounds I didn't even worry about toting around the pattern anymore. And while I am pleased with how the stripes worked up, I wouldn't use this yarn again for this project. The cowl itself is a little stiff (although it did benefit from a trip through the washer and dryer).

And can I say I love the top picture of Willow? We got around her natural squinty/eyes closed propensity with the sunglasses, but I have to say I am a little disconcerted at how grown up she looks. It is even more startling when I look at my Ravelry projects page and see the progression of Willow from about age 3 until now. Where has the time gone?

And, Scene!

2011-11-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

The last day of November. Truthfully, it wasn't hard to blog every day in November. No, Dad, that doesn't mean I will be keeping it up. My life is just not that interesting for that! I really didn't get into a Thanksgiving post this year since that was the day of my 1000th Blogpost Contest, but I wanted to leave you with a few things I am thankful for.

1. My two beautiful girls. They make me laugh every day and I truly feel blessed to be their mother.

2. My husband. I don't know if it comes across in the blog, but I can be an awful bitch at times. Andrew loves me, warts and all.

3. My family. Everyone from my family far away to my inlaws close by. I know I have your support and I feel I can talk to you about anything.

4. My job. I don't talk much about my work here, but suffice to say, my job is fun and intellectually challenging and it is a place I enjoy going to each weekday.

5. Knitting. It's calming, interesting, soft, colorful - I just need to find a way to keep Piper out if it now that she is mobile!

6. My Nook Color. I didn't know it would be so much fun - I probably play on it more right now than read - but I love it!

Sleepy Piper Courtesy of Willow

2011-11-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

I gave Willow my old digital camera when I received my new one three years ago, and I am amazed at some of the shots she comes up with. Then there is the volume. Willow and Andrew went to the Brandywine Zoo on Sunday, and she managed to take 66 photos in the 45 minutes they were there. Thank heavens for digital cameras! This would be an expensive hobby if she had a 35mm like I did growing up.

On the Floor

2011-11-28T19:37:00.000-05:00

Piper loves it when someone gets down on the floor while she is playing.

And We Have A Winner!

2011-11-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

When all was said and done, we had nine people enter my 1000th Blogpost Contest, and the random number generator chose:

Number 5, my friend Megan! Check out Megan's blog - she just had a baby girl herself, and in the last two years she has moved from the Northwest Territories in Canada to Australia.

This is Megan's comment:

Here is the link to the post Megan liked best. I can't get over how young Willow looks in those photos!

Megan - email me at jochibi AT yahoo dot com and we can discuss how we will do your gift card - since you are in Australia you may want to do this a little differently. Congratulations!

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-26T17:50:00.002-05:00

Feeding Piper

2011-11-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

Piper eating dinner tonight

Feeding Piper is an interesting experience. She's not quite 10 months old, but has categorically refused any baby purees for the last month. She wants what you are eating, plain and simple. And don't even think about coming near her with a spoon - she will knock it out of your hands lickety-split. She doesn't care if you are eating spicy food - I've had her screaming at me as I quickly scraped the sauce off our salsa chicken, and then watched in amazement as she stuffed it in her mouth with two hands. It gets to be a bit of a challenge at times because not everything we eat is baby-friendly. Not counting Piper nursing or having a bottle, this is Piper's menu today:

Breakfast:
* Apple Strawberry Puffs
* Pancake (with butter and a tiny bit of syrup)
* Teething Biscuit

Lunch
* Cheddar Cheese Cubes
* Ritz Crackers
* Banana Slices
* Cooked Baby Carrots
* Leftover Turkey

Dinner
* Mini Penne with Meat Sauce
* Cooked Broccoli

Add in the fact that she has been eating Cheerios all day - oh my - at this point I think we should buy stock in General Mills! She positively bounces as soon as she sees the yellow box. It's funny because I think Cheerios are awfully blah - Andrew thinks it is the texture she likes. Willow was just eating a 100 calorie snack bag of Doritos and Piper just freaked out because we wouldn't give her any.

Some foods Piper likes: salmon, barbeque chicken, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, pumpkin pie, rhubarb pie, stuffing, cheese, beets, asparagus, broccoli, butternut squash, Gerber Baby Cheesies, Cheerios, scrambled eggs, yogurt, bananas, shredded meats (i.e., salsa chicken, pork chops from crockpot, pot roast, etc.)

Some foods Piper does not like: green beans, cauliflower, sugar cookies (not sure what was up with that - she wanted nothing to do with the sugar cookie)

Does anyone have any ideas of more foods I can introduce to Piper? When we went to her 9 month appointment a few weeks ago, I was cautioned against giving her fish, shellfish, peanut butter, eggs, etc. until she hit 2 years old. Well, scratch that - she has already had salmon and scrambled eggs multiple times, so I am not going to stop now. I don't think she has a nut allergy because we eat peanut butter and nuts in this house all the time and she hasn't shown any reaction. I would love suggestions for family meals so I don't have to prepare something separate for Piper.

Happy 1000th Blogpost To Me!

2011-11-24T08:38:00.001-05:00

(and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone else!)

Lucky and Piper *not* getting in trouble - although it looks like something is brewing.

Okay, here are the details of my 1000th blogpost contest:

In the Comments section, give the URL of your favourite blog entry of mine, and tell me why you liked it. But there is a catch - you can't list an URL that someone else has already provided. Please leave all contest entries here and not on Facebook. So, your contest entry should look something like this:

http://wildpeculiarjoy.blogspot.com/2007/12/wipd-it-already-wednesday-but-it-was.html

I liked this blogpost because of the beautiful yarn I dyed. I wish I had time to do that again.

Easy enough, right? Now onto the prize - once all the entries are in, I will have a random drawing, and the winner will get a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate. I will close the contest on Sunday, November 27th at 12 noon EST. Good luck - and I can't wait to see the entries!

ETA: I have to approve all blog comments, so if someone claims an entry first and you haven't seen it in the comments section, I will let you know (if I know how to contact you) that you need to pick another entry.

WiP It Wednesday

2011-11-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

Here it is, people - my 999th post. Are you ready for the contest tomorrow?

I've had a few days off prior to Thanksgiving, so I have been watching lots of television I missed the first time around on Netflix and knitting up a storm. People were curious why I sent my girls to daycare when I had the time off... Well, mostly people who don't have kids ask that question. I love my girls terribly - but I really needed some quiet time. I went to coffee shops, had lattes, tried on some pants in the department store (bah humbug), and hung out at my LYS. In any case, here is what I have been working on this week:

Rosy Diamond Leaf Cowl (Rav Link). I'm almost done this one - only about 1.25 more repeats to go.

My own pattern socks. I think I am going to try these again with a solid or semi-solid and then write up the pattern. There is some openwork involved, but the stripes in the yarn disguise the lace. These two very much fraternal twins, aren't they?

I have to tell you - this photoshoot took much longer than anticipated because my assistant was a little too helpful:

And Cristi - I bet your Dad never thought he was creating baby toys when he was making sock forms, did he?

Piper was pushing them around as if they were toy cars - and even know as I look over at her she is carrying one of the feet around.

And Tara - I have the yarn for your slouchy hat:

Now to get started!

Just For Bezzie

2011-11-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

I make no claims that my children are picture-perfect. This is the cheeky grin that usually pops out when I whip out the camera:

And you all know about my tribulations with Willow closing her eyes for photos... which is why I was so amazed with the portrait. The photographer offered to take some extra shots of Willow - but I had turned him down because Willow had already had her pictures taken at her school a few weeks prior. I wish I had taken him up on it now!

Oh My Lord

2011-11-21T18:02:00.001-05:00

I have beautiful children.

For the first time ever, I think I might end up buying more photos rather than ending up with scads of leftovers. I really didn't know how well this sibling photo at Piper's daycare was going to work out, so I just ordered a small test package. I'm so pleased with the result!

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Coincedentally enough, my 1000th post will happen on Thanksgiving Day. Stay tuned for the contest - some research will be required!

Ever Have Those Days Where You Feel Like You Have Hit A Brick Wall

2011-11-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

No?

How about a brick wall in a tree? I saw this tree in Old New Castle last week when I was a chaperone for Willow's field trip.

Back to the brick wall. I seem to have so many days of two steps forward, one step back of late. Sometimes it seems more like two steps forward, three steps back. The combination of uneven sleep patterns, an unpredictable baby, uncertainty in my daily life, the holidays, and other things. I want to get excited about Christmas but the feeling just isn't there yet. Last night I had a dream that I found two empty rooms in my house that I didn't previously know about - a living room and bedroom - and I was so excited to have two empty rooms all to myself. Perhaps it was just my subconscious expressing its need for quiet and solitude and order - all things in short order of late.

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-19T10:18:00.002-05:00

I Love My Kitty

2011-11-18T16:49:00.000-05:00

Piper and Lucky shared a snack this afternoon. Well, the sharing wasn't intentional - it was more like the cat cleaning up after Piper didn't eat all of her cheese. I just wanted to show you how tolerant Lucky is of Piper (and forgive the living room - this is after a few hours of playing):

We really lucked out (no pun intended) with this cat. When we adopted him, he had no backstory - we had no idea where he was found, how he would react to other animals or children. He does have his faults - he sleeps in the basement at night for good reason - he thinks everyone should wake up and love him at 3am. Wait a second, Piper does that, too...

Tara, I Tried!

2011-11-17T19:58:00.000-05:00

Some days the kids cooperate with the picture-taking...

and

others?

Not so much.

I even tried taking a video, but Piper wasn't interested in playing along with that, either.

Thank you for Piper's stocking - we love it! I think Willow is a bit envious - but then I reminded her that she normally has so much stocking overflow at Christmas that there ends up being two stockings anyway. Now I need to think of some cool things to put in a to-be 11 month old's stocking!

(And if anyone has any clues as to how I can put my videos right side up, I'd love to hear it. I can do it with Willow's camera (my old 5MP digital camera), but not with my digital camera. The rotate buttons are greyed out for videos.)

Zombies Freak Me Out

2011-11-16T18:49:00.000-05:00

I love my Color Nook. I received a Nook 1st Edition from my work last year, and to be honest, I didn't know what to do with it. I *like* paper books. I started actively using the Nook 1st Edition after Piper was born - it was amazing to be able to read when I had to be up 3-4 times in the middle of the night and buy new books with just one hand - one thumb, even!

But then I started to play with the Nook Color in Barnes and Noble, and fell in love with the apps and Touchy Books and Pandora radio, and the sheer mini-tabletness of it all! I have a netbook, but I have to go through the motions of turning that on, connecting to the internet, etc... but with my Nook Color, it is always on - there is no need to turn it off. And one of my favourite things to do, especially in the middle of the night, is to browse the Barnes and Noble Nook Bookstore. I love that you can look at one book, which will recommend another book, etc., etc., etc.

But that is where the zombies come in. One of my favourite escapist genres to read is urban fantasy - you know, tough chicks, vampires, witches, werewolves. I'm skipping from one book recommendation to another, and it takes me to a zombie book.

Zombies freak me out.

I don't get it. I love reading paranormal stuff, but this shit freaks me out... especially this one. Hell, there are even zombie romance novels, zombie comedic novels, and zombie teen novels. Make them go away!

Andrew tried to get me to watch The Walking Dead with him when the show first appeared on AMC, but even the screenshots of that gave me the heebie-jeebies. I think it all comes from being peer-pressured into watching Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things at at sleepover as a child... zombies freak me out!

Paging Stephanie!

2011-11-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

Last month we flew up to New Hampshire to visit our friends, Peter, Charlotte, and Walter. The second day we were there we went to a Fall Festival in a nearby town, and we bought some cupcakes from a local bakery - and they had their own cupcake truck! I love how the cupcakes are on display in the window. I had to take a picture for my friend, Stephanie, who - in my humble opinion - bakes and decorates some damn fine cupcakes. We have ordered them for Willow's birthday for the last two years, and I would have ordered them for my birthday as well had I been thinking straight. My birthday kind of snuck up on me this year. I bought a salted caramel cupcake from the Cupcake Queen, and it was very tasty!

Thank Goodness For Catch All Bibs

2011-11-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

That's all.

39 Things About Me On My 39th Birthday

2011-11-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

1. My favourite pizza has bacon, pineapple, mushrooms, onions, and extra cheese.

2. I have been knitting for 10 years now.

3. The older I get, the more ambivalent I get about cooking.

4. I would rather bake.

5. I fear we will never get a dog because Andrew and I will never agree on the size of the dog.

6. For a Canadian who has only lived in the US for 13 years, I've been to 30 states.

7. I make a mean mojito - I've even had a Cuban tell me so.

8. My eyes are changing colour as I get older - lighter and a greener/hazel.

People used to say my eyes matched the red-brown of my hair.

9. I have better than perfect vision - 20/10, but if I'm tired, I can't focus my eyes and then have to wear glasses.

10. There are only 3 authors I buy in hardcover right now: Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, and S.M. Stirling.

11. My feet have grown a half size with each child.

12. I would rather watch documentaries than network television.

13. I believe in ghosts.

14. The only thing I can successfully grow in the garden are little tomatoes - cherry and grape.

15. I'm a pen whore.

16. I don't wear make up unless my picture will be taken.

17. I have subscriptions to many magazines (National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, Creative Knitting, Canadian Living, Taste of Home...) and most of them were gifts to me.

18. I read magazines while I exercise because I can't just walk/run/cycle with only my MP3 player.

19. A few years ago I read more than 100 books in that year... and yet I have more unread books than read ones in my house.

20. I love riding my bicycle, but seldom have the opportunity to do so.

21. I never thought I would love knitting socks as much as I do.

22. I love listening to covers - sometimes an interpretation is much better than the original.

23. I like wearing aprons when I am preparing food.

24. I put peanut butter and brown sugar in my steel cut oatmeal.

25. My kids crack me up.

26. I'm not a pleasant person in the morning before my first cup of coffee.

27. I drink Starbucks' Yukon Blend every morning.

28. I have more stitches on my head than anywhere else on my body.

29. I'm allergic to real Christmas trees, so we have a pre-lit artificial one.

30. I wish I played a musical instrument - I took piano and violin lessons as a child, but none of them took.

31. I love mint-scented bath products.

32. I love road trips.

33. I'm horrible at Monopoly - I lose interest very quickly.

34. I want to go rock-hunting for semi-precious stones.

35. I love being snowed in (as long as I'm prepared for it!).

36. I want to live near the shore - but only in the off-season.

37. I could eat grilled cheese sandwiches every day.

38. My hair looks like the Bride of Frankenstein's in the morning.

39. I like odd-numbered years better than even, so I'm happy to turn 39.

Willow Cleopatra

2011-11-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

Willow has a thing for Cleopatra - I'm not even really sure where this began, but she has been fascinated with Egyptian history and mythology since she was 3 or 4 years old. When she was that little, I just couldn't stand watching children's programming ad nauseum, so I made her a deal. We could watch one of her shows, then we would switch to one of mine, then back to her - so she definitely had her fair share of documentaries in her formative years. Earlier this year she wrote her Grade 3 biography book report on Cleopatra, she watched the Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra movie, and she had even intended to be Cleopatra for Halloween until the whole Renn Faire thing came along. I was in Target the day after Halloween, and I found one last Cleopatra costume (half-price!) in the next size up (or so I thought). I had intended for her to be able to use it next year, but at the rate she is growing, it might just end up being playclothes. Sigh... a scant 6 inches separates us now and she is closing in fast.

Fiber Friday

2011-11-11T19:47:00.002-05:00

Short and sweet - Andrew bought me this sock yarn at the Pennsylvania Renn Faire - they have a daily sheep to shawl and do demonstrations on how to dye yarn, spin, etc. I'm curious what they would do if I showed up in costume with knitting in hand...

A Random Moment With Willow

2011-11-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

Willow eating steak on a stake at the Renn Faire.

Willow: What's a psychic medium, Mom?

Me: It's somebody who thinks that they can talk to ghosts and do supernatural things.

Willow: They're flodds, right?

Me: (Huh?!!?) Not sure what you mean.

Willow: Flodds.

Me: (Flaweds?) Um..

Willow: You know, they scam people.

Me: Oh! Frauds! I guess some of them are, but I do think some people are sensitive to stuff like that.

Serenade for Carrie

2011-11-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Back when Willow was little - maybe two years old, my friend Carrie gave us a little toy electric organ that her son had outgrown. Willow was enamoured of it and would play it all the time. Last weekend I found it in the basement along with some of Willow's old toys, so I cleaned it up, put new batteries in it, and brought it back upstairs. I swear that Willow thought I had brought it up for her! Piper loves it - she's a regular little Elton John with her hammering and singing. She has even figured out how to make the organ play by itself and she bounces along with it.

Carrie - thank you for entertaining both of my girls!

Sleep, Or Lack Of It

2011-11-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

Sadly, this is the normal state of affairs in our house. Piper doesn't sleep well - and as you can see from the book I am reading on the right, we have resorted to reading a book to learn how to get Piper to sleep through the night. In many ways we were spoiled with Willow - she slept through the night from 4 months on. Piper. Well. For example, Saturday night we had a Guy Fawkes party, and I ended up putting Piper to bed around 8pm. She was up at 10pm, 11:15pm, 12:00am, 2:30am, and then 4:30am. So much for grabbing that extra hour of sleep. Then she will switch it up and give us a good night - like last night when she went to bed at 8:30pm and slept until nearly 4am. Our bodies feel a bit haywire right now because you just never know what you are going to get from night to night.

Wasn't Prepared For This

2011-11-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

I clearly didn't think this out terribly well when Andrew and I decided to have another child. Of course, we never intended for there to be a nearly 9 year age gap between the two - but at times that has served us very well - Willow is a great short-term babysitter if I need a shower, am cooking dinner, or am down in the basement doing laundry. Other times, like tonight, not so much. I guess what I never took into consideration was how these two children's needs could be going in complete opposite directions at one time. Willow's biography book report is due tomorrow, and she did a fabulous job and learned quite a bit about Amelia Earhart. Last night as I was putting stuff away, I read through the rubric, and noticed that the instructions say that the project must be handwritten in cursive or typed. What had Willow done? Printed the entire project out by hand. Gah! So, she had to painstakingly erase (it was a poster where you had to populate in bits about the person's life) then re-write bits in cursive, and then type the rest. Which meant I had to help her by proofreading the typing and help with the spelling. Piper had a problem with all of this. Piper is teething hardcore, sleeping scant amounts of time, doesn't want to eat - is a big crankypants in general right now. I'm trying to help Willow, but Piper is being a little clingy monkey who capped it off by vomiting. Great...

So, I left Willow to her devices, took Piper upstairs and bathed her. I came downstairs and Piper and I played for a bit while Willow finished up. Andrew got home and was able to take over Piper while I helped Willow with her formatting. Her project is done - and all's well that ends well. And I am exhausted.

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-06T16:02:00.001-05:00

Fantasy House at French Creek Beach

2011-11-05T07:39:00.000-05:00

It doesn't look real, does it? Andrew snapped this picture during the summer when we were up on Vancouver Island. We took a day trip to the west coast of the Island to French Creek beach. It's a little blurry because Andrew had the camera on extreme zoom. I would love to live in this house and be able to see the ocean like this every day. I bet it is a spectacular place to be in a storm. I would love a house with a turret one day.

The ocean itself was misty, and Andrew really liked the idea that you couldn't see anything in the distance - that if you kept going, you would eventually hit Japan.

The mist eventually cleared up, and the sky was crystal clear until some fighter jets started doing manueuvers above us. They were pretty high up and I couldn't figure out just what was making the circle in the sky at first.

I've often thought that I would like to live in an isolated place like this. The idea of living in a lighthouse appeals to me - I watched a program a while back about lighthouses in the U.K. - how so many of them are automated and no longer need human caretakers - of if they do, just a person who comes in once a week to check on the computers and clean things up. That depresses me a bit, but it was also heartening to see that many of these lighthouses had been converted into small hotels and B&Bs. I think in this time of being able to order virtually anything off the internet that living in an isolated place would not be nearly as stressful or desolate as it once may have been.

Unfinished Business

2011-11-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have that dream - that anxiety-ridden dream - where you have a test to take and you know you haven't studied, or gone to any of the classes. Or another variation where it is the first day of school but you don't have your schedule and you don't know where any of your classes are?

I don't have those dreams so much anymore. Perhaps I have come to the 'I really don't care' part, or perhaps my subconscious trusts that I wouldn't do anything like that (anymore). But I do frequently dream about things left undone in Japan.

Me, circa Autumn 1997in a cosmos field in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Andrew and I lived in Japan for three years. It was a heady time for us - newly adult, I suppose. We met in Japan, both having just graduated from university on the (ahem) five-year plan. We were teaching English at an eikawa (English Conversation School), and we had a blast. This was pre-law school, pre-children, pre-mortgage... We traveled, we learned the customs and language, and made wonderful life-long friends. We drank a lot of Japanese beer from vending machines. So, I am not sure why I have this recurring dream that something is unfinished. In my dreams I have to go back to Japan for some reason, but it never is clear what that reason is. I'm fretting because we have to bring the kids there as well and I am not sure how we are going to have them go to school. I go back to my school in Katsutadai, but no one knows who I am. It's all very curious. I would love to travel back there one day to visit friends and see more of the country - there may have to be a lottery win at some point for that to happen

Why Yes, That Is A Piece Of Salmon

2011-11-03T05:23:00.000-05:00

... behind my baby's ear.

Piper had an interesting response to the salmon. She shoved it in her mouth, made a face, then spat it out. I thought to myself that she will be like Andrew, who absolutely abhors salmon (in contrast to Willow and me, who would eat it three nights a week if we could). But she kept going for it and eating more - so I wonder if the spitting was more about the new and different texture rather than any dislike for the taste. In any case, the cat was more than happy to clean up after her once she was done, and ohmylord she needed a bath. How did she get salmon in her eyebrows, down her shirt, and behind her ear?

I was wondering if anyone had any foods that it took them a while to like. I never really bought into the idea of a 'learned taste,' but I do think that there can be foods that you don't like prepared a certain way, and if that was the only way you ever had them you would think you didn't like it. Then one day the food is prepared a different way and all of a sudden you think this is delicious and why didn't I like this before? Andrew, for example, though fish sticks were disgusting - and so like salmon - was a dish that Willow and I would have when we knew he wouldn't be home for dinner. Then one night I made fish tacos for dinner using fish sticks, and he gobbled it down and then had another. Yay fish tacos! They are easy to make and everyone in the house likes them. As for me, it was bell peppers. I only ever remember having cooked peppers as a child, and have horrid memories of being made to eat them when they were the only thing left in my bowl. It wasn't until I was an adult that I had them raw in a salad, and I couldn't believe how sweet and crunchy they were.

For this reason, I have a rule with Willow - and will enforce with Piper when she is older - you have to try something prepared three different ways before you can say you don't like it and don't have to eat it anymore. Willow is up to two with beets (cold and sliced, and roasted). I'm struggling to find a third option that may sway her - but I'm willing to wait it out.

WiP It Wednesday

2011-11-02T19:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Land of Unfinished Objects... Er, I mean Works-in-Progress.

Jo's Simple Yet Effective Cowl:

Christmas Clapo-ktus (Rav Link) Yeah, try saying that 10x fast!

Another Little Sister Dress for Piper:

Piper's Confection Shrug (Rav link):

Jo's socks (my own design - don't get excited - it's nothing fancy)

Willow's Langston (Rav link) sweater:

Maybe at this point someone needs to tell me to stop starting things and damn well finish something...

An Extra Blogpost!

2011-11-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Come on, you know you are excited. When I wrote my blogpost this morning, the 11/1 prompt had not been posted on the NABloPoMo website, and just now when I was checking on the blogroll, I noticed it was up.

What is your favourite part about writing?

The words! Okay, I don't mean to be facetious here, but I have a degree in Linguistics for good reason. I was one of those little kids who read dictionaries and encyclopedias for the fun of it. I love stringing words together, creating turn of phrases - just the sheer rhythm and musicality of it all. This runs into my love of reading as well - one of the best things about having children is being able to read aloud to them. I defy anyone not to have have fun reading something like Skippyjon Jones aloud - Willow and I still love finding these books and reading them.

It's That Time Again - NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

I know my blogging has been scant and piss-poor of late. I am not sure what to say - two kids is more work than I ever thought it would be, especially when their needs are at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. However, it is that time again - NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month, where you try to complete a blogpost every day. I can tell right now that this will be more of a struggle for me this year than in previous years, but I am game. The added incentive for me is that if I can accomplish this, I will hit 1000 blogposts by the end of the month. There may even be a prize in there somewhere if I hit 1000...In the meantime, here is a picture of Piper destroying her Kraft dinner:

The kid is pretty much refusing to eat baby purees now - she wants what you are eating, period. We had salsa chicken last week - it's a crockpot dish made with chicken breasts, salsa, cream of chicken soup, taco seasoning - with a dollop of sour cream added in at the end. Not terribly spicy for an adult, but it would have a bit of a bite for a child. She was relentless - she wanted some NOW. So, I scraped off as much sauce as I could, shredded the chicken - and she had it down her gullet and was screaming for more before I had another bite in my own mouth. Do you have any idea how long it took for me to not have Willow whining every time we had something remotely spicy - she even objected to simple salt and pepper!! I'm taking no chances with this Piper - we're going to try a mild curry next week and see what happens...

Renn Faire Ramblings (or how we accidentally went to Harrisburg)

2011-10-31T08:27:00.001-05:00

We had to go back to the PA Renn Faire one last time before it closed for the season. We had enjoyed ourselves so much on our first trip that we bought cheap return tickets to use at a later point in the season. And this time, Willow dressed up!

Costume courtesy of her Grandmother. Willow is seriously one lucky girl - out of the nine Halloween costumes she has had in her life, seven of them were handmade by Grandmother. This time she was a Renaissance girl, complete with a purple velvet cloak - no doubt influenced by our last trip here, because prior to that, Willow had intended to be Cleopatra for Halloween.

This time we decided to take in more of the shows and activities at the Renn Faire (as opposed to all the window shopping we did last time), and this resulted in an active day for Willow. Not only did she ride an elephant for the first time in her life:

I don't think Andrew believed me when I said I have done this before. We used to go to the Vancouver Game Farm (apparently now called the Greater Vancouver Zoo) almost every year as a field trip as kids, and I rode an elephant there as a child.

Willow also got to be a circus performer with Tribal Circus:

They had her hold the spinning plate on a pole, which was very cool... and then they started juggling bowling pins around her:

You should have seen Willow's face - she went from being so chuffed to being on stage to absolutely terrified that these pins are spinning around her!This circus performance was my favourite part of the day - these two were great performers, and they even pulled Andrew up on stage, to his mortification. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that because he had the camera in his pocket when he went up there.

He had to help Shelly up to her ring in the air by boosting her up. he went to lift her from the waist and she took his hands and put them on her bottom to lift her better. Poor Andrew - he was so red!

Willow even got to meet the queen after the children's costume contest:

My poor, competitive, child - she was upset that no one actually 'won' the contest - all the children who participated received a medallion from the queen. We can't wait until next year to go back. Maybe next year I will be able to whip up a costume of my own. I could so rock the corset...

(Oh - and the Harrisburg part? We are driving on the PA Turnpike. The Renn Faire is on exit 266. I give Andrew the 2 mile notice. Then the 1 mile notice. I start digging in my purse for the toll, and look up and Andrew is passing exit 266... Words were said. Maybe angry words. We had to drive to the next turnpike exit - 20 miles away - at Harrisburg to get off and turn around to come back. It's a good thing there is good beer at the Renn Faire.)

Almost there!

2011-10-30T20:03:00.005-05:00

How Close Is Piper to Walking?

And on the way back:

We have had so much use out of this firetruck toy - it belonged to Willow when she was little, and I don't believe we paid more than $10 for it to begin with. I pulled it out of the basement yesterday and washed it off, and you should have seen Willow's face - you would have thought I had brought it out for her. I don't know who has had more fun with it the last two days - Piper walking around with it, or Willow helping Piper walk around with it!

Halloween Preview

2011-10-20T19:49:00.001-05:00

Piper was able to try on her Halloween costume for her daycare's Fall Festival (just imagine my requisit rant on why this has to be called 'Fall Festival' and not 'Halloween Party'...).

Happy Cowgirl

2011-10-05T19:29:00.003-05:00

All Sorts of Finished Objects

2011-10-02T19:51:00.005-05:00

And I bet you were all thinking that I never knit anymore!

Ta-da!

Actually, the knitting of this dress has been finished for a while, but I finished it in the middle of a July heatwave and I knew that it was still way too big for Piper at that time... so it sat on my loveseat for a few months. This weekend I finally got around to crocheting the button holes onto the neckline and sewing the buttons on.

Andrew thinks it will work better as a tunic with leggings, and I am inclined to agree - and that is what the designer had in mind anyway. The designer, Tora Froseth, envisioned it as a baby dress that could segue into a tunic top as the little girl grew (and thus getting more usage out of knitted item!)

The Particulars:

Pattern: Little Sister's Dress by Tora Froseth (Rav link)
Yarn: Bernat Satin Sport in Beachcomber colourway
Needles: Size 4 Knitpicks circulars, 16 and 24 inch.
Size: Here's the kicker - I knit it, unchanged, from the 3 month size. Yes, I know Piper is small, but not that small :) Don't worry - the anomoly was intentional. The pattern designer recommends 'worsted wool' but many people read that incorrectly as 'worsted weight wool,' so there has been a lot of unintentional experimentation with sizes and different yarns
Would I knit this pattern again? I already am - and this time I am using the sock weight yarn the pattern actually is intended for, and I am making the 12 month size. This is an easy pattern, and it makes a very useful garment.

I have also (finally) finished Tara's Birthday socks:

I love this colour - it doesn't photograph particularly well, and it is hard to explain just how happy and orange it is. Tara won these socks by guessing the correct date for Piper's birth pool - and as it happens, Tara chose her own birthday. I will get them in the mail this week, Tara - so you can enjoy them this fall.

I love looking at stitches close up!

The Particulars:

Pattern: Summer Lovin Socks by Dawn Matkovic (Rav Link)
Yarn: Lola-Doodle's Classic Sock in Sweet Sassy Molassy (bought off Etsy)
Needles: 2 - 16 inch Knitpicks circulars
Size: One size
Would I knit this pattern again? Yes - this was my first foray into lacy socks, and even though I though row 12 was going to kill me (seriously - why did the row have to end with a yarn over? It made it so finicky for making sure I had the correct number of stitches on each needle), the pattern was easy enough and I was very happy with the results.

And I am not the only one around here with a finished object!

Remember this sweater, Mom? It finally fits Piper! My Mom knit all sorts of things when she came to help with Piper's birth and my maternity leave, but Piper was so small that even though she had made the 0-3 month size for the cardigan, Piper just swam in it. Now the weather is cooler, and Piper has been wearing the sweater and matching beanie all the time.

Snippet from Willow's Homework

2011-09-26T18:22:00.002-05:00

I may have to remind Willow of this in a few years...

We Went to The Renaissance Fair...

2011-09-20T05:14:00.000-05:00

And these were the only two pictures I took...Okay, I'm not normally that lame when it comes to photography, but there was a reason for it. We went to the Pa Rennfaire on Sunday for the first time and had so much fun. It only took a little over an hour to get there on the PA Turnpike and it was a beautiful day for a drive. Here is a picture of Willow sitting on a gorgeous butterfly bench on the way into the fairgrounds:

So you see, I did bring my camera with me. Before we left, I was reading the fair's policies (as in where I could nurse without getting hassled - turns out you can go to any first aid office and they have a little privacy area set up for nursing and changing) and I saw a bit about photography - it said:

Taking photographs and video on the grounds of Mount Hope Estate and Winery and all our events is permitted provided the photographer understands that the photos and video are for personal use only.

It was that last bit - 'personal use only' that stumped me. I mean, I haven't commercialized my blog, but... I decided to have the camera ready, and just see what other people were doing. As it turns out, the only place I saw people overtly taking pictures was at the joust.

In any case, we had a wonderful time - so much so that we bought return tickets before we left. Willow is ready to run away and join the SCA at this point (Andrew says the circus is declasse) and desperately wants to come in costume the next time we come. I'm trying to think of what I can whip up for her. It was Pirate's weekend while we were there, so there were more people on the scantily clad side than probably normal - some how I don't think that a corset and jeggings are period correct... There was an amazing variety of costumes as well - everything from handstitched and incredibly accurate to Disney princess costumes - it was all fun.

And Tara - I am in the home stretch on your socks - I've turned the heel - see:

I had hoped to have these done by the first day of autumn, but seeing as that is Friday - not sure that will happen. But, it won't be long after that. These are going to be great-coloured socks to wear in autumn!

Uh-oh, Grandfather -

2011-09-15T03:27:00.000-05:00

I think we may have to share more of the asparagus next year!

Piper has been eating Level 2 baby foods, and I have tried to introduce the odd soft solid, but she hasn't been terribly interested so far. Cut to today - Andrew had to work late, so Willow and I took advantage of this by having salmon, buttered rice, and asparagus for dinner. My strange husband cannot stand the smell of salmon, so they only time we get to enjoy it is if he is out.Anyway - Piper had already been fed, but I wanted to keep her occupied while I tried to eat my dinner without too much baby intervention. So - I gave her two stalks of asparagus. At first I thought she was just playing with them - there was an awful lot of swinging them in the air and squishing them with her fingers:

But then I noticed that one stalk was noticeably shorter than the other... and then the next time I looked, she had the stalk in her mouth and was sucking and gumming on it.

Don't let the expression fool you - she ate one entire stalk and part of the other. Success!

More Proof

2011-09-14T18:45:00.003-05:00

That I hoarded baby clothes for nearly 9 years...

Willow in 2002:

Piper in 2011:

Recognize this shirt, Mom?

Ten Years Ago

2011-09-11T06:54:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago I was not a mother or a knitter.

Ten years ago I was working in a position I had no intention of keeping. It was just something to bide away the time and make some pocket money while I waited for my husband to study and take the bar exam. Andrew had graduated from law school a few months earlier, and we moved back from Colorado to Delaware in early June. We were living with his parents while we waited for the results, and spent our time imagining where we might end up moving once some lucky law firm snapped him up. I had plans to go back to teaching, but had no intention of taking the Delaware teaching certification exams if this was not the state we would be staying in.

Then 9/11 happened.

It’s true what people say – it was an absolutely beautiful day. The East Coast humidity that had me cowering in air-conditioning all summer had finally let up, the sky was blue, and I was looking forward to being able to spend time outside when I got home later. The first clue I had that anything had happened was that Sue, a woman in my office who had come into the office late because her daughter had a dentist appointment, said her car radio had breaking news that a plane had hit a skyscraper in New York City. She asked me if I had heard anything – I looked on the usual news websites, and didn’t see anything. That quickly changed.

Pretty soon all the news sites were clogged – you couldn’t get on CNN or Fox News or MSNBC to save your life. I started directing people to the Canadian news website for CTV news – I guess since Canada is less populous the website wasn’t bombarded like the American news sites. Everything stopped at work. There were security guards placed at all doors, and the people in my hall were crowded into one of the director’s offices, listening to the fancy old-time radio that he usually listened to Phillies’ games on. Andrew called me to ask me if I had heard. He begged me to go home. I told him we weren’t told to do that yet – but once schools started calling parents and telling them to come get their kids, my company sent everyone home. It was eleven o’clock in the morning.

My office was very close to home – on a normal day it would take five to ten minutes to drive home. In that short time, I saw three car accidents on the main road. The only thing I could think of was that people were so consumed with what was on the radio – and virtually the same thing was on whatever radio station you listened to – that they didn’t notice the other cars around them. I arrived home, and spent the rest of my day sitting in front of the television, flicking back and forth through all the news channels. Andrew came home and watched with me for a little bit, but then he couldn’t take it anymore. He still can’t.

The days that followed were strange. It’s odd that 9/11 is so crystal clear and absolutely fixed in my memory but the days after are cloudy. I remember stomach-aching sadness. I remember worry because I was so far away from my family and there were so many fears and theories about what had happened and what possibly could still happen. Andrew’s parents’ house is on a Philadelphia International Airport flight path, and on a normal day, you see planes go by every 5 – 10 minutes and the engine noise is near constant – but in those days afterward it was eerie in its absence.

About two weeks after 9/11, I started to take knitting lessons at Michaels’. I already knew how to crochet, but I still felt the need to do something else to calm down. About a month after 9/11, Andrew and I decided to take a weekend away – we spent the weekend down at Dewey Beach in Southern Delaware:

Willow was conceived that weekend. We have long maintained that we were neither trying nor terribly avoiding getting pregnant – but that Willow had willed herself into being.

People wonder how you are affected by the events of 9/11. You know the game ‘Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon’? The idea is that you take any actor or actress, and within seven degrees of connection, you can get back to Kevin Bacon. It’s something like that. Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone or is related to someone who was affected – especially here on the East Coast. I was listening to the radio the other day, and someone said that we on the East Coast are so much more emotionally tied to 9/11 - here in Philadelphia and Wilmington we are practically equidistant between New York and Washington, D.C., and I wholeheartedly agree with that emotional punch. Personally, the events of 9/11 delayed many things for Andrew and me; we ended up living with Andrew's parents for nearly three years (to my eternal gratitude). Jobs were hard to come by - law firms that had expressed interest in Andrew prior to 9/11 were suddenly freezing all hiring. But things got better. We got stronger.

Ten years later I am a mother to two and a knitter. I am happily working at the same place (although I have moved quite a few rungs up the career ladder), and the closest I come to teaching anymore is training my co-workers on new systems. We live less than two miles from my husband’s parents and are firmly in place in Delaware.

Water Baby In Training

2011-09-10T14:38:00.004-05:00

Oh, I have been waiting for this day for a long time!

Piper started her swimming lessons! Willow has been taking swimming lessons since she was 3 years old, and she is now at the penultimate level for the YMCA swimming lessons. I have been at the pool for nearly all of Willow's lessons, and I always loved watching the baby classes. They would sing songs, dance around the pool, and all the nervous mommies and daddies would be hovering around as the instructors would take the babies away and miraculously the babies would be kicking and paddling on their own. At our pool the babies must be six months old and be able to sit up on their own to start lessons, and this was the first session that Piper could sign up for after turning six months old.

Willow came along to take pictures for us - here is Piper strapped to the floatation belt and using the dumb bell to float and chase after toys:

Here is Piper doing the back starfish float:

(Look! She is wearing her Applecheeks washable swim diapers! All the other babies save one were wearing disposable swim diapers. Piper still couldn't wear one if she wanted to - she is still 2 pounds underweight for the smallest size.)

Willow even took a video - you might want to turn your volume down a bit - a combination of Willow being happily shrill and not realizing how close she was to the microphone and me being pissed that she was running around the pool:

Piper had a ball and loved kicking and splashing in the water - I can't wait until next week!

WiP It Wednesday: Really, I Have Been Knitting

2011-09-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

Admittedly, my knitting time has been extremely diminished between sick and teething baby, but it has been happening. I took the socks that I promised my friend Tara for winning Piper's birth date pool on vacation with me, and managed to get quite a bit of it done while in the passenger seat of my Mom's minivan:

And a close up:

Someone asked the last time I posted a picture of these socks in process if this was a feather and fan pattern - but no. The lace pattern creates interlocking diamonds.I have also been working on a project for a swap in my January 2011 Babies group on Ravelry, but since I haven't sent it to my partner yet (and it is late!) all I can show you is a odd close up of the pattern in front of the garment:

This is the first time I have knit anything in Knitpicks' Swish Superwash. I wanted to test it out on something small before I bought a whole bunch of it for a larger piece. I do like it - and I really like this dark teal colour I am knitting with for this present.

Lots of stuff has been happening on the Willow and Piper fronts as well - Here is Willow on her first day of Grade 4:

We did have some bus drama, however - on the first day of school the driver missed her stop on the route altogether (apparently missed about half of them and had to re-do the route three times...) and she didn't get to school until nearly 10am, and on the second day she was a half hour late... that afternoon there was an administrator riding along to make sure the driver hit all the stops.

As for Piper, she has mastered all sorts of things in the last two weeks, such as sitting up on her own:

Feeding herself:

And standing up using things as props:

But today was her second day of 100'F+ fever, and she spent chunks of her day sprawled out on the floor like this:

Hopefully the fever is gone tomorrow and things can start going back to normal around here. Well, as normal as things get for us.

Piper's Baptism

2011-08-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

We had a big party planned for Piper when we went on vacation - her baptism! The timing was perfect - Piper was just the right age and size to fit into the baptism gown that my grandmother had first made for Willow nine years earlier.

(from L-R in back: Willow, Auntie Daryth, Rev. Wearne, Piper, Andrew and L-R front: my nephew Will, my sister Jaime, and me)

We held the service at my Auntie Daryth's church, St. Philip Anglican Church, and the service was officiated by Reverend Michael Wearne. Piper's godparents are my sister Jaime and our friend Peter. The service itself was lots of fun, particularly because Rev. Wearne gave Willow and her cousins jobs to do during the service. Willow poured the water into the font, Will was the candle bearer, and the smaller children all sat around with us in a circle.

The only thing that worried me was the candle. You do see what Piper is doing, don't you? Here's a close up:

As soon as Andrew and Rev. Wearne were holding the candle, Piper's hand shot up and she decided she wanted in on this action as well. All was well in the end - and apparently she wasn't the only one drawn to the flame. Once the candle was blown out, Piper's 3 year old cousin Hunter audibly complained, "But I wanted to blow the fire off the stick!"

Here is Piper and her godmother, Jaime:

Piper and me (and the beautiful baptism gown!):

The Happy Family:

The Whole Fan Damily:

(Back L-R: Dad, Mom, and Auntie Daryth. Middle L-R: Andrew, me, Piper, Teri, and Jaime. Front L-R: Willow, Hunter, Dharma, and Will.)

We had a lovely little party afterward with a beautiful cake:

And then just had fun afterward taking pictures outside:

It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful service. Auntie Daryth, thank you for helping make this happen!

Radio Silence Explained

2011-08-23T05:05:00.000-05:00

We were on vacation. More to come on baptisms, bears, and beaches. I'll leave you with one interesting little nugget of Canadiana... or make that several nuggets:

I kid you not. Dill pickle flavoured popcorn.

I'm Six Months Old...

2011-08-01T06:03:00.000-05:00

And look what I can do!

I've decided to bypass crawling altogether. Who needs intermediate steps?

Just a bit more practice...

And I'll have that cat exactly where I want him.

You know, Mama...

2011-07-24T14:12:00.000-05:00

I'm fairly certain that feeding someone spinach and rutabagas for breakfast is considered torture in some countries...

(And Mom - as you can see, her eyes are still blue.)

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Willow!

2011-07-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Friday marked the 9th anniversary of the most 4-lettered words that have come out of my mouth in any 24 hour period... otherwise known as the day Willow was born. At nine years old, Willow is almost as tall as I am, loves to read, sing, swim, and is so very serious about things that I can't help to smile at when she talks to me. Love you, babe!

Wordless Weekend

2011-07-17T18:52:00.001-05:00

Piper Unsure About Watermelon

2011-07-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

I don't know, Mama -

Why do I need to hold this feeder

When you are so willing to hold it for me?

Wordless Weekend

2011-07-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

Piper vs Sweet Potatoes

2011-07-07T18:13:00.000-05:00

How do you really feel about sweet potatoes, Piper?!!? The funny thing is she had eaten them a few times previously with no problems... but apparently she was having a 'I don't want sweet potatoes' night this time. She makes this extreme raspberry face at me to let me know she is displeased with me.

*******************************************

Pictures on the blog are going to be sporadic for a week or so - our home computer died last weekend, so I am limited to blogging from my netbook. It's a sweet little machine, but is slow to download pics and videos off my computer, then even slower to upload to Flickr. And while I'm on the subject of Flickr, thank they ever-loving goodness for it! We lost *everything* on our computer - but at least all my pictures and videos are uploaded onto Flickr. I have lost a few downloaded patterns I had bought from Ravelry, but I think there is a way for me to recover those from Ravelry. Let this be a lesson - keep your Norton, McAfee, whatever security software you use, up-to-date - because malware and viruses can completely destroy your machine.

Drunken Baby Reel

2011-07-06T04:12:00.000-05:00

No, of course she wasn't really drunk - but you would never know it from these pictures!

"No, {hic} Ossifer - I'm fine. I haven't had that much to drink. Just a booby or two."

"See - I can {hic} crawl in a straight line with one hand touching... touching..." (rolls over)

"Well, I can touch my toes in any case." {burp!}

"Oh, who am I kidding? Pick me up up, Ossifer - I need to sleep this off."

Wordless Weekend

2011-07-02T19:53:00.002-05:00

Piper is Five Months Old -

2011-07-01T19:54:00.000-05:00

And doing her damnedest to start crawling!

Piper and Butternut Squash

2011-06-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

Going by what is coming out...

... at least some of this is getting in.

Oops! Wordless Weekend

2011-06-27T04:46:00.002-05:00

Something New

2011-06-23T17:38:00.000-05:00

I held it off as long as I could. As you may remember, last month I blogged about how I was loathe to start Piper on cereal and other foods, that I didn't think she was ready yet. Well, the time has come. It arrived with a combination of Piper being frantic hungry even after she had finished her bottles at daycare and how she became absolutely upset and angry if anyone ate their meal in front of her.

So, today was our first day of cereal.

To say she liked it is an understatement. There was no hesitation and she knew what she wanted right away. After a few bites she grabbed the spoon and told me she could do this all by herself.

Willow got in on the action as well. It was more like, "Is it my turn now? Is it my turn now? You promised I could feed her, too!"

Lucky is just happy there is someone new he can steal food from now.

Is it my turn now? Is it my turn now?

Next Stop, Swimming Pool!

2011-06-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

I love being in the water and swimming - and I can't wait until Piper is 6 months old and we can do the parent and tot swim classes at the Y. There is only one problem - non-toilet trained children must wear swim diapers while in the pool (and I completely understand why) but Piper is a skinny bean and commercial swim diapers start at 16 pounds. At this rate, Piper isn't going to fit those until she is over a year old! She is only about 11.5 pounds now. I started looking into washable swim diapers, and came up with two options from Mom's Milk Boutique.

First - the Applecheeks swim diaper:

Forgive the blurry pictures - she was windmilling away and it was hard to catch her still enough to do anything.

Second - the ImseVimse swim diaper:

I can tell you straight away that I like the AppleCheeks diaper better. Not only did it feel nicer, but it was obvious that it would have a snugger fit.

Elastic around the waist and thigh to keep out any errant poop:

Versus a waistband loose enough that I could get a few fingers in without even touching Piper's skin:

The obligatory babybum shots:

She was doing her damnedest to get up and crawling in that picture above. Anytime you put her on her tummy now she is wiggling, getting her head up and legs pulled into position.

The AppleCheeks diapers is more expensive than the ImseVimse ($18 vs. $14, if I remember correctly), but I think you are getting your money's worth. The AppleCheeks is a size 1 and is supposed to cover babies from 7 - 20 pounds, and they have three rows of adjustable snaps in the front so you can make the diaper tighter or looser as need be. The ImseVimse is a size small, and covers babies from 13 - 17 pounds. The reviews I read said the ImseVimse was supposed to feel like swimsuit fabric - but to me it is more like a cross between fabric and a plastic diaper cover. The AppleCheeks is 100% polyester, with a mesh lining on the inside. For the record, swim diapers, be they disposable or washable, are not supposed to hold in pee - only poops. Reading the reviews on Amazon and Diapers.com was very funny - all these indignant people who were outraged when their baby peed on them.

I have one last picture to leave you with. I was trying to catch a close up picture of Piper, so was snapping randomly whenever she looked at the camera. When I downloaded the pictures I came across this one and I laughed out loud.

Don't I look sinister? I didn't even realize I was in the picture! You can't tell me this kid's eyes aren't going to be light coloured - they may change to be green like my Mom's or aqua like Jaime's, but they sure aren't going to be hazel like mine!

Hey Auntie Teri!

2011-06-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Remember this shirt!?

Yes, hope sprung eternal - I held onto baby clothes for 8+ years. Here's a picture of baby Willow wearing the same shirt:

It was red day at Piper's daycare today, so I went searching in the baby clothes bins in the basement and came up with this Yukon shirt. I also found this hat - I think my Mom made it...?

In any case, it was a big hit at the daycare!

Wordless Weekend / Lucky Shot

2011-06-19T16:11:00.001-05:00

Wordless Weekend

2011-06-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

Rhubarb Plum Crisp

2011-06-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

The rhubarb is starting to wind down - it's so sad. The lady at Highland Orchards this morning said that the extreme heat we have been having has been finishing off the rhubarb, so I won't have much more to play with. I think this is the third weekend in a row we have had a rhubarb dessert for Saturday night's dinner.

This is what I made today - Rhubarb Plum Crisp

Looks yummy, doesn't it?!? Here's a close up:

And as much as I love rhubarb, I think my favourite part of this dish is the oatmeal crisp topping:

Here is the recipe:

Rhubarb Plum Crisp

Filling:

4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped sweet Italian plums
1/3c white sugar
1/3c tapioca starch (you could use flour instead)
1 tsp cinnamon

Crisp Topping:

2/3c all-purpose flour
1c old fashioned oats (not instant!)
2/3c packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2c melted butter (1 stick)

butter or Pam spray for greasing baking dish

Preheat oven to 350'F. Melt the butter in the microwave and let cool while you assemble everything else. Add all filling ingredients in bowl, stir, and set aside. Grease 9" square baking dish with butter or Pam spray. Pour filling in dish. Rinse out bowl, dry, and add all topping ingredients in and stir until mixed (will be all clumpy). Use you hands to sprinkle topping evenly over filling.

Bake at 350'F for 40 min, or until topping is golden brown and toasted. Let cool for at least 30 min before eating unless you like eating napalm. Trust me - it will still be warm thirty minutes later. Serve with ice cream.

And now for the money shot:

It was lovely - definitely on the tangy side - but that is what you want with rhubarb!

I'll Make A Fan Of Her Yet!

2011-06-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

Last night Andrew, my brother-in-law Stewart, and I took Willow out to her first MLB game - the Phillies vs. the Dodgers. She has been to minor league games before - the Wilmington Blue Rocks play less than 10 minutes away from here, so we have seen quite a few of their games. I love both types - the intimacy of the minor league park, and the spectacle of having 45 thousand people in one place cheering on their teams.

We did have nosebleed seats - this was our view from Section 426:

It really wasn't all that bad - I was worried about the sun and heat because it was up above 90'F yesterday. But then I started thinking about where we would be sitting - facing New Jersey - which meant that the sun would be setting behind us. And once we got to our seats, we found that the canopy was overhead. So, still 90'F+, but we were covered and had a bit of a breeze.

The failed family shot. I've got to learn to let Andrew take these because he has much longer arms than I have.

Willow and her favourite uncle/playmate:

Yes, she is wearing a different shirt. We bought her the Phillies shirt and she put it on right away (and in fact, she is wearing it again right now - she insisted on wearing it to bed).

The first six innings were pretty tedious - not much in the way of hits, and it was scoreless until the bottom of the 6th inning. Stewart was doing his best to explain things to Willow - but I don't know if she cared too much about the whys or hows of the game... but once the teams started revving up and hitting and making some good plays, she was transfixed. I asked her this morning what her favourite part of the game was and she said the cheering - she loved yelling when the Phillies started hitting. We even got to see fireworks - but not put on by the Phillies. Going by the direction of the fireworks, I think they must have been at the Camden Mud Sharks game. The Mud Sharks play right across the Delaware River from Philadelpia under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

We left at the end of the 7th inning, planning to make it back to the car and get out on the highway before the crowds let out. You know what they say about the best laid plans... we got as far as the Philly Airport and traffic slowed to a crawl, and bumbled like that until the PA/DE border. Penndot was doing night construction, and had narrowed the road from three lanes to one, and it only let up until a few miles away from our exit. Oh well - but the Phillies won!

Cowgirl Piper

2011-06-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

Piper has a new toy - a Fisher Price Galloping Horse Jumparoo! I can't even tell you how much she loves being in this thing. She can touch the floor with her toes, jump around, and as she moves, the toy makes neighing and clip-clop sounds. Best $20 I ever spent on a toy!

We have an online bulletin board at work where people post things for sale, trade, etc. and there is always baby stuff being offered up - and sometimes people are just flat out giving stuff away because they don't want it anymore. Someone with a 10 month old was getting rid of a lot of younger baby stuff, and I snapped up this jumparoo (which retails about $70) for $20.

Willow joining in on the cowgirl fun:

Does this expression give you any idea how much she likes this jumparoo?

Trust me - this is Piper's "I'm pleased with myself" expression - and I love any toy that gives me time to read or knit while she happily plays!

Wordless Weekend

2011-06-05T09:04:00.001-05:00

Cheater Cookies

2011-06-01T20:40:00.000-05:00

We all have them - those semi-homemade recipes that we pass off as fully-from-scratch when we have to make things in a jiffy. Well, these are one of them. I have been assigned to bring something sweet to Willow's end of school year party on Friday... and yes, I have known about this for a few weeks now, but none of that matters when you have a little one. Tuesdays and Thursdays are shot, so that left tonight for me to whip up some cookies.

Here you go:

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix (doesn't matter what brand, flavour, whatever. I used Duncan Hines Supreme Lemon and Supreme Orange above)
1/2c egg whites (see - I even cheated with the egg whites and bought a container rather than dividing the whites and yolks up myself!)
1/4c melted butter
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350'F.

Dump all ingredients into bowl, stir until the consistency of cookie dough. Roll into 1.5" balls, roll in sugar, then place on prepared pan (I used Reynold's nonstick foil). Bake for 10 minutes (cookies should still be soft on top). Take out of oven, leave on pan for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack. Makes about 2.5 dozen cookies.

Willow says the lemon ones taste like lemon bars :)

Wordless Weekend

2011-05-29T07:44:00.001-05:00

Fresh Strawberries

2011-05-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law's strawberry patch is going gangbusters right now, and she gave us a container of them when we stopped by this afternoon.

We weren't going to be able to eat them all tonight and they were super-ripe, so I cut them up and froze them to add to my smoothies.

Something struck me when I was slicing up the soft, juicy berries, though -

Don't sliced strawberries look just a little bit naughty?

WiP It Wednesday

2011-05-25T17:42:00.000-05:00

Piper's dress is nigh-finished - all I need is buttons!

Hopefully I can go to Hayes Sewing, our local button mecca, tomorrow afternoon - I am hoping to find some blue flower-shaped buttons to finish this one off. You may have to wait a while for a modelled shot, however - I think this will fit her come autumn/winter.

I'm making progress on Tara's socks, too. This picture is a little blurry, but I think it gives you a better idea of the pattern, Summer Lovin' Socks (Rav link):

Now that the pattern is only on one needle amd the other is plain stockinette, these are zipping along. And keep your fingers crossed - I think I have finally memorized rhe 20 row repeat...

Letting Sleeping Babies Lie

2011-05-25T04:14:00.000-05:00

Piper turned 16 weeks yesterday, and since she is coming up on 4 months on June 1st, her daycare teacher approached me about adding rice cereal to her diet.

I'm not ready.

I understanding the timing - most babies here get introduced to powdered cereals around 4 months of age - but I don't think Piper is terribly interested yet. She loves nursing, and already sleeps through the night, so there isn't this impetus to try and 'fill her up' so she will sleep longer. But that isn't what I mean by I'm not ready.

I remember when Willow was this age - I was so eager for her to try the cereal and move onto the next stage of her babyhood. I distinctly remember sitting on my in-laws' living room floor, and spooning the cereal into Willow's mouth, and cracking up at her confused face. She took to cereal quickly, and we were quickly off into the world of baby food.

I think what it is is that I know Piper is my last baby, and in my heart I am just not ready for her to move on to that next step. I love nursing her full-time, and while I know it won't last indefinitely, I do want it to last a bit longer. It's an easy decision right now - and perhaps if she were interested in food other than nursing I would be more conflicted.

So, we will hold off the cereal a bit longer. I'll revisit this in a month or so and see where she is. And in the meantime, just hold my sleeping baby close.

Wordless Weekend

2011-05-21T19:18:00.001-05:00

We're Sharks!

2011-05-20T16:41:00.002-05:00

Courtesy of Willow's Spring Musical:

The Joy of New Toys

2011-05-15T17:10:00.000-05:00

So much for my wordless weekend - I took some cute pictures of Piper this afternoon and had to share them with everyone. We went to Babies R Us this morning, and came home with this mirror toy:

Piper was much enamored of the baby in the mirror - she kept inching forward to give the other baby kisses. Here is Piper looking up from the toy:

And laying down in one of her warm-weather onesies:

And she finally consented to sit in the Bumbo that Asami and Gara gave us - every time I had put her in there before she would start crying - but this time she was in a good mood and sat in it for a good 15 minutes before she started to get fussy.

15 minutes!! I had 15 minutes to do other things, but no... I didn't knit. I used that time to get dinner started in relative peace.

Wordless Weekend

2011-05-15T13:59:00.001-05:00

Bet You Had Smell-o-vision Now!

2011-05-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to bake all week, but between work, prior commitments, and Willow's activities, it just didn't happen. But today - Saturday (I love Saturdays!), my house smelled wonderful.

What did I make?

Cinnamon Bread...

You would not believe how fantastic this smells - like cinnamon rolls without the icing. Trust me when I say it is taking all my willpower to now cut off a piece of this bread - it is for french toast tomorrow morning!

Then I needed to make a dessert for our Saturday dinner at my in-laws' house. Andrew, Willow, and Piper had given me a donut pan for mother's day...

So, I made Baked Apple Cider Donuts - a messy enterprise, but worth it in the end.

I didn't have the apple butter the recipe called for, but I did have pumpkin butter, so I used that instead. Seeing as Andrew, his brother, and his Dad all had two each, I think they were a hit. I did learn two things in making these:

1) Pay attention to not overfilling the donut pan - they expand quickly and if you have overfilled the pan, you just end up with vaguely-donut-shaped blobs.

and

2) Let the donuts cool a bit on the rack, and then put them on wax or parchment paper to put the glaze on... or else you will be prying the donuts off the cooling rack with a spatula and have a huge sticky mess on the table.

Definitely will be making these again!

WiP It Wednesday: Oh, Nevermind.

2011-05-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't knit all week. Having a baby will do that to you. I even forgot my knitting when we went down to MDSW this past weekend. How on earth did I forget my knitting bag on a 4+ hour round trip?!?! Baby. I was too worried about getting enough diapers, changes of clothes, the stroller, the baby carrier, bottles of water, etc. into the car - the knitting bag slipped my mind.

Anyway. I have a new knitting bag... and it's kind of unusual:

It's made out of tatami!

I was walking back from another building at work, and I passed the company store - and I caught this nifty bag out of the corner of my eye. It came in a few different sizes (this was the biggest one), and in different shades (either more green or more orange than this one). The price tag said $10 - which I would have gladly paid, but when I went to the cashier, I found out that all the bags were 50% off!

Here's my new knitting bag flirting with my Rock Creek Yarn Twisterino in Granny Smith*:

And playing hide and seek with some unlabeled yarn - I believe it was from the Barefoot Spinner*:

And the bag getting frisky with some Brooks Farm Solo Silk*:

I just realized that none of these pictures really tell you how big the bag is - so here is one last picture for reference:

Now, excuse me while I put my mango drink in the refrigerator to cool down!

(*All yarn from last year's MDSW haul... Teri, now do you see why I am afraid to flash all of my stash?!!)

Wordless Weekend

2011-05-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

MDSW 2011 Recap

2011-05-07T18:33:00.001-05:00

Guess where Piper and I went today!

You don't care about the shy sheepies, do you? You just want to see the yarn! I actually didn't buy a whole lot today. I touched many skeins of soft yarn, but can't say there were many colourways that drew me in.

This was the first yarn I bought - and one of the reasons why is that Creatively Dyed Yarn had an outside stall, so I was able to get in there with the stroller and not have anyone give me dirty looks. I could have spent much more money here, but I wanted to spread my funds around.

This is their Voodoo yarn (100% superwash merino, 150g/350 yards) in 'Head.'

And a close up:

I picked this one because it was a very warm shade with lots of little bits of colour (purple, green, pink, etc.) thrown in.

My second purchase? The Flock Bransonas Hand-painted sock yarn (75% wool/25% nylon, 100g/460 yards)in 'Hallmark.'

And a close up:

I'm not sure if this comes across in the photo, but this yarn is dark green and apple green - with a thread of electric turquoise going through it - very striking.

My third purchase? A similar shade to my second purchase, but a very different feeling yarn: Three Irish Girls Glenhaven Cashmerino Fingering yarn (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 3.5oz/370 yards) in 'Rain Rain Go Away!'

And a close up:

For all its blues and greens, this yarn screams feminine to me. I love Three Irish Girls' shades and I really agonized over which shade to pick.

And my fourth, and probably the favourite of the bunch, purchase - Sanguine Gryphon Bugga (70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon, 4oz/412 yards) in 'The Grouchy Ladybug.'

And a close up:

Honestly, if I hadn't have been drawn to the colour in the first place, the name of the colourway would have done it for me. Have you ever read Eric Carle's book, The Grouchy Ladybug? I read it to Willow a few years ago and it was hilarious - about a ladybug who picks fights with everyone and learns a few lessons along the way.

And Piper? She was an angel. Here she is, trying to decide if she should become a redhead or not:

She slept the entire two-hour drive down to MDSW, and I had her in her stroller for the first hour and a half - until it got too crowded to manuever through the barns. After that, we went back to the car and switched to our Snugli in 'Green Roses' carrier and walked around for another hour and a half. It was much easier to get around with her in the carrier, and she didn't fuss one whit. Walking around with the stroller was challenging - people definitely get pissed at the people with strollers and pull-carts - but I have to say I was 'driving' very conscientiously - and to the lady who gave me the stink eye when she tripped over my stroller... if you hadn't decided to cross in front of me diagonally without looking, you wouldn't have tripped... because I was stationary at the time. Just sayin'.

A big, BIG thank you to my friend Kathy - more than once she stood with Piper in non-crowded areas so I could wade into the throngs and pay for my purchases. I couldn't have done any shopping without her. And thank you to Michelle, Patti, and Julie, who babysat Piper in the music tent so I could get some kettle corn! Yes, I will be paying for that one at Weight Watchers tomorrow, but I enjoyed every bite of it.

WiP It Wednesday: Tara's Orange Socks

2011-05-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

Aren't they pretty? I'm surprised how quickly they are coming along, especially since I am working off a 20 row chart and I am not the most proficient at reading knitting charts.

Piper Fascinated By Flowers

2011-05-03T05:22:00.000-05:00

The tree in the previous post is a red bud tree in my father-in-law's front yard. I had never seen a redbud tree before moving to the East Coast, and it amazes me how they bloom off the bark, even before any green leaves show up.

Here are some more pictures of the redbud blooms:

If you look in the blurred background of the above picture, you can see how the trunk sort of looks polka-dotted with bloom clusters. It's a very pretty plant - and I am not sure if the term 'redbud' is a misnomer - every one I have seen has been this purply-pink colour. I know my Mom was interested in getting one for their place on Vancouver Island, but it won't growe there - apparently it is a southern plant, and Delaware is at the northern limits of where it will grow well.

Wordless Weekend

2011-04-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter from the Easter Cat

2011-04-24T07:19:00.000-05:00

Easter Cat is not nearly as benevolent as the Easter Bunny. Easter Cat will steal your food, wake you up with yowling in the middle of the night, will use your legs as a brace to stretch (claws!), and doesn't give a rat's ass about Resurrection or anything like that. Fluffy bunnies and chicks, on the other hand - those he could get interested in...

WiP It Wednesday: The Little Sister Edition

2011-04-20T18:17:00.000-05:00

I remembered! And it is even Wednesday!

This is what I am working on for Piper right now:

It is Little Sister's Dress (Rav Link) - appropriate, don't you think? The pattern is interesting - it actually calls for sock yarn, but so many people have taken liberties with it and used sport, dk, worsted yarn - and the pattern is forgiving. I'm making mine out of dk weight and it is the 3M size, but I think it will fit Piper closer to 9M.

And speaking of the intended recipient, I caught a cute picture of her today:

I wish I could say I was looking as cute - some pollen/tree/flower outside is not playing nice and my eyes are all itchy and red. I really don't know what I can take while nursing - anyone have any ideas?

Tiding you over

2011-04-19T04:57:00.000-05:00

I love this picture because it looks like her! I don't mean that to be a silly comment, but often when you take a photo of a baby the baby's face is screwed up in a cry, she is sleeping, etc. - but in this one she is alert and just about to smile.

Whose Mini-Me?

2011-04-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

My due date group has a weekly baby picture theme, so I broke out the camera to try and get some shots of Piper. This week's theme is funny faces. She had just woken up from her nap and gave me this look:

A light bulb went off, and I started digging through my old pictures on Flickr, and I found a picture of me that my Mom had sent after Willow was born:

Mind you, Piper is almost 10 weeks old in her picture and I was a newborn in mine, but I think the resemblance is there. And as for the funny picture? Well, I couldn't decide between:

"No! I don't want to play with the giraffe!"

(Yes, she threw the giraffe at me.)

and

"Pick me up now!"

Finished Object Friday

2011-04-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

... on video!

I don't know what the hell is with my voice - those of you who know me in person know that my voice isn't that high-pitched.

The Particulars:

Pattern: Ann Budd's Basic Sock pattern (Rav Link)
Yarn: Crock-O-Dye (65% Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon, 15% Silk), Colour 798 (Blue-Purple)
Needles: Size 2 - 16" Knitpicks circulars

Would I knit this pattern again? Absolutely - this is my go-to sock pattern and it is very easy to customize for my small yet wide feet.

I have to say I *love* this sock yarn and will buy it again in a heartbeat - it's so soft, it has a slight sheen due to the silk, and it is machine washable! Now that these socks are finished, I can get started on Tara's orange socks - if you remember, Tara won my baby arrival pool - and as a double bonus, Piper was born on Tara's birthday. I'm just waiting for my new needles to arrive and I will be casting on right away!

At Long Last - Tara's Package

2011-04-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was starting to feel a little guilty here - my friend Tara had sent a package for Piper, and I hadn't blogged about it yet... despite the fact that we have been using the objects in said package already... Bad Jo!

I knew the package was coming - I mean, I hadn't seen the contents yet, but Tara had said she was sewing Piper a baby quilt to match the curtains that were already in Piper's room. So, when the package arrived, I was surprised to see much more than just a quilt in the box... and Tara was sneaky, because I have to finish something in there!

Here is the quilt:

It's gorgeous, isn't it? We already have it on the bed in Piper's room (there is a bed and crib in her room).

A little background - the curtains in Piper's room were originally intended to be Willow's when we lived in the apartment. However, after I picked out the fabric (yellow and green stripes with pink roses) and Andrew's Mom made the curtains, we found out there was no way for us to hang them because the windows in the apartment were surrounded by metal under the plaster. So, my pretty pretty curtains went into storage. Three years later we moved into our present house, but Willow's bedroom has three windows, so once again we couldn't use the curtains - but we had this guest room... So, my mother-in-law shortened the curtains, and we hung them in the guest room, which has now morphed into Piper's room. I really like these curtains and since Piper was going to be a girl, I didn't see why I would have to change them.

There were also some potholders and a mini-mermaid in the package:

Here's a close up of the mermaid:

She is one of the few things that Piper has actually grasped and played with - I love how she has no buttons or anything else that could get ripped off and swallowed. There is also a cup-holder sleeve, but that is in use right now and didn't make it into the photo, as well as some monkey jammies!

And the to-do part? An apron! Here is a picture from Tara's blog. She left it unfinished so I could make the neck strap as long or as short I need it, and included a button and thread to sew it with. This is my goal for the weekend - get the apron finished so I can take a picture of it! I love aprons - I am notorious for spilling things on myself and consequently ruining clothes.

Thank you, Tara! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get the pictures up!

The Cuteness Is Going to Get You...

2011-04-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

Piper received a package today from her Great-Auntie Daryth - and my, oh my is it ever cute:

It's a little big on her right now, but I think it is going to make a wonderful Easter outfit. I like this photo, too - for entirely different reasons:

Willow loves Piper so incredibly much - you can barely keep Piper out of her arms. She wants to pick her up and hold her at every turn (and then just as quickly hand her back when Piper starts tooting...).

Doesn't she look like a doll?

And the best part?

The ruffly bum!

Thank you, Auntie Daryth - the whole outfit is beautiful!

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Tomorrow - Tara's package! I was waiting until I had sewn the button on the apron, but I haven't managed to do that yet, so let me show you pictures of everything else in the box.

My New Favourite Picture

2011-03-31T17:40:00.002-05:00