I Love Autumn

The temperature dropped a good 20 degrees today from yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. I know I am going to be awkward and ungainly for the next few months, but at least I can do it in relatively cool comfort. We headed to Linvilla Orchards this morning to get a pie for my father-in-law (who had requested a pecan pie), pick up some more apples and apple cider, and nosh on some apple cider donuts.

I was surprised to see that their Pumpkinland store was open - we were last at Linvilla about 3 months ago, and I don't remember the construction being terribly far along at that point. I think it is great that they have a different space for all the kitschy and seasonal decorations and items, because it leaves more space in the market for food! We weren't ready to pick up a pumpkin yet, but we did go in and have a look at all the different kinds of pumpkins available.



Bumpy pumpkins



Peanut Pumpkins



Turk Turban Pumpkins



Pumpkins with massive stems - that is Andrew's hand there, not mine - for scale, this is the difference:



I'm thinking there must be a dirty joke in there somewhere with those stems, but I can't figure out what it is! It's odd, too - so many pumpkins had super thick stems like that - it must mean something about this year's growing season.

Inside the Pumpkinland store they had an antique buggy that Willow just fell in love with:





These two little pillows were on it, but I don't think they were antiques - but looked cute nonetheless.

And the last shot - well, Willow had to feed all the chickens at the farm - they allow you to purchase corn from dispensers to feed them - really makes me wonder why these chickens aren't fatter than they are already - but I saw this funny scene of some chickens roosting in this little bush that couldn't be more than 20 inches tall:



Sometimes it's just the little things...

WiP it Thursday

Sorry - too tired for alliteration.



Yes, knitting friends, that is exactly what you think it is.

I am such a sheep.

Summer Vacation: The Quiet Days

Well, as quiet as it gets with three kids between the ages of almost 3 and 8.

Andrew keeps on asking me when I am going to continue our summer vacation travelog, but the truth of it is that not much happened the first few days we were there, and I liked it that way. We had an uneventful landing in Seattle, a long taxi ride to Pier 69. Erm, wait. No - the taxi driver misunderstood our directions and dropped us off at Pier 9, so we had to walk a few miles to check in our luggage at the Victoria Clipper at Pier 69. No matter - it was a beautiful day, and after being cooped up on an airplane for 5+ hours, it was nice to stretch our legs and walk a bit.

My parents were waiting for us in Victoria, and we got in my parents' new minivan and headed back up to Honeymoon Bay. We had wanted to stop in Victoria for some fish and chips, but all the places were crowded, so we ended up going to Willow's favourite place to eat in Canada (oh, I kid you not) - A&W. Yes, we have A&Ws in the US, but in Canada the menu is a little different. McDonald's is different, too, for that matter - you can get a grilled cheese kids meal at McDonald's in Canada. We finally arrived in Honeymoon Bay after over 18 hours of traveling, and promptly fell asleep.

My sister Jaime, and her two boys Will and Hunter, arrived the next day and Willow was so excited to see her cousins again. Will and Willow are thick as thieves - poor Hunter is not quite 3 and so was left out of most of their games. Hunter is very confused by me - Jaime and I don't have faces that look much alike, but we are roughly the same height and size, and both have curly dark hair. He would come running up to me yelling, "Mama Mama Mama!" and stop dead, looking at me sideways. We finally had to explain that Mama had blue eyes and Auntie Jo had brown eyes. If he was upset, he didn't really care - he would come up to me crying, wanting to get picked up, and then when he noticed I was not Mama he would get a little shy, but wouldn't let me go.

The funniest story came from the last day Jaime and the boys were at my parents' house. I was cutting up stuff for breakfast and gave Hunter a piece of cheese. He goes back into the living room and Jaime asks him who gave him the cheese. He said, "Mama did." Jaime says, "Oh really? Your mother gave you some cheese?" He replies, "Not you Mama." He points at me and says, "Other Mama."

Here's a pic of Hunter - he had woken up while we were driving and was very unhappy - so I snapped his picture. He immediately stopped crying and demanded to see his picture!



We had a wonderful time in Honeymoon Bay - as I mentioned earlier, a lot of relaxation. At the beginning of the week it was warm enough to swim in the lake, and I swam out to the barrier for the first time. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I had been too chicken to do that for the last 6 years, and I am a strong swimmer. We went for walks, tried to pick blackberries (although they weren't at their peak yet), and ate lots of food. Oddly enough, I didn't take many pictures this time - I think I was just enjoying being with my family too much to bother with the camera.

Last Day on the Island:



Saying goodbye to Gramma and Papa at the Victoria Clipper ferry terminal in the Inner Harbour.

I have one more post from our trip to put up - from our daytrip to Victoria - and trust me, it will be picture heavy. It was a beautiful day and I was determined to be a tourist!

Finished Object: Panda Silk Socks

Wait a second... Silk comes from pandas!?!

Just kidding! I have been on a finished object kick here. Well, also a started item kick, but that is another matter altogether. I finished my Panda silk ankle socks late last week, and finally got around to taking some pictures of them on the weekend.



I could have made the socks a little longer, but there is only 120 yards on a skein, and I was really worried about running out of yarn 10cm from the toe (yes, yes, I know - a good reason to learn how to knit socks from the toe up!)

The sock on the right was knit first, and I was really hoping that the cool diagonal striping would be reproduced on the left foot, but it didn't happen. The left foot decided to do its own funky little thing. No matter - I don't mind fraternal twin socks - especially now that the weather has finally started to cool off and I can show off my handknit socks in my Black Stallion clogs. BTW - I didn't pay that much - I got mine at at conference in June.



Don't look at my swollen ankles and feet - it's not pretty when I am pregnant.

The Particulars:

Pattern: Ann Budd's Plain socks pattern
Needles: Size 3 16" Knitpicks circulars
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Silk DK in Jade Tones

And a Lucky shot, just for the hell of it:

Finished Object: Brick Band Hat for a Girl

I signed up for two different swaps on Ravelry - one in the Due in January 2011 group, and the other in the Due in February 2011 group - since I am riding the cusp of both. I now know that one of my swap partners is having a little girl, so this hat will be for her.



Unlike the first Baby Brick Band hat, I think this one is going to benefit from some washing and blocking. But what do you use to block a baby hat? A balloon? A small ball? How big is a baby's head supposed to be, anyway?



Lucky kept trying to get into the picture as I was trying to snap the hat - there are a few pictures with a tail floating in the corner of the picture. So, I decided to try the hat on Lucky. He was less than amenable to the idea.



I will kill you in your sleep.

The Particulars:

Pattern: #22 Brick Band Hat from Knit Simple Holiday 2007
Yarn: Jojoland Rhythm in colourway RS74 (light mauve). The pattern called for Universal Yarns' Deluxe Chunky
Needles: Size 5 Hiya Hiya 16" bamboo circular and bamboo dpns (pattern called for size 8)
Modifications: Similarly to my first Baby Brick Band hat, I used a thinner yarn but also went down an additional needle size - 3 sizes down this time. I also knit one less repeat of the brick band pattern to make the hat a bit shorter. I didn't want a tassel on this one, either, but I did do about a half inch if i-cord just to make the top stand up a little bit.



I wear them, they are mine now.

Denied!

About a week ago, I saw this sign at Stoney's Pub - it goes up every year, but this is the first time that I have been able to take advantage of it because with Willow I was never pregnant over Labor Day. We planned to go there for lunch on Monday, but we called the pub, and their answering service said they didn't open until 5pm on Mondays, so we decided to make it dinner instead.



We headed down to the pub a little after 5pm, and were a little concerned when we didn't see any cars in the parking lot. I was still trying to be an optimist - it's just after 5pm, maybe people just haven't shown up yet... um, it's a low traffic day because it is still part of the holiday...

But then all hopes were dashed when we got close to the front door and saw this sign:



Damn. A little clarification on the billboard would have been nice. I even brought my latest ultrasound pics with me in case someone didn't believe that I was pregnant.

Oh well.

Deceptive Belly

I have a deceptive belly. I had the same problem when I was pregnant with Willow - part of it stems from being a big girl in the first place, but strangers didn't realize I was pregnant until I was a good 6 months along.

Why?



Here I am, nearly 5 months along, and I still have a waist.

Finished Object: Baby Brick Band Hat

I have a lot of knitting magazines. Four or five years' worth of subscriptions - Interweave Knits, Knit Simple, Creative Knitting - the odd Vogue Knitting, although I can't say VK does that much for me.

Anyway, I can't say I have made a whole lot from these magazines - in fact - in the 8 years I have been knitting, I have probably only made enough projects from these magazines to count on both hands. I had some baby hats to make for a swap on Ravelry, so I dug through a few of my knitting magazines, and came up with this:



I had to modify the pattern a bit - it wasn't intended for a baby, although the pattern did have small, medium, and large sizes.



I didn't use the yarn or needles called for, either. I'm such a rebel.



I could have probably finished this entire hat in one night, but it got broken up into a few different knitting sessions because I am reading a good book right now (Changeless by Gail Carriger) and have been reading more than knitting lately.



The Particulars:

Pattern: #22 Brick Band Hat from Knit Simple Holiday 2007
Yarn: SWTC Karaoke in colourway 298 (rainbow). The pattern called for Universal Yarns' Deluxe Chunky
Needles: Size 6 Knitpicks 16" circular and bamboo dpns (pattern called for size 8)
Modifications: Other than using a thinner yarn and going down 2 needle sizes, I did one less repeat of the brick band pattern to make the hat a bit shorter, and did not include the tassel on top. The tassel is cute, but I don't think the almost-roving nature of this yarn would have served a tassel well.

I'll definitely make this pattern again - I like the flat top and design on the sides. It was very easy, and I loved the way this particular yarn served up stripes on the different sections all on its own.

Breaking News

We interrupt this sporadically scheduled travelog to bring you some breaking news - Click on this link to find out what we will be having on 2/1/11!

Now onto the knitting!

Summer Vacation: Don't think about Niagra Falls, the Pacific Ocean, Running Water...

We were on the plane. Buckled in. Hungry, thirsty, and really needing to pee, but on the plane and ready to go. Everyone was strapped in, waiting for the plane to move when the pilot came on the PA and said there was a problem with one of the beverage carts - that it wouldn't lock into place, so we had to wait for another one to get delivered. In the meantime, everyone had to stay in their seats. About 30 minutes later, the cart was delivered and installed, and we were ready to go.

Well, we were ready, in any case.

Apparently we had lost our place in the take off line because of waiting for the beverage cart, so when we did get to the take off strip, we were behind 17 other planes (I am not kidding - they told us this over the PA). I have mentioned that I really needed to pee, right? Now, I am an adult and can control things better, but Willow started squirming in her seat and saying she had to go as well. I tried to tell her that there was nothing we could do - that we had to wait - but you can imagine how well that went over.

About thirty minutes after that we get in the air, and I'm hoping and praying for the seatbelt sign to turn off so I can make a beeline for the bathroom. It doesn't. What happens instead is that the pilot comes on the PA again and says that they are expecting turbulence, so they are leaving the seatbelt sign on indefinitely. WTF!?! The attendants come by with the beverage cart (incidentally, the only time they come by during the 5 hour flight), but since we are in row 6, the attendants have to go the entire length of the plane before we can even think about getting to the bathroom. Willow is about crying at this point, saying her tummy is hurting from having to go. There is a bathroom in first class, but the first class attendant is standing guard (I am so not kidding here), not letting anyone from coach into first class.

We have been on the plane for about and hour and half by this point, and I am starting to feel crampy - I am whipping my head around every 2 minutes to see how much further the beverage cart has moved. Once again, the pilot comes on the PA, telling people to stay in their seats because of the expected turbulence (which never did come). I couldn't take it anymore. The cart was at about the third to last row, and I got up, pulling Willow with me. We get to the cart and the attendant says, "Ma'am, you will have to sit down - the seat belt sign is on." I said, "No - I am 4 months pregnant and I am about to wet my pants." Magically, those words worked! The moved the cart out of the way, let me and Willow through, and blessed relief! Andrew said I must have caused a revolution, because after we stormed the bathroom, there was a line up when we got out.

The rest of the flight was rather uneventful - we didn't have much in the way of amusements because there were no movies (or TV screens on the plane, for that matter), and Andrew had the portable hard drive (and was a few rows back), and our plane, which we were told would have WiFi, didn't. Willow and I napped for a bit, and then woke up as we were flying over the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and then saw this:



I knew we were getting close by this point - mountains mean we are getting close to the West Coast. I really miss living near the mountains. The highest point around here is the building I work in. Here's another shot:



Cool, right? I love the setting on my camera where I can take pictures through glass and not have it reflect.

Coming up next: Landing in Seattle and heading over to the Island.

Summer Vacation: the very beginning

The day we left for our vacation was an exercise in anxiety I really didn't need.

Let's start with the night before... I received my email from USAirways saying I could go to their website and check in prior to arriving at the airport, so I tried to do that, only to find that our reserved seats were no longer reserved. For the first time in a few years Andrew was traveling with us, so I had reserved seats 6D, 6E, and 6F. I even had an email confirmation saying this! The tickets the website tried to give us the night before? 6E, 8F, and 9B. I tried calling the airline to straighten this out, explain that I had an 8 year old, and she needed to sit with one of us - but no go. The customer service person said the flight was full, there was nothing she could do - that my only option was to try to switch seats at the ticket counter.

Flashforward to the next morning. Things are going well- we had plenty of time to eat breakfast, finish last-minute packing, and get to the airport just before 6am for our 7:30am flight. Only to get to the ticket counter to have them tell us there was nothing they could do about the seat mishap and all I could do is ask the attendants at the gate to switch us around. I've been in that situation before and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. You would be surprised how many grown adults won't switch seats with you so you could be with your TWO YEAR OLD! That was the one and only time I've flown in business class - the attendant got so pissed off by all the responses she bumped someone from business to coach and gave Willow and me business class seats. Nice flight!

Sorry - tangent there.

So, we get up to the security area for Concourse B, only to find that the line extended past the SEPTA (regional train) entrance. This meant that there were *hundreds* of people in line before us. An official came by and told everyone after a certain point in line to go to Concourse A's security because there was no line there and we would get through quicker (but you would still have to walk back to Concourse B afterward). So, we rush over there and find that the line up at Concourse A is LONGER than at B! We couldn't go back now, so we stuck it out, and by the time we actually put our stuff on the conveyor belt for security, our flight had started to board. Andrew and Willow ran back to Concourse B to get to the gate and let them know that pregnant me was still following.

(and maybe I should add at this point that in this hour plus of standing in line there had been no bathroom breaks or drinks to be had?)

I get to the gate, dehydrated and crampy because I have to pee so bad, and try to explain to them about the seating situation. They say that the plane is nearly boarded, and I will have to see one of the stewards on the plane about switching seats. Someone must have been smiling at us at this point, because we had a moment of easy before things got difficult again. The lady who was to be seated an the window beside Willow didn't even hesitate to move two seats back to my assigned seat so I could sit by Willow. I thanked her profusely, Willow and I sat in our seats (and Andrew to his a few rows back), and we were off.

Or so I thought...

Coming up next - a little more flight drama and errant taxi drivers. And pictures of beautiful snowy mountain tops.

Tuesday Teaser

Real blog posts are coming, I swear!

Just A Teaser...

There's more to come - we arrived back from vacation on Saturday morning, and jet lag has been kicking my ass ever since. It's going to be fun at work today...

WiP It Wednesday

Once again, to prove to you that I have been knitting, here are a few of my current WIPs:

Arm #1 of Willow's Mi Escuelita cardigan.



I cannot even tell you how many times I got about 3 - 4 inches into the cuff, hates how the increases were working out, then ripped it all out. The sleeve is a 2x2 rib, but you are increasing once on each side of the marker every 6 rows. You are supposed to incorporate the increases into the rib, but no matter how I did it, it looked ugly. I'm very much OCD about symmetry - so in the end, I decided to increase only as knit stitches until I had six stitches on either side of the marker, and then incorporated the ribbing - it gave me the inverted arrow series of knit stitches denoted by the yellow in the picture. Not as the pattern intended, but it satisfied my need for symmetry. I hate working with dpns - so I was happy to pick up a 9" circular at Stitches With Style - the sleeve sped along after that.

And this is my Jaywalker Experiment:



An experiment, you say? Looks like a normal Jaywalker to me... maybe I should call it a Reverse Mullet Jaywalker... party in the front -



Business in the back!

This is my third attempt at Jaywalkers, and it bugs me to know end that I can't get these pretty socks over my cankles. So, I decided to do the chevron pattern in the front and just knit the back, like the foot of Jaywalkers. It's working well, and I think there is a small chance that these might actually fit me.

Here's what they look like from the side:



I haven't started knitting anything for the baby yet - does anyone have some cute suggestions for me?

I Fear...

...that the pregnancy brain has sunk in. I tried to go to work in my slippers last week, I'm constantly calling people back because I forgot to tell them something the first time around. I keep forgetting to buy key ingredients for dinner (which is why we are having pizza for dinner tonight rather than the chicken quesadillas I had planned... two fails on that end - no guacamole and the chicken wasn't defrosted). I'm managing to keep things together at work, but I think I need a personal assistant at home!

I've had two dreams lately that I have had two little girls - but oddly enough, at a much closer age range that Willow and #2 will be. In one dream, #2 was an exact mini-replica of Willow, pigtails and all, and in the other dream I had two girls with red hair - one curly, one straight. In both dreams, there was about 4 years between the two girls, not the 8.5 that there will be in real life. And I think it is funny that I am dreaming of another little girl, because I feel like I am having a boy - maybe it is just the familiar. Andrew and I will be finding out the baby's sex - even if for the sheer fact that I want to know whether the 8 year old baby clothes packed away in my basement are still serviceable or whether I need to get more stuff!

Happy Birthday, Willow!

Willow turned eight years old on Thursday (and how on earth did that happen?!?), and we celebrated today with a birthday party at the movie theatre to see 'Ramona and Beezus.'

My friend and co-worker, Stephanie, made the cupcakes - a medley of chocolate and yellow cupcakes with pink and yellow icing. Here's a picture of the birthday girl with her sweets:



Let's get a close up - everyone needs a close up of cupcakes!



And my favourite - yellow cupcake with yellow icing (in fact, I may have eaten this exact one...):



Trust me when I say these cupcakes were beyond delicious. Steph makes them for different work events, and they always get gobbled up. My father-in-law liked them, too (he loves birthday cakes).

And here is Willow with her friends for the party - Andrew (the boy on the right) got his fair share of estrogen with this party, but he was a great sport about it. Some of Willow's other male friends were supposed to come, but were not able to make it due to family commitments. The movie was pretty good, too - for not being an overly comedic, 3D action, or a cartoon - the kids enjoyed it immensely. And I found it highly amusing that the 'euwed' when the adults were kissing, but not when the teenagers kissed!

Because My Dad Is Unrelenting

Here I am, in my 13th week of pregnancy, falling asleep at the drop of a hat, and my Dad still bugs me to update my blog. I haven't taken many pictures lately - I really need to get back in the habit of carrying my camera around with me. In the meantime, please enjoy some recent pictures of Willow and Mattie:



Dogpile on Willow!



Here I look pretty...



And here I look crazy!



I disapprove of all the dog-picture-taking. You may now carry me to the store to get noms.

I'm so crafty, I make people!

Omigod - you don't know how hard this was to keep to myself! I have to start telling people now because I will be needing maternity pants in very short order. I'm 11w1d today, and as Andrew puts it, due in the bleakest midwinter - 2/1/11.

This scan was taken yesterday - ignore the fact that it says 10w3d - the baby was very interested in the ultrasound scanner. It didn't matter how the midwife moved the scanner, the baby turned to face it and we couldn't get a profile pic so she could measure the top-to-tail to get the gestational age - it kept on coming up with everything from 10w to 11w. The baby was dancing around and doing somersaults - it was very amusing because I couldn't feel a thing!

Keep your fingers crossed for us - for all of Willow being a surprise and easy pregnancy - we have not had much luck with other pregnancies past Willow. Willow is over the moon - she so wants to be a big sister and keeps telling us that she wants a baby brother.

Perfect Summer Meal: Chicken Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes

Isn't it pretty? Here's a close up:



I've probably talked about this before - hell, I may have even blogged about this before, but it is one of my all-time favourite summer dinners. And with this heat (101'F when I was running errands at noon), it's amazing that I would want to go anywhere near a stove right now.

Chicken Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes - 4 servings

Pesto Sauce:
2 cups washed basil leaves
1/3c. Kraft Grated Parmesan
2/3c. Kraft Light Zesty Italian dressing

Everything Else:
8oz. uncooked whole wheat pasta
1 cooked chicken breast, diced
2c. cherry tomatoes, quartered
Some extra grated parmesan for garnish

Take the pesto ingredients and puree them (I use my Braun hand blender), then put the sauce in the fridge while you make everything else. Cook the noodles as instructed on package, drain. Pour noodles back in the cooking pot, then add in pesto sauce, diced chicken breast, and quartered cherry tomatoes. Mix everything together, and top with a bit more parmesan, and serve.

***

What I really like about this dish is:

1) It is beyond simple.
2) The pesto sauce freezes really well - sometimes I will make big batches and freeze it for when good, fresh basil isn't so readily available in markets.
3) It is open for variation - for example, above I used lemon basil from my local farmers' market, half red grape tomatoes, half yellow cherry tomatoes (from my garden!). There are so many types of basil, and all will lend a different flavour - try different tomatoes, different pastas - I have even used grilled shrimp instead of chicken - and sometimes with no meat at all - it's all good.
4) While Willow may turn her nose up at the tomatoes (infidel!) she gobbles up everything else on her plate.

Enjoy!

Sometimes I'm just too good...

I've had some health concerns lately that have required some bedrest, so I have been working from home for the last week. Lucky has been my constant companion while I am working, so much so that I have a pile of silver grey fur on my white comforter. I went downstairs looking for the pet hair roller, and just what do I find in the roller's normal resting spot?

This:



I had to laugh out loud. This is something I bought for Andrew's Christmas stocking - and I have a very vivid memory of stashing it in the cupboard under the microwave where the telephone books, pet hair roller, candlesticks, and various other stuff we have no clue where to put live. Apparently that memory was not quite so vivid enough for me to remember in time for last Christmas!

No matter. Andrew is happy to eat them now.

I still don't know where the pet hair roller is, however.