Making Things Again And Again And Again And Again...

12.28.2011

You should probably know that when I like making something - I mean really like making something - I make it over and over and over again.

Case in point - itty, bitty sweater dresses.  Yeah, there are a couple of those laying around the house.

And dresses and tunics made based on Anna Maria Horner's Museum Tunic instructions.  Yeah, there are quite a few of those thrown around the house too.

And now you can add Sucky Thumb Mitts to that list because I've made yet another pair for O, although this time I made them with some leftover Debbie Bliss cashmerino (oh, how I love using up left over yarn). 


Again, I made the cuff and stockinette stitch portions a bit longer to add more coverage for the wrist and to fit her hand better.  And again I knit them on size 3 DPNs. 

And again I love them. 

Dare I say that they are the perfect little gloves for my kung fu master?


Or my zombie child?


Or for doing the chicken dance?


Yes, I dare say it.

Christmas Recap in 5 Seconds or Less

12.27.2011

Christmas Eve spent at the great-grandparent's house.



Where O was able to spend time with her favorite family member.


Christmas day spent at our house.


A morning full of opening presents and an afternoon full of spending time together.


The day after Christmas I spent in bed, after being so rudely woken up by the stomach bug that's been going around our house.  Needless to say, I was out of commission for the rest of the day.

Much love to my little munchkin who was an absolute angel for the whole day and to my husband who apparently makes an awesome nurse.

Happy Holidays

12.24.2011

A very happy holiday from our family to yours.


May your new year be filled with much health and happiness.

Happy Winter Solstice

12.22.2011


It's all uphill from here, baby!

Bad Mommy

12.21.2011

Good mommy - in healthier, happier times

Well, it appears that we've been operating in survival mode around here lately.  Two weeks ago O came down with her first case of pink eye, which was fine except that trying to figure out who's going to stay home with the sick kiddo is a bit of a nightmare when you have two parents who work outside the home.  Then this Sunday we woke up in the middle of the night to a screaming child covered in throw-up (don't worry - no pictures were taken).  And while I was staying home with O on Monday, Ben came home sick in the middle of the day and proceeded to spend the entire day in bed.  Oh, and did I mention that it looks like O's pink eye is now back again for round two?

So between Ben and O being sick and my exhaustion at being woken up several times a night by an unhappy toddler, there has been some less than stellar parenting going on here.  Take Monday night when I turned to Ben and said "crap, I forgot to brush her teeth" and Ben responded by saying "Shhh, quiet.  She might hear you and want to brush her teeth."  That's right - we were afraid that our child would actually want to brush her teeth and then we would have to get out of bed to help her.  That's right.  We're awesome parents.

Progress

12.16.2011

This, my friends, is what progress looks like.

From this...


To this...


And from this...


To this...

24 weeks....wa-hoo!
Hello clean room!  Good-bye waist line!

The Joys of Parenthood

12.14.2011

I realize that there are many great joys in parenthood, but dressing your child up in ridiculous outfits and taking pictures of her has to be one of the greatest.


Yep, definitely one of the greatest.

Project Done - Approximately One Year Later Than Planned

12.12.2011

Of all the things that I discuss on this blog, probably last on the list is any sort of home renovation/decoration project because honestly, my house is a disaster area.  Truly.

But every once in a while we manage to finish a project (even if it's a year late).  And this just happens to be one of those times.

Now I will say, that this project pales in comparison to the home renovation projects that you see on other amazing blogs, but for us, this took a lot of effort, so I'm going to gloat all the same.

But now let's get to the fun part, right?  The before and after pics.

Here's the before.  Nasty yellow walls and original cabinets in all their glory.

Floor decorations compliments of our child


And just to give you a little perspective - look how teeny-tiny O was back when we started (uh, that's embarrassing!)


And the after pics.  With a little fresh paint on the walls and the cabinets.  And some  new little knobs too.

Please ignore the overflowing dish rack and whatever random crap
is on the counter.  

And look!  I sewed a teeny-tiny curtain!


If I were rich and motivated, oh, how I would love new counter tops.  But considering that I am neither, I think that this is just going to have to do for the time being.

I Heart Fingerless Gloves

12.08.2011

Oh, knitting, I've missed you so.

You're warm.  You're portable.  And when the project is small, you're done in no time flat.

I've been yearning to pick up the knitting needles again over the last couple of months but every time I contemplate starting something I get sidetracked by some detail.

Hmmm, I need to find a pattern.
Do I even have the right yarn?
Where the hell did I put all my needles?

But it appears that this past weekend the stars were aligned and I had all three things - a pattern, the yarn, and the needles.


The pattern is the Sucky Thumbs Mitts patterns by Marianne Cant and I definitely give it two thumbs up.  It was super easy and super fast.  And really, what more could a girl ask for? 


But the best part about these gloves?  They keep you warm but they also keep you with 10 fully functioning fingers.  You'd think they'd be a hit with the kiddo, right?

Wrong.

It was yet another incident of "get these off of me!"

Fortunately it was nothing that a little bribery in the form of a trip to the zoo couldn't handle.  Well, that and some cheddar bunnies.  Those cheesy little suckers solve all sorts of problems.


Pattern: Sucky Thumb Mitts by Marianne Cant
Alterations:  I knit the cuff and the stockinette sections a bit longer so that they would cover more of her wrist and hand
Yarn: less than one skein of Cascade 220
Needles: Size 3 DPNs

And in case you needed photographic proof of our love of fingerless gloves, please see our family's winter handwear of choice.

Kicking My Feet Up

12.05.2011


December is here and crafting for the holidays appears to be in full swing, which leads me to what I'm making for the holidays this year - absolutely nothing.

No quilts.  No clothes.  No food.  No cards.

Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.

And it's all because, really, I just don't feel like it.

I despise making anything under a deadline and my belief is that if starting something now is going to make me into a stressed out, crazy woman down the line, then I say "forget it."  Everything I make I want made with as much love and joy and patience as possible and staying up until three in the morning the night before to get something done just does not bring out those qualities in me.  It's far more likely  that my projects would be filled with annoyance and loathing and that's really not what I want to give people for the holidays.

And so this year I'm kicking my feet up and buying things made by other people for the loved ones in my life.  And you know what?  I am completely at peace with my decision.

The Holidays

12.04.2011

I'll be honest, I've always loved the holidays.

I love cheesy Christmas carols.

I love twinkling Christmas lights.

I love receiving holiday cards (although somehow I never get around to sending any out.  This year, however, will be different!).

And so is it any wonder that I have a child who has been obsessed with Christmas since around October.
Nearly every day she asks if it's Christmas yet.  And she wants to listen to Christmas music.  And go see the two houses in our neighborhood who have already put up their Christmas lights.

And if it seemed like I couldn't possibly love the holidays more, well, apparently I was wrong because having a little one around who is ridiculously excited for all things holidays makes me love them one hundred times more.


And so this year we wasted no time in picking out and putting up a Christmas tree.  And there is a distinct smell of nature emanating from our wreathe.  And I made gingerbread cookies for the first time in probably a decade.


Ah, it's good to be around spirited little people.

Dear Santa

12.02.2011


Dear Santa,
Thanks so much for giving me a candy cane.  As a show of my appreciation, I only picked my nose in approximately half of our pictures this year.

Love,
O