- Yesterday was D’s birthday! We had cupcakes and presents on Sunday night and then last night we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (because he got a birthday coupon for a free appetizer!). We had no idea, though, that they’d drag out this saddle on a sawhorse, make him sit on it, while everyone in the restaurant yelled “Yee-haw!” at him. I would have been mortified, but he was a great sport and we all had a really good time (and a good dinner!)
- I feel a little guilty about one of Drew’s presents, because… really, it was more for me rather than him: the Compost Crock. Last year we used a big plastic bowl (with a lid, at least) for our food scraps for the compost bin. However, the shape took up a lot of room and it got gross and smelly. This is much more attractive on the counter, will clean easier, and it has a charcoal filter! I think it’ll work much better than the old garbage bowl.
- While Drew is in Virginia for a couple days (hopefully the last of these business trips for a few months), my dad is coming down to hang out with us. And he’s going to put up a clothesline for me! We attempted to make one last year with a kit from the hardware store, but it didn’t work very well. I’m so happy he’s doing this for me. I look forward to not having to run the dryer for every single load of wash. Growing up, my mom always hung up the laundry so to me it just makes sense. Plus, it’s one more thing I can do to be more eco-conscious.
- I think I want to see about trying the Dove Skin Vitalizer deal that is reported at CVS. Even if I can’t get the coupon, $4 isn’t bad — and certainly much cheaper than heading to the spa for a microdermabrasion treatment. Supposedly the Dove product is quite comparable, though obviously not the same thing.
- I still have a cold. I felt great for about a week, and then Saturday I started to feel crappy. Poor Noah woke up with a cough this morning, too. Hopefully it’ll be short-lived. The fluctuations in temperature and weather can’t be helping!
- Otherwise, things are just moving right along. I have one more repeat on my ripple afghan and that will be finished. And I plan on sewing up a few more bibs and burp cloths this week, as well as some nursing pads. I’d rather not buy the disposable ones and I have plenty of cotton flannel, so we’ll give it a try! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Category Archives: Knitting & Crochet
saturday knitting
Back in February when I went on my little yarn spree at Webs, I purchased four balls of Plymouth Royal Bamboo intending to make myself a light, lacy scarf for summer. I had printed out this pattern from Mind’s Eye Yarns ages ago and stuck it in my knitting binder, and when I saw this beautiful peacock-blue bamboo I knew that the time had come to knit this pattern. Yesterday afternoon I decided that I felt like starting a new project, since my ripple afghan is almost done. (I find the ripple blanket incredibly relaxing — maybe not as good as a sleep number bed or anything, but without a doubt, a great way to wind down before zonking out for the night.)
Anyway, back to the lace scarf. I knit three repeats yesterday and I just finished one more. This pattern knits up fast and easy, even for a slow knitter like myself! I haven’t spent much time on it, but I love how much progress I’ve made. I also love the soft feel and the drape of the bamboo, but the problem is that it unplies (is that a word?) easily. There is one stitch at the bottom that is splitty and loose and making me crazy, but I think ripping the scarf back would only exacerbate the problem by causing more of the same. I’ll try to fix it later, maybe by tacking the stitch with some thread or something. I’ll figure it out. Anyway, here’s a peek:
Oh, That’s Right…
I have a blog. It’s not even like I’ve been that busy, so I guess I just have not had much to write about. Actually, the last two days have been spent primarily in the rocking chair with a sick little boy cuddled up on my lap. Monday night around 10 p.m. Noah started coughing and just didn’t stop no matter what we did. He’d had a bit of a cough off and on since late last week, but nothing alarming. I ended up taking him to the pediatrician yesterday morning and thankfully his chest sounded clear, so the doctor chalked it up to post-nasal drip. Some Benedryl and rest have worked wonders. He’s still in no shape to go out and play or anything, but he’s got a little more life to him today. Poor little man was so pitiful yesterday. 🙁
Let’s see… what else is new. I had an OB appointment today and everything was fine. I hate seeing my weight go up, but at least it’s temporary. I’ll be happy when I can start losing it again. We’ve been watching quite a few movies lately: Klute (awesome 70s pseudo-noir flick), Punisher: War Zone (rather disappointing, read Drew’s take on it), Moving Violation (sheer 80s fun), and The Transporter 3 (entertaining, plus Jason Statham is pretty tasty!). We’ve got Midnight Run coming from Netflix today. I haven’t seen that in ages!
I haven’t done much crafting since I made the crayon rolls last week. I’ve crocheted a few rows on my ripple blanket, but that’s about it. I have lots of ideas, just not the time. Hope things have been swell with you!
In Like a Lion
When they say that March comes in like a lion, I always thought they were referring to the weather, but things around here have been non-stop since the beginning of the month! Hopefully life, too, will slow down and the month will wind down “like a lamb.” We started the week with Noah getting sick on Sunday night. Jake had some kind of stomach bug on Friday and poor Noah caught it. Monday Drew was off to Virginia for a couple days for work. Tuesday I ran what seemed like a million errands. I got the results of my glucose screen (which were normal) and was told I’m slightly anemic and I should pick up some iron supplements. Then Wednesday… ugh. I woke up not feeling well but wondered if my stomach pain was somehow due to the iron pills. I thought maybe it was just too much all at once. As the day wore on, however, it was clear that I was getting what the boys had. Meanwhile, Drew was trying to get home from Norfolk and there were massive delays in Philadelphia (where he had a layover), so I was trying to track flight information at the same time. Not so fun.
At any rate, thankfully Drew was able to get home on Wednesday night and just slightly later than his original flight! I was camped out on the couch feeling pretty awful, but I was so glad he was home. Yesterday I woke up feeling better, though still achy and weak so I took it easy most of the day. I had an OB check-up in the morning and that was fine. I was told that I’m actually just borderline anemic, and it will probably correct itself within a few weeks. She gave me the full medical explanation, but I won’t bore you with it! I only have to take the iron pill twice a week for an extra boost, so that’s good.
Last night we went to the Scholastic Book Fair and ice cream social at Jake’s school. He picked out a Goosebumps book which might be slightly above his reading level, but I’m sure if he just takes his time he’ll have no problem. He’s an excellent reader and zips through the chapter books he gets for homework. This one will take him a little longer, but it’s good to learn patience 🙂 Drew also suggested a Phineas and Ferb book that he’ll read to both Jake and Noah at night. Have you ever watched that cartoon? It is so cute! I love Perry the Platypus. Then we all had sundaes and headed home.
Today I’ve been cleaning the house since it’s been neglected all week. Drew’s brother and his girlfriend are visiting us this weekend so I want to make sure there aren’t many dust bunnies hiding out in the corners of our wood flooring, LOL! I’ve hardly done any cooking this week and today is no exception. I made scrambled eggs for lunch and we’ll have tuna melts (my go-to meatless Lenten meal) for dinner. (The boys will probably have mac & cheese since neither like tuna!). Not very exciting, I know.
I’ve been crocheting up a storm! I finished a hat for Drew, some slippers for myself, and a few flowers (photos to come, I promise!). I’m learning, though, that some things (like hats) might be better left for knitting. The hat I made for him is pretty big and not very snug/stretchy. But it’ll be OK. I will be knitting him a snugger watchcap at some point, though.
I’m also very excited to play with my new toy — I finally broke down and ordered a sewing machine last week! Drew and I had a tax refund deal. He purchased some new equipment for his home studio and encouraged me to finally get myself a sewing machine. As a beginning sewer, I didn’t want to shell out a whole lot of money, and I wanted something fairly simple to operate. Thanks to some friends’ suggestions as well as my own research, I decided on the Brother XL-2610. I am really excited about it!
And that’s the haps here. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
Because baby girls look cute in blue
Who says baby girls have to wear just pink or purple? When I saw this cornflower blue yarn at Webs last month, I thought it was so pretty. I also thought the cotton/viscose blend of the Queensland Hyacinth yarn would be good for a light summer baby sweater. I used the pattern for the sweater in this sweater set and extended the sleeves a bit. I absolutely love the shell design on the cuffs and the bottom of the sweater! The pattern was really simple and worked up fast. For my first crochet sweater, I’m really happy with how it came out.
What a Day…
What a week, really. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow’s going to be in the mid-50s (Sunday might reach the 60s!) and it was just Monday when it seemed the whole east coast was bracing for awful winter weather. Drew’s been sick. I’ve been sick. And while thankfully I’m generally feeling better, save for sinus pressure and a runny/stuffy nose, now poor Jake is sick.
Yes, it’s been a long day already. I woke up around 3:30 and couldn’t fall back to sleep. Shortly after 4 we heard some strange coughing coming from Jake’s room and sure enough, he’d thrown up. Drew and I both got up. He brought Jake downstairs and I stripped the bed and got everything into the washer. Jake seemed to be OK, though he was still sick every so often.
Around 7 I headed over to the hospital to have my one-hour glucose screen done. I won’t lie — it was kind of nice to enjoy the quiet waiting room and work on my afghan. It’s been a while since I picked it up. Last night was the first time in a couple weeks. Here’s how it’s looking so far (I’m not all that much further along since I first wrote about it):
So after my blood draw I got myself a bagel and a decaf. Even though this wasn’t the fasting glucose test, I was still really hungry and I knew it was going to be a long day, LOL! While at the store I rented “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” from the Redbox machine. Both boys wanted to see it and I thought it would be a nice treat for the afternoon. Once I got home, Drew took off for the office and I worked on laundry and caring for my sickie. He doesn’t feel like eating lunch, but at least we’ve been puke-free for probably an hour and a half now, so hopefully that’s a good sign.
I’m exhausted after not only getting up so early, but also going to bed late last night. (I knew it would come back to bite me!). Here’s a snapshot of what my afternoon looks like:
I was lucky to get a free subscription to Martha Stewart Living and over the last couple days I’ve gotten the current issue and a couple back issues as well. So I plan on looking through those, as well as working on the baby sweater I am crocheting, all while watching the chihuahua movie, of course! While being sick is, of course, no fun, sometimes I think it’s a way to remember that we all have to slow it down once in a while. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing! Happy Friday!
Easy Ripple Afghan
Sunday I started crocheting the Easy Ripple Afghan and I am really pleased with how it’s coming along! It’s totally a coincidence that the colors I’m using are the same as the photo shown on the pattern page:
The lighting in my living room wasn’t the greatest, but I’m using black, sage green, cream, olive, and then taupe before the color pattern will repeat. I’ve always liked these blankets and had no idea how easy they were to make! I cast-on (err… chained I guess) 130 stitches, which will make this a good size for a lap blanket:
This one will probably go on the back of my rocking chair, but I’d like to make a larger one at some point for our couch. I bought the yarn a few months ago. I’d planned on knitting a bunch of squares and then piecing them together in a checkerboard-type pattern, but just one square seemed to be taking forever. In two days I’ve already made more progress with crochet. Anyway, just a quick update! And many thanks to Sara and Wendy for so quickly answering my questions over the weekend. You guys are great!
Weekend Snapshots
~ Lazy Caramel Apples ~
~ Primroses on my kitchen windowsill ~
~ Two finished projects and one in progress ~
Say, “Ahh!”
What a week it’s been! Drew was in Virginia Beach on a business trip from Monday to Wednesday, and yesterday Jake had an appointment with the pediatrician. Before Thanksgiving Jake was complaining of a sore throat, so the following Monday I took him to the doctor’s to have it checked out. The nurse practitioner (who, honestly, I am not crazy about) saw him and tested for Strep. That came back negative. Then she wanted to do a test for Mono. I agreed to it but reminded her that Jake had Mono when he was five. Wouldn’t it be highly unlikely for him to have it again, especially without any other symptoms? Clearly, she was going to do what she wanted, so my question didn’t even matter. And of course the test came back negative. We were told to do salt water gargles and give him Tylenol for pain.
A couple weeks passed. The sore throat went away, but his tonsils still seemed quite enlarged, his voice sounded funny, and he’d started snoring and breathing really heavy in his sleep. Just after Christmas, he got a cold and suddenly things started to sound better, but because everyone was already freaked out over the possibility of tonsillitis, I made appointment to see his regular doctor. (And I had to argue with this nurse practitioner over the phone just to get the freaking appointment!)
So anyway, we finally went yesterday. I had started convincing myself that he’d need to have his tonsils removed, but according to the pediatrician, that’s not the case. Yes, he has tonsils that are quite large, but they are healthy looking and they’re not obstructing his airway at all. The heavy breathing/snoring probably has to do with a cold and/or stuffy nose that is lingering. The doctor spent a lot of time looking at Jake’s throat and then showed everything to me, so I do trust what he says. He even did another throat culture for Strep which again came back negative. So really, I did a lot of worrying for nothing! (As usual.)
I’m glad we took him though, because now I have peace of mind. I’ve been so stressed this week, and I’m just glad it is over! I was a wreck on Wednesday night waiting for Drew to get home. He and his co-workers drove this time (which was probably a good idea — with the storm, flights were cancelled and he would never have gotten home). While the snow/ice storm was nowhere near as bad as they were saying, I was still worried about road conditions late at night, when he’d be driving back from his boss’s house. And of course it wasn’t a big deal — he arrived safe and sound with no problems. But you know how it is.
This evening I think we’re going to take the kids out for a quick dinner (nothing exciting, probably just Burger King) and run a few errands. I want to go to CVS and Aldi for a few things. I seriously need to get back into The Drugstore Game. It’s been a while since I’ve done any major CVS shopping, but there are some decent sales this week so I want to go. Maybe we’ll stop by Staples, too. I doubt they have any of their $1 sale items left, but it’s worth a check. And it’s always fun to look at the office furniture. No, really — I love desks and hutches and everything. OK, maybe I’m weird, LOL!
Tomorrow they’re predicting another snowstorm, so the plan is to have a movie afternoon with the boys, and I want to do some knitting, too. Priority #1 is finishing up my dad’s hat, and that shouldn’t be a problem. Then I have some dishcloths I want to do and then I’m thinking of trying a shrug — I saw a couple patterns I really liked and I have a ton of extra yarn, so we’ll see. Anyway, hopefully I will have pics of the hat to post this weekend. Wish me luck as I start the portion with the DPNs. Eeek! I hate those things!
Good Morning :-)
Well, I’m trying to get back into the swing of a normal routine this week, but the weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating! Yesterday morning the local schools had a two-hour delay because of icy roads. Tomorrow’s forcast is looking rather bleak (a wonderous mix of snow/sleet/rain/freezing rain) and I have a hunch school will be cancelled. We live in a pretty hilly area — in fact, the school is up over a hill — so anytime the conditions look somewhat bad I just count on school being called off, or at the very least a two-hour delay in the morning.
This morning I need to finish putting away the piles of Christmas gifts. The decorations are all down (oops — except for the wreath on the front door), but the toys are still all in the living room. Poor Noah got a tee-ball type baseball set for the spring and he is just dying to play with it. Considering that there are still a lot of icy spots on the driveway, and the rest of the yard is covered in snow, I think he’d need more safety equipment than just a helmet to help protect against injury! Only seventy-odd days until spring is here. Maybe I’ll get a January thaw. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?
Let’s see, what else is new… a week from today is my ultrasound! Everyone is making me crazy asking about it, so there you go 😉 And yes, we are hoping to find out the baby’s gender. I think the grandmothers would go nuts if we made them wait this time. I still have to finish up my Dad’s Christmas present, too. I’m knitting him a wool watchcap, and I knew when I started it I should have just knit it flat instead of in the round. I’m almost to the point where I need to switch to DPNs and I just have a bad feeling about it. Hopefully it will all work out. If not, maybe he can wear it next fall! I also need to mend one of my maternity shirts. Of course it’s my favorite one that I wore all of two times! The hem at the bottom fell out in the wash, so that has to get sewed up. Other than that I have laundry (as usual) and I need to do a quick sweep of the house.
It would be nice to get myself motivated after I finish this entry so this afternoon I can just sit by the wood stove and knit or read. For Christmas, Drew gave me Knit One, Kill Two and A Deadly Yarn, both by Maggie Sefton. Either would be perfect for a cold winter’s afternoon! Well, I need to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer so that’s my cue… Enjoy your day!