Yarn Along

It's Wednesday again and that mean another week has flown by!  No really it means it is time for the weekly yarn along.  I'm joining with Ginny and everyone to share what's on the needles or hooks and what we've been reading.  I'm excited to share my completed Helena!  This simple baby sweater has taken me two months to complete.  I'm sure if I had worked on it straight through it would have taken me far less time.  The pattern was super easy and once I got the lace pattern memorized it flew off the needles.  That being said, I'm not really all that pleased with the way it turned out.  Actually I'm not pleased with the trim piece around the front sides and the neck and the tie placement.  Perhaps I'm just being (k)nitpicky?
I finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  I enjoyed the book.  I think the author and I are about the same age... her adventure was almost 20 years ago and I have to say that when I was that age, I never, ever would have considered doing the hike that she did.  Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail by herself with really no back country experience took some real guts.  Wild will be coming out in 2014 to a theatre near you!  And yes, I'll be going to see it!

I just started reading The Monuments Men (which is also a movie).  I have always been fascinated by World War II and this is a completely different take on what was happening in Europe during the war.  Corrine and I have also been reading Katie loves the Kittens and Katie and the Puppy Next Door by John Himmelman.  Katie is a (I think) Jack Russell Terrier and her person brings home three little kittens and Katie loves those kittens so much... We checked the books out from the library and have renewed them to their limit.  I returned them after explaining to C that maybe another kid would like to read about Katie.  We were at the library last Friday and she was drawn to them on the shelf.  We checked them out again.

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday!

An Introduction

 I would like to introduce you to my sister in law Bren.  My sister in law is one of those super organized, crafty, DIY people.  She has organized the  most amazing birthday parties for her kids (Harry Potter and Lego themes for starters)  She makes the best teacher gifts. (I bow to her superiority in this department).  She does all kinds of research on projects before she gets started.  She is a communications teacher.  She is the boss of her house, mom to two cute kids, plus she puts up with my brother.  Don't get me wrong, I love my brother and they are good for each other.
Every time I ask her advice on a project I'm thinking about she comes through for me.  At Christmas I needed a teacher gift for C's pre school teacher.  All I did was email Bren and I had a list of four things to do/make for a gift.  I wished she lived closer to us so I could use her in this way weekly.  They live in Japan where my brother is stationed with the United States Navy.  We once decided that we would be the perfect combined mother.  She is the crafty one and I and the homesteader one.
lego cheese & crackers
teacher gift tags
After discussing one of her projects while we were in Japan, I said to her that she should start a blog to share what she's done.  She said that many of her friends have said the same thing.  So at the end of December she did just that.  Her new space is called BrenDid.  Bren shares her recipes, her craftiness and her research (like for her laundry soap).   Today she shared her recipe for homemade Naan which I can't wait to try.   Check it out!

The 52 Project- January

I just finished putting together a photo album on Shutterfly for the 52 Project I did for 2013.  I had been debating whether or not I was going to do the 52 Project again this year.  But I so enjoyed looking back on Corrine as she grew from a two year old to a three year old that I decided I had to do it again in 2014.  I decided that I would post the pictures monthly rather than weekly.  

These are the January pictures of my 2014 52 Project.
1/52-  Corrine and her "Princess Henley" (It's a good thing he completely loves her, it was hard not to laugh at a 150lb dog with a pink princess crown on his head!).
 2/52- Corrine and Henrietta Hippo on her birthday January 13th.
 3/52- With Mickey Mouse!
4/52- "Roping" on her "pony" at the stock show.

Jodi, who started the 52 Project just changed to blog from cheandfidel to practisingsimplicity.
Have a great week my friends.

Yarn Along

It's Wednesday once again and I'm joining the weekly yarn along.  Wednesdays are for sharing books and yarn.  I did not finish the baby sweater.   Last week I left my pattern at the "crafting with kids" day.   Ok, I can't really blame it on that... we went to Disneyland for C's birthday and I got busy.  I did manage some rows on the Hanorah that I'm knitting for C.  I am making the 3T size since she is solidly in a 2T and I would like for her to wear it for as long as possible.  The directions said knit from the under arm for 12.75 inches.  I have knit for 14 inches, plus there is still a border to knit.  My dilemma is whether or not to rip back an inch and then do the border.  Or do I just leave as is and knit the border, making it a longer sweater?

This lovely pile of yarn is my first commissioned knit!  A friend of mine has asked me to knit him a Dr. Who scarf.  I've never seen Dr. Who so I had no idea what this would entail when I said "yeah, no problem."  (I knit four Gryffindor scarves several years ago when we were waiting in line for the midnight release of the Harry Potter books and then we all wore them for the movies as well).  Then I found out how long the Dr. Who scarves really are.  I told him I would go ahead and knit him the scarf, but I would knit him the season 12 scarf which is one of the shorter of the scarves.  And I would knit it around my other projects I have been working on so not to expect the scarf done before summer.  He goes to comic con every summer is San Diego, so that is my goal!  
Photo bomb by Winston! 

I finished Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal.  I thought it was a good book.  There was a plot twist in the middle that I didn't see coming and to me that is the mark of a good book.  There are two others in this Maggie Hope series, but I've not even looked for them yet.  I am still reading Wild, but I have the book.  The other was a library ebook and I had to wait several weeks for it and I can't renew ebooks so I was on the push to finish before it disappeared from my kindle app.  

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday! 



The Weekend

We do not have the normal weekend of Saturday and Sunday.  Our weekends vary, but are usually Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Sometimes we have a Wednesday as well.  Such was the case this past "weekend."  We left for Orange County, CA and Disneyland on Wednesday morning.  We decided while were at Disney Sea in Tokyo that we should go to Disneyland for Corrine's third birthday.  Kids under three are free.  And given that our admission to Disney and California Adventure was $137.00 each it was a good thing she was free!  
 But what a wonderful time!  We actually went to the park on Thursday which was mama's birthday.  We made reservations to have breakfast with Ariel (The Little Mermaid) and ended up meeting Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, and Belle.  Not a bad way for this mama to spend her 45th birthday!
We also  met Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto.  We rode as many of the rides as we could and rode some twice.  Daddy also stood in line with C to meet the princesses again, so mama could ride an adult ride.  Thank goodness for the single rider line at some of the adult rides with longer lines!  With a nap in the middle of the afternoon (and during the hottest part of the 88 degree day) we were able to enjoy most of the day with no cranky melt downs!

It was a great trip, albeit, a fast one.  We will go again when she is a bit older and will be able to go on some of the bigger rides.  Plus I think she will be able to appreciate a bit more.  I was shocked (although I shouldn't have been) at the overall mass consumerism of crap at the Disney store.   We didn't go crazy buying stuff, but we did purchase a couple of souvenirs.  We bought the birthday girl a Minnie Mouse suitcase that she will use for years (or until it falls apart) that she put all of her stuff in a wheeled it through the airport.

On Saturday we had just a few people over for pizza, cake and ice cream.  On Sunday morning we met Papa at the National Western Stock Show.  Papa, who is mainly retired, works at the NWSS during the month of January as the beef superintendent and a catch-a-calf supervisor.  We got a behind the scenes tour.  Her favorite part?  Either the pony ride or the petting zoo!
It was a busy weekend for all.  I think it will take us a few days to recover and get back into a groove!
It's been quite some time, but I'm joining Amanda.  Have a great week!

Three!

I'm not quite sure how it is possible.  My sweet baby girl is three today!  Where did the time go?  Every one said it would fly by.  It most certainly did.  
Corrine at 1 month 
For her first year we took a picture of her with Henrietta Hippo every month on the 13th.  She has gone from being dwarfed by Henrietta to holding her! 
Corrine today
I can hardly believe that we've gone from a tiny baby on oxygen and a feeding tube in the NICU to an
In the NICU the day after she was born
inquisitive, talkative, outgoing, social, friendly, beautiful three year old girl.   She has made me a better person.  She has made me a more patient person (only sometimes though) and I have loved watching the world through her eyes rather than my own old and jaded eyes.  

Happy Birthday Corrine.  Mama and Daddy love you so very much! 

This Moment

A Friday ritual,
A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week.  
A simple, special, extraordinary moment
A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to see find and see.  Joining with SouleMama.

Random Thoughts on Thursday

*  This past weekend we had baked tostadas with carnitas and mashed black beans and homemade salsa verde.  Dee-lish.  We only had a handful of tomatillos in the garden this past summer and I made two small jars of salsa verde.  It has just a hint of lime.  I would love to make some more next summer.  The only problem is other than lime and tomatillos I'm not sure what I put in the salsa.  Did I follow a recipe?  Or did I make it up?  So frustrating.  We'll definitely be savoring the last jar.  

*  Yesterday my sweet baby girl tripped over a door stop and did a face plant.  She fell on the right side of her face and at first glance she looked ok.  Then I took her glasses off to dry her tears and her glasses had slammed into the side of her eye.  She has a very "pretty" black and purple eye.  We put a Hello Kitty bandaid on her cut and then mama kissed it to make it better.

*  There is an food swap coming up and while we don't often have a theme, this one is a soup swap.  Last time I made cream of broccoli cheddar soup.  I'm not sure what to make this time.  Any suggestions?

*  Happy Thursday!

Yarn Along

It's Wednesday again and that means it's time for yarn Along.  I'm joining with Ginny and everyone to share what we we've been working on and what we've been reading.  I have been working pretty  much since December 19th so I've not really gotten a lot accomplished.  The most freeing feeling, though, is that I've finished my final square for the square swap group on ravelry.  I forgot the take a picture before I mailed them, but my October square was a 12x12 log cabin square using scrap yarn in the tropical colors the member requested.  It looked random enough to look really cool.  

I am on the last 8 row lace repeat of the Helena sweater I'm making for a sweet little baby girl.  I made the 6 month size figuring she would be able to wear it in spring and early summer when it is cool in the evening.  I'm using Quince and Co Chickadee in Pomegranate.
I'm reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  She wrote the book about her solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. She was at a time in her life when she needed to find out who she was...her mother had died, her family drifted away and she got divorced because she had made some bad decisions.  She was completely out of her element at the beginning of her hike.  I'm about a one third of the way through the book and she has just taken a bus to Reno because the snow was too deep in the Sierras and she couldn't hike through.  

The other book I'm reading on my ipad is Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal.  Maggie Hope is British by birth, but has been raised by an Aunt in Boston.  She goes back to London to sell her grandmothers house and decides to stay.  It is the beginning of WWII.  Maggie becomes a typist in the secretary pool for Winston Churchill.  She can't become a secretary to him because that is a man's role.  Maggie is a mathematician and soon is helping the war effort.  There is a mystery to the story as well, although I have not gotten that far.  I am enjoying this book so far, but the jury is still out on the writing.  

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday! 

Goals for 2014

I don't normally make a New Years resolution and I'd say the same for 2014,  but I did make some goals that I'd like to work toward.

My first goal is to be a better diabetic.  I was a great diabetic while I was pregnant because I had a high risk pregnancy.  But once my sweet baby girl was born, I kind of fell off that wagon.   I have been a slacker in the blood sugar checking department for quite some time now.  While I was pregnant I checked my blood sugar 10-12 times a day.  Now I'm lucky if I check 4 times a day.  My last A1C was a 9.  An A1C is a 3 month blood sugar check the doctor does.  Sugar adheres to red blood cells and stays there for about 3 months.  They can tell an average blood sugar by how much sugar is on the cells.  A A1C of 9 roughly equates to a blood sugar of 250.  And my doctor wants my blood sugar to be 90-120.  Oops.  Must.  Do.  Better.

My second goal for 2014 is to start exercising more.  Once again it all goes back to when I was pregnant.  I used to run daily.  And then after I worked out, I'd take the dogs for 2-3 mile walk.  But throw a baby in the picture and all of that went out the window.  I am going to sign up for the Georgetown to Idaho  Springs Half Marathon again.  That race is in August so it should give me plenty of time to get back into running shape.  I just feel that I need to be more active especially with a 3 year old.

So both goals are totally attainable.  Both goals are great for my health.  And I'd like your help to keep me on track.  I am doing this for myself and for my family, but I feel that if I have a third party to report to, I might make more of an effort, ya know what I mean?

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