Ages

Yup. It's been ages.

Two kids has been.... hard. Nora will be one next month which is just crazy. I have felt like I'm starting to get some energy again and am more interested in getting out of the house. I also have some crafty juices flowing, just in time for the holidays.

This kid is just crazy. An easy going baby has turned into a wild child. I adore his questions about the world and they just get harder and harder to answer. Parent strategizing meetings happen daily these days.

...and this one. She's awesome. They both are really but she's just at a great age - exploring, moving, happy just to watch the hustle and bustle that is life with her brother.

and us. We're awesome.  I am the luckiest woman to have a husband that's so invested in being an engaged dad and partner.

Hello Again

I'm back! going to try to start posting here more. That will surely mean lowering my standards for posting but they weren't that high to begin with I guess :)

Our sweet new babe arrived this past December. Nora Anne

I hope to start posting here to help process these big changes happening in our family as we all get used to a new member of our family. Qais has changed so much with his new role as big brother and the fact that he'll be turning 3 next week! Yikes. Some days I'm so happy and grateful for everything I have (awesome husband and 2 kids, roof over my head and yummy food in my belly) and some days I want to crawl in a hole because I'm so overwhelmed. Every day gets easier though.

Goodbye Spring

I love seasonal changes, especially now that I have a kid. Spring and Fall are probably my favorite seasons since they have the best weather here in the southeast but they always feel too short. This spring was no different. The weather was great....until it got too hot. This spring however, was not too short, I couldn't wait to see it go actually.

All spring I wanted to write a blog post about happy spring-y new life budding happiness. But you know what? This spring has been rough. Instead of symbols of rebirth and new growth we've had far far too many deaths and illnesses in our small bubble of family and friends. We've spent way too much time in hospitals in this spring, and consoling loved ones and crying our own tears. I just want to scoop up my loved ones and make their lives okay again.

It hasn't all been awful, there have been some beautiful little moments and it's hard not to smile at my silly boy(s). Focusing so much on the pain of others has made it easy to ignore the one budding life that has persisted through these rough months. I woke up yesterday morning and realized I could deny it no longer...

Qais will be a big brother in December :)

Important Work

Simple play goes hand in hand another favorite activity these days - work. Toddler work is very very important stuff ;)

Cooking and yard work are probably the favorites, but he enjoys cleaning too, and really just carrying things around for me is super fun apparently ;)

I must admit I am really not good at letting the little boy "help" as it usually results in a big mess and there are enough messes around here to begin with. But when I do manage to let him, I swear I can see the gears in his brain working and his entire demeanor changes as he approaches these tasks with such a sense of purpose and satisfaction. As with most parenting challenges I am having to reassess my priorities. Messes can (almost) always be cleaned up. There's important stuff going on :)

Simple Play

Another long absence. I blame it on my busy toddler :)

Let's just jump right in and let me show you how we're keeping busy... with the simplest of all activities.

rocks + sticks + water = endless toddler fun

Trying really hard to enjoy the toddler pace, let this stand as a reminder of how great it is to watch him discover this simple play.

Four Things

Inspired by my friend Lapoli and her inspiring thoughts on simplicity we adopted this mantra around yesterdays gift giving. Four things - something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. They don't have to be 4 separate things if something falls into more than one category. I have to say that it really worked for us! We don't routinely give gifts to each other but when it comes to Q it's hard not to overdo it.

Without further ado, here are Q's four things...

something you want

something you need

something to wear

and something to read

He loves them all but ironically I think the raincoat is his favorite thing ever!

Happy Birthday!

to my sweet sweet 2 year old

this years birthday celebrations had some serious lessons in letting go for me. Letting go of my baby.... and letting go of my near constant desire to have done more. Last year there were many more handmade touches than this year but his excitement and enthusiasm was so fulfilling that I don't regret how things unfolded one bit.

Birthday Prep & Sickness

My boy is turning 2 in under 2 weeks! I have to shift gears to birthday prep and try to enjoy the anticipation of this anniversary.

As I've been thinking ahead to this birthday I have been mourning the loss of my baby, my snuggly love bug who occasionally stood still. This crazy toddler boy I have now is awesome and so much fun, but I do miss the occasional silence and I definitely miss the snuggles. I guess it's a mixed blessing then that the boy has come down with RSV (again!) and doesn't want to be anywhere except in momma's arms, in the rocking chair with a blanket around us both. He wants lots of kisses and demands to be held with both arms wrapped around him. As much as I want him to get better and get his energy back I guess I'm glad to know my 2 year old still needs his momma like this :)

Hatmania

As promised here are just a few of my recent knitting projects. Enjoy :)

actually an adult sized hat, but it fits Q pretty well huh? Made with Noro Kureyon yarn.

I'm in love despite the fact that it was supposed to be for me and it's too small

another noro yarn here - noro silk garden yarn. Lyon hat.

The ear flaps button off and it's so freaking adorable, another love

this one out of cascade 220 superwash merino yarn, a very simple beanie for my darling husband

I've been hat crazy as you can tell.

I've made this pattern above three times so far because family members keep asking for them! That feels good :)

I think my favorite hat so far is the one I finished yesterday. Soulemama's Rosa. I did it a little differently from hers because I didn't care for the super poofy, gathered top and I'm quite happy with how mine came out.

and here it is sitting on my little model

and I have one other hat that's almost done, a very valentines-y hat actually. Not planned that way but it is rather fitting ;) pun intended :)

phew, that's a lot of hats (and that's not even all of them!). I'll show you some of the other projects I've been working on in another post :)

....and we're back

What can I say? Holidays, family, winter. It was not my intention to be gone for over a month from this blog but here we are. Happy New Year! Welcome 2011! My boy is going to turn 2 this year, this month in fact. That's just crazy.

We had a wonderful holiday season, always crazier than you want it to be and I always have so many ideas about how it will be different (and better) next year and then I forget them in the final weeks. Like how I'm going to make all my gifts, and make an advent calendar, not get Q too many gifts, have less plans, be calmer, etc. Yeah, that flies out the window during that last week where I tell myself - just one more thing, just one more party in there, we can do it.... I always regret it though. Mark my words, it will be different next year! I'll write a blog post soon about all the things I'm going to try to do different.

Since then we've been home just trying to keep up with life. Hard stuff with a toddler underfoot. I have tried to carve out some time for crafting. I've been neglecting my sewing (among other things, like this blog!) for knitting and have been churning out some woolen wear to get us through the cold weather (and snows) we've been having. I don't think I enjoy anything quite like I enjoy seeing my kid wearing things I knit.

I can't wait to show you the knitting and other things we've been up to! I promise not to go away for so long again :)

{This Moment}

{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, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama

{This Moment}

{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, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama

Toddlerhood

Toddlerhood has been kicking my butt these past few weeks so I thought I would share this quote that lives on my bulletin board. I put it up there when Q was just a few months old and I was consumed with making all sorts of decisions about sleep training, breastfeeding, vaccines, etc.. but it really has helped me now as well when I am struggling with diet, discipline and routine.


Peaceful Problem Solving

There are no absolute rules about raising children and no guarantees for any parenting techniques. Raise your children how you choose to raise them and in ways that are right for you. Within the range of your comfort zone, modify your approach for each of your children based on their needs, personality, and temperament.

Address only those problems that are true problems to you, and don't create or imagine problems because someone else things you have them, no matter if that person is family, friend, or expert.

Keep your problems in perspective and take ample time to plot the best course of action. Solve your problems by analyzing possible solutions and choosing those solutions that are right for you and your family. Know tat there is rarely one right answer, and often it will take multiple routes before getting to the best destination.

React, listen, and learn constantly, but always sift what you learn through the strainer of your own personal beliefs and parenting philosophy.

- Elizabeth Pantley

Somewhere between a WIP and a FO

It's Thursday. I was going to post some pictures of all my Works In Progress yesterday, and then all my Finished Objects tomorrow but since yesterday didn't happen (like so any of the blog posts I've been writing in my head lately) I thought I would pop in today.

We've been busy gearing up for Christmas, for more cold weather, and for time with friends and family over the next month. I think it's the cold weather most of all that has infected me with knitting bug. There's nothing like knitting needles clicking away with a pile of wool yarn on your lap to keep you warm during the cold. So here are a few of my recent projects - knitting and otherwise.

First, my first pair of socks! not as hard as I expected thank goodness. The yarn is a beautiful handpainted merino fingerling yarn spun up by a friend of mine. These will probably be in Q's stocking.

speaking of stockings. I had planned on knitting everyone a pair of socks for Christmas and having one of those be their stockings but that didn't happen.... So then I thought that I would buy us each a pair of nice wool socks and those would be our stockings.... but then that didn't happen either. So in the end I just got frustrated with my knitting one night, set it aside and whipped these up with some fabric scraps I had

another Christmas knit for the little boy is this wizard hat

doesn't look like much now but it's a HUGE hat that will then be felted down and some decoration added and it will be a wizard hat! trust me ;)

And one more felted knit project and another first for me - mittens!

the one that's finished I have felted some already and tried it on Q, for some reason the thumb is freakishly long so I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet, this one is sort of hibernating while I figure that out

and last but very much not least on my knitting needles this week is my first sweater! Sweaters have always daunted me but no more! super easy!! This was also #20 on my list.

This photo was actually taken a few days ago and the sweater is much more completed now, just waiting for one last sleeve to be sewn on and I can show you some pictures of it all finished up! Unfortunately I think I'll have to make some adjustments once it's done because it seems a little bit short for Q.

I also finished this pumpkin hat a few weeks ago, it was a super quick and easy knit and something I've been wanting to make for a while now. I made it a bit longer than called for so that it could roll down over Q's ears but I still wish I'd added another inch to it because it's so damn cold outside. I can't wait to use this pattern again in the spring to make a strawberry hat :)

That's most of the knitting I've been doing lately, and it's all for Q! I did find time to make myself one little thing, very practical but very handy as well (pun intended!)

Fleece-y fingerless gloves!

Can you tell how incredibly easy these are to make? yup, it's just a tube of fleece with a slit on the side for my thumb. Fleece is so easy to work with since it doesn't unravel at all, I love no hemming! I need to do more decoration to these but I've been using them a lot as is - especially when I get in the car first thing in the morning and the steering wheel is so cold.... fleecy mitts to the rescue!

I actually have a few more finished things to show but I need to find them and snap some pictures of them, between the cold weather, the crud going around and a toddler it may be a while though :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful day today, we certainly have! So much to be thankful for this year, I am a very lucky girl!

We spent the day in our favorite ways - lazing around the house, cooking, crafting, visiting family, eating and then going to bed early :)

Sunday

We've had a rare weekend at home, no big plans or expectations. It was great.

We spent Saturday around town, seeing friends, at the children's museum and walking around downtown. Today was great, a cold clear day with time to be productive around the house. This is my idea of a good Sunday morning - tea, crafts, catching up on stuff online.

I was able to finish up a few fall crafts like this needle felted pumpkin

and make progress on some handmade holiday presents like these socks

(I've actually gotten all the way to the heel since this picture was taken)

This afternoon we went to Hope Gardens, a local community garden for an open house. What a great organization - you can pick and pay for produce, you can lease a plot, and you can go on any Saturday for a work day. It was great to look around and let the little one run through the garden making friends with everyone.

Since last night was our first frost we spent some time outside rearranging in the garden and making our last batch of pesto - yum!

What a great weekend at home!

{This Moment}

{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, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

that's me and Q by the way

Fall Felting

I've been feeling the felt crafts lately and I'll try to share a few of them on here over the next week or so. First, felt acorns!

Aren't they just adorable?

I love them. I've been seeing them on etsy but they just looked too simple to make to justify buying any.

Super simple to make, I wet felted up some small felt beads (although I know you can buy bags of these as well)

and then just hot glue gunned (although I'm sure you could super glue/tacky glue them) into the acorn tops. Voila! Adorable felt acorns!

Happy Halloween

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble.

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

- William Shakespeare

The Last of the Apples

Using up the last our apples this week. Last year, you may remember, I baked lots and lots of apple treats which I shared here. This year we're not enjoying as many baked goods so we have to come up with other ways to enjoy our apples, and preserve them for the rest of the year.

We've put away many quarts of apple sauce

and have over a gallon of dried apples ready to be used in recipes or just snacked on

but I do have one super easy baked apple treat to share with you. I made this last year, and I made it again this past weekend when we had a bunch of family over for brunch. Both times it was a hit, and it's sooo easy! It can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, just just by themselves as a breakfast pastry.

Recipe: thinly slice ~6 apples, put them in a bowl with a cup of brown sugar and toss to cover the apples. Defrost a box of puff pastry and lay the sheets of pastry out on a baking sheet. You can divide the puff pastry into 2 or 3 sections. lay the apples in the middle of the pastry and bake at 375 degrees for ~20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Top with confectioners sugar.