Peak-a-boo

The skirt is knit….Katie’s excited – the pattern is nearly written – yay!

Oh the fun of creating….

I’m making a skirt – weee…..and it’s so much fun.  Fun in the way knitting hasn’t been to me lately, so that’s good.

At a knit night last Friday a friend of mine gifted me some yarn because it is girly and fun and she figured I had to little girls and could do something with it.  I have to say, I couldn’t think of much besides a hat at the time but by the time I got home, and idea had started to form…

A skirt – why not?!

And I have to tell you, my Katarina loves it.  I’m going to try and get it finished this week and get the pattern written up and on ravelry and etsy – anyone up for some test knitting? pattern editing?

Aaaaaaaand….  the first finished project of the year:

New Directions.

So, it’s been the new year for almost a month now, but it’s never too late to post on resolutions right?

Here’s the thing though, i don’t especially like new year’s resolution – I’ve always had this “non-conformist” mentality which I’m sure makes me more conformist anyway, but whatever – SO, I’m posting the directions I’d like to take this year – I’m not resolved to them, that leads to more disappointment – these are just directions that can change and still lead to a wonderful end.

knitting things first – (easier to decide; direction changes easier to accept)

Direction #1: knitting/crochet/crafting – I’ve started and Etsy page and joined and Etsy team – I’d like to really make a big effort at making things for sale and advertising and getting myself out there enough to actually sell said things.

Direction #2: make an item for each person in my Immediate family – I’m thinking a sweater for each of the kids – mittens too if I get the chance and for Scott whatever he wants, though he hasn’t been very helpful in this so far…

Direction #3: no buying yarn for at least 6 months (Hold me to it!) – this is actually a really difficult task for me – after working in one form of the yarn business or another for 6 years of my life, I’m used to stock changing, seeing the new yarns coming out and the new patterns and having all these things available for test knitting and petting……but I must get over this and use up the shelves and shelves of yarn!

ok, the harder Directions:

Life #1: Try to like every day – even just a little and make it fun for the kids(it’s my job even if i don’t always like it)- I have a really hard time just being home with kids, it drives me a little crazy and makes me feel trapped and not in a they’ll grow up one day and I’ll miss them sort of way – more in the I may die of a brain aneurism if I have to listen to another “mommy, mommy, mommy….ummmmmmm” or “MOMmy, he hit me, she pushed me, she won’t get out of my room….etc…” – I’m not a good referee, I never have been very good at handling any sort of confrontations, whether they be in my own life or just watching others, I got in trouble in 3rd grade for caring too much when someone else got in trouble (I would cry) – another tangent – Allen does this too, poor guy.

Life #2: Make a freaking decision about school and soon – I found out a couple of months ago that UOP has a re-admit application/audition and after emailing back and forth with some people in charge there, I felt like I really could have a chance to  go back and finish my degree in Music Education and become the High School music teacher I’ve always wanted to be – dream come true right?  for all of about 2 weeks I dove in and got things together, even started my FAFSA application and picked out my audition pieces – and then I started to feel guilty – I have 3 little kids and a husband to take care of and how selfish would it be of me to drive an hour away and be gone for 6 hours or so a day to go to school? – creating debt for my family, putting the girls in child/day care, and possibly putting allen into an after school program  – and then really, while it would cause all those things – I would also have a degree that I could potentially get a job and make more money to help support my family – maybe allow scott to work more on some side projects that he’d like to do and have the same school/vacation schedule as the kids – nice right?  and really they’re so little that maybe it would be better for me to go get this done so rather than when they’re all in school with outside things to do too that would make it harder!  ah!  see  how this is such a hard decision that I can’t even put a direction on it besides make a decision?  yikes.  Pray on that one some more I think.

Life #3: be content.  whatever happens, I need to stop worrying or trying to change.  I need to stop wondering about the “what ifs” we did something different unless it’s actually useful!

And so, Fair bloggers, sorry for the rambling today, to finish off this long set, I’ll give you a picture of a little happiness in the rain:

Katie made some yummy orange juice from the Oranges off the tree in our yard – Good job miss Kate.

they’re being so good….

or so i thought.

The girls were coloring so nicely, I just thought i’d take a sec and check my email…

hm.

guess we’ve got some picking up to do before running errands.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas tree….

So much fun – we’ve started a family tradition (only takes once right?) –

Saturday afternoon we packed ourselves in the car and made a short jaunt to the tree farm to pick out the “perfect” christmas tree – the kids had  a great time running around the fake forest and helping Daddy cut down the tree.

Sunday morning we set it up and now the plan is to try and keep the ornaments from being pulled off by the little one.

…..and then, to top off the holiday fun – it might snow today, IN DAVIS.  wooooooooo!!!!!

ah the muses….

yes, Ah!  I keep trying, it’s an every year thing – I started making projects and I had plenty of time to finish them before christmas…. I had enough time, therefore I’ve procrastinated because i had PLENTY of time – and now, i’m not sure if I have enough time -

so, without further ado…my countdown:

1 mitten down, 5 to go – 3 nephews you see…

perhaps some slipper socks

1 hat

1.5 fingerless gloves

and maybe i should remake some of the kids stockings…..hmmmmmmm.

too much to do – too many children to get anything done!

what do your christmas lists look like?

And so it goes.

The baby I’ve been knitting “flock” for was born last night – 6 days late and all and I still don’t have it finished, but just about – need to make the branches and get some dowels and by the time that’s finished He’ll probably be ready for it.

Have also started to try and get the christmas knitting going – thought that I would get a head start and make a list and keep it small this year and actually get things done (talk about a run – on sentence…) And I’m making lizard mittens for the nephews and Allen and I’m 1 down, 7 to go….and then maybe a pair of socks here or there, and I have one sock left to finish for another recipient – with a bit less than 60 days to go – that’s enought time right?! hmmmmm….

I just want to say here that a 6 year old is peering over my shoulder right now asking me who I’m writing a letter to – “who mom? …..who is the letter to?…..are you writing a letter?  to who?………how do you spell Hi?…” – and so if my train of thought is a little off, it’s partly his fault….partly also the girls who are bickering even though one can’t actually speak a full sentence……………I do comfort myself with the thought that it’s almost 6 which means only 2 hours to bed time…………a good kids movie might last an hour and a half and maybe a book or two and then off to bed – YAY!!!!

…and an hour later I continue blogging – fun to just update all at once….

got to go play with the family in the sand this weekend – so much fun

And then we came home and decorated pumpkins my way……

I found out a couple of years ago that the kids are really excited to carve pumpkins until it gets down to the scrape out the seeds and get really sticky and gooey part…and since they don’t like that part and I don’t especially like getting ditched to do that part, we paint.  and then we wash and paint again…….

Halloween kid pics coming soon

Home Sweet Home

So I wrote this about 3 weeks ago and forgot to publish….wooo:

Haven’t had much time to post lately (surprise surprise…) but we’ve been painting and unpacking and killing awful bugs and setting up chicken coops and taking out carpet and generally fixing up the house – just renting still, but all this work will be worth it for the next couple of years

Knitting too little to really post lately – still working on the birds for “flock” for my friends baby to be…..

have been making satin roses like a mad woman and they have now been dropped off to their final owner in hopes of being part of the big wedding on Saturday….

Knitting socks for a friend

Knitting a grocery bag for myself….

helping Allen with Homework

playing hide and seek with Katie in the livingroom

chasing Anna-baby around trying to get her clothes back onto her…

what is it about little girls?!  no clothing is good enough, they must either be completely nude, or changing dresses every 2 minutes to be completely happy….oh well.  we’ll figure it out one day.

Yum!

Ok, we all know that I’m horrible at keeping this updated, but I just wanted to share this recipe for Figs.   I have never done anything with figs except look at them in disgust and complain about how sticky they were….until yesterday.

Our neighbors have a HUGE Black Mission Fig tree that hangs into our yard and just for fun I collected about 20 of them and then came over here to my trusty computer to find a recipe for them.  My first thought was pie, but then I came across Jam……and well, It’s lovely.

I followed this recipe: Cinnamon-Fig Jam – Eating Out Loud

It took about 1 1/2 hours and made 1 jar that we opened and used on biscuits with dinner last night.

I used about a tbsp. of  Orange juice concentrate and extra water in place of the lemon juice because I was out of that.

The figs smell like Christmas when they’re cooking and the cinnamon just gives them a little more depth to the taste.  Enjoy!

pip pip cheerio….

My kids are running around making the “perfect tea” and singing “pip pip cheerio” – thank you Backyardigans…..

I’m in such a funk today, just can’t shake it; between the allergies, lack of sleep, lack of future housing prospects, children who want to takeover every thought i might try and conjure up, and the warmth of summer just beginning to sink in……I just can’t shake it…..

so, I’m blogging (and listening to the kiddos play – I finally turned on the sprinkler and let them go outside – it’ll work for about 10 minutes i think before they start fighting or someone gets hurt) – anyhow, so i’m blogging about things that make me happy, and maybe maybe maybe, that will make me happy …….

here we go:

These are on my counter:

Tulips on the counter

I couldn’t help it, it was an impulse buy yesterday when i was just out getting groceries….

my sock at the symphony

This was one of the lovely things scott and I got to go to in SF for my birthday last month….

There’s more, but i must now give in to the children….my 10 minutes are up….i think it helped a little….