Monday, December 31, 2007

Finished Objects 2007

Here's my sad little list of things I knit this year. I actually knit more than this, especially during the marathon Christmas knitting. But these are the ones that made the blog.


Monkey Socks

Saarjte's Booties

Charity Baby Set

Baby Odessa

Pretty as a Poppy Hat

Starsky

Cascade Walking Away Socks aka Pirate Knitting


Miss Dashwood


BFF Socks


Scheherazade Shawl


Baby Shidar


Mad Cow Socks


Madtini Socks


Painted Madness Socks


Mad Weave Socks


Game Day Socks

My Final FO of the Year

And by far my finest

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At first she was a bit angry over the entire birth experience, but she quickly settled down. She was born at 9:18 Friday morning. She weighted 7lbs 2oz, and was 19 inches long. We did choose a name before she was born (finalized as we were walking into the hospital) and it is a lovely name. But for blog purposes I'll call her what the children wanted to name her "Sweet Pea." And she is the sweetest little pea.

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She is doing well, eating like a champ. Sleeping not as well (so I'm tired and crabby), but she's only a few days old, she'll learn. In the mean time we are head over heels in love with her.

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Who could resist that face?

Monday, December 24, 2007

For Your Listening Enjoyment

Again, too busy enjoying Christmas to blog. Plus there was a slight glitch in my blogging plans. I sent all my Christmas knitting home without taking a single picture of anything. Not one scarf, hat or whimsy was documented. I suck! Sure I could tell you what I made, but that's not nearly as fun as pictures. Guys back home, SEND PICTURES.

So instead of gorgeous photos of garments carefully hand knitted for those I love most, today I'll present Bird. Pork Chop isn't the only singer in the family you know. The Greatest and I have never laughed so hard in our lives. (I sure hope this works!)


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Life is Good!

I know, my blogging track record this year is just plain pathetic. I'm posting once, twice a month if you're lucky. And some of my posts are just pictures of the kids to appease the Grandparents (they send better presents when they're happy with you.) But my absence this month has been for a good reason. I've been busy! I've been enjoying Christmas for the first time in three years! I'm actually actively participating in my life again. It feels good.

There has been knitting. Christmas knitting. Carefully chosen yarn and patterns knit especially with someone in mind because it was something I thought they would like to own. So much Christmas knitting I knit until my hands hurt. I knit until I wanted to throw it all in the trash can and never look at it again, needles, yarn, patterns, and all. I knit until I was sick of knitting. I know! Think about that for a minute. I knit until I was sick of knitting.

And when the Christmas knitting was done I knit a tiny pair of baby socks and fell in love with knitting all over again (What's not to love about tiny Socks That Rock socks? It's right in the name. They Rock!).

Then there was some sewing to be done (a very nice break from the knitting), cookies to be baked (I highly recommend Bezzie's Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies YUMMY), and present to be bought, wrapped and shipped home to loved ones. Other presents were to be purchased and hidden in the garage, to be wrapped late at night and await the 24th. There have been friends to visit with, and Christmas lights to see, and Hot Chocolate to be shared. And of course, in the midst of all that, I'm growing a new person, one who is technically "term" today and could appear at any moment in the next few weeks.

Christmas has been wonderful and busy. So I'm sure you will all forgive my noticeable absence this month. I've had a lot on my plate.

The boys on the other hand are a different story. As I was wrapping presents to be sent to loved ones I used the last of a roll of wrapping paper. The tube was quickly claimed by a smiling Meaty. But The Greatest was jealous. He wanted to play too. As did Bird. The end result was me taking all the wrapping paper off two perfectly good tubes so they could all do this.

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And after an hour when the tubes looked like this

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The Greatest took a roll of duct tape and created this

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With the help of a tube stolen from the plastic wrap he made an entire arsenal.

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Clearly someone has too much time on his hands.

But it sure was fun!

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

This is getting ridiculous!

You must understand that I am from the Great Lakes region. While I've traveled around and lived in several different parts of the country, with different climates, on both coasts, the state I grew up in will always be home. I'm from a land of beautiful green hills, and hot sticky summers, and bitterly cold winters. There were four distinct seasons. Springs were wet. Summers were green. Fall was the most beautiful season with yellow and orange leaves drifting in the wind. And winters are white. While I don't love the chill of snow, I love the peaceful look of snow. I love to watch it fall at night on softly lit streets, covering everything in a blanket of white. This is winter to me. Christmas was not always white, but winter always brought at least one episode of beautiful snowman-making snow. My heart will probably always lie there, dreaming of the changing seasons, no matter how long I spend transplanted in this new brown desert landscape.

I do understand that my family is young. My children are small and have been blessed with the blissfully short memories of youth, where days stretch on for more than the prescribed twenty-four hours, a month is too long to contemplate, and any memory more than a year old is hazy or forgotten in favor of the memory of what they did yesterday. Soon the seasons will be something I tell them about, not something they remember. This is fine. This is life.

And I do understand that my family has just been forced to endure the longest summer ever, stretching from March until two weeks ago, with daily temperatures over 100 degrees. I understand that they are acclimating to our new climate. This is really a good thing. If we're going to live here forever (which we just might) getting used to the heat is a good thing.

But no matter how long I live here I don't think I'll be able to consider 60 degrees freezing cold! It just isn't. It's sweater weather (HOORAY). It's play outside weather (really, it is, if only I could convince my kids). But it is most decidedly not freezing.

My children are cold. They wear their coats on in the house. They lie on the couch, huddled under their blankets. They won't go outside to play declaring "It's too cold." They wear hats and scarves on the occasions I force them to run to the store with me. And it's ONLY 60 DEGREES OUT.

If we ever get to go home for Christmas my children will die the instant they get off the plane. They will put one toe outside, and immediately freeze to death. Their poor little bodies will be so shocked by actual winter, they will die. They have become fully acclimated "desert rats."

I expected this from the children. They are young, they adjust to change more quickly than adults do. But the worst one for the whining and the crying is The Greatest. I understand that he spent all summer working outside in the heat. Not only was he outside everyday in the 110+ heat, he was outside in a bullet proof jacket, and a thirty pound belt full of weapons. I'm glad he is acclimated, otherwise he would have died from the heat this summer. And as much as he whines I don't want him dead. So this is a good thing, but does he have to be such a baby about it? I'm not turning the heat on when it's only 60 degrees. Yes I understand that I am carrying around an extra forty pounds of baby weight, and all that fat is keeping me warm, but honestly. For the love of all that's good, why do I knit? Put on a sweater!

But I take it back, the worst one isn't The Greatest. It's this one.

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Why yes. That IS my dog. In a sweater.

She's been whining, groaning, shivering and shaking, spending all her time in the carpeted rooms rather than allow her paws to touch the chilled tile floor. You've never heard someone who is incapable of speech complain so much. I couldn't stand it yesterday and found an old sweater for her to wear. She was suspect at first, fighting me a little as I put it on her, wondering if this was a new form of torture, but she quickly fell in love with her sweater. She is happy once again, wagging her tail and chasing the cat. She is warm. Isn't that what her fur is supposed to be for?

This is getting ridiculous.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Proud Mamma

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Wow Pork Chop, what's with the rollers?

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You look so pretty, very fancy hair. Is there something special going on tonight?

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A Christmas, I mean, Holiday Concert? An elemetary school Holiday Concert? With little children singing "We wish you a merry christmas" so sweetly and off key that your very pregnant Mommy is sure to cry and get laughed at?

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And you're singing the solo? *insert more tears here*

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We couldn't be prouder!

My tiny Pork Chop has been practicing for a month because she wanted to sing a solo in the holiday concert. They didn't announce the soloist until Monday. She came home bursting at the seams with excitment. She had been chosen. We were all so happy for her. It's nice to see your child get something they really want, something they have worked hard for.

And not to brag too much, or sound too biased, but dag-gone, my daughter was good! She was on key, and loud enough for the microphone to actually pick her voice up. And her voice is so pretty with a nice lilt and vibrato to it. We don't own a camcorder, and I very rarely regret not owning one. But I so wish I had owned one last night. She was amazing. I see many concerts and solos in her future. And I'm sure I will cry at every single one.