Sunny days!

All right... I'm a little slow in posting... but man, was it ever nice this weekend! The kids couldn't wait to get outside! Jordan was up and dressed, teeth brushed and everything by the time I emerged for my first cup of tea!

Jordan and Hannah asked to get the car out, and so they took turns pushing each other. Awwww... isn't that nice?!?! Yeah... they took turns ramming each other into the steps - crash up derby style! Bonus points if they managed to make the rider jettison out the side! Sheesh! some people's kids!






















On the knitting front, sock 1 for Hannah is done and I'm one to #2. I must have been completely dazed when I picked up the stitches for the heel, because one side looks horrible and the other side is fabulous... and of course, I didn't notice until I was grafting the toe... that's what happens when you knit while watching tv... you just do row after row... Love the pattern though! Based on Grumperina's sock featured in Interweave Knits, but made for my mini-Grumperina. Based on 48 stitches. Rib 3, then brioche stitch. Also, I'll be finishing Jaden's raglan sleeved sweater tonight. (Impressed yet?) I'm just doing the last couple of rows for the rolled collar and then I'm done! And not a moment too soon... I hate circular needles! Ick! Ick! Ick! I've only had to use them for the collar and it just seems so fiddly... could just be me & my technique... I've never used them before, so I shall suspend my formal judgement for now, but I sure will be glad to be done. I must say - it looks fabulous! The seams are... seamless! hardy harr... I'm tickled at how nicely it has all come together. Just in time for his big 6 months old tomorrow! Gosh... where does the time go????

















Snapped this a couple of days ago... Mr Big Man sitting in mama's bed.

And then there's this... what an angel... I could just stare at that face all day.

Spring

"It tis such a lovely day," said the Sock to no one in particular. It was merely enjoying the beauty of the sunshine reflecting off its glorious colours.

"I do say," said the Sock, "the sky certainly is enjoying my blue. "

"Well, enough of this lounging about... I'm off to see if Spring has sprung." And so the Sock left its comfy place in the sun, and went off in search of Spring.

"Excuse me, my fine fellows, but have you perchance seen Spring?" asked the Sock. There came no reply. "How rude" thought the Sock, and so it continued.

























How will I ever find Spring?" said the Sock, to no one in particular as it continued its sun-filled journey.

It found a Tree, full of buds. The tiny Lilac blooms would not appear for some time, and yet they were there, the waiting of promise of beauty and fragrance yet to come. From this vantage point, the Sock asked again, in the loudest voice its wool would allow - "Has anyone seen Spring?"






















And then, a little voice startled him. "Ahem... I've seen Spring."
































It was a Crocus, opening its petals to the warmth of the Sunshine. It said again, "I've seen Spring."























"You have?!!" replied the Sock, hurrying down from its perch. "Oh you must tell me where you've seen Spring!"




Shyly, the little Crocus replied, "Oh my, Spring is beautiful. Spring is about changes. Spring is about warm colours emerging from the coolness of winter."



"It sounds lovely," said the Sock.



"Yes. You are," said the Crocus.

Boogies, Bees & Blankies

I have seen eeeeeeenuf running boogies, flying phlegm, viscous vomitous goo to last me a lifetime!!! Ick!

Well, dear little blog, nearly everyone here is sick... and definitely everyone who is under the age of 8... including the bambino, who still manages to look amazingly cute even while he's sniffing and snarfling. I haven't slept in three nights... but hey... I've been thinking about you and I just wanted you to know that... So here are the highlights from the last few days (boogies aside...)

Jordan participated in the Canada Spelling Bee on Saturday - he was very excited and totally pumped... he was ready to go all the way (but also preparing himself for the possibility of not winning...) He studied very hard for it. Triumphed in Round 1. But erred in Round 2. He was crushed. He mispelled warmth... such an easy word for him. Had to be nerves. He was totally crushed. The setting was horrid, I have to say... it was set in the middle of the food court in the mall... could you find a worse locale?? The sound quality was an issue as well... ok, I know... I'm going on a bit... but I think things could've been arranged a little better to see the kids be successful, not stressed out of their witts. Well, Jordan didn't make it to the next round. After the tears, he was able to accept that he was a winner... maybe not with first prize, but he worked exceptionally hard, went to all the practices, and tried his best. He'll need to study more than just words for next year - learning how to focus better and tune out distraction. He's determined to do better.

Pre-competetion: cool as a cucumber

Sneak shot during Round 1: Cut the tension with a knife!

WIP News: Started a new project..... a test project actually... I want to make a blanket out of my odds and ends of sock yarn... inspired by: Shelly, whom I read about on Yarn Harlot (scroll down)... but I thought I'd test it out first. It's made up of a bunch of mitered squares and looks very cool with all the fantasitc colour changes that come with sock yarns. I'm nearly done Jaden's raglan, getting a little tired of blue... so I thought I'd set my hands to testing it out. Ya know what? These squares have awesome MOJO!!! Great info here. These squares get faster as you go (because you decrease stitches every round) and it's quite thrilling. Honest. It's like riding a roller coaster - the slow climb... then zoom... down the hill, and you're done. What? You don't believe me? Fine then...



So, my test project: I dug out a bunch of crappy yarn that's been kicking around... mostly squeaky acrylic... actually I think it's all squeaky acrylic... but Frugal Me says I shouldn't throw it out, some good ought to come from it, even though it's like knitting with steel wool. Ick. Oh well. THe wicked mojo makes up for it.

Square 1: (My internal conversation...does this look right? it doesn't look like a square to me... hey, this looks like underpants...)













By last night:















And tonight: thought I'd try a big square mixed in. Messed with the mojo. Me not happy. Oh well.













The colours look a little nicer in real life... honest. Just a little though. It's not the prettiest bag of stash... most of it is coming from a neighbour who had a yard sale last year, and after I bought a scooter from here, she said "Hey Jo, you knit... take this wool." (I hate when all yarn gets called wool... this stuff hardly qualified as "wool"...) So it's been occupying a corner, and it's about time I did something with it... get rid of it, or make something out of it. I'd like to get some nice wool to occupy that space!

Ooooo! big BTW... a yarn shop finally opened in Burlington. Gotta go check it out! Spun Fibre Arts - owned by my former naturopathic doctor... I couldn't believe it! Sit and knit is tomorrow. Gonna try to make it out...

Bact to the blankie... It's putting my in mind of Nan actually. she's knit/quilt/craft with whatever she had on hand. Her quilts may not have won any state fairs, but they grace every bed in this household and keep us warm during the long Canadian winters... btw... will it ever end? geez, it's cold! enough already... so I'll knit up these squares from time to time, when the feeling hits and I need some mojo... the finished project will be religated to the tv room, where the kids will use it make forts, the dog will lay on it, and anyone who feels a little chilly can snuggle into it.

This one's for you Nan. I'm calling "Home by and by." I miss you.

It finally happened!!

Hello dear little blog,

What joy this morning... I awoke to the sounds of the birdies outside my window, twittering away... the sun barely peaking through the curtains... I felt rested. Sigh.

AHHHHHHHHH!!! It happened! It finally happened!!! Jaden slept through the night! Woohoo!

Is he not the cutest thing in the world??!!
















It's been a whirlwind lately, but here's the breakdown of all the fun:

1/ Went to make myself a cup of tea a few days ago. Jaden was playing happily, and when I looked in on him, here he was.... He had rolled over and was displaying mixed emotions. Part "Wow, look what I just did!" and part: "Oh crap, what did I just do??" Very cute.

2/ Spent a great weekend at the CafazZoo... it was awesome. We celebrated Easter together. We also had a Passover meal... I know, I know... Passover was Tuesday... we're not Jewish... but we were celebrating the fulfillment of Passover - Jesus, the Lamb of God, our Y'shua. It was deep and incredibly meaningful. How amazing that God gave His people a revelation of their Messiah and true Deliverer - a hint of what was to come... not just deliverance from Egypt, from deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Every minute detail of the Passover has significance and is a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. How amazing. Baruch ata Adonai!

3/ Annie loves the Boy. We do too. He's probably still recovering from the kids tackling him and using him as their personal jungle gym. He tolerated it well. So we decided: Yup. He'll do.

4/ We celebrated 3 birthdays… Hannah who was proud to turn 5 – which she announced very loudly from the back of the church Sunday morning when the Rev. asked if there were any birthdays… Annie nears her ¼ of a century mark, continuing in maturity as a woman and in the Lord… and then there was Boozer Babes... although she is hardly a babe any longer, crossing the threshold of her Sweet 16.


Boozer Babes gets her first car... Hot Wheels...













Musical-obsessed Boozer Babes flippin out over her Wicked b-day card from N8.















As a family, we gathered around her to pray and bless her. Was there a dry eye in the house? Don’t think so. (Thank you Jesus for waterproof mascara!) (sorry the photo's a bit dark... forgive me, N8)

5/ Hannah asked if she could play with Jaden, and I smiled to myself, thinking how beautiful to see the bond between sister and brother developing. However, when I peaked around the corner, I realized that she wanted to play with him… as if he were her little play thing. Even Bosco got in on the action.
























6/ Knitting news: started a wee raglan sweater in 2-toned blue cotton for Jaden. I have some appointments/events coming up that require me to sit and wait, so I thought I’d set my hands to a project that was fairly straightforward and I could just knit mindlessly. I love it! It’s so fulfilling to be growing as a knitter, to see my skills grow so that I can picture something and then knit it. I’m taking notes, and I’ll post the pattern if it works out! (I should probably stop tooting my own horn just in case this flops!!)


















Note: This post was supposed to go up last night but just as I went to upload it, the server crashed. I could hear the voice from the Starship Enterprise speaking – “Unable to comply…” I lost everything, and I was very very very PO’d. I don’t get to post often enough as it is, and then when I do get to it, it crashes. AWK! So I sat down, ate some chocolate and I felt better. Even today, there are still some issues because my images won't upload. I'll try again later, but here's the post for now. BTW… it seems like the sleeping thru the night (STTN) was a one-time deal… sigh…