Teacher gifts

We are ready to gift our teachers. Tomorrow is the last day of school. There is a school party, of course. This one will include a water slide, pizza, cookies and a few hours playing with classmates. A lot of the same students will be together again in the fall, which will makes tomorrow's good-byes a little easier. Hello summer break!

Yo! Yo! Yo!

We have two more days of pre-k school left, next Monday and Wednesday. I am awful at thinking up fun and cool teacher gifts. How exactly do you say "thanks for watching 2/3 of my children 3-days-a-week, encouraging them, disciplining them, being an example for them, making sure they don't get hurt and tending to them when they do."? I am not so sure what that answer is, but this year whatever our "thanks" ends up being it will be decorated with yo-yos. I have been making them for the past two days during quite time. It is almost as much fun as knitting. I think I just like busy hands (mine -not the kiddos). This is as far as my idea got before I was side-tracked. I am thinking a gift card in the tins and then decorating the outside:

I got a little side-tracked when I though about adding some yo-yos to a tank. I think it turned out cute. Maybe a little too cute (like 4-yr-old cute?). I'll see if I wear it before going any further, even though I have some Amy Butler fabric that would look cute on a white tank or tee.

Have a great weekend!

Eureka!

I had a funny, kind of silly, and very slight of frame librarian in elementary school. Her name was Ms. Tippins. She always seemed fragile due to her small size and soft voice. When teaching us the Dewey Decimal system and getting us familiar with the library she instructed us to say "Eureka!" when we found our book. So, that was the first word I though of when I found this article: Press Alabama Chanin. It is funny some of the odd things we remember. Anyway, I have been looking for this article for months. I know I read it and had the hard copy at one point. We have 50+ magazines floating around our house at any time which made the search so difficult. About twice a year I can't stand it any more and pass on or get rid of heaps and piles of magazines ranging from The Economist to US Weekly ( don't judge!). I'm sure it got tossed during one of those tantrums. Anyway - for those that enjoy Southern culture, food, Alabama Chanin or all of the above - check it out! Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mommies!!

I'm feeling better

I am feeling better about stuff. My last post did not exemplify anything positive and there are so many positive things around me. I am disturbed by the recycling, or lack of recycling, and I am looking into alternatives. My water is clear, laundry is caught up, children are bathed. All good stuff. My two oldest girls are really growing up. They are tall and lean. No squishy parts to squeeze. When I give them hugs I can feel muscles and bones. They are little girls.

My baby is a toddler with plenty of soft, squishy parts which I take full advantage of and squeeze often. I know these years go quickly.

I am working on another scarf. This one will be a burgandy Malabrigo worsted yarn. I have six more rows and 3600 stitches. I plan on finishing it tonight on my way to see a friend. I am flying to Denver while the girls hang out with their dad for the weekend. I am not sure what he has promised them while I am away, but they aren't complaining about me leaving. It makes leaving a little easier. Be back next week. Have a great weekend.

Toxic

Brown water, recycling abandonment, more brown water. It has been a couple of days filled with disappointment.

This is my washing machine bowl. It is horrible. 5 pm today will be a 24 hour cycle of brown water spewing from our faucets. The water department is supposed to be working on it, but I have not seen an improvement. The upside? Not doing laundry, dishes or baths until the situation is cleaned up. Grrrr! I am fantasizing of living in a green city; recycle containers on street corners, fresh, clean water. Oh yeah - our little city here has decided to give up their recycling efforts. Due to the economic climate, increased recycling costs, blah, blah, it is no longer advantageous. We didn't even make it a full year. All of this is seeping into my blood resulting in a toxic mood.

Surface

If I am not here, and I am often not here, I am either cooking, cleaning, taking care of girl #1, #2 and/ or #3, or knitting. Today blogging won out because I wanted to showcase : Surface !
I am so pleased with this sweater. I am so happy I attempted it! I had plenty of support from my local yarn shop. I first saw the sweater here and fell in love with it instantly.
I get lots of inspiration when I visit Philigry. My photo does not really do the color justice, but it will do for a quick intro. I opted out of button/button holes and will do one large button at the top of the button band with a loop closure. I think it will suit the sweater nicely.
***
Time now to turn my attention to Easter details. I am all Easter-ed out between school and church activities. Hard to believe we still have the actual holiday waiting for us. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

What's in store?

We are on Spring break here. This will be one of two spring breaks. Our next one is two weeks away. It is giving me a taste of summer. I am trying to decide what to do, where to go, and thinking about how we will fill our days.

I want to knit. I bought the yarn for two projects that I would like to complete before summer, but we will see how that goes. The above will be for me. Below will be for Erika and Ainslee. I took them to the yarn store to pick out the yarn.

I am happy with the colors they chose. They would have both picked pink, but I told them pink was not an option. A closet can only have so much pink, and there are so many incredible colors to choose from. They did a great job.

***

The weather has warmed up quite a bit. It is shorts and flip-flops here in SE Texas. We are expecting a slightly cooler weekend, but I am sure it won't stick around for more than a few days.

The warmer weather does mean more outside options for bikes, kites, bubbles, sidewalk chalk. Aidan (above) loves to be in the mix, and the thought of not being able to keep up with her two big sisters has not crossed her mind.

So, while I think about being holed up in a quiet room watching episode after episode of House and knitting away, I know that is not likely to happen. Back to the planning stages for a soon to be hot and humid summer.

Airing out

Our typical morning starts out with this. Sometimes not so messy.
Other times a little messy.

With the warmer weather I have been airing things out. They smell so much better after blowing around outside for a while. Our duvets and bed quilts have all taken a turn in the warm sun.

I have been doing a lot of knitting. I seem to be starting more projects than I finish. I am still working on my sweater, but not with the same fervor. It will definitely be finished in time for the fall which is the next time I am likely to see weather below 70 degrees.

It seems a little odd to be knitting with wool and wool blends while wearing flip flops. I think I need to find a project that requires cotton yarn.

A snack, a visit, and happenings

We have a new favorite snack. It is a tad on the messy side for the baby, but it was a hit. Pop some popcorn (microwave is fine) and spread it on wax paper or a jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with a couple handfuls of dried cranberries. Melt a cup of chocolate chips in the microwave, watching carefully, for a minute or until melted through. Quickly, spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag or zip-top bag. Snip a corner and squeeze on top of the popcorn/cranberry mix. The chocolate will bind the popcorn and cranberries so spread it thoroughly. Let harden and eat. I think this would be fun to make as a party favor for school or birthday parties as well.

A few weeks back we went to Austin for the Austin marathon. It was a short trip and it confirmed my feelings that I definitely want to spend some more time in Austin. It seems like a fun city. While we only spent one night there we packed enough to spend a week! Martin kept asking why we had so much stuff. Hmmm, I wonder. I have given up on packing lightly when traveling as a group of five.

(hotel provisions)

Sunday was race day. We found a spot to cheer on runners and wait for Dad.

Big hugs for the runner, and the end to a fun, although quick, get-away.

Dinner time

We eat in a lot. There was a time when I wished we ate out more, but that time has passed. Three kids in a restaurant is not always fun. Even when their behavior isn't the issue there is always some distraction that keeps me from eating a hot meal. They have to potty, they need a refill, dropped napkins, food needs to be cut, "this isn't what I wanted!", I could go on, but I am sure many of you have heard it all before. So, we eat in a lot. I enjoy cooking when I have an idea what to cook and all ingredients are on hand. An easy meal that we all enjoy is nachos. I try to make them healthy and kid-friendly (no super hot stuff). A few nights ago I made tostada-nachos. I topped corn tostadas with rotisserie chicken, cheddar, olives, queso fresco, cumin and salsa. Bake till warm and cheese is melted. These were topped with lettuce and avocado. Dinner was done! Another recent hit was green curry. This was very easy. I browned chopped chicken thighs, sauteed some onion and followed the directions on the Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste bottle. I added some different veggies (butternut squash, a left over baked potato, and chopped carrots). I made some Jasmine rice and that was that.

I am always on the lookout for quick and healthy options. I try to have everything purchased and thought out in advance so that the evening's witching hour isn't quite so scary. If all else fails then scrambled eggs or pizza delivery is always an option!

Feet and such

I do realize that my blogs border on mundane much of the time, but I keep it going. I keep it going mostly for me, but I do hope it contains some fun or interesting tidbits for someone who might decide to stop by. Having said that here goes another post.



Feet: Erika and Ainslee are 4. They wear a size 10R shoe. Aidan is 15 months and she wears a 6 double wide shoe! Mundane for those who didn't give birth to the three kiddos. Amazing to me! Okay, on to other topics. This is my newest knitting project which I found while reading Philigry. I am in love with this project and knew I would have to give it a try as soon as I saw it. It is going well and I hope to complete it quickly.

I am off to knit. I hope to have a completed sweater to show you soon! Enjoy your weekend.

Hey There

What has happened since I last checked in? My trips to Goodwill have come to a halt, dinners have been made, eaten, some frozen, shared with friends. My "baby" is growing at an alarming speed. Her vocabulary is expanding, her tummy is expanding, she is wanting to hold her own spoon and feed herself, her walk is slowly picking up pace and looking like a jog, she is holding her own and having fun.
My older daughters are asking so many questions (we are in the "why" stage for sure!) that I am not sure I can answer adequately. BTW, what is in a brain? I need to Google that one. The question keeps coming up.

My college Alma mater won the National Championship title - GO GATORS! I have started a new knitting project. And, I am doing my best to take '09 one day at a time. What's going on with you?

Happy New Year

I love the idea of a new start, improving, changing, beginning. 2008 has been very good to us. I am sure 2009 will be great too. We will definitely do our part to ensure that it is good. Here are some photos from our trip to FL. No snow and hardly even jacket weather.

The oysters were my husbands. I like them, but not nearly as much as he does. This plate lasted about two minutes.

The beaches were overcast and windy, but the kids did not seem to care. Toes were buried and dipped in the cold Gulf waters. Waves were chased, as well as birds.

Things here are continuing at a lazy, vacation pace. It really couldn't be better other than being around family this week too. I guess I'll talk to you all next year. Have a safe and happy new year!

Free week

This photo is NOT an indication of our Christmas holiday. It is funny and very uncharacteristic of Aidan. Erika and Ainslee were all smiles the twenty minutes we waited in line and then once they sat in Santa's lap they wouldn't smile. Not a grin. Ugh. The best part was caught on video after the photo was taken. I had Aidan (she was then happy and smiling and pointing at Santa) and E & A were still on his lap chatting away. He was good at asking questions and listening and not rushing onto the next kiddo. So, we had a great visit in Florida, Christmas and the surrounding days were a whirl and a blur in the best way, and now we are back in TX. We have one more week until pre-k starts back up. I have some time (a whole free week's worth) with the girls and no place I/ we need to be. It will be nice. My husband and I are also on a cleaning rampage. All of sudden he has gotten the urge to purge and is going through closets & drawers. It is so unlike him, but I LOVE it. He can be a pack rat for sure, so I will enjoy it as long as it lasts. Christmas is being packed up, the Goodwill stack is waiting to be delivered, and I am feeling good about all the tidy closets & drawers. What a way to say "bye, bye '08".

Lazy Christmas

Things are slowing down here. Friday is the last day of pre-K and their class holiday party. Saturday we load up and leave. With the exception of two gifts (to be bought once we are in FL) and some wrapping (also happening in FL) I am done. Tree, baking, cards - all finished. I can get wrapped up in the excitement (stress) of holidays with the best of them. This is much better, although I do have a little voice "Am I forgetting something?". The downside to having time on my hands? Too many bad Lifetime Movie Network movies. Why isn't there anything good on during the day? It is nice having some quiet time mid-day. I have been knitting a little and catching up on magazines too. Such lazy decadence.

Seriously? It is snowing!

Many of you won't blink twice when reading this, but I was surprised when I pulled the blinds this morning. Our front yard was covered in snow! So was the back yard, the car, and all of our neighbor's yards! I dismissed weather reports that snow was a possibility. Flakes maybe. Snow no. I am eating my words. One of the girls was awake when I realized the whiteness. My reaction was more astonished and surprised than hers. Me: "Ainslee, come look. What is all that?" Her: "Um, snow." spoken in a very monotone and still-sleepy voice. Too bad my husband in is Louisiana (which is also getting snow by the way). If he were here we would have a snowman in the front yard. He is the fun one.

Counting the days

November and December are travel months for us. I feel like I am constantly counting days till our Thanksgiving trip, returning, unpacking and starting to count all over again for the Christmas trip. So, with the Thanksgiving trip behind us we are at home for another two weeks enjoying our decorations and the cold weather in between all the warm weather that we still get in spells. These photos were from our trip to Colorado. We wanted snow and did we get it! All seven kiddos had a great time in the white stuff. The adults managed to get in almost as much sledding as the tots.

Getting home was a little harry. The roads were pretty bad and cars were slipping and sliding all over the place. I had white knuckles until we finally got back to Denver.

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Blogging has definitely taken a back seat to everything, especially watching three little girls enjoy simple holiday treats (aka The Polar Express, hot chocolate, making sweet treats, decorating the tree, admiring the tree each morning). Hope your holidays are chugging along at an enjoyable pace!

Knitting mission complete

If you have read my blog then you have probably picked up on the hints I have dropping for months; I have been fiddling away at a knitting project and it is finally complete. Relief! The project and pattern were not terribly hard, but the lace portion was about to do me in. I will not be attempting another pattern that has lace for quite a while! The pattern is June is for Jag and I picked it up, along with the yarn, while in Florida this past summer. I saw a cute yarn shop while scouting out a book store with my sister one afternoon. Lorena Haldeman was very helpful and friendly. The pattern was probably a smidge beyond my knitting level (again, the lace - UGH!) but it was the bump I needed to move to the next level, so to speak. The true pattern is for a scarf, but I altered it a bit to make a wrap. I am hoping to get lots of wear out of it and the the TX winter weather is just right for a light, wool, wrap. Right now I am working on a hat for Aidan. A plain and simple hat. Knits and purls, easy and simple. I hope to have it finished in weeks, not months.

** Boo! **

This is our attempt at a scary pumpkin. He looks more silly than scary. The girls have been reciting funny little rhymes about Halloween and looking for spooky trees as the sun sets. They are hiding from one another and trying to scare the other. The kid-friendly sentiment of having a spooky Halloween is in the air! The only thing missing is lots of candy and Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" cartoon. Have a spooky, fun Halloween week!

Friday catch-up

Well, blogging is quickly getting pushed further down on the list of things to do. For any of you still checking in, thanks for hanging in there. Not much has been updated, as you know. Today was the pumpkin patch visit at the pre-school. Each child brought a pumpkin to school earlier in the week which were then grouped together to make the pumpkin patch. Today each child was able to pick out their own and this is what came home with E & A. Erika picked the tiniest one in the patch according to her teacher. I was expecting much larger pumpkins which we would carve for Halloween. Guess we will be heading out to buy a few more, larger, pumpkins this weekend. Ms. Aidan is the big 1 now. She started walking last Saturday and turned 1 on Wednesday. It was a big week for her!

I am making a concerted effort to take more individual photos of each child. I have too many of E & A together and not enough individuals. Here is Ainslee.

and Erika.

Have a great weekend!!