Merry Christmas!

Making Cookies..

My little elves hard at work:)

Sinks & Faucets

The faucets & vessel sinks are in, but still no plumbing.. not too far away though:)

Monday Music

Sunday..

I love Sundays..for some reason they feel longer than Saturdays..isnt that strange? We were busy this afternoon with our normal Sunday afternoon stuff, but one special thing added to the day, was going to see BalletMet's Nutcracker downtown. It was beautiful & so much for fun for all of us. I didnt take the camera, so no pictures to post of that. Imagine lots of snow, sugar plum fairies, dancing flower ballerinas, a theater filled with lots of excited little ones. Maddie couldn't stop asking questions during the performance. Her favorite character was the funny grandma in the beginning scene. Jack liked the fast dancing children.

I also made a version of the "Maple Rosemary" by Catherine Newman http://family.go.com/blog/catherinewman/maple-rosemary-popcorn-1008185/ My rosemary has withered away, so I didn't have any to add nor the cayenne pepper. I followed her recipe exactly minus those ingredients. The kids loved helping. Their favorite part, I would say was popping the corn upstairs:) I moved our machine to the kitchen for this recipe. & they loved melting the butter & mixing in the maple syrup. I thought it was going to be tricky to make, but it was easy & I think the popcorn came out yummy... a bit bland so I can see how the rosemary & cayenne could spice it up some. It was easy to put in containers..I reused glass jars from pickles & pasta sauces. Made a sweet little treat for friends & family.

One Moment..

On our walk today..

More Gift Making..

Maddie & I made a few cat nip pouches this morning...




Lou had a blast...



And then took a nap.


Later in the afternoon, Sally had some play time too. Moo isnt a fan of the nip, just the heat vents on a cold snowy day like today.

Bathroom Update

It's been awhile since I updated the progress we are making in the bathroom..(maybe I should rephrase,) the progress John is making in the bathroom. He's pretty much done it all, thanks babe!

The walls are now, 'liveable green" from sherman williams. It's a bit scary going from the dark brown walls, which I liked to the light, bright bathroom. I was ready to say goodbye though to the brown, which was here when we moved in & the same color as our bedroom. It feels good to have picked the color even though it's still growing on me. John says, "it's here to stay," so I'm optimistic that when it all comes together, it'll feel complete when the green.






The faucets came yesteday..I dont have pictures of those, they are still in the box. But hoping to be able to brush my teeth in my own bathroom this weekend. We are still deciding on the faucets for the tub & shower. The shower door had to be special order, so it'll be 2011 before it's installed & ready to be tested out:) & the hardware is here, but still be put on the cabinet doors.

So mostly the new completed updates are the walls, counter, sinks (kinda) & tile. We both love the tile & John did an awesome job with all the geometry involved. I'm glad we went with the border that matched the floor vs. the backsplash border we picked. We orginally thought about putting the small tile all the way around as the border.

I'm excited & antsy to have come this far with another home improvement project. Hopefully the next post on the bath will show it all done!

Gift Making..

You can never make too many wristwarmers...right?



Neckwarmer/Wristwarmer Set



Peppermint Bark adapted from Bon Appetit 12/98 found on Molly Wizenberg's blog http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/12/look-at-that.html
I read her book, "Homemade Life" a few summers back & totally recommend it even if you aren't a foodie. I definately dont consider myself one, but I love learning about family recipes & her story is one about more than just food.

Monday Music

Snow!!!

The past few weeks, we've been teased with snow showers here & there. Just enough to cover the ground & freezing temps, but this morning we awoke to LOTS of the white stuff. The excitement of the first snow never seems to die. The kids are loving it! & the furry kids too:)

Here are some pictures from this morning.
Maddie being the ornery sister that she is:)
t

The forced shot:) Hurry up mom!!

Decorating

With our little Lou...aka mr. michievious running around, we opted to keep the big tree in the box this year. Instead, we have Jack & Maddie's sweet lil trees to admire, plus lots of crazy lights.

Bloggin & Popcorn

One really cool mom, author & blogger that I love reading is Catherine Newman. She wrote, "Waiting for Birdy..." which I still think of & grin at how much fun that was to read & how I found her writing, when I too was waiting. I remember feeling like she wrote so eloquently what I felt as a new mom.. I think it was an article she wrote when Jack was a baby, babycenter emails maybe, I can't remember, but I'm so glad I found her writing. She's definately one of those moms I admire virtually. She even has her own recipe spot over at http://family.go.com/blog/catherinewman/maple-rosemary-popcorn-1008185/
Her blog is even better www.benandbirdy.blogspot.com.

I've been trying to think of some homemade gift giving ideas.. & this recipe Catherine posted for "maple rosemary popcorn" sounds delicious! I'm also hoping I can pull off the pretzel bark..yum. It' s funny how the world of blogging opens up so many avenues to finding people you enjoy..people you wished you actually lived near, maybe even on the same street, you could just walk over & see their lives up close without peeking into their windows. Some bloggers I wonder if I will outgrow or read until we are old & gray..drifting in & out of our lives without our kids to document, but maybe grandkids to blog about by then. But blogging will be so old-fashioned, something filed alongside mixed cassette tapes. Will the cycle of technology & recording all our thoughts so publicly spiral into everyone disconnecting their computers & actually writing in their old scratchy diary hidden beneath their mattress. Hmmmm, I dont know, but I'll still have this yummy popcorn recipe to whip up. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Monday Music

Wed ramble..

we walk side by side
you gracefully let your guard down
we kick the snow
our hearts racing as we go

Happy December~

December is here! Snow is falling & we get to start our daily December countdown cards.

Today the card chosen is "write a letter to your grandma." We all came up with different ideas for each day counting up till the 25th! Jack typed them out & Maddie decorated with festive stickers..

Two Exciting Projects

Project I...I'm excited that Jack's sweater is coming together..albeit the collar is slowly becoming a nightmare & as he tried it on, he politely tried to tell me how itchy it felt to his skin...maybe wool wasn't the best fiber choice. warmth..i was thinking!! so although I am excited to have it almost done, I'm wondering how much wear time it will get. we'll see...maybe a good outside sweater for layering. I do love the color & design of how it knitted up. now onto more xmas present making.


Project II...bathroom tile is almost complete...minus the grout, edges & trim. happy with the tile choice. it already feels luxurious even with all the mess. excited about the new wall color. i'm leaning towards the 3rd one from the top bar..but really love the 4th choice too..(see color chart pic). It's amazing how much Im noticing our floors that were already there. They seem to feel brighter & more cohesive with the walls now.

Monday Movie Review

Over the long weekend, we watched "Because of Winn Dixie," based on that wonderful children's book by K. DiCamillo. I always find myself doubting that the movie could come close to measuring up to a great book, especially one that I love. But this one did!!! I was totally immersed from the first scene. Opal is just what I imagined her to be & preacher/Opal's daddy is played by Jeff Daniels. Oh I love him! This one made us all laugh out loud. The whole story tugs at my heart beyond explanation.

Jack's Weight Maker & Bathroom Demo

One of Jack's creation...he calls him "weight maker." i love how he can take things out of the kitchen drawer & create little imaginary people:)



Also..I thought it'd be fun to document our bathroom remodel. Ahhh, I'm already dreaming of my new tranquil bath night:) Right now our bathroom is a construction zone. Over the last few days John got all the old tile down & the new cement backboard up...yippee!! We did have one big problem on the first day. After taking down the tile & dry wall, John found a leak coming off the shower copper pipe. With help from Poppy, they were able to figure it out & fix the leak. It looks like when the previous owners put down the floor tiles, & installed the floorboard, a nail gun shot a hole right through the shower pipe. Luckily the nail was holding most of the leak in for the last five or so years, but it could have been a major leak if the nail had broken & the pipe spilled all the water into our dining room ceiling. So I am even more thankful that we started this project & found that leak. It's exciting to pick the tiles & colors!! More to come later.

Gratitude Trees

One of my favorite bloggers & photographers is Erin Wallace over at www.bluebirdbaby.typepad.com. Her recent blog inspired me to "on the fly" pull together a fun crafty activity for the kid's first day off. Our fun craft were "Gratitude Trees."

First, we used watercolor & painted a few pages of watercolor paper. Blending colors & seeing who could make the brightest sheet was great. Next, we let the watercolor dry & then cut out leaves for the tree. I didnt use a template, just freehanded small leaves. Then, I ventured out & grabbed a few branches from the backyard & our trees were on their way to becoming our sweet little gratitude trees.

It was fun to see what the kids came up with for their leaves & we left a whole bowl full of empty leaves to add throughout the rest of the year. We used a hole punch & tied some of the leaves onto our trees & Jack liked to just hang his directly onto the branches. Some of the best leaves that made me smile,...i'm thankful for my long hair, my violin, clean water. ..

Now our gratitude trees are sitting pretty by the front door, greeting our friends & family. We are so proud of them & it was a fun, easy craft. Thanks Erin. Happy Thanksgiving.

Photo Shoot I

The infamous holiday photo shoot..I know it's a bit early, but the weather was so warm on Sunday I coerced the kids into letting me take their picture. It turned out to be hysterical. Maddie crying because she didnt want to wear tights, Jack complaining about how hot his shirt was & Louie..being forced to smile:)

Monday Music

Gift Making

A little peek at some things Jack & I worked on this weekend:)

One Moment..

Last weekend, we went to a "meeting with the nutcracker" event downtown. Maddie was so excited to meet some of the dancers from the show & see a preview of some of the costumes & dances. The best part for J&M was getting to dance around the enormous studio with tons of other kids & dancers from the show. The best for John & I was getting to watch them:)

Something for Jack

It's on the needles, I tried really hard to do the math for this without a pattern, came back to reality & realized there's a reason patterns exist. let's hope I can get it finished for Christmas. Jack's first knitted sweater from mama:)

Reading..

We finished, "Because of Winn Dixie" tonight. Another on my marathon of Kate DiCamillo books. My favorite.

swallowed..

trying not to be swallowed by the wave of to dos..
remembering the excitement when i opened my eyes on christmas eve morning
awaiting the visit to my grandmas, corn, stuffing, chicken casserole, presents, family, memories..
remembering christmas as a family, as a child.
my dad was born on christmas in 1951, i imagine my grandmother holding a newborn on christmas day.
her first born, her only son
the birthday that sometimes got forgotten amongst the presents from santa.
thinking about my dad, cigarettes, coffee, smiling in his spot on christmas morning.
trying not to get swallowed by the wave

Monday Music

We are all listening & dancing to...

Ravelry

With a sick child home today, I actually got a lot done. Maddie's feeling better thankfully.
What I am excited about accomplishing today other than vacuuming is this:
http://www.ravelry.com/people/krd406

Yay, I finally added my current projects to ravelry.com & even some pix!! exciting:)
Here's a close up of my tea leaves cardigan.

Lots & Lots of Papers

At breakfast one day this week, Jack was watching Maddie do her homework sheet from her "Poetry Folder" & he remembered having that same poetry folder way back when, right?. They share the same Kindergarten teacher & in fact had the same preschool teachers..somehow I forgot this until I started looking through the piles & piles of paper & projects that got discovered this week. They have had so much fun looking back at all the things they created & we have held onto. Maddie especially liked seeing all of her old art projects. It gave me an opportunity to purge alot of stuff & reorganize it all..not sure re-organizing is the right word here, but if making the pile smaller & more specific is considered organizing, we did that!
Here's a peek at some of my favorite creations..

Game Night..

Welcome Home Lou

Louie is our little escape artist..he's gotten pretty good at jetting out the door when all the other animals rotate in & out, so I have been letting him slowly adjust to the luxury of becoming an indoor/outdoor cat. Yesterday he ran out the front door when Maddie's bus came. I didnt see him after that escape. After a late afternoon of calling Lou & calling Lou & calling Lou, I find out my neighbor took him to the area shelter. By the time I talked to her, the shelter was closed. Lou spent the night in jail..poor guy. At least he has something to bond with Moo over now. We've only had him a few months & already I felt like I was missing a pet we've always had. So glad he's home.

Watching..

The Fox & The Child is a beautiful story we could watch over & over again.

Projects..

Improvised a leg warmer pattern for Ms. Maddie.
M's Legwarmer by me
Size 6 circular needles
Cast on 36 divide into magic loop
knit 5" in rib K2P2 stitch
knit one row in knit stitch (make a stockinette st)
K1 & M1 on both ends of next row.
Knit 3 more inches
K1 & M1 on both ends of next row.
continue knitting until you are ready for your next 5" rib cuff
cast off loosely & make another:)

My new big project has started slowly & I'm trying to really enjoy making this one. It's a free pattern found here: http://www.shapingdesign.com/Portals/0/involving/shalom_cardigan.pdf. Meghan's blog http://involvingthesenses.blogspot.com/
The internet is a pretty amazing resource for finding free patterns & discovering there are lots of young knitters out there:) I'm loving the texture & color on this & can't wait to see how it all comes together. I'm not reading the pattern too far ahead since I think new projects that are "big" can be a bit intimidating. Hoping to finish before Christmas.

Lemonheads

I found an old tape recently..The Lemonheads "it's a shame about ray"...wow that one brought back a lot of memories. I couldnt stop listening, remembering all the lyrics & shouting them out around the house. How many times had I listened to that tape?? The lovely, Evan Dando..then & now. "I'm too much with myself..I wanna be someone else!"

Noticing..

saw the leaves blowing
scattering by us on their way
noticed the leaves seemed to dance ahead
floating in my hair
where will they land
where will they stay
saw the leaves dancing
skipping to a tune
overhead i see them leaving oh so soon.
my mind danced with possibilities
from their playfulness
noticing the leaves today
noticing the trees saying goodbye

Banana Bread

I remember those days when it was just Jack & I home a lot, when venturing to the mailbox was quite a thrill. A bigger thrill if a magazine awaited:0 Parenting magazines seem to find their way to your box like a missing child when you become a new mother, so I read a lot of them. How to get your child to sleep through the night, how to calculate how tall your child will be, all the stages they fly through that you hope they are mastering on time. I forget most of details of those articles & now realize just being more aware..more in the moment is the best way to learn about your child. But there is one article that I have kept over the last eight years..it's a recipe of chocolate chip banana bread. One of my favorites & one I have made a lot! Yesterday, I spied two mature bananas..the ones, John use to leave notes on that read "when i grow up, I want to be banana bread!" & thought they looked ready. The best part about BB is when it bakes, it makes your whole house smell like a bakery filled with yummy desserts. Jack & Maddie came in the door..grinning & saying "did you make banana bread?? YAY!!" Here's the well loved recipe that originated as "Mandy's Banana Bread" by Julie Green mother of Amanda, 4 & Jacob, 3 in Sarasota, Fl published in Parenting's May 2003:
3 overripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 egg
1/2 stick butter
4 tbs m&ms of chocolate chips
Bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes.