in my jammies

A Good Book

2012-01-23T13:44:00.003-06:00

If you like flappers and ephemera and Fitzgerald and Coney Island rollercoasters, I highly recommend checking out The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. Engaging visuals, a lovable main character, a charming story, and a quick read (important since I have no time to read!). Thumbs up!

The Haircut

2012-01-21T17:32:00.003-06:00

This morning the baby woke up and looked like MacGyver. It was time to act.

I really, really didn't want to take him to a barber. He doesn't do well with strangers and he doesn't like to be confined, so I knew a haircut would be disastrous and traumatic. Today I was giving him a bath and he was having a blast playing with his cow (he calls it a moo). His hair was cascading down his little shoulders and onto his back. I called Jason in and said, hey, want me to try? He brought me the scissors. I snipped Elliot's little curls. He never realized it--he just played with his moo.

And--be still my heart--my little boy looks like a little boy and not a little bushbaby.

Cold

2012-01-21T11:35:00.004-06:00

Oh so cold. It rained ice last night. The ground is crunchy. Things are white. It sucks.

This little guy has been my companion for the past week: a neck warmer! Just sew a little tube of cotton flannel, fill it with rice and sew it shut, and stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds. I put it on my neck and wrap a scarf around it and it keeps me warm while I'm scraping the car or just freezing in the house.

Thank goodness for bread machines and warm jammies and electric blankets. :)

A Wee Bouquet

2012-01-10T10:55:00.002-06:00

I bought a small shelf/cabinety thing to fill the giant empty space on one of our bedroom walls, and now I'm making things to put on the shelf. I made a button bouquet similar to this for a craft swap several years ago and always wanted to make one for myself.

Old wooden thread spool, some buttons, rick rack, floral wire, and floral tape, all things I had on hand. I shoved some modeling clay in the hole in the spool to hold the stems upright and in place. Making non-textile things is always a challenge for me because I'm most comfortable working in fabric and yarn and floss. Breaking out the glue gun is slightly nerve wracking and exhilarating. :)

My Baby, the Pony

2012-01-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

Think it's time for the first haircut?

Tropics in January

2012-01-08T07:44:00.002-06:00

A little something to replace the pumpkin towel on my oven door. (Pumpkins are so last fall!) I embroidered the pineapple piece, gosh, three years ago, with the intent of putting it on an apron, but it didn't look right on the apron and I never used it. But it's wonderful! They're happy pineapples! So I fused the embroidered piece to a tea towel, added some gingham, and voila! Happy new oven towel.

Dough

2012-01-07T20:01:00.008-06:00

I made my first homemade pizza today! My mom and dad got me a bread maker for Christmas (thanks, guys!), and I got so excited when I realized it can make pizza dough.

No fancy toppings: tomato sauce, Italian sausage, mushrooms, black olives (for me). An assortment of leftover cheeses. Delicious and, surprisingly, cheaper than a takeout pizza. But much, much slower.

Stretching the crust, I felt like Lucy Ricardo.

An Apple Pie a Day

2012-01-07T13:36:00.002-06:00

More mini pies, this time in apple! I realize that this picture looks a little gross, but I wasn't willing to let the pie cool and set up before cutting into it. I'll sacrifice aesthetics if it means I get to eat my pie right away. :)

Breath of Fresh

2012-01-05T17:37:00.004-06:00

Around this time 2 years ago it was minus 4 degrees outside. Today it was 56. We celebrated with playgrounds and mud. I can't describe how uplifting sun and air are in January!

Peace and Quiche

2012-01-05T13:45:00.002-06:00

Over the past few days I’ve tried two new recipes, both from Everyday Food, that turned out well. The first was Beef and Tomato Stew. I’m not normally a fan of really tomatoey dishes, but the tomatoes weren’t overpowering and made a nice sauce for all the other ingredients. We ate it over egg noodles instead of the suggested brown rice (ick). The other recipe, made last night, was Shallot-Mushroom Quiche. This was time intensive—it took me an hour to prepare because I made the crust—but was delicious and will be our dinner again tonight. I made a double batch of pie dough so I can make more mini pies soon. :) I’ve enjoyed using all my new Christmas gadgets to make food.

On getting back to work this week, I realized how refreshing my time off was. My mind is clear(ish). My body doesn’t ache from slouching on the couch with the laptop. I’m not in a constant half-run. I’m going to try to maintain this slowness, this mental peace, as much as I can and remind myself that in sprinting and hurrying, I don’t accomplish much more than I would moving more slowly but I get a lot more worn out.

As I’m writing about mental peace, the baby is shoving macaroni under his butt and throwing peas at me. Serenity now, please.

The Pillow Tree

2012-01-03T17:14:00.002-06:00

The bedroom continues to come together little by little. Remember this? I never hung it up because it was too cutesy. But I loved the tree part and didn't want to waste it, so I cut the tree out, fused it to the green fabric, reframed it with a mat, and hung it up. But it still didn't work. We need something big on that particular piece of wall. That's my next mission.

I turned the tree piece into a pillow! It's just what I wanted!

Once January hits, I'm always ready for spring and freshness and green, even though winter hasn't really even begun here and the ground will be frozen until April. I'm thinking about gardens. Our big project this year is to do some landscaping in our backyard now that we have a fence instead of atrocious hedges. Should I make an herb garden? What should I grow? Should I be realistic and admit that I have very little time to take care of a garden and am always sick of my plants by July even though I start out full of enthusiasm? Do grape vines climb little trellises that I can put on the patio? Can grapes grow in Illinois?

My little pillow of green has me thinking. :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T07:20:00.003-06:00

We rang in the new year quietly with the Pioneer Woman's chicken pot pie, sparkling cider, a game of Dominion, and bed at 10:00. I always like New Year's Day morning better than New Year's Eve. I get up early and enjoy the stillness of everything and pretend that the rest of the world is still asleep.

Here's to a healthy, happy, peaceful 2012. *clink!*

Fresh Flowers

2011-12-31T13:12:00.004-06:00

My crafting with Christmas goodies continues! I made these placemats (the wobbly shape makes them extra charming, right?) with fabric I received from my in-laws. We have been using the same placemats for the past two years now and I wanted to make a new set to spruce things up.

We've been doing a lot of sprucing up this past week: getting rid, organizing, cleaning up, trading in, making new. Now that I'm always at home it's important that the house be uncluttered and at least somewhat clean so I don't go nuts. This week I had time to do a few crafty things that made the house feel a little more fresh and cheerful, and I have a couple more things planned before I jump back into working next week. Ah, two weeks off, you've been so good to me.

Teeny Pie!

2011-12-30T13:53:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law Kristen got me a mini pie maker for Christmas and I made my first-ever teeny cherry pies. They're OMG cute. The pie maker worked really well and cooked the pies in only 8 minutes! I never make big pies because 1) they always look ugly and 2) we can't eat a whole pie, so this machine is perfect.

It does take about as long to prepare as a regular big pie, though. Pit the cherries, cook the cherries, make the dough, roll the dough, cut the dough. The crust turned out great. I didn't like the recipe for the cherry filling very much--way too much cornstarch. I even checked the recipe 4 times when I was preparing it to make sure I had the measurements right. Next time I'll use half as much.

Oh, sweet little pies.

Terra

2011-12-28T21:50:00.006-06:00

Our bedroom has been in limbo for a couple years. It's still missing...something. Besides window casings and nonugly curtains, that is. We can't really keep pretty things around because the cat knocks things off of things for sport, especially at 1:36 in the morning when she wants food. I'm not kidding. She has torn us from a cozy slumber at least once a night for the past 7 1/2 years. So I thought--terrarium! Pretty and green, but big and heavy enough that the cat (hopefully!) can't destroy it.

My in-laws gave me a pretty jar and a gift card to the local plant store so I could make my own. Here it is in its dirty glory! I didn't realize so much of the jar would consist of rocks and dirt, so it's not quite what I planned, but I like it just the same. I know nothing about plants--I chose these on the basis of "aww, this is so cute!"--so let's see if they survive.

p.s.: This is my 200th post! :)

Snow Surprise

2011-12-27T10:16:00.006-06:00

The ground, trees, and sky were all the same color when I woke up this morning. Surprise! The season's first measurable snow. We bundled Elliot up in his Christmas snowpants and took him out to play in the fluffy white stuff for the first time before it all melted away.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T21:28:00.000-06:00

May visions of sugarplums dance in your head tonight. <3

Ring of Roses

2011-12-23T13:24:00.003-06:00

I made the wreath part a couple years ago. The roses are made out of a felted sweater. (Cut circle, cut into spiral, roll into rose shape, repeat.) I never hung it up because it was missing something. And then I realized it. Yes! A big pick of really fake-looking holly that I found in one of my Christmas boxes in the attic! By golly, it's done.

I can haz free time?

2011-12-19T11:02:00.003-06:00

On the first day of vacation, while the kid's alseep,
I'm going to lay in bed and read!

So Very Tie-Tie

2011-12-18T22:50:00.001-06:00

I worked 11 hours today, and I'm done. I'm done for two weeks.

I'm ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Oh, Christmas Tree

2011-12-16T15:16:00.009-06:00

We put up our tree last weekend. This picture is quite deceiving. Elliot was crying most of the time because we wouldn't let him chew on the lights, and in this photo he's actually trying to tear an ornament out of my hands rather than put an ornament on the tree. Can you see the crazy in my eyes? I was dreading the constant "No! No!" of trying to keep him from ripping the tree apart this week, but he's surprisingly done very well. He's happy to point at it and occasionally touch one of the ornaments. Good baby!

I've been working nonstop basically since Halloween, so I'm taking a much-needed two-week break starting Monday. Woohoo!!! Despite all the working, I managed to do most of my high-priority Christmas things. We put up the tree and took Elliot to see Santa. (No likey.) I've made toffee; I still want to make chocolate peppermint cookies. I've watched (rather, listened to while I worked) White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and The Shop Around the Corner, and saw Christmas Vacation in the theater. I'm mostly done with Elliot's stocking. I'm thankful that I've been able to do these things, and I'm so looking forward to doing more next week. TWO WEEKS OFF! YES!

A Sweet Interlude

2011-12-09T17:03:00.005-06:00

When dropped, a candy thermometer shatters into many teeny pieces. In other words, I made toffee this afternoon! It was my mental break from a long week of work. Toffee makes everything a little bit better.

How Merry!

2011-12-02T15:50:00.005-06:00

Happy December! Here's my first Christmas crafty of the season--a jolly little pillow. I cut the circles out intending to make a garland like this one, but it was floppy and looked super lame. I then thought about arranging the polka dot circles in a tree shape on a tea towel, but my design ended up looking like a slice of pepperoni pizza. So the circles became a pillow! Of my own design, I should add. I usually follow patterns or project ideas, so I'm always happy with myself when I create from scratch. (For past pillows, see here, here, and here.)

I had all the supplies in my stash, including the pillow form, which has been collecting dust for a few years. I honestly can't remember what it was originally intended for. I attached the circles to the white fabric using fusible web and then did a running stitch around the edge of each one with embroidery floss. I then sewed on buttons that I got in a craft swap a long time ago and have been saving for something special. I used red fleece left over from Elliot's gnome hat for the back of the pillow.

Next up is Elliot's stocking. I got the yarn for it yesterday--so pretty and nature-y! There is so much that I want to do for Christmas and so little time to do it. I'm trying to prioritize what I want to do and make the most of my scant free time. I wouldn't really even call it free--I let the kid tear apart the DVD rack or my fabric cabinet in order to get a few minutes to sit down and craft. I did have to put him in his crib when I sewed the pillow pieces together because he kept unplugging my machine and crawling across the foot pedal. Aah, crafting with a baby. :)

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T11:25:00.005-06:00

It's gray and chilly. Just the right day for venturing to a boisterous horse farm in the country and eating stuffing and noodles in a kitchen with a wood stove in a house packed with people I love. We'll be hugging each other extra big this year. <3

My contribution this year, and every year, is cranberry sauce. The grownups all claimed the traditional foods 30 years ago and there are always too many desserts, so I bring the sauce. I think I'm one of three people who eats it. But I can't have my turkey without my cranberries. (Recipe: Put bag of cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest in pot. Boil until cranberries are thick. Cool. Eat.)

And I celebrated the fact that I had time to iron this morning by dressing up! This is me. This is what I used to look like every day, before I had no reason to leave the house anymore. :) It's nice to get gussied up once in a while.

And this is a new headband that I made this morning. I've been wearing the same pink flowered thing for a long time now and it was time for something a little fruitier.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a day filled with love and health and peace. And pie.

A Few Words in Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T18:31:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have been thinking a lot--not just now, but for the past few months--about gratitude and all the blessings I have in my life. On this Thanksgiving, I am most thankful that this year turned around from being so very negative to being so very positive.

The year started off great. On January 3 I went back to work after 5 months on leave, happy to get out of the house and excited to be among my coworkers and have a schedule again. After about a week, things slowly started falling apart. Too many losses in such a short time. On January 11 my uncle was hit by a semi and killed while driving home on an icy interstate. In February, a close friend lost his dad to horrible circumstances after losing his mom to cancer the previous September. In March, I learned that someone I consider to be an honorary big brother was diagnosed with terminal melanoma at the age of 32. So much sickness. In February, I got a respiratory virus that kicked off what was to be the longest stretch of illness in my life. At one point in March I had a respiratory virus, a sinus infection, an ear infection, and double pinkeye, all at the same time, which taking a week off of work did nothing to cure. Some time in March, I stopped sleeping. Jason, the baby, and the cat would all be snoozing soundly and I would lay there, sometimes tearful, most often bitter, sometimes just playing a song in my head and counting the hours until I had to get up and go to work. So many days I went to the office on 4 hours of sleep while sicker than a dog. I fell behind because I could never make it in for a full week. I did all this while caring for a wee baby.

Sometime at the end of April I decided that something had to give or I would break. I was physically and emotionally drained and not enjoying, well, anything. After lots of prayer, research, conversation, and Pepto Bismol, I decided to plunge into freelancing and leave my job. All through May, June, and July I buzzed with nervous but excited anticipation and felt light, knowing that a change, any change, was coming and that things would soon be different.

And if you've at all read my blog, you know that things changed. For the better. Oh, for the better. What an enormous shift happened in July. I am physically and emotionally well. I am able to live a lifestyle that is healthy and sane and, most of all, positive. I am such an up, up, up person and it feels so good to be positive after being down, down, down for so long. My heart is overflowing with thanks to God and fortune. I am so proud that I took the chance to make a change, and I am so happy that the change is working out, and I pray that we are able to keep making ends meet the way we are.

Thank you, God. Thank you, Jason and Elliot, who I love more than life itself. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, me, for having the courage and drive to turn things around. Thank you, people who give me work. Thank you, you, for reading this. Happy Thanksgiving. :)

Oh, Puffs!

2011-11-17T15:20:00.004-06:00

I had a few free minutes between the work I did all morning and the work I'll be doing tonight. I made puffs! These are the Pioneer Woman's French breakfast puffs. I don't know how French they are, but ils sont délicieux! They are super tender (hello, Crisco!) and taste like a very fluffy crumb cake. I tried to wait until after dinner to try one but it was warm and sugary and, well, now it's in a better place. My tummy.

It's been a Pioneer Woman kind of week around here. Sunday we made the pork roast with apples and onions, yesterday we made the macaroni and cheese, and right now the white chili is getting started on the stove. I know she's been around for a long time but I'm a PW newbie. I started looking for simple recipes as a means to save money (as much as I love them, I can't justify using prosciutto and artichokes and fancy cheese very often these days) and came across her book. Now I'm cooking beans and hunks of meat left and right. And puffs. :)

Beanface

2011-11-15T19:16:00.002-06:00

Just used a nasal aspirator to suck beans out of the kid's nose. Eeeww.

Snuggles

2011-11-14T10:59:00.004-06:00

I originally started this blanket for Craft Hope, but I wasn't able to finish it before the project deadline. Over the weekend I remembered the half-finished blankie sitting in the back of the car and thought, hey, Project Night Night!

I made the blanket way too long when I started it back in May. To make it proportional I would have had to make it almost twin-bed size. So I folded what I had in half, crocheted around the edges, and made a small, double-thick blanket. I then added a ruffled edge and a little crocheted button flower. This was originally meant to be a stash-busting blankie, but I ran out of pink and could find only a 17-pound ball of it. So if you need 16 1/2 pounds of pink yarn, I can hook you up. :)

If you're so inclined, check out Project Night Night. It makes me happy to think that this blankie will go to a homeless child who could use some warmth and cheer.

Sunday Dinner

2011-11-13T21:33:00.003-06:00

I really like the idea of Sunday dinner. A yummy and filling meal that cooked for a long time, and something homemade and special for dessert. I don't think I'd be able to pull it off every Sunday, but maybe one Sunday a month? I can shoot for that!

Today I made the pork roast with apples that I mentioned the other day, and it turned out really well. I'm getting comfortable cooking large hunks of meat, which is something I've always shied away from. I found that I like them best when they're cooked in a lot of liquid. In this particular recipe, you braise the pork roast in 4 cups of apple juice and 1 cup of beef broth. After the pork is done, you boil the liquid down to a super-intense glaze. It takes forever, but once it starts to thicken it thickens fast. Jason was like, "oh, I think it'll be done in a minute or so." A minute later the glaze had reached hard-ball stage. I put it on the leftover roast and put it in the fridge. Tomorrow we will likely have pork with a hard candy shell. :)

I love pie but I rarely make pies because I'm afraid of crusts. They usually taste good but they always look hideous. My mom taught me to make a pie crust a couple years ago and I think I need a refresher. I've been craving homemade chocolate pudding, so today I made chocolate pudding pie. I forgot to prick the crust before I baked it so it puffed up and shrank down and ended up kinda flat and disky. But the pudding turned out delicious, and the pie, although not that cute, was pretty good. And I have leftover pudding. It's calling my name and I'm trying to ignore it because it's time for bed.

The best part? Leftovers tomorrow!

My 5 Favorite Christmas Movies

2011-11-12T14:41:00.008-06:00

This is about the time each year that I start getting excited about Christmas. (Thanksgiving? What's that?) It's time to make Christmas ornaments and think about cookies and watch Christmas movies! Following, in order, are my top 5 Christmas movies. (Note that these are completely different from Christmas television specials. I'm a diehard Rankin-Bass girl and my top 5 list would be filled with RB specials if I were to include them. So I'm not.)

#5 Meet Me In St. Louis
Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Tootie needs mental help. It's Technicolor. Good for year-round viewing!

#4 Christmas in Connecticut
On first viewing I didn't care for this movie, but it's grown on me a lot. I always kind of giggle about how magazines and blogs portray such idealized lifestyles. It's nice to know this was going on all the way back in the 40s. And the scene with the leads on a sleigh ride in the snow is so sweet. Movie snow always gets me *right here*.

#3 The Bishop's Wife
This movie is just plain magical. It's like a dream set in a snowglobe.

#2 Holiday Inn
The animated calendar, Fred Astaire dancing with firecrackers, and the original performance of "White Christmas." Good for any holiday, not just Christmas. :)

#1 Christmas Vacation
It doesn't feel like Christmas until I hear the words "Merry Christmas! Shitter was full!" Jason and I have watched this every year for the past 9 or so years. I can probably play the whole movie in my head. Last year, because Elliot was going through a very cranky phase, we didn't get to watch it until Christmas Eve and even then it took 4 hours because we had to take screaming-baby breaks. We saw it in the theater a few years ago and will have the chance to do so again this year. So very excited!

Take Me To Your Leader

2011-11-09T17:01:00.003-06:00

I discovered that, with enough determination, I can crochet while hanging out with the baby! I stick a ball of yarn under my arm and follow him as he flies from room to room. Sometimes he'll pause long enough that I can sit down and get a couple rows done. It's not efficient, but it works!

I think the last ami I made was this bear I crocheted while on bed rest. Geez, it's been a while! This robot guy, from Amigurumi Two, is for Elliot for Christmas. I'm planning to make him the airplane for Christmas as well. We're going to try to keep it simple and sweet.

Next up is a stocking. I still have to decide whether to crochet it or sew it. I never got around to making the baby a stocking last year because he was going through what I like to call his "screaming" phase in December. He's much more pleasant this year, thank the good Lord. :)

We Still Eat!

2011-11-07T19:20:00.003-06:00

Here's a nice break from my usual "hey, here's a photo of us walking outside" posts--a food post! The last time I posted something dinnery was in May. We have indeed eaten since then! We actually cook a decent dinner almost every night now because I can get groceries during a weekday, I can start dinner early in the evening (ugh, I freaking hated eating at 7:30 when I worked full time), and it saves money. And eating well keeps us happy. Tonight we made chicken cacciatore with crisp polenta, and I thought it looked fancy enough to post.

The chicken is cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and green olives. I was a little iffy about the olives but they get three thumbs up. It's served with broiled tubed polenta, which is really good for scooping sauce off the plate. The recipe uses bone-in chicken thighs, which seem to be two or three times cheaper than boneless thighs.

In other food news, I've become a big fan of Pioneer Woman recipes lately. Her pork roast with apples and onions is on my list, as is her broccoli-cheese soup. I've made the macaroni and cheese and beans and cornbread from her book--both awesome. I'm actually becoming a big fan of beans because I'm realizing how versatile they are. And did I mention cheap? Cheap is important these days. :)

The Little Woods

2011-11-05T19:04:00.002-05:00

A patch of woods with nice wood-plank paths and lots of fallen tree trunks to explore. It's across the street from a big old cemetery that is rumored to be haunted by The Blue Man. I can imagine that this place is spooky at night, with its tunnel-like paths that wind up hills and plunge down into the creek. But during the day it's a pretty, peaceful little walk.

Pretty New Coat

2011-11-04T16:02:00.003-05:00

Since I've been freelancing I've been trying very hard to not buy things. Besides food and that kind of stuff, there is not a thing in this world that I need. But the want-its--oh, the want-its can be hard to deal with sometimes.

About six years ago I bought a coat on clearance at Old Navy. A white, knee-length car coat that looked straight out of the 60s. I always wore it with a skirt and knee boots and it made me feel super cute and happy. As time went on the coat turned cream and then kinda grayish and the lining ripped to shreds. This past spring, I finally admitted to myself that it looked terrible and threw it out. It stung, but I resisted the urge to snatch it back out of the garbage can. (I did not have such willpower with a certain pair of shoes.)

Today I saw that Old Navy's coats are on sale for half price. I also had a coupon for 30% off. I went. I shopped. I found my beloved old coat reincarnated in short form.

I bought. I am proud to say that this $80 coat cost $28 when all was said and done. (Also, I scored a super-cute open-knit shawl, regularly $34.50, for $1.47. That was totally bragging. I'm sorry.)

I have freakishly long monkey arms. In seventh grade, I was the only kid in my class whose armspan was longer than I was tall (and I was so embarrassed that I lied and said that I was a tall rectangle instead of a wide rectangle). The sleeves on this coat were cuffed about six inches. I did a couple snips and rolled the sleeves down and--hallelujah!!--this will be the first winter that my wrists don't freeze.

One other thing is that this coat somehow makes me feel like me. One thing I really liked about working was getting dressed up to go to the office: knee socks, cute shoes, skirts, all that stuff. Now I put on a shirt that doesn't need to be ironed (I have very few) and a pair of jeans that don't fit quite right and plunk down on the couch with a laptop. I don't feel like I look much like myself anymore, and that makes me a little sad. I could get dressed up, but there's little point. This coat gives me an easy way to look like my old, hey-I-put-effort-into-getting-dressed self.

So yes, it is just a coat, and this is a long post about something that is just a coat. But it gave me a little boost, which I appreciate very much. :)

A Sweet Weekend

2011-10-31T14:12:00.005-05:00

The past few days have been a welcome interlude of quiet. I'm in the middle of an enormous job and last week I tested to edit for a science journal place (keep your fingers crossed!). Around Wednesday I felt like my brain had a slow leak. I hadn't taken two days off in a row in who knows how long and I was feeling overwhelmed and getting burned out. I decided to finish my test and then take three entire days off. To do whatever I felt like doing.

Friday I finished a hat I was working on and took a nap. Saturday we cleaned the house like mad (turns out crap piles up fast!). I cleaned out and reorganized all the kitchen cabinets and my dresser drawers. I cooked ribs in the oven and made macaroni salad, and we had a Southern-style dinner. Yesterday I mopped the floors with bleach (for the second time ever!) and we played a nerdy board game and visited family to show off Elliot's Halloween costume. I am so thankful that I had the time to make an outfit for him this year. The pictures and memories of him wearing it are so precious to me.

And today I wanted to make caramels, so I decided to make it a four-day weekend. :)

It's back to work tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be paying for my little holiday somewhere down the line. But sometimes a girl has to dress her baby up like a gnome and eat some caramels.

Gnomade

2011-10-30T19:59:00.002-05:00

Look what we found out in the garden!

Happy Halloween!

Everything in its place

2011-10-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

I've been bitten by the organizing bug. Oh my!

Cranberry

2011-10-28T11:02:00.003-05:00

I made a hat!

It's Hot Head from the first Stitch n Bitch knitting book. It's knitted on straight needles and seamed up the back. I must admit that the seam looks pretty craptastic and it's bugging me, so I'll have to make sure no one stands behind me while I'm wearing it. :) I had some nice wool yarn sitting around and I've been getting chilly when I go outside with Elliot, so there you go! A new hat! Maybe I'll try blocking the seam part. Did I mention that it's really bugging me?

And now that cranberries are in the store, I made a special cranberry sauce to eat on pork chops last night. It's 2 cups of cranberries, a cup of apple juice, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, and a sprig of rosemary, snipped, all cooked over low heat until thick. When I first made it I almost left the rosemary about because it sounded too weird but, lemme tell ya, it adds a whole extra layer to the sweet-tart thing. Give it a try. :)

Kennekuk Cove

2011-10-18T15:40:00.004-05:00

Saturday we forged through the prairie; Sunday we wandered in the woods. Not too far away is a place with a lake and tall trees and hills so steep they require hand rails. I had no idea such a place existed nearby! We went, we hiked. Was it awesome?

Does a Mandy pee in the woods?

Fall is here for sure. Illinois: where we get all four seasons, sometimes in the same week.

In the park is a main street created with old buildings that have been relocated to the grounds. It’s a surreal combination of now and then plunked in the middle of a prairie in the middle of a park that no one seems to visit. There’s a grocery store,

a barber shop,

a barn,

a Pullman dining car,

and a church, school, and house. The buildings have period furnishings and goods, but unfortunately they’re closed for the season, so I had to settle for wiping my drool off the windows after peeking in the little house and seeing the seafoam green appliances from the 50s.

If you’re in my neck of the woods and know of a gem that I should visit, please let me know. It’s so exciting to find something wonderful that’s been under my nose all along.

Shades of Orange

2011-10-16T07:28:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we headed to the country. Although I live in a town of about 100,000 (huge for central Illinois), it's just a stone's throw in all directions to lush, green bean fields and tall, crispy corn fields. Soon the streets lose names and become County Road Something Something East. We headed to pumpkins. To a little patch on a working farm where everything is dirt cheap and the money taker rings up your order by looking in your wagon.

On the way home we made a pit stop and went for a walk. Have you ever seen the prairie of the midwest? It's subtle. It doesn't have the drama or power of the mountains and the ocean, but if you just stand in the sun and take it in, you can feel its presence. This is it.

And have you ever felt your soul smiling? Felt yourself being tugged and stretched and realized that the capacity of your heart just grew even though you thought it was already as big as it could be?

This is it.

Harvest Embroidery

2011-10-11T16:17:00.006-05:00

Fall is coming! Kinda. It's been 80some degrees for the past week and a half. The leaves are starting to change! Sorta. I keep forgetting it's October and that the time will change soon and things will start getting cozier. After I cleaned up from Elliot's birthday party I broke out the falling leaves garland I made last year and the leaf embroidery I made the year before that. My contribution this year: a tea towel!

This cute little pumpkin is from Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection. Because I have about one cumulative hour free to myself each week, it took a ridiculous length of time to make. But it still feels damn awesome to have made something and I'm thankful for every minute that I get to sit quietly and create.

My next project is a Halloween costume for Elliot. Anyone have a patten for an axe? A cute axe, of course. :)

DONE!

2011-10-09T09:18:00.002-05:00

After a couple weeks of very poor time management followed by a couple crunch weeks of long days and late nights and crossed eyes, I finished my 650-page freelance job last night. Yes!!! And I am blessed to have a 950-page job (hallelujah and yikes!) sitting in my inbox. But that will wait just a couple days. Today, I am going to do a little more of this.

Happy birthday, dear Elliot

2011-10-01T21:03:00.003-05:00

A certain special someone turned a year old today. I could write so many things. About the crafty things I made, about how I made a sit-down lunch for 26 family members, about how Elliot finally had his first cupcake, about how today was one of the nicest days that I can recall. About how I love this little fella in a way that I didn't know existed.

But you know what? I'm freaking exhausted. I made a sit-down lunch for 26 people! I'm ready for bed. Happy first birthday, my dear sweet Elliot.

Equinox

2011-09-24T13:39:00.004-05:00

Fall is wonderful. I'm choosing to ignore the allergies that have made me feel like I'm trying to swallow a ball of socks and I am instead focusing on all the pretty nature stuff. This is the first fall in 7 years that I'm not in an office all day and I'm savoring the chance to get outside and see all the plants and bugs and sky.

I have been frequenting the same prairie park for the past couple months. Because I've been going so often, I'm really noticing all the changes that are occurring and it's making me appreciate it that much more. We took a walk there this morning. Well, first we took several trips down the slide (a.k.a. Elliot's Favorite Thing in the World).

We usually take a long, paved trail around the perimeter of the park but this time took one of the many paths that are cut into the prairie. All we knew is that we had to go left at some point. We got turned around a few times and stuck on the wrong side of the creek. Hundreds of grasshoppers sprang out of our way and the butterflies put on a little show.

Happy autumn.

Clingy like a peach

2011-09-22T09:59:00.003-05:00

The "don't get more than an inch away from me, okay?" phase has begun. Oh my!

The new favorite!

2011-09-21T19:39:00.002-05:00

He starts giggling madly before we even reach the top of the slide. I love it.

Cat food! Onions! Vinegar!

2011-09-21T07:48:00.004-05:00

The taking things out of cabinets phase is in full swing! This morning I turned around to see him perilously waving a bottle of vinegar. We have cabinet latches...I think we need to install them now.

Foot sweaters

2011-09-17T15:23:00.005-05:00

My hands and feet are always cold. It's getting fall-like here, so to keep warm around the house I made these Martha Stewart felt slippers. Wool felt is too expensive by the yard, so I felted a Goodwill sweater. Now, books and magazines always suggest using felted sweaters and show these vibrant, pretty creations made of wool in jelly bean colors. I searched Goodwill high and low and found 2 wool sweaters. One was a nice green, but it was a teeny Hollister thing that wouldn't have clothed a single foot. So I went with an XL dowdy brown number. On the plus side, I have enough felt left to make a pair for Jason.

I made these a little big so I can wear socks with them (my feet aren't as big as they look here--promise). I have them on right now and they're keeping me quite warm. And they look only a little bit Hobbity. Verdict: a little funny looking, but pretty good for $3 wool slippers.

Sandybaby

2011-09-13T16:44:00.010-05:00

I needed just a little bit of sand. Apparently you can't buy just a bit of sand, but you can buy 50 pounds of sand for $3.50. So I have a buttload of sand to use up.

I made Elliot a sand box! Well, more like a sand tray. I cut the top off of a USPS priority mail box and filled it with sand and different kinds of containers.

He poked around in it a little at first. He had no idea what it was.

Then he picked some up and discovered that it runs through his fingers. And all over his pants.

I absolutely love taking Elliot outside, but it's also frustrating because he tries to eat everything in sight and then cries when I take everything out of his mouth. I figured that with distractions, he wouldn't be so mouthy. It worked! He played with the toys!

Er, tried to eat the toys.

Yup, tried to eat the sand. But it apparently didn't taste so good.

I was thrilled when he climbed into the box. He was distracted again! He found new ways to play with the sand!

He forgot all about the...sigh. Never mind.

Fenced!

2011-09-11T16:54:00.007-05:00

The back yard is fenced! Woo!

A big thank you and chocolate chip cookies to my dad, my brother, and Jason. And Foreman Elliot, who almost whacked Grandpa with a level.

Backyard

2011-09-10T11:01:00.007-05:00

We're starting our backyard renovation today. First step: putting up a wood privacy fence! Oh heck yeah!

We used to have hedges all around the yard but they were impossible to maintain. They were half dead, and the half that was alive was infested with small trees and weeds and all manner of nasty things. Last year, after Jason mentioned casually that we were probably going to put up a fence at some point, our neighbors on one side surprised us by cutting down the hedge on the north side of our yard. As in, we came home from work to find a huge gaping hole with a not-so-pretty view of their garage. I was 6 months pregnant and we had no time, money, or energy to put up a fence, so we've had the big hole for a year. The neighbors on the other sides of us have big dogs that like to bark ferociously and run to the fence when they see someone in our yard. So, yes, the fence is a very big deal around here. (Disclaimer: our neighbors are lovely.)

A big thanks to my crew of hard workers. :)

(If you click the link at the beginning of this post, the fourth photo down is an old view of this exact spot. Look a little different now?)

After the fence is up we're going to do a lot of ripping out. Our yard has lots of fiddly landscaped areas that, while pretty at one time, just take up space and are a pain in the ass to maintain. Then we'll grass in all the dirt areas from where the hedges used to be and put in a few low-maintenance things.

We've disliked--okay, hated--our yard for quite some time. I'm super excited to create a space that Elliot can safely play in and that's easier to maintain and pleasant to be in.

Jammin'

2011-09-07T11:39:00.004-05:00

I visited the farm trucks again this morning to get peaches for jam. Let me skip ahead a little and say that I've never made peach jam and I don't think I've eaten much of it, and I remember not liking the kind I ate. (I think it was Smuckers.) So I don't know why I made it, other than I found really cheap peaches and wanted to do something with them. But it's finished, and it tastes like sunshine. It's so bright and happy and sweet! And good!

The recipe I used is from the Better Homes and Gardens red plaid cookbook. It calls for 4 cups of peeled, finely chopped peaches, 7 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1 3-oz. foil pouch of liquid pectin. You process the jars for 5 minutes, and it makes 7 half pints.

I used seconds peaches. The bag pictured was $4 and was more than enough to make the jam. I had no idea what condition the peaches would be when I cut into them. They were bruised and spotted and looked like they'd been in a streetfight. But except for a few of them, the insides were fine.

See? Sunshine!

Strollin' in the Rain

2011-09-04T11:21:00.008-05:00

This Labor Day weekend has definitely been a farewell to summer and a hello to fall. Yesterday was a scorchy 97 degrees, and we went to the pool for one last summer swim before it closes for the season. A front came through overnight and today it is 30 degrees cooler. We said "oh, psh" to the light drizzle coming down and headed out to our prairie park.

Elliot seemed to enjoy getting a little misty. He thought it was particularly cool when I made squeaky noises by rubbing the wet plastic tray on his stroller.

A little further into the walk, we got him out of the stroller and plunked him down on the damp ground. I want him to feel the grass and play with it (but not eat it, which he tries to do--a lot--along with leaves, rocks, sticks, bugs...). I don't want him just to watch things as they whiz by. At first he was hesitant and stuck close to my lap.

But then he got brave and took off.

He went all the way over to the stroller and explored it with a grin. What a big guy.

At that point the mist got a little heavier, so we packed up and headed on. When we still had more than half a mile to go and were as far away from our car as we could get on the trail, it started raining. And then it came harder, and harder. I carried the baby and covered him with my jacket. He stayed dry for the most part; I did not.

He hated the rain and it made him cry when he was in his stroller, but once I carried him and covered him up he seemed content to stick his little arm out and feel it come down. We cranked up the heat in the car when we got in and dried off and made tea when we got home. He was much happier to be dry and snug.

I think we're all much happier to be dry and snug. :)

Baby Pedicure

2011-09-03T13:03:00.002-05:00

Thinking it was too quiet after Elliot scooted out of the room, I found him gently smooshing his feet in a plate of cat food.

Puttin' Up the Bounty

2011-09-01T13:57:00.006-05:00

I've managed to can a few things this summer: dilly beans, blueberry jam, and pickles.

The green beans in the dilly beans came from my yard. I planted an entire package of green bean seeds earlier this year in a little fenced-off area. I then forgot about them until I happened to walk by fully grown plants with beans hanging off of them and was like "holy moly, I grew green beans!" (I recommend the kind that says "easy to grow" on the package. Indeed!) And I can't just eat things that I grow; I have to do Something Special with my bounty. I pulled out my boiling water canner late on a work night. Jason asked "Are you seriously going to can half a pound of green beans?" Yes. I made two whole jars of dilly beans, and they are delicious.

The blueberries in the jam came from a U-pick farm that I love and that (waaaaaaah!) is closing forever at the end of this season. I made this same recipe last year and it made 3 jars; this year it made 9. Whaa?

I made the pickles yesterday and am thrilled to say that I found a new farmer's market. It's actually been going on for years and is only half a mile from my house, but it's open on Wednesday mornings, which explains why I never saw it before. I really dislike the other market in town. It's crowded with several hundred people standing three deep at the stalls and kids playing violins for money and lots of posturing. I just want to get some damn corn. This new-to-me market is simple--just a couple of guys and a couple of trucks. I noticed they had seconds tomatoes and peaches for $1 per pound, so I might try some peach jam or pasta sauce when I have the time.

I really enjoy canning now that I know how to do it! I recommend the book You Can Can for easy-to-use instructions on getting started.

Babyproof

2011-08-29T19:00:00.005-05:00

The baby is getting taller and faster and more mobile. Our house is so not set up for a mobile baby! After several weeks of trailing him around the dining room and telling him "no, don't pull the dictionary down on your face" and "no, don't throw the vase full of shiny blue things," I finally babyproofed the bookshelves. They're now remarkably like this (on my new favorite blog).

I moved everything off of the bottom two shelves and filled some of the empty cubes with toys. (You might recognize the blocks and the bear from last year's prebaby crafting!) Now he can explore and feel like something in the house belongs to him.

Yup, he can stand and cruise now. He can push around chairs and climb onto low furniture.

I'd like to take this moment to rethank my mom for the playpen. :)

Little Dude on the Prairie

2011-08-21T14:01:00.004-05:00

We've been going on strolls in the park a lot lately. Like, a lot a lot. The baby gets bored and crabby if we're in the house for more than, oh, an hour or so. I discovered a trail that's about a mile and a half long that goes through a nice, tall prairie and has scenic (for central Illinois) views, so we've been hitting that one a lot. I'm getting in shape! :)

The last week of working at home was crazy busy--lots of late nights and not a lot of sleep. But I finished my job on time and it's turned in. I've been using this weekend to recover and apparently I need the rest because I barely made it the mile and a half.

I'm at the point now where I can cut back. I've been working quarter-ish time for my old organization to help them out while my replacement is trained, but I just got a new, big job that will keep me busy for a while. When I stop working quarter time I'll have more time to spend with my fellas--yay!

Not too long after I gave notice at my old job, I got a fortune cookie that said "Your present plans are going to succeed." I was so happy to read that that I taped the fortune to my computer monitor at work. I ate at the same place with a coworker on my last day in the office and my fortune cookie said something to the effect of "You will reject many things before settling into your routine." It's funny how true that's been. It's been such a learn-as-I-go process.

And none of this really has anything to do with going for a walk. :)

Someone's getting HUGE!

2011-08-17T07:35:00.005-05:00

Almost walking, and a first birthday coming up in not too long. Wow.

At the Lake Cont.

2011-08-11T07:24:00.003-05:00

My dad's four siblings and some of their families, and my family! My mom and dad are second and third from the left in the back. A very good time. :)

At the Lake

2011-08-07T16:59:00.005-05:00

Nom nom

2011-08-04T15:22:00.004-05:00

I baked on a weekday afternoon. Sweet!

Ah, flexibility. I'm not a very flexible person so it's been an adjustment. I've always liked to keep work and home separate and working at home is pretty much the antithesis of that, but I feel like I'm learning how to go with the flow and things are working out very nicely so far. I worked this morning and decided to take the afternoon off while Elliot napped, so I made zucchini bread. I should go taste it--it's probably cooled down by now.

Yesterday Elliot and I went to the pool with a friend. I cut out pieces for a quilt I have planned. Can I just say how much I'm enjoying doing little things here and there?

One Man Pool Party

2011-08-01T16:38:00.006-05:00

After conquering the raging rapids of the Cutie Whale Baby Pool, our intrepid explorer set out into the dry savannah. Forge on, brave adventurer.

I've got happy feet!

2011-08-01T12:44:00.006-05:00

I have the hardest time finding shoes. All I want is a pair of black shoes. With low heels and Mary Jane straps. That are really comfortable and don't cost more than $25. Is that too much to ask? I had such a pair once and I loved them until they were irreparably ghetto. So, with a heavy heart, I threw them in the garbage. And, with a remorseful heart, I dug them out and wore them some more. This process was repeated, and might have been repeated again if my cat hadn't made the final decision for me by throwing up her tender beef feast into the left shoe. Into the garbage for good.

That was about a year ago. I found an adequate pair (liked them, but never loved them) that I've been wearing since. Last Friday as I was heading out to the park with the kid, Jason poked his head out the front door and said "um, the cat just threw up in your shoe." I thought I could salvage them until I saw it. This.

(I'm sorry.)

Unsalvageable. Of all the square feet in the house, my cat runs to my shoes when she has to hurk.

In the end I found a pair of black Mary Janes at Urban Outfitters. I don't know how long they'll last because they're made more like house slippers than outdoor shoes, but hell, I need shoes. And the awesome thing is that they were 2 for $20, so I got a super happy fun pair of shoes as well!

Just Because

2011-07-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

WAHM

2011-07-29T16:58:00.004-05:00

So ends the first week of being a work-at-home mom. Can I just say that my kid is pretty darn sweet, and it's awesome to see what he's like when he's not a cranky little banshee in the evenings after day care?

I worked. Hoo boy, did I work. My original plan was to separate work days from Elliot days. That immediately went out the window. I'm fortunate to have a lot of work right now but unfortunately don't have a lot of time to do it. (What is this "free time" I've heard of?) So as soon as the kid hits the mattress for his nap, out comes the laptop. And when the kid wakes up, out come the farm animals and funny voices. I'm as busy as I was before, but it's a more balanced busy. I'm still running all day and dropping at night, but we have real dinners and clean sheets and nonoverflowing garbage cans.

This morning was cloudy and breezy and actually kinda cool, and I took Elliot for a stroll in the park. It was not much past 8:00 so it was quiet, even with the downtown traffic. We rolled over to the empty playground and I plunked him into a bucket swing and started pushing him slowly. He was apprehensive, then smiley, then full-out grinny. Every time he swung toward me he'd show me all four of his tiny teeth and giggle and try to grab my cheeks. My baby's joyful face set against the breezy sky.... That's why I'm doing what I'm doing, and that's why I hope we can make it work. I'm as tired as ever, but it's such a happy tired.

Hairy

2011-07-27T17:05:00.004-05:00

It's so funny to compare Elliot now with Elliot then. I thought he had so much hair in that photo--HA! :) Now his tresses are getting thick and curly and wild. He's looking less like a baby and more like a little boy. *sniff*

Scrub Scrub

2011-07-21T10:00:00.003-05:00

This is the future! Wrangling a kid and a cat. A kid who crawls very fast and a cat who thinks she is a kid.

This is my inbetweeny week. Last week was my last full-time week at my job, and this is my week off before I start freelancing. I use the term off loosely: so far I have weeded, scoured the siding of the house with a scrub brush, hauled a bunch of stuff to Goodwill, and cleaned the house from floor to ceiling. I would be doing more today (making curtains? organizing cabinets? I can't stop!), but Elliot is home with a weird rash and isn't allowed back at day care until his doctor appointment this afternoon. My goal was to deep clean this week so that things will be easier to maintain once I'm home full time, and I think I succeeded.

I feel very inbetweeny this week. I haven't stopped moving so I haven't really stopped to think, but when I think I'm not sure what's in store. Will I have enough time to get my work done? Will I have enough work? Will cabin fever hit once the snow sets in? Will Elliot like being home with me instead of at school with lots of activity and other babies? But, lord, I'm excited. I can plan meals and maybe even have time to cook them! I can take him to the park, once it's not 110 outside! I can not sit at a desk all day! I can shape my own routine instead of falling into one, which is scary and exhilarating.

So yes, this post is just like several before, but it's such a big change. And now I'm in the middle of it. :)

As he grows, so does my heart

2011-07-04T19:37:00.004-05:00

Every day I think I can't love him more, and every day he proves me wrong.

Happy Weekend, Good Books

2011-07-02T10:26:00.014-05:00

This is the first weekend day in a long time that we don't have something that we Have To Do or Should Do. (The Shoulds are worse than the Have Tos, really, because really you don't have to, you just should.) So we're celebrating our day of independence by taking Elliot to the pool for the first time! That's the plan, anyway--we'll see what kind of mood he's in when he wakes up from his nap. But I'm hoping it's a go, because I'm already in my swimsuit and sunblock. I want some sun. And some fun.

My last day of full-time work is sneaking up on me. Only 2 more weeks--aiyaiyai! It's bittersweet. On the downside, I'll miss my coworkers. They're taking me out to a farewell lunch on Wednesday. :) I'm also still apprehensive about the money part, as in, OMG, will I be able to make any money freelancing? I recently got some books to help us work on reducing our spending: Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy; Healthy Meals for Less: Great-Tasting Simple Recipes Under $1 a Serving; and Family Feasts for $75 a Week. The books emphasize good planning and budgeting rather than deprivation, which I appreciate.

But on the upside--oh, there are a lot of upsides! No more crazy day care tuition (which just went up again). Getting to do things with my baby, who's getting awesomer every day. Time to keep the house orderly. Maybe time to craft once in a while. A chance to breathe, slow down, and find some balance. This change is getting us a step closer to the life we want. And I am grateful that we have pretty much universal support in our decision: family, friends, coworkers. My boss is helping me find freelance work! We are so lucky to have such a good network of people.

And, on a note of pride, I have been reading. I realized a while ago that I hadn't read since I was on bed rest (does reading 40 hours at work count as reading? nah). I finished The Wilder Life some time a few weeks ago.

Then I picked up What You See in the Dark. Holy smokes, I loved it. Talk about gripping down to the last sentence.

Next in the pile on my bedroom floor is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a novel illustrated with insanely spooky vintage photos. Eee!

(Sorry for the sucky layout of this post. It looks funny but I don't feel like fixing it. So there you go!)

I hope you have a super happy holiday weekend! :)

E-I-E-I-O

2011-06-12T19:58:00.008-05:00

This weekend marked my first day off of work in about 3 weeks. I'm still working full time, and I've been doing freelance stuff on the weekends to build up a client base for when I leave my job in the middle of July. (So so so excited to be home with Elliot!) So yay, fun weekend! ...Except I have a respiratory thing, a sinus infection, and pinkeye. But I wanted a fun day, and it was a beautiful 75 degrees outside instead of the 95 it's been, so we packed up the family and hauled my pinkeyed ass to the animal farm. And it was awesome!

I've been excited about bringing Elliot here since before he was born. I have such fond memories of the farm from when I visited it as a kid. My favorite part was a little barn where you could climb up a ladder and then slide down into a hay pile. That was taken out a while ago, probably for liability. But otherwise it's very much the same.

The miniature horses are visible from the street, and I just happen to drive by the farm every day on my way to work. Last year, on the first day the horses were out, I got so excited that I looked a little too long when I drove by. When I looked back to the street I realized that I was going 15 miles an hour in the oncoming traffic lane. Heh. :)

Elliot's favorite part of the farm was the little fountain in the middle of the little pond that seemed so enormous when I was a kid. I vividly remember standing on the white bridge in the background, watching the ducks swim back and forth under my feet. I was maybe as tall as, or slightly taller than, the hand rail. I wanted so badly to jump in the water and swim with them.

I think he would have been happy to sit on the bridge and watch the fountain all day. Occasionally the wind would blow a little spray of water on him and he'd get really excited and kick his legs and make his little "huuuh! huuuuh!" sounds.

All the cool animals at the farm, and all Elliot wanted to look at, besides the fountain, were the other people. At least he was having fun and engaged with something!

And of all the photos we took in front of the wagon wheel, this is the closest he got to looking at the camera. I'll take it. :) I'm still coughing my butt off, and I still have pinkeye, but I'm still smiling from an afternoon at the farm.

Swingin'

2011-05-30T11:31:00.006-05:00

Hodgepodge

2011-05-28T14:30:00.006-05:00

Most of our recent meals have been pretty ghetto--I've eaten peanut butter waffles too many times this week--so we made these chicken kafta things from the June issue of Everyday Food for lunch. It's chicken, onion, and parsley patties with a tzatziki-like sauce and mint in a pita. (Are you laughing yet, Dad? :D)

Verdict: needs extra salt, but yum! It would be really good with lemon-oregano potatoes.

For dessert we had mint chocolate ice cream that I made last weekend. I'm itching to use my ice cream maker more now that summer's coming.

And, because I'm apparently trying to cram as many colors into this post as I can, I'm working on this blanket with yarn from my stash.

Craft Hope is currently running project 13, which involves making blankets for survivors of the tornadoes that hit down south about a month ago and Joplin last week. I want to help. I hope this helps.

And now the baby's awake and it's time to play! Our plans to go to the park were scrapped because it's raining cats and dogs outside, so it's off to the living room to play with blocks and random kitchen utensils!

I'm a WAHM!

2011-05-19T17:30:00.003-05:00

The past few days have been a whirlwind of crazy. It's officially official: I am leaving my full-time job some time in the next several weeks so I can stay home with Elliot! I'm actually going to be a work-at-home mom. I'm going to stay with my organization as a freelance editor for a while while my replacement is trained and I'm picking up freelance work from other companies as well.

I've been toying with the idea of freelancing for a while. The day care we use costs more than half of my salary. Once I realized that I could pull Elliot out of day care, freelance less than half the hours I work now, and break even financially, I was determined to make it work. And it seems like I have a good start.

I've been very dissatisfied with our routine; working full time is not maintainable for us. I miss Elliot like crazy, of course. But I also miss doing normal life things, like having a clean house and cooking dinner and getting groceries on a regular basis. I miss functioning. We're so busy running and catching up that we can't just be and enjoy each other.

I almost cried the other day when I realized that I might have time to craft once in a while. To put on an apron and make a pie. To take Elliot swinging at the park. I feel like I'm getting a step closer to the life I want for myself and my family. Please wish me luck as we enter this new, unknown, kinda scary, exciting time.

Into the Wild

2011-05-10T18:57:00.010-05:00

Baby's log: It's been four days now and there's still no sign of the elusive yellow-bellied sparkle warbler. I'm beginning to--wait, what's that?

Just a bumblebee. Dang! What does a baby have to do to see a sparkle warbler around here?

Whew. It's getting a little toasty. And I'm getting tie-tie.

Perhaps a quick snack will do me good.

Until tomorrow, when the hunt continues.
--Elliot

My Heart

2011-05-08T20:55:00.002-05:00

My Mother's Day present.

And happy Mother's Day to my mom: my hug giver, phone buddy, confidant, and the most loving soul I know. I love you so much, Mama. :)

Such a Big Boy

2011-04-22T19:09:00.011-05:00

Not much has changed with me in the last month. After getting over my previously mentioned illness quadfecta, I was well for about a week and then we were all hit with a stomach bug. I've been well from that for about 5 days now and somehow have acquired swimmer's ear. Don't know how that happened given that I haven't been swimming in almost 2 years.

BUT! I'm feeling good otherwise. *knock on the biggest damned piece of wood I can find* I was healthy for my birthday, which involved fettuccine alfredo with prosciutto, tomato and basil crostini, and cake. I received The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem, which I'm now butt-crazy in love with. I actually had some time to read today on our Good Friday holiday, so I started The Wilder Life, which is cute and funny. Not much else new on my end.

But, oh, the baby! He is changing and growing and is just so wow! So, so many new things in the past few weeks.

First vegetable: sweet potatoes! They were a rousing success. Also on the day of sweet potatoes, I discovered that he was getting his first tooth! He now has a second one poking on through.

Second vegetable: peas! Not as much of a hit. I think he liked the flavor but kept gagging on the texture because I didn't make them smooth enough. I'll try again with smoother peas.

Notice how he likes to grab? :)

His first visit to the Easter bunny included his first ironed shirt and first time wearing shoes. Look at that little slicked hair! (This is pre-bunny at home.)

And now, he's sitting up unassisted. He's officially a big boy. He absolutely loves the little cement mixer my mom got him. Good job grandma!

He's also rolling around like crazy, sleeping on his tummy with his tush in the air, and babbling with B sounds. My favorite thing about being a mommy is watching him pick up new things and seeing the wheels turn in his head as he figures things out. He amazes me to no end. Squee!

You Gno Me

2011-03-29T10:13:00.004-05:00

I made something! I made something! Happy day!

Jason got me Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection for Christmas and I finally got the opportunity to use some of the patterns. This is for the bedroom. I like this book because all the motifs come on a CD and you can print, mix, and match whichever ones you want to use. I could have put bunnies under the tree, or a mermaid, or ice cream sundaes. Or I could have used any of several different kinds of trees. Lots of choices!

I had time to embroider because, oh my god, I'm so sick. Elliot was sick last week, poor thing, and passed it all along to me. I'm down with a respiratory virus, an ear infection, a sinus infection, and double pinkeye. (It's so nice I got it twice!) I'm taking the whole week off of work to try to recover. We've actually been sick for quite a while over here. Except for a week somewhere in the middle of the month, I've been sick for 38 days. I feel like a damned leper. Unclean! Unclean! Here's to health, which I hope finds us soon.

Boing boing

2011-03-25T17:12:00.002-05:00

Nothing I write could make this any cuter, so here's Elliot in his Jumparoo.

Adventures in Spoonville

2011-02-12T17:29:00.007-06:00

Now With Photos!

2011-02-02T10:56:00.015-06:00

Snow day! With very little snow. My office is closed today, as is Jason's, because a cataclysmic blizzard was forecast. It is icy, and everyone around us got covered in snow, but we got just a few inches and some wind. It's kind of nice to have a snow day and not have to spend it digging the cars out of the driveway. Anyhoo, we used the morning to clean the house and upload photos! These were taken between Christmas and now. Our little dude is getting to be a bigger little dude. :)

A Day in the Life

2011-01-30T06:42:00.003-06:00

Good morning! And good golly, it's been a while.

I have no photos for this post. I actually have a ton, but they're on the camera and I haven't had time to upload them. Ever since Elli came along, the name of the game has been prioritization. As in "I have 3 spare minutes. Do I upload photos or go to the bathroom and try to fold some laundry?" And I went back to work at the beginning of the month, so time has been tighter than a pair of 80s jeans.

Things are going well overall. I've had a couple rough patches in the past several weeks. Shortly after I went back to work I lost a much-loved relative in a car accident, and Elliot's had a cough-cold thing that culminated in his first fever a couple days ago. But those aside, we're used to our new routine and are doing good. It feels nice to be back at work, to actually get dressed and do my hair in the morning and talk to people and contribute to my organization again, which was insanely supportive about me being off for 5 months. Elliot seems to really like day care. It killed me to drop him off the first day but he's thriving there. On his second day I walked in and he was sitting up in a little chair, holding a stuffed animal and looking at a book. I was like, "You can sit up?! You can read?!" They're doing things with him that I never would think to do and it's helping him develop all kinds of cool new skills. And I spend my lunch hour there with him, so I'm never away for too long.

I've discovered that I have a talent for organization and multitasking. My typical weekday goes like this:

* Get up and get ready for work in 15 minutes
* Feed the baby while eating breakfast with one hand
* Leave the house with baby in carrier, purse, pump, bottles, nursing pillow, and lunch. Try to remember to put on shoes on the way out the door
* Drop baby off at day care and cover in smooches
*Work. Wolf down lunch at desk while working
*Over lunch hour, feed baby and play with him. Always a highlight of my day :)
* Work.
*Pick baby up from day care and cover in smooches
*Change and feed baby and make him cry by giving him a bath. Put him down to bed for the night
*Make and eat dinner
*Get ready for the next day: wash and pack bottles and pump parts, make my lunch, take a shower (another highlight of my day)
*Snooze! Sometimes get up in the middle of the night to feed baby, sometimes sleep all night. Elliot, thankfully, is a fantastic night sleeper, so sleep hasn't been a problem.

Before I had him I would have read this and it would have scared me off from having kids. But it's really not that bad, and he's worth it. :)

I haven't crafted much, but that's okay. We do cook most nights. It's been really important to me to keep eating well because good food keeps my morale up when I'm tired. And cooking is crafting with food. We cleaned the house yesterday for the first time in who knows how long. I finally unpacked my hospital bag that had been packed since, ahem, August.

I think my favorite part of our routine now is that we can just be. All last year was spent getting ready for something. Getting our house ready to have the baby, getting my body ready to have the baby, mentally getting ready to have the baby, getting ready to go back to work. Now we just have to maintain. And as busy as it is, it also feels like a nice sigh of relief.

Thanks for reading all of this even though there weren't any pretty pictures. :)

Happy Holiday

2010-12-24T12:01:00.005-06:00

Nope, that's not Sears Portrait Studio...it's our window!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holiday! Snowy good wishes to you. :)

Blam!

2010-12-07T16:42:00.003-06:00

Kerpow! The last week and a half has kicked my ass!

A couple days after Thanksgiving I came down with one of the worst upper respiratory infections I've ever had. I'm now on day 11 of the cold and still have a cough. (Jason was sick too, but Elliot, thank goodness, didn't catch it. A very good thing!) I can count on one hand the number of time I've gotten dressed since Thanksgiving. I want to get out of the house but it's 5 degrees outside without the wind chill and I don't want poor Elliot to freeze, so I'm feeling extraordinarily cagey. Thank you for reading my whines. And now I must go, for I can hear the baby pooing himself in the other room and the cat is scratching on the utility closet, which means she peed on the floor again.

Thankful

2010-11-25T09:01:00.003-06:00

I am thankful for the strength in my body, the joy in my soul, and the love in my home. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Crafting, and It Feels So Good!

2010-11-21T10:22:00.004-06:00

I made something! This morning marked the first time I've opened my supply closet since the baby was born. Now that he's sleeping longer stretches and I get up only once to feed him at night instead of 2 or 3 times, I'm weaning myself off of going back to bed when he goes down for his morning nap. This will give me a free hour and a half or so in the morning. I haven't really taken any time for myself for the past 7 weeks, so this is an exciting prospect for me!

Ho ho holy moly, these are cute. The project idea is from the 2010 Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts magazine. The red tree is decorated with felted wool balls, which the project instructions called for; I got really bored making these. The blue tree is decorated with beads, which was my addition and which I had more fun putting on.

I found the Santa, pine cones, and spools at this awesome new store in my town. It's an art supply reuse store that sells donated items, both traditional like cardstock and nontraditional like old yoyo halves, that could be used for art of some kind. It's dirt cheap! Pine cones were 5 cents each, Santa was 5 cents, and thread spools were 10 cents each. I had all other supplies on hand, for a grand project total of 35 cents. This place is my new first stop for craft supplies, when I have time to make stuff. :)

How to Make an Angry Burrito

2010-11-17T17:42:00.010-06:00

Take 1 cranky, overtired baby

Place baby in wrapper

Fold wrapper over baby

Add hat

Pick up and shush

Garnish with pacifier and enjoy

Funny thing is this burrito was made hours before these smiles were captured. Ah, how moods can change. :)

Smiley!!

2010-11-16T20:21:00.003-06:00

Big, big week! First long stretches of sleep (6 to 8 1/2 hours, which unfortunately led to mastitis--yeow!!!!), first rolls from tummy to back, and the beginning of real smiles. Be still my heart.

Happy Halloween...

2010-10-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

from Elliot...

and Elliot's evil twin, Professor Hornswaggle!

3 1/2 weeks

2010-10-25T08:22:00.005-05:00

Other than accidentally melting his paci, everything continues to go well! :)

Hello, Spare Minute

2010-10-18T07:11:00.002-05:00

And hello, Cutie!

I'm learning to grab and make the most of pieces of time when I can get them. Things are going wonderfully. Elliot is very healthy and constantly changing. I'm already getting the "my baby is growing up so fast!" woes, even though he's only 2 1/2 weeks old. :) His sleeping and waking is getting more predictable, which makes me less anxious about whether I'll get enough rest. After a couple nights of a terrifying 2 hours of sleep in the first week, he's been sleeping for 3-hour stretches of time and I can usually get 7 to 9 hours of sleep total. (Last night I got a 4-hour stretch. Heaven!) He gets fussy periods in the afternoons or evenings, but overall he's mellow and alert and wants to eat all the time.

I feel good now that I'm getting enough rest. I didn't get any drugs when I gave birth to him and I haven't had to take even a Tylenol since I had him. It's so nice to not be pregnant anymore. I don't at all miss the abdomen and ligament pain that I had in the last month that made it almost impossible to walk or the enormous belly that made it almost impossible to get out of bed. I do miss feeling him kick, and as time goes on it gets harder to remember what that felt like, which makes me quite sad. I'm happy to be able to sleep on my back again. Of all the things I couldn't do when I was pregnant, I missed back sleeping the most. I'll be happy to be allowed to use my electric blanket again when the weather gets cooler. I'm so, so thankful that we made it safe and healthy through the 9 months and that we're all safe and healthy and finally together.

First Trip to the Park

2010-10-17T09:39:00.004-05:00

Elliot's not sure what he thinks of these so-called "out doors."

Melt!

2010-10-11T11:38:00.004-05:00

1 Week

2010-10-09T07:58:00.005-05:00

Both the longest week of my life (I think I've been awake for most of it) and the fastest (it's already been a week? Seriously?).

Due to sleepless baby, I got to ring in the exact moment of his 1-week birthday: 2:1o a.m. I'm ringing in lots of a.m.s these days. I'm not doing too bad for someone who previously couldn't stay up past 9.

Happy 1 week, little baby. I already can't imagine life without you. <3

Love, Part II

2010-10-07T21:10:00.002-05:00

Love

2010-10-06T20:01:00.010-05:00

Words couldn't describe, even if I had the time or energy to write them. Welcome to the world, baby Elliot. I love you so much.

Progress?

2010-09-27T18:01:00.004-05:00

Aaaargh! I'm apparently in early labor and possibly have been for the past week. With alternating painless contractions and pain not accompanied by contractions. But only enough to send me to the hospital on Wednesdays during a full moon in months that end in an R. Baby seems to be indecisive, but I can't blame him--he gets it from me.

Anyhoo, between bouts of frustration and swearing, I knitted a dishcloth.

I originally found the pattern on Ravelry, but here's a direct link. It's not something I would normally tackle because, honestly, I have little confidence as a knitter. Crochet? I feel awesome. Embroidery? Bring it. Knitting? I'll stick with rectangles, please. But I figured I have lots of time on my hands right now so there was nothing to lose by giving it a try. And I did it.

I frequently have to remember that progress of any kind is made by stepping out of a comfort zone and doing things that seem slightly too hard or beyond reach. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make this dishcloth but I did it and I am now a better knitter for having done so. The idea of labor is way out of my comfort zone but I'll do it and will be a stronger person for having done so. And frankly, I'm not at all in a comfort zone now so I'm really looking forward to making some progress in that area

Project Night Night

2010-09-25T19:15:00.003-05:00

I discovered Project Night Night through the new book Craft Hope by Jade Sims, founder of the Craft Hope site that I wrote about a few weeks ago. Project Night Night's mission is as follows: "To provide Night Night Packages, free of charge, to homeless children from birth to pre-teen who need our childhood essentials to feel secure, cozy, ready to learn, and significant." Each Night Night Package includes a tote bag, a book, a stuffed animal, and a blanket. The organization appreciates the donation of handmade items because the time and craft put into the items gives them a personal, loving touch. This charity stood out to me the most out of the ones in the book, and I used my stash to create a blankie to donate.

I can't express how inspiring the Craft Hope book and site have been for me. I have such a desire to donate and help, and even though I know organizations need money more than anything, I have a hard time donating money because I feel like I can never donate enough to make a difference and I like to feel like I'm donating something tangible that will go directly to someone who can use it. I'm so thankful that I found an organization that makes it easy to use my passion and ability to create in a way that can serve others. I benefit from the making and the giving, and hopefully someone will benefit from the receiving.

The Waiting Game

2010-09-21T20:25:00.006-05:00

"The waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!"
--Homer Simpson

Things are pretty much in order and now we're waiting. With the exception of some fiddling left to do on the closet door, we have all our gear and the nursery is done, baby, done. Just in time! We completely overhauled the room: painted ceiling, walls, doors, door casings, and window casing; cut, painted, and put in new window trim and baseboards; replaced the carpet with hardwood; put in a ceiling fan; assembled the furniture; and made all the crafty things for the walls. It previously had gray walls, icky stained white carpet, and orange woodwork and felt tiny and dingy and depressing. Now it's bright and happy!

Let's take a look at the sea creatures, shall we? There's a small school of fish,

a blue polka-dotted whale (who has a hare lip and the name Jimmy),

and a squadron of rogue starfish.

There's also a name banner hung over a bookshelf, but I'm keeping that to myself for now. :)

I've been off of bed rest for the last 4 weeks but I've also been off of work, so I've been trying to keep myself busy and productive and unbored. I nested: cleaned out my closet and dresser, washed all the baby's clothes and bedding, threw away all the outdated food in the kitchen (leaving us with a jar of peanut butter and some beans), and organized our home renovation supplies (separating the nails into baggies by size!). I cooked and froze a ton of food so that we'll be able to eat well after the baby's here: lasagna, Italian wedding soup, mini meatloaves and mashed potatoes, black bean chili and cornbread, chicken orzo casserole, two kinds of cookie dough. I crafted: most of my Christmas presents are now done.

And I'm running out of things to do. I think it's time to break out Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Merry Bird

2010-09-12T17:06:00.005-05:00

I got the 2010 issue of Holiday Crafts (a Better Homes and Gardens magazine) this weekend and am aching to make so many things in it. I have the 2008 and 2009 issues and love them. Each issue includes some adorable needle-felted decorations. I've always wanted to try the needle-felted birds that were in the 2008 issue but was too intimidated because needle felting seemed too difficult and expensive. I found some cheap supplies at Hobby Lobby yesterday and, looking to escape the antsy-ness that has set in recently, gave it a go.

The first attempt was disastrous and ruined most of the red roving I bought. The bird head looked okay, but the body looked like a deformed hot dog. Not liking to fail, I sat on the couch for 4 damn hours until I got a shape that looked something more avian.

That's better! I was tired and cranky toward the end and so, instead of felting the wings on to the body and sewing the head on with wire per the instructions, I cheated and hot glued the suckers. The nose is black roving, felted, and the eyes are beads colored black with a Sharpie, and both are also hot glued. :) The legs are jewelry wire. The hat is my favorite part: made with red cardstock and covered in glitter, topped with a glittered bead. The bird is perched on a pinking-sheared fabric pillow, which sits on a wood base painted white and trimmed with fuzzy rick rack. Whew! That's a lot of different kinds of crafting.

Needle felting is not for me. I got bored with all the poking and stabbed myself in the hand a few too many times. I like making little felted balls, though, and there's a cute-as-heck project idea in the magazine for a pine cone tree with felted ball ornaments that I plan to try. I really recommend checking out the magazine if you like Christmas crafting. While some of the projects are traditional, most of them are surprisingly modern--they tap a lot of Etsy designers and use glitter and bird motifs and lots of faux-vintage finishes. I love my faux-vintage finishes. :)

Sweet

2010-08-31T13:30:00.006-05:00

In the whole time I've been sewing I'd put in only two zippers by machine. I also had never made a simple zippered bag because I didn't know how to get the lining to look nice around the zipper tape. I found the adorable Spare Change Purse pattern in Sew Retro and was like "I want that!", so I sucked it up and gave it a go. The pattern explained really easy ways to put in both the zipper and the lining and, while it took me a lot longer than a little zippered pouch should probably take, I was able to do it and I love my finished pouch. The yoyo was my addition. :)

I've been trying to craft from my stash as much as possible, and all the supplies for this project are things I had on hand. With all the current and future baby expenses I can't justify spending money on craft stuff when I already have a lot sitting around, as much as it hurts. Plus, it's kind of a good feeling to shop my stash and see what I can put together and to know that I'm being thrifty. (Not buying new craft books is going to be insanely hard, though, because they're my weakness. My collection is getting kind of ridiculous and yet for every one I buy I discover two more that just came out. Ugh.)

And today I got a surprise. Last year I planted a couple of raspberry canes, which promptly got nibbled to bits by the rabbits. The canes got a few leaves early this year so I put chicken wire around them to protect them; they then grew into tall, thick bushes. I had a clear view of the bushes from my bed-rest couch and noticed a couple weeks ago that there were pale, peach-tone berries on them. I waited for the berries to get red and they never did. I figured that, like most other things in my garden this year, the lack of rain and watering had done them in. I ventured out to get a tomato this morning and, as I walked by, grabbed one and popped it into my mouth to see what it tasted like.

Holy frakking crap. These tiny, ugly little things are, without exaggeration, some of the sweetest things I've tasted in my life. I ate a few more to make sure the first wasn't a fluke. So apparently they're not red raspberries! They're so fragile; you look at them wrong and they fall apart. There's not enough of them to make anything with, so you just have to put one in your mouth and marvel at how something so colorless and small can be so good.