Crunchy Peas

finger writing

Still a few stragglers home sick today.

I couldn't let their brains turn to mush...so we set about to practice our letters.

 

The fun way!

(Try explaining the difference between shaving cream and whipped cream to someone who is almost 2.  Tricky. After a few tastes I think she started to catch on!)

newly found

I don't want you to get the wrong idea here...the pictures you are about to see are from a couple of weeks ago.  I wouldn't want anyone to think that while my family was recently sick that I would ever dream of leaving them alone to fend for themselves while I was out having a coffee, getting a pedicure, perusing the book store, working out, or thrifting of all things.  Heavens no!  Why on earth would I want to leave my plague-ridden house filled with whiny, needy, snotty (literally) people to go shopping?  Such selfishness I tell you.

But last year, I mean a week or so ago here is what I found:

Some lovely wool sweaters.  I have a weakness for them.  They are somewhat misshapen and don't necessarily fit anyone...but I can make something from them right?  Any ideas?

Some sweet sheets- they might help inspire my seriously slow quilting along progress.

My new "happy" cup and Bettie Rubble beads.  I went to wear the beads the other day and had to fish them out of the dress up box in the girl's room :)

Also found recently is this clothing company for kids and babies.  Am I the last to know about them?  I am MADLY in love with everything they make!!

Hey how about Mansfield Park last night?  Wasn't it great?  Good ol' Fanny!

stayin' alive (barely)

The germs are still here.  They attacked me too.  There was a moment yesterday when I was sure that someone stuffed 50 bricks up my nose while I wasn't looking.  Thankfully Sutafed came to my rescue.  I tried every natural remedy in the book...

(carrot apple ginger juice, thank you Jack Lalanne for your wonderful machine)

Sometimes drugs are necessary.  My husband said, "Whoa, you must really be sick if you are taking that stuff!"  He was right.  Little Hannah is still on the mend.  Thank you for all your well wishes.

I made her new slippys this afternoon.  I found the pattern tucked in an old crochet book of my Grandmother-in-Law's.   I used organic cotton yarn, which is super soft.  She liked them and it made her smile- even though they weren't pink or sparkly.

Now...for the winner.  There were 18 comments left on my 100th post.  I asked Emma to pick a number between 1-18 and she picked 10.  So, Haley is the winner.  I will craft something up for you as soon as we are all well.  Thank you to everyone who participated.  Lovely to see some new names and visit your blogs.  Yeah it is the weekend!!

sick station

Well unfortunately, the "barf bowl" has seen some action over the last few days.  Again, Hannah keeps it in her possession at all times.  I am thankful that she has become so skilled in its proper use!  A lot less laundry for me if you know what I mean.

We set up what Hannah refers to as her "sick station".  Wherever she goes the station goes too. It is a bright and cheery day and I thought it might do her some good to look out the window for a while.  She agreed only if I agreed to re-locate the "sick station" too. Like an entourage following royalty I packed out the gear while she sauntered out to the couch- all the way reminding me of the essentials: lip balm (behind her water bottle), paper dolls, personal dvd player, tissue, books, etch-a-sketch, and of course the barf bowl (strangely not pictured).

As much as it pains me to see them sick.  I make a fine nurse. In fact, I was supposed to be at a birth this morning.  Sadly, I had to decline. Instead I found myself making chicken soup (that went un-eaten) and my friend Lisa's miraculous honey/lemon/ginger/cayenne tea.

(Also not consumed by the patient).  All this doting has left me ready for a nap. Hope you are well... ZZZZZZZZZZ.

one and two zeros

The high temperature today was 26 degrees.  We have been finding many ways to keep warm (besides turning the thermostat up...I broke down.  It now hovers at 72)

snuggly sling naps,

and warm toasty scones with honey (lots of honey if you are under the age of 6).

Also sharing the warmth with cozy crochet birthday gifts.

**note to self: in the future, do not expect 7 year old boys to jump for joy over handmade yarn items- especially when the gift opened just prior to yours was a set of pro-wrestling action figures!

In other news, this little blog is now home to 100 posts.  When I started it back in August of last year I wasn't sure where it might go. I find it hard to believe that I have had 100 things to talk about (fairly certain that my husband will disagree here).  Writing it has caused me to look intently for the smallest significant moments in each day. I am glad to have record of them here. Thank you for sharing those snipits of time with me, and for leaving your thoughts as well.

To show my gratitude I would like to host a "give away".  I have a couple of projects in the works right now that I would just love to share with you! Leave comment and I will choose a winner on Friday.

simple gestures

Last night I was in my little crafty space sewing away.  My thoughts were fixed on what I was doing (I was actually trying to figure out how to get around some dreaded hand sewing).  In the distance I heard footsteps carefully making their way down the stairs.  Since the children were in bed, I figured it was just Carl coming down to poke his head in to ask if I was the one who ate the last ice cream sandwich (which I may or may not have).  He leaned over my shoulder, and put something on the table.  I didn't look up from my needle and thread and just said, "hey."  With a bit of a smirk he reiterated my "hey" and walked off.  I began to wonder what that was all about.  Glancing up, I saw this:

He made me tea.  He made me happy...with such a sweet, simple gesture.  Thank you Curl, thank you.

joy

 

If there is anyone that can make me smile its Hannah.  Here's hoping she can add to your joy on this cold winter day!!

current faves

I am fickle, I follow fads.  I "get way into" something, and then because I max out on it...I "get way over it" fairly quickly.  This happens with music around here a lot.  Remember this song?  After playing it 500 billion times I am not loving it as much anymore. (that song frustrates Emma because the "they always forget numbers 7 and 8 when they count")  So anyways, here are some of my current favorites which may or may not be considered the same next week.

Dad, are you still drinking yours?  I am sure that these don't work as well as just eating bucket loads of spinach- but something tells me these are more palatable. Found these at Costco.

There really isn't any cream that can undo what the years of ballet have done to my feet, but this one is nice none the less.

Swedish yarn (like Cindy, I heart all things Swedish right now).  It is acrylic- blah, but a lovely shade of apple green. Working through a pair of fingerless gloves- hope to share them soon!

Yummy, yummy, so yummy coffee from a very yummy local coffee shop. Every time I open the cupboard where it is stored I take a huge whiff of it!  Good thing I drink decaf because I am pushing 3 cups a day!

What are your "can't live withouts" right now?

mending

My sewing machine has been in the shop twice in the last 2 weeks (I have a newer model, but have had a couple of quirky issues with it.)  I've missed it.  However, the break did us both some good.  My machine now weighs about 10 pounds less because all the lint and dust that has been cleaned out (sorry Mr. Repair Man :)  He gently reminded me that things might be helped if I did that myself- and a bit more often. I used the time away from Singer to recover from my "Last Minute Christmas Sewing Freak-out" and found a new desire to jump back in.  It was a joyous reunion.  Hannah was excited to see that it had returned to it's rightful place on my sewing table because I have been promising to make her some new jammies with the flannel she picked out at the fabric store.  Inspired by this post- I decided that we would work on them together.

 

I let her push the pedal and I did the steering.  This process reaffirmed what I already knew about Hannah.  That is- she basically has two speeds, major lolly-gager or crazy fast.  We struggled for a while to find our rhythm, laughing a lot! She also had some very specific requests as to the color of her thread (red top-stitching, and pink bobbin), length of her pants (she wanted her slippers to show), and the tightness of her waistband (we had to readjust a couple of times to get it just right). After chatting, teaching, some learning, and lots of giggles, she had her pants.  We used this pattern- so simple.  Because I didn't want to bore or worse frustrate her- simple was good.

She wore them for 2 days (and nights).  Then, the requests started coming in for more.  Laurel's are blue, longer, and with some zig-zags.  Thankfully, for the last 2 days we didn't have much reason to wear anything other than our softy flannel pants and slips.

Frankly, after last week (our first going back to school since the Holiday break) most of us felt like this doll- worn, ragged, and with our stuffing hanging out.  We spent much of the weekend mending.  Its always nice to give and receive a little more of each other during these quiet times.  Recharges the batteries a bit, you know?  Hey did you also know about this?  The popcorn is on deck and I have a very cozy companion who is sure to appreciate the romance of Jane Austen (as opposed to others that dwell here- you know who you are :)

winter daydreaming

This was the scene coming down the hill into town this morning. 

 

Quite beautiful I know, but also losing it's novelty (by the way, I do not recommend being the photographer and the driver. simultaneously)  My seed catalog arrived the other day.  Fantasies of growing a bigger better garden than last year are hovering about in my mind. I know my space, my sun, and my soil all a little better this time around.  The planning has been in early stages for a couple of weeks now. (below: how I spent the my time this afternoon while the girls napped)

I am a complete novice.  The only things I have learned about gardening have come from this book. It is a quick easy read with lots of helpful charts and drawings.  I am a chart/drawings kind of girl. So now, the only things standing in my way are about 6 inches of crusty snow (with more on the way) and temperatures that are about 30 degrees too chilly. Is it too early to have spring fever?

no more mix ups

A while back I threw out all of our old plastic cups. Instead, I bought glass cups for the girls to use.  This has been working well with one exception- they all look alike.  The trouble is that we mix them up.  Who's is who's?  Is this yesterday's cup or today's cup? (if my sweet little ones would clear their cups off the kitchen table this last issue wouldn't be).  I found that I was washing the cups much too often.  Like 2-3 times a day often.  It was time to get creative.

 

Introducing color-coded cup cozies.  Each girl now has her own cup- clearly distinguished, and for an entire day's use!!  I crochet them up quickly last night.  Would you like to make some of your own?

Start with some random bits of yarn.  I prefer bright colors (mostly because it won't look so dirty when messy hands touch them) and also I used yarn that could easily be washed- no wool this time.  A size H hook is what I used...but you decide depending on your yarn.

Chain 2. 6 single crochet in the second chain from hook

round 1: 2 single crochet in each stitch from the previous round

round 2: Single crochet in the next stitch then increase in the next by making 2 single in the next stitch around

round 3: single crochet around with an increase every 3rd stitch around

round 4: singe crochet around  with an increase every 4th stitch around

keep increasing  like this until the round is as big as the bottom of your glass

round 5: slip stitch around going through back loops only

round 6: single crochet around

round 7: alternate front and back post single crochet around (this creates the ribbing)

continue for as high as you would like coverage on your glass (I did 6-8 rounds like this)

round 8: single crochet around

round 9: slip stitch through the front loops only.

tie off yarn and weave in ends.

 

Laurel picked green.  I think that they are going to work well.  Once you have the general idea you can get creative.  Stripes? Picot edging? Embroidered Initials? The possibilities are endless!  Give it a try!

cabin fever

Crazy weather around here.  We had snow, lots of snow, sleet, thick fog, a few sun breaks, and now it is very windy.  Makes me so thankful to have a nice cozy house to take shelter in.  Because of the slick roads we chose not to leave the house today.  But, we did much more than just take shelter.

   

There was some fort making (out of blankets) and some book reading.

There was also some cocoa sipping after a brief stint out in the snow. Don't you love it how it how the time spent to suit everyone up in their long johns/wool socks/turtlenecks/sweaters/snow bibs/coats/boots/hats/scarves/glove layer #1/glove layer #2 (oh and someone always forgets to go to the bathroom first) is always ten times longer than the actual time spent outside?   The girls always say "cheers to all" when their cups clink.  I say, "here's to summer and wearing sun dresses and flip-flops".

At first, the novelty of "being snowed in" was fun.  The plow made it through around 11:30am (so technically we weren't really stuck).  By the time evening rolled around we all started to go a little nutty.  This was day 3 of staying within the same set of walls.

Some dancing ensued. Glad that this picture turned out blurry :)  Can you hear all the giggling?

   

And then there was this...which I don't really have an explanation for.  Just Hannah wearing a basket on her head (with the little plastic price tag thingy still on it).

Thankfully Husband made it home just in time to rescue me from all the insanity. 

Really hoping to get out tomorrow.

friends are good

The last few days, I have to admit, I have been feeling a bit bogged down, overwhelmed, frustrated.  Do you ever feel like you are spinning your wheels?  Like you are in a dream where someone horrible is chasing you but you are stuck- can't run?  There is so much that has to be done around here that I can't seem to find enough time to do what it is that I really want to do.  Who wants to be doing dishes or folding heaps of laundry when there is yarn and fabric waiting nearby. And then there are the children.  Since the beginning of the holidays I have been preoccupied.  With all the gift-making and entertaining that we have done, I am afraid my attention towards them has been less. Yesterday, Emma asked me (with her big blue eyes) "Mommy, why don't you ever play with us anymore?"  Ughhh, balance is so hard for me to achieve.

What we needed was a play date.  Some time with friends.  That always seems to do the trick, puts things back into perspective.  So, we were lucky enough to have my sweet friend Saci over this morning.  She moved from Hungary 6 years ago, and I was fortunate enough to have her in my childbirth classes 2 years ago.  Even more fortunate was I to see her beautiful daughter be born.  We've been friends since.

And now, she is expecting baby #2.  Unfortunately we don't get to see them very often.  Silly really, seeing as how we live a mere 30 minutes from each other.  But, you know how it goes....kids, and schedules and such.  Also, she lives up one of the canyons here, and some days the snow makes for difficult travel out.

I tend to get a bit nervous when she comes.  I love cooking for other people, but Saci and her family are Vegan- we are not.  Wanting to respect that, I always have to think a little about what I can make her other than lettuce :).  This book is so wonderful.  All the recipes (with the exception of maybe two or three are vegan). There are so many family friendly, yummy, healthy things to eat inside.  It is definitely one that I recommend.

So, I decided upon the Three Sisters Stew.  The recipe says that Native Americans used to grow corn, squash and beans (the primary ingredients) all together.  The beans would climb up the corn stalks, and the squash grew on the ground in between the corn.  It was so tasty.  Perfect for a cold winter day like today.

I also made some pumpkin muffins with banana/tofu frosting.  I know it sounds unappetizing- but even my kids devoured them.  Seriously, get the book.

I love that Saci is so simple. She sees through all the disgusting materialism we have here in the US.  She reminds me that we over complicate most things. I always feel more focused on what is really important after she leaves. Whenever she comes, she always brings me a gift. (reason enough to invite her more often :)

This time she made me a bag for knitting and crochet.  Oh how I have been wanting something like this!  I like to crochet while I wait for the girls to come out of school or piano, and I never have an organized way to transport all my projects.  She included some knitting needles and some cotton yarn along with a pattern for dishcloths that I have been begging her for. (I barely know how to knit- so she assured me that this would be a great start).  I was so thankful, pretty don't you think?

While we chatted the girls had fun playing, er jumping on the bed.

Why don't grown-ups jump on the bed?  Perhaps it is because we can find no one willing to look silly enough to jump with us. I vow to do it more often- it seems I would have lots of willing participants.

Friends are good, and I was thankful for a visit from one of mine today! Feeling better now.

looking back, looking forward

2007 You were lovely, a platform for many fond memories.  Looking back, my favorite moment was watching my girls put their feet into the pacific ocean for the first time ever.

The image is of pure joy as they felt the salty water around their ankles and the sand wiggling under their feet. Forever it will be seared into my mind... almost as blissful as the moment I first laid eyes on each of them at the moment of birth.  Our time spent at the beach was truly a highlight for me.

Looking forward to 2008 brings several emotions. First -there is disbelief. I cannot believe that we are standing on the brink of another year!?!  I am sure that time is speeding up. Second- there is bittersweetness. Where have all the babies gone?  Three young ladies live here now.  My children are growing so fast.   And thirdly- there is anticipation.  I like fresh starts and new beginnings.  Perhaps that is why I tend to be a morning person.  I like aiming higher.

My New Year's Resolutions could best be divided into three categories (yes, I have really spent that much time thinking about it :)

* TAKING BETTER CARE OF MYSELF (This one is always hard to write, I prefer taking care of others)

+ In terms of nutrition, be a "do as I do" kind of mom.  No more sneaking unhealthy food when the kids aren't looking or after they go to bed. They are starting to figure it out.

+ Find fun ways of sneaking in exercise.  Just because I don't make it to the gym doesn't mean that I can't find some other way of fitting it in (ie. dancing with the kids, or playing tag, building a snowman, etc.)  It doesn't have to be so grueling, so scheduled...just heart rate raising!

+ Floss at least once daily.  I don't know why I have such a hard time making this a regular habit!

*TAKING BETTER CARE OF MY STUFF  (I am blessed with a lot of nice things...I need to take better care of what I have.)

+ One word, laundry. Treating stains, delicate cycles, hanging dry, DOING IT.

+ Be diligent about cleaning, tuning, and regularly scheduling maintenance on all appliances and automobiles.

 

+ If something breaks- Can it be repaired? Can we find another use for it? Stop using the "throw it away and buy a new one" philosophy.

*TAKING BETTER CARE OF OUR EARTH (reduce, reuse, recycle really does describe it best)

+ Cut waaaaaay back or totally eliminate plastic. Already I use fabric shopping bags, and mesh bags for my produce...but I am addicted to zip-loc sandwich bags. A solution?  I ordered this to help me. Yep, I am really going to start washing and re-using them.  Go ahead, laugh now.

+ Use cloth napkins over paper towels. I am in the process of making more. Besides, they are prettier. And, funny enough, our manners seem to improve when we use them.

+ opt out of several catalogs that come my way.  I shop online anyways.

It shouldn't be that hard right?  Pretty simple, now keep me to it! Thank you to all of those who have left little snippets of your thoughts here along with mine.  I love your comments and it means so much to me that you peek your head in here every now and then to say hello. 

Happy New Year to all of you, here's to a great 2008!