Off-Line

Not that I've been oh so regular about posting this month, but I will off-line this week. We're going to the Woods for Xmas and I won't have computer access until next week. So Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a great holiday, and I'll be back soon to brag about all the knitting related gifts I receive (I hope). :)

My Elf Name

Christmas Elf Name My Christmas Elf Name is Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

A Lesson Learned

Well, I've learned my lesson and it is: I have limits. I know it's earth shattering, right? After cramming for an exam until 1:30 last night, I slipped into over tired mode and laughed hysterically when Zoe threw up all over our bed. Then when the DH finally took her squirming and giggling into the family room, I slipped into what can only be called a coma. Truly he told me this morning that the munchkin was screaming her head off around 3:30, when he tried to come back to bed, and I had no clue. I don't think I even dreamed about her. So at any rate, I got up far too early for a cup of coffee and to review my notes, and had a little cry,because I was certain that I was going to fail this exam. Well, I made it through fairly well (I'm thinking low A or high B). But the lesson I learned is that I am cramming so much into such a small amount of time. I'm putting too much on my new Mommy shoulders. I need to make peace with my messy house. I need to take a day to get organized and do it in a way that I can keep up with. I need to think about cutting a class next semester. I don't want to kill myself to finish this degree and miss out on all the good stuff with the kid. When I got home after my exam and two errands, I was so happy to see her. She was ready to nurse and I got home just in time. She was all smiles, and my head was finally on straight, and it felt so good to be with her. Lately I've been so frantic that snuggling with her is too time consuming, but no more. My little pumpkin deserves to be snuggled and be with happy parents, even if we are a little sleep deprived. So at any rate that's my lesson of the day. Kind of a stop and smell the roses type of thing. Just insert baby where roses used to be. :P

A break from Grey

You should have grown up during the twenties You are cool, sophisticated and hip – even by today’s standards. You like things before they are considered cool, and you like them long afterwards. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

I had to take a break from the xmas knitting. Yesterday my fingers were flying and today I'm all thumbs. Not to mention that I won't use grey yarn fomonthses to come. Petrol's main color is grey, with an orange stripe, and the Irish hiking scarf is grey wool-ease. Ugh! My kingdom for wild color! I was thinking about working on Eris tonight, the red would do me good, but I don't know if I'm in the right frame of mind for all those wild cables. Maybe I'll pick up the MIL scarf, Crystal Palacchenillele, tulip colorway (bright fushia, orange and purple) It doesn't have to be finished for Xmasbecausese it isn't a present. But it would cure my grey mood. I'll have to see how the schoolwork goes. I'm trying to cram half the class into the last month. I don't want to be messing around with independent study while taking a full load on campus. Who knows if I'll be able to manage the full load and the munchkin. sighses* So much to think about, I'm better off not thinking. Hey look it's snowing. I'll try to focus on that for awhile.

Red Moahir scsarf for one of the Aunts
Close-up deatil, I love this pattern
So I didn't lie, I actually finished something. This is such an easy pattern, from the knit list. It knits up quickly on #10 needles. I made one of these last year for the MIL. This year my DH kept asking me: Is that a scarf for my mom? I told him three times, no this is for Nora, but I made one of these last year for your mom. And he would say: Oh, I knew that looked familair. He's clueless, but so cute. Now I'm working on an Irish Hiking Scarf for his Uncle, and a stocking for the munchkin. And my super secret project, Petrol in grey and orange for the hubbbie. He doesn't read this, so I can talk about it, but no pics until after he opens it. With my luck he'd see the progress in Iphoto and the surprise would be blown. It's really hard to finish something, when you can only knit it when someone else is at work. Usually I complain that he's not home, but now I want he to stay later. Hmmm. I just hope I finish it in time. So to that end I'm signing off to make the most of "naptime."

Now that's an upper!

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is set,
but that's okay since you are good at covering
up your mistakes.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sure it's 4:00 in the morning, but this really perked me up. Just finished a red mohair scarf for xmas. That helps too, I like to feel accomplished. I'll post pics later. I'm going to try to take a nap. Of course now, will be the point when the munchkin wakes up hungry. Now that I'm tired of waiting for that last feeding. :P

Living Bob's Life

Everyday is the same, dinner time rolls around and I think: Where has the day gone? When the fussing becomes too much I start the Daddy countdown: how long until day comes home so I can hand you off. I love my munchkin, I really do, but the teething process has started only a week after sleeping through the night started, and no, she is no longer sleeping through the night. My xmas knitting progress has halted, and my schoolwork got kicked to the corner, and still, she cries and NOTHING gets done. We're back to fussing all night and almost complete unpredictability. And I was just cleared from the Mastitis... It's one thing after another, and I'm seriously starting to question my abililty to go back to school in January. I can't seem to fit in my independent study work now. Maybe it will be better with clear deadlines, or maybe my head will explode and I won't have to worry about it anymore. *sighes* It's just one of those days.

Catching Up

Zoe and Uncle Birdy
Zoe's first turkey

What a holiday week! Zoe was baptized on Sunday. So we had many family members in from WI and IL this weekend. In fact DH and I spent most of Thanksgiving cleaning the house, and getting ready. I am exhausted. In fact when I'm done posting this, I'm going to take a nap (as long as the munchkin keeps sleeping). She was such a good baby. With so many people around, she couldn't stay sleeping for more than 15 mins at a time. So her routine was all messed up. But she handled it pretty well, and is slipping right back into place today. She only fussed a little bit when Father John put her into the water, but she had just woke up, so I don't blame her, and she calmed down very quickly. The weekend went very well, but I need more than three weeks until Xmas. I am dreading all the traveling, and hoopla. I hope to just remove myself with the baby from time to time, so "she" can rest. That's the great part about breastfeeding, we can always disappear for awhile. So, we're getting back on track now. Time to get re-organized. Finish the shopping and do the decorating and baking, for Xmas. And maybe, just maybe find some time to knit.

That reminds me

Working on the baby book, reminded me of my favorite picture from the hospital. Okay so there are other favorites, with the daughter, but this one makes me smile.
Yes that's right I was comfortable enough to knit through most of my labor. I had to stop in order to concentrate on pushing, but otherwise, I was having a really nice time. In case you're wondering , that's a Broadripple sock in variegated purple.

Long Weekend

It's been a long weekend, here. DH took a half day on Friday so we could drive into Indianapolis. We knock out another large chunk of the Xmas list. So, if I can finish up a few knitted items, we'll be all set. I also got to stop at Trader Joe's. I love that place! I picked up some mixed olives, goat cheese and wasabi peas. That was pretty much dinner. On Saturday, I went to a scrapping event, and got ten pages done. Zoe's Baby Book is really coming together.
When I got home DH treated me to take out for dinner - KFC. He ordered enough for us to have it tonight as well. Not to mention that he cleaned the house and did laundry while watching the munchkin. See why I love him? Today I managed to get some baking done (for the big christening party) and some homework. I'm feeling so accomplished. One more batch of muffins before bed. And maybe a few more chapters...
Progress on Eris is slow, not because it's difficult (it's actually quite fun) but I've just been too busy. It seems every time I sit down and do a few rows, the baby cries and that's that. Oh well, slow and steady wins the race right?

The Right Direction

You Should Get a MD (Doctor of Medicine)

You're both compassionate and brilliant - a rare combination. You were born to be a doctor.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Well, then I guess I've made a good choice with biochemistry. :) I haven't made much progress with my knitting, or homework, or housework. But I still have high hopes of getting it all done. The munchkin is sleeping now, so I really should hit the books. Then we can run errands later, and I'll clean the kitchen while dinner bakes.

My yarn finally arrived yesterday, and I did manage to swatch for the collar of Eris. Hopefully when DH comes home I'm going to hide and start the collar. But now, I need to work on my notes on Judaism.

Back from the Dead

After two days of high fevers and delusional thinking, I finally saw the doctor. And now after two days of antibiotics I'm feeling much better! Mastitis is much yuckier than I gave it credit for. But I'm finally on the road to well-ville. I was expecting a large box from knit Picks today, but it didn't arrive. I think this is God's way of telling me to buck up and finish Anouk, not to mention the cardigan that been waiting to be finished for months. So I will be a good girl and work on Zoe's item this week, and hope that my karma will bring the box of wool (for Eris) to me soon. I've almost given up on Xmas presents at this point. I desperately want to work on Eris, and as soon as that box arrives, I'm dedicating an afternoon to it. For those that aren't familiar, clink on the link under Works in Progress. It's so beautiful! And I have beautiful cranberry colored yarn coming. Heavy sigh! But I'm going to try to finish the other half of Anouk this weekend. The pockets won't take more than an evening. If I have enough yarn leftover, I'm thinking about making a stripped diaper cover/ bloomers to go underneath. :) Otherwise a long sleeved onsie should do the trick. She's gonna be so cute at thanksgiving. She'll probably wear on Saturday too, when her relatives are here. Now what should I knit for Xmas, Mabel? With some embroidery, hmmmmmm?
Here's a picture of the little progress I made this week. A hat for Zoe and a hat for Jessica. Now I just need to make hats for Jack and Addie. So many little kids, so little time. :)

What a Brainy Chick!

That's right! For those of you didn't know, I'm one smart cookie. Or at least the Dean seems to think so, because he keeps putting me on his list. Since it was Parents' weekend at school, the Dean threw an honors reception, where all of the students that had been on the Dean's List for the entire year were honored with a certificate and lapel pin. It was actually a pretty nice event. They ran it like a graduation ceremony. Now, I'm also a shy person, so I wasn't going to go to this event, because I might be excepted to talk to people I don't know. But DH insisted and sent in the RSVP. And he took care of the munchkin, in fact he waved her hand at me as I walked past on my way to the stage. It was so cute. Afterwards, we went to Chili's for lunch and both savored the new Decedant Filet. If you are a meat eater, I highly recommend it. Mmmmmmm! It was such a nice day. We bought a new coffee table, and DH helped me straighten the house. Sunday, I made chicken and dumplings and we got to watch the Packers. Of course they didn't play so well, but it was a treat to get to Favre play. We don't get the games here very often. I even squeezed in some knitting this weekend. I have about 5 inches of 6x1 ribbing done for Jesse's Flames (from SnB) for my little brother. I love that I can call him that, seeing as he's much taller than me. He asked me to knit him a sweater that he could pick up chicks in. His idea was a cream colored preppie item, but that's so not him. Instead I decided to knit Jesse's Flames because he is a Monster's Garage kind of guy. He figures that using me and our close relationship will work as a aphrodisiac. And here I am enabling him. What a sister, huh?

I couldn't resist

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.
You are through those knitting growing pains and
feeling more adventurous. You can follow a
standard pattern if it's not too complicated
and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've
started to experiment with different fibers and
you might be eyeing a book with a cool
technique you've never tried. Perhaps you
prefer to stick to other people's patterns but
you are trying to challenge yourself more.
Regardless of your preference, you are
continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as
well you should since your non-knitting friends
are probably dropping some serious hints, these
days.
http://marniemaclean.com


What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


Now I'm really going to get back to knitting. :)

I thought so!

You're Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen!

I did this on a lark, thinking: Wouldn't it be cool if was Lizzy? She is my favorite. And low and behold that's what I got! Yeah! Now back to knitting.

Leaf Peeping

Some pretty pictures from our neighborhood. It's a joy to get out and walk with the stroller when it looks like this! And that crisp fall air... This is my favorite time of year. I managed to get an inch more knit on a pair of xmas socks. Unforunately that's about all I've got done. If I could just get my house cleaned up a little, maybe I could knit while the munchkin naps. Of course that's also the perfect time to do homework... I think I'm doomed.

Invasion

I'm sitting at my kitchen table looking out the glass doors and I just noticed a huge swarm of ladybugs. At first I wasn't sure what they were but I noticed their shells sticking awkwardly out the sides as they flew around. We always have trouble with them in the fall. They like to swarm around and get in the house. Whatever you do don't smash them, they stink! Looks like we're having a bit of Indian Summer. That's what gets them going a spike in the temperature. It is a beautiful fall day though. I woke up this morning, on the couch, and when I looked up and out the window above me, I was struck by a brilliant show of orangey yellow streaking across the bright blue sky. It was just wonderful. I'm going to take the camera with us on our walk today, because our neighborhood is beautiful. There is one part in particular that I've often thought: what a beautiful picture this would be. So today it will be.
Now you may be thinking: my you sound so chipper. Well I am. I went to the movies last night, all by myself. It was a first for me, and I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it. I saw "In Her Shoes" and it was close to the book. The part they changed, wasn't completely written out, and I understand why they re-worked it. The movie would have been five hours long otherwise. By the by, Jennifer Weiner is fabulous. Everything she writes has suck truth and reality, I become engrossed as if the characters are my friends. Most of them could be. If you like realistic, humorous, fiction this is the chick to read. I'm just finishing up "Little Earthquakes" and it's like a support system for me. The characters are all new Moms, going through all the ugly new mom stuff. My timing couldn't be better! So at any rate, I'm feeling pretty good today. I also got some headway with my independent study classes. I'm getting organized which helps immensely. I may actually finish on time, if I step it up.
We have a baptism meeting tonight. So that means the munchkin needs a bath and a pretty outfit. I hope she's good at church. I have this image of her screaming when Father John holds her. She's usually very good with strangers, too good even. But this one time, will be her greatest performance, I can just tell. :) Have a good day all!

Our First Halloween

She may be too little for candy, but no girl is ever to little for multiple outfits. For our first Halloween as a family, Zoe helped Mommy and Daddy pass out candy. Every girl dressed like a princess that came to the door, oooed and aaahhhed over her. Then we watched Jeepers and Creepers adn craved pumpkins and toasted the seeds. And then a miracle accured. She slept very well. Not completely through the night, but as close as she's been getting. What a great Halloween treat. Too bad mommy ate so many Paydays, that she couldn't wind down right away.

Your Aura is Purple Your Personality: You're a dreamer and visionary. You believe you were put on this earth to do something great. You in Love: You're very passionate but often too busy for love. You need a man who sees your vision and adopts it as his own. Your Career: You need a job that helps you make a difference. You have a bright future as a guru, politician, teacher, or musician. What Color Is Your Aura? Take This Quiz :-) Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

Something fun, since this weekend hasn't been.

Baby Update

I know that my kid sleeps all the time, so why am I so tired? Why does she get wide eyed when I want to sleep? And why can't I sleep when she does (like now)? She is adorable. She's been really smiley, and she's been holding her head up for longer periods of time. But she also been displaying a temper. She has the potential to be a very willful child. Lord help me. I love her to pieces, but I've been doing the all night care taker thing all month. I can't wait for DH to come home from his conference. I'm going to pump a dozen bottles, and check into a hotel with a jacuzzi tub and put a hold on the phone. I'll bring Thai food and wine, and a new guilty pleasure book. Something light and fluffy and fun. I'll ignore the fact that if I'm not there the house won't be cleaned properly. I'll ignore the growing mounds of laundry and the garden that needs to be put to bed. I won't even bring my homework with me. School be damned!My nipples will recover, my brain will recharge and maybe, just maybe I'll resemble my old self. Ah to dream....
But instead I'm off to take another big ibuprophen for my back, and clean up the kitchen. I need a housekeeper. Of course I'd probably clean up before she got here. When did I become so anal?

Vacation Pictures

The Munchkin had a good time playing with Grandma.

She also made a new friend named Lucky.

The North woods out on quite a show for us. It was beautiful. This is a portion of my parents' property in back of the house.

Back from the Woods

We are finally home. What a trip! I went to visit my mother to help her settle my grandmother's estate. I learned that my grandmother was lowered into her vault at the exact same time that Zoe entered the world. Spooky! Seeing as how I wasn't present for the funeral, this was a chance for me to do some mourning before the holidays. It would have been too odd to get up there for xmas and have it be the first time there with out Rem. At any rate, my mother is still a mess, so I packed all of Rem's clothes for charity and cleaned out the kitchen and made dinner and cleaned up... So I'm a little beat. I didn't get much knitting done, and even less homework, as the computer flipped out a few days in, and I couldn't get on-line or use Word. So now that I'm back home I have a mountain of work.
But the trip wasn't all bad. We were there during peak color. And my Mom really enjoyed all her time with the munchkin. So did my Dad. He's already planning a xmas light extravaganza. But it was a long three weeks, with little to show for it. Pics will have to go up later. DH cleaned and I can't find my camera cord. Like I said you take the good with the bad.

Traveling with the Baby

We've made it to the woods! The munchkin was wonderful while we drove from Muncie to Milwaukee, but she was a little fussy driving up to the woods today. We stopped for her to nurse twice, in a four hour drive. And she was a little fussy setteling in at Grandma's house. But now she's sleepig quietly on the souch with Grandma's dog Lucky. Lucky is very anxious about this little human. I don't think he's ever seen one before, and everytime she grunts or coos, he goes crazy.
But the woods are beautiful, the fall colors are approaching their peak, and it's should be cool soon. I made sure to pack lots of sweaters for the munchkin, so bring it on Mother Nature. I love the fall

Busy Weekend

What a busy weekend. The in-laws came into town on Friday, and the whirlwind has yet to stop. But God love 'em, they gave us a great present. Friday night I set up two bottles, and they took care of the munchkin all night and morning, so we could sleep. It was amazing. When I finally got up it 10:00 am, an dthe house was silent, because the three of them were out for a walk. So I even had a quiet re-entry period. And I'm ending the weekend with the new Lovely body lotion fro, Sarah Jessica Parker, and with a new pair of lime green sneakers (like converse). Not to bad. However the fun isn't over yet. We have a BSU party in the next hour, and then the munchkin and I headed north with the in-laws. My Dad is picking us up in Milwaukee tomorrow, and from there, into the woods. Literally, my parents live near the Upper Pennisula, in the woods. So now that I know what a pain it is to pack for two people, we'll see how baby likes the car for 5 hour streaches.

Just Like a Man

I forgot about my wedding anniversary. Yes that's right I complete lost track. For some reason I wrote it on the calendar, and seeing as I pretty much forgot it was September (I kept thinking I had another month somewhere) I almost blew it. But even though I started a little late I managed to pull out ahead. I got DH the collector's edition of Hoosiers, which may sound lame, but he's gonna love it. And I managed to find nice people to watch the munchkin so we can have a relaxed baby-free meal. Now the sad part is that we're goin to Red Lobster for "endless shrimp" and we'll probably eat until we're sick. Romantic, no? That's just the kind of sad people we are. The Endless shrimp thing usually runs during my B-day, na dwe've gone the last three years. And every year we come home and lay on the couch and moan like beached whales. It's amazing that we are as thin as we are. Of course that won't last for long. Lucky for me, breastfeeding has increased my metabolism ten-fold, so I may not bloat to badly.

A Box of Love

Again that mailman has gone above and beyond! :) He brought me the materials for some test knitting (this is my first time, I'm so excited) as well as a large box. Now I had no idea what the big box might contain. And low and behold, it was full of presents from my on-line knitting friends over at Indianaknits. What a bunch of sweethearts. There were sweaters and a blanket, a poncho and a few store bought outfits. Along with a gift certificate for a specially designed baby blanket. It was so sweet. I slowly opened each bundle and showed the item to Zoe, who was actually awake for the whole thing. I told that one day she will understand how wonderful this box is. Because one day she'll understand the work and love that goes into handmade items. It may sound cheesy, but my heart swelled from all the love that was in that box. This is why I knit. Thanks guys!

Dreary Day

It's a dreary day around here. Lots of rain, little sun. It's a perfect day to curl up with a mug of tea and some knitting, but I promised DH I would get some school work done today. I am woefully behind. So I've been studying philosophy rather working on a pair of socks that calling my name. I also need to get some work done on an Irish hiking scarf I'm making for xmas. I'm woefully behind on my xmas knitting as well. So after dinner I may call it quits with the school work, and switch to knitting. I wonder if can talk DH into giving the munchkin her bath. I bet he'd only be interested if I was working on school work. Hmmm, I may just try it anyway. The two of them have been stuck to each other all day. It's really cute though.

Victory!

Victory is mine! Bring me the finest bagels and muffins in all the land! Actually victory is partially mine and mostly belongs to my friend Courtney, who helped me fix my links. Thanks girl! But I am feeling quite good because I made another, different mistake after she left, but I figured this one out on my own. I guess I'm not as computer illiterate as I thought I was. I'm just so proud! now, I want to tinker so more. But I know better than that. I shouldn't push my luck!

Pretty New Yarn

The mailman was very good to me today. Along with a new IN STYLE, and a present for the baby, he hand delivered a box of yarn. The black yarn will be used for the Broad Street Mittens from knitty.com, for my Dad. They will make putting outdoor xmas decorations up in the north woods much more enjoyable. The bright yarn is for Anouk, again from knitty, for the munchkin to wear for Thanksgiving. The orange is lighter than I hoped but I think it will turn out okay.
Speakingof the munchkin, here's a picture of the hat I made for her. It's the umbilical cord hat from Stitch 'N Bitch (the original) I really liked the pattern so, I may make up a few more before it gets cold. It was fast, easy and mindless. A nice break from more intricate projects.

Low Productivity

I don't know where the days go. Today, it took me about four hours to bundle up the baby, go to the grocery store, bring the food home, unpack it, and put it away. In between baby wanted to nurse. And I had a splitting headache and tried to eat some lunch to help (it didn't help). So I found myself shelving the canned goods while heating up dinner. How sad am I?

I also have to admit that I feel like such a bad mom. Every time DH comes looking for me chanting: honey I think she's hungry again. I just cringe. How can something so little eat so much?

I have squeezed some knitting in, not today, but recently. I finished a little pink hat for the munchkin, and I got some work done on as Irish hiking scarf this weekend (xmas present). I really need to finish a pair of kids socks for charity so I can send off the other pair and the hat that are waiting. Deadline for that is Oct 1st. And I have an envelope of washcloths waiting for postage for Katrina victims. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow. Maybe it will help me feel more productive.

Bathing Beauty

Zoe had her first tub bath last night, and pretty much screamed the whole time. She's a very modest little girl, and hates to be naked. She fusses and screams whenever we change her. And the poor thing kept wriggling herself sideways in the tub. It couldn't have been comfortable. At least it didn't look comfortable. And to think that I would spend the whole day in the tub if only the hot water would hold out. She obviously has much to learn.

The Plunge

Well, I've finally done it, started a real blog. It may take a few days to figure it all out, but I'm really excited to have taken this step. More to come, even some pictures.