busy, busy

I feel like we've been so busy the last couple weeks, yet I feel like I haven't done a darn thing. Ah, life. Last weekend we went to Ft. Wayne to John's Grandma's 85th birthday. Now Mary has a cold. And we are leaving Monday for a week in Evansville. I haven't really had time to knit. I've been super tired for some reason. Ugh.

But, I have a few pics. First, my shrug. So, I found this pattern on Ravelry. I loved how it looked, so I bought the yarn and took off. I noticed that a couple people noted it took more yarn than the pattern called for and also that the sleeves ended up shorter than they wanted. I knit the entire thing, and it was awful!!! Argh!!!! So, I thought about it. I figured I could take the general shape of the shrug and knit it more to my liking. I love the way it turned out!!!

Don't mind the funny look on my face. I was talking to Mary through the back door. She was freaking out because I wouldn't let her out with me. Oh, and don't mind the bags under my eyes. I plan on sleeping when I'm dead.

So, that was one part of Project 33--to make something for myself. I still have one more thing I want to make for myself out of some pretty yarn my friend Sarah sent me. Hopefully I'll get to it this summer. While I'm thinking about Project 33, I am still doing my push ups, though it is taking longer than 6 weeks. I'm cool with that. I continue to do more each week. When I started I could only do 7 push ups. Yesterday's workout I did the following sets: 20, 25, 20, 20, 29.

Next up, a skirtie for Ellie. This pic is of it wet, so the colors are a bit off. I still need to make a drawstring and it will be ready to go.





Ellie's asleep in my left arm, and I'm typing one handed so I think I better call this entry done.

Out with the old......

and in with my new stove!!!! Yippie!!!! I think I am way more excited than anyone should be about a new stove. But I am. I cook all the time. Pretty much everything we eat is from scratch. When we moved here, the house came with a stove. It was 39 years old, but it worked. Plus we had just bought the house, and didn't really want to buy a new stove. But then a couple weeks ago, some muffins took 35-40 minutes to cook instead of 20-25. I had a bad feeling the oven was dying, so it was time.

Good-bye, old stove. I'll miss you. Thanks for feeding us for (almost) two years.

And in with my new baby!!! So fresh and clean and with a clock and a timer and delayed start on the oven. You are my new best friend. I'll probably gain 10 pounds because of you.


(Plugged in 15 minutes and already cooking lunch!!!!) We got a new hood/fan too, but John installed that after lunch and I guess I didn't get a pic. Mary and I are both excited about the window on the oven door and an oven light that actually works!

In other news, I'm in a knitting funk. I finished the shrug (well, almost finished, I need to weave in 3 or 4 ends and block it, but am totally uninspired about doing it). I moved on to the gnome project for Beth. Gnome #1--I didn't like the color after knitting the legs. Gnome #2---I knit the entire thing, then realized it was too small for the cradle. The body and head are done and stuffed but the arms and hat aren't attached. Gnome #3--I finished 2/3 of it or so, but was worried I'd run out of yarn. Gnome #4 was good enough to give her. Thank goodness.




Next up, a skirtie for Ellie. The last skirtie I tried to make was a waste of my time. It was for Mary and a different pattern. Well, I don't even have a pattern this time. I'm winging it. Which will either pull me out of my knitting funk or make me never knit again.

We are off to story time at the library. It's a beautiful day outside!

working on my to do list

I just didn't have it in me to craft at my normal speed last week. I went to bed early almost every night. But now I need to get back to it. Crafting keeps me sane. I have ideas beyond my current to do list, but I feel like I need to work on it first before I move on. After that, I need to work on a gift for John's cousin's new baby. John's Mom asked us to make something that will be a gift from her, and she's paying us to make it. Cool! John will be making a cradle like Mary's snowmen have, and I'll be making a knitted gnome, pillow and quilt. So, I need to get moving on my current list before I can do that.

So:
1. "gotta finish my shrug"--not yet. It's next. I've already finished it once and didn't like it. So I ripped it out and started over. It seems to be a theme around here these days.

2. "gotta dye up that yarn"--dyed and skeined. need to wind it into balls.
That's only half of the variegated. I dyed up a full 8 oz since I didn't know how much I needed and I can always use the scraps later.

3. "want to make something for April"--done. I made this freaking bag 4 times before I was happy with it. Ugh. I seriously considered giving up on it. Not that it was hard, it just didn't look the way I wanted it to. So I started over. And over.
The handles and base aren't that blue in real life. They are really purple. It is super overcast out today. I hope she likes it.

4. "want to start on the girls bunnies AND knit up a dozen Easter eggs to hide with Mary"--this is on the bottom of the list now, but will be done before Easter.

5. " oh and that painting I started last weekend" done. I want to start a collection of small houses for my desk area. The felt one with the crocheted roof came from Etsy and I love it.

I'll be working on the shrug tonight. Even though I don't want to. But I just can't put it off any longer.

this week

This week I am home with the girls while John's away for work. He left Sunday afternoon and will be back after we are asleep Friday night. It's the first time I've been alone for an entire week since Ellie was born. The last time he was gone (for 3 days) Ellie was two months old and easier to deal with. Not that she's hard to deal with, but she's just more work now than she was then. Speaking of Ellie, she was 6 months old on Tuesday, and she's almost crawling!

Monday we took in the application for Mary's pre-school and went to the bank in the freezing cold. Tuesday? Heck, I don't remember Tuesday. It was a long day. Oh, we made banana bread. And I got to shower! Wednesday (oh! yesterday, seems like 5 years ago) Mary and Grandma Beth went to story time while Ellie and I stayed here. Today we went to the grocery store and no one cried. I count that as a victory. I usually have John go with us on the weekend, but since it wasn't bitterly cold today I figured we'd be fine. I hate getting the girls in and out of the car when it's cold. Mary was so good and such a help. I let her put stuff in the cart. She loved it. And, she put all the cold stuff away for me when we got home.

Mary's been sleeping with me this week. The few times in the past I've had to put her to bed and entertain Ellie too, I've done it in Mary's room/bed. Then in the middle of the night when she woke up I just carried her into my bed. But then I'd spend the next hour answering "why am I in here?" questions. So, I had John move the bed rail and Mary's sleeping in my bed all night. It's working out so much better. Mary's been falling asleep around 8pm and then Ellie and I go play for a bit, then she falls asleep on me while I watch TV or surf. Then I carry Ellie to bed, and there we all are. The last two nights I just stayed awake for a while, even though I was tired. Mary on my left side, sleeping soundly, and Ellie on my right, smashed up as close to me as she can get. And both nights the strangest and best feeling has come over me as I was falling asleep. Strange because I can't believe I am really their Mom. That I'm old enough, or wise enough or good enough for them. Yet it's the best feeling (probably because they are sleeping!!!!) because I am so lucky to be blessed with two healthy, smart, beautiful children. I'm going to be a little sad when John comes home and Mary goes back to her own room. I've missed sleeping with her since Ellie's been born. Although it will be nice to have room to stretch out:). Why on earth they both have to smash up on me until we are just a big sweating heap, I have no idea. Okay, I admit, I love that too. I love that they need me and like to be close to me. And I know they won't want to sleep with me forever. I'm enjoying it while I can.