New Year

Happy New Year!!!

Erik & ramblings

I had planned on posting a picture of Erik, but it has been a rough day for our little boy so far...so no picture of just Erik. He seems to have a somewhat sensitive stomach like Harmony and we think we have found a formula he can tolerate, but I know the local WIC office won't let us use it. And what they force upon everyone here he has only gotten sick on(thankfully not the colic Harmony had, but milk coming out his mouth and nose after each feeding is disturbing enough without the painful gas). So we shall see where this goes($100/month for formula is very daunting, but we may not have a choice).
The little ones had a very good Christmas and we are still waiting for two boxes of gifts to arrive. Michael and I have decided that a Christmas tradition for our little family will be an extended Christmas. The reason is it seems that every year at least one package of gifts shows up a couple of days after the holiday, which creates Christmas all over in our home.
And I will stop before I ramble much more. But here is a picture of Melodie and Erik a few days after we got home.

It is hard to believe it is so close to Christmas already. Just when we think we are done something else creeps up on us or someone calls to tell us they have something for the little ones. But all are well and the little ones will have a wonderful christmas, even with a couple of packages arriving after the holiday. Sending a huge thank you to those who have sent gifts for the little ones and for all the wonderful, loving thoughts. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy Yule!

Holiday spirit

Just a little music that the girls are loving at the moment. And also if you have a moment visit Erin's blog, she made a sweet video of Elisabeth and herself that my girls are also wanting to watch over and over. :)

Elf's Lament

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen barenaked ladies & sarah mclachlan

God rest ye merry gentleman Jars of clay (beautifully traditional version)

run, rudolf, run brian setzer orchestra

'Zat you santa claus? brian setzer

(Brian Setzer and TSO are favorites year round)

Update

Just wanted to say thank you for all the comments and good thoughts. We are all doing well, just trying to settle into a routine. :)

Erik

Erik arrived 12-2-09 at 8:27am. All 9 pounds 2 ounces and 20 inches.
His sisters adore him and he is getting spoiled rotten.

From the sick house...

A little something fun since we are all sick here.

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Here and Now - Letters to Cleo

I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick

So far I'm somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 the way finished on the baby bolero from One Skein. I have spent maybe an hour on it and it is quick and easy. I don't have a booties pattern yet though since spending any length of time sitting with my feet down is very uncomfortable (which is the only option in front of my computer). Although I am not going to follow the bolero pattern exactly (okay already have not) since I know this little one will not be that tiny and the thought of picking up 164 stitches to do two rows of ribbing does not appeal. Instead I am just going to crochet around the edges, most likely using a half double stitch. Time to save the house from Harmony. Enjoy your Friday and just think tomorrow is Halloween!!!!

Booties

Trying to find a free, cute & quick baby booties pattern(knit or crochet). I am in the mood for easy, quick and no fuss(ie. not a lot of tiny pieces or sewing/weaving in). If anyone has any suggestions...they also need to be able to be gender neutral since we don't know what this little one is yet(yes Cathleen, I was thinking of using up a couple of the larger balls that I bought from you). I am debating on being bad and taking a coupon over to AC Moore to buy a skein of sock yarn(a yarn fix and it will have a purpose already), but we shall see. Happy Wednesday!

Where has the time gone???

It's so hard to believe Melodie is 5 today. And we have yet another birthday to celebrate tomorrow. Then the new arrival. Time to go check on the birthday girl.

Finally! (& a mini-rant)

We have been having fall-like weather here for the past week. I love the cooler weather. The problem...Melodie has grown too much on me. I have next to nothing for her and the only coat was a heavy winter coat. T-shirts abound, long sleeved shirts and pants are scarce. I finally got lucky today at Used But Not Abused. I found 2 pairs of pants (both needing doctoring to fit her properly), 3 long sleeved shirts and 2 jackets (2 sizes so we are covered if she grows again soon), plus mommy couldn't not pick up the 'princess' cape and leotard since I knew she would love them. Plus a pink tee to go with the pink pants and 2 tops for harmony and I spent less than 9 dollars on everything. The only bad thing is how much for Melodie is pink, one pair of pants is pink and the other pink camo, only one shirt is rainbow striped, the rest are pink and the leotard is of course ballet pink...the jackets are purple (and she says she loves them) and the princess cape is white. I've warned daddy already...reason being, this is the child who as a baby would scream at anything pink. Now it's her favorite color after purple, who knew. Sorry for the rambling. Super happy to have some warmer clothes (crossing fingers Hanniah comes through with a couple more pairs of pants that Lizzy has outgrown) and trying not to go stir crazy (I am a bad bed rest candidate, must keep entertained and able to rescue the house from Harmony).
Why is it that when I want/need a sewing machine there are none to be found? Not one thrift store nearby has one, struck out on freecycle...and I have fabric and patterns to make pants that will fit my little monkey and fabric to make things for the baby...but no working machine. Well it's time to go stop Harmony from climbing the entertainment cabinet(again). Have a fantastic weekend!!!
Oh and check out Erin's blog for today, love her and her little one's style!

Just something short and sweet, since my little monkey is liking having Mama around all the time (and using it to her advantage). Nothing new on the baby front, it is contentedly hitting and kicking me with a heartbeat around 130. On the bright side, thanks to Michael's manager, we have a place that will help out with clothing and diapers for the first year (I can deal with an hour drive for a little bit of help, considering we gave away most of the the girls stuff Harmony has grown out of already). And I am going to get back to working on a certain pink and brown blanket I want to get in my etsy shop...I just have to keep a little yarn thief from trying to run off with the skeins, hook and completed section long enough to get farther. Hope everyone had a relaxing Columbus Day/Thanksgiving.

Mini-Update

Sorry about the long absence, but there just hasn't been a whole lot to report. We do know that I am due December 7Th (give or take 28 days) and we are figuring it will be before the 7Th just because of all that is going on with me. And I am no longer at work because of lots of swelling and pain from the swelling in my feet, ankles and legs. They were unable to determine the sex because the leg was in the way, but the little one is over 3 1/2 lbs already according to the measurements taken from the ultrasound. Knitting and crocheting hasn't been going well since I tend to fall asleep after a row or two, but such is life. Hope everyone else is doing well and getting ready for Halloween.

Yay!

Not much to report here yet. Haven't been able to get a ob/gyn appointment til the end of this month. But I just had to mention how happy I am for Lucy's new addition to the Attic24 family! Time to go put my feet up for a bit.

Well I finally have an appointment of sorts, but it still won't give us a due date or anything. Hoping to get that taken care of in the next week or so.
Not much new other than the car, which was just repaired is acting up and the mechanic is baffled...(crossing fingers & toes) so here is hoping it isn't anything major.
And a post worth reading from Rhonda Jean's blog.

Not Knitting Much

I haven't been crocheting at all...and just not knitting very much. Too tired after work and watching the girls to do so at this point. Though I know I need to get a few things done now or they might not get done for quite a while. I also found a new online yarn store that is very dangerous (some of the best prices on hand-painted yarn I've found) called Eat, Sleep, Knit(there is a link in the sidebar) and I love that the owner knits AND crochets.
I do have a little ribbed & garter mission falls 136 superwash merino hat(making it up as I go along) started for this fall/winter. Although our luck it will be the odd nice warm day that we come home from the hospital. Other than lots of work stress and $$ stress we now know why I've been pretty much passing out in the evening for micro-naps. I don't have a due date yet(that would require me to be able to get a Dr's appt when I am not scheduled to be at work), but from all the signs and symptoms it will be before the new year. And I need to thank my crochet friend Vicki, who has already started shopping for fabric and such for me to make things for the new addition (Thank you!!!).

Lace scarf

Well, the scarf has been restarted twice so far. The first time I frogged it because it was to tight on size 8 needles(what yarn called for). I went up to 9's and it was looking great...until Grandma dozed off and my little monkey went climbing and pulled the needles out...then played with the yarn (she was very proud of herself).

Still MIA

I still can not find the camera cable. So no new pictures yet. And not much going on other than work, work and more work. For a change of pace I have started knitting a lace scarf though (crochet is near instant gratification, but my mind is wandering a bit too much at the moment and I am messing up something very basic). It's a very simple 10 row repeat pattern and I'm trying out Michael's Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in 'Fresh Lilac Ombre' I've had the skein about 2 months (gotta love gifts), but hadn't run across a pattern that caught my interest for it till I was browsing Ravelry earlier. We shall see how it works. Time to go play with my girls.

Short, but interesting.

The pictures will be a little longer...seems the usb cable has vanished. Actually I figure grandma put it 'up' so Harmony couldn't climb for it and forgot to tell me.
And there just is not much new going on. Though when I stopped over at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op I was quite delighted at today's topic of clothing reconstruction. Especially since it is how my girls have gained a few tops and dresses. I've made the co-op link clickable so you can wander over at your leisure. Off to do more laundry. Have a good, relaxing weekend.

Help (and a little more patience)

I was wondering what remedies you have used for diaper rash. We have run the gamut on creams and nothing has been working for my little monkey(Harmony). I broke down and bought some 'butt paste' today (the price is ridiculous, but the Dr's office suggested trying it since A&D didn't work like usual) but we haven't seen improvement yet. When Melodie was a baby I had a small container of a cream with actual pieces of oatmeal in it that worked like a charm when she got this bad from antibiotics...but can't remember the name and have not been able to locate it. I dread every diaper I am changing because Harmony screams even with the lightest touch to clean and cream her(admittedly she's been running around naked a fair amount, but still). Any and all ideas/suggestions are welcome.
Still arguing with the camera about downloading the pics and still sorting/trying to get a decent schedule going here, but I will be around more often.

Soon

I didn't realize it had been over a month since I last posted anything. C'est la vie. Things here haven't necessarily been busy, but hectic and chaotic with M's new job and him working all three shifts every week. It has been rough on the girls, especially Melodie, that there is not any remote sameness or order to the shifts her daddy works.
I will be back next week and hopefully the computer and camera will co-operate and I will be able to post a couple pictures of what has been on my needles/hooks (pathetically little, have been too drained and exhausted to do much) of which at least one thing is headed for my etsy shop. And possibly a pic or two of my girls...we shall see. Hope every one's summer has been going well. Congrats to Hot Belly Mama and Beau on the birth of Naomi Rose. See you all very soon.

Still here...

I am still around, just not online much or for very long. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far and hopefully I'll be back soon.

********annoying machines*******

My computer has not been very cooperative the last couple of days to say the least. But then again there hasn't been a whole lot to report since Michael is waiting on his background check to go through before hearing about the job. I'm really off kilter with my hours and days of doing things at work being really twisted and turned around this week and the necessary machine for part of my job still not back from deciding not to work last week (praying UPS brings it to the store tomorrow so I can use it to finish up Thursday morning at an evil hour). I really dislike that this is the week my schedule got messed with since Harmony had her 15 month check up today and of course got shots. If it was a normal week I would drag her and her bottle of tylenol along with me to keep an eye on her. As it is...she is 30 1/2" long and weighs just shy of 29 pounds. And is 'healthy as a horse' as her Dr likes to say. I will stop going on about my little monkey. And wish everyone a great week since I don't know when I'll be posting again at the moment. Also you need to check out Erin's top she made in less than two hours!

Can't wait!

I get to stalk the UPS man next week! Got to talk to a wonderful woman I met when I got hooked on crocheting. Admittedly Vicki lives on the opposite coast, but she is such a sweet, loving person that has always made me smile (and my heartache for her medical issues and what her family has gone through the last couple of years). But out of the generousity of her heart she is sending me a box of yarn and fabric to help keep me busy and pad my almost non-existant stash. Admittedly her hubby has threatened to take stuff to goodwill if she doesn't get rid of it, so I am one of the very lucky recipients of her yarn and fiber holic tendencies. Also please send some positive prayers/thoughts our way. After months of applying for jobs and getting nowhere Michael finally has an interview tomorrow (Friday). It is only 24 hours a week to start, but if he gets it that is that much more money we have to make sure our basic bills are paid and the girls have the extra milk & such they need to stay healthy. I had something else on my mind, but am blanking at the moment. But I have plans for that box...she is sending some flannel and baby yarn so I can make the soon-to-be mom of twin girls some blankets, burp cloths and little kimonos & wash cloths. I've been in her place with having nothing and a little one on the way and I was blessed by my Texas co-workers with a no longer needed crib, bedding, some sleepers and blankets and diapers and wipes, so I'm going to do what I can with this gift box to help her out (don't know her name, she is a friend of someone we got to know well, whom I've given baby girl stuff to for her 5 month old). Enough rambling...just a bit nervous for Michael and praying he gets this job since we really need the income.

A Rant

The title is a warning.
Why in the world to people insist that no matter how much vomit may bother someone...'Once you have kids it won't/doesn't bother you any more.' That's a bunch of malarkey as my Grandmother says. I always and unfortunately have been one of those that hearing another getting sick, seeing it, smelling it...well it makes me want to join and fast. The only reason this is appearing is because my sweet little microdot was sick about 45 minutes ago. Out of the blue, no warning and it was awful (still can't get the smell out of my nose and she is bathed, all the vomit is cleaned up and anything touching it/used for cleaning is soaking in a nice borax and laundry detergent bath).
Melodie never got sick much, if she spit up/vomitted it usually meant/means she's hitting a growth spurt and she will also sleep more than normal. The same is true for Harmony, except for when she was newborn and had a to go through three additional formulas to find one that didn't make her sick (she was fine on the Enfamil from the hospital, but WIC here won't let you use that). But by the time I went back to work she was settled and rarely got sick. Sorry for the side track, but I just normally don't have to deal with vomit much (thankfully). And as I was cleaning up the mess a customer's voice from my old store in Texas popped into my head telling me that in a long list of advice. Okay I could go off on unwanted baby advice and belly touching without permission, but I won't. Sorry just had to let that out after a very stressful day at work (who knew 6 hours could drain one so much). Night and thanks for reading my rant. Take care and have a wonderful week!!!!!
And a few of songs...at odds with each other, but I enjoy them equally.


Bella Luna

Love Me Dead

You Found Me

TSO Beethoven clip

TSO Layla

TSO Dueling Pianos West

TSO Dueling Pianos East

Okay as an aside/addon TSO is amazing on CD and mind blowing in concert. I personally perfer the east coast group...but that could be that I am biased towards Chris Caffery (listened to Savatage as a teen and preferred Chris over Jon for whatever reason)...the Jon Oliva west coast show isn't bad, but I seriously prefer the dueling pianos from the east coast show (better pianists, I think). Sorry for the ramble...enjoy the music!

One more addition...just stumbled across Savio on Myspace...loving Muse, but Senorita is on youtube

Update

I am a bit better. Exhausted, shaky(from medicine) and sore(from coughing), but slowly mending. Evidently I am among a nice sized group in the area with the same issues, but the NP was great and very helpful. I got a small round dishcloth finished while waiting at the Dr's office. I'll try to get a picture and write down the pattern for anyone interested. It is simple knitting and short rows and goes pretty quickly. Most of my other attempts at knitting and crocheting wip's have lead to frogging. So I am making my version of grandma's favorite washcloth for a friend's 4 month old. Then I plan on making a small stack for a woman she knows who is having twins in a month and has next nothing for them. It has taken me over an hour to write this with all the interruptions here and hence I have forgotten a couple of things I was going to type. Oh well. C'est la vie. Take care everyone and thank you!!

A bit more quiet

Thank you for the wonderful pick-me-up comments! Though even if we won the lottery I would still work...just part of who I am (okay would probably be running a yarn store then, but still). I'm currently waiting on a call from the doctors office since the bronchitis seems to be wanting to come back with a vengence. Not being able to hold Harmony for long or walk from the house to the car (maybe 30 feet) without being completely out of breath is driving me crazy. I have some crocheting and knitting I need to catch up on, but have been getting no where. And in all honesty I am burnt out at work. It's to the point that I don't even want to set foot near the store even to shop, let alone go to work. Very bad place for my head to be right now. There is stress here at home with Michael struggling to find work and fighting for unemployment he is due, but that I can handle (been thinking long and hard and am sure of this). It's the work stress that is getting to me. The economy is bad, fine. But what they are doing to all of us is making it much, much worse and I know I'm not alone in these thoughts as a couple of senior co-workers are quietly complaining to those of us they know they can trust. Because of where my head is at the moment I may not be posting much or at all for a bit. I deal with enough negativity at work and I don't want to spread it here. My family/home is my happy little haven, even if we are stressed and worried and I'm going to take refuge here for a bit. I will still be online/around and checking email and everyone's wonderful blogs. Just need some down time. See you all, hopefully soon.
Jenn

Quiet

I have been quiet because I do not want to vent about work here (I could go on and on at this point and that is not something I am willing to do). The bronchitis is trying to come back. And Harmony has been a bit grumpy from teething. I am just very tired and worn out at the moment. I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blogs though. And there is the time spent with my little family to make the days brighter.
Plus Grandma is back from their trip to Cheraw, SC so Melodie will stop asking to go to Grandma's house and us having to tell her she can't because Grandma is away. And I think I am starting to ramble so I am going to say good night and I hope it was a good start to a new week.

For those who asked...two Melodie tops and one Harmony...the rest are in the laundry, same style just different material. Nothing much to say so I won't drag it out. Thank you to everyone for their comments and the followers :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you & other stuff

Thank you for all the well wishes. I am feeling better, though still am not up to walking around our house outside with out coughing like crazy (landlord had to come work on our ac again since it stopped working in the middle of the night...85 inside it a tad too toasty).
Yesterday was wonderful, hubby and I took Mr. R with us to the flea market. We all had a good time and I got a beautifully sewn bag by a local woman for only $7(a steal). It already has my crocheting in it I am doing for Joy (making her a bag). We got lots of good veggies and some super lovely strawberries. We also made a few other stops for Mr. R as he wanted out of his house for a while.
Today has been long, but I finally got to sew. Joy is letting my borrow her sewing machine for a few weeks since she will be having knee surgery soon and isn't using it. I have sewn up three tank tops for Harmony and two tank tops and a dress for Melodie this evening. And the pattern is just free-hand on newspaper. Melodie loves hers and has a tank top on and the dress over top at the moment. She has asked me to make her baby dolls tops too. Might get to one or two of them tomorrow since they will be small and quick.
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Yuck & yum

It's now official..I have bronchitis and don't get to go back to work til Monday(thank goodness I have some vacation and personal hours tucked away). Keeping Harmony up last night sort of worked. She did go to bed with her sister after the prerequisite two readings of her chosen book for the night(mommy reads & daddy reads or she doesn't sleep well). But since yours truly evidently was wheezing horribly while sleeping and up and down coughing much more than I'd been...I kept waking my little angels up. Though they seem in good moods and grandma said they were good for her while I spent hours taking breathting treatments and xrays at the dr's office.
Now for the yum. Went to the local grocery store for my precriptions (still have to get more info to get one filled). They had blueberries and blackberries for $1.49 a small container...so we splurged and bought one of each. They are super delicious.
And I will be bad tomorrow. I have to go out for a prescription at work (only way to afford the darn thing). And we are going to stop off at the farmer's market on the way home(okay about a mile out of our way). I can't wait to browse what Indigo and Tyler Farms have and get some fresh fruits and veggies. Enjoy your Thursday!

Sleep?

Not much entertaining or interesting here. Still having trouble shaking a cough I picked up, but I probably would be better if I could get a little more sleep. I'm getting the feeling Harmony is to me what, Melodie is to her daddy. Melodie and daddy seem to run on the same sleep schedules and temperatures and if she gets tired she can take her daddy down for a nap with her. Harmony and I took a nap together this afternoon...I only wish I felt as good as she did when she woke. Though my sweet, little Harmony is still not wanting to go to sleep when the rest of us want to which is really wearing me down since I'm lucky to get 2 hours of sleep before I have to go to work. And the whole house is grumpy from lack of sleep(Harmony has a earsplitting set of vocals she knows just how to use). My goal is to keep her up till bedtime (no napping allowed) and see if it helps her to go to bed when she should. She was so good about going to sleep and only waking for milk when her little body told her it was a must for so long. Sorry for the ramblings of an over-tired mama. Hope everyone is having a great week and looking forward to an even better weekend.

Saturday

Nothing special going on or too report. I do live in an adult sleep deprived house though. Sweet, little Harmony has taken it upon herself to reduce her sleep and keep mommy and daddy up all night long. And by all night I mean she hasn't gone to sleep before 5 am the past 3 days. Last night or should I say this morning it was almost 6:30am before she passed out and was up by 11:30am. And she is still awake and happy and playing. I forsee a very long weekend ahead of me.
I have to say as much as I've missed Sara blogging I know she's been busy and overwhelmed and her most recent to posts have made me smile and feel much better about this blogging thing. Thank you, Sara for being you!

Yay!

I'm stealing a few moments while Harmony is happily playing in her play yard and Melodie is at grandma's to say, we have ac back.
And then there is work...I was asked yesterday before we got the ac back to come in two hours early this morning. I said no. Terrible of me since the money would come in handy, but the thought of a night of little sleep was bad enough. I knew if I went in for what they asked all I would be is annoyed, aggrivated, tired and in a worse mood when 10am rolled around than when I would go in at 8am. The thought of coming home that grumpy and annoyed just did not appeal. I realize they can't understand that those of us on the lower rungs do have lives (we aren't salary) and actually like to plan things and just spend time with family, friends, or even alone, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to me or my little family.
Now that I'm done ranting I'm going to go knit a shawl/blanket(haven't decided yet) for Harmony since the blanket I made Melodie(which ended up with Harmony) is being teethed on, drug around and loved to the point of lots of strings hanging out. Enjoy your day and I hope it isn't too busy of a Wednesday for anyone!

Update

Another short and sweet post. I am happy that our thermostat is only reading 79 at the moment. But we got the bad news that our compressor needs replaced(a part is cracked that is not repair/replacable), the good news is the landlord picks up the tab, the downside is we have no clue how long it will take him to replace it(hoping soon since the baby is not handling the extra heat in the house well, our MicroDot has her own dedicated fan to keep her cool and she is tolerating being contained for that reason alone). Plus I don't want to think about what an oven this place will be if it isn't fixed before it rains and we have to shut the only windows providing cool air.

Blah

Short and to the point tonight. We've been without AC since Friday night and it has staying in the 80's inside despite opening windows and using fans to direct the cooler outside air. Needless to say our focus has been on keeping the little girls comfy and not to warm. Hope this is a quick easy fix. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Hmmm...

Sorry, I just haven't had much to say. Been taking the girls out in the afternoon/evenings after I get home from work. They love it, but once Harmony is let off the porch to run she won't go back to play. Which is funny as it is frustrating since Melodie wants to ride her bike on the porch or play(she has an amazing and vivid imagination) and Harmony wants nothing to do with being confined to the porch anymore. If I let her, Harmony would walk the whole little development we live in. She knows which three houses around us have dogs and tends to head across the street first and then she looks up towards grandma's house. I think grandma won't take her out to play under the trees because of having to run her down. I have 3 dishcloths sitting finished, except for weaving in the ends and another 3/4 done. Hopefully I get a bit more knitting and crocheting done this weekend, but if I don't get much done I really won't mind, at all. Which probably isn't a good thing, but life had just been a bit to stressful this past week. Hope everyone has a warm and wonderful weekend!

Sunshine & Sunburns

It has been a beautiful weekend here. The only reason I'm inside by the computer is because Melodie is up playing at Grandma's and Harmony is taking a nap. Poor Melodie is very red though. She and Grandma went to the beach yesterday, then came home and played with Grandma's neighbors grandson. Five hours is just too much sun for my little ghost girl, even with sunblock. But Grandma didn't have the heart to stop her from playing since it was nice out and she had someone her own age to run around with. Harmony and I went knitting at the lys with Joy, then some random shopping stops (gotta stop at the thrift stores if they are on the way home). Joy, got a nice sleeveless summer dress at the new consignment shop by our lys. I made out at my nearest thrift shop(all the proceeds benefit Citizens Against Spouse Abuse). I spent a whopping $1.50 and got Melodie a pair of shorts, Harmony a pair of shoes and a top, plus 2 books. Both my girls have hit growth spurts (okay Harmony has been averaging one every 2 or 3 weeks since February) and not all of Melodie's old cloths are the right size in the right season. And I just don't have much for Melodie above the size she's in...not that she cares if her jeans turn into capri's. Well Melodie just came home so it's time for me to go play. Hope everyone's weekend was great.

Pay It Forward

I spotted pay it forward on a different blog last week, loved the idea, but the thought of doing it just left me uninspired.
Not so today when I came across saraeden's blog . I love her little pump bags she posted also. She is super creative and crafty and I enjoy seeing what she comes up with and the fabrics she uses.

So, the first 3 comments on today's blog I will send a special hand-made little something to and in return those 3 people mention the pay it forward on their blogs and send special gifts to their first 3 comments, et cetera.

Just the thought of getting a special little package in the mail is enough to make me smile (ok I'm going to be getting at least one this week and if I'm lucky the second will show up too..or next week...you can never go wrong with yarn and books).

And if this is disjointed I am sorry...very long night with the baby not sleeping, so I feel a bit fuzzy headed. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Quiet

I will probably be on the quiet side for a few more days. With work adding hours for the holiday and all of the emotional ups and downs I'm exhausted. And now hubby has a nasty cold and Melodie-girl is complaining of an upset tummy(but she's finally potty trained..stubborn+potty training=lots of struggles) and Harmony isn't sleeping much or well. This Mama is tired and any knitting or crocheting to 'relax' just puts me to sleep. Take care and if I don't post before the holiday...Happy Easter!!!

Had to add pics of my girls and Gma keeping Harmony out of too much trouble(huge struggle there)

Etsy

Finally have the camera cable and have uploaded 5 sets of cloths to my etsy shop.
If you need more than are shown or a different set of colors please feel free to contact me. Or if you only want a bunch of a certain style I am more than happy to make them.

Patience

I am so sorry I haven't gotten anything up in my etsy shop. We've been spending a lot of time with our neighbor Mr. R (he's 75). He lost his aunt, who was 90. She is his only living relative that he had any contact with since almost all of his family has died. He looked forward to her weekly phone calls. Sorry for the rambling it has been a long and emotionally rough weekend here.

Hiding?

I had planned to have a nice little bunch of cloths listed in my etsy shop...problem is my camera cable has vanished into thin air. Hopefully I will find it tomorrow afternoon/evening after I get off work so that I can post some yarn-y goodness. Heather is having her 1st Friday giveaway with some of my cotton goodies to give-away. So bear with me as I find that elusive cable and get at least a few little things up for anyone who might be interested.


P.S. For Kristin...I looked at several and just kind of modified them to suit me (smaller needles since I have a bad habit of knitting loose and closing up the center instead of leaving a hole) but here is a link for you.

Those days

The past couple of days, have just been that 'one of those days' that exhaust and drain you. A little bitty girl who is a whirlwind of emotion, mostly fussy, angry, tired and only wanting mama, but at the same time not wanting mama. And then there is little girl who seems to be on a roller coaster of her own 4 year old emotions. With both girls colliding constantly and both demanding and refusing and refusing to sleep even though their little bodies keep telling them it is necessary. And no sooner do they finally succumb to sleep...a deep breath is taken to relax for just a few minutes...then one or both are awake and demanding still/again.
Thanks to Cathleen , Heather, Jessica , Lucy and Brin for a few short minutes and little oasis' of peaceful serenity.

Still nothing of great importance going on. The weather is beautiful though and warm enough for summer wear. Which means later this week I will be going through Melodie's old clothes for some shorts for Harmony to wear, though I know there won't be many to fit her at the moment.
I've got knitting and crocheting going on to keep me busy, out of trouble and off the computer. Here's hoping everyone has had/is having a wonderful weekend and hopefully I'll have more to say soon.

Time for a little catching up.
Sunday's Knitting Retreat was fantastic. Only about 4 hours long, but the conversation, yarn and laughter were wonderful. Good food. And I even won a door prize!!! Too much talking and fun while knitting meant a lot of people didn't get far on knitting, no one minded though.
Melodie's little garden is looking great despite the cooler weather and she shows it off everytime we go outside. In all honesty not much else has been going on other than my trying to get things finished and sent off the the right people. Happy Hump Day!

Hmmm...

It has been a fairly quiet Saturday. The girls and I did take a trip to the library for them to run around on the playground and then on to our nearby thrift store where we got a bag of clothes for my girls and my best friend Hanniah's daughter for $3 (saved me about $3 off the normal prices of 25-50 cents per item). And Melodie is thrilled she got a purple dress. I'm happy I got another canvas tote/grocery bag for 75cents and a couple of summer-ish clothes for Harmony since she has hit a growth spurt and the seasons are off for what she is wearing and what Melodie wore. Gotta run and rescue the house from the girls. Have a good weekend.

Little girls & flowers

Yesterday Melodie bought her flowers and soil and planted her flower garden. Admittedly it's only a small patch by the front porch steps, but it is hers. And I have to blame Grandma for them since she and Melodie planted some sunflower seeds by their hot tub. But it is all good and sweet and the girls had fun in the sun...with Harmony getting frustrated that Grandma wouldn't let her go beyond our yard or off the porch later :). Short and sweet with a pic.

And I have to mention the little giveaway that's going on over at Lisa's blog (Knitty, Vintage and Rosy ). I love reading her blog, when she posts and she has a great knit hexagon pattern tucked in her sidebar. Also a thank you to saraeden for being my first follower!!!!! (Wow!)

This & that

Sorry it's been a few days...but there have been some changes here and between the goings on in the house and Harmony hitting a growth spurt, not a lot worth blogging about has gone on. I am finishing up my swap gifts in hopes of mailing them out tomorrow (depends on little girls moods and mama-needfulness tonight). I found out today I get to go on a knit retreat on Sunday (Thank you soooo much, Joy). My lys Knit'N'Purl is having a yarn retreat on March 22 and today was their one year anniversary of being open (Congrats Phyllis & Tracy). I get to sit and knit with my co-worker/friend Carol and Joy and who knows who else...can't wait!!! Actually taking some me time without either girl that doesn't involve work...a novelty( Okay it's only 5 or so hours, but still). Well, it's time to go knit something that requires a little concentration while my girlies are sleeping. Have a great evening.

Swap goodness!

All I can say is WOW! Thank you so much Jenna! I am a member at crochetville and decided to go ahead and participate in the kitchen swap (I still need to finish a couple things and mail Jenna's package). I've ogled YarnPirate yarn, needles and such and told myself "one day". I may not have gotten yarn pirate yarn, but I got yarn pirate needles! She sent a bunch of 'coasters' which my girls confiscated and have been happily playing with (pics above). She also sent a beautiful skein of fleece artist yarn, 2 skeins of creme de la creme (never tried it), cute stitch markers, a cable needle, needle sweaters, sz1 & sz2 circulars, and a spectacular sock pattern (which is way beyond my abilities for socks at the moment, maybe once Harmony is 2 I'll have the time to devote to such a lovely pattern). There is also a cute cat pocket planner, a lovely spiral notebook, 2 pencils (hmm...maybe I'll actually start writing down the stuff I make on the fly...maybe) a cute pack of tissues, cocoa, goldfish (Melodie has claimed those, but said she will share), crochet hooks and a pack of glow sticks. All of the above came in one little box. I am thrilled and impressed and so grateful. It brightened up a semi-bad day. Okay, I'll stop running on...Have a good day!!

A little update

Not much new to report....still behind on projects, but much closer to finishing my kitchen swap gifts. Been spending time outside with the girls and passing out from an allergy medicine I am on (okay I've decided to stop using it because falling asleep off and on all day/evening is really annoying and doesn't get anything done). Hoping to go pansy shopping this weekend with Melodie and Harmony, though Melodie will be doing the flower choosing. We may not have much spending money, but $10 on flowers and potting soil is a worthy expense when it creates so much joy for us all. Who knows we might even pick up some veggie seeds.

Little girls & sunshine

Yesterday was all about my little girls and playing in the sun (after I got off of work). It was the first truly nice and warm day in a bit that wasn't threatening rain or dropping temperatures over night. They had so much fun playing between our house and our favorite neighbor, Mr. R's, place. Miss Melodie was 'planting' clovers in the dirt while Harmony ran everywhere her little legs would take her. She even decided to climb Mr. R's back porch steps, which she did perfectly with no hesitation on her first attempt at steps. Should have figured on that since she is our climbing monkey while Melodie has always been the runner(and bouncer and jumper). At 4 and 1 they keep us very busy and I look forward to coming home to them every day.
I am way behind in my knitting and crocheting, but with the nasty virus that went through us all the past week (and now is with Mr. R and my grandparents) I just have had no energy or ambition to do much of anything, plus the girls have been 'mama-ing' me constantly. I'm getting a little done here and there and hopefully later this week I will at least get caught up on the gifts I need to finish and the give away set I am working on. I hate how far behind I've gotten towards stocking my etsy shop, but such is life. I will get there when I was meant to and that is what matters. Besides my give away won't show up till the first Friday of April over at Heather's blog, Beatuty That Moves . And I must mention/recommend Cathleen's wonderful homemade soap (first bar soap that hasn't made my skin dry and/or itchy) My Sewing Serenity . Hopefully a little later I will be trying Rhonda's scone recipe Down To Earth and once I have mastered it I will try Brin's version (I am so going to miss her blog, she's such an inspiration) My Messy, Thrilling Life . Sorry for such a short first post, but I'm still trying to catch up from the illness that hit our little home.