knitting for O (and mama)

I noticed that my last post about our impending arrival referred to him as R2.  He does have a name now (he'd better since he's due in something like 20 days!), but since this is a public blog, I'm trying to protect my children's privacy and will refer to him now simply as O, until he gets a nickname like his brother, Scooch. 

I started knitting for O while we were in NY.  I just completed everything and now am working on something selfish.  One might wonder how I have time to knit at all with a house to settle into and a crazy 2 year old to keep up with.  I'm learning to be more creative with my time; incorporating Scooch into some of my housework that he can 'help' with, or at least still be supervised while I do it.  Also, since I'm so close to my due date, I've been pretty sleepy lately and needing as much rest as I can find.  So usually in the mornings, I've been trying to stay still on the couch while Scooch plays, and I knit.  And knit.  And knit.  And so, here are the results:

First up are socks, guaranteed to stay on (so says the designer).  I used bamboo yarn, which I don't really care for.  It's slippy and hard to maintain gauge.  Hopefully it won't cause them to 'slip' right off his feet.  And yes, that is my hugemongous belly they are sitting on.

Next is a top.  I love this pattern because it includes sizing for many seasons to come.  I can even make both my boys matching tops.  It's knit in a circle, including the shoulder straps.  I almost want one for me!

Every baby needs a hat.  This one looks like an aviator hat (which is also how the pattern is named).  I love the chin strap to help keep it on, and it covers his ears!  Double bonus.  Again, another pattern that can grow with my boys.

Finally, a blanket.  I made Scooch a HUGE blanket which hardly got used.  I'm almost hoping he develops a blankie habit so it seems some wear...almost.  I made O a smaller one.  I didn't pay attention to how MUCH smaller, but it'll be great for covering him for a while.  It warmed him while I was making it too.  He would start squirming all over whenever I covered my belly with it.

Oh, I almost forgot!  Here's the baby pod I made in NY.  It looks huge now, and there were many many problems with the pattern, but luckily it was an easy enough design that I worked out the errors and got a finished product out of it.  I can't wait to snuggle him up in it.

And here are a couple selfish things I made before we even left GA.  Both will get a lot of wear here across the pond, I do think:

hello again, hello

Hello hello hello!  That's how Wallace enters a room on one of my son's favorite shows, Humf.  So a few days almost turned into a few months.  Sorry I've been away so long, my imaginary land.  I've been quite busy in my absence however.  I'm about to post about it, but just wanted to say hello first.  I'm still working out whether I can continue to make and sell Baby Travel Bags while I'm here without being in violation of my visa.  You'll know when I know about that.  I do plan on doing a lot of sewing and knitting however.  Even if I have to pack it all up and save it until I'm back in the states.  Anyway, I'll get on with what I've been up to...

under the radar

I've had a great time here at my parents, awaiting our departure to England.  I have lots to post about, but time is running short.  I'll be missing from here for a few days while we travel, get settled, get internet again, etc.  Until then, my imaginary friends, be well!

for the love of rhubarb

There are some great things about being at home.  Home where my parents are.  Home where I grew up.  Home that I love coming back to.  One of those things, is rhubarb.  Oh for the love of rhubarb. 

I picked it, washed it and chopped it.

I can't take credit for the Raspberry-Rhubarb Jam though, that's all Mom.

I can take credit for the Strawberry-Rhubarb Puff however, and it was sooo delicious!

And I do believe there might be some more rhubarb savoriness coming up...  along with another photo series of another reason I love living up here!

Must. Have. Yarn.

While my Bernina is [hopefully] safely on it's way to the UK, along with all my fabric, I'm more limited in my crafting choices.  I have all my knitting needles with me, as I had planned to make a home for them using my mother's sewing machine.  But, I forgot to pull some yarn out of my bins before they were shipped away.  So I have a hundred million (it seems) needles, but no yarn.  No yarn?!  I had to remedy that immediately.  The one yarn shop I knew of around here closed (so so sad about that, by the way), so it was Michael's to the rescue!  I got some organic cotton to make socks for the new little R2, some nice cozy alpaca for a baby cocoon or two, and some stretchy sock yarn to make manicure socks for Mom and I (however, it's been so hot since I got here, I simply can't imagine putting anything resembling socks on my feet, even if they do have vented toes!)  You can check out what I'm making over at my Ravelry page.  I'll be posting more info and photos (finally!) as things get completed.

Bernina Love

I'm in love with my Bernina.  I was having huge tension troubles when I first got it, but thankfully I've had enough sewing machine trouble in my time to know how to fix it.  I was soo hoping to be able to complete a project on it before having to pack it up to send to the UK, but my Scooch was sick at the beginning of the week, and now I'm sick, and I still have half a house to pack by Sunday morning.  UGH.  So instead I went to a sewing center, about an hour away from here (I don't think I ever mentioned that I currently live in the middle of nowhere and it takes 20 minutes just to go to the grocery store).  It was heaven.  I stocked up on needles, bobbins, and eye candy.  Oh my the machines.  I had to force myself not to sit down at any number of them and begin playing.  Mr. R and Scooch are in the car.  I kept repeating that to myself and got out of there as quickly, and cheaply, as possible.  It was sooo nice though. *huge grin*

Side note: I apologize for the ugly blog without photos lately.  With everything packed, I have no idea where the cable is to plug my camera in to download photos.  Hopefully soon!

Bernina Joy!

The Bernina has arrived!  I'm so excited I could do a dance, if I didn't have a big belly.   Gonna go play!

Halfway

Oh! I nearly forgot in all the sewing machine excitement, that I'm 20 weeks today!  Woohoo!  Halfway there!  My little snail on the sidebar over there is a little behind, but today is officially the halfway mark!  It's been quite a journey so far, but the little guy is tumbling around in there and doing quite well.  The second half is going to be no less action-packed, for sure!

Bernina : Acquired!!

I never thought I would have one so quickly, but I just might after all.  Mr. R is going to pick up a Bernina tonight!  I found someone selling one on Craigslist, and he's bringing it home!  I'm as excited as the day we found out we're having another boy!  Okay, maybe not THAT excited, but I sure can't wait to get my hands on that Bernina!  AND, it's coming with one accessory that I was going to have to buy anyway.  Now I am just hoping that it comes in the box as well, so that it can get to England that much easier.

I debated buying used, but with moving and needing to buy a whole bunch of different voltage appliances, we really need to be saving everything we can.  Unfortunately, I spent most of our saved cash to get this machine.  BUT, it was either that, or wait and pay more AND buy a UK wired machine.  So while it hurts the wallet now, I do believe it was the best decision, given the available choices.

Now this doesn't mean that any Baby Travel Bags are going to come flying out of it any time soon (although that would be my wish!).  I still have no table to sew on.  I'm still planning to finish the two I've got going, while in NY, on my mother's machine, which is no Bernina.   But I'm so glad to finally have a great machine to work on!  If you don't sew, it's kinda like buying your first nice car.  I drove a car for about 5 years, in the south, with no air conditioning, or any other modern features.  Then I bought a newer car with loads of room and cold air blowing!  It was great.  That's sort of what it's like to buy a really nice sewing machine.

Baby Travel Bags officially on hold...

This weekend I sold my sewing machine AND dining room table.  So I literally have no place to sew and nothing to sew with.  Sure, I could serge the bags, but when it comes to certain tasks, I dooon't think that would look so nice.  I'm hoping to finish the two bags I've got going while I'm at my folks in a few weeks.  That way I can get those up in the shop to prove that I really am serious about this whole thing. 

In the meantime, I'm working on the purchase of a used Bernina.  Oh, I'm salivating at the very thought...

Hooray for brothers!

It's a boy!!

Stalled sewing, again...

I was doing really well for a while, trying to get those Baby Travel Bags out there. I got one finished.  One.  I don't even have the changing pad made for it yet.  I have another bag in progress, but now everything is just sitting there.  Packing has taken precedence over everything.  Including cooking.  Including dishes.  Including laundry.  I'm hoping to be done with the majority of packing this week.  If I keep up like I was this weekend, that is a fair target.  Then I'll be able to work on bags again.  I also designed two needle bags.  One for my Denise set, and one for all my dpn's.  I really wanted to get those made before we leave so I can put my needles in them to travel.  I know I've bit off way more than I can possibly chew.  But, I've been waking up super early lately, and been unable to sleep again, so I may just start getting up to sew.  That'd give me a good 3 hours extra sewing time a day.  With 3 extra hours of uninterrupted sewing time, I should be able to finish all the bags I have waiting, as well as the two needles bags!  Yuh, right.

The Big News

We finally made the announcement that we are moving to England.  It felt good to get the secret out there, after having to hold it in for so long.  Now, Scooch and I leave our home in less than 3 weeks, so the huge packing event is on!  We got a start this weekend.  Not as big a start as I would have liked, but a start is a start.  Plus, this time I started with all the small junky stuff for some reason, so it's tedious.  Do I throw this out, or do I really pack a box of 'junk' to put in storage for three years?  I've been doing great throwing things away.  Mr. R likes to pack in a different room from where I am at the time, so I have a feeling he's keeping a lot more than I would like.  He is definitely not on board with me as far as living simpler.  He seems to think we're going to have endless storage space in England.  I think we'll be lucky for our clothes to fit in our closets, forget all the extras.  I'm already nervous about having a place to store my yarn, fabric and sewing machines.  Plus I just learned that the town we'll be living in is expensive, so I'm expecting our home to be even smaller than most.  Will definitely be an adventure!  I'm really looking forward to getting there and getting settled.

Oy!

Stomach bugs are scary when you're pregnant!  That is all.

Rust no more, Steel Wool!

Maybe I'm the only one who didn't know this before now, but I'm posting in the hopes that I'm not the only one.  I love how steel wool cleans stuff that nothing else can clean, and makes my sinks look brand new every time I scrub them.  But, if I don't use it all, I really dislike the big rust spot I get on my sink from the leftover bits.  A rust spot that, funny enough, only steel wool will get off!  So I tried a few different things to make it last longer.  I tried a soap dish.  No good.  I tried cutting off the used part.  This worked, but messes up my scissors and is unnecessary.  What I found worked best was this:  First, and most important, shake out the water.  Get as much water out as you can.  Then simply stand it up and lean it against something, like the side of the faucet or liquid soap bottle.  That's it!  So simple you'd think it wouldn't be so hard to come up with.  I even asked my mother how she kept hers from rusting and she said she didn't.  Anyway, if I'm the only person in the world besides my mother who hadn't thought of this already, then I just exposed my mental capacity to the blog world.  Otherwise, I hope someone finds this helpful!

Soon. And rant.

In 4 weeks, we finally get to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl.  I still don't think I have a definite preference.  Of course it goes without saying that we want a healthy baby.  Speaking of, I find it funny when people get so annoyed when someone talks about being in the Pink/Blue club instead of focusing on their baby being healthy.  I think it's just an unspoken certainty that all parents want their child to be healthy.  Just because we don't always state that at the same time as stating our gender preference doesn't mean we want our baby to be a specific gender over being healthy.

Banana Bread

I don't know what's going on with this baking streak I've had the past week or so, but I'm trying not to think too hard about it for fear it will disappear.  My little man loves to help these days, so he helped me make the bread.  He loves to beat eggs and hold the bowl while I mix.  So when it was in the oven and he came back to the kitchen looking for more to do, I showed him that it was baking.  He stood with his face pressed to the oven, talking to the bread for a while.  Oh that boy.  *love*

Scooch got to have a piece for dessert tonight, so he got to taste the fruits of his labor.  He quite enjoyed it I do think!

Another completed Travel Baby Bag

After I posted about making bags again, I sold the first one before I had even finished it!  Yay! So, while I don't have any bags in my Etsy shop yet, I do have photos of the one I just finished (and sold!).

The ladybugs and black trim are my favorite parts of this bag.  I wish I had a nice blank wall to photograph things in front of.  Maybe in the next place we live...  Instead, for now, you get to see out my current kitchen window *smile*.  Now, back to the sewing machine while I can still get away with not packing!

Rhubarb!

I was too busy eating rhubarb all weekend to write this post before now...  Last summer my mother came for a visit and brought fresh rhubarb from my parent's garden.  While she was here we made, hmm, something with rhubarb, I can't really remember now...  But I froze the rest to enjoy during the chilly months when summer dreams are floating in everyone's heads.  I never got around to it.  Now that we're moving, we're cleaning out the freezer, and I decided to make use of that rhubarb, as well as a half recipe of pie crust I had made for Thanksgiving.  I ended up making Strawberry-Rhubarb pie.  YUM!

Isn't it beeeeutiful?! Now, after I thawed the rhubarb, there was a lot of juice in the container.  I drained most of it out so the pie wasn't really runny, but I didn't want to throw it away.  I ended up mixing it with some lemon-lime soda.  Again, YUM!  It was really potent and quite a nice prelude to the pie.

Next up, banana bread!

More Spring!!

I had to control my drooling in order to get this post completed.  I found some super cute fabric on sale over at Fabric.com and just couldn't pass it up for more Travel Baby Bags!  I might even have a hard time selling bags made with these prints, I love them!  Take a look!

So now that's three more bags itching to be made!  The only problem with all this fabric calling out to me is that I'm supposed to be packing for our move, not sewing.  Hrrm... Do you really have to sleep when you're pregnant??  I mean, there are 24 hours in the day after all, and it seems a shame to waste any of it sleeping when I've got sooo much sewing to do!

Spring colors

Spring is finally in full bloom around here!  The wasps and lizards are out, but more importantly, so are the flowers!  And thankfully, I've been feeling much more human lately, so I've been out enjoying it and finally getting some things done.  I've even been so caught up on housework lately that I've been able to enjoy some other activities again.

So in order to keep my itch manageable, I had to break out some more fabric.  I decided to go with another Baby Travel Bag.  I don't think I've talked about that here yet, but it's a design I came up with when the bags I had weren't big enough when I was traveling with Scooch.  I didn't want a bag for diapers, a bag for toys and a bag for food.  So I took some of the features of the bags I liked most and combined them into one, gigundo bag.  Here is the first one I made.

So many people liked them, I decided to sell them.  Unfortunately, right around the same time, we decided to sell our house, and well, I make such a mess when I sew, all my stuff got packed up to show the house.  And so, in spite of the mess it makes (I'm such a rebel!), I am again sewing full force, leaving a flurry of threads and fabric fluff in my wake.  Check out the bags that are to come!  Each bag will be two prints; the top print is the outer fabric, the one under it is it's lining.

So I have 4 bags in the works right now!  Keep an eye on my Etsy shop for finished bags.  I'm so excited to be working on these again!  Oh, and a little secret, I'm going to be working on a little something for my iPod too.  If it turns out well, you might see some of those in my shop too!  No promises of course, we'll just have to see how it goes...

And now onto Spring!  Even though I've been really good about keeping things in order in the house lately, the outside of the house is a different story.  We haven't had the lawn mowed since it started growing again, but so far the only things that are growing are wildflowers, and who wants to cut those down??  It looks so pretty and Scooch loves squatting down and touching (read: picking) them all.  So for now our neighbors will just have to put up with the meadow in the neighborhood.  Don't worry folks, we'll be gone soon!

Productive Day!

So now that I'm feeling so much better, I can't seem to sit down for long.  My mother-in-law came on Monday and Tuesday and cleaned the house for me.  Boy did it need it.  I hadn't even vacuumed in over a month (GROSS).  I felt a little bad that she still came with me feeling so much better, but she got it back to where it should always be so hopefully I can maintain it now.  And seriously, she deserves a medal for braving our bathrooms and floors the way they were.  I should have at least provided her with a Hazmat suit or something.

So today, while Scooch was having lunch, I vacuumed the tile again (it's amazing how much dirt Mr. R brings in with his many trips out to smoke...), and cleaned the windows that Scooch can reach (I almost needed a chisel for that).  Then while he napped, I ate lunch, mopped the floors (my MIL just swiffered, which would normally be fine, but when they hadn't been cleaned in so long, they needed to be SCRUBBED), and then I made a bag!  I've been wanting to make this bag for a while, but with our house on the market, sewing was just out of the question unless I could complete an entire project in one sitting.  That's just what I did today!

It's the Lickety Split bag from Made By Rae.  I love her blog, and she makes the best stuff.  This definitely was a lickety split project as I was able to complete it all during naptime.  I wanted to have a new bag for Scooch.  He's a little big for a diaper bag now, but sometimes when we go out for more than a couple hours, he still requires some stuffs.  So now I have a super cool bag just for his stuffs.  And it's big enough for toys too which is the best part!  And I love the tie strap so I can tie it to whatever is close by to keep it near me.

I know the browns don't match, but I really don't care.  I love the way the two prints look together.  Busy, but not too busy for me.  Anyway, in case it hadn't come across yet, I love this bag *grin*.  Then when Scooch got up from his nap, we went outside and went for a walk.  I haven't decided what's on the agenda for this evening yet.  I might need to dig out another small sewing project.  I don't think my itch was sufficiently scratched today.

 

Oh, and it's reversible too!

Oh the Pains of Spring...?

One day last week we had some really warm weather.  Scooch had played outside most of the morning and like most boys, needed a change of clothes for the afternoon.  His room stays pretty warm, so I put him in a shortall to sleep, and then left it on after his nap.  This was the first time he'd worn shorts this year, and apparently had a hard time getting used to them...

Usually moments like this I miss because my camera is too far away and by the time I retrieve it, the moment has long passed.  This time, I got lucky.  I'm sure he'll appreciate that when he's about 16. *smile*

Hungry Boy

Today for lunch, I decided to give Scooch all his favorites.  He gets to eat them all himself, with no help, and really enjoys it.  I know when he really really likes something because he doesn't make a sound.  Scooch is rarely silent, so when he is, you know something good has captured his attention.  Well, I started chopping away, and the plate was soon full of food.  A regular, adult-sized plate.  I chuckled to myself and then quickly snapped a photo, just in case.  I figured I would eat what he didn't.

To my surprise, 30 minutes later, this is what the plate looked like:

Nothing was on the floor, nothing was on his tray.  It was all in that little belly of his.  10 short minutes later, he drank a full bottle of milk before going down for his nap.  My sweet, hungry, growing boy.

Catch up

I have some catching up to do.  Over thar on the right, you'll see one of the excuses for my lack of blogging lately.  *grin*  Yes, we are expecting.  R2, as we loving refer to the plum-sized bebe right now.  This pregnancy has not been kind to me.  Scooch was a breeze so I was sorely surprised when this one has had me ill and exhausted for the past 7-8 weeks.  Luckily I am feeling much better the past couple days, so I'm trying to play catch-up in all the areas I've been slacking in lately (and oh, there are sooo many). 

I've completed a couple of knitting projects, however I still need to take finished photos of those.  I now have a very nice pair of socks that don't fit into any of my shoes, drrrrt.  I also have a beautiful sweater that I still haven't worn because I never wear nice clothes anymore being that I a) play with a messy toddler all day and b) am quickly growing out of my normal clothes.  Double drrrrt.  A project I thought I would never finish, a shawl, I love, and actually do wear.  I intended it as a wear-around-the-house type thing, and I actually do wear it that way, so Yay!!  Now I'm working on a pair of slippers.  I don't love working with the yarn so far (Berroco Suede), but we'll see how it goes.  Nice thing is I can stop after the first one if I don't like them.  You can check out all my projects in more detail on Ravelry, and that's where I'll post photos as well. 

Celebrate the Boy!

Check out the new button on the right!  All this month, my blogger friend, Rae is having guest bloggers, projects and giveaways all for BOYS!  Any of you with boys know that it is difficult to find projects for our boys unless you create your own.  I know I'm certainly not that creative, so I am VERY excited to get ideas from people who are!  She's had an awesome lineup so far!  Thanks again for doing this for us moms-of-boys, Rae!

On a different note, my intentions had been to post much more frequently than I have been.  However right now, there are so many things I can't tell about, it makes it hard to come here and 'chat' without mentioning those things.  So I must confess I've been neglecting this little area just a little bit.  Hopefully not for much longer!  Stayed tuned all my multitudes of readers! (huge laugh out loud after typing that sentence.)

Misbehaving

Scooch knows the rules.  He knows what he can and cannot do.  Most days he follows those rules.  Not today.  So far this morning he got both his legs stuck through the slats of the back of his rocking chair (don't ask), opened the door to the china cabinet but was luckily caught before he could do any damage, continued to ram the antique rocker into the wall after repeated warnings...

Pulled numerous objects off the counter that were left within his reach (I'm still learning), sitting close enough to the fire that he got ashes on his butt...

Kept bringing me objects from the forbidden cupboard (a lazy susan filled with canned goods which makes the door extremely heavy and dangerous for little fingers.  If anyone has a suggestion for putting a lock on it, PLEASE share), and insisted on being carried everywhere today.  Of course, I can't be too upset with him, because I had a bad headache this morning, and for a full 30 minutes (one episode of Jack's Big Music Show) he snuggled with me on the couch so I could close my eyes and mend.  All of those things I mentioned, he did after I was feeling better.  It was almost as if he had to be extra naughty to make up for the really nice thing he did for Mommy.  Gotta keep the balance, you know...

Oh I do love that boy.


So how do you discipline your child?  What age did you start doing it?