Happy Birthday to Me!

In celebration of my 34th birthday I made myself some cupcakes. Margarita cupcakes with Key lime cream cheese icing. (wilton.com is a whole lot of fun if you are into cakes)
It was Clarabel's idea to tint the icing pink.


We then packed them up and brought them to the splash pad, where we shared them with some friends. Mostly what happened was that Clarabel had a party at the park with her friends and I had to bring the cake. Good times!

As promised here is my progress on the Sam cardigan. I am not really loving the bobbles. Though I guess you can't really see them. Promise a new camera is on my list!!



To give you an idea of what I am working towards here is a finished Sam that my mom made.



Again, really lousy shot.

As a very special gift to their mother both my children are having a nap. Oh the luxury! I had a shower with my free time as I believe I am being taken out to dinner this evening. My request was sushi. Haven't had it for a long while, what with not eating raw fish while pregnant and all. Regardless of the menu I am sure I will enjoy it more being clean and shiny.

Almost Heaven

West Virginia... (name that tune)

Ok, so the knit night was awesome! It was a disaster getting out the door for 6:30. Clarabel had a total meltdown at dinner and was in her room screaming for most of it. Over a straw, am I right in thinking meltdowns are never really over 'big' issues?

I tore into the store feeling like a lunatic on the run, mostly because I was. And Mandi was the only one there besides the lovely Danielle who owns the store.

First thing out of my mouth was "Is it just us?"

To which they both replied "Yep"

I sat myself down on the oh so mature leather couch and said "I am totally staying, it is air conditioned, quiet and comfortable and nobody is crying here."

And we knit... with no interruptions for over an hour. We talked about knitting and yarn and other adult topics. Danielle corrected one of the stitches in my pattern that I was clearly making a dog's breakfast out of. I was surrounded by the healing qualities of yarn. I knit more there in an hour than I have in the last 2 months at home.

I left in serene spirits and will be going back every Friday that I am able.

Here is the yarn that was totally calling to me

Galway - it is so very lovely to touch and the colors are delicious. I must knit something with it soon!! Perhaps this will be my reward for when I finish my Kauni cardigan.

Ken has hidden the camera but I will declutter the counter and find it to show off my knitterly progress.

Still Waiting...

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts about my grumpitude!!

One of the reasons for it is that I have yet to receive my Kauni yarn. I think our package is lost in the mail. It was sent over 6 weeks ago. I have been in touch with Uta and she is going to resend us a new package this morning. I feel badly to be such a pain but I believe she sent it insured so hopefully she can recover the cost.

Dog's barking, mails here...... umph, still no yarn. It feels like yarn rejection everyday.

I was just so darn excited to knit this sweater and it's like it's jinxed or something.

Tonight I am trying out a new knit night with Mandi at Spun, a new LYS. I'm bravely forging on with my Sam cardigan, it's taking me a little to get going. I've had to knit the first row 4 times b/c I can't seem to follow the chart. Ken has gone out with the camera so I'll get a picture for the next post.

The Husband I Love

I have been in a foul humour this week. For no good reason, besides that I am eternally exhausted. I am certain given the chance I would sleep for a month. I found this meme at Here in Topeka and thought it would remind me that my life is pretty good. So quit my bellyaching already and get on with it!!

2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence:
1. Breakfast was great
2. On whatever household renovation job he has completed

2 compliments you give about your husband to others:
1. He has incredible patience to do fiddly tasks
2. He is an awesome father and husband

2 Traits you married him for:
1. He was committed to me regardless of my craziness, which on some says is all he gets
2. He agreed that me staying home to raise our children was a priority

2 days you cherished most being together with your husband:
1. When his grandmother died and he consoled his father
2. The days our children were born

2 Material things you would give your husband if you inherited a fortune:
1. A new fishing vest
2. New climbing shoes, likely there would be much much more but this was all I could think of

2 things you would miss most if he left for 2 weeks:
1. BBQing
2. Taking the kids away so I can have a few minutes to myself.

2 things that crossed your mind the first time you met your future husband:
1. He's tall
2. and he's cute, also he had fancy shoes

2 favorite dates:
1. When Ken proposed he took me to see the Lion King on stage
2. For our first anniversary he surprised me with an overnight trip to the Elora Mill Inn.

2 funny, odd things you love about your husband:
1. He makes up his own words to songs
2. His pronunciation of English words is a mess, generally I correct him b/c I would hate him to be in a business meeting and getting words wrong.

2 places you have lived with your husband:
1. An apartment
2. Here

2 favorite vacations:
1. A week in Haliburton and Northern Ontario
2. Point Pelee and area

Play along if you would like

No Spoilers Here

It's over. I'm finished. I feel like mush, like I was doing it all instead of just reading about it.

It is a great great story! I think the best. I know it all now.

Unfortunately that lousy spoiler got it all right. I was pretty upset when I realized and the first few predictions came true. But I was reading not know the end but to enjoy the story, so in the end it didn't really matter. I advise anyone still reading to STAY AWAY from any Potter sites until you are finished.

Very generously I let Ken read a few chapters. I am desperate for him to get reading so we can have a discussion.

Anybody else done?

Can You Guess Who I Am??

I'll give you a hint, the books in my apron are "Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests" and "The Healer's Helpmate".

I am going to bed. Going to pick up my book tomorrow morning and will not turn on the computer until I am finished. I already got smacked by a spoiler virus yelling stuff out at me. It was very traumatic.

One Down...

I made a decision. I went with Briggs and Little to try out Kool-Aid dying. The price was really right. If the colors are a disaster then I can make mitts and felt them. If it's great then maybe make a sweater for Clarabel or Laila. I think I will talk my mother into doing the knitting.

Clarabel and I are going to give it a go when we are at my parents later in the summer. My mom is going to take it home with her so we won't have to pack it on the train.

And...

Laila had a champion nap yesterday and Clarabel was very busy in her glitter house with my mom. So I whipped this up. Kinda a lousy picture.

Beading it very tedious and fiddley. I wasn't sure at first if I liked it but it's growing on me. There are lots of beads left and I promised Clarabel a matching necklace.

You might notice that is my left hand and there is no wedding ring on my finger. It is a very sore point, I try it on almost everyday and I can't get it over my knuckle. I think Clarabel was 4 months before I could get it on again. I do have a back up, just a silver band.

I will be wearing my new bracelet tonight when I go out with my husband and some friends on a double date to see HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!!!! So much Harry in one week I can hardly stand it.

Also there will be no blogging starting on Saturday until I finished my book. It will be top priority!! Lucky for Laila I can still read while she's eating.

Oh The Things I Will Clean!

So my birthday is this month. The end of the month. The last day really. Same as Harry Potter's. I have been debating what I wanted for my birthday for a while now. At least a month or so. I am turning 34 but decided that I wanted a big ticket item this year rather than next year.

These were the choices- a new digital camera, a Cuisinart or a vacuum. I hummed and hawed. I have a food processor already but it is not a great one and has a small capacity bowl, I do use it a lot. I wasn't too keen on using up a birthday present for a vacuum. I am down right desperate for a digital camera.

Here's what I decided-

(I took the picuture in my dirtest corner to emphasize my need. It was covered in dog hair about 30 seconds after it came out of the box)

It is beautiful and I am in love!!! It is a bit early but my mom is here this week and was irritated enough about the state of my floors to take action. Laila is going to be cruising around the floors pretty soon and I was panicked about what mess she might find on her travels. The vacuum will help me sleep better. Beads, stickers, dog hair and small bits of what-not will not be lurking under everything.

Of course for this to work, I must use it. I'll let you know how that works out.

And some big news...

We bought a new house.

It's in Glitter City.

It has an outdoor patio with a hot tub.

A working elevator.

A spiral staircase.

A media room with a disco ball chandelier.

We bought it from Austin Powers and Barbie, they were upgrading.

Some f^&#*^$ assembly required.

Also to live in this house Clarabel got a Barbie of her own. Out of every Barbie, she HAD to have Bride Barbie.

Thank you my parents.

My New BFF

I have been studying up on Stephen King. He wrote a book called On Writing: Memoirs of the Craft, it was recommended to me in my last writing class. It is tremendous!! He gives his 2 cents on what you need to do to write, very straight forward and clear. His approach is simplistic, he doesn't think highly of plot outlines and character development. Which is totally up my ally, I would rather write than plan about writing. (Course I'm not really doing either right now but I'm gearing up) It is a really good read even if you only write for work or for fun.

With the exception of Christine, which I never finished because it was too scary for me, this is the first Stephen King book I've read. A friend has been encouraging me to read The Stand and I see it everywhere on 'must-read' book lists. So I thought I would give it a try and see if my new friend Steve could really do all that he talks about. Here's what I have to say- he can get those pages turning but I had to stop reading because it was scaring the beejees outta me! I have a very low tolerance for anything creepy or abnormal, keeps me up all night freaking out. I think I only stopped being afraid of the dark when I moved in with Ken. Anyhoos, he can definitely tell a story, I just won't be reading it.

In On Writing, he talks a little about J.K. Rowling (another of my BFF's) and her qualities and strengths as a writer. (He talked about a lot of other authors as well but I wasn't on best friend basis with them) Then I found this on Leaky Cauldron and it clinched the deal for us as BFF.

By the way only 6 more sleeps til Deathly Hallows!!

I have some knitting questions

1- Where is my Kauni yarn? Where? I am getting impatient.

2- I think I am going to give dying yarn with Kool-Aid a try. Natalie just posted her results and, well, I am just going to flat out copy her!! (Is that ok?) Any recommendations about what yarn I should use? I was looking at Briggs and Little natural color but I think I would like something superwash because I will knit it up for Clarabel.

Oh That Jillian Jiggs!

Two weeks ago we got The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman from the library. Jillian makes pigs and at the end there are instructions to make your own pigs. Let me start by saying if you find yourself with a book with instructions to make something proof-read these instructions before you announce to your child that "Hey we can make these." If your kids can read then you are skunked.

I put Clarabel off of pig making for as long as I could. Eventually I went out and bought the supplies.

Friends, I give you Fancy Nancy I, Fancy Nancy II and Jorge.



Jorge is the prototype, he looks like a mole rat. Fancy Nancy I is the best and, of course, Ken make her. The eyes are only glued on and someone keeps flicking them off. Our living room is covered in thread and stuffing and who knows what else...

And All Is Well With The World

It is 9:30pm and both my children are in bed, asleep even.

I did a little research and we have new car seats. I talked to the regional car seat guy, he said that no one can assess them because it is too much of a liability. He also said it is the region's policy to recommend replacing a car seat after any impact. I spoke to our insurance broker and she also recommended new seats and that it is definitely an expense that the insurance will cover.
So I had a really good time at Snuggle Bugz, a very fun store, and bought new seats.
Car seats have changed a little bit since we bought them 3 years ago.

The green one is the new one, it is good to 22lbs and 30 inches. It will still click into my stroller which is really excellent. Isn't is pretty?


The gray one is the new one, it's good to 65lbs. It is a lousy picture but it is pretty fancy too. Ken is really impressed with the improved features for both of the new seats.


They are installed and ready to go. I will sleep well!! The old car seats have done their job well and kept my children safe, I am feeling badly that they must be thrown out. Kinda like an old horse out to pasture.

Thanks to all of you for your information and support.

Uhmmm, update - Laila, no longer asleep. Rolled over and was stuck against the bars. Geez!

I'm off to do my homework for my writing class, I need 3 novel ideas and a book report. I finished Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy awhile ago and will write about it. It was a good read.

The Horrors

I have a few things to say about today...

Mostly it was a great day. Laila slept until 10 am (of course she was up for 2 hours in the night hootin' and hollerin' and carrying on, I should really speak to her about that) and Ken, Clarabel and I had a nice breakfast together. I got the kitchen clean and the laundry started. Ken finished up a project that he started yesterday. Clarabel accomplished some much needed dancing around.

We were talking about doing something fun for the afternoon, going to a splash pad or the provincial park. Then it started thundering and dark clouds rolled in. We called up Ken's sister and invited ourselves up for dinner. They are about an hour away.

Here's what happened on the drive up - a car about 4 cars ahead of us stopped quite suddenly to turn left. All the cars stopped suddenly. Unfortunately the driver behind us was not paying attention and guess what happened. Ken was able to pull out to the left, into the turning lane, and avoid a huge collision but our right bumper got a pretty good dent.
The sudden stop caused me to look up and drop my knitting, which really worked out well because otherwise I would be at the emergency with dpn's lodged somewhere. I think Ken said then "We are going to get smucked" so the collision wasn't all that shocking. We are not sure why the car turning left was doing so from the main lane and not the turning lane.

However the trauma of being in a car accident with my children was terrifying. I was sobbing, rather hysterically, Ken had to do a fair bit of work to calm me down. In hindsight I should have been calming Ken being that he was driving. Clarabel woke up because I was making such a racket with my carrying on, Laila didn't bat an eyelash. We are all safe and only require a new rear bumper.

What's the deal with car seats and collisions? Should they be replaced?

We had a nice time visiting save for a small incident. Ken's dad grabbed Clarabel as she was running by in a game of "I've got you". She was wiggling to get free and laughing. Very quickly it went from a game to a scary situation that she could not handle. Ken and I could see that she was having trouble, we tried to encourage her to play along but no go. I got up to get her and she burst into tears and hide on my lap for a fair bit until Ken's sister asked to to go outside. Not a great situation all around. We felt pretty rotten for Ken's dad who was just trying to play and interact with Clarabel. I was (and really still am) feeling like I let her down. It is our job to help her with difficult situations. Not sure what the right thing to do was. Ken is going to suggest to his dad some surefire ideas to interact with Clarabel.

Emotionally I am feeling like a wet noodle.

I'm A Rockin' Girl!!

Yarnhog tagged me a while ago, quite a while in fact, as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. I am to tag 5 more bloggers. I really liked this idea because it introduced me to blogs that I don't normally read. So thanks Yarnhog!!

Here are 5 bloggers in random order whose blogs I enjoy and thus name them Rockin' Girl Bloggers

Me, Myself and Milotis78 - My very first blog friend!! Samantha is expecting baby #3 in a few weeks and is knitting up a storm.

Willow Way Knitting - Janice is wise in all things and very positive. She is a well seasoned parent and I always appreciate her 2 cents. She is also a great knitter.

Froggie Meanie - Renee is a great writer, every post makes me laugh. Also I like to steal her ideas on things to do with your kids.

So Much Fun - Doesn't so much fun just say it all!! And Sabrina is celebrating a big move.

Life With... - Sarah is a great friend and has been my chief consultant in all things for 3 years. She only started knitting a few months ago and hasn't looked back.

If you want to play along, you can take the button and tag 5 of your favorite blogs.

Ken has a question- He would like to know what percentage of yarn in the world is stored in a stash. Anyone, anyone...

Out Of Control

It appears that I have absolutely no sense of the word 'budget' and that I am out of control. On a trip to Dundas yesterday to find a butcher I happened upon Beads of Colour. I pass it on the way to knitting guild and it is always closed, being 7 pm on a Tuesday and all. I thought perhaps I would get some funky cheap beads for Clarabel. It turns out that they don't carry cheap kid beads but they do have a store full of beautiful beads for growed ups.

Of course I got carried away.

In my defense... Clarabel broke a glass container, Laila pooped and stunk out the store, I had to sit down at their table and nurse Laila and all the while the ladies were lovely and kept saying how good my kids were. (Good, ha!!) I couldn't very well leave without spending a little money. At least that's what I told Ken.

My inspiration for this is Zulugrass. I am thinking 9 strands, 3 of each colour grouping. Not sure how I will attach 9 strands of beads to the little clasp and how that will work. Anyone know anything about beading? I am taking advice on this project.

Considering that I am only able to pick up my knitting once every 4 days no clue when I am going to fit this new hobby in.

Never did find the butcher.

Here's Laila's new trick-

I am not referring to the rolling over but to the lying with my face in the mattress. When I check on her when she's asleep and this is what I find. Do I not have enough to worry about?
There's a firm mattress, no toys or bumper pads, we don't smoke and she's breastfeed. In my mind lying on your face is a way bigger risk than bumper pads or bottles!!!

My novel writing course started last night. The first thing she taught was read a lot and write everyday. This isn't new information for me and it is the reason I started the blog. Reading I can do, reading is like breathing for me and I can read while I am nursing, which I do a lot these days. The writing (which is the key part to becoming a writer) is a whole other ball game. It usually takes me 4 or 5 trys to get the computer to write a new post and I totally lose my train of thought. The best plan for writing it to have a solid block of uninterrupted time. Does anyone with small kids have that? Without having to resort to the tv? (I am ashamed to tell you this is how I am getting this written.)

Odds and Ends

This is my 100th post. Yeah for me!!

We are home from our long weekend at my parents. The weather was not great but that did not stop Clarabel from enjoying the pool. She was all over it, well all in it I guess. Even Laila had a few dips.

I did a little work on my socks and made a large decision about my baby cardigan. It was not really working out, was way too big, I was not going to have enough yarn to finish it and I just didn't like it. So out it came!!

Instead I am going to knit..... the Sam pattern from Wee Knits by Mission Falls. My mom has made it a few times and I have one that she made and it is really cute. It has bobbles in the pattern and I have never done any before so that'll be a new skill. I have only done the cast on edge so I didn't take a picture. If my children co-operate and go to bed perhaps I will get the cable pattern started tonight.

Here's some really exciting news- but shhh, it's a secret.
My most wonderful husband has an opportunity to do some work in the Caribbean for the winter. Like the most awesome beaches and weather and all good things Caribbean. I can hardly stand myself because of course I am going too. He and his colleague are putting together funding proposals. I am already packed and will send you for you if the weather is good.