Friday, January 29, 2010

A few latest obsessions- new bathroom and fair isle knitting

Redoing our entire bathroom-
-putting in a Maax aerosens air tub (the sanitary version of a whirlpool-style bathtub)
- adding travertine flooring
-changing the "lovely" peach and black motif to a more natural and calming travertine-style porcelain tiles with brown metallic glass tile accents
-new toilet
-new sink, this one,
or a square one that sinks on top of the sink
-new vanity
-adding a ceiling fan/heater
-adding a skylight
-re-insulating the whole room

Should be amazing- I can't wait for all of it to happen. I have lived long enough with my non-ventilated dark peach and black tiles from 1940's. It's time to say "Hello 2010!!!!!"

Here's some inspiration photos I've found online-

1, 2, 3

In Knitting land- Kelle's one-handed stranded fair isle bug has bit hard! So addictive- I asked DH if I was out of my mind for buying this, and he said I was ready for a challenge. It's not been that hard- just takes some focus. I'm loving it!

I thought it was a bargain for that price- and now I have like 30 more balls of yarn running around our house.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

an excerpt- Email to my son

You are too cute! You waved at all the animals at the zoo, and loved watching even the slow-moving turtles. You also loved the fish. It was like a new you at the zoo today- interested in everything! (we went on Monday the 4th. )

Sunday, the 3rd I asked you "did u sleep well?" and you replied, plopping down in your crib from a stand, "I did" :) you made Daddy and I both chuckle.

Sunday night you were into jumping. you can do little jumps, and kept telling Daddy where to stand in the kitchen, then said,' Daddy jump!" "Mommy, jump!"

Today when I was cleaning and organizing you went over to your toys on the other side of the room and said, "Mommy, sit"! and pointed to a spot on the floor next to you. I guess you were telling me to take a break! So I did. How could I resist your request:)?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

18mo

I was reading over at a fav. blog of mine, where Faith, a mommy of four posted a love letter/birthday note to her youngest son and was inspired.

DH set up an e-mail account for Noah when he was born so we could start filling his inbox with love letters or silly memories of him. One day he can read them and remember himself as we remember him.

Until then, I thought I would share the most recent one I sent.

HI little Bug,

You are so sweet and cute, the way you snuggle up to me and pat my back as I hold you. Or you find my ears with both your hands and your eyes. Or you find my nose and point to it, telling me what it is as if I don't know.

We play fun games in the car, I say words you know, then you repeat them back. Last night we kept going and going, bread, milk, a ball- since you never just say "ball", waffle, buffalo, owl, hawk, dog, water, magazine, please, juice, happy, birthday, you tried to say anniversary too, that was cute.

Today you learned how to say "please" when you were asking or shall I say begging for more yummy scone at Cafe Latte. You learned to say "magazine" too when you wanted us to know that you wanted to read about the spa tubs that we were shopping around for. We'd just visited a bathroom showroom place where you happily entertained yourself by lifting the lids of all the toilets, as if you were expecting to see something different in the next one you lifted. You also managed to "drop" the color chart for something in a filled whirlpool. DH managed to forget to take it out. Perhaps it's still bathing.

Now you are awake, it's 9:24am on the Sunday after my surprise 30th bday party- we went to church at 4:30 yesterday and I am e-mailing you while you happily chatter in your crib, and bark and talk.

It sounds like you are saying "walk" now so perhaps I should let you out of your crib and let you get on with your busy day!

you make my heart melt, I love you,

Mommy

Friday, December 11, 2009

announcing new posts here, and at 2 TC foodies

Check the sidebar list for our other blog about food. I've been meal-planning, and cooking. Yum.

first

second

Both quite good in very different ways.

He loves mommy's cocoa


He loves mommy's cocoa
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
After a cold traipse through the winter blizzard nothing warms a toddler
tummy like mommy's hot cocoa- I make it with actual cocoa, not those
pre-sweetened preservative filled mixes in an envelope or tub. Can you tell
I'm biased?:)

Everyone sits on capri sun boxes, right?

What better place for a snack, than a box-seat. Poor buddy has a nasty cold
and possibly windburned cheeks. But he's managing it fairly well, and so far
has only shared it with me, and not Daddy.

17 months old, nearly 18 months


17 months old, nearly 18 months
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
He is so funny, and fun. He went out to play in the snow after the big
snowstorm and he wasn't so sure about it. He loves his boots, and asks us to
put them on while he plays with his toys inside. He also loves oven mitts,
and wants to help us bake after donning them. We love him so much!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Can you find the animal?


Can you find the animal?
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
I can't either. All I see is a cute puppy. It was really interesting when we
saw the Lynx on the MN Trail- Noah had just fallen forward and it piqued the
Lynx's curiosity. The Lynx wandered over to the glass by him, and started
pawing furiously at the glass right in front of Noah. It pawed several
times, then retreated to the side and watched him from a distance. I don't
know if the lynx thought, hey, there's a puppy intruding into my territory,
if it just wanted to play.

Checking out the coral reef


Checking out the coral reef
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
Look- there's 2 dogs now!

Found a leaf and a snack


Found a leaf and a snack
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
We were impressed he could still walk well in his costume as a puppy. He
trotted on through the Tropics trail on foot. Except for when he'd say 'uuu"
and wanted to be up in our arms.

Puppy grabs a snack


Puppy grabs a snack
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
At HallZOOeen at the MN Zoo.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Thursday, October 01, 2009

First corn on the cob, Wed. 9-30-09

He liked it, too. My mom was helping him hold it horizontally to eat it, he
wanted to gnaw on the end of it instead.

He's going to be a puppy for Halloween

My Aunt found this great costume at Marshall's for $16.99. Seems like
everything there was that price. I found some cute shirts there too. The
puppy costume was irresistible- well, Noah was irresistible in it!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Knitting extravaganza!

6 of us knitter people descended upon a little town in WI, for a Knitting Extravaganza. But first, we engaged in a tasty walleye and blue gills fish fry, a cabin slumber party and a tasty raspberry jam and fresh blueberries pancake breakfast.

For 15 dollars, we had a day full of 4 knitting speakers, a room full of yarn and pattern vendors, and a delicious three course lunch. DH's grandma had saved the newspaper clipping advertising it for me, since she thought I might be interested in it.

One speaker, from Blackberry Hills, taught us how to dye our own yarn, safely. Nora Murphy, an author read to us from her book, "Knitting the Threads of Time" telling us about the birth of her first sweater, knit with love for her son. Another tried to shift our concept of knitting mistakes into knitting assets and design features. She offered a good point to think about, but I will still rip back and fix my mistakes whenever I need to do so. The last spoke about her heartwarming tales of receiving and giving prayer shawls and knitting hats given to classroom students.

We had a great time while listening and knitting and were all able to deepen our bonds through countless discussions with depth that far surpassed our coffeeshop knitting times. We would even do it again next year.

Thank you knitter friends for coming to an unfamiliar place for an unknown event- and Thanks mom and dad for the use of your cabin in the woods! We all appreciated it!

skirts, pitchforks, and compost, oh my!

Meant to be read to the Wizard of Oz tune, Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

And Urgent care...Oops. I was being oh, so domestic in my denim skirt and handknit tank as I tended our compost bins with the pitchfork. Dh had been gone for 3 days last week, so I was the Noah-watcher round the clock. In the interest of keeping busy and entertained we began taking care of our plants by watering them, feeding the birds birdseed, and watering and stirring our compost to help it decay quicker. All these things were benefiting from the extra attention, but not without a problem.

Yesterday while wearing a skirt my pitchfork brushed against my bare leg. I looked down. It hurt a little. There was a little blood, but not dripping blood. No problem. I put some neosporin on and a band-aid. No big deal.

It hurt a little more in the morning, and was a little redder. After a girls small group get together at 9, and church at 11, it was time to go to urgent care.

The Dr. wanted to send me home on 5 days of antibiotics, which I balked at. Bad things can happen- like the dreaded girly problem, yeast issues. He reassured me, he'd give me a prescription for meds for that too. (I really hate it when med, after med gets prescribed since it gets out of hand so fast- and I think it's ridiculous). I pleaded with him for the most conservative treatment- and no drugs. He left for a few minutes, and came back and said that I could instead just put the bacitracin on 2x's a day with a new band-aid and leave it open to the air at night. He said to come back if it gets redder. That I could handle.

So, now I am trying not to obsess over whether it's redder or not, and just trying to take care of it.

The two morals of the story are- girls in skirts shouldn't use pitchforks, and do, do, do, be your own advocate for your health care. You know your own body better than them. But still, listen to what they say first.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The back


The back
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.

the inner regions


the inner regions
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
With the fabric coordinating pockets and sock knitting pouch.

Sqeeeeeeeeeeee! New bag alert!


Sqeeeeeeeeeeee! New bag alert!
Originally uploaded by CorgiMom.
Splatgirl has been hard at work, making me, a bag. DH sponsored much of the
endeavor as an anniversary gift. I had originally told him I wanted some
diamond earrings but then I thought, when will I see them except for when I
take them out or put them in. Maybe, everyone I know should get diamond
earrings because then I could actually see them, right? Or maybe just my
closest friends, or people I see often enough. Well, scratch that. Then I
got to thinking after seeing Splatgirl at a Lake Minnetonka Fest selling her
beautiful handmade goods, that I want a bag instead.

So here it is. I tried to imagine it, and I was even kind of nervous to see
it. I was so excited, that I had to stop trying to picture what it would
look it.

Then, today I saw it. Wow. I didn't' really know what to say. It was so "me"
silver, bright colors, silver hardware, and as unique as can be. I could
never have imagined it. It's really incredible. And it has a little
coordinating pouch inside for my sock knitting projects. Maybe I will have
to go cast on a sock for the purse. Hmmm...I think it should color
coordinate, I have a lot of yarn in my stash that would accent it well.
Thanks so much Splatgirl- you outdid yourself- it is AMAZING!