History Repeats Itself Too Much

Without elaborating very far. If the past is any indication of the future... I predict my charming hubby will be in a new job in a few months.

Silence is Golden unless you're awaiting updates!

Sorry for the long silence. The blog has taken a back seat these days as I find interests outside the computer. My interests have taken the form of taking the girls to the park, knitting my little fingers off, or crocheting. So without further adieu, here are some of my recent projects!

M asked me to make her an outfit like the one Kit Kitteridge wore in the Kit movie that was out this passed summer. So here is my first attempt. It turned out a little short in the waist, and ya I could take it out and extend it but S will grow into it faster and I'll just make the next one longer, (and make sure the buttons are in the right place! LOL!)

She likes it, and the hat I made to go with it! Now she is begging for a knit T-shirt and a sewn skirt to go with them.

In the process of making the sweater, because a knitter can never have a single project on the go at any given time, S asked me to make her a blanket just like one I had made for her sis a few years ago. She chose the colors (sort of) herself and as it was going together she kept asking is it done yet, is it done yet? When I wove the last string in and hand her the prize blankie she was ecstatic! A few days later, she announced that its name is Daisy! And she has slept with it every night since. Funny that M doesn't find her blanket soft, yet S totally loves hers! Funny how different the kids are!

I've been taking little side adventures off the beaten track too! No matter how you slice it, making baby items is almost always fun! They're fast, and give you that gentle little push of OMG - I'm done so quick. Plus for me, baby items are done in a different quality of and type of yarn, that I think I'm becoming a fiber-phile!! LOL!
So here on the left is a newborn soaker, and off to the right there is a newborn hat.



Stay tuned for more from the needles, and the hook, and quite possibly the sewing machine as I'm incrafting high gear.... and expect it to last just a little longer before it packs its bags and I can pick up a book again! LOL!

Marvelous... Peanut Butter Recall

M is allergic to something associated with Peanuts. So we tend not to have it in the house. In the last 7 yrs I think I've had a bottle of Peanut butter in the house twice.

But a couple weeks ago I had a hankering for PBJ sandwiches. I miss them! So I have a jar, that I have used twice and not knowing where it is from... the FDA is suggesting I voluntarily throw it out! It's not fair!

And for you folks that like chocolates like Reese's peanut butter cups, or peanut butter and crackers .... they aren't exempt from this discussion either!

For more info...
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

Cold, Cars (or cash?), and Cons!

What January Brings....
In one of dh's childhood books there is a poem that the first line goes something like this.....

"January brings the snow,
makes our feet and fingers glow."

So far this January I haven't had much to complain about. New Year's day the kids and I were at the park and while a bit nippy for here, it wasn't what it could have been. We've had days where we've been out with light spring jackets on (like Tuesday this week.) Where most year's we've been bundled up. So far tonight and tomorrow will be our coldest yet this winter... with our lows being 14F and 13F, and our highs being barely 30F. For my Northern relatives, that's a walk in the park -- they'd think a mere night time temp of -10C and a daytime temp of -1C is downright balmy for this time of the year. But houses are built to stand the cold up there, where here and especially in this house insulation is a joke - I mean I can feel a blast of air coming through the electric outlets let alone the OMG the pipes might freeze warnings. In my next life I'll be a carpenter and strip my houses to the beams and fill with luscious insulation no matter where I happen to live! LOL!

So it must truly be January, old man winter has his siphon in my pocket draining our bank book yet again! Last year we started the new year off with a beautiful flat tire that fell right off the rim. This year we started off with 2 dead garage doors, 1 dead car battery, a new set of front tires on 2 different cars... and a set of rear breaks and rotors on one of those cars and it's only the 15th. I can't wait to see what the rest of the month brings! *sigh* I need a new door on my car - well the inner parts anyway - as the molding has fallen off one of the rear doors making it impossible to open without sheer brute force.... and there are other expenses coming, I just feel it.

So after M got her American Girl - Mia doll, with her Christmas money yesterday, dh blowing a whole lotta dough on the car today.... we were picking daddy up to get the car from the shop this aft and M reminds daddy that there is a Leaf's game tomorrow at Phillips Arena....
"Oh please daddy can we go??"

To which daddy huffs and says.... "No, I'm sorry we can't.... I'm just about to spend a bunch of money on the car sweetie."

Which is greeted with a flurry of tears from the backseat.

So I asked how much the tickets were ... just because she's had her heart set on seeing this game since Dec 26th when she went to her first Thrashers game. To which he replied the tickets were $40 - ish a piece.... I asked if there were cheaper ones and he said he thought so but would have to look and also check if they were available..

Sure enough when we got home.... he and M were at his computer finding the nosebleed seats for $10 a piece. Hey its a live game, she's 7 and all she cares about is being there and having a night out with daddy! We aim to please.... its a cheap date.... now if I could get the same deal and leave the kids home for just one night I'd be in heaven! LOL!

So all in all, the cars are fixed (for now) the garage is fixed (sort of) and the big kid is happy!

My Apples are In Season..... YAY!

Each year since I got pregnant with M, I have waited and waited for my apples to come into season..... they are finally in season and taste just as good as I remember them!

They are supposedly available from October to the early part of the year, and while buying products from the country that I live in is important, I think I'll pass that opportunity for the good taste of these Australian Pink Lady's.

They are just so red and crisp... and divine! :)

Been Busy.

You'll notice that my Recently completed projects have been humming along. LOL!

Well oldest is thrilled with me. Without telling her about 30 minutes before we went to the park, I started work on a Kit Kitteridge Cloche hat for her....
Finished it around 9:30 pm.

Happy New Year

Happy Happy New Year to all my favourite readers - whether you comment or not. May 2009 be a prosperous year for all of you and may the year bring luck and health to all your families and friends. From our house to yours Good Health and Good Cheer.

So, 2009 is finally here. 2008 has been a busy and learning year. I joined a book reading board in July 2008 and attempted to read 100 books by Dec 31, 2008. I only made it to 19, but I didn't join til July. There were more books than just what is listed on this list.... so its really not a fair or accurate description of what we/I have read! LOL! Anyway without further adieu, here is the list of my books for 2008. I'm going to aim for 100 in 2009. So if you have suggestions, I'm all ears. I have 2 on the go at the moment.... Physik by Angie Sage, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

• (#19) Flyte, Angie Sage (12/08)
• (#18) The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman (10/08)
• (#17) Magyk, Angie Sage (10/08)
• (#16) The Mark of the Crown, Jude Watson (9/08)
• (#15) The Hidden Past, Jude Watson (9/08)
• (#14) Dark Rival, Jude Watson (9/08)
• (#13) Rising Force, Dave Wolverton (9/08)
• (#12) The Trail of the Jedi, Jude Watson (8/08)
• (#11) The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson (8/08)
• (#10) Lindsey, Chryssa Atkinson (8/08)
• (#9) Meet Felicity, Valerie Tripp (8/08)
• (#8) The Trojan Horse, by Emily Little (8/08)
• (#7) The Alchemist, Paul Coelho (8/08)
• (#6) Meet Kaya, Janet Shaw (7/08)
• (#5) Samantha's Surprise, Susan S. Adler (7/08)
• (#4) Happy Birthday Samantha, Valerie Tripp (7/08)
• (#3) Meet Samantha (1904), Susan S. Alder (7/08)
• (#2) Meet Kit (1934), Valerie Tripp (7/08)
• (#1) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (7/08)
• Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini (6/08)
• Runaway Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (6/08)
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire (5/08)
• Miseducation: Preschoolers at Risk by David Elkind (4/08)
• Cross Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (3/08)
• Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (2/08)

I've set my mind to focusing more on my crafting activities and recording them too! This year as always will prove to have its challenges... but I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting year and hoping to get more fun activities done with my girls. We started one last night and we'll post the results on the Homeschool blog when it is done! So keep your eyes peeled for it! :)

I hope to post a little more often than I have been lately. I think the winding down of the Old Year leading into winter, then Christmas, then new Years and more winter always drag me down a little and I lose focus on my goals and ideas a little. But I'll be seeking suggestions and advice and sharing the things I've found over the coming year and hopefully having fun too! :)

Anyway.... before this gets too long (since there are no pretty pictures.... Happy New Year! :)

Kitchen Experiments.

Well one of the things we're venturing into at the moment is experiments in cooking.

We are just finishing cooking our tradition Turkey Paella (from BHG from the late 60's early 70's) which we will eat tonight. Tomorrow dh and his father are eating Sveetskova (sp?) which is a marinated beef dish (since it is beef I can't eat it I won't be eating it!) So this will be an experiment. I guess I'll have to hunt down my own meal! LOL!

For the first time I'm boiling the bones of our Turkey to make a broth which I hope to make into several different soups! Figure it will be fun!

For Christmas dinner I made a homemade from scratch stuffing which dh and FIL seemed to enjoy. I didn't like it just because it was too soggy for my taste and it certainly wasn't very pretty but who cares as long as it was tasty!

Dessert was supposed to be Apple dumplings... but they were too soggy to be recognizable.

Oh well. Life goes on! And I'll have to try some of those home-mades again and see what happens.

Belated Seasons Greetings

Belated Seasons Greetings from our house to yours!

Its been a busy couple weeks at our house so I haven't had much time to post.
The girls seemed to have had a great Christmas. As always Santa and the family spoiled them.

We did a traditional (almost) Czech Christmas Eve dinner, and the traditional Anglo Turkey dinner ... though the Turkey is the only real tradition at our house as dh and I invent our own sides and fixings. Our Turkey flopped badly this year and dh's carving didn't do it any assistance. Dessert was even more dreadful. All around the whole Turkey thing just put me right off.

Couple by the fact that little is potty learning at the moment - wet her bed once and mine twice Christmas Eve. So the day just got off to a not so wonderful start. But life goes on. The girls had a good day and that's all that matters.

A Hybrid!

I'm branching out! LOL!

In trying to come up with a craft or something that M could make for her secret pal at Brownies, I came surfed the digi sites and found this hybrid composition book covers. So to test out how easy or hard it would be to do this, I made one myself.

The experiment was somewhat of a success. I love it! This one is super simple, but I decided to try my hand at sewing cardstock, Which M could probably do too, if she wants. OMG, I love the effect! LOL!

Anyway - the plan is to have her design on paper what she wants - and then help her plan it in the Photo Editor and then cut it out and put it together. This along with a little 'food' gift, will be her gift to her secret pal!

(credits: Eva Kipler and Amanda Rockwell Lola Freebie Bonus -- Also I followed instructions here - sort of!)

Funky Weird Picture

This is a neat picture. I'm not sure what happened or how it happened because the image is totally untouched... how is she a ghost and crystal clear at the same time?

I just thought it was neat

I finally Got Around to it!

I always say I'll do stuff when I get around to It. Well guess what... I finally got one! :)

credits: Dinner Party by Shabby Princess and Sara Carling

I was just messing around between loads of laundry!

Hark, What's this?? Another Request

I'm trying not to die of "wonder shock and amazement!"

Dh has asked me to make yet another item on my trusty sewing machine! (hee hee!) Feeding into my handmade frenzy! I love it! (hey its not knit, and I think secretly - he shares the same issues with knit things that M does! *sigh*)

We asked MIL what she wanted for Christmas and trying not to be a bother, she said oh just something cheap from the $1 store. Bwahhahh haa, like I've ever bought her something from the $1 store as a gift. LOL! Not that it's beneath me - we love the $1 store, but more because I hadn't quite thought of it! LOL!

I'm dragging him kicking and screaming to the fabric store, to choose the fabric (with input from M and I, of course.) To put together a nice little something to go with the nice little something else that I have already made.

Do you think he is humouring me or do you think he has finally found something that he thinks could be useful!?

Just Unloading my Brain

In my little corner of the world it is supposed to freeze tonight, the season rolls nearer.

Sadly we are sleeping in our guestroom. While getting the girls ready to go out yesterday (fri) afternoon M pulled the curtains closed and down came the rail, the board and the curtains.... fun fun. It narrowly missed her (thank goodness) but we were all kinda surprised!

But its not a bad thing really. The guest room is so clean and tidy and minimalist (and the fan works - woohoo!), where our room is cluttered, dusty and ..... oh alright.... a pigsty. When guests (or visitors) come I load boxes and take them to our room, and sort through 1/4 of them and then never get back to it. Mostly it is papers, some of it is books, probably some yarn, and kids toys (squirreled away maybe I can unload them! hee!) - just the general day to day clutter that I never get around to. (mental note need to make a new "round-to-it")

So in honor of our time away from our room, I've hired myself as the maid and am setting up 30 minute blocks (when S doesn't steal the timer) to sort, tidy, dust, vacuum, declutter and in honor of my mum - rearrange. I expect to be back by Monday in a clean and spotless, cozy room, and it will probably stay like that for .... oh about a week! :(

In the 30 minutes in between each adventure, I'm taking computer time, and sewing up a storm on my other little corner of the world or knitting so I'm not idle. Poor dh almost had a fit when I spent $56 at the Joann's this afternoon (on just fabric and thread!) hee hee, not to mention when he walked into our bedroom last night to see what I was up to! Its just not been a good weekend for him so far.... save and except that he loves the mattress in the guest room.... and has no qualms about sleeping on it.

So anyway that is what I'm up to...

Holly - Jolly - OMG - NOT!

Thanksgiving rapidly approaches - we don't do anything special as the rest of the family celebrates in October (Canadian Thanksgiving) so its just us and dh hates turkey so unless we go somewhere we hang out quietly at home tripping over each others feet! LOL!

But along with Thanksgiving comes Christmas and suddenly I feel like I've been caught with my proverbial crafty pants down! There was so much more that I wanted to get done and yet suddenly I'm feeling very lacking in the gifts I have. A single item that I made yesterday cost $20+ and yet it is only one single simple item (might cost $10-15 in the store) .... which puts me over budget for the gift swap that we are doing. A 2nd item cost only about $13, but much more work went into it and I know that I would have spent more than $40 purchasing it in the store (shh its still not done but I have a week.) Am I undermining my creativity in favour of store purchased items? Why do I feel so cheap? I mean these items aren't the only things I'm giving but why do I feel the need to bulk things up?? Its not like I haven't just spent my entire year making this stuff. *Sigh*

And then I have to start on my shopping for the girls.... *sigh* and they wonder why I'm a "hum-bug" kinda person.... I'm not really I just hate the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping! Which for me is November because I don't leave my house to visit with the crazed crowds of December! LOL!

So there you have it ...

Totally Ungirl-y Halloween

My two girls are Girly Girls - they like pretty dresses, love ballet, and the littlest refuses to even contemplate the notions of jean.... so their costume choices came as somewhat of a shock...

Darth Maul (from Star Wars - Phantom Menace) and a Skeleton!

So dh in the theme of the oldest's choice in costume went with the Emperor from Star Wars. Here is the costume I sewed up in 18 hours.

Things I learned.....

• 9.25 yards of fabric is more fabric than I have ever seen in one sitting! LOL!
• 9.25 yards needs to be spread over two bolts because in stores a bolt is only 6.5 yards.
• I won't ever work with a fabric thicker than the one I used for this costume! LOL!
• I won't be making Grim Reaper / Emperor costumes for a living! LOL!
• I enjoy sewing costumes
  
• Its time I made a costume for myself.... :)
  
  

...And Back to Creating

We just got back from a wonderful week at Disney (see HS blog) and I'm getting back in the groove. Hitting the crafting wagon again - and feeling the pressures of the upcoming season - have I mentioned that Halloween is my FAVOURITE time of year, and how much I'm not a Christmas person!?

Something interesting happened today - a strange feeling but I'm not sure how to put it into words.... maybe it was the crafting buzz hitting me hard - or maybe it was something else - I don't know... but there is a buzz (for lack of better description!) in the air about me.

... 3 weeks ago - Dh requested I sew something for him! WOOHOO! Just a Halloween costume but still it's something for him! LOL! Considering he never wore the sweater I made for him when we were dating (it was technically too small - because suddenly my tension changed!) I'm feeling adventurous and hoping it works out! I'd have to say its the biggest project I've taken on! Cause Sass-Fox, frankly, I'm still chickening out on your request... though I have the pattern and 1/2 the fabric! LOL! But if this works, out I'll be on your request ASACIO (ha - as soon as Christmas is over!)

I'm not gonna share the project with y'all yet, but we did just joke that Heaven help me I hope it works out or he'd hold it against me (he said he wouldn't!) - but it'll be good practice for the girls wedding dresses (HA, highly unlikely said the brain - I think I might leave that one to the professionals - I have to learn to work the darn serger first - I'm still petrified of that! *GRIN*)

E-Mealz - recommendation

Sorry - A Little Advertising here.

I suck at menu planning and have recently found a reasonably priced service that works for us.

We're using the Walmart Register - that has WW points on it and when I follow it, not only is it saving me money - its more than paying for itself.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking to take the stress out of planning decent meals for their family! I'm cooking again (a fair bit.)

Here is a link! (if you try it please use my name as a reference!)

Going Dental

Oy! Something came over me and I'm not sure I like it!

I went and paid a bill on Monday, after M's recent dentist visit and suddenly felt a pang of guilt that I've been making M go to the dentist regularly every 6 months and she has beautiful clean teeth while I have dirt and grim on mine! I had 2 root canals 2 years ago (??) after a 10 year abstinence stand on dentistry! Let me tell ya as a dental fear patient, that normally would put me off for life but dang it, I think I've found a dentist office I'm comfortable with!

Chatting with the hygienist this morning I was tickled to find that she agreed with me in my plight to NEVER EVER send my children to a pediatric dentist. Having dealt with a pediatric dentist many years ago from age 3-8 - who subjected me to the torture of removing teeth without adequate freezing, and drilling and filling my teeth with the same inadequate freezing, or cleaning my teeth and yelling at me to open my mouth wider when it was open as far as it would go - apparently chair side manner wasn't his best class! Anyway for me to find comfort with a particular dentist is nothing short of a miracle and for me to actually work up the nerve to send my children to them is a miracle within a miracle! LOL!

So all in all a good visit.... 10 yrs no cleaning - 2 root canals (at the 8 yr mark) and 1 filling, I've been given a good bill of dental health (minus that cavity!) I attribute it to the new kids anticavity mouth washes on the market and that purple Listerine stuff. That cavity I have, was there 2 yrs ago when the root canal was done, but it was marginally smaller and I've been religious with the mouth wash!

So all in all a good start to the day even if it was just a trip to the dentist - all over by 10 am!

WOOHOO Go me!

meme: Trivial info!

Tagged from Ignore Me Its Easier

1. What is your occupation right now?
Home Maker

2. What color are your socks right now?
Pink and white

3. What are you listening to right now?
M - playing with computerized bubble wrap and S singing the Death March from Star Wars.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Banana and Berry smoothie

5. Can you drive a stick
YUP!

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Bank's Card services - and funny transactions department! :0

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yup - she's pretty cool!

8. How old are you today?
36

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Baseball or hockey

10. What is your favorite drink?
Sweet Tea!

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
just for my wedding and only streaked

12. Favorite food?
Mexican

13. What is the last movie you watched?
Princess Diaries

14. Favorite day of the year?
October 31 (HALLOWEEN ROCKS!)

15. How do you vent anger?
Yell, stomp around and then cry!

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Baaa lamb

17. What is your favorite season?
Early Summer

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Blueberries

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
always

20. Who is the most likely to respond?
Gah! who knows!

21. Who is least likely to respond?
See above! :)

22. Living arrangements?
Wishing to move - someday!

23. When was the last time you cried?
Don't remember

24. What is on the floor of your closet?
hee hee... you don't want to know - everything

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
??

26. What did you do last night
read for a bit

27. What are you most afraid of
dying young

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Plain

29. Favorite dog breed?
Springer or Cocker spaniels and Retrievers

30. Favorite day of the week?
Thursdays (don't know why!)

31.How many states have you lived in?
1 state, 1 province!

32. Diamonds or pearls?
Emeralds (I'm with ya AmyD).

33. What is your favorite flower?
Forget me nots


Please consider yourself "tagged" and link back so I can read your answers!