'A' List Crafts...

We've had a few rainy days around here this summer and on those days, I've been trying my hand at doing a few more crafts with miss A.

It is with a bit of shame that I must admit that I've been very lax on the craft front with her. In my defence though, really, up to this point, I think she's been a wee bit on the young side. I couldn't see much point in delving into a craft project where she wouldn't be able to at least partially participate.

During the school year, I take her to Storytime at the library, a free program for pre-school aged kids. There's stories, songs and a craft. While A is kind of hot and cold about participating in the first two, she's adamant in her enthusiasm for the latter. We've brought home untold pipe-cleaner/paper bag/paper plate/construction paper creations. It was sort of eating at me though, that here I am, a self-proclaimed craft enthusiast myself and yet I wasn't holding my own when it came to crafts with my wee girl.

About a week ago or so, on a rainy morning, I finally broke out all the little empty toilet paper rolls I had been saving up, the coloured pipe cleaners and the tote full of other assorted craft miscellany. We made bugs. I forgot to catalogue the experience. To sum up, there was a Mommy Bug, a Daddy Bug and an Avery Bug. Then I took a Premium Plus cracker box and made a bug house (re: cut a door in one side). She was quite content with those for an entire afternoon. Those and the Popsicle stick people I made. Here's the tutorial; take some craft Popsicle sticks and Sharpie. Draw faces and clothes on the sticks. Watch your kid go ape shit over them. Feel like a crafting genius. In that instance, there was a mommy, daddy and two Avery 'poppa sticks'.

Anyhow, today I decided to take all of the little bits of broken and de-labeled crayon and make new crayons. I have seen this on the web a few times in a few different places. So I broke up and sorted the bits.



I don't think the sorting step is actually necessary but ya know, this is just how I roll.



Spray a mini muffin tray with some veg spray and let your kiddo fill up the cups.



Take a moment to admire her handy work.



Pop the tray in a 275 degree oven for 7-8 minutes until just melted. Allow to cool for a bit and then put the tray in the freezer to help the solidifying process along. If you leave them there for as long as it takes you to do a sink full of dishes, that should be plenty.



Once the little pucks are hardened, they pop out quite easily...



...and are as much fun to stack as they are to draw and colour with.

Overall, a successful craft. Here's why I liked it; it was quick, easy, I had everything I needed on hand and little A could do it with me. I also like the waste not, want not aspect to it. It seemed a shame to throw out all those little crayon bits and now we have 24 new crayon pucks :) Other suggestions out there for doing this are to use cookie cutters or candy molds to create different shapes. I think next time I'll try and come up with an option that would make the new crayons a more crayon or pencil like shape as I think those might be a little bit easier to use. Either way, a very cool and practical idea. Gotta love those.

Until later...

She Hate Handknits...

I think it's one of my life's cruel ironies that none of the people I live with likes my hand knits.

I've been saying for a while now how much my daughter despises what I make for her. I think it's become kind of a joke, and frankly, I'm not sure anyone took me all that seriously. I would lament at knit night...well, not so much lament as just state the fact...that I can't get within two feet of her with a garment that I've toiled over long and hard. Example; I knit her a cute little cropped ballet bolero for her birthday which she refused to put on, even for a photo. Believe me, I begged, I pleaded, I bribed. No dice. I was relating this story to the other moms who came to little A's birthday party this past March with their little ones and once I was out of the room, they tried their hand at getting her into it. As I was fussing over the cake, I heard a wail come from the living room. I return to investigate, only to find three sheepish looking grown women who are giggling and admit to me they tried to put the sweater on her themselves.

One of the theories proposed for her strong opposition at my knitting group when discussion of this has come up is that I ruined her by bringing her home from the hospital in cashmere. I set the bar too high. I keep trying though.



I mistakenly thought that smooshy bubble gum pink knee socks would win her over. As you can plainly see, I was sorely mistaken. If looks could kill, etc. etc.

I have to admit, this breaks my heart a little bit. And it doesn't stop with things I've knit for her. She's actually yelled at me to take things off that I've knit for myself. I was proudly parading my most recent FO, the shawl from the previous post and she stood in the middle of the hallway, little pointer finger firmly extended and barked, 'No Mommy. You take that off.'

Did I mention she's a bit of a bossy pants? Last night at dinner she's eating her spaghetti and had eaten up all of her fresh grated parm cheese. She turns to me, brow furrowed, hands on hips and demands, in no uncertain terms, 'I want more cheese.' Oh yeah? Well, I want a million dollars. Lets see how likely either of us is to get what we want.

I shouldn't say that no one here likes my hand knits. My husband has worn the hat I've made him a few times, goes straight for the hand knit socks when he's feeling sick (he says they make him feel better) and did admire the felted slippers, but found they didn't fit very well and have since been abandoned. And I bet if Hank weren't a walking sweater himself, he would gladly and proudly wear anything I made for him. That's the story I'm telling myself at least.

Anyhow, back to the pink socks. So inspired to finish the second one at this point. I've asked her if she would help me out with modelling some recent FO's. We'll see how that photo shoot turns out.

Until later...

Death by Cute...

Just when I thought things in this house couldn't get any cuter, I stumbled upon this tutorial at Twelve Crafts Till Christmas. I was hunting around for some doll accessory patterns and this fit the bill to a tee. Don't tell little A, but I sent a request off to Santa for some doll furniture, and since she's been super awesome all year long, I'm thinking he just might bring it. She loves her baby dolls and I love crafting, so it really was a perfect storm.

Diaper bag and accessories

Can you stand it? Cuz I can't. Seriously. That little pack of diaper wipes took a total of nine seconds to make and it just makes my teeth clench to look at it. And yes, I even overlap-folded the 'wipes' so that when you pull one, another will pop up.



This project cost me a grand total of zero dollars since I had everything I needed in my stash. Have I mentioned before how much I love having a little girl???

It's going to very difficult to sit on this one till Christmas. I hope she loves it as much as I do. Until later...

My Girly Girl...

There will be people out there who deny what I am about to say until they are blue in the face, but sometimes stereotypes turn out to be true. I don't know as I would have wholly believed it myself until my wee one came into my life but there are just innate, fundamental differences between little boys and little girls. In my case, my little miss A is all girly girl.

I will admit that I have zero issue with dressing her in pink at any and all opportunity. I delight in doing her hair. Dresses make me all squishy inside. And then of course there were the 20+ pairs of Robeez in her closet before she was even born (cut me SOME slack, most of those were hand-me-downs). That being said, I also delight in watching her get dirty when she plays, buy her Tonka trucks and get equally squishy when she sits down to watch football or hockey with her dad. My mantra from day one has always been if she's happy, I'm happy.

But try as I might, she really does dote on her baby dolls to the exclusion of the Tonka's. The first time I took her into Payless, her eyes got as wide as saucers, her little index finger pointed in the air and she let a breathless 'SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEESSSSS' escape from her tiny mouth. I brought a bag full of summer clothes home from Walmart (of the Damned...can't say Walmart without adding that at the end) and she trailed after me wailing until I realized that she wanted to inspect and examine the contents. There she was, sitting on the kitchen floor, holding up her outfits and smiling with approval. You can't teach this stuff.

Then there was the day that she started doing this;



That's just a little plastic bag that some doll accessories came in, but one day, I happened to glance up from whatever and there she was, parading around the house with her little bag in the crook of her elbow. Shortly after that, I picked up a little silver clutch from Frenchy's and today, miss Fancy Pants had to have it with her at lunch.


The lady who lunches

She's all about mimicking now, wanting to do what I do. I think it's fantastic. Watching her learn something new every day is really the most incredible part of being able to stay at home with her as I do. She'd been wanting to use my broom and dustbin prior to our trip to PEI, so I had it in my mind to get her her own little set of cleaning tools. I remember playing with my own when I was a child and just the mere fact that they were scaled down for my size delighted me. Sure enough, I found a complete set at that fabulous toy store I mentioned in my last post.



Best...purchase...ever. There hasn't been a day pass since that she hasn't swept or mopped or toted her little cleaning bucket around. She even learned how to empty her little dustbin in to the garbage. Best part? That's the only time she ever opens the garbage. Hysterical.

Domestic goddess in training

I've even conned her into doing her own laundry. 'Bout time she started earning her keep around here.



After a long, gruelling day of housework, a little preening is in order. Always best to keep up appearances.

All in all, she's a hoot. I can't get enough of her. I could go on all day, but I suppose this will suffice for now.

Until later...

The 365th Day...

She started out as just a thought. A what if. A wouldn't it be nice.



Then the thought turned into a reality, a squirmy alien in the belly. After a long, long wait, she was there. All pink and puffy and fully formed, looking like me and like him and like everyone on both sides of our families, all at the same time. The world seemed to stop, and there was only the three of us in this cocoon of time and space.



We brought her home and she grew.







She grew and she grew and she grew.





And as she grew, I did too.



She changed me on a cellular level.





I think of all that wasn't here a year ago. The little voice coming from the little bedroom in the morning. The toys taking over the house. All the little books and little shoes and little clothes that mean that there is a little person here who is slowly carving out a space in the world.



And I think about the joy. The pure, uncensored, unadulterated joy that explodes from her being. The belly laughs. The giggles. The never ending smiles. The joy we feel in watching her learn to do the simplest things. The joy in just having her near.







Mostly though, I'm just grateful. Grateful to put her to bed each night under peaceful skies, secure in the knowledge we'll wake up the same. Grateful to not have to worry how I am going to feed her or keep her safe. Grateful that she is healthy and growing and bright. Grateful that, unlike too many mothers around the world, I get to watch her turn one.



I can't and don't want to imagine my life without you in it. Happy Birthday baby girl.



PS: On a less sentimental note, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for helping to clear up my adult acne. Much appreciated.

The Benefits of Procrastination...

I know it's terribly un-PC of me to say this out loud, but there are times when I miss being able to throw things in the garbage and just completely forget about them. I spend more time sorting, cleaning, categorizing, bagging, and sifting through recyclables and compost than I ever would have imagined a decade ago. I will admit to you that some days, it really really drives me batty. I miss the ignorance and arrogance of an age long past, when everything from batteries and paint cans to chicken bones and paper towel all went in the same bag and out to the curb and we were all happy little clams that knew none the wiser. This was also an era when dogs were just dogs and no one seemed to care about their 'emotional needs' or 'self esteem'. But that's a rant for another day.

A nice thing happened to me the other day. The fact that I have craft projects from six or more years ago still hanging around unfinished actually came in handy.

My little A is really into flipping through books right now...

Exhibit Little A

...even to the exclusion of playing with other toys, which I have to say, just thrills me to no end. I've been reading to her since day one, so to watch her really enjoy flipping pages and investigating what's inside is just a joy. She enjoys it so much in fact that she likes to have a book in bed with her, which I have no problem with, other than the fact that she might roll over on it etc. while she's sleeping. I couldn't see a small board book doing much harm, though it might prove to be a bit uncomfortable. Then I remembered that at one point in time, I had started a soft fabric book as a project and still had it buried somewhere in my fabric stash.



So I dug it out and as of last night, I have all the pages assembled. I just need to figure out how to do a binding on it. I'm thinking eyelets/grommets. It is unlikely that I'd be able to sew through all the layers on my sewing machine.

My house looks so ghetto without trim on the windows...that's the next project for Mr. Fixit.

I've been able to get back and play in my craft room a little more these days since I packed up the baby swing that was previously occupying the spot that the play pen now is. It's like a revelation. She's quite content to sit and play while we yammer away to one another and I get to exercise some creative muscles.



So I was able to finish a new sleep sack for my sleeping beauty as well. This had been hanging around for months and months, not because it was time consuming or difficult to finish, but more so because I was in sleep sack denial. I don't think I wanted to admit to myself that she had grown out of the other ones I'd made. But the fact that there are bright and cheerful owls on it (and glow in the dark no less) have almost made up for the fact that I've now packed away all the receiving blankets, bibs, burp cloths and baby bath towels.



I'm obviously on a finishing jag at the moment, and because this next project is turning out to be awesome beyond awesome, I'm only giving you a small teaser for the time being. This is my epic Babette Blanket in the process of being assembled, which it now is and I'm just putting the finishing touches on the border. I really couldn't be more in love with it if it were actually Colin Firth (mmm...yummy). I'm quite proud of the fact that I'll have it finished well before little A's first birthday, a baby blanket for my not-so-much a baby anymore. But that's also a lament for another time.

Until later...

We Hardly Knew Ye...

Listen, I know there is real stuff going on in the world. Big stuff. Scary stuff. Really big scary stuff. It's too much sometimes to comprehend. Sometimes all you can do is give a little of what you can and keep hoping that there are the right people trying to do the right thing at the scene, on the ground, that will make a difference. Then you go give your daughter an extra hug and a kiss and thank the universe that just by sheer luck alone you and she were born in a safe and beautiful place.

When the magnitude of what a shitstorm the world can be at times is just overwhelming, you focus on something smaller, something more compact and more manageable. I think this is the main reason why we have the kind of celebrity mania we do in our culture. It's easier to get all riled up about who's with whom or not, who's had what done to any part of their body, who's too fat, too thin, too crazy and on and on it goes. Why? Because it really doesn't matter. It's all projected angst, displaced rage, disgust, indignation. It's a really really good distraction. If people were to funnel all of the energy they put into caring about American Idol contestants and voting frantically to make sure they live to karaoke another day to issues that really matter, well, I have a faint hope that the world would be a
better place. At the very least, at the absolute minimum, a more engaged one. In the absence of true civil discourse though, there is just an awful lot of noise. And late night talk show feuds.

So I suppose that it's without not a whole lot of irony that a small part of me is the tiniest bit heartbroken at the moment.



I've had a crush on this guy since 1993 when he first hit the airwaves, at a time in my life when you still lived and died by late night television. He was high school hallway talk the following morning. He went from 'Who the hell is this guy' to 'Hey, did you see Conan last night?' I only ever remember Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show and despite being quite young during his reign, I seem to recall watching quite a bit of him. I distinctly remember watching his final show in my parents basement. And then promptly forgetting about the Tonight Show altogether until June of 2009.

Because the other guy isn't funny. At all. Never has been. He wasn't funny at 11:35, he wasn't funny at 10 and I'm fairly confident he will continue to be not funny when he's back at 11:35. I kind of have my fingers crossed that after an illustrious 60 year run, the other guy will be the one to kill The Tonight Show once and for all. In my opinion, that would be a fitting legacy. Because if he had any class at all, he would bow out and RETIRE like he said he was going to five years ago. Passive aggressive placating to network executives is unflattering to say the least.

Lunacy. It certainly has been fun to watch though, on all fronts. Especially Letterman. I'm going to miss this incarnation of The Tonight Show, I think it had real potential, had it been given a chance. Seven months. I can't get over it. Seven measly months. It's almost enough to make me just throw in the towel and cancel the cable altogether.

Anyway...



Here's the cute patoot doing her level best at posing in knitwear. This adorable ensemble is courtesy of lexa over at Just in the Knit of Time. It was only after I had taken this shot that I tidied up her hair a bit and attempted another shoot, but no dice. And it was later still that I found tights with ruffles on the bum at the Superstore, which are just begging to be worn with outfits such as this. I'm a big fan of tights for babies, I never thought I would be, and it's just too bad that little boys can't wear them too. I never have to worry about socks being pulled off and the rest of the leg is nice and toasty. It's a small luxury. For both of us.

In Pinta news, she's had a bit of a cognitive explosion in the last couple of weeks. After months of trying, she finally figured out the commando crawl and just in the last few days had been putting her arms and hands too practical use after being on hands and knees for what seems like forever now. Most of the time, you'd think she was doing baby yoga, with her on her tippy toes in a downward dog position. Then she does that leaning thing that you see above, which is pretty much her version of getting to a sitting position from lying down. It's freakin' adorable.

Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, on the same day no less, she started waving and clapping her hands. Out of nowhere. And after months of indoctrination, she finally started doing the hand sign we'd assigned to her bottle. She does it all the time now, prompted and unprompted, when she wants her bottle (or pretty much anything else to drink for that matter). I'd also been doing my own hand sign for 'all done' when we're having meals, and she's started to do it pretty consistently now too when she's had enough. In addition, she can also say 'Doggie', or her interpretation of it which is more like 'do-do-do-do', but it's a word associated with a thing and she has connected the two. So I was partially correct in my assumption that her first word would have something to do with the dog, but relieved it isn't the string of obscenities that she has likely heard since she was a zygote. I really gotta stop that now.

While we're bragging here, her vocab includes 'Da-Da' pretty much all of the time that she is happy and only 'Ma-Ma' or 'Mmumumum' when she's pretty miserable or in desperate need of something, like a block she can't reach, a nap or some food. There is all kinds of other gobblydegook in her chatter now that are sounding more and more like mimics of real words and the fact that we're communicating on an interactive and meaningful level now just blows my mind.

In crafty news, I'm chugging away on my Babette blanket with renewed intensity and am nearing the home stretch. Very excited. I still think it's going to be too wee, but whatever. I'll just be pleased with myself to have finished what I started.

Until later...

These are a few more...

...of my favourite things.

Well, our first Christmas as a family unit has come and gone and it was just about everything one could have hoped for. There was warmness...

Yes, that would be a knock-off Snuggie. We're that lame. But he loves it and I have to admit, it's warm and toasty (I still refuse to wear the sleeves though, just on principle)

and fuzziness...



and of course, undeniable cuteness...



and plenty of that Christmas magic hanging in the air, the kind that was there when I was a kid and seems to have returned in spades. It was wonderful.

Everything pictured above are truly my most favourite things in the world, but we acquired some treasures this year that just really tickled me to no end, so I thought I would share a few of them with you.

We of course loaded up on toys for little A since she didn't have any age appropriate ones. In the weeks leading up to Christmas it was becoming increasingly difficult to make the handful of interesting toys that she did have any more interesting and I, of course, since she had no concept of what was coming, was becoming ever more anxious for the 25th to arrive so we could rip everything open and get to playing. I had started so early that honestly, on Christmas morning, I forgot what a few of the boxes contained (that could have just been an early morning mental lapse...there wasn't THAT much stuff).

I had gotten her some wooden toys, stacking and sorting, that sort of thing and she also got duplicates of those in plastic. I know wooden toys are all the rage right now, and they are beautiful and something which I can see withstanding the sands of time, but surprisingly, I find myself keeping those out of reach or really only for carefully supervised play since I've discovered that one of little A's favourite activities is to take the bucket of plastic sorting shapes and dump them on her head while lying down. Same goes for the ring stacking toy. I bought her the Melissa and Doug version and her grandparents sent her the Fisher Price version and I have yet to bring out the M & D one since Christmas morning. During the first test drive, the stacking rings naturally ended up discarded on the floor and the most fascinating element of the toy was the wooden peg, which instilled horrific visions of poked out eyes and dislodged uvula's. Maybe she's just a bit too young for them yet, I don't know.



But that's a bit off topic. Santa brought the Fisher Price farm, which I thought might take some time for little A to warm up to or perhaps she'd have to be a bit older to really want to play with it, but she loves it :) She makes her way over to it and opens and closes the little doors, plays with the animals and the best part...her favourite is the sheep. I love playing with her and watching her discover it for herself.

My other favourite gift of hers came from her father. He bought her
Snacktime, the Barenaked Ladies kids album. I love this on two levels; one, the album itself is really good and two, I had put this on my own Amazon wish list that I gave him as a rough guide for present ideas and he picked up on the subtle hint. He's awesome. I played it on Boxing Day morning and just giggled and beamed to myself as I listened. I got unreasonably excited about the first song in the Snacktime trilogy (middle of the album) where a bunch of Canadian celebrities tell what their favourite snacks are. Gord Downie, David Suzuki, Geddy Lee...very cool. I found myself humming the songs all day.

Perhaps my most favourite gift of hers was this book, You Are My Miracle. Don't even think, just go buy it if you have children. Don't read it in the bookstore though, it's a crying book. Meaning, it'll have you sobbing by the third page. As a matter of fact, I get choked up just thinking about it. It's so beautiful in illustration and in sentiment and perfectly conveys those tender and fleeting moments parents experience with a child. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to read it to her, since I completely lose it before I even crack the cover. I think it'll just be the kind of book that I open up every once in a while and cry and will keep to give to her when she grows up...and cry. Don't let all the crying throw you off...it's a must have in my opinion.

I was hoping to show off some holiday crafts here as well, but this post has already taken me days to compose and really all I want to do today (now New Years Day) is sit and do very little. I was promised last night's leftover lobster in today's scrambled eggs with mimosa's and I'm not sure how much more patient I can be. I might need to kick the constable's butt out of bed here before too long.

I hope everyone had a lovely and safe holiday. Cheers y'all. Until later...

These are a few...

of my favourite things...

I had a couple of great posts started in my head, but of course once I sit down to blog, there is a great whooshing sound as all my brilliant wordsmithery escapes the room. It's the nature of the beast that is parenting. The complete inability to concentrate one's full attention on any one thing for an extended period of time. I'm noticing it happening in conversations with others now. I'll ask a question and I won't even hear the answer as I'm distracted with putting food in a tiny mouth, wiping a tiny hand or just trying to contain a squirmy body. The upside is that I can't remember anything either, so I've already forgotten the question, or the fact that I asked it for that matter so I come away blissfully unaware of anything at all.

Anyhow, first up, a few FO's.
Classic Cable from Top Down for Toddlers, Lynda and Deb Gemmel

I finished little A's Christmas sweater a while back. One of my favourite kids sweater patterns. I can't wait to try it on her, but I'm behaving myself and waiting until Christmas.

Thermis by Kris Knits

This neck warmer is perhaps my most favourite thing at the moment. It all started when the pattern was gifted to me by a very generous fellow knitter and ended with silver buttons that just tickle me to no end. I love everything about this project. It was fast, simple, destined for the yarn I used and totally functional. Love. It.



This past week we had our little holiday Knit Nite celebration where we exchanged treats and yarn. One of our members decided to be a real keener about the swap and instead of just bringing a singular ball, banged out 15 knitted ornaments, little glass balls sheathed in sock yarn remnants. I threw some elbows and lo and behold, they came home with me. ADORABLE.



Yesterday I finally got around to putting them up on the upstairs tree. Yes, I have two trees. One real, for the living room (the anal retentive, completely colour co-ordinated tree that I used to balk at when my mother did it in my childhood) and the fake one which I've put in the upstairs landing. I plan on making this the homemade, anything goes, throw as much tinsel on it as you like kids, it's all yours tree. It's a six footer that I only use half of usually, thus making it a perfect table top tree. The constable referred to it as the 'ghetto tree' since I put the old school lights on it, for tradition's sake. It has rather nice ornaments, but I think it will forever be known as the ghetto tree now. Somewhere along the way, the knitty ornaments I made a handful of years ago, (little sweaters, stockings, knitting needles) disappeared, so I guess I'll just have to make new ones. Darn.

Speaking of making Christmas stuff, I've decided this year that starting hopefully very early in January, I'm going to make all the Christmas crap that I see out there in the ether starting in mid-November so that I'll have it ready for next Christmas. This goes for gifts as well. There are wreaths and ornaments and baubles out there that are too cute to resist and I'm not going to put it off and say 'Oh well, I'll do those next year'. Perhaps I'll do a post about that and list a bunch of stuff, see if I can hold myself to it throughout the year. We'll see.



And now we come to the baby knitwear portion of the post, installment numero 3 I believe. Here little A is modelling a lovely little dress hand knit by Heddy over at
Ewe Gotta Knit using Bernat Baby Jacquards. Made only more adorable by the tights with built in shoes, also gifted to her by a friend. I find any excuse to put those on her.



Just this week, little A got a package in the mail from Auntie Carrie over at Carrie's Work Basket which included this kick-ass sailboat sweater. Not hand knit, but she knows my penchant for all things nautical so it literally leapt from the box onto her back within a matter of minutes. I think she approves.

I was going to go on and list some of my favourite Christmas stuff, but I think I'll break it up and save that for another post. I'm feeling inspired to bake, must take advantage of nap time while it lasts.

Until later...

Counting Down...

So let's just take care of business right off the hop. There have been requests, so here she is, in all her knitty glory. She's right at the perfect age where all of the wonderful knitty stuff that she received for her shower and some of the items I made many moons ago in hopes that one day someone tiny would model them for me now fit. In the next few A related posts, I hope to showcase these lovely items. First up is this little pink bolero knit by one of my blog-free (and therefore shall remain nameless) Knit Nite compatriots. Adorable.

Little A is eight months now and just so damn smart it blows me away. Thus far, we have mastered feeding oneself finger foods, sippy cup, rolling over, being adorable and infectious giggling. We're moving onto standing. Got places to go people. I think she just got over a bit of a growth spurt too, cuz she was grumpy grumpy grumpy (in addition to not sleeping) and my efforts were all for nought. At some point, the most valuable pearl of wisdom about parenting that I ever heard (which came from my sister-in-law) crossed my mind; just when you think that you can't take it (it being whatever may be going on at that moment) any longer, it'll change. And so it did. That happy, ever laid back and contented baby has returned. All's right with the world again.



Now this. All I can say is Ididit Ididit Ididit Ididit. Little excited. It's my advent calendar. I actually frickin' did it. I started and finished the sewing yesterday, in between naps and feedings and playing-withs and diaper changes and instructing the father-person to keep an eye on the offspring. I even have handmade ornaments, though only about a half dozen or so, so far. I still need to attach some numbers to the pockets, but I have all of the supplies and hope to get that piece of the project done tomorrow.

How it'll work is that there will be an ornament and a treat in each pocket, (and as wee one gets older, a little card with a Christmas related activity on it, ie. baking cookies, going sledding, make hot chocolate, read a Christmas book etc.) and the ornament will go on the little tree there (the one with the green lights on it...the other is a salt and pepper shaker. There is a top and bottom half. It's wonderfully cheesy) and the treat will, of course, get eaten. For now, the treats are purely for the constable's enjoyment. He is a big kid himself, after all.

The greatest thing about this project? I had all of the supplies in my stash. I've had the Christmas fabric for years and have been waiting for the perfect project to break them out on. The canvas backing I bought with another project in mind, but never got around to it. And the empty wrapping paper roll...well, that's pretty self explanatory. Actually, it's only temporary. I've misplaced the wooden dowel that I know is around here somewhere.

Anyhow, I'm pretty pleased with myself. It's very Christmas-crafty, but I'm okay with that. I think I may be entering that phase of my life. My most immediate phase needs to be sleep though, so I'm off. Until later...

She Can Tackle Anything up to Twice her Size...

I knew that daylight savings time was going to mess with me somehow, and I was right to assume that it would include the baby. We forgot to change the clocks back last night, so when I heard her cooing away and saw a six at the head of all of those numbers on my bedside clock I thought awesome, lets get up. But the DVR is smarter than the rest of us and when I saw a five, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. After about 45 mins, even little A was like, what the heck, why am I up? and asked to go back to bed. Who can blame her. So it's just me and the coffee and the blog.



For someone who swore up and down that she wasn't going to make anything for Christmas this year, I've been diligently working on a number of things that I intend to give away as presents. Go figure. I probably shouldn't post them, but I'm nearly certain that the intended recipients never read my blog. Anyhow, I Cricut-ed a memory game here for a little person which would've taken an afternoon if I had a full one to myself but took nearly three weeks instead. Ah well.



I also tried my hand at making some marble magnet thingies. This is the tutorial I used. You can't see it very well in this photo, kinda blurry, but I used all kitchen themed pictures. Some food, some appliances. Very cute. Important lesson learned; do not handle until the glue is totally dry. I have dried glue finger prints all over the front of these, which is very unattractive. I'm hoping a little Windex might clean things up. Anyhow, these with a little decorative tin box are a super cute gift.



I finished a cabled ear flap hat for another little person, plus my Yarn Harlot Pretty Thing cowl. I'm very yeeha about the cabled hat and meh about the cowl. I think meh because this really does need to be knit in a lighter colour to show off the lace. Nothing wrong with the pattern, just that I don't feel mine has any pizazz. Now there is a word I need to put into more frequent rotation. Pizazz. Pizazz.



I started and finished a We Call Them Pirates hat for a person in my life who enjoys skull wear (knit with Patons Kroy in a striped and a solid). No FO photo of the hat as of yet, probably will only post that to Ravelry. One thing became clear to me while I was knitting this. I really really like doing colour work. When there's only two colours involved. I don't think intarsia is for me, but I'm all over fair isle.



And saving the best for last, for those of you not on Facebook where she is plastered absolutely everywhere, my amazing little crustacean, little A the lobster. I had her costume made back in September, then had a mild panic attack this week when I couldn't remember where I had put it. I had patterns kicking around for a hoodie and a hat, which I made out of red fleece and used another book about baby costumes for the claws and the tail. All the add-ons, like the antennae, eyes, tail, claws are all hand sewn so that they can come off very easily and she'll still have a nice cozy hoodie and a hat. The rest of outfit was just one piece red jammies. Why? Cuz she's my lobster :) (yes, that is a Friends reference). I had hoped to make the rounds with her to all my knitty friends houses, but we hit two (one knitty and one non-knitty friend) and she was very much over the whole experience, probably because it was dinner time, followed closely by bedtime. Still pretty good for a seven month old I think. She also got to wear the costume to our weekly story time hour on Friday, which really was a hoot. Being in a room full of little people in costumes is my idea of a good way to spend an hour.

Anyhoo, I think I might take advantage of all this quiet to catch a quick nap myself. I need a little more time to come to terms with the fact that it's November already. Until later...