Viking Tea Party

A WIP and Miscellaneous Chitter Chatter

This project is taking so long that I thought I might just post a wip photo.

Basil the Brontosaurus finally has a head. Maybe he'll get a tail at knit group on Sunday.

At the end of September I'll have lived here for three years yet I still haven't unpacked several of my boxes. Virtually none of my craft stuff boxes were even opened (except for those that were marked "knitting") as there wasn't really anywhere to put any of it. This past weekend, though, Matt dug out a few and I started going through them. I don't want to unpack it all but I would like to have a shelf or two of the things I really miss. Annoyingly, I know I've bought things here that I already own.

This is one of the things I was so happy to have found: the Emily the Strange messenger bag I bought in Nashville years ago.

It might become the latest diaper bag.

We also went to Hobbycraft this past Sunday and I stocked up on crafty things to do with/for Emmett. He's not really old enough to do much other than finger painting and coloring but I did buy some wooden spoons, pom poms, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to make some puppets - he might be into helping me clue on pom poms. Plus I found a cardboard house with a car, two trees and a table andd chairs that comes blank for decorating. I told him he was allowed the car. Maybe the trees and the furniture, too, but the house is mine to decorate. Months ago, I had grand plans for a Build A Bear box and bought all of the things to make it into a little house but I never really get around to doung much to it. I have lots to oomph to start a project but not much of it or time to finish one. Matt and I have also talked about making me a place to work on the dollhouse my dad and I built before I moved here. I'd love to at least get it painted. I didn't come across any of my boxes of dollhouse stuff so they're still out there somewhere.

Argh, my little sugar booger (I wonder what he'll think of that name in years to come) is tossing and turning a bit which means the nap is close to ending!

While He Sleeps

I think While She Naps is one of the most clever blog names in all of Crafty Blogland. It's so true and I'm sure some momma would have scooped it up if Abby hadn't gotten to it first.

Emmett's longer, more predictable naps have become a wonderful, much needed bit of me time to read or crochet (or do dishes although he's gotten much better about letting me get on with housework while he plays with his Hot Wheels on the sitting room windowsill). I'm still working on a knitted dinosaur for him but recently I've been choosing small crochet projects that I can just about complete while he naps (see? brilliant!).

Sorry about the super busy background. It's been absolutely pouring here for over 24 hours which means no outdoor photos and it's all I had on hand!

I finished all but a couple of the paws on this little pup (a Lion Brand free pattern: Ravlink) during a nap the other day. The bit of brown on the tip of one paw was an added design element due to the fact that I used up every bit of that oatmeal color. Now I think it's my favorite part of the pup.

And then, that night, I decided he needed a little basket for his own naps.

Emmett has cuddled him a couple of times. He's become a bit of a dog freak and wants to pet every one that we run into. Then he cries when they or he have to go away. This doesn't look much like the dogs he loves, though, so I'm keeping it for myself, I think. Can you guess what I named him?

Nap!

Read What I Own Month

Every once in awhile I put an embargo on myself when it comes to buying things to read. Most months its the same: one magazine (Mollie Makes - I wouldn't want to miss it) and no books. Other months, when the embargo is lifted, I can tend to go a little nuts with the book buying for the Kindle. Right now I have at least forty unread books on my machine. Ridiculous. Imagine if those were real books on a shelf. Good grief. Granted, a lot of them are free or less the three pounds. There are a lot of really good books out there for nothing or almost next to nothing. I never miss checking out the 99p Kindle Daily Deal; although I rarely buy them. They aren't really part of the embargo but I also really research any book meticulously, checking Amazon and Goodreads reviews before purchasing. I went from someone who was pretty leary about the whole Kindle thing to a slightly obsessive junkie.

Anyway, this is an embargo month. This month, though, I'm allowed one magazine and one book. The sequel to A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, comes out next week and I don't think I could wait until August to start reading it!

Here's what I have on my Read What I Own Shelf for this month.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

I bought this one awhile ago after seeing it at Waterstones. I started it but put it down after only a few chapters. Something about the way it's written annoys me a bit. I'm determined to finished it this month, though.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth.

I liked the first book, Divergent, so much that I preordered this one so that it would download at 12:01 am the day it was released. I read two pages and realized I'd read so many similar dystopian YA fiction that I couldn't entirely remember the first book...and I haven't picked it up since. This is another 'determined to finish'. I know it's going to be good. I think I just need to read the end of the first book again to get back into it.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

This is - gasp - a paperback! Recommended by trusted sources: NPR and my friend Chris.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Tiniest picture but probably the one I'm most looking forward to. I bought it with a gift card my parents gave me when they visited last month but haven't read it yet. I've been saving it for some reason. It's nice to have a good book to save* once in awhile even when you're not sure why or when you're saving it for.

I'm also reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter but I keep putting it down after a few pages. I like the story itself but the way it's written - regular text with interspersed bits of diary entries - is too distracting. I'm about halfway through and I still haven't gotten used to it. I like the idea of Lincoln as an ass-kicking vampire hunter, though.

So what are you reading? Have you ever imposed an embargo upon yourself (or am I totally a freak)?

*Useless bit of Emily History: when I was younger I wrote to John Updike. Twice. And he wrote back twice, too. Typewritten white postcards with his signature in blue. I don't remember why I started reading him but I loved his books and read almost all of them. I recently picked up a book of his short stories at my father-in-law's house, read the first story, and, sadly, kind of couldn't figure out why I liked him so much. Anyway, the second letter was about the book Brazil which I saved and read on vacation and he wrote back that he pleased I had chosen his book to save. Okay, kind of anticlimatic but it popped into my head when I said I was saving The Night Circus. And I always thought it was really nice that Mr. Updike took the time to write back to some teenager in Ohio.

Instant Gratification Dinosaur

At (the much needed) knit group on Sunday, I got lots of progress done on the dinosaur I'm knitting for Emmett but it still needs a tail and all four legs and I felt the need for some instant gratification so out came the hook.

I found this dinky dino in the new patterns on Ravelry and it's designedby Ana Paula Rimoli (Ravlink). I've always gotten a kick out of her creations but I don't think I've ever crocheted one. This guy certainly calmed my need for instant gratification as I was able to make him up in a day with a little cooperation from Emmett. Most of the time, I'm pretty much hands on, ready to wrestle and play whenever he likes but yesterday I needed him to be a little more independent. And, thankfully, for the most part, he was.

Sadly, Emmett really has no interest in the finished product. I wonder if it's because he saw me "playing" with it all day or if it's, more likely, that he's really just not interested. He does have a few favorite stuffed animals, though, so I have hope that one day one of the ones I make for him will join that group!

Of all the photos I took at the cathedral today, this is my favorite:

I was just looking at my blog and the sidebars are SO out of date! The blurb about me says that I'm recently married...we just celebrated our third anniversary. The book list link is for 2010. Good Omens is on my Bedside Table and I (sadly) abandoned that ages ago (but should give it a try again if I can find it). It all needs a serious update. I have an idea for a new blog header, too. I had been contemplating switching to a free blog since I blog so infrequently but - too late! My auto-renewal came and went without me noticing so it's time to get my money's worth.

Baking is Sanity

Over the first weekend of June everything here was red, white and blue bunted for the Jubilee. I jumped on the bandwagon a bit late but still managed to find some (totally overpriced) bunting, a cake stand and little Union Jack sugar decorations for a quick celebratory fix.

I've always kind of liked to bake but over the past month I've found out it's not just a "kind of" thing any more. I need it. It keeps me sane. After making cupcakes one night before Matt got home from work, I realized that I felt happier than I had before I mixed up the ingredients and popped them in the oven. Emmett joins in sometimes, too, with his own shaker of demerera sugar and hundreds and thousands that he sprinkles into a small bowl of flour and stirs with a spoon, and I love when he does but I really love baking by myself. I'm not great at slowing down and following directions but I'm trying and have had fewer catastrophes than usual, thank goodness.

While my parents were here a couple of weeks ago, Mom bought me a cake decorating kit. The Jubilee cupcakes were a quickie job - just a simple swirl and a store bought decoration - but I'm looking forward to baking a cake and really having at it with the icing bag.

I've been trying to keep a cleaner house, too, in order to find a little more happiness. My mom is amazing when it comes to coming up with great organizational ideas so having her here was the jump start I've needed for awhile. Things aren't exactly where I'd like them to be but they're getting there. And it's working. A tidy living room and and a clear kitchen makes me wake up a happier Mommy.

So does Emmett's recent nap schedule. I'm really hoping these two hour naps continue. Some times he wakes up halfway through and needs Mommy's shoulder but, more often, he sleeps through and I get some much needed me time. Hopefully more time to blog which would also make me happier. And knit - I've been working on a dino for Emmett for a couple of months now and I'm totally in love with it but progress is slow.

I've been reading a lot lately, though. Like a crazy amount. A few faves: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, The Travelling Matchmaker Series by M.C. Beaton, Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth, Delirium  by Lauren Oliver and On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves. FIction, romance, YA distopian fiction, self published novels - I've been devouring them. Any recommendations?

I think I might try to change the blog layout around, too. A fresh start since it's been so long. Let's start with actually getting to blog once in awhile, though....

P.S. My bunting is still hanging in the window. I like it so much I might just leave it there...at least until the Olympics are over. :)

Lapghan for Granny Rose

Yikes, I can't believe a whole month has nearly passed since my last post. And what makes it even sadder is that I was only able to cross a couple of goals for March on the list I made in that last post.

I haven't done much crafting this month but I did make a lapghan for Emmett's great-granny who turns 90 this week. I've never actually finished a blanket. Started lots, sure, but never finished one. It felt pretty good. Now I'm really itching to make a large one for us.

This, though, is what takes up all of my time.

Hes seventeen months old now and I have no idea where all that time has gone. One this same day last year we were in New Orleans for my brother's wedding and Emmett had just learned to roll over. Now he's unstoppable. He's becoming more independent, too, and I'm thankful for that. Just don't get too independent, little bub - it's going by so fast.

 

Pinning Things: Rotating Goal List

This simple project by Cornflower Blue (her blog is very pretty!) caught my eye on Pinterest the other day and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I picked up some bright green card, a Sharpie and a ruler.

This is actually my second of three attempts. The first died when I scambled to get a fussy Emmett out of his highchair and put a wet paper towel on it without noticing until I came back a couple of hours later. The second, this one, I thought I didn't like and the third died when I tried to add doodles. I do not like my doodles (tomorrow is National Doodle Day, by the way). They look pretty in my brain but on paper they aren't something I'd like to look at every time I open the fridge. So I went back to the second incarnation, added words and some lines and hung it up. Ta da. That's what my handwriting looks like.

We just started a big cleaning/organizing project in the conservatory which included making a little space for Emmett with a drawing table and a basket of toys. My hope is that this will give me a bit of time to make a few things myself. I was able to make most of this with him scribbling away beside me which was an awesome feeling. I'm so excited about the crafts we'll make together as he gets older.

Speaking of crafts, I've found a couple of crafting magazines that I have minor crushes on but that's a post for another day!

More Catching Up: Emmett's Racetrack Rug

Okay, it's not really finished. I still need to sew a back on it but I have to admit that may never, ever happen. I'd like to think that it would...maybe by his next birthday.

Let's see, I started this in June, in Ohio, at knit night and finished it in September. Considering that it's about ten trillion single crochets, I think that's pretty good!

I also made him a little car from this Steve the Car pattern.

I made a couple of changes: I left off the eyes and the buttons for hubcaps and made the wheels a little larger. It's actually pretty cute for a car.

I gave it to him for his first birthday and wasn't suprised when he had no interest in it at all. I left it laid out in his play area, though, after I took these photos and after he woke from his nap he went right over to it and started driving the car around the track! I wasn't fast enough to get a picture but as much as this kid already loves cars, I think there will be lots of other opportunities.
 
Ravlink: Racetrack Rug

Everyone's Doing It

Pinning. Pinterest. Love.

I kind of want to do a weekly Pinterest thing. Maybe my top five favorite pins of the week or a pin that I've actually tried. But I'm not one for following through so it's still a "kind of want to" for sure.

Tonight I tried out something from my Crockpot Love board, though, and oh did I love it. It's impossible to find good Mexican food around here and it was one of my very favorite things to eat back in Ohio. The Mexican food here is either a little too sweet or they throw something strange like eggplant into the salsa. We went to Salisbury's Mexican restaurant on my birthday two years ago but walked out when I read that each meal came with a side of fries not tortilla chips. Being seven months pregnant or so, I knew that was a meal that would have ended in emotional, disappointed tears.

We're new to this crockpot thing. I had oen in the states but pretty much only used it for making this one cheese dip (Velveeta, salsa, cream and pimentos...I think that's all that went into it and it's delicious). I'm determined to use it for meals here, though. We had potatoes, onions, cream of mushroom soup and pork chops last week and it was good but not spectacular. Chicken tacos, though, with three simple ingredients...delicious! I used Chocolate Therapy's recipe. Salsa, chicken breasts and taco seasoning on high for four hours. I could go on for days about how good this was. Recently I've been rating good meals as food that makes me want to roll around on the floor. Why good food suddenly makes me want to behave like a dog, I have NO idea but this was definitely a floor roller.*

Anyway, it's so good that there's only a tiny bit left...

Just enough to pile on top of baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese for dinner tomorrow!

Next time I'm going to try making my own taco shells like this but I'm going to give it a bit of tang with a suggestion from my cousin and rub them down with lime, sea salt and fresh chopped coriander. I couldn't be bothered with that tonight. Nor could I be bothered to take a photo of the tacos themselves. I just wanted to eat some decent Mexican food and this will certainly tide me over until we make it again! 

*I do not actually roll around on the floor in delight. I just really feel like it.

 

A Christmas Catch Up

Christmas was a bit strange this year. We waited until a few days before Christmas to put up the tree and when we did, it was just a four foot one with a few favorite ornaments because I just couldn't trust Emmett with a full sized tree full of bright, grabbable goodies. And it wasn't until Christmas was over that I realized we didn't take one photo. Not one. Video, yes, but no photos of Emmett's Real First Christmas. Sigh.

I made him a stocking this year. A colorful, scrappy one using this pattern.

I had so much fun going through my stash and making up a ball of random bits and bobs. I wish now that I'd taken a photo of the ball before I used it all up - it was very pretty.

Unfortunately by the time we finishing finding things for his stocking, it was too small! So instead he used the stocking I crocheted two years ago (which I just realized I never photographed to add to Ravelry).

I also really got into making snowflakes for the front window. They're still up, in fact. A few toward the bottom of the window didn't stick around long as standing on his little blue stepstool in front of the window is one of Emmett's favorite things to do. 

I was finding it really hard to get a photo of the ones that are left. For one, the window is dirty. Two, the view outside isn't the prettiest: a street. And three, every photo I took had a blurry car in it. Then I happened to notice the sun shining through and the crazy shadows it created. Not a great representation on the snowflakes but a much better/interesting photo!

I kept meaning to make more but never got around to it. I did create a favorite, though, that didn't go in the window at all as I didn't want to destroy it. If I ever get around to mounting and framing it, I'll take a photo. For now it's folded up and stashed away from little hands.

Yikes, it's now one in the morning! I should really get to bed as Emmett will be ready to get up long before I will!