My Google Day

Here's a running list of what I Googled today...

Monterey Bay Aquarium
maybe a trip around Kidlet's birthday? When is your spring break, Boo? I LOVE making plans: checking out hotel pricing and rooms, where might we eat (because I love to eat), what else we might do. And Boo, I promise I won't have a panic attack this year because we can't find something to eat because I will be sure to have many snacks in the car and I will have researched all the restaurants between here and Monterey.

Hotel Reviews Monterey ca

Colton Inn
Looks cheesy but it gets pretty good reviews, is kid-friendly and isn't crazy pricy.

How to stop on a skateboard
Very important.

Arbor skateboard bamboo bug
I really just want to buy it NOW. Patience is not my strong point. Do I upgrade the bearings? A skate tool? What do you do with a skate tool? They have a 'Pig Tool with Bottle Opener'. Hmmm, bottle opener...that does sound useful.

Children's playhouse plans
Ummm, can I move in? That one is so over the top! This is the one I think we may try to build for Kidlet this summer. Just need to add a little grass and a fence to go around it so the dogs can't poop-ify it. This will be good practice for my life list item number one.

Ok, now it's off to catch up with my bloggy friends and check in with my flickr-mates. Oh, and do a ton of work. Right. Working. Working.

Yet another idea

Inspired by this, I think I want to do a small painting/drawing/photo/knitted critter for each AKC breed. Hmmm, I'll get back to you and let you know how it goes.

The Ups and Downs...

Ok, that's a pretty cheesy title, especially since I've got a photo of ric rac here. Regardless, it sums up the weekend. Kidlet got sick on Friday night. Just started coughing about an hour after she went to bed and then it was crying and coughing every two hours after that. Saturday was good though; we did the usual giga-breakfast thing and then I got to meet the lovely and vivacious Vanessa of Nessie Noodle. Hopefully I didn't present myself as too much of a shy dork! Anyway, we knitted, had warm drinks and chatted. Well, ok, Vanessa knitted and I ended up frogging my circular needle socks for about the 5th time. Sixth time's the charm, eh? I can only hope. It was a pleasure to meet you, Vanessa, and anytime you feel like hanging out with a dorky blogging knitter, drop me a line!

We were crazily productive this weekend. Maybe it's the warm, springy feeling in the air (hello, Global Warming) but we did some cleaning. Hubby raked a truckload of leaves while I worked on my craft closet, cookbook pile and the mudroom. I did our taxes. Hello, refund! Hello, more home improvements! Hello, Ani...please stop with the greetings, this is getting silly.

Made some rockin' good food again this weekend: falafel with tahini sauce, ho'made pizzas, pancakes. Tonight, will be carrot soup. The up and down cycle continues. Kidlet is feeling better, yay! But daycare is closed today due to more sickies, but it means I will be leaving work early. I have a ton of work to do, but hey, I will be leaving work early! Woo hoo! It's like cutting class!

Also, I have made my decision. I will be setting aside some cash for a skateycakes fund. Yes, I will the 38-year-old woman with the broken leg. Skateboard, here I come!

Sorry this post is so disjointed, but this morning I'm on busy overload. Hope y'all had a swell weekend!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Knitting Momma! 6 Weird Things About Me.

Hmmm, I have to limit it to 6? I'm pretty weird.

1. I hate hate hate to make phone calls. I like calling the family, I don't mind talking to friends, but if it's anything that remotely smacks of business, I start to freak out. For example, a vendor called and left a message for me regarding computer junk, and I'm dreading having to call back.

2. I really want a skateboard and have wanted one for about 10 years now. Sure I haven't been on one since I had my skinny orange plastic banana board from the '70s (yup, I'm THAT old) but it just looks like so much fun. I just want to cruise, no tricks. I've been drooling over this one.


3. I didn't own a car until the age of 28. Even then, it was a hand-me-down from my parents. It was a '77 Dodge Omni that I remember my parents driving off the lot when it was new. I named ''putt".

3a. I hate driving automatics.

4. I went through a phase where my dream job was to be a bookie working out at the racetrack. I would daydream that I would wear a porkpie hat, a light green polyester suit, drink beers with the other crazy track folks and take calls from my bettors. Now if that ain't weird, well, then I don't know weird.

4a. Other dream job...owning a food cart from which I would serve sno-cones in the summer and convert to crepes in the winter. I still like this idea.

5. I still anthropomorphize stuffed animals. When Kidlet plays with her puppy Henry and tells him he can have ice cream, gives it to him and then swiftly takes it away saying that 'Oh no, no. You can't have that! It's yuk!' I feel Henry's disappointment and give him a hug.

6. I talk to myself. A lot. All the time, really. People who know me either learn to tune me out or repeatedly ask 'am I supposed to be listening to you now?'

Let's see... who shall be next? Madre Apodtiva, perhaps?

The Eowyn Wrap Up

One glove is totally stitched and I only have to weave in the last end. The other just needs the long seam done up. I learned a ton on this project. For instance, if you are knitting something with all kinds of fancy pants detail, don't cover it up by using light purple and a dark browny-purple yarn, a noisy combination. You can hardly see any of the details that I labored over unless you hold it 4 inches away from your face and pull on it a little to see the lacy bits. Oh yes, a gauge swatch. You may say "Oh, it'll be fine. It's a fingerless glove for heaven's sake." but it may be a little snug if you don't do a gauge swatch. I did block it, but I don't think it really made much of a difference. And one day, I hope to get my seaming to look smooth and not like a kindergartener went to town with a knotty shoelace and a plastic safety needle. It's weird, the edging I attached to the cable section looks perfect but my long seam is so lumpy. I even undid it and tried again with the same result.

That being said, this was a hugely fun project to do since I got to do lace and cables. It was also a very quick knit. A real knitter could probably do this in a couple hours (it took me about 4). I took about a dozen photos and this was the only one that just didn't look creepy (Ooo! Look! A disembodied hand with a blurry purple thing attached!).

The Weekend Stream

Not sure what is up with me (hormones, anyone?) but I feel so edgy, on the verge of an anxiety attack. I just want to curl up on the couch with tea, knitting and movies on the tele. Hmmm, that's exactly what I did for at least part of the weekend but I think I need about a week more of that.

I can't rock the stream of consciousness like dear Nina, but here's my weekend in short...

Friday night, excitement building, trip to the airport! Our friend arrives! Pile into the car, shrimp bisque, mixed greens with goat cheese, pine nuts and strawberries, chapatti, wine. Uneasy sleep. The morning...the child won't emerge from her room for 'someone is out there!' Breakfast with my Mama, home for naptime (=mamatime). I am a knitty wizard: finish bunny ears and sew them to the body, fix hubby's sweater, finish one edging for my Eowyn gloves...all while finishing up 8 1/2, one of my new fave movies of all time. Muffaletta feast with friends and no one is injured. More restless sleep. Next morning, child still will not emerge from her room. Going to the museum! Pulled over by cop! Ran red light! Can't find current registration or insurance card! Find insurance card! Despite this, only a warning and no ticket for me!!! Museum fun with lots of kiddy activities. Naptime with some frustrated knitting on the second edging. 4 rows from finishing, had to rip it all out. Too many errands post-nap. Our friend departs. I'm feeling jittery. Started and finished the edging while watching Rivers and Tides, the perfect documentary to soothe my mood. Amazing temporal art created from nature that is often blown away by the wind or whisked away by water.

And there you have it, the weekend stream.

This Morning

We're in our hurry-up mode, scrambling to brush teeth and hair. I'm looking at myself in the bathroom mirror disapprovingly.

Kidlet: You happy, Mama?
Me: Well, not really. This sweater feels like it shrunk and it's all lumpy and...
Kidlet: It's ok, Mama. Don't worry about it. It's all right. (Pats my leg gently and walks out of the bathroom)

Deep breath.

Five Very Random Things

1--Fellini. I'm finally watching 8 1/2 on the 4 day plan (30 to 45 minutes a night). I've only seen two other Fellini films (La Dolce Vita and one of my all-time fave movies, Nights of Cabiria) but I'm always struck by his ability to find beauty in the smallest details. For example, there's a scene (in 8 1/2) where a group of boys escape their Catholic school. They run through the dusty streets to the seashore, where a prostitute plies her trade in some bunkers (left from WWII?). The boys scrape together their lire and give it to her so she will dance a rhumba for them. The woman is amazing...she's big and curvy, slathered with the crazy makeup that seems to be typical in these movies. The boys pile on the sand, gleefully hooting and clapping their hands. There's one shot that sticks in my head where Fellini focuses in tight on her round, undulating hip, the ocean waves in the distance. She's so full of life and beauty. Ugh! I can't explain the feeling that this scene gives me but it makes me feel good to be human.

2--Clothing. Right now, I am wearing and digging a grey cashmere cardigan that I thrifted this week. Lately, I've been augmenting my fairly small wardrobe (well, it's small when compared to the typical American wardrobe) and wheeee! It's fun! I SPLURGED and purchased this Supermaggie hoodie but it was so very worth it. They were very sweet to deal with; they wrapped everything so nicely and handwrote a lovely thank you card with a sketch of a chickadee on it. Now that's what I call service. Sure, I could have spent half the price at ye olde Big Box but I feel ok giving more money to cool kids who are trying to do something creative.

3--Muffaletta Mix. I made a bucketful of mix last night. I hope it's good as I kinda feel like I put in too much of the giardiniera. Well, that can be doctored with more olives. C'mon over y'all, I promise we'll have enough for you!

4--Camera. I wish I could figure it out. I just don't have enough time to work with it and I end up taking really cool photos that look fine on its big, beautiful LED but then I download it and they are all fuzzy. Sigh. That's the trouble with liking to take photos with natural light. Oh, and I definitely realize this photo is waaaaaaay dark. I really need to get a real monitor instead of trying to do this on ol' lappletop's little screen. I'll fix it later today (hopefully).

5--Knitting, knitting. There better be a bunch of it this weekend. I was working on the gloves this week and got to the lacy bit. Small problem: every time I hit row 5, I'm a stitch short. This has happened 3 times now. I drew it all out on paper because I thought, "hmmm, maybe the pattern is wrong?" Nope. It works when I draw little hashmarks on paper. Try, try, try again (and again and again). Bunny is sloooooowly progressing. I think I've figured out an ear pattern that I can live with. But then it will be on to the assembling and embroidering, which is always hard for me on knitted pieces (or any piece of material, for that matter!).

Fellini followed by clothes? Well, I did say this list was going to be random. I apologize for it not being one of my better posts. Perhaps I should have just made it a list of 'one' (Fellini). Anyhoo...

Our friend, Justin, will be in town this weekend. And a fun time will be had by all, I guarantee it. Hope you have a splendid weekend too, where ever you may be.

The Weekend with Pictures

Waiting for the breakfast to arrive. Every weekend, it's the same for Kidlet: one pancake, two slices bacon, a scrambled egg, and a big strawberry.

Do I see a smile on this hunk o' dough?! This is the dough for the calzones that I made Saturday night that rocked the world. The part that didn't rock the world was right before I was about to serve said calzones, Kidlet busted her mouth by falling while a toy from her tool bench was in her mouth. A little blood, a lot of tears, and we're all good again.

This is last night's desert. I made crepes (call me 'crepe maman') with veggies and cheese inside for dinner and then hubby made the most amazing lemon blueberry butter sauce for desert.

Uhhh...no bunny yet. I'm still thinking over the ear issue. But I did get the body done for the first of my Eowyn fingerless gloves. Yes, that's a cable. My very first. Ok, hubby, I know you are already planning more 'laying cable' jokes. But woo hoo! I flew through this thing. Sad thing is that I didn't do a gauge swatch and it seems like it may be a bit snuggly. Oh and the other crummy thing is that I knit this while watching the Saints LOSE. Sniff, sniff...dry those tears.

Well, that's the weekend update. Hope yours was full of good food, good kids and good fun.

Ummm...does anyone know how to make a decent set of bunny ears? Anyone? Anyone?

Funny Thing About Anger

Last night, I settle in on the couch, Rowan pattern in front of me, River on my needles. Hubby is in the kitchen (basically the same room, just separated by a kitchen island, or as we call it, 'kitschy islely'. anyway...). He says something, I say "what?" and turn around, pulling several stitches off my needles. I drop the f-bomb, whip River off the needles and throw it across the couch. Gotta say, it wasn't very satisfying. It fluttered so lightly, like a butterfly. No loud clattering or breaking. Just softly floated about two feet in front of me to rest on the couch. I grumble. Hubby stifles laughs and comments. A few minutes later, I laugh. Hubby says he never sees me get as mad as I do when I knit. Kidlet can make a giga-mess, the dogs can steal Kidlet's snacks, I can hit my shin on the corner of the bed...nothing makes me as mad as knitting. As the wise Knitting Momma reminded me, "Progress = Process". Must remember this.

Well, at least the knitting on the bunny should be done tomorrow and then it will stuffing, seaming and embroidering. I'm so very happy with the little bunny feet!

Le Sigh.

Work is settling down to just merely 'busy'. But for the other 12 hours of my day, things are starting to pile up. Sure, there's the real work of trying to keep the house in some semblance of order and cleanliness, but I'm talking about the good stuff. I want to take more photos and maybe even print and frame some. Start a meditation practice. I want to finish the bunny project and kick into overdrive on the lace. Cast on circular socks. Get a new fun art project that's brewing in my head rolling. Watch the next few movies on the Netflix queue (Invincible (I {heart} Herzog), 8 1/2, Rivers and Tides) that I've had to put off during school. Yes, I said the word. School. It's coming up.

I told myself I'd give myself some time off to do all these lovely things but a couple of little things called "holidays" and "work" got in the way. I don't feel like I've had more than a couple weeks of break, much less than the 2.5 months that I did actually take off. But at the same time, I feel I must get back in school before my momentum dies off, before I forget how to write in the scholarly style. Hmmm, my resolution was to 'simplify'. Maybe I should cut out doing laundry and scrubbing the bathroom, eh?

Weekend Dream and Reality

The Dream:
After breakfast out, go hang out with Hubby's Mom. Have a 'football dinner picnic' on the couch, record the rest of the game and go out to hear balalaikas with Kidlet and Hubby. Home again and snuggle on couch and watch rest of game with Hubby after Kidlet goes to bed, knitting all the while.

The Reality:
Breakfast out, hanging out with Hubby's Mom...phone call from work. Work until 1:30 am Sunday.

At least I'm not salary! ;)
At least my team won!
Always seeing the good side...or at least trying. Today looks like it's about to take a digger (work again), however.

Yesterday was a very good day...

Yesterday, I ...

--Took the day off and didn't look at the internet except twice (refreshing!). Once to check the weather for today and the other time I wanted to look on eBay to see what Hello Kitty Micro Pets were going for. I found one thrifting and was curious to see if was some crazy collectible. Nope. It's just a toy for kidlet.

--Don't think I was lazy yesterday! I moved the furniture in the bedroom and vacuumed under all of it. I think I found 3 fluffy dogs under there.

--Hubby and I painted the bedroom from a tropical turquoise (which he always hated, but he humored me, thanks Sweetie!) to an deep olive. It looks like a library. Love it.

--I did a ton of laundry. For real, a ton!

--Ok, maybe I exaggerate.

--I thrifted for the first time in a very, very long time. And I actually found stuff for a change! I bought a crocheted sweater ala Anthropologie for 4 bux. And the Hello Kitty Micro Pet, a cute hunk of fabric for 50 cents (blue gingham with little fruits scattered across), a black lacquer tray with a poppy (photo above) and a tiny red enameled saute pan (not Le Creuset, but it is stamped 'France'), and the most groovy perfect sunglasses. I haven't thrifted much here since the quality has seemed to be pretty crummy and good finds were too few and far between (at least for this thrifter who can't get out much). Man, the thrifting I used to do in New Orleans spoiled me for life. Vintage silk Chinese outfit for 7 bux? Yup. Faux lamb coat from the 50's for 3 bux? Yup. Unusual home decor? Old Fisher Price? Yup and yup. Everything was always in excellent condition too. Maybe I'll have to give the ol' Reno thrift scene a second chance. It would mesh nicely with trying to reduce my impact.

--And I ate sushi and drank a beer. In the afternoon. Suh-weet!

Now, it's back to work. And snow. Snow! I was wishing I had time to take a bunch of snowy photos on my way in to work this morning but, sadly, no time. Of course since I bought a fancy-pants camera, I've hardly taken any photos (and the ones I have look like crap, since I'm still figuring out that new baby). Anyway, work, I say.

Links You Should Check Out (Now)

I'm loving these two posts at wishjar. My favorites are the "buy nothing year", "independence day" and the various reading themes (travelling the world, books that are connected). Ms. Smith has expanded my mind in so many wonderful ways.

I shoulda called this blog "Frogger"...

This weekend, I had time to knit. No schoolwork (for a couple more weeks anyway), no holiday stuff to prepare or clean up, no baking to do since I had really gone over the top last Thursday (three loaves of bread and chocochip cookies for a wee dinner party for 3. Yes, a loaf of french bread per person, long story but I didn't mean it to happen that way). I had already finished the front of the blue bunny and had started the back. My pattern is very fuzzy. I scrawled on a piece of "Hello Kitty" notepaper from one of kidlet's notebooks that she had already scribbled upon..."CO 23, st st....(big space here)...Dec beg each row. BO last 15 sts." I followed my instructions and side two of bunny came together quickly. Until I took it off the needles. Yeah. About 1/2" shorter than side one. I made a quick count of the rows and it was within 3 rows. Guess I should have made a real pattern, eh? Tried to frog it so I could knit more length, but the itsy bitsy needles I'm using made it rough. I spent a good 1/2 hour trying to fix it instead of starting over. I have a bunch of the yarn so I don't know why I think struggling to fix is going to be faster than starting over. Lesson learned. For probably the 12th time.

Since I was experiencing bunny burnout, I looked and found a lace cast-on that was nice-n-easy to start on River. I got rolling and then made a mistake around row two. Lesson learned, I start to take it apart. The cast on edge is all tangled up. Break yarn. Deep breath. Cast on. Ten rows! Ten rows! I feel like a knitting rock star! I check my work. I have inadvertently added 3 stitches. Ok, this shawl is for me. I can 'fix' that. But then I see some strange stitch back about row 5. The lace hides no mistakes. I try to fix it a couple of times, with poor results. Frog on, frog on. Break yarn. Deep breath.

Despite the fact I had no progress, I still feel satisfied with my 'progress'. I'm going to get it all right, just not right now. I need to remember that the action of knitting and concentrating on the stitches, instead of trying to multitask (as always) by knitting and watching a movie/reading/blogging, is a very good idea. Besides, I want to start meditating, maybe just being alone with the stitches would be a baby step in the right direction.

In a Kidsilk Haze...

I awoke with my heart pounding at 1 a.m.. Not unusual, as of late, since I do suffer anxiety issues. But the unusual thing was that I remembered that I was dreaming about Rowan Patterns, yarn overs, knitting through the back loop...maybe I shouldn't have been pouring over this magazine before bed? I'm taking the plunge into lace knitting. I will be knitting River (sorry this photo isn't more clear). Oh dear. I haven't even cast on yet and I'm already having unsettled dreams.

But first I will knit up a little bunny toy. For Kidlet? For our friend's little boy? For me? Who knows, but I do know I need to get this idea out of my head and into reality. I've been carrying it about for about 6 months now. I need to make more room in there!

I also ordered my Addi Turbos for the new pair of socks. I think I'm getting in a little deep here, just a couple weeks before I dive back into school. Oh well, I'd just better knit extra fast, right? Ha ha...

I've been leaving my little cards about town again. I was on hiatus, but I'm bringing guerilla goodness back into the new year, oh yeah! I think part of my problem about leaving the little drawings is that I have to be totally prepared. If I have to dig around in my big bag, it'll look like I'm shoplifting instead of leaving something behind.

Hope you have a cozy, knitty weekend...or just fun if you aren't of the knitting persuasion.

The One and Only Resolution for Me

Simplify. That's all. Oh, and maybe work on my slouchy posture.

Last year, my resolution was to really think about my consumption and try to purchase more mindfully. I think that resolution went over pretty well and is being integrated into my life. I joined a CSA and tried not to buy what I didn't need. I didn't always succeed, but I feel pretty good about where I'm at with it right now.

I've got a lot more ideas for stuff I want to do this year but I don't think it's resolution-fodder. For example, I'd like to do a little guerilla gardening. There's a blighted spot that's pretty close to home that could use some brightening. I'll have to check the soil because I'm sure it's like cement. I also would like to leave more of the little cards (like above) or do new cards with fortunes. I've come up with tons of ideas but haven't executed. Typical, for me. That's ok though, at least the seed is planted in my head so even if I don't do much with these projects this year, there's always next year.

Now, sit up straight!

What we've been up to...

Today it's been a ton of light and crispy waffles with berries (or not, whichever you prefer), undecorating the tree and putting together kidlet's work/tool table. Kidlet and I went calendar shopping where calendars were already 50% off. Seems like they are giving up a little early. It's not even 2007 yet and the calendar prices are slashed. I'm not complaining though.

Now every is napping and I'm getting ready to do a little knitting. I made a half-assed attempt at getting a photo of it but it was too blurry with the overcast day combined with my very dark and cold house. I've been working on a scarf out of Crystal Palace Merino Stripes. The colors are lovely. The yarn leaves a little to be desired, however. There's a central thread that runs throughout the yarn and the wooly bits sometimes separate, leaving you only with the skinny thread. I've only got one stitch that I missed this happening on but it's not really noticeable. The yarn is soft and lofty and I'll enjoy the scarf nevertheless. The pattern is from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, "Yo, Drop It". You'd think I'd be thoroughly done with lacy-ish scarves after the last project. But I'm digging it since it's a quick knit and it gives me time to figure out a pattern for my bunny toy I'm going to try next and decide where I'm going to get the proper sized Addi Turbos for the circular sock knitting (the LYS only had 40" length). Although I'm seeing on the LYS's website the coveted needles exist, but now I'm babbling...



Kidlet with her party hat for our "New Year's Eve Living Room Picnic". I'm already starting to feel that must-clean-out-everything-for-the-new-year feeling gathering up strength.

Reflections on New Year's Past

My New Year's celebrations have generally been subdued. When I was little, it seemed like either Casablanca or Top Hat were always on the t.v., instilling my love for old films early. We'd also watch Nebraska kick some booty in the Orange Bowl. These were happy, simple times. When I got to the post-high school years, my friends and I would go downtown for the big countdown. It was always a big let down. I always wanted something magical to happen, to be swept off my feet and do something glamorous. I wanted the ringing in of the new year to instantaneously clear out any of my bad juju and make way for excitement. I guess I got a slight glimpse of what I wanted when I moved to New Orleans with the hubby (then boyfriend, tee hee!). We both worked in high-class restaurants so we never got the big smooch at midnight, but we'd get to see fancy-pants rich folks spend the holiday in 'style', spending gobs of cash. I was manager-on-duty/hostess which meant I had to attempt to keep my hard-drinking waitstaff sober enough to finish the night. This also meant I had to work till 4 in the morning doing inventory, the pain of which was softened by me making my inventory a little smaller (one beer for the inventory, one beer for me). It was better when I started cooking and got to leave at a (more) reasonable hour. We always thought New Year's was for drinking amateurs (just like Mardi Gras, Saint Patty's and Halloween) so our gang of friends would just go home early.

Now I usually spend the holiday snug at home with an old movie (usually "After the Thin Man"). Back to the happy, simple times, eh? Hubby is still in the restaurant biz (for just a little while longer, hang in there, Boo!) so it'll just be kidlet and me. We'll eat tuna melts and chips. I'll have a little champagne. I'll probably fall asleep before midnight so here's a toast to y'all...

"Here's champagne for your real friends and real pain for your sham friends".

Remember to eat fish first thing New Year's Day. The wise, old Latvians say it will bring wealth in the new year. I'm still waiting, but I can't fight the wise, old Latvians so I'll continue the tradition.

Postscript...sad about those restaurants that we both worked at being closed. Damn hurricane.

The Holiday in Photos

My birthday cupcakes and a chocolately kid.

The scarf I made for my Mama for Xmas. Pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (this was not knitted in the last minute). I had a really hard time getting any sort of photo of this.


The amazing No-knead bread. So dang lovely and perfect. Made for the smorgasbord.


A photo taken by Ruby on her new Fisher Price Camera that she got for Christmas. I got a teacup and lots of fancy tea (among other lovely things).


Us, hanging out under a bridge on the river on Christmas day. Don't you hang out under bridges on Christmas?

My Baby. I saved up for more than half, received some Xmas cash and promptly joined the hoards of shoppers on this Boxing Day.

Can't wait to figure this thing out. Oh yes.

Five Random Things...

about me since my birthday is tomorrow.

1--Shy. I'm quiet. My mom told me I'd get over it like she did when she hit her 30s, but I'm almost 8 years too late for that. That's ok, I now embrace my quiet nature instead of fight it. This whole blogging thing has been cool for this since I can ramble on without feeling immediately embarrassed in front of people. I only feel delayed dorkiness after I hit 'publish post'.

2--Unphotogenic. Maybe that's why I like taking photos. I can look perfectly normal but when the shutter snaps open, my face contorts into strange configurations. A good reason for me to never join the Self Portrait Challenge.

3--Oysters. My favorite food. Well, maybe sushi is my fave. Or fresh baked bread. Or pie. Or muffalettas. Or salt and vinegar chips.

4--List maker, extraordinaire. I adore making lists. I am constantly making lists. Lists of things I want to do, things I need to do, things I want to knit. I often will put things on my list that are super easy to accomplish, just so I can have the pleasurable feeling of crossing something off my list.

5--Lucky. I really do lead a charmed life. I have wonderful family close by, we're all healthy, I work for a company that does good things. I have a little roof over my head to call my own. I have a hubby, a daughter and two silly dogs that I couldn't love more. Things are good at age 37-almost-38.

I really wanted to make a cool birthday list like hula, but my brain is fried from the gift card madness at work. Tonight, kidlet and I are making cupcakes for my birthday tomorrow. Tomorrow, breakfast, hanging out all day and then sushi for dindins with hub. Alone! Alone with hub! Amazing! After sushi, pick up kidlet and then it's cupcakes and champagne. We'll be having a family smorgasbord Christmas eve followed up by Christmas morning at hubby's dad's place. Then nothing but relaxation until next Wednesday. Lovely, I tell ya. I hope you all have a peaceful holiday, full of laughter and warmth. I'll catch up with you when I'm older.

snow kid, sniffles and stress

snow kid
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

Sorry about the sporadic posting. Work is seriously kicking my booty. Evil, evil. It's keeping me so busy that I'm barely getting enough time to get my holiday stuff together. Christmas cards? What? Oh, I'm supposed to send those? Right...maybe next week. Oh, it's too late then. Oh dear. Presents? Can I just put them in a pile and cover them with a sheet instead of wrapping them? Wouldn't that be more envionmentally-friendly? You get the picture and them some. And I'm sick. Go figure.

So for your visual entertainment, we have kidlet sporting her fluffy pink coat and her Biggy Wool scarf I whipped up. No fancy stichin', just cozy. And we sure need cozy with this wacko weather.

We had a mini storm this weekend that caught everyone (myself included) off guard. Late Saturday afternoon, the roads made the transformation to 'ice rink'. Everyone in town was invited to take their cars out and share in the skidding. A twenty minute trip took us almost 2 hours as we drove 10 mph home. There was a 30 car pile-up right by the base of our hill. I tiptoed my way through, made it 80% up the hill, and walked the rest of the way home (much to kidlet's delight).

Ok, back to my madness...hugs to all.

The Morning

Poking my head out the back door, I breathe in the fresh, cool air. I hear the breeze rushing through the leafless trees and gently swirling about my Dad's wind chimes. The sky is a deep blue. I am the only one awake.

Time for tea.

Five Things

...that have made me happy lately in this kookoo season.

1. Silence--I usually jump into the car and have the radio on. Usually it's NPR or if Kidlet is along, Muppet music or holiday tunes. But boy, who knew silence could be so good?

2. Belly Laughs--sharing a good ha ha with Kidlet or the hubby has been really helpful to release stress.

3. Giving--bought a toy for Toys for Tots this weekend and made a donation for the local SPCA.

4. Cooking--last week was a frenzy of onion soup, Morrocan vegetable stew, jambalaya. This week we have chili and soon, Pinkie's Brown Sugar Fudge. I swear you'll think you've gone to heaven if you eat this fudge. Not your average fudge.

5. Buying yarn. Ok. I wasn't supposed to but I really, really liked it.

Hope you are enjoying lots of happy things too.

The Dream of New Shoes...

REALIZED!

If you don't dig knitting, don't bother reading this post where I'm gushing about Knitty

Holy cow! The new Knitty is up and yeeeooowwwza! I've always checked out Knitty but never was so taken with anything that I felt I needed to knit it. This issue, however, I want to knit it ALL.

Center Square--to learn fair isle techinques
Argosy--to learn entrelac
Corazon and Tiffany--mittens!
Sheldon--cute, cute.

The Monkey socks rule too, as does Cookie's hair (especially in the bottom photo). I sure do miss having wild hair. Right now, my hair is kind of "straggle bob".

Regularly scheduled posts to come later. Took some photos this morning that I need to work on tonight (along with my knitting).

Piparkūkas

My heritage is Latvian. It's nice that Latvia is finally its own little country because my whole life, I've had to explain my name (Anita--no, it's not pronounced like the Spanish 'ah-neet-uh', it's 'ah-knit-tuh'. It's Latvian. Latvia is a Baltic republic that was once part...etc.). Having Latvia be its own country allows me to skip over the whole Russian occupation deal. This is why I just go by 'Ani'. But I digress...

Ever since I was a little kid, I've been eating these cookies. And since I'm on a phonetic pronunciation streak...'peep-pah-kooks'. They are thin little gingerbread cookies. My Dad's Mom used to make them with a hint of orange zest. I never got the real recipe from her but I found this one in a 1997 Gourmet magazine. I made some for my Mom's Mom a few years back and she smiled and nodded approvingly. Success! I love pleasing my Grandmother. You know you've done something right when you can make food that reminds your Grandmother of the old country, "just like what we used to have on the farm". I made some pickled beets at Christmas a few years ago that garnered the same reaction.

Kidlet was happy to help me make these. She pulls the chair up to the kitchen island and spends much time sifting the dry ingredients between her fingers. She was very helpful in the rolling and cutting process, "It's like Play-Doh!". And my favorite part is when I take them out of the oven, "Let me feel your hot hand!" She loves to feel the warm oven mitt. She snuggled right up to it and said, "I love your hot hand". Too bad I'm not a pro BBall player, sinking shots right and left and raking in the dough. Ok, that whole hot hand-dough connection was a stretch. Cookies...mmm...

Walk at the end of the working day

the end of work walk
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

Sorry I've been a slacker at the posting. This is the beginning of my super crazy time at work because I am a gift card elf. Yes, you heard it, a gift card elf. The rest of the year, I'm a computer help desk person but in December, set your computer problems aside! Ani's activating gift cards for the masses! Six days a week! 80% of my day! Tedious! This has been part of my job description for about 4 years now and boy, I'm gonna be glad when it's no longer part of my job description (in February, when the system changes).

Ok, got that off my chest.

Let's see...what else have I been doing (or not)? Messing up my Xmas knitting for about the 8th time, started knitting a scarf for kidlet (photo to come upon finishing), not taking enough photos. I wish kidlet had chosen a fluffier yarn for her scarf. The yarn she chose is Rowan Big Wool in a mélange of pinkness. Being Big Wool, it makes for a pretty thick, stiff scarf.

I'm happy in my Xmas preparations/lead up. It truly was $50 well spent to figure out that I really need to step back and reexamine my state of mind about Xmas (see previous entry, if you missed it). We watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this weekend. When I was little, I just dug Snoopy's wild decorating style and cute antics. I never caught the anti-consumer message (even though it bludgeons you over the head). Good stuff.

Ok, friends, I'd better get back to it...sorry this was a little bit scattered, but it's definitely an example of my mental state.

A Lesson Well Spent

A few weeks back, I started thinking of ideas for holiday decorating. My theme was old timey, but in a sparkly 1930's movie way (ie. my fave film, The Thin Man). I started purchasing silvery balls to dangle from the ceiling and sparkly candles shaped like trees. I bought some glass candle holders in which to put red tapers and a garland made to look like icicles. On Sunday, while kidlet was napping, I thought I'd surprise her and have a sparkly, shiny decoration filled living room. Well, I put the stuff up and...it was spartan. Sparkly, yes, but cold and sparse. It may have worked in a sleek, modern home, but not on our weathered brick mantle. I was mad. I grumbled and took it all down (except for the tree candles). As I was packing the remaining stuff, I kvetched to myself about how I spent all this money and it all looked like crap. And then I stopped. Why did I spend all this money? Am I trying to buy an instant golden holiday memory with the junk that I put on the mantle? And I realized, yes, that was what I was trying to do. I put up our mismatched holiday stockings next to the tree candles and started making new plans. Maybe we'll go for a walk and pick up some pinecones or branches. Maybe I'll get kidlet to paint a picture in holiday colors. Maybe none of these things will happen but that's ok. Whatever happens, happens. I can't force a good yule on my family. In fact, that's a mighty bad idea. You'd think I'd know better. A lesson (re)learned.

We did get our tree this weekend and hubby pulled out a box of ornaments that his mom had brought by. It was the instant nostalgia fix that I was looking for. Old elves and gnomes, baked dough ornaments painted by a small hand, hubby's first ornament...the tree looks great. The photo above is a little corner that kidlet had decorated. I tried but couldn't get decent pictures of kidlet's decorating style, which consists of about half a dozen star ornaments all dangling precariously from a single spindly branch. Hmmm, I just typed 'brandy', instead of 'branch'. Talk about instant holiday cheer...

Five Words--Holiday Addendum Edition

1. Parade--Ummm, not as good as remembered. The whole first hour was celebrity interviews with people I've never heard of (as we don't watch tv except for The Office, which we download from iTunes). Lots of Broadway show bits. By the time the parade really commenced, an hour later, I was over it.

2. Nutcracker--Oh boy. I decided this was going to be the year kidlet wanted to float about like a sugar plum fairy but I think I decided this about 2 years too early. We pop in the video, I'm bursting with excitement. Kidlet is rapt. Then the tree grows, mice appear, ominous music, the Nutcracker turned into a Macaulay Culkin with a beard...oh dear. "Turn it off! Turn it off! I'm scary!" Ok, that will be put away for a few years. Maybe I'll have to pick up a Muppet Christmas Carol to make up for it.

3. Stress--What is it about holidays that makes me stress out even though we weren't officially doing the giga-feasting thing yesterday? (That's coming tomorrow.) I was snappy on and off all day. It started when I strayed from my pancake breakfast tendencies to make salmon scrambled eggs with mashed potato cakes. Nothing was done at the same time, kidlet was whiny, dogs wanted in and out of the house...oy vey. I'll have to figure out what sets me off. Maybe it was all those tv celebs on the parade broadcast that got under my skin.

4. Pie--I made apple pie yesterday and I think I am getting closer to my pie goals. It wasn't pretty, as they suggested an egg wash which just made it look overdone, hence no photo. But I worked more with the crust recipe and I have some ideas in mind to make it work for me. The filling was pretty good, but could have been a wee bit better. I think by strawberry-rhubarb season, I'll have this down.

5. Nora--The sweet doggina in the photo. One thing I am definitely thankful for this holiday is that she's still kicking and doing well (knock wood). It's too dang cute when kidlet goes up to Nora, puts her arms around Nora's neck and coos "Nora, my sweet dog". Nora looks stoically ahead and never loses her temper with kidlet. Keep on, keepin' on my sweet dog.

On Why I Dig Thanksgiving by Ani

The beginning...

Thanksgiving as a kid was fun, but it was merely a prelude to the Christmassy (and birthday)goodness to come. I remember watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on T.V., wanting to be on a float or in a band, marching in the parade. The finale, when Santa comes down the street on the last float, had me glowing with excitement. Christmas! It's on its way! Holiday specials! Rudolph! Frosty! Charlie Brown! Going to the Nutcracker! You get the picture.

The Halcyon Days...

Once far removed from home, Thanksgiving didn't have much meaning. Or at least that's what I thought the first year we were in New Orleans. But every year after that first year, Thanksgiving grew in importance. It all changed when Hubby had to work and I went to a coworker's home for an "orphans'" Thanksgiving. I didn't expect much but I was gloriously suprised. Mark Bell, our host, made a turkey roulade, deboning the entire turkey, pounding it thin and then rolling up bacon and all sorts of herbs inside. Tons of food was consumed as was copious amounts of REALLY good wine. The memory of that evening is now behind a golden haze but I do remember emphatic discussions about gumbo making and tales from an Icelandic coworker who used to run around and drink homemade vodka with Bjork. Hubby came as soon as he finished working, snacked on what little was left and poured me into the car to take me home. Every year was a little different after this but Thanksgiving started to mean something more to me. I was blessed with a group of amazing friends who loved good food, fun and wine. It also didn't hurt that Thanksgiving was opening day at the New Orleans Fairgrounds racetrack. We'd go spend 20 bucks playing the ponies, watching the immaculately dressed professional bettors with their multicolored suits and pork pie hats. Oysters on the half shell. Beer. Then off to someone's home to eat and collapse in a sated heap.

Now...

Those wildly fun Thanksgivings are just happy memories now but the holiday's meaning remains. It's not just parades or food (wine). It's remembering what's good in life. I've sort of come full circle, now that I have kidlet to watch as she watches the parades and then creates her own path. Hope you have lots of good things to think about this feasting day.

The Weekend in Review

It's a weird not having to race around, do homework, do housework and then just shoe-horn in the last few moments of the day for fun. This weekend, it was definitely the opposite approach. We went to a Christmas tree lighting (yes, before Thanksgiving...I don't know what to make of that either) with some friends of ours who then came up for dinner. Kidlet ushered the 1.25 year old into her bedroom and shut the door. Wild laughter erupted from her room and the adults got to relax a little too. Later, I heard mad giggling from the bathroom where the toilet was holding a flotilla of rubber ducks.

I didn't do as much crafty stuff as expected (I did manage to cast on one project) but I was a cooking fiend. I worked on my 'make a decent pie' goal and made a mediocre pumpkin pie from the last CSA pumpkin. I made a kickin' cranberry upside-down pumpkin cake. Yeeeoooow! I made pancakes (of course) and I also made carrot soup. I don't think the camera even came out 0f my bag this weekend but I'm looking forward to having Thursday off and playing with that Duaflex. I'd better start making my little tube connector for the digicam.

I still feel like I'm playing hooky and I'd better get it all in as fast as I can. You'd think I'd been working on a Master's thesis or something for all the hub bub I'm making. Sheesh. Oh well, I gotta celebrate the small victories so I keep my momentum up, right? Raise another glass...

Five Words: The Project Edition

Now that I have come out of my 'wow, I finished my class, now I'll raise a glass' haze, it's time to think about the good stuff...creativity! Projects!

1. Knitting--I am so dang ready! I've been seeing stuff I want to knit EVERYWHERE. I saw this in the latest Anthropologie catalog and am inspired. I have a blue bunny sitting in my head made of Rowan Soft Baby. Christmas gifts that still can't be talked about. Socks made of this. I'm hoping I can maybe cast on tonight but I've got some work stuff to take care of when I get home tonight and I really have to start making pie dough as I've got three pumpkins and a box of apples that need transforming.

2. Holiday Cards--I really want to make my own this year. I don't send too many out any more, which is sad because that means I've lost touch with a lot of folks. But on the other hand, that means I might be able to make cards since I only need to make 8 to 10! Seeing the good side of everything, eh? I drew up a little elf-y guy last week and last year (yes, last year) I doodled a reindeer in a necktie that I still like. I bought some blank cards at Ben Franklin last year for when Ruby painted our cards and glitterized everyone's homes but they just aren't the quality I'd like to have. Anyone have any good ideas for getting quality blank cards really fast?

3. Craft Fair--Last year was the first year that work did a holiday craft fair. I made baked goodies that flew out the door. I knew all year the craft fair was coming again and no, I didn't do any planning and now I guess I'm making baked goods again. Last year, I made three different types of brownies (super-choco, mint and peanut butter), Pinky's brown sugar fudge, and chocolate chip cookies. This year, I think I'm going to keep it down to chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter brownies (by special request of a fave coworker), super-choco brownies and a vegan treat (unknown at this point). I've never baked vegan but we do have some vegan folks here and I could tell they were bummed when they asked me last year if any of the treats were friendly for them. Hence the question...anyone out there know any good vegan cookie/treat recipes?

4. Decorations--OH I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE HOLIDAYS! I like to change up the look of the house. Right now, I'm planning the decorations for our little mantle. I think I'm going with a snowy frosty theme with silver, white and either pale blue or red (or both). I'm trying to pull together this stuff a little early, I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but I want to try my very best to keep the holiday as stress-free and relaxed as possible. So I will do all my 'hustle 'n bustle' now.

5. Inspiration--Started reading my Moomin book last night and Tove Jansson's drawings are so simple and beautiful. I need to start drawing a heck of a lot more often.

Ok, I thought blogger lost my post for a moment there so I'd better send it on its merry way. And have yourself a merry little weekend...see, I am in the holiday spirit.

DONE!

Oh. My.
I can hardly believe it. The dent in my finger from writing as quickly as I could is the only evidence I have that I finished my class this morning. Umm, I think I slayed on the first half of the test, but the essay. Oh, the essay...I do believe I bombed that portion. But it is time to let that go. Till February when I start it all over again...bye bye!

The mail I received yesterday was just in time for the last day in class. I received my Kodak Duaflex camera so I can play at doing this. The camera is in rougher shape than advertised on ebay, but for my purposes, it should be fine. The Moomin book came too! Woo hoo! And the other stuff in the photo are just other goodies I'm looking forward to doing...knitting needles (of course) and learning a few 'easy' Christmas favorites for piano.

Still trying to clear my head of school and jump into the workday so that's it for now, my friends.

Yes, those boots...

It was one of those mornings where kidlet takes her time doing everything. Brush teeth? Twice. Elaborate hairdo request? Yup. They are merely ponytails, but this is hard for the hair-impaired such as myself. I ask which shoes she'd like and the answer was "sneakers". We start to put them on. "I want to tie, Mama! Let me do it!" "Honey," (undercurrent of impatience starts to swell) "You need to let me do it. If we had more time, you could try. We. Have. To. Go. Now." Coats are debated over. "Yellow." No, it's too chilly for that one. "Pink." We start out the door. "BOOOOOOTS! I WANNA WEAR MY BOOTS!" "Honey. We. Have. To. Go. NOW." "BOOOOOTS..." The tears start. I snap at her, "We don't have time to go back. We are running late! NO." Full crying mode. We get in the car and drive. Between sniffles, she sings her new favorite sad song by Gonzo on the Muppet CD. My heart is broken.

I am a schmuck. How long would it have taken to change into boots? Mmm, maybe a minute. I can blame it on my lack of sleep last night, the stress of work and school but really, she's a two year old. Patience, Ani, patience! Please, throw overripe tomatoes at me and give me stern looks. Thank you.

Geeking Out

Still geeking out on the camera thing. I started thinking about going SLR but the weight and size (and crazy cost) of those things means I won't be carrying it with me all the time. So there we were, strolling about the computer store, daydreaming of gigantic iMacs, when I sauntered over to the cameras to see if they had the Nikon I had been considering. Well, I then ran across the Canon Powershot A640. Ok, game over. Canon, you win. I will now be saving my pennies for you. 10 megapixels, ton of control, not too big, crazy movable LED...all for the same price as the Nikon. No image stabilization but the ISOs make up (at least a little) for it. It gets rave reviews too. Ok, you may now return to your regularly scheduled Sunday afternoon fun. Mine is called, 'studying for test'.

Five Words

jumpy
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

Hip hip horray! It's Friday! Let's all do a bed jump in celebration...

1. Nora--Yes, that's the cute dog on the bed. She went to the vet this week to get routine bloodwork for her hip medicine and our beloved vet, said that Nora is doing well (Nora has cancer, for those who just tuned in). My hypochondria has expanded to my dog and this assuages it for at least 5 minutes. I sure do love that silly, sweet dog.

2. Thanksgiving (planning stage)--So excited. I really do love Thanksgiving. I'll save the stories for the actual day but right now it's planning. Lists! Recipes! I'll be making my super easy, super yummy cranberry sauce. I was tempted by another recipe but I think I'll just make that one just for fun, not for the holiday when everyone is expecting the usual. Last year , I made an amazing mushroom stuffing that will now be a feast staple. I think we will also be cubing some butternut squash, tossing it in olive oil, rosemary and sea salt and roasting it till tender. Hubby and I only eat seafood so I think we'll do some salmon and let someone else take care of the turkey. I made the turkey for the first time last year, and, well, it made me cry with anger. It told me it was done and then it wasn't. Delayed feast. Wine was imbibed. Mushroom stuffing was eaten and all was better.

3. Leaves--Must. Rake. Leaves. The trees are almost done with their drop which makes me sad. Now it will be bare trees for months. Time to get to work and sow the seeds for the summer flowers. Whew. Busy weekend ensues.

4. EARLY!--I hear we're closing up early today! Hubby and I may sneak out for sushi!!!!!! Woo hoo! Hope it all works out...

5. Bloggy friends--I really dig y'all. It's been so much fun seeing little bits of other people's lives, exchanging support and inspiration. Love it!

Hugs and cozy weekend fun to all!

Schoolio

You'd think I was working toward PhD, the way I rant on about school. Nope. Just a little BA (heh heh) so I can then get a Masters as either an Archivist or in Library Sciences. Anyway...
I finished writing my paper for my class last night. Now it's just a test and then I have a break (YAY!!!) until I decide I'm ready for another online class. This class would have been long over had it not been for a 38 inch high imp. That's ok though. If I didn't try to work on school now, in five years I'd look back and say, "dang, I could have almost been done with school (and have a new career) by now". Keep on, keepin' on...

My head is full of ideas this morning. As soon as I get the photos scanned in, I'm going to do some 'long lost friends' posts in the hopes that maybe one of these folks will be googling themselves, find my post and then get in contact with me. I can always hope, eh?

Then I found a perfect oak leaf on my walk in to work this morning. I decided I'm going to clean off all the junk on my work desk and start a little seasonal display of stuff I collect from outside. It's an idea that was kind of sparked by The Children's Year (full of good ideas, this book is).

Ok, it's an uber-hectic day here so off I go. You can stop by flickr if you want any gory details of what is on my desk.

The Road Ahead

the road ahead
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

Almost there...almost there...

That's my mantra right now. I just need to finish writing this paper, take a test and then voila! I'll be done with the class. Whew...what a long, boring trip that's been. I'm hoping to sneak out of work early today to make the paper thing happen. BUT THAT WOULD BE AFTER I VOTE. Vote, my friends. Vote early, vote often (ok, I'm just kidding on the often part).

And then planning! List making! Crafting! Egg-nogging! Camera shopping! The hubby said that since I'm so interested in making photos that maybe I should upgrade. (Happy dance, happy dance). However, I have no money for upgrading at this moment. I'll do a little saving and see what happens. Right now, this looks like my new friend. I have a Nikon right now and have been really pleased with it. The jump from 3 to 8 megapixels and the image stabilization features would be awesome. Anyway, I've got time. My little camera has been doing pretty well.

Enough tech-y talk, I'd better get working if I want to skee-daddle a little early.

Five Words

1--Photos. Dang, I really really really want to start taking more photos. I was a photo major in college for a while (in between French, English, and now I'm a History major). I miss the weekends in the darkroom, the acrid smell of the chemistry, checking test strips and best of all ...the magic of getting the photo you were hoping for! I also love digital photography because by nature I'm impatient and hate waiting for a lab to send back (or destroy--but that's a horrible story) the results.

2--Slackin'. I've been slackin' on thie blog. I guess my mood hasn't been the best as of late and I don't feel like I would be 'planting positive seeds' by kvetching about it here.

3--Dancing. We've been reading Angelina Ballerina and now kidlet wants to be a dancer too (an aside: I don't dig the commercialness of the Angelina empire, but I do like the book). Luckily, we're hitting this interest at the perfect season. I just ordered Balanchine's Nutcracker on DVD. I can't wait to show it to kidlet! I loved going to see the Nutcracker with my parents way back when in Omaha. They had a pretty good production at the old Orpheum theater. The Christmas tree growing out of the stage...magic! I'll fall on the floor with glee when kidlet is old enough to see a real production.

4--Muffulettas, baby. Try this recipe. Really. This is the best sandwich in the world and I will be making a slew of them this weekend. This recipe is the closest I can find to the ol' Central Grocery flavor.

5--Stormy. LOVING the cloudy, rainy weather. I like my seasons to follow the traditional form. You know, autumn is for blustery cool days with rain. Round these parts, fall is usually just an extension of summer: sunny and warm. I like a cloudy week or two. Yes, indeed.

Enjoy your weekend, my friends. Hopefully, I won't fall into a quivering mass in the office on Monday due to my insanely busy weekend that I have up ahead of me. Must keep eye on the prize...muffulettas and beer (or wine, wine...how I love thee).

Happy Halloween!

Our pumpkins
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

Yup, we actually did it. We managed to carve the pumpkin last night . Kidlet would have nothing to do with the pumpkin guts so I gave her a Sharpie and let her go to town with the little pumpkin. When I was done with the big knife (no blood was shed), I dropped the candle in the big pumpkin and...squeals of delight! Nothing can be better than showing a little kid something for the first time and hearing the glee in their voices and seeing the magic in their eyes.

There was some coaxing this morning to get her in their witch costume. It's a kind of cobbled together affair--a red fairy dress she got for Christmas last year, new, shiny purple witch hat, striped tights, red mary janes. Knowing how she is with costumey stuff (wear for 3 minutes, rip it off NOW!), I figured I didn't want to spend too much effort or cash. But she was happily swapping her witch hat for her buddy's bee antennae at daycare today so all is well.

Now on to the REAL holidays that I dig! Thanksgiving! My birthday! Christmas! New Year's! Anniversary! Woo hoo! Let the fun begin...

Heeeyyy Good Lookin'...

Whatcha got cookin'?

This weekend was all about the stove. Wish it was a lovely, old timey gas stove but it's a crummy electric stove with three tiny burners and one large infurno burner. I made a pancake breakfast (I don't call myself 'pancakemama' for nothing) for the in-laws. I made an amazing brown beer rye bread. I cooked up a gigantic batch of veggie chili. I just got an email from my co-worker saying he brought back a box of apples from the apple orchards which means more pie making is in my future. A BOX of apples. Oh dear. I guess I will be getting a work out on the 'attempting to make good pie dough' task on my life list. I hardly did any homework. I guess all the homey cooking was a reaction to my technological nightmare of a work week I experienced last week.

I didn't get that many good photos this weekend. I'll do the upload later from home for the ones I like.

We didn't carve our pumpkin yet. I'm hoping I can get out of work early enough to do it today. What a slacker Mom I am. Sheesh. My mom would have had me in a little smock, spooning out pumpkin guts on the kitchen floor about 1.5 weeks ago.

This week had better be all about homework for school (and pie, I guess). I'm so close to finishing this class. Almost there...almost there... then it'll be knitty mania for about 3 months before I start, yes, another freakin' class. All in my quest to "Find a profession that makes me say "Ahhh...now this is it"" from life list task number 3.

Five Words

1--BUSY. I think this word could count for about 3 words this week. Ok, maybe that would be cheating a little, but, dang! I've been busy! This week ended up being a non-self-imposed bloggy break. Work has been making me uberstressed. At my job, the big wigs were in town and my usual support system has been out of the office all week (but, mercifully, in email contact). The kidlet has already been on an end-of-daylight-savings schedule the past few weeks. She won't go to sleep until 10-10:30 most nights. Which leaves me about a half hour to get us ready for the next day AND do my homework, before crawling exhausted into bed. At least the work thing will mellow out for about a month and then it will madness again. By then, I should be done with the class and kidlet will be sleeping the moment I lay her down at night. Right? Right? Anyone?

2--CREATIVE. I've been feeling the bug lately but sadly there hasn't been any time to actually do anything about it. Ever since I saw this from Nessie Noodle on Flickr, I've been thinking about printing up my own little version of fortunes to leave out and about. I've got the idea to draw up various animals in fancy clothes (suits, hats, fluffy collars, etc.) and print up fun fortunes, things to do, lucky colors and numbers on the reverse. I think I would actually print these up so I could leave them en masse. My hand drawn cards are still fun to do but I have a hard time leaving them--maybe because I only get a few done a week? Do I get attached to the images? Who knows. I've been wanting to knit but have resigned myself to making knitting the carrot on the end of the "finish your class" pole. I just don't have enough time to make it work right now. I really want to start doing more photos too. Pick up a duaflex for images like this and an old Polaroid...I can dream, eh?

3--MUSIC. I go through phases where all I listen to is NPR and assorted public radio stations via itunes radio. Then I burn out. I brush the dust off the ipod, charge it up and voila! Wow! I forgot I have music I like! It's fun to run the shuffle function. I had Captain Beefheart followed by Prince's "Lady Cabdriver" followed by Wilco. What radio station can do that for me? Stuff I haven't listened to in years pops up and I become nostalgic. The Police. Squeeze. The The. But the song I really wanted to write about today comes from the kidlet. We recently purchased "Muppet Show: Music Mayhem & More - 25th Anniversary Collection" because it's the only one we could find with music from The Muppet Movie. Every morning on our way to work (and daycare), kidlet requests "DOCTOR TEETH! DOCTOR TEETH!" which means she wants to hear "Can You Picture That?" She yells "Ohhh yeah! Whooo!" right along with Dr. Teeth. We both sing at the top of our lungs, totally out of tune but joyous. But the lyrics to this song are awesome. Here are a few selections...

Everybody's lover, everybody's brother, I wanna be your lifetime friend. Crazy as a rocket, nothin in my pocket, I keep it at the rainbow's end.I never think of money, I think of milk 'n honey, grinnin like a cheshire cat. I focus on the pleasure, somethin' I can treasure, can you picture that? Can you picture that?

and

Lost my heart in Texas, Northern lights affect us, I keep it underneath my hat, Aurora Borealis, shinin down on Dallas! Can you picture that? Can you picture that?

Kid's music? Ha! I think this has a little something for everyone.

4--Positivity. I finished, after savoring for a couple months, Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation". There were so many ideas that need to soak in. I'm going to have to read it a dozen more times to even start to touch on these teachings. Anyway, the primary thing that I'm holding from this right now is how we all have seeds planted within us, both positive and negative. We need to water and care for the positive seeds and not to cultivate hate and negative emotions. I've got my watering can and hoe out.

5--Weekend. Oh my. Thank goodness you've arrived and I'm still in one piece. This weekend holds pumpkin carving and pancake Sunday. Mmm...probably some wine. I'd like to bake some bread too. Hopefully there will be a whole lot of homework and photo taking. Here's a photo from last night's bed jumping...well, maybe not. Blogger doesn't seem to be playing nice today. Maybe later.

Look what the cat dragged in...

I cannot resist the lure of your lovely images and silken words, oh Bloggy Pals. About all I didn't do during this little bloggy break was write. Although I can't even say that, as I was writing posts in my head all the time. I still spent time Flickring and reading all my fave blogs. Last Thursday was the only day I didn't touch the internet. It was rather refreshing but I was REALLY excited on Friday because I got to read two, TWO!, days of updates from my regular reads. I'm still not really sure what the heck I'm doing writing a blog but I guess I'll ride this wave until it is fun no longer.

What did I do while I was away aside from feeding my addiction to reading blogs and Flickr? Got my car fixed. Had to start over on the secret holiday knitting project about 5 times. Schoolwork. Housework. Cut all my hair off and it's not getting particularly good reviews. Oi! What is it about long(er) hair that stimulates other people's attachment to it? I wasn't particularly attatched to my (skinny, straggley) shoulder-length hair aside from the novelty factor that it was the longest I had had it in about 15 years. "Oh...you. cut. your. hair. Ummm, it's...nice?" has been the reaction at work today. I now have a very 20s stylee chin-length bob. I think it's cute. So there! Aren't my detractors lucky that I didn't do my fave Jean Seberg cut that I had when I was pregnant? Funny stuff (to me, anyway). Hmmm, that Jean Seberg 'do is starting to look might good again.

My first blogging day back and I rant about hair. Hold tight, my friends. I'll dish out some better stuff soon. Here's a pic of me and the kidlet walking in the desert to get us off this hairy post.

Five Words...brought to you by the letter B

1--Baking. Banana Bread with chocolate chips.



2--Bought. Couldn't resist. 2.5--Bad, Ani, Bad.


3--Backyard. We've just entered the time of year where the backyard starts to fall apart. I really need to get out there and work at creating some 'fall and winter interest' that doesn't consist of dried up leaves, overgrown roses and strewn-about toy gardening tools. Yes, I know the photo isn't in line but it does some bizarre stuff when I format it to be in the middle. Askew, we shall remain.

4--Book--Cannot wait for this to arrive in my mailbox. My love for everything Moomin continues...

5--Break. I think I need to force myself to take a bloggy break and refocus. My words aren't coming out the way I want. In my hurry to post, I'm not taking the time to do it properly and weigh all my thoughts before spewing them all over the internet. Hopefully we'll all come back to a better, stronger, faster (wait, I thought I was writing too fast) blog soon. Time to listen to the fall grasses rustle in the wind and to figure out what the heck it is that I'm doing with this blog business anyway.

Wednesday's Blogging Sense of Purpose--gone!

Now that I don't have the CSA wrap-up to discuss on Wednesdays, I'm at a loss this week. I do have some ideas for future Wednesdays but it requires I actually get some scribbling and scanning done. Stay tuned.

Wish I could talk about my knitting but as I've entered secret holiday knitting mode, not much can be discussed. About all I can say is Rowan's Kidsilk Haze is a slippery little devil on my rosewood needles. Definitely not used to knitting this sort of thing. I have been coveting some sock yarns here and here. I can't wait to try socks again! I have worn the pair I made since I grouched about them, and they were really comfy. I felt little rays of pride emanating from my feet. Ummm, at least I hope that's what was emanating from my feet and not some odor.

Feel like I snotted out some brain power with the evil sickness last week. I feel so scattered and am having a hard time concentrating on anything. This, combined with hormonal angst, is making for a potent case of the blahs. I hope that I feel a little more together and positive soon.

I ain't all doom and gloom...

csa pumpkins
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

We hit the pumpkin patch this weekend (although this photo is of CSA pumpkins from last week's veggie box run). Kidlet took her first spin on a pony and she cried and cried when it was over. "Where's my pony?" is a now a common question. It was fun and now the house looks very fall-like with our display of pumpkins and bizarre squashes (and cobwebs, those, however, were unintentional).

Tonight! BBQ Shrimp Po'Boys! Last week's episode of The Office! Snugglin'! Maybe even starting a new knitting project! Yippee!

The Dark Place

The world is a super creepy place; I just usually choose to whistle past that graveyard. I was doing the morning blog rundown and the first blog I hit, A Bird in the Hand, talked about her sister shutting down her extremely popular blog (littlebirds) due to some bad attention focused on her children. This issue has been one that I've considered quite a bit. How much of my life to share? Considering kidlet is a gigantic chunk of that life, how much of that do I dare reveal? Why do I feel compelled to share in the first place?

I started this blog as a place to meet new folks and share feelings that don't normally come out in regular conversation with the folks I already know. I've been having a lot of fun with it lately. However, in the past month or so, I've had a lot more traffic which is exhilarating to see. Fun!!! More folks are interested in my little corner of the world! But it's also a little nervewracking--what? these people actually want to know what I'm doing? I've been pretty stingy with the photos I post of the kidlet but I think I may just cut them out entirely now. I'll still talk about her, but it's going to be guarded. The blog shut down married with the recent terrifying school shootings in the news makes me so sad that I can barely even stand to think about it. I know these two things are entirely different in scale but it comes from the same dark place. My chest tightens, and I'll just keep whistling.

Five Words (Cards)

I've been leaving little cards that I doodle about town. It's fun. I have to be sneaky. I don't want someone thinking I'm shoplifiting as I dig into my bag and attempt to look nonchalant. I always hope someone who 'gets it' finds them, not someone who says "what the F^&* is this thing I have to clean up and throw away?" So for five words today, we've got five cards that soon will be dispersed...

1.
I like this image. I did another one that said "Simplify" that was nice too. I really need to keep this one in my head though. I think I'm about to jump on the hormone rollercoaster and during this time I tend to make overblown statements like "Ruby has not had anything to eat in WEEKS. Please eat!!!" or "The house is so filthy and ramshackle that the only thing holding it together is the web of dog hair on the floor." Deep breaths...in and out.

2.
Hey, punkin'! This one is going to the pumpkin patch this weekend.

3.
Ol' moony. I wish I could try to draw an old timey letterpress style-y moon like you would find on an old postcard from the 1910s but alas, I'm merely a scribbler. And may the moon and stars smile upon you this weekend.

4.

This one is going atop the pears at the supermarket this weekend. Get it? (elbow to the ribs) Prickly PEAR...cactuses! Anyone? Anyone? Ok, I adore bad puns.

5.

I love this image and probably won't give it away. Greedy me. Stars, sparkly snow, wooly hat, dreams. Sigh.

CSA Season Wrap-Up

(Mosaic created with fd's Flickr Toys)

Here we are, the end of the growing season. I wish I could say I had used everything I received from the nice veggie box people but it is hard to come up with yummy recipes that don't take a lot of prep and/or cooking time with veggies you are either not real familiar with or aren't wild for (bitter stir fry greens, just for the record, I am not fond of you). If I didn't have a 9 - 5 job, I think I could have done a better job of utilizing my produce.

It was fun going to get our veggies at the vaguely commune-ish place on the river, Ruby singing songs and yelling her 'VEGGIE BOX' rallying cry. I love a surprise so I always liked peeking in the bag to see what the week's warmth had brought from the soil. I loved the smell of strawberries, then raspberries, wafting through the car on the hot summer evenings as I drove home.

I wish I had done a more careful job of taking my photos but again, difficult to do when you barrel into the house and the dogs are tap dancing and howling for dinner and the kidlet is yelling to watch a few cartoons with a bowl of carrots and cheese while I attempt to figure out what I can throw together for dinner in the next 12.5 minutes. Ahhh...evenings at home, but I digress.

Next year I won't be going the CSA route. I think Ruby will be tolerant enough to wander the farmer's market, where many of these farmers sell their produce. I'd rather pick out what I want and not be stuck with things I don't usually use like bitter stir fry greens. I like adventure in my cooking but I just don't have the time at this point in time. It wasn't the money saving option I had hoped for either. I still spent almost as much as usual at the store, and if you add in the veggie box subscription, it was even more costly. Nevertheless, it was extremely important for me to give my support to these hard-working local farmers who grow organic produce during their first CSA growing season. Three cheers for the veggie box and we'll be seeing you at the farmer's market next year...

CSA October 3

csa100306
Originally uploaded by Pancakemama.

The last veggie box of the season. Pie pumpkins {heart}, a winter squash, peppers, tomatoes and an assortment of potatoes. Look for a follow-up post shortly with the end of season wrap-up.

The Sock Disaster of '06 or Learning to Let Go a Little

I seamed the toe of the final sock last night. I put them on and...hmmm, kinda itchy. A little baggy about the ankle (but they do stay up). Wait, what's this? Ugh! Mysterious dropped stitches. So the socks I've spent a bundle of time and money on are, well, less than stellar. They make my feet look even more gigantic than they already are. Oh well. I'm still going to wear them with a certain amount of pride when it gets chilly here in the next couple days. I was really disappointed at first but then, hey, it's the first pair. I've learned a lot. And I'm totally excited about making a whole sock wardrobe. However, it may take me a lifetime: 1 pair of socks per year at the current rate.

Now I'm about to embark on some other new knitty techniques that, of course, I've never tried before, and of course again, they are for Christmas presents. Brilliant! It's like my Mama always said, when she was a young new bride and it was her turn to do a family holiday meal, she'd be sure to make items she never made before with a multitude of complicated steps. Hopefully my gift recipients will be able to let go a little too and enjoy the effort.

Deep and Low

...that's my voice right now, deep and low. A little Garbo without the enchanting accent and after a bender of whisky and cigarettes. This weekend was filled with snot. And daggers shoved down our throats and noses. Not literally, but it sure felt like it.

But there an upside to being too sick think smarty scholastic thoughts...I FINISHED THE SOCKS! Ok, they are 99% done because I have to weave in the yarn ends. I just couldn't do it last night. AND I actually got to watch (part of) a movie while I was knitting! Geez! I have to get sick to have a real life. It's awful though, the whole time I was feeling really crappy, I'd sit, staring at the blinds thinking, "dang, those are really filthy. I must get up to clean those." And then looking past the filthy blinds out the window I'd think, "I'd better get out there right now and start trimming the bushes. This absolutely cannot wait another minute." And then I'd get up, fall into an abyss of snot, and then realize I couldn't do anything. I'm like a perpetual-motion machine, I cannot sit still. And despite this fact, I feel I get nothing done except my homework which I guess really does take up every extraneous minute I have. Ugh, it all spirals back to school, doesn't it?

At least my nose cleared up just enough to smell the rain last night. I'm loving the fallish weather we are going to be getting the next few days. Woo hoo!