What I Am Good At

Procrastination, not grammer.

Since I am not doing much of what I am supposed to be doing today, I figure I should do some blogging.

I updated my Ravelry with some projects, an Owl washcloth that I am sending to my Aunt. She collects owl cookie jars, but this might be fun to wash them.
My Ishbel, made with my very own handspun from batts made special for me by Laurie.

And the remnants of my Tea Leaves. The funny thing is, it is such gorgeous yarn, it didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would to pull out all.those.hours.of.knitting.

And I discovered in the process that I do a pretty good job of weaving in ends.

We are taking the kids to DC.

Next time there will be someting interesting for you to see!

Happy Easter.

We have celebrated one april birthday with another in just a few days! I am very thankful for a good year and hopeful for another.

Why I Do It

This Quilt with stitches, strong and true

Holds all the love I have for you;

No antique treasure or work of Art,

Just the simple gift of a mother's heart.

Gay stitches with some dark mixed in

The way my love for you has been;

Joy and Pride, some worry, too,

Evenings waiting up for you.

As I placed each stitch with patient care

I thought of you and breathed a prayer

That God would keep you safe tonight

And show me the way to guide you right.

Now you are grown, my job is through

As the quilt is bound and finished, too;

It holds my love and faith and care

To travel with you everywhere.

It may not seem important now,

But keep it safely anyhow;

And when there is no one else to care,

You'll find my love still waiting there.

To hold you warmly for a while

And see you through a time of trial,

No antique treasure or work of Art,

Just the simple gift of a mother's Heart.

--Author unknown

I won't judge you if your eyes are still dry. I first saw part of this poem over a decade ago in a newsletter from the sewing shop that I frequented. They had published the first stanza, it is written on the back of both of the boy's quilts that I made shortly after. They liked it and would have me read it to them before bed. I am getting ready to finish my first quilt for Lil'OnE and while looking around for it to write on her's, found this version. It is a pity that it is annonymous, it is so beautiful. But then, maybe it is better, because there is no distraction from the sentiment that is of my heart for my own children.

I create to satisfy my own soul, but that expression is of my love for my life, my husband, my family. The stitches of all kinds, threads of many colors, textures and strengths, weave and bind and knit us together; for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health, honor roll or c's, potty trained or stinky diapers, skinned knees or shirt and tie, hair bows or tangles, scattered toys or legos in their bin, crockpot dinner in or childless dinner out. They are mine. And I love them.

Blinded by Celebrity

I have been remiss. Not deliberately. Not only is my fabulous friend, Alison Hess, a wonderful author, but so is my fabulous former neighbor, Mike Harkins! Maybe it is because Mike is waaay over there, maybe it is just ordinary for me to have such talented, creative people swirling in my circle of friends. Either way, it is more good stuff to read. Mike's book is here. And once I figure out how to get the kindle edition (have I ever mentioned how much I *heart* my kindle?!!) I will be reading it next. But over here, you can read his work in a zine full of good stuff. Double bonus? This issue is free! You can read it on your computer or any other kind of reading device you have. I put that on my kindle, too, and ignored my kids and husband for a good while after dinner last week. Triple bonus. Ok, what else? We are hard core toddler here. How did I ever forget what toddler-hood is? And, Lil'OnE is not even two, yet! Already we have a potty chair that she likes too much to P in. I have deduced this from too many puddles right next to the chair. She is adamant, in incomprehensible syllables, about "how this is going to go." And she is the friendliest little thing you have ever seen. I think we go around just making people's day. Seriously, how many kids blow kisses to the cashiers at Giant Eagle? Now just to keep her from becoming cynical. With me as her mom. hmm. Wish us luck. Our Summer Calendar is getting full. I feel like the summer is almost over before it even gets here. The boys are going to scout camp, but two different weeks this year. Eldest crossed over to Boy Scouts, INBA is a Webelos now. I made our reservations for our annual trip to Ohiopyle. We have another Wedding to travel to in June. INBA is going to take another reading enrichment class. Cousins are coming to visit, the boys are going to go visit other cousins. And then school starts! I sure hope we can fit in a couple days at Grandma's pool. Isn't it only March?!? I'm not complaining, really. Just marveling at how and why the time passes so quickly. So, today, I am going to make scones and have a cuppa tea with a friend. I am going to do laundry and maybe dust the living room. I think dinner should go in the crock pot, right now. I have a million little things on my todo list. But this morning, at least, I am going to take it slow. Feel free to do the same.

Not Ordinary

At least, it isn't ordinary for me to be friends with a published author!

My friend (she said I could claim that in public :) just published the first in her three part series about Lucie, a girl with ancient knowledge her family has protected since the beginning of memory and a Prophecy to fulfill to save the world from Darkness. And it is her birthday! Ugh, to be a teenager.

It is appropriate for middle school through adult readers. I have read the book. I like it and recommend that you read it, too. I can't wait for the next installment. What on earth is Lucie going to do next?

Until the next book is ready (which I hear is not that far away) I am going to re-read The Prophecy. I have a kindle, so I might buy it here. But here, they have nearly every format imaginable and you won't need a special reader to read it. There is also a sample to read there. And, it is only $1.99 to buy. Sweet!

Her website is www.betweensouls.com

Her blog is www.alisononeillhess.com

Check her out, you won't be sorry that you did.
I am obviously not as eloquent as Alison, so don't hold my endorsement against her!

In other news, I don't know if my kids are ever going to all be healthy at the same time, again!

INBA was home Tuesday, Eldest was home Wednesday and Thursday. It is just this ickiness that includes fatigue and headache and some stuffiness. I know for sure that they feel like cr*p, because I can't shake this junk either! Junk, I tell ya!

My latest netflix love has been watching (streaming on the Wii) the un-edited British version of Downton Abbey. Oh my goodness, I just love that series. It is 7 (45 minute or so) episodes instead of the 4 (80 minute or so) that we got on PBS. They cut out a lot of the Bates/Thomas/O'Brien story and other little bits and pieces that didn't change the story, but when you see what they were, they round out the story.

Once I ran out of that, I found 3rd Rock from the Sun on streaming. I forgot how funny that show is! I laugh until I cry. John Lithgow is a rare gem.

Hmm. My life sounds pretty cushy. Reading books, watching tv. I didn't even mention the beautiful quilts I am making or the bread baking in the oven that smells divine. Ah, the beauty of editing.

Overwhelmingly Ordinary

I finally sent my 9 year old back to school today. He was home 4 days last week and then again on Monday with a fever and general malaise. He was a lump on the couch, which is rather disturbing when I know how he usually is.

We watched the SuperGame on Sunday. The commercials were ok. I thought the half-time show was fabulous.

This is how Lil'OnE felt about the way those Steelers were playing. Isn't the Mister handsome with his darling daughter?
The neighbor brought over the pink jersey for the Lil'onE.
Did I ever show you a picture of our Matchy Match?

The sweaters are gorgeous. MadToshDK is divine. Unfortunately, I don't like my sweater. It doesn't stay on my shoulders properly and always pulls to the back. Annoys the heck out of me. Now I need to find someone to wear it. I guess I could ravel it and reuse the yarn. But I think it might hurt to undo all that work. I will see if a friend can do it justice and if not...

Oh, and here is an ordinary thing for you.

No knead bread. I make it all the time. I use this book. But if you go over Here, you can get a sample recipe and have unbearably delicious bread tomorrow. The Sonoma Multicrunch Bread is another recipe in the book that is too good to miss. Every recipe I have used in the book is great. I have been baking like this for many months now. I have a few modifications that I made to the oat bread during that time. I use 1 pound King Arthur Bread Flour, it really does make a difference, and I use 11 1/2 ounces white whole wheat flour for a batch. Trader Joe's sells the white whole wheat at a very reasonable price. Weighing the flour also helps with consistent results. It needs a little more water with the white whole wheat, but the taste is not changed and it is still whole wheat!

The Mister gave me a dough whisk and a yeast jar for Christmas. He loves me! Oh. Maybe he loves the bread?! Maybe both. :)

And so it goes...

Everyday Ordinary

Two Sundays ago, the homily at mass was about Everyday Ordinary. At least, that is what I heard. Father Mike was talking about the lack of commentary in the Gospels about Jesus from the time he was found in the temple until he began public ministry and was baptised by John. His point was that those years were not insignificant, they were just ordinary. Everyday Ordinary is a blessing. And we need to remember that it is still meaningful to do the everyday things every day, day in, day out, over and over again. Raising and nurturing, cleaning and cooking, working and sleeping. It is meaningful and important to honor the work, the mundane work, the ordinary work, of life.
It is the whole, you don't enjoy the sunshine with out a little rain. But it is more.
I have been thinking about it for nearly two weeks and still cannot articulate it.

Do I have a point? Sure. Our Mayhem is quite ordinary. Painfully ordinary. Don't-want-to-dull-you-with-the-details ordinary. But, somehow, I feel better about it. Not that our lives may become anything else, but maybe that the work I do now will allow my children to relish the excitement of becoming adults and finding their way to settle into the ordinary of their lives, too. Not at all flashy and reality tv worthy. Just our reality.

Doesn't make for a very exciting blog. Sorry.

In other News:

I watch a lot of PBS. There is a lot of good stuff on WQED if you ignore the Doo-Wop and Celtic Women.
Last night was a fine example in Nova. It is about Making Stuff Smaller. Seriously, click on the guy with the magnifying glass and watch. It will blow your mind. And Mr. Mayhem didn't know that that is how a quartz watch works, either.
I also love Masterpiece on PBS. Mystery mostly, Sherlock last season was awesome. You cannot see the episodes online anymore, but you can see the trailer. A terrible tease. I also like Wallander, ahhh Kenneth Branagh. *sigh*
Anyway, Downton Abbey on Classic, right now, is fabulous! And I don't usually care for that time period type things. You can stream the episodes at the moment. I recommend that you do.

I will be back soon with more of the mundane Mayhem...

It's Not All About Baby

See, here are the Mayhem fellas... making nice for a picture with Grandma when we celebrated her birthday. Ignore the cake, I have not refined my baking skills, yet.But... there is a little sister.
Cuter than Cute.
And I finished Tea Leaves and Tiny Tea Leaves.

Matchy-Match strikes again!!

If you know of any other big girl/little girl patterns, let me know! She is going to outgrow this sweater, too.

In other news...

Winter has us in its grips. Shocking, I know, being January and all.

Lil'OnE LOVES to be out side in the snow. Crazy loves to be in the snow. She grabs a "kid size" plastic shovel that is twice as tall as she is and puts nearly as much snow on to the drive way as the boys remove.

Sledding still happens out by the front steps. They have been stockpiling snow next to the retaining wall so that they can slide over the edge without hurting themselves (they want steeper slope, I want them to not bust their heads open. Mean mom.) I am hoping that the snow hangs around until this weekend. They have a 4 day weekend and I would love to send them outside for a good bit of it!

I was on Retreat at St Paul of the Cross Monastary last weekend. *sigh* It was so wonderful in many ways. I need a week. But, I will settle for a weekend next January!

First FO of 2011

Say Hello to the Car Socks of the last 2 months or so.

They are nearly identical and mismatched.

How, You say? How can such lovely socks be mismatched?
Check out the toes.
Hmm. They both have toes.
Yes. One is a wedge the other is a star.
Oops.I had been petering along so long with these that I forgot that I decided to get fancy (aka do the not all the time the same toe.) And I never bothered to look at the first one when it came time to finish the second! That and it was dark in "The King's Speech."
Which, by the way, is a really good movie. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are fantastic actors.

three hundred degrees

Ah-Ha! Thanks, knitsburgh!
I succeeded in making my hard candy just like Grandma used to make. My recipe came to me from my Aunt Carrie, out of some community cookbook from who-knows-when and called to cook it to hard-ball stage which is about 260 degrees. But it works way better when cooked to hard-crack, 300 degrees! go figure.

I have made (thus far) orange, lemon, butter rum and cherry. I have some lime oil and I bought a candy flavor sampler at Michaels so that I could try more for less... love a coupon. But, the candy flavors are formulated for chocolate, some have added vegetable oil. I made the cherry and it wept. Not a lot, I wiped most of it off with a napkin, but not desireable and I will remember that for the future. But the good stuff, if you are also so inclined to make hard candy, is at the Uncommon Market . Prepare to be totally overwhelmed by your choices of flavor. Then buy the butter rum flavor. Werther's Originals. oh yeah. But the boys are pretty partial to the orange and lemon- which tastes like lemonheads.

Otherwise,
-We seemed to have survived the holidays.
-Kids don't go back to school until Tuesday.
-I am still working on my Tea Leaves, am down to the button bands, just waiting for a chance to work on it when I am quite awake. I really want this sweater to be done! I want to wear it and I am tired of knitting on it. But, it is gorgeous yarn (MadToshDK) and a beautiful pattern (even with the slim fitting sleeves.)
-No particular resolutions. It is always the same, anyway. Yes, that includes updating the blog more often :)

Happy 2011 to you! I wish you the best year yet!

Merry Christmas

We are on our way to Christmas Mass.
But we wanted to wish you and yours a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!
With Love,
The Family Mayhem

oh, yeah, the blog

Hmm, What have I been doing?

Well, I appreciate you asking.

I didn't mean to ignore the blog, but time has been whizzing by... Lil'onE is almost 18 months old now. The Mister and I celebrated 12 years of wedded bliss, yesterday. The boys are in 3rd and 5th grade. We had a summer full of camping and weddings and friends and family and... it was full.

But I took a picture of the girl this morning.

She likes to pose.One wasn't enough.
The Mister does good work. He gave me beautiful children.
I have been knitting, too.
I am making Matchy-Match sweaters for us. Tea Leaves and Tiny Tea Leaves.

Girly is having a melt down... this is why I don't blog very often :)

Have You Been Watching?

It is sad. But I let my kids watch so that they can see that there is a reason that I insist that they eat a balanced diet and that we rarely have fast food or other processed foods and that it isn't just Mommy that knows it isn't healthy to be that way. It is sad, not only because we are a nation that is eating ourselves to death, but that it has to be a revolution in order for us to sit down to a decent dinner once a week (as the revolution asks you to pledge.) How freaky Chez Mayhem is to have family dinner every night. What we need to work on is the family walk around the block once a week.
What are you going to work on?

Where have you been?

I have been here. Rockin' and Rollin' and Whatnot.

The last month has zoomed by. Lil'onE is 11 months old now. Clapping is her new favorite thing. That and her version of crawling. Oh, and tossing things. Any thing she can get her hands on, she flings. I haven't taken a picture of her in too long. I should do that.

My Olympic sweater is languishing. Aside from life distractions, I didn't pay attention to the fact that the size 3 needle that I had was 40 inches and I needed a 24 inch. I know I could have done a little magic loop, but I don't like that, so I finally picked up a 24 inch needle and have gotten a little momentum going again.

Speaking of Olympic, check out Celtic Queen's post. That sweater is now in Lil'onE's closet. I cannot tell you how beautiful and soft it is. And she used Stroll from Knit Picks, so it is easy care!! Fabulous. Thanks, CQ!

Hopefully, Spring is here to stay. The Forsythia is showing some bright green leaf buds, the daffodils have buds, the crocus are finishing their blooms and I saw a big fat robin red-breast in the yard this morning. And the darn oak trees are spewing poison, I mean pollen, so my eyes are swelling and my throat, too. Ahhh, Spring! Wouldn't trade it for winter.

Hope your day is splendid!

Out of My League

I was looking for the hat that Lindsey Vonn was wearing after she won gold in the Downhill. If that link doesn't bring it up, it was photo 26 when I was looking at it. Either way, it is the cream colored hat with USA and the olympic rings and a pompon. A friend mentioned it to me at Knit Guild today. Anyway, while trying to see what it looked like and wondering what Ralph Lauren would charge for one (doesn't look like it is for sale, maybe after the games are over?) I do see that they are selling the opening ceremonies sweater...For $425. But only in small and x-small. Thank goodness, otherwise, I might have been tempted. Wow.

I will happily knit you a cable sweater for $425. Talk nice to me and I might do it for $400.

personal

Missed connection.

Babies R Us in Bethel Park today. I was in line, you were... over there. I think it was you, at least. I didn't have Lil'onE with me. Otherwise, I would have gone up to you and said, "Hi. It is me, is it you? I really would like to have a friend with a baby. I really think we could get along. I'm not creepy, see?" But then again, that might have been creepy.

So I bought my baby food and moved along.

As a side note. BrU sells Earth's Best for 89 cents and GE sells the same jar for $1.09. I tell myself that I am saving money by going to BrU, but after I spent $100 to buy 27 jars of food (and a bunch of other stuff that was on sale but I could have lived without) I am not so sure. Funny how that works.

And I know that there are plenty of people that live in places that get snow as a regular part of their winter and that these same people are shaking their heads in amazement at the paralysis a couple feet of white stuff has caused in this area of the country. But really, it is getting a bit ridiculous, all this precipitation! I am afraid that we aren't going to go back to school before Easter and then the kids will be in school until August! At some point we have to make peace with a snowy winter and move on. PLEASE!

Ok. I have to take the boys to impound their cars for the pinewood derby tomorrow and then we are camping out to watch the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I will cast on for the Romantikk cardigan (rav link) for Lil'onE, too. Enjoy!

Terrible Pictures

Just some poor pictures to show that every once in a while things work out!

I finished the sweater that INBA asked for 3 days before Christmas, "Mom, I am cold. Will you make me a warm, red, long-sleeve sweater for Christmas?"

Negotiate, negotiate. He gave me until Valentine's Day.

Ta-Da!
I started with a Bernat pattern from 1967, converted it into the round and consulted Elizabeth Zimmerman for the raglan shaping. He likes it! Even if he didn't like posing for it just before bedtime.

Clarify

I should have said that I pinched that list off of someone else, who had pinched it from another blog... as it goes on the internet :) I am glad you enjoyed it. I know I did.

We had huge snow here in the 'burgh over the weekend. #4 biggest snowfall on record. The weatherguys are calling for another 4-8 inches on top of the 22+ that we just got. Needless to say, there was no school today. But there are big snowbanks and tunnels and errant snowballs everywhere you look.

School has been cancelled for tomorrow, already. I will be surprised if we have school on Wednesday, too. The roads are not cleared well and the next snow is supposed to get here tomorrow and no temps above freezing in the near future. It is like being a little girl in Northern Michigan all over again! [what is it with all the little girl references on this blog lately... Lil'onE has infected us!] It is winter in the best sense of the word.

Fun

IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70'S...
1. You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.
2 You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.
3. You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. This included the kind you attached to your regular shoes.
4 You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)
5. You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.
6. You had either a 'bowl cut' or 'pixie', not to mention the 'Dorothy Hamill' People sometimes thought you were a boy.
7. You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.
8. You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide' , on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once. 9. You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once!
10. Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.
11. You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.
12. You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.
13. You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the Sunshine Family.
14. You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze.
15. The swing set tipped over at least once.
16. You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.
17. You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).
18. You also had a pair of salt-water sandals.
19. You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;and you despised Nellie Oleson!
20. You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink!
21. Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty'with the comb you kept in your back pocket.When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off'.
21. You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.
22. You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.It had a thermos inside. Some were glass and broke the first time you dropped them.
23. You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend. 24. YOU had Star Wars action figures, too!
25. It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV.Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!
26. You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: 'Who will I marry.Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?
27. You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record albums.
28. You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage,or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.
29. You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts!
30. You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.
31. You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.
32. You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics.


Obviously, I am a Heather born in the 70's. (that should have been on the list... you are a girl born in the 70s and you are named Heather, Jennifer, Lisa or Amy!) But Strawberry Shortcake, The Osmonds, and Shrinky Dinks are back in style!

They Arrived

The teeth, that is.

Big girl had a good 9 month check up. 19lbs and 14oz. I forgot to ask how tall, she is in the 80th percentile, though.
The pediatrician thinks she may go straight to walking. She has plenty of muscle and no reason not to be crawling... if you don't count the three men that wait on her hand and foot!
Oh, and she cut one tooth the day before her appointment and the other the day after. Whew! Now she is chewing on a finger shoved way back by her left molars... ugh.

That's it. Just wanted to say "hi."