One Sock, Thrifting, and Granola Bars

It’s been a little while, but I have a valid (although embarrassing) excuse. I spilled coffee on my keyboard. As a result, most of the keys no longer work. This totally sucks. I kept trying to get to the library to post, but with work, dinner, baths, bedtimes, it was just not happening. So here, I am, on my lunch break, writing a post from work.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Ravelympics – I set the bar super low. I wanted to complete 1 sock, yes just 1, from this pattern. And here it is in all its glory:




(imagining applause and the crowd going WILD)

I cannot tell you how much I love shopping at thrift stores. Here are my latest finds:



This is a vintage 1970’s Corning Ware range top teapot. And I love it. It’s in immaculate condition and I got it for $4. I’ve seen them sell online via Etsy and Ebay for 30-50 bucks. But this one is not going anywhere. It’s all mine. Now to find a knitted cosy/cozy pattern to fit it…



This is amazing. The picture does not do it justice. The label says Ralph Lauren Handknit. It’s a tweedy green mixture of cashmere and lambswool. It’s gorgeous and fits like a glove. However, after 2 kids, there is no way I’m wearing a cardigan than stops a couple of inches past my boobs. No way. And, there was never a time that I would have considered wearing a skin tight, handknit, miniskirt. So, I’m working on unraveling and recycling the yarn. I would like to join the Knitmore Girls Mondo Cable Cardi KAL if I get it unraveled washed and dried in time. Oh, and it cost me $12.50... for cashmere and lambswool.


On the baking/cooking front, I’d like to share my delicious homemade granola bars.



I got the idea from The Frugal Girl website. I’m a little obsessed with her right now. She’s amazing. I’m reading my way through her archives whenever I can find the time. She has fantastic recipes (mostly baking). She’ll teach you how to make your own yogurt. She has great tips on menu planning and shows you how she feeds her family of 6 for under $100/week. She’s fascinating.

I would just like to that I’m so glad that The Stitch It Podcast by Meghan is back after a month long hiatus/sabbatical. I listen to A LOT of podcasts, and this one is my favorite. Check it out!

Also, I just finished listening to the final episode of Tale of Two Cities on Craftlit. I’m super excited about Jane Austen's Persuasion, which is up next. I also downloaded all of Jekyll & Hyde. Love that Heather Ordover! My iPod is fully loaded which will givesme the motivation I need to clean my house!

Talk to you soon…I hope.

Andrea

Lucas turns 2, a Little FO, 2 Blizzards, and some Rollerskates

Well, I'm happy to report that the little guy has recovered 100% from his bout of pneumonia. We celebrated his second birthday with a party at my house. We have a small 2 bedroom condo and we had about 20 relatives and friends over. It was a little crowded, but nobody minded. Our family lives up in Northern New Jersey and they drove over an hour, each way, to be with us. There was about an inch of snow on the ground when they left, but thankfully everyone made it home ok. These cupcakes were a HUGE hit. They were so good! Just the right amount of sweetness. I can't recommend this recipe enough. I wish I had taken a photo, but I was just too busy running around cooking, baking, cleaning, entertaining, etc. No pics from the party, unfortunately. But my uncle snapped some good ones and I'm trying to get them from him.

I have a tiny little FO to share:




It is the Bluebird from Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderon I was originally knitting it for Natalia, but Lucas loooves it!


So, I'll have to knit her something else. She's already requested the Koala Mama & Baby from the same book. Knitting toys is so fun, quick, and rewarding.

In the past 2 weeks we have been hit with almost 40 inches of snow!!! We had 2 blizzards here in the Northeast. It's been great. The kids got to build their very first Snowman.

Isn't he awesome?

We have been stuck in the house a great deal. After a couple of days we had an extreme case of cabin fever. So, Natalia and I hit the local skating rink.


We had SO MUCH FUN. Had forgotten how much I love it. It was a great workout too. I was extremely sore the next day. I think it's something we are going to try to go regularly. I need to balance out all the time I spend sitting on my a@$ knitting/crafting.

I got nothin...

Sorry, my little guy has pneumonia and I'm too tired. Here's this instead:
(Which I got from this great blog)

I always:
Bake from scratch
Listen to knitting & craft podcasts while cleaning
Call my mother every day
Think about exercising
Like nuts in my ice cream, cookies, or brownies
Drink way too much coffee

I sometimes:
Cry at sad / touching movies (almost always)
Wish for another baby
Lose my temper (working on this one)
Watch Yo Gabba Gabba with my kids
Read magazines and drink coffee at Borders
impulse buy

I never:

Exercise
Buy DVD's
Win the lottery, EVER
Smoke cigarettes (anymore)
Thought Tom Cruise was hot
Care to try spinning, sorry I just don't

How about you?


And a pic of the little guy with temp of 102 waiting to see the doctor. Poor little guy.

B-side, Back in School, Bargains, and Podcasts

Here's a status shot of how far I've gotten on my mom's B-Side Cardigan by Laura Chau. I'm having a good time with this one. This isn't the greatest picture. It honestly looks better in person. It's pretty mindless, but that cable keeps things interesting. My choice of yarn I'm not so sure about. I'm using Knitpicks Swish DK in Mist. I've had it in my stash for ages and figured it would be a good choice for mom since she has a habit of accidentally shrinking (and bleaching) things, God love her! Anyway, the yarn has a weird texture to it, I'm assuming that's how superwash is supposed to feel since this is my first time working with it. And it's already pilling. I'm hoping that after a good washing and shaving, it will look pretty good, we'll see.

The Spring semester starts today. Since I'm back to work full time, I was only able to take one course. Unfortunately, it's a science (Human Development and Reproduction)that I need for my major and have been putting off forever. It only meets once a week, from 6-8:50. In addition to that I'm still at the restaurant 2 nights a week for extra cashola. This schedule is pretty nuts, so we'll see how long I can hack it.

Here's a cute shot I took over the weekends of the kidlets all dresed up and adorable. I am such a bargain shopper. Lucas's sweater was 7 bucks at Target. Natalia's dress, 6 bucks at Old Navy, and her little purple shrug was 8 bucks at H&M. Pretty much their entire wardrobes come from those 3 stores.



Podcasts, I'm pretty much obsessed with them right now. It's the only thing that motivates me to clean.

Here are the ones I listen to:
Craftlit - Heather Ordover is a crafty, literary, rockstar
Knitmore Girls - Jasmine has awesome fuschia hair, enough said
Never Not Knitting - Alana is hilarious and she has a daughter just a little younger than mine. She also designs adorable kids' stuff.
Lime and Violet - are always good
Stash and Burn - great knitting content
Stitch It - love Meghan and all her tips, she's ADORABLE
High Fiber Diet - Coggie is pleasant, funny, and informative
Knitajourney - Susan conducts some really great interviews
The Knitting Show - Peter and Deidre are a brother & sister duo from a family of 12 siblings
Grandma's Sewing Cabinet
Radical Cross Stitch - Rayna's Australian craftiness
Knitpicks

And that's not even all of them.

Talk to you soon.

Pajama Day...oh yeah!

Hi there! Does this face look excited?

That's because it is. Natalia is PSYCHED for pajama day at school!!!

(Lucas was busy watching Yo Gabba Gabba and declined being photographed.)
She has had this outfit planned for the last 2 weeks. We got those awesome unicorn jammy jams at the Old Navy post-holiday sale for about 4 bucks. The pink cowboy boots were thrifted for 5 bucks. They will also be having breakfast for lunch at school today. Our responsiblility was butter and syrup. It's gonna be a good day.

I threw on my ultra warm Owls sweater keep me toasty in this bitterest of all winters and am headed out the door.
Talk to you soon.

Granny Squares - Love em

I'm still plugging away at my Granny Square afghan. I underestimated how long this would take. I need about 80 squares and I've done about 7. I can't wait until it's done. The colors are cheerful and bright. Very fun.

I'm using assorted colors of assorted cheap acrylic yarns. There's some Red Heart in there, Lion's Brand, Vanna White's line. I needed wash-ability and could not afford to spend the $$$ on superwash wool. Maybe next time.

A big CONGRATS to Lucy over at Attic 24. She just welcomed home a brand new baby boy. Sigh - baby fever pangs. When I mention another baby to my husband, he looks at me incredulously, and asks: "Do you want to live UNDER A BRIDGE?" So, I'm thinking, no baby number 3 for us.

Being the Mama I Want to Be

So, I'm talking to a graphic designer via Etsy (freaking love Etsy)about a new, customized layout for the blog. I'm very excited, and hope to have a complete blog makeover very soon. I still need to add some widgets and my Ravelry button and all that fun stuff. I did manage to add my blog list. I love all of the blogs on my list dearly. They are my inspiration in all things crafty and bloggy. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already. The list does not even include half of the blogs I frequent. This whole internet craft world is so amazing. It's literally changed my life. I have learned so much from it: craft techniques, the aesthetic I prefer to surround myself with, all things domestic (cleaning with natural ingredients, menu planning), even parenting styles.

Right now I'm really interested in Gentle Parenting. It seems such a natural and intuitive way to raise children. It includes breastfeeding (which I did), co-sleeping (both kids still in our bed, and I love it), wearing your baby in a sling/carrier type thing ( I loved this idea but it did not work out for us because both my kids were about 9 lbs at birth and I am about 5 ft 1, so it was really hard on my back & shoulders)avoiding corporal punishment or any harsh discipline, etc. There is so much to it and I am very much a newbie. I know it all sounds very hippie-granola, and kind of unrealistic. But, I think even changing a few things here and there will help me to be the mom I want to be. I'm still guilty of letting frustration lead to yelling (more often than I care to admit), my kids still eat frozen chicken nuggets, and I have to use stealth tactics to get vegetables in them. I didn't use cloth diapers, and I do not plan on homeshooling. And sometimes, I get overwhelmed. But, I am doing everything I can to make sure my kids are happy, healthy, secure, and aware that they are loved. Look at these two knuckleheads:

How could I not?