6.29.2010

Workin' It

Leia modeled the newly finished 'Big O' jacket today. It's a gift for Payton but I wanted pictures before it went home with Samantha. Leia really worked the runway - on the sidewalk, on the grass,front view, side view, flounce
and squat. We even got the obligatory walk-around-the-block view.If I make this again I'd make a few changes, like using half-double crochet rather than singles for the entire thing. By the halfway point, I was b.o.r.e.d. almost to death. I have the yarn to make one for Leia; think I'll do something else first and come back to this. But it really is cute on her, don't ya think?

6.25.2010

Busy, Busy

Tomorrow is the Guild's 40th anniversary party (details are here - come have cake with us!) and I've been gearing up for both the vote at the morning meeting -

pretty ballot box

and making flower brooches
for the 10 current and former presidents we expect to attend. The flower pattern was in an Annette Petavy newsletter (here) and I loved it on sight. These were fun to make - using DK-weight yarn - and hopefully, fun to wear. (More info on my Ravelry page here.)

6.22.2010

Baby Faces

Pretty cute bunch, yes?

Naia, 9, modeling my latest crocheted flower

Miles, 4, loves posing for the camera

Leia, 22 months, giving me 'the look' for taking her picture

Addison, 3 1/2, at her first dance recital. More here.

6.19.2010

Nothing to See Here

Move along. Move along. Nothing to see here. . . .

Shhhhh, it's a secret - Naia and I conspired tonight to make her daddy a Father's Day gift. He never reads the blog so I think it's safe to put the pix up now - that's Naia putting the finishing touches on her first chocolate chip cake, Matt's absolute favorite. Since this is almost everybody in the family's favorite cake, we're putting a BIG sign on it tonight in hopes of keeping it intact for Naia to present to her dad tomorrow.

And since we were up to our noses in batter, we also made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for PopPop - and my first ever batch of snickerdoodles will go in the oven later tonight. Dick had them for the first time this week and *loved* them. His request for Father's Day dinner? Snickerdoodles and choco chip cookies. So healthy.

6.18.2010

Baby Jacket and Baby Story

First the baby jacket. I found this pattern on Ravelry - where else? - and fell hard in love, to the point where I dropped everything else so I could make it now.

You start with a circle, add armholes (and sleeves, eventually), then fold the top down and the sides in to form the cutest baby item since the hexagon baby sweater.

This one is a birthday present for Payton, who just turned 2. The next one (oh yeah, I'm making more of these!) will be for Leia. I'm making these slightly bigger than the original pattern so the little girls will have some growing room. (notes on my Ravelry page here.)

Little Miss Nosy heard the camera click and had to come investigate.

And speaking of Leia . . . I'm always careful when she comes to visit to put my computer keyboard and mouse out of her reach. Twice this week I found the keyboard lying on my chair and thought 'hmmm, that's strange; must have forgotten to put it up . . .'

Then I walked in to find this -
Caught in the act

Leia had carefully lifted the keyboard down, put it on her lap and was pounding the keyboard as fast as two little fingers could fly. Guess I better find a new - higher - place for my computer stuff.

6.16.2010

Nesting

Leia is spending the week with us while dad is working and mom, Naia and Miles are in Sacramento, helping after the birth of a new cousin. It's been fun having her with us, but exhausting too. Her schedule has become our schedule; we get up when she does (8:00 isn't too bad for Dick, but it's the middle of the night for me!), nap when she does (hey, we're retired; we're expected to nap), and put off doing almost anything - reading, internetting, crafting - until after she goes to bed at night.In the last 20 or so years, I'd forgotten just how much energy a 22-month old has - and how cranky they can be when they don't feel good. With at least 4 teeth coming in and a nose that's constantly running, Leia feels pretty rotten. While she's still always in motion, she's taken to carrying around things that comfort her - her favorite blanket and her pink baby bunny.

Leia has always liked the bay window in our living room - using it as a dancing stage when Addy was here - but this week she's decided that the window seat is "her" place. Today she set up her little nest with a pillow, her blanket and baby bunny (of course), along with various books and toys. She'll read for awhile - dropping the books over the edge when she's done; rest for awhile - watch for airplanes - and check out the neighborhood. She's learned that if she says 'up' grandma will lift her onto the window. She knows 'down' but seldom uses it, preferring to climb over the arm of the couch to get down by herself (a trick she discovered just today). She could get onto the window the same way, but hasn't figured that out yet. Maybe that will be tomorrow's discovery.

6.15.2010

Rei-Rei Day

We've had the littlest baby grand all week, so I'm a bit behind in posting. Last Sunday was Marie's 25th (!!) birthday. We took her to dinner at Buca di Beppo's and had a chance to meet her new boyfriend, Scott. He didn't run screaming from the restaurant when confronted by 3 rowdy little kids, so we're calling it a success. (Actually, the kids didn't faze him, and neither did meeting the 'rents. Yay, Scott!)

Miles is hiding under the table between Chris and Scott.

Marie, Scott and some friends had gone to Medieval Times the night before, also to celebrate the big b-day, and Marie brought along her new hat - which Naia promptly confiscated. It may not be her birthday, but Naia has the princess smile down pat. It was a nice evening, even though Leia was a cranky-pants (she's teething and miserable). Hey Marie, maybe we should do this again next year!

6.12.2010

Little Miss Pain in the B*tt

Lily really feels the need to be in the middle of whatever I'm doing. She had the entire (guest) bed on which to recline, but where was she sleeping? With her head on one bag of the yarn I was sorting and her tail on another. And when I left her, sound asleep, so I could take pictures of new yarn to put up on Ravelry? Yeah, that lasted until the first shutter click. I was three rooms away and she still came running to see what was going on. Very nosy helpful, is my little Lily.

6.10.2010

That's Better

Ahhhh, that's better. I was on Row 10 when I started over last time (here). Tonight I finished Row 11 (without pulling my hair out, thanks to pattern corrections posted on Ravelry). Things are looking up.

6.08.2010

Vote!

Did you?

6.06.2010

Oh, Poop

Got to practice my swear words tonight. I was (note the past tense) finishing Row 10 of 26 on the lacy afghan when I noticed a little bitty teeny tiny error. Back around Row 4. Yeah, nobody would notice that sucker.

Not even going to bother ripping it out. Just going to start over - for the third time. Beginning to think this project is jinxed. Son of a (supply favorite curse word here.)