If so, you HAVE to check out www.ravelry.com. Yes, you'll need to wait a few days for an "invite", but it is worth it!
It is the coolest knitting/crochet site EVER! Lots and lots of cool projects (plenty of which are free) and a ton of info.
I'm already half way through a dress for Lucy and just ordered yarn for a sweater for myself (don't think I've ever knit anything for myself!!!).
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
And just because she is cute...
...a shot of Lucy from earlier this week sporting one of her new spring outfits!
Thoughts on cleaning.
So, as I have mentioned before, I'm working on "spring" cleaning my house. I have decided I need to rename it deep cleaning, as there is no way the whole house will get done anytime before July.
Last week I did the boys room and this week I'm working on Lucy's. I have learned two things in the course of doing these rooms:
1. My kids are DISGUSTING. (Actually, it would probably would be more accurate to just say that kids are disgusting.)
2. Never put kids beds directly against a wall.
Reid & Ross's beds are up against the wall -- not because I want them there, but simply because the room is not big enough to accommodate the furniture any other way. The walls bordering the beds were beyond gross. The scuff marks from toys (some accidental and some caused by the fact that they use the walls as a race track for their match box cards) were the least of my concerns. The yucky brown haze, chunks of nose glue and other unidentifiable, but dried, liquids were disturbing. The good news is that the walls looked almost new (if you can ignore the few chunks of wallboard that are actually missing) after a thorough washing. I suppose I should probably scrub them down more than once a year.
The crib was also beyond gross. I dust it weekly and wipe it down whenever I notice chunks. Well, I've obviously been missing something. When I took the bed apart to move the mattress down a few slots, I noticed dried, crusty spit up on the inside of the panels. And there was what looked like a lot of dried spit (not spit-up, though) on the top of the rails, which means that has to be left over from Ross, since Lucy can't pull herself up yet. So, now I need to add another task to my weekly list -- wash, don't dust, the crib. And I thought myself to be a good housekeeper...
And here is where you can all laugh at me. Let me preface what I'm about to tell you with this: I miss working. Don't get me wrong, I like being home and wouldn't have it any other way right now, but I do miss my professional life outside the home. While my degree is in accounting, I did a lot of database work at every one of my jobs.
So, when I got ready to start spring cleaning, I decided that I needed a way to keep track of what tasks needed done and when they had been completed. I don't want to forget to do anything and also want to know when a task is due to be completed. So, what does Michelle do? She starts a database. No, not just a spreadsheet, but an Access database with lots of complicated tables linked together to give a cleaning history, a way of tracking when items were due, a list of specific tasks to complete....you get the picture, right?
Okay, okay...I AM A DORK! I know it. After spending about an hour on this project, I realized that I was completely off my rocker. So, I scrapped it for a much simpler spreadsheet. And then I laughed at myself. Now it is your turn.
Last week I did the boys room and this week I'm working on Lucy's. I have learned two things in the course of doing these rooms:
1. My kids are DISGUSTING. (Actually, it would probably would be more accurate to just say that kids are disgusting.)
2. Never put kids beds directly against a wall.
Reid & Ross's beds are up against the wall -- not because I want them there, but simply because the room is not big enough to accommodate the furniture any other way. The walls bordering the beds were beyond gross. The scuff marks from toys (some accidental and some caused by the fact that they use the walls as a race track for their match box cards) were the least of my concerns. The yucky brown haze, chunks of nose glue and other unidentifiable, but dried, liquids were disturbing. The good news is that the walls looked almost new (if you can ignore the few chunks of wallboard that are actually missing) after a thorough washing. I suppose I should probably scrub them down more than once a year.
The crib was also beyond gross. I dust it weekly and wipe it down whenever I notice chunks. Well, I've obviously been missing something. When I took the bed apart to move the mattress down a few slots, I noticed dried, crusty spit up on the inside of the panels. And there was what looked like a lot of dried spit (not spit-up, though) on the top of the rails, which means that has to be left over from Ross, since Lucy can't pull herself up yet. So, now I need to add another task to my weekly list -- wash, don't dust, the crib. And I thought myself to be a good housekeeper...
And here is where you can all laugh at me. Let me preface what I'm about to tell you with this: I miss working. Don't get me wrong, I like being home and wouldn't have it any other way right now, but I do miss my professional life outside the home. While my degree is in accounting, I did a lot of database work at every one of my jobs.
So, when I got ready to start spring cleaning, I decided that I needed a way to keep track of what tasks needed done and when they had been completed. I don't want to forget to do anything and also want to know when a task is due to be completed. So, what does Michelle do? She starts a database. No, not just a spreadsheet, but an Access database with lots of complicated tables linked together to give a cleaning history, a way of tracking when items were due, a list of specific tasks to complete....you get the picture, right?
Okay, okay...I AM A DORK! I know it. After spending about an hour on this project, I realized that I was completely off my rocker. So, I scrapped it for a much simpler spreadsheet. And then I laughed at myself. Now it is your turn.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Can't sleep...
...and I'm so darn tired.
Really, nights are the worst thing about this deployment. I'm tired of being alone. And, yes, I know that sounds odd considering there are three little people in the house with me right now.
I guess I didn't workout long enough today...
Really, nights are the worst thing about this deployment. I'm tired of being alone. And, yes, I know that sounds odd considering there are three little people in the house with me right now.
I guess I didn't workout long enough today...
Mmmm...cookies!
Ross helped me make cookies this morning -- the best stinkin' chocolate chip cookies ever. I got the recipe from a church cookbook that my Aunt Kay gave me a few years ago. I make them huge -- the entire batch only made 12 cookies -- and they look like something you'd get at a pretentious bakery.
Today I threw in some ground up toasted hazelnuts that have been in the freezer since Christmas. Mmmmmm....those are some YUMMY cookies.
I was going to skip working out today, but...
Today I threw in some ground up toasted hazelnuts that have been in the freezer since Christmas. Mmmmmm....those are some YUMMY cookies.
I was going to skip working out today, but...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Lucy loves solids!
So, I tried starting Lucy on solids about a month ago. At the time, she wasn't very interested, though she was thoroughly pleased to get to play with the spoon (see photo below). So I waited a week or so and tried again and she was still not interested. But then after we got back from Ohio I tried again, and this time she LOVED them.
So far Lucy has had bananas and applesauce. She's been a bit finicky about the bottle, so I figured she wouldn't be too interested in the solids yet. Nope, the girl can polish off an entire banana in a sitting and still be mad that there isn't more. Today we're trying something new -- sweet potatoes. And I have pears ripening on the counter for later this week.
Starting with Reid, I've made my own baby food. It is soooo easy and the baby food actually tastes like REAL FOOD. I use a hand crank food mill for the most part, though I did give my new food mill attachment for my stand mixer a run in when I did the first batch of apples. Little tip for anyone interested in this: freeze the baby food in ice cube trays, pop out the frozen cubes and then store in Ziploc bags in freezer. It makes it easy to get out just the right amount later.
So far Lucy has had bananas and applesauce. She's been a bit finicky about the bottle, so I figured she wouldn't be too interested in the solids yet. Nope, the girl can polish off an entire banana in a sitting and still be mad that there isn't more. Today we're trying something new -- sweet potatoes. And I have pears ripening on the counter for later this week.
Starting with Reid, I've made my own baby food. It is soooo easy and the baby food actually tastes like REAL FOOD. I use a hand crank food mill for the most part, though I did give my new food mill attachment for my stand mixer a run in when I did the first batch of apples. Little tip for anyone interested in this: freeze the baby food in ice cube trays, pop out the frozen cubes and then store in Ziploc bags in freezer. It makes it easy to get out just the right amount later.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Arrrrrrgggghhhhh!
It has been one of those days. And before I start the tale of what happened today, I'd like to start by telling you of an observation I had a few weeks ago.
I was cutting something in the kitchen with my (rather large) chef's knife, when I sliced my finger open. Now, I was holding the knife in a completely unsafe manner when I slipped, so it was entirely my fault. Of course, I head off to our linen closet to dig out a band aid. As I'm digging through the box, I note that I need to add band aids to the grocery list. And, as I do so, I start to think about the fact that the last box of band aids has lasted us a really long time. And, really, that is surprising considering how rambunctious my two boys are. So, I sit their marveling at how fortunate we've been with the boys and how thankful I was that we've not had to make any trips to the emergency room.
Now, everyone knows what happens when you have a thought like that, right? I mean EVERY TIME I notice how lovely and long my nails are, one will break within 24 hours. Seriously -- some observations serve only as an invitation to disaster.
Now on to this morning...
The boys and Lucy were in the living room playing this morning while I was in the bathroom getting ready. I was just about to walk into the living room when Ross screamed loudly. Reid came tearing into the hall, like someone trying to escape the scene of a crime. So, I chew Reid out for not keeping his hands to himself and then send him to time out. I come around the corner to see Ross standing in the middle of the living room with blood spurting from his face. He, apparently, fell head first into the corner of our coffee table. And according to both Reid & Ross, Reid was completely uninvolved in this happening (bad mommy, of course, has already punished Reid). So, I frantically rushed around getting the kids dressed so that we could go to the emergency room. Lucy went along, but Reid got to hang with Grandma for the morning (and got a day off from speech thanks to the incident). Both Ross & Lucy were surprisingly mellow while at the hospital and fortunately Grandpa was able to pop over and lend a hand. Ross ended up getting 3 stitches (which I am thankful to say I didn't have to witness going in).
Now, I know in the big scheme of things that no major damage was done. Nonetheless, my nerves are quite shot at this point. I just can't handle seeing my kids bleed.
Additionally, yesterday marked 4 months of deployment for Jeremy. This feels like a very cruel milestone -- yes 4 months down that we don't have to do again, but the thought of doing this again two more times is sickening. I know we'll survive this, but I sure as heck am not enjoying the ride!
I was cutting something in the kitchen with my (rather large) chef's knife, when I sliced my finger open. Now, I was holding the knife in a completely unsafe manner when I slipped, so it was entirely my fault. Of course, I head off to our linen closet to dig out a band aid. As I'm digging through the box, I note that I need to add band aids to the grocery list. And, as I do so, I start to think about the fact that the last box of band aids has lasted us a really long time. And, really, that is surprising considering how rambunctious my two boys are. So, I sit their marveling at how fortunate we've been with the boys and how thankful I was that we've not had to make any trips to the emergency room.
Now, everyone knows what happens when you have a thought like that, right? I mean EVERY TIME I notice how lovely and long my nails are, one will break within 24 hours. Seriously -- some observations serve only as an invitation to disaster.
Now on to this morning...
The boys and Lucy were in the living room playing this morning while I was in the bathroom getting ready. I was just about to walk into the living room when Ross screamed loudly. Reid came tearing into the hall, like someone trying to escape the scene of a crime. So, I chew Reid out for not keeping his hands to himself and then send him to time out. I come around the corner to see Ross standing in the middle of the living room with blood spurting from his face. He, apparently, fell head first into the corner of our coffee table. And according to both Reid & Ross, Reid was completely uninvolved in this happening (bad mommy, of course, has already punished Reid). So, I frantically rushed around getting the kids dressed so that we could go to the emergency room. Lucy went along, but Reid got to hang with Grandma for the morning (and got a day off from speech thanks to the incident). Both Ross & Lucy were surprisingly mellow while at the hospital and fortunately Grandpa was able to pop over and lend a hand. Ross ended up getting 3 stitches (which I am thankful to say I didn't have to witness going in).
Now, I know in the big scheme of things that no major damage was done. Nonetheless, my nerves are quite shot at this point. I just can't handle seeing my kids bleed.
Additionally, yesterday marked 4 months of deployment for Jeremy. This feels like a very cruel milestone -- yes 4 months down that we don't have to do again, but the thought of doing this again two more times is sickening. I know we'll survive this, but I sure as heck am not enjoying the ride!
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