I'm Going to Be a House

Well, I'm back home. After a week in Virginia with my family and lovely Spring weather (sunny and up in the 70s for the last few days), I'm back in Ohio with actually pretty good weather for us. When we left last Saturday, we had 6 inches of snow to deal with, but now that's all melted, the sun is shining and everything is a bit of a muddy mess. Welcome, Spring!

I had a great time in Virginia! Easter was a crazy day, but lots of fun. There were about 40 members of my family (including 17 of John's generation) at my parents' house for the day. My cousin Leslie organized a wonderful Easter egg hunt, John's first. In the tradition started by my grandmother, each child got a certain color egg to look for (John's color was orange). That way everyone gets the same amount of candy and the little ones have a chance to find as many eggs as the older children. To add to the fun, Leslie also sprinkled some extra candy around the yard that was fair game for children and adults alike. I took pictures of the fun, but they're on my mom's camera so I can't share them just yet. Sorry! Just take my word for it; it was a ton of chaotic fun!

I also celebrated my 32nd birthday while I was in Lynchburg. My twin sister Cat planned a little surprise birthday party/baby shower for me. It was lots of fun. She made tons of delicious food and I even had two friends drive in from out of town for it. Thanks, Kate and Emily, for coming in town to see me! Thanks, Cat, for being the best sister ever!

John did well while we were there. I was a little nervous about the big boy bed transition there, but he did great. It probably helped that Cat made him a cool Sesame Street bedspread that he got to start using while we were there. He also did well in the car so I got some good knitting done:My sister's Rusted Root. I made her try it on multiple times while I was in Lynchburg. So far so good. Not too much ripping. The Rusted Root and I might just be friends yet. This bottom picture shows the true color of the yarn.This is a cardigan I'm making for my next little guy. It's a new pattern for me and I'm enjoying it. It's knit top down. I knit the sleeves in the round so no seaming. I just need to finish the neckband and then pick up stitches and add a button band. Again, this bottom picture is the true color of the yarn.This is a small mini swatch for a sweater I'm going to make for John. I'm going to use the same cardigan pattern as I did for his baby brother. The yarn is a bit tacky, but John loves it and it's really soft and machine washable.

I also have plans to make a BSJ for my next little guy with this lovely STR from Julie, but I haven't decided on sleeve length yet so it sits in line for now.

That's all the news for now. Unfortunately, no good news on the job front just yet. We had a HUGE disappointment right before Easter, but I didn't feel like sharing our foul humor so I decided not to blog about it. Anyway, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully something will work out soon.

In other news, only 2 months to go until my next little man arrives. Currently, my butt and my belly are racing to see who can grow the biggest the fastest. Luckily, my belly is winning. As my sister so nicely put it this week: I'm going to be a house!

Happy Easter!

"Take that, Mr. Chocolate Rabbit!" A little memory from last Easter. John got this Easter basket from his grandparents. He was not a big fan of the chocolate Peter Rabbit. If only he knew the joys of chocolate.

Anyway, we're heading to Lynchburg tomorrow to spend some time with my family. It will probably be my last trip to see them before our next little guy arrives in another 9-10 weeks. Crazy! Hope you all have a wonderful, chocolate and love-filled Easter!

My Little Man is Growing Up!

My little man turned two on Saturday. He had a WONDERFUL birthday and it was much fun for us all. He also slept in his "big boy bed" (a twin-size bed) yesterday at naptime and last night--and did GREAT! I can't believe my little man is growing up so quickly!

Knitting: Take the Bad with the Good

First, the GOOD. Earlier this week, I got a little care package in the mail. Julie thought I could use a little pick me up and what could make me happier than this:

A package of knitting yumminess. Julie sent me The Opinionated Knitter so I can come to love and appreciate the genius of Elizabeth Zimmermann. She also sent me some yummies from her stash. Including my first sock yarn (Socks That Rock in Bella Coola), my first Malabrigo (in a very delicious apple green), my first alpaca (Classic Elite Inca Alpaca) and some delicious Egyptian Cotton (Classic Elite Province). I've been instructed that the STR MUST be made into a Baby Surprise Jacket. I only hope mine will turn out as beautifully as Julie's BSJs. Needless to say, this package made me VERY happy. Thank you, sweet Julie! And if anyone has any suggestions for what I should make with the rest of this yarn, please pass them on.

Now, the BAD. Although it's not SO bad. I've decided to make a Rusted Root for my twin sister, Cat. Our birthday is on the 27th. As most of you know, when I made my Rusted Root, it was ill-fated and I frogged many an attempt before I got the sizing right. I was not concerned about making another one because I had mine to use as a guide. For it to fit my sister, I just need to add a little more length in the raglan and some length at the bottom (my sister is about an inch taller than me). My sister wanted one "just like mine." But my knit shop went out of business and the next one I found did not carry that yarn. I found a different yarn that was a similar color, but machine-washable and decided it was a better fit for my sister. (She is not one to hand wash things.) Anyway, I foolishly cast on without checking gauge. After about 30 rows, I realized that the new Rusted Root was knitting up way too small.

I decided to try one needle size up, after about 11 rows, it seemed a bit too small. So I decided to try the next row up, it seemed perfect at first, but after about 25 rows I realized it was now too BIG. So I'm back to the middle size. I wanted to finish the whole thing before I went home for Easter, but I'm too worried about fit. So I'm just going to knit through the raglan and then let me sister try it on while I'm home for Easter. Normally, I would just try it on myself, but with less than 3 months to go in this pregnancy, I don't think I'm shaped much like my sister these days. Oh well. Here's hoping that the knitting goddess/god/fairy somehow finds her way to me and that this Rusted Root fits my sister.

Hope you all are doing well. Happy knitting! and have a good weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: Blizzard Edition

As we progress further and further into March, I know a lot of people who are getting Spring fever. Here in Northeast Ohio, we just survived a snowstorm of large proportions and all I keep hearing about is Spring, Spring, Spring. I know from living here for 8 years that Spring is still a long ways off. I'm okay with that. Don't get me wrong, I love Spring, but I love Winter too. This week's long overdue Top Ten Tuesday topic is

Top Ten Things I Love About Winter

10. Untouched snow

9. Hot chocolate with mini marshmallows

8. Watching my dogs run around in the snow (they love it!)

7. Christmas

6. Knitting sweaters

5. Wearing jeans and wool sweaters

4. The silence and peacefulness of falling snow

3. Curling up in front of a crackling fire

2. Snowpants

1. How beautiful everything looks under a fresh layer of snow

Can you believe the size of that snowman? It's a few miles from our house.

Hope you're all enjoying your winters! Happy snow, everyone!

Snowbound

It's been snowing straight for over 24 hours and we are snowbound. Usually the Cleveland area is not slowed down by snow, but this one has been a doozy and they are telling everyone to stay off the roads. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but Brian has been down near Cincinnati since Thursday. Not only is he trying to drive back in this mess, but John and I are going stir crazy being home alone together. We had planned an exciting trip to Target to look at sheets for John's new big boy bed but it got nixed because of the weather. Oh well. John and I did make it out to tramp around in the snow a little--although I think we spent more time getting all bundled up than we spent outside.

On the knitting front, I finished all five twizzle hats for my sister-in-law and one for John. Look at the pics, he's actually wearing it! As some of you know, in the past John has preferred an old hat of mine to the hats I made for him. I've also begun knitting a Rusted Root for my twin sister since our birthday is at the end of this month. I'm a little nervous since in my 6 month pregnant state I can't try it on to make sure it's going to fit okay. Let's hope the knitting god/goddess/fairies/karma are on my side.

As to my long absence, we've been busy with family. My parents drove up last week and spent three days with us. John had SO much fun with his grandparents. He loved building towers with Papa and reading books with Mooma. The day my parents left, Brian's sister and her husband and seven month old, Oscar, arrived from Portland, Oregon. Oscar is adorable. Unfortunately, my lack of flash on my camera kept me from getting any good pics of him. We had fun having lots of family time including my first ever Cavs game. Great fun. They won! John stayed home with a babysitter since the game was during his naptime. It's been forever since he had a sitter so I was a little worried, but he did great. All around, it's been a busy, but fun time.