Movie Monday: Happy Thanksgiving Edition

My little Indian performs:



Just had to share. This will be a crazy week for us so I'm going to go ahead and say "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!"

This morning in the car on the way to school

Me: J, have you been talking about what you're thankful for at school?

J: Yes. I'm thankful for all the houses. (As we drive through our neighborhood)

Me: Okay. I'm thankful for the house we live in.

J: I'm thankful for the windows and trees and truck. (As we drive past some trees and a truck)

Me: I'm thankful that I have two such wonderful boys.

J: I'm thankful for the bushes. (As we drive past some bushes)

Me: I'm thankful for Pepper who is such a good dog to us.

J: I'm thankful for the Christmas trees. (As we drive past a field of evergreen trees)

Me: I'm thankful for Mooma and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa who all love us so much.

J: I'm thankful for the cows and horses and farm animals and the dinosaurs at the zoo. I'm thankful for the zoo. (As we drive past some cows)

Me: I'm thankful for your daddy because he loves me and is so good to me.

J: Airplanes live at the airport.


You've just got to love three year-olds! I'm so thankful I have one!

Crafty-Goodness

I finally forced myself to take a break from knitting to finish some baby gifts. I have lots of friends who have had babies recently (well, some not so recently now) and I just hadn't stopped knitting long enough to finish their baby gifts. So the last week has been dedicated to crafty goodness.

I made two little square loveys for two precious baby boys.


Three little stuffed heart toys complete with jingle bells and fun ribbon taggies for three baby girls.
And, my favorites, these precious little lovey dolls for two more baby girls.

While I was crafting, I decided to go ahead and make N's stocking. I still need to add his name, but it is otherwise complete. I did a transportation theme since N loves planes. I got my inspiration from these adorable backpacks I found on etsy. Go here to see the rest of our stockings.


And since I found a fire truck amongst my inspiration, I decided to make this ornament for J:

And then I had to make this plane ornament for N:

I know I made them, but aren't they just adorable?

And now I'm ready to knit again. Next on the list, this Owls Sweater. Unfortunately, my gauge is off so I have to do some math first.

I guess you had to be there

Tonight we went to Movie in the Park night in our neighborhood. I was telling J about our plans for the night. When I told him the name of the movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, he said, "Just like at school." I was confused and was trying to figure out what they had been doing at school when J clarified by saying, "Oh, no, that's Pilgrims and Indians." Anyway, for some reason this really cracked me up so I thought I'd share. It's not nearly as funny when writing it down. Oh well. I guess you had to be there.

What a Blast!

Today J and I went ice skating together. It was his first time ever and my first time in about 12 years. We had a blast! A new ice skating rink just opened really close to our neighborhood and I set up a tour and discounted skating with my moms' group. My friend Kim was kind enough to watch N so J and I could spend this fun time together. J was a little nervous during the tour, but happily put on his cool rented ice skates and slowly walked to the rink. We had two wonderful instructors Gini and Lisa who offered to help teach J, but he only wanted me. So they gave us a walker and we eased our way onto the ice. J was a little nervous, but with the power of mommy's hand, he went for it. It was just so much fun! He did some skating on his own with the walker (with me very close by) and some with me holding his hands or the walker. He loved for me to put my hands under his arms and go really fast while he held the walker. Can't wait to go back! If you live in this area, I highly recommend going. Everyone was SO nice and the facility was really nice as well.

Berry and Bramble Cardigan

I finished the Berry and Bramble Cardigan. Overall, I really enjoyed knitting this--despite my issues with decreasing in pattern. I'm glad I decided to do that (rather than have random stockinette patches as the pattern directed). I love the way this yarn looks and am thrilled that I got the yarn on sale and only spent around $13 to make this sweater. Woo hoo! However, I can't decide if I love the sweater or not. I almost always make the smallest size (which in this case would have been 28 1/2" bust), but for this one I decided to make the next size up (33" bust). Even though I'm only a 31" bust, I made the 33" size because I felt like the one in the magazine didn't close enough. I was worried that negative ease (which usually works best on my small frame) would cause this sweater not to close. Unfortunately, the more I look at mine, the more I think it may be too big. Hmmm...


Pattern: Berry and Bramble Cardigan by Mary Gehling (Interweave Knits Fall 2009)
Yarn: 6 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted Weight in 152 Oxford Grey (80% Acrylic/20% Wool/3 oz/ 85 gms/ 197 yds/ 180 m)
Needles: Size 9 circular (24")
Size: 33" bust
Modifications: None really. Just did a one stitch stockinette edge on the sleeves, neckband, ribbing and belt instead of slipping the first stitch. This kept a nice clean edge.

My Silliest Silly

J modeling his new haircut and his best silly face.

LOVE him!

My Littlest Cutie

N and I had a little photo shoot tonight. He looks so good in J's old Wonderful Wallaby. It might be my favorite thing I've ever knit for a child. Anyway, hope you enjoy these pics of my littlest cutie.

Priceless Mommy Moments

1. J eating his first cupcake (not just the icing) on Tuesday.

2. Watching J and N play Hungry Hungry Hippo together last night.

3. Watching Dinosaur Train with J today and listening to the "Every Dinosaur Poos" song. Nice.

Book List: Decent Read Edition

Bound South by Susan Rebecca White: This novel tells the story of the modern south, or more specifically the story of an Atlanta family. The opening chapter tells the story of Louise taking her mother-in-law to her housekeeper's funeral. It ends up the beloved Sandy is actually a man and her mother-in-law exclaims something along the lines of "That black man helped me with my corset" and faints in front of the open casket. This beginning full of character development, comments on the modern south and, of course, this surprising twist bode well for the book. And, in part, the novel lived up to these expectations. I was torn between the depth (including Louise's struggle between her Southern expectations and the demands of the modern world) and the surprises which I enjoyed and some of the stereotypes which frustrated me. One plot line involving Louise's housekeeper Faye's daughter really turned me off and turned a good book into just a decent one.

Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot: I have read other books by Meg Cabot and enjoyed them so I was excited when I found this novel at the library. This book is along the lines of the typical light read that I enjoy. Kate, an HR rep, is forced by her evil boss to fire a well-loved employee. Chaos ensues when the employee than sues for wrongful termination. When hot lawyer Mitch enters the scene, things really get interesting. This book follows a somewhat predictable format of girl meets boy. Girl likes boy and lusts after him even though she thinks he is evil and couldn't possibly like her back. Lots of misunderstandings later, all works out :). One twist for this novel is Cabot's use of e-mails, IMs, a diary, notes on receipts and menus, etc., to tell the story. I found this annoying at first, but soon got sucked in. It was very easy to say "I'll just read this quick e-mail and then this menu and then..." and twenty pages later I'm still reading. A bit predictable, but overall a fun little romance.

Dear American Airlines by Jonathon Miles: This is definitely the most "literary" of this group of novels. Bennie Ford, a former poet and current translator, is stuck in the Chicago airport on his way to his estranged daughter's wedding. Frustrated with his life and current situation, Bennie sits down to write a scathing letter to American Airlines demanding a refund and telling his life story in the process. Intermingled with diatribes against American Airlines and airlines in general are eye-opening stories of Bennie's past including the story of his parents, a holocaust survivor and a schizophrenic artist. Also included are excerpts from the Polish novel he is currently translating. This novel has some powerful, beautifully described moments, but overall it was just a decent read for me. I think this is a well-written book, it just wasn't my favorite type of novel.

Theodora's Diary by Penny Cuilliford: A decent read really describes this novel best. It tells the story of Theodora through her diary. Theodora is a thirty-something year-old who is determined to find her calling and help minister to others. She hopes that keeping a diary will help her become more enlightened and deepen her faith. My main complaint about this book is that nothing much happens. I mean, things happen, but there is no big moment. Just lots of little every day moments in the life of a very ordinary person. Think a less exciting version of Bridget Jones' Diary and you've got this book. There is a follow-up book. If I find it, I won't run the other direction, but I'm not sure if I'll try to read it either.

Free Style by Linda Nieves-Powell: Idalis is a thirty-five year old Latina secretary, mother of six year-old Junito, and recently separated from her husband of ten years Manny. She is unhappy with her present, unsure of the future and slightly obsessed with the past. This novel tells the tale of her search for happiness as she deals with life's questions: Will she be stuck as a secretary for the rest of her life? Is Manny the man she's meant to be with? Will she always have to deal with subtle racism everywhere she goes? Will there be a man who will stay true to her forever? A little painful at times in its realistic approach to life and love, but overall a decent read. I like a little fantasy in my reading, otherwise I would call this book great. I read to escape so too much realism turns me off. Sad, but true.

My new scarf!

This is my new scarf.

I love my new scarf.

I've been wearing it everywhere.

It love the way it looks on me.

It looks good on my fence.
It even looks good on my dog.
This is quite possibly the easiest scarf I've ever made...and also my favorite!

We had some unseasonably cold weather here in Texas. It made me want a scarf. I had one skein of chunky orange yarn. It was calling out to be a scarf. I looked around on Ravelry. I cast on for two different scarves, but didn't love them. I pulled out my book of stitch patterns and played with a bunch. Then I found the one (the purse stitch)... and my new favorite scarf was born.

The Purse Scarf
Yarn: one skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (80% Acrylic/20% Wool/ Super Bulky/ 6oz/ 170g/ 108yd/ 98m)
Color: Pumpkin
Needles: Size 19
Finished size: Approximately 7" by 68"

Pattern:
Cast on 12 stitches loosely.
Knit 1 row even.
Next row:
K1, *yo, p2tog* repeat between **s until last stitch, K1.
Repeat patterned row until you are almost out of yarn (about 6 feet left).
K1 row even.
Bind off all stitches.

Enjoy!

Oh, what a Night!

Well, we had a blast last night for Halloween. The boys, B and I all went out trick or treating with another family in the neighborhood. Once we joined up with our friends, J got very brave and really got into trick or treating. N had a blast climbing up and down off people's porches and putting candy into his pumpkin. Then we came home and handed out the rest of our candy (we'd left a bowl out while we were trick or treating). About 8:15 we ran out of candy, turned out our lights and called it a night. It was so much fun watching our boys have so much fun! Definitely our best Halloween yet!

N, the garden gnome:

J as Spiderman:
Making silly faces on our way to meet our friends:
Our three Star Wars trick-or-treating companions:
Our trick-or-treating group:
N loved this bowl with the moving hand:

J enjoying his first piece of candy after trick-or-treating:
Hope you all had a fun-filled Halloween!