Maybe you've heard of BabyLegs... not real cheap ($12 a pair) knit "legwarmers" or footless leggings for kids... well, we have a few pair of them, but they are SUPER easy to make.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Freddy Krueger
On the Other Side of that Coin
However...
Raven has increasingly found trouble. Today it was the buttons on the DVD player and receiver. To make her stop, I tap her hands and say No. After doing this about 100 times today (or so it felt), she began to tap my hands back whenever I would try to fix the buttons she had pushed. Fun times.
Raven has increasingly found trouble. Today it was the buttons on the DVD player and receiver. To make her stop, I tap her hands and say No. After doing this about 100 times today (or so it felt), she began to tap my hands back whenever I would try to fix the buttons she had pushed. Fun times.
Imitation...
... is the sincerest form of flattery.
A scene from our house today:
Julia is playing with a doctor's kit ($2 garage sale score!). She asks me to take her blood pressure, so I affix the cuff to her arm, and we are interrupted by the phone ringing. I say, "I'll be right back. I need to get the phone."
I go answer the phone and am back promptly. We check Julia's blood pressure, heart beat, etc.
Julia then takes the cuff and affixes it to my arm. And here is where the sweetness begins. She says, "Mommy. Be Back. I get phone."
Julia then takes the cuff and affixes it to my arm. And here is where the sweetness begins. She says, "Mommy. Be Back. I get phone."
She runs off to the kitchen and I can hear her chattering to no one, then she runs back and says, "Okay, I back." She checks my blood pressure, heart beat, etc.
Too. Sweet.
erin
Too. Sweet.
erin
Hello, Minnesota! Buh-Bye, Camera!
Part of the reason I haven't blogged much in the last week is that our camera is... *sniff*... DEAD.
We visited our nieces (Laila and Hannah) this last weekend in Northern Minnesota. We had a blast! Though the weather was less desirable than we were hoping for, it was fun to snuggle in the cabin watching movies and playing and we did enjoy quite a bit of time outside playing.
So... how that relates to the camera... well, Adam brought his canoe up and I was helping him put it in the lake Saturday morning. As I bent down to put the canoe in, the camera dropped out of my pocket and into the very clear, very COLD lake. I saw it descend and the first thought I had was RETRIEVE!!!!!!!!! Adam held me as I bent down over the dock and reached my naked arm down into the VERY COLD lake to get the camera back out again. We found that the SD card still works so my pictures are still on it, but the camera itself is toast. Now I'm in the midst of researching cameras.
But, Grammy Laura was very nice to let me burn a CD of pictures from her camera from the weekend to bring home, so here are a few for your enjoyment.
Julia LOVED LOVED LOVED the Barbie car and the tire swing... the two highlights of the weekend, fo' sho'. We let Julia drive Raven around the yard a little bit (with me following closely to scream at Julia to take her foot off the gas as she didn't seem to realize she needed to watch where she was going and was often headed towards a tree). Julia road the tire swing with Hannah multiple times, and I think that the cousins truly enjoyed playing and hanging out with each other.
Lots of driving for a short weekend but... TOTALLY worth it.
Love you guys!
erin
We visited our nieces (Laila and Hannah) this last weekend in Northern Minnesota. We had a blast! Though the weather was less desirable than we were hoping for, it was fun to snuggle in the cabin watching movies and playing and we did enjoy quite a bit of time outside playing.
So... how that relates to the camera... well, Adam brought his canoe up and I was helping him put it in the lake Saturday morning. As I bent down to put the canoe in, the camera dropped out of my pocket and into the very clear, very COLD lake. I saw it descend and the first thought I had was RETRIEVE!!!!!!!!! Adam held me as I bent down over the dock and reached my naked arm down into the VERY COLD lake to get the camera back out again. We found that the SD card still works so my pictures are still on it, but the camera itself is toast. Now I'm in the midst of researching cameras.
But, Grammy Laura was very nice to let me burn a CD of pictures from her camera from the weekend to bring home, so here are a few for your enjoyment.
Julia LOVED LOVED LOVED the Barbie car and the tire swing... the two highlights of the weekend, fo' sho'. We let Julia drive Raven around the yard a little bit (with me following closely to scream at Julia to take her foot off the gas as she didn't seem to realize she needed to watch where she was going and was often headed towards a tree). Julia road the tire swing with Hannah multiple times, and I think that the cousins truly enjoyed playing and hanging out with each other.
Lots of driving for a short weekend but... TOTALLY worth it.
Love you guys!
erin
Kid Kraft Friday!
Today we hosted the first of what I hope to be a numerous amount of Kid Kraft Fridays. I invited a number of area mothers with children between 2 and 5 to come over for a craft day. Sometimes I have a hard time digging and pulling out things to make a craft with one child, but I thought it would be fun to prep a craft for a number of kids.
Unfortunately due to illness in the area, most no one was able to come today though there was definitely interest. Only one person w/ her grandkids showed up today (mom had to work today) but we still had a blast. We made sponge pumpkins and paper trees. Lots of fun! It was a challenging but engaging craft for Julia and Nile (he is almost 4).
Unfortunately due to illness in the area, most no one was able to come today though there was definitely interest. Only one person w/ her grandkids showed up today (mom had to work today) but we still had a blast. We made sponge pumpkins and paper trees. Lots of fun! It was a challenging but engaging craft for Julia and Nile (he is almost 4).
I am hosting another craft day on November 19th. We will be doing Thanksgiving crafts. Yay! Can't wait!
Erin
Erin
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A few weeks late... DUATHLON!
So... last year my crazy (love you!) friend C asked me if I was interested in doing a Duathlon in Bloomington/Minneapolis with her and her family/friends, BUT I was pregnant with Raven and was due with her just about 1.5 weeks before the event... so that didn't pan out. BUT, crazy ME said, I will do it next year!
So, earlier this year we discussed it and SIGNED UP for the Iron Girl Duathlon which was held Sunday, September 27, 2010.
For those that don't know, a Duathlon consists of a 2-mile run, a 22-mile bike ride, and a 2-mile run. Also, this particular Duathlon was part of the Iron Girl series, which are female-only events.
So... that weekend, I drove up north to Spencer, WI, to drop off the kids with my in-laws (Adam was off playing Oktoberfest that weekend), and then I drove to Minneapolis on Friday. It was great to see friends Matt & Kim and their new baby and also to see Nate & Jaime and celebrate their son's 2nd birthday.
I met with Chrissy, her mom, her sister, and friend Angela in Minneapolis on Friday night. (Angela and I had GREAT supper out with her friend P from high school!) Saturday we spent a crazy wonderful amount of time shopping, I went to a birthday party... it was a GREAT girls' weekend. :) After a dinner at Olive Garden Saturday night, we turned in for the night.
Sunday morning was a beautiful day for a run/ride and my 'wave' started at 8:00 ish. I was able to run most of the first 2-mile leg, and then I hopped on my bike.
This is where I tell you that I am NOT much of a biker. For the past three and a half years, I have either been pregnant or had a baby under one, which is not old enough to take in a bike trailer. So, I haven't done a lot of biking. So, a month or so before the race was when I really focused on training, as I knew I could ride out early in the morning and also Raven was finally big enough to pull around in the trailer.
SO... it was a big deal for me to have to bike THAT MUCH in one day, let alone as fast as I could. Thankfully Pella DOES have some hills in it and I made sure to ride those A LOT because the Duathlon...? Yah, it was fairly hilly by my standards.
I wanted to puke about 2.5 miles in, but that feeling passed and WOW, how exhilarating to complete that first lap (it was 2 laps of 11 miles) and know heading into the second that I was halfway done.
When I got off my bike at the end of the ride portion, my legs were numb. Basically, I couldn't have told you I had appendages but I could tell I was lugging around some serious concrete. So, the last 2-mile run was more like a 2-mile hobble.
BUT, I completed the event and did so in under 3 hours. (I think my finish was 2:48:43.) We went back to the hotel, showered, went out for lunch... and then I DROVE HOME. Ack. Wow. My body was dead. Thankfully my mind wasn't!
What a great weekend!
Leading up to the event, most people didn't know I was participating in a Duathlon and believe me, I didn't talk about it much. I have found that the less I think about it and the more I focus on training, the less anxious I get about the thing. I simply woke up Sunday morning and did it. Yah, that three hours was full of pain and sweat, but it was AWESOME. And, those races are like a drug... despite the pain and fatigue, I want to keep on doing them. And the camaraderie.,.. is AMAZING. I love it!
Hence why I did a Half Marathon this last weekend... but THAT is a whole other post... :)
erin
So, earlier this year we discussed it and SIGNED UP for the Iron Girl Duathlon which was held Sunday, September 27, 2010.
For those that don't know, a Duathlon consists of a 2-mile run, a 22-mile bike ride, and a 2-mile run. Also, this particular Duathlon was part of the Iron Girl series, which are female-only events.
So... that weekend, I drove up north to Spencer, WI, to drop off the kids with my in-laws (Adam was off playing Oktoberfest that weekend), and then I drove to Minneapolis on Friday. It was great to see friends Matt & Kim and their new baby and also to see Nate & Jaime and celebrate their son's 2nd birthday.
I met with Chrissy, her mom, her sister, and friend Angela in Minneapolis on Friday night. (Angela and I had GREAT supper out with her friend P from high school!) Saturday we spent a crazy wonderful amount of time shopping, I went to a birthday party... it was a GREAT girls' weekend. :) After a dinner at Olive Garden Saturday night, we turned in for the night.
Sunday morning was a beautiful day for a run/ride and my 'wave' started at 8:00 ish. I was able to run most of the first 2-mile leg, and then I hopped on my bike.
This is where I tell you that I am NOT much of a biker. For the past three and a half years, I have either been pregnant or had a baby under one, which is not old enough to take in a bike trailer. So, I haven't done a lot of biking. So, a month or so before the race was when I really focused on training, as I knew I could ride out early in the morning and also Raven was finally big enough to pull around in the trailer.
SO... it was a big deal for me to have to bike THAT MUCH in one day, let alone as fast as I could. Thankfully Pella DOES have some hills in it and I made sure to ride those A LOT because the Duathlon...? Yah, it was fairly hilly by my standards.
I wanted to puke about 2.5 miles in, but that feeling passed and WOW, how exhilarating to complete that first lap (it was 2 laps of 11 miles) and know heading into the second that I was halfway done.
When I got off my bike at the end of the ride portion, my legs were numb. Basically, I couldn't have told you I had appendages but I could tell I was lugging around some serious concrete. So, the last 2-mile run was more like a 2-mile hobble.
BUT, I completed the event and did so in under 3 hours. (I think my finish was 2:48:43.) We went back to the hotel, showered, went out for lunch... and then I DROVE HOME. Ack. Wow. My body was dead. Thankfully my mind wasn't!
What a great weekend!
Leading up to the event, most people didn't know I was participating in a Duathlon and believe me, I didn't talk about it much. I have found that the less I think about it and the more I focus on training, the less anxious I get about the thing. I simply woke up Sunday morning and did it. Yah, that three hours was full of pain and sweat, but it was AWESOME. And, those races are like a drug... despite the pain and fatigue, I want to keep on doing them. And the camaraderie.,.. is AMAZING. I love it!
Hence why I did a Half Marathon this last weekend... but THAT is a whole other post... :)
erin
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary to my darling husband, Adam! Today is our 8th anniversary. What a beautiful fall day it has started out to be!
Love you, hon!
Love you, hon!
erin
Monday, October 18, 2010
Pumpkin Patch
(forgive me for the lack of quality pictures)
Last Friday, Miss Amy and I took Julia, Raven, G (Miss Amy's daughter) and R (Miss Amy's niece) to Carroll's Pumpkin Patch. Miss Amy and I BOTH love fall, and we even both got married in October... she on the 16th and our anniversary is tomorrow. We thought it would be a load of fun to spend some time at the pumpkin patch.
We arrived a little after 10 am and played, fed goats, pumped water, held kittens, etc. Around noon we took a hay rack ride out to the patch and walked around searching for our perfect pumpkins. Julia had a blast out in the pumpkin patch looking for a pumpkin and invariably continued to pick pumpkin after pumpkin that while cheap enough, was definitely too heavy for mommy to carry with only one arm (Raven was in the other). Thankfully Miss Amy found a nice small pumpkin that Julia could carry (and that I was able to carry when she got tired!).
All of the girls were really good, and we took them to KFC for lunch after the pumpkin patch. Miss Amy and Mommy were both tired and hoping the kids were too... Raven fell asleep almost instantly... Julia followed some time later... and G fell asleep right before we got home. Raven ended up taking a longer nap in the afternoon (thank you!) after we got home, even after being transferred from her car seat to her crib. Gotta love that morning air.
While Julia was scared of certain things at the patch (for instance, a big huge jumping thing, that I was sure she would LOVE, but she started screaming almost instantly, even though Raven LOVED it), overall she did really well, and it's too bad we didn't end up doing the one thing she requested... swinging! (There was SO much to do there!) Oh, well! Maybe next year!
erin
We arrived a little after 10 am and played, fed goats, pumped water, held kittens, etc. Around noon we took a hay rack ride out to the patch and walked around searching for our perfect pumpkins. Julia had a blast out in the pumpkin patch looking for a pumpkin and invariably continued to pick pumpkin after pumpkin that while cheap enough, was definitely too heavy for mommy to carry with only one arm (Raven was in the other). Thankfully Miss Amy found a nice small pumpkin that Julia could carry (and that I was able to carry when she got tired!).
All of the girls were really good, and we took them to KFC for lunch after the pumpkin patch. Miss Amy and Mommy were both tired and hoping the kids were too... Raven fell asleep almost instantly... Julia followed some time later... and G fell asleep right before we got home. Raven ended up taking a longer nap in the afternoon (thank you!) after we got home, even after being transferred from her car seat to her crib. Gotta love that morning air.
While Julia was scared of certain things at the patch (for instance, a big huge jumping thing, that I was sure she would LOVE, but she started screaming almost instantly, even though Raven LOVED it), overall she did really well, and it's too bad we didn't end up doing the one thing she requested... swinging! (There was SO much to do there!) Oh, well! Maybe next year!
erin
Challenge Block
I believe that the more you create, the more creative you become. Like math... or, ha... excuse me... I have a super fuzzy brain today and cannot think... what I'm trying to say is that the more you use certain brain cells, the more the brain cells "enjoy" being used... the dust is shaken off and their intended purpose is once again realized.
Case in point... this block. Our quilt guild has had a number of challenges over the last few years, but either I'm not feeling creative or I have something else going on and I find myself not getting around to doing the challenge... and mostly it goes back to me not feeling creative. Let's face it, before this last week, I haven't been ON creatively for some time... and even though I am using other people's patterns, the physical act of sewing and knitting causes those neurons to start firing away.
So when I received these three paint chips at quilt guild about two weeks ago, I gladly accepted them but gloomily wondered if I would actually DO anything with them. (My friend Nancy picked out two pairs of three because I was speaking while the basket of chips was going around and I had a choice between these and a green-blue-purple trio... I picked these because I knew I had orange and yellow hand-dyeds at home...) The challenge is to make a block that contains three of the colors (one from each paint chip) plus you could add another color.
I didn't know WHAT I would do...
... but, then I was working on the baby quilt and happened upon the green lattice fabric with white daisies...
... and, I recalled an episodes of Sewing with Nancy that I watched part of at my mother-in-law's house in late September on the Dresden Plate...
... and, like that, those little neurons starting going insane and an idea was born.
I had always wanted to do a Dresden Plate but they LOOK so hard so I never have, but I figured, I could do ONE, right?
So, off to the quilt store I shot to see if they had a Dresden Plate template... and they did...
... and then back home again, and honest to Pete, in less than one hour, I had a Dresden Plate block completed. SO easy. SO fun! Now I want to do a whole bunch of them! And, I think I fulfilled the challenge rather well, dontcha think? :)
erin
Case in point... this block. Our quilt guild has had a number of challenges over the last few years, but either I'm not feeling creative or I have something else going on and I find myself not getting around to doing the challenge... and mostly it goes back to me not feeling creative. Let's face it, before this last week, I haven't been ON creatively for some time... and even though I am using other people's patterns, the physical act of sewing and knitting causes those neurons to start firing away.
So when I received these three paint chips at quilt guild about two weeks ago, I gladly accepted them but gloomily wondered if I would actually DO anything with them. (My friend Nancy picked out two pairs of three because I was speaking while the basket of chips was going around and I had a choice between these and a green-blue-purple trio... I picked these because I knew I had orange and yellow hand-dyeds at home...) The challenge is to make a block that contains three of the colors (one from each paint chip) plus you could add another color.
I didn't know WHAT I would do...
... but, then I was working on the baby quilt and happened upon the green lattice fabric with white daisies...
... and, I recalled an episodes of Sewing with Nancy that I watched part of at my mother-in-law's house in late September on the Dresden Plate...
... and, like that, those little neurons starting going insane and an idea was born.
I had always wanted to do a Dresden Plate but they LOOK so hard so I never have, but I figured, I could do ONE, right?
So, off to the quilt store I shot to see if they had a Dresden Plate template... and they did...
... and then back home again, and honest to Pete, in less than one hour, I had a Dresden Plate block completed. SO easy. SO fun! Now I want to do a whole bunch of them! And, I think I fulfilled the challenge rather well, dontcha think? :)
erin
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