playing along with SouleMama.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

12 in 2012

I am playing along with That Mama Gretchen's 12 in 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable for and keep track of the goals I'd like to reach in the coming year.

1. Eat local food. This will include joining the local CSA and shopping at our farmer's market at much as possible this season so that I can preserve food to get us through next winter.

2. Buy used. My husband and I are turning to craigslist and the Goodwill in our goal to try to buy "used" as much as possible this year, everything from clothing and toys to home decor and household items. We are trying to cut down our budget as well as things like packaging and supporting companies/corporations with unfair trade practices.

3. Read Little House series. I'm not sure how I got through my entire childhood without reading this series. I suppose I got stuck in the woods and never wanted to move out to the prairie with the Ingalls family. Madelynn enjoyed Little House in the Big Woods so much, that I plan to read the rest of the series to her as well.

4. Hike! This is an old goal I am revisiting. I want to hike with the kids as much as possible this summer, and have been studying up the Washington Trails Association website, reading as much as possible about hiking with kids.

5. Run a half marathon. This is something I hope to accomplish in 2012, but if I only make it to a 10k, I'll still feel pretty good about it. Running is something I've really never done, but have no excuse not to do since I have a pretty sweet double jogging stroller and a kiddo who loves to ride in it (just need to wait until baby Milo is big enough to join him in there).

6. Become a licensed daycare provider. I have started this process twice and even though I talked myself out of finishing it both times, I still have it at the back of my mind feeling like it is something I need to do. I plan to become licensed, and then go from there, starting small to be sure it is actually a good match for my family (I think it will be).

7. Sew more. When Max was still tiny, I was pretty good about sewing clothes for the kids. To my surprise, they enjoyed wearing my creations just as much as I enjoyed making them. This will probably have to wait until the summer though, when I'm done working for the school year.

8. Spend more time unplugged. I'm specifically talking about the television (ok, computer too). We haven't had cable for about a year (minus a few months when we plugged back into just basic), but we did end up with streaming Netflix on our Wii. Though we spend considerably less time in front of the TV than we used to, I'd still like it to be less, and replace that time with time spent outside or reading or doing some sort of learning activity with the kids.

9. Finish our backyard. I have had a vision of what I wanted our backyard to be like for awhile now, but we have to first reclaim our backyard from our St. Bernard. I want it to include a tire swing, a small patio with a marshmallow roasting area, and some sort of garden space. It will first and foremost include repairing all the damage our dog did as a large puppy.

10. Visit family more often.


11. Dye fabric. I want to experiment this Summer with dyeing fabric a variety of different ways. I'd love to try out some new tie dye techniques, as well as batik.

12. Reduce. I am specifically referring to the amount of garbage my family produces. Many factors will play into this, including my above goal of thrifting, remembering my cloth grocery bags on every trip, and taking advantage of my mom's next door chickens and compost bin, as well as paying better attention to what we can recycle.

then and now.

May 2009

December 2011

I adore these kids.

:)

bah humbug

I've been struggling with the "so much to do, so little time" feeling I usually get this time of year. It adds to the hustle and bustle, the stress of not having everything just so, and the desire to BUY MORE! that I feel has taken over so much of the Christmas spirit. I noticed this year that there was Christmas decor out at many department stores before Halloween was over. What's the rush? Don't people understand the sooner Christmas comes, the sooner it's over? How can you savor the present moment, when all you ever do is plan for what's next? There have been so many years that by the time Christmas is over, I wonder where the enjoyment even was. I was so busy doing or making or buying or stressing that I didn't even enjoy it. So this year, I've decided to stop.  Stop and enjoy the "right now". Stop worrying about giving the kids the "perfect" Christmas with lots of presents. At the ages they are at now, I do not want them to get the impression that Christmas is all about toys. I want them to experience the comfort of tradition, the warmth of being together, and the love of friends and family more than anything else. Because of this we have decided to bring Christmas into our home slowly this year, adding something small whenever we feel like it. Last week we cut out and hung "tie-dyed" paper snowflakes and hung a paper-bag chain decoration. This week, the kids each were allowed to bring a tiny seedling into their room and decorate their own Christmas tree. And we'll eventually hang stockings and get our family tree sometime before Christmas, when the time feels right for us. Each time I feel the "oh no, Christmas won't be perfect!" feeling start to creep in, I'll take a deep breath and remind myself to just enjoy the present moment. I also plan to stay away from all department stores from now on. ;)

a little late.

The kiddos helped Karl get into the Movember spirit by last month by donning hand-drawn mustaches for a day (thank goodness they didn't find my Sharpies, or they may have lasted the whole month!).

Since I had no luck in my mustache growing endeavors, Karl ordered me my very first pair of TOMS!

They had special ones for Movember. Aren't the tiny embroidered mustaches great?! Toms shoes donated some money to the Movember Foundation for each pair sold, and they still sent a pair of shoes to someone in  need. Not to mention, they are super comfy and go with everything! 

:)

the boy needs blocks.

dear santa, 

please bring blocks for my boy.

this moment.

inspired by SouleMama.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

autumn sunshine.

This was a few days ago and I'm pretty sure it's the last bit of sunshine we'll have until springtime around here. It was so nice to get out of the house for a few minutes and soak it up, and I'm pretty sure baby Milo was thinking the same thing. ;)

.

baby sweater blogged here. booties on my ravelry page.

this moment

inspired by SouleMama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

welcome baby milo!

A week ago today, my family welcomed our newest member. Baby Milo Zachary joined us on 11.03, weighing in at 9lb, 6oz! We have been enjoying our time getting used to being a family of five, and getting just small tastes of what it is like for my husband and I to be outnumbered by our children. So far, so good. ;) This third babe of ours is such a joy. I had already forgotten in just two and a half years how much having a newborn around forces you to take life more slowly. I have been trying to soak up all this newborn-ness as I know now how quickly it all passes by. 

Here are some photos my mother in law took while we were still at the hospital.

Super sweet hat knit by Grandma Ferol.

:)

happy halloween in too many photos ;)

 we had a pretty last minute halloween around here tonight, but luckily that didn't take away from the excitement of it all for my littles. 

 saturday was pumpkin carving. maxi didn't care much for the pumpkin guts, but was thrilled that we allowed him to use a forbidden sharpie.

 mad was all about playing in the guts.

 how is one suppose to keep a two year old clean, anyway?

 pumpkin creations! 

 though at one point i had intended to sew up some costumes, that flew out the window when i thought i might have a newborn at halloween. silly me.

 madelynn thought my blue dress looked like the ocean, so she cut some sweet marine life out of construction paper and helped me attach it just so for a kickin' last minute costume. :)

hope your halloween was just as awesome as mine!

:)

belly shots.

I'm not sure why I want to publicly document this. Other than the fact that it makes me laugh. 

Here is my belly a few days before Mad was born. 

Here it is a few weeks (I swear it got even bigger!) before Max was born.

And here's a photo, taken just days before Little No. 3 makes his grand entrance.

Man, I was tiny with my first! Not only do first pregnancies seem to be held in tighter, but sweet Mad was only just over 7lbs at birth, while Max was just over 9. I'm hoping the growth trend does not continue with this one, and that my LARGE belly is simply a product of old, worn out abs. 

(Eww, did I just say I hope that's why?!) Ha!

:)

full of it...

"Monday's child is fair of face

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

Is bonny and blithe and good and gay."

I'm not sure why, but this poem popped into my head the other day and stuck there. So today, I decided to google all our birthdays to find out what we've got in our family. Turns out, Karl and Max are "full of woe," while Mad is "full of grace" and I'm apparently "fair of face." Hmmm... I wonder what Little No. 3 will be full of.

right now...

With the nearing of Little No. 3's arrival, I'm realizing the nesting bug definitely has yet to strike. My house is kind of a disaster, and to avoid further housework I am currently:

*using this tutorial to sew up some cloth nursing pads--won't my husband be happy to not receive panic-stricken phone calls at work from me begging him to stop at the store on his way home for another box of nursing pads?!

*snuggling sniffly artists on the couch

*and getting ready to enjoy the amazingly delicious caramel popcorn my hubby is currently whipping up in the kitchen. 

ahh... it seems my weekend is already off to the perfect start! 

:)

quick knit!

Just a quick post today to say that I just can't get enough of these socks. I had already knit a pair this summer, but I'm thinking Little No. 3 might get yet a few more pairs in the weeks before he arrives. They knit up SO fast, they are perfect for a last minute gift (hence the title of the book they are from).

more details on my rav page.

:)

love in stitches.

It's so nice to know that while this sweet little babe in my belly has plenty of hand-me-downs coming his way, he'll have a few things that were made just for him. Ok, more than a few. Maybe his grandma and I have gotten a little carried away. That whole thing about babes being super easy to shop for? Well, the same applies to knitting. :)

All of the details of these projects can be found on my Ravelry page, with the exception of the ones that were knit by my mom. The orange vest in the top right corner is the Milo, the light-colored soaker lying next to it is the Curly Purly and is knit with Lion Brand Fisherman's wool, and lastly, the super sweet tiny yellow/orange hat and vest set in the center are the Baby Cable Singlet and the Swirl Hat.

No doubt, this baby is loved.

:)

thanks, anna.

Here's a dress I made a few weeks ago. It may be the most comfy piece of clothing that still fits over my giant self. Possibly even more comfortable than my striped skirt. I used the tutorial for Anna Maria Horner's Museum Tunic, with a few minor changes. While I LOVE her fabric for this dress, I opted for a super light slub-knit jersey, which I double-layered over the whole dress. My fabric piece was long enough that I didn't have to sew the shoulder seams, the dress is basically just two long skinny rectangles sewed together with an opening in the middle for the neckline and some elastic shirring below the bust. I sewed the back of the neck closed, but left the front a deep V. I worried that the solid color and casual fabric would make it look too nightgownish, so I paired with an elastic belt I recently scored at Ross. I think it helps. And even if it doesn't, at least my belly isn't showing! ;)

Don't worry, I'm not giving anyone the death-stare in the next photo. Turns out, I am often unaware of my facial expressions. Until someone catches them on camera (thanks mom).

I'm excited about this dress, not only because I made it weeks ago and it still fits, but also because I think it has some serious potential for post pregnancy wear as well. I'm thinking the deep V will come in pretty handy for nursing.

:)

felt beads!

Here's a crafy idea! Why not spend your first few days of Fall making felt beads? Mad and I actually did this during the last few weeks of Summer, if you're going to be picky about the details. It turned out to be a super fun project, and the products will probably be transformed into Christmas gifts in the very near future.

We made ours outside so I didn't have to mind where the water was dripping. I wasn't sure if Maxi would join in on the fun, so I wanted to be prepared to have a totally two-year old safe craft. Turns out felt bead-making is totally two year old safe, but not nearly as interesting as shooting at bugs with homemade water pistols, or seeing how far felt beads can fly when being flung into the air when no one is looking. Good thing he's cute!

There are so many good tutorials on how to do this that I couldn't choose just one to link to. Go ahead and google search felt bead tutorial, and click on whichever sounds good. It's a pretty easy art to master. I actually learned how to make them when I was in middle school and my brother and I were briefly involved in a llama 4H group... but that is another story for an entirely different time!

;)

long time gone

Wowza! I can't believe I've nearly let the whole month of September fly by without a single post. We've been having computer issues, and though my mom generously loaned us an extra laptop, it's slower than I'm used to and doesn't have the same photo editing software I've been using... and since it's not my computer, I've been reluctant to upload photos from my camera onto it... but mostly I've been l a z y. I'll do my best to catch us all up since beginning of August. And then maybe I'll start posting regularly again. :)

First, Little No. 3 is still in my belly, as you can see. Yet, that fact doesn't stop me from "trying on" the latest knits he'll be forced to wear. It's funny to me when I think about the differences between my first and third pregnancies. With Mad, I couldn't wait to be DONE being pregnant. I just wanted to meet the little being growing inside of me. Whenever I was asked how far along I was, I could tell you down to the hour (haha!) how much time I thought I had left. This time around, though I am equally excited to meet this little guy, I have my other two keeping me so busy that I feel like the end of my pregnancy is beginning to sneak up on me! We have the crib set up in Maxi's room, but have yet to do much else to prepare for this sweet one's arrival. And for some reason the list seems to be growing as time is running out (set up the cradle in our room, sort out all the newborn baby clothes, get cloth diapers ready, buy baby wipes in order to avoid running in a panic to the store when we run out, sew diaper pail liner, sew more nursing pads, finish baby's crib quilt... and the list goes on!). Whenever I get started on the list, my brain automatically inserts "take nap" between each item. Good for my body, not so good for productivity.

Mad turned 5 since my last post. She also started school. Kindergarten. All day. I am absolutely amazed to see all that she has already learned and the amount of social growth that has taken place in just a few weeks since she started. Five years ago, this stage in our lives hadn't yet crossed my mind, so it feels weird to say I'm surprised by how much I am enjoying it. Watching these babes grow and seeing what comes next is such a blessing and a learning process, and I'm honestly loving every step.

And last but not least, my big guy is getting bigger. And more stylish, obviously. I have fixed his hair cut and put away the too small "horsey boots" since this photo was taken. I'm thinking these ones might have to show up under the Chrstimas tree this year, since my kiddlets have such round little foot-tops, and owning a nice pair of "horsey boots" is as close as they'll ever get to their dream of someday owning a horse (how do I make them understand we must first own a farm?!). And by the way, that Mtn Dew bottle became a cowboy pistol, which apparently makes a "pew-pew" sound and is useful for shooting sisters, bugs, and chalk grafitti.

weekend in photos

We ended up taking a spontaneous road trip this weekend to visit my sweet sister in law and my bff from high school. We are trying to squeeze as much summer out of the next few weeks as possible, before my baby girl goes off to kindergarten. 

Hope yours was just as lovely. 

:)

favorite skirt.

I've been needing a skirt like this for weeks now. It turns out this babe is riding pretty l o w, and I cannot stand waistbands. Even my full panel maternity jeans feel like they are cutting into my guts when I sit. I keep telling my husband I'm going to go find some giant, tacky mu-mu's on my next thrifting adventure (now that I see these, the mu-mu seems even more tempting), but I'm glad I have this skirt in my life so it doesn't have to come to that.

 Helllllllo stripes! I can't get enough of them and I don't even care if it's a complete fashion faux-pa. Is it?

 All I did to make this skirt was find an over-sized tee on the clearance rack at Old Navy...

 ...Then I cut the shirt off at the armpits, folded over a 1in waist and inserted some 1/4in elastic (it's just what I had closest to me). Similar to this tutorial, but without the A-line shaping. Easy peasy! 

This skirt is SO comfy!! It sits right under my belly, and I can't even feel the elastic. I might wear this every day for the rest of the summer. And then I might get some leggings and continue to wear it through the fall. I'm thinking it will be a great post-baby wear as well!

:)