why i can't move today (warrior dash).

ok, so i realize this picture doesn't fully explain why i am so sore today. it's just karl and i covered in mud from head to toe. but wait until you hear what we had to do to get that muddy! there was log rolling, scaling some muddy mountainous hills, cargo net climbing, hay bail climbing, rappelling, getting over the warrior wall, fire jumping, and finally, getting through the barbed wire covered mud pit. it was glorious. and thrilling. and muddy. i can't wait until next year!

all those obstacles explained above were spread over a 3 mile course in north plains, or. the place was amazing!! this was my first "race" ever. i figured i would sign up for this one because it's short and seemed realistic considering my lack of training. i also figured that if i didn't meet my goal i could blame it on all the obstacles, and if i met my goal, i could brag about all the obstacles. because that's how i roll.

i was actually pleasantly surprised by the results. my goal was to finish in under 45 minutes, because i am pathetically out of shape. my official time was 41:15.95, which means my pace was 12:37/m. i don't feel too bad about that, considering all those obstacles listed above. karl's time was 38:46.20, but it would have been much faster had he not been so sweet and concerned about me. honestly after the last gigantic hill, i was a little concerned about me, too. 

but we did it! 

the whole event completely exceeded my expectations in awesomeness. if i had known it was going to be such family friendly fun we would have planned to bring the kiddos and stay all day! i wish i would have been able to get more pictures to show more of the details such as the giant pile of muddy post-race sneakers being donated to GreenSneakers, or the amazing chainsaw carvings that were being raffled to benefit the wounded warrior project.

maxi demonstrates a warrior dance.

:)

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 knits:: for the boys.

ok, ok. so this one obviously isn't finished yet. that would have just been uncharacteristic of me. way too many finished projects in a row. i'm not sure i'm capable of that kind of productivity. but here's what i'm working on for max. it's the dewey cabled pullover from vintage baby knits-- this is my second project and i love this book! i am tweaking the pattern a bit and using lionbrand fisherman's wool (the pattern calls for fingering weight, and this is aran), but i'll just keep my fingers crossed that my math is right and everything will work out. this is the first time i've used this yarn, and honestly, i'm not sure why. it's lovely. i'm in love.

isn't he cute?! this is the most recent hat i've made for the hubs. i was really excited about this one because it has an inner ear flap, which not only adds extra warmth, but also covers all the floats from the color work. genius!! the pattern is simply called skull hat and can be found on the blog, knit two together.

autumn knits:: for the girls.

hooty-hoo! i finally finished knitting up these two sweaters. my friend and i started knitting the adult sized version of the pattern together way back in march! and though she finished months ago, it took me quite a while due to a few little setbacks/knitting schedule conflicts. i suppose finishing right on the brink of fall  works out perfectly though, and with the recent rain we've been having (which is quite refreshing) i find myself already craving trips to the pumpkin patch, warm muffins, and apple cider. after trying on my sweater for the first time and being wrapped in wool (this very well might be the first wool sweater i've worn), i very well might be craving more of these soon, too. it just feels so wonderfully natural and cozy, and madelynn is enjoying the thought that sheep will share their warmth with us. my girl has such a thankful heart!

i enjoyed this pattern, but found i needed to make a few adjustments. you can read those details here and here.

for a new mom.

i recently decided to make my sister in law, who just had a baby, a super chic nursing cover (i actually much prefer the term i read once on a blog, "hooter hider"). though there are lots of great tutorials out there (here, here, and here), i thought i might play around and come up with a design which addressed my own insecurities needs as a nursing mama. it is similar to one i used, but with many improvements.

i made this one go around the back of your torso. that way, if you're not wearing a nursing top, you can just hike up your shirt and not worry about showing off your muffin top (not that my super fit sister in law will have to worry about that).  plus, not having the edge be right next to baby's head makes it less likely that he'll be able to expose you. i left one side open, however, so that mom can still hone in on her mad multitasking skills. although, if you wanted to, you could easily turn the slit to the back.

another thing i thought about was fabric choice. as my babe got older, i hated throwing a cover on that blocked out all the light, and he didn't like it either. especially since at home, i just flopped out my milk makers and he ate in broad daylight. so for this one i used a really light weight jersey material that lets in plenty of light, but still blocks your booby from popping into the public's view. because this fabric was so light weight, i thought that it could use a little bit of a heavier fabric around the bottom to keep it from just floating around should there be a draft. it also happened to cuten it up a bit!

most of the nursing covers i've seen out there have boning in the front, so the nursing mom can easily peer down and check on her sweet infant, which is sweet. however, in my experience, the boning was a great handle for a slightly older infant to grasp onto and pull the cover down, defeating its entire purpose. so instead, i stitched in a line of elastic thread (first time using it--awesome!), which made a sweet little ruffle right up around the top.

lastly, i stuck a little pocket on the inside of each bottom corner to stash things like binkies, nursing pads, or a tiny tube of lansinoh.

this is the first time i've ever really sewn something without following some sort of pattern, tutorial, or at least general guidelines. maybe if i ever get another good excuse to make more, i'll go ahead and write up a tutorial.

:)

a visit long overdue.

we went for a visit to grampa jack's house today. it was a much needed "get outside" day, and a much needed visit with grampa jack. madelynn talked about it all night last night saying things like, "mommy, i love grampa jack! do you think he remembers me?" that made me realize we need to make that drive way more often! 

grampa jack's house is extra special because it is on a bluff overlooking the water, with an electric tram that goes right from his backyard down to a rocky beach.

maximus was in complete awe the whole time. he saw rocks and played with seaweed. he saw airplanes and witnessed a blue heron looking for lunch on the water, before spreading its ginormous (when did that word make it into the dictionary?!) wings and taking off. it was fantastic. and lovely. and we want to go back. forever.

my girl was treasure hunting the whole time. the whole family--aunts, uncles, grandparents, children, everyone!-- takes agate hunting quite seriously at this beach. but madelynn was in love with nearly all the rocks and would have brought then all home in her pockets if she could have.

maxi also thought that maybe despite the breezy, rainy weather, today might be a good day for a swim. 

:)

a step by step guide.

how to enjoy a (relaxing!) summer day

1. let your kids play outside in their underwear until thoroughly tired.

2. put kiddies down for their (long) nap.

3. pick a shady spot in your yard, put a blanket down, and do some power napping knitting.

4. give in a take a nap.

5. wake up and wipe the drool off your cheek.

6. walk over to that giant-saved-because-you-thought-it-was-cool pickle jar that's been sitting on your counter.

7. make sun tea.

8. decide to call gramma for some sun tea encouragement (hey, she's from iowa, she has to be an expert, right?).

9. make dinner plans with gramma for tomorrow night. 

ahhhh, perfect!

:)

cupcakes, crowns, and fun!

we recently celebrated a couple of birthdays with a trip to the zoo.

i was so happy that i finally got this book, and made madelynn a birthday crown! she was surprisingly happy about it!

as if the zoo weren't enough, we had plenty of sugary cupcakes to go right along with it.

i think it was baby remi's favorite part.

these two were having an intellectual discussion about penguins. gotta love 'em! 

:)

our weekend.

we ended up house sitting for my dad over the weekend, which turned out lovely. there's something extra special about subtracting the internet and television and adding a whole lot of outdoor time and "farm" chores.

my girl's trademark style. for now.

this girl kept dreaming up more "chores" for her to do.

:)

meet mike.

nevermind the laundry pile, just look at the cat. this is mike. mike came to our house on madelynn's birthday. i posted a few "found" ads, but no one called. madelynn thought "bike" would be a great name for a kitty. somehow "mike" was a good compromise.

mike likes madelynn, and madelynn LOVES mike. his purr sounds like a motor. he is the sweetest little kitten, ever.

he's pretty cute, too.