Make Hay While the Baby Sleeps

Isn't that how it goes? Hope you all are having a nice holiday. Lots of family here. Kind of whirlwindish for not doing very much.

Starting to feel like myself again. Here's how:

1. I'm halfway through the heel flap on the "Eleanor" sock. (it's not very tall, and it's on 2.75mm needles and just regular stockinette. But lots of fun.)

2. I'm considering what I can make for the Afghans for Afghans Newborn Campaign. Probably baby hats.

3. I'd also like to make a few hats to give back to the hospital where El was born.

4. A little friend turns 1 the week after new years. She got a pretend kitchen for Christmas (to share with her big brother). I'm thinking about making her an apron and some cloth food. (I've seen this on a blog somewhere, but Google is not helping me right now.) Or making her a softie might be good too (like the pointy kitty or the Wee Bunny.)

5. I do still have one batch of Christmas presents to send out yet. But, I think, otherwise everything made it to where it was supposed to go in a timely manner.

6. The Switcheroo is coming along. We're at the point where we need to commit to trading the rooms. The first needs the trim to be reinstalled. The second needs to be emptied and painted and we'll be off to the races.

7. Not to mention that I'd like to get El's and the Monkey's quilts finished so I can start on a quilt for me and a quilt for Project Linus.

Handmade at the Hospital

On Thursday, my daughter was born. She was 6lbs, 13oz, 19 1/2" long and thankfully darn near perfect. Due to a surprise C-Section, we got some extra days at the hospital. It was funny to see what turned up there. At one point I saw the scene above: The baby in her hospital T-Shirt, diaper, and swaddle with one of my flannel blankets and a Christmas hat knit by a hospital volunteer (white brim, red fun-fur stripe, ecru top, green pom-pom with jingle bell. she jingled when we burped her), DH in his flannel pajama pants and the quilt from our living room.

Early one morning when I was starting to feel better, I started this:

I'm calling it my "Eleanor Sock" - (no relation to any pattern of the same name) STR Thistle, lightweight, 2.75mm needles, 60 stitches, stockinette socks for ME!


Here we are waiting to go home. El's wearing her sweater and flannel pants and the onesie made by La in the big sister class.

What 5 looks like

La turned 5 today. Here are the highlights:

1. Three cakes. Hannah Montana, Scooby (both from the Publix bakery), and these cupcakes (from a mix. French Vanilla, with Chocolate Fudge icing, sprinkles and Barbie sugar decorations. Highbrow. But delicious.). La helped but was "secretly" all about licking beaters, spatulas, forks, the bowl, etc.

2. A friend party at Monkey Joe's on Sunday and today a school party (goody bags for both parties) and presents at home.

3. Picking McDonalds for her birthday dinner. (As a comparison, the monkey usually picks sushi.)

4. Opening family gifts before breakfast. She got good loot - princess pajamas from one of my aunts (the fit great and she's looking forward to wearing them to a school event), handmade tic tac toe, an apron, and nurse hat from another aunt of mine (she and DH played a game of tic tac toe before school - it'll be great to bring to restaurants), roller skates and a hotwheels track with a loop-de-loop from us.

Made it through this one. Two more birthdays in the next two weeks.

Nearing Commencement

OK. Sort of a random update today:

1. I have an induction scheduled for 12/13, if I need it.

2. Almost no knitting has been going on. I have ambitions, and at the same time doldrums. I would love to make a pair or two of mittens for Soaring Eagles, but I just can't seem to cast on. The last thing I've been knitting was the sleeve for DH's sweater.

3. That fleece quilt project is finished - I found a piece that was just the right size in my stash and lined the back. It's a very popular blanket for couch loungers.



4. The other fleece project (for Christmas gifts) is winging it's way to upstate NY (Schaghticoke and Deansboro). Hopefully it's not tropical weight fleece or something dorky like that. My Grandma Mercier was always skeptical of any wool/winter coats sold in Florida and I can't help being suspicious of the fleece I used. My mother told of her adventures of outfitting my other Grandma with a winter coat, talking about a "stadium length" coat. Had to remind her that I grew up in Florida and had no idea what stadium length is (apparently, it covers your fanny.)

5. There is some sort of Pack and Play fairy out there. One evening, I came home and the monkey had come across the pack and play that we registered for on the front porch along with a box of aluminum cans from two houses down. (He brings them to the aluminum place and makes money off of it.) The neighbors who brought the cans denied knowledge. The other neighbors (in between us and the can-givers) denied knowledge. Our old neighbors who moved around the corner denied knowledge. Our friends who have a boy the same age as the monkey and who live in the neighborhood across the way deny knowing about it. So, we're still on the quest for the pack and play fairy. We haven't asked DH's little sister if she knows about it, but we saw her last night and she didn't mention it. There was no label - to/from, receipt, nothing.

6. La is having her birthday party at Monkey Joe's Sunday afternoon. We are officially out of the "convenient" window for having the baby, until after the party, at least, prefereably until after her real birthday, early next week.

7. I decided since the baby will be born by Dec 13, we could wait and have picture cards made. I found at least 7 boxes (some full, some partial) of Christmas cards in my desk this week and was tempted to send some of those out, but we'll just send out late cards with 3 kids.

8. On the room swap front, the first room is painted, the carpet is out and the slab is partially "evened out" (using some kind of scraper to get rid of high spots.) It's hard to take a picture of it right now.

Recently Overheard

We were playing a version of hide and seek last night where the purpose was to scare the other person. La and I were on one team, DH was the other. DH was "a monster", La and I were "pirates".

me: "What's a pirate's favorite letter?"
La: "A. What's yours?"
me: "V. Go ask your dad that question."