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Pumpkins One, Two, and Three (and Me)

when I started the blog...

and a few years in...

and now...

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Entries by Sandra (342)

Tuesday
Sep142010

365 Project.

I was inspired by A Friend to Knit With to participate in the 365 Project (one photo a day for an entire year).  I think it will be a worthwhile endeavor, although I'm sure it will be hard to keep up.  My primary motivation is to use my camera every day--I'm becoming more and more interested in photography as a hobby and daily use of my camera will be a good thing.  Here is a link to some info and tips if you're interested too.

I began a new set on my Flickr account and put up a link on my side bar.  I imagine there will be some overlap with the images I choose to share in my blog posts (like today), but I see my blog as a space to journal about my homemade projects, as well as highlights of my family life.  With 365, I hope to capture the details of my days...things that I'll likely forget but struck me on that particular day.  Here is the first image and description to kick things off.

Nothing Matches. Dressing in the dark for my morning runs.

Cheers. 

Sandra 

Monday
Sep132010

WIP update.

The sweater I started at the beach (cast-on photo is also my new blog header) couldn't be simpler.  It's actually called the simplest sweater on Ravelry and it is a great, straight forward pattern if you're searching for an easy top-down raglan sweater.  I didn't have much of a chance to work on it last week but it's getting there.  Here is a sneak peek showing what I accomplished at the beach.  The funny looking loops at the bottom are stitches held for pockets--yes my first go at pockets!  My Ravelry notes are here.

This sweater also help me reach a significant milestone (to me) with my knitting--knitting while reading.  That may sound crazy, I know.  And I'm right there with you.  Actually, the pre-knitting Sandra is right there with you.  Because pre-knitting me thought reading a book is best enjoyed with absolutely no other mental demand.  But hear me out. 

If you have an easy project on your needles (like this one--inches and inches of stockinette in the round), you don't really have to look at it.  Well, okay, maybe once in awhile to slip the round marker.  And of course you have to stop knitting to flip the page.  But it's really doable.  And this is how I can happily report that I read two books while also knitting about 80% of a sweater at the beach.  My disclaimer is that the books were total fluff, chick lit reads and that a teensy part of me was motivated to have something to show for my time investment.  I don't see knitting while reading something by, say, Mark Helprin.

Now, the sweater.  I wasn't too sure about the colors.  But I took it to a girls night out and my friends made me more confident that the colors do indeed work.  I'm doing short sleeves instead of long and am nearly done.  I hope to finish and block it this week and will post more details then.  Happy Monday!

Sandra 

Saturday
Sep112010

Oh, looky.

I know, I know...enough of the beach pictures already.  Live in the moment.  Right.  Got it.

But look. 

Discovering where Santa summers must be shared.

One of our housemates and her kids spotted him.  My kids did not--which is probably for the best because the oldest one is already full of questions on that subject.  Sigh.  I had my telephoto lens so I could sneak a picture for my friend.  It will likely make an appearance on their Christmas card.  And I think that's awesome. 

Sandra

Friday
Sep102010

Littlest one plots access to the school bus.

  

{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.  Started by the amazing Amanda at Soulemama

Thursday
Sep092010

Beach recap, 2010.

I keep patting my pockets during the day, like something is missing.  And then I realize I'm not forgetting anything at all--there really is only one mouth to feed at a time during most of my day (not counting my own, of course). 

Little man and I are still adjusting to a new routine.  One without the big boys, now that they're in school.  Part of the struggle, I think, is we came straight off of our beach vacation where we hung out together non-stop.  For a week.  A week that was notable because everyone got along incredibly well.  And then we go straight to this...this mostly empty house.  It was not my most strategic of moves.  And I'm writing it down here to serve as a reminder for next year.  Or, good grief, in three years when our littlest one heads to kindergarten.  Excuse me while I faint.

But, ahhh, the beach.  It was, in a word, fantastic. 

                    

 

We rented a house a block and a half away from the beach, North End, in Ocean City, New Jersey.  Yes, the Jersey Shore.  But not that Jersey shore.  This town is dry which makes it a perfect family spot (you can BYOB but you avoid biker and college groups that tend to crowd many other shore rental areas).  We love the boardwalk and the amusement park.  And the gentle sloping beach that is perfect for kidlets.

The hurricane did preclude boogie boarding on most days.  But it also made for interesting waves (they came in diagonally!) and the older boys could not body surf enough.  This year, William did not take to the water much, which was okay because it was a bit rough.  But he loved playing in the sand with borrowed dinos and checking out the many craters dug by the rest of his family...

And he's definitely got the beach-lounging-thing down...

I don't think I can fully explain how much they enjoyed themselves.  And it's something I don't want to forget.  This should remind me:  we spent between 5 to 7 uninterrupted hours on the beach, five days straight.  And we would have gone back for more on that last day if the guards hadn't closed the beach due to the hurricane.  I think I need to put a huge sand pit in our backyard.

Evenings were filled with simple things, like taking a stroll that always ended with a healthy dose of ice cream.  Or heading to the amusement park on the boardwalk...

The big boys rediscovered some favorite rides from last year...

And it was littlest one's first go.  He is a daredevil so of course he loved it.  His giggles were infectious and once the older boys saw such unmatched glee, they insisted on spending their precious tickets only on rides that they could all ride.  Together. 

It was so sweet, I kid you not, that I got verklempt in the middle of a kiddie park.  And it made me forget the forty-two times over the summer that the older boys stuffed little man into a random piece of furniture to get rid of him.

 

So yes, the beach...it was awesome.  But again, it makes me miss biggest one and biggest little even more this week.    

 

Tuesday
Sep072010

Off they go.

Excitement and pride and anxiety--a potent emotional cocktail if there ever was one.  I wish I could tell them that the tug-of-war-feelings go away as you get older.  Or, at the very least, that you learn a certain grace through your experiences to better deal with them.  But one look at me gives it all away.  One look at their momma's eyes--brimmed so full with tears that a drop or two simply must escape to make room for more--says it all:  that even after you get through it yourself, you will joyfully, miserably, and nervously go through it again with your children.

I am talking about the first day of school, of course.  And yes, I was a bit of a dramatic child, why ever do you ask?

I'm sure they will be fine, my sudden second-grader and kindergartner.  And I suppose I will be too.  Didn't I just spend all summer pining for a few hours to myself to reorganize a closet or two?  To keep the foyer or powder room tidy for more than five minutes?  Well, I take it all back.  Until next summer, that is.

Because right now I just miss these two incredibly much.  I miss their noise and their needs and even their squabbles.  Until 3:40 when they get home and tear up the house, that is.

   

  

This one finally figured out what exactly was going on at the bus stop.  He misses them too.

Hello September.  We will deal with you, but we need some time.

Sandra

Sunday
Aug292010

My view this week.

     

We are ending summer with one last hurrah.  Same beach as last year.  I came up with the boys and another family for the week.  Charlie joins us soon. 

The boys are having a ball.  And I cannot believe how smoothly it's going...especially the logistics and the temperaments, despite the ratio of three boys versus one parent requiring everyone to be a bit more patient.  It's downright freaky.  I think I might even come back from this family vacation refreshed (vice needing a vacation after the vacation).  Scratch that.  I don't want to jinx it. 

 

I love the beach. 

I hope you are enjoying the last bits of summer, too.  Be back soon.  But not too soon.

Sandra 

Thursday
Aug262010

Owl vest.

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that I barely tapped into the second skein of Cascades Eco wool for my Shalom cardi.  With the leftover yarn, I impulsively cast on for an owl vest for one of the boys.  It is way too big for any of them, which isn't a huge deal as they seem to be sprouting up by inches nightly.  But the kicker is I don't have enough yarn to finish if I keep going in this size! 

I will be ripping out and restarting, making sure to gauge before beginning this time.  Luckily, I realized this after working on it for only the weekend.  Oh well...at least I'm getting in some practice on the cables. 

Cheers,

Sandra

Wednesday
Aug252010

Shalom.

I am pretty amazed and tickled--and just a bit stunned--that I am finally at a place with my knitting where I can take some yarn...  

and some pointy sticks and someone's directions and turn it into the very thing I am trying to turn it into (because we are not going to talk about the "hey, nice belt" but it was a scarf episode).  I've said it before, and here it is again, Shalom is a great pattern for a newbie knitter.  This was my first of many firsts:  top-down construction; sweater; twisted-rib yoke; sleeves; button holes.  Yipes.  But it's done. 

It took about a week and a half of fairly steady, but casual, knitting.  In my world, 'fairly...steady...casual' describes me knitting about an hour to two, in total, a day.  Now, that may sound like a lot and I don't blame you if you're wondering what had to give to make room for it in my day (feeding the kids?  laundry??  feeding herself???).  But no, not quite.  I've discovered that I can sneak in knitting in ten or fifteen minute chunks throughout the day.  Or during tv time if I indulge in any after the kids are in bed.  In fact, it is this seamless pick-it-up/put-it-down/fit-it-in-anywhere process that I adore about knitting--because it really adds up!  In this case, into a cute sweater that cannot be mistaken for anything but a sweater. 

Love it. 

 I think I'll mostly wear it open...

 

but I like it buttoned, too...

 

Public Ravelry link here, with my notes.  I'm picking out my next project asap--we have a beach trip coming up and I'd love to take something along.  Though I hear it's tough to knit on the beach with little ones.  We shall see!

Sandra 

linking up here

Saturday
Aug212010

Vanilla scones.

   

In one of our recent batches of scones, I added vanilla.  I don't know why I didn't think of that before--it's delicious.  I added it to the liquid, right before the final stir.  The post on our favorite scone recipe is here.  Oh, and I just made some lemon sugar and am eager to try some in our scones as well.  To make lemon sugar, I just mixed the zest from one lemon with two cups of sugar and let it sit, covered.  It took a couple of days for the sugar to take on a lovely, but delicate, lemony flavor.  I think it will be fabulous in several recipes--the boys love anything lemon!  

Hope you have a wonderful weekend,

Sandra