Getting Back to Being Me

Have you missed me? I've kind of missed me. I didn't even know that I liked myself that well. Guess I always just took myself for granted. (he he)

OK- here we go with a real live post.

So Little Sir and I have been doing some fun things the last couple of days- and it has been great. On Saturday he and I went garage sale-ing. I haven't done this for such a long time. I really love it because 1. I get to see the strange things that other people have collected over the years and 2. I get to buy things that I otherwise wouldn't because it the cost is so minimal.

So I don't have a little girl (yet) and I'm not the kind to buy cute little girl's clothes and store them away hoping that I will be able to put them on my adorable child one day- but I do have a particular soft spot for vintage baby clothes. (You may have notices that some of Little Sir's baby pics were in cute vintage things. ) Well, when I come across a box of 30ish year old dresses for a quarter a piece, well, I don't feel bad about buying the one bit! And maybe some of them will even fit my new adorable niece (who now has her own blog BTW- you might check it out - The Cabbage Patch Kid.)

I also found a real Sunkahan (Kumusta mga Pinoy na kaibigan!) The family had been using it as a candle holder. (for shame!) At least they hadn't burned the candles on it. For those of you who don't know what a Sunkahan is- it is a Filipino board game somewhat like Mancala, only more complicated.



Later Little Sir and I went to a near by beach and chose enough small smooth stones to play the game. I am looking forward to whipping the Duke on this board. He still hasn't figured out how I always beat him (it's the Filipino heart beating inside of me.)



Today we had to run some errands, but other than that, stayed home and did some crafting. John Henry loves to "enrich" my crafting experience by a fun little game he has concocted of hiding the next tool or supply that I will need. He is very good at it (it's the gremlin heart in him!)



I got my sewing machine out even!

I started with an easy project our church is doing, sewing small pillows for breast cancer patients to put under their seat belt strap where it hits their breast. East and fulfilling- I got several done while Little Sir was napping.

Then onto the beginning of another craft I have had in my mind for a few days now.



It's a little felt book for Little Sir. This is the cover and next I will begin working on the pages and the felt pieces. I am very excited about it. I hope that it will help keep him happy (and quiet) in church. He was an atomic toddler yesterday!

Last by not least, I am simply loving my new spinning wheel and I greatly enjoying the return of mine and the Duke's tradition of me spinning or knitting in the evening while he reads to me. Could there be anything more relaxing?



Yes, I am defiantly feeling more like myself than I have in a long time. It really does feel wonderful.

Oh, and if you want to see some really adorable photos of Little Sir, head over to the adoption blog. There are some really fun new ones.

A Happy Discovery

Yesterday I had lunch with a group of moms and their babies. There was a little girl there wearing the cutest Dr. Seuss onesie. I asked her mom where it came from and she said she thought it came from Macy's. I was surprised, I didn't know Macy's had a children's department.
Today Little Sir and I went there today to hunt down a little Dr. Seuss gear. We were happily surprised to find two Dr. Seuss onesies- and a great sale going on. (I could only find a picture of one of them.)



We also had another fun discovery. Macy's has a line of baby clothes called Green Dog that I just love. It also happens to be pretty reasonable (especially when Macy's is having a big sale.)

There was a much bigger selection in the store than they have online, but here is a little sampling of the line.




We picked up a few outfits for "W" and a few for Little Sir. Such fun buying baby clothes!

Thanksgiving

The Duke, Little Sir, and I had a nice quiet day at home together. We had a simple but delicious dinner, watched the dog show (one of our favorite things about Thanksgiving,) spent time together, and oddly. . . installed a new microwave. (Yes, Daddy Shark, that means you are off the hook on Saturday.)


A Turkey Breast is much easier and faster than cooking an entire turkey. Stuffing from a box, green beans from a can, but I did actually make twice baked potatoes- my favorite way to have potatoes. There is also some pink Jello salad to make my Utah born and bred hubby feel like he was home :) -- Little Sir had his dinner a bit before us. You'll notice his 'leftovers' sitting there with him.

Yes, my Duke is a tad bit, well let's say restless. He doesn't sit still and/or relax very well. He is either asleep or working on a "project." Yes, being his wife can be exhausting at times, how did you know?

I am so thankful for the men in my life though.


Here they are in the three minutes that the Duke actually sat down during the day.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Little Sir arriving safely, the Duke graduating and finding a job that gave him the flexibility to be with me while I was sick and laboring, our moms who came to our rescue, and our friends and families that supported us, prayed for us, and showed us more love than we could ever imagine possible.

Sweet Sunny Day

It was a beautiful day in Seattle today. I took my not so beautiful marketing reading out into my sunny backyard, rolled up my pants, and remedied the "I haven't seen the sun in nearly a year" look I had going on on my legs. Yes, I used sunscreen, I actually don't like to be very tan, I think my particular skin looks better a little on the pale side, but the color of my legs was more like what you might expect in a morgue.

I also indulged in a little knitting time, and convinced the Duke that we both needed a walk on the beach. We only live five min. from several beaches, it's a shame we don't remember to do this more often. I forgot my camera, but imagine:

fine sand between my toes
my sweetie, removed from all distractions
sun and a crisp sea breeze
and the entertainment of what we finally surmised must have been a beginning sail boating class, the instructor seemed terribly stressed, lots of fog horns sounding.

It was heaven for an hour, and we needed it.

The baby blanket edging is moving forward, but it is boring, so some socks have been started to keep the sanity flowing, if even a little bit.




Go With the Flow socks from Interweaves Favorite Socks.



less knitting but a more true representation of the color.



This is yarn I dyed myself and I must say that I am love-love-loving how the color is knitting up. I think it might be the perfect semi-solid pink, which of course means I'll never be able to duplicate it! Such is life.

Note on the pattern: As the instructions read, the pattern on the upper part of the instep calls for 2 stitches fewer than the complete lace pattern, so I added two stitches to the upper part and will simply decrease an additional two stitches on the lower part.

Also, I wanted to mention that I listened to Willa Cather's O, Pioneers! as I knit the Baby Surprise Jacket. It was wonderful. It may be the model for the perfect book for me. Fiction, yes, but a classic, so it's mostly forgivable. Naturally it is beautifully written, descriptive without being over the top, and kept my interest throughout. The main characters are well developed and more or less 'real' although I did wonder about the lack of weakness in the main character, Alexandra. It is revealed, but only partially, and near the end. Some of the lesser characters are flat, but that is fine with me as I don't like lengthy descriptions and set ups. The end is what really made this book for me. It was real without being overly tragic or sappy. It didn't end with a shock, which I hate, as life never ends with the climax, there are always consequences and effects, this book lets you see that too. I enjoyed it thoroughly.