socks socks socks!

I finished them! (just in time for the hottest summer ever)

Yippee Skippie!




Start date: November
End date: June 14th
Yarn: Lana Grossa
Color: 503
Needles: US 0 & 1
Recipient: Me!
Pattern: toe up, 3x1 rib

I started them quite a while ago, last November I think. I had gotten the yarn on our anniversary last year... So its about time they are finished!

I decided to actually bake some bread at home. What a crazy idea right?! I do it at work but have never baked bread at home. Anyways I was asking my self why I don't bake at home and not have to buy it from the store, and I couldn't come up with an answer. So here is my result! looks pretty good eh?! I was happy with it, it did rip open a bit on the one side but there is always room for improvement! It tasted great, and its almost gone so i think I'll be making some tomorrow.



My MIL brought over a whole flat of fresh picked strawberries this afternoon. They are sooooo yummy! They almost melt in your mouth! This means it strawberry picking time. The last two years we've gone. Its so much fun. At the end of the picking the kids faces are completely red and so are their clothes. Its hot out there and it kind of hurts your back but man is it worth it!

Over the last few weeks I sort of got out of my running and exercising (mostly because of the shock of hubby's brother, i think), but I picked it back up this week! I didn't want to fall back into my laziness, so the past few days I got out of bed early and went running!(I think most people would call it jogging, I don't go that fast;) I think I've got myself down to a 11ish minute mile. Back in the day of my cross country days I think I could do a 7min mile. But that was in my bkb (before kids body). Either way I'm glad I'm doing it again!



Kids.

I think C and G look a lot a like.

Not exactly or anything, but quite similar!
I think G is older than C in this pic, but its the closest I could get. I can't believe how big C is getting, she is going to be crawling before I know it and then I'm really going to be in trouble! Ahhh.

If she is anything like L, she was walking with assistance at 10months. And she hasn't stopped! L is always getting into something, she is my climber. I think she thinks she is equal with G, she copies him to the t.

More FO's to come... something to do with tiny feet!

Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego?

You scored as Goofy, Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You arn't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things. Goofy 81% Sleeping Beauty 75% The Beast 69% Peter Pan 56% Cinderella 50% Donald Duck 50% Pinocchio 44% Snow White 44% Cruella De Ville 38% Ariel 25% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

I saw this quiz over at Christy's blog. It looked like fun so I tried it.

*knitting update*
My socks are almost done... All I have to do is bind off and weave in ends... Pictures soon to come! Maybe during nap time I can squeeze it in!

I'm back!

So I guess I owe you all a camping update... We had a pretty good time considering that it was cold and wet most of the time. And then L got pink eye just a few days into it, and then C a few days after that. I'm just thankful that we were close to home so we could take her to the doctor. Friends of ours let us use their pop up camper. It was nice to be off the ground and in a non wet area while sleeping.

This is C and I the first day there. The sling sure came in handy on this camping trip. I just need to make a more light weight one for these hot summer months coming up. Here is a site for making cool baby things.... check it out!

The kids had a blast, being outside for a whole week was beyond them. They were a bit crazy and had to be corrected every now and then but if they didn't they wouldn't be kids right?!



(Click pictures for bigger)
It was quite the nature week we saw all types of birds and butterflies. The cutest little chipmunks and red squirrels or maybe they were fox squirrels, either way they were cute too! We even saw a turtle on one of our walks!



The kids loved all the animals! You would think they are deprived because they don't have any pets.... That's a topic for another day.



Then there was those rascally raccoons. Those things were all over the place, before it was even dark. unfortunately I only got a picture of one when it was dark out... I'm not sure if you'll be able to see it or not. One even got into our cooler when we were facing the other way! We were not even ten feet away from him. From then on we made sure to put the coolers in the van right after we were done with dinner, not right before we went to bed....


This is the kiddos in their rain gear. G has his dino rain coat while L only had a poncho form way back when we visited Allena and went to the zoo. Hmmm, why does it always rain when we go somewhere?!




We did have a few nice days too, they weren't all rainy. We even had a day that was warm enough to take a walk down to a vending machine and get some ice cream sandwiches! Yummy!




There was a nice boardwalk over the marsh. We didn't see many animals there though. G Liked all the pictures of the animals throughout the boardwalk... even if he didn't get to see them in real life.






I think one of my favorite parts of the days was breakfast time. We roasted breakfast sausages over the open fire (thanks to L not wanting to wait for the fire to cook down low enough for the grill to be put on:) Then we made pancakes on a griddle and had scrambled eggs too. Oh don't forget the coffee made over the fire too!




Camping was a bunch of fun! Looking back I'm kinda glad it was chilly out because it made sitting next to the fire that much more enjoyable! The kids even wanted to settle down once in a while and snuggle on our laps and just stare at the fire. How awesome it was to spend some time away from modern convenience's and just enjoy this wonderful world God made for us! I think next time we will be better prepared and have even more fun.







C always has her fist/thumb/fingers in her mouth. Like all the time. I think we might have a problem.... She will even rip out her nuk to put her hand in somehow. arhg. But it is oh-so-cute if i can say so myself:) I took her hand out for this picture and this is the look I got from her... Hey why'd you do that?! Two seconds later it was back in.





On the knitting front I made my nice Lilly a shrug and gave it to her, and forgot to bring the camera to take a pic of her in it... oh well. It was the same as L's pink one only a little bit bigger. While camping I didn't knit much,too busy! But I did work a bit on some socks that I had started a good while back. I only have to finish the cuff on the second one and then I'll actually have a finished pair(I'm doing them toe up)! I have a few other socks that are very lonely, the second one just doesn't' want to be knit.... Its that silly second sock syndrome. One of these days they'll have their second sock to the pair and finally be happy that they can fulfill their destiny of being worn and loved till the end of their days! Hopefully by the next post I'll have a beautiful new pair of socks to show you all. Until then, have a wonderful week!

Gone Camping....

We took a vacation week to go camping! Sunday to Friday at a local state park(about 15 minutes from our house)... Why am I posting on Monday, you ask?! Well it started yesterday, we were packing up and the second we got loaded up in the van it started to rain, really rain, like pouring. Anyways we were rather optimistic and thought it might go away soon. When we arrived at the campsite it was only drizzling and then eventually it stopped. Thank goodness! Then it rained last night and started again late this morning. We decided that if it was coming down hard, we'd come home for the kids naps and gather some things to help us through the bad weather(tarps, ponchos/rain coats). So here I am blogging:)

So I'll be back on Friday or Saturday to share our first camping adventures with you all. Hopefully the weather will clear up, but if not we'll be a little better prepared tonight!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Rhubarb Kuchen

So here it is the yummiest rhubarb thing ever! A must try!






Rhubarb Kuchen

Crust:
1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 c. butter
2 T. milk
1 egg

Custard:
3 eggs beaten
2 T. flour
1t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk

Streusel:
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
2 T. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients like a pie crust, add egg and milk and pat dough (do not roll) into a 9x13 pan. Fill with about 4 c. of cut up rhubarb. Mix custard and pour over rhubarb. Then put streusel crumbs on top and bake @ 350 degrees for about 1 hour. (Then I put the oven on broil for about 5 minutes to get the top nice, brown and crispy!)

Serve it hot with ice cream or cold or even at room temp. Its yummy how ever you have it!

I "heart" spinning!

I thought I'd post quick before going to bed. I'm not sure if I'd have time to tomorrow so I guess staying up a bit late won't hurt ;o) right?!

Tonight was knitting night. I had fun! I brought some rhubarb kuchen, it was gone pretty quick, I think I'll post the recipe here soon. Maybe tomorrow or the next day...Since people have asked for it, of course. Its super easy and yummy! Its a must try if you like your rhubarb.


I finally broke out my spinning wheel today and spun. Oh how I love to spin! I need some more roving.... maybe something with color... can you say birthday wish list? Hmmm.....

Anyways it was a beautiful day out and when C went down for her late morning nap I took my wheel and other two kids out to play. It was great, they played while I did some spinning. I was only out for a little over an hour but earlier tonight I noticed that I got a bit of sun burn. oops, I need to remember that sun screen! I'm so white and I burn so easily. And no it wont turn into a tan, I'll peel and then return to a nice pasty white, with a few more freckles.

Ok so back to the spinning. I had a bit of roving back from the stuff that I was spinning before I had C.... anyways I figured that I should finish it. Silly me forgot to take a pic of it all plyed and done in hanks/skeins. Here it is all spun.

I love the weather, Its so nice to be outside with the kids! They always have a blast. I said I'd never have a sand box.... but lookie what we have here. They just love it. But its so messy. I can't deprive them of a sand box can I?! That stuff gets all over. Oh well It keeps them busy for at least a good half an hour:) Hence, I finished my spinning.

Sorry for the crazy little sporadic post, its getting late, I need sleep!

FO's and Pictures

So I finished L's little pink shrug thing and put a button on it. It helps to keep it on. Although the next one I make I"ll put the button a bit further down. These go really quickly, I love em! I want to make L a white one and purple one (and maybe some other essential girly colors). I told my niece Lilly that I'd make her one, she wants a pink one too.

With all that has been going on this past week or so I totally forgot to make a wedding gift that needed to be done on Sunday. On Saturday morning Hubby asked if I was still planning on making the wedding gift, for the next day. Luckily I was going out to the shop for sheering days (we had them two weeks in a row)(cute llama pics below). I was able to buy the yarn and knit most of them on the down times. I made them little sweater ornaments for Christmas. I know its kinda out of season but I had done it before and the last couple really liked it, so I thought I'd do it again. This way they can think of their wedding day when they are decorating their tree every year. I also made tiny little hangers, I think they are my favorite part! Then I embroidered the date of their wedding. I also didn't feel bad not spending too much money on them because both hubby and G were standing up in the wedding, just between those two we spent over $200. Weddings are crazy expensive!

Of course being at a wedding gave us a great reason to take some family pics! By the time we did though L was totally ready for bed. I know it doesn't look it but it was 8 o-clock.

G loved having a tux on. He didn't want to get it dirty. I had to tell him that it was OK to sit down to get this pic of him and C. Like I said L was being a stink pot and didn't want to be sit down with them. too bad it would have made a really cute pic of the three of them.

Yes the girls match. Is that bad of me?! I think I'll make them match whenever I can. Secretly I've always wanted to have twins. Ok so I guess its not a secret anymore. I think that would be so much fun, except for the whole pregnancy thing. Its hard enough with one in there!

Anyways I snapped these pics before the wedding. You know, when L was still happy. The best thing about these dresses is that I found them on clearance for $7 each! Not too shabby eh?! I love a good deal!

Other than the wedding things have been kinda quiet lately. I need to get my wheel out and spin a bit, Its so relaxing. I hope you all had a lovely weekend!



Cute llama pics! as promised:)

(click for bigger)







































Bye!

we lost a loved one

I'm still here. I just haven't felt like blogging.

Our family had a very hard week. My husband's brother passed away late Saturday night. It was unexpected and quite frankly a shock. It has been so hard going through this and even harder watching my husband and our family go through this. I feel helpless.

But God is good and doesn't make mistakes. All I can do is pray that he will help me through this and help his family be comforted in this hard time.

I really want to do something for his family in the way of knitting, but I'm not sure what. I just want to use my talents somehow to comfort them. I was thinking of knitting a big throw with his name in it or something along those lines. But I'm not sure if that is even a good idea. I guess I'll think on it a bit more. If anyone has any ideas I'd be glad to hear them.

I felt like I should let you all know whats been going on. Hopefully I'll feel like crafting again soon.

Thank you in advanced for your prayers!

Sheering days

Today was sheering days out at the shop! It was fun, and actually it is going to be next week Saturday too. From 10 - 4 if anyone is in the area! Come and visit the cute llamas!

I thought I'm bake some cookies to share out at the shop. I actually tried a new recipe! And for those who know me I usually stick to the same old chocolate chip cookies(with a hint of cinnamon). I was pleasantly surprised, they were really yummy!

They were so good I'm going to share the recipe with you all!

My mother actually forwarded them to me a while ago but they came without a name...

so here they are:


1c. butter
1c. sugar
1c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2c. flour
2 1/2c. oatmeal (measure then blend in a blender to a fine powder)
1/2tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
12 oz chocolate chips
4 oz Hershey Bar(grated)
1 1/2 c nuts (your choice) *I used walnuts

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, and powder. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

They are really yummy, like a cross between a chocolate chip and an oatmeal cookie

I think I'll dub them the Oatmeal Chip Cookie. Sounds good right?!

Ok, so sheering days... here are one of the Llamas new do's. Isn't she cute?!

They are so skinny under all that fiber!

Here is another one before Sheering. I just love llamas, I can't wait until I can move out of the city and have a wee bit of land and have a few animals of my very own! I'm not sure if that will ever happen but you never know.

A fellow spinner and goat raiser brought some of her cute little angora goats(this is just their name, they produce mohair, weird I know)to join in the fun. They are only 7 weeks old! I captured the darker one nibbling on the others horn. I thought it was too cute! (click for bigger, on all pics)

I'd like some of these too. On my land I'd also have some chickens so we could have fresh eggs every morning. I'd probably have to get some sheep to just so I could have some wool too. I'm not asking for much but a few of each type of animal. *grin*

I'd love to live in the middle of nowhere and just live off the land, as much as we could anyways. Have some animals and a great big garden. You know go back to the simple but hard working lifestyle. Hubby would totally go for that too. He loves to hunt too so we'd be covered in the meat department too. So really its just a matter of the funds. I really dislike how almost everything comes down to money. I know its not really in my hands, God has a plan for me and I'm just suggesting what I think I might like. But he is the only one who really knows what will become of me and my dreams of living nowhere raising my animals and growing a garden....


So I singed up to bring in treats to our ABF(adult bible fellowship) tomorrow, and I instantly thought of rhubarb. My MIL gave me this awesome recipe for rhubarb kuchen. Its one of my favorite things ever! The rhubarb came from her backyard too. Anyways it just came out of the oven. It smells soooo yummy! Here is a pic! If we could only send smells through the internet...

Have a lovely weekend.

Progress?!

Last night was knitting at the shop. As much as I love to go I sometimes hate to knit there. I know you thinking why would you not like to knit at a knitting night?! well this is why.

I started another one of these capelet/shrug thingies for L because the first one went so fast. I took it to knitting and then returned home again. When I picked it up I saw a huge ugly mistake. I instantly tried to undo it... but couldn't. Somehow I managed to move the raglan decreasing over one stitch, on one side. I should of taken a pic before i did anything, but sadly i didn't. So I picked up stitches and frogged back to where it was all good.

I didn't think I'd have to think that much about this pattern but i guess looking at it once in a while would have helped.

What I think happened is the stitch marker got moved over one stitch... argh.

Here C is trying to lift her head...





And L's new summer do. It keeps the hair off of her neck and out of her face, this hairstyle is brought to you by Amy:) (*note to Amy, I did three, two on top and one in the back. This way the hair doesn't' fall out) Thanks!