besporyadok

dad's place

last weekend we went to the cape to my mom's on what would have been my dad's 80th birthday. we took bunny to the beach and left the little man home with my mom. bunny loved the water. my dad loved the beach, too and i couldn't help but to think how much fun my dad would have had with her, holding her in the water, throwing her up in the air and maybe swimming up and surprising her from the deep. and i can hear the whoop he'd make, when he burst through the surface. in my mind's eye, i see them on the beach holding hands...damn, dad i do miss you.

corner crazy

corners of my yard

despite the heat and the neglect due to new baby, my hydrangea bloomed for the 1st time this year. i have always loved these flowers; i was so happy to see them!

corners of my home

corners of my home

ok, this is from last december, but i love it anyways - and it think it's a perfect picture for respite from the recent heat, which still has elements of summer. it's a picture of a mermaid i bought on nantucket when we were theer for our anniversary in our garden window. i like to think the snow on the top of the window is sea foam...

.

where does the time go?

well, i guess i know where a lot of it has gone: meet joey, born june 2d, named in memory of my father -->

apart from being a nursing, madly, um, constantly, he is a very, very sweet boy. bunny wants to love him to death and at the same time desperately wants the days of "mommy-all-to-myself" back. this has been the hardest part for me - how to deal with her feelings and 2 year old behavior, how to manage and hold the baby at the same time...

here she is with salvadora dolly (we also have dolly madison and dolly lama, but salvadora is our favorite):

ah, he's up. will post again later...

happy birthday bunny!

today, bunny is a sweet, energetic, fun, creative, amazing and i hope happy 2 years old! she has so much to say and so many new words everyday. such kisses and hugs and interest and amazement in everything. we are just so lucky. we won't celebrate the day until later this month, when both grannies can come, but i did make some clown cupcakes for her to bring to daycare today (i let the frosting get too soft, so they're a little snowman-esque - bunny called them "santa":

On the sewing front, i just have the back of the big nap pillow to finish and sew to the front. i sort of wish i had used some heavier fabric for it now, but i guess it will be ok - i do think the MunkiMunki is cute and works well together. sewing is still such a mysterious world... anyways, it's a good thing we're celebrating bunny's b-day later, since the pillow's not finished and as i said, today his her b-day.

I also xeroxed some patterns for stuffed animals i wanted to try to make out of a couple of the japanese craft books i bought (trying to make good on my investments!). will try those & Hilary's (of Wee Wonderfuls) Pointy Kitty Pattern after i finish the nap pillow, of course.

speaking of japanese craft books, CraftyPod has an interview with Maitreya, creator of Crafting Japanese, which is a really good listen! Maitreya is also the creator of MarthaDex, which i mentioned earlier, in my last post.

Anyways, here is the top of the nap pillow:

Other fiber news: i did finish my "scarf," and while it kept me out of trouble the week i was on bed rest, it needs help... or rather a probable complete unravelling. it's a good example of why a novice might want to use instructions or patterns. it's very wide. on the other hand i loved the yarn and it is warm - i pinned it over my shoulders. maybe i could felt it in the washing machine and make something out of it?

can't think of anything that we've cooked lately that was fabulous or interesting. being pregnant i'm either ravenous: let's eat NOW, instant gratification or nothing interests me. we did try trader joe's samosas, which were pretty darn good and tonite we might make red-chile, beef and shitake mushroom  stroganoff, which is pretty good. basically stroganoff, but you add ancho or chimayo chile powder.

what's cookin'

this weekend we made one of my favorites: Korean Style Rice Bowl, from the "fast" section of Food & Wine and tried our hand at korean bbq (bulgogi).  we used a bottled sauce mix we got at the local asian market, but after we use it up, i think i want to try to make it from scratch. There are actually some really good recipes in the Fast section of Food & Wine.  I'm glad they're online, since i stopped subscribing -> RECIPE overload: so much to make, not time to cook it all.

Another really fabulous dish i recently made was out of Martha Stewart Living, june 2005, p. 152: chicken and bulgar salad. might be able to find it on Craftlog's Marthadex (thank you so much for doing this - i was so bummed out when they decided not to  publish their index again). i tried, but it seems to be down right now.

the nap pillow odyssey has begun and i have (gasp) cut into the Munki Munki. Unfortunately, my husband has been working a lot and i can only do this when bunny naps or is in bed, and well frankly, i tumble into bed right after she does. this pregnancy seems to be wiping me out  more than the 1st one... Anyways, ladybug is standing by:

 

I saw the denise schmidt preview on Cia's Palette: how cool! will await the collection arrival to place an order!

it's later gater

ok, so far not doing well on my valentine's resolution of posting more - time and life seem to be like some squiggly, slithery eel that keeps getting away from me.

i'm finally ready (though still anxious about it ) to cut into my Munki Munki stash reprodepot is having a sale of sorts. i'm already having remorse about  not buying some of the Munki Munki i don't have. i'm planning on making that Amy Butler nap pillow for Bunny (for her birthday)out of it. i also finally located the necktie quilt pattern book that i've been looking for. i want to make a quilt of of my dad's ties. after i get my taxes, some other odious things and other projects out of the way, i might start in on that. i'm thinking this summer... here's the book:  

i didn't do too much for valentines day. We sent Hello Kitty valentines to daycare and i made just one valentine for my sister. it's just construction paper stitched together with waxed twine. i filled it with some chocolate she likes and made closures out of little paper heart buttons and twine. there is of course, the requisite paper doily.

the weather has been up and down here - unseasonably, incredibly warm one week, a blizzard last weekend (12" of snow), which melted away with more warm temps. we're back to winter today, but at least i have my lady slipper orchid harkening the promise of spring with a beautiful bloom:

 

almost one year later...

i never meant for a year to go by before i posted again ... life was terribly full, i guess!

so, what's gone on? definitely, in no particular order:

• bunny is such a big girl - bright, chatty, inquisitive, cute, happy - almost 2!!!!
• bunny got glasses - and wears them!
• we have another baby on the way(!), due i think, the same day as claire's baby at Loobylu
• i finished library school this past fall semester!
• i'm still working ( a double-edged sword, really...)
• i'm not really a morning person any more (wonder why?), although i still want to be and am unable to make the switch to super nite momma...
• i've been reading less (another wonder why...), though have become obsessed with japanese craft books, which i must stop buying b/c figuring out some of the patterns is paralyzing me...
• i have a million projects i want to start or need to finish - many revolve around sewing, or home improvement or O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.A.T.I.O.N.
• i made 3 quilts (crib sized) over the summer - not too shabby considering i really don't know how to sew!
• i knitted my 1st scarf this winter. must figure out how to cast-off...
• my sisters and MIL have been incredibly generous and loving with time and gifts for bunny
• and most sadly, my father passed away this past summer. we all miss him very, very much.

anyways, i'd like to make my "valentine's resolutions" and say i'll work valiantly on blog comeback, and maybe get some projects started and finished, although a room for new baby, should be top priority!

And one more thing --

What is with the rain and cold, here?

i had to turn the heat on yesterday, as i waited for the sears man to come and fix the ridiculously expensive dishwasher (which as an aside, needs a part, so it will be another week...say it  ain't so!! i think i might die...to think i used to shun the dishwasher...

Lions, tigers and BADGERS, oh my!

ok, i read some of  Heather's posts yesterday, the one titled 15 Rounds or I really think we should just be friends, and i wondered if there was some kind of mirror universe out there.

I was changing a particularly poopy diaper while she writhed and screamed, twisted and turned, and i was breathlessly thinking, "hey, i'm doing you a favor..."

And her new thing is to scream or growl while doing anything. i keep thinking she's stuck or hurt or something. She seems to get so frustrated - as if she really has something to say and can't or can't understand why whatever she wants to happen with that stuffed rabbit zipped into her hoodie, isn't happening...

On another note, i just about finished sewing all the pieces together into 8.5" squares to sew to gother to make the quilt top of my first quilt and it's clear that a) i did not cut stuff straight and b) my sewing skills need work. but, we will soldier on, as the twins could come any day now. pix later, for the quilters hall of shame, i should be working right now...